This particular blog took last week off due to Easter. It returns this week with a vengeance. I'm sure you, Joe Six Pack sports fan, have two weeks' of wrath stored up to throw that player, coach, team, owner/executive, league, fans, and even fellow bloggers that has so pissed you off Under The Bus (Jerome Bettis Limited Edition, 850 hp). I know I have a few. Let's get started!

NASCAR

Matt Kenseth: today was when I yearned for Carl Edwards to teach Kenseth a lesson. Doing the punt and run on David Gilliland was reprehensible and bush league. If NASCAR really wanted to teach Kenseth a lesson, they would have parked him for the remainder of the race for rough driving. David Gilliland will drive the bus that Kenseth is to be thrown under (by Carl Edwards).

Michele Rahal: last week I was sick and couldn't sleep, so I happened to go online to hear Race Day On Fox. His anti-Kevin Harvick rant made me even more sick. Harvick WASN'T EVEN THE SUBJECT OF THE CONVERSATION. Yet Rahal went out of his way to bash Harvick. Rob D'Amico (his co-host) did his best to steer Rahal away, but Rahal would have none of it. For Rahal's anti-Harvick negative rant, I'LL throw Rahal under the Bus that Harvick will drive.

NBA

Shaquille O'Neal: the Big Mediocre lashed out at his former Heat teammates and Heat head coach Pat Riley. What Shaq did was reprehensible. Under The Bus YOU go, Shaq. Your ex-teammates will throw you under that Bus driven by Riley. Shaq, enjoy your one and done in the playoffs.

Los Angeles Lakers: I am as big a Lakers honk as you'll find. This is why it pains me to do this. Losing to Memphis and Charlotte, two of the NBA's bottom feeders, will get you thrown Under The Bus every single time.

MLB

MLB: they get thrown under the bus for three reasons.

1. For selling out their souls for mo money mo money mo money. They now are offering apparel in GANG colors and styles. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, here comes Mr. Milquetoast aka Bud Selig gives a wink and a nod to gang activity. MAY YOU ROT IN HELL BUD SELIG!!!!!!
2. For opening the season in Japan. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY MLB?? WAS IT TAKEN OVER BY ALIENS FROM OUTER SPACE??? Why doesn't the season open the first Monday in April in Cincinnati at 12 noon EDT?
3. The schedule makers. Why are there not doubleheaders scheduled? Why do the schedule makers in their infinite wisdom ALWAYS schedule home games for Cleveland in the first week of the season, when they KNOW it snows in Cleveland until late April? Remember the Seattle Mariners-Cleveland Indians series last April? The ENTIRE series was SNOWED OUT, forcing both teams to scramble for the remainder of the season. The Cleveland Browns vs. Buffalo Bills was played in better weather than the Indians-Mariners series. For these reasons, MLB gets thrown under the Bus.

NFL

The League: they want to ban players from wearing long hair. Why? Put your emphasis on cracking down on the bad seeds of the league, e.g. Michael Vick, Pacman Jones. This proposed rule serves NO purpose. To put it bluntly, IT SUCKS. This rule and the guy behind it gets thrown under the bus.

This blogger: I throw myself under the bus for picking Georgetown to go to the Final Four. Georgetown was the biggest fraud of the NCAA Tournament.

Those are my nominees for these two weeks. Come on in with your nominees!! All are welcome! 

Wow! Happy Rocktober!! We are in the midst of a hot streak of epic proportions, one that I have not seen in my lifetime. We have to go back to the 1920 New York Giants' 26-game winning streak to find a team that's been this hot at any point in the season. What makes this significant is that this streak started in mid-September with a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers at home. They have only lost ONCE in that time. ONCE! The streak is now 21 of their last 22 games the Rockies have won. To sweep the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS is utterly amazing.

A little insurance Matt Holliday is greeted in the dugout after hitting a solo home run against the Philadelphia Phillies as the Rockies won Game 1 of their playoff series. (Rusty Kennedy/Associated Press)

Anything but Rocky Colorado Rockies pitcher Jeff Francis pitches in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the NL Division Series in Philadelphia.
(Rusty Kennedy/Associated Press)

  What a sight Colorado Rockies fans cheer on their team during Game 3 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver.
(Bill Ross/Associated Press)

I can fly

Rockies' shortstop Troy Tulowitzki fires to first over the Phillies' Carlos Ruiz to complete a double play during Game 3 of its NLDS.
(Will Powers/Associated Press)

The big hit Yorvit Torrealba #8 of the Colorado Rockies hits a 3-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
(Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Fundamentally sound Colorado Rockies' Kazuo Matsui makes a sacrifice bunt in the third inning in Game 2 of the NLCS on Friday.
(Eric ####/Associated Press)  

On the board

Willy Taveras scores from third on a sacrifice fly by Todd Helton during the fifth inning in Game 2 of the NLCS.
(David J. Phillip/Associated Press)

Celebration

Matt Holliday and Kazuo Matsui celebrate after Holliday's three-run HR in Game 4 of the NLCS. The Rockies will play either Cleveland or Boston. For those who think the NL is the Junior Varsity of the MLB, think again. As a Dodgers fan, I have seen the Rockies PLENTY of times and know that they are worthy of being in the World Series. I will go on the record as saying that the Rockies will finish and beat Cleveland in five games.

Now that Barry Bonds has hit #756 and surpassed Hank Aaron, we can put a bow on the HR chase, at least for another decade, when A-Rod obliterates Bonds' record.

PENNANT RACES

The most compelling races are found in the National League. As of this morning, the largest margin was 4.5 games in the NL East. In the NL West, the Arizona Diamondbacks are starting to put some distance on the rest of the division. There is a great race going on in the AL Central between Cleveland and Detroit. One half game separates the two teams. Don't look now, but the Yankees are looming larger in the Red Sox' rear view mirror. We could see an epic collapse by the Red Sox, one that would rival their 1978 meltdown. AND the Yankees AVOID C.C. Sabathia (possible AL Cy Young winner when it's all said and done) when they visit Cleveland this weekend. In fact, aside from Fausto Carmona, (who the Yankees will probably face on Friday night) the Yanks face the bottom of the Tribe rotation.  

TRAINING CAMPS

NFL training camps are in full swing throughout the land. Fans are excited about the upcoming NFL season, as the NFL is king of the sports landscape. You can tell it's close to football season here on the blogs, as fans are blogging passionately about their teams, making bold and brash predictions, and in some cases, talking out of their @$$E$. With Brady Quinn's signing, that leaves two first round draft picks still holding out: JaMarcus Russell of the Raiders and Darrelle Revis of the Jets. (I had my money on Quinn being the LAST first-rounder to sign) The first full week of preseason games starts on Thursday, with Indianapolis at Dallas and Detroit at Cleveland.

NASCAR

There are five races left until the Chase to the Championship begins, and fifteen until the season ends. This week's race is on the road course at Watkins Glen. Kevin Harvick is the defending race champion. This race is where Harvick made his move in the Chase standings last year. He won four of the final fifteen races of the season and was in the hunt for the Nextel Cup title at Homestead, finishing fourth in the standings. He finished with a career-high five wins. Who will be this year's Kevin Harvick? Will it be his RCR teammate Clint Bowyer? Will it be Kurt Busch? Stay tuned.

The unofficial Second Half of the season will start on Thursday. A highly anticipated conclusion to the regular season and the crowning of a World Series Champion awaits in late October. At this point in the season, fans can generally separate the contenders from the pretenders. What are we going to see? Here are a few things that I think we'll see:

• The Boston Red Sox will run and hide from the AL East.
• It's going to be a dogfight in the AL Central between Detroit, Cleveland, and Minnesota. Minnesota wins the division, with Detroit getting the wild card.
• Seattle is not going away. Having said that, they will make a run at the Angels, but come up short.
• Atlanta will find a way to win the NL East (again!) Earlier I did say that the Mets would win, but as the grind of the season wears on, their pitching will come up short while the Braves' pitching will prevail. Philadelphia will make a run but come up short. The future is bright in Philly, though.
• The NL Central is the most putrid division in baseball. When all is said and done, the winner will barely be above .500.
• If either the Padres or the Dodgers get a big bat by the trade deadline, the team that does will run and hide. If the Dodgers get another starter without having to give up too much, they will hold off the Padres. Either way, runner up in the NL West wins the wild card.
• Ken Griffey, Jr. will not be traded by the Reds and hit his 600th HR in a Reds' uniform. He's a lock for Cooperstown. If not for injuries, he'd be chasing 700 HR's.
• There will be more managerial changes, including Tony La Russa leaving St. Louis. The Cardinals are (or should be) in a major rebuilding mode. My prediction: he'll end up where he started his managerial career: with the Chicago White Sox.
• The NL West will end up tied and a one-game playoff will determine the division winner.

Like many fans, I'm looking forward to the second half of the season. I'm especially looking forward to the NL West race. GO DODGERS!!!!

After the first quarter of the MLB season, here are a few things that I've seen so far and will comment on:

• Trevor Hoffman is closing in on 500 saves. I would love for him to achieve this amazing mark in San Diego, but the way the Pads are going, he'll achieve it on this road trip. After a slow start, Hoffman is back to his usual dominating self. And his buds in the pen are much better than they were last year (not that they were bad; they were stellar to begin with). Hoffman has plenty left in the tank, at least 2-3 years left at this level. Five HUNDRED saves. This means he has been a GREAT closer for the better part of a decade and a half. IF he goes another three years, at this pace he'll finish with over 600 saves! Trevor, welcome to Cooperstown. Here's your bust.
• Is the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry overrated AND overhyped, or what? The Yankees are finished as a premier AL power; they suddenly got old and there is not enough talent at the AAA level to step in right away. The Yanks do have minor league talent, but at the lower levels, which means it's 2-3 years away before they become a legit contender again (that is, if they don't trade it away by then). The Red Sox are too deep in their starting staff and have big enough (and clutch enough) bats to keep everyone else in the AL East at bay.
• Will the Milwaukee Brewers win the NL Central? I think so. They're the best team in the WORST division in MLB.
• Are the Cleveland Indians for real? Yes. Fausto Carmona is pitching like Cy Young incarnate. The Indians are a gritty team with a very potent offense and just enough pitching to possibly win the AL Central (a wild card awaits them if they don't win the division). Could Carmona steal the AL Cy Young Award? If he keeps up this pace, he'll have earned it. And to think he was garbage as a closer last year!! If Eric Wedge keeps his job beyond this year, he owes Carmona a steak dinner.
• The Mets and Braves are in a slugfest for the NL East. The loser will get the wild card. Philadelphia has to be considered among the most disappointing teams in MLB. So much was expected of them but they have underachieved. Having injuries to your key players doesn't help matters any.
• The NL West is going to come down to the final day of the season, if not a one-game playoff. Three teams will vie for the division: Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the San Diego Padres. By a nose, the Dodgers win, but any one of those three teams could win the division.
• Back to the Yankees for a minute. Joe Torre will not manage this team next year, and Brian Cashman will not return either. I foresee wholesale changes (code for blowing up the roster and starting over). They will struggle to finish at .500.
• I foresee the same fate for the St. Louis Cardinals. IMHO, Tony La Russa will resign before he blows up the team's roster. He clearly favors veteran players, but most of the Cardinals' veterans have seen their better days. Jim Edmonds is a gamer, but he's clearly on his last legs. Scott Rolen has clearly slowed down. Preston Wilson has an arthritic knee. Juan Encarnacion isn't the player he once was. And on and on. They could learn from the Dodgers: go with young talent, stockpile a veteran that can still contribute (and is willing to be a mentor), and mesh them together.    

Are the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians playing their series in Cleveland or the North Pole? Every game this series has been postponed due to snow. IF they are fortunate they will play a ONE game series tomorrow. The forecast is for morning snow showers and a high of 37 degrees.

This brings me to a larger problem: scheduling. While I realize that the schedule won't be reduced from 162 to 154 games anytime soon, baseball CAN and SHOULD do something. Here are some common sense solutions:

• Every team should have four doubleheaders per season scheduled, two home and two away doubleheaders. The length of the season would be shortened by a week.
• Start the regular season on the second Monday in April at noon EDT in Cincinnati.
• Have the cold weather teams that play outdoors start a six or nine game road trip to start the season and have the warm weather and dome teams start at home. That way the cold weather teams would have their home openers in mid to late April, when the weather begins to warm up in cold weather cities.
• By having the cold weather teams start on the road, they most likely will be playing either in domes or in warm weather cities, and that means fewer injuries and/or better quality of baseball as a whole. Baseball was meant to be played in warm weather; the weather in Cleveland this weekend was made for football.

Major League Baseball needs to examine this issue of scheduling in light of the Mariners-Indians series. What if the Indians are in a pennant race at the end of the season? Considering the depth of the AL Central, they may or may not be. Hopefully they will get one game in tomorrow.