After seing all of the crazy sports news which has gone on in the last few days, I just couldn't resist putting this edition of the Random #### Rant on the presses.

THE RANDOM #### RANT

Football time!

Let me just start by saying this last weeks Monday Night Football game was just insane. My god, the Bears, who looked unstoppable to this point, were being absolutely flattened offensively by a weak Cardinals defense. The Cardinals lead 23-3 heading to the end of the 3rd Quarter, a score that no one imagined, and I went to sleep figuring the Bears had no chance of putting any offense together to make a comeback.

I was right.

The offense continued to suck, Grossman did so bad that I ended up winning a fantasy game against someone who was AHEAD of me. Grossman's game was Leaf-esque, and they couldn't run to boot. But right at the end of the 3rd quarter, the Bears D got a fumble for a TD. Then late in the 4th, they got another defensive touchdown. Even then, the Bears were still down by 6 points...but they get a punt return TD? My God. Then Neil Rackers, who was perfect last year, missed a game winning 40 yd FG?

I have no idea what to think anymore about this NFL season...

The Cardinals choked this game away. They've never had a lead like this, and they sat on the ball. This team has a horrible offensive line, Edge James couldn't gain a yard to save his life. And how about the Dennis Green rant?

But look at all of the teams in the NFL, and can you find a "flawless" team? The Colts have a horrible defense, the Broncos and Ravens have terrible offenses, and the Bears looked like total #### last night. Maybe the Chargers are the best team in football, but this last week was crazy. The Redskins lost...to The TITANS! Cinci lost to the Bucs, the Chiefs got mauled by Pittsburgh, and the Saints beat the Eagles.

Once again, it proves that ANYTHING can happen in the NFL.

YOU'RE FIRED
Lots of people fired the last few days. Sticking with the Cardinals, they fired offensive cooridinator Keith Rowen. Maybe he is the reason for that terrible offensive line. Another season and the Cardinals are disapointing...and the coaches are always the scapegoats.

Sticking with the Fired theme, the Ravens fired offensive coordinator Jim Fassel. Now Fassel is a talented coach, but once again, when a unit struggles, the coach is to blame. But it isn't Fassel's fault they are bad. They have a offensive line that only has one player that is good, and they have a burnout back in Jamal Lewis. Mike Anderson is also a guy who was really only successful because he was in the Denver system. If the Ravens want an offense, they need to aquire a talented running back.

But wait, more people are fired. Steve Lyons, an announcer for Fox got fired for "Racist remarks." or something. Alrighty then.

But it continues, Ken Macha was fired from his managers job. After he took his team TO THE ALCS! Makes me wonder how high the expectations had to be, last time I checked, getting to the ALCS is pretty good.

THE CUBS....

So now Lou Pinella is the Cubs news manager. I have no problem with this, and I think a smart veteran manager like that could do this team some good.

But some of the rumors about getting A-Rod concern me. Not that I have any problem with the Cubs getting A-Rod, but the rumors are that they would trade Carlos Zambrano.

Now for those of you who aren't Cubs fans, here's the story of Zambrano. He plays for a team with underachieving batters, and constantly hurt pitchers. With all of this, Zambrano each week would pitch great, and he's the guy they would get rid of? Hey Cubs, Pitching wins championships remember? Getting rid of your one good pitcher would be about the stupidest thing you could actually do.


But being a Cubs fan...everything that can go wrong....will go wrong...

JERRY! JERRY!

Jerry Springer reference, back when the show always featured fights. I was saddened to see the Miami/FIU brawl that I am sure you have all seen by now. It is the one of the most pathetic things I have seen, right up there with Haynesworth's stomp, and the Malace at the Palace.

I personally think, the punishment should be that both programs forfeit their remaining games. Not all of the players participated, but the ones that didn't should have tryed to stop this madness, and I don't think many did. Stomping on downed players, and using helmets as weapons is just pathetic and cowardly. NCAA, do the right thing...

 

 

And Finally, will they ever actually finish that Mets/Cardinals series?  How many times is it going to rain?  At this rate, that series will last to November.

THAT"S ALL I GOT

DISCLAIMER: This post is about sports. This post is only about sports. You have been warned.


Around the Horn is off the air due to the MLB Playoffs, so here is your cheap ripoff! Around the Horn, Bloggers edition! I am your host MrNFL, in the bold font, and here are today's contestants.

First up, we have NeoAC, in the Red font.

Yeah, I'm back again, but rivjo nowhere to be found, I will be sure to take it this time! *cue evil laughter* Neil Patrick Harris got nothing on me!

Alrighty then, next is Burger21, in Green font

Hi everyone, I’m burger21, and I only took 20 pills before I got here so ignore those 911 calls from my publicist.

Drugs are bad, M'kay. Next up is Bengals9. And some where along the line, there was a miscommunication, so don't expect much from Bengals.

Finally, making his Around the Horn debut, Demonicume...who didn't write an opening. He'll be in blue font. With that, lets go!

THE FIRST WORD

It is week 5 in the NFL, and as always we have some good games on tap. But if you look at the 4 teams not playing this week, you've got three pretty good teams. Among those teams, the Bengals, Seahawks, Falcons, and the Texans. My question gentlemen, of these 4 teams, which is the best and why? We'll start with Demon.

The Falcons, plain and simple. But first, lemme tell you why these other teams aren't the best.

The Patriots pulled the cover off the Bengals last week and showed the entire league their soft, creamy. They have a very balanced offense, but they also have some serious issues. Carson Palmer has 6 TDs in 4 games, but he also has thrown the ball to the other tram 4 times. When he isn't throwing the ball to the other side, he's putting it on the turf. He's got 7 fumbles, 4 for a loss. (+2) But the problem isn't Carson, the problem is the Offensive line. The guy just came off a serious injury and his line has let him get tagged for 15 sacks already. That's 4 sacks shy of the 19 knock-downs he took all LAST SEASON. (+2) Yup the O-Line isn't pulling thieir weight; and if things don't change very soon, Carson will see the turf more times that Drew Bledsoe did last season.

The other Bengal problem is Run Defense. They can't seem to stop anyone. A supposed superbowl contender, they are ranked in the bottem half of the league in every meaningful category: Run Defense (26th), Totsl yards (23rd) and Points Against (19th). It's a simple fact, you cant expect to get far in the play-offs giving up nearly 150 yards on the ground and 21 points a game. (+3)

Keys to fix: they need to grow some big hairy balls in the middle of that Defense and they need to find a way to keep their QB off his buttocks.

The Seahawks are the perfect example of why I hate the Pack-10 : soft scheduling. I know its not their fault that their division sucks, but I wont ignore the fact either. Here are the teams they get to thrash twice every year: the Cardinals, 49ners, Raiders, and the Rams. For decoration, we toss in defensive powerhouses like the Packers and the Chiefs. The toughest team they have left to play is Denver and that'll be after they've gone 12-1. I'm furious because I benched Thomas Jones last week. I fell into the hype that Seattle was for real. Then I watched Jones – who is every bit as soft as his sissy little brother in Dallas – put up career numbers. The Bears haven't been able to run against anyone all season, but Thomas Jones looked like Bo Jackson against Seattle. They're fakers. They'll have a 12 or 13 win season and get blown out in the playoffs. I don't know how they made it to the Superbowl. But now that the Madden Curse has scrubbed their only superstar, we'll see how well they do. (+4)

As a Dallas fan, I hate the Texans. No real Texan can ever truly accept the existence of another football team in our state. It's blasphemy. The Texans are the Taiwan to our China. We'd crush them if we could, but no one else will let us. Fortunately, the Houston front office is doing its best to kill its own chances at every succeeding. (+1)

The worst part is that David Carr is a good QB. Last season, he played well enough to win a Superbowl if Big Ben is any indicator. In the right system, with maybe 1 solid offensive lineman, this kid could be great. His QB rating is over 100, his TD to INT ratio is great. But he's been sacked over 200 times in his last 4 seasons. I don't know when the Houston front office is gonna wake the hell up and get this man some protection, but if were I David Carr, I'd be trying to move to a team that would appreciate the highest rated QB in the AFC. Yo, DAVE! Tampa is a great place to live. Beautiful beaches, beautiful women, great weather… (+2)

The Falcons are my pick. It isn't because they rank in the top 15 in every meaningful category on both sides of the ball except passing yards per game. It isn't because Vick is one of the winningest QBs in the recent history. It's because they win my way: solid running and great defense. John Abraham – SC in the house baby! – is back from his groin pull and should solidify an already solid defense. They have 2 solid backs in Dunn and Norwood – who racked up 106 yards on 6 carried as a backup last game. And… they run the Spread Option 5 to 8 times a game. Not to kick a dead horse, but when ever a black QB comes into the league, you always hear whispers of intelligence. Theyre all dumb. We saw it here in Carolina, Syvelle was to dumb to be a pocket passer. Ask Auburn hjow domb he is. Vince Young was the only QB to have his Wonderfukt Score leaked. Analysts are always on the edge of saying Mike Vick is too stupid to run the west coast offense. Instead they say it's too complex. Maybe the West Coast offense doesn't suit his skillset. Or maybe Mike never had a WR who could get open. (+6)

My only issues with the Falcons are PLAY CALLING and WRs. Are these guys gonna catch any balls? I watched Alge Crumpler drop 2 TDs on the same drive. The receivers they have can not, or will nont, get open. Were I Coach Mora, I'd run the option down the throats of every team we faced. I'd run it the way FLA is running it this year, which allows for more passing and less getting knocked out. (+2)

Downside? The Dirty Birds face big defenses this year – Eagles, Carolina, Redskins, Cowboys – but I can see them running all the way into the play offs.

Good Stuff Demon, Neo, you?

Well, lets take a look at who we have sitting out.

There's the Texans, but unless the Colts and Jaguars both suffer a massive case of collective botulism, they aren't going to be anywhere near the playoffs. Heck, I think they would still manage to come in third to those two. (+3)

Then we have the other teams, who have looked extremely good in three out of four games.
Atlanta has pounded the ball successfully against Carolina, TB and Arizona, but they were abysmal against the Saints in the Superdome. I know there was a lot of emotion in that game, but there was no excuse for the way the Falcons played. Vick completes only 38% and leads in rushing? Its almost like they threw that game.......nah. Couldn't be. (+3)

The Bengals took control of the conference in their first three games, mauling Kansas City, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. However, they were mere pussycats when playing the Patriots, practically rolling over for them. They clearly tried to attack New England's secondary with a pass to run ratio of slightly over 2:1 and it didn't work. The Patriots played smashmouth football, and Cinci's line couldn't cope with Maroney busting for 125 yards and 2 TDs. And with Baltimore continuing to roll, the North may soon be out of Cinci's reach. (+4)

Therefore, the best out of the four bye teams is still the Seahawks. They are lucky that Shaun Alexander is getting the effects of the Madden curse out of the way early. In the NFC West, its not going to matter that Mo Morris is running the ball for them, they can coast until the MVP is back up and running. (+4)

OK, My god I hate Fox's formatting....Burger you?

While the sexy pick is the Bengals, the folks who are falling over themselves trying to get on their bandwagon are ignoring some glaring weaknesses, namely their defense. They’re giving up 345 yards per game, barely ahead of SanFran and Cleveland; 60 yrds worse than Oakland; and over 100 yrds more than the Chiefs! (+4) In the last two games they’ve yielded 406 yds and 5 TDs – on the ground alone! And on offense, while everyone has this image of a powerhouse scoring machine, few visualized Carson Palmer dribbling more balls than an NBA point guard. (+3) He’s put the pill on the carpet 7 times this year and looks very rattled against competent defenses. The have played only one good complete game – in the opener against a Chiefs team that everyone had over-rated. Cleveland and Pittsburgh both gift wrapped wins via turnovers and the Pats put a woodshed wuppin’ on them. (+3) You could say much of the same for Seattle in that Matt Hasslebeck has not looked anything like a Pro-Bowl QB, and they were strangely ineffective against Detroit of all teams. (+2) I’m going against the grain here and saying that the best team among these three is Atlanta, with their power ground game (ranked #1 in the NFL) and ball hawking defense (+6 turnover ratio). And while no one will confuse Mike Vick for Peyton Manning as a passer, Vick has only two interceptions and is playing with freedom and fun in Atlanta’s potent offense (+3)


And Bengals?

The Best is definetly the bengals. why, two words carson palmer. (+2)

Ok then...Onward...

As you are probably all aware, the MLB Postseason is underway. Very simple question, who wins the World Series and why? Burger?

I’m really not sold on anyone in the National League because both the Mets and Cardinals have huge pitching concerns. While the Tigers look like they’re going to make a scrap out of things, it would appear that the Yanks and A’s will match up in what will essentially be the championship. The A’s certainly have the pitching to make things interesting, and they seem looser and less uptight than in previous showdowns with NY. While NY has the lineup full of All-Stars, I feel Oakland’s arms will prevail against what is a shaky Yankees rotation. The A’s will win it all. (+6)

Going with the A's eh? Speaking of Eh, Neo, go my Canadian friend.

In the blue corner we will have the New York Mets who score first round knockouts of the LA Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals without so much as a scratch.

In the red corner we have the Oakland Athletics who after surprisingly getting rid of the Minnesota Twins, dispatch the exhausted winner of the Tigers-Yankees series (My money's on NY). This is sure to be a barnburner.

In the first game, Tom Glavine will get the better of popular Met target Barry Zito, but Rich Harden will even the score over Steve Trachsel, and send the series back to Shea knotted up at one.

Oakland will take advantage of a ####-up Mets rotation as emergency starter Oliver Perez gets shelled, making a winner of Danny Haren, but John Maine and Tom Glavine come in and shut down the A bats, and head back to the Bay with a three-two lead

In Game Six, Macha plays a hunch and goes with Joe Blanton against Trachsel, but Trachsel pitches his career-defining game, a three-hitter, and Carlos Delgado belts a two-run shot off of Blanton in the fourth to send the Mets to a 4-1 win, and their first Series win since 1986. (+7)

Interesting answer, Demon?

World Series? Oh, yeah, its STILL baseball season. Damn. Is there any way we can shorten the season at all? I don't know who wins. When the Mets had Pedro, I was a Mets man. But now I'm going with my team from the 80's and 90's: the Oakland A's. The AFC… ummmm, American League allows you to bat a guy who doesn't even field, and Frank Thomas is making the most of it. The A's ride The Big Hurt all the way to a champagn bath. (+2)

Ok then...and Bengals?

The Oakland Athletics because of there excellent pitching and good hitting. (+2)

(HORN) Wait a minute, coming into the playoffs, no one had the A's doing anything, and now everyone is picking them to get to the World Series? All a bunch of bandwagon jumpers (MUTE) With that, we'll take a commercial, Buy or Sell is next.

Mmmmmm, Pizza.....

Ok, welcome back, and it is Buy or Sell Time!

BUY OR SELL?

This weeks Monday night game should be a good defensive showdown between the Broncos, and the Ravens, who have yet to be beaten. Buy or Sell the Ravens remaining undefeated? Demonicume?

Sell: Until the Ravens find some meaningful offense, I'm picking against them every week. You can't make it to the playoffs riding a TE. Eventually you have to score. The Ravens *may* shut down Denver's offense, but since they cant find the endzone themselves, I got Denver by a touch down. (+4)

Burger?

I’m selling this. The Ravens have beaten three teams (Tampa, Clev., Oak) with 1 combined victory, and their win over the Chargers was a border line fluke. Their defense is not as good as the young QB’s they’ve faced are making them look, and they’ve yet to face some one who will consistently stay committed to running against them, as we know Denver will. Denver showed patience and diligence to their scheme against NE and this is the type of game they always win to make everyone believe they’re good before choking in the playoffs. The Ravens get exposed for the fraud they are. (+6)

Neo?

I'll BUY this. Denver has looked mighty weak this year. Their offense has failed to get anything going so far, averaging a mere 12 points per game and against Baltimore's defense, points are going to be even harder to come by. It may be another 9-6 squaker but I'd rather have Matt Stover than Jason Elam. (+3)

And Bengals?

I'm buying this. The broncos looked weak in there games agianst the cheifs and rams and the ravens have looked great in all of there games. (+3)

Ok, onward...

Of course, ESPN is going to hype "Terrell Owens' Big return to Philly" My question is, Buy or Sell 100 yards reciveing for The Player. Bengals?

I'm selling because there is no love lost between the Eagles and with his broken hand i think he loses a step or two. (+3)

Demonicume?

Buy: What do you do when you cant stop the run because you've let your best defensive players go elsewhere? You blitz, blitz, blitz. The Eagles have a soft pass defense, giving up nearly 300 yards a game thru the air to the likes of David Carr and Alex Smith. Bledsoe tossed for near 500 yards against defenses like JAX and WAS. Will TO get his 100 yards? Ummm, yeah, and easily. As long as Jimmy Johnson keeps blitzing, The Dallas receivers will be wide open. Witten, Glenn, Owens… pick your poison, who you gonna double cover? If you don't blitz, Julius Jones will run down your throat. With people like The Lesser Manning and his feeble receiving corps coming back to embarrass the Eagles Defense, I just don't see anyone on that defense stopping TO. I'll give Dallas the benefit of the doubt that Glenn and TO are as good as Plexi-glass Burress and Alligaor Arm-ani Tooner. They both got their 100 yards. (+7)

Good answer, Neo?

I'll BUY this one too. T.O. always seems to get out a little something more for the big games, and this is a big games in his mind. If Lito Sheppard sits again, he's going to have Sheldon Brown on him most of the game, or even Dexter Wynn when Brown needs a breather. Brown's only an average CB, and Wynn a pre-season cut, so T.O. should be able to get those 100 yards. (+4)

And Burger?

Terrell is one of those guys who can get 100 on limited touches because of his ability to take it to the house from anywhere on the field, but I am selling this. Dallas has done a good job so far in taking what the defense gives them, as evidenced in the big season Terry Glenn is having. When teams focus on TO (and I believe the Eagles will be just a little focused on him don’t you think?) the Cowboys have exploited their other options. (+4)

Alright...We continue...

The Big college football game this weekend is the matchup between #9 LSU, and #5 Florida. Buy or Sell Florida coming up with a victory? Demon?

Sell, FLA has no run game. None. I don't know how you run the spread option without a serious run attack. If DeShaun Wynn – the closest thing they have to a RB at FLA – aint in the game, they don't have a shot. Chris Leak is the best passer in the nation, but LSU has the nastiest secondary in college football. The D-Line will be after him all game. I got LSU smacking FLA down by 14. (+5)

Bengals?

I'm Buying this. Why. Honestly i don't know but i just think Florida is the better team. (+1)

Going with your gut I see. Burger?

Again, I’m in a selling kind of mood! This may be an even better game than LSU-Auburn, but this time LSU comes out on top. Florida’s RB is ####ed up and if they get the Gators one dimensional, LSU will show why they’re the #1 overall defense in the nation. Offensively they have the 5th ranked passing offense in the country behind Russell and they will be too much for the Gators. (+4)

And Neo?

I'm almost out of money, but I'm still going to have to BUY this as well. Florida's on a roll right now, and although LSU some very impressive offense in check, they haven't played one as versatile as the Gators. Urban Meyer is starting to get his kind of player in, guys like Tim Tebow, and his defense has been playing very well as well. I think the Gators will win, but their undefeated season ends next week against Auburn. (+4)

(HORN) Ok, we're done with two rounds, and looking at the scores, Bengals is no where close, so (MUTE), and done. Out of Bounds is next...

Sponsored by Chris Berman...seriously, why do people dislike this guy?

And two down, here's the scores. Demonicume leads with 40. Burger in 2nd with 35, and Neo behind with 32.

OUT OF BOUNDS

This Wednesday was the return of the NHL. Only the 2nd season since the lockout two years ago. My question is, what do you see for the NHL's future? Neo?

I think the NHL can have a very bright future, but some changes need to occur. First, ditch the OLN. I don't know why they even bothered signing with them in the first place. Even a discounted contract with ESPN or ABC would have been smarter. (+4) Second, start promoting the young guns more. Get Crosby, Ovechkin, Cheechoo and others out into the mainstream, be it with Bud Light, Coke or Viagra (hey, how could Ed Belfour turn that offer down?). A little promotion goes a long way. Finally, make going to game more affordable for the fans. I mean I tried to go to a preseason game a couple weekends ago. One ticket cost $75! How can the NHL expect to attract the average man, when the average man has to fork over a third of his weekly pay to see a game? (+4)

If the NHL's lucky, we could have a repeat of 1994. The Rangers won the Cup that year, and America's biggest market loved it. This year, they ae poised to strike again, and even Chicago could be in the mix, with their impressive 8-6 win over Nashville. A Rangers-Blackhawks series would be a great thing for hockey in America (no offense, Hurricanes, but nobody outside Carolina cares that you won.) (+3)

Good stuff, Burger?

The NHL season is only two days old and already we’ve seen some exciting action. The league has to provide a product that makes fans anxious for more, and there are numerous young stars on the horizon able to deliver. I think part of the recent demise of interest from the more casual sports fan came not only from the Labor disaster and instability of teams and the League as a whole, but also from a generation of front line stars fading away. (+3) The league has tons of work to do and can’t realistically be mentioned among the Big Three, but new stars like Sydney Crosby could go a long way toward bringing the excitement back, and I for one hope that hockey has a rousing revival. (+2) Hockey zealots know the players on their teams and most others, but the league has been void of the names that everyone knew – the Marios and Gretzkys. Yes, those two are probably the two greatest ever and they can’t truly be replaced but with many of the good young players coming up having names that can barely be pronounced it has been increasingly harder for fans to relate.(+2)

I agree there, and Demon?

Hockey? I'm in Carolina, and I had no clue they won the Stanley Cup last year. They did win, didn't they? I don't even know what city the team plays in. What would make me interested in Hockey? I'd love to be more involved with the players. We don't need a NHL T.O. Saga, but I'm not interested in Hockey because I don't know any of the players. I don't have to be in the city with the team to like them. Future? I see no future. Until the NHL finds a way to market their product in a more appealing way, I'll be changing the channel whenever its on TV. (+4)

(HORN) Alright lets look at the scores, and we have a close one. Demon, with 44 you are safe, Neo has 43. And Burger, barely short with 42. Gonna have to say goodbye to you Burger.

I’m out…like downtownrob’s blogging career!

Yes indeed you are. Showdown up next between NeoAC and Demonicume. Two enter, and one gets to feel happy for the day.

The Punching bags of Division 1-A football...

SHOWDOWN!

Showdown time now between Neo and Demon, Let's do this!

Texas plays Oklahoma Saturday in a classic rivalry game. Who ya got? Demon?

Oklahoma – Peterson is a GROWN man. He wont win the Heisman because voters love pretty boy QBs. Advantage for Peterson in the Heisman race? Good Ole Boy voters. If Troy Smith scrambles for more than a a few hundred yards this season, its guaranteed some of them will write him off as a typical running *cough* (black) QB – cuz that's what happens in the NCAA. ESPN will show all his running highlights, and the slower voters will vote for a guy who plays his position 'as it should be played.' Mark my words.

Texas, all the way. Colt McCoy's finally getting confident, and getting more comfortable in that Longhorn offense, and that is bad news for the Big 12. He's just going to get better and better as the season goes on, and I don't believe Oklahoma will be able to handle him.

Not sure how the race card got pulled up in this question, point goes to NeoAC. Next...

Nascar at Talladega this Sunday, who ya got? Neo?

Talladega is a #### shoot. You never know what is going to happen here, as the Big One lurks around every corner. The restrictor place, levels the playing fiels as well, so any number of teams could logically win this thing. I;m just going to spin the ole Wheel of NASCAR in my head and come up with a random name. And the winner is........Little E, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who uses this win to climb back into the Chase hunt.

I got Jeff Gordon. I like him cuz everyone hates him. He should have won earlier this year… I don't know why anyone hates him. But it's time for Jeff to win, smash that stupid bottle of Pepsi or milk or whatever, grab his manhood and tell everyone to swing low.

Great NASCAR knowledge here, LOL. I'll give it to Demon, for having a reason for picking his winner.

Finally, Many MLB managers were canned at the end of the season. Of all of those managers, who goes on to have the most success? Demon?

Robinson. He's gonna move into retirement. He should find him some sweet young thang (or two) and move to a sunny place with no ESPN. Then he wont have to be ashamed of the what his game has become. No Grim-sley reaper. No posting Bonds. No Roger –I'm stronger than I was at 20 but I'm clean – Clemmons. No knucklehead Administration that somehow manages to own a team and promote competition at the same time.

Mr. Robinson, its time to come home, old boy. Kick back with a lager of choice, a girl 1/3 your age, a HUGE DLP TV with a DVR that lets you skip Enzyte commercials. Then you can subscribe to ESPN Classic and watch Old –School baseball all day.

Well, the rather obvious choice would have to be Joe Girardi. I mean he didn't do anything wrong when managing the Marlins. The only question is will he go to the Cubs like everyone is predicting, or will Tom Hicks try and lure him to the Lone Star state? It wouldn't be a bad venture oppertunity. Every team that has fired Buck Showalter has won the World Series the next year.

Sorry Neo, Demon's answer was too freaking hilarious to pass up, point goes to Demon, win goes to Demon. Face time is yours.

I'm taking a break from ESPN. Everyday I power on my TV in hopes of getting news coverage. And every day I am sadly disappointed. Here are my top 3 reasons for putting down the remote and reading a good blog:

3) The don't report. 'Report' is defined as 'an account brought by one person to another." Its from the Old Fench 'rapport' "to tell, relate" and from the Latin 'Reportare' 'to carry

In that definition, I see no room for spin. I see no room for opinion or supposition or guesswork. I don't know why ESPN claims to report the news when its integrity is so obviously compromised. ESPN suckles at the #### of any company looking to sell something to a male aged 18-45. To do this, they need story lines. To get story lines, they need heroes and villains. We need debacles and saviors. Every week someone, somewhere, is on the brink of losing it all. Or panicking. Or if they aren't panicking they should be. ESPN is just as sensational as FOX news – the conservative news channel that tried to spin a government official soliciting sex from young boys – or MSNBC which should officially chance its name to MSNBConspiracy TV. I'm sick of it. I just want box scores and replays. Thanks a lot.

2. Jesus, would someone please put something big in Joe Theismann's mouth? My zipper is stuck... damn. or Joe Walton. or Charles Barkley. They hire any jack off the street to be a newscaster. I'll take any one of the bloggers out here ahead of the pricks ESPN throws up there. I'm tired of 'Rumblin and Stumblin.' i'm tired of 'BOO-YOW!' i'm sick to death of trying to guess the width of the stick that's a foot deep in Steve Young's ####. i hate Mark May. the only guys that interest me are the guys everyone else hates: Lou Holtz – fake teeth, lisp and all – and Michael 'it wasn't my pipe' Irvin. I also like John Madden, though he rarely makes sense. But sometimes, when the moons are in alignment, he makes some HUGE points between bits of applesauce and turkey.

1. there are Warriors out tonite. in every part of the world, men, women and children are striving to do great things. They aren't sullied by political backgammon. They don't do it for the money or the nookie or anything else beyond the joy of achievement. People are striving against the limitations of their bodies and minds in pursuit one brief moment of true achievement. They say a lifetime of misery is worth a second of enlightenment. ESPN's cameras are supposed to be there when that second happens…

You've failed us all, old friend, and I have outgrown you.

Interesting Demon, but a mute for taking so much time with your face time. Neo anything you want to add?

Round of Keith's on me! Don't forget to check the Pickoff!

I take it that Keith's are some form of Alcohol, and you get a (MUTE) for that.

Well thanks everyone for checking this out. I'm MrNFL, and you can re-watch this by clicking the refresh button.

HORN!

Demonicume

NeoAC

Burger21

Bengals9

 

And everyone be on the lookout for a new series coming soon called "The 2006 NFL Season according to Tecmo Super Bowl"  Should be good...

It continues, now part 5 of this average series, "MrNFL Presents, the NFL Preview Extravaganza." Today, we start the AFC, which is considered by most to be the better conference. Today, we will start it off with the AFC North, the home of the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers, along with the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, and Cincinati Bengals.

For info on the cheap system I've devised to determine the champion at the end of this...click here.

NFC NORTH
NFC SOUTH
NFC EAST
NFC WEST

LET'S GO!

Cleveland Browns

LAST YEAR: Was the normal for the Browns, they didn't get in the playoffs. However they did improve by two wins, finishing 6-10. The defense was better, but the offense was still bad.

Quarterbacks: Charlie Frye, Ken Dorsey, Derek Anderson
Charlie Frye is very young, and very inconsistant. He tends to make tons of stupid mistakes, and he has yet to prove that he is the guy. Ken Dorsey and Derek Anderson are horrible backup QB's, who are the same as Frye, except even worse.

QB Score 1/5

Running backs: Reuben Droughns, Lawrence Vickers, William Green, Jerome Harrison, Lee Suggs, Terrelle Smith, Corey McIntyre, Jason Wright.
Reuben Droughns could not get in to the endzone to save his life. He had decent yardage last year, but doesn't look like he could get the tough yards. Vickers is a rookie, and hasn't proven much. William Green was a wasted draft pick, Suggs is soon to probably be traded, and the rest of the guys stink. Smith is a decent fullback.

RB Score 5/10

Recieving Targets: Braylon Edwards, Joe Jurevicius, Dennis Northcutt, Kendrick Mosley, Frisman Jackson, Travis Wilson, Kellen Winslow, Steve Heiden, Paul Irons.
Braylon Edwards looked good in college, but had mucho injury problems last year. Northcutt and Jackson have shown flashes, but are both inconsistant. Jurevicius's addition adds some leadership and hands to the team. Kellen Winslow was also great in college, but still hasn't play much because of injury. This group is very unproven.

WR Score 6/10

Offensive Line: LeCharles Bentley, Kevin Shaffer, Joe Andruzzi, Cosey Coleman, Ross Tucker, Ryan Tucker, Isaac Sowells, Nat Dorsey, Alonzo Ephraim, Mike Mabry.
Bentley was the big free agent addition to the Browns. Too bad he's out for the season. The backup center Ephraim is suspended as well. However, Andruzzi and Coleman are both solid guards, and Tucker and Tucker are decent guards. This line needs to stay healthy though.

OL Score 7/10

Defensive Line: Ted Washington, Orpheus Roye, Kamerion Wimbley, J'vonne Parker, Babatunde Oshinowo, Nick Eason, Simon Frasier, Andrew Hoffman.
The Browns in the offseason picked up old man Washington, who is 38. He is still a solid defensive tackle. They drafted Wimbley, who may prove to be a successful end, but the rest of these guys are average at best, and inconsistant.

DL Score 6/10

Linebackers: Willie McGinest, Andra Davis, D'Qwell Jackson, David McMillan, Chaun Thompson, Leon Williams, Nick Speegle,
Adding the veteran McGinest was a big move, as he is still very talented, and provides leadership. Davis is quietly one of the top linebackers in football. Thompson and McMillan are alright, and Jackson showed talent in college.

LB Score 8/10

Defensive Backs: Gary Baxter, Daylon McCutcheon, DeMario Minter, Daven Holly, Leigh Bodden, Sean Jones, Justin Hamilton, Brian Russell, Brodney Pool, Pete Hunter, Ralph Brown,
Gary Baxter and McCutcheon are both solid corners to lead a defense, however after them, they have some holes in the secondary. Unproven guys at the other corner spots, and no safeties of any real talent. Jones, Russell, Pool and others are all very average for safeties, and may not be great starters.

DB Score 7/10

Special Teams: Phil Dawson, Dave Zastudil, Dennis Northcutt.
Phil Dawson is a solid veteran kicker. Northcutt is a pretty good kick and punt returner.

ST Score 8/10

Coach: Romeo Crennel.
In his first year, he improved the Browns, altough they still weren't great. Before that he did a great job with the Patriots defense, as they got to multiple Super Bowls.

Coach 7/10

FINAL THOUGHTS: This team still looks shoddy, e####ally the offense, which doesn't look capable of scoring very many points. They better hope the offense steps up...

NEXT....

Baltimore Ravens

LAST YEAR: It was a disapointing year for the Ravens, as they had their worst season in 7 years, finishing a dismal 6-10. Problems with the offense were the reason for the lack of success, as the D could not singlehandedly carry the team as they had in years past.

Quarterbacks: Steve McNair, Kyle Boller, Brian St. Pierre
Bringing in McNair will help the position as he brings in veteran leadership. However, the past two seasons he's battled injury and average numbers. Kyle Boller has yet to do anything, as he is an interception machine.

QB Score 3/5

Running backs: Mike Anderson, Jamal Lewis, P.J. Daniels, Musa Smith, B.J. Sams, Justin Green, Ovie Mugheli.
Mike Anderson was solid in Denver, however he was a part of a system in which seemingly every running back has success, and it is unkown if he take his Bronco success to the Ravens. Jamal Lewis has burned out, as he couldn't even average 3.5 yards a carry. Musa Smith and B.J. Sams are alright, but are inconsistant.

RB Score 5/10

Recieving Targets: Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton, Demetrius Williams, Clarence Moore, Devard Darling, Todd Heap, Quinn Sypniewski, Matt Cherry, Romby Bryant, Rob Abiamiri.
Derrick Mason is a solid veteran #1 reciever. Todd Heap is also a solid recieving tight end. But the rest of the group in a question. Mark Clayton showed some flashes last year, but is inconsistant. The same goes for Williams, Moore, and Darling, they are average talent. Also they have no backup tight end.

WR Score 7/10

Offensive Line: Jonathan Ogden, Mike Flynn, Edwin Mulitalo, Keydrick Vincent, Orlando Brown, Tony Pashos, Adam Terry, Brian Rimpf, Jason Brown, Mike Kracalik, Thatcher Szalay.
Ogden is still one of the best tackles in all of football. Flynn is a good center, and Mulitalo and Vincent are both solid guards. Orlando Brown is a decent tackle as well. The depth is average, but the starting 5 are pretty good.

OL Score 8/10

Defensive Line: Terrell Suggs, Kelly Gregg, Haloti Ngata, Trevor Pryce, Dan Cody, Jarrett Johnson, Dwan Edwards, Justin Bannan, Aubrayo Franklin.
Adding Pryce from Denver adds some talent to this line, as Pryce consistantly does pretty well. Suggs still doesn't seem confortable at defensive end, and I think he should be back at linebacker. Gregg is decent, and they drafted the rookie Ngata

DL Score 8/10

Linebackers: Ray Lewis, Peter Boulware, Roderick Green, Dennis Haley, Adalius Thomas, Bart Scott, Mike Smith, Ryan LaCasse, Tim Johnson.
Ray Lewis is still good, but has had injury problems as of late. Boulware has yet to regain his 2003 form, he has had injurys, and hasn't done much outside of that. Thomas is alright, but the rest of these guys are pretty weak. This linebacking group is the weakest the Ravens have had in a long time.

LB Score 6/10

Defensive Backs: Chris McAlister, Samari Rolle, David Pittman, Derrick Martin, Corey Ivy, Ed Reed, Gerome Sapp, Dawan Landry, Robb Butler, Duvol Thompson, B.J. Ward, Evan Oglesby.
The 1-2 cornerback combo of Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle is one of the best CB combos in football. They also have Ed Reed, one of the best safeties in the game. However, everyone else is bad. Young, unproven corners, and average safeties. If an injury happens to McAlister, Rolle, or Reed, the secondary is screwed.

DB Score 8/10

Special Teams: Matt Stover, Aaron Elling, Sam Koch, B.J. Sams
Stover is a old veteran who still has some good accuracy. They have Elling for the long field goals, but his accuracy is questionable at best. B.J. Sams is a good kick and punt returner.

ST Score 8/10

Coach: Brian Billick
Billick in his tenure in Balitmore has done a solid good job, with 3 ten win seasons and also a Super Bowl win.

Coach 8/10

FINAL THOUGHTS: The offense is improved, but still lacks a running game. The defense is no longer the force it once was, and may not be able to make up for the lack of running game.

Onward...







Cincinnati Bengals

LAST YEAR: The Bengals had their best season since 1988 (By the way, I wasn't even alive then) and made it to the playoffs with a powerful offense. They won the division, but got bounced in the first round by division rival Pittsburgh.

Quarterbacks: Carson Palmer, Anthony Wright, Doug Johnson, Reggie McNeal
Carson Palmer was great last year, but is coming off of a wicked knee injury. There is still question about Palmer's durability. The backups are alright, as Wright did a decent job as a fill in for the Ravens last year. Doug Johnson, is average at best.

QB Score 3/5

Running backs: Rudi Johnson, Chris Perry, Jeremi Johnson, Kenny Watson, Quincy Wilson.
Rudi Johnson is the best running back that no one really pays attenion to. He has had over 1,400 yards and 12 touchdowns in both of his last seasons. He also has a great fullback in Jeremi Johnson, and a solid backup in Chris Perry. This team has a great running game.

RB Score 9/10

Recieving Targets: Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Antonio Chatman, Chris Perry, Tab Perry, Kelley Washington, P.K. Sam, Bennie Brazell, Reggie Kelly, Tony Stewart, Darnell Sanders.
Chad Johnson is one of the best recievers in all of football, and T.J. H. is a very good #2 guy. However, they really don't have a solid #3 guy. Chris Perry is in and out of jail, and Chatman, Washington, Sam and Tab are all inconsistant recivers. They also do lack a solid tight end, as they have a bunch of average guys.

WR Score 8/10

Offensive Line: Willie Anderson, Eric Steinbach, Rich Braham, Bobbie Williams, Levi Jones, Scott Kooistra, Andrew Whitworth, Eric Ghiaciuc, Adam Kieft, Steven Vieira.
Willie Anderson is consistantly one of the top tackles in all of football. Levi Jones is a solid tackle, Braham is a pretty good center. Steinbach and Williams are both pretty good guards as well, and they have decent depth as well.

OL Score 8/10

Defensive Line: Sam Adams, Bryan Robinson, Justin Smith, Frostee Rucker, Robert Geathers, Jonathan Fanene, John Thornton, Shaun Smith, Domata Peko.
Sam Adams is still a solid tackle even in his old age, and Robinson and Thornton are both decent defensive tackles. Justin Smith is a good defensive end, but the other spot it weak, because Rucker is always in jail, and Geathers is average.

DL Score 7/10

Linebackers: Odell Thurman, David Pollack, Brian Simmons, A.J. Nicholson, Hannibal Naives, Ahmad Brooks, Landon Johnson, Caleb Miller, Marcus Wilkins,
Simmons is still one of the top linebackers in football. The rest of the unit is filled with tons of inconsistancy. Thurman is good, but he is suspended for part of the year. Pollack is a 2nd year player, and Nicholson is a rookie. Naives is a decent vet, but is average at best, and the rest of this group is unproven.

LB Score 6/10

Defensive backs: Deltha O'Neal, Tory James, Keiwan Ratliff, Jonathan Joseph, Rashad Bauman, Kevin Kaesviharn, Madieu Williams, Anthony Mitchell, Dexter Jackson, Tony Bua, Patick Body.
O'Neal and James both did a good last year getting the interceptions, however they still allowed tons of passing yards. Ratliff is a decent #3, and Joseph a solid rookie. The safety spot is also a concern.. Williams and Kaesviharn are decent, but are very inconsistant. The rest of the guys are all unproven.

DB Score 6/10

Special Teams: Shayne Graham, Kyle Larson, Antonio Chatman
Graham is a steady kicker who makes most field goals. Chatman is a decent kick returner.

ST Score 8/10

Coach: Marvin Lewis
What Lewis has done in Cinci is amazing. He took a constantly bad franchise, and turned them into a solid team, as the first two years they were 8-8, and last year they were in the playoffs.

Coach 9/10

FINAL THOUGHTS: The offense looks to be great again, but will it be enough to carry them into the playoffs with a lackluster defense?










Pittsburgh Steelers

LAST YEAR: The regular season was a bit disapointing, as they finished with 4 less wins than the year before, and they barely squeaked into the playoffs. However, they stepped it up in the postseason, beating the Bengals, Colts, Broncos and Seahawks on the way to a Super Bowl.

Quarterbacks: Ben Roethlisberger, Charlie Batch, Omar Jacobs
Roethlisberger is a pretty smart young QB, who doesn't tend to make alot of dumb mistakes. However, with his motorcycle accident and now a hurt them, some are concerned about Ben. Batch is a decent backup.

QB Score 3/5

Running backs: Willie Parker, Duce Staley, Dan Kreider, Verron Haynes, Doug Easlick, Cedric Humes, John Kuhn.
This running back group seems a little bit shaky. Altough Willie Parker was good last year, can he get the short yards? Duce Staley has been very inconsistant these last few years, battling a ton of injuries. Haynes is a decent back, and may take Staley's #2 spot. Dan Kreider however is one of the best blocking fullbacks in football.

RB Score 7/10

Recieving Targets: Hines Ward, Cedrick Wilson, Quincy Morgan, Santonio Holmes, Lee Mays, Willie Reid, Heath Miller, Jerame Tuman, Marco Battiglia, Walter Young, Sean Morey.
Hines Ward is one the best recievers in all of football, and consistantly puts up good numbers. Heath Miller is also a solid young recieving tight end. However, the other recievers are all questionable. Morgan has shown skill, but is much too inconsistant, and the same can be said for Wilson. Holmes is a rookie, and hasn't done anything yet.

WR Score 7/10

Offensive Line: Jeff Hartings, Alan Faneca, Marvel Smith, Max Starks, Kendall Simmons, Chris Kemoeatu, Trai Essex, Chukky Okobi, Barrett Brooks, Willie Colon.
This group is one of the best lines in football. Faneca is one of the best guards in football, Hartings one of the best centers, and Smith one of the best tackles. Kendall Simmons is solid, and Max Starks is decent. The depth is decent, with the veteran Barrett Brooks, and a solid Okobi.

OL Score 9/10

Defensive Line: Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton, Chris Hoke, Orien Harris, Brett Keisel, Rodney Bailey, Shaun Nua, Travis Kirshcke.
Casey Hampton when healthy is a solid nose tackle, but he has had many injury problems. Hoke is a solid fill in, and they drafted Harris as well if Hampton gets hurt. Aaron Smith is quietly one of the better defensive ends in football. Keisel, Bailey and Kirshke are decent defensive ends.

DL Score 8/10

Linebackers: Joey Porter, Larry Foote, Clark Haggans, James Farrior, Arnold Harrison, James Harrison, Andre Frazier, Richard Seigler, Clint Kriewaldt, Rian Wallace.
Joey Porter is one of the best linebackers in football, and Farrior is also one of the best. Foote and Haggans are both solid guys who put up solid performances. The backups are young and unproven however with the exception of Kriewaldt.

LB Score 9/10

Defensive backs: Deshea Townsend, Ike Taylor, Richard Colclough, Bryant McFadden, Troy Polamalu, Mike Logan, Tyrone Carter, Chidi Iwuoma, Ryan Clark, Anthony Smith.
Townsend is a solid veteran at corner back. Taylor and Colclough have shown some promise, but are inconsistant at corner. However, Troy Polamalu is one of the best strong safeties in football. But the free safety spot is up for grabs between veteran Mike Logan, and rookie Anthony Smith.

DB Score 8/10

Special Teams: Jeff Reed, Chris Gardocki, Quincy Morgan.
Reed is a very consistant kicker, and often gets forgotten. Gardocki has never had a punt blocked in his career (Just thought that was a fun stat for a 36 year old punter) and Morgan is a decent kick returner.

ST Score 8/10

Coach: Bill Cohwer
Cowher has coached the Steelers for 14 years, and amazingly has only had 3 losing seasons in that entire time. The Steelers seem to always be in the playoffs, and Cowher won the Super Bowl last year.

Coach 10/10

FINAL THOUGHTS: The Steelers once again have one of the most dominating defensive units in football. However, the offense appears weak, and may end up being this teams ultimate downfall.

Well that ends part 5 of this series. The AFC continues next time, with the AFC South.

THATS ALL I GOT

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Today, Golf is what is bumping Around the Horn and PTI.  And as always, anytime these shows are bumped, I provide your cheap replacement...

     EXCUSE    
         THE       
DISTRACTION

OPENING RANTS...

Is the NBA Draft always that confusing?  Granted, I didn't watch much of it, but when I did watch, and when I looked at recaps, I saw that half of the players got traded around.  Why didn't these teams just pick who they wanted early?  The Blazers felt that making 4 trades was the way to get talent, in fact, I hear their plans for the season are an all-rookie team.  So my Bulls drafted LaMarcus Aldredge.  Wait, no it was Tyrus Thomas.  Wait, THIS IS HURTING MY MIND!  The NFL Draft is much less complicated thats for sure.  In the end, the Raptors drafted the Italian guy, who apprently is tall, yet lacks rebounding, hmmm.  The Bobcats got Adam Morrison, yippie.  Brandon Roy is a T'Wolf, no wait, a Blazer.  Randy Foye became a Celtic, wait I mean a T'Wolf.  Rudy #### became a Rocket, wait I mean Grizzly.  MAKE UP YOUR MIND NBA GM's!!!!!

In baseball news, people on my fantasy teams continue to suck.  Case in point, my ace pticher, Pedro Martinez.  Pedro, going home to Boston, and he gets mauled.  3 Innings, 7 hits, 8 runs, 6 earned, and only 1 strikeout.  WHAT WAS THAT???  I know the Mets are the class of the National League, but after that game, I wonder how much better the American League is?  Just look at interleague records.  The average teams of the AL could be the great teams of the NL.  I don't know how it happened, maybe the DH is to blame, but the American League is far more superior. 

Which brings me to the All-Star game.  It is a complete waste of time.  Just like the Pro Bowl, and NBA All-Star game, the MLB All-Star game is useless.  We should give the homefield to the team with the better record, and not the team who wins this.  Because in reality, this game isn't "National League vs American League."  It's, "National League vs Yankees/RedSox"  Red Sox and Yankee players take up 7 of the 9 starting spots on the AL team.  Do some of them deserve to be in?  Sure, but Jason Varitek, and Robinson Cano shouldn't been anywhere close.  The fact that Joe Mauer is 3rd in catcher voting is sad.  Only a few of them deserve it.  Manny, Jeter, and maybe A-Rod deserve in.  Ortiz shouldn't be first base, because he DOESN'T PLAY IT.  Konerko should be there.  Put Papi on the bench as a pinch hitter, because he shouldn't be on that team as a 1st baseman.  The National League team looks fine, but this American League team is a sham, and so's the All-Star game.  Fans shouldn't be allowed to vote, because too many are stupid.

We'll return after a commercial break.

 

The Greatest Game Show of all time!  Weekdays at 11PM on CBS!

Time for a new segment in the show...

BRACKET BUSTERS!  (World Cup edition)

I'm not a soccer guy, but its a big event, and its down to 8 teams.  Knowing very little about the world of soccer, here are the predictions for the remainder of the World Cup.

GERMANY vs ARGENTINA.

Aren't they playing these games in Germany?  That should make the fan support very uneven, since Argentina is somewhere in South America.   Germany has the advantage of ready-to-riot fans, so the cards will probably go in their favor.  Germany wins, 1-0.

ITALY vs UKRAINE

Ukraine had to go to penalty kicks to beat the Swiss, so I'm not sold on that team overall I suppose.  Ukraine hasn't won by much.  Italy has, and Italy invented pizza, so thats how I roll.  Italy wins 2-0.

ENGLAND vs PORTUGAL

I did see some of Portugal's game a few days back, where they had a million yellow and red cards.  Because of that alone, England wins this game, 2-1.

BRAZIL vs FRANCE

Brazil is supposed to be good, and France has never done anything good for us.  Brazil wins 3-0.

FROM THERE...

Germany vs Italy, That home field advantage is sweet, Germany 2-1.

England vs Brazil, Brazil is really good, Brazil 2-1 in penalty kicks.

THEN,,,,

Germany vs Brazil.  Germany proceeds to lose to Brazil 2-1.

BRAZIL WINS THE WORLD CUP!

Talk about expert analysis.  Commercial time!

EA SPORTS, ITS IN THE GAME!

TIME FOR...

ODDSMAKERS!

ODDS that Ed Reed plays all 6 years of his contract in Balitmore.
I have this at 36%.  Hear me out.  The Ravens D won't be that great D for the next 6 years.  I think after year 4 that Reed will see problems with the team, and either opt to be traded, or be cut.

ODDS that those World Cup picks I just made will be correct.
I have this at 18% .  I am a complete #### when it comes to soccer, but anything can happen I suppose??

ODDS that Bargnani, the guy the Raptors drafted, turns out to be great.
I have this at 23%.  From what I've been told, (By ESPN), he is a bad rebounder.  Sure, that can change, but rebounding comes from wanting the ball more, and this guy might not want it bad enough.

ODDS that Andre Agassi wins Wimbleton.
I have this at 0%.  I know nothing of tennis, but I do know Agassi is really old, and probably won't beat Nadal, who I hear is good.

ODDS that 10 years from now, Poker is the most watched and played sport.
This is my worst nightmare, and I give it 6% because the NFL is king.  But so many people love watching the ####.  What has the world come too?

THATS ODDSMAKERS, one final commercial!

Rush Limbaugh uses it, do you?

Finally, we will end with some TV picks.  Ok, its the summer, so nothing very good is on that isn't a re-run.  Big Brother is alright, I just hope they don't put has-been celebs in there next year.  Other than that, watch some baseball I suppose.  That's all for tonights ETD knuckleheads.  ETD re-airs by clicking the "Refresh" button on your browser.

Once again, it is one of those days where you turn to ESPN around 5:30 PM and look for PTI.  Trouble is, something else is on in its place (Baseball today).  So because there is no PTI, it is time once again for my cheap ripoff, Excuse the Distraction!

HEADLINES

Well game one of the MLB season was last night; er, really this morning.  The White Sox vs Indians game didn't end until 2:10 AM because of a thunderstorm. (Which hit me about 10 minutes later).  The White Sox's great pitching wasn't from Mark Buerhle, who had an ERA of 6.75 after 4 innings.  Instead it was 22 year old, Brandon McCarthy, coming in and pitching a no hitter for the next 3 innings.  One does have to wonder if the Sox pitching will live up to the standard it set last year, when those starters all pitched great, espcially during the playoffs.  They aren't the greatest hitters in the league, so that pitching will need to step up for the Sox to repeat.

The Ravens are apprently going to keep Jamal Lewis as their starting running back.  I guess the Ravens want to be at the bottom of their divison.  He couldn't even average 3.4 a game.  Jamal Lewis was a one year bust, who has nothing left in him.  Mike Anderson may not be running back of the year, but he will at least get you solid numbers.  With the D in decline, and little passing game to be found, the Ravens may be one of 2006's worst teams.

Falcons head coach Jim Mora is having his staff look at tapes from colleges with running quarterbacks similar to Michael Vick.  So much for the West Coast offense.  This I believe is a brilliant idea.  Vick is not the normal QB, and he won't fit in the normal system.  For Vick to succeed, they need something that he can be confortable with.  With a defense that looks like it could be a force, they need to get Vick right if they want the Super Bowl.  But, he will probably be hurt.

All I've heard in college basketball regarding UCLA and Florida, is the hype about Joakim Noah.  Yeah, he's good.  WE GET IT!  From what I've heard, this guy sounds like a one man team.  If Luc Richard Mhah Amoute (whatever his name is) can shut Noah down, it sounds like it could be a Bruin victory.

Weren't the Rockets supposed to be one of the big power teams this year in the NBA?  What happened to that?  It isn't a shock that the media over-hyped Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming.  While they are both good, they have injury problems, and not so good teammates.  This leaves the Rockets back 6.5 games of the 8 seed.  Yeah, I think "Over-rated" is the term for these guys.

Wrestlemania 22 is in the books, and I didn't watch it.  That was the first Mania I've missed since WM 16.  It sounded like a solid show from Johnnystorms posts, but I don't think I missed anything.  WWE needs to figure out what they are doing if they want my money for PPVs.  I am glad to hear that RVD won.  In a post a few weeks back, I said he was the solution.  I guess they listened to me, I'm just that damn good...

We'll be back after a commercial break

GUINESS BEER? BRILLIANT!

Well I don't have any guests, I guess no players want to do an interview with a guy like me who asks all of the tough questions.  The only e-mail I have is a lot of spam, and I don't feel like reading that, so lets do some ODDSMAKERS!

ODDS

ODDS that Florida beats UCLA.
Based on all I've heard, this sounds like an even game.  But I will favor Florida a little just because of the hype of Noah.  56%.

ODDS that Jaromir Jagr wins the NHL MVP.
I have this at a big 95%.  He leads the league in points, goals and he is second in assists.  Plus he has the Rangers in playoff contension.  Sounds pretty good to me, unless they give the award to a goalie.  Can they?  95%

ODDS the Knicks make it to the playoffs.....next year
I have this at a big whopping 2%.  They are still in salary cap hell, and have a lot of old farts who have no talent.  Maybe they will be smart enough to start fresh with Curry, Robinson, and Frye.  But next year, they are still screwed. 2%.

ODDS Brett Favre plays next year
I have this at 20%.  I know he wants to play FOOTBALL. But the Packers SUCK.  And they don't want him either.  20%.

ODDS that Nate Burleson is more than a slot reciever next year.
I have this at 30%.   Darrell Jackson when healthy is solid, and Hasselbeck likes throwing it to Bobby Engram.  Burleson only had one good year, and may be a fluke, so I don't see him at much more then slot.  30%.

ODDS that this post gets 10 comments
I have this about 5%, since no one reads any of my posts.  Maybe if I found some pics of Carmen Electra topless....

BACK TO THE FINISH AFTER ANOTHER COMMERCIAL

24

TONIGHT ON FOX

Well thats all for the 2nd ever ETD.  I'm going to go with the moment of deep thought.

DEEP THOUGHT

Intentional grounding is called when the quarterback in the pocket throws the ball to nobody.  By rule, wouldn't spiking the ball to stop the clock be intentional grounding?  Hmmm.

THATS ALL I GOT

That is correct, the Arizona Cardinals have agreed to a 4 year deal with Edgerrin James.  This is big for the Cardinals, as one of their biggest flaws was the running back spot.  They have great recievers, and now a great running back.  If the Cards can figure out there QB, then they could have one of the leagues top offenses.  Kurt Warner is old, and I'm not sure he is the QB they need.  The Cardinals next year could be a playoff team.

Onto the Colts, James has been a staple of their explosive offense for the last couple years, and without him, the Colts offense will definetly struggle.  Last year, when Edge didn't have 100 yards, the Colts struggled.  Dominic Rhodes and James Mungro aren't very good, which leaves defenses to focus solely on Peyton Manning.  The Colts I think have lost their chance to be a Super Bowl contender, unless they seriously fix the D.  They may be letting Cato June go, a talented young linebacker.  (Every year the Colts get rid of good young LBs, Marcus Washington, Mike Peterson...)

In other free agent news, the 49ers traded away talented young reciever Brandon Lloyd to the Redskins for draft picks.  This is increbibly stupid, as Lloyd is a good reciever, and the only reason he lacks good numbers is because his QB and RB suck.  He made 3 one handed catches along with a lot of other good plays.  The 49ers needed to trade Kevan Barlow, because they have no running game, and Alex Smith sucks.

Also the Browns have struck gold, getting great center LeCharles Bentley and veteran wide-out Joe Jurevicius.  The Browns do nothing but gain from this.  The Seahawks are dumb for letting Jurevicius go, as he was a reciever who could actually catch.  The Saints shouldn't have let go of Bentley either, because if they are gonna draft Cutler, Leinart, or Young, they are gonna need to give those guys an offensive line?

The Ravens signed good DE Trevor Pryce.  Tough loss for the Broncos, he has been a sack machine for a long time.

LAST and probably least, the kicker.  The Vikings signed long time Packers kicker, Ryan Longwell.  While Longwell is a good kicker, why are they tossing Paul Edinger.  Edinger had a good season for the Vikes, but I guess he gets the drop.

THATS ALL I GOT