Weekend Notes

The Foreskins Exposed

A friend who's an Eagles fan and I were taking the other day. We don't agree on much. But we agreed on this. The Fraudskins were all smoke and mirrors. Their defense is solid. But with Portis banged up, any offense with Mark Brunnell leading the way was on borrowed time. We agreed that Washington was the weak sister of the division and it was only a matter of time before they were exposed as the frauds they are.

A 36-0 beating at the hands of the Giants good enough for you?

Sunday, as the G-Men were playing in memory of their patriarch Wellington Mara, provided the perfect backdrop for Joe Gibbs' gang to be embarrassed as the imposters they are. 36-0 doesn't really you a clear idea of how badly the Skins were dominated. Were it not for their defense who held the Giants out of the endzone several times and forced them to settle for field goals, this could have easily have been 56-0. Eli Manning had an off day, but Tiki Barber ran for over 200 yards and outgained the entire Washington offense for the afternoon. Mark Brunnell reminded of something Phil Simms once said a couple of years after he retired. He said that he could still make all the throws he used to. He just couldn't get hit. That's where Mark is in this stage of his career. If his protection holds up, he still has enough arm strength to get the ball down the field to Moss and company. But he can't withstand the beating an NFL QB has to take to be successful. And Strahan and Umenyiora proved that theory Sunday. They battered him all afternoon thanks in part to a secondary that remembered how to cover the receivers.

It was a great win for Big Blue that put them in first place. But it was only one win. The division is wide open and for the taking. As hard as it might be for the nay-sayers to believe, the Giants have as good a shot of winning the NFC East as anyone. Does anyone really believe that Bledsoe can get it done for Dallas? He's a disaster waiting to happen. The Eagles? Well read the next paragraph...

Filtha-Delphia

In the same conversation with my Iggles buddy, I told him after the win versus San Diego, that he can't be happy with what he saw. That it was only a matter of time before they got exposed. He agreed.

Thankfully, I didn't talk to him today.

The Eagles were taken back to the Woodshed by the Broncos today 49-21. And it should have been worse. The Broncos were up 28-0 late in the second quarter until the McNabb finally got them on the board. He was actually able to make a game of it for a little while, pulling within a touchdown. But the Broncos were able to hold on and wear them down and score three late touchdowns. Only McNabb and Owens were make this into some semblance of a competitive contest. The Broncos dominated every facet of the game and exposed the Eagles banged up defense and offense.

Speaking of McNabb, anyone who questions his courage is an idiot. This guy clearly should be on the shelf recovering from Sports Hernia surgery. Instead he puts the surgery on hold and soldiers on. He's not half the player he usually is. But he's still dangerous. Teams know that they can't run, so they dare the Eagles to throw, knowing that there are certain throws that he can't make. But he still finds a way to keep his team in the game. But the injury is clearly catching up to him. With their defense banged up, it's only a matter of time before this team completely falls apart. They got blown out by an average Cowboys team. Got a gift win versus San Diego and got their doors blown off by the Broncos. If Donovan was healthy, I'd have to say that they were the favorites. Now, It's the Giants and Cowboys division to lose.

I don't know what to make of the Broncos. World-beaters one week. Wife-beaters the next. If they could maintain any sort of consistency, with their running game and skill players, I'd have to make them the favorites to challenge the Colts for AFC dominance. But I don't know if any team with Jake Plummer as their QB can get past the second round of the playoffs. He's looked good so far but there's a lot of season left for him to revert back to his wishy-washy form.

Darth Visor Triumphs Again Knoxville

This was my guilty pleasure moment of the weekend. I've always been partial to the old ballcoach Steve Spurrier. He always good for a couple of great quotes each season. My favorite was when he was with Florida and he beat Manning and the Vols once again. When asked about spoiling Tennessee's season again, he said, "You can't spell Citrus without UT". Indicating that there's where the Vols were headed in January. Priceless. By beating Phil Fulmer again last night, Steve might guaranteed his team a bowl bid and jeopardized the Vols chances at one.

If you happen read my post from last Monday, you know I enjoyed the hell out of watching the Gamecocks win on Saturday....

Spurrier has now won in Knoxville with Duke, Florida and South Carolina. I don't know if he's a gambling man, but if he has some numbers to play in the Tennessee lottery....

Little Tuna Gets An Extension

After seven games, Charlie Weis got an 10 year extension from Notre Dame last week. Now I hate Notre Dame but I like Weis because he's a former Giant and Jet coach. I'm happy for him. But two things about this bug me. Does anyone think that this extension will keep Weis in South Bend if he wins a National Title or two and someone like the Jets or Giants come callling for him to come home? It gives him the financial security, yes. But the only reason he's not coaching in the pros is because noone offered him a job. If he puts Notre Dame back on the map, what could possibly keep him in Indiana? He's already shown that he can coach in the pros. I'd gather that the chance to coach in the big leagues would be too tempting to pass up.

And while he is a great coach, he hasn't shown that he can recruit yet. These are all Ty Willlingham's kids. It seems a little odd that they're giving this guy the store after seven games and he hasn't recruited one kid to the cause. I know he's one of them (Class of 78), but I still think race has something do with it. It's not Charlie's fault. But it still stinks. One of many reason that I'll never root for the Irish.

By the way, USC will be number one in BCS polls on Monday. Bank on it....

Who Are The Astros Going Blame Now? The Jet Stream?

I take no pleasure in being right so often...but it's a helluva lot better than being wrong.

Congrats to the White Sox and the City of Chicago on their first title in 88 years. They were clearly the best team in baseball this year and deserved to win.

The one thing that I'm concerned about is something Imperial Council member Strong Island Rob brought up in an email today....

so the the pale hose sweep. after years of futility i wonder if we now can look forward to new episodes of queer eye starring konerko, pierzynski, etc., gillette commercials starring scott podsednik and lame movies from former SNL cast members who are pale hose fans. fingers crossed...

God I hope not. The 1986 Giants and Mets were the worst when it came to all the books and endorsements and appearances. The 2004 Red Sox were a close second. Now we'll have to endure a team that's suffered longer than anyone except the Cubs. Carl Everett on Queer Eye after saying being gay is wrong? I wouldn't mind watching that....

Carson: Carl, honey...We'll turn you into a Denzel lookalike!!!
Carl: Cool...Just don't touch me f&$%#t!

Now that's Must-See TV.

We keep hearing about how Chicago is Cubs town. I don't buy it. It's one thing when both teams stink. But what happens when one team breaks through? You already have some alleged Cubs fans who were "rooting" for the White Sox. How will the residents of Wrigleyville react to this? Will it become like a Yankees-Mets type hatred and someone will take on the persona of Cubstradamus to express North Side angst? Or will they jump off the Tribune bandwagon and venture to OzzieVille. I've always been suspicious of Cubs fans. Not the diehards like my buddy Brian who was too upset to talk about the Sox in World Series and was just thankful that he didn't have to see a White Sox-Cardinals Fall Classic. I'm talking about those folks who say they're Cubs fans but are rooting for White Sox "because it's Chicago, brah." Sickening.

And how many times are we going to hear that the Cubs are next to break their curse for the next year? I want to throw up...

We kept hearing from the Astros about how awesome their fans are. Please. If they were so great, Uribe doesn't come with that ball in the stands in the ninth inning. Someone smacks it away. That's way too important an out and fans who were on top of it would have never let him near that ball. Your team is fighting for their lives and you let their shortstop do a Jeter in the bottom of ninth inning? That never happens in Boston, New York or any Northeast city. Sure as hell doesn't happen at Wrigley or US Cellular. Ask Alou and Bartman.

More on Garner. I just realized that he could started Oswalt and Petitte in games 1 and 2 on normal rest and given Clemens' hammy a couple of days extra rest by starting him in game 3. This what I'm talking about when I say that a good manager puts his team in the best position to win. Your ace is 43 years old. Why not give him a little extra rest instead of sending him out there when you have more options? He can whine all he wants about the roof and his teams' awful hitting. He's as responsible for his team getting swept as anyone. I thought they would at least take a game or two from the Sox. It drives me nuts that all these recycled managers keep getting jobs but some guys can't a get sniff. Cito Gaston wins two titles but he can't get another gig. Whose wife did he nail that he can't get another managerial gig?

I hope that this shuts up all these National League fan/Baseball purists who think that the Senior Circuit is still the better league. The American League is the better league and has been for several years now. Even wihtout the DH, the lineups are better and pitching is more battle-tested because of it. I said before the playoffs started that any of the top five AL squads (including the Indians) would have beaten anyone in the NL. This proves it. Heck, had that fat bastard David Wells not bailed out on the Yankees in game 5 in 2003 and Mariano closed out the D-Backs in 2001, you would be talking about eight straight World Series instead of six of eight. The difference was slight a couple of years ago. It's huge now.

I was very very annoyed watching the Latino Legends ceremony. Not trying to take anything away from what these players have meant to the game. But they haven't done it for Blacks or Italians. Why do Latins get there own ceremony. And why is A-Rod on the team? He was born in NYC and grew up in Miami! Nomar wasn't eligible. Why was A-Rod? This team is a joke. Great players, all of them. But all this PC garbage is too much.

Roof 1, Astros 0

Looks as if the Astros were on to something in their asking for Minute Maid's roof to be closed last night. Their roof is akin to Sampson's hair. Remove it and they're both as weak as a kitten with arthritis.

It's ironic that chief whiner Phil Garner was the one who helped do his team in. Ninth inning. First and Third situation. One out. You've got a scuffling rookie(Taveras) going up against one of the great postseason pitchers of this era (El Duque). You've got a switch-hitter who's a proven postseason performer. One who tied up the game the other day in the ninth for your team. El Duque struggles against lefties. How do you not pinch hit Vizcaino in that situation?

I've always thought that Garner was overrated as a manager. Before he got to Houston do you how many seasons over .500 that he's logged? One. His first when he was 92-70. He's been on borrowed time ever since. He's one of these guys that gets the reputation for being a great baseball mind even he's though accomplished absolutely nothing. He's given the benefit of the doubt because he's managed medium and small market teams. People I know who watch National League ball regularly are dumbfounded by some of the moves he makes. Now I see why. There's not much a manager can do with a bad team, but he sure can ruin a good one. Someone needs to just make sure he stays out of his teams way.

He kills his team for not hitting in that game in the postgame, but a manager is supposed to put his team in position to give them their best chance at a win. If he's going to kill his team for not hitting (and they were dreadful), he needs to take a hit for some of the horrible moves he's making.

The Astros are D-O-N-E. Unless Garcia phones it in, I can't see the Astros coming back from a loss like this. And please, don't bring up the 2004 Red Sox. The White Sox have much better pitching than the Yankees and are much fresher at this time of year thanks to the rotation's performance in the ALCS. This series is over after tonight.

And I'll have my life back.

Want Some Cheese With That Whine??

I almost did a double take when I read that the Astros were whining about not being able to keep the roof closed for tonight's game. Thankfully, the MLB came to their senses. This hit wires a little while ago....

HOUSTON -- Major League Baseball ordered the roof open at Minute Maid Field for Game 3 of the World Series on Tuesday night, ignoring the wishes of the Houston Astros.

Jimmie Lee Solomon, executive vice president of baseball operations in the commissioner's office, made the announcement at Minute Maid Field about four hours before the scheduled first pitch. It was 71 degrees and the sky was cloudless when Solomon spoke.

"It's a beautiful day," Solomon said. "This is not unprecedented. It happened in 2001 down in Arizona. The roof was open all four games there."

The Astros like playing with the roof closed because, among other things, it increases the noise.

Solomon said the commissioner's office followed the Astros' regular-season guidelines, which call for the roof to be open when the temperature is under 80 degrees and there is no rain.

"I think it's a disregard to our fans, the comfort of our fans," Astros manager Phil Garner said.

Solomon said the roof is likely to be open for all games in Houston this week.

I can't believe the Astros have the balls to complain about this. How can you complain about having to play an outdoor game...outdoors?? To play the fall classic...in the fall!!!

If your fanbase is that weak that you have to close the roof to amplify the noise of the crowd, then you don't deserve to win. This team has never hosted a World Series. The idea that these guys are whining about the fact that their fans have to sit outside in 71 degree weather in October is mind-boggling. If they're real fans, they'll go through what the Chi-town fans went through on Sunday. Or what fans in the Northeast would have to endure over the years in October.

I was initially rooting for the Sox because I'm an American League guy. Now I want to see the Astros and their fans suffer....

The Giants' Giant Leaves Us

I'm sure you all know about this....

^Wellington Mara, NFL's senior owner, dies at 89
^By DAVE GOLDBERG= ^AP Football Writer=
NEW YORK (AP) Wellington Mara of the New York Giants, one of the NFL's most influential owners for more than a half century and the last of the league's founding generation, died Tuesday. He was 89.
Mara, who was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997, died of cancer at his home in Rye, the team said.
``Wellington Mara is the face of not only the New York Giants but the NFL,'' Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey. ``He's a pioneer and the guy that everybody looks up to.''
Mara's influence went far beyond the Giants. He clearly was one of the most important figures in NFL history.
Perhaps his greatest contribution came in the early 1960s. He and brother Jack, owners of the biggest team in the biggest market, agreed to share television revenue on a leaguewide basis, dividing the huge amounts of money available in cities like New York with smaller markets from Pittsburgh to Green Bay.
Part of that agreement meant that the Giants ceded the right to sell their own games to television for a leaguewide contract, in those days with CBS. That concept of revenue sharing allowed the NFL to thrive and remains in place today.

You could argue that Mara was actually better for the NFL than he was for his own team. Could you imagine a big market owner in any sport today that would agree to share their tv revenue in the way that Mara did in the 60's. Mara understood that the future of the league's success was far more important than his team's short-term success.

Mara along with George Halas is also a big reason why the Green Bay Packers still exist. When the Packers were on the beginning of their incredible roll in the sixties, there was a brief moment in time where Mara could have brought Vince Lombardi back to the Giants. Halas convinced him that if he took Lombardi, that the Packer franchise would have crumbled. Noone tortured the Bears and the Giants more on the field at that time than Lombardi. But they put the league's needs ahead of their individual franchises.

You had that sad sack period from the mid sixties to late seventies where the game seemed to pass the Maras by. Landry was playing Chess and the Giants were playing Connect Four. But after the Piscarcik/Herm Edwards Miracle of the Meadowlands play in 1978, Mara had enough and along with Pete Rozelle, brought in George Young to be the GM. The rest is history for Giants fans.

As a Giants fan would you have liked him to be a little more fiery in putting a quality product on the field? Absolutely. Mara seemed content at times if the team had meaningful games in December. Not if they could win a Super Bowl. But being a Yankees fan and all the drama that goes with it, it was great having such calm steady presence running the G-Men.

Mara was truly a giant(no pun intended)figure in the history of American sports. He will be missed.

There's A New Sheriff In Town..And His Name Is Vince Young

This hit the AP wires earlier today...

Texas is No. 1 in Bowl Championship Series standings.
The Longhorns slipped past Southern California into first place Monday by virtue of a stellar showing in the BCS computer rankings.
Texas, which was second last week, has a BCS average of .9763. Now second-place USC grades out at .9756.
The top two teams in the final standings play in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 4 for the BCS title.
The Trojans are No. 1 in both the USA Today coaches' poll and the Harris Interactive poll, which make up two-thirds of the team's BCS grade. A compilation of six computer rankings account for the other third, with the highest and lowest ranking for each team being dropped.
While the two-time defending national champion Trojans hold a comfortable lead in the polls, the computers love Texas. The Longhorns were the top team in five of the computer rankings and second in the other.
Virginia Tech is still in third, but even farther back than last week. The Hokies have a BCS average of .9162, leaving them .0592 behind the Trojans. They were .0524 out of second place last week.
Georgia (.8679) and Alabama (.8513) are next, holding their spots from last week. UCLA (.7384) moved up three places to sixth, putting the nation's six unbeaten teams at the front of the BCS standings.
Miami (.7114), LSU (.7065), Penn State (.6450) and Florida State (.5735) round out the top 10.

I'm a Trojans fan but I can't disagree with the rankings. Their strength of schedule is about equal, but the way Texas has been rolling up the W's the last month, taking the everyone to the woodshed and beating them with in the head with an aluminum bat Goodfellas style...it's kind of hard to argue with them overtaking USC in the BCS polls. USC has been winning, but they've scuffling a bit in nearly all their games. I think they'll run the table and get to the Rose Bowl, but I can't get around the fact that their defense has shown more holes than Swiss Cheese. Texas deserves to be number one right now.

I never thought I'd say this at the beginning of the season. But I think that Texas has a great chance of winning it all. They're the equal of USC in talent and they're better defensively right now. The only concern I have with the Longhorns is Mack Brown. He's still got to prove that he's a big-game coach. I'm not convinced. Yet.

It should be a fun winter....

Scott Podsednik???

How does Brad Lidge let someone that hit no dingers in 500 plus appearances in the regular season take him deep?

That's horrible. Worse than horrible, if that's possible.

Houston's done. This series doesn't come back to Chicago. I don't care if it's only 2-0 and the Astros are going home. Garcia and Rowland finish this off this week. You can't lose a game like this and expect come back. Not the way the Astros hit. If this was the Red Sox or Yankees, maybe. They have the offense to do it. But it's a feat when Houston scores 6 runs. I don't care if Jenks is a rookie, they don't do that again against him. Not the way he throws. And definitely not after Scotty P picked him up. Maybe if they lose the game in extra innings, Jenks' psyche could have been frazzled. But he just got a "Get out a jail free" card. Houston finished.

Another horrible call by the umps tonight with Jermaine Dye phantom HBP. Not surprised. Especially after reading this article by Bill Madden in Sunday's Daily News. Bud Selig has to do something about these horrible umps if he wants people to continue to take the game seriously. The idea that these clowns are umping a World Series is a complete crock. And it's getting worse every season.

Scotty P? Wow.....

We Have A Quarterback!!!

That's what a fan told me after today's incredible win over the Giants. That's the voicemail message a buddy left for me after the game. That was the general feeling of Giants fans as we left the stadium last night. It's a feeling Giants fans haven't felt since Phil Simms was cut after the 1993 season. The feeling that you always have a chance at the end of the game no matter how badly your team has been outplayed in the game. The feeling that, if your team has the ball last, you'll pull it out.

We have a quarterback.

And it's a good thing that Eli bailed out the defense because Giants Stadium was about round up the defense and hang them by their toenails on an overpass on the Jersey Turnpike. The Giants were thoroughly outplayed for three and a half quarters. The 23-10 score wasn't indicative of how the Broncos were taking the Giants lunch money and making them watch as they made out with their girlfriends.

That was until Eli made his move in the fourth quarter. He drove the Giants 65 yards to cut the Denver lead to 23-17. The defense, realizing that they had a QB that could win this thing, finally developed a spine and picked up Eli after he was intercepted by Champ Bailey. The Broncos had to punt after a quick three and out and that gave the G-Men the ball on the 17 yard line.

That's when Eli made the league take notice.

He drove Big Blue down the field and with five ticks on the clock, backpedaled/rolled out and calmly threw a TD pass to Amani Toomer to win the game.

Giants fans, who look forward to their own version of the Trail Of Tears when they try and exodus the stadium after every home game, cried tears of joy as they left the swamp Sunday evening. Hugging and high-fiving anyone wearing Big Blue.

Broncos fans left wondering what football gods did they offend to be forced to be subjected to a loss like that one.

That's what franchise QB's do for a team and a franchise. No matter how flawed your team is, you always think you have a chance to win as long as he's back under center.
Look at some of the mediocre teams that Dan Marino and John Elway took to the playoffs over the years. Look at what Tom Brady is doing with the Pats. His tailback is banged up, his defense is so awful that they're expecting a guy who had a stroke in February to give them a boost. Yet he's keeping this team afloat. The Giants defense is even worse than their numbers suggest. If not for the turnovers they forced, this team would probably have given up 40 points a game. But Manning and his boys find a way to get it done at the end.

I'm not comparing Eli yet any of the aforementioned QBs. But he's giving Giants the same sort of hope that those QBs teams/fans had over the years. He's giving us what we hope will be commonplace in future. I don't know how good this kid will be. But I know that, barring any future injuries, this kid has a chance to keep the Giants relevant for a long time to come.

We have a quarterback!!!!

Bluegrass Grows In Hell

I felt like Tim Robbins in Jacob's Ladder Saturday. I'm dead but I just don't know it. But after going to Blondies East to watch the Texas-Texas Tech game with my friend Darth Chuck, I finally figured out that not only am I deceased, I'm in hell paying for my multitude of sins.

I rarely venture to the East Side of Manhattan for a couple of reasons. The first is that my job is on the West Side and my subway train takes me to down 7th avenue. The other is that upper East Side feels like one big Friends episode. Every one is white and pretty. No black folks allowed. So after a hour and a half trek to the East Side (Subway construction delays, having racist dogs bark at me while I walk down the street, I finally get to my destination.

I'm wearing a Mitchell & Ness Doug Williams Tampa Bay Bucs Jersey, figuring that wearing a pro jersey like that won't offend any of the college populance at the bar. While I didn't offend anyone, I had no idea that Blondies East is where the NYC Tennessee Alumni association watch their games. Because of the Buc orange, they think that I'm one of them. A little horrifying since I've been partial to the Gators (my SEC team) for about 15 years.

This is where I realized that I was in hell. It was 0-0 at the half and the bartender Kenny (a tip whore like most of his brethren) decides to play the Tennessee fight song "Rocky Top". For those of you that have never heard it, don't click on that link unless you're a masochist. But it's a bluegrass song that become the state's official song.

Apparently the original recorded version wasn't good enough for these hillbillies. Because someone decided to make not one, not two, but three remix version of this godawful song. And the tipwhore Kenny decides to play all three version during halftime!!! These hillbillies were clapping and yee-hawing while all three version of this horrible song played. I felt more uncomfortable than a brother who got caught doing the Grand Wizard's daughter at a Klan rally.

My buddy Darth Chuck was in his own hell watching alma mater Texas Tech, toss Texas' salad as Vince Young strikes his best Heisman pose at the Raiders expense. So I call my buddy Grand Moff Peter, a Florida alum and Gator lover, to let him know where I was buried and to make sure to send my mom flowers. He laughs and tells to hoist one with Satan and to knock out a couple of toothless Vol bastards while I'm there.

Satan must be a Vol hater because he took mercy on my soul. When the Vols fumbled into the endzone for a Tide touchback and Croyle marched 'Bama down the field for the winning field goal...it took every bit of willpower that Chuck and I could muster not to laugh uncontrollably. The silence was deafening. Then you heard a couple of "Fuck!'s " in the crowd and hands bashing the tables. We told Kenny that he better make sure they pay their tabs before the mass exodus out the door begins.

We finally lost it when we saw one guy with one Tide pom-pom in the corner waving it as his Vol girlfriend looked at him with disgust.

Seems like the devil does have a sense of humor....

Manny Turns Down The Mollies

It looks like the Mollies of Flushing will have to find another Jake Ryan this winter. From the ESPN website....

The Red Sox did throw out the idea of a Manny Ramirez-Carlos Beltran deal in July, but it was on the weekend of the trading deadline after Ramirez had asked to be traded.

The Mets rejected the idea, and GMs Omar Minaya and Theo Epstein tried to construct two-, three-, and four-way deals -- none of which worked. "The ironic thing is that by the end of the weekend, Manny said he would not go to the Mets," says Ramirez's agent Greg Genske of Legacy Sports Group. "I know people have speculated about Pedro [Martinez] and his influence, but Manny does not want to be traded to the Mets."

And, anyway, the Red Sox say they have not offered the superstar outfielder to the Mets -- or anyone -- as of now. Genske plans to meet with Boston owner John Henry next week in Florida, and after that meeting some determination will be made on whether Ramirez will repeat his July request to be traded, or the team will see what it can get on the market, with the knowledge that as a 10-5 player, Ramirez can veto any deal.

If Ramirez does request to be traded, Genske says "his preference would be Anaheim. He also still loves Cleveland, and would go back there." Another possibility would be Arizona, if Boston would take some of the contracts the Diamondbacks are trying to move, including Troy Glaus and Luis Gonzalez. Texas was in play at the deadline.

The problem is that if the Red Sox baseball operations had their way, the only way Ramirez would be traded is if they could restock themselves with a young corner outfielder, a center fielder and pitching. Their feeling is that with so much money floating around the industry and so few quality free agents, Ramirez's contract -- three years remaining at a present-day value of slightly more than $17 million -- will not be that bad come spring training. Also, while Ramirez is unpredictable and sometimes had hustle lapses, he has played 150 or more games three straight seasons, bettered in Red Sox history by only Frank Malzone (7), Carl Yastrzemski (5), Jim Rice and Dwight Evans (4 each).

This wouldn't have been a horrible trade for the Red Sox. You get a switch-hitting gold-glove caliber centerfielder who hits for power and steals bases. Beltran could become a real force in that park. Damon is an offensive force at the top of any lineup. He takes a lot of pitches, hit over .300, steals some bases and has some pop. But he's going to 32 in November. He's only an average defender with a poor arm. The infidels could have gotten a player with a tremendous upside that would have immediately improved their defense up the middle. And he wouldn't have to be the focal point of the offense. Ortiz is. You could bat him front of Big Papi and he could wreak havoc. I don't if he'll put the fear of god into lineups that Manny does now. But he could potentially thrive in that park if he could deal with the press and the tough fans.

For the Mets, I'm not sure it would have been as good a deal. Yeah you get the big bopper you need in the middle of your lineup. But you have all the stuff that comes with it. I wonder how Manny being Manny would go over in Mollyville. You add the fact that Manny will be 34 next year, hitting in one of the better pitching parks in baseball...I'm not sure if that trade makes as much sense for the Mets. I know they've pining for Manny, but there are too many ifs involved whenever he's thrown into a conversation involving a trade.

Manny's not going anywhere. Epstein not doing the deal unless he gets equal value. And how do you get equal value for one of the best hitters of his generation? Everyone is trying to shed salary these days and I don't know if there's a fit out there for Boston. Is Anaheim willing to trade away half their farm system and add $17 million of salary? I don't think so.

It looks like the Mollies are going to have to find another way to add some pop to their lineup.

Ryne Sandberg Is On Crack

Clearly he must have been sucking the glass dick when he wrote this little ditty.

Proof positive that players definitely see the world differently from fans. Can you imagine a real Cubs fan ever suggesting such foolishness? Or a Mets fan telling his brethren to root for the Yankees because they'll return the favor someday?

I think even my infidel enemies will agree with me on this...Our wars ends when all wars end. And we wouldn't have it any other way. We might be friends, lovers, brothers and sisters off the field. While the game is on...we make the Hatfields and McCoys look like Will and Grace. The Israelis and Palestinians have to go to Camp David once every generation to hash things out because of all the you know...the dead bodies. Because this is a relatively bloodless feud between baseball fans, our hatred can carry on for generations without interference.

I enjoy hating the Red Sox, Mets and Indians. Their fan bases are defined by their hatred of the Yankees. It's ingrained in our collective DNA. I know people who won't date someone who supports the enemy of their beloved. Wives and husbands who can't watch an important game together that involves their teams. Parents that argue over which team the child is going to root for as passionately as what religion they'll be raised in or what schools they should attend.

People take this shit seriously. And I hate it when ignorant players who were only involved in the rivalry because they were paid to try to tell fans how to think and feel and worse...who they should root for.

Shut up Ryne. If we didn't take this shit as seriously as we do, you wouldn't be a millionaire several times over. It might be pathological, but it's our pathology.


Because I'm a American League guy, I'm pulling for the Chi-Sox. But one of my favorite writers on ESPN 2, Scoop Jackson wrote an article that should make everyone who's trying to find a side in this fight to consider the South Side this October.

Imagine if the Chi-Sox had guys like this writing their story for them for the last 80 years. Maybe we wouldn't have heard the incessant whining we heard from Infidel Nation since 1918.

If I have to hear about how the Chi-Sox and Astros "play the game right way" and that they play "NL ball", I'm going to puke. You know what the right way to play the game is? Whatever style that wins. Since when did doing the little things become the NL way? Billy Martin practiced that style of baseball and didn't he spend majority of his career in the American League. Can't the same be said about Lou Piniella? Didn't Rickey Henderson steal 130 bases with the Oakland A's? An American League team? When did playing solid fundamental baseball become a National League thing?

Granted, the introduction of the DH in 1973 did put a premium on power in the American League. But it's not as if the American League abandoned fundamentals when pitchers started hitting. At least the good teams didn't.

The teams that win have balanced lineups. If you're going to be 80's Cardinals, you better be able to pitch and catch every thing in your direction. Because your margin for error is a lot less than someone who has a couple of boppers. Each time those Cards lost, they lost to teams with balanced lineups and solid pitching. Steal all the bases you want. Sac bunt till your fingers bleed. At some point, you have to get a hit.

Granted, their is a little more strategy involved in NL games because the pitcher hits. But I've yet to see an AL manager get so outmanaged in a World Series or interleague game because of his inability to deal with pitchers hitting.

Despite what the baseball purists want to say, there is no one right way to play the game. If you're talking about cheating, that's one thing. But if you're talking about styles of play, that's something else. The bottom line is this, you can steal as many bases, hit as many home runs, suicide squeeze till you're blue in the face. If you can't pitch and play solid defense behind your pitcher, none of it matters.

The Astros and Chi-Sox are playing in the big dance because of the way they pitch. As far as I'm concerned, that's the only "right way to play the game" argument that matters.

Told You So....

Chris Russo is an idiot.

It's amazing what you can observe by watching.

I wish that I could say that I hate being right...but I don't. Now here's another ditty you can put in the bank....White Sox win in no more than six games. Their bullpen is rested and so are their starters. Their bullpen is deeper and they're better offensively. They're just a better team right now and they have the home field advantage.

Mayor Daley had to call for peace in the city when the Sox made it because Cubs fans were pissed. He better call in the National Guard when his beloved Sox win it all.

Imperial Diamond Notes

Why is everyone so quick to write off the Astros after Monday night?

Everyone is assuming that Houston is dead after the spirit of Donny Moore temporarily possessed Brad Lidge? Sorry, but as awful as that loss was I still think Houston is going to pull it out tonight for a couple of reasons. The first is the fact that they have Oswalt going for them tonight. Oswalt has been a money postseason performer the last couple of years. The other is I've never been that impressed by Mark Mulder. He might be the most talented of the big three out of Oakland, but he's never impressed me as a bigtime clutch performer. Add to that the LaRussa factor (the ability of a manager to overmanage himself out of an orgasm if he was in bed with Jenna Jameson) and you have the recipe for a Houston World Series appearance.

The other thing is that this doesn't feel like another Angels/Yankee-esque collapse. I remember that 1986 ALCS and you felt the shovel to collective solar plexus of the team and its fans. You knew they were done. Last year ALCS, the Yankees played with a stick up their ass the second Mo gave up that single to Bill Mueller. And when they lost game 5, you didn't completely lose faith but you knew it wasn't looking good. When game 7 came around, I wouldn't have admitted it at the time, but there was a sense of inevitability that this wasn't going to end well and you were planning your escape routes out of the Stadium. Monday night was different. It felt like just another bad loss. Not a bone-crushing momentum turning moment. And it wasn't as if it was a nobody like Dave Henderson who beat Lidge. It was the best young hitter in baseball, probable NL MVP and a future hall of famer.

So before everyone tells Lidge's girlfriend to hide his gun and get a restraining order for fear of Donnie the UnFriendly Ghost possessing her man again...I think we all need to take a deep breath and remember that this is 2005 not 1986.

How miserable do you think Cubs fans are going to feel about the White Sox winning the World Series? I mean real Cubs fans. Not the happy drunks who go to Wrigley once every blue moon and could care less if the team wins or loses. I'm talking about the diehards. The ones who still hate the Mets because of 1969. The ones who wanted to kill Steve Bartman and Alex Gonzalez. The ones who would be in their own personal baseball hell if they had to watch the Cardinals and White Sox in the World Series.

A buddy of mine who's a diehard was in my office on Monday. He's dreading the fact that it might happen. Just dreading it. As he should. When you're a diehard, you should be miserable when your crosstown rival and division nemesis prosper. Being a real fan is about two things, love and hate. Unconditional Love for your squad. Unconditional hate for your rivals. You're not supposed to jump on some Chicago bandwagon and say "I got love for Chi-town, man. So I'm rooting for the Sox even though I'm a Cubs fan." Screw that.

I love NYC. I'm a New Yorker born and bred. But I'm never rooting for the Mets. Ever. In 1999, when the Mets lost to Atlanta on a bases loaded walk to Andruw Jones by Kenny Rogers....I giggled my ass off. I loved the fact that there were Mets fans all over the country who dying at that moment. Old Mets fans who probably would die without seeing their team win again. Young ones who were scarred for life after watching that and the 2000 Subway Series. A thing of beauty for a Yankees fan. The only thing better is seeing New England scumbags suffer when the Red Sox lose. I read every blog, every Boston Website to revel in their misery. Even though the Yankees lost, I get a certain sense of satisfaction out of knowing that Mets fans had to stop writing about their team when the season ended. That they could only revel in the misery of others because their team won't provide them any joy of their own.

I was thinking of an analogy to describe Mets fans. With the way they dog A-Rod after salivating over him five years ago, it kind of reminds me of the guy who is love with this girl but doesn't have the balls to talk to her even though she's made it known to him that she thinks he's cute. A-Rod grew up a Mets fan and said that he'd love to play in Queens. But Steve Phillips cut any pursuit of him short by saying that he didn't want a clubhouse plus one and a bunch of other nonsense that the Mets used to cover up the fact that they were too cheap to get in the game. Now A-Rod is with the All-American football player(the Yankees) and the Mets are with the baseball equivalent of Marcie from the Peanuts (Beltran).


Mets fans are worse than Molly Ringwald in Sixteen Candles pining over Jake Ryan when they sweat a player. It was A-Rod a few years ago. Last year it was Beltran. Now its Manny. We should call them New York Mollies instead of the Mets. Hey, that's not a bad idea....

Let's go Mets Go!!!!

Football Notes

Luke, would you calm down please? Yes, I'm a Giants fan, but I had nothing to do with what happened to the Jets Quarterbacks!! Why would I jinx Pennington and Fiedler and not McNabb? It had to be Darth Shula...it had to be!!! Now would you come on down from there, please? At least Vinnie will start this week.... Luke, don't jump...Luke? Luke?

What do you if you're the New York Jets? You think your franchise QB is back from shoulder surgery, but just in case, you sign a very solid backup in Jay Fiedler. And what happens? You lose both in a span of five minutes! In just a couple of weeks, you go from being one of the teams to beat in the AFC to the team most likely to pick Matt Leinart in next year's draft. I've heard long time Jet fans like WFAN's Joe Benigno talk about the Jets being cursed. Now I'm starting to believe them.....

Sunday's game versus the Ravens showed that Brooks Bollinger clearly isn't the answer. How did this guy get drafted as a quarterback? He can't throw!! The Ravens defense is pretty good. But when you know a guy can't throw more 20 yards down the field, even the worst defense is going to look like the Steel Curtain. Benigno is killing Curtis Martin, screaming about how Lamont Jordan has in Oakland... saying that Martin is done. But it doesn't hurt Jordan's situation that he has Collins Moss and Porter to spread the field for him. And he's forgetting the fact when you have a QB that can't make the most basic throws (Bollinger), you can put eight in the box and key in on the run. No back can deal with that. Not even a hall of famer. Add the fact that the Offensive line isn't as good as it's been in years past, and you have a formula for a 2-14 record.

There was a rumor going around about the Jets possibly trading Jonathan Vilma for Phillip Rivers. Every Jets fan I talked to about to was vehemently against this trade. I'm not so sure about that. I know Vilma is an excellent linebacker and Rivers has played much in two years. But I don't think it's as far fetched as some make it out to be. As good as Vilma is (and he's very good), if you have a chance to get a franchise QB, you have to do it. Many scouts thought that Rivers was as good as Manning or Roethlisberger in last year's draft. The only reason he's not starting already is because Drew Brees decided to his best Joe Montana imitation and the Giants who drafted him used him as trade bait to get Manning. Giants GM Ernie Acorsi was very high on him and had no problem keeping him if the Eli deal fell through.

Acorsi's point was that franchise QBs only come around once every 10 years or so. And if you have an opportunity to acquire one, you have to jump on it. It's the reason the Chargers were willing to jettison only after a couple of years. It's the reason Kerry Collins became a ex-Giant as soon as Manning became available. It's not because Kerry or Drew weren't good pros. But their teams determined that they would only be able to go so far with them at the helm. Collins still has a cannon for an arm, but he's not able to check off after the first option is covered as well as a 10 year veteran should. Brees for whatever reason was never a Marty guy but considering that Schottenheimer is an idiot, I wouldn't take anything he does seriously.

My point is that with Pennington possibly being finished, you have to explore your options. And if Rivers is out there, then you have to at least consider it. Unless you're willing to tank the season and go after Leinart, he might be the best long term option available. These stop-gap moves are fine for a couple of games, but unless you have a stiffling defense, you're only going as far as your QB takes you. The Jets defense is very good, but look the teams they've had to play in the last couple of weeks. Outside of Kansas City, none of these teams are exactly world-beaters on offense. When they have to face teams like San Diego, with their offense stagnant, you could see some playstation scores put up against them in the next few weeks.

So as attached as the Jets are to Vilma, if the Chargers are willing to deal Rivers...they should seriously listen. You can draft another top flight LB in the first few rounds. Franchise QBs are much tougher to come by.

Speaking of franchise QBs, I think we're seeing a coming of age for Eli Manning. Yes, he's put up numbers against two very awful defenses. But that doesn't mean that it's a fluke. He's playing behind a much improved offensive line and he has some absolutely lethal weapons at his disposal. He's already developed a repoire with Burress and Shockey. Once he gets a feel for Amani Toomer and speedsters Tim Carter and David Tyree, it could be off to the races for the Giants. Add Tiki Barber and rookie Brandon Jacobs in the backfield, it's going to be tough to key in on just the pass with Big Blue. I just wish that Coughlin and the coaching staff would find way to work Jacobs into schemes outside of short yardage. By doing that, you can keep defenses honest because they have to honor the run while he's in there. You've got the horses, Tom. Now use some imagination with them.

It could be a long year for the Patriots defense. Losing Ty Law, Tedy Bruschi and Ted Johnson is bad enough. Now they've lost Poole and Harrison for the year. Unless their front seven applies more pressure against up front, you could see more 41-17 blowouts in their future. I, for one, can't wait.