Week 3 Column: Dils Second Chance Pool, Baseball's Last Week, NFL Week 3, Other Commenmtary
First, for anyone interested in the Dils Win or Die Second Chance pool, click here to sign up and find rules. It starts this week. You need to sign up and make pick for Week 4 before Sunday at noon.
We gotta start with baseball today. We are in the last .2 miles of the marathon that is the MLB season. While the four American League teams have all but been decided, the round 1 matchups are still very much up in the air. And in the National League, the tension is palpable.
As the Phillies come off an 8-2 road trip, they find themselves tied for the Wild Card lead with the Padres, a game up on the surging Colorado Rockies who have won 8 straight. In the Phillies quest for the playoffs, it turns out that their most valuable player is not Chase Utley, J-Roll, Ryan Howard or even a resurgent bullpen. In actuality, it may be Milton Bradley, who single handedly took 2/3 of San Diego's outfield off the field for the remainder of at least the regular season. First, he stepped on Mike Cameron's thumb, damaging a ligament, then tore his own ACL when his manager pulled him away from a battle royale with a piece of garbage umpire Mike Winters, who in my opinion should be suspended for as long as it takes Bradley to return to the lineup. It's bad enough umpires determine the outcomes of games too often with bad calls (admittedly less in baseball than other sports, but it still happens), but now they are taunting players on the field. Mike Winters is worse than Joey Crawford if you ask me.
As for the Padres, they replaced a hole by acquiring Jason Lane, a guy who has had a horrid year but who hit 26 home runs two years ago, from Houston. Is it just me or does baseball at some point need to implement a trading deadline. It just seems silly that someone can pass through waivers and be traded to another team for a week to help make the playoffs.
The Phillies find themselves tied for the wild card with 6 games to play. Their 6 games are at home, where they are 43-32. The Pads have SF and Milwaukee on the road (SF for 2, Milwaukee for 4), while Colorado has 3 at LA (where they face Penny and Lowe the next two days) and three at home against Arizona. No excuses. The Phillies have the inside track, they have been in this exact situation in the last several years, and it is time to step up and take this spot. 87 year old Jamie Moyer makes a huge start tonight against the pesky Braves who have won 7 of 8. The bullpen is rested with a day off yesterday. It is time to win. No excuses. My 4 year old demands it.
An interesting twist: if the Phillies and Mets tie for the division and both get in the playoffs, the Phillies are the winner as they won the season series. If they tie and do not both get in, they play a one game playoff in Philadelphia. If the Phils tie with anyone for the wild card (SD, Colorado, Milwaukee), they play a one game playoff on the road.
In the American League, the Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, and Angels will all be in the playoffs. The Indians right now have a half game lead on the Angels and a one game lead on the Sox, with the Yankees three back. In the careful what you wish for you just might get it category, the winner of the best record in the AL (if it is the Angels or Indians) will likely get the Bombers in the division series next week. The Yankees, besides having the most talent, have played the best ball in the second half of the year. The only question is whether they can beat a good team on the road, which they have not consistently done all year.
In my opinion, Cleveland or the Angels would be better off finishing second, and playing a fading Red Sox team that, in addition to momentum working against it, has less quality pitching (both starting and bullpen) than any of the other teams in the playoffs.
I look forward to watching the dynamic landscape mature over the next few days.....
As for football.....
The Birds are back, baby! Nothing like a 56-point offensive output to make you feel better about your now 1-2 football team. Now the question is can they sustain strong play as they play the next two on the road in the Meadowlands (Giants then Jets) and then home against the Bears. One negative on the Birds, and this really ticked me off. When are the Eagle fans going to realize that Donovan McNabb is the best quarterback in the history of the franchise and we will ALL be sorry when he is gone. I was amazed and disgusted at the beginning of the game when the offensive players were introduced and McNabb was lustily booed. I expected it after the first three-and-out, but before the game? That is a disgrace (the only acceptable excuse is if they were booing the uniforms, which were hideous). They introduced the all-time Eagles team during halftime. The thing I noticed most is that the Eagles did not have very many good players before the Buddy Ryan era started. The time between the 1960 championship and the Buddy teams of the late 80's were pretty much represented by Harold Carmichael.....
As bad as the Birds were in their first two games, the Saints have been worst in their first three games. The look positively awful, and there are no signs that they are coming out of it. If they can't win on Monday Night in a must win game against a decent but not yet great team, it is going to be a long season (sounds like what I said about the Birds last week, but they won 56-21 baby!). And they lost Deuce McAllister for the season, and Reggie Bush looks like he is not going to be a very good feature back (maybe the Texans were right to select Mario Williams #1 after all, although they could have taken hometown kid Vince Young and not had to trade for Matt Schaub).
I am standing by my opinion that Green Bay is not a very good undefeated team. After starting 3-0 and playing in a so-so division, they may well make the playoffs, but I cannot see them doing any damage at all once they get there.
Is anymore evidence needed that Norv Turner SUCKS as a head coach. As much as I think Marty Schottenheimer stinks in the playoffs, as supported by his record, he did take this team to a 14-2 record last year. They have so much talent. And they are a bad 1-2 right now. A.J. Smith (is that the general manager's name?) should be fired immediately for firing a head coach that led his team to a 14-2 record because of a personal vendetta. Especially when they lost both coordinators. Ludicrous.
Question, if the Chargers owner did what I suggest and fired AJ Smith and Norv Turner, and replaced them with Stitzer as their coach and general manager (there would be no relocation expenses!), who would Stitzer root for if the Chargers and Jets met up?
How about Lane Kiffin pulling a trick out of the Mike Shanahan bag and winning week 3 the same EXACT way he lost week 2. If nothing else, he is a fast learner.
Speaking of Denver, they look awful, as they could easily be 0-3 instead of 2-1. Is Jay Cutler not ready for Prime Time? I guess we will find out.
What are the odds in Vegas that New England and Indy play in the AFC Championship game, -8000? These two teams appear to be leaps and bounds ahead of everyone in the early going. Unless Pittsburgh proves me wrong....
Is there any worse ad campaign running right now than the stupid Wendy's campaign where guys run around wearing these red wigs with pigtails. Terrible.
I know this blog focuses mostly on sports and tries to steer clear of politics, but how can the U.S. allow this despicable criminal from Iran enter this country and speak at the UN and at Columbia University. This man has said that Israel should be wiped off the face of the Earth and that the Holocaust never actually happened. So we let him come here and speak to our college kids with impressionable minds? Are we insane. George Bush, as President, should never allow this to happen. This man is a terrorist and an enemy of our country and should have been arrested and detained the second he set foot on our soil. I am ashamed that we would allow this to happen.
Back with more quick updates all week....
posted by Dils @ 9/25/2007 09:10:00 AM
12 comments
12 Comments:
Dils,
I agree with you on most accounts (except the McNabb for President rah rah crap) I do not understand how the leader of a country that has acknowledged its bloodlust for destroying Israel and has actively participated in the deaths of US Soldiers could be given a forum to legitimize his existence. This guy represents a clear and present danger to not only the United States and Israel but to freedom and democracy worldwide. He is a fundamentalist zealot bent on spreading the ugly side of Islam. I know the argument for free speech is that it means any and all speech but to deny the Holocaust, murder US citizens and surpress freedom is dot deserving of a public forum or a national spotlight
As a Tribe fan, good point and the same one I have made. Tribe fans who are realists should actually hope Cleveland drops a few this week.
And so correct on the Iranian Nazi. Obviously, those who know me know I have had much to say and write about this, but as a Republican, I find Bush to be as politically correct as most "liberals" in America. Not sure if he can intervene at a radical "school" like Columbia, but the legal relativists need to stop hiding behind free speech at every turn. Would Hitler have been allowed to speak in 1933?
Just more proof that the American left, based out of universities and our coastal urban centers (plus Chicago) are as dangerous as the terrorist animals themselves.
If you read the comments on CNN.com or heard the Columbia students, you'll see not only did Ahmadenijad win the propaganda battle, but he made some nutcase leftists his new friends. Many folks not only loved how he talked of "peace" but they said they preferred this genocidal Nazi to President Bush. That's horrible but typical.
And these are the same pink-os, gays and feminists that would be imprisoned or beheaded the moment they step foot in Iran---or when Al Qaeda next hits America.
Who's to blame?
University profs, the NY Times, the ACLU, George Soros and moveon.org, Laurie David/Al Goron and the envt'l whackos, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, Hollywood folks like Michael Moore and George Clooney, CNN, Jon Stewart and the loons like Matthews and Olbermann at MSNBC are most to blame the past few years for always looking to divide the country by race, sex, home locale, or politicial affiliation, making America the bad guy and ignoring or appeasing our enemies for their own selfish, immature ideological/career gains.
as Bomber fan, I would love to play Cleveland as the Yanks have owned them over years (except the 1997 1st round) and the struggles versus Anaheim are well documented.
AL playoffs should be some great baseball as all 4 teams (barring a Yankee collapse/Detroit hot streak) should have their rotations set-up. Will be interesting to see what Clev/Ana will choose in terms of off days if Yanks get Wild Card. 3 off days means that you do not need a 4th starter, but it also means Joba can pitch 3 or 4 games.
Freedom of Speech is important, but we also need to show the world that it comes with responsibility - and the Columbia Prez should be ashamed of himself for allowing a moronic Holocaust Denier to speak in the city with the largest Jewish population in the world. As a Jew I am sickened and as US citizen I am equally as sickened that this idiot was given a forum.
Anonymous:
I guess George Bush, Larry Craig, Rush Limbaugh and The National Review have all the answers and everyone else is wrong. The only blame should go to the late Bill Rhenquist for annointing GWB, a losing candidate, the President of the United States, who then launched us into an unwinnable and pointless war which has completely undermined the ability of the United States to address the real problem in the Middle East: Iran.
Oh, you think you're so "witty" reciting the liberal refrain that CNN and other assorted, historically ignorant lefties use each day. And adding in Larry Craig, an irrelevant person, is a cute touch. Did Jon Stewar teach you that?
Of course, the National Review, a conservative magazine for sure, is actually backpedalling with their elitist non military backgrounds and now condemning part of the war. But hey, you must have missed that. Facts are sca-ry.
it is either "fight them there, or fight them here."
GWB winning in 2000 negates Daly's chicanery in the 1960 election.
Biggest injustice in the history of Presidential electios is the man who is responsible for 9/11 - Slick Willie as his 42% of the popular vote. Too bad he did not have the stones or intelligence of his Democratic predecessors to go after our foreign enemies.
to answer Dils' question, video footage of all Charges signals would be sent to the JETS sidelines - oh wait, that would be cheating. I would root for the JETS - and it would not matter as Tomlinson would run for 287 yards
Anonymous--I don't really watch John Stewar (sic) or CNN much. See, I have to get to bed early when I am not watching baseball because I have a job and pay taxes to support our armed forces. It must be nice self-publishing books that 40 people on a hillside bunker in Northern Idaho read and blogging all day but some of us work for a living.
Nitz, at least Clinton had the balls to send missiles Bin Laden's way--something GWB failed to do in Tora Bora when he had the chance.
By the way, one thing I am sure there is one (and probably only one) thing we can all agree on: Bollinger is a virulent anti-semite, his CYA speech notwithstanding.
Can we please keep the attacks from being personal? That is over the line. I have no problem with attacking each other's opinions, but let's respect each other or the banter becomes counter productive.
Thanks!
Grossy - agree with you on the Tora Bora and Bollinger points. An alternative view on why we have mot taken out bin laden is the same theory my Dad had for why Israel never took out Arafat - you don't know who you will deal with next and you do not want to create a marty, so you keep them alive and on the run. I personally disagree with that course of action, but it is an interesting opinion.
Also, please do not personalize stuff - I was in a couple of these pissing contests last year, and looking back I was wrong for going down that path.
You may disagree with AJK, but their is no need to personally attack him.
So-called "liberals" ALWAYS resort to personal attacks when they are defeated, which is quite often.
And you have no idea about my book sales or what I do for a living, which I can GUARANTEE you is far more noble job than yours.
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