Merry Christmas to everyone.
Obviously the Yankees had a great holiday. Mark Teixeira is a Yankee. AJ Burnett, CC – and the Yankees are still lower than their payroll last year. And they are not done. I’m not going to say they are an automatic lock to win the World Series. Far from it. Not only do they play in the toughest division in the Majors (only Baltimore is a sub-par team), there are many questions that remain. There’s no guarantee Posada will be the same, coming off of shoulder surgery. Will Johnny Damon be a good leadoff man? What about Matsui? Will Cano pull his head out of his ass and not be premadona again? The Yankees may get Manny and Derek Lowe or Ben Sheets. One final question: What in the world is Andy Pettite smoking? Another team will pay him $10 million.
Questions aside, the Yankees are moving in the right direction, finally. Should there be a salary cap, as the owner of the Brewers asked? It’s a non-issue, given that the Players Union will never allow it. But the answer is no. Look at what Tampa Bay accomplished last year, with the lowest payroll in the league.
If I was a Red Sox fan, I would be livid. Did this not happen with the A-Rod saga nearly 4 years ago? Make an offer and stick to it, or don’t bother sending the press mixed messages.
As for the Mets, where to begin? Apparently Omar can’t sell the ownership on a Manny deal? Did Wilpon invest with Manny too? He’s the best hitter in the game, and wants to play in New York. The Mets clearly need another bat, and the fact they are not going after Manny is baffling.
The Jets have dug themselves a hole, and have nobody to blame but themselves. Mangini called the worst plays I’ve seen in years. The Jets march down the field, and look like a Super Bowl contender, only to have a drive stall on them. If the Jets win somehow (and let’s remember Pennington knows the Jets’ defensive schemes), and Baltimore or the Patriots lose, look Mangini to be fired, along with defensive and offensive coordinators. And the off season will be even more painful, with continued rumors about Favre’s never ending retirement.
Meanwhile, the Giants rebounded in a big way, and won the best game of the season in overtime. Truly amazing to watch, and now the question is whether or not the Giants will win the second game with the Panthers, as the NFC Championship will very likely be a repeat of last Sunday’s game.
Plaxico Burress apparently forgot he had a small arsenal of weapons in his home. Isn’t his wife a lawyer in New York?
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Have You Been Drinking? Tony Romo should be
Greetings yet again. Let's get right into the holiday season, as Christmas is literally right around the corner.
UCONN takes out Gonzaga in OT, in a dramatick come-from-behind victory, which featured a buzzard beater from A.J. Price. Question though - UCONN is/was number 2 going into this game, Gonzaga was # 7, correct? UCONN barely beat Gonzaga, and had to rely on a 3 pointer to tie it in regulation as the clock expired, correct? But isn't Duke # 5, and Xavier is # 8, correct? And didn't Duke when 82-64? Either UCONN is seriously over ranked or Xavier didn't belong in the top 10. UCONN had to win the game against Gonzaga, a highly ranked, non conference opponent in late December, but they struggled, and showed the same inconsistency that plagued them all last year. Look for a readjustment of the top 10 in the near future, with UNC remaining in the top slot.
On to the Giants, who are in the middle of a slump likely to extend into the final week of the season. The Giants (11-3) face the Panthers (also 11-3), after two dismal losses to the Eagles and Cowboys. Jacobs is scheduled to start, but look for the Giants to pull him early, and then become the one-dimensional team they appeared to be against Philly and Dallas - Eli trying to force the ball to average receivers. What's going on here? Well, for starters, the Giants Defense is tired coming into the 15th week of the season. Instead of rushing 3 or or 4 men to the ball, against the Cowboys the Giants only brought 2 to the ball carrier, with the rest of the linebackers and secondary hanging back to prevent the big play. Burress is gone, of course, and that takes away the double teams he drew, leaving average receivers like Toomer open to good, one-on-one coverage. And Ward and Bradshaw are not Jacobs, no way. If the Giants can't get the run game established against Carolina, it will be a long, cold night in East Rutherford, and the Giants will be set up to enter the post season with the dreaded "not hot" status.
As for the other New York team? They have an easy opponent in Seattle this weekend. But keep in mind that Gang Green has yet to win on the West Coast this year, and has looked downright awful on the road, with the notable exception in Tennessee earlier this year. Thanks to Dallas again choking in a must win game against the Ravens last night, the Jets now have to win the final two games of the season to make it into the playoffs. A tall order for a team with the history of the New York Jets. Of course, it all depends which Brett shows up - 1 INT or 4 INTs.
Fortunately though, Tony Homo and the Cowboys will likely not be around for the post season. So what happens now in the Big D? Wade Phillips is done if the Cowboys can't make it into the post season, Phillips will not be on the next HBO's "Training Camp." Then you have to start to ask questions about Romo, who is consistently presented as a star of the NFL, which I find baffling. Why? Has he won a playoff game? Does anyone remember the botched hold two years ago. And of course his latest meltdown last night, and recently against the Steelers? Don't get me wrong, at times he has shown signs of brilliance. At other times, when it mattered of course, he has been downright awful. Why is nobody paying attention to the Ravens' amazing performance at the end of the game?
UCONN takes out Gonzaga in OT, in a dramatick come-from-behind victory, which featured a buzzard beater from A.J. Price. Question though - UCONN is/was number 2 going into this game, Gonzaga was # 7, correct? UCONN barely beat Gonzaga, and had to rely on a 3 pointer to tie it in regulation as the clock expired, correct? But isn't Duke # 5, and Xavier is # 8, correct? And didn't Duke when 82-64? Either UCONN is seriously over ranked or Xavier didn't belong in the top 10. UCONN had to win the game against Gonzaga, a highly ranked, non conference opponent in late December, but they struggled, and showed the same inconsistency that plagued them all last year. Look for a readjustment of the top 10 in the near future, with UNC remaining in the top slot.
On to the Giants, who are in the middle of a slump likely to extend into the final week of the season. The Giants (11-3) face the Panthers (also 11-3), after two dismal losses to the Eagles and Cowboys. Jacobs is scheduled to start, but look for the Giants to pull him early, and then become the one-dimensional team they appeared to be against Philly and Dallas - Eli trying to force the ball to average receivers. What's going on here? Well, for starters, the Giants Defense is tired coming into the 15th week of the season. Instead of rushing 3 or or 4 men to the ball, against the Cowboys the Giants only brought 2 to the ball carrier, with the rest of the linebackers and secondary hanging back to prevent the big play. Burress is gone, of course, and that takes away the double teams he drew, leaving average receivers like Toomer open to good, one-on-one coverage. And Ward and Bradshaw are not Jacobs, no way. If the Giants can't get the run game established against Carolina, it will be a long, cold night in East Rutherford, and the Giants will be set up to enter the post season with the dreaded "not hot" status.
As for the other New York team? They have an easy opponent in Seattle this weekend. But keep in mind that Gang Green has yet to win on the West Coast this year, and has looked downright awful on the road, with the notable exception in Tennessee earlier this year. Thanks to Dallas again choking in a must win game against the Ravens last night, the Jets now have to win the final two games of the season to make it into the playoffs. A tall order for a team with the history of the New York Jets. Of course, it all depends which Brett shows up - 1 INT or 4 INTs.
Fortunately though, Tony Homo and the Cowboys will likely not be around for the post season. So what happens now in the Big D? Wade Phillips is done if the Cowboys can't make it into the post season, Phillips will not be on the next HBO's "Training Camp." Then you have to start to ask questions about Romo, who is consistently presented as a star of the NFL, which I find baffling. Why? Has he won a playoff game? Does anyone remember the botched hold two years ago. And of course his latest meltdown last night, and recently against the Steelers? Don't get me wrong, at times he has shown signs of brilliance. At other times, when it mattered of course, he has been downright awful. Why is nobody paying attention to the Ravens' amazing performance at the end of the game?
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Season's Greetings
I'll apologize now for the long hiatus in posting. There's been a lot of change in my personal life, most of it good (thankfully), and the markets have made work interesting, to say the least. But I'll promise now to post more frequently.
Let's start with the current day, rather then work our way back through the months. As much as I would love to, its already in the past, so to to speak. Plaxico Burress = Giant Idiot. The whole situation is very unfortunate. Not only does a talented and rich athlete very probably lose his livelihood, an 11-1, defending super-bowl championship team gets dragged through the mud. Nobody seems to be talking about the fact the Giants are playing the Eagles for the NFC East title this week. Here's another interesting thought: Suppose when his gun went off, the bullet hit someone else. There would be no debate whatsoever about Plaxico and his future, and not questions about why athletes carry guns. How lucky is he really. And another question: a member of Packman Jones's posy shoots a security guard and paralyzes him, in addition to 11 incidents with the police, and he's still playing?? The whole situation is ridiculous, and athletes clearly haven't learned from Michael Vick that they can lose everything they have. Will he go to jail? I'd say not likely, until the Mayor of New York came out and said he should. Now you'll have overly ambitious Assistant District Attorneys lining up for the case to make a name for themselves. How I love the town I live in.
Let's talk about the other team in town - Gang Green. People were calling for a subway Super Bowl. Are you serious? Don't get me wrong, the Jets are clearly the most improved team in football, but they are not going deep into the playoffs. They simply don't have the depth the Giants or Steelers or Cowboys do. I give credit to Brett Favre for staying the course, and I do think he will return next season to an improved team. I'm not writing them off after the disaster against Denver in monsoon-like conditions, I just don't they had the depth to last in the playoffs.
Unfortunately Jerry Jones and the Cowboys have returned. If they can survive in Pittsburgh this week, which they should be able to, look out Giants. With Romo healthy, and a solid running game (provided they have 2 out of 3 of their backs), the cowboys can upset anyone. The one obstacle to the Giants repeating may in fact be the Cowboys in the playoffs. Look for Dallas to win in Pittsburgh this week, given Pittsburgh's weak offensive line and Big Ben's tendency to hang back in the pocket too long. Nothing would please the control freak owner, who tries to portray himself as a hip, savy guy on HBO's Training Camp, then upsetting the G-men. Come to think of it, why haven't HBO or Showtime or ESPN done a piece on the Giants, who beat a team of destiny (sorry Bob Kraft)?? Oh yeah, that's right, the Giants are from New York, I forgot.
The BCS system got it wrong, yet again, with the debacle of the Big 12 championship game. Missouri against Oklahoma? Didn't Texas beat Oklahoma on a neutral field? Texas Tech beat Texas in a truly dramatic game for the ages, but can you honestly make the case Oklahoma is the best team to face Missouri - who would lose to any three of the teams that were up for the slot? At least the SEC got it right, and the winner of the SEC will face the winner of the Big 12. Will Florida prevail? Its the age old question of speed against physicality, of which Alabama has an abundance. I think it will be a close game, but Florida will win by 7. The real question will be if Alabama will still get the nod to face the winner of the Big 12 (presumably Oklahoma). Keep in mind that if Alabama loses, as Vegas is calling for, then they will have the same record as the Gators. Didn't the Gators play for and win a national championship recently? Doesn't Alabama have a large following, and highly touted corporate (the "most powerful man in college sports," according to Forbes) coach in Nick Saban?? It's a question of how much the BCS will dare to screw Florida out of its rightful shot at the title, provided they take care of business. But I can already see the BCS pointing to how many weeks Florida languished in the 4th or 5th ranked spot, while Alabama sat at #1. I hope the national championship game won't be marred by more of the same, of which we've already had a taste of.
Charlie Weis gets to keep his job. Now a lot of people feel he should leave, and a lot of people feel he should stay. I am in the latter camp. Do I agree with his arrogance, which continued up until the nightmare game against USC last week? No. But he has had 2 top 10 recruiting classes, and is on track, reportedly, to have another one this this year. I believe Notre Dame will have good, plus-8 win season next year. And let's not forget the fact that Notre Dame signed him to a 10 year contract, which means they expected him to build a dynasty. With the recruiting classes he has put together, there's no reason why he can't do that. If he doesn't win 8 games next year, then he is out for sure. But I say, stick to the 10 year plan and see if year 5 - the measuring point year - yields results.
Let's turn our attention to the Hot Stove of December: Baseball. I'll be honest, I am a Yankees fan. However, I think the Yankees should forget about CC immediately. He clearly wants another West Coast team (where he's from) to put together an attractive offer. If I were the Yankees, I'd set a deadline, and then go on a buying spree once the fat, arrogant pitcher declines (think I'm wrong? Watch MTV's the cribs about CC Sabathia, and see what I'm talking about). Still, acquiring arms won't solve the problem the Yankees have with holes at Catcher (Posada won't be the same), 1st Base (Nick Swisher???) and the entire outfield. This is sadly a team in decline, only capable of putting together a wild card run next season at best. Time to rebuild. And you better believe if I was an opposing catcher, I'd say something about A-Rod's disgusting Madonna-humping.
To be continued, soon...
Let's start with the current day, rather then work our way back through the months. As much as I would love to, its already in the past, so to to speak. Plaxico Burress = Giant Idiot. The whole situation is very unfortunate. Not only does a talented and rich athlete very probably lose his livelihood, an 11-1, defending super-bowl championship team gets dragged through the mud. Nobody seems to be talking about the fact the Giants are playing the Eagles for the NFC East title this week. Here's another interesting thought: Suppose when his gun went off, the bullet hit someone else. There would be no debate whatsoever about Plaxico and his future, and not questions about why athletes carry guns. How lucky is he really. And another question: a member of Packman Jones's posy shoots a security guard and paralyzes him, in addition to 11 incidents with the police, and he's still playing?? The whole situation is ridiculous, and athletes clearly haven't learned from Michael Vick that they can lose everything they have. Will he go to jail? I'd say not likely, until the Mayor of New York came out and said he should. Now you'll have overly ambitious Assistant District Attorneys lining up for the case to make a name for themselves. How I love the town I live in.
Let's talk about the other team in town - Gang Green. People were calling for a subway Super Bowl. Are you serious? Don't get me wrong, the Jets are clearly the most improved team in football, but they are not going deep into the playoffs. They simply don't have the depth the Giants or Steelers or Cowboys do. I give credit to Brett Favre for staying the course, and I do think he will return next season to an improved team. I'm not writing them off after the disaster against Denver in monsoon-like conditions, I just don't they had the depth to last in the playoffs.
Unfortunately Jerry Jones and the Cowboys have returned. If they can survive in Pittsburgh this week, which they should be able to, look out Giants. With Romo healthy, and a solid running game (provided they have 2 out of 3 of their backs), the cowboys can upset anyone. The one obstacle to the Giants repeating may in fact be the Cowboys in the playoffs. Look for Dallas to win in Pittsburgh this week, given Pittsburgh's weak offensive line and Big Ben's tendency to hang back in the pocket too long. Nothing would please the control freak owner, who tries to portray himself as a hip, savy guy on HBO's Training Camp, then upsetting the G-men. Come to think of it, why haven't HBO or Showtime or ESPN done a piece on the Giants, who beat a team of destiny (sorry Bob Kraft)?? Oh yeah, that's right, the Giants are from New York, I forgot.
The BCS system got it wrong, yet again, with the debacle of the Big 12 championship game. Missouri against Oklahoma? Didn't Texas beat Oklahoma on a neutral field? Texas Tech beat Texas in a truly dramatic game for the ages, but can you honestly make the case Oklahoma is the best team to face Missouri - who would lose to any three of the teams that were up for the slot? At least the SEC got it right, and the winner of the SEC will face the winner of the Big 12. Will Florida prevail? Its the age old question of speed against physicality, of which Alabama has an abundance. I think it will be a close game, but Florida will win by 7. The real question will be if Alabama will still get the nod to face the winner of the Big 12 (presumably Oklahoma). Keep in mind that if Alabama loses, as Vegas is calling for, then they will have the same record as the Gators. Didn't the Gators play for and win a national championship recently? Doesn't Alabama have a large following, and highly touted corporate (the "most powerful man in college sports," according to Forbes) coach in Nick Saban?? It's a question of how much the BCS will dare to screw Florida out of its rightful shot at the title, provided they take care of business. But I can already see the BCS pointing to how many weeks Florida languished in the 4th or 5th ranked spot, while Alabama sat at #1. I hope the national championship game won't be marred by more of the same, of which we've already had a taste of.
Charlie Weis gets to keep his job. Now a lot of people feel he should leave, and a lot of people feel he should stay. I am in the latter camp. Do I agree with his arrogance, which continued up until the nightmare game against USC last week? No. But he has had 2 top 10 recruiting classes, and is on track, reportedly, to have another one this this year. I believe Notre Dame will have good, plus-8 win season next year. And let's not forget the fact that Notre Dame signed him to a 10 year contract, which means they expected him to build a dynasty. With the recruiting classes he has put together, there's no reason why he can't do that. If he doesn't win 8 games next year, then he is out for sure. But I say, stick to the 10 year plan and see if year 5 - the measuring point year - yields results.
Let's turn our attention to the Hot Stove of December: Baseball. I'll be honest, I am a Yankees fan. However, I think the Yankees should forget about CC immediately. He clearly wants another West Coast team (where he's from) to put together an attractive offer. If I were the Yankees, I'd set a deadline, and then go on a buying spree once the fat, arrogant pitcher declines (think I'm wrong? Watch MTV's the cribs about CC Sabathia, and see what I'm talking about). Still, acquiring arms won't solve the problem the Yankees have with holes at Catcher (Posada won't be the same), 1st Base (Nick Swisher???) and the entire outfield. This is sadly a team in decline, only capable of putting together a wild card run next season at best. Time to rebuild. And you better believe if I was an opposing catcher, I'd say something about A-Rod's disgusting Madonna-humping.
To be continued, soon...
Monday, September 1, 2008
The More Things Change, The More...
Greetings from Blogger Land. Apologies for the delay in my posts - things have been rather busy lately for me personally. A new job, and a move. However I think I have enough time to right on the latest state of things.
To begin, college football is upon us again, a not a moment too soon - more about that in a minute. For the immediate future, the Yankees are finished. Everyone wants to find a reason for why this happened, for why a $200 million payroll will fail to even make the playoffs. Simply put - inconsistency. The offense never produced on a consistent basis. For example, Nady, Damon, Jeter, and Abreau all had excellent batting averages with runners in scoring position (RISP). However, the middle of the line up had two glaring, no rather, cavernous, holes in the line up. Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi. A-Rod (aka Mr. Madona) hit intl 11, yes 11, Double Plays for the month of August. 11. Giambi is batting his ususal .250, following A-Rod. Nothing spells rally-killer, and season-killer, like these two back-to-back in the line up.
And what did Girardi do about this? Nothing, absolutely nothing. One would have to believe that Joe Torre would have at least tried shuffling the line up by now, remember, A-Rod was batting 8th at one point last year. Of course, this isn't all Girardi's fault. He's been an OK, but not great, or even good manager. He has made some freshman managerial mistakes. The base-running has been dreadful this year, and for reasons unexplained, he has continued to rely on Rasner, who rarely makes it beyond the 5th inning.
Yes, the Yankees have had serious injuries. Posada is gone for the season, and Matsui has been missing for much of the season. Nobody foresaw Wong being injured in a freak base-running issue either. Still, the Red Sox have had injuries too - Schilling, Ortiz, Beckett, and Manny is gone (in one of the worst-managed personnel decisions ever). The Rays (not the Devil Rays anymore), lost Crawford and Longoria for almost all of August. Both teams managed to keep winning games. Someone should remind Hank Steinbrinner of that.
Of course, there are the what-ifs? Suppose the Yankees had given up Melkey Cabrera and Phil Hughes for Santana, or Cano for Sabathia. Try getting anything for them now, after the league has seen Hughes sit out the season in the minors, Cabrera be demoted to the minors, and Cano not crack .270 all season. I believe at the time Hank said the Twins and Indians wanted too much. Really??
Bottom line, too many variables have combined to render an all-star line-up to be totally ineffective. Blame can and should be pointed at the front office, the manager, and especially the players. Players who make $250 million in 10 years, and can't score with RISP because they are too busy hooking up with Madona (I think he could do a lot better on and off the field).
Its September, and New York belongs to the Mets. Great. Of course the Mets didn't factor on losing John Maine and Billy Wagner within two weeks of each other. Big Problems.
I'll root for the Cubs, as I used to live in Chicago, and also because the Mets screwed Willie Randolph. The Cubs haven't won in 100 years, and unlike the Red Sox, they have not blamed another team for their problems.
As for College Football, well the more things change, the more they stay the same. Michigan continued their winning tradition, by losing what ultimately became a close game, to Utah. Their problem? No QB. Perhaps they should have done a little more to keep Mallet.
Alabama looked more than dominant against Clemson, and could be a serious force to be reckoned with by Florida and Georgia in the SEC.
Virginia Tech is clearly in a rebuilding "phase" this year, Like Michigan, they don't have a QB.
The next big game? OSU against USC. Bet on USC to hang over 40 on the buckeyes, as a west coast offense that works will always beat a running attack, any time. Without Beanie Wells, OSU will have to start their star freshman recruit, and look for USC to key up on him.
The Olympics were fun, if you like watching Phelpls win over and over again. I actually got more enjoyment out of watching the Men's and Women's beach volleyball finals, than Phelps swimming. The one thing that bothered me about it, was that the media made as though he deserved it, and him winning 8 golds was a foregone conclusion. I'd like to point out that finish against the Serbian swimmer by half a stroke was questionable at best. It's possible that a bubble in the water could make the difference between 1/100th of a second and second place. None-the-less, it still was an amazing achievement, even Phelps may be a deuchebag:
http://www.bestweekever.tv/2008/08/19/just-asking-is-michael-phelps-a-douche/
To begin, college football is upon us again, a not a moment too soon - more about that in a minute. For the immediate future, the Yankees are finished. Everyone wants to find a reason for why this happened, for why a $200 million payroll will fail to even make the playoffs. Simply put - inconsistency. The offense never produced on a consistent basis. For example, Nady, Damon, Jeter, and Abreau all had excellent batting averages with runners in scoring position (RISP). However, the middle of the line up had two glaring, no rather, cavernous, holes in the line up. Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi. A-Rod (aka Mr. Madona) hit intl 11, yes 11, Double Plays for the month of August. 11. Giambi is batting his ususal .250, following A-Rod. Nothing spells rally-killer, and season-killer, like these two back-to-back in the line up.
And what did Girardi do about this? Nothing, absolutely nothing. One would have to believe that Joe Torre would have at least tried shuffling the line up by now, remember, A-Rod was batting 8th at one point last year. Of course, this isn't all Girardi's fault. He's been an OK, but not great, or even good manager. He has made some freshman managerial mistakes. The base-running has been dreadful this year, and for reasons unexplained, he has continued to rely on Rasner, who rarely makes it beyond the 5th inning.
Yes, the Yankees have had serious injuries. Posada is gone for the season, and Matsui has been missing for much of the season. Nobody foresaw Wong being injured in a freak base-running issue either. Still, the Red Sox have had injuries too - Schilling, Ortiz, Beckett, and Manny is gone (in one of the worst-managed personnel decisions ever). The Rays (not the Devil Rays anymore), lost Crawford and Longoria for almost all of August. Both teams managed to keep winning games. Someone should remind Hank Steinbrinner of that.
Of course, there are the what-ifs? Suppose the Yankees had given up Melkey Cabrera and Phil Hughes for Santana, or Cano for Sabathia. Try getting anything for them now, after the league has seen Hughes sit out the season in the minors, Cabrera be demoted to the minors, and Cano not crack .270 all season. I believe at the time Hank said the Twins and Indians wanted too much. Really??
Bottom line, too many variables have combined to render an all-star line-up to be totally ineffective. Blame can and should be pointed at the front office, the manager, and especially the players. Players who make $250 million in 10 years, and can't score with RISP because they are too busy hooking up with Madona (I think he could do a lot better on and off the field).
Its September, and New York belongs to the Mets. Great. Of course the Mets didn't factor on losing John Maine and Billy Wagner within two weeks of each other. Big Problems.
I'll root for the Cubs, as I used to live in Chicago, and also because the Mets screwed Willie Randolph. The Cubs haven't won in 100 years, and unlike the Red Sox, they have not blamed another team for their problems.
As for College Football, well the more things change, the more they stay the same. Michigan continued their winning tradition, by losing what ultimately became a close game, to Utah. Their problem? No QB. Perhaps they should have done a little more to keep Mallet.
Alabama looked more than dominant against Clemson, and could be a serious force to be reckoned with by Florida and Georgia in the SEC.
Virginia Tech is clearly in a rebuilding "phase" this year, Like Michigan, they don't have a QB.
The next big game? OSU against USC. Bet on USC to hang over 40 on the buckeyes, as a west coast offense that works will always beat a running attack, any time. Without Beanie Wells, OSU will have to start their star freshman recruit, and look for USC to key up on him.
The Olympics were fun, if you like watching Phelpls win over and over again. I actually got more enjoyment out of watching the Men's and Women's beach volleyball finals, than Phelps swimming. The one thing that bothered me about it, was that the media made as though he deserved it, and him winning 8 golds was a foregone conclusion. I'd like to point out that finish against the Serbian swimmer by half a stroke was questionable at best. It's possible that a bubble in the water could make the difference between 1/100th of a second and second place. None-the-less, it still was an amazing achievement, even Phelps may be a deuchebag:
http://www.bestweekever.tv/2008/08/19/just-asking-is-michael-phelps-a-douche/
Monday, July 28, 2008
Footsteps anyone?
Greetings, and my how much a month can change things. For starters - the Yankees. No one, but no one, saw this one coming. And what explains their remarkable turnaround, which has placed them within 3 games of the Rays (not Devil Rays), and two behind Boston? Pitching. The strung-together starting line up of Mussina, Pettite, Joba, Ponson/Rasner has held together, and the bullpen has been lights out lately. Apparently Farnsworth remembered how to pitch. The only consistent pitching has been from Rivera, who has been perfect all season. It sure hasn't been their hitting, if you look at the box scores (the one exception during the recent 8 game winning streak being the 10-3 win over Boston). As for their loss last night - that's easily explained by Ponson being the perfect fast ball server to a fast ball hitting team.
The question - can they maintain this momentum? Tough to say, because the As and Twins are not division leaders, and while they did do well in Boston - the Red Sox are having issues (Manny anyone - more on that to follow). A true test will be this weekend, when the red hot Angels come to the Bronx. Although, it wouldn't be like the Yankees to blow an easy 3 game series against a struggling Baltimore squad. The answer is that if the pitching can hold up, with reinforcements coming in the form of Hughes and possibly Washburn, and their hitting comes around, then Yes, they can win the division and a lot more. However, the hitting is a big question, because Posada and Matsui are effectively done for the season. Still, the fact that they put together this win streak without Posada or Matsui is remarkable, and explains why George and Sons opened up the wallet to sign Nady and Martle, and possibly Washburn. This team can win it al, but they need to be firing on all cylinders consistently, which hasn't been the case so far.
And yes, the recent moves almost excuse Cashman from the Igawa and Pavano disasters.
Moving on to that other New York team - the lovable Mets. Suddenly, the team is hitting, and hustling under the, er, dynamic(?) leadership of Jerry Manuel. Big surprise. The Mets had the pieces all along on paper to go to the World Series. They simply stopped playing under Willie Randolph because of the collapse last year. Delgado and Beltran should be ashamed of themselves, because they were clearly dogging it under Willie. Of course they will never prove it, but it wouldn't be like Omar to have worked out a deal to have them play down until Willie was fired. OK - that might be a bit extreme. The simple fact is the Mets players are spoiled, and have always acted that way - going back to the Bobby Valentine days. Perfect example - Jose Reyes, who acts like he is on crack half the time while on the field, and blames it on his maturity. News Flash Jose - you've been in the majors for 5 seasons now, I think the maturity issues is now a non-factor.
Continuing on, the Red Sox have issues of their own, most notably Manny Ramirez, who is so desperate to leave Boston, he'll go play in Iraq. Manny never was the brightest. His problem - he wants more money, sure, but as he pointed out in an interview, there is a "strangle atmosphere" on the team now. The Red Sox are panicking, and with good reason. The Yankees closed a huge deficit in the standings, and went out and acquired Nady and Martle, and look on track to get Washburn. Those moves negate Posada and Matsui being done for the season, which made the Red Sox complacent in their play. Will Manny leave? Not likely. There are only three teams who can absorb his ridiculous contract - the Yankees (who the Red Sox will never consider for obvious reasons), the Dodgers, and the Mets. The Dodgers and Mets won't pay him $20 million he is owed, and negotiate a new deal, because of who he is - Manny. He clearly hasn't helped himself out.
And of course there is the leader - Veritek, who believes he is entitled to a Posada-like 4 year deal, but during the final year of his contract is hitting a fantastic .218. That might explain why Theo Epstein is dodging the questions about resigning him.
As for other news - well we happen to be in the middle of summer. The Giants releasing Shockey - not shocking, given his antics and the fact that Boss is just as good as Shockey, and younger.
Renoldo is still being a prick - and refusing to commit to Manchester United. He should accept the fact he isn't going anywhere, and he still has a lot to prove, as he only just came into form the last two seasons. Perhaps he should have weighed that before signing a 5 year contract last season. Ooops.
The Rangers completed their dismantling of the team that should have gone further in the playoffs. Not only did they let Jagr go, they watched Avery leave as well, in addition to Shenneham. The team wanted to go younger, so the replaced 36 year old Jagr with the 35 year old Naslund. Did anyone notice that Straka left too? Fantastic. The real reason - Dolan is rightfully fed up with having the highest payroll in hockey and not getting anywhere in the post season. Perhaps the Rangers can learn to win with less. The organization needs a complete overhaul, beginning with GM Glen Sather, and the entire front office.
How do you spell public relations nightmare? Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. The NFL must be panicking. The Packers should release Favre, because no team is going to trade talent for a 38 year old QB who could retire at any time. Of course if he comes to the Jets, I will be the first one wearing a Favre jersey.
The question - can they maintain this momentum? Tough to say, because the As and Twins are not division leaders, and while they did do well in Boston - the Red Sox are having issues (Manny anyone - more on that to follow). A true test will be this weekend, when the red hot Angels come to the Bronx. Although, it wouldn't be like the Yankees to blow an easy 3 game series against a struggling Baltimore squad. The answer is that if the pitching can hold up, with reinforcements coming in the form of Hughes and possibly Washburn, and their hitting comes around, then Yes, they can win the division and a lot more. However, the hitting is a big question, because Posada and Matsui are effectively done for the season. Still, the fact that they put together this win streak without Posada or Matsui is remarkable, and explains why George and Sons opened up the wallet to sign Nady and Martle, and possibly Washburn. This team can win it al, but they need to be firing on all cylinders consistently, which hasn't been the case so far.
And yes, the recent moves almost excuse Cashman from the Igawa and Pavano disasters.
Moving on to that other New York team - the lovable Mets. Suddenly, the team is hitting, and hustling under the, er, dynamic(?) leadership of Jerry Manuel. Big surprise. The Mets had the pieces all along on paper to go to the World Series. They simply stopped playing under Willie Randolph because of the collapse last year. Delgado and Beltran should be ashamed of themselves, because they were clearly dogging it under Willie. Of course they will never prove it, but it wouldn't be like Omar to have worked out a deal to have them play down until Willie was fired. OK - that might be a bit extreme. The simple fact is the Mets players are spoiled, and have always acted that way - going back to the Bobby Valentine days. Perfect example - Jose Reyes, who acts like he is on crack half the time while on the field, and blames it on his maturity. News Flash Jose - you've been in the majors for 5 seasons now, I think the maturity issues is now a non-factor.
Continuing on, the Red Sox have issues of their own, most notably Manny Ramirez, who is so desperate to leave Boston, he'll go play in Iraq. Manny never was the brightest. His problem - he wants more money, sure, but as he pointed out in an interview, there is a "strangle atmosphere" on the team now. The Red Sox are panicking, and with good reason. The Yankees closed a huge deficit in the standings, and went out and acquired Nady and Martle, and look on track to get Washburn. Those moves negate Posada and Matsui being done for the season, which made the Red Sox complacent in their play. Will Manny leave? Not likely. There are only three teams who can absorb his ridiculous contract - the Yankees (who the Red Sox will never consider for obvious reasons), the Dodgers, and the Mets. The Dodgers and Mets won't pay him $20 million he is owed, and negotiate a new deal, because of who he is - Manny. He clearly hasn't helped himself out.
And of course there is the leader - Veritek, who believes he is entitled to a Posada-like 4 year deal, but during the final year of his contract is hitting a fantastic .218. That might explain why Theo Epstein is dodging the questions about resigning him.
As for other news - well we happen to be in the middle of summer. The Giants releasing Shockey - not shocking, given his antics and the fact that Boss is just as good as Shockey, and younger.
Renoldo is still being a prick - and refusing to commit to Manchester United. He should accept the fact he isn't going anywhere, and he still has a lot to prove, as he only just came into form the last two seasons. Perhaps he should have weighed that before signing a 5 year contract last season. Ooops.
The Rangers completed their dismantling of the team that should have gone further in the playoffs. Not only did they let Jagr go, they watched Avery leave as well, in addition to Shenneham. The team wanted to go younger, so the replaced 36 year old Jagr with the 35 year old Naslund. Did anyone notice that Straka left too? Fantastic. The real reason - Dolan is rightfully fed up with having the highest payroll in hockey and not getting anywhere in the post season. Perhaps the Rangers can learn to win with less. The organization needs a complete overhaul, beginning with GM Glen Sather, and the entire front office.
How do you spell public relations nightmare? Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. The NFL must be panicking. The Packers should release Favre, because no team is going to trade talent for a 38 year old QB who could retire at any time. Of course if he comes to the Jets, I will be the first one wearing a Favre jersey.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
The French Suck and Ronaldo is a Prick
Continuing on with soccer-related (football for all you non-Americans) news, the Euro 2008 tournament is once again upon us. Ahh, its been 4 years since the Greeks last shocked the world, can an unknown team do it again?
Perhaps with the Turks upsetting the Cech Republic and then Croatia, in dramatic, double Overtime fashion. Sure, they have Germany in the Semi-finals next week, but don't count them out. Germany has a history of blowing it in the semi-finals, and their Goalie, Lehman, is as moody a German as they come, single handily costing himself the starting job at Arsenal this season, complaining about not being used properly. Wait, I thought Goalies were supposed to stand in the net, and make saves, unless I'm mistaken.
The Dutch were eliminated yesterday, because they came out flat against a supremely underrated Russian side. They thought they would rely on lobs into Van Nistlerooy, which usually works, but the Russians picked up on one thing: the Dutch have no defense. From whistle to whistle, they kept attacking, keeping Holland's attack isolated. When they scored the go-ahead goal in the second overtime, the Dutch clearly gave up, and simply stood there as Russia scored a third goal not one minute later.
Today is Italy v. Spain. Everyone has the Spaniards as heavy favorites, but don't be surprised if the defending World Cup champions come out and thoroughly beat the Spanish, who always choke in the semi-final round (more so than Germany). Of course, only France looked worse than Italy during the early stages of the tournament. Le Blu failed to win a single game, despite high hopes, according to the French media. That's OK, at least they were there, as England failed to qualify for the first time since...let's not go there.
Moving on to Club news. Ronaldo insists he wants to go to Real Madrid. This would be fine, since star Man U players Beckham and Van Nistlerooy both went there after their prime days at Old Trattford, except for one thing - Ronaldo signed a five year contract last year. Just because he comes out and scores 42 goals this season, he believes he can overlook that simple fact, and force a transfer. It doesn't help that he arrogantly states that he doesn't care about upsetting people, after Sir Alex comes out saying he's insulted.
This of course prompted Man U to not only report Real Madrid to Fifa, but also to declare that Ronaldo is not for sale, and that he will sit out his four years in the Reserves rather than be sold before his contract is up. Will this happen? Unlikely, which is why Ronaldo is pressing the issue. However Ronohldino sat out 1 year at Barca after complaining he wanted to leave (he was Finlay granted the green light this month to go). Expect not to see Ronaldo playing next year. Man U had previously said they would sell him for GBP 75 million, but Real Madrid has publicly said they will only give GBP 45 million, despite their claims they aren't pursuing the contracted out player.
Do I agree with Ronaldo? Well, he has been at Man U for five years, but has only had two great years. He did sign a 5 year contract, which is the one major issue. Sure, players, most recently Ronolhdino, have effected their release from long-term contracts by not playing, but that doesn't make it right. Ronaldo has consistently complained about the English style of play, which includes far more tackles and injuries than anywhere else, and he is the most fouled player in the EPL. In his eyes, after a season for the ages, and after luckily not being injured yet, now is the time to move. It is unlikely he can repeat such a season more than twice, and he will be injured eventually. No team will allow him to move down the field without tackling him. Its now or never. It's a tough call, but I don't think he's going anywhere soon.
Meanwhile, the Yankees continue to have injury problems. Someone should teach pitchers, especially pitchers like Wang, who never ran bases in their life, before inter-league games. Then maybe they won't step ON the base and tear their ankle tendons. Perhaps the annoying Baby Boss Hank should point some of the blame at his coaching staff before blaming the league.
Only the Red Sox are unluckier. Schilling is done for the year, and possibly his career, and now Timilin joins Ortiz on the DL. Dice K returned from the DL though, only to be shelled in his comeback. The only reason the Yankees haven't shut down for the season, is that the Red Sox keep losing key players.
As for the Mets, one word: Isaiah. Way to go Omar, you fired someone "eye to eye," as you said. At 3:00 in the morning, on the West Coast.
Perhaps with the Turks upsetting the Cech Republic and then Croatia, in dramatic, double Overtime fashion. Sure, they have Germany in the Semi-finals next week, but don't count them out. Germany has a history of blowing it in the semi-finals, and their Goalie, Lehman, is as moody a German as they come, single handily costing himself the starting job at Arsenal this season, complaining about not being used properly. Wait, I thought Goalies were supposed to stand in the net, and make saves, unless I'm mistaken.
The Dutch were eliminated yesterday, because they came out flat against a supremely underrated Russian side. They thought they would rely on lobs into Van Nistlerooy, which usually works, but the Russians picked up on one thing: the Dutch have no defense. From whistle to whistle, they kept attacking, keeping Holland's attack isolated. When they scored the go-ahead goal in the second overtime, the Dutch clearly gave up, and simply stood there as Russia scored a third goal not one minute later.
Today is Italy v. Spain. Everyone has the Spaniards as heavy favorites, but don't be surprised if the defending World Cup champions come out and thoroughly beat the Spanish, who always choke in the semi-final round (more so than Germany). Of course, only France looked worse than Italy during the early stages of the tournament. Le Blu failed to win a single game, despite high hopes, according to the French media. That's OK, at least they were there, as England failed to qualify for the first time since...let's not go there.
Moving on to Club news. Ronaldo insists he wants to go to Real Madrid. This would be fine, since star Man U players Beckham and Van Nistlerooy both went there after their prime days at Old Trattford, except for one thing - Ronaldo signed a five year contract last year. Just because he comes out and scores 42 goals this season, he believes he can overlook that simple fact, and force a transfer. It doesn't help that he arrogantly states that he doesn't care about upsetting people, after Sir Alex comes out saying he's insulted.
This of course prompted Man U to not only report Real Madrid to Fifa, but also to declare that Ronaldo is not for sale, and that he will sit out his four years in the Reserves rather than be sold before his contract is up. Will this happen? Unlikely, which is why Ronaldo is pressing the issue. However Ronohldino sat out 1 year at Barca after complaining he wanted to leave (he was Finlay granted the green light this month to go). Expect not to see Ronaldo playing next year. Man U had previously said they would sell him for GBP 75 million, but Real Madrid has publicly said they will only give GBP 45 million, despite their claims they aren't pursuing the contracted out player.
Do I agree with Ronaldo? Well, he has been at Man U for five years, but has only had two great years. He did sign a 5 year contract, which is the one major issue. Sure, players, most recently Ronolhdino, have effected their release from long-term contracts by not playing, but that doesn't make it right. Ronaldo has consistently complained about the English style of play, which includes far more tackles and injuries than anywhere else, and he is the most fouled player in the EPL. In his eyes, after a season for the ages, and after luckily not being injured yet, now is the time to move. It is unlikely he can repeat such a season more than twice, and he will be injured eventually. No team will allow him to move down the field without tackling him. Its now or never. It's a tough call, but I don't think he's going anywhere soon.
Meanwhile, the Yankees continue to have injury problems. Someone should teach pitchers, especially pitchers like Wang, who never ran bases in their life, before inter-league games. Then maybe they won't step ON the base and tear their ankle tendons. Perhaps the annoying Baby Boss Hank should point some of the blame at his coaching staff before blaming the league.
Only the Red Sox are unluckier. Schilling is done for the year, and possibly his career, and now Timilin joins Ortiz on the DL. Dice K returned from the DL though, only to be shelled in his comeback. The only reason the Yankees haven't shut down for the season, is that the Red Sox keep losing key players.
As for the Mets, one word: Isaiah. Way to go Omar, you fired someone "eye to eye," as you said. At 3:00 in the morning, on the West Coast.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Dog Days - It Doesn't Need to Be Like this
OK...the dog days of summer are here at last, and it doesn't need to be that way for several reasons. Before I begin, dog days can be losely translated to mean the following: a long, hot summer where baseball is the only spectator available to watch, and when one's particular baseball team happens to suck. This in turn means there really isn't anything to watch, unless you enjoy getting angry everynight as your team loses, repeatedly.
On a grand scale - it doesn't need to be like this. First, if the NHL was anything like it used to be, before ridiculous overexpansion ensued (Columbus Blue Jackects, Phoneix Coyotes!?!?!). Because of all those new, completely fanless clubs, the playoffs now last well into June. Moreover, because of TV revenue, there are often multi-day delays between games. Exampel - the Rangers played Sunday, and then the following Wednesday. This makes watching Hockey painful.
Of course, the same can be said for the NBA. Now the NBA is infinitely more popular than the NHL, and also MLB. I don't want to discuss why here, but the dramatic action and Hip Hop subculture are a major factor. But the NBA is nowhere as exciting as the NCAA tournament, which they apparently allow an extra month before starting the playoffs to allow that experience to fade from the rabid fan's memory. The NBA is takes far too long between playoff games, and there are too many rounds. Equally important - no major market teams really make the playoffs on a regular basis besides the Lakers. The New York Knicks, hahaha. This year is somewhat different because Boston is still in it, but its frequently San Antonio or Detroit, or Phoenix that makes it to the finals. Sorry, but those teams do not have the ratings draw, leaving people on the East Coast with really not much to watch. I don't even need to go into how the pros apparently don't play defense, and detail how there are no transition offenses in the NBA.
Now shifting gears to a micro level, this paritcular summer will constitute as a "Dog Days" one for the Tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut) for one reason in particular: The New York Yankees.
Where to begin? Why not go with the most obvious - pitching. They have none. They took a huge risk in the offseason, by electing not to sign a high price free agent such as Santana or Dan Harrin, instead choosing to trust unproven Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedey. Ooops. Hughe's - the crown jewel of the farm system that the Yankees couldn't part with - has an ERA around 10.0, and Kennedey has already been sent down to the minors (thankfully though, he's coming back tonight). That leaves Wang, Pettite, and Mussina. Wang is an ace, no doubt about it, and he could collect the Cy Young this year if he stays healthy. Pettite will win 15 games, but he get hurt at some point. In fact, he has already been on the DL once this season. Mussina, can't throw the ball over 90 MPH anymore, and is a 4th or 5th starter at best. That's barely enough to make it to the Playoffs, let alone go deep into October. More importantly, other teams have strengthened their rotations - like Toronto and Baltimore.
And why has no one been fired for the Kei Igawa disaster. They spent $42 million on him, and he basically throws batting practice. I had to change the channel over the weekend, every ball was being hit to the warning track. Unlike Dice K, Mr. Igawa was in the 2nd tier league in Japan - which is the equivalent of picking someone from England's Champions League, and not the Premier League.
Moving on - let's look at 1st base. Jason Giambi??? I don't care what his On Base Percentatge is. He's terrible, and batted a whopping .256 last season, and he cannot hit in clutch situations. By the way, he's paid $120 million dollars for 6 years.
Robinson Cano has been figured out - two words: Curve Ball. He can't handle a curve ball, and pitchers have picked up on that. Damon continues to play up to his usual unimpressive form, which yet again confirms someone on the Red Sox knew what they were doing in not re-signing him. And Matsui has be, yawn, predicatable thus far.
Let's not forget that A-Rod and Posada are on the DL. A-Rod I can understand, because if he comes back and tears his quad after a few games - that's $275 million down the drain. But signing a 36 year old catcher to a 4 year contract was absurd. And big surprise, the season after the season of his career, he's having problems with the shoulder that was operated on two seasons ago.
In unrelated news, NFL Commissioner Roger Gooddell announced today there is nowhere else he knows of to go regarding the Patriots's videotaping scandal. I thought he was serious about cleaning up the league, and holding players to a better standard of care. Evidently that does translate into punishing teams that lie and cheat collectively.
On a grand scale - it doesn't need to be like this. First, if the NHL was anything like it used to be, before ridiculous overexpansion ensued (Columbus Blue Jackects, Phoneix Coyotes!?!?!). Because of all those new, completely fanless clubs, the playoffs now last well into June. Moreover, because of TV revenue, there are often multi-day delays between games. Exampel - the Rangers played Sunday, and then the following Wednesday. This makes watching Hockey painful.
Of course, the same can be said for the NBA. Now the NBA is infinitely more popular than the NHL, and also MLB. I don't want to discuss why here, but the dramatic action and Hip Hop subculture are a major factor. But the NBA is nowhere as exciting as the NCAA tournament, which they apparently allow an extra month before starting the playoffs to allow that experience to fade from the rabid fan's memory. The NBA is takes far too long between playoff games, and there are too many rounds. Equally important - no major market teams really make the playoffs on a regular basis besides the Lakers. The New York Knicks, hahaha. This year is somewhat different because Boston is still in it, but its frequently San Antonio or Detroit, or Phoenix that makes it to the finals. Sorry, but those teams do not have the ratings draw, leaving people on the East Coast with really not much to watch. I don't even need to go into how the pros apparently don't play defense, and detail how there are no transition offenses in the NBA.
Now shifting gears to a micro level, this paritcular summer will constitute as a "Dog Days" one for the Tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut) for one reason in particular: The New York Yankees.
Where to begin? Why not go with the most obvious - pitching. They have none. They took a huge risk in the offseason, by electing not to sign a high price free agent such as Santana or Dan Harrin, instead choosing to trust unproven Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedey. Ooops. Hughe's - the crown jewel of the farm system that the Yankees couldn't part with - has an ERA around 10.0, and Kennedey has already been sent down to the minors (thankfully though, he's coming back tonight). That leaves Wang, Pettite, and Mussina. Wang is an ace, no doubt about it, and he could collect the Cy Young this year if he stays healthy. Pettite will win 15 games, but he get hurt at some point. In fact, he has already been on the DL once this season. Mussina, can't throw the ball over 90 MPH anymore, and is a 4th or 5th starter at best. That's barely enough to make it to the Playoffs, let alone go deep into October. More importantly, other teams have strengthened their rotations - like Toronto and Baltimore.
And why has no one been fired for the Kei Igawa disaster. They spent $42 million on him, and he basically throws batting practice. I had to change the channel over the weekend, every ball was being hit to the warning track. Unlike Dice K, Mr. Igawa was in the 2nd tier league in Japan - which is the equivalent of picking someone from England's Champions League, and not the Premier League.
Moving on - let's look at 1st base. Jason Giambi??? I don't care what his On Base Percentatge is. He's terrible, and batted a whopping .256 last season, and he cannot hit in clutch situations. By the way, he's paid $120 million dollars for 6 years.
Robinson Cano has been figured out - two words: Curve Ball. He can't handle a curve ball, and pitchers have picked up on that. Damon continues to play up to his usual unimpressive form, which yet again confirms someone on the Red Sox knew what they were doing in not re-signing him. And Matsui has be, yawn, predicatable thus far.
Let's not forget that A-Rod and Posada are on the DL. A-Rod I can understand, because if he comes back and tears his quad after a few games - that's $275 million down the drain. But signing a 36 year old catcher to a 4 year contract was absurd. And big surprise, the season after the season of his career, he's having problems with the shoulder that was operated on two seasons ago.
In unrelated news, NFL Commissioner Roger Gooddell announced today there is nowhere else he knows of to go regarding the Patriots's videotaping scandal. I thought he was serious about cleaning up the league, and holding players to a better standard of care. Evidently that does translate into punishing teams that lie and cheat collectively.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Celebration at Old Tratfford
Manchester United won their 10th Premier League titled today, on two goals from Ronolodo and Giggs, beating a game Wigan. Clearly United deserved the title the most, because of the number of victories they had over the Big 4 this year, in addition to Ronoldo's amazing campaign. The best part of today, however, was watching Chelsea draw against Bolton. If Chelsea had won, they would have had the same points total as Man U, but Man U would have won title because of the goal differential between the two teams. Of course, flaming Chelsea fans would have claimed they won just as many games as United, and United won the title on a technicality. However, today, they held a 1-0 lead over the vastly inferior Bolton, but they became complacent in the final 10 minutes as word of Giggs's second goal leaked out over Stamford Bridge, basically announcing that United would win the title regardless of what Chelsea did. Then, in stoppage time, lightening struck, and Bolton scored a goal on a free kick, which went right under Cech's legs on a deflection. United won the title on a lot more than just a technicality today.
And there is more...both teams will face each other in 10 days time, in Moscow, for the UEFA final. Now Chelsea will have their chance to show they are just as good as United, and there will be no excuses of technicalities here - its win, or go home. If you hadn't noticed, I don't particularly like Chelsea.
Why is that? For starters - I have been a Man U fan since Middle School soccer. Second, Chelsea fans all complain that United is overrated, and has no real fans, because the city of Manchester sucks. However, most Americans who root for Chelsea only do so, so they can enjoy the same Red Sox mentality of pulling for the wild, cowboyish underdogs. Manchester United are the Yankees of the Premier League, and they are quietly stoic and classy. Chelsea fans tend to complain about money, but they seem to forget the amount of money that their Russian tycoon owner spend on them - including paying 90 million GBP for Shevchenko, and also picking up Anelka mid season. Moreover, they seem to forget that Manchester United beat Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal (who was running away with the title at one point) this year.
So the season that begun last August is finally over. I have to say that I am sad. Alot happened for me during that period. Friends came and went, I had several relationships, wild nights out, good soccer games of my own, several new bosses. It was quite a time, and now its over. Some of the best weekends I had would begin with watching soccer games at Nevada Smiths or Baker Street. Sadly, I have to wait until next fall for that to come again.
Will Man U prevail in Moscow on May 21? Its hard to say, because Chelsea was in top form until today. But I know this for sure, it will be the last game of quite a period for me personally - August 07 to May 08, sort of the final chapter. That's about as personal as I want to make an entry here - go back and read my first blog posts for clarification there. So let's wear the jersey once again, and order beers at 11:00 AM one final time this Monday.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Greetings from Blog Land once again...My apologies for not writing sooner, things have been busy and interesting - I'll get to that later.
First off, most recently - the New York Rangers...what can I say, the NHL wanted Crosby in the finals. That's why they called a 4, yes a FOUR, minute penalty for high sticking with 1 minute left to go in the 3rd period, when the game was tied 2-2. However, during the 2nd period, no penalty was called when a Ranger bled all over the ice, after an obvious high stick foul. Congrats NHL, you will have Crosby in the finals, although Pittsburgh has a TV audience 1/5 the size of the Rangers, way to go...Too bad you didn't realize Crosby's contract with Nike means nothing for the NHL in general.
Moving on...the Yankees. Um, pitching anyone. Ian Kennedey is "surprised" that he went down to the minors?? He claims he was doing well? If 0-2 (not reflective of no-decisions) and an 8.37 ERA is considered good, Mussina and Pettie must be in contention for the Cy Young, and Wang must be going to the Hall of Fame. And let's not forget Phil Hughes - the crown jewel of the Yankees farm system. He's supposedly the reason why the Yankees didn't trade for Santana, or Harrin. He should be joining Kennedey, what with his 0-4, 9.00 ERA. For this post, I'll spare everyone with my rantings about Giambi, or Cano (who pitchers figured out can't hit curve balls). Bottom line - this is a third of fourth place team at best, and the Yankees are guilty of not acquiring adequate pitching in the offseason - while competitors such as Toronto and Baltimore built up good rotations. They are lucky that Detroit has been so terrible, and that the Red Sox have not run away with it yet. It seems New Yorkers are in for a long, hot summer of mediocre baseball.
Going further back...Happy Days Are Here! Isiah Thomas is no more, finally. Nobody has explained why he was allowed to keep his job not only after such a terrible record and waste of money on players like Curry and Marburry, but also after being found guilty of sexual harassment. Do you think he cares? Not really, since he getting paid every cent of his ridiculous contract. The Knicks became a laughing stock in basketball, and the sad part is that only 1 person has been dealt with for allowing that to happen. Dolan still owns the team, and he is hugely responsible.
March Madness sure was fun, especially if you picked UCONN to go to the Sweet 16, like most people did, along with Duke. Everyone is so amazed that the 4 number 1 seeds ended up in the Final Four. Why? That was easy after legitimate number 3 and 4 teams, such as Duke, UCONN, and Tennessee were outed by unheard of teams. USD? It was easy for teams like Kansas to blow by Davidson. Still, the final game lived up to the Hype - going to OT with an incredible 3 point shot. Those players who remain at Memphis better start practicing their foul shots NOW.
As for UCONN, the team I follow and root for - what can be said, except that they had zero intensity or momentum going into that game. It appears Thabeet is intent on staying for another year, but a lot can happen over the summer with agents whispering into your ear. Until David Stern raises the draft requirements to at least two years of college, it will be impossible for teams like UCONN or Kentucky to build programs. Rudy Gay anyone?
Manchester United nearly threw away the Premier League Title and also the UEFA cup, by drawing against Blackburn, and then against Barcelona at Nou Camp. But this past weekend they held up against West Ham with a 4-1 victory - which keeps them even with Chelsea for the league title. And Scholes saved them with a spectacular goal to send them to the final against Chelsea in Moscow on May 21 (I won't be in the office that day).
The Olympics kick off in August, in China. I'm so glad the US media has been so open to reporting the human rights abuses of China, and their wonderful reputation as the world's worst polluter and consumer of arms. Maybe it has something to with Nike and Walmart sponsoring TV slots on NBC, and pro-Athletes competing in the games. If you want to have the games in a country like China - fine, they were once held in Moscow, in the USSR. But at least report it fairly and detail the reasons for the protests - Darfur, Tibet, pollution, secret executions, over 40,000 protests a year inside China's borders.
First off, most recently - the New York Rangers...what can I say, the NHL wanted Crosby in the finals. That's why they called a 4, yes a FOUR, minute penalty for high sticking with 1 minute left to go in the 3rd period, when the game was tied 2-2. However, during the 2nd period, no penalty was called when a Ranger bled all over the ice, after an obvious high stick foul. Congrats NHL, you will have Crosby in the finals, although Pittsburgh has a TV audience 1/5 the size of the Rangers, way to go...Too bad you didn't realize Crosby's contract with Nike means nothing for the NHL in general.
Moving on...the Yankees. Um, pitching anyone. Ian Kennedey is "surprised" that he went down to the minors?? He claims he was doing well? If 0-2 (not reflective of no-decisions) and an 8.37 ERA is considered good, Mussina and Pettie must be in contention for the Cy Young, and Wang must be going to the Hall of Fame. And let's not forget Phil Hughes - the crown jewel of the Yankees farm system. He's supposedly the reason why the Yankees didn't trade for Santana, or Harrin. He should be joining Kennedey, what with his 0-4, 9.00 ERA. For this post, I'll spare everyone with my rantings about Giambi, or Cano (who pitchers figured out can't hit curve balls). Bottom line - this is a third of fourth place team at best, and the Yankees are guilty of not acquiring adequate pitching in the offseason - while competitors such as Toronto and Baltimore built up good rotations. They are lucky that Detroit has been so terrible, and that the Red Sox have not run away with it yet. It seems New Yorkers are in for a long, hot summer of mediocre baseball.
Going further back...Happy Days Are Here! Isiah Thomas is no more, finally. Nobody has explained why he was allowed to keep his job not only after such a terrible record and waste of money on players like Curry and Marburry, but also after being found guilty of sexual harassment. Do you think he cares? Not really, since he getting paid every cent of his ridiculous contract. The Knicks became a laughing stock in basketball, and the sad part is that only 1 person has been dealt with for allowing that to happen. Dolan still owns the team, and he is hugely responsible.
March Madness sure was fun, especially if you picked UCONN to go to the Sweet 16, like most people did, along with Duke. Everyone is so amazed that the 4 number 1 seeds ended up in the Final Four. Why? That was easy after legitimate number 3 and 4 teams, such as Duke, UCONN, and Tennessee were outed by unheard of teams. USD? It was easy for teams like Kansas to blow by Davidson. Still, the final game lived up to the Hype - going to OT with an incredible 3 point shot. Those players who remain at Memphis better start practicing their foul shots NOW.
As for UCONN, the team I follow and root for - what can be said, except that they had zero intensity or momentum going into that game. It appears Thabeet is intent on staying for another year, but a lot can happen over the summer with agents whispering into your ear. Until David Stern raises the draft requirements to at least two years of college, it will be impossible for teams like UCONN or Kentucky to build programs. Rudy Gay anyone?
Manchester United nearly threw away the Premier League Title and also the UEFA cup, by drawing against Blackburn, and then against Barcelona at Nou Camp. But this past weekend they held up against West Ham with a 4-1 victory - which keeps them even with Chelsea for the league title. And Scholes saved them with a spectacular goal to send them to the final against Chelsea in Moscow on May 21 (I won't be in the office that day).
The Olympics kick off in August, in China. I'm so glad the US media has been so open to reporting the human rights abuses of China, and their wonderful reputation as the world's worst polluter and consumer of arms. Maybe it has something to with Nike and Walmart sponsoring TV slots on NBC, and pro-Athletes competing in the games. If you want to have the games in a country like China - fine, they were once held in Moscow, in the USSR. But at least report it fairly and detail the reasons for the protests - Darfur, Tibet, pollution, secret executions, over 40,000 protests a year inside China's borders.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Madness Baby, Madness
That hallowed time of year is upon us: The NCAA tournament. So far, its been routine, with one exception.
DUKE.
First of all, Belmont should have won that game, they outplayed a sluggish Duke down the stretch. The entire nation held its collective breath while Duke avoided a stunning loss as Belmont's last minute half court shot just missed. Coach K's reaction: "We came prepared to play tonight."
Really?? You could already feel Las Vegas's elite starting to shake, because that kind or preparedness clearly would not be enough against West Virginia (their next opponent), let alone someone like UCLA, who also happened to be in their bracket. Way to give credit to Belmont for nearly knocking out a team that a lot of people have going to the Final Four: "We came prepared to play tonight." They didn't come to play against WVU, leaving Coach "K" to explain how his hair(piece) failed to move during all that walking up and down the sideline and yelling.
Of course, nothing could have prepared anyone for UCONN's performance. Make no mistake, I hail from CT, and support UCONN. Why not, they've won two championships this decade - only Florida can say that too. You would think UCONN would easily handle USD, and then the winner of Drake-Western Kentucky. You would think they could make it to the sweet 16. Make no mistake, UCONN has some of the best, Blue-Chip athletes around, thanks to Jim Calhoun's success. Yet, Calhoun is also a victim of his success. He can't put a team together, because players like Rudy Gay and Aaron Boone decide to leave after two years. Look at that rumors swirling around Thabeet. He's only a sophomore, and if he stayed, he would be the best player in the NCAA next year (Don't think so? Look at his stats, and how they increase EVERY game.) Yet, because his father died in Tanzania, and the agents whispering in his ear, he's all but assured to turn pro. The same can be said for Dyson, who despite missing 10 games this season, decided he's good enough to "test the waters." The reason he missed those games - he got caught drinking in a car in the student parking lot. At least he didn't pull a Stephan Marbury outsided of a Walmart in Queens.
UCONN lost because they were sluggish, lazy, and unfocused - thinking they had the game won, and it showed. Congratulations USD, and Western Kentucky.
Aside from that, Cornell was mauled by Stanford, and the Lopez brothers screaming after every basket. These 7 footers think they are the best in the conference, so I hope they run into Joey Dorsey and Memphis, or Texas, because I'm tired of Brook and Robin pounding their own chests and screaming after every basket. Lets not forget they lost to UCLA twice this year. That will be a good Sweet 16 game.
Georgetown blew it, because they couldn't remember that making foul shots is kind of important in the second half. Memphis is lucky the survived Mississippi State, because all three of their big men had four or more fouls. No way they advance beyond Texas.
Sadly, my bracket is finished, an entire winter of watching college basketball down the drains. Even more sadder: within two years Bracketology will be a major at the University of Miami (I can't take credit for that one).
Moving on...John Daly likes to get drunk. No, really??? Still, its amusing when he misses his Tee Time, and Arnold Palmler tried to stage a mock intervention, pleading with him to be a good person. Unlikely, given Daly claims to have gambeled $50 million the last decade.
Did anyone see the HBO Real Sports with Lenny Dykstra. Despite the fact that the man basically admits he's illiterate, he is candid about what kind of player he used to be. He also states that he sold three carwashes for $55 million. This from the guy who used to be the clubhouse alcoholic.
DUKE.
First of all, Belmont should have won that game, they outplayed a sluggish Duke down the stretch. The entire nation held its collective breath while Duke avoided a stunning loss as Belmont's last minute half court shot just missed. Coach K's reaction: "We came prepared to play tonight."
Really?? You could already feel Las Vegas's elite starting to shake, because that kind or preparedness clearly would not be enough against West Virginia (their next opponent), let alone someone like UCLA, who also happened to be in their bracket. Way to give credit to Belmont for nearly knocking out a team that a lot of people have going to the Final Four: "We came prepared to play tonight." They didn't come to play against WVU, leaving Coach "K" to explain how his hair(piece) failed to move during all that walking up and down the sideline and yelling.
Of course, nothing could have prepared anyone for UCONN's performance. Make no mistake, I hail from CT, and support UCONN. Why not, they've won two championships this decade - only Florida can say that too. You would think UCONN would easily handle USD, and then the winner of Drake-Western Kentucky. You would think they could make it to the sweet 16. Make no mistake, UCONN has some of the best, Blue-Chip athletes around, thanks to Jim Calhoun's success. Yet, Calhoun is also a victim of his success. He can't put a team together, because players like Rudy Gay and Aaron Boone decide to leave after two years. Look at that rumors swirling around Thabeet. He's only a sophomore, and if he stayed, he would be the best player in the NCAA next year (Don't think so? Look at his stats, and how they increase EVERY game.) Yet, because his father died in Tanzania, and the agents whispering in his ear, he's all but assured to turn pro. The same can be said for Dyson, who despite missing 10 games this season, decided he's good enough to "test the waters." The reason he missed those games - he got caught drinking in a car in the student parking lot. At least he didn't pull a Stephan Marbury outsided of a Walmart in Queens.
UCONN lost because they were sluggish, lazy, and unfocused - thinking they had the game won, and it showed. Congratulations USD, and Western Kentucky.
Aside from that, Cornell was mauled by Stanford, and the Lopez brothers screaming after every basket. These 7 footers think they are the best in the conference, so I hope they run into Joey Dorsey and Memphis, or Texas, because I'm tired of Brook and Robin pounding their own chests and screaming after every basket. Lets not forget they lost to UCLA twice this year. That will be a good Sweet 16 game.
Georgetown blew it, because they couldn't remember that making foul shots is kind of important in the second half. Memphis is lucky the survived Mississippi State, because all three of their big men had four or more fouls. No way they advance beyond Texas.
Sadly, my bracket is finished, an entire winter of watching college basketball down the drains. Even more sadder: within two years Bracketology will be a major at the University of Miami (I can't take credit for that one).
Moving on...John Daly likes to get drunk. No, really??? Still, its amusing when he misses his Tee Time, and Arnold Palmler tried to stage a mock intervention, pleading with him to be a good person. Unlikely, given Daly claims to have gambeled $50 million the last decade.
Did anyone see the HBO Real Sports with Lenny Dykstra. Despite the fact that the man basically admits he's illiterate, he is candid about what kind of player he used to be. He also states that he sold three carwashes for $55 million. This from the guy who used to be the clubhouse alcoholic.
Monday, March 3, 2008
MARCH IS HERE!!!
What an opening to March this past weekend. Saturday and Sunday had incredible action going on. Unranked Texas Tech took out Texas, while Duke managed to beat NC State by just one point. BC led for 2/3rds of the game agains # 2 UNC. UCONN let WVU get within three points. Georgetown went to OT against Marquette, and won in a sloppy finish.
The above action only covers a fraction of the teams who will make it past Selection Sunday. So far, everyone I have talked to is predicting how wild this tournament will be, and we haven't even played the conference tournaments so far. Everyday at work I see people reading any article they can on these teams, forget the bubble teams. That's only the tip of the iceberg though. You have to pay attention to the odds Vegas puts down on the games, largely through websites like Covers.com and Scoresandodds.com.
Keep in mind the casinos make the odds to disperse the amount they have to pay out to both sides. For example, why was the spread so big between the Giants and Patriots (14)? If the patriots didn't win by more than 14, those bets on the Patriots didn't pay out. So while the Patriots were an overwhelming favorite, and while they certainly attracted more action, it was unlikely they would win by that much - given the last game of the regular season they played. With fewer people betting on the Giants, things were balanced. Vegas could care less which team wins, they have to prevent massive payouts, and create odds using everything from algorithms to scouting reports - and they usually get it right. Therefore, when building your bracket - pay attention to the odds, and realize why the line/spread and the over-under are the way they are. Now factor in team records, RPI strength of schedule, injury reports, bracket pairings, travel time, momentum, etc., and picking a bracket for real becomes an art form. The most important thing to do, though, is watch as much college basketball as possible, which I have been since December - thanks to my cable package.
Continuing on now...Did anyone see the Met's first preseason of the game, with Church and Delgado running into each other. Hopefully that's not a foreshadowing of things to come for the season.
Apparently Joba Chamberland has nipple rings? Como what? That's OK, and not Don Mattingly's sideburns?
Speaking of George, his son Hank decided to talk trash about Red Sox nation. I couldn't agree with him more - what a bunch of BS it is. It was created by ESPN, because they fell in love with the dirtbag-cowboy look players like Nixon and Millar and Varitek promoted. And the more ESPN covered it, the more Red Sox players bought into it. But the right way to handle it, is not paying any attention to "THEM." When the Yankees were winning in 1996 to 2000, the Red Sox never mattered, and were barely mentioned. The same happened the Season Aaron $(#*$@ Boone knocked them out of the ALCS, which, by the way, is my favorite sporting moment of all time. Don't give the entirely contrived notion of Red Sox Nation any credibility by responding to it.
The Jets decided to sign two of the best offensive linemen in the business - Jenkins and Faneca. Why couldn't they do this two seasons ago, when Pennigton was still a viable QB? And why did they let Kendall go for a difference of $1 million. Imagine what their line would be like now, if they had held on to him.
The Giants lost their star safety and two linebackers, and probably any hope of repeating. Maybe they are trying the same front-office genius strategy as the Jets.
Manchester United is now only 1 point back of Aresnal. Apparently their coach still believes everyone is out to "kick" them. Funny, since Ronoldo is the most fouled player in the league at the moment.
The above action only covers a fraction of the teams who will make it past Selection Sunday. So far, everyone I have talked to is predicting how wild this tournament will be, and we haven't even played the conference tournaments so far. Everyday at work I see people reading any article they can on these teams, forget the bubble teams. That's only the tip of the iceberg though. You have to pay attention to the odds Vegas puts down on the games, largely through websites like Covers.com and Scoresandodds.com.
Keep in mind the casinos make the odds to disperse the amount they have to pay out to both sides. For example, why was the spread so big between the Giants and Patriots (14)? If the patriots didn't win by more than 14, those bets on the Patriots didn't pay out. So while the Patriots were an overwhelming favorite, and while they certainly attracted more action, it was unlikely they would win by that much - given the last game of the regular season they played. With fewer people betting on the Giants, things were balanced. Vegas could care less which team wins, they have to prevent massive payouts, and create odds using everything from algorithms to scouting reports - and they usually get it right. Therefore, when building your bracket - pay attention to the odds, and realize why the line/spread and the over-under are the way they are. Now factor in team records, RPI strength of schedule, injury reports, bracket pairings, travel time, momentum, etc., and picking a bracket for real becomes an art form. The most important thing to do, though, is watch as much college basketball as possible, which I have been since December - thanks to my cable package.
Continuing on now...Did anyone see the Met's first preseason of the game, with Church and Delgado running into each other. Hopefully that's not a foreshadowing of things to come for the season.
Apparently Joba Chamberland has nipple rings? Como what? That's OK, and not Don Mattingly's sideburns?
Speaking of George, his son Hank decided to talk trash about Red Sox nation. I couldn't agree with him more - what a bunch of BS it is. It was created by ESPN, because they fell in love with the dirtbag-cowboy look players like Nixon and Millar and Varitek promoted. And the more ESPN covered it, the more Red Sox players bought into it. But the right way to handle it, is not paying any attention to "THEM." When the Yankees were winning in 1996 to 2000, the Red Sox never mattered, and were barely mentioned. The same happened the Season Aaron $(#*$@ Boone knocked them out of the ALCS, which, by the way, is my favorite sporting moment of all time. Don't give the entirely contrived notion of Red Sox Nation any credibility by responding to it.
The Jets decided to sign two of the best offensive linemen in the business - Jenkins and Faneca. Why couldn't they do this two seasons ago, when Pennigton was still a viable QB? And why did they let Kendall go for a difference of $1 million. Imagine what their line would be like now, if they had held on to him.
The Giants lost their star safety and two linebackers, and probably any hope of repeating. Maybe they are trying the same front-office genius strategy as the Jets.
Manchester United is now only 1 point back of Aresnal. Apparently their coach still believes everyone is out to "kick" them. Funny, since Ronoldo is the most fouled player in the league at the moment.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Very interesting two week span recently - lot's to contemplate personally and in the world of sports. There's a lot that happened, which I didn't anticipate at all, so I've been in thinking mode, so to speak. Apologoies for the delay.
First off - Andy Pettite is a rat, simply put. Instead of saying, I did it, he concocted this elaborate story: I only used HGH twice for rehabilitation, and by the way, this other guy used it a lot more than me. Fine, you're religious, but instead of implicating your best friend while testifying under oath, why not just take the 5th when asked about Clemens. The best part: "I hope we are still friends." Um, you shattered his career numbers and Hall of Fame credentials, and you want to be friends?
Manchester United followed up with a thrilling destruction of Arsenal, 4-0 at home, for the 5th round of the FA Cup. They followed up by tying Lyon 1-1 in the UEFA Cup. Why? They just beat the best team in the Premier League, Arsenal, without Giggs, Ronoldo, or Tevez, and then with those players winning, they tie a team from the French league? This is why I don't bet on soccer games.
UCONN's 10 game streak was snapped, thanks to Vanderbilt. Apparently they don't believe in making free-throws when it counts. Incidentally, Vanderbilt took out #1 Tennessee last night, so CT fans can feel a little better.
Duke and UNC are both beatable. So is Memphis (Tennessee anyone). Georgetown is sloppy. Texas plays in a weak conference, and so does Wisconsin. This March Madness will be a lot more difficult to predict than people anticipate. Needless to say productivity at work, and in cleaning my apartment, will suffer.
Nick Saban's response to one of his players robbing two Alabama students at gunpoint: "We have off-field issues to deal with." You mean, issues besides leaving the Dolphins in the middle of the season to coach at Alabama?
Did anyone else catch Ron Artest's recent comments about trying to explain why no team traded for him, "They were looking for government cheese and I'm Kraft." OK.
Colt Brennan supposedly put on 22 pounds before the NFL draft. Why? He's a projected 6th round pick now after Georgia dismantled Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl.
Hillary Clinton continues to blow her campaign, because she is about as charismatic as scratching a chalk board with your finger nails. All Obama has to do is sit there while she talks, and it has nothing to do with her being a woman at all. I wonder how Bill feels: I'm the man and always was, or damn, I don't get to go back to DC.
First off - Andy Pettite is a rat, simply put. Instead of saying, I did it, he concocted this elaborate story: I only used HGH twice for rehabilitation, and by the way, this other guy used it a lot more than me. Fine, you're religious, but instead of implicating your best friend while testifying under oath, why not just take the 5th when asked about Clemens. The best part: "I hope we are still friends." Um, you shattered his career numbers and Hall of Fame credentials, and you want to be friends?
Manchester United followed up with a thrilling destruction of Arsenal, 4-0 at home, for the 5th round of the FA Cup. They followed up by tying Lyon 1-1 in the UEFA Cup. Why? They just beat the best team in the Premier League, Arsenal, without Giggs, Ronoldo, or Tevez, and then with those players winning, they tie a team from the French league? This is why I don't bet on soccer games.
UCONN's 10 game streak was snapped, thanks to Vanderbilt. Apparently they don't believe in making free-throws when it counts. Incidentally, Vanderbilt took out #1 Tennessee last night, so CT fans can feel a little better.
Duke and UNC are both beatable. So is Memphis (Tennessee anyone). Georgetown is sloppy. Texas plays in a weak conference, and so does Wisconsin. This March Madness will be a lot more difficult to predict than people anticipate. Needless to say productivity at work, and in cleaning my apartment, will suffer.
Nick Saban's response to one of his players robbing two Alabama students at gunpoint: "We have off-field issues to deal with." You mean, issues besides leaving the Dolphins in the middle of the season to coach at Alabama?
Did anyone else catch Ron Artest's recent comments about trying to explain why no team traded for him, "They were looking for government cheese and I'm Kraft." OK.
Colt Brennan supposedly put on 22 pounds before the NFL draft. Why? He's a projected 6th round pick now after Georgia dismantled Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl.
Hillary Clinton continues to blow her campaign, because she is about as charismatic as scratching a chalk board with your finger nails. All Obama has to do is sit there while she talks, and it has nothing to do with her being a woman at all. I wonder how Bill feels: I'm the man and always was, or damn, I don't get to go back to DC.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Curt "I Cry in my Car" Schiling is apparently done for the season. Happy Days are here. Such a corrageous warrior, right? The true embodiment of Red Sox grit and determination, you say? Does that also include knowing about your injury, and managing to close an $8 million contract after the season ends? Maybe that highlights the stupidity of the Red Sox in signing him again. Supposedly he can't even shake anyone's hand, but his alternatetive training will supposedly allow him to start by mid year. I'm sure we will read about all about it on his blog. Since he claimed Clemens should return his Cy Youngs because of steroids, perhaps he should return his contract, to which he was signed when he undoubtedly knew about his injury.
If your faint of heart, then don't watch the replay of Richard Zednik having his carotid artery slashed by his teammate's skate in a freak accident. Truly frightening, and the amount of blood left on the ice makes it unbelievable he didn't die. And hockey isn't a brutal sport, right?
February is of course the pivotal month in college basketball, where hopes and dreams are created, and where puffed up teams are exposed as having ranks far exceeding where they really are. (caugh, caugh) Kansas, Georgetown, UNC anyone. Kansas not only lost to Louisville, they were beaten outright by Texas last night. Georgetown stole a game last night against Villanova, because the ref decided to call a foul on Nova with 1 second left, in Georgetown's own backcourt. I'm not quite sure what the ref was thinking.
UCONN continues with 7 in a row, and Wednesday they dismantled the Irish. Sadly, its been too long since UCONN returned to the big dance as threat (going back to the Ben Gordon and Oakafor days). The Big East is so stacked, its ridculous. Marquete, Georgetown, UCONN, Syracuse, West Virginia, Louisville, Pitt, and Notre Dame. No other conference in College Basketball comes close. People claim Memphis will win it this year, or Wisconsin or Indiana have a shot, but honestly, those teams haven't faced the top of the Big East yet, and Memphis barely beat UCONN in the second game of the season - play them now and see what happens. Thabeet is averaging 25+ a game. Outside of the Big East, the ACC is second in terms of strength of schedule, though Duke can be handled if a team takes away their 3 point shooting (as in they have no big man). People should begin to pay attention to Flordia, who is playing well right now. They won't make it past the Sweet 16 this year, but look for them to upset someone big in the tournament.
I liked Bobby Knight's resigning in mid-season, and then going on ESPN to sing Happy Days are here again.
In case you were wondering, I watch ridiculous amounts of college basketball, in addition to soccer.
Manchester United $&@# the bed against Manchester City, losing 2-0, and it happened on the 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster, where 8 players were killed when the team plane failed to take off in Munich. Arsenal, of course, won - expanding their lead at the top of the table.
The Patriots have a great offseason ahead of them. They can look forward to renegotiating Randy Moss's contract, as well as a Congressional Hearing centered around their video taping efforts. I wonder how many commercials Brady will appear in, now that its rumored they filmed the walkthrough of the St. Louis Rams prior to the 2002 Superbowl.
Roger Clemens's trainer now claims he injected Clemens's wife with HGH. I wonder who else he injected with HGH, perhaps Don Zimmer or Joe Torre? Why can't someone inject me with HGH? I like to see my tax dollars at work. The media isn't reporting positive progress in Iraq, or the real reasons for the impending recession, but instead are focused on sitting two men down in front of a congressional panel to discuss steroid abuse 7 years ago? Did Clemens take roids? Yes, probably. Does it matter? No, not really. Most of the league is on steroids, and they still don't test for HGH. More importantly, exposing Clemens as a liar accomplishes what? Though, I do admit he brings it on himself - Um, Petite misheard me, I didn't mean I took steroids, it was misunderstood. What??
If your faint of heart, then don't watch the replay of Richard Zednik having his carotid artery slashed by his teammate's skate in a freak accident. Truly frightening, and the amount of blood left on the ice makes it unbelievable he didn't die. And hockey isn't a brutal sport, right?
February is of course the pivotal month in college basketball, where hopes and dreams are created, and where puffed up teams are exposed as having ranks far exceeding where they really are. (caugh, caugh) Kansas, Georgetown, UNC anyone. Kansas not only lost to Louisville, they were beaten outright by Texas last night. Georgetown stole a game last night against Villanova, because the ref decided to call a foul on Nova with 1 second left, in Georgetown's own backcourt. I'm not quite sure what the ref was thinking.
UCONN continues with 7 in a row, and Wednesday they dismantled the Irish. Sadly, its been too long since UCONN returned to the big dance as threat (going back to the Ben Gordon and Oakafor days). The Big East is so stacked, its ridculous. Marquete, Georgetown, UCONN, Syracuse, West Virginia, Louisville, Pitt, and Notre Dame. No other conference in College Basketball comes close. People claim Memphis will win it this year, or Wisconsin or Indiana have a shot, but honestly, those teams haven't faced the top of the Big East yet, and Memphis barely beat UCONN in the second game of the season - play them now and see what happens. Thabeet is averaging 25+ a game. Outside of the Big East, the ACC is second in terms of strength of schedule, though Duke can be handled if a team takes away their 3 point shooting (as in they have no big man). People should begin to pay attention to Flordia, who is playing well right now. They won't make it past the Sweet 16 this year, but look for them to upset someone big in the tournament.
I liked Bobby Knight's resigning in mid-season, and then going on ESPN to sing Happy Days are here again.
In case you were wondering, I watch ridiculous amounts of college basketball, in addition to soccer.
Manchester United $&@# the bed against Manchester City, losing 2-0, and it happened on the 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster, where 8 players were killed when the team plane failed to take off in Munich. Arsenal, of course, won - expanding their lead at the top of the table.
The Patriots have a great offseason ahead of them. They can look forward to renegotiating Randy Moss's contract, as well as a Congressional Hearing centered around their video taping efforts. I wonder how many commercials Brady will appear in, now that its rumored they filmed the walkthrough of the St. Louis Rams prior to the 2002 Superbowl.
Roger Clemens's trainer now claims he injected Clemens's wife with HGH. I wonder who else he injected with HGH, perhaps Don Zimmer or Joe Torre? Why can't someone inject me with HGH? I like to see my tax dollars at work. The media isn't reporting positive progress in Iraq, or the real reasons for the impending recession, but instead are focused on sitting two men down in front of a congressional panel to discuss steroid abuse 7 years ago? Did Clemens take roids? Yes, probably. Does it matter? No, not really. Most of the league is on steroids, and they still don't test for HGH. More importantly, exposing Clemens as a liar accomplishes what? Though, I do admit he brings it on himself - Um, Petite misheard me, I didn't mean I took steroids, it was misunderstood. What??
Monday, February 4, 2008
Trans-Atlantic Hopper
If I could revert back a moment to mention some recent activities - in a sense, return to the ways of my former blog. But this instance is worth it.
Recently I had the good fortune to go to Europe, and travel to the self of England, France, Brussels, and London. The trip was amazing, a once in a lifetime deal. I think i functioned on three hours of sleep during the day, when I was working (sorry, this wasn't a personal trip, but the office did pay for it). I'll spare the debauchery of the earlier stages of the trip, and will instead focus on the London jaunt.
After a great dinner at Goucho's, which ended at 12:00 in the night, I managed to ditch my coworker, and set out reach Fabric - which is supposed to be the best electronic club in England, and which supposedly has one of the best systems in the world. Only problem, when I arrived there, there was no line, and nobody eager to get in. So I went across the street where all of the people were waiting to go into a place, and after twenty minutes and twenty pounds, I was in. Turns out, this place was Turnmills, one of the most famous clubs in the world. Its closing in March because they lost their lease, which makes it even all the more cool that I went there.
There were eight rooms with different DJs, and needless to say, the "recreational" activity was out in plain sight. The music was fantastic, and I took probably close to hundred pictures, and meant some great people. My grand plan was to stay up all night, because we (my coworker and I) had a 9:00 AM flight from Heathrow, which meant we had to leave our hotel at 6:00 AM. The people who came to the club were amazing, and as a guy I can say the girls were great. Nothing like Pacha or Crobar in New York, or even Cielo or Stereo. I was totally shocked, and when I told my friends the next day about it, after a neverending flight I slept through while sweating, they were like, yeah dude, duh. On the way to the airport that morning, my coworker noted I looked sick, and asked if I had slept. My ears were ringing still, and would for the next few days. Even though I was miserable on the flight, that night in London amazing, and I'll never forget it.
Why relay this? Because when I returned from this trip, everything that had transpired in the news -election, sports, media - had not registered. Moreover, it felt like everything had occured months ago. The only news I noticed was that Keith Ledger died while I was gone. I felt very disconnected when I returned.
But watching the Giants win the Superbowl, at an amazing apartment on 5th Avenue, and then going out in the Village with 10 friends was just amazing. I haven't seen the city like that since the Yankees last won in 2000. My favorite part about it - watching the Patriots lose. I hope Brady is fined for refusing to shake hands with the Giants. What a $*&@#*#. I went to school in Maine, and for four years I had to hear about how great the Patriots were. Not only did they lose in the second biggest upset in Super Bowl history (only the Jets beating the Steelers surpasses last night), but its also come out that they were taping the walkthrough of the St. Louis Rams before the Super Bowl 6 years ago. They've been cheating the whole time, and Brady can now wipe that grin off of his face, as can the "family oriented" owner of the Patriots. Now if only the Jets can do the same thin...Not. It was then that I knew I was back in my hometown.
Though, some interesting developments have occured recently. UCONN knocked off Marquette, Cincinatti, Indiana, Louiville, and Pitt all in a row, ensuring a birth to the tournament and demonstrating they can beat anyone when they are firing on all cylinders.
David Beckett was denied his 100th start for England, by virtue of his former Real Madrid manager, Fabio Capello, excluding him from the national team. History repeats itself, as it was the same manager who benched him at Real.
Manchester United sits on top of the Premier table, though their February showdown with Aresnal for the 5th round of the FA Cup will be the match of that tournament, given they tied in the 91st minute of their last matchup.
Roger Clemens changed defense strategies, and decided is agent should release pages of statments detailing why his performance improved after age 40. Among the facts included - "less travel time with the teams," and "decreased spring training time." No mention was made of his "injections of B-12," according to him.
Talk about blowing one's foot off, the Twins blew their leg off, by dealing away Santana to the New York Mets (???) for four prospects. If they had acted last month, they could have picked up Phil Hughes and Milky Cabrera. Ouch.
On a related note, its been so much fun listening to Mets fans like Joey from Queens rant and rave in the Deli each monrning about they have the World Series won already.
Recently I had the good fortune to go to Europe, and travel to the self of England, France, Brussels, and London. The trip was amazing, a once in a lifetime deal. I think i functioned on three hours of sleep during the day, when I was working (sorry, this wasn't a personal trip, but the office did pay for it). I'll spare the debauchery of the earlier stages of the trip, and will instead focus on the London jaunt.
After a great dinner at Goucho's, which ended at 12:00 in the night, I managed to ditch my coworker, and set out reach Fabric - which is supposed to be the best electronic club in England, and which supposedly has one of the best systems in the world. Only problem, when I arrived there, there was no line, and nobody eager to get in. So I went across the street where all of the people were waiting to go into a place, and after twenty minutes and twenty pounds, I was in. Turns out, this place was Turnmills, one of the most famous clubs in the world. Its closing in March because they lost their lease, which makes it even all the more cool that I went there.
There were eight rooms with different DJs, and needless to say, the "recreational" activity was out in plain sight. The music was fantastic, and I took probably close to hundred pictures, and meant some great people. My grand plan was to stay up all night, because we (my coworker and I) had a 9:00 AM flight from Heathrow, which meant we had to leave our hotel at 6:00 AM. The people who came to the club were amazing, and as a guy I can say the girls were great. Nothing like Pacha or Crobar in New York, or even Cielo or Stereo. I was totally shocked, and when I told my friends the next day about it, after a neverending flight I slept through while sweating, they were like, yeah dude, duh. On the way to the airport that morning, my coworker noted I looked sick, and asked if I had slept. My ears were ringing still, and would for the next few days. Even though I was miserable on the flight, that night in London amazing, and I'll never forget it.
Why relay this? Because when I returned from this trip, everything that had transpired in the news -election, sports, media - had not registered. Moreover, it felt like everything had occured months ago. The only news I noticed was that Keith Ledger died while I was gone. I felt very disconnected when I returned.
But watching the Giants win the Superbowl, at an amazing apartment on 5th Avenue, and then going out in the Village with 10 friends was just amazing. I haven't seen the city like that since the Yankees last won in 2000. My favorite part about it - watching the Patriots lose. I hope Brady is fined for refusing to shake hands with the Giants. What a $*&@#*#. I went to school in Maine, and for four years I had to hear about how great the Patriots were. Not only did they lose in the second biggest upset in Super Bowl history (only the Jets beating the Steelers surpasses last night), but its also come out that they were taping the walkthrough of the St. Louis Rams before the Super Bowl 6 years ago. They've been cheating the whole time, and Brady can now wipe that grin off of his face, as can the "family oriented" owner of the Patriots. Now if only the Jets can do the same thin...Not. It was then that I knew I was back in my hometown.
Though, some interesting developments have occured recently. UCONN knocked off Marquette, Cincinatti, Indiana, Louiville, and Pitt all in a row, ensuring a birth to the tournament and demonstrating they can beat anyone when they are firing on all cylinders.
David Beckett was denied his 100th start for England, by virtue of his former Real Madrid manager, Fabio Capello, excluding him from the national team. History repeats itself, as it was the same manager who benched him at Real.
Manchester United sits on top of the Premier table, though their February showdown with Aresnal for the 5th round of the FA Cup will be the match of that tournament, given they tied in the 91st minute of their last matchup.
Roger Clemens changed defense strategies, and decided is agent should release pages of statments detailing why his performance improved after age 40. Among the facts included - "less travel time with the teams," and "decreased spring training time." No mention was made of his "injections of B-12," according to him.
Talk about blowing one's foot off, the Twins blew their leg off, by dealing away Santana to the New York Mets (???) for four prospects. If they had acted last month, they could have picked up Phil Hughes and Milky Cabrera. Ouch.
On a related note, its been so much fun listening to Mets fans like Joey from Queens rant and rave in the Deli each monrning about they have the World Series won already.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
My Glasses are Famous
"Get me to do it for you:"
http://break.com/index/funny-kid-isnt-sorry-about-huge-party.html
Interesting Figures:
MAIN SUB-PRIME LOSSES SO FAR
Citigroup: $18bn
UBS: $13.5bn
Morgan Stanley $9.4bn
Merrill Lynch: $8bn
HSBC: $3.4bn
Bear Stearns: $3.2bn
Deutsche Bank: $3.2bn
Bank of America: $3bn
Barclays: $2.6bn
Royal Bank of Scotland: $2.6bn
Freddie Mac: $2bn
Credit Suisse: $1bn
Wachovia: $1.1bn
IKB: $2.6bn
Paribas: $439m
No end in sight either. Soon the rest of the public will taste the recession already in effect in the finance industry.
http://break.com/index/funny-kid-isnt-sorry-about-huge-party.html
Interesting Figures:
MAIN SUB-PRIME LOSSES SO FAR
Citigroup: $18bn
UBS: $13.5bn
Morgan Stanley $9.4bn
Merrill Lynch: $8bn
HSBC: $3.4bn
Bear Stearns: $3.2bn
Deutsche Bank: $3.2bn
Bank of America: $3bn
Barclays: $2.6bn
Royal Bank of Scotland: $2.6bn
Freddie Mac: $2bn
Credit Suisse: $1bn
Wachovia: $1.1bn
IKB: $2.6bn
Paribas: $439m
No end in sight either. Soon the rest of the public will taste the recession already in effect in the finance industry.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
America's Team...NOT
Green Bay against New York!!! Who would have thought it.
The best part about the Giants victory Saturday - watching the look on the Cowboys Owner's face, Jerry Jones, who was standing on the sideline to will his team to a comeback victory. Priceless.
Nobody, but nobody, picked the Giants to come within one game of making the Superbowl. Apparently running back Brandon Jacobs hates play clocks, as evidenced by his touchdown celebration.
I had a great time watching them lock it up with some friends out a bar. I loved T.O. crying after the game, it was such an obvious fake-cry, and he was dressed like Shaft. He's the most selfish, disingenuous player in the league. It was all a ploy to make himself look like a team player who looks like he cares about something. Everyone I have talked to has the same reaction - they can't believe it. And that's exactly what T.O. wanted:
http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&brand=foxsports&vid=d253a669-def2-4dba-84e8-387337ce320a
Anyway, the whole city was and still is behind the Giants. Unfortunately, I can't pick a winner for next Sunday's game. I'd like to say if Eli plays the same way he did Sunday, they will win; but Favre can overcome the Giants ea silly. He's beaten Manning and Brady before.
Favre is my favorite player, and has been for years. The guy is a legend, and won Superbowls in the 90s. He went through a dry spell, and fought personal demons. Last year the season opened well for him, but then the wheels fell of the proverbial wagon and Green Bay was terrible, and he led the league in interceptions, trying to make up for the fact that his team had no defense. This year, though, Green Bay is for real, thanks to having played together for two years.
And why have I always been a fan of Favre? Unlike other QBs, he stays out of trouble (Vick), and keeps his mouth shut (Brady, Cutler, Rivers), and lets his results speak for themselves. And he's beaten Brady before in a headsup match. BTW, why is Brady conspicuously absent from national TV ads? Might have something to do with deserting his pregnant girlfriend for Giselle, though, can't really blame him can you?
The other Manning lost. THANK YOU, because now I don't have to see him in every TV commercial during a game. Speaking of that, why is Beyonce on every other add as well? "Let me upgrade, upgrade you," um, no, I don't think so. The Colts lost, because they called terrible plays against a mediocre defense. I'd be surprised if Dungy returns, given how completely silent the Colts fans were after the game ended.
UCONN blew a late game lead against Georgetown, yet again confirming why they won't make it to the tournament: they don't rebound, or make foul shots. March should be a frustrating time, to say the least.
Isaiah still has a job, and the league wouldn't suspend he bumped a ref during an argument. After all, they wanted to punish him, right?
The Rangers go out and spend ridiculous amounts of money in the off-season - the most in the NHL - and they lose 6 out of 7, and skate into last place. Not surprising, given that I saw two Rangers at a club on Saturday night, for real - way to go team discipline.
In other signs that the Apocalypse is approaching - David Spade and Matthew McConaughey are expected to be dads soon.
The best part about the Giants victory Saturday - watching the look on the Cowboys Owner's face, Jerry Jones, who was standing on the sideline to will his team to a comeback victory. Priceless.
Nobody, but nobody, picked the Giants to come within one game of making the Superbowl. Apparently running back Brandon Jacobs hates play clocks, as evidenced by his touchdown celebration.
I had a great time watching them lock it up with some friends out a bar. I loved T.O. crying after the game, it was such an obvious fake-cry, and he was dressed like Shaft. He's the most selfish, disingenuous player in the league. It was all a ploy to make himself look like a team player who looks like he cares about something. Everyone I have talked to has the same reaction - they can't believe it. And that's exactly what T.O. wanted:
http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&brand=foxsports&vid=d253a669-def2-4dba-84e8-387337ce320a
Anyway, the whole city was and still is behind the Giants. Unfortunately, I can't pick a winner for next Sunday's game. I'd like to say if Eli plays the same way he did Sunday, they will win; but Favre can overcome the Giants ea silly. He's beaten Manning and Brady before.
Favre is my favorite player, and has been for years. The guy is a legend, and won Superbowls in the 90s. He went through a dry spell, and fought personal demons. Last year the season opened well for him, but then the wheels fell of the proverbial wagon and Green Bay was terrible, and he led the league in interceptions, trying to make up for the fact that his team had no defense. This year, though, Green Bay is for real, thanks to having played together for two years.
And why have I always been a fan of Favre? Unlike other QBs, he stays out of trouble (Vick), and keeps his mouth shut (Brady, Cutler, Rivers), and lets his results speak for themselves. And he's beaten Brady before in a headsup match. BTW, why is Brady conspicuously absent from national TV ads? Might have something to do with deserting his pregnant girlfriend for Giselle, though, can't really blame him can you?
The other Manning lost. THANK YOU, because now I don't have to see him in every TV commercial during a game. Speaking of that, why is Beyonce on every other add as well? "Let me upgrade, upgrade you," um, no, I don't think so. The Colts lost, because they called terrible plays against a mediocre defense. I'd be surprised if Dungy returns, given how completely silent the Colts fans were after the game ended.
UCONN blew a late game lead against Georgetown, yet again confirming why they won't make it to the tournament: they don't rebound, or make foul shots. March should be a frustrating time, to say the least.
Isaiah still has a job, and the league wouldn't suspend he bumped a ref during an argument. After all, they wanted to punish him, right?
The Rangers go out and spend ridiculous amounts of money in the off-season - the most in the NHL - and they lose 6 out of 7, and skate into last place. Not surprising, given that I saw two Rangers at a club on Saturday night, for real - way to go team discipline.
In other signs that the Apocalypse is approaching - David Spade and Matthew McConaughey are expected to be dads soon.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Foozeball
Eli Mannning had a great game against Tampa Bay. I don't think I've ever seen a NFL QB range from being so terrible to actually being on the level of Jeff Garcia or Phillip Rivers. True, he's no Peyton or Brady, but his play over the last two games elevated him to upper echelons of the QBs in the league. Not to mention, the play calling of the Giatns was actually effective; for once Tom Coughlin didn't look confused. The Giants have a shot against the Cowboys, now that TO is questionable at best. Without him, the Cowboys were terrible in their last two games of the season. I'm already counting down the days for that rivalry.
Roger Clemens's 60 Minutes interview? Well, let's see - injecting vitaim B-12,was it? Interesting, given the fact that Clemens has called this trainer a liar, while Andy Pettite verified the trainer's testimony against him. What I find most amusing, is that the trainer e-mailed Clemens two days before the report, asking where "their" fishing equipment as in Cabo San Lucas, and Clemens apparently didn't know what was in the report.
The Michigan v. Florida game was the best bowl so far, hands down. Henne actually played like a 1st round draft pick, and the game came down the last few minutes. Florida will be at the top next year, now that Tebow has to return, since he wasn't out of high school for three years.
Georgia beat a woeful Hawaii, and then every player proceeded to state that their team belonged in the national championship. They apparently wore black jerseys because they were angry at their bowl pick. Really? Surprising, since they didn't even make the SEC championship. Maybe they should go play USC if they are so good - Let's see how they do there. What's even worse, Georgia has requested an "8-team playoff" to ensure the "right teams" make it to championship. Not surprisingly, TV is behind it for obvious revenue reasons, though I wonder how the BCS feels about this.
LSU beat up on OSU, big surprise: Sorry, Big 10 Football is ineffective agains a.) a spread offense like Oregons (Michigan) or LSU's b.) or a West Coast Offense similar to what's in the Pros (look what USC did to Illinois. The simple reason. Running the football will eventually score TDs, but not at the rate of a mobile passing game. Speaking of USC, it looks like Pete Carrol may be going to the Atlanta Falcons. Why? That program is in worse shape than the Florida Marlins.
Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal all advanced past the 3rd round of the FA cup, but Liverpool drew against Luton, of all things. I espically loved that the Man U game was pay per view on Comcast, which no bar in New York City carries, even Nevada's.
Oh yes, almost forgot:Britney Spears's breakdown. Can't wait for next week's Soup, oh wait, the writers' strike is still going on. I'd like to know what that "unknown substance" was that she was supposedly under the influence of. In those pictures she certainly looked like she was having fun.
Caught the Iowa Caucus the other night too...it was the most boring thing I have ever seen in my life. There was all this build up about how neither party could pick a clear winner, In New York City, all of these supposed supporters, completer with slick jeans and facial hair, replete with mock straw hats and corn pipes, were heading to parties around the cities at various posh lounges.
Let me be the first one to say - GAY. This so called vote means NOTHING. Only 260,000 people were turning out to vote, and guess what, the media front runners at that moment won - Obama and Huckabee. Why would you go out in NYC to celebrate, unless you were a complete tool, right? Actually, the channel that carried this game, showed these "parties," and there were no girls visible in the crowds. Where was I (before you ask)? Out watching the Va Tech game with friends, getting retarded. The funny part is that amid those table-toppers (beer bongs) and the infinitely funner crowd, as the results flashed across the score board below, there was a collective "who cares" was heard accross the place.
Seriously, who cares...
Roger Clemens's 60 Minutes interview? Well, let's see - injecting vitaim B-12,was it? Interesting, given the fact that Clemens has called this trainer a liar, while Andy Pettite verified the trainer's testimony against him. What I find most amusing, is that the trainer e-mailed Clemens two days before the report, asking where "their" fishing equipment as in Cabo San Lucas, and Clemens apparently didn't know what was in the report.
The Michigan v. Florida game was the best bowl so far, hands down. Henne actually played like a 1st round draft pick, and the game came down the last few minutes. Florida will be at the top next year, now that Tebow has to return, since he wasn't out of high school for three years.
Georgia beat a woeful Hawaii, and then every player proceeded to state that their team belonged in the national championship. They apparently wore black jerseys because they were angry at their bowl pick. Really? Surprising, since they didn't even make the SEC championship. Maybe they should go play USC if they are so good - Let's see how they do there. What's even worse, Georgia has requested an "8-team playoff" to ensure the "right teams" make it to championship. Not surprisingly, TV is behind it for obvious revenue reasons, though I wonder how the BCS feels about this.
LSU beat up on OSU, big surprise: Sorry, Big 10 Football is ineffective agains a.) a spread offense like Oregons (Michigan) or LSU's b.) or a West Coast Offense similar to what's in the Pros (look what USC did to Illinois. The simple reason. Running the football will eventually score TDs, but not at the rate of a mobile passing game. Speaking of USC, it looks like Pete Carrol may be going to the Atlanta Falcons. Why? That program is in worse shape than the Florida Marlins.
Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal all advanced past the 3rd round of the FA cup, but Liverpool drew against Luton, of all things. I espically loved that the Man U game was pay per view on Comcast, which no bar in New York City carries, even Nevada's.
Oh yes, almost forgot:Britney Spears's breakdown. Can't wait for next week's Soup, oh wait, the writers' strike is still going on. I'd like to know what that "unknown substance" was that she was supposedly under the influence of. In those pictures she certainly looked like she was having fun.
Caught the Iowa Caucus the other night too...it was the most boring thing I have ever seen in my life. There was all this build up about how neither party could pick a clear winner, In New York City, all of these supposed supporters, completer with slick jeans and facial hair, replete with mock straw hats and corn pipes, were heading to parties around the cities at various posh lounges.
Let me be the first one to say - GAY. This so called vote means NOTHING. Only 260,000 people were turning out to vote, and guess what, the media front runners at that moment won - Obama and Huckabee. Why would you go out in NYC to celebrate, unless you were a complete tool, right? Actually, the channel that carried this game, showed these "parties," and there were no girls visible in the crowds. Where was I (before you ask)? Out watching the Va Tech game with friends, getting retarded. The funny part is that amid those table-toppers (beer bongs) and the infinitely funner crowd, as the results flashed across the score board below, there was a collective "who cares" was heard accross the place.
Seriously, who cares...
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