Who's Going to Crack First?

My buddy Jim and I had an interesting conversation today that I thought I would include you guys on.

"Who is going to crack in NY first: The Hamburglar or Mark Teixeira?"

My immediate reply was Sabathia. Jim's was Mark "Just call me Trump" Teixeira. We both had pretty good arguments, but I was just curious what everyone else thought...so, let me know if I'm crazy or not.

Here's some reasoning for both of them cracking first.

The Hamburglar -


- Read the previous post I had on Sabathia -

I basically state that his career is slightly comparable to Bartolo Colon. We all know what happened to him after he went to California. (He won a Cy Young and then buried himself in KFC)

- The Hamburglar grew up in California -

What does this have to do with anything? It has a lot to do with his personality.

You've heard of the "California Cool," well it's pretty much instilled in every person that grew up there. It's a kind of relaxed state of mind that is only explainable if you've been somewhere that's sunny 300 days out of the year. It's a state of mind that really clashes with un-necessary pressure.

C.C. has never had the kind of pressure he's going to have on him in NYC, I think everyone can agree to that. He's getting paid A LOT of money from New Yorkers to be their main guy out there and he's going to have to perform like it every day...or they are going to boo the living crap out of him. Take for instance, this clip:



(Those of you that didn't recognize that clip, it was Victorino hitting a GS off of Sabathia in this past seasons playoffs.)

There are only a few stadiums I know that, as a collective whole, would boo that pitcher off of the field (given the game was in their home stadium): Phillies, Yankees and the Mets. (I don't even know if the Phillies would do it anymore because they usually did it because of their 30 year drought...I'm going to error on the side that they would because of what just happened with the Eagles.)

All it takes is one "man screw you guys," while walking off the field for a whole town to turn on you and be the focus of a whole lot of negative, un-necessary, press; especially in New York.

- Sabathia's Arm -

Sabathia pitched an unprecedented 130 innings in the last third of the season last year; including back-to-back-to-back-to-back-back starts on four days rest...the more I look at that stat, the more amazed I get. (and one was a complete game) He pitched 253 inning last year, which puts him at the most in baseball for the SECOND YEAR IN A ROW. If it wasn't for an injury stint in 2006 he would have been up over 200 again.

People, if he isn't hurt for a significant amount of time next year I will shave my head, glue the hair to my back and walk down a runway.

Which leads to the real reason....

- The Blame Game -

Hey Yankees fans, good luck making the playoffs next year, you're going to need it. Yes, your team is stacked. Yes, you have the best corner players in the big leagues. Yes you have a revamped pitching staff. No, you're not going to win your division.

If you look at team who have won the title in the past five years, they all have something you guys never seem to have, chemistry.

Even the 2003 Yankees had chemistry that just isn't possible with all of the new players you guys have in your club house. The only change from the 2003 team from the 2002 team was losing Rondell White and replacing him with Hideki Matsui. There was a chemistry that took time to create and throwing in Burnett, Sabathia, Tex and Swisher is NOT going to work out.

That being said, the blame is going to fall on some one's shoulders...New York wouldn't have it any other way. It's not going to be Cashman, he's amassed, argue ably one of the most talented teams put on a baseball field in 10 years. I would argue that it's not going to be Tex after he puts up .300/30 HR's/120 RBI/100+runs/gold glove. It could be Burnett, but I think Sabathia.

After he says "I tried my hardest, the rest you just hope falls into place." the NYC media rips into him about if he thinks the large amount of innings is affecting him. Then he gets pissed, develops a hatred for (the un-necessary) NYC pressure, opts out of his contract after the third year and heads to Cali.

Mark Teixeira -

- "Earn Your Paycheck" -

Jim's main argument, is that Teixeira is not worth $180 million. Jim's right, he's not worth anywhere near that money. Youkilis (who hit for ten fewer RBI, four point higher average, four fewer home runs and is also a phenomenal first base glove) JUST signed a 4-yr $44 Million dollar contract with the Red Sox. He can also play third base and is only a year older.

WTF. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

The Yankees are so stupid. I'm going to have so much fun for the next five years making fun of their performance per dollar. Haha, what a bunch of morons...ok, sorry I got off topic.

Jim and I both met in the middle and said Mark is pretty safely projected to hit .295/32 HR's/115 RBI's...I don't think Yankees fans are going to think it's worth the money.

The question is...is he going to crack under the pressure to perform at a higher level? He said he has "his best baseball," still ahead of him...but how good is his best? Is it .320 good? Is it 40+ home runs? Is it 130+ RBI's? That's what A-Rod has averaged the past two seasons (plus 20 SB) and he still gets criticized for not doing enough.

Wow, after writing that, I think Jim might have a point...

HOWEVER...A-Rod hasn't cracked yet and this could possibly give him something in common with someone else on the team. I can completely see them meeting up for a coffee and then head over to Madonna's place for a tag-team and a high five. Just wait, it will happen.

What do you guys think? Comments would be appreciated on this one.

I Hate Peyton Manning

as much as the next person, but this clip from SNL is hilarious.



I've also recently found out his wife is REALLY hot...



















Maybe you're not as lame as everyone thinks you are.





Never Mind...

AFC Championship Predictions

I'm worried about this weeks games. One because no one will shut up about how the Eagles are going to beat the poo out of the Cardinals and how the Steelers are going to beat the poo out of the Ravens. STOP IT, YOU ARE DRIVING ME NUTS!

If you've read some of my previous posts you would hopefully have caught how I love the consistency of teams like the Steelers. They have a heavy run tendency, they play hard, very aggressive defense and they don't change their game plan too much based on who they are playing. They have the mentality of "we are really good at two things (running and defense), if you beat us at those two things, then you deserve to win."

The only problem is that both of these teams have the same game plan, they are the same type of team. So, that being the case, there's only one really good way to look at these two teams, match ups.

Pittsburgh's Offense vs. Baltimore's Defense:

If it were any other week in the season I would really like this match up in Baltimore's favor, but it's not any other week.

If you look at Pittsburgh's drives of their last match up against Baltimore (IN BALTIMORE), half of their drives had six plays or more, but only 3 of 12 resulted in drives of longer than 50 yards.

So, who cares? What does that mean? It means that a healthy Baltimore defense can stalemate Pittsburgh's offense enough to win. But there's three things that are going to change this match up in Pittsburgh's favor: Willie Parker, Baltimore's not healthy, home field advantage.

Last week Willie Parker looked outstanding. He ran for a $1.47 and looked fresh and healthy, something that he did not have going for them in their earlier meeting with the Ravens. He's going to pose a lot of problems for the Ravens becaaaause...

The Ravens are a little banged up right now, specifically, Terrell Suggs. They look tired and slower than usual last week against the Titans. Tired to the tune of 116 yards rushing and 275 yards passing. They got it done, but Chris Johnson averaged over 6 yards a carry against them and that is NOT going to get it done against Pittsburgh. If they let Pittsburgh score more than 14 and do not have a defensive touchdown, they lose.

Home field advantage is a big thing for the Steelers. They went 7-2 this season at home, only losing to the Giants and the Colts. I think the big thing that gives them an advantage in Heinz field is kicking field goals. Reed is going to be called on three times at least in this game and his experience to me, is going to be the difference.

The major "Wild Card" in this whole game is Big Ben. We all know, he can be incredibly unpredictable. If he gets rushed, which is likely to happen in this game, he trusts his ability to make plays a little too much and makes some BIG turnovers in games. If he is classic Big Ben, doesn't try to do too much, manages the game well and throws the deep ball to Santonio well, they will win. If he's scrambling and making awkward throws, they will lose. It's up to you O line, get it done.

Baltimore's Offense vs. Pittsburgh's Defense:

I think that Baltimore's offense sucks. I think Willis McGayHee is over-rated, I think Derick Mason and whoever the hell is on the other side of the field suck and most of all I hate that when they get a first down in their home field there's a part of the crowd that says "Move them chains, move them chains, move them chains, WOO!"

They do get the job done though don't they? Le'ron McLain has come in and bruised and battered defenses to the tune of 900 yards and 10 touchdowns. Rookie Joe Flacco has thrown for 3,000 yards and 14 TD's (12 int's).

Wait...WTF

How is that getting the job done? Are you kidding me? How unimpressive are those stats?

Unimpressive enough that they better hope to god Ed Reed runs back two int's for TD's (which is completely possible). This offense is about to run up against the best defense in the league, let alone the best rushing defense in the league. I look forward to you developing a game plan to score some points. The only thing I can possibly think of that is in your favor revolves around Troy Polomalu's health.

In Summary:

Everything points to Pittsburgh winning this game. If Pittsburgh scores more than two TD's, they will win. If Pittsburgh gets a defensive TD, they will win. If Baltimore doesn't get more than one turnover, they will lose.

Therefore, unless a perfect storm happens for Baltimore...Pittsburgh is winning this game.

NFC Championship Predicitons

Before I get into this, let me reiterate that I still believe Andy Reid should leave the Eagles franchise. He still makes stupid mistakes, blah blah blah...read the post. So that being said, it's ok to think your head coach is inadequate for your team yet still root said team on to celebration.

I just got out of the car after listening to a fantastic rant about the current state of Philadelphia. Here's what Philly is feeling right now:

"I have the same feeling I had when Shane Victorino hit that bomb off of C.C.

The same feeling I had when Chase turned that double play against L.A.

The same feeling I had when freakin Matt Stairs hit that home run.

No one thought, with two weeks left in the season and the Phillies down by four games that they had a shot.

No one thought, with the Eagles sitting at 5-5-1 and at the bottom of the NFC East that they had a shot either.

I got that feelin man and it's gonna happen."

This city, right now, is in World Series state of mind when talking about the Eagles...and rightfully so.

The Eagles are playing the best football I've seen in at least few seasons and more importantly they've been in playoff football mode for well over seven weeks now. That's a HUGE deal when you're talking about what teams are going to the big dance.

So NFC Championship prediction...

Eagles are beating the Cardinals.

Yeah, I'm biased, but I really think they are going to beat this team. Here's a few reasons why:

1) Kurt Warner - He is a statue in the pocket. What the hell was Carolina thinking by not blitzing him? It's a given fact that when Warner feels pressure, he turns the ball over. I don't know where to find the stats for it, but there has to be some sort of 7:1 ratio for blitzes : Warner gifts. He fumbles more than any QB in the league and that is not good news when you're playing against Jim Johnson's Defense. Expect Jim to blitz the crap out of Kurt and give the Eagles a few turnovers because of it.

2) Cardinals Offense - Arizona is still a one dimensional team. They pass the football. That's it. Don't let their recent push to run the ball in the past few weeks fool you, they are still one dimensional. If you blitz Kurt and rush the passer effectively you will win. This is what people figured out at the end of the season and the main reason the Cardinals went 2-4 in their last 6 games of the season. I'm going to continue to bring this up...the fact that Carolina didn't try to pressure their offense boggles my mind.

3) Eagles Defense - On three separate game-changing occasions last week the Eagles D stuffed one of the best running attacks in the NFL on fourth down. The Giants needed 2 yards or less on THREE OCCASIONS and they couldn't get it? How hard is it to give the ball to Jacobs and keep the drive going?

The Eagles defense is playing OUT OF IT'S MIND right now. They have dominated since the drubbing they took in Baltimore, only giving up a stout 12 points per game in their last 7 games. If you look at their last three games they've played even better allowing a little over 10 points per game and amassing 10 turnovers in the same time period. Read that again...10 turnovers in three games.

I think I need to also note the emergence of one Asante Samuel. He is finally playing like he deserves a $60 million dollar contract. In the past two weeks he has returned one (HUGE) INT for a TD against Minnesota and another one last week to the Giants two. He's finally ball hawking and on the other side of the field, Sheldon Brown hasn't let up a TD all season long (knock on wood). This is going to be an interesting matchup in Arizona.

3) False Confidence - Carolina's defense over their last three games gave up over thirty points in each occasion. The fact that they played the Saints and they played the Giants is a valid point but given the Cards offense and the reeling defense of Carolina, I'm surprised they didn't score 50.

Something has to be going on with their defensive coordinator. When someone hands you a blueprint of how to beat the Cardinals the first chapter is one sentence: Blitz Kurt Warner. Apparently this genius thought he didn't need to read the book and his team paid the price.

The Panthers also gave up in that game. They drove down the field with four monster runs on their first drive and had the demeanor "wow, this is going to be easy."

Then Arizona answered with two straight TD drives and the team couldn't find a rythmn again (this wasn't helped by the fact that Jake Delhomme played like a high school quarterback).

That being said, I know Arizona is a LOT better than when the Eagles kicked the crap out of them in Philly in week 13. I just can't see Kurt Warner playing well against a Jim Johnson defense, the last time he did he threw three interceptions and Asante didn't even play. It just defies logic for me to think any differently.

AFC will be coming up sometime soon...

Eagles Rant...

I can't believe that Andy Reid is still coaching (read breathing), much less the fact that the Birds are in the playoffs again. They needed to win out their last five games to ensure that they made it in... So what did they do? They walked into Washington and LOST. That's embarrassing, and not in the Council Rock decisions, yet life further oon delegated.. What's even more embarrassing is how Dallas played the next week against them in a "winner gets the spot" game.

Side Story:

So I was in Amsterdam when this game was on air (it didn't even come on until midnight there...) and because of events not to be talked about, we missed the entire first quarter...

However, this could not have worked out better in the long run, as I will explain right now. As we were walking in we catch the end of that huge Buckhalter catch for 59 yards where he got tackled at the Dallas five on the TV that's outside....I don't know, I can't recall...

So needless to say, I've had a couple of beers and I start screaming: "YEAH! GO BIRDS, F*$% Dalls, you guys f'ing blow, etc., etc...and this guy (in ams I might add)
is standing outside smoking (a cig) and he turns around slowly and is in Cowboy blue from head to toe. I'm talking Beanie, sweatshirt, shirt, winter jacket...the first thought in my head was "this guy is obviously over compensating for his lack of knowledge on the game of football." So I chuckle and say, "uh, haha, go birds," and walk in.

As soon as we walk in the door we see this losers friends, also in Cowboys attire and another table of people whom, considering their demeanor at the time, were also Cowgirls fans. The next five seconds were priceless. You know when you walked onto a football field...or you were sitting in the batters box staring at the pitcher...or you were sitting across the chess table from your opponent...or you are competing against someone else in something...and you give that "look."

You know the look...

The look that non-verbally states that you are going to kick the living crap out of whoever you are looking at in whatever it is you are competing in. Well even though we weren't in Eagles attire, it was apparently obvious that we did not enjoy the company of Cowgirls fans; because as soon as we walked in, a lot of those looks were shooting all over that bar.

So even in Amsterdam, a good seven hours away from the dirty, grimy, filthy, disgustingly passionate city of Philadelphia we happened to find confrontation with Cowboys fans. I wouldn't have it any other way.

The next two hours were a blur but I remember a whole lot of E-A-G-L-E-S chants, a lot of loud discussion about the Cowgirls unraveling season, a whole lot of pointing and whispering, a whole lot of beer and a whole lot of laughing. I don't think I've enjoyed a win, as a fan, as much as I did that win.

FIN

That was seriously one of the most embarrassing losses I've ever seen. I'm not talking about in the season, I'm talking about in that franchises history. They knew what was on the line, they knew who they were playing and they got curb stomped by Edward Norton.

I would generally be exuberant about this and go out frolicking from bar to bar in celebration, but not this time. I think Andy Reid needs to go for three main reasons:

1) His continuous lack of clock management -

I can't tell you how many games I am yelling at the screen because we either: are passing the football in the fourth quarter while winning, on the road, running plays that don't take into account that there's less than two minutes on the clock, running draws on 3rd and 4.

2) His play calling selection -

This is almost a combination with the above. Why are we only successful .9% of the time on 3rd and less than 3? Why do we run so many FREAKING SCREENS!!!!! when they don't work (as soon as Westbrook scored on one last week I cheered and then cursed at the TV because this would cause Andy to call more screens even though we were 1 out of the last 90)? Why are we passing 60 times a game? Why do we abandon the run?

Do you know when the run ratio is 50/50 or favored to the run the Eagles have a better record than when it's not? Did you know that when Donovan passes over 35 times a game his QB rating is less than 90? Did you know that when he passes less than that it's over 117?

These things are obvious to all Eagles fans, it took two weeks (Cinci, Baltimore) of fans yelling at you to run the ball 50% of the time for you to realize that it could possibly be the solution. Then you went up and beat the Giants with it and then promptly abandoned it again and went 2-1 against a bad Browns team (no offense C-Town) a bad Redskins team and a lost Cowboys team.

3) His teams are too volitile -

One week they are beating the World Champions, another weak they are tying one of the worst teams in the league. It's absolutely ridiculous. Consistency wins championships, Andy can not provide that. I think Andy is the best offensive coordinator in the league but he needs a head coach sitting next to him yelling stuff like "watch the clock," "we need more runs," "stop eating so many twinkies."

4) This city is not healthy for him -

Since being here, his sons are both in prison, Philadelphia keeps chastizing him for going to the playoffs seven times in ten years but not getting a trophy, and he's put on about 200 pounds from eating Tasty Cakes. He needs to move on to the next part of his career and Philly needs to see if some other coach can bring some consistency to this team. I'm talking Steelers consistency. Not that they are the best team in the league by any means, but...every week you know what you're getting from them. Tough D with elaborate blitzes, smash mouth running and solid special teams. If you're playing a good football team, you can guess what they're going to do and scheme to stop them. If you're playing a great football team, you can assume what they're going to do and slow them down enough to win. If you're playing a great football team, you definitely know what they're going to do and they do exactly what you think they're going to. The thing is they execute it to the point that you can't slow them down or beat them.

The Eagles don't have that and until they do, fans will continue to ride Andy into the grave.

Annnnnnnd we're back...Almost

Hey everyone, sorry for the extended break but I've been in Europe for the past couple of weeks and I didn't feel the strong desire to bless the world with my ramblings.

However, some great things have come about from the extended break which should move me to write some interesting things including: a new hatred for 15 year olds that smoke cigarettes, a new and refreshed hatred of Cowboys fans (thanks to some d-bag Cowboys fans I met in Amsterdam), a realization of the stupidity of Andy Reid, 3 reasons I hate the Yankees and a new found respect for Barry Bonds and a few reasons why we should all spend our New Years in foreign countries.

I'll hit you all up tomorrow...peace out