The Payoff Pitch
Monday, May 09, 2011
Monday, January 05, 2009
2008 NFL Year in Review
Happy 2009 everyone! I hope you had a safe and healthy 2008 holiday season. Another NFL regular season is in the books, and what a season it was. I've always said the NFL is hard to predict and this year was no different. The salary cap keeps teams from buying championships like the Yankees are attempting to do in 2009. So it all comes down to drafting the right players, signing the right free agents, building a well-balanced team that has good chemistry and of course, staying healthy. A little bit of luck comes in handy, as well. You could do all the right things, have a good season, finish with a great record, but still miss the playoffs while an inferior team in a weaker division gets in (sorry Pats fans). That's why, when you go back and look at anyone's preseason predictions for the upcoming NFL season, they are almost always completely way off from the actual final results. It doesn't matter how much of an expert you are.
It's always funny for me to go back and look at my predictions to see how far off I was. Some of my "forecasts" were spot on (Bills, Jets, Colts, Broncos, Chiefs, Eagles, Vikings, Bucs, Cardinals). Some of them were not even close (Dolphins, Jaguars, Titans, Cowboys, Lions, Panthers, Falcons, Seahawks, Rams). Most were somewhere in between. Only 5 of my 12 playoff teams and only 1 out of the 4 teams I had in Conference Championships actually made it to the postseason. On the bright side, the one team I had correct (San Diego) is also the team I had winning the Super Bowl. "So, I got that going for me, which is nice."
Anyway, congrats to the Dolphins for exceeding my expectations and making the playoffs. I was hoping they would be a little more competitive against the Ravens, but I can't complain. They still won 7 more games than I had predicted and 10 more than they won last year. If they can continue that trend, then I'll be looking forward to them competing for years to come.
Now...bring on the baseball season!!!
It's always funny for me to go back and look at my predictions to see how far off I was. Some of my "forecasts" were spot on (Bills, Jets, Colts, Broncos, Chiefs, Eagles, Vikings, Bucs, Cardinals). Some of them were not even close (Dolphins, Jaguars, Titans, Cowboys, Lions, Panthers, Falcons, Seahawks, Rams). Most were somewhere in between. Only 5 of my 12 playoff teams and only 1 out of the 4 teams I had in Conference Championships actually made it to the postseason. On the bright side, the one team I had correct (San Diego) is also the team I had winning the Super Bowl. "So, I got that going for me, which is nice."
Anyway, congrats to the Dolphins for exceeding my expectations and making the playoffs. I was hoping they would be a little more competitive against the Ravens, but I can't complain. They still won 7 more games than I had predicted and 10 more than they won last year. If they can continue that trend, then I'll be looking forward to them competing for years to come.
Now...bring on the baseball season!!!
Monday, November 03, 2008
Election Day 2008
Oh...tomorrow is election day.
Be sure to make your vote count.
And make sure all your friends do the same!
Me? I would never tell someone who to vote for.
After all, your mind should be made up by now.
0 days left to make your decision.
8 years was more than enough!
Be sure to make your vote count.
And make sure all your friends do the same!
Me? I would never tell someone who to vote for.
After all, your mind should be made up by now.
0 days left to make your decision.
8 years was more than enough!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Schilling vs. Manny
While I may not be the biggest fan of Curt Schilling's political views and I think he can be a windbag sometimes, I sure as hell respect him as a baseball player (and a gamer). He's been around the game a long time, so he has an insight as to what happens in the locker room, out of public view, that few others can claim. Especially the Red Sox locker room. So, when he writes something on his blog about the Sox, or baseball in general, it's almost guaranteed to be a good read. Well, Schilling wrote a doozy the other day that pretty much ripped Manny Ramirez a new asshole (such a lovely term, isn't it?) Unfortunately, this posting has since been removed, although I'm not sure why. Fortunately, I was able to find a copy of it on another website: (http://firebrandal.com/2008/10/schilling-blasts-manny.html). For your reading pleasure, I have copied Schilling's post below. For the record, I believe that everything he wrote is probably true, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
No one wants to hear less about the ending of the season and the whys than fans that love the Sox. While I am officially no longer a member of this organization I have read and keep reading the "What if" stories as they relate to Manny and the team and the playoffs.
Enough has been said by anyone, and everyone, involved that it makes peoples ears bleed but it still appears a huge important piece to the puzzle is being missed.
First off anyone saying
Jason Bay is a nice player, but he's not Manny.
is just not a very smart baseball person. Putting up the numbers he did in Pittsburgh has been vastly downplayed in my opinion. Yes his last year was less than stellar but in the Major Leagues that happens. Bottom line is this guy is a 30/100 above average on base guy who plays his ass off in the field and runs the bases hard and right. Is he Manny? Hell no, who is? Who has ever been? But he's far more than a 'nice player'. Nice players are guys that play 140 games, hit 275 and drive in some runs, and are good guys. This guy is a very good, very good player. Not only that but he proved the October limelight is not something that will make him wilt. Oh and he had a hell of a nice run the last few months in a market that couldn't be more opposite than Pittsburgh.
That's beside the initial point though. People are going to say, and have been saying, what if Manny had stayed? What if Manny had done what he did in LA, in Boston? If TJ Siemers can crawl out of Manny's butt long enough he'd objectively look at what happened and know he's at the front of the 'I'm going to look like an ass at some point' line and wake up. I've made enough horses ass comments to know to at least be aware now, when I am headed down that path....
It was NEVER a question of Manny's ability, ever. Hell I am not sure anyone had more run ins with him, as a teammate, than I did, but I'll never say anything other than this guy studied and practiced the art of hitting, and executed, as well as anyone I've ever seen.
No, that wasn't the issue, and no one argues that. What was the issue, and this is my opinion only, became very clear to anyone in or around the team at this point. The issue was not whether he would play 'hard' every day. He ALWAYS hit, but the game is so much more than swinging the bat it's laughable. No, the issue was whether he would actually PLAY. I don't mean play hard, play tough, play lazy, no, PLAY.
He had in the past taken days off. Hell most guys do. He certainly had his own way of doing it and it was never ever with thought to anyone but himself but for the most part I always took it with the "Manny knows his body better than anyone". We all knew there were times it was just 'He didn't feel like playing today" and by 'playing' that meant anything. Pinch hitting, pinch running, anything. His days off for the most part were totally off. That's not common, not at all. You played that day, or series of days, with a 24 man roster, that was never a thing you doubted or that came unexpected after awhile. As a pitcher that is and always will be a factor in being a leader in the clubhouse. A starting pitcher has very little idea what these guys do to their bodies every day. But what I do know is I played 23 years of professional baseball and have played with guys that ran the spectrum. The guy who said "I'm good" while trying to catch with a broken collarbone, and the guy who literally HAD to feel 100% to take BP. So for a pitcher to question a position player, well in certain contexts that just didn't happen, but you also knew your teammates and you got to see 'behind the curtain' when that 'hurt' guy took 5 days off and spent less than 10 minutes in the training room. A direct opposite to the guy who took one day off, made sure the manager knew he could Pinch Hit if needed, and spent the game running back and forth from the bench to the training room getting interval treatment as he could.
No, by saying PLAY I mean exactly that. The issue got to the point where everyone finally took him at his word, there was no choice. A guy refusing to get on a team plane, having to be literally coaxed on, by people with pride and people that love the game, because meeting the obligations of a 20 million dollar contract were not even close to enough to get him going???? If he did not get traded he was going to need "time off" to rest his injured knee, and it got to the point where he made it clear time off could mean the rest of the season. Few guys will admit to it and that's cool, I get that, but no one, if in the right situation, would ever deny that was anything but true.
So it's not 'what could have been', we knew what was to be, and what was to be was that if he did not get a contract extension he was going to take a seat, and in taking that seat he didn't give a rats ass what anyone thought, including the 24 guys that wore the same uniform. So the 'what could have been' in the post season is not the question. The question is would there have been a post season if he had stayed, and that's a question, and a gamble, that I think everyone felt they knew the answer too and in the end a gamble no one was willing to take, and rightly so.
People continue to try and assign logic to the thoughts and decisions made when we all knew so many illogical things were said and done that logic was far from a factor in 99% of the things happening at the end. I don't think Scott Boras told many to 'tank it', Manny's a grown man and any decisions or actions he made are all on him.
It is demeaning and disrespectful to the guys that did respect their teammates, the game and the fans by busting their asses through broken down hips, sore arms, strained abs and whatever, to grind it out for each other and the fans, their love of the game and anything else you can think of, the organization, to hear people question the hows and whys of this whole thing. That was why I said 'he flipped you all off' because if you heard ANYTHING he said after he left, he did.
Ya, remember this guy was at the forefront of bringing the first world championship to Boston in 2004 (but please also throw a cheer or three Foulkies way, that guy was the man in October of 04), remember this guy, along with David, made the most fearsome middle of the order of our lifetimes, remember when he was at the plate you better not THINK of not being able to watch what he might do. This guy, when he hit, changed games BEFORE he came to the plate.
But the thing that killed me in the end was this; he never gave a rats ass about any of us that suited up with him, not one iota. He was, and he said repeatedly, about going to the highest bidder and getting as much money as he possibly could, period. If that meant pissing on us in the interim, so be it.
Hey! That's cool, that's 100% your prerogative. But please don't crap all over the guy, or guys that spent years as your 'teammates' covering your ass by saying "Aww that's just Manny being Manny" and the hundreds of thousands of other things we needed to say to stop the stories from being more than they could. Please don't piss all over the Manager and GM who pretty much swallowed every ounce of pride they possessed because they knew that it was 'win above all else' here to the fans and owners. Manny had a cult following because Manny could hit and act goofy, period. Hey that's cool, that's what some fans love an that's fine, but that's it.
Manny left because Manny wanted to get Manny the largest possible contract Manny could. That happens and that's fine. But the Sox got a player that's going to help them get back to October next year out of a situation they could have been left with a player not playing, and a patch work of guys filling in for the rest of the year.
That doesn't mean, to me anyway, that the question should be "How much farther would we have gotten" but rather "Would we have gotten there?"
Why on earth would ANY situation be as good as it's ever been? Why would things be so fun and nice and happy and exciting AFTER you lose a first ballot HALL OF FAME PLAYER? Is the rest of the baseball world that much smarter than a guy widely recognized as one of, if not the, best GMs in the game? Is a guy widely recognized as one of the best managers, and on top of that best human beings, in the game that dumb? Couldn't it be that the opposite is true?
Don't ask how far they could have gone. Let it be what it is. That team went from 7 runs down and 7 outs to the end of a season that had more turmoil and injuries than the Dallas Cowboys, to tying run on base in the 8th inning of game 7. One game from the World Series.
Is that good enough? Ask the players, they'll all tell you hell no because it's now different here. They now, and rightly so, expect to win the World Series every year. Anything short of that is disappointing and you can scream all you want but it's realistic, and earned. Ya it's not the Yankees of the late '90s, but it's getting there. This group has earned a place of respect in baseball that's been earned and the onus is on them to maintain that level of expectation through performance, on and off the field. But for me, personally, the far cooler piece is that the composition of players on the team now, and the organization, is now setup to be held to a far higher standard personally and professionally, and with that comes good things. The fans deserve that, the game deserves that.
Joe Maddon benches his star young player twice and his team reaches the World Series. Hell Scioscia has to pretty much kick a star offensive player off his team during the playoffs, it might even have cost them a shot at getting to the World Series in 04. I'm ok with saying it because while you can scream all you want about things I've said in the past, I've never intentionally disrespected the game, or my teammates, never. I've said dumb things and done a few real stupid ones, never was anything said or done with the intent to disrespect either, anyone telling you otherwise is a liar.
I promise Tito, Jim Fregosi, maybe even Bob Brenly and Frank Robinson will tell you I was a pain in the butt at times because I talked too much though the GMs might say it a little more adamantly. But there isn't a coach or GM I ever played for that will tell you I didn't bust my ass every day I had the ball in my hand or that I was ever unprepared for the job at hand, or that I ever played the game with anything but respect. I am not a Hall of Famer, I've known that since suiting up with one. I played with guys that don't and will never like me, hell that happens. But I cared about every teammate I ever had and I cared what my teammates thought of me when it was my day, and I cared what the guys in the other dugout thought of me when they had to compete against me. Beyond that what people 'knew' of me was/is far less than anyone ever will beyond my friends and family.
The Sox are poised to be a force in baseball for the next decade. The Left Fielder is a perennial All Star, the staff is littered with aces, the bullpen is anchored by a guy that will end the decade as the games most dominant closer, the first and second baseman should finish 1-2 in the MVP race (not sure what order), the team has a HUGE pool of young, homegrown, talent in the majors, and on the way, the manager, though bald with an enormous nose, is as good a manager as anyone in the game and manages people better than anyone I've been around, he cares, deeply, about his players and hsi staff and that matters to them all, the coaching staff has 2 future managers at least, one future GM, the fans got their 4th ALCS in 6 years. It's a new time, a new team and the future is awesome. Remember the 2008 Red Sox as a team that persevered thorugh a lot more than 90% of the teams in the game and battled their asses off to within 2 runs of a World Series while authoring the greatest comeback ever for a team faced with elimination. Remember them for the 3rd baseman that played through what could only be described as a broken hip, an Ace that gutted out a game that will be horribly under appreciated forever, in a must win. Remember 2008 as the year Jon Lester, a cancer survivor, turned into one of the premier pitchers in the game, not the league, the game. Remember them as the team who's closer extended a record post season scoreless streak even farther, remember them for their 2nd baseman, a five foot nothing guy who can fricking rake (though he knows he can't hit me) a gold glove first baseman who cemented his place as a premier all around stud (though bald and a mullion). Those are the things to remember this team by, those are the things that matter.
No more 'what could have beens', they are good enough now to take responsibility for what is, and what will be, and there isn't a player on this team that will shun accountability or responsibility for their actions or their teams. That's a pretty cool thing.
No one wants to hear less about the ending of the season and the whys than fans that love the Sox. While I am officially no longer a member of this organization I have read and keep reading the "What if" stories as they relate to Manny and the team and the playoffs.
Enough has been said by anyone, and everyone, involved that it makes peoples ears bleed but it still appears a huge important piece to the puzzle is being missed.
First off anyone saying
Jason Bay is a nice player, but he's not Manny.
is just not a very smart baseball person. Putting up the numbers he did in Pittsburgh has been vastly downplayed in my opinion. Yes his last year was less than stellar but in the Major Leagues that happens. Bottom line is this guy is a 30/100 above average on base guy who plays his ass off in the field and runs the bases hard and right. Is he Manny? Hell no, who is? Who has ever been? But he's far more than a 'nice player'. Nice players are guys that play 140 games, hit 275 and drive in some runs, and are good guys. This guy is a very good, very good player. Not only that but he proved the October limelight is not something that will make him wilt. Oh and he had a hell of a nice run the last few months in a market that couldn't be more opposite than Pittsburgh.
That's beside the initial point though. People are going to say, and have been saying, what if Manny had stayed? What if Manny had done what he did in LA, in Boston? If TJ Siemers can crawl out of Manny's butt long enough he'd objectively look at what happened and know he's at the front of the 'I'm going to look like an ass at some point' line and wake up. I've made enough horses ass comments to know to at least be aware now, when I am headed down that path....
It was NEVER a question of Manny's ability, ever. Hell I am not sure anyone had more run ins with him, as a teammate, than I did, but I'll never say anything other than this guy studied and practiced the art of hitting, and executed, as well as anyone I've ever seen.
No, that wasn't the issue, and no one argues that. What was the issue, and this is my opinion only, became very clear to anyone in or around the team at this point. The issue was not whether he would play 'hard' every day. He ALWAYS hit, but the game is so much more than swinging the bat it's laughable. No, the issue was whether he would actually PLAY. I don't mean play hard, play tough, play lazy, no, PLAY.
He had in the past taken days off. Hell most guys do. He certainly had his own way of doing it and it was never ever with thought to anyone but himself but for the most part I always took it with the "Manny knows his body better than anyone". We all knew there were times it was just 'He didn't feel like playing today" and by 'playing' that meant anything. Pinch hitting, pinch running, anything. His days off for the most part were totally off. That's not common, not at all. You played that day, or series of days, with a 24 man roster, that was never a thing you doubted or that came unexpected after awhile. As a pitcher that is and always will be a factor in being a leader in the clubhouse. A starting pitcher has very little idea what these guys do to their bodies every day. But what I do know is I played 23 years of professional baseball and have played with guys that ran the spectrum. The guy who said "I'm good" while trying to catch with a broken collarbone, and the guy who literally HAD to feel 100% to take BP. So for a pitcher to question a position player, well in certain contexts that just didn't happen, but you also knew your teammates and you got to see 'behind the curtain' when that 'hurt' guy took 5 days off and spent less than 10 minutes in the training room. A direct opposite to the guy who took one day off, made sure the manager knew he could Pinch Hit if needed, and spent the game running back and forth from the bench to the training room getting interval treatment as he could.
No, by saying PLAY I mean exactly that. The issue got to the point where everyone finally took him at his word, there was no choice. A guy refusing to get on a team plane, having to be literally coaxed on, by people with pride and people that love the game, because meeting the obligations of a 20 million dollar contract were not even close to enough to get him going???? If he did not get traded he was going to need "time off" to rest his injured knee, and it got to the point where he made it clear time off could mean the rest of the season. Few guys will admit to it and that's cool, I get that, but no one, if in the right situation, would ever deny that was anything but true.
So it's not 'what could have been', we knew what was to be, and what was to be was that if he did not get a contract extension he was going to take a seat, and in taking that seat he didn't give a rats ass what anyone thought, including the 24 guys that wore the same uniform. So the 'what could have been' in the post season is not the question. The question is would there have been a post season if he had stayed, and that's a question, and a gamble, that I think everyone felt they knew the answer too and in the end a gamble no one was willing to take, and rightly so.
People continue to try and assign logic to the thoughts and decisions made when we all knew so many illogical things were said and done that logic was far from a factor in 99% of the things happening at the end. I don't think Scott Boras told many to 'tank it', Manny's a grown man and any decisions or actions he made are all on him.
It is demeaning and disrespectful to the guys that did respect their teammates, the game and the fans by busting their asses through broken down hips, sore arms, strained abs and whatever, to grind it out for each other and the fans, their love of the game and anything else you can think of, the organization, to hear people question the hows and whys of this whole thing. That was why I said 'he flipped you all off' because if you heard ANYTHING he said after he left, he did.
Ya, remember this guy was at the forefront of bringing the first world championship to Boston in 2004 (but please also throw a cheer or three Foulkies way, that guy was the man in October of 04), remember this guy, along with David, made the most fearsome middle of the order of our lifetimes, remember when he was at the plate you better not THINK of not being able to watch what he might do. This guy, when he hit, changed games BEFORE he came to the plate.
But the thing that killed me in the end was this; he never gave a rats ass about any of us that suited up with him, not one iota. He was, and he said repeatedly, about going to the highest bidder and getting as much money as he possibly could, period. If that meant pissing on us in the interim, so be it.
Hey! That's cool, that's 100% your prerogative. But please don't crap all over the guy, or guys that spent years as your 'teammates' covering your ass by saying "Aww that's just Manny being Manny" and the hundreds of thousands of other things we needed to say to stop the stories from being more than they could. Please don't piss all over the Manager and GM who pretty much swallowed every ounce of pride they possessed because they knew that it was 'win above all else' here to the fans and owners. Manny had a cult following because Manny could hit and act goofy, period. Hey that's cool, that's what some fans love an that's fine, but that's it.
Manny left because Manny wanted to get Manny the largest possible contract Manny could. That happens and that's fine. But the Sox got a player that's going to help them get back to October next year out of a situation they could have been left with a player not playing, and a patch work of guys filling in for the rest of the year.
That doesn't mean, to me anyway, that the question should be "How much farther would we have gotten" but rather "Would we have gotten there?"
Why on earth would ANY situation be as good as it's ever been? Why would things be so fun and nice and happy and exciting AFTER you lose a first ballot HALL OF FAME PLAYER? Is the rest of the baseball world that much smarter than a guy widely recognized as one of, if not the, best GMs in the game? Is a guy widely recognized as one of the best managers, and on top of that best human beings, in the game that dumb? Couldn't it be that the opposite is true?
Don't ask how far they could have gone. Let it be what it is. That team went from 7 runs down and 7 outs to the end of a season that had more turmoil and injuries than the Dallas Cowboys, to tying run on base in the 8th inning of game 7. One game from the World Series.
Is that good enough? Ask the players, they'll all tell you hell no because it's now different here. They now, and rightly so, expect to win the World Series every year. Anything short of that is disappointing and you can scream all you want but it's realistic, and earned. Ya it's not the Yankees of the late '90s, but it's getting there. This group has earned a place of respect in baseball that's been earned and the onus is on them to maintain that level of expectation through performance, on and off the field. But for me, personally, the far cooler piece is that the composition of players on the team now, and the organization, is now setup to be held to a far higher standard personally and professionally, and with that comes good things. The fans deserve that, the game deserves that.
Joe Maddon benches his star young player twice and his team reaches the World Series. Hell Scioscia has to pretty much kick a star offensive player off his team during the playoffs, it might even have cost them a shot at getting to the World Series in 04. I'm ok with saying it because while you can scream all you want about things I've said in the past, I've never intentionally disrespected the game, or my teammates, never. I've said dumb things and done a few real stupid ones, never was anything said or done with the intent to disrespect either, anyone telling you otherwise is a liar.
I promise Tito, Jim Fregosi, maybe even Bob Brenly and Frank Robinson will tell you I was a pain in the butt at times because I talked too much though the GMs might say it a little more adamantly. But there isn't a coach or GM I ever played for that will tell you I didn't bust my ass every day I had the ball in my hand or that I was ever unprepared for the job at hand, or that I ever played the game with anything but respect. I am not a Hall of Famer, I've known that since suiting up with one. I played with guys that don't and will never like me, hell that happens. But I cared about every teammate I ever had and I cared what my teammates thought of me when it was my day, and I cared what the guys in the other dugout thought of me when they had to compete against me. Beyond that what people 'knew' of me was/is far less than anyone ever will beyond my friends and family.
The Sox are poised to be a force in baseball for the next decade. The Left Fielder is a perennial All Star, the staff is littered with aces, the bullpen is anchored by a guy that will end the decade as the games most dominant closer, the first and second baseman should finish 1-2 in the MVP race (not sure what order), the team has a HUGE pool of young, homegrown, talent in the majors, and on the way, the manager, though bald with an enormous nose, is as good a manager as anyone in the game and manages people better than anyone I've been around, he cares, deeply, about his players and hsi staff and that matters to them all, the coaching staff has 2 future managers at least, one future GM, the fans got their 4th ALCS in 6 years. It's a new time, a new team and the future is awesome. Remember the 2008 Red Sox as a team that persevered thorugh a lot more than 90% of the teams in the game and battled their asses off to within 2 runs of a World Series while authoring the greatest comeback ever for a team faced with elimination. Remember them for the 3rd baseman that played through what could only be described as a broken hip, an Ace that gutted out a game that will be horribly under appreciated forever, in a must win. Remember 2008 as the year Jon Lester, a cancer survivor, turned into one of the premier pitchers in the game, not the league, the game. Remember them as the team who's closer extended a record post season scoreless streak even farther, remember them for their 2nd baseman, a five foot nothing guy who can fricking rake (though he knows he can't hit me) a gold glove first baseman who cemented his place as a premier all around stud (though bald and a mullion). Those are the things to remember this team by, those are the things that matter.
No more 'what could have beens', they are good enough now to take responsibility for what is, and what will be, and there isn't a player on this team that will shun accountability or responsibility for their actions or their teams. That's a pretty cool thing.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Red Sox and sore losers.
So, anyone who knows Jen and I also knows that we are diehard Red Sox fans. We go to multiple games a year (close to double digits) and we travel across the country to see them as part of our MLB ballparks tour. We try to watch every game on TV that we are not watching live. So, if the Sox are in the playoffs, you know we are watching the game no matter what time of day or night it is. Last night was no exception. We actually had tickets to a concert in Boston and chose to skip it so that we could watch the Sox game. Oh, there were a few other factors involved (didn't pay much for tickets, show started really late on a work night and Jon Lester was pitching), but you get the idea. Luckily, our faith was rewarded with an amazing game. A nail-biter from start to finish that the Sox won on a walk-off hit in the 9th inning which clinched the series and sends them to the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays (I know...the Rays...seriously?). In fact, the entire series with the Angels was amazing. Every game was good and none of them were easy wins. The Angels had the best record in baseball this year, including an 8-1 record against Boston, but the Red Sox just outplayed them. They had slightly better pitching, much better defense and they made the right plays at the right times. Add in the team chemistry, which the Angels didn't seem to have, as well as the psychological edge of having beat the Angels in the playoffs in 9 straight games and you get a 3 games to 1 series win. Done and done. The Angels were outplayed, plain and simple. No one disputes that...except maybe the Angels. Check out these quotes from their pitcher, John Lackey:
"It's way different than last year,"..."We are way better than they are. We lost to a team not as good as us."
"[On Sunday] they scored on a pop fly they called a hit, which is a joke,"..."[On Monday], they score on a broken-bat ground ball and a fly ball anywhere else in America [except in Fenway Park]. And [Pedroia's] fist-pumping on second like he did something great."
Wow...really, John Lackey? Way better? Are you sure? I understand that you are upset about getting eliminated and that you feel "like I want to throw somebody through a wall." But seriously, try losing with some dignity. Admit that you got outpitched, twice, by Jon Lester. He was dominant, and you were not. Admit that your team was outplayed by the Red Sox. Boston made the right plays at the right times and were much sharper defensively, as evidenced by only committing 1 error in four games as opposed to 4 by the Angels (which probably should have been 6). Just admit it. You're a sore loser and an even worse team player. There are others on the team who are just as bad as you, but you just happened to be the one who provided the quotes this time. It's all about you and that's why your team keeps losing when the time comes to step it up for the postseason. Baseball is a team sport. Until you realize this, you'll always be the sore loser sitting at your locker after getting outpitched and outplayed, providing dumb quotes to the press about how you just got beat 3 times in 4 games by "...a team not as good as us." In the meantime, while you are sulking, that TEAM will be playing for a chance to win their 3rd World Series in 5 years.
"It's way different than last year,"..."We are way better than they are. We lost to a team not as good as us."
"[On Sunday] they scored on a pop fly they called a hit, which is a joke,"..."[On Monday], they score on a broken-bat ground ball and a fly ball anywhere else in America [except in Fenway Park]. And [Pedroia's] fist-pumping on second like he did something great."
Wow...really, John Lackey? Way better? Are you sure? I understand that you are upset about getting eliminated and that you feel "like I want to throw somebody through a wall." But seriously, try losing with some dignity. Admit that you got outpitched, twice, by Jon Lester. He was dominant, and you were not. Admit that your team was outplayed by the Red Sox. Boston made the right plays at the right times and were much sharper defensively, as evidenced by only committing 1 error in four games as opposed to 4 by the Angels (which probably should have been 6). Just admit it. You're a sore loser and an even worse team player. There are others on the team who are just as bad as you, but you just happened to be the one who provided the quotes this time. It's all about you and that's why your team keeps losing when the time comes to step it up for the postseason. Baseball is a team sport. Until you realize this, you'll always be the sore loser sitting at your locker after getting outpitched and outplayed, providing dumb quotes to the press about how you just got beat 3 times in 4 games by "...a team not as good as us." In the meantime, while you are sulking, that TEAM will be playing for a chance to win their 3rd World Series in 5 years.
Friday, September 12, 2008
So, that happened.
Wow, what a Week 1 it was in the NFL this year. There were a few surprise upsets such as Carolina over San Diego, Chicago over Indianapolis and to a lesser degree, Atlanta over Detroit. There were some surprise performances such as Donovan McNabb throwing for 361 yards and 3 TD's, Michael Turner rushing for 220 yards and Willie Parker rushing for 3 TD's (which already bests last year's total of 2). Nothing was more shocking, though, than the season-ending injury to Patriots QB Tom Brady in the first quarter of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Brady has been Mr. Consistency for the past 7 years and was coming off the best statistical year of his career, throwing for 4806 yards and an NFL record 50 TD's and a career-best 117.2 passer rating. None of that mattered, though, after a heartbreaking loss in Super Bowl XLII, a game that should have been the icing on the Patriots perfect season. Brady and the Pats were coming into this season with one thing on their minds - get back to the Super Bowl, and win it. Now, that goal may be in jeopardy with "Tom Terrific" (I hate that nickname by the way) out for the season.
So...what does all of this mean for my season predictions? Well, not as much as you would think. I still think the Pats are the best team in the AFC East, but maybe they'll win 10 or 11 games instead of 13 or 14. They'll still be in the playoffs, although they may not have a bye week in the first round. Anyway, all my predictions were made based on everyone staying healthy for the whole year. Of course, that never happens, so I'm not going to go through and change them every week or every time someone gets hurt. They will stay as is. It's all just for fun, anyway.
So...what does all of this mean for my season predictions? Well, not as much as you would think. I still think the Pats are the best team in the AFC East, but maybe they'll win 10 or 11 games instead of 13 or 14. They'll still be in the playoffs, although they may not have a bye week in the first round. Anyway, all my predictions were made based on everyone staying healthy for the whole year. Of course, that never happens, so I'm not going to go through and change them every week or every time someone gets hurt. They will stay as is. It's all just for fun, anyway.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
2 days???
The 2008 NFL season starts in 2 days? Really? What happened to summer? Hey, I enjoy football season as much as the next guy (and some girls), but I'm just not ready for summer to be over. It seemed to rain every weekend and most weekdays, so I only got to enjoy the pool at our condo once. We only went to the beach once, as well. Ugh! Here's hoping for one more good heat wave before autumn kicks into high gear. In the meantime, here are my predictions for the upcoming NFL season. Just for fun, I'm going to try and sum up every team in 5 words or less. Here we go:
AFC EAST
New England: Easiest schedule, but not perfect.
Last Season: 16-0
2008 Prediction: 14-2
New York Jets: Favre helps. Is it enough?
Last Season: 4-12
2008 Prediction: 9-7
Buffalo Bills: Not much has changed.
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 6-10
Miami Dolphins: Improved, but still not good.
Last season: 1-15
2008 Prediction: 4-12
AFC NORTH
Pittsburgh Steelers: Big Ben breaks out.
Last season: 10-6
2008 Prediction: 11-5
Cincinnati Bengals: Bad defense ruins good offense.
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 8-8
Cleveland Browns: Too many questions, injuries.
Last season: 10-6
2008 Prediction: 8-8
Baltimore Ravens: Tough division. Tough luck.
Last season: 5-11
2008 Prediction: 7-9
AFC SOUTH
Indianapolis Colts: Peyton Manning is still good.
Last season: 13-3
2008 Prediction: 12-4
Jacksonville Jaguars: Well-balanced team.
Last season: 11-5
2008 Prediction: 11-5
Houston Texans: Sleeper playoff team this year?
Last season: 8-8
2008 Prediction: 9-7
Tennessee Titans: Someone needs to step up.
Last season: 10-6
2008 Prediction: 7-9
AFC WEST
San Diego Chargers: Best chance for a title?
Last season: 11-5
2008 Prediction: 12-4
Denver Broncos: Still a pretty average team.
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 8-8
Oakland Raiders: Ugh!
Last season: 4-12
2008 Prediction: 6-10
Kansas City Chiefs: "Whew! What died in here?"
Last season: 4-12
2008 Prediction: 1-15
NFC EAST
Dallas Cowboys: NFC's team to beat.
Last season: 13-3
2008 Prediction: 14-2
Philadelphia Eagles: Big comeback for McNabb.
Last season: 8-8
2008 Prediction: 10-6
Washington Redskins: Good offseason. Tough team.
Last season: 9-7
2008 Prediction: 9-7
New York Giants: Were they really that good?
Last season: 10-6
2008 Prediction: 8-8
NFC NORTH
Minnesota Vikings: If healthy, they are scary.
Last season: 8-8
2008 Prediction: 11-5
Green Bay Packers: Not as good without Favre.
Last season: 13-3
2008 Prediction: 10-6
Detroit Lions: Too one-dimensional.
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 7-9
Chicago Bears: What happened to this team?
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 5-11
NFC SOUTH
New Orleans Saints: Explosive team. Weak division.
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 11-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Defense keeps them in games.
Last season: 9-7
2008 Prediction: 9-7
Carolina Panthers: Still rebuilding. Maybe next year.
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 7-9
Atlanta Falcons: "OK, who let a fluffy?"
Last season: 4-12
2008 Prediction: 2-14
NFC WEST
Seattle Seahawks: After injuries, they'll be good.
Last season: 10-6
2008 Prediction: 10-6
Arizona Cardinals: Finally over the hump?
Last season: 8-8
2008 Prediction: 9-7
St. Louis Rams: Big improvement. Not enough.
Last season: 3-13
2008 Prediction: 8-8
San Francisco: Still taking QB applications.
Last season: 5-11
2008 Prediction: 4-12
PLAYOFFS ROUND 1
First round byes: New England, San Diego, Dallas, Minnesota
Indianapolis over Houston
Pittsburgh over Jacksonville
New Orleans over Green Bay
Philadelphia over Seattle
PLAYOFFS ROUND 2
New England over Pittsburgh
San Diego over Indianapolis
Dallas over Philadelphia
New Orleans over Minnesota
PLAYOFFS ROUND 3
San Diego over New England
Dallas over New Orleans
SUPER BOWL
San Diego over Dallas
AFC EAST
New England: Easiest schedule, but not perfect.
Last Season: 16-0
2008 Prediction: 14-2
New York Jets: Favre helps. Is it enough?
Last Season: 4-12
2008 Prediction: 9-7
Buffalo Bills: Not much has changed.
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 6-10
Miami Dolphins: Improved, but still not good.
Last season: 1-15
2008 Prediction: 4-12
AFC NORTH
Pittsburgh Steelers: Big Ben breaks out.
Last season: 10-6
2008 Prediction: 11-5
Cincinnati Bengals: Bad defense ruins good offense.
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 8-8
Cleveland Browns: Too many questions, injuries.
Last season: 10-6
2008 Prediction: 8-8
Baltimore Ravens: Tough division. Tough luck.
Last season: 5-11
2008 Prediction: 7-9
AFC SOUTH
Indianapolis Colts: Peyton Manning is still good.
Last season: 13-3
2008 Prediction: 12-4
Jacksonville Jaguars: Well-balanced team.
Last season: 11-5
2008 Prediction: 11-5
Houston Texans: Sleeper playoff team this year?
Last season: 8-8
2008 Prediction: 9-7
Tennessee Titans: Someone needs to step up.
Last season: 10-6
2008 Prediction: 7-9
AFC WEST
San Diego Chargers: Best chance for a title?
Last season: 11-5
2008 Prediction: 12-4
Denver Broncos: Still a pretty average team.
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 8-8
Oakland Raiders: Ugh!
Last season: 4-12
2008 Prediction: 6-10
Kansas City Chiefs: "Whew! What died in here?"
Last season: 4-12
2008 Prediction: 1-15
NFC EAST
Dallas Cowboys: NFC's team to beat.
Last season: 13-3
2008 Prediction: 14-2
Philadelphia Eagles: Big comeback for McNabb.
Last season: 8-8
2008 Prediction: 10-6
Washington Redskins: Good offseason. Tough team.
Last season: 9-7
2008 Prediction: 9-7
New York Giants: Were they really that good?
Last season: 10-6
2008 Prediction: 8-8
NFC NORTH
Minnesota Vikings: If healthy, they are scary.
Last season: 8-8
2008 Prediction: 11-5
Green Bay Packers: Not as good without Favre.
Last season: 13-3
2008 Prediction: 10-6
Detroit Lions: Too one-dimensional.
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 7-9
Chicago Bears: What happened to this team?
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 5-11
NFC SOUTH
New Orleans Saints: Explosive team. Weak division.
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 11-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Defense keeps them in games.
Last season: 9-7
2008 Prediction: 9-7
Carolina Panthers: Still rebuilding. Maybe next year.
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 7-9
Atlanta Falcons: "OK, who let a fluffy?"
Last season: 4-12
2008 Prediction: 2-14
NFC WEST
Seattle Seahawks: After injuries, they'll be good.
Last season: 10-6
2008 Prediction: 10-6
Arizona Cardinals: Finally over the hump?
Last season: 8-8
2008 Prediction: 9-7
St. Louis Rams: Big improvement. Not enough.
Last season: 3-13
2008 Prediction: 8-8
San Francisco: Still taking QB applications.
Last season: 5-11
2008 Prediction: 4-12
PLAYOFFS ROUND 1
First round byes: New England, San Diego, Dallas, Minnesota
Indianapolis over Houston
Pittsburgh over Jacksonville
New Orleans over Green Bay
Philadelphia over Seattle
PLAYOFFS ROUND 2
New England over Pittsburgh
San Diego over Indianapolis
Dallas over Philadelphia
New Orleans over Minnesota
PLAYOFFS ROUND 3
San Diego over New England
Dallas over New Orleans
SUPER BOWL
San Diego over Dallas
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