NFL Picks Week 4

Last week I had a record of 9-7 in my NFL picks. I WILL beat that mark this week. I will bet my fourth string running back in my fantasy league on that.

Oh and the picture is what I will be doing tonight at Oktoberfest. I normally do not like blondes, and they do not like me, but the one pictured better be there! Das Boot!

Picks:

Houston Texans @ Atlanta Falcons - Matt Schaub is going to make Bobby Petrino cry due to the fact that they let that guy go. Petrino now has Joey Harrington. Houston.

New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills - Bills without starting quarterback J.P. Losman means I have no backup QB in my fantasy league, that was a great pick up. New York.

Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns - I like the story within about Jamal Lewis facing his former team, but the Ravens defense will not allow the Browns to win this game. Baltimore.

St. Louis Rams @ Dallas Cowboys - I have a lot of friends and family that are Rams fans, but I am sorry guys, the Cowboys win big. Dallas.

Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions - This is a tough one because I like the Bears defense and love the Lions offense. But Rex Grossman has been benched meaning Brian Griese gets the start and might he better find Berrian in the end zone five times. Chicago. (I wanted to take the Lions, but I think the QB change will spark the Bears on Sunday)

Oakland Raiders @ Miami Dolphins - Another game in which a QB returns to play his former squad. Dante Culpepper will start on Sunday against his old team. Ronnie Brown will get 39 yards, and I will curse the world. Oakland.

Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings - Brett Favre is looking to break Dan Marino's touchdown record. He will get it in this game, and he will be damned if his team loses in the game he does it. I think his team would agree with that statement. Green Bay.

Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers - Both teams are 2-1 on the season going into this divisional matchup. I like 49ers RB Frank Gore at home but I also like Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck. I like the home team. San Francisco.

Tampa Bay Bucs @ Carolina Panthers - Another divisional matchup between 2-1 teams. Bucs QB better have 3+ TDs because I picked him up to start this week (instead of bum JP Losman). Carolina.

Denver Broncos @ Indianapolis Colts - Colts at home? Goodnight now. Colts RB Joseph Addai showing why they chose to give him the solo role of RB this year. Indianapolis.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Arizona Cardinals - Ugh life is rough for our pretty Matt Leinart. I am glad he soiled his oats at USC because games like this Sunday are not fun. Troy Polamalu is coming after you Leinart! Pittsburgh.

Kansas City Chiefs @ San Diego Chargers - Chargers coach Norv Turner will give LaDanian Tomlinson the ball plenty this game and the Bolts will benefit. San Diego.

Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants - This will be a shoot out like the Giants-Cowboys game in week one. Donovan McNabb will light up the scoreboard against the Giants like he did the Lions last week. Philadelphia.

New England Patriots @ Cincinnati Bengals - Both teams have the offense to put up the points, but the Patriots defense will be the difference in this one. Laurence Maroney better have a big day because my fantasy team is slipping fast. New England.

May your Sunday be the best day of your week.

National League Craziness

Willie Randolph what is going on? If you did not know, Randolph is the manager of the New York Mets, and his squad is about to be on the "worst collapse ever" list.

Thanks to the Mets, my dream of the Phillie Phanatic making it to the playoffs is alive and kicking. Last night the Mets lost of course, and the Phillies won, bring them into a tie in the NL East division. It also created more drama for the NL wild card race.

San Diego still holds the lead in the wild card chase, but is now being chased by three teams! Philadephia, Colorado, and New York are all a game behind San Diego for the wild card. And San Diego trails the Diamondbacks by one game in the NL West. The D-Backs are lucky enough to face the hottest team in the majors, the Rockies.

It is going to go down to the final day indeed.

The Cubs have a two game lead in the NL Central and I can guarantee that they will win the division. The Milwaukee Brewers are chasing the Cubs, but will face San Diego to end this weekend. They are going to beat themselves out of the playoffs.

This is what is going to happen... D-Backs win the NL West, Cubs win the NL Central, Phillies win the NL East, and Colorado gets the wild card. Can that happen? Yes, because I said so.

Anyone that wants to get me a ticket to Chicago is more than welcome to... I need a Chicago dog, bad. Da Vienerschnitzel just will not cut it.

Oh and the AL teams are fighting for the best record. The Yankees and Angels are two games behind the Indians and Red Sox for the best record. It is probably going to stay that way. Yanks are going to Cleveland, and the Angels are going to Chowder-town.

Ugh Boston fans.

Oh Snap!

That was Hope Solo following the 4-0 United States World Cup loss to Brazil in today's game. Solo had been replaced by veteran Brianna Scurry even though she had started each game this World Cup.

"It's not 2004 anymore..."

I love that line by Solo. I wish she had pulled this rant before they lost today, although that would mean not being a "team" player.

But she is right. Scurry may have been good in the past, but that is exactly what it was, the past. Lets compare it to baseball playoff pitching matchups:

That is like Terry Francona of the Boston Red Sox starting Curt Schilling in game 1 of the ALDS because, "he has been there before," even though he has a possible 21-game winner and possible Cy Young pitcher in Josh Beckett wanting to pitch.

U.S. head coach Greg Ryan started Solo the whole World Cup for a reason: because she is the now, and the future of U.S. women's soccer. I guess he just had a brain fart... in the SEMIFINALS!

I say Ryan starts Scurry in the third place game against Norway; there is no way Solo wants to play for that ugly bronze.
The force was with her.

Ryan was Uncle Owen and Solo was Luke Skywalker:
Uncle Owen - "Take these two over to the garage, will you, I want them cleaned up before dinner."
Luke Skywalker - "But, I was going into Tosche Station to pick up some power converters."
Owen - "You can waste time with your friends when your chores are done."

NFL picks coming today.

MLB Races (Mostly NL)

Most of the divisions have been clinched in the American League (Boston's magic number is two going into today, with them holding a lead over Oakland as I type this), along with the Yankees looking like the team that will take the AL wild card.

The important part for Boston, Cleveland, and Los Angeles is to end the season with the league's best record to ensure home-field advantage. As it looks right now, the race is between Cleveland and Boston after the Angels got swept following the clinch of the AL West.

In the National League the races are tight in all of the divisions. Each of the division leaders lead by two games going into today's games. San Diego still leads the wild card race by a game over Philadelphia and Colorado (who are incredibly hot right now).

Speaking of San Diego... the Padres and the rest of MLB gots news today that the umpire in the Milton Bradley incident will be suspended for the rest of the season .

Mike Winters deserved to be suspended and I hope that there is a stipulation in the suspension that holds him out of the game until Bradley fully recovers from his torn ACL and returns to MLB action.

It is justice for Bradley and the Padres, but that it will all be for naught if they do not make the playoffs. It is sad that Bradley lost his season and his chance to play in the postseason because an umpire baited a player.

In the future I hope MLB investigates incidents like this more often. When power is in the wrong hands it can be dangerous, and this was just an example. Had Winters handled this like a professional this would have been avoided entirely, and Bradley and the Padres could only blame themselves if they miss the playoffs.

Today is Wednesday

So that means I have to wish you a "happy hump day" by giving you a glimpse at a pretty sports wife/girlfriend.
This week we have October Gonzalez, the wife of the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, Tony Gonzalez.

Pretty indeed.

MMA Ban in Vancouver

Vancouver city council has temporarily banned MMA after previously allowing live fights in the city.

But they adopt hockey as their sport? Hockey is a sport in which there are constant acts of violence on the ice.

Take this video as an example:



That happened in an exhibition game on Tuesday night. There were also two broken wrists suffered in the game.

Look I get the whole, "we need to keep the integrity of our community," but the NHL fans cheer the violence just as much. Casual hockey fans along with diehards go crazy when two players throw off their gloves to "get it on" on the ice.

It is not like MMA is not organized: they wear gloves and have a referee watching the match (stopping the fight if it gets out of hand). They promote fighting in the "octagon" or ring, not in the street.

Like Chuck Lidell said in an appearance on the HBO show Entourage: "thats right, take them down... but not in the streets, here in the octagon."

Maybe Vancouver should realize that fighters hold after-parties the same night as their fights, even if they lose. I do not think hockey players with concussions can pull that off.

Marion to the Lakers, Jazz?

In today's edition of high-paid, whining NBA players, we have Shawn Marion asking to be traded from the Phoenix Suns.

I wish this could happen in real life: "Hey RLH Industries, I am sick of working here and would like to be sent to the OC Register for a sports writing job... make it happen."

Anyways, back to the subject at hand... There is speculation that Marion could go to the Utah Jazz (for fellow whiner, Andre Kirilenko) or to the Los Angeles Lakers (for Lamar Odom). I know Marion thinks he does not get the respect he deserves with the Suns, but he is making plenty of money in Phoenix and is part of the "big three" which includes Nash and Stoudemire.

His best shot at an NBA ring is to stay with the Phoenix Suns based on the two possible teams he would be traded to. I think both the Lakers and Jazz would take that trade any day of the week.

With the Jazz, Marion would bring just as much defense (if not more) as Kirilenko and has speed to run with point guard Deron Williams. Plus, you are moving Kirilenko to a place he would thrive and would probably be happy with the move.

With the Lakers, Marion would be teamed with his friend Kobe Bryant. Both players would welcome the change and Marion would not be as intimidated by Bryant on the team. That is the one problem Odom has with the Lakers offense, he differs to Bryant too much.

Marion would bring defense and 3-point shooting, along with an attitude that he knows he can create his own shot.

But would he fit into the triangle offense? No doubt Phil Jackson would have to make some adjustments in the offense to allow some run-and-gun with Bryant, Marion, and newly acquired Derek Fisher.

If I am Mitch Kupchak, I look at this as an opportunity to get a little forgiveness from the Lakers fans. Some.

Women's World Cup 2007

Germany won 3-0 over Norway today in the semifinals of the Women's 2007 World Cup and now awaits the winner of tomorrow's matchup between the United States and Brazil (which will air live at 7:55 a.m. ET on ESPN2).

The big news before the semifinal for the U.S. is that coach Greg Ryan will make a goalie change for the game versus Brazil.

Brianna Scurry will start in place of Hope Solo in the goal, but Solo would return back to the starting position if the U.S. reaches the finals. Solo has started each game in the World Cup so far.

Does this make sense? I mean besides the fact that Solo has the sweetest name I have ever heard, why make the change now? In the semifinals, no less. I guess Ryan has not heard the motto, "if it's not broken, don't fix it."

I know Scurry is the veteran and faced Brazil in the 2004 Summer Olympics, but Solo has been money during the whole World Cup tournament. If the U.S. loses this match, then you can look at this change as the reason. Mark my words.

But if they win, and Scurry has a great game, then Ryan is the smart one.

Anyways, Hope Solo is the best name in the business. It is so Star Wars-esque that I think I might give my daughter that name when I have children.

Ryan, the force is strong with her.

(Pictured: Abby Wambach - who will have a goal tomorrow morning)

Hockey Fight! Goalie Edition

This clip is a fight between New York Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro and New York Rangers goalie Al Montoya.

I like how Montoya storms out of the crease to the face off with DiPietro after he sees him getting into the action. DiPietro looked like he won the fight.

Score cards:
121-116
120-115
122-116

Winner by unanimous: Rick DiPietro!

Mr. Bradley, What Did He Say?

Milton Bradley had been rescued by the San Diego Padres and had the opportunity to thank them by helping them reach the playoffs. That dream took a weird turn yesterday when he tore his ACL in his right knee after a freak accident in the eighth inning of yesterday's game.

The Padres will have to somehow muster up some offense without Bradley in their lineup; they are also without Mike Cameron as well.

There are reports that the umpire Bradley confronted, Mike Winter, used profanity that triggered his tirade. This is the worst possible scenario that could have happened to Bradley, who has a history of losing his cool at the wrong times.

I have read various articles in which his Padres teammates praise him for his attitude and demeanor in the clubhouse. I want to believe them and I think I truly do. But why did it have to happen at such an inopportune time? No matter what, Bradley is going to look like the bad guy because it happened with a week to play and his team fighting for a playoff spot.

Despite the Padres' poor offense I thought they would wrap up the wild card. I was talking with a friend of mine who is a Padres fan about their chances on Saturday. One of his points involved Bradley being back in the lineup and would provide the offense they needed to get them over the hump.

A day later my friend is no doubt scared about their chances. The Padres lost today and are now in a tie with the Phillies for the NL wild card (the Phillie Phanatic is practicing his dance moves as I am writing this).

Bradley noted that Winters should get reprimanded like Joey Crawford did following a game in which he targeted Tim Duncan. If Winters did in fact use profanity towards Bradley he should definitely get suspended. Whatever was said, Winters knew it would set off Bradley. Umpires are there to help the game work, not interrupt it.

Winters pushed Bradley's button on Sunday, and now the Padres may be pushing the eject button from the playoffs.

Week 3 Is Over

Week 3 ended tonight and my NFL picks were less than stellar.

I went 9-7 on my picks for week 3 and I am sorry if you took my advice on the games (which I doubt you did).
San Diego looks like they are ready to have a ugly mess in their locker room. LT does not look like a happy camper out there on the field, and Marty Schottenheimer does not seem like he was the problem.

I am going to say it again: Brett Favre is just plain fun to watch. I am glad he did not walk away from the game after the Packers posted a 4-12 record in the 2005 season. I need to go to Lambeau.

Pictured here is Miami Dolphins starting running back Ronnie Brown who had a wonderful game on Sunday. Brown rushed for 112 yards with two touchdowns and caught six passes for 99 receiving yards adding another touchdown for the day. The best news? Brown is on my fantasy football roster and I benched him this past week because he was not getting all the carries. Awesome. I am going to start him next week and he will promptly rush for 39 yards.

NFL Week 3 Picks

Each week I will provide you with my football picks for the week (starting a couple weeks late) and keep a running tally of how I do during the year.

Please feel free to comment, make fun of, or provide your own picks in the comment section.

Before I begin, it is great to hear that Kevin Everett's doctor expects him to walk within weeks, if not sooner.

Oh and I posted this picture because I am rooting for Brett Favre to have a great season. I want to see him go out on top. Definition of a warrior.

Detroit Lions @ Philadephia Eagles - I am taking the Lions in this one because Kitna is warrior status as well. Lions.

Miami Dolphins @ NY Jets - The matchup of two winless teams, I pick the Jets to walk away with a victory. Jets.

Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots - Easy pick. New England.

Arizona Cardinals @ Baltimore Ravens - Leinart, have fun against the Ravens defense. Ravens take it.

St. Louis Rams @ Tampa Bay Bucs - Tampa Bay impressed me last week so I am going to go with the home team. Bucs.

San Francisco 49ers @ Pittsburgh Steelers - Mike Tomlin moves to 3-0 as the new head coach. Steelers.

Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans - No Andre Johnson hurts the Texans chances to move to 3-0 to start the season. Colts.

San Diego Chargers @ Green Bay Packers - I think LT is ready to bust out and the Chargers will benefit. Chargers.

Minnesota Vikings @ Kansas City Chiefs - KC's offense has scored a total of 13 points and will not get much more in this game. Vikings.

Cleveland Brown @ Oakland Raiders - Cleveland faces a defense better than Cincinnati's and Lane Kiffin gets his first win. Oakland.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Denver Broncos - Jacksonville's offense looks to get back on track, but the physical game favors the Broncos. Denver.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Seattle Seahawks - The Bengals come back strong after an embarrassing loss in Cleveland. Cincinnati.

NY Giants @ Washington Redskins - Look for Tom Coughlin to be on the hot seat after this game and Jason Campbell is looking strong. Washington.

Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons - The Panthers can score more than the Falcons that equals a win. Carolina.

Dallas Cowboys @ Chicago Bears - Tony Romo and TO will find enough ways to score against the Bears defense; the same cannot be said about Rex Grossman. Dallas.

Tennessee Titans @ New Orleans Saints - Being at home will give the Saints the boost they need to get straight. New Orleans.

London Underground Escalator Skiing

Norwegian skiing down the longest escalator in Europe. Dedicated to my Norwegian friend, Fat Head.

Wanted to let you know that my football picks for Sunday will be posted tomorrow.

Good night, sons.

Almost Forgot - Happy Hump Day

Almost forgot to post a favorite sports wife/girlfriend for today.
Here we have Chicago White Sox Scott Podsednik's wife, Lisa Dergan.

Click here for the full body picture, but is semi-NSFW (not safe for work).

Just Copying Big Brother

If the rumors are true like they are being reported from numerous sources in Miami, then Miami Heat superstar Dwayne Wade is splitting from his wife. This comes just weeks after teammate and "big brother" Shaquille O'Neal filed for divorce from his wife Shaunie.

These guys are going to take Miami Beach by storm; the groupies are lining up as we speak to get a chance to gold dig get a piece of the two stars.

You know Shaq had to give Wade a little nudge:
"Yo Flash, we can rule Miami like no other if we were both single. There are no other superstars in this town, lets do this! Who is going to take all the babes, Trent Green? You want that to happen?"

Wade should date Rihanna, she is quite the looker.

*Update: it appears that Wade may be dating actress Gabrielle Union. I would still take Rihanna though.

He Has October In His Sights...

The Philadelphia Phillies won for the sixth consecutive game while the Mets lost their fifth consecutive outing to move the Phillies within 1 1/2 games out of the NL East. They also trail the San Diego Padres by 1 1/2 games in the NL wild card.

The Phanatic is salivating at the chance to showcase his dance moves during the playoffs. The Phillies have one more game against the St. Louis Cardinals and four in DC against the Washington Nationals before they close out their season at home with three games against the Atlanta Braves and three more versus the Nationals.

While the Mets face the Florida Marlins seven times, St. Louis once, and four more against Washington. A week ago I would have picked the Mets to take it for sure, but the way they have been playing lately makes it hard to say they will pull it out. Should be interesting, but I definitely want to see the Phanatic doing his dances like a wild man.
Plus, it is always good to have a former Cal State Fullerton player showcase his skills on a national stage.

Don't look now, but could Boston possibly be choking away the AL East lead? Their loss, along with the Yankees win, dropped their AL East lead to 2 1/2 games.

Boston losing also provides hope to the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels who now trail Boston by a 1/2 game for the best record in the AL and all of the majors after both putting up W's last night. Home field advantage would be particularly valuable to the Angels who hold the best home record in the majors at 51-25. They are the first team in the majors with 50+ wins at home this season.

Oh, the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers again are tied for first in the NL Central.
Zambrano, you let me down my man.

The Blue Crew

Living in Anaheim and being an Angels fan, it is natural that Dodgers fans look at the Angels as their rival team to beat. Especially since the Angels changed their name to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim under Arte Moreno.

"You're not an LA team!"

Growing up I watched both squads but took more of a liking to the Angels since I went to more of their games and they were close to my hometown in Placentia.

I do not hate the Dodgers, only when Dodgers fans start talking crap on how the Angels are horrible or how they do not belong in the same breath as the Blue Crew.

Well unfortunately for Dodger fan, it looks like they have lost their gas in the chase for the NL West and NL wild-card chase.
Yes, they have had injuries throughout the year, most notably to their pitching staff, but so has every MLB club in the majors.

Today they dropped both games of their doubleheader to the Colorado Rockies to put them four games out of the NL wild-card and 5 1/2 out of the NL West.

But Dodger fan do not be too hard on yourself. San Diego and Arizona both have had great years in a tough division.
The year may have been a lot different if they had Matt Kemp and James Loney starting all year long to provide much needed bats in their lineup.

Loney, who is batting .325, has 13 RBIs in his last 11 games, while Kemp is batting .340 in 87 games this year.

So what went wrong? Like I said, injuries to their starting rotation is probably the first reason to look at, but you can also look at their lack of offensive production when it counted most.

Losing Jason Schmidt to season-ending surgery in June definitely was a big hit to the rotation. And finding a reliable fifth starter proved to be a tough task to overcome before opting to obtain Esteban Loaiza and David Wells to finalize their pitching staff late into the season.

Keep you head up Dodgers fans, the near future looks bright with emerging stars of Andre Ethier, Loney, Kemp, and young pitcher Chad Billingsley.

Plus, you have another LA team that is sure to make the playoffs this year.

Ugh! I Did Not Want This On My Page...

But I am sick of seeing it all over the news and on the web, I thought might help to post about this maniac.
O.J. Simpson has been charged with seven felonies for his actions in Las Vegas over the weekend.

I do not get why this guy would put himself into this type of position, at all. Did he even think this thing through? I mean, it is always a good idea to go into a hotel room with an entourage demanding to retrieve memorabilia at gunpoint. Especially since Simpson was charged for the murders of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman in 1994.

Oh and one of the collectors that was a sting victim suffered a heart attack late Monday and remains in critical condition.

This is just ugly and am sick of seeing it on the sports pages. O.J. left the sports world long ago and no one wants to see these vile stories related to our sports realm.

The following is the link to TMZ.com that has the audio tape of the alleged robbery.

Lock him up for his own good.

Leave Bill Belichick Alone!

You probably have already seen this on the web, but I thought this was pretty amusing; even if it was done by a Patriots fan (who knew they had a sense of humor).

I saw it several days ago and was fighting with myself whether I wanted it on the blog. But I gave in and here we are now.

Just Play Better, You're in Philly

According to Donovan McNabb, the African-American quarterbacks face more pressure and criticism than white quarterbacks. He told this to HBO in an interview for "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" that will air this evening.

Is this guy serious? The only criticism and pressure he is feeling is from the Philadelphia fans he plays in front of each home game. Look Donovan, if you do not perform in Philly you WILL get booed. That is the way the fans are there and you should know that.

Peyton Manning was the NFL's favorite QB to criticize for years because "he could not win the big one"; the criticism and pressure comes from your performance, not the color of your skin. Yes, racism is present in and out of sports, but do not use it as an excuse for your poor product on the field.

Man up and start leading your squad to some victories. Check that, do not go too crazy in Philly, a divisional foe in fantasy football has you as the starting QB and Brian Westbrook as his RB. Just play the game and have fun.

Two football notes from today:
Byron Leftwich signed with the Atlanta Falcons. And the suspended Tank Johnson signed with the Dallas Cowboys.

Leftwich will have a good opportunity to be starting within a couple of weeks, especially if you are behind Joey Harrington on the depth chart; who has only put up 10 points in the first two weeks of the season.

Poor Bobby Petrino. You know he is thinking, "I did not sign up for this crap". The Falcons best shot at their first victory will be against the NY Giants and their atrocious defense in week six. Their next three games are: Carolina, Houston (who thought I would be picking the Texans to WIN games!), and @ Tennessee.

Week 2 Football (Day Late Edition)

The Redskins moved to 2-0 after beating the Philadelphia Eagles 20-12 on Monday night football. It was a good thing Jason Campbell found Chris Cooley in the end zone last night, because it pushed me over my week 2 opponent 121-120 in an important divisional matchup in fantasy football.

Thank you to the NFL teams and players who opened their mouths regarding the New England Patriots; like I said , you have woken a sleeping giant. They completey outplayed the Chargers on Sunday and looked crazy scary to back up their week 1 victory.

Brett Favre became the winningest QB ever after the Packers win over the NY Giants. Favre is fun to watch. To see the 37-year old celebrate around on the field after plays is a sight to see. He is the living definition of a football player and it is a pleasure to be able to watch him play the game.

Cleveland and Cincinnati decided to leave their defenses at home and see how many points they could muster between them. They only put up 96 points in the 51-45 Cleveland win in which Derek Anderson threw five touchdown passes (yes, that is correct), Jamal Lewis rushed for 216 yards, and Carson Palmer threw six touchdown passes.

Chad Johnson followed up good on his promise to jump into the Dawg Pound at Cleveland Browns Stadium. It was quite entertaining, especially since a Browns fan threw beer on Ocho Cinco and the television telecast caught a fan throwing up the bird in his face.

Here is a not so great quality video of the jump, but shows a good slow motion view:


There were other entertaining games that you have probably already heard about, so I will refrain from posting what you already know.

Coming up this week: the first NFL picks for the weekend on First to Third!
*Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any gambling actions that you involve yourself in, and do not condone sports betting. *Cough*

Did You Know?

That the Women's World Cup 2007 is going on right now in China right now? Too be honest, I forgot until my cousin reminded me that they were being played until September 30.

And Team USA has advanced to the quarterfinals after beating Nigeria today. They will face England on September 22.

It is not surprising that the television ratings are not the best right now, the time slots are not very friendly. Not many U.S. households are going to wake up early during the week to catch a Women's World Cup game.

Team USA has a good shot at advancing to the final but may not get the coverage like they did in 1999, when the World Cup was held in the U.S., and Brandi Chastain lost her jersey after hitting a penalty kick.

Group play will end tomorrow.

More on the World Cup later... I have to educate myself further to write more about something I have not been watching.

Bats A Flyin'

I now have a new favorite player to heckle in right field: Delmon Young. The only player that has reacted to me was Bobby Kielty when he was with the Oakland Athletics. I chanted "Ronald McDonald" until he finally turned around gave me a head nod, and turned back towards the game. Classic.

Last night, Angels stadium, particulary their fans, were quite boisterous considering the Tampa Devil Rays were in town. My friend Omar had the great idea to chant "Deeeellll-Moonn" to which I told him was genius. Once we started, the crowd immediately caught on and the show began.

Young was giving reactions I have never seen live in person. Hands to his ears, thumbs up, waving the chants away, and my favorite, taking his throwing hand to his backside and throwing it up to the crowd. Every fan in the vicinity of right field were eating it up and kept on heckling Young to keep his antics going.

Oh and the Angels won 10-7 , which included a straight steal of home by B.J. Upton. That is the first time I had seen that happen live and was in awe while it was happening.

It was weird to see Upton breaking for home; it looked so unnatural. The Angels cut their magic number to five to clinch the AL West division.

The New York Yankees won, while the Boston Red Sox lost, moving the Yankees to 3 1/2 games behind in the AL East. Detroit Tigers also lost and now trail the Yankees by 3 1/2 games in the wild-card race.

Joel Zumaya decided he wanted to let the Cleveland Indians win and blew the save for the Tigers. The Indians continue to share the same record as the Angels. The two teams are fighting to finish with a better record because it could mean drawing the Red Sox or Yankees in the first round (based on if the playoffs started today).

The tiebreaker, based on head-to-head record, would go to the Indians if the two ended with the same record.

I know you have heard this before, but the Chicago Cubs lead the NL Central by one game over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs will throw Carlos Zambrano versus Cincinnati Reds' Aaron Harang today. I am taking the Cubs and Zambrano to win, just based on the fact that Zambrano is loco.

The Phillie Phanatic dream continues to live on, as the Phillies won their fifth in a row to stay 1 1/2 games behind San Diego in the NL wild-card race.

Los Angeles Dodgers talk coming later today. Chad Billingsley will start the first game of a doubleheader today that starts in 45 minutes

Slow start today, my Mac was having issues that I finally resolved.

Gone Fishin'

Sorry for the lack of posts today. Did not get around to it today.
Promise 6+ posts tomorrow. I have plenty to talk about with all that went on during the past weekend.

I am off to the Angels game to see if Escobar can get his 18th win.

Give Me Back My Ring!

Roger Goodell handed down the the punishments on the New England Patriots for spying on the New York Jets on Sunday.

The punishment: $500,000 fine for Bill Belichick. $250,000 fine for the Patriots organization. And the loss of draft picks (a first-round pick if they make the playoffs this year, or second and third-round picks if they do not make the playoffs).

Problem is, they will make the playoffs this year, and they have two first-round picks next year (one was acquired in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers). So they will still have a first-round pick next year to fall back on.

The monetary fines are nice, but what about suspending Belichick? The spying should at least cost the Pats a game this year.
And it is too bad that reports have come out stating that the Pats have done this on multiple occasions because now every team is questioning their victories.

Especially the Philadelphia Eagles, who have some members of their team questioning their loss to the Pats at the Super Bowl in 2005.
Not a fun subject to be a part of, for both sides. Donovan McNabb joked that he wanted his ring back, and I doubt was 100% joking.
It is unfortunate because even if it were proven that they did spy in the past, how would you punish them? Could you punish them? Handing their Super Bowl rings over to the loser would not work because a different team could have represented the AFC. What a headache.

Arguments will continue on whether punishment was harsh enough, but the NFL will move forward.

The league and those who spoke out may have also woken a sleeping giant; now the Pats really have something to prove.
All the Pats players will have a chip on their shoulders for the rest of the season to show they did not need to spy to win.

Also, Goodell continues to exhibit he is the right man for the job. He made the right move by visiting Kevin Everett in the hospital yesterday.

Bravo, can't wait for Sunday.

A Little Too Fanatical?

You might say that. I think a better way to say it is: uncalled for, or maybe just plain stupid. But the best way to put it is: no place in this world for that type of action.

What I am talking about is the incident that took place at Henry Hudson's Pub on June 17 between a Oklahoma Sooners fan and Texas Longhorns fan.

So a Sooners fan grabbed a Longhorns fan in the crotch causing a wound that required 60 stitches, why? Because, "you do not wear a Longhorns shirt in OU country"?

Wow. Do the Sooners really mean that much to you? I know a lot of us live and die by sports, but do we really need to destroy mankind because of a football team?
The players and coaches appreciate the support of the team, but I know they would not condone those types of actions.

I like to heckle. I normally shout something funny at the opposing players to make the other fans laugh. But I watch myself. I admit, in the past I was kind of reckless. A cuss word would slip out of my mouth here and there, and that is not welcome in the stands.

I even mess with the opposing fans. I will boo them and tell them to go back to where their team is from. Or, if they are sitting several rows in front of me, I will make fun of them, but when they walk to the bathroom/food stands I will smile and pat them on the back. It is all in good fun.

It is sad to see stories like this because it takes the fun out of competition.
When I get a little crazy for my teams I remind myself of A Bronx Tale with Robert DeNiro and Chazz Palminteri. In the movie Palminteri's character tells the young boy that the Yankees do not care about his problems, so why care about them?

Later in the movie, the boy's father (DeNiro) has this line:

Lorenzo: The other night he threw away his baseball cards because he said Mickey Mantle wouldn't pay our rent.

Sooner fan, are the Sooners going to pay your lawyer fees and bail you out of jail?

Quick Baseball Fix - Lets Get It On!

How do the Tampa Bay Devil Rays do it? After blowing two consecutive games to the Red Sox, the Devil Rays were at it again; this time giving up five runs in the bottom of the eighth in their 8-7 loss to the Mariners.
Keep your head up Joe Maddon.

The Dodgers showed they still have some life in them by beating the San Diego Padres 6-3 and move within 1 1/2 games of the NL wild card. David Wells beat his former team by outpitching Greg Maddux to improve to 3-0 since joining the Dodgers.
Nice pick up Ned Colletti. That is the type of move you have to make in order to keep your team's hopes alive for the postseason.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are next up for the Dodgers, and the Padres will play the Giants.
My Phillie Phanatic dream is still alive, as the Phillies won to keep up with the Dodgers and stay 1 1/2 games out of the wild card. They will face the New York Mets this weekend.

And I know I promised not to talk about the NL Central for a while, but I am breaking my promise: the Cubs won on the Brewers off day to give them a 1/2 game lead in the division.

And finally, guess what? The Yankees and Red Sox series if here! Tune to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN News, ESPN Classic for full coverage this weekend. They also bought out a time slot on the Food Network and will be showing a showdown between the Soup Kitchen International's clam chowder and the Christopher's Restaurant and Wine Bar's chowda'!

Okay, Okay...

I admit it, I watched the game 4 of the WNBA finals. And like Patrick commented on this page (I really do appreciate the feedback), it was very entertaining. Hell, it was better than watching the Spurs-Cavaliers NBA finals.

Cappie Pondexter and the Phoenix Mercury forced a deciding fifth game by defeating the Detroit Shock 77-76 last night.

The clutch shooting by both teams impressed me the most, as well as the defense that was played. So yes, I will watch the final game in its entirety on Sunday. The game will be played at The Palace in Auburn, and I hope they do not use the same public address announcer as the Pistons do; that guy is just plain annoying. I will take a Lawrence Tanter any day of the week.

It was also nice seeing Karl Malone in the stands of the game (to watch his daughter Cheryl Ford). I used to despise Malone until he went to the Los Angeles Lakers, and I got to read and see more about him. Too bad he had to join the Lakers so late in his career, it would have been nice to see him get a ring in a Lakers uniform (although it would have been more fitting in a Utah jersery).

So kids, the moral of the story: Don't be too quick to judge. (I still reserve the right to not like the league though)

I Hate To Say It...

But I told you so...
It was reported today that Greg Oden will likely miss his rookie season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his knee.

Damn. Sam Bowie? Looks like Darius Miles and Oden will indeed become great friends on the pine.
Portland Trail Blazers fans have to be hating life right now. Curse of the big men with the Blazers?
Moses Malone got traded before even putting on a Blazers uniform, Bill Walton won one title with them before being marred by injuries and eventually go upset with the Blazers and left, Sam Bowie had an injury-plagued stay with the Blazers, and now Oden continues the trend.

The decision to draft Oden was not a bad one, but it sure does remind us of the Bowie-Jordan draft (1984, when Olajuwon was drafted first overall). Poor Oden. He has a long road ahead of him, just ask Amare Stoudemire, who also underwent microfracture surgery on his knee.

If I were Oden I would be calling Stoudemire right away and asking who is personal trainer is.

Mr. Glass, Mr. Glass. Maybe Kevin Durant is David Dunn (Unbreakable movie reference). This just further proves that Oden is really 40 years old.
I remember being in Portland prior to the draft and seeing billboards along the highways like this:



Portland, you should have honked twice.

Now back to my errands. I got giddy while driving and came home just for this entry.

It's What They Do...

When talking about the injury to Kevin Everett, both Bills coach Dick Jauron and starting QB JP Losman stated that it is unfortunate that things like that happen, but it is what they do. Essentially, they know what they are getting into and know the risks. They are football.

They were not being insensitive to the issue. Seeing a teammate go down like that is like having the same happen to your sibling. But wanting to be the best at what they do, in this case football, has its risks.

Well I came across an article in which the writer thinks that video games has desensitized a generation to NFL injuries.

We are not robots. Saying the "video game generation" cannot tell the difference from fantasy and reality is completely absurd. NFL football players do not go out looking to injure others (at least we hope not) and it is unfortunate when injuries do happen. But like Jauron and Losman said, "it is who they are".

I think what the writer should be more concerned about is how NFL players are treated following career-ending injuries; not whether the "video game generation" can separate Madden '08 from what really happens on Sundays.

A Moment Away From Sports

I realize that I cannot be funny all day, everyday, so I turn to stand up comedians to take my place.

The man you see here is Lavell Crawford of Last Comic Standing. A very funny man that deserves to win on the show.

Go see a stand up comedian near you, it will be the best coin you spent in a long time.

Aw I Remember The Days

When I used to make fun of rollerbladers because that is what skateboarders were supposed to do, especially in junior high.

But to be honest, I was friends with a couple of them in high school. They knew their place on the food chain though. If the skateboarders wanted to skate the rail then they were supposed to watch us skate until we were done.

Aw, the pecking order of "extreme" sports. Poor rollerblader in the video, pro skateboarder Jamie Thomas tried the exact same "leap of faith" on his skateboard and nearly made it. He landed it, but could not roll away (broken board).

And that is not something you try twice. Just like the time I tried to grind the ten-stair rail at UCI and landed on my shoulder. One try was good enough for me.

Actually, one second thought, I decided to include the video of Jamie Thomas trying this spot.

Summer of Steroids

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Troy Glaus will undergo season-ending surgery on his left foot. It has been a tumultuous year for Glaus due to nagging injuries, and most recently the report accusing Glaus of using performance-enchancing drugs.

It is a sad thing to see; just five years ago Glaus was winning a World Series MVP award on his way to a ring with the Angels in 2002. The Angels let Glaus go mainly for financial reasons (they had a young Dallas McPherson to turn to; that has worked real well), and were also worried about shoulder problems. Hopefully the allegations clear up, but I doubt that will happen any time soon.

Especially with ten more major leaguers expected to be revealed after an investigation.

This is just getting ugly real fast. Who can baseball fans trust?
If it isn't the comeback kid, Rick Ankiel, then it is California-grown Troy Glaus. Both of whom you would not suspect to have used performance-enhancing drugs. It is going to be a shame if a player for a playoff team is revealed. It would take the glamour and fun away from the MLB playoffs.

Here's to hoping this gets clear-gelled up sooner rather than later.
Who needs a drink? Cheers.

Phanatic Wants October!

Being in Southern California and the fact that I primarily watch AL games, I never get to see the antics of the Phillies Phanatic. Watching him on youtube does not do him justice, he needs to be in the playoffs! If someone can make a Phanatic costume please call me ASAP, I need to be him for Halloween.

I doubt the Phillies will beat out the Padres for NL wild card, but a man can dream right?
The Dodgers, Phillies, and Rockies all trail the Padres by 2.5 games for the NL wild card race. Los Dodgers still have a game left against the Pad-Squad so they can close that gap to 1.5 games by tomorrow.

ESPN is not happy right now because the Tampa Bay Devil Rays keep giving games away to the Red Sox. Tonight it was David Ortiz being David Ortiz by dropping a two-run walk-off HR on Rays pitcher Al Reyes.
Stuart Scott is crying right now because the Yankees won their 7th in a row but could not gain ground on the Red Sox. I cringe every time I hear "cooler than the other side of the pillow" come out of Scott's mouth during Sportscenter.

Did you know that they face each other this weekend? I am surprised that ESPN has not bought the rights to all three games of their series.

Angels magic number is now down to nine after Kelvim Escobar picked up his 17th win in an 18-6 victory.

The Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers are tied again in the NL Central. I would continue to write about them but it will be like this for the next couple of weeks. Like I said before, the Cubs will take it based on the Brewers schedule.

Oh and Cleveland has pretty much locked up their division, as has the Mets, and dare I say Diamondbacks.

*And the final OH!: The Royals will not have a 100-loss season for the first time in four years. That is awesome. Poor Royals fans.

A month ago when the Royals were playing the Angels in Anaheim I clapped for seeing a gentleman wearing Royals gear. That is a true fan right there. I wish I could buy that man a beer right now, oh well, I will have one in his honor today.

Michigan: Show Some Hart

Michigan RB Mike Hart will have the nation watching as he tries to run his squad to victory after he guaranteed a win over Notre Dame following their loss to Oregon (Pac-10 woot). He surely will have the opportunity to carry his team to victory, since Michigan will be starting freshman QB Ryan Mallett following an injury to Chad Henne.

I bet Mallett appreciates the guarantee by Hart, I am sure it has not caused any pressure on the freshman. Hart better carry the ball 30+ times in that game or I would be highly disappointed in Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and Mallett.

This also puts pressure on Notre Dame and their coach, Charlie Weis. A player on the team that has been struggling, let me rephrase that, sucking, basically says you are going to be the victim of their first victory.
At least Weis has some locker room motivation to give to his players. Or, he could always call up his old buddy, Bill Belichick and borrow his camera assistants to get an edge on the Wolverines.

Notre Dame is trying to avoid their second 0-3 start in school history. At least one of these teams will win, and should draw some good ratings (I know I will catch some of the game):

As reported in USA Today:
"Saturday's Notre Dame (0-2) vs. Michigan (0-2) on ABC could be a big ratings draw. Seriously. Michigan's blowout loss to Oregon on Saturday drew an overnight rating 61% higher than regionalized action in the time slot last year while Notre Dame's blowout loss to Penn State drew an overnight up 115% from comparable action last year. Watching the supposedly mighty fall can be fun." Source

Now, I cannot totally hate Notre Dame because I do not watch them often, but I must say that I was disappointed when they fired Ty Willingham. Thus the reason for the picture I posted. I was a big fan of Ty but am thankful now that he is coaching in the Pac-10.

Do not underestimate the Pac-10 in sports, especially now that Oregon has one of the best coaches in college baseball (had to throw in my buddy George Horton).

Wednesday Blitz

First let me start by saying how great it is to hear that the Buffalo Bills' Kevin Everett might walk again. Everett's doctor reported that he had voluntary movement of his legs and arms. The doctor stated that it is a great sign to have voluntary movement so soon after a catastrophic injury.
Keep it up Everett, every NFL fan is in your corner.

Looks like our favorite euphoric fitness man has been released by the Tampa Bay Bucs following the results of a urine test.

Despite what was reported on ESPN and what I posted earlier, it looks like Eli Manning is really day-to-day after he took snaps and handed off in practice. It is not determined whether he will start.

If I am Tom Coughlin there is no way I start Manning. If he is actually day-to-day I would let him rest another week to make sure he is healthy enough to perform at his best. Plus, they are not playing a divisional foe this week in the Green Bay Packers. Yes, a win is a win, but wins inside your division are even better.
Of course the Giants player that matters most to me, Brandon Jacobs, my third RB on my fantasy team, is out up to a month with his knee injury.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick issued an apology over the spying allegations but did not go very deep into the issue. The only life he showed was when asked about defending LaDainian Tomlinson on Sunday. Good old Belichick always can count on him for a boring interview.

And JaMarcus Russell passed his physical and will start practicing with Da' Raiders! Which makes my Mom happy, so in turn, I am happy.

*Sorry about my photoshop skills, or lack thereof, I used to just eliminate backgrounds for my old job.

"They're Not That Drunk!"

"Cheeky Bastards!"
If you know what movie that is from you are officially my friend forever.

Well I found another reason for the French haters to keep on hating.
As reported in the New Zealand Herald, under French law, no alcohol can be sold inside sporting stadiums.
According to the story a couple of Aussies did not know this and kept spending their money on non-alcoholic beer to keep their buzz up. Poor bastards did not know about the French law and got a little curious when no one was buying beer during the rugby match in which Australia destroyed Japan 91-3.

Yes I know it is not imperative to have beer accompany a sporting event. But it sure makes it a hell-of-a-lot more enjoyable. Why do you think Cleveland Browns fans still go to their football games? For the beer and parties of course!

Now, if you do not know what movie the quotes derive from... then you are missing out my friends.
Do yourself a favor and see Beer Fest.

Gems like this are in the movie:

Barry Badrinath: [after breaking beer mug with a ping pong spike] What do you think about that, fuckhead?
Hammacher: [Takes a bite of glass from the broken mug] What do you think about that, headfuck?
-----
Jan Wolfhouse: So yeah, I heard you got fired from the brewery?
Landfill: [Landfill gets mad, throws his trophy] God damn brewery! You know that brewery makes 10,000 bottles of beer a day. I drink 45 of them, and I'm the asshole!
-----
Barry Badrinath: I was in Thailand, playing Ping-Pong in Ding Dang. I was in a real high-stakes game in some opium den. Turned out the guys I was playing aren't the kind of guys who like to lose. After I beat them... they beat me. Worked me over pretty good. And this is hard to say... but they held me down... and they shoved a ping pong paddle up my ass. It's never been the same. I'm damaged goods.
Steve "Fink" Finklestein: Gosh, Barry, I'm so sorry. I don't know what I would do if somebody shoved a paddle handle up my ass.
Barry Badrinath: Wasn't the handle. I've been shitting pancakes ever since.

Now I have just caused myself some depression for missing the Stone Brewing Company beer festival for the third consecutive year. Damn where is Margarita when I need her, she would have reminded me.
Anyways, if anyone has a beer fest of their own, please send me an invite.

Happy Hump Day!

The cliche office talk of a Monday-Friday job is something I do not miss at all. It can be heard all over the place.
On Monday: "Hey how you doing today?" Answer: "Ugh, it is Monday"
Um yeah, that is why we are here after not seeing each other over the weekend.

On Tuesday: "Hey how you doing today?" Answer: "I am just glad it is not Monday"
Jeez, do you hate Monday that bad? Sounds like a case of the "Mondays"; which brings me to one of the all-time lines in a movie:

Peter Gibbons: Let me ask you something. When you come in on Monday, and you're not feelin' real well, does anyone ever say to you, 'Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays'?
Lawrence: No. No, man. Shit, no, man. I believe you'd get your ass kicked sayin' something like that, man.

Office Space. You have to love that the movie captures everything about the Monday-Friday, 8-5. I know I will probably be back to that, but it is always nice to laugh about it.

Now to today's saying: Happy Hump Day!
I am not going to lie, when someone first said this to me when I was a 19-year-old I thought it had to do with having sex on Wednesdays. So I went home after work on Wednesday and made sure I had sex with my girlfriend at the time. Hey, I had to fit in, someone wished me a happy hump day.

Who the hell makes these sayings up?!?
Anyways, every Wednesday I will be posting pictures of hot sports wives/girlfriends in honor of my least favorite office saying. Send in any requests or suggestions.

This week I bring you Joumana Kidd. Yes I know she is divorced; that is why I put my noggin' on his body, err I mean my body.

Oh and another one I loathe: Happy Friday. From every person in the damn office. Ugh, even the UPS dude would tell me that each week.

Beisbol de Septiembre

The highlights from Tuesday night:

Vladimir Guerrero returned to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim lineup on Tuesday, and decided to drop a pair of two-run home runs on the Baltimore Orioles on the way to a 10-5 victory. Guerrero needs one more home run to reach 25 home runs for the 10th consecutive year. Gary Matthews Jr. injured his ankle in the victory and is expected out for the final five games of their road trip.

And their division rival the Seattle Mariners decided that they no longer want to compete for the AL West division title or the AL wild card, by dropping their second consecutive game to the Oakland A's. The Angels magic number is now ten to clinch the AL West division and to ensure that I will be attending the AL playoffs.

Meanwhile, their Los Angeles neighbor Dodgers, lost to now 17-game winner Jake Peavy and fell 3.5 games behind in the NL wild card race. They now share the same record as fellow NL West team, Colorado Rockies, after Esteban Loaiza lost his first game at Dodger Stadium since being traded. Oh, and Loaiza was booed when he was left in the game in the third inning following a mound visit from pitching coach Rick Honeycutt. Peavy has not lost to the Dodgers since Sept. 2003.

The Milwaukee Brewers are now in sole possession of first place of the fickle NL Central race after the Cubs lost to the Houston Astros in 11 innings. The Brewers moved into a one game lead by way of defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-1.

Have I mentioned that the Yankees and Red Sox play each other this weekend? Trust me, you will find out.

Oh No He Didn't...

LaDainian Tomlinson is already not a big fan of the New England Patriots, especially the way they showed up the Chargers in the NFL divisional playoffs last year.
Well you can add more fuel to his fire... As reported in the Boston Herald, Tomlinson is not surprised about the spying allegations regarding the Pats.

“I think the Patriots actually live by the saying, ‘If you’re not cheatin, you’re not trying,’ ” Tomlinson told reporters with a hearty laugh in San Diego yesterday. “I mean, I think that’s the way they live off that statement. You keep hearing the different stories of people complaining about stuff that they do. So I’m not surprised.”

It has been reported that Roger Goodell and the NFL has found the Pats guilty of wrong doing for their actions in their victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.

Oh, and by the way, LT and the Chargers will be playing the Pats on Sunday. Normally I would not want anything to do with the Pats, but LT just gave me incentive to watch that game closely. Shawn Merriman and LT already have a reason to beat up on the Pats, and now the Pats have a reason to beat up on LT.

Bill Belichick and Pats are in the video room right now planning ways on how to hurt LT anytime he tries to cross the line of scrimmage.

I had enough drama to worry about with my fantasy football team already, but I now get to watch these two teams beat up on each other on Sunday night.

Got to love the NFL.

"He's a garbage.He's always been a garbage.And he will die a garbage."

Those are the famous words of Chicago White Sox manager, Ozzie Guillen, on Chicago-Sun Times columnist Jay Mariotti in July 2006.

The world would be a dull place without the free flying words of Guillen in the baseball world. He is the Latin version of Lou Piniella, unafraid to speak his mind.

Although the White Sox have not a very good year on the field, ESPN is reporting that Guillen has received an extension through the 2012 season.
I love the move White Sox, love the move. If the Angels did not have Mike Scioscia I would suggest to Arte Moreno to pick up Ozzie Guillen. The dude shows fire, and if you have the right players, they will respond to that fire.

In other baseball news, the Red Sox were once down 8-1 to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but decided to play like the team with the best record in baseball and come back to a 16-10 win. Tim Wakefield gave up seven runs on 10 hits in three innings before being pulled. That is just like MLB '07 on PS2; he either gets rocked or you can't get a hit on the guy.

Too bad, because the Yankees won in Toronto to keep the AL East gap at five games.
Poor ESPN, they will have to wait another day until they can turn all their programming to full Red Sox-Yankees coverage.

More baseball once the West Coast teams end play, and the Cubs end their extra innings game...

Euphoric workouts...

Test results from a toxicology report showed that Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver, David Boston, tested positive for GHB following a field sobriety test last month.

Boston was drively erratically before falling asleep at a green light. The police performed a field sobriety test where Boston denied being under the influence of anything.

Wait... so the "date rape drug" is being used to enchance workouts? My goodness is this happening at gyms all over the nation?
I can just imagine a personal trainer suggesting GHB to his 21-year-old female client.

"This stuff will make your muscles heal faster... you want to tone up quick right?"
"Yeah, but won't this stuff make me high, and possibly pass out?"
"You do want that six-pack right? Then listen to what I say!"

How do people come up with things like this? I want to meet the person who thought of taking GHB before a workout, they must be a genius. I have some ideas that I would like to throw their way...

Big, Gentle Z

As reported in ChicagoSports.com, Carlos Zambrano changed his pregame ways by listening to soft latin music before his start Saturday versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. After a relaxing music session, Z pitched two-hit baseball over six innings.

How cute, not only does he look like a big bear, he is now a big cuddly teddy bear.
Come on Z, I do not want to hear this... I want to hear about you tearing up the clubhouse and spitting hot coffee in teammates faces. I like the Zambrano that punches his catcher for making bonehead plays, or the Z that points to his head in acknowledgment of a chorus of "boo's" from the Chicago faithful.

You are Carlos Zambrano, not Pedro Martinez. Leave the soft latin music and dancing to the likes of Peter or Kelvim Escobar. As baseball fans we need to see you rip up dugouts and scream crazy profanities.

I hope the Cubs clubhouse assistants hide all of Z's soft latin music CD's and he gets back on track to going crazy.

This League Is Still Around?

This may be a couple days late, but it is not like anyone will notice...
It seems the WNBA is desperate to show that they actually have fans of their "league". AT&T and Airmaster want to ensure that women's basketball fans "have an opportunity to experience the Detroit Shock".

Um ok... Maybe AT&T is high on iPhone money, but there are not ANY women's basketball fans. I mean aside from Sue Bird and my personal favorite, Diana Taurasi (she just does it for me), is there any reason to watch that league? I think all women's basketball should be banned after college, and even that is pushing it.

Look, I am not being sexist, it is just tough to watch. If I wanted to see 20% shooting from the field I would rejoin the basketball league I participated in, where my team went 2-11 (one of those games we won we had a 5-on-4 advantage).

And I just noticed that Taurasi is in the WNBA finals, which means I will catch one minute of the series now. I hope the Phoenix Mercury win it now, not just because of Taurasi, but because I hate Bill Laimbeer forever.
Actually let me take that back, upon further review my unknown love for Taurasi has disappeared, so I wanted to picture Bird instead. Sorry WNBA, another lost TV audience member.

Must...post...new...entry...can't have WNBA...on the very top...

Football News - His Time Is Coming

Well Cleveland Browns fans, your beloved boy pictured to the right is closer to getting the starting job. The Browns traded week one starter, Charlie Frye, to the Seattle Seahawks today. Frye did not last the first half in the Browns loss to the Steelers, putting up an admirable QB rating of 10.0.

I still think that it will be a couple weeks before they throw Quinn into the starting job, although starting him in week three versus Oakland could not hurt. After all, Jon Kitna threw three touchdowns and was only sacked twice against the Raiders in week one. (I kid, Kitna is a solid QB)

But it is not like the Browns have many options, especially after watching Derek Anderson, Frye's replacement on Sunday, stink it up as well.

I hope they start Quinn on the road and see plenty of the posted picture on poster boards in the stands.

In other news, JaMarcus Russell, is now a rich man.
So it looks like I will see Russell play in week 15 up in Oakland when they take on the Indianapolis Colts. There is no way they keep playing Josh McCown up until then, or that Daunte Culpepper does not get hurt by that time. Hurry up JaMarcus, I want to have a reason to watch the Raiders!

Already?

The Portland Trailblazers new 40-year old errr, allegedly 19-year old overall first draft pick, Greg Oden, will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee following an MRI showing some cartilage problems.

Do the Blazers have a Mr. Glass on their hands? Oden was hampered by a wrist injury throughout his stay at Ohio State and suffered from tonscillectomy in the Las Vegas summer league. There is not a timetable on his return to the Blazers, which open training camp in three weeks.

Hmmmm... do the Blazers have another draft blunder on their hands? Perhaps reminiscent of 1984, when they took Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan? Kevin Durant may not be the next Jordan, but he was impressive when playing with Team USA. But as the motto goes, "you cannot teach size".

At least Oden will have Darius Miles to hang out with on the pine. Miles knows of all the best positions on the bench; so Oden will be in good hands.

A Second With "Extreme" Sports

In sixth grade I attempted to be a BMX rider with my GT Interceptor. That failed when I could barely get the nerve to go off the dirt jumps at Koch Park.

Then I turned to skateboarding in junior high school. Initially I started to fit in, but in high school I got serious about it. Especially my sophomore year, when I stopped going to parties and decided to skateboard at night instead. By my senior year I was pretty good but got discouraged by the rate at which the young kids were taking over the skateboard world. I knew I had no chance to get sponsored.

I dabbled in snowboarding for fun but have not been boarding since 1999. I still get on my skateboard every once and awhile to mess around.

Anyways, what I am trying to get at is that I will post some "extreme" sports stuff here on occasion.
That being said, I have always wondered if the kite surfers got detached from their kites. Well as you can tell by the video, the answer is yes.

I hate the term "extreme sports," but it is here and that is that. Asi es, asi sera.

Baseball - Playoff Time Almost Here

The Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers are tied for first with 19 games to go after the Cubs beat the Cards 12-3 and the Brewers dropped one to the Pirates 9-0.
Good thing Jim Hendry signed Ted Lilly from his hospital bed, because the Cubs and Lilly are now 9-1 when he starts the day after a loss. The victory improved his record to 15-7 and made me look a little smarter as I drafted him in two of my fantasy leagues.

I like the Cubs chances in taking the NL Central division; just based on the fact that the Brewers end their season with four games against the NL wild card leading San Diego Padres, no bueno. Plus Zambrano will beat up his players if they do not make it into the playoffs.

In the American League, the Seattle Mariners continue to go down the wrong path, as the Oakland A's beat the M's on two grand slams. Which is good news for me, since I have season tickets to the Angels and picked up the playoff package for the whole postseason. If the Yankees roll into my area for the postseason there will be plenty of chaos to look forward to. Tailgating for everyone.

Oh, and as for the Yankees in the East; the Red Sox dropped one to the Tampa Bay and the gap closed to five games in the AL East with a three-game series coming up this weekend at Fenway Park between ESPN's beloved teams, the Yanks and Red Sox. I am sure they will remind all you sports fans that they play this weekend.

Lastly, MLB officials have added Jay Gibbons to their interrogation list, a day after SI.com reported that Gibbons received steroids and HGH from a pharmacy after they were both banned. Oye Ve. This list is just going to get longer and longer. Maybe Mr. Bonds was just keeping up with his fellow players...

More baseball tomorrow.

Monday Night Football - Week 1

Monday Night Football just concluded for the evening and both games were highly entertaining. But as I said before, high disappointment regarding Chad Johnson's TD dance in the 27-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

In a rehearsed dance, Johnson ran to the sidelines where he quickly threw on an oversized replica NFL hall of fame jacket. That was it?!?! Where are the dance moves? This is not fashion class, we want to see the dance moves. I could have blown the world away in primetime with my famous "bunny" dance. Ocho Cinco, call me, I can give you some dance lessons.

The Ravens had a chance to tie it at the end, but when you have the ball in Kyle Boller's hands what do you expect? Not that Steve McNair was much better, handing over four of the Ravens' six turnovers.

Alex Smith and the 49ers came through in the final minute to overcome the Arizona Cardinals in a 20-17 win. The game was not an offensive beauty, but was a good watch as each respective defensive squad played well. At one point the Cardinals had five penalties in eight plays, not good. Another crushing loss for the Cardinals, wish we had Dennis Green around for his post game comments.

And I actually preferred the second set of announcers on ESPN. The "Mike cubed" squad. It pains me to say that because I am a big Tony Kornheiser fan, and thought the addition of Ron Jaworski would make them the clear-cut better announcing squad for the night.

And finally, it was a sad day for Kevin Everett and his family yesterday, and things do not look to be getting better as of right now. It is unfortunate things like this happen in sports. Wish the best for Everett and his family.

A Familiar Facial Expression

Well the Giants season got off to a stellar start last night... they lose starting defensive end Osi Umenyiora, starting RB Brandon Jacobs, and now appear likely to be without their starting QB Eli Manning for at least a month after their loss to the Cowboys.

Tom Coughlin has got to be loving life right now. I mean you have your ex-running back, Tiki Barber, telling the world that he quit football because of his coaching, along with the constant New York criticism. Too bad, because this will give the Giants another reason not to fire Coughlin.

I can just hear it now: "Look at the injuries we have suffered; there is no way we can blame Coughlin."

Forget the fact that I had Jacobs as my third RB on my fantasy football team (and had high hopes for); I just feel plain bad for Eli. Does the guy ever smile? It seems like he has the same facial expression all the time. Like he is going shed one tear down his cheek at any moment.

And he actually had a great game for the Giants, too bad their defense let Tony Romo throw four TDs. Ugh, media jumping on the Romo bandwagon again. It makes me cringe when Romo smiles.

On another note: I am kind of disappointed in Ocho Cinco's (Chad Johnson) TD celebration in the first quarter of the Bengals-Ravens game.
You promised big things Ocho Cinco, now deliver. Oh yeah, and the Ravens already have three turnovers, IN THE FIRST QUARTER!

Time for popcorn.

They Should Make Babies Together

Tiger Woods and Roger Federer should find a way to conceive a child together (sorry Thierry Henry, once again left out).
Woods shot a eight-under-par 63 at the BMW championship on Sunday on his way to passing the 75 million-dollar mark in career earnings. The win put Woods at the top of the FedEx Cup standings which will conclude at the Tour Championship, awarding the winner with a 10 million-dollar bonus.

You can pretty much bank Woods on winning that bonus. There are only four players that can beat him out for the prize, which includes Phil Mickelson and Rory Sabbatini (who called Woods "more beatable than ever" this year). I highly doubt Tiger is going to let either of those guys beat him out for that prize. Hell, it won't even be about the money to Woods, its all about proving that he owns those guys.

Oh, and it was also his 60th career PGA win, and now is two away from Arnold Palmer's 62 wins.

And while Woods was matching his lowest career round, Roger Federer won his fourth consecutive U.S. Open. Yes, I said fourth consecutive. Does this guy lose? I mean aside from playing Nadal on clay, Federer does not lose.

His victory kneel was so fake, it actually pained me to see him do it. Come on Federer, act like you have been there before, its not like you haven't.

Anyways, these two gentlemen should go ahead and make a baby together and dominate the world. I mean Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie may have the strength in numbers, but a Federer-Woods child would be the first professional quadruple sport superstar.

Does anyone else find the conclusion of the Gillette commercial creepy? Federer seems to like caressing Woods a little too much. Poor Thierry, no play from the world's top athletes.