8 Weeks of NFL Action

Here we are half-way through the NFL season, and it's time to answer some questions.

MVP:
Tom Brady - There is just NO way that it could be anybody else. I don't need to gush anymore about Brady because his stats say everything. He's on pace to have the greatest statistical quarterbacking season in the HISTORY of the NFL. If he can keep this up, we will look back and ask ourselves if this season really happened.

Randy Moss - Sure, all he does is run down the field and catch those beautifully thrown balls from Brady, but Brady wouldn't be the same without him. Wherever Randy goes he is always a top talent. He's been great with Randall Cunningham, Cullpepper, Aaron Brooks, and now Tom Brady. Brady has never put up great stats like this before Moss arrived, but now that he has the best receiver in the NFL, things have changed. Just imagine what the Packers would look like right now if they had Moss. Or the Cowboys. Or the Chargers. Or the Colts. Or anybody in the league who would have had the marbles to trade a FOURTH round pick for the guy.

Brett Favre - What an amazing ride this guy has taken Packer's fans on for the last 10+ years. Everybody wrote him off, and despite not getting Moss, he has taken a .500 team and turned them into a potential home field advantage, first round bye caliber team (in the NFC). I don't care what his numbers are because all he is doing is win games. Much like Vince Young, so much of what he does will never show up on the stat sheet, but golly, it's fun having Brett Favre in the NFL...unless your name is Aaron Rogers.

Offensive Player of the First Half:
See Brady, Tom. But let's give some credit to the other guys in the NFL. Big ups to Braylon Edwards (seriously), Derek Anderson (the Cleveland Browns quarterback), Adrian Peterson (you think he'd still go 7th?), Tony Romo (minus the Bills game), T.J. Houshmandzadeh (the Bengals have actually thought about trading Ocho Cinco), and Ronnie Brown (prior to his season ending surgery).

Defensive Player of the First Half:
Mike Vrabel- I know what you're saying. What a freakin' New England Patriots homer. Yes, but name me another played with better stats right now. 42 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles and an overall monster for the Patriots D. Maybe he's a good player in a great system, but his stats are top notch right now.

Trent Cole- Trent Cole? That's right. Why? With 38 tackles, 9 sacks (leads the league) and 2 forced fumbles, Cole is wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks. He was an absolute steal in the 5th round and is helping a wounded Eagles team stay alive in the NFC.

Elvis Dumervil- He currently has 6 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and an interception. He makes all the plays on the line for the Broncos.

Barrett Ruud- The man who makes all the tackles for that lovely Tampa 2 defense.

Champ Bailey - He should win this award every year for the way he changes every game he plays, but I can't give an award to a guy who has less interceptions than Junior Seau.

Most Surprising (Good) of the First Half:
Willis McGahee - 3rd in the league in rushing yards and has a solid 4.4 yards per carry.

The Cleveland Browns - Derek Anderson is 2nd in the league in TD passes. Braylon Edwards has turned into a man beast and is currently on pace for an 18 TD season. Maybe they are overachieving, but imagine if this team somehow wins enough games to go the playoffs.

Brett Favre - 4 more years! 4 more years!

The Buffalo Bills - I know they are 3-4 and that's neither surprising or good, but this is a team that lost to Denver and Dallas by a single point on game winning field goals. If this team was getting any breaks this season, they would be 5-2, with losses to Pittsburgh and New England, and would sitting in the final playoff spot in the AFC.

Most Disappointing of the First Half:
Vince Young- At least Michael Vick looked like he could pass once in a while. The Madden Curse continues.

Matt Leinart- Most CFL ready quarterback to come out of the draft in a long time. Maybe he should spend more time practicing with Archie in the backyard.

The Running Backs (Steven Jackson, Larry Johnson, Laurence Marroney, Frank Gore, Thomas Jones) - For whatever reasons, these guys have been duds this year, and you know, because you drafted them for your fantasy team and now you are relying on Earnest Grahm and Kenny Watson.

The NFC West - Looked like it could be an up year for this division with a good team (Seattle), a great offensive team (St. Louis) and 2 teams ready for their closeups (Arizona and San Fran), but golly, these teams stink.


But forget all this and enjoy the second half of the season where anythings possible. Except for the Patriots not winning the AFC East crown.

Running up the score rules

I agree with the previous post, to a point. The only difference between the Pats and that Eagles game is that by the end of the game the Eagles had the practice squad in, and they were still scoring. But everyone who's whining about the Pats, saying that they lack class and professionalism, is a big baby. The Pats have been the epitome of professionalism over the past several years and as to class, this is the big leagues. If you can't stop a team and they roll all over you, then you deserve what you get. The only thing that the media is bawling about that I agree with is the way that Belichick is exposing Brady. At some point a team is going to make it their goal to smash him, whether it's with bringing 12 guys on a blitz or a blatant foul or whatever. Without Brady that team doesn't run the same way or win the same way, and if I were a Pats fan I'd have a problem with it.

I'll pay someone $20 to slap Skip Bayless in the face, $50 if they get a picture.

Just wondering

How come everybody freaks out about the Patriots running up the score, but nobody said anything when the Eagles beat the Lions 56-21? Should the Patriots be punished because they are able to do it every week while other teams can't? I don't know, just stuff I think about at night.

E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!

Boston fans should be counting their blessings, because this is a once-in-a-lifetime convergence of awesome teams. You will never have it so good again. At least I have the Flyers, who this afternoon will tool on your Bruins and make me fall in love all over again.

Quick World Series note, I'm thinking Dice is good for at least six earned runs tonight. I think Terry's going to let him pitch and try to work out of jams and that the Rockies will blow him out. Then tomorrow everything will return to normal and the Sox will win the series.

The Eagles will win tomorrow. That's all I'm going to say about that.

Just Pondering

Which ratio will be better?
Josh Beckett's Playoff Strike Out-to- Walk ratio?
or
Tom Brady's Touchdown-to-Interception Ratio?
(Isn't it great to be a Boston Sports Fan?)

Whose #1?

Lately, the only conversation I hear around football is the search for the best team in the league. More specifically, who is better, the New England Patriots or the Indianapolis Colts? People from each side have great reasons for their decisions, but the honest truth is that those teams are in a dead heat. Neither team is better than the other, and if they are, it's by the slightest margin. Even if one team dominates the other come November 4th, it won't matter, because the real game won't come until they meet again in the AFC championship game.

The big thing I keep hearing that the Colts are the better team because they are the defending champs and they have played and beaten better teams than the Patriots. I can basically agree with both statements, but I don't think you can dock the Patriots, who don't create their own schedule, for beating the teams they've been asked to beat. And really, look at who these teams have played. The Colts have beaten the Saints, Titans, Texans, Broncos, Bucs and Jaguars. The Patriots have beaten the Jets, Chargers, Bills, Bengals, Browns, Cowboys and Dolphins. Looking at who each team has beaten, both have 3 or 4 quality wins in my mind and both got lucky by playing good teams (i.e. Saints and Chargers) before they got things relatively back on track. Both teams have won 3 games against divisional opponents and both have beaten good NFC teams.

The truth of the matter, is that if both teams win this week and we get an amazing undefeated match-up in Week 9, whichever team comes out victorious has a great chance to go for a perfect season. We should all just forget the talk about who the better team is and be more impressed at how great these teams have been for so long. It's easy to overlook these two juggernauts because they have been SO good for SO long, but don't forget to look around the league and see how hard it is to be good year after year in the NFL. That means you, Philly, Chicago, San Deigo, New York, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Dallas, Baltimore, New Orleans, Seattle and everybody else who follows a 12 win season with a 5 win stink bomb.

Wacky World Series

This is the first World Series in a little while that I'm actually interested in. As a sports fan I was interested in '04, you pretty much had to be, but it seemed like a series that was decided before it started. I didn't think the Cardinals had a chance and the games were a series of anti-climaxes. This series on the other hand? It's only the most intriguing baseball match-up in a long time.

First, there's the Colorado Rockies. It's really hard to know what to expect from this team, because you can't set the bar too high or too low. On one hand, they're practically the hottest team ever, on a nigh unprecedented winning streak. They looked like they'd never lose in the first two rounds, to the point that Kaz Matsui is driving in runs like he's Ted Williams. They're playing unbelievably well and so it'd be fair to expect them to have a heck of a series. On the other hand, they're the ultimate "happy to be here" team. Nobody expected anything from them when the season started, or at the All-Star break, or even when they made it into the playoffs. If they lose, they're still a great story and one of the best Cinderella stories of recent times. If I were a Rockies fan, I'd have no idea where to set my level of expectation. Add to this the fact that while they have been scorching hot, they've had nine days off. This team has basically no history, so who can say how they'll react after that kind of break?

Then there's the Sox. Rolled through the regular season, with some bumps here and there, but clearly an elite team and one of the best in baseball. They do have some holes and some warts and because they've been analyzed to death we know them all. Nonetheless, on paper they're clearly the more established, more experienced, and more talented team. However, this series is potentially a terrible match-up. Sure they've got number one stud Josh Beckett at home to open. But during the regular season the Rockies hung six runs on him (the most he gave up all year), at home, and chased him out of the game. Sure they've got better 1-4 pitchers on paper. But Dice (playoff shaky) and Wakefield are due up at Coors field and they both rely on movement in their pitches. Altitude+breaking balls=sadness, see Mike Hampton. Note: what I said about Wakefield no longer applies, since they're starting Lester. If he's 100% that's a great move, way to go Terry.

Finally, there's the question of who's got the better home field advantage. Fenway's going to be rocking and rolling and there's no better place to start a series if you're the home team. Once again though, the Rockies can answer. There's already the altitude, and then add in the fact that due to unseasonably warm temperatures on the East coast the Sox will go from playing in mild 65 degree nights to a nasty 30-33. If you're a Sox fan and saw that Sunday night game between the Broncos and Steelers and saw the snow, you'll be nervous.

I don't have a prediction, but I'm watching every game of this one. It should be stellar.

If I could have your attention

Tom Brady is currently on pace to have the greatest passing season in the history of the NFL, but before we go too far, let's give it up for Clinton Hart of the San Diego Chargers and Leon Hall of the Cincinnati Bengals who together account for the only 2 blemishes Brady has from his current season, his 2 INT's. Congratulations guys!

Not so fast Boston...

I would like to congratulate the Red Sox on their amazing comeback. Sure, it wasn't 2004, but coming back from 3-1 is still a feat. The past 3 games everybody but Manny and Papi have been hitting and the pitching has been great.
But don't get to excited Boston, least you forgot that the Rockies have won 21 of 22. In the post season they have a team ERA of 2.08. 3 out of there 4 starters have an ERA under 2.13 in the post season, including Ubaldo Jimenez (2 starts, 1.59 ERA, and I can't wait to hear McCarver attempt to pronounce his name). Manny Corpas, their post season closer, has an ERA of 1.13.
As for the bats, Matt Holliday leads the NL in playoff home runs, and the top 3 post season RBI men are all from the Rockies. (Kaz Matsui, Yorvit Torrealba, Holliday)
But the real X-factor in this series in Coors Field. You think Ortiz looks tried when he get a double in Fenway, imagine him running to first a mile above sea level. If he hits a triple in Denver they might need to bring out the oxygen.

Two Worlds Collide

As a Massachusetts transplant currently residing in Ohio, it's been tough to stay out of harm's way when it comes to sports. I've also been amazed out how my home land and this new, foreign land are currently pitted against each other in every real sporting event.

For starters, the Red Sox and Indians are about to play a Game 7 tonight to decide who goes to the World Series to get swept by the Rockies. As a Sox fan, I've been tried to stay quiet and away from the arguments...but there's not avoiding it. And it's a tough place to be because hey, Cleveland deserves a winner and all my teams in Boston do is win, so I don't specifically NEED another champion, but gosh, I'd sure enjoy it. Cleveland fans? They keep telling me this team is better than the '75 squad and make references to teams long since passed. They seem to be dying for a championship, but it's getting ugly out there.

Ohio State is currently #1 in the BCS rankings, but guess whose creeping up behind them? That's right, Boston College. Now I'm not a Boston College fan, never have been, never will be, but they are from my home and they are looking to stay undefeated and catch those pesky Buckeyes. I just find it amazing that those two happen to be the top teams in the country.

I'd like to say something about the Patriots/Browns rivalry here, or even the Patriots/Bengals, but good golly the Browns and Bengals had it handed to them this year by the Patriots, but who hasn't that happened to?

Finally, the Cavs and the Celtics. Now this is something that has been strange for all New England sports fans, a relevant Celtics team. This hasn't happened since Antoine Walker was under 300 pounds and Paul Peirce was playing hard til the last minute of the last game every season. While some people may think I'm crazy for saying the Celtics are the best team in the East, but really, who can stop them? The Pistons are half of what they used to be, the Cavs have LBJ and they over performed last year and everybody forgets that right now, Varajeo and Pavlovic aren't even on the team and are light years apart in contract negotiations, and the only other relevant team in the East are the Bulls and Raptors who, while good, haven't yet proven that they can do enough to stop KG, Pierce or Ray Allen, let alone all 3 combined...but that's a different story.

All in all, I love sports. Go Sox. Go Pats. Go Celts. (Go BC?)

Eagles

I realize that I'm going to get laughed out of the building for this, but the Eagles have a legitimate shot in the NFC this year. I know they're 2-3, but they haven't played their best football yet:
-McNabb is coming off of a mega-injury, again, and hasn't quite shaken the rust off or adjusted to his new lack of mobility. He's got to learn to be shifty in the pocket, more like a Brady, instead of trying to run around outside of the pocket to make plays.
-The defense has played well, way better then folks around the league have realized. The most points that they've surrendered were the 21 against the Lions, and those were meaningless blowout points. They're in the top ten in every major defensive catagory, including fifth in total yards surrendered and fifth in points against, and that's with being on the field too much (that'll come up again in my next point). This is all with half of their starting secondary, as they're missing arguably their best defensive player (Brian Dawkins) and their best CB (Lito Sheppard). Once those guys come back, look out.
-The offense has sputtered, but that can at least partially be attributed to poor coaching. If this team were coached by Bill Cowher (Note to the Eagles front office: fire Andy Reid and hire Bill Cowher) then they'd be way better. The Eagles have a great tandem of backs in Westbrook and Buckhalter and a great defense. Why they don't run a ton and grind teams down is totally beyond me. Their play action is already outstanding, they already run a ton of screens, and running more would make both of those things more effective. This would make their red zone offense better too, because Lord knows right now it stinks. The coaching deserves it's own paragraph though.
-I'm done with Andy Reid. There, I said it. The man has his strengths, there's no doubt about it. He's got the gift for brainwashing teams into running with his program, hanging together and all toeing the party line. In that way he's on par with Belichick and it's a good thing. Bringing a ton of ego-maniacal professional athletes together and making them into a real, cohesive unit is a skill and a gift and Andy's great at it. He's also (with a few exceptions) a very good draft guy and a great developer of young talent. The Eagles are loaded with home-grown talent, and considering they've been drafting towards the back end of every first round for a while that's saying something. So yes, Andy Reid has good points. But he's grown increasingly shaky during the game, and that's a problem.
The guy's totally committed to running his style of offense, and I (and every other Philly fan) am tired of it. It's terrible on third down, due to A. throwing on third and short instead of just running and B. on third and long always running a pass pattern that involves running up and in towards the middle of the field three yards short of the marker, catching the ball and getting immediately tackled a two yards short. This has happened what feels like 20 times every game this season; third and long, quick in by Curtis/any TE/Westbrook, tackled just short of the first down. Shoot me. Andy's offense is also insane in the red zone. They'll march down the field, get to the 30 yard line, and then run lame pass plays until they go 3 and out to make it a long field goal. Honestly, just run the damn ball. We're begging you. Finally, Andy's track record shows that the bigger the game, the worse he coaches. I don't know what it is, but his playoff coaching over the years has been really shoddy. The Eagles under Reid will roll through the regular season, roll through the playoffs, and then crap out in the big game. For a while they would crap out in the NFC title game, but I think Andy sensed that if he kept doing that he was going to get murdered, so we got to a Superbowl. Then, right on cue, the Eagles crapped the bed. And I'm not taking anything away from the Pats, they outplayed the Eagles and won fair and square. But I watched the team for that whole season and they just didn't bring the A game, like they never do when it counts. In my eyes, that's the coach's fault.
I think eventually every fan base (that's not in Pittsburgh) just runs out of patience with any given head coach. Philly is there now, and it's not pretty.

Getting back to my point, the Eagles can make waves if they perk up. I mean look at the NFC: Green Bay is playing way over their heads and at some point the lack of a solid running game is going to hurt them. Dallas is pretty good, I hate them and they suck but they're pretty good. After that there's Tampa Bay with their aging quarterback and defense and broken RBs, Carolina with no quarterback at all, and the Giants who specialize at coming out hot and fading in the second half of the season. If the Eagles get it together, they're right back in it. So Chicago fans had better brace themselves because unless Devin Hester can play every position simultaneously (and he's almost that fast) the Bears are going to get a beating Sunday.

Putting the Patriots in Perspective

By now, I'm sure you've heard all the praises in the world for the Patriots, but all of them are meaningless unless the Patriots a) win the AFC East and b) win the Super Bowl. Nothing else matters in the game of football. So I wondered, with how great the Patriots are playing, and how terrible the rest of the division is playing, how soon could the Patriots clinch the division?

Right now, the official standings look like this.

AFC EAST	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STRK	DIV	CONF
New England	6	0	0	1.000	230	92	Won 6	2-0	5-0
Buffalo	1	4	0	.200	65	118	Lost 1	1-1	1-3
NY Jets	1	5	0	.167	105	154	Lost 3	1-2	1-3
Miami	0	6	0	.000	128	182	Lost 6	0-1	0-4

The Patriots are currently 5 games ahead of the Bills and Jets with 10 games remaining. Now here come all the big if's...

IF: The Patriots win their next 3 games (at Miami, home versus Washington, at Indy), then the Patriots would be 9-0 heading into their Week 10 bye.

IF: The Dolphins lose their next 2 games (home versus New England, home versus the Giants), then they will be 0-8 heading into their Week 9 bye.

IF: The Jets lose their next 3 games (at Cincinnati, home versus Buffalo, home versus Washington), then they will be 2-7 heading into their Week 10 bye.

IF: The Bills lose 2 of their next 3 games (BYE week followed by a loss at home versus Baltimore, win at the Jets, loss at home against Cincinnati) then they would be 2-6 heading into Week 10.

Thus, the division would look like this after 9 weeks.

AFC EAST	W	L	T
New England	9	0	0
Buffalo	2	6	0
NY Jets	2	7	0
Miami	0	8	0

The Patriots would then be 7 games up with 7 games to go. Now, the Patriots are statistically unable to clinch the division if all goes as planned above while watching the Week 10 games from their couch(but only because their division record would not yet guarantee them the division), but they play the Bills in Week 11 and if they win that game, they will clinch the division on November, 18th. Now I know there are a lot of if's in all this, but the truth is that it could happen. Oh, and the current earliest clinching of the division happen in the year 2004 and was done by the Philadelphia Eagles and we all know how far they went that season.

Playoffs, hockey, etc.

-It kills me that the Phils lost, and I never thought they'd get swept, but it's starting to look like the Rockies are coming out of the NL like a hurricane. I know it's a little late to make a prediction, since the Rockies won last night, but if I'd made one before the series I would've picked Colorado. They looked amazing beating the Phils, with good pitching, timely hitting, and great defense. Are they good enough to beat the Indians or Sox? Probably not. But I wouldn't look past them, they're scorching hot.

-I may be the only one who cares anymore, but hockey started up again and can I get a hand for the new-look Philadelphia Flyers? Danny (don't-call-me-Daniel) Briere is playing like a man, the defense and goaltending look solid, and I'm pumped for hockey. I mean in reference to what other sport would they say on talk radio, "when you get frustrated with a guy you should really just grab him and punch him in the side of the head a few times. Going after him with your stick is crossing the line." Good times.

-I don't know if any other NFL sites have these, but I love it:

Let's go Phils!!

I'll start off by acknowledging a few things. One, I'm a huge homer. I love the Phillies and I always have; they were my first true sports love. So this isn't going to be unbiased, and you shouldn't be surprised. With that being said, number 2 is that I'm not going to jinx them by predicting quick and easy victories up to and including the World Series. I'm merely going to lay out a couple of reasons that the Phils might be the best team in the NL side of the playoffs:

1. Their regular season record doesn't reflect how good they are. They lost key players for months at a time, and that definitely slowed them down at times. It affected the offense in particular:
Chase Utley was lost for 28 games because of a broken hand, and at the time he was the hottest hitter in the league not named ARod.
Ryan Howard was out 17 games, not consecutively, in the months of April and May and when he wasn't hurt he was day to day. Despite the two wasted months, he still ended up second in the National League in both homers and RBIs (third and fourth overall).
Shane Victorino, the Flyin Hawaian and key top of the order guy, missed 30 games in August and September. Still ended up with 78 runs scored and 37 stolen bases.

What's impressive to me, and what should scare other teams, is that with all of that time missed by those key guys the Phillies ended up with the second best offense in baseball. Yikes.

Injuries affected the pitching staff as well:
Cole Hamels, future Hall of famer and husband of a hot ex-Survivor contestant, missed 30 games with a strained elbow. That derailed a potential Cy Young season.
Jon Lieber, dependable middle of the rotation guy, was in and out with an oblique injury before finally going on the DL for good on June 23.
Freddy Garcia, now officially "The biggest free-agent disappintment ever," pitched in 11 games total, compiling a horrendous 5.89 ERA, before heading to the DL for good on June 9. The fans of Philadelphia will be happy to see him go, and wish TBFADE luck elsewhere. Far, far, far away from us.
Brett Myers, stud starter turned lights-out closer, missed 55 (count 'em, 55) games with a strained right shoulder. This is probably because our knucklehead manager (love ya Chuck) threw him into approximately 2,000 games in a row when he was used to having 4 days in between appearences.

And I'm not even going to go into the games missed by everybody else on both sides of the ball, because I think I've made my point. Still, what's more important then who got hurt and when is that they're all healthy now. We've got a healthy and complete team, on the field and on the mound, for basically the first time all season. That's gotta count for something.

2. MVP candidate Mr. James Calvin Rollins. The man is having one of the best statistical seasons by a shortstop ever. He's the first shortstop in 34 years to start all 162 games; he set modern NL records for runs scored (139) and extra base hits (88) and blew away the record for at bats (716); he became the fourth player in baseball history to join the 20-20-20-20 club (stolen bases, doubles, triples, and homers); and he plays Gold Glove caliber defense. Finally, he has amazing mental toughness that he acquired after overcoming his difficult childhood as both a white boy and chainsaw killer. Ok, I made that last one up.

3. Just to say it again, the offense is frightening. There's no rest for a weary pitcher with this bunch. They've got the two guys to set the table on top, a series of sluggers in the middle, and tough outs at the end. They can score any way you please: you like manufactured runs? Sunday, Jimmy Rollins singled, stole second, stole third, and then was sacrificed home. That kind of thing happens a lot. You like power? Even as I write this, Pat the Bat and Aaron Rowand went back to back in the fifth. And they're not even the two best power hitters on the team. Finally, not only can they kill you with speed and power, but they'll wear you out. To steal a note from the Sports guy, they've got two guys in the top three in pitches per at bat in the NL, and 5 in the top 43.

Their ability to score runs in bunches is what allowed them to stage the most comeback wins in baseball, and it means you can't ever count them out. In the two decisive series against the Mutts, they made former All-Star Billy Wagner look very sad more then once. It was delicious.

4. The pitching isn't half bad. It might not be half good, but it's not half bad. The top of the rotation is good enough, with ace Cole Hamels, rookie sensation Kyle Kendrick, the surprising Kyle Lohse, and the timeless wonder who is Jamie Moyer. The bullpen has been pretty good of late, and the shorter playoff roster makes them look better. The Phils are in trouble when the bullpen gets stretched, and since apparently MLB is determined to make the playoffs last for a calandar year the pitchers should all get plenty of rest. Also, keep an eye on new closer Brett Meyers. He needed to get adjusted to being in the bullpen but now that he has, he's been lights out. He mixes a live fastball and a filthy curveball and he locks down the end of the game.

4. Inasmuch as we take a lot of flak, the Phillies fans are some of the best in the game. The atmosphere during home games is electric and we only get louder as the game goes on. We're also the most genial in the area; Eagles fans are crazy, Flyers fans are crazier, Soul fans are crazy and stupid, and Sixers fans are always drunk. I don't think anybody's ever felt threatened at a Phillies game while wearing the other team's jersey and that's rare in this town. You'll be hard pressed to find fans that more desperately need something to cheer for and that means the amp will be turned to 11 for every home game.

Quick side note: I'd appreciate it if columnists would stop taking lazy and cheap shots at Philly fans. I think everyone in the country knows by now that we don't mind booing, and that we booed Santa Clause, and that we cheered when Michael Irvin got carted off the field. But let's be honest here: If your team is stuck in a rut, and the management stinks, and the coach stinks, and the players stink, and all they do is lose, would you be placated by a lame Santa Clause? I don't think so. And at the time, we weren't the only ones who hated Michael Irvin. Everyone hated Michael Irvin. Plus, there was no way to know that his career was over. We probably wouldn't have cheered if we'd known that, we'd just have quietly clapped. So give it a rest guys, will ya?

Those are the best reasons that the Phillies could make a deep run. TBS doesn't want me to see any of it, scheduling the games at 3 in the afternoon and 9 or 10 at night. Nonetheless, I'll watch as much as I can and cheer on the inside. Let's go Phils!!!

October is upon us!

The MLB playoffs start tonight and I'm glad because there are few things as wonderful as playoff baseball, that is, as long as the White Sox and Astros aren't involved. So here we go, time to make some picks.

AL:
Red Sox vs. Angels

Andrew - I'm taking the Red Sox in 4 games. I think one of the Angels pitchers will steal a game but overall, the Sox are just too good a team to lose in the first round. Red Sox in 4.

jb - The Red Sox have too much starting pitching and offense to lose to the Angels. The only thing that scares me about this series is the Red Sox bullpen, which was brutual down the strech. If Gagne has to pitch in too many close games the Sox will lose, but it probably won't come to that. Red Sox in 3.

JN- I like the Sox in 5. I think this is going to be a really good series, because both teams have a nasty short series rotation and a stud closer, but I give the Sox the offensive edge.

Yankees vs. Indians

Andrew - Living in Ohio, Indian fever is all over the place, and its not the feeling you get after eating curry. This series is the ultimate team vs. talent match-up and I see the team pulling this one out. Indians in 5.

jb - This is an intriguing series. The Indians are a feel good story, young, easy to like players with some great pitching. While the Yankees have one the best offenses ever assembled. I love to hate the Yankees, but they're better than Cleveland and will win the series. Yankees in 4.

JN- Now is the time that knowing something about the AL would be good. Cleveland is so hot right now, with great young pitchers and hitters and a potential Cy Young winner. On the other hand, a short series will hide the Yankees' pitching flaws and they have a definite MVP winner. Ultimately, I'm tired of people forgetting that the Phillies wear pinstripes too because the Yanks somehow claimed them, so Indians in 5.

NL:
Cubs vs. Diamondbacks

Andrew - The Red Sox and White Sox have given their fans reason to live, and the Cubs will give their fans something to cheer about this year...at least in the first round. Soriano and Zambrano make their millions and the Cubs win in 4.

jb - I see this as the emotional series, I'm predicting a brawl somehow involving Zambrano. Trust me, it'll happen. The Diamandbacks will prove to be heartbreakers to the Cubs faithful. Diamondbacks in 5.

JN- It's way too hard for me to like a Cubs team that finally pulled out of a wretched NL Central. That's like being proud of being the skinniest kid at fat camp; impressive while you're there, but when you step out into the world you're still a 200 pound 12 year old. A scrappy Arizona team in 4.

Rockies vs. Phillies

Andrew - I love both these teams so its hard to choose. Do I take the team with the better talent (Philly) or the team with the amazing hot streak coming into the playoffs (Rockies)? I'm taking the Phillies because even if Ryan Howard strikes out 3 times a game, it only takes him 1 swing to change the game. Phillies in 5.

jb - The Rockies will probably have a "We're just happy to be here" attitude. Sure Matt Holliday is amazing, but besides him who else is (okay, fine, I'll give you the shortstop, but you don't know his name, you just know that he's a ROY canidate). The Phillies on the other hand have Rollins, Howard, and Utley with Hamels starting Game 1. You can't name the Rockies first game starter. Philies in 3.

JN- Let the bias flow. I could literally write 10,000 words about this series, and I probably will. But in another post. It's going to be a dynamite series no matter who wins, because these are arguably the two hottest teams in baseball and they're gonna give a great show. Nonetheless, the Phils are loaded for bear and looking to show the world what they're made of: Phils in 4.

That was last year?

I know a lot of media types have already looked at the top teams from last year and how they've fared so fare this year, but I need to look at it again because it continues to boggle my mind.

AFC playoff teams:
San Diego Chargers - 2006: 2- 2007: 1-3
Baltimore Ravens - 2006: 4-0 2007: 2-2
Indianapolis Colts - 2006: 4-0 2007: 4-0
New England Patriots - 2006: 3-1 2007: 4-0
New York Jets - 2006: 2-2 2007: 1-3
Kansas City Chiefs - 2006: 2-2 2007: 2-2

2006 Overall: 17-6
2007 Overall: 14-10

NFC playoff teams:
Chicago Bears - 2006: 4-0 2007: 1-3
New Orleans Saints - 2006: 3-1 2007: 0-3
Philadelphia Eagles - 2006: 3-1 2007: 1-3
Seattle Seahawks - 2006: 3-1 2007: 3-1
Dallas Cowboys - 2006: 2-2 2007: 4-0
New York Giants - 2006: 2-2 2007: 2-2

2006 Overall: 17-7
2007 Overall: 11-12

What a difference a year makes...

papelbon in tights

When the Red Sox finally clinched there first division title since 1995 they celebrated by dousing each other and their fans with champagne and beer, and Jonathan Papelbon decided to wear tights.

On a completely different note, goggles have changed the face of baseball celebrations over the past few years. This reminds me of the time that Orlando Carbera allegedly wore goggles on the field in the 9th inning of Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS.