NFL Opener, Phillies Collapse, Rick Ankiel, Federer/Roddick

The NFL season is upon us (which by the way, if you are in my Win or Die, picks are due Friday at noon et; all picks will be posted at some point between that time at Sunday morning on this site). The Super Bowl Champs and America's Darlings battle it out tonight in what has becomes the NFL's annual kick off extravaganza (translation: a bunch of famous musicians that nobody wants to hear right now play before the game). I will be back tomorrow as always with my opinions and picks for both college and pro football, so I will stick to this game today. The Colts lost some substantial pieces in the offseason, especially on the defensive side of the ball in addition to their left tackle. However, they bring back their skill players and are probably not getting enough respect heading into the season (due to the great offseason the Pats had). Peyton Manning winning the Super Bowl is the equivalent of A-Rod hitting .500 with a bunch of homers on his way to a World Series MVP. There is a tremendous amount of pressure that has been removed, and that can only spell trouble for defenses this season. I am not as high on the Saints this season. I still question their defensive toughness despite their adding depth on that side of the ball. And can Marques Colston handle the pressure of stepping into that #1 receiving role that Joe Horn vacated when he left. I look for the Saints to be good not great this year. I look for the game to get off to a bit of a slow start, then watch the Colts pull away in a relatively high scoring affair in the second half. For pick proposes, it is a lay off. So just sit back, enjoy the game, and relish in the fact that the NFL is back!

Duke losing a 17 point lead to Kentucky with the Final 4 on the line, and the Eagles squandering a 17 point 4th quarter lead against the Giants last year (and losing Kearse for the year in OT when it never should have gone that far). That's it. In all my days, that is the list of games that involved a critical game with an almost unbelievable choke that rivaled yesterday's collapse by the Phillies. On a day in which they could have cut the division lead AND the wild card lead by a game, they took an 8-2 lead into the 8th inning only to watch the bullpen do what it does best: BLOW GAMES! While they have been resilient all year and shown trememndous heart, I am of the mindset that this one may put the final nail in their coffin. If that is the case, at least they won't make us sweat it out until the last weekend series. Again, so close but yet so far away.

Have you ever seen an NHL hockey goalie lose his touch in the nets and become a high scoring center on the same team? Have you ever seen an NFL QB lose his arm and become a defensive back returning interceptions for touchdowns? Have you ever seen a professional golfer get the yips on the green and re-invent himself as a pro tennis player? No, no, and no. This is why the story of Rick Ankiel is really incredible. This guy was a good enough pitcher that he pitched in Game 1 of the playoffs for the Cardinals this decade. He then completely lost his ability to throw a strike and his career crumbled faster than Billy Ray Cyrus'. After struggling in the minors to find the plate again, he threw in the towel and became an outfielder. Now he is back in the bigs as the Cards starting right fielder and probably their second best offensive player. The fact that a pitcher can switch in his mid 20's and become a major league caliber outfielder and power hitter is simply remarkable. If anything, in a day of over hype and media over saturation, this story needs, if anything, more coverage.

I was emailing a friend last night and I said "I will be watching Roddick and Federer tonight. You think Roddick can win? I have a funny feeling he might despite his 1-13 lifetime mark against the machine." Well, I was right in thinking that Roddick would come out and play probably the best tennis match of his entire life. He was simply sensational. And he still lost in straight sets. Roger Federer is simply the most dominant athlete in any sport in the last 20 years (since Edwin Moses won like 7 billion 440 hurdle races in a row). He efficiently destroys everything in his way. I am rooting for him to win the French Open next year and break Sampras' mark of 14 grand slams so that he starts getting the credit as the greatest tennis player ever, which he probably is.