<$BlogRSDUrl$>

Saturday, October 11, 2003

BOW DOWN, MY ASS 

More championship-quality photos from the Disappointment On Montlake!

Keith Gilbertson wondering what the hell he's gotten into.

And what would any good natured Husky bashing be without the weekly Jimmy Newell photo?

Ladies and gentlemen, Washington football just hit a new low today. Heaven has helped the foes of Washington now. If you call yourself a big time football program, you can't lose to Nevada. So, as of today, the Washington Huskies are no longer a big time program.

BOW DOWN...TO YOUR COUCH IN DECEMBER, WHILE OTHER TEAMS GO BOWLING!!!

/ Click for main page

HAHAAAHAA!!!! 

Theeeeeeeee Huskies lose again!!! This time to Nevada by a score of 28-17. Friggin hilarious. Absolutely friggin hilarious.

Here's some winning photos-- photo 1, photo 2, photo 3, photo 4.

Yay, Dawgs!

/ Click for main page

Friday, October 10, 2003

YOU GOTTA LOVE PLAYOFF BASEBALL!!! 

It's a time when guys like Doug @$#&%$# Glanville can get the big hits and win a ballgame for his team.

Wow, if only guys like John Mabry could do that...oh wait, nevermind.

The Mariners aren't playing right now. And if they did, they would probably fold like a cheap tent put up under the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Yup, I'm a Seattle sports fan. Please, please, I can't wait 85 or 95 years for a championship. I'm not as strong willed as the Boston or Chicago baseball fans.

/ Click for main page

THE BAILOUT 

I've found how to fill some space here, and it's not a total waste of time. I'm pretty sure any AOL Instant Messenger keeps a message log of past chats. Well, though I have it linked through Trillian, I still have a message log. There's some message loggings between myself and fellow blog colleague Jeremy. Here is the first installment.

By the way, the log conspicuously starts on March 31st and is still running.
The following is from April 1st. You may remember that as opening day for the 2003 Mariners. After bitching about Erubiel Durazo not being a Mariner, we embarked on this--

(begin chat excerpt)
-David: and what the hell are they spending a roster spot on carrara when they could use another lefty...
(later...)
-David: oh man, vasgersian's call on bonds' homer is priceless
-David: "you gotta be shavin me"
-Jeremy: i'll have to check that out later
-Jeremy: btw, call me nuts, but I'd go for John Rocker as the 2nd lefty right about now
-David: just wait for the late sportscenters...it'll probably repeat a few times
-David: that's sad
-David: what's sad is that doug creek sucked, but he was still an option
-David: if they can't get anyone, and i can't see why they wouldn't have a chance to, i say rush madritsch up, as much as i hate saying that
-Jeremy: it is sad, but I have forgiven Rocker for his past probs. He's still a fovl, but he's a lefty, and hasn't caused any trouble in the past couple of yeras
-David: [unrelated subject]
-Jeremy: but you know damn well the m's wont' get rocker, to preserve their PC image
(end chat excerpt)

Yes, that's right. We have evidence from OPENING DAY that we were bitching about the Mariners not having a second lefty in the bullpen. And did it come back to bite the Mariners? Hell, I don't know. Depends on whether you think Arthur Rhodes had a great second half. Or a great season after giving up the grand slam to Rondell White. You make the call.

/ Click for main page

CUBS WIN 

Watching Game 3 of the NLCS tonight was time well spent, no matter who you were rooting for. It was great television up until they called on Josh Lewin to get the postgame interview with Doug Glanville. Gak. It was too bad Kerry Wood couldn't have gotten the win, but it was really good he didn't lose because he threw pretty damn well.

And to put the Mariner spin on this...players like Troy O'Leary, Lenny Harris, and Mike Mordecai are in the LCS. None of your favorite Mariners are. Baseball is a cruel cruel game.

/ Click for main page

THIS AIN'T BALLET 

Sent from the deepest reaches of the Great White North, Nashville Predator Jordin Tootoo became the first Inuit (some may know the Inuit by their old name, Eskimo) player in the NHL. I think this guy is going to be big. Why? As the article says, "...Tootoo did what he does best in the third period, drawing a penalty." Inuit heritage and penalty minutes? Sounds like a winning equation to me, as well as some of the Nashville fans, I would think.

The true comedy in the article, though, is the picture of his family in the stands. There's a picture of his cousin Tara along with his parents. I'll just say that the three of them standing side-by-side could do fairly well as a line in the NHL. All they needed were some gloves, helmets, sticks, and skates.

/ Click for main page

CANUCKS WIN!! 

The Canucks scored two power-play goals along with a good night out of Dan Cloutier to down the Flames 4-2. I like this team. Here's the more in-depth perspective from the Vancouver Sun's Iain McIntyre. I can't say I've read a hockey article quite like that before. God bless Canadians.

/ Click for main page

Thursday, October 09, 2003

I'M CONVINCED 

Boston manager Grady Little is in fact the "Office Space" character Milton.

What a freaking dumbass. Uh, let's see, let's put DAMIAN JACKSON at SECOND BASE in favor of Todd Walker, who's swung the bat as well as anybody so far in the postseason. Jackson allegedly plays better defense, but he had an error in the 3rd inning tonight.

I never thought that there would be a dumber manager than Arizona's Bob Brenly, but I think Little may be worse. Boston fans, hope and pray for Mike Hargrove in 2004. You will be better off for it.

/ Click for main page

A DAY LATE, BUT WHO CARES... 

My 2003-2004 NHL predictions:

WESTERN CONFERENCE (in order of playoff seeds)
1. Detroit (Central Division winner)
2. Vancouver (Northwest Division winner)
3. Dallas (Pacific Division winner)
4. St. Louis
5. Colorado
6. Los Angeles
7. Edmonton
8. Calgary

EASTERN CONFERENCE (in order of playoff seeds)
1. Ottawa (Northeast Division winner)
2. New Jersey (Atlantic Division winner)
3. Tampa Bay (Southeast Division winner)
4. Philadelphia
5. Washington
6. Toronto
7. New York Rangers
8. Boston

WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS
First Round
8) Calgary d. 1) Detroit
2) Vancouver d. 7) Edmonton
3) Dallas d. 6) Los Angeles
5) Colorado d. 4) St. Louis

Semifinals
2) Vancouver d. 8) Calgary
3) Dallas d. 5) Colorado

Conference Finals
2) Vancouver d. 3) Dallas

EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS
First Round
1) Ottawa d. 8) Boston
2) New Jersey d. 7) New York Rangers
3) Tampa Bay d. 6) Toronto
5) Washington d. 4) Philadelphia

Semifinals
1) Ottawa d. 5) Washington
2) New Jersey d. 3) Tampa Bay

Conference Finals
1) Ottawa d. 2) New Jersey

STANLEY CUP FINALS
Vancouver Canucks defeat the Ottawa Senators
Conn Smythe MVP: Markus Naslund, Vancouver

AWARDS
Hart Trophy (MVP): Todd Bertuzzi, Vancouver
Jack Adams Award (Coach of the Year): Darryl Sutter, Calgary
Vezina Trophy (Best Goaltender): Patrick Lalime, Ottawa
Norris Trophy (Best Defenseman): Ed Jovanovski, Vancouver
Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year): TBA (it's too damn early to tell here)
Art Ross Trophy (Top Point Scorer): Peter Forsberg, Colorado
President's Trophy (Best Regular Season Team): Ottawa Senators

OTHER STUFF
Surprise team: Calgary Flames
Disappointing team: Anaheim Mighty Ducks
First Coach to be Fired: Paul Maurice, Carolina (he's due to be s#@% canned)
Big Trade of the Season: Sean Burke to the Colorado Avalanche

And the most important question of them all...
Will there be a NHL season in 2004-2005?
YES! The players and owners will take a page from Major League Baseball and get a freaking deal done. Hockey is the coolest game on earth, and it should stay that way for a long time to come.

GAME ON!!!

1-0 Canucks as I sign off here...Todd Bertuzzi with the lone Vancouver goal in the first period.
He made Turek look like Susie!

/ Click for main page

HE'S 245, AND LOOKS LIKE THE WATUZZI! 

IT'S CALLED THE TODD BERTUZZI, BEYOTCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

/ Click for main page

HOW ABOUT THIS GUY??? 

We've heard a lot of names come up for the vacant Mariners general manager position, but one name that has not come up yet is current Detroit Tigers president/GM Dave Dombrowski, who was the GM of the 1997 World Champion Florida Marlins.

Until today. MichiganLive.com has the story of Dombrowski possibly eyeing Seattle. Sure, some of you may think that "well, the Tigers suck, why hire this guy?" Well, if you knew baseball at all, you would know that the Tigers have sucked, dating all the way back to the days when Poison was a halfway legitimate rock band.

Dombrowski has been one of the best executives in baseball over the past decade. Look at this year's Florida Marlins ballclub. First baseman Derrek Lee was acquired from the San Diego Padres in the Kevin Brown deal. Third baseman Mike Lowell was acquired from the New York Yankees. Reliever Braden Looper, nephew of Mariners minor league big wig Benny Looper, came from St. Louis in the Edgar Renteria deal. In addition, Dombrowski drafted Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett. He was also involved in the 3-way deal last summer involving pitcher Jeff Weaver, which sent Weaver to the Yankees, pitcher Ted Lilly from the Yankees to the A's, first baseman Carlos Pena and pitcher Jeremy Bonderman from the A's to the Tigers.

Surely you would think that the situation in Seattle is much better than the situation in Detroit right about now. Don't blame Dombrowski for this year's 119-loss Tigers ballclub, that's not all his fault. Remember who his boss is: Mike $#^%&*@ Illitch.

Howard Lincoln is a saint compared to Mike Illitch when it comes to baseball. Hockey is a different story though, as Illitch owns the Detroit Red Wings.

Here's the point: Dave Dombrowski sounds a hell of a lot better than Benny Looper or Lee Pelekoudas. And if the M's want a "veteran" baseball executive, why not Dombrowski?

/ Click for main page

"HE MAKES THE GOALIES LOOK LIKE SUZIE" 

Vancouver Canuck Todd Bertuzzi is hitting the ice tonight, and apparently he was looking for a contract extension. I hope they can eventually lock him up, but the big cloud hanging over just about everything in the NHL right now is the work stoppage possibility at the end of the season. I just hope Vancouver can keep that Bertuzzi-Morrison-Naslund line together for a few more years.

Another thing about the article is that they violated just about every facet of conventional wisdom with their three-letter abbreviations of the teams' cities for tonight's game. Calgary was listed as Cal (of course, that screw us Statesiders up right away) and Vancouver was listed as Vcr (even worse). What the hell happened to good ol' "CGY" and "VAN"?

/ Click for main page

DERTING IN AND OUT OF TRAFFIC 

Yes, Wazzu's stud linebacker Will Derting blew a .11 on a breathalyzer after apparently moving some guy's truck for him; a car whose tail end was sticking out in the street. Bottom line here is, don't get into a car (even if you're just re-parking the damn thing) if you've had near that much. This and Wazzu loses a big gamebreaker if they don't have this guy.

/ Click for main page

Wednesday, October 08, 2003

LET THE WISECRACKING CONTINUE 

This page of girls volleyball and soccer scores is from the Tuesday B-town Sun.

Not gonna go too far in depth here. Just going to point out that the Olympic girls team beat the B-town Knights by a 5-0 score. But the real jewel here is...

Lauren Haas and Tawny Clark each had 2 goals and an assist for the Trojans Tuesday, who hadn't scored since Sept. 18.

"The last time we scored a goal, the Mariners were in the pennant race," said Oly coach Steve Haggerty.


Who doesn't love taking potshots at a team that doesn't meet expectations?

/ Click for main page

DUMBASS FANS 

I would expect this kind of crap to happen in Seattle, but not at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Just check out this piece of evidence right here.

Thankfully for those two dumbasses, the Cubs went on to rout the Marlins 12-3. They did get the always popular "A$$#*%@" chant, however.

And THHEEEEEEEEEEEE YANKEES LOSE! It's been a good night. Now it's time to do it again tomorrow, with another Red Sox W in the Bronx.

/ Click for main page

BOONE CALLING 

It's not exactly a revolution calling, but Mariners second baseman Bret Boone will be in the booth during the ALCS with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.

I'm just waiting for Boone to bash Bud Selig again, because you know he will find some point in time to do just that. Boone has an advantage over fellow player commentator, Mets pitcher Al Leiter. He gets to work with a solid play by play guy in Buck, while Leiter is stuck with Thom Brenneman.

I think Leiter is more suited towards the broadcast studio after this playing days, rather than calling games in the booth. Leiter has great knowledge of the game, but I think his delivery is just too soft for live action. Put him on "Baseball Tonight" and he will shine. And hey, any way to get rid of Rob Dibble is fine with me.

That being said, Steve Lyons is the worst analyst in the history of baseball. Sorry, I don't need a guy who exposed himself to the Detroit fans in 1990 telling me that it's not OK for a player to show some emotion in a playoff game. His Manny bashing continued last night during the Marlins-Cubs game, when Moises Alou hit a 2-run home run to put the Cubs ahead 3-0. Lyons said that when Alou hit his HR, he didn't have to show emotion.

Then again, Lyons didn't know what it was like to hit a home run. He only hit 19 homers in his meaningless career, which will be remembered for the fact that his pants dropped in 1990 in Tiger Stadium, therefore exposing himself to the fans. Assclown.

/ Click for main page

LATE WITH THIS 

Okay, so we haven't posted the link yet, but here's the LaRue-with-Howard-Lincoln link. Many things have been touched upon by people running a couple of the sites on the sidebar. I'll just say that if you don't believe Cirillo will be out of Seattle (or at least not playing), I'll just refer to the fact that EVEN LINCOLN is using Cirillo's name in the past tense. The guy is done here.

/ Click for main page

CONFUSION 

Linda Cohn of ESPN brought it to my attention last night, and I kinda knew it would happen all along once both of them were playing in the NL.

So for now on, I will refer to the Alex Gonzalezes by saying either Cubbie Gonzalez or Marlin Gonzalez. It's easy, it's simple, and though I don't actually have to pronounce it here in blogspace, it rolls of the tongue better.

This is probably what they should be doing on the broadcasts, as opposed to, say, slamming Manny for admiring his slump-busting home run or bringing up Buckner on every rolling grounder to Scott Hatteberg (thanks, Bill Simmons).

/ Click for main page

WHY? 

I don't know why I hadn't pulled this up sooner, but I've tapped into the resource known as the Vancouver Sun Canucks page, which will now be in the Hockey links on the sidebar.

Today's two articles are on the King-Sedin-Sedin line (they're "clicking" and that's good) and some lineup scoops and tidbits.

GAME ON!!!

/ Click for main page

I DEFINITELY SAW THIS COMING 

After hearing David Locke and Elise Woodward mercilessly rip ABC every Monday night when they saw Lisa Guerrero on the screen, it was no surprise that this David Locke column made it into the P-I.

/ Click for main page

JERSEYS 

The last time I've seen NHL teams wear their road jerseys at home was back during the 1991-1992 season. It was weird then, and it's weird now, especially since this is a "permanent" move.

As for the Calgary Flames new tops, I hate them with a passion. A BLACK C???? Come on. That's almost as bad as the Edmonton Oilers 3rd jerseys (yes, a lot of people bought those things, but still...).

But HOCKEY IS TONIGHT!!! However, I'll be watching both LCS games. It shouldn't be that way though. Some people will get screwed tonight, because there are still cable systems that don't carry FX. Luckily for me, I get FX.

What is so wrong with starting one of these games in the DAY TIME? I mean, is there anything wrong with having a LCS game during the DAY at Wrigley??? I don't think so. But that's the way it goes.

David, I think the world would cease to exist if the pathetic fanbase of South Florida gets another World Series. But that likely won't happen. I still see the Cubs taking this in six games. We can only hope that happens.

/ Click for main page

DUDE LOOKS LIKE A LADY 

David, that "woman" is none other than Leslie Maxie, formerly of Fox Sports Net. I think ESPN2 is trying to attract the WNBA fans to this show, so that's why they hired "her". I've always thought the same way about Maxie, going back to her FSN days.

As for Rich Eisen, the thought of hosting "Cold Pizza" went out the window once he left Bristol. He's now going to be one of the main guys for the new NFL Network, scheduled to debut November 4. Will I get it? No. Remember, my cable system has TWO BET channels and NO Comedy Central. So I don't expect the NFL Network coming here anytime soon.

Kit Hoover is a cutie though...but is it enough for me to watch "Cold Pizza" on a daily basis? I doubt it.

/ Click for main page

Tuesday, October 07, 2003

WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS?? 

Some dimwit in the NHL offices came up with the stupid idea that the teams should flip their home and away sweaters. I don't like this. This is dumb. This will screw me up for weeks when I watch hockey highlights or NHL 2Night or whatever. Home team has worn white tops for as long as I can remember. Now it's flipped around. Do you know how screwed-up I'd be if suddenly baseball decided to wear their gray uniforms AT HOME?? I'd wonder if the world would cease to exist.

In a related note, here's the new Calgary Flames home tops. Again, I hate this whole dark-tops-at-home deal. It sucks.

And tied to Jeremy's last post, I've seen some of Kit Hoover's work. Two words: prominent cheekbones. About the last scene in the commercial where the cast of four is shown: the black woman (third from right) looks more like a dude. That's just an honest assertion. She looks like a dude, what more can I say?

And I heard a long while ago that Rich Eisen was supposed to be involved in this Cold Pizza thing. Guess there was another contract fallout or something.

/ Click for main page

HOT PIZZA GOOD! COLD PIZZA BAD! 

The new ESPN2 TV show, set to debut October 20, that is.

From TV Barn:
* New York's WXRK radio personality Cane will bring What's Pumping? to the Cold Pizza set each Tuesday - a report on new music, new bands and what's playing in sports clubhouses.

Sounds like a cool segment. But then I read who's doing it. It's Cane, the no-talent hack who once hosted VH1's "Rock Show", horribly I might add. Arrgggggh!

Jay Crawford and Kit Hoover are the hosts of "Cold Pizza", which will air every weekday morning from 7 to 9 a.m. ET (4-6 Pacific, 6-8 Central). It will re-air at 7-9 Pacific and 8-10 Central. Hoover was once a Road Rules contestant and was a host on Fox News "The Pulse". I did my research, so it's not like I had actually watched those shows. I have no clue who Crawford is, however.

There's more info in the TV Barn link above, so I won't give it all away. But whatever happens, it is a fact that ESPN/ESPN 2 is willing to put ANYTHING on the air. Maybe "Cold Pizza" will die a quick death. But I seriously doubt it. Remember, this is the same network that airs "Playmakers" and loves to replay "The Junction Boys" every freaking 2 weeks.

I can only stand hearing Tom Berenger saying "we're gonna work now!" so many times.

So there you go, a little bit of info on the soon to be short lived TV show, "Cold Pizza".

/ Click for main page

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES PICKS 

National League Championship Series
Florida Marlins vs Chicago Cubs


CUBS IN SIX

I may have went to school with Dontrelle Willis, but the fans of South Florida don't deserve to see another World Series in this lifetime. The Marlins playing in two World Series in their 11 years of existence while the Cubs haven't won one in 95 years? That's not right.

The Cubs simply have the better ballclub. I like the Marlins, with their young and exciting players. But Mark Prior and Kerry Wood are on a mission right now. And quite frankly, the Cubs fans have suffered long enough.

NLCS MVP: Eric Karros, Chicago first baseman

American League Championship Series
Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees


RED SOX IN SEVEN

Same with the Cubs fans, the Red Sox fans have suffered long enough. This Yankee ballclub is not World Championship-material, compared with the previous Yankee teams of the past decade.

This is just one of those years where you should expect the unexpected, so take the Sox in seven over the Yanks. The Sox bullpen has been bashed all year long, but I think they will take it up another notch in the ALCS.

ALCS MVP: Kevin "No Longer Emerson Hart" Millar, Boston first baseman

First pitch of the NLCS in about an hour...enjoy.

/ Click for main page

PACK IT 

Today, Miguel Tejada was packing up his belongings, saying goodbye to The Black Hole, aka Oakland.

This winter, he'll say hello to Seattle. Why the hell not? His whining after Game 5 be damned, he's a solid ballplayer. And I'm tired of seeing Tejada step it up in the clutch for OAKLAND...it's time he does that for another team...like the Seattle Mariners.

/ Click for main page

NONE BETTER 

Is there any better way to celebrate the Oakland A's choking in the first round for four years in a row than taking a gander at a couple of Oakland-area articles? For this assessment, I looked at the Contra Costa Times. Now, the thoughts of Gary Peterson and Rick Hurd. Enjoy!

/ Click for main page

SORRY 

Maybe somewhere on the 'net there's photos of Derek Lowe making the "obscene gesture," but the best I could do was this, which I think it right after or right before it "happened." I don't think there was an obscene gesture, and if so, it's not like Miguel Tejada's kid couldn't have turned on some pro wrestling and seen even worse. Remember Degeneration X? They had something like what Lowe MAY HAVE done, but with TWO hands, which is much more straightforward and would drive Tejada through the roof.

/ Click for main page

HUDSON AND ZITO 

After seeing these pictures, three thoughts come to mind:

--Barry Zito's beard is just wrong on so many levels

--I would hope that Tim Hudson could find better looking women than those three chicks. In a somewhat related note, we need pics of Kerry Wood's wife. Dammmmn.

--Zito is already warming up for the Dashboard Confessional winter tour.

HERE ARE YOUR CHOAKLAND A'S, THEY JUST CHOKED THEIR ASS AGAIN!!!

/ Click for main page

Monday, October 06, 2003

CHRIS TERRY IS BACK 

The suspension is over, because I saw number 72 in Kirkland on the NW Sports Report. Provided he hasn't been sitting on his butt the whole time, this should greatly help the offensive line, and in turn, the offense as a whole. Granted, it'll take more than that for the offense to shake the "efficient" tag, but hey, it's something.

/ Click for main page

IS THAT A PENALTY? 

It's fun to see Peyton Manning lose, but it was fun tonight to see Tony Dungy get the better of his old team tonight.

But that penalty called on Simeon Rice -- the unsportsmanlike conduct for jumping onto another player to get a piece of the field goal attempt -- looked a little sketchy. I didn't know that penalty existed.

But anyway, it negated Vanderjagt's first attempt, which would have been a miss. The second attempt had a crappy snap and a not-much-better hold, and Vanderjagt put up a wobbler that went off the inside of the upright and went in. Good stuff. The Colts rally from 21 down in the 4th quarter to win the frigging game. Amazing.

/ Click for main page

CANUCKS PUCKS COMING SOON... 

Most of the NHL starts on Wednesday on a TV with ESPN near you. The Canucks start on Thursday and play again on Saturday, both games (home games) televised over Comcast in western Washington over the CBC channel with the Hockey Night in Canada crew. Ron McLean will still be there and Don Cherry will STILL be nuts.

Thu: v. Calgary
Sat: v. Edmonton

The Canucks lost Trevor Letowski and Trent Klatt, but did get Magnus Arvedson and Ken Klee. They also got the Moose, Johan Hedberg to give Dan Cloutier a kick in the butt for the goalie job because frankly, Cloutier needs it.

As for the scoring, most of the guys are there. Naslund, Bertuzzi, Morrison. The Sedin twins. Mattias Ohlund and Ed Jovanovski hold down the blue line.

Hopefully my computer wave audio sorts itself out, and hopefully NHL.com is still streaming out game audio for free, because I want the CKNW-98 feed of the Canucks games. And I WANT the direct link from the radio booth to the PA guy when the penalties are announced -- "Edmonton penalty on number 94 Ryan Smyth for hooking, Smyth for hooking at 14:27."

Hockey. The coolest game on earth. Or at least it will be until the impending postseason labor dispute which will happen about ten months from now.

/ Click for main page

GRAMATICA GOT BLOCKED!!! 

Oh man, every time he misses or any time he gets blocked...pure hilarity ensues. It's great.

/ Click for main page

A FEW MORE NOTES ABOUT CHOAKLAND... 

--To that "fan" who got thrown out of the Oakland Coliseum after taunting David Ortiz and Damian Jackson in the 7th inning, VISORS ARE GAY!!!!!!!

--Barry Zito can now take his serial rapist beard and become the biggest Dashboard Confessional groupie ever this offseason.

--Ken Macha is a moron...and he may be even worse than Bob Melvin.

--START THE MIGUEL TEJADA BANDWAGON TO SEATTLE!!! WHY THE HELL NOT?

--Did I mention visors are gay? Andy Roddick realized this, thanks to Brad Gilbert, and he won the U.S. Open. Coincidence? I think not.

The cities of Boston and Chicago are two kegs just waiting to be tapped. A Red Sox/Cubs World Series would be reaching way over the insanity line.

And quite frankly, that's not a problem with me. It shouldn't be for you either.

/ Click for main page

HERE ARE YOUR CHOAKLAND A'S, THEY JUST DID IT AGAIN!!! 

Well Choakland, at least you can look forward to Nick Van Exel and 25 Golden State Warrior victories...

Seriously though, this is funny as hell. I don't give a crap if the A's won 3 out of the last 4 A.L. West Titles. That means JACK right now, the same with the M's 116 wins of 2001. They have NEVER won a playoff series with this group. That's saying something.

And the Fox crew sucks royally. Thom Brenneman and Steve Lyons are horrible. When Manny Ramirez hit that 3-run home run in the 6th inning, they were bashing him because of his "showboating". PLEASE! Give the guy a break! This is the PLAYOFFS...and dammit, go ahead and sue Manny Ramirez if he shows just a bit of emotion. Good for Manny and the Red Sox Nation. Manny is a big time player, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

Now it's a classic ALCS matchup with the Red Sox and Yankees. Early prediction here? Red Sox in seven. Why the hell not? And the Cubs will beat the Marlins in six.

Red Sox/Cubs World Series...again, WHY THE HELL NOT?

/ Click for main page

HELL YEAH!!! A'S LOSE!!! 

What else can I say? The A's have lost 9 games in a row in which they could have won the series. They've been one game away NINE DAMN TIMES.

Now the wet blanket note. Grady Little couldn't manage his way out of a paper bag. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and one out, he didn't walk the next batter. If he did, he's got a double play situation with Derek Lowe (ground ball pitcher) on the mound. Makes sense, doesn't it? Walk the guy, ground ball ends the game. Simple. Though this is a tossup move, when T-Long came up, conventional wisdom (though not always right) says to bring in Sauerbeck (lefty) to face Long (lefty). That said, Lowe has been a starter and can get hitters out at both sides of the plate.

Anyway...CHOKELAND, BABY!!!

/ Click for main page

UGHH... 

One run lead. Bottom of the 9th. Scott Williamson walks the first two guys. I hate myself. If I were a Red Sox fan, I'd hate myself even more. This is Ayala-esque. In comes D-Lowe. Hope Chokeland is, well, Chokeland.

/ Click for main page

CRUISER 

You know, these moments on the Monday 6 ET ESPN SportsCenter where Stu Scott talks with John Madden for the Monday Night Football preview have to be the weirdest on-screen chemistry moments in other than the chem-free duo of Conan O'Brien and Max Weinberg. It's just weird. Reeeally weird.

/ Click for main page

HALF-ASS BASEBALL POST 

Well, the one thing that didn't go right yesterday was that the Yankees won. In an ideal situation, the Yankees would have lost to the Twins and the A's would lose to the Red Sox. The end result of that would have been that both Giambi AND the Oakland A's would have been ousted in the first round of the playoffs FOUR YEARS IN A ROW. I hope the A's get the ax tonight. I don't want the A's to have anything over what the Mariners have had in the postseason (though they have been there more lately). I also hope the A's lose because the Red Sox are gonna give the Yankees a hell of a better run than the A's. Without Hudson, the A's are going to have to throw something like (not in order) Zito, Harden, Sparks, and Halama (good, puke, puke, and puke) (ed.: I forgot about Lilly, sorry) up against Clemens, Wells, Pettitte, and Mussina (again, not in order). In sum, if the A's win tonight, just skip the pageantry and give the Yanks the AL pennant and put them in the damn World Series. I guarantee if this Hudson injury knocked him out for a prolonged time in the regular season, the A's STILL would have ripped a huge streak and buried the Mariners.

And what's up with this umpiring lately? The A's and Sox had some weird calls the other day on interference calls, and of course, Bobby Valentine was ripping the rule book a new one on Baseball Tonight, even recalling a situation in which one of his Mets was screwed on the basepaths in the 2000 WS. Last night, there was the play where Lofton clearly caught the damn ball and should have had a triple play out of it. Even after that, they called a trap and still managed to make it weird. For some reason, I convinced myself that should have still been a double play. But I'm weird, so whatever.

/ Click for main page

HALF-ASS SEAHAWKS POST 

Well, I kinda had a bad feeling about this game. Jeremy felt bad about it because the Seahawks historically suck after the bye week for whatever reason. Not knowing this, I felt bad after Shaun Alexander broke off two great runs on the first drive and fumbled on the third run. From there, it was a Packers field day.

The Packers offense ran circles around the Hawks defense all day. Favre had all day to throw. Barely any passes were broken up, as people were wide open. To rub it in, Ahman Green also ran wild.

Let's look at the Packers drive chart, shall we?

First possession of the game resulted in a punt.

Second possession was after the Alexander fumble, from the GB 49. Result: TD pass, Favre to Driver, 34 yards. Five-play drive.

Third possession took the final 5:24 of the first quarter and the first couple minutes of the second quarter, from the GB 34. Result: Ahman Green rushing touchdown. 13 plays.

Fourth possession from the GB 32. Result: Ahman Green rushing touchdown again. 9 plays.

Fifth possession (3rd qtr now) from the GB 47 (after a brutal Hawk possession and Rouen punt). Todd Fisher with a running TD out of the shotgun. Eight plays.

Sixth possession from the GB 44. Result: TD pass, Favre to Henderson. 9 plays.

Guess what? That is FIVE possessions in a row ENDING IN TOUCHDOWNS. There was NO DEFENSE AT ALL being played here. The Seahawks stopped the Packers first drive in the first quarter, which ended with the punt with 13:06 left in the first quarter. The Packers scored every time they had the ball until THE 7:57 MARK OF THE 4TH QUARTER. That's SICK and that's WRONG. To do some quick math there, THE SEAHAWKS WENT 50:09 WITHOUT A DEFENSIVE STOP.

And what does that leave me with? This: they've gotta just shake it off. Favre had a great day and everything went right for him. He's pissed, and I would be too if my team lost to Arizona two weeks ago. But as we've brought up, Jeff Garcia next week won't play like Favre did this week, and the 49ers are nowhere near as good as the Pack. That said, they have to find a way to make sure they cover up all the weaknesses they showed, because other teams are going to dissect the hell out of the game film. Thanks to Clare Farnsworth of the P-I for that.

Anyway, don't look down until the Hawks get past this week in the schedule and then start losing to the crappy teams. Then the Hawk faithful would have reason to worry.

One last thing about the Hawk offense, though it's moot considering the score: on the Hawks' third possession (2nd qtr) they were in the red zone on the 11 and had a fresh set of downs. They ran Strong for one yard and Hass threw incomplete twice to Darrell Jackson. Where the hell was Shaun Alexander?? I couldn't help but wonder that at that point in the game, though like I said, it wouldn't matter at all later.

/ Click for main page

PDX 

The U.S. Women's World Cup Soccer team lost in PGE Park in Portland, home of the AAA Portland Beavers. That's right, THE PGE Park. David and I have been to PGE Park for two ballgames, both involving the Tacoma Rainiers, the Mariners AAA affiliate. The teams split the two games we went to (June 2001 and July 2002).

As always, Portland 1, Seattle 0.

/ Click for main page

Sunday, October 05, 2003

HOPE YOU CAUGHT THE FEVER ALREADY 

Yes, that's right. I'm talkin' 'bout the US Women's World Cup Soccer team. I hope all of you rode the wave of the better national soccer team (let's face it, the US men's team sucks), because it's over. Germany shut out the US team by a score of 3-nil in the final World Cup game for Mia Hamm (Garciaparra). Germany will play Sweden or Canada in the final.

/ Click for main page

DAN SNYDER DEAD AT 25 

Atlanta Thrashers forward Dan Snyder has died from injuries suffered in a car accident this past week with teammate Dany Heatley.

Condolences to his family, friends, teammates, and everyone involved in the Thrashers organization. Unfortunately, this means that Heatley will likely face increased charges, since Snyder is now deceased.

This is not what the National Hockey League needs right now. Unfortunately, the city of Atlanta probably doesn't even know who Snyder or Heatley are.

RIP, Dan.

/ Click for main page

CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN! 

The Chicago Cubs have won a playoff series in this lifetime. Book that.

The Cubs beat the Braves, 5-1, thanks to Kerry Wood's 8 dominating innings of shutout baseball (yes, that 1 run was a B.S. run, thanks to that questionable call in the 6th inning).

I'm watching the WGN coverage of the Cubs victory and my God, I'm happy as hell for the Cubs fans. I don't think I've ever felt that good about an opposing team's fans in my life.

Actual quote from one Cubs fan that was at Turner Field tonight, interviewed by WGN:
"I'm going to go make me some kids tonight, so I can tell them about this!"

By the way, there were at least 20,000 Cubs fans in Atlanta tonight. Again, Atlanta doesn't prove me wrong. Atlanta is the worst sports town in America. This can defintely not be argued anymore after this week.

But congrats to the Cubs on their NLDS victory over the Braves.

Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.
My goodness, this is going to be FUN with a capital F.

Chicago looks like it's a great place to be right about now. You see this Mariner ownership? Playoff baseball is FUN. It gives the people something to be excited about! Screw your bottom lines.....WINNING is what it's all about.

/ Click for main page

BACK TO EARTH 

This is all you need to know about the Seahawks 35-13 loss to the Packers today in Green Bay.

I can't wait for next Sunday night's game against the 49ers, and you can only hope that the defense won't be as terrible as they were today.

/ Click for main page

WELL, I'M SORT OF RIGHT HERE... 

From last Monday (9/29)
American League Division Series
BOSTON d. OAKLAND in 5 games
--Keith Foulke's magic will run out in Game 5 when he serves up a meatball to Red Sox MVP David Ortiz. Remember last year, when Billy Koch coughed up the ALDS for the A's in Game 5 to the Twins? Don't be shocked to see it happen again, this time to Foulke.


Well, Keith Foulke gave up a game winning hit to David Ortiz. But it was in Game 4 and it was a DOUBLE, not a home run.

However, I think this could be the straw that breaks Oakland's back. Pedro's going for Boston tomorrow (5 Pacific, 7 Central, 8 Eastern on FOX) and I just have a feeling that the Red Sox can't lose this series now. The A's have had so many opportunities in this series, and have not capitalized on them.

Could it be "Choakland" once again? I guess we'll find out tomorrow...

/ Click for main page

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Click for Sports and B's 

home page