Well, its one of those days again where ESPN has decided to replace Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption with some game. Today, its Dodgers vs Rockies (when did that matchup matter?) and the deuce has Soccer, SOCCER!Well, as always when these shows aren’t on, its time
For my cheap knockoff, Excuse the Distraction!
OPENING RANTS
Barry Bonds, we've heard that name so many times by now that it makes us go crazy. The latest is, he's been terrible lately. He can't hit, and he's always hurt. Which brings me to, why are people still intenionally walking him? He isn't much of a baserunning threat, and he can barely hit the ball. His average is far from good. Barry is no longer that superman who hits everything out. If you want to walk people, start walking Albert Pujols. Yesterday against the Astros, they plunked Barry, and it looked intentional from my view. For god sakes, just let the guy play!
Yesterday, I was watching the end of the Heat and the Nets. Good game, good series. My complaint is the cheapness of TNT. Towards the end of Game 5, the sound at the arena went away, and you could no longer hear the game or announcers. They then cut the sound to Ernie, Kenny, and Chuck in the studio. By the time they got it back, there was 1 second on the clock! TNT, you spent a lot of money getting the rights to these games, you shouldn't be having problems like this!
In other NBA playoff news, the Suns beat the Clippers last night in double OT. I didn't catch this, because its on SO FREAKING LATE, but it sounded pretty exciting. The Suns now have a 3-2 lead, which makes me nervious about my Clippers in the Confrence finals prediction. But if the Clippers get bounced, all I have to say to them is bravo. They hadn't made the playoffs in god knows when, and they were only good for being the punch line to the joke. Elton Brand, Sam Cassell and crew have made people finally give respect to this franchise. Even if they lose the series, it was still a winning season for the Clippers
I think that if someone said, "Between the Cavs/Pistons series and the Mavs/Spurs, one will be 2-2 and one will be 3-1", you would have thought it would be Pistons leading 3-1. Well, the exact oppisite has happened. The Cavaliers have won two straight. However, they were both at home. For the Cavs to win this series, they have to win once at the Palace. I don't know if they can do that. The Pistons have looked sluggish lately, but at home, they always mean business. This series is a lot closer then I expected. But the Mavericks and Spurs one has been surprising. I had the Mavericks winning it, but I was expecting 7 games. Of course, we all wrote off the Suns down 3-1 to the Lakers, maybe the Spurs can come back. But their odds, not so good.
In NHL news, the Eastern Confrence finals have already been determined, it will be the Sabres facing the Hurricanes. In the West, we know the Mighty Ducks will be there, but will they be joined by the Sharks, or the Oilers? The Oilers lead it 3 games to 2 right now as they set for game 6 at home. Now, home ice has been big in the first 4 games of this series (the home team won), but after winning game 5 in San Jose, the Oilers look to be in the drivers seat. Who would have guessed that this 8 seeded team would be this far? They overcame the mighty Red Wings, and look like they may overcome the Sharks as well. Ah, the craziness of the NHL Playoffs.
Comercial Break time
MMMMM BURGER
Ok, now thats out of the way, lets do some over/under.\
OVER/UNDER 100 points scored by the Pistons in game 5. Under, the Pistons never score a whole lot of points. The Cavs probably won't score over 100 either. Should be a good game though.
OVER/UNDER 5 more years of coaching for Larry Brown. Under, his dream job was New York, and look how thats working out. He'll probably go to the Warriors or Kings for a few years, but after that, his health will partially cause him to call it quits.
OVER/UNDER 1 pass thrown or caught in a regular season game this year for Marcus Vick Under, I don't see him making the final roster.
OVER/UNDER 1 Win for the Cubs in the next 2 weeks. I really hope Over, but I'm not sure. Maybe we can get another solid performance out of Zambrano, or Maddux.
OVER/UNDER 2 Goals scored in todays Barcelona vs Arsenal soccer game. Under, Its soccer. You don't score goals in soccer. Its just not happening.
Time for another Commercial.
ALWAYS LOW PRICES, ALWAYS
Now time for some Oddsmakers!
ODDS that the WNBA season opener gets 1/4 of the ratings that the NBA Playoffs games get. 95%. I personally don't know if the WNBA games are any good, but no one seems to have interest. The fact that there is a game on ABC is big for them. National exposure will help that league, since all they get is the rare game on ESPN. I wonder if those refs call traveling?
ODDS that the Cavaliers win their series with the Pistons 15% Thats a low number, but with LeBron James, I'll always give them a shot.
ODDS that the Ravens land Steve McNair 87%. The Titans have been very stupid with how they have dealt with McNair. They could have had him prepare Vince Young for the future. Now it looks like they will likely get nothing. 87 because they may keep him or someone else might get him. Even if he goes to the Ravens, they won't go far with Jamal Lewis at halfback.
ODDS that I make the Next Great Sportswriter Final 16. 1%, and thats if the judges get drunk. Just kidding about the drunk thing. There is so many better writers then me, so I'm out of my league just a bit. But it should be fun to see.
Commercial time!
Refreshing!
So that ends another chapter of Excuse the Distraction. Lets end with my moment of deep thought...
Situation in baseball. Fast runner on 1st base, slow guy at the bat. He pops it up in the infield. Now, shouldn't you not catch it on purpose, then throw it to second. You have the same number of outs, but a slower runner on base. Think about it...
No single story really worth talking about today. So, lets go with another Random #### Rant!
Doug Flutie announced today that he will retire. He is 43 years old right now, and not of much use. But I think looking back at Flutie's career, you can say that it was a bit of a disapointment. He came into the league with big expectations after winning the Heisman Trophy, but he never really did anything. He spent most of his career in the CFL and other leagues because he wasn't good enough for the NFL. He was great in Canada, but he had a team around him. He came back, to the NFL, and put up decent numbers for the Bills, but its sad that it really didn't work out for him. Many thought he would go down as one of the best QB's in the league, but he turned out just to be another average NFL QB. It just proves once again, that a QB's success is based on the talent around him. He was great in college, because he had a great team around him, and in the NFL, he failed to have that. Quarterbacks, always get the fame, but always get the blame.
Reggie Bush is already injured at Saints training camp. This look like the injury bust situation big time. Gale Sayers had injury problems in his career, Marshall Faulk had some later, and you notice that these are two guys Bush gets comparisions to? The Texans may end up looking smart when all is said and done.
Memo to NHL, your first round of the playoffs were filled with a lot of excitement and action. What is round 2? The Ducks swept, the Hurricanes and Sabres won in 5. Only the Oilers vs Sharks series has any closeness to it. The fact that this 2nd round was weak hurts the NHL. They need the Confrence Finals games to be exciting, if not, the effects could be terrible. OLN has become Hockey Central, now they need the games to be worth something.
I saw this story today on the site about the Sharks fans booing the Canadian National Anthem. That is pretty disrespctfully, but kinda funny. No wonder so many countries hate us Americans. I'm still angry that tonight the President is going to pre-empt my 24. What is he going to talk about, "Terrorists are.....uh....um.....bad" Sheesh, why couldn't they just leave this stuff on the 24/7 News channels so that people who want to watch it can, and the rest of us can enjoy our regularly scheduled programming.
While the 2nd round of the NHL playoffs have lacked excitement, the 2nd round of the NBA Playoffs has been great. The Mavericks vs Spurs series is looking like one of the best series in recent memory. The Suns and Clippers have been good too. I just wish these weren't the Western Games, because they are on so freaking late that I can't watch them. I get stuck watching the Pistons or the Heat. Nothing wrong with them, but those are the series I care the least about. I want to see Mavs/Spurs and Suns/Clips, but they aren't on till 11, and its annoying. Well, I just hope my predictions go well. (Mavs/Clips Western finals!)
Finally, lets end this RCR with some baseball.
The other night, Sportscenter cut to a Phillies game where Jon Leiber (I think thats who it was) had a perfect game through 6 innings. Needless to say, as soon as ESPN showed it, he gave up a hit. The perfect game is an accomplishment that almost all pitchers go through a career, and not get it. For you to get one of these, not only can you not make mistakes, but your fielders can't. I can't imagine how anyone has every done it, it seems like the hardest single-game accomplishment in sports. Then I wondered, "Whats the equilvelant of this in other sports?" Would it be a QB throwing a perfect rating in a game? How about a 300 yard rushing performance? I could go on and on. But I can honestly say, the next time someone has a shot at a perfect game, I'll be watching.
I think that the Chiefs got a huge steal when they got Alabama QB Brodie Croyle in the 3rd round. Very few probably notice this pick, but with Trent Green getting up there in years, Croyle will be soon called upon. With Green there to teach him, and the talent of Larry Johnson, Croyle may be the QB for the Chiefs in 3 years.
I also noticed that the Chargers went QB in the 3rd and picked Charlie Whitehurst. I'm making a prediction, that Whitehurst will start at some time during this season for the Chargers. Getting rid of Brees will be the dumbest thing they ever did.
Which makes me think of Drew Brees, what a great situation he has. The Saints have now two great backs, with Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister, as well as Joe Horn and Donte Stallworth. Next year, they could have one of the leagues top offensives.
Another thing I saw was the Rams 2nd round pick of TE Joe Klopfenstein. They have always had a great power offense, but they always lacked a TE. Now they have one that can make a huge impact.
The Vikings with the last pick in the 2nd picked QB Tarvaris Jackson. From what I hear, he's a scrambling type QB. I wonder if he will be the guy to inhiert the Vikings QB job?
One of the Draft shockers for me was the Broncos trading up to get Jay Cutler. I ask, why the hell did they do this. Jake Plummer is a good QB, who since coming to Denver, has been pretty good. He's not a old man either. Them picking Cutler is saying they don't have faith in Plummer. All I heard during last years playoffs was, "When is Plummer going to screw up" and when he had a bad game, it wasn't the Steelers D getting the credit, it was "Plummer choking." Broncos, WAKE THE HELL UP. You have a good QB, Cutler isn't going to be better this year, or next year, or the year after that. Espcially with Javon Walker now, the Broncos are going to be more of a threat....
As I change back and forth between the NHL playoffs and NBA Playoffs, I saw something very interesting. The NBA coverage was cutting to breaking news. That news was Chris Mortensen of ESPN saying that the Texans had signed not Reggie Bush, but Mario Williams. That is right. Bush, after being talked about all offseason as the best thing since sliced bread, is being passed for the Defensive End Mario Williams.
Personally, this makes a lot of since to me. Granted, Bush looks as if he could become a future all-star, but running back wasn't a need. They already have a great young back in Domanick Davis, who is the best back you've never heard of. Many of the draft "experts" compared Mario to Juilus Peppers of the Panthers, and even the Hall of Famer, the late Reggie White. Plus this entire Bush investigation may have played a small role, even though I think this whole deal with Bush is just dumb.
But this changes everything.
Now you have the Saints with the number 2 pick, and Reggie Bush in their lap. The question is, do they really need a running back? Deuce McAllister is solid as well. They would have more need for D'Brickshaw or A. J. Hawk. But would they trade down, and who would trade up?
The Titans are unlikely to trade up, With Brees signed, and Jamie Martin just brought in, the Saints won't pick one the QBs. The Titans will still have likely Lienart and Young still there to take. But with Chris Brown always hurt, would they consider trying for Bush?
Enter the Jets. The Jets running back Curtis Martin, while still solid, is getting up there in years. He could have Curtis mentor him. But if they pick Bush and not a QB, that leaves them with Chad Pennington, Patrick Ramsey, and Brooks Bollinger. Yeah, not great names there, but they could wait until the 2nd and get Kellen Clemens. (OR MARCUS VICK!!! hehe)
The Packers, I really don't know what to think with them and this Favre deal. Do they need a running back? Ahman Green is pretty good, and running back isn't a need. The assumed pick is either Brick or Hawk, as they don't need one of the QBs. (We think). But would they trade up for Bush to help Favre, and later Rodgers?
Which brings me to what I hope happens. As a 49ers fan, I've suffered through Kevan Barlow. Nothing would help Alex Smith more then a good running game. The speed and versitality of Bush, with the power of young Frank Gore, and the 49ers could have a dangerous running game. The 49ers could trade both 1st round picks they own to get the #2. They could stay with the 6 and likely Vernon Davis...
All I know is, after this, to quote good ol JR, "Business has just picked up!"
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.
Another crazy day has passed in the chaos known as NFL free agency.
Lawyer Milloy
Still one of the best strong safety's in the NFL, Milloy after spending 3 years as a Bill, is now a Falcon. The Falcons secondary really looks like it could be something good. DeAngelo Hall is a future star at cornerback with his cheetah-like speed. Ronnie Heard is an up-and-coming free safety as well and they just signed Chris Crocker.. Add the other defenders like Hartwell, Kerney, and Brooking, and the Falcons could have one of the leagues best defenses next year. All they need is a QB who can throw and some recievers who can catch, and they will be set.
Patrick Ramsey
While this off-season the Redskins have done nothing but buy-buy-buy, with Ramsey they have decieded to sell-sell-sell. And the buyer of Ramsey is the New York Jets. The Redskins I'm not sure know what to do with the QB position. They may let Brunell play another year, but what about Jason Campbell whom they drafted in 2005? And the Jets have made the draft even more interesting. Many people were saying that these guys were going after Leinart, but after getting Ramsey, would they really need another QB? Even if Pennington isn't any good anymore, Ramsey would be better then Leinart in Leinart's rookie year. The Draft is heating up.
Michael Bennett
The speedy, yet fragile Vikings back has a new home in New Orleans. This could be a great decision for the Saints, as long as him and McAllister stay healthy. If healthy, you would have a great power back (Deuce) and a great finesse back (Bennett) The Saints obviously are serious about becoming contenders, with Drew Brees added to the list. I just wonder who will they draft?
Gus Frerotte
I remember when this guy was going to be a great QB, then he hurt him self in Washington, and since he has been a traveling guy being a Dolphin last year. Now he is a Ram, and knowing how likely Bulger is to get injured (very) this could be a good move for Gus. But iit is too late in his career for him to ever really amount to anything.
Terrell Owens
Well the reports are saying that he is in Dallas. As I've said before, that will not work at all. One, Bledsoe is old, and slow, and TO complains about every QB he has. Two, Bledsoe likes passing to Terry Glenn, and Owens hates not getting the ball. Three, Bill Parcells is a no-nonsense type of coach, and he won't put up with TO's ####. If they are lucky, he could give them one good year.
Well thats all I got, and I have to say this one more time. With the George Washington vs Duke game in 5 minutes, I've called the upset. GW WILL BEAT DUKE!!
The Steelers came out passing and blitzing in the beginning and it definetly worked, as they led 24-3 at halftime. The Steelers' blitzes destroyed the Broncos, Plummer had many people in his face, which led to INTs and fumbles. Altough people are gonna talk about "Jake Plummer chokejob" I think its unfair as he played great all year. The Steelers D got the best of Manning, and they got the best of Plummer. Plummer made a few bad decisions, but the Steelers D will do that to you. Roethlisberger showed he's a big time quarterback. He played great, 3 touchdowns, even with Hines Ward taken out of the game for the most part. Cedrick Wilson stepped up, and all of the Steelers recievers made some good catches. Maybe it truely is destiny, as Jerome Bettis (and LB Larry Foote) will get to go home to Detroit for the Super Bowl. Unlike last week, the Refs did a great job, got all of the calls right and deserve a pat on the back. The Steelers are the first 6 seed to get to the Super Bowl, and only the second team to win 3 road games to get to the Super Bowl. The one flaw I saw with the Steelers was sitting on the lead as much as they did. I think they may need to play more aggressive on offense in the 2nd half to win at Super Bowl XL, but they played a great game.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to the Super Bowl, the question is, vs the Seahawks? or the Panthers?
