Baby Blue

Dear Eli,

This is the last time that I will address you by this name. For so long I have been your biggest supporter, but you continue to disappoint me. Every time we need you to have a big game you some up small. When we think you have "turned the corner" you regress back to your rookie self. The Giants are built under the assumption that you can carry a significant part of the load, and so far you have not consistently been able to do that. Until you do show that and gain my admiration back, I will have to address you by other names. Names such as #10, baby brother, mushie face, and ninny are a few that will be used. If you are able to show the promise that we all see hope for you, I will be right back in your corner. Right now though it is way to frustrating to treat you any way differently.

The Giants aren't built like a team that has a weak QB. They do not have a dominant offensive line or defense. They have a defense that can force turnovers and keep you in the game. Their offensive line can open holes run the ball and beat people up, but they have been known to get penalized and give up pressure on the QB. This team is has a good enough O-line and defense to win a title, but the skill players need to play big for this to happen. This is not a Baltimore of 2000 or a Tampa Bay of 2002 or even a Denver of 2006 . The key to the Giant skill players is the QB. He gets the other guys the ball. Right now you are not doing it with nearly enough efficiency. You even screwed up a hand-off to Tiki last night!

I understand the injury problem, especially to the pass rushers. Last night Gerard had all day on numerous occasions. When there was pressure, he seemed to let GIant players drop off him like flies. Could the outcome have been different if Osi and Strahan were healthy? Without a doubt. Your QB play still may have doomed us though. It was that bad.

I am not asking you to be John Elway or Tom Brady. All I am asking is that you don't kill us. If you aren't ready to put us on your back, then don't! Just don't throw balls in coverage and make stupid reads. Make the plays you are capable of and don't force it. This team as enough talent, even with the injuries, that by making safe passes and running the ball you still have a chance to win and be successful. Plax, Shockmaster, and Tiki can all run after the catch! We saw that on the TD to Plax last night. That was amazing. Can you win a title like this? Probably not. But can you win games like last night like this?? Definitely.

I am just waiting for your "Christmas Story" moment. You know that Christmas movie that is always on TBS in December? The little boy with glasses, and the scene where the kids tough gets frozen to the pole. Through out that movie there is a younger brother who continuously gets picked on by a bully. At a certain point he just loses it and beats the crap out of the bully. Its like, why did not just do that in the first place??? I am waiting for that moment with you baby boy. You are getting kicked around on the field, abused by the media and the fans, all the while have a dumb look on your face. Can you just flip out and dominate?? You are the #1 pick!!! You are the "golden boy"!! You forced a trade from San Diego and now they are the best team in football!!! Either man up, or get out. We need you and want you to do well, but you are testing our patience. You better get a win next week and be ready for Dallas in two weeks at home. If you are not, you will hear boos like you have never heard in your life.

STKAFI

Fat P*ssy Toad

Famous words uttered by The Boss concerning his famous Japanese import at the time, Hideki Irabu. Irabu came to the US labeled the Japanese Nolan Ryan, with the same dominating fastball and intimidating presence. Instead he got knocked around by the American League and became Carl Pavano before Pavano was Pavano. Irabu never made it in New York and soon was back in Japan having failed in his short lived, buy hyped MLB career.

If Steinbrenner were the owner of the Knicks right now, it is safe to assume that he would have similar words to say concerning the overweight and undereffort of Eddy Curry. Curry came to New York in a blockbuster trade in which the Knicks gave up two first round draft picks and two other players. He had a stigma of a weak heart and weight problems, but the potential of a dominant post presence was too tempting for the Knicks (Isiah Thomas) to pass up. Over a year later, Curry still is overweight, doesn't have the heart of an 80 year old man, but instead of the Lion in the Wizard of Oz. He literally has none. He lumbers up and down the court, barely plays defense, rebounds or hustles. He was given the nickname "Baby Shaq" in high school. I am trying to figure out how he got that. He has all of Shaqs' baby fat maybe? He is 80% baby and 20% Shaq? Either way, he does not deserve to be mentioned in the same paragraph, let alone sentence of Shaq. I will not do that again.

I would be stupid not to mention the potential that everyone has seen in Curry though. FIrst of all he is a beast. He is 6'11", 285 lbs (more like 310 lbs now) and he has soft hands, and quick feet to accompany that. He has the physical gifts to be a dominant low post scorer. These are players that do not come along often. Even in todays up and down style of ball, a dominant big man is a very desired commodity. There are only a handful in the game today. That is Currys' lure. Even with his lack of conditioning and effort, Curry has averaged 15 ppg each of the last two years and is averaging about that same amount again this year. That is pretty remarkable considering he gets almost no "effort" points, ie offensive rebounds, fast break, etc. Curry is the ultimate enigma in the NBA today.

What does this all mean? Curry is only 24, but this is his sixth season since he came into the League directly from high school. Scouts are split over whether he has reached his potential or if he still can be a dominant player. I feel that the entire curve of "prime years" and development has been skewed by players coming into the league so early. The NBA is a grind that college is not. Preseason game, followed by an 82 game regular season and potentially many playoff games. While in the past a players' prime years may have been ages 28-32, now they may be 26-30. Basketball is a high intensity, contact sport and the grind takes it toll more than in a sport such as baseball.

In addition, if you look at the "high school generation". starting with Kevin Garnett, every successful NBA player has reached his "potential" by about his fourth year latest. Obviously players were not the best they could be in the fourth season, but from that season on, "they are who we thought they were", as Denny Green would say. Everyone from Kobe, to T-Mac, to Al Harrington, to Jermaine O'Neal. High school players are like any other prospect, some become all-atars, some role players, and some bums. It looks like Curry fits into the role player mold, even with the frustration that it beings every talent evaluator that watches his skill set.

So the question arises of how do you win with Eddy Curry as your starting center? Usually you want an intimidator who will rebound and block shots, both things that Curry does not do well. I feel that the Bulls had a very good system two years ago. A defensive minded coach, only defensive guys in the starting line-up (exception of Curry) and a team oriented offense. If you look at the Bulls this season and last, what is the main thing that they are missing? A guy who can score on the low post. Curry was that guy for them and they got rid of him. I am not saying it was a bad move for them (they did get two potential top 10 draft picks), but they traded a valuable commodity.

While the Knicks are a mish-mosh of talent, I saw an interesting glimmer of hope last night. They paired Curry with David Lee and Ronaldo Balkman up front. Tow guys that love to hustle and battle inside. The guards were Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford, also two guys who like to push the ball and work hard. This group sealed the victory for the Knicks and I think it is the type of line-up that Curry can thrive in. It is not perfect, but its a start. If the Knicks feel that Curry is the answer at center then they need to have players around him that compliment both his strengths and weaknesses. Do not ignore them, embrace them.

As far as Eddy Curry goes, I honestly like him. He seems like a nice guy, who is stuck in a 6'11" body. I don't know if he loves basketball as much as it came easy to him and he was pushed due to his size. I can not blame him for that. I know he means well and has never had an off the court problem (besides the McDonald's drive thru). In all seriousness, he is a player that has a unique talent, but he will never be the hall of fame center that some projected him as. He is just a good teammate who wants to play well and for people to like him. I hope it works out for him in New York, but he is in a tough spot. His acquisition sits right along side the Marbury deal as Isiahs' two signature trades in New York. Considering Isiahs' place with the fans and media, that is not an enviable place to be.

Hits

• Big win for the Knicks. I got tix again and had a great time. Holler Nelha.
• Thanks for the call leo....Sat night celts/knicks...gunna be a battle!
• Busy yesterday....did not get a chance to write anything...

STKAFI

Knicks Night

I attended my first Knicks game of the season last night. I was planing on a chill night at home, makin food and catchin up on my DVR when my boy Rambizzle called. He said he came across two tickets to the Knicks game and wanted to know if I would join him. Besides the fact that Lebron was in town, I will rarely pass up a chance to watch my team play. I met my boy, got a beer at a bar around the Garden and went in. It was his first time at the Garden so I was excited for him to see the inside. He is a Celtic fan, so I was not sure what he would think of it. He seemed very impressed and we both were pumped to see old time (yea right) NBA basketball.

The seats were pretty good, but the game was very choppy and slow. There was minimal rhythm and no fast breaks. Lebron looked like he could care less, and the fans are all out of it. Going to Knicks games as a youngster the crowd was into it from the intros until the jumbotron was bein takin down from the roof. During free throws now you can almost hear a pin drop. The highlight of the first half was our first glimpse for the season of the Knick City Dancers. Early in the third quarter the boo birds started to come out at the Knicks fell behind. Marbury was by far the main target of the crowd. Isiah was cleverly mocked by fans, but not with the viciousness of the Marbury attackers. I have to be honest with you. At this point in the game I began to hope the Cavs would continue to build a large lead so there would be some real verbal attacks on the Knicks and their sorry operation.

This did not happen though. Midway through the 4th Quarter Isiah put in his high energy group including David Lee, Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford. Through aggressive play they cut the lead to one with about three minutes to play. The crowd was into it, but not how they used to be. In the 1990's there was a ferociousness to the crowd. The "de-fence" chants were directed toward the opposition in a way thay told them we would collectively not let them score. Now these cheers are said with smiles and laughs because we can't believe we are cheering for such a pitiful group. In any event, the Knick proceeded to fall apart down the stretch. It was the usual scene of defensive breakdowns, poor shot selection off of one-on-one dribble drives. After basically sleeping through much of the game Lebron still ended up with 29 points and 6 assists. Marbury went 0-6, Nasty Nate Robinson energized the crowd for a bit, but the end result was another loss for the now 2-6 Knicks.

I left the arena without any disappointment from the loss. I am filled with such frustration from this team on a daily basis that individual games can not effect me. Rambizzle and I stayed until the very end and slowly made our way out of the arena and over to our respective trains on Sixth Ave. We both had a good time and hope to get more free tickets later in the season. Judging by the throngs of empty seats throughout the Garden, I am confident that this will not be difficult.

Knick Play and ish

• It does not look like Isiah called a play all night. Every time-out they would come out and either Crawford, Marbury, or Robinson would create one-on-one. There is no fluidity to the offense. The guards dribble the air out of the ball and the big guys stand still.
• How can Eddy Curry be so large yet be so invisible through out a game?
• I enjoyed showing Rambizzle how the Knicks will stay in any game through lucky shots and poor fundamental ball. They have shot makers, but no defense and even less team players. He knows his basketball so it was fun for me to hear his thoughts on the Knicks play in person.
• Great to see Willie Randolph and David Wright at the game. My boys!!! Willie gave a very inspiring fist pump to the camera. Not sure whether it was for the Knicks, or just to get the crowd to cheer, but it definitely riled me up. When does spring training start again??
• Looks like the Mets will go hard after Zito. Five years 75mm is the minimum that we will prolly get. I do not think I would go over 17mm per year. I know its more than he is worth, but in this market every player is gunna get more than what he normally would.
• http://www.tonyhomo.com/
• Anyone know what famous non-football playing alums went to Mich/OSU? I am just trying to prepare myself for the randoms that the camera will consistently pan to and interview through out the big game on Saturday.

STKAFI

As Bad as It Gets.....

This loss really sucks. There is honestly no other way to put it. The Giants had so much opportunity for the season and they let it all slip away. Usually after a bad loss I try to watch all the interviews and read all the articles the next day, but right now I don't want to even look at them. What made this really bad was when I got home from watching the game, my roommate had a big poster on my couch of a team picture of the Giants. I honestly considered ripping it apart and throwing it all over the apartment. I did not do that and the picture would be great if I could stand the team at the moment. I just told him that those are the last people in the world I want to look at right now and we can talk in the morning.

Anyway, back to the game. I want to start with the quarterback. I am his biggest fan. I have had his back since he was drafted. I have a couple reasons for this. First, he is our quarterback. The Giants put a lot of money and faith into him, so we should cheer and give him as much chance as we can, because if the Giants are going to win a Super Bowl within the next five years he is going to have to be the man. I addition, I like his attitude and calmness on the field. He has a good arm and pocket presence, as well as having a knack for the clutch. With all that being said though, he needs to put the team on his back when it needs him. This was a huge game with two young QBs. Both looked horrible early. Grossman though got better as the game went on and ended up with a very good day. Eli forced a bad INT on a drive in the 4th Quarter when the Giants had a very good chance to win the game. He played like shit the entire game. SO many throws were high and he never looked comfortable. This was a game where we needed him and he did not show up. At this point in his career that is embarrassing. He really needs to show me something in these upcoming games for me to have confidence in him for the playoffs.

My biggest fear going into this game was the Giants pass rush. Early on they were blitzing, hitting Grossman and really effecting him. As the game wet on though they got to him less and less and he was able to have time in the pocket. Because of this he was much more comfortable and accurate with his passes. The injuries to the DE's are catching up to the Giants and if these guys to not get healthy soon then the fortunes of this season can take a nose dive very quickly.

The field goal attempt that turned into a touchdown angers me on so many levels. First of all I do not agree with kicking a field goal there. At that stage in the game I would punt. Down four points with over 11 minutes to play there is a lot of football still to be played. If they could down the ball inside the Bear 10 or 15 yard line then the Giants would still have momentum and put the Bears in bad field position. The FG attempt was over 50 yards and if he missed it would have given the Bears very good field positions to go in for a FG of their own. It turns out they totally embarrassed the Giants and ran back the FG try for a TD. I understand its a judgement call on Coughlins' part and if the FG was good then no one would say a word. I just feel that the risk did not meet the reward, especially since the Giants still would not have been leading. While the defense did not play well in the second half, I still do not trust Grossman. Make him beat you in a big spot, don't beat yourself!!

Everyone is saying that the big play in the game was the third down and 22 at the end of the first half. I agree that it was a big play, but the Giant offense looked horrible before that. The TD pass at the end of the half was a joke. Barber played well, but Shockey was non-existent and like I said, Eli was horrendous. Even if the Giants went into the half with a 13-3 lead, I did not feel good about the way that the Giants were playing over all.

The Giants had an opportunity to tie the Bears for best record in the NFC. They would have had the tie breaker over the Bears and would have already basically locked up their division. Now they have a tough a tough road ahead and are only one game ahead of the Cowboys and the Eagles. I feel like Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men after he found out that one of the defendants wasn't even there when the "code red" was ordered. He gets hammered and goes on a rampage against Demi Moore... "Tell them what they have won captain....games against the Saints, Jaguars, Cowboys, Eagles, and Panthers down the stretch!!!!" This is the most painful Giants defeat since January 2003 in San Francisco when they blew a 30 point lead in the playoffs. The Giants had a golden opportunity with this game, and blew it. This is the best Giants team in a since then, but if they want to go places in the playoffs they need to be at home. I am sorry, but if you can honestly see them winning two games on the road in the playoffs you are a better man than me right now. This quarterback better step up and show his team he can dominate. Right now though, I don't want to see or hear anything about him or this team. The only thing that can make this worse is if I have to watch the Giants play next week on Monday Night Football and listen to Kornheiser and those other two bozos....Oh wait, shoot me now..

Morning After...

As you may have been able to tell, I wrote all of that right after the Giants game. While I still am very bitter about the loss, I have a little more perspective now than I did then. I just have a couple of more things to say on the subject, then I will move on...

1. People will try to point at the two fluke plays (Touchdown off the missed FG and 1st down run on the 3rd and 22 at the end of the first half) as why the Giants lost. I will not cheapen the impact of those plays, but there are two much bigger reasons as to why the Giants lost.
a) The Giants could not get any pressure on Grossman from the front four. They rattled him early in the game with blitzes. In the second half though, they could not get to him at all. He looked like Dan Marino sitting in the pocket in the second half. This is not a surprise due to the Giants injuries, but it is a major concern for upcoming games.
b) Manning had no protection from his blind side after Petigout went out. He was sacked and fumbled twice from the blind side and the Bears were in his face the entire second half beyond that. Petigout will be out at least a month, so the Giants will need to fix this quickly, or the season is in jeopardy. If Manning is going to do anything he needs time to throw.

2. Coughlin can not get murdered for the FG decision. Before every game the kicker kicks to both end zones and the coaches know then what his range is. In addition, unless you were on the field you do not know the wind at that point. There is no way Coughlin would put him out there unless he knew the wind was OK and it was in his range. He kicker did not execute and the coverage after was horrendous. While philosophically I would have punted in that situation, you have to believe that Coughlin knew that Feely had the potential to make that kick if he executed properly.

3. In order to make me feel better I racked my brain to another time the Giants had the season in their hands and let it slip. Back in 1990 the Giants were 10-0 and about to go into Philly and San Francisco. They end up losing both games and two weeks after that losing at home to Buffalo. While I do remember those games, I did not have a concept of what they meant in the long run. I can imagine that the media must have roasted them and the fans felt that while the team was still good, they were not Super Bowl good. Well, they ended up beating San Fran in the NFC title game and Buffalo in the Super Bowl that year. I can only hope that the Giants forget this game, finish 12-4 , get a bye and go into Chicago the the NFC title game and execute better than they did last night. I am sorry, but this is the only way I can look at this that will make me feel better at all...

No More Giants...

• I missed most of the games yesterday so I will only comment on a few...
• Big win my the J-E-T-S...I feel good for Mangini beating his mentor. The weather though was brutal and as my boy Z pointed out, anytime the weather is that bad the advantage goes to the inferior team. I take nothing away from the Jets though, as they are firmly entrenched in the playoff race.
• Cincinnati may be done. To be up 21 points at home and lose is a killer. This is their third loss at home and they are now 4-5. They better hope 10-6 gets them in the playoffs, and if is doesn't they need to revamp that defense...
• LDT is the nastiest RB I have seen since Marshall Faulk...
• USC is in great shape at #3 in the BCS. They will be in the top two when they face Notre Dame, but that will not be an easy game to win at all...
• The Bears still turn the ball over way too many times..
• Next time I jump on the Michael Vick bandwagon, drag me off...
• Not sure how much I like these Yankee trades. They have a philosophy though and they are sticking to it. They want young, power arms. They got four of them, two of which can possibly help them this season. Their starting rotation now needs to be rebuilt with depth since Randy Johnson will be recovering from back surgery. It will be interesting to see how they approach this and who they acquire. They are stockpiling power arms to trade if there is a Dontrelle Willis or Jake Peavy available....
• Looks like "The Chad is Back" is going down and "Eli the Great" had one of the nastiest fantasy weeks ever...You do not want me sneaking into those playoffs smurph.....

Woke up this Morning......Got Myself a Gun....

Why you ask?? Only because the the state of New Jersey is on top of the sports world. That's right, Rutgers defeated Louisville last night. Rutgers is now the only undefeated team in the Big East and is in position to play in a BCS Bowl game. Watching the game on TV was entertaining for a couple of reasons. First, it was a great game. Rutgers fell behind by 18 points in the first half, but battled back to win on a field goal with less that 20 seconds to go in the game. Secondly, the crowd was not only loud and exciting, but extremely funny to watch. They were obnoxious, unrelenting, and sang "We Will Rock You" word for word in unison. It was like a cross between the cast of the Sopranos and a Kevin Smith movie. I was just waiting for an announcement that Jackie Jr. and his crew had robbed the ticket office at halftime.

In all seriousness though, this was a huge win for the Rutgers program. They were a laughing stock five years ago and now they are on par with the top football programs in the nation. Their coach is focused on keeping New Jersey players at home and has the fanbase invigorated. At the moment they have a Heisman candidate at running back and a tremendously hard working defense. The Big East is a big winner as well. With Louisville, West Virginia, and Rutgers this conference now has three teams in top 15.

Do I think that Rutgers will run the table and make a BCS Bowl game? No. They have to go into West Virginia in a couple weeks and will not make it out of there undefeated. Rutgers is good, but it will be much tougher to win in Morgantown. The BCS Committee are very happy that Rutgers won and that the Big East will beat up on each other. Now they do not have to worry about putting a Big East team in the title game and can have a Big Ten team against an SEC team or possibly USC if they run the table.

I honestly am happy for Rutgers though. I shouldn't say for Rutgers, but for the metropolitan area. I have grown up in NYC and never had a bigtime college football team to care about. This is a pro sports town. With Rutgers though things could be changing and I welcome that. I will be up front on the NYC Rutgers bandwagon. Forget Ann Arbor, Lincoln, and Gainsville. Come to Piscataway and see if you make it out alive! No really, win or lose you very well end up sleepin with the fishes!

• JWS keeps commenting on the Knicks. I agree Lee should play more, but we need to give Frye a chance to get goin as well. Lee provides a lot, but he does not have the scoring touch of Frye. If Frye can get his game going then the Knicks would have two post players that teams would have to fear. As far as Francis...He is going to get a chance to start and play with Marbury still. So far it has not worked, but I doubt either of them are going anywhere so Isiah will continue to try and make it work. I really like Crawford and I see him getting a lot of minutes, but just not starting.
• My favorite Knicks....Crawford, Richardson, Lee, Balkman...And Nasty Nate half the time..
• Short post today....Got a busy day at work....Holler.

STKAFI

The Higher They Got The Harder They Fell...

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/469267p-394951c.html

Dwight "Doc" Gooden is being let out of jail on Thursday. He spent seven months in the can following testing positive for cocaine and violating his parole. This was the latest in a series of ups and downs that have followed both him and Darryl Strawberry since their careers peaked in 1986 when the Mets won the World Series. Maybe it is because I am a die-hard Met fan, but the story of these two players is as interesting to me as any over the past 25 years.

Both players were selected in the first round of the Amateur Draft by the New York Mets. Strawberry was the number one overall pick in 1980 and Gooden was picked number five overall in 1982. They hype for each player was incredible, especially Strawberry. He was touted as the "Black Ted Williams" as a high schooler in Los Angeles. He was called up to the Mets early in the 1983 season. The Mets at that point were a down trodden franchise. Strawberry provided the first glimpse of hope that the fans saw since the team traded Tom Seaver back in 1977. Strawberry did not disappoint in his first year, winning Rookie of the year honors.

Gooden reached the Majors in 1984. As a 19 year old rookie he dazzled the National League. He won 17 games and set a rookie record by striking out 276 batters in 218 innings. He made the All Star team and gave the Mets their second consecutive Rookie of the year winner. These two players had the potential to be all-star caliber players for another 15 years. These were the guys that the Mets could build a potential dynasty around.

In 1985 Strawberry made his second consecutive All-Star game and also his second consecutive 20-20 season (20 HRs and 20 SBs). Gooden meanwhile had one of the greatest seasons by a starting pitcher in Major league history. He went 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA with 16 complete games and eight shutouts. The Mets finished second in the Eastern division to St. Louis, winning 96 games. Going into 1986 the Mets were the favorites to win it all with their two young superstars front and center.

The Mets cruised through the regular season in 1986 on their way to 108 wins. As a result of this success, many people did not realize that the progress of their two young stars seemed to stagnate a little. Gooden's ERA rose by more that a run, but was still very impressive at 2.84. His strikeout total though was the lowest of his short career thus far. Strawberry had similar statistics of his previous seasons, but was not showing the improvement you would like to see in a young player. In addition, both players did not perform well in the postseason. Strawberry batted under .250 and had 18 K's in 13 games. Gooden had an 0-3 record with an ERA over 5.00. Despite this, the Mets won the World Series and lived up to the high expectations that was placed on them from the beginning of the year.

That 1986 Mets team was notorious for two things. Winning and partying. Players such as Keith Hernandez, Lenny Dykstra, and many others became known for their partying as much as their playing. There are numerous stories such as Tim Teuful, Bobby Ojeda, Ron Darling, and Rick Aguilera getting arrested in Houston after getting in a fight with off-duty police officers. In addition, this team was in New York City at a time of tremendous excess. There was alcohol, drugs and women wherever they looked. For two young athletes like Strawberry and Gooden this was something that was not easy to adjust to. This is a quote from Strawberry concerning being called up to the majors, "When I first came up to the big leagues, a veteran player laid out some lines of cocaine for me. He said, yeah, this is what we do in the big leagues. So I did some coke and was like WOAH, man... Yeah, this IS what we do in the big leagues."

There were rumors through out the 1986 season that Gooden and Strawberry were into drugs. No one in the organization confronted them directly, instead they tried to pretend it was not happening and ignore it. The first sight to the world of their problem was when Gooden did not show up to the ticker tape parade following the game 7 victory over the Red Sox. It was clear that he was too hungover to make it, but there was really no excuse. Following the 1986 season the Mets traded Kevin Mitchell who many in the organization felt was a bad influence on Gooden and Strawberry. This was a misjudgment on the part of the Mets officials. These three young, black players were all friends and partaked in similar activities, but Mitchell was not the one influencing the others. Gooden and Strawberry had drug habits of their own and it was clear now that the Mets would trade one of their so called "influences" before confronting their stars directly.

Prior to the 1987 season Doc Gooden failed a drug test. He tested positive for cocaine and checked himself into rehab. He did not make his first start for the team until June. The team team suffered numerous other pitching injuries and fell short of the playoffs. Strawberry meanwhile had possibly the best year of his career with highs in HRs (39) and AVG (.284). He was a 30-30 man and many thought was finally reaching the potential that everyone had heaped on him years before.

Gooden and Strawberry each had good years in 1988 and the Mets made the playoffs for the second time in three years. They were huge favorites in the NLCS against the LA Dodgers, but lost in seven games. It was clear at this point that the veteran leaders of the 1986 champions (Gary Carter, Hernandez) were over the hill and the young players needed to step up and lead. Gooden and Strawberry never met that challenge. In 1989 when the team was attempting to take the team photo, Strawberry got into a fist fight with Hernandez. Hernandez, while his skills were diminished, was still very well respected on that ballclub. This was a public sign of the private strain that Strawberry was feeling as a part of the Mets. Gooden was injured much of the 1989 season and the Mets once again finished out of the playoffs.

The 1990's began as the Strawberry/Gooden era with the Mets ended. Longtime Mets manager Davey Johnson was fired midway through the 1990 season with Buddy Harellson replacing him. Gooden and Strawberry both had good years as the Mets won 91 games and finished second in their division once again. Strawberry was a free agent at the end of the year and everyone knew he was gone. The Mets had enough of the rumors and his moods, even with his production. He had enough of the Mets executives and the media. He left and signed with the LA Dodgers to become the highest paid player in baseball. He was an all star his first season in LA, but his career floundered after that. He had constant trouble with drugs and the law and found himself out of baseball midway through the 1994 season. He signed on with the Yankees midway through 1995, sent five seasons with them and played a secondary role in four World Series titles.

Gooden was with the Mets until 1994. He had a record under .500 his last three seasons and was suspended for a year from Major League Baseball in 1994 for tested positive for cocaine once again. Like Strawberry, he ended up signing with the Yankees in 1996. One of the greatest moments of his career happened on May 14, 1996 when he pitched a no-hitter in Yankee Stadium. He bounced around a few teams until finally retiring in 2000. Both Strawberry and Gooden have suffered with drugs and relationships since their retirements. They also have each spent portions of time in rehab and jail.

When Strawberry left the Mets as a free agent following the 1991 season he was on pace for a Hall of Fame career. He was 28 and a seven time all star. He has almost 300 HRs and over 800 RBIs, both Met all time franchise records. While his first season in LA was positive, his career took a nose dive after that. He got more involved with drugs and things around him crumbled, from marriage to baseball. It was difficult to watch him when he came back with the Yankees. He showed flashes of that remarkable power hitter he once was with the Mets and the fans loved it. He still had that unique upper cut swing and that tremendous presence at the plate that made fans halt what they were doing when he came ot the plate. He was an older player though, who still had something left, but missed out on what could have been the best years of his career.

Gooden left the Mets under different terms. He tested positive for cocaine early in the 1994 season and was suspended for one year. Gooden never reached the standards that he set for himself with that legendary 1985 season. In the same respect though he had 100 wins before the age of 25. In addition to his off the field problems though, his arm began to break down in the 1989 season. He missed much of that year and part of 1991 as well. He struggled his last two seasons with the Mets and he was never quite the same. The explosive fastball and biting curve that he once featured became a distant memory. His mind would not handle the cocaine, and his arm could not handle his violent delivery. For that one season though, he would always be the best pitcher in the game.

Strawberry and Gooden represent a infamous an infamous part of Mets history. The dramatic rise to greatness in the mid 1980's, the unfulfilled expectations after 1986 and the shut of rock bottom in the early 1990's. Strawberry finally returned to Shea Stadium this past summer to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 1986 Champs. He wore a Mets jersey and received a thunderous ovation from the fans. The fans had welcomed him back after 15 years. Gooden meanwhile was sitting in a Florida penitentiary. One can only hope that he will receive his welcome back to Shea this season and receive the same treatment as Strawberry. The fans are ready and hopefully he is as well.

Books about Gooden/Strawberry and the 1980's Mets. They all provide great stories and info if you are interested in this topic:

http://www.amazon.com/Brawling-Bimbo-chasing-Championship-Baseball-Uniform/dp/0060507322/sr=1-1/qid=1163079844/ref=sr_1_1/103-9123841-6865450?ie=UTF8&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/High-Tight-Dwight-Gooden-Strawberry/dp/0679448993/sr=1-1/qid=1163079896/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-9123841-6865450?ie=UTF8&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/Amazin-Miraculous-History-Beloved-Baseball/dp/0312309929/sr=1-3/qid=1163079928/ref=sr_1_3/103-9123841-6865450?ie=UTF8&s=books

Random Knick Ish

• Looks like if the Knicks are going to make anything of this season they are going to have to start by winning on the road. The Garden fans are not treating the team well (which is deserved), so it may be easier for them to win on the road early in the year than at home. The fans will come around if the Knicks earn it.
• Larry Brown got $18.5mm in his settlement with the Garden/Knicks. Considering what he was asking for ($50mm), it is clear that he had some significant wrongdoing in this divorce as well. The entire blame can't go on the Knicks.

STKAFI

Halftime

The NFL season is half way through. As noted in previous posts, the sports scene is in a bit of a lull at the moment. The baseball hot stove will be heating up soon, and then we will be coming down the stretch of the NFL season after that. For now though, I am going to look at how the NFL stacks up at the midway point of the season. I am going to give my three "contenders" of each league to make the Super Bowl.

AFC

1. Indianapolis Colts: The only undefeated team left in the NFL. They are once again the class of the League in the regular season. Their offense seems to score at will, and their defense forces turnovers. They do not look as good as they did last year at this point, but the results are still the same. Their lack of running the ball and stopping the run is a worry though. In close playoff games you need to be able to stop the run to get the ball back and run the ball to keep the ball away from the opponent. They still have time to improve on that though. The quarterback looks as good as ever and the offense is rolling. With homefield advantage through out the AFC playoffs they have to be the hands down favorite to reach the Super Bowl at this point.

2. New England Patriots: This team is exhibit A in a philosophy that I believe in strongly. If your team has a strong coach/QB combo, they will always have a good chance to win in the playoffs. Bill Belicheck is the best head coach in the NFL today and Tom Brady is the most clutch. Bellicheck is a master at defensive schemes and always has his teams prepared. This team has a very good defense from top to bottom. The offense seems to be getting better as the season goes along. The running game is strong and Brady seems to be getting more and more comfortable with his receivers. The bottom line though is that Belicheck and Brady are the key to their fortunes.

3. Baltimore Ravens: This last one is tough. The other two choices are the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers. All three teams have very good defenses and veteran head coaches. Of the three, the Chargers have the best offense, the Broncos have the best coach, but the Ravens are the surest thing. Much of my decision comes down to the fact that I would rather have Brian Billick and Steve McNair than either of the other two coach/QB combos. First off I can not trust Marty Schottenheimer. Secondly, I can not trust Jake Plummer. When you consider those two things, the choice of the Ravens is clear. They have a veteran defense that can win a game for you, and a QB that is as good as they come at driving a team down the field in the fourth quarter. McNair is one of the greatest QBs of all time at looking bad an entire game and then turning into Superman with the game on the line.

The other Playoff teams in the AFC will be the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals. Jacksonville will be the best team on the outside looking in.

NFC

1. Chicago Bears: This team has an amazing defense. They have playmakers on every level of their defense. It is very tough to run against them and they force turnovers. Their offense is streaky but productive. The QB can be turnover prone, but he can also have huge games. They can run the ball and have wideouts that can make big plays. This team learned a lot in last years playoffs and seems ready to make a big playoff run. My biggest worry is Rex Grossman. He needs to control the game and not force passes against good defenses. If he can play under control this team is hard to beat.

2. New York Giants: This is a veteran club with good leaders on both sides of the ball. Tiki Barder and Michael Strahan have been through many playoff battles and heartbreak. They are guys younger players can look to. Coughlin is a very good coach, who gets overshadowed by his surely personality and overzealous rules. Eli Manning has had a very good year so far, and has shown a habit for coming up big in the clutch. Over the years though the Giants defense has been known to not get big stops when it counts. If the defense can play aggressive and hold up in the fourth quarter, the offense has too many weapons not to be a leading contender to make it to the Super Bowl.

3. Seattle Seahawks: This is a team that has been ravaged by injuries in the first half of the year. Their QB and star RB have missed significant time. They still are leading their division and in decent shape for the playoffs though. They have a lot of guys that was on last years NFC Championship club and a great head coach. Their bigtime players will get healthy in the second half, and goin into the playoffs they will be a team that will be as dangerous as anyone. They have the best Head Coach/QB/RB combo possibly in all of football.

The other NFC playoff teams will be the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and the Dallas Cowboys.

Random ish

• I think that the MVP is going to come down to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Two other canidates are Ladanian Tomlinson and Larry Johnson. Last week the Chargers were playing poorly in the first half then they leaned on LDT who exploded in the second half. LJ has played very well for the Chiefs who have won three games in a row without their starting QB.
• Can things get any worse for the U?? By that I mean Miami, not Union....
• As promised, props to "The Chad is Back" for their current seven game winning streak in "The League" fantasy football. You are the hottest team in fantasy sports right now. You better hope that the curse of the #1 seed does not hit you next though....
• New thoughts on the Mets. I was not aware that Jake Peavy may be on the block for less than a premium player, but according to this article he may be....http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/sports/baseball/08chass.html?ref=sports ...In my perfect world now, the Mets sign Matsucki (too lazy to look up his spelling) and trade Oliver Perez (who the Padres still love), Lastings Milledge, and Brian Bannister for Peavy. This would give the Mets a 1-2-3 of Peavy, Glavine and Matsucki, with a chance of Pedro coming back in the second half. In addition they would still have Humber and Pelfrey (top 2 pitching prospects). There are a bunch of second base options, but the biggest obstacle right now appears to be finding a power hitting corner outfielder who is reasonably priced..
• Reading the book Angel of Darkness by Calib Carr at the moment. Very good read if anyone is interested. I read another book of his as well (The Alienist) and this one is similar. I recommend both. They each have to do with a group that is investigating a crime. It is not really a detective novel, but it has to do with the criminals' pattern of behavior and mind. A great part of these books though is that they are both set in 19th Century New York City. The descriptions of it are great. I walk the city streets every day, but NYC is not a place like many European cities that you feel you are walking in history. Reading this book provides a nice perspective on how historic New York really is.
• http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2653700 ...Good to see my boy Reyes can hit in Japan but not in game 7 of the NLCS.....Am I still bitter? Just a little....But I still love Jose (Jose Jose Jose...Jose...JOSE)
• I am getting really lazy about proof reading just to let you all know...

STKAFI

Meet the Mets

I has been 19 days since the Mets were eliminated from the Playoffs. It was very tough to think towards next season at first for obvious reasons. Now I am ready. The World Series is almost a distant memory, offseason awards are being given out and free agency is on the way. Looking at the Mets there are three major issues they need to address. Second baseman, a corner outfielder and starting pitching. Below I am going to list the moves that I think the Mets should make...

1. Sign Barry Zito...I understand that issue with this pitcher. His stats have decreased from 2002 when he won the Cy Young. There are a couple things to consider here though. He is very durable. He has pitched over 200 innings in five straight seasons and his ERA is consistently under 4.00. When you throw him in the NL his ERA could drop half a run. In addition, he has a history with Rick Peterson (pitching coach of the Mets). While you will over pay to get Zito, he is more of a known commodity than the Japanese pitcher and will cost about the same when you factor in bidding price.

2. Sign Mark Loretta or Adam Kennedy...Both of these guys are veteran second basemen. They each are solid hitters and good fielders. They are good guys in the clubhouse who have been around winning ballclubs in the past. They will not command a high salary or a long term contract. These players are both known as guys who are good in the clutch and will do the little things that a club needs to win.

OK....I started this post on the fly and now I don't know what other move the Mets should do. I really like those two a lot, but nothing else is sticking out. I still like Milledge so I am not eager to trade him. I like the power arms of Pelfrey and Humber as well. I want to give Oliver Perez a chance to start, but I am very open to trading John Maine. Endy Chavez is a good fourth outfielder at best. We need a power corner bat either, preferably right handed. Open to suggestions, I really do not know how the Mets should address that at the moment...

Yankee suggestions?

1. Trade AROD...I think he is a lost cause, and not numbers wise. He will have a big year statistically where ever he plays next year. The issue is the unnecessary drama he brings to the clubhouse. His teammates don't like him and neither do the fans. They should cut their ties with him and try to get a young power arm in return for him (Peavy, Ervin Santana, etc..)

2. Sign Aramis Ramirez...He is a bigtime power righthanded bat that will replace AROD. He will hit and play good defense and not be a negative clubhouse presence. He has been known to get off to poor starts, so that might not play well in New York. If the Yanks are winning though, he should be fine and will end up batting .280 30 HRs and 100 RBIs.

3. Trade Sheffield...Again, power arms! In addition a young, defensive minded first baseman would help this team a ton as well. Sheffield is a cancer that this team does not need.

4. Let Bernie go and let Melky be the fourth outfielder...Melky needs to continue to develop, and Bernie would hinder further development from him.

This is a start....prolly go after the Japanese pitcher, bullpen help as always. Not sure about Pavano or Wright and Randy is a huge question mark.

Red Sox??? Why not...

1. Seriously look to trade Manny....If you can get an AROD arm for him (Peavy, Ervin Santana) then go for it. He has only two years left on his contract so teams will be more eager than ever before to acquire him. Not just the Mets this time...

2. Sign Soriano....Dynamic and can play left field vacated by Manny. He will hit 50 HRs in Fenway. He has played in pressure before and has produced.

3. Sign Eric Gagne....Take a shot on him to close if Palpabon is gunna start. He had electric stuff and if he is anything close to what he was he will still dominate. A possible incentive laden two year contract??

4. Pray....That Hanson, Lester, and Palpabon don't all bomb. Lester and Palpabon from injury and Hansen from lack of development. If two of the three can be major contributors in 2007 they can win the division.

The Red Sox have two dynamic offensive players on their roster. They need more youth, speed and explosiveness to compete with the Yanks. They have some good arms that just need to put it together. I would not be against them going after the Japanese pitcher, but it will be a lot of money that they could possible spend better elsewhere...


STKAFI....Sell The Knicks And Fire Isiah...This will be the new sign off to every post.

Weekend Hits

• Giants pulled out a close one. Ugly game with the Giants having a lot of players out with injuries. Got by, which is something the Bears did not do against Miami. Next week the Bears are coming into Giants Stadium for a Sunday night game. If the Jints can win, they will be in the drivers seat not only in the division buy in the NFC for home field.
• Congrats Relaxo....Your Phins might not get the #1 pick after all...
• In case anyone missed it...Joe Paterno broke his leg on Saturday...http://youtube.com/watch?v=mwiRKkrg_14 ...I refuse to laugh, but if you do I have no problems with it..
• The NFL is impossible to bet on this year. Detroit, San Fran, and Miami all won outright as dogs gettin more than four.
• Brady played a poor game on Sunday, while Manning played pretty well. Weird game with a lot of turnovers, missed FGs and bad calls. Definitely a sloppier game on both sides than anyone would have predicted. Reminded me of the Giants/Indy game from opening night in the respect that Indy never trailed the entire game and even though it was close, they always seemed in control.
• I think the AFC is going to come down to Pats/Colts AFC title game in Indy. The AFC West will beat each other up, and the Ravens are just not at the level of the elite in my mind. Manning and the Colts have once again set up the AFC playoffs perfectly. Its up to them to win at home in the playoffs...
• Pats/Jets next week. You think Brady will be mad after his four INT performance against Indy? I can see him going off next week... Sorry Smurph.
• Crazy ending to the Dallas/Washington game. Great to see TO mocking himself falling asleep in meetings and then dropping sure TD catches. Also nice hearing Vanderjagt throwing his O-Line under the bus to the media after the blocked kick. Has this guy ever made a clutch kick in his life? Have some class...
• Rutgers/Louisville Thursday night in Jersey....Biggest game in Rutgers' history...You know the BCS is hoping Louisville gets knocked off so they don't have to see them in the title game..
• Steelers are done.
• The Bengals sure talk a lot for a team that has won one division title and no playoff games.
• Are the Celtics just setting themselves up for Greg Odom?
• Very happy to see the unrelenting Knick fans getting all over that pathetic performance on Saturday night. I was hopeful in my preview and jubilation following the first game of the season. I am now back with full rage and disdain for Isiah, Dolan, Marbury and the rest of that pathetic crap they call a basketball team in the Garden. They insult me and every other Knick fan every day with their play and insulting rhetoric to the media. Great to see them charging top dollar to fans for seats the media and announcers used to occupy. Only a few short years ago they renamed the announcing booth after the legendary announcer Marty Glickman (a mentor for Marv Albert and others), and now they are sealing its occupancy. Anything to squeeze more cash out of a team that on opening night had many empty seats and luxury boxes through out the Garden. I better stop now...
• http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/06/sports/basketball/06iverson.html?ref=sports ...Decent article on Iverson. Has been my favorite player in the league for a while now. The ultimate warrior, outspoken, honest and true to himself. You gotta respect him this sure hall of famer. Doubt he will get a title, but it should not matter when you consider the unreal things he has done in this League.
• I recommend you read Michael Lewis' article on Bill Parcells from last weeks' New York Times magazine. Great profile of a very interesting man. I purchased Lewis' new book Blind Side. I haven't started it yet, but he is a great writer and I am sure it is going to be great. I will update once I finish it.
• First big baseball offseason week. MVPs and Cy Youngs announced, and Matsuzaka bid winner...I would not be surprised if the Yankees look to trade Sheffield quick. The more he talks the more his value will drop...
• Big ups to my boy Son for running the NYC Marathon. While he did not keep up wit Lance, he did a great job. No more sittin home and stayin sober my friend!
• Gunna work on a big Knicks post comin soon. As you can tell the frustration has reached an insane level, and I am ready to express the hate to the world.
• http://people.aol.com/people/article/0,26334,1554852,00.html ...How I Met Your Father??
• Slow sports scene right now. Hoping the MLB offseason picks up steam, Mich/OSU in a couple weeks, Bears/Giants this weekend, Isiah watch will soon be in full effect as well...

Follow-up to Manning/Brady

• Didn't put Marino in best quarterback list at the end just for spite against Relaxo..
• So far three NBA All-Stars have been ejected under the new zero tolerance arguing policy..
• Mussina to the Mets?? Thats what it is on the back page of the New York Post this morning. I think that it would be a perfect fit. An aging AL pitcher going to the NL. A creature of habit not having to uproot his home or family by staying in the same city. Do I think it will happen? No...The Boss will not allow this, but you never know...
• Interesting story concerning Isiah and his search to find a coach for the Knicks....http://www.nypost.com/seven/11032006/sports/knicks/thomas_takes_the_frat_house_knicks_peter_vecsey.htm
• How did Jeter win ANOTHER gold glove?? I watch almost every Yankee Game and it is clear that he is not the best defensive shortstop in the AL. Off the top of my head I will say that Orlando Cabrera and Alex Gonzalez are without a doubt better defensively. Jeter is an above average defender who is great at pop-ups/fly balls, but horrendous range to his left. Read Buster Olney's blog on ESPN.com to read further into his poor range factor.
• My pick of the week...Falcons +5 1/2 in Detroit..
• Will Louisville make the BCS Title Game? No
• When the ACC took Miami, Virgina Tech, and BC from the Big East, didn't that mean the ACC was supposed to be the bigtime football conference?? Guess not...

Records or Super Bowls...The Manning/Brady Debate

Over the course of sports history there have been many great rivalries. Team rivalries such as Michigan/Ohio St, Red Sox/Yankees, and Lakers/Celtics come to mind. Individual rivalries such as Ali/Frazier and Navratalova/Evert were classics as well. The third kind of rivalry is between two individuals within the scope of a team game. Great ones include Magic/Bird, Chamberlain/Russell, and DiMaggio/Williams. This type is unique in that the two competitors do not have to match up directly against each other. The key is they are both great players on great teams that play each other in important games. The question then becomes how to you evaluate who is better? Do you look at their individual numbers or whose team wins? How are the numbers or wins skewed by the other members or the team?

The Brady/Manning comparison fits perfectly in this type of rivalry. They each play on one of the best teams in the AFC, have played each other numberous times over the years and are great QBs. They are similar ages, but have taken very different routes to where they are today. Peyton Manning was the number one overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. His father was an NFL quarterback and he was a top prospect since he was a sophomore in high school. He was handed the NFL Colt starting quarterback job from day one and has not relinquished it since.

Tom Brady was a somewhat unsung high school quarterback from Southern California, at least compared to Manning. He was the starting QB for two years at Michigan, but often had to deal with splitting time with the younger, more hyped prospect, Drew Henson. Brady was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He did not start until early in the 2001 season when the starter, Drew Bledsoe was injured. He has been the New England starting quarterback since that time.

Peyton Manning is in his ninth NFL season. He has 259 career passing TDs with a lifetime 94.3 passer rating and over 35,000 passing yards. In 2004 he broke the single season passing TD record with 49. He is on pace to break every individual QB record out there. He has made six Pro Bowls. Manning has two MVP awards already and is a favorite this season to tie Brett Favre for the record with his third. In addition he has led his team to the playoffs the past four seasons, last year to the number one seed in the AFC.

Brady can not compare to Manning statistically, but only Dan Marino or Brett Favre can in the history of the game. Brady still has some impressive individual stats in his own right though. He has a career passer rating of 88.8 with 137 TDs and almost 20,000 passing yards. It is important to remember that he has been in the league two less years than Manning and a starter three years less. He has led the league in passing TDs and passing yards in different seasons and also made three Pro Bowls. Tom Bradys' true greatness though is not seen in regular season statistics, but through performance in the postseason.

Brady has an amazing 10-1 career record in the playoffs, with a 3-0 record in Super Bowls. He has two Super Bowl MVPs and engineered last second, game winning drives in two of his three Super Bowls victories. He has a 15-5 TD-INT ratio in the playoffs with two rushing TDs as well. He is the definition of clutch. Further proof of this can be seen in Bradys' days at Michigan. He had a 2-0 record in Bowl Games and a 2-0 record against Ohio St, who is Michigan's biggest rival biggest game of each season.

Manning has had trouble in big games over his college and pro career. When he attended the University of Tennessee he was winless against the University of Florida, their main rival. He did go 3-1 in his bowl appearances, but lost a blow-out to Nebraska in the 1998 Orange Bowl (National Championship Game). In addition, Tennessee won the National Title the year after he graduated. In the pros, Manning has a 3-6 record postseason record. He has a 15-8 TD/INT ratio, but that is misleading when you consider that he had nine TDs in two blow-out wins over Denver in 2003 and 2004 at home. In addition, last season the Colts were the overwhelming favorite to win it all and the they lost the Divisional Playoff game at home to Pittsburgh. Following the loss he called out his offensive line to the media on how they did not give him enough time and did not perform the correct protection schemes. That is something Brady would never do. He is notorious for trying to stay just "one of the guys." Proof of this is the contract he signed for six years and $60 million ($40 million less than Manning). He could have gotten more money, but did not want to cripple the franchise. He has had his offensive line in commercials with him and he has never called out a player for their play after a loss.

Their head to head matchups have been just as one sided as their postseason numbers. Brady is 6-1 vs Manning, with two wins in the postseason. Both of those wins were in New England under cold weather conditions. This is where the team aspect comes into play. No one would deny that Brady has had the better Head Coach in Bill Belicheck. Belicheck is an all time great. Tony Dungy is a good coach, but not on the level of Belicheck. In addition, Brady and the Patriots have had great defenses over the years, while the Colts have not. Manning though has had tremendous offensive skill players to work with. Manning has had the same offensive coordinator, wide receivers, and running back for the majority of his career, while Brady has gone through significant changes.

One thing that is true about both quarterbacks is that they are both warriors. Manning has started 144 consecutive games, while Brady has started 96 straight. They have similar dispositions on the field, to go with their matching competitiveness and desire. They are probably the two best QBs at running the two minute drill in the League today.

When these two QBs are compared people make sure to point out the Brady is only 29 and Manning is 30. Whatever they have done up to this point will only be a percentage of their entire careers. They each have about five or six years of prime seasons left where their legacies can change. I can't focus on it like that though. Who knows if Manning will ever win a Super Bowl? Marino never did. Elway only did once he got Terrell Davis and Mike Shanahan. You can't assume anything.

With that being the case you must look at Brady as having the leg up on Manning. Brady is along side of Montana and Bradshaw as QBs to win three or more Super Bowls. While Manning is putting up legendary numbers, until he does it in the big game there will always be doubters. This Sunday the sports world will all turn its attention to the Patriots versus the Colts at Gillette Stadium. The two players that will garner the most attention are the legendary QBs on each side. Will Brady continue his dominance in big games? Will Manning send a message to the world of greater things to come? In reality this game and match up will mean more in January if there is a rematch. For right now though this is as good as we got in QBs and sports.

• Frustrating note about writing a blog...I started this Thursday morning. By midday I saw that Michael Smith had wrote almost the same article on ESPN.com. To let out some of this frustration I will rip into part of his article. It pisses me off that he claims Brady and Manning will be the two best QBs of all time when it is set and done. THey have a lot of football still to play. I can rip into each of them to refute this but I won't. Instead I will say this...
• Joe Montana was 4-0 in Super Bowls. He threw 11 TDs and no interceptions in those games. He had a career passer rating of 92.3.
• Johnny Unitis called all of his own plays and threw a TD in 47 straight games.
• John Elway had 147 victories (all-time record) and an insane amount of 4th quarter drives to tie or win games. Not to mention two Super Bowl trophies...
• Brett Favre has played in 230 straight games. He has three MVPs and one Super Bowl MVP.

All of these QBs can make a claim to being the best QB ever. Lets at least let Manning and Brady finish their careers, and then we can debate where they fall in this prestigious group. The fact that Brady and Manning get to play against each other in their prime in big games though is something that not many other QBs get to experience.

Three Times As Sweet!

I can't help but be happy with the performance of my Knicks from last night. While they did blow a 19 point lead, they still won a road game against a team that made the playoffs a year ago. It is the first game of the season so no team should be too excited or too down, but for this team to get the first win under their belt it is significant. After all the turmoil from last season and the crazy offseason, it is essential to get off to a positive start this season. Last night was anything but perfect, but we learned a lot about what how the Knicks will play this season.

• David Lee is going to be a bigtime contributor to this team. He is by far the most active big man the Knicks have. He works hard on defense and fights for rebounds. He often seems to be in the right spot at the right time on offense, and keeps his head up, which helps him on outlet passes after defensive rebounds. He doesn't need the ball, which is unique on this team of one on one scorers. His ally-oop in one of the overtimes was a (shake your) key play. He got much more burn than Frye last night and was on the floor in crunch time and the OTs.
• Jamal Crawford is going to be on the floor at the end of games. While he had a horrendous shooting night, Isiah kept going to Crawford in isolation at the end of the OTs. Crawford is also the guy that Larry Brown would go to at the end of games last season. He can get a good look one on one better than any guy on the team and he will have the ball at the end of games. Even with his poor shooting last night, he had a key steal in the third OT to help seal the game for the Knicks.
• The offense is going to be up tempo. The Knicks were consistently pushing the ball up the floor after both made baskets and rebounds. The Knicks have the horses to continue to run through out ballgames. Isiah has made it a point of emphasis to open up the offense.
• The defense is still very shaky. Marbury consistently gets broken down by his man. Chucky Atkins had his number all night. Curry and Frye are not good man on man defenders either. The Knicks will struggle against big guards as well.
• Isiah is calm on the sidelines. He is not an animated coach at all.
• Francis looked horrible last night. It will be interesting to watch the development of the Francis/Marbury relationship. Both like the ball, and last night Francis took a couple bad shots when he wasn't feeling it. Definitely worth keeping an eye on.
• Knicks go into Atlanta, so they can potentially be 2-0 for their home opener this weekend...
• I wouldn't go crazy about the Knicks, but since there is soo much hate out there, I figured I would antagonize some people and revel in the Knicks undefeated record!
• The Bulls were brought back down to earth last night...
• The Lakers could be a force this season. A few years back the when Shaq was still in LA, Kobe was injured for the last 12-15 games of a season and he got to sit back and see the team win without him. In feel it helped him fit better within the team and trust his teammates. The same thing could be happening here...Lets not go get ahead of ourselves just yet though..
• Anyone surprised Rasheed Wallace was ejected last night? I saw the Knicks get three technicals last night. This zero tolerance on arguing will have a bigtime effect on the league.
• Had my fantasy bball draft last night. Have not done fantasy bball in about three years, so not sure how my draft was....We will see, at least I know I will beat Relaxo..
• Honestly....I will have a real post tomorrow...NFL ish..

More NBA and Other Stuff

First I am going to give you my playoff picks. I will not provide a winner because I feel that in this day in age so many of the title winners are the hottest team at the time and not the overall best, its almost stupid to make a pick prior to a season. Anyway, here are playoff picks for each league...

East
1. Miami Heat
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. New Jersey Nets
4. Chicago Bulls
5. Detroit Pistons
6. Indiana Pacers
7. Washington Wizards
8. Toronto Raptors

West
1. Phoenix Suns
2. Dallas Mavericks
3. San Antonio Spurs
4. LA Clippers
5. LA Lakers
6. Denver Nuggets
7. Houston Rockets
8. Utah Jazz

MVP Kobe Bryant....You changed my mind Rambone

Say what you will, but I feel that the East is so weak that there could be a major surprise at the bottom of those playoffs, thus my choice for that is the Raptors.

Anyone who wants to give picks of your own feel free...

• Also, I tried not to let the two games last night influence my picks at all. Obviously the Heat looked terrible, but over the course of the season I still feel that they will be the best in the East.
• I agree with you Celtic fans on the Garnett possibility. If you are the T'Wolves, who would you rather have though...Telfair, Jefferson, Tony Allen and a pick, or Channing Frye, Jamal Crawford, David Lee and a pick? I would say that is about even. There are plenty of teams that have the young talent to make a trade for Garnett, including the Knicks and the Celtics. Until he is officially on the block though I would not get caught up in that. The T'Wolves know that by trading a superstar in his prime they will be getting 75 cents on the dollar.
• The Nets will win the Atlantic and could win the conference if one of their big guys steps up. I am not going to preview them though because no one cares about them, including me.
• NBC has got two sick Sunday night games coming up....This week Indy at New England and next week, Chicago at the Giants...They were smart to get the clause in their contract to choose what games they get in the second half of the season..
• Let the bidding begin for the Japanese right-hander...My gut feeling is that the winning bid will not come from the Mets or the Yankees, but we will see...All scouting reports look great, but giving all that money to a 6'0" 185 lbs pitcher is definitely scary to me..
• Slow sports day...Hope to have something good for tomorrow...

Comments

Thanks to everyone commenting. I am glad that you guys are enjoying this enough to comment on it.

• Apologies to Cjeazy....Leinies is ur boy, but the nickname is gunna stick so get used to it!
• Alex J...Lemme guess, since your AFC pick at this point is the Colts, then ur NFC pick must be the Bears?? Go out on a limb! The Falcons are in prime position to have a bye, and while I am not saying they are a top 5 team, Michael Vick can effect a game like no other player. If his passing is for real, then they can make a run. They have the fastest defense in the NFC and weapons on offense. As for the Bengals, they are 4-3 in a tough division. I don't know what your expectations were of them, but considering they were 5-2 at this point last year, their star QB is coming off reconstructive knee surgery and they has more offseason off the field problems than the rest of the league, I would say they are doin alright.
• Darth Vader....Have a relaxing bye week.
• Rambone...Same to you, hopefully there is something to talk about for the Eagles soon...
• MVP at midseason...Tom Brady.

Knicks/Celtics

I originally intended to write an NBA preview for all 30 teams. I then realized that I am only one man and in order to write a decent one I may have to quit my job. Maybe I can do that at some point, but not just yet. I also realized that readers of this blog mainly care just about two teams. The New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics. The only two original NBA franchises that still reside in their original city and are still in the League. Both teams are synonymous with legendary buildings and two guys names Red. While the Celtics have had much more success over the years, both franchises have a tremendous history. I will start with the Celtics and finish with my New York Knicks.

Boston Celtics

The franchise and its fan base are starting the season with heavy hearts following the passing of Red Auerbach. His handprints are all over the franchise from the numerous Hall of Fame players he acquired to the logo of the leprechaun with his umbrella. He coached the Celtics to eight straight NBA Chamionships and nine overall. He was responsible for either drafting or trading for almost every Celtic great from Bill Russell, to Bob Cousy, to John Havlicek, to Larry Bird. In addition, he hired his brother to design the Celtic logo upon joining the franchise. He was not only a Celtic legend, but one of the NBA pioneers. Besides commissioners, Auerbach is probably the most important non-player in NBA history. His loss will be felt by the Celtic family for this season and for years to come.

As far as this years' team, lets just say it does not resemble anything close to Red's standards. It has been since 1986 that the Celtics have won an NBA title. This years team does not appear to have the ability to bring them their next. They have one of the top ten or 15 players in the League in Paul Pierce. He seems to be happy in a Celtic uniform having just signed an extension in the off-season. There is a good chance that he will once again score 25 ppg or more and make the East All Star team. Chances are that he will not be joined on that team by any other Celtic as his supporting cast is not very impressive.T

he rest of the Celtic roster is made up mostly by young players. The point guard position is going to be split between Delonte West (incumbent), Rajon Rondo (rookie), and Sebastian Telfair (acquired by trade). It will be interesting to see how this rotation plays out. Coach Doc Rivers has already said the West would come off the bench and often play off the ball. Telfair is the most explosive of the three, but the most inconsistent as well. He already had an off the court problem in the preseason and will often look to shoot before pass when he is on the court. Rondo has been the talk of the team in the preseason. He is a player that likes to play defense, get others involved and rebound the basketball. He is also a player that has a poor jump shot and other teams will definitely look to exploit that.

I feel that the point guard position is one where you need a veteran in the rotation. Having three guys under 25 as the Celtics do is a major problem. The PG is the guy with the ball in his hands the most on the floor and you need a veteran to provide stability. This situation reminiscent of the Knicks of the late 1980's when they had Mark Jackson and drafted Rod Strickland. Tension developed between the players and both of there careers were stunted until they were traded elsewhere. The Celtics need to find out which player they like least and trade him for a veteran. On a side note, the player the Knicks traded Mark Jackson for back in 1992 was the present Celtic coach, Doc Rivers.

The Celtic wing players include Pierce, Wally Sczcerbiak, and Tony Allen. While Pierce will carry most of the offensive load, Sczerbiak is a proven 18 PPG player in the League. He is not known for any sort of defense though, and has had run-ins with teammates in the past, ie Kevin Garnett. The Celtics are looking for Allen to be a strong defensive player on the perimeter and be able to rebound and run the floor. A wild card is Gerald Green, a rookie out of high school last season. He has unbelievable athleticism, but is still learning the fundamentals of the game. He spent most of last season in the NBDL so his impact on this upcoming season is still a question mark.

Up front, the Celtics will rely on a couple of youngsters in Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins as well as a couple of veterans in Michael Olawakandi and Theo Ratliff. Not sure how the minutes and production will break down amongst these four, but the Celtics hope that Jefferson can develop into a 20-10 guy in the future, and that this can be his break-out year. Ratliff and Olawakandi are both in the latter stages of their careers and they won't provide much on the offensive end. Perkins is in his fourth year in the league at only 21, but he needs noticeable improvement for the Celtics to keep him in their long-term plans.

Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge are both big time NBA names from the 1980's as players. Neither has shown much in their stints as coach and GM respectively. Rivers has become notorious with not have a set rotation and blowing leads late in games. Ainge seems to change his philosophy on the team constantly between winning now and building for the future.

Best Case: Celtics make the playoffs, a starting PG develops, big players show noticeable improvement and Pierce is an MVP cannidate.

Worst Case: Lottery and a top five pick in the draft. Pierce grumbles, young players stagnate and fanbase continues to whine.

Realistic: Some improvement over last year, but not a smooth season and battle to etsy out of last in the Atlantic Division.

New York Knicks

Where do I begin? This franchise has been through so much over the past three seasons. First Isiah Thomas was the savior, then Stephon Marbury, then Larry Brown and now it is Isiah once again. The fans are in disarray, the ownership is a joke and the payroll is astronomical. The roster has a lot of both talent and young players, but it is built more like a fantasy team than a professional.

To talk about this team you must first start with Isiah. He is the President/GM and Head Coach. He brought in every player, went through three head coaches in three years and now has the responsibility himself. It is clear that he is not a proven NBA executive or Head Coach, but he will definitely communicate with these players better than his predecessor, Larry Brown. His players will play hard early on, but he needs early wins to keep their ears.

The Knicks have a big name backcourt in Marbury and Steve Francis. Both are former All Stars, but they also both need the ball in their hands a lot. If they both start then there will be serious match-up problems on the defensive end, considering they are both 6'3" or less. Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson will provide energy and shot making ability off the bench, but it is unclear if these players are capable of playing a team game and sharing the ball.

The Knick front court includes two first round picks from last year (David Lee and Channing Frye) and big salary salary acquisitions (Eddie Curry, Quentin Richardson and Jarred Jefferies). The hope is that Frye and Curry can become bigtime scorers and compliment each other with their different styles of play. Lee can be a rebounder and finisher and that Richardson and Jefferies can be defensive stoppers. A lot to ask, but the ability is definitely there.

The biggest problem for the Knicks is the tremendous anger and distrust from the fans. We have seen the Knicks refuse to rebuild and continue to add to a ridiculous payroll with either unproven youngsters or overrated veterans. The condescending attitude of everyone from the ownership, to the players, to the MSG Network has only fueled the resentment from the fanbase. The worst part of it all is that I truly believe that a Knick playoff run would electrify this city like no other team. This is a place where basketball is played in every playground from Brooklyn, to Harlem, to Madison Square Garden itself. This game was built in New York City and for its team to be such an embarrassment has hurt the fans greatly. If the Knicks do not get it right soon, they will realize how much trouble they are in when the Nets move to Brooklyn and fight the Knicks to bring back New York pride.

Best Case: Isiah finds a rotation that works, Francis and Marbury are modern Monroe and Frazier, Crawford is Vinnie Johnson and guys up front play hard, defend and rebound. The Knicks make a playoff run and the fanbase is energized once again.

Worst Case: Isiah is out of a job by January, the fire sale/rebuilding project is in effect by the trading deadline and the Garden is half full consistently.

Realistic: Who knows? I like them to make the playoffs and win a round, but I can see them exploding as well. My bitterness towards the entire franchise will make it tough to root for them so it is even tougher to predict them..

Hard Hitters

• Comment form my boy concerning Peyton Manning, "Best ever at running the two minute drill and driving his team down the field at the end of a close game." While I am not sure I would go that far to say he is the best ever, he is as good as there is in the game today. You knew the minute he got the ball with 2:00 to play that he was gunna put the Colts in position to kick a GW field goal. He made an excellent and very fast Bronco defense look slow yesterday.
• Two games in a row for Michael Vick. Not sure if he can keep this up, but by far the best back to back passing games of his career.
• Speaking of the Falcons, since that embarrassing loss to the Giants at home they have two very impressive wins against the Steelers at home and Bengals on the road. They were my Super Bowl pick the beginning of the season. Right now they are looking as dangerous as anyone in the league.
• Ladanian Tomlinson is the best RB in the game today. Great TD catch to go along with two rushing TDs. He has a legit chance at breaking 200 TDs in his career. He is closing in on 100 and he is only 27 years old.
• Huge win for Dallas last night. Everybody was writing them off after their loss to the Giants last Monday night. They are still in pretty good shape to make the playoffs in the NFC, with a very dangerous defense and interesting QB.
• Can anyone figure out the Carolina Panthers? Lose two, win four, lose two...Consistently the most inconsistent good team in the NFL over the last three seasons.
• Two rookie QBs Vince Young and Matty Leinart....Everyone was all over Leinies following his showing versus the Bears, but it is Young who has lead his team to consecutive victories...
• Difference between Tennessee and Arizona is won team quitting on its coach (Arizona) and the other continuing to compete and fight (Tennessee)...
• Seattle is going to have to continue treading water until Alexander and Hasselback return from injury. Luckily for them, St. Louis has lost two straight games, keeping them in a tie for first in the NFC West.
• Horrible end to the Jet game. Terrible call by the officials on a game tying catch in the end zone. Tough break for the Jets that the play is not allowed to be replayed since it is a judgment call. The NFL needs to do something about the officials. Every week there is some blown call. How is the one league with instant replay also the one with consistently controversial officiating?
• Gotta give a lot of credit to Herm Edwards and the job he has done with the Chiefs. He was all but run out of New York and then lost his starting QB in the first game of the season. Since then he has gone 4-2 and has his team in the thick of the playoff race.
• Hey Relaxo....At least the Dolphins didn't lose yesterday!!
• Two fun divisions to watch the rest of the year play out....NFC South and the AFC West. The NFC South has some big time offenses and we will see some exciting shoot outs in big games between those teams. The NFC West has tremendous rivalries, and will go down to the wire with San Diego and Denver.
• The Raiders??? Not bad....
• Are the Steelers done? If not, then they are on life support...

Was in Boston for the weekend. Saw a lot of friends from college. Best costume? Not sure, nothing really stood out. My boy Chops' Steve Irwin costume with a sting ray attached got plenty of attention though. Worst costume? Relaxo's "Dr. Acula" without a doubt. Always have a good time in that town, but the cab system at the end of the night is a joke. Lastly a small question concerning an event that happened in Boston...

How do you know that you are gay? When you are in bed with a girl at her place and your boy calls to tell you that he is crashing in your bed. Instead of spending the night with the girl you leave her and race home so you can sleep in a bed with two dudes.

Standard Procedure?

The Giants did what they were supposed to do on Sunday. They won a game at home against a clearly inferior team. It was not a blow out, but the outcome was never in doubt. They controlled the clock and did not turn the ball over. There was nothing exciting or intriguing from an average fans' perspective except for the outcome. This is exactly the kind of win though that big time teams make routine. This game had serious danger that the Giants avoided without a hitch. As a fan of this team for 17 years you never take anything for granted though, especially in a game that had "trap" written all over it.

The Giants have and will continue to play a very hard schedule. This was the first game they played this season in that they were considerable favorites. In addition, they were coming off their biggest victory of the season last Monday night in Dallas. Following that win they were three straight games at home. First Tampa, then Houston, and lastly the undefeated Chicago Bears. It would be very easy for the Giants to overlook the two games leading up to the Bears. They focused on Tampa and earned a very smooth victory.

Another reason this game was dangerous was the recent play of the Tampa Bucs. This team looks very poor on paper, but they were coming off an improbable victory last week versus the Eagles, and have been competing very hard. Their young quarterback has been improving and have a ball-hawking defense. Jon Gruden is a Super Bowl coach who gets the maximum out of his plays on a week to week basis. The Giants had to fight off complacency and match Tampa's effort from the first quarter on.

The last major reason this was such a potentially dangerous game for the Giants was the health of the defense. Sam Madison, Osi Umenyiora, and Lavar Arrington all did not play. All have been to Pro Bowls and are very important to this team. While Arrington is out for the season, the others need to get healthy for the Giants to contend. They can beat the Tampas and Houstons of the league with a banged up defense, but the Bears will be a much tougher task.

After watching the game I talked to a couple of my friends concerning the Giants play and the game itself. Adjectives such as boring and uninteresting were used. In the position the Giants were in that's exactly the type of game they were looking to play. No big stories, just fundamental and confident football. Looking around the league this is the type of game teams like the Patriots, Broncos and Colts have made their staple. If the Giants want to be on the level of those franchises and compete for a Super Bowl they need to make this a habit of theirs as well. Sunday was a start and we will see how they play in trap game number two next Sunday.

• I will have a quick hitters post later today. Probably a serious bite of Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback, but that's all good by me.

Quick Hitters

• Saw my boy Ill on the train this mornin. He goes to law school somewhere near my office, so every once in a while I will run into him on the way. Everyday goin to work I see so many of the same faces. Most days I have my work mode in full effect, everything from my outfit to my demeanor. When I run into him though its so different when he are just messin around and laughing at random shit. Definitely more fun to go to work like that than my usual grump face.
• As per Ill's request I will try to talk about more than just straight up sports today...
• Last night went out wit a couple dudes. Didn't do much, but on the way home me and my boy who lives upstairs decided to buy a six-pack, a carton of eggs and a pack of bacon. This is at 1 AM mind you. We proceed to cook up half the carton and the entire pack of bacon and drink a couple beers as we wind down. It was a good time just bullshitting with him, but I gotta tell you that I am still feelin that grub right now..
• Anybody remember a week when there were this many good NFL games? Saints/Ravens, Eagles/Jaguars, Bengals/Falcons, Chargers/Rams, Broncos/Colts, Panthers/Cowboys, and Pats/Vikings....All of these teams are in decent shape to make the playoffs right now. A lot of teams' fortunes could be changed this week...
• Not surprisingly the Yankees decided to can one of Joe Torres' coaches. Even less surprising that it is Lee Mazzilli. He is the one coach that was one of Torres "guys." Now he is gone as well, along with the rest of the old guard such as Zimmer, Sottlemyre and Randolph. This is an underrated dynamic of the clubhouse of the Yankee Dynasty from 1996-2000. Smart move to make Mattingly bench coach though since all signs are pointing to him being the successor to Torre.
• I love the New York Football Giants and Tiki Barber has been their best player for the past five years, but I am so sick of him speaking out in the media. He should not have let his retirement desires leak out so clearly. We have all heard rumbling in the past couple of years. Why not just leave them at that? Why does he need to start a big story out of nothing? In addition why does he need to call out ESPN personalities that are just doing their job by providing their opinions on the matter? Can Tiki just play ball and shut up for once?? I don't care how "articulate" he sounds. In addition I don't need to hear his agent coming out saying he has all of these offers on the table from numerous media outlets. Just play out the season, and worry about all that stuff when its over.
• Standard procedure on work elevators? If the door is closing you let it go and wait for the next am I right?
• Goin to Boston for the weekend. The Boston delegation is having a little Halloween party. Should be a lot of fun gettin the entire crew back together.
• Lastly, thanks for all the positive feedback this first week. I am just havin fun with this and hopefully it will continue to get better and more creative over time....If I think of anything I will write more later...

Ya Boy....The Captain

I was going to write something this morning comparing Bill Cowher and Tony LaRussa. That was until I was on the subway this morning and saw the back page of the Daily News. Who was it that I saw on it but none other than The Yankee Captain himself....DJ. That's right Derek Jeter. First of all, what is the story with Jeters' lack of a nickname? The Yankee history is filled with memorable nicknames. The Yankee Clipper, Yogi, Whitey, Mr. October, The Iron Horse, Donnie Baseball and of course the Bambino. Even the team itself has a nickname, "The Bronx Bombers." Meanwhile the man himself, best and most popular Yankee of this generation has got nothing? Don't give me Mr. November. Mr. November was a one time event, and DJ is just his initials. It is not a cool nickname. Can anybody get on this, whether it is Chris Berman, John Sterling or whomever??

Anyway, that was not the point of this post. The point I want to make is Jeters' uncanny ability to perform in New York. First off, we all know the stats. Among the leaders in hits, runs and steals year in and year out, two Gold Gloves (albeit undeserved), an All Star MVP, a World Series MVP and soon a Regular Season MVP. He always seems to be in the middle of any memorable rally that that Yankees mount and if he is not, he is on the top step, ready to be the first one to mob a teammate. While all of this is evident it is not what impresses me the most about him.

This guy manages to play great ball, while dating hot chick after hot chick, going out in New York, and never manages to say something inappropriate or do something to embarrass himself or the franchise. In a town like New York every one is bound to put their foot in their mouth at some point. What made me think of this were his comments concerning AROD from yesterday.

"You're there, you support him. Everyone supports your teammates at all times. I don't know if there's anything else I can do. Maybe I'm not that smart (to think of something else)."

Asked if Torre and AROD need to clear the air he replied, "Clear what air? I haven't heard that there's any air that needs to be cleared."

This guy is the master at playing dumb and making vanilla statements. We all know him and AROD have their differences. We also know that Torre and Jeter are aligned on the same side. Jeter has never reached out to AROD, yet whenever he comments he says the right thing. That AROD is just another one of the guys and they all support each other. Jeters' number one priority is winning, but I do not think it minds him one bit that AROD has come to New York and has clearly not been able to handle the media pressure. In some roundabout way this is Jeter getting back at AROD for calling him "just a number two hitter" and saying that "teams don't focus on trying to stop Jeter when they play the Yankees." Jeter has had chance after chance to help AROD and has chosen to continue doing what he has done his entire career which is saying only what he has to and not providing the media anything that could come back to haunt him. He continues to back off and let AROD fend for himself. Lastly, I think it is quite telling that all the Yankee heavy hitters (Cashman, Torre, Jeter, Giambi, Reggie Jackson) attended Cory Lidles' funeral, while AROD did not.

On to Cowher and LaRussa. Both have been coaching for a long time. Obviously LaRussa has been around longer but they both have had unusually long tenures with their current franchises. They are both known as coaches that drive their players hard and squeeze the most out of them that they can. As a result of this, both have been accused of burning their players out when they had playoff collapses. Look at the numbers of each guy since they have been with their respective franchise and see the similarities.

Bill Cowher became Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1992. In his first 12 years he made four AFC title games (all at home) and lost three. The year he won, he lost Super Bowl XXX to Dallas. People began to wonder aloud if he could not win the big game, if he wore down if players, or if he was just uncomfortable being the favorite. Well, in 2005 he was not the favorite. In order for the Steelers to win the Super Bowl they would have to beat three teams on the road. That is exactly what they did before beating the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. They were the first team in history to accomplish that feat. It was poetic justric in a way. After year in and year out of being the favorite and losing playoff games at home he finally won it all with a team that was an underdog through out.

LaRussa has had a similar career in St. Louis. He was the losing NLCS manager in 1996, 2000, 2002, and 2005. He lost the Division Series in 2001 to Arizona and got swept by the Red Sox in the 2004 World Series. The past two seasons his team has had the best combined record in baseball and came up empty. This year he led an 83 win team into the post season after nearly choking away the division late in the season. At this point he has the Cards up 2-1 in the World Series with his most unlikely World Series team. Could LaRussa find the same poetic justice in this season that Cowher did back in January? It just might be...

*I understand that a major difference between LaRussa and Cowher is that LaRussa actually won a World Series prior to joining the Cards. In the same respect though he was heavy favorites in all three World Series he managed with the A's and only won once.

**Lastly, I received a comment yesterday from "Relaxo" concerning my quip about how could anyone think the Tigers would just murder any NL team. I stand by my statement, but I understand that the Tigers were favorites coming in. My point was that the Tigers are not THAT good to act as if they would roll over anyone. It is not like they are the Yankees of 1998-2000 or something. I just feel like predictors got caught up in what happened the past two years with the Red and White Sox getting on a roll and sweeping the World Series and assumed the Tigers would do the same especially considering the weak NL. Every year is different and they should be treated as such, especially when different teams are competing.