How Wrong Were We: 2010 MLB Season

Here at ASD we like to make predictions just as any sports fans. We also like to take a moment at the conclusion of each season and look back on how wrong we were about our prognostications. Today, the Giants are the World Series champions. If you didn't know that Jerome Bettis is from Detroit then you might be unaware that the Giants won their first World Series since 1954 and the first in San Francisco. Tim Lincecum pitched a gem and Edgar Renteria won MVP on the strength of his game-winning hit. I've seen that somewhere before.

I predicted a BCS matchup between the Yankees and Phillies this year but apparently there is a playoff in baseball.

NL (complete picks here)

Phillies over Brewers(Wild Card winners)
Cardinals over Rockies

NLCS
Phillies over Cardinals

Not sure what I was thinking with the Brewers there. I expected the Rockies to make their traditional August/September run and they did but not enought to overtake the Giants or Padres. Watch me kind of give the Giants props but completely miss on the big picture:

The additions of DeRosa and Huff are supposed to bolster the Sandoval-led line-up but no one is holding their breath no that one.

And of course, my big bust was having the Padres picked last in this division but I know I wasn't the only one. However, my Mets analysis was spot, fucking on:

I am merely going to sit back and watch the team blow leads, make hideous errors, fail to hit HRs in their own park, and Johan to break down. Then when the smoke clears hopefully Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel will be gone and the team can start from scratch....again.

Good luck Sandy Alderson.

AL (all the picks here)

My AL predictions worked out a lot better. I did pick the Yankees to take the east and the Rays wildcard but that was reversed. I did get all four playoff teams right.

AL Playoffs

Yankees over Twins(again)
Rangers over Rays

ALCS
Yankees over Rangers

World Series
Phillies over Yankees

I was more than happy to have the Rangers prove me wrong. I did think they had a winning formula though:

But with Nolan Ryan calling out pitchers and Ron Washington doing lines who knows what can happen!

Congrats to the Giants, even Barry Bonds is happy for you. Lincecum and his dong hat can ride off into the sunset. 2010 MLB Season, FIN.



schlong on a hat via

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Steve Perry? Steve Perry

We haven't spoken about the baseball playoffs on here. But we've been watching. The Giants have jumped out to a 2-0 lead but there is still a long way to go. Last night at game 2, a Lincecum-esque Steve Perry led the AT&T Park crowd in a (shortened) rendition of 'Don't Stop Believing'. It looks pretty magical and I for one don't care if that song has been the most downloaded song on Itunes or it is ironically cool to hate on that song, I never get tired of hearing it. I don't know if this is equal to the "Danger Zone" played during the Lakers/Nuggets playoff game where they had Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer up on the screen.

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NCAA Tournament Experiences Swelling

Usually you want to see a doctor when that occurs but the for the NCAA Tournament this was inevitable. Thankfully the horrible super expansion did not come to fruition for now. There will be 4 extra teams added to the at-large list, with those teams playing early in the week along with teams 65 through 68 playing the other two. This offers a good balance of teams that came in just on the good side of the bubble a showcase and the small guys will be mixed in. It is highly superior to 65 team format that featured two small mid-majors taking on each other in Dayton. This of course was made in the interest of making the NCAA more money which translates as making the schools more money which is what we all want right? Well more cash in the pockets of these schools has no bearing for most of us, but its an inevitable course of events, so at least some good can come of that.

The two games featuring the final bubble teams are sure to be teams selected for their watchability(/Bud Light'd?) so there will still be that room for conspiracy theories like team A only got in because it made for a good opening round game and Duke was given a road paved with schools for deaf, blind austic kids. The bottom line is still survive and advance, perhaps the truest thing Jimmy V ever said and definitely truer than anything he said to NCAA investigators. So we can breathe easier, knowing the tournament has expanded in a small and positive way for now.


NCAA got it right with tourney expansion [Yahoo]

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Walter Peck Previews The NHL Western Conference Finals

The ASD did not adopt a hockey team this year as it did last year with the Buffalo Sabres. It has not stopped us from taking in the playoff action. Watching the final game ever in Mellon Arena was exciting. However, my best memory of is not for anything the Pens accomplished, it is the splendor of Jean-Claude Van Damme. The 1995 movie Sudden Death was filmed around a game 7 Stanley Cup game between Pittsburgh and Chicago, only terrorists have take the vice president hostage! As you can see from this trailer, JCVD must use his expert wit and high kicks to undue the plan of an evil mastermind played by the incomparable Powers Booth. Like the trailer says, "Terror goes into overtime!" My what a awesomely bad action movie; Van Damme at the height of his mid-90s powers. So that is what I thought of as the last seconds ticked away in Mellon the other night and the Penguins were eliminated.

The ECF have yet to be determined but another exciting game 7 tonight between Philly and Boston will decide who plays Montreal. Over in the west, game 1 of the conference finals start Sunday with Chicago facing off against San Jose. Since we are slightly inept at practical hockey analysis (but only slightly) we turn once again to our resident EPA administrator, Walter Peck. Ensuring maximum cultural insensitivity and proper air quality freshness, his preview of the WCF is after the jump.

The NHL Western Conference Championship with less F-Bombs and more shoot from the hip analysis.


The Western Conference Finals are a tale of two polar opposite teams. One has been a constant leader in the Western conference only to choke in the playoffs (much like a midget chokes on a normal person’s junk). The other franchise has been God awful since the late nineties similar to the Simpsons. Below is a half ass recap of the two organizations and how I see the WCF playing out.

The Blackhawks have been irrelevant in the Hockey world for the last 10+ years. From 1997 to the 2007/08 season the Blackhawks made the playoffs once and were bounced from the 1st round in 5 games by the Blues. They routinely traded their talent or let their free agents leave thanks to their penny pinching president Wirtz. Wirtz was so despised by the fans that when he died the Blackhawk fans booed during a moment of silence for Wirtz at the arena. It was a classless move even the Philly fans tip their hat too.

Since then the Blackhawks have been rebuilding through smart drafting and development of their talent. The primary players in their young core are Kane, Toews, and Seabrook. Kane and Toews performed really well in the 08/09 season and carried the team to the conference finals until they were knocked out by the Red Wings. The Blackhawks added some good veteran players to round out the roster including defensive forward John Madden (greatest hockey name ever?), Marian Hossa, and blue liner Campell. This unit is young, dangerous, and have looked great this post season. While I admit there were a couple of hiccup games this team is poised to get to the finals.

The other side of the coin has the Sharks. Gay ass uniforms aside this team has been an absolute monster for years… until the playoffs came. Then they folded faster than a Chinese woman at a laundromat. While the Blackhawks have used drafting to build a roster, the Sharks have acquired free agent talent namely, Thornton, Heatley, Blake, and Boyle. While that formula hadn’t produced much in the past the addition of youngster Setoguchi and the phenomenal play of Pavelski helped the Sharks get over the proverbial hump. It also helps that Thornton and Marleau have possibly shaken off their usual dreadful playoff performances. And when I say dreadful I mean more dreadful than a Lybian airline pilot (too soon?).

As for the series itself I see it going the full seven if the Sharks of this year show up and not the duds of years past. As for deciding a winner my personal bias comes in. I don’t care for Chicago, its denizens, and its teams. If Michael Jordan was on fire I wouldn’t cross the street to piss on him. Speaking of getting pissed on thank God Kim Kardashian has nothing to do with the NHL. Not enough brothers I suppose. Random tangent aside I pick the Sharks in seven. The Blackhawks are on the cusp but their youth will bite them in the end (see their two losses to the Canucks).

Of course my prediction could be wrong. But then again looking back at Cleet’s picks during the NCAAs I can’t possibly do worse.



The EPA

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Happy May Day (Belated)

May Day was on Saturday, but I was attending an Uno de Mayo celebration. In honor recognition of a belated May Day celebration, the one and only Grace Jones who played the Bond female villian May Day. She was also Catfish's favorite character to play in Goldeneye on N64(just kidding it was Valentin). A View to a Kill was on TV as I was nursing my hangover yesterday. I hit the trusty info button on my remote control and saw the movie got 2 and half stars. Just more proof that the star system is way out of whack. I am a fan of the Bond films(working on a top ten Bond films), but not a completely obsessed one. I've seen just about all the movies at least once. This one I had not seen since I was pretty young.

View to a Kill was bad on many levels. First, Christopher Walken played the villain but he did not play it with the lunacy that made him so memorable in later roles. Tanya Roberts as a geologist was about as believable as Denise Richards as a nuclear scientist. The biggest problem though was that Roger Moore was too old by this time, and he knew it. Old Roger Moore in love scene with Grace Jones? Do not want but hey, Duran Duran knocked out that theme song.
Anyway as our faux May Day celebration, let's look forward to what is happening in the sports world in May.

Playoffs? Playoffs! The NBA and NHL playoffs last all month long! Lucky for you the champion in both sports won't be crowned until June. It's the journey not the destination right? Jazz fans agree.

We'll be roughly halfway to the halfway point of the MLB season by May's end. It should give time for Mets fans to come back down to Earth(process started last night) and teams like the Yankees to get their rightful place in first.

World Cup....doesn't start until June. You can use May to hear about all the problems forthcoming for it.

UFC 113 will be this weekend. True MMA fans will be looking forward to Machida/Shogun 2, while others can spark up the Kimbo Slice discussion.

Hey, so May is not the pinnacle of the sports landscape but offseason football talk will always be there to entertain us, bring our hopes us, or cause us to lose faith in humanity.

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Deer Becomes The Hunter

Michael Vronsky may want to avoid the greater Milwaukee area at the present time. This video is a great attempt by the Bucks PR department at instilling the virtues of their "Fear the Dear" campaign (I think Feer the Deer would be better, remember mispelling adds edge!). The wide array of carnage and humiliation brought upon Hawk fans is impressive; cake to face, turned over porta-jon, tackle at water cooler and even punch into the river. The Bucks have been a surprise team all year long, but when their center Andrew Bogut suffered a horrific injury to his arm many thought the series with the Hawks would be over quickly. The Bucks even dropped the first two in Atlanta, but have battled back to make it a series. While Scott Brooks has done a great job in OKC, Scott Skiles is squeezing all the juice out of this team. Brandon Jennings, Carlos Delfino, and John Salmons stepped up their games the last two contests and amazingly the Bucks got to the line more at home than in Atlanta. Game 5 is tonight from Atlanta and while neither of these teams are expected to get past the Magic, they could give them a damn good fight.

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Charlotte Struggles In Playoff Debut

The blinding of Stephen Jackson by his own headband is a fitting representation for the Bobcats playoff series against the Magic. While no one expected the 7 seed to do much damage to the defending Eastern Conference champs, Larry Brown and crew have to be dissapointed. Orlando looks like the more experienced, polished team. Even with Dwight Howard getting in foul trouble, the supporting cast has been great at shooting the ball. The officiating has been awful, on both sides. No surprise that Stack Jack is pleading his case to the one and only Bennett Salvatore.

The Magic are 23-57 from the 3-point line in the first two games. It is proving to be the great equalizer. The Magic move the ball very well, and by contrast Charlotte's offense has been sloppy. Almost 40 turnovers so far. Charlotte has the chance to save some franchise face over the next two games at home, but it is clear they have long strides to make before they are in the Magic's class.

photo via TBL

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Bobcats Ready For Their Close-Up

When Orlando begins its playoff push against Charlotte, many people will be getting their first look at the Bobcats. There is the chance that they encountered the Bobs while watching their favorite team on their local network, but for the most part the team is unknown. Even many so-called experts and analysts cannot truly break down this team, because they don't watch them that often or at all. The biggest mention Charlotte got this year is when MJ bought the team, the on the court business remains a mystery. Could the average NBA fan tell you anything about all-star Gerald Wallace? Doubtful. The one nugget they might recall is his disapointing performance in the slam dunk competition.

I have no illusions, the Bobcats are a small market team with a short and not so illustrious history, but that does not excuse the league's failure to get the populous more familiar with them. Television is not the only medium in which the Bobcats were put in the corner, but it is a compelling example.


First, let's take a look at the NBA on TNT. Home to arguably the best studio show in sports, TNT knows how to bring the NBA to the masses. According to their list of games this season, here are how the numbers break down.

53 total games

Cavs - 9 games
Lakers - 9 games
Celtics - 9 games
Nuggets - 9 games
Bulls - 9 games
Magic - 9 games
Heat - 8 games
Suns - 7 games
Spurs - 6 games
Blazers - 5 games
Mavs - 4 games
Jazz - 4 games
Hornets - 3 games
Clippers - 2 games
Warriors - 2 games
76ers - 1 game
Hawks - 1 game
Wizards - 1 game
Grizzlies - 1 game

Next, we have the ABC/ESPN schedule.

90 total games

Lakers - 16
Celtics - 16
Cavs - 15
Magic - 14
Nuggets - 13
Spurs - 13
Suns - 11
Blazers - 10
Mavs - 9
Hawks - 9
Jazz - 8
Heat - 7
Hornets - 6
Bulls - 5
Thunder- 4
Warriors - 4
Clippers - 4
Bucks - 3
Knicks - 3
Pistons - 2
Rockets - 1
Grizzlies - 1
Kings - 1


The big market, high profile teams get about 17% of the airtime. No argument there, they are the moneymakers. With LBJ, Kobe, Melo, Dwight, and the big 3 you have a chance to bring in the viewers. After that the wealth is spread pretty evenly amongst the mid-market, playoff contending teams and the teams that don't win but are exciting to watch (looking at you Golden State). The Bobcats were projected by some to make the playoffs, but yet they were not even put on the big show when they played one of the big market teams. This is odd considering that playing one of the big teams is usually the only chance for the little guys to get on the national scene. Furthermore, the Bobs always play the Lakers and Celtics tough. In fact, they play a lot of the big boys tough. This year against the Celtics, Lakers, Cavs, Magic, and Nuggets they are 6-9. It is why many are suggesting that while the Magic should win the series against Charlotte, it will not be a cakewalk. They also have a semi-rivalry with Atlanta, which while more prevalant in football, has the same I-85 implications in the NBA.

If the Kings, Pistons, Rockets, and Wizards got at least one bone thrown to them this year, why were the Bobcats denied? The only other teams that did not get a national broadcast game were the Raptors, Pacers, Nets, and T-Wolves. None of those teams are playoff bound.

It seems like a bit of sour grapes for a team that came into this year with the goal of ridding itself of its bad reputation, but if the NBA wants to expand its product around the world, why not make sure all its teams are visible to its national audience?

The Bobcats will play in Orlando 5:30 this Sunday on TNT. It will be the first time in over a year they will have a national broadcast. They earned this and the best way for them to get onto the TV in the future will be to make a great showing in this series. If they do, I don't think basketball fans will complain about seeing Larry Brown's boys once or twice a year and at the expense of the Clippers or Pistons.

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Bobcats Take The Next Step

In a delightful twist of fate, the Charlotte Bobcats clinched the franchise's first playoff berth last night against the New Orleans Hornets. It was very fitting considering the next step taken by the Bobcats came with a victory over the team that had abandoned the Queen City 8 years ago. The Bobcats have struggled for their six years to gain acceptance in the Charlotte community; some of it has been their fault, but some of it was from the scar the Hornets left on the city. It was a bitter parting and both sides regret what transpired. The central antagonist in the drama, George Shinn even admitted he is disapointed with how he handled it. Nevertheless the parting led to a struggle for the fledgling Bobcats to gain a following. New ownership and leadership this season has paid dividends on the court and with the fans. The seats in Time Warner Cable Arena are no longer sparsely filled and the team on the court plays exciting, Larry Brown basketball.

In the Bobcats 104-103 win last night the two direct ties to the respective directions of the franchises had contrasting games. Emeka Okafor, who is as good a guy as you will ever see in pro sports, finished with 7 points on 3-4 shooting and 9 rebounds in 23 minutes. Tyson Chandler collected 16 and 10 in 33 minutes of work on 7-9 shooting. The two were traded for each other in the offseason. Chris Paul, the player taken before the Bobcats could get him in the draft, another local North Carolina product that left for New Orleans and attained glory, could only watch from the sidelines in a suit.

It seems hokey to attempt to point to this game as a cathartic moment in sports, but given the history of these teams, the city of Charlotte, and what the win last night gave the Bobcats I think it makes sense. You really cannot move forward until you reconcile your past. It was poetic justice, something that is not always doled out in sports. The Hornets and Charlotte had a love affair, and when it turns into a messy parting of ways it takes a lot to get over it. Most of all it takes time. Like the old adage goes; you wake up in the morning and it hurts a little less each day. Now that the Bobcats are functioning in a positive manner, the city can embrace them. Charlotte has found someone new and after being just a rebound relationship for the city, it has found a lasting partner. The Hornets will never be forgotten, and we look back time to time at old memories which gave us great joy.



/wipes tear away from eyes

The Bobcats likely first round opponent will be the Orlando Magic, the team that reached the finals last year. It is unlikely the Bobcats will win, but the team is on the path to something special. Larry Brown has brought teams to the next level time and time again it appears he will do the same for the Cats. Wherever they go from here, I think the win and who it was against last night signifies the legitimacy of the league approving a second franchise for Charlotte seven years ago.

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Tournament Time: Midwest Region

The weather has gone from figid and icy to cool and moist here in the northeast. It is a small change from the cool and windy to mild and saucy weather of my former home in North Carolina. Speaking of North Carolina, no Tar Heel this year. You may ask what is Catfish to do? Don't worry has his rooting interest; seeing Duke go down. No Arizona either, or UConn, or UCLA. The last few years have provided a lot of chalk when it comes to the brackets so naturally most predictors are calling for things mostly to hold to form. I prefer to think that the element of chaos will devastate many brackets this year. Many believe a few teams have seperated themselves at the top, but I saw nothing over the past weekend to convince me that the regions will hold true to seeding.

You can see my picks from last year (where I did not do so well) here, here, here, here and here. The first region of picks after the break.

1st Round

1 Kansas over 16 Lehigh: I always wonder what the actual, behind closed doors mentality of these 16 seeds are. We know they are riding high from their conference tournament win but they are facing one of the top four teams in the country. Yet Lehigh is not just facing a top team, they are facing the highest ranked team in the tournament. How high is the Hoosier underdog reinforcement pumped? Do they just prepare like any other game? Do they revel in just "being there" when they get flown to OKC and interviewed by the media? I know Western Carolina and East Tennessee St. have had those anything is possible moments but Lehigh has as close to no chance of winning as you can get. In the media they will be throwing out cliches but I wonder what is really going through the minds of the players and coming out the mouth of coach Brett Reid.

9 Northern Iowa over 8 UNLV: Is it not amazing that the Runnin' Rebs are not held in the same esteem as other 90s powerhouse programs? You may point out the sancitons and the Tark but it's not like Kentucky and Syracuse never had sanctions. Despite a strong performance in the MWC tourney, I think the Lon Kruger (no one talks about him except when he brings UNLV to the tournament again) led Rebels get bounced early. Northern Iowa was in last year and while UNLV plays tough defense, so do the Panthers. Northern Iowa has beated people soundly and have only faltered 4 times this year.

5 Michigan State over 12 New Mexico State: It's funny to me that everyone points out how you cannot count out Tom Izzo come tourney time, yet people want to dismiss the Spartans. Others are saying they would like to completely dismiss MSU but the Izzo factor is the only thing that helps them. The Spartans are just one of the riddles to be solved this week, but I don't think they fall to the Aggies here. Too much pride.

4 Maryland over 13 Houston: Look how many points they score! They have the nation's leading scorer! Plain and simple fact is Houston does not play defense and Maryland has superior players headlined by Vasquez. The one thing that made me twitch about this pick was the fact that Memphis rolled Maryland last year in a somewhat similar match-up of styles. But like I said Houston can only win if they put the game genie on and hit over 60% of their shots and Maryland lays an ostrich egg.

6 Tennessee over 11 San Diego State: A lot of people are picking San Diego State here. But before I endorse a Steve Fisher-led run for the Aztecs, I have to say Tennessee has been playing better without Tyler Smith. They are no juggernauts and it has been my rule not to trust Bruce Pearl and Tennessee in the tournament, but I think they escape with this one.

3 Georgetown over 14 Ohio: Georgetown went from early contender to midseason pretender to late season contender. I really liked the fire Greg Monroe was playing with in the Big East tourney, they were just too worn down to keep up with W. Virginia. Four straight games at MSG with Big East competition gives you little shot to take it home, but the Hoyas should be happy with how they came away with it. The Bobcats shocked Akron to take home the MAC title, but will Gary Trent, the Shaq of the MAC be in attendance?

10 Georgia Tech over 7 Oklahoma State: The Jackets remind me very much of the Michael Beasley led Kansas State team from a few years ago. Derrick Favors is a beast down low, but Georgia Tech does not feed him the ball enough and often turn the ball over before they ever get a chance to. The Cowboys were terrible away from Stillwater this year outside the game where K-State had a let down.

2 Ohio State over 15 UC Santa Barbara: I'm sure alum Jim Rome would tout the Gouchos as phe-nomiNAL but Ohio State will end this one early.

2nd Round

1 Kansas over 9 Northern Iowa: The dream run ends early for the Panthers. I am guessing Kurt Warner will make an appearance at some point though.

5 Michigan State over 4 Maryland: This is where I think Izzo rises up and gets the very best out of his team. Despite Roe being hobbled I think Izzo inspires Lucas to outduel Vasquez. Maryland has shown a very streaky characteristc throughout the year which is understandable with General Greivis running the show. The hard part about predicting how a hot and cold team will do is that you cannot predict in what games, against what team, and in what part of the game they hit a streak.

3 Georgetown over 6 Tennessee: I think this would be a hotly contested game, especially with the Chism-Monroe match-up. Ultimately I think Georgetown scores at will and rolls into the Sweet 16.

2 Ohio State over 10 Georgia Tech: Another place where some people are looking for an upset. I don't see it. Tech has enough talent to be sure, but their inconsistent and sloppy play is the reason they are a 10 seed in the first place. Turner will run circles around them and Lighty is the difference because he is a point guard who can handle.

Sweet 16

1 Kansas over 5 Michigan State: In a rematch of a solid Sweet 16 meeting last year, Kansas runs through Michigan State. The Spartans are a shell of what they were last year while Kansas is a version of themselves last year on steroids.

3 Georgetown over 2 Ohio State: The small rotation Ohio State is running could end up hurting them in a game like this. There is always a danger if you run with a 6-7 man rotation even if it has brought you success. The obvious problem is foul trouble and if a couple of your guys are struggling big time, you cannot find multiple players to replace them. In-game fatigue is not a huge factor because of the lengthing of time outs during the tourney, but the wear over time of a 40+ game season (the Big Ten tourney could have used up some legs) could have some of the players break down. I like the Hoyas.

Elite 8

1 Kansas over 3 Georgetown: To take the drama out now, I don't feel confident putting any team down to beat Kansas. Doesn't mean it won't happen, but they are the most complete team in the tourney. As long as Bill Self keeps them focused on the brass ring, the Hoyas would not be able to keep up with them down the stretch.



*these picks are made for entertainment purposes only, seriously I am not a part of any pools whatsoever.

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Super Bowl XLIV: De-Cleeting

The downside to having a "real job" is not being able to blog during the day. Instead ideas swim through your head and by the time you get home any current story has passed. What can I add that has not been said today about the conference championship games? Also, what can I say about the Super Bowl that will not be said in the upcoming weeks?

NFC Championship

The Vikings' struggles with ball handling was not on Favre, but that last throw was. I give credit to him for hanging in there, even after getting hit in a should-have-been Brady Rule penalty. It does not excuse that last throw, he denied the team a chance to kick the winning FG. The haters will enjoy the fail, and the Favre defenders will try not to cite the pick as where Minnesota lost. I am sure Saints fans feel no remorse for the win. Finally a kicker makes a pivotal playoff kick this year. Sean Payton is going to have to come up with the coaching job of his life in order to beat the Colts.

AFC Championship

The Jets' great start was not a mirage, but Peyton and Tom Moore simply wait until the second half and make the adjustments. The Jets defense could not stop the onslaught and once Shonn Greene went down the end was inevitable. Peyton is going down in the book as one of the greatest because of his on-field precision but also because he is competitive. That jab he took at Rex Ryan postgame about the Colts keeping their mouths shut was totally intentional.

Super Bowl Time

A few thoughts on the last football game of meaning we have until August:

-Greg Williams, it is time to earn your paycheck. The Saints defensive coordinator will need a Steve Spagnolo-like effort in order for New Orleans to win.

-I usually tire of teams in the Super Bowl playing the "no one thinks we can win" line, but with the line sure to swell in the coming weeks, Saints players should hype it up.

-With drama-filled games in recent Super Bowls, there is no reason not to expect this game to be competitive. Obvious old adage alert: The team that turns over the ball more will lose.

-Prepare for the following stories to inundate your brain cells: Peyton/Archie Manning New Orleans connections and who doesn't want to revisit Hurricane Katrina again?

-Prediction time: I picked the Saints before the season to win the Super Bowl, and even though the Colts are the favorite, I am not backing down now. Saints in a classic 31-30. Brees wins MVP and does the Carlton Dance down Bourbon Street.

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This Week In Sports Hate: The Colts

I made my feelings clear that the Colts' move in their week 16 game against the Jets was a lame decision by Bill Polian. I was back in the Queen City this weekend to gather my furniture(is there anything worse than moving in life, seriously?) and it afforded me an evening out with some old friends, which probably compose half of this blog's readership, and my co-blogger Catfish. After the Colts put away the Ravens and I had imbibed a good amount of beer, Catfish and I embarked on a spirited argument about that fateful Colts decision. While he took the "smart move" it's about winning the Super Bowl angle, he also said that opposing view was based on the fact that I am a Patriots fan and the 18-1 season incapacitated me from rational thought.

I can assure you this was not the case. I perhaps could not articulate my reasoning due to the inebriated state I was in. Point of fact, I was actually rooting for the Colts and earlier the Saints to run the table. When the Colts threw up the white flag I was angry at the manner in which they did it and the fact that I had actually been rooting for the Colts. At that moment I wished an early playoff death on Indy, which did not come to pass. They are the heavy favorites to beat the Jets on Sunday, the very team they laid down for so a Super Bowl appearance is likely. In my opinion though, even if they hoist the Lombardi trophy the way in which they refused to go for history will always be the sub-headline from this season. Then, I saw this:



via KSK(who has some great Colts hate recently)

The best thing about this hand gesture is the subtleties it employs to try to differentiate it from the famed symbol of my alma mater. "You see, our symbol is different because you overlap the thumb knuckles and slightly tilt the sides in." Which is dumb because horseshoes are rounded on the outside. Those minor changes to the "Shoe" remind me of when Vanilla Ice said that the bass line to 'Ice Ice Baby' was different from Queen's 'Under Pressure'. Like when Rome had to put Florida in its place for claiming U-hood, the Colts need just sit back and enjoy their on field success or at least try to be creative. Speaking of creativity:



What an apropos slogan for the times we live in. Enjoy your playoff run Indy, but you will always think of what might have been had you decided to go for greatness and not be simply another edition of a could-be NFL champion. Winning the trophy does not justify doing the duck-and-cover when history challenged your team's will.

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NFL Wildcard De-Cleeting: Line Play Wins In January

The old crumudgens can lean back and crack a smile after the manner in which the Wildcard Weekend played out. Despite the NFL changing the rules to help receivers and quarterbacks again and again and offenses putting up tremendous passing numbers, the play ni the trenches still wins in the NFL. The stats do not lie in this case, the league is more offensive-minded and pass-oriented. You might even think we are one step away from playing football how they play it in Starship Troopers. Before we start imagining a silver football, Denise Richards in the crowd, or the dude who stole Kelly from Zack being a part of football, the weekend was a reminder that if you can pressure the quarterback with your front four, run the ball and control possesion, and capitalize on the turnovers pressure causes you can win.


Time For A Bungles Pun

Rex Ryan may have the candor of a singing wall bass, but the man has successfully transplanted the Ravens philosophy to the Jets. Showing that the previous Sunday Night game was not entirely a fluke, the Jets offensive line pounded the Bengals until there was little left. Offensively the Bengals were equally inept; Palmer is a shade of what he was, there was miscommunication on routes, and the players looked far from prepared. The Bengals had been waiting for 4 years to return to the playoffs and their coach burned both challenges in the first half. They were not prepared from the top down and if I were Cincinnati I would consider blowing this team up and starting over. But back to the Jets, with that type of running game and blitz-happy defense, Ryan was not crazy in beleiving his team had a chance. He was crazy to state they should be the favorite all the way to Miami. The Jets style leaves little room for error. Mark Sanchez did play well, helping to dispell the cold weather theory(it was his own 2002 Bucs NFC Championship game) but with a Ron Rivera defense lining up this weekend they will have to come up with something better than roll out passes to the tight end to keep the defense honest for the running game.

Star Spits Back

Was there anyone else that felt like their innards were squirming when they saw this?:


Their hand clasp was not even close to the most epic one of all-time, but I digress. Even more uncomfortable than W and Emmitt. All appears to be well for Jer-uh and the Boys after throttling the Eagles two weeks in a row. Many streaks were broken in this game: Tony Romo's winless playoff, the Cowboys 14 year playoff streak, Reid's first round undefeated record. With the offense finally soaring this time of year, Wade has been allowed to focus on defense and rag on him all you want for his head coaching prowess, the man knows defense. DeMarcus Ware gets all the pub, but Jay Ratliff and Anthony Spencer have prevented teams from throwing most of their O-line at Ware to save their QBs time. Unfortunate for the Eagles that their center went down, but that is football. The Eagles secondary was scrambling all over the place because the push on Romo was not where it usually is for an Eagles defense. The Vikings' gameplanning should be interestnig considering their O-line has been such an issue and they have this beastly D-line coming in.

Haters are Happy

I have already said my piece on the end of the Patriots as we currently know them. Catfish threw me a text after I lamented to him about the domination the Ravens laid down, it said I knew this was coming. That is true, I knew the Patriots fall was coming in the post-season with or without Welker but I did not know the fall would be off a speeding train into a canyon instead of a slight fall off the roof of a one-story house. Aside from the horrid line play, the offense is still way to predictable and Belichick needs a solid playcaller in the fold. Weis was snapped up by Kansas City which I thought would have been a great re-addition. There has to be an innovative playcaller than is willing to work with Brady and Welker next year. There has to be a better running game and as for Randy Moss, I think he has outlived his usefullness in New England.

The Ravens may not have the defense they did 9 years ago, but their assault on Tom Brady forced him into turnovers and completely sqaushed the Pats offensive attack. The Pats defense had no answer for the runnning game. Vince Wilfork is an outstanding defensive lineman, but when those around him cannot make plays he gets double and sometimes triple-teamed. The Ravens are going to be primed to face the Colts who are in that oh so familiar postion of not playing live football for 3 weeks. The Ravens are going to try to squeeze the clock as much as they can but if Peyton is on his game he only needs about 15 minutes (see: Dolphins game). The Ravens have a long history with the Colts, even in the playoffs and aside from one blowout last year the games are usually close. The Ravens will have to finish if they want to win, playing ball control and forcing FGs is nice, but they need TDs. I would be very nervous if I were a Colts fan this week.

Not As Tuck



Perhaps I was still reeling from the Pats game or maybe Joe Buck's dulcet tones put my mind in a haze, but after seeing the play to end the insane 51-45 overtime win by the Cardinals I was mumbling "tuck rule" to myself. After shaking my head and watching again I see the ball never hit the turf, which renders the tuck rule irrelevant. Fitting that in a game were defense took a back seat, defensive line pressure made the winning play. Neither team's defensive line will get a gold star but Arizona did sack Aaron Rodgers 5 times including the final pressure play by Michael Adams. I expect to see more of the same next week in New Orleans, which will have purists shouting about how putrid the defenses are and will leave fans loving the back and forth action. It is not unthinkable that the 96 total points and 1024 yards of offense will not be topped when the Cards play the Saints.

Quick Word About Pete Carroll

Word is the deal is finalized for Pete to take his SoCal attitude to the Pacific northwest. This may be a bolt due to the NCAA hammer coming down on USC finally but it also is the chance Pete wanted to succeed in the NFL, on his own terms. His stints in New York and New England were, in his mind, not a fair shake because he did not have complete autonomy. He has it now, there is nowhere to lay blame if the Seahawks continue to struggle. He has always been respected as a bright defensive mind, in college and the NFL, but his success at USC does not easily translate to the NFL. It will be a whole new skill set he will have to pull from in dealing with multi-millionare mindsets as opposed to being the unquestioned king in L.A. The dude-brah attitude may resonate with the coffeehouse patrons of Seattle, but unless Carroll has revolutionary epiphany when it comes to directing a professional team he will be chased back to college like some of his recent predecessors have.

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So How Does This Help You Win A Super Bowl?

The Colts lost to the New York Jets 24-15 yesterday to snap a slew of Colts winning streaks and ending any chance of a perfect season. This would not be a big issue or as big an issue if it had not been for the manner in which it occured. Much like the Belichik 4th and 2 decision, the decision to pull the Colts starters midway through the 3rd quarter will elicit a wide variety of responses from the media nd from fans. In my eyes, I saw a team quit in the middle of a well-contested game which they were controlling on the defensive side. Aside from allowing a franchise record kick-off return to Brad Smith, the Colts had the Jets offense completely in check. Sanchez was sacked twice on plays where Dwight Freeney was not even blocked. The return brought the Jets to a 10-9 lead, but in came the offensive starters, led by probable MVP winner Peyton Manning. The Colts marched 81-yards and scored the go-ahead TD. They inexplicably tried to run in the 2-point conversion from a bunch set and led 15-10. That is when the Colts made their move, or threw in the towel depending how you look at it.

The whole complection of the game turned on its head. Curtis Painter, who had never taken an NFL snap was now trotting out to play against one of the leagues top defenses statistically who were fighting for their playoff life. The result was a sack and forced fumble for a touchdown. After that, the Colts defense packed in it and the Jets offense poured it on. The hometown fans rained boos on their AFC number 1 seed team. They had every right to.

The most cringeworthy moment of this whole fiasco came right after the Jets scored their defensive TD to take a 16-15 lead. As fans booed the Colts and Curtis Painter walked listlessly to receive a quick lesson from Colts OC Tom Moore, head coach Jim Caldwell challenged the fumble on the play. The replay left no doubt that it was a fumble. Caldwell was throwing a timeout away. I am not sure if this was a "hey I still care" attempt or if he was just having a brainlock but it made him look, for the first time all year, like a coach who inherited a good system with good players.

The Colts stated from the moment a 16-0 regular season came into the discussion that they were going to rest starters. Perfection was not a concern, winning the Super Bowl was. This was not simply resting the starters however, this was stopping midstream in a competitive ballgame. A switch was turned off on the team and it will be expected to be turned back on 3 weeks from now when they face a primed playoff team, whoever it may be.

It was obvious on the sidelines that the players were upset. Peyton had that look on his face, a look I have seen a few times before. It was the look he had when he had been ousted from the playoffs. Peyton wanted this game, and he wanted next week's game. He is a winner, and he wants to win. He is competitive and wants the ball with the game no the line. He more than any other player on the team needs to be healthy for the playoffs. He was sacked 0 times yesterday, and has been sacked 22 times in the last two years. The Jets saw their blitzes were not effective and were not getting close to Peyton, the ball was already gone when they got there.

Dallas Clark was hanging his head well before the final second ticked off the clock. The players prepared to play, played hard through the first 35 minutes, and then were told to sit there and watch while their team had it's first loss handed to them. Now they face the joyous prospect of answering questions about this game for 3 weeks while they safely practice inside their bubble, safe from harm.

This was the quote from team president Bill Polian:

"Football logic has to come into play, and that logic is it makes no sense to have guys out there with the potential for injuries. We played for 16 weeks, sharp as any team in football. The good thing is that none of this mattered in the standings."

I do not know if this strategy can be called logic. First off, they players were in there for over half the game, what about there potential for injury then? Why not sit them the whole game? Have Peyton take the first snap to preserve the streak and then plop them down on the sidelines.

Is there not a philosophy in football that says you cannot play afraid of getting hurt? Because you will play tentative, and that leads to a higher chance you do get hurt? Unless you are Bob Sanders, then you just get hurt no matter what. The Colts game into the game unleashing their players full bore, and now they are saying relax and take it easy.

Yes Bill, your team played sharp for 16 weeks, but will that matter in the playoffs? How did your team become so sharp? Because it prepared and played out its scheme out on the field, not resting and practicing situations no the practice field. Going undefeated may not matter but keeping the team sharp does. Particularly when your offense depends so much on rhythm. You did not softly apply the breaks to the offensive machine, you slammed the breaks while doing 80.

Finally I will offer this, the Colts employed this strategy two times before when they were having great regular seasons and secured a first-round bye, 2005 and 2007. In 2005, the Colts started 13-0, then lost to the Chargers and cruised the final two games, resting their starters. Their divisional round game was a 21-18 loss to Pittsburgh, which was only close because Jerome Bettis fumbled going into the endzone in the 4th. In 2007, the Colts again went 13-3 and rested going into the playoffs. The Chargers came into Indy in the divisional round banged up but having played its way into the playoffs and through the Wildcard round. San Diego won going away 28-24.

The one time the Colts did win the Super Bowl, 2006, was a season in which they started slow, but battled to a 12-4 record and won their wildcard game at home, won at a strong Baltimore team and then beat their arch-rival Patriots at home to get to the Super Bowl. This theory does not stretch across the NFL but it seems to apply to the system that the Colts run. During their success this decade the only thing seemingly stopping them from getting to the Super Bowl is "resting" their starters or having to play in Foxboro against the Pats in their prime.

Colts fans scoff at the comparisons they get as being the Atlanta Braves on the NFL, but with only one title during their historic run this decade the counter-arguments are wearing thin. The Colts strategy may pay off, but the manner in which it was executed and recent history for this team suggest otherwise. The next three weeks will be filled with questions for the players and the coaching staff about why they shut it down when they had their 15th opponent beat and were facing a horrible team with an interim coach as their 16th. Then they will face a team that has been playing weeks straight and coming off a hard-fought playoff game the previous week. The Colts have things they way the coaches and front-office want it, but I doubt it will help them win a Super Bowl.

The Indianapolis Colts Are Smarter Than You [TBL]
Tedy Bruschi's Take [ESPN]

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Weekend Recap

Hi I'm Cleet and I'm a New York Mets fan. Yes I am aware that the above picture is how it is always going to be. I'd still rather live with this kind of crap than cheer for the Yankees.

Speaking of the Subway Series, no name Yankee reliever who is still on the DL called out K-Rod for celebrating too much after a win. Rodriguez confronted said reliever before the game yesterday because he is acutally a man and is nt afraid to talk face to face. Or maybe he just wanted to show this guy his ring. Video below. [MLB.com]



Speaking of rings, Phil Jackson now has more than Red, Kobe has one without Shaq, and yes Bobcats fans, Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown have one! [Yahoo Sports]

Speaking of semi-anonymous people getting rings, the Pens pulled the game 7 upset on the Wings on Friday. Marian Hossa is taking the heat, but he says "that's life." How profound [NHL.com]

Speaking of tough breaks, Jim Calhoun breaks his ribs but finishes bike race. He then did interviews, passed out and only went to the hospital at the behest of Ray Allen. [Hartford Courant]

Speaking of college basketball news, today is the deadline for players to withdraw from the NBA draft. Players like Luke Harangody have to make a difficult choice. [Sporting News]

Speaking of college athletes not everyone pays attention to, the IRA regatta to decide the men's rowing national champions took place last weekend (sorry forgot to post) with Washington taking the men's eight title. With that and the news about Nick Montana, the Husky faithful must be pretty content right now. [Row2k]

On a last note, I saw The Hangover this weekend. While I do think it was funny, I thought it went begging in several areas and would not put it in the upper echelon of epic raunchy comedies. I think it belongs in the second tier with movies like Road Trip, Euro Trip, and PCU but falls short of Animal House, Revenge of the Nerds, or Wedding Crashers territory.

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Another Friday, Another Set of Random Thoughts

Yesterday as I was washing dishes I took a gander outside my kitchen window and bam! A bolt of lightning exploded in my backyard. I was temporarily blinded and startled near the point of confusion by the boom as well. After the incident I have decided that flash grenades really are effective methods of combat, not just in FPSs. Unfortunately the strike messed up some of the electronics in the house, so this weekend I will attempt to become an electrician and fix them. After the break I wax unpoetically on events of the past week; mainly the Finals game from last night, Raul Ibanez, Mark Sanchez, and whatever floats into my brain while I punch the keys.

Magic better start with the Man in the Mirror

There comes a point where you cannot blame a loss on inexperience, it is not because you "haven't been there before", it is because you made systematic mistakes that just more than likely cost you a ring. First off, Stan Van Gundy knows more about basketball than I ever will, so questioning his moves is a bit like some local villager walking into the Sistine Chapel and telling Michelangelo, "Dude, I would go less with the cherubs and more with the pointing bearded guys." However, this is what is great about this medium we now use and peruse, opinion can be delivered from any source, no matter how smart or foolish and it can choose to be looked at and discussed or completely ignored. Mine will fall into the latter, but this is not being written from my mother's basement (we have crawl spaces here in North Carolina) and I am actually educated (Master's degree in Sport Studies) so take that grumpy old men in a dying medium. I told you I was going stream of consciousness on this folks.

Trying to get back to the issue, Van Gundo clearly differs with me in theory when it comes to Jameer Nelson. I love Jameer, love him. Rooted real hard for him and Delonte at St. Joe's but the guy has been out since before the All-Star break. No real, live game action for months and all of a sudden on the biggest stage with the most at stake he is inserted into the lineup. Not only is he getting some minutes, he played 26 last night. After game 1 the Gundo admitted he played Jameer too much. Now Nelson has not been atrocious but in my mind you do not suddenly jumble up a line-up that has brought you to the Finals and ousted the league's best team by record in the previous round. If anything, I would only play Nelson for a couple minutes at a time and if any garbage time comes along. He is a part of the team and you give him some minutes but he should not be in there getting the game-tying 3-pointer made on him.

Speaking of the 3-pointer, for the longest time I was not a proponent of fouling when you are up 3 to prevent the tie, but I have started to come around. Until basketball finds a way to deal with intentional fouls to trade free-throws for possesions, this strategy will remain integral to endgame stratagem. The Magic did right by getting the ball out of Kobe's hands but as we saw with Memphis a year ago, you cannot let the shot off. Funny how in that game as in last night's missed free-throws led to the great shot, but more on that in a moment. There is so much time off between series and games within the series nowadays that you should know absolutely everything about your opponent. Orlando should be aware that Fish is capable of stuff like this:



I don't know what my favorite part is: sad Bruce Bowen or sad Kevin Willis. Anyway, Fish getting that shot off sucked all the air out of the Amway and assured his place in Finals history if it had not been secured already.

Now we come to the free-throw line and pardon me if I beat a horse that has been dead for some time. 22-37, I will repeat, 22-37. That is simply inexcusable. I used to be decent for a white guy back in high school, I had my moments but lack of play in recent years has led me to the status of suck when it comes to playing the game of basketball. Yet, if you gave me 37 shots from the line, I bet the whole ranch I would make more than 22 of them. I know people will say, well they were pressure free-throws on the biggest stage. I'm calling bull, because these are professionals that are getting paid seven figures while unemployment in the country is heading for 10% and their job in life at the moment is basketball. With all pressure, bright lights, crowd noise (even though this game was in Orlando) and fatigue of playing the game, those shots should be automatic. Some will bounce out sure, but they are free shots, free points and when you miss them you cost your team the game. I am not here to completely dump on Dwight, the man is a beast but just one of those last two would have put the game to two possessions. Just one, that's 50% of the free-throws, but Dwight shot 42.8% for the game. Doubt I could make those free-throws? Meet me at the nearest court, I don't care if its double rim, the BDL. Perhaps it was fitting that Nick Anderson was on the mic before the game, just saying.

The Raul Dilemma

Congratulations to Raul Ibanez for hitting the game-winning home run for the Phillies to beat my beloved Mets and take the series 2-1 at Citi. You may have heard about the uproar over an article written by blogger Jerod Morris on the site Midwest Sports Fans. This all stemmed from a writer from Philly Inquirer asking Ibanez about steroid allegations and using the blog post as a reference. Another writer for the Inquirer had written an article referencing the post. Ibanez did what anyone should do if they are innocent when posed this question: he denied and said that he could be tested by whatever means available. Bravo Raul, and I tend to believe he is clean, even though he is 37 and has 21 homers already this season. The part of Ibanez's response I did not care for was taking shots at the blogger and using the tried and true "mom's basement" statement. Morris never intended the article be anything more than a search statistically for why Ibanez was flourishing at his age. Most newspaper types are so quick to discredit the blogosphere but yet they use posts such as this one as fuel to write articles and ask players how they feel about them. This was not even a fly-by-seat-of-pants article, Morris went to bnumbers, even if he did not go as far in-depth as he wanted to. His appearance on OTL was merely a chance for the old guard to parade him out there and then bash him unequivicoably. Morris did not deserve the heat he got, but this is the reality of media and their feelings towards blogs, and it is not going to change no matter how much newspapers fade away. There will always be a 'traditional' media whether it is TWWL or other TV or writers online who scoff at the notion that they be known as bloggers. Joe Posnanski describes this whole situation more eloquently than I at SI.com.

Getting back to Raul, again I applaud him for being so vehement against PED allegations but as a 37 year-old athlete who is finding success on the diamond, he should not be shocked by those who question the cleanliness of his offensive output. It is not his fault and again by most people's indications he has not taken any PED during his career but look at what has happened in baseball over the last decade. Bonds, Mcguire, Ramirez, Rodriguez, Clemens, Palmiero, are a few of the players of the highest caliber that either tested positve or are just about as guilty without conviction as you can get. After the Mitchell report and the 2004 test in which A-Rod was pegged it is clear that steroids were (are?) part of baseball for at least the last 15 or so years. It is here where the origins of the accusations of Ibanez lie, not with Jarod Morris. That's why you are getting questioned Raul, not because some guy in the basement wanted to call you out and get on ESPN. It is how the players of the highest caliber fueled some of the great performances we have seen in baseball history. So from now on, players should expect to get questioned and if they look on the bright side, it means they are doing well, because no one thinks Big Papi is on roids this season.

Marky Mark and the Cocky Bunch

Mark Sanchez just inked a huge contract with the Jets with about $28 million in guaranteed money. Personally I hope the Jets are wrong about how enamoured they are with the former Trojan QB, but the New York media and the organization seems to have fallen in sweet sweet love with him. I do not see how his arrival is any different that Matt Leinhart's was a few years ago. Both failed to win the national title in their last year at USC, both were media darlings going into and coming out of the draft, both are linked to attractive women, and both had superior offensive lines and tremendous athletes around them which in my opinion will not prepare them for life in the NFL. Sanchez may be loved now but he has 4 games against the Dolphins and Patriots defense and the entire NFC South. Let's see how he does 8 weeks into the season when they are into their bye week. Let's see if he gets them into the playoffs? Catfish seems sold that they will indeed make the playoffs and foresees Joe Flacco-like numbers once they get there. This is all well and good but if there is something that the QB classes of the past 5 years have shown us, it is foolish to make bold predictions about the young arms until they go out on the field and prove it. Luckily for Sanchez, he is not all they are talking about in Jersey, Rex Ryan and Bart Scott have been jawing it up to the media and within the division. Good stuff and right there, just got that twang of longing for football season to get here.


Well that is all I have for now. Oh yeah, there is a game 7 tonight so that should be fun.

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Weekend Recap

I have decided job searching is only as stressful as you allow it to be. Therefore I welcome my oncoming unemplyoment in a little over 3 weeks, it will give me a chance to do some figurative and literal housecleaning. I hope your weekend out there was enjoyable. I can't decide what the highlight for me was, witnessing cookie-tossing at Waffle House at 2:30am, or the girl being carried out An Officer and A Gentleman style from the bar and the EMTs flowing in soon after.

Tiger Woods won a golf tournament yesterday, consider yourself warned. [Rumors and Rants]

I thought this girl winning the Texas state title in Track and Field was impressive, but Catfish was quick to point out, "It's only class A, isn't that the worst division?" [Deadspin]

I get the feeling the Stanley Cup Finals may be over tomorrow night after the way the Wings looked with Datsyuk back. [Yahoo]

Where was the security at Roland Garros on Sunday? [TBL]

Now I just think the Nationals are doing this stuff on purpose. [DC Sports Bog]

Ian Kinsler gets my vote for best player on a good team no one is talking about. [Dallas Morning News]

Southern Miss defeated Florida to advance to the College World Series. The Noles lost too so a win-win this weekend as far as I'm concerned. [CBSSports]

I have a feeling that the Courtney Lee missed lay-up is going to be the most memorable moment from the finals this year. Now where did I put my broom? [Ball Don't Lie]

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Random Thoughts On A Friday

While things are slow(er) here at ASD, I have decided to ramble a bit on a few subjects from this week in the sporting world. My thoughts would probably be more concise had I no eaten that Cuatro Leches cake at lunch. That's right, not the traditional tres leches, one extra leche for supreme immobilization of all physical functions and complex mental processes. I feel like I have been hit with a tranquilizer dart.

Club Fed

Roger Federer is, as I punch the keys, battling in the 5th set with Juan Del Porto in the semifinals at Roland Garros [Update: He won]. If Roger holds on and makes it to the final he has his chance at the career Slam and will tie Pete Sampras for all-time Slam titles. If eventually surpasses Pete would this make Federer the best ever? Maybe by the numbers, but one thing I would agree with Sampras on, even though he said it sounding like sour grapes, was that the level of competition in men's tennis was miles ahead of where it is today back in the late 70s, 80s, and 90s. While Roger is a master of his craft, up until the recent surge of Nadal, no one has challenged him. Pete and Andre had all they could handle in challengers early and late in their career. Right now as Federer's career is tailing off is when we could be witnessing a rise of stars at the top of tennis. Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal represent tremendous players who could beswtow us with great rivalries for years to come. If Roger wins the French, it will go a long way in the conversation of him versus Sampras, but pound for pound I still think Pete was the better and that is not all Roger's fault because he has not had the competition.

One story that should not be lost in the red clay of Roland Garros is the run of Robin Soderling. Even though he and Nadal had a verbal spat of words in the past, he pulled the unthinkable by beating Rafa on clay and then turned around and beat Andy Murray. If he faces Roger Federer in the finals and wins, he will have beaten the number 1,2, and 3 seeds. That would be akin to Arizona beating Kansas, Carolina, and Kentucky in the 1997 NCAA Tournament. You may notice I left one name out so far in this tennis conversation. While Andy Roddick shed the pounds, talked the game, and was winning handily, he did not even get the opportunity to face his old nemesis Federer. Instead he went out whining to Monfils in the 4th round. We should not be surprised by this performance by Andy, who has never done well at the French Open but is is nevertheless dissapointing. While Roddick wins at life, on the court his time is running out and that U.S. Open may be the only major he ever sees.

Tell Me How My Ring Tastes

Nice gesture by Shaq tweeting that he hopes Kobe wins. Would he be saying this if the Lakers were not likely to run away with this series? Who knows but the whole argument about Kobe's legacy on the line is pretty dumb. I have never liked Kobe, from the moment he pronounced he would not play for the Hornets (no I don't fucking care if you say that the trade with the Lakers was already in the works, he still initiated it with his statement. Would he have had the stones to sit out that year while Charlotte held his draft rights? Answer is no.) to his drama with Shaq, to his sneak attack on the brown in Denver, to his overall persona the guy is not someone I admire personally. But there is no doubt the dude can ball and is one of the ten best players ever in the NBA. The fade away shot he hit from almost three-point range last night made me just shake my head.

The argument over his legacy is pretty much a barroom argument that is being presented for lack of other storylines. In all sports there is a double standard that you must win a championship to vindicate your career yet players like Malone, Marino, Barkely, Bonds are given passes because of their greatness. Bryant has three rings no matter what happens in those series. Despite Shaq being the dominant player, it is doubtful the Lakers succeed time after time without Bryant. I stated earlier this week that to me this championship would be like Peyton Manning's for Kobe. Of course Kobe already had his three but it would be the total monkey off his back title. So while I cannot spurn the argument until Kobe probably puts it to rest in this series, his place in NBA lore is quite secure.

The Price To Pay

I have eluded to the subject of Florida Gators' legal troubles before so this is nothing new in my mind, but worth discussion. People have been talking about the 24 Gator players arrested in the last four years and also discussing how the major outlets (twwl leader mainly) are ignoring it. While the four-letter network has had fire side chats with Tebow and Pope Urban has been mum on the subject, Florida is now officialy a college football dynasty. It is unavoidable for a program to attain this level of talent with its players and success without some of the negative. In this light I am not bashing Florida as some renegade program, it is simply the price of multiple titles. If you are a young college man and everyone in your community is telling you how great you are and media outlets are dubbing you as righteous champions, your head is going to swell. Dave Hide of the Sun-Sentinel has the correct perspective on this in his article on the arrest situation of the big three Sunshine State schools. The Miami Hurricanes are always sensitive to issues like these and that is mainly because as Hyde states, "Once you lose your reputation, it's hard to get back." The U will never get any respectable reputation back and that adds to the edge with which its players carry themselves and a galvinizing force for all who have played for the program. The Gators have had problems with behavior since winning their 2nd title in 3 years but not "Tainted Title" or Luther Campbell problems like FSU and UM. That being said, it is not balanced coverage when one of the ratings giants' mistakes are swept under the rug while Meyer speaks out of how ever many sides of his mouth he has and Tebow is praised for his character. A football team is exactly that, a team and all members are answerable.

That's all I have for this Friday, it would have been more fluent had office interruptions not occured.

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Wednesday Links

When the wind fails, take to the oars. When real life calls, take to the links.

You're a monkey, I'm a monkey, we are all monkeys. Scientists say they found the missing link in the form of a monkey-lemur. [Sky News]

The Citi Field toilets are no place for the ladies. [NY Post via TBL]

Dirk I would ask what you were thinking, but clearly you weren't. [Sportress of Blogitude]

A poll shows that people would rather watch Raw next Monday than the Lakers steal another game from the Nugs. [WWE.com]

Never too early to be looking at SOS in college football, unless you vote for the Harris Poll, then you can used the retarded monkey throwing darts routine that works so well for you. [CollegeGameBalls]

You have to love someone being upbeat about the Clippers and would you even say the Clippers have a "Nation"? Isn't more like a small principality? I mean you are stuck in L.A. sharing the same building as the Lakers. You are the Luxembourg, Lichtenstein, and/or Monaco of the NBA. Blake Griffin is going to have to pull a Anne Sullivan to make an impact on the "listless" Clips. [Clips Nation]

As a Mets' fan, I have written and erased about five versions of this sentence blasting Steve Phillips, but I am just going to call him a douchebag and let Joe do the rest. [Joe Posnanski]

Most people cannot name one person on the Blue Jays after Roy Halladay, but they are leading the vaunted AL East. Can we please start giving Cito some dap?!! [FoxSports]

Finally, some ecards for the average person out there. [Yesbutnobutyes]

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Game 7 Is A Letdown, But Sid Again Has What It Takes

I would liken the Washington Capitals performance to our performance at trivia night last night: Not in it from the start and it became progressively uglier as the night went on. Hours later, after 6 Pittsburgh goals and missed questions on Sojurner Truth and robots in movies, both our hopes of $25 dollars off our tab and the Caps hopes of reaching the Eastern Conference finals were laid to waste. It was not pretty and Crosby answered any questions about who has the edge in the rivalry right now. Sid had 8 goals and 13 points in the series including two last night. I was expecting big things for the game but as your learn in life, you are never guaranteed a good time.

Crosby raises his game -- again [NHL.com]

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