Week 4 NFL Picks

Looks like I'm back to my Week 1 ways. 12-4 last week. That's the stuff of champs my friends. Onto Week 4, where it is never a good idea when you are HAPPY that your favorite team has the bye week. That's right, week 4 and we are already thanking the league for giving us our injury rest. Oye.

(Home team in CAPS)

CHICAGO over Detroit

Who called the Lions' first win in almost two years? Who was it again? Oh yeah - it was ME. Not that I think that success will carry onward to the windy city.

Cinci over CLEVELAND

As someone who would never bet on Marvin Lewis to win anything, it is hard for me to pick this man on the road. Yet against a team that thinks replacing their first round draft pick with a QB who threw three picks in one half is a good idea, I'll take Team Ochocinco.

INDY over Seattle

Looks like no Matt Hasselback again, not that it matters. Peyton Manning looks like he found a solid replacement for Anthony Gonzalez and they should be a shoe-in at home.

NY GIANTS over KC

Kansas City is officially the worst team in football over the past few years after Detroit won last week. Todd Haley stinks - the man ran the ball non-stop in the 3rd quarter down by 3 scores.

Baltimore over NEW ENGLAND

I'm doing it, I am finally off of the "I-will-pick-New-England-every-week-regardless-of-what-they-did-last-week-or-the-week-before-because-they-have-Belichick-and-Brady" bandwagon. I'm off (for now anyway). Baltimore looks plain scary. Flacco looks like a dark-horse MVP candidate and the defense looks flawless. Surprised this isn't a primetime game, no?

WASHINGTON over Tampa Bay

I REMEMBERED! Byron Leftwich! That's the starting QB for Tampa. I almost had to look it up again. Phew.

Tennessee over JACKSONVILLE

Mo-Jo-Drew can't really be this good can he? And the Titans can't really be this bad can they? Jeff Fisher needs to win this game to avoid a QB controversy between the "future hall-of-famer," Vince Young, and Kerry Collins.

Oakland over HOUSTON

Call me crazy, but then again I have no problem calling everyone who picked Houston to make the playoffs before the season started. Oakland will have to put it all together for a full game sooner or later, rather than just the glimpses that we have been witnessing.

NAAAAHLINS over NY Jets

Well... Mark Sanchez is looking pretty good. I'll admit it. This coming from the guy who said there would never be another good drafted QB after Rivers, Manning #2 (or 3?), or Roethlisberger. I see this being the meltdown of the Jets heralded defense. Look for a high scoring convincing win by the Saints. And by the way, that doesn't mean that I believe in the Saints. It means that I don't believe in the Jets.

Buffalo over MIAMI

Poor Chad Pennington. The kid has such a sweet name and his arm just can't live up to it. After such a horrendous start to the season, Chad Henne's first start should to little to quell the diehard's fears. The TO Show isn't looking deserving of popcorn just yet, but I think this week will change that.

SAN FRAN over St. Louis

San Fran continues to look like the real deal. If the Quarterback-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named didn't pull that throw out of his yoo-hoo then the niners would be sitting as pretty as can be. No Frank Gore might hurt them eventually, but not against St. Louis.

Dallas over DENVER

I'll give Josh McDaniels credit - he's right. The Broncos cannot be any better than 3-0 right now. I'm not saying that I'm putting my money on Romo to tear up what has been a stupendous Denver D, but... well I guess I am. Dallas wins convincingly.

PITTSBURGH over San Diego

This should be one hell of a game. I'm sure everyone in Pittsburgh is wondering how that final Carson Palmer drive would have ended if Troy Polamalu was playing and unfortunately for them they are going to keep on wondering for a few more weeks. That being said, Big Ben won't lose a home game against a rival AFC Qb picked 7 spots higher than him. Higher scoring than one would initially think though.

MINNESOTA over Green Bay

Yeah, it's a pretty fun matchup, but it won't compare to when The Quarterback-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named plays in Lambeau. If Minnesota can win when AP doesn't score a touchdown, we should probably be very scared indeed. Not looking forward to the media circus leading up to this game. I feel like we have been listening to this talk for the past two seasons as if this was inevitable.

Biggest winners though - the Philadelphia Phillies. Getting rested, healthy, and a home field advantage for the first round. 3 straight division titles.

Season: 33-15

Week 3 NFL Picks

After the easiest week 1 in recent memory, Week 2 brought me back down to earth to the tune of an 8-8 record. In hopes of getting my predictions out sooner and to more eyes, my week 3 picks will be happeninnnnnnggggg... NOW.

(Home team in CAPS)

DETROIT over Washington

What a way to start off eh? Detroit hasn't won a game in 19 straight attempts. What better to snap that trend than a home game against an uninspired Washington team with a head coach who doesn't seem to have a handle on his team? I can't imagine Jason Campbell tearing apart any defense. This is as far from a sure thing as you can get, but I'll still take the Lions to be one of ESPN's top stories from Week 3.

Green Bay over ST. LOUIS

Green Bay losing to Cinci last week. Not many saw that coming, especially in the cheesy confines of Wisconsin. Bounce back time for Aaron Rodgers and company.

MINNESOTA over San Fran

I'm rooting for San Fran so we can hear more about Shaun Hill and his game management skills. The last thing I want to hear about is that He Who Must Not Be Named and Peterson's Vikings might be the best team in the NFL, which is a real possibility depending on the outcome of this game. Save me from overanalyzing + He Who Must Not Be Named + Purple Jerseys = ESPN having a field day.

(On a side note, with Peter Forsberg's announcement that he is attempting another comeback, he has quietly distinguished himself as He Who Must Not Be Named's likeness for the NHL. If hockey was a bigger sport people would be talking about how Forsberg is a diva. How he announced his latest retirement on the day of the trade deadline to overcome all the NHL attention and focus it on himself. How his injuries are because his "boot doesn't fit." Has anyone heard of such an injury before? Anyone? Anyone?)

NEW ENGLAND over Hotlanta

Bill Belichick is too good of a coach to allow his team to keep underperforming like this. A home game against a somewhat inexperienced team should help his cause. The Brady-Moss connection is due for a honeymoon sometime soon aren't they?

Tennessee over NY JETS

I haven't made up my mind on Rex Ryan yet; he has backed up his talk so far and doesn't appear to be shutting up any time soon. Much like my New England prediction, Jeff Fisher will not allow his team to start the season off 0-3 and crush any historical chance of winning the Super Bowl (it has never been done before). I'll put my money on Kerry Collins over Mark Sanchez for this one.

EAGLES over Kansas City

Dorothy Gale of Kansas once said "there's no place like home." This will ring true this week for my Eagles. It looks like McNabb will not play (and he shouldn't), Brian Westbrook will pull the classic "no practice but I'll play anyway" gag, Desean Jackson is nursing the first semi-serious injury of his career, and Kevin Curtis will probably be out too. Todd Haley has overstepped his boundaries already, just two weeks into his first head coaching gig. Threatening the 63 million dollar QB's job already doesn't appear to be the best start to the season. The Philly crowd will push the Eagles to a victory that will be amplified by the triumphant return of Michael Vick. Go Iggles.

NY Giants over TAMPA BAY

I already forgot that Byron Leftwich was the Bucs starting QB. Giants win.

BALTIMORE over Cleveland

I believe in Joe Flacco. I really do. I do not believe in Brady Quinn. Or Braylon Edwards. Or Jamal Lewis. Or Eric Mangini.

HOUSTON over Jacksonville

I don't really like either one of these teams. So when in doubt I'll go with Andre Johnson and co.

New Orleans over BUFFALO

I'm still not a huge fan of the Saints. Sure they absolutely demolished the Eagles last week, but that was without McNabb and with the worst special teams performance in recent memory. Give Drew Brees a short field and it's basically automatic. With all that said, I think they still take care of business over the Bills, despite a strong performance from Trent Edwards and TO.

Chicago over SEATTLE

Well I was wrong about Jay Cutler. Hard to make a stronger first impression for your home crowd than beating the defending Super Bowl champs.

SAN DIEGO over Miami

This is where the season ends for Miami. After a strong showing on Monday Night Football, traveling to San Diego won't be kind to Tony Soprano, whoops I mean Sparano. I still can't trust the San Diego defense which I was so pumped to draft and don't think they will cause the Dolphins must strife. Rivers will be too pissed off to lose another one. Love that dude.

Pittsburgh over CINCI

I have a secret crush on the Steelers. I just love the way they operate. It will be interesting to see if Troy Polamalu's absence has that much of an effect on the Steelers.

OAKLAND over Denver

The battle of the two must currently dysfunctional teams in the NFL. There's no way JaMarcus Russel can go 7/24 again right? Right?...right?

Indy over ARIZONA

What a matchup huh? Should be a high scoring, shootout kinda' game. While Kurt Warner may have more weapons thanks to Anthony Gonzalez's injury, I'll put my money on Peyton Manning.

DALLAS over Carolina

Will Romo step up and be the media-created star that he has been portrayed as? Or will he continue to find the opposing team's secondary more easily than his own receivers? Only the second straight night game at the Jerry Jones's new stadium will tell.

Season: 21-11

Week 2 NFL Picks

I will spare you the rehashing of my Week 1 picks which I did not post but wrote on a piece of paper and had validated by my dad. I went a ridiculous 13-3 to start off a beautiful 2009 campaign. Today, the start of the Jewish New Year, marks the return of my weekly picks.

(Home team in CAPS)

HOTLANTA over Carolina

Don't expect another horrendous week from Jake Delhomme but the Falcons balanced offense should overcome a stellar Panthers running attack.

Minnesota over DETROIT

We will probably be shown a lot of "The Quarterback Who Must Not Be Named" on ESPN highlights this week. After allowing Drew Brees to pick apart their secondary, the undecided one should do half as well.

GREEN BAY over Cinci

This year spells the end for Carson Palmer. Look for quite a few Lambeau Leaps.

TENNESSEE over Houston

I'm not expecting another 13-3 season from the Titans, but then again I'm also not a supporter of the "Houston will make the playoffs" statement made by everybody and their mother this year. Houston has never won and they certainly won't do it now.

Oakland over KC

After seeing a pretty nice defensive performance against the Chargers last Monday night, I'm a believer in more than 5 wins for the Raiders. Count this as one of them.

New England over NY JETS

How can anybody call Mark Sanchez a "rookie sensation" one game into the season when he threw one TD and one INT against a crappy Houston team? This is a team with a head coach whose mouth has so far outweighed his stomach (a difficult accomplishment). Don't tell me that the Jets defense is really good enough to shut down Brady, Moss, Welker and maybe even Watson.

EAGLES over Naaaahlins

No McNabb, no problem. I remember when McNabb went down with his first injury and Koy Detmer was given the responsibility of matching Jeff Garcia and TO (just as he hit his TO years). Detmer even got injured and AJ Feeley came in to lead the Eagles to victory. I may not be an Andy Reid supporter, but the man can win in the regular season. A home game against a Saints team that beat the Lions? - give me a break. I look for the Eagles to contain Drew Brees as well as they contained LT in 2005 when he was going for his umpteenth straight 100 yard running game and he instead ran 17 times for 7 (that's right SEVEN) yards. The Eagles defense have a knack for showing up to play at home and this should be no different. Eagles 27 - Saints 14.

WASHINGTON over St. Louis

St. Louis away? Can't even pick them to win at home.

JACKSONVILLE over Arizona

This will be the mini-storyline of Week 2. "Defending NFC champs open season 0-2." Reminder, Kurt Warner is now 38 and they are the Cardinals for crying out loud. The last time they had any success before Super Bowl XLIII was in Jerry Maguire when Rod Tidwell helped to upset Troy Aikman and the Cowboys for a playoff spot.

BUFFALO over Tampa Bay

Trent Edwards needs to find TO or this season will self-destruct before Marshawn Lynch even gets a taste of the field for the first time. After Romo tore the Bucs' secondary apart last week, a home team should take care of Byron Leftwich.

SAN FRAN over Seattle

My semi-upset pick of the week. Seattle may have some weapons and a healthy Matt Hasselback, but Frank Gore and Shaun Hill should be enough to pull a close one out at home.

Pittsburgh over CHICAGO

It should be fun to hear the ravenous Bears fans boo Cutler at his first home start.

SAN DIEGO over Baltimore

I can't imagine Joe Flacco putting up those insane numbers 2 weeks in a row. And I can't imagine Phillip Rivers putting up those lackluster numbers 2 weeks in a row. Chargers win a nailbiter.

Cleveland over DENVER

Last week's win was a fluke for Denver. Law of averages will catch up with the Broncos and their dysfunctional team.

DALLAS over NY Giants

New stadium + dark horse team + No Plaxico Burress = Cowboys win.

Indy over MIAMI

Miami had a nice season last year, but it all fell apart in the playoffs. I see most games going like that for Chad and his Dolphins. Manning should find a way to win even though Anthony Gonzalez is down with a booboo.

Season: 13-3

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New Idea

Dear Readers,

This is not a new post but rather an announcement. Over the next few days I will be taking questions that are related to sports/somewhat related to sports/can be related to sports. This is to form my first "Mail-Bag," similar to what popular columnists (most notably Bill Simmons) do. You can ask me anything you want. Either use my email (suaveboy@comcast.net), comment on this post (below), write on my Facebook wall, send me a Facebook message, or if you come up with a question on the go - text me.

Any and all questions are appreciated.

Hoping this works,

-Zach

Jailbird

No need for much of an introduction to this entry. Everyone knows what this will be about, and while Brad Lidge's struggles are one hot topic, it amazingly doesn't even compare to the insanity that has reentered Philadelphia, something sorely missing since the days when T.O. did shirtless pushups in his front yard and Howard Eskin started a canned food drive to help feed Terrell's family. I am of course talking about the controversial signing of our new "jailbird," Michael Vick.

While many have argued and will continue to argue the basis of this signing in terms of the reason, the football sense, and morals, I will try to deviate from this popular argument. I will introduce more or less a point of view that I have carried with me for the past year and a half, all starting with more controversy - Sypgate, as it has come to be known.

When the New England Patriots were caught stealing signs from the New York Jets with a camera during a Week 1 game, I found myself disgusted. Having always been a reluctant admirer of Brady and Belichick's, shaking my head with utter amazement at the way they had produced wins and Vince Lombardi trophy's like nobody's business, I felt cheated. To discover that the team of the decade, the team that beat my beloved Eagles in Super Bowl 39 by a mere 3 points was not even playing the game the right way, tarnished my feelings for them. When you take away honest competition, you are taking away everything that makes professional sports enjoyable; integrity, fair play, and virtue. We turn on the TV every Sunday to watch the best in the world go head to head without knowing what the outcome will be at day's end. When one team feels the need to gain an illegal edge, the whole point of competition has gone to waste.

Now how does this relate to Michael Vick, you may ask me. Let's review Michael Vick as a player and a person. Michael Vick was the first overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft and was revolutionizing the quarterback position on a weekly basis. He passed further than anyone, ran more than any quarterback could run, and left defensive coordinator's heads spinning. He was able to do all of this while flipping off his home fans in Atlanta, getting caught with marijuana, and distributing genital herpes under the "pen(is) name" of Ron Mexico. Not too shabby for someone who has yet to even celebrate their 30th birthday. But that's not all, oh no. For years and years Michael Vick operated a secret dog fighting ring where people would gamble on the outcome of dog fights, many of the dogs who lived through the fights were ordered to be killed by Vick. Even just this last incident left a horrible taste in my mouth. However, I found myself able to turn on the TV on Sunday and enjoy (for lack of a better word) my Eagles games with no problem.

We have a player here who has paid his debt to society for horrendous and inhumane crimes to "man's best friend" and forfeited his career for years. Now that he is out of jail and has done his time, does he not get back the right to earn a living like so many other criminals and convicts? Watching Michael Vick juke out and allude the likes of Demarcus Ware and Albert Haynesworth bothers me a whole lot less than allowing a man who cheated millions of NFL fans out of sheer, wholesome competition for years to continue coaching.

Don't get me wrong - I am a dog lover. I have a dog and enjoy his company more than I probably should. I find Michael Vick's complete lack of respect and appreciation for dogs a horrible crime. Seeing that he has paid his debt and lasted over a year in jail has me feeling fine about having him don the midnight green, much more than I would if I were a fan of the Dolphins, Jets, or Bills - teams in the Patriots division.

Michael Vick's lack of respect for beings that are not human did enough to throw him in jail. On the other hand, it did nothing to effect the National Football League. It is for this reason that my conscience is not weighed down at all, nor am I burdened or torn by the fact that I will be rooting for one of the NFL's "bad guys."

Go Michael Vick, and Go Eagles.

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Clifford the Big Red Phillie

Right off the bat, I will admit that the title of this piece was not my clever pun but rather a text message I received from a friend shortly after the blockbuster deal. Nor does it necessarily work (his full name is Clifton). But the most important part is the second part of the title - we have ourselves a brand new Ace to add to our somewhat unsettling array of arms. While they range from your Average Joe's (Blanton) to your grandfatherly type (Moyer) to a super Hollywood style World Series MVP (Hamels) to your season surprise (Happ) to potentially one of the most dominant pitchers of my era (Pedro) to somewhat of a no name (Lopez), one thing is for sure - they have all gotten the job done. I will attempt to analyze to the best of my ability what I think our five-man rotation should look like after this coming Sunday, when the young but balding Happ is scheduled to start again.

1. Cliff Lee - This one is no shocker. There could, perhaps be a strong argument for the reigning World Series MVP in Hamels, given his tremendous success in October of 2008 and at scattered times during the 2009 season. Looking at what Lee brings to the table (was anyone else positively giddy after watching a 3-pitch strikeout of the first batter he faced as a Phillie? (oh yeah, there was that complete game win later that night too)), it is apparent that the Cy Young winner should lead this team into the dog days of the summer.

2. Cole Hamels - As stated above, his success speaks for itself. However there is some cause for concern. Looking at another young, World Series winning ace who suffered from a potential innings in

crease, Hamels doesn't look that much different than Josh Beckett. I won't get into the numbers here, but Beckett was dominant during the Red (Black) Sox (Pt. 2?) 2007 World Series run and fell off in a big way the following year - even during the playoffs. Putting this argument aside, Hamels has proven that he can succeed on the big stage (he would probably do pretty well on American Idol too come to think of it).

3. Joe Blanton - Besides having a mind boggling blonde hair  - black 

goatee combo, Blanton has been the Phillies most consistent starter this year. Even in his losses and no decisions, Blanton always keeps the Phils in the game. Oh yeah, remember that home run in game 4?!?!

4. J.A. (pronounced Jay) Happ - After missing out on the final spot for the rotation during Spring Training,  the Happ-ster proved the front office wrong and has since been one of the National Leagues best starting pitchers. Whether his success is reminiscent of Kyle Kendrick's 10 win explosion in 2007 has yet to be determined. Most, however would agree that Happ looks to be a much better pitcher than Kendrick, as he doesn't tend to rely on run support to get him his W's. The only problem with Happ is just how good he is. He posted excellent numbers as a long arm in the bullpen, not to mention that he is a lefty, something the Phillies have not had consistently in the pen all year (see injuries/suspension to Scott Eyre and J.C. Romero). Happ has shown his dominance as a starter, but also his value as a reliever. Thanks to Ruben Amaro's announcement that Happ will stay in the rotation, that makes this past paragraph somewhat of a moot point. This leads us to the most discussed topic in Philadelphia over the last few weeks...

5. The 5th Starter. Rodrigo Lopez has already been ousted to the bullpen which came as a surprise to no one. The fight for the fifth spot is between the eccentric Pedro Martinez and the grandfather clock himself, Jamie Moyer. What to do, what to do? Jamie leads the team in wins. But Pedro is, after all, Pedro. Jamie's ERA has been sky high and, like his age, shows no sign of going down. Pedro Martinez on the other hand has hurled to mixed reviews in the minors. Before we go any further, I will say that I support the Pedro signing 100%. To sign a pitcher of Pedro's caliber for chump change is a no brainer. If he gets injured or doesn't even make it up to the major's, no sweat off our brow. Back to his performance: Pedro has shown flashes of brilliance, such as an 11 strike out performance on Wednesday night. On the other hand, he also let up 4 runs. Which side do you look at here? Pedro has been a strikeout pitcher for his entire career and to see him make youngsters fan at his stuff can only mean good news. The bad news that this could spell is for Mr. Moyer. After a 16 win season in '08 he has duplicated his knack for putting numbers in the win column. He has failed to match his ERA numbers and has looked beatable way too often. But he wins. And while he has been a Phillie we have only seen our team get better. Is there a solution?

Yes. 6 man rotation - hold it, stop your yelling and quit shaking your head at me. 6 man rotation for the present. Slot Pedro in somewhere when one of our regular's might need an extra day. Go through the rotation a few times and go from there. There is no reason to make any rash decisions now, while the team is coasting away with the division in their pocket and their eyes on October. Sounds simple enough right? Now, there are some things that this team needs to stay away from...

- Do NOT put Moyer in the bullpen. The man felt more than slighted when the Phillies refused to overpay for his services after he helped end the quarter century title drought. He wanted his money and he got it. We all love Jamie Moyer, but hurting his feelings or asking him to do something that he basically has never done (he hasn't pitched out of the bullpen in 13 years) may not bode well, especially if the Pedro experiment fails. Pulling Moyer back out and telling him that "we really believed in you all along, now go throw 80 mph fastballs by Hanley Ramirez again" may not seem so believable.

-Do NOT put Happ in the bullpen if he fails to duplicate his 4 hit shutout of Wednesday night. Give the guy some room to work. He has already overcome three obstacles in 2009:

1. Losing out on the starting job to Chan Ho Park

2. Pitching excellently through trade rumors

3. Shutting out the Rockies to save his rotation life

The man has shown that he can handle pressure.

A 6 man rotation can save arms and rest this pitching group for what is looking like a realistic possibility at another exciting playoff run. To take a page out of Charlie Manuel's book...

This team is playin' good, pitching good, hittin' good and fieldin good. Looks like a good ballclub to have.

In other words - they're playing very...good. No reason for alarm or that much change.

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June-isms

Thought I had faded into Bolivian? Never fear Mike Tyson and friends, I have simply been working hard during the day and watching way too much television at night. I know how much all of you have missed my bumbling and off-the-track thoughts on sports so I will again lazily provide you with a bullet point formatted listing of the recent goings on.

-Kobe Bryant has finally captured that elusive Shaq-less NBA title. I rooted very hard against him, as I remain bitter that he has basically destroyed the early 2000's "Iverson or Kobe?" argument. Barring a late career jump from Iverson winning a few Championships, the argument will remain in Kobe's favor and will continue to be "Kobe or LeBron?" I'm pulling for LeBron. Although, I was satisfied with Kobe's awkward interview on Conan a few nights after the '09 season concluded. His track suit and knack for trying to be too 'hood made me smile.

-The Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup months after they were not even a surefire bet to make the playoffs. While I did not want to see the Red Wings get engraved onto Lord Stanley's for the dozenth time, I would have rather had them suck the life out of Sidney Crosby and his Pens repeatedly. The only solace I could take in the Penguins victory was at least it was in Detroit where the eighteen thousand fans could only stare at the ice in silence as the Penguins had no audience to feed off of while taking mini-laps with the trophy in front of a camera.

-Is it just me, or did this NBA finals paired with the NHL's Stanley Cup make you realize how lame the NBA Championship trophy is? Even compared to the Super Bowl and the World Series, I just feel that the NBA trophy is somewhat anti-climactic. Can't explain it.

-Up until yesterday the Phillies had lost 8 of 9 and 11 of 13. All the while I remained relatively calm, texting my friends who had bombarded me with misery and loss of faith. Most seem to have given up the season as a lost cause. I would think that the true mark of a good team is where they stand when the going gets rough. It can't get much rougher than losing 11 out of 13, and all the while the Phillies remained in first place. A Yankee sweep over the Mets tonight would put the Fightin's 2.5 up despite the fact that they have only managed to win one series out of the last five. Pessimists may remind you that we can only thank the competition for beating down the Mets, Braves, Marlins, and the lowly Nationals but let me remind you, you can only play the cards you are dealt. It doesn't matter how bad the Phillies play if the Mets and everyone else in the NL East continue to play even worse.

-Also, Raul Ibanez was put on the DL, Brad Lidge joined him, as well as Scott Eyre and Clay Condrey. Ryan Howard had a 104 degree fever, Brett Myers was lost for the season, our fifth starter is Antonio Bastardo who was not even drafted. Things can only get better as Lidge notched a one-run save today and Ibanez is set to comeback against the Mets (could there be any better timing?).

-The Flyers traded for Chris Pronger, a "puck clearing defenseman" as defenders of his size have come to be known. He will give us at least 40 points and should team up nicely with Timonen and Coburn to protect the puck in front of the net while Ray Emery ponders which Flyers coach to punch after the game and on which highway he will hit 130 mph. Paul Holmgren mortgaged the future of the Flyers with this move and the only way he will not take a huge bashing is if the Flyers can return the Cup to Philly and tie up the Cup race with the hated Penguins. 2 first round picks, a 25 goal scorer and a promising defensive star is too much to give up for an aging defenseman with one year left on his contract. On a COMPLETELY unrelated note, Jay Boumeester was had for a third round pick and below average free agent Jordan Leopold. Does that make any sense? No? Didn't think so.

-Never pieced together that McNabb's touchdown celebration dance moves were a tribute to His Popness. Five reminded us that his leg kicks and attempted moon walks were meant to impersonate the Prince of Plastic, the Sultan of Race Changing, the Master of Molesting, and the Colossus of Crotch-Grabbing. Michael Jackson, if you couldn't get the Babe Ruthian hints (to all of my Sandlot junkies out there, I solute you).

-Brett Favre: you win. I will write nothing about you in this post. Just know that you win. Now go home, chew some tobacco, and fish. And for God's sake please leave us the hell alone.

-How is sports gambling actually supposed to be illegal when the newspapers publish the lines for every game?

-Who caught the moment when Fox picked out a black man in the stands of the Phillies-Yankees game back in May and promptly decided that he must be John Mayberry Sr. Any idea if Fox got in trouble for this bit of hilarity?

-I used DVR for sports for the first time. I managed to record the entire Monday of the U.S. Open and stayed away from the results (phone, computer, told people not to talk about it) and experienced the (lack of) thrill of seeing Lucas Glover win the silver trophy. Phil Mickelson, you truly have taken choking to a new level. Oh, and Tiger Woods apparently stinks at putting.

-Sticking with the Country Club sports, I enjoy how ESPN continues to compare Tiger with Roger Federer as if the argument held any actual validity. One plays golf while the other plays tennis. Just because they both dominate their respective fields has nothing to do with each other. Except for the fact that America is only interested in watching dominance in two sports that are basically off the map.

-The second half of the Confederation Cup today was a rude reminder as to why America has not embraced soccer. It was as if they fielded the U.S. team from 1984-2008 Philadelphia or a pre 2004 Red Sox team. On Bill Simmons' "levels of losing", this has to be up there. Hopefully the nation does not accept the defeat of soccer as easily as the U.S. accepted 45 minutes of Brazilian offensive occupation in the second half. Brutal, just brutal.

-I currently am at a streak of 1 for ESPN's Streak for Cash.

-I visited a sports card and memorabilia show yesterday for the first time in seven years. Hoping that my childhood passion would ignite again, I was sorely disappointed, as were my cousin and uncle. The 10 cent card boxes just aren't appealing anymore. Check back with me in another seven years and maybe I will have had a change of heart.

-How did Dejuan Blair fall so far in the draft? Is it even conceivable that a team would rather have an unknown entity from the Congo than a player that, as Jay Bilas so eloquently put it, "beasted" Hasheem Thabeet (pick number 2)? Blair should put the Spurs back into title contention, as they have also added Richard Jefferson to make a formidable bunch of weapons.

-Not much to say on the Jrue Holiday draft pick by the Seventy Suxers (clever I know), other than on paper it is utterly, completely, visibly, obviously, totally moronic and wrong. But what else can we expect of a franchise that has time and again proved to be inept with running a basketball team? So when it comes down to it, it wouldn't make sense for the Sixers to pick the proven winner in Ty Lawson.

-Is it possible that Ricky Rubio and his agent can be even more greasy than RickRubs hair?

-David Akers was recently named the 17th most underrated player in the NFL. Does that make you feel better?

-Me neither.

-My first trip to Citi Field with my dad resulted in a 5-4 11-inning victory. My dad also enjoyed a personal victory when I pointed out that the drunk [expletive]...err girl who had forcefully tried to remove him from a seat that wasn't even hers was being ticketed for underage drinking in the eating area. He walked up to her, pointed at her and laughed and when she asked what he was laughing at, he of course said "you" and continued to double over in laughter.

There it is, sports as I know it over the past two months. I am sure that I have not accounted for a thousandth of what I should have written about (Manny Ramirez, Manny Ramirez, and Manny Ramirez) but have no fear. I shall be back.

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Hectic Thoughts from Finals Week and the First Days of Summer

Here is an incoherent post put together over the past week - finals and now the sweet taste of summer.

- Mel Kiper Jr. has become a cross between Wolverine and John Travolta. The hair just seems to grow "bigger" and more poofy, while his mouth is somewhere around the Rosie O'Donnell level. He needs to take some Tylenol PM before every argument with Todd McShay.

- Speaking of Kiper and McShay, thank the lord that the NFL draft is over. Every year I wish there was more on ESPN about the NHL playoffs and less on the draft. There has been exactly one hyped player that is any good in the past few years: Matt Ryan. Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, Vince Young, Alex Smith all stink. There are a few great ones out there, but most of the time the analysts miss them. I would like all of the time back in my life for watching PTI talk about Reggie Bush. And I would like to make a prediction and another plea for my wasted time back - Mark Sanchez and Matthew Stafford will both stink. I think Stafford will be worse than Sanchez because 1. He is playing for a horrible organization that drafts offensive players such as Calvin Johnson and Brandon Pettigrew to "protect their franchise QB" instead of the actual protection - an offensive line and 2. Have you seen the Lions "new" logo? They sketched in an additional 7 lines to make it look, ah... fiercer? I'm predicting another miserable season, albeit not 0-16 if that is where team management thinks this bunch needs the most work. New logo and new quarterback = 2-14. 

- On the other hand, this draft has the potential to be the best ever for the Andy Reid era. Drafting two playmakers in the first two rounds? One of which I was schoolmate of, no, sophomore with, no, um... watched on the football field for Pitt. Shady McCoy is the real deal, a replica of Westbrook and not even the image of a snarling Drew Rosenhaus standing beside him as he donned his Eagles hat for the first time could sour my day. What could sour my day however was...

- The Flyers stinking up the ice. Although I must admit (and shove in everyone's face) that I was no where near surprised. Shocked by the turn of events during the game? Yes. Surprised, no. I have maintained since the all-star break that this team is merely a collection of talent with no team aspects. Jeff Carter hasn't played defense since February, Mike Richards has been so obviously hurt, Joffrey Lupol has disappeared, Danny Briere - well I won't get started on him. I don't think I have ever seen such talent translate into a such a mediocre team. Last year we suffered a 10 game losing streak and still managed 97 points. This year? A team coming off a Conference Finals run with six 25 goal scorers and much more steady goaltending managed just 99 points, 2 more than the year before. For the past two years I have given Marty Biron a hard time and I am now at peace with him. Of all the goalies on the free agent market, he is the one that makes our team the best. My targets in the offseason are...

- Get rid of Joffrey Lupol

- Make it so I never have to hear the words "Flyers" and "Randy Jones" in the same sentence again.

- I know they won't do this now, but fire John Stevens. I don't think he is a bad coach but he is in no way the coach for this team. We need a mean coach to go along with our mean style of play. Some may say that it is hard to argue that a 99 point season is a disappointment, but I've never seen a worse "good" season from the orange and black.

- It used to be that the other organizations were compared to the Flyers. When the Phillies, Eagles, or Sixers lost, people said, "can't they learn anything from the Flyers?" They most competitive team, constantly signing the biggest stars... are now being compared to the Phillies. After the elimination I wondered aloud, "Haven't they learned anything from the Phillies? Any of their heart?" Looks like we have officially passed into another realm...

- WIP smartly pointed out that this draft could not have come on a better day. Any time the Flyers are eliminated from the playoffs the city is in a pretty bad mood. Luckily Jeremy Maclin was picked 10 minutes later and Shady a few hours after that. Mix in a Phillies 9th inning comeback and it turned out to be not such a bad sports day. I'm not completely over the Flyers...

- My Flyers playoff beard is still holding up pretty strong. 3 weeks and counting and I just can't let it go. The players shaved theirs after the game. Eventually...

Moving on...

- As pointed out by my cousin, Raul Ibanez does share a striking resemblance Harry's archnemisis and everyone's favorite dark lord. As long as he keeps playing like he wants to take over baseball, I'm fine with any spell he is doing (as long as steroids is not involved).

- Jimmy Rollins predicted a .400 month for his batting average in the next month. Last time he predicted this he went on what would be the start of a 38 game hitting streak while batting over .400. Thanks to Philly.com for this - not my original idea. Just want to let it be known.

- Theo Ratliff is averaging almost 18 minutes per game in the playoffs. The man formerly known as "the expiring contract" has been a better defender and a better player on the court than "Slammy" Dalembert who is making 10 times as much. But hey, on the bright side, they are both much more productive than Elton Brand, who is making more than both of them combined.

- I am now embarrassed to be associated with Lenny Dykstra. The man is millions of dollars in debt, bought Wayne Gretzky's house for 18.5 million, can't sell it, and claims that everyone owes him money. In reality he owes everyone money and has 24 lawsuits filed against him. It's not light reading but it's worth knowing who represents your franchise.

- OMG! The Marlins lost 7 games in a row! They are suddenly no longer ESPN's main story, on the ESPN "slash" commercials, and everyone's pick to win the World Series. Apparently two weeks of baseball in April really isn't enough time to judge your contenders from your pretenders. Who woulda' thunk it?

- An argument about Cole Hamels. Is he a pussy? No. Is he a 24-year-old kid from California? Yes. He emulates diva in the same way that Peter Forsberg did. He is a little hurt and comes out of games. Hamels, however, put the team on his back and won the World Series for Philadelphia. Forsberg ate our money and moved the Flyers towards their worst season in franchise history. Right now Hamels is just going through a string of bad luck. I'd rather the Phillies take him out of these games and leave it up to the bullpen. In the end - it saves Hamels' arm for later in the season when many pitchers burn out.

- I have played 1 and a half full seasons of Tiger Woods Golf and have made exactly 2 cuts. Hooray for video game expertise.

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Catch you on the flip side.

A Fond Season

This is for my mental wellness. This is for my sanity. This is for the ability to move on. When Scottie Reynolds convulsed himself to within 12 feet of the basket and threw up an off-balance desperation shot, he sank more than the basket – he sank my heart.

I am in unfamiliar territory as a sports fan – not in the sense of losing; as a Jewish Philadelphian I have tasted the Passover bitter herb countless times in the form of sports. The unfamiliarity I am dealing with at the present is as a college sports fanatic. Sure, I watched the big games throughout the year on a Tuesday or Wednesday when the Phillies, Flyers, or Sixers weren’t on. I filled out my March Madness bracket(s) with every intention of winning, reciting smart facts and tid-bits presented to sports nation by Andy Katz and Doug Gotlieb on ESPN. Villanova won my allegiance pretty early on, but the passion I held for them was practically nothing compared to my affinity for our professional sports teams. That all officially changed when my collegiate sports cherry popped, no burst, around 10:00 PM on Saturday, March 28, 2008.

Let us rewind to November of 2007, my first PITT basketball game. I unknowingly donned my gray Pitt Basketball shirt, unaware that I was about to enter a zoo of gold – The Oakland Zoo. At halftime I was part of the Zoo, another 6^th man of the basketball team that has guided the team to an unprecedented 110-10 record in our home stadium, the Petersen Events Center, since it opened in ’02. One Big East Championship later and a freshman year wiser – I was completely prepared for the 2008-2009 season. All year long I jumped, screamed, and continued to wait in line for games. Add two number-one-rankings and two defeats of number-one UConn, and we were on our way to the best season in Pitt basketball history.

After many heart palpatations in the first round against East Tennessee State, I made the decision to embark on a four hour road trip to Dayton, Ohio for our second round matchup with the Oklahoma State Cowboys with my friend Bird. Many thanks to my parents who graciously dished out the cash to treat us to a night in the Holiday Inn, which might as well have been the Ritz-Carlton of Dayton. The hotel bartender gave us the number of a man with tickets and an hour later, albeit 120 dollars lighter in the wallet, Bird and I held shiny tickets to the games the following day.

More late game heroics from Levance Fields and another career game from Sam Young led to a win and a sweet 16 berth, and a much calmed down heart. Levance took care of business down the stretch against Xavier and marched us into elite status, the Elite 8 that is. And who should we be playing but my old favorite team, the Wildcats of Villanova.

After a game of lead changes and up-and-down performances by both teams, the season was over. Levance finally made two free throws when it counted most, yet our defense couldn’t hold them off. Ironically, the one time Philadelphia defeated Pittsburgh when it mattered, I was completely miserable.

That night, I couldn’t sleep. I woke up at 730 – something I haven’t done since I had a summer job. I drove myself into Squirrel Hill, a little Jewish town reminiscent of the Main Line. I bought a book, ordered a fish platter and matzo ball soup at a Jewish Deli and read. After that I made my way back across the street to Barnes & Noble and read some more. After unnecessarily feeding the parking meter (free on Sundays) I treated myself to a matinee viewing of The Reader. Some nude Kate Winslet to brighten my day. This day of mourning came to a close. I was at peace with the end of the Sam Young, Levance Fields, and Tyrell Biggs era in Pitt basketball and I was damn proud of them. Watching the student athletes on and off the court as they succeeded and failed and received more attention than any normal college student filled me with pride. Levance Fields is a 5 foot 10, chubby point guard with the purest passing and dribbling ability and leadership that can be found. He has not been mentioned in any NBA draft talks. He worked and played hard and will go down as the greatest point guard in the school’s history. Watching the work ethic of this team along with Coach Jamie Dixon’s heavy heart of a lost sister and a forced end to his surprising playing career added yet another spot in my heart for sports.

My dad said, “…pot of gold…how you get there…” and it spoke to me. We will win a National Championship one day. I am sure of it. And until that time, I will continue to watch, support, and emotionally invest in this team. However, I’m hoping to not make this Jewish Deli trip an annual event.

I Got Jamie Moyer's Autograph for the Umpteenth Time

Happy belated St. Patty's one and all! Coming to you from room 625 in the Hilton Clearwater Beach Hotel in Clearwater in Tampa, Florida it is my World Champion Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training Report. It is my final night in this beautiful weather and summer atmosphere and I am not ready to leave. Days of 83, 85, and 78 degrees leave me pining for summer. Oh wait, let me get the sand out of my shoe, such a burden, I know. And putting on all of this sunscreen - woe is me. Onto some baseball! I will leave you, my hopefully faithful readers, with my general and somewhat specific thoughts on how our first spring training as defending champs is going.

First on the Cole Hamels elbow crisis that I, along with many other Phillie fans, am losing sleep over. I know nothing on the subject other than what I have read. I saw him signing autographs at the game today against the Blue Jays but did not get a chance to ask him anything. So no free insider information on that subject from yours truly. Other than the non-stop comments on how much my dad thinks that Cole Hamels' wife is controlling him after reading that sports illustrated article. "When I met him he was so mature, I thought we were the same age!" Really Heidi? Being five years older than him, being on survivor, and showing your body to the world in Playboy gives you the room to call Cole Hamels mature?" They got a lot funnier and dirtier than that.

Second, on Chase Utley... he is making his way back more quickly than anticipated. I personally do not want him to re-aggravate his hip by being lured by the statistical wonder of a 162 game season. He has been batting lead-0ff and is getting his hacks. His starts at second base also seem to be going well. Knock on wood. And pull your left ear if you're Jewish.

In between listening to my dad's perverted jokes that have no actual punchline and his jokes that do have punchlines that aren't funny to anyone except for him... I got to see some baseball games.  One thing I immediately noticed is that Raul Ibanez seems to be a pretty adequate alternative to Pat Burrell. Up until Sunday, I had never seen the man play in person and never really paid attention to his games as an AL player on the Mariners. Things we have all heard about Ibanez are that his defensive skills are comparable to Pat's and he will add a little more consistency to our already potent lineup. From what I have seen, Ibanez is surprisingly more agile and faster than his predecessor. Watching him run up the first base line and take turns going to second, he has a little more juice in him then we were all told to expect. To put this into terms that we can all expect to see translated on the field: If Burrell hit a double play ball to short, he was out at first 9 out of 10 times. I would say that if Ibanez hit that same ball, he will be thrown out 8 times out of 10. This may not seem like news to take a St. Patty's day shot of Irish whiskey to in celebration, but it improves our champs. This little bit of extra speed will also most likely mean that Ibanez stays on base and is not replaced for Eric Bruntlett in the later innings, giving us more options off the bench (by the way, Bruntlett's beard is the blondest bush of playoff hockey I can every hope to achieve).

Speaking of options off the bench, Charlie may be hard-pressed to use Brett Myers in some hitting situations after his playoff performance at the plate last year. He followed it up by smacking a single down the first base line today and then moving a runner over on a short chopper. The dude has slimmed down in a major way and hopefully he can keep the weight off this time and not let his drunk munchies get the best of him as they did back during the 07 season when his 30 pounds crept back on as the dog days of summer progressed. Brett pitched 5 innings of 4 hit, no run ball and was in command at all times today. I'm looking for a career year from B-My. Ryan Howard also dropped some weight and it is very noticeable. I watched the big man take ground balls at first base for half an hour at a practice facility before today's game (Tuesday) and he is moving more quickly from side to side and to the base.

I've seen numerous games at Bright House Networks Field, the Phillies home away from home, and a few away games here and there. The away game this year was at Legends Field, or as the most obnoxious franchise in sports decided to rename it's field - George Steinbrenner Field. I've heard the grumblings about Yankees fans through the grapevine, most notably in Bill Simmons' works, but they were in full force at this game. There were the countless senior citizens there just like every other spring training game, but there were also people you could only find at a Yankees game. I'll let you use your imagination. I was hearing things like "that championship was a fluke," which I just brushed off. The Steinbrenner faithful are just suffering from not winning a ring in 9 years that they want to take it out on us. Fine. I guaran-damn-tee that their 400 million dollar plus shopping spree does not bring them another championship any time in the near future.

As for some of the long-shots, I have been very impressed by John Mayberry Jr. This kid is an inch taller than Ryan Howard and has some power along with speed. Speed that makes my 150 dollar poker stack all-in hand loss look slower than Manuel's hobble to the pitcher's mound (no I'm not bitter). Speed that makes my two poker losses in Canada look slower than Dikembe Mutumbo running up and down the court while wagging his finger (screw electronic poker tables). Anywho, Mayberry looks like he can be a complete package. Other future Phils include Jason Donald, who seems like a feisty Utley and Pedroia type. Lou Marson looks less like a catcher and more like an middle infielder, which is great news. Some speed and athleticism can really help out a catcher.

This also marks the first year out of the three that I have attended spring training that I have gone to the practices and workouts in the morning. With five baseball fields other than the one inside the ballpark and a few specialty fields, such as only infields and extra bullpens and batting cages, there is plenty of baseball to be seen if you arrive early enough. Every single player in the Phillies organization was there - all the way down to the possibly and probable 16 year olds from other countries. Watching the workouts on all of the fields made me realize how competitive the major leagues really are. There were 5 catchers on one field, none of which I had ever heard of and all of which had probably never heard of Clearwater or Tampa before they arrived here this spring. Besides the five catchers on that field, there were at least 10 more. There are position battles just to get to be the back up's back up's back up's back up. And you have to be one hell of a ballplayer just to make it there.

Another cool thing about these morning workouts is the free-for-all that applies to stuff you can get. My uncle would be having a field day down here with the balls stuck on top of the mesh of the batting cages. I personally grabbed a bat and two broken bat heads from the trash can of the minor league batting cages. I also found two balls and bought a ball for 5 dollars before I knew I would be so lucky as to retrieve two. Talked to Anthony Hewitt for a minute, he was our first round pick and is only 19 years old. He seems to be a pretty nice guy and doesn't seem to be overtaken by the limelight that he will soon be under.

Quick rant... enough about the World Baseball Classic. As soon as I saw that David Wright hit a walk off double to eliminate Puerto Rico and keep the U.S. a-rollin, I had a twinge of excitement, before realizing that Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino will spend more time away from the Phillies and have more of a chance of getting injured. Can't we just have college kids play in these contrived tournaments? Do we really need to risk players like Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis to win some meaningless competition that is a tune-up for the regular season? I'd like to read a Red Sox blog on how they feel about this. I feel the same way about the Olympics. What was the greatest moment in Olympic history and maybe even sports history? The Miracle on Ice. That is 20 college kids beating the Soviet Union, winners in '64, '68, '72, and '76. Do we really need to have our professionals playing basketball and hockey at these games? And hockey is during the NHL season. World Baseball Classic? If 162 games plus the playoffs isn't enough baseball then extend the season (I would have no objection to more baseball), but these competitions will only blow out pitchers' arms more quickly and injure players at a higher rate. I feel pretty strongly about all of this. Feel free to comment if you feel differently.

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So that is all with regards to spring training, if i missed anything in there I will be sure to let you know. Back to the dreary weather of Pittsburgh. Go Pitt!