ESPN.com

Quick hits - the apocalypse is upon us...

First the Red Sox and then the White Sox in back to back years. The last time that happened Shoeless Joe was still on the ChiSox and Babe Ruth was still on the BoSox and the Yankees had yet to win a championship. The end, evidently, is near.

This past weekend the Redskins ran up over 50 points against the lowly 49ers. By my reckoning, late in the fourth quarter the 'Skins had activated players from a local Pop Warner club and little Billy Fitzimmons completed a pass to Timmy "The Booger" Jones for the final touchdown of the day. For those of you wondering - that ain't stick-um on "The Booger's" hands.
In light of the recent pasting, the remainder of San Fran's schedule will be played out against Division 2 College flag football teams. When asked, 49ers coach Mike Nolan said, "I think this will be a good move for [quarterback Alex] Smith. It will help him get his confidence back while we work on a few things."

It's sounding more and more likely that Tedy Bruschi will be activated, possibly in time for Sunday's game. The D alignments should be interesting to say the least. A lot of people are writing the Pats off and anointing the Colts the new kings of the AFC. That might very well be, but the Colts played a lot of pushovers so far and the Pats are on the verge of getting back Bruschi, Seymour, Poole, and have picked up Hank Poteat again. While that's not the D that won them the last two bowls, Bru will have his people better positioned to make plays than the replacements.
Don't be surprised to see a 4-3 up front in order to collapse the middle of other teams pockets with the 3-4 mixed in from time to time. My guess is that if the Pats stick with the 3 man front that Vrabel will be moved inside with Bruschi - he's bigger than Beisel and more apt to take on the blockers in the middle. Otherwise, I'm guessing that the starting line-up, maybe not this week, but definitely by the time the Colts visit the Razor, will look something like this -

Line - Warren Wilfork Seymour Green

LBs - McGinnest Bruschi Vrabel

DBs - Poole Samuel
Wilson Freeman

Bench -
Line - Wright, Klecko, Hill

LBs - Colvin, Banta-Cain, Izzo, Davis, Brown, Beisel, Chatham

CBs - Starks, Hobbs, Gay, Poteat

S - Sanders, Stone

Next week my preseason picks revisited

The real show's about to begin...

The playoffs are starting early in the AL East. No matter what the result, this is going to be a fun weekend in the Fens. Wish I could be there. All things being even, I'd like to see all thing even going into the weekend series against the Bombers, but either way, it's going to be a helluva series. Two teams that are largely mirror images - good O, erratic starting pitching and weak pens. Yanks have the better closer, but Boston has largely owned him recently, so that's a wash too. If the Indians continue to slide and the Yanks and Sox end up tied at the end of the weekend, will the one game be necessary, or will MLB look at head-to-head record as the tie breaker for playoff seding purposes.

The losses of Rodney Harrison and Matt Light...
certainly make Belichick's job harder, but not impossible. Last year the Pats had 40 different starters through the course of the season. Belichick might have more game ready back-ups coming off their bench than any other team in the league. That's coaching. Plus, making life easier on the Pats is the fact that the only other team in the AFC East playing good football is in Miami, and I have a feeling they're going to be erratic. Buffalo fans are already bemoaning the loss of Bledsoe (I'm not convinced Losman is going to be NFL ready anytime soon after seeing some of his play), and the Jets...hell, they're just a mess.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Pats win the division and win enough games to get the bye - the real deal will begin in the second season...helluva a win this past Sunday.

Red Sox let things slip a little - The Boston Globe...and other things

Okay - I'm a longtime member of the Nation, as I put it, one of The Afflicted. I watched the '75 series from my parents house in Sudbury, Ma, the '78 Bucky "F***ing" Dent Fiasco [Say it ain't so, Yaz, say it ain't so] from their new home in Armonk, NY - decidedly Yankee territory - The '86 series with my Met fan brother...there was, admittedly some tension around the house for some time after that, but that went away after the police stopped looking for the body. I lived in the shadow of Fenway during the lean years in the 1990's and did the proverbial dance on the Bambino's grave after the series last year.
This year - sure, I would feel better with more than two and a half games of cushion, but I'm not as doom and gloom as I have been in recent years. That and I look at a Yankees staff that is relying on guys with names like Chacon to get them into the post-season. Considering the state of the Sox staff, I'm not saying that it's impossible for the Bombers, but I have enough doubts about it happening, and have seen the Sox fend off enough challenges to their position atop the AL East, that I find myself lacking the pessimism of past seasons.

The Pats weren't perfect on Thursday, as a matter of fact, the game, from the Patriots side, at times had a definite preseason feel to it. The offensive line at times manhandled the Raiders' front four, and at other times looked like they were still trying to gel (see Dillon's first half running stats - as in not much room to). The defense is obviously still working out kinks - in spite of that, 2 sacks for 19 yards, 1 fumble recovery, and allowed the Raiders to convert on 30.8% of the time on third down.

Katrina, New Orleans and the Saints.
I'm going to continue to root for the Pats getting a third straight title, but if the Saints are right there at the end, I won't root against them.
I don't know where to begin. In 2001 I spent five days in New Orleans and have always wanted to go back. The people were friendly and the restaurants were amazing. There is no place in the United States quite like Bourbon Street and the French Quarter and I hope the powers that be are able to restore the city to, at the very least, what it once was. Maybe this time it can be done without the rampant unemployment that afflicted so many of the neighborhoods.
That being said, let me turn this back to what this blog focuses on - sports. It will be a difficult year for the Saints, but teams playing them should approach with the utmost caution, this is a very dangerous team. Haslet is not a bad coach, and the team has had talented individuals. Their problem was just that - they were individuals; Joe Horn was trying to become the next Terrell Owens. Separating oneself from the team in that manner can cause all kinds of problems internally for a game that really is played best on a team level.
Now the those individuals have reason to come together as a team, reason to put their own egos to the side. The devastation in their home city has put a lot into perspective for these athletes and they see winning, bringing three hours of joy to the displaced every Sunday, as one of the ways they can help alleviate the pain and the loss that the hurricane has caused. While I don't think it will happen, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see the Saints in this one to the bitter end - as far they're concerned, it's the least they can do.

Picks and observations for '05

I'll keep my picks short and to the point as I go through the NFL, maybe a sentence or two in the way of observations, while working my way, like I did last year from east to west in the NFC and back again in the AFC.

Feel free to comment, all feedback is welcome.

NFC East – Boys closing the gap.
1.Eagles - 11-5, Owens' issues, lack of power runner eats into Eagles win total.
2.Cowboys - (Wild Card) 10-5, Demarcus Ware and Drew Bledsoe become difference makers for the 'boys
3.Redskins – 8-8, Gibbs offense begins to show signs of life, carried by defense.
4.Giants – 6-10, Eli Manning continues to feel growing pains in division with some tough D's.

NFC North – Lions, Vikings and Bears, oh my.
1.Vikings – 11–5 Improved D and lack of Moss distractions makes for a better team, still have to overcome the Mike Tice factor to get there.
2.Lions (Wild Card) – 9-7 Young team makes playoffs, bounced in first round.
3.Packers – 8-8 Deficient D and O-line cause Pack to slide
4.Bears – 6–10 Bears heading in right direction, but too much inexperience at QB.

NFC South – Act of God interrupts Saints' turn to be on top...no pun intended.
1.Panthers – 12-4, Healthy cats dominate division.
2.Falcons – 9-7, Not even Mike Vick can defy history. Falcons have never made playoffs in back to back seasons.
3.Saints – 8-8, In consecutive seasons the Buccaneers, Panthers, and Falcons have all taken the division. Homelessness due to Katrina is too much to overcome.
4.Buccaneers – 6-10, Gruden hits the end of the road.

NFC West – Is this the season the West improves to “good”?
1.Cardinals – 10 - 6, Second worst to first.
2.Rams – 9 -7, Not convinced that the D can come up with the big stop when needed.
3.Seahawks – 8-8, Receivers' failings put Holmgren on the hotseat.
4.49ers – 5- 12, Nolan puts team on right path, but Herrion tragedy too major an emotional issue combined with the problem of too many holes still to fill.

AFC West – Chiefs seize up-for-grabs division.
1.Chiefs – 12-4, Revamped defense just enough to get a sterling O to the post-season show, but not quite good enough to advance them.
2.Chargers (Wild Card) – 10-6, Brees increases stock going into free agency with another strong season.
3.Raiders – 8-8, Some good off-season moves translate into visible improvement, but still a year away.
4.Broncos – 6-10, Dumbest move ever; importing the Browns defensive line in order to improve the D. Backslide on D manifests in overall record.

AFC South – Colts continue to dominate division, Jags still too raw for playoffs.
1.Colts – 12-4, Manning gets team to playoffs again, woes in the snow continue.
2.Jaguars – 9-7, Young team slowly closing on the Colts barely misses the post-season.
3.Texans – 9-7, Making strides, still not consistent enough on D to be a playoff contender.
4.Titans – 6-10, Young team will be on the losing side of a lot of close games as they learn what it takes to win in the NFL

AFC North – Defense heavy division
1.Steelers – 10 – 6, Division could go to Ravens if Big Ben struggles.
2.Ravens – 10-6, Lose on tie-breakers.
3.Bengals – 9-7, Continued improvement not enough to overcome Pittsburgh and Baltimore D's
4.Browns – 5-11, Crennel points in the right direction, but is still at least one off-season away from being competitive.

AFC East – Patriots continue dominance of tough division
1.Patriots – 13-5, Reports of their demise have been greatly exagerated.
2.Jets (Wild Card) – 10-6,
3.Bills – 7-9, Losman not the missing piece as predicted, Bills backslide.
4.Dolphins – 5-11, Would show more signs of improvement in a weaker division.

Division championships -
NFC -
Panthers over the Vikings

AFC -
Patriots over Colts

Superbowl
In a rematch of XXVIII, the Pats go three in a row. Until someone knocks them off, the Pats are the pick.

Coaches on the hot seat this season -
Mike Holmgren - if he fails to make the playoffs, he's out.
Jim Haslett – same here.
Jon Gruden – on last legs in Tampa
Mike Shannahan – Will probably get at least one season's grace on the caveat he gives up personnel decisions.

Will be back this weekend with observations on the BoSox stretch run, and some other comments about what's happening in the world.

Hey Jamee- in your face!

You scored as Wolverine. Wolverine is a loner, and a skilled fighter. He's got the hots for Jean Grey but a better fit for him would be Storm. He doesn't like to follow orders which pisses Cyclops off. He has terrible memories from the experimentation done on him at Weapon X. Even though he doesn't show it, he loves the X-Men. Powers: Fast healing and adamantium skeleton and claws. Wolverine 75% Gambit 65% Colossus 65% Storm 65% Iceman 65% Jean Grey 60% Beast 60% Cyclops 55% Nightcrawler 55% Rogue 40% Emma Frost 40% Most Comprehensive X-Men Personality Quiz 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

A Tale of Two Teds

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was a time of championships, it was a time of freak health problems and unexpected fucking retirements. Sorry for the language, I respect Ted Johnson's decision, I'm just not happy about it.
For the first time in essentially a decade my beloved Pats will be without either of the killer T's. Over the last couple of years after Bruschi moved to the inside, the two linebackers formed an inside tandem that had to be one of the top tandems in the NFL.
For my money, you can keep Ray Lewis, Zach Thomas, and Brian Urlacher. Give me one of the Teds...well, before this year.
Sure, those other guys got all the press, but, and I admit, this is arguable, Johnson was, pound for pound, one of the best linebackers that I ever saw in regards to his ability to take on lineman. Even in the last couple of seasons, when injuries had taken their toll on him, and he had become only a shadow of his former self, he was still an above average inside linebacker, playing the position with the physicality of a lineman. Johnson and Bruschi are largely responsible for the fact that Jerome Bettis has almost a yard lower per carry average against the Pats than against the rest of the league.
Bruschi -I don't even know where to start with him...no, that's not true - Bruschi was a play machine. With the line and Johnson eating up blockers, Bruschi lived his football life as a kamikaze. For someone who is just a pure football fan, watching Bruschi play was something special. There was a certain unbridled joy that he brought to his play. He has been everything that all the pundits have said Zach Thomas was throughout his career, only with a greater knack to make a game changing play. Last year in the playoffs Bruschi had the quintessential Bruschi moment. In a career full of great plays, the play against the Colts when he ripped the ball out of the Colts' receiver's hand while making the tackle - I will always remember that, not so much as the defining moment of his career as the play that described his career. It was a big play when a play was needed - it is simply what he did.
Bruschi may be back late this season, or maybe sometime next season. But if he never makes it back, I can live with that.

I'm sorry to see the Ted's go, I will miss them.

I'm baaaack....

Sorry I've been off the blog so long - between the job, family, marathon, and Aussie rules training, I haven't had much time for anything...now, back to it -

Finished the first three quarters of the Frederick Marathon in just over three hours, had a ligitimate shot at a four hour marathon time. Then I hit the wall...no, that's not accurate, the wall fell on me and the rest of the building caved in on top of me. My final time was somewhere around 4:55 and change. For an exact time look Kevin Smith up at the results page of www.frederickmarathon.org, I finished 311th - But I Finished.

Right now, the Baltimore Washington Eagles, the Aussie rules football team I play with, is going into the summer hiatus with a win over the North Carolina Tigers moving us up in the Eastern Australian Football League standings.

Onto the pros -

Football -
In Philly - who didn't see this coming a year ago? Well, besides the Eagles?
What I can't understand is why so many sports journalists persist in stating that TO helped the Eagles get to the Super Bowl. Let's look at some of the numbers -

Opponents combined record in 2004; 116-140
Not including the Post Season – The Eagles finished their season 13-3 against opponents with a combined winning percentage of 0.453
NFC East opponents winning percentage 0.375
Combined winning percentage of teams Eagles lost to, 0.646 (31-17)
Record against teams 8-8 or better; 3-3
Avg margin of win 12 points
Avg margin of loss 21.7 points

How important was TO to the Eagles overall record? TO played in only one of the Eagles' losses - the worst one, a 27-3 embarassment at the hands of Pittsburgh. The other two losses happened while Reid was giving a number of his starters rests at the end of the season.
Then the Eagles worked their way through the playoffs without their superstar, averaging 27 points per game and getting over the hump of the NFC championship game, the game that he was supposed to help them get past.
I submit to you, TO helped the Eagles win maybe one additional game this past season, if that, and that it's likely that they would have made the Superbowl even had they not acquired him. Marching through the Vikings and the Falcons to get to the big game is not exactly the challenge that going through the Colts and the Steelers is...some might argue that its not even the challenge that going through the Chargers and the Jets is.

Is Ty Law the Nomar Garciaparra of football?
Both rejected generous multi-year deals from the teams with whom they came into their respective leagues. Both, in a manner, were allowed to walk and, in essence, to pursue deals as free agents, and neither will come close to making the money of their original offers due to injuries.

I'm putting the odds at 2-1 that the Yankees finish at .500 or worse. Let's face it, the pitching staff that so many experts predicted as being the best in baseball is showing itself for what it is -
An over the hill ace with chronic knee problems having trouble with his velocity,
A so called youg gun who's capitalizing on his one good season,
A once solid #2 pitching erratically and showing his age
The biggest freakin' head case on any pitching staff in baseball
A talented but injury prone starter that's had only one or two healthy seasons
Honestly, with a staff like that, if they finish with a record of 81 - 81, that will be a minor miracle.

Meanwhile the Sox are on the verge of getting Schilling back. Their big problem is who gets pushed to the pen - sixth starter/middle reliever John Halama is already there. Otherwise, the Back Bay neighbors will have to look at the group of Schilling, Clement, Wells, Wakefield, Arroyo, and Miller and figure out who goes to the pen.
Seeing as the Sox's biggest problems are in middle relief, this could solve the teams problems without them having to go out and trade minor leaguers for the stretch run.
My money's on Arroyo or Wakefield. Both offer more flexibility than the other starters - Wells age makes using him out of the pen prohibitive; Miller, due to his arm history can't be used in back to back appearances, limiting his usefulness; Clement is pitching like an ace and will not come out of the rotation - leaves Arroyo and Wake.

Check back later this week for my comments on the lead boneheads of last year's NFL rookie class; Sean Taylor and Kellen Winslow.

Boston.com / Sports / Football / Patriots / More is less

Boston.com / Sports / Football / Patriots / More is less

I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the good people at the Boston Globe who put into perspective the inanity of our advertising-happy culture. They recognized that not only do we seem to have a need to make sure everything fits into a neat, little classification, but that we have to over-hype it.
Take the time to read the editorial. It's excellent.
We are the children of an advertising age.
Bravo Boston Globe.
Bravo Bill Belichick.
Now, what do they all do for their encore?

ESPN.com - NFL - Fred Gems: Eagles' Mitchell sounds off again

ESPN.com - NFL - Fred Gems: Eagles' Mitchell sounds off again

The Mouth that Roared -
Just what does it take to shut this idiot up? Duct tape?
This guy needs a serious reality check. Not only has he not done anything in the league so far, despite being a first round pick four years ago, but when he mouths off he can't back it up. Then to make matters worse, he blames everybody but himself, throws his quarterback and coach under the bus, and then claims that the reason he wasn't able to back up his words is that TO took playing time away from him.
The funniest thing about Mitchell's private fantasy land is his accusation that he got to the Pats because they felt his comments were disrespectful. Well, guess what Freddie - the comments were disrespectful, no, you didn't get to them, if you did, that would imply that you won the game and the Pats D played their normal, disciplined game, and you did get opportunities, your quarterback just didn't trust you.
If this clown is still with the Eagles next year, I'll be shocked. My guess, he gets released by the Eagles in the offseason, bounces around and is out of football in about three seasons. Too much lip, not enough performance.
Great, if sometimes sloppy game. Need to remember, these are the Pats - they're incapable of winning the big one by more than three.

Waiting for the Thaw -
Someone stick a fork in the NHL to let them know they're done. Please!

The Pedro Chronicles -
Pedro showed up early for training camp for the Metropolitans (and the Red Sox disrespected him?)
Pedro was allowed to come and go as he pleased, showing up late for warmups and leaving early on days he wasn't pitching (and the Red Sox disrespected him?)
Pedro was made by his employers of the last seven years the highest paid pitcher in baseball during that time (and the Red Sox disrespected him?)
Pedro whined that the Sox brain-trust brought too many people to visit him with the World Series trophy in the Dominican Republic (and the Red Sox disrespected him?)
The amazing thing about this whole situation is that when the Mets made their final offer, there wasn't anyone to bid against because no other team was going to offer an aging prima-donna with shoulder problems and a history of injuries those years and that money. Sorry Mets fans, but this ain't gonna be your year.

Me and Jose down by the 'Roid Yard -
So Canseco is doing a tell-all book about steroid use among the teams he played for. He dealt only with players he played with and named Big Mac. While Canseco is not the most credible of witnesses, who didn't suspect McGwire to be one of the big suspects. Sure, he was always a big guy and a homerun hitter, but let's be serious, this guy got huge and his power numbers jumped by almost 50 percent. Then when he retired he got really small. Could be a coincidence, but...
On the same note, someone I've wondered about, but never heard named...Nomar. Let it be known first and foremost that I am a Sox fan and loved to watch the man that Mo Vaughn dubbed Spiderman play. That being said, it was a known fact that Garciappara made an effort to boost his power numbers. This effort coincided with both the fraying of the tendon sheath in his wrist and Nomar entirely changing his body type.
At this time Nomar appeared topless on the cover of Sports Illustrated (my wife still has the issue), he had gotten big. I believe the story cited something akin to 25 pounds of muscle added in the offseason.
Now, it is possible to bulk up in that short a period, but not easy, even for a professional athlete. 'Roids would help that. Additionally, and this could just be coincidence, but athletes that use steroids have a propensity towards injuries of connective tissues like tendons.
Just some food for thought.

Next week - more on baseball, the spring outlook and Roids, the NHL lockout, and looking at next year's NFL.

The Big Game

As promised, here's an analysis of Sunday's game in Jacksonville. I'll keep it brief -

Let's start with how the two teams fared against their common big name opponent - the Steelers.

Both teams lost - the Eagles were reasonably healthy and had TO at 100%. They could only score 3.
The Patriots didn't have their starting running back, lost their pro-bowl corner early, didn't have Deion Branch, a starting receiver, and lost both of their offensive tackles early. They still put up 20.

The Eagles secondary is somewhat overrated - sure Lito Sheppard intercepted 6 passes, but he also got burned for more than 800 yards worth of completions (opponents seem to like testing him). Not exactly a shutdown corner.
Like the Pats, their D-line makes the secondary better, but the Eagles linebackers aren't as talented or deep a group as the Patriots have.

Other than TO, most of the Eagles receivers struggle against physical secondaries. Backs like Westbrook, who often is compared to Marshall Faulk, don't pose as much of a matchup problem for the Pats as the so-called experts like to think (they seem to have forgotten just how effective Faulk was in the '01 game). The Patriots are going to force McNabb to have to win the game and he doesn't have the horses to do it.
The Pats front three mauled Pittsburgh's O-line two weeks ago. The Eagles line isn't as good.

This game is going to be a cross between the two AFC games the Pats played to get here - both scheme and the team's abilities to raise the intensity of their physicality will play factors.

The bottom line, however, will be the fact that, based on watching the AFC and NFC postseason games, none of the NFC teams was playing as good, hard, or mistake-free football as the Patriots, and that includes the Eagles.

To borrow a Belichickism, the Eagles were leaving too many points on the field to beat a quality team.

Patriots 30, Eagles 13

Talk of Dynasty, the Bills and my training

Okay, let's get this question of the Patriots Dynasty out of the way...many sports writers are speculating on whether or not the Pats are a dynasty, and what makes a dynasty. They compare them to teams like the Steelers of the 70's and the Dolphins of the 70's (already as many titles as they had), the 49ers of the 80's and the Cowboys of the 90's.
A number of the writers are saying they don't stack up because they don't have the pro-bowlers, or haven't put the numbers up for long enough a period, but they're all looking at when Belichick took over the reigns - that doesn't paint the big picture is as follows - Since 1996 (and including this season) the Patriots will have appeared in four of the last nine Super Bowls, winning at least two of them. They have won the AFC East five times, made the playoffs six times and had a losing record once in that span. Their record over that period is 91 - 53.
To put that in perspective, the nine-season period leading up to the Cowboys last title looks like this - 78 - 65, four NFC East division titles, three NFC Championships and five playoff appearances.
Granted, if you take their success from the 11-5 wild card season, you're looking at eight playoff appearances, six division titles, three NFC and Super Bowl Championships to go along with an overall 96 - 47 - 1 and two .500 records. Overall, I gotta say that the Pats numbers compare favorably.

Belichick and Parcells - another subject that writers are trying to put into historical context, but not many are looking at the full history. Only time will tell if the Patriots coach is better than his former boss, but right now most of the numbers are in his favor - one of the issues that needs to be addressed in this debate is what Parcells record is with little Bill and what it is without him, and, quite frankly, that handfull of seasons the Tuna has been on his own amount to a record that coaches with lesser pedigrees would get fired for. For your consideration:
Bill Belichick
Overall - 89W - 71L, 9 - 1 post season, 61 - 27 with current team 3 Division Titles, 2 Lombardi Trophies, 10 seasons as a head coach.

Bill Parcells
Overall - 159W-113L-1, 10 - 5 post season, 16 - 16 with current team 5 division titles, 2 Lombardi Trophies, 16 seasons as a head coach

With Belichick
Overall - 110W-51L-1,10 - 3 post season, 5 division titles, 2 Lombardi Trophies, one losing season.

Without Belichick as either D-coordinator or assistant Head Coach -
Overall - 49W - 62L, 0 - 2 post season, no division titles, three winning seasons to go with four losing seasons.

Do the math.

Well, other than that, the training is slogging along. Have got my three mile time near 25 minutes and am going almost six and a half in an hour and five. Ideally I would like to get over seven minutes per mile - would like to finish the marathon in under 3:30, but that might be a pipe dream.
I've been looking over the Marathon course and have determined that it was designed by a sadist. Mile seventeen crosses the finish line, runs about 4.5 miles out and then the runners double back to the end - what sort of sick mo'fo' tempts you by putting the finish line in the middle of the course? Worst tease ever.

Tomorrow I will do my Super Bowl breakdown. Peace.

A day late and a few sandwiches short...

Sorry, meant to get to this last night...

So, I got it backwards - the closer game was in Philly, the blowout was in Pittsburgh. Face it all you Steelers apologists out there - the black and gold might have passed and ran for more yards than the Pats, that doesn't mean Pitt dominated the game, had they done so, the Steelers wouldn't be sitting at home right now. The most important stats from that game aren't passing and rushing yards - turnovers, how did Pittsburgh convert in short yardage situations (4th and 1, 1st and goal from the 4, etc.), and most importantly, final score.
I'll concede that 41 - 27 isn't really a blow-out - cosmetically speaking - but that last Steelers TD was scored in garbage time.

If the Eagles play TO in spite of the doctor's refusal to clear him, then Philly clearly goes from one of the smartest, most fiscally responsible teams in the salary cap era to a bunch of idiots. If Philly truly believes in their system, and they believe the Owens has been the missing piece, then, logically, they should believe that they have a shot next year.

On Tuesday I'll break down why this Super Bowl won't resemble the two most recent Patriot victories.

Today I begin keeping a work-out diary as I train for my first Marathon ever - the Frederick Marathon here in Frederick, MD.
Day One lookback -
I ran track in HS. I was a sprinter, a quarter-miler to be precise. I achieved all-league honors several times, even qualified for the New York State Meet once as part of a relay team (didn't go). That was 17 years ago. In the last 18 years I have had my right knee scoped (for torn cartilege) and either torn or separated tendons in both of my ankles. Iknow...I'm an idiot (my wife already told me).
I started running again recently in an effort to shed some of the pounds that I put on in recent years, but I've always found exercise for the sake of staying in shape difficult. If there were some competitive goal - well, that's different.
So, when the publisher of the paper that I was working at asked for volunteers to run in the marathon , I was the first to respond.
As I typed my e-mailed response, I could hear, somewhere in the recesses of my mind, Marlon Brando's Colonel Kurtz at the end of Apocalypse Now uttering, "the horror, the horror..." Yesterday I got out on the road and ran six miles (about three to four miles more than I've been running recently). Somewhere shortly after mile three, I began to hear that voice again.
Ideally, after a month or two of intense training, I hope to stave off that voice until at least mile twelve.
Stay tuned for further updates.

The Keystone State Bowl....

BostonHerald.com - Patriots: Bull's eye on Bettis -- Steelers' ground game No. 1 target

Well, this weekend the NFL will have both the NFC and AFC Championship games at opposite ends of Pennsylvania as the Steelers host the Pats and the Iggles host the Falcons. Let me start with a quick brief on the NFC game in beautiful South Philly (I feel obligated as I spent a brief time last year working for the South Philly Review).
There's going to be a lot of pressure on the Eagles to win this one - ask Jim Kelly, he'll tell ya that no matter what the Eagles are saying, it is what they're feeling and he should know. The Falcons come into the game with one of the top rushing attacks in the league, and the Eagles run defense has been suspect at times this year.
Unfortunately for the Falcons, Vick struggles in the passing game in the best of conditions and the Falcons won't be playing in a nice, climate controlled dome. Unless the Falcons find someway to rush for 300+ yards in Sunday afternoon's contest, don't even look for this to be close, because the Eagles are going to force Vick to beat them in the air in the cold and snow.

The Main Event is happening in Pittsburgh. We're talking knock-down, drag-out, kick-'em-in-the-gut-while-they're-down, all-out rumble. This is going to be close, this is going to be violent, and man-oh-man is it gonna be pretty. I think that the Pats will edge the Steelers in this one, and not just because I'm a New England fan.

I realize that the Steelers gave the sixty-minute-men a spanking in October. I realize that the Steelers are taking the underdog roll to heart, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them win, but here's why it won't happen -

1) Football coaches like to publicly say that past performance doesn't matter, that the team is focused on the upcoming game, but the reality is that coaches are obsessed with the past. They crunch numbers, they study film, they work in the past to identify the weakness of tomorrow. NFL history is full of trends and aberrations - many people like to say, if it hasn't happened at least three times, it's not a trend. Well here are some numbers to ponder -

a) No team that has carried a 15 game winning streak into the Championship Game has lost the Super Bowl, however, only 2 teams have brought a streak like that into the final divisional contest - 72 Dolphins and last year's Pats. Overall - irrelevant.

b) Bill Cowher - 1 - 4 record in AFC Championship games played in Pittsburgh.

c) Bill Belichick - 13 - 0 record since joining the Pats as head honcho when facing a QB for the second time in a season.

d) The Boys of February - Only two previous Super Bowls have been played in February. The winner of both - the Patriots (only 2x's - irrelevant).

e) Since the Halloween horror show in Heinz, the Patriots have only allowed to RB's to rush for more than 85 yards in a game.

f) The Bus - Getting the start this weekend, Bettis only has a career yards-per-rush average of 3.1, this includes the day he had against the Pats back in October when he had 4.3 yards-per-attempt. Against a Belichick coached team, that career day won't happen again.

I guess the bottom line is, I think for the most part the talent is a wash - both teams have good receivers (they play a different game, but both corps are deep and talented); both teams have good, blue-collar types in the trenches; both have goodrunning backs, linebackers and safeties. The corners are a wash, and while Roethlisberger outplayed Brady in the first meeting, that won't happen twice against a Belichick-Crennel defense and considering the Pats O-line and starting running back are healthy this time around.

My guess is that we're going to see scoring in the high teens or low twenties in this one with the Pats on top in the snow and cold on Sunday night.

More quick hits

IS it just me, or is George Steinbrenner the sports equivalent to C. Montgomery Burns?


Speaking as a former football coach (2 years with receivers, one with special teams in a semi-pro women's full contact league, and 2 years as the head coach at a middle school running a defense that gave up less than 7 PPG through the two years) and former player (HS, semi-pro), the worst thing that has happened to football commentary has been the advent of the fantasy league.
The fantasy league has spawned the football ingenue. We are besot with people that think they know about football because they can put together a winning rotisserie team. Those same people don't get why this Sunday's late game is a football purist's wet dream.
To them, this Sunday's AFC title game is going to be a "boring defensive struggle."
I grew up watching the Steel Curtain and the Big Blue Wrecking Crew. Whenever possible I watched film of Lombardi's Packers and I watched Paterno's Nittany Lions. I'm all about the punishing defense. Anyone that truly knows football is looking forward to that.
It's going to be a football smackdown - two of the most punishing D's in the league are going to make the opposing O's earn every inch. Forget Baltimore, they're overrated - Ray Lewis got to the Pro Bowl on rep alone (Tedy Bruschi had the better season, don't believe me, look it up), and Reed - got smoked by Corey Dillon in the match-up in the mud - possibly the best stiff arm I've ever seen, sent Reed, literally head over heels.
Sunday is the Rumble at three Rivahs, the Thrilla on the Manongahilla (I don't think I spelled that right, but you get the point), it is simply going to be the best game of the season.

I spent 8 seasons playing some form of hockey or other while growing up. I was a fan at the Beanpot tournament more than once and have sat center-ice row 6 for Bruins games. Somehow I just won't be too crushed if hockey up and goes away.
Management of the league over the last 20 years has been disastrous, and while the players' union is busy trying to point this out and garner sympathy, I have none for a group of people who are trying to perpetuate a system that will ultimately cause their paychecks to go away completely. Hockey in its most recent model is not economically viable and it doesn't matter whether or not the players like it, or want it to be otherwise, the only people left to make a sacrifice to save the league are the players.
Personally, I think its too late for that anyway.

In light of the Colts recent struggles at Gillette, maybe people should begin thinking about nicknaming the stadium the Glue Factory.

Isn't it appropriate that in a season during which Massachusetts senator John Kerry runs for President, that the Patriots end up in Heinz Field during the playoffs?

Overall, in light of last season, I trust Theo Epstein, but David Wells?

Read the novella "Bleachers" by John Grisham over the holidays. It was a quick read, but not overwhelmingly compelling. The characters mostly lacked depth and the story itself was like Grisham had watched Varsity Blues and decided to write about what had happened to those characters fifteen years later (you can pick out story line elements that parallel VB maybe a little bit too closely). Can't say as I would recommend it unless you were looking for something to read on a flight that wouldn't tax your brain too much.

Thursday I will break-down this weekend's AFC game.

Boston.com / Sports / Patriots 20, Colts 3 and other stuff...

Boston.com / Sports / Patriots 20, Colts 3

Issues from the last seven days....

I do believe that I did mention something about the Patriots linebackers....did the pundits believe me? No, just like last year, they got caught up in the excitement of a team that seemingly could score alot, but were unwilling to acknowledge that the Patriots did this for more than half the year without Ty Law or Tyrone Poole. THIS WAS NO FLUKE.
Back in October I said that the Pats were gonna see the Steelers again, I was just hoping it would be in the razor. Guess you can't have everything. Look back here later for a breakdown on the two teams.

In defense of Anna Kournikova - Kournikova, while not a great tennis player, won enough to attain the rank of 8th in the world, but was repeatedly ridiculed and scorned for her choice to parlay her tennis success into a modeling career. At least she won something on the pro-level, and was smart enough to shift gears when she saw players like the Williams sisters come along - much more physically dominating presences on the court.
That being said, can someone explain the hype and hoopla over Michelle Wei, the precocious 15-year old golfer who seems to get PGA sponsorship exemptions about as regularly as she gets beat by girls younger than her on the amateur circuit who are not as highly regarded? Someone? Please?

I don't have an ethical issue with the Randy Moss "mooning" celebration, and I don't particularly care if the cheese-heads moon players on their way out of the parking lot. My issue with the play is that it practically defines unsportsman-like conduct and a flag should have been thrown.
If the league really wants to crack down on the show-offs and get rid of these stupid and inane "it's all about me" end-zone celebrations (like the cell phone and the signs) then this is the way the personal foul for excessive celebration will work - flag is thrown, penalty is announced, touchdown is revoked and the refs march off 15 yards from the original line of scrimmage. The first time one of the hot dogs gets a TD called back will be the last time you see that penalty called.

Am I the only one that looks at what Steinbrenner is doing and wonder why he's going almost entirely with a pitching staff that qualifies for an AARP discount. Not that I'm complaining, I'm a BoSox fan. I think I might be the only person who doesn't see the acquisition of a 41-year old lefty with a history of back problems and a balky knee as the ingredient the Bombers need to get over the hump. If you look at the playoffs, the starting pitching did the job through five games, but twice their aging bullpen failed to hold the lead, and then the pitching was exposed.
If the bullpen pulls out game four, the Yanks go into the Series with a fresh rotation against a weak and depleted St. Louis staff that would have gone through a longer and more difficult series.
Guess that's the Boss for you.

Quick hits...

I used to teach English and Comp Sci to Philadelphia area HS students and I have to say that the No Child Left Behind program isn't just a car wreck...its sinking this country's education system faster than that iceberg sunk the Titanic - consider the following:

* When I was in a senior HS in the 80's, long before No Child, I went through my classes, learned what I was being taught, and then found, the next year in college, that I had already learned in my senior year much of what the college wanted me to in my freshman year there. If my teachers were forced to teach to a standardized test, which is what is happening in school districts all across the USA right now, I wouldn't have been anywhere near as prepared to face college life as I was.

*Currently teachers in many HS's across the nation are teaching almost solely from handouts in order to prepare their students for the standardized tests that the students will be facing.

* The model that the government used when designing No Child is that of communism - the same model used by the Soviet Union from the 1940's to the 1980's...the FAILED MODEL the Soviets used.

* Many teachers are afraid to use "teachable moments" from outside the classroom, because they feel that the students might fall behind in their test preparation.

* and my favorite - If a school has too large a percentage of its student population fail the state testing, the school will either lose federal funding, or won't qualify for it. The schools most likely to miss out, due to academic issues, are the inner city schools that most need the funding (possibly the worst logic I've ever seen - picture Bush in his Texas drawl, "Well, if ya show us ya don't need the extra help, then we'll be happy ta help ya out.")

I'm amazed by these studies that are released that "identify the problems" in education in the inner cities - too often, I feel like I'm reading a detailing of one of the symptoms, and some stopgap solution for it. I worked with these students for half a decade, and let me tell ya, it starts in the home...
Too many times for parent-teacher nights, I would see the parents of the kids that had no problems (ie: the parents that were giving support and making sure the kids did their homework, etc.), but I almost never saw the parents of the kids that weren't doing their work. Additionally, more often than not, it was obvious that those students had no desire to be there,and they viewed school as little more than either a social function, or a place where they could make their drug connections.
Bottom line, after five years of washing student blood out of my clothes from breaking up fights, and a few years of the government saying, in essence, that I couldn't challenge my students to do better, I walked away.

AFC Champion Colts...?

Okay, so I'm watching and listening to all these pundits talk about how the Colts are going to march away with the game this weekend at the Razor. They keep talking about the loss of Ty Law as though its the end of the world for the defending champs. Certainly this is a significant loss - I will acknowledge that, and it has me worried, but I refuse to give in completely to chicken-little-ism.
The pundits point at the hot offense and what they call a much improved defense, then they look at the Patriots and this is what they say they see -
A) a team that cannot defend the pass because their secondary is too banged up
B) a team that will not be able to pressure Manning because Pats DE/T Richard Seymour might not be 100 percent
C) a team that will not be able to handle the pressure from the Colts "improved" D (I believe the question I keep hearing is, "how are they going to handle the pressure from Dwight Freeney).

What I don't seem to hear -
A) of Freeney's 16 sacks this season, 13 came on turf, in previous meetings with the Pats Freeney has done little more than cause Brady to step up in the pocket occasionally and has been little more than a non-factor, plus, if DE Mathis is out, the Colts will have to rely more on sending extra people from the linebackers or secondary to pressure Brady.
B) the Colts improved defensive statistics have come against, at best, second tier teams that were often down by two or more touchdowns at halftime. Easy to compile good D stats when you can pin your ears back and not worry too much about being too aggressive or over-pursuing.
C) Peyton Manning has a career QB rating of about 78 against the Pats - 20 points lower than against the rest of the league.
D) In the Belichick/Crennell defensive era, the Patriots are 12 - 0 when given the opportunity to game plan against the same quarterback for a second time in a season.
E) The banged up secondary will have its starting safety tandem (1/2 the starting defensive backfield), its nickel-back, Asante Samuel (who is being groomed as Law's replacement, has acquitted himself nicely in his starts, and, most likely, would have been likely to start next year for Ty Law as the Patriots were unlikely to carry his large cap number into next season), and a street free-agent, Randall Gay, with whom as a starter the Patriots went 8 - 1, and helped hold opponents to an average of 15.1 ppg (six times they held opponents to less than 20 points, including KC's vaunted offense). Somehow I think the quality of these guys has been highly undervalued this week.
F) Tom Brady's highest QB rating ever came in a game against the Colts and Brady has never lost to them.
G) Also, lost in this somewhere is the fact that Seymour's back-up, Jarvis Green, has tended to have career days against the Colts, and...
H) The last time I checked, the following playmakers on defense were all healthy; Tedy Bruschi, Ted Johnson, Willie McGinnest, Mike Vrabel, Roman Phipher and Roosevelt Colvin. I seem to remember that, for whatever reason, the Pats linebacking corps tends to give the Colts offense fits.

I could go on, I could talk about Troy Brown, the other receivers, the O-line, the tight-ends, Don Davis, and Adam Vinatieri, but I would be here for days.

Do the Colts worry me? Yeah, they've got a great offense, but people seem to forget that the Pats O has gone toe-to-toe with them before (remember September?) and come out on top in the high-scoring affairs. Bottom line, I'm not convinced the Colts D can close the deal.

Let the games begin...

Born in a humble log stadium...

The intro from my old Angry Fan Site. I now work as a business writer for a subsidiary for the Washington Post in MD, but will continue to write primarily sports and entertainment commentary here (and whatever other subject occassionally catches my fancy):

Born in a humble log stadium, I embarked on my professional odyssey on the road to becoming a sports journalist while in college. It was there that I had my first taste of the ambrosia that is sports writing while working as the Friday morning sports anchor at WECB AM radio and becoming a regular guest analyst on their Tuesday night weekly sports wrap-up.


Then in '96 came the job that was both a blessing and something of a cousin to the "Curse of the Bambino" - Red Sox beat writer. Okay, less the cousin and more the bastard, redneck love child. Don't get me wrong, I'm a major Sox fan but following the team closely is one thing, following them as closely as you have to as a fan who's also a journalist during the Dan Duquette era can make one feel like Ned Beatty in Deliverance. Skuh-weeal! I digress...

I moved on to the Philadelphia area in 1999 where I have been working full time as a teacher and picking up freelance work as an editor and writer. As a writer I decided to put my money where my mouth was and fell in with a shady crowd known as the Philadelphia Liberty Belles... a women's football team. I hooked on as their wide receivers coach and their primary source of press coverage. In furthering this concept of getting more firsthand knowledge, I moved on to a position as a head coach and defensive coordinator of a junior varsity squad.

Over the last couple of years I somehow became the champion of women's sports while working as a beat writer covering the Philadelphia Charge. I profiled gymnast Shannon Miller, world cup soccer player Kate Sobrero and All-Star catcher Judy O'Brien of Team USA, winners of the 2001 Women's Baseball World Series. While I feel there's a lot to recommend women's professional sports, for some reason those events don't draw large crowds. Kind of means they also don't draw large reader audiences. For those of you that are fans of women's sports, don't despair, I will continue to try to enlighten the masses, but this site is about much more than that. Oddly enough, in spite of the above, I'm not exactly a champion of title IX, but more on that later. In the words of John Milton, "Here, at least, we shall be free..."

I have built here a site to talk about all that is wrong with professional sports today from the fans to the players to the management to the ownership and even to the press. For the time being, sit back, relax and read the ravings of an angry fan. Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-hah!!!