I will take you back to a Friday night this past spring. It was the first big weekend of the baseball season. The Yankees were in Boston and the Braves were in Shea. At that point in the season the NL East was still very close. The Phillies had gotten off to a terrible start, the Braves looked much better than in 2006 and the Mets still looked good. That night though I realized that this Mets team did not have that same feeling as in 2006. The Mets were pitching Mike Pelfrey that night and the Braves had Tim Hudson on the mound. Hudson baffled the Mets all night and Pelfrey got lit up. I remember just looking over to Relaxo and not being able to articulate what I was seeing. It was a feeling I had. Looking back, that feeling really was that the Mets did not have that same aura they did in 2006 of intimidation and confidence. They were not going to be able to run away with this division and they were going to be facing teams that felt they were better than the Mets. It wag going to be harder.
The entire Mets organization got way ahead of themselves after one playoff season. Their slogan was "Your season has come". The fact is though that our season really had past. The 2006 year was our year. We went into this season with more questions in the starting rotation, a far worse bullpen and an older line-up. I have mentioned numerous times throughout the year my frustration and complacency with the team. I felt it in spring training, I felt it on opening day, and I felt it all the way until we were eliminated with a pathetic performance today. It seems like everyone in the Mets organization, the fans and media were ready to give the Mets the city once again. Everyone seemed ready to bury the Yanks and put the Mets on top lead by Reyes and Wright. Well, the Yankees are on top (and hated) for a reason. They have been in the playoffs 12 straight years. They have earned all of the credit and attention they get. The Mets are just another team that had one good run and is now sitting home in October.
With all that being said, the Mets still really should have won this division. They have the deepest line-up in the league, as well as the deepest rotation. They may not have that stud at the front of their rotation, but all five starters consistently gave them a chance to win, which is more than most teams can say. I think the personality on this team was lost. Only the men in that front office and locker room know for sure, but I would point to two things. Number one is bringin Ricky Henderson on to that coaching staff. He has never had a reputation as a hard worker or a motivator of others. The man he replaced in Rick Down was the exact opposite of that. In addition, Jose Reyes lost something. I do not know what it is, but this has been apparent since around the all star break. He did not have the same energy or enthusiasm. His play suffered and by the end of the season I consistently heard something at Shea I thought I never would...boos and jeers directed at Reyes at almost every chance the fans got. Maybe one day we will find out what was really eating at Reyes and this team. Julio Franco being released had to change the culture in that clubhouse. The fact that the same 5-6 players talk to the media could be an issue. I don't think many of the Latin players like LoDuca. I don't think anyone likes Milledge. I think Willie has seemed aloof at times. He just keeps repeating like these phrases to the media "We'll get them tomorrow." "Keep fighting." "That's baseball" It's like, can this guy just be human and tell it like it is? I am ready for him to come back next year and I do not view him as the problem, but he needs to address his relationship with his players and coaches in that locker room.
Now what? First off all get rid of Mota, Rickey Henderson, Jorge Sosa, and find out what is eating at Jose Reyes. Next you put together a package for Johan Santana (Aaron Heilman, John Maine, Pelfrey/Humber, Milledge/Gomez). Bring Alou back. Look into dealing Delgado. Figure out what you want to do at catcher. ADDRESS THE BULLPEN. Also, decide if you are committed to Willie Randolph or not. If you aren't then fire him. If you are, then get rid of the people sniping behind his back to the media. You do not want that in your house.
Lastly, let me consider Tom Glavine. Before the game I felt as comfortable with him on the mound as with any pitcher on our roster. He would not be rattled by the moment and he would give us a chance to win. What happened is honestly incomprehensible. He buried this team. His performance was embarrassing and pitiful. I do not want to hear any excuses about it. He signed here five years ago to win. In the most important game he pitched in a Mets uniform he saved his worst for last. All of last offseason he played the Mets off the Braves and flipflopped on whether he wanted to come back or not. Well, he came back after potentially hanging the Mets out to dry as he considered the Braves and retiring. Well at this point I do not care if he comes back. He never lived up to the money and I would grade his Mets career as a C-.
So this is it. I will not watch the NL playoffs. The Phillies are fuckin soft. Brett Myers is a punk who will blow a game in the division series and will then berate a newspaper scribe. The Cubs have a chance because of Pinella. I will be rooting for the Rockies to get in and to play well. I just really like their nucleus. As far as the AL is concerned, as long as the Sox and Yanks lose I will be happy. So basically I will be miserable. Excuse me while I go stick my head in the toilet.
STKAFI
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
For the Record
• If two clubs from the same division are tied but both assured of participating in the postseason, then the first tie-breaker would be their 2006 season-series to determine which club is the division champion and which club is the Wild Card.
• If three clubs finish the season with the same winning percentage and one team will be a division winner and another will be the Wild Card, the games will be played as follows:
» The two teams tied for the division lead will play the one-game tie-breaker, with the winner being declared the division champion.
» The losing team will then play the club from the other division for the Wild Card.
Also, if there is a 4 way tie...
Mets play Phils for division
D-back play Pads for Division
Losers would then play a game for the wildcard
Monday and Tuesday: Three team playoff with Rockies having home field advantage to decide the West
Wednesday and Thursday: The two losers would then have a three team playoff with the NL East team
Arizona-Colorado-Philadelphia: home field goes to Arizona
Arizona-San Diego-Philadelphia: home field goes to Arizona
Colorado-San Diego-Philadelphia: Rockies
Colorado-San Diego-New York: Rockies
Arizona-San Diego-New York: Arizona
Arizona-Colorado-New York: Arizona
• If three clubs finish the season with the same winning percentage and one team will be a division winner and another will be the Wild Card, the games will be played as follows:
» The two teams tied for the division lead will play the one-game tie-breaker, with the winner being declared the division champion.
» The losing team will then play the club from the other division for the Wild Card.
Also, if there is a 4 way tie...
Mets play Phils for division
D-back play Pads for Division
Losers would then play a game for the wildcard
Four-way tiebreaker system (Both NL East teams and two NL West teams):
Monday: Mets vs Phillies for the NL East title in Philadelphia
Monday: NL West playoff
Tuesday: The two losers face off for the Wild Card.
Here are the various scenarios
Diamondbacks at Philadelphia
Philadelphia at San Diego
Philadelphia at Colorado
Arizona at New York
San Diego at New York
New York at Colorado
Then after one of these or none of these scenarios play out the NLDS starts in the home of the West champ on Friday, and Saturday in the East. The top seeded team gets the Wildcard winner out of one of these senarios. If a team from the West wins the Wild Card they would play the East represenative. If it’s a team from the East they will play the division winner from the West. Then the team from the Central gets the other one.
Got it?
Updated since Colorado won, but if they would have lost tonight it could have looked like this:
Five-way tie:
Monday: Mets vs. Phillies for the NL East title in Philadelphia
Monday and Tuesday: The Rockies, Diamondbacks, and Padres have a three team playoff to decide the West, with the Rockies having home field advantage for both of their games due to having the best head-to-head record.
Wednesday and Thursday: The three losing teams would then have a three team playoff to decide the Wild Card winner. The team with the best head-to-head record against the other two would be granted home field advantage. If the winner is an Nl West team they will the winner of the NL East tie-breaker and vice versa.
Monday and Tuesday: Three team playoff with Rockies having home field advantage to decide the West
Wednesday and Thursday: The two losers would then have a three team playoff with the NL East team
Arizona-Colorado-Philadelphia: home field goes to Arizona
Arizona-San Diego-Philadelphia: home field goes to Arizona
Colorado-San Diego-Philadelphia: Rockies
Colorado-San Diego-New York: Rockies
Arizona-San Diego-New York: Arizona
Arizona-Colorado-New York: Arizona
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Costume
| Minnesota Vikings | +2.5 |  Green Bay Packers |
| Dallas Cowboys | -12.5 | St. Louis Rams |
| Buffalo Bills | +3.5 | New York Jets |
| Detroit Lions | +2.5 | Chicago Bears |
| Miami Dolphins | -3.5 | Oakland Raiders |
| Atlanta Falcons | +3.5 | Houston Texans |
| Cleveland Browns | +4.5 | Baltimore Ravens |
| Carolina Panthers | -2.5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| San Francisco 49ers | +2.5 | Seattle Seahawks |
| Arizona Cardinals | +5.5 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| San Diego Chargers | -12.5 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Indianapolis Colts | -9.5 | Denver Broncos |
| New York Giants | +2.5 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Cincinnati Bengals | +7.5 | New England Patriots |
Home TEAMS ON LEFT
If you want to make a lot of money pick the opposite of what I have chosen
***19-29 on the season***
With Halloween coming up, how bout some athlete costumes:
OJ- walk around with an OJ mask and your old trophy's from Little League.. .and if you're Curtin and don't have any, buy some
Vick- wear a Vick jersey, carry around a noose, and a couple dogs on leashes
Bonds- Bonds jersey, needle coming from your ass
Joba- walk around in a white robe, because you might as well dress as God
Arod- buy a 1971 Roberto Rodriguez Cubs jersey and pretend it is Arod's
Mets- very simple, wear a choker
Grossman- Wear a Grossman jersey, a skirt (sexy rexy) and a blindfold with a football
Mickleson- dress as a golfer and wear a bra
Peyton- dress up as Manning, and turn a cardboard box into a TV and place over head
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
SNY
At least the Mets are the best at something...
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=pearlman/070926&sportCat=mlb
STKAFI
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=pearlman/070926&sportCat=mlb
STKAFI
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
M V Pizzle
Besides the divisional races (which I would rather not think or talk about), the MVP debates are always a hot topic this time of year. While there are often different choices each year, the same questions always seem to come up. Should a pitcher be given any consideration? Should a player from a last place team have a chance? Should a player whose team did not make the playoffs even be worthy? The beat writers of each National and American League city vote on these awards. Each writer seems to view this award from a different perspective. In addition, it is clear to me that certain writers like to abuse their privilege by ranking certain players lower on their ballot just so another player has a greater chance to win (see Chicago writer last year that ranked Jeter 6th or 7th I believe).
For me, the first and most important attribute is one that I feel is often overlooked. Is that player the most valuable player to his particular team? In 2005, it was clear that David Ortiz carried that Red Sox team to the playoffs. It seemed like every day he would get another clutch hit and you would read another quote in the newspapers from a different teammate on how he was the MVP. AROD meanwhile never seemed to get the clutch hit, was never praised by his teammates as an MVP (Sheffield even called himself the MVP that year http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/sports/features/12398/). In any event Ortiz did not get the award for the simple reason that he is a designated hitter. There is a portion of baseball fans and media that feel the DH should not be considered for the MVP since they only play half of the game.
In 1999, Pedro Martinez dominated the league like few have ever done. He lead the Red Sox to the playoffs, but Pudge Rodriguez won the award instead because a New York beat writer left Pedro off of his ballot completely. In 2000, Jeff Kent won the NL MVP over Mike Piazza even though Kent probably was not the MVP of his own team. Barry Bonds batted behind Kent and made sure that he saw a steady diet of fastballs. Piazza meanwhile had a great year, from a more physically demanding position, with a more paltry line-up. Sometimes people just get it wrong.
This year the AL MVP is all but wrapped up. I would have considered Magglio Ordonez if the Tigers were in the playoffs, but that is not the case. AROD has had a huge year and has gotten multiple clutch hits. He really should be a unanimous selection. The NL meanwhile is a much different scenario. There are a few different players that may deserve the award. Specifically, David Wright, Prince Fielder, Jimmy Rollins and Matt Holiday. I first have to see if they are the most valuable player on their team. Right off the bat that eliminates David Wright. He may be the most consistent player on the Mets, but Alou has been the most valuable. Wright has no signature moment this year and while he has hit well in September, Alou has been better. In addition, Wright has had a couple costly errors this month. Bottom line (and this is a Mets fan talking) David Wright is not the MVP of the Mets, so he can't be MVP of the NL.
Prince Fielder is making a strong case. He has a home run in each of the past two games and 49 on the year. He is the best player on that club and has been at his best lately. You can say the same thing for Matt Holliday. He has had a big year and has been the best player on the Rockies as they have played their best ball of the season this past couple of weeks while Holliday has also been at his best. Rollins has also had a big September while the Philles have charged back into the NL East race. Rollins has also been a vocal leader for the team in the clubhouse and the press. While Fielder and Holliday may have been leaders, there is no way they have been more vocal than Rollins. he has talked the talk and walked the walk.
In the end it will probably come down to who makes the playoffs. If the season ended today none of them would be in the playoffs. If thats the case I think Fielder will get it. If I had a vote I would give it to Rollins. He plays the toughest position of the group, is the best all around player (defense, speed, power), and has been the guy that has pushed the Phillies all year when Howard couldn't hit in April and May and when Utley was injured in August. My ballot is below.
1. Jimmy Rollins
2. Matt Holiday
3. Prince Fielder
4. David Wright
5. Chipper Jones
Lastly, I just want to say that Chipper Jones has reached Reggie Miller status for me. I hated him more than any player in his prime, but as he has gotten older I have started to like him. With Reggie it was different because the Knicks sucked at the end of his career (when I started to hate their ownership, etc), so I would actually enjoy it when Reggie would have flashes against the Knicks and embarrass them. It was a respect thing. It is the same with Chipper. Since the Mets are good though I can not cheer for Chipper. That would be wrong. For the next two days though I can (Braves are playing the Phillies). I was very happy that Chipper hit one out tonight and look forward to being able to cheer him the next two days. Next year thought I will go back to the chants of "Laaaaaaaarrryy". When his career is over though, I will remember him as one of the great players of our generation and possibly the most underrated.
STKAFI
For me, the first and most important attribute is one that I feel is often overlooked. Is that player the most valuable player to his particular team? In 2005, it was clear that David Ortiz carried that Red Sox team to the playoffs. It seemed like every day he would get another clutch hit and you would read another quote in the newspapers from a different teammate on how he was the MVP. AROD meanwhile never seemed to get the clutch hit, was never praised by his teammates as an MVP (Sheffield even called himself the MVP that year http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/sports/features/12398/). In any event Ortiz did not get the award for the simple reason that he is a designated hitter. There is a portion of baseball fans and media that feel the DH should not be considered for the MVP since they only play half of the game.
In 1999, Pedro Martinez dominated the league like few have ever done. He lead the Red Sox to the playoffs, but Pudge Rodriguez won the award instead because a New York beat writer left Pedro off of his ballot completely. In 2000, Jeff Kent won the NL MVP over Mike Piazza even though Kent probably was not the MVP of his own team. Barry Bonds batted behind Kent and made sure that he saw a steady diet of fastballs. Piazza meanwhile had a great year, from a more physically demanding position, with a more paltry line-up. Sometimes people just get it wrong.
This year the AL MVP is all but wrapped up. I would have considered Magglio Ordonez if the Tigers were in the playoffs, but that is not the case. AROD has had a huge year and has gotten multiple clutch hits. He really should be a unanimous selection. The NL meanwhile is a much different scenario. There are a few different players that may deserve the award. Specifically, David Wright, Prince Fielder, Jimmy Rollins and Matt Holiday. I first have to see if they are the most valuable player on their team. Right off the bat that eliminates David Wright. He may be the most consistent player on the Mets, but Alou has been the most valuable. Wright has no signature moment this year and while he has hit well in September, Alou has been better. In addition, Wright has had a couple costly errors this month. Bottom line (and this is a Mets fan talking) David Wright is not the MVP of the Mets, so he can't be MVP of the NL.
Prince Fielder is making a strong case. He has a home run in each of the past two games and 49 on the year. He is the best player on that club and has been at his best lately. You can say the same thing for Matt Holliday. He has had a big year and has been the best player on the Rockies as they have played their best ball of the season this past couple of weeks while Holliday has also been at his best. Rollins has also had a big September while the Philles have charged back into the NL East race. Rollins has also been a vocal leader for the team in the clubhouse and the press. While Fielder and Holliday may have been leaders, there is no way they have been more vocal than Rollins. he has talked the talk and walked the walk.
In the end it will probably come down to who makes the playoffs. If the season ended today none of them would be in the playoffs. If thats the case I think Fielder will get it. If I had a vote I would give it to Rollins. He plays the toughest position of the group, is the best all around player (defense, speed, power), and has been the guy that has pushed the Phillies all year when Howard couldn't hit in April and May and when Utley was injured in August. My ballot is below.
1. Jimmy Rollins
2. Matt Holiday
3. Prince Fielder
4. David Wright
5. Chipper Jones
Lastly, I just want to say that Chipper Jones has reached Reggie Miller status for me. I hated him more than any player in his prime, but as he has gotten older I have started to like him. With Reggie it was different because the Knicks sucked at the end of his career (when I started to hate their ownership, etc), so I would actually enjoy it when Reggie would have flashes against the Knicks and embarrass them. It was a respect thing. It is the same with Chipper. Since the Mets are good though I can not cheer for Chipper. That would be wrong. For the next two days though I can (Braves are playing the Phillies). I was very happy that Chipper hit one out tonight and look forward to being able to cheer him the next two days. Next year thought I will go back to the chants of "Laaaaaaaarrryy". When his career is over though, I will remember him as one of the great players of our generation and possibly the most underrated.
STKAFI
Monday, September 24, 2007
Contender / Pretender
The NFL is one of the toughest leagues to predict, whether it be last year's Saints or this year's Packers; it is damn near impossible to predict which teams will make the playoffs at the beginning of a season. The first 3 weeks tell us a whole lot more. If you had told me that the Pack in Green Bay would beat the Chargers in week 3 to solidify themselves as contenders, I would have told you to lay off the sauce. So without further ado, lets ask the question for each of the league's teams.
NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys:
There is no doubt that the Sunday Night Football crew needed to hop off Romo's balls last night. John Madden referring to him as "Superman" got a little cheesy and ridiculous which is fine because Madden has regressed to become the stupidest human being on the face of the earth, but I need a break from all the QB kiss asses running around in media. Here is a hint, it is not news to us that good quarterbacks are confident. Nor is it news that confidence is a good thing in the locker room for a leader to have. Also work ethic, and willingness to talk with teammates, yeah we got those too. Now relax and come up with something else to talk about for 25 seconds, yes we are looking at you Kolber and Kramer. Nonetheless, Cowboys looked great last night and Romo looked really confident, you could see it showing and rubbing off on his teammates. Just an amazing guy, reminds me of Indiana Jones. CONTENDER.
Washington Redskins:
Looked impressive in the loss. The offense is actually a little explosive. Campbell was throwing darts. Antwann Randle El looked for real as a top option in an NFL offense. The defense showed some major holes late though and they blew the game. I think that they could be dangerous next year but I'm still not sold. However, I need a 6th contender and the NFC is terrible. CONTENDER
New York Giants:
Eli hasn't been terrible and there have been a few bright spots. Basically only a resurgent Toomer and a spectacular Plaxico Burress. Burress has been amazing in the red zone for this team. Still the defense is terrible and we are about 10 weeks away from the annual Coughlin's team quits on him so he'll get fired saga. PRETENDER
Philadelphia Eagles:
I was really going to criticize McNabb here because I love criticize him but he played a hell of a game and successfully reminded us that he is a good Quarterback that led a team to the superbowl. The defense needs to improve but Brian Westbrook is currently the rich man's Reggie Bush. Westbrook is flat out amazing. The receivers are still bad but I think these guys will stick around for a little while. Plus Andy Reid is a good coach, no matter how many ESPN analysists put him on "the hot seat". CONTENDER
NFC NORTH:
Green Bay Packers:
Good defense. Brett Favre is throwing more touchdowns that INTs for once in the past decade and Donald Driver is the beast you never hear people talking about. The defense has been the story though. They contained LT. Do not make the argument that LT still scored and therefore was not contained. This is a guy that scored three times a game last year. He hasn't been great this year and there are big problems over in SD. A big win for the Packers and at 3-0 . . . . CONTENDER
Detroit Lions:
Love the WR. The defense is shitty. The Quarterback is decent. Running game? Haven't seen one. Maybe in a couple years but they aren't going to win with that defense. Also, in a side note, I was a big fan of the anger that bubbled to the surface from some x players about letting John Kitna play last week in the final quarter. Impressive preformance and everything but when I guy leaves with a concussion and after the half comes up to you and says "It's ok, I can go back in, God took away my concussion." As a doctor, how can you not be a little more wary and check into the CONCUSSION. I don't understand the "Sweet, big pickup for us, now get out there" diagnosis. PRETENDER
Chicago Bears:
Two words. Sexy Rexy
PRETENDER
Minnesota Vikings:
If they had won yesterday, I would have loved to put them as a Contender. But they lost to Herm Edwards. The defense is really good. Under-rated good this year and if they can get a QB to throw to those speedy receivers and hand the ball off to AP; there O-line is just good enough to make these guys a contender. About 1-2 years and QB away from threatening the division. PRETENDER
NFC SOUTH
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
How good is Jeff Garcia? With a decent defense and a week division, this team might just have a chance. Then again, The Rams are terrible and my little sister threw on the Saints for 400 yards last week in a scrimmage. These guys will regress and Gruden won't make it to next season. PRETENDER
Carolina Panthers:
Steve Smith is amazing. The defense is great and if Jake Delhomme didn't screw up his elbow yesterday. The answer might be different. PRETENDER
New Orleans Saints:
For reasons expressed in my last post. I think these guys are turning it around tonight. And yes I am afraid that Vince Young will pull some crap. CONTENDER
Atlanta Falcons:
Word out of the Atlanta Locker room. D'Angelo Hall got beat up yesterday by possibly more than one Falcon for yelling at them after numerous penalties near the end of the game. Yeah this team is going far. PRETENDER
San Francisco 49ers:
Offense has looked a step behind all year. Nothing is clicking and yet they backed into first place behind a decent defense. This team is mediocre across the board. Where is Vernon Davis? Where is Frank Gore in the passing game? Alex Smith needs to pull some magic shortly if he thinks he is going to sniff the playoffs. PRETENDER
Seattle Seahawks:
They made the playoffs a year ago, the Superbowl the year before. All without losing very much more than their Left Guard. Granted he was a sweetass left guard but they didn't lose much of a step. Next to the Pats, the WR core rivals any other in the NFL. Shaun Alexander is a little weird, a lotta crazy, but he is a fantastic running back. This team is for real and will win the division. Basically because the rest of the teams suck ass daily. CONTENDER
Arizona Cardinals:
Reports that I have been reading say that Leinart wasn't really injured and that he looked unsure and afraid when confronted with the Baltimore blitzes. Warner then leads them back and the almost win the game. A QB controversy is never good for any team and it will destroy this one that is having trouble stopping anyone right now. PRETENDER
This is taking forever. Going into hurry up mode.
Saint Louis Rams:
Orlando Pace killed the offense. Defense is not good enough to keep them in games when the O struggles. PRETENDER
AFC EAST:
New England Patriots:
Unstoppable. Flat out no other way to put it. I cannot wait for the Colts show down because I believe that score will be 38-21 Pats. They are that good. Randy Moss is the best receiver in the game once again. CONTENDER
New York Jets:
Eh. Mediocre across the board. Not in this conference. Not this year. PRETENDER
Miami Dolphins:
These guys are MUCH more feisty that people think. Just don't say that Ronnie Brown is back. He was never good enough in a season to say he is back from something. Just accept that he has arrived. There is no odder fall from grace than Trent Green. Why did we write him off? Why did I assume he would be terrible, is it the losing culture of the Dolphins or the assumption that it would be impossible for that GM to make a good move? No idea but they are better than we think. Still, its the AFC. PRETENDER
Buffalo Bills:
Losman out hurts but it wasn't like they were making it anyway. The future looks bright. Whitner played well yesterday on that dominated Defense and if you wanna make a Bill fan smile bring up that touchdown run by Lynch yesterday, a thing of beauty. PRENTENDER
AFC NORTH:
Pittsburgh Steelers:
Anytime your team has scored the second most points in the AFC(3rd most NFL). And your defense has given up the least points. Yeah, I'd say you are a CONTENDER
Baltimore Ravens:
A: That defense is incredible to watch. Da Bocker said it best. Chicago and Baltimore play on another level than any other defense. B: Right now. Kyle Boller should be the QB and he will be next year and possibly before this year ends. CONTENDER
Cincinnati Bengals:
Worst Defense in the league. Hands down. I don't even care how good the passing game is.PRETENDER
Cleveland Browns:
C'mon. Braylon and Kellen are for real. No one else that starts on this team comes close. PRETENDER
AFC SOUTH:
Indianapolis Colts:
Peyton Manning. Anytime you can look into a camera, sell Direct TV, audible from a run to a pass, after you hike the ball, and still throw for a touchdown to a receiver that is running a crossing route due to an ESP connection, Yep you are a CONTENDER
Jacksonville Jaguars:
Maurice Jones Drew = best backup running back in football. PRETENDER
Houston Texans:
Offense looked off without Andre. Ahman looked old. Schaub looked mediocre. It is clear they need him to make things work. PRETENDER
Tennessee Titans:
Scary thing going into the Saints game : Vince Young, just wins football games.
CONTENDER
AFC WEST:
Denver Broncos:
Jay Cutler will single handedly kill their season. He isn't very good yet. Just you wait. PRETENDER
Kansas City Chiefs:
HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA. I might consider shutting LJ down and hoping to rest him up for next year's new coach. That is ridiculous! PRETENDER.
Oakland Raider:
These guys are going to win some games with CPep but will fall short of the playoffs. Next year, they will be good. I do like Lane Kiffin thus far. And the D-fense is better than the scores of the game suggest. PRETENDER(maybe otherwise if in the NFC)
San Diego Chargers:
They are good. But Phillip Rivers needs to get his shit straight. LT and him arguing on the sidelines does not bode well. Still the D is solid and if LT takes the team on his shoulders, they should survive. Also, it was nice to see Vincent Jackson in pads for once. CONTENDER
THAT WAS EXHAUSTING!
go sox.
NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys:
There is no doubt that the Sunday Night Football crew needed to hop off Romo's balls last night. John Madden referring to him as "Superman" got a little cheesy and ridiculous which is fine because Madden has regressed to become the stupidest human being on the face of the earth, but I need a break from all the QB kiss asses running around in media. Here is a hint, it is not news to us that good quarterbacks are confident. Nor is it news that confidence is a good thing in the locker room for a leader to have. Also work ethic, and willingness to talk with teammates, yeah we got those too. Now relax and come up with something else to talk about for 25 seconds, yes we are looking at you Kolber and Kramer. Nonetheless, Cowboys looked great last night and Romo looked really confident, you could see it showing and rubbing off on his teammates. Just an amazing guy, reminds me of Indiana Jones. CONTENDER.
Washington Redskins:
Looked impressive in the loss. The offense is actually a little explosive. Campbell was throwing darts. Antwann Randle El looked for real as a top option in an NFL offense. The defense showed some major holes late though and they blew the game. I think that they could be dangerous next year but I'm still not sold. However, I need a 6th contender and the NFC is terrible. CONTENDER
New York Giants:
Eli hasn't been terrible and there have been a few bright spots. Basically only a resurgent Toomer and a spectacular Plaxico Burress. Burress has been amazing in the red zone for this team. Still the defense is terrible and we are about 10 weeks away from the annual Coughlin's team quits on him so he'll get fired saga. PRETENDER
Philadelphia Eagles:
I was really going to criticize McNabb here because I love criticize him but he played a hell of a game and successfully reminded us that he is a good Quarterback that led a team to the superbowl. The defense needs to improve but Brian Westbrook is currently the rich man's Reggie Bush. Westbrook is flat out amazing. The receivers are still bad but I think these guys will stick around for a little while. Plus Andy Reid is a good coach, no matter how many ESPN analysists put him on "the hot seat". CONTENDER
NFC NORTH:
Green Bay Packers:
Good defense. Brett Favre is throwing more touchdowns that INTs for once in the past decade and Donald Driver is the beast you never hear people talking about. The defense has been the story though. They contained LT. Do not make the argument that LT still scored and therefore was not contained. This is a guy that scored three times a game last year. He hasn't been great this year and there are big problems over in SD. A big win for the Packers and at 3-0 . . . . CONTENDER
Detroit Lions:
Love the WR. The defense is shitty. The Quarterback is decent. Running game? Haven't seen one. Maybe in a couple years but they aren't going to win with that defense. Also, in a side note, I was a big fan of the anger that bubbled to the surface from some x players about letting John Kitna play last week in the final quarter. Impressive preformance and everything but when I guy leaves with a concussion and after the half comes up to you and says "It's ok, I can go back in, God took away my concussion." As a doctor, how can you not be a little more wary and check into the CONCUSSION. I don't understand the "Sweet, big pickup for us, now get out there" diagnosis. PRETENDER
Chicago Bears:
Two words. Sexy Rexy
PRETENDER
Minnesota Vikings:
If they had won yesterday, I would have loved to put them as a Contender. But they lost to Herm Edwards. The defense is really good. Under-rated good this year and if they can get a QB to throw to those speedy receivers and hand the ball off to AP; there O-line is just good enough to make these guys a contender. About 1-2 years and QB away from threatening the division. PRETENDER
NFC SOUTH
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
How good is Jeff Garcia? With a decent defense and a week division, this team might just have a chance. Then again, The Rams are terrible and my little sister threw on the Saints for 400 yards last week in a scrimmage. These guys will regress and Gruden won't make it to next season. PRETENDER
Carolina Panthers:
Steve Smith is amazing. The defense is great and if Jake Delhomme didn't screw up his elbow yesterday. The answer might be different. PRETENDER
New Orleans Saints:
For reasons expressed in my last post. I think these guys are turning it around tonight. And yes I am afraid that Vince Young will pull some crap. CONTENDER
Atlanta Falcons:
Word out of the Atlanta Locker room. D'Angelo Hall got beat up yesterday by possibly more than one Falcon for yelling at them after numerous penalties near the end of the game. Yeah this team is going far. PRETENDER
San Francisco 49ers:
Offense has looked a step behind all year. Nothing is clicking and yet they backed into first place behind a decent defense. This team is mediocre across the board. Where is Vernon Davis? Where is Frank Gore in the passing game? Alex Smith needs to pull some magic shortly if he thinks he is going to sniff the playoffs. PRETENDER
Seattle Seahawks:
They made the playoffs a year ago, the Superbowl the year before. All without losing very much more than their Left Guard. Granted he was a sweetass left guard but they didn't lose much of a step. Next to the Pats, the WR core rivals any other in the NFL. Shaun Alexander is a little weird, a lotta crazy, but he is a fantastic running back. This team is for real and will win the division. Basically because the rest of the teams suck ass daily. CONTENDER
Arizona Cardinals:
Reports that I have been reading say that Leinart wasn't really injured and that he looked unsure and afraid when confronted with the Baltimore blitzes. Warner then leads them back and the almost win the game. A QB controversy is never good for any team and it will destroy this one that is having trouble stopping anyone right now. PRETENDER
This is taking forever. Going into hurry up mode.
Saint Louis Rams:
Orlando Pace killed the offense. Defense is not good enough to keep them in games when the O struggles. PRETENDER
AFC EAST:
New England Patriots:
Unstoppable. Flat out no other way to put it. I cannot wait for the Colts show down because I believe that score will be 38-21 Pats. They are that good. Randy Moss is the best receiver in the game once again. CONTENDER
New York Jets:
Eh. Mediocre across the board. Not in this conference. Not this year. PRETENDER
Miami Dolphins:
These guys are MUCH more feisty that people think. Just don't say that Ronnie Brown is back. He was never good enough in a season to say he is back from something. Just accept that he has arrived. There is no odder fall from grace than Trent Green. Why did we write him off? Why did I assume he would be terrible, is it the losing culture of the Dolphins or the assumption that it would be impossible for that GM to make a good move? No idea but they are better than we think. Still, its the AFC. PRETENDER
Buffalo Bills:
Losman out hurts but it wasn't like they were making it anyway. The future looks bright. Whitner played well yesterday on that dominated Defense and if you wanna make a Bill fan smile bring up that touchdown run by Lynch yesterday, a thing of beauty. PRENTENDER
AFC NORTH:
Pittsburgh Steelers:
Anytime your team has scored the second most points in the AFC(3rd most NFL). And your defense has given up the least points. Yeah, I'd say you are a CONTENDER
Baltimore Ravens:
A: That defense is incredible to watch. Da Bocker said it best. Chicago and Baltimore play on another level than any other defense. B: Right now. Kyle Boller should be the QB and he will be next year and possibly before this year ends. CONTENDER
Cincinnati Bengals:
Worst Defense in the league. Hands down. I don't even care how good the passing game is.PRETENDER
Cleveland Browns:
C'mon. Braylon and Kellen are for real. No one else that starts on this team comes close. PRETENDER
AFC SOUTH:
Indianapolis Colts:
Peyton Manning. Anytime you can look into a camera, sell Direct TV, audible from a run to a pass, after you hike the ball, and still throw for a touchdown to a receiver that is running a crossing route due to an ESP connection, Yep you are a CONTENDER
Jacksonville Jaguars:
Maurice Jones Drew = best backup running back in football. PRETENDER
Houston Texans:
Offense looked off without Andre. Ahman looked old. Schaub looked mediocre. It is clear they need him to make things work. PRETENDER
Tennessee Titans:
Scary thing going into the Saints game : Vince Young, just wins football games.
CONTENDER
AFC WEST:
Denver Broncos:
Jay Cutler will single handedly kill their season. He isn't very good yet. Just you wait. PRETENDER
Kansas City Chiefs:
HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA. I might consider shutting LJ down and hoping to rest him up for next year's new coach. That is ridiculous! PRETENDER.
Oakland Raider:
These guys are going to win some games with CPep but will fall short of the playoffs. Next year, they will be good. I do like Lane Kiffin thus far. And the D-fense is better than the scores of the game suggest. PRETENDER(maybe otherwise if in the NFC)
San Diego Chargers:
They are good. But Phillip Rivers needs to get his shit straight. LT and him arguing on the sidelines does not bode well. Still the D is solid and if LT takes the team on his shoulders, they should survive. Also, it was nice to see Vincent Jackson in pads for once. CONTENDER
THAT WAS EXHAUSTING!
go sox.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Gotta Love It
It took a while, but the Giants finally got their first win of the season this week. Going into the game, I did not look at this game as an absolute must win, but it was pretty close. Now the Giants are 1-2 and have the Eagles at home next week to go 2-1 in the division and 2-2 overall. This will be a key game for the G-Men. They will have played three division games in their first four weeks and will not face another division foe until Dallas comes to the Meadowlands on November 11. After a disastrous first two weeks of the season, just one win has put a much different light on the potential for this Giants season. Now for some thoughts on the Skins game..
- A much better performance by the defense. I do not want to get too high on this unit just yet. They did a very good job, but I am not that impressed with the Skins offense. The bottom line though is that any time you can finish a game on a goal line stand you have to be encouraged. The Giants defense showed a lot of heart today. They have been roasted in the press (and rightfully so) this past week so this was a most ironic way to end the game. The key now is to see if they can follow it up next week.
- One key was the Giants definitely got more pressure on the QB this week. They seemed to find more was to get Kiwanuka rushing the passer and found ways to have Tuck, Kiwanuka, Omenuori and Strahan on the field all at the same time.
- Not happy with the amount of drops today by the Giant receivers (especially Shockey and Burress), but Plaxico came up with a huge play in the 4th quarter.
- I like Ward running the ball. It could be a blessing in disguise that Jacobs got injured in week 1. I think that when he comes back it will be a good situation where the two of the can split some carries, and give that offense different looks.
- I thought Eli was supposed to be out a month the a shoulder injury. First he does not miss a game, not it seems to be a total non issue. He played a much better game this week than week 2 (stats are misleading if you watched the game) and his arm appears to be 100% from the naked eye.
- Looking at the NFC, the top two teams at the moment appear to be Green Bay and Dallas. Coincidentally they are the two teams that have beaten the Giants. Right now you have to be pretty optimistic as a Giants game going into next week. I feel that next week is a must win if the Giants are serious about making a playoff run this year. I don't like losing division games at home, plus a loss would put the Giants in last place in the division. When you take a look at the December schedule you realize that these are the games the Giants are going to have to win to have a chance later on.
STKAFI
Friday, September 21, 2007
Lost
Last night, I get home and turn on the Met game. All I see is a replay of Lastings Milledge losing his mind and having to be restrained by multiple coaches and players. The announcers spoke of positive anger and negative anger and how Lastings was hurting his team. I called Relaxo to see if he saw what had happened. He had not and all he said was that Milledge was a punk. I know that all the papers will talk about the Mets chocking, Wagner being a puss and Milledge losing his mind.
Well, after this game all I can tell you is that I feel exactly like Milledge. Everyone says he overreacted to a play that was not a huge deal. Instead I think this is something that had been building up inside of him, from the bad call at first base earlier in the game, to getting hit by pitches seemingly every other night, to the terrible inconsistency of his ballclub. I understand that he is a rookie ("punk" rookie at that), but he acted in the same manner that everyone is saying the manager should be acting. He flat out lost it. Have we ever seen Reyes, or Beltran, or Wright or even Willie do that? We know LoDuca has made some sort of a habit of that sort of action, but he seems irritable to begin with.
All I am saying is that instead of chastising this guy, why aren't the Mets taking some of that fury and anger and turning onto the field. The fans are furious, the front office is disgraced and the media is salivating. Play angry, play mean, play tough. The Mets have been talking all year about how they are fine and how they are going to show Jimmy Rollins and the Phillies who the real team to beat is. Everyone missed the point. The Mets are obviously the team to beat, but they do not have a guy like Rollins who is going to spit in the other guys face and then stand there to fight. The Mets have been pushed around by the Phillies all year and now they are getting pushed around by the rest of the NL East.
Milledge acted exactly how I would want to. I am sick of this team playing like shit and not playing tough in late innings. I am sick of them not showing their emotion after games. Light a fire under somebodys ass. I know Milledge is the wrong guy to do it, but I wish the guys that should be doing it would at least pull a Paul O'Neill and trash a water cooler.
P.S. One out in the ninth, Mets up one, runners on 2nd and 3rd. Can someone explain to me why Willie does not walk Treanor to face the pinch hitter on deck? Putting the guy on first means nothing since the runner on second is the winning run anyway. It sets up a force on any base and a potential game ending double play. That is just the icing on the shitcake.
STKAFI
Well, after this game all I can tell you is that I feel exactly like Milledge. Everyone says he overreacted to a play that was not a huge deal. Instead I think this is something that had been building up inside of him, from the bad call at first base earlier in the game, to getting hit by pitches seemingly every other night, to the terrible inconsistency of his ballclub. I understand that he is a rookie ("punk" rookie at that), but he acted in the same manner that everyone is saying the manager should be acting. He flat out lost it. Have we ever seen Reyes, or Beltran, or Wright or even Willie do that? We know LoDuca has made some sort of a habit of that sort of action, but he seems irritable to begin with.
All I am saying is that instead of chastising this guy, why aren't the Mets taking some of that fury and anger and turning onto the field. The fans are furious, the front office is disgraced and the media is salivating. Play angry, play mean, play tough. The Mets have been talking all year about how they are fine and how they are going to show Jimmy Rollins and the Phillies who the real team to beat is. Everyone missed the point. The Mets are obviously the team to beat, but they do not have a guy like Rollins who is going to spit in the other guys face and then stand there to fight. The Mets have been pushed around by the Phillies all year and now they are getting pushed around by the rest of the NL East.
Milledge acted exactly how I would want to. I am sick of this team playing like shit and not playing tough in late innings. I am sick of them not showing their emotion after games. Light a fire under somebodys ass. I know Milledge is the wrong guy to do it, but I wish the guys that should be doing it would at least pull a Paul O'Neill and trash a water cooler.
P.S. One out in the ninth, Mets up one, runners on 2nd and 3rd. Can someone explain to me why Willie does not walk Treanor to face the pinch hitter on deck? Putting the guy on first means nothing since the runner on second is the winning run anyway. It sets up a force on any base and a potential game ending double play. That is just the icing on the shitcake.
STKAFI
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Let me off the Waaaambulance
Thus far I am 1-5 in my 3 Fantasy Football Leagues and 14-18 picking against the spread. This is where I draw the line. Things will be turning around from here on out: (home team in caps)
Cardinals +8.5 over RAVENS:
Cards have the fire power to stay in this one. As scary as the Ravens defense is, that's how unscary their offense is. Cardinals will hang around in this one, with Edge looking to be the threat of old and especially if Billick continues to not let McGahee run out the clock with the game in the bag.
Fantasy Update: Leinart 2 TD, 3INT through 2 games, Larry Fitz 0 TD's
McGahee 0 rushing touchdowns
JETS -3.5 over Dolphins:
Look for the Jets to finally get on track this week. After facing the Pats and Ravens, the Dolphins and their inept offense will be welcome in the Meadowlands. Doesn't matter who starts for the Jets in this one. At least Ginn and his 4 yards rushing on the season was worth the #9 pick right? "A few game changing plays over the course of a season" Ha!
Fantasy Update: Ronnie Brown 65 rushing yards on the season and 0 TD's
Thomas Jones 109 rushing yards and 0 TD's
49ers +9.5 over STEELERS:
I don't know why, but I'm not sold on Big Ben being a top tier QB in this league. And I'm starting to believe that the 49ers are gonna be a team tough to blow out. Gore, until he blows out his knee (again) will help take pressure off Smith and that pathetic receiving core. Fast Willy is for real, and will the real Vernon Davis please stand up?
Fantasy Update: The best athlete in the history of the combine not named Calvin Johnson has 4 catches for 27 yards?
Parker 235 yards and a TD
Big Ben 5 TD's in 2 games
Gore only 135 yards but 3 TD's in 2 games
Mr. Non-Factor, Alex Smith 0 TD's, 0 INTS
Rams +3.5 over BUCS:
I know the Rams are as inconsistent as any team, but how can the Bucs hang with these guys? Bulger, Holt and Jackson are all playing to the best of my knowledge. Whether or not Jackson finally gets on track, I can't see the Bucs putting enough points on the board to win. They aren't playing the 'Aints anymore.
Fantasy Update: Steven Jackson 118 yards
Holt 13 catches 147 yards 2 TD's (what knee problems?)
Lions +6.5 over EAGLES:
One of these teams is starting to rid themselves of the losing culture and the other may be slowly falling into it. Can the Eagles, who did not score a touchdown Monday night find their stride against the Lions, not known for their defense? Maybe, but I don't think they will stop the Lions enough to cover. Eagles have lost their mojo. I would be remissed not to mention Kitna returning from a concussion to lead the Lions to victory... while McNabb's leadership has been on display in HBO specials.
Fantasy Update: The Megatron is for real, 2 TD's in first 2 career games
McNabb 1 TD
Reggie Brown 3 catches for 41 yards (number one receiver, really?)
CHIEFS -2.5 over Vikings:
Yes the Vikings are better then the Chiefs, I just can't pull the trigger on Tarvaris Jackson or Brooks Bollinger winning a road game. I still don't expect LJ to put up LJ numbers against this massive Vikings defensive line, but I think the Chiefs will do just enough to get the victory.
Fantasy Update: "All Day" 281 yards of total offense and 1 TD, not bad
LJ 98 rushing yards, gonna need those 420 carries to get to 1000
Chargers -4.5 over PACKERS:
The Chargers will blow off some steam against the upstart, revitalized Packers. Even at home, I think the Chargers pressure will bring out some of the wildman Favre we have grown accustomed to in the past few seasons. LT breaks out, Vincent Jackson will show a pulse (side note- I have him on all three of my fantasy teams, and he is KILLIN ME)
Fantasy Update: The AFC version of Reggie Brown, V-JAX 7 catches for 81 yards
LT 68 yards rushing, 66 receiving, 17 passing... not LT like numbers
Rivers 2 TD's, 3 INT's (legit or not???)
Favre 492 passing yards, 3TD's, 2 INT (not a surprise, just posting)
Bills +16.5 over PATS:
I dunno, that's a lot of points for a division rival. I think the Pats blew off their steam last week, and won't have as much motivation do go out and utterly dominate like they did with the Chargers. Expect them to come back to earth a little bit... I hope, otherwise the '72 Dolphins might need to start sending out their "get together" invites that usually come much later.
Fantasy Update: Lynch 184 total yards and a TD (not bad for a rook)
17, 288, 3.... he's baaaackkk.... Randy! Randy! Randy!
576 passing yards, 6 touchdowns, 134.2 Qb rating.... Shady Brady
Side story, I went to the Red Sox-Yankee game last Friday... I was wearing my Yankee t-shirt and the Vendor asked if I wanted a Red Sox hat... I said "Who do you think I am Tom Brady"
Colts +6.5 over TEXANS:
The Texans were my sleeper for this season, but with Andre Johnson's knee situation and that commercial guy across the field I can't do it. You just can't stop Manning. I said it while watching the game last week, and Curtin stole it for his post... but it's the ultimate compliment... he's better in real life then a video game.
Fantasy Surprise: Schaub 452 yards and 3 TD's
Johnson 14, 262, 3... not far off from Randy
***ANDRE JOHNSON OUT FOR SUNDAY****
BRONCOS -3.5 over Jags:
I don't like Cutler now as much as I did. I don't like Gerrard as much as B-Left. I think MJD is right behind LJ for the Mayor of Bust City. Jags defense is tough, but that offense can't hang with the Broncos who I expect to win an ugly one. ***Potential for the 3rd straight Elam game winner***
Fantasy Surprise: 63 rushing, 38 receiving... hope you didn't take Maurice Jones Drew early
RAIDERS -2.5 over Browns:
You could put them up against the '98 Staples Wreckers, the Browns will not score 50+ points again. On the road, in the Black Hole... the Browns revert back to their human form and lose in Oakland. Derek Anderson's 1 week of praise is over, and we may hear Brady! cheers all the way from Cleveland.
Fantasy Surprise: 11, 195, 2... Edwards breaking out or one week wonder?
251, and a TD... Lewis is not quite pre jail days, but it's nice to see the single game ALL TIME rushing yard leader with a day like that
229 rushing, 89 receiving... Lamont Jordan off to a good start (sell high)
Bengals +3.5 over SEAHAWKS
Despite the disaster in Cleveland, I still consider the Bengals to be a playoff team. Chad Johnson and TJ Housh... Rudi as solid as ever... and a Seahawks teams that is no longer a lock to win the NFC West. One thing that worries me about this pick is how good the Seahawks are at home. I dont have the numbers and this post as been long enough but I'm going to guess the Seahawks have gone 15-1 at home the past two years. Loss #2 comes this weekend.
Fantasy Update: 595 yards and 8 touchdowns for Palmer
14, 262, 3... Ocho Cinco
Im of the belief Alexander is back this year, he's got 175 and 2 Td's thus far
FALCONS +4.5 over Panthers:
There are a few teams I seemingly never pick correctly. So since I think the Panthers will cover I am going to pick the Falcons. Harrington sucks, the team sucks, the running game sucks, the receivers suck... and thus they will cover at home
Fantasy Update: Steve Smith 15, 271, 4... in a season of WR's, the best yet
"Day Light Come and I want to Delhomme" 508 yards and 6 touchdowns
Giants +4.5 over Redskins:
I'm not a Redskin believer. I'm not a Redskin believer. Jason Cambell is not for real. Clinton Portis is too fragile. Joe Gibbs is too old. Those stumblin, bumblin Gints will not only cover, but knock off their division rivals. The blog's boy ELI will LEAD the GMen to their first victory.
Fantasy Update: Plax has got 4 TD's already, and with a healthy Eli no reason to think that won't continue
The Redskins bore me too much to look up their stats (I hope Ev is reading this)
BEARS -3.5 over Cowboys
Another pick I don't feel great about. 82 points in 2 games for the Cowboys. However, even with Sexy Rexy it's never easy in Chicago. Side Note- why does it seem like the Bears and Ravens have the craziest defenses. It's never just a normal run and tackle. The gang mentality and intensity they bring to every defensive snap is what separates them. From the opening play to the last, these two defenses are relentless. A convo with a fellow blogger led to the conclusion that it stems from the middle linebackers. Lewis and Urlacher lead with emotion, intensity, actions, etc. Everyone feeds off them. There are plenty of good middle linebackers in football, but none have the effect of these two.
Fantasy Update: Were the 16 TD's last year a fluke? 3 this year for Barber III
TO 184 yards and 3 TD's
Romo 531 yards and 6 TD's
Benson 143 yards rushing... can someone show this guy the endzone
Titans +4.5 over 'AINTS
ALL VINCE YOUNG DOES IS WIN FOOTBALL GAMES (AND COVER SPREADS AS AN UNDERDOG)
Fantasy Update: Brees 1 TD and 3 INTS
65 rushing and 50 receiving- Reggie Bush
Colston 14, 117, 1 TD- only non bust on this team
Chris Henry, i mean Chris Brown came to earth in week two with 34 rushing yards
FREE OJ AND ISAIAH (just kidding... send them both away)
Cardinals +8.5 over RAVENS:
Cards have the fire power to stay in this one. As scary as the Ravens defense is, that's how unscary their offense is. Cardinals will hang around in this one, with Edge looking to be the threat of old and especially if Billick continues to not let McGahee run out the clock with the game in the bag.
Fantasy Update: Leinart 2 TD, 3INT through 2 games, Larry Fitz 0 TD's
McGahee 0 rushing touchdowns
JETS -3.5 over Dolphins:
Look for the Jets to finally get on track this week. After facing the Pats and Ravens, the Dolphins and their inept offense will be welcome in the Meadowlands. Doesn't matter who starts for the Jets in this one. At least Ginn and his 4 yards rushing on the season was worth the #9 pick right? "A few game changing plays over the course of a season" Ha!
Fantasy Update: Ronnie Brown 65 rushing yards on the season and 0 TD's
Thomas Jones 109 rushing yards and 0 TD's
49ers +9.5 over STEELERS:
I don't know why, but I'm not sold on Big Ben being a top tier QB in this league. And I'm starting to believe that the 49ers are gonna be a team tough to blow out. Gore, until he blows out his knee (again) will help take pressure off Smith and that pathetic receiving core. Fast Willy is for real, and will the real Vernon Davis please stand up?
Fantasy Update: The best athlete in the history of the combine not named Calvin Johnson has 4 catches for 27 yards?
Parker 235 yards and a TD
Big Ben 5 TD's in 2 games
Gore only 135 yards but 3 TD's in 2 games
Mr. Non-Factor, Alex Smith 0 TD's, 0 INTS
Rams +3.5 over BUCS:
I know the Rams are as inconsistent as any team, but how can the Bucs hang with these guys? Bulger, Holt and Jackson are all playing to the best of my knowledge. Whether or not Jackson finally gets on track, I can't see the Bucs putting enough points on the board to win. They aren't playing the 'Aints anymore.
Fantasy Update: Steven Jackson 118 yards
Holt 13 catches 147 yards 2 TD's (what knee problems?)
Lions +6.5 over EAGLES:
One of these teams is starting to rid themselves of the losing culture and the other may be slowly falling into it. Can the Eagles, who did not score a touchdown Monday night find their stride against the Lions, not known for their defense? Maybe, but I don't think they will stop the Lions enough to cover. Eagles have lost their mojo. I would be remissed not to mention Kitna returning from a concussion to lead the Lions to victory... while McNabb's leadership has been on display in HBO specials.
Fantasy Update: The Megatron is for real, 2 TD's in first 2 career games
McNabb 1 TD
Reggie Brown 3 catches for 41 yards (number one receiver, really?)
CHIEFS -2.5 over Vikings:
Yes the Vikings are better then the Chiefs, I just can't pull the trigger on Tarvaris Jackson or Brooks Bollinger winning a road game. I still don't expect LJ to put up LJ numbers against this massive Vikings defensive line, but I think the Chiefs will do just enough to get the victory.
Fantasy Update: "All Day" 281 yards of total offense and 1 TD, not bad
LJ 98 rushing yards, gonna need those 420 carries to get to 1000
Chargers -4.5 over PACKERS:
The Chargers will blow off some steam against the upstart, revitalized Packers. Even at home, I think the Chargers pressure will bring out some of the wildman Favre we have grown accustomed to in the past few seasons. LT breaks out, Vincent Jackson will show a pulse (side note- I have him on all three of my fantasy teams, and he is KILLIN ME)
Fantasy Update: The AFC version of Reggie Brown, V-JAX 7 catches for 81 yards
LT 68 yards rushing, 66 receiving, 17 passing... not LT like numbers
Rivers 2 TD's, 3 INT's (legit or not???)
Favre 492 passing yards, 3TD's, 2 INT (not a surprise, just posting)
Bills +16.5 over PATS:
I dunno, that's a lot of points for a division rival. I think the Pats blew off their steam last week, and won't have as much motivation do go out and utterly dominate like they did with the Chargers. Expect them to come back to earth a little bit... I hope, otherwise the '72 Dolphins might need to start sending out their "get together" invites that usually come much later.
Fantasy Update: Lynch 184 total yards and a TD (not bad for a rook)
17, 288, 3.... he's baaaackkk.... Randy! Randy! Randy!
576 passing yards, 6 touchdowns, 134.2 Qb rating.... Shady Brady
Side story, I went to the Red Sox-Yankee game last Friday... I was wearing my Yankee t-shirt and the Vendor asked if I wanted a Red Sox hat... I said "Who do you think I am Tom Brady"
Colts +6.5 over TEXANS:
The Texans were my sleeper for this season, but with Andre Johnson's knee situation and that commercial guy across the field I can't do it. You just can't stop Manning. I said it while watching the game last week, and Curtin stole it for his post... but it's the ultimate compliment... he's better in real life then a video game.
Fantasy Surprise: Schaub 452 yards and 3 TD's
Johnson 14, 262, 3... not far off from Randy
***ANDRE JOHNSON OUT FOR SUNDAY****
BRONCOS -3.5 over Jags:
I don't like Cutler now as much as I did. I don't like Gerrard as much as B-Left. I think MJD is right behind LJ for the Mayor of Bust City. Jags defense is tough, but that offense can't hang with the Broncos who I expect to win an ugly one. ***Potential for the 3rd straight Elam game winner***
Fantasy Surprise: 63 rushing, 38 receiving... hope you didn't take Maurice Jones Drew early
RAIDERS -2.5 over Browns:
You could put them up against the '98 Staples Wreckers, the Browns will not score 50+ points again. On the road, in the Black Hole... the Browns revert back to their human form and lose in Oakland. Derek Anderson's 1 week of praise is over, and we may hear Brady! cheers all the way from Cleveland.
Fantasy Surprise: 11, 195, 2... Edwards breaking out or one week wonder?
251, and a TD... Lewis is not quite pre jail days, but it's nice to see the single game ALL TIME rushing yard leader with a day like that
229 rushing, 89 receiving... Lamont Jordan off to a good start (sell high)
Bengals +3.5 over SEAHAWKS
Despite the disaster in Cleveland, I still consider the Bengals to be a playoff team. Chad Johnson and TJ Housh... Rudi as solid as ever... and a Seahawks teams that is no longer a lock to win the NFC West. One thing that worries me about this pick is how good the Seahawks are at home. I dont have the numbers and this post as been long enough but I'm going to guess the Seahawks have gone 15-1 at home the past two years. Loss #2 comes this weekend.
Fantasy Update: 595 yards and 8 touchdowns for Palmer
14, 262, 3... Ocho Cinco
Im of the belief Alexander is back this year, he's got 175 and 2 Td's thus far
FALCONS +4.5 over Panthers:
There are a few teams I seemingly never pick correctly. So since I think the Panthers will cover I am going to pick the Falcons. Harrington sucks, the team sucks, the running game sucks, the receivers suck... and thus they will cover at home
Fantasy Update: Steve Smith 15, 271, 4... in a season of WR's, the best yet
"Day Light Come and I want to Delhomme" 508 yards and 6 touchdowns
Giants +4.5 over Redskins:
I'm not a Redskin believer. I'm not a Redskin believer. Jason Cambell is not for real. Clinton Portis is too fragile. Joe Gibbs is too old. Those stumblin, bumblin Gints will not only cover, but knock off their division rivals. The blog's boy ELI will LEAD the GMen to their first victory.
Fantasy Update: Plax has got 4 TD's already, and with a healthy Eli no reason to think that won't continue
The Redskins bore me too much to look up their stats (I hope Ev is reading this)
BEARS -3.5 over Cowboys
Another pick I don't feel great about. 82 points in 2 games for the Cowboys. However, even with Sexy Rexy it's never easy in Chicago. Side Note- why does it seem like the Bears and Ravens have the craziest defenses. It's never just a normal run and tackle. The gang mentality and intensity they bring to every defensive snap is what separates them. From the opening play to the last, these two defenses are relentless. A convo with a fellow blogger led to the conclusion that it stems from the middle linebackers. Lewis and Urlacher lead with emotion, intensity, actions, etc. Everyone feeds off them. There are plenty of good middle linebackers in football, but none have the effect of these two.
Fantasy Update: Were the 16 TD's last year a fluke? 3 this year for Barber III
TO 184 yards and 3 TD's
Romo 531 yards and 6 TD's
Benson 143 yards rushing... can someone show this guy the endzone
Titans +4.5 over 'AINTS
ALL VINCE YOUNG DOES IS WIN FOOTBALL GAMES (AND COVER SPREADS AS AN UNDERDOG)
Fantasy Update: Brees 1 TD and 3 INTS
65 rushing and 50 receiving- Reggie Bush
Colston 14, 117, 1 TD- only non bust on this team
Chris Henry, i mean Chris Brown came to earth in week two with 34 rushing yards
FREE OJ AND ISAIAH (just kidding... send them both away)
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Scary...and I don't mean OJ scary
This is the worst time of the year for a select group of sports fans. If you are the fan of a team that is currently 0-2, your worst fears are within view. Going into any season, as fans we have to have some glimmer of optimism and excitement. It is just our human nature seeming through. In the NFL though, that optimism can be crushed pretty quickly. After week one win or lose most fans are just happy that football is back. Surprises happen and no one is exactly too sure about what teams are going to live up to their high (or low) expectations and which teams will shock. After week two though a bit of reality begins to set in. Teams that are 2-0 begin to have real playoff dreams, teams that are 1-1 are either happy to have their first win under their belt or wishful that they too were 2-0. The worst group though is the select teams with0-2 records.
When you are 0-2 the first thing you fear is not getting a win. As a Giant fan right now, I can not imagine our defense stoping anyone (not even USC or LSU for that matter). While going winless is pretty realistic, failing to make the playoffs is not. So basically I waited nine months to see the season down the tubes in two weeks? Not always, but again that is the fear when your team is winless. They say misery loves company, and I can attest to that. I can't tell you how much worse I would feel as a Giant fan if I did not have the 0-2 companionship of Eagles and Jets fans. Basically, my old friend smurph, who is a notorious quitter (see beer sandwiches) already had me thinking about what it would be like to get a top pick in the 2008 draft. While it is way too early for me to think about that (get me the top defensive player on the board, I do not care the position), it got me thinking about the direction of the Giants organization.
When I look at an NFL team, the simplest way to judge the direction of a team is to look at two things: the Head Coach and QB. Now I know to win in this league you need to run the ball, stop the run, control the line of scrimmage, not turn the ball over, blablahblah. At its heart though, if I have a head coach that I can trust in a big game and who can motivate his players, plus a QB who I can also trust in a big game (anti Rex Grossman) then I have something to build around. Now for every 0-2 team they want to still have a chance this year, but they also want to know that if this season is for naught that they still have a bright future. Let's quickly run down those 0-2 teams..
Eagles--Reid/McNabb: Both have been around a long time, but I think they both have a lot of good football left in them. I would not be too worried if I was an Eagles fan about the future.
Falcons: Petrino/Harrington(Leftwich): They have the young coach they want, and may have the QB they want if they get the number one pick. Right now though their biggest hole is at QB.
Saints: Payton/Brees: Great young coach and Pro Bowl QB. I'd say they got something to work with.
Rams: Linnehan/Bulger: Coach has been taking some heat lately and might not be the answer there. Bulger is a Pro Bowler.
Bills: Jauron/Losman: Retread coach and a young QB that a lot of people doubt. Not very good shape.
Dolphins: Cameron/Green: Much hyped young coach and QB on his last legs. I like the coach and will wait and see how they address the QB position in the draft.
Chiefs: Edwards/Huard: Bad coach and bad QB situation.
Raiders: Kiffin/Russell: Got the rookie coach and QB to grow together. The franchise is consistantly unstable, but these two should have the ability to grow up together.
Lastly, the Jets and Giants. For the Jets, they got the coach who they feel is a genius. Won Jets fans hearts over last year through a surprise playoff birth and has shown some grit when dealing with his ex-employers (Spygate). The tough part for the Jets is they got a QB who they like in Kellen Clemens, but Pennington is in his way. Whenever the Jets do choose to go to Clemens they can expect some growing pains. Not an easy spot for Jet fans to be in. They want to win now, but know that the QB they feel that can eventually take them to a championship level will take time to develop. All I can say is if you start off like 2-5, Mangini puts Clemens in, takes his knocks this year and hope that they can make a run to the playoffs next year. To me, thats the best case as far as realistic scenarios go for the Jets. If they stick with Chad and they make the playoffs this year, Jet fans will still know that they will never really be able to make that championship jump until Chad is out of there. Better do to that sooner than later, and a poor start will allow for that.
The Giants are in a very wierd place. I supported bring the coach back. I just felt with the owners passing and the GM retiring the team needed a little stability. I felt the team showed that it did not quit on him by winning their final game and almost beating Philly in the playoffs. At this point though I really can not imagine him being able to endure a possible 6-10 season with getting fired. In addition, while Eli showed a lot of ability and toughness in the first two games, all Giants fans know not to get too excited about Eli until we see him put a whole season together like that. I think he will perform at a high level all year, but I worry about the pieces around him. I am not sold on this GM. If Coughlin goes, then who comes in to replace him? Bill Cowher? Charlie Weis? Bill Parcells? A no name young assistant?
Basically, I have a team here that is very unsettled at the coaching spot and unsure about the QB. While I would much rather be a Giant fan right now than a Chief or Falcons fan, the future for this team is stull very cloudy. So right now we are sitting at 0-2. I don't know when our first win will be and I have no clue as to the direction of the franchise if we do tank this year. ALl I can look toward is a win in Washington to eliminate about 70% of this doubt and rekindle my playoff dreams. You gotta love Sundays.
Shite:
When you are 0-2 the first thing you fear is not getting a win. As a Giant fan right now, I can not imagine our defense stoping anyone (not even USC or LSU for that matter). While going winless is pretty realistic, failing to make the playoffs is not. So basically I waited nine months to see the season down the tubes in two weeks? Not always, but again that is the fear when your team is winless. They say misery loves company, and I can attest to that. I can't tell you how much worse I would feel as a Giant fan if I did not have the 0-2 companionship of Eagles and Jets fans. Basically, my old friend smurph, who is a notorious quitter (see beer sandwiches) already had me thinking about what it would be like to get a top pick in the 2008 draft. While it is way too early for me to think about that (get me the top defensive player on the board, I do not care the position), it got me thinking about the direction of the Giants organization.
When I look at an NFL team, the simplest way to judge the direction of a team is to look at two things: the Head Coach and QB. Now I know to win in this league you need to run the ball, stop the run, control the line of scrimmage, not turn the ball over, blablahblah. At its heart though, if I have a head coach that I can trust in a big game and who can motivate his players, plus a QB who I can also trust in a big game (anti Rex Grossman) then I have something to build around. Now for every 0-2 team they want to still have a chance this year, but they also want to know that if this season is for naught that they still have a bright future. Let's quickly run down those 0-2 teams..
Eagles--Reid/McNabb: Both have been around a long time, but I think they both have a lot of good football left in them. I would not be too worried if I was an Eagles fan about the future.
Falcons: Petrino/Harrington(Leftwich): They have the young coach they want, and may have the QB they want if they get the number one pick. Right now though their biggest hole is at QB.
Saints: Payton/Brees: Great young coach and Pro Bowl QB. I'd say they got something to work with.
Rams: Linnehan/Bulger: Coach has been taking some heat lately and might not be the answer there. Bulger is a Pro Bowler.
Bills: Jauron/Losman: Retread coach and a young QB that a lot of people doubt. Not very good shape.
Dolphins: Cameron/Green: Much hyped young coach and QB on his last legs. I like the coach and will wait and see how they address the QB position in the draft.
Chiefs: Edwards/Huard: Bad coach and bad QB situation.
Raiders: Kiffin/Russell: Got the rookie coach and QB to grow together. The franchise is consistantly unstable, but these two should have the ability to grow up together.
Lastly, the Jets and Giants. For the Jets, they got the coach who they feel is a genius. Won Jets fans hearts over last year through a surprise playoff birth and has shown some grit when dealing with his ex-employers (Spygate). The tough part for the Jets is they got a QB who they like in Kellen Clemens, but Pennington is in his way. Whenever the Jets do choose to go to Clemens they can expect some growing pains. Not an easy spot for Jet fans to be in. They want to win now, but know that the QB they feel that can eventually take them to a championship level will take time to develop. All I can say is if you start off like 2-5, Mangini puts Clemens in, takes his knocks this year and hope that they can make a run to the playoffs next year. To me, thats the best case as far as realistic scenarios go for the Jets. If they stick with Chad and they make the playoffs this year, Jet fans will still know that they will never really be able to make that championship jump until Chad is out of there. Better do to that sooner than later, and a poor start will allow for that.
The Giants are in a very wierd place. I supported bring the coach back. I just felt with the owners passing and the GM retiring the team needed a little stability. I felt the team showed that it did not quit on him by winning their final game and almost beating Philly in the playoffs. At this point though I really can not imagine him being able to endure a possible 6-10 season with getting fired. In addition, while Eli showed a lot of ability and toughness in the first two games, all Giants fans know not to get too excited about Eli until we see him put a whole season together like that. I think he will perform at a high level all year, but I worry about the pieces around him. I am not sold on this GM. If Coughlin goes, then who comes in to replace him? Bill Cowher? Charlie Weis? Bill Parcells? A no name young assistant?
Basically, I have a team here that is very unsettled at the coaching spot and unsure about the QB. While I would much rather be a Giant fan right now than a Chief or Falcons fan, the future for this team is stull very cloudy. So right now we are sitting at 0-2. I don't know when our first win will be and I have no clue as to the direction of the franchise if we do tank this year. ALl I can look toward is a win in Washington to eliminate about 70% of this doubt and rekindle my playoff dreams. You gotta love Sundays.
Shite:
- I could just be bitter because my Mets are in the process of blowing a seven game division lead in their last 17 games. If you told me in 2003 the Mets would be in first place right now going for their 2nd consectutive division title, I would never have imagined that it would feel this joyless. Losing eight straight to the Phillies??? Ugh
- Everyone needs to relax about this Patriots undefeated talk. It is not goinig to happen. They still have to go into Cincinatti, Baltimore, Indy and Dallas. They have a very tough schedule. I think they will get home field, but the AFC is just too tough in a year like this for them to go undefeated. Not saying it will never happen again, just not this year.
- Any of you guys realize that all of these urinary and sexual dysfunction drugs they advertise on every sporting event will one day pertain to us? I am glad that right now I just get a laugh out of these ads. Not looking forward to being interested in what they offer.
- Boston wants no part of the Yankees in October.
- Plan on reading David Halberstam's October 1964 next month. My own way of paying tribute to a man I never met, but I greatly admire.
- I look forward to the day when professional sports can take back all the power they have given to the TV networks. Please check out the TV schedule for this years MLB playoffs. It is a joke how much time off these teams are getting. Baseball is meant to be played everyday. This will bother the fans and will also effect the play of the teams.
- All you people that were killing Mike Mussina seem to have shut up...thats two solid starts in a row. Considering how he was buried three weeks ago, I would assume that those same people would have Moose starting Game 1 of the playoffs after these past two starts.
STKAFI
Daily Morning Glass of O.J.
O.J. Simpson is a crazy person. Not the kind of crazy person we see everyday in the morning on the way to work and say to ourselves, "Oh, crazy people, they're so crazy." No. O.J. is the type of crazy person you see on TV as his getting arrested, again, with a carefree, smug smirk on his face as he's getting led to police headquarters. The look in his eyes that screams, "I don't feel like I did anything wrong, but if everyone thinks I did, I will get out of it. Heck, I got away with murder."
I used to think O.J. was pretty sane. A football legend with a blossoming movie career (who could forget him in the Naked Gun series). When O.J. first was in trouble, I didn't know what to think. I remember sitting in my dad's basement watching the Knicks playoff game with some buddies, when all of a sudden they interrupted the game to bring us all the late breaking news. The white Bronco chase, the trial, and the verdict all went by so fast, and when O.J. finally got off, my reaction was one of shock and surprise, but that was that. O.J. would most likely just disappear forever, and that would be the end of it. Watching him in the courtroom, he still seemed at least somewhat normal looking. However, normal people would have gone somewhere, lived off their NFL pension, and stayed out of peoples way.
Recently, I think O.J. got bored, a little too big for his britches, and has been taking a more concentrated dose of crazy pills (a recipe for disaster). First came his book, essentially admitting to the killings. Now, after his latest incident and the looks on his face, combined with the audio tapes released, I am 100% terrified of this person. If I ever saw O.J. walking on the street I would drop whatever I was doing and literally sprint and hide until he was gone, I swear to God. Who knows what is going through this insane person's head? I don't know and I really, really don't want to find out because if I did, I'm sure I would have nightmares for life.
I don't get scared of people easily. I enjoy horror movies, and characters like Mike Meyers, and Chucky entertain me. Even the real life horrors like Son of Sam, Ted Kaczynsky, and even Osama bin Laden don't scare me because they've always been insane, and at least they know they are doing something wrong. There are a few factors which makes O.J. the scary kind of crazy. One, he used to be normal. He won the Heisman trophy at USC, was a Hall of Fame NFL running back, and was a typically comical retired actor (comical in the sense that we would all laugh at him, not that he was a good actor, just to be clear). Two, he most likely murdered two innocent people, had no remorse, got away with it, and STILL hung around Then, he was looking for attention, wrote a book admitting his crimes, and even broke the law again. Lastly, and what really put me over the edge was the looks on his face while being taken into custody, his mug shots, and the audio clips. This guy honestly does not give a shit, loves what he's doing, and is still plotting as he's being thrown in jail. He's gotten away with murder, what should make him think he won't get away with this?
Side note, the fact that O.J. played football brings up another point which is a whole other post but I wanted to bring up as food for thought. Because O.J. used to be normal, and is now clearly coo-coo pants, how much (if any) did having a career as a NFL running back and being hit hard and tackled for a living have an affect on his brain? All these studies and arguments have been coming up about retired players and concussions, etc. so maybe all the hits he took had something to do with him going insane? Just a thought.
Anyway, now that I have officially confessed I am terrified of another man, some quick thoughts from the past weekend:
I used to think O.J. was pretty sane. A football legend with a blossoming movie career (who could forget him in the Naked Gun series). When O.J. first was in trouble, I didn't know what to think. I remember sitting in my dad's basement watching the Knicks playoff game with some buddies, when all of a sudden they interrupted the game to bring us all the late breaking news. The white Bronco chase, the trial, and the verdict all went by so fast, and when O.J. finally got off, my reaction was one of shock and surprise, but that was that. O.J. would most likely just disappear forever, and that would be the end of it. Watching him in the courtroom, he still seemed at least somewhat normal looking. However, normal people would have gone somewhere, lived off their NFL pension, and stayed out of peoples way.
Recently, I think O.J. got bored, a little too big for his britches, and has been taking a more concentrated dose of crazy pills (a recipe for disaster). First came his book, essentially admitting to the killings. Now, after his latest incident and the looks on his face, combined with the audio tapes released, I am 100% terrified of this person. If I ever saw O.J. walking on the street I would drop whatever I was doing and literally sprint and hide until he was gone, I swear to God. Who knows what is going through this insane person's head? I don't know and I really, really don't want to find out because if I did, I'm sure I would have nightmares for life.
I don't get scared of people easily. I enjoy horror movies, and characters like Mike Meyers, and Chucky entertain me. Even the real life horrors like Son of Sam, Ted Kaczynsky, and even Osama bin Laden don't scare me because they've always been insane, and at least they know they are doing something wrong. There are a few factors which makes O.J. the scary kind of crazy. One, he used to be normal. He won the Heisman trophy at USC, was a Hall of Fame NFL running back, and was a typically comical retired actor (comical in the sense that we would all laugh at him, not that he was a good actor, just to be clear). Two, he most likely murdered two innocent people, had no remorse, got away with it, and STILL hung around Then, he was looking for attention, wrote a book admitting his crimes, and even broke the law again. Lastly, and what really put me over the edge was the looks on his face while being taken into custody, his mug shots, and the audio clips. This guy honestly does not give a shit, loves what he's doing, and is still plotting as he's being thrown in jail. He's gotten away with murder, what should make him think he won't get away with this?
Side note, the fact that O.J. played football brings up another point which is a whole other post but I wanted to bring up as food for thought. Because O.J. used to be normal, and is now clearly coo-coo pants, how much (if any) did having a career as a NFL running back and being hit hard and tackled for a living have an affect on his brain? All these studies and arguments have been coming up about retired players and concussions, etc. so maybe all the hits he took had something to do with him going insane? Just a thought.
Anyway, now that I have officially confessed I am terrified of another man, some quick thoughts from the past weekend:
- Tiger Woods ladies and gentlemen. He brings up another thought I had. You know that Gillette commercial with Tiger, Roger Federer, and Thierry Henry? Theirry Henry? Really? I think it's fine with just Tiger and Roger. Don't get my wrong, Henry is a terrific soccer player, one of the best in the world, but Tiger and Roger have dominated their sports better than anyone in the history of their sport. The only three people I would really consider putting in that commercial besides those two are Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, and maybe Babe Ruth. Thierry Henry though? Come on people.
- I said it before the season and I'll say it again. The only thing that is going to keep the Patriots from going undefeated is wrapping up home field advantage by week 14 and sitting their starters for the last few weeks. For the sake of the '72 Dolphins, I hope I'm wrong.
- USC, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma...no one else has a shot.
- U.S.A. Women will be moving on to the next round in the women's world cup, while the UEFA Champions League begins tonight.
- I feel really bad for Greg Oden and the city of Portland.
- Yanks have a little cushion between them and the Tigers (+3.5) and are breathing down the necks of the Bosox (-3.5); Mets are looking like the great teams of the mid 90's and early 2000's again.
Monday, September 17, 2007
The Saints aren't coming The SAINTS aren't coming
Well it's that time of the year again. It happens once a year though for one reason or another, this period of time took a vacation from the calendar year. And believe me, its' absence was not missed. After getting owned by Tampa Bay, one of the consensus picks for one of the worst 5 teams in the NFL. Those 'Aints are back.
One could trace my renowned love of Fantasy Football back to its' origin and they would find that the fact that I was a Saints fan played an intergral role. Their yearly lame duck attempt at a season in the late nineties led me to start focusing on specific players from other teams, it really was one of the only ways to enjoy the football season. I mean, I don't dislike watching them play, in fact, I despise missing a single game. Though up until last year, and to a certain extent, Jim Haslett's first year, watching New Orleans football led to terrbile disapointment. And now its back, I didn't miss it but i will constantly get owned by it on a weekly basis until late December.
Now don't get me wrong, describing the pain and the history of the terrible Saints does not mean that have given up all hope. As far as I can tell if Sean Payton can remove his offensive head out of his ass and start being creative the Saints explosive offense can recover to last season's form. Personally, I think this means running the ball more. Deuce and Reggie getting 15 20 touches each a game, the passing attack worked so well because the rushing was so effective early in the year. Defenses are playing the pass now but the Saints seem to be too stubborn to accept the fact that they need to run the ball in order to become an explosive team. When you have the perfect mold receiving back in Reggie Bush, a huge possesion receiver in Colston, a brusing down hill runner like Deuce and solid performers at other skill positions, I want to see curls, short crosses, screens, sweeps, and dives. Basically, the Saints need a west coast offense(which will open up the deep pass). Go short to long, Bill Walsh style, and they can still be effective. They can still save the season, the division is still one of the worst in football. They need to forget about these losses and move forward. That and release Jason David.
The greatest advantage that an NFL coach/gm has over the players is one that basically only exists in the NFL. Unlike Theo Epstein, who is stuck with JD Drew for the long haul; the Saints, with the exception of the signing bonus, can cut their losses after this season when it comes to David. He has been owned now for 8 straight quarters, and not just owned but absolutely and fully embarrased in front of the Nation on a National Broadcast that had every offensive coordinator on the N.O. schedule making like Da Bocker when presented with a Chicken Parm. 1 game against the Colts could be a fluke. The 2nd game against Tampa was no Fluke, he is flat out terrible. It is time to pull him, bring in the rookie or hell, i'd even take Fred Thomas at this point; bring him in on Dime packages only and soon enough we will all join Emmitt Smith in the sweet bliss of not being able to remember this guy's name. The Saints have decent defenders elsewhere on the field but its tough to stop an offense with one receiver running free down the left side of the field.(<------------- little known fact but I know these things as a sports blog contributor)
Speaking of Emmitt Smith. I know there is always a good amount of ridicule for play by play announcers, for whom, rankings vary greatly. But this season, watching Emmitt Smith is like watching a spoof of every single football player analysis ever.
Emmitt Smith Top 3 Moments of '07
3. Not being able to remember Jason David's last name (10 seconds awkward silence)
2. Disagreeing that the Cover 2 was good against the pass.
1. Referring to Tank Williams "and his guns" while confusion the Vikings Safety with the Bears defensive tackle. (He has since apologized to Williams)
Watching Smith is like attempting to watch a mentally inferior individual attempting to have less than pristine relations with a door knob. He is ridiculous.
Couple NFL thoughts.
1. I don't believe in the 49ers, Texans, or Rams offenses.
2. The Broncos are going to be sunk by Jay Cutler this year.
3. The Cardinals will finally make the playoffs
4. The Saints will make the playoffs if J.D. is demoted.
5. If he isn't the defense will average about 30 points a game allowed.
6. Randy Moss is as good as ever. Not one step lost.
7. No video game, can ever do Peyton Manning justice. He is that good.
8. If you ever bet against Vince Young, you deserve to come back as Vick's least favorite pit bull in your next life.
9. Kellen Clemons looked dangerous against a tough Baltimore D.
10. Justin McCareins single handedly lost Clemons his first start.
11. The Chiefs are the worst team in football. Trade LJ in fantasy, like yesterday.
12. The McCown guy in Oakland is not as bad as everyone thinks.
13. Very impressed that Eli played.
14. Patriots are going to win the Superbowl and they'll have a new way to cheat by Wednesday.
Go Relaxo in the fantasy baseball championship.
Ice Cold still remains the winningest regular season player that hasn't even sniffed a championship. Maybe LT will finally get you there.
One could trace my renowned love of Fantasy Football back to its' origin and they would find that the fact that I was a Saints fan played an intergral role. Their yearly lame duck attempt at a season in the late nineties led me to start focusing on specific players from other teams, it really was one of the only ways to enjoy the football season. I mean, I don't dislike watching them play, in fact, I despise missing a single game. Though up until last year, and to a certain extent, Jim Haslett's first year, watching New Orleans football led to terrbile disapointment. And now its back, I didn't miss it but i will constantly get owned by it on a weekly basis until late December.
Now don't get me wrong, describing the pain and the history of the terrible Saints does not mean that have given up all hope. As far as I can tell if Sean Payton can remove his offensive head out of his ass and start being creative the Saints explosive offense can recover to last season's form. Personally, I think this means running the ball more. Deuce and Reggie getting 15 20 touches each a game, the passing attack worked so well because the rushing was so effective early in the year. Defenses are playing the pass now but the Saints seem to be too stubborn to accept the fact that they need to run the ball in order to become an explosive team. When you have the perfect mold receiving back in Reggie Bush, a huge possesion receiver in Colston, a brusing down hill runner like Deuce and solid performers at other skill positions, I want to see curls, short crosses, screens, sweeps, and dives. Basically, the Saints need a west coast offense(which will open up the deep pass). Go short to long, Bill Walsh style, and they can still be effective. They can still save the season, the division is still one of the worst in football. They need to forget about these losses and move forward. That and release Jason David.
The greatest advantage that an NFL coach/gm has over the players is one that basically only exists in the NFL. Unlike Theo Epstein, who is stuck with JD Drew for the long haul; the Saints, with the exception of the signing bonus, can cut their losses after this season when it comes to David. He has been owned now for 8 straight quarters, and not just owned but absolutely and fully embarrased in front of the Nation on a National Broadcast that had every offensive coordinator on the N.O. schedule making like Da Bocker when presented with a Chicken Parm. 1 game against the Colts could be a fluke. The 2nd game against Tampa was no Fluke, he is flat out terrible. It is time to pull him, bring in the rookie or hell, i'd even take Fred Thomas at this point; bring him in on Dime packages only and soon enough we will all join Emmitt Smith in the sweet bliss of not being able to remember this guy's name. The Saints have decent defenders elsewhere on the field but its tough to stop an offense with one receiver running free down the left side of the field.(<------------- little known fact but I know these things as a sports blog contributor)
Speaking of Emmitt Smith. I know there is always a good amount of ridicule for play by play announcers, for whom, rankings vary greatly. But this season, watching Emmitt Smith is like watching a spoof of every single football player analysis ever.
Emmitt Smith Top 3 Moments of '07
3. Not being able to remember Jason David's last name (10 seconds awkward silence)
2. Disagreeing that the Cover 2 was good against the pass.
1. Referring to Tank Williams "and his guns" while confusion the Vikings Safety with the Bears defensive tackle. (He has since apologized to Williams)
Watching Smith is like attempting to watch a mentally inferior individual attempting to have less than pristine relations with a door knob. He is ridiculous.
Couple NFL thoughts.
1. I don't believe in the 49ers, Texans, or Rams offenses.
2. The Broncos are going to be sunk by Jay Cutler this year.
3. The Cardinals will finally make the playoffs
4. The Saints will make the playoffs if J.D. is demoted.
5. If he isn't the defense will average about 30 points a game allowed.
6. Randy Moss is as good as ever. Not one step lost.
7. No video game, can ever do Peyton Manning justice. He is that good.
8. If you ever bet against Vince Young, you deserve to come back as Vick's least favorite pit bull in your next life.
9. Kellen Clemons looked dangerous against a tough Baltimore D.
10. Justin McCareins single handedly lost Clemons his first start.
11. The Chiefs are the worst team in football. Trade LJ in fantasy, like yesterday.
12. The McCown guy in Oakland is not as bad as everyone thinks.
13. Very impressed that Eli played.
14. Patriots are going to win the Superbowl and they'll have a new way to cheat by Wednesday.
Go Relaxo in the fantasy baseball championship.
Ice Cold still remains the winningest regular season player that hasn't even sniffed a championship. Maybe LT will finally get you there.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Stupidity
There are two stories that have been in the news this past week that have really boggled my mind. The first one his the whole "Spygate" or whatever you want to call it. OK, the Pats broke a rule. The rule though has such a small impact on the outcome of a game. Why break it? Every team is looking to steal the signs of the opposing side. Is it that much easier and beneficial to videotape them? Somehow I have trouble believing that. Then you throw in the fact that the pats were warned and this really gets dumb. They knew they were being watched, they were playing against a former assistant (more on this later), and thinks is a rule that they did not need to break to kick the Jets ass. I will never understand why they continued to do it after being warned. They have embarrassed every Pat fan there is.
As for Mangini, I just want to bring up one thing that I read. Basically, from rumors swirling around the NFL (go to Profootballtalk.com for more on this), Mangini was a part of the spying in New England and then as soon as he got to the other side ratted on them. If this is true, then I really have lost some respect for the Jets coach. SO you benefit from this action, parlay it into a head coaching gig, and then turn around and bite the hand that fed you? I am not saying he needed to still be best friends with Bellicheck and the Pats, but he really went the other direction a little to far. I know if I was a competing coach or GM in the NFL, I would be more than a little skeptical when dealing with Mangini.
OK, now onto the winner of the ass burgers of the week award...........bdbdbdbdbdbbdbdbdbdbdbbdbdbd...THE NEW YORK KNICKS!!!!
How did Dolan and Isiah let this thing get to trial? The woman was asking for between $6 and $10 million from them. Are you telling me the Garden could not work out like a settlement for $2.5 million or something? It's a joke. Now you have this trial going on which is basically dragging the Garden and the Knick organization through the mud. Marbury is getting dragged into it, Steve Mills (Garden President) is involved, the Owner is in the middle of it alongside Isiah. I just can't deal.
This won't be the first time I have said this but let this be the loudest...FIRE ISIAH THOMAS! He has managed to turn the Knicks from a pathetic losing team, to a laughingstock. By laughingstock I mean a team that acquires players with fatal flaws that have big names and misguided talent. Let's go down the list: Eddy Curry (great touch offensively, heart problem, eating problem, defense problem, rebounding problem), Zack Randolph (great offensively, defense problem, gun problem), Quentin Richardson (leader, tough, back problem, contract problem), Stephon Marbury (tremendous offensive talent, coach killer, locker room cancer, recently could be on some kind of mild altering drugs), Jamal Crawford (great offensive talent, shot selection problem, turnover problem)...and the list goes on...
Now you add this trial to the mix. Visions of Isiah being a racist, a sexist, a bully and a sneak. All things we all could have imagined before this, but now they are being said under oath. As much as I hate the owner I beg him to clean house. Fire EVERYONE. Make this a respectable organization once again. Players that people want to root for. Good character, hard workers, and likable. Can we start there please? You have a start with David Lee. The rest of them? Get rid of them. I don't care who you bring in to run the team, but anything is better than this. I can not imagine a worse train wreck than the Isiah Thomas years in New York. At this point it is comical....and stupid.
One Last Thing...
I think that the penalty the NFL game Bellicheck and the Pats was stern and fair. They knowingly broke the rules and the League needed to make a point. They were warned once and this time the League needed to hit them hard.
Now is the moment of truth. While I am of the camp that this cheating was not that important, this I think it was stupid, there are a lot of people in the NFL coming out saying that they feel the Pats were able to beat them because of cheating. We will see the rest of the season. In my mind though all the Pats did was give haters the reason to hate them even more and opponents an excuse for losing to them. Once again, they deserve all of this. STUPID!
STKAFI
As for Mangini, I just want to bring up one thing that I read. Basically, from rumors swirling around the NFL (go to Profootballtalk.com for more on this), Mangini was a part of the spying in New England and then as soon as he got to the other side ratted on them. If this is true, then I really have lost some respect for the Jets coach. SO you benefit from this action, parlay it into a head coaching gig, and then turn around and bite the hand that fed you? I am not saying he needed to still be best friends with Bellicheck and the Pats, but he really went the other direction a little to far. I know if I was a competing coach or GM in the NFL, I would be more than a little skeptical when dealing with Mangini.
OK, now onto the winner of the ass burgers of the week award...........bdbdbdbdbdbbdbdbdbdbdbbdbdbd...THE NEW YORK KNICKS!!!!
How did Dolan and Isiah let this thing get to trial? The woman was asking for between $6 and $10 million from them. Are you telling me the Garden could not work out like a settlement for $2.5 million or something? It's a joke. Now you have this trial going on which is basically dragging the Garden and the Knick organization through the mud. Marbury is getting dragged into it, Steve Mills (Garden President) is involved, the Owner is in the middle of it alongside Isiah. I just can't deal.
This won't be the first time I have said this but let this be the loudest...FIRE ISIAH THOMAS! He has managed to turn the Knicks from a pathetic losing team, to a laughingstock. By laughingstock I mean a team that acquires players with fatal flaws that have big names and misguided talent. Let's go down the list: Eddy Curry (great touch offensively, heart problem, eating problem, defense problem, rebounding problem), Zack Randolph (great offensively, defense problem, gun problem), Quentin Richardson (leader, tough, back problem, contract problem), Stephon Marbury (tremendous offensive talent, coach killer, locker room cancer, recently could be on some kind of mild altering drugs), Jamal Crawford (great offensive talent, shot selection problem, turnover problem)...and the list goes on...
Now you add this trial to the mix. Visions of Isiah being a racist, a sexist, a bully and a sneak. All things we all could have imagined before this, but now they are being said under oath. As much as I hate the owner I beg him to clean house. Fire EVERYONE. Make this a respectable organization once again. Players that people want to root for. Good character, hard workers, and likable. Can we start there please? You have a start with David Lee. The rest of them? Get rid of them. I don't care who you bring in to run the team, but anything is better than this. I can not imagine a worse train wreck than the Isiah Thomas years in New York. At this point it is comical....and stupid.
One Last Thing...
I think that the penalty the NFL game Bellicheck and the Pats was stern and fair. They knowingly broke the rules and the League needed to make a point. They were warned once and this time the League needed to hit them hard.
Now is the moment of truth. While I am of the camp that this cheating was not that important, this I think it was stupid, there are a lot of people in the NFL coming out saying that they feel the Pats were able to beat them because of cheating. We will see the rest of the season. In my mind though all the Pats did was give haters the reason to hate them even more and opponents an excuse for losing to them. Once again, they deserve all of this. STUPID!
STKAFI
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Oden to miss season after microfracture surgery!!!!
This is terrible news for all NBA fans
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3017538
This is terrible news for all NBA fans
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3017538
Home teams on the left
| Cleveland Browns | +6.5 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Tennessee Titans | +7.5 | Indianapolis Colts |
| St. Louis Rams | -3.5 | San Francisco 49ers |
| New York Giants | -1.5 | Green Bay Packers |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +3.5 | New Orleans Saints |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | -10.5 | Atlanta Falcons |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | -9.5 | Buffalo Bills |
| Carolina Panthers | -6.5 | Houston Texans |
| Miami Dolphins | +3.5 | Dallas Cowboys |
| Arizona Cardinals | +3.5 | Seattle Seahawks |
| Detroit Lions | -3.5 | Minnesota Vikings |
| Denver Broncos | -9.5 | Oakland Raiders |
| Chicago Bears | -11.5 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Baltimore Ravens | -4.5 | New York Jets |
| New England Patriots | -3.5 | San Diego Chargers |
| Philadelphia Eagles | -6.5 | Washington Redskins |
Fenway Fandom
Heavy accents, generic sports gear, and bandwagon fans.... .oh I can't wait to go to Fenway tomorrow night. In my three years living in Boston I have probably attended close to 10 Red Sox games. I have seen comebacks, playoff losses and drama. However, the one thing I have never experienced in Fenway or Yankee Stadium, is a Yankee-Red Sox game. There are certain moments in sports where everything gets turned up a notch. A Yankee-Red Sox series in September, or for that matter any month is one of them. Does this series have playoff implications? Kind of. I'd like to think there is still a small chance at the division. But that has nothing to do with what I'm writing about.
So far, I have gone to games at Fenway against the likes of the White Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles, Mariners, etc. I have taken in the adrenaline at Fenway, and kept it inside. While others have cheered, I have sat. While others have booed, I have remained silent. I do not wear Yankee gear to Fenway while the Yankees are not playing. I will not cheer against the Red Sox, by rooting for other AL teams. I have sat in my seat respectfully, drank beers, and chatted it up like any other fan. However, Friday is a new animal.
I unsuccessfully failed to acquire a Joba Chamberlain jersey this past week. For whatever reason, they don't sell the t shirt jersey or as Bill Simmons likes to call them, then J-Jersey, for Joba yet. (ok they kind of do but I don't want to pay $31). Instead I will be wearing a Jeter, T-shirt jersey, and a white Yankee hat. It's times like these where I wish I was in NY and had access to a authentic Andy Phillips jersey. I will be cheering the Yankees on as if I was at Yankee stadium. I will certainly locate any Yankee fans in my vicinity, band together with them and become as obnoxious as possible.
The pitching matchup for Friday is Dice-K against Pettite. Any chants that you guys can think of please post in the comment section and I will be sure to use them Friday night.
Girls in Red Sox gear, pale, fat white guys in Ortiz jerseys. I can't wait. Nervous, pessimistic men in their 40s who have witnessed 5 game sweeps in Fenways, blown 13 game division leads, Aaron bleeping Boone, and more... I can't wait to get under the skin of the Red Sox nation.
So far, I have gone to games at Fenway against the likes of the White Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles, Mariners, etc. I have taken in the adrenaline at Fenway, and kept it inside. While others have cheered, I have sat. While others have booed, I have remained silent. I do not wear Yankee gear to Fenway while the Yankees are not playing. I will not cheer against the Red Sox, by rooting for other AL teams. I have sat in my seat respectfully, drank beers, and chatted it up like any other fan. However, Friday is a new animal.
I unsuccessfully failed to acquire a Joba Chamberlain jersey this past week. For whatever reason, they don't sell the t shirt jersey or as Bill Simmons likes to call them, then J-Jersey, for Joba yet. (ok they kind of do but I don't want to pay $31). Instead I will be wearing a Jeter, T-shirt jersey, and a white Yankee hat. It's times like these where I wish I was in NY and had access to a authentic Andy Phillips jersey. I will be cheering the Yankees on as if I was at Yankee stadium. I will certainly locate any Yankee fans in my vicinity, band together with them and become as obnoxious as possible.
The pitching matchup for Friday is Dice-K against Pettite. Any chants that you guys can think of please post in the comment section and I will be sure to use them Friday night.
Girls in Red Sox gear, pale, fat white guys in Ortiz jerseys. I can't wait. Nervous, pessimistic men in their 40s who have witnessed 5 game sweeps in Fenways, blown 13 game division leads, Aaron bleeping Boone, and more... I can't wait to get under the skin of the Red Sox nation.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Worth the Price of Admission
Has there been a more dominating week/weekend in the world of sports then the shows that Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, and Alex Rodriguez put on?
It was a huge sports weekend with the U.S. Open Finals, the BMW Championship, and the MLB Playoff races, not to mention opening weekend of the NFL. I literally did not have enough time to watch everything, but what I did catch was undeniably the three best and most dominating athletes in their sport all turn it up a notch and wow the sporting world.
Lets begin with Tiger. You could say his "Tiger Slam" in 2000-01 was his most dominating stretch, you could also argue for his 7 straight PGA tour victories in late 2006/early '07. However, this latest stretch of play should be brought up in that argument. Starting Aug. 2, Tiger won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, won the PGA Championship, placed 2nd at the Deutsche Bank Championship (thanks to Tits Magee's first ever non-breakdown against Tiger), and that brings us to this weekend where he won the BMW Championship. The way Tiger won this tournament however, is what makes him the greatest of all time. Hanging around all weekend shooting 67, 67, and 65, he was one stroke behind the leaders going into Sunday. One problem, no one, and I mean no one, thought Tiger wasn't going to win. It was a forgone conclusion. And what did he do? Shot a course record 63 on the final day to take the win by 2 strokes. The field didn't stand a chance.
Alex Rodriguez, just an insane, unbelievable mind blowing stretch this weekend. My roommate Chip and I have become numb and not even surprised anymore at what this guy can do. Starting Tuesday morning Arod had 45 HRs and 130 RBIs. By Sunday night, he had 52 HRs and 140 RBIs and that includes the game Friday night where he had 2 HRs in one inning! The guy is a beast. He also raised his BA ten points from .308 to .318 during this stretch, added 9 runs for a total of 132, and increased his Slugging % to .672 from .634. Not to mention, the Yankees have won every game during the hitting parade and now have a 4 game strangle hold on the AL wild card. Before this week, there was a slight argument for making Magglio Ordonez MVP of the American League, particularly if the Tigers made the playoffs somehow. Arod single handily squashed any chance that he would not be the MVP this year.
To save the best for last, I turn to Roger Federer who I am now thoroughly convinced is either an alien or a robot. He is flat out a tennis machine. He is better than Sampras, Agassi, Borg, and any other name you want to throw at me. He would beat any of those guys in their prime on hardcourt or grass (Borg would have probably beat him on clay). He's got the return to beat Sampras' serve, the baseline game to beat Agassi, and the overall game to beat Borg. He doesn't have a weakness. He is the greatest of all time and will beat Sampras' grand slam record easily by the end of next year. I would be willing to bet he will win a French Open at some point in his career as well and Roger again showed why he's unstoppable this weekend. After putting it on autopilot for the first few rounds. He beat Roddick in straight sets when Roddick played some of the best tennis of his career. And beat two up and coming stars with literal ease in straight sets in the semis and the finals. It was easy, no one gave him a challenge, no one will in the next 4-5 years, and the dude wasn't even trying in the first few rounds. Federer will end his career with 18+ (I'd even say 20 or more) grand slams barring injury and no one will ever come close to that record.
This week/weekend in the sports world was one for the books, and I don't think there's ever been more dominating performances simultaneously before, and I doubt we'll ever see one like this again in our lifetime.
It was a huge sports weekend with the U.S. Open Finals, the BMW Championship, and the MLB Playoff races, not to mention opening weekend of the NFL. I literally did not have enough time to watch everything, but what I did catch was undeniably the three best and most dominating athletes in their sport all turn it up a notch and wow the sporting world.
Lets begin with Tiger. You could say his "Tiger Slam" in 2000-01 was his most dominating stretch, you could also argue for his 7 straight PGA tour victories in late 2006/early '07. However, this latest stretch of play should be brought up in that argument. Starting Aug. 2, Tiger won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, won the PGA Championship, placed 2nd at the Deutsche Bank Championship (thanks to Tits Magee's first ever non-breakdown against Tiger), and that brings us to this weekend where he won the BMW Championship. The way Tiger won this tournament however, is what makes him the greatest of all time. Hanging around all weekend shooting 67, 67, and 65, he was one stroke behind the leaders going into Sunday. One problem, no one, and I mean no one, thought Tiger wasn't going to win. It was a forgone conclusion. And what did he do? Shot a course record 63 on the final day to take the win by 2 strokes. The field didn't stand a chance.
Alex Rodriguez, just an insane, unbelievable mind blowing stretch this weekend. My roommate Chip and I have become numb and not even surprised anymore at what this guy can do. Starting Tuesday morning Arod had 45 HRs and 130 RBIs. By Sunday night, he had 52 HRs and 140 RBIs and that includes the game Friday night where he had 2 HRs in one inning! The guy is a beast. He also raised his BA ten points from .308 to .318 during this stretch, added 9 runs for a total of 132, and increased his Slugging % to .672 from .634. Not to mention, the Yankees have won every game during the hitting parade and now have a 4 game strangle hold on the AL wild card. Before this week, there was a slight argument for making Magglio Ordonez MVP of the American League, particularly if the Tigers made the playoffs somehow. Arod single handily squashed any chance that he would not be the MVP this year.
To save the best for last, I turn to Roger Federer who I am now thoroughly convinced is either an alien or a robot. He is flat out a tennis machine. He is better than Sampras, Agassi, Borg, and any other name you want to throw at me. He would beat any of those guys in their prime on hardcourt or grass (Borg would have probably beat him on clay). He's got the return to beat Sampras' serve, the baseline game to beat Agassi, and the overall game to beat Borg. He doesn't have a weakness. He is the greatest of all time and will beat Sampras' grand slam record easily by the end of next year. I would be willing to bet he will win a French Open at some point in his career as well and Roger again showed why he's unstoppable this weekend. After putting it on autopilot for the first few rounds. He beat Roddick in straight sets when Roddick played some of the best tennis of his career. And beat two up and coming stars with literal ease in straight sets in the semis and the finals. It was easy, no one gave him a challenge, no one will in the next 4-5 years, and the dude wasn't even trying in the first few rounds. Federer will end his career with 18+ (I'd even say 20 or more) grand slams barring injury and no one will ever come close to that record.
This week/weekend in the sports world was one for the books, and I don't think there's ever been more dominating performances simultaneously before, and I doubt we'll ever see one like this again in our lifetime.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Fantasy World
Few things can completely change you opinion of a baseball player like the fantasy playoffs. In fact, short of killing your actual favorite team (from either within or through an enemy team), there is nothing that can dominate one's opinion of a player if they don't come through when it counts.
It is an odd realization considering how arbitrary Fantasy sports seem to be. You can draft a team set up to be absolutely dominant based on the previous year's statistics and get completely dominated for the entire season. Playoffs are the exact same way. I was recently, absolutely owned, in a fantasy playoff series because my team just did not show up. As a result, Carlos Guillen is officially dead to me and Ryan Howard is on probation. Either way, the healing process has begun and I am well on my way to recovery.
However, one thing about the devastating loss that I was just forced to endure rubbed me the wrong way more than anything else. That was Roy Halladay's CG loss. 126 pitches and 5 earned runs vs the Red Sox of Boston. The man is a horse, there is zero doubting this fact. He throws complete games like it is his job because well, that has become his job. However for a team that for all intensive purposes is not going to be allowed to sniff the playoffs, when does this borderline on risky? The man just turned 30 this season and with his build and style of pitching, I don't think it would be ridiculous to say that potentially he could last another 10 years if they are careful with him. Will he last that long if he keeps throwing 225 innings a season at 120 pitches per turn? Very doubtful. And I'm not saying that they should limit anything specifically, just to be careful. I guess you might say, "Well at least he hasn't had injury problems."
Oh wait, in 2003, he had arguably his best season pitching, get this, 268 innings and posting career numbers across the board. He posted a 22-7 record, 204 strikeouts and a 3.25 earned run average, which won himself a nice Cy Young for his troubles. The next season, suprise surprise, two stints on the disabled list with RIGHT shoulder problems. His numbers that year? In just 133.0 innings, he went 8-8 with a 4.2. Could it be that the competition got better or is that he and his manager were irresponsible a year earlier? There is no doubt that the man is a beast in the truest form but why the hell is a guy with past shoulder problems allowed to throw 126 pitches in a loss with his team out of the playoffs? It seems that with an Ace pitcher in this prime, he should be handled a little more carefully. What is more important over the last month of the season? 3 more complete games or 2 months more of guaranteed effective pitching next year?
In an MLB that more and more is attempting to save young pitchers(see Joba Chamberlain, Felix Hernandez 2 years ago, Clay BUCKELLS!) Why is this a complete non-factor with an in his prime pitcher? Will there be any blame if his shoulder explodes again next year? If the perrenial cy young candidate loses a year or two due to his "horseness" will anyone look back to 2003, 2005, and this year and ask were the extra 15 pitches a game, the extra 2 innings really worth it?
As always, only time will tell.
Go Saints
It is an odd realization considering how arbitrary Fantasy sports seem to be. You can draft a team set up to be absolutely dominant based on the previous year's statistics and get completely dominated for the entire season. Playoffs are the exact same way. I was recently, absolutely owned, in a fantasy playoff series because my team just did not show up. As a result, Carlos Guillen is officially dead to me and Ryan Howard is on probation. Either way, the healing process has begun and I am well on my way to recovery.
However, one thing about the devastating loss that I was just forced to endure rubbed me the wrong way more than anything else. That was Roy Halladay's CG loss. 126 pitches and 5 earned runs vs the Red Sox of Boston. The man is a horse, there is zero doubting this fact. He throws complete games like it is his job because well, that has become his job. However for a team that for all intensive purposes is not going to be allowed to sniff the playoffs, when does this borderline on risky? The man just turned 30 this season and with his build and style of pitching, I don't think it would be ridiculous to say that potentially he could last another 10 years if they are careful with him. Will he last that long if he keeps throwing 225 innings a season at 120 pitches per turn? Very doubtful. And I'm not saying that they should limit anything specifically, just to be careful. I guess you might say, "Well at least he hasn't had injury problems."
Oh wait, in 2003, he had arguably his best season pitching, get this, 268 innings and posting career numbers across the board. He posted a 22-7 record, 204 strikeouts and a 3.25 earned run average, which won himself a nice Cy Young for his troubles. The next season, suprise surprise, two stints on the disabled list with RIGHT shoulder problems. His numbers that year? In just 133.0 innings, he went 8-8 with a 4.2. Could it be that the competition got better or is that he and his manager were irresponsible a year earlier? There is no doubt that the man is a beast in the truest form but why the hell is a guy with past shoulder problems allowed to throw 126 pitches in a loss with his team out of the playoffs? It seems that with an Ace pitcher in this prime, he should be handled a little more carefully. What is more important over the last month of the season? 3 more complete games or 2 months more of guaranteed effective pitching next year?
In an MLB that more and more is attempting to save young pitchers(see Joba Chamberlain, Felix Hernandez 2 years ago, Clay BUCKELLS!) Why is this a complete non-factor with an in his prime pitcher? Will there be any blame if his shoulder explodes again next year? If the perrenial cy young candidate loses a year or two due to his "horseness" will anyone look back to 2003, 2005, and this year and ask were the extra 15 pitches a game, the extra 2 innings really worth it?
As always, only time will tell.
Go Saints
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Post Game Thoughts
Just finished watching the Giants game. A couple things real quick...
- I did not realize how bad the Giants defense was. I knew the secondary was bad, but I don't feel like I heard a linebackers name making a play all night either. Plus we all saw how few times the Giants got near Romo. The Cowboys basically moved the ball at will. I honestly feel that this is more a representation of how bad the Giants defense is than how great the Cowboy offense is. Bottom line is that the Giants defense is built to blitz the QB. If they do that and aren't getting to him there are major problems.
- Offense looks good but I am still a little concerned. Jacobs hurt his knee and Eli hurt his shoulder. I honestly feel that if the Giants held the Cowboys on that last drive they would have kept Eli in, but who knows. I guess we will find out later. Again, the Cowboy secondary is so pathetic that I am not going to be too pumped about Eli or the Giant offense after this performance, but its nice to see them clicking nonetheless. First of all I hope Eli is OK. Secondly, it will be interesting to see how they move the ball against the Packers D next week, which is really good.
- From the little we saw of Brandon Jacobs I was not impressed. I really do not know if he has that shiftiness to be a good every down runner. Even the great runners who are big still have those quick feet (Bettis is a great example). We know Jacobs can bowl people over, but he needs momentum to do that. The ability to get going once he gets the ball and shift to the right crease is key. I guess we will get a chance to see. We had one of the best in Tiki in that department, so it may be a tough thing to assess.
- All the Cowboys people out there need to calm down. I do not see this team going anywhere. The secondary is pitiful. It will lose them games. Plus they do not have a consistent running game. Lastly, as much as Romo is a gunslinger and a fun guy to watch, I am not sold on his consistency and reliability. He can make a lot of plays and is resilient, but I can see him throwing the key pick in a tough spot too much.
- Tough game to lose considering how well Eli and the offense played. The injury report will be key going into next week. Assuming Eli is fine (which is a big if), Jacobs is a big key as well is Umenyori. Lastly, this will be another week for Strahan to get into better game shape. This team has ability and resiliency, but it is really going to come down to whether the defense can make the plays it needs to. After one game, that is really in doubt. The next two games are home against Green Bay and in Washington. Two teams that are not offensive juggernauts (to say the least). Lets see if the Giants D can step up a little and provide a glimmer of hope.
As for other teams of interest? Dolphins lost a tough one but played gutsy on the road. Talent wise it is going to tough for Miami to compete (especially on offense) but I think they have enough veterans to be the type of team that goes 7-9 or 8-8 and no one wants to play. They will play tough, low scoring games.
The Jets are in bad shape. QB controversy if getting very close (if not here already) and they just got whooped by their division "rival" at home. Everyone rode Mangini's nuts after one year, but this is where we will see whether he has it or not. Now there are expectations. Now there is real attention being paid to this team. How will they react? How will he treat the QB situation? I believe that this is the first time in his coaching career where there is a little heat and debate over what he will do. If he can guide this team to an 8-8 record (in a pretty tough schedule) and a relatively smooth QB transition then I would be impressed. Last year anything over 6 wins was really gravy. Obviously next week is key for the Jets as it is for every team that is 0-1. I just feel that with this QB deal looming it is a little more important for Jetland.
Didn't watch the Eagles. They were playing a tough defense on the road. You wanna win that game, but I would not go crazy if I were them about losing. I think Green Bay will be a very tough team in the NFC this year.
STKAFI
Thursday, September 6, 2007
This is a great time of year for fantasy sports. Baseball is in the playoffs and football begins tomorrow. At this stage in the fantasy baseball season you have developed a real connection with your players.
I wanted to personally thank Halladay for throwing 126 pitches in a complete game loss at Boston this week. His team is basically out of the race, they were down 5-3 in the game. yet he stayed in.
Whoever is lucky enough to have Arod on their team, saw him limp into Yankee stadium, force his way into the lineup and hit 2 homeruns in the process.
Then you got other guys who have done wonders for you all year like Carlos Guillen, who will then go out when you need him most and go 0-5, with 4 k's.
This is what makes fantasy a crapshoot and what makes it so enjoyable for some and so painful for others.
Congrats to King Federer who just beat Roddick 7-6, 7-6, 6-2. It has been written about a million times, but he is in a different league then everyone else. I look for Ferrer to come out of the bottom half. For all those who stayed up till 2AM the other night watching him beat Nadal, you had to come out impressed. The guy covers as much court as anybody I've seen and he has to be considered the favorite in that side of the bracket.
For the first time in awhile, I was actually entertained by a women's tennis match. Venus-Jankovic was actually great tennis to watch and ended in a 3rd set tie breaker.
I will be giving my picks every Thursday for the weekend
I have been doing a pick em versus the spread for 3 years now... I've had one 2nd place finish, one finish near the bottom and one in the middle (50 guy league)... so take them for what they are worth:
I wanted to personally thank Halladay for throwing 126 pitches in a complete game loss at Boston this week. His team is basically out of the race, they were down 5-3 in the game. yet he stayed in.
Whoever is lucky enough to have Arod on their team, saw him limp into Yankee stadium, force his way into the lineup and hit 2 homeruns in the process.
Then you got other guys who have done wonders for you all year like Carlos Guillen, who will then go out when you need him most and go 0-5, with 4 k's.
This is what makes fantasy a crapshoot and what makes it so enjoyable for some and so painful for others.
Congrats to King Federer who just beat Roddick 7-6, 7-6, 6-2. It has been written about a million times, but he is in a different league then everyone else. I look for Ferrer to come out of the bottom half. For all those who stayed up till 2AM the other night watching him beat Nadal, you had to come out impressed. The guy covers as much court as anybody I've seen and he has to be considered the favorite in that side of the bracket.
For the first time in awhile, I was actually entertained by a women's tennis match. Venus-Jankovic was actually great tennis to watch and ended in a 3rd set tie breaker.
I will be giving my picks every Thursday for the weekend
I have been doing a pick em versus the spread for 3 years now... I've had one 2nd place finish, one finish near the bottom and one in the middle (50 guy league)... so take them for what they are worth:
| Indianapolis Colts | -6.5 | New Orleans Saints |
| Houston Texans | -1.5 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Buffalo Bills | +3.5 | Denver Broncos |
| Washington Redskins | -3.5 | Miami Dolphins |
| Green Bay Packers | +2.5 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Cleveland Browns | +4.5 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| New York Jets | +6.5 | New England Patriots |
| Minnesota Vikings | -3.5 | Atlanta Falcons |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | -6.5 | Tennessee Titans |
| St. Louis Rams | -1.5 | Carolina Panthers |
| San Diego Chargers | -5.5 | Chicago Bears |
| Seattle Seahawks | -6.5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Oakland Raiders | -1.5 | Detroit Lions |
| Dallas Cowboys | -5.5 | New York Giants |
| Cincinnati Bengals | -2.5 | Baltimore Ravens |
| San Francisco 49ers | -3.5 | Arizona Cardinal |
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