The Deer-claw vs. The Beardface & The Freak

I was right about the Yankees beating the Twins, the Phillies beating the Reds, and the Giants beating the Braves. I was wrong about the Rays beating the Rangers. I did not post a LCS preview but I picked the Yankees to win in 7 and the Phillies to sweep. I may have been slightly off on those. After seeing the Yanks and Phillies dominate the division series, I thought a rematch was a pretty safe assessment.

The Giants surprised me with their hitting, which sprung to life at just the right time. It wasn't easy, but the Giants did just enough to win 4 games. I thought hitting would win the series, but it was the other way around. Both teams had similar pitching depth, but the Phillies had a stacked lineup, with postseason experience. The Giants have new blood that rose to the occasion, Buster Posey.

The Yankees hoped their break from the division series would be the difference maker. Instead, the lineup and pitching looked rusty. Cliff Lee dominated in his one game, and Colby Lewis looked like a Cy Young. In order to win the series, the Yanks needed to knock Lewis out of the game. They failed, and as always in New York, a season without rings is a failure of a season, regardless of how far the team gets.

(Side note about the Yankees: They are currently in negotiations to re-sign Joe Girardi. While many fans are vehemently opposed to this, as Girardi tries to lose games, I am definitely happy to see the Yanks making the right decision. Girardi was a magician on the Marlins, and has a ring on his finger from managing, in addition to the ones as a player. There was nothing he could do to win that series. The Yankees' bats simply fell flaccid. Changing the manager now would not help the Yankees. Cliff Lee would help them.)

(Note about the Phillies: Imagine you had Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay this season. You would definitely be in the World Series, and the Rangers would not be. It was a bad move to trade him, and even worse given the Yankees will probably be the highest bidder for him this offseason. Maybe then Yankees' fans won't pour any more beer on his wife.)

World Series

The Giants have home field advantage, but that is the only advantage they have. The two teams have excellent starting pitching, led by Timmy Lincecum, "the Freak," on the Giants, and Cliff Lee on the Rangers. The Rangers definitely have the edge in hitting, but so did the Phillies. Both teams have a great bullpen, led by their closers, Neftali Feliz on Texas, and beardfaced, Brian Wilson on San Fransisco. This is definitely a tough one to call, but I am picking the Rangers to win. It will be hard fought as neither city has seen a World Series winner, but the Rangers, in my opinion, have a more complete team. We can only hope that this series goes 7 games, and Brian Wilson pitches in every single one. Brian Wilson, the certified ninja.

I would love for Brian Wilson to be a Yankee, but I will not be selfish. His beard is too glorious to be shaved, which the Yanks would make him do. It would be great to see the interactions between him and Nick Swisher, "Six RBIs, what?!" He deserves to let his crazy flow with the Giants though.

(Side note on the playoffs: MLB wants to expand the postseason because they want more money. The NBA and NHL both have sixteen teams make the playoffs and the NFL has 12, while MLB only has 8. Honestly, the season and the postseason are long enough and there is no need to expand. Bud Selig is prone to being wrong though, so this is bound to happen.)

Side note about me: I have not posted for a while and I am sorry. There are a combination of reasons; no motivation since I am not being paid for this, no time since I am employed, laziness, etc. I will make a better effort to write posts on the regular again and I hope you enjoy.

For your entertainment:

Hunt for Reds October

The MLB postseason starts today, with three games on, beginning at 1. This should be an exciting October, with four teams making the playoffs, who were not there last year; Rangers, Braves, Reds, and Giants. All of the excitement will be moot however, with the World Series being a rematch of last season, pitting the Yankees and Phillies against each other again, resulting in the same outcome.

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Texas Rangers -- The Rangers, as a franchise have never won a playoff series, losing multiple during the Yankees dynasty of the 90s. Their first win will not happen this year. The playoffs is all about pitching, and even with Cliff Lee, the Rangers pitching is subpar to the Rays. But not by much. This series will go the distance. The Rangers may be the most fun team to watch, given their "Claw and Reindeer games," but the Rays are the better team. The Rays finished with the best record in the AL, with the Yankees only finishing a game behind them. The AL East was, by far, the best division in baseball. The Rays and Yankees finished with the 2nd and 3rd best records, and the Red Sox and Blue Jays were 2 of the best 5 teams to not make the playoffs. The Orioles, after signing Buck Showalter, were one of the best teams in baseball. The Rays finished on top of all of them, and will best the Rangers in 5.

New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins -- The Twins get what they wished for, a rematch and chance at vengeance against the Yankees. The Yankees have struggled through September, but still finished with the 2nd best record in the AL. The Twins were not far behind, but as I was saying the AL East was the best division, the AL Central was one of the worst. The Twins were able to play the lowly Royals and Indians, which inflated their record. They are dominant at home, and have played better without Justin Morneau than they have with him. He will miss the entire postseason due to effects from his concussion. Like I said though, pitching wins playoff games, and throwing CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte in 4 of the 5 games (if necessary) will be the difference maker. They won't need 4 or 5 games though, as the Yanks will sweep.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Cincinnati Reds -- The Reds are not supposed to be here. This was the Cardinals year to dominate, and whoever had money on the Reds to win it all, could become very, very rich. The Cardinals faltered, as the Reds went on to dominate all season. It is too bad they have to play the Phillies in the first round. The Phillies have what seems to be a perfect playoff team this year. Pitching is superb and their lineup is dominant. They turned it up a gear in September and their phans are hoping they stay hot through October. There is no reason their hot streak should cool down. The Reds just have to be hotter, and their pitching and hitting has that potential, especially with Aroldis Chapman throwing 100+. It just won't happen for them as the Phillies will win in four.

San Fransisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves -- This is probably the most intriguing series to watch. The Giants struggled early, but stayed with the Padres, and eventually overtook them in the end. Tim Lincecum is the personification of their season, playing his best towards the stretch. Their hitting was absent for most of their season, but Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval (skadooosh) powered them into the postseason. The Braves played their hearts out this year for the final year of Bobby Cox's managerial career. It really is a feel good story that he was able to make the playoffs in his final year. These teams are very evenly matched up: good pitching, not so good hitting. The Giants have a slight, very slight, edge in pitching, so they'll take it in five. (I hope this one goes five as it will probably be the most entertaining.

Notes about Derek Jeter:

His career is not done, the Yankees season is not done, and he WILL be a Yankee for his entire career. I have been reading way too many freakouts this season about Jeter and the Yankees not playing well. Last I checked, the Yanks finished a game behind Tampa and easily made the playoffs. Derek Jeter struggled through the "year of the pitcher," as did many. I see no reason why he would not be able to rebound next season given how hard working he is. The Yankees are the team that no one wants to play in October given their history. Let things play out before being drama queens and freaking out that everything is going wrong. Until the Yanks lose a playoff series, or Jeter stunningly signs with another team, I will keep hope alive that they will repeat as champions, and Jeter will resign with the Yanks. He is "Captain Clutch" and thrives under the pressure of October, so why should I bet against him, or the Yanks?

Tainted Love

Alberto Contador has tested positive for 40 trillionths of a gram of clenbuterol, a banned substance in cycling. Contador blames the positive test on tainted meat he ate that his chef requested to be brought from Spain. He is suspended and pending further investigation, could be banned for 2 years, losing his 2010 Tour de France crown. Given such a minuscule amount, and that he was apparently told by the testers that "it was a clear case of food contamination," it is doubtful he will be banned.

This is just another case of an athlete disappointment. Anytime an athlete is connected to drugs, whether it is true or not, their name is forever tainted. Fans are tired of excuses, tired of cheaters, tired of press conference apologies. Children are losing their heroes one-by-one. I am happy to have grown up at the start of cheating, idolizing Don Mattingly. There was no testing when he played, and unless he wanted to become a public pariah by admitting to using, we are to believe he never did. And I would like it to stay that way. I will wear his jersey with pride knowing he never cheated.

Now though, it seems a new player is found to be cheating everyday. For baseball there was Clemens, Rodriguez, Ramirez, McGuire, etc. For football, Romanowski, Merriman, Cushing. For track, we have Jones, Montgomery, etc. And for cycling, Lance Armstrong in under a microscope of scrutiny, Floyd Landis was exiled, and now Contador faces the shame that all users face.

The frustration level for sports fans is through the roof. How can parents expect their kids not to cheat when they're learning everyday that athletes make a living off cheating. Not just make a living, but earn millions. Earn is not the right word. Steal? People hold sports, and sports records, to a very high standard. Roger Maris had to deal with an asterisk next to his 61 home runs because he did not complete the feat in as many games as Babe Ruth's 60. Many believe the true home run champion to be Hank Aaron. Records are meant to be broken, as long as corners aren't cut en route to that record.

So maybe the meat was contaminated. I think it was. But I think it was Contador contaminating it. Injecting cows with clenbuterol so that he would be eating such a undetectable amount. Athletes will always be one step ahead of testers, and this was his plan to achieve a small edge while being ahead of the testers. Maybe the meat was property of Lady Gaga, thus clearly being contaminated. Or it could just be the French holding a grudge that they can't win in their own game. Either way, Contador will be fairly (or not) connected to cheating.

Another legend down, who's next?

Crack that Whip

Tom Coughlin and Mike McCarthy seem to have similar issues, and that is discipline. Both coaches saw their teams, the New York Football Giants and Green Bay Packers, lose because of mental errors. Yogi said baseball was "90% mental and the other half, physical." The same can be said of football, as well as any other sport. A offensive lineman can push around the defense all game long, but that will mean nothing if he is penalized for mental errors. Everyone will have a lapse in judgment, but when there are multiple culprits and the team loses because of that, something needs to change.

The Giants game on Sunday was disgraceful. The G-Men had every opportunity to win, but mistakes cost them the game. Eli Manning led the brigade with his ill-advised, left-handed, flip pass to Kevin Boss in the endzone, which resulted in an interception. Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled inside the redzone on a drive that would have kept the Giants within fighting distance. Worse than those though was Kareem McKenzie. He committed two(!) personal foul penalties after the whistle had been blown. It almost seemed as if he had money on the game against the Giants and needed them to lose. Twice he continued shoving Titans' players after the whistle, right in front of the ref. One of the calls occurred with the referee literally standing in front him. Compound that with three other personal fouls committed by the team, and 11 penalties total, and you can't expect to win the game.

The Packers also committed an inordinate amount of penalties with 17. Had they only been penalized 16 times, the Cheeseheads would be celebrating a win. On Da Bears final drive, Jay Cutler threw two(!) interceptions that were called back due to penalties; one being interference, the other being a personal foul. The Packers were dominating the game, especially on offense so you would expect them to finish the contest with a score, and not Da Bears. Though they did come close, you can't win a game with so many yellow flags.

The Packers should be able to rebound from this game. They are too talented, and their coach will whip them back into shape. The desire to win is clearly there with the Vikings and Bears as motivation to succeed.

The Giants, on the other hand are troublesome. The talent is clearly there, but the discipline and desire has been lacking since last season. After being disgraced last year, you would expect them to be playing with a chip on their shoulder. They could be playing under the radar, as the Jets are taking the public eye off of them. Instead they're playing like they were last year, without heart.

Both of these teams came into the season with large expectations. Green Bay having Super Bowl aspirations, and the Giants looking to recapture 2007. Neither will happen unless these teams buckle down and reduce penalties.

Redemption

Plenty of people make mistakes, whether it be breaking the law, or just making the wrong decision. Not everyone can redeem themselves from the mistakes they made, but on Sunday, two footballers took a leap on the road to redemption - Braylon Edwards and Michael Vick.

Braylon Edwards needed less than a week to be given his opportunity at redemption. After being arrested for drunk driving Edwards was punished by the team, and was forced to sit out the first quarter of Sunday's game. Future punishment by the league, and more importantly the law, is yet to be seen. After making this mistake, Braylon went and shaved his beardface. The debate continues as to which mistake was more grievous.

This lesson learned though may have been just what Edwards needed. He had a stellar three quarters on Sunday, and without him, the Jets would have lost that game. Miami took the lead, and less than one minute later, Braylon scores a TD. The Jets needed a long drive to burn minutes, and Braylon make a key catch and forced an interference call that led to a LT TD. Redemption. He will need more than this one game to be fully forgiven by fans, specifically card carrying members of MADD, but for many, Edwards just has to catch TDs and they'll forget about his 5 AM error. Shaving the beardface though is unforgivable.

Michael Vick's road is much longer than Edwards'. Edwards' offense could have been much worse, had he hit anything, or anyone; but if his windows weren't as tinted, he may have been able to make it home safe and sound, none being the wiser. Vick, on the other hand killed dogs, violently. Premeditated acts of violence against innocent animals. America loves most animals, but dogs in particular have a special place in our hearts. Upon learning that Vick was drowning and electrocuting dogs, America was in an uproar. Vick was a monster.

Just because Vick served his time in Leavenworth Penitentiary, does not automatically mean he would be forgiven. He needed to prove himself worthy of our attention and finally, now he is doing that. Had he remained a backup/wildcat, Vick's comeback would not be complete. After the last two games, albeit against the Lions and Jaguars, Vick is on his way to winning people over. Vick maybe playing better than he ever has before. He is not compiling absurd rushing yards, but his passing game is much improved. He threw for 3 TDs yesterday and rushed for 1 with zero interceptions this season. Redemption. He isn't the best, but he is a work in progress, and is progressing quickly.

Vick and Edwards still have work to do to be fully forgiven and feel redemption, but providing they keep excelling at their jobs and keep out of trouble, they will know the feeling. Now if we can just get Plaxico out of jail and back into the league, the NFL can rename itself the 2nd Chance League.

New Carmelo Nets

There is a rumored four-team trade soon to be completed involving the New Jersey Nets, Charlotte Bobcats, Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets. Carmelo Anthony is the key piece of the trade, and NJ would be acquiring him in this trade. Andrei Kirilenko from the Jazz, Derrick Favors from the Nets, and multiple 1st round draft picks would be heading to Denver. Utah would receive Boris Diaw from the Bobcats, and Charlotte would obtain Devin Harris from the Nets.

The big winner is Charlotte. Devin Harris has the talent to be a superstar point guard when playing at his best, and this could be Charlotte's year to leapfrog a few teams in the standings and advance past the 1st round of the playoffs. Harris would definitely help Michael Jordan's team. That is of course, if he plays his best. NJ did not see Harris' best last season and broke records of bad because of it.

The Jazz dump an oft-injured Kirilenko and obtain an inconsistent Diaw. Diaw has the ability to play like a Reggie Miller and nail daggers into team's hearts at the end of games. Problem is that his inconsistency makes him a non-factor in the clutch. Utah will clearly be rebuilding after losing Carlos Boozer and dumping Kirilenko is one step in the right direction. If they lose a 1st round pick in this deal though, the trade is pointless for them.

That leaves the main two teams of this deal. The Nets lost out on the LeBron James sweepstakes and their biggest move of the offseason has been acquiring Travis Outlaw. While having a cool name, Outlaw was not what the Nets' fans were expecting. The Nets wanted LeBron, but will definitely settle for Melo. They are paying a steep price for him though, giving up on Harris, who they traded Jason Kidd for (trade no longer looks good for NJ), and giving up on their 1st round pick of 2010, Favors, as well as future 1st round pick(s).

They absolutely need a Carmelo if they want to hang with the Celtics, Magic, Heat and Hawks. Losing their best point guard, and a beast in the paint, who would complement Brook Lopez perfectly, does not seem worth it. Can Jordan Farmar lead the offense for this team better than Harris can? Doubtful. Melo brings this team to the playoffs easily, but toppling the top four teams will be a vastly more difficult.

The Nuggets are stuck between a rock and last place. With Carmelo on the team, the Nuggets could be the team to take down the Lakers, without him the Nuggets can barely make the playoffs. Personally, I would be quite offended if I was Carmelo's teammates. Basically Carmelo is saying they are not talented enough to have him carry them to a NBA title, whether it be this year, his last under his current contract, or subsequent. The Nuggets are good, and Melo should have told the team, "Let's win this year." Decide where to go for free agency when the season is over.

I think I would like this trade more if the Nets received more than just Carmelo. Maybe throw in Kirilenko. I know I said earlier that he likes to spend his time in a suit instead of his uniform, but find me a player with a cooler nickname than Kirilenko. AK-47. I dare you.

Having Phun in Philly

As a self-professed Philly hater, this seems like an awkward topic for me to write about. It is phinally good to be a Philadelphia phan now though. The Phlyers are coming off a season in which they remarkably survived until overtime in game seven off the Stanley Cup Phinals. The Phillies are good, as usual. The Eagles are a highly discussed team in what is looking like a weak division. And the 76ers...errr...well three out of phour ain't bad, right?

The Phillies are looking to make their 3rd straight World Series appearance, emerging as the team to beat in the NL. The Cincinnati Reds may be the only team that can topple them. The Phils are making easy work of their divisional rival, Atlanta Braves, my choice to win the division. Thanks guys. The Phillies have what the Braves and San Fransisco Giants lack, a decent lineup. It may have taken all season, but the Phillies have put it all together when it really matters. They were hurt by injuries in the dog days, but stayed close, and now, led by their pitching, the Phils are going strong into the postseason.

The Eagles are currently the most talked about team in the NFL. More talked about than the Jets, who can always bring chatter when Braylon Edwards, Darrell Revis, or Rex Ryan's names are brought up. The Eagles are currently controversial because of their quarterback. First it was Kevin Kolb, now it's Michael Vick, and then it will be...? Kolb, their quarterback to replace Donovan McNabb, showed little greatness in preseason (which doesn't count) and in the half game he played this season (not enough time to judge).

Vick showed against the Detroit Lions (not a good team) that he can play like he used to. In his prime, Vick was the best athlete on the field. There was no competition. He may not have been the best QB, but he overcame that with his talent. Andy Reid was definitely wrong to name Vick as their starting QB after just 1.5 games played. To give up and possibly trade Kolb now seems to phanatical. What if Vick drops back to reality, and plays horribly against better teams (not the Lions or Jaguars)? What if he gets concussed given the offensive line issues? The Eagles would be finishing where I picked them to, at the bottom. (Based on the Skins improvement, the Cowboys string of good seasons, the Giants rebounding, and the Eagles rebuilding. OK, and yes, a tad bit of bias.)

So while I can't stand the phact that the Philly phans have a chance to cheer and not live in phutility as they had phrom 1980-2008. Two World Series appearances, one Super Bowl berth, and one Stanley Cup showing this decade prove that Philadelphia is a sports city to be reckoned with. Still not on the level of New York City and Boston (ugh), but growing stronger by the year, Philly is and will be the target of my sports animosity. That is until Boston decides to pull another comeback down 3-0.