-Digger's Daily-

Another NFL regular season comes to a close this weekend. NFL 2009 ends in 2010. NFC playoff teams have been finalized. A few will continue fighting for playoff position. AFC wild card hasn't been determined yet. Hopefully teams fighting to make it won't be playing against replacement players on teams that have already clinched.

Due to time constraints this weeks predictions will not feature my peanut gallery comments. After back to back sub par weeks it's probably best. Anyone looking to place bets this weekend had better pay attention to weather conditions and if playoff bound teams will be playing their regular starters for more than a few series. 9-7 in week 16 lowers my overall record to 152-88. My last chance to end on a positive note.

Week 17 (home in CAPS):

Indianapolis 20 BUFFALO 16
CLEVELAND 27 Jacksonville 23
Chicago 28 DETROIT 10
San Francisco 26 ST LOUIS 14
Pittsburgh 37 MIAMI 17
MINNESOTA 33 Giants 20
Atlanta 27 TAMPA BAY 21
New Orleans 26 CAROLINA 24
New England 31 HOUSTON 13
Green Bay 36 ARIZONA 27
SAN DIEGO 24 Washington 7
Tennessee 35 SEATTLE 10
Baltimore 17 OAKLAND 16
Philadelphia 31 DALLAS 28
DENVER 28 Kansas City 14
Cincinnati 20 JETS 16

Best wishes for a healthy, safe and wonderful New Year! See you all again in 2010!

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NBA
It's been a wild ride in the NBA as the season nears its' halfway point. No one single player, coach or team has stood out above the field. Recent history has shown us how the leagues top team keep getting tougher. 2009-10 season is no different. NBA fans have been treated to great games. There's more to come.

Here's my top 10 thru 30+ games played...

1- LA Lakers
2- Boston Celtics
3- Cleveland Cavaliers
4- Orlando Magic
5- Dallas Mavericks
6- Denver Nuggets
7- Phoenix Suns
8- Atlanta Hawks
9- San Antonio Spurs
10-Houston Rockets

NHL
Another great season on ice for NHL fans. Martin Brodeur continues rewriting goalie records. The leagues top teams continue getting stronger. Only 7 teams with sub .500 records. Teams stuck behind the top 10 will be in a dogfight for post-season play throughout the seasons second half.

My top 10
1- New Jersey Devils
2- Pittsburgh Penguins
3- Chicago Blackhawks
4- Washington Capitals
5- San Jose Sharks
6- Buffalo Sabres
7- Phoenix Coyotes
8- Colorado Avalanche
9- Vancouver Canucks
10-Calgary Flames

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Don Shula and his 1972 Miami Dolphins can rest easy. Their record perfect season remains safe for at least another year thanks to Indianapolis Colts rookie head coach's decision not to go for the record by pulling Peyton Manning and many other starting players. End result, Colts blew a 15-10 3rd quarter lead and lost their bid for perfection. Perhaps, they've lost more than just one game.

Indianapolis (14-1) was the lone undefeated team left in the NFL after Dallas beat previously unbeaten New Orleans last weekend. Indy soon found themselves subjected to fan and football analyst scuttlebutt questioning whether or not it is in a teams best interest to play for perfection or to rest regular players in an attempt to keep them fresh for the playoffs and shield them from sustaining injury.

Only two NFL clubs completed perfect regular seasons. 1972 Miami finished 14-0 before sweeping playoff opponents, ending 17-0 (Super Bowl Champs). It was New England's turn to run the tables in 2007 (16-0). They became the first to sweep a 16 game regular season schedule before being stunned by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII preserving Miami's place in history.

Colts rookie coach Jim Caldwell made a bold move pulling Indy's starters with 5:36 left in 3rd quarter leading 15-10. Perfection was only 5+ quarters away. The Colts were labled an aging team on decline heading into 2009. Peyton Manning had been enjoying an MVP calibur season securing victories with 4th quarter game winning drives. A playoff atmosphere surrounded yesterday's game as the NY Jets were fighting to survive another week in the AFC wild card hunt. Manning had kept the NFL's top defense at bay. A perfect season was firmly at hand. A win yesterday and only one team stood in their way of history and I doubt if any sane person thinks Buffalo could beat a full strength Colts squad. There's only one way Caldwell's decision will be vindicated. Indianapolis must win the Super Bowl for the Colts coach to survive intense scrutiny and criticism.

Indy fans were not at all happy with their coaches decision. CBS kept focusing in on a visibly upset Peyton Manning as he watched helplessly from the Colts sidelines as replacement teammates fumbled and bumbled their way to defeat. Instantly, Indy fans blogged, Twittered, heckled and booed. Analysts differed on their critiques of Caldwell. Personally, I can't believe he pulled the plug and forfeited a perfect season. Yes, I said forfeit! Much more was at stake than resting players for playoff games which will not begin for another month. Caldwell claims it was strictly to protect his players. Here's a few press conference quotes (as reported on Espn.com):

"It's probably my greatest strength and my greatest weakness. I can focus in. I can narrow my scope," Caldwell said, according to the Indianapolis Star.

"Once you make a decision, you have to live with it. You certainly weigh all the options before. You take a look at all the things that could occur. But once that decision is done, you keep moving."

Team President Polian chimed in to protect his coach. "Football logic has to come into play, and that logic is it makes no sense to have guys out there with the potential for injuries," Polian said. "We played for 16 weeks, sharp as any team in football. The good thing is that none of this mattered in the standings."

Even Peyton Manning, the ultimate professional who was clearly upset standing on the sidelines watching a perfect season go to out the window, put his best foot forward afterwards:

"Until any player in here is the head coach, you follow orders and you follow them with all of your heart," Manning said after the game. "That's what we've done as players. We follow orders. Our orders were not to give up a turnover, not to give up a kick return for a touchdown. There's not many games, under any circumstances, that you win when you have turnovers and give up a kick return for a touchdown."

Ok, Manning. Way to try regrouping the troops. Clearly, not many were on board with Caldwell. It's one thing to want to protect your players. I'm all for it. But, was it necessary do pull Manning with 5:36 left to go? Take this into account too. The New York Jets are fighting to make the playoffs and Indy owed it to fairness of competition to continue playing hard with plenty of time left in the game. Once the starters were pulled a great contest turned into a one sided joke. The Jets prevailed 29-15 putting themselves in the preverbal drivers seat trying to extend their season. Other teams were either eliminated or face stiff hurdles if they're to make the playoffs.

From day one in pre-season "perfection" is preached in every aspect of the game, on and off the field. Coaches attempt to devise perfect training camps, practices and game plans. Players are taught and practice executing plays to perfection. The goal in every football contest is to win, period. So, how does an organization give away a perfect season? And, then to fluff it off as if it doesn't mean anything in the greater picture. Hogwash! I doubt there's a single Colts player who isn't disappointed today. It's one thing to lose a game putting your best foot forward. It's another to give up.

Caldwell's decision wasn't prudent even if the Colts go on to win it all. He could have pulled the plug midway into the fourth quarter and players would have understood even if their understudies blew it. There was simply too much time left in yesterday's game for any Colt to take this loss in stride. And there's another key point. Did Caldwell's move just disrupt team chemistry? With a perfect season now long gone will Caldwell rest everyone in game 16? There's nothing left to play for. Indy has clinched AFC's best record and first round bye. Buffalo isn't involved in playoff consideration. So, might as well not play any regulars right? If players know this then how does a rookie perfection forfeiting head coach keep these guys focused until their first playoff game on January 16th? Yes, that's right, January 16th.

Just think of the thunderous confidence a perfect season would have created in the hearts and minds of Indianapolis players? Losing ugly yesterday to the Jets forfeited a perfect season. If Colts replacements get knocked off by Buffalo ... then, what happens to team chemistry? What happens to team chemistry on the field when not facing live action for 3 weeks? January 16th is too far down the road. Caldwell's decision may have far reaching consequences he never imagined. Perfection was in the Colts grasp. Only winning Super Bowl XLIV can save their season now.

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The NBA put on quite a show this decade. New stars entered the league and quickly made names for themselves. Seasoned vets took their games to new levels. Phil Jackson's LA Lakers are my pick for team of the decade having won 4 NBA Titles.

Here's my list of 1st and 2nd team All Decade players:

First Team
PG- Steve Nash
SG- Kobe Bryant
F- Kevin Garnett
F- Tim Duncan
C- Dwight Howard
Coach - Phil Jackson

Second Team
PG- Jason Kidd
SG- Ray Allen
F- LeBron James
F- Dirk Nowitzki
C- Yao Ming
Coach- Gregg Popovich

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Yikes! Upon further review, week 15 turned out to be disasterous for NFL favorites and prediction makers. My picks finished up below .500 for the first time this season. 7-9 ate away at my percentages (season total now 143-81). Losers won and favorites embarrassed.

Playoff picture: NFC - 4 teams are locked in. Division clinchers Arizona (West), New Orleans (South) and Minnesota (North). Philadelphia (East) controls their own destiny. NFC Wild Card is down to three teams. Green Bay needs one more win to clinch. Dallas leads NY by one game but Giants own the tie-breaker having beaten the Cowboys twice this season.

AFC - Two teams have clinched division titles, Indianapolis (South) and San Diego (West). New England (East) clinches with one more win or a loss by East rivals. North division had looked to be a lock for Cincinnati but they're suddenly slumping (9-5) with Baltimore (8-6) getting hot. Wild Card picture is complicated. Baltimore and Denver are 8-6 and control their own fate. Close behind but needing help are six teams with 7-7 records. Week 16 should go a long way towards determining who makes this years' playoffs.

Time to pick Week 16 winners and losers (home in CAPS):

TENNESSEE 31 San Diego 27 (Friday) - BAH HUMBUG to the NFL scheduling scrooges who determined it was best to put this game on NFL Network instead of Christmas day by CBS, NBC, FOX or ESPN. So, if you're not paying extra or NFL Network or live in an area not offered NFL Network you're/we're scrooged out of watching (or being able to break away from family to visit a local watering hole to view) the AFC's two hottest teams square off. Tennessee began 0-6 and have won 7 of last 8. San Diego comes in riding a 9 game streak. Titans need this one to stay alive. Titans prevail in one of the best games of the year.

ATLANTA 20 Buffalo 14 (Sunday) - Nothing special here. Banged up Falcons vs boring Bills.

CINCINNATI 24 Kansas City 23 - Bengals (9-5) seemed like a lock to wrap up AFC North two weeks ago. This is a must win game vs KC and fantasy sleeper RB Jamaal Charles. Charles has td's in 4 straight and 5 of 6 games.

CLEVELAND 27 Oakland 16 - Browns 41-34 big play game vs KC was their first win scoring more than 13 points. Oakland stunned Denver 20-19. Both teams represent two of weakest NFL has to offer.

GREEN BAY 33 Seattle 14 - Packers (9-5) clinch wild card birth. Big game for Aaron Rodgers who should receive his share of MVP votes. Seattle (5-9) has been terrible once again in '09.

PITTSBURGH 27 Baltimore 24 - Steelers survived last weekends game and are clinging on life support. Ravens need this game to keep post season hopes alive. Big time rivalry game will showcase many bone crunching hits.

MIAMI 23 Houston 21 - This game can go either way. Run happy Miami will try dominating time of possession with their brutal ground game. If it works, they stand a good chance of winning. Texans hope Schaub to Johnson can burn Dolphins weak seconday for big plays.

NEW ENGLAND 30 Jacksonville 20 - One positive thing can be said about winning ugly. It's still a win. Pats have had plenty of ugly victories. Here's their chance to play a fluid game at home to wrap up AFC East. Third loss in a row eliminates Jags (7-7).

NEW ORLEANS 48 Tampa Bay 7 - Saints undefeated season came to an end vs Dallas. They'll take out their frustrations vs a severely overmatched Bucs team.

GIANTS 27 Carolina 17 - Giants need a win to stay alive. They usually have a tough time vs sub .500 teams. NY hopes for a repeat performance emulating their MNF slaughter vs Washington. Panthers trying to be spoilers. This is not a game I'd bet on.

SAN FRANCISCO 27 Detroit 13 - It's been an up and down year for the suddenly pass happy 49ers. Detroit continues to hope better days are coming. One can always hope.

ARIZONA 33 St Louis 3 - Warner torches former team again. RB Wells has been solid taking over for fumble prone Hightower.

INDIANAPOLIS 28 Jets 10 - Colts to remain unbeaten. Jets season comes to an end.

PHILADELPHIA 30 Denver 24 - A game of big plays. Eagles lock up NFC East.

WASHINGTON 28 Dallas 27 - Yep, I'm going with the 'Skins. Washington coming off of a low. Cowboys off a high. This often spells upset... especially when two big time rivals take the field. Dallas kicking game loses yet another contest and puts their season in jeopardy.

Minnesota 27 CHICAGO 10 - (MNF) - There's a tiff brewing in Minnesota after 2 straight defeats (11-3). Vikes were once my pick to represent NFC in Super Bowl. They get the job done on Monday night in the Windy City.

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Merriam-Webster OnLine Definition: "Hero" 1 a: a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability b : an illustrious warrior c : a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities d : one that shows great courage
2 a : the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work b : the central figure in an event, period, or movement
3: plural usually heros
4 : an object of extreme admiration and devotion : idol

What makes sports heroes idol's? What happens when heroes self destruct? Sports heroes are treated as royalty. They're given keys to cities, honored by politicians, rewarded with millions for promoting products. But, what happens when they fall and what effect does it have on America's youth who look up to these "role models"?

Charles Barkley has always been a colorful figure. He was one of basketball's biggest names but he did not want the "role model" tag attached to his name and publicly stated so. Good for Charles. His message was be a fan but be yourself. He was ridiculed back in the day for making such a statement. He should have been applauded for telling it like it is. Be yourself kids.

The trouble with putting too much trust or hope in a celebrity is they often fall. And, when they do, it's a hard crash from a wish upon a star to an express train straight to hell. In some twisted cases, these falls are often embraced or emulated by naive fans. Here's a brief list of what one time heroes have become: murderers, drug users, rapists, adulterers, child beaters, animal abusers, liars, cheated in their sports, used illegal substances to enhance performances and the list goes on...

Tiger Woods recent saga should send a strong signal of the perils which accompany too much reliance on "idols" (celebrities). Over the past 20 years some of the most prominent have been the most corrupt. Head over to "SportsRagePage.com" for more in depth reviews....

Pete Rose is baseball's all time hits leader and was banished forever because of betting on baseball. A charge vehemently denied for years until he wrote a book to come clean. Mike Tyson was to become the greatest heavyweight champion of all time until things turned ugly from rape to brawls to behaviour in the ring (ear biting). Barry Bonds broke many major baseball records including Hank Aaron's home run record but BB's connection in baseball's BALCO scandal is a pure disgrace. Mark McGwire's single season home run record has been tainted by performance enhancing drug abuse... and to this day, he refuses to comment about his past. Michael Vick was a well publicized energetic Atlanta Falcons star quarterback until we was jailed for running a dog fighting ring. My list is endless. All of these celebrated stars were thought of as role models (I left at least 50 more off). They were used as role models being promoted to anyone willing to follow. We were told this is what you can do battling long odds. Many became spokesmen for childrens groups. In my eyes, they will always be disgraces to their professions.

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We're only a few days away from the beginning of a new decade. I've been busy putting together my personal All Decade teams for our four major sports. Today's blog/team highlights the best of Major League Baseball (2000-09). Players suspected of using performance enhancing drugs need not apply... they're out!

Here it is, All World All Sports first All Decade Team:

Starting Pitcher: Randy Johnson (Diamondbacks, Yankees, Giants) - Let the debate begin. Johnson was the most dominating early on when he was still blowing away hitters on his way to winning the decades first three Cy Young's. Injuries slowed down his effectiveness in recent years but no one put more fear into hitters than Johnson.

Catcher: Jorge Posada (Yankees) - Posada has been every bit as important to the Yankees recent success as Derek Jeter's arrival. Posada is a Yankees legend even though spotlights follow Jeter, ARod and Mo Rivera. 5 time All Star. Batted .338 in '07. 30 HR's in '03. The most consistent non-doper catcher of the decade.

1st Base: Albert Pujols (Cardinals) My MVP pick of this decade. He does it all. Hits for average, power, clutch, slick fielder. Five 40+ HR seasons, over 100 RBI every season, over 100 runs scored all but one year (99). Pujols might be the very best of the best by the time his career ends. 366 decade HR's, .334 cumulative batting average, 3 NL MVP's, 2001 NL Rookie of the Year. Not too shabby.

2nd Base: Jeff Kent (Giants) - Killer Kent was one of NL's greatest run producing 2B ever to lace up. Regularly banged out 40+ 2B's, 20+ HR's and 100+ RBI while flirting with .300 BA.

3rd Base: Chipper Jones (Braves) - Smooth, steady, consistent, clutch. Day in and day out Chipper comes to play. Future Hall of Famer. People will fill my email claiming ARod this and ARod that. Sobeit. Yes, ARod's stats are nice but he juiced therefore disqualified from my consideration.

Short Stop: Derek Jeter (Yankees) - Derek personifies hard work, dedication, team leadership qualities, clutch performances and steady play. All while under an intensified New York media circus always ready to pounce on athletes who stray. Yankees captain surpassed 200 hits 5 times, 100 runs 8 times, .300+ 8 times, 20+ SB 6 times, 8 time All Star. In 2009 became NY's all time hits leader.

Left Field: Carl Crawford (Rays) - Blazing fast LF Crawford has yet to reach his prime. Became Rays full timer in 2003. Recorded 5 50+ SB seasons, led AL 3 consecutive years with double digit triples, .295 BA. A few other names come to mind before Crawford... but, they're dirty.

Center Field: Carlos Beltran (Royals, Astros, Mets) - The only knock I have on Beltran is from when he struck out with the bases loaded, Mets trailing by 1, bottom of the 9th, 2006 NLCS. Yes, I can carry a grudge. Other than that, he put together a fine decade. 8 100+ RBI, 4 30+ SB years, superb defensive CF, 5 time All Star.

Right Field: Ichiro Suzuki (Mariners) - Could you imagine if his entire career was spent in USA? He's first player to record 200 hits in 9 straight years, most 200 hit seasons from start of career, most hits in decade 2,030 (only 9 years), 30+ SB every year but one (26), 8 seasons 100+ runs scored, 9 time All Star, 2001 Rookie of the Year, 2001 AL MVP, 9 Gold Gloves. Hands down best all around RF is Ichiro.

Designated Hitter: David Ortiz (Red Sox) - DH extraordinaire and Mr. Clutch (except in '09). Big power numbers from Big Papi. 3 consecutive 40+ HR's, 5 straight 100 RBI.

Closer: Mariano Rivera (Yankees) - Was there any doubt? Never. The best closer of all time. Eclipsed 500 career saves in '09. 8 time All Star, 2005 Cy Young runner up, 6 years sub 2.00 ERA, 10 30+ Save years (5 40+).

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Philadelphia (9-4) sits alone leading the NFC East after beating up on rival Giants (7-6) coupled with another Dallas (8-5) December loss. McNabb might be playing in another game of the week matchup vs confident San Francisco (6-7). Parts of our country will get blacked out of a big game Saturday night when Dallas heads over to New Orleans (13-0). It's an NFL Network game which isn't carried by all cable operators (NOT by Cablevision in NY!!!). Another Dallas loss could be crippling to their hopes this season.

I rebounded from an off week #13 by picking 12 of 16 upping my season w/l total to 136-72. A bunch of so-so games litter this weekends schedule. There will be a few great ones too. Dallas @ NO, Miami @ Tennessee, SF @ Philly, Cincy @ SD and Giants @ Washington. Much is at stake this weekend. AFC has 9 teams engaged in a tough playoff race. NFC appears to have 3 teams fighting for the last slot. Anything can happen in the NFL. I'm thinking Dallas will be odd man out if New York wins in Washington.

Week 15 (home in CAPS):

Indianapolis 30 JACKSONVILLE 24 - (Thursday) Colts declared their intentions not to over do it down the stretch and will rest players whenever they're see fit. A potential perfect season is taking a back seat to staying healthy for a Super Bowl run. Jacksonville (7-6) is in a dogfight trying to qualify for post season play. They may have a shot this weekend as Indy has been playing close games. Jags will come up short just like all other foes.

NEW ORLEANS 51 Dallas 21 - (Saturday) Yes, I'm predicting the Saints to walk all over the Cowboys (8-5). Brees has too many weapons in spread formations for Dallas to cover. If Cowboys can't apply pressure up front (they won't), then this game will be over after 1st quarter.

New England 27 BUFFALO 13 - Turmoil surrounding Pats. Brady chewed out team a couple of weeks ago. Carolina accusing Randy Moss of quitting last weekend. Weaker than normal defense. Head Coach who hasn't figured it out. Nonetheless, Patriots roll.

Arizona 44 DETROIT 7 - Cardinals (8-5) clinch NFC West in a blowout.

Miami 14 TENNESSEE 13 - Huge game for both teams. On paper, it's Ricky Williams (3 100 yard games in 4 starts) vs Chris Johnson (8 straight 100 yard games). If you like games won by line of scrimmage battles... this is the one to watch. Evenly matched teams at the moment with Titans holding edge in passing game.

KANSAS CITY 26 Cleveland 17 - Good news in Cleveland. Mike Holmgren is negotiating to become head of football operations.

Houston 35 ST LOUIS 10 - Schaub's having a good season for fantasy football owners but his stats aren't translating into wins for real life Texans (6-7). They can't win vs teams with winning records. This weekend, they'll beat up on a loser.

JETS 24 Atlanta 14 - Jets might have to win all remaining games to have a shot at playoff football. Falcons are limping into this game with stars QB Ryan and RB Turner banged up. If Atlanta was smart these two wouldn't play another snap in '09.

PHILADELPHIA 27 San Francisco 20 - Eagles (9-4) start pulling away in NFC East with a win over gritty 49ers.

BALTIMORE 30 Chicago 17 - Baltimore will abuse Cubs. Da Bears are nowhere to be found. Ravens remain in the hunt.

Cincinnati 27 SAN DIEGO 24 - Bengals to snap Chargers 8 game win streak and clinch AFC North title. Don't miss this one, it should be a great contest right up to the final play.

DENVER 27 Oakland 0 - I can't remember the last time I tried predicting a shutout. Here it comes. Time for Raiders to fly their flag upside down. Broncos remain in control of their playoff destiny.

Green Bay 31 PITTSBURGH 20 - Pack (9-4) on a 5 game roll. Steelers (6-7) on a 5 game dive. Make it 6 each.

SEATTLE 20 Tampa Bay 10 - Who cares?

Minnesota 27 CAROLINA 14 - (Sunday Night) It won't matter how long Vikings regulars play.

Giants 31 WASHINGTON 23 - New York (7-6) takes a giant step forward towards playoff football after barely holding on vs a suddenly confident Redskins club. Defensive Coordinator Bill Sheridan has been getting burned all season by not calling aggressive defensive plays from stunts to blitzing schemes. Giants front four hasn't stepped up and secondary getting tourched. It happens again but NY survives.

After this weekend.... NFC playoff picture becomes a little clearer. AFC remains up for grabs.

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The sports world has been churning plenty of headlines recently. Rumors, trades, scandals, awards, winners and losers. It's time for my two cents nitpicking the hub-bub.

Heisman Trophy Winner
Alabama RB Mark Ingram won the 2009 Heisman Trophy Award as the nations top college football player. Voting results were closest in the awards 75 year history. I guess playing for an undefeated #1 team helped. Personally, I didn't think Ingram's stats came close to the season dished out by Toby Gerhart of Stanford. I was left scratching my head when learning of the results. Final talley was Ingram (1,304), Gerhart (1,276), McCoy (1,145). Ingram was 4th on my list (Gerhart 1st, McCoy 2nd) ... good thing for him I don't cast an official ballot.

Tiger Woods Saga...
Tiger's women keep lining up to tell tales of swinging romances, lavish gifts and more. Why not? Our crazed media has hung on to and published nearly every word these loose women have to tell. Tiger's strumpets have hit gold selling their stories for 2 minutes of fame. Some might get much more than 2 minutes. Anything from rumored Tiger buy-offs for silence to story telling contracts to new jobs. Go figure.
The White House must have loved this story. Don't forget, various spokesman from Rahm Emanuel to Hillary Clinton to the President himself have previously declared "Never waste a good crisis." And, they haven't. This week alone, as media outlets of the world were looking into the Tiger Woods story, plenty of news was left uncovered. Senate closed door health care meetings. Raising of the debt ceilings. News of Iran's nuclear capacities dating back to 2007. "Climate-Gate" scandal. Mostly left without any type of "investigative" journalism. Tiger was the media's main prey. If only these drive by cheeerleaders would have covered news worth of importance. What ever happened to investigative journalism. Heck, Tiger's headlines and deep coverage into the past of nearly every woman he's been accused of cheating with greatly outweighs the depths journalists looked into anything coming out of Washington these days.

Baseball Trades & Free Agents
Baseball's winter meetings were relatively quiet. Plenty of free agents remain with very few stars being signed. However, there's been two blockbuster trades. A three team trade brings Curtis Granderson to the World Champion New York Yankees. Yanks gave up future star CF Austin Jackson (to Detroit), RP Cooke (Detroit) and left for dead Ian Kennedy (Arizona) who never lived up to NY hype. Arizona nabbed Edwin Jackson from Detroit. In addition to Cooke and Jackson (from NY), Detroit also acquired SP's Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth from Arizona. All 3 teams got what they wanted.

Another 3 team big name trade rumor surfaced 2 hours ago. Slim details have surfaced. It appears Halladay is going to Philadelphia from Toronto. Playoff star Cliff Lee heads to Seattle. Phils are nuts to part with Lee. Have they forgotten what he did for thim this past postseason? Halladay, Lee & Hamels would have made a great trio. Add emerging JA Happ plus powerful lineup and Phils could have a dynasty in the making. Lee (2008 Cy Young winner) and Halladay are almost a wash. Philly giving up it's top prospects in addition to Lee stymies the deal for me.

Red Sox signed John Lackey to a five year deal. Welcome to AL East baseball. I was hoping the Mets would sign him even though odds were slim at best. A great move for Boston. Lackey's a gamer.

Hideki Matsui seems destined for Angels territory. Mr Clutch will be missed here in NY. Looks like Vlad Guerrero needs a new home. Wonder if he's to be found on the Yanks radar? Yanks are starved for right handed bats and Vlad is a good fit if the price is right even though he's coming back from an off year due to multiple nagging injuries.

Pittsburgh Steelers
What in the world is happening to the Steelers? Five straight defeats including three to bottom dwellers. No offense continuity. A good matchup right now would be Pittsburgh vs Dallas.

Dallas Cowboys
December football is here. So are the same old Cowboys. 0-2 in December 2009. Next up, a trip to play 13-0 Saints. Brees at home will have his pick of 4 wide open receivers. Doomsday talk surrounds all facets of Dallas. Coach Phillips has been criticized. Offensive coordinator Garrett. Tony Romo still hears calls from commentators and former successful QB's to step up and "lead". 8-3 to missing the playoffs? A loss this weekend vs NFC's top team and these guys might as well start making vacation plans.

Martin Brodeur to set another NHL record...
Add another notch in Brodeur's NHL record belt. He's one game away from tying Patrick Roy's mark of 1,029 games played. That's an awful lot of hockey. Only the best can do it and Brodeur has certainly been one of the best ever to lace up in the NHL. Before this season ends, Brodeur will also set the record for most 30 win campaigns by goalies (13, tied with Roy 12). If he shuts out one more team in playoff action then he sets another record. One of my favorite players of all time.

NFL MVP?
I've been very surprised at the lack of MVP talk. It's been a great season so far. Early on I was leaning towards Favre. He's been great all year. However, there's a gang of players making plenty of noise. Here's my short list as of now:
Peyton Manning (Ind), Brett Favre (Min), Chris Johnson (Ten), Philip Rivers (SD), Drew Brees (NO) & Thomas Jones (NYJ). I'm not sure which player ranks highest on my list. They're all having tremendous seasons. I'd bet 2009 voting results are closest in history.

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The day has arrived. Later this evening college football's 2010 Heisman Memorial Trophy Award recipient will be announced. The Heisman is awarded to the most outstanding college football player in the nation. Casting ballots for this years' winner is 870 media reps, 55 living Heisman winners and Nissan sponsored collective "fan" vote. It's safe to say the winner will rank very high on NFL scouting lists for future draft preparation.

Five finalists were announced back on December 7th. In my eyes, there can be only one clear cut winner this year. Stanford RB Toby Gerhart. Toby left opposing defenses in his wake. 1,736 rushing yards (5.6/carry) and 26 TD's against defenses designed to derail his game. Nine multiple touchdown games including 5 of 3 or more. Sports agents will be fighting to sign up Gerhart. A bonified potential NFL #1 pick in 2010 NFL draft. Big payday waiting for this kid.

The finalists include:
Toby Gerhart (RB, Stanford) Senior back rushed for 1,736 yards, 26 TD
Mark Ingram (RB, Alabama) 1,542 rush yds, 15 TD. Key component for undefeated #1 Alabama. Sophomore back will always challenge for college football's elite award.
Colt McCoy (QB, Texas) Senior QB led undefeated Texas to #2 ranking and BCS Championship Game. 3,512 passing yards, 70.5% completions, 27 TD. Big time & big game QB with a bright future.
Ndamukong Suh (DT, Nebraska) Nagurski Trophy winner as nations best defender. Stymies opposing offenses. 82 tackles (23 solo) and hounded QB's for 12 sacks. Huge day in Big 12 Championship Game - 4.5 sacks, 12 tackles (7 for losses). Country's top defensive player guaranteed to become top 5 draft pick. He had an outstanding season.
Tim Tebow (QB, Florida) 2007 Heisman winner. 2,413 yards passing (18 TD), 859 rushing (13 TD). Popularity probably got him in this year. His numbers should be considered subpar compared to previous years.

Hands down my vote goes to Toby Gerhart. He had a sensational season featuring 3 200+ yard games (vs Washington, Oregon, Notre Dame). I'll keep my fingers crossed he gets drafted by a NFL team I enjoy watching. This kid has a great future in front of him.

Ndamukong Suh is a tremendous defensive tackle who will be very sought after by NFL teams. He's a legit Heisman candidate. Unfortunately for Suh, when it comes to the Heisman, offensive players generally take home the hardware. No fear though, Suh is likely to win all of the major defensive awards for his outstanding season in Nebraska.

Get ready... 2009 Heisman Trophy Award winner will be announced tonight at 8 pm. ESPN will bring us the coverage live from the Nokia Theater in Times Square.

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-Digger's Daily-

Week 13 upsets cracked my crystal ball. Oakland, Miami, Jacksonville, Arizona, Carolina, Seattle and Green Bay doomed my picks last weekend. Ok, can't count Green Bay as an upset pick since they're 8-4.

Four games remain. Huge divisional matchups highlight the rest of the 2009 NFL regular season. Week 14 schedule has a few great games slated. Giants (7-5) host Philadelphia (8-4) in a must win game for NY's playoff hopes. Jets (6-6) playoff hopes took a hit when coach Ryan announced rookie QB Sanchez will not play vs Tampa this weekend. Miami (6-6) takes on Jacksonville (7-5). Can Dallas (8-4) shake December demons vs San Diego (8-4)?

Let's see if I can rebound from a disasterous 9-7 week 13 (season total now 124-68)?

Week 14 (home in CAPS):

Pittsburgh 26 CLEVELAND 13 - Steelers (6-6) hardly look like champs after 4 straight defeats. Last weekends upset by Oakland was flat out embarrassing. They've been known to turn it on in December. Is it too late? Plenty of empty seats in Cleveland Thursday night.

New Orleans 44 ATLANTA 17 - Saints got lucky to remain undefeated after Washington's game clinching 23 yard field goal attempt missed. Saints WR's will tear apart Falcons secondary. Brees 4 TD passes. Banged up Falcons fading and won't be able to keep up with quick strike Saints attack.

Green Bay 30 CHICAGO 10 - Here comes Green Bay (8-4, 4 game win streak). Bears are no match unless they can disrupt red hot Rodgers. Bears offense has yet to click.

Jets 19 TAMPA BAY 9 - Pick'em game in my book. Jets own AFC best running attack and they'd better bring their A game vs Tampa. QB Sanchez is out. Bucs (1-11) defense is nearly invisible. Doesn't help when offense goes 3 & out.

Miami 24 JACKSONVILLE 21 - Miami (6-6) stunned the Patriots and remain firmly planted in the playoff race. Every game is big. Running game controls clock vs big play (and often erratic) Jags (7-5) offense.

BALTIMORE 27 Detroit 10 - Ravens (6-6) still have hope with 3 of final 4 games vs sub .500 opponents. Offense needs to avoid dumb mistakes. WR's need to show they care after a terrible performance Monday night.

HOUSTON 24 Seattle 20 - Which Texans team shows up on Sunday? Same can be said for Seattle. Pick'em.

INDIANAPOLIS 30 Denver 24 - Colts (12-0) win another close game. Great matchup to watch is Manning vs Broncos secondary. Look for TE & RB's to have a big day catching the ball.

KANSAS CITY 23 Buffalo 13 - KC wins battle of inept offenses.

MINNESOTA 31 Cincinnati 23 - A fun game to watch. Vikes vs rising Bengals. Both coming off tough losses last weekend. This one might come down to the final moments.

NEW ENGLAND 27 Carolina 21 - The wheels are falling off in New England. Brady singled out teammates after a stunning defeat in Miami (22-21). Today, Belichick ripped 4 players (including Moss) who showed up late for practice. Carolina has a chance to take advantage of an exploited Pats secondary.

Washington 17 OAKLAND 14 - Redskins playing better lately. Suisham's choke on a 23 yard game clinching field goal attempt vs undefeated Saints led to pink slip, he's out. Raiders shocked Steelers and feeling good. Skins in a close one.

TENNESSEE 33 St Louis 6 - Titans running game has a field day vs lowly Rams.

San Diego 38 DALLAS 14 - Chargers (9-3) torch Cowboys (8-4) for 8th in a row. December demons and turmoil clicks into high gear after SD walks all over Cowboys. Rivers goes for 300+

GIANTS 27 Philadelphia 23 - (Sunday Night) McNabb has won 5 of last 6 in Meadowlands. Not this time. Giants (7-5) shake up NFC East after beating Philly (8-4).

Arizona 30 SAN FRANCISCO 17 - Cards lock up NFC West on Monday Night Football.

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Dallas Cowboys December nightmare's continue to haunt Tony Romo and his teammates. Heading into 2009, Dallas had lost 8 of 12 Romo led December contests. Hardly the formula for champions which is precisely why they're not.

Yesterday, Dallas' latest December haunts were embraced by a struggling New York Giants football team. New York had lost 5 of its' previous 6 games after beginning 5-0. New York was on the verge of elimation. Good news for Giants fans... the Cowboys came to town and New York now has reason to believe after winning 31-24.

Where and how will Dallas implode this season? Remember "Jessica-Gate"? Romo's Mexican vacation on the eve of their biggest game 2 years ago? How about Tony Romo taking off for a Vegas vacation last week? Name it and the Dallas Morning News has covered it. Finger pointing has already begun. Dallas fans are nervous. And the TICKET (local Dallas am sports talk radio) is on full offensive blasting their team just like they've done during prior December disasters.

Was yesterdays loss to New York the next chapter in Dallas end of season failures? We'll find out soon enough. Dallas currently leads NFC East with an 8-4 record. Their schedule is grueling. Yesterday it was New York Giants. Next week they host a red hot San Diego Chargers club. December 19th @ undefeated New Orleans. December 27th vs rejuvenated Washington. Four tough games before ending the 2009 season in 2010, January 3rd hosting Philadelphia.

NFC East is suddenly up for grabs with Giants back in the picture and owning tie-breaker vs Dallas. New York and Philadelphia fans are counting on December haunting Dallas once again. Get ready for a wild few weeks during NFL's final month of regular season action.

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-Digger's Daily-

Who's the best? Fans in New Orleans (11-0), Indianapolis (11-0) and Minnesota (10-1) all think their home team is best in the NFL. Here's my short top 10 power rankings list heading into games of week 13.

1- New Orleans Saints (11-0): Saints have dominated having played just one game decided by 7 or less points. Only one tough game on paper remains vs Dallas. 16-0 a very real possibility.

2- Minnesota Vikings (10-1): That's right. I rank Vikes ahead of Colts (for now). They do it all. Dominate line of scrimmage on offense/defense, great running game, talented WR's, Hall of Famer QB, solid special teams.

3- Indianpolis Colts (11-0): Peyton Manning has engineered 5 fourth quarter comeback victories in '09. No game seems out of reach. Reason for dropping Colts to 3rd is they've been less than dominating. Manning's MVP calibur year highlights his late game mastery.

4- San Diego Chargers (8-3): Bolts coming on strong after another semi-slow beginning. We'll soon see if these guys have learned to win playoff football after heartbreaking defeats.

5- Cincinnati Bengals (8-3): Did I just type Cincinnati Bengals as #5? Who would have thought this volatile team could finally piece it all together so quickly on the heels of recent serious disfunctional seasons? Defense is leading the way. Offense getting the job done. Upcoming back to back road games in Minnesota and San Diego will determine just how good this team is... or, isn't.

6- Dallas Cowboys (8-3): #6 for now. Can they win in December after recent late season implosions? We'll soon find out of Romo can successfully lead his Cowboys to the finish line.

7- New England Patriots (7-4): #7 by default. Defense has been exposed all season long. Success depends on how many points Brady & Co. can score. Don't expect much come playoff time unless defensive lapses are corrected.

8-Philadelphia Eagles (7-4): Sometimes they look great... other times not so much. McNabb has his eyes set on returning to the Super Bowl. Many good teams stand in their way. Currently one game behind Dallas. Only one win vs teams with winning record. A significant stat completely ignored.

9- Arizona Cardinals (7-4): Win pretty, lose ugly. Cards proved nobody should take them lightly after last year. Lack of running attack puts all the pressure on Warner' right arm. Another big hit to the head could end his season (a very real possibility).

10- Tennessee Titans (5-6): Began 0-6. Have won 5 in a row after getting blown out 59-0 in New England. Vince Young has been superb. RB Chris Johnson phenominal. Defense aggressive. Huge test this weekend vs undefeated Colts.

Stay tuned for NFL underperformers.

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-Digger's Daily-

The NFL playoff race is on. Division leading New Orleans, Minnesota and Indianapolis are locks. Cincinnati and New England are closing in on division crowns. Everything else is up for grabs. Soon enough we'll be hearing of magic numbers to clinch. Great divisional games are on tap in coming weeks.

My 10-6 record last weekend wasn't sharp. Season total now stands at 115-61. Let's see if I can crack 13 or better this week.

Week 13 (home in CAPS):

Jets 24 BUFFALO 20 - (Thursday) Jets pushing for playoffs. Buffalo playing for respect. TO has been on fire lately. This one can go either way.

Philadelphia 33 ATLANTA 21 - Battle of the birds. Eagles prevail. Banged up Falcons in deep trouble after this loss.

CHICAGO 20 St Louis 10 - Bears haven't lived up to pre-season hype. Both teams can't wait for their 2009 nightmare to end.

CINCINNATI 27 Detroit 6 - Bengals seeking 1st division title and second winning season since 1990.

PITTSBURGH 24 Oakland 14 - Roethlisberger expected to play. Mendenhall has favorable matchup vs terrible Raiders run D. Steelers need this one to stay in playoff picture. A loss could end any chance of repeating.

INDIANAPOLIS 33 Tennessee 28 - I'm split on this game. Titans are red hot and have the right formula for knocking Indy from unbeaten ranks. Then again, Peyton Manning's team has found ways to win (11-0). Sticking with Indy while smelling upset.

Denver 17 KANSAS CITY 14 - Denver will have their hands full in KC as Chiefs threaten upset. Broncos looked great vs inept Giants on turkey day. KC continues to rebuild.

New England 34 MIAMI 17 - Pats humiliated by Saints will take it out on injury riddled fish. Miami's 4th quarter defense non-existent.

New Orleans 40 WASHINGTON 17 - Saints should Brees by Skins. Washington playing revitalized football but are severely overmatched.

CAROLINA 21 Tampa Bay 20 - Neither team can find any positive rythm.
Tampa Bay 24 CAROLINA 16 - Late prediction change. Carolina banged up. Back up QB to start, RB Williams probably out. TB D has a chance to shine.

Houston 27 JACKSONVILLE 24 - This game might come down to the last play. Both team make big plays. Both surrender big plays. One of the more entertaining games of the weekend.

San Diego 38 CLEVELAND 13 - Chargers tighten grip on AFC West. Browns ugly brand of football has Cleveland fans enraged.

GIANTS 27 Dallas 23 - Predicted Sunday weather calls for cold weather and heavy winds which favors NY. If it's a clear day with no wind then I'll pick Dallas over struggling injury riddle Giants. If NY loses, consider their season over.

San Francisco 20 SEATTLE 17 - SF still holding onto playoff hopes need this one. QB Smith has looked good at times. Inconsistent Seahawks will have a very long rebuilding process after '09.

Minnesota 31 ARIZONA 20 - All eyes have been on Favre's success. It's time for Adrian Peterson to let loose vs Cards. Fumbling has been his problem in '09. As a result, Vikes relying on Brett's right arm and speedy young WR's.

Baltimore 21 GREEN BAY 17 - (Monday Night Football) - It's up to Ravens defense to pressure Rodgers into mistakes. Rodgers sacked 44 times already faces tenacious Baltimore D. Passing lanes will be jammed. Must win game for Ravens.

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-Digger's Daily-

Tiger Woods 2:30 a.m. Thanksgiving night car crash has been front page material since last weekend. Alert news stated he was being taken to a local Orlando hospital. His wife had rescued him by breaking a window with a golf club to get him out. No serious injury was reported and Tiger fans let out a sigh of relief. And then.........

Truth or rumors? Quickly rumors came out claiming a fight with his wife over another woman led to this crash quickly became fodder for 24/7 news cycles. The National Inquirer ran a story accusing Tiger of an extramarital affair. The "other woman" quickly got in front of the story and emphatically denied hooking up with golf's greatest stroker. Woods released a statement asking for privacy while commending his wife for being quick on the scene to lend a hand.

Next headlines told Tiger refused to be interviewed by local Orlando police who were investigating his accident. Three refusals to be precise. Orlando cops finally gave up and cited Woods with a careless driving summons which he quickly paid ($164.00). However, bigger questions remain for wondering eyes.

Various unproven rumors have been tossed around airwaves from tv to radio to bloggers. One stated Tiger's wife learned of an affair, hit him, chased him out of the house with a golf club. One stated Mrs. Woods was beating on Tiger's car causing him to speed away and crash. There are a few people out there who believe Tiger was busted. Especially, divorce lawyers. While listening to tv commentary, lawyers stated it's in Tiger's best interest to avoid being interviewed by Orlando police. If his wife had beaten him and left physical marks on Tiger's face then the police would be within their rights to make an arrest for domestic battery. Media types made a big deal of Tiger refusing to meet Orlando police. No big deal. Perhaps he's protecting his wife. Perhaps not. Either way it's a non-issue unless you're Mr. or Mrs. Tiger Woods.

Today, we've been treated to another twist in this ongoing saga. Another woman has come forward to claim she had an affair with Tiger for over two years. Whammo! Just in case this is all hocus pocus coming from opportunistic creatures of the night I'm not going to publish names of women looking for notoriety. However, there's a 24 year old who claims to have voice recordings and steamy text messages. A few publications from The National Enquirer to US Magazine claiming their stories have been investigated and are real.

What's up with married folks these days? Is cheating on your "until death do us part" significant others becoming part of the norm in our world? It seems so. I can rattle off a long list of names from celebrity figures to those I've personally known who openly flaunt their affairs (all while thinking it's a big secret). For mere mortals... affairs sometimes lead to divorce... some messier than others. When celeb's are involved multi-million dollar settlements often splash headlines. Donald Trump, Johnny Carson, Alex Rodriguez... the bigger the name... the bigger the headline. Now we're talking of the world's greatest golfer. Sports first billion dollar man. How much will he have to give up? If any of this is true, then he's going to shell out hundreds of millions. Especially, when his wife was pregnant during one of Tiger's alleged affairs. Can't get much lower.

One way or another, Tiger needs to personally get out in front of this story. For better or worse. Letting news cycles and bloggers speculate can only do further damage. The 2nd woman named seems all too willing to come out and tell all. If this is all lies and rumors, stand up Tiger and confront those wishing to do you harm. If these rumors turn out to be truths, stand up Tiger and own the news before your reputation turns into endless jokes for late night television laughs.

Mulligan or two stroke penalty? Tiger's landed in a trap.

(www.allworldallsports.com)

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-Digger's Daily-

It's time to give the New Orleans Saints respect. Last night's Monday Night Football game was billed as New Orleans greatest challenge of this season and they came out swinging. The Saints completely dominated Tom Brady and his celebrated Patriots offense while exposing New England's very weak secondary. The result was a smashing 38-17 victory.

New Orleans is now on a collision course with undefeated destiny. Can they do it? Their record now stands at a perfect 11-0. Only one very challenging game remains on paper vs Dallas (12/19). Skeptics are quick to point out New Orleans has enjoyed a cakewalk of a schedule. New England represented only the 4th team with a winning record the Saints have faced. Well, after yesterday, I'm now a believer. These guys are good. Very good.

Drew Brees has been spectacular. He's completed nearly 70% of passing attempts. He's thrown 27 TD's including games of 6, 5 & 4. Brees is on pace to surpass 4500 yards. The amazing stat is it's entirely possible no Saints receiver will top 1000 yards. Brees favorite receivers are the open ones. Get open, and he'll deliver a perfect pass.

On defense, the Saints have dominated. Mostly due to Brees leading the offense to huge early leads which takes away opposition running attack plans (just ask the Giants). Nonetheless, New Orleans D has been top notch.

We'll see how the rest of 2009 plays out. It's entirely possible something will happen which the NFL has never produced. Two undefeated teams playing in the Super Bowl. New Orleans vs Indianapolis? Brees vs Manning... who knows? Both teams have a very legitimate shot at 16-0. Time will tell.

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-Digger's Daily-

11 NFL weeks in the books. It's been a great season for some, frustrating for others. The big game for this week is Monday Night when New England (7-3) attempts to dethrone unbeaten New Orleans (10-0) in what will become MNF's highest rated telecast of 2009.

I correctly predicted 13 correct last week. However, since I wasn't near a computer to change my Giants/Falcons prediction after learning of multiple Atlanta injuries... my official total stands at 12-4. Season total advances to 105-55.

Here's what my crystal ball predicts for week 12 (home in CAPS).

Green Bay 30 DETROIT 13 - (Thursday) Just what the Packers need on Thanksgiving... to feast on Lions.

DALLAS 24 Oakland 20 - (Thursday) Cowboys hang on to win what most expect to be a blowout. Beware. Dallas offense isn't believing in Jason Garrett. Raiders D will be pumped and ballhawking.

Giants 27 BRONCOS 20 - (Thursday) Giants need this win. A loss will cloud playoff possibilities. Broncos need to beat up on opponents instead of fighting themselves. Denver mired in an ugly tailspin... another 2nd half collapse.

ATLANTA 30 Tampa Bay 20 - If Falcons lose, their season is cooked. Tampa playing for self respect.

Miami 24 BUFFALO 17 - Rickey Williams rambles for 120+. Watch out Miami D... T.O. might net 150+.

CINCINNATI 33 Cleveland 6 - Mangini should just quit, pack up his car, and get out of town. Cincy rolls.

Seattle 28 ST LOUIS 14 - Seahawks finally win first road game of the year (0-5).

Carolina 33 JETS 20 - Jets no match for Panthers running attack.

PHILADELPHIA 34 Washington 13 - Eagles trounce Skins. Who will be featured Skins RB?

Indianapolis 27 HOUSTON 17 - Manning & Co remain unbeaten.

SAN DIEGO 23 Kansas City 10 - SD starts pulling away in AFC West.

Jacksonville 27 SAN FRANCISCO 24 - This one might come down to the final moments. Jax on 3 game win streak and beginning to play very cohesive football. SF had high hopes for '09... reality is a different story.

MINNESOTA 44 Chicago 6 - Who will score more? Minnesota's offense or defense? Bears cough it up... Favre jams it home.

TENNESSEE 30 Arizona 27 - Potential must see game. Titans running attack hottest in NFL. Cards playing well but stumble in this one. Tennessee nets 5th in a row.

Pittsburgh 23 BALTIMORE 21 - Pittsburgh's trying to rebound after an embarrassing OT loss to KC last weekend (2nd loss in a row). Baltimore's D comes ready to play. These two always play heavy hitting playoff style games.

New England 37 NEW ORLEANS 31 - (Monday Night Football) Yes, this game lives up to its' shootout billing. NE was NFL's 1st 16-0 regular season team. NO (10-0) hasn't been tested and might not be after this game. All that stands between the Saints and a perfect season... Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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-Digger's Daily-

Brett Favre's recent on again off again retirement chatter solicited controversial commentary far and wide. He held out as late as possible before deciding to play in 2009 for Minnesota. Former Packers and Jets players scoffed, ridiculed and heckled Favre's decision. Once again Favre has proved naysayers wrong.

Newspapers and tv analysts questioned his playing abilities. Would he help, hurt or just be a distraction against a team in the rise (Vikings)? Most critics are now cheering fans. Favre has been magnificent leading the Minnesota Vikings (9-1). His stats are staggering suggesting he's the front runner to win 2009 NFL MVP honors. 21 TD passes (2nd most) vs only 3 interceptions (NFL fewest). NFL leading 112.1 QB rating. 69.7% completion rate is second by .01 to Peyton Manning. Favre's Vikings are 9-1. He's beaten his former Packers team twice. Dominated all NFC foes. This past Sunday he surgically shred Seattle's defense completing 22 of 25 attempts including 4 TD's in a 35-9 blowout. Minnesota's on the march. Favre's leading the way.

Statistically speaking, 2009 might become Favre's most efficient year of his illustrious 19 year career. In my book, as of this moment there's a two man race for NFL MVP. Brett Favre vs Peyton Manning. I doubt anyone could substantiate tossing a third name into the mix unless these guys falter or someone records an unbelievable final 6 games. Unfortunately, Minnesota vs Indianapolis do not play each other in regular season action. Perhaps, they'll meet in this years' Super Bowl?

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-Digger's Daily-

Only a few weeks ago the Yankees won their 27th World Series Championship. Baseball awards winners are taking home their hardware this week. No rest for the weary. Yesterday became the first day teams can negotiate with free agents. I'm curious to see how aggressive teams are in securing talent for next season. Who commands top dollar from this thin list of stars? Speaking of top dollar... will economic factors determine salaries? Probably not based on recent history but owners might employ a wait and see mentality.

Angels star pitcher John Lackey is the best starter on the market and teams are already lining up. Clubs looking for sluggers or key offensive contributors will chase after Matt Holliday, Jason Bay, Chone Figgins, Jermaine Dye, Vladmir Guerrero, Miguel Tejada and Carlos Delgado. In the coming days I'll be focusing on needs of most MLB clubs and flourishing rumors.

I've put together a short wish list of players I'd like to see signed by my favorite clubs and who I think will be targeted by rivals.

Yankees - Damon, Matsui, Pettitte might all have played their last games as Yanks. NY will be nuts not to bring back Pettitte. Damon is gone. Matsui could be back if willing to sign for less than top dollar. Soutpaws Bedard or Washburn would be a good fits if Lackey ends up elsewhere. Chone Figgins as a left fielder? Holliday won't return to AL so give up dreaming New Yorkers. Vlad Guerrero as DH if Matsui leaves would shake up opponents loading up on lefties. Then, there's Lackey. Will NY throw big bucks trying to lock up another pre-prime starting pitcher? CC, AJ and Lackey for years to come? Interesting.

Mets - Where to begin? How about by cleaning out the front office? The Mets should go after Chone Figgins with everything they have. He can play multiple positions and is the type of player who can take full advantage of spacious CitiField. Reyes + Figgins will rattle opposing batteries on the basepaths and hit doubles/triples galore. Lackey is another big piece to the puzzle. Just think of how well he'd do in a big park facing NL DH-less lineups. Santana + Lackey = 40-50 team wins. There's been rumors of Jason Marquis coming to town. It better not be for top dollar! If NY wants economic starters then pitchers such as Pavano, Padilla, Piniero, Penny or maybe Marquis (hoping this isn't how things unfold). Figgins, Lackey & another starter needed. Trade or release Castillo. Resign Delgado or find another 1B.

Red Sox - Everyone knows Boston wants to knock off the Champion Yankees. Jason Bay is testing FA market most likely for negotiating power. Boston would be nuts to let a young superstar escape their grasp. Every year 3B Lowell is subject of keep him or trade him rumors. Chone Figgins fits in well here too to play multiple positions. Damon back to Sox? Don't laugh especially if Bay can switch to RF. Short Fenway negates Damon's weaker than average left arm. Sox in a bind pitching wise. They have talented young starters who are always subject of trade talks. Keep 'em or trade 'em? Theo Epstein's is at crossroads. They'll be rumored in talks with big name FA's... will they pull the trigger?

Cubs - Team chemistry was lost before spring training began in '09. Getting rid of Derosa was bigger than Cubs brass anticipated. Where to go for 2010? Pitching, 2B, RF and dump/release dead weight. I don't know how Cubs fans can take it. Heck, even Red Sox fans managed to kill demons. How can any team endure a century of bad luck? One of my friend Facebooked how it's been generations of family members praying to witness the Cubs return to World Series action. Wonder if his kids will be saying the same thing in 20 years?

Rangers - WHEN WILL THIS TEAM FINALLY SIGN A TOP STARTING PITCHER? WHEN? Here's a team which escalated free agent salaries by handing Alex Rodriguez $250,000,000.00 You'd think at some point in time these guys would have thrown treasure chests at Johan Santana, CC Sabathia, Smoltz, Lee, Burnett, Beckett... anyone! Hellooooooo! Texas is rumored to be in big money trouble for 2010. We'll soon find out. Now is the perfect time to bring in a seasoned HEALTHY veteran to compliment a first time ever surging young staff. Lackey? Doubt he's sign with Texas. Sheets rumors circulated last year since he's been rehabbing/working out with Ranger affiliated personnel. Sheets would be nice but not as top dog. Health is still a big issue for the oft injured fire baller. Pitchers can be had.

Giants - If they have a stock pile of cash laying around then look out baseball world. Lincecum just won another Cy Young. Matt Cain is a great #2/#3. How about west coaster Lackey? Then Figgins? Or Dye, Delgado, Holliday? Landing run producers is a must. Either by big star power or economy class... just get someone who can hit. I was never a Giants fan but talk about a team sitting in complete control of destiny for years to come (health permitting)... skies the limit.

Players - Here's my short list of best fits (or tema most likely to sign)...

Orlando Hudson - Cubs, Cardinals, Giants, Rays.
Matt Holliday - Cardinals, Mets, Phillies, Braves, Giants.
Carlos Delgado - Mets, Twins (new home, new DH), Rangers or any AL team needing DH.
Bengie Molina - Mets, Rangers, Tigers.
John Lackey - Mets, Yankees, Giants, Red Sox, Braves.
Jermane Dye - Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, Angels.
Miguel Tejada - Cardinals, Braves, Giants, Cubs, Tigers, Mariners.
Hideki Matsui - Yankees, Mariners, White Sox.
Johnny Damon - Red Sox
Vladmir Guerrero - Yankees, Angels, Rays, Tigers, White Sox.
Billy Wagner - Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers, Cubs.
Chone Figgins - 3B is thin. He's on most wish lists and plays multiple positions. Phillies, Red Sox, Mets, Braves, Cubs, Angels, Rays... will the highest bidder step forward. He's getting top dollar.
Andy Pettitte - Yankees. He's not going anywhere.

Let the bidding wars begin. Great headlines will soon to flood local newspapers announcing home teams big acquisitions.

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-Digger's Daily-

Let's talk football. This has been a busy news week. Buffalo (3-6) canned coach Dick Jauron who was unable to transform his Bills into winners. Former famed Denver sideline pacer, Mike Shanahan, is already being considered a serious candidate to take over. The media circus surrounding Belichick has finally subsided. Miami suffered a key blow as they lost Ronnie Brown to season ending IR status. Cincinnati's season sweep of Pittsburgh confirms these guys are for real. They just added RB Larry Johnson as big time depth and insurance. New Orleans and Indianapolis kept rolling and remain unbeaten with 9-0 records. Speaking of records, last week I correctly picked 11 of 15 raising my season total to 93-51.

Here's Week 11 (home in CAPS):

CAROLINA 27 Miami 20 - (Thursday) Miami's Brown done for the year. Panthers warming up, starting to gel.

DALLAS 48 Washington 14 - Dallas fires away. Big day for fantasy owners. Washington never in this one.

DETROIT 23 Cleveland 10 - Barometer game for Cleveland determing if they're downright terrible or agonizingly pathetic.

GREEN BAY 24 San Francisco 17 - Must win game for two teams with playoffs on their minds. Rodgers is the difference.

Pittsburgh 26 KANSAS CITY 6 - Bounceback game for Steelers after getting stuffed by Cincy. KC has a long way to go.

GIANTS 31 Atlanta 28 - Sentimental pick here. Giants are mighty no more. From 5-0 to 5-4. Bounce back or play dead? Loser will have an uphill battle.

New Orleans 38 TAMPA BAY 24 - Game of big plays. Saints to 10-0.

JACKSONVILLE 33 Buffalo 9 - Jags beginning to believe. Buffalo searching for new head coach.

Indianapolis 30 BALTIMORE 21 - Colts keep rolling. Watch out for upset game. If Ravens can find some offense then this could become a shootout. Big "IF".

MINNESOTA 30 Seattle 17 - Peterson runs wild. Favre connects on 3rd downs. Vikes serious Bowl contender.

Arizona 40 ST LOUIS 3 - Warner returns to pad stats vs defenseless Rams. Another 5 TD game?

NEW ENGLAND 33 Jets 14 - This is not the same Patriots team New York stunned in week 2. Jets (4-5) having green moments after beginning 3-0.

Cincinnati 24 Oakland 20 - Bengals own 2 game AFC North lead. Larry Johnson signed for Benson insurance.

San Diego 33 Denver 14 - Deja vu. Denver blowing another big AFC West lead over San Diego. Denver won 6 straight, now lost 3 straight. Simms to replace Orton? Chargers (6-3) streaking after 4 wins in a row... make it 5.

Philadelphia 26 CHICAGO 13 - When I'm wrong, I'm wrong. Chicago hasn't performed anywhere close to how I expected in 2009. I thought all Cutler needed to do was lead Chicago the way Phil Simms or Trent Dilfer did during their Super Bowl seasons. Cutler has been a disaster. Eagles lost back to back close games need this one badly.

HOUSTON 27 Tennessee 21 - (Monday Night Football) Titans are red hot and playing for respect after a horrific beginning. Houston's big play offense is maturing. A must win game for an organization starving for first playoff appearance.

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-Digger's Daily-

Situation - New England 34, Indianapolis 28. 2:08 left to play. 4th down, 2 to go. Ball on New England 28 yard line. What do 99.9% of coaches do in this situation? The smart thing. Punt and rely on defense to secure victory.

Instead, during a nationally televised game between AFC powerhouses, Patriots Coach Belichick decided to go for it in an attempt to keep the ball away from Peyton Manning. They held Indy's attack in check until the 4th quarter. Two fourth quarter 79 yard scoring drives in 124 seconds or less gave Belichick reason to doubt his defense and plenty of reasons to pause. New England's coach pulled the trigger... go for it. The 4th and 2 gamble failed as New England missed converting a 1st down by inches. Manning then directed a short game winning drive with ease. Final score: Colts 35, Patriots 34.

Belichick's move was being criticized well before the ball was even snapped. And now his decision is being ripped to threads across internet blogs nation wide. We live in a generation of second guessers. Not much goes without scrutiny anymore. Sports is no exception.

All of what I've read and listened to has ripped into Belichick's failed decision. But, what if it had worked? I'd venture to guess Bill's call would've been hailed as a valiant move by the NFL coaching genius. I can hear it now... "What a move by legendary coach Belichick... his decision kept Peyton Manning off the field and secured victory!" Perhaps something like "Belichick does it again!"... or "..there's a coach who understands his offensive talents and game plans." Or, "Balls of steel, Pats gamble knocks Indy from unbeaten status." yada yada yada. Believe me, had the 4th & 2 gamble worked, most would be singing praises. But, it didn't and commentators, fans, bloggers, former teammates are piling on. Why not? It wasn't a good move, went against all odds, theories etc. He went with his gut but Brady & Co. failed to execute.

Belichick's decision should be a wake up call to his team. His go for it gamble squarely tells defensive players their coach had no faith in their being able to defend against another Peyton Manning quick strike 4th quarter touchdown. Patriots have a recent history of successful late game 4th down plays intended to play keep-a-way. It didn't work out last night. Instead, there's been a mini bully pulpit pointed at New Englands coach. Let's not crucify the guy over a regular season game without much implication other than a loss. Going for it on 4th down and short was already in Belichick's plans. Manning had just engineered two quick strike scoring drives to rally Indy back into the game. The Colts attack was too much for the Patriots to defend and momentum was clearly on Indy's side.

Just like thousands of other viewers, I thought Brady lined up under center just trying to draw Colts defensive players offsides. I criticized that too. New England didn't have any timeouts left. A delay of game penalty could have given the Colts better field position which made no sense. Then came the snap... and the great play by Colts defense.

If the ball wasn't on their own side of the field then going for it would have been a near no brainer. My two cents says there was too much of a risk in handing my opponent the ball at the 28 yard line. If my team had just failed on 3 previous plays then why think a 4th would work?

It's a catch-22 situation. Belichick didn't think of what if we don't make it? He went for it because of 2 quick strike scores against. Ok, so what if the 4th down play doesn't translate into a first down? Manning from the 28 to win the game against a defense not trusted to stop him from going 60 or 70? Hello?

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Time flies. Nine NFL weeks completed. Seven regular season weeks to go. Must win games remain for teams looking for a chance to win the Super Bowl. Week 10 has its' share of "must see" games. New England at Indianapolis could be a preview of AFC title game. Tonight's Chicago at San Francisco Thursday night special (NFL Network) could spell doom for the loser. Jacksonville at Jets doesn't sound like much on paper outside of Florida and New York. These two 4-4 teams need this game badly. Dallas at Green Bay & Philly at SD are two more games with potentially tremendous implications. Pittsburgh hosting Cincy, winner will be AFC North leader.

I predicted 9 of 13 games correctly last weekend elevating my season totals to 82-47. Here's my view of Week 10 (home team in BOLD):

SAN FRANCISCO 23 Chicago 20 - Two struggling teams clawing for wins. SF losers of 4 straight. Chicago can't find rhythm on offense and defense is severly wounded by key injuries. SF gets a much needed victory on Thursday Night Football.

New Orleans 48 ST LOUIS 7 - Big day for Brees & Co.

MIAMI 24 Tampa Bay 23 - Miami plays another game which might not be decided until the final seconds. Phins ground game will control the clock. Tampa's rookie QB will keep Bucs close.

MINNESOTA 37 Detroit 13 - Favre and Peterson will slay Lions.

Jacksonville 28 JETS 24 - Jags Jones-Drew and Simms-Walker will put NY's D to the test. Weather could play into how this game is decided.

TENNESSEE 24 Buffalo 14 - Titans find life after dreadful beginning. Wins 3rd straight.

PITTSBURGH 27 Cincinnati 21 - Steelers in a grove. Cincy playing best football in years. This will be a close one.

Denver 30 WASHINGTON 7 - Broncos rebound after back to back defeats. Skins troubles worsen.

Atlanta 33 CAROLINA 23 - Falcons have too many weapons. Beware, Carolina is playing better and might surprise at home. Potential upset game.

Kansas City 14 OAKLAND 13 - Do the fans in KC or Oakland care about this game? Not many others do.

ARIZONA 35 Seattle 27 - After weeks of picking Cards to lose and Seattle to win, I've reversed course this time. So, be prepared for a Seattle win.

GREEN BAY 26 Dallas 24 - It's do or die for GB. Dallas takes aim at 5 in a row. Rogers exposes Cowboys secondary all game long.

Philadelphia 24 SAN DIEGO 20 - Eagles need a win to keep up with Dallas and ahead of Giants. SD coming on strong after another weak beginning. It's an anything can happen game.

INDIANAPOLIS 33 New England 31 - Manning vs Brady. There should be over 80 passing attempts in this one. Might be closer to 100 in a game featuring big plays from passing attack. The team which protects the ball better wins.

Baltimore 30 CLEVELAND 6 - What was the NFL thinking when scheduling this contest for a Monday night prime time game???

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North Carolina dominated the field last year on their way to winning the National Champioship Game. 2009-10 season tips off and early season polls favor Kansas to take home the trophy. My personal pick to win top dog this year is Michigan State. Get ready for a great year in college basketball.

Here we go... my Top 20 for 2009-10 NCAA Mens Basketball season:

1- Michigan State
2- Texas
3- Kansas
4- North Carolina
5- Kentucky
6- Villanova
7- Duke
8- Purdue
9- Connecticut
10- Michigan
11- Butler
12- West Virginia
13- Oklahoma
14- Ohio State
15- Tennessee
16- Louisville
17- Illinois
18- California
19- Georgetown
20- Florida State

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Congratulations New York Yankees. 27 World Series Championship is a record never to be matched by another organization. Here's a quick look at sports teams fighting for championship status.

My top ten power rankings for America's four major sporting leagues and college football.

MLB (2009 final top 10)
1- New York Yankees - No professional organization is more dedicated to winning than New York.
2- Philadelphia Phillies - Great young nucleus of talent. Poised to challenge for years to come.
3- Los Angeles Angels - Excellent organization. Great manager. Talented players.
4- Los Angeles Dodgers - LA will be very active this off-season piecing together a team to challenge #1.
5- Boston Red Sox - Didn't quite have all the winning formula this year. Big question marks surrounding aging pitching staff and veterans.
6- St Louis Cardinals - Will they keep this team or bring in new faces? They need more middle infield production.
7- Colorado Rockies - Very good young team. Solid pitchers, good hitters.
8- Minnesota Twins - All they need is pitching. Twins always find a way to win. Gardenhire one of baseball's best.
9- Chicago Cubs- 2009 was an off year. Very talented team.
10- SF Giants- Very strong young pitching staff is a great way to build on future success. SF reminds me of 1973 Mets. All pitching, no hitting. GM can create a super club with a few solid batters.

NFL
1- Indianapolis Colts - Undefeated. Looking Super.
2- New Orleans Saints - High powered offense in mold of 1984 Dolphins. Can they keep it up?
3- Minnesota Vikings - Favre silencing critics. Very good, strong young team on both sides of the line.
4- Pittsburgh Steelers - It was a rough beginning. Champs are back on track.
5- New England Patriots - Not winning pretty but coming on strong.
6- Philadelphia Eagles - A loss to Dallas will drop them from top 10. A win solidifies #6.
7- Denver Broncos - It's still early and jury is out after last week's loss.
8- Dallas Cowboys - Suddenly looking strong. Many questions surround this team. A win vs Philly will keep them on my list.
9- Cincinnati Bengals - Playing solid D for the first time in years.
10- ??? - Giants, Jets, Texans, Chargers, Cardinals? Who wants in? Too much inconsistency after top 9.

NBA
1- Boston Celtics
2- Los Angeles Lakers
3- Denver Nuggets
4- Orlando Magic
5- Cleveland Cavs
6- Dallas Mavs
7- Atlanta Hawks
8- Miami Heat
9- Phoenix Suns
10- San Antonio Spurs

2009-10 still to young.

NHL
1- Pittsburgh Penguins - Too tough. Cup in sight.
2- San Jose Sharks - Good regular season team. Can they finally win playoff games?
3- Buffalo Sabres - Getting stronger.
4- Colorado Avalanche - Look who's back!
5- Washington Capitals - Getting better every week.
6- NY Rangers - Great beginning.
7- LA Kings - Can they keep it up?
8- NJ Devils - Coming on strong. Will soon qualify in my top 4.
9- Philadelphia Flyers - Hungry for a Cup.
10- ??? pick'em - Take your pick.

NCAA Football
1- Florida - Remains #1... for now.
2- Texas - Might be best team in nation. Hungry for BCS title.
3- Alabama - Tough, tough team.
4- Iowa - Hanging tough.
5- Cincinnati - Undefeated. Gets no respect.
6- TCU - Can they keep winning?
7- Boise State - They want a higher ranking.
8- Penn State - Needs others to lose.
9- LSU - Great football program.
10- Georgia Tech - Needs help to climb rankings.

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A couple of teams left for dead came alive last weekend. Was it a wakeup call or temporary reprieve? Carolina (3-4), Tennessee (1-6) and St Louis (1-7) registered much needed victories. New Orleans (7-0) put all naysayers to rest with a 35-27 win over Atlanta (4-3). Favre nailed 4 scores in Green Bay for his 2nd win over his former mates.

Week 9 has five very good games on paper. My game of the week pick is for 1st place in NFC East. Philadelphia (5-2) hosts resurging Dallas (5-2). My other must see games are Pittsburgh @ Denver (Monday), San Diego @ Giants, Miami @ New England, and Arizona @ Chicago.

My totals for last weekend were less than impressive, 7-6. Season total now stands at 73-43. Time to rebound. Here's how I see Week 9 (home team in BOLD):

ATLANTA 38 Washington 10 - Much needed win for Atlanta. Washington continues to deteriorate.

CHICAGO 28 Arizona 27 - Bears still seek continuity. Warner frustrated in Windy City.

CINCINNATI 23 Baltimore 21 - Bengals won 3 games by 3 points each. Here's another nailbiting victory.

INDIANAPOLIS 38 Houston 24 - Believe it or not, Houston could knock Indy from unbeaten ranks. I'm not willing to go out on a limb with my hunch of a Texans 28-26 upset.

NEW ENGLAND 31 Miami 24 - Dolphins ground attack will gobble up time of possession. Too bad for them Pats will find quick strike offense vs terrible Miami secondary.

Green Bay 33 TAMPA BAY 17 - Pack attack Bucs after let down vs Minnesota.

JACKSONVILLE 24 Kansas City 10 - Jacksonville is quietly within wild card contention.

NEW ORLEANS 40 Carolina 28 - Saints to 8-0.

SEATTLE 30 Detroit 13 - Sun is fading on Seahawks. Every game is must win.

Tennessee 24 SAN FRANCISCO 21 - Titans stunned Jax in Week 8. Titans stun SF Sunday.

GIANTS 31 San Diego 28 - Two struggling defenses exposed again. Eli Manning hasn't played well since injuring his foot 3 weeks ago. He says it's 100%. Results differ. Must win game for both squads.

PHILADELPHIA 33 Dallas 30 - This game will live up to its' billing. Won't be decided until the final 2:00. Winner climbs into sole possession of 1st in NFC East.

Pittsburgh 27 DENVER 17 - (Monday Night Football) - Champion Steelers on a 4 game streak after shaky beginning. Make it 5.

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Crisp cool autumn air transforms day into night. Click clak sounds echoing from squeaky dog wagons transform into charcoal aroma's eminating from street corner pretzel peddlers. Ticket holders by the thousands sidestep fellow visitors lining the sidewalks of baseball's Grand Cathedral. Sounds of snapping leather and crackling wood can be heard after passing through brick entrances. Excitement cannot be touched but it's felt by all anxiously making their way to designated seating areas.

Men wearing red and gray are slowly introduced soon to stand side by side on a 318 foot white line. Their opponents, dressed in white with black pinstripes, are enthusiastically greeted on their way to the 314 foot line on the fields opposite side. Deafening sounds reverberate throughout the confines. The ground begins to tremble. A stocky man dressed in all black bellows "Play Ball!" The World Series is now ready to begin.

Nearly all in attendance can tell of personal dreams of World Series greatness. Full count, two outs, bases loaded, bottom of the 9th, one hit wins the World Series... (crack)... "and there it goes!" Everyone's a hero in their own fantasy. Only a select few actually get the chance to live their fantasies.

Chase Utley must have exceeded his dreams. Philadelphia's second sacker has tied the all time record by hitting five home runs so far during the 2009 World Series. But, what about the player who thinks he's about to live his dream only to fall flat on baseball's biggest stage? That's what seems to be happening to two players who were near the top in prestigious offensive hitting categories.

Former National League Rookie of the Year (2005) and NL MVP (2006) Ryan Howard has quickly made a name for himself as one of the games greatest power hitting first basemen. He led the NL in RBI for the 2nd consecutive year (3 of 4). In 9 playoff games, Howard knocked in 14 runs during the first two playoff rounds. He was a World Series hero in 2008 when he smashed 3 HR in 5 games. After 5 games in 2009 Series, Howard appears dazed and confused. He has only 3 hits in 19 at bats. 12 of his 16 outs have been strikeouts. Howard's dream has become a nightmare. He's not the only one....

New York Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira tied for the AL lead in home runs (39) and led in RBI (122). His name has been tossed into a hat with other potential MVP candidates. However, in his first World Series appearance, Teixeira has been horrendous. 2-19, 7 K's. His best swings come on foul balls.

Both of these two fine players would like nothing more than to personally contribute to their teams success in winning the 2009 World Series. Goal number one is to win it all. Goal number two is to be an integral part of winning. So far, Philadelphia and New York are winning games without much input from their heavy hitting first basemen. Two players used to electrifying crowds are now recipients of heckled insults and collective sighing.

Howard and Teixeira visions of success have quickly dimmed. Dreams turned to nightmare. Fantasy to hallucination. There's still time for positive contributions. The winning team will bask in all glory associated with winning. The least productive will soon bear loser status and a most unwanted nickname... goat.

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Thank you Charlie Manuel. Yankees receiving a hug gift tonight unless an unlikely last minute change of mind occurs. Yesterday, Phillies skipper Manuel announced right-hander Joe Blanton will start Game 4 tonight vs Yankees ace CC Sabathia.

Yanks hold a 2 games to 1 advantage. Even if the Phils were ahead choosing Blanton over ace Cliff Lee would be a questionable decision in my mind. Trailing 2-1, it's even more curious. Cliff Lee's playoff pitching has rivaled some of the best ever. 3-0 in 4 starts surrendering only 2 earned runs in 33.1 innings for a dominating 0.51 era. Here's a guy who completely stymied New York's ferocious lineup in Game 1 at Yankee Stadium. Lee flat out made Yanks hitters look bad for 9 innings. Thank you Charlie Manuel for pushing him back to Game 5. Yankees will tee off on Blanton.

Observers are quick to point out Lee has never started on three days rest. So what! This is the World Series ladies and gentlemen. Pitch counts go out the window. Short rest non-existent except for panzies. Lee was the 2008 AL Cy Young winner. 2009 playoff phenom. During times of war, bring out the big guns. No one has commented on Blanton's career record vs Yankees. I wonder if Manuel knows? 4 starts, 0-3, 8.18 ERA. As a Yankees fan, I say "Thank you Charlie Manuel!" As a baseball fan it's remarkable.

Joe Girardi has it right. Go with your top guns. New York is sticking with a 3 man rotation of CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Andy Pettitte. CC takes the hill tonight after a solid outing vs Lee in Game 1. Blanton is just what the doctor ordered. Yanks bats finally came alive for the first time this series after Lee and Pedro pitched great games. Blanton is a righty who will face a dominating left handed hitting lineup tonight. I'm predicting Blanton doesn't last 5 innings. Yanks will hit double digits tonight while Fox cameras focus on Lee's facial expressions run after run. I wonder if Lee's got enough competitive fire to walk into Manuel's office demanding the ball tonight as true champions often do? Michael Jordan, Joe Montana, John Smoltz, Jerry Rice... "Give me the ball coach!"

New York has a great opportunity this evening. Winning Game 4 is pivital. Lee-less opponent tonight is a gift to Yankees hitters.

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Back in September I made up my personal short list of potential candidates for MLB awards. Official announcements will be made soon after World Series games conclude. Today, I'm posting my final list of players most deserving of this years hardware.

American League
MVP - Joe Mauer (C, Minnesota)
Cy Young - Felix Hernandez (Seattle)
Rookie of the Year - Andrew Bailey (CL, Oakland)
Manager - Mike Scioscia (Angels)
Comeback Player - Aaron Hill (2B, Toronto)

National League
MVP - Albert Pujols (1B, St. Louis)
Cy Young - Adam Wainwright (St. Louis)
Rookie of the Year - J.A. Happ (P, Philadelphia)
Manager - Tony LaRussa (St. Louis)
Comeback Player - Chris Carpenter (SP, St Louis)

Just like every other season, I'm sure plenty of controversy surround winners and runner-ups. Many think Zack Greinke should be AL Cy Young. It wouldn't surprise me if he won it. In my book, Hernandez had a better season and helped his team win more games. AL MVP is a crowded race. Plenty of votes will be spread out between Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Miguel Cabrera and Kendry Morales. The NL side is more straight forward. Cy Young might become the only exception. Wainwright and teammate Carpenter should end up 1-2 on official ballots.

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Six blind mice. How many more bad umpiring calls will take place before the end of the World Series? It has often been said the best umpires go unnoticed. Attention has been focused on umpires throughout the playoffs and now in the World Series too. There have been plenty of bad calls. Not boderline bad. Flat out missed calls.

During the regular season umpiring crews consist of four men. Two more are added to watch the outfield lines, home runs and attempted diving catches come playoff time. In theory, six umpires should rarely make mistakes. So, what's been happening in '09? Nearly every playoff series has been filled with controversy. Luckily, most didn't alter game outcomes. Here are a few off the top of my head.

Joe Mauer (Minnesota) hit a clear double down the left field line in Yankee Stadium. Left field umpire (one of the two extra's) was in perfect position to make the correct call. Nope. It was ruled a foul ball.

The worst had to be this one. ALCS Game 4, Yankees Cano and Posada clearly were tagged out to end the inning but only one was called out.

In the same game (as show in above video), Yankees Swisher should have scored a run on a sacrifice fly. Instead, 3B umpire said he left early and called him out for an inning ending, rally killing double play. Another play involving Swisher happened earlier when hs could have been called out on a pickoff play at 2B.

Last night, 1B umpire was out of position. 1B Ryan Howard was credited for catching a liner and turning a double play. Even Howard knew the ball initially hit the ground. His actions gave it away. Howard tried throwing to 2nd for a force play and threw wide of 2nd allowing Posada to reach safely. Had he caught the liner all he had to do was step on 1B for a double play. There was no need to rush a throw to 2nd.

Momentum has picked up for baseball to finally institute instant replays. Playoff games this year has added ammo. I really hope this never happens. Bad calls, for better or worse, is part of baseball. Replays do exist for questionable home runs in dispute. If baseball were to start replaying every close call the game would quickly become monotonous. Could you imagine how long games would become? Managers racing out of dugouts after every bang-bang play at first. Sometimes to slow down an effective pitching performance or to cool off hot bats. No thank you. A topic for another day.

Sooner or later, before the Series ends, a blown call or two will factor into final scores. It's been amazingly bad. This is without mentioning always disputed balls and strikes. I can't remember ever watching so many goofs with such frequency. In most cases, umps aren't out of position. They've been right on top of plays enjoying clean angles. Go figure. It's been contagious.

Fox blew their live coverage last night when Yankees manager Joe Girardi popped out of the dugout to argue at first. Fox almost immediately cut away to commercial then tried unsuccessfully to recap what we missed. It was a key play at a key point in time and Fox cut away from the onfield action to make a few bucks. Give me a break. This is the World Series. Make your commercial money after the play was resolved. Yankees players sat for an extended period in the dugout while the entire umpiring crew huddled. Radio listeners were the only ones to catch live action play by play.

I'm sure these six blind mice do not want to be center of attention. Or to be remembered as the crew credited for baseball adopting instant replay. Open your eyes ump!

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NFL Week 8 has a few must see games. Highlighting this weekends schedule is Brett Favre's return to Green Bay (4-2) playing for the Cheeseheads arch rival Minnesota Vikings (5-1). Favre already beat his former team on a Monday Night game back in week 4 as he threw for three touchdowns. Can he do it again? Also on my list is: Giants (5-2) @ Philadelphia (4-2) coinciding with Yankees @ Philadelphia World Series Game 4 later on Sunday night... rivals Miami (2-4) @ Jets (4-3) usually put on a great show... and MNF game Atlanta (4-2) @ New Orleans (6-0). There is one complete dud of a matchup, Rams (0-7) @ Lions (1-5). I'm surprised Vegas put out a betting line on this one!

Last week I correctly predicted 9 of 13 games bringing my season total to 66-37. Here's how I see this week unfolding:

Week 8 (home team in BOLD):

Houston 24 BUFFALO 13 - Both teams on two game win streaks. Houston is the better team and will prevail.

CHICAGO 26 Cleveland 3 - Browns are just what is needed for this Chicago team after two straight defeats.

Seattle 33 DALLAS 27 - Seattle's passing attack should feast on weak Dallas secondary. Cowboys looked good vs tough Atlanta team last weekend. This is an anything can happen game. Whoever wins the line of scrimmage battle should walk away victorious.

DETROIT 7 St. Louis 6 - Two pathetic teams suit up. They'll only look good heading out of the locker room.

Denver 23 BALTIMORE 21 - Undefeated Broncos vs Ravens team needing a bounce back game after 3 straight losses. Ravens offense has great rythm. Defense struggling BIG time.

INDIANAPOLIS 43 San Francisco 10 - Manning is playing near flawless football. SF's weaker offense can't keep up even with Smith returning to starting status as QB.

Miami 26 JETS 24 - Dolphins imploded after a great first half vs Saints last week. Jets D faces a difficult challenge vs wildcat formation in Dolphins clock controlling offense.

Giants 23 PHILADELPHIA 20 - NY coach Coughlin is running no nonsense practices after back to back lackluster losses. Eagles won ugly vs Redskins last week. Another anything can happen game. I'm sticking with my home town team.

Jacksonville 30 TENNESSEE 10 - Oh how the mighty have fallen. Titans from 13-3 to 0-7 after this game. Tennessee's owner wants a QB change. Will Fisher comply?

SAN DIEGO 30 Oakland 6 - SD too tough for leaderless Raiders.

ARIZONA 35 Carolina 14 - Wow. I was way wrong about Carolina heading into this season. They've been terrible. Cards aren't very good but they're winning and Warner might throw for 400 in this one.

Minnesota 34 GREEN BAY 23 - Packers & fans continue lashing out at Favre. Now they're saying '96 GB team was much better than '09 Vikes. As if it matters. Favre shows up old mates... again.

NEW ORLEANS 31 Atlanta 27 - (Monday Night Football) - Atlanta fell apart vs Dallas. Now they're playing a much more confident and undefeated Saints team. I actually like Atlanta in this one... then again, I thought they'd have no problems vs Dallas.

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Baseball's two best teams are getting ready to face off in tonight's opening game of the 2009 World Series. Philadelphia Phillies are trying to become the first team to win consecutive titles since 2000 and the first National League repeat champion since Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine" went back to back in 1975-76. Standing in their way is the last team to repeat, New York Yankees. Yankees are taking aim at their 27th franchise World Series title.

World Series 2009 is one of the best pairings in recent history. Both teams have very talented lineups, pitching staffs, fielders and managers. Here's how I break it down position by position. On paper, Philadelphia vs New York could turn out to be one of the best ever.

Starting Pitchers: Even
Home ballparks for both clubs favor power hitters and pitchers had better beware. It looks like 3 man rotations for both clubs.
Lee, Martinez & Hamels go for Philly vs Sabathia, Burnett & Pettitte for NY. All 6 rely in changing speeds for maximum effectiveness. None are strangers to post-season play. At times all have pitched like future Hall of Famers. Going deep into games is an essential ingredient for success which will be no easy task against baseball's best lineups. Philadelphia's bullpen during the regular season was very inconsistent. NY had better success. On paper, I'm rating them as equal. We'll soon see how well they can handle pressure packed situations with everything on the line.

Catchers: Even
Ok, before New York fans have a cow, here's why. Posada is by far the better hitter. But, he's yet to come through in the clutch this post-season on a consistent basis. If he does get hot then Phils are in trouble. His pitch calling is also very suspect. Plus, Burnett would rather pitch to backup Molina which could factor into Game 2. I don't see Posada riding the bench and this could throw off AJ's effectiveness or confidence.
Ruiz has been sensational in the playoffs for Phils (.346, 7 RBI). Defense has been solid, clutch hitting and good pitch calling. He's the hotter player right now (not the better player).

1B: Edge Phillies
Phils Ryan Howard is a monster at the plate. 14 post-season RBI in 9 games while batting .355. He's one of baseball's best clutch hitters. Howard vs Rivera in 9th inning situations will keep nervous fans sitting on the edge of their seats. Howard's defense has improved but is still shaky and a booted ball or bad throws could be game changers.
Mark Teixeira recovered from a slow start in pinstripes to become the AL leader in HR and RBI. However, he's struggling in the playoffs (.205). Time and time again he failed to deliver this postseason with runners in scoring position and is not looking good at the plate. Yanks need him to get back on track. Defensively, there's no better.

2B: Even
Phils fans turn to have a cow. Utley possesses great power (31 HR). His playoff defense hasn't been great. 2 playoff RBI isn't exactly clutch hitting either.
Robinson Cano is starting to turn it on after many failures to deliver with runners in scoring position. He must come through as bottom 3rd of lineup needs to produce. His defense has been excellent.

SS: Edge Yankees
Rollins can explode at any time. However, 2009 performance is far below career numbers. He struggled in playoffs so far (.244, 0 BB, 0 SB) except for a clutch game winning double on a meatball pitch. His defense is always strong. As Phils leadoff hitter, he needs to get it going vs a Yanks staff usually around the strike zone.
Yanks have Captain Jeter. He's been on fire (.297, 3 HR, .455 OBA). He's baseball's all time playoff hit leader (164). He's patient at the plate and usually comes thru in clutch situations. He's the table setter. Yanks will go as far as Jeter takes them.

3B: Edge Yankees
3B is the greatest disparity in my position by position analysis. Pedro Feliz will never be confused with Alex Rodriguez offensively or defensively. Feliz playoff stats are horrible (.161, 2 RBI). His defense hasn't been great either. However, never underestimate a slumping player. World Series are often won by non star-like characters when opposing pitchers take them for granted.
Alex Rodriguez has been enjoying the greatest postseason of his career. Can he keep it going vs Lee & Pedro? He's in the zone (.438, 5 HR, 12 RBI) coupled with flawless defense. ARod's biggest career challenge to date... producing in World Series play.

LF: Even
Phils might have a slight edge here with Ibanez. Ibanez was 1st half MVP candidate. But, he's struggled to regain his stroke at the dish. While Ibanez didn't hit for much of an average during playoffs (.236).. he has come thru time and time again with runners on base (9 RBI). He's been subbed out in late inning defensive situations but does play a decent LF.
Yanks Johnny Damon is a big game player waiting to turn it on. 24 regular season HR, 107 runs scored. So far, only batting .238. But, Phils pitching style is exactly the type he thrives on. We'll soon see. Damon has no arm in LF and can't throw anyone out. He's been lifted for stronger arms in late innings.

CF: Edge Phillies
Victorino is Phils leading hitter in playoffs (.361). He's showing no signs of slowing down after batting .292 during regular season. This guy will become a hero in the City of Brotherly Love if he remains the Phils catalyst. He's an excellent defensive CF to boot. He'll see plenty of activity.
Yanks free swinging Cabrera (.314) has deceptive playoff numbers. His average appears good in the surface, but he's failed in many clutch situations and is tied with RF Swisher with 11 K's. Not a good formula at the bottom of Yanks lineup. It might be time to give Gardner a shot. It won't happen since Gardner is Damon's late inning defensive replacement.

RF: Edge Phillies
Werth is tied with ARod for most playoff HR's this year (5). This kid keeps getting better. Werth is the Phillies key player in this series. Can he handle pressures of World Series play in NY? Probably. Coming in hitting .281, 5 HR, 10 RBI. Utley, Howard & Werth hit 3-4-5 and usually come through when needed in late game situations.
Swisher became Yanks everyday RF after Nady's season ending injury. He played very well during regular season (29 HR, .371 OBA). Playoffs have been another story (4-32, .125, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 11 K). He looks lost at the plate with feeble pop ups and plenty of strikeouts. He's a slug on the bases who is not alert. He seems to get picked off with ease. Luckily, his defense has been very good from tracking down balls to strong throws.

DH: Edge Yankees
Phils might play around with DH. Rumors state Ibanez might DH vs lefties with Francisco in LF. Matt Stairs might play vs righties.
Yanks strut out Matsui who has struggled (.233) in key playoff situations after a clutch '09 regular season (28 HR, 90 RBI). He was red hot during the final weeks but it hasn't carried into playoffs. His contribution in home games is vital.

Middle Relievers - Set up: Edge Yankees
Phils bullpen during regular season was horrific and cost this team a shot at 100 victories. They've done much better in '09 playoffs. Last season, their pen was instrumental is securing the title. They must pitch the games of their lives vs a potent Yanks attack in key situations for Phils to prevail. JA Happ, Chan Ho Park, Joe Blanton will be first out of the pen in early innings if needed or could take center stage in extra innings.
On the flip side, Yankees relievers enjoyed great success during the regular season after a horrendous '08 effort. Most have done well in the playoffs except for set up man Hughes who is clearly feeling the pressure of playoff baseball. Aceves has also faultered which might change Girardi's normal late inning plans. Joba Chamberlain will probably be the long middle reliever even though I'm all for him being used as a setup man and future closer.

Closer: Edge Yankees
Lidge was phenominal in '08 and pathetically bad in '09 until the playoffs. He might be back on track which is bad news for Yankees hitters. He's only given up 1 hit in 5 scoreless appearances spanning 4 innings. Not much of a litmus test but it's encouraging for a player coming off the worst year of his career.
Mariano Rivera owns the playoff record book for relievers. 37 postseason saves is 21 ahead of #2 (Lidge). He's most effective pitching only one inning per appearance.

Bench: Even
Not much to speak of here for either team. Matsui will be the big name off the bench when games shift to NL Phillies. Otherwise, it's mainly late inning defensive replacements in LF or pinch runners.

Managers: Even
Both teams love their managers. Most playoff moves have paid dividends (not all). Talented and well liked field generals who have kept clubs under control and believing in themselves no matter what the scoreboard reads. How they handle relievers could be the key to this series.

Prediction:
Philadelphia and New York lineups are very strong. Yankees have more power 1-9. Yankees play better overall defense. Yankees bullpen better. Yanks relying on early long ball power. Clutch hitting belongs to Phillies. Yankees pitchers used to facing tough lineups. Phillies pitchers used to NL DH-less weaker lineups.
Yankees in 6.

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-Digger's Daily-

It's World Series time! The New York Yankees are trying to win their 27th title against the reigning champion Philadelphia Phillies. World Series 2009 has been dubbed the "Liberty Series" (deriving from Philadelphia's Liberty Bell and NY's Statue of Liberty). Tomorrow, I'll break down the Series position by position. Today.. let's talk nicknames.

Nicknames of famous athletes span generations. There's an old saying in baseball. "No player is bigger than the game itself." Normally, this statement holds true. Until, we start talking nicknames. "The Babe", "Charlie Hustle", "Mr October", "Say Hey Kid", "Stan the Man", "Iron Horse" and "The Splendid Splinter" are just a few from yesteryear who's nicknames live on forever. So, why is it not many World Series nicknames stick beyond "Subway Series"? There have been many but, trying to find a list on the internet is no easy task. Will the Liberty Series stick? Unless the Phillies and Yankees play a classic series, I doubt it.

World Series play has been dubbed "The Fall Classic". Can anyone recall individual series nicknames or slogans? Here's my short list.

1919 "Black Sox Scandal" is one of the better remembered slogans given after the Chicago White Sox played to lose, or "fixed" the Series by agreeing to lose games for money.

There have been 14 "Subway Series" derived from two New York teams playing for glory. The first 13 were named after NY Yankees vs Brooklyn Dodgers or New York Giants until the New York Mets played the Yankees in 2000 (14th).

1983 was the not so flashy "I-95" (Baltimore vs Philadelphia).

1985 "I-70", "Show Me Series" between Kansas City and St. Louis.

1989 "Bay Bridge Series", "BART" featured San Francisco vs Oakland.

2001 was dubbed "November Series". This was the first World Series played in November resulting from regular season games rescheduled in the wake of 9/11/01 attacks.

2009 "Liberty Series" and "Turnpike Series" are two names being thrown around in local newspapers.

Just think of how much additional revenue could have been made by MLB affiliated licensee's. Funny how every All Star Game seems to have taken on slogans relating to hosting cities. Not so on baseball's biggest stage?

Stay tuned for my detailed New York/Philadelphia position by position 2009 World Series analysis. Buckle up! On paper, this is the greatest Series matchup in years. They represent the best from American and National Leagues.

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-Digger's Daily-

Four undefeated and two winless teams remain heading into NFL Week 7 action. New Orleans destroyed the Giants in a battle of unbeatens last week, 48-27. Denver showed off on MNF proving they're for real. Tennessee showed everyone why they haven't won a game after New England put up 59 points with ease.

The headline games this weekend are Minnesota at Pittsburgh and Atlanta at Dallas. Check weather patterns before laying odds on a few games. A couple of stinker matchups could make for upsets against point spreads. I went 10-4 last weekend bringing my season win/loss to 57-33.

Week 7 (Home team in BOLD)

Green Bay 37 CLEVELAND 6 - Packers beat up on a team in complete disarray.

San Diego 31 KANSAS CITY 17 - SD is off to another slow start. D and special teams giving up big plays all year.

Indianapolis 48 ST LOUIS 3 - Rams might want to forfeit this game now. Manning putting together another MVP type season.

Vikings 31 PITTSBURGH 30 - Game of the week. Battle of big play offenses vs big play defenses. As a fan I'm hoping this game comes down to the final few plays to decide a winner.

New England 44 TAMPA BAY 7 - Patriots embarrassed Titans 59-0. Hey Tampa... "DUCK!"

HOUSTON 23 San Francisco 17 - Another of the few potentially good games this week. Houston is finding their rythm. SF wants to hold onto 1st in NFC West.

CAROLINA 24 Buffalo 13 - Panthers 3rd win in a row coming up. Buffalo is not looking good at all.

Jets 20 OAKLAND 14 - New York played a very sloppy game last weekend vs Buffalo. Oakland energized after knocking off Philly. NY has history of giving up big plays vs Raiders in Oakland. A must win game for both teams seeking unity.

Atlanta 38 DALLAS 24 - Atlanta's passing attack will have a field day vs weak Dallas secondary. Cowboys returning from a bye week with WR controversy. Romo will have to ignite Dallas offense and "lead". Won't happen.

CINCINNATI 21 Chicago 16 - Normally I'd be taking the Bears. I'd like to see them win but Cincy has been playing inspired. Chicago still hasn't found a way to score consistently.

New Orleans 33 MIAMI 17 - Both D's will have their hands full. Saints passing attack should shred Dolphins thin secondary. Miami's running attack might keep Brees on the sidelines. I'm picking the Saints but this game has upset written all over it... especially since Dolphins have a history of snapping undefeated streaks.

GIANTS 27 Arizona 23 - Some are thinking Warner to will what Brees did last week. I'm not one of them. Saints and Cards are two very different teams. Coughlin will have Giants ready to go. Ball control eats up clock vs outclassed Arizona D. It'll be a tight game to the finish. Giants creating turnovers is the difference maker.

Philadelphia 24 WASHINGTON 10 - (Monday Night Football). Zorn has relinquished play calling duties. It won't matter. No way Philly takes them for granted after being upset by Oakland last weekend. This is an Eagles bounce back game.

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-Digger's Daily-

One week to go before NBA 2009-10 tips off. Do the LA Lakers have what it takes to repeat? Fans in Boston, Cleveland and Orlando think their teams will take it all this year. Time to predict how the new season will shake out.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic
Boston (1)
Toronto (7)
Philadelphia
New Jersey
New York

Central
Cleveland (2)
Chicago (5)
Detroit
Indiana
Milwaukee

Southeast
Orlando (3)
Atlanta (4)
Washington (6)
Miami (8)
Charlotte

Western Conference

Northwest
Denver (2)
Utah (6)
Portland (7)
Oklahoma City
Minnesota

Pacific
LA Lakers (1)
Phoenix (8)
LA Clippers
Golden State
Sacramento

Southwest
San Antonio (3)
Dallas (4)
New Orleans (5)
Houston
Memphis

Finals: Boston over Lakers 4-3

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-Digger's Daily-

Baseball Playoffs. NFL action. NHL season in its' early stages. WBNA has a new Champ. Rush dumped from potential ownership of NFL Rams. College football player stabbed. It's been a busy month for sports news. Here's my take on a few events of October sports 2009.

MLB Playoffs
It's been the Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez show as the Yankees take aim at returning to the World Series. ARod had been a playoff bust throughout his career. Not anymore. He's been ripping the cover off anyting near the plate and playing great defense. Clutch hitting to boot including a Game 2 9th inning tying home run vs Angels on a windy, cold and rainy NY night. Yanks went on to win in extra frames. In today's Game 3, Jeter led off with a homer. ARod got one too giving NY a 3-0 lead (game tied at 4 as I type).

Just how good are the Philadelphia Phillies? After an up and down season filled with injuries and a terrible bullpen the Phillies are playing great ball this post-season. They won a tough opening round vs Colorado and now they're taking it to the Dodgers. I'm rooting for LA but Philly clearly has momentum up 2 games to 1. Ryan Howard is on fire with RBI's in 8 consecutive games. Phils vs Yanks would make for one great WS. Phils lineup is hot enough they can rip any pitching staff. All games could be slugfests.

NFL
It's been a crazy NFL season. What has happened to the Tennessee Titans? 13-3 last year, 0-6 this year following a 59-0 school yard beating by New England. Titans struggle to score (84 points). Defense has been dismantled for an NFL worst 198 points against. They have too good of a team to be playing so poorly.

Who's the best? Could it be the Minnesota Vikings (6-0)? Denver Broncos (5-0)? New Orleans Saints (5-0)? Indy Colts (5-0)? NFL pundits and former teammates ripped Brett Favre as on over the hill idiot for attempting to play football in 2009. From Green Bay to New York to Minnesota, Favre was slammed for his last minute decision to return. Results? Outstanding. 6-0, two last minute comeback wins, 3rd rated passer in NFL (109.5), 70% completions, 12 TD's. Way to prove the naysayers wrong Brett! He's having an MVP type season thru 6 games.

New York Jets and fans were flying high with Super thoughts after Gang Green win their first three games. J-E-T-S have been grounded lately and not looking good after 3 straight defeats. Rookie QB Sanchez and first year coach Ryan were glorified when winning. How quickly things can change in a New York minute. Now, they're getting lambasted by NY drive-by media pretenders.

NFL turned political this past week once news broke of Rush Limbaugh's involvement in a bid to buy the St. Louis Rams. ESPN eventually ran a headline stating "Rush Targeted by Obama Officials". If true, it's another a far overreaching public move by the White House against another US citizen. It should come as no surprise these days when our White House targets, attacks and demeans political opponents. Many high profile figures have joined the fracas calling Limbaugh all sorts of names. Even a New York law firm with close ties to our President got involved by posting potentially libelous and false claims on Wikipedia. As a result, Rush has been dropped by the group wishing take over the Rams. NFL has also broken it's own policies of non-disclosure by allegedly leaking Limbaugh's name. It's an ugly mess made worse by hypocritical comments stretching far and wide from NFL execs to civil rights groups.

NHL
NHL has taken a backseat to MLB Playoffs and NFL news so far. I'm not sure why as the 2009-10 season is off to a flying start. NY Rangers taking aim at their 8th straight win (7-1-0). East of Manhatten are the lowly NY Islanders who have lost every game (6, 0-3-3) but managed to get 3 points in the NHL's nutty system of rewarding teams for shootout losses. Also looking for their first win of the season is Toronto (0-6-1). Pittsburgh (7-1-0) has been sensational too.

NCAA
The worst news of the week comes out of UCONN. Only a few hours after the Huskies victory over Louisville 20 year old Jasper Howard of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, was stabbed during a fight early Sunday. His death has left family members and UC campus in a state of shock.

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It's time for Week 6 predictions. Last weekend was another set if crazy Sunday games. Cleveland 6-3 over Buffalo. Denver and Dallas OT wins. Five games with leading rushers under 60 yards. Miami beating up Jets defense on MNF. It's time to give it another shot. My 2009 season total stands at 47-29 after back to back 9-5 weeks (Home team in CAPS)

Week 6

CINCINNATI 34 Houston 30 - Perfect football weather forecast (50). Cincy's offense opens up this week and D does just enough again.

GREEN BAY 27 Detroit 23 - Must win game for GB. Detroit might upset if Pack takes then lightly.

MINNESOTA 30 Baltimore 13 - Vikes 1st game vs big time D even if Ravens have underperformed. Baltimore loses to another playoff calibur team.

NEW ORLEANS 41 Giants 27 - NY pass rush vs Brees. Brees exposes weak secondary if Giants fail to apply pressure on every play.

PITTSBURGH 30 Cleveland 3 - Steelers getting hot. Browns pitiful.

Carolina 27 TAMPA BAY 14 - Every game is a must win for Carolina. TB hasn't looked good in any game.

Kansas City 17 WASHINGTON 16 - KC gets lucky. Zorn's team suffering.

JACKSONVILLE 31 St Louis 7 - Jags might go for 40 vs lame Rams. Top WR back after one game suspension.

SEATTLE 34 Arizona 20 - Here comes Seattle. Arizona's offense needs a RB.

Philadelphia 38 OAKLAND 6 - McNabb was exception returning from injury. Raiders primed to fire another head coach.

NEW ENGLAND 24 Tennessee 20 - Two teams struggling. Must win game for Tennessee. How did they get so bad so quickly?

JETS 21 Buffalo 17 - Swirling Meadowlands winds play havoc in this game. Jets rebound. Buffalo still searching for answers. T.O. needs to give NY media controversial interviews.

ATLANTA 23 Chicago 21 - Barometer game for both squads. Atlanta too quick on turf.

Denver 27 SAN DIEGO 24 - (Monday Night Football) - Great game on paper. SD defense has problems. Orton might hit 350 yards.

Bye: Dallas, Indianapolis, Miami, San Francisco

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-Digger's Daily-

Get ready for what promises to be an explosive American League Championship Series. Baseball's two best teams will be going head to head. Los Angeles Angels (95-67) vs New York Yankees (103-59).

New York is hoping local threatening weather stays away for tonights ALCS opener. The Yankees are counting on CC Sabathia starting Games 1,4,7. A rainout will challenge Joe Girardi's plans and force a 4th starter into the mix. Recent playoff failures ruffled feathers of Yankees faithful while bringing smiles to the baseball world outside of New York.

2009 turned out to be a great year for the Yankees after a rocky April (12-10). Their big 3 off season signings (Sabathia, Burnett & Teixeira) all began the year slowly before finally showing why they were the top sought after free agents. This Yankees team is the best one they've had since their last World Series title. An extremely powerful lineup 1 thru 9 can change games on a dime. Even Alex Rodriguez is contributing this post-season after many playoff failures. Angels pitchers will have their hands full but, they've proven up to the task of taming Yankees bats time and time again. If Bronx Bombers rely too much on swinging for the fences then they're asking for trouble. Game 1 starter CC was 0-2 vs LAA in '09.

The Angels play one of the best brands baseball has to offer. They pitch (starters & relievers), hit in the clutch, run bases extremely well and their defense is top notch. I'm certain they'll be very aggressive on the basepaths. Jorge Posada will be tested early and often against Angels runners. This team goes 1st to 3rd like no other and will play plenty of hit and run if/when opportunities exist. This series could be decided by the team with better base running plays. LA's outfielders have cannons for arms. NY has weak arms. Lackey starts Game 1 (1-0 vs NYY in '09).

It's going to be a great series. Who will win? Various factors will decide who moves on. Starting pitchers are a toss up. They've all had their ups and downs. Games in NY could turn to slugfests if cold weather alters ball grips. Middle relief and closer favors Yanks. Lineups are even but from different angles. NY needs Jeter & Damon to set the tables while 3-9 concentrate on line drive hitting vs going for broke. Angels lineup brings extra base hit potential and plenty of speed. Outfield defense might prove to be the difference. Angels speed and arms might cut down Yanks or keep them from taking an extra base. Yanks OF arms encourage runners to challenge. It's these intangibles which favor LA.

Prediction: Both teams are on a mission. There can be only one winner. Game 1 is a must win situation for New York. CC was signed for precisely this moment. Can he put previous playoff batterings behind? Girardi wants CC, Burnett then Pettitte. Big money pitchers indeed. Can they tame LA? I don't think so. Will Angels hurlers shut down Yanks lineup? Now that's a big question. Yanks tend to leave far too many runners on base.

Prediction: With the exception of tonight's opener I'm expecting every game to plate plenty of runs. 2009 ALCS has all the makings of a classic series. While I'd love to watch the Yankees sweep I believe LA's style, specifically base running and clutch hitting, brings a better winning formula. Yankees pitchers must dominate all series long for them to prevail. I don't see it happening. Angels in 6.

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Philadelphia Phillies vs Los Angeles Dodgers. On paper this looks like a great National League Championship Series pairing. Phillies are the champs and want to repeat. Dodgers are looking for a return to glory.

We'll get to see some of baseball's biggest names trying to lead their teams. Phils have clutch hitting slugger Ryan Howard leading the way on offense. He's joined by Utley, Rollins and Worth. In LA, it's Manny Ramirez, Either and Kemp. Philly led NL with 820 runs. LA led with .270 team batting average. Both teams run the bases well too.

Pitching is where this series will be decided. It'll be Cole Hamels vs Clayton Kershaw in Game 1. Hamels dominated LA this year allowing only 2 runs (1 earned) in two starts (1-0, 0.56). On the other hand, Kershaw was hit hard by Phils lineup (0-2, 5.23). Everything changes in playoff baseball. Or, does it? Hamels gives Phillies a clear first game edge unless Kershaw can keep pace. Problematic bullpen could spoil Phils starters efforts in this series. Brad Lidge has been horrific after a stellar 2008. You never know what will happen when he takes the mound. 1-2-3 innings no more. When he enters, it's nailbiting time for Phils fans. LA's bullpen is tough to hit and seldom squanders leads.

I'll be rooting for Joe Torre's Dodgers to prevail. I don't see it happening with LA's rotation. Kershaw and Padilla going 1-2 doesn't strike me as intimidating. These two will have to pitch the best baseball of their lives or else this series could be over quickly.

Prediction: Phillies in 5 (hoping for Dodgers in 4).

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-Digger's Daily-

Five weeks in the books for NFL 2009. There have been a few surprising teams turning heads. It's time for my own version of NFL power rankings based on nothing more than personal observations of team performances on the gridiron.

Top 10:

1- New York Giants (5-0) - Strong in all facets of the game. Ranks 2nd in offense, 1st in defense. Jacobs hasn't found his running game but Bradshaw has been attacking defenses. Young WR's have been outstanding.

2- Indianapolis Colts (5-0) - Playing very well behind Peyton Manning's leadership. 3rd in total offense and bend but don't break defense allowing only 14.2 ppg.

3- Denver Broncos (5-0) - Yes, Denver is for real and NFL has taken notice after they beat New England. Defense giving up NFL low 8.6 ppg. Offense is a work in progress but has been making big plays in crunch time.

4- Minnesota Vikings (5-0) - Big play offense. Big play defense.

5- Cincinnati Bengals (4-1) - Who are these guys? If it wasn't for a last minute opening day stunning loss to Denver these guys would be 5-0. They've beaten Green Bay, Pittsburgh & Baltimore which pushed them up my list. Cincy schedule doesn't get any easier. Houston, Chicago, Baltimore and Pittsburgh up next. We'll soon see if Cincy is for real.

6- New Orleans Saints (4-0) - Tentatively ranking 5th due to their not playing top teams... yet. Next opponent Giants. Should be one heck of a game. Saints will know how good they are after this one.

7- Atlanta Falcons (3-1) - Very strong team with plenty of weapons. This young team will remain tough for at least the next 5-7 seasons. Defense had only one hiccup so far and benefits from grueling offensive game plan.

8- Philadelphia Eagles (3-1) - Eagles offense playing great with and without McNabb. He's back now which spells trouble for next two opponents. Defense is getting the job done. Rushing game is way off track.

9- Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) - Here comes Pittsburgh. Steelers offense is on fire after 3 shaky weeks to begin their Championship defense. Running game has been revived by rookie Mendenhall. Roethlisberger very sharp. Defense rebounding after loss of Polamalu.

10- Baltimore Ravens (3-2) - Another 5-0 might have been. Two tough losses for a very strong team. Flacco is maturing as a top flight NFL QB. Defense has been off late in games. Running game has highs and lows. WR inconsistency is still biggest problem and takes heat for last 2 losses.

Keep an eye on:

New England (3-2) - Still explosive on paper. Problem is, it's only been on paper so far. Brady & Co. are off. Lack of faith in running game making Pats a one dimentional and defendable offense . Defense spending too much time on the field but has kept them in games. "When" and "If" are two big questions in New England.

Miami Dolphins (2-3) - 'Phins know how to gobble up time of possession. Against a very aggressive Jets D they learned how to score inside the red zone. Defense remains well rested behind a battering running attack. No one has figured out how to stifle the Wildcat.

New York Jets (3-2) - Ryan was mystified after Monday's defeat. Expect Jets to shed their cockyness and return to playing smart football. Perhaps starting 3-0 puffed up ego's a little too much. Ryan will have them back to business. Passing game needs to be let loose. Their deep game looks great. It's the short over the middle plays which seem to give Sanchez fits. They'll probably end up as a .500 team but have playoff potential at this early juncture.

Dallas Cowboys (3-2) - Offensive Coordinator has been horrendous. Never before have I watched games where an offensive line has completely dominated opposing defenses opening up running lanes down to the goal line only to have play callers suddenly decide to pass. 'Boys played great on opening day. They've looked horrible in every other game including wins. Very talented and deep team suffering from lack of leadership on the field and from entire coaching staff.

Chicago Bears (3-1) - Tough opening day defeat followed up by 3 straight wins. Cutler seems more comfortable. Running game taking hold. Defense always tough. Big games coming up after bye week @ Atlanta & Cincinnati.

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-Digger's Daily-

There was plenty of great action in week 4. Brett Favre stole headlines by beating is former Green Bay team. Denver Broncos defense caged in Dallas' offense. Is San Francisco for real? Peyton Manning keeps rolling. But, is brother Eli's injury serious? Washington's victory was a momentary relief for Coach Zorn. Miami defense finally played well. Pittsburgh's offense came to life. And, how did I forget... my picks were 9-5 for the weekend bringing my season total to 38-24. Time to give week 5 a shot.... (home team in CAPS)...

BUFFALO 24 Cleveland 21 - Paying fans in attendance get ripped off watching these two teams.

Dallas 27 KANSAS CITY 16 - Cowboys offense is underperforming so horribly I'm tempted to pick KC.

Minnesota 40 ST LOUIS 6 - Vikings looking like Super Bowl contenders. Rams clueless.

GIANTS 20 Oakland 16 - Key an eye of whether or not Eli plays. NY will pound the ground even if he does.

PHILADELPHIA 30 Tampa Bay 14 - McNabb is probably returning to action. TB's loss to Washington highlights their depth of ineptness.

Pittsburgh 26 DETROIT 3 - Steelers D creates plenty of turnovers.

CAROLINA 20 Washington 17 - Two teams with BIG problems. Panthers need a win to save roster/coaching assignments.

BALTIMORE 26 Cincinnati 24 - One of must watch recommendations. Both teams playing very well. Ravens ripped off by refs in loss to New England. Cincy's D has surprised. A fight to the finish.

Atlanta 23 SAN FRANCISCO 21 - My other must watch suggestion. Two very good teams go head to head.

SEATTLE 20 Jacksonville 17 - Don't be surprised if Jags win this one. Seattle still searching for running game.

Houston 34 ARIZONA 27 - Texans alive and kicking. Arizona kicking and screaming.

New England 27 DENVER 17 - Rooting for Denver. Broncos D has been tremendous. Don't count on Brady doing a Romo impersonation from a week ago (not throwing in Bailey's direction).

Indianapolis 33 TENNESSEE 14 - Manning and Colts looking great. What's happened to Tennessee?

Jets 27 MIAMI 9 - (Monday Night Football) Jets defense too strong. Miami's defense too weak.

-Digger's Daily-

It's time for MLB Playoffs. Each best of 5 Division Series matchup is stellar on paper. Here's my quick overvue and predictions for 2009 champs.

ALDS
Minnesota vs New York - Minnesota needed game 163 to win AL Central. Bullpen was burnt out after last nights 12 inning affair. On paper, the Yankees lineup is too powerful for the Twins mediocre starting rotation. Yanks won a MLB best 103 games. Sabathia, Burnett & Pettitte shouldn't encounter too many problems from Twins hitters. However, Minnesota is used to everyone taking them for granted. Yanks better be prepared.
Yanks sweep.

Boston vs Angels - Tremendous early round pairing. Starting pitching is the key as both lineups can score runs in bunches and usually hit in clutch situations. Lester, Beckett & Buchholz square off against Lackey, Weaver and Kazmir. Angels are hungry for another World Series appearance.
Angels in 5.

NLDS
Colorado vs Philadelphia - Rockies finished another season on fire. Philadelphia has been streaky all year. Starting pitchers for these teams have either been sensational or very hittable. Both home parks are very hitter friendly. Each game might be determined in final at bats. I'm going with the hotter team.. Colorado.
Rockies in 4.

Dodgers vs St. Louis - Very evenly matched series. LA was a little flat until winning their final two games. Cards clinched early and might have been a bit complacent (2-8 in last 10). Pujols & Holliday are Cards big weapons at the dish. Cy Young candidates Carpenter and Wainwright might dominate on the hill. LA has Manny, Kemp & Ethier to produce runs. Pressure is on LA's starting rotation. Wolf vs Carpenter, Kershaw vs Wainwright. Advantage Cards.
Cardinals in 4.

ALCS: Yanks over Angels in 6.
NLCS: Cards over Rockies in 5.
World Series: Yanks over Cards in 6.

Stay tuned for my 2009 Players of the Year picks and lineups...

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-Digger's Daily-

Get ready for Tuesday night's one game showdown to decide the American League Central. "Every game counts" has been spoken by nearly all coaches ranging from amateur to professional sports. Nothing could be more true. For those fans who shrug their shoulders at an opening day defeat... this is why they "all" count. Detroit and Minnesota are tied with identical records 86-76. Tuesday's game decides who advances to play the New York Yankees in AL Division Series Playoffs.

The Tigers had been sitting alone in first place since May 16. On September 6, their lead was a season high 7 games over Minnesota. This is when Detroit began fading and Minnesota got hot. The Twins won 18 of 26 while Detroit stumbled losing 15 of 26. In head to head games, Minnesota holds the season advantage 11-7.

It all goes out the window tomorrow. Or, does it? Detroit sends rookie starting pitcher Rick Porcello (14-9, 4.04) to the hill to face vet Scott Baker (15-9, 4.34). Baker has not fared well against the Tigers in '09 (1-1, 6.75 in 4 starts). Porcello was 1-2 with a respectable 3.09 vs Minnesota. These two are hittable. Fighting for every inch, every pitch and every base will be crucial to both clubs.

One game playoffs do not occur frequently.... well, usually not until recent history. 2009 marks the third consecutive year of one game playoffs. Minnesota played one last year too. They lost 1-0 to Chicago White Sox. In 2007, Colorado capped a remarkable September by beating San Diego 9-8.

Good luck handicapping this game. Neither pitcher strikes fear into any lineup. On the surface, there should be plenty of runs. Detroit's pitching has not been good of late. Minnesota's has been scrappy enough and getting the job done. Manufacturing runs and playing high level defense will decide this game. Tigers hitters have been inconsistent most of the year and simply un-clutch in September. Minnesota seems to get timely hits most often when games are on the line.

In games like these much of the focus surrounds star players like Miguel Cabrera or Joe Mauer. However, as history has proven time and time again... it's often the little guys making history. Remember Bucky Dent's game winning homer back in '78 which demoralized Boston?

I've run a few simulation games this morning. These teams split 10 games. Most were high scoring as all pitchers except Joe Nathan were lit up. For Minnesota fans a win tomorrow will be a perfect ending for the Metrodome's final regular season game. Twins fans will be loud as ever under the bubble.

Minnesota is the hot team heading into this game. Detroit barely survived on the final days of 2009. Advantage Twins. I'm expecting a close contest. Perhaps a few lead changes. Unless hitters are tight these two starting pitchers stand a good chance of getting rocked early. Any defensive lapses will be magnified. My bias has me rooting for Detroit even though I'm predicting a Twins 8-5 victory.

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We were treated to some great games last week and one major upset. Detroit won their first game against an inept Washington Redskins team. Brett Favre's game winning td pass with :02 left sent shockwaves to the California cost. Coach Ryan has the undefeated New York Jets defense pounding opponents. I picked only 9 winners last week bringing my season total to 29-19. Far below my norm. Time to get back to winning ways.

Week 4 (home in BOLD):

CHICAGO 26 Detroit 10 Bears beginning to gel. Lions try building off first win, not yet.

Cincinnati 27 CLEVELAND 13 Bengals playing well. Cleveland in turmoil changes starting QB.

INDIANAPOLIS 28 Seattle 20 Manning's offense looking good in clutch. Seahawks trying to find rythm.

NY Giants 34 KANSAS CITY 14 Eli has excellent targets afterall. KC no match unless NY takes them lightly.

Baltimore 24 NEW ENGLAND 23 Ravens looking Super. Patriots are not. Expecting a close one here. Picking Baltimore on the road might be stretching it but their offense has greatly improved.

Tampa Bay 17 WASHINGTON 14 'Skins lose to another cellar dweller.

Tennessee 27 JACKSONVILLE 23 Titans need this game. Jags playing tough but are no match for pounding running game.

HOUSTON 31 Oakland 21 Texans D will steal the ball all game long.

NEW ORLEANS 30 New York Jets 24 Saints facing outstanding and motivated Jets D. Whoever makes least mistakes wins this one.

Buffalo 26 MIAMI 3 Bills will dominate here. Pennington is done for the year. Miami's secondary has many holes. Hurry up offense will drown Dolphins.

SAN FRANCISCO 23 St. Louis 10 Learning how to regroup after a last second loss will go a long way for SF. Rams not a good team but shouldn't be taken lightly.

DENVER 24 Dallas 20 Huge test for both teams. Speedy Denver WR's could have a field day vs terrible Dallas secondary. Orton needs to be sharp. Denver's stifling D takes on an inconsistent Romo led offense. This is one of my two suggested must watch games.

San Diego 17 PITTSBURGH 16 Where is Pittsburgh's offense?

MINNESOTA 36 Green Bay 24 (Monday Night Football) My other must watch game. Favre hosts his former teammates. Both teams will be very pumped up for this one. Vikings defense is better. Adrian might gain 150+ on the ground. Favre's Vikings win pulling away.

Bye: Arizona, Atlanta, Carolina, Philadelphia

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Did anyone watch yesterday's twinbill between Minnesota and Detroit? The AL Central is at stake (and a playoff birth). Minnesota came in trailing host Detroit by two games. Mr. Clutch Orlando Cabrera won the opener with a 10th inning go ahead single. The Tigers split by winning the second game behind a gutsy performance from ace Justin Verlander.

Every game is a must win. These two square off for two more games this week. Tomorrow's game is national on ESPN. Detroit needs to win both to clinch. Their final 3 games of the year are against Chicago. Minnesota wants to get at least one before heading home to close out the Metrodome for 3 against Kansas City.

The Twins had won 11 of 12 before dropping yesterday's second game. They're red hot even without former AL MVP Justin Morneau. September has been a rough month for Detroit. They lost 9 of 12 during a recent stretch leading up to this series. Never say never. Here come the Twins.

I've always been a fan of Detroit baseball but it's hard not to root for the scrappy Twins. Manager Ron Gardenhire knows how to push his players buttons. They're suddenly hot after most had given them up for dead. The Tigers need to come out of this series maintaining their two game lead. Otherwise, they could very well lose out to the hottest team in baseball.

Recent September's featured storied comebacks and collapses. Colorado stunned the world before losing the World Series to Boston in 2007. Back to back chokes by the New York Mets. Philadelphia's hot final months. Colorado has stormed back late again this season and seem poised to clinch a wild card birth. October baseball Playoffs and NFL games. It's a great time of year. It could get a whole lot better if I'm fortunate to watch a World Series game at Yankee Stadium this season!

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Madrid, Spain? Tokyo, Japan? Rio de Janeiro, Brazil? Chicago, USA? Which city will receive the International Olympic Committee's nod to host the 2016 Summer Olympics? President Obama has decided to campaign personally for his adopted home city of Chicago by making a whirlwind personal appearance in two days.

President Obama has spent the past few weeks campaigning on television regularly in our country. He's attempting to cash in on his one time star power status promoting wide ranging personal and controversial issues. He's addressed the nation. Conducted multiple interviews most major networks. Appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman. Addressed world leaders and reprentatives at the United Nations and G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh with plenty of press coverage.

There's more to come later this week as the press is certain to follow the carbon footprint trail of Obama's journey to Copenhagen, Denmark. Our President will be puting his best foot foward trying to bring the Olympics to our nation. His entourage will feature many diplomats, sports celebrities and our First Lady. He's getting ready to play some hard ball against stiff competition. Presidential appeals helped London secure the 2012 Games and Russia hosting 2014 Winter venue. Can he pull it off?

It would be an honor for our country to play host. The Summer Olympics is one of the greatest and most respected sporting traditions. Oympics also represents the one venue where countries put aside personal differences as the world's greatest athletes compete for Gold. Correspondents seem to believe US is in the lead since games were recently held Asia, Europe and Australia. A personal appearance could help seal the deal.

However, Obama's critics at home wonder about the timing of becoming the first US President make an in-person appeal at the Committee meeting. Iran rattled sabres this week conducting military drills, missile tests and war tone rhetoric after announcing to the world they have constructed another nuclear facility. It is a direct slap in the face of the much anticipated "talks" scheduled for this Thursday where nation leaders hope Iran will come clean. It's clear they won't. President Obama vowed to remain personally involved in top agenda issue health care reform which is facing intense debate this week. Our General in Afghanistan made it known he has not spoken with the President in over two months and needs more troop support. Public angst over ecomonic issues, job losses, war and health care. There's also been a backlash from Chicago residents who do not want their city hosting the games. And, from Chicago critics who claim the cities corruption will profit too.

My two cents on this issue is conflicting on varying levels. First off, I think hosting the Olympics would be great for national pride and economic factors. Second, It's too late now but I believe it would have been prudent to have selected a different host city. Chicago is already, and has been, a thriving city. Corruption is another issue. Detroit is a city in trouble and would've been the perfect choice. It could have been an economic boom for a city with unsustainable unemployment figures. For a city decimated by the auto collapse. Detroit on the map forever. State of the art sports stadiums already reside in the Motor City. There's plenty of vacant real estate to build complex facilities required to house games, athletes and visitors. Just think of the thousands of jobs it would have created for people desparately seeking employment. Local merchants and city/state revenue stabilized and revitalized. A complete facelift for a city in need. It's not to be. Chicago is a fine city so no one should take my comments as a slap against it or people living there. That said, I strongly believe Detroit warranted greater consideration.

My last point is all too obvious to anyone paying attention to recent world news during these threatening times. Obama's over exposed making speaches on wide ranging issues while appearing to be completely hands off instead of hands on for solving problems here at home and abroad. Speeches and tv appearances doesn't get the job done or save sliding poll numbers. Sports is not priority number one. The physical and ecomonic safety of our country and allies is job number one. When a General goes public stating he hasn't spoken with our Commander in Chief for over 70 days during a time of war... something is tragically awry.

Our First Lady and entourage carries plenty of star appeal and is quite capable of representing our great nation. This trip is an unnecessary distraction.

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The Detroit Lions finally managed to win a football game after 19 consecutive defeats. They've managed to shift laughingstock status over to the Washington Redskins (at least for a day). The monkey is off of their backs. I think many of us were seriously wondering if Detroit was gearing up to shatter the NFL consecutive loss record.

The Lions can now look forward. This young team has a chance for a bright future and today's win was a significant building block. They almost managed to blow it. Leading 19-14, Washington did get the ball back for one last shot but Detroit held on. Lions offense has a solid young nucleus. Rookie QB and top draft pick Matthew Stafford earned his first professional win. It was also his first game without a major mistake. Second year halfback Kevin Smith gained 100 yards. Offensively, they held the ball for over 36 minutes. The defense came up big and held Washington to 2 of 10 third downs and only 57 plays. It was a team effort. Hats off to the Detroit Lions!

Redskins fans must be sick to their stomachs. No team wanted to be the Lions first victim. Washington football has never been lower. They're a talented team without a leader. Jim Zorn seems to make one bad decision after another. QB Jason Campbell is not a field leader. Not a feared NFL QB. He'd be hard pressed finding a job as a backup on most other teams. So, why is Zorn sticking with him?

Heading into this season I figured on Eric Mangini being the first coach to get fired (it might still happen). Now I'm thinking Zorn could be gone by midweek (if not sooner). The Skins aren't responding positively to his coaching philosophy. Campbell can't move the offense. Their team owner is a win win kind of guy and this team is light years from challenging in the NFC East. Something has to give and it might be Daniel Snyder giving Zorn the boot.

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NFL teams treated us to great nationally televised games last Sunday and Monday nights. Both games were decided in the final seconds. The New York Giants silenced a record 105,121 screaming Dallas fans in Cowboys Stadium debut, 33-31. Monday night featured a dominating ball control offensive performance by the Miami Dolphins who played keep-a-way for 45 minutes. It wasn't enough as future Hall of Fame Colts QB Peyton Manning stunned Miami's faithful with precision passing for a 27-23 victory.

At least I predicted those two games correctly on my way to a less than inspiring 9-7 record. My two week total stands at 20-12. It's not bad but not quite what I'd want if betting in Las Vegas sportsbooks. Week 2 stunners were NY Jets over New England, Houston exploiting Tennessee, Chicago upsetting Pittsburgh and Cincinnati reminding us Green Bay is nothing more than ordinary.

Time to shoot for the moon in Week 3 (home teams in BOLD):

Redskins 20 LIONS 10 - Lions have lost 19 in a row. Game will be blacked out in Detroit due to not meeting NFL attendance requirements. That's great news for Lions fans who can now watch a quality football game.

Packers 33 RAMS 27 - Green Bay must protect the ball or it will be back to back losses vs weaker teams.

VIKINGS 33 49ers 10 - Battle of 2-0 teams. Vikes playing tough as expected. SF starting to turn heads and could put themselves back on maps with an upset. QB Hill has been effective but now faces an unrelenting Minnesota D.

Falcons 24 PATRIOTS 21 - This game is a pick'em. Atlanta's offensive weapons keeping opposition clueless. Jets held NE without a TD last week. Brady & Co. will have to bounce back after a week of trashing from Boston newspapers. This one could come down to the games final play.

JETS 21 Titans 17 - Coach Ryan's defense has been flying surrendering only 16 points in two victories. Offense is a work in progress with rookie QB Sanchez. Speedy WR's could chew up Titans not ready for prime time defense.

Chiefs 17 EAGLES 16 - KC blew it vs Oakland last week. This once proud franchise will endure another long season. Philadelphia is banged up. No McNabb. Westbrook is questionable. Not a game I'd look to bet on.

Giants 43 BUCCANEERS 7 - New York's WR's have been speeding past defensive backs in 1st two weeks. This is a very favorable matchup for Eli Manning & Co. Tampa's hurting in all facets of the game.

RAVENS 27 Browns 14 - Baltimore QB Joe Flacco has been utilizing all weapons. Ravens offense attacking opponents from all angles and sport AFC best 69 points. Will Cleveland become NFL's next winless team?

TEXANS 34 Jaguars 24 - Houston ripped Titans defense via play action pass all game long last week. Jax struggling for respect and doesn't get any here.

Saints 38 BILLS 20 - Brees has led Saints to NFL high 93 points. Next victim, Buffalo.

SEAHAWKS 26 Bears 24 - Another pick'em game as both 1-1 teams search for their true identities.

CHARGERS 27 Dolphins 17 - LT is out of this one. SD will tear up terrible Miami defense.

Steelers 24 BENGALS 20 - Pittsburgh's 27 total points keeping offense searching for clues. Lack of running game killing drives. Cincy's offense came together last week vs Green Bay.

Broncos 28 RAIDERS 17 - Denver's D has been stellar giving up only 13 points. Orange Crush? They'll get plenty of turnovers from mistake filled Oakland offense.

Colts 38 CARDINALS 33 - Manning vs Warner could see these teams net over 800 total yards. This game should feature quick strike drives vs porous D's.

Panthers 34 COWBOYS 31 (Monday Night Football) - This is Delhomme's chance to prove there's plenty of football left in his right arm vs a very weak Dallas secondary. Tony Romo has been under fire in Dallas newspapers which will lead to another mistake filled game.

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It's time for a feel good story based on sportsmanship, fair play and genuine human compassion. Three cheers to 15 year old St. Joseph Benton Cardinals (high school) football freshman player Matt Ziesel who scored his first touchdown this past weekend.

Matt has Downs Syndrome. His football season found him sitting on the bench begging for a chance to play. St. Joseph's was losing 46-0 to the Maryville Spoofhounds when their head coach Dan McCamey suddenly walked across the field with only seconds remaining. He spoke with Maryville's coach before returning to the Cards sidelines. McCamey then called on #45, Matt Ziesel, to take the field.

The play call for a handoff to Ziesel. He had one mission... score! Here's the VIDEO broadcast on MSN. St. Joseph's blockers cleared the way and Maryville's defenders were instructed not to make a tackle. Ziesel sprinted down the right side for his first ever touchdown.

Hats off to everyone involved. Coach Dan McCamey and all players deserve boat loads of credit for making a dream come true. Ziesel quickly became a hit... 150,000+ viewer hits have watched this play on YouTube. He's an instant celebrity gaining notoriety on local and national levels. Many major networks and ESPN ran with this story.

Welcome to celebrity status Matt! Savor the moment.

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The New York Giants (2-0) scored the first ever regular season points in Cowboys Stadium history. After the games final play New York secured the first ever regular season victory in Cowboys Stadium. Let it be written.

Cowboys Stadium set an NFL attendance record as a sellout crowd of 105,121 witnessed Eli Manning direct the Giants game winning drive. No time remained on the clock after Lawrence Tynes 37 yard fieldgoal sailed through the uprights. What a game. A real nailbiter for fans of both teams. It took all 60 minutes to decide this one.

Dallas owner Jerry Jones deserves much credit for building a state of the art new $1.1 billion home for his Cowboys. I thought NBC did a less than stellar presentation of what is being called a NFL masterpiece. There's been endless discussion of the tremendous video screen which houvers 90 feet above the field and seems to run from end zone to end zone. Fans interviewed during preseason stated having a hard time deciding whether to view live action or the screen.

As for the game. It was fun to watch. Lack of execution often had both head coaches scratching their heads. Cowboys QB Tony Romo threw for a personal best last week. He wasn't sharp vs a Giants defense that struggled most of the night. 3 Giants picks of Romo and a fumble recovery set up most of their scoring drives. New Giants starting WR's had huge games. Manningham & Smith both pulled in 10 catches, had over 100 yards and scored. Eli Manning brought his A game.

Sunday night was a big NFC East division game. Giants back to back wins have been against East rivals (Redskins, Cowboys) leaving them sitting pretty early in 2009. Dallas (1-1) will try regrouping this week. Their secondary was terrible and unable to tame NY's attack. Flaws in both defenses were on display tonight. Giants game up over 250 rushing yards. Cowboys not able to cover WR's.

Next week, Giants travel to Tampa Bay and Cowboys show off their stadium on Monday Night Football vs Carolina.

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Which NFL player will light up your fantasy team scoreboard in week 2? Drew Brees fired 6 touchdown passes in week 1. Pederson burned Cleveland for 3 on the ground. Eagles D scored big points for owners. John Carlson surprised leading all TE's. So, who will it be this week? Here's my two cents on how things will shake up (or down).

Start 'em...

Adrian Peterson (Min) is primed for a tremedous day vs lowly Detroit. He might even have a shot at 200 total yards. He'll put up no less than 150 and 2 td's.

Tony Gonzalez (Atl) should have no problems finding seems in Carolina's defense (especially on play action passes). 90+ yards, 2 td's.

Matt Hasselback (Sea) will continue his comeback player of the year tour in SF. 300+ yards passing, 3 td.

Randy Moss (NE) will find the end zone this week vs Jets (at least once). 140 yards, TD.

Minnesota Vikings D will frustrate an already frustrated Lions team. Crystal ball says 5 turnovers created and possibly a defensive TD to compliment 5 sacks.

Bench 'em....

LaDamlian Tomlinson (SD) vs Baltimore. Banged up featured back has right ankle concerns. Listed as questionable. Baltimore's defense is no easy task even when 100%. He'll see limited action.

Ronnie Brown (Mia) is not a strong back in ffl. Many leagues drafted him very high. Why?

Steve Slaton (Hou) vs strong Tennessee D. Not a favorable matchup as Titans will key on him all game long.

Philadelphia Eagles D vs pass happy New Orleans Saints. With McNabb out, field position will favor Saints. Eagles D will be challenged on every play. Saints will control the clock.

Keep an eye on...

Cadillac Williams (TB) - listed as 1st on depth chart heading into week two. Will he return to 1000 yard status if given the chance? Could have big day vs demoralized Bills.

Larry Johnson (KC) one time back to back 1700 yard featured back before injuries slowed him down. Oakland is a favorable matchup to see what he can do.

New York Giants WR's vs weak Cowboys secondary. Steve Smith will get plenty of chances. Manningham has exceptional speed. Hixon will get into the mix too. All fighting to secure starting jobs and Manning's confidence.

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Week one predictions ended up 11-5 and most likely should have been 13-3 if it wasn't for two last minute flukes. Week 2 has intriguing matchups. Dallas opens Cowboys Stadium vs arch rival NY Giants. Players and fans will be pumped for this game. Patriots take on Jets new rookie head coach, rookie quarterback and new look defense. These teams hate each other from top to bottom. Steelers travel to Chicago in a matchup of hard hitting defenses. Time to predict (home team in CAPS)....

FALCONS 33 Panthers 17 - Atlanta's new spread the wealth offense will have no problems vs struggling Panthers. Delhomme is on the hot seat and needs to show he's still a top flight QB.

REDSKINS 24 Rams 23 - Campbell wasn't good vs stingy Giants D in week one. Portis should have plenty of openings vs weak StL D. Rams playing for respect, don't get any here.

TITANS 23 Texans 10 - Titans rebound after OT loss. Texans manhandled by Jets D last week face a tougher test this week.

SAINTS 33 Eagles 17 - McNabb is out for this one after breaking a rib. Brees connected for 6 TD's vs terrible Lions D. Eagles D will mix up coverages for Brees first true test. Westbrook must produce for Eagles to have any chance of winning.

Patriots 34 JETS 20 - NE will be prepared after Buffalo nearly beat them. Jets D looked great vs Houston. Ryan's first major opponent and AFC East rival. Meadowlands will be rocking. Sanchez will be pressured all game long.

PACKERS 30 Bengals 26 - Cincy continues inventing new ways to lose. This one could come down to the final minutes. Offensive game on paper if Cincy can find their stride. If not, then it's GB in a blowout.

Cardinals 27 JAGUARS 23 - Cards rep still flying high after Super Bowl appearance. 2009 will not be kind. Jags running game could change this outcome. Don't be surprised if home team wins this one.

Vikings 38 LIONS 7 - Pederson rambled for 3 td's last week making Favre's debut easy. Running and passing lanes will be wide open this game as Vikes pick apart Lions.

CHIEFS 20 Raiders 16 - Raiders had shining moments vs SD. I'm not sold. Rebuilding Chiefs find a way to win an ugly mistake filled game.

Bucs 27 BILLS 17 - Buffalo still stinging after handing a certain win to NE. TB's running game will have a field day and seconday shuts down TO. It's going to be a long year in Buffalo.

Seahawks 31 49ERS 20 - Hasselback came out firing in week one. SF played efficient football. Key early season game between division foes. Seattle to take this one but keep an eye on confident Niners.

Steelers 24 BEARS 10 - Bears lost their best defender and new QB Cutler played like crap. Steelers feeling good after opening OT win vs Tennessee. Running games were non-factors for both. Steelers prevail.

BRONCOS 23 Browns 14 - This game is iffy for me. Both teams not looking good but Denver has more talent.

Ravens 30 CHARGERS 20 - Ravens too tough. Offense will surprise many in '09. Defense dominates. SD has defensive lapses. Offense will face stiff swarming D.

Giants 31 COWBOYS 27 - Cowboys $1billion stadium opens. It will be loud. Romo comes off best statistical game. Giants WR's surprised folks last week. Keys: Giants CB's trying to cover speedy Dallas WR's. Can Brandon Jacobs dominate?

Colts 27 DOLPHINS 10 (Monday Night Football) - Indy is too tough for punchless Dolphins offense.

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It was a great opening NFL weekend. It began Thursday night with Pittsburgh's dramatic OT win over Tennessee. What followed were games filled with last minute heroics, goats, solid performances by rookies and old vets. A few of my favorite moments from week 1:

My fantasy teams combined to go 4-1. Figures, the lone loss was in a league with friends! Random ESPN league teams won most covincingly.

Denver at Cincinnati - Denver and Chicago swapped QB's during the off season. Denver gave up Cutler to get Orton. Orton was less than impressive during a boring game until his final pass. Trailing 7-6 with just over one minute remaining in regulation.. Orton weak armed a pass down field which was tipped by a Bengals defender into the waiting arms of Brandon Stokley who raced towards the end zone for the game winning 87 yard touchdown. 13-7 Broncos. It was Stokley's only catch of the game. He was also smart enough to take time off of the clock until Bengal defenders finally caught up to him.

Drew Brees (Saints) threw for 6 TD's in a 45-27 Detroit. How many weeks will it take Detroit to win a game this year after 0-16 in 2008? Single season record holder, Dan Marino, predicted Brees would throw for more than 5000 yards this year. Brees picked apart a terrible Lions D for 6 TD's! He'll have a tough test this weekend vs Philadelphia.

Jets fans are loving their new head coach. Ryan had the Jets defense flying all over the field and completely disrupted a potentially explosive Texans attack. Rookie QB Mark Sanchez remained calm in his NFL debut. Nobody should become over hyped after one game. It was a good beginning to New York's newest era of Jets football.

Chicago at Green Bay - Cutler was supposed to resurrect Chicago's underperforming offense. He played miserably. I can't remember the last time I saw such an anemic performance... (until I flipped channels to see Delhomme implode with 5 int's). Chicago had managed to survive four Cutler interceptions until Aaron Rodgers threw a 50 yard TD strike with 1:11 remaining. Devastating news for Bears players and fans.. All Pro LB Brian Urlacher is done for the year. Chicago just slipped a notch.

Goat of the Weekend Award: Leodis McKelvin (Buffalo).... Buffalo had just played a terrific game. They were leading heavily favored New England 24-13 on Monday Night Football. Pats closed the game to 24-19 and kicked off with 2:06 remainiing. They opted to kick deep where a waiting McKelvin stupidly decided to return a kick out of his own end zone. All he had to do was HOLD ONTO THE FOOTBALL. Not only did my goat pick try returning the kick. Noooooooooooooo! This guy felt the necessity to attempt breaking tackles instead of falling harmlessly to the ground. Buffalo would have been able to run out the clock. So what happened? McKelvin fumbled while trying to break a tackle. New England recovered at Buffalo's 21 yard line. QB Brady had been ineffective most of the game until the final minutes. He threw his 2nd TD pass within 66 seconds to snatch victory from defeat, 25-24. Bills must still be stinging from handing away a hard fought win.

Other notables: Pederson (Min) 180 yds, 3 TD; Brett Favre (Min) 1-0 for new Vikes team; Tony Romo (Dal) career high 353 yards; 49ers beat NFC Champion Cardinals 20-16; Hasselback (Sea) is back 25-36, 279, 3 TD.

Week one prediction results 11-5 thanks to last minute losses by Cincinnati & Chicago.

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Here we go. NFL regular season football is set to snap. It's opening weekend. Plenty of new faces, new coaches and rookies to watch. Time to try my hand at predicting game scores (home team in bold).

Pittsburgh 16 Tennessee 6 (Thurs)

Dallas 23 Tampa Bay 17
Carolina 34 Philadelphia 24
New Orleans 44 Detroit 10
Baltimore 23 Kansas City 9
Houston 24 New York Jets 20
Atlanta 33 Miami 16
Cincinnati 26 Denver 23
Minnesota 34 Cleveland 3
Indianapolis 31 Jacksonville 13
New York Giants 27 Washington 23
Seattle 28 St Louis 24
Arizona 26 San Francisco 10
Chicago 29 Green Bay 27

New England 48 Buffalo 3 (Mon)
San Diego 31 Oakland 3

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The New York Jets finally admitted throwing Brett Favre under a bus after last years late season collapse kept them out of the playoffs. New York newspapers, ESPN, Green Bay fans, Jets players and thousands of fans pointed their collective fingers at Favre when the Jets lost 4 of their final 5 games.

Favre showed pure class taking the heat left at his feat. New York was sitting pretty at 8-3 and big city folk were talking New York vs New York Super Bowl. Too many fans seem to forget Favre wasn't the only problem in their losses. If anything, he probably kept them close. Coach Mangini's play calling was pathetic. Running game disappeared. Wide receivers ran wrong routes and dropped plenty of passes in key situations. Special teams was awol. A total team effort. Yes, Favre made mistakes with forced throws when he probably should have tossed the pigskin out of bounds to save possessions.

Favre's now playing for the Minnesota Vikings. Wednesday, Brett stated the Jets knew he was playing with a torn biceps and had told team coaches and front office personnel it was probably best if he sits in favor of his healthy understudy. Ha-ha, the joke was on Jets fans. Not only did the coaching staff violate NFL rules by not declaring his injury... but, they knew Favre's arm strength was shot.

So many critics blasted Favre when his throws went haywire. Here was his take when interviewed this week: "Absolutely, I was receptive to it last year (being benched to rest/win)," he said. "When we finally did an MRI and found out I had a torn biceps last year, I felt like, with about four or five games left, that even though I was making some pretty good throws and some decent plays, I felt like I was doing the team more harm because I was missing on some throws. Subtle, just a yard off, 2 yards off, maybe a tad behind."

Guess what folks? It was the coaching staff applying pressure for him to play. Smoke and mirrors everywhere these days from sports to phony politicians. Investigative journalism is all too often non-existent. The Jets kept their mouths shut about his injury. After losses, Mangini said Brett did this or didn't do that. Teammates became unnerved and did the same.

NFL is now investigating the Jets for failure to report Favre's status which is against league rules. Go get'em NFL. It'll only be a fine but let it be on record. Gutless move by an entire organization from top to bottom. You can google this saga to read up on how the Jets GM & coaches failed miserably to rest Favre so he could regain arm strength. I was never a Jets fan. Stuff like this will keep me rooting against them all year once again.

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Washington Redskins will be traveling to the Meadowlands to play the Giants in week one. Will they be bringing a secret weapon? If New York Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin has a say then the answer is yes.

Washington recently signed former Giants practice squad QB Andre Woodson and now Giants players are livid thinking this was done strictly for spying purposes. Woodson knows the Giants signals. He knows their audibles. Of course, Redskins coaches will be grilling him all week for any information possible leading up to this weekends game.

'Skins Coach Jim Zorn has denied this was Washington's motivation for signing Woodson. Yeah, right. But, he did acknowledge Woodson would provide some info. Quoting NFL.com... "He might be able to help us a little bit," Zorn said. "He knows their stuff. He certainly knew their snap count and just the obvious things, but we're not trying to glean every little (detail), we're not going to put him under the microscope."

Ok Coughlin, this is what coaching is all about. Improvising from week to week, opponent to opponent. Change your audibles. Set them up (Redskins) on snap counts. Make this work to the Giants advantage. The men in blue should actually be happy with this news. There's still plenty of time for adjustments. Now go out and get it done. Use this as a teaching moment or motivational tool. Whatever it takes.

Spying, video taping, coaches calling other coaches for tips. Football is football. This is nothing new. Get a grip and adjust. Championship teams survive all obstacles. This is only week one. Get it done!

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2009 baseball season is winding down. I covered just about every worthwhile topic this season. It's been a rollercoaster year for some players. Early MVP candidates have wilted in the summer heat. Some slow starters turned red hot. Here's my end of year AL/NL All Star lineups by position.

American League
1B - Mark Teixeira (NYY)
2B - Robinson Cano (NYY)
3B - Evan Longoria (TB)
SS - Derek Jeter (NYY)
LF - Johnny Damon (NYY)
CF - Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS)
RF - Ichiro Suzuki (SEA)
C - Joe Mauer (MIN)
DH - Victor Martinez (CLE/BOS)
SP - Zack Greinke (KC)
RP - Matt Guerrier (MIN)
CL - Mariano Rivera (NYY)
MGR - Joe Girardi (NYY)
ROOKIE - Jeff Niemann (TB)

National League
1B - Albert Pujols (STL)
2B - Chase Utley (PHI)
3B - Pablo Sandoval (SF)
SS - Hanley Ramirez (FLA)
LF - Ryan Braun (MIL)
CF - Matt Kemp (LAD)
RF - Andre Ethier (LAD)
C - Brian McCann (ATL)
SP - Chris Carpenter (STL)
RP - Kiki Calero (FLA)
CL - Ryan Franklin (STL)
MGR - Tony LaRussa (STL)
ROOKIE - J.A. Happ (PHI)

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I was at it again Thursday night drafting another fantasy football squad in a random ESPN 10 team free league. On Monday night, my New York Muggers drafted from the second slot (results posted on blog dated 09/01/09). I went with the same league format again and finally drafted from the middle of the pack which is right where I wanted to be (#5). Drafting fifth (of ten) allows fantasy owners opportunities to gain valuable players even though some of the games projected elite players get gobbled up 1-4. Unfortunately, 3 drafters never showed up. Luckily, one of them had pre-ranked players.

Here's my round by round results for the "Gridiron Bruisers" (round #/overall pick #):

1/5 - RB DeAngelo Williams (CAR) - Almost went with Brees here but had to nail a top RB in 1st round. Williams had huge fantasy games in '08. Hoping for bigger and better in '09. Peterson, Turner went 1-2.

2/16 - WR Andre Johnson (HOU) - Went off script early. Rule of thumb is pick up the best RB's early. However, most were taken so I gambled a quality back would still be available by my next pick especially since Moss/Fitzgerald were taken right before my turn. Johnson is a playmaker. He just needs a healthy QB to get him the ball. Had big yardage games in '08. I'll need him to record more td's to make this pick look better.

3/25 - RB Ronnie Brown (MIA) - I like this pick here while most others might scoff it. Brown completely healthy and in a contract year. You know what that means. He's going to be on top of his game. Miami is a run first team. Hoping he's the go to guy in goal line situations.

4/36 - RB Thomas Jones (NYJ) - Don't really like this pick. TJ hasn't played well in preseason but I credit this to Jets giving rookie QB Sanchez every opportunity to find his rythm. Leon Washington is also hungry for carries and could cut into Jones playing time. TB's Ward & Indy's Addai would have been better here. This could be a strong pick or major early round bust.

5/45 - TE Tony Gonzalez (ATL) - Future Hall of Famer should get plenty of looks from 2nd year QB Ryan as Atlanta opens up their new passing game. Gonzo is one of my all time favorites.

6/56 - WR Eddie Royal (DEN) - Denver's #1 speedster wideout will see plenty of deep passes. He's been going late in most drafts. I'm expecting major production here. 91 catches as a rookie and NFL 2nd best 72.2% catches of balls thrown in his direction.

7/65 - RB Cedric Benson (CIN) - Most analysts do not like his fantasy value. I'll differ for one reason and one reason only. He's never played with a game breaking QB. Was last of full time starting RB's available. Plenty of QB's remained so this was a no harm no foul depth pick.

8/76 - K Stephen Gostkowski (NE) - Why take a kicker here you ask? Because he's #1 on my charts worth no less than 140 points playing for one of NFL's best offenses. That's why.

9/85 - QB Carson Palmer (CIN) - Once a gambler, always a gambler. Palmer's elbow is a concern after missing 3/4 of '08. He has great WR's (Ocho Cinco & Coles). Threw for 32, 28, 26 TD's and averaged 4000 yard seasons before getting banged up. Calculated gamble should pay dividends especially when Cincy plays most of their games from behind meaning more passes to catch up.

10/96 - WR Devin Hester (CHI) - One of NFL's best deep threats. Pure speed. Outstanding special teams kick returner. Finally has a QB who can deliver a deep pass. One question... can he catch?

11/105 - WR Laverneaus Coles (CIN) - Deep threat left Jets for bigger bucks in Cincy. Another depth pick gamble. My opinion he was best available starting WR. He'll probably only start when my others have bye weeks unless he becomes a favorite target for Palmer.

12/116 - D/ST New England Patriots - Uncharacteristically waited a long time before selecting a defense. One of two things can happen with Pats D. Either they'll pick off a ton of passes when playing way ahead (NE has top offense) or they'll give up a lot of meaningless late game points. Maybe both. Not expecting much here and will start them in favorable matchups. Buffalo is opening game. Pats D will play big vs terrible Bills.

13/125 - QB Jake Delhomme - Everyone except me seems down on Jake in '09. He's healthy, a winner and plays for a great offense. Running game will take away passing attempts but open up play action for potential red zone td's. Solid backup and starter in favorable matchups.

14/136 - D/ST Miami Dolphins - Nice compliment to NE's D. If offense can play ball control games then Dolphins D could record good fantasy numbers.

15/145 - K Nate Kaeding - 607 points in 5 Charger seasons. Good backup for Gastowski.

16/156 - TE Visanthe Shiancoe (MIN) - Favre loves his TE's and looks for them often. Final two picks in this draft mirrored Monday night. Surprised no one has been taking Shiancoe. I'm betting he's a big go to guy inside redzone in '09.

Gridiron Bruisers aren't great on paper. However, favorable scheduling matchups could provide big dividends from this bunch. Selecting Thomas Jones was this drafts snafu. My crystal ball claims this team will put up points. Having multiple teams affords plenty of drafting variations. Two drafts in the books. First draft far better on paper. Bruisers have me curious.

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College Football's opening kickoff took place earlier this evening. Now it's time for me to rank NCAA Football's Top 20. Last year, preseason experts ranked 1 thru 5 Georgia, Ohio State, USC, Oklahoma then Florida. Not quite how things unfolded as the Florida Gators ended up National Champs (Final AP Polls: Florida, Utah, USC, Texas, Oklahoma). I don't have too many suprises in these rankings. However, a few boosters might get miffed...

Digger's Top 20:
1- Florida
2- Texas
3- USC
4- Alabama
5- Oklahoma
6- Virginia Tech
7- Ohio State
8- Mississippi
9- Penn State
10-California
11-Oklahoma State
12-Boise State
13-Georgia Tech
14-TCU
15-LSU
16-FSU
17-BYU
18-North Carolina
19-Georgia
20-Iowa

National Champions: Florida Gators

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How voters determine who wins AL Cy Young Award will be interesting. There's no clear cut odds on favorite anymore. Earlier this season, Roy Halladay and Zack Greinke were favorites. They've slumped recently. CC Sabathia has been on fire going deep into games and has been nearly unbeatable since the break. Mariano Rivera has been nearly perfect saving 38 of 39 including 34 in a row. My short list might make for a few upset fans. And so it goes...

Mariano Rivera (NYY) 1-2, 1.78, 38 of 39 Saves. Rivera is my pick at the moment unless CC reaches 20 wins. No American League pitcher has dominated hitters more than Mariano. 34 consecutive saves. Relievers seldom win. Dennis Eckersley was last closer to win in AL back in 1992. Rivera was runner-up in 2005. This could be his year.

CC Sabathia (NYY) 16-7, 3.48 CC had a rough beginning in the Big Apple. April is long gone as CC has gone 9-1 in his last 11 starts just in time for Cy Young voters to take notice. He'd get my vote by reaching 20 wins.

Felix Hernandez (SEA) 14-5, 2.65 Felix is having a great year for a so-so club. He deserves far more recognition than received. Big city media has ignored him which might hurt chances. Perhaps voters will take notice and reward him with CYA? Time will tell.

Justin Verlander (DET) 15-7, 3.38 Detroit's big name starter has enjoyed a fine season. He has devastating stuff. Not as dominating lately but remains a strong candidate. 215 K's leads AL starters.

Zack Greinke (KC) 13-8, 2.32, 202 K. AL ERA leader and #2 in K's. Might have been a 20 game winner if he pitched for a respectable team? His first five starts netted 5-0, 0.50 ERA. He's come back to earth since. Lack of run support hurts. Easily best pitcher of 1st half. Competition caught up in 2nd half.

Honorable mention: Roy Halladay, Scott Feldman, Josh Beckett.

Rivera would get my pick if the season ended today. CC is he reaches 20 wins. Let the debate begin. AL Cy Young race is wide open.

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Baseball's 2009 Cy Young Award features many eligible pitchers. Last year's winner Tim Lincecum has been getting much attention from the sporting media again in '09. He's definitely in the hunt, but, there's more than one horse in this race. Only a few more starts remain for NL candidates. Here's my short list of NL's top hurlers. All of these guys have a legit chance of taking home the hardware...

Tim Lincecum (SF) - Dominating in first half (10-2, 2.33) but has managed only 3 wins since the All Star break. He's been the main reasons Giants remain in playoff contention. Overall, 13-4, 2.33, 222 K. Mighty fine numbers but faces stiffer competition this year.

Adam Wainwright (STL) - 16-7, 2.47 has been improving every year. 6-2, 1.29 since the break. AW has a shot at being NL's only 20 game winner. If he gets 20, then he's my pick. Dominating 2nd half has helped Cards pull away in NL Central. Only 1 complete game and no shutouts might work against him if voters are stat happy. Nonetheless, Wainwright is one of NL's top hurlers.

Chris Carpenter (STL) - 14-3, 2.20 Former winning has returned to dominating form after recovering from surgery. Nasty stuff and my current front runner to take home CYA. I'm expecting LaRussa to restrict Carp's innings down the stretch in an attempt to keep him well rested for playoffs.

Matt Cain (SF) - 12-4, 2.60 but only 2-2 after break. Victim of lack of run support even though his 2nd half ERA is better than 1st half. Also working against his chances is Lincecum's popularity. He's deserves consideration even though I don't belief he has any shot at winning CYA.

Ryan Franklin (STL) - Relievers generally don't bring home CYA's. Franklin's career year is worth noting. 2-1, 1.37, 36 of 38 Saves has been dominating and a key ingrediant to Cards winning NL Central. Never had an ERA below 3.00 in career. He's making it look easy.

Three Cardinals and two Giants on my short list. Some might argue Florida's Josh Johnson (13-4, 3.08) deserves to be in the mix. The others have been far too dominating so I doubt JJ will garner any first place votes. We'll see how it shakes out. As of this moment, Carpenter is my pick unless Wainwright reaches 20 wins.

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Tonight I participated in my first fantasy football draft. I usually draft up to 3 teams. It was a snap decision as I entered a random ESPN 10 team free public league (usually join private leagues). Generally speaking, I seldom enjoy drafting 1st/2nd or 8th-10th because way too many players get gobbled up by other owners between picks. All things considered, if you can't draft from the middle of the pack then going early is preferred. As luck would have it, my New York Muggers drafted from the second position. After my first pick, Atlanta Falcons RB Michael Turner, most of my early wish list players were long gone before the Muggers second selection was on the clock.

Here's how the New York Muggers roster filled out round by round (round #/overall pick #):
1/2 RB - Michael Turner (Atl) - wanted Pederson, he went #1.

2/19 WR - Randy Moss (NE) - happy to sign Moss this deep.

3/22 RB - Clinton Portis (Was) - one of my favorite backs and was best of the rest at 22.

4/39 TE - Tony Gonzalez (Atl) - altered thinking and went after my fav big game TE.

5/42 QB - Matt Ryan (Atl) - not expecting big numbers from week to week, missed out on bigger names.

6/59 WR - Eddie Royal (Den) - explosive play maker, expecting big numbers and td's, nice pairing with Moss.

7/62 WR - Anthony Gonzalez (Ind) - should get plenty of opportunities with Peyton tossing.

8/79 RB - Jamaal Lewis (Cle) - not sure what to expect this year after a flat '08.

9/82 D/ST - Minnesota Vikings - took a gamble & played a hunch taking Vikes D. I like their speed and ability to cause turnovers. Offense should keep these guys well rested for a change.

10/99 RB - Julius Jones (Sea) - not a great pick, went for depth. Seattle will be much better creating opportunities for Jones if he can produce. Was terrible last year.

11/102 QB - Eli Manning (NYG) - Eli was still available, I'm a Giants fan, what the heck? If no-name receivers step up then he might be my full time starter. Brees & Brady were my top 2 choices (both drafted very early).

12/119 D/ST - Chicago Bears - needed solid backup D/ST for Vikes.

13/122 K - David Akers (Phi) - didn't want any Eagles but Akers was a solid pick here (wanted Gostkowski).

14/139 WR - Chris Chambers (SD) - why not? he was still available and plays for a big play offense.

15/142 K - Nate Kaeding (SD) - should get plenty of chances to put up points, might end up as #1 K.

16/159 TE - Visanthe Shiancoe (Min) - needed a backup for Gonzo, will have a career year as Favre loves his TE's.

In retrospect, only a couple of picks might come back to haunt me. Romo was still available when I selected Ryan. As a Giants fan, no way did I want Romo. Instead of Anthony Gonzalez, perhaps another RB would have been a better choice (Ward, White & Benson remained). However, getting Jamaal with my next pick for depth purposes might offset my second guessing. Jones will probably ride the bench unless he gets off to a quick start. Seattle picked up vet Ed James to back up or replace a less than stellar Jones.

All in all I'm pretty satisfied considering how may players were taken between draft picks. Muggers should be in good shape barring injury. No single team stands out above others right now. Of course, this can all change once games are actually played.

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Pennant fever is in full swing. Each year a handful of players turn it on during baseball's final month. Determining MVP winners brings about many philosophical considerations and one never knows how a votes will be cast. What does MVP mean has been subject of many debates. Will the player with best statistics win? Will the award go to a player who helps his team win the most games? How will personal popularity (or negativity) figure into things? Ted Williams once lost out on MVP honors due to a sportswriter from his home town refusing to vote for him. Talk about being spiteful.

Here's my short list of American League candidates heading into baseball's final month. All have their merits.

Joe Mauer (MIN) - Mauer's one of the main reasons Minnesota still has a shot at qualifying for the playoffs. He's been on fire nearly all season long. Stunning stat line for a catcher - .367 BA, 25 HR, 79 RBI, 1.044 OPS. Not a single month batting below .300 and playing excellent defense. He's lived up to projected star status. MVP profile will increase with a strong September finish.

Miguel Cabrera (DET) - He's been Detroit's biggest offensive weapon all year long. .335, 30 2B, 27 HR, 82 RBI, .962 OPS. A pure hitter who fears no pitcher. Not even as a green rookie facing Roger Clemens in the 2003 World Series. He homered on the very next pitch after a high and tight Clemens brush back pitch. It's been all systems go since. He's a legit MVP candidate. Fate may rest on whether or not Detroit wins AL Central. As of now, Cabrera's my pick based on lack of a supporting cast. All other mentioned candidates have teammates enjoying big seasons at the dish. Not in Tigerland.

Derek Jeter (NYY) - Jeter has been the Yanks catalyst. As soon as he got hot in July, the Yankees started winning. Yanks now own baseball's best record and it coincides with Jeter's performance. He's about to become the Yanks all time leading hitter which speaks volumes of his historic career. .334, 94 R, 25 2B, 17 HR, 23 SB, career best .987 FP. Derek might get hurt in MVP selection by teammates receiving votes (Teixeira, Damon, Cano & Rivera).

Kendry Morales (LAA) - Morales is having a superb first full MLB season. LA has had multiple player injuries and Kendry has been the lineups mainstay. Stat line: .311, 34 2B, 30 HR, 94 RBI, .948 OPS. He's having a huge 2nd half helping LA maintain their AL West lead over Texas (.361, 15 HR, 39 games). He's red hot and if this keeps up in September play then don't be surprised if Morales walks away with MVP hardware.

As of this moment, these four represent my odds on favorites. If voting was held today, my pick for MVP goes to Miguel Cabrera or Derek Jeter (split). Keep an eye on these players too. All are deserving and could improve their chances with strong September results. Michael Young (TEX), Mark Teixeira (NYY), Robinson Cano (NYY), Johnny Damon (NYY), Kevin Youkilis (BOS), Justin Morneau (MIN) and Aaron Hill (TOR).

Stay tuned this week for my Cy Young candidates. Final MVP & Cy Young selections will be made once the 2009 season has completed.

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-Digger's Daily-

Pennant fever is in full swing. Each year a handful of players turn it on during baseball's final month. Determining MVP winners brings about many philosophical considerations and one never knows how a votes will be cast. What does MVP mean has been subject of many debates. Will the player with best statistics win? Will the award go to a player who helps his team win the most games? How will personal popularity (or negativity) figure into things? Ted Williams once lost out on MVP honors due to a sportswriter from his home town refusing to vote for him. Talk about being spiteful.

Here's my short list of National League candidates heading into baseball's final month. All have their merits.

Pablo Sandoval (SF) - Sandoval has carried San Francisco's offense this season. .336 BA, 37 2B, 21 HR, 75 RBI, .953 OPS. Not too shabby for a player with only 41 Major League games on his resume before this season started. He's a major reason why SF is challenging for the playoffs. Sandoval's career is off to a tremendous beginning.

Hanley Ramirez (FLA) - Marlins biggest star is enjoying another fine season. They seem to win when he hits. This year he's batting 3rd as opposed to prior years leading off. Stats: NL leading .359 BA, 37 2B, 19 HR, 85 RBI, .984 OPS, 24 SB. This guy does it all and is one of baseball's elite shortstops. Imagine how incredible he'd be with a stronger supporting cast.

Ryan Howard (PHI) - Philadelphia began separating themselves from NL East foes as soon as Howard started pouring it on. One of the games most feared power hitters has been batting at a .300 clip since the All Star break. Overall, .271 BA, 37 RH, 111 RBI, .921 OPS. He strikes out way too many times for my liking (155) leaving runners stranded and negates opposing managers issuing intentional walks (3). He could walk away with MVP with a red hot September.

Albert Pujols (STL) - Pujols is undoubtably one of the greatest hitters baseball has ever seen. This 9 year vet has belted over 30 HR, 100 RBI, .300+ BA every single year. His 2009 line reads: .320 BA, 102 R, 41 HR, 111 RBI, 1.112 OPS and he's far from finished. Pujols has been a one man wrecking crew for St. Louis. Check out these stats when the bases are loaded. 8-12 (.667), 5 HR, 27 RBI. NL's most complete and feared hitter.

As of this moment, these four represent my odds on favorites. If voting was held today, my pick for MVP goes to Albert Pujols. Other candidates worth keeping an eye on throughout September are: Prince Fielder (MIL), Andre Ethier (LAD), Matt Kemp (LAD) & Ryan Zimmerman (WAS).

Stay tuned this week for my AL MVP & Cy Young candidates. Final selections will be made once the 2009 season has completed.

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NFL kicks off regular season play Thursday, September 10, when Tennessee visits defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh. There's been a ton of football news lately. Here's a glimpse of my random thoughts regarding what's taken place in recent days.

Dallas Cowboys can't seem to sidestep controversy. The latest chatter has to do with a mega sized super video screen which hangs over the field. When Tennessee played Dallas in the pre-season opening of Cowboys Stadium their punters aimed for the huge screen during warmups and successfully nailed it. During the game, a punted ball hit the screen and play was halted so refs could figure out what to do. According to league rules, nothing can hang less than 85 feet above playing surfaces. Jerry Jones knew of the rule and instructed crews installing the massive video screen to hang it 90 feet. NFL just decided if a ball hit it during games then refs will order a do over. A do over? That's right, a do over. It's probably the best way to handle it for now, but a do over just sounds lame on its' surface. Hearing fans and others talk of this incredible screen has been two fold. Most admire it. Perhaps the biggest complaint is it's too big and will take fans attention away from the live action 90 feet below. With a little luck, I'll venture back down to Texas this year to check it out for myself.

Brett Favre is back again! He's taken a media sacking not to be believed. Ok, 2008 was a trying season for him in Jets green. I've written extensively of how poorly New York handled play calling, how players seemed to quit, yada yada. Minnesota has a great young team needing a strong veteran leader to help these guys mature on the field. Speedy WR's, one of NFL's top running backs, tough defense and a great head coach. Immediately after Favre un-retired, he was bombarded with negative press from New York to Green Bay. Locker room "schisms" seems to be Minnesota's theme this week. Come on fellas. Be professional football players. Favre could be the answer. He's certainly better than any QB the Vikes have sent under center recently. If his arm is sound, this team has a legit shot at qualifying for NFC Championship Game. Settle down, play football and leave the rest up to the coaching staff.

Tom Brady got his shoulder slammed Friday after missing 99.9% of 2008 season. No news yet on severity of his golden arm. If it's serious, then New England is in deep trouble before the regular season begins. It'll be good news for Miami Dolphins fans and no love will be lost coming out of New York. Fantasy coaches who already drafted TB must be shaking right now (especially those of you in money leagues). Brady quickly became a Montana-esque type of NFL star QB due to his Super Bowl successes. Patriots fans are keeping an ear out for good news.

Denver Broncos suspended disgruntled All Pro WR Brandon Marshall for the remainder of preseason. Marshall wants out of Denver. He's become a distraction to his team. First, he wanted a new contract. Now, he wants out and has been publicly trashing the Broncos. Bad move Brandon. Denver has capable backups ready to earn their stripes. Going public never helps salary negotiations and his poor on field practice behaviour is probably sending negative warning signs to potentially interested teams. He's swatted at passed balls, kicked balls, publicly verbally abused Denver and ignored all calls for rational conduct leading to his suspension. Outspoken WR's often get nicknames, sometimes self imposed. Terrell Owens is called "T.O." - Chad Johnson changed his name to Ocho Cinco - If Marshall keeps this up fans and teammates might start calling him "BM" based on his crap(py) attitude.

So, who's your pick for NFL MVP this year? I really haven't given this subject too much thought until recently. On the AFC side this race appears wide open. Perhaps someone like San Diego's LT? Pittsburgh's Willie Parker comes to mind. Pats Tom Brady or Randy Moss? Indy's Peyton Manning? NFC it could be nearly anyone. Many great teams gearing up. The list is too long. I'll get busy doing some of my own analysis this weekend before posting predictions. Many names to review and team situations to scrutinize. Stay tuned.....

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ESPN ran a story Wednesday stating the NAACP, the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and other local civil rights groups are planning to march around Lincoln Field on Thursday in support of recently signed QB Michael Vick. Say it isn't so!

Eagles management tried avoiding an "ugly scene" by phoning representatives of the various groups trying to get this event canceled. The main thrust behind this event, if taken at face value, is as follows (quoted from ESPN's Sal Paolantonio article 08/26/09):

"We believe Michael Vick has served his time, paid his debt to society and deserves a second chance and the animal rights groups want to hold him hostage for the rest of his life," J. Whyatt Mondesire, president of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP, said Wednesday. "We think that's patently unfair. It denies Michael Vick's basic civil rights, denies him his ability to make a living."

So what's wrong with this picture? Many things. Too many, too obvious. Here are a few simple questions for my readers to ponder. Didn't Michael Vick receive a second chance from the NFL? Yes. Did he or didn't he sign an employment contract to be a quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles? Yes. Was he or was he not named as starting QB for tonight's pre-season football game? Yes. Has Vick's civil rights been violated due to being incarcerated for running an illegal dog fighting ring? No.

So why is the NAACP and other civil rights groups planning to march tonight? To what end? Vick has been reinstated by the NFL giving him a right to play football (earn a living). Vick's debt to society has been served (jail term). He's a free man. While I'm certain many NFL teams did not want to take on a public image nightmare, Philadelphia took their chances. Now what? Civil rights groups will protest in contrast to the above Mondesire quote.

ESPN's story points out animal rights groups have used Vick as somewhat of a poster child attempting to garner support and awareness for abused animals. Everything from raising awareness, trying to find abused animals homes and seeking donations for helping animals subjected to cruelty. Local animal groups are trying to get the Eagles to match Vick's contract with a donation to their cause. How does this violate MV's civil rights? They have not called for any formal protests against the Eagles. Filed no petitions to have Vick terminated. Paolantonio wrote: "Local animal advocates seem to be keeping their distance. Rather than protest Vick or work with him, they prefer to use the public debate about his return to the NFL to raise money and awareness of animal cruelty issues." So what's the problem?

I fail to understand how a civil rights march outside Lincoln Field dedicated to "...(Vick) denied the ability to make a living" is supposed to help a person currently employed by the Philadelphia Eagles. Quite obviously, Vick's ability to earn a living has not been denied. How many other convicted felons sign a $1.6million contract in such a short time after being released from prison? This smells of something much deeper which I will address at a later date after tapping resources close to the situation at hand.

Let me take this one step further. What happens, who will be held responsible and accountable, if an innocent person(s) heading to the game suffers an injury if this protest turns ugly? Who will be responsible for any vandalism, property damage or civil injustices (which accompanies most large protests)? Afterall, we're talking about Philadelphia. It's one tough city and has been subject of many indecencies by unruly fans towards others. Remember hearing of temporary jails being set up at old Veterans Stadium in years past after drunken idiots started fighting or throwing objects during Phillies and Eagles games?

There are far better ways for the NAACP to bring positive attention to whatever cause they claim to be fighting. Engaging a protest in this manner, based on lack of "ability to earn a living", is a political sham devoid of fact and created for another purpose. If animal rights advocates have in any way, shape or form prevented Michael Vick from earning a living in the NFL or earning endorsements... then, NAACP should take up their cause directly with those they deem responsible by way of litigation or any other civil manner in which even the remote possibility of injury to others is not possible.

I'm curious why Paolantonio didn't interview Michael Vick for this news story? Is Vick for or against this march? How do Philadelphia Eagles players feel about it? Philadelphia police? Let's hope nothing bad comes from the march. It would be very unsettling should anyone get physically hurt or impared. In my opinion, far better venues for airing grievences can be found.

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Football gets underway in a couple of weeks. I can't wait. Fans have been treated to great football games this decade. Week after week highlight reels shine great moments from acrobatic plays to infamous football follies. Here's my own version of Power Rankings. No statistical information used, just my gut instincts used to rank teams (will be updated every 4 weeks of '09 season).

1- Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) Super Bowl Champs get early recognition. Smart play calling offensive scheme and punishing in your face defense. Repeat? Could be.

2- New England Patriots (11-5) Brady is back. Fantasy owners load up on Brady, Welker, Moss and perhaps RB Maroney. Defense is only question mark right now. Belichick one of NFL's best game day planners. Pats itching to return to Super status. 14-2 is not out of the question.

3- New York Giants (12-4) Manning signed a mega deal and wants to prove he's worth every penny. Punishing ball control running game and sack happy defenses will give opposing coordinators plenty to handle. WR remains teams biggest question mark. I'm miffed they passed on a few veteran WR's to help settle young & unproven corps. Manning needs to get these guys on the same page.

4- San Diego Chargers (8-8) Chargers biggest enemy has been terrible play calling and lack of sustained ball control. LT should be given 30 chances per game to work his magic. Rivers just signed a new deal. This team wants to win badly. Should've been 12-4 last season but lost tough games. Defense was impatient and gave up too many big plays in '08. These guys should easily record 11 wins in weak division.

5- Baltimore Ravens (11-5) I really like how this team is shaping up. Ravens remind me of Parcell's Giants teams. Ball control offense and bruising defense will be tough to beat. Strong contenders might play for AFC Championship.

6- Carolina Panthers (12-4) Great execution has been key to their success. Running game was unstoppable in '08 might be better in '09. Defense needs to set up field position. Divisional games never loomed larger.

7- Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1) As usual, everyone seems to be on Phidelphia's bandwagon. McNabb was never sharper than he was down the stretch last season. WR's should be better which might propel this squad from a should be good team to a bonified winner. Health is always a concern. Westbrook, McNabb and lineman must stay injury free. Execution on offense in key situations has always haunted Philly. Defense will have plenty of tough matchups in divisional games. It'll be an anything can happen season. They do look very strong on paper.

8- Indianapolis Colts (12-4) Indy has been written off as an over the hill team. You can bet Peyton Manning isn't going down without a fight. Big play offense and big play defense. Manning needs to open up the offense after a conservative '08. Let the chips fall where they may. Colts are far from done.

9- Tennessee Titans (13-3) Tennessee's running game played huge during their 13 win '08. Collins returns as their main signal caller. Great coaching staff. Stingy defense. Collins has to make big passes when called on. Titans looking tough but I expect defenses to be ready for them this year.

10 - Chicago Bears (9-7) Welcome Jay Cutler. Who knows how far the Bears can go. If D gives them field position and Cutler can lead this offense then skies the limit. Bears are dangerous because no one, not even themselves, know how good they can be. WR's have tremendous speed. Hands? We'll soon find out. Offensive line will be creative opening running lanes and out of pocket pass protection.

11- Minnesota Vikings (10-6) Hopefully, Minnesota learned something the Jets refused to do last year. Call plays Favre has worked on in practice. Another dangerous NFC North team will give Chicago a run for division honors. Favre has something to prove after various outspoken persons denounced his '09 return. Vikings have super talent on offense with slippery dynamo Peterson and a slew of speed burning receivers. Favre has plenty of weapons. Defensively, this unit is on the rise via speed and power. Look out... if Favre is effective Minnesota will quickly become one of NFC's top squads.

12- Atlanta Falcons (11-5) I really can't explain why Atlanta remains relatively low on my list. Ryan, Turner, Tony Gonzalez and talented WR's. I guess it's because I remain skeptical of their D. Offense should put up big numbers. Not sure what to expect from defense. A wild card challenger and exciting to watch. Wins might be tough to come by this year.

13- Seattle Seahawks (4-12) Yep, that's right. Forget about Seattle's dismal injury plagued '08. It's a new season for a team with greater potential. Not many give Seattle a fighting chance. A healthy Hasselback will have plenty of weapons. Defense will not spend nearly as much time on the field as Hawks return to ball control team. They'll win the NFC West.

14- Dallas Cowboys (9-7) Why can't Cowboys win in September? Play calling? Bickering? I'm calling it lack of leadership. New Cowboys Stadium may inspire these guys. NFL rules committee may need to address looming issue of punters hitting the overhead scoreboard. 'Boys offense should thrive but seems to stall due to bad penalties. Defense has it's moments. Special teams has unmatched breakaway play speed. NFC is toughest. Dallas will need to be in top form every play.

15- Miami Dolphins (11-5) Miami stunned AFC East teams by winning 11 after a 1 win year in '08. Pennington remains one of NFL's best play action passers. WR's huge question mark and should see plenty of single coverages early on. It's all about running setting up passing plays. Wildcat offense kept opposing D's off balance. Dolphins D remains solid. Can't see them catching a Brady-led Pats team but these guys have an outside shot at challenging for wild card.

16-32 A few good teams with enough talent to challenge. Saints, Packers, Texans & Cards will have their moments. Not much to be said in positive light for remaining teams facing long, hard, losing seasons.

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It's been a busy few weeks in MLB. The strong keep getting stronger. Not too long ago, all six divisions were very close. As I type, now there's only two divisions with second place teams within 5 games of the leaders. Wild Card races had important battles this weekend and remains wide open as August winds down. Here's my two cents and personal power rankings.

1- New York Yankees (78-46) Red hot. Lineup is firing on all cylinders. Starting pitchers perfoming well. Best record in baseball.

2- Los Angeles Angels (74-48) Survived key injuries to pitchers and hitters. A complete team. Only one player in lineup batting below .290.

3- Los Angeles Dodgers (74-41) Very balanced team in all facets. Colorado is charging hard after LA had rushed out to a big lead.

4- St Louis Cardinals (72-54) I didn't give StL too much credit heading out of spring training. They're looking very strong right now. Matt Holliday was a key deadline deal solidifying an increasingly dangerous lineup.

5- Philadelphia Phillies (71-50) Streaking Phils running away with NL East (as of now). Glaring weakness is bullpen. Starters going strong. Ryan Howard has finally awaken. Haven't played any strong teams lately.

6- Colorado Rockies (70-54) NL Wild Card leaders closing in on NL division leading LA. One of MLB's hottest teams is looking very strong. Starting pitchers playing their hearts out.

7- Texas Rangers (69-54) In a seesaw wild card battle with Boston. Rangers pitching has been a pleasant surprise. Only 5-5 in past 10 is raising a few question marks.

8- Boston Red Sox (70-53) Pitching is a major problem in Boston. Once hot hitting lineup only getting it done in spurts. Tough 2 of 3 loss to Yanks this weekend exposed a few flaws.

9- Tampa Bay Rays (67-56) Great home record (42-21), terrible away (25-35). They need a hot streak.

10- Detroit Tigers (62-58) Not really a top 10 team but they get this mark by me for being AL Central division leaders. Strong team beginning to struggle. Rest of division has not taken advantage when Tigers stumble.

11- Atlanta Braves (66-58) Braves have been playing well even though they've lost ground to Phils. Atlanta needs a hot streak to keep pace with both Philly & Colorado.

12- SF Giants (67-57) Fell off the pace for NL West title. Remains very much in wild card picture. Lincecum hasn't won in his past 4 starts.

13- Florida Marlins (65-59) They're beginning to drop back and will have to turn it around to keep pace with hotter NL teams. More conistency needed from lineup... quickly.

14- Chicago White Sox (63-61) Fiery Ozzie Guillen will be gone after this season. Team can't find a way to score runs. Underachievers should be in AL Cetral drivers seat. There's still hope even though these guys haven't awaken from sleep walking thru 2009 season.

15-30: Does it really matter? Not many bright spots here. Major disappointments or train wreck seasons continue to haunt these teams. Most notably... Chicago Cubs.

Stay tuned for my NFL power rankings due later this week.

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Approximately 40 regular season games remain in 2009 Major League Baseball. This weekend highlights key matchups which could mean rise or fall for teams fighting for the playoffs. Sweeps could make or break squads looking to secure their fate.

Yankees @ Red Sox:
Yanks swept Boston at home last week and are red hot owning MLB's best record (76-45). They'll be playing in Fenway Park this weekend. If Yanks sweep again, then AL East is a virtual lock. Yanks sending their top guns to the hill trying to finish off Boston. Red Sox are in a very tight battle to save their injury riddled season. A three game sweep by their hated rivals could put playoff hopes in jeopardy with Texas, Tampa and Chicago still fighting for wild card births.
Pitching matchups: Pettitte vs Penny, Burnett vs Tazawa, Sabathia vs Beckett (ESPN Sunday Night Baseball).
My two cents: I really like New York's pitching matchup advantages. Yanks bats are on fire and I think Friday/Saturday games are locks. Sunday's game will be on ESPN and is a great game on paper with CC vs Yanks killer Beckett. Yanks walk away with at least two wins and probably a sweep.

Giants @ Rockies:
Giants season could be on the line this weekend. They trail Colorado by two games in wild card standings and LA by 5.5 for NL West. Rockies are red hot as they inch closer to NL leading LA (3.5 behind). Colorado has won 14 of 20, SF 3 of 4. These teams have split 8 previous contests. Home field advantage favors Colorado since SF doesn't play well on the road (27-35). A sweep by Rockies will put them firmly in wild card lead.
Pitching matchups: Sanchez vs Cook, Martinez vs De La Rosa, Lincecum vs Jiminez
My two cents: I see Rockies sweeping SF. Huge advantage for Colorado in first two games on paper. Lincecum is Cy Young winner as of now in my book and will be tough to beat in Sunday's game but Jiminez is ready to go pitch for pitch as SF's lineup is one of MLB's weakest. Rockies will keep on rolling.

Cubs @ Dodgers:
Cubs are in trouble losing 10 of 14. It's all or nothing time. If they sweep LA then they have a chance to get back into the playoff race. Sweep by LA essentially kills their season. Dodgers are trying to keep hold of NL West as Colorado is hot on the trail. Chicago is baseball's most underperforming team. LA is right where most expected. Big weekend for both but losses by the Cubbies will be devasting.
Pitching matchups: Wells vs Wolf, Lilly vs Haeger, Dempster vs Billingsley
My two cents: Rotation matchups are relatively even on paper. Cubs starters have hurled fairly well. They must go deep into games or miserable bullpen is primed to hand away more games. Chicago relievers are the reason why this club is on the verge of being eliminated. Torre will have his club ready to go. LA will take 2 of 3.

Rangers @ Rays:
Perhaps the most important weekend of the Rangers season so far. Texas trails Boston by 1 and leads Tampa by 3 in wild card standings. Red Sox will have their hands full vs red hot Yanks. This is a playoff style weekend for Rangers players. Will they be ready to play? Tampa has been struggling for consistency since July. Win a few, lose a few for last years' AL World Series runner-ups. Rangers swept their only previous meeting and need to do it again. It's a pretty even matchup as both teams can hit and pitch.
Pitching matchups: Nippert Vs Kazmir, Hunter vs Garza, Feldman vs Price
My two cents: I had to look twice before typing this part. Yes, the Rangers have a decidedly better rotation matchup on paper (22-7 vs 20-20). Who would have thought it possible back in April? Tampa plays well at home (40-20). This will be playoff-like atmosphere coming from Florida's west coast. As a former Texan, I'm rooting for the Rangers... no doubt about it. Rangers will dominate as pitchers lead the way.

Marlins @ Braves:
Playoffs on the line for both NL East clubs tied with identical 64-57 records. Must win games for both clubs to stay within striking distance of first place Phils (playing lowly Mets) and wild card leading Colorado. Marlins were hot until dropping 2 of 3 in Houston. Braves 12-6 August has them believing but dropped 2 of 3 at home to Phils in beginning of the week.
Pitching matchups: Sanchez vs Vasquez, Volstad vs Hanson, Nolasco vs Lowe
My two cents: Braves strutting out their top 3 starters to drown the free swinging fish. Bobby Cox has them ready to go. Braves will take at least 2 of 3 in front of their vocal fans.

We're approaching one of my favorite times of the year in sports. Baseball's pennant fever has begun early and NFL regular season openers are just around the corner (Sept 10). This will be a fun weekend for watching ballgames.

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Training camp competitions have been fierce this summer. Teams are getting ready to break camp in anticipation of regular season gridiron wars. There's been plenty of speculation surrounding many teams. How long before T.O. mouths off in Buffalo? Will Cowboys finally win a playoff game? Is Philadelphia the NFC East team to beat? Can Bears live up to potential with Cutler? Is New England ready to dominate with Brady returning from injury? Who's the best? Who's the worst?

Here's my shot at predicting the final standings for 2009...

AFC
East
New England - Brady's back which means load up your fantasy teams with Patriot players.
Miami - Getting stronger but questions still remain at WR.
Buffalo - Owens brings plenty of baggage but hasn't flipped out yet. Solid team still lacking offensive prowess.
New York - Finally a head coach (Ryan) worth noting for Jets. He'll get this team playing hard every week. It won't be long before Jets become an AFC force.

North
Pittsburgh - Don't bet against the returning Super Bowl Champs. Roethlisberger injured today (ankle) but hasn't diminished chances of repeating. Hungry talented team might return and repeat.
Baltimore - Impressed in '08 and should be better in '09. Will play tough all season and could win North.
Cincinnati - Distant 3rd. One of NFL's worst organizations. Will score plenty but give up more than they can handle.
Cleveland - Not looking good for these guys. 4 wins could be tough to find.

South
Indianapolis - Not ready to bet against Manning even if Colts aren't what they once were.
Tennessee - Head Coach Fisher continues to squeeze every ounce of talent from each player. Competitive team even when not matching up player vs player against opponents on paper.
Houston - '09 will prove if these guys are for real. If so, then they'll challenge for wild card.
Jacksonville - Used to be a fun team to watch. Fans might be watching with two hands in front of their faces this year.

West
San Diego - Hopefully coach Turner has learned from last years early season woes. Chargers should be a run first team. Turner likes to pass. Weak division might cloud playcalling decisions when playoffs roll around.
Denver - Many off season moves trying to correct major flaws. Should be better but not playoff bound.
Kansas City - New look Chiefs will get scalped in '09. Not a bright future for this proud organization.
Oakland - Rowdy fans will litter the field. Raiders haven't been good in years.

NFC
East
New York - Great running game. Punishing defensive line. Maturing QB. WR's a huge question mark but this is one of NFL's best disciplined and hungry teams. Great team chemistry.
Philadelphia - Over hyped? Or, ready to rumble? We'll soon find out. Tough team if they can avoid usual costly injuries.
Dallas - Debut of new $1billion stadium. Haven't won a playoff game in years. Always plenty of headline drama and September collapses.
Washington - The NY Mets of the NFL. Spend, spend, spend and remain uncompetitive in strong division.

North
Chicago - Bears hoping new QB Cutler is the difference in NFL's most well balanced division. Defense is pumped and ready to inflict pain.
Minnesota - Favre is back and getting ripped on sports pages from Green Bay to New York. He'll be just fine guiding an up and coming team. Minnesota is getting better by the day. Favre will shut up naysayers early and often.
Green Bay - Exposed in '08 will struggle to play .500 ball in '09. Defense needs to step it up for Packers to climb out of 3rd.
Detroit - Must win early on to remove '08 demons. Cash for Clunkers expires Monday. Long year for Lions. Good news is they won't be winless in '09.

South
Carolina - Running game was unreal last year. My pick to score most points in NFC. Should reach NFC Championship Game.
Atlanta - Had a great '08 when no one expected them to win. Now, many expect them to win. Will they?
New Orleans - Brees challenged Marino's single season passing yardage record. It's a throw first team which means their subpar defense will spend too much time on the field. Expect combined 60+ points weekly from offense/defense.
Tampa Bay - Did I read a prediction claiming TB will be winless? Don't expect much from this team in transition.

West
Seattle - Injuries and misque's in '08. They'll be much better and win NFC's weakest division.
Arizona - Cards got hot just at the right time last year and shocked the NFL by reaching the Super Bowl. My gut feeling as of now is they'll be lucky to win 7 in '09.
San Francisco - Still a learning process for 49ers. If they get a couple of breaks then they might surprise a few opponents. Not expecting much from them again in '09.
St Louis - Now here's a team with a chance to go winless. Not good in any facet of the game. 3 wins might be considered a good season from this squad.

Wild Card Teams: AFC - Tennessee, Baltimore; NFC - Philadelphia, Minnesota
Super Bowl: Pittsburgh vs Carolina

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Remember the Yankees Dynasty? Boston Red Sox curse breaking championship team? Don Shula's Miami Dolphins perfect season? Chicago Bears? Montreal Canadiens? Wayne Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers? Larry Bird's Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers Magic & Kareem? Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan? Of course, most of us do. Those were some of sports greatest teams. How about those teams thousands of fans have tried wiping out of their memories? Winless teams or squads who might just have won by mistake? I had fun looking up some of my personal favorite All Time Losers. Here's my short list...

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1976-77) - Qualifying as one of the very worst teams in sports history. Tampa lost all games in their inaugural season (0-14). They didn't score a point until week 3 and were shut out 5 times in '76. Bucs continued to lose in 1977 (season 2) by dropping 12 straight bringing their franchise record to 0-26 before finally winning a game. They were the butt of late night talk show jokes. One of my favorite quotes ever stated by a head coach was made by Tampa's John McKay. McKay had been one of college's top head coaches leading USC to four national titles before agreeing to become Tampa's historic first coach. When reporters asked "What do you think of your team's execution?"... McKay was quick to reply "I'm all for it!"

New York Mets (1962) - Mets first season record still holds baseball's futility record, 40-120. Their only highlight was employing one of baseball's most colorful managers, Casey Stengel. Casey spoke a language of his own making and once quipped "They have shown me ways to lose I never knew existed."

Detroit Lions (2008) - Last season, Detroit accomplished the unthinkable in modern day NFL. 0-16! After years of top round draft picks the Lions were supposed to be stocked with talent capable of winning games. Someone forgot to tell them. Can you believe many have high hopes for the 2009 team?

Philadelphia 76ers (1972-73) - There wasn't much brotherly love in Philly during the 9 win 1972-73 season. 9-73 made for an anemic .110 winning percentage.

Dallas Cowboys (1989) - Jimmy Johnson's first NFL coaching season (former U of Miami championship coach) replacing a Dallas legend (Tom Landry) was painful to watch. 1-15 and lucky to win at all. Coaching errors & inept player performances in a city used to winning. Good news came soon thereafter as Cowboys quickly returned to dominating status during their Super Bowl runs of the 1990's.

Miami Dolphins (2007) - Dolphins began with 13 consecutive defeats before finally winning a game (1-15). Almost became first franchise to be winless & undefeated (1972). They were terrible but rebounded to win AFC East last season.

New Orleans Saints (1980) - New Orleans fans were more innovative than their team. After suffering through ugly loss after loss fans started wearing brown paper bags on their heads and renamed the Saints to the "Ain'ts". Would have gone winless (1-15) if it wasn't for a fluke closing minutes 21-20 victory against New York Jets.

Lovable losers roam throughout the sporting world. Stay tuned for future updates on this topic. Many more teams qualify. These were some of my personal most memorable losers.

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Every few years a new sports figure becomes an instant sensation as soon as they step on a diamond, gridiron, hardwood floor, ice rink, boxing ring, olympic stadium, ski slope, race track, soccer field or center court. Sometimes they follow it up with tremendous careers. Sometimes they're just one hit wonders. Either way, their initial presence in sporting arenas will always be remembered. Here's a few stars which come to mind from during my lifetime....

Tiger Woods - Broke into golf scene and instantly ignited fan participation, viewership, record revenues. Still climbing up the record book ladder shattering scores along the way. Will probably own every major record before his career ends. Popularity unmatched.

Michael Jordan - "Air Jordan" could do it all and was an instant NBA highlight reel the first day he stepped foot onto pro basketball court (1984) after a great college career in North Carolina. A true statesman for his game. 6 time NBA Champ, NBA career best 30.1 scoring average, 5 MVP's, 6 Playoff MVP's. Nike endorsed sneakers sold more than any brand.

Lawrence Taylor - "LT" Taylor was a force to be reckoned with the very first time he stepped foot on the gridiron. He was such a dominant defender teams tried designing plays in the opposite direction. One of NFL's smartest linebackers wreaked havoc while lining up at diffent positions. 10 Pro Bowls and 2 Super Bowl Championships. LT was the greatest modern era LB and remains a local fan hero.

Wayne Gretzky - "The Great One" - In my book he was the single most dominant player in any major sport. 9 time NHL MVP including a stunning 8 in his first 8 seasons! Scored 200 points in 4 different seasons. There wasn't anything he couldn't do with a hockey puck. Revolutionized hockey in America.

Dan Marino - Legendary coach Don Shula knew exactly what he had in future Hall of Fame QB Marino. Marino became Dolphins starter in 1983 and quickly changed how Miami played football from grind it out to air it out. 1984 was first QB to pass for more than 5000 yards in a single season with a record 48 TD passes. Tabbed as having one of the quickest releases ever. Led Dolphins to Super Bowl in his first full NFL season (lost to Joe Montana's SF 49ers). Marino was certain he'd win a few Super Bowls but 1984 was his only appearance.

Joe Montana - "Joe Cool" was one of NFL's greatest clutch performers. Career 117-47 record in 15 NFL seasons. Threw 45 career playoff TD's. 4 Super Bowl Championships including in his first season a full time 49ers starting QB. Memorable come from behind victories during regular season, playoffs and Super Bowl. One of the greatest true winners who never seemed flustered... always cool under pressure.

Mario Lemieux - NHL legend quickly established himself as one of games greatest scorers. Instant Pittsburgh role model, fan favorite and folk hero led Penguins to back to back Stanley Cup Championships. Helped save pro hockey in Pittsburgh as a player and after he retired when team was rumored to be leaving town. Played his guts out thru seasons shortened by injury and cancer survivor. A true champion of life.

Fernando Valenzuela - "Fernando Mania" was a Hollywood story. He won both 1981 Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards during his first full MLB season hurling the LA Dodgers to a World Series Championship. His career spanned 17 years.

Ichiro Suzuki - "Ichiro" was a Japanese baseball star long before electrifying crowds throughout American stadiums during his 2001 MVP & Rookie of the Year campaign. Cameras seemed to follow him everywhere. Has connected for 200 or more hits and 100 or more runs in every single MLB season including setting the All Time single season hits record of 262 (2004). Superb outfield defender, contact hitter and base stealer.

Dwight Gooden - NY Mets starting pitcher quickly earned nickname of Dr K (Doc). Exploded on the baseball circuit as 1984 Rookie of the Year & Cy Young runner-up after striking out 276 batters in 218 IP. Won Cy Young unanimously following sophmore season after going 24-4, 1.53. It seemed he was well on his way to becoming one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history before cocaine abuse changed his future. Still one of the most popular NY sports figures. Enjoyed a fine career but most of us know he never fulfilled potential due to drug abuse.

Perhaps I'll revisit this topic in the near future. Many names could be added to this list from players like Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Earl Campbell, Bo Jackson, Deon Sanders, Rickey Henderson, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Martin Brodeur, Jeff Gordon, Fred Lynn, Jim Rice, etc. Join the fun & post your instant sensations or past fan favorites.

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Welcome to my final August installment of pennant fever blogs. Time to shift focus to the NL West. Joe Torre's Los Angeles Dodgers have been dominating play. San Francisco is the NL's surprise team thanks to a splendid 1-2 rotation knockout punch. Colorado has been surging after firing Clint Hurdle. Cellar dwelling Arizona has much work to do before they return to respectability. Here's how I see things shaping up the rest of the way.

Los Angeles Dodgers (69-47) owned baseball's best record most of the year. They remind me of Torre's young Yankees teams from the 90's Series winning years. LA has been in control only having trailed for six days way back in April. Dodgers are very deep and continued piling up runs even when Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games. Fundamentally sound team ranking near the top in NL team stats - fielding (2nd), batting (1st) and pitching (2nd). A complete team effort without prima donna type clubhouse distractions. Torre kept these guys focused during the Manny PED suspension saga. It's been all business this year as LA seeks a return to World Series play for the first time since 1988. Only stretch drive weakness seems to be 5th starter and a lackluster beginning to this month (5-8). Very young nucleus (Loney, Kemp, Ethier, Martin, Billingsley, Kershaw, Braxton) almost guarantees success for many years to come. Torre needs to keep this team focused over the final 6 weeks. NL's top team.

Colorado Rockies (64-52) were struggling (18-28) before Hurdle was fired and replaced by Jim Tracy. They've gone 46-24 since to firmly plant themselves in the thick of pennant fever. Colorado has climbed into the Wild Card lead and trail LA by only 5 games. Everyone expected the Rockies to hit well in the thin air of spacious Coors Field. However, it's been pitching which has turned the Rockies season around (Jiminez, Cook and a career year by Marquis). Offense has been getting it done from top to bottom. I believe they have what it takes to make the playoffs. But, I can't see them going to far as pitching matchups will hurt them in post season play. LA, Philadelphia and St. Louis sport far more talented pitching staffs. Sometimes all it takes is a hot team to advance and nobody knows this better than the Rockies. Their incredible finish to the 2007 is still fresh in their minds. Watch out LA... these guys may do it again!

San Francisco Giants (62-53) are NL's surprise team of 2009. Not many expected good things from this team which had baseball's weakest lineup coming out of spring training. Starting pitcher and last seasons Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum (12-3, 2.19, 205 K) has been sensational again in '09 and appears well on his way to bring home the hardware once again. This kid is the real deal. #2 in SF's rotation is Matt Cain (12-4, 2.44) who is giving Lincecum a run for his money. These two are clearly the reason why SF is challenging (currently 6.5 behind LA). On offense, it's only Pablo Sandoval who is putting up good numbers (.329, 33 2B, 17 HR). Giants offense doesn't scare anyone. They've only scored 4 or more runs in 11 of their past 29 games. One game over .500 in past 39 contests and probably won't keep pace with other wild card contenders unless opponents stumble. San Francisco's future is bright if they can add a few hitters.

Prediction: LA, Colorado, SF. I'd like to see Torre's Dodgers vs his old Yanks in the World Series. Colorado will give LA a run for their money. I see them as NL Wild Card team which doesn't bode well for Phillies fans since I predicted Atlanta to win East. We'll soon see how it all plays out.

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What's happened to NL Central teams? On July 28th, only 4.5 games separated four powerhouse ballclubs. Not anymore. Milwaukee and Houston are heading backwards. Chicago is riding a 5 game losing streak. St. Louis has won 7 of 10 and leads by 4 games. All four teams can wreck baseballs. Cardinals pitching is the only staff not getting creamed. Here's how I see things shaping up.

St. Louis Cardinals (64-52) sport the Central's best manager (Tony LaRussa). His team has survived injuries all season long and are poised to run away with the division title. Key trading deadline deals netted versatile multi-positional Mark DeRosa and LF Matt Holliday. Holliday struggled much of the first half playing for Oakland. Right now, he's MLB's hottest hitter. As a Cardinal he's batting .484 in 18 games with an OPS of 1.319... outstanding! Cards are led by my pick for NL MVP Albert Pujols who might become the first player in decades to win a Triple Crown. Chris Carpenter has been lights out since returning from injury (12-3, 2.27). Closer Ryan Franklin is having the best season of his 10 year career (2-1, 1.20, 28 Saves). Everything has been going the Cards way after struggling in May/June. 24-14 lately and beginning to pull away from the pack. Cards match up well against every NL team.

Chicago Cubs (58-54) have driven manager Lou Piniella nuts all season long. As usual, this was to be their year. In typical Chicago Cubs style, they've been a major disappointment. They're a deep team who seemed lost when key injuries struck (Soto, Ramirez, Harden and now Zambrano). Lineup never gelled and relievers have handed away games. Derrek Lee has been the only brightspot in the Cubbies lineup. Starting pitchers have been pretty good until recently but have fallen victim to shoddy late inning relief. Quite frankly, I don't know how Piniella hasn't exploded. On paper, this was to be a team challenging for 100 wins. They had one great month notching 18 July victories. Then came August... and a current 5 game losing streak. They're not playing well against the NL's better teams. Not a good sign of things to come.

Milwaukee Brewers (56-58) was predicted by many to be the team to beat... they were right. Everyone is starting to beat them up. Hitters, as I predicted, have squandered opportunity after opportunity and defense has been terrible. Throw in a lousy pitching staff and no deadline deals... these guys are lucky to be only 7 games behind St. Louis. When the Brewers lineup gets hot, they can hit homers at will. However, way too many strikeouts kill rallies. 4 players currently on pace for more than 100 K's. It would have been 6 players but 2 have lost their starting jobs. Pitching STINKS except for closer Trevor Hoffman. This is a team in dire need of being taught basic baseball fundamentals. I've said this year after year. Front office failing to bring in a front line starting pitcher was a major mistake. Brewers will win a handful of games. They might even catch a winning streak. Too little too late. Front office gave up on this season by not making a legit effort to solidify pitching staff for the stretch run.

Houston Astros (56-59) were coming on strong after a dismal 20-29 to begin the year. They were only 1 game out on July 22nd. They've slipped to 7.5 games back and a sub .500 record. Blame it on the starting rotation which now has 3 hurlers sporting shoddy ERA's over 5.00... yikes. Astros staff has surrendered 6 or more runs in 8 of past 14 games including 4 double digit implosions. Hitters are plating runs but can't keep up with horrid pitchers. It's safe to say they'll continue free falling out of contention before this month ends.

Prediction: NL Cental was one of the most exciting until recently. It's tough to watch these guys pitch. St. Louis runaway winners. No team will challenge for Wild Card.

Stay tuned... NL West on deck.

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I came across a human interest sports story a few moment ago worthy of blogging. A San Diego high school junior is so "bored" with his current level of competition he decided to become the first American player to drop out and sign a $140,000 one year professional contract with a foreign team.

Jeremy Tyler (6-11, 260lbs) has been signed to play in Israel's Premier League with Maccabi Haifa. He found high school play extremely boring because of constant triple teams game after game and decided to turn pro. Tyler averaged 28.7 points per game last season and his goal is to become one of the greatest players ever. Isn't this every kids dream? To become the best.

I've never seen this kid play, not even highlights. Is opting out of high school in his best interests? He'll be playing in a pro league with skilled players. A far cry from high school players half his size with half the smarts. He wants to play against men to prove his worth. He'll get his shot playing against men far more mentally challenging. His big frame will be challenged often. Tyler expects to gain pro experience playing for Maccabi before returning in hopes of being drafted by an NBA team in 2011.

There are two ways to gauge this story. 1) He's either the next natural superstar in the making... or... 2) He's flat out foolish giving up a diploma to get pounded night after night by men just as, if not more, physical and experienced. I'll stick with #2 for now. If Jeremy is as good as he believes in his own mind then why blow a free ride towards stardom? He's obviously a dominant force on a high school level with natural abilities to score 28.7 ppg against triple teams (even if they're half his size). I hope he proves me wrong and is the real deal. It's one heck of a risk to take. If he gets clipped and injured, his stock will drop dramatically. Then again, "winners" always go for it. If Tyler is truly a natural then more power to him.

According to Maccabi's team website... "Tyler's size and natural talent will present matchup problems in our favor against other teams in Israel," said Coach Avi Ashkenazi. "We know Tyler is hungry to prove himself on the court. We look forward to him developing over the course of the season and improving our team."

If it's experience Tyler seeks, he's about to get it in a hurry. Last season Maccabi Haifa played in their first Premier League Championship Game and State League Finals. Training camp begins at the end of this month. He'll be playing with former USA college players and the reigning MVP of the Puerto Rican League.

I'll be keeping a close eye on this story. The Premier League begins play in October. Good luck kid. It would be great seeing the next true natural star live up to his dream of becoming the best.

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National League baseball has been topsy turvy all season long. Classic battles are raging in each division. Teams in the playoff hunt had better beware of potential spoilers filled with players looking to secure their futures. Washington ran off 8 straight wins this month. San Diego 4 of 5. Arizona is 7-4 in August. No lead is safe as summertime heat gets turned up full throttle. My take on the NL East....

World Series Champs Philadelphia Phillies (62-48) have their fans sitting on edge lately. After a 20-7 July, they're stumbling in August (3-6). The suddenly surging Marlins swept three in Philly including a final game 12-3 romp over vet Moyer who lost his rotation spot to Pedro Martinez. Pedro makes his first start of 2009 for his new team tonight. Phils lineup is struggling to plate runs and bullpen woes continue to haunt. Closing in quickly is Florida (5 wins in a row) and Atlanta (4 in a row). When will Ryan Howard stop striking out at alarming rates (137 in 109 games)? I'm guessing the Phils are having a temporary lull and will snap out of it. Question is ... will they wake up before it's too late? I'm beginning to believe they will have a hard time qualifying as a wild card.

Florida Marlins (60-52) 5 straight wins has them hot on Phillies tail trailing by 3.5 games. These young Marlins can smell blood and are starting to believe. Florida's recently history has been to fade down the stretch. Right now, their bats are alive and well after struggling to find consistency most of the season. If their pitchers can start keeping teams to 4 or less runs then watch out... these fish will swim. I like the Marlins. They play inspired baseball with nothing to lose since no one expects them to win. Dangerous team if they stay hot.

Atlanta Braves (59-54) have come alive winning 4 in a row and 6 of 7. Since June 28th, they're 25-14. It's been all about pitching for the Braves. Rotation is getting stronger. Vasquez (2.90 ERA), Jurrjens (3.01), Hanson (3.05), Kawakami (4.12) & Lowe (4.15) compose the best cumulative 1-5 rotation in NL. Team ERA is 3.70. If Atlanta has one weakness, it's their lack of power. Chipper Jones leads with 15 HR's. They manage to score runs even without big power numbers. New acquisitions have helped energize their attack (Church, LaRoche). Bullpen has been very stingy and effective. Manager Bobby Cox is showing why he's one of baseball's best. Watch out for the Braves! I've never been a big Braves "fan". As of this very moment, they're the most well balanced team in the East. History shows, good pitching wins games. Braves sporting East's best staff top to bottom and will silence opponents down the stretch.

Prediction: Atlanta wins East in final week. I'll reserve judgement on whether or not Philadelphia has enough in the tank for a wild card birth. Marlins pitching needs to get better for them to make a September surge. 1-Atlanta, 2-Philadelphia, 3-Florida.

On deck... NL Central.

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AL West 2009 has been a great division to follow. Los Angeles, Texas & Seattle have had their moments of greatness and disappointments. Pre-season favorite LA is holding a slim 3 game lead over Texas. Seattle began April on fire, fizzled in May and continues to hang tough even after trading one of their top starters (Washburn). The summer heat is on. Don't count any of these clubs out just yet, especially when considering wild card implications. Here's my read on how the West will be won.

Los Angeles (65-44) has been a model unit showing others how a team decimated by injury can succeed. Manager Mike Scioscia continues to make all the right moves night after night. It's been a complete team effort on both sides of the diamond. Kendry Morales (1B) is having a career year and might be team MVP. Hunter had been an AL MVP candidate until injuries sidelined one of the games best OF's. Guerrero has been in and out of their lineup battling nagging injuries all season long. It doesn't seem to make any difference who Scioscia inserts in daily lineups. Angels find a way to win. They're 56-32 after a rough beginning (April 9-12). Starting pitchers might be their only weak spot come playoff time. Southpaw Saunders has been getting roughed up lately after a great first half. Ervin Santana has yet to find his stride after returning from injury (4-6, 7.20). Team ERA is an unusually high 4.70 and must come down if Scioscia's squad wants to advance beyond the first round against what will certainly be heavy hitting playoff opponents. If the starting rotation faulters or if their fragile arms fall off later this summer ... then look out. Texas is a hungry team hot for their first division title since 1999.

Texas Rangers (62-48) led the West for more games than any team in this division. As usual, their lineup is explosive. It's been Texas' pitchers hurling the surprises (team ERA 4.18). Rangers staff has been a consistent disappointment for years. It's been a pleasant surprise and key to their '09 success. I've always been a fan of Texas baseball. Usually sounding off on how they never seem to sign good pitchers and I still hold this theory. However, they're finally doing something right this year on the hill. Will they continue to win or will they do the usual Texas fade in sweltering 100 degree heat? It remains to be seen. It's been a relatively injury free season (except for '08 surprise Hamilton). Rangers lineup is a wrecking crew when on their game. Swing and miss when off. I'm rooting for them to pass LA for the West crown. Texas is also a wild card contender as of now. I was very disturbed when they didn't trade for a veteran winner (pitcher) to help down the stretch. There's still a chance for a waiver wire deal but it's highly unlikely. The good news here is Texas has owned both LA (9-3) and Seattle (9-3). Winning ways must continue vs these division rivals or the Rangers will be on the outside looking in once again.

Seattle Mariners (58-53) will be included in my pennant fever report based solely on their record even though it appears management has thrown in the towel. They have an outside shot (at best) of winning the West ... but, remain very much in the wild card hunt (for now). I don't think the M's will hang around much longer especially since they traded away a key hurler (Washburn). If they are to stay in the hunt then Felix Hernandez and Eric Bedard will have to win nearly every single remaining starting assignment. 447 total runs scored by their offense is 2nd lowest in AL. Seattle has been fading of late and I project them to finish double digit games out of first place.

Prediction: LA, Texas, Seattle. Texas will just miss on both West and wild card in season's final week.

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AL Central is currently engaged in a three team dogfight as Cleveland and KC have played their way out of contention. It'll be a winner take all as I see no way any of these teams will qualify as wild card winners. Detroit, Chicago & Minnesota have motivating managers challenging their teams to step it up in summer months as they claw tooth and nail to become division champs. A long winning streak could very well decide which team heads to the playoffs.

Detroit (59-51) stands alone leading the Central by 3 games. They made a key acquisition before the trading deadline by getting Jarrod Washburn from Seattle. Washburn had been 8-6, 2.64 (1.086 WHIP) before heading to the Motor City. Unfortunately, he's been hit hard in two games for his new squad (0-2, 8.74). Tigers rotation is anchored by Justin Verlander (12-6, 3.45) & Edwin Jackson (8-6, 2.62). Leyland's offense has been inconsistent but gets the job done. AL MVP candidate Miguel Cabrera has been sensational as the lineups lone standout star (.330, 23 HR, 67 RBI). What's happened to Magglio Ordonez? 2007's MVP runnerup has been in Leyland's doghouse and now plays on a platoon basis. Detroit is hungry for another World Series appearance (2006). Mixed results in head to head competition against Minnesota (4-7) & Chicago (7-5). I like the Tigers and believe they'll win AL Central.

Chicago (57-55) has endured a rollercoaster type season. Win a few, lose a few has led to a three game deficit. Front three starters have looked very good at times. Buerhle pitched a perfect game vs Tampa Bay July 23rd. In his next start he had a no-no going vs Minnesota for six innings before getting bombed and it's been a rocky road since losing 3 straight to drop his record to 11-6). Rotations 4-5 starters haven't been good at all and unless they start showing some life, Chicago will be doomed. Ozzie Guillen's lineup has been streaky too which has been giving this firebrand manager fits. White Sox losing record vs both Detroit (5-7) and Minnesota (5-7) will have to change down the stretch or these guys will be cooked. ChiSox are a dangerous team when everyone is contributing. I think they're hitters are just as good as Detroit. For some reason, they just can't seem to get out of their own way which is probably due to lack of consistency from the pitchers.

Low budget Minnesota (54-57) has lost 6 of 8 to begin August and trail by 5.5 games. Twins starting rotation hasn't performed well this season and is the main reason they're in third place. Minnesota plays great defense (.988 2nd), tied for 3rd in AL hitting .270. However, pitchers have a less than stellar 4.66 ERA and opponents are bruising the staff with a .273 average. Only one current starter has an ERA below 4.85... ouch! I've always enjoyed watching this fundamentally sound team play ball. This just isn't their season and didn't make any trades to spark a sputtering rotation. I don't see how they'll be able to cool heavy hitters in Detroit and Chicago.

Prediction: Detroit Tigers will win AL Central in a very close race vs Chicago. Minnesota is out of this race before August ends.

On deck... AL West.

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The dog days of summer baseball has arrived meaning it's time to get set for pennant fever. Four of baseball's six divisions have been engaged in serious battles since opening day. Only NL East Philadelphia and NL West Dodgers are leading their divisions by more than six games over closest competitors. No MLB lead is safe with 50+ games still remaining to be decided. I'll be summing up each divisional race over the next six days. Today's blog focuses on AL East race to the finish.

New York owns an AL best 66-42 record residing atop of AL East by 3.5 games over Boston and by 6 over last years' division winner Tampa Bay. Boston is in NY getting ready to play the 2nd of four games tonight at Yankee Stadium. Yankees have been on a 12-5 roll and finally beat Boston last night for the first time all season. Consistent pitching remains Yanks top concern but, their bats have been coming thru in the clutch recently. Yanks front 4 starters (Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte, Joba) are a combined 38-20 after a very rocky start to their season. The 5th slot has been very erratic and is now being handled by committee. After much concern back in April/May, I suddenly find myself believing the only way New York will lose their grip on division honors is if they beat themselves or fall prey to multiple injuries. Yanks lineup has no weaknesses. They all hit with authority and know how to work counts.

Boston has been struggling since leading the East by 5 games back on June 21 with a 44-27 record. BoSox starting rotation is hurting real bad 3 thru 5 with Wakefield and Dice K (60 day DL) out. Today, John Smoltz was designated for assignment after taking a beating from Yanks last night. Surprisingly, they failed to successfully trade for any top notch pitching help before the deadline. This could spell trouble from here on out. Their lineup is very good in clutch situations but their pitchers are giving up way too many runs lately. If ever there was a team in dire need of a waiver wire trade or rookie phenom to step up and deliver, this is it. Sox must take at least 2 of remaining 3 games from Yanks this weekend to stay close. Otherwise, look out... Tampa Bay is right on their heels. It's funny how quickly things can change in baseball. Only a short time ago, I thought Boston was soon to run away with the East.

Tampa Bay had a rough April (9-14) in defense of their '08 AL Championship. Times have changed for them too... for the better. Their 60-48 record has them gaining quickly on 2nd place Boston. In head to head play, Tampa has won 8 of 12. Hitters are finally coming up big affording pitchers the chance to pitch with leads. Young, energetic and poised to make a run for the top again or perhaps enter the playoffs as a wild card winner. Suddenly, Tampa is beginning to believe and the AL has taken notice. I really like watching this team play. It's hard not to. They hit, run extremely well, play good defense and pitchers are getting better game by game. Personally, I think they were too conservative in not picking up a big name starting pitcher before the trading deadline (Lee or Washburn). Tampa's farm system coupled with a relatively young starting lineup will keep the Rays in the playoff hunt for years to come.

Predicted order of finish: Yankees, Rays (Wild Card), Red Sox.

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To put it mildly, 2009 has been a trying season for New York Mets players and fans. Even when Mets win games they manage another loss. Take today's 9-0 beating they put on the Cardinals. Starting pitcher Jonathan Niese was injured in the 2nd inning. Niese, is a replacement starter for an already injury depleted staff. Then, Gary Sheffield (who just returned from a stint on the 15 day DL), was removed from the game after his fragile hamstring acted up.

Baseball injuries happen all the time. I just can't remember the last time so many players have been injured at once on any one team. It has become comical sometimes. No, I don't laugh at injured players. It's the circumstances of how which churns out a few chuckles, even from team broadcasters. I'll use Monday's game as an example. After 2B Luis Castillo grounded out he stumbled down the dugout steps on his way back to the team bench and injured his ankle. In the booth, commentators sat in a somewhat stunned silence showing replay after replay while apologetic laughter could be heard.

Here's a list of injured players this season. Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Gary Sheffield, Brian Schneider, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Angel Pagan, Billy Wagner, Ryan Church, Fernando Martinez, Ramon Martinez, Tim Redding, JJ Putz. Did I forget someone here?

This year has been a comedy of errors. Fans voiced great dissatisfaction with managements failure to represent Mets championship teams and former stars in new CitiField. Exec Tony Bernazard was fired after challenging NY's minor league team to a fist fight. Fielding woes at times make the Mets look more like the Bad News Bears. New CitiField hasn't been overly friendly to New York's lineup either. To be fair, it's currently a make shift lineup lacking their stars or players suitable for starting on most Major League clubs.

Here's the good news. After all of Mets mis-steps, highlight reel blunders, self imploding front office, injuries and criticisms... guess what? As of this moment, the Mets are only 8.5 games behind in the Wild Card race. To most fans it probably feels as though NY is trailing by 15. Carlos Beltran could return to action in 2 weeks. Delgado might return by the end of this month. I don't think it's a stretch to suggest if the Mets can remain where they are now without falling farther behind ... and... if no more key players are lost to injury... ???

Dare I say players returning from DL stints might ignite a spark. Instead of recent September failures could 2009 become a September surprise? Stanger things have happened. Baseball truly is a funny game. Nothing should be taken for granted. Will the Magic come back? Everything can change in a New York minute.

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It's time to talk about the lighter side of sports. Tensions are rising all across the nation as economic woes, political discourse, wars, tragedy and unsportmanlike conduct make headlines every day. "Let it rip" now applies to more than just Tiger Woods ferocious golf ball striking ability.

Tuesday's print edition of the New York Post page 7 headline reads "PGA lights a match on Tiger's 'fart'" (08/04/2009, by Andy Geller). It proves Tiger is human afterall. Who can blame him for letting off a little, ahem, steam after 72 grueling holes of championship golf? Apparently, the PGA Tour can after Tiger's gassy moment on the 18th hole during this past weekends Buick Open was rebroadcast on YouTube. The PGA Tour took exception and ordered websites to remove clips for copyright reasons. I guess the PGA has no sense of humor.

We've all heard the saying "farts are funny". They can make even the most sophisticated individual crack up. Thousands of jokes, rhymes, riddles and odd ball sayings have been created poking fun at a sound emanating from the human body. Here was a moment when Tiger showed there's still plenty of kid left in one of sports greatest stars.

Geller's NY Post article describes the scene: "The video shows Woods standing beside caddie Steve Williams, preparing for a shot on the 18th hole of the Buick Open in Grand Blanc, Mich, on Sunday. Both men have their backs to the camera. Woods is seen lifting his right leg up and down. He stops, lifts his right leg a little and then there is an unmistakable "brrrrp" sound. Woods and Williams then giggle like kids."

Guess what? YouTube yanked the clip after PGA Tour applied a little pressure. Well, I found it on TMZ.com (video clip). To those questioning this sound bite keep in mind super sensitive microphones are placed in strategic areas throughout golf courses during tournament play. Judging by Woods and Williams giddy reactions this clip isn't a fake.

Geller's article concludes: "This apparently isn't the first time Tiger has used wind power on his way to winning a tournament. He reportedly let one rip when he won the Arnold Palmer Classic in Orlando in March."

Grip it and rip it takes on a whole new perspective now for golfers world wide.

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Yesterday, the focus was on nicknames for teams of the gridiron. Today, I'm focusing on some of the most well known players past and present who were given names which stuck in fans memory banks. Some stars were better known by their nicknames instead of birth names ("Too Tall" Jones, "Mean Joe" Greene and "The Bus").

The Nigerian Nightmare - KC Chiefs bruising RB Christian Okoye fierce head first pounding style quickly became a fan favorite. Led NFL in rushing attempts (370) and yards (1480) in 1989.

Joe Cool - Perhaps the best pressure QB of all time, Joe Montana guided San Francisco to 4 Super Bowl Championships and was named Super Bowl MVP 3 times. 117-47 career record as starting QB. Field general of West Coast Offense which has been emulated by many teams after 49ers successes.

Mean Joe - Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame DT. Little known fact, Joe Greene's birth name is Charles Edward Greene. One of most feared NFL defenders of his generation while playing for Pittsburgh's Steel Curtain defense.

The Frige (Refrigerator) - Nickname given to large Chicago Bears defensive lineman William Perry. He was somewhat of a celebrity due to his size. Often lined up as a blocking fullback in goal line situations leading the way for Hall of Fame RB Walter Payton during Bears 1985 Super Bowl season.

Sweetness - Legendary Bears RB Walter Payton. His evasive style was second to none. Retired as NFL's All Time leader in rushing yards (16,726).

Too Tall Jones - Dallas Cowboys 6'9" DE Ed Jones helped anchor one of NFC's toughest defense of the 70's & 80's. Took up a short lived boxing career after NFL.

Three Amigos - Denver Broncos WR's of 80's/90's. Mark Jackson, Vance Johnson & Ricky Nattiel.

Triplets - Dallas Cowboys 3 time Super Bowl winning trio featuring Hall of Famers QB Troy Aikman & WR Michael Irvin & soon to be HOFer RB Emmitt Smith.

The Playmaker - Name earned by Cowboys WR Michael Irvin for his game changing plays against defenses keying on him.

Flash 80 - Jerry Rice. NFL's All Time greatest WR. Holds many NFL receiving records set while playing most of his games for the San Francisco 49ers dynasty. Finished career with 22,895 receiving yards and 208 total td's (197 receiving, 10 running, 1 passing). Perhaps the greatest athlete ever to play professional football.

Marks Brothers - Miami Dolphins speedy WR's Mark Clayton & Mark Duper. They paved the way for many of QB Dan Marino's NFL records and lone Super Bowl appearance.

The Diesel - Former Jets and Redskins FB/RB John Riggins. Set NFL single season rushing TD record of 24 in 1983 (since broken).

Ageless Wonder - Washington Redskins CB Darrell Green who played hard on every down during 20 NFL seasons.

Roger the Dodger & Comeback Kid - Navy and Dallas Cowboys star QB Roger Staubach had 2 nicknames. Known as Roger the Dodger for elusive scrambling away from defenders. Comeback Kid for miraculous 4th quarter comebacks in big games.

Matty Ice - Current Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan earned his stripes as a rookie last season leading Atlanta to Wild Card appearance.

The Juice - OJ Simpson. Record setting Hall of Fame RB, actor and convict.

The Posse - Washington Redskins late 80's/early 90's steady WR trio of Art Monk, Gary Clark, and Ricky Sanders.

Scramblin' Fran - NY Giants/Minnesota Vikings Hall of Fame QB Fran Tarkington for his ability to scramble away from defenders. Sometimes for big gains, sometimes big losses.

The Snake - Southpaw Ken Stabler received this name while playing QB for Oakland Raiders bruising teams of 70's for his twisting & turning avoidance of defenders to get off big passes.

Smurfs - Redskins small speedy WR trio (all under 6') Gary Clark, Alvin Garrett, and Charlie Brown who played large making big catch after big catch against defenders often taller and while double teamed.

Prime Time - Multi-team, multi-position Deion Sanders was one of NFL's fastest men and was capable of scoring every time he touched the football. CB was primary position, also returned kicks and lined up as WR. Dual sport star also played Major League Baseball. Neon Deion was another nickname given to this flashy player who loved showing off his skills.

Player nicknames stretch far and wide. I'm sure to have left quite a few off of this abbreviated list. If you don't see your favorites, feel free to chime in on our comments section. Next installment will feature nicknames of NFL places (stadiums) and fan clubs.

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Dallas Cowboys "Doomsday Defense" ... Pittsburgh Steelers "Steel Curtain"... Miami Dolphins "No Name Defense"... Remember some of football's greatest nicknames describing the games most dominant teams? Football teams and fans are readying for the 2009 regular season. How about taking a stroll down memory name highlighting the gridirons greatest nicknames of yesteryear? Here are some of my personal favorite team nicknames ....

Doomsday Defense - 1970's Dallas Cowboys championship defenses featuring well known defenders who created havoc for opposing offenses. Led by Bob Lilly, Herb Adderly, Mel Renfro, Randy White, Harvey Martin and Ed "Too Tall" Jones.

No Name Defense - Miami Dolphins dominating defenders of the 70's who were seldom known by individual names. They led Miami to NFL's only perfect season (14-0 & Super Bowl Championship). Don Shula's better known no-namers: Nick Buoniconti, Manny Fernandez, Bill Stanfill, Dick Anderson and Reed Kearby.

Purple People Eaters - Another ferocious 70's defense. Minnesota Vikings squad helped lead them to four Super Bowls. Purple People Eaters were defensive linemen Alan Page, Carl Eller, Jim Marshall and Gary Larsen.

Steel Curtain - Pittsburgh Steelers defense was so dominating it led to NFL changing rules pertaining to how offensive lineman were allowed to block and the 5 yard rule for cornerbacks bumping wide receivers. Four Hall of Fame defenders played in this group - "Mean Joe" Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Mel Blount. Unit had a stretch of 5 shoutouts in 9 games (1976).

Killer Bees - Another Don Shula Miami Dolphins defensive unit. 80's squad got their name by having 6 of 11 starters last names beginning with the letter B.

Hogs - Washington Redskins pounding offensive line consisting of Joe Jacoby, Russ Grimm, Mark May, George Starke and Jeff Bostic. Held defenses at bay creating gaping running lanes for featured running backs.

Air Coryell - San Diego Chargers talented passing attack names after Head Coach Don Coryell. Hall of Fame QB Dan Fouts had three straight 4,000 yard passing seasons including a then NFL single season record 4,802 in 1981. Primary targets were TE Kellen Winslow and WR's Charlie Joiner, John Jefferson & Wes Chandler. Chandler's 129 yards per game average in 1982 is still a league record.

Kardiac Kids - Cleveland Browns teams of the 80's known for their last minute wins and losses always had fans on edge of their seats.

Orange Crush - Denver Broncos defensive units of 70's led by Randy Gradishar and Lyle Alzado.

Stay tuned for gridiron nicknames dedicated to players, stadiums and fans.

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Players are reporting to NFL training camps around the country. 2008 was exciting from beginning to the final seconds of Super Bowl XLIII. It's time to start taking notice as teams begin conditioning for what promises to be another action packed season. Here are a few things to watch in the coming weeks before regular season action begins on Thursday, September 10.

Brett Favre officially retired again. He will not be suiting up for Minnesota. Vikings had hoped Favre would return for his 17th season. With all the off-season will he or won't he drama now over, Vikes now have a QB competition brewing in camp between 9th year backup journeyman Sage Rosenfelds and scrambling mistake prone Tavaris Jackson. Just days after Favre announced he was done for good, Jackson sprained his knee. Not good news for a team desperately needing an offensive leader.

Michael Vick is free to negotiate with NFL teams after serving jail time for illegal dog fighting related charges. No takers yet. Controversy has been swirling about whether or not any team should sign him based on the gruesome details leading to his incarceration. Vick was once one of the NFL's most exciting players. Now, thousands of fans have lined up against his reinstatement. Rumors suggested New England wanted him as an insurance policy to back up Brady. No luck. Vick is a public relations nightmare. I doubt any NFL team will sign him for fear of fan backlash. Maybe the new starless UFL might take a chance on this fallen star.

Dallas Cowboys circus continues. No more Terrell Owens. No more Jessica-Gate as Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson have split up. Cowboys soon to unveil their new state of the art $1 billion stadium. Owner Jerry Jones is having withdrawals as Dallas hasn't won a playoff game since 1996. September failures have created many controversies and infighting among players/coaches in recent years. They'll be tough. But, will September demons return in '09. Yep!

New York Giants Super Bowl chances were lost due to Plaxico Burress' self inflicted gunshot wound. Giants were going strong sporting an 11-1 record before dummy Plaxico shot himself in a New York City nightclub. He was suspended then released and now faces certain jail time. Giants finished 12-4 and were dumped by rival Philadelphia in the playoffs. Maturing Eli Manning has no standout wide receivers as targets heading into camp. Someone needs to step up and become the go to guy during pre-season. Otherwise, this will quickly become a mediocre team. I'm stunned and upset their front office failed to sign or trade for an experienced big name wideout.

Defending Champion Pittsburgh Steelers aren't without controversy of their own. Star QB Ben Roethlisberger has been implicated in a rape charge. Not sure how this one will play out. Steelers are one of NFL's best and nobody should be surprised if they're repeat champs.

Chicago Bears finally have a legit QB to lead their offense. Jay Cutler is the man and will need a solid offensive line to give him chances to hit open targets. Defense will be tougher if offense can control the clock. Otherwise, it will be a long cold winter in the Windy City. I'm expecting da Bears to win NFC North.

Tom Brady is back leading the way in New England. He was knocked out for year in game one last season after leading the Patriots to a perfect 16-0 in '07. Fantasy owners will be lining up trying to sign Brady, Moss & Welker. A healthy Brady will lead AFC's most potent attack.

I'll be typing often as NFL pre-season progresses. Stay tuned for official division by division predictions after roster competitions are decided and teams break camp for their regular season openers.

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The dark clouds hovering over Major League Baseball refuse to dissipate when it comes to PED's (performance enhancing drugs). David "Big Papi" Ortiz is the latest big name player implicated testing positive back in 2003. Add teammate Manny Ramirez inclusion today as for failed '03 in addition to receiving a 50 game suspension this season for another positive test of a banned substance.

PED stories and accusations will not go away. For those of us sick and tired of hearing, blogging, reading and listening to petty lying denials, MLB will never escape this tainted era. Not then, not now and certainly not when juicing cheaters of this generation come up for Hall of Fame consideration. No player implicated in this pathetic scandal should ever be allowed admittance into HOF. It's up to the BBWAA to make sure each and every suspected thug is locked out.

No penalties were handed down as testing in 2003 was sheepishly used to determine if there was a problem brewing in MLB. The players union (MLBPA) and MLB had an understanding all tests were to be conducted anonymously and no names were ever to be publicly released. Penalties for PED use began in 2004, suspensions in '05. As I've said numerous times, players are the public's red meat running cover for owners and a Commissioner who were all in the know well before baseball was shamed into beginning testing.

The Mitchell Report was half farce, half distraction to the true problem of how deeply steroids were being used. Releasing players names was mostly fodder and cover for general managers and owners who often conducted trades by discussing which players were juicing (and not). One of the most biased reports ever to be published, The Mitchell Report (investigated and written by former Senator George Mitchell), was a sham from the beginning. His "independent" report cannot be taken at face value when one considers Mitchell was a Boston Red Sox executive. So baseball trumpeted out one of their own full of commendations to investigate their own league. What came from this report was a half-assed assertion that there was a problem. Most players named in his report involved former players who had played on New York teams. Funny as to how Mitchell omitted star athletes who were currently under contract with his team (Boston). Neither Ortiz or Ramirez names were ever suggested by Mitchell as dopers. In 2004 Boston won their first World Series since 1918 breaking a streak known throughout baseball as "The Curse".

We can all kick and scream as loud as we want. Baseball has always run a sideshow to cover up their erroneous acts. Not one owner, general manager, field manager, coaches or team doctor has ever been implicated or suspended for conspiring to cover up PED use by players when they knew full well a problem was brewing in each and every major league clubhouse. Commissioner Selig has somehow remained unscathed throughout this tortuous mess by publicly living in denial and acting surprised of various reports which surfaced well before and after 2003.

PED's have completely tainted baseball records from the 1990's thru today. Remember how baseball came alive when McGwire and Sammy Sosa were chasing Roger Maris' single season home run record? Now proven to be a sham. Remember Barry Bonds breaking McGwire's record soon thereafter? A sham! Bonds then breaking Hank Aaron's all time home run record? A sham! The list of stars who were juicing and climbing up baseball's record books forever tarnished previous accomplishments by non-cheating players. Remember how Bud Selig proudly testified how "... baseball has been setting record revenues..." A sham! The bottom line was for as long as players were knocking the ball out of stadiums, re-writing records, striking out hitters etc... fans packed stadiums, television contracts exploded and owners profited. Greed played a very instrumental part of MLB baseball executives turning a blind eye to a well known problem which invaded the sport and to which they contributed.

Nowadays players names are slowly leaking out by an individual who managed to get their hands on 2003's anonymous testing results. Current players will take their lumps bur not for long. Steroids never fully investigated story will not go away any time soon. I remain miffed at how sports reporters nationwide have yet to call for Selig's head on a platter for allowing PED's to run rapid throughout MLB. This owner turned commissioner has rarely been an independent impartial figure. He's a joke in a world where cronyism prevails in sports and politics. If the owners had nothing to hide, then Selig would have been canned a long time ago. It's time for him to either step aside or be forcibly removed.

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Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice were officially inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame representing the Class of 2009. Both players had distinguished and celebrated careers. Over 21,000 fans attended the induction ceremonies. Focus is now shifting towards players eligible for 2010.

The Baseball Writers Association of America decides who gets in and who does not. We're entering the era of how this group will handle the steroids generation of players eligible for consideration. My personal feelings is to keep each and everyone out. This is a subject to be debated intensely in years to come. In some cases, a handful of players have been suspected of doping without any concrete evidence. How the BBWAA handles suspected players remains to be seen. Observing how Mark McGwire receives only a few token votes then it's safe to say most suspected players will be on the outside looking in as those who played within the rules, or with stricter moral's, earn their stripes. Writers can select up to 10 players on their ballots. Players need to be named on 75% of ballots to get in. Any player receiving less than 5% is dropped from future ballots.

2010 class includes returning players and a few new one's for consideration. Here's the list:
(First time players on ballot) - Paul Abbott, Roberto Alomar, Kevin Appier, Andy Ashby, Danny Bautista, Brian Boehringer, Darren Bragg, Dave Burba, Ellis Burks, Greg Colbrunn, Mike Fetters, Brook Fordyce, Andrés Galarraga, Karim Garcia, Tom Goodwin, Ricky Gutierrez, Jimmy Haynes, Pat Hentgen, Sterling Hitchcock, Mike Jackson, Eric Karros, Ray Lankford, Barry Larkin, Curt Leskanic, Josias Manzanillo, Edgar Martinez, Brent Mayne, Fred McGriff, Mark McLemore, Shane Reynolds, David Segui, Scott Service, Chris Stynes, Scott Sullivan, Todd Van Poppel, John Vander Wal, Robin Ventura, Fernando Viña, Turk Wendell and Todd Zeile.
(Returning players) - Harold Baines, Bert Blyleven, Andre Dawson, Don Mattingly, Mark McGwire, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Tim Raines, Lee Smith and Alan Trammell.

As you can see 2010 is a loaded ballot. Plenty of deserving players on this ballot. Whether or not they gain entrance as first timer is yet to be seen. Here are my picks for the Class of 2010:

Andre Dawson
Bert Blyleven
Roberto Alomar
Fred McGriff
Edgar Martinez

Official BBWAA results will be announced in November. Debates will soon start raging on blogs around the country.

Dawson (493 career HR) played hurt throughout his career. He was a class act on and off the field. His stats speak for themselves. Not sure what's holding up his nomination.
Blyleven has been a controversial nominee for years. He pitched admirably for many subpar teams and ranks 5th all time in strikeouts. He's eligibility has been denied for years. Many point to his 287 wins being less than the "auto" nomination of 300. Those nay-sayers fail to appreciate he pitched many years for poor teams.
Alomar was a tremendous talent who helped revolutionize how 2B was played. Outstanding fielder, clutch hitter and perrenial All Star. Might become one of the few 1st timers elected.
McGriff was steady as they come. His 493 home runs seem most impressive considering he played clean while others around him were juicing up. A true model of consistency. Deserving 1st timer will get many votes.
Martinez was DH extraordinaire. He may have to wait since DH became his primary position but there's little arguing with his hitting prowess. He'll probably have to wait a few years to get in. He's another 1st timer on my hypothetical ballot.

Let the debate begin. Who would get your vote from this 2010 ballot?

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2009 has been an excruciating year for New York Mets baseball fans. This was to be a new season filled with hope and high expectations. Their front office had a busy off season solidifying a once horrid bullpen with big names such as single season saves record holder Francisco Rodriguez, solid closer turned set-up man JJ Putz and rubber armed long reliever Sean Green accompanying left handed specialist Pedro Feliciano. Their lineup was to be a run scoring machine led by David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado. Shea Stadium was torn down and replaced by state of the art Citi Field. New excitement, better team, deep minor league organization. And then.....

At first, Citi Field opened to rave reviews for its' presentation of Jackie Robinson Rotundra. Thousands of fans quickly soured on the new park for varying reasons beginning with ownership's lack of homage towards team history. Many season ticket holders soon complained of obstructed views from their expensive seats. The field itself is so expansive we all quickly realized it would never be thought of as a hitters paradise. During the seasons first month, New York talk radio was filled with irate phone callers agitated claiming Citi Field was built for Dodgers fans instead of our hometown Mets ball club. It wasn't the beginning ownership had hoped for their $800 million dollar stadium debut.

Things quickly worsened on the field as the Mets began with a losing record in April dropping 12 of 21 contests. Rumors of ownership losing hundreds of millions in the well publicized Madoff scandal didn't help matters either. New York was able to rebound nicely in May claiming a two game NL East lead sporting a 19-15 record before the wheels started falling off. Mets players began dropping like flies. Disabled list casualties began mounting. Key players Delgado, Schneider, Reyes, Beltran, Pagan, Maine, Castillo, Church and Putz were lost. Replacement players offered little to no help. GM Minaya has been peppered relentlessly by media types questioning when the team would make a deal to secure quality and "talented" players to fill gaping voids. No trades were completed, no free agents in waiting were signed. It was very evident to everyone paying attention... New York Mets franchise was in deep trouble both financially and by a lack of minor league talent.

Stars out of action created a circus-like atmosphere on the field resembling the Bad News Bears. Fielders booted the most simple of plays. Sure handed second sacker Luis Castillo's dropped game ending non-catch vs cross town rival Yankees is still being replayed. I attended a home game at Citi when the Mets made 3 errors in one inning without a ball leaving the infield (unless it was thrown away). There's next to no power coming from any hitters... certainly none on a consistent basis. Clutch hits are far and few between. Scouts league wide have suggested it's nearly impossible to trade with the Mets based on an overall lack of minors talent. Desperately needing a boost from somewhere, the front office refused to re-sign free agent Pedro Martinez. Albeit, Pedro was a multi-million dollar bust. But, this is a team in need and they passed only to watch arch rival Philadelphia sign him two weeks ago. As of right now, Mets trail first place Phillies by 10.5 games.

It hasn't been any better in the Mets farm system. New York's top farm clubs are flirting with last place. Bernazard was just fired after the New York Daily News ran an investigative story detailing how he ripped off his shirt and challenged members of the Mets' Double-A Binghamton affiliate to a brawl during a postgame tirade this month. Binhamton players were not performing and often spotted partying hard on nights before games. He also had run-ins with Mets closer Rodriguez. Rumors cited excutive Tony Bernazard had actively lobbied for Willie Randolph's firing last year. Bernazard was said to be very adament in pressuring management to can Randolph until they finally did midway through last season. Finally, after this was all made public, something had to be done. Minaya canned the temperamental Bernazard.

The firing of Bernazard was expected. However, during the press conference announcing his dismissal Minaya seemed to self implode too. Instead of sticking with the plan of announcing the firing, Minaya went sideways implying NY Daily News reporter Adam Rubin had ulterior motives. Here are a few excerpts of what transpired at Monday's press briefing concerning Rubin who first broke the Bernazard fight challenge story.

"You got to understand this: Adam for the past couple of years has lobbied for a player development position. He has lobbied myself, he has lobbied Tony," Minaya said.

Rubin was in attendance and jumped on Minaya's comments which seemed to question his motives. Minaya tripped over his own words a bit. "No, I'm not saying that," Minaya said. "I am saying, in the past, you have lobbied for a job."

"Over the years he said a number of times that he would like ... he asked me personally ... to work in the front office," Minaya said, "in my front office. Not only me, but he's asked others."

I think it's safe to say this is a side story ready to explode. I watched reports from ESPN's nightly telecast and read a story on their site posted early this morning which quotes Rubin being "flabbergasted" and NY Daily News standing behind their reporter, and his story, "1000%". No one has refuted the article detailing Bernazard or the Mets minor league system in shambles. No one. So, it leaves me wondering why Minaya would offer up a side show against a NY reporter?

This is the Mets team "Minaya" built. It's the Mets team known as "Magic-less" after back to back September chokes. It's the injury riddled team currently sitting in fourth place without any help in sight. It's the team getting beaten often on the field (18-30 since June 1), pounded by fans and hounded by reporters all season long. It's a team not only losing games. Management has completely imploded by missteps, miscommunication and complete failure to resemble any sort of professionalisim within their organization. I can't wait to turn on sports talk radio stations later this morning. It's going to be a blast. Mets back to back wins have been overshadowed by last night's Minaya outburst. What a shame for a team which hasn't won more than two in a row since the end of May!

Guess what fans? Good news is to be had between all this negativity brewing in Flushing. The most positive event bestowed on fans is there will be no September collapse this season! Second most positive event comes from the Bronx. New York Yankees are looking stronger by the day as they try tightening their grip on the AL East lead.

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Seattle Seahawks receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh isn't a happy camper when it comes to his rating by EA Sports Madden '10. The Madden series video games have been one of the biggest sellers in video gaming history. It's popularity has spawned players of all ages, including NFLers.

TJ was so miffed by his 91 rating (99 is best) he sounded off. Sounds like he's crying over spilt milk since 91 is considered upper echelon. TJ was not a league leader in any receiving category last season. His 92 catches for a pathetic Cincinnati club was very impressive which warranted Madden's 91 rating as one of the games (Madden '10) top receivers.

Last season, TJ played for a lowly infighting 4 win Cincinnati team. He recorded only 4 touchdown receptions in '08. That stat is way down from 12 in 2007. Who do you think is most upset? 2008 Fantasy football coaches banking on TJ's previous season stats. The same coaches who were visibly upset on fantasy message boards sounding off on his lowly 4 TD total? I doubt many fans have any sympathy for an NFL vet just because his feelings are hurt by a lower than wanted video game ranking.

Houshmandzadeh losing it publicly over a Madden rating is laughable. He did pull in 92 passes successfully last year garnering a top ranking. TJ's will be playing in Seattle this season. Wonder what his motivation will be? Playing for better Madden ratings? Or, trying to help lead his new team to a Super Bowl title?

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That's right. Strange but true. A Gorillas linebacker has been lost for the season after a zebra attack. According to a published report by The Wichita Eagle, Pittsburgh State Gorillas LB Joe Windscheffel was painting a fence when he was suddenly attacked and dragged by a zebra.

Windscheffel suffered a compound fracture of his right arm requiring a plate and six pins to reset. He had just moved three female zebra's and one male to paint a pasture fence. The male took exception and decided to move Windscheffel. Talk about a freakish injury. This kid's college career is now in jeopardy before it began. Last season he missed time and was red-shirted due to an achilles injury.

Ok, who has the video of this episode? Sounds too bizarre to be true. Then again, who could make up such a story? Hope he has a good sense of humor or plenty of meds to help him crack up. This one's for the ages.

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A new generation of American Football is getting ready for its' inaugural season. Has anyone heard of the United Football League? The UFL attempts to do what previously has not been done by leagues attempting to rival the NFL, become a success. USFL, XFL, WFL & WLAF were short lived leagues. One wonders how a four team UFL can survive playing a six game schedule? Perhaps it's best to begin small and build for the future.

The four teams will represent cities from New York/Hartford, Orlando, Las Vegas/Los Angeles and San Francisco/Sacramento. In a couple of weeks, UFL is expected to announce team nicknames for the four franchises and unveil the new uniforms for each organization. Yes, New York/Hartford is a single franchise even though it sports a dual city name (same for Las Vegas/LA & SF/Sacramento).

I'm hoping UFL can make a serious run at respectability. At the same time, I'm amazed at the lack of marketing for the new league. With little or no fanfare, UFL held it's first draft last month. Very few recognizable names come from the draft. UFL is hoping to add some star power after NFL teams make their final cuts. Players cut from pro teams looking for action might jump into the mix. Former Buffalo Bills QB JP Losman recently signed with Las Vegas. He's been pinned up as poster child. Not quite the same as USFL signing Steve Young and Hershal Walker types. Not even close.

Remember the USFL (United States Football League)? They had a chance to contend with NFL squads. Big name team owners (Donald Trump). A few big name stars featuring the likes of Walker, Young, Jim Kelly, Jim Smith and Reggie White come to mind. UFL's JP Losman isn't quite the same stature. What this league does have is four recognizable head coaches. Guiding Orlando is ex-Saints coach Jim Haslett. Former Vikings and Cardinals coach Dennis Green will be in San Francisco. Ex-Giants head coach Jim Fassel will coach Las Vegas and long-time NFL coordinator Ted Cotrell is in New York.

Initial UFL investors are Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong and former investment banker Bill Hambrecht. Televising one game per week will be the Versus Network (who?). Clearly this is a brand with no product recognition, lack of marketing and a tremendous lack of star power. Four teams, six game schedule, no national exposure, not even team names as of yet. A very conservative approach has been taken getting this league up and running. Perhaps, too conservative to think they'll have a shot at long term success.

UFL's biggest boost might come from suspended NFLer Michael Vick. If he's denied reinstatement to play this year in the NFL, UFL owners hope Vick might opt to play in their new league.. It'll be a longshot to see Vick suit up for UFL even if denied re-entry into NFL for the 2009 season.

The question remains, how can this league survive with a lack of star power?

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Boxing's era of truly great fighters has long passed. Muhammad Ali made sure to tell the world "I am the greatest!" Old timers often argue claiming Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano or Sugar Ray Robinson. My youth featured slugfests never to be forgotten - Ali vs Frazier, Leonard vs Hagler and Frazier vs Foreman.

Who was "the" greatest will always be debated. Here's my Top 10 of All Time list:

1 - Sugar Ray Robinson
2 - Joe Louis
3 - Rocky Marciano
4 - Muhammad Ali
5 - Jack Dempsey
6 - Jack Johnson
7 - Gene Tunney
8 - Archie Moore
9 - Joe Frazier
10- Sugar Ray Leonard

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Day after day news headlines highlight America's deepening economic struggles, reckless Federal Government debt spending and staggering nationwide unemployment figures.

It's time to shine a spotlight on a potential economic boom for Long Island's Nassau County (NY) residents. The following information quoted below has been copied directly from the official site of the Lighthouse Development Group. Click on the link to their site which illustrates in detail a proposed project geared to create tax revenues, jobs, residences, convention center, recreational facilities, five star hotel, commercial venues and new state of the art revitalized Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Save the Date - A public hearing is scheduled for August 4th, 9:30 am, at the John Cranford Adams Playhouse at Hofstra University. I urge my fellow Long Islanders to voice support for Nassau's biggest and most productive venue guaranteed to provide a boost to our local economy for generations to come.

* * * The Lighthouse @ Long Island Project * * *

"Lighthouse Development Group, LLC, a joint venture between Charles Wang, the Founder of the Lighthouse project and owner of the New York Islanders, and RXR, Long Island's largest owner, manager and developer of commercial real estate, has been designated the exclusive developer of the Coliseum site and has entered into a Development Plan Agreement with the County of Nassau. The partnership combines Charles Wang's vision for the revitalization of the aging Coliseum property with RXR's renowned expertise.

The Lighthouse project is the transformation of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum site and surrounding area into a modern 24/7 suburban center. The centerpiece will be a revitalized arena for the New York Islanders, surrounded by exciting residential neighborhoods with a variety of housing options, lifestyle retail and entertainment venues, Class A office space including an incubator for the sports technology industry, multi-purpose athletic complex, state-of-the-art conference and exhibition facilities, a minor league ballpark, and the first 5-star hotel on Long Island. The estimated $3.74 billion project is expected to generate $71 million of annual tax revenues. An expected 75,000 construction and construction related jobs will be created over the 8-to-10 year build out of the project. Once completed, 19,000 thousand permanent jobs and many new businesses will provide the opportunities and careers Long Islanders need and want. A transformed coliseum will ensure the New York Islanders have a state-of-the-art home for decades to come. The Lighthouse at Long Island, in the backyard of America's first suburb, will create a destination for future generations of Long Islanders."

"The Lighthouse at Long Island Top Ten Facts:
1. The Lighthouse project will transform the 150-acres at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum site and the surrounding area into Long Island’s signature destination.

2. The Lighthouse is approximately 5.5 million square feet of new mixed-use development and will be designed and developed to be Long Island’s largest LEED, environmentally friendly, project.

3. The Coliseum will be transformed into a state-of-the-art arena providing a premier entertainment experience. With additional and expanded concourses, all new restrooms, VIP suites, larger seats, and first class concessions and restaurants, the arena will comfortably accommodate 17,500 for hockey, 18,500 for basketball and 20,000 fans for concerts.

4. The Sports Complex will be the region’s preferred sports and entertainment facility. It will house four sheets of ice for local teams and clubs, as well as be capable of hosting regional and national events. The facility will also include basketball courts and a state-of-the-art health club.

5. The Lighthouse’s central landscaped park, Celebration Plaza, will be larger than New York City’s Bryant Park, and will soon become Long Island’s favorite meeting place for family concerts, or just relaxing with a friend.

6. The project’s 2,300 residences will include next generation, luxury, active adult and multi-family housing types. There will be a mix of lofts, condominiums, and town houses set amidst quiet neighborhoods or above vibrant retail streetscapes.

7. Long Island’s first five-star hotel will contain 300 rooms, meeting and banquet facilities, and luxury full-service condominiums.

8. The project will have more than 250,000 square feet of Convention, Conference and Exhibition space and will establish Long Island as a preferred destination for national and international programs while giving local companies a place to host their events.

9. One million square feet of new class A office space, including a sports technology center, will attract new industries and create jobs and career opportunities as well as allow local companies to expand in the heart of Nassau County.

10. The project’s approximately 500,000 square feet of complementary retail, restaurants, and cafes will provide great places to dine and shop for residents and visitors alike."

I will provide personalized periodic updated blogs on this project once more information is made public by Nassau County. Stay tuned!

(www.allworldallsports.com)

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National League 2009 races aren't packing the same punch as their AL counterparts (current standings). Philadelphia and Los Angeles appear to be locks in their respective divisions. NL Central is up for grabs as only 8.5 games separate six teams. Here's how I see NL play shaping up:

EAST
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES - World Champs have begun distancing themselves from the pack. Pitching is their weak spot and could be readily exposed in playoff competition. Philly would like to believe they're front runners for Toronto's ace Halladay. They'll need a closer as last seasons success story (Lidge) has been erratic. Phillies can put up runs in bunches. Rollins finally woke up after a miserable first half. East leaders by six games will finish the season ahead by no less than 10.

FLORIDA MARLINS - Marlins continue to churn out great young talent. Low budget squad proves year after year organizations do not need to spend hundreds of millions to win. Hanley Ramirez is one of MLB's best even when battling nagging minor injuries all year long. Plenty of talent to make a run at the wild card. It's been one month on then one month off thus far (April 14-8, May 9-20, June 17-11). They're not expected to win and this makes for one dangerous sleeper team. Keep an eye on these guys.

ATLANTA BRAVES - Bobby Cox has proven he's one of the games best field generals. Braves will probably finish somewhere around .500 unless they enter the trade market for instant upgrades as they fight for a wild card birth. Even if they do manage landing a gem it'll be tough trying to leapfrog stronger Central teams. Chipper Jones continues to be the heart and soul of this franchise.

NEW YORK METS - Everything has gone wrong in New York. First, their new ballpark has been absolutely panned by local media/fans for failing to recognize past and current heroes of Mets baseball. Second, their major stars (Beltran, Delgado, Reyes, Maine) have been lost to the disabled list. Third, ownership lost hundreds of millions in Madoff scandal. Fourth, replacement players have performed miserably. Mets are absolutely embarrassing to watch. The good news... Mets can't finish last while playing in same division with Washington.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS - On pace for back to back 100+ loss seasons. Only 3 bright spots for this team (Zimmerman, Johnson & Dunn). Pitching is pathetic. Already 25 games behind division leading Philadelphia. I'd bet they'll end the year out by 40. One of baseball's worst front offices for evaluating talent. Little to no future hopes in sight unless they were to play all remaining games vs Mets.

CENTRAL
ST LOUIS CARDINALS - Tony LaRussa has done a masterful job this season in the dugout. On the field, it's been the Albert Pujols show. Pujols should be a lock to win NL MVP. Cards are showing other teams how to win when regulars miss time or underperform. Pitching has been the key so far. Franklin has been great as team closer behind gutsy performances from starting rotation. Central might not be decided until game 162. Cards prevail.

CHICAGO CUBS - Central's best team on paper. Most experts picked Piniella's squad to runaway with division. It's been anything but a smooth ride. Not bringing back 2B Mark DeRosa has been the difference. Up the middle defense hasn't been good (they can't hit either). Soriano & Bradley haven't done their share. Soto struggling through sophmore jinx is now disabled. 3B Ramirez return from DL might have come just at the right time as Cubs are beginning to show some life (July 10-5) after barely surviving first three months. Don't count them out from winning the division.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS - Hit or miss Brewers loaded with powerful bats. Huge problem is alarming strikeout totals. If this lineup was able to put baseball's in play on a regular basis ... ? Six players on pace to wiff more than 100 times each. Terrible baserunning team with no speed. Brewers short changing themselves from a ton of runs. Starting pitchers extremely erratic. Not a good combination. Halladay rumors beginning to take hold in Milwaukee. Talented team outclassed by St. Louis and Chicago. If Milwaukee finally realizes fundamentals of baseball win games regularly then they're the team to beat. It hasn't happened yet.

HOUSTON ASTROS - Look out Central. Left for dead Astros have been playing very well lately after starting out 20-29. Winners in 26 of 42 since June 1st. Bats are starting to wake up after sleepwalking much of the first half. They're one starting pitcher and one middle reliever away from making a serious 2nd half challenge. Don't count them out... but, don't go placing any bets either.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES - Current roster is more than miffed at front office for trading key players yet again. Bucs are only 8.5 games out of first place. Not too shabby for a last place team. Solid up the middle defense. Very good young talented lineup. OF Garrett Jones has been on fire since becoming a starter (7 HR in 13 games). Take away Snell's terrible season (2-8, 5.36) and closer Capps (5.81 ERA), add some pop at 3B, and they'd be challenging. Instead, it's been a disappointing season for Pittsburgh fans. Good news... Steelers set to defend NFL title in September.

CINCINNATI REDS - I was hoping Cincy would make a serious run. Injuries have sucked the life out o