Rockets, Texans, Astros

Rockets Can't Win If They Don't Show Up

2008-04-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

Too often in the last few years the Rockets have failed to show up in big games (see Houston-Dallas Game 7 2005 playoffs). This past Sunday night in Denver was just another example of that. Sure they could use excuses, there are tons of those...Yao's foot, Battier being injured, McGrady's shoulder. Those will not however buy anything but a first round exit. The player who most needs to step it up is McGrady. His play on Sunday was dismal. For a year of huge expectations-- a year in which John Hollinger predicted a championship, nothing of the sort will come. Yet there is still a very real chance that this team can get to the second round.

Battier's return will help and as will a healthy Rafer Alston. But to beat Utah, Rick Adelman must find a way to prevent McGrady from becoming a jump shooter. The past two years have shown us that McGrady is not a particularly strong shooter and is best when driving to the basket. He must also be willing to pull Rafer if his shot is not going. Rafer has provided good stability at the point guard position but too often he forces bad shots. If this is the case Aaron Brooks should be given a chance or Bobby Jackson.

Tommorow they play Utah. It will be interesting to see if the Rockets play this like a playoff game or opt to take another night off. Still a win or loss should be taken with a grain of salt as both teams will likely be saving their best plays for a week from now. But one thing is clear as the season closes out is that they will only go as far as Adelman's brain will take them.

Current State of the Houston Astros

2007-08-04T20:07:00.001-07:00

Tim Purpura will likely not have a job at the end of this year. Not because of the disastrous Jason Jennings for Willy Taveras trade; not because it took him months to call Hunter Pence to the majors; and certainly not because he was unable to convince Roger Clemens to stay. Certainly those things of their own accord are damning. The real issue comes down to wins and losses. By that regard this season has been a dismal failure with the Astros struggling to keep ahead of the Reds for last place in the NL Central.

Of bigger concern to the fans though is the lack of a plan. The Astros cannot go far if their strategy is to sign and trade for expensive veterans at a cost of starving its already weak farm system. The Astros have not drafted well this decade and this past year had to wait until the 3rd round to make a selection because of the Carlos Lee signing. Their former strength- scouting in Venezuela now churns out mediocre prospects ala' Wandy Rodriguez who in recent months has been exposed as what he really is- a fifth starter at best. Furthermore they have been weakened by trading pitching prospects like Jason Hirsch. Hirsch certainly would've been cheaper and he has twice the number of wins as Jennings.

That being said this ship can be salvaged. But it requires Purpura or far more likely the new GM to admit that the team is in the rebuilding process or commit to spending in excess of $110 million as that would seemingly be what it would cost to bring in expensive vets. Being that owner Drayton McClane is conscientious as to his bottom line, he would likely lean towards the former. Still that requires making better first round picks than players like Chris Burke (all due respect) and Brian Bogusevic. It also means they need to revamp their foreign scouting by building more baseball academys in existing countries while creating new ones in untapped places like in Asia. More than likely such a rebuilding effort will likely waste the primes of Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt, and Carlos Lee. But who knows? Given the weak NL Central and the rise of Hunter Pence perhaps the Astros could see the post season -- next year (sorry Tim).

Innovation is the Mother of Necessity

2006-04-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

As you may know by now, Yao Ming is done for the year and will join Tracy McGrady at the end of the bench in a suit and tie. This comes as nothing of a surprise in this nightmare of a season. However, Yao has been the lone brightspot this season, breaking out into the upper pantheon of NBA players; a move that snuck up on so many people that not even Jack Bauer could pull it off.

If nothing else this season has been a learning experience. Or, as the Dad in "Calvin and Hobbes" always said, "it builds character." The underachievers such as Rafer Alston and Stromile Swift have a lot to think about this offseason. They need to understand that winning takes a lot more than making excuses after every loss.

Of course the other thing everyone is talking about is the new General Manager the Rockets are brining in next season. Daryl Morey is leaving the Boston organization to come to Houston as Carrol Dawson's protege. After 2007, Dawson will step down and leave Morey in charge.

This is interesting mainly because it's an example of thinking outside the box. Morey, and MIT grad, is known for this use of statistical analysis when making decisions. In other words, he could very well become the NBA version of Billy Beane. Beane, who is a big fan of SABRmetrics, has done an amazing job of keeping Oakland competitive while having amongst the league's lowest payrolls as recorded in the best-seller "Money Ball." His detractors might say that his team's routinely fail in the playoffs. Fair enough, but many think Oakland might be the favorite to win it all this year.

While Morey will certainly be hindered by the large contracts of McGrady and Yao, he should and must be able to make better draft selections, something Dawson has failed to do in the last few years, thus depriving the team of needed role players (sorry Ryan Bowen).

In short, no one likes what happened this year. But as long and Yao and McGrady are still around, this team will always be able to compete. You can rest easy now and put your Rocket's jersey in the attic. It's time to take out your Astros' cap and leave it on for a long and fun summer ahead.

Ye Olde East- The NL and AL East

2006-04-02T14:33:00.000-07:00

AL East:
New York Yankees:
I'm going to second guess myself a lot on this pick. People like Peter Gammons have full faith that the Yankees will win the World Series. And maybe they will. But to say that this is a "deep rotation" is a lie. Mike Mussina is a decent number 2 and hes does eat innings, but he's not considered an "ace" anymore. I'm afraid of the Big Unit as much as anyone else, but at 42 is he really still able to man this staff and hold under the imense pressure of the NY spotlight? Last year his velocity was down and it showed as his E.R.A for most of the year was over 4.00. Chien-Ming Wang was actually the best pitcher they had last year, but he's not particularly overpowering and relies on hitting his spots; not to mention his arm is sketchy. Carl Pavano gets paid like a #1 guy, but last year he was downright awful. The Yankees need him to stay healthy for the year and give them 200 innings. Jaret Wright, who has seemingly been around forever yet has accomplished nothing, is essentially going to keep pitching until the moment his arm falls off (not kidding, that's what he said). So essentially there are lots of old geezers and unproven or underachieving young guys and I'm supposed to be impresssed? The bullpen is much more stable than last year as they brought in 2 proven closers in Kyle Farnsworth and former Astro Octavio Dotel to build the bridge for Mariano Rivera in the 9th. Now, no Yankee offseason would be complete without adding a big bat to the lineup, and this year is no exception as they added Johnny Damon to be the leadoff guy. However at 32 and clearly on a defensive decline this 5 year deal appears to be another case of overpaying. Still if he hits around .310 and stays healthy, he should improve on his power numbers this year. As for Jeter, A-Rod, and Matsui.....well you know what you're getting from those guys. The question is whether Jason Giambi can continue to build on what he accomplished at the end of last year. At 35, its hard to imagine he will. Robinson Cano is now batting 8th and is legitimately one of the few young players who has proven he belongs. Also he's earning league minimum so that helps.
Bottom line: I just can't see them winning it all with that pitching squad. It's sketchier than O.J. going out to find "the real killer." Playoffs are a given though. Don't rule out a trade.

2. Toronto Blue Jays:
Again, I'm going to second guess myself here. But hear me out. The Blue Jays added $110 million in guaranteed salaries over the next few years. Sure its not in the Yankees ballpark, but the Blue Jays have taken huge steps towards becoming a contender. They're envisioning a deadly #1 and #2 combo in Roy Halladay and A.J. Burnett. Burnett might be overpaid at $10 million a year, but considering his potential it's a good risk to take. His stuff has never been questioned, it's the control that has been lacking. Also of concern is his arm which has been acting up during spring training. Halladay, the 2003 Cy Young, is quite possibly the best pitcher in baseball right now. If he hadn't been hit in the leg by a linedrive last year, he would've no doubt won the Cy Young, and possibly lead the Blue Jays to the post season. Instead he's had a chance to rest his arm, and come out better than ever. The other pitchers like Gustavo Chacin and Ted Lilly are nice pieces, but their main job is just to eat innings at this point. B.J. Ryan got huge dollars to be the new closer. With a mid-90's fastball and the fact that he's a lefty, its probably the smartest investment made this offseason. Troy Glaus is going to be the new 3rd baseman. His defense might make others cringe but the 50 HR potential certainly is nothing to scoff at. The key is whether Vernon Wells is content to be a fringe All-Star or if he will be this year's Andruw Jones. They added Lyle Overbay and they're hoping that Alex Rios can drive in some runs, but those are huge question marks.
Bottom line: If I'm to be right, the pitchers need to stay healthy all year. Otherwise this is going to look like a bad prediction (not unlike me picking the Jets to win the AFC East).

3. Boston Red Sox:
Theo, Manny, Schilling, Foulke....where does the controversy end? To people outside Boston and New York, people only question why on earth these events are magnified to the extent they are. Anyhow, the Red Sox certainly are an interesting story this year (just not THE story). They kept the offense for the most part the same, built on the pillars that are Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. 80 combined HRs and 220 RBIs are a given. But they're expecting Coco Crisp to replace what Johnny Damon did on offense. Crisp has been said to be sensitive and that if he plays well he'll flourish in the spotlight, but if he struggles, well, it could be a nightmare. Replacing error machine Edgar Renteria is Alex Gonzalez, who plays Gold Glove defense but can't hit a lick. Mark Loretta came in to play 2nd, but he's supposedely only a stop gap for Dustin Peoria. Mike Lowell was an incredibly expensive throwin in the Josh Beckett deal. He has been unable to hit the ball since 2004 and at some point the Red Sox will question whether his Gold Glove is worth it. Varitek remains a rock behind the plate, and should be able to continue his hitting ways, though his numbers always decline in the 2nd half. The pitching was bolstered greatly by adding Josh Beckett. He will be the #1 this year and is a proven World Series MVP. Curt Schilling is yet again a mystery. If he's throwing in the high 80's there will be problems. But if he's regained his low to mid 90's form, everything should be okay. Matt Clement and Tim Wakefield are good at what they do-- eat innings. But the trade of Bronson Arroyo indicates they're going to call up someone, possibly lefty Jon Lester (who Theo refused to trade). John Papelbon was their best 2nd half pitcher last year and should be a force from the bullpen . Craig Hansen, the best closer in last year's draft should be ready at a minute's notice should Keith Foulke completely fall apart, though Mike Timlin could regain that role.
Bottom line: Lots to be confident about. Good minor league system could help gain useful players for playoffs. Oh and they have the real MVP in David Ortiz. But holes in rotation and lineup will be demise down the stretch.

4. Tampa Bay Devil Rays:
Let's get this straight. The Devil Rays are not a bad team. A lot of people agree that if they were in the NL, they might contend to win it. But that's not the case. It's like being winning Miss Kentucky and then getting killed at the Miss Universe pagaent. It's not your fault, you're still good looking. You're just out of your league. The Devil Rays most important move was internally, where they got a new owner and installed a new co-GM system. Wallstreet genius Andrew Friedman and the builder of the current Astros team Gerry Hunsicker are now in charge of how the team develops its players. The provious ownership and GM rubbed the local community the wrong way and handled elite talent badly (more on this later). The pitching is led by Houston native Scott Kazmir who at age 21 pitched 200 innings and held an E.R.A under 4. Not bad at all. He has been praised by all as a great talent. If we ignore his spring training (I have to, he's on my fantasy team), he could post similiar numbers, if not better. The rest of the pitching is very bad. Seth McClung? Doug Waetcher? Wow! The minors are loaded with talent, but not so much at the pitching level. Rice giant Jeff Nieman could be a call away, but his arm is sketchy. Jason Hammel could also be of help soon. The bats and speed are what make the Devil Rays dangerous. Another Houston native superstar in the making is Carl Crawford. He hits .300, 15 HRS, and 80 RBIs. Oh and he added 46 steals. His power should improve and he might get an MVP vote here or there. Johnny Gomes and Jorge Cantu were surprise breakout players last year. Cantu in particular, who hit .286, 28 HRs, and 117 RBIs. Astros castaway Julio Lugo hit .295 and added 39 steals. Rocco Baldelli and Joey Gathright round out a talented OF. Overall this team has some great offesive talent and the minors are ready to help. Delmon Young is the best prospect in baseball hands down. The previous ownership failed to call him up last September, infuriating him. Why on earth would you piss off the next Ken Griffey Jr? Other talent include the crazy but athletically gifted Elijah Dukes and Wes Bankston.
Bottom line: All rests on Delmon Young, who was even a feature at the NY Times.

5. Baltimore Orioles:
Gone is Rafael Palmeiro and his B-12 shots. Gone is Sammy Sosa and his gripping. What's left is not much to look at. They might be a happier bunch, but they won't win as many games as last year. Brave's pitching coach guru, Leo Mazzone, jumped ship to Baltimore and has been proven to lower E.R.A.s on average by half a point. Not bad. Daniel Cabrera and Erik Bedard could break out as a result. But other than that.....well did I mention Palmeiro is gone? The offense is carried by Miguel Tejada and last year's 1st half MVP Brian Roberts. But after that...Jay Gibbons? Eric Byrnes? They believe Javy Lopez can regain his 30 HR potential.....really? On the plus side stud prospect Nick Markakis beat out the poster boy for stud prospect Corey Patterson for the CF job, and most think Markakis is on the short list for Rookie of the Year. Kris Benson is a wild card. If he's pissed he could have a breakout year. Otherwise he'll need to go out and find another stripper wife.
Bottom line: Palmeiro is gone! Oh and they have possibly the nicest looking ballpark.

NL East:
1. Atlanta Braves:
Until they don't win the division, I'm not betting against them. Bobby Cox might've lost his right hand guy in Leo Mazzone (as well as his marbles as witnessed in the NLCS vs. the Astros), but Cox still knows how to use what's given to him and make the best of it...and then he will undoutbaly lose in the 1st or 2nd round of the playoffs. Seriously though, with Andruw and Chipper Jones manning the middle of the order, the Braves will have enough power to win through most of the season. Last year's breakout guy, Jeff Francouer, hit for power and average last year and led the league in defensive assists despite not playing even half a season. His weakness is that it took 139 at bats for him to get a walk. Not that it's neccesarily a bad thing...Vladimir Guerrero is the same way....it's just that he's Vladimir Guerrero and Francouer is not. Cox time and time again used young players to help his team out. There is no better example than Brian McCann (he married his high school gym teacher....weird). As a rookie catcher, Ace John Smoltz made him his personal catcher. McCann faired well on offense and defense, even hitting a giant HR off Roger Clemens in the playoffs. The pitching should again be solid. Smoltz and Tim Hudson are about as good as any other #1 and #2 duo. Even without Mike Hampton for the 2nd year in a row (at a cost of $13.5 million a year!) they have depth with Kyle Davies, Horacio Ramirez, and Jorge Sosa. The only question is who will close. Chris Reitsma has the job for now, but last year's 1st rounder, Joey Devine could easily have the job.
Bottom line: If only they had an enthusiastic ownership or fanbase. P.S. fanbase....please no more tomahawk chop....please.

2. New York Mets:
Ah the Metropolitans. Baseball Prospectus says it best, stating that just like you can't fight a war on two fronts, so can't the Mets fight the Braves in their own division, and the Yankees within their own state. So the Mets stuck to their philosophy of signing or trading for overpaid Hispanic players. Carlos Delgado is a good hitter but at 33 is on the downswing, and could barely play first base last year. There is a traitor manning center field by an unknown name....he earns some $17 million a year for an impressive 16 HRs, 78 RBIs, 17 steals, and a .266 average. What a bargain! The only two reasons the Mets were competitive last year (no this is not an Anna Benson joke) was because of Cliff Floyd and 23 year old super star David Wright. Wright, who is unfairly compared to the other NY 3rd baseman (you know because Wright can actually hit when it matters), hit .306 with 27 HRs and 102 RBIs and 17 steals in a pitcher's ballpark. Wright replaced Mike Piazza as the team's best player and should continue to improve. Jose Reyes is a nightmare on the basepaths (60 steals). Too bad he can only get on base 30% of the time. Pedro Martinez was for the most part worth his salary, although his constant injury concerns have to worry the Mets. Tom Glavine will continue his painful quest towards 300 wins, though he does eat innings. Aaron Heilman and Victor Zambrano are what they are....mediocre at best. Oh but they added 47 year old hitter Julio Franco with a 2 year deal. Now I understand why they're going to win the division. It's so obvious! Points for getting Billy Wagner to close....at just $10 million a year!
Bottom line: Time and time again it's been said. Pitching, pitching, pitching. This team has almost none of it. And the Braves have a surplus. So sad for Jerry Seinfeld and Jon Stewart.

3. Philidelphia Phillies:
Here's another team who's fanbase overrates them. Yes, they came within a game of winning the wild card. Here's a tip: TRY BEATING THE ASTROS FOR THE 1ST TIME SINCE 2003 AND THEN START BRAGGING. That's right. The Astros have not lost to these schmucks since 2003, that's 13-0. The Phillies, much like the Mets seem to think pitching is optional. Am I supposed to be afraid of Jon Lieber, Corey Liddle, and Bret Myers (who purposely broke Morgan Ensberg's hand down the stretch....what a #@$$). Oh and they have Tom Gordon closing. Scary stuff. Really. To be fair new GM Gillick is probably trying to make a move, but until he does this pitching squad is awful. After trading Jim Thome, they aquired Aaron Rowland to man CF. Oh and they had to pay to get Thome off their hands. Now at 1st is Ryan Howard, the ROY, who could win MVP with his HR potential (50+?). 2B Chase Utley is the key as he hit .291, 28 HRs, 105 RBIs, and 16 steals. SS Jimmy Rollins who is trying to break Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak (he currently has 36). Rollins has speed and talent, but isn't much for hitting for average. 10 more hits if he's lucky. Bobby Abreau who can still be a 30/30 guy is most likely to be traded as he is 32, but he is still a deadly hitter. Pat Burrell hit 30+ HRs for the first time in a while but has failed to live up to the #1 overall pick's billing.
Bottom line: With their scary pitching, they're going places. Like to the morgue.

4. Washington Nationals:
Lots of hype and commotion from the start of last year have failed to carry over to this year. Alfonso Soriano was supposed to help the offense, not whine and complain when he couldn't play 2B. The guy makes so many errors its a miracle he could still play the position. Considering he's playing at RFK, aka hitter's hell, he'll be lucky to hit 20 HRs, though 30 steals are still possible. Jose Vidro will instead play 2B and if last year is any indicator, his offense is declining quickly. Nick Johnson is a decent singles hitter. The lone bright spot offensively is 3B Ryan Zimmerman, who many think is the next Scott Rolen is terms of power and defense. He hit .397 in 50 at bats last year, and has enough power to hit 30 HRs someday. Impressive for guy who was the 3rd pick in the 2005 draft and spent just a month in the minors. Pitchers like Livan Hernandez and John Patterson are solid. Patterson had just a 3.13 E.R.A. last year. Hernandez again pitched close to 250 innings. Chad Cordero saved 47 games and was dominant throughout the season.
Bottom line: Really poor offense. Ouch. Pitching should be enough to keep them away from Florida in the standings.

5. Florida Marlins:
Are the Marlins really that stupid? Lets see....World Series wins since 1993 expansion year for Marlins: 2. World Series wins for Cubs since 1908: 0. Sure it may not be pretty, and heck they probably will move to San Antonio because they can't get a new stadium. But the Marlins know how to rebuild, that's for sure. They got market value for their star players in their recent fire sale. Even with just a $15 million salary, they will go out and play other teams competitively. Obviously that doesn't translate to wins, but it means they won't be blown out too often. They aquired top prospects like Yusmeiro Petit, Anibal Sanchez, and Sergio Mitre will help make a solid pitching rotation for years to come. Top 15 overall prospect Hanley Ramirez was aquired in the Beckett deal and will start the year at 2B. However, it's dissapoining that they had to trade Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett, Juan Pierre, Carlos Delgado, Luis Castillo, and Paul Lo Duco....all of which had they remained on the team might've led the team close to the World Series again. The "survivors" include Dontrelle Willis who will fall in the Cy Young race because it's unlikely he'll have a lot of wins. 23 year old 3B Miguel Cabrera put up another great year with .323 33 HR, 116 RBI year. Those numbers might fall a bit because he has no protection in the lineup. The "other" threat in the lineup is Jeremy Hermida, currently best known for being the 1st guy to hit a grand slam in his first pro at bat since Bill Duggleby did it in 1898. Hermida is the #4 overall prospect in baseball, and in time will become a deadly threat.
Bottom line: The San Antonio Marlins will be playoff contenders. Not the Florida Marlins.

Paul Pierce Doesn't Deserve Mitch Richmond's Downfall

2006-03-16T14:27:00.000-08:00

Before there was Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman.... Before Jason Kidd, Jimmy Jackson, and Jamaal Mashburn.....Before Steve Nash, Michael Finley, and Dirk Nowitzki....there was Run TMC.

Sure it was a poor ripoff of the popular rap-group Run DMC, but that's besides the point. Tim Hardaway, Chris Mullen, and Mitch Richmond combined to become the league's top scoring trio with each averaging at least 23 point during the 1991-1992 season. With Don Nelson at the helm, the team seemed bound to be going somewhere.

In typical Nelson fashion, the team could not defend to save their lives. So after 3 seasons of Run TMC being together, Nelson traded Richmond to Sacramento for Billy Owens.

To this day Nelson has stated that he has never forgiven himself for that trade and for good reason: he failed to ever achieve the same success in Golden State and was fired a few seasons later.

A few years ago, while Richmond was in his twilight days with Washington, he was asked about the Run TMC days. Richmond, for the first time in what seemed like years, smiled in public, and said "happy times." Richmond would be replaced by Rip Hamilton in the 2000-2001 season and was unceremoniously cut by the Wizards before the season ended.

The end of his career was a catch-22; while he did win a championship with the Lakers, it would be an exaggeration to say he played any role in them winning it (just 4 total postseason minutes) as David Alridge once wrote.

However, it was his years in isolation in Sacramento which were most depressing and most relevant to our star of today, Paul Pierce.

During a dreadful seven year stay in Sacramento, Richmond racked up most of his 20,500 career points, attended six All-Star games, became a feared 3-point shooter, and was statistically the 2nd best shooting guard of his era (if I have to tell you who #1 was, you don't know anything about basketball). Of course considering he only made the Playoffs ONCE in his stay, you wouldn't know any of this. Richmond was stuck in a permenant "not rebuilding, but not quite contending" quagmire during these seasons. The Kings were always bad, but they were never bad enough to get the high pick they desperately needed to improve.

One day they did improve.... minus Richmond. In an incredibly one-sided deal, the Kings traded a 33 year old Richmond for Chris Webber. This led to Sacramento become a title contender and a perenial winner. For Richmond, in the end all he got was a ring for playing unimportant minutes and his jersey hung over Arco Arena in Sacramento.

When I heard that Paul Pierce was going to play the 2000-2001 season after just being stabbed, I was impressed. Most players would have taken the opportunity to sit at home and relax and collect paychecks. But Pierce was never one to have things handed to him. In fact, he's always played with obstacles in his way. Growing up in Inglewood, Califonia within walking distance of the Lakers then-home, the Great Western Forum, Pierce was an avid Lakers fan. But Pierce also grew up in a harsh environment: one filled with poverty and violence. Despite this Pierce became a talented player and went to Kansas.

Then, despite being regarded as one of the better talents in the 1998 draft, Pierce fell to the Celtics at the 10 spot, behind notables like Michael Olowokandi, and Robert Traylor. Using that as motivation he molded himself into a star, and one that could lead a team to victory.

On a hunch, I looked up Pierce's 2003 season- his best that is on record. Basketball-Reference.com says the player who at the same age most resembled Pierce's 2003 season was Mitch Richmond at the same age. Not surprising. Both are of the same build and resiliency. Both have a knack for the 3-point shot. They even had great success to begin their careers.

The problem is the parallels are too similiar. Despite Pierce having by all definitions an amazing season, the Celtics, barring a miracle, are unlikely to reach the post season. Considering the current talent on the Celtics and the lack of cap room, the Celtics situation does not look to improve in the near future- and by the it will be too late for Pierce. Even though a lot of the young players on the team have "potential," they have yet to show it consistency. Players like Al Jefferson and Gerald Green have been labeled as the future. Yet, either because they can't or because of other factors at best they are underachievers and not ready for the full duress of an NBA season. Worse, the reward for winning some 35 or so games will be a late lottery pick; a pick that in a normal draft would be lucky to yield a decent role player, but in this year's case will be fortunate to turn out a player that could make an NBA roster for a year or two.

At the end of the day things do not seem promising in Boston. The fans rejuvenized by Pierce's tremendous play this year will have expectations next season. But barring the youngsters finally breaking through or an unlikely big offseason trade, next year will almost certainly be a dissapointment.

It has me thinking though. Wouldn't it be ironic if some years from now All-Star Andrew Bynum is traded by the Lakers to the Kings for Pierce? It would be a fitting ending to a movie. One entitled: "Mitch Richmond 2: The Nightmare Continues"

The Gateway to the World Series- The NL and AL Central

2006-03-06T14:18:00.000-08:00

"One-run games can go either way and most of the time they do."- The Astros' Lance Berkman

Today Lewis and Clark would be upset that they are commemorized in ambigious poses that suggest they were the original Brokeback Mountain duo. But fortunately for us, back in the day they knew how to get stuff done. They practically mapped out the entire west without help from anyone (well except for those Indians, but tough cookies to them). If they had to get a little dirty....well it was all in day's work.

Same thing goes for the NL and AL Central. These divisions are highly competitive and neither has a true favorite going into Spring Training. So it's going to take a lot of hustling and old fashioned grind it out baseball to win the division. Here's a head's up though on what to expect and what not to.

AL Central:
1. Chicago White Sox: Honestly I debated this for quite some time. If I were going to pick a team on pure likeability....well the White Sox wouldn't be here. Surprisingly it turns out that it hurt me far more to see Albert Pujol's game winning HR in Game 5 of the NLCS than to see the Sox sweep the Astros....so go figure. Still, as the saying goes, "if you want to be the champ, you gotta beat the champ." The White Sox's offseason was not the most productive or proactive, but they certainly did nothing to weaken their chances to repeat. They gave up stellar defender Aaron Rowland to the Phillies for Jim Thome. Thome is an amazing player if healthy, but he is a huge gamble for the White Sox. Still if they can get 30-40 HRs and 100 RBIs and a decent batting average from Thome that trade will go down as a huge steal (especially considering the Phillies are paying most of his mammoth salary). The biggest move they made this offseason was not really a move. By simply resigning Paul Konerko they ensured themselves 5 more years of 40+ HRs and a cornerstone of the offense. The main question is whether the offense can get on base enough to win. No one on this team will wow you over with their on base percentage, minus Konerko, so it's key that Scott Podsednik get on base and not try to steal bases so often. Podsednik, suffering from injuries last year and loss of speed, got caught a career-high 23 times. He needs to be more selective in order for this team to win. The pitching was what won them the title last year. Led by lefty Mark Buehrle and righty John Garland, they have an experienced and young staff that has a good mix of power and control. Last year Jose Contreras found his fastball again and was throwing at 95. The Yankees gave up way to early on this guy, who arguably has some of the best pure stuff in baseball. If they get anything from Javier Vasquez at the end of the rotation bonus points (though Vasquez might be another Yankee castoff who could find life in Chicago). The bullpen is deep but the closer remains a question mark. Bobby Jenks routinely throws in the triple-digits, but can he hold it together for an entire year? His inconsistencies and off the field issues led to the Angels releasing him. One thing is for sure, he does not crash under pressure. Dustin Hermanson who closed most of the games last year is a reliable setup guy who if needed can become the closer again.
Bottom line: Chances for repeat good but far from given. Need to get higher OBP guys.

2. Cleveland Indians: The Indians last year fell apart in the final few games because of inexperience. Now, they should know what to expect and they should be somewhat improved. A huge loss was Bobby Howry who was an innings eater in the bullpen. Another loss was E.R.A. champ Kevin Millwood. But the Indians could not afford either of them. They also lost out on Trevor Hoffman and ended up with Bob "Wicky" Wickman again at closer. Wicky was solid last year but for a guy in his late 30's to do it again would be asking for a lot. They did make a few moves like trading Coco Crisp for highly touted 3rd baseman Andy Marte (#14 overall prospect) but the move was unpopular with fans. Still, Marte will be an upgrade over Aaron Boone who was barely hitting .100 a few months into last season. Expected to take over as the leadoff guy is Grady Sizemore, who many, including Peter Gammons, believe will be a superstar. He is a 5-tool-player (Hitting for average, hitting for power, great speed, good position fielding and a strong throwing arm) and he's just 23. The other cogs on offense are Travis Hafner aka David Ortiz lite, and catcher Victor Martinez who is a rare catching specimen who can hit for power and average. Still, the key is going to be whether the pitching can once again hold it together. They're expecting a lot from lefty C.C. Sabathia who is rounding into his prime and needs to put up a good season. Aquistion Jason Johnson is no Kevin Millwood, but he is an innings eater. Cliff Lee is the #1 guy right now and needs to be able to put up a 3.50ish E.R.A again for his team to be competitive. Finally Paul Byrd was a nice pickup if for no other reason than because he won a ring with the Angels and can mentor the younger pitchers.
Bottom line: Pitching won't be what it was last year, but they still have some good talent on that side of the ball. Hafner and Martinez need to avoid the first half slumps they had last year and Sizemore needs to break out. All in all, tall order for this team to make the postseaon but they do have the talent to do so.

3.Minnesota Twins- The Twins could easily end up winning this division. But that's the thing. Very little seperates these three teams. The White Sox have a power based lineup. The Twins rely on pitching. The Indians are balanced. But if one thing has been clear in the postseason is that pitching wins championships and thus why the Twins are dangerous. Led by lefty Johan Santana, who the Twins were able to sign to a long term deal last season, the Twins ace is considered the best pitcher in baseball this side of Roger Clemens. Santana known for his devestating change-up, is pitching for Venezuela in the WBC, so there is some concern for injury. But if he can stay healthy he can add another Cy Young Award to his trophy case. Brad Radke is in his 10th year with the Twins, but is just 32. He has been incredibly consistent, keeping his E.R.A between 3.5-4.5 over his career. He's unspectacular but gets the job done. Then they have Carlos Silva, who was good last year for a 3.44 E.R.A. Kyle Lohse is a #4 guy most would covet, and Scott Baker is supposed to be making a good run at #5. The bullpen is led by Joe Nathan who was traded for A.J. Pierzynski, two years ago. The Giants lost A.J. during the offseason and gave up not only Nathan who is good for 40 saves again, but #6 overall prospect in baseball and the best overall pitching prospect, Francisco Liriano, who at 22 is finally ready to join the Twins fulltime. He is easily compared to Santana as they both are lefties who throw in the mid-90's and have great sliders. The key is whether Liriano is used in relief or as a starter. If as a starter than he could win ROY. To round out the bulloen is Juan Rincon who has great offspeed stuff. The problem in Minnesota is a lack of power that has exsisted since 1987. That was when Kent Hrbek hit 34 HRs. Since then, nobody, not even Kirby Puckett (hope he makes it) has been able to hit 30 HRs. Justin Morneau was expected to be able to reach 30 last year but he had a terrible year and fell well short at just 19. If and only if he reaches his potential can the Twins make the postseason. Also in the wings is 22 year old catcher Joe Mauer, who the last 2 years was the #1 prospect in baseball. Mauer hit about .300 last year and the Twins hope he can develop some power. Tori Hunter is the heart of defense but needs to rebound from his tendon tear last year and needs to put up solid numbers as he has in the past. Tony Batista has power, but lacks defense and the ability to hit for average....which resulted in a Japanese team asking him to leave. Not the Twins' best idea. Rondell White however could be a steal if he remains healthy.
Bottom line: Lots of ifs and buts. Need SOMEBODY, ANYBODY to step up in the hitting order. If they get that guy, watch out.

4. Detroit Tigers: Through no fault of their own the Tigers have become a team forgotten in their own city. With the Pistons king, and the Lions a favorite source for criticism and outrage, and the Red Wings being winners in general, the Tigers have been in a black hole for quite some time. It is also unlikely that they will be coming out within the next 3 or 4 seasons. But, loyal Tigers fans do have some things to look forward to. 2004 #2 overall pick(#8 overall prospect in baseball) Justin Verlander has been getting rave reviews this spring and should be able to make the rotation along with Joel Zumaya(#35 prospect overall) who can throw 100 mph. Last year's first rounder, Cameron Maybin (#31 propsect overall) has all the tools to be a great center fielder someday. But for now this team's strengths are pitching. With Comerica Park being the ultimate pitcher's park with center field being 450 Ft back, the Tigers have built to their advantage. Jeremy Bonderman just missed going to the All-Star game last year. Lefty Kenny Rogers made the All-Star team and the highlight reels all season (still he's a good pitcher even if he's crazy and over 40). Mike Maroth and Nate Robertson round out a solid bunch. The bullpen lead by one of last year's surprises, Todd Jones, has a fair bit of questions. After long time Angel's closer Troy Pervical retired on them this spring, Jones has the job by default despite his age and questions over whether his 40 saves last year were a fluke. 100 mph throwing Fernando Rodney could take over should Jones fail. The offense is led by Carlos Guillen who hit .320 and Placido Polanco who hit .331. Chris Shelton had 18 HRs and hit .300 but cooled off considerably in the 2nd half of the season. Bradon Inge had a decent year as well. Craig Monroe led the team with 20 HRs and 80 RBIs and is a nice OF along with Curtis Granderson. Pudge Rodriguez still has a cannon for an arm but his age is starting to wear his down, epspecially on offense where he only hit .276 and 14 HRs. Finally, they need Maglio Ordonez to hit more. He got paid very well after hitting .320 29 HRS and 100 RBIs in 2003, but has been consistently injured and not able to find his offensive stroke.
Bottom line: Need more from Ordonez, but don't hold your breath. They have a lot of nice pieces but no one to build around save Verlander and Maybin (who is 2 or 3 years away from making an impact). But with new manager Jim Leyland, a more positive attitude is here to stay.

5. K.C. Royals: They're going to be bad. Really bad. I wouldn't be surprised if the made a run at thier 19 game losing streak from last year. All you need to know is that Alex Gordan (#2 overall pick in 2005) is the 13th best prospect in baseball and that Billy Butler is the 29th best prospect. When the Royals are contracted, tell your team to draft those guys in the contraction draft. I feel horrible for Reggie Sanders having to end his career here. No pitchers worth mentioning. Mike Sweeney is good for .300 30 HRs 100 RBIs, but the Royals insist on keeping one "real" player so it's unlikely he'll be moved his year despite his not being young anymore.
Bottom line: Not a whole not to look forward to. Literally the poorest team in baseball and an owner who is not commited to winning will lead to this team being contracted.

NL Central:
1. Houston Astros: I've done this twice before. That is overhyping my team. However, with the Astros, I know they can win. After starting 15-31 and having everyone write them off, they soared in the second half and captured the Wild Card and the NL penant. Still for a team with so much success, they have several questions going into the season. Namely, will Roger Clemens return? I find it hard to believe that his if his mother really did ask him to retire before she died that he would play ever again. But the guy seems to love being center stage and loves having people speculate when and where he'll show up this season. Still I find it hard to believe that he'd go to the Rangers when his son plays for the Astros- it would be ackward. Though to be fair, this is the man who wore a Yankees cap at the legends salute during the 1999 All-Star game despite barely having played for the Yankees at that point. The second question regards Jeff Bagwell who has been the face of the franchise for thirteen years. His doctors and the owner doubt his ability to play, but he feels determined to prove them wrong to spite them. $15.4 million is at stake and that could be the difference between Clemens returning or retiring. Astros owner Drayton McClane isn't a penny pincher with a $90+ million payroll, but he looks after his bottom line first. Still without Clemens, Roy Oswalt is widely regarded as being able to be as good as he wants to be (20-12 2.94 E.R.A) and he's just 28. Andy Pettite might not post another 2.39 E.R.A season but anything close will be realistic and of great help. Offensively they might not be in the top half of the league but they'll be better than last year. On base pecentage guru and Rice alum Lance Berkman will have be healthy to start the season and Morgan Ensberg (36 HRS 101 RBIs) will hopefully be healed of his injuries which spoiled his breakout season (he was attrocious in the postseason). Jason Lane has 30 HR potential. Willy Taveras who plays stellar defense in CF (statistically he saved 31 runs last year) will be able to improve on his .290 average and 34 steals that he had in his rookie year. Brad Ausmus and Adam Everett are among the worst offensive players in baseball but both are still elite defenders and Ausmus is renown for his game calling strategys with pitchers (Darkmouth alum and his dad is an astrophysicist). The big addition was OF Preston Wilson, who won the 2003 RBI crown, and is back in a hitter's ballpark like he was in Colorado. He could have a 30 HR 100 RBI season. The bullpen is deep with setup men Dan Wheeler, who held an E.R.A of 2.21 and Chad Qualls (3.28 E.R.A) who could be a closer on another team. Finally, Brad Lidge is tied with Mariano for the most dominant closer title. Despite his terrible postseason, he still has a 97 MPH fastball and a 90 MPH slider that is rated the best in baseball. He should be able to rebound.
Bottom line:They may have a void farm system, but its not needed as this team is in it's prime and needs to win now with or without Clemens. Though it will be sad it's for the best if Bagwell hangs them up.

2. St. Louis Cardinals: With a brand new sparkling ballpark opening this season, the Cardinals suddenly became thrify. Mark Grudzielanek hit .300 and played great defense. Yet he wasn't offered a new deal. Ditto postseason MVP Reggie Sanders both like Grudzielanek was banished to Kansas City. They tried to get A.J. Burnett "at a hometown discount." Their big additions include Sidney Ponson (cut from the Orioles), Larry Bigbie, and Brandon Looper, who is best known for driving Met fans insane by blowing 10 saves last year. Still, give them credit for keeping the payroll near $100 million in such a small market city; it speaks their smart planning and the city's passion for the game. Still St. Louis is asking a lot for Scott Rolen to return to his 2004 shape (35+ HRs 100+ RBIs) after tearing his shoulder last season. His defensive title as the best defensive 3rd baseball ever should remain in tact however. Jim Edmunds is a nice guy and his defensive gems have plagued the Astros in the postseaon, but at 36 he is no longer a gimee for 30 HRs and 100 RBIs. Albert Pujols however keeps getting better. 50 HRs 140 RBIs and a .350 batting average are not out of the question for this guy and his defense at 1st base is getting recognition, oh and he's 26. I just wish he wasn't so smug and arrogant. Pitching wise Cy Young winner, Chris Carpenter, won 21 games and held a 2.83 E.R.A. but as the season wore on he became hittable and wasn't as good come the postseason. The rest of the staff is just adequate, though they do eat innings and stay healthy. The bullpen was the achille's heal for this team as no one could hold leads at the end of the year. Jason Isringhuasen is a decent closer but is by no mean's lights out. With no reserves coming through the minor leagues, this team would normally find itself in trouble. However, with the NL Central being incredibly inactive and generally no team in the NL as a whole being dominant this team could again win the division and get homefield throughout. But the Astros should be able to keep up with them from the start unlike last year.
Bottom line: Almost certain that they will make the playoffs, but after that is anyone's guess. Need to trade for a better #2 than Mark Mulder or get another bat to get success.

3. Milwaukee Brewers: Maybe its the fact that the Packers were awful and that the Bucks are perrenial underachievers but people in Milwaukee finally have a reason to get excited. Building off last year's promising 81-81 campaign, most people see the Brewers as a dark horse playoff team. The pitching led by the somewhat fragile but talented Ben Sheets, improved greatly last year. Sheets is a potential Cy Young winner and has backups in crafty lefty Chris Capuano and strikeout master Doug Davis. All are 30 or younger and should be around for a while, but Sheets needs to remain healthy for this team to achieve anything. The bullpen was among the best in baseball last year with yet another Angel's castaway Derrick Turnbow who recorded 39 saves and a 95 MPH fastball. They have other nice pieces like Matt Wise and Mike Adams. Then they added their former closer from 2004, Danny Kolb, who was great in Milwaukee, but collapsed under pressure in Atlanta. He should regain some sense of normalcy after a poor year. The hitters is where the excitement is at. Former #2 overall pick and top 5 prospect Rickie Weeks tore up the minor leagues and played fairly well in Milwaukee during his rookie year before hurting his hand. He has .330 30 HR/ 40 steal potential. They ridded themselves of Lyle Overbay who was nice, but he held back Prince Fielder who at 260 lbs is to say the least, "large and in charge." He might not hit for average this year but he can hit 40+ HRs. He showed massive power in his few games in the majors last year. J.J. Hardy is a talented shortstop who hit over .300 in the second half. Ryan Braun was the 5th pick in lasy year's draft and should be ready soon. Thus this young infield nucleus will power the Brewers for years to come. Finally, "El Caballo," aka "the horse" or Carlos Lee (I myself don't get the nickname). He hit .265 with 32 HRs and was among the league leaders in RBIs with 114. He might not hit .300 again, but his power numbers are all tha the Brewers need right now.
Bottom line: Need to worry about getting over Mendoza line first, but playoffs could be in reach this season. Astros and Cards should be worried a lot more after this season.

4. Chicago Cubs: Depending on who you ask the Cubs are possibly the division winner. And maybe there's something to that. Their top two pitchers can come close to matching the Astros one-two punch, and if their third one ever stayed healthy-well they'd be onto something And that's without MVP candidate Derrick Lee who tore it up and could've won the Triple Crown. Watch out! That's what I would say if I looked at this team on paper and knew nothing else about this team. Curses aside, they have all sorts of problems from the ownership on down. Mark Prior and Kerry Wood from 2004-2005 combined for less starts than they did all 2003. Wood, who once recorded 20 strikeouts in a game, had to become a reliever at the end of the season. Whether this is permenent is yet to be seen, but if it is it might be for the best. Having some Wood is better than having no Wood (no pun intended). Carlos Zambrano, has great stuff and has been the anchor, along with the solid and steady Greg Maddox, of the team while Wood and Prior stayed on the DL. However, even when his emotions don't get the best of him he is inconsistent. Still, on potential alone the Cubs have a deep and talented front three. The pen, bolstered by former Indian setup man Bobby Howry has become stable, particularly with Ryan Dempster at closer. The offense is iffy with the exception of Lee. They added Juan Pierre as the leadoff guy and CF, even though he had a down year with the Marlins last year. He could hit .300 and steal 50 bases though. RF Jaques Jones came over from the Twins with his .243 average, which is a real brainstratcher (notice that with one more addition they could have an all-French outfield! That's sure to make them more popular in the U.S.) Todd Walker hit .305, but he has limited power and plays poor defense. Aramis Ramirez however is a great player and a formidable complement to Lee in the lineup, hitting .305 with 31 HRs and 92 RBIs. Expect similiar numbers. With the exception of Catcher Michael Barrett, who is a pretty decent offensive Catcher, the rest of the offense are poor fitting players. Cubs fans can remain hopeful, but it is unlikely that this team will live up to the expectations following the 2003 season.
Bottom line: Curses of 1918 and 1917 are over, but 1908 will live on. Questionable manager, question starting rotation, and questionable hitters will lead to another underachieving year.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates: As the seacaptain and the Simpsons might say, "Yaargh." There's talent ahoy mates! Really there is. Not since Bonds have Pirates fans had anything to cheer for. Zach Duke came out flaming (not that type of flaming) last year and posted a 8-2 record with a 1.81 E.R.A. and he's only 23. The lefty is expected to anchor a lefty heavy rotation with comeback player Sean Burnett, and fomer ace Oliver Perez, who is looking to bounce back after posting a 5.85 E.R.A (one year removed froma 2.98 E.R.A season). Josh Fogg and another lefty Mark Redman fill out the rotation but they are below average pitchers at this point. Kip Wells will be out for some time however, so it's good that they have depth. After removing the always unclutch Jose Mesa, they gave Mike Gonzalez the closing job. He and fellow lefty reliever Salomon (!) Torres form a young and tough to hit duo which will help the Pirates in close games. In the minors former #1 overall pick Bryan Bullington and yet another lefty Paul Maholm, are readily available to bolster the starting rotation if neccesary. The only worrysome thing here is that the Pirates continued their cheap ways, tendering Duke just over $300,000 after his amazing season and Duke for the time being is protesting by not signing it. Offensively they have Jason Bay who is a fantasy owner's dream. He hit .306 with 32 HRs and 101 RBIs AND added 21 steals. The Pirates did open their wallets here and signed him to a big extension. The Canadian is just 27 and will only get better. Brad Eldred is expected to be his protection. He hit 12 HRs in limited time in the majors last year, but only hit .221. If he can't step, veteran addition Jeremy Burnitz could be the #4 guy with his power. Chris Duffy will lead off and he is a nice player with his glove and on base percentage, but has no power. Catcher Ryan Doumit is an average catcher, but considering how little production they've received at catcher in the past, he's an asset. The best 2B/SS defensive combo Jack Wilson and Jose Castillo should be fine offensively while displaying "Web Gems" on a nightly basis. 1B Sean Casey and backup infielder Freddy Sanchez are good players at hitting for average and getting on base a lot but not for much else. 3B Joe Randa is the MLB version of Jimmy Jackson (nice numbers but they get traded alot and they're both old). Rounding out the team is Craig Wilson who hit 26 HRs in 2004 but has curbed off since in almost every facet, but his outfield job is safe.
Bottom line: Need to stop being cheap with their good talent. Have a nice core especially with young first round picks Neil Walker and Andrew McClutcheon coming in within the next 2 years to bolster the offense. But for now, Bay will have a long year being the sole offensive brightspot on the team and it will be a wasted year for the pitching staff.

6. Cincinnati Reds: The good news: the new owners are commited to building a winner. Bad news: everything else. With a low payroll and the worst farm league in baseball, this team has little hope in the short and long term. The one good pitcher they had was Aaron Harrang who had a 11-13 season and a 3.83 E.R.A. Nobody in their right mind would want any other pitcher on this team. Thier only valuable pitching prospect has an unfortunate first name for a pitcher, Homer Bailey. They ran a closer by committee last year and will do the same this year. They gave a huge deal to Eric Milton for him to allow hitter to hit .317 (!!!!) against him. All in all the Reds have made crippling moves for a low payroll team that could not afford them. Offensively they're asking Ken Griffey Jr. to remain healthy again (a HUGE if, especially at 36), though more likely he will be traded to finish his career with a winner. Adam Dunn hit 40 HRs again but lead the league in strikeouts again (168 of them) and hit .247 (even so Astros fans wouldn't mind him returning to his hometown). Edwin Encarnacion is a rookie with power. Willy Mo Pena has power as well, but can only hit lefthanders. Austin Kearns is a former top 5 pick who the Reds managed to to make into a below average player. Essentially everyone on the Reds has power, but not much else with the exception of Griffey and their other All-Star SS Felipe Lopez. Lopez hit .291 with 23 HRs and 85 RBIs and is the Reds only true asset because he's just 26.
Bottom line: The Reds need to get what they can for Griffey and build around Lopez. How they spend in the offseason will dictate that franchises long term health as they are currently at risk for contraction only some 15 years after winning a World Series.

I hope this brought you some valuble insight, as all it has done for me is made me tired. Go buy MLB.TV, its worth the 15 bucks a month...you get to watch every game live (with the exception of your local team, though you can watch the replay the next day) and then it's archieved for you to watch at your disclosure. Much better than NBA League Pass and NFL Sunday Ticket. Only other downside: Only decent quality as it is streaming video, but for what you pay for it's a steal. So buy it. Lewis and Clark would've wanted you to.

The Wild West: NL and AL West

2006-03-02T20:51:00.000-08:00

On the day this thing they call the World Baseball Classic begins, it's only fair that we start looking at the baseball world and away from that nasty situation the NFL is getting itself into with its labor problems.

AL West
1. Oakland A's: In the division that anyone can win the A's have the best talent level. What could potentiall derail them is the same thing that derailed them last year- injuries. Bobby Crosby as the leadoff hitter is the most important player on the team. When he played the A's won; when he didn't they lost. Problem is the guy can't stay healthy, but should he be this year he's a .300 20 HR 90 RBI kind of guy. The pitching led by Barry Zito is as always good. But they can only be great if the guy with the best stuff, Rich Harden stays healthy. Zito is in a contract year so you can expect another 3.50 E.R.A or less year from him. The closer Huston Street proved he's for real last year, so the only question is whether the offense is good enough. The Big Hurt doesn't fit into the "Money Ball" mentality as he batted just above .200 in the 50 games he played last year, but he can still hit for 30 HRs. Eric Chavez has regressed offensively and defensively last season, but as long as he provides for 25 HRs or more this team should be fine. The wildcard is Milton Bradley who even on good days is still crazy. Still, few people have as much talent as he does.
Bottom line: All in all they have the tools to win it all. Health and consistency is what will keep them from doing so.

2. Texas Rangers: Classic example of a team that really didn't have a plan for how to win. They built around sluggers like Mark Teixera and Hank Blalock and neglected pitching all together. They got Brad Wilkerson for Alfonso Soriano. Huh? Then they decided that the best way to fix their pitching was to throw 50 million and five years at E.R.A. champ Kevin Millwood, because apparently they forgot that they did the same with Chan Ho Park a few years ago and it turned out to be a nightmare. Millwood, when healthy, is steller, but the Ballpark In Arlington has become a pitcher's nightmare in recent year and Millwood's numbers are bound to suffer. Francisco Cordero is a nice closer, but the bullpen lacks a lot of quality depth.
Bottom line: I can see why they want Clemens, they need a lot of pitching help. They could sneak a wild card berth but they won't go past the 1st round with their pitching collection.

3. Anaheim, oh sorry, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: They lost Paul Bryd who for many seasons had been their rock and consistent guy. Starting catcher Bengie Molina felt betrayed by this team and fled to Toronto. The point is without adding Manny Ramirez, this team is not good enough offensively to win in the post season. Vladimir Guerrero is as good an offensive player as you can find but people at the end of the year pitched around him because no one else on the Angels roster is scary. Steve Finley was a huge bust last year and lost his job to do-it-all guy Chrone Figgins, who for a guy that has an undefined position puts up brilliant numbers. Garrett Anderson, the guy expected to defend Guerrero in the 4 spot, lost all his power and barring him finding youth, will continue his decline. They literally got nothing from the DH position last year. The saving grace of the offense is that according to Baseball America they have the 3rd, 12th, 46th, 60th, 78th, and 90th overall prospects in baseball, all of which are offensive players. With these blue-chips they can get Manny Ramirez or if not build for later. The pitching is unspectacular. Bartolo Colon can through a 95 mph fastball but he's proven that he's not much for games that actually matter. The bullpen with Frankie Rodriguez and Scott Shields is a strongpoint however. If they decide not to trade for Manny the only way to salvage their season is to call up Brandon Wood (#3 overall prospect in baseball), who hit 50 HRs last year in the minors and Howie Kendrick (#12 overall), who hit well over .300.
Bottom line: They're a balanced team- but that doesn't spell success.

4. Seattle Mariners: This team could be a lot better than I expect them to be, or they could end up in 4th place again. The Mariners have a top-5 payroll, but get less than stellar production from their players. Since being burned by homegrown guys like A-Rod and Griffey, they're thrown money at viable free agents like Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson. Sexson had a decent year hitting 40+ HRs despite hitting about .250, but 2004 HR Champion Beltre hit neither for power or average. If Beltre rebounds and hits even 35 HRs this team could be a wild card contender. What makes this team interesting and Must-see is teen prodigy Felix Hernandez. At 18, he was called up last year and made 12 starts. In those starts he recorded 77 strikeouts and a 2.67 E.R.A. He held his own against the Big Unit and is the most dominant teen pitcher since Doc Gooden stormed the scene. The Mariners will proceed with caution with him because he is so young by limiting his innings pitched, a lesson learned after Doc flamed out with the Mets. With a 95+ MPH fastball, a curve, changeup, and a devestating slider the Mariners have only recently allowed him to use, he has all the tools to become dominant.
Bottom line: A real mystery team. If they get it all together they could make the playoffs.

NL West

1. Los Angeles Dodgers- I still have a soft spot for the Dodgers. Though the team no longer has Lasorda and any of the players I grew up with, I still have memories of going to Dodger Stadium with my Dad, and falling asleep to Vin Scully (L.A. fans have been spoiled with legendary sporting announcers). Armed with the deepest minor league system in baseball and having made some big free agent moves the Dodgers are on the right track. For some reason though they decided to rebuild the 2003 Red Sox with players like Nomar Garciapara, Derek Lowe, and Bill Mueller- complete with Grady Little. Little may make attrocious manegerial moves, but in the short term I like him with the Dodgers because he's known for being able to teach young players. Rafael Furcal is a .300 15 HR 60 RBI 40 stolen base potential sort of guy that any team covets at the leadoff spot and if Jeff Kent isn't found by Father Time and J.D. Drew can find doctors that can keep him healthy, well the Dodgers might make some noise. Lauded prospect Joel Guzman(#26 overall) will be a wildcard at LF because of his power potenial. They have a solid but not spectacular pitching staff that could be aided by #7 overall prospect, Chad Billingsly, and some of the other arms they have in the minors. The main question is whether they'll let the other prospects onto the team or trade them. Either way the Dodgers have a lot of options and are in an eviable position.
Bottom line: Dangerous team but better built for down the road. Need Eric Gagne to make full comeback from surgery to achieve success.

2. San Francisco Giants: The Giants made a dangerous decision in that they decided to build completely around Bonds even when his health at age 42 is unreliable at best. They traded top prospects like fool's gold and have yet to win a World Series and thus very few options for how to improve the team. Bonds showed at the end of last year that apparently it wasn't all steroids that made up who he was (though if that Paula Abdul thing on Monday did anything other than make us poke our eyes out, it showed us steroids certainly didn't hurt Bonds muscle mass). Moises "I pee on my hands" Alou and Randy Winn are capable of defending Bonds in the lineup, but this team is essentially a bunch of guys on their way to collecting collecting Social Security checks. Should injuries arise this team will collapse. Their pitching should be improved as Jason Schmidt looks to rebound. A guy who could once throw 100 Mph, he fell of into the low 90's last year and it showed as he was awful. But by the end of the year he had regained some of his form and while not young any more he has 15 win 3.50 E.R.A. potential which should be good enough. The wildcard here is #10 overall prospect Matt Cain who should be the Giant's 5-man rotation to start the year.
Bottom line: Too old for World Series but playoffs not out of question.

3. Arizona Diamondbacks: This team is built for five years from now. Armed with 2005 #1 overall pick Justin Upton (#2 overall prospect in baseball) and Stephen Drew (#5 overall prospect) the D-backs have the 2nd best minor league system in baseball. They proved they didn't want to win now by trading Troy Glaus and his 40 HRs to Toronto. To their credit they got Orlanda "El Duque" Hernandez to add veteran experience to the team. That should win them more games than the Padres and Rockies along with help from Tony Clark and Chad Tracy and their 35+ HRs, Orlando Hudson and his amazing defense, and because some of their other prospects are should make an impact (Conner Jackson, Carlos Quentin). They're short on arms both in the short and long run so they'll need to makes some trades. However, they do get points for getting #23 overall prospect OF Chris Young for Javier Vasquez, which Baseball Prospectus thinks will be this generation's Larry Anderson-Jeff Bagwell trade.
Bottom line: Fans will have to be patient because this year might be short on fun.

4. San Diego Padres: Petco Park. Interesting name for a stadium. Pitchers love it. Hitters hate it. No one hit 20 HRs on the Padres last year. Ryan Klesko came close but this team has serious power issues. Adding Mike Piazza might help but its a catch 22 as Piazza only threw out 4 baserunners all of last season (that's 14% of the basestealers who ran on him). Mike Cameron if he has recovered from the freak incident with a certain player who is dead to me, will can be a 25 HR/25 steal guy. But the strength of this team is pitching. 2004 E.R.A Champ Jake Peavy is a stud as far as pitching goes and he's only 24. They also took Chris Young from the Rangers for almost nothing. Finally Chan Ho Park while attrocious on the road, played fairly well at Petco. Adding to the woes is a minor league system that's void of talent and not having the money to make a big trade.
Bottom line: They need to use "NL West Champ" slogan as much as possible because they won't be able to use it after this year.

5. Colorado Rockies: Essentially they've done what the Giants did with Bonds- that is build around Todd Helton. The difference is that Bonds has competant pitching and the Rockies have yet to find a competant pitcher in eleven years of exsistence. Coor's Field has become a pitcher's graveyard. Despite pulling the walls of the field back and putting the balls in a humidifier, all it's done is slightly reduce HRs while increasing the number of balls put in play. Also it didn't help that Todd Helton had an awful 2005. The Rockies do have some nice pitchers, who might succeed elsewhere like Shawn Chacon did with the Yankees last year, but they won't win here. Fans could get excited about top prospect Ian Stewart though, too bad he's just another hitting prospect. It's like having tons of spoons when all you need is a fork.
Bottom line: Need to make domed stadium, or move. Until then only more losses.

NBA Second Half Predictions

2006-02-24T17:00:00.000-08:00

A funny thing happened while we were all asleep the last few weeks. Quietly but surely the Rockets clawed their way to within five games of the Lakers for the eighth and final playoff spot. But more on that later.

The Awards:
MVP- Steve Nash. Better than last year? Yeah. He has the Suns as the real darkhorse for the Finals since they'll avoid the Spurs or Mavs until the Conference Finals. What's funny though is that he'll end up as the only two time repeating MVP to not be in the Hall of Fame unless he gets some rings.
Rookie of the Year- You mean its not Magic stud Fran Vasquez? Seriously though Chris Paul in a rout. Question is if he can get his team to the playoffs. If so, he should get some MVP votes his way.
Defensive Player of the Year- I guess by default Ben Wallace again. Andrei Kirilenko deserves it but he doesn't have the rep.
6th Man- Speedy Claxton? He's the ying to Chris Paul's yang.
Most Improved Player- David West. Has become a force for the Hornets. Works hard and puts up nice numbers.
Comeback Player of the Year- This award no longer exsists but if it did T.J. Ford would win.

Playoff Predictions
West:
1. Mavericks- They have a lot of depth and right now no chemistry issues. Charles Barkley said it best though: "they're the Indianapolis Colts of the NBA." This team has improved defensively but they can't win push come to shove in the postseason.
2. Suns- Nash and Amare. That's all you need to know.
3. Nuggets- Wow this is such an awful division.
4. Spurs- Timmy is injured. Not good. But Tony Parker, I hate to admit is playing damn good basketball. If the bench can hold it together....
5. Jazz- They could catch fire. If Boozer can put up numbers like last year for the rest of the season they'll be dangerous. One of their guards needs to pick up the slack though.
6. Hornets- They outrun teams plain and simple. Plus best homecourt fans. They really could upset whoever the "3" seed ends up being.
7. Clippers- They'll scare their fans towards the end of the season, but they should make it. A lot depends on keeping the volatile Cassell happy.
8. Rockets- Homerism? Maybe. They actually have the hardest remaining schedule of any NBA team. But no way the Lakers are better than a healthy Rockets team. If they can reach 43 wins they should be fine. Carroll Dawson's trades have been quiet but astute. The question is whether TMAC can keep his on the court and off the court problems under wrap.

East:
1. Pistons- Self Explanatory. Only question is if they can find a backup for Billups (hint: Jay Williams?)
2. Heat- They're here by default. They're playing uninspired basketball and have serious chemistry issues.
3. Nets- The three man circus is as good as any in the NBA. But they lack any size and outside shooting.
4. Cavs- Finally Lebron makes it in. But minus Larry Hughes can they really score enough to win in the playoffs? On the plus side Drew Gooden is in his contract year so expect his performance to rise.
5. Wizards- They can't stop anyone but apparently no one can stop Gilbert Arenas. Lack of interior defenders will kill them.
6. Bucks- At least they're healthy. They have depth at guard and center and no noticeable chemistry issues. Problem: They allow more points on average than they score. Needs fixin.
7. Pacers- This is an incredibly uninteresting team now without Artest. And with Jermaine O'Neal out for a long time they'll struggle to make the postseason. Plus side? Peja wants a new deal.
8. Bulls- Barely over the Sixers. At least the Bulls can defend. They do need someone to score more, whether its Tyson Chandler or Ben Gordon, someone needs to step it up.

Baseball preview in the upcoming future....until then....

The Rocket, Mike Sherman, Carmelo Snub, And The End Of Arrested Development

2006-02-10T11:53:00.000-08:00

First of let me say this about Arrested Development. Normally I don't like to stray off topic but for this one time I will. When I first watched Arrested Development maybe two years ago, I had no idea what was going on. And eventually maybe that was the downfall of the show. Too many episodes require you to know what has happened in previous episodes because otherwise you'll be lost. After watching that one episode I didn't watch another until maybe two months ago.

At first when I kept hearing about how the show was getting horrible ratings and how Fox was going to cancel it I was privately pleased. If I couldn't understand what was going on how on Earth could your average Joe understand what was going on? Adding to my happiness was the fact that for the most part the people complaining about the injustice Fox was doing were primarily snobby elitists. But the rave reviews finally got to me and I decided to watch the first two season on DVD. And let me just say....wow.

Not since Seinfeld has a show had such great comedic chemistry. Ron Howard (you may remember him from such shows as Happy Days...well actually probably not....director of A Beautiful Mind maybe?) is the uncredited narrarator of the show and oversees the inane paradox that is the Bluth family. Maybe they are too crazy for TV and maybe you won't get whats going on. But if someone as stuborn as myself can learn to like this show than maybe anyone else can too.

Watch the probable last four episodes (barring Showtime picking it up) tonight at 8/7 CST.

Talking Football

David Carr will be back for at least one year. I have the feeling the first interception he throws he'll be booed and we'll start hearing "We want Vince" chants. That's a real problem. If Carr doesn't have this fan base behind him and he struggles.....it's going to be a long year.

On a more postive note Mike Sherman is going to be an assistant coach to Gary Kubiak. Kudos to Kubiak for getting a person I've actually heard of to be on his staff. The two were assistant coaches at Texas A&M a decade ago and should have great chemistry. More importantly Sherman adds credibility to Kubiak's staff and is a head coach with a winning record and a few playoff wins.

I'm actually surprised Sherman wasn't considered for the Raiders job. That looks like its being given to Art Shell. In fact if Art Shell gets a job after not coaching for over a decade it will inspire me to go out and get a job. Interestingly if Shell gets the job it will mean that the NFL has successfully matched the number of African-Americans hired last year......one. The thing is that there is a serious lack of good candidates out there. When people are pulling at branches to grab the latest "Belichick Disciple" there is a problem. The fact that there were so many openings this year magnified that problem. It isn't about racism, its just consistent with a league wide talent problem right now at the coaching level. The only minority coach I would've seriously considered was Ron Rivera because he did a great job with the Chicago defense this year.

Basketball:

For the most part the All-Star picks are on the money this year despite some obvious snubs. They include Chris Paul, Gilbert Arenas, and Michael Redd (though the latter two have a chance because Jermaine O'Neal is going to be replaced). Notice how I didn't include Carmelo Anthony. That's not a mistake. Anthony has become a fairly good offensive player and has stepped up his gameplay. His personal mistakes aside, Carmelo still does not play defense at a good enough level, and nor has his team really stood out this year. I will keep going back to Glenn Robinson until both of those change. To be fair by my logic someone like Chris Bosh shouldn't be at the All-Star game and maybe that's true but the East has a serious lack of big men so it makes sense. Rasheed Wallace seems like a cheesy pick....just because the Pistons are having an above average season doesn't mean their starting five should be in the game. If you want to see their starting five get Pistons' season tickets or wait until the playoffs. Same thing with Ray Allen. The guy has a great jumper but his team can't win.
Baseball:

Rumor has it the Rocket has been talking to the Red Sox and to be honest....I'm okay with that. I'm a nostalgic guy so I could totally live with him wanting to complete a full circle career with the Red Sox....it would be a nice story.

What I couldn't live with is the Rocket in pinstripes or in Rangers uniform. That would be borderline unforgivable. Still I expect Roger to be in an Astros uniform on May 1st. Until next time.

Wake Me Up April 29-30

2006-02-08T13:41:00.000-08:00

Remember the Rose Bowl? Remember how it actually lived up to the hype? Yeah, well the Superbowl didn't even come close. Unless gadget plays and uninspiring Budweiser commercials are your M.O., then you probably agree.

Unfortunately in the days of the "ESPN Cell Phone," and live update scores available at the click of the finger, it's hard to find something these days that isn't overhyped. One exception: the NBA.

Remember the NBA? That league with Lebron James and Kobe Bryant? It used to have Michael Jordan too. Alas today the NBA is the International League of Mystery with its ability, um, rather lack there of, of reaching an audience.

Here's the problem: when arguably the most important game of the year (and for that matter this decade excluding the playoffs) is on and all I can do is update a live score and hope that Google videos has it available for $2 purchase the next day, something is wrong (for the record I am talking about the 81 point game).

Would the NFL ever do that? If Peyton Manning had a 6 TD game or Larry Johnson had a 300 yard rushing game would they simply brand it aside as if nothing had happened? No, obviously they would have it broadcast live to fans everywhere as part of their TV deal. That's the NBA's problem. Is anyone outside of team A and team B's market watching?

Remember when the NBA was on NBC? How every Sunday you KNEW there would be a Triple Header and odds were on of those games would be worth watching? It didn't take much, simply the ecstatic announcer during the promo yelling: "NBA Triple Header.Bulls Knicks. Pacers Pistons. Lakers Jazz. Today on NBC." Somewhere along the line the NBA forgot its success formula. Sure TNT does a good job considering what its handed. The problem is you get matchups like Cavs Pacers for the early game which envitably turns out to be a 81-76 game where one or more of the "superstars" underachieve. Then there is the late game usually something like Suns Lakers. This game is usually more interesting but the problem is that the entire East Coast is asleep by then.

Today to be a "real" NBA fan you have to get League Pass. But who wants to be a fan of a league where all of 20 people can afford to watch games on a regular basis? MLB doesn't even try to fool itself. It knows there are way too many games in the season for the regular fans. But at least you know when (everyday) your team plays and if not you can switch to TBS for a Braves game or WGN for Cubs/White Sox. They even do a good job of making the Saturday afternoon games on Fox worth watching (then again Yankees Sox practically sells itself). Can you remember the last NBA on ABC game that was worth watching? Me neither.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm just a bitter guy who's favorite basketball team is in the doldrums and who is currently without cable. But I'm nostalgic for the days when the NBA on NBC theme sounded up and got everyone excited (click here if you want that theme song). Until then
I'll be sorting through the Reggie Bush vs. Vince Young articles and if I run into an NBA game I might sit down and watch it because, well, you never know when Kobe might go gunning for 101.

With Some Help From "LOST," Life Doesn't Seem So Bad

2005-12-30T18:18:00.000-08:00

"Life's not so bad, right? Sure the Others are coming to, like, eat us all, and every once in a while someone blows up all over you, but you do get to sleep in every morning."- Hurley to Jack on "Lost"

Thanks to a fortunate (or is it unfortunate?) series of events that led to a week long binge of "Lost" I currently counting the days and hours until Season 2 returns.

But my crippling addictions are not what I'm here to talk about. No, as the genius fat man on "Lost" so eloquently put, despite all the storms and tribulation, there is always a silver lining.

Clichéd, no? (And in case you were wondering, yes I had to Google for cliched just to find the accented "e")

But seriously that's what this is. Ever since I started following Houston sport's teams I've always said it was a test.

I said it was a test after Hakeem Olajuwon decided that sixteen years meant nothing and in search of the mighty dollar signed with the Raptors.
I said it was a test when Steve Francis kept getting migraines that made one the Rockets one of the worst team's in the NBA.
I said it was a test when "Lima Time" went from rally cry to a joke.
I said it was a test when Rudy T was diagnosed with Cancer.
I said it was a test when Francis and Jeff Van Gundy started bickering.
I began slamming my fist against the wall when the Astros lost the 2004 NLCS.
I began slamming my head against the wall when Carlos Beltran signed with the Mets.
I began broke my remote in disgust when the Rockets failed to show up for Game 7 of last year's playoffs against the Mavs.
I kept rewinding my TIVO back and forth when Albert Pujols crushed the Astros' spirit in Game 5 of this year's NLCS.
I had to look away after Roger Clemens hobbled around in Game 2 of the World Series.
I had a good laugh watching the White Sox celebrate in Houston.
I started laughing some more after the Texans started 0-6.
I laughed some more when the Astros decided to let the greatest pitcher in baseball history walk away.
I couldn't stop laughing when Tracy McGrady's back began crippling him and when Yao Ming's big toe sidelined him for a month and a half.

Yeah, I think we deserve Reggie Bush. Oh and if the Texans win on Sunday, just forget I ever wrote this.

At Least One Bush Will Be a Winner in '06

2005-12-01T18:30:00.000-08:00

Considering we have nothing better to talk about other than our cowboy hats and boots, executing poor minorities, and keeping the gays off each other, the new hot debate in Houston is over the Number One Draft Pick in next March's draft.

Naturally the Longhorn legion would love nothing else than to burn David Carr and his family at the stake and place Vince Young at QB. Unfortunately for them owner Bob McNair has given no indication that Carr won't be the starting QB next year and nor has Vince Young given any indicator that he would forgoe his senior year (no Longhorn has ever left early apparently.)

Thus the limelight is all around All-World RB/WR/KR/PR/God... Reggie Bush. We've all seen the impressive Fresno State highlights that all but assured Bush the Presidency...err...the Heisman trophy. Naturally Bush's charisma and explosive God-given talent has started comparisons--from Orenthal James Simpson, to Gale Sayers, to Barry Sanders; in other words you have a Hall of Fame running back and Bush is equal if not better.

Since people all over have clammered the Texans for only having two people anyone else would want (Andre Johnson and Dunta Robinson) lets analyze that. Sure Carr has his faults, but to think the Jets, Ravens, or Lions would try and get him if he became a free agent is absurb.

How about Domanick Davis? The Cardinals have some guy named Shipp at RB and the Packers have a Pre-Med Doctor. Despite all the injuries the guy has, whem he plays he's usually okay.

That bring us to left tackle. With the Texans at one point on pace to give up 82 sacks, six more than their record with the 2002 expansion edition Texans, everyone slammed the offensive line (and they still do). To their credit they're now on pace to ONLY give up sixty-something sacks. The reduction in part to Chester Pitts moving to left tackle. With him there in 2003, the Texans gave up ONLY 14 sacks. Why did he not stay there you ask? ....... EXACTLY!

So do you pass on Reggie Bush for the best left tackle in the draft who I've been clammoring and rambling about for months-- D'Brickashaw Ferguson?

Well from a talent and pizzazz factor it's no comparsion. When was the last time you saw someone wearing their Johnathan Ogden jersey? With Bush the Texans would get some attention, much like the Chargers before last year because of LT. With Ferguson you have a chance to get a guy that doesn't come around very often and solidify your offensive line for a decade or more.

Here's something else to bite on. Who was the last Running Back taken first overall in the draft? Ki-Jana Carter. Who you say? Right. That must've been like twenty years ago right? Well, no it was 1995. Oh. So what happened? Blew out his ACL in his third carry his first preseason game. Never the same. Oh.

So that's what it comes down to. Excitement that could be over in a minute. Or a silent and boring force that dominates for a while. Decisions, decisions.

At least this is kindof reassuring:
Seth, Friendswood, Texas: Hey Reggie if you decide to come out you're not gonna pull an Eli/Elway and refuse to play for my Texans are you?

Reggie Bush: (Laughs) No, I just want the opportunity to have the chance and make my mark. Wherever I go, I'll go. As far as Eli, he felt like he didn't want to play for a team for whatever reason and I don't think he should be held for that. Maybe the way he went about it wasn't a popular choice, but if he didn't feel right about something, then he has the right to make that decsion.
-Via Espn Chat

Finally to end, another chat quote:
Bobby, Toronto: How good are these prospects: Adam Morrison and Josh McRoberts (legit lotto?). Is Rudy Gay versatile enough to play the NBA sg spot?

Chad Ford: Morrison is all over the board. Some scouts have him as a potential top 5 pick, others have in the mid to late first round. Just depends on if you focus on his strengths (scoring, leadership, clutch play) or weaknesses (heavy legs, defense and diabetes).

Can I Wear My Clippers Sweater Yet?

2005-11-11T15:09:00.000-08:00

The difference between the Lakers and Clippers some ten years back was like night and day. On one half you had the still exciting post-Showtime Lakers that were on the up and up. Then you had the lottery expert Clippers. On one side you had the legendary Great Western Forum surrounded by stars like Jack Nicholson, Speilberg, and Denzel. The Clippers to this day have well, um....Frankie Muniz and played in the ancient and abysmal L.A. Sports Arena. The Lakers had the late great hall of famer Chick Hearn, who coined the term 'Slam Dunk' for those of you who are ignorant, announcing games (my second favorite announcer ever). The Clippers had Ralph Lawler shouting his silly trademark after every basket:"Lamond Murray for 2......BINGO!" And of course Lawler's innovative and intelligent color commentator ....Bill Walton.

Now this brings me back to my title. Every so often the Clippers seem to get enough talent that they get people thinking they might reach the playoffs. In fact as you can see in this humourous article, they're made the playoffs all of THREE TIMES in their twenty year exsistence and ONE WINNING SEASON. Yes these are the Clippers.

With people with names like 'Pooh' Richardson, how could the Clippers lose?

Now some three years ago I bought a Clippers sweater to start off the 2002-2003 season, not thinking, but knowing the Clippers would go somewhere. Lamar Odom and Elton Brand were close to being All-Stars. Quentin Richardson was high flying and exciting along with Corey Magette. They had just traded for Andre Miller who averaged 11 assists with this amazingly bad pre-Lebron Cavaliers team (speaking off...I'll never understand what happened to Miller after that season. He must've seen Elgin Baylor naked or something and it scarred him for life). And of course my favorite Nigerian Michael Olowokandi and his "massive potential". At least that's what Elgin Baylor said. Of course he also said that about other lottey notables like Reggie Williams (4th overall), Danny Manning (1st overall), Danny Ferry (2nd overall and refused to play for the Clippers), Bo Kimble (8th overall), Lamond Murray (8th overall), Antonio McDyess (2nd overall), Lorenzen Wright (6th overall), and Darius Miles (3rd overall). By the way, could you imagine what cheapskate Donald Stirling would ever say if he won a championship: "I've always told ol' Elgie here that I was commited to winning a championship. (uncomfortabtle smile) And uh...after fourty years and a freak accident at the All-Star game that maimed all the All-Stars we finally did it." And in the moments after he'd combust in flames.

So thinking I'd get on the bandwagon before anyone else, I proudly wore my Clippers sweater. Not because they were my first love; it was and still is Rockets, Lakers, Clippers in that order (the Rockets stil had their silly pajama logo and the Lakers purple has always drawn my refrain). Of course there were the snickers and chuckles. But I always told myself I'd have the last laugh.

Of course I was appalled when the Clippers suffered numerous injuries. And I was apalled when Richard Aberle, my then dorm head's husband told me: "You know, there was a time when I was a Clippers fan. Hardcore even."

Of course knowing now that he is a child pornographer has in fact apalled me more than you can possibly imagine (Is that what all Clippers fans are? Child pornographers?). Oh and yes the Clippers ended up 27-55 for 32 games out of first place. And my junior year I stuck to a simple 'Phillips Exeter' sweater for the most part.

So despite the 5-1 start, please forgive me if I have yet to break out my sweater. I've been burned too bad and too often.

Predictions for the Pacific Division:
First place Lakers (6th seed)- Mainly because the Kings are in such disaray. Kobe and Lamar should be just enough.
Second Place- Clippers (7th seed)- They look good so far.
Third Place- Warriors (8th seed)- The Clippers AND Warriors in the playoffs? Start going to Church and repenting boys and girls.
Fourth Place- Suns- No Amare. And if you've watched them play the last 2 minutes of any game nobody, and I mean nobody wants the ball.
Fifth Place- Kings- Adelman has really lost his team. Peja is just waiting until he's able to sway Isiah into a sign and trade with the Knicks for 66 million (you heard it here first).

Other stuff:
Colts and Pistons will win it all barring major injuries.
Rockets are in trouble if McGrady doesn't return on Saturday as promised.

2005-11-04T15:42:00.000-08:00

NBA Preview Continued

Northwest Division
1. Denver Nuggets 50 wins. 2nd seed (again NBA's retarded seeding)
Good: Somewhat balanced scoring. No one is a lock to score more than 20 points a game but Carmelo and Kenyon Martin will get close. Camby is one of the better centers in the NBA if he can stay healthy. Earl Boykins is great off the bench.
Bad: I really dislike the Nuggets. A.) All the hoopla surrounding how George Karl ended last year's regular season on a 32-8 record or something similiar and B.) Because Carmelo Anthony is overrated. Karl is a great coach no doubt. But his players will eventually tire of him. And everyone seems to forget all those championships he won in Seattle. Oh wait, no he didn't. Carmelo is a talented player. But so was Glenn 'Big Dog' Robinson, another protege of Karl in Milwaukee. Carmelo can't shoot from the outside well, doesn't pass well, isn't clutch, doesn't make great decisions, and doesn't defend well. Just like Big Dog.
2. Utah Jazz 45 wins 8th seed
Good: Big sleeper team. Last year they were loaded on expectations and everyone believed Carlos Arroyo could replace Stockton and that Kirk Snyder was the biggest draft steal ever. A year later both are gone and humorously enough, Greg Ostertag is back.

As important as Stockton to Malone is to the franchise, in my opinion you can't have the Jazz without Ostertag. In all seriousness Andrei Kirilenko (AK-47) is one of the best players in the NBA. Assuming he plays close to 82 game he'll get 20 points 10 rebounds and 3.5 blocks a game. Mehmet Okur and Carlos 'Beltran' Boozer are both overpaid but effective enough. I think they'll improve from last year. Deron Williams should be an All-Star but admitingly I don't know how he plays or what he's good at. I probably learned more about his gorgeous girlfriend/wife on Draft day than I did about him. Jerry Sloan while impatient is a top 5 coach.
Bad: Depth is a problem. They have Matt Harpring and....Ostertag. The other guys might as well be in the D-League. Their defense is also suspect with or with AK-47
3.Minnesota Timberwolves 41 wins No playoffs
Good: KG is still the league's best all around player. He does everything well. The question is whether the tools around him are good enough. They're expecting a lot from Clipper refugee Marko Jaric, who is a very, very, poor man's Jason Kidd. Wally Szczerbiak is probably the only non Power Forward or Center that shoots over 50% from the field. Unfortunately he steals passes from teammates and doesn't defend well.
Bad: Lack of depth is worrysome. Eddie Griffin might spell KG from time to time but as I learned while he was a Rocket, he has huge mental problems on and off the court. Also they have Michael Olowokandi at Center. How he was the number one pick seven years ago I will never understand. I remember Clipper GM Elgin Baylor was quoted on the L.A. Times as saying "Michael Oh-lo-lo-kandi," as if he himself was confused by the selection. The bottom line is when you have a guy at the University of Pacific playing other no name players at other no name schools, he's probably not a good pick. Meanwhile that Vince Carter guy at North Carolina turned out pretty well I think.
4. Seattle Supersonics 40 wins No playoffs
Good: Ray Allen is back and they have an above average front line with Reggie Evan, Danny Fortson, Vladmir Radmonovic, and um starting Center Vitaly Potapenko. Flip Murray is has great skills. Rashard Lewis has tons of potential and should remain an All-Star.
Bad: Vitaly Potapenko. Ray Allen is no longer playing for a contract. Nate McMillan is gone. They overachieved badly last year (though give them credit against the Spurs, were it not for Duncan's last second shot they would've forced Game 7 and the world might not have become such a boring place). Fortson is insane. Robert Swift is some tall white stiff.
5. Portland Trail Blazers 35 wins No playoffs
Good: Nate McMillan is a good coach but I really doubt he's as good as his contract says he is. If this team develops into a playoff contender I'll change my mind. Zach Randolph is supposedely in good shape. If so he's close to a 20/10 guy. Darius Miles is talented and the question is still whether he'll reach his potential. Sebastian Telfair exceeded any expectations I ever had for him by actually playing fairly well last year. Jarrett Jack could also become a good PG. Joel Przybilla came out of left field last year and became a legit center. Martel Webster is expected to become Ray Allen or Mitch Richmond kind of shooter. I worry that he'd become Trajan Langden but I expect him to become a black Mark Price. He's only 18 though so that could take some time.
Bad: Ruben Patterson and Randolph are still locker room cancers. Theo Ratliff probably does not enjoy coming off the bench. Can McMillan keep all this talent happy? I don't think so but lets wait and see.

2005-10-31T18:36:00.000-08:00

If you think Van Gundy is angry now, just wait until the first game Yao fouls out in. [Feces] will hit the fan.

Southwest Division:
1. Spurs. 62 wins. 1st seed in playoffs
Good: Duncan is still alive and kicking. Ginobili is still slashing. Mr. Longoria is around. And Popovich is a top 3 coach in the NBA right now.
Bad: What can you get from the bench? Can Finley and Van Exel buy into the team mentality? Will Rasho be useful? Finally can Bowen keep it up? At 33 he's going to have a harder and harder time of keeping up with scorers.
2. Rockets. 57 wins. 4th seed in playoffs (only because the NBA's seeding rules are retarded)
TMAC and Yao form the best duo in the NBA (at least statistically). I doubt Yao will ever be a real 20/10 player but he can get close. The Center position has evolved from the luxury days of Ewing, Robinson, and Hakeem. As soon as Shaq is gone, Yao will define an elite Center. Stromile Swift, Rafer Alston, and Derrick Anderson are above average role players. Van Gundy is a top 10 coach.
Bad: Yao can't stay out of foul trouble. TMAC is ailing right now. Bob Sura might be done permenantly. David Wesley has apparently lost his entire game.
3.Dallas Mavericks. 51 wins. 5th seed in playoffs
Good: Lots of offense in Dirk, Terry, and Howard. Daniels and Harris are fine off the bench.
Bad: Dirk was exposed in the postseason by the Rockets with Ryan Bowen doing the guarding. Most of his points came from advantageous calls given to him via free throws. Also the Mavs have some sort of defensive problem. Or so I hear. Avery Johnson is a huge question mark as a rookie coach.
4. Memphis Grizzlies. 37 wins. No postseason
Good: With Gasol and um...the rest, they might win some games. I think Eddie Jones was banished to this place. Not sure I know anyone on this team without a google search.
Bad: They lost anyone that mattered not named Gasol. Jason Williams is in my opinion a horrible human being but he could still play ball and seemed to fit in kind of. The Czar's long layoff from coaching won't help.
5. Oklahoma City/New Orleans Hornets. 22 wins. No postseason.
Good: Chris Paul seems promising. As does J.R. Smith. And that about wraps it up.
Bad: Chris Anderson at Center? He should be permenantly banned from the NBA after that attrocity he did at the Dunk Contest. Usually teams build around a good PG and C. Good thing the Hornets traded young All-Stars at both positions. Byron Scott has lost the magic touch and you have to feel bad for him.

On a final note....what's going on in RSN? The first guy to get them a WS title in 86 years gets the boot? Manny on his way out? Next year won't be pretty at Fenway.

2005-10-30T19:41:00.000-08:00

568 At Bats. Thats the number of At Bats Scott Podsednik had this regular season. The number of Home Runs hit in those AB's? Zero. So I pretty much knew it was destiny and pretty much a formality after Game 2 of the World Series that the White Sox would win after Podsednik ended Game 2 on a Walkoff HR. That's not to say I still didn't think the Astros could win. But deep down I felt it was over.
This didn't have the same feeling of last year's curse ending World Series and that's what killed me over the admission that the White Sox would win. Last year's Red Sox team was a loveable bunch of self proclaimed 'Idiots.' I mean you had Pedro, Manny, Damon, and Ortiz; how could you not like this bunch? These White Sox in a single word are the 'nobodies.' Outside of South Chicago does anyone really like Ozzie Guillen? How about that 'great' owner Jerry Reisdorf? Did anyone like him fifteen years back when he nearly moved the team to Tampa Bay and extorted the Illinois legislature into an emergency session to approve a new stadium? Did they like it when he destroyed the legendary Comiskey Park that had stood since 1910? Does anyone like A.J. Piezynski period? Does even half Chicago care? Does the 'Black Sox' scandel mean anything to you? These are the reasons that they don't deserve that championship. At least thats what I told myself.
The truth is I'm over it. Really. I'd say I'm 'dissapointedley relieved.' The Astros took me on some ride this year. If you had told me in May or June that this team would make it to the World Series I would've laughed. But to my surprise (and all those fair weather fans) they made it. Offense or no offense they worked together through every game. Even in those last four games you knew they had a shot (actually you probably don't at least thats what the ratings say) to win all four them easily. But it didn't come together this time. It just wasn't meant to be. But whether or not they make it back next year or whether or not our semi-cheap owner spends another nickel this offseason I enjoyed every minute of the 2005 season.

BREAKING NEWS: THE TEXANS WON A GAME

MORE BREAKING NEWS: THERE IS A LESBIAN IN THE WNBA

On the Texans, thats actually really surprising. On the Sherryl Swoopes deal? Not so much. This comes from the league that is really all about the lesbians, and yet it hates to labeled as such and it fact trys to hide it at all expense. Whatever you think about gays whether its right or wrong, etc, this doesn't matter because its the WNBA. In other words, all five of the WNBA's fans are shocked. Until the defining moment of the WNBA is not a Lisa Leslie dunk and is actually something worth watching, I will not care. In fact I will never speak of the WNBA again after this. Book it.

Oh and by the way, the NBA Season starts next Tuesday. I'll have a a quick write up of the other 29 teams and have a full insight into the Rockets soon (don't hold me to this).

2005-10-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

You'd think I'd be pretty happy right? I am, kind of anyway. But what lingers in my mind is the Pujols homerun. The celebration after Game 6 just didn't feel right. At the start of the 9th in Game 5 everything was too good to be true. Celebrating Houston's first ever World Series in Houston? That was too much to ask. Still we are in the World Series and thus the journey is still not over. If we win that, then maybe I'll be happy.

Here's whats really worrying me. You might have heard of it. Stockton to Malone syndrome. You know those two Hall of Famers? Couldn't quite get over the hump.

Stockton will be remembered for his shorts. Malone for losing the ball in the '98 Finals.

When you talk Houston baseball, there's no way around it. You have to mention Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell. These two have been together for fifteen years and have spent their entire careers in Houston. I couldn't imagine what It'd be like if they went out without a championship. Fortunately, I won't have to. Roger, Andy, and Roy will make sure of it.

Kids, can you guess which of these things is not like the others?

Speaking of Bagwell, I always thought it was amazing that he and White Sox star Frank Thomas were the same person. If for a moment you ignore that Thomas is black, they were both born May 27, 1968. Bagwell has 449 HRs to Thomas's 448. They both have about a .300 BA. Both were long time first basemen. Neither have a Title. And they were both injured for the majority of this season and it happens that that season is the one where their teams get into the World Series. It's like that idea that when one twin gets hurt the other feels it. In fact someone needs to look into this. It's creepy. Bagwell might get to DH in Chicago though. It's a shame that Thomas won't get that opportunity.

Finally I need to say this about Pujols. He's becoming Bonds. He needs to stare at the ball as it sails into the stands for a homerun apparently. It's a must. Because that Game 5 HR, wasn't a sure thing. He needed to slowly walk up the 1st baseline and make sure because it was a close call. Not only that, he refused to talk to the media during the NLCS. Now who else doesn't like to talk to the media again?

In fact if Pujols starts to slowly become darker in skin nature and left handed, don't say I didn't tell you. To his credit Pujols, whose daughter suffers from Down Syndrome, has been really great about helping others with the disease. But still he doesn't need to be an A-hole about it.

2005-10-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

If we have a curse, this is it...might sound pathetic but this is likely the most gut wrenching day of my life.

2005-10-14T15:52:00.000-07:00

Recently the Texans have been getting more attention at the national level commencing Sunday night with a game on ESPN against the Seattle Seahawks. The problem is that the attention is for all the wrong reasons. As Len Pasquarelli eludes to here the Texans will face a huge task this offseason in deciding whether or not David Carr will stay. Michael Smith not only writes about the problems in the Texan's offensive line which is obvious but sheds light into some other issues. None of these problems are new to me but when you're 0-4 (soon to be 0-5) and given attention to simply for being bad, something has gone horribly wrong. A glance at the Texans schedule shows that if they don't win against Cleveland in Week 8, then they are unlikely to have a shot at a win until WEEK FOURTEEN in Tennessee. Obviously this team is first in the Matt Leinart sweepstakes and obviously they'll give him a good look see. But here's what I'd do after this upcoming loss in Seattle:

1. Keep the Coaching Staff. Reasoning? They could fire Capers and/or other coaches but what would that do at this point in the season? If you bring someone from outside the organization which is incredibly unlikely, it would be impossible to implement a new scheme in one week. Worse, if we get a good coach (cough, Jimmy Johnson, cough) right now it could cost the team the Number One pick. So keep this inept crew in tact and hope they don't win too often.

2. Attempt to get LaVar Arrington. When healthy as he was in 2002 with 11 sacks, Arrington is a sack machine. Placed in a 3-4 defense he would bring a must needed element of speed that this team is lacking on the outside. The Redskins are disgruntled with him right now and while a trade during the regular season will be admitingly near impossible, trying to entice them with say a 3rd and 4th round pick right now might be something the Redskins will be interested in hearing.

3. Wait for the offseason. Draft Matt Leinart 1st overall. Trade down with say Arizona for the 3rd overall pick and take D'Brickashaw Ferguson and receive a future 1st and 2nd round picks.. If you weren't aware, Ferguson is considered the next big thing along with Orlando Pace and Walter Jones as far as Offensive Tackles go. I think Matt Leinart is better than David Carr. But without a good LT to protect Leinart, what difference does it make? Carr's mobility allows him to escape sometimes. Leinart for the most part is a pure pocket QB. With Leinart at QB he'd simply in time become dejected and depressed as I think Carr has slowly become. For selfish purposes I think Leinart would be a great fit because he'd bring the media to Houston and he's the guy that can put your city on the map. But its unfair to make such a move without thinking of what's really the best for the organization.

4. Finally, yes get Jimmy Johnson onboard and hope he can make Carr into a good QB.

BTW both Fresno State and I hope David Carr isn't this dumb (bottom of article).

As for the Astros......Who the Hell is Chris Burke right? For now he's a new member of the "KILLER BEES."

I've kept a close eye on Burke this year. I remember his 1st HR of his career earlier this year off Pedro Martinez which ended his no hitter through 6 or 7 innings. He was ranked by Baseball America as the Astros' top prospect. Unfortunately that does not say much as in recent years the Astros farm system has been lackluster. But to his credit Burke had a standout career at the University of Tennesse and the Astros made him the 10th overall pick in the 2001 draft. He broke former Volunteer and current Rockie All- World 1st baseball Todd Heltons record for hits while at Tennessee as a leadoff hitter and shortstop. He went into the minors as a 2nd baseball though. Unfortantely (For Burke) the Astros had (and will continue to have thankfully for God knows how long) Craig Biggio. So right now he's platooned in Left Field a position he literally had to learn on the fly while hoping that someday he'll replace Biggio. He batted just .240 during the season and honestly he's probably a very unlikely hero.

BUT 2 HRS and a TRIPLE to start his postseason career. WOW. Right now he's our Mr. October. Maybe this is the start to something big along with the Astros other notable 1st round picks (Biggio, Berkman, Lidge). And maybe he'll never do anything special ever again. But he's become a semi- cult hero here in Houston after his walkoff HR in the 18 inning extravaganza. I know that he'll always go down in my book as "THE Chris Burke."

Quickly on the Rockets:

Last night on Houston's FOX 26, a girl was asked about the Astros game and she just said "Yeah!!! GO Rockets!" Nice job.

This is why Yao and TMAC are awesome (bottom of the article).

2005-10-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

Its a fairly simple commercial really. Doubt you've ever seen it though. A local supermarket chain in Texas, H-E-B (Here Everything's Better) has recently aired a handful of commercials starring none other than the Rocket himself. Within the last two weeks though Roger has been joined by best friend Andy Pettite and Texans' QB David Carr. Simply put Roger and Andy hide in the bushes and place helmets on their heads before ambushing a unsuspecting David Carr, who is doing a commercial. Carr is of course hammered and can only reply "nice, guys." The irony is deep on so many levels that its difficult to fathom. For one, its part of the prevailing theme of the Texans season that just about anyone can sack David Carr. What's more though is with the unprecedented success of the Astros the last two years combined with what appears to be a completely incompetant Texans organization have led to what appears to be the end of the reign of football as king in Houston. On hand for yet another debacle on Sunday were about 50,000 of the advertised 72,000 sellout crowd. The three quarters that remained after the thrid quarter were treated to a update of Lance Berkmans' grand slam in the 8th and they errupted for what would be the largest uproar of the afternoon. Chants of "Lets go Astros" riddled Reliant Stadium for the remainder of the game. Like I said the organization is in shambles, and this is by no means the fault of owner Bob McNair (who privately donated $1 million to the Katrina relief effort) but ineptitude by GM Charley Casserly and Head Coach Dom Capers. Based on the schedule I have to believe within the upcoming games both will be fired. Whoever replaces them will have a daunting task of retooling a roster with only three Pro Bowl caliber players and the first pick in next year's draft. To his credit though, Astro's owner Drayton McLane is about as crafty as you can get. His coup in the winter of 2004 yielded both the Rocket and Pettitte for what would become indeed the two most successfull Astros' seasons both financially and in terms of post season success.
No this isn't the commercial. But it pretty much sums it up.

The Rockets will kick of the preseason tomorrow. They face what will be a season of enormous expectations not seen since the summer of 1999 when the team had Hakeem, Pippen, Barkely, and Drexler. Unfortunately as well all know too well, an all-star cast almost never yields a championship. I'm probably alone in Houston on this, partly because I didn't live here at the time, but I do not really believe the Rockets two championships in 1993 and 1994 are valid. I think its clear that if Jordan had not been pseudo-retired that the Bulls would have won both times. That being said this Rockets team has a chance to win it all. I'm not saying we're going to beat the Spurs. At the same time I'm not going to say we can't. But if the Rockets are as dissapointing as the Texans have been, well, its going to be a long winter.

2005-10-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

Let the 1-2-3-4 punch of future Hall of Famers begin when the Astros take on the Braves starting Wednesday. Pettite, Clemens, Oswalt, and Lidge will have no mercy on the Braves and their essentially all rookie team. Braves' fans point to the Braves taking 5/6 from the Astros this season, neglecting to remember that we beat them last year in the Playoffs with Pete Munro in the starting rotation and minus Andy Pettite, and that this year we lost those five games earlier in the year during our 15-31 start when we had no Lance Berkman and Morgan Ensberg had not yet transformed into an offensive force. If we had a chance to face the Braves in the second half of the season instead of having all six games by May 8th, then no doubt we would have taken the Braves to the house. Yes Andruw Jones is a big threat. But how hard is it to pitch around him? Chipper Jones and super rookie Jeff Francouer can't really be expected to drive in all the runs can they? As for the Astros they face a Braves rotation who are without a decent left hander and an ace in John Smoltz who has found "a sore shoulder" at a very bad time. Even with a mediocre offense the Astros have more than what it takes to beat the Braves. We're even the chique pick to win the World Series (yeah the Angels have more experts but they have guys like full time Barry Bonds jack strap Pedro Gomez and humor writer Eric Neel. We have Hall of Famer Peter Gammons who > all). Astros in 4.

Quickly my Award Picks
NL MVP- Andruw Jones. Carried a team full of rookies. Enough said.
AL MVP- Alex Rodriguez. Not clutch, but that dinger against the Sox on Saturday helped clinch the East (which actually hurt the Yankees because they face a tougher Angels team rather than the White Sox, so does that not make him the MVP?)
AL CY YOUNG- Johan Santana. Lead the leagues in strikeouts again. Was the best pitcher in the majors in the second half. He'll end up losing to Bartolo Colon but he deserves back to back awards
NL CY YOUNG- Andy Pettite. Balance of wins and E.R.A. make him a good pick. Willis didn't make the postseason and Carpenter collapsed in September.
NL Rookie of the Year- Willie Taveras. Willy T lead the Astros in hits and is downright exciting to watch. Literally the fastest player in the MLB and plays Gold Glove defense. Ryan Howard hit a lot of HRs (I guess chicks do dig the longball) but he only played half the season like Jeff Francouer. Its unfair the penalize Willy T as a result because he was there from the start.
AL Rookie of the Year- Huston Street. A rookie closer who made who helped his team almost reach the playoffs. Well done.
NL Manager of the Year- Phil Garner. 15-31 to playoffs.
AL Manager of the Year- Ozzie Guillen. White Sox came from nowhere. Don't like that he's buddies with Hugo Chavez though.

The other Divisional Matchups:
Yanks vs Angels
If you haven't heard about how the Angels won homefield, do so. Kudos to the Rangers skipper even if it was unintentional (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). The Angels are much better at home but they need to bring back the Rally Monkey if they want to put the Yankees away again as they did in their 2002 World Series run. Still I really can't see how players like Chacon, and the Small Wang duo (hehe) can really win games in the postseason. Anaheim has a one really good pitcher in Colon and the rest of the rotation is pretty well rounded. The Yankees have a huge offensive advantage though. The Angels have Vladimir Guerrero and um.....yeah. Garrett Anderson is supposed to he the other guy but he has just 15 HRs and has been cripled by injurys. Still I say Angels in 5.
Red Sox vs. White Sox
Would be cool to see the White Sox end their 88 year curse of their own. Won't be easy though. Will we see the White Sox of the first half of the season or the ones that nearly blew the AL Central? The Red Sox pitching is in disarray as Curt Schilling hasn't returned to ace form quite yet even with the nice outing against the Yankees. The White Sox have a great bullpen wheras the Red Sox bullpen has strugled recently. Can Timlin really close? The White Sox have a great 3 man rotation in Buerhle, Garland, and Contreras. But in the postseason will their inexperience hurt them? Going to gamble here...White Sox in 5
Padres vs. Cardinals
The Padres are mathematically the worse team to make the playoffs recordwise in history. Also theyre the only team to make the playoffs without a 20 HR guy or a 15 win pitcher. Still Jake Peavy is good enough for one win so I'll say Cardinals in 4. If Carpenter keeps struggling though watch out.

Texans wrap up

A lot better game overall than the last two. Carr had a 97 passer rating and really threw the ball well when he wasn't about to be sacked. I'd love to be able to place the blame on Phill Luckett. Also known as the man who blew the coin toss in the infamous Steelers Lions game a few years ago. He also was responsible for the Tuck Rule call (depending on whether or not you like the call that is). But yesterday while he was a referee in the game, he did not review the "fumble."
Instead some other guy did. He simply said "After reviewing the play the ruling on the field stands. Houston is charged with a timeout." Aren't you supposed to say "After reviewing the play, the passers arms was not going forward and thus it is a fumble. Houston is charged with a time out"? There was no explanation whatsoever. Four possibilities (in order of likelihood) A.) He didn't want to admit a mistake. B.) He's retarded. C.) Had money on the Bengals D) Conspiracy. Too bad Luckett couldn't remind him off the Tuck Rule since it was the same exact thing. Regardless it was no guarantee we would've won but we were only down a FG and that "fumble" killed any hope.
The Lions call however I can understand. Even if it is a touchdown Lions' fans, they don't deserve to win. Any team with Joey Harrington at QB is HORRIBLE. I'm guessing the Lions are still thinking "Barry Sanders is walking through that tunnel any second now......" Additionally can we call the 2003 2nd overall pick Charles Rogers a bust yet? 2 years missed with injuries. And a very quiet year so far interrupted by a suspension for violating the league substance abuse policy. I guess he and Randy Moss were both on the chronic this weekend. Moss is refusing to take drug tests apparently because he feels its due to his comment on HBO about still smoking weed. Well Randy if you're clean what do you have to hide? He should be suspended just for not taking the test. Thats the same as being guilty in my book. NBA talk next week.

2005-09-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

Ranking high on my list of things I thought I'd never say was "thank you Carlos Beltran." Yes, my official public enemy number one has actually redeemed himself to a certain extent by batting in two runs and then gunning down David Bell at third base in the 8th inning, of a 3-2 game to preserve a Mets win over the Phillies, thereby extending the Astros lead to 2.5 games in the Wild Card.
"Finally I'm not worthless," said Beltran. "Too bad all of New York hates me already."

The Astros for a team with many significant weaknesses have pretty much wrapped up the Wild Card by at the very least being consistent. They may not score a lot but they always get good pitching which is more than one can say for the Phillies or the Fish. More important was finally winning in St. Louis last night for the first time in over a year. Last year in the NLCS the Astros won all three games at home and were unable to win one game a Busch Stadium which resulted in elimination. Hopefully this will help along the way should they meet the Cardinals.

Good news though if your a Red Sox fan. Rumors say that Manny Ramirez may very well be traded this offseason for.......you guessed it.....Carlos Beltran.

Now to the NFL.....

"Man my life is so insufficiently perfect."

I feel for you Tom. Really, I do. Yet again "experts" are beginning to doubt the Brady and Co.'s ability to win it all. I too doubted them at the start of the year after the losses of both coordinators and players like Tedy Bruschi and Ty Law. In fact some people (um...not me) had the Jets (hah) winning the division. The experts now insist with the loss of Rodney Harrison who tore his ACL, MCL, PCL, and BCL though ZCL, combined with the loss of Matt Light will do them in. They did well in their first test against the Steelers (assuming you don't think those 52 extra ticks won the game for them) but they still face the most difficult schedule out there. Still they have to prove they can beat the Colts for me to be fully sure (how many times have I heard that?). If the Colts defense is in fact for real then we could have a huge game on our hands in a few weeks.

So. How 'bout them Texans. YEAH.....the fact that I'm starting Chad Johnson and the Bengals Defense on my fantasy team should say enough. Still if Domanick Davis can get his game going, we might might be able to open up the pass game and, gasp, get Andre Johnson some touches. A win would be asking for too much but maybe just showing that they can muster some offense and show life would help reassure fans that David Carr and Dom Capers are in fact competant.

2005-09-19T20:33:00.000-07:00

"The Tennessee Titans."
(Shakes head once)
"The Tennessee Texans."
(Shakes head twice, winks twice)
"The Houston Texans?"
(Looks at partner, partner nods in approval)

When the CBS announcer cannot get your team's name correctly you know it can't be a good omen. I don't even have to write up a summary for this game. My entry from last week suffices. This is pretty much accurate of what happened yesterday.

As far as Offensive Coordinator Chris Palmer getting fired, it's a step. Whether its a step in the right direction is a question mark. The guy replacing him for the remainder of the year is Offesive line coach Joe Pendry who did the Offensive coordinator job for Dom Capers in Carolina and later in Buffalo. He's experienced but I'm concerned how he'll perform considering how bad the offensive line is. As for Palmer, he had to know this was his last chance. You'd think he'd try some crazy 5 WR sets or Half Back Passes or WR reverses. Instead he tried some mundane 3 TE sets which were obviously to no avail. For a man who was to be fired, he sure didn't seem to care with his predictable conservative plays. I feel bad for him but he's really not the right person for this team.

I never got around to finishing my NFC West and North previews, primarily because the teams in those divisions are unworthy of giving Sally Struther a sponge bath. Regardless I'll summarize the teams in brief.

Seahawks: The "class" of the division. I'd suspect theyd go about 9-7 again. They do fine against NFC teams but don't stand up very well against the AFC. Alexander and Hasselback are Pro-Bowlers along with Walter Jones, but no one else on the team distinguishes themselves. Long term the team could be in trouble as well. If Alexander leaves, which is likely, they will have a gaping hole to fill. Not enough defense to get passed the 2nd round assuming they make it that far.

Cards: Kurt Warner is a nice guy. But he believed he was forced from St. Louis because of his Christian beliefs. No Kurt, you just really suck now.

49ers: Yuppies of football. These go getters might get 4 wins or so. Still they need to decide on the QB by years end.

Rams: I really don't know what's going on here. Obviously the offense is among the best but the defense would probably be better with James Carville

Packers: Terrible defense and a regressed offense. 5 wins at best.

Bears: Might actually win this division. Defense actually stands out.

Lions: Bad on both sides of the ball. They have weapons but those are underutilized.

Vikings: Pretty much killed a lot preseason hype. Tice has really underachieved. Offensive Coordinator Scott Lineham and Pro-Bowl Center Matt Birk have more to do with the poor play than Randy Moss. Non-exsistant run game doesn't help.

2005-09-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

RIP Bess Clemens. You raised one hell of a son.

Yesterday I heard the news over the radio and just sat there stunned. Roger, who only decided on playing these last two years in Houston with his mom's blessings, was to pitch yesterday. It came to my mind that he wouldn't pitch. His mom was his constant inspiration and I knew that he would be in no state to do anything, much less pitch. In fact if he took off the rest of the season, or even decided not to pitch again, I could not be angry at him. Roger is my favorite player in all sports. He is the ultimate professional and last night despite all the odds proved it again with an amazing effort in a 10-2 win, in which Clemens only allowed one run in the first inning. If the voters in October decide that Carpenter or Willis win the Cy Young, that's fine. For this now fired up Astros team and Roger, the best way to show tribute to Bess is simple: win. Boston posed the same question last year: Why not us? Exactly. Why not us?

AL Contenders continued

2. Cleveland Indians
They face a tough road ahead. If they cannot surpass the White Sox for the AL Central lead, and if the standings remain the same, then the Indians will face the Red Sox. But I honestly believe this team can win it all. While they don't have the prolific offense of the Red Sox, nor the pitching of the Astros, they have overall the most balanced team. No gaping weaknesses. If they do face Boston, and they can score a few runs, they'll have a shot. If the Astros get eliminated, I will root for this team for the simple reason that they have the lowest payroll of any contender with just $55 million in the books. GM Mark Shapiro can laugh at the Yankees and their $200 million team.
Pitching:
Starting Rotation:
Kevin Millwood 8-12, 3.02 E.R.A
C.C. Sabathia 13-10, 4.25 E.R.A
Jake Westbrook 15-14, 4.56 E.R.A
Cliff Lee 16-4, 3.69 E.R.A
Scott Elarton 9-7, 4.73 E.R.A
Very good rotation. Millwood is the ace but suffer from Roger Clemens syndrome. His team believes it is illegal to score for him. He is deserving of the Cy Young, especially if the Indians make the playoffs, but he won't because somehow he has a losing record. Sabathia had a terrible first half of the season but found his breaking ball and since has been on fire. If the lefty keep it up he will give the Red Sox fits in the postseason. Westbrook is reliable and can consistently pitch 8 innings. Lee has had a great season and should garner a few votes for Cy Young.
Bullpen:
Rafael Betancourt 3.03 E.R.A
Scott Sauerbeck 3.38 E.R.A
David Riske 3.24 E.R.A
Arthur Rhodes 2.08 E.R.A (Out for season for personal reasons)
Bob Howry 2.45 E.R.A
Bob Wickman 2.62 E.R.A, 41 Saves (lead MLB in saves)
Best bullpen in baseball. In fact the Indians have a +63 run differential after the 7th inning. The loss of Rhodes will hurt but pretty much anyone can fill in for him. Wickman has been a lights out closer this year. He could've gone elsewhere for more money, but chose to stay in Cleveland because they gave him a job after his Tommy John surgery. Thats loyalty. Expect him to stay around in Cleveland and get a nice payday.
Hitting:
CF Grady Sizemore .289 19 HR 76 RBIs, .346 OBP. Future superstar? Probably. Sizemore is a rare five tool talent. A left hand hitter with size, speed, power, should keep the Tribe happy for years to come. Plays gold glove defense too. Needs to improve against lefties if he is remain a leadoff hitter though. 20 steals too.
LF Coco Crisp .303 13 HR 61 RBIs, .349 OBP. Probably a better fit as a leadoff hitter. Although he also cannot hit lefties. Still Crisp has the coolest name in all sports and is a nice outfielder.
SS Johnny Peralta .286 21 HR 70 RBIs, .354 OBP. Peralta is another player that should become a superstar. The comparison is a young Miguel Tejada. I think thats pretty fair. He plays solid defense though he isnt particulary fast. He has no steals.
DH Travis Hafner.300 25 HR 88 RBIs, .402 OBP. This man is scary. If he hadn't been beaned by a pitch and forced to miss a few weeks and if not for a slow start he'd be a 35-40 HR guy. I think he could be another David Ortiz, at least statistically, not with the whole clutchness.
C Victor Martinez .298 19 HR 73 RBIs, .369 OBP. He got a huge extension earlier in the year and was looking to be a huge bust. But he's had a monster second half and considering the lack of catchers with power this guy is a huge commodity. His defense is a little questionable though.
2B Ron Belliard .285 14 HR 70 RBIs, .324 OBP. Solid player, though he needs to improve his on base percentage. Kind of a clutch in some situations. Good defense.
1B Ben Broussard .253 18 HR 58 RBIs, .307 OBP. Bad OBP and batting average. Still at least he has some power. Not attrocious for the bottom of the order but it could be a lot better. Okay defense.
3B Aaron Boone .237 14 HR 52 RBIs, .293 OBP. Ah the infamous Red Sox killer. Believe it or not at one point he was hitting below .200 and was never taken from the lineup. He plays good defense but is it worth it for the offense? He's had a very good second half addmitingly.
RF Casey Blake .245 20 HR 49 RBIS, .315 OBP. Juan Gonzalez should be here. Too bad it seems he can't get out of bed without getting injured so the Indians are stuck with Blake. He has some pop. But thats about it.
Grades:
Pitching: A-
Hitting: B

2005-09-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

More fallout from Sunday's massacre in Buffalo
This is from a AFC Scout who spoke to ESPN:
"The clock has got to be ticking on [Houston offensive coordinator] Chris Palmer or [quarterback David] Carr, doesn't it? I mean, that was just a pitiful display of offense [at Buffalo]. And Carr just looks like he's suddenly regressed. It was like he was trying to read a foreign language. They've got way too big an investment in the guy for him to be playing that lousy." Additionally, and this is not a knock on Travis Johnson who is hillarious and could be a good player, the Texans said they did not draft a Tackle in the first round because they did not like anyone. From the same scout:
"On another area of that game, I thought [New Orleans first-round right tackle] Jammal Brown did a decent job against Julius Peppers. The Saints didn't give Brown as much help as I thought they might have to, and he didn't embarrass himself. But, man, Peppers has really turned it up a notch intensity-wise from his early years in the league."
You don't think the Texans could use Brown? He he can hold his own against the best DE in the NFL then logically he would be a well above average Tackle. I like Travis Johnson but drafting a DT this year seemed like a luxury more than a need. Good job by the Texans scouting department.....
Also was there anything more painful than watching Aaron Glenn getting the game winning interception for Dallas on Sunday?
Finally if Brian Westbrook or T.O. chose not to play without new contracts it would not surprise me. Jevon Walker's ACL tear, which ended his season, will almost certainly result in him not being payed a fair value. Expect agents to begin to consult players on the Keenan McCardell method. I.E. "don't play until you get paid."

2005-09-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

Some football lots of baseball today. I'll start sizing up the contenders starting today with the AL and NL eventually.

AL Contenders:
Note: All of these teams can win the World Series with the exception of the Yankees in my mind

1.Boston Red Sox
Have to be the favorites. But there are tons of questions surrounding them like any team.
Pitching:
Starting Rotation:
Tim Wakefield 15-11, 4.16 E.R.A
Matt Clement 13-4, 4.17 E.R.A
David Wells 12-7, 4.36 E.R.A
Bronson Arroyo 12-9, 4.42 E.R.A
Curt Schilling 7-6, 6.28 E.R.A, 9 saves
Overall at least they're reliable if unspectacular. If they had still had Pedro they'd pretty much be a lock to win it all. But since they don't this will be one of their few weaknesses. Right now with Wakefield as the "ace" they will struggle in key games in the postseason. Schilling needs more outings like the one on Saturday against the Yankees then this team should be fine in a Game 7 situation. Wells adds a different dimension to this team from last year as he is a lefty, which Boston did not have last year. Additionally his record against the Yankees is very good which will be key should Boston have to face them again.
Bullpen:
Mike Timlin 1.99 E.R.A, 7 saves
Mike Myers 3.38 E.R.A
Chad Bradford 3.57 E.R.A
Johnathan Papelbon 2.27 E.R.A (he is the spot starter)
Matt Perisho 2.57 E.R.A.
Keith Foulke 5.91 E.R.A, 15 saves
Jeremi Gonzalez 5.72 E.R.A
Wade Miller 4-4 4.95 E.R.A (used to be a starter, now just always injured)
The middle relief is very good. They have lots of guys that can come in and pitch 2-3 innings if neccesary. Timlin has overall been Boston's best pitcher this season. He has great control and can come in for a save if needed. Should he be needed due to injury or in long relief Papelbon is solid. Obviously the closer role is still a huge problem. Foulke as everyone knows was terrible earlier in the year. His rehab sessions have had mixed results at best. He never threw above 90 but he has been seen throwing as low as 85. If that continues than there is no way he could close and Boston could be in trouble.
Hitting:
1. CF Johnny Damon .321 9HR 71 RBIs, .368 OBP. The batting average is great (he leads the AL) and he plays great defense. But he leads Boston with just 14 steals. That will be a problem for Boston. Last year they had hero Dave Roberts running the bases and causing havoc. This year no one can really do that. Still Damon is key to this team's success and is certainly not a problem or a liability, assuming his shoulder is fine.
2. SS Edgar Renteria .281 7HR 61 RBIs, .338 OBP. Renteria is an interesting player. He plays great defense and has a strong arm. He bats .335 against lefties but only .258 against right handers. That will be costly in the postseason. He isn't a bad player but he has a huge hole in his game.
3. DH David Ortiz .295 41 HR 126 RBIs, .395 OBP. My pick for MVP. I know everyone says "Oh he's a DH. You have to take defense into consideration." What? Omar Vizquel is the best defensive player of this generation with 9 Gold Gloves. Where is his MVP trophy? Players with horrendous defense have won this award before. Experts just need to be honest and quit with the defense arguement. This guy can hit and he hits at all the important moments.
4. LF Manny Ramirez .295 35 HR 122 RBIs, .381 OBP. Manny will take a lot of votes from Ortiz and deservingly so. Manny has seriously regressed against left handers, only batting .225 against them. Still he is extremely dangerous and has great power. His fielding is questionable and as is his mind. But as long as he's in the lineup he'll do some damage.
5. C Jason Varitek .289 21 HR 66 RBIs, .374 OBP. Leads all catchers in HRs, annihilates left handers and fairs decently against righties. Still he is poor at throwing out base runners and that could be a problem. Overall a great captain and leader for this team.
6. RF Trot Nixon .279 12 HR 60 RBIs, .358 OBP. Nice complementary player. Mediocre fielder. Not much else to say.
7. 3B Bill Mueller .295 8 HR 57 RBIs, .373 OBP. Same as above. Above average fielder though. Still he has to prove a lot as Kevin Youkilis is after his job.
8. 1B John Olerud .324 7 HR 33 RBIs, .361 OBP. This is pretty surprising. When Boston picked him up half way through the season to replace Millar I didn't think he'd have this impact. Great fielder too.
9. 2B Tony Graffanino .306 5 HR 33 RBIs, .369 OBP. Another mid season pickup. Boston got a steal from a Royals team looking to sell any player of value. Nice for someone at the bottom of the order.
Bench:
Kevin Millar and Gabe Kaplar are the only standouts. They'll have a role. But neither is Dave Roberts.
Grades
Pitching: B-
Hitting: A+

2005-09-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

I had a matchup preview for the Texans and Bills on Friday that for whatever reason dissapeared. For that I am thankful. You see I was crazy enough to think that the Texans Oline was equally as bad as that of the Bills and that David Carr was better than J.P. Losman. By now you should now how that turned out. Losman was so good infact that fans at Ralph Wilson began chanting "J.P., J.P., J.P.," after the game ended. I don't believe the Texans have ever had a game where Carr played so well that Houston fans chanted his name.

Offensive Coordinator Chris Palmer promised that everything would be okay after the Dallas preseason game. He said the same thing after the Tampa Bay game. David Carr insisted there were only "minor kinks" to work out. If the mistakes yesterday were "minor kinks," I would hate to see what a serious problem is to the Texans. Believe it or not the Texans and Bills scored the same number of touchdowns. That was about the only thing the Texans did as well as the Bills on a day that was marred with sacks, interceptions, and an offense that until twelve minutes left in the second quater could not record a first down. Yes, Carr was bad, but he did about everything humanly possible to try to find an open man and when he couldn't he sacrificed his body by running to get yards. I have no idea what Chris Palmer is thinking. But whatever it is it's clearly junk. Nothing has gone right since facing Cleveland in last year's season finale. The offense with its so-called "new philosophy" came out with results that seemed pretty old to Texans fans. Sacks and hurries, lots of them.

"I never had so much protection in my life."
"That's as hopeless as I've felt in the pocket." -Both from 9/12 Houston Chronicle
Can you guess which Carr said and which Losman said?

Its a good thing that the Oline is heading back to "watch film." Because as we all know they haven't had THREE YEARS to do that. Unfortunately Palmer does not get it. He can try all the schemes he wants and it won't matter. Could it possibly be that the personel is the problem Palmer? Maybe? Ever think of that? Meanwhile Pittsburgh lies waiting and licking their chops. If we couldn't cut it against Buffalo I can only imagine what will happen next week.

I happened to watch a game that lives in the memories of many Houstonians on ESPN Classic. It was the 1992 AFC Wild Card game between the Oilers and the Bills. A team with seven offensive Pro-Bowlers, including Warren Moon had a 35-3 lead with thirteen minutes left in the third. What happened next is history. But it was a travesty to watch and I can now understand how so many fans lost faith in the franchise after this game. Yes, I know the Texans are not the Oilers (they became a team whose name will not be mentioned here) but I was somehow hoping that a win on Sunday could begin to rectify a memory that still bothers a lot of people. Instead it opened up new wounds. My dream would be for us to meet Buffalo in the playoffs this season and get revenge. But based on how this season is already looking that dream will only go the way of the Oilers.

2005-09-07T16:03:00.000-07:00

Random rants:

Anyone want to set an over/under on how long before Bush gives FEMA director the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
Who thought it was a good idea to give the refugees $2,000 debit cards? Sorry, but this is the same problem with welfare checks. Rather than directly giving goods to the people, they're instead giving people the means to buy crack and alcohol. I know the majority won't be doing that but I'm being realistic here. It's going to happen and its a waste of the taxpayers money. Give them $2000 worth of goods. Not actual cash.
I hate CSI so much. You ask high schoolers what job they most want to do and at a good amount of them will say forensic scientist. I mean, CSI has filled kids heads with junk by making the the job look glamerous and easy. If you look at CSI Miami its basically tons of gorgeous people being killed and the scientists getting huge accolades after solving the crime. This is about as far from the truth as possible and the plotlines are ridiculous at best.
A few days ago I heard a very valid question: Where is Rudy Guiliani when you need him?
This will surprise people that know me but I actually agree with this NY Times article. Am I now a Democrat? No way, but seriously Bush needs to wake up. Obviously being President if a very dificult task and Bush is multitasking with Iraq, Katrina, the Supreme Court, and other international affairs. But there's been too much bumbling around for even me to try to completely defend him, though I think the percentage of the blame he is being given is very unfair.
Houston area Democrats are already playing partisan politics. Apparently they want the refugees to stay in order to help them in elections.
refugee
n : an exile who flees for safety........Why has this become a big deal? People are saying that they're Americans and not Cubans or Haitians. I'm as patriotic as anyone else but I mean putting us above everyone else is wrong. Are we too good to be refugees?
More sports later. Just needed to rant.

2005-09-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

NFC South

1. Carolina Panthers (13-3)
Offense: Jake Delhomme reached elite status last year after throwing 3,900 yards and 29 TDs. Nick Goings had a streak of 100 yard games after DeShaun Foster and Stephen Davis went own. This somehow having possibly the worst offensive line in football, at least in theory. Based on those kinds of results you have to think that the Oline wasn't in fact all that bad and if it was the Panthers rectified the situation in the offseason and they now have a very good one. Mike Wahle is a top 5 Guard and Jordan Gross has developed into one of the better Tackles, while Jeff Mitchell remains sturdy at Center. If either Stephen Davis or DeShaun Foster can stay healthy the Panthers will have a good run game regardless of who has the carries. However if neither can stay healthy they'll have the same problem they had last year, which is the same reason they missed the playoffs: stability. WR Steve Smith will bounce back from missing all of '04 and Keary Colbert should do fine along side. Muhsin Muhammed will be missed as an end zone target but overall he was overpaid so the Panther are better off without him. TE Kris Mangnum is virtually a non-impact so he's negateable. B+
Defense: Best front four in football. Not only that but they might actually have the two most dominant defensive players in football. Back in 2002 Julius Peppers was in Houston working out for the draft, and by most accounts the Texans gave as much realistic thought of drafting him first overall as one possibly could as an expansion team. And can you blame them? Peppers is this team's MVP. His sacks and fear he drives into opposing offenses aside, Peppers has the athleticism to be an impact on offense and he can even step back for a couple of interceptions as a LB. As for the rest of the Dline Brentson Buckner is just okay as the other end. DT Kris Jenkins is the best overall DT in football as he is explosive in the pass rush and he is able to stop the run with partner in crime Mike Ruckner. Ruckner is still among the best, though he has lost a step, but he still has a big motor and should be fine for this year. Bradon Short, Will Witherspoon and Dan Morgan provide for an excellent LBing group that is young and atheltic. I can't say for sure where 1st rounder S/LB Thomas Davis will play or if he will start but he'll be effective either way, though right now he is the starting SS. CBs Chris Gamble, Len Lucas, and Ricky Manning Jr provide for the deepest 3 CBs in the game. The other Safety Mike Minter is reliable enough. A-/A

2. New Orleans Saints (9-7)
Offense: I know what you're thinking, I'll get to that team in a bit. However this team on one hand makes me want to root for them and another part of me wishes that they would just go away. The excruciating inconsistencies that are brought out mainly through Aaron Brooks, who at times looks like a Pro-Bowl QB, but at other times like an NFL Europe QB. I would love for this team to make it, but its all on Brooks shoulders. Can he do it? Can this team do it? If the entire city of New Orleans is on their backs I don't see any way they can't do. Brooks need to cut down on mistakes. That's obvious. He has the tools and the Oline is above average, but I have a hard time seeing him with significantly more TDs than INTs. His saving grace will be Deuce McAllister. McAllister is definetely getting paid too much. However take into consideration that without him the Saints don't go anywhere. He'll have a hard time breaking 4 yards a carry but at least he's durable so the Saints are safe in that regard. WRs Joe Horn and Dante Stallworth are excellent playmakers for Brooks as they have the deep and size to make things happen. But obviously they only go as far as Brooks takes them. The Oline has in my opinion the best Center in football in LeCharles Bentley and has some other good players like 1st rounder Jamaal Brown at RT and Wayne Gandy at LT. Jermayne Mayberry has been looked down upon since arriving as a FA from the Eagles. He has so far struggled in the run scheme and could be a liability. TE Ernie Conwell is pretty much a non-factor. B/B+
Defense: I'll give them some credit. They tried to improve. At least their safeties look better. The front four are talented. DEs Darren Howard and Charles Grant combined for an impressive 21.5 sacks. Grant added 113 tackles (69 solo). Unfortunately DTs Brian Young and Johnathan Sullivan are inneffective. Sullivan was the 6th overall pick in 2003 has been a tremendous bust. More known for his love of food than for football, Sullivan has regained the starting job but is certainly on thin ice. He has the tools but literally has no heart. If they can get something from him great. Last years 1st rounder DE Will Smith is very talented but is stuck behind Darren Howard who wants a long term deal. The LBs are realistically poor. Sedrick Hodge, Courtney Watson, and Colby Bockwoldt? I've never heard of any of them. Watson lead this rag tag bunch with 57 tackles. Jay Bellamy led the secondary with 101 tackles and is serviceable. Dwight Smith is a good upgrade at the other safety. CBs Mike McKenzie and Fakhir Brown are pretty bad as a duo. McKenzie is a nice player but gets burned a lot. He did have five INTs so thats pretty formidable though. Brown is just not very good. C

3. Atlanta Falcons (7-9)
Offense: Let me get this out of the way. Micheal Vick was selected 1st overall to sell tickets and jerseys. Any wins that resulted out of that was a bonus. Vick has always been exciting, of that there's no doubt. At Viginia Tech he lit up other teams with his speed and made Division 1 CBs look bad. In the NFL, Vick has been credited with willing his team to victory. True, but where was he against Philadelphia? In short, Vick is beatable. If you limit his run game, all that is left is a slightly better Akili Smith. Were it not for his ridiculous running skills would any sane coach put up with those passing numbers? If he never improves as a passer, then what? When he's 30 and slowing down will he have been worth it? Still I cant deny that my prediction will in all likelihood fail. I'm betting that this team will suffer injuries. Vick and some defensive players will go down for a few games and this team will suffer. As for the rest of the offense this is the best Running offense in the NFL. Speedy Warrick Dunn will get 1,000 yards again and maybe 6 TDs. T.J. Duckett will likely get a bigger role this year as Dunn is a year older. Duckett is a huge power RB who is a red zone machine. TE Alge Crumpler is the only receiving threat on this team, plain and simple. He should get 1,000 yards and 10 TDs. Michael Jenkins and Dez White are nice, but certainly below average for starters. Considering Vick is throwing to them I don't think opposing CBs are shaking in their boots. 1st rounder Roddy White will be a factor but not this year. As a result expect tons of 7 or 8 man fronts from opposing defenses in order to stop the run. Oline members Todd Weiner, Todd McClure, Matt Lehr and Kevin Shaffer form a great run blocking unit. They mainly need to be mobile as Vick is a scrambler so they need the quickness to stay near him. B/B+
Defense: DE Patrick Kerney was a breakout star last year. 13 sacks and some 85 tackles made him into a really big fear for opposing QBs. Brady Smith isn't bad either as the other DE. DT Rod Coleman is the real key as he is able to clog the run very effectively. The other DT Chad Lavaleis is a first year starter. I can't expect him to have a good year. 2/3 of the LBs are very good. Ed Hartwell and Keith Brooking are mobile and efficient tacklers. The other guy? You don't know him and neither do I. DeAngelo Hall is speedy CB but I think he's an injury liability. Jason Webster is a huge question mark. Bryan Scott is a pretty good safety but Keion Carpenter isn't. B/B+

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12)
Offense: Some people have this team as a dark horse wild card. Those people have now been reported to have been arrested for possession of marijuana. Brian Griese is a QB I like. He led the NFL with a 69.3 completion percentage and had a solid overall season, great even if you consider he wasn't a full time starter for quite some time. Still his tools and Oline around him are quite poor. WR Michael Clayton is a great possession receiver and a decent end zone threat. He probably will have similiar numbers to last year. Joey Galloway is supposed to be a burner but he's too old now. RB Cadillac Williams should have a nice year though I'm not really sure what to expect from him. Anyone is an upgrade over Michael Pittman though. The Oline is just horrendous. Kenyatta Walker is the lone standout. Mike Alstott is a good FB, however he's still a FB. Griese is poised for a great year, but the Bucs certainly are not. C-
Defense: Similiar boat to that off Miami. Old over achievers. Yes, DE Simeon Rice is still very good. The other DE is Greg Spires and hes just average. DTs Chris Hovan and Anthony McFarland are pretty bad. Hovan used to be very good but last year fell off the face of the Earth. LB Derrick Brooks is amazing at what he does. But Ryan Nece and Shelton Quarles are not. CB Ronde Barber is one of the best in the business. Brian Kelly is not. Safeties Jermaine Phillips and Dexter Jackson are above average as a duo. B-

2005-09-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

I've never watched Jerry Rice play a game. What I saw instead was a slow slightly above average receiver that wore silver and black for a few years and then proceeded to put on a shiny Seahawks uniform. I really was never interested in football until about 2000 and by then a 38 year old Jerry Rice was no longer on every "Top 10" Sportscenter highlights. I saw some impressive showings including a 183 yard game against the Jets before the infamous "Tuck Rule" game fiasco. But the only "real" Jerry Rice I know is from short highlight clips to show his greatest Super Bowl moments. I'd like to be able to watch an actual game but the good folks at ESPN Classic insist on only showing "real" classic games from the Green Bay Packers of the 1960's. Until then the only thing I have to go on is stats. And in that case regardless of what anyone else says, he'll go down as the best football player of all time.

Wait for it. Wait for it. Ah there it is. Sorry I needed wait for Barry Bond's ego to explode. His almost certain return to tonight will instantly tranform the Giants who are miraculously just 5 games out of the playoffs into possible title contenders. I doubt he'll start but if he plays 3 innings or so as a substitute he can still be dangerous. I'd bet 1-1, with a walk and double. Lots of boos obviously. I'd honestly prefer him not ever play again. He's a cheater and he's a criminal (yes steroids are a controlled substance in case you forgot). That being said I'm still fascinated by him. I hope the Astros meet the Giants in the playoffs so we can knock him back to Earth.

Brett Myers is a bastard. First his bunt caused Andy Pettite to injure his ankle, and then he beans Morgan Ensberg?

Correction: I made a mistake on the Bills. I said their pass rush was bad. I assumed because Aaron Schobel led the team with only 8 sacks and that since there weren't any other players with a significant number of sacks that they were bad at rushing the QB. In fact they were 3rd in the NFL last year. Turns out everyone on the defense can sack you but no one gets a huge number of them. Anyway you do the math, Texans horrendous Oline vs. 3rd best pash rush defense. Still if we can force Losman to make some mistakes we can win in a very low scoring game. 10-3 Texans.

2005-09-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

Ok thats enough football. Time for a baseball rant

For the 5 remaining D-Ray fans why on Earth would you continue to support this team. Its September callup time and 2 D-Ray Triple A Players who are the best 2 prospects in baseball were left off the 40 man roster. Its not as if the D-Rays have something to play for. If these guys played badly for the remainder of the season it would not cost the team the playoffs (haha D-Rays and playoffs, theres a oxymoron). B.J. Upton and Delmon Young are just too good to stay in the minors. The D-Rays reasoning is simple. If they call them up their "time clock" starts ticking which means that within 2 to 3 years they'll be eligible for raises based on their production. This is silly. What you're doing is getting these two super-stars pissed off and more unlikely to remain with the team when they're free agents. Is this Lou Pinella's doing? We know that he was furious with all the errors Upton had last year during a short callup. And Upton hasn't fixed that with over 50 errors in some 120 games. Young however is about as flawless as you can get and deserves to be called up. Both have thunderous bats and whenever they are called up will be stars. Hopefully when the new ownership takes over they can rectify these kinds of mistakes that plague the D-Rays.
For the love of God, please come back Jeff Bagwell. We need your bat so badly it's not funny. Use roids or whatever you need to get back from your rehab. I'm being overdramtic as he'll probably be back this week but only as a pinch hitter. Even then he'll be better than 3/4 of the players we have right now. Too bad his return came to late to help Roger. Today's loss was painful but at least the Phillies and Fish lost too so we're still just half a game back.
How do the Yankees stay in the post season chase? Did Steinbrenner do some sort of blood pact with the Devil?
The Royals scored 17 runs today. That's just.....wow.
Everyday RSN gets more and more worried about Curt Schilling. I wouldn't be too worried but if by the end of September his velocity isn't up to 94ish range....then it will be time to panic.
Too bad UH lost to Oregon. The Ducks do look impressive though. As did UH....at least for one half
I can't believe Oklahoma lost to TCU. Thats sad. UT beats them for sure....finally.

2005-09-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

NFC East:
1. Philadelphia Eagles (12-4)
Offense: Believe me folks, I'd like nothing more than to see T.O. keep his mouth quiet for an entire season. But that is just not going to happen. The Eagles last year had probably the best chemistry in football outside of the Patriots but after an offseason where 3 holdouts inflicted irreperable damage to this team it is doubtful Eagle fans will get a parade in Philadelphia this year. QB Donavan McNabb gained elite status last year after finally getting a go-to guy. However if you think his numbers will be on par with last year think again. T.O. will get 1,000 yards and 10 TDs. However since these two have yet talk to each other you can expect that if a big game comes along and passes are dropped or otherthrown that there will be a shouting match over the blame game. You'll also have to take into consideration that Greg Lewis has never been a true starter and that 3rd WR and 2nd round pick Reggie Brown, while talented, is a rookie and is unlikely to get a lot of playing time. The loss of Todd Pinkston was damning on so many levels that I could not list them. TE L.J Smith is at least competant so he'll see lots of TDs. RB Brian Westbrook will likely be unhappy until he gets a new deal so I wouldn't be to surprised if he were playing less than 100% until he does. If he is happy a 1,000 yard rushing and receiving season is not impossible (though perhaps unrealistic). Unlike most positions Philadelphia has no depth at RB and if Westbrook goes down this team's season might very well be over. The Oline is led by Tackles Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan. 2004 1st round G Shawn Andrews surprised many by winning a starting spot, and before his injury looked like Pro-Bowler in the making. This is both a deep and excellent unit. B/B+
Defense: Jim Johnson has done an amazing job of filling in the personnel in Philadelphia. They use the 46 Bear package to maximize what appears to be an every down blitz. Instead most of it is smoke screens by which QBs (cough, Mike Vick, cough) cannot read the defense and make needless mistakes. Jevon Kearse has really been limited by his stats the last few years but thats mainly a testament to how good he is. Since the Eagles don't really have another DE that can pass rush teams double team Kearse opening up the Eagles Dline attack to overwhelm. In other words Kearse might not get the sacks anymore but someone else will. 1st rounder Mike Patterson appears to have won the starters job and for a rookie DT should be quite good. Hollis Thomas will do fine alongside him. LBs Jermiah Trotter and Mark Simonneau are both very good in the open field and can be pash rushers when asked of. CBs Sheldon Brown and Lito Shepard were expected to be bad last year but instead are both Pro-Bowl worthy CBs. Expect them to have a big year. S Brian Dawkins speaks for himself so I won't. His partner Michael Lewis is coming into his own as a star as well. A-

2. Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
Offense: You have no idea how much I hate this team. I have to watch them every Sunday due to our unfortunate geographic conditions. That is because we're in Texas we must want to watch the Dallas Cowboys. Sigh. Bill Parcells is a man that is incredibly unlikeable and his smug attitude is one that confounds me as to why people want to play for him. Regardless he has 2 Superbowl rings and is beloved by ESPN so I'll have to live with him. QB Drew Bledsoe is someone I've already slammed enough. He is at this point just a guy with above average arm strength and mediocre accuracy. He won't be the team's undoing but he won't be their star (ugh, terrible unintentional pun). Anyhow RB Julius Jones looks like a star (need to stop using that word) in the making. Eerily similiar to Emmit Smith in that he gets yardage but in a very boring manner. WRs Keyshawn Johnson, Quincy Morgan, and Terry Glenn are a poor receiving group as they are all essentially possesion receivers. None have the speed to win you games. New addition Peerless Price could be the guy they've been looking for but if receiver needy Atlanta cut him, how good could he be? At least Jason Witten is here and he'll probably end up leading this team is receptions and TDs. The Oline has Larry Allen...and even he's somewhat injured this year, so expect this unit to be pretty bad, though Marco Rivera if healthy is an equally elite Guard. C+/C
Defense: I have no idea why Dallas is going into a 3-4. They don't have the guys for it. But then again I want to see them lose so whatever. Greg Ellis, Jason Ferguson, and LaRoy Glover make for a very undersized and underskilled 3 man front. If 1st rounder Marcus Spears cracks the starting lineup this year he should make them a lot better. The LBs are good however. Dat Nguyen is undersized but at least he's sturdy at what he does. Al Singleton is also a reliable LB. The star will be rookie 1st rounder Demarcus Ware, the hybrid DE/LB who has crazy speed and skill. If the preseason game against Seattle was worth anything it showed that he is a going to be a big talent. A sack, pick, forced fumble, and some tackles. Quite impressive. CBs Terrence Newman, Anthony Henry, and Aaron Glenn form a formidable if unspectacular group. Newman is a mixed bag as he was a high 1st round pick but has only shown glimmers of what he could be. Maybe this is his year. Overall a deep group at worst. Safety Roy Williams hits hard as we all know. Will the rule named after him hurt his game? Maybe a little. Should still be a Pro-Bowler. The other safety is just some guy. Now this team will make the playoffs. Their schedule is too easy. They face Washington, and NY twice, as well as SF, Arizona, Denver, Detroit, and St. Louis. All of those game are winnable and provide Dallas with a easy window to the postseason no matter how much I hate them. B

3. New York Giants (6-10)
Offense: Sorry Eli. If that preseason game againt the Panthers with you injurying your elbow wasn't a bad omen, I don't know what is. Eli should be okay this year assuming the Oline keeps him off the ground. Close to 3,000 yards 25 TDS 15 INTS, 85 passer rating. I'm not sure how serious the elbow injury is so don't hold me to those numbers; thats only if he's healthy. RB Tiki Barber is a remarkably productive player as someone who generally goes under the radar. 1,200 yards easily and 500 receiving. Backup Brandon Jacobs could be the back of the future. He is built like a LB at 6-4 and 260 pounds but has the speed of a WR so its up to you as to what you make of him. He has power and skill according to scouts so I'd bet the Giants run game will rank among the best this year. WRs Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress are shaky. Burress is expected to be a #1 but will have to sell everyone. Nothing in his track record suggests he can be that good. TE Jeremy Shockey is at best an enigma. Tons of hype and production that at best suggests he could be star. Supposedely he started trying for real this offseason, but I want to see it first hand. The Oline has Kareem McKenzie at RT and David Diehl, who coaches have been raving about at Guard. Overall a weak unit. B-
Defense: Michael Strahan's return should help. He can probably still get 8-10 sacks though he will never gain his previous form. The breakout star on the Dline will be Osi Umenyiora. If you can took past his impossible to say name, he has all the tools to be what Strahan used to be. Apparently the Giants refused to include him in the Eli Manning deal because they felt he could be that good. If thats true this should be the year we see that kind of star production. Antonion Pierce was taken from Washington and should be above average as a LB but he is probably overpaid. Carlos Emmons should have another solid season Barrett Green is the only other okay LB on a slightly above average unit. DTs Kedrick Clancy and Fred Robbins are average and will be acceptable against the run. CBs Will Allen and William Peterson are very young and inexperienced. I doubt they'll have a big impact this year and will be more of a liability. The safeties are two guys I've never heard of. C+/B-

4. Washington Redskins (4-12)
Offense: Its clear Joe Gibbs isn't the right guy for this job anymore. A somewhat of a methodical offense that is led by Clinton Portis just doesn't seem to be working. 10 years ago, maybe. Not today though. Portis might have been overvalued by the team, as he is the highest paid back in football but last year's production indicates it was more of Denver's Oline than Portis doing the work. The Oline led by Chris Samuels and Jon Jansen at Tackles have size and probably could be a above average line. But they seem lazy more than anything and will more likely be a weakness than strength. QB Patrick Ramsey has been a question mark since 2001 and will continue to be so. Unless he pulls a Drew Brees this year he will be without a job at the end of the year, as the Redskins drafted Jason Campbell to replace him. So thats clearly an indicator that Gibbs and the coaching staff have faith in Ramsey.....Anyhow WRs Santana Moss and David Patten form possibly the worst starting WRs in the NFL. So the Redskins offense will be painful to watch and run game orriented ....a lot like last year. D+/C-
Defense: If LaVar Arrington is finally healthy and happy we could see him unfold as the best LB in football. Thats the good news. Marcus Washington and Warrick Holdman...eh not so good news, even if Marcus has another good year. If they had kept Pierce this unit might rank among the best in the NFL. Instead Arrington will have to carry the load and based on his health history thats probably no good. Phillip Daniels, Renaldo Wynn, and Cornelius Griffin are part of a very suspect front 4 that don't seem to do a lot particularly well. I don't see how the Redskins D was so good last year with players like that. I guess they probably stop the run pretty well. But none are much of a pass rush threat. CB Shawn Springs seemed to have regained shutdown status last year so thats good, but the Skins lost Fred Smoot. Carlos Rogers might be starting soon but for the moment Walt Harris is starting so overall the corners are a mixed bag. Safety Sean Taylor is imensely talented but incredibly unlikeable for his off the field problems. B-/B

2005-09-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

AFC East
1. New York Jets (12-4)
Offense: This selection has a great chance of coming back to haunt me. There's no doubt of that. Obviously Chad Pennington is a good QB who will need to become a great one this season in order for the Jets to make it anywhere. The arm is good he says and he seems more confident with the return of Laveranues Coles, who is a speedy deep ball threat. The question has never been about Pennington's accuracy as he is most likely the most accurate QB in football. The arm strength remains a huge question mark though. New Offensive Coordinator Mike Heimerdinger will replace widely criticized Paul Hackett who was too conservative in the minds of many. Rather than try to win the game on a TD attempt, he had Pennington spike the ball in the Pittsburgh game in order to try a FG. Its probably not the worst move in history as K Doug Brien should have made those FGs but obviously the rest is history. 2nd round draft choice Mike Nugent has a lot of convincing to do, but as far as K's being taken high in the draft he is probably deserving. He can easily drill 50+ yarders and has played in tons of big games for Ohio State in college so expect him to stay calm under pressure. Curtis Martin won't repeat last year but 1,200 yards should be attainable. New backup Derrick Blaylock isn't as good as Lamont Jordan but is still solid. The Oline is an average unit. Kevin Mawae is to many the best C in football but he just continues to age so lets see if he can keep the elite status. Losing Kareem McKenzie will hurt as no one else on this unit stands out. WRs not named Coles include Justin McCareins who is just okay. He is a nice #2 guy but is certainly not a game breaker. Expect Coles to have a big year as a result. B
Defense: As I said before in another entry Herm Edwards and Donnie Edwards have done a good job making this defense a good one. The schemes they place confuse QBs (ask Big Ben) and the DEs scare Olines. Shaun Ellis is a great pash rusher along with John Abraham so expect big numbers out of both. DT Dewayne Robertson appeared to be heading towards the bust category until last year when the former 4th overall pick broke out and began to fear into opposing offenses. He can clog the run and is a pash rush threat. He should be a Pro-Bowler this year. LB Johnathan Vilma heads a unit that is above average. Vilma is obviously a force as he lead rookies in tackles and tied for the most on his team (107 tackles). He could evolve into a pash rush threat in time but for now that's not needed. Eric Barton held the tie with Vilma and is more remembered for his blunder against San Diego in the postseason then for anything else. Barton is still above average and can make some plays. CBs Ty Law and David Barrett make for a great duo and should really make this unit a strength. Safety Eric Coleman is good though I have no idea who pairs with him. B+

2. New England Patriots (9-7)
Offense: Charlie Weiss will be missed. Of that there is no doubt. However the offense was never the most complicated nor was it ever a powerhouse. So whoever they end up having as Offensive Coordinator shouldn't have a massive task ahead of himself. If Bellicheck is calling the shots that should be fine as long as he doesn't overestimate the limits of Tom Brady. Brady might be the most successful quaterback since Montana but his toolbox is limited. However his poise is unmatched as seen in the 2004 Superbowl when the ridiculous Panthers Defensive Line did nothing to scare Brady. Part of that can be attributed to a severely underrated Oline. While no one here is a Pro-Bowler, they are all exceptional as a group. Matt Light, Stephen Neal, and Dan Koppen are all solid and hard workers and 1st rounder Logan Matkins, while somewhat undurable, did not allow more than a handful of sacks in his four years at Fresno State. RB Correy Dillon probably should've had the rushing title last year but sitting out a game as a precaution cost him. Regardless Dillon is a top 5 RB and is the best player on this offense. WRs Deion Branch and David Givens are above average and as proven in the playoffs can be game breakers. However its unlikely they'll put up monster stats, so don't think about them in fantasy world. B/B+
Defense: The question is simple. Who was more valuable: Romeo Crennel or Bellicheck? If you think the latter, that's fine. Just don't be surprised if this unit completely falls apart. On paper the team is barely recognizable from last year. Gone are Law, Bruschi, Phifer, and Ted Johnson. Thats basically 3/4 of the LBing group and the the team's best CB. Regardless there is still some talent. The front 3 are lead by Richard Seymour who is devestating against the run and pass and Ty Warren isnt chump change either. Vincent Wilfork is above average and should be a good NT for years. Then things get bad. Chad Brown and Monty Beisel will be the MLBs on a unit that is supposed to be the best on the team. These guys come from teams with questionable defenses to begin with (Seattle and KC) and we're supposed to buy they can work here? Willie McGinest is probably now only a 3rd down LB as he can no longer go full throttle every down. Rosevelt Colvin has had mixed results in his tenure in Foxboro, but this will likely be his chance to prove he can get back into the form he was in Chicago. Mike Vrabel is solid and versatile but relatively unspectacular. His sacks dropped from 9.5 in '03 to 5.5 in '04. CBs Randall Gay and Asante Samuel proved they could start in the NFL last year but can we expect similiar results from these guys again? The LBs did such a good job last year that its unpredictable whether or not their regression will have an impact on these two young corners. Duane Starks is a good nickel CB and was added for depth purposes. As far as safeties go Rodney Harrison has lost a step but hits as hard as anyone else in football. His hawk like skills make him arguably the 2nd best safety in football after Brian Dawkins. Eugene Wilson came unto his own last year and made people forget about Lawyer Milloy's bitter depature. Eric Mangini has a huge task ahead of him and expect it to be rocky. B-

3. Buffalo Bills (8-8)
Offense: Whatever positive steps the Bills made last year are negated by placing J.P. Losman at the helm. While Bledsoe was at best mediocre and stone footed, he at least was somewhat poised. Losman has almost no experience at the Pro level and from what little he did play we saw a deer in the headlights kind of reaction. He will probably be above average down the road, but for now it is out of the question that he can lead his team. WRs Eric Moulds and Lee Evans along with Roscoe Parrish are above average but non are likely to become breakout stars. Lee Evans is the best of the bunch but due to Losman's questionable skills expect Evans breakout year to be next year. The Oline is mediocre to poor. Mike Williams leads a shaky bunch, where even he has not reached the expectations of the 4th overall pick. C Terry Teague is the only other standout. RB Willis McGahee made people pay for saying he would never find his form. He clearly is one of the best 7 or 8 backs in football and has the skills to be the best. The question is whether the Oline can make enough holes for him to reach the next level. C/C+
Defense: A top 5 defense will again virtually be wasted for the year. Despite last years collapse against the Pittsburgh 2nd stringers this unit is still devestating. Sam Adams leads a front 4 that will miss Pat Williams to some extent. Aaron Schobel is an above average DE (8 sacks) but he is the only pass rush threat from the front 4. Buffalo needs to improve this threat before it can make strides into the postseason. The LBs are one of the best bunch in the NFL. Takeo Spikes might be the best overall LB in the NFL with his speed and strength. He can stop the run and can blitz in some situations. He also had 5 interceptions. London Fletcher is above average (150 tackles) and as is Jeff Posey. CBs Terrence McGee and Nate Clements are both young but exceptional. They'll do a good job at stopping WRs. Safeties Lawyer Milloy and Troy Vincent are older than you'd like but they're both highly aware and can do the job. B+/A-

4. Miami Dolphins (2-14)
Offense: I like almost nothing on this team. Their uniforms are about as bad as you can get and the name they chose as a mascot "Dolphins," is about the least scary thing you could think off. Unless your a tuna/Bill Parcells, you are likely not afraid of Dolphins. The only reason to watch is to enjoy the Ricky Williams drama unfold. Gus Frerotte and A.J. Feeley are just both awful. If either cracks a 60 passer rating consider the season a success. RBs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams should prove to be a good duo. Brown might struggle though at first since he missed almost all of camp and the Oline is horrendous. When Ricky gets back expect the run game to be a strength. WRs Chris Chambers, Marty Booker, and David Boston might be a dangerous bunch somewhere else but here they are only as good as their QBs, so in that case they'll be pretty bad. 2004 1st rounder Vernon Carey "stars" on an Oline that you could find at a YMCA pickup game. TE Randy McMichael is very talented but he has too many off the field problems to be likeable. They'd probably be better off just waiting for the Draft. Nick Saban will want to quit by week 5. You have to feel for the guy though the money is obviously nice. D-
Defense: This is supposed to be a strength. But they're just a bunch of aging guys that would be better suited if traded elsewhere. DE Jason Taylor is still great against the run and pass but he's in a lose lose situation. DTs Vonnie Holliday and Keith Taylor are a decent bunch but theyre nothing to be proud of. The other DE Kevin Carter still has some life in him but he should've taken a job where his team actually could make the post season. Overall the front 4 is deep but no one is a star aside from Taylor. LBs Zach Thomas and Junior Seau will continue to live out a nightmare that will never end by trying to get this team wins. CBs Sam Madison and Reggie Howard are above average and Madison can shut down must WRs. Safety Tebucky Jones is washed out along with any other safety. B-/C+

2005-09-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

AFC North
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
Offense: Lets suppose for a moment the worst case scenario. That Ben Roethlisberger has a major regression and makes mistakes and that the rag tag trio of Jerome Bettis/Duce Staley/Willie Parker struggle to stand out as starters. Hmm. A dominant offensive line, solid WR core, and a devestating defense still remain in tact you say? Well then I must say that Pittsburgh will remain one of the league's elite teams. Roethlisberger might cost his team a game or two. That's probable. However he wont be as amazing as Steeler fans think nor as bad as "sophmore jinx/slump" believers predict. My bet: 21 TDs 14 INTs 2,500 yards 85 passer rating. A very average, but solid year. My reasoning is simple. This offensive line is too good to make Roethlisberger make pressured mistakes and similiarly no matter who is running the ball there will be results because of the Oline and that will alleviate pressure on Big Ben. Duce Staley I'm going to predict is done. Over the hill for a RB and just not healthy anymore. Jerome Bettis and Parker will split carries. I wouldn't be shocked if Parker got most of the carries though as Bettis is better suited as a 3rd down back at this point, though if well rested he could make very productive starts. WRs Antwaan Randle El, Hines Ward, and Cedric Wilson speak for themselves. Not superstars, but above average group. If people think losing Plaxico Burress was a big deal, fear not. Heath Miller will take his place. A big, good blocking TE with great hands will make for a TD machine in the end zone. Oh and that Oline. Alex Faneca is the best Guard in the NFL bar none. Former 1st rounder Kendrell Simmons is well above average and will bounce make from missing '04. Max Starks and Marvel Smith round out an excellent unit. B
Defense:Bill Cowher in his 14th season has historically been a great defensive coach. Dick Lebeau should be a head coach somewhere else but as the Defensive Coordinator excels at the so-called "Blitzburgh Defense."Coming from a 3-4 thats pretty impressive. NT Chris Hoke may not have done well enough to beat out the mammoth Casey Hampton, but imagine having a Pro-Bowl caliber NT coming off the bench. Thats amazing depth. OLBs Clark Haggans and Joey Porter combined for 13 sacks and DE Aaron Smith added 8. Thats impressive considering the Texans had 24 sacks total last year. Even CB Dashea Townsend had 4 sacks. QBs do not know where the blitz is coming from and as a result opposing QBs will be eating a lot of dirt. Safeties Troy Polamalu and Chris Hope both had about 90 tackles and Polamalu had 5 picks. Combined they might be the best safety duo in the NFL. Although to be fair they probably look better then they might actually be because of the LBs. Porter, Haggans, Larry Foote, and James Farrior are the best 4 in the NFL. They do a bit of everything. Especialy Farrior who had 94 tackles, 4 sacks, and 4 picks. Expect equal dominance. The CBs are the only weakness, as Townsend is not a very good man to man CB and Woodie Williams is just too old to keep starting even if he does a little bit of everything. Overall if the blitzs work as expected they can cover up the CB weaknesses. A

2. Baltimore Ravens (9-7)
Offense: Ravens are smart animals. They have been proven to drop otherwise unbreakable nuts on the ground during green lights and returning during red lights to retrieve them. Too bad the this Ravens team is not that smart. Otherwise they'd realize as long as Kyle Boller is the QB, they will not reach the Superbowl. Instead of emulating the '01 Ravens with the simple concept that the QB only need not make mistakes, they have tried to make the offense needlessly two dimensional. Jamal Lewis and the offensive line are good enough to carry any team. However what end up happening is millions of times more enjoyable (to non-Raven fans) than the '01 team as after the usual great job by the defense, Boller cannot put up points and/or throws interceptions. Boller is a Tedford system QB who is not able to do much more than panick under pressure. Fortunately as mentioned Lewis is a bulldozer and Johnathan Ogden is the best LT in football so at least the offense has some options. Even with Mark Clayton and Derrick Mason it won't make a difference if Boller is as bad as I expect him to be. B-
Defense: You can only imagine the faces the Ravens defense makes to Kyle Boller after every loss. These guys are only bested by New England as they are deep and steller. The 4-3 switch is a good one as there was no true NT last year and overall this team has too many good LBs that were wasted. Ray Lewis had a statistically dominant year (147 tackles, 6 sacks) but his usual impact was non-existent. He became a number instead of the force this team needs him to be. Hopefully the 4-3 will help. Gone is Ed Hartwell who similarly only had a statistical impact. But the LBing group still has underated Adelis Thomas, Lewis, and welcomed back Peter Boulwire. The front 4 lead by sack machine Terrell Suggs and the solid Anthony Weaver. The DTs are a huge unknown. Kelly Gragg just didn't work last year so we'll need to see if anyone breaks out. CBs Samari Rolle and Chris McAllister (probably the 2nd best CB in football) are right now the best 2 CB tandem in football. They lock people down as well as you could wish. Primetime is still a good nickel CB so this team is pretty deep. Ed Reed pretty much has replaced Ray Lewis as the heart of the unit and team. He's dominant against the run and pass and he's smart. He calls himself a defensive QB and thats about as accurate as you can get. Will Demps is ok as the other safety. A-

3. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7)
Offense: Sorry Bungles fans. You'll have to wait one more year. Carson Palmer wil be a star. This might even be his season. But this is a very deep AFC and they aren't good enough this year. The Oline anchored by veteran RT Willie Anderson and LT Levi Jones are both former high 1st round choices but are relatively undersized as Tackles. This unit overall lacks the bulk needed to help Palmer reach the promised land but they probably have the heart so I wouldn't be too surprised if they made it. Rudi Johnson is an above average back being payed like a super star. I have no idea why they gave him an extension since '04 1st rounder Chris Perry has a lot invested in him. Regardless Johnson is pretty talented and should gain 1,200 yards. The WRs rank up there with Oakland and Indy. Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Kelly Johnson make up a great group each of which could be #1 starters on other teams. I wouldn't be surprised if they all ended up with at least 800 yards. B+
Defense: Takeo Spike where are ye? Oh well. The Bengals in their infinite wisdom allowed Spike to go and since their linebackers have been horrid. Brian Simmons, Landon Johnson, and Caleb Miller? Impressive indeed. Simmons has good stats but doesnt do much else. The front will be helped by David Pollack if he can get the starters job after missing all of camp. The other DE Justin Smith was the 4th overall pick in 2001 but really hasn't been a force. He did have 8 sacks as well as 71 tackles but he's well rounded rather than dominant in a particular aspect which is probably what the Bengals need and had hoped for. CB Tory James gets a fair number of INTs and while he's older than you like is still somewhat stutdown. 2004 2nd rounder Madieu Williams was a surprise last year with 91 tackles and 3 picks. He could be a star. Deltha O' Neal is a bust as a CB but good as a return guy. The safeties are hardly worth mentioning. Kim Herring is below average and as is whoever pairs with him. C

4. Cleveland Browns (1-15)
Offense: This isn't Romeo Crennel's fault. I blame it on current Texans Offensive Coordinator Chris Palmer who was not suited to be a Head Coach nor start off an expansion team. Palmer and former GM Carmen Policy decided it was a good idea to go ahead and draft Tim Couch 1st overall over Donavan McNabb, Daunte Culpepper, Edge, Tory Holt, Champ Bailey, heck Ricky Williams would have been better. In 2000 they decided that somehow Courtney Brown would be a revolutionary DE with the 1st pick over felow Penn State player Lavar Arrington, Chris Samuels, Jamal Lewis, and Brian Urlacher. Then is 2001 took Gerard Warren 3rd over LT, and Richard Seymour. Can you imagine how much better this team could be if they had drafted better? Oh and good thing they traded up to draft "THE SOLIDER," Kellen Winslow. Regardless Crennel already has this team in the right direction. Installing a 3-4 and purging the team of people that aren't team players were good moves, though for now it leaves the team significantly weaker. They don't have the personnel for the 3-4 yet and losing Ross Verba, and Jeff Garcia probably left an already weak offense worse. But longterm it makes sense. Trent Dilfer will at least be competant, though he'll be on the ground a lot. Joe Andruzzi will anchor this line with L.J. Shelton who is mainly a dissapointment. The rest of the line is below average. The RB trio does not strike one as effective. Lee Suggs might be the best of the bunch but that does not say a lot. He's unlikely to gain 1,000 yards. Willie Green is fast but doesn't do much else for a former 1st rounder. Ruben Droughns came from Denver so he'll be useless anywhere else. New GM Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel have a huge task ahead of him and they'll need to draft more conservatively. They succeeded with the talented Braylon Edwards, who might be their only decent receiver. They'll end up with another high pick so I'd suggest Matt Leinart or D'Brickashaw Ferguson(probably the safer pick) assuming they get the 1st pick. This team can't afford more risky picks. D+
Defense: Yikes. Gary Baxter leads the CB group. He's probably suited as the 2nd CB but he'll be effective as a #1. No one else in the secondary has any value, which is very sad. Rookie Brodney Pool might be effective down the road though. That's why I'm not sure why they cut the aging Robert Griffith. He had 114 tackles for a unit thats downright attrocious. Andra Davis is an above average LB along with Kevin Bentley and Ben Taylor who are okay on a unit that has no other standouts or hope. The Front 3 are lead by Jason Fisk and 2 other guys. Ugh. F

2005-09-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

I wrote up a AFC South Preview in my previous entry and *Soon* a AFC North preview

I don't want to get political. Thats not what this blog is about. Unfortunately there are far too many questions after Hurricane Katrina and not enough answers. For the record: I FEEL VERY BAD FOR THESE PEOPLE. WHAT THEY ARE GOING THROUGH SUCKS.
That being said I going to be controversial here. I'm happy the Astrodome is able to help. Here are two very different opinions from refugees:
"My hat is off to you. All I can say at this point is, thank God for the city of Houston."

"Welcome to Houston! I hope a hurricane comes to Houston."

The latter statement was made in lieu of the Astrodome being closed to refugees late last night. The woman complained of sick people not being treated prior to the above quote. Not only was the statement premature as quickly the bus was rerouted to Reliant Arena, which is just a couple hundred yards away, but it is people like this woman that give me great cause for concern. "My life sucks so I'm going to wish horror upon everyone else so that we can all me equally miserable." Great huh? At worse it wouldve been a minor inconvenience that might've routed these people towards San Antonio, a 3 hour drive; and of course that inconvenience would've been FEMA's fault, not Houston's. The City of Houston was generous enough of offer its facilites and hospitals to people who came out of a third world country. So lady, remember this. WE DON'T OWE YOU ANYTHING. We're footing the bill for you. To say what you said is parallel to the idealogy spewed by Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda itself. Its full of hate and plain wrong.

My second issue is with the race card being pulled. If anything this is "classism." I, a lower middle class person can understand the struggles for some of these people. However lets get something straight. I do not hate based on skin color, nor do I believe the vast majority of Houstonians. However, I do fear certain people. I do fear some African-Americans. Likewise I some fear Hispanics. But it has nothing to do with skin. It has to be with their social class. Inner city minorities do commit more crimes, its a proven stat. Now that brings me to the first issue about the horrendous and malignent attitudes brought by a few New Orleaners. These people are poor, destitute, and certainly desperate. That's just a volatile mix. Poor people scare everyone because they're unpredictable under stress. Who's to say what they will and won't do to survive? That's why I have to disagree with Houston's approach to let refugees move outside of the Reliant Park area. Today in English class a classmate informed everyone that on his door last night was posted a sign that notified people in the Reliant Park area that petty crimes have already begun. That's without the Superdome refugees. The note refers to people that left before the hurricane hit. Thus I can only suggest that we close off the Reliant Park except for Reliant Stadium in order to best protect Houston residents. We cannot have thousands of people who feel disenfranchised running around unacounted for. It is plain and simple dangerous. Now this is the point where liberals errupt and say "WHAT! How can you treat people that way? Like Animals! After all they've been through?!" Okay then. You take them. That's right...would you be willing to accomodate 15,000+ angry, poor people in your city? Maybe you say. Well would you want to switch places with someone who lives right across Reliant Park then? Or even invite random refugees into your home? The answer is no, you wouldn't. And you're lying if you say you would. The fact of the matter is that the State of Texas is unfairly being given a large burden more than anything. Are we going to end up paying some 10,000 people their welfare checks too? The schools appear a given. As will be other neccesities. Only a fraction of these people have skilled labor abilities. In conclusion To say that because these people are African-Americans that the response was slower is silly. Its the fact that they are poor that caused this situation. White people are less likely to be poor so they were able to leave mainly. If this was say 50 Cent's neighborhood all the rich African-Americans would've been able to leave and some of the poorer white Connecticut residents would have been left behind. There are so many logistical problems not to mention anarchism problems that caused a huge slowdown in operations. Why is there no blame on the people that fired at Blackhawk helicopter that shut down air traffic for a day? What it comes down to is Socio-Economics. Nothing more, nothing less. I know I'm taking out the actions of a few on the many, but when lives and safety are at stake I am cautious. God Bless.

2005-09-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

AFC South
1.Indianapolis Colts (14-2)
Offense:No surprises here. The Colts are a well-oiled machine. Their schedule is so easy I have them losing those last two games because they'll be resting their starters. Regardless the Colts had arguably 3 of the best offensive weapons in the game with Manning, Harrison, and James. Reggie Wayne,Brandon Stokley, and Dallas Clark add insult to what will become everyone else's injury. Dominic Rhodes could start for most teams and is devestating in spurts. The offensive line will rank among the best in football yet again with Jeff Saturday, Ryan Diem, and Tarik Glenn leading the way (don't those names just sound like good football players?). They may not have a whole not of depth though. If Manning goes down for even a short stretch they'll be in hot water. If an Oline member goes down it will also have a significant impact. Still they'll run circles around everyone else. A+
Defense: Ah the Achille's heel. Sampson's hair. Kryponite. Acid to a base. What Anti-Matter is to Matter. Etc. It's kind of like hiding Courtney Love in a beauty pagaent. You can't do it. At least that's what everyone's been conditioned to after several years of post season failure. This year will likely be different. Defensive Coordinator Ron Meeks is still here but expect Dungy to have more say in play calling. The Cory Simon signing is huge for the simple reason that every team will have a similiar strategy to try to beat the Colts. Look at the AFC South. What will you see? Average WRs but good RBs. Why? Because the best way to beat the Colts is to keep the offense off the field. In other words its all about Clock Management. The pass defense has never been questioned. Dwight Freeney is a monster and partner in crime Robert Mathis is scary enough to keep double teams away from Freeney. The secondary isn't very good in terms of personel, but the zone scheme should be good enough especially if Bob Sanders keeps improving. That's why I question drafting Marlin Jackson in the 1st round. This unit will never be amazing and nor would you be able to afford a good secondary. So why bother? Just build around the zone. In essense Simon will help cover up that mistake. He is not only a stellar pash rusher but a good run stopper. Yes the linebackers are god awful but at least David Thornton is solid. Together, he and Simon will make the Run D just good enough to make the D a threat to be reckoned with. B-

2. Houston Texans (10-6)
Offense: Uh-oh. Homer alert. In all seriousness this team could very well break out. Yes you'll have to look past the last two horrendous preseason games. And last year's Week 17 loss to the Browns. Also the Oline is attrocious. And there still isn't a second WR visible. But David Carr and Co. will be a lot more prepared this time around. Rather than improve the Oline via free agency after Orlando Pace resigned with the Rams, they decided to rebuild the offense to cover-up this weakness. Timed quick release routes were implemented. Dominic Davis was kept happy with a fat extension. Andre Johnson will no longer run simple slant routes but will cover the entire field. If they can get anything from Jabar Gaffney and Corey Bradford great. But don't bet on it. The Oline has anchored the middle and right side as Steve McKinney is a great Center and Zach Wiegert and Todd Wade solidify the right side. But Victor Riley is a career RT playing LT so expect bumps along the way. Watch out for Jerome Mathis (4.29 40 speed) as a possible rookie surprise. B
Defense:The defense was overhauled and effective but non-stellar players like Jamie Sharper and Jay Foreman are gone. The suddenly aging Aaron Glenn went crying to Big Daddy Parcells when Phillip Buchanon was acquired. Those guys aren't needed. Instead this team went with speed to emphasize the 3-4 and finally has a pass rusher in the the group with OLB Antwan Peek. 2004 1st rounder Jason Babin will continue to improve as a force. Marlon Greenwood quietly racked up 133 tackles last year for the Fins. Kailee Wong is effective in the middle. The forementioned Buchanon will team up with the best corner in football Dunta Robinson (yes I said it, show me someone better). They will be a dynamic duo for the next 8-10 years. Both have blazing speed and can take it to the house any time. Marcus Coleman is a hard hitter as a good safety. C.C. Brown is question mark but a good story as he is part of the Army Reserve. As for the Dline 1st rounder Travis Johnson brings much needed attitude and versatility. He'll spell the overpaid Gary Walker who is coming off a bad year. Still Walker and his fellow End Robaire Smith cut weight and should be good enough to clog the run. Seth Payne is one of the best NT's in football although his health is always a concern. B

3. Jacksonville Jaguars (9-7)
Offense: It all depends on Byron Leftwhich. If he stays healthy. If he improves. If only he didn't make so many mistakes. Lots of ifs won't get them anywhere though. Leftwhich is reminiscent of Drew Bledsoe with his uncanny ability of having bricks on his feet. He is poised and skilled though so it wouldn't surprise me to see big numbers from him. The Oline is solid but not great. Mike Pearson and Chris Naeole headline this bunch. The pass protection in particular is ineffective but the run game is solid. So thats where we get to Fred Taylor. On skill he might only be surpassed by LT and Priest Holmes. But he's always hurt for at least a few games a year. That will cost them big. The WRs are the big crap shoot. Jimmy Smith is solid but unspectacular. So then the natural question is whether Reggie Williams can put up 1st round production. Matt Jones will be good but expect his playing time to be limited this year. C+
Defense: This is the Jags calling card. John Henderson and Marcus Stroud are the best DT tandem in football. They're big, strong, and productive. Reggie Hayward is a big money free agent but he has a lot to live up to and despite 10.5 sacks last year it will be tough to match this year. Paul Spicer is always solid. The linebackers are fairly average with Akin Ayodele and Mike Peterson being quite good. The secondary is below par as only Donavin Darius has any real value. Rashean Mathis was probably overvalued by team in his recent extension and isn't overly effective. B+

4. Tennesse Titans (3-13)
Offense: Even if Norm Chow does as well as he's been hyped it will still do no good for this team. Steve McNair if he can remain healthy will have a hard time finding his MVP form with so few weapons. The Oline is in shambles with only Jeff Hartwig remaining above average. Brad Hopkins was once a star but now is just plain old. Zach Pillar and Benji Olsen are okay at best. WRs Drew Bennett, Tyrone Calico, and Troy Edwards are subpar at best. RBs Chris Brown and Travis Henry are effective but can't stay healthy. At least they should trade Billy Volek as he has good value. D
Defense: I want to say this bunch could be good. But there are too many holes. Kyle Vanden Bosch? Brad Kassell? Who are these guys? They're starting for some reason. DT Albert Haynesworth is the only guy that has star potential among the front 4. LB Peter Sirmon is solid along with Keith Bulluck who is one of the best LBs in the game. Tank Williams is effective and hard hitting. Thats about all I can say. CBs Andre Woolfolk is solid but the guy that was supposed to star along side him Pacman Jones is so far only a pariah. C

2005-08-31T22:08:00.000-07:00

I'm doing one division a day as it takes a while to do.
Division by Division Breakdown:
AFC West
1. Kansas City Chiefs (12-4)
Offense: This will be yet the force of this team. The ground game will rank in the top 5 this year. Even if Priest Holmes goes down for an extended period of time Larry Johnson is a future star and is easily a 1,000 yard rusher. Trent Green is an above average QB though the receivers around him are very average. His main target Tony Gonzalez will continue to put up big numbers. Of course then there's the offensive line. Willie Roaf and Will Shields will be the standouts on a near inpenetrable line. They create holes for Priest (as if he needs them) and they keep Green off the ground. To boot Dick Vermeil is one of the best coaches in the NFL and is an amazing offensive guru. A+
Defense: Theres a lot of like here this season. Gone are some of the weaker linebackers and added are Derrick Johnson who many are picking as Defensive Rookie of the Year. Kendrell Bell is also a major addition assuming he's healthy. The secondary got a huge boost via Pro-Bowl CB Patrick Surtain. He's about as shutdown as they come so you'll see teams avoid his side of the field at all times. The Defensive Line is still very weak as former 6th overall pick Ryan Simms has turned out as a major bust when he was expected to lead this unit. B-

2. San Diego Chargers (11-5)
Offense: They don't overwhelm you. But they're good at what they do. LT is the best overall back in football with his receiving threat. Drew Brees numbers will drop off but he'll still be a Pro-Bowl worthy QB. The WRs are a huge question mark though. Keenan McCardell is a decent threat but one of the other players in this core has to break out in order for the Bolts to have post-season success. I'd bet on 2nd rounder Vincent Jackson being that guy. Additionally a new kicker might help as Nick Kaeding has been nothing short of horrific. The Oline is underrated but nothing special as there are no standouts here. B
Defense: They're fast and well....they're fast. The Chargers 3-4 allignment will finally be put to good use as coveted 1st round hybrid LB/DE Shawn Merriman joins the group. He'll bring an additional element to the pash rush along with former Texan Steve Foley (why did we let him go?!) who lead the team with 10 sacks last year. Of course last year's breakout star was Donnie Edwards who is in his prime and will lead a very good unit. Jamal Williams is a good NT with his bulk and tools and the other 1st rounder Luis Castillo should add depth to the defensive front. The problem for the defense will be an iffy at best secondary. Former 5th overall pick Quentin Jammer struggled last year with the 5 yard rule and plays too aggresively at times. He'll bite on Play Actions and is a liability. And he's their best CB. Sammy Davis was also a first rounder and he's been mainly a bust. Drayton Florence will take his spot. Terrence Kiel is a good safety but thats about it for the secondary. If theyre even semi-reliable the Bolts should be in business. C+

3.Oakland Raiders (8-8)
Offense: A top 5 offense for sure. They might actually have a better WR corp than the Colts. Moss is obviously going to fit in perfectly with long ball obsessed Kerry Collins, that is assuming Moss can pass his drug tests. Lamont Jordan should rush for at least 1,000 yards given the offense and his skill. Not too many people have that kind of speed and quickness. The Offensive line is still questionable though. Can they pass protect? Ask Rich Gannon's neck about that. Run protect? Worse run game in the NFL last year. 80 Yards a game. Amos Zereoue led the team with an impressive 425 yards. The key here is whether Robert Gallery lives up to the hype of the #2 overall pick. He has the size and tools. All he has left is to put it all together. B+
Defense: Wow. Where do I begin? There are so many problems here that it makes Iraq look like a Utopia. Simply put they stink. The secondary is a good unit at best. Woodson is generally one of the best CBs in football. Fabian Washington has the speed to be an impact. After that Ted Washington might be the only player who's still any good. He still eats up half the field even if he can't move. Warren Sapp is pretty much washed out. Honestly there isnt a linebacker on this team that merrits being in the NFL, much less a starter. D

4.Denver Broncos (7-9)
Offense: Another year in the Jake the Snake era and yet another year of dissapointment A.E (After Elway). If Plummer could remain somewhat consistent this team might win two more games. Mike Anderson appears to be the starter for now and with that comes the automatic 1,000 yards. The Offesive line is among the best in the NFL even if they are a little dirty and are led by George Foster and Matt Lepsis. The WRs are average but generally speedy. Rod Smith will continue to put up 1,000 yards and Ashley Lelie might get 700. Neither are game breakers. Thats mainly been the problem in Denver. Lots of good players, but no one that can lead a team to victory on their shoulders. B-/C+
Defense: If they really plan to get anywhere they need to wake Champ Bailey up. He's still a gamebreaker but seemed out of place last year. This was probably the result of seeing so many zeros on his paycheck. Regardless expect the secondary to be quite good with Bailey, Walls, and whatever remains of John Lynch each providing something different in the mix. Particulary (Lenny) Walls who at 6-4 is the biggest CB in football. The defensive line however is a mixed bag. If they wanted to emulate the "success" in Cleveland, they certainly succeeded. Coming in are Courtney Brown (1st overall pick?!How?), Gerrard Warren (3rd overall), Ebenezer Ekuban, and Michael Myers. If Mike Shanahan can get anything out of these guts, kudos. The fact that Romeo Crennel believes that he cannot make these players into impact guys should be a warning sign. Admittingly Ekuban has potential as he did have 8 sacks last year and if Trevor Pryce stays healthy he is a good pash rusher and run stopper. D.J. Williams leads a solid linebacking core along with the solid Ian Gold. Expect them to be busy considering the 4 guys in front of them. C+

2005-08-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

It was a frosty October night, much like most nights in Lafayette, IN. It was supposed to be part of the grand coronation. The word BCS Bowl and Heisman simultaneously were flittering through the air. For Kyle Orton and the Purdue Boilermakers optimism was at an all time high. The offense was "finally clicking." Orton was an assured late 1st or early 2nd round pick. Up by a score of 17-7 with just 5:29 between Purdue and a 6-0 record something went awry. Wisconsin scored 13 points and suddenly everything came into doubt. An Orton fumble, and a missed 43 yard FG later and people began heading towards their cars. Suddenly the Boilermakers slipped from 5th place in the rankings and their season went down faster than Paris Hilton. A hip- flexor injury combined with four straight losses ended any chance Kyle Orton would be drafted in the first day of the draft much less Heisman talk. A BCS Bowl bid? Try a dissapointing Sun Bowl bid that ended in a loss to Arizona State.

Imagine this. You're sitting at home and can't stop staring at the screen in agony. Your coaches couldn't stop raving about you. 31 TDs, 5 picks, 3000 yards, 60% completion rate, 107 passer rating. Jaw dropping stuff. But some guy named Clarett who hasn't played in two years name goes by on the ticker. Yesterday you saw some an admitted steroids user go by. 5 other QBs have been by. You are Kyle Orton. Suddenly the number of zeros you expected on your signing bonus goes down by 1. Youre drafted by the Bears. Last guy to make the Pro-Bowl with the Bears? Jim McMahon. Yeah, it was that long ago. You're on the sidelines. Grossman's down. This is your chance Orton. A tumultous 10 months have passed. But you need to put that behind you. Because if you fail now there will be no third chance for you.

I'll probably talk more about this later but since I'm going to UH i need to write about them I guess. Now as far as I know UH football has been dead since Andre Ware 15 years ago. So the cautious optimism for this week's game against Oregon should be just that, cautious. Oregon is roughly a top 30 team whereas we're lucky if we make any bowl game. Art Brile is the one thing on this team that can lead us to victory(i.e. the head coach). He's placed UH back on the recruiting map and he's been able to use his speedy linebackers to his advantage in the new 3-4 scheme. Wade Koehl is the mainstay of the linebackers with 115 tackles in last years 3-8 season. Junior QB Kevin Kolb who I admittingly know little of is supposedly pretty productive. We have some good people in the secondary. The Oline is shaky and the WR and RBs are both relatively deep. Can we win? Possibly.
Oregon's defensive line is one of the best in the nation. Guaranteed 1st rounder Junior DT Haloti Ngata (6-5 338 pounds) is going to be tough to deal with. According to scouts he didn't play any spring games because:"Haloti is a disruptive force," Coach Bellotti said. "He didn't play a lot mainly because we wanted to give the other team a chance." QB Kellen Clemens is inconsistent. 5000 yards 50 tds and 20 picks in the post Harrington era, although is is considered the 2nd best Pac 10 QB after Leinart and some have him breaking out. They have blue chip recruits at WR and RB but they won't play much this year thankfully. But they still have a 1,000 yard rusher Terrence Whitehead who is similiar to a young Jerome Bettis. Oh and they have Ryan Leaf's brother as the 3rd string QB if that helps. So lets make no mistake. Their offense is nasty.

BONUS:ESPN.com Insider Bruce Feldman believes we have a slight chance of winning. Though he believes OU will pull it out in the 4th quarter.
My Prediction....Final: 28-17 Oregon.
Ill do a Division by Division breakdown Thursday of every NFL team so check that out.

2005-08-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

Unhappy with your $200 million team Steinbrenner? Tough cookies. If you were thinking you'd have an army of All-Stars and just sit back and watch the bombs fly you were right. Too bad the bombs happened to come off your "ace" pitcher, Randy Johnson. This coming just weeks after you slammed Joe Torre's manegerial decisions. Now don't get me wrong George but its not Torre's fault if your studs like Kevin Brown, Bernie Williams, who by the way combined have salaries within distance of the combined payroll of the Devil Rays and Royals, can't meet up to expectations. Its clear that after years of cherry picking elite athletes from other teams that now you keep coming up short. Losing out in the Vladimir Guerrero sweepstakes for an aging Gary Sheffield? Genius. Carl Pavano turned out nicely as well. How about the deep farm system you have? The last Yankee 1st round draft pick to make the All-Star team? Derek Jeter. Since 1992 all your picks have either been busts or traded elsewhere. In either case only one, Eric Milton has made an impact. Your current farm system hasn't done anything since bringing up Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Jeter. Thats roughly ten years. Though I'll admit Robinson Cano could be a star. So George, what will it be this summer? Paul Konerko and A.J. Burnett? Add another 20 million in payroll? Or will you admit defeat and simply go back to the way everyone else builds? With gasp(!), the farm system? Unheard of.

What about that lame arguement that you can't afford to spend in both your farm system and your major league team? That won't work anymore. Boston farm system has several elite prospects including SS Hanley Ramirez, C Kelly Shopach, P Jon Lester, P Anibal Sanchez, P John Pappelbon, 2B Dustin Peoria, and P Craig Hansen.

Finally interesting how Bonds might come back in September. It might be too late for a playoff run but you never know. I really hope that he just retires though. He'll taint what has otherwise been a great season in terms of competition.

Rockets got Derek Anderson. He could be good. There are just too many guards on this team. Like I said ideally we could package David Wesley and Moochie Norris to free up roster spaces. Though no GM is really dumb enough to take that right? Isiah......

2005-08-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

The Titans today helped increase a growing trend where professional teams, particularly in the NFL, are more interested in bringing in talent then bringing in good role models. Admittingly every one is guilty of this. The Tigers for many years ignored Ty Cobb's on and off field antics that included racist threats and spiking opponents with cleats. Despite all that, Cobb was the first player inducted into the Hall of Fame with his MLB record .367 career batting average.

Allen Iverson, Philadelphia's "hero" threatened his wife with a handgun and should probably still be in prison following a 1993 conviction of "maiming-by-mob" after he and his friends were involved in a brawl during which Iverson supposedely hit a women with a chair. He was to serve 15 years year sentence with 10 suspended. Of course being the big high school athlete he was, the governor of Virginia pardoned him and later his conviction was conveniently overturned. Today Iverson is earning roughly $15 million a year. Do you think if a non-athlete had done what Iverson is accused of that he/she would even be free and out on the streets?

Lawrence Phillips, the man who was given what seemed like infinite chances to turn himself around but instead continuosly made teams look like fools. While attending the University of Nebraska, he was arrested and charged with domestic violence for beating his ex-girlfriend and sentenced to probation. The St. Louis Rams chose Phillips as the sixth overall pick of the 1996 draft, but he was arrested three times and spent 23 days in jail during 19 months with the team. In 1997 he sexually assualted a women in bathroom. Then in 1998 he beat a women after he wouldnt dance with him. He followed that up by driving drunk. Threatening and swearing at the police? Yep. Had you or I done any of those things we might be in prison for life. Mr. Phillips served all of 19 days in jail for all of the above. Miraculously this man was employed by NFL teams up until 1999, after which in 2000 he followed up by sexually assualting his girlfriend.

It seems that the only unforgivable deed in sports is killing another person ala Rae Carruth. Other than that, people like Lawrence Phillips, AI, and to a lesser extent the Cobbs of the world are allowed to earn millions of dollars and given far to many chances. Today we had another name to the list. Adam "Pacman" Jones who faces two counts of misdemeanor assault and one of felony vandalism stemming from a July altercation at a Nashville Club 615. Prior to the alleged incident at Club 615 which led to Jones’ arrest, the rookie cornerback was named in an issuance for a warrant involving an April 27 fight in a Decatur, Ga., club, though the charges were later dropped. Jones was also present when police found marijuana in a room two of Jones’ friends had rented at the Titans team hotel June 8. Not to mention "Pacman's" verbals attacks on his soon to be teammates. All of this before Mr. Jones had even played a NFL snap! Yet the Titans have given him a reported $13-14 million for a player who certainly "deserves" it.

On a different and final note check this out before you decide your NL MVP. Lee is having a great year. But the Cubs are 5 games below .500 and are certainly not making the playoffs. Miguel Cabrera is unlikely to win it for similiar reasons. Andruw Jones is arguably a good choice. But his batting average is mediocre at best. So it should, but sadly won't come down to Albert Pujols vs. Morgan Ensberg. The numbers are similiar when it comes to HR and RBI, 33 Homers, 93 RBI and 33 Homers and 91 RBI respectively. The obvious difference is in Batting Average where Pujols .336 average as of today, is 36 points higher than Enserg's .300 average. But remember. The award is for the Most Valuable Player. Not the best player. Without Pujols the Cardinals would still be a playoff team. Without Ensberg the Astros would be in the cellar with the Devil Rays and Royals. So consider that before all the ballots are in.

2005-08-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

If it wasn't clear in 2003 why the Preseason is a waste of time then perhaps nothing will convince the NFL otherwise. When Michael Vick is writhing on the ground in pain and lost for all but four games something is clearly rotten. What will eventually happen is that teams will come up with all sorts of mysterious or head-scratching injuries in order to protect star players from playing in pre-season games. If you were a Bears fan wouldn't you have wanted Rex Grossman to have come down with some "Plantar Fasciitis" Friday night? Long term injuries cripple teams and make their fans uninterested for the season. Sure these injuries are rare but when they happen what do you say? Tough luck? Hope the #1 overall pick shines for you next year? What's worse is that you can't really call them "games." At best they are indoor scrimages between the each team's third string. So any fan that shows up to a "game" really gets their money worth.

Why did I bring all that up? Frustration over losing starting Right Guard Zach Wiegert for 3-4 weeks. Considering all the problems we've had with our offensive line over the years an injury like this is, and pardon the cliche, salt in the wound. Though maybe I shouldn't complain too much. After all, at least we didn't lose our starting QB for 3-4 months.

Nothing worth talking about in the NBA except for the Rockets terrible schedule so I'll leave that alone.

Baseball:

Well I was hoping the days of the Chan Ho Park's of the world shutting us out were over. But Saturday and Sunday the Astros made Kip Wells and Dave Williams look like Nolan Ryan. All of this of course at the expense of Roger Clemens who lowered his E.R.A to 1.32. Dave Williams? He I can somewhat understand. He is a left-hander and has a reputable 3.82 E.R.A. But Kip Wells? The guy has a 4.62 E.R.A and the Pirates did everything humanly possible to trade him at the deadline. Only the Astros could string together such poor performances on back to back nights.
While the Astros dilly-dally around the Phillies quietly shrunk the Wild Card lead to half a game. Are the Phillies a real threat? No. Once they get back home their pitching will once again become morbid in that Coor's Field-like stadium, so I wouldn't worry too much about them. They've been playing their last few games in pitcher friendly Dodger Stadium and Petco Park, allowing their offense to really unload. So let the Phillies have their fun before they fall back to Earth.
A while ago I said the Astros should go after Ramon Hernandez as their top offseason target. Unfortunately I learned that Scott Boras is his agent so don't hold your breath on that happening.

2005-08-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

Funny how in a couple of months T.O. has become public enemy #1 while Randy Moss has quietly become a model citizen in Oakland. The worst part about the whole mess might have come last night when Owen's agent Drew Rosenhaus went on Letterman and attempted to draw sympathy for Owen's measly salary. By the way, why doesnt Scott Boras got the same coverage? Boras is just as bad as Rosenhaus if not worse. Boras' recent 2004 MLB Draft clients, Jared Weaver the 12th overall pick and Stephen Drew the 15th overall pick held out an entire year for as it turned out, no monetary gain. Before that he found a loophole to allow several 1996 draft choices(Matt White, Travis Lee, John Patterson, and Bobby Seay) to become free agents and earn huge bonuses. He is credited with begining to increase signing bonuses and scaring teams away from better players in the draft because of signability concerns. And I'm not even going to mention the Beltran debacle. Anyhow I think the best thing to do is to just ignore the Rosenhauses of the world. Thats why I'm glad the Eagles aren't giving into Owen's demands.

Onto baseball:

A few months ago I looked up and down the Nationals roster and wondered how on God's green earth they were leading the NL East. Our roster had the better pitching and at the time even with Berkman's struggles and Ensberg not quite coming into his own, I didn't see anyone in the Nationals batting order other then Jose Guillen that would scare anyone. All the while I kept scratching my head and wondering how on earth the Astros were so bad and the Nationals were so good. Well finally the tables have turned and the Nationals remembered that they were in fact the Expos.
The Oakland A's are a real threat. A while ago I just thought that like the Astros they were just plain bad. Barry Zito had been struggling since 2004 and I didn't see why they didn't trade him while he still had any marginal value. Turns out I was way wrong and as usual Billy Beane was right. There are so many similiarities between the Astros season and that of the A's that its not even funny. The teams even have the same playing style. Good pitching, iffy but acceptable bats in the lineup, and lights out closers. The A's have the better team I'll concede, but the road to the World Series will be much harder for the A's. The Red Sox, White Sox, Angels, Indians, and Yankees would all be tough matchups. But I think this team has the intangibles to be better than the A's teams with Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Jermaine Dye, Jason Isringhausen, Keith Foulke, Johnny Damon and the the other two-thirds of the Big 3, Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson. The main reason is that Rich Harden is a better front line starter than Hudson or Mulder and Zito has really matured. Oh and more help is on the way as Baseball America ranks 5 Atheltics prospects in its yearly 100 top prospects list. Among them is the likely DH Daric Barton who hits for average and power and ranks 32nd overall on the list. He happened to come over in the Mulder trade so it seems likely the A's will get the best of that deal. Another guy to watch out for is lefty Dan Meyer(43rd on the list) who came in the Hudson trade.

Some Football thoughts:

I hope Domanick Davis and Kailee Wong live up to their new contracts. They're being paid Pro-Bowler type money so we need the same kind of production.
I'm glad that the Texans carefully choose what players join the team so we don't have ugly holdouts or bad characters. One thing to watch out for though. Phillip Buchannon will want an extension after this year and his agent is ....you know who.
I don't know why but I expect the Jets to be a real contender this year. And that was without the addition of Ty Law. Yes Curtis Martin is a year older and its unrealistic to expect him to put up numbers like last year but he can still rush for 1200 yards. And the passing game will improve with Laveranues Coles coming back. The defense has always been good. If not for Doug Brien's missed field goals against the Steelers they would've been in the AFC Title game and they wouldve been a much tougher opponent for the Patriots. Herm Edwards is an excellent head coach and creates tons of confusion for QB's with blitzes and zone schemes. However a big part of their success will depend on if/when John Abraham ends his holdout. His knee injury is also a concern. If his pash rush is not available then that will hurt them but then again he missed the entire playoffs last year so lets wait and see.

2005-08-06T15:37:00.000-07:00

Its looking an awful lot like April and May again for the Astros. The sudden inability to score runs against the most mediocre of pitchers combined with a suddenly shaky bullpen has given me a sudden rise of concern. No one else in the Wild Card is terribly consistent or in my opinion good enough to surpass the Astros but there are two months left and anything can happen. If I had to bet on the team that would give us the most competition it would be the Marlins. They have a much better hitting lineup then us and if their pitching staff can remain even semi-consistent they can be dangerous as they proved in 2003.

How do the Braves keep doing it? Every year people write them off but they keep on winning division titles. I'll give most of the credit to Bobby Cox and John Schuerholz who year in and year out get tons of production from a team with a mid-market payroll. The Braves have arguably the best farm system in baseball with players like Brad McCann, Kyle Davies, Kelly Johnson all having an impact. Oh and theres that Jeff Francouer kid. Until I watched the kid play on Tuesday I thought for sure that Willy T had the ROY sealed. But now I'm having my doubts. This Francouer kid is the real deal and looks like a .320 30 hr 100 RBI kind of guy.
The Pirates after years of misery have a reason to cheer. Zach Duke has been nothing short of amazing and I would hope that the Pirates could lock him up long term. It would be sad if three years from now he's in a Yankees uniform.
Pretty good debut for "King Felix" Hernandez. I thought that the Mariners were just going to keep him up for a game. But with Gil Meche's injury and Jose Campillo(he was supposed to replace Aaron Sele) getting Tommy John I'm guessing he'll stay for the rest of the season which may not be so bad for the Mariners considering how attrocious the rest of the team is. Just don't call him "King Felix" until he's proven something.
Free Agents the Astros must target: Ramon Hernandez, Paul Konerko. With all respect to Brad Ausmus's defensive skills and pitch calling, the guy can't hit anything. He's hitting .242 right now and thats just no good for a playoff team to have. Hernandez has some power and is a solid defender. Plus I'm not confident in Humberto Quintero as the "catcher of the future." However you can bet I'm not alone in my thinking on Hernandez's skills so you can bet he'll have a high asking price. Fortunately Boston and the Yankees have their catchers locked up so that's 2 big teams out of the water. The bad news? The Mets are losing Piazza. Expect them to screw us over again. As for Konerko.....yes I love Bagwell and everything he's done, but even if he's physically able to play again Konerko is a much better player and is the kind of bat we need at this point. I'd love to see Bagwell come back in a reduced role and not as an everyday player but thats unlikely given his $20 million salary, so the odds of Konerko coming are tied to Bagwell's health. We'll have to wait and see how this plays out. I'd love to see us replace Adam Everett, but the market for short stops is weak. Alex Gonzalez is the best and then Rafael Furcal. Both are somwhat of upgrades but the price might be too much for only slightly better numbers.

Some Rockets thoughts:

I'm not really sure what management plans to do but the guard situation is bothering me. Luther Head is 22, he isnt some high school kid that needs to sit and watch for the year. I bring that up because as is the team doesn't seem to have a rotation spot for him. It looks like Jon Barry will be back in some capacity and maybe even Nick Van Exel or Derek Anderson(by the way, if Van Gundy brings in Sprewell I will go insane). So then there's David Wesley, Mike James, and Bob Sura. I'd trade David Wesley as he's the oldest of the bunch and just didn't do enough in the Dallas series. If you can get a 2nd round pick that would be fine at this point. I loved Van Exel growing up, but that was ten years ago with the Lakers and right now I'm not sure how he'd fit. Would he be content with the playing time? We all know how much of a grouch he can be if he's not happy.

Texans:

The AFC is loaded once again and there are only a few teams that you can really point out as "no way in hell they make the playoffs" teams. So should Texans fans be optimistic? Absolutely. We made several key upgrades and used the draft again to our advantage.
It looks like Victor Riley will beat out Seth Wand at Left Tackle so that's a sigh of relief. Though I'm still in favor of bringing in Ross Verba.
I'm hoping Dominic Davis lives up to his contract extension. He looks great at times and at other just awful. If our run game steps up like it did at the end of last year watch out for this guy.

2005-07-31T19:09:00.000-07:00

After a long layoff its turning into August and things are heating up in Houston.

Baseball:

Yeah I was a bit apprehensive on the Astros. And I even slammed Lance Berkman(sorry Lance) But I'm getting about as excited by their play as last year. Yes I miss Kent and Beltran(though to a far lesser extent) but we have Pettite and Taveras to be excited about. Today's loss brought us down to Earth after two weeks of the feeling that we couldn't lose. I was all for any move two or three weeks ago, but its clear we dont need one. Yes a bat would've been nice, but not at a cost of a Hunter Pence or Troy Patton.
Beltran deserves every boo he got the last four days. If it was about a no-trade clause and that was such a sticking point, why not address it at the start of the offseason so Pupura could've known ahead of time and told him right there and then that the Astros were unwilling to do that. That way we couldve gone ahead and signed anybody else. Its a lame excuse. On the other hand fans should stop saying this was about the money. The offers were the same after New York's state income tax. Beltran was never going to sign here and just needed the team to jack up the Mets price. HOWEVER.... that being said I'm grateful for him for the October of 2004 and for that I'll mail him a fruit cake.

Basketball:

Swift signed. Staudamire didn't. 1 out of 2 isnt bad. We made moves and virtually no one else in the division did. The Mavs will be lucky to be a top 6 seed next year. That's assuming they keep Finley. If there's one thing we learned in the Playoffs it was that Dirk Nowitzki is very overrated. Ryan Bowen and McGrady essentially shut him down and he wasn't much better in the Phoenix series. Swift gives us a valuable fourth or fifth option and a very versatile defender. Juwan Howard is a nice guy, but even healthy he isn't a very good defender so kudos to Carrol Dawson here. Even if Swift comes off the bench its a coup for the team. I can tell Staudamire wanted to be here, but I understand if Portland wasn't willing to do a sign and trade so good luck to him.
Joe Johnson is really screwing over the Suns. If the money's the same I really dont understand why anyone would chose the Hawks over the Suns. That being same what on earth are the Hawks smoking? With Johnson, Childress, Smith, and Marvin Williams they essentially have an entire starting lineup of 6-7 guys. If they were going to throw that money around it shouldve been at Samuel Dalembert or even Tyson Chandler. If he didnt want to be a 2nd or 3rd fiddle in Phoenix he shouldve said that earlier so that at least Quentin Richardson could've been salvaged.

Football:

The Texans are making the playoffs. I think this is finally our year, though it will certainly be tough.
Good job on finally getting Travis Johnson into camp. He'll be a good rotation guy this year and hopefully a Pro-Bowler soon.
All these holdouts are killers. I see the players point, but I can't get sympathetic. If they sign a contract they should honor it. The NFL is like the real world. No job is guaranteed. If players arent able to do their job then goodbye. Fans hate seeing players like Shawn Kemp and Allen Houston kill their teams respective chances to accomplish anything. That's why the NFL is the most successfull league in the U.S.

2005-07-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

Ensberg finally got what he deserved. And Willy Taveras didn't. If Carlos Beltran is an All-Star than certainly Willy T is a Hall of Famer. My point is simple. Taveras has become a standout Center fielder and leadoff hitter. He is essentially batting .300 and has 22 stolen bases. Compare that to Mr. $119 million in New York with a .266 average and just 4 stolen bases. Yes he has 10 home runs but thats nothing to be proud of. There's still something that bothers me though. Had Garner not continued his Adam Everett leadoff hitter experience for so long, then you can just wonder how many more wins this team could have. Taveras was wasted for over a month as the number 8 hitter where he was virtually useless. Now we can see that he's clearly something special and easily the Rookie of the Year.

Troy Patton is simply amazing. Hope that he makes it up here next year. He and Bogusevic might become a great lefty duo for a long time.
Home run derby winner? I'd bet on Teixeira. The international idea is pretty stupid. Hee-Seop Choi? I'll watch but where is Tejada and A-rod? Manny? Pudge is a nice guy but he doesn't hit home runs. And this is one of the ultimate pitchers' parks. You do the math.
This Kenny Rogers issue is silly. He does deserve to be there. Yes, he made a big mistake. But you have to move on. If baseball doesn't want him there, change the rules. Otherwise there's no reason for him not to be here.

2005-07-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

Couple of days to go before the All-Star break. I hope Morgan Ensberg uses his vacation time to rest and come back stronger than ever. The technicality that kept him off the team is silly at best and should be reviewed.
" According to the rules, if a player who was elected to the All-Star team via the players' vote cannot play, he must be replaced by the next highest vote recipient in the player vote at the same position"-Houston Chronicle

In other news the Astros were able to sign 1st round draft pick Brian Bogusevic to a contract with a $1.375 million signing bonus. The Astros were very fotunate to get a lefty of his talent so late in the round. Considering he is also a good hitter and the fastest player on the Tulane team, the Astros seem to have a very talented player on their hands despite his poor performance in the College World Series. He went 13-3 with a 3.25 era overall and throws in the mid to low 90's. For the rest of the year he'll be at Class A (short season) Tri-City and will be used mostly out of the bullpen to avoid wear and tear.

Other observations:

Glad to see the Astros back at .500. Its the right track to any playoff run. Hope the All-Star break doesnt kill any momentum.
Why hasn't Ross Verba signed with the Texans yet? This talented Left tackle has been looking for a good deal and we're looking for a good player. I have little to no confidence in the projected starter Seth Wand, so any upgrade available should be looked at. I was extremely dissapointed when we failed to get Orlando Pace from the Rams but that was in part because I underestimated how much the Rams valued him.
Interesting how Larry Hughes is going to Cleveland. Washington offered a 6 year deal in the 60-70 million range but that wasn't as good as playing with Lebron I guess. Good deal for Cleveland as they get a guy who lead the league in steals with 2.5/game and a 20 point a game scorer. I thought that he was better than a 27% shooter from 3-point land but you can't get everything. But thats why you'd think Joe Johnson was a better fit. The Cavs ranked last in 3-point accuracy and you'd think Danny Ferry(a good 3-point shooter himself) would want to try to upgrade that....but then again I'm not the GM.
Nate McMullen? What? I thought the Blazers got Nate McMillan. Oh....well...ouch lady.
Ouch to Roy Halliday on the injury. But it brings up something interesting...who will start? Believe it or not, statistically Kenny Rogers deserves to start, but obviously he wont. So its between Garland and Buehrle in which case I'd think Buehrle starts. Who will take Halliday's spot? Danny Haren? More likely Mike Timlin. Francona passed him over before and he won't do it again.

2005-07-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

NBA thoughts and Rockets update.....

First off my thoughts and prayers are with the victims of today's London bomb victims.
The McMillan move was unprecedented...but I guess smart short term. If McMillan can continously get this team in the playoffs and still collect $7 million a year then he's a genius. Otherwise he'll be a out of a job within a year and will look like a fool. Paul Allen has so much money he could fire McMillan at any time and just hire another high profile coach.
Redd resigning makes sense. The Bucks are probably a playoff team and maybe a 2nd round team if T.J. Ford is back to his normal self next season...though thats a big if.
Teams cant sign free agents until the 22nd, and thats an iffy date even then with the new collective bargaining rules. I would think this gives a huge advantage to the team the player currently belongs to. Who is going to be patient enough to sign until the 22nd when they are getting a longer and better contract from their current team?
Despite my last point it seems as if Stromile Swift will leave Memphis. The guy is a part time starter and fed up with backing up Lorezen Wright. Houston would be the perfect home for him. We only have the mid-level but why would Stro' want to play for the Hornets? A sign and trade is possible but Memphis is trying to cut salary at this point...they have several other key free agents like Earl Watson.
Chad Ford reported that the Rockets are trying to sign and trade for Antoine Walker. This would be DISASTROUS. The guy is an enigma and a ball hog. There is no room for a guy that jacks up 15 3's a game. He doesnt even defend well. I suppose hes better offensively then Howard but its not worth it. He shoots under 40% and is almost 30.

Ok and now a short Astros point.

I like Adam Dunn. If we can get him for Astacio, Buchholz, and Nieve...its a steal. If Burke needs to be added....eh I'd think hard about it. The guy could have a Beltranish impact but....his .170 average vs lefties is a concern. Still he's good for at least 40 homers and he's a hometown guy. By the way listen to Sportsradio 610 streaming online here.

2005-07-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

Can the Astros make it?

The answer is yes. But there are several factors involved. At 38-42 they'll be lucky to be .500 by the All-Star break. The main problem is that barring Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds going down for huge stretches, the Astros have no chance of winning the division. Thus the wild card is the only viable option. The real competition here is the NL East with the Braves, Phillies, Marlins, and Nationals all in competition for the playoffs. The Cubs could contend but I doubt that both Wood and Prior will be able to stay healthy considering their history. Thus whats important is whether or not the rocky Braves rotation is able to keep the Braves alive. With injuries to Thompson, Hudson, and Hampton, the Braves rotation is that of a Triple- A team. I thought that with Chipper Jones down, that their season was over, not expecting Andruw Jones recent explosion. They have the worst leadoff hitter and they have 2 outfielders with little Major League experience. Yet you cant count them out because they're the 13 times division champion ...blah, blah, blah. The Marlins have been getting little from Juan Pierre and Mike Lowell but are still dangerous. The Nats on paper are one of the weaker teams in baseball. But their bullpen is amazing and they get clutch hitting. In fact if they make it into the postseason they'll be the team America will root for. I mean they even have the perfect name : Nationals.
Right now the Astros need to be buyers. Heres what they can and should get:

Will Betemit- Braves. A .300 hitter as a bench player who could easily be better than Adam Everett. He could probably be had for a prospect or 2. The main problem is that the Braves are probably going to wait and see if Furcal starts hitting .270 or so. Then they'll wait and see if Chipper Jones returns to normal, so I don't see this being an easy trade to pull off.
Jason Grabow(2.08 era) or Mike Gonzalez(3.21 era) -Pirates. These are 2 solid lefties that the Astros should inquire about. These guys will be difficult to trade for given they are commodities as lefties. I know Mike Gallo was pretty good today but its better to have a proven guy in the bullpen then a career Triple-A ish pitcher. Fernando Nieve might be enough for this deal to work.

One last note, heres something on a player the Astros let get away thats painful to read.

2005-06-30T21:26:00.000-07:00

Rockets draft thought:

The Luther Head selection is a solid one; certainly one that makes sense. Luther brings a good perimeter defense and the ability to hit the 3-point shot, something that the Rockets excelled at last year.
My conern is that the guard position is one we are currently loaded at. Considering that Bob Sura and Mike James split the point duties, there will also (hopefully) be Jon Barry in that rotation along with the Rocket's second round pick last year Vassillis Spanoulis of Greece who is supposedely pretty good. That seems like too many players for limited minutes.
I do however trust the Rockets know what they're doing. I'd like to see Mutombo come back and an addition of a Stromile Swift or Donyell Marshall to the frontcourt, though both will likely need more than the mid-level exception to come.
Vin Baker needs to be arrested. He will be stealing 3.85 million next year with his player option. At least he's not Mo Taylor.

2005-06-26T13:08:00.000-07:00

This is meant to be a place for any Houston sports fan; although I will comment on other teams, for the most part I will rant about the our teams. That being said I think I speak for any fan when I say I can't wait for football season. The Astros are stuck between mediocracy and the Devil Rays while the Rockets had one of the most dissapointing season ending games I've ever seen, where they just completely forgot to show up. Now since the baseball is the only sport thats going on I'll just put down some of my thoughts and observations from the Astros:

I don't like this whole "You have to feel bad for Roger Clemens" stuff. THE GUY IS BEING PAYED $18 MILLION. I'm sure he crys all the way to the bank.
I'm happy that we signed Lance Berkman to an extension, believe me. After the Beltran fiasco this was neccesary. However isn't the 85 million we're paying him a bit premature? The guy has put up the kind of numbers that deserve that money, before this year. This injury, while directly having done no damage, has really put him in a slump. The guy has been back almost 2 months now and has a .265 average and 5 home runs. Meanwhile Frank Thomas has been back 3 weeks and has 7 home runs in just 40 at bats. I'm not saying we shouldn't have resigned him. I just wish we had reevaluated the guy after this season to see where he was at in terms of health and ability. Besides, now he has no real incentive to play well. If he wanted a big pay day, he would've had to use this season to prove he was worth the money.