We’re in the thick of another glorious sporting weekend, but before putting the puzzle together, we have to shake all the pieces out of the box.
Before that happens, I have some extremely scattered and out-of-nowhere thoughts on this gloomy (at least in NYC) Halloween day. The freaks will most certainly be coming out tonight, on the one day of year when making a complete ass of yourself is not only expected, but probably a little bit encouraged, and also the only time on the calendar when girls can get away with wearing stuff that would normally provoke nothing but stares and judgment on any of the other 364 days of the year. This, of course, can work both ways (meaning it can be either good OR bad). This is why, thankfully, we have the power to just … look … away. Unfortunately, this is sometimes easier said than done. Whatever happens, keep in mind that one option is to drink so much that you can forget anything bad that happened, and recall only the good. On to the madness! (not all of this will be about sports, as I promised of course when I started this thing to occasionally write about other stuff. Thanks for being patient, non-sports nuts).
• You like classic rock? Of course you do! Question for you – is the greatest number of best rock bands over the history of music from the states or the U.K.? Holster that metal piece all you overzealous American patriots! Sure, a plethora of excellent bands have formed and put out music right here in our own backyard (Van Halen, The Doors, Aerosmith, the short-lived but brilliant early career of Guns ‘n Roses). But England will always be able to lay claim to Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Cream/Clapton, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and Pink Floyd. Obviously, there are about a zillion more examples to cite on both sides, but those are some of the heaviest hitters. To look back on a time when all of these previously-mentioned bands were creating their art and touring the world, and compare it to the music industry now, is to simply become utterly depressed. It’s very hard to say how we got here from there. Entire books and theses probably have been and are being formulated on that very topic. But the debate about which side of the Atlantic is winning (has won?) the ‘best bands’ war is fun, even if pointless and ridiculous on a ‘what does it really matter’ level. My two favorite rock bands are a split for U.S. vs. England – Van Halen and Led Zep. It’s impossible to choose one over the other, so I won’t. But I will say this – The first six albums of VH’s career, in other words the ‘David Lee Roth’ era, are some of the most unbelievable albums ever put out, even 25-30 years later. The raw, no-polish-needed power, the harmonies, Eddie’s guitar work, the vocalizing, DLR’s charisma as a front man – there was nothing Van Halen couldn’t do. And I only wish I was old enough at the time to fully appreciate it (I wasn’t). Thanks to the magic of the internet, it’s much easier nowadays to get a sense for how things were in an era gone by, even if you weren’t there for the first go-round. U.S. or U.K.? Thoughts? Weigh in? Yes, no, maybe so?
• Another Saturday afternoon of college football glory is in full throttle. Nothing too out of the ordinary is going down as of now, except that No. 4 Iowa had to come roaring back from a 24-14 deficit against unranked Indiana to score 28 unanswered fourth-quarter points for the win. Florida is leading Georgia by a fairly comfortable margin, and pretty much everyone else that was supposed to win in the early games did so. No. 5 USC vs. No. 10 Oregon tonight is the big game today, taking place at 8 EST. Suspended Ducks senior running back LeGarrette Blount might be reinstated as of next week, after his season-long suspension in Oregon’s 2009 opener for punching a taunting Boise State player immediately after the Broncos’ home victory. Apparently, rules are arbitrary and can be altered at any time! This is the magic of rules – there are no rules to enforce that rules cannot be changed. Well, at least not as it applies to the NCAA. Hey don’t get it twisted, I think a season-long suspension was kind of ridiculous to begin with. But flip-flopping on rules whenever you feel like it just because a team is having a better-than-expected season is also kind of silly.
• Phillies and Yankees are tied at one game apiece in the World Series. Somebody will be leading 2-1 about 6-7 hours from now. As a Phillies fan, the mere thought of this series makes me want to block my ears, close my eyes and just start yelling nonsense. How tense have these first two games been? For different reasons, this series means a ton for both of these franchises. Enthralling stuff. I’ll be able to talk about it better later. Not now. Please. Not now.
• For anyone wondering why my blog is called ‘playapresident,’ – well, there’s no excellent reason other than the fact that true, dyed-in-the-wool, older east coast hip hop is my calling card (and has been for quite some time). Notorious B.I.G. is just one of many artists whose work will live on in infamy, and as he so aptly appropriated in his remix of ‘One More Chance’ – ‘Lyrically, I’m supposed to represent; Not only a client, I’m the player president.’ Much love. At some point, I’ll delve more deeply into the essence of true hip hop – what it entails, the different sub-cultures within the culture, the birth, progression, and unfortunately ongoing death of it. Lots to say, so little time. In the meantime, what exactly is happening with music today? I’ve never felt so disconnected from it in the same era where we have more access to it now than ever before. Can anyone explain this?
Have a fun Halloween Saturday night, and stay away from Freddy Kruger, Jason, and generally anyone lunging toward you with a deadly weapon, if at all possible.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Pretenders and Contenders
The chasm between the good, the bad and the mediocre during this NFL season continues to get wider than Rex Ryan’s underwear. There’s really quite a bit of separation going on. It feels like a doomed marriage. You know, lots of yelling, tons of miscommunication, mishandled balls (alright, enough already, I get it).
But seriously, when has there been an NFL season in recent memory when we’ve had 3 unbeatens 7-8 weeks into the season, and this many still-winless or not-winless-but-still-deplorably-atrocious teams? There are a few exceptions I guess. The Baltimore Ravens are 3-3, but let’s not fool ourselves into thinking there’s no way they could be in the playoffs 10 weeks from now. Also, we all pretty much have written off Arizona and are assuming that last year’s Super Bowl appearance was a fluke, but now they’re 4-2, atop the NFC West (yeah, not so great, I know), but maybe most importantly, they beat the NY Giants at the Meadowlands in a primetime game on a glorious fall night in which weather conditions were no factor whatsoever (we all know Eli can’t throw in the wind).
Anyway, this is why the NFL is so much fun. It’s just one big crapshoot. In fact, if you go to Vegas, do me this favor if you have a choice between putting down most of your play money on craps or a weekend of NFL action - go with craps. I’d be willing to bet that your chances of success will be infinitely greater, as improbable as that may sound.
Without further ado:
Green Bay 31, Cleveland 3
The Pack is quietly putting together a decent season, sitting at 4-2 and in second place right behind the Vikings in the NFC North. The fact that they dismantled Cleveland this badly is about as surprising as hearing that a Kardashian made a sex tape, or that there are a few people out there who feel somewhat strongly about the current health care debate. Speaking of which, thousands of artery-challenged Cheeseheads will be on their feet and going apeshit for when Brett Favre and the Vikings visit Green Bay on Sunday. Yes, the prodigal son will be returning, much to the chagrin of anybody who ever rooted for him in a Packers uniform at any point in their lives. This game might make my head explode, particularly considering that it will be occurring on the same day as Giants-Eagles and Game 4 of the Phillies-Yankees World Series at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Strap it up, it’s gonna be messy. By the way, does anyone else just know deep down that Favre is going to rip Green Bay’s hearts out in this game, and eventually the Vikings’ hearts out later in the 2009 season? I trust this guy about as much as LSU fans trust Nick Saban.
San Diego 37, Kansas City 7
Wow, not much I can really say about this one. Completely unsurprising. And for once, San Diego mounted a better-than-pathetic defensive effort – although it was, of course, against the uber-awful, 1-and-6 Kansas City Chiefs. By the way, what the hell has happened to LaDainian Tomlinson exactly? I mean, I know the guy is getting a little older, but, only 71 yards against KC’s defense? Ex-squeeze me? Meanwhile, are the Chargers a possible playoff team? Hey, even if they are, it won’t matter because Norv Turner will take them down in a great big ball of flames in the playoffs.
Indianapolis 42, St. Louis 6
Also entirely expected. How exactly did the Colts end up with such a soft schedule by the way? They’ve got 3 home games in a row coming up, starting with the 49ers, who suddenly aren’t looking as good as everyone thought early on, followed by the Houston Texans who are 4-3, but I’m not ready to drink that Kool Aid just yet, and then finally, after that the Colts will actually be tested when Tom Brady and the Patriots roll into town. Is it any wonder that Peyton Manning is playing as if he’s on switched-on ‘Eff You’ Madden computer mode? He’s plowing through a cotton field while other teams are trying to run through a moving wall of spikes. Eh whatever, they’ll still make the playoffs and are probably a strong choice for a deep playoff run.
Pittsburgh 27, Minnesota 17
Exciting game. The champs are the champs for a reason, but no matter who I talk to, nobody really expects the Steelers can win another Super Bowl this year. First loss for the Vikings, and I guess it proves that, if nothing else, it’s a little tougher for them to win on the road without the comfort zone of the weather-conditions-free dome and the ear-splitting roar of Minnesota’s fans. Still though, it never ceases to amaze me when I watch Favre uncork one of his trademark 50 or 60-yard bombs downfield that looks like it’s been launched on a frozen rope. What the hell is going on with this guy anyway? If NFL QBs’ arms were like people, Favre’s throwing gun would be Peter North. What, and you thought this was family hour?
New England 35, Tampa Bay 7
Damn, how many completely predictable games were there this weekend anyway? All the Patriot doubters jumped the gun too early, didn’t they? Back in first place, 5-2 record. Okay, true, they’ve whipped the likes of Tampa Bay and Tennessee the past two weeks, but sometimes that’s all you need to get the momentum train rolling and start playing with some confidence again. They’ve got a bye this week coming up, and then Miami comes to town. And based on what we saw the Dolphins almost do to the Saints, the Pats will need to be ready for that one. If I were a New England fan, I’d be praying for a 20-degree wind chill and consistently slick wet stuff falling down for four quarters.
Houston 24, San Francisco 21
Now here’s a perfect example of teams that aren’t lock-down contenders, but are also not certainly out of playoff contention either. The Niners’ revitalized defense was one of its strengths earlier on this year, but that seems to have changed of late. Meanwhile, the Texans are going to need to get used to this whole ‘having more wins than losses’ thing. The fact that they are in second place in the AFC South is also sort of funny. I do know one thing – if they do, by some miracle, make the playoffs, they’ll truly have been the 2009 sleeper.
Buffalo 20, Carolina 9
How bad is Carolina that the Bills beat them by 11 points? Sure, 2-4 isn’t as bad as, say, 0-6 or 0-7, but what Carolina does is almost worse in a way. They’re spotty in their ineptness, which is to say that on certain days they actually don’t look horrible, but on other days, such as this one, there is no hope for them whatsoever. Other than that, there’s very little of consequence to even say about this game. Two teams headed for a .500 finish at best (probably worse), and certainly not the playoffs. I bet Buffalo fans are thrilled with the TO signing now!
NY Jets 38, Oakland 0
Ah, just what the doctor ordered for the previously struggling NY Jets. Unless you’re the Eagles, in which case you go to Oakland after a bye week and get beaten by 4 points against a team whose quarterback is so bad that there are entire movements out there dedicated to attempting to figure out just how bad he really is on an overall scale of bad. That’s more interesting than anything else about the 2009 Oakland season – trying to place into proper context just how inefficient JaMarcus Russell is at playing quarterback. And the Jets? The AFC East could be a tight race, let’s put it that way. When Rex Ryan and company go to New England later this year though, it probably won’t play out the way it did at the Meadowlands earlier this year for the Jets.
Dallas 37, Atlanta 21
I love it when two dome teams play each other. It’s great to be able to put on a football game and have no idea what time of year it is by watching what’s happening on screen. I cannot figure out the Cowboys. It’s virtually impossible to tell how good they really are. I kind of feel the same way about the Eagles. I do know that neither team has beaten anybody that strong yet though, so the jury is still out on that. Receiver Miles Austin should be inserted into the starting lineup though, especially since I picked him up off the waiver wire in my fantasy football league 3 weeks ago and he’s pretty much been gold ever since. The Falcons aren’t getting much talk, but sleeping on them would be a mistake. They’ll sneak in as that 5 or 6 seed and win a first-round game, I feel like. They could be that team, as long as they don’t have to play in frigid conditions or something.
Cincinnati 45, Chicago 10
I’ve said it about Jay Cutler before, and I’ll say it again – he will murder you, Bears fans. I have no reason or evidence to believe anything to the contrary. He is not a ‘team’ guy, he is a ‘me’ guy. The way he came off with the whole Denver-to-Chicago thing said a lot about him, and what it said was ‘I’m not being coddled enough here, so I’ll go somewhere else for awhile until I’m not coddled enough there either.’ And yet at 3-3, the Bears are only in third place in their division. Meanwhile, the Bengals, much like the Cowboys and Eagles, are quite the enigma. Tied with the Steelers for first place in the AFC North? Sporting a 5-2 record? Wins this year over Green Bay, Pittsburgh and Baltimore? Have they forgotten that they’re the Bengals? Did they sell their soul to evil incarnate while filming Hard Knocks or something? Somebody please explain in great detail. I await thee.
New Orleans 46, Miami 34
Legitimately thrilling game all-around. Usually I prefer hard-hitting defensive struggles to be honest about it, but this game had everything. The Dolphins’ wildcat stuff was actually working, and the Saints looked completely out of whack for the first half in this one. Second half, whole different story. Quite the comeback on the road for Drew Brees and the Saints. The whole ‘lack-of-defense’ thing resurfaced there for awhile, but Miami has been doing this to pretty much everybody they play, win or lose. What the hell, the Saints are a good story, let it ride. Right now, they’re the class of the NFC. They’ve got Atlanta coming to town this weekend for a Monday Night game. This has ‘redemption’ written all over it, even though the Saints won Sunday. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the scoreboard throw out an overworked middle finger to New Orleans’ offense by the time this one’s over.
Arizona 24, NY Giants 17
So yeah, this was probably the biggest upset of the weekend right? I mean, it’s not a shameful loss for the Giants or anything. Anyone who follows the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE knows that the ’Cards have plenty of weapons. But weren’t the Giants just supposed to outmuscle them and beat them to a pulp? Isn’t that what they do? Oh wait, I forgot, Arizona is actually what analysts like to call a ‘physical’ football team. Carolina can tell you that ever since last year’s playoff loss to the ’Cards in Charlotte. I think Jake Delhomme just threw another interception in that game as I type this. Anyway, no team wins every game it’s supposed to, we all know that by now. The Giants will be fine, for all you ‘jump-the-gunners’ out there. They’re still probably going to win the NFC East, and they are still probably going to be playing in the NFC Championship game, most likely against the Saints. I’d put the Vikings possibly in that mix, but please remember that Brett Favre is involved in the equation.
Philadelphia 27, Washington 17
Yeah, this game was exactly like that easy rebound after a tough break-up (the break-up being the Eagles’ unforgiveable 13-9 loss at Oakland the week prior). Mike Tirico summed it up best last night when the ‘Skins mishandled the snap on 4th down near the Eagles’ goal line late during the fourth quarter and botched the play, saying simply, “And that … summarizes the Washington Redskins.” I’d feel bad for them, but they are in the same division as the Eagles, so I cannot do that. Meanwhile, Michael Vick continues to be a non-factor, Brian Westbrook got injured last night, Andy Reid still stares blankly on the sidelines most of the time, and every now and then Donovan McNabb will fire off a lightning-quick TD pass to DeSean Jackson, who actually has a lot of promise to eventually be a top tier wide receiver in this league. How do I feel about the Eagles’ playoff chances? About as uncertain as I feel with regard to the Phillies’ chances in the World Series against the Yankees.
More on that later, probably after Game 1, which I might be lucky enough to attend here in New York if all goes well. Like a true Phillies fan, I’ll be packing my batteries (just kidding – jeez!).
But seriously, when has there been an NFL season in recent memory when we’ve had 3 unbeatens 7-8 weeks into the season, and this many still-winless or not-winless-but-still-deplorably-atrocious teams? There are a few exceptions I guess. The Baltimore Ravens are 3-3, but let’s not fool ourselves into thinking there’s no way they could be in the playoffs 10 weeks from now. Also, we all pretty much have written off Arizona and are assuming that last year’s Super Bowl appearance was a fluke, but now they’re 4-2, atop the NFC West (yeah, not so great, I know), but maybe most importantly, they beat the NY Giants at the Meadowlands in a primetime game on a glorious fall night in which weather conditions were no factor whatsoever (we all know Eli can’t throw in the wind).
Anyway, this is why the NFL is so much fun. It’s just one big crapshoot. In fact, if you go to Vegas, do me this favor if you have a choice between putting down most of your play money on craps or a weekend of NFL action - go with craps. I’d be willing to bet that your chances of success will be infinitely greater, as improbable as that may sound.
Without further ado:
Green Bay 31, Cleveland 3
The Pack is quietly putting together a decent season, sitting at 4-2 and in second place right behind the Vikings in the NFC North. The fact that they dismantled Cleveland this badly is about as surprising as hearing that a Kardashian made a sex tape, or that there are a few people out there who feel somewhat strongly about the current health care debate. Speaking of which, thousands of artery-challenged Cheeseheads will be on their feet and going apeshit for when Brett Favre and the Vikings visit Green Bay on Sunday. Yes, the prodigal son will be returning, much to the chagrin of anybody who ever rooted for him in a Packers uniform at any point in their lives. This game might make my head explode, particularly considering that it will be occurring on the same day as Giants-Eagles and Game 4 of the Phillies-Yankees World Series at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Strap it up, it’s gonna be messy. By the way, does anyone else just know deep down that Favre is going to rip Green Bay’s hearts out in this game, and eventually the Vikings’ hearts out later in the 2009 season? I trust this guy about as much as LSU fans trust Nick Saban.
San Diego 37, Kansas City 7
Wow, not much I can really say about this one. Completely unsurprising. And for once, San Diego mounted a better-than-pathetic defensive effort – although it was, of course, against the uber-awful, 1-and-6 Kansas City Chiefs. By the way, what the hell has happened to LaDainian Tomlinson exactly? I mean, I know the guy is getting a little older, but, only 71 yards against KC’s defense? Ex-squeeze me? Meanwhile, are the Chargers a possible playoff team? Hey, even if they are, it won’t matter because Norv Turner will take them down in a great big ball of flames in the playoffs.
Indianapolis 42, St. Louis 6
Also entirely expected. How exactly did the Colts end up with such a soft schedule by the way? They’ve got 3 home games in a row coming up, starting with the 49ers, who suddenly aren’t looking as good as everyone thought early on, followed by the Houston Texans who are 4-3, but I’m not ready to drink that Kool Aid just yet, and then finally, after that the Colts will actually be tested when Tom Brady and the Patriots roll into town. Is it any wonder that Peyton Manning is playing as if he’s on switched-on ‘Eff You’ Madden computer mode? He’s plowing through a cotton field while other teams are trying to run through a moving wall of spikes. Eh whatever, they’ll still make the playoffs and are probably a strong choice for a deep playoff run.
Pittsburgh 27, Minnesota 17
Exciting game. The champs are the champs for a reason, but no matter who I talk to, nobody really expects the Steelers can win another Super Bowl this year. First loss for the Vikings, and I guess it proves that, if nothing else, it’s a little tougher for them to win on the road without the comfort zone of the weather-conditions-free dome and the ear-splitting roar of Minnesota’s fans. Still though, it never ceases to amaze me when I watch Favre uncork one of his trademark 50 or 60-yard bombs downfield that looks like it’s been launched on a frozen rope. What the hell is going on with this guy anyway? If NFL QBs’ arms were like people, Favre’s throwing gun would be Peter North. What, and you thought this was family hour?
New England 35, Tampa Bay 7
Damn, how many completely predictable games were there this weekend anyway? All the Patriot doubters jumped the gun too early, didn’t they? Back in first place, 5-2 record. Okay, true, they’ve whipped the likes of Tampa Bay and Tennessee the past two weeks, but sometimes that’s all you need to get the momentum train rolling and start playing with some confidence again. They’ve got a bye this week coming up, and then Miami comes to town. And based on what we saw the Dolphins almost do to the Saints, the Pats will need to be ready for that one. If I were a New England fan, I’d be praying for a 20-degree wind chill and consistently slick wet stuff falling down for four quarters.
Houston 24, San Francisco 21
Now here’s a perfect example of teams that aren’t lock-down contenders, but are also not certainly out of playoff contention either. The Niners’ revitalized defense was one of its strengths earlier on this year, but that seems to have changed of late. Meanwhile, the Texans are going to need to get used to this whole ‘having more wins than losses’ thing. The fact that they are in second place in the AFC South is also sort of funny. I do know one thing – if they do, by some miracle, make the playoffs, they’ll truly have been the 2009 sleeper.
Buffalo 20, Carolina 9
How bad is Carolina that the Bills beat them by 11 points? Sure, 2-4 isn’t as bad as, say, 0-6 or 0-7, but what Carolina does is almost worse in a way. They’re spotty in their ineptness, which is to say that on certain days they actually don’t look horrible, but on other days, such as this one, there is no hope for them whatsoever. Other than that, there’s very little of consequence to even say about this game. Two teams headed for a .500 finish at best (probably worse), and certainly not the playoffs. I bet Buffalo fans are thrilled with the TO signing now!
NY Jets 38, Oakland 0
Ah, just what the doctor ordered for the previously struggling NY Jets. Unless you’re the Eagles, in which case you go to Oakland after a bye week and get beaten by 4 points against a team whose quarterback is so bad that there are entire movements out there dedicated to attempting to figure out just how bad he really is on an overall scale of bad. That’s more interesting than anything else about the 2009 Oakland season – trying to place into proper context just how inefficient JaMarcus Russell is at playing quarterback. And the Jets? The AFC East could be a tight race, let’s put it that way. When Rex Ryan and company go to New England later this year though, it probably won’t play out the way it did at the Meadowlands earlier this year for the Jets.
Dallas 37, Atlanta 21
I love it when two dome teams play each other. It’s great to be able to put on a football game and have no idea what time of year it is by watching what’s happening on screen. I cannot figure out the Cowboys. It’s virtually impossible to tell how good they really are. I kind of feel the same way about the Eagles. I do know that neither team has beaten anybody that strong yet though, so the jury is still out on that. Receiver Miles Austin should be inserted into the starting lineup though, especially since I picked him up off the waiver wire in my fantasy football league 3 weeks ago and he’s pretty much been gold ever since. The Falcons aren’t getting much talk, but sleeping on them would be a mistake. They’ll sneak in as that 5 or 6 seed and win a first-round game, I feel like. They could be that team, as long as they don’t have to play in frigid conditions or something.
Cincinnati 45, Chicago 10
I’ve said it about Jay Cutler before, and I’ll say it again – he will murder you, Bears fans. I have no reason or evidence to believe anything to the contrary. He is not a ‘team’ guy, he is a ‘me’ guy. The way he came off with the whole Denver-to-Chicago thing said a lot about him, and what it said was ‘I’m not being coddled enough here, so I’ll go somewhere else for awhile until I’m not coddled enough there either.’ And yet at 3-3, the Bears are only in third place in their division. Meanwhile, the Bengals, much like the Cowboys and Eagles, are quite the enigma. Tied with the Steelers for first place in the AFC North? Sporting a 5-2 record? Wins this year over Green Bay, Pittsburgh and Baltimore? Have they forgotten that they’re the Bengals? Did they sell their soul to evil incarnate while filming Hard Knocks or something? Somebody please explain in great detail. I await thee.
New Orleans 46, Miami 34
Legitimately thrilling game all-around. Usually I prefer hard-hitting defensive struggles to be honest about it, but this game had everything. The Dolphins’ wildcat stuff was actually working, and the Saints looked completely out of whack for the first half in this one. Second half, whole different story. Quite the comeback on the road for Drew Brees and the Saints. The whole ‘lack-of-defense’ thing resurfaced there for awhile, but Miami has been doing this to pretty much everybody they play, win or lose. What the hell, the Saints are a good story, let it ride. Right now, they’re the class of the NFC. They’ve got Atlanta coming to town this weekend for a Monday Night game. This has ‘redemption’ written all over it, even though the Saints won Sunday. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the scoreboard throw out an overworked middle finger to New Orleans’ offense by the time this one’s over.
Arizona 24, NY Giants 17
So yeah, this was probably the biggest upset of the weekend right? I mean, it’s not a shameful loss for the Giants or anything. Anyone who follows the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE knows that the ’Cards have plenty of weapons. But weren’t the Giants just supposed to outmuscle them and beat them to a pulp? Isn’t that what they do? Oh wait, I forgot, Arizona is actually what analysts like to call a ‘physical’ football team. Carolina can tell you that ever since last year’s playoff loss to the ’Cards in Charlotte. I think Jake Delhomme just threw another interception in that game as I type this. Anyway, no team wins every game it’s supposed to, we all know that by now. The Giants will be fine, for all you ‘jump-the-gunners’ out there. They’re still probably going to win the NFC East, and they are still probably going to be playing in the NFC Championship game, most likely against the Saints. I’d put the Vikings possibly in that mix, but please remember that Brett Favre is involved in the equation.
Philadelphia 27, Washington 17
Yeah, this game was exactly like that easy rebound after a tough break-up (the break-up being the Eagles’ unforgiveable 13-9 loss at Oakland the week prior). Mike Tirico summed it up best last night when the ‘Skins mishandled the snap on 4th down near the Eagles’ goal line late during the fourth quarter and botched the play, saying simply, “And that … summarizes the Washington Redskins.” I’d feel bad for them, but they are in the same division as the Eagles, so I cannot do that. Meanwhile, Michael Vick continues to be a non-factor, Brian Westbrook got injured last night, Andy Reid still stares blankly on the sidelines most of the time, and every now and then Donovan McNabb will fire off a lightning-quick TD pass to DeSean Jackson, who actually has a lot of promise to eventually be a top tier wide receiver in this league. How do I feel about the Eagles’ playoff chances? About as uncertain as I feel with regard to the Phillies’ chances in the World Series against the Yankees.
More on that later, probably after Game 1, which I might be lucky enough to attend here in New York if all goes well. Like a true Phillies fan, I’ll be packing my batteries (just kidding – jeez!).
Monday, October 26, 2009
I'm nonplussed (is that the right word?)
Unfortunately, I've neglected to drop some word nuggets over the past week, and oh so many notable events (mainly of the sports variety) have taken place. Frankly, I blame that wretched aspect of everyday life that we all like to call a 'job.' Or is it pronounced 'yob' - as if the 'J' were silent? I'm not sure. But ... yes folks, work has been treating me as though it is Pedro Martinez circa 2003 and I am a hard-charging Don Zimmer during that infamous Yankees-Sox basebrawl. In other words, I was plowed into the ground.
Speaking of which, does the decrease in steroid use amongst baseball players create for fewer bench-clearing brouhahas? I feel like it does. Artificial testosterone can only lead to more confrontations, right? Of course, we all know baseball players are completely clean now, no questions asked. Yeah, sure. That, and, I had no doubts the Phillies would make it back to the World Series this year.
Actually, let's start with that. I've previously written in this space that the lovable Fightin' Phils' ineptitude would only eventually result in them frustrating their fans yet again and failing to live up to expectations. But when guys like Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth talk about how the organization, fans and even the city of Philadelphia has literally transformed into a whole new way of thinking, it's hard to argue with that. Ask Boston fans. They can tell you some things about the past five-plus years. On the other side of that coin, ask Yankee fans. They can tell you some things about the past nine years.
Winning and optimism can apparently be infectious, and at least the Phillies' success helps take some pressure off of the usually downtrodden, angry Philadelphia sports fan base. Hell, the Eagles maniacs even seem to mind a little bit less about having the same McNabb-Andy Reid complaints, having Michael 'Ronnie Mexico' Vick on their team (he hasn't done jack this season, by the way), and the fact that this team is probably, quite frankly, overrated. That Oakland loss was absolutely gut-punch level bad.
But the Phillies ... ever since the beginning of the 2008 postseason, it's like they've bottled some magic formula. They can do little wrong. Timely hits, steely-nerve pitching, the ability to get out of jams and successfully complete rallies and comebacks. These are not the Phillies I've known and shaken my head at for the better part of the last 20-plus years.
And now, the Phillies will no doubt face their biggest postseason challenge to date. NY Yankees-Phillies will be a fun series - the losingest franchise vs. the winningest franchise. Two northeast signature baseball clubs within a two-and-a-half-hour jaunt up and down I-95. Dedicated, rabid fan bases. One that will impress you with their knowledge, love and respect for their team and the game, and another that will show you about 20 different ways to maim another human being with your fists alone and nothing else.
It's tempting to think the Yankees can't be stopped, especially the 2009 edition, but don't try to apply logic to anything involving the current Philadelphia Phillies. They'll probably continue to do things they shouldn't, realistically, and yet it's difficult to say what that means exactly, even now that we've seen them efficiently take out the Colorado Rockies and L.A. Dodgers to become the first NL team to reach the World Series two years in a row since Atlanta in 1991-92.
Carlos Ruiz will continue to gun down base stealers. Jayson Werth will continue to hit clutch home runs. Brad Lidge will continue to thrive under pressure in the postseason after having a 2009 regular season that was vastly inferior to his 2008 performance (to say the least). Shane Victorino will continue to get on base however he damn well can and fly around the chalk like a frigging mad man. And Charlie Manuel will probably continue to look like he barely knows what's happening. But don't let that fool you.
All this may or may not continue to happen. And the Yankees may or may not wipe them off the baseball map in the blink of an eye.
That's why we watch.
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So there's a lot of stuff I'm thinking about. In order to avoid a Dickensian-length entry (aw hell, that'll never happen), I'm just going to lay it all out there bullet-point style. Try to stay with me. If there's some sort of anti-Ambien drug within reach, or if you have any of that 5-hour energy stuff laying around, I'd suggest you go for it.
* Entertainment - I'll try to be quick about this. Curb Your Enthusiasm has been hit-or-miss for me this season, but unfortunately, mostly miss. Anything involving the Seinfeld cast mates has been 'gold, Jerry!' (as Banya would say), and same goes for Leon and Jeff/Susie. But almost everything else has been hard to watch, and largely unfunny. There are only so many different ways Larry David can come up with to be a complete asshole to everyone around him before it starts to feel contrived and seem as though it's a matter of feeding the machine and putting product out. Hopefully the final 4 episodes go out with more of a bang than a fizzle, but I won't be distraught if the show doesn't return after this season.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia was classic this past Thursday, and ties in nicely with the whole current 'Phillies Make the World Series' dynamic. Even if they hadn't made it this year though, the episode works because they found a way to make the 2008 WS appearance tie into a current episode. The best aspects of it was the mockery of Philly's rough-and-tumble fan base, and perhaps funniest of all, Charlie Kelly's Green man vibing with (and eventually fighting with) the Philly Fanatic. Consistently great show.
Everything else I watch routinely (South Park, The Office, 30 Rock, Mad Men) was decent, pretty much what you'd expect, but nothing so noteworthy that it's sticking in my brain at the moment.
Best of all was the movie 'Black Dynamite', which is undoubtedly worth seeing even if you'll have a tough time finding a theater near you that's currently showing it (and you probably will). It's a riotous send-up of 1970s blaxploitation genre films, and it's so jokey that you barely have time to laugh at everything. And at 90 minutes, it doesn't really reach the point where it's just dragging on (unless you're just not into the subject matter at all). If you can appreciate the ridiculous stereotypes of movies from that genre though (big hair, seemingly intentional bad acting, ridiculous clothing and a healthy disco/porno score), then you will appreciate this flick.
* In the world of Division-I college football, we don't have anything that earth-shatteringly different than what was happening last week at this time. Florida, Alabama and Texas are still Nos. 1-3, respectively, in the BCS Standings. Positions 4-8 are rounded out by Iowa, USC, TCU, Boise State and Cincinnati. If we had an 8-team playoff beginning right now, we'd see a first round of games that looks like this: Florida/Cincy, 'Bama/Boise St., Texas/TCU, Iowa/USC (the last of which would be a classic Rose Bowl type matchup). Keep dreaming though. Only polls and a bunch of dudes in suits will decide who is to play for a championship. Let's hope it works out in such a way that we don't have Skip Bayless shouting so loud that his forehead vein looks as though it's about to implode through your HD screen. Can we just get a playoff system that still makes an assload of money but also allows us to retain the current bowl system structure to at least some degree? Is this really that impossible? Do you mean to tell me that it's 2009, and that we have things like 24-hour fast food, Netflix, Hulu, instant coffee and a variety of other such wonders of life, but we still lack the ability to determine a Division-I college football champion each year in a completely controversy-free fashion? Here's a clue - the SEC and the Big 12 are the best conferences, so weigh their games slightly more heavily than conferences like the Big East and the WAC. Use common sense (strength of opponents, number of losses, who they've come against, when did the losses occur) and pick the 6 or 8 teams that make the most sense (doing first-round byes for the 1 and 2 seeds if you go with 6). Please, get this done. There are enough problems in the world for us to continue pretending that we can't figure out an efficient way to do this.
* Best TV crime drama of the almost-over decade? This has been an ongoing debate for some time now, and it's hard to cover this in just a few sentences - but here's a try. The Wire vs. Sopranos - for my money, it's The Wire every time. Yes, I'm more personally interested in the subject matter of The Wire (inner city poverty, urban decay, how politics and education are impacted by such harsh realities, etc.), but there seems to be a more broad world that's being explored in The Wire. We've always been obsessed with the mafia in our society, and the idea that family bonds, especially within the context of a real crime family, are fascinating in and of themselves. This is not without merit. But there's something so all-encompassing about how The Wire is constructed that it's difficult to imagine any work of art that takes into account a larger variety of walks of life. Whether you're a degenerate, a law enforcer of some kind, a teacher, a corporate drone, or a regular working person balancing work and family, The Wire probably has something in which you can invest emotionally. What's hard for me to get past with the Sopranos is the fact that I'm too detached from that world to know how true it rings. But all I have to do is watch a newscast to know that The Wire brings the truth. If you haven't, just do so. Trust me. The Sopranos is like the prom queen that's a hit in school but doesn't quite know what to do when she gets out and doesn't have a plan (the 'fade-to-black' ending). The Wire is like the cute, smart chick with glasses that has a ton of substance but doesn't have 20 guys asking her out every week (The Wire's low ratings but critical acclaim). You know damn well that 10 times out of 10, the latter leaves a more powerful, lasting impression with people than the former, despite what things seem like at the start.
* NBA regular season is about to start. Hang onto your hats. A lot of offseason activity, but don't expect that the top of the league will look much different than last year (i.e. Lakers, Cavs, Magic, Spurs and Celtics will pretty much be on top). Shaq may be a Cavalier, but I still don't see Cleveland being the best title contender. His best years are clearly behind him, and LeBron is still surrounded by a lot of players that have that glossy sheen and a lot of ability, but still don't feel like a championship team. When your starting center moves like a walking tree and one of your most visible non-LeBron players gets pulled over on his motorcycle with a cache of guns in his guitar case, you might have some problems with the coming season. Oh and Lakers fans who think your 2009-10 title run is in the bag because you traded Trevor Ariza for Ron Artest, let's talk again in about 7-8 months. This will not go down well for the Lakers. Lots of mileage on Kobe, and plus he finally got the 'can't-win-a-title-without-a-Shaq-Number-two' monkey off his back. If his intensity drops even 5-7 percent, that's a significant blow to L.A.'s title chances. It's way too early to call this, but I wouldn't be shocked to see Spurs-Celtics in the finals. How did the Celtics get any worse? They didn't. If they stay healthy, and if offseason addition Rasheed Wallace brings only the best aspects of Rasheed to the table, then the sky is the limit.
Yankees-Phillies Game One is Wednesday. This series frightens the hell out of me. I don't know what to expect. It could go 7 games or be a sweep in either direction. I literally have no expectations. I'm just going to try to enjoy the ride. And by enjoy, I mean doing almost everything humanly possible to distract myself while these games are on. Until then, keep rocking some 'Salt-n-Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine,' with the 'red-and-black lumberjack, and the hat to match.'
Monday, October 19, 2009
Try not to get so 'upset'
A lot of ranked teams falling in Division I college football this weekend, and a few others that almost fell, including Florida and Texas. Also, the first BCS standings for the 2009 season were officially released today.
http://espn.go.com/college-football/rankings
We all know that it's the BCS Standings that truly matter, at least in terms of determining the national title game and the major BCS bowls.
It never ceases to amaze me how comical Division I college football can be. If everything shakes out okay and there's no controversy, we all get the matchup that we expect for the national title game, end of story. But if we get a trio of top 3 unbeatens, or every major team entering the bowl season with a loss, then the only way to reconcile that is pick two of the three teams and leave the third one on the outside looking in. Justifications can always be made for the choices either way, but the only real way to settle such a conundrum would be to have a playoff. Don't expect to see it anytime soon if you're one of the fans who wants it.
Take last year as an example: Oklahoma loses in the Big 12 title game but still gets to play Florida for the national championship. Texas won that Big 12 title game, and only lost once about midway through the regular season to a highly-rated Texas Tech team. So much for slipping up just once and then rebuilding your profile by winning the rest of your games. Usually that formula works in D-I college football. But then, it's really just up to a bunch of old privileged men when you get right down to it anyway. They're like an elite group of decision-makers, a special club that gets to make these choices but still be nameless and faceless to the general college football viewing public.
I personally would love it if Florida, Alabama and Texas all lose late in the season and we get undefeated Boise State (No. 4 in the BCS) vs. CIncinnati (No. 5) for the championship. Don't count on that either though.
Here's a quick rundown of what happened with the top 8 teams in the BCS Standings this past weekend, and what might be in store for the rest of the season for each of them.
No. 1 Florida - beat unranked Arkansas 23-20 on Caleb Sturgis' 27-yard field goal with 9 seconds remaining. Close call for the Gators. They trailed 10-3 at halftime and seriously looked like they wouldn't make it out of this one alive. The victory most likely saved Florida's national championship hopes. The only top 25 team left on the schedule is No. 23 South Carolina. But don't think for a second the Gators couldn't slip up against Mississippi State (next weekend) or Georgia (Halloween), or hell, even Florida State (Gators' regular-season finale on Nov. 28th). Not a whole lot of rough ones left though. It would be surprising not to find Tim Tebow and crew back in the SEC title game.
No. 2 Alabama - beat South Carolina (No. 22 at the time) 20-6. The Crimson Tide don't make a lot of noise about it, but they just keep convincingly winning ball games with that snake oil salesman of a head coach of theirs. Oh come on, I'm just kidding. Ask anybody in Baton Rouge, Nick Saban is a saint! Much like Dorothy Mantooth. Look, we're headed for Florida vs. 'Bama in the SEC title game, as usual. Oh, yeah, so who's left on the schedule for the Tide? Let's see. The only real threat is LSU. Sure, Tennessee (next weekend), Miss State (Nov. 14) and Auburn (Nov. 27) can all be feisty, but assuming no egregious slip-ups going forward, Tide should continue to roll.
No. 3 Texas - beat Oklahoma (No. 20 at the time) 16-13. Doesn't get any bigger than this Big 12 rivalry at the neutral field Texas State Fair in Dallas each year. 2008 Heisman Trophy winning QB Sam Bradford made his return for the Sooners in this one, but was promptly knocked out in the first half after taking a vicious Longhorn hit. Bring back Landry Jones and the crazy 'stache. Honestly, this was pretty ugly to watch, and UT has made something of a habit out of making winning look painful. Oh and the Longhorns have a slightly tougher road to their conference title game than do Florida and 'Bama --- Missouri, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Texas A&M all wait in the wings. Gonna be tough to come out of all that without a loss.
No. 4 Boise State - beat unranked Tulsa 28-21. Tough road game here for the Broncos, but they pulled it out. I would make a bunch of jokes here about the fact that Boise State is No. 4 in the BCS Standings, but that's not nice. They deserve to be here. No, really. Oh wait, what's that you ask? Who is left on their schedule? Try this run of teams on for size: Hawaii, San Jose St., Louisiana Tech, Idaho, Utah State, Nevada and New Mexico State. Good God, how will they do it?!
No. 5 Cincinnati - beat South Florida (No. 21 at the time) 34-17. Yeah yeah, so the Big East isn't exactly the SEC or the Big 12 either, but it's still a cut above Boise State's schedule. The Bearcats have opened a lot of eyes this season, but they'd still have to catch some lightning in a bottle to reach the title game. West Virginia and Pitt are the toughest remaining teams in their way.
No. 6 Iowa - beat unranked Wisconsin 20-10. The Big 10 officially belongs to the Hawkeyes. Wow. Not Penn State, not Michigan, not Ohio State. But Kirk Ferentz' Hawkeyes. Fascinating. Good story. Iowa is even winning these close ones, as they did in the hostile confines of Camp Randall at the U of Wisconsin. I would say that it's smooth sailing for the Hawkeyes, who are in the Top 10 for the first time since '02, but Iowa has to travel to the Horseshoe to take on Ohio State on Nov. 14. Stay tuned, this is one of the more surprising and interesting sub-plots of the '09 season.
No. 7 USC - beat Notre Dame (ranked No. 25 at the time) 34-27. This is always a classic matchup, no matter what ranking either of these teams is carrying around. But the Trojans aren't hearing the talk that they're out of the picture just yet. Their only loss is to an unranked-but-much-improved-from-last-year Washington team, 13-10. And winning more games in the quietly challenging Pac 10 will help them climb back up the ladder. Remaining teams? Oregon and Arizona are both ranked, and the crosstown-rivalry UCLA game is never a walk through the park. If the Trojans can win out, they'll have earned it.
No. 8 TCU - beat unranked Colorado State 44-6. Ahh, the Mountain West Conference. Laugh if you want to, but the Horned Frogs mean business. Hey, at least they have two ranked opponents left, including No. 16 BYU and No. 19 Utah. The BYU game this Saturday is actually a key contest for both teams. A loss for TCU can make it hard for the Frogs to get a BCS Bowl bid, but can also propel BYU back into the limelight.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Playoff Baseball
A few words about the 2009 Major Baseball League playoffs.
* Yankees lead the Angels 2-0 going back to Anaheim for Games 3 and 4 (and game 5 if the Angels are lucky), and if there's ever been a 'team of destiny', it would be hard to argue that the '09 Bronx Bombers are it. What's most impressive is perhaps that the Yanks are winning these nail-biters as well as the more lopsided decisions (see Game 2 in the ALDS against Minnesota, and Game 2 against the Angels Saturday night, a 13-inning, five-hour marathon).
Furthermore, A-Rod is no longer clumsy, bumbling and failing to produce in October. I'm almost not sure that it's even still him out there. Somebody may have replaced him with an A-Rod lookalike who's too dumb to feel the pressure. But seriously, it's nice for once to see A-Rod just performing and not having his every second micro-dissected by the fans and New York media. There's so many personalities and household names on this Yankee team that nobody cares about killing Alex anymore.
It seemed like a foregone conclusion that this was going to be a tight series, and now it's not even a given that the Angels will win a game. Going from the arctic October New York weather to sunny Anaheim will be a picnic for both teams no doubt, and the Angels will be in more comfortable confines, but it's almost like the pressure is off for the Yanks at this point. They can get swept out there and still come back to NY knowing they're not finished. That kind of loosey-goosey dynamic can be dangerous to have to overcome. Anything is possible, but I'm thinking just put New York in the World Series. Pencil them in. You can erase pencil anyway.
* The NLCS is basically the opposite of the ALCS, which is to say, there's no telling what in the name of sweet Moses is going to happen. The Phillies showed grit and gutsiness in holding off the 'not-going-away' L.A. Dodgers in Game 1, hanging on for an 8-6 win. Then in Game 2, the Phils collapsed, highlighted by Chase Utley's throwing error late in the game, as the Dodgers hung on for the 2-1 victory.
I can't foresee any scenario in which all the rest of the games in this series don't unfold this way. I literally feel like you need a surface distraction going on when watching your team in a playoff baseball series. Tension mounts with each pitch, knowing that it's truly not over until the last pitch. Every play can bring either unbridled joy and excitement, or crushing defeat and sadness. It's just not right. There's no clock to make you feel better about having a big lead, and there are few situations where you can feel good about how it's going to turn out, unless you're up by about 8 or 9 runs (even then nothing is guaranteed).
Every now and then, your team gets lucky with a series where it's clear that the opposition is just overmatched and needs an uncanny combination of luck and circumstance to come out on top. But with this series, there's no reason why the Phillies can't go down in a ball of flames. It's good times, all around. A cold, rainy Citizen's Bank Park will be the site of Games 3-5 (or at least it will be cold and rainy for tonight's Game 3). Cliff Lee will take the mound against Hiroki Kuroda. And I'll be channel-flipping and checking my fantasy football live scoring updates about 20 times a minute so that I don't have to watch every agonizing second.
Oh and for the record, I think we're headed for a Yanks-Dodgers World Series. I hate to sound like I'm not behind my team, but one World Series title doesn't erase all the ineptitude for which the Phillies are so belovedly (or NOT belovedly) known. I'm not sure if 'belovedly' is even a word by the way, but you get the idea.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE!!!
Nothing like getting right to the point, agreed?
No need to get fancy, you know the drill by now. Drink it in, rich and compelling, like Ron Burgundy on a fine summer's day in Saint Diago, the finest city in the world.
Cleveland 6, Buffalo 3
So the Browns toss Braylon Edwards out of the mix and then win a game? What about T.O. and Lee Evans? Two of the more prolific receivers of this era can't get open against the Browns' defense? Is Buffalo really this bad? I just don't understand what happened here. I'd try harder to figure it out, but something tells me it just won't matter.
Dallas 26, Kansas City 20 (OT)
Dallas on the road, without two of its top offensive weapons (Roy Williams and Felix Jones) plus an unpredictable Chiefs team equals one crazy afternoon. Reserve Cowboys receiver Miles Austin went off on that KC defense, snagging 2 TD passes and finishing with 250 yards. Good thing I picked him up off the waiver wire last weekend on my fantasy team! I'd say Dallas has a lot of work to do, considering they only won this game by 6 and in overtime. But it was on the road, KC was (still is) winless and starving for a W, and two big offensive guns for the Cowboys were out of commission. I'd still not list them amongst the top 5 NFC teams right now though (Giants, Saints, Vikings, 49ers, Eagles, for the record).
Minnesota 38, St. Louis 10
(Laughing). Is there anything about this score that even needs to be said? One of the best teams in the NFC beats one of the worst teams in the NFC by 28 points. Try to take this all in, if you can. The only question about the NFC North is exactly how many more weeks will it take for the Vikes to clinch it. Wait, what's that sound? Do I hear some contentious Chicago Bears fans? Maybe I do!
NY Giants 44, Oakland 7
Hey, at least Oakland got on the scoreboard. And at least we know the Giants weren't looking ahead to this Sunday's battle-of-unbeatens showdown at the Super Dome against New Orleans. By the way, can we arrange a 4-way competition between the Raiders, Chiefs, Rams and Tampa Bay for worst team of the 2009 season? This could be a thrilling race.
Philadelphia 33, Tampa Bay 14
I had my doubts about the Eagles over the first couple of weeks. You know, overinflated expectations, the Vick distractions, no more Jim Johnson, McNabb getting older, etc. But they seem to be clicking at this point. Tampa Bay, however, is the opposite of 'clicking.' If clicking is good, the Bucs aren't making a sound. Meanwhile, I'm thinking it will be the Eagles, and not the Cowboys, that pushes the Giants in the race for the NFC East crown.
Pittsburgh 28, Detroit 20
The Steelers almost threw this one away, clinging onto that slim eight-point lead through the last several minutes of the game. Conversely, the Lions can take comfort in knowing that they are far from the worst team in the league this year, as they were in '08. Speaking of which, the AFC North is suddenly more interesting. Laugh if you want to, but the Bengals might be the best team in the division right now.
Cincinnati 17, Baltimore 14
As mentioned, don't plan on handing this division to anybody just yet, but Cincinnati (4-1) is making a strong case for sleeper surprise of the '09 season. From top to bottom, the AFC North might be one of the toughest divisions in the league, even considering how bad the Browns are. Also, don't think that the Ravens won't come out ready to kill next weekend. But it doesn't get any easier for them either, as they hit the road to play the Vikings in Minnesota.
Carolina 20, Washington 17
If you're a fan of the Redskins, it's probably a little difficult not to feel like you're an at-wits-end parent and they're the kid that keeps letting you down and spending all your money despite promises to improve, drum up some ambition, get out of the house and get their act together. The 'Skins lost to Detroit two weeks ago, just barely beat Tampa Bay last weekend and lost by a field goal to a down-on-their-luck Carolina team Sunday. And this is all before they hit the rough NFC East part of their schedule. Yikes. Gonna be a long 2009 season for Washington. By the way, is there a worse overall sports city than D.C. right now? The only playoff team in the nation's capital is the NHL's Senators. Yeah, that's right, there's a professional hockey team in Washington D.C. I was surprised too!
Atlanta 45, San Francisco 10
It was between this game and the Cleveland-Buffalo game as to 'most surprising result of the weekend' for me. I'm still sold on the Niners, but for them to lose, at home no less, and by this much, is a bit of a head scratcher. Atlanta is quietly capable, but the NFC South is the Saints' to lose, and there are too many superior teams in the other divisions to consider the Falcons a playoff threat (at least right now).
Seattle 41, Jacksonville 0
Okay, I was wrong. This makes the least sense of all the games from this past weekend. Whatever. Neither of these teams is going anywhere anyway. Maybe the return of Hasselbeck was just the shot in the arm the Seahawks needed. And if I had a nickel for every time I've ever typed that sentence, I'd have exactly 5-10 cents.
Arizona 28, Houston 21
I really kind of just pity Houston at this point. Sure, the Texans are feisty, but they just can't seem to win these kinds of games. Arizona (2-2) wants to prove that last year's Super Bowl appearance wasn't a fluke, but there's a lot of work to do in this year's loaded NFC field. As long as Kurt Warner keeps drinking his prune juice and doesn't misplace his bifocals, it should be just fine for the Cards.
Denver 20, New England 17 (OT)
These Broncos are officially a football team. Denver and Cincinnati looking like two of the best AFC Teams right now. It's like 1989 all over again! Can we get an Ickey Shuffle please? But seriously, Josh McDaniels has these guys playing some damn good football. The Pats are never going to be easy to beat, but it's always fun to watch them lose for some reason.
Indianapolis 31, Tennessee 9
Don't know what happened to the Titans between last year and this one, but that is NOT the same team. Indy, however, continues to do what it always does. As I've said before, they're on cruise control at this point. Colts have a bye week coming up, followed by a road trip to St. Louis to play the god-awful Rams. Opening Vegas line on that one should be somewhere in the neighborhood of about 45-and-a-half.
Miami 31, NY Jets 27
Definitely one of the best games of the weekend. Miami really deserved this win too. These two teams were just beating the crap out of each other and going full speed ahead for four full quarters. Really felt like a playoff game. The 'Phins are probably the best 2-3 team out there right now. Love the crazy Wildcat plays they ran too. Every offensive snap was like a choose-your-own-adventure book (for those old enough to remember those relics). Jets played tough too, but Miami had more gas in the tank at the end. And it's nice to see Braylon Edwards playing for a team where he can utilize his actual talents - that's a good pickup for the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets! Also, Rex Ryan and crew benefit slightly from the fact that New England also lost, which doesn't change the dynamic of the AFC East standings all that much right now.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
You Can't Script October!
And FOX can't come up with a new slogan for the major baseball league playoffs each year!
That's okay. I might seriously watch the ALCS and the World Series this year with the mute button on and some old school hip hop blaring out of my portable i-pod dock. Joe Buck and Tim McCarver are generally intolerable even for short periods of time. Three-and-a-half hours at a clip? My God. I'd rather listen to Krusty the Clown and Homer Simpson do play by play and color commentary in the baseball playoffs. Hey wait a minute ... is this really a terrible idea? What's the downside? That you'd be laughing your ass off every five minutes?
"It must be a homer, Simpson, because the pitcher's saying 'DOH!' "
Okay, thanks for indulging me.
Kiddies, the ALCS and NLCS are set. I would have fired up a lightning-fast entry last night considering that the Phillies squeezed past the Rockies in the NL Divisional Series with an extremely uncomfortable 5-4 win in Game 4, but I could barely keep my eyes open through the last out thanks to the fact that Game 3 didn't end until after 2 a.m. East Coast time the night before (well ... technically, the 'morning of.'). Combine that with the fact that I had to drag my sorry ass into work on Monday, Columbus Day mind you, when most of the working world was chilling out at home, and that I was feeling like someone was trying to pull my eyelids down every other 10 minutes, and you can probably understand why I was cursing any and everything having to do with the fact that a frigging playoff game can't end at a reasonable hour.
Okay, back to the lecture at hand (as Snoop Dogg might say).
We've got Yankees-Angels and Phillies-Dodgers. No matter what happens, we'll get a fairly intriguing World Series. Predictions seem insane in this day and age, so I won't even try. I mean, consider that in this decade alone, we've had the following:
* Two teams win the World Series for the first time since the 19-teens (Boston, Chi Sox)
* An extremely mediocre regular season team defy the odds in the playoffs and win the whole she-bang (Sl. Louis in '06);
* A from-almost-nowhere-to-the-World-Series experience (Tampa Bay making it last year after expectedly sucking the year before, and pretty much every other year before that one);
* The usually hopelessly inept Phillies winning their first world championship in 28 years, and only second overall, removing at least a little bit of the sting of being the statistically losing-est franchise in all of professional sports;
* And maybe last but definitely not least, we witnessed a team with a 3-0 series lead in the ALCS completely evaporate under the pressure and lose that series 4-3, for the first time in best-of-seven baseball playoff history. Oh yeah, and the team that improbably blew that lead? The New York effin' Yankees, only the WINNING-est franchise in all of professional sports (at least as it applies to most number of titles won).
After all that, I'm thinking all bets are off the table. I can believe and foresee anything in this day and age.
Oh and the black mark that steroids has left on the game? Yeah, we're not talking about it as much these days, but don't think for one second it might not still be lingering. Once again, I'll believe anything.
Having said all that, if I had to say what I think is likely to happen, well, okay.
And this is NOT the reverse jinx theory at work here, but I don't think the Phillies have the same swagger they did last year. Brad Lidge of 2009 is not Brad Lidge of 2008, but this team still has some considerable skills at the plate and on defense. If we're going strictly by what happened in the first round, the Dodgers simply looked better, and did so against a stronger opponent (Cardinals) than that which faced the Phillies (Rockies). To examine it that way, and bearing in mind that L.A. has the home field advantage, I'm thinking the Dodgers are going to exact revenge from last year and come out on top this time. I'd love to be wrong, just for the record.
In the AL, well of course everyone is expecting the Bronx Bombers to make it through. They're the fashionable pick. They have all the history on their side, all the tradition, the highest payroll, the most playoff experience, the highest payroll, the most devoted fans, and the highest payroll.
Did I mention that their players make a lot of money? Oh I'm sorry. I tried to get that across, I really did.
Seriously, the Yanks deserve the accolades right now. They genuinely seem to be enjoying the ride, but the Angels really have it cooking right now also. I'm still saying Yanks, but I could easily see that series going 6 or 7 games. I think the Dodgers will get it done in 6 or fewer though.
Get ready for some brutally long playoff games and a whole ton of unattractive HD close-ups of old-manager nose hair and other such atrocities that shouldn't be shown on a 52-inch screen plastered across your living room wall.
Enjoy!
Monday, October 12, 2009
HALFWAY THERE
Whoaaa OHHH, Livin' on a Prayer! Bon Jovi reference aside, it was an exciting weekend in college football, and we're right around the halfway point of the regular season. I can barely believe this. It seems like only yesterday that Oregon's LeGarrette Blount began the season with a black eye, on the sport itself and on the face of an opposing Boise State player, with a post-game punch that resulted in his season-long suspension. Despite this, the resurgent Ducks are climbing back up through the rankings, which is one of the more interesting current sub-plots in the 2009 college football season.
But more on that in a few, since as I put together these recaps, I watch the nerve-wracking experience that is Game 3 of the NL Divisional Round playoffs between the Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies at what is apparently a balmy, 30-degree Coors Field. I can clearly see the breath coming out of these guys' mouths, and the crowd is decidedly more dressed for perhaps football than baseball. Ah, the magic of October baseball in the Rocky Mountains. How in hell's bells did the World Series get played two years ago between the Rockies and Red Sox without a permanent snow delay in Colorado?
All I know is that it's tied at 4 heading into the sixth inning, and Joe Blanton took over for J.A. Happ, who started but didn't even pitch a full four innings. But then again, neither did Colorado starter Jason Hammels. What this means, I'm not sure, other than the fact that leaving a starting pitcher on the mound in weather this cold is probably somewhat akin to water-boarding. But as this game is being played in Colorado instead of, say, Guantanamo Bay, these teams are obviously doing the whole pitch-by-committee thing. These late east-coast start times need to stop though. Can't we just get the whole country on the same time zone? Is there anybody who would actually dislike this? What are the disadvantages? What, that it would be far less confusing and complicated? Or that jetlag would probably not be as much of a factor when crossing time zones? Who's on board with me about this one? And to think we're worried about topics like health care, and what to do with our troops in Afghanistan. Singular time zone people, this is where it's at.
Rant done, now let's peep what happened in the world of Division I college football this past weekend.
Clearly, this was the game everyone had their eye on this past weekend. All of the Tim Tebow questions were answered resoundingly, and not so much because he put up any kind of eye-popping statistics (he was adequate but not spectacular), but because his leadership and grit were instrumental in actually guiding Florida to this win. Baton Rouge was rocking, and by any standards, it was an extremely hostile environment for a visiting team. Despite this, it never felt as though LSU was actually going to take control in this game. Tebow's skills are considerable, but Florida's defense is the anti-Paris Hilton - meaning very few have made significant progress in attempts at penetration. Looking at the rest of the Gators' schedule, this was most likely their toughest test (unless they fall asleep against one of the lesser foes left in their wake of destruction). Pencil them in for the SEC Championship game.
The Longhorns need to start entertaining themselves in ways other than letting the opposition hang around just to make it interesting. The Buffs led 14-10 at the half in this one, raising some serious questions about whether Mack Brown and company would be dropped from the national title race. But Colt McCoy and the rest of UT came out roaring in the second half and turned this into a rout. As with Florida in the SEC, the Big 12 is UT's stomping ground, as long as they keep remembering to play for four quarters each week, rather than 2-and-a-half.
Thank you, roll Tide. We're headed for a 'Bama vs. Florida showdown in the SEC title game, right? I will say though, the Tide doesn't seem to have that 'blow you out' ability. They win effectively, but they do it by wearing you out and throwing well-placed body blows, rather than lightning-fast flurries of activity. Hey, whatever works. I get the feeling that if Florida and 'Bama played next week, the final score would probably be, like, 6-3.
Well, Boston College seemed like a nice story coming into this one, sporting a 4-1 record and a win over Florida State last weekend. But then we were reminded again why, aside from that early loss to Alabama, the Hokies are one of the most dangerous teams out there. A tough game with No. 19 Georgia Tech looms for this coming Saturday, but after that Va. Tech has nothing but cupcakes left until Bowl time. If everyone else stumbles and they don't, they could be an underrated candidate to be playing for some serious BCS hardware.
No. 9 Ohio State 31, Wisconsin 13
A tense but also largely unexciting Big 10 matchup at the Horseshoe in Columbus. The Buckeyes aren't out of the conversation for the Big 10 Title, for sure, but damn it's hard to pick against Iowa right now. This may be the year of the Hawkeye!
Stop laughing at this score right now. How dare you? The Horned Frogs are not to be taken lightly! Okay seriously, TCU is proving the doubters wrong thus far, but please let me know when they beat a team that's worth mentioning. Let's put it this way, BYU and Utah are the only ranked teams left on the U's schedule. Those are going to be some holy wars. Big picture issue - TCU will be lucky to land in a BCS Bowl, although it's not impossible.
The only reason this is even going down in this space is for documentation purposes. Otherwise, it's completely expected and unworthy of deeper discussion. Miami continues to be better than anyone thought they would this year. Let's see if we can complete an entire college football season without any Hurricane players getting arrested.
Coming from the perspective of a Michigan supporter, this was just painful. Rich Rod benched frosh QB Tate Forcier for another freshman QB late in the game, because things just weren't working out. Also, Iowa is off to its best start since 1985. The Hawkeyes are 6-0 overall, and are No. 11 in the new AP Top 25 poll. No shame in losing to a team that good, but also no fun losing by just two points. QB controversy for the Maize and Blue? Maybe.
I'm telling you, the Ducks are back in effect. It's like the suspension of Blount lit a fire under their collective beak. The Pac 10 will likely be decided when Oregon and USC tangle in a few weeks.
No. 14 Penn State 52, Eastern Illinois 3
Oh, I'm sorry, I was just yawning. Come on PSU, give me a break with some of these non-conference matchups. Akron? Syrcause? Temple? Eastern Illinois? What, was the Orange County (Calif.) Pop Warner All-Star team unavailable this year? Hey JoePa, the grim reaper called. He said just because you're not home doesn't mean he stops trying. Okay, I'm sorry, I'll stop. Hey Penn State, a good football team that DOESN'T play in the Big 10 just called, they said .... ahhh, forget it.
Good old fashioned Big 12 shootout! See just because there's not a number next to your team name doesn't mean you can't play a quality game of football. Nice effort Aggies. At the same time, the Cowboys are a good, but not top tier, Big 12 squad. They still have Texas and Oklahoma left on their schedule. Win one of those two, and that's not too shabby. Win them both, and it will be impossible for the BCS big wigs not to notice.
No. 16 Kansas 41, Iowa State 36
Another Big 12 shootout here. Two different Jayhawks receivers set school records in this one. Whole lotta offense, and whole lack-of defense. Kansas has its moments, but the Big 12 is pretty loaded this year.
Probably the most notable Top 25 upset loss this weekend. But, those SEC dog-fights are just a crapshoot anyway. Despite the nice win, the Razorbacks don't get enough love from the voters to crack the new Top 25 poll.
Umm, yeah, let's just move this along.
Not much to talk about here either. The return of last year's Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford at QB for Oklahoma, and the Sooners rolling over a lower-class conference opponent.
Quality win for the Cornhuskers in the pouring rain Thursday night, at Missouri no less. The Big 12 is one of the more thoroughly entertaining conferences this year. Lot of top-notch football. Nebraska has climbed up to No. 15 in the new Top 25 poll.
No. 22 Georgia Tech 49, Florida State 44
Don't you love defensive struggles? Wait, what? Oh, right. Anyway, Bobby Bowden is kind of on the hot seat due to FSU's lack of, um, success this season and in recent years. The school board of trustees basically wants him to retire after this season. Dad-gummit! I swear to God, he and Paterno are just trying to out-duel each other for most career victories among active coaches. One of them will die on the field before this is settled. Bowden trails JoePa, but only by a few.
No. 25 South Carolina 28, Kentucky 26
Another SEC thriller, but don't expect either of these teams to do anything memorable beyond the context of the 2009 season. Spurrier's Gamecocks can win these close ones more efficiently than other teams, just because of superior coaching if nothing else.
Enjoy ya'll, the Phils and Rockies are tied at 5, it's almost 1:30 in the morning, and tomorrow begins another gloriously fun five-day work week. I shall now have a coronary. Good night!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
October-Best
More sports than you can shake a stick at are going on, and even though I foolishly convinced myself I'd be pontificating on all sorts of insanity when I began this semi-regular discourse, I didn't forecast for the fact that I was starting it during the most jam-packed and exciting time of the sporting year.
Baseball playoffs have kicked into gear, college football is in full swing, right around the mid-way point of the regular season, and the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE is off the ground and running. Let's not also forget that the NBA and NHL either have started (NHL) or are soon starting (NBA), so what more can you ask for if you dig the art of sport? High school football too! I know many could care less, but there's something about the purity of it that's refreshing. And when you grow up in an area like I did (i.e. central Pennsylvania), it's practically streaming through your blood once you slip out of the birth canal.
I'll get to all of my other cockamamie theories about the stuff that drives our popular culture and entertainment habits, but I should forewarn you, it's not for the weak of spirit. I have judgmental, critical thoughts about much of it. But then, what fun would it be if I just praised everything that everyone did, right? You can't have stuff that rules if you don't have stuff that sucks to set it all apart, as Beavis and Butt-head so eloquently stated many years ago.
I do have a couple random thoughts, though, so bear with me on that.
* So, in the 'news of the stupidly funny' category, Game 3 of the National League Division Series playoffs between the Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies, in Colorado of course, was postponed by snow. Snow! What the bloody hell?! I read a report that indicated this was due to record low temperatures for the 'Coors Field' area of Colorado for this time of year, but still, the idea of a baseball game being pushed back a day because of the white stuff is pure comedy. Can't imagine the conversation of possible 'playoff snow interference' came up during expansion team talks back in the 90s. Of course, I am pulling for the Phillies (as I do all Philly teams), but hitting the road to play in 30-40 degrees, with the series tied at 1-1, does make me a little nervous. Colorado swept the Phils two years ago in the first round en route to getting whipped in the World Series by the Red Sox, so hopefully history doesn't repeat itself in that vein. Rookie sensation J.A. Happ will get the start in Game 3 tonight, although Pedro Martinez was supposed to take the mound last night. And not that I encourage looking ahead, but the Dodgers are going to be one hell of a tough out in the NL Championship Series. They dusted the Cardinals off in a 3-game first-round series sweep as if they were swatting away at fruit flies.
In the AL playoffs, the Yankees staged a dramatic comeback in Game 2 against the Minnesota Twins Friday night, thanks to Alex Rodriguez' game-tying two-run home run, followed up by Mark Teixeira's game-winning walk-off homer that bounced off the top of the left field fence in the bottom of the 11th.
I think one of the more underrated dynamics within the MLB Playoffs is that crucial Game 2 of the first-round series. The difference between 1-1 and 2-0 is psychologically huge, and can really set the tone for the rest of the postseason. Now, there's no margin of error for the Twins, or for the Boston Red Sox, who are down 2-0 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim County in the City of Los Angeles in the State of California, or whatever the hell they are calling themselves now. But hey, that's a good baseball team, and they seem to be rallying around the death of former starting pitcher Nick Adenhart, who tragically died in a drunk driving incident shortly after the start of the regular season this year. For those that don't know the story, the other driver was drunk, and had a history of DUI. Sad stuff. Sometimes, events like that galvanize a team and make them play for a higher purpose, other than just 'winning the championship.' It's going to be Yankees-Angels in the ALCS, most likely. Dodgers await the winner of the Ice Series. Hope the Phils brought their snow boards with them. After all, there's only so much hotel porn you can watch (uh ... or so I've heard).
* I've given love to a couple of my favorite Sunday night shows in this space the past few weeks, Mad Men and Curb Your Enthusiasm, yet I haven't fired anything off about my Thursday night shows at this point, and well, that's just wrong, especially in a day and age where the overwhelming majority of original TV programming improbably sucks. The Office continues to be good, but I still maintain it was better in the first few seasons. The Jim-Pam wedding this past Thursday was fine, but nothing to write home about. I laughed probably three times throughout the hour-long episode. Probably my favorite comedy currently on TV, another Thursday night show, is It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which airs on FX at 10 p.m. If there are any five characters more socially deplorable and irreverently unlikeable-yet-likeable-at-the-same-time than Mac, Dennis, Dee, Charlie and Frank, I'd love to know who they are. This show is a farking riot, I kid you not. The plot-lines, dialogue and interaction are so absurd and ridiculous that no person can possibly come away from the show thinking it's meant to be taken seriously, and that's perhaps what I love most about it. Compare it to, say, Seinfeld, where you had four socially subversive and in some ways, unlikeable, characters that you still fell in love with. Well, their behavior wasn't SO out of bounds that it was unbelievable, right? Most people still wouldn't act like George Costanza in everyday life, but that's not to say that many of us haven't encountered (or maybe even know) a Costanza-like person or two, correct? But with the 'Always Sunny' gang, I don't know anyone who knows anybody like these clowns, and you wouldn't want to either. Just check it out, you probably won't regret it. I will say this though - it's either for you, or it's not. I don't think there's much straddling the fence on this one.
College Football goodies from Saturday forthcoming. You know you're on the edge of your seat, stop pretending.
And lastly, ain't no future in frontin', so don't front on the future.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Wrap it up, B!
A weekend of negotiations with foreign diplomats has left me drained of energy.
And by negotiations with foreign diplomats, i of course am referring to my wife and I having visited my family in Pennsylvania.
I ate some delicious and greasy food, surrounded by animals and freaks (not my family, don't worry), for the Bloomsburg Fair only comes around one week each year (end of September/early October).
Dude, for those that haven't been, trust me when I say the food is some of the best you can shove down your gullet. Sure, it will send your cholesterol into the stratosphere faster than a Brett Favre touchdown pass, but at least you'll enjoy it.
Philadephians will hate me for this statement, yet I care not, when I say that I probably ate the best whipper-snapping cheesesteak in all my days. Real provolone cheese (not liquid yellowy whiz) was fused to the bread, and the meat was seasoned something ridiculous. Top that bad boy off with onions and peppers, and you have a one-way ticket to taste-bud heaven, and artery hell. All kinds of other mouth-watering sloppiness popped up at every turn, including french fries, onion rings, friend potato pancakes, belgian waffle-and-ice cream sandwiches, Hot Italian sausage sandwiches, hot wings, pizza, and deep-fried everything-under-the-sun (oreos, ice cream, even peanut butter and jelly for chrissakes).
Okay, I'm done torturing you with these cruel descriptions. In other news, my angioplasty is scheduled for next week. Info on where to send get-well cards is forthcoming.
So, because my time frame got all out of whack this weekend, I'm going to do my best to give a condensed version of this past weekend's football goodies, before a few quick notes about a few quick items of interest that will change your life forever (or not).
* Curb Your Enthusiasm Sunday was the absolute shiz. The Seinfeld cast is fully re-absorbed into the mix, and it was a consistently funny episode. Larry is so desperate to get Cheryl back that you can almost feel it oozing through the screen. Kind of sad in a way. You get the feeling he needs her back so much because he has less game than Jake Delhomme right now. That longing will lead him to do undoubtedly horrible and hilarious things as the season unfolds. I can't wait to see how many times everyone around Larry verbally removes his head from the rest of his body. After all, that's when the show is the funniest.
* Mad Men was thoroughly entertaining, as usual. Even when not much happens in an episode to move story, it's still engrossing. I guess it's the way the stories are told, the way it's shot, how accurately they seem to capture a capsule in time gone by. I do know one thing - Pete Campbell is as slimy as they come. But at least he always shows remorse. And Betty Draper - wow. If you think you're caught up in a rut in life, just hang out with Bets for a spell. Her boredom and utter disinterest with her life is accentuated upon she and Don's return trip from a glamorous stay in Italy. The episode closes with her giving her daughter some advice about kissing boys (yeah, I don't know how old Sally is, but she's, um, 'advancing' quickly, let's say), followed by her severe apathetic reaction to a sweet piece of jewelry Don had just purchased for her. Oh and there's that matter of her possibly doing the shim-sham with the water reservoir guy. He's making some strong moves to the basket, but Betty's doing her best Dwight Howard impersonation. I think she's weakening with each passing episode. Stay tuned.
* One of my faithful readers (my brother) pointed out a mistake in my first post, about college football's scores the previous weekend. I wrote that Florida returned all 22 starters on both sides of the ball from last year's national championship team. I stupidly forgot that Percy Harvin (and probably 1 or 2 other offensive Gators) departed from that team. This is easy to see now that I watch Harvin, a rookie, dart all over the field during this Packers-Vikings Monday Night Football game. Anyway, what the Gators do return this year is all 11 starters and 11 backups on defense. That was the association with the '22' returners - the two-deep defensive roster. A bit frightening for opposing SEC offenses, no?
* I want to give a quick mention about the fact that the high school football coach at my alma mater won his 300th career game this past Friday night, and he's nowhere near retirement age (as long as he doesn't want to be). Jim Roth took over a floundering Southern Columbia Area High School program in the early 1980s and transformed it into a perennial statewide small-school powerhouse. He has taken his teams to the state championship game 12 out of 13 years between 1994 and 2006, finishing 6-6 in those contests, including five straight titles from 2002-06. He sports a career record of 300 wins, 51 losses, and a few ties. Beyond all that, he's a straight shooter and a standup guy. I want to say congrats to him and the amazing coaching staff that has surrounded him all these years, and to all the current and former players that aided in the accomplishment. I can honestly say it was during those formative years as a manager for the team that forged my fascination with competitive sports on a real level. There's few things like being as close as you can to it all without actually being pummeled on the field.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Well, a bit more re-shuffling in the Top 25, but Nos. 1 and 2 (Florida and Texas, respectively) took the weekend off with a bye. This is especially important for Florida as starting QB Tim Tebow is still recovering from the concussion he suffered against Kentucky. He has not yet been cleared to practice or play, and the Gators have what is quite possibly their biggest test of the season looming large this Saturday night, a primetime showdown at No. 4 LSU. True, the Tigers have been hanging on by the skin of their teeth with their last two wins, but no doubt LSU will be up for this one. Les Miles and crew will especially smell blood if Florida's offense takes the field without Tebow behind center. This should be a classic dog-fight. Can't wait to see what happens.
No. 3 'Bama rolled over Kentucky 38-20, and fourth-ranked LSU fended off pesky Georgia 20-13.
No. 5 Boise State routed UC Davis 34-16, and there's nothing about this sentence that isn't suddenly funny. The Broncos are number five? For serious? UC Davis was a Division II powerhouse not long ago for God's sake.
The only top 10 team that lost was No. 8 Oklahoma falling to No. 17 Miami, which wasn't exactly shocking. By the way, I was watching that game Saturday night with a friend, and we couldn't help chuckle at names like Jacory Harris (the 'Canes QB) and JaMarcus Russell (the Oakland Raiders' quarterback). Can I start calling myself JaJoey T.? Will people think I have a stutter? Anyway, Miami got some nice redemption after their rain-soaked loss at Virginia Tech the weekend prior.
No. 12 Houston was lambasted by unranked UTEP, 58-41. Bye bye darkhorse national title hopes!
Michigan is no longer unbeaten, losing in overtime to in-state and Big 10 rival Michigan State in East Lansing. The Spartans should have put this one away in the fourth quarter, but the Wolverines weren't having it. The frisky Michigan QB, Tate Forcier, threw a pick in the OT that pretty much sealed the deal. MSU took over and eventually kicked the winning field goal. Iowa and Wisconsin are the only Big 10 teams left with overall unbeaten records.
Oh and the Pac 10 was more or less decided with No. 7 USC's 30-3 victory over No. 24 California. Don't look now - the Stanford Cardinal is unbeaten! All one of them! Still not ranked though. Looking at the new rankings, it's pretty much what you'd expect.
http://espn.go.com/college-football/rankings
The Top 10 is a bit, uh ... non-traditional, as you can see. Boise State is No. 6, Cincinnati is No. 8 and TCU is No. 10. At this rate, we'll see Southwest Missouri State against UC-Santa Cruz in a New Year's Day Bowl. Can't wait. Go Banana Slugs!
NFL
Okay, some quick, and I DO mean quick, NFL capsules to take us into the homestretch. Stay with me kiddos. We're not crashing this train just yet.
Chicago 48, Detroit 24
Same old Lions. Don't act surprised. However, 48 points from the Bears is a little offensively-inflated, shall we say. Guess the Lions partied a little too hard after that Redskins win. Don't be fooled, I say. Chicago fans, you're about 2-and-a-half to 3 months away from having your hearts ripped out by your petulant, whiny quarterback.
Cincinnati 23, Cleveland 20 (OT)
Oh the poor Browns already. They're like a horse on its last leg that just needs to be shot and taken out of its misery. Meanwhile, the Bengals might be surprisingly good. I might have to revise my statement from last week that the Cincy Bearcats would possibly beat them. The AFC North is loaded. It still belongs to the Steelers and Ravens though.
Indianapolis 34, Seattle 17
Surprised by this one? Yeah, didn't think so. I think the Colts' schedule might be a little soft. Seattle is a team with no rhythm or identity. Bad stuff for them. Peyton and crew will continue to slice through these games until they hit some real competition.
NY Giants 27, Kansas City 16
Not as close as the score makes it look. Kansas City is just immeasurably bad. How bad? If I had to bet my life on them, I think I would break out my i-pod and start playing 'Dead Presidents' by Jay-Z. The Giants didn't win by like 4 TDs or anything, but they looked efficient and businesslike as usual. Giants QB Eli Manning left the game late with a bruised heel, but will most likely play Sunday against Oakland. Soft-serve portion of NY's schedule as well, apparently.
New England 27, Baltimore 21
Couple of top-tier AFC squads right here. Told you the Pats aren't done. Exciting game. These are a couple of playoff teams, in all likelihood. Would love to see an AFC Playoff rematch with these two. If so, it could go either way, that's for sure.
Washington 16, Tampa Bay 13
This is just sad. Sad that the Redskins barely beat a winless and horrible Tampa team a week after losing to the Lions; sad that Tampa Bay just can't get it together; sad that this game had to be played at all; and sad for anyone who picked the 'Skins to cover the spread. There is no lesson here, friends. Just pick up the pieces and forge onward.
Jacksonville 37, Tennessee 17
This was surprising to me. Maybe Tennessee doesn't have the chops that everyone seemed to think. Conversely, Jacksonville put together a complete effort for once. I guess Jack Del Rio was actually paying attention. Does anyone else think his sideline demeanor though is usually more like ... 'Hmm, what do I feel like eating after the game' as opposed to 'Come on, let's get this first down, let's make this defensive stop!'
Houston 29, Oakland 6
Oakland is another team that's been getting a little too much credit for their 'potential.' A 23-point loss to the Houston frigging Texans equals 'potential-fail.' See www.failblog.org for many hilarious failures in everyday life.
New Orleans 24, NY Jets 10
Here's the matchup that had everyone licking their chops this past weekend. The. Saints. Are. For. Real. Can't make the swiss-cheese defense jokes any more. Scary good team right now. The Jets are still a quality team too. Not easy to win in the Superdome this year though, by any stretch of the imagination. Both of these teams will only continue to get better, also. Possible Super Bowl rematch? Yeah, probably a stretch, but stranger things have happened in the sporting world, to be sure.
Miami 38, Buffalo 10
Oof. This feels like a game that shouldn't have been this one-sided. Buffalo couldn't do jack in this matchup. I see Miami doing this consistently though - laying eggs where they shouldn't and beating the bejesus out of teams that won't earn them much credibility.
San Francisco 35, St. Louis 0
How about those gold-diggin' 49ers, eh? Yeah, they play in an awful division, but they still feel like a quality team to me. I mean, give them the NFC West crown right now, basically. Playoffs are a different ball of wax. Nice success story for the 2009 season, but don't expect them to make it past the second round.
Denver 17, Dallas 10
Out of the remaining unbeatens (Minnesota, NY Giants, Saints, Colts, Denver), the Broncos feel the most like the team that shouldn't be here. But their formula works - smart football, a steady defense and an offense that doesn't force bad plays or hand the ball over to the defense. People will continue to ignore and/or underestimate these guys as the season pushes on, which may be a mistake.
Pittsburgh 38, San Diego 28
Lots of high-flying antics in this one. The Steelers got back on track after that disappointing loss to the Bengals. Watching this game reminded you why Pittsburgh is the defending champs. When they're on their game, still one of the best. San Diego, at 2-2, is still quite good, but that defense has to saddle up if they want to do anything in the long run (allowing an average of 28 points per game).
Minnesota 30, Green Bay 23
Everyone has been waiting for this one, right? Favre against the franchise that made him who he is? He was completely stoic on the field in the postgame interview with Michele Tafoya. He looked like he'd rather be stuck at a NAMBLA convention until Michele loosened him up with an 'almost-40' joke. Well anyway, the Vikings have a good team, there's no question about that. There's also no question that this team is undoubtedly, unequivocally and irrevocably 100 times better with Favre at QB than any of their other existing options. The old man can still fire a goddamn football, that much is true. The NFC Playoffs could be wildly entertaining this year with the likes of the Vikes, Giants, Saints, Niners and whoever else emerges in the NFC East (Eagles, Cowboys, etc.).
Okay, so it wasn't THAT quick. But ... like Simply Red said so many years ago .... If you don't know me by NOOOOWWWW .... you will never ever ever know me ..... then some ooh-ing and stuff.
Til next time, you delicious zealots.
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