What has gotten you in such an uproar in the world of sports that you want to SCREAM? Is it a player, coach, team, league, owner, or fans of a particular team or individual? Do you think you don't have an outlet to express your ire? Fear not, fans, this is the outlet for you to express that ire by throwing the object of your ire under the Bus. See the lovely young lady? She'll take your requests, then tell the bus driver to do his thing. I know I have a few!

NFL

Seattle Seahawks: granted, they were playing the N.Y. Giants on the road. Very difficult to win there. But at least they could have made it more competitive. Was that the Seahawks or a group of imposters? Clearly, Seattle left its game at home and sleepwalked through the game. I'd have preferred a competitive game, thank you very much. The Seahawks get thrown under the Bus.

O.J. Simpson: the former Buffalo Bills great was found guilty of kidnapping, armed robbery, and 10 other charges involving sports memorabilia. The ironic twist is that he was found guilty 13 years to the day after he got away with murder was found not guilty of two counts of first degree murder in the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. O.J., just go away. Get thrown under the Bus first, then just go away.

NASCAR

Carl Edwards: pot, meet kettle. He's the one always calling out other drivers for causing wrecks. Today, he effectively gave Jimmie Johnson his third straight Sprint Cup title by causing The Big One, Part 2 that knocked out half of the Chase field and six other non-Chase drivers. I do give him credit for taking full responsibility for the wreck. He still gets thrown under the Bus.

Goodyear: there were a rash of tires exploding at Talladega, starting with Dale Earnhardt Jr's on Friday during a practice session. Today, a tire failure on Brian Vickers' car was responsible for The Big One, Part 1. Time for NASCAR to consider exploring other tire companies to supply tires. In the meantime, Goodyear gets thrown Under The Bus.

MLB

MLB "experts": or more specifically, those that predicted the Cubs to beat the Dodgers in the NLDS, which was just about every one of them. Many of these "experts" had the Cubs in the World Series. According to them, the Dodgers might as well have not even played this series. Only one thing: the Cubs had to play the series. They played, and got rolled. The Dodgers' starting pitching was stellar throughout the series. They got timely hitting. Now they're in the NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies. The "experts" get thrown under the Bus for dismissing the Dodgers so blithely.

Those are my nominees for the week. Feel free to come in with yours!  

Are there sports figures, teams, coaches, owners, executives, or fans that so #### you off that you just want to SCREAM? You think you can't do something about it? You CAN do something about it, right here. You CAN call out the above for their idiocy, arrogance, or just plain dumbassery. In this blog, you can throw them Under The Bus. I have a few that I'd like to throw Under The Bus. You can do the same.

NASCAR

Michael McDowell: he was the cause of the Talladegaesque pileup near the end of the Centurion Boats at the Glen. He saw his opportunity to take David Gilliland out, presumably to teach him a lesson. Only one problem, ####: there were a gaggle of cars following closely behind you. And when you do that, you're going to cause more than a few of them to crash. While he raced ahead, Gilliland and others were part of the carnage. Bobby Labonte, in fact, had to be taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. For making the #### move of the Year, McDowell gets thrown Under The Bus by each of the drivers involved in the crash.

Tony Eury, Jr.: he singlehandedly was the cause of Dale Earnhardt, Jr's relatively poor finish by hanging him out to dry because of bad pit strategy. Rather than pitting with the other leaders, Eury chose to keep his driver out as long as possible. Yes, Dale Jr. led numerous laps, but rather than running the race in reverse, he chose to run a road course race like a normal oval and gamble on fuel strategy. Inevitably, a caution came out well after the other drivers pitted (Dale Jr. had not pitted yet). So instead of staying out, Dale Jr. HAD to pit. He was shuffled to the back of the field and never quite recovered. For his poor strategy, Eury Jr. gets thrown Under The Bus.

NBA

Paul Pierce: the Boston Celtics' star is delusional if he thinks he's the best basketball player in the world. Sure, you won a title and an Academy Award nomination in the same Finals, but NO WAY you're the best player on the planet. Yes, this is a BIT late, but I STILL HAVE to throw him Under The Bus.

Golden State Warriors: they signed Andris Biedrins to a six-year, $62 million contract extension. While Biedrins is a nice player who had career highs of 10.5 ppg and 9.8 rpg last season, WHY do you pay a glorified role player that kind of jack? He is NOT a cornerstone franchise player, e.g. Tim Duncan, David West. THOSE are the players you pay that kind of jack. Biedrins hasn't proven himself in the NBA yet. Perhaps if he has another couple of seasons of improvement, THEN you pay him. But for spending unwisely, IMO, the Warriors get thrown Under The Bus.

MLB

Hong-Chih Kuo: first of all, why wasn't Jonathan Broxton pitching the ninth inning to nail down a save in a CRITICAL division game? The Dodgers were winning 4-3 when inexplicably, Joe Torre opted to keep Kuo in for the ninth inning. Torre deserves some blame as well for putting a pitcher that is NOT used to being a closer in the closer's role. Ultimately, Kuo didn't pitch well enough to allow the Dodgers to win. This while the D-backs won at home against Atlanta. (It seems they have had all but a handful of games at home; wait till September, when their schedule is BRUTAL.) For failing to hold a lead against the hated Giants, Kuo gets thrown Under The Bus. Torre also gets thrown Under The Bus for not putting Broxton in the ninth inning.

Prince Fielder and Manny Parra: Parra gets blame for going into the clubhouse (a HUGE no-no) after getting pulled from Monday night's start. If you're a starting pitcher, and you've been pulled for a reliever, you STAY on the bench and root your team on. Fielder gets blamed for making it public. While I admire that Fielder is trying to show leadership, he handled it wrong. He should have confronted Parra behind closed doors and aired it out there. Perhaps Fielder has learned his lesson. In the meantime, Brewers' fans can throw both Fielder and Parra Under The Bus.

Brett Myers: he's another hothead that doesn't play well with others. He was yanked by Phillies' manager Charlie Manuel after a bad outing. In the dugout, Myers and Manuel engaged in a heated shouting match and physically had to be restrained. Brett, take it like a man. You stunk up the joint; own it. In the meantime, you get thrown Under The Bus.

C.J. Wilson: the Texas Rangers' reliever allowed a grand slam to Richie *(**#$@ Sexson on Tuesday and showed up his manager, Ron Washington, by flipping him the ball after being yanked. Washington, being old-school, didn't take kindly to it. He grabbed Wilson and made him hand him the ball. You don't show up your manager at ANY TIME, especially a red-####, old-school manager like Washington. For showing up his manager, Wilson gets thrown Under The Bus. NOTE: Wilson has a bone spur at the tip of his left elbow. He could get a cortisone shot and pitch again this season, or have season-ending surgery.  

Those are my nominations for the week. Feel free to come in with yours!  

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.

If you think this is a horse racing post, think again. It's a capsule preview of this weekend's series that affect the pennant chase.

AL EAST

New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox

This is a golden opportunity for the Yankees to tighten the AL East race. As of this post, the Red Sox are winning 7-2. Tonight's starting pitchers are Andy Pettitte for the Yankees and Daisuke Matsuzaka for the Red Sox. UPDATE: Yankees win, 8-7. Bruney gets the win, Papelbon gets the loss, Rivera notches his 27th save of the season. The probable matchups for the weekend:

Saturday: Josh Beckett vs. Chien-Ming WangWinner has the inside track for the Cy Young.

Sunday: Curt Schilling vs. Roger Clemens. Two old warriors who are going to leave it all out on the field. It's going to be interesting to see who comes out on top.

NL EAST

Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets

The Phillies drew first blood in the series, winning tonight's game 3-2 in 10 innings. Tom "Flash" Gordon got the win, while Aaron Heilman took the loss. The Phils are now 4 1/2 games behind the Mets and for now are 1 game behind San Diego in the NL wild card. Probable pitchers for the weekend:

Saturday: Pedro Martinez vs. Kyle Lohse. Martinez has been out most of the season. A healthy Martinez will be HUGE for the Mets, as he can still deal. Recently he notched his 3,000th strikeout, joining the elite pantheon of hurlers that have 3,000 strikeouts. Lohse has been up and down.

Sunday: Oliver Perez vs. Adam Eaton. Perez has pitched reasonably well and appears to be a late bloomer. I'm waiting for Eaton's potential to show up. Sometimes it does. For the Phillies' sake, Eaton needs to step up with a stellar outing.

NL CENTRAL

Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals

The Cubs rose up for a HUGE win in St. Louis, further dimming the Cardinals' chances. Carlos Zambrano matched his career high in wins, winning his 16th. The final score: Cubs 5, Cardinals 3. The Cards are now six games behind the Cubs and fading fast. They can ill-afford to get swept. A Cubs' sweep will mean the Cardinals should start making tee times soon. A Cardinals win in the series and they are still alive for defending their championship. Probable starters:

Saturday: Braden Looper vs. Ted Lilly. Lilly has pitched very well in his first season in the National League. Looper is a converted reliever and for his first season as a starter has been serviceable.

Sunday: Mark Mulder vs. Jason Marquis. Mulder has spent most of the season on the disabled list, so this season is a wash. He's giving it his best shot. Marquis has pitched reasonably well this season. You think he wants to stick a fork in his old team that sent him to the scrap heap after the division playoffs?

NL WEST

Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers

This is one of the most pivotal series of the season for both teams. The Dodgers have to win this series in order to keep at least their wild card hopes alive. Brad Penny is on the bump tonight against Dodger-killer Doug Davis. Davis is #### against the rest of the league but always seems to get up for the Dodgers. As of tonight the Dodgers are 5 1/2 games behind the D-backs and for now a half game behind the Phillies. The probable starters for the weekend:

Saturday: Derek Lowe vs. Livan Hernandez. A key matchup of pressure pitchers that both own World Series rings, Lowe with the Red Sox and Hernandez with the Florida Marlins. Lowe is coming off an injured hand he sustained earlier in the week, causing him to miss a start.

Sunday: Esteban Loaiza vs. Edgar Gonzalez. Gonzalez is coming off a superb start against the Giants in which he was dealing. Not bad for his first start since late June. Loaiza had a bad outing after his first two outings went well. Loaiza has been on the DL most of the season and it's too soon to tell how effective he'll be. Let's hope the Loaiza of old emerges.

San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres

The Giants are officially eliminated from the divisional title race and are playing for pride (and a job next season). The Padres are leading in the wild card race by a game (for now) over the Phillies and a game and a half over the Dodgers. Let's hope the Giants don't mail it in and give a concerted effort to win (that's the Dodger cynic coming out of me). Tonight's starters are Barry Zito for the Giants and Chris Young for the Padres. The probable starters for the weekend:

Saturday: Brett Tomko (I'm snickering now) vs. Matt Cain. If the Padres are intent on going to the postseason, why did they pick up Tomko? Actually, I'm GLAD they picked him up!! He can burn down Petco Park like he did Dodger Stadium!! Cain is an up and coming stud that will be a mainstay of the Giants' rotation for the next few years at least.

Sunday (I'm still laughing at the Padres' acquisition of Tomko): Jake Peavy vs. Tim Lincecum. Peavy has the inside track for the NL Cy Young Award. Another stellar performance like his last start could go a long way towards wrapping up the Award. Lincecum is a future Cy Young Award winner. He'll be the ace of the Giants' rotation perhaps as soon as next season.

I can feel the pressure of the pennant chase from here. Five series that directly impact postseason hopes, including two in the Wild, Wild West. GO DODGERS!!!!!

We are at the unofficial halfway point of the MLB season. For fans of some teams, it's another season of "let's play our young players and see how they do in the second half" which is code for OUR TEAM SUCKS. Fans of other teams are taking a "wait and see" approach to the second half of the season. That's code for "Our team had a nice run the first half, but they'll fade like they always do in the second half." And for fans of a select few teams, they are amped up for their team to make the postseason and perhaps a World Series appearance.

Let's get the bad out of the way first:

• The Pittsburgh Pirates are on their way to a 15th consecutive losing season. That won't change anytime soon, unless the current ownership has a sudden dose of clarity or has an epiphany and sells the team to someone like Mark Cuban. No wonder Barry Bonds wanted to leave Pittsburgh. He probably saw that far ahead and decided to bail early. That or the fact he'll forever be remembered for throwing a 15-hopper to the plate that Sid "Wheels" Bream beat out in Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS to win the pennant for the Atlanta Braves.
• As I write this , the Pirates are actually in FOURTH place. The Cincinnati Reds are dwelling in the NL Central cellar with the worst record in the bigs at 30-50. It's a mess in the Natti. Trade Ken Griffey Jr. back to Seattle and get some prospects.
• Speaking of Bonds, the San Francisco Giants need to cut ties with him after this season, regardless of whether or not he breaks Hank Aaron's record. (As an aside, Hank Aaron used to be the very first name listed in the Baseball Encyclopedia. Do you know who is the first player listed now?)
• The Texas Rangers are in a mess. While I like Ron Washington, and he's a good baseball man, he's not a good fit there. He's bringing an Oakland A's style of baseball to the Rangers. The Rangers have free swingers. Not a good fit for a manager that demands his hitters be patient.

Now for the good:

• I'll start with the most competitive division in baseball: the NL West. The lead changes hands amongst the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Arizona Diamondbacks about every three days or so. The Rockies are fading fast. It's going to be a three team race until the very end of the season. Runner up in the division will get the wild card. I'm calling my shot: Dodgers win the division, with the Padres getting the wild card. Dodgers beat the Padres in a one game playoff at the end of the regular season.
• While the NL East is fairly close (the Mets hold a four game lead currently) I think the Mets will have enough to hold off both the Phillies and Braves.
• The Chicago Cubs could make a run in the second half. Maybe they overtake the Brewers. IF the Cubs are within three games of the Brew Crew by Labor Day, they will overtake the Brewers.
• Boston is running away with the AL East. The NY Yankees are finished. Done. Kaput. Over. All the Red Sox have to do is play .500 ball the rest of the way and they still win 91 games. I can see them win around 102 games.
• Before it's all said and done, the AL Central will be almost as competitive as the NL West. The Tigers and Indians, along with the Twins, will slug it out. I'm calling my shot: Minnesota wins the division, with the Tigers getting the wild card.
• In the AL West, it's all about the Angels. Seattle will hang in there until the last week of the season, when the Angels clinch the division. I'd put Mariners fan under the "wait and see" label.

Here are my predictions for postseason:

ALDS: Detroit over Boston, Anaheim (they're NOT the Los Angeles Angels, and I REFUSE to acknowledge them as such) over Minnesota.

NLDS: Los Angeles over Milwaukee, San Diego over New York.

ALCS: Detroit over Anaheim, 4 games to 2. (a little sweet revenge from the Ducks' series win over the Red Wings)

NLCS: Los Angeles over San Diego, 4 games to 3.

World Series: Detroit over Los Angeles, 4 games to 2.

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.