Introductions are in order

Everyone, I just wanted to let you know that my buddy Broc is now (and by now I mean his first post is already below this one) going to be writing for the Nipple. I told him I could use some help giving all of you guys more stuff to read about and he said he would be more than happy to tag in every once in awhile and write up some stuff about basketball/baseball/whatever in the hell he feels like. So, welcome him to the family and write nasty comments about everything he says like you do with me.

Just so you know...He went to Villanova and therefore knows a HELL of a lot more about basketball then I do. He is a fellow Halos fan and transplant from L.A. like myself. With that being said, look for a little more Left Coast attention to even out your ESPN bias.

(FYI he wrote his first post on Monday, before the Providence upset of Pitt. Props to you Broc...called the Darkhorse on your first post.)

ACC/Big East: Part 1

The Big East and the ACC are the best conferences in college basketball, period. They have had the most #1 teams in rankings of any conference and between 2001-2005, every national champion has come from one of the two conferences.

This is not a debate about which conference is better, that's a really tough question and I'm going to stay away from that discussion like Calhoun avoids discussions about his state paid salary. What this is going to touch on is the current state of the Big East/ACC and hopefully give you all a good idea of what college basketball is looking like going into March.

Best of the Big East

As you can see from the standings, this may be the only conference that can have a #1 ranked team in second place! But the question is, who is the best team in the big east?

Most major sports analysts would tell you it has to be UCONN or Pitt. Is the story really that simple? I think not.

UCONN -

Uconn is the most over rated team in college basketball. Why? Hasheem Thabeet is the most over rated player in college basketball. Yes, he averages about 5 blocks a game (with one ridiculous 10 block performance against L’Ville), and yes, he averages double-digit points...but his size is the only reason he gets the coverage he does.

He is soft in the paint. As we saw in the game against Pitt, anyone with some strength can eliminate his shot blocking ability. I hate to say it, but in the NCAA tournament, every team will have someone that can play him strong, get ready for a disappointment. I predict an early exit in the tourney.

PITT -

Pitt is now the #1 team in the country, and I think they deserve that title. This is the most complete team in the NCAA, but they have problems consistently showing up. In order for them to make moves in the tourney Sam Young has to elevate his game, and Levance Fields needs to find his stroke again. When this team is firing on all cylinders, they are un-beatable. This is the best team in the Big East, no question about it. They will make a deep run in the tournament, and they will have every opportunity to win the whole shebang!

VILLANOVA -

Considering I went to Nova, I'm going to try to keep this un-biased. To me, this Nova team is much more balanced than any other Nova team in recent years. With 6 people scoring in double digits, their offense is potent, and doesn’t depend on one or two people like most programs in the country. A deep bench and some key seniors makes this a dangerous team to play, and also a tough team to play in the tournament.

Draw back: defense. This team cant stop a good offensive team, so they will need that offense to carry them deep.

MARQUETTE -

Marquette is another team that has everything in place to show up n the national stage. With all their senior guards, and the leadership they have, this team will have the tools in place to make a difference. They remind me of the 2006 Villanova team that made the Elite 8, and they might even be better than that.

Unsung Heroes

WVU -

Two teams that have not received a lot of press this season are West Virginia and Providence. WVU has several key big wins, including a blow-out win against the fore-mentioned Villanova team. WVU has one of the most prolific defenses in the country, save Michigan State or Purdue. With three easy games left in conference play, and a key game against L’Ville to end the season, this team could finish 12-6 in the Big East, and have a chance to be the five seed in the Big East tournament. In my opinion, this unranked WVU team is the 5th best in the conference; ahead of #6 ranked L’Ville, but that game can bee seen March 7th to decide that comment.

PROVIDENCE -

Providence is another team that is surprisingly high in the Big East standings. Collecting 8 wins in conference play already, this team is in position to finish better than .500 in the conference, and also gain a 1st round bye in the Big East tournament. If they play well there, this bubble team could quickly become a lock in the NCAA tourney! This is my dark-horse pick, so place your bets in Vegas baby!

What the...

So with all this babble about the top teams in the Big East, where does that leave the rest of the teams, including Notre Dame, Syracuse, and G-Town?

Well, Syracuse only has one Top 50 RPI team left in Marquette. So with them finishing 10-8 in the Big East makes them a good choice for the NCAA tourney with out the chance to shine in the conference tournament.

ND and G-Town on the other hand have a lot of work to do. Both teams play Nova in the next two weeks. A win there and vault both teams back into striking distance of the Big Dance. G-Town has had an awful year with none of their stars really doing anything. But this team is dangerous, and if they decided to turn on the jets, they could win the Big East tourney and earn and auto-bid to the Show. Notre Dame is a lost cause in my opinion. With only one real weapon in Harangody...who let's face it is white...they really have a pretty dark future, with a chance of missing the NIT!

So what does it all mean?

After about five minutes of writing and about a thousand words, have we made any progress in this article? Well, Pitt is the best team in this conference, with Marquette, Nova, and Connecticut within striking distance of taking the Big East crown. L’Ville, WVU, Syracuse, and Providence round up the second tier. Can anyone of these teams, including G-Town and ND, win the Big East tournament? Absolutely. Can any of them win a National Championship? I think any of the top teams in this conference can. Pitt has the best chance if Blair can stay out of foul trouble, with Marquette and Nova having an opportunity depending on their seedings, brackets, and offensive play during the dance.


Next to come, the look at the ACC and some projections of a dream Big East/ACC match-up.

The Legend of Barry Bonds

You're cocky, arrogant, arguably one of the most talented athletes of your era, your freaking god father is Willie "Say Hey" Mays, yet you still thought you had to take performance enhancing drugs to make yourself better?

What were you trying to live up to? Did you think you had to be a better player than your dad?

Bobby Bonds, played for 13 seasons, career stats: .268 avg, .471 slug, 332 HR, 1024 rbi's, 461 SB. Never was higher than 3rd in MVP voting and was a 3 time all-star. His most impressive season was either when he was 24 (.302/.504/26/78/48) or when he was 25 (.288/.512/33/102/26).

I think it's pretty fair to say you could have surpassed those numbers without taking steroids.

Was it the '90/'91/'92 seasons? Did the loss push you over the edge? Did you make the decision in your mind that you would win a championship at ANY cost?

The 1990 Pittsburgh Pirates lost to the Cincinnati Reds 4-2 who eventually went on to sweep the Athletics 4-0 to win the '90 WS. In 1991 the Pirates were up 3-2 in the NLCS with two games left in Three Rivers Stadium. They lost game 6 in the top of the ninth inning when Doug Drabek gave up a double for one run; game 7 was lost 4-0. In 1992 the Braves were up 3-1 in the NLCS, Pittsburgh won the next two games in dominant fashion to take them to game 7 for the 2nd consecutive year. Pittsburgh was up 2-0 entering the ninth with Doug Drabek pitching, Atlanta would score 3 to win the pennant.

I think anyone who just read that blurb has to have a lot of respect for Doug Drabek not going down Donnie Moore lane. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donnie_Moore )

GETTING TO THE POINT...

If you look at Barry Bonds statistics, they are unbelievable. By the time he was 32 (11 seasons) he had: hit over .300 5 times, stolen over 30 bases 9 times, won 7 silver slugger awards, hit over 30 HR's 7 times, hit over 40 HR's 3 times, hit over 100 RBI's 7 times, his career OPS was 182 for god-sakes.

Over, what should have been, his seven most-productive seasons (age 25-32) he AVERAGED .305, 36 HR's, 109 RBI's, 38 SB's a season. OVER SEVEN SEASONS he almost averaged a 40/40 season. For those of you who don't know baseball, that is unheard of. The ridiculous thing is if it wasn't for an injury-plagued 1994 season, it would have been even better.

But none of this matters, because of 1998.

In 1998, Barry Bonds was 33. He had an amazing year: .303/.609/37 HR/122 RBI's/28 SB's. However, no one seemed to care. Sosa and McGwire were the center of attention on their race to top Maris. Bonds would get 8th in MVP voting, despite having a higher OPS and SB than two of the players above him. That whole off-season began a downward turn for his career. In 1999 Barry was injured and missed about 50 games which further led to his dependence on the drugs to help him recover from injuries.

In 1999 an interesting thing happened, Barry's stolen bases declined RAPIDLY. That kind of stat kind of smacks me in the head because it tells me that his age is catching up with him and he lost some of his athleticism.

The year 2000 would start five consecutive years of 40+ HR seasons, something he had only done 3 times previously in his whole career.

In 2001 Barry would win his first MVP since 1993 at 36 years old. During this season his batting average was .328 and it wouldn't dip below this number for four more seasons.

2002 Barry won the MVP again, carried his team to the World Series and lost in seven games (AGAIN) to the Anaheim Angels.

2003-2004 Barry won two more MVP's boosting his career OPS another 20-30 points on the way. He's never been the same since the 2004 season because he stopped taking supplements.

Just in the past hour, while writing this post, I've went through four or five different emotions: amazement, jealousy, pity, embarassment and hatred. I suppose I feel sorry for Barry Bonds being as he is now the name that we all associate with steroids. Even though I don't condone what Barry did, we should really blame Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa for bringing the steroid era to baseball.

They changed baseball into a game of home runs, they changed what fans wanted every time they walked into a park. Maybe the real culprits are ourselves for falling into a trance of only enjoying long balls instead of a lead off hitter who's OBP is over .420 and scores 140 runs.

Barry was an actor in the show. A show that we paid for. He could have been a Hall of Famer known for being one of the best combinations of speed and power to ever play the game. Instead, he is now known for being the face of steroids and for a symbol that will forever haunt his stats.

*

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

THIS JUST IN! WORK/STUDYING OVER-RATED, READING USELSS RAMBLING UNDER-RATED

I'm sure everyone is completely swamped with either: finals week, close of year bullshit work stuff, laying on their couch...so I figured I would take a break from doing work up in -10 degree Minneapolis and give YOU something to read. Which, for you, means obvious disappointment because you will soon realize you just wasted fifteen minutes of your life reading useless stuff.

Be that as it may, there's a TON of stuff currently going on in sports including one of the most confusing NFL playoff pictures I've ever tried to comprehend in recent memory. This is going to be a long post since I've been off the site for a bit, so look for the huge text to tell you what I'm writing about.

Let's start off with baseball's winter meeting outcomes/rumors

MLB SIGNINGS

Signed players:

C.C. Sabathia - New York Yankees
Jeremy Affeldt - San Francisco Giants
Casey Blake - L.A. Dodgers
Ryan Dempster - Chi-town Cubbies
Edgar Renteria - San Francisco Giants
Francisco Rodriguez - New York Mets
J.J. Putz - New York Mets

Out of that whole bunch four moves improved the clubs significantly, two have upside and one doesn't make ANY sense to me.

SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT -

C.C. "The Hamburglar" (see previous post) Sabathia obviously improves the Yankees, he's an Ace, most of the time.

Side Note: WHAT THE F*&% kind of contract is that for a pitcher? This kind of stuff just doesn't happen unless you're the Yankees (The Hamburglar smuggled out a quarter-pounder by getting a three year opt out clause. This means if he doesn't like NY in three years, he can give Cashman the finger and go out west)

Regardless of his contract, the Yankees now have their #1 guy in pinstripes and the beginning of a SOLID rotation that could very well include A.J. Burnett (what's with the lame first, middle name letter thing? Do you think C.C. stands for Consuming Chocolate?) and be followed by Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain. If things stand how they are right now, I think it would be tough to pick the Yankees as first, BUT they're certainly getting closer.

You all probably thought I was going to say Edgar Renteria was a lock to help the Giants. You all would be wrong. One of the bigger signings is onw no one is talking about, that of Jeremy Affeldt. I wrote a post on this a few months ago, the eighth inning is THE MOST IMPORTANT inning in baseball, hands down. If you look at every major contender, they all have shut down guys to get them from the starter to the closer. Now the Giants have theirs. NO, they are not going to be contenders, but at least every time Tim Lincecum pitches they will win, if they score a run. That's worth every penny in my opinion. Attention fantasy baseball players, Brian Wilson's (CL) stock just went WAY UP.

K-Rod and J.J. Putz (another freaking double-letter name) obviously need to make this list. The Mets have two former closers, who are now going to be the 8th & 9th inning shut down crew for the Mets next few years. I think the Mets just buried a HUGE problem with their team last year and will be a MUCH better team because of it. The good thing about signing both of these guys is that I don't think K-Rod is going to have a completely healthy season. If you look at what Bobby Thigpen's post-record setting season looked like...it wasn't pretty. K-Rod is a lot younger and seems like he is in a lot better position to perform well, but still, kind of ominous cloud hanging over his head. As a former Halo, I wish him the best.

UPSIDE -

Edgar Renteria is old. He had his worst hitting season (.270) in his career and his second worst OPS of his career (.840) in 2008 and just got rewarded with a 2 years 19 million dollar contract. Wait WHAT! Screw this, he's going down to the next category.

The Cubs made their only pre-Tribune bankruptcy move very early to re-sign Ryan Dempster to a 4 year/$52 MM contract. Interesting move considering it was his first full season in a starting rotation since 2002. Dempster pitched 206 innings last season, want to know what happened the last time he pitched over 200 innings? He only pitched a 115, his ERA rose by a point and his strikeout/walk ratio was 1:1, compared to last season 2.2:1. BUT IT'S OK! He's apparently figured it all out after doing that stupid glove flick thing before he throws every ball. You have to admit, he does have huge upside. If he pitches 3/4 as good as he did last year, he's a SOLID number 2.

He also does a terrific Harry Carray impression.



WHY? WHY DO YOU MAKE THESE STUPID MOVES?

Dear Edgar Renteria,

You're old, you had your worst statistical year of your career last year, yet you got rewarded with a $19 MM dollar contract. We could have been smart and gotten Rafael Furcal, who is four years younger and has some good baseball left in him, but we felt like you fit our team better. Good luck filling in for the Bay Area loved Omar Vizquel.

Sincerely Stupid,

Giants Management

The Dodgers have a REALLY good young core of players: James Loney, Russell Martin, Chad Kershaw, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Blake Dewitt, Chad Billingsley.

One of their key story lines last year was how this kid Blake Dewitt would do filling in. Reason being is they had this young stud coming up by the name of Andy LaRoche. He had a pretty serious injury in the beginning of the season so they had to call up this random 3B from AA ball to fill in. He ended up hitting .270, driving in 54 runs, having an OPS of .728 and scoring 54 runs over the course of a little less than 2/3 of a season. Oh and by the way, said kid is 23 years old. If you're the Dodgers upper management, you have to be thinking "wow, what a surprise...let's give this kid a shot. He could turn out to be a STEAL!"

NOPE, the Dodgers go out and sign a third baseman who is 35, never hit over .290, never knocked in over 90 RBI's, and never scored 100 runs. WHAT THE F! Pro-rate Dewitt's stats over the course of a whole season and you have yourself Casey Blake....minus 12 years and 17 million dollars. How does this make sense when you have the option to get C.C. or resign Manny? F'ing idiots.


MLB RUMORS


Mark Teixeira:

I'm hearing that Mark is more interested in playing out east A) because his wife likes it more out there B) to be closer to his family (grew up in Baltimore by the way).

The Nats heard that and put a 8 year/$160 MM offer on the table. The Orioles followed with a 7 year/$145 MM-ish offer. The Red Sox are said to be VERY interested and are somewhere in the ballpark of 7 years/$150+ MM. My Angels are being stupid as hell and not making a move. They are rumored, however, to have a 7 year/$160 million-ish offer on the table.

Boras clients take the money. They always have, and you would have to believe they always will. It's why he's hired, he just gets the most money for you and you're expected to take it. The Angels currently have the largest (per year) total on the table, but if he wants to go out east, you have to believe the Red Sox will put the same offer on the table and he will sign.

The Angels are in trouble if they don't get Tex. They need to give him give him 10 years $200 million, ownership rights to the entire California coastline, a back rub from Arnold Schwarzenegger, a free life pass to Disneyland and then buy eighteen full-time actresses to be his wife's friend.

Prediction: Red Sox

A.J. Burnett:

This sweepstakes has come down to the Braves and the Yankees. It was reported that A.J. was waiting on a five year contract and he's gotten it from both teams, supposedly earlier today.

Personally I don't think this guy is worth it. He's a huge injury concern and his numbers aren't really THAT great to warrant this kind of contract. However, if you're as desperate to sign some starting pitchers like the Yankees are, and you have suite's being rented out for 4X my monthly rent PER GAME, you can do whatever you want.

Prediction: Yankees

Manny Ramirez:

There is really no market for Manny right now, no rumors, no offers, no nothing. That of course will all change when Tex signs. Then the teams that lost (i.e. the Nats, Orioles, Angels) out on the sweepstakes will come-a-callin'.

Prediction: Nats

Pat Burrell:

There have been all sorts of rumors flying around that the Rays are very interested in acquiring Pat to hit some Ding-Dong's down in Tampa, but nothing official

Prediction: Rays

Milton Bradley:

The gas has officially been turned up on Milton Bradley. The Cubs have publicly announced he is their number one target besides Jake Peavy. The Rays met with him two days ago and Joe Maddon said he was "very impressed with his professionalism and drive." I'm confused by this. Is he talking about the same person I am? You can stop watching at 1:30...




I actually think Milton gets a bad rap for all of the crap he's been involved with. He plays extremely hard and can hit the leather off a ball, and his OPS is INSANE. I think he's a little crazy and is probably a little hard on the club house, but only half as bad as T.O.

Prediction: Cubs

I don't really care about anyone else soooo, on to Football.

NFL PLAYOFF PICTURE

What a confusing situation right now. I was on the phone last night trying to talk it out and I was going back and forth between teams schedules and conference records and came out having a small grasp on what the situation is looking like. So let me give you what little insight I currently have

NFC:

East: New York Giants clinched

Whew' that was easy.

West: Arizona Cardinals clinched

This is going to get confusing, just wait.

North: ?

Division Standings...


8-5 (4-2)

Remaining Schedule: @ Arizona, ATL, NYG

Minnesota could easily find themselves sitting on the sidelines of the playoff race. They have a TOUGH upcoming schedule and there's a large possibility that the Packers, if they beat Chicago in two weeks could leap frog them for the NFC North with a win against Detroit

Vikings are in if: The Packers lose either of their two remaining games against CHI or DET

The only other way they make it in is to have a better record than the Eagles/Bucs/Falcons/Cowboys for the Wild Card spot.


7-5 (3-2)

Remaining Schedule: NO, GB, @ HOU

All of those games are winnable. New Orleans has a tough offense to stop, but if anyone can, the Bear's defense can.

Bears are in if: They win the rest of their games and win the wild card.

Explanation: IF the Bears beat GB, they would be tied with MN for the division lead. The next tie-breaker would be head-to-head match ups, which is tied. The next tie-breaker is winning % against like opponents, which includes the AFC South and North. MN is 4-3 against said opponents with ATL to play. Chicago is 1-5 with NO and @ HOU to play. Therefore it's impossible for Chicago to get a better winning %, Vikings are in.

5-8 (3-1)

Remaining Schedule: @ JAX, @ CHI, DET

What a let down. This team started the season strong and looked to be the favorite to win this division. In their last five games they have lost 4, including their past three and look horrible. Anyone who has watched this team knows that they can catch fire at any minute and who knows, maybe they can get into the playoffs.

Packers are in if: They win @ Chicago AND beat Detroit.

Explanation: They win the division with a 5-1 record and top the Vikes. Crazy that a 8-8 team can win the division and a possible 11-5 team can't huh?

0-13 (0-5)

Remaining Schedule: @ IND, NO, @ GB

HAHA

Lions are in if: A) They fired Millen three seasons ago B) Every team in the NFC North gets in a plane crash C) Chuck Norris tells Roger Goodell they are in.


SO...that's the NFC North.


Not too bad of an explanation I hope. This is where it gets interesting.


South: ?


OK, This division is literally too close to call. I mean, just so you understand, If Atlanta beats TB this weekend and NO beats Carolina in two weeks...ALL of their division records will be 3-3, with all of them beating each other and losing to each other once. I wonder if this has EVER happened...



10-3 (3-2)

Remaining Schedule: Denver, @ Giants, @ NO

This team just BEAT THE CRAP out of the second place team in the division this Monday. I mean, they ran for 301 yards and then promptly slept with their girlfriend kind of performance. They're 4-1 in their last 5 and look poised to beat the living piss out of Denver and possibly beat the Giants. This team doesn't have a passing game, but they don't seem to care. They just run the ball through you with Stewart and then do the same with DeAngelo Williams. Watch out NFC, this team could easily make it to the Superbowl.

Panthers are in if: They beat New Orleans AND Tampa Bay loses to Atlanta.

They can also make it in if: They beat Denver this week AND Atlanta beats TB, then the following week Atlanta ALSO loses to Minnesota AND TB loses either to SD OR Oakland.

Or they can win the Wild Card

I know it's confusing, just trust me...


9-4 (3-2)

Remaining Schedule: @ ATL, SD, OAK

This team won four in a row until Monday night. Their defense looked unstoppable and then Carolina slept with their girlfriend on live TV and they got embarrassed. Who knows how this team responds after a game like that, but if they're anything like they were before, this could make for a great playoff race.

Bucs are in if: They beat Atlanta this week AND Carolina loses to NO next week

They can also make it if: They beat Atlanta this week, Carolina loses to Denver this week AND Carolina loses to NO next week AND they beat SD AND Oakland.

Or they could just win the wild card


8-5 (2-3)

Ah, the Falcons...the surprise team of the year if you ask me. Michael "The Burner" Turner is ripping up the NFL and Matt Ryan is being surprisingly consistent for an NFL QB. What else could you possibly want one year after the Vick scandal? Maybe a playoff birth?

The Falcons are in if: They win the rest of their games and Carolina loses the rest of theirs. One win or loss in the wrong way and they are out.

Well they could fight for the Wild Card.


7-6 (2-3)

My head hurts, I'm not explaining it, but they are out

That was confusing as hell but there you have it.

NFC Wild Card:

With all of this mumbo-jumbo going on with the two divisions up for grab, let us not forget about wild card possibilities.

The teams not mentioned up there are the Cowboys and the Eagles...

(8-5)

Remaining Schedule: NYG, BAL, @ PHL

Could the NFL have put a harder schedule in between them and the playoffs? Probably not. The Cowboys seem to be unraveling a bit and they're about to play back to back teams that are 4-1 in their last 5 games. T.O. explosion in T-Minus 3...2..1...

To guarantee a playoff birth the Cowboys need to win all of their remaining games and they need the Bucs to lose the division AND lose one of their games.


(7-5-1)

Remaining Schedule: CLE, @ WAS, DAL

Where the hell did these guys come from? Four weeks ago they tied, the second worst team in the NFL. Three weeks ago the got embarrassed by the Ravens and pulled their starting QB in favor of Kevin Kolb. Then they come home to a fan base which hates them, is calling for the heads of both the head coach and the QB and slap around a division clinching Cardinals team by 28 points. THEN! They go TO NY and beat, argueably, the best team in football.

I don't know what kind of Campbell's Chunky Soup they've been eating since Baltimore, but they need to keep grubbin...except for Andy, he can take a Chunky Soup light.

Eagles are in if: They win ALL of their remaining games AND they need Atlanta to not win the NFC South (beating Carolina in the Wild Card is basically impossible) AND they need the Bucs to lose two games

OK I'll add on the AFC later because there's some interesting stuff going on over there too...BUT I have a flight to catch back to Philly and I have to take off.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.