Let's start this off by saying that if you're a Yankee fan and you're upset that the whole A-Rod issue is even an issue then you only have yourself to blame. The same manner in which you were able to get him is the same manner in which he's leaving. The Yankee organization GAVE him an option, which like it or not he had the right to exercise. How surprised can you really be? He went from Seattle to Texas for money and then Texas to New York for even more money. You took away the manager that he loved in a manner which was seen as insulting by the national media. You showered him with boos when he wasn't living up to your standards and constantly criticized him for his post season woes. He put up ridiculous numbers playing in a high profile city that can make even the most stable man crumble. So if you're A-Rod, why not leave? You have a good chance of shattering the batting records elsewhere at a much quicker pace.
With that said, let's take a look at possible destinations for A-Rod:
Could he be:
Shea-Rod?: An easy subway ride over to Flushing and a chance to play shortstop again if the Mets move Reyes to second, but would more likely move Wright to second and let A-Rod play third. Probably not a likely destination, but if he did end up there can you imagine the line-up: 1. Reyes 2. Wright 3. Beltran 4. A-Rod 5. Delgado Yeah, sick.
L.A.-Rod?: Reuniting with Torre? Probably not, but then again he could stay at third and be a powerhouse in that line-up. Maybe a good fit to go back to the west coast. I could see it happening.
Devil Ray-Rod?: Tampa? Yeah, that's what I thought too. BUT, then again they'd be pulling in a high profile player for once and could build their team around him. Well, at least for four years until he opts out.
Oakland A-Rod?: A should-be playoff team that thirsts for a consistent bat. Could really fit in with their infield and would be a nice clubhouse presence in a team searching for a solid leader.
City by the Bay-Rod?: The Giants would love to replace the current home run king with the future home run king. Can you imagine that marketing scheme? Boras is drooling just thinking about it. Not to mention rebuilding that team around another perennial MVP. Could have his choice in the field too.
Fenway-Rod?: Boston would love to throw his bat into their line-up, which would be just nasty with the proven Papi, Manny, and Youkilis. Not to mention up and comers Pedroia and Ellsbury. He's already played in the hardest city in sports, so why not for the rivals? Not likely. Additionally he could have a metrosexual contest with Tom Brady and we can finally see who is gayer.
The L.A. of A-Rod?: The Angels have been rumored all along and probably seem to be the best fit. A playoff team with a lot of potential. Ownerships seems weary, so that might be the snag that kills this deal.
Stay-Rod?: Most likely not, however the brothers Grimm could reverse their stand and take him back. They would have to remember if they did then they would never ever be taken seriously by any agent. Ever. Ever. But they could do themselves a favor and save some face. Wait, I almost forgot who I was talking about...
Jay-Rod?: Could use a big name player to boost the only team in Canada. He punishes the ball when they play in the dome, but something tells me that Boras would be bored with Toronto and wouldn't want to use his passport that much to fly in and out.
P.A.-Rod?: The Phillies are going to at least be in the talk concerning his ultimate decision. They might not want the contract in terms of length, but they could use the bat.
Well, I guess we'll just have to see where it goes from here. My guess is that he'll end up with a massive contract and an option after his fourth year. I also think that in those four years we could see an injury, finally. I'm thinking west coast, but then again Boras is always willing and ready to surprise.
Long Live Sports,
DG2
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Monday Morning Mania
Hit it and Quit itSo, TMZ.com is reporting today that Larry Fitzgerald is taking a page out of Matt Leinart's book. Fitzgerald has been served by a former Raiderette that he is the father of her unborn child. The woman, a 35 year old former cheerleader and Fitzgerald got busy and she got prego. Paterno-ty test pending, Fitzgerald agreed to pay support if he's the father. I find this especially humorous since Fitzgerald is only 24 and was obviously taken in by a cougar. I love it, a washed up former cheerleader (left), who is clearly attractive, nabbed herself a rich baby daddy to pay the bills for the rest of her life. Don't these guys know what a condom is? Nobody said football players are supposed to be smart.
Weekend Madness
Well halloween weekend certainly lived up to expectations. Barely clothed women, crisp cool fall weather and lost of sports. Generally a boring weekend this weekend compared to the past month. We've finally had a weekend with hardly any college upsets to speak of. Well except Kentucky getting crushed at home by Sylvester Croom's Miss St bulldogs or USF getting beat on the road at UConn. But generally no really big changes in the BCS. OSU showed it's muscle and beat it's hardest competitor this season in a mediocre Penn St team. Michigan won it's 7th straight to show they got something for OSU in 4 weeks. Oregon held up to my prediction and took out USC showing that with a BC or OSU loss we can be watching Oregon v. LSU down in New Orleans for the Ship. This is looking like a pretty good bet, except LSU has to play the Winner of the SEC East and I predict BC will lose 2 of it's last 4 games and Michigan will finally get of the schneid at home vs. OSU. Then, Sunday, America was treated to a dull day of football that included Indy and NE winning big and the fans in Buffalo dozing off at about half-time of a 3-3 game that included one interesting play the entire game in a 13-3 Bills win. Pretty dull right? That is unless your a Red Sox fan.
Mercenary for Hire
Having a hard time getting to the top. Losing ticket sales and looking to turn the fate of your franchise around? Well have no worries. For around $300 Million dollars over 6 years and partial ownership of your franchise you can have Alex Rodriguez, Baseballs newest free agent Mercenary for Hire. As of last night, smack in the middle of the clinching WS games, super sleaze Scott Boras released a statement that A-Rod is opting out and ending his run with the Yanks. So much for his talking about having a legacy with one team then decides to opt out and move on to the highest bidder desperate for my generations best player and quite possibly one of the best players in the history of baseball (playoffs excluded). Then again who knows, maybe somewhere else he won't fold like a lawn chair in the playoffs. I remember being so excited when my favorite player growing up signed with my favorite team. Now I'm questioning A-Rods love for baseball over his love for money. Then again that could be influenced by Baseballs Drew Rosenhaus Scott Boras. American Icons for aspiring sports agents everywhere.
My top places for Gay-Rod: Los Angeles (either), Chicago (Sweet Lou), Boston (the New Yankees), San Fran (two HR Kings), NY Mets (A-Rod SS, Reyes 2B, Wright 3B)
Decision Time
Yankees expected to Announce New Manager today. My money is Girardi, who I said all along will be a perfect fit.
Weekly Monday Morning Fantasy Rant
So. After losing by 1 pt in my money league where turnovers don't count against you to a team who started Marc Bulger (5 of them) last week, There is a potential for me to be screwed and lose for the 4th straight week taking me to 4-4 after starting 4-0. This will move me to a 3 way tie for 3rd in my division (only 4 teams). How was a screwed this week you ask? Well apparently my starting of 3rbs and 2 WRs is not a legal footbal formation. Apparently the commish of my league, who is a hs football coach, has never heard of the wishbone spread. A formation made famous by Nebraska and Navy over the years. As a result, my commish has taken Brandon Marshall from my line-up who is playing tonight and replaced him with Chris Cooley. This hurts me because I was up by 200 pts (each yd is a pt) with Marshall against Cutler tonight. Since Marshall is Cutler's #1 threat i figured to cancel out some of Cutler's points and beat the first place team to be tied for first. Now I have a 300 pt cushion and need to pray Cutler bombs tonight. This could quite possibly be the worst fantasy football league ever created.
Questions and Letters
Tom Brady,
Obviously my pleas are coming back unaswered. I'll get my jollies on Sunday when we win. And if we don't. You better hope the Hoodie pulls you if you have a big lead. Otherwise you may not be walking at the end of the day.
-Peyton (and my Defense)
In the Year 2008:
Travis Henry Signs with Arizona upon reinstatement from the league and Edgerrin James' retirement.
In the Year 2030:
Local HS wins State Championship:
Today Glendale Prep won the state championship riding the offensive domination provided by Henry VII running behind the offensive line of Henry IV and VI. Meanwhile, Leinart throws for 250 yds, 140 of it to Fitzgerald III and the other 90 to Henry III and Henry X. The defense was led by the secondary entirely made of the rest of Travis Henry's children. On a side note, 3 women were arrested after attacking Travis Henry in the parking lot over backed child support. Henry, 45, is was taken to the hospital and released a short time later.
-DG1
Friday, October 26, 2007
Free at Last
What could have been
Nice little feel good piece to touch on. For anyone who doesn't know the story of Genarlow Wilson let me give you a brief piece.
You all know that I am a huge college football fan. What I have yet to touch on is my admiration of HS Football and the whole recruting process. I remember almost 5 years ago reading about Calvin Johnson and that when he was in HS he was dominant, except in one game when a guy by the name of Genarlow Wilson held Johnson to a mediocre day for his standards. Wilson was a talented athlete and speed corner that had high upside. That was till he was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Sure that sounds bad, but Genarlow was a senior in HS and was at a party and was videotaped receiving oral sex from a sophmore. He was 17 and she was 15 and was videotaped doing the same with other boys at the party. ESPN recently covered the story and I'm sure, for reasons I'm about to state, will run it often this week. Some high points, if Wilson would have had regular sex with the girl he would have had a minimum sentence. However due to some stupid law in Georgia from the early 1900s a blow job is a heinous act and worse than sex. The video showed the intercourse to be consensual but the judge quite possibly ruined this kids life.
But anyways, today, the new District Attorney of Georgia has deemed Wilson's cruel and unusual and released him today. After years of refusing to retroact a law that was ammended due to his case and appeals for fear of letting out real predators. I mean we all lived through HS. What person as a senior didn't hook up with a sophomore. Some of my friends even dated freshman and were sexual with them. Taping it was obviously dumb, but considering the video proved it was consensual and the girl testified she was willing. Also you have to give him credit for refusing to take the plea because it would have labeled him a sexual predator and he would not be allowed near his little sister at the time.
Congratulations Genarlow and although you wont get those 4 years back, you are at least young enough to make a difference. Maybe give football another shot, the publicity can't hurt.
-DG1
Nice little feel good piece to touch on. For anyone who doesn't know the story of Genarlow Wilson let me give you a brief piece.
You all know that I am a huge college football fan. What I have yet to touch on is my admiration of HS Football and the whole recruting process. I remember almost 5 years ago reading about Calvin Johnson and that when he was in HS he was dominant, except in one game when a guy by the name of Genarlow Wilson held Johnson to a mediocre day for his standards. Wilson was a talented athlete and speed corner that had high upside. That was till he was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Sure that sounds bad, but Genarlow was a senior in HS and was at a party and was videotaped receiving oral sex from a sophmore. He was 17 and she was 15 and was videotaped doing the same with other boys at the party. ESPN recently covered the story and I'm sure, for reasons I'm about to state, will run it often this week. Some high points, if Wilson would have had regular sex with the girl he would have had a minimum sentence. However due to some stupid law in Georgia from the early 1900s a blow job is a heinous act and worse than sex. The video showed the intercourse to be consensual but the judge quite possibly ruined this kids life.
But anyways, today, the new District Attorney of Georgia has deemed Wilson's cruel and unusual and released him today. After years of refusing to retroact a law that was ammended due to his case and appeals for fear of letting out real predators. I mean we all lived through HS. What person as a senior didn't hook up with a sophomore. Some of my friends even dated freshman and were sexual with them. Taping it was obviously dumb, but considering the video proved it was consensual and the girl testified she was willing. Also you have to give him credit for refusing to take the plea because it would have labeled him a sexual predator and he would not be allowed near his little sister at the time.
Congratulations Genarlow and although you wont get those 4 years back, you are at least young enough to make a difference. Maybe give football another shot, the publicity can't hurt.
-DG1
Frantic Friday
Humble Pie?
So, as a proud man I am very humbled by the events of last night. For those 3 of you who read my frantic babbling on a semi-regular basic you would know that Monday I predicted that a fortunate BC team would travel to Blacksburg last night and fall to an underacheiving Virginia Tech team. For 58 minutes of football my prediction looked to be holding true. BC offense struggled in the terrential downpour that fell and Matt Ryan looked like an average QB who's magic had run out. It looked like BC was gonna make the push but finally come up short after a season of pulling out close games. However, as humbling as it is, Matt Ryan cemented himself atop the Heisman race last night and has made it a two man race between himself and Kentucky's Andre Woodson. The last two drives of the game were sickening. Not only did Va Tech play soft and leave way too many holes in the zone, but the way Ryan, a prototypical "pocket passer" scrambled around to make time and wait for receivers to come open was incredible. It's good to see a young man (who is only a year younger than me mind you) dig deep and give everything he has in order to acheive a goal. And in a sport where 1 loss (except in the SEC, Big 12 and Pac 10) can ruin your dreams at a national championship, Matt Ryan's performance last night was the reason college football is one of the greatest sports today.
...Speaking of giving it your all, did anyone notice Ryan puking for about 5 minutes on the sideline while ESPN kept showing it. I mean, were they trying to guess what Matt Ryan ate for dinner?
Weekend Warriors
For all intensive purposes this weekend is halloween to everyone above the age of 17. What better time of year to express your love for sports, and barely clothed women than this upcoming weekend. Yours truly is going as a noble Knight and looks forward to all the sexy referees and football players and cheerleaders, OH MY!!! But back to the purpose, this weekend has so much more to offer in the wide world of sports. Big time match-ups are starting to develop and world of sports is due for some big stories. Let's touch on some highlights for the weekend. Tons of big match-ups in college football. USC travels to Eugene to face a solid Oregon team. Rutgers hosts WVU in a key game in what is quickly a crowded Big East race. The other 2 teams atop that conference face off with USF traveling to face UCONN. Add to that the World Series potentially ending on Sunday and the usual NFL weekend and one can harldy find time to go out and enjoy the beautiful scenery (and i'm not talking about the foliage).
The Upset Bug
OSU at PSU - OSU needs to step it up if they want to avoid a shocker in happy valley
USF at UCONN - traveling north to a cold state the week after falling off the coaster can't be good
USC at Oregon - not an upset in the standings, but i'm feeling good about Dixon and the Ducks
The World Series (of Baseball)
So my prediction of Rockies in 6 is not looking too good. Need that snow to fall out in the Rockies and the high altitude to mess with Manny's hea.....no wait.... i'm gonna stop right there.
Thoughts to Chew On...
If Roger Goodell paid Manchester United to play the Giants on Sunday would they give them a better game?
More importantly, would anyone notice?
Dear ESPN,
We all know now that Doug Flutie went to Boston College. And we would greatly appreciate if you stopped showing him in massive amounts attending big Boston College sporting events. As much as we love Flutie, we love watching the game more.
Thank You,
Every Sports fan not a BC Alum
How bad is jet lag from Colorado to Boston? Just ask Matt Holliday.
When the 1 o'clock game on Fox is a night game, how many people are going to be really confused?
Channing Crowder,
Were you joking, or is the education system in Florida really THAT bad?
Sincerely,
The other 49 States
Live Free or Die Harder with a Vengeance,
DG1
So, as a proud man I am very humbled by the events of last night. For those 3 of you who read my frantic babbling on a semi-regular basic you would know that Monday I predicted that a fortunate BC team would travel to Blacksburg last night and fall to an underacheiving Virginia Tech team. For 58 minutes of football my prediction looked to be holding true. BC offense struggled in the terrential downpour that fell and Matt Ryan looked like an average QB who's magic had run out. It looked like BC was gonna make the push but finally come up short after a season of pulling out close games. However, as humbling as it is, Matt Ryan cemented himself atop the Heisman race last night and has made it a two man race between himself and Kentucky's Andre Woodson. The last two drives of the game were sickening. Not only did Va Tech play soft and leave way too many holes in the zone, but the way Ryan, a prototypical "pocket passer" scrambled around to make time and wait for receivers to come open was incredible. It's good to see a young man (who is only a year younger than me mind you) dig deep and give everything he has in order to acheive a goal. And in a sport where 1 loss (except in the SEC, Big 12 and Pac 10) can ruin your dreams at a national championship, Matt Ryan's performance last night was the reason college football is one of the greatest sports today.
...Speaking of giving it your all, did anyone notice Ryan puking for about 5 minutes on the sideline while ESPN kept showing it. I mean, were they trying to guess what Matt Ryan ate for dinner?
Weekend Warriors
For all intensive purposes this weekend is halloween to everyone above the age of 17. What better time of year to express your love for sports, and barely clothed women than this upcoming weekend. Yours truly is going as a noble Knight and looks forward to all the sexy referees and football players and cheerleaders, OH MY!!! But back to the purpose, this weekend has so much more to offer in the wide world of sports. Big time match-ups are starting to develop and world of sports is due for some big stories. Let's touch on some highlights for the weekend. Tons of big match-ups in college football. USC travels to Eugene to face a solid Oregon team. Rutgers hosts WVU in a key game in what is quickly a crowded Big East race. The other 2 teams atop that conference face off with USF traveling to face UCONN. Add to that the World Series potentially ending on Sunday and the usual NFL weekend and one can harldy find time to go out and enjoy the beautiful scenery (and i'm not talking about the foliage).
The Upset Bug
OSU at PSU - OSU needs to step it up if they want to avoid a shocker in happy valley
USF at UCONN - traveling north to a cold state the week after falling off the coaster can't be good
USC at Oregon - not an upset in the standings, but i'm feeling good about Dixon and the Ducks
The World Series (of Baseball)
So my prediction of Rockies in 6 is not looking too good. Need that snow to fall out in the Rockies and the high altitude to mess with Manny's hea.....no wait.... i'm gonna stop right there.
Thoughts to Chew On...
If Roger Goodell paid Manchester United to play the Giants on Sunday would they give them a better game?
More importantly, would anyone notice?
Dear ESPN,
We all know now that Doug Flutie went to Boston College. And we would greatly appreciate if you stopped showing him in massive amounts attending big Boston College sporting events. As much as we love Flutie, we love watching the game more.
Thank You,
Every Sports fan not a BC Alum
How bad is jet lag from Colorado to Boston? Just ask Matt Holliday.
When the 1 o'clock game on Fox is a night game, how many people are going to be really confused?
Channing Crowder,
Were you joking, or is the education system in Florida really THAT bad?
Sincerely,
The other 49 States
Live Free or Die Harder with a Vengeance,
DG1
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Rocky Mountain Low...Looking Past Week 8...Byrnes Burned
I love how everyone is looking right over week 8 and right to week 9 in the NFL. Everyone wants so badly to see the undefeated Colts vs. the undefeated Pats. Now, don't get me wrong, it will be a great match-up, but who's to say that both teams will make it out of this week without a loss? Washington has a strong defense and could give the Pats trouble. They have above average speed in their LBs and the secondary can stay with just about anyone. The Panthers are no slouch team either and would love to upset Indi. The Colts are 0-3 against the Panthers and while trends don't say everything, they are good guidelines. Am I saying that I think there will be an upset with either team, probably not, but just like Berman says "that's why they play the game."
The Red Sox dismantled the Rockies last night with some pretty good help from the Rockies. Boston's bats were in full force and Josh Beckett was, well, Josh Beckett. However, the wheels fell off the bus in the 5th when the Rockies walked in a bunch of runs with the bases loaded. I'm not taking anything away from Boston, but the Rockies are only down a game and the rust may be shaken off now. Look for this series to be more interesting, but probably won't last past 5 games.
The Sabres looked bad last night. I understand that they lost Gaustad and Kalinin earlier in the game and the onslaught of 4 goals came in the 3rd period, but they looked bad. This team really confuses me. Some nights they string together passes and plays like the team from last year, but other nights (last Friday in particular) they looked terrible. Hopefully they can put it back together this weekend and we'll see the good, not the bad or the ugly.
Good to see the NFL add $10 million to the medical fund for retirees. Only one thing to say: it's about time.
Oh, by the way, Eric Byrnes, you had nothing to do with the Rockies winning the NLCS and sweeping your team. Well, except maybe the fact that you were terrible at the plate and looked lost in the outfield. It wasn't your mouth, it was your lack of bat and glove. Shut up and deal with it. They were the better team. They had to have been to beat you four straight games. You can't win four straight games on luck against the same team.
Long live sports,
DG2
The Red Sox dismantled the Rockies last night with some pretty good help from the Rockies. Boston's bats were in full force and Josh Beckett was, well, Josh Beckett. However, the wheels fell off the bus in the 5th when the Rockies walked in a bunch of runs with the bases loaded. I'm not taking anything away from Boston, but the Rockies are only down a game and the rust may be shaken off now. Look for this series to be more interesting, but probably won't last past 5 games.
The Sabres looked bad last night. I understand that they lost Gaustad and Kalinin earlier in the game and the onslaught of 4 goals came in the 3rd period, but they looked bad. This team really confuses me. Some nights they string together passes and plays like the team from last year, but other nights (last Friday in particular) they looked terrible. Hopefully they can put it back together this weekend and we'll see the good, not the bad or the ugly.
Good to see the NFL add $10 million to the medical fund for retirees. Only one thing to say: it's about time.
Oh, by the way, Eric Byrnes, you had nothing to do with the Rockies winning the NLCS and sweeping your team. Well, except maybe the fact that you were terrible at the plate and looked lost in the outfield. It wasn't your mouth, it was your lack of bat and glove. Shut up and deal with it. They were the better team. They had to have been to beat you four straight games. You can't win four straight games on luck against the same team.
Long live sports,
DG2
Monday, October 22, 2007
Monday Morning (afternoon) Madness
Weekend in Review
Well another weekend of college football gone by and another week closer to January and the playo.... er BCS game. Touching on the weekend it's nice to see that I was close to, if not correct on my upset special. Well minus the USC/ND game, which was more of a biased prayer than an actual prediciton. I've excepted since week 2 that ND has no shot at a good season with the terrible group they call an offensive line.
Deja Vous?
Last week #2 USF ventured up to NJ riding the tide of a cinderella season that was borderline incredible and was "upset" (if that's what you can call it) by an underacheiving Rutgers team. Well this thursday, exactly a week later, a fortunate #2 Boston College team ventures into Blacksburg, Va to take on an underachieving Virginia Tech Hokies team. I suggest you watch and then Friday check back for some boasting in the Friday Morning Fog. As well as an analysis of the most biased calling of a game in the history of sports, unless ESPN blackballs Flutie from his usual Thursday Night Commentary.
Hockey Season?
Not just the name of my fantasy hockey team but also my feelings for this time of year. Just gonna touch on a few things.
-Rough weekend for a Sabres team that looks tired and lacking enthousiasm that could be solved with some quality, vocal leadership and not leader-by-example
- Sid the Kid's shootout goal was the most incredible thing I've seen performed on ice since I was 12 and saw Aladdin on ice at the Aud. I mean did anyone else feel like they were watching a Barry Sanders highlight.
October Delight
Ah, the foliage is green and the weather is warm and fall is here. Wait, that doesn't make sense, damn global warming. But anyways, after another "amazing" (sarcasm) comeback by the Boston Red Sox, a team that had underacheived throughout the entire ALCS then finally decided to do what was expected of them, the world series is set. The Colorado Rockies (that's right those Rockies) have been waiting in the Snow for the series to begin while Bud Selig has been sitting home crying. What a better matchup than America's new "team" vs the perenial losers hailing from a city that received 8 inches of snow the other day. I bet Selig is pumped at the potential of the season also ending with snow delays just like it started. This is further evidence that baseball season has been expanded too long and that things need to change. If Selig wants parity, he needs to fix other problems so that small market teams in not so ideal April and October cities can succeed without any issues.
Prediction -
Rockies in 6. Boston is gonna slack and drop one at home and... in snowy conditions struggle with colder than usual temperatures and the loss of the DH with Papi having to field his position in snow flurries. (Plus I HATE Boston)
Lost in the Mail:
Dear Manny,
Thank you for almost making my dream come true by hitting the longest single in MLB history. Not quite as good as pimping a grab at the wall but it'll suffice.
- DG1
Willis,
Happy Bday. Enjoy your loss. Although I doubt you even noticed because you got your 100 yds and scored. I guess that means that you did your job. Right?
-Fans in Buffalo
Dear Tom Brady,
Seriously Stop! Or I'll be forced to do something really bad.
-Peyton Manning
Dear Peyton Manning,
Sorry, I really wanted to relax during the second half and imagine what the night had in store for me and my smoking hot, gf (she's a supermodel you know) but that damn perennial backup had to turn the ball over. Not to mention my coach wants to stick it to the world, while I'm sticking it to Giselle.
-Tom Brady
Well off to my usual monday night activity of sitcoms and dinner with Adriana Lima....
Keep it Artificial,
DG1
Well another weekend of college football gone by and another week closer to January and the playo.... er BCS game. Touching on the weekend it's nice to see that I was close to, if not correct on my upset special. Well minus the USC/ND game, which was more of a biased prayer than an actual prediciton. I've excepted since week 2 that ND has no shot at a good season with the terrible group they call an offensive line.
Deja Vous?
Last week #2 USF ventured up to NJ riding the tide of a cinderella season that was borderline incredible and was "upset" (if that's what you can call it) by an underacheiving Rutgers team. Well this thursday, exactly a week later, a fortunate #2 Boston College team ventures into Blacksburg, Va to take on an underachieving Virginia Tech Hokies team. I suggest you watch and then Friday check back for some boasting in the Friday Morning Fog. As well as an analysis of the most biased calling of a game in the history of sports, unless ESPN blackballs Flutie from his usual Thursday Night Commentary.
Hockey Season?
Not just the name of my fantasy hockey team but also my feelings for this time of year. Just gonna touch on a few things.
-Rough weekend for a Sabres team that looks tired and lacking enthousiasm that could be solved with some quality, vocal leadership and not leader-by-example
- Sid the Kid's shootout goal was the most incredible thing I've seen performed on ice since I was 12 and saw Aladdin on ice at the Aud. I mean did anyone else feel like they were watching a Barry Sanders highlight.
October Delight
Ah, the foliage is green and the weather is warm and fall is here. Wait, that doesn't make sense, damn global warming. But anyways, after another "amazing" (sarcasm) comeback by the Boston Red Sox, a team that had underacheived throughout the entire ALCS then finally decided to do what was expected of them, the world series is set. The Colorado Rockies (that's right those Rockies) have been waiting in the Snow for the series to begin while Bud Selig has been sitting home crying. What a better matchup than America's new "team" vs the perenial losers hailing from a city that received 8 inches of snow the other day. I bet Selig is pumped at the potential of the season also ending with snow delays just like it started. This is further evidence that baseball season has been expanded too long and that things need to change. If Selig wants parity, he needs to fix other problems so that small market teams in not so ideal April and October cities can succeed without any issues.
Prediction -
Rockies in 6. Boston is gonna slack and drop one at home and... in snowy conditions struggle with colder than usual temperatures and the loss of the DH with Papi having to field his position in snow flurries. (Plus I HATE Boston)
Lost in the Mail:
Dear Manny,
Thank you for almost making my dream come true by hitting the longest single in MLB history. Not quite as good as pimping a grab at the wall but it'll suffice.
- DG1
Willis,
Happy Bday. Enjoy your loss. Although I doubt you even noticed because you got your 100 yds and scored. I guess that means that you did your job. Right?
-Fans in Buffalo
PS. tell your coaches to enjoy the long run, cause if history serves me right, it'll be another year before it happens again.
Dear Tom Brady,
Seriously Stop! Or I'll be forced to do something really bad.
-Peyton Manning
Dear Peyton Manning,
Sorry, I really wanted to relax during the second half and imagine what the night had in store for me and my smoking hot, gf (she's a supermodel you know) but that damn perennial backup had to turn the ball over. Not to mention my coach wants to stick it to the world, while I'm sticking it to Giselle.
-Tom Brady
Well off to my usual monday night activity of sitcoms and dinner with Adriana Lima....
Keep it Artificial,
DG1
Quick Hits and Horse Collars
Quick Hits:
The Red Sox, combined with poor coaching on the base paths by Cleveland, looked great last night in a rout to advance to the World Series. Somewhere Manny is still walking around with his arms in the air and David Ortiz is sporting that red cut-off with swimming goggles. Just in case anyone else has a bottle of champagne that they're ready to uncork.
It was rather unprofessional of Ortiz to be in the Red Sox dugout in the top of the 9th with no jersey on and those goggles on his face. I understand that they were up by a significant amount of runs, but Boston knows better than anyone that it isn't over until it's over. You had all night to celebrate the win. At least wait until the last out is recorded. He should have been at 1rst anyways as I hate the DH and think that it ruins the AL. Have your pitcher bat and run the bases and then see how difficult it is for them to throw a complete game.
Hank and Hal Steinbrenner are on a collision course to ruining one of the best franchises in sports. If you thought King George was a lunatic, then you'll love Uday and Qusay Steinbrenner. Not only did you insult one of the greatest managers in your team's history with a one year contract, but you then completely embarrass yourself by trying to sling mud at the guy. Please, George did not make the Yankees a World Series machine in the late 90s, Torre did. That team was not bought it was manufactured. Take a look at the rosters and you won't find more bought players than homegrown ones. Only lately have those teams been assembled with ridiculous amounts of money and if you've been paying attention they haven't exactly won the World Series during any of those years. So good luck Yanks. For some reason I'm getting the image of a toppling statue being dragged through the streets by livid Yankee fans. Maybe it's just me...
If I hear one more person cry about the BCS standings I'm going to kill them. Win your games and the rest will take care of itself. If you're a good enough team then you'll be fine. Additionally, stop complaining about the schedules of other teams. Tell me that when USC and ND signed the deal for the two to play a couple of years ago they knew that ND was going to be a basement team. Things change. Luck has a lot to do with things. Stop losing to unranked teams if you want to be on top.
The Bills won yesterday so please stop over analyzing it. Yes, we are two last second field goals away from being 4-2. We know we're not a bad team. Who cares what everyone else says. These "experts" also picked Miami to go to the Super Bowl last year and for the Jets, Bengals, and Rams to all be playoff contenders this year. They're wrong, a lot.
The New England Patriots continue to sicken the world week after week. We get it, you're the best team in the NFL. However, suspensions, fines, and cheating all diminish that quite a bit. Combined with saying that you were worried about losing the game when you were up 42-21 in the 4th quarter, so you put back in Tom Brady to throw a 6th touchdown to make it 49-21 doesn't charm any of us. We know that you're on a mission to dispel rumors that your Super Bowl years were nothing but cheating, but running up the score doesn't really impress any of us. You were playing the Dolphins. Go back to bumming around in your tattered hoody like a 70s protester so that you can "stick it to the man." It's ok, we all realize that you're way smarter than us and we'll never understand you.
Glad to see that Willis McGahee (pronounced "Mc-GAY-hee") didn't get the satisfaction of beating his old team. Sorry to disappoint all of your illegitimate children here in WNY, but the first half of yesterday's game was exactly why we traded your sorry ass.
Alright, I'm off to head to my weekly guy's night with Michael Vick, Barry Bonds, Tim Donaghy, and Pacman Jones. We bring our dogs, syringes, and dollar bills and listen to Donaghy predict NBA games for the week. Remarkably he never gets the ones wrong that he officiates that day. We all figure that he just studies them really well. I wonder why he gets all those calls and texts from Pete Rose...
Long live sports,
DG2
The Red Sox, combined with poor coaching on the base paths by Cleveland, looked great last night in a rout to advance to the World Series. Somewhere Manny is still walking around with his arms in the air and David Ortiz is sporting that red cut-off with swimming goggles. Just in case anyone else has a bottle of champagne that they're ready to uncork.
It was rather unprofessional of Ortiz to be in the Red Sox dugout in the top of the 9th with no jersey on and those goggles on his face. I understand that they were up by a significant amount of runs, but Boston knows better than anyone that it isn't over until it's over. You had all night to celebrate the win. At least wait until the last out is recorded. He should have been at 1rst anyways as I hate the DH and think that it ruins the AL. Have your pitcher bat and run the bases and then see how difficult it is for them to throw a complete game.
Hank and Hal Steinbrenner are on a collision course to ruining one of the best franchises in sports. If you thought King George was a lunatic, then you'll love Uday and Qusay Steinbrenner. Not only did you insult one of the greatest managers in your team's history with a one year contract, but you then completely embarrass yourself by trying to sling mud at the guy. Please, George did not make the Yankees a World Series machine in the late 90s, Torre did. That team was not bought it was manufactured. Take a look at the rosters and you won't find more bought players than homegrown ones. Only lately have those teams been assembled with ridiculous amounts of money and if you've been paying attention they haven't exactly won the World Series during any of those years. So good luck Yanks. For some reason I'm getting the image of a toppling statue being dragged through the streets by livid Yankee fans. Maybe it's just me...
If I hear one more person cry about the BCS standings I'm going to kill them. Win your games and the rest will take care of itself. If you're a good enough team then you'll be fine. Additionally, stop complaining about the schedules of other teams. Tell me that when USC and ND signed the deal for the two to play a couple of years ago they knew that ND was going to be a basement team. Things change. Luck has a lot to do with things. Stop losing to unranked teams if you want to be on top.
The Bills won yesterday so please stop over analyzing it. Yes, we are two last second field goals away from being 4-2. We know we're not a bad team. Who cares what everyone else says. These "experts" also picked Miami to go to the Super Bowl last year and for the Jets, Bengals, and Rams to all be playoff contenders this year. They're wrong, a lot.
The New England Patriots continue to sicken the world week after week. We get it, you're the best team in the NFL. However, suspensions, fines, and cheating all diminish that quite a bit. Combined with saying that you were worried about losing the game when you were up 42-21 in the 4th quarter, so you put back in Tom Brady to throw a 6th touchdown to make it 49-21 doesn't charm any of us. We know that you're on a mission to dispel rumors that your Super Bowl years were nothing but cheating, but running up the score doesn't really impress any of us. You were playing the Dolphins. Go back to bumming around in your tattered hoody like a 70s protester so that you can "stick it to the man." It's ok, we all realize that you're way smarter than us and we'll never understand you.
Glad to see that Willis McGahee (pronounced "Mc-GAY-hee") didn't get the satisfaction of beating his old team. Sorry to disappoint all of your illegitimate children here in WNY, but the first half of yesterday's game was exactly why we traded your sorry ass.
Alright, I'm off to head to my weekly guy's night with Michael Vick, Barry Bonds, Tim Donaghy, and Pacman Jones. We bring our dogs, syringes, and dollar bills and listen to Donaghy predict NBA games for the week. Remarkably he never gets the ones wrong that he officiates that day. We all figure that he just studies them really well. I wonder why he gets all those calls and texts from Pete Rose...
Long live sports,
DG2
Friday, October 19, 2007
The Fog Clears
I called last night's came earlier in the week. I'm not going to blab on and on about how I knew Rutgers would win or how about I thought that they were the better team. Honestly, I'm not so sure that they are better than USF. They were better last night and I guess that's all that matters. Special teams? Oh those tricky tricky men from Jersey.
As far as Cleveland goes, I was pulling for you 110% up until last night. Now I'm somewhere between 85-90%. Calling Beckett's ex-girlfriend and having her sing "God Bless America" on a day you knew he was going to start. Please, this isn't some lame ass reality TV show, this is sports. Save the drama and your stupid head games. He is one of (if not the best) current post season pitcher. You have two more shots at winning one game. Go back to basics like you did in the regular season and you'll be just fine.
As far as Manny goes, who cares? Nobody is up in arms over Kenny Lofton's bat flip after what he thought was Ball 4 and there is a history with him and Beckett. Manny doesn't hate on certain pitchers, he's an equal opportunity hater.
Nobody impresses me more in baseball than Rockies' skipper Clint Hurdle. Class Class Class. The man is nothing short of awesome. If you were lucky enough to catch his interview with Jim Rome today (radio version) then you know what I'm talking about. If not, then I suggest you head over to his web-site and listen to the podcast. The man gives you chills.
Some letters delivered to the wrong desk:
Dear Ralph,
We get it already. You love sticking it to "the man." I'm not like Paul, Bud, or David. I get things done and I'm decisive in my actions. The people of Buffalo are going to hang you.
Love Always,
Roger
Dear George,
Have fun replacing me. Let me know what it's like to not make the playoffs.
--Joe
Dear NCAA Division I teams,
Thank you for melting down first so that we can enjoy some time at #1. Even though that usually means a quick exit to a lesser talented team.
--Buckeye Nation
Long Live Sports,
DG2
As far as Cleveland goes, I was pulling for you 110% up until last night. Now I'm somewhere between 85-90%. Calling Beckett's ex-girlfriend and having her sing "God Bless America" on a day you knew he was going to start. Please, this isn't some lame ass reality TV show, this is sports. Save the drama and your stupid head games. He is one of (if not the best) current post season pitcher. You have two more shots at winning one game. Go back to basics like you did in the regular season and you'll be just fine.
As far as Manny goes, who cares? Nobody is up in arms over Kenny Lofton's bat flip after what he thought was Ball 4 and there is a history with him and Beckett. Manny doesn't hate on certain pitchers, he's an equal opportunity hater.
Nobody impresses me more in baseball than Rockies' skipper Clint Hurdle. Class Class Class. The man is nothing short of awesome. If you were lucky enough to catch his interview with Jim Rome today (radio version) then you know what I'm talking about. If not, then I suggest you head over to his web-site and listen to the podcast. The man gives you chills.
Some letters delivered to the wrong desk:
Dear Ralph,
We get it already. You love sticking it to "the man." I'm not like Paul, Bud, or David. I get things done and I'm decisive in my actions. The people of Buffalo are going to hang you.
Love Always,
Roger
Dear George,
Have fun replacing me. Let me know what it's like to not make the playoffs.
--Joe
Dear NCAA Division I teams,
Thank you for melting down first so that we can enjoy some time at #1. Even though that usually means a quick exit to a lesser talented team.
--Buckeye Nation
Long Live Sports,
DG2
Friday Morning Fog
Wanted: Cinderella?
Well last night the slipper fell off the foot of the USF Bulls amisdt a strong outing by Ray Rice (41 Carries 187 Yds) and a string of mistakes by USF. Grothe looked incredible at many points during the game but wilted in many key situations and tried to do too much or wait too long to make a decision. The sack on 1st and 10 from the 50 for a loss of 12 with 1 minute left was unacceptable. The resulting spike leaves you with a lost down and a 3 and 22 without running a positive play when you are driving the ball. That is the dumbest thing I've seen in, well a week. Since Cal's back-up QB scrambled for 8 yds on 1st and 10 from the Oregon St 15 down three with no timeouts and 17 seconds left to lose the game instead of throwing it away. Yesterday's win (I won't call it an upset because let's face it, USF has been ranked all of 4 weeks in their history and Rutgers is streaky and inconsistent) has all but assured one thing, The National Championship game will include one or more teams with one or two loses. There is no other way to have a game. IF for some reason BC runs the table in a decent ACC does anyone really want to watch a Boston College v Ohio St National Title Game. Well besides Doug Flutie and Kirk Herbstreit. The only way to have an enjoyable, exciting National Title Game is if it includes an LSU, South Carolina, Oklahoma or USC. NCAA needs a playoff. Complain about missed time and all that, but let's face it, if your team is good enough to make the playoff, your kids aren't going to class anyways, unless of course you are Boston College.
LET THEM PLAY!!!
Not using this as an excuse but the 3rd and 22 at the end of the game was not Offensive Pass interference. Sure people (including DG2) are going to say you're just making excuses but think about it. The rule is, Offensive pass interference occurs when the offensive player(s) uses blatant contact to gain an advantage. In the game of football offensive pass interference is generally called when the receiver extends their arms to gain separation. The ball was a perfectly thrown Fade Stop (Go past the sticks, if the DB is running with u stop, ball will be to your back shoulder) and the receiver did not extend his arms. His arms were on the DBs back but there was no push. It was an situation where the refs are assuming that on a 22yd conversion attempt there is going to be a penalty, either a DB holding or a push off, so that when any contact occurrs, no matter how small, they throw a flag. These are 18-22 yr old kids playing a sport they love and you're gonna take the game into your hands. Same with the personal foul calls that were iffy at best resulting in a different complex of the game. Go back to my post from April about the NCAA tourny. I'm not saying the refs cost USF the game, they did that to themselves, but honestly Stripes? Let the kids have fun.
RAINBOW WARRIORS
Hawaii remains undefeated and is one of the remaining undefeated teams in the country (OSU, BC, Hawaii, ASU) begging the question, can they sneak into a BCS game like Boise St did last season. Looking down the line it is fair to assume that Boston College will be bitten by the (upset) bug. Arizona State still has to play Cal, USC and Oregon and I am going to assure you now, Ohio State will lose at least one game this season. As a result those teams can be expected to fall in the BCS. USF can run the table if they get past Louisville and UCONN in november on the road (thank global warming) and if Colt Brennan can limit his picks (9 in last two games, 1 in the 5 before.) Hawaii can sneak into the top 8 of the BCS rankings and bid for a major bowl off the Island for the first time in school history.
SO LONG JOE
Yesterday ESPN pulled the biggest (expletive) tease in the history of sports. They set up the contract offer like it had been accepted for 15 minutes and then told the nation Joe Torre had rejected the Yankees offer. I'm not gonna blab on about this, but it was a good choice for Joe. He has been disrespected by The Emperor for the last 5 years and deserves better. I feel that the only way to keep the team intact is to hire someone the older players respect half as much as Joe, and that in my opinion is another person named Joe. I feel Girardi has the respect of Jeter, Rivera and Posada. He could handle the team and was a leader on that team in the mid-90s when all of those three were coming up. He is a proven leader and coach. Donny Baseball is a NY legend and has been on Torre's staff with the same respect as Girardi. However there is one major difference between the two....EXPERIENCE. Girardi has a manager of the year trophy with a young team and a terrible staff (minus D-Train during April-June). Plus the players don't have to adjust from ok Joe to ok Donny.
Lost Letters/Questions of the Day
Dear Cleveland,
Aren't you glad this isn't softball?
- Josh Beckett
Wouldn't it be great if Manny hit a ball and "pimped" it only to watch it get snagged above the wall by Sizemore or Guitteirez?
Has anyone been worked harder since the 1920s than Ray Rice was last night?
College Upset Bug
Ohio St v. Michigan St - only slight because of it being at OSU
LSU v. Auburn - same reason, home field edge for LSU
USC at ND - nobody has ever had a six game win streak against ND. Sharpley can be dangerous with time and don't forget the long grass in Southbend to slow USC who might be without Two-Name Booty)
Cinci at Pitt - Pitt's O put up 42 in a loss to Navy. If they get a defense Cinci could be caught looking ahead to USF
Well last night the slipper fell off the foot of the USF Bulls amisdt a strong outing by Ray Rice (41 Carries 187 Yds) and a string of mistakes by USF. Grothe looked incredible at many points during the game but wilted in many key situations and tried to do too much or wait too long to make a decision. The sack on 1st and 10 from the 50 for a loss of 12 with 1 minute left was unacceptable. The resulting spike leaves you with a lost down and a 3 and 22 without running a positive play when you are driving the ball. That is the dumbest thing I've seen in, well a week. Since Cal's back-up QB scrambled for 8 yds on 1st and 10 from the Oregon St 15 down three with no timeouts and 17 seconds left to lose the game instead of throwing it away. Yesterday's win (I won't call it an upset because let's face it, USF has been ranked all of 4 weeks in their history and Rutgers is streaky and inconsistent) has all but assured one thing, The National Championship game will include one or more teams with one or two loses. There is no other way to have a game. IF for some reason BC runs the table in a decent ACC does anyone really want to watch a Boston College v Ohio St National Title Game. Well besides Doug Flutie and Kirk Herbstreit. The only way to have an enjoyable, exciting National Title Game is if it includes an LSU, South Carolina, Oklahoma or USC. NCAA needs a playoff. Complain about missed time and all that, but let's face it, if your team is good enough to make the playoff, your kids aren't going to class anyways, unless of course you are Boston College.
LET THEM PLAY!!!
Not using this as an excuse but the 3rd and 22 at the end of the game was not Offensive Pass interference. Sure people (including DG2) are going to say you're just making excuses but think about it. The rule is, Offensive pass interference occurs when the offensive player(s) uses blatant contact to gain an advantage. In the game of football offensive pass interference is generally called when the receiver extends their arms to gain separation. The ball was a perfectly thrown Fade Stop (Go past the sticks, if the DB is running with u stop, ball will be to your back shoulder) and the receiver did not extend his arms. His arms were on the DBs back but there was no push. It was an situation where the refs are assuming that on a 22yd conversion attempt there is going to be a penalty, either a DB holding or a push off, so that when any contact occurrs, no matter how small, they throw a flag. These are 18-22 yr old kids playing a sport they love and you're gonna take the game into your hands. Same with the personal foul calls that were iffy at best resulting in a different complex of the game. Go back to my post from April about the NCAA tourny. I'm not saying the refs cost USF the game, they did that to themselves, but honestly Stripes? Let the kids have fun.
RAINBOW WARRIORS
Hawaii remains undefeated and is one of the remaining undefeated teams in the country (OSU, BC, Hawaii, ASU) begging the question, can they sneak into a BCS game like Boise St did last season. Looking down the line it is fair to assume that Boston College will be bitten by the (upset) bug. Arizona State still has to play Cal, USC and Oregon and I am going to assure you now, Ohio State will lose at least one game this season. As a result those teams can be expected to fall in the BCS. USF can run the table if they get past Louisville and UCONN in november on the road (thank global warming) and if Colt Brennan can limit his picks (9 in last two games, 1 in the 5 before.) Hawaii can sneak into the top 8 of the BCS rankings and bid for a major bowl off the Island for the first time in school history.
SO LONG JOE
Yesterday ESPN pulled the biggest (expletive) tease in the history of sports. They set up the contract offer like it had been accepted for 15 minutes and then told the nation Joe Torre had rejected the Yankees offer. I'm not gonna blab on about this, but it was a good choice for Joe. He has been disrespected by The Emperor for the last 5 years and deserves better. I feel that the only way to keep the team intact is to hire someone the older players respect half as much as Joe, and that in my opinion is another person named Joe. I feel Girardi has the respect of Jeter, Rivera and Posada. He could handle the team and was a leader on that team in the mid-90s when all of those three were coming up. He is a proven leader and coach. Donny Baseball is a NY legend and has been on Torre's staff with the same respect as Girardi. However there is one major difference between the two....EXPERIENCE. Girardi has a manager of the year trophy with a young team and a terrible staff (minus D-Train during April-June). Plus the players don't have to adjust from ok Joe to ok Donny.
Lost Letters/Questions of the Day
Dear Cleveland,
Aren't you glad this isn't softball?
- Josh Beckett
Wouldn't it be great if Manny hit a ball and "pimped" it only to watch it get snagged above the wall by Sizemore or Guitteirez?
Has anyone been worked harder since the 1920s than Ray Rice was last night?
College Upset Bug
Ohio St v. Michigan St - only slight because of it being at OSU
LSU v. Auburn - same reason, home field edge for LSU
USC at ND - nobody has ever had a six game win streak against ND. Sharpley can be dangerous with time and don't forget the long grass in Southbend to slow USC who might be without Two-Name Booty)
Cinci at Pitt - Pitt's O put up 42 in a loss to Navy. If they get a defense Cinci could be caught looking ahead to USF
Live Well,
DG1
Monday, October 15, 2007
The Triumphant Return/ Monday Mix-Up
Hello faithful reader... er I mean readers. Yeah, that's it, readers (all 3 of you)! After a long, well deserved vacation I return during the peak time of the sports year to fill your heads with opinions and thoughts from my swollen brain and destroyed Ego.
Let's Start from the beginning,
Last Monday I was exposed to quite possibly the worst 30 seconds of my life as a sports fan. After a weekend of watching my Yankees give a young, inexperienced team loads of confidence in Game one of the ALDS and having flashbacks of the previous two seasons I went into Monday with my only thoughts being how excited I was to get drunk and watch MNF. I won't lie and tell you I thought my beloved Bills had a shot, no, i'm a realist. I went in thinking I am gonna get so hammered and just enjoy the atmosphere. Then, 3 minutes in we take the lead and begin defensive domination of a highly overrated NFL team in a piss poor conference. Then it began to fall apart and at around 12:15 est I was informed that my Yankees had succumb to the Indians. not even a minute later Nick Folk's second field goal from 53 yds split the uprights and I sank into my seat until I was informed I had to leave the stadium by security. That is the most I will ever speak of this game. Also, I'm not gonna waste my breath on the QB situation. I'm going to enjoy my bye week.
Big Choke Season Rankings
Just a few thoughts on the first BCS rankings of the season and the thoughts floating around the internet.
1. Ohio State - I used to be a big OSU fan, that was during there upset over miami and the andy katzenmoyer days (aka. my youthful ignorance). however, i will discuss their deserving the number 1 spot. Ohio State has played 7 games. 2 of those seven were against teams in Non-BCS conferences ranked in the bottom 20 and a 1-AA school. That's almost 50% of their schedule against poor competition, some of which were close games. The other games were against a young, but up and coming Washington team and two mediocre big 10 teams. I know i'm from the north and shouldn't hate on the big ten but honestly, the SEC is the dominant conference in football. Bitch and complain about having no undefeated team, but when you play South Carolina, LSU, and Florida in back to back to back weeks then you talk trash. That's one hell of a stretch. With a conference that large, teams are forced to play more conference games than anyone in the big ten and have less opportunities to schedule powder puff teams. I've heard everyone talk about how Kentucky sucks and all this, but think about it reasonably, they were once considered the worse team in the SEC West and now are in the Top of the class with other big name SEC Teams. That is an incredible feat and shows the depth of the conference and all of the bandwagon Big Ten fans should choke on their greasy food. As a result, OSU has benefited. Give the AD credit, he realized he had a young QB and a Young team and scheduled a softer non-conference schedule. Gone are the days of OSU v. Texas in week two, and what a smart decision that is. I give credit where credit is due and scheduling those games during two years of a team that was peaking was brilliant and realizing your young team needed warm-up games to build confidence and subsequently scheduling Akron, Kent St, and Youngstown state was a good choice. Now with all the premier teams weeding each other out due to insanely difficult schedules along with the help of a brave bunch of 4.0 students at Stanford, OSU is sitting pretty. The only question is for how long.
2. University of Southern Florida -
What is there not to love about this team. I mean say what you will, and I know DG2 is not a big believer in how things are (He's an OSU fan), but I am in love with this team from Tampa Florida. I may be biased since one of my best friends goes to USF along with two of my cousins being alumni. Or perhaps it's because of the week i spent down their last new years eve surrounded by booze and hot cheerleaders at a USF thumping of Wake Forest in Hoops. But either way I have been telling everyone this year all along that USF was gonna do big things. I stated at the beginning of the season that of the Big 3 in the Big East (Rutgers, WVU, Louisville) USF would take down 2 of them. Well 7 weeks in and they've toppled one, a #5 ranked WVU, whom they dominated. Throw in a Upset of then #12 Auburn, who went on to beat #3 Florida along with other wins by an average of 20 pts in a BCS conference and you have the makings of a solid cinderella story. Again as a realist I won't sugar coat it, yes i had big expectations but even yesterday I was saying #2 in the AP was awesome, the benefit of being cinderella but didn't think a BCS #2 would happen. When it did i called my buddy right away and confirmed my seat firmly on the bandwagon by purchasing a USF #8 Jersey. Then I purchased tickets to the USF game up in Cuse. But not to get ahead of my self, but with a win Thursday in NJ against a solid Rutgers team, USF can make a statement. Then with the rest of the season filled with solid competition from an upstart Big East along with weaker schedules in the Big Ten and the heat of it all in the SEC and Pac-10 USF could solidify a spot down the stretch and perhaps an unheard of run at the Nat'l Championship and a weeks vacation in Arizona for me and that friend. Now that's a cinderella story!
Lost Letters I stumbled across
Dear Lawrence Maroney,
Hope all is well and that you are healing up nicely in New England. Watching is not the same without you on the field producing. I hope you get well very soon and look forward to seeing you on the field again getting lots of touches.
Sincerely,
Peyton Manning (and my touchdown Record)
Dear Mike Martz,
Hey, long time no talk. How's things going? Things here are just ok, I'm having a tough time living up to all the expectations that I have. This offensive coordinator thing is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I miss you, hope to hear from you soon and maybe if things don't work out there in Detroit you can come move to Buffalo with me and help me out at work.
Love always,
Steve Fairchild
ps. Thanks for making me look so good in St. Louis
Dear AD (all day)
Nice work up there in Chicago the other day. But remember, anything you can do I can do better.
Sincerely,
LT
Dear Eli Manning,
Please throw for 400 yds and 5 touchdowns spread out like this.
Ward - 100 and 1 Touchdowns (plus 100 on the ground and 1 TD)
Burress - 200 and 2 TDs
Shockey - 100 and 0 TD
Amani Tommer - 0 and 0
Sincerely,
DG1's fantasy team
(down 70 pts with manning and ward and the giants D vs. Amani Toomer)
alright, that is all for the monday morning mix-up here from my 40h/wk job.
Till Next Time,
DG1
Let's Start from the beginning,
Last Monday I was exposed to quite possibly the worst 30 seconds of my life as a sports fan. After a weekend of watching my Yankees give a young, inexperienced team loads of confidence in Game one of the ALDS and having flashbacks of the previous two seasons I went into Monday with my only thoughts being how excited I was to get drunk and watch MNF. I won't lie and tell you I thought my beloved Bills had a shot, no, i'm a realist. I went in thinking I am gonna get so hammered and just enjoy the atmosphere. Then, 3 minutes in we take the lead and begin defensive domination of a highly overrated NFL team in a piss poor conference. Then it began to fall apart and at around 12:15 est I was informed that my Yankees had succumb to the Indians. not even a minute later Nick Folk's second field goal from 53 yds split the uprights and I sank into my seat until I was informed I had to leave the stadium by security. That is the most I will ever speak of this game. Also, I'm not gonna waste my breath on the QB situation. I'm going to enjoy my bye week.
Big Choke Season Rankings
Just a few thoughts on the first BCS rankings of the season and the thoughts floating around the internet.
1. Ohio State - I used to be a big OSU fan, that was during there upset over miami and the andy katzenmoyer days (aka. my youthful ignorance). however, i will discuss their deserving the number 1 spot. Ohio State has played 7 games. 2 of those seven were against teams in Non-BCS conferences ranked in the bottom 20 and a 1-AA school. That's almost 50% of their schedule against poor competition, some of which were close games. The other games were against a young, but up and coming Washington team and two mediocre big 10 teams. I know i'm from the north and shouldn't hate on the big ten but honestly, the SEC is the dominant conference in football. Bitch and complain about having no undefeated team, but when you play South Carolina, LSU, and Florida in back to back to back weeks then you talk trash. That's one hell of a stretch. With a conference that large, teams are forced to play more conference games than anyone in the big ten and have less opportunities to schedule powder puff teams. I've heard everyone talk about how Kentucky sucks and all this, but think about it reasonably, they were once considered the worse team in the SEC West and now are in the Top of the class with other big name SEC Teams. That is an incredible feat and shows the depth of the conference and all of the bandwagon Big Ten fans should choke on their greasy food. As a result, OSU has benefited. Give the AD credit, he realized he had a young QB and a Young team and scheduled a softer non-conference schedule. Gone are the days of OSU v. Texas in week two, and what a smart decision that is. I give credit where credit is due and scheduling those games during two years of a team that was peaking was brilliant and realizing your young team needed warm-up games to build confidence and subsequently scheduling Akron, Kent St, and Youngstown state was a good choice. Now with all the premier teams weeding each other out due to insanely difficult schedules along with the help of a brave bunch of 4.0 students at Stanford, OSU is sitting pretty. The only question is for how long.
2. University of Southern Florida -
What is there not to love about this team. I mean say what you will, and I know DG2 is not a big believer in how things are (He's an OSU fan), but I am in love with this team from Tampa Florida. I may be biased since one of my best friends goes to USF along with two of my cousins being alumni. Or perhaps it's because of the week i spent down their last new years eve surrounded by booze and hot cheerleaders at a USF thumping of Wake Forest in Hoops. But either way I have been telling everyone this year all along that USF was gonna do big things. I stated at the beginning of the season that of the Big 3 in the Big East (Rutgers, WVU, Louisville) USF would take down 2 of them. Well 7 weeks in and they've toppled one, a #5 ranked WVU, whom they dominated. Throw in a Upset of then #12 Auburn, who went on to beat #3 Florida along with other wins by an average of 20 pts in a BCS conference and you have the makings of a solid cinderella story. Again as a realist I won't sugar coat it, yes i had big expectations but even yesterday I was saying #2 in the AP was awesome, the benefit of being cinderella but didn't think a BCS #2 would happen. When it did i called my buddy right away and confirmed my seat firmly on the bandwagon by purchasing a USF #8 Jersey. Then I purchased tickets to the USF game up in Cuse. But not to get ahead of my self, but with a win Thursday in NJ against a solid Rutgers team, USF can make a statement. Then with the rest of the season filled with solid competition from an upstart Big East along with weaker schedules in the Big Ten and the heat of it all in the SEC and Pac-10 USF could solidify a spot down the stretch and perhaps an unheard of run at the Nat'l Championship and a weeks vacation in Arizona for me and that friend. Now that's a cinderella story!
Lost Letters I stumbled across
Dear Lawrence Maroney,
Hope all is well and that you are healing up nicely in New England. Watching is not the same without you on the field producing. I hope you get well very soon and look forward to seeing you on the field again getting lots of touches.
Sincerely,
Peyton Manning (and my touchdown Record)
Dear Mike Martz,
Hey, long time no talk. How's things going? Things here are just ok, I'm having a tough time living up to all the expectations that I have. This offensive coordinator thing is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I miss you, hope to hear from you soon and maybe if things don't work out there in Detroit you can come move to Buffalo with me and help me out at work.
Love always,
Steve Fairchild
ps. Thanks for making me look so good in St. Louis
Dear AD (all day)
Nice work up there in Chicago the other day. But remember, anything you can do I can do better.
Sincerely,
LT
Dear Eli Manning,
Please throw for 400 yds and 5 touchdowns spread out like this.
Ward - 100 and 1 Touchdowns (plus 100 on the ground and 1 TD)
Burress - 200 and 2 TDs
Shockey - 100 and 0 TD
Amani Tommer - 0 and 0
Sincerely,
DG1's fantasy team
(down 70 pts with manning and ward and the giants D vs. Amani Toomer)
alright, that is all for the monday morning mix-up here from my 40h/wk job.
Till Next Time,
DG1
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Roid Rage...Seeing Green...Smoking Polls...Burning Bronx
It's been a long time coming considering that there have been no posts in the last 5 months, so I figured that I would sit down and really take a crack at speaking my mind. There have been a few things that have gone on just this past weekend that is enough fuel for the fire.
Marion Jones joined the ever growing list of athletes finally admitting to the use of steroids. The steroid horse continues to be beaten to death and we have no reason to believe that it will stop any time soon.
Trent Green suffered yet another concussion this past Sunday when he attempted to throw a block during a terrible reverse. Green was doing his job (despite the feelings of most) when he went low to block Houston Texans lineman Travis Johnson. The play was legal and it's understandable that anyone would be touchy about someone coming after their knees, but it was not as though Green was blindsiding Johnson. What other option did Green have? He had no other way of stopping/containing Johnson than going low to knock him down. Johnson was completely out of line for taunting a motionless Green after the play was over, but surprisingly I'm willing to look past that because I know how emotions run high during a game. HOWEVER, there is no excuse for going to the media after the game and stating that he deserved the concussion for going after Johnson's knees. Note to Johnson: You weren't hurt, he was. Shut your mouth and move on. You play a violent game where every snap could be your last. If you don't want the risk, then go play golf.
Last night seemed oddly familiar to Chicago vs. Arizona from last year at this time. Arizona was poised to shock the world with an upset of the suddenly surging Chicago Bears, but fell short in the end which led to the now infamous rant by then head coach Dennis Green. Buffalo was looking to knock off the recent Super Bowl favorite Dallas Cowboys, but came either 1 yard, 1 bad call, or 1 botched onside kick away from doing so. There is not much to say about last night other than the fact that if Tony Romo continues to play as he did last night, then the Cowboys will end up with the same fate as Chicago did one year ago. T.O did not help matters with his more than poor performance complete with several dropped passes.
Stop putting so much stock into the NCAA Football Rankings. They will not mean anything until at least November, so stop jumping off buildings arguing against them. Bottom line is: win your games, and the rest will take care of itself. Rankings do not mean anything. When USC dismantled Nebraska everyone thought it was a statement, but now nobody looks at it that way. Michigan was ranked high at one point, remember that? Then they lost to Appalachian St. and the following week was blown out by Oregon which was coming off of a ridiculous Bowl game blowout by USC in January. Rankings do not mean a thing until the the leaves are off the trees and the Halloween candy has been distributed. Stop crying about not being ranked higher, quite frankly you should be happy with the record you have because the way the NCAA season has been going you could be bounced by a sub .500 team at any point.
The New York Yankees made their exit in the 2007 MLB post-season last night to a very solid Cleveland Indians club. Say what you want about experience, but the 1-2 punch of Sabathia and Carmona will be something to watch for in the coming years. With that said the Yankees have a handful of questions to answer this off-season regarding the status of their team and here they are (with some commentary, of course):
Will Joe Torre be back? No, but that does not mean that I agree with the decision. I feel that he is one of the few managers available that can handle this club and the pressures associated with playing in New York. I think it is a desperate move following 7 years without a World Series championship. Let us not forget how they won the first 4 with him at the helm. Home grown talent that was not anything flashy, but did their job and played as a team.
Will Rivera be back? My initial thought is no just because I feel that at 38 years old he may be ready to move on and with the high demand for a dominant closer he may be inclined to test the waters. He still is the best closer in the game and would be an asset to any team.
Jason Giambi? I say get rid of him fast. I understand that he can still crush a ball (when he gets a piece), but his prime has passed and they need someone other than him to DH or play 1rst. There will be better options out there and the money you are paying him is outrageous for the production he brings.
Jorge Posada? May test the waters and probably should. There is no reason why the Yankees cannot let him test his value and then make an offer, but we all know how their brain trust works. Posada had a great year, can still hit, can still run, still has a cannon, and still manages a game better than any other catcher in the league. However, his ties with Torre may be strong enough to allow him to leave.
Alex Rodriguez? I really do not have a feeling either way. I think Scott Boras could get him an insane contract if he opts out, but then again if the Yankees resign him long term it could be just as ridiculous. I feel as though without the pressure of New York he could perform a little better (which is crazy to think about considering the past two seasons he had), but playing next to Jeter could be just what he needs. I think it would be best for him to stay with the Yankees, but the almighty dollar looms large and that could drive him away and possibly to the NL.
A lot to digest today and I'm promising a great one for tomorrow too.
Long live sports,
DG2
Marion Jones joined the ever growing list of athletes finally admitting to the use of steroids. The steroid horse continues to be beaten to death and we have no reason to believe that it will stop any time soon.
Trent Green suffered yet another concussion this past Sunday when he attempted to throw a block during a terrible reverse. Green was doing his job (despite the feelings of most) when he went low to block Houston Texans lineman Travis Johnson. The play was legal and it's understandable that anyone would be touchy about someone coming after their knees, but it was not as though Green was blindsiding Johnson. What other option did Green have? He had no other way of stopping/containing Johnson than going low to knock him down. Johnson was completely out of line for taunting a motionless Green after the play was over, but surprisingly I'm willing to look past that because I know how emotions run high during a game. HOWEVER, there is no excuse for going to the media after the game and stating that he deserved the concussion for going after Johnson's knees. Note to Johnson: You weren't hurt, he was. Shut your mouth and move on. You play a violent game where every snap could be your last. If you don't want the risk, then go play golf.
Last night seemed oddly familiar to Chicago vs. Arizona from last year at this time. Arizona was poised to shock the world with an upset of the suddenly surging Chicago Bears, but fell short in the end which led to the now infamous rant by then head coach Dennis Green. Buffalo was looking to knock off the recent Super Bowl favorite Dallas Cowboys, but came either 1 yard, 1 bad call, or 1 botched onside kick away from doing so. There is not much to say about last night other than the fact that if Tony Romo continues to play as he did last night, then the Cowboys will end up with the same fate as Chicago did one year ago. T.O did not help matters with his more than poor performance complete with several dropped passes.
Stop putting so much stock into the NCAA Football Rankings. They will not mean anything until at least November, so stop jumping off buildings arguing against them. Bottom line is: win your games, and the rest will take care of itself. Rankings do not mean anything. When USC dismantled Nebraska everyone thought it was a statement, but now nobody looks at it that way. Michigan was ranked high at one point, remember that? Then they lost to Appalachian St. and the following week was blown out by Oregon which was coming off of a ridiculous Bowl game blowout by USC in January. Rankings do not mean a thing until the the leaves are off the trees and the Halloween candy has been distributed. Stop crying about not being ranked higher, quite frankly you should be happy with the record you have because the way the NCAA season has been going you could be bounced by a sub .500 team at any point.
The New York Yankees made their exit in the 2007 MLB post-season last night to a very solid Cleveland Indians club. Say what you want about experience, but the 1-2 punch of Sabathia and Carmona will be something to watch for in the coming years. With that said the Yankees have a handful of questions to answer this off-season regarding the status of their team and here they are (with some commentary, of course):
Will Joe Torre be back? No, but that does not mean that I agree with the decision. I feel that he is one of the few managers available that can handle this club and the pressures associated with playing in New York. I think it is a desperate move following 7 years without a World Series championship. Let us not forget how they won the first 4 with him at the helm. Home grown talent that was not anything flashy, but did their job and played as a team.
Will Rivera be back? My initial thought is no just because I feel that at 38 years old he may be ready to move on and with the high demand for a dominant closer he may be inclined to test the waters. He still is the best closer in the game and would be an asset to any team.
Jason Giambi? I say get rid of him fast. I understand that he can still crush a ball (when he gets a piece), but his prime has passed and they need someone other than him to DH or play 1rst. There will be better options out there and the money you are paying him is outrageous for the production he brings.
Jorge Posada? May test the waters and probably should. There is no reason why the Yankees cannot let him test his value and then make an offer, but we all know how their brain trust works. Posada had a great year, can still hit, can still run, still has a cannon, and still manages a game better than any other catcher in the league. However, his ties with Torre may be strong enough to allow him to leave.
Alex Rodriguez? I really do not have a feeling either way. I think Scott Boras could get him an insane contract if he opts out, but then again if the Yankees resign him long term it could be just as ridiculous. I feel as though without the pressure of New York he could perform a little better (which is crazy to think about considering the past two seasons he had), but playing next to Jeter could be just what he needs. I think it would be best for him to stay with the Yankees, but the almighty dollar looms large and that could drive him away and possibly to the NL.
A lot to digest today and I'm promising a great one for tomorrow too.
Long live sports,
DG2
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