Baseball Update

Today the Yankees lost to the Orioles again, this time 6-3. Mo Rivera, for the second time in this series, could not hold his own against the O's who have been hot since the break. The Yanks are now tied for the wild card lead in the American League. With the pitching the way it's been, things don't look bright for New York. Today, Phil Hughes only went five innings and gave up two earned runs although all three were scored when he was in the game. Shelly Duncan hit a three run home run in the ninth inning to put the Yankees back in the game but Mo blew it in the tenth after a Miguel Tejada doubled and Aubrey Huff hit another home run. New York will have to man up against teams like the O's because they have a tough stretch coming up against the Tigers and Angels. This is not going to be easy.

The Mariners also lost tonight, this time to the Twins. The final was 6-1 in Seattle. Jarrod Washburn couldn't have been better, going seven innings and giving up one earned run, although two were scored while he was in. The Mariners bullpen blew it, giving up four runs in the final two innings. Hey, this bullpen has been excellent all season long, give them a brake. However, this offense hasn't been excellent but I think it will be good enough to win the wild card. Guys like Ichiro and Jose Guillen have been carrying this team all season long and they need to step it up now. The pitching has been better, as this is the time of year that Jeff Weaver usually heats it up so lets expect it. Also, the King hasn't had a bad year. He has an ERA under four and eight wins. He doesn't have more simply because of the injury earlier this season. If Seattle can stay consistent and keep it going, I think they will win the wild card.

Meanwhile, in the National League, the Diamondbacks have been doing excellent as they are currently on top in the National League West. Tonight, they beat the Marlins and remain in first. Who ever thought that Arizona would do this. The big story on this club so far has been Justin Upton, the number one draft pick in 2005. The guy has really been getting on base and has an OBP of .319 and a slugging percentage of .535. They have won four out of their last six games, folks and that has put them on top for a while. They have been great since the break and are 20-10. Their biggest streak came in July when they won eight straight games. This has clearly been the feel good/comeback story of the year wrapped in one. Keep it going D-Backs.

Here are your updated standings from the A.L. Wild Card:
Mariners and Yankees tied in first place. Yanks: 67-53 M's: 66-52
Indians and Tigers in second with a record of 66-54. Both are one game out.
Toronto is in fourth place with a record of 61-58. They are 5.5 games back.

Have a good one and keep rooting for your team!

NFL QB Controversies

There are many quarterback jobs that are currently being competed for. The most interesting one that comes to mind is in Oakland where the number one pick for the Raiders, JaMarcus Russel, could possibly not even see a down of football in his rookie season. Oakland signed Dante Culpepper, a move that was probably for the best. Of course they pick the year that Randy Moss leaves the team to sign Culpepper but it's good enough for now as he creates a lot of possibilities for this Raiders offense even though their offensive line is horrendous. I can't see any QB having much success on a team with a line like the Raiders. But we'll have to see how this battle goes as right now it is between Andrew Walter, Josh McCown, and Culpepper. McCown has not been a consistent player throughout the course of his career as he did get some starting time in Arizona in the earlier part of his career. I do actually see him playing a factor in this battle. Russel, however, still hasn't even signed with Oakland yet which has led many to beleive he won't see any action at all in his rookie season. I was actually listening the MVN Radio's the Blitz the other day and both of the hosts said that they didn't even think Russel should play at all this season. I would like to see him in there, cosidering he is the future for the Raiders. But if they have a guy like Culpepper who is already proven, maybe it would be safer to go with the veteran. However, Lane Kiffin has recently been hospitalized so everything will be held back as a result of that.

In Cleveland there is another sticky situation with three men vieing for the starting QB job. Brady Quinn recently signed a deal with the Browns so he is on the practice field although he did miss quite a bit of time while holding out. We've been hearing that Derek Anderson has looked the best so far in camp. Anderson is completly unproven and its almost like we see this every year. We always hear about the guy who has absolutely no experiance doing the best in camp. It makes no sense and this is why the preseason in football is a complete crap shoot. It's almost completely pointless because fans get bad impressions like Derek Anderson will be the starting QB for their team. Hah. What joke. Anyway, Charlie Frye is the other guy competing in Cleveland, probably the favorite at this point in camp because he has experiance and alot of people say that he can lead this team places in the future if he gets the chance. Well the question to Browns fans everywhere is should we keep giving this guy a chance or should we bring in the future now? Hmm. Tough one isn't it? I know these questions aren't easy ones to answer but hey, the Browns fans have done a great job in building confidence throughout the offseason and in the draft. They should have no problem deciding. After all, should'nt the fans start filling in for Romeo Crennel? Wouldn't be a bad idea. I see Frye winning this job in the end but I would rather see Brady Quinn in there. I figure that in the end Quinn and Frye will end up having the same amount of talent.

Another job that is up for grabs is in Tampa where Jeff Garcia and Chris Simms are competing. Garcia showed his talent from his days in he San Francisco last year when he led the Eagles to the playoffs and even got them one win in the playoffs. My co-host on Fourth and Inches, Jimmy DiFalco says that Garcia only performs well when he's on teams that have alot of talent. I would agree with him on that. However, I do think that Garcia will win this job and do solid for the first couple of weeks. Simms did have a spleenanectomy last season and thats not easy to recover from. It's still tough to tell if he will be back to full health and even be able to play at full stregth as he did a couple of years ago. Garcia is in an offense that really expresses alot of similar qualities as the Eagles offense. I don't think Brian Westbrook is that much better then Cadillac Williams. The only determining factor there would be experiance. I look for Garcia to play for the first couple of weeks.

Burning Questions: Redskins

The Washington Redskins have been going nowhere fast under the coaching of Joe Gibbs. Last year, they pummeled to a 5-11 season. So what are the main concerns for the Skins heading into the 2007 season? Here they are.

1. Can Jason Campbell take over this team at the quarterback position? Well Campbell did look great in the last game of the season against the Giants as he almost led his team to a win at home. That being said, he still is very young and I'm not so sure this will be his big year to shine in the NFL. I see it being more of a work in progress where he'll lose the job somewhere around week 10 or 11 and then comeback late in the year. He does have a lot of weapons to use on offense but those weapons have not really performed to the best of their ability in the last couple of years.
2. Will Clinton Portis show how talented he really is? Portis was injured for most of last year. If he can stay healthy, which I think he can because there are so many offensive weapons on the Skins, then Washington will have a better year. Ladell Betts is being rumored to share carries with Portis in camp. I personally think this should go exactly like a Tiki Barber type situation like the Giants had last year. Let Portis be the premiere back until he flusters, and have Betts be your go to guy on third and short.
3. Will Santana Moss have comeback season? I've always admired Moss, and it was sad to see him fall as the premiere wideout in Washington last year. Hopefully with Clinton Portis at the runningback position who the other team can always cover on a play action, Moss will flourish in 2007.

Burning Questions: Eagles with Video from Youtube

The Philadelphia Eagles had a solid year in 2006, one that they were not expected to have when Donovan McNabb was injured midway through the season. Jeff Garcia took over this team and led them to the playoffs. Here are three burning questions for the Eagles.

1. Can Donovan McNabb remain healthy for the entire season and perform? Well, I believe he can but he will need the other parts and positions of this team to work around him properly. Pluse, he has some very young, talent filled wide receivers like Reggie Brown and Hank Baskett that he can throw the ball to. Plus, he has Brian Westbrook one of the big underrated backs of last year.
2. Will Brian Westbrook repeat his performance from last year? I believe won't do as good as last year because if McNabb stays healthy, there will be alot more passing in this offense in Philadelphia. This has always been the case except for last year because McNabb got injured and Westbrook basically became the star of this offense. If McNabb goes down with another injury, well that just depends on the type of injury and when it happens. Based on that happening, yes he can repeat from last year. If McNabb doesn't get injured, he may not even break 1000 yards as last year was his first season doing that.
3. What is keeping this team from being a Super Bowl pick? It's a question that really surrounded this team before 2004 because every year they looked like a Super Bowl team and they would make the playoffs and yadda yadda but they would always lose to teams that no one would expect them to lose to in the playoffs. Basically they were chokers. This year, however, there are some things that are keeping them from being Super Bowl team. The main thing is that there isn't a great deal of talent at the wide receiver position. Reggie Brown and Hank Baskett are young and learning but by no means do they make this group talented. The other spot is the defense. It's an old defense that needs some youth to get it going like it did in the Super Bowl year of 2004 and before that.

Now, enjoy this video of an Eagle fan acting out a skit all by himself that includes a Cowboys fan and an Eagle fighting.

Michael Vick Indicted

Well, we all saw this coming. Michael Vick has been indicted for an instance that took place sometime in the past year that had to do with dog fighting. Now, this indictment doesn't really mean alot at this point. After listening to ESPN legal analyst Roger Kossack today on Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN radio, basically, a grand jury could indite a ham sandwich and it wouldn't mean anything.

All this means to me is that the charges are out there. He has been charged with dog fighting, a federal crime in the United States. I have a dog and just the thought of my dog in a dog fight is a terrible thing. And you don't want to know what happens to the dog if they lose the fight. They are killed.

That's right. It's amazing that anyone would even think of doing that. And he says that he was just apart of it and that these people were on his property doing it and he didn't know. That's a bunch of BS in my mind because you should have control of your property and what is going on on your property. He knew it was going on and it's just amazing that he didn't do anything to stop it even if he wasn't there. I think he did this anyway, I don't think that he wasn't there. I think he was there and that he did do it. There's no question in my mind.

Now, the big question here is should Vick be suspended from the NFL. I think he should but Mike and Mike made the argument against him being suspended because as mentioned, nothing is proved by an indictment. He has not been convicted, so there is no reason to suspend him. I think that if any NFL player gets involved with the law in a bad way such as Vick, then there should be some sort of punishment no matter what. You got yourself involved with the law, you did something that led people to punish you, you should be punished by the league no doubt.

As you will hear in this video, ESPN's Kelly Naqi explains what Vick has been described as in relation to the dog fighting. She also says that if this case gets to trial in Richmond, VA, it will be sometime during the NFL season because the court house in Richmond is known as the Rocket Docket and gets through trials rather quickly.



This could also be a big problem for the Atlanta Falcons because now they are definitely going to receive alot of bad publicity because of this. As with the Don Imus situation, there could be alot of advertisers for the Falcons that back out of their deals with Atlanta and ultimately, the franchise could enter a dark age because of this. Of course pending any outcomes with Vick.

The Falcons could also lose Vick as their starting quarterback. Then where do they go in terms of a starting QB? Joey Harrington is on the roster right now as the number one backup. Will he be the starter if Vick has to go to trial? All remains to be seen at this point.

Some Bad Things....Aren't Really Bad

Well, I know it's kind of a bad headline for an article, but that's what I thought of so maybe if you keep reading the article, you'll realize why I called it that.

The first thing I would like to address is the Phillies losing their 10,000th game last night to the St. Louis Cardinals, and it wasn't a pretty one (but as ESPN noted last night, at least it wasn't their 416th loss by ten runs or more. Really good stuff! lol). I notice how everyone seems to be making a big deal out of the fact that this is a prime example of failure in the history of a ball club. If anything, this shows endurance and durability and the effort to keep going for over 120 years. Heck, MLB hasn't even been around that long. So this, to me is not a bad thing at all, but more of a new door opening to the future of this franchise.

Hey, at least they won a world series. But so did the Atlanta Braves, the team that is right behind them at about 9,600 losses and they've been around since 1876, eight years before the Phillies became an organization.

So, yeah, that is pretty pathetic.

The last thing I wanna talk about is the fact that David Wells got suspended for seven games. It's funny because David Wells is one of those guys that always gets into trouble with baseball, or in bars or somewhere else. Yet, hes never even been thought about when it comes to steroids. Isn't that weird. They have to go choose a guy like Rafael Palmeiro to convict of taking steroids who has 3,000 hits and never got into any trouble with the law. So he gets into trouble and not David Wells. It's weird the way American athletes are these days.

Anyway, David Wells actually makes some valid points about the game of baseball. He should actually be listened to sometimes and the problem is, hes not. So, they suspend him for seven games because he argues with an umpire. And that's just a whole other story with baseball. The umpires SUCK! If they even SENSE a bad jist is going on with the players, they throw them out of the game. It's very unfair because half the ejections that are made are based on the umpires feelings towards the players. That's why I think people like David Wells should be listened to.

Sunday Thoughts

The New York Mets took three games out of four from the Cincinnati Reds this afternoon in a 5-2 victory that was the second straight win for New York. Some might have said if they didn't win this series, their season may have been on the verge of over. Think about it. Losing at least two games to a team that has been in the division basement since at least June 7th? (Referencing today's Murray Chass column in the New York Times ) That would not sound like a playoff team to me. So the Mets were able to not lose at least two games, they won three and showed their not done yet. By that, I mean their season's not over yet. Good job by New York as they stay a game and a half ahead of the second place Braves.

So, I'll bet your wondering my thoughts on this whole David Beckham thing. An article in today's UK Telegraph explains Beckham's thoughts on his career and more importantly that everything hes done in his career has been "for the game." That's a very bold statement, as if we didn't already know that you intended on making MLS a popularity in American Sports by coming here.

Hah! What a joke.

I think LA Times Reporter Grahme L. Jones put it best in his article today that he started off by describing what happened when Beckham arrived in Los Angeles. In other words, nothing. It's very interesting to see it from more then one person's point of view. Anyway, I think it's quite obvious that Beckham's arrival will not have any effect on the popularity of the sport in America.

Its just that there is so much more going on right now in America with sports that it would be very hard to make the MLS catch people's attention the way the NCAA Tournament does every March, and of course the opening of the baseball season in April , and the NBA finals in June, and the All-Star game in July (I hope you would know I'm talking about the baseball all-star game, not the WNBA all-star game, another sport that has failed beyond belief). So the question is, what can the MLS do to catch the attention of real American sports fans like us?

Bringing in an international star like Beckham, is not one of them.
Right now the MLS is not even as popular in America as the World Series of Poker, or even Arena Football. Maybe we Americans are a greedy little country that appreciates everything it created and maybe it just can't come to learn that some international sports can do a world of good for us.

Ahh, but how would that explain the love of Cricket in America?

Eli Manning: One Giant Leap.

The New York Giants lost hall of fame running back Tiki Barber at the end of last season to retirement, a huge loss for Big Blue. But it makes you think. With Tiki Barber gone, is there a possibility that Eli Manning will have the chance to have a better season then in years when Barber has been on the club. He now has Brandon Jacobs (competing with Reuben Droughns for the starting job in New York) as the front runner for the starting running back job. Jacobs is no Barber, and this is reason to think that Manning will need to step up big. More importantly, he will be able to step up big for the Giants in the 2007 season.

Peyton's brother will have Amani Toomer, Plaixco Burress, Steve Smith (rookie), Jeremy Shockey, Sinorice Moss, and David Tyree as receivers for the upcoming 2007 season. Toomer left in early November of the 2006 season with a torn ACL but with a full season of play, he can be a major factor that I believe (and will continue to believe) can make a bigger difference on this club then Plaxico Burress. He leads the Giants in career receptions. So if Toomer's back and healthy, than Manning will have an easier time adjusting to life without a hall of fame running back.

Plaxico Burress is another talented wide receiver I will always give second thoughts after some very sketchy games last season where he dropped some very easy balls that he could have caught. Of course when this happened, Eli was blamed for it because of course the first guy you turn to in a situation where the receivers drop the ball is the quarterback. That's why I don't really think Burress will make a bigger difference then Toomer. For the fifth time in his career Burress put up 60 or more receptions.

Jeremy Shockey just needs to close his mouth sometimes and if he does, I truly believe that he may end up making the biggest difference on this clubs success. Manning has quite a few obstacles to overcome before he can call himself a winner in New York. After a season where he put up the most completions of his career with a hall of fame runner behind him, hopefully he will be able to take matters into his own hands and make the most of the fact that the hall of fame runner isn't there anymore.

7/13 World Series Top Ten

1. Angels- I just think they have more hitting and more underlying talent the Red Sox. Plus if John Lackey's healthy, expect 15-18 wins.
2. Red Sox- Pitching is key and with a staff that looks like Beckett (at least 13 wins), Schilling (at least 10 wins), and Matsusaka (at least 14 wins), things don't look bad. And Manny and Papi still haven't even heated up yet.
3. Tigers- Very intriguing lineup includes scrappy ballplayers like Curtis Granderson and Placido Palanco. Magglio Ordonez will be an MVP favorite and Justin Verlander could win the Cy Young.
4. Mets- Hey, Pedro's coming back as well as Moises Alou who I believe can be a huge difference maker when healthy. And Reyes and Wright will keep going.
5. Indians- The lineup will feature Travis Hafner for the next five years. Hopefully he will make the most of the first year of the new contract. He can.
6. Braves- John Smoltz will need to stay consistent as will the ball club in general to have a shot.
7. Padres- Jake Peavy and this pitching staff that leads the sport in ERA can do it, but will the lineup continue to decline?
8. Brewers- The pitching is better then expected, with Ben Sheets making an appearance in the All-Star game and showing everyone he still is healthy. Prince Fielder can hit home runs!!
9. Cubs- Hey, I like what they've done in the last couple of weeks before the All-Star break and hope they can continue to be a powerhouse. They've got a chance, but they'll have to remain poised and consistent throughout.
10. Mariners- The way their season has gone, they're certainly not out of it and don't expect them to lose it anytime soon as long as everything stays the way it has been. Ichiro will lead this club in the end.

Should A-Rod Stay in New York?

The answer, simply is no. If Alex Rodriguez wants to take the risk of failing in New York next season, then its his decision. This season has been his best in Pinstripes since he joined the Bronx Bombers. However, this could simply be something rare for A-Rod on the Yankees. This could simply be a good break for Alex and if he goes another five years for the Yankees, it's not guaranteed he will produce these kinds of numbers every one of those years because he's on the Yankees and being in the New York spotlight is a very hard thing to overcome. The fact that he put up those kinds of first half numbers (30 homers and 80 plus RBI) tells the Yankees that he can play up to full potential. It doesn't tell them that he will play like that in the first half of every season forward for the Yankees.

Now, if Alex decides to opt out of his contract at the end of the season, I believe he will be doing a whole lot of good for himself. He will open up a huge window of opportunity for himself because there is no team that has the media market and the pressure that comes with the contract as the New York Yankees. No team has that besides the Yankees. I don't even think the Mets are that close to putting the kind of pressure on players as the Yankees are simply because of how talented and storied the Yankees franchise is. Rodriguez seems much better off on a team like the Giants, a team with the money to spend. The Giants have a payroll of about 90 million dollars. They pay three players ten million dollars or more each year. That's not a lot. Plus, they have alot of young kids on the team that I believe A-Rod will enjoy. Plus, all the Giants need is a guy like Rodriguez to turn into a possible playoff team.

Another team that could easily compete for A-Rod at the end of the season is the Anaheim Angels who are undergoing a huge youth movement that greatly compares them to the 2005 Chicago White Sox. They have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball and they still have one of the greatest sluggers in the game in Vladimir Guerrero (14 hr 75 rbi .325 avg). What a team the Angels would be if they had A-Rod and Vlad. They're already being considered as a World Series favorite and adding A-Rod next season will do wonders for their club. However, LA has the fourth highest payroll in MLB.

The Chicago Cubs also seem to be somewhat of a perfect fit for Alex Rodriguez if he decides to leave the Yankees at the end of the 2007 season. The Cubs have a payroll of just under 100 million dollars but still have the money to spend. They already have a powerhouse offense that includes Alfonso Soriano (last offseason's biggest free agent target), and possible Cy Young candidate Carlos Zambrano. The Cubs, however will have a new owner sometime in the near future so the possibilities are endless as to how much money the Cubs will be willing to offer.

Okay, so you pretty much know my opinion on the A-Rod situation. The problem is, the Yankees don't really have anybody else and if they can't get A-Rod a contract to come back next season, the Yankees could enter a dark age as they did in the 1980s. Guys like Bobby Abreu and Jorge Posada won't be around forever. Plus, Abreu has not had a good year so far (six homers and 44 rbi with a .270 avg). The Yankees, basically need A-Rod to come back next season to have a chance at making the playoffs. Derek Jeter is the only guy that I can think of that can make an A-Rod like difference on this ball club. So the Yankees are probably going to offer Alex as much as it takes to re-sign him. And can you blame them? This is a team that probably doesn't have anyone else if Rodriguez leaves.

According to recent news, A-Rod has decided to wait until the end of the season to talk about contract negotiations with New York:

"I think it would be selfish on my part to talk about my contract status when our team desperately needs wins," Rodriguez said on Thursday. "My goal is to win as many games as we can, focus on my teammates and really play at a real high level in the second half."

Coming from a man who started to not think about anything else but playing baseball this season, he seems very confident that the Yankees will come out of their shell in the second half and make a run at the division.

Yeah, fat chance.

Running Back of The Future

Stephen Jackson had an amazing year in 2006. Action Jackson, as the fans call him in St. Louis, picked up more yards from scrimmage then anyone else in the NFL last season for the Rams. Even more then LaDanian Tomlinson, deemed the top player in the NFL last year, after winning his first MVP Award. Action, surprisingly enough made the list of MVP votes with one, and should be ready for a lot more if he performs as expected this year in a Rams offense that ranked fourth in the NFC last season, and sixth overall in the NFL..

Jackson has a bright and talented quarterback in Marc Bulger, who has his options and uses them very well. This is all the more reason to figure Jackson as one of the elite running backs in the league heading into 2007. He has versatility in that he can catch the ball (Steven had 90 receptions in 2006 and three receiving touchdowns), and run with the ball. It's always good to know you have a second wide receiver in your running back and the Rams can be sure they have that in Action. The three-year NFL vet has also shown his fair share of durability, specifically last season when he ran 346 times for 1,528 yards and averaged 4.4 yards per carry. Those are some amazing numbers, and this guy's only going to get better.

You might ask, is the presence of wide receiving talent on this team going to affect Jackson's playing time? Well, there has been no evidence of that in the past couple of years. Torry Holt, the hall of fame wideout on St. Louis that seems to be an ageless wonder, caught 93 balls last year, dropping nine from his 2005 total of 102. And in that same year, Jackson had just over one thousand rushing yards. There was a slight drop off in Holt's numbers as Jackson became more talented, but Big Game Holt still produces pro bowl numbers every year as it is.

Back to the running back of the future in Jackson. The guy ran for 100 yards or more in six games last season, four more than in 2005. He showed more quickness and reliability that he will have to continue to show in the coming years because eventually Torry Holt and Drew Bennett will not be on the team anymore as they are not the youngest receivers in the NFL. Jackson will still be there when they leave, and I believe he will continue to carry this franchise when that happens.