Sports Page

NFL Predictions

2008-09-03T23:18:00.004-05:00

As the NFL season quickly approaches (regular season starts in roughly 18 hours), I find myself getting more and more excited. I already wrote my NFL preview, so we know who is going to win each division and all that fun stuff. These are the real issues, the real things to watch this season. And you might ask, why is there an odd number of predictions like 21? Because, I couldn't think of 50, and plus, this is my site, you can choose your own numbers on your site.

1. Aaron Rodgers will ease the minds of Green Bay fans after the "loss" of Brett Favre. The kid is a player, and he'll do just fine. He has done and said all the right things in Favre's shadow for the last four years. He never once said anything bad about Favre, but he let it be known that he thought the job should be his this season. And it should. He's waited patiently for the last four years, and now its his time to show everyone what he can do. Do I think he'll be the next Brett Favre? No. But all he's got to do is be Aaron Rodgers, and everything will follow. He's got plenty of weapons around him, and a good defense on the other side of the field, if he can limit the amount of bonehead turnovers he has this season, they'll be just fine.

2. Adrian Peterson will win the rushing title. Bold, I know. But when he's healthy, he's simply the best running back in football. He fell 133 yards short of the title (to LT) last year, and he only played 14 games (9 starts). He might not have the all around game that LT has, but it will come. He can run over, or out run, just about anybody in football. Trust me, defensive coordinators know about this kid, and they don't like it. The Vikings are going to have to run the ball a lot this year. Tavaris Jackson is sure to go through growing pains, again. I'm still not convinced he's their answer, and judging by how badly Minnesota was trying to get Favre, I don't think they're convinced either. There simply isn't a more dangerous runner in football right now, and if you didn't wise up to his act last year, you will this year.

3. AFC Rookie of the Year: Darren McFadden. Run DMC run. Thats what Oakland coaches will tell him to do all year, and that is just what he'll do. He's dynamic, he's electric, and he's just what the Raiders need. He's their type of person, and he plays their type of football. He probably won't gain 1800+ yards on the ground this year like he did last year when he tore up the SEC, but he'll get his touches. In three seasons with the Razorbacks, he had 785 rushing attempts, 46 receptions, and 22 passing attempts. All in all, he touched the rock 853 times, and had exactly 0 fumbles. For that reason, he's going to continue to get his touches, and he's going to continue to scorch opposing defenses.

4. Herm Edwards will be the first coach fired this season. He has this year, and next year remaining on his contract. He'd essentially be a lame duck next year if he were kept around after an unsuccessful campaign in 2008. And believe me, it will be unsuccessful. Larry Johnson is overrated, his average YPC (yards per carry) have gone down in each of the last three seasons. And who is their QB? Exactly. They have targets in Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez, but even they might not be enough to get that offense going. Herm Edwards seems like a great guy. He seems like someone you'd love to have in your corner, but he's not going to get it done in KC this year, and as a result, he'll be done.

5. The Patriots will flirt with perfection once again. Now hear me out. I didn't say they'd do it. As we all saw last year, not losing a game for an entire NFL season is pretty tough to do. A lot of things have to fall in your favor (see the Baltimore game last year). All I'm saying is that 14, or even 15 wins could, and should, be expected. They were 14-2 in the regular seasons of their back to back Super Bowl wins. And I say they win the Super Bowl this year, so why not 14-2 again? Or even 15-1? And I'm not the only one thinking this either. They're 16.5 point favorites against the Chiefs in Week 1. I know, its the Chiefs, and I just wrote that their coach would be fired, but honestly, 16.5 point favorites? In Week 1? Someone else is impressed besides me. They have two games on their schedule (@ IND, @ SD) where they might not be the Vegas favorites, but they probably will be. What it all boils down to is they're going to win a lot more games than they lose. And they're going to win a lot of games by a lot of points. Brady may not toss 50 TDs again, but they'll score, a lot. So be ready for an "I told you so," when the Patriots hoist the Lombardi trophy at Raymond James Stadium in February after 14 regular season wins.

6. MVP: Tom Brady. See above. Quarterbacks overall are pretty important to their team's success. It isn't very often when the starter gets hurt, and the second string guy makes you forget about the starter (see the Eagles last year, see the Patriots in 2001). Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the Colts would be fine without Manning, or the Cowboys would be fine without Romo. But Tom Brady is the most indispensable player in the NFL right now. He has started every game for the Patriots since Drew Bledsoe got hurt. Last sesaon, everyone saw what he could do with go-to wide outs (68.9 comp %, 5o TDs, 4,806 yards, the list goes on). This year, everyone will feel his wrath again. Some haters will also say that he was only that good last year because of Moss. To them, I say this: he has never completed less than 60% of his passes in any season, regardless of who his targets were. Peyton Manning has completed less than 60% in a full NFL season before, and it is a feat that the legendary Brett Favre has accomplished FIVE times. He has never thrown more INTs than TDs in a full season (Manning one time, Favre three times). And speaking of interceptions, the most he's ever thrown in a season is 14 ('02, '04, '05). Manning? 28 in '98, 15 in '99, 15 in '00, 23 in '01, 19 in '02, and 14 last season. And Farve has done it so many times I won't even list them for you, but lets just overview and say that he's thrown 14 or more interceptions 13 different times. With as many as 29 in '05, and back to back 23 INT seasons in '98 and '99. Oh right, and he's also thrown at least 15 INTs for the last 11 straight seasons.

7. NFL Offensive Player of the Year: Tom Brady. See above.

8. NFC Rookie of the Year: Chris Long. This will come down to long, or Jonathan Stewart (CAR). I'm giving long the edge because he has the change to make an immediate impact. He will be playing on what is already a pretty decent defensive line (La'Roi Glover, Leonard Little and Adam Carriker). But the biggest key is that he will be playing. Right now, Stewart is playing behind the incumbent DeAngelo Williams. Also not in Stewart's favor, the Panthers haven't had a 1,000 yard rusher since Stephen Davis rushed for 1,444 yards in 2003 (no Panther has even rushed for 900 yards since then).

9. Anquan Boldin will have more TDs than Larry Fitzgerald. I'm predicting Boldin will shut up, and play football. If he does that, he is one of the most dangerous receivers in the league. He has so much intensity running after the catch, its what he lives for, he just wants to punish other teams. And when he does that, he's a man to be feared. For his sake, hopefully Kurt Warner plays all season, and he can play himself into a monster contract next year. Who knows, if Boldin would just play, maybe he'll even have more yards than Fitzgerald too. That would be scary for opposing teams.

10. Reggie Bush will rush for over 100 yards in a single game. It will happen. I'm telling you right now. He can do it. He has to do it. I don't know why, I just have this feeling in my gut that he's going to get over the hump this year. I don't think he'll be a stud running back, but he's going to prove some nay-sayers wrong. I also believe the addition of Shockey will help the offense immensely.

11. Best off season addition: Jeremy Shockey. Speaking of Shockey. He seems to be happy now. Which should make opposing defenses unhappy. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. He wants to hurt defenders when he has the football. Its almost like he wished he was a safety, lining guys up over the middle, but he just had too much offensive talent to ignore.

12. Brady Quinn will not start a game this season. I don't get why this is even a topic of discussion. Derek Anderson is the guy. He gave the Browns a legit shot at the playoffs, and should give them a shot again this year. He protected the ball relatively well in his first season as a starter (started all but Week 1). His nineteen interceptions were not a highlight, but that number should go down. He also only lost 2 fumbles all season. Its almost like people want the poor guy to fail, and I don't get it. He's set up for success. He's got a highly touted young QB behind him to keep him sharp, plus he's going to be throwing to Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow again.

13. Kellen Winslow will become the premiere TE in the NFL. Gonzalez will still have his catches. Clark will still get his TDs from Manning, Gates will as well, and Whitten should help the Cowboys score in bunches, but it will all be about Kellen Winslow in the end. He's 6'4", 250 lbs, 25 years old, and healthy. He is a physical specimen. He creates a mismatch almost anywhere on the field. Linebackers aren't fast enough for him, and DBs aren't strong enough to bring him down every time. Expect him to improve on just about every statistic from last year (82 receptions, 1,106 yards and 5 TDs).

14. Worst off season addition: Brett Favre. Brett Farve is overrated. There, I said it. He is not the greatest quarterback of all time. He was very good, great, amazing, or any other adjective you'd like to use to describe him for a long period of time. He's still overrated. Now that we all know about my bias, let me attempt to explain myself. He might not have a bad season. He had a great year last year, I'll be the first to admit I had thought he was done before last season. He could impress with 25+ TDs and 3,500 yards this year. It certainly isn't out of the realm of possiblity. But when it is all said and done, he will be disappointing this year for a number of reasons. Favre is certainly an upgrade, and has hyped up the Jets' season chances, but he still doesn't make them a playoff team. He's also most likely a one and done scenario for the Jets. So they trade away their other "best" option in Pennington for a one time shot with Favre. I think Favre will play again next year, I just don't think it will be with the Jets. He never seemed to enthusiastic about it. So to sum up why he's a lousy addition: Favre comes in for one season, gets the fans excited, the team ends up trading their other QB, the Jets miss the playoffs, Favre somehow gets himself out of New York for the final year of his contract, and the Jets are up a creek without a paddle in 2009. See, this is why I should be a GM, I think ahead.

15. NFL Defensive Player of the Year: Patrick Willis. Willis might be the lone bright spot in an otherwise dark season for San Francisco. He led the NFL last year with 174 tackles. He should contend for that again. Another year in the NFL should also improve the mental part of his game, and eventually make him a leader on the field. He gets sideline to sideline as well as anyone in football, and can match up 1 on 1 against most tight ends or running backs.

16. Shaun Alexander will go quietly into the night. It is a little bit sad. For a back that had so many remarkable seasons as Alexander did. But I don't think he'll ever play in the NFL again. I get the impression that if he really wanted to play, he would have been in training camp with someone. Or, if someone really wanted him to play, they would have invited him. I think it comes down to this, he's a former MVP, looking for former MVP money, which no team will pay him. And he's lost his desire to play. As I said, if he really wanted to play, he'd suck it up, take a veteran minimum contract, and play himself into a job. As this hasn't been done, I find the chances that he plays again to be getting smaller by the day.

17. Ricky Williams will be the Dolphins leading rusher. From all signs in the pre-season, Ricky Williams is back in football shape. When he abruptly "retired" or "quit" before the start of the 2004 NFL season, most were shocked. I was angry myself, being that I was a proud Ricky Williams owner in a "keeper" fantasy football league. But I'm over it, seriously, I am. Williams was the best running back in football before his hiatus. I'm not saying he'll be back to that form, and he's also got some pretty stiff competition now, but he's going to turn some heads this season. Don't be surprised if he rushes for over 1,000 yards.

18. Dallas will not win the Super Bowl. Duh, I already told you the Patriots would. But let me give some lovin to Big 'D' fans and at least explain why the AFC will reign supreme again. The Cowboys are the best team in the NFC, hands down. That is like being the best team in the NL West right now (currently Arizona by the way, 3 games over .500, and 1.5 games up on the .500 Dodgers), it simply isn't good enough. They are good, don't get me wrong. Dallas will score more points this season than any team not named the Patriots. And their defense is solid at all three levels. But their coach is a moron, and they have TO. Of course TO was happy last year, I don't buy that again this year. Plus, even when he's happy, he still drops balls that make you cringe. I'd like to point out that Dallas is the lone NFC team ranked in my top 6 teams in the NFL right now. I know, most people would say top 5, but I'm not most people, and I'm using 6 teams, because I think the biggest gap is between the 6th best team, and the 7th best team. (1. Patriots, 2. Cowboys, 3. Chargers, 4. Jaguars, 5. Colts, 6. Steelers)

19. David Garrard will throw 20 TDs, single digit interceptions, and make a serious playoff run with Jacksonville. He really could be that good. He is a mistake free quarterback. Last year he was played like a quarterback that was out there trying not to lose. This year, he will be out there to win the games for the Jaguars, and win he will. He played in 12 games last year, and threw 3 interceptions. I expect that number to rise, but I also expect a rise from 18 TD passes and 2,509 yards. End result: a second round playoff exit, 3,000 passing yards, 21 TDs and 9 INTs.

20. The Bengals will wish they had traded Chad Ocho Cinco. Notice how I didn't put Ocho Cinco in quotation marks? That is because it is his real last name now. He is not Chad Johnson. He is legally Chad Ocho Cinco. See, even right there, I had to backspace and re-type that four different times. Because each time I either put quotation marks there, or tried to type "Johnson" instead. Thats how silly it is. I'm all for fun and games, but that is just rediculous. There was a point where I thought Chad was fun. The riverdance celebration was fun, as was the pylon putt, but there reaches a point where enough is enough. Now I realize all he cares about is himself. Sure he says he wants to play for a winner. He's not stupid, he says the right things. But we're talking about a guy who legally changed his last name to a nickname that he gave to himself. And the reason he gave himself the nickname was because he said it was "Spanish Heritage Month." It was actually Hispanic Heritage Month. And 85 in Spanish is not actually "ocho cinco," it is "ochenta y cinco." Great tribute.

21. At least half my predictions will be incorrect. I'm just saying. I'm not psychic. They're pretty good predictions. But if I get more than 75% of these right, I'm looking for a new job, and hopefully it will be six figures.

NFL Preview

2008-08-25T01:34:00.005-05:00

So I watch a lot of sports. I would even be considered a "sport's nut" by most. I am not, however, psychic. If you read my MLB predictions, you'd see that the latter is definitely true. But thats what makes sports so great. You can be an expert, and you can be wrong, you can be the office secretary, and win your March Madness Pool.

Here is, yet another opportunity to show you that A) I probably watch sports too much, B) All that watching, translates to precisely squat when it comes time to predict the upcoming season. And while I generally start off with the division that my team is in, I'm going to throw a curve here, and not only not start with the East, but I'm going to go through the NFC first.

NFC WEST: Seattle Seahawks
This division is awful. Seattle should run away with it, and they better. This might be the last hurrah for an aging team. Matt Hasselbeck is as good a QB as you'll find outside of Brady and Manning (Peyton, obviously). As long as Holmgren can find it in himself to run the ball a little bit with the addition of Julius Jones, Seattle might have a pretty good offensive attack. JT O'Sullivan is starting for the 49ers this season, so there should be little competition from them, again. The Rams and Cardinals should both be better than they were last year, but neither has the defense to trump the Seahawks.

NFC SOUTH: New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay is a good team. New Orleans is a better team. The Saints are most certainly a better team than they were in 2007. Whatever was the cause of their abysmal start in 2007, I don't expect to bother them again. One of the major reasons that the Saints will beat the Bucs out for the division is Drew Brees. Brees is the big time QB John Gruden wishes he had. Colston and Moore should continue to improve, and the dual threat of McAllister and Bush in the backfield will give any defense fits. And if Jeremy Shockey can remain healthy this season, he might give the team that little extra fire it needs to get to the playoffs. Shockey amazes me, I'm not his biggest fan, but I've got to admit he is incredibly entertaining to watch. Gamers want the ball. Jeremy Shockey is a gamer. But he doesn't want the ball for the same reason everyone else does. Everyone else wants to score, wants to end up on ESPN, Shockey wants the ball so he can punish people. I have never seen someone punish another player the way he punishes other players while he is holding the football. So in the NFC South this year we'll see: the Saints win the division, the Bucs clinch a Wild Card berth, and Reggie Bush rush for over 100 yards in a single game this season. I swear, its going to happen this year. Reggie will make one of those highlight reel runs, where he makes someone miss, by making his own body twist in a way you don't think someone's body should be able to twist at such a high speed, and leap over the pylon on his way to a 100 yard rushing performance.

NFC NORTH: Detroit Lions
Thats right, I said it. I said the Detroit Lions are going to the NFL playoffs this season. Adrian Peterson should be a stud in Minnesota for years to come, but I'm not convinced that there's enough around him (specifically at the QB position), to produce a winner this season. Chicago? Rex Grossman is our quarterback. Rex Grossman is our quarterback. Rex Grossman is our quarterback. Kyle Orton is our quarterback. Uhh... at least they still have Urlacher. Donald Driver, Donald Lee, Ryan Grant and Greg Jennings should all help to ease any growing pains Aaron Rodgers might be about to go through, but replacing a veteran QB with a brand new starter is not usually a recipe for immediate success. If John Kitna, Roy Williams, and Calvin Johnson can all be on the field together this season, even the Monsters of the Midway won't be able to stop them. This is the year that Kitna should have predicted ten wins. And, if the Lions don't make the playoffs this year, and Matt Millen still has his job next year, I think I'm going to run for President in 2012. Hey, anything is possible right?

NFC EAST: Dallas Cowboys
This one is a no-brainer. Of the top five teams in the NFL, only one calls the NFC home, and they are the Dallas Cowboys. So it's only fitting that they make the playoffs. The 'Skins should provide some competition, as usual. Jason Campbell is maturing into an NFL quarterback quite nicely. The addition of Jason Taylor on defense should provide a little bit of fire to a unit that lost its heart and soul last year. But it won't be enough to knock off the 'Boys. There was a team that won the Super Bowl last year. And it was the New York Football Giants. They won't even make the playoffs this year.* Not without Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Kawika Mitchell. And trust me, they won't be sneaking up on anyone this year. And trust me again, Eli has matured, yes, he is a bona-fide NFL starter now, but he is not his brother, he cannot carry this team. The main competition in the NFC East for the Cowboys will come from Brian Westbrook and the Eagles. I already told you that the Detroit Lions are going to the playoffs this season, so I might as well back it up with another bold statement, Donovan McNabb will play 16 games this year, and he and Brian Westbrook will lead the Eagles back to the playoffs. Brian Westbrook is the most versatile player in football since Marshall Faulk was a part of the Greatest Show on Turf. With Westbrook turning in another 2000+ total yards, and 12-14 TD's, all McNabb needs to do is play, and the Eagles will march into the playoffs.

NFC WILD CARDS: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles

AFC WEST: San Diego Chargers
This is the year... that the Chargers make the playoffs yet again. LT is amazing. Philip Rivers is not, and Shawne Merriman's season is currently in doubt. The Chargers are a good team, and they play in a bad division. No other team in the division should even come close, regardless of the status of Merriman. The end result should be another trip to the playoffs for the Chargers, and another disappointingly (if you're a sucker, and you actually think that the Chargers are that good) early exit from the playoffs.

AFC SOUTH: Indianapolis Colts
Listen, one of these years Peyton Manning will retire, and someone other than the Colts will win the AFC South, but I'm just not that crazy. As long as Peyton Manning is there, the Colts have a chance, and as long as Joseph Addai, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark are there with him, the Colts will remain a Super Bowl threat. But mark my words, watch out for the Jacksonville Jaguars. They are one of the top 5 teams in football, and by a stroke of poor luck, they play in the same division as the Colts (also top 5), so they'll have to settle for a Wild Card spot. But Wild Card or not, the Jags will be a team that nobody wants to play in the playoffs. David Garrard is not electric, but he is safe, efficient, and surprisingly good. He might not catch your attention like Devin Hester, but he also won't catch your attention like Rex Grossman, if that makes any sense. I expect the Texans to take a step forward, the Titans to take a step back, and the Jags to play second fiddle in the AFC South to the Colts yet again.

AFC NORTH: Pittsburgh Steelers
Someone has to knock Big Ben and the Steelers off before I will believe that it can be done. The Steelers have one of the hardest schedules in football, but should be able to win enough games to hold off the Browns. Wait, did he just say hold off the Browns? Not the Bengals? Why yes, he did. And I have one word about the Bengals for you: Overrated. Yes, Carson Palmer threw 26 TD passes last year, but he also threw 20 interceptions. Take away the Week 2 air assault at Cleveland, and in the other 15 games he had 20 TD's, 18 INT's, and 3,730 passing yards. Hardly awe inspiring for a QB with such targets as Chad Johnson and TJ Houshmandzadeh. Oh, and they just brought Chris Henry back. After releasing the troubled receiver, and possibly taking a step in the right direction, they just took another step back. The real competition will come from the Cleveland Browns. I look for Derek Anderson, Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards to continue on their spectacular 2007 season and clinch a Wild Card berth this season.

AFC EAST: New England Patriots
Talk about saving the best for last. As if there was any doubt, the New England Patriots will run away with the division. For those of you that say that Brett Favre will put the Jets into the playoffs, I want you to go get checked out... mentally... no seriously... do it. This will be a one horse race from Week 1. The only questions that remain, how many TD's will Brady throw to Moss? And can they please lose a game other than the Super Bowl this year. And if the offense wasn't enough, the Patriots have the best collection of defensive linemen in the NFL in Seymour, Wilfork, Green and Warren. Adalius Thomas should improve with one season in the Pat's system under his belt. And how would you like to go over the middle? Would you rather have John Lynch, or Rodney Harrison line you up? The Patriots are the best team in football, period. They will march to the playoffs, march through the playoffs, and win the Super Bowl that they should have won last year.

AFC WILD CARDS: Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars

Wild Card Weekend:
Chargers over Browns
Jags over Steelers

Buccaneers over Lions
Eagles over Seahawks

Divisional Weekend:
Colts over Chargers
Patriots over Jags

Saints over Buccaneers
Cowboys over Eagles

Championship Weekend:
Patriots over Colts
Cowboys over Saints

Super Bowl Champions:
New England Patriots

There you have it. No holds barred. Some crazy predictions, some obvious predictions. And the fourth Super Bowl Victory in seven seasons for the New England Patriots.

* I'm not a hater. I'm not. It's been a while since the Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the New York Football Giants. I'm over it. I feel that I can rationally speak about what happened that night at this point. When I say that the Giants won't make the playoffs this year, I speak only the truth. I don't hate them because they beat the Patriots last year, I simply hate them because they're the Giants, always have, always will.

Man that Super Bowl sucked. Brady played like garbage. The Giants defense played the game of their lives. David Tyree made one of the sickest catches I've ever seen, after Eli Manning somehow got the ball off to him, instead of being brought down by any of the three Patriots defenders that were all trying to pick his pocket, but apparently not bring him to the turf.

But honestly, it wasn't until that final play that I was convinced the Giants were going to pull it off. Had there been a bit more air under the third and long ball from Brady to Moss, Randy would have been off to the races, and everyone, not just me, would be talking about the greatest team they had ever seen.

The 2007 New England Patriots were the best team I have ever seen play football in my life. I got to witness a game in person, and let me say, Randy Moss is really something else. They played good team defense, and they scored at will, until the Super Bowl. I know they went 18-1, and the one loss was obviously the biggest one, but there is no comparison. The Giants' defense played the best game they had ever played as a unit that night. And the Patriots didn't. Simply put, the Giants were the best team on the field that night. But play that game 100 times over, and the Patriots win 99.

I am not taking anything away from the Giants. They had a remarkable run through the playoffs. They proved all the doubters wrong, time after time. And one last time, on Super Bowl Sunday (actually, they didn't prove Merril Hoge wrong, because he was smart enough to pick the Giants to win in the first place. See what I did there? That 'smart' in italics means I'm being sarcastic, and Hoge is anything but).

Anyways. I'm not bitter. I'm not a hater because the Patriots lost last year. But to all of you that thought it was funny that New England lost, watch out. To all of you who became insta-Giant fans that night, watch out. To anyone that thinks that was the beginning of the end for the Patriots Dynasty, you ain't seen nothin yet. To all of you who are haters because you're jealous, we'll see you in Tampa February 1st.

2008 MLB Predictions

2008-03-30T18:55:00.002-05:00

Well, that wonderful time of the year is upon us. Baseball season is here. And for the second time in four years, the Boston Red Sox are the defending champs. I always wondered when I'd get to say that. As "fun" as it was being the lovable losers for 86 years, being the defending champs is way more fun. So, without further ado, here it goes...

AL EAST CHAMPS: Boston Red Sox
Am I a homer? Admittedly so. But even still, Boston is primed for another run at it. Toronto could be competitive, but with all their pitching concerns (Halladay, Burnett and Ryan), they could falter easily. I'm sure the Yankees will be there all year long, as they are every year. Their offense is going to be phenomenal, yet again. But concerns with their veteran pitchers, with Mussina on the backside of his career, and Pettitte with all of his off the field concerns, mixing with the fact that you have no idea what to expect from their youngsters of Hughes, Kennedy, and Chamberlain, make for an inconsistent staff. The backside of their pen should again be lights out with Mo and Joba, but I think it will only be enough for second place in the AL East. While the Red Sox have concerns of their own, the emergence of Buchholz and Ellsbury should give a nice mix of veteran and young talent. And David Ortiz on two good knees will make all the difference.

AL CENTRAL CHAMPS: Cleveland Indians
Yes, it was the Detroit Tigers making the moves in the offseason, but they still have some concerns. Dontrelle Willis' numbers have declined steadily for the past three years in the Senior Circuit, so the move to the AL may leave something to be desired. The Tigers offense will score in bunches, especially when Granderson gets healthy, but there are too many concerns in their bullpen, such as the health issues with Zumaya, and the already inconsistent Todd Jones is pushing 40 years old. The Indians are just too solid all around. They have a bona-fide ace in CC Sabathia, backed up wonderfully by Fausto Carmona, as well as an incredible mixture of youngsters in the field, and one of the best bullpens in the AL. The race might be close for a little bit, but the Indians should run away with the division in the end.

AL WEST CHAMPS: Seattle Mariners
If you had asked me a month ago, I would have told you the Angels would win easily. But fortunately for us, I waited a month to write this. Lackey and Escobar will both start the season on the DL, with Escobar unlikely to return this season. I believe the addition of Torii Hunter might actually be better than people think, not as good as his contract, but better than expected. Unfortunately, it won't be enough to overcome the loss of 18 game winner Kelvim Escobar and 19 game winner John Lackey. On the flipside, the Mariners have added a sure #1 starter in Eric Bedard to an already good team. This should also take an immense amount of pressure off of King Felix, who should be able to relax this year, and just do what he does without the pressure label of being the #1 pitcher. And on the back end, JJ Putz might not get the attention of a Rivera or a Papelbon, but he's been similarly effective in recent history.

AL WILD CARD: New York Yankees
Come on, you didn't really think I was going to predict that the Yankees would miss the playoffs did you? There might be some competition for this spot from the Detroit Tigers, but the Yankees just have too much veteran talent and experience to let a less than perfect roster keep them out of the playoffs.

NL EAST CHAMPS: New York Mets
The Phillies and the Braves will give the Metropolitans a run for their money all season long. But something tells me the Mets won't allow themselves to implode in September like they did last year. With the addition of Johan Santana, John Maine slides nicely into the #3 spot in the rotation. The roster is loaded with talent of the likes of David Wright and Jose Reyes, Beltran is still talented enough to be a 30/30 guy, and Wagner can still close out games for them. Their key factor will be the health of Pedro Martinez. And Johan Santana has nothing to do with it. Johan isn't taking any pressure off of this guy. I'll tell you what, I'll buy pressure relief for King Felix, but not for Pedro. This is a guy who was the most dominant pitcher in baseball for five years, in one of the most pressure packed environments in baseball, oh, and he also pitched 7 scoreless innings in the 2004 World Series to clinch the first Boston World Series in 86 years. This guy eats pressure for breakfast. A healthy Pedro Martinez is the only Pedro Martinez you need to worry about.

NL CENTRAL CHAMPS: Milwaukee Brewers
Prince Fielder, JJ Hardy, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart and Rickie Weeks should be all you really need to know. But a healthy Ben Sheets, as well as the inning eating Jeff Suppan should round out a good NL staff. The biggest concern will be the ability of Eric Gagne to close out games on a consistent basis. But even if he blows a few, a fitter, 23 year old Prince Fielder, coming off a 50 home run season should be able to counter some of that. The Cubs could challenge for a little while, but I just don't think they can remain healthy. It will also be interesting to see how Kerry Wood handles pitching back-to-back days.

NL WEST CHAMPS: Arizona Diamondbacks.
Really, any of the teams (with the exception of the Giants) could win the NL West. But I'm going to go with the D-Backs. They're a very good hitting young team. Another season under Chris Young and Stephen Drew's belts should only help the team. Oh yeah, and they also added that Dan Haren guy. They're beginning to resemble the D-Backs of 2001 with a 1a and a 1b on their staff. The Rockies can hit, but their pitching remains a question. The Padres can pitch, but their hitting remains a question. The most intriguing team might be the Dodgers here. People say that Joe Torre infused the locker room with confidence the first day he walked in. They still have a competitive staff, and enough hitting to survive in the NL West. That said, I think the Diamondbacks hold on in what should be a tight race for the last few months of the season.

NL WILD CARD: Philadelphia Phillies
This race should consist of the Phillies and the Braves all year long. As much as anyone in the West has a chance to win the West, I just don't think they have what it takes to compete with the East for the WC spot. And even if they are talented enough, unfortunately they have to beat each other up all season in division play. The Braves pitching, and the Phillies hitting, should make for a fun race to October. In the end, I expect Rollins, Utley, Hamels and crew to be too much for the Braves.

ALDS: Sox over Mariners, Yankees over Indians
NLDS: Phillies over Brewers, D-Backs over Mets

ALCS: Sox over Yankees
NLCS: Phils over D-Backs

WORLD SERIES: Red Sox in 6

AL MVP: Big Papi
It was true in 2004 and 2006, and it will be true this year. David Ortiz will be the MVP in the AL. There's no doubt that A-Rod deserved it last year. None. But Papi went 35/117/.332 last year essentially on one knee. Two good knees has got to be good for something right? I don't care if he doesn't play in the field, or if he wants to pitch too, his value to the team is unquestionable. I'd rather have him do his thing hitting and be the DH, than do his thing hitting, and commit 30 errors at first base. And its not even like he's that terrible at first actually, there's just a better defensive first baseman on the team, and health is a concern, so being a DH makes sense.

AL CY YOUNG: Eric Bedard
This will probably come down to one of three pitchers, Bedard, Sabathia, and Beckett. I'm giving a slight edge to Bedard because I don't really think people actually know how good he is yet. He played on a terrible team last year. He's now starting for a playoff hopeful team. His ERA and K's were already there last year, so a good team should improve his win total. Also, with the pitching woes of the Angels, Beckett and Sabathia will probably face much more competitive teams on a consistent basis.

NL MVP: Prince Fielder
Listen, he's 23. He's not even entering the age yet where people would say one is at their athletic prime, and he's coming off a 50 home run season. He's said to be in the best shape he's ever been in. The sky is the limit for this kid. He needs to work on his strikeout totals, and be a bit more efficient with runners on base, but he's already a very good hitter, on a pretty good hitting ball club. There should be plenty of people on base in front of him to drive in this season. And if the Brewers win the Central as I predict, he should be a shoe in for the MVP.

NL CY YOUNG: Johan Santana
With all due respect to Jake Peavy, whom I believe is one of the top 5 pitchers in baseball, Santana's move to the NL might have just swept the rug out from under his feet. Santana has been the most dominant pitcher in baseball for the past three seasons, and now he's pitching in the senior circuit. He's going to have one of the top offenses in the NL behind him, so wins shouldn't be hard to come by. He'll almost certainly still get the K's, and have a ridiculously low WHIP. The only stat of his that might suffer this year from the move to the NL would be his ERA, if he so happens to get taken out a bit earlier sometimes for a double switch or pinch hitter.

So there you have it. In writing, my predictions for the 2008 baseball season. Whether I'm right, or wrong, I can't wait to find out. Let the games begin.

Slow Rolled in Indy

2007-11-05T02:22:00.000-05:00

For almost three and a half quarters on Sunday afternoon, Peyton Manning and the defending Super Bowl champions almost made New England fans believe their team could be beaten. Almost made them believe that perhaps the critics were right. Maybe those experts that so wildly picked the Colts to win the game, weren't so wild after all. It was a heavyweight fight, and the champs were winning.

The Patriots simply looked over matched. Tom Brady spent more time on his butt in that game than he had all season long. And on the other side, Peyton Manning felt virtually no pressure, from a team that prides itself on the pass rush in their 3-4 defense.

Maybe we had missed something. Maybe with all of the media attention the Patriots had gotten since "camera-gate," the defending champs really had gotten overlooked. They had after all, won twelve straight games, including their first seven this year by an average of just over 17 points. They were the defending champs. They had home field. And for most of the game, they had the lead.

But then again, the Patriots had a secret weapon. It wasn't Tom Brady, it wasn't Randy Moss, and it wasn't Adalius Thomas. It was a man possessed. It was a man that doesn't wear a helmet. Their secret weapon was no more than the monotone, and often boring Bill Belichick. A man that is so even keeled it gets a little bit creepy. The Patriots had just won one of the most hyped regular season games in the history of the NFL, and you'd have thought they lost. Now in fairness, they did play poorly, and as a coach, he does realize that there is a lot to work on during their bye week. But he was no different after this game, than he is after any other game. Perhaps the only time that he's happy and smiling is after a Super Bowl win. Which it seems, is right where they're heading.

The statement by the Pats might have been more resounding had they blown the Colts out. But make no mistake, the statement made by squeaking it out, was just as effective. The Colts were manhandling the Patriots. They doubled Tom Brady's season interception total in one game. They were up by ten points with just over eight minutes left in the game. Joseph Addai was having a career day, and even without Marvin Harrison, Manning looked right at home throwing to Dallas Clark.

So what does this game say to the rest of the NFL? What does it tell the seven remaining opponents the Patriots have left? And the teams they could potentially play in the playoffs? It says watch out, and pay attention, because you're witnessing history. For weeks, fans and experts had debated the best team in the NFL. For weeks it came down to one of two teams, the Colts, or the Pats. So if there was no clear cut favorite before this week, there is now.

Of the Patriots remaining seven games, two intrigue me as possibly good games. Three stare at me as sure fire wins. One game has history written all over it, and one has all the makings of what could perhaps be the funniest game ever played in the NFL. At the Ravens on Monday night, and Steelers at home the following week should be good for a half. The Dolphins, Bills and Eagles better just get out of Brady and Moss' way. The Giants game could have historic implications if the Patriots really make it to the Meadowlands 15-0. But the funniest game of all, will be the Jets at the Pats in week 15. If Bill Belichick is a man possessed, then Eric Mangini is the reason. The current Jets coach, and former Belichick protege was the whistle-blower in the camera-gate controversy earlier in the season. If people thought those post game handshakes were cold before, wait until the Patriots drop 50 points on the Jets. It will give new meaning to "running up the score."

My friend texted me last Tuesday during the Red Sox World Series victory parade in Boston that the "Pats should have just had their parade today too." I laughed. I'm not laughing anymore. Look, the Pats played their three worst quarters of football this year all in the same game, and they won. They were down by ten points to the second best team in football with eight minutes to go in the 4th quarter, and they won. Tom Brady doubled his interception total for the season, and they won. And the game was indoors, AT Indy, where the Colts play much better, and the Patriots won. So if there's a team in the NFL that thinks they can take on the Patriots, please let me know. See you in Arizona.

And the Awards Winners Are...

2007-09-27T03:41:00.001-05:00

AL MVP - Alex Rodriguez
Listen, I hate the Yankees. I greatly dislike A-rod. And I still think, a season later, that the Tigers are (were) a great story. Magglio Ordonez had an amazing season. He carried a team that played much of the year without Gary Sheffield to protect him in the lineup. He finally showed what everyone thought, that if he could stay healthy for an entire season, he could do this. But A-rod showed us again the same thing he has shown us since he broke into the bigs. He can hit. He can hit it far. And he can hit it often. The Yankees were all but dead in the water back in May. They were 14.5 games out of first place. Their signing of Kei Igawa, to offset the Sox signing Dice-K, worked out so poorly, he was sent down to the minors. Mike Mussina was removed from the rotation. Johnny Damon was hurt, Jason Giambi was hurt, Bobby Abreu had a terrible first half. Their $28 million pitcher was so-so. The only other constants were Posada and Jeter. Jeter is overrated, and Posada is no A-rod. If A-rod didn't have the season he did, we might still be talking about a 14.5 game lead for the Red Sox.
(Honorable mentions: Magglio Ordonez, Vlad, Grady Sizemore)

AL Cy Young - CC Sabathia
With all due respect to Josh Beckett, CC Sabathia has been the ace the Indians have been waiting for. He's top 5 in the AL in wins and strikeouts. He's sixth in the league in ERA (out of the top 5 by 0.03). Second in starts, and first in innings pitched. Beckett has pitched very well all season. He's been there when the Red Sox have needed him the most. But CC Sabathia has also gone 4-1 when matched up against aces Justin Verlander and Johan Santana this season. Beckett will have his day. At some point he'll win a Cy Young, or two, or three. But this season belongs to CC. The Indians needed Sabathia to step up and be the ace he's always made them believe he could be, and he has delivered. He's also turned in 24 quality starts in 33 tries. (note, I believe Beckett will win the actual award, benefits of playing in the media heavy East, but if I had a vote, it would go to Sabathia.)
(Honorable mentions: Justin Verlander, Josh Beckett, John Lackey)

AL ROY - Dustin Pedroia
This is a two horse race between Pedroia and Delmon Young of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Pedroia started the season terribly. All of Red Sox nation was wondering if the youngster had been rushed to the bigs. Could he handle big league pitching? Well, 5 months later, you have your answer. Delmon might leads all rookies in hits and RBI's. But Dustin Pedroia is first in average, slugging, OPS (100 points better than Young) and is second in OBP. And nothing against Delmon, he's shown that he has what it takes to be a star for years to come in this league, but Pedroia has done all of this in the middle of a pennant race. And Hall of Famer Peter Gammons points out another interesting statistic about Pedroia's consistency and diversity as a hitter, on the season he had 48 XBH, 47 BB, and 42 SO. He's become a face of a franchise in one of the biggest baseball cities in America. He's listed generously at 5'9", but he plays like he's Big Papi. He's adjusted better to Boston than the highly overpaid JD Drew, without ever having played a significant big league game before this season.
(Honorable mentions: Delmon Young, Reggie Willits)

NL MVP - Jimmy Rollins
I'm not sure what was more amazing. The New York Mets epic collapse, or the Philadelphia Phillies amazing comeback in the NL East. On September 13th, the Mets were 6.5 games in front of Philadelphia. On September 30th, the Philadelphia Phillies won the NL East by a game. Say all you want about the amazing season that Matt Holliday had. And unfortunately it was all for naught from the Prince of Milwaukee. Ask any Philly what the constant was all season long, and I bet not a single player would hesitate to answer Jimmy Rollins. Chase Utley is a phenomenal second baseman, and figures to be one for years to come, but while he missed 30 games on the DL this season, it was Rollins that kept them afloat. Brett Myers has been off and on all year, and Cole Hamels started the season like a bat out of hell, but then slowed to the pace of five wins in the final half of the season. So what did Jimmy Rollins do that was so important? Let's see... he hit .296, slugged .531, had an OPS of .875, hit 30 homers, and drove in 94 runs. He also played in all 162 games the Phillies had this season. Oh, and he, along with Curtis Granderson of the Detroit Tigers, became the first players since 1957 to go 20-20-20-20. What does that all mean? 20 triples, 20 doubles, 20 homers and 20 stolen bases all in the same season. Only four players in the history of baseball have ever done that. Not Tris Speaker, not Ted Williams, not even Ty Cobb. Just Jimmy Rollins and Curtis Granderson in 2007, Willie Mays in 1957 and Frank "Wildfire" Schulte way back in 1911. You'd be hard pressed to find a player in baseball that did more for his team this season, let alone in the NL.
(Honorable mentions: Matt Holliday, Carlos Zambrano)

NL Cy Young - Jake Peavy
The pitching triple crown hardly seems as exciting as it's offensive counterpart, but it's certainly no less impressive. Peavy went 19-6 this season with a 2.36 ERA, and 234 strikeouts in 217 innings. He led all NL pitchers in ERA (by over half a run, 0.65), WHIP, K's and wins, and he was also top 5 in the NL in innings pitched. Of Peavy's six losses, half were quality starts, and his worst start of the season, the only one of all 33 in which he gave up more than 4 earned runs, was on 3 days rest. And in September, when the Padres needed him to be Cy Young, he was. Minus the start on 3 days rest, he made 5 others, in those 5 combined, he gave up 6 earned runs and won 4 of them. The lone loss was a 2-1 loss in 14 innings to Colorado in which he went 7 innings, struck out eight, and gave up 1 earned run. After two promising seasons in '04 and '05, he seemed to take a step back last season. Well, it seems that after career bests in wins, strikeouts and innings pitched this season, the 26 year old right hander is here to stay.
(Honorable mentions: Brandon Webb, Brad Penny)

NL ROY - Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Braun
I know, how can I do that. I can't, you can't have two winners for one award. Well, I'm going to. For every other award, there is someone that sticks out head and shoulders above the rest. There is something that puts each player above his peers. Well in this race, that isn't the case. Both youngsters had amazing seasons on teams that were in a playoff race, Braun's ended a little earlier, and Tulowitzki's didn't start until later, but his is actually still going, 163 games strong for the NL Wild Card. In 113 games Ryan Braun hit .324, slugged .634, had an OPS of 1.004, stole 15 bases, hit 34 homers, drove in 97 runs, had 26 doubles, 6 triples, 91 runs scored, and a partridge in a pear tree. In 154 games, Troy Tulowitzki hit .287, slugged .472, had an OPS of .829, hit 31 doubles, 24 homers, drove in 98 runs, scored 101 runs and had 173 hits. Each season a little different. Each season very impressive for anyone, let alone someone playing in their first full season in the bigs. Braun had 56 XBH's and Tulowitzki had 59. If there is only one NL Rookie of the Year, you tell me who it is, because I can't find just one.
(Honorable mentions: Are you serious? These guys are it. Then again, if Hunter Pence hadn't missed 50+ games, we might be talking about a triumvirate of winners)

There you have it. Straight from the horse's mouth. Go ahead and argue, but you know I'm right. Just a little clarification on Zambrano as an honorable mention for NL MVP, but not as Cy Young, he deserves it. He wasn't the best pitcher in the NL this year, but he's certainly a legitimate MVP candidate. He went 4-2 in September. He shows more emotion on the mound than Paris Hilton showed when she was getting hauled off to prison. The city of Chicago lives and dies with the Big Z. Sure he went 18-13 on the season, but he got a decision in all but three of his starts. And sure the Cubs were only 18-16 in games started by Zambrano; but ask any Cub who they want on the mound in a must win game, there wouldn't be a vote except Zambrano. Only one Cub drove in over 100 runs this season (Aramis Ramirez, 101). Only one hit over 30 homers (Alfonso Soriano, 32). But somehow they're in the playoffs.

I don't buy it that a starting pitcher can't be the MVP. Pedro Martinez should have been the AL MVP for Boston in 1999. Mariano Rivera should have been the AL MVP for New York in 2004. And sometimes, the big statistics aren't always the big statistics as exampled by Randy Johnson in 2004, where he should have been the NL Cy Young award winner, not Roger Clemens, despite going 16-14. The award is for best pitcher, not most wins, not most popular. And now you wonder how someone could lose 14 games and still be the "best pitcher?" Like this: Randy Johnson, 2004, 16-14, 245.2 innings pitched, 290 strikeouts, a 2.60 ERA, the 17th perfect game in baseball history, and get this, a 0.90 WHIP. It probably didn't have a whole lot to do with Johnson that the Diamondbacks went 51-111 that season. But it probably had a lot to do with the Diamondbacks that Johnson went only 16-14. And you can't help but to wonder, if they were even a .500 team, how many more wins might he have had, or how many fewer games might he have lost? But hey, what do I know?

The Vick Effect

2007-08-21T02:53:00.002-05:00

Money can buy you a lot of things. Apparently common sense isn't on the list. I can think of a lot of things that I would do with infinite athletic ability, a Madden cover, a substantial contract with Nike, and oh yeah, a $100 million contract. Fighting dogs is not one of them. I'd buy my parents a house, I'd buy me a house, I'd buy myself a lot of cars, and I'd probably buy something that might return some money too. And when I wanted to get my gambling fix, I'd charter a private jet to take my friends and I to Vegas, and I'd gamble like there's no tomorrow. And when I wanted to see some fighting, I'd take my money, and I'd buy ringside tickets to the next Roy Jones Jr. fight.

See fighting in and of itself isn't bad. We have boxing matches; even UFC is mainstream these days. But the dogs don't have a choice. When dogs get feisty at a dog park, that's one thing. But putting them in a confined space with no choice but to fight or die, that's completely different. Some idiots think it would be a good time to step into the "cage" with Chuck Liddell, I'm not one of them, but its their choice.

There are cliche statements like "you can take the boy out of the hood, but you can't take the hood out of the boy." Sports is a stage unlike any other that lets us see that, magnified to the hundredth degree. So many young boys dream of one day playing professional sports, so few actually get there. But it seems that in this day and age, more and more try their hardest to piss it all away. Darryl Strawberry, Jason Giambi, Tank Johnson, Chris Henry, and now Michael Vick.

Its funny that Pacman Jones didn't get charged with anything in his latest run-in with the law, yet NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him for the season. But in this new "get tough" NFL, Michael Vick still has technically not been suspended by his team, or the NFL, even though he's about to plead guilty to Federal dog fighting and racketeering charges. What a wonderful world we live in.

I'm not sure which commissioner of the four major sports has the worst job at this point. David Stern probably hasn't slept since the Tim Donaghy scandal surfaced. Now that Donaghy has plead guilty, and plans on naming other NBA officials in his gambling ring, Stern will probably continue with many a restless night.

Or how about Bud Selig? Baseball is America's sport. Everyone loves it. But then again, there was that whole Barry Bonds thing. Now I really don't care one way or another if Selig showed up at the record breaking game or not. But he should have come out and taken a stance on it. Recently, he was interviewed on HBO's sports show 'Costas Now' and it was almost painful to watch him. He was squirming in his seat like he forgot to put his Preparation H on that morning. And he beat around the tough questions as if he were afraid of his own shadow. Now in fairness, Bud Selig has brought a lot of good to baseball. Hate it or love it (I hate it), he's brought us inter-league play. He has also expanded baseball, given us the always exciting Wild Card, and kept baseball running without a work stoppage since 1994. But no matter what else he does, he'll always be remembered as the commissioner during the steroid era. An era that, like it or not, will not have an asterisk next to it in the record books.

Then there is Gary Bettman. Right about now you're all asking, who? And that's exactly the point. I've played hockey for as long as I can remember. There is no sport or activity that I enjoy more hockey. But America's interest in hockey is at an all-time low. Nobody cares, the league is more irrelevant than the Celtics were in Boston before they got Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. And its a shame too. They actually have a good product to market, with young guns such as Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, the game is getting more and more exciting. The future is bright for years to come. The only problem is that nobody is watching it. Major networks wouldn't pick up TV contracts with the NHL. And who could blame them after the league and players combined turned their back on the fans for an entire season?

And then there's Roger Goodell. The commissioner of perhaps the most marketable league in America right now. No work stoppages in a long time, the most watched single sporting event (Super Bowl) year in and year out, young marketable players, golden boys Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Seems the job couldn't be easier. Well, it probably isn't all that its cracked up to be right now. How do you handle a situation like the one he's in right now? One of the biggest stars in your game all of a sudden you find out is also one of the biggest stars in dog fighting.

There are a lot of terrible things that you could tell your mother, and I'm sure she'd still love you, but even mama Vick can't be proud right now. Mike Vick could probably run a 40-yard dash, and go back to the starting line before I could finish. He can probably throw the ball 50 yards farther than I can, with ten times the velocity. He can jump higher, turn quicker, stutter-step better, and do pretty much anything athletic better than I can. But there's one thing that I'll be able to do for the next three years better than Vick, anything I want. Because Mr. Vick will be on the schedule of a Federal penitentiary. Sure he'll get three square meals a day, but that can't be as appealing as it sounds.

So in this steroid era, pissing everything away will be known as pulling a Mike Vick. An eight figure bank account, and a world of athletic talent couldn't keep Vick from throwing away his future. Now the NFL, Nike and the Falcons are throwing Vick away instead. Though, the really funny part is that someone is going to do this again. Maybe it won't be dog fighting. But someone is going to screw up on a national stage again. And that time, it will not only have a name, but it will be infinitely stupid. Vick should be an example to all the athletes out there. Just like the first time you tried to play ball in the house, and broke a window, and your parents got mad, lesson learned. But instead here, you have millions of dollars, play a kid's game for a King's ransom, you see one of your peers flush it all down the toilet like late night Chinese food, and you're still going to do it. So the next time a star athlete decides that he wants to transport 300 pounds of marijuana in his car, it'll have a name. Or the next time one of those guys decides he wants to get drunk, blow some yay and kill a hooker, it'll have a name. But the next time you, who were blessed with common sense, thinks about doing any of those things, you'll say to yourself, "oh no, I'm not pulling a Vick."

So here's to wishing Vick a pleasant time in prison, and hoping that he never gets the chance to play another snap in the NFL again.

For Someone who Always got "it"

2007-05-20T02:07:00.000-05:00

Maybe he just doesn't get "it" anymore? I am of course talking about the great Roger Clemens. No doubt one of the top 3 pitchers to ever play the game of baseball, and no doubt the best pitcher baseball has seen in the modern era.

This is a guy who always understood the game. He always understood his place. He knew what it meant when he struck out 20 hitters in a single game... twice. He knew what it meant every time he won a Cy Young award. This is a guy that relished the limelight. He works out hard in the off-season so that he can step in front of fifty thousand people and not have a doubt in his mind what he can do out there.

Love him or hate him, this guy was a legend in Boston for the better part of ten years. Then of course he hit the infamous "twilight of his career" (according to Dan Duquette), and he moved on to Toronto; where he went on to resurrect his career by winning consecutive AL Cy Young awards. Then he moved onto the Yankees where he finally won his coveted World Series rings, along with another Cy. And then the next stop, which many believed might be his final stop, was in Houston, where he led the Astros to an NL pennant, and in the midst of all the chaos, he won his record seventh Cy Young.

For the last three seasons the Rocket made about $18 million per, pro-rated of course during the years in which he came back mid-season. He got a free Hummer H2 to drive around during his tenure there as well. So as this season began, and Roger never filed those official retirement papers, the question in the back of everyone's mind was "where will the Rocket land?"

Of course he'll stay in Houston. Why wouldn't he? He had grown comfortable there, it is home after all. His son is in the Astros farm system. He doesn't have to travel when he's not pitching. He gets a free car to drive around, as if he needs a free car. Make no mistake, Drayton McLane and the Houston organization was more than accommodating to the desires of an over the hill (if only in age) pitcher. Not to mention that the NL is as wide open as it has been in a long time. So a chance to go deep in the playoffs, for your hometown team, a team that owns the minor league rights to your son sounds pretty good, right? Well, what about...

Boston? Boston certainly had the money. But its funny, it seems to always come back to that word, that driving word in sports, money. Now I don't begrudge the players for making the exorbitant amounts of money that they make. Hell, I buy team hats, I own a t-shirt, I pay to go to games, and I help the television ratings out whenever I'm at home. So I can't complain about the money in the game when I, myself am part of the mass that feeds the beast. But it seems to me that there has to be a certain point that a player reaches in his career where it might actually not be about the money. Doesn't there? I don't know. Thats why I said it seems, but then again, I've unfortunately never had the tough task to choose which million dollar contract I'd like to sign.

But Clemens back in Boston? The hysteria, the history. Imagine, finish the storied career where it started. Showing fans first hand how wrong Duquette was way back. Getting #21 retired for eternity, never to be worn again by another Boston player (the Red Sox have certain criteria for retiring numbers, one of which is that you must finish your career in Boston, the lone exception being Carlton Fisk).

How about joining a team with a legitimate shot at the pennant. A team with a bullpen to close out six inning starts. All for the measly salary of a pro-rated $18 million. Sounds pretty good to me. Sounds like something out of Hollywood. Add to those 348 wins, move into the 1a ranking in all time strikeouts (1a because lets face it, 5,714 strikeouts will probably never be touched). Find out what it is like to be absolutely revered by a city. Revered in only a way that Bird or Jordan or Gretzky knows what it feels like.

But back to reality. Back to the world that is. Back to the money driven world of sports. Again, I don't mind the money, but on the day when Clemens announced he would return to the Yankees for a pro-rated salary of $28,000,022, I felt a twinge of disappointment. Its not that I would have rather the Sox shell out that king's ransom for the Rocket, in fact I'm rather glad that they didn't. I don't even mind that he's in New York, he's pitched there before, he's got friends on the team, and I'm sure its a great place to play.

No, I was disappointed for another reason. I was disappointed because I really truly thought this man got "it." There really isn't anything left for him to do in New York that he can't do anywhere else. He cannot single-handedly turn around a team at this point in his career. He will not go much deeper than the sixth inning in a large number of his starts. And I don't doubt that he still has the stuff to be a good pitcher. But Clemens committed a baseball sin. You can chase records like Bonds all you want. You can come out and apologize for "doing that stuff" like Jason Giambi and continue to play. You can even be a hired gun, one last run at the end of your career to chase that elusive title. But you cannot transcend the game. As great as Albert Pujols is, and as big as Magic and Montana were, they never thought they were bigger than the game. It seems at this point that the Rocket is coming back for the Rocket, and for no other reason. He's coming back for a payday, he's coming back to try to pad some stats, all while doing it for a team that doesn't seem to have a snowball's chance in hell of even making the playoffs.

Sometimes staying at home is the best idea. I can't wait to see what happens the first time Clemens is photographed playing golf when a teammate gets hurt in a day game, or when the New York press catches him sitting down for a porterhouse at Smith & Woll while "his team" gets swept in a double-header. I wonder if he's got an idea up his sleeve that required him to be in the media capital of the world while he pitches at age 45. Be careful what you wish for, because sometimes, you just might get it.

Booty Call

2007-01-01T20:07:00.000-05:00

Take a bow John David Booty. If there were any doubters before the Rose Bowl about the Trojan's newest quarterback, they've since been silenced. Before he was taken out with just over two minutes remaining in the game, Booty had already put up 391 yards and 4 touchdown passes against the vaunted Michigan defense. And it wasn't just the amount of yards or touchdowns. It was the way in which they were amassed. With deep outs and straight up streaks down the field, Booty put perfect touch on his deep balls to make him look more like his counterpart Chad Henne who was touted as the strongest arm in the country.

It wasn't all good for the junior QB out of Shreveport, LA though. He threw to Dwayne Jarrett all day. And Jarrett responded with a season high 11 catches for a season high 203 yards and 2 touchdowns. One might wonder how this could possibly be a bad thing? Well, Steve Smith is a senior, and Booty might have just played his star junior receiver (Jarrett) into the first round of the NFL draft.

But forget about the negatives for the time being. Forget about the draft, forget about where a top junior WR like Calvin Johnson or Dwayne Jarrett might end up if they declare for the draft (the Lions again pick in the top 5, they can't possibly take another WR, can they?). And forget about next season, for a minute. John David Booty is a star. He was shunned from the first game of the season. There was no way USC could fill Matt Leinart, who had no chance to fill in for Carson Palmer, could they? Who was this John David Booty guy? Before starting in his first game this season, he had only seen action in eight games in his previous two seasons at USC.

Apparently that was all he needed. In 13 games this season, Booty amassed 3347 yards passing with 29 TD passes and only 9 interceptions all season long. Those stats look awfully familiar. Oh that's right, former Trojan Matt Leinarts stats when he won the Heisman in 2004? 3322 passing yards, 33 TD's and 6 INT's.

He may not be the next Carson Palmer. He may not be the next Matt Leinart. But he is the next great Trojan QB in a historic line. So if Trojan fans were worried after their disappointing season ending loss to UCLA, the Rose Bowl victory and Pete Carroll's proclamation that he has his best recruiting class coming in next year in his tenure at USC should allow them to stop worrying. Here's to the 2007 preseason #1 team.

Random Quickie

2006-12-02T03:31:00.000-05:00

Farewell to a Dirtdog, maybe...
Tonight, the Boston Red Sox officially opted not to offer right fielder Christopher Trotman Nixon salary arbitration. This action could potentially end the Red Sox career for Trot. Now, under the new free agency rules, the Red Sox are eligible to sign Nixon again anytime during the off season, but the chances seem less likely everyday.

I'd like to take a quick minute to say a possible farewell to my favorite Red Sox player of all time. Sure he had difficulty hitting lefties, and sure he spent a lot of the last few seasons on the disabled list, but everyday he stepped on the field, he played his heart out. And sometimes, that's all it takes. So farewell (maybe) to a consummate professional, farewell (maybe) to one of the last true dirt dogs, farewell (maybe) to the guy who had the audacity to swing through a take sign on a 3-0 count in game 4 of the World Series, a swing by the way, that gave the Red Sox a lead they would never relinquish to win their first World Series title in 86 years; so farewell (maybe) to number 7.

Enough of USC
Please. For the love of God. They're good, no doubt about it. Considering they lost two Heisman winners in the same off season. Then again, John David Booty is doing a pretty good Matt Leinart impression. They're good, but they're not number 2 good, not if it bumps the University of Michigan down a peg. Lets review:

Both teams have lost 1 game. USC's loss? At unranked Oregon State by 2 points. Conference foe, always a tough game, still an unranked opponent. Michigan's loss? At #1 Ohio State by 3 points in an instant classic. A loss, at the horseshoe, by a field goal to your most hated rival.

Not enough? How about a common opponent. Both teams played Notre Dame. Both teams beat Notre Dame, and both did it pretty handily. Now it should be noted that I believe the Irish are highly overrated, they're a top 20 team at best, but they're still a common opponent. Back to the point. Michigan's win over Notre Dame was a 26 point slaughter in South Bend. It was a game that wasn't even close. USC's win was an almost equally impressive 20 point win, but it was in LA. What's more impressive? 26 points in South Bend? or 20 points at home?

I understand style points. And I understand that losing late in the season can kill your hopes. But I also understand that some people are hating on the idea of a rematch. Critics have said "Michigan has already had their crack at #1, USC should get its turn." How about #1 should play the second best team in the country for the National title? And here's a hint, USC is not #2.

Trade Manny? Keep Manny?
The Cubs are shelling out $17 million a year over the next 8 for Alfonso Soriano and the Houston Astros are going to do virtually the same thing over the next 6 for Carlos Lee, and the Sox still want to trade Manny? I just don't get it. Unless he publicly comes out and says from his own mouth that he wants to be traded, I'm going to assume that he's going to play here for his $17-18 million as well. Those two contracts make Manny look like an absolute bargain. He's an RBI machine, and he's one of the best right handed hitters in the last 25 years, protecting the games best current left handed bat.

But he seems disinterested. And he quit on his team last year. Those might be true, and there is absolutely no excuse to ever quit on your team, especially when you get paid a king's ransom to play a kid's game. But I believe there's enough positive in Manny that he can remain productive and happy in Boston. Most insiders agree that there's no way the Sox will get equal value in return for Manny, so why do it? Why trade for Loney or LaRoche? Players that might turn out to be the next Manny, but could just as easily become the next Kevin Maas (who? exactly my point, move along). Boston is not the place where people are going to be patient waiting for prospects to develop. We have a habit of bringing them up too quickly, hell, in Boston, we honk while the light is still red, to let the person in front of you know that it is going to turn green. And you want to trade a player who is currently one of the most productive in the game? My advice to Theo: keep Manny, sign Matsuzaka, and worry about more important things like...

...not signing JD Drew
WHY?? Please. Give me one good reason? OK, so he has a world of talent, I need more than that. In this day and age, that icky word "potential" gets thrown around in the sports world quicker than K-Fed is losing his assets. Forget that he can't stay healthy for a minute, the real problem is that he doesn't care. Why are players like Varitek, Papi, Brady and Bruschi beloved in this town? Because they give a damn. They realize that even though in this day and age it might all be about the money, that they'll never transcend the game. JD Drew doesn't even know what that means. He could strike out to end the World Series, and his facial expression would be identical to the one you'd see on him if he were in a bar and just wet himself after drinking one too many. He just doesn't care. Some say "it works for Manny..." I say Boston fans couldn't put up with two Manny's. And Manny does care, he just cares about himself more.

Oh, and remember the fact that he can't stay healthy? Yeah, about that. He can't. Would throwing $14-15 million a year at him all of a sudden make him a model of health? I doubt it. Now I realize that he played 146 games last year, and he even played 145 in 2004, but sandwiched in between those two seasons was a 72 game season for Mr. Drew. I'm not saying there are better players available. But there are certainly better values available out there.

And on a side note: JD Drew's full name is David Jonathan Drew. So either I'm retarded, or we should actually be calling him DJ Drew. Maybe he's just dyslexic? But hey, at least he can hit a baseball.

In Belichick I Trust
I knew he wouldn't let me down. After uncharacteristically abandoning the running game in the loss to the Colts, it seems as though the hooded sweatshirt mentality has returned. No more fancy red sweatshirts with new cuffs. Back to good 'ol Patriot football. Football where every team member buys into one idea, winning. Football that brought New England three Super Bowl victories in four seasons. The defense is going with the old bend, but don't break attitude (scary as it is, especially with out 37 back there). The running game is going, and Brady is again a legitimate MVP candidate. I really have nothing specific to say about the Patriots here, but I figured I couldn't leave them out.

The Greatest

2006-11-13T16:44:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Patrick Roy on his recent induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The waiting period was simply a formality for the greatest money goaltender the game has ever seen.

If you want intangibles, the man had those. He had a knack for getting into the head of other teams. He had a knack for turning it on, and shutting down other teams when the game was on the line and it really mattered. Playoffs? He lived for them. Roy was the backbone of four Stanley Cup winning teams. Twice in Montreal, and twice in Colorado. He was without question, the best playoff goaltender of all time. He took a '92-'93 Montreal Canadiens team to the top behind a patchwork lineup to win his second Stanley Cup. In the '95-'96 season, he lived up to his word by bring a Stanley Cup victory the the Colorado Avalanche (formerly the Quebec Nordiques). After being embarrassed in a loss to Detroit after his coach in Montreal kept him in the game, Roy demanded a trade. While he was getting ready to leave Montreal for Colorado, he told his former teammates that he was going to win the Stanley Cup, and thats just what he did.

Not enough? Want some statistics? How about an NHL record 551 regular season wins? Or an NHL record 151 playoff wins? He's also played more minutes, and started more games than any other goaltender in both the regular season and the playoffs. His career was also littered with awards, three times he won the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender (1989, 1990, 1992). The Jennings trophy five times, for fewest goals allowed (in 1987, 1988 and 1989 shared with Brian Hayward, and then in 1992 and 2002 by himself). Roy was a first team NHL all star 4 times, and a second team all star twice in his career. He also played in eleven all star games.

Perhaps the most impressive stat? His record three Conn Smythe trophies as playoff MVP. No other player has ever won three Conn Smythe trophies as the playoff MVP. Not Wayne Gretzky, not Guy Lafleur, not Bobby Orr, not Mario Lemieux. Only Patrick Roy. The first of which coming at the tender age of 20 in 1986 as the youngest player to ever win the award. The second came in 1993 behind the patchwork Canadiens lineup. After losing the first two games in the first round against the Nordiques, Roy got fired up after hearing the Quebec coach proclaim that they had figured Roy out. How did he respond? By backstopping the Canadiens to four straight wins over the Nordiques to win that series, four more straight wins to sweep the Buffalo Sabres in the second round, and then three more in a row to start off the third round against the Islanders. All in all, 11 straight victories, including 10 consecutive overtime victories. Read that again, 10 overtime victories in a stretch of 11 games. Good players can win in the regular season, great players win in the playoffs, with the game on the line, 10 times in a row. His final Conn Smythe came in 2001 with the Colorado Avalanche when he won all 16 games for the Ave's, while posting a 1.69 GAA and a .934 save percentage.

So as if there were any question that Patrick Roy would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame after the required three year waiting period, here it is. Congratulations to Roy, and the rest of the 2006 Hockey Hall of Fame class: Dick Duff, Herb Brooks and Harley Hotchkiss.

Hot Stove

2006-11-12T03:08:00.000-05:00

$38 to $45 million. Got your attention? Thats how much money the Red Sox have reportedly bid to the Seibu Lions for the right to negotiate with their 26 year old phenom pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. Ten figures to negotiate with a pitcher from Japan. A pitcher who has never pitched a single inning in Major League Baseball. That enough to warm up the talks for off-season baseball moves? In no particular order, let us discuss a few moves the Sox will be considering during the off-season.

Relief Pitching
The Sox have declined their club option for reliever Keith Foulke, instead opting for the $1.5 million buyout, and Foulke has reciprocated by declining his player option to return to the Sox for $3.75 million. The funny thing? Nobody has seemed to have made even a little noise about it, positive, or negative. Now I was never a big fan of Keith Foulke, if you know me, you know that. But make no doubt about it, if Keith Foulke doesn't pitch the way he did in the 2004 playoffs, we'd be working on an 89 year drought in Boston. If there were a baseball playoff MVP, rather than an MVP for each individual round, the 2004 winner would have been Foulke. Not Manny, not Papi, and not even Schilling. Still, nobody is saddened by the news. Maybe it was his "Johnny Burger King" comments, or maybe it was his seeming lack of passion, but either way, nobody is batting an eye.

And the other relievers? Papelbon is gone as well. Thankfully, he's only left the bullpen for the starting rotation, but there wasn't a better closer in baseball for the majority of the season last year than Papelbon. Hopefully he can bring the same fire and intensity to the rotation.

Timlin? Can he still pitch? Sure, in mop up situations. With all due respect, he couldn't pitch last year. I love the guy, he's been a team guy and a gamer ever since he arrived in Boston, but he was a walking corpse on the mound last season. Maybe it was because he pitched in the WBC, maybe it was because he was just plain done. But either way, it doesn't seem likely he'll regain his '04 form for this season.

The bottom line is that the bullpen needs help, and lots of it. The Sox have plenty of young arms, but reliability is at a premium. One of their biggest off-season tasks is to rebuild the psyche of young prospect Craig Hansen, who got shelled after being called up late last season. Overall, there is a lot of work to do, but it can be done. Year after year, the closer position seems to be more mental than anything. Look at Brad Lidge. Closers are made just as easily as they can lose their jobs. Todd Jones? Bobby Jenks? JJ Putz? Not necessarily the BJ Ryan's and Mariano Rivera's of the world.

Manny
What would a hot stove in Boston be without talking about Manny Ramirez? And what kind of a person would I be if I tried to feed you sweet nothings about how much better off the Sox would be without him? Manny is not going anywhere. Nor should he. Is he a headache? Maybe. A distraction? At times. Overpaid? Sure. Worth every penny? You tell me. The fact is that the Sox are paying him a lot of money, and the fact remains that they would continue to pay him a lot of money, regardless of the uniform he's wearing next season.

And what would the return be for Manny? I'd accept nothing short of Howie Kendrick and and Ervin Santana for Manny at this point. But lets face it, Manny was placed on irrevocable waivers two seasons ago, and nobody took him. What would make someone give up two top tier prospects for him now? Probably nothing. And hopefully nothing. Why would a team want to get rid of one of the best right-handed hitters the game has ever seen? According to the Bill James handbook, if Manny stays healthy for the rest of his career, his career numbers would end up looking something like this: .305 batting average, .405 OBP, .580 slugging, 691 home runs and 2,288 RBIs. Seems pretty decent to me.

Catcher
V-Tek is here for another two seasons, unless the Sox think they could unload the contract they signed him to. I said it two years ago, and I'll say it again, this was a bad contract. Tek's offensive production dropped last year, again. He got hurt and missed a good portion of games in the middle of the season last year, again. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Varitek supporter, I think he's a stand up guy, and he calls one of the best games behind the plate. Pitchers, young and old, both feel comfortable working while throwing to him. But to think, we could have had Babe Ruth Bard backing him up, and perhaps getting ready to take over an everyday role this year? Oh well. It will be interesting to see who Theo has in mind for a back-up, and possible platoon player for Varitek this year. I think Bellhorn used to play a little catcher back in the day.

Starting Pitching
Alas, the most important one of them all. Your number one going into the season is Curt Schilling. No harm there. This is the guy who risked the rest of his career to pitch in the postseason for the Red Sox, had a terrible season following the World Series win, and bounced back marvelously last year. If anyone ever questions the dedication and toughness of this guy, they've got some serious issues. This is supposedly going to be his final season. It is the final year of his current contract. And he says that he owes his family too much for putting up with him being on the road his whole career that he promised this will be his last season. But on the other hand, the thought of playing for a team wherever he may settle down in the same role as a Roger Clemens the last two seasons has to be intriguing. At this point Schilling is 40/60 (in/out) at best for a bust in Cooperstown. But this is a man that knows his place in the game, and it might intrigue him to play for a team when he only has to travel if he's pitching. Either way, he's your ace going into this season.

Holding down the #2 spot in the rotation will again be Josh Beckett. One has to hope that his performance last year was simply an aberration, and not what to expect for the rest of his contract. But Beckett has done plenty in his young career to allow us to believe that he can bounce back and finally be the pitcher everyone thinks he can be.

Papelbon makes the move from the back of the pen, closing down games in pressure cooker situations, to the middle of the rotation, starting up some games in pressure cooker situations. Sure he's got the stuff to be a great pitcher, not a good pitcher, but a great one. But its his intensity that I love more than anything. The fist pumps leaving the mound, and the audacity to want the ball, no matter how grim the situation may look make me want him on the mound every 5th day.

Wakefield is potentially your #4 starter right now. But that might be subject to change. Wake has been nothing but positive since the day he first donned a Red Sox uniform. He closed, he came out of the bullpen, he's started, and he's given up post-season starts in order to keep the rest of the rotation intact and help win games. Whatever his role might be in '07, he will be a welcome sight. I will never complain about a man who has never complained about his own.

The fifth starter, or first starter, depending on how the off-season works out is the most intriguing part of this hot stove. The Sox have reportedly submitted the highest bid to the Seibu Lions for the right to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka. This Japanese phenom reportedly has top of the rotation stuff. The Sox have offered $42 million to the Lions to negotiate with their star. If all reports are true, the Sox now have 30 days to negotiate a contract with the young pitcher. If Matsuzaka ends up in Boston, he would be their 5th starter, but that might not end up being his slot in the rotation. A lot of people might think that this is a lot of money to spend for a pitcher that hasn't pitched in the bigs, but its a smart move too. It solidifies the Red Sox in the East, it shows that they fully intend to remain contenders. It also gives them a chance to get a top of the rotation starter without waiting for him to develop for four years in the minors. Lastly, and possibly most importantly, it keeps Matsuzaka out of pinstripes. Very similar to the way putting Johnny Damon in pinstripes last season kept him out of a Sox uniform.

So there we have it. There are many more positional changes to talk about, most notably the middle infield. But that should be enough to get the pot going for now. This off-season shows the potential, as always, to be extremely interesting for Red Sox fans.

MVPapi (again)

2006-08-08T23:38:00.000-05:00

Scoop Jackson beat me to it here on ESPN.com, but that doesn't make it any less true. Actually, if you'd like to get technical, I beat him to it, a year ago right here on this very page. It was true a year ago, and it has been true ever since, Big Papi is the AL MVP.

Even if the Red Sox (ghasp) miss the playoffs, there is very little argument that anyone has meant more to their team in the AL this year. And if the Sox make the playoffs? There is no argument.

Listen, say they even win the AL East and make it over the mighty Yankees. Who is the MVP from that season? Derek Jeter? Please. Listen, I respect the guy, I kind of even like him. He's a magnificent player, he's a winner, and he's having a career year. But even with the injuries to outfielders Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui, the Yankees offense has been far from their problem. Jorge Posada is having his best season in three years, Giambi is stroking the ball with more power than he has in recent memory (and hopefully peeing in a cup after every home run). So what A-rod is having an off year, there's still Mo. The point is, Jeter is having a very good season, but the numbers he is putting up are not league MVP type numbers. He gets to bat behind the best leadoff hitter in the game, and again, even with those outfield injuries, the Yankees 3-4-5 hitters still make any pitcher cringe.

So what about the Central? I mean come on, there's gotta be someone in the Central that can garner more MVP votes than a DH right? How about the Tigers? They've been a great story all year long. And they are going to win the AL Central. But who on that team is the MVP? Their BA leader is hitting .307, their home run leader has 21, their stolen base leader has 16 and their RBI leader has 79, and guess what? All of those guys, are different players on the team. In an age run by superstars, the Tigers are doing it the old fashioned way, as a team. There are no superstars there, there are just a bunch of good baseball players, having good seasons at the same time, and a wealth of talented young pitchers.

The White Sox? Sure. They've got 2, maybe even three legitimate candidates. But therein lies the problem. Paul Konerko is doing what Paul Konerko does. He's on pace for 40+ HRs and 100+ RBIs... again. Jermaine Dye is proving, again, what he is capable of when he's healthy for an entire season. And Jim Thome is basically a lock for comeback player of the year, while also putting up MVP type numbers, as a DH. All three are probably worthy of some votes. The problem for them is that they all play on the same team, so instead of splitting votes two ways, like candidates often do (Manny and Papi), they're going to split votes three ways. Which, in the end, doesn't work out well for any of them.

And Minnesota is in a similar boat to Chicago. Cases could be made for any number of players on their team from Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau to Francisco Liriano. Unfortunately, Liriano's season might be over. And as impressive as Mauer's .363 average is, he's mainly a singles hitter, for now. So tell me honestly then, would you take Morneau over Papi?

From here, we can pretty much eliminate anyone in the West as a candidate for the MVP award. As much as I like Vlad, and as much as I think he should have been second in MVP voting last year, he's simply not putting together that type of season this year. And nobody else in the West is even close.

So why are we so afraid to give an MVP award to a DH? Is there something taboo about the position? Is it not the same position in the lineup that each of the other teams get to use when playing in an AL park? Sure is. David Ortiz is also capable of playing in the field, as he's shown in the World Series and interleague play. The Sox simply have a better choice to put in the field at first base.

Barry Bonds has won 7 MVP awards, including 4 straight between '01-'04. Yes, he has also won Golden Glove awards. But none recently. In fact, for those 4 straight MVPs, Bond's fielding percentage was .980, hardly award worthy, but the fact that he was nowhere near his former Gold Glove self in the outfield seemed to go unnoticed. Other less than stellar defenders who also doubled as MVP award winners? Try Slammin' Sammy. NL MVP in 1998. Sosa compiled a .974 fielding percentage in the OF that year with 9 errors. Alright, but anything worse? I'm glad you asked. How about the now infamous Ken Caminiti? He sported an awful .954 fielding percentage with 20 errors playing the hot corner for the Padres when he won the award in 1996. Twenty errors at the hot corner?! Isn't that an important position? Are you kidding me? Twenty errors and you win the MVP?? Because why? He showed the effort by playing in the field? Now I know there was no option for him to DH in the NL, but the point remains, how much did Caminiti playing in the field really help his team? I'd say somewhere between a little bit, to not at all.

So back to my man Big Papi. Nobody would argue his importance to the Red Sox. But how valuable would he be if he played in the field? The same? Would his numbers offset his defensive inefficiencies? Or would they hurt the team too much? How about a limited sample, so far this season Papi has started 10 games at first base, and made 2 errors. Which projects to roughly 34 errors in a whole season. So my man plays the season at first, instead of DHing, drives in 160 runs, cranks 50+ longballs, and sports 34 errors at one of the most important defensive positions in the game, still MVP caliber? Now, let me be fair to Papi, as I stated, that is a very limited sample from this season. Take his '03 stats, 45 games started, 3 errors, projects to 10.8 errors on the season in 162 games. Not too bad. The point is that he can play first base, the fact is that he doesn't. He simply hits.

Now I'm a stats guy. Show me the numbers and I'll listen to you. Argue with me based on the SportsCenter highlights you saw last night and I'll laugh in your face. The numbers don't lie. I've read numerous articles, with substantial statistical support that say that clutch hitting does not exist. In the end, players are going to hit for their average, and get on base at the same clip that they always get on base. Jeter and Ortiz both come up to bat a lot in clutch type situations, therefore, it seems that they succeed more than others. But as little as I believe in the myth of clutch hitting, I'll still answer Papi when you ask me which Sox hitter I'd most like to see at the dish with the game on the line.

There's just something magic about that guy. There was something magic in the '04 ALCS. And there has been something magic ever since. He's so charismatic that men, women and children all love him just the same. He's been carrying such a big stick since the end of the '04 season, that it seems that everyone except opposing managers have discovered that pitching to Papi in late and close situations is just a bad idea.

Courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau, and thanks to the research work of Scoop Jackson, we have this staggering statistic: since the start of the 2004 postseason, Ortiz has come to the plate in 19 walk-off situations. And he has successfully reached base 16 times, hitting 11-for-14 with seven home runs. Nineteen chances. Eleven hits. Two walks. Sixteen times he has successfully reached at least first base. Sure that is a small sample size, too small for me to give into the myth of clutch hitting. But it sure is impressive, and it does prove one thing, this guy is good. Regardless of clutch hitting existing, or not existing, the fact remains that opposing teams would probably rather see anyone on the Sox come to the dish in a walk-off situation other than Big Papi, as much as everyone who likes the Sox loves to see the third spot in the order come up to bat with the game on the line.

The man is just plain good. Manny is just Manny, and other than getting more than advertised from Alex Gonzalez at short, the Sox have gotten less than advertised from pretty much everyone else, namely Coco Crisp and Jason Varitek. Papi has come through when it has counted, and stayed away from hurting the team with poor play in the field. He propelled the Red Sox to the cover of Time magazine after helping them win their first World Series title in 86 years in 2004, and hasn't looked back since (the '05 World Series Champion Chicago White Sox weren't even the feature story on the cover of Sports Illustrated after they won). Not only does he put up staggering numbers, but he has the ear of his teammates, the heart of the city, and the attention of every opposing manager.

It was true in 2005, and it is true in 2006, glove or no glove, David Ortiz is the American League MVP.

At Long Last

2006-06-22T00:53:00.000-05:00

Jon Lester has arrived. With a swift pump of his fist, Jon Lester showed Red Sox fans what all the hype was about on Wednesday night. His final pitch of the night was a 92 mph fastball fanned on by Matthew LeCroy of the Washington Nationals. That pitch (his 107th), marked his tenth strikeout of the evening. The most by any Red Sox pitcher in a single game this season.

Now it might be a bit too early to think of him as a lock as a top of the rotation starter, but if tonight was a sign of things to come, I like what I saw. Four plus pitches, and a fist pump filled with emotion. As he left to a standing ovation in front of 36,464 screaming fans at Fenway, Lester said things "started to slow down a little bit," which has allowed him to "appreciate things more."

Sox fans have been dying for the chance to see all the young guns that the team has collected over the last few years. Manny Delcarmen, Jonathan Papelbon, Craig Hansen, and now Jon Lester. Red Sox nation can finally see why as soon as trade talks with other teams mentioned Lester as part of the deal, the trade talks came to a screeching halt.

Besides that little World Series ring, perhaps the best thing Theo Epstein has brought to the Red Sox is youth. A team that was clearly aging quickly last season, has suddenly become a lot younger this season. With the additions of Coco Crisp and Wily Mo Pena in the outfield, and Josh Beckett in the rotation, the Sox instantly added some competetive years to the team. Now with the influx of their own young guys like: Kevin Youkilis, Jonathan Papelbon, Manny Delcarmen, Craig Hansen, and now, Jon Lester, the Sox seem to have a good mix of veterans and youngsters.

Curt Schilling, generally regarded as one of the best prepared pitchers in baseball, certainly liked what he saw as shown when he joined the stading O for Lester. If that performance was good enough for a guy who can pitch 8 innings against the Yankees, allow only 3 runs, walk nobody, strike out 4, get the win, and still not be satisfied with his performance, then it's good enough for me.

Hopefully it's the time for the young guns to light up the summer months. Papelbon is locking down saves like it's his job (get it? Keith Foulke!). Delcarmen is starting to throw some first pitch strikes. And now Lester is getting into the action. If Beckett can get himself off his schneid, Schilling can keep being Schilling, and the offense can give Wake more than zero runs in support, this might be as close to a rebuilding year as we'll have to get for a while.

Return of the World Series Champ

2006-05-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

The current headline at Dirt Dogs reads "Stand. Because he delivered." I couldn't agree more. If you read anything I write, you're probably thinking to yourself, wait, what?! This guy has been doing nothing but ripping on Damon since he left, and now he's saying we should stand at the game?? Yep.

I want to set something straight, I was expressing my distaste for the choices Johnny made after his contract was up in Boston (namely signing with the Yankees), not my distaste for what he did while he was here. Lets recap, he played hard, everyday. He crashed into outfield walls, and even Damian Jackson. He was the best leadoff man in the game for four seasons (and probably still is) on one of the best offenses in the league. He was a team guy, who always stood up for his teammates, and was the first one to take the blame for the Sox going down 3-0 to the Yankees in the '04 ALCS. Oh yeah, he also helped the Boston Red Sox win their first World Series title in 86 years. EIGHTY-SIX years of heartbreak, of losing, erased in one single moment. Not because of one guy, not because of five guys, because of every player that donned a Red Sox uniform that season, including Johnny Damon.

Now assume for a minute that Johnny Damon had retired. Or assume that he had gone to "just any other team" like say, the Dodgers, or the Reds. There wouldn't be a single boo in Fenway Park. Boo Raffy Palmiero because he made you believe with all your heart that he never took steroids and then failed a drug test. Or boo a guy who doesn't care if the team wins or loses more than he cares about his next paycheck. But don't boo Johnny Damon. Get rid of your Damon memorabilia, burn his book, or turn your back on him when he's not playing in Fenway, but don't boo.

A lot of players have come through Boston over the years. Some have left good impressions, and some have left nothing but a bad taste. But all have left something, because Boston fans are anything but forgetful. Any Boston fan can vividly recall Fisk's homer just as easily as they can recall the ball going through Buckner's legs.

There are certain players in Boston that are remembered above all others. What do guys like Larry Legend, Roger Clemens and Cam Neely have in common? They were consummate professionals, and relentless competitors. Every game to them was game 7 in the finals. There was no such thing as a meaningless game, or taking a night off. Winning was at the top of the list. Sure they were making plenty of money, but when they were playing, it wasn't about that paycheck, it was about having more points on their side of the scoreboard than the other team had on theirs at the end of the game.

Sounds a lot like Damon huh? So when he stands at the plate for his first at bat Monday night, if you're among the lucky to have a ticket to the game, take a minute to stand, clap a couple of times, and send a few cheers his way if you're so inclined. Because regardless of what you might think of him now, regardless of what you believe about his choice to end up in New York, and regardless of the uniform he's wearing when he steps onto the field, he's earned it. Though his allegience might currently be elsewhere, wearing a Sox uniform for four years meant something to him, and in Boston, that should mean something to us.

Witch Hunt

2006-03-31T11:33:00.000-05:00

If you know me at all, you know that I dig Barry Bonds. I believe he's the best baseball player in the past 25 years. I believe he's a hall of famer, and I believe he's one of the top 5 players of all time. And I believe all fo this with, or without steroids. Here's the most simple fact for all the haters who wouldn't vote for him to get into the Hall of Fame: he hit his record breaking 73 home runs in 2001, so let's throw out the stats since then. At the end of the 2000 season he had 494 career home runs. At the end of the season he had 471 stolen bases. Now lets assume for a minute, that all of the steroid allegations are true. And lets assume for a minute that he didn't hit 73 home runs in 2001, and just continued on his regular career pace. He would still be the first and only person in baseball's 500/500 club. He is also one of three players ever to join the 40/40 club (1996). So anyone who believes that Barry Bonds was not a complete player, he was, and still is.

Even if you wipe out Bonds' stats from the last five seasons, he's still a Hall of Famer. I'm not sure what this witch hunt initiated by commissioner Bud Selig is trying to prove. It is a third party investigation. It is an investigation where players cannot be subpoenaed to testify. What exactly is it that baseball hopes to find out? But more importantly, what is it exactly that baseball plans on doing if they do indeed find something out?

Commissioner Selig did not once mention Barry Bonds' name in his press conference announcing the launch of the investigation yesterday. But that doesn't mean Barry wasn't the focus of the launch. The timing of the investigation should be questioned as much as intent. Why is it that everytime a book comes out, or everytime there is an outcry from the public that baseball feels they need to do something? Are they a puppet to the public? One has to question why a full investigation was not launched in 2002 when Ken Caminiti came out and talked about steroids. Why now? Why four years later?

Why not eight years ago? Everyone remembers the summer of '98 when Slammin' Sammy and Big Mac were going for Roger Maris' home run record. The country was on the proverbial edge of their seats. With each passing day in the summer, games not involving the Cardinals or Cubs were being interrupted everytime Sosa or McGuire came up to bat. But baseball didn't care then. That summer probably saved baseball in America. So MLB couldn't possibly turn up the heat on the juice then. But then what of the following three seasons where Sosa topped 60 home runs twice more? Before the '98 season, only two players had ever hit 60+ homers in a season (Babe Ruth and Roger Maris, each only once). Sammy Sosa does it three times in four years, and nobody raises an eyebrow? Nobody thinks to test him? Nobody thinks the insurgence of power in baseball is the least bit odd?

So now, a book comes out, accusing Bonds' of steroid use, and suddenly there's an investigation? Now I don't have first hand knowledge, Bud Selig is not my friend, so I couldn't tell you for sure that this book is the reason for the investigation. But nor am I a fool, and I can say with a good deal of conviction that the book clearly played a major role in the launch of the investigation. An investigation that is going to go back to September of 2002, with the authority given to George Mitchell to expand the investigation. On what grounds? That they find one player took steroids during '03? That they found 75 players took steroids?

Baseball didn't even start testing for performance enhancing drugs until 2003. And then they didn't penalize players for positive tests until 2004. I don't condone steroids, and if you ask me, I think baseball has dragged their feet on the issue. But how is an investigation that goes back four years fair? Now turn this around, say the investigation is partially successful, say they overturn evidence that 2-3 All-Star caliber players were using performance enhancing drugs in '02 and/or '03. Now what? What about the rest of the players that they cannot find anything on? What about the journeyman player who got one last contract because steroids helped pad his stats in '03, but we were unable to catch? What about the rookie that made it to "the show" because he was able to get through the non-existent testing?

The problem with the testing is not that I don't want to know who was cheating. By all means, those players should be made public, and they should be ashamed. But my problem is with the fairness. What if one team has preserved urine samples while another does not? Does that mean the 25 players from the team that does not keep samples are exempt? What if they find some key player like Bonds to be guilty? Do they stop then because one scapegoat is enough?

Jeff Horrigan of the Boston Herald said it best when he wrote, "I begrudge the era that tolerated this more than I begrudge the man. You can't wipe out the 90's." No, you can't. Not now. Not 8 years after the home run boom. Baseball messed up, the media messed up, and fans messed up when nobody stepped up to question the power surge. When nobody cared that massive men were jacking long balls all over the place. And now because a book comes out, Selig is trying to make someone else the scapegoat in his place.

So I say keep sluggin Barry. I can't definitively say he's on anything, nor can I or anyone else definitively say he ever was. The only person that probably gets tested more than Barry Bonds is Lance Armstrong. And correct me if I'm wrong, but neither has ever failed a drug test. Was Bonds on something? Its possible. But it is worth noting that men generally add bulk in their 30's. It's also worth noting that since the ban and all the testing started, Barry's remained the same size. Our current era has also seen the construction of bandboxes, or hitters ballparks like Minute Maid Park in Houston, or The Great American Ballpark in Cincinatti.

So show me a positive test belonging to Barry Bonds from his record breaking 2001 season. Show me a picture of Bonds with a needle in his rear. Show me some type of hard evidence rather than a wash out like Jose Canseco, or some author claiming dates and times that Bonds and other players took steroid injections. I'm sorry, but anyone could come out and claim that they saw someone getting injected with steroids. What is it that Selig could know now that he didn't know weeks or months ago? Probably nothing, besides the release of the book. And I hope the information remains nothing, and Selig's witch hunt turns out to be nothing more than that.

AL East Preview

2006-03-28T11:11:00.000-05:00

Fantasy draft day is upon me, I feel like a kid on Christmas day. What an exciting time. So, I figured since I'm not going to spend my time leading up to the draft to do my paper that is due tomorrow, I might as well preview the AL East. First, lets get some things out of the way as far as criteria goes. Age can, and will be factored in. Both youth inexperience, as well as veteran's with the possibility of breaking down. But unless your team is basing their success solely on the likes of Juan Gone or the Big Hurt, injuries will not be taken into consideration. I get it, people like Beckett and Burnett are injury prone, fine, but I can't predict if and when they will get hurt. And then someone like Halladay last year, taking a ball off the shin, complete freak accident. I'm not going to base predictions on Halladay possibly avoiding another bean ball off the shin.

New York Yankees (Division Champs)
Wins: 95-99
Positives: Derek Jeter is the best leader since Mark Messier. And A-rod and Mariano Rivera are the best in the league at their respective positions. Jason Giambi seems to have found his stroke again as well. This team has the ability and experience to win yet another AL East title. Joe Torre will again be the key should there be a losing streak to freak out the Boss. And not only is Johnny Damon one of the top lead-off hitters in the game, he's also not playing for Boston (or against the Yankees for 19 games) anymore.
Negatives: Outfield depth is far from an issue, but outfield defense could be. Matsui has been better than advertised defensively, but he's still no wiz. And neither Damon nor Sheffield can cover the amount of ground that they used to, plus, Damon's weak arm will be harder to hide in Yankee Stadium than it was in Fenway Park. There is also the question of whether the likes of Shawn Chacon and Aaron Small were one year wonders. Can Jaret Wright come back from injury? And Miguel Cairo is the only known back-up infielder on the team.
Outlook: I don't think they can win 100 games this year. The AL East has gotten much stronger, with the Blue Jays looking better than they have in over a decade. These teams will beat up on eachother all season long, and 100 wins will be tough to come by. I do think they have what it takes to win yet another AL East title though. Torre knows how to handle sticky situations. And contrary to what everyone has said in years past, Wang and Cano are two very nice prospects on the Yankees team that other teams will covet. Plus, is there any doubt that Steinbrenner will fork out the cash to bring in a missing piece at the deadline?

Boston Red Sox
Wins: 90-94
Positives: Youth. By far the best thing the Red Sox were able to do this offseason was to get younger in all areas. As beloved as guys like Kevin Millar and Bill Mueller were, they were no spring chickens. Not only were the offseason additions of Coco Crisp (26) and Josh Beckett (25) valuable on the field, they should hopefully be valuable for years to come. Spring training additions of Hee-Seop Choi (27) and Wily Mo Pena (24) added even more depth, and also gave the Sox two bright young outfielders under 30 years of age (Pena and Crisp). All of this was without having to give up the likes Craig Hansen, Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester and Manny Delcarmen.
Negatives: The middle infield and the outfield are covered as far as depth goes, but after that, the ship gets shaky. With Wakefield's personal catcher Doug Mirabelli on the West coast now, Varitek's back-up is in question. The corner infield is covered by Youkilis, who had only 79 AB's last year, Mike Lowell, who has had a dismal Spring, Choi, and JT Snow, who is on the downside of his career, to say the least. And all of the starters that everyone has been raving about suddenly seem mediocre at best if the team can't get 300 innings out of Foulke and Schilling.
Outlook: This is as close to a rebuilding year as it will get for a while with the infusion of young talent in the offseason. But with question marks as big as Schilling and Foulke, its hard to think that if the teams of '03-05 couldn't knock off the Yankees as division champs, the '06 version does not seem a likely choice either. However, they should still make a push at the division crown, and at the very least, make the playoffs as the Wild Card.

Toronto Blue Jays
Wins: 85-89
Positives: One of the busiest teams in the offseason suddenly looks like a contender. They added a flame throwing closer in BJ Ryan, a 40 HR threat at third in Troy Glaus, a good young first baseman in Lyle Overbay, and a pitcher with one of the best fastballs in baseball in AJ Burnett. With Roy Halladay healthy, their first three starters (Halliday, Burnett and Lilly) are as strong as any other team in the East.
Negatives: Regardless of all the hype, Burnett's career record is still a game under .500, there's no garantee he'll develop into the pitcher they paid for. There's also the issue of division alignment. If the Jays played in the NL West, they'd run away with the division, no questions asked. Unfortunately for them, they play in the AL East, which is even more competetive than American Idol.
Outlook: Its going to be a battle for the top three teams in the AL East this year. I don't expect the Jays to fade as much as they have in years past, but I don't expect them to be playing for the division in September. A Wild Card berth is not out of the question though.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Wins: 70-75
Positives: Rocco Baldelli is scheduled to return this season. With both he and Crawford roaming the outfield, I could pass as the third outfielder. Fortunately the Devil Rays don't have that problem as they have speedster Joey Gathright. Jorge Cantu is only 24 years old and can play both 2b and 3b, and they can always hope that Aubrey Huff will bounce back from a less than notable season last year.
Negatives: Scott Kazmir is their only really good pitcher, and he's still developing, though, this could be a breakthrough year for the young lefty. After that, Edwin Jackson shows promise, and then there's everyone else. Factor in a first year manager, and the fact that Sean Burroughs was their biggest pick up of the off season, and it is going to be yet another long summer in Tampa Bay. A positive is that you can always see the Sox or Yanks for cheap if you're willing to travel.
Outlook: The Rays won 67 games last season, but aren't quite ready to jump up another 10 wins this season. They (like the Jays) unfortunately have to play in the AL East where everyone just takes turns walloping on eachother. Still, the return of Baldelli is intriguing, although we'll have to wait and see what he can do after missing an entire season. At least Rays fans will get to watch the young Kazmir every five days.

Baltimore Orioles
Wins: 67-73
Positives: Miguel Tejada is still an Oriole, for now.
Negatives: Everything else.
Outlook: This seems so doom and gloom. And even though it might look it, I don't hate the Orioles. The problem is that Tejada wanted them to improve, and I think they've taken a step back instead. Millar will be a good clubhouse addition, but little else. They lost a top 5 closer in BJ Ryan. There isn't a single Ace on their staff, and Kris Benson is hardly even a #2. Javy Lopez is 35, and his knees can't take catching anymore. And Eric Byrnes was probably their best outfielder last year, and he's gone. Brian Roberts, Melvin Mora and Tejada certainly have their work cut out for them this year. Are they necessarily in worse shape than the Devil Rays? No. But they are certainly in worse shape than they were last year.

And there you have it. Pretty much same 'ol stuff, different season for the AL East. And I truly believe that the battle for 4th place will be just as close as the battle between the Yanks, Sox and Jays, albiet, not as exciting.

Preseason Awards

2006-03-01T16:51:00.000-05:00

Thankfully, its almost that time. Spring training games are in full swing starting this week, and the season opener is right around the corner. Oh, and there's that whole World Baseball Classic thing to hold us over until then, which could actually be entertaining to watch (minus the Little League-esque rule of calling the games after 14 innings). If I get around to it in the next few weeks, I'll come up with some team predictions for the season, if not for the whole MLB, maybe at least for the AL East. But anyways, we all know that with the exception of a select few players, individual awards are just as important.

AL MVP: David Ortiz - Boston Red Sox. Am I biased here? Yes. Am I delusional? No. Listen, we've heard the arguments before, he doesn't flash the leather, I get it. But Mo Vaughn wasn't exactly a Gold Glover when he won the MVP back in '95. In fact, Papi actually probably helps his team by DH'ing over playing the field. It keeps him fresh enough to play almost everyday, and the Sox don't have to deal with mediocre play at first place. So arguments in his favor? How about being one of the most feared hitters in baseball. How about being a lefty, where a lefty specialist isn't always your best option. How about being a fun-loving, mango salsa making, clubhouse guy. And mark my word, if Manny isn't a huge headache in Boston this season, Papi will be a large reason why. Honorable mention: Vladimir Guerrero - Angels, Alex Rodriguez - Yankees.

NL MVP: Albert Pujols - St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards still have what it takes to win the NL Central, but they won't do it without another great season from Pujols. Which, as he's proven over the past few years, is not far fetched. He held the lineup together last year with injuries to Scott Rolen, Larry Walker, Jim Edmonds and company. If he can do what he did last year without a supporting cast, there's no reason to believe he can't repeat the feat, hopefully with more help this year. Albert is clearly the elite hitter in the NL. Honorable mention: Andruw Jones - Braves, Derek Lee - Cubs.

AL Cy Young: Rich Harden - Oakland Athletics. This young A's team is shaping up. Run support for pitchers should be better this season than it was last year. As with any candidate for any award, health will be a main concern for the young Harden. Barry Zito has also looked good early on in spring training which should take some pressure off of Harden. His wicked fastball should allow him to continue striking out plenty of people, while getting his WHIP down again. In three pro seasons he has 355 K's in 392.1 innings, and his WHIP has dropped from 1.50 to 1.33 to a marvelous 1.06 last season. Honorable mention: Johan Santana - Twins.

NL Cy Young: Pedro Martinez - New York Mets. Until Pedro proves otherwise, he is still one of the best pitchers in the major leagues. People didn't think he'd be able to cope without a 98 MPH fastball, well guess what, he did. Toe injury or not, Pedro will be the best of the best again this season. And with the addition of Carlos Delgado, the maturation of Jose Reyes and David Wright, the pressure that should now be off of Carlos Beltran, oh, and a guy named Billy Wagner to close out the games and hopefully preserve some more wins, Pedro should finally get the team support to show the voters that only care about wins and losses that he is deserving of the honor. Honorable mentions go to: Jake Peavy - Padres, Ben Sheets - Brewers, Chris Carpenter - Cardinals.

AL ROY: Felix Hernandez - Seattle Mariners. Without a doubt the best young pitching prospect since the oft-injured Mark Prior. In 12 starts last year he went 4-4 with 77 K's in 84.1 innings pitched. He also held opponents to a .203 BAA and sported a flashy 1.00 WHIP. The future is getting brighter in Seattle, and now fans have something to get excited about every 5th day instead of just watching Ichiro slap his way to the single season hits record.* Oh, did I mention he'll turn 20 years old on April 8th?

NL ROY: Rickie Weeks - Milwaukee Brewers. The future is also bright in Milwaukee. Seriously. Ben Sheets should bounce back from a less than exciting season last year. And the young duo of Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder should finally get their shots to play everyday for a young team. With Carlos Lee in the lineup, at least until the trade deadline, expect these two young hitters to flourish without the pressure of playing in a city like Boston or New York. Honorable mention: Prince Fielder - Brewers, Ryan Zimmerman - Nationals.

AL Fireman of the year: Mariano Rivera - New York Yankees. Without question, the best closer in the history of baseball. Tell me he's only got one pitch, tell me he's getting old, tell me the Red Sox have gotten to him, and I'll point you to his 1.38 ERA and miniscule 0.87 WHIP from last season. Case closed. No need for honorable mentions.

NL Fireman of the year: Billy Wagner - New York Mets. Wagner still has one of the nastiest sliders in baseball. He's got a good set of starters ahead of him, and a lineup that can get him the ball with the lead. Honorable mention: Brad Lidge - Astros.

MLB comeback player of the year - Barry Bonds - San Francisco Giants. To quote 50 Cent:
Hate it or love it the under dog's on top
And I'm gon shine homie until my heart stop
Regardless of your feelings of Barry Bonds, he is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. If you look at his stats before his record breaking 73 home run season, his stats were still staggering. He would still have been the first (and only) member of the 500-500 club. Hate him because he's abrasive, hate him because he seems insincere, hate him because he allegedly took steroids, hate him because he's going to break Babe Ruth's, and possibly Hank Aaron's home run marks, or hate him because like Kobe says, people love him for the exact same reasons. You have no doubt seen the cross-dressing Bonds display from spring training earlier this week. Regardless of his intentions, this can only help his cause in a clubhouse people always argue is separated. If he gets any protection this season, and that knee holds up, Albert the Great might not be the NL MVP. Honorable mention: Ben Sheets - Brewers, Jim Thome - White Sox, Frank Thomas - A's.

There you have it. As if I wasn't already anxious enough for the season to start, thinking about all this baseball stuff isn't helping the situation. Flame me, post comments, agree or disagree, I always welcome other people's opinions, even if they're wrong. As always, I can be reached via email at bchcky@yahoo.com.

*With all due respect to Ichiro, he is not a great hitter. He is a great lead-off man. His record setting 262 hit season in '04 pales in comparison to the 1920 season of George Sisler, the previous record holder with 257 hits. To go along with his 257 hits, Sisler also had: 19 HR, 122 RBI, 42 SB, .407 BA, .632 SLG, and a .449 OBP, which dwarfs every number Ichiro put up in the same categories in his record setting season: 8 HR, 60 RBI, 36 SB, .372 BA, .455 SLG and a .414 OBP. Is Ichiro the new record holder for single season hits? Yes. Complete like Sisler? No. Remember, most does not always equal best, just ask Emmitt Smith.

Twist

2006-02-10T10:23:00.000-05:00

Now pretend for a moment that you don't despise Johnny Damon. Pretend for a moment that you did not see the other rendition of this ad on DirtDogs with the S's replaced by $'s. Well in that case, beautiful send off right? Not exactly.

Its more of an insincere apology for shooting his way out of town, and then turning around and shooting again once he was out. Its the proverbial twist of the knife in an open wound. Now don't get me wrong, I'm excited about Coco Crisp. I even like the way this Red Sox team is shaping up. But before all this debauchery surrounding Jonny Damon, I actually wouldn't have minded seeing him return (for less than 4 years and $52 million of course) to the Sox.

But since he did shoot his way out of town, and then try to recruit Manny and Big Papi to the Yankees, he can take his full page ad and... do whatever he'd like with it. I'm certainly not going to rush to the news stand to pick one up (albiet I am a day late). I think perhaps the saddest thing about this ad was that it is so basic, and so simplistic that Damon might have actually written this himself.

"It was a privilege and an honor." Please, that's something you would say after serving for General Patton, or some half-assed send off to a high class escort. Take it from my boy Drew Bledsoe here about a heartfelt thank you. A thank you is more than just signing your name to a boneheaded quote.

The problem is that some players just don't get it. They don't get it like Orlando Cabrera got it when he came to Boston. After playing the start of his career in Montreal where maybe 2,500 people showed up for the game, coming to Boston was like culture shock. It was like putting a fat kid in front of an all-you-can-eat buffet and suddenly it hits him, this is what I've been missing. Boston is what it feels like to play in front of fans that care. Boston is what it feels like to not sit in front of an empty seat. Boston fans boo and hiss and cheer because they like you. Sometimes they boo and hiss and cheer at you all in the same at bat, but either way, its because they care. Trust me, I didn't waste my time booing Ramiro Mendoza. He was a spy, or a bad pitcher, perhaps even a blend of the two. He sucked, I get it, why waste my breath booing him and risk spilling my beer about something we all know?

Boston appreciates players like Curt Schilling. We appreciate him because he talks to the reporters, and runs his mouth about computer games and politics, and nobody cares, because when the game is on the line, he comes through. We like him because he didn't just want to come here to win another ring, he wanted to come here to drive away 86 years of agony. And of course, we like that bloody sock. We like Jason Varitek because he broke his elbow diving for a routine and meaningless foul ball. We like him because he plays everyday he's allowed to, and never says a word. We like him because he never throws someone under the bus after a crushing defeat, but he's the first to praise someone else after a good win.

Johnny Damon crossed the line. And I'm not even talking about state lines, I hope he has fun in his pinstripes. He crossed the line with fans. He crossed the line with a city. Its not about the money he decided to take. Its about the lack of respect for where he came from. He can bad mouth the Sox all he wants from here on out, but nobody will ever forget his performance in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS at Yankee Stadium.

Listen, you're in New York, you've got your money from the Boss, and you've got your Ferrari from Puma, enjoy it. Thats all. We don't want your full page, half-assed ads. And we certainly don't need you filling Manny's head with any ideas that don't involve hitting a baseball. When you leave New York in 4 years, if its for a destination other than retirement, you should take a look at Drew's ad. Take a look and steal some ideas for your farewell to New York. Ideas that involve building a team, and feeling like you and the city both got something good out of the deal. A realizaton that no matter how quickly the 4 years went by, you couldn't help but take a little bit of the city with you. Even if you hate that place, and you want out so bad you can taste it like a frat pledge and his first kegstand, at least pretend it wasn't that bad. At least have some class, and decency. Just because you had girly hair doesn't mean you can't be classy.

Vin-sanity!

2006-01-05T00:33:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday night at the Rose Bowl there were 3 Heisman finalists on the field, 2 Heisman winners, 2 undefeated teams with storied pasts, and 1 dominating performance. Texas quarterback Vince Young looked like a man playing with boys on Wednesday night. On fire? Please. On fire doesn't do his performance justice. Young started the night going 10/10 on passing attempts to finish 30/40 for 267 yards through the air. That alone is not a bad ball game, no interceptions, 75% passing, I'll take that on my team anyday.

But when Texas needed a big play, Vin-sanity was there. And much to USC's dismay, so were his legs. With three second half rushing touchdowns and a 10.5 yard per carry average for 200 yards, Young was all the Longhorns would need for their first national title in 35 years.

Young was cool under pressure all night long. Dancing on the sidelines throughout the game, he kept his team loose. And when they were down, and needed a play, he always seemed to call the right number, his own. Down a point in the third quarter, Young stiff-armed USC safety Josh Pinkard to the ground en route to a 14 yard touchdown scamper to regain the lead.

When Texas finally got the ball back in the fourth quarter, the burnt orange section in the stands of Pasadena was as quiet as a mouse. And why not? They were down 38-26 and USC had scored on 5 consecutive possessions. It seemed that the Heisman voters were right, and Reggie Bush would indeed get his three-peat. Enter Vince Young.

Winners always want the ball in their hands when the game is on the line. And whether it was his call, or coach Mack Brown's, #10 made sure the ball stayed where it was safe, gripped firmly in his right hand. Looking to throw Young couldn't find anything he liked, except for a huge running lane to the end zone with his name on it. A pump fake and 17 yards later, and suddenly Texas was only down 38-33.

Call it cocky, call it swagger, but in the end, there was only one thing that mattered about USC's 4th and 1 attempt, it was short. Time again, for #10 to shine. And think about the finish. Fourth and 5 on the 8 yard line, 0:26 seconds left, down 5 points, and oh yeah, the national title on the line. For Mack Brown and the rest of the Longhorns, In Vince We Trust pretty much sums up the game. According to Young after the game, he took his three reads on that 4th and 5, and immediately he knew, it was all on him. His third rushing touchdown of the night capped off a dominating performance, and sealed Texas' fourth national title.

The Heisman voters were right. Reggie Bush was the most outstanding player in college football this year. Lucky for him, bowl season doesn't count in the voting. Vince left New York clearly dejected by the margin by which he lost the Heisman to Bush. But on January 4th, #10 was twice as nice as #5 in more ways than one.

Moving Sale (Soul Pending)

2005-12-20T23:09:00.000-05:00

Breaking news on Tuesday night tabbed former Red Sox center- fielder Johnny Damon as the newest member of the New York Yankees. At first I thought Say it Ain't So would have made a good name for this article, but then I saw the numbers for the deal. Damon has reportedly agreed to a 4 year, $52 million deal with the Yankees, as opposed to the 4 years and $40 million that the Red Sox offered, and now I think that Good Riddance Benedict Arnold might have been the ideal title.

Now, let's straighten something out, as common folk. And I use the words common folk in the nicest way possible because I highly doubt the likes of Bill Gates and Tiger Woods read what I write. It IS about the money. It's probably also about sticking it to the Red Sox a little bit too. Ok, a lot. But it's really about the money. I swear. Remember back to the days before everyone realized what a prissy prima donna A-rod was? When he first signed that outrageous $252 million deal with the Rangers. And then he was introduced as a Ranger in a press conference and his first line was "the first thing that I want to say is that it's not about the money." Yeah, he was lying.

Now, you might be wondering to yourself, if I were already a millionare, what could I possibly do with another $52 million that I couldn't do with $40 million? Probably not a whole lot. But let us not forget pride and ego here as well. To an athlete that makes millions, being able to say that they make $13 million a year as opposed to $10 million is like one of us telling our friends that we make $120k a year instead of $70k. Both comfortable livings in their own right, but one sounds nicer, and also accrues more interest. Putting yourself in Johnny Damon's shoes from a financial standpoint is like comparing apples to oranges, it is not going to work, and it isn't worth the headache. We don't know what its like to decide between million dollar contracts, and he doesn't remember what its like to have to mortgage a house, instead of buying it outright, so don't even try.

Honestly though, the toughest part in this deal is not the fact that he's going to the Evil Empire. Does it add salt to the wound? Yeah I guess so. But strangely enough, that is not my issue with Damon signing in New York. It's the fact that Johnny Damon will no longer be able to be Johnny Damon. The long locks will no longer flow. And naked pull-ups in the locker room probably won't fly anymore either.

For the original "idiot" of the Red Sox and the the "rock star" of the team, with his wavy locks, which also garnered him nicknames like "Jesus," those Yankee pinstripes might end up feeling more like prison stripes to him. But then, that's probably what it feels like when you sell your soul to the devil. And this is officially what it feels like when you're amongst a sell out. Damon released a book entitled Idiot! before the last season. In it he describes how he used to train for the season by running after cars that drove through his neighborhood and seeing how long he could keep up with them. Now, I never read the book, but I'm sure it also mentioned how he was the one that kept the clubhouse loose, and how he was the fun one. Well Mr. Damon, I'm sorry to say that there is no fun allowed in New York. If you thought fans in Boston were demanding, wait until that first losing streak in the Bronx.

Wait until you're battling for the spotlight in NYC. When Damon first came to Boston he came here because he could be noticed. He said in so many interviews that he liked the idea of being a star, he wanted to be in the spotlight. Which ended up being fine. Before parting ways we found out how Nomar really felt about the media. We know Manny wants nothing to do with it. And though he seems so in control on the field, the rock behind the plate would just assume stay out of the media. And it's not as if Curt relishes the media more than everyone, he simply embraces it, he loves being opinionated, and thats fine, as long as you realize that you don't have to follow everything he says. The only person in Boston that Damon really had to fight for limelight with what the charismatic David Ortiz. In New York however, there are a few people that Yankee fans like to call Jeter, A-rod, Shef, Mo, Giambi etc. The point is that Damon will soon realize that he is far from the top of the totem pole in NY.

How do you separate yourself in NY? It's going to be hard winning fans over by making weak throws from the cavernous depths of centerfield at Yankee Stadium. It's probably not the easiest thing to make a mark when you're no longer one of the top three hitters on your team, in fact, Damon might not even be in the top five in the Yankee lineup (unless we exclude guys on steroids).

The problem is that the fans in Boston loved Damon for who he made them believe he was. They loved him for the rock star they believed he was. They loved him for being the Jesus reincarnate when he hit two homers and drove in six in game seven of the 2004 ALCS. They loved him for shaving his beard for charity, and they loved him for being an idiot. And then someone blew the marketing scheme and allowed him to talk.

Immediately following the season ending loss to the White Sox this past October Damon said, "You need someone who can put people in the seats and I'm the kind of guy who can do that. I'm looking for five plus. I'm looking for a lot. For what I bring to the table night in and night out. We know how good Manny and David are, but I also help make them look real good. They make me look real good." This is immediately following the team's elimination and the only thing you could think about was...you? I can't say I didn't see Damon leaving the Sox this offseason. I just didn't think he'd be selling out and going to the Yankees. I guess I actually believed him when he said "I could never play for the Yankees" before the start of the '05 season. I guess I was the idiot for believing that one.

It hasn't taken Damon long to start drinking the New York Kool-Aid either. Right after the story broke, Damon had this to say to Boston media, "We're going to be tough to beat...Our policy with the Yankees is to go out there and win...Our job is to try to win another American League East title and hopefully we can go back to the World Series and bring another championship." The truth is, Damon does make them tough to beat. But seeing Damon sell out is even tougher to swallow. After Damon was asked if he'd cut his hair and beard he replied, "Without a doubt. Mr. Steinbrenner has a policy and I'm going to stick to it." So let me get this right, you were an idiot, you were a crazy clubhouse guy and supposed great teammate. And you cowboyed right up with Kevin Millar in '03, but you wouldn't shave you head then, when everyone else on the team did. Everyone else on the team shaved their head, as a team building thing, and you wouldn't do it because you said "I have to still look good for the ladies." But Mr. Steinbrenner has his no personalities allowed rule, and you're going to stick to it now. No more beard. No more hair. No more caveman. No more rock star. For all intents and purposes, no more Johnny Damon. Nobody is above selling out, everyone has their price, and apparently Johnny Damon's is $12 million.

Daily Quickie

2005-12-18T03:57:00.000-05:00

Actually, the title is a lie. This is not going to be a daily thing as most of you could probably tell if you look at the time gaps in my archive. I have a hard enough taking care of myself on a daily basis, let alone sitting down to write something once a day for your infinite enjoyment. But alas, Daily Quickie sounds better than just Quickie. So deal with it. Without further ado, here are a few things I want to get out there in short, cause I don't have the patience for a full article right now.

Farewell Mr. Mueller
Thank you for being a consummate professional for the past three years. Thank you for teaching us that Mueller, is pronounced mil-ler and not buel-ler. Thank you for for hitting .429 en route to the first Red Sox World Series title in 86 years. Thank you for making great digs at the hot corner. Thank you for moving to second when Mark Bellhorn was hurt, even though you didn't feel comfortable. Thank you for performing above your contract. In a town where it's hard for a baseball player to fly under the radar, you just might have done so. But we won't forget the batting title and flashy defense. Good luck in La-La Land, and say hello to Derek Lowe for us.

Hello Playoffs
For the fourth time in five years, the New England Patriots are the AFC East champions, and playoff bound. The only people who didn't think it was possible were the yuppies who picked the Bucs from ESPN. Not only did the Pats win today, they destroyed the Buccaneers, holding them to 138 total yards. Its time now for the bandwagon to slow down so that all of the doubters can jump back on, at least for the next two weeks when they face the Jets and Dolphins. Then when its playoff time, people can start doubting them again. As for me, In Belichick I Trust.

What the!?!?
Let me get this straight, Andy Marte is probably the brightest young third base talent in all of baseball. The Sox gave up Renteria and are still paying for him in order to land Marte. Now, they're thinking of packaging him up with Guillermo Mota and shipping them off to Cleveland for Coco Crisp? Don't get me wrong, Crisp is a good young (26) player, and would definitely be good insurance in the instance that Damon or Manny are not playing for the Sox next year, but this deal just does not make sense. I hope these rumblings are just that, and nothing more.

Can a GM fire...himself??
Ok, so its not the coach's fault. Maybe we'll trade one of the 5 best players in the world away to the Sharks for an above average defenseman and some throw-ins. The Joe Thornton trade was like reaching into the bin for a grab bag, it could turn out alright, cause it was cheap, but more than likely, you're going to be disappointed. Though Mike O'Connell stands by his moves, I just wish he'd stand by them somewhere other than in the Bruins front office.

This just in: The BCS....Worked?
Thank teams like Louisville, Michigan and VaTech for losing games they could/should have won. But this year the BCS got it right. The top two teams in the country will actually be playing for the national title this year. But not only that, the computers and the humans both agreed on who the top two teams were. Who says computers can't be trusted?

So, there you have it. Short and sweet. Just a few things I had to get off my chest. Oh, and get your TV lineups ready because bowl season is upon us, and the commercials don't lie when they sing Its the most wonderful time of the year. Except for the part where FSU backed their way into the ACC title game and screwed Boston College into an irrelevant bowl. Whatever, the Eagles still have the nation's longest bowl winning streak with 5 in a row.

Why Can't We Just Leave Donovan Alone?

2005-12-16T02:19:00.000-05:00

First Eagles fans booed when the team drafted McNabb over Ricky Williams. Then Rush Limbaugh. Then Freddy Mitchell. Then TO. Then TO again. Now J. Whyatt Mondesire. So who is Mr. Mondesire? Besides the latest McNabb basher, he is the president of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP. In his column that was published in the Philadelphia Sunday Sun, he wrote, "by claiming that everybody expects black quarterbacks to scramble not only amounts to a breach of faith but also belittles the real struggles of black athletes who've had to overcome real racial stereotypcasting in addition to downright segregation."

The Philadelphia Eagles were a doormat team before Donovan joined them. And all he's done since leaving Syracuse is go to four Pro Bowls and lead the team to four straight NFC championship games, and one Super Bowl. It seems to me that the only person in the city of brotherly love that can't get any love is Donovan McNabb. According to Rush Limbaugh all of these things, along with his gaudy statistics mean only one thing, McNabb is overrated, because he's black.

According to Freddy Mitchell and TO, he gave up in the Super Bowl. Now, I wasn't in the huddle on the last drive, and I can buy that he might have been tired, but that can hardly be the reason that they lost the Super Bowl. Let us not forget, this is the same player that threw four TD passes in a game after he broke his leg a season before.

And now Mr. Mondesire has blessed us with the latest tabloid material for McNabb. Right, McNabb is belittling black athletes by saying that people expect black quarterbacks to run the ball. When is the last time that you saw Peyton Manning or Carson Palmer reel off a 50 yard run? It is by no means racial to make a generalization that the majority of good running quarterbacks are black. Is it coincidence? Maybe. Is it biological? Possibly. Is it ignorant to say? Not exactly, its true.

This guy played the first nine games this season with a sports hernia, bum leg and a bruised chest before he was forced to finish out the season on the IR list. So if anyone is entitled to do a little bit of questioning in Philadelphia, it is their four time Pro Bowler quarterback. Only problem is, he's too nice of a guy to say anything back. What does a poor guy have to do in Philly to get a little bit of appreciation? Actually, I'm sure he could do without verbal praise, as long as people would stop choosing him to throw under the bus without provocation. At least the NAACP president Bruce Gordon got it right when he responded to Mondesire's comments by simply stating, "the NAACP has many civil rights issues that require our attention, criticizing Donovan McNabb is not one of them." Now if only everyone else would find someone else to pick on.

Winners and Losers

2005-12-08T18:00:00.000-05:00

With baseball's Winter meetings winding down, there have been winners, and there have been losers. Here are some of the biggest in each category:

Mets - winners - Funny as that may sound, the Metropolitans are looking up. Sure they lost one of the best hitting catchers in the history of the game, but they have made some good signings. Perhaps the most notable being the flame-throwing lefty Billy Wagner, who many had tabbed to remain with the Phillies. He will add stability to an otherwise shaky bullpen, allowing them to move hot and cold closer Braden Looper into the set up roll. The addition of Carlos Delgado also bring in a powerful left handed bat, and gives them one of the best set of corner infielders in the business. With the addition of Xavier Nady, the Mets also have some good young talent to go with Jose Reyes (and Wright). And let's not forget the signings from last year, Carlos Beltran cannot possibly do as bad again this year, can he? With all that said, its still going to be a battle for the Wild Card for the Mets, because if you read anything I write, last year was the year to knock off the Braves in the NL East.

Red Sox - winners - No Theo? No problem. At least so far. Someone is pulling strings, and I like it so far. Andy Marte for Edgar Renteria? Brilliant. A young 22 year old third baseman that should grow into a stud for years to come, in return for a disgruntled (though not disruptive), overpaid shortstop, who frankly, wasn't all he was hyped up to be. Beckett, Lowell and Mota for Hanley Ramirez, Anibel Sanchez, and another prospect? Brilliant. Health permitting, the young Beckett has all the makings of an ace. And as seen in game 6 of the '03 World Series at Yankee Stadium on three days of rest, the moxie of an ace as well. Mota adds depth to a young, and often patchwork bullpen. And Mike Lowell might be in the best situation in the majors. He's making big bucks, and there are absolutely no expectations for him to do anything this year. He was essentially a throw in in the trade, a piece the Sox had to take on in order to get Beckett. So the Sox took him, knowing at worst they were getting a Gold Glove third baseman, but also knowing that bringing him to Fenway, with that short left field porch, Lowell could rediscover his power stroke again. So just how good does he have it? If he hits .250 with 10 homers, nobody will bat an eye, but if he suddenly hits .275, 25 homers, and drives in 80 (which are all well within his career averages), he'll be a Godsend. Throw in Mark Loretta, a promising young second baseman, and suddenly losing Theo doesn't seem like the crisis it once was in Boston. They gave up an aging back up catcher, who played at most once every five days, for a young talented middle infielder. And don't get me wrong, Mirabelli was no slouch, but he was still a back up. And the Red Sox group of GM's also made a wise PR move by talking to Tim Wakefield before trading away his personal catcher. And besides, how could a team be a loser when they didn't lose Manny Ramirez? Man-ram, is not getting traded. They couldn't give him away last offseason, and they couldn't trade him this past season to teams that could clearly have used a mighty right handed bat in their lineup in the midst of a playoff race. Manny will play for the Sox next year, or he won't play.

Yankees - sleeping giant - No major moves from the Yankees. Surprising? Not really. They're still targeting plenty of free agents. The fact is that the Winter meetings have traditionally been more for trades, not so much free agent signings, and the Yankees just don't have the chips to trade. But make no mistake, even though they reportedly lost money last year, Steinbrenner will not stand pat this offseason. Look for some big moves down the line to add a few more bats to an already potent lineup.

Philadelphia - losers - Billy Wagner? Gone. Jim Thome? Gone. Granted, young phenom Ryan Howard looks to be the real deal and is ready to take over for Thome, but the Wagner loss is huge. The Phillies main concern is pitching, and the loss of one of the best closers in baseball. There were a few rumored deals, the most notable sending Bobby Abreu to the Red Sox in return for Matt Clement and Trot Nixon, but that never happened. With big free agent pitching names already signing (Kenny Rogers, AJ Burnett, Wagner, BJ Ryan), the Phillies are back to the drawing board to hook up some pitching for the upcoming season. I don't see them swooning Kevin Millwood back to the city of brotherly love, but with the Nationals making deals as well, I do see another long and heartbreaking summer for Phillies fans.

Rangers - losers - God that young lineup is good. But for some reason the poor Rangers just can't draw pitching to the lonestar state. They lost out on the bidding for Kenny Rogers, though I'm not sure how interested they were in him. And the market out there for 2nd baseman Alfonso Soriano just wasn't what they thought it would be. Texas was hoping for pitching, they ended up with Brad Wilkerson, Terrmel Sledge and a pitching prospect, hardly immediate big league help for a team desperate for pitching. While they're still looking for pitching, perhaps trying to turn around and trade some combination of Wilkerson, Laynce Nix or even Hank Blalock (gaining interest from the Twins), the market is not going to get any easier from here on out.

Blue Jays - biggest spenders - You can laugh if you want to, but the Blue Jays aren't laughing. They've got the money to spend, and they're doing it. The problem with teams who have been cellar dwellers in their respective divisions for years is that they have to overspend. Just look at how much money the Tigers gave Magglio Ordonez and Troy Percival last year. The Blue Jays are closing the gap on the Sox and Yankees, and it's closing fast. The Jays have catapulted themselves into a possible 90 wins. And, as ESPN's Peter Gammons reported, if the Yankees and Red Sox end up dropping to the 93-95 win range, anything can happen.

Marlins - losers - The biggest losers here would actually be the Marlins fans. Firesales are never fun, unless your team is reaping the benefits (see Josh Beckett). What is poor Dontrelle Willis to do? We know he can hit, but I'm not sure he can play all 9 positions as former teammate AJ Burnett suggested. So, firesale of the team, raising ticket prices for individual games, and no refunds offered to irate season ticket holders, what a mess in South Florida. In all fairness, ownership is not in the easiest of situations in Florida, part of the reasons they have asked MLB for permission to scout out new locations for the team. So the fans won't go to the games anyways, but they get mad when the team trades away all their big contracts, it seems that in this battle, nobody is right, and everybody is a loser in the end.

Kenny Rogers - winner - Perhaps the biggest winner of the Winter meetings was the 41 year old lefty. Sure there are arms over 40 that can still hurl it with the best of them, but Rogers is no Rocket or Big Unit. I'm not sure which part of the deal is more surprising, the two years he was given, or the $16 million he will be given. Either way, Rogers should be smiling from ear to ear about the contract that he just got from the tigers.

White Sox - winners - Sometimes teams that win a championship make the mistake of thinking that they won it this year, why can't this same team win it next year? Because everyone else is getting better around you, thats why. The addition of Jim Thome as a DH will add some much needed protection to the lineup for Paul Konerko, who they luckily retained through free agency. The pitching is still there, and maybe one or two moves makes the White Sox the team to beat in the AL Central for another year.

And the winners are...

2005-11-08T21:05:00.000-05:00

In a few days we'll know how everyone in the Baseball Writer's Association (BBWA) voted for this year's Major League Baseball awards. But I'm going to let you in on a little secret, I'm going to let you know who the real winners should be. The BBWA works sort of like the Academy, rewarding people for past accomplishments. Nobody doubts Denzel Washington has been an Academy Award winning actor, but most wouldn't list his role in Training Day as his finest. In the same respect, Alex Rodriguez has had some magnificent, MVP-caliber seasons, but 2003 was far from his best. So without further ado, here are this season's baseball awards, based on, well, this season:

AL MVP
Big Papi. Enough said.

NL MVP
Andruw Jones. Albert Pujols had a phenomenal season, as usual, and one day, he'll probably start racking up the MVP awards. But not for this season. Sorry to fans of teams in the NL East not named the Atlanta Braves, but this was your season to overtake the division crown. Unforunately for them, Jones realized this. He realized that they had one solid pitcher all season, he realized that they had to play a lot of the season without All-Star third baseman Chipper Jones, and he realized that even the Braves' own fans would have a hard time naming their starting line up with all the youngsters that filled it out. So what did Andruw Jones do with that knowledge? He picked the Braves up when they were down, and he carried them on his back into the playoffs. Pujols was great, but his team got the pitching, and the team around him was far better than the one surrounding Jones. Don't worry Cards fans, he'll get his soon enough.

AL Cy Young
Mariano Rivera. Without question the best pitcher in the AL this past season. I don't buy into the whole notion that a closer isn't worth of the Cy. And as a Red Sox fan, I get to see my team face Rivera more than I'd really like to. Rivera's stats after his first series of the season were nothing short of remarkable, and it makes me appreciate the fact that the Sox were actually able to get to him in the playoffs last year that much more. Colon had the wins, but little more, Buehrle, Garland and Santana all had the ERA and innings, but they lacked the wins. Rivera had the saves, the record, and the ERA to earn himself a Cy Young award this season.

NL Cy Young
Chris Carpenter. With a phenomenal start to the season, this youngster had the Cy Young locked up before his September woes. He finished the season 5th in ERA, and 2nd in innings pitched, wins and strikeouts. Sure the Rocket didn't get quite the run support, but he also pitched 30.1 less innings than Carpenter. And while the D-train finished with one more win than Carpenter, he didn't have to do it as the ace of the staff (though he might have become the ace) as Carpenter did.

AL ROY
Huston Street. Apparently losing Octavio Dotel for the season wasn't as bad for the A's as was originally thought. The A's young gun fired his way to 23 saves with a remarkable ERA of 1.71 and even better 1.01 WHIP. Everyone thought Beane was a lunatic when he traded away Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson last offseason, but apparently that lunatic knew what he was doing. At a mere 22 years of age, this flame-throwing rookie should be a force for years to come.

NL ROY
Ryan Howard. Jim Thome has been a fan favorite in Cleveland and in Philly. But young guys like Travis Hafner and Ryan Howard are making a habit of replacing him. Braves' rookie Jeff Francoeur made a good first impression, but faded down the stretch. While Phil's rookie sensation Ryan Howard mashed 22 homers and drove in 63 in only 88 games this season. Thome has again become a tradeable commodity.

AL Manager of the Year
Eric Wedge. With all due respect to Ozzie Guillen, we must not forget that post season accolades are not included in the voting for the award. Clearly, the winner should come out of the Central no matter who it is. And while nobody picked the White Sox to do what they did this year, even fewer expected the Indians to be competing for a playoff spot in the final series of the season. The Indians' coach brought the youngsters together and created a force to be reckoned with. In order for the White Sox to even consider a repeat next season, their real battle is going to be with the young Indians team next season.

NL Manager of the Year
Bobby Cox. See the above statement about this year being the missed opportunity for teams not named the Braves to try to win the NL East. Granted he's only got one World Series title to show for it, but the fact that the Braves are there year after year is amazing. What is even more amazing is the way in which he does it. With such a dominant staff in Atlanta for so many years, Cox has kept the streak alive recently with hitting, good rookie play, and a bit of magic.

What did he say?

2005-11-04T01:24:00.000-05:00

Now before everyone jumps down TO's throat for opening his mouth yet again, there might actually be some merit to what he said. But then again, he probably shouldn't have opened his mouth either. ESPN analyst Michael Irvin recently stated that he thought the Eagles could be undefeated right now if Brett Favre was their starting quarterback. When asked in a recent exclusive interview, TO replied "That's a good assessment, I would agree with that just with what [Favre] brings to the table."

So McNabb has been plagued by the injury bug this year. He's suffering from a bruised chest and shin, and has also been playing with a sports hernia since week 1. There have been times in the past where players have had to swallow their warrior-like mentality and sit rather than hurting their team's chances of winning by playing (McNair), but the truth is that there isn't a better realistic option for the Eagles at this point of the season than a hurt McNabb.

A wise man once said, "there are two guys you don't go after on the football team, the quarterback, and the 'ol ball coach." Though TO has yet to go after coach Andy Reid, he's sure made a habit of saying some uncomfortable things about McNabb. I mean, lets think about this for a second, when healthy, McNabb is a lock as one of the top 5 quarterbacks in the league. But even hurt, he's played well enough recently too.

The team has bigger issues than Donovan's health. Two weeks ago, McNabb made a career high 54 pass attempts. I'm sorry, but you know your QB is hurt, the other team knows your QB is hurt, hell, everyone knows Donovan is playing hurt, yet you put the game in his arm 54 plays in one game? Ever heard of a running game? For a guy who is supposed to be one of the prolific receivers in the game, you'd think he'd be doing a little bit more when the passing game comes up on offense 70% of the time as opposed to the 30% of the plays that go for runs. Donovan threw the ball 54 times, and all you could come up with was 7 catches for 53 yards? Clearly, McNabb is not the only issue.

Its not like TO catches everything thrown his way. There has been more than one game this season when he's caught fewer balls than he has missed or dropped. Randy Moss doesn't drop balls. Steve Smith doesn't drop balls. Its hard to ignore the fact that TO is quick to point the finger at someone else, while never taking any part of the blame. It wasn't the great team effort, or even marvelous individual effort that he made last year in the Superbowl that he was talking about when they almost pulled off the victory. It was Donovan botching it in the closing drive, faltering in the waning seconds of the game that TO decided to talk about instead.

Brett Favre is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, one of the toughest, and an all-around nice guy. But he's not going to be suiting up for the Eagles anytime soon, so don't worry about it. Rodney Harrison is not going to return to shore up the Patriots secondary. And as fun as it might be to see, LaDanian Tomlinson is not going to be suiting up in a Colts uniform anytime soon. Speculations and what-ifs are best left up to the media and analysts, not to the players like TO. Though Peyton once referred to him as their "idiot kicker," I'm sure he's just fine with Vanderjagt being their kicker. Can you imagine the outrage that would have been had Peyton instead said, "Well, if we had Adam Vinatieri instead, I'm sure we would have won the Superbowl by now."

It seems that TO is the only person in the league that doesn't believe in team chemistry. In New England, everyone is accustomed to the phrase "its just Manny being Manny," but Manny doesn't throw teammates under the bus. People defend their teammates on a weekly basis against comments from other coaches or other team players. And in the brotherhood of the NFL, sometimes players even compliment players from another team. Just last week when asked about Tedy Bruschi's return, former teammate, and current division rival (Buffalo Bills) Lawyer Malloy said "If anyone can do it, it's Tedy Bruschi."

But wait, there's more. TO also criticized the Eagles organization on Thursday. In last Sunday's game, TO caught the 100th TD pass of his career. But *ghast* the Eagles didn't celebrate it. Owens said "if it were anyone else they would have shot off fireworks." He further criticized the organization because "they consider themselves one of the classiest organizations," but what? They didn't set off fireworks for your 100th career touchdown? Please, have some class yourself.

Maybe TO should take a page from one of the NFL's positive poster children. When Peyton Manning broke Dan Marino's single season passing touchdown mark last year, it was all business. Stokley gave him the ball on the sideline, there was possibly a bit more cheering than usual, but it was afterall the middle of a football game. Or consider the game he played the week before that. Colts ball in the red zone against the Ravens in the waning moments of the game. The home crowd of Indianapolis booed when Manning took a knee with the game in hand rather than going for the record setting touchdown pass. When asked about it after the game, he simply replied "thats how you play the game." And right he was. You don't run up the score on an opponent when the game is already won simply so you can set a record. Nor should you stop the game for your 100th career touchdown reception. Its not a record, and you're not even the active leader. Take the ball, give it to your mother, and get ready for the next offensive series. Talk to me when the Eagles organization remains dormant when you break a Jerry Rice record and maybe I'll listen then.

I'm sick of TO getting a free pass for everything that he says. Shut up and play football. Yes, you are a great receiver. Yes, you are one of the best in the game. Yes, you are a physical speicman that few are capable of covering. And yes, you are a clubhouse cancer. Though, with all the negative, I must admit, there is one TO quote that I actually enjoy. Following his sharpie debacle, TO said in the December '02 issue of ESPN The Magazine, "Guys are beating their wives, getting DUIs and doing drugs, and I get national attention for a SHARPIE?" At first I was dumbfounded, thinking, hey, this guy is right. There are much more important things out there than being a blow hard on the football field. If the guy wants to play ball with a sharpie stuck down his sock, fine by me. But the more I think about it, I realize the truth. TO brings it upon himself. He's such a whore for the media. He loves it, he can't get enough of it. And if he can't be front page simply for his antics after he scores a touchdown, he'll find a reason to be on the front page. So on second thought, jump down his throat.

Before You go to Jail...

2005-10-23T17:54:00.000-05:00

This past Tuesday in Oklahoma City, Eric James Torpy was sentenced to 30 years in prison for shooting with intent to kill and robbery. Torpy was unhappy with his sentence, but not for reasons you might think. He asked the judge to extend his sentence to 33 years instead of 30 because if he was going down, "he was going to go down in Larry Bird's number."

Now I'm a die-hard Boston sports fan, and even though basketball is not exactly my forte, everybody here knows and appreciates Larry Legend. While I understand his reasoning behind wanting to go down with the Legend's number, I'm not sure he picked the right Celtic great. Robert Parrish's 00 might have been a better request to the judge, even though he probably would not have been as accomodating as he was with the Larry Bird request.

But anyways, God Bless America. These are the events which make this country so great. And these are the events that get my brain turning. Because after all, I'd like to be prepared if I were ever faced with this situation. So here it is, the 5 sports players I would like my prison sentence to match:

1. Robert Gordon Orr (#4) - After pointing out the stupidity of Torpy for requesting more years on his prison sentence than he was already given, I figured its only right to start at the opposite end of the spectrum. From his graceful aerial acrobatics and end to end rushes, to his one man penalty killing, #4 revolutionized the game of hockey. While he still might only rank as the second best player of all time behind The Great One, even Torpy wouldn't have been that stupid, would he?

2. Doug Flutie (#22) - For any Boston fan, Dan Davis' call in 1984 against Miami will send shivers up their spine. Granted I was only one year old at the time, but even reading it gets me all worked up "Touchdown! Touchdown! Touchdown! Touchdown! Touchdown, Boston College! He did it! He did it! Flutie did it...He hit Phelan in the end zone...Touchdown!" Now 22 is probably a bit longer than I'd actually like to spend in prison, but I gotta pull for the little guy.

3. Christopher Trotman Nixon (#7) - Fine, so he was supposed to be the second coming of Yaz in Boston, and he hasn't exactly made us in Boston forget about #8 yet, but he's no slouch either. He does happen to be the Boston batter that swung through a take sign on a 3-0 count in game 4 of the 2004 World Series. Which resulted in a two-run hit that ended up winning the Red Sox the Series for the first time in 86 years. He may not swing a bat as big as Manny, but try and find a play that he takes off and you'll be looking at film forever.

4. Brian Gionta (#12) - You sensing a theme with the little guys here? Now playing with the New Jersey Devils, Gionta is generously listed at 5'7", let me tell you that that is very generous, I had a picture taken with him, and he was not very much taller than my 5'5" frame. And all he did as part of one of the best recruiting classes Boston College hockey has ever seen was win the Hockey East rookie of the year award, was a 4 year Hockey East All-Conference honoree, 3 year All-American, 3 time Hobey Baker finalist, brought a National title to the Heights, and oh yeah, became the first player in almost 100 years to score five goals in a single period. I don't care if he's 4'7", he could play on my team any day.

5. Tedy Bruschi (#54) - OK, I realize the judge might not exactly accept any of my first 4 choices as a replacement sentence. So if I'm going to go down for a legend, and really stick it to myself, who better to do it for than Tedy Bruschi. A member of all three Patriots Super Bowl teams, the unquestioned leader on defense, and the heart and soul of the team has given it his all. And it just seemed that any time during the four years when the Pats went to the Super Bowl three times that they needed a big play, #54 was there. I guess that #4 was there too, but if the judge doesn't accept my Bobby Orr request, what makes you think he'd accept one for Adam Vinatieri? Besides, I'm comfortable requesting the Bruschi sentence as a CJ major because I know that most people only end up serving half their sentences anyways, which works out to a measly 27 Winters behind bars.

MVPapi

2005-09-30T00:28:00.000-05:00

I'm ending the debate right now, the 2005 American League MVP is Sox slugger David Ortiz. He doesn't make pin point throws across the diamond, or flash the leather. All he does is hit, and hit he has. If you've talked to me in the past two months, my candidate for AL MVP was Vlad. Sure his numbers are down this year as a result of the time he missed while on the DL, but when it comes right down to it, the Angels would have been lucky to even have been be thinking Wild Card without Vlad's services.

The other logical candidate in the AL is Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees. Nobody can dispute what he's done this season. He hasn't missed a game all year and he's only commited 11 errors. A-rod has hit 47 home runs, and driven in 120 runs all at a .320 clip. But that might be where the accolades end. Sure he's had four multi homer games this season. And who could forget the historic night way back in April where A-rod had 3 homers and drove in 10 of the 12 Yankee runs. But his multi homer games haven't exactly been clutch, in all four of the games, the Yankees have scored at least 12 runs. Not exactly nail biting situations.

So what are Papi's credentials? Well I'm glad you asked. He's hit .298 with 47 homers and a major league leading 146 RBI's. The numbers themselves are comparible to A-rod's, but the situations in which Papi performs are pressure cookers to say the least. Ortiz has turned himself into the most feared hitter in baseball. When teammate Manny Ramirez missed a few games over the summer, Sox fans found out what would happen when opponents didn't have to pitch to Ortiz, they didn't.

Not only is he a feared hitter, he comes through in the clutch. In the month of September Papi has 11 homers, best in the bigs, and 28 RBIs, second in the AL (A-rod has 7 HRs and 24 RBIs, Vlad has 6 and 19 respectively). And of the 47 homers that Ortiz has hit this season, 20 of them have either tied the game for the Sox, or given them the lead. Read that line again, its no lie.

Though his gaudy home run total looks good to voters, they should realize that Papi is more than just a home run hitter. Thursday night the Sox were down to the Blue Jays 4-3 in the bottom of the 8th inning. With the Yankees and Indians both having already won their games, Thursday night's contest was an absolute must win. Enter David Ortiz. He led off the 8th with his 47th homer of the season, which, yeah, tied the game up at 4. After his homer, the Sox put runners on the corners with no outs, only to go into the ninth with the game still knotted up. Enter again, David Ortiz. With runners on first and second, and the sellout crowd chanting "MVP! MVP! MVP!" Papi came through again with a base knock into left center field. Two at bats in the final two innings of a must win game, two hits, two RBIs and a win when his team needed it the most.

I guess what it comes down to is what you think the award is all about. If you go by the name, MVP, it should go to the Most Valuable Player. If you're looking for an award for best statistics, look at the AP's player of the year award. Papi might not wear a "C" on his chest, or keep a young staff together better than anyone in the league, but ask any Sox player where they'd be without Ortiz, and they'd probably tell you this weekend would be all about pride, not a playoff spot. Without Schilling as the ace and Foulke as the closer this year, the Sox are still going into the final series of the season with playoff hopes alive. Manny has been hot and cold this season, and every other position except for catcher (thankfully) has been banged up at some point this season. The one rock in the middle of the order has been David Ortiz. Besides the consecutive games in which Millar and Varitek hit walk off homers earlier in the year, it seems that everytime the Sox have needed a big hit, Papi has been there. It seems that every time there was a mob of Red Sox players surrounding home plate to congratulate the hero, its been Papi coming down the third base line. It was true against Anaheim in last year's ALCS, and its true this season, Big Papi is the MVP of the league, leather or no leather.

Top 25: Week 2

2005-09-11T18:05:00.000-05:00

1. USC
2. Texas - Vince Young left the horseshoe a Heisman candidate
3. Virginia Tech - If #5 throws passes with that much touch all season, defenses are in trouble
4. Florida - Chad Jackson has 243 yards and 4 TD catches in 2 games this season
5. LSU - Tigers were ready and happy to get the season under way
6. Georgia - Bulldogs survived 2-pt conversion attempt
7. Tennessee
8. Ohio State - AJ Hawk also left the horseshoe a Heisman trophy candidate
9. Florida State - Defense was stout, still not convinced Drew Weatherford is the answer though
10. Michigan - Henne's youth finally showed
11. Miami
12. Louisville
13. Notre Dame - Charlie Weis is the Coach of the Year and the MVP of the Irish
14. Oklahoma - Even Adrian Peterson cannot do it himself every week
15. BC - Blackmon had better be just as prepared when FSU comes to visit next weekend
16. Iowa - Cyclones taught Hawkeyes a little something about desire
17. California - Offense keeps on scoring
18. Arizona State - Defense was non-existent in fourth quarter against LSU
19. Georgia Tech - Strong second half performance was the difference
20. Texas Tech - Offense performed as expected
21. Auburn - Statement made in turnaround from last week
22. Fresno State - Put the game away in the first half
23. Clemson - Nice win against a solid Terps team in College Park
24. Virginia
25. Texas A & M

Teams in bold did not play.
Please feel free to berate me or argue with my rankings. Games to watch next week: Tennessee and Florida at the Swamp, FSU at Boston College.

Top 25

2005-09-05T22:29:00.000-05:00

After a blazing first week of college football, here is the new top 25 as I see it.

1. USC - #1 until someone proves otherwise
2. Michigan - Slow start, solid finish
3. Texas - Vince Young is the early Heisman favorite
4. Virginia Tech - With big brother on the sidelines, Marcus Vick showed he was worth the wait
5. Ohio State - Defense was strong as expected, offensive showing was impressive
6. Florida - Third year starter Chris Leak seemed comfortable with Urban Meyer's new offense
7. Tennessee - QB situation must be figured out before week 3 showdown with the Gators
8. LSU
9. Florida State - Kicking game finally worked in their favor
10. Louisville - Scary first game, Cards still have as good a chance as any team in the country to go undefeated
11. Miami - Young QB showed promised, running game void hurt by ejection
12. Iowa - Impressive win not as impressive when considering the opponent
13. Georgia - DJ Shockley fills a big void with pure athleticism
14. Oklahoma - Adrian Peterson is still as good a talent as there is in the country, QB and WR positions leave something to be desired though
15. California - Offense didn't skip a beat
16. Boston College - Blackmon and Kiwi lead a strong BC team
17. Purdue
18. Arizona State - Movin' on up
19. Auburn - Dropoff expected given offseason losses
20. Texas Tech
21. Virginia - Must protect the football
22. Fresno State
23. Boise State - Have last three years of hard work gone down the drain?
24. Texas A & M - Not going for two will be questioned all season
25. Notre Dame* - Charlie Weis debut brings hope to fans in South Bend

*Not in top 25 last week
Falling out - Pittsburgh
Teams in Bold did not play

Top 9 Dumb Sports Rules

2005-08-30T01:28:00.000-05:00

In no particular order, because well, they are all equally stupid in their own regard.

1. The ground cannot cause a fumble - Oh really? Wait, did you hang onto the football? No. Well then you fumbled it. No. Why not? Because, the ground knocked it out. And that's not a fumble? No. This rule just baffles my mind. I mean, everyone knows the ground is there. Its not like it comes out of nowhere to cause a fumble like a crazed linebacker. When it comes down to it, shouldn't the rule just be, did you hang onto the football? No? OK fumble! I don't want to know why, I don't care why, you did not hang onto the football, end of story.

2. Points for overtime losses in hockey - So I missed a full season of hockey, a full season of Stanley Cup playoffs. But thats ok, because the league is coming back, and they are going to make it better. All better? Nope, just a little bit better. I figured with a whole year off they would get all the rules right. No more ties was a good place to start. Thank God I don't have to sift through four columns in the standings anymore. But the NHL in it's infinite wisdom decided to keep a point for overtime losses. So inevitably there are still going to be three columns when I check the standings in the Herald. But wait, there are no more ties, so why are there three columns still? Wins - Losses - OT Losses. Oh, GREAT! Basically the ruling is, if you lose within the given sixty minutes of the game, your team is out of luck. But, if your team can hold off losing until say, overtime, or even the shootout, then you are going to get one point for that because the souvenir shop and concession stands were able to stay open longer. Here's an idea: you win, you get points, you lose, you get nothing, oh, and no ties.

3. The BCS - This is it. It is growing into its maturity. This is going to be the year when the BCS actually works. This is going to be the year that a college football playoff system is the farthest thing from anyone's mind. But, what if....Louisville ends up as this year's Auburn. Undefeated, but, strength of schedule just wasnt there. I can see the letter now: Dear Louisville, Congratulations on your remarkable and undefeated season. Your team was truly a treat to watch. But even though nobody could beat you this season, the best we can offer you is a chance to play for third place in the Sugar Bowl. Sincerely, The BCS. I swear, if the BCS contract gets renewed....

4. Ten game suspension for steroids - I just don't even know where to begin with this one. The MLB is supposedly cracking down. And we are led to believe that they really want steroids out of the game. But, even if you are still stupid enough to get caught using, you just get this slap on the wrist because it really isn't that bad that you were caught. If Jason Giambi is not the most tested athlete this side of Lance Armstrong, the MLB should be ashamed. Last week a batboy was suspended for six games because he accepted a dare from Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny to attempt to drink a gallon of milk in one hour. Six games for milk, ten games for steroids, thats a no brainer. They say milk does a body good, well, steroids make a body rich. And you only miss four more games for choosing steroids instead of milk, think about all that extra rest.

5. NFL crackdown on endzone celebrations - First off I applaud the NFL for marketing the game over the individual unlike say, the NBA. But, the NFL should also remember at some point that football is indeed a game. Players should be able to celebrate, they should be able to make fools of themselves. They can do it without props, I agree, no cell phones necessary. They can also celebrate without taunting the other team. But to say that they cannot gather, or celebrate in a groups borders on absudity. Listen, don't flaunt it, don't taunt, don't make rude or crude gestures, and don't use props. Other than that, I don't see the issue.

6. Intentional walks - They are part of baseball, and probably always will be. All I ask is that you make it look good. Throw it low and outside, throw it high and outside, just don't make the catcher stand up with his arm out like he's signaling a right turn. Here's a thought, the batter doesn't know that he's going to be intentionally walked, so he inadvertantly swings at a pitch you had no intentions of being a strike in the first place. Suddenly the count is 1-1. Interesting situation here, make the batter at least work for it. He has to do more than strike the fear of God into your coach to get a free base. If he can at least prove that he's got a good enough eye to lay off low outside pitches, then let him take his base.

7. Garanteed contracts - As TO recently found out, if you don't show up in the NFL, you don't get paid. It also works the other way around, if the team does not want you, they do not have to pay you. Unless of course you were smart enough to turn pro in baseball instead of football. Then those foolish owners are stuck with you. Could you imagine a world without the Great Giambino? Lucky for us it didn't happen, but if there were no garanteed contracts in baseball, this might have been the harsh reality. If someone is knocking the cover off the ball, or mowing down hitters, they should be compensated for it. But then again, if they aren't hitting over .200, why should the money from fans trickle down to a player who is enjoying the rest of his season on waivers?

8. All Star game decides home field advantage - The All Star game is an exhibition, and should be treated as such. Managers try to get all the players into the games. Players bring video cameras and their children into the dugout and clubhouse. A fan wins a house at the Home Run Derby. And generally, a fun time is had by all. A little competetive nature is always good, even in an exhibition. But not when the team is made up of undeserving players who were picked because their team needed a representative (*cough*Danys Baez*cough*), or when players who know their teams don't have a snowball's chance to make the playoffs are in the game and are just there having a good time. Solution, play the All Star game as the fun extravaganza it always has been. And award home field to the team with the best record like it always has been.

9. Three second violation in basketball - Essentially preventing zone defense in the NBA. Why? Because its tougher to score against. Was it tougher in college too? And call me crazy but, aren't these the best players in the world? Right, so, shouldn't they be able to score on, oh I don't know....anything? I understand, this rule is made to generate offense, because offense sells. So why move the three point arc out farther than it is in high school or college where these players are coming from? Are slam dunks on every other fast break really that much more fun to watch than seeing a team get slaughtered because they cannot defend the three?

What a stupid list. Why are there only nine you ask? Because I couldn't think of a tenth. Plus, everyone always does ten, so I did nine. I'm sure there are plenty more out there, but I couldn't think of one that I felt the need to write about. So there you have it, the nine dumbest rules in all of sports. If you can come up with a tenth stupid rule that isn't just fodder to get me to have a Top 10 list instead of a Top 9, then submit it, and I will be glad to make an adjustment.

He's baaack

2005-08-02T15:28:00.000-05:00

For the first time since February the New England Patriots have good news. Not that the aftermath of winning three of the last four Super Bowls was bad. Nor was the "rolling rally" as dubbed by the incumbent Mayor of Boston "Mumbles" Menino, boring by any means. Its just that when you lose the heart and soul of your team to a stroke, lose two thirds of your three headed coaching monster to other teams, your other starting middle linebacker retires, right before camp, and then one of the premier defensive linemen in all of the NFL holds out, its hard to look at the positives. Thats just the way it works in Boston.

But alas, Richard Seymour has returned to camp today. After missing mini-camp in June, Seymour had also been holding out of training camp which started last Friday. His contract was reworked only for this season, which brought his base salary up from $2.87 million to $4 million. The final remaining year on his contract for next season was not changed.

Other than getting one of the best defensive linemen in the game back onto your team, the most important thing about Seymour returning was that the Patriots did not set a precedent with him; keeping their 'team first' mentality intact. Luckily, the precedent was already set after the Pats first Super Bowl win in 2001 when they raised the base salaries for veterans Anthony Pleasant, Otis Smith and Bobby Hamilton during the offseason.

The Patriots brass could not have handled the situation any better. With fellow defensive starter Rodney Harrison also unhappy about his contract (but not holding out), the Patriots did not want to give the impression that any one player was more important than the rest of the team by re-working Seymours whole contract, a resolution they had already stated they would not use.

Said Harrison after hearing about Seymour returning, "He's one of my best friends. He's one of the best defensive tackles in the game. He's taking a stand for what he believes in. And I think Richard deserves everything he can get. I understand and respect what he's doing. I hope he gets everything he wants from them. He should be paid like the best, because he's the best in the game.''

So any feelings of ill-will or animosity clearly won't be an issue. The next step is to re-work Harrison's deal which has him vastly underpaid at $1.8 million, considering he's been one of the best safties in the league since joining the Patriots in 2003. Randy Moss can only hope a resolution is worked out before he comes to town to open the season with his new team in September. Because I don't know about you, but I don't want to be the guy Rodney Harrison uses to prove a point.

Finally, its back

2005-07-31T02:21:00.000-05:00

The collective bargaining agreement has been signed. Opening night is October 5th, and all the teams will be in action. Bob Goodenow has stepped down, and teams are scrambling to set a roster that complies with the new salary cap. After 1,230 missed regular season games, a cancelled All-Star game, and a spring without Lord Stanley's Cup being raised, here are the top 10 things the NHL (still) needs to do:

10. Eliminate ties - This is #10 because its already been done with the addition of an extra period of overtime, and ultimately shootouts. But it is still worth mentioning because when I look back at sports, the creation of the OTL (overtime loss) in hockey ranks right up there as one of the worst rules ever in sports. I would open the paper and the standings would read: Bruins 21-15-3-6
What does that mean? Why are there 4 columns for wins and losses when in other sports there are only two? Did you win? Or did you lose? Oh, you lost in overtime; but you still get a point for that? What's going on here? How does that work? Ties are boring, I want to see someone lose, and I want to see someone win. Baseball doesn't have ties, neither does basketball, and football has one maybe once a year. Thank God we got that out of the way.

9. Paint the helmets - (stolen from John Buccigross) Just like the Michigan Wolverines. Is it tacky? Sure, it could be. But it could also make the game fun. Not for the players, the players don't care if their helmet is black or pink. For the fans, for us. For those that pay the salaries and watch the games, the ones that wear your jersey's, and the ones that cheer for you. The fans lost the same thing the players did, a whole season of hockey, a whole entire Stanley Cup playoff run. Bring them back, make sure the fence sitters come down on the right side of the fence. Make the game fun, and make the fans feel like we're getting something in return, even if its only symbolic.

8. Improve the flow - Hockey is fast. Keep it that way. The league plans on really cracking down this time on obstruction and the like. I'll believe it when I see it. The culmination of speed, finesse and toughness put together is what makes hockey great. Not the ability of some goon to hook someone on a breakaway. Some of the finest athletes hockey has went to play in Europe this past season. One was because there was actually a season to be played in Europe, but another was that a lot of players prefer the European game. Bring them back, don't lose the Peter Forsberg's and Jaromir Jagr's of hockey, there are already too few. Make sure they understand that unless they lose the puck, or get flattened by Scott Stevens, they aren't going to be mugged on their way into the offensive zone. The flow will also be helped out by the elimination of the red line. If there was one thing that kept me entertained during the lockout, it was college hockey. Watch the Devils try to trap a two line pass.

7. Make stick violations stick - Back when the Red Wings were winning back to back Stanley Cup titles, then head coach Scotty Bowman came up with a great idea. All stick violations, should be considered major infractions. That is, you don't get to leave the box if the other team scores if your penalty was a result of your stick being weilded carelessly. Players of today are bigger, faster and stronger, and the sticks of today are no longer logs. They're composite or graphite. They're stronger than old wooden sticks. And they're also lighter. Put that in the hands of today's players, and you've got yourself a weapon. Sticks shouldn't be carried above the shoulders anymore than they should be used to spear or slash someone. If you use your stick against another player in a manner other than which it was intended, you better be ready to sit the full two minutes, regardless of how many power play goals the other team can rattle off. What could the NHL possibly have to lose other than less injured players, and increased power play time.

6. Lower ticket prices - Someone wrote in on ESPN.com the other day that they've been a New York Islanders season ticket holder since the 90's. And when the NHL announced the signing of a new collective bargaining agreement last week, they got a letter in the mail announcing all the fun things the Islanders were going to do for their fans. But at the bottom of that letter was printed "Note: Season ticket prices will remain the same as the 2003-04 season." Fans will always think athletes are greedy and overpaid. But we lost a whole season because the owners agreed. And now you mean to tell me that even though there is more than a 20% rollback in players salaries, we still have to pay the same amount of money to see the game? Where is all this extra money going? I didn't miss a whole season of hockey so that the owners could get richer instead of the players. I can go to a Celtics game and sit in the bleachers for $10, why can't I do the same for a Bruins game? Work with us here. The "if you build it, they will come" cliche doesn't work here. Fans need to feel that the lockout wasn't for nothing.

5. Decrease the number of teams and increase the talent pool - There are a few things that just make sense. The Packers in Green Bay, the Bulls in Chicago and the Red Sox in Boston (how else do you explain fans actually believing 'Well, there's always next year...' for 86 years?). Now try that with the...Trashers in Atlanta? The Coyotes in Phoenix? I'm not saying move teams back to Canada (though that would be ideal), but really, even as a college undergrad, common business sense tells me that if I'm not selling my product, I'm not doing as well as I'd like. Sports sense would tell me that if my team plays in front of more empty seats than full seats every home game, something is wrong. And last time I checked, Carolina didn't strike me as a hockey hotbed. Solution? Only keep teams where you can fill the stands. There are 30 current NHL teams, as much fun as the Original Six would be, the league would be just fine with 24 teams. The talent pool would skyrocket, and gameplay would improve. Baseball balked at taking away teams a few years ago, be the first to take that step in the right direction. I don't know about you, but the last time there was a hockey season, the Columbus Blue Jackets vs. the Phoenix Coyotes game didn't exactly garner a circle on my calendar.

4. Do something for the community - Hockey is expensive. Trust me, I've worn the same skates for the past seven years. Reach out, buy equipment for local youth hockey, hold camps for kids, hell, make funny commercials like the NFL does with the United Way. Do something. Make sure hockey isn't a game only for the rich kids. Make it so that learning to skate is the hardest step in starting to play hockey, not being able to afford equipment. Players come from all over the world, but they should come from here too. America is once again home to the most elite hockey league in the world, make it also the home to the most elite players in the world. Children shouldn't not play hockey because all they had to do to play baseball instead was buy a glove.

3. Bring back the organ - This is a small and simple request. I don't go to hockey games to hear techno and top 40 music blasting between each faceoff anymore than I tune in to watch the commercials. The game should be the spectacle, not the nonsense that surrounds it. I went to a Celtics game this past winter, and a twenty second timeout turned into 2 Unlimited being blasted on the PA system while a guy dressed as a leprechaun did the jig and shot t-shirts into the stands. Thats not what I shell out money for. I attend games to watch the game, hear a classic on the organ and consume more sodium in a three hour period than I had in the past week.

2. Move the nets back - I've seen Mario Lemieux score from behind goal line extended, and Wayne Gretzky draw more attention behind the net than he did in front of it. But thats about it. Thats not to say that players today aren't talented and creative, far from it. But honestly, how much space do you need behind an angle that, barring an oddity or bounce, cannot be scored from? Fans want offense, and the NHL wants to give it to them. The blue line has already been extended to allow more room in the offensive zone, gain yourself another few feet and move the nets back closer to the end boards.
Note: I believe this rule is actually going into effect.

1. Don't mess with the playoffs - I didn't miss any of the politics of hockey, the expensive ticket prices, or the lack of televised regular season games. But I sure as hell missed the playoffs. It is the most physically grueling of any of the playoff races of the four major sports. Sixteen teams start to play a game every other night, each with the same goal: win 16 games before any one team beats your team four times. Its as pure as hockey gets with that caliber of play. Game 1 sets the momentum, Game 4 is pivotal and the rare Game 7 is always riveting. Its the one playoff system set up so that David can beat Goliath. Its all just a race for the most recognizeable trophy in all of sports. And there is only one, a new silver Lombardi trophy isn't pressed every year for the eventual winner. Teams don't get to keep it in their trophy case for years to come so that their fans can remember the glory days. It has spent a night at the bottom of a river, and been drunk out of by a horse, traveled to Europe and probably kissed by every player that has ever won it. So many stories that it now has its own security 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I can put up with a lot of things, and I'm just as content watching a game on television as I would be if I were there. But please, do not do anything to undermine the run for Lord Stanley's Cup.

Nomah!

2005-04-22T04:58:00.000-05:00

Before there was the Big Three in Oakland, there was The Big Three. That group consisted of three of baseballs brightest young stars. Three bright young stars that all happened to play short stop. Ah, life was good for The Big Three. Derek Jeter was winning the World Series in four of five seasons. Alex Rodriguez was being compared to the best that ever played the game, and knocking baseballs out of the park like he was the Great Bambino. And then there was Nomar Garciaparra, the toast of the town in one of the greatest baseball cities in America. He won two consecutive batting titles in ’99 and ’00, and Red Sox fans started seeing him as the savior, he was “the one” that would bring the Red Sox their first World Series title in over 80 years.

Then, in 2001, everything went awry for baseball's Big Three. Before the season even began, A-Rod cashed in $252 million over 10 years for the biggest contract sports had ever seen. Then the season started without Nomar in Boston’s lineup for the first time in four years. In fact, he played all of 21 games that season, sitting out most of it as a result of a wrist injury. Then the season ended with a bloop hit by Luis Gonzalez of the expansion Diamondbacks. That hit sent Derek Jeter back to the dugout as a World Series loser. A feat that, to his dismay, he’s since repeated.

So what happened to them? Well, in A-Rod’s case, we found out that $252 million can buy you a lot of things, but it can’t buy a leader. The truth is, A-Rod is one of the greatest talents baseball has ever seen, but eventually, the fans and the team want a return on their investment. Watching a great player on a not so good team can only be so entertaining, see the Los Angeles Lakers if you don’t believe me. And finally, his sideshow caught up to him. Now, it wasn’t all his own doing, but one has to understand that you don’t just sign up for a quarter of a billion dollars and then disappear. All of a sudden, even with limited playoff experience, you are expected to be the veteran, to be the leader in the clubhouse, and the guy that others turn to when the going gets tough. Arlington, Texas is nowhere near the baseball pressure cooker that New York City is. Little did A-Rod know, that his fall from grace had only just begun.

Then Derek Jeter was handed the Yankees, and the key to the City. Only he wasn’t informed that he’d have to go it with a lot less help than he was used to. Suddenly, with the Series loss in 2001 to the Diamondbacks, George Steinbrenner became a madman. Money was no object, winning wasn’t everything, it was the only thing. Hardened veterans like Paul O’Neill, Scott Brosius and Luis Sojo retired. Overpaying for sluggers and pitchers was Steinbrenner’s solution to everything. Brian Cashman’s job suddenly became existent for only one reason, so somebody was there to take the fall. The list of players who went to New York and probably got more money than they would have gotten elsewhere includes, but is not limited to: Mike Mussina, Jason Giambi, Hideki Matsui, Gary Sheffield and Carl Pavano. All this before the whole Yankees vs. Red Sox rivalry turned into a circus. Before the whole A-Rod fiasco, and before they lost to *ghast* the Red Sox in the playoffs. Through it all, Jeter has been the face of the Yankees. He has been the only one that has played every game until there were 27 outs in the book. The only one who hasn’t made excuses for starting out the season with a number for average that would only look good as your RBI total. He even plowed his face into the seats at Yankee Stadium during a regular season game diving for a ball that really should have been caught by his third baseman. All the while, he waits, and plays his game, hoping that someone will realize soon that he needs teammates, not overpriced help.

And then there’s Nomar. The Red Sox have won their World Series, without Nomar. And fans even enjoyed it without him, a thought four years ago that would have gotten you put in a straight jacket anywhere in New England. The last time I saw a professional career plummet this quickly I was watching Kirstie Allie in Look Who’s Talking. How do you go from being the toughest out in baseball to the guy writhing in pain on the first base line, and then carried off the field? Not helped off the field while limping, carried off by two grown men.

It was only 2000 when people around baseball were thinking someone might once again hit .400 in a season. This was a guy who was a lock for the Hall of Fame. He was the closest possibility baseball had to someone entering that elite group of career .350 hitters for the first time since Rogers Hornsby retired after the 1937 season. Sure he popped out a lot. But in the two seasons that he won the AL batting title, he struck out an average of 45 times. The other times you got him out, you had to work for it. You had to catch the seemingly routine pop-up, or toss the groundball across the diamond. As much as Boston fans would make fun of the all too common call of Joe Castiglione saying “a swing and a pop up,” the law of averages told me this was a guy that I wanted on my team, and in my lineup everyday.

Then the wrist injury, limited Nomar to 21 games in 2001. The next two seasons he appeared in 156 games for the Red Sox, but his average dipped to .310 and .301 respectively. He was no longer the tough out he once was. Then, eighteen months ago, Garciaparra was on his honeymoon when he caught wind of a deal that might send him to the Windy City, but not in the uniform he currently dons. Suddenly, as soon as he took it personal, it was as if Nomar’s ticket out of town had been punched.

Nomar finished the 2000 season with a .372 average, and that was about the last good memory Boston fans had of him. That season in the playoffs, he was almost non-existent, until of course, he got plunked on the wrist. Then he missed the next season. And he played the next two, but you could tell he was never really the same player. Then he took the A-Rod trade rumors personal, sulked about it for a while, and refused to even consider returning to Boston as a free agent. Last year he missed most of the season with an “ankle” injury. Then he made the tribute commercial to his wife by ending it with the now infamous line “Thanks Beautiful.” And then when he came back, there was that game in Yankee Stadium where he was on the bench, because he didn’t feel he was healthy enough to play. Oh yeah, that just happened to be the game Jeter plowed the seats by third base…with his face. And finally, Theo pulled the string at the deadline. Nomar was gone. Just like that, an era had ended in Boston. And then general consensus was, “good riddance.”

Then, during last year’s ALCS, A-Rod did something Nomar should be forever thankful for. He showed his true colors, he slapped Bronson Arroyo. In an instant, Nomar was knocked down a peg, A-Rod was now public enemy number one in Boston. Then came the Cardinals, and the rest is history.

The truth is, everything that culminated at the end of last season, made seeing Nomar in Cubbie blue this season all that much easier to bear. A soft spoken, big stick wielding South American has taken over Nomar’s position. But he hasn’t taken Nomar’s place. What Nomar chooses to do with the ring is completely up to him. But deep down, every Sox fan knows, he was the player who got the ball rolling. He showed Boston baseball could go on with out Roger Clemens. He helped draw off season free agents. And he even played a little baseball. Pretty well too I might add.

While Cooperstown might now seem a far way away for Nomar, and that next big contract is resting on his torn groin, and for all the negative things Boston has ever said about him, I’d like to return the favor and say thank you to Nomar. On the behalf of a generation that mimics his foot taps and unforgettable hand movements in the batters box. Thank you for all the charity work you did. Thank you for making baseball fun. Thank you for the sweet Fleet Bank commercials with Jeter. Thank you for leaving everything out on the field. And no matter what anyone ever says, thank you for wearing a Red Sox uniform.

A Tribute

2005-04-22T02:36:00.000-05:00

Friday April 22, 2005, is the one year anniversary of the death of Patrick Tillman. Let us take the time to remember what is still going on in the world today, and not forget the other men and women of our armed forces that risk their lives on a daily basis so we may go on aimlessly debating about the penal system in America and the race in the AL East. Each and every one of them is a hero. Tillman's feats do not overshadow anyone that gave their life before, with or after him, but he brings coverage because of his athlete status.

So on this day, let us remember what really matters. Not how underpaid and overworked we are, not what movies come out this weekend, or what the weather will be like. What matters is the American flag, and more importantly, what it stands for and the men and women overseas. You don’t have to agree with American politics, hell, you can downright hate them, but you better realize the good fortune you enjoy in living here, and appreciate what makes it so.

A year ago, less than a week after the death of Ranger Tillman, Rene Gonzalez, then a grad student at UMass, came out with an atrocious take on the life of Pat Tillman (it can be read in its entirety here). Now this article is not to rebut what Gonzalez had to say a year ago, anyone with reading skills can spot the idiocy of the article with a quick overview.

The main point of the article was that Tillman was doing nothing more than acting out his own fantasies from American movies like Rambo; and that his service was completely unnecessary. It should also be pointed out that Gonzalez said that in his native Puerto Rico “Tillman would have been called a “pendejo,” an idiot.” Someone might want to let him know that Puerto Rico is US owned, its citizens are American citizens. And, should it ever be attacked, it is the US military that will defend it.

Where were you on September 11th 2001? I’m sure nobody will ever forget that day. It’s an unforgettable instance for this generation. Much like the JFK assassination and the Challenger explosion were for generations past. Did you feel the least bit of helplessness that day? Like, did this really happen in America? What an awful thing, I wonder what I can do to help. Well, Pat Tillman wondered, and he came up with a solution. And maybe some of you came up with the same solution he did, but, if you’re reading this today, then I doubt you followed through with it. And you weren’t even turning down a $3.6 million NFL contract.

So take a minute out of your busy day today. A minute to pay tribute to the men and women of the armed services. To those that we hope come home soon, and those that will never be forgotten. Pat Tillman didn’t want the fame. He wouldn’t give interviews, or allow cameras at boot camp. He wanted to be one of the boys. And he was. He did his job, and unbeknownst to him, he became the face of the most important collection of people that America has. Because love them or hate them, without the armed services, the Government does not rule, the people do not eat, and the American flag does not fly higher than the rest.

Seemed Like a Good Idea at the TIme

2005-03-25T04:10:00.000-05:00

You know what I’m sick of? I’m sick of being stuck in the doldrums of sports. I’m sick of waiting all this time since the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl until the World Series champion Boston Red Sox take the field. I’m sick of NHL owners, players and execs ruining the game of hockey. But most of all, I’m sick of all the steroid talk. I’m sick of not being able to turn on my local sports radio station and listen without hearing every Tom, Dick and Harry say what they think about steroids. Baseball is just over a week away, and I couldn’t be happier. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m looking forward to hearing callers try to explain why they think Byung Hyun Kim would be enough to get Scott Rolen away from the Cardinals, or any other ridiculous trade proposal for that matter.

Its no secret steroids were present in baseball recently. Some people have admitted to using them, some people have denied using them, and some people haven’t really said either way. Alright, fine, they were there, I get it. I don’t want to go on speculation anymore. I don’t want to dissect Mark McGuire’s facial expressions and tears from the Congressional hearings to see if maybe I can pick up a hint of whether or not he did steroids.

What I want to do is see Ichiro slap 98 mile an hour heaters around the infield like they’re nothing. I want to see Omar Vizquel flash the leather in a Giants uniform. I want to see Big Papi treat pitchers like a red-headed step-child. And I want to see Ben Sheets show everyone why he should be considered the best young pitcher in the game.

I don’t want to hear about steroids anymore. Is it ridiculous that it was allowed to go on? Sure. But baseball will do something about it now. They have to. Because if they don’t, Congress will for them. It’s not going to cause a work stoppage. And believe it or not, as much as everyone is crying “wolf,” and saying that they think Major League Baseball is a fraud, Opening Day ticket sales are at an all time high. Riddle me that.

Testing will get tougher, and punishments will become more harsh for those caught using steroids. For the rest of baseball and its fans, it is now time to move on. The talk of an asterisk in the record books is incredulous. This is becoming a witch hunt. Steroids technically weren’t even illegal in baseball until 2002. But now they are, and now baseball is testing. Other than that, there’s nothing that can be done.

Lets set the record straight, I believe Mark McGuire took more than andro. But that argument is for another time. I have no medical knowledge to base it on, nor first hand knowledge of any sort of substance. It’s my opinion, and nothing more. Just as it is for millions of other fans. Nobody will ever know for sure whether his record breaking 70 home run season was done with the help of performance enhancing drugs. Because unless you know some way to travel in time, I’m pretty sure digging up a sample of McGuire’s urine from the 1998 season is impossible.

The game of baseball changes. But instead of focusing on the negative connotations that the steroid issue brings about, maybe we should see it as an opportunity; an opportunity to look back and really appreciate what players like Willy Mays, Ted Williams and Henry Aaron were able to accomplish. Lets focus on all the great things of the past, and, like Mark McGuire would say, “think positive” and “work towards the future.” People still love the game of baseball, and steroids won’t change that. Ticket sales so far have proven that much. So why as a nation are we all focusing on the negative aspects. Why isn’t everyone excited that Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson can help jumpstart an offense that was nothing short of anemic last season. Or that the Rocket has decided to give fans one more season in Houston, albeit for $18.5 million.

In a city generally regarded for its sports pessimism like Boston, I can’t say I didn’t expect all the steroid talk. But the extent to which it has saturated the national media just makes me sick. Now maybe it isn’t just the talk in general that is bothering me. I can stomach listening to someone talk about steroids for a little while. It’s the seeming abundance of ignorance surrounding the topic.

Jeff Horrigan of the Boston Herald said, “I begrudge the era that tolerated this more than I begrudge the man. You can’t wipe out the 90’s.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. In 1998 everyone was so caught up with Slammin’ Sammy and Big Mac that nobody cared how it was being done. For two people to break Roger Maris’ single season home run record in the same year was phenomenal. But now, all of a sudden it’s wrong.

That summer the nation found itself tuning into every Cardinals and Cubs game they could. Nationally televised games were interrupted when McGuire or Sosa came up to bat. In the summer of ’98, for baseball everyday was like the Super Bowl, and nobody cared why. Now the same people who couldn’t get enough of baseball are crying wolf. People are taking back what they said about baseball, but asking players to tell all to the press. We can’t have it both ways.

When Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs in 2001, then proceeded to shatter every slugging mark the Babe ever put up, people’s jaws dropped in marvel. But nowadays Bonds is barely a step up from Saddam Hussein. Baseball writers have been quick to note that when eligible to be inducted, Bonds and McGuire won’t get their votes for Cooperstown. They’re so quick to discount what Barry did before he allegedly took steroids, because they don’t like him, and he doesn’t like them. Take the stats from the first fifteen years of his career (before the 2001 season) and you get a man with 494 home runs, and 471 stolen bases. Numbers that had Bonds not gotten bigger, would still have allowed him to become the first and only member of the 500/500 club in baseball. Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald said, “Barry bonds is the greatest player of our lifetime, with or without steroids. He won three MVP’s as a stick figure. I don’t think they were cheating. Despite their size, these guys climbed through a loophole.” A loophole that we’re now blaming them for.

People aren’t just beating a dead horse here. They’re putting it back together, and beating it again. And I’m sure many of them will be “sick” for work on opening day. Well I wish them all the best, and hope they can live with being a hypocrite, because I sure couldn’t. You know what I learned from Congressional hearings, interviews of Jose Canseco, steroid testing, Barry Bonds being hung out to dry and countless hours of bantering about steroids on sports radio? Steroids are wrong, steroids are unhealthy, baseball will survive and opening day is April 3rd. And when Randy Johnson throws the first pitch to Johnny Damon at 8:05pm that Sunday night, maybe fans and the media can get over themselves for a little bit and enjoy the greatest rivalry of our nation’s pastime.

Unsung Hero

2005-03-15T04:38:00.000-05:00

Alright, I’m officially drinking the Kool-Aid. I’m jumping back on the bandwagon. I am on the Kevin Millar bus and I don’t plan on getting off this time. Playing in a city such as Boston, you’d think it pretty much impossible for anything a player does to be overlooked. But that seems to be the case with Millar sometimes, and he doesn’t mind. He’s not the $20 million man, or the ace of the staff, he’s not the crafty veteran who has been with the team longer than anyone else. He’s just one of the guys. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Nobody will question what catcher Jason Varitek brings to the team. There’s just something reassuring when you see number 33 crouched behind the plate. The way he handles a pitching staff, and more importantly how he plays the game are respected league-wide. But Millar brings a different form of intangibles to the defending World Series Champions.

When Millar played his first home series in Boston two seasons ago, he had the city eating out of the palm of his hand. He was happy go lucky, and hitting home runs. And Boston loved him. In Boston and New York, players are put under a microscope unlike anywhere else. After the All Star break during the 2003 season, Millar wasn’t hitting as well as he was in the first half of the season. And with the breakout of David Ortiz, Boston began to turn on him. Yet he still spoke to the media. And he fielded questions when other players didn’t want to.

When Millar arrived in Boston, Pedro wasn’t talking to the media, Manny wasn’t talking to the media, and Nomar would once a week if we were lucky. So Millar picked up the heat. He coined the now famous “Cowboy Up” phrase in Boston. And we rode it to within five outs of the World Series. But that wasn’t enough. It wasn't enough for Boston fans, and it certainly wasn't enough for Millar.

His start to the 2004 season was nothing short of forgettable. With a batting average of .218 in April, it didn’t seem like he’d ever get out of his slump. When Boston sports writer Bill Simmons wrote an article around the All Star break he marked it the “official one year anniversary of the death of Kevin Millar’s career.” And I agreed with him completely. I thought Millar had become dead weight.

What myself and even many of his teammates did not know, was that his wife suffered a miscarriage at the beginning of the 2004 season. Even Bill Mueller reported that he had no idea. I certainly didn’t, and I’m sure not many others did. But this made me realize what type of a person Millar is. He’ll step into the spotlight to deflect questions from players that don’t particularly love it. But he won’t step into the spotlight to make excuses for himself. Nor will he make excuses for anyone else. He plays the game with a passion, and in Boston, that means something.

During the recent media circus, also known as the Red Sox – Yankees preseason game, Millar said of Yankees slugger Jason Giambi, who is under a lot of scrutiny with all the steroid investigations, “He treats people and respects people more than any other superstar I’ve been around.” But it wasn’t to butter up to the media, that’s just Millar for you. And coming from the first baseman on the opposite side of one of the biggest rivalries in all of pro sports, I’m sure that meant something to Giambi.

Two years ago, Millar almost ended up playing his baseball in Japan. But during that same off season, Millar was told he might have a chance to play for the Boston Red Sox. It was an opportunity that he not only jumped at, he downright fought to make happen. Jumping through legal hoops to get out of his contract in Japan was no easy task, but in the end, it was all worth it.

This past off season brought new issues to face for Millar. With both he, and Doug Meintkeiwicz wanting to be everyday first basemen, it was clear that one was going to be traded. It was just a matter of who it was going to be. In a phone call during the off season, Millar’s agent asked him that if he were to be traded “are there any teams that you’d like to play for?” Millar and his wife thought quickly about the question. He is after all, a California boy, the prospect of playing back home for Anaheim, LA, San Francisco or San Diego popped into his head. But those thoughts soon faded as quickly as they appeared. He ended up telling his agent he couldn’t think of any other place he wanted to play. He said he wanted to end his career in Boston. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain, Millar is the epitome of a team player.

In an article in The Boston Globe during the first week of Spring training, Millar recounted the events of this past off season. He realizes that he’s no Spring chicken, and that at some point Boston might want to get younger at a certain position (his). He went as far as to say that if it came down to it he’d play for the league minimum, or nothing, if that’s what it took to stay in Boston. Now, I’m a realist, and chances of that happening, are slim to none. But still, it was a nice gesture.

Looking at his career stats, its reasonable to expect about a .290 average, 20-25 home runs, and 80+ RBI’s from Millar this upcoming season. These aren’t bad stats by any stretch of the word. But in Boston, as most players will tell you, nothing is ever enough. The thing is, Millar brings so much more to the team than numbers. He brings a care free attitude to the clubhouse. Sure, Johnny Damon dubbed the Sox “the Idiots” during their historic World Series run. But it was Millar who started it all the season before. It was Millar who brought the Jack Daniels, and it was Millar (with the help of Big Papi) who helped superstar Manny Ramirez get back to enjoying baseball. You can’t help but to think, even with characters such as Damon and Papi in the clubhouse, that the Sox would be as fun loving as they are without Kevin Millar.

I’ll be the first to admit I’ve been up and down with Millar since his arrival in Boston. I love some of the things he does, like lighten the mood, and crush fastballs, and I hate some of the things he does, like having difficulty hitting breaking pitches. But for all his flaws as a player, he more than makes up for it as a person.

I liken Millar to the recent Simmons article about Antoine Walker. In the article Simmons (as usual) hit the nail on the head when he said, “So why are we excited to have him back? Because he gave a crap about being a Celtic, that's why.” And that’s just what Millar does. He gives a crap about being a Red Sox player. He’s not going to go down in Sox history like Teddy Ballgame, or Yaz, but looking back on it years from now, you can tell your kids and grandkids that that was a true Red Sox player.

He didn’t blast a Series winning home run. Or make a highlight reel catch. And it was Papi’s bat, not Millar’s who brought the Sox from lifeless, to the biggest comeback in sports history during the 2004 ALCS. But any Sox fan will tell you, and Millar will probably agree, that his most important at bat as a Red Sox player, didn’t even register as an at bat. It was only a plate appearance. It was a simple walk. A simple walk against the most dominant post season closer ever. A walk when everyone in the world, including the catcher and pitcher on the other team knew Millar’s only objective was to get on base. A walk when the cut fastball throwing righty knew that Millar preferred dead fastballs. And the rest is baseball history.

He’s just one of the guys. To him, his $3.3 million salary “is Manny money.” He says things that nobody else would. Like when asked last year in the midst of the A-rod to Boston dealings who would be his short stop for the upcoming 2004 season, he replied, “A-rod will probably be our shortstop and I guess we’ll have Magglio (Ordonez) in the outfield.” Boston ownership quickly told him to watch what he said.

And in Spring training this year, the talk about steroids is pretty much mum. Nobody wants to have much to do with it. But Millar joked in an interview with Dennis & Callahan on Sports Radio WEEI’s morning show that “if I’m takin’ steroids, I need to get my money back.” And when the topic of the Jack Daniels was brought up, he even went on to joke that he “played some of the ALCS drunk.” I’m sure more than one commuter spilt their coffee in their laps that morning. With his wife due to give birth to twins, he also said he was glad Mark Bellhorn lived right downstairs from him during the season (they both rent apartments right in the city during the season). Dennis & Callahan asked him why, and he replied “so I can get some rest during the season.” They weren't so sure his wife would appreciate that. To which Millar quickly replied, “well all I have to say is ‘Sorry but I have to face Randy Johnson tomorrow’ and she'll understand.” Maybe she will, maybe she won't, maybe Millar is joking, or maybe he isn't. But one thing is for certain, he's just “having fun and loving playing baseball.”

Cliché as it may sound, you can probably count on your own fingers the number of players in baseball who play the game with more concern for the name on the front of their jersey than the number on the back of it. Millar is one of those players. He knew that helping to erase 86 years of heartache and what ifs could immortalize him in Boston. But unlike some of his brethren from the 2004 team, he wasn’t here for immortality, he was here to play for Boston. He didn’t want to cash in somewhere else. Or up and leave for a hometown team. And he didn’t shoot his way out of town a la Pedro Martinez and continue to brush dirt over the stage that saw him become one of the most dominant pitchers of his era. Millar stayed put. He stayed put with the notion in his head that it could get even better. Better than this? Better than the first championship in 86 years? Millar thinks so. And I’m beginning to believe him.

Farewell 22

2005-02-08T03:16:00.000-05:00

For the last fifteen NFL seasons, Emmitt Smith was number 22 in your playbooks, but number 1 in your hearts. The NFL’s all time leading rusher officially retired as a Cowboy last Thursday. He retired on “America’s Team.” He retired (technically) on the team he started in the league with. Love them or hate them, the Dallas Cowboys were the best team in the NFL in the 1990’s. And they might have just been one of the best teams ever. Their three headed offensive monster was led by the quiet mouth and steady arm of Troy Aikman. All pro wide-out Michael Irvin who was flashy, and a loudmouth. He was the guy you loved to hate. But for fifteen seasons, Emmitt Smith was the opposite. He was the guy whom no matter how much you loathed the Cowboys, you couldn’t help but to root for.

Was he the best running back ever? Probably not. Jim Brown and OJ Simpson come to mind before him. But make me a list of backs who worked harder than the rest, who wanted it more than everyone else, and who never ever put themselves before the team, and your list becomes a lot shorter. Shortened all the way down to Emmitt himself, and the man whom we only need the word Sweetness to remember.

Emmitt ran his way into the record books like he ran over opposing teams: early and often. He rushed for double digit touchdowns in his first year in the league, a feat he would repeat seven more times. And in just his second season, he led the league in rushing with 1,563 yards. He hung up his cleats as the NFL’s all time leader in rushing yards, rushing attempts, and rushing touchdowns. He also finished second to some guy named Jerry Rice in total touchdowns. Greatness should not be measured by statistics, but I’m sure it is comforting to Emmitt to know that if it is, he’s got that pretty much covered.

In a day when athletes often overstay their welcome, and try to play beyond what their bodies tell them to, Emmitt left with respect. He showed in his final season that he could still run and could be counted on twenty-five times a game. He never shied away from hits, and never wanted to come off the field. Emmitt always wanted the ball, and coaches were smart to trust it in his hands. He fumbled the ball just 22 times in a career that saw him touch the ball 4,924 times (4,409 carries and 515 receptions).

He shed tears of joy and appreciation in his retirement press conference. And he thanked Jerry Jones for taking a chance on a 5’10” running back out of Florida. It was Emmitt’s day. And in five more years, he’ll have yet another as a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee in Canton, Ohio. He didn’t have a nickname like his teammates “the Playmaker” or “Prime Time.” He was just plain ‘ol Emmitt Smith. He was just Emmitt Smith on second and short in the preseason, and he was just Emmitt Smith on third and long in the Super Bowl. No matter the situation, in a must win game or a preseason tune-up, he was the ultimate competitor for fifteen years. He was the man that would get the “tough” yards when the clock needed to be eaten up. Players should not always be measured by their numbers, but when they are, 18,355 yards is the longest number a running back can be measured by.

The Time to Hesitate is Through

2005-01-26T04:56:00.000-05:00

There will be some so called experts in the next week and a half leading up to the Super Bowl that will tell us why the New England Patriots cannot possibly continue this miraculous run they are on. And they will be dead wrong for the third straight week. But even if they aren’t, even if the Eagles bring Super Bowl XXXIX back to the City of Brotherly Love, it will be hard to overlook what the Patriots have accomplished. Win or lose on February 6, 2005, the New England Patriots will go down as one of the greatest teams in football history. In the immortal words of The Doors, “the time to hesitate is through.” Forget about the Super Bowl, now is the time to start realizing what the Patriots have done.

In an era dominated by free agency, the New England Patriots have been the quintessential team for the past four seasons. From the moment they were introduced as one at Super Bowl XXXVI, there was something different about these guys. Forty-seven men are allowed to dress for every NFL game. And from the first player dressed, to the last player dressed, if you are in the New England locker room, everyone is the same. There is no special treatment for Pro-Bowlers, or leniency for poor execution for the rookies. The Patriots win as a team, and every now and then, they lose as a team too. No team can make replacing a player look as easy as the Patriots do. And it isn’t because they are untalented players playing in a flawless system, it is because they are very good players, who believe in their coach. With starting corners Tyrone Poole and Ty Law out since midway through the season, the Pats haven’t missed a beat, even against the Colts. All-pro defensive end Richard Seymour has yet to suit up for the playoffs, but the abundance of young, talented defensive linemen from recent drafts have filled in quite nicely. Hard hitting safety Rodney Harrison was even shaken up a few times against the Steelers last week and replaced by Dexter Reid, and still the Pats didn’t miss a beat.

The media doesn’t like the Patriots because they are blasé. They are the same every week and therefore, no fun to write about. Well, the media couldn’t be more wrong. Unless of course by the same, the media means methodic in game planning, and near flawless in execution week in and week out, then I must disagree with them. The past two weeks are a perfect example. First, the Patriots went into the divisional round of the playoffs with home field advantage, a better record, and…an underdog tag. Why not though? The Colts were, after all, the fifth highest scoring offense in NFL history. Peyton Manning had thrown a record 49 touchdown passes, and according to their “idiot kicker” the Patriots were “ripe for the picking.” But this time, the Patriots might have finally taken something personally, and as a result, they held that prolific offense led by Peyton Manning to nothing more than a field goal. Then this past week, the Patriots came into the game as slight favorites according to Vegas, but the critics still weren’t convinced and most picked the Pats to lose for yet another week. I mean, this was the Blitzburgh Steelers, people were so pumped up about this team, it reminded them of the Steel Curtain defense. They had a super rookie at QB, the best running attack in the AFC, and the best run defense in the NFL. This was a team built for playoff success. So the Patriots took what the Steelers gave them, and scored 41 points on the best defense in the NFL. Two playoff wins, against two polar opposite teams, and the critics are still not convinced. Every week results in a new hero. Whether it be Brady, orchestrating a fourth quarter rally, Corey Dillon running rampant, Rodney Harrison laying vicious hits on receivers, or Willy McGinest making goal line stands, the Patriots simply find ways to win.

The Patriots are a model franchise in the NFL. In a time where players switch teams faster than you can say Michael Jackson, the Patriots roster going into Super Bowl XXXIX will feature twenty players who also helped them win Super Bowls XXXVI and XXXVIII. And with the help of many others, including Lawyer Milloy, Otis Smith, Ted Washington and Antowain Smith, the New England Patriots have accomplished some remarkable things. They put together a twenty-one game winning streak (including the playoffs) between 2003 and 2004. The Patriots of ’03 and ’04 also put together back to back 14-2 seasons, and two consecutive trips to the Super Bowl, with one victory, and one still pending. In two seasons the Patriots have won 33 of the 37 games they have played for a .891 win percentage.

Never has a franchise turned another team’s trash into gold so well. This past off season the Patriots gave the Bengals a second round pick for disgruntled running back Corey Dillon, and he didn’t make the Patriots regret it one bit. He was the third leading rusher in the NFL during the regular season. And, he looked pretty happy on Sunday for a guy who is supposed to be a clubhouse cancer. Rodney Harrison joined a season earlier and fit in immediately like he was there all along. But make no mistake, the Patriots also get the cream of the crop in the NFL too. When they signed Roosevelt Colvin, he was perhaps one of the most coveted free agents that off season. But he was sold on the Patriots winning ways. They convinced him that though he might not get the money he would elsewhere, or be able to be the center of attention, he was going to be a winner, and he was going to be on a team that would do some special things. From the free agents, to the rookies, to the crafty veterans who have been with the team all along, everyone buys into the same philosophy.

Now a hero in Boston, Red Sox manager Terry Francona once said, “I think wins are the only thing that isn’t overrated.” Funny he should say that, because wins are the Patriots’ best category. Since the start of the 2001 season in which they started their miraculous run, the Patriots have gone 57-16 including the playoffs. They don’t send the most players to the Pro Bowl, nor do they statistically have the best defense, or offense. Their quarterback doesn’t set records for touchdown passes in a season, and they don’t appear on video game covers or in freaky Nike commercials. But they do win, which is perhaps, like Francona said, the only category that doesn’t lie.

Since the first Lombardi Trophy was handed out in 1967 for winning the Super Bowl, there have been seven back to back champions, and one historic team that won it three times in four years. On February 6^th, the Patriots have a chance to join both of those groups in one game. Tom Brady can move to 9-0 in the playoffs, and Bill Belichick can move to 10-1, or, one game better than the man whom the Super Bowl trophy was named after. I don’t expect them to rename the trophy anytime soon, but win or lose, the New England Patriots have cemented their place in history among the best teams ever. They will forever be remembered as the greatest team of their era, just like the Packers of the 60’s, the 49ers of the 80’s, and the Cowboys of the 90’s.

So stop and smell the roses. Keep a close eye on the Patriots in the next week and a half, and remember it. Remember it so you can say you watched one of the greatest teams ever. History happens everyday, and if you don’t stop to pay attention every now and then, you might miss it. The quintessential team, is walking softly, and carrying a big stick. Watch them do it. Watch them, so that one day you can tell your children and grandchildren how football was played in your day. And until Sunday’s game is in the books, the only D-word mentioned around New England should be defense.

Bowl Bound (again)

2005-01-23T23:55:00.000-05:00

Championship Sunday was like an emotional roller coaster for Pats fans, but in the end, it resulted in a third trip to the Super Bowl in the Belichick era.

4:52pm – Brian Westbrook is amazing. It’s a marvel he only touched the ball 6 times in the first half. It doesn’t really matter though, this is just dead time until the Patriots game starts.

6:04pm – Time to find out which AFC team will meet the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl. Congratulations to the Eagles, it was a long time coming, but this year belongs to the AFC. Bad year to be an NFC champion.

6:15pm – T.O. in Jacksonville, eh? We will have to wait and see.

6:23pm – Is it just me or is there still some tension between Dan Marino and Boomer Esiason. I think I’d feel more comfortable telling my parents I just burnt their new house down than I would sitting in Shannon Sharpe’s seat right now.

6:36pm – Adam Vinatieri with the short kickoff, he was just making sure my ticker was working….

6:38pm – And it begins…. Eugene Wilson intercepts a tipped pass, I’m sensing a long day for Ben Roethlisberger. After tonight, he’s going to make Jack Bauer’s life look like a cake walk. The rookie will be exposed. And not in a Dennis Quaid Disney movie sort of way.

6:39pm – I thought the end-around only worked in video games….

6:41pm – Vinatieri puts the Pats on the board first. I told you it would happen. This can only be good. It’s only 3 points, but we’re on our way to putting the ball in Roethlisberger’s hands which is exactly where Rodney Harrison, Tedy Bruschi and Big Willie want it.

6:47pm – Rodney Harrison and Jerome Bettis start to mouth off to each other. Bad idea, Jerome, Harrison is not the guy you want in your head all game long. Harrison reminds me of the scene in the “Water Boy” when Adam Sandler finds the guy on the other team that was making fun of him and tosses him the ball just so he can hit him, that’s the type of person Rodney Harrison is.

6:53pm – This just in: Tom Brady can throw the long ball. If there is such a thing as a game-changing play in the first quarter, that fumble and recovery after the Steelers went for it on fourth down was it. Beautiful throw and a beautiful catch by Deion Branch, and Heinz Field is currently quieter than Fenway Park during game 3 of the 2004 ALCS.

7:05pm – Big hit on Givens, he drops the ball. Horrible punt by Miller, or, Ken Walter-esque as Kristen says to me, I’m starting to taste my dinner again. No reason to worry yet, because according to Kristen, she’s not shaking from fear, it’s because the only thing she’s had to drink all day was coffee because it’s warm and she’s snowed in with three foot drifts and hurricane speed winds. Ah, New England.

7:10pm – Field goal Jeff Reed, 10-3 Pats, 1:22 first quarter. Time for the Pats to erase the three and out from the last drive.

7:19pm – Much better punt by Josh Miller this time. I’ll take it. Time to button up the chin straps and play some defense.

7:26pm – Dexter Reed has replaced Rodney Harrison? Not good, then again, neither was losing Tyrone Poole, or Ty Law, or Richard Seymour. Okay, I’m over it…for now. But I’d still like to get Harrison back.

7:30pm – Start the drive at the 30 yard line? No problem. Branch absorbs a rib-rattling hit from Troy Polamalu and holds on for a 46 yard gain. Deion is the man. No one talks about him being out. But that man is a big game player.

7:33pm – TOUCHDOWN, NEW ENGLAND! A nice 9 yard waltz into the end zone by David Givens. 17-3 New England. The Steelers could use a jump-start now

7:37pm – “To do everything right that you did wrong the first time.” Phil Simms says regarding Tom Brady and the Patriots. They are in fact doing much better this time around than they did on Halloween against the Steelers. Could Bill Belichick have something to do with that? Analysts are kicking themselves now for not paying attention to the stat about Belichick being 13-0 when facing a QB for the second time in a season since 2001. Belichick does not lose to the same QB twice. That is a fact. And he ain’t losing to a rookie twice.

7:42pm – Interception returned 87 yards for a touchdown by Rodney Harrison. My, what a turn around from 15 minutes ago when I was uncomfortable hearing he was out of the game. Don’t look now, but Big Ben is starting to play like a rookie. And Harrison just followed the convoy and Vrabel block into the end zone….beautiful. It’s gonna be a long night for Baby Ben.

7:44pm – In the last 11 games when Romeo Crennel’s defense has scored a touchdown, they are undefeated. Just putting that out there.

7:45pm – First half two minute warning. The Pats lead 24-3. Time to put the ball in the rookie’s hands. Can Roethlisberger show me something here? I doubt it. But hey, chin up, big guy, you’re only a rookie once. And you’ve got that Chunky Soup endorsement to fall back on. And, you know, you’re dating that golf hottie. So no worries, man. Not your night.

7:51pm – Late timeout called by the Steelers in Pats territory. Can they stop ‘em? I’ll give them the three points, I just can’t wait until the halftime show. I bet Marino and Esiason are ready for some friendly halftime analysis. Or a cage match. Whichever.

7:53pm – Halftime, 24-3 Patriots. Looks like they picked up right where they left off last week. After playing the “best thirty minutes of football all year” according to Belichick in the second half against the Colts last week, there seems to be no let down. Football analysts nationwide should currently be partaking in the obligatory foot in the mouth ritual brought to you weekly by the Patriots for the last three seasons.

7:57pm – Marino is complementing Brady, talking about his big game ability, and his Super Bowl MVP’s. This is the time where I keep thinking it’s about time for Boomer to jump in and yell “To continue our QB by era comparisons from last week, in which I correctly dubbed Peyton Manning this generation’s Dan Marino, Tom Brady could be compared to Joe Montana. Don’t you think so Dan? (snickers under breath).”

8:00pm – Smartest thing Dan Marino has said all day, “the Steelers aren’t built to come from behind, its going to be hard for them to come back in the second half because they’ve been built to run all year long.” I feel like there’s an echo in here. I said that a few days ago. Let’s see what happens when you put the ball in Roethlisberger’s hands. Well, we’re about to, unless Boomer is right again, we might see Maddox….

8:10pm – Three and out for the Patriots to start the second half. Bill Cowher must have said something good during halftime. Let’s see how Roethlisberger responds.

8:15pm – Randle El down to the 5 yard line. First and goal to go for Pittsburgh. This isn’t good. After watching this afternoon’s game, I wasn’t sure it was possible, but is this guy more scary and versatile than Brian Westbrook?

8:16pm – No sooner did I finish writing my last sentence than Bettis finds the end zone. 24-10 Patriots. Heinz Field is alive. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have ourselves a ball game.

8:17pm – I’m not quite sure why it took me this long to realize, but the “terrible towel” is easily the second worst cheering device ever. Second only to those damn thunder sticks made so popular by the Disney Angels. Though, hopefully they’ll be useful at the end of the game for the Steelers fans to wipe away tears of defeat…just sayin.

8:22pm – Third and long, holding call on the Steelers, couldn’t have happened at a better time for the Patriots. First down. Okay I admit, I’m slightly worried.

8:24pm – As if that wasn’t enough, Givens drops the ball after catching it. Fumble recovered by Pittsburgh. Personal foul after the play on Pittsburgh. If I could somehow strap my keyboard to my waist, no doubt I’d be pacing the room right now.

8:27pm – Patriots are currently challenging the ruling on the field. So CBS cuts to commercial, the one with the Jeep Liberty blowing through the snow. My father proceeds to tell me while going to my grandparents house this morning, he had snow like that coming up over his front bumper. Where does he get this ice cold demeanor? He shows less emotion than Tim Duncan. I mean this is a huge challenge and snow blowing up over the bumper is all he can talk about during the commercial. And I thought I acted like a kid when it snows….

8:30pm – SHOW ME YOUR FIRST POSTSEASON TOUCHDOWN COREY DILLON! A 25 yard scamper by Corey Dillon completes the momentum turn-around. Just after you think the Steelers are back in the game, the Patriots are up by three touchdowns, and Heinz Field is now quieter than Yankee Stadium during the 2004 World Series. I’ve said this before, and to my friends that actually listen to me, it’s a repeat, but Corey Dillon has been to the Patriots this year what Keith Foulke was to the Red Sox in the 2004 playoffs. He makes me wonder, as good as Antowain Smith was in 2001, how exactly the Patriots won two Super Bowls without a running attack like this. This guy is just great, he makes you all giddy inside. He's got the same look on his face the OC (happy trails bud) had on his face everytime he stepped onto the field at Fenway after being traded to the Sox. Its the look that says, "Wow, I'm used to playing in front of maybe 5000 people, this is AMAZING, I like winning."

8:38pm – First down run by Roethlisberger. He might be my new candidate for “QB who might be even better playing another position…say FB or LB?” He knocked QB/LB/DE Daunte Culpepper down a peg. And QB/PR/KR/WR/RB/whatever other position you have a hole at Michael Vick down a notch too.

8:42pm – Asante Samuel has a nose for the ball, along with stone hands. How many “almost interceptions” can you have in a single game? The tipped interception to Eugene Wilson. And this missed one in 4^th down territory.

8:46pm – I thought I said Roethlisberger was a rookie? Four down territory and he airs a nice TD pass to Hines Ward. Once again, we have a ball game folks. The Steelers remind me a lot of the Patriots. Give them an extra chance, and they’ll take it (or in Doug Brien’s case, two extra chances). Teams of opportunity, they win games that result in the other team crying one excuse after another. They win because the CB’s jam the receivers. They win because “we turned the ball over in the red zone.” They win because other teams miss field goals and keep them in the game. You know what? Those are all parts of the game. And these two teams take advantage of opportunities better than anybody else in the NFL. It is no mistake that these two teams are in the AFC title game. This is what I’m starting to tell myself if things don’t go well. Yes, it’s almost working.

8:53pm – This game is like an emotional roller coaster. Up and down up and down. Now the Pats get a call overturned that was originally in their favor. Steelers ball, good return by Randle El. Bettis reels off a nice run. These are the types of games that give me a newfound respect for people with bi-polar disorder, ‘cause I sure feel like I have it now. Oh good, Dexter Reed is in for Rodney again. Seriously, if the Pats win this game, I’m investing in a tranquilizer gun for myself for the Super Bowl.

9:00pm – Start of the fourth quarter, first and goal for the Steelers inside the 5 yard line. 31-17 Patriots. Kristen and I agree, its Big Willie time. A goal line stand keeps it a two possession game. Four down territory for the Steelers.

9:02pm – Bill Cowher doesn’t agree with me, he kicks the field goal, Jim Nantz and Phil Simms agree with his call, it remains a two possession game. I hold true to my calling, Cowher made the wrong call. So you score a TD next possession, you need to go for two, so unless you get that, you still need two touchdowns just for the tie. I know you trust in your defense, so why not give the Patriots the ball at their own 2 yard line and make them earn the game? Who knows? Kristen agrees. “Why did they kick that?” she says, “Is this going to be the ‘Manning wanted to go for it on fourth down but Dungy waved on the punting team’ moment of this game?”

9:03pm – This weird Nike commercial comes on. Crazy techno music, Albert Pujols, Ben Roethlisberger, Mariano Rivera, Brian Urlacher and some others doing their respective sports in a small box. Weird masks appear on them, they get all freaky, I don’t get it, but it sure makes me want to watch Gladiator. My dad turns to me and says, “What the hell was that?” I don’t know dad, I really don’t know….

9:10pm – Kevin Faulk makes a nice 17 yard dash for a first down. Great change of pace back, and perfect time for the call. This is the slow uphill climb part of the roller coaster, it’s the part where the anticipation builds in your stomach and you try to build up the courage to let your arms flail in the air on the way down instead of holding on. But years of being a Red Sox fan has taught me to keep at least one hand on the restraint.

9:13pm – Adam Vinatieri tacks on another field goal. Current score 34-20 Patriots. Maybe this roller coaster is about to plateau. The drop-off is looking like we might not get to it again before the end of the game. Now is the time to start second guessing Cowher’s call to kick the field goal in four down territory. Or you could have just listened to me 11 minutes ago.

9:14pm – Phone commercial that slightly resembles the scene in Swingers where John Favreau keeps calling the girl who’s number he got earlier that night. My dad simply looks at me and says, “I didn’t get that one.” Gotta love it.

9:18pm – Interception Eugene Wilson. We think, its being reviewed. Remember ref, undisputable evidence. Meanwhile, Jimmy Buffet’s song “Volcano” plays in the background at Heinz Field. Foreshadowing? “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know where I’m a’ gonna go, when the volcano blows.” Maybe some of the Steelers are wondering where they’re going to go after this volcano blows on them. Just a thought. Oh, and back to the game, Patriots ball, the ruling on the field stands, the Steelers are charged with their first time out.

9:30pm – 4^th and 1 for the Pats. It would be a 43 yard field goal for Vinatieri, who hasn’t missed in 27 kicks. Pats elect to go for it. FIRST DOWN Pats!! Less than a 4:30 left in the game, and the Steelers are out of timeouts. This is looking good. That, my friends, shows confidence in your QB and your team. And that is why Brady and Belichick is a deadly combination. Cowher and Baby Ben, take note.

9:32pm – And now it’s looking even better. The end around? Twice in a game? It works for the first play of the game, so I guess its only fitting that it results in a Deion Branch touchdown for the Patriots final offensive play of the game. 41-20 New England Patriots. Just over two minutes to go. I hear a collective “Oops!” being mumbled by the “football experts” around the country. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Continue to fool me week after week, I’m an idiot.

9:39pm – 1:24 left in the game. The Steelers are currently creeping inside the 20 for the obligatory garbage touchdown.

9:41pm – Touchdown Steelers. The ref is still holding his arms up. Well if this makes them feel better in the off-season, then I’ll accept it. You know the onside kick is coming now. Though I do admire them for not giving up before their fans did. There must be no more than seven thousand fans left in the stadium….probably all wearing red, white and blue. And there is a conspicuous absence of Terrible Towels. Guess the remaining ones can be used to clean the Gatorade off Belichick.

9:45pm – It is now official. The Patriots are the AFC Champions for the third time in four years. Dynasty? Of course not, the Pats would be lucky if they were even favored in the Super Bowl. But that has been their M.O. all year long. Today it was Brady, Asante Samuel and Eugene Wilson making the plays. Last week it was Bruschi, Vrabel, McGinest and Dillon. That’s what makes the Patriots so dominant, you never know who the hero will be. Everyone shares in the victory as much as everyone laments in the loss.

9:51pm – Is Joe Namath more drunk right now than he was in his last famous television appearance? At least he didn’t drop the trophy.

9:53pm – Bill Belichick brushes self promoting questions aside like Tom Brady brushes off teeny boppers. One day he might acknowledge what he’s done. But until then, Pats fans can just appreciate what they’ve got, the best big game coach and team in the business. With the victory tonight, Belichick has tied Vince Lombardi, the man the Super Bowl trophy is named after for the best playoff win percentage ever. Not too shabby. Bring on the Eagles!

The Patriots will remind everyone that there are two teams on the field on Sunday

2005-01-23T12:45:00.000-05:00

Do you know what the New York Jets told me last week? Ben Roethlisberger, that Pittsburgh quarterback, well he’s a rookie. Tough to believe considering he’s a staunch 14-0 as a starter this year. His off the field behavior doesn’t make sense either. Often times, young athletes fall into the trap of the females, fame and fortune. Not Big Ben. In a time where people are realizing that there is nothing more precious on the planet than life itself, the 22 year old rookie out of Miami of Ohio donated his entire eighteen thousand dollar paycheck from last Sunday’s playoff game to the tsunami relief fund. This young man is wise beyond his years. In a few weeks, Roethlisberger will be done with his rookie season, and nobody will ever call him one again. Unfortunately, he’s going to have to bear the label for one more week.

The Patriots have probably piled more football analysts onto their bandwagon in one week than any other team in history. They went from being left for dead against the Colts last week where the only formality was that they still had to actually play the game, even though everyone already knew who was going to win; to the can’t miss favorites to win Super Bowl XXXIX. Unfortunately for the Steelers, none of this matters to the Patriots. They are the most well prepared team in the NFL every week. They overcome injuries and adversity better than anyone. And they seem to have a new hero every week. There is a reason the Patriots won a record 21 straight games, 30 of their last 32 and two of the last three Super Bowls. And there are many reasons why the Patriots will win this Sunday against the Steelers and make it to their third Super Bowl in four years.

The Steelers have the best run defense in the NFL. The Patriots found this out the hard way on Halloween when they managed just five rushing yards on six carries in the game that ended their historic and record setting win streak. This week however, the Patriots will be bringing something new to the table in the form of Corey Dillon. Dillon, did not disappoint last week playing in his first postseason football game since the Holiday Bowl while playing college football at Washington. So on Sunday against the Colts all he did was rush for 144 hard fought yards on the ground to help the Patriots control the ball for over fifteen minutes in the second half alone.

In the first meeting this season between the Patriots and Steelers, Pittsburg controlled the ball for over 43 minutes. Clearly, if either team could accomplish that feat this weekend, the game would be all but theirs. But this game is a matter of strength on strength. Both teams feature good run offenses, and even better run defenses with Pittsburgh coming in first in the regular season in rush defense, and the Patriots not far behind at sixth in the league. If New England can accomplish more on the ground this time around, the rushing attacks from both teams can potentially cancel each other out. Strength on strength, remember, and when that happens, the defenses usually come out on top.

Thus, leaving us with the passing game in the snow. As a Patriots fan, I hope the Patriots do everything they can to put the ball in young Ben Roethlisberger’s hands today. Now, I’m not hating on Big Ben, he is a good young QB, and will only get better. But the Steelers this year are a very solid team everywhere but the QB position. They have won this year in spite of Roethlisberger, not because of him. He is still a rookie, and thanks to the New York Jets last week, we saw, that despite his record, Big Ben is still capable of playing like a rookie. And rookie or no rookie, Belichick is 13-0 since 2001 when facing a quarterback for the second time in a season.

Adding Corey Dillon this week to the game plan changes the dynamics. Dillon in the backfield can help even out the time of possession in the game. I don’t think I’ve seen a Prima Donna athlete fit in with a team so well since the Yankees last season. I mean, Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, and Kevin Brown, all bought into the Yankees whole philosophy of being overpaid to act like individuals and not play like a team so well. And they proved it as well, with Brown breaking his hand against the wall in frustration, and then having a catastrophic emotional meltdown in the playoffs, and then A-rod’s base running “slap” blunder on Bronson Arroyo at Yankee Stadium that essentially lost the series for the Yankees for the third time in three games. Just as these players fit in perfectly in New York, Dillon fits in perfectly in New England. Twenty points were scored last week, and Dillon didn’t score any of them. He fought hard for 144 yards on the ground, including a 27 yard scamper in which he just missed being inside the pylon for a touchdown. On the next play, Tom Brady got the call, and the touchdown. And nobody was happier than Corey Dillon taking a breather on the sidelines.

This is a team game, and that’s how the Patriots play. They are a solid team throughout, and their depth will show against the Steelers. From their linebackers to their battered secondary, to their young defensive line, the defense can be downright stifling at times, and Jerome Bettis, Duce Staley, and Ben Roethlisberger will have all they can handle with the ball. The Patriots frustrated Peyton Manning to the extent he was yelling at his receivers last week for dropping balls he forced in, he started to blame other people. If a Belichick coached defense can do that to Manning, all they need to do is slow down the Steelers rushing attack, and imagine what the defense can do to a rookie quarterback. And on the offense, Tom Brady leads his unit with the authority of General Patton. When he talks in the huddle, people listen. There’s something about him, he doesn’t put up the magnificent passing numbers of a Peyton Manning or a Daunte Culpepper, but he puts up wins. And in the playoffs, that’s all that matters. Corey Dillon will grind it out, David Givens will stretch the field, and when all else fails, old reliable might even make it in for a few offensive plays over the middle while he’s not busy returning punts or playing nickel back.

So for all the analysts who still don’t believe in the Patriots, for all the writers, who don’t agree with Chris Mortensen that even if the Patriots lose today, they should still be considered one of the best teams ever, just sit back and enjoy the game. The Patriots will show one more time that they do belong in that elite category. Just like they did for 21 straight games, and 30 out of their last 32. It was luck that New England won Super Bowl XXXVI, so just to prove how lucky they were, they won it again, two years later. Doubt a Patriots victory all you want, why not, people have been doing it for the last three and a half seasons, they’re used to it, but while you’re busy worrying about what the other teams bring to the table to beat the Patriots, they will quietly, and methodically remind you what they bring to the table.

Who's Your Daddy?

2005-01-17T02:52:00.000-05:00

This is a phrase that has become pretty common to hear around New England. Though, up until the Patriots domination of the Colts in Sunday's playoff game, it was not always a positive phrase. It was made famous by one Pedro Martinez talking about the hated New York Yankees, but it has been perfected by Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. Because you see, even when Pedro decided to share with the world that the Yankees were his daddy, it wasn't true. It was evident during Game 6 of the ALCS in Yankee Stadium that Pedro might have been, well, lying. He might just have been engaging in a little bit more of the propaganda war with the media that he has become so adept at doing.

But make no mistake, now in New England, it is not a propaganda war anymore. It is merely the truth. The New England Patriots are Peyton Manning's daddy. No matter what he does, the poor guy just can't seem to beat Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. Granted, the game was outdoors, it was snowing, and it wasn’t 72 degrees like it would have been in the RCA dome, but not all of the victories have come in the cozy confines of Foxboro. Twice the Colts have gotten a shot at the Patriots at the RCA Dome in their last six meetings, and twice they have come out with nothing to show for it.

But as the Patriots players will tell you, the weather and the stadium are nothing but excuses. And excuses are something that the Patriots do not know very well. They play football, end of story. It didn't matter that all the football minds at ESPN and The Sporting News and everywhere else picked the Patriots to finally be exposed. It didn't matter that the Colts were supposed to run over their depleted defense with their record setting offense. It didn't matter that the Patriots were missing both their starting cornerbacks, including one of the best cover corners in the NFL, and Pro Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour.

All that mattered was that the New England Patriots were the better team on Sunday. It was a chess match between two very well coached teams, it was beauty on the field and for one team, it was a complete domination. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have cemented their places in history by now, but they are far from done. With the victory today, Bill Belichick coached teams are a gaudy 8-1 in postseason play. Vince Lombardi is 9-1. Read that again, Belichick is two victories away, from compiling a better playoff record than the very man the Super Bowl Trophy is named after. And Tom Brady, well he didn't throw 49 touchdown passes this season, but he's got other numbers that I'm sure make Peyton Manning jealous. Two Super Bowl rings, two Super Bowl MVP's, and 7 playoff victories without a loss. With a win next Sunday over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tom Brady would break Troy Aikman's record for most playoff victories to start a career without a loss since the merger.

But let's not forget the rest of the team. The QB always gets the glory and the girl, that’s just how it goes. And in New England, the coach gets a lot of the credit. But don't take anything away from the players either. Sure the Patriots aren't sending 9 players to the Pro Bowl this year like the Eagles. And the general consensus is that they play a better team game than any other, well, team in the NFL. But these guys are good. From Tedy Bruschi recovering two fumbles, to Rodney Harrison icing the game with an interception in the final seconds to Corey Dillon pounding out 144 yards on the ground at a clip of 6.3 yards per carry, the Patriots were the better team. The players are more than the inanimate objects analysts and writers have made them out to be. They are not mindless bodies that Belichick sends out to fulfill his mission. These are 53 football players who simply played better football than the 53 players on the other side of the field.

The critics might have been right about one thing on Sunday though. There was a dominating offensive performance turned in. Only, it wasn't by the Colts. The fourth highest scoring offense in NFL history was held to three points on Sunday. A team that scored almost at will during the regular season, averaging over 32 points per game, could come up with nothing more than a field goal in the end. And it wasn’t for lack of chances. The Patriots controlled the ball for nearly two thirds of the game, but during the regular season, the Colts only averaged about six minutes more of offensive possession because they scored so quickly. In fact, each team got ten chances with the ball on Sunday; the Colts simply couldn’t get anything done when given their chances. The dominating offense on this day came from the side of the field nobody outside of the Patriots locker room expected it to come from. The offense sputtered in the first quarter, with drives of fifteen and negative two yards to start the game, it looked as though the critics might be right. Then, they kicked it into gear before the end of the first half and engineered field goal drives of 78 and 48 yards. In the second half, it was more of the same. Only the end result this time was touchdowns. With 88 and 94 yard touchdown drives in the third and fourth quarters respectively, the Patriots offense ate away 15 minutes and 21 seconds off the clock. Or, just over a full quarter of football.

The victory was a dominating performance in every facet of the game by the New England Patriots. With no Richard Seymour to anchor the defensive line, and no Ty Law and Tyrone Poole to cover the Colts prolific receivers, it was no worries for the Patriots. The linebacker corps of Tedy Bruschi, Roman Phifer, Mike Vrabel, and Willy McGinest simply went to work like they had all season long. They hit receivers, knocked them off their routes, they confused Peyton and the pressured him all at the same time, they forced fumbles, and recovered them, and they anchored a stifling defense all game long. Walking off the field after the game ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio asked Bruschi about rattling the Colts early in the game. To which the usually soft spoken leader replied, “Rattled them early? We rattled them all day. Does it really matter? How many points they score? Three? Come on now.” And that was the story of the game.

Maybe one of these days Peyton Manning will play in a Super Bowl. Maybe one day he will even win one. Nobody will dispute that he is the best passing quarterback of this generation, but as Dan Marino will tell you, most does not equal best. My hat goes off to Peyton for the 49 touchdown passes he threw, the 4557 yards and the 121.1 passer rating he compiled. Truly a remarkable season. But when it comes down to crunch time, when it comes to big games and when it comes to the playoffs, Tom Brady once again showed, that he is your man. He threw for only 144 yards against the Colts, but he was cooler than the underside of the pillow when he needed to be. He was the maestro of four scoring drives, and had a part in both New England touchdowns by rushing for one, and tossing the other on the run to a wide open David Givens.

If we are going to play backyard football, give me Peyton Manning. If we are going to have a deep ball contest, or maybe even an accuracy contest, give me Peyton Manning. If we have to win a game, give me Tom Brady. His contract may not have been as lucrative as Manning’s. But if you would like to measure greatness by numbers, let’s not look at TD passes, passing yards or QB rating. Instead, we should be looking at the numbers that define greatness. The numbers that Tom Brady has. And while Brady might not get the praise outside of New England that Manning does outside of Indianapolis, should he ever need vindication for what he has accomplished, he need only look out at his driveway and smile at the two Cadillac’s parked in it.