60th Edition - 12/5/06

Quick stuff ...

• MNF: Who knew?

It appears the Eagles do have players in addition to Donovan McNabb. In fact, they have an entire team of players that try hard every week. In addition to that, they can win games.
Eagles 27, Panthers 21
And now the Eagles can sniff the playoffs with three other 6-6 teams.

• Da Bears

Lovie Smith has declared there will be no change at QB for the Bears. His logic is more of the A=B, and B=C, so A=C. In other words, Grossman plays, Bears are 10-2, so Grossman is 10-2. What he doesn't seem to take into account, it would be VERY difficult for ANY other QB, including 3rd stringer Kyle Orton, to play worse than Grossman has these last five games.

And Fluff Stuff ...

• I heart the 80s

**Thank you Giant Magazine. They have compiled a list of 50 of the best commercials from the 80s. Personally, it seems more like 50 commercials they could simply find video for, but I'm not complaining. click here
My personal favorites ...
1. Because I still say that anytime my fiancee asks me where I learned something.
18. Because I still know all the lyrics. By the way, this was a healthy cereal, no sugar. But they sucked me in, having my mom buy it every week.
50. I wanted one, my parents never bought me one. Thank you mom and dad, thank you.

**David Letterman just signed on with CBS to continue "The Late Show" until 2010. Conan O'Brien is taking over for Jay Leno in 2009.

**Masi Oka (Hiro from "Heroes") will play himself on an upcoming episode of "Studio 60."

**The fall finale (suddenly becoming a standard for shows) of "Heroes" was the exact opposite of the fall finale of "Lost" (the originator of the fall finale). In other words, "Heroes" left me excited for future episodes.

40th Edition - 10/31/06

• MNF: Booo!

With a weekend of hype, and the national stage on Monday Night Football, the Vikings scared their fan base in about two minutes. The Patriots came to town and smacked them around 31-7. The league's leading rusher? Chester Taylor was held to 22 yards on ten carries. The Patriots had Tom Brady pass almost every down and he finished with 372 yards, 4 TD and 1 INT.
The Bears can rest a little easier now that they have a three-game lead in their division (not that they were scared).

• NBA: Look, he's dressed like a racist.

The Houston Rockets were playing in Orlando against the Magic when season-ticket holder Hooman Hamzehloui allegedly called Dikembe Mutombo a "monkey" Thursday in the third quarter. Mutombo yelled back at Hamzehloui and gestured from the court.

I guess that is all that happened from the report I read. Hamzehloui has said he didn't know "monkey" was racist. The Magic have taken away his season tickets. Hamzehloui has issued an apology through the Orlando Sentinel and said he would donate $5,000 to the charity of Mutombo's choice.

If Mutombo was white, would anything had happened? Or is it impossible for a person to call a white player a monkey and have it been an insult. I do NOT know this situation well enough to comment on Hamzehloui's behavior at the game. Racism is bad. If it came from hate, actions should be taken. But Hamzehloui said he was heckling, like he always does. Heckling comes from being an idiot, waste of arena space, and an overall fool, but not from racism.

• My Cubs: Not so scary

These players just filed free agency; Henry Blanco, Kerry Wood and Juan Pierre. John Mabry and Wade Miller will probably as well. Clearly Pierre would be the most important on that list. But considering the Cubs have no idea what they are going to do, it's too early to say who they MUST bring back.
Aramis Ramierez is a different story. He wants many years and many dollars. Look for the Cubs to try and make him happy ($11 million a year) but not Derrek Lee happy ($15 million a year).

• My Bulls: Scary good, not scary bad

The Bulls undefeated streak (the NBA season starts today) is in jeopardy tonight against the defending champion Miami Heat. But I am still thinking it is going to be a hell of a season. At this stage I am just curious how the Bulls will use their deep bench.
Bulls vs. Heat
7:00 on TNT

• More on Red Auerbach from Bill Simmons
  
• Stuff

Green Day and U2 video for "The Saint's are Marching."

Do you like TV and Halloween? Then this quiz is for you.

I'm glad I didn't dress up as a grub this halloween.

And now, thanks to a reader who complained, you can simply click on the link and it will open up in a new window. Sure I had to learn a new HTML code and spend the morning playing with it, but it was all worth it to make one reader happy (actually, he'll probably not be happy, just content).

35th Edition - 10/24/06

• MNF: Owens wants more balls ... so does the Cowboys D

The Giants smacked around the Cowboys 36-22 last night.

• The Series

Game 3 at 7:33 on Fox
Carpenter vs. Robertson
The Series is tied 1-1

Tony LaRussa is quoted as saying --
"I don't believe it was dirt, didn't look like dirt."
Of course he was referring to the gunk on Kenny Rogers' hand during his fantastic pitching performance on Sunday.

I hate saying this ... but a bench-clearing brawl would definitely peak my interest in the Series.

• Other Sports Stuff

If you have the free time, I highly recommend these writers ...

DJ Gallo - Page 2, ESPN. He does an NFL wrap-up every Monday

The Sports Guy (Bill Simmons) - Page 2, ESPN. He does new articles every Wednesday and Friday, sometimes more.

Jason Whitlock - AOL Sports. He does a column every Thursday, mainly about the NFL.

• A Classic

I was watching "Studio 60" last night and they mentioned the classic comedy routine "Who's on First?" by Abbott and Costello. My fiance hadn't ever heard of it. I love youtube.

Click Here

30th Edition - 10/17/06

• MNF: Insanity

During the Bears vs. Cardinals game last night, perhaps you went to bed when the Bears were losing 3-23. Or maybe you stuck it out until Rex Grossman had 4 INT, along with his two fumbles. But hopefully you stayed up until the very end, when the Caridinals' Rackers (a VERY good kicker) missed a 41-yard field goal, somehow giving the Bears a 24-23 win.
Some facts:
*The Bears were losing 3-23 with less than a minute to go in the 3rd quarter.
*The Bears scored two defensive TDs to close it to 17-23.
*Matt Leinart threw for 2 TD, no INT. and over 250 yards.
*Again, worth repeating, Grossman had 4 INT, 2 Fumbles -- in Fantasy terms he was -9.2 points.
*With just over three minutes left, the Bears were getting the ball back, and it looked like Grossman would have to try and march the team down the field for a TD. Instead, rookie Devin Hester returned the punt 83 yards for a TD. The Bears took the lead.
*Edgerian James carried the ball 36 times for 55 yards.
*The Cardinals are the only team in the history of the NFL to lose two games in the same season after leading by 14 points at half. They did it in back-to-back games against the Chiefs and Bears.

I understand the Bears were supposed to win this game, but not after they were down 3-23. I can't stand all the people saying they KNEW the Bears would come back. I understand the mentality of a player such as Urlacher saying they never gave up, but fans didn't KNOW the Bears would come back. It was one of the most surprising, insane, impossible comebacks I have ever seen. Not only did the Bears have to beat the Cardinals, they had to beat Grossman who had one of the worst games a QB has EVER had. You don't win games like that. Too bad I don't believe in destiny.

• Cubs: Sweet Lou wants A-Rod

I will not get excited. I will not get excited. I will not get excited.
So, Lou Piniella is now the manager of the Chicago Cubs. This is much better than Dusty Baker. Piniella will actually care when the Cubs don't try, or make mistakes. Dusty would normally give them more praise in those situations.
There is talk that Piniella wants Alex Rodriguez to join the team. I like the idea. We need another big bat in the line-up, and Rodriguez is a better SS than 3B. It is not worth doing the deal if the Cubs trade 3B Ramirez for A-Rod.

• My Mets: Game Five is ours

Tom Glavine is rested. Thank the rain gods. His ERA in October is zero. The only problem is that Glavine won't be pitching in Game 6 or 7, so the Mets will have to win the series without him.

25th Edition - 10/10/06

• MNF: Wake me when it's over

The Broncos handed the Ravens their first loss of the season, and the Ravens accepted in graciously. 13-3, another snooze fest. At least there was sleet. Good thing the Bears are heading to MNF next week against the Cardinals.

The Undefeateds: Colts, Bears
The Defeateds: Titans, Raiders, Lions, Buccaneers

• MLB: Torre sticks

It appears Lou Pinnela has not been contacted by the Yankees. George Steinbrenner knows what he will do, but hasn't officially announced it. Reports are now saying Joe Torre will continue to manage the Yankees.

My Mets
Looks like Tom Glavine will pitch Game One against Jeff Weaver and the Cardinals on Wednesday night. Cliff Floyd is still bothered by an injury to his left foot. The Mets are unsure about the rest of their pitching rotations and whether Floyd will miss any time.
Look for Daryl Strawberry to throw out the first pitch on Wednesday. I'm sure there are a million jokes I should be able to come up with right now, but I have a cold and I'm just not in the mood.

Game One
Tigers vs. A's
Robertson vs. Zito
Tonight at 7:00 on FOX.

• Stuff

Wow, two more shows have been added to my TV line-up. I tried to fight off "Friday Night Lights." It couldn't be done, the show is too good. Unless I forget to add it to the Season Pass tonight, then I could be in trouble.

"30 Rock" delivers. Mainly because of Alec Baldwin at this point. It's probably just carry-over from his performance in "The Departed."

So here is watch the Tivo list looks like
1. Lost
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Studio 60 from the Sunset Strip
4. The Office
5. My Name is Earl
6. Friday Night Lights
7. 30 Rock
8. Saturday Night Live

"Scrubs" will be there when it returns. "Heroes" and "The Nine" will be done on Netflix if they continue to look good.

15th Edition - 9/26/06

• Baseball

The regular season ends October 1.
AL Playoff teams: Yankees, Tigers, Twins and most likely the A's (currently a 5 game lead over the Angels)
NL Playoff teams: Mets
In the central, out of nowhere, the Astros are only 2.5 games behind the Cardinals.
In the west, the Dodgers are 2 games behind the Padres.
In the wildcard, the Dodgers are tied with the Phillies.

Wow, when your team (the Cubs in my case) is out of it for the last three months, the playoffs cannot get here quick enough. So boring. Yet, playoff baseball is currently my favorite post season.

• The Bandwagon (continues)

OK, the White Sox are officially eliminated from the playoffs, thanks to a 1-14 beat down by the Cleveland Indians. I need a baseball team to care about for the playoffs. So far, I have two requests - The New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Any other offers? Any Twins, A's, or dare I say Yankees fan out there that wants in-depth pre- and post game analyze, some cheering and positive vibes?

I will make my decision later in the week. Again, leave requests in the comments section.

• MNF

Last night New Orleans celebrated. The city and the football team. They smacked the Falcons 23-3. I was thinking about discussing the annoyance of the announcers last night, or what this could mean for the Saints this season, but I am no one to talk about this situation.

Insert Mike Triplett. Triplett is the Saints writer for the Times - Picayune in New Orleans. He is also a good friend (from the University of Iowa). Here is the article that ran in their paper this morning...

Block party is no fun for Falcons

Six years ago, Saints safety Steve Gleason was on the field for perhaps the biggest play in Saints history, when fullback Brian Milne recovered Az-Zahir Hakim's fumble to seal their playoff victory over the St. Louis Rams.
On Monday night, Gleason made a play of his own that will rival Milne's in Saints lore.
(click here to read the rest)

Hopefully later today, Triplett can leave some commentary on what it was like to cover the game. Look for it in the comments.

11th Edition - 9/19/06

• MNF

Is a 9-0 Jaguars victory over the Steelers exciting? No. Moving on.

• Football

Without a doubt, Maurice Clarett broke the law. Robbery and concealed weapons charges were brought against him and Clarett plea bargained for 3.5 years in jail. Let me be the first to say, I am guaranteeing Clarett with lead the NFL in rushing yards during the 2011 season. Most running backs peak in their late 20s and Clarett will be no different. In fact, he will be better. What else is there for him to do but lift and defend his backside? Plus, in prison I'm sure he will get the guidance, discipline, education and leadership skills to excel in the real world. Isn't that what prison is all about?.. Just seeing if you are awake this morning. He's done.

• Baseball

As the White Sox continues to drift out of the playoff race, the NL West is doing whatever it can to get noticed. The Dodgers and Padres played last night in perhaps the greatest game of the season (if you are a Dodgers fan). The Dodgers were down 5-9 in the bottom of the ninth inning. Seven pitches later it was 9-9. Four solo home runs pushed the game into extra innings, were the Padres then took a 10-9 lead. With one on, bottom of the 10th NOMAR hit a two-run homer. Game Over. The Dodgers now have a one-game lead over the Padres and the Padres have a 1.5 game lead over the Phillies for the Wild Card.

• Stuff

I watched the first episode of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." It is now in my top three for Tivo'd Season Pass (behind "Lost" and "Grey's Anatomy"). And it's not because I have been watching SNL for 20 years, and it's not because Aaron Sorkin's previous shows "Sports Night" is one of my all-time favorites, and it's not because Amanda Peet is dead sexy ... Oh wait, yes, it's all those reasons. Matthew Perry and his odd looking chin is on the show as well. Watch it. You can click here to watch the full episode or a two-minute recap.

6th Edition - 9/12/06

• MNF (if you didn't know that meant Monday Night Football, I question why you are reading this page)

Well, the Vikings beat the Redskins 19-16 and after that, while most of us were sleeping the Chargers knocked off the Raiders 27-0. Philip Rivers only needed 11 pass attempts (8/11) to make the Raiders question their ability in-between the goal posts. LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 131 yards and a score, but more importantly, people calling him "LT" needs to stop. A group of guys can't have two with the same nickname. And the football world already has one LT (Lawrence Taylor). Could you have two guys named Bud in your group? No. I was thinking T2 could work, but it's probably not the best out there. Suggestions? We're standing by to take your calls now.

• Baseball

If you are wondering what is going on in baseball, that is what today is for ...
Most teams have about 18-20 games left. It is possible to make up 5 games in the standing, but pretty unlikely.

This means the Yankees with the AL East, the A's win the AL West ... and the AL Central and Wild Card is between the White Sox, Twins and Tigers.

The Mets have the NL East and the Cardinals the NL Central. The West is tight with Dodgers, Padres and Giants. Those teams plus the Marlins, Phillies, Reds and maybe Astros are fighting for the wild card.

• Selling Out

Two friends have already asked me to start pushing their teams. So now I will try to find something interesting to say about them, in the hopes that they pimp my site throughout their insanely different states (Georgia and New York).

The Mets have a magic number. It is the number 4. Every year, I get confused by the magic number, how it is calculated and what it means. That ends today. I will memorize if it kills me (really shouldn't affect my health though). Click here is learn about magic numbers. By comparisons sake, the Cubs magic number is 39.

Georgia. The Georgia Bulldogs are #10 in the AP Poll. Their former defensive coordinator Erk Russell died last week. This proved as motivation against the South Carolina Gamecocks, and they shut them out 18-0. I love stories like this, even though I am having a hard time focusing knowing some guy had to live his life saving, "No, it's spelled E-R-K, that's it."

Pimping is always easier than you think it will be.