Lets call it the Joba Rules

So a new phenomena has swept Major League GMs and coaches. Every team calls it something different but for now the player being hit with it is Joba Chamberlain so we will call it the Joba Rule. It is a innings pitched limit on a young pitcher to attempt to preserve their shoulder. Now we have seen this with a ton of pitchers and teams like to leave the pitchers in the minors and bring them up later in the season to preserve them.

Now I bring this up because it is an asinine idea. Sure they are young but their arm can take more wear and tear than an older pitcher. What is shaving off 50 innings off a sophomore year do besides slow down there progression on pitching a full season and into the playoffs. Now the Yankees are screwing up Joba by pushing his starts back skipping starts etc. Let him pitch, he is not a 12 year old pitching in the LLWS throwing too many curveballs he is a grown man who makes money to pitch. Sure you can say look at Mark Prior and Kerry Wood and say if they would have took it easy with them. The truth is these guys had pre existing injuries and reoccuring injuries. Prior just could not stay healthy maybe bad luck, maybe PED's, maybe a medical issue but he kept getting hurt throughout his career.
Look at Lincecum and Cain on the Giants, they have pitched since there rookie years and no major injuries. Stop being paranoid and babying these grown man and let them play

Disgusting, Pathetic, Garbage: Just the Way Philly Likes It.

So the Eagles sign Michael Vick…I could probably end this post now. But I am going to continue and give my opinion as to why Philly can NEVER…EVER be forgiven in my eyes. Others may disagree but I could honestly care less. Let’s take two stances on this issue, the statistical reasons why this was a terrible idea and then the moral reasons why this was an even worse move.

Ok, so the Eagles sign Michael Vick who in his last NFL season hurled for over 2000 yards and trotted for another thousand and change with two touchdowns. Pretty impressive numbers by themselves, not to mention he averaged 8 yards a carry to boot. Now what if I told you they could have a quarterback that threw for 4000 yards last year and rushed for another 200 yards with two touchdowns also…is that something you might be interested in? Oh, wait…they already have that guy, his name is Donovan McNabb! Did Philly seem to forget that they already have an amazing QB??? I mean he was pretty much a top 5 QB last year despite his benching. Not to mention he had a 60% completion percentage. So Philly decides to cut his playing time to make room for a dude who may or may not have the speed he used to (those shower sessions in prison might have slowed him down some). Don’t forget that the Eagles have mucho tension in their locker room as well. This move can do nothing but add to that frustration and hinder their pursuit for a ring. I understand that they are questing for a ring like Aragorn and the boys from the Shire but this was a terrible move. Unless their motives are to use him like college teams use their speed QB’s but that tactic will run out of steam before it can even be effective. Any defensive coordinator who falls for that should be fired immediately.

On to the moral reasons why this was a terrible signing. Michael Vick was arrested for dog fighting charges but many people forget that he also TORTURED AND KILLED THESE ANIMALS…NOT JUST BET ON AND SPONSORED THEIR FIGHTS. In my eyes, and many others, this is a despicable and unforgivable act. You have to be a seriously disturbed and a fucked up individual to commit those acts on innocent and defenseless animals. Many people claim that he “served his time” or “paid his dues to society”…I’m going to have to respectfully disagree with them on that one. First off, to whom did he serve his time? Did the time he spent in prison un-torture those dogs? I was unaware that a couple of years in lock-up made someone innocent once again. “But other NFL players commit worse crimes and they still play, Jeremiah!” Yup, but does that make his case any more acceptable? No, HELL no. The NFL is messed up as is most professional sports, but I’m not concerned with that right now, I want to take my shots at Mike Vick. I hope, no I pray to whatever God will accept me, that his first play in the NFL someone rips his arms off at the shoulder and toss them to a pair of Pitt Bulls on the sidelines for a mid-Sunday lunch.

So once again Philly recaptures the trophy for scummiest city in the World…sorry Pyongyang…maybe next year.

Phil Hughes Experiment

The question has benn posed whether he should start or be in the pen. Right now without a question he is more valuable as a set up man. As a starter his ERA was 5.45 Thats a fifth starters number. As a reliever his ERA is 1.1 a dominant reliever.

This isnt saying he will stay in the pen forever but as of know it solidifies the Yanks pen. Halladay, Johan, Haren, Joba, Josh Johnson etc all started out in the bullpen and are have great careers. But hell for an ERA of 5.45 claim Harang off waivers for the Reds or start Gaudin

Holla if you don't give a shit about steroids

I'm going to take a look at the first 10 players listed in the Mitchell Report.

Howie Clark - Career .687 OPS

Chad Allen - Career .710 OPS

Gary Bennett - Career .630 OPS

Mike Bell - Played one season to a .767 OPS

Alex Cabrera - Played one season to a .799 OPS

Mark Carreon - Career .766 OPS

Jason Christiansen - 4.3 career ERA with 5 BB per 9

Kevin Brown - 3.2 career ERA with a 1.2 WHIP

Larry Bigbie - Career .726 OPS

Roger Clemens - no explanation necessary. 

So there's 10 players implicated for performance enchancing drug use. One is a Hall of Famer, one is in the Hall of Very Good, two had decent careers, and six just flat out sucked at baseball.

The rest of the Mitchell Report looks about the same way, except less Hall of Famers per 10 names. For every Clemens, Giambi, Pettitte and David Justice implicated, there are 10 Nook Logan's, Cody McKay's, Daniel Naulty's and Adam Piatt's.

There you have it. Clearly, steroids are the miracle drug. Shoot them in your ass and you're instantly going to hit 40 homers and slug .600. Bonds, Arod, Ortiz... none of 'em were any good. It was all the roids.

Let's make this clear: IF YOU SUCKED TO BEGIN WITH, YOU SUCK WITH THE ADDITION OF STEROIDS.

Some might point to David Ortiz as an exception to this. Yes, Ortiz out of nowhere developed power to turn from a 15 HR per year guy in Minnesota to a 40 HR per year guy in Boston. Because Ortiz has always been an extreme flyball hitter - 1709 fly balls, 1400 ground balls - his steroid use gave him the extra "boost" to power them out. Ortiz started with power. Nook Logan never did. Steroids with Nook Logan did nothing but make him less coordinated and slower. Ortiz conveniently in 2007 fell in line with Bill James' "Live fat, decline young" prediction - probably because of the 2005 banning of Andro - and fell back to around 20 HR per year. Ortiz has always had a good eye, leading to a good OBP, and his steroid use may have helped him turn his patient demeanor into better opportunities for homeruns. Without the skill of a patient eye, the steroids would have done nothing. Like in Nook Logan's case.

Brady Anderson is another ridiculous case of steroid usage affecting a player with skill. He always hovered around a .260 batting average, .350 OBP,  .420 slugging percentage. A decent player. Averaged around 15 homeruns per season. Probably around league average for the mid '90s.

Then came 1996. He used some steroids, improved his batting average to .297, OBP to .396 and slugging to .637. Surprising, sure. Proof of steroids? Nope. Oh wait. He also hit 50 fucking homeruns. He never broke 24 for the rest of his career. Again, had Brady not been a decent player in the first place, steroids would have had no effect. The fact that people use steroids as a trump card for "INSTANT SKILL" like it's a fucking power-up in a videogame is ridiculous.

Enough with the statistical arguments. How about the no one cares argument?

Does ANYONE give a shit? Show of hands? Is anyone less of a fan of baseball because the players roided up? Does anyone think the game is being tarnished and it's no better than the WWE? If you do, I will confidently say that you are retarded. Ok, sure, I'll pretend you actually care for a minute.

It's 1996 and you just broke into AAA Durham. Everyone around you is hulking up like it's nobody's business and you think you're at an unfair advantage because you're the only one not sticking stuff up your ass (unless you're Mike Piazza since he did that for fun). You're being ignored by management and you succumb to the pressure and roid up. Surprise! It didn't help. You still suck. 10 years later the media sees your name on a list of steroid users and they call you a cheat, say you tarnished the game, and ruined history. Sorry, shame on you for trying to level the playing field.

EVERYONE in the '90s was roiding up. Everyone. I wouldn't even be surprised if Griffey was juicing and he's supposed to be the White Knight of the '90s. From the basis alone of "everyone was doing it," how is it any different in the record books from the Dead Ball era, when pitchers doctored the ball routinely and hitters were terrible? 

Remember when ESPN gave a shit about steroids? Remember when they cricified Bonds for it? Even ESPN doesn't care anymore. Even they are over it. And ESPN is the worst thing ever. So please, get over it. And if you don't I'll write another one of these long annoying posts about steroids and nobody wants that.

AFC East

Patriots- they won 11 games last year and missed the playoffs. They added HB Fred Taylor, CB Leigh Bodden, and had multiple draft picks
Strengths- Their entire offense. Brady is back and with the addition of Taylor they are very balanced
Weaknesses- their defense is suspect. Their corners arent that good, Bruschi is getting old and they have unknowns at DE and OLB.
Prediction- They win their division by outscoring teams

Dolphins- they drafted CB Vonta Davis and QB/WR Pat White. They added OL Justin Smiley, Jake Grove, and Brandon Frye, also DB Eric Green and Gibril Wilson
Strengths- their rushing attack is great now with Pat White running the wildcat it should help them more. Also their defense is great and very physical
Weaknesses- their conference is tough and their passing attck isnt great. They lack a true number 1 receiver and Pennington isnt great.
Prediction- the wildcat wont catch teams off guard and they wont supply enough offense to win games. They finish third and miss the playoffs

Bills- they played well last year but faded at the end. They drafted DE Aaron Maybin and added WR Terrell Owens and OL Langston Walker
Strengths- they have a very deep receiving core, Trent Edwards is prime for a big year and they can run the ball.
Weaknesses- They lost their two best linemen and could be rough on the offense. Their secondary and linebackers are inexperienced.
Prediction- They put up a lot of points finish last and miss the playoffs

Jets- they added LB Bart Scott, DB Jim Leonard, DE Marques Douglas, and CB Lito Sheperard. They drafted Mark Sanchez and RB Shonn Greene.
Strengths- their running games is great especially with their o line. Their defense should be great with the help of new head coach
weaknesses- Mark Sanchez is a rookie and lacks big time receivers.
Prediction- they play hard and finish second just missing the playoffs

NFC West

Continuing my breakdown of the divisions I move onto the NFC West

Seahawks- they might have had one of the best offseasons plus they get healthy this year. They signed WR TJ Houshmanzadeh, FB Justin Griffith, DT Colin Cole, and traded for DT Cory Redding. In the draft the got OLB Aaron Curry and OL Max Unger.
Strengths- A brand new season. Last year they were plagued by the injury bug. But now Hasselbeck and others are healthy. WRs are their biggest strength the have Housmanzadeh, Deion Branch, Nate Burleson, and TE John Carlson. They have Jones, Duckett, and Forsett at RB and they have one of the best LB core in football with Curry, Tatupu, and Hill
Weaknesses- their running backs are good but not great. Jones shows potential but is fragile. Maybe duckett and Forsett can take pressure off of him
Prediction- they are the best team in that division if healthy they win it

Cardinals- drafted Beanie Wells in the draft and signed CB Bryant McFadden
Strengths- Offense, offense and offense. Fitz Boldin, Breaston, Hightower, and Wells are nightmares for D Coordinators. Their secondary is great with Rodgers-Cromartie and McFadden at Corner and Rolle and Wilson at safety they are set.
Weaknesses- their front seven are suspect. They were great in the playoffs but a lack of pass rush could hurt them.
Prediction- they finish second but make it as a wildcard

49ers- they signed CB Dre Bly, DE Justin Smith and OT Marvel Smith. They also drafted Michael Crabtree and RB Glen Coffee.
Strengths- Running game. Their O Line is built to punish and with Gore, Coffee, and Robinson they will run the ball down your throat. Their defense is real good under Mike Singletary.
Weaknesses- QB. They have WRs that are good, a great running game, a solid line, and pass catching tight end and a great D but no QB.
Prediction- Singletary plays them hard and they play tough but dont be surprised when they draft a QB next year.

Rams- added steve Spagnuolo as their coach and their young defense should benefit. The drafted LB James Laurinitis, OT Jason Smith and signed FB Mike Karney, C Jason Brown, and S James Butler
Strenghs- Their RBs and O Line. They built their O Line to support the ground attck with S Jax and keep Bulger upright. Their defense is young and DL could created pressure with Long, Carriker, Smith, and Little and Witherspoon coming off the edge.
Weaknesses- LBers and WRs. They have a young group with no number one wideout and aside from Witherspoon there linebackers arent great.
Prediction- its a rough year but Spags keeps them competitive

M-1 is a Leech on MMA - Why Fedor wont fight in the UFC

The article below is the whole reason for writing this little blog. Read it if you want but its long and I note any points that I want to talk about in the blog, and I think my IQ took a dip from reading Jerry Millen douche up the place. He's like Dana White but without anything to back his words up (not even logic).

M-1 Official: UFC Is WWE of MMA

http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/07/31/m-1-official-ufc-is-wwe-of-mma/

(pretty much some bull where M-1 VP Jerry Millen blames Dana White for the Fedor deal falling through and call the UFC greedy, Typical posturing with a lot of fallacious logic)

The Backstory:

Affliction's folding has left the worlds top heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, jobless. So for the past week the UFC, the worlds top MMA promotion, has been trying to sign the fighter. The signing fell through.

Why M-1 and Millen suck:

Why has the deal with Fedor fallen through? One person. One person (well one organization) whom every MMA fan should hate: Jerry Millen. You know the guy that took Pride and ran it straight into the ground. Because M-1, the company that owns Fedor's current contract and the company that Millen represents, is making exorbitant demands for a single fighter.

Basically they want to “co-promote.” Both parties, UFC and M-1, add up the fighters purses the rent on the arena guard and all the other costs of running an event then split the costs down the middle. Then the two parties “[are] willing to take half the profit or half the loss” (Millen).

The profit splitting sounds harmless right? Except that the UFC hasn't lost money on a card since 2004. Its like going up to McDonald's and saying I want to do business with you. I've got this great idea for a new McBurger. You pay for half of your company's operating costs I'll pay the other half. Then in return we'll split the profit. No one would agree to that. McDonald's took a risk just to start a business and now that the cash is coming in in dump trucks I want to take a piece.

For example, if it costs McDonald's $100 to stay in business, and they make a gross profit of $1000 with out the new McBurger. Then the company makes $1000. With me some new guy off the street the starting cost is $50 each. Now say with the new McBurger they rake in $1500. Then McDonald's has to have to split $1500 with me. So $750 each. In other words by splitting McDonald's lost $250.

The UFC – M-1 co-promotion is the same idea as the new burger. M-1 is offering the new fighter but because the UFC is already an established brand the card regardless of whose on it will make huge amounts of money regardless of whether the new expensive fighter is on it or not. So the UFC makes more money without the co-promotion. Bottom line the UFC is a business and it or any business for that matter are not willing to let some upstart ride their coattails, steal their money and damage their reputation. If M-1 wants to join up with the UFC then they should pay at least half of the hundreds of millions in losses that the UFC ate for a decade. Actually more because there is no risk involved and they eventually would make all of that money back.

The real situation is even worse than the McDonald's example. Brock Lesnar's fight against Randy Couture brought in roughly 700k-900k PPV buys, and after his shit talking and antics is worth even more so figure 1million buys (to make the math easy). Fedor's Affliction shows on the other hand only brought in about 100k buys each. So if each buy is $50, then Lesnar is worth $50 million dollars, and Fedor only $5 million. Its like a rival company wanting to split the profits but only make 10 percent of the cash. This of course discount the UFC's marketing ability. With the UFC behind him Fedor could be made into a money making force, especially with his background, but without the UFC Fedor isn't worth shit. In other words Fedor, Millen, and M-1 give almost nothing and take half.

M-1 still wants to co-promote in spite of the fact that they're basically getting free advertising for Fedor, introduction into the largest MMA fan base in the world, and would probably be able to get massive advertising deals from every company promoting the UFC from Budweiser to Tapout. Now throw $2 million dollars a fight on top of that, more money than the UFC pays the entire rest of the card combined. The fact that Dana White even was willing to let Fedor compete in combat sambo (basically MMA in pads and headgear) whenever he wanted just shows how greedy the M-1 is. They say they want to do whats best for the sport but really they just want to huge piles of UFC gold.

Millen also says that they would split any losses. But M-1 has been attached to two company's that have gone under, Bodog and Affliction. Affliction paid Fedor 300k and M-1 the other million when every other big name on the card made a million dollars by themselves. Thats not co promoting thats the some thing boxing promoters do to their fighter: Do none of the work and take most of the money. Its part of what killed boxing and M-1 is trying to do the same in MMA. In other words M-1 used Bodog and Affliction to make some quick cash then bailed when If they are truly willing to split the losses why is M-1 still around? Because there nothing but a group of leeches. When the money's flowing they take it like the greedy bastards they are but when the ship starts sinking they're the first to jump off.

UFC is the WWE of MMA:

Sure UFC is the leading, basically the only, MMA organization around effectively making them the force in the sport like WWE, but honestly who cares. All the best fighters would stay competing and fighting against each other at a high tier of combat. As an added plus, with one MMA organization, MMA wont turn into boxing with 4 world boxing authorities that refuse to unify the heavyweight championship (or any championship) meaning only the best champ and no alienated disenfranchised fans.

To summarize, Millen and M-1 simply want to take money from an established enterprise and in doing so are detrimental to the sport. Without Fedor the UFC can still continue to grow with him they will simply lose money unless M-1 gets much less greedy (which almost certainly ain't happening).

Jerry Millen says that competing organizations is good for MMA, that co-promoting is good for MMA. He's wrong (he's like 0-5 in this paper). A single elite organization was necessary so that MMA doesn't stagnate and end up like boxing.

One final thought:

throughout the article Millen, continually states that the UFC's determination not to accept the deal is a hindrance to the sport and that they should accept the deal. He repeatedly says that the UFC is holding back the sport. But why should the premier power in MMA bend to the will of a tiny organization with only a single chip. The UFC shouldn't. The only people holding up the sport up are M-1 and Millen. If any thing they should let Fedor take his million bucks per fight and then take 10% managers fees like the leeches they are.

Personally I think M-1 will fold in a year or two and Fedor will be forced into the UFC but he's already 32 years old and not getting any younger. Lets just hope that when Fedor finally ends up in the Octogon he still has some juice in the tank.

This has all been my opinion, hope you liked it

- Joe

The Dog Days Race

With the trade deadline past and only two months in the season left Im= am going to make my predictions of AL and NL teams, and awards.

AL East- Yankees: added utilityman Jerry Hairston Jr which gives them a solid back up. They spent too much money to come in second. Sabathia is know for his second halfs and so is Burnett. Joba looks to have found his stride and Hughes is the setup man. Everyone knows they can score runs especially in New Yankee Stadium. Dog Fight til the end but the beat boston by 2 games

AL Central- White Sox: adding Jake Peavy seals it for me I like their staff over the Tigers and maybe over anyone else. They have been scoring runs behind Dye, Thome, Pierzynski, Konerko, and Ramirez. Gordon Beckham the rookie has been great at third and the signing of Scott Posednik might be the best move they did, he is getting on base and producing runs. They win the division handedly.

AL West- Angels: how can you pick againstthem they are 4.5 games up with Vlad and Torii on the DL. Their pitching has struggled early this year but is coming around. They run away with this division once they get healthy. Just proof you need to hold on to your prospcets because Aybar, Izturits, and Morales have been great.

AL Wildcard- Red Sox:their starting pitching is alright their bullpen is great and adding V-Mart and Kotchamn pushes their offense and them in the playoffs with Youk, Pedroia, Bay, and Ellsbury they have a great offense now

Contenders- Rays and Tigers push for a spot but come up short

AL MVP- Mark Texeira. I think Morneau deserves it but since the Twins dont make the playoffs its a disadvantage.
AL Cy Young- Felix Hernandez. Greinke wont get enough wins and Justin Verlander comes up just short
AL R.O.Y- Andrew Bailey. Beckham and Brett Gardner are runner ups

NL East- Phillies: they added Lee and the rotation is great. Ibanez, Howard, Utley, Werth, and even Feliz are raking and J Roll is coming around. Only problem is Lidge is very very very hittable this year. Marlins fight to the end but go down swinging

NL Central- Cardinals: add Holliday, Lugo, and DeRosa to a lineup already with Pujols, Ludwick, Shumacker, and Molina; and you have a very good lineup. Their pitching is good and so is the pen. They are in a division with the Cubs, Astros, and Brewers and should be competitive til the last game.

NL West- Dodgers: great offense, great pitching, and now great pen. Their entire team rakes and ther pitching is fantastic. they win big.

NL Wildcard- Giants: they have great pitching and a great pen. Adding Garko and Sanchez was huge to team with Sandoval, Rowand, Renteria, and Molina. The wildcard race will be crazy but they sqeak in and dont be surprised if the go deep in the playoffs because of their 1-2 punch of Lincecum and Cain

NL MVP- Albert Pujols
NL Cy Young- Tim Lincecum
NL R.O.Y- Tommy Hanson. Colby Rasmus is the runner up

Football vs. Futbol: Does America have room for the World's Pastime...

Jeremiah: So...with the rising glory of American soccer...can America finally accept the world's pastime as one of its own?

Mike:It really depends on how much of a frontrunner America decides to be... and since it's been shown in the Olympics and the World Baseball Classic that we really don't care until we're owning and winning everything... things don't look good.

Jeremiah: But even if we're the best, even if we dominate the world of soccer and wipe the floor with the Brazilians causing Pele to roll over in his grave, Americans will never accept soccer even though it brings together all of the things that Americans love.

Mike:Teamwork, athleticism and hot chicks dressed up in patriotic colors... but that's the thing, how do we know we won't accept the sport? Look at the US team about a month ago. We beat Spain and got to the Confederations Cup final and suddenly people gave a shit about soccer. Think how much bigger that wave of support would have been if we consistently dominated. If we weren't rolling out the MLS All Stars to play against Portugal, which is pretty much the European Continent All Stars, then yeah maybe we'd have a chance and we'd get more than 16 fans per game.

Jeremiah:One word: pride. We Americans are too scared to say we love anything foreign and unfortunately soccer, er, futbol, has been forever labeled a foreign sport. Even though soccer is extremely exciting, fast paced, and full of most things we as Americans love, most of the populace would rather watch toothless rednecks race around an oval 500 times.

Mike:Well that's why we need to put an American brand on it. I'm not saying we should start making it full contact, but if we get some charismatic stars and stop relying on David Beckham to be our Albert Pujols, Americans will take a hold of the sport. It's just a joke that Landon Donovan is our biggest star when the guy's biggest claim to fame is that he's shy, quiet, chokes under pressure, and whines about his team. We tried to market Freddy Adu as the second-coming but that failed too. We're just stuck without a big centerpiece. Find a soccer equivalent of Arod or Pujols and we'll get the casual fan to convert.

Jeremiah:What if we took it a step further? Americans love three things: porn, McDonalds, and spending money. Let's give Steinbrenner the reins to an American Premier League and have him buy up every European star. Hell to buy Liverpool FC it would only cost him 300million pounds. Think of all the corporate sponsors that would take hold of that enterprise. Here's the catch, we have to convince fans of Shaq and Tony Stewart to start rooting for guys like Lionel Messi and Fernando Torres.

Mike's Final Thoughts: First off, I never want Steinbrenner to touch anything else in the world that I enjoy. But I do like the idea that we need to make the MLS a league that players want to come to the States for. Beckham was supposed to be the first, but he ended up being the only one. It’s totally impossible for us to buy guys like Messi or Torres because there’s no way that they leave the top competition in the world for the MLS, but if we get just a FEW decent European stars, the level of play will increase tenfold.So yeah, the first step is to just improve the league. If the MLS shapes up, we can produce better national teams. Better national teams mean less embarrassing losses in the World Cup. Less embarrassing losses obviously means we are no longer the laughing stock of the soccer world. Of course all this is easier said than done. But the point stands true: Americans will take a hold of the sport and embrace it as one of their own as long as we don’t keep playing the role of underdog. We don’t like being the underdog. We like going into competitions as the favorite. The potential for fandom is there, we just need to win.

Jeremiah’s Final Thoughts: So to answer the original question of, Can Americans finally accept soccer in to their lives? No, at least not a for a good while. Should we? Most certainly. Every time I try to sell soccer to a non-futbol lover, I always get the same excuses and in my closing thoughts I’d like to dismiss some of them.

1) “It’s so boring! The scores are like 2-1…in a good game!” First off, how is it even bad that a game is low scoring? I personally love the buildup of 2-1 soccer games or pitching duels where a decisive 8th can make or break a game. But to address it directly, a 21-14 game of football would seem normal when in reality its only 3-2. Just because you get seven points instead of one doesn’t mean a team is scoring any more. Plus, games are only 90 minutes long…with virtually no commercials! (save for halftime) Average baseball games are around two hours if you’re lucky, probably even closer to three hours. Its fast paced, even though its low scoring, the suspense and waiting are what makes matches so spectacular. That being said, I really wish they’d do away with ties outside of pool play.

2) “C’mon, those guys fall down like every other play!” It’s all part of the strategy folks. Unfortunately soccer players don’t get to take a break every down, or even get subbed out every game. That’s right, at least 9 of the 11 players on the field have to play the full ninety minutes non-stop, trying doing that without faking an injury to suck some wind. And besides, if a D-Lineman could get tossed out for jumping offsides, or clipping, don’t you think a meaty O-Lineman would be rolling around on the ground every other down to take rival players off the field?

3) “This is America, I watch Americans play sports!” Oh really? Take a look around the MLB…now the NHL…now even the NBA. Foreigners have found an athletic niche in American Sports and they aren’t leaving anytime soon. If they played American style Football overseas we’d see crazy Slavs, Mc’s, and Aussies turning their rugby skills into Linebacker phenoms.

One last thing, 5.5 million people tuned in for the NASCAR Spring Cup: Lenox Industrial Tools 500 last month…I never want to hear again that soccer is too boring for us.

The Pirates are upset at their firesale... thankfully they don't make the decisions

"It's funny, but Nyjer and I knew this was going to happen," Sean Burnett said last night from Milwaukee, shortly after hearing that the Pirates continued their trading binge by sending away John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny. "They're the laughingstock of baseball right now. They've gotten rid of everybody. They won't keep anybody around. Some of the guys here, they don't understand it, but Nyjer and I knew this was coming."

LaRoche complained a few weeks before he was traded. Some other scrub whined too.

And you know, I totally agree. Why are the Pirates selling so many essential pieces of their franchise? Why is this perennial 96-win team in the middle of a firesale? Why are they trading such superstars as Nyjer Morgan and Adam LaRoche for prospects for the future?

OH WAIT. THEY AREN'T BECAUSE THE PIRATES ARE FUCKING TERRIBLE. 

Maybe if they were better than 5th place in the worst fucking division in baseball I would understand the players' concerns. But they aren't better than 5th. They're awful. And the players they had clearly weren't working out.

I'm sorry, Sean Brunett (by the way - who the fuck are you, you scrub?). I'm sorry that you and your buddies who were bad at baseball were traded away for players who have the potential to be much better than you at baseball. It's almost like... you don't understand how trades are supposed to work.

Here's how the Pirates are shaping up:

2011 Pirates
C Jorge Sanchez
1B Jeff Clement/Steve Pearce
2B Argenis Diaz
SS Miguel Angel Sano (maybe? they're the frontrunners)
3B Pedro Alvarez
LF Lastings Milledge
CF Andrew McCutchen
RF Jose Tabata
Bench Gorkys Hernandez
SP Paul Maholm
SP Zach Duke
SP Timmy Alderson

Add in the fact that they're going to get at least two top-3 picks in the draft, with a shot at high-school phenom Bryce Harper? Yeah, they're gonna be good.

No matter how you slice it, if those players live up to even 75% of their potential, that's a team that can win the NL Central (assuming Albert Pujols doesn't hit 120 homeruns that season - which is totally possible).

Now a lot of people are going to slam them for not keeping their all-stars like Jason Bay or Nate McLouth. When it's clear that those two players would not have carried them to the postseason in 2009 or even 2010, it would be foolish to keep them when they know they're not helping out the overall plan. Especially knowing that in a few short months they'd demand way more money than Pittsburgh has. So they did what was right and they traded them for a piece of 2011. In the Bay trade, at least, they didn't get a great return, though. But that's baseball - some trades are winners, some are losers.

If the Pirates don't contend in two years, I'll be totally prepared to eat my words - and all the little bitches on their team whining - but until then, let's look at what they did at the deadline for what it really was - a complete overhaul of the system.

Trade Deadline

Many deals went done. Peavy is on the White Sox again. Victor Martinez is a Red Sox along with Kotchman. Orlando Cabrera is a twin. Washburn a Tiger and relievers went team from team.
Winner
Red Sox- when they aquired Adam LaRoche no one batted an eye but after swapping him for a potential Gold Glover in Casey Kotchman its a good trade. Kotchman hasnt developed the power he was once considered to have but he brings a sure glove and a nice steady stroke. His HRs should increase with Peskys pole and should be a doubles machine. Also getting V Martinez for mid level prospects is great.

Mariners- they added Jack Wilson and Ian Snell for former first round pick Jeff Clement and B prospects. Wilson solidifies SS and Snell is a potential star if he figures his control out. They traded Jarred Washburn to the Tigers for LHPs Luke French and Mauricio Robles. Both are young pitchers with extreme potential and Washburn is in his final year of his contract and playing above his head

White Sox- add Peavy to a rotation with Buerhle, Danks, Floyd, and Contreras.

Padres- unload a large contract for two future front line Pitchers in Clay Richards and Aaron Poreda along with two other b prospects.

Indians- unloaded probably two of there better players in Lee and Martinez but landed about a dozens prospects in return. C Lou Marson should be there starter next year along with SS John Donald, and RHP Carlos Carrasco who they got in the Lee deal. The received hard sinker baller Justin Masterson and two other pitchers. They freed up a lot of money two and could be active this offseason

Orioles- they already have a young team with a stacked young outfielder and good pitchers in their system. they traded George Sherril for top 3b prospect Josh Bell and also received RHP Steve Johnson.

Giants- they have the best starters ERA and needed more offense and added it with Freddy Sanchez and Ryan Garko while keeping their top prospects.

Losers
Rays- needed to add another bat but got beat to the punch by Boston

Reds- WTF were they thinking. They basically dump Jerry Hairston to the Yanks. Dont get rid of Arroyos huge contract then trade one of the best young players Edwin Encarnacian for aging 3B Scott Rolen. They have no idea what their doing.

Dodgers- sure they got a good lefty for there bullpen but gave up their top infield prospect in the process

Pirates- Wilson, Sanchez, LaRoche, Snell, Grabow, etc. They traded basically their entire startering lineup from opening day. They received some good players but most are gambles still in A or AA.

Tigers- gave up two top prospects for a pitcher in his final year and playing completely over his head

Recent trades

Phillies- add Cliff Lee w/o giving up any of their 3 top prospects. Still could add Halladay though unlikely but that would be scary. They would control both contracts beyond this year and could trade Meyers for a prospect to clear up money and let one of them walk after next year and re-coup some draft picks.

Mariners- traded Jeff Clement. Ronny Cedeno and three mid level pitchers for Jack Wilson and Ian Snell. Jack Wilson is very good and very underrated plus he has an option for next year at 8 mill and Ian Snell was the Pirates best pitcher a few years ago and at 25 is still very young. He struggled earlier but a change of scenery is just what he needs. They are on the verge of contending but this trade also helps then for next season.

Trading Needs

Yankees- need bullpen help and a fifth starter. Reds, Pirates, and D-Backs are all teams in play. Reds would love to unload Arroyos large contract but would have to throw in Weathers or another reliever.

Red Sox- always looking for offense but unwilling to part with top prospects like the Yankees. Dont really see them landing anyone unless Pads come lower for Adrian Gonzalez.

Rays- more likely sellers than buyers but Kazmirs velocity has dropped and teams dont wanna eat his contract.

Tigers- unless they move Ordonez they wont take on salary.

Twins- really need a second basemen and Freddy Sanchez is a perfect fit.

White Sox- Pitching, they have a ton of young pitching and surprised they havent got in the Halladay sweepstakes. Could be satisfied with Poreda and Richards.

Angels- they love pitching but dont want to sell the farm for Halladay or Lee. Washburn wont go in division. Zach Duke and Ian Snell are interesting choices and might come relatively cheap. Kazmir is another option but dont want to take on his salary.

Rangers- have inquired about Halladay but nothing more. V-Mart would be a great fit for them even only as a rental.

Mariners- with Bedard on the DL the white flag is up. Washburn, Branyan, Silva, and Batista are all up for grabs

Phillies- Halladay is their guy and its a starring contest with the Jays. They blink on the 31st and give the Jays Dominic Brown, Kyle Drabek, and they get Halladay

Braves- added McLouth earlier in the year and have fielded offers on Escobar. Think he will stay put as will the Braves.

Marlins- Ross and Uggla are names that have been mentioned look to SF to give them a good offer

Cubs- spent a lot of money cant see them adding more

St. Louis- added DeRosa and Holliday, they stay put.

Houston- dont see them really adding though they could use another arm.

Brewers- They will be gunshy unless they can control him beyond this year. Lee or Halladay though they might not want to meet the criteria.

Reds- sellers Arroyo, Harang, and Cordero are available for the right price

Dodgers- could make a push for Kazmir though they havent even talked.

Giants- need a bat at second base. Uggla, Sanchez are possibilities.

Rockies- added Betancourt but want another. Qualls and Sherril are possibilities.

One Week from the Trade Deadline

The big names are known - Hallday, Cliff Lee, and Victor Martinez - so I'll look at some of the smaller names being thrown around.

Scott Kazmir - It seems like the Rays have half given up on Kaz. Somewhere along the road, his injuries caught up with him and it's not looking like it's going to be easy to get back to those 2006 numbers. It's a shame, because he still has absolutely filthy stuff, but his velocity has slowly lowered and his control has gotten worse every year. Blame it on injuries, blame it on 4 different pitching coaches in his young career, blame it on whatever, Kaz may need just a change of scenery. The only problem is... he was offered a pretty substantial contract by TB last year. If the Rays trade him - and the Angels are checking him out as an option - it won't be for much except a contract dump. Don't expect a big return. It would merely be to free up space for another move.

Erik Bedard - Bedard is really, really good and really, really underrated. Seattle is begging for a shorstop to last them for a long time. I've seen it thrown around a ton, and still see it as the only perfect trade fit in the Majors this year: Reid Brignac + a B-level prospect for Bedard. The Rays are being killed by inconsistent starting pitching. If a Kazmir deal gets done, especially, Bedard would be even more of a perfect fit. Brignac hasn't done much at the Major League level but he has consistently torn up the minors and is still the top shortstop prospect in the Majors. He's young, cheap, and great defensively, and Seattle would love to have that position stabilized for the next 5+ years.

Nick Johnson - The only real name anyone's hearing attached to Johnson's name is Boston. Then again, they did just acquire LaRoche, so maybe this deal is dead in the water. On the other hand, LaRoche sucks, Lowell is not a great option right now and won't exactly improve as time goes on. Johnson happens to play the worst first base in the majors, but I think Boston won't mind the defensive hit when he's putting up a line of .302/.412/.417. That frees them up to move Youk to third, split Ortiz and Lowell at DH, sub in Lowell whenever Youk or Johnson needs an off day. Seems like a no brainer for Boston, especially for a team as desparate for offensive help as they are. Asking price may be a little steep though considering he's one of like 7 good players Washington owns.

Jarrod Washburn - The funny thing about Washburn is that he hasn't really improved at all so some team is going to get totally fleeced by Seattle and take a flyer on this guy. He's playing behind an amazing OF defense for the first time in his career. He's also 35, playing in his 12th season, and all of a sudden having a career year... strike anyone else as a little odd? He's getting extremely lucky this year and if someone wants to throw the bank at him and hope his luck continues, go for it. Seattle has made some terrible trades in the past few years but this one could go their way.

Marco Scutaro - Typical Billy Beane prospect. Finally given a chance to start and he's done nothing but show off a ridiculous OBP and pretty decent power numbers. The Blue Jays are obviously sellers and a team like Seattle or Boston could bite on this, although the Jays will be hesitant to trade in-division.

New Holiday in St. Louis

After adding Mark DeRosa a few weeks back it filled there vacany at 3B and essentially blocked 3B prospect Bret Wallace. Well earlier today he along with with two other prospects were used to aquire Matt Holiday from the A's.

This is a win for the Cards who now have protection for Pujols with Holliday and takes the pressure off Ryan Ludwick who came be moved down and see more fastballs. Not only support for Albert but OF depth in whick they can platoon Duncan, Ankiel, and Rasmus. They have gone from division contenders to World Series contenders

Holliday has seen his numbers decline this year and many think he was a Coors field product. This is falsr, recently he has been on a tear and is now batting .286 with 11 homers and 52 RBIs playing in the planet of a field in Oakland. Him going back to the National League and a smaller field should boost his numbers

The Legend that was Kimbo

Nothing but time has passed as his so called fifteen minutes of fame began to dim. It wsa the jab heard round the world. The pink haired guy Seth Petruzzeli TKO'd Kimbo and his legend.

We thought he dissappeared and went back to whatever he did before, sell rocks, fight at BBQs, be a body guard on pornsites. Turns out he never gave up on his dream. Training underBas Rutten this team is nothing but a benefit. He started his MMA career in the limelight and now he reappears there but on a reality show. He is on this season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Now he got dropped by Seth but he spent months training for a fight vs Ken Shamrock. Training submission defense and de-humanizing his opponent. The day of the fight he is told Shamrock wont be able to fight your fighting Petrezzeli, a majority unknown fighter once in the UFC who was hungry and nothing to lose.

NL Central

This division is going to be a dog fight until the end with the Brewers, Cards, Stros, Cubs, and Reds all within 6 games

Reds- in there ballpark they can score runs and there offense puts up runs with there young team. Votto, Phillips, Bruce, and Encarnation have been putting up runs. Edwin was down most of the year but is back on a tear just as Bruce goes down. Injuries have hit them hard but Hanigan Harnish, Rosales, Nix, and Gomes have helped keep them a float. If they can stay close and get healthy they could make a run

Starting pitching is above average for a team that plays in a fan box for a ball park. Cueto and Harang are good pitchers and Arroyo could find his old form. Volquez will be back and help stablilize the rotation.

Bullpen is amazing and the strongest part of the team Weathers has the highest ERA and its 3.16

Offense- B
Starters- C+
Bullpen- A+

Cubs- if you look up inconsistency in the dictionary you see them. Soriano, Bradley, Fontenot, and Soto have been dissapointing. Ramirez and Lee are the big pop and Theriot is the spark plug. Soriano is bound to heat up and Bradley is getting hot the offense can come around Hoffpaur and Fox are helping turn it around

Starters have been good despite injuries to Harden and Dempster. Big Z and Lilly are the stabilizers. Randy Wells and Kevin Hart are surprises and Harden is due to come around.

Bullpen is doing good but has its downs too. Guzman, Marshall, Gregg, and Marmol have been good but Heilman, and Samardija have struggled
Offense- B
Starters- A-
Bullpen- B+

Astros- usually the make a run late but this year they started early. Berkman has gotten hot to pair with the rejuvenated Tejada, Carlos Lee, Pence, and Bourn

Starters- they have Oswalt and Wandy Rodriquez but aside them they are average

Bullpen- there bullpen is strong with Arias, Hawkins, and Valverde along with lefty Byrdak

Offense: A
Starters: C+
Bullpen: A

Brewers- offensively they put up runs with Braun, Fielder, Hart, McGehee, and Cameron. Even with Hardy and Hall having down years and Weeks out for the year they put up runs.

Starters- aside from Gallardo they are woeful
Bullpen-Aside from Villanueva there bullpen has been great and Hoffman has drunk from the fountain of youth

Offense: B+
Starters: C-
Bullpen: A-

Cardinals- Albert Pujols. Enough said. Ludwick, Molina, and Shumacher are the only other players hitting and when Albert starts getting walked they could be in trouble

Starter- Tony LaRussa always finds a way to put starters together. Pinerio, Wainwright, and Carpenter have been dominant.

Bullpen-Franklin has been lights out and Miller and McClellan

Offense: B
Starters: A-
Bullpen: B-


Prediction: I think the Astros take the division by one game

NFL Sack NFC South

This seems to always be a very competetive division and I see the same thing again this year

Panthers- they added LB Landon Johnson and drafted DE Everrette Brown to pair with Peppers
Strenghths- there rushing attck is lethal and they play great D and of course Steve Smith
Weaknesses- Other WR production, someone needs to step up to take the pressure of Steve Smith and also need to be consistent
Prediction- they win the division

Saints- they added DT Rod Coleman, FS Darren Sharper, CB Leigh Torrence, and FB Heath Evans. They drafted DB Macolm Jenkins to help ther secondary but lost HB Deuce McAllister
Strengths- Offense especially passing. Pierre Thomas should fill in for Deuce nicely and Brees will light up Defenses. There front seven are strong and DC Gregg Williams should be heavy blitzes to cover the hole sin the secondary
Weaknesses- Secondary, while they added a lot of help Sharper is getting old Jenkins is a rookie but hopefully Gregg Williams doesnt give opposing QBs time to throw
Prediction- after battling throughout the year and beating up on their own division they finish 9-7 looking outside of the playoffs

Falcons- they lost LB Boley and Brooking, CB Dominique Foxworth, and SS Lawyer Milloy. They did add TE Tony Gonzalez, LBs Stephen Nicholas and Mike Peterson and drafted DT Peria Jerry and S William Moore.
Strengths- their offense is there strength with RBs Turner and Norwood and Pass catchers White, Jenkins, and Gonzalez. John Abraham wreaks havoc on QBs
Weaknesses- they lost a lot of pieces of that D and dont have a DE to compliment Abraham
Prediction- they play hard and tough but finish third in the division

Bucs- they decided to build from the ground up the cut vets like Gallaway, Brooks, Kelly, and Carter. With the most cap room they didnt do to much to improve. They added QB Byron Leftwhich, RB Derrick Ward (both who were products of good teams with good O-Lines), TE Kellen Winslow, and LB Angelo Crowell. They drafted Josh Freeman? to go with there 12 other QBs and have decided to move Jermaine Phillips to LB.
Strengths- their offense as long as the line holds up and there Defense is still in ok shape
Weaknesses- they lost a lot of veteran leadership drafted Freeman way to early have more QBs than any other team and need another pass rusher. We will also see how the Phillips experiment works
Prediction- Last

the KO on MMA

UFC has some big bouts coming up Lightweight and Light Heavy weight titles along with the Spider returng to the LHW division.

Lyoto Machida is the most elusive fighter in MMA right now. He avoids damage throws combos and gets outta trouble. You cant take him down yet he will take you down. He is the cream of the crop and want to see him vs Rampage even though Rampage will get knocked out

BJ Penn had a very bad lose to GSP but I believe he will bouce back and beat Kenny Florian. Penn is stronger and I think has better BJJ.

Speaking of GSP I thought Thiago Alves would KO him but Georges is in the Silva, Machida, and Lesnar category. I dont see them losing. Though I do see Alves getting a rematch next year and Anthony Rumble Johnson getting a title shot at the end of the year or early next year. He is a wrestling and has scary standup should be a fun fight

Now one of my favorite fights of the year is coming up when Forrest Griffin takes on Anderson the Spider Silva. Forrest has that brawler mentality and the heart like no other but he has gotten smarter as a fighter and I think he has a shot at beating Silva. Griffin can take an ass whoopin and like Anderson Silva is huge. This is going to be an absolute slug fest. I think Griffin loses by split decision even though im puliing for him. I think he can very well press the fight and deliver damage and as long as he doesnt slip up can out point the Spider

Now as far as Silva goes he says he wont fight Machida cuz they are friends but these too are on a path to do so. Also GSP vs Silva is another fight on the Horizon if he beats both he is the best fighter in the history of MMA

Halladay or Holliday

Who would you rather have a middle of the order bat or or an ace pitcher. Well Halladay is dominant so probably him but Holliday is having trouble in Oaklands huge ass park.

Halladay- I cant see him staying with them. The Jays are probably going to trade Rios to the Giants. A reliable source has told me that the Yanks and Jays are in heated discussions. Allegedly it involves Halladay and Vernon Wells for Melky Cabrera, top prospects OFAustin Jackson and C Jesus Montero. The hang up is the Jays want Joba or Hughes and the Yanks would budge they are offering RHP Andrew Brackman and or RHP Alan Horne. Another hang up is Wells is due 63 million dollars over the next 4 years I believe? and the Yanks want the Jays to pay half his contract I believe the Yanks will eat the cash cuz they always do but it all depends if they Jays will take the two prospects instead of Hughes or Chamberlain. The Angels, Phillies, and Dodgers are all involved and dont be surprised if both Sox get involved to at least raise the price

Holliday- his numbers have decreased significantly cuz he went from Coors to Oakland understandable but Billy Beane wants three prospects and two being top tier. Most likely Holliday stays put is not offered arbitration and signs else where. In case you dont know according to the the players rules if he signs before Jan 12th you get a compensation pick and two sometimes. Beane loves draft picks and will most likely stay

A little rebuttle to AL East

This is a great division the O's are young and have talent swarming, the Blue Jays are tough and hanging around an the Sox, Yanks, and Rays are battling for essentially two playoff spots. Unlike my colleague Mike I know bullpens and closers and probably the most important thing to have especially down the stretch and in the playoffs. Ask the Mets recently, or the Braves in the 90's. Or the Angels when K-Rod exploded on the scene.

Yankees
Offense- they are putting up runs despite A-Rods injury and slump and Texs slow start. If you think A-Rod will struggle all year you are retarded and Texeira is known for his second halfs. Cano is stroking and is also a second half player and with New Yankees Stadium the new Coors Field they will lead the league in runs. Gardner is a burner and was a top prospect in their farm and expect him to continue to hit. While Swisher has come back to Earth he is a good locker room guy. And of course Jeter will hit and hit

Starters- Despite early struggles Burnett and Sabathia are looking like the money the were paid. CC is known for being lights out after the All Star break ask the Brewers and Burnett isnt so bad himself look throughout his career. Joba is finally pitching Longer and with his velocity despite idiots aying he lost it. No you cant throw 100 mph for 7 innings. Pettite is a work horse and Mitre is called up to take the fifth spot

Bullpen- Hughes and Aceves have been great outta the pen and will continue to be used as set up. Coke is serviceable for a lefty and the rest is awful/

Offense- A+
Pitching- A-
Bullpen- C+ (only cuz of Mo)
Prediction Win AL Beast with a strong second half
Red Sox
Offensively Youk, Ellsbury, Bay, and Pedroia are carry them. Aside from them they are old and injury prone wouldnt be surprised if they shake it up before the deadline

Starting Pitching is there good and extremely deep. Beckett and Lester lead the way Buchholtz is back in the Bigs. Wakefield has the knuckler and Penny and Smoltz. Dice K is on the DL too

Bullpen-there Bullpen might be the best in the bigs maybe behind the Dodgers. Bard, Delcarmen, Ramirez, Papelbon all have ERAs under 2.5, get strikeouts and throw gas. Okajima get out lefties and Masterson is a decent long reliever

Offense- B-
Starters- A-
Bullpen A+
Prediction- they win the wild card barely over the Rays

Rays
Offensively they hang with the best. Zobrist is playing over his head and will come down but Upton will get hot to pick up. Bartlett is a career .285 hitter and he will drop off offensively but provides a solid glove to make up for it. Longoria ,Crawford, and Pena are there studs and need to carry them

Starting Pitching is there strength good and young. Garza, Shields, and Nieman have ERAs under four. Kazmir has too much talent to struggle all year and Price is going through growing pains which all young pitchers do (except Lincecum)

Bullpen is mediocre. Howell is great and Cormier has been a surprise but aside from them they are woeful. Sure Randy Choate has a good ERA and has been pitching well but he only has thrown 14 innings. Wheeler is above average but Nelson, Balfour, and Bradford are not impressive

Offense- A-
Starters- A+
Bullpen- C
prediction unless they add a Matt Capps or another good reliever I think alot of quality starts get wasted with blown saves. They keep it close but are the odd team out

Keys to the AL East

Since it's pretty much the only interesting division in baseball right now (besides the NL and AL Central where all the teams are terrible), the AL East has 3 contenders and probably 3 of the best 4 teams in baseball. Unfortunately only two of those three teams are going to make it to the postseason. 

At the unofficial midseason, here's what Boston, Tampa Bay and New York need to do to finish it out.

Tampa Bay:

The good news for the Rays is that they can only get better. They've played well under their potential and they've been hurt by inconsistent starting pitching by Kazmir, Price and Sonnanstine. Jeff Niemann has stepped in to become one of the best #5 starters in the game, however, and Sonnanstine has been demoted, and Kazmir has regained his form, if his last 3 starts are any indication. Price's problems are the same that have plagued Kaz the past two years, though, and as long as he can find a balance between "walk everyone on the team" and "put the ball right down the middle," he should be fine: his stuff is too good to fall into obscurity.

Huge years by Ben Zobrist, Carl Crawford, Jason Bartlett and Evan Longoria have bailed out the team's inconsistent pitching. They have the best run differential in the majors, the best OBP, and by far the best baserunning team. The bullpen is also extremely solid and one of the best in baseball. Bullpen ace JP Howell has proven to be a top 5 reliever in the game and anyone who believes that a closer is necessary for a quality bullpen just needs to look at the Rays to see how wrong they are. Lance Cormier has been the biggest surprise and is probably the best middle/long reliever in the game, assuming Phil Hughes stays in the bullpen.

Offense: A-

Starting pitching: C

Bullpen: A

New York:

The Yanks seemed to be destined for another 3rd place year had they not seen huge offensive turnarounds on a few fronts. Most critics, along with myself, didn't see much reason for the huge offseason haul of CC and Burnett if they weren't going to do much to fill the gaps in the lineup, but Derek Jeter and Jonny Damon have somehow pulled together great years and shown power that the lineup was severely lacking. Brett Gardner has been a surprise too but management is still obsessed with Melky Cabrera and won't consistently start the clearly superior Gardner. A-rod is slumping, but that's not really that surprising. He's aging, and guys his size don't usually "age well" in baseball. Kinda making that huge contract extension look a little dumb, if he doesn't rebound.

The starting pitching has been about what we expected. Joba struggles every once in a while and a bunch of retards yell about how he should go back to the bullpen. Wang started the season with the worst 3 starts in baseball history but probably has regressed back to the norm a bit. CC and Burnett aren't exactly living up to their huge price tags but they're still solid enough to never be worth complaining about. Bullpen is the real low point with NYY, and Bruney was supposed to come back from the DL and be the savior but he's pretty much shown that he's 2007 Bruney and not 2008 Bruney. Mo is one of the only sure things in the pen but Hughes, again, as long as he stays there, is about as solid as they come.

Offense: A-

Starting pitching: A

Bullpen: C

Boston:

I say this not only because I hate the Red Sox more than I hate Nazis or rapists or Twilight; I say this because I genuinely believe it: the Sox are dead in the water unless they get younger fast. Mike Lowell has been a disappointment this year at the plate, but his defense has deteriorated into nothing. David Ortiz may have come along lately but you can't ignore his lengthy slump to start the season and his overall decline which will inevitably continue as the big guy ages. Jason Bay's defense is awful, JD Drew is another guy who's only going to get older and worse, and Jason Varitek is probably in his last season and the Sox have no replacements. 

So, after all that, they're somehow in first place still. A great bullpen is one of the main reasons. Extremely solid pitching by Beckett and Lester, Wakefield getting lucky every time he goes out there, and of the best top-of-the-orders in the game with Pedroia, Bay, and Drew. It's just hard for me to see the Sox staying that way throughout the rest of the season. There has to be some offensive regression somewhere, and I fail to see how Wakefield can get the 2008 Andy Sonnanstine treatment and continue to get 6 runs of support per game. Of the 3 AL East teams, I can't REALISTICALLY see the Sox remaining on top - especially with something like 24 games left against NYY and TBA - but somehow, they'll probably stick it out and stay in first, because Boston always seems to find a way.

Offense: B

Starting Pitching: A

Bullpen: A

Defense Aside from Jacoby Ellsbury: F- 

In the end, I can see any combination of finishes understandably. Peter Gammons thinks the Rays are going to win it by 5 games. PECOTA sees the Sox staying put at the top. As much as I hate to believe it, I think Boston does win the division, and the Wild Card will probably be decided by as little as a game or a half. It may sound like a homer pick, but I don't think the Rays finish 3rd. They've got too much talent to continue playing subpar baseball. And it's weird to say that they're playing subpar considering they're one of the 4 best teams in baseball - it's just they have the potential to be SO good, that we expect so much more.

Time to watch the best division in all of sports play out through the dog days.

-Mike

You Know What Really Chaps My Ass...?

You know what really Chaps My Ass…”New Rays Fans”, where do you get off?. First off, let me start by saying a few things. Number one, I love that the Rays are decent now, and get respect and all that jazz. B) Those of you who know me, are probably wondering why my first hack wasn’t at Sox “fans” and the reason is I’m saving them for a rainy day and taking my shots at the Rays bandwagon right now. And three, screw ESPN for joining bandwagoners on every flavor-of-the-week team. Ok, so here it is, what chaps my ass is how these “Rays Fans” get up in my face and talk smack about how they were great last year. It’s not even that though, I can take a tongue lashing with the best of them, but these sellouts were the same people getting in my face two years ago when Boston went on a rampage. I remember sitting in my dorm freshman year, getting texts from so called “Boston Fans”, rubbing it in my face when they won the World Series, then the next year I have to take the same beating again only now this time they’re sporting blue jerseys. Listen, if you’re going to hop on a wagon and ride it all the way until October, then at least have the decency, nay the BALLS to stay on it for the long haul. The term “bandwagon” or “fair-weather” doesn’t even apply to these people. Instead, I’m going to call them “Trophy-Whores”. Now don’t get me wrong, I understand that most team’s fan bases started off when they did well, or had an amazing run…but to switch teams after one season??? Here’s the other thing that really chaps my ass about these N.R.F.’s, most of them pull for either both the Yanks and the Rays or the Sox and the Rays. People, you CANNOT, I repeat, CANNOT pull for two teams in the same division…it is just bad sportsmanship! How can you claim to be fans of both squads when they are both in contention for the division? Pick a team, and stick with them through thick and thin. To round this out, I want to send my love for the old school Rays fans out there. The one’s who still call them the DEVIL Rays, who remember the Trop BEFORE the Stingray Tank, who can whip out the Purp’ & Black uni’s and hats and little league T-Shirts. To those people I tip my hat, you went through hell for ten years, and now you have to deal with the Boston fans of yesteryear and for that I salute you. To the rest of you…go watch a sport no one cares about…like curling, or hockey.

Da NFL Sack

First i havent addressed Steve McNair he was a great man with a huge heart and a warrior on the field. R.I.P Air McNair. Another issue is let Vick play. He paid his dues. But now ill continue with my countdown of NFL teams
NFC North
Vikings- they added Sage Rosenfels and drafted Percy Harvin. Both are quality additions
Strengths- no question the running game with the massive bohemeths o linemen and there runstopping defense.
Weaknesses- their LBs are liabilties in coverage and they have a QB carousel. Jackson is inconsistent. Rosenfels is serviceable and should start and then theres that Favre guy whos dicking them around
Prediction- With or without Favre they wont win the division but finish in second and probably miss the playoffs

Packers- they had a great draft adding huge DT BJ Raji and Hard Hitting LB Clay Mathews. The are switching to the 3-4 with Kampman at OLB which should wreck havoc on QBs
Strengths- their WRs are young talented and endless. The have as great offense that will score points and there D is much improved.
Weaknesses- they are switching defensive schemes which will have some growing pains and Ryan Grant needs to stay heathy because RB is thin
Prediction- they win the division after a slow start to there season

Bears- they made a great trade for Jay Cutler and signed LT Orlando Pace to protect him.
Strengths- Jay Cutler, Matt Forte, and their Defense
Weaknesses- No WRs, they needed to sign a vet or trade for Edwards or Marshall. Also they have young average safties.
Prediction- they are competetive but lack of WRs hurts them and puts them in 3rd

Lions- hey it cant get worse then last year. Had a very good offseason they added three wideouts Bryant Johnson, Ronald Curry, and Dennis Northcutt. Trade for Julian Peterson and signed Larry Foote. Signed DTs Chuck Darby and Grady Jackson and CBs Anthony Henry and Phil Buchanon. They drafted QB Mathew Stafford and TE Brandon Pettigrew
Strengths- they cant be worse than last year and added a lot of offense and defense
Weaknesses- young QB or Daunte? and didnt improve there god awful pass rush or o line
Prediction- last place but hey they win a few games

NFL Sack

Now there has been a lot of criticizism over the Terrel Suggs contract 6 yrs/63 mill 33 mill guaranteed. It makes him the highest paid LB. But let me tell you something he has been getting after the QB his whole career and as the Giants showed you can win a SB that way. Now Matt Cassel got the same deal just less guaranteed money. Cassel had one year that was above average wth a team stacked with weapons now this is a dumb move. Look how Matt Schaub turned out in Houston.
Now all these sites have been breaking down team by team so Ill take a crack but Ill do it Division by division. Ill start with the NFC East
Eagles- They added two tackles in Stacy Andrews and Jason Peters. They drafted Cornelius Ingram TE, LeShon McCoy RB, and speedster Jeremy Maclin.
Strengths- they improved th O-Line and added WR depth and RB depth
Weaknesses- they lost heart and sould of their D Brian Dawkins FS. We will see who leads there D this seasson
Prediction- I think they finish second as long as Westbrook can play in at least 12 games. And make the wild card


Giants- They went Defensive in free agency adding LB Michael Boley, DTs Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard, and SS CC Brown. They drafted WRs Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden who are going to try and replace Plaxico. LB Clint Singram, OT William Beatty, and H-Back Travis Beckum

Strengths- Obviously there D particularly there pass rush. Osi is back with Tuck, Kiwanuaka, Robbins, Canty, Cofield, and Bernard. Along with there rushing attack and O Line. Jacobs is back along with WIND Ahmad Bradshaw, and a player primed for a break out Danny Ware
Weaknesses- WRs no doubt. They have a very young core and the need to produce. They lost Derrick Ward but he was a product of their O Line
Prediction- they win the division because of their pass rush and rushing attack

Cowboys- they added DE Igor Ovshansky, SS Gerald Sensabaugh, and LB Keith Brooking
Strengths-Rushing attack with a healthy Felix Jones and Marion Barber. Also there defense is strong and Romos improve
Weaknesses- Romos improvisation can lead to big plays and also big mistakes. Losing T.O is big even though hes a distraction the man can play and losing SS Roy Williams hurts the run defense
Prediction- they finish third unless Westbrook misses a lot of time

Redskins- Of course you know they added Big Al Haynesworth, they drafted DE/OLB Brian Orakpo
Strengths- they have a fearsome defense that will not give up many points and Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts with run the ball down your throat
Weaknesses- probably the most important position QB Jason Campbell. He is inconsistent and will be the achilles heel of the team
Prediction-they finish last but stay competitive

The All Star Game

It was a great game and pretty quick. Had it not been for Carl Crawford robbing Hawpes homer Paplebon would be the goat. Nathan and Mo are lights out so when it got to the later innings it didnt bode well for the NL.

Dont see what the fuss is about Charlie Manuel having Bell intentionally walk Victor Martinez. As Herm Edwards say "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME" set up the DP get out of the inning. It didnt work but its the logical thing to do.

Personally i would have liked to see Greinke start just so we had to 25 year old pitchers starting. Would have Been like in the ASG 87 when Gooden 21, face Clemens 24

Things about the All Star Break that ESPN has said to piss me off

1. On Joe Maddon's decision to pick Halladay as the starter:

"No question it's Halladay. Some would argue that you could pick Beckett or Wakefield, but Halladay is the easily the correct answer."

2.85 ERA 1.098 WHIP .7 HR/9 106 K 16 BB 3 CG

4.31 ERA 1.380 WHIP .7 HR/9 61 K 31 BB 2 CG

3.35 ERA 1.149 WHIP .7 HR/9 110 K 35 BB 2 CG

2.12 ERA 1.076 WHIP .3 HR/9 129 K 21 BB 5 CG

One of these is Zack Grienke. Hint: It's not the one with the 4.31 ERA who is only getting the All-Star nod because he wears a Boston uniform. He's actually the one with the 2.12 ERA and the best numbers in the league in pretty much everything.

Listen, there's nothing WRONG with the Halladay selection. It's just the All Star Game and it's not a big deal, even though Grienke is pretty clearly the best pitcher. But for ESPN to completely snub him in favor of two Boston pitchers - one who shouldn't be allowed within 20 miles of the fucking game - is about as dumb as the next thing I'm about to talk about.

2. "At the end of the game, you've got Nathan, Rivera and Papelbon? Those guys are unhittable!"

Ok, I get it that we're supposed to believe that the closer is supposed to be this enigma who can't be touched and no one will ever score off of. But I think Brad Lidge should have blown the cover off that ridiculous mindset this year. 

Papelbon is, however, in the middle of his worst year ever and is quite hittable. His walks are WAY up, his homerun rate is up, and he's on his way to let up more than double the hits he usually does. But yeah, he's unhittable, sure, ok ESPN.

Mariano and Nathan are doing awesome though so it would have been a pretty legit statement had they not done the usual Boston pandering and added in Papelbon's name.

3. "With Pedroia out, Aaron Hill is the only second baseman on the roster and will have to play the whole game."

Hello, ESPN, let me introduce you to All-Star Ben Zobrist. He happens to lead the AL in almost every statistical category. He's been the Rays' starting 2B for over a month. He also plays 6 other positions and can pitch. It's cool that you guys forgot about him, though. It's not like your only job is to watch baseball all day and talk about it on TV. It's a tough life.

-Mike

2009 ASG

With the All Star game moments away I felt the need to weigh in. The AL is 11-0-1 since 1997. I dont think its going to change this year.

While the NL has Lincecum who is a beast he wont go 7 innings. Plus most of the NL's pop is at 1st base with Gonzalez, Howard, Fielder, and Pujols.

The AL is very deep has great pitching and has the mental edge.

Bold Prediction AL 9-NL-7

Trade Season

This is a big trade season. A lot of the so called experts have said no but i beg to differ. There are a lot of players on the block and a lot of teams who will sell or on the fence of selling,

Pitchers are on the markets and some big names.
Jake Peavy was traded then he vetoed the trade wanting to stay in the NL. I dont see him getting traded until the offseason but look for the Phillies to be contenders loaded with young talent and seeking pitchers they are the favs. But the Brewers and Rockies both with young talent are dark horses who could use him as a spark
Roy Halladay is another name out there and every team is salivating. I see the Angels, White Sox, and Phillies being contenders. All three are stockpiled with young talented the Angels and White Sox more than the Phillies. I see the White Sox landing him at the deadline.
Some others are Jarred Washburn, Erik Bedard, Doug Davis, Jonathon Sanchez, and Cliff Lee. Relievers could include Matt Capps, Bobby Jenk, Brian Fuentes, Jon Grabow

Hitters are out there too
Freddy Sanchez and Adam LaRoche from the Pirates. Josh Willingham and Adam Dunn from the Nats, Matt Holiday from the A's, Garret Atkins from the Rockies. The Giants are looking for bats so i see them possibly adding both Willingham and Dunn for top prospect Madison Bumgardener LHP, Buster Posey C, and Jon Sanchez. The Yanks might be in the mix for an Atkins or Willingham.

But it should be exciting and I expect a lot of moves

Brock Lesnar

I dont see a problem with his post fight antics as they call it except pissing off bud light lol. Mir called him out after he beat Nogueira and nobody said anything. When Brock won he said to Mir "talk shit now" when he was getting booed he flicked off the crowd. Big Deal. Its America you can boo he can make gestures. This beast of a man is great for MMA. It gives them a villian that you love to hate yet is hard to beat. Next step needs to be Fedor vs Brock, now that would be interesting

HR Derby

Now Howard or Pujols are the favorite but there are some sluggers. Watch out for Nelson Cruz he is my pick to win. Inge and Mauer have more line drive strokes which doesnt win HR derbys. Put Ichiro in the derby I have seen him take BP and he hits bombs now that would be interesting

ufc 100

great show belcher and akiyama got fight of the night in my opinion. Henderson showed he still has gas in the tank with his KO victory over Bisbing. Next is Anderson i guess. Alves lost but showed heart to keep fighting and getting up, i believe Alves will be the camp eventually he is only 25. Jon Jones is a light heavyweight who is a force with another with he has judo, wrestling, and jui jitsu. improved striking will make him a force. And Brock Lesnar is exactly what the UFC needa a villian with personality with his dimantling of Frank Mir he will reign champ for a long time

lets go

First things first these are my opinions so deal with it. Second if you agree, disagree, or want to discuss something feel free but make sure its a valid point. And last im gonna start a blog eventually so if people wanna get in on it lemme know. Lets get to it

MMA- this sport is the fastest growing sport in the nation. Why because karate, muay thai, wrestlers, boxers, etc. have an outlet to show there skills. Its safer then boxing because fights are stopped by submission, referree stoppage, or knockout whereas boxing guys can get knocked out wake up at 4 and stand up to fight more leaving then to suffer more damage. Its more exciting because theres more action and knockouts. They wear 4 oz gloves compared to boxings 14-20 oz. Boxing is slowly dying because people are switching to MMA. Boxing has this whole "purse" issue where fighters want 75% leaving the other with 25?% so fights are being done. This potentially could lead to Floyd Mayweather not fighting Manny Pacquiao. Tell you what how about if you win you get 75%. But MMA is quickly growing and if your not a fan I suggest you check it out. It is truly the art of fighting

Baseball Draft- This is the most poorly constructed draft in any sport, there are a million rounds, its not televised, and scout Boras dictates where guys go. What do I mean? The small market teams such as the Twins, Brewers, Rays, Marlins will skip on talent in order to not pay him. Plus japanese and latin american players arent in the draft and sign to whoever they want. And there is no trading of draft picks. Solution set a max and min salaries on rookies in the draft include the japanese and latin american players and allow picks to be traded.Stephen Strasburg- this guy blows my mind he throws triple digits with a plus slider and change and a knee buckling curveball. Usually not sold on young players but this kid can bring it. Barring an injury i see this kid pitching for the Nationals by middle of next season.

NHL- Its really not that hard to follow a BLACK PUCK on WHITE ICE people. This is a very exciting sport. If you have never been to a game, GO. Your perspective will change on the sport. And I know about the lock out and how its not what it used to be, your right.....its better. There are tons of young talented players like Malkin, Crosby and Ovechkin. C'Mon people lets get hockey at least back on ESPN 2. As far as the Stanley Cup finals it two American teams. Ha screw you canada but I think the Red wings win in 7

NBA- Im tired so ill say this Lakers sweep

ignorance

Steroids- This is a very strange predicament for baseball. Most of our heroes and idols are in question or been caught. I used to hate the fact that people took steroids but then i realized it doesnt help your hand eye coordination it might turn a deep fly ball to a homer adding maybe 10 more HRs. Yes its unfair but I believe at least 75% of basebal players have used or currently using steroids or HGH. HGH will probably be legal in ten years. It is a recent drug but it restores muscle mass and eats fat. It has been referred to as an anti aging remedy. If it wasnt for Big Mac and Sammy's chase to 61 baseball could still be hurting. If I had a vote first i would vote in Pete Rose and then Palmeiro, Mcgwire, Sosa it was part of the culture.

Ballparks- I dont see why there is such a big deal made over the new Yankee ballpark. I know balls are flying out quicker then a whores vagina but it happens. I think it will slow but still be a hitters park. Arlinginton, Great American, Coors are all fan boxes that homers fly out of.

misc

Now that i got some of your fuckers revved up im diving into the hot topicsOne player right now in the NBA(one season NOT a build a team around)- Kobe Bryant this man will hit shots from anywhere in the arena is big and strong enough to drive to the whole and can single handlely carry a team. Hes a pure scorer and a court general. He makes his free throws, finds the open man and (Rich Davis hates this term) is clutch. He has taken the double team since Shaq left and is about to win his title without him. And though he may be selfish all the greats are when it comes down to the last second shot.
Steroids- Raul Ibanez got accused by a blogger for taking steroids because he averages 20 HRs a year and already has twenty this season. Well that blogger named Jared was just on OTL so im going to follow his lead a pick a different person lol. David "Big Papi" Ortiz was a Minnesota Twin for six seasons. Though he was a part time player he started his last three seasons and the most HRs he hit was 20 and 75 RBIs. He batted .272. His next season he hit .288 31 HRs 101 RBIs his first season in Boston when her became good friends with teammate Manny Ramirez. Hmmm Remember or should I say misremember Roger Clemens and Andy Petite. Im just saying his HRs increase to 41, 47, 54 over the next three seasons RBIs and BA increased above his previous highs. The Mitchell report was released in Dec. 2007 so the offseason. The following season he was injured but hit 23 dingers and we all know about this year.
College athletes- I dont think they should get paid because when they get money most get crazy. They probably would play two seasons at college and flunk out. They are students first then athletes. You wanna get paid play in the Arena or Canadian league. I do feel theseviolations are a bit ridiculous because all schools have or still violate oned of these bullshit rules but i guess you gotta draw the line somewhere.As far as them going straight pro I dont like it for football but everyother sport go for it. My reasoning is in baseball you go through the minors for three years might as well go to college but hey who am i to say dont sign that contract for a million dollars. Basketball 18 years old ball out. T-Mac, Kobe, KG, Dwight i mean the list goes on and on. Some these kids grow up knowing that B ball is there only way out and if they get injured in college and cant play anymore they are screwed. Now I say no on football because there is not one 18 year old ready to play professional football. You arent fully developed and your going against grown angry men who dont like you because you think you can hang. Maybe two years of college instaed of the three im not sure where that can from I would say after and associates degree they are eligible.

tid bit of football

Best Running team: The New York Giants- even without Derrick Ward they are the best Brandon Jacobs wears teams down. Ahmad Bradshaw is the home run hitter while he has fumbling problems but Coughlin will fix that. And a guy that you dont know about but will is Danny Ware. This guy is D Ward and then some plus Madison Hedgecock might be the best blocking fullback in footballBest
Running back: AD Peterson just like his nickname the guy goes all day. He is strong, fast and has fresh legs thats how football works young studs. He catches he runs can juke and run over plus has the speed to score on any down
Best Cornerback: Nnamdi Asomugha, this guy is 6'2 210 yet runs stride for stride with every wide out. Teams dont throw on his side anymore like Champ Bailey use too but he has lost a step.The two running back system has taken away from 2000 yard rushers. Teams realize they can keep backs fresher and use a bigger bull dozer and a smaller jet to torch defenses. Peterson has the best chance to do it though cuz the Vikings love to run with the humongous o lineMore to come later

Mike Vick: yes the man funded a dog fighting ring but Pacman Jones slammed a strippers head. Strallworth and Leonard Little kill peple. Michael Pittman played bumper cars with his wife. Players sell drugs abuse woman, abuse drugs etc. Let him play. PETA he paid his debt to society step off his nuts. The Wildcat formation is built for him. He will play and thrive in that system or possib;y a kick returner( just a thought great in open space)


Jose Canseco: awful player, teammate, friend but great reporter all his names have been true but he is still and always will be a rat. He broke guy code and dont be surprised when HGH is legal and now a days 75% of athletes are on performane enhancing drugs