Taking A Look Back

To be an honest writer, you have to look back into the past every once in a while, and take responsibility for what you put on paper.  Many times you’re writing about the future, and don’t think anything of it when what you predict doesn’t come true.

Homie don’t play that.  A man has got to step up, stick to his opinion, and admit mistakes when they arise.  So I’m going back to Justin and mine’s Terry’s Tire World IV Draft Recap to see where I pegged things right, and where I was Oh-So-Wrong…

To begin – I currently reside in second place in our league, and that can be directly linked to the way I drafted.  I had one of my worst drafts ever in a fantasy baseball league, which has led me to only having 12 of the 21 players I drafted remaining on my team.  Some of those guys have been complete busts, some have bounced back after I dropped them – but I have no regrets…

What the hell am I talking about – I have lots of regrets…

“Chad: Ya know, in hindsight I really didn’t like where I was positioned. 4th is a solid spot, but imagine if you were at the bottom of the first round and got Ryan Howard, then took Prince Fielder at the start of Round 2…that team would be scarrrrry! I don’t know what I’m going to do this year? I took Jose Reyes at No. 4 overall to play SS for me. I’ve never won a league without Derek Jeter playing there. I already miss my team captain. God I sound like a Yankees fan…”

4 months later…If you had both Howard and Fielder, you’d be batting roughly .250 with 50 HR, 110R, 150 RBI’s.  The batting average is terrible, but you would sacrifice it for the other three numbers.  It would be 1/3 of the homers that our current HR leader (me) has for less than 1/4 of your team.  That is pretty scary.  As for taking Reyes with the 4th overall pick, it was perfect: he’s the fourth ranked batter according to ESPN fantasy rankings, and has led my team in runs and steals, all while compiling a .300 average and 12 HR’s.  Glad I didn’t take a stab at DJ.  The .285 average and 59 R’s just isn’t up to his normal standards at this point.  Plus, he only has six homers and five steals.

Oh.  To make this interesting, did I mention I was going to break down what Justin said as well?  Whoops – musta forgot to mention that.  Hell, he doesn’t even know yet.  So shhhhhhhh!  Don’t tell him!

“Justin: I don’t know what’s going on this year with short stops going in round one so much. We had three short stops go: Ramirez, Reyes and Rollins. I opted to go with Matt Holliday. Here’s a guy who will help me in four categories. You can find steals later in the draft. I have to go with power guys early and you just don’t really get that with a short stop. I thought Ryan Braun going at 10 was a little early. I mean we’ve only seen him play about a year in the bigs and he’s already going in round one? Am I crazy or is that a little early?”

4 months later…Yes Justin, you were crazy.  Taking Ryan Braun at 10 was nuts.  He should’ve gone at five! .300 average, 27 HR’s 72 RBI’s, and oh-by-the-way, nine steals.  Those numbers have been augmented by his hot July, in which he’s hit four homers in the last five days.  Braun has been worth every dime.  As for Justin’s pick, Matt Holliday has been tough to argue with.  .344 average, 62 R’s, 17 HR’s, 60 RBI, and 14 SB’s.  And those numbers include a stint on the disabled list.  The current ESPN.com player rater has him ranked as the 6th best hitter so far.  Justin’s spot in the first round: sixth.

“Chad: I agree completely on the Braun point. Our sample size of him is miniscule. Yes, he had a fabulous season last year, but does that make him a first rounder? He’s not even the most productive fantasy player on his team! As for the shortstops, I can understand why people want those guys early. They are “5 tool” players when it comes to fantasy baseball. And it seems like every year the guy I’m always finding myself trying to trade for is Jose Reyes. He’s got something to prove this year, and that’s why I grabbed him. Answering the question on whether or not you’re crazy…the answer is a resounding yes, and so is Hanley Ramirez going in round 1.”

4 months later…So, we were both wrong about Braun AND I was wrong on Hanley Ramirez.  He’s been phenomenal as well.  I’ll make this statement now – I promise to never judge a player on his defense ever again.  Are we clear on this?

“Justin: Oh no you didn’t! People have really hopped on the Hanley train this year even though the Marlins lost Miguel Cabrera, but I still think he warrants a first round pick. He will get you 25 home runs, 50 steals, 125 runs and around 80 RBIs, not to mention that .320 batting average. Do I think he warrants the second overall pick in the draft, no, but I think he’s a first round talent.”

4 months later…I take that back.  Both of us were wrong about Hanley…

“Chad: I’ll admit, I think I made a mistake with (Brandon) Phillips (in Round 3). Overvalued because of his standout year in 2007, and he could potentially come back down to earth a la Derrek Lee a couple years ago. You know my opinion on pitchers in the first five rounds. It’s just a bad idea, especially in a head-to-head league. Any kind of pitching injury takes exponentially longer to heal than a position player, and you can’t afford to have guys in your Top-5 go down for that long…”

4 months later…Well, I’m always right about pitchers – you just can’t trust the bastards.  Phillips in Round 3?  Turns out I’m not as stupid as I thought I was at the time.  Well, I probably am, but not in fantasy baseball lore.  That’s another story though…

“Justin: I think it’s because we play in a league where the owners know better than to reach on a starting pitcher. In round four another thing happened that I know aggravates you, two catchers, Russell Martin and Victor Martinez came of the board. I didn’t fall into that trap though – I took Aramis Ramirez, who should be back to his 30 HR hitting ways, while you took Manny Ramirez, who also should come back strong after a relatively disappointing year.”

4 months later…Right and right.  The two catchers going in Round 4 was foolish.  Martinez has been hurt most of the season, and Martin wasn’t worthy of a fourth round pick – considering the catcher I took 11 rounds later is beating him in two of the five offensive categories.  Yes, there is position scarcity for catchers – no doubt about it.  But the difference between guys one and ten isn’t worth taking the guy in the Top 5 rounds.

“Chad: Manny in a contract year had me licking my lips when my pick came up. And really, it’s a pseudo contract year because it’s a team option. Nonetheless, if he wants his money, he needs to hit 35 homers again. I’ve had Ramirez in a league each of the last two years, but he’s just gotten too streaky for my liking. Plus, his power numbers are down for some reason. I guess I watch him too much, and pick on him a lot. One catcher coming off the board is ludicrous, and two is even more mind-boggling. I’m glad people do it, because it keeps them from stealing guys I want…”

4 months later…So much for the “psuedo” contract year – it’s a full-blown one because of what has transpired in the last week.  The Red Sox are even trying to trade Manny before the deadline.  It would completely derail their hope of winning though, so I doubt it would happen.  Their return on investment would be 30 cents on the dollar at best.  Can you tell I hate taking catchers early?

“Chad: I think Huston Street going in round 8 was a reach. He’s a huge injury concern, and won’t get a lot of save opportunities because of the team the A’s are fielding this year. I don’t even know if they could win the Pacific Coast League title (that’s Triple-A for those of you that aren’t…in-the-know). Francisco Liriano and John Lackey both went in round 10, and those two picks could go either way. Liriano is coming off TJ surgery, but hasn’t thrown with the electricity he did two years ago, and Lackey having arm problems is no bueno for the Angels. But if they can both get back to their old forms, those could be two steals talent wise…you just won’t get the full-year value out of them. Anything stand out to you?”

4 months later…Yea, me being right only about 50% of the time so far is standing out to me.  Street ended up being a bad choice in the 8th, yet the A’s were right on the heels of the Angels up until they traded Rich Harden before the All-Star break.  Since coming off the injury, Lackey has been pretty awesome, with an 8-2 record and a 3.02 ERA, and that includes his current streak of 22IP, 20ER he’s got going while pitching through a “dead arm.”  As for Liriano, he’s been lighting it up as well…in Triple-A.  The Twins are clearly holding him back to keep him from becoming a free agent another year down the road – which could come back to bite them if they fall out of the race.

“Justin: We saw a lot of the quality closers come off the board in these rounds. There are a lot of experts who preach to not pay for saves, but why not? Closers get you more than saves, they also help to get your ERA and Whip down and will get you Ks as well. I opted to draft four closers in our league, Saito, Cordero (Francisco and Chad) and Hoffman. What’s your stance on closers?”

4 months later…My stance on closers is if you’re going to pick them, make sure you get good ones.  Saito is hurt, Chad Cordero is hurt, Hoffman has sucked, and Francisco Cordero has been mediocre.  I can’t say I did much better.  Mariano has been amazing, but J.J. Putz has been awful, and the departed Eric Gagne made me gag.

“Justin: Carlos Marmol going in the 16th surprised me. I think he’d be a good guy to grab at the end of the draft, but I don’t know what he gets you as long as he’s not the Cub’s closer. I love the Nick Swisher and Josh Hamilton picks because they will more than likely have great years for their respective teams, and I grabbed Jim Thome in the 12th because he was the last guy on the board who I thought had a chance to hit 40 home runs. I see you also took a chance on Pedro in the 11th, which I think could be a make or break guy for your team, do you agree?”

4 months later…I’m not even gonna touch the Marmol subject.  When Swisher got taken, I called Luke and might have threatened to slash his tires for taking the guy I had circled on my draft board.  Thank God I didn’t take him – he wouldn’t have been worth it.  Hamilton, on the other hand: well, you know the story.  He’s been downright off-the-hook!!  We won’t talk about Pedro either, I don’t wanna talk about it!

“Justin: The two picks I love would be are Joba Chamberlain in the 19th and Pat Burrell in the last round. Having Joba on your team could really help you down the stretch when he becomes a starter. The guy has some of the most dominating stuff I’ve ever seen and definitely worth a late pick, if for nothing else than stashing away for half of the year. Pat Burrell is a guy who can get you 30 HRs and 100 RBI, now that’s value! As far as the worst two picks of the last six rounds I’m going to have to go with Johnny Damon and Homer Bailey. Both have been dumped already for better players. I drafted Damon, but decided it would be wiser to roll the dice on a guy like Rich Harden. Here’s a guy who has the tools to be a top twenty pitcher if he stays healthy. It’s a big if, but he was a waiver wire pick-up, so I don’t mind the risk. How about you?”

4 months later…Correct on the first two counts J.  Chamberlain and Burrell were well worth the wait considering what they’ve done.  Also right on about the the two bad selections.  Homer Bailey’s ERA is somewhere near Mars, and Damon is hurt every third day.  Harden was worth the risk, and if the Cubs would get him some freakin run support, he would be a Top 60 pick.

“Chad: …Yunel Escobar could be a 20th round steal if he plays as well for the Braves as he did in limited time last year…. The other great pick is Rick Ankiel. If he plays every day, he could easily hit 35 homers. He hit 43 in 2007 in Triple-A and the majors combined. Will his plate discipline get him a starting role though? Still, great value. The one pick I didn’t like was Evan Longoria. He’s going to be a GREAT fantasy player, but he’s going to start the year in Triple-A because of monetary reasons. You have to be playing in the majors to have fantasy value, and we don’t carry minor league spots on our rosters. I do like my Johnny Cueto pick in 20th round. He’s being compared to Pedro at his age because of his 5′10” frame and electric stuff. He could be a potential ace if they make the commitment to him on the major league level.”

4 months later…Escobar wasn’t a steal – he’s been just what a 20th round player should be: a roster filler.  Ankiel was an 18th round steal though.  .280 average and 22 homers for an outfielder is a darn good pick.  Boy was I wrong on Longoria.  He’s turned out to be a professional hitter that is skilled beyond his years.  Johnny Cueto was great in his first four or five starts, then pretty much crapped out after that.  Should have traded him when I had the chance.  I did, however, pick up Edinson Volquez in the first couple of weeks – so I played my cards pretty well.

“Chad: I think I have a Top-3 team. Outside of the two of us, the best draft award would go to Craig Heckman. His team is going to hit homers, score runs, and get loads of RBIs, and since he rotates his pitchers through every week (a strategy that I despise) he can afford to let Lackey sit on the pine until he’s healed. He’s got a good team. Nobody had a bad draft, except for the auto-picked teams, but I was a little surprised at Luke’s team. He’s a yearly front-runner, but I’m not a huge fan of his team. Curtis Granderson is a guy that went too high because of his non-fantasy numbers (20-20-20-20 season last year – but only two of those categories count towards fantasy). Nick Markakis is a solid pick, but will they even bother pitching to him with no one else in that lineup that’s going to hurt you? Bannister and Dempster are a bit confusing to me as well. Those are late-round picks with little upside to me. He’s crafty though, and his teams always perform better than they look on paper. Your thoughts?”

4 months later…Top 3 team: check.  Craig having a good team: check check (he’s in first place).  Luke struggling: check (although his team is coming around – currently in 7th.  Bannister sucking: check (5.70 ERA).  Dempster having no upside: cccccccccrap.  He’s been awesome, I screwed that one up hardcore.

“Justin: One of the big goals of this year’s team for me was becoming more well-rounded. I’ve always focused on power in the past, usually at the cost of speed… My favorite team would probably go to the newcomer Ryan Thomas who has a core of: David Wright, Vlad, Corey Hart, Roy Holladay, Sabathia, Jenks and K-Rod. He should be tough to beat this year. I think Ryan Fergueson, another of the newcomers is going to have a rough year, he is very weak at closer and the only hitters I really like on his team are A-Rod, Soriano and Martin. I think he may struggle this year.”

4 months later…After predicing well for most of this draft recap, Justin was wrong on both of these picks.  RT sits in 8th, and Ferguson is in 3rd place.

RECAP: I think the moral of the story is pretty obvious here.  Don’t, under any circumstances, listen to Justin or myself when it comes to predicting how our guys will do in fantasy baseball.  BUT, if someone has a gun to your head, call me before him!

Fantasy Football: Who To Pick At Six

My Mancrush X2

 

LT and AP.

For the millions of men and women who play fantasy football these initials inspire joy and hope in us all.  For those you of lucky enough to draft one of these two, you better get some sports tickets now to see them this year, because they are truly freaks of nature.  Unfortunately most of us won’t have the opportunity to draft LaDainian Tomlinson or Adrian Peterson because they will undoubtably go 1-2 in almost every draft this year.   Still if you have the third through fifth pick in the draft you still don’t have much to worry about. There are still guys like Brian Westbrook, Joseph Addai and Stephen Jackson on the board.

Brian Westbrook has proved to be the best all-around running back in the NFL. He was once considered an injury liability but over the last two years he has played in 15 games and last year he gained over 2,000 total yards and scored 12 touch downs, that’s what I call production.

Then there is Joseph Addai, the Indianapolis Colts (um) workhorse, who did not fall victim to the sophomore slump last year. Addai racked up 15 TD’s last year and rushed for over 1,000 yards. The Colts are always a lock to be a high scoring offense, which will give Addai ample opportunities to march into the promised land.

I remember last year when Steven Jackson got hurt, mostly because everyone who had him in fantasy wouldn’t let me forget it. Despite the time Jackson missed because of his torn groin (ouch), Jackson was still able to rush for over 1,000 yards. He also caught 38 passes for 271 yards, which isn’t bad considering he only played in 12 games. If Jackson can stay healthy look for him to put up numbers much in the same vein as Brian Westbrook.

So there you have it: LT,AP, Westbrook, Addai, and Jackson; this will be what most fantasy draft boards will look like this year after the first five picks. If you are lucky enough to have one of these picks you are probably set, but if you have the sixth pick you are probably scratching your head and are wondering what you should do.  

Just Say No?

This is the conundrum that people like my dad face. In other words, I’ve been asked a lot about what the best move is in this situation. AJ Mass wrote an articleabout this recently at the WWL and pointed out that this may be the year where people should abandon the tried and true “RB/RB” strategy and take Tom Brady with the pick. His argument is pretty sound, Tom Brady did have the most points in all of fantasy last year (and it wasn’t even close), and it would be crazy to take a guy like Randy Moss that early. But for some reason I can’t accept taking a QB in the first round. It’s just not me. So lets dig a little deeper and see what we can find in these murky waters.

Just to be fair I’ll admit that I’m that guy who has taken running backs back to back in the first couple of rounds every year since I started playing fantasy football ten years ago. Oh there was that one year where I deviated from my plan and drafted Randy Moss in the second round, even though he was playing for a terrible Raiders team. Let’s just say that I got what I deserved that year, Moss had a terrible season and I learned my lesson. There’s a reason why you take two running backs in the first two rounds. There is a limited supply of top-tier running backs in the NFL, and unless you are playing in some kind of homemade league, you are going to need at least two of them.

In the league I play in we are allowed to have a third RB via the RB/WR slot. So I try to get three quality running backs in the first five rounds, something that is almost impossible to do if I pick a quarterback in the first round. This makes drafting Tom Brady in the first round almost impossible. There is a strong argument for grabbing Brady in the first round, but think twice before you do snatch him with the six spot. Yes, Brady did beat all other fantasy players last year with a staggering 378 points, but remember he had to throw 50 touchdowns to get there. When Peyton Manning broke the previous TD record with 49 in 2004, people went nuts and spent a top five pick on him in fantasy. When Manning followed his record breaking year up by throwing 28 touchdowns people screamed foul. Well sometimes you get what you deserve.

Manning threw less touchdown passes in 2005 because of injuries to his receivers, opposing defenses keying on the pass game, and the Colts figuring out that they didn’t have to keep piling on at the end of the season when the Colts had already captured a playoff spot. I think we’ll see Tom Brady come back to Earth in much the same way. Yes, Brady still has Moss to throw to, which makes anything possible, but if the Patriots are smart they have learned the importance of having a balanced offense and resting their players at the end of the season. This means you’re not going to get the same kind of production out of Brady that you saw from him last year. He’ll still be one of the best quarterbacks in fantasy football, but I don’t think he’ll be worth a top six pick.

Now that we’ve subtracted Brady from the equation let’s look at what we have left to work with. In a perfect world someone will want to take Brady with a top five pick, in which case you absolutely snag either Jackson or Westbrook, one of which will probably be there for you. If not you are looking at the likes of Frank Gore, Clinton Portis, Marshawn Lynch, or Marion Barber. It’s not a very pretty list I know, but let’s go through it and see if we can find any keepers.

Suspect Number 1

We’ll start with Frank Gore because I’m a big 49ers fan and I also happened to pick Gore fourth overall last year. Gore struggled a bit last year due to a failed passing attack and a weak defense, two things that will kill any team’s running game. Well the 49ers have a new offensive coordinator, the enigmatic Mike Martz, who is sure to capitalize on one of Gore’s most underrated abilities, that being catching the ball out of the backfield. Last year Gore caught 53 passes for 436 yards and a touchdown. With Martz calling the plays, expect those numbers to go up, way up. If Gore can keep up his numbers on the ground (Gore still rushed for 1,100 yards last year) and catch a few more passes, you could be looking at a guy as versatile as Westbrook or Jackson. On the other hand, he still has Alex Smith taking the snaps, so you definitely have to balance out potential with the talent surrounding him.

Suspect Number 2

Next up on the list we have Clinton Portis who ran for 1,262 yards last year, caught 47 passes for 369 yards, and scored 11 TD’s in 2007. Those are solid numbers for a back who was supposed to be an injury risk and was dealing with a wounded offensive line. Much like Gore, Portis is playing for a new offensive coordinator (Jim Zorn) who likes to get the ball to his RB via the pass. So you can expect Portis to improve on those 47 catches and perhaps get in the end zone a couple more times.

Suspect Number 3

Although Adrian Peterson got the most press out of all of the rookies last year (and for good reason), let’s not forget about Marshawn Lynch. In his rookie season Lynch was able to rush for over 1,100 yards in just 13 games, and that was despite the fact that Buffalo was going through some serious QB issues. Now that Trent Edwards seems to have secured the starting QB job with the Bills, expect Lynch to be freed up a bit and improve upon his already impressive numbers. Lynch only caught 18 passes last year, which should be a red flag for owners who are looking for their running backs to catch passes, but most running backs improve as a receiver as the years go on. Expect his reception numbers to go up and for him to have a strong sophomore season.

Suspect Number 4

Finally we have Marion Barber, who for the last couple of years has been a wonder for any owner who needed a running back who could get into the endzone for them (Which hopefully is everyone). Dallas let Julius Jones go in the post season, only to draft Felix Jones, and kill fantasy owners dreams of having Barber the only back in town, but it’s still safe to say that MB 3 will get more carries this year and that can only be a good thing as last year Barber had a 4.7 average and 12 TD’s. If I had to say that there is sleeper in the top ten it would definitely be Barber.

So right now you are probably asking, “Justin, I don’t like any of these guys. Why shouldn’t I just take Brady and take my chances in the later rounds?”

That’s a fair question voice in my head, let’s look at some numbers. I’ll be using the projections used by ESPN’s Fantasy magazine if you want to follow along. Let’s throw out a couple of players names and recreate what could possibly happen in the first three rounds. In one column we’ll create a scenario in which Tom Brady is taken with the sixth pick, and then we’ll recreate the scenario where we go with the tried and true RB/RB strategy.

Team Brady                                                                 RB/RB                                                                 

Pick 6 = Tom Brady = 311 pts                                  Pick 6 = Frank Gore = 225 pts

Pick 14 = Ryan Grant = 184 pts                               Pick 14 = Ryan Grant = 184 pts

Pick 26= Brandon Jacobs = 157 pts                          Pick 26 = Drew Brees = 264 pts

Total = 652                                                             Total = 673

The numbers are pretty close, but you can see how having two strong running backs can make the difference between winning a championship and ending the year in second place. Also keep in mind that during weeks 15,16 and 17, it is entirely possible that Brady will be taking limited snaps. This is the same dilemma that a lot of Manning owners have had to deal with for the last couple of years.

I hope I’ve made my point clear. As much as you may be tempted to grab Brady with the sixth pick, it may be better to stick to your guns. In an NFL where more and more teams are going to RBBC and chose to pass more, it makes getting the elite running backs early even more important. It’s much easier to get a guy like Drew Brees or Ben Roethlisberger in the third or fourth rounds than it is to find a running back that can put up great numbers in later same rounds.

If I was put on the spot I’d probably pick Gore with the sixth pick. I know it seems like Gore is not a very flashy pick, but he has proven that he can put up big time numbers in the past, and with more passes coming his way, he could have a great year. But then who knows, Brady could have a monster season and prove me completely wrong. That’s what makes fantasy sports so unpredictable, which what makes the “RB/RB” so sound. It minimizes your risks early and allows you to take some risks later on in the draft. That’s where taking a chance can pay off, later in the draft, not in the first round.

I hoped this helped those stuck with this tough pick, and I look forward to talking more about fantasy football in the coming weeks.

The Powers of Jobu – Reality or Myth?

Our company softball team was in a real funk.

We roared out of the gates with a 4-2 record and sat in a tie for third place.  Our team is comprised of co-workers, spouses, and friends – most of them being former athletes at one level or another.  And despite the fact that only a few of us had prior baseball/softball experience on a high school or higher level, we fought off our opponents with a slew of hits, solid defensive plays, and playing hard.

Since that better-than-expected start, we hit a wall that looks higher by the week.  In the last five games prior to Monday, we were 0-5, losing two games by three runs or less (one on a walk-off solo bomb), two by high double-digits, and a fifth due to forfeit because we were short a couple of players by the time the game started (turns out, we would’ve drilled the team we forfeited too).

To respond to the wave of losing – I decided to call on someone, errrr…something, that I’ve seen work magic before.  Actually, it’s not magic – it’s voodoo.

If you’re familiar with the movie Major League, then you probably know where I’m going with this.  If you haven’t seen the movie, you best put it in your NetFlix queue, post-haste, and report back to this column once your finished.

Cerrano needed help - and so did we...

Jobu will come - take fear from bats!

For those of you that have seen the movie – I’ll continue.  I pulled a Pedro Cerrano, and called on Jobu to help our team.  To my surprise, you can’t buy a Jobu voodoo doll anywhere on the internet (who knew?) – so I settled for printing out a picture of him that I found online.  To keep him propped up, I displaced one of my Students of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association plaques, and placed the printed out picture on the plaque holder in our office (can you tell I want to win?).  I then followed Cerrano’s lead, and presented an offering to Jobu – consisting of rum and a cigar.  You ask anyone in our office, and they’d tell you I was convinced we would be victorious by asking for Jobu’s help.  He takes fear from bats!  We will take no prisoners!!

……

……

The opposing pitcher with one hand, like Cy Young winner Jim Abbott here, made few mistakes.

We got destroyed, 16-2. It was so bad, the slaughter rule came into effect after the fifth inning.  Not only that, but we lost to Jim Abbott’s clone – no joke.  I didn’t even realize the man only had one hand until the fourth inning when he made a slick fielding play on a comebacker, in which he fielded the ball and threw out our hitter with the same hand – switching his glove seemlessly to the opposite hand mid-play to record the out.  Not only that, the guy was 3-3 with a double and two singles.  He single-handedly took us apart.  Oh jeez…uhhhhhh…was that joke inappropriate?  I’ll be honest, I didn’t think about the pun until after I typed it.  Oh well, my cursor only retreats if there is a typo…

(Seriously, though – someone that can play like that with a “handicap” of sorts is inspiring to say the least.)

Our team fell to 4-8, and out of playoff contention, and I felt nothing but rage toward Jobu.  He was supposed to help our team!  OK, so I did hit a homer, but I’ve had four of those on the season, and I was hitless in the game otherwise, so he didn’t go out of his way to help me in particular, and he sure didn’t assist our team’s luck!  So that got me to thinking – what the hell went wrong??

Asking Too Much?: Cerrano asked Jobu to come because, “Bats, they are sick. I cannot hit curveball. Straight-ball I hit it very much. Curveball, bats are afraid.”  I wasn’t asking for help with curveballs, I needed wins.  I would’ve given up all of my homers for another win or two.  Jobu must not have understood.

The one time where I was completely opposed to Illinois' public smoking ban.

Cigar Choice: I would imagine on Cerrano’s contract with the Indians, he could afford to smuggle and buy a Cuban cigar.  I on the other hand, was stuck with the grape flavored, White Owl cigar I bought at the 7/11 down the street from our office.  C’mon now – don’t give me that look!!  At least I didn’t present Jobu with a Swisher Sweet!  Another problem was that Cerrano was able to light the cigar for Jobu.  During the time that film was made, about 4% of American’s cared about the harm of smoking, and they sure didn’t have any laws pertaining to smoking in a public building.  I was hamstrung – I couldn’t light the dang thing!  And I sure as hell wasn’t about to go outside in the morning rain, sit 50 feet away from the door next to picture of a voodoo doll with a lit cigar.  But if that’s what it takes, I may consider it…

Should've splurged more on the rum...

Rum Choice: I’m not sure what brand Cerrano used, but I thought the 1/4 bottle of imported Baroca would do the trick.  That was, until I read the bottle a little closer the following day and noticed the word “Diluted” on there, and the “21% proof”, and found it was imported from the Virgin Islands.  I mean, honestly, that does NOT qualify as a freaking import; they use American money!!!

I admit, I could have put forth more effort, and stepped up the offerings to Jobu a little bit, but I’m not asking to win a professional baseball game – just a slow pitch softball game.  So I assumed the offerings could be “dumbed down” a bit.  Boy was I wrong!

Then, the idea struck me like the rogue maple that smacked Eddie Harris.  Did Jobu even help Cerrano??  Think about it.  Down a couple runs late in the game, Cerrano swings and misses at a couple of dueces, steps out of the box and says, “I pissed off now, Jobu.  Look, I good to you.  I stick up for you.  If you no help me now…I say (expletive) you Jobu, I do it myself!”  Then he turns around a jacks the game-tying homer.  But did Jobu help him, or did Cerrano do it himself??  Or…oh no…no, no, no, no, no.  Hold the phones here.  Did Cerrano hit the homer because of that stupid bucket of KFC that Jake Taylor gave him before the game, in place of the live chicken Cerrano wanted to sacrifice so he could have extra power?  Awwww man!  I went about this all wrong!  Team Scoutware – looks like we’re hittin up Kentucky Fried Chicken before the next game!

The key isn't with Jobu, or with Captain Morgan...it's with the Colonel baby!

The Meh Season

That’s right folks, we are officially in the Meh Season. The time of year between the MLB All-Star Game and the start of the NFL season, where the sports world goes into a deep slumber. Sure we still have baseball to watch, but post-All Star Break baseball doesn’t get interesting until September. So until then we don’t have a lot to look forward to, did anyone watch the British Open? How exciting was it to see Greg Norman make a charge for his third major at the tender age of 53?

Sorry Greg, but you are no Tiger Woods. Nice hat though.

(…)

Oh sorry, I just fell asleep thinking about a major that doesn’t involve Tiger Woods. I’m sorry, but I just can’t get excited about a sport where a 53 year old can compete with guys in there 20’s, perhaps that will change as I get older, but no matter how much the WWL tells me how great that tournament was, I just couldn’t watch it for more than five minutes without becoming catatonic. I need Tiger Woods to be there for me to be even remotely interested in a golf tournament. Please get well soon Tiger, this new PGA Tour where senior citizens prosper is going to kill me.

The Meh Season is a time where we have to sit through Justin Timberlake do the ESPY’s. Given, I really have nothing against Justin Timberlake as a person, but I think the ESPY’s would have been much more interesting if they would have made Britney Spears the host. At least then we could have watched a drugged up sociopath try to read off a Teleprompter. Perhaps I just have a some problems with the ESPY’s as a whole. I mean professional athletes don’t need an award show, they already get rewarded on a daily basis. We have a player of the: week, month, half-season, season, post-season, championship game and all All-Star game; why do we need to reward these people any more? Professional athletes tend to be some of the least interesting people in the world. They play kid’s games for a living and make ungodly amounts of bank. Can we please stop giving these people awards already?

The Meh Season is also a time where the sports media fixates on a single story and beats that horse to its slow, agonizing death. If I have to see/hear/read another story about Brett Favre’s ongoing soap opera with the Packers I’m going to… (insert self-deprecating act here). Honestly, when we start getting News Flashes about text messages, it’s time to start rethinking your news strategy.

Here’s my take on the whole Favre situation: I think Favre should show up to training camp and force the Packer’s hand. This way they will either have to release, trade or start Farve, because there is no way that he is going to be a sub. The first time Aaron Rogers has a bad game the proverbial shit is going to hit the proverbial fan. Was it shitty for Favre to put the Packers in this situation? Sure. But keep in mind that the Packers have put Favre in plenty of shitty situations. Karma can be quite a bitch sometimes.

So that’s the last you’ll here about this Favre thing on this site until some truly newsworthy hits the wire. Moving on…

This year is a special year for the Meh Season as we are going to be hit over the head with Olympics’ Coverage that we neither need or want in our lives. For me the Olympics have only two interesting plot points: the first being USA Basketball and the second being drug allegations. This year I don’t think the basketball story will be all that interesting. Either Team USA actually tries, and in turn decimates the competition, or they remember that they are not being paid and lose in the second round to (insert random European Country here). But no matter the outcome I’ll be watching because I enjoy basketball, and this is the only time of the year where I’ll get to see Kobe and King James on the same team (unfortunately).

Then there is the inevitable flood of stories about Olympic athletes who were doping in order to reach their peak performance for the Olympic games. Most of these allegations will center around track and field athletes, which funny because no one really cares about these sports anyways, and we’ll be forced to hear about these allegations over and over again on Outside the Lines for the next year… so enjoy that everyone.

This is what the average sports fan looks like during the Meh Season

 Now it may seem like I am really hating on this time of year, but really the Meh Season works both ways. It’s a time of year where the sports fan doesn’t have a lot to do sportswise and is forced to leave his cave in search of (gasp) social interactions. There’s nothing quite like heading to a wedding/party/baseball game/beer garden for a day of drinking and socializing with your friends. And what do guys talk about when they are forced to socialize with each other? Almost 50% of the time they talk about how boring the Meh Season truly is, and the other 50% of the time they are either talking about your girlfriend/wife, their boring jobs, or the start of the NFL season. Note that only one of these latter subjects really ever interests anyone, so you might want to keep your wife/girlfriend in the house during the Meh Season.

Hollywood does it’s part to make the Meh Season seem as short as possible. I just went to see The Dark Knight the other day and it was fantastic. Now I’m waiting for Pineapple Express to come out because Seth Rogen is one funny dude. Come to think of it, about 90% of the movies that I’ve ever seen in theaters have been during the Meh Season. Well played Hollywood, well played.

I always tend to get most of my reading done for the year during the Meh season. Right now I’m trying to plow through The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. I’ve read Blink, which is a fantastic book that Gladwell also happened to write, and when Chad told me that his work was making him read The Tipping Point, I decided to give it a try as well.. I’m also re-reading a couple of my favorite books: Wrigleyworld by Kevin Kaduk and Committed by Mark St. Amant. The first book is about a sports writer who quits his job at a newspaper to attend every Cubs home game for a season. And you can imagine the shenanigans that ensue. Committed is a book about a guy who quits his marketing job to bone-up on his fantasy football skills in order to dominate his league. Can you guess why I enjoy these books so much? Actually, they are both very well written and extremely entertaining books that I’d recommend to anyone who loves the culture that surrounds sports.

Tomorrow I’m heading to Six Flags with my family for a day of riding roller coasters, discussing Brett Favre craziness (my dad’s a huge Packer fan/Farve supporter), and bitching about the heat. Once a year we like to get together as a family and do something that is meant to bring us closer together, yet always seems to make us hate each other. Only during the Meh Season could such things happen. One of the great things about sports is that it acts as a much needed barrier between family members. After all, who wants to be around their family for more than a couple of hours anyway?

Perhaps the best thing about the Meh Season is that it is really only a month long. In less than a month we will all be up to our necks in NFL Football, and even though I may enjoy the NBA more than the NFL, there is nothing like spending a Sunday sitting on a couch watching the games with a good assortment of friends, beer and pizza. As I’m writing this I am perusing through a fantasy football magazine and trying to make sense out of a game that inherently makes no sense. Although I find fantasy football to be a game that requires little to no research, I enjoy reading the magazines and listening to related podcasts because it gives me hope that we will soon be out of this funk. Hope that we will have freedom, and the Meh Season will be but a bad memory in a perfect sports world.

I think Andy said it best in his letter to Red…

Dear Red, If you’re reading this, you’ve gotten out. And if you’ve come this far, maybe you’re willing to come a little further. You remember the name of the town, don’t you? I could use a good man to help me get my project on wheels. I’ll keep an eye out for you and the chessboard ready. Remember, Red. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies. I will be hoping that this letter finds you, and finds you well. Your friend, Andy.

 

 

 

Andy Dufresne – From: The Shawshank Redemption

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Brett Favre Saga

Not only did we get a Major League Baseball All-Star game that was a boderline debacle, but now without two days of baseball – and zero major professional sports to occupy by free time, the sports networks are all jamming one of two stories down our throats: Roger Clemens is as guilty as O.J., and Brett Favre is begging to return.  I don’t see either of these stories ending peacefully – but since I’m wayyyy passed the Clemens story, let’s look at the Favre situation.

I believe somewhere in The Bible As Written By Ditka – also known as the Chicago Police Department handbook that I, as a Bears fan, must loathe Brett Favre.  I held that perspective for the first 20 years of my life, until one day, I figured out why I always caught myself sneaking a peak at Packer games at every opportunity.  It’s not because I hated Brett Favre and was rooting for the Packers to lose – it’s because deep down, I was jealous of what Packer fans had (as I wrote in a column here during college).

Now – I’m beginning to question the motives of the person I was jealous of.  Less than a year after I rooted for Favre when the Bears were out of contention, I can’t figure out why he’s using his standing as ‘The Man That Is Bigger Than The Franchise’ to hold his employer hostage.  I just don’t get it.  To understand the full story, you have to understand all of perspectives.  I count five of those – let’s take a look.

Favre’s Side:
He claims he retired too early.  As a Bears fan, I wished he was the host of the post prom party where Mark Chmura got a little too touchy feely with the 17-year-old babysitter of his children.  Hell, I considered driving up to Green Bay on numerous occasions, find Brett at the local pub, buy him eight shots and then challenge him to a fight hoping he’d take a swing with his right hand, and break it while shattering my skull (albeit I was 14 at the time, couldn’t legally drive, and would’ve need one helluva ID to get passed the bouncer – or just tell him that Brett was my dad).

The timeline of the events taking place in the last few months is downright laughable.  He tearfully retired in March, called and wanted back in before the draft, was going to be welcomed back, only to turn around and say to his bosses that he was going to stay retired.

Now it’s July and Favre has the “itch” once again, and if his needs can’t be satisfied in Green Bay, he wants to find a backscratcher somewhere else.  16 years of knowing only one team, one town, one life, and he would actually consider strapping on shoulderpads in another stadium eight times a year.  Oh, but he doesn’t want to file for reinstatement just yet – what the hell??

Best case scenario: Doc Brown takes him back to the first of March and he cancels his plane tickets to Green Bay.  And the tape of the interview with Greta Van Sustere that he takes along with him changes into a one-on-one interview with his doctor prescribing him ointment for this nagging “itch” that he has.

The Packers Organization:
They were disappointed when Favre retired – but you never heard them say, “Holy crap, what do we do without him.”  They mourned and cried right along with Favre, but were in the war room at 5:30AM the next morning figuring out what to do A.B. (after Brett).  They laid out the plan, and went about scouting the quarterbacks in the upcoming draft, when a few weeks before the two-day event in April – Favre called asking to come back.  They dropped the notebooks full of information their college scouts had compiled over the previous couple of weeks, booked the private jet flight (I think that only involves calling the pilot – but I’m not up on my private jet protocol…yet) and were ready to welcome the man from Mississippi back into the family business.  But once again, Favre changed his mind like John Kerry over a hot ticket voting item, and told the Packers he wasn’t commited.

Plan B: The Packers moved on in life without Favre, and proceeded to use their second round pick to draft Brian Brohm out of the University of Louisville to make sure they had a couple different options in a year where they had a Super Bowl contender.  Then a few weeks ago, Favre wants back in the fray.  The Packers used a No. 1 pick a few years ago on Aaron Rodgers (yikes – I’m 767 words deep, and that’s the first time I brought up his name), and now a second round pick on Brohm, they don’t want those two investments to rust any longer.  Favre has treated the franchise like punching bag and now wants to put the proverbial gun to their head: start me, or release me.

Favre must’ve forgotten that he’s a GOD to the people in Wisconsin.  There is no way Ted Thompson and the Packers organization could let Favre play in another uniform.  Let’s be honest, any color other than yellow and green would clash with his grey hair.  They won’t trade him either – so don’t even think about it.  They’re left with one option if he fills out the paperwork: find a roster spot for him.  Can you really expect Aaron Rodgers to succeed if Brett Favre is standing on the sidelines with headsets on, one snap away?

Best Case Scenario: The reinstatement papers get lost in the mail, or if he decides to crash training camp, they stick the entire offensive line in one room with him – after two-a-days.

Packer Fans:
I saw pictures of Wisconsin the day after Favre “called it a career.”  Adults wept, school was meaningless for the children, and the cows refused to give milk.  But ya know what they did on Friday night?  They had a beer, talked about the good ol’ days, had another 18 beers, and stumbled home drunk.  Then they sat home and replayed the retirement speech in their underwear, hungover – weeping and hitting rewind over and over again.

Despite what some polls say, they’d welcome back Favre quicker than he can pull the trigger on a slant route.  They staged a rally in his defense, and have vowed to continue until he is reinstated by the team.  Oh this is going to end well.  Not only will Favre hold the team hostage, but the people of Wisconsin will march until he returns – driving the price up of a gallon of milk.  Only one word to describe that: SELFISH.

Best Case Scenario: Favre sticks to his guns – and hunts game in Mississippi!

Aaron Rodgers:

The only thing he could’ve done to help his own cause would’ve been to jump in front of Charles Barkley’s golf swing during the celebrity tournament this past weekend.  God knows he would have enough time – have you seen Sir Charles’ golf swing lately?  The hitch in his giddyup makes a hacker like me cringe at the sight of it.  I don’t regret taking him No. 2 overall though – because according to Rick Reilly, Charles deals out shots of Patrone like they’re Apple Pie shots.

Oh – Aaron Rodgers…my bad.  His focus should be on two things: keeping his mouth shut, and hitting receivers in stride.  And don’t worry Aaron, if Brett ends up on the sidelines with the headset on – you wont be yanked unless your completion percentage drops below, say, 93.

Best Case Scenario: Doubles as the mail carrier to Brett’s house in Kiln, and burns the incoming and outgoing mail everyday – all while delivering forty mocked-up letters from Warren Sapp and Michael Strahan saying how cool it would be to be elected into the Hall of Fame together.

Bears Fans:
As long as the guy QB’ing the Packers remembers to throw to us half as many times as Grossman throws it to them, we’ll be satisfied.  Nuff said.

Best Case Scenario: The Madden Curse comes true again this year.

Results of the Draft…

Our “Create Your Own Sports Network” fantasy draft is a post that will be difficult for Justin and I to top.  We had a great time thinking of the topic, doing the draft, and then writing about the results – but an encore as unique as something like that is really impossible to do.

First – in case you hadn’t heard – the draft ended up being linked on SI.com – via their incredibly popular and entertaining section called “Hot Clicks.”  As a result of the link on this page (the link that appears in the last sentence in the paragraph below the picture of Erin Andrews) we received a mind-boggling amount of viewers today.  Let’s take a look at the stats:

Total number of views in the first 6 months of the site: 5,652
Number of views TODAY ALONE: 14,220!
(today = from 6pm on 7/14 to 6pm on 7/15)

Instead of wondering when we would break the 10,000 views mark – we don’t even have to worry about 20,000 anymore!

A big thanks goes out to Kristan Knight – avid reader and lifelong friend of Justin and myself.  She is the one that sent the link to SI.com – and it amazingly made the cut!  We’ve already gone over 1,000 again for today (6pm on 7/15 to 6pm on 7/16) as well!  THANKS A BUNCH, KRISTAN!

Subsequently, our draft ended up being linked on USATODAY.com – which picked up the link off of SI.com.  You can take a look at what the USATODAY guys said right here.

All-in-all, it was a day full of elation and downright giddiness for both J and me – and we can’t thank our loyal readers enough for their support over the last six months.  Hopefully, we can deliver subsequent posts of the same magnitude and reach, and really take this site to new heights.

—————————————-

As per a request from one of our “commentors” from the draft post – here is a list of what our current rosters look like:

It’s pretty obvious that RHHA won, isn’t it?

Create Your Own Sports Network Fantasy Draft

With the amount of sports that J and I watch, we aren’t always blessed with the cream-of-the-crop announcers – especially if your team is struggling at the time.  There is nothing worse than B-list announcers in a game you perceive as being important.  You want to keep the volume up to absorb the atmosphere.  The sounds of the game, the reactions of the fans, and the pristine breakdown of the action by a top-notch announcing crew.  Unfortunately, with the vast amount of networks covering all of the sporting events these days, we get guys like Bryant Gumbel calling games.  Frankly people, we’re sick of it.  We’re even sick of the unworthy guys sitting in the studio that have no business analyzing games (Eric Young, Stephen A. Smith, and Skip Bayless – we’re talking about you!).  So we decided to have a draft with every sports TV announcer and analyst available.  The goal: Nothing but A-list talent, baby!  Our teams consist of 24 ‘players’ a piece with a snake draft.  The rosters consist of a three person announcing crew for the NBA, NFL, and MLB, along with a two man announcing crew for the PGA TOUR.  Also, a three person in-studio host crew will be employed for both basketball and football, with a two man in-studio team for baseball.  And to make our network just that much more interesting, we each need a sideline reporter, college prospect/announcer (it’s a keeper league – gotta have some talent in the wings), a fantasy expert along with a tandem of guys working in the studio as our “Sportsnight” anchors.  So call the commissioner and moose Mel Kiper Jr’s hair, because we got work to do people.

To decide who gets the first overall pick – we flipped a quarter, with Justin calling tails and the quarter dropping on tails.  He gets the first pick in our “Create Your Own Sports Network Draft.”

We welcome NBA commissioner David Stern to the podium – since there is nobody better at butchering names on a national stage.

And here comes Stern to the podium to announce the first pick.  What Chad doesn’t know is that I had David Stern slip Chad a coin that was Tails on both sides.  This isn’t be the first time David Stern has fixed a draft, and it won’t be the last.   Anywho… here’s Stern with the choice in hand.

Look at all that talent.

David Stern: With the first pick of the “Create Your Own Sports Newtork” draft, RSAR (Red Shirt Aaron Rogers) selects Erin Andrews out of the ESPN Network.

Justin’s Analysis: My reasoning for taking Erin with the first pick was simple, as with all fantasy leagues, you want you’re number on pick to be a five tool player.   Much in the way that Hanley Ramirez, LeBron James and LT all dominate in their respective leagues because of their versatility, Erin Andrews is second-to-none when it comes to being personable, intelligent, and extremely HOT!  You throw in the fact that Andrews is capable of covering multiple sports, and it was really a no-brainer decision to take her with the first pick,   Admit it Chad, you wish you had Ms. Andrews on your sidelines.

Chad’s Analysis: I can’t deny it – I dreamed about getting the No. 1 overall pick and taking EA – and sleeping soundly knowing she’d guarantee me a 10 rating for every game she covered.  I’ve already initiated plan-B though.  I might’ve lost out on a 5-tool player that is already in her prime that will last 10-15 more years – but I didn’t come without a plan!  Commish – announce my pick!

David Stern: With the second overall pick in the “Create Your Own Sports Network” draft RHHA (Rich Harden’s Healthy Arm) selects Charles Barkley’s gambling debt out of the TNT network.

Chad’s analysis: Damnit Stern!  Read what’s on the card!  Admit it Justin, it doesn’t matter if it’s a Grizzlies/Hawks game, you’ll tune in to TNT’s coverage of it just to hear Charles get off topic, call people knuckleheads, and find out who’s in his 5 that night.  His gambling inproprieties worry me a bit, but you can’t deny his upside.

Justin’s Analysis: I’ll admit that Charles Barkley is a strong number two pick with a ton of upside (insert fat joke here), but the Round Mound of Rebound has been having a tough year.  I mean the press won’t even let him gable anymore, and since this is a heated election year, who knows what will happen the first time he makes a politically incorrect joke about McCain’s: age, health, race, etc.
David Stern: With the first pick in the second round, and third overall pick in the draft – RHHA selects Ron Jaworski from the ESPN network.

Mel Kiper: I’m simply amazed that a talent like Jaworski slipped to the second round.  He’s been flying up my Big Board ever since he began on Monday Night Football last year and hasn’t stopped rising since.  He’s the Peyton Manning of the booth.  He can see the field in a way that few people on the planet can, and he can communicate what he sees to a lamen of football.

Justin’s Analysis: I have to agree with Ch… er… Kiper on this one.  I was really hoping that I could grab Jaws in the second round, but alas I ended up going with…

David Stern: With the fourth overall pick – RSAR selects Buster Olney from the ESPN network.

Justin’s Analysis: Now Chad I know you were a little shocked with this pick, but no one has as much access as Buster Olney when it comes to getting baseball news, and with baseball being the most news-heavy sports, I had to get Olney before you did.

Chad’s Analysis: Buster is a great talent, but is he truly a second round pick?  In terms of value, I believe you could’ve gotten him in at least the 6th round.  But who am I to argue….you have the next pick…what’s it going to be?

David Stern: With the fifth overall pick – RSAR selects Marv Albert from the TNT network.

Could we see this Marv if he's teamed up with Erin? YES!!!

Justin’s Analysis: Marv Albert is (biting incidents asside) without a doubt my favorite announcer regardless of the sport.  No one captures the moment quite as well as Marv, and I was more than happy to have him anchor my NBA announcing team.

Chad’s Analysis: YESS!!!!  Marv is my favorite NBA announcer too.  But his age was a concern of mine.  That biting could turn into biting AND clawing, and then we’d have ourselves a real mess.  Might want to keep him away from EA – I’m just sayin’…

David Stern: With the sixth pick, RHHA selects (EJ) Ernie Johnson from the TNT network.  HELL YEA, GO NBA!

Mel Kiper: The NBA is on the rise again, and it looks like RHHA is trying to get a step ahead of the rest of the teams.  If it’s a great game, everyone’s going to be watching anyway – the key is to keep them watching when the game isn’t going on.  Ernie is not only insightful and can lead an in-studio crew with the best of them, but he can interpret whatever Charles says on the fly without a hitch.

Justin’s Analysis: To be honest I was a little surprised Ernie went so high in this draft.  He is great at setting up the Charles, but you could put Bryant Gumbel in the news room with Charles and it would be entertaining.

Kiper’s Big Board:
Chris Berman
Hubie Brown
Mike Tirico
Bob Costas
Kenny Mayne

David Stern: With the seventh pick, RHHA selects Jim Nantz from the CBS network.

Chad’s Analysis: With Tiger Woods in his prime for another ten years I have to have the perfect guy to take us through the final round, and to say only what is necessary after TW sinks the putt on 18.

Justin’s Analysis: I can’t believe you went with a golf guy in the lottery of this draft!  As much as I love Tiger, I wouldn’t have selected Jim Nantz in the first 20 rounds.

David Stern (who is starting to look a bit sleepy):  With the eighth pick – RSAR selects Rich Eisen from the NFL Network.

Justin’s Analysis: I’m a huge fan of Rich Eisen, and I’m sticking him as one of my anchors to my Sportscenter clone.  The thing I like most about Eisen is that he doesn’t feel the need to try to be funny while giving us the highlights.  There’s nothing worse than having to watch Stuart Scott doing his, black guy imitating a white guy, imitating a black guy, bit.  Not too mention that guy’s crazy glass eye.

David Stern: With the ninth pick – RSAR select Chris Collinsworth from the NFL Network.

Justin’s Analysis: That’s right I’m going back to back with the NFL network guys, and I’d probably take Chris over anybody except Jaws when it comes to color commentators in the NFL.  Collinsworth does a great job of explaining the X’s and O’s of the NFL and is a joy to listen to, even if he has been held back a bit by his former teamates.   Now that he is spearheading my NFL booth, he will truly have a chance to shine.

Chad’s Analysis: I believe ya.  I haven’t heard his stuff in the last two years because I loathed his partner to a point that I swore off the entire network.  I didn’t send any of my scouts to see him either because I didn’t want them exposed to that kind of bad…

David Stern (who is enraged that he has to stay through the first five rounds – unlike his one and done deal with the NBA draft): With the tenth pick in the draft, RHHA takes – Hubie Brown from the ESPN network.

Chad’s Analysis: Despite being the third ranked sport right now, I’ve got my NBA coverage on lock.  Hubie Brown is one of the few analysts that still watches game tape, and could step out on the court and be a Top-10 coach right now.

Justin’s Analysis: I still have Marv Albert…. haha.

Next five picks:
11. RHHA – Kenny Mayne – ESPN
12. RSAR – Jeff Van Gundy – ESPN
13. RSAR – Chip Caray – TBS
14. RHHA – Dan Schulman – ESPN
15. RHHA – Orel Hershiser – ESPN

Justin’s Analysis: To anyone who thinks that I was drinking when I took Chip Caray with the 13th overall pick, just like the killer says in the movie Seven, you haven’t seen the whole picture yet.  And speaking of people who could go from being an analyst to a top ten coach in the NBA (in my best Good Ole JR voice)  Wait… it can’t be… that’s… that’s Van Gundy’s music!  My Gawd!

Chad’s Anaylsis: Kenny was a steal at 11 for me, and I knocked out two of my three baseball announcers with back-to-back picks after that.  And the best part is – if we include poker later on, Hershiser can pull some double duty after his finish in the Heads Up Poker Championships a few months ago!

Next five picks:
16. RSAR – James Brown – CBS
17. RSAR – Mike Tirico – ESPN
18. RHHA – Greg Gumbel – CBS
19. RHHA – Mike Breen – ESPN
20. RSAR – Daryl Johnston – FOX

Chad’s Analysis: This was a painful section for me here.  I needed to get my play-by-play guys, and got two of the best in Breen and Greg Gumbel (how the hell is it possible that brothers rank as one of the best and worst PBP announcers in the world?  It’s like if MJ had a brother that also played in the NBA).  Breen screaming “BANG” whenever someone hits a three is a dang close second to “YES” from Marv.  Plus, I don’t have to worry about him getting his hands on Erin.  But Brown is a tough guy to see go, Tirico has versatility, and Johnston would’ve been the perfect yang to Jaworski’s yin in my football booth.

Justin’s Analysis: Just twist the knife Chad, man you are cold blooded.  I think I hit my stride here with JB, Tirico and Johnston.  I grabbed the best football studio guys and two damn solid announcers in Tirico and Jonston, you team him up with Collinsworth and you’ve got yourself one hell of a team.

Is it the chin Chad? It is, isn't it.

Next five picks:
21. RSAR – Bob Costas – NBC
22. RHHA – Bill Cowher – CBS
23. RHHA – Ric Bucher – ESPN
24. RSAR – Gus Johnson – CBS
25. RSAR – Tom Jackson – ESPN

Justin’s Analysis: Bill Cowher Chad, really?  I mean, was Neon Deion not available or something?  Having a guy like Gus Johnson is like drafting Evan Longoria in a keeper league, you think you are just getting potential numbers, but the guy ends up going all, “I’m an all-star this year fool,” on you.  I’m not even going to gloat over the value I got out of Bob Costas at #21, because I know Chad is a sensitive guy, and I don’t want to have to watch him cry.

Chad’s Analysis: Five years ago, Costas would’ve been in my Top-5 for being a studio host either on our Sportscenter mock-up or for the NFL – but he’s fallen into obscurity and has lost a step or two.  Hell, it took me five minutes to remember who he worked for! With Cowher, I get the intelligent, well-spoken coach to anchor my football team in-studio despite him possibly going to the coaching ranks.  I was suprised that you jumped for Gus this early, but you were aware of Marv’s age and got his replacement holding the clipboard and taking notes for a couple years – good move, my friend.

Next five picks:
26. RHHA – Scott Van Pelt- ESPN
27. RHHA – Merril Hoge – ESPN
28. RSAR – Michael Wilbon – ESPN
29. RSAR – Jon Miller – ESPN
30. RHHA – Rick Sutcliffe – ESPN

Chad’s Analysis: Scott Van Pelt and Kenny Mayne in my studio – you aren’t gonna beat that unless Erin becomes a guest everyday – but you can’t risk overworking her!  Plus, I get the underrated Hoge who was high on my list, and I expect a full cancer recovery for Sutcliffe to complete my untouchable baseball announcers.  Have fun with Jon Miller forgetting where he’s at half the time, and putting the stress on the wrong syllable of every Latin American player’s last name!  Haha, sucker!

Justin’s Analysis: Oh Chad, we are only one person away from resolving the, “what the f*** is Justin doing with his baseball announcing team?” mystery.  Anyways, I ended up going with Wilbon at 28 because he brings a straight-forward approach to an NBA show, although he did lose some points with me when he talked about his disapproval for internet sports blogs and they can be childish.  I mean there’s nothing childish about what we are doing here, I mean just look at my number one pick.  Really, look at the picture, that is the total package, and a whole lot of talent!

Talk about a late round steal!

Next five picks:
31. RHHA – Kenny Smith- TNT
32. RSAR – Greg Anthony – ESPN
33. RSAR – Mike Fratello – ESPN
34. RHHA – Bonnie Bernstein – ESPN
35. RHHA – Harold Reynolds – ESPN

Justin’s Analysis: That’s right Chad, you may have taken Bonnie Bernstein at 34, but Erin Andrews will always be number one in your heart.  I decided to roll with Greg Anthony and Mike Fratello to bulk up on my NBA crew.  At this point in the draft I was really wishing that I could have had Charles, perhaps a trade may have to be in order.

Chad’s Analysis: Let’s be honest, Erin is No. 1 in the heart of every straight man in America (and maybe even an 1/8 of the ones that swing the other way), but have you seen Bonnie Bernstein lately?!?!  I saw her on Mike and Mike a few weeks ago and fell in love with her all over again.  Anthony and Fratello are solid – but with Kenny Smith, I’ve completed the TNT crew for my NBA in-studio hosts.  Amazing!  I don’t care if you have Marv, I’ll dominate NBA coverage!  Harold Reynolds is a huge sleeper, and I’m so glad he emerged on the set of TBS so I could pick him for this wonderous occasion.

Next five picks:
36. RSAR – Boomer Esiason- CBS
37. RSAR – Mike Greenberg- ESPN
38. RHHA – Peter Gammons – ESPN
39. RHHA – Gary McCord – CBS
40. RSAR – Nick Faldo- CBS

Chad’s Analysis: Greenberg is funny, but he needs a jock to play off of to get the comedy.  Eisen and Greenburg in your studio is going to produce a Vegas over/under of .5 laughs per show.  I enjoy laughing at some of things anchors cook up (all though I can’t stand Stu Scott, just like you).  Gammons is a baseball legend – and he looks like it too.  McCord will keep the mood light in the golf booth, just in case Tiger breaks a leg and happens to be out of contention.  Oh wait, he stays in contention despite that!

Justin’s Analysis: I’ll have to admit that Greeny and Eisen probably aren’t the most interesting studion duo out there, but I have plans for that, don’t worry.  And as far as Nick Faldo goes, I had to ask Chad who he was, because I couldn’t remember his name.  Oh yeah, and I almost forgot, you should really keep Reynolds away from Bonnie, I hear he doesn’t always play nice with the ladies.   I like Gammons but he’s had a stroke and he’s a Red Sox guy, which pretty much makes him untouchable in my book.

Final eight picks:
41. RSAR – Karl Ravech – ESPN
42. RHHA – John Madden – NBC
43. RHHA – Howie Schwab – ESPN
44. RSAR – Ken “Hawk” Harrelson – CSN/WGN
45. RSAR – Eric Karabell – ESPN
46. RHHA – Kirk Herbstreit – ESPN
47. RHHA – Chris Berman – CBS
48. RSAR – Jamal Mashburn – ESPN

Justin’s Analysis: And finally I can unveil the conerstone of my network: Happy Hour Fun Time with Hawk, Chip and Miller!   Since I never listen to baseball commentary anyways I thought I’d have some fun with my booth and put a couple of known drinkers together with a guy who pronounces names like he’s drunk.  Just imagine the endorsement opportunities.  The only downside I see here is Hawk jumping out of the booth in a drunken rage to hunt down a ump who missed a call.  But that’s when I unleash my secret weapon… we cut to Erin Andrews doing an interview with a group of sorority girls at the game.  Finally my plan lives… it’s ALIVE!

Chad’s Analysis: Wow!  Three play-by-play guys in one booth, one of which is permanently wasted, another has alcoholism in his family and the last talks like he’s drunk.  Erin is going to barely keep your baseball crew afloat – and I can’t even imagine the lines they’ll use to hit on her!  Some may question my Madden selection, but love him or hate him, you always watch him.  Schwaby and Karabell will anchor our fantasy coverage, which probably pisses Matt Berry off since he’s the one that has the Emmy.  Berman was not at all happy about falling this late, and his reaction shows…

We’re also podcasting!  Click Here To Listen OR Click Here to Download our latest episode!

So who’s network is better??  Cast your vote by leaving a comment below!!!

The Response

Ask Justin. Ask anyone that knows me, and spoke to me in the last 24 hours about my thoughts reagarding the CC Sabathia trade, and my response was simple: It hurts. Sabathia has been lights out following his first four starts of the year, and gives the Brewers a lethal 1-2 punch for the rest of the season – and potentially in the playoffs.

The move devastated me, and I didn’t believe the Cubs had the bullets to go after any of the other major pitching talents in the majors. Erik Bedard would’ve commanded a similar haul that he was traded to Seattle for, Rich Harden has pitched so well that his stock was at its maximum, and there was nobody else available that could make the impact that the Cubs need.

And then out of the blue – BREAKING NEWS flashed across Sportscenter as I was getting ready to leave work – The Chicago Cubs have acquired Rich Harden AND Chad Gaudin for a quartet of players. I shot up from my chair and yelled at my remaining co-workers to stay quiet. Josh Elliot continued delivering the story and finally moved to the players the Cubs were sending back. My stomach twisted as I began to get sick imagining the load of prospect we’d have to give up. The graphic came on the screen, and read: A’s get: OF Matt Murton, OF Eric Patterson, SP Sean Gallagher, C Josh Donaldson.

(So long gentleman – been nice knowing ya!)

Wait a second, wait a second, wait a second. Hold the phones here. Run those names by me again: Murton, Patterson, Gallagher, and Donaldson. Wait – can you tell them to me again? Because I want to hear those sweet words one more time. You mean to tell me we traded for a guy that has arguably the best stuff in the majors (when he’s healthy) along with an above-average reliever for three guys that have bounced back and forth between Iowa and Chicago, and our second round pick from last year that is 22 and batting .217 in Class-A Peoria? Can someone grab me a cigarette? My heart is going to explode if I don’t get something. Give me a minute here…

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Justin was right…YES WE CAN!

Don’t get me wrong – we gave up some talented players, but none of those guys were going to get a full opportunity to play in the next 2-3 years, and by that time they won’t be worth a whole lot. Murton has the potential to be a .295 hitter with a .370 OBP, but he wont ever hit more than 20 homers, and plays well below-average defense in the outfield. Those numbers are not going to overtake Soriano or Fukudome – not to mention the difference in the money they’re making.

Eric Patterson is a 2B playing out of position in LF so far in the majors. He could be an average second baseman in The Show, with a .280/.330/.425 potential while playing a slick but not flashy second. His swing can get a little long from time to time, like his brother Corey, and he was sent down last year because of a problem with punctuality. But again, with Mark DeRosa under contract for another year, along with Ronny Cedeno, Mike Fontenot, and Ryan Theriot having the ability to play over at second base, Patterson was not in any short or long-term plans. We was expendable.

Losing Sean Gallagher hurts a little bit. He’s a 23-year-old starting pitcher with the potential to be a No. 3 pitcher in a big league rotation one day. Unfortunately, he was trapped in an organization that can’t and wont wait around to see if you can hack it in the bigs. He’ll have the opportunity to have growing pains without a rabid fan base all over his back out in Oakland. He may be better off out there.

Josh Donaldson is a Moneyball type player. He’s young (22) but hasn’t gotten passed Mid-A ball yet. He was awesome last year in short season A-ball – hitting over .300 with a .400+ OBP. Those numbers haven’t translated to 2008, but the A’s think he’ll be a solid addition long-term.

Enough with the wishy washy parting gifts – show me the money baby! Harden has an ERA of 0.68 in three starts against National League teams this year, and has a strikeout ratio that is downright phenomenal. The best part about Harden is that he has a club option for 2009 worth a modest $7 million! If the Cubs can find a way to keep him healthy, he is gonna be the punch that the Cubs have been searching for behind Carlos Zambrano since – God, please don’t strike me dead for saying this – Mark Prior.

A’s General Manager Billy Beane got some very solid players for Harden and Gaudin, more than he could’ve imagined a year ago today.  But the Cubs and GM Jim Hendry got exactly what they needed, and they gave up nothing in regards to superstar potential.  Oh it’s a sweet, sweet feeling.

It’s time of celebration Cub fans…now all we have to do is beat off the pursuers for 2 1/2 more months!

(Welcome Mr. Harden – the Cubs have rented you a rubber room downtown for your stay here)

America’s Busy Birthday

Well, I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend.   Between all of the cooking-out, drinking, and other mindless activities, it’s been a bit rough getting back into the grove of things today.   Of course it doesn’t help matters that it’s about 450 degrees outside today, but the show must go on.  

Last week I promised to post some photo’s of me in a Cubs hat.   So…

 

[Top: The TOUTS CREW, Bottom: My Buddy Zach Approving My New Look]

 

 

 

 There were more photo’s on my camera but somehow during my friends six kegger my camera got into the wrong hands.   When I went to upload the photos to my computer all that showed up were pictures of random girls, fireworks and other booze fueled shananigans.   I was just happy that the camera didn’t end up in the pool, I mean it’s a cheap camera and all, but it’s all I have. 

I’m not sure what’s more embarrassing about the photos: the undersized Cub’s hat, my ridiculous mustache, or how out of shape I’ve gotten in the past couple of years.   I think it’s a combination of all three that makes me look like a true jagbag.   Getting rid of the Cubs hat and the mustache was easy enough, but losing the weight is going to take some time.  Maybe I’ll incorporate losing some weight in future blog posts, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

It was a busy weekend in the wide world of sports as well: Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer in a classic five set match to gain his first Wimbledon final, the Yankees were able to split their series with the dreaded BoSox, and CC Sabathia was traded to Milwaukee, much to the dismay of Cubs fans all over the world.   Here are some ruminations of what took place last weekend.

 

Nadal Slays the Giant

Nadal takes a breather after defeating Roger Federer to win Wimbledon on Sunday.

 I’m not a big fan of tennis, but watching Rafael Nadal defeat Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final (6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7) was pretty fantastic.   It was a tennis match that featured two of the sport’s best just unloading on each other like it was a heavy weight title contest.  They were both getting serves up over 120 MPH and were hitting some impossible shots under unbelievable amounts of pressure. 

 The rain delays did put me to sleep a couple of times, but I was hung over and tired, so I’m not going to hold that against what was an epic five-plus hour long match. 

Early in the match it looked like Nadal was just going to run away with the title, but anyone who has watched Roger Federer over the years knows that he can not be killed by standard weapons.   I was more than a little worried about Nadal when he was unable to close Roger out in the third set when Nadal had three championship points.   But fate was not going to be denied this year for the Spaniard.  It seemed as if Nadal’s athleticism was able to carry him through the fifth set, and by the time that the two players got to the seventh set, Nadal was able to break Federer’s serve and defeat his long time foe by holding serve in the sixteenth game of the fifth set (there is no tie-breaker in the fifth set at Wimbledon). 

It was pretty clear that Nadal’s freakish athleticism played a huge role in his victory.  This begs the question, will we see a wave of new, super athletic players in professional tennis in the coming years?  I’m not sure, it’s been over a decade since Tiger Woods showed what being in incredible shape could do to one’s golf game, and we still haven’t seen anyone who is as ”pumped up” as Tiger in the PGA.  Time will tell how Nadal’s success at Wimbledon shapes the game of tennis in years to come.

In case you either haven’t noticed, or don’t care, it’s been a good couple of weeks for Spain in the sports world as they had won the EuroCup a week before Nadal was able to win at Wimbledon.  I guess good things come to countries that export such beautiful women.     

Is Aludena Fernandez the source of Spain's recent emergence in the sporting world? You be the judge.

 

 

 

 CC is on his way to Milwaukee

Uh oh Cubs fans, here comes Sabathia. And he looks hungry!

Cubs fans have always been aware that the Brewers have a lot of talented young offensive players, but they were always a little soft in their starting rotation.   Well it appears as if Milwaukee is making their push for a division title (or at least the wild card) with the acquisition of Indians’ ace, CC Sabathia.  Sabathia has been a bit down this year compared to his Cy Young season last year, but he is still a pitcher who has the potential to carry a team deep into the playoffs, which is something that the Brewers desperately need.  

Sabathia is going to be a free-agent at the end of the year, so I doubt he will be a Brewer for long; but with the combination of CC and Ben Sheets, anything can happen, especially when the National League is as week as it is this year.  I’m sure that thousands of Cubs fans all over the country got a little lump in their throat when they heard about the trade, which apparently cost Milwaukee four prospects, but I wouldn’t get too worried in Chicago just yet. 

In my (very humble) opinion, the Cubs are still the team to beat in the puddle of yuck that is the National League.   While there is some bad news for Chi-Town, Sabathia did have a 2.76 ERA and 7 wins after the all star break last year, the same can not be said of the rest of the pitchers in the Brewers rotation. It’s is certainly no lock that Ben Sheets will be able to stay healthy all year, given his track record in that regard.   Jeff Suppan is currently on the Brewers’ DL, Manny Parra is unproven, and Dave Bush had an ERA of about 5.5 in the second half of last year; not to mention that horrendous bullpen. Don’t believe me?  Well I have two words for you: Eric Gagne.    

I know it’s in the blood of all Cubs fans to start to worry around this time of year.  You are just looking for ways for the Cubbies to blow their lead, I guess a century of bad will do that to a fan base, but stop worrying. 

This is the year! 

It’s going to happen! 

Yes you can! 

Oh who am I kidding, you should be worried out of your mind right now, you’ve seen this happen before.   Run!  Sabathia is coming for you like the monster from Cloverfield, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets you!

Some 3rd of July Fireworks

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays because it’s in the summer and features copious amounts of alcohol and fireworks, two things that I can get behind.   But before I wax poetically about America’s birthday, let’s get a little housekeeping out of the way.   First of all, Chad had it right to start off his last post.  The more you click the “digg this” button at the bottom of the post, the more people that will (hopefully) visit the site.   We’ve just gotten to the point where we have enough crap (and by crap I mean transfixing work of undeniable genius) written that people will visit the site even if we haven’t written anything, which is kind of a strange honor, but now that we are back from our vacation we are looking to take this humble site to the next level.   So please feel free to leave comments and tell others about our zany little site we have here.  We’d love to create a community of those who love sports, but hate the some old coverage they’ve been getting for years.

(Alright, enough with the sales pitch, let’s get back to the sports)

The Comeback Kid 

Will he come back?

 

By now I am sure everyone has heard that Favre is thinking about making a (um) comeback(?).  No one should be suprised by this, because it is only human nature to want to keep working after doing something you loved doing all your life.   I wrote some rather flattering words about Favre on this site in the past and those words still hold true now.  Favre is simply one of the greatest athletes of this generation and it is a pleasure watching him play.  What the strange thing is about all of this (besides all of the “itch” and “ointment” references being made on the WWL) is that there is a large contingent of people who think that the Packers should not take Favre back on their team.  

 

Now I’ve always thought that Packer fans were out of their minds, but anyone who thinks that Green Bay should say no to Favre and send Aaron Rogers out to the slaughter this year are out of their damn minds!  You know the first time that kid makes a bad decision there is going to be bloodshed in the streets of Green Bay.  Now that Favre has expressed even the slightest interest of returning to football, Rodgers becomes the back-up in the minds of thousands of Packer fans.  It may not be fair to Rodgers, but it’s just the way it is.  Favre would make over 12 million dolalrs next year if he plays in Green Bay, which is obviously a lot of money – especially when you consider how cheap the Packers have been over the years, but Brett’s numbers last year more than make him worth the investment.  

 

Put it this way…

 

Would you pay 12 million for a quarterback who could get you: 4155 yards, 28 TD’s, 95.7 QB rating, would that be something you’d be interested in?  If you are not New England or Indianapolis, of course you’d want someone as talented as Brett Favre running your offense.  Not only is this guy giving you a great chance of winning, you are also getting the media attention of being part of Favre’s Farewell Tour 2008.   The thing is – I don’t want to see Brett Favre playing for another team for a year or two like Jerry Rice did.   It was bad enough watching my childhood hero playing for the Raiders (and two other teams that I’m not going to name here), but to watch Brett Favre suiting up for the Vikings, or even the 49ers for that matter, would make me want to give up on sports.  

 

So here’s a little clue to the people in the media.  Stop being idiots.  Favre belongs in Green Bay, and who cares how this makes Aaron Rodgers feel.   This is professional football, not The View, since when did we start caring how personnel decisions make players feel?   The NFL is America’s game, and we deserve to be able to watch Brett Favre play for the Packers and not some shitty team where his poor play would only tarnish his legacy.  I still have a bad taste in my mouth from watching Jerry Rice in his 40’s, don’t do it to me again.  Hell, I grew up despising the Packers and I’m rooting for Favre to play one more year in the green and gold.  Make it happen football gods, and I’ll get back to you guys when fantasy football is about to start.

 

 

Strange Days

 

Things just keep getting weirder with this whole A-Rod/Madonna/Mrs. Rodriguez/Lenny Kravitz love square.   Apparently A-Rod and his wife Cynthia are now separating, and I don’t want to make any assumptions here, but I think infidelity may have had something to do with it.  Just as I was trying to wrap my head around A-Rod shacking up with Madonna there came reports that A-Rod’s wife may be spending some quality time with Lenny Kravitz.   kravitz denies that he and (the soon to be former) Mrs. Rodriguez have been hooking up, but even having his name mentioned in this circus just makes things even crazier than they already are. 

 

Now usually i don’t care what and who professional athletes are doing in their spare time, but being a Yankees fan kind of makes this impossible to ignore.  Add to this the fact that the Red Sox are rolling in this weekend for a four game series and you have the potetial for some of the greatest heckling in Major League history.   Just imagine a couple thousand drunk Boston fans singing, Like a Virgin, while thousands of more drunk Yankee fans try to decide whether or not they want to defend A-Rod or let the heckling go on because of the way A-Rod has performed the last couple of years in the playoffs.  I could go on and on about this tabloid crap, but I don’t really feel comfortable talking about who A-Rod may or may not be sleeping with.

 

(Moving on)

 

…

 

I Need A Hero

 

 I don’t know if it’s just the Yankees mediocrity or the A-Rod madness, but for some reason I find Jason Giambis ’stache to be the most interesting development in the Yankees season so far.   First there was the gold thong that was apparently being passed around the clubhouse, and that was strange enough, but when Chin-Mieng Wang went down, someone had to take one for the team.  That’s when Jason Giambi started growing a mustache for the record books, and as a bonus he began to actually hit the ball.  Just last night Jason Giambi’s mustache hit two homers, giving JGM (I will now refer to Jason Giambi as Jason Giambi’s Mustache or JGM for short until he shaves, or until the Yankees buy-out his contract at the end of the year) 17 HR’s on the year. 

 

The Yankees are currently 45-40 and 7.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, which is about the most depressing stat that I have ever looked at.  One could say that my strange mancrush for JGM is just a way of coping.  I mean really, am I going to put my hope in the hands of Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina during the second half of the season?  No, I can only hope that if I close my eyes and wish upon a star, JGM will lead the Yankees to the Playoffs despite their 4.20 ERA and those pesky power outages that seem to happen from time to time. 

 

We’ll see what JGM is able to do against the Red Sox this weekend.   The Sox are just coming off getting swept by the Devil Rays so hopefully the Yanks will be able to kick them when they are down.   I got a chance to watch the most of the Sox/Devil Rays game last night and I have to say that I am not impressed by the Red Sox bullpen.  Boston will be sending out Lester, Beckett, Masterson and Wakefield for this series, and if JGM and crew can show some patience at the plate, they should be able to  get into that bullpen and win at least 3/4 against the Beantown Bombers.    Here’s to hoping anyway.

 

Final Thoughts

 

That’s going to do it for us Chad and I this week.  We are both going to be enjoying the fourth at a party that is allegedly going to have six kegs and a wet T-shirt contest.  But, as most of you know, when a guy boasts he is going to have a six kegger with a wet T-shirt contest, he really means that he is really having a two kegger with a couple of girls that enjoy taking their shirts off in public.  So I’m keeping my expectations low, and hoping for the best… kind of like my expectations for the Yankees in the second half.   So here’s a little homework for this weekend:

 

Drink Some Beers.

 

Eat Some Hot Dogs.

 

Blow Some Shit Up.

 

DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE!

 

…and enjoy yourselves.

 

……

 

Oh yeah, there are some terrible rumors being spread about me having to wear a Cubs hat on the fourth.   These rumors are unfortunately ture.  I lost a bet, and it’s time for me to be a man and pay off my bet.   Even if the hat is two sizes too small and makes me feel like I just took a gulp of bitter beer every time I put it on.   There may or may not be more photo’s like the one featured below on Monday.

 

 

 

Wearing an undersized Cubs hat makes me a Sad Panda.