Before I start this week, I have to pass along one more tidbit about the A-Rod trade that I forgot to mention last week. This really is a case of Fantasy meets Reality. Last year, in one of my four fantasy leagues, I was fortunate enough to get A-Rod with the first overall pick. Midway through the season I was falling short in a few other categories. Someone else in the league noticed and offered me a trade which I mulled over and ultimately accepted. The offer? A-Rod for Alfonso Soriano… and John Smoltz. Maybe the Rangers should have demanded Mariano Rivera too….
For those of you hoping for another stellar baseball column, well I really don’t have much to say until the games actually start. The steroid scandal will always be there, the only big signing of the week was Raul Mondesi (?!?) to the Pirates, and even Steinbrenner and Henry are keeping relatively quiet. So it’s finally happened. I have to talk about hockey.
I’ll admit right out of the gate, I haven’t been following the NHL this season. I know who is hurt only from my fantasy league, and I’ll be referring to the standings page of the NHL section on ESPN.com many times throughout this column. What I do know about hockey is that it needs to be fixed. Now.
Once this season ends (after the unmercifully long playoffs), the NHL will go into strike/lockout mode, probably within 24-48 hours of the Stanley Cup victory lap. And why? Because the same thing is happening in hockey that has happened in baseball many times before; the only difference is that baseball has a far greater fan base to build around. The salaries are too high. The teams aren’t drawing many fans, and are therefore losing money. The average loss per team last season was $9.1 million, or $273 million combined as a league. That’s an awful high number for a professional league not named the WNBA or WUSA. So how do we fix this?
First, fire whoever is the current marketing director for the league. What the hell is this "Made in America: Delivered on Thursdays" crap? First of all, Hockey is not "Made In America"; it is a Canadian sport. How would we feel if the Japanese pro baseball leagues started claiming that they invented baseball and that the only baseball that mattered was their league? Let’s at least pay homage to the fact the Canada did create the game. The fact that most of their teams decided to relocate to America to make more money is secondary. Secondly, the whole "Delivered on Thursdays" part. Is hockey only played on Thursdays? Did I miss the memo? Boy, I guess that explains why the season takes so long, 82 games in a season, 52 weeks in a calendar year; I’m no math whiz, but, um… More on this topic later.
That brings me to the next point. Why is the season so damned long? Hockey and Basketball are both indoor sports that should be played during the winter months, when people sit inside and watch TV (unless you live in Texas, Miami or Cali… lucky bastards). Neither of these sports should start before November or last past May. That’s still a six-month season, plus you’ve gotta figure about a month for playoffs. Football rules the American ratings, hands down. Baseball is a close second, with last year’s postseason only increasing the anticipation for this year. Basketball and Hockey are seriously losing ground to Golf. GOLF?! I love golf, but I’m not going to dedicate time to watching it unless I need a few tips for my round the next weekend.
Long, drawn-out seasons are hard for the average viewer to follow. Like I mentioned last week, Basketball and Baseball market individual players which makes it easier to follow them. With Football and Hockey, the league has to market a uniform and hope that a player keeps all of his teeth for a photo shoot.
Third, play up the violence and the offense. Know why people watch Football? Because it’s violent and easy to understand. Man throws ball, man catches ball, man runs with ball, man does stupid dance at end of field. On the other side, man catches ball, other man tries to decapitate him. Sure, the league "fines" players for a hard hit, but when you’ve got a safety earning roughly $200k per game, 15 grand for a hit that makes a statement and earns him a rep isn’t a bad tradeoff. The league knows this, they all but encourage it. When was the last time you saw someone get ejected for a hard hit? It’s part of the game.
In Hockey, a hard hit is either wildly applauded or penalized. There is no in-between. Roughing, Boarding, and Fighting penalties either need to be re-written or else removed altogether. Fans come to see their team win and to see someone get the snot knocked out of him for going over the middle. It’s the same in both Football and Hockey.
As for the offense, this is very simple. Play Olympic rules. No goal line, no two-line pass or icing penalties, larger rinks, slightly larger goals. It will really open up the game and allow the truly talented players to make a statement. The Devils are the reason I stopped watching hockey; they just made it too boring. Watching a team play solid, stifling zone defense for 60 minutes is just mind numbing. The best part of this change is that it would better prepare the American teams for the Olympics so that perhaps it won’t be such a shock the next time they win the gold. More importantly than that though, this would eliminate two of the most confusing penalties in the game. The two-line pass is relatively straightforward, kinda. But icing has always seemed like it’s essentially a judgment call to me.
Finally, the league needs a salary cap. Not that many teams have the money to spend, but the ones that do (Avalanche, Rangers, Stars, Red Wings) certainly do so without any thought of the repercussions. It’s worked well for Colorado, Dallas and Detroit. New York still needs to tweak the formula a little.
I’m in favor of a salary cap and a salary base for all four major sports. Football and basketball already have them; baseball DESPERATELY needs them, and so does hockey. Level the playing field, or court, or rink. Will a cap necessarily stop teams like Colorado from spending too much? Probably not; has it stopped the Dallas Mavericks or Washington Redskins? Does anyone honestly think the Yankees would hesitate to break the cap if it meant they could get that #4 pitcher who would be a #1 everywhere else? Of course not. But in hockey, where the revenue isn’t as guaranteed, it just might have an impact.
And that brings us back to the first point, marketing. Fans drive sports, plain and simple. If you make the game more enjoyable to the fans, the fans will fill your seats. If you treasure and recount the history of your sport, the fans will appreciate the game more. Earlier this season, the NHL staged an outdoor game between the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens played an outdoor game that truly embraced the origin of hockey, playing outside on a frozen pond n bitter temperatures. Many of the greatest players in hockey history were there either to watch or to play in the alumni game. So how did the NHL choose to market this spectacular event to the world? It didn’t; the game was only available locally. The NHL missed a golden opportunity to showcase their sport to an entire nation of fans, yet people in the US had to see the highlights in a nice 30 second clip on Sportscenter.
Baseball has its immortal records like 755 homeruns, or 2632 consecutive games. Football has 17-0 and 17,418 rushing yards. Basketball has the 72-10 Bulls and 38,387 career points. What’s hockey got? I remember 801 goals, but Gretzky broke that almost ten years ago. That’s the only record I can think of, and that’s kind of sad.
Hockey needs to fix a lot in order to remain competitive. If not, we might just be talking about new records and new teams in a new league at this time next year. At least then we can figure out who holds the all-time records in the NHL; no one will break them ever again.
Let's see, apparently Gary Sheffield, Kevin Brown, Javier Vasquez, Tom Gordon, Paul Quantrill, Mike Lamb, et al. weren't enough for the Evil Empire this off-season, so they decided to "really make a statement" and get the highest paid player in Major League history. What's wrong with this picture?
I had actually planned to write a hockey column this week, seeing as how that sport is headed for a very prolonged work-stoppage this off-season. Then I thought "maybe I'll write about John Daly coming back to earth and winning his first tournament in 6+ years." But all of a sudden, nothing else in sports mattered; it was all A-Rod and New York.
Guess this means I have to update my playoff predictions now, eh? Yep, I definitely do, because there is no way that the Astros will beat the Cubs in the N.L. Central now that the Loveables have signed Greg Maddux.
Huh?
Yeah, you read it right. I still think Boston can beat New York over the course of the season. And do you know why? Because great pitching will almost always beat great hitting. It's just fact. In last year's playoffs, we saw it time and time again. The only series that contradicted the rule was Boston's miracle comeback against the A's, which was largely fueled by Tim Hudson and Barry Zito's infamous "scuffle" in a Boston bar. But let's break this down real fast, before I get into what I really wanted to discuss, which is how to save baseball.
First, the Yankees lot 3/5 of their rotation this off-season, including their only two left-handed starters. Yankee Stadium, as well as Fenway Park and Camden Yards are all lefty-friendly hitter’s parks. Know how many games the Yankees will have to play in those stadiums with no left-handed starters? 110. Out of a possible 162. That's gonna be awful hard to overcome.
Second, why isn't anyone talking about Alfonso Soriano? Did everyone suddenly forget that he has been favorably compared to Willie Mays? That's quite a comparison. They guy obviously has 40-40 potential, and he's going to be moving to a hitter's park where he'll be in the same lineup as Hank Blaylock, Mark Texieira and Michael Young, three very good young players. The Rangers may have one of the best YOUNG infields in baseball now, though they're no A-Rod, Jeter, Giambi and, um...
Oh, that's right, the third reason this trade isn't as big as it seems. Who plays second in New York? Granted, if A-Rod decides that he'd rather play 2B and let new acquisition Mike Lamb take third, then this isn't as big of a deal. Plus, I'd love to watch A-Rod to Jeter on double plays. I'll admit, that would be fun. But suppose that Joe Torre decides Alex's arm is too potent a weapon to move from third, then who plays second? Enrique Wilson? Maybe on days the Yanks face Pedro, but otherwise he's a .253 career hitter with more caught stealing's than home runs (or steals for that matter). Miguel Cairo? Certainly a defensive upgrade from Soriano or Wilson, with only one error last year, but again, the offensive difference is too large to overlook.
Fourth, what ever happened to team chemistry? Back in the mid-nineties, the Yankees were America's team, minus the better part of New England. But they were so loved because they had home-grown players with only a few imports, and while they still had an extreme payroll, they didn't just try to go out and buy a championship. Now, they're the team that the fans of every other team in baseball hate, not just Boston or the Mets. Pirates fans, Brewers Fans, Cubs fans, Marlins fans, Braves fans, Dodgers fans, A's fans, everyone hates the Yankees. Perhaps the only team whose fans are neutral to New York is the Rangers, because they managed to get Alfonso Soriano and a player to be named, who just might end up being Jose Contreras.
Finally, did New York really upgrade? Look at the numbers. A-Rod has posted waaaaaaaaay below (his) average numbers in Yankee Stadium over his career. Granted, the numbers also have to take into account the fact that he was always on the opposing team, but Alfonso Soriano's numbers in New York are astounding, and his numbers in Texas weren't too shabby either. And if Contreras does end up being that player to be named, that leaves a gaping hole in the New York rotation at #4, a hole that New York almost patched up with Greg Maddux.
So I guess what I'm saying is wait for the season to start before the Yankees' coronation. Let's see how A-Rod deals with being front-page in an actual baseball city everyday. Let's see what happens the first time King George decides to shake things up by telling Torre to put Alex at short, Jeter at third, and then has Brian Cashman trade for Bret Boone. Let's just wait.
Now, let's talk about what's actually happening here. I'm starting to believe Bud Selig (God help us all) that the competitive balance of baseball is totally out of whack. And no, it's not just sour grapes over the A-Rod deal, because the Red Sox are just as guilty. Think about it this way. The Red Sox' 2004 payroll is currently second highest, in the vicinity of $120 million, or 20% higher than #3. The Yankees' 2004 payroll is, at least for now, more than 50% higher THAN THE RED SOX'.
Imagine if New York had signed Maddux to fill-in the #4 spot in the rotation. Does it seem fair that a team could go out and get a guy with four Cy Young's, 289 career wins and a 16-year streak of 15 or more wins TO BE A FOURTH STARTER? No. But if they had, we might not even be having this discussion, because I truly think that if the Yankees had signed Maddux, there would be a labor war calling for a salary cap by next year.
Like I said, the Red Sox aren't free and clear here; they have the second highest payroll in the Majors, and stand to face about a $5 million luxury tax hit this year. Of course, the Yankees are looking at about $80 million in luxury tax, which is more than 20 of 30 teams' total payrolls from last season. And today, John Henry made a statement to reporters via e-mail in which he said that Major League Baseball could use a salary cap "to deal with a team that has gone so insanely far beyond the resources of all the other teams.''
It's true. They have. Both of them. But neither the Red Sox nor the Yankees have done anything wrong within the current system of Major League Baseball. That's why the system needs to change. There needs to be an implementation of a salary cap and a salary minimum, so that owners cannot take the money gained from luxury taxes and simply pocket it rather than sign better players or upgrade stadiums, etc. There also need to be no more guaranteed contracts. That's what makes the NFL's salary cap system work, the fear that if you’re not performing, you can be cut at any time. Imagine hoe fast Manny Ramirez would run to first with that little kick in the ass.
Right now baseball players can be cut or waived, but they still collect a certain amount, if not all of their remaining pay for the year. Why? Because the MLBPA is the strongest union in America. They've never lost a dispute. And they never will until someone stronger than Bud Selig comes into town and lays down the law.
With baseball, it's all about marketing players first, teams second. That's why the union is so strong; they know fans won't show up to see replacement players. In football or hockey, we rarely see players' faces because they have helmets, so we cheer for a jersey. In baseball and basketball, the players are so visible that we follow them from team to team, regardless of whether or not we like the team. I used to cheer for the Mariners religiously because I was, and still am, such a huge fan of Ken Griffey Jr. Then he demanded a trade to Cincinnati, and I still followed him, but I started to cool a little because I didn't like the way the trade was forced.
Unfortunately, most fans just follow their players and maybe one or two teams. And unless your team is in those top 10 payrolls, you don't really have much to cheer about until they make a miraculous, once in a lifetime run to the playoffs and maybe even a ring. Yes, the Marlins, Angels and D-Backs won the last three World Series'. But in two of the three years, they didn't make the playoffs the following season. And if you notice, the other teams involved in the playoffs were most often the "haves": Boston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, etc. Only the A's can make the claim of being consistently good, again with home-grown talent. But while they keep making the playoffs, they also keep getting bounced in the first round.
Two changes. Two radical shifts in the MLB landscape. That's all it takes to restore the game we all love. Let's get it done Mr. Selig.
Oooh, one more thing. Mom gave me another great quote I HAVE to share with you folks. My mother is a very smart woman who occasionally says very stupid things. This was one of theose things. She was driving down the road the other day and stopped at a set of lights. She looked over and saw a big bin with big words on it. She read it as "Denati: clothes and shoes". Thinking it was some new charity, she tells me she mubmled to herself "Denati.... well, I guess that's a new place to Donate stuff..." She didn't recognize the word "DONATE" on th side of the bin, and pronounced it "Denati". Again., priceless...
Before I say anything relevant about today’s topic, I apologize for my comments about the Pro Bowl. It is not useless. This year's game was flat out fun to watch. And even though there aren't too many big hits, horrible pass coverage, and no blitzing or field goal blocking allowed, I still enjoyed the 107 combined points.
So here's today's topic: When did poker become a sport? I mean, I love the game and all, but I don't consider NASCAR a sport, and those guys actually have to move their legs in order to compete. Poker players just sit at tables and throw cards and chips around.
Here's the thing, I've been playing a lot of poker online recently. Free, mind you; I only use real money on football bets. But it's the challenge I enjoy the most. Winning is nice too. So far my best finish is 64th out of a field of about 4000 a couple nights ago. But for all the time I spend playing, I don't consider myself an athlete now. If, God-willing, someday I am good enough to play professionally, I wouldn't expect to see myself on ESPN, or even any local sports broadcasts. PLAYING CARDS IS NOT A SPORT.
I'm getting quite tired of turning on ESPN during the day and catching episode X of the World Series of Poker. It's gotten to a scary level now where I actually have the hands memorized and know what's coming on the river. I've started speaking in poker terms, which scares me more. No-Limit Poker has become the X-games of the new millennium.
Remember when the X-Games first came out back in the early-mid nineties? Sure you do. Everything suddenly became "Extreme" or "To The Max". ESPN has made a fortune off of the X-games, but at least they're all athletes. I respect every single person who is good enough to compete in those games, because they can do something I can't. Anyone can catch a decent run of cards at a table and win a tournament.
I've also spent a decent amount of time in Connecticut at the casinos recently; hell, it's the only real way I'm making money. I love it when people are talking to strangers, and "Good Luck" replaces "Good-bye". It's like a whole different Casino language. It's even funnier when I'm sitting at a blackjack table and get a great card on a questionable hit, like a 6 with a 15 showing or something, and I hear people say things like "Nice pull" or "Great card you got". Really? I did something other than tap my hand on the table? I thought I had no control over it; why not congratulate the dealer for his shuffling abilities or the person who cut the shoe for making a good cut?
Same thing in no-limit hold-'em. Once you've got your hole cards, there's no skill involved in building a good hand, it's up to the dealer to put them down. So why are these guys respected and suddenly celebrities? I know that if I were walking through Vegas or Atlantic City I'd probably recognize Johnny Chan or about half a dozen other poker players if I saw them. And for what? Because they got good cards a few times in a row? Because they're good at telling if someone is lying or not by a mannerism or idiosyncrasy?
Like I said above, I don't consider NASCAR a sport. Let's see those guys cut through rush hour traffic in Boston, NYC, or any other major metropolitan city. Then maybe I'd consider them athletes. But at least there's a certain amount of skill and control over the game they play. The drivers have to steer, draft, decide on pit stops; the pit crew has to be alert and fast when servicing the car, and yet I still don't think any of them are athletes.
Poker players sit at a table, look at two cards, and watch the other people sitting around them. That's it. They have to make a total of four decisions per hand: fold, check, call, how much to raise. And their only athletic needs are to be able to lift up some chips, count them, and toss them into the middle of a table. And if they get lucky, restack them.
Poker is not a sport. It does not deserve national airtime on ESPN, NBC, BRAVO, The Travel Channel, and a host of other networks joining the craze. And as much as I'd love to be sitting at the final table someday, I don't need to be inundated with the games on 18 thousand different TV channels.
That being said, who's in for a poker night?
So, four days wiser, and what do we know now? Well, here are a few random thoughts off the top of my head to wrap up this NFL season...
- It was so unbelievably good to feel happy about sports again. And thank God the Pats didn't totally blow that game, because I'm still not fully over Game 7. I might have gone on some sort of spree if Carolina had won the Super Bowl.
- How is it possible that Tom Brady is not yet endorsing Gillette? Has this marketing campaign really just eluded everyone?
- Terrell Owens, Corey Dillon and Kurt Warner are the marquis names available this offseason, and Owens will probably be the only one who actually moves.
- Maurice Clarett will be in the NFL next year, but he will not be drafted before the second round, if at all. However, if he does get drafted, look for either New England (7 picks in the first 4 rounds) or the Cowboys (Parcells has a knack for egotistical players out of Ohio State).
- Jim Fassel got a truly raw deal. He went from a Super Bowl head coach to an offensive consultant for the team that beat him in the Super Bowl in just four years. At least Bill Callahan lost his team's respect in between.
- Speaking of coaches, looking around the league next year, I see another coaching carousel after the 2004 season. Mike Martz, Dennis Erickson, Andy Reid, Jim Haslet, Dave Wannestedt, Mike Holmgren, Marty Schottenheimer, Butch Davis and Bill Cowher are all on the hot seat, before the season even starts.
- Heading for the biggest disappointment: Peyton Manning and Clinton Portis. No way Manning duplicates this past year, or his playoff success. The word is out on how to stop him. Portis is already complaining about his contract (and rightfully so), and threatening holdout only four days after the Super Bowl. Perhaps he didn't see Quentin Griffin run wild all over Indianapolis. Granted, it was Indy...
- Biggest breakout season: Charles Rogers and Quentin Griffin. Already mentioned Griffin, if Portis holds out or gets hurt again, look for Q to step right in and show what he can do. Rogers got hurt early last year (a week after I traded him for Rod Smith... heh heh heh), so he never got to show his abilities. With Joey Harrington one year more mature, James Stewart returning from injury, and some solid drafting, Rogers should get a chance to showcase his natural abilities.
- Finally, let me explain my pick of the Redskins to represent the NFC in next year's Super Bowl. Joe Gibbs is back. I realize that a coach doesn't make that much difference to a team, unless he's named Parcells or Belichick. But Joe Gibbs has not only the ability, but the team talent to take this team far. The Redskins have a pretty solid defense, anchored by two Pro-Bowl caliber CB's and one of the best LB's in the league. On offense, Patrick Ramsey is a serviceable QB. Joe Gibbs' signature is a big, strong O-Line, exactly what Ramsey needs. As for a running-back, Trung Candidate is not going to get it done. They need to draft here, and they need to do it soon. They have the #5 overall pick, and I think that if Kevin Jones, from Virginia Tech, is still available, they should grab him and run. Speed, strength, and a smart player.
Well the NFL season is completely over (I don't consider the Pro Bowl part of the NFL season, it's useless). So what's next?
Basketball season is over if you're a Celtics' fan, Danny Ainge has seen to that for the next few years. Although, God Bless Vin Baker, but if he can't straighten up and fly right, the team has an out clause in his contract, and they need to exercise it. Maybe he'll get his life together with a few months out of the game. Again. But it will provide the Celts with enough cap room to go out and get a free agent. One year too late to get the major players, but still, it's a start. Maybe Kobe will change coasts. It would be the ultimate way to get away from Shaq (Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!)
As for hockey season, well, I heard on the radio today that the Bruins are in second place. Good for them! I'll admit, I had to look it up to confirm the number (They're tied with Toronto), since I haven't really been following the NHL, but still, nice work guys. Too bad this is going to be the last time anyone sees pro hockey for awhile. IF you're a fan, watch it while you can, because after the Finals, the NHL is gone for quite awhile until they get the collective bargaining thing straightened out.
I guess that leaves baseball. Aw shucks. Well, pitchers and catchers do report in 10-14 days, depending on team. So I guess we're stuck focusing on baseball again. Since there haven't been any games yet, let's decide who's done the best this offseason. This is all subject to change depending on where Greg Maddux signs. Is this stunning to anyone else that he isn't signed yet? A sure-fire first ballot Hall-of-Famer with a World Series ring, 289 career victories, and 16-straight seasons of 15 or more wins? C'mon people, pony up the dough!
Anaheim Angels: Bartolo Colon and Vlad Guerrero added to a team that won the World Series two years ago? Just not right. For all the noise the Red Sox, Yankees, Astros and Rangers have made this offseason, the Angels are, by far, the most improved.
Houston Astros: They added Andy Pettite and Roger Clemens, both at reasonable rates. But more importantly, they didn't actually add much to their payroll because of their ability to ship Billy Wagner out of town. Granted, their bullpen was extremely overworked last tear, so no one knows how two aging starters and one less bullpen stud will affect them. But they got better at the top, which is a good start.
Boston Red Sox: Quick, name the two things the Red Sox needed more than anything else this offseason? 1) A reliable closer. 2) An innings eater to start. Not only did they get a solid closer in Keith Foulke, but they got the best innings eater in the game in Curt Schilling. Plus they added the right-handed DH they so desperately needed last year by resigning Ellis Burks today, and swung a deal for Pokey Reese to pick up where Todd Walker left off. They added the pitching and the speed they needed, and didn't lose anything from their record-setting offense of last year.
New York Yankees: They lost 3/5 of their main starting rotation from last year, yet they simply retool, reload, and come back again. Simply amazing. As much as I may hate every man to ever put on Pinstripes, I do respect each and every one of them. So this year, the list adds new members Kevin Brown, Javier Vasquez, Gary Sheffield, Tom Gordon, Paul Quantrill, Mike Lamb...
Philadelphia Phillies: All they needed was a healthy Pat Burrell and a better bullpen. They went out and added Billy Wagner, Tim Worrell, Roberto Hernandez, Eric Milton, and somehow, stunningly, resigned Kevin Millwood. Pat Burrell looks pretty solid, and mot reports have him rededicated to his game. Not a bad start...
Baltimore Orioles: They got Miguel Tejada, Rafael Palmeiro and Javy Lopez, among others. They've probably added enough offense to out - slug just about any team game for game. But they are in serious danger of becoming the 2001 Mets - All hitting, no pitching. You can't outhit everyone (see: Boston).
Detroit Tigers: OK, in all fairness, they could have improved by just cutting everyone on the roster from last year and starting from scratch. But by making the moves they have, and getting Pudge, they've probably added 20-25 wins to their total from last year. It's not playoff caliber, not even close. But it's certainly improvement. Besides, no team could lose 119+ 2 years in a row, could they?
Best available free agents:
Greg Maddux - Inexplicable. Chan Ho Park has a long-term deal, and Maddux doesn't. Pfff.
Raul Mondesi - He's still going to get his .280 - 20 - 60, even if it has to be off the bench.
Ugueth Urbina - It's just fun to try and type his name. He's a solid closer with a ring now. Might be too pricey, but he's in no hurry.
Fred McGriff - Probably too old to play first everyday, but he can be a big bat off the bench for someone.
Andres Galarraga - See above.
Chuck Finley - Yes, I realize he didn't play last year. But he had the eye of many teams coming down the stretch. Time for someone to take a chance on him.
Rickey Henderson - It might be back to Newark for now, but this is another sure-fire hall - of - famer who can get some things done for you. Put him on first as a pinch runner late in a game against some young kid; see how many balks or wild pitches are induced just by his aura and reputation.
So I guess, just like football, I'm going to have to pick my playoffs early. Well, again, everything changes if Maddux or even Urbina gets a deal soon.
A.L. Playoffs
East - Red Sox
Central - Royals
West - Angels
Wild Card - Yankees
N.L. Playoffs
East - Phillies
Central - Astros
West - Giants
Wild Card - Cubs
First Round:
Red Sox over Angels in 4, Yankees over Royals in 3
Astros over Phillies in 5, Cubs over Giants in 4
LCS':
Red Sox over Yankees in 6
Astros over Cubs in 7
World Series: (don't hate me)
Red Sox over Astros in 7 - Pedro/Clemens in Game 7. Again. Schilling gets the save.
So that's what I see right now. Of course, this all goes down the toilet the first time someone pulls a hammy or chips a tooth or gets suspended for steroids. But I still can’t wait.
14 more days...
Wow.
Wow, Wow, wow, wow, wow.
Wow.
Here's the thing. It wasn't the best game ever. It wasn't even in my top five. But damn, I'll take it.
Ironic isn't it, that after two weeks of hearing how much the 2003-'04 Panthers were the clones of the 2001-'02 Patriots, and for as much as I didn't want to listen to it anymore, that the game would end essentially the same way, except for listening to John Madden yell "Play for overtime!"
The Patriots dominated the beginning of the game in '02 and in '04 Check. They let it slip away late in the game in '02 and in '04. Check. Ricky Proehl scored the TD to complete the other team's comeback late in the 4th quarter in '02 and in '04. Check (and kinda creepy). Adam Vinatieri kicks a game winning field goal after Tom Brady leads a drive with under 2:00 in the game in '02 and '04. Check.
The game itself was uninteresting until the second quarter, which I'm sure had CBS execs sweating and calling up Paul Tagliabue to make him guarantee that New York would be in the next Super Bowl. The halftime show, well, save for the last 30 seconds I couldn't have cared less about it. Until the end, the best part of the show was critiquing the artists' lip-synching abilities. First rule of lip-synching, don't take the mic away from your mouth when your lips aren't moving.
But from the second quarter on, man, what a freakin' game. I'm satisfied. I picked it wrong, I was way off on the score, and I still think that Mike Vrabel or Deion Branch deserved the MVP more than Tom Brady, but hey, I'll take a W, ugly or not.
As you know if you've been paying attention, I like to go to the Indian casinos in Connecticut, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun (maybe if I give them plugs they'll wipe out my losses). And if you read last week, I spent the game at Foxwoods with a couple of friends watching 6 30-foot projection screens and meeting former Raiders' QB Ken Stabler.
My mother came too, and God Bless her, she loves football. But she doesn't really know a lot about the game, just that the Patriots are who to cheer for and they need to score touchdowns. That's enough. But she always provides me with more than enough fodder at every game to fill up pages of stories. Sunday was no different. During a penalty, CBS showed their typical yellow FLAG box that then turned into two boxes, one that said "Holding" and another that said "CAR". Obviously, holding on Carolina. That led to this exchange:
Mom (pointing at the screen): "Ooooh, David, look. Someone just won a CAR!"
Me: "Uh, no ma. There’s a penalty on Carolina. See, there's CAR and NE (said "knee"). We're knee."
So at least everyone within earshot got a great laugh out of that. And then of course, there was the whole Patriots winning thing. But I'll be honest, I miss the good 'ol days; ah, where have they gone.
I know Billy Joel says the good 'ol days weren't always good, and far be it for me to question a chronic alcoholic's view on life, but I would have been just as happy as I was in Connecticut if I'd been spending the game with 200 of my closest friends playing in "Beirut Bowl IV" and defending my runner-up standing. I’m putting the challenge out to my friends and readership that next year, the Day After Super Bowl is a national holiday, and the Beirut Bowl tradition will rise again. For those of you who have never been a part of this tradition, jump in, it's an experience not to be missed.
Finally, back to this whole "greatest game ever" thing. No, this was not the best Super Bowl ever. Top 10? Maybe. Top 5? Nope. Not for me, and my team even won this one. Joe Namath's guarantee is still #1 in my book, but the 2001-'02 Patriots vs. Rams is just about a tie at this point. And I know Vin's gonna kick my ass on that one. Joe Montana to John Taylor, John Elway's helicopter, and Scott Norwood "wide right" round out my top 5, not necessarily in that order. This game was good, but it was ugly as hell. For a defensive struggle, 61 points seems a little excessive.
So where do we stand heading into next season? The Bengals will be in the playoffs. .The Cardinals, Lions, Bears, Chargers, Raiders, Bills, Jaguars, Browns, Seahawks, 49ers Bucs and Steelers will not. Peyton Manning will not have another MVP season, because Bill Belichick has exposed his major weakness (remember Kurt Warner?) And as for next year's Big Game? Well, I see no reason for the Patriots not to make it. They won a title, they don't have any major contract looming aside from Ty Law, they get back the second-best defensive acquisition from last year (Rosie Colvin) and they have 7 draft picks in the first 4 rounds. You give me a reason why. But you know who they're gonna be playing?
The Redskins.
So that's my Super Bowl wrap-up. I was up, I was down, I was up, I was on the floor in the fetal position, and I was jumping up into the air and catching high fives from three rows of people. Yeah, I think it was a good day.
"Someone just won a CAR!".... Priceless.
