I couldn't resist the hype.  Kimbo Slice on network tv, free for all to see.  Now I have been a fan of MMA for some time now and was glad to see it finally "arrive" to the masses.  But, was saturday nights event good or bad for the world of MMA?

     My reservations:  Elite XC is not the best MMA out there.  Ok, may sound petty but before it even started I was worried, let me put it in another sports analogy, if you were introducing a sport into mainstream tv, would you rather watch the best of the best or a "minor league" be showcased?  I give all the credit in the world to Elite XC for getting the deal with CBS and even Showtime.  They've set themselves up for popular success more than any other MMA league, sorry UFC but for all the talent you have, Spike TV and PPV doesn't measure up. 

     For those who watched, you'll notice the list of fighters all seemed to have UFC experience, which in a way is good, but most of those fighters had losing records at the highest level.  That doesn't mean that the top talent won't come to Elite XC in the future because of the network deals, but right now, it's not the best talent. 

     Now for the actual show.  Starting off, I could help but notice, it had a pretty large pro wrestling feel too it.  Why where the Nitro girls there dancing on the entrance way?  Ok so they weren't really the Nitro girls but it gave it that kinda feel.  Then came the fighters.  Coming down to the cage in showy entrances that once again, sadly made me wonder if i was watching pro wrestling once again.  Ok minor gripes, but my main concern was that is this kinda show something that will turn people on to the sport or turn them off.  Pro Wrestling has plenty of fans, I won't even begin to deny that, but it seemed the show was more something I'd see on USA than CBS.

     Next up the announcers.  Ok, so I'll be honest, of the three the only one I ever heard of before was Frank Shammrock, but that isn't a bad thing.  I was impressed with the way they called the fights.  Good commentaries, and they seemed to have a knack of calling the fight so that both MMA veteran fans and newcomers could understand and enjoy.  Much better than listening to Joe Rogan.

     Finally the fights themselves.  First two fights, a swing and they're down.  Ok not off to a great action packed start, two quick knockouts but then again, it showcased the explosiveness of the athletes in MMA, but didn't give much in the way of great fighting. 

     Now for a first for me.  I know that there are places out there where you can see women fighting in MMA, I just have never seen it.  The fight seemed to make up for the first two but having some compelling action and great fighting.  I was impressed by the display actually.  We'll call it an even draw so far.

     What first network show would be complete without a title fight?  A stand-up war between Lawler and Smith.  Lawler dominated the first round. Smith taking the second.  Impressions after 2 rounds, One hell of an exciting fight yes, but besides the occasional kick has the look and feel of a bare knuckles boxing match.

     And now for strike one.  In the middle of the third round Lawler accidently poked Smith in the eye, one of the drawbacks to wearing those fingerless gloves.  Here's where I started to worry, please don't let them stop this fight.  I don't want to see anyone get seriously injured don't get me wrong, just that with a Network debut a no decision in a title fight would be a major blow to the event.  The fight was stopped by the ring Dr, and fine i can handle that, I just worried it left a bad taste in new fans mouths.

     The Main Event:  Could  you get any more hype for a fighter than Kimbo Slice?  With a mountain of experienced MMA fighters talking trash about Slice's fighting style well being trash.  The internet sensation (although the only youtube video i've ever seen of him fighting he caught a real beating at the hands Sean Gannon)  finally brought to the masses.  As each fighter made their way to the cage I noticed something right off the bat about Kimbo's opponet Thompson,  The planet growing in his left ear.  As they were doing the in ring announcements, I couldn't believe that he would even be allowed in the ring with his ear that bad.  Wouldn't someone in his camp at least advised him to maybe getting it drained leading up to the fight?  And more so, I couldn't believe it took till the second round before it was even brought up by the commentators.

     The fight itself:  I gotta say, I was not expecting Kimbo to  be anything more than a punch, and the much more experince Thompson sent him to the ground early but much to my surprise Kimbo showed much more aptitude in the ground game than I could have ever imagined.  Sadly, more than the UFC debut of Brock Lesnar although not really a fair comparision since Lesnar's opponet in that fight Mir is miles above Thompson's skill.

     And bring on the controversy:  First up the supposed tap out.  After being caught in a guillotine chock hold was Kimbo tapping out?  Wait, no he was giving the ref the thumbs up, a good show of flash and flair.  And then came the ending. I was really just waiting from pre fight introductions to see that ear pop, in fact watching i was almost grimmacing at every punch near that ear expecting to see the worst and finally it happened.  Not as gruesome as I had pictured in my head but bad none-the-less.  Thompson definitely stirred after if and was pummeled repeatedly after the hit.

     He's where I completely disagree with it being controversial, ear damage aside.  Maybe it was because I was watching on big screen HD tv, but you could clearly see ever hit after that damage Thompson's eye's just roll further and further back into his head.  To bring a boxing analogy into this, he was out on his feet.  The giant competitor wasn't going to fall down, how I really have no clue, but he was out on his feet. 

     All in all, for the level of competition that Elite XC has it seemed like an accurate representation.  As for MMA as a whole with it's first Network showcase?  I'm not sure, but is putting a minor league game on big time tv really the best way to show your sport to the world?  Elite got the tv deal and shame on UFC for not making a network deal work before this.  My only hope is that this spurrs other networks and leagues to get into the act.  Guess i'll just have to wait to see the overnight tv numbers to find out.

     I'm sure this just adds to the slew of converstations about steriods and HGH these days but of all the names that were named, this one got me the most upset.  David Justice, now it seems, why out of all the big names does his name showing up bother me the most?  Easy, this guy had the audacity to accuse nearly all of the '93 Philadelphia Phillies of being juicers (not saying he was completely wrong, Mr. Dykstra showed up on the list) but the venom he spit at essentially this entire team on tv was just over the top. 

     I cannot recall if he was talking about this on one of his ESPN spots or if it was a Braves broadcast but regardless, he went on an all out attack on these guys.  So now it turns out, he wasn't on the up and up himself.  Oh I heard his defense on sportcenter the next day.  Does anyone really believe that when he found out it required using a needle he quickly forgot about the idea.  Great story and all, but if you are gonna say something like that then you probably shouldn't be writting checks for them.  And if he did pay for them, which there is proof of, who in their right mind would believe he bought them but never used them, again cause it require needles.  Please that's like Bill Clinton saying he never inhaled.  No one believes that.

     My advice to any of these guys, if you are going to buy something illegal, or any performance enhancing substance, you should probably just give the guy cash, not write a check....

     This friday I had the great misfortune of hearing a fill in talk show host go on and on about how Eagles fans who want McNabb gone are lunatics.   The man has won more games and made the team more relavant for more years in a row than in the history of the team.

     Point conceeded, the winning that is.  Yes, with McNabb at QB the Eagles have soared to heights never before reached for the franchise over an extended period of time.  With that being said I would like to make the sane and rational counter arguement as to why his time in philly should be up, for good.

     He's a selfish player - Yes, I said it and he is.  Here's why, he thinks that he is better for the team playing injured than having someone who is healthy play.  I can trace this all back to one fatefull day when he broke his ankle against the Cards, kept playing and threw 4 TD's in a big Eagles victory.  Ever since that day, he's basically refused to sit down even when it is obvious that he is not helping his team by his percieved heroics. 

     The Eagles actually win without him - Ok, let me put a small note on this, the Eagles actually win without him, when Brian Westbrook plays.  The Eagles without McNabb have put up some outstanding seasons,  from last years playoff run under Garcia, to A.J. Feeley/Koy Detmer several years back.  The only time i can recall with McNabb gone was 2 years ago, and they were horrible, did I mention that Brian Westbrook was out for the year as well then too.  I don't have the stats handy, but take a look sometime, the Eagles without McNabb are pretty good.  The Eagles without Westbrook are just horrendous, with or without McNabb.

     Every year it is something new - You might be scratching your head at this title, but bear with me.  Every year for about the past 5 years McNabb has come into camp and said he is going to change "X" about his game.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all for players realizing they have things they need to work on, but in the case of Mr. McNabb it's not for the good of the team, it's all for how he wants to be perceived.  The most notable change asked for solely by McNabb was his basic refusal to run.  He didn't want to be known as a typical "Running QB"  rightly or wrongly, might also be attatched to comments about the general play style of other prominent black QB's.  This was the part of McNabb's game that made him so dangerous, the chance to take off in situations where it could do good.  Instead McNabb's ambition to shake those stereotypes hurt his team.  I know their record was still good, but it was hard to watch 20 yards of open field with no one around, McNabb seeing it and then instead opting to run back towards the pocket and throw to some covered reciever. 

     With his seemingly questionable "tweeks" of his game year in and year out, comes a ever growing me first attitude.  Have the Eagles always given him more talent each year to work with, no.  But, this may just be a hunch, but he seems to be one offseason a day from being that guy who wants to start making demands from his front office.  Sometimes these demands are worthwhile, but I'll put money down that if he still is in philly another year, he'll make those demands and probably come off sounded a whole lot like someone he had a big tift with TO.  Although he probably won't be working out on his driveway, he could get hurt out there.

     His surprise/anger at the drafting of Kolb - I think these all tie into his selfishness, but really, what did he expect, the Eagles declined to resign Garcia and well he spent the majority of 3 seasons injured.  Let's look at it objectively, oft injured QB, and nothing more than a lifelong back-up in the plans.  Maybe one day he won't get up from these injuries, maybe it's time to plan for the future.  It was a smart move on the Eagles part as far as I am concerned.  Not all QB's are Brett Farve in that they play at a high level for 18 years.  It just doesn't happen, and again with McNabb's injury history, it might not hurt to have a plan in place for the future, cause it sure looks like they are going to need it.

     The NFL sells itself as a team game and how no one player is above the rest of the team (I might make some tom brady like exceptions, but I won't cause it's not like he's playing with a bunch of second rate players there).  Mr. McNabb seems to think that he the only reason the Eagles have had such continued success.  Was he a part of it,  yes, was or his he the main reason for it, no. 

     A dreaded comparison / One final note - The Eagles fans and many of the Eagles admonished TO for his open and brazen criticism of the team, and rightfully so.  But is McNabb really that much different, his wants and desires for himself have held the team hostage and made them succeptable to his current feelings about how he should play.  TO was loud and pretty much everything fans hate to see from high priced athletes.  In a way, I'd almost rather have a guy like TO who openly voiced his displeasure, he made no bones about his place on the team and where he thought he should be there.  You may be able to argue that McNabb is actually worse.  The silent type that quietly takes control and without knowing it  has usurped total control and made the team about him but only shows his anger now when it's being put in question.

     So I've missed most of what has been one of the most interesting college football seasons in history.  I've watched this weekend and like the majority of those in blogger nation, Let me run my mouth. 

     I did catch a few games here and there throughout the season and had the chance to see LSU at least 4 times this year.  All I have to say is, they might have been the worst #1 team in college football, well that I can remember anyway.  No offense LSU fans, I just couldn't understand how a team that was taken to the limit time after time and just barely came out on top was worth #1, sure everyone else has stumbled.  Oh wait, Kansas and Hawaii are still undefeated.....

     Speaking of Kansas, are they actually #2 in the country?  Hell, is Mizzou really #4?  Well I can claim some sort of alligence to the Jayhawks, I mean, I did live in Hays for a few months and really, a few months in Kansas feels like a lifetime.

     Now what about that other undefeated team, Hawaii, oh yes them  Blah blah blah, they didn't play anyone, blah blah blah.  Last time I checked, neither did Boise St and they won something last year, what was that called, oh yeah, the Fiesta Bowl. 

     I was really routing for Michigan to beat Ohio St last week.  Not because I like Michigan, but I wanted to get an App St. t-shirt that read "Big Ten Champs". 

     The last two games I watched went to 3 and 4 OT's respectively.  Both games were long enough I don't feel like I missed more than 2 maybe 3 weekends of college football because of them. 

     Probable rule change?  If you saw the OT between Tennessee and Kentucky, you noticed that after the Vols blocked a potential game winning FG and were running back the ball for the game winner, the Vols player was yanked down (and not by accident either) by the facemask.  That penalty which saved the touchdown basically went unpunished.  The foul didn't carry over.  However in the next OT period The Vols got a questionable call against them after a missed 2 point conversion, with 15 yards tacked on in the next OT.  Wait, what? 

     So for those few who may find themselves in that situation, feel free to do whatever you like after you throw a pick at the end of even numbered OT's, kick, punch, bite or try something more creative, just don't do it at the end of an odd numbered OT, cause then it actually matters.

     SEC conundrum.   So with LSU losing and the Vols pulling out the win, the highest ranked SEC team in the polls will be Georgia.  Who by my count will probably land at #4 when the new rankings come out.  That's not interesting, but the fact that they won't even be playing in the SEC Championship game is.  Top 5 team in the country, not even good enough to get their division nod.  I'm not saying they should get the chance just cause of their ranking, just something to think about. 

    Am I a big Playoff guy?  It would be interesting.  But let me use this fictious example to make a point, let's say the Rams in the NFL reel off 8 straight wins after starting 0-8 but wind up missing out on the playoffs based on some tie breaker scenario, Now would they be the hottest team in the NFL not named the Patriots, probably, but here's the point.  If this were college football, you'd have a bunch of yahoo's saying, but they are the best team in the country right now so if there was a playoff they might just win it all and campaigning to get them in and probably would.  Bottom line someone is better than you and if you didn't #### the bed against Stanford you wouldn't be in this situation now.  Oh sorry, I was talking about the fictious Rams scenario, not USC

    If you lose twice you aren't better than a team with one loss, or a team with no losses, talent wise you may be, but you aren't in the only stat that counts, the Win-Loss Column, again just ask Georgia.

     ####, i just got done typing this and in the background i hear the talking heads blabbing about, how USC is the hottest team in the country and if there was a playoff.....christ, shut up.

     Do I care who so and so beat this year as opposed to team b, nope, just like I don't care that the Cowboys beat few teams with winning records and are 10-1.  If you #### that someone has "weaker" wins, than #### to your favorite schools AD and have him schedule some 1AA, excuse me FCS, teams next year.  Also call your friend who is a Michigan fan and see how that worked out for them. 

     God, this has been a long enough ####fest for now, and I didn't even get to gloat about ND getting pounded all year and how cause of their wonderful tv deal we got the pleasure of having a game between two 1-9 teams get a national telecast..........

     One final note, Watching the injury report today, I noticed that Vinny Testaverde was on the list with a stiff back.  At that age, is that really an injury or just a way of life..............

 

Trying to survive your Survival football league this year.  Nearly every year week one always is one of the toughest.  New faces in new places and well we just don't know what to expect from certain teams.  This year offers even more challenges with a plethora of division rivalries the first week.  So if you are looking for an edge here is a breakdown of this weeks schedule and good bets, vs bad bets.

Avoid at all costs - Generally a good rule of thumb is to avoid those tough divisional match-ups unless there is a glaring gap in the talent and well in week one, we don't know what to expect yet.

New England vs NY Jets - As mentioned above AFC east division rivals who seemingly always play a tight game when facing each other.  Expect the Pats to win, however, if you can only pick a team once a year it is worth not wasting a Pats pick this early

Atlanta vs Minnesota - Can the Falcons come together with the offseason/pre-season drama?  What can we expect from the Vikings, who is even their QB? Chances are, unless you are a Vikings fan or alreayd played a ton of games in Madden you probably don't know either.  To many question makrs about this game and not enough to even conisder making such a do or die pick on this one.  If you must pick I would say Minnesota just on the hope that the Falcons are not on stable ground with all the preceeding events.

Tennessee vs Jacksonville - Vince Young starting his first full season as starter + Jax just named Garrard as their starter + divisonal match-up ='s avoid at all costs.  Unless you have some kind of inside information this one seems like a toss up either way, I'm sure there are edges on either side but not enough to bank your survival league life on.

Chicago vs San Diego - Two of last years powerhouse teams meet up in week one, good for TV bad for picks. Again you'd hate to waste either of these teams pick in week one, and with what seems to be one of the highlight games of the week, just sit back and enjoy and leave this one off your list of picks

Dallas vs NY Giants - Divisonal Rivals, plus  both teams seem to be about the same level of talent.  Again, not saying a winner can't be picked here, but too many if's to make this be your only pick

Baltimore vs Cincy - By now you should already have guessed it, divisonal rivals and too excellent teams, enjoy the game, don't stake your fantasy life on it.

San Fran vs Arizona - one more divison rivalry game, and these two have had some wild games vs each other in the recent past, i would give the edge to Arizona, but they are the Cards and well no need staking things on the Cards to win in week one against a divsion foe.

Indy vs New Orleans - Again, two of the top teams last year go head to head in week one. you could probably take Indy and be somewhat safe with that pick, but why waste the pick of Indy in week one when it isn't a no brainer pick

Miami vs Washington - Will the Skins finally start pulling things together, how will the Fins do under their new coach. A toss up at the bottom of the barrell, To risky either way to be certain.

Iffy at best -

Carolina vs St Louis - I'm really not a big fan of what the Panthers have to offer didn't play very well last year and now without Keyshaun there is no real reason not to double team Steve Smith on every pass attempt.  I think St Louis has what it takes to win this game and I'm not sure exactly how many times we might be tempted to take St Louis to win this year so this pick can be tempting on the St Louis side.  I personally will stay away from this since i only see it as about 60% for the Rams, but if you want to gamble in week one here might be your chance.

Kansas City vs Houston - Any other year This might be a bonifde no brainer pick. KC seems to have a good edge, but you might have some doubts about Huard, even though he was stellar last year for the most part when he did play.  That is not my concern about this game.  I know it was just the preseason but the Texans look to be much improved I want to see more from the Texans before i pick against them this season, But you probably could bank on the Chiefs and get away with it.

Detroit vs Oakland - Detroit seems much improved and well Oakland needs to show it isn't the bottom of the NFL like it was last year.  It seems like Detroit would be the way to go and this probably could be bumped up to a good bet, i just have a hard time putting the Lions to win in that catagory just yet this season although could be extremely appealing because it could be one of the few times where taking Detroit can almost for sure get you a win.  My advice, wait on Detroit, They should win this game, so taking them in a pick here isn't the worst move you could make this week.

Good Bets -

Philadelphia vs Green Bay - The Eagles should take this one with little trouble, Green Bay seems to be better than the start of last year, but still aren't in the Eagles class.  Reasons to pass on this pick, wasting your Eagles pick, although this is a tough week to pick a sure fire winner so it might be ok, but even with all the wins the Eagles have a way of scaring me just enough and against a team that is at least capable of winning, i would bet on this as your pick but there are some safer bets this week, but not by much.

Pittsburgh vs Cleveland - The Browns are supposedly improved, and this goes against the not picking Divisonal rivalry games, however. the balance of power here seems to be overwhelmingly in the Steelers favor.  How the team reacts under a new head coach might be a bit of a drawback, but still shouldn't be a problem.  could be the best bet and probably should be but this week i am going with......

Lock of the Week -

Denver vs Buffalo - Denver always seems to boast an above avg team at least every year and the Bills have lost their only real offensive threat in McGahee, suspect Qb play, i just don't see the Bills having enough to win this game.  Wasting the Denver pick, eh, you could make that case against picking them this week, but this seems to be the best bet this week and the loss of another Broncos pick isn't that big of a loss that it can't be overcome throughout the season.

 

 

 

     This is what we get from the "Steroid era" a group or players who normally would have been sure fire Hall of Famers now on the fringe of getting in now, or even ever.  Let's consider the cases of some of these players.

Barry Bonds - this really is a no brainer.  steriods, HGH, cream or clear, Barry Bonds would have been a Hall of Famer even if we take his home run total out of the mix.  Before Bonds bulked up in size he was already one of the top players in the game with at least 2 MVP awards to his credit before he even got to San Fransico.  Having seen Barry turn into the abominable homerman he was one of the most electrifying players in the game.  Can we view his 73 home run season as tainted? Sure.  Can we also balk at the all-time home run mark he will surely set?  Yes we can.  But  what we cannot take away is that Barry Bonds even minus the long ball has been a great player throughout his career.

     Do we penalize him for su####ion of steriod use?  Do we penalize him for being a jerk to the media for the majority of his career?  Let me answer the latter first.  No, and i only need to bring up one name to prove my point, Ty Cobb.  Cobb was notably was of the biggest jerks (and that's putting it nicely) to ever to play the game.  But he was also one of the greatest players in history.  In fact he would probably unquestionably be named the greatest player ever if it wasn't for his personality.  But this isn't about Cobb.  So now the steroid question and it's affect on Bonds status as a Hall of Famer.

Impact - little to none.  Make any case you want about intergrity (which there has always been a large lack of in the history of baseball) he is a sure fire Hall of Famer and first ballot to boot. barring any convictions or new revalations in the 5 years after he retires.

Mark McGuire - To me this has already become one of the greatest travesties / causalties of the steriods era.  Long before he even got to St. Louis  McGuire was one of the top power hitters in the game and hit 48 home runs in his second season (my facts my be a bit off on that, but i know it was @ 50 homers extremely early on in his career).  

     To me it is a disgrace and total hypocricy for him to be excluded from the Hall on the first ballot.  One of two men who is credited with "saving" baseball pushed aside for what?  For being vague and not answering questions at a congressional hearing?  The real problem I have with his exclusion so far is this, He took andro.  Reporters knew about this during the summer of 98. Andro was not a banned substance at the time.  It wasn't even illegal.  Anyone who worked at any kind of suppliment store at the time could tell you it was availble there, including large chains such as GNC.  If Creatine is banned can we somehow negate the achievements of those who weight trained with that supplement?

     One of only 2 moments in my 28 years of life where I could tell you exactly what i was doing and remember vividly the details is McGuire's 62nd home run.  McGuire said what he had to at that hearing.  Sure he could have talked about using andro, but even though ok when he took it and availble over the counter, it was a substance on the now banned list and would have made him look like a wrong doer even though even though he took a legal supliment. 

Verdict - It's really up in the air, McGuire has been the first victim of this era however, as time passes I do believe he will make it into the hall where he belongs.

Sammy Sosa - I'll try and keep this one as short as possible.  The only player to have 3 60 home run seasons.  Pretended he didn't know english at the hearings. Probablity of steriod use, high.  Use of a corked bat, yup. 

His numbers - Juiced or not 600 home runs is an impressive number.  Take away those three 60 home run seasons and he still has over 400 home runs. 

Corked bat? - Am I the only one who knows about experiments conducted to see if a corked bat really makes a difference in hitting home runs?  Simple answer, no it doesn't make any sizable difference.  However if they used a dimpled ball.... anyway.  600 home runs is too many to ignore, not to mention those 3 60 homer seasons.  500 may be no longer automatic induction into the hall, but i believe 600 sure is.

Verdict - In.  Sosa continuing to play will help him cause it will be many years to he even comes to vote for the Hall and by they a lot of the burning issues and sentiments over this should have cooled down enough for a possible first ballot guy.

Rafael Palmerio - 500 home runs, told congress he didn't use steriods, then gets caught the very next season. Let's be honest, even before steriod talk came up, there was a lot of discussion about him being the first player with 500 home runs not to be inducted into the hall of fame anyway.

Verdict - On the bubble to begin with and steriods sealed his fate, no Hall of Fame for Raffie   

     Well after a much need break, and the end of a NGS contest with a basketball theme, the Saint has finally found some computer time.  But wait, what's that?  It's the yawning of a sports fan doomed to root for teams that just plain stink. 

     The Phillies - ok, so like most july's my preseason excitment has turned into, how much did they lose by tonight?  Lucky for the Phils the rest of the NL East stinks worse than they do, except the Mets.  Usually 2nd place in the division is better than expected as a Phil's fan, this year however, it's looking like a big old pile of blah.  The only real excitment left in the year is to see if my preseason prediction of Charlie Manuel getting fired before the All-Star break comes true.  After the all-star break i can look forward to.....well I'll let you know when I think of something.

     The Flyers - Once again the Flyers filled the roles of underachievers, but they did manage to set a record this off-season, 14 guys on the team are having off-season surgery.  So if i do my math correctly, that means they have a total of 6 guys on the team not having surgery.  Guess this means that it will be the first slow off-season in the trade department for the Flyers, considering that players traded do need to pass a physical. 

     Soccer - How bout the good ol' USA, err wait, yeah they wound up leaving a heaping pile of....Bruce Arena is stepping down, which is fine by me since he deserved to be fired.  Let's just hope that USA soccer doesn't listen to the coach who wasted some talented teams by not knowing how to coach them and hire a national team coach from somewhere else in the world, not from the MLS.  Remember way back what Bora did with a then bunch of nobodies?  On second thought, scratch that, hire some slob from the MLS, then in 2 years when the Germans get sick of Klinsman he can coach the US squad.

     So after sunday there won't be much on TV to watch other than baseball for a few months.  Unfortunately baseball too has gotten dull.  Unfortuntely living in NC has left me devoid of at least going to an MLB game in person and enjoying an otherwise meaningless game at this point in the season.  I have a hard time stomaching watching the low A Florida Marlins affiliate the Greensboro Grasshopers.  Maybe I should just drive a half an hour in the other direction and watch a bunch of guys that I won't get to see when they are playing in the pro's because, well no one watches the Devil Rays.  Rather than bothering going to see the Durham Bulls I think i'll just settle instead for watching Bull Durham a hundred times and hoping that the summer ends sooner rather than later...

     For those wondering where i've been (all 3 of my fans), the Saint has been on the road again and this time has landed in the Greensboro NC area (Dudski all the way! I saw that on the back of a car yesterday, it was probably Dudski himself).  Well, it's time again to test my sporting aliegences pitting my orginal hometown teams against my new hometown teams.

Sixers vs Bobcats - There aren't many teams the Sixers are better than these days, the Bobcats however are one of them.  In fact the Bobcats remind me of the post Barkley teams of the Sixers that made me swear off basketball for years after.

The Sixers take this easy.

Flyers vs Hurricanes - Ouch, toughie here.  The 'Canes have three of my all-time favorite Flyers in recent history, Brind'amore, Williams and Recchi.  The 'Canes have always been my number 2 team, and will stay that way.  But their enjoyable brand of hockey will be watched often for sure.

Cards vs. Panthers - Many will criticize this, but It's the Cards for me.  As you may remember the Cards won me over as my only Arizona flip-flop.  This is another easy call for me.  I hate the Panthers.  I generally dislike any one player overhyped team.  That was the Panthers to a tea last year.  It might be rough come football season around here, but to escape too much persecution, i might just claim to be one of the leftover skins fans around here when asked at the sports bars.

Phillies vs. Braves - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA right, like any diehard Phillies fan is ever going to route for the Braves, ever.

No other draft pick in sports has been seconded guessed more than that of the Trailblazers selection of Sam Bowie at number 2 over Michael Jordan.  We’ve all lamented over this seemingly bonehead move, hindsight is always 20/20 of course.  But, let’s look at things from a different prospective.  What if the Blazers actually did select Michael Jordan?  How would the Bulls, Trailblazers, NBA and the world be different is they did pick him?

 

            Scenario 1 – Jordan and the Trailblazers win 6 NBA titles.  This isn’t a real stretch.  The Trailblazers were a competitive team even playing against Jordan’s Bulls in the NBA finals.  So how would things be different?  Obvious but important statement alert!  Portland is not Chicago.  Gee thanks, we didn’t need to be told that, but it is important to the over-all scheme of things.  Name some Trailblazers?  Walton, Drexler…… Pippen, problem is that are these guys really remembered as members of the Portland Trailblazers?  Pippen was and always will be remembered as a Bull.  Drexler comes close to being remembered as a Trailblazer but he won his rings in Houston thus wiping out the average fans recollection of him as a Trailblazer.  Walton is maybe the most recognizable player as a Trailblazer. That is if you conveniently forget that he also won a championship with the Celtics or could even remember him as a player and not a loud-mouth announcer. 

 

            Playing in the West those days meant almost anonymity unless you were playing for the Lakers.  Sure, there are always exceptions to the rule, but overall it was a sea into which many players would get lost.  Having said that, in all likelihood Jordan and the Trailblazers could have won more than 6 championships.  If not they would have been to more NBA finals playing in a then weaker conference.  But, let’s get back Portland is not Chicago.  One of Jordan’s lasting memories apart from basketball is his endorsement deals. 

 

            Back then Nike signed Jordan to an endorsement deal and the rest is history.  Nike has become the most popular brand of shoes and their Jordan line a smashing success.  Even after his playing days customers still shell out $125 + for his line of shoes, classic Jordan’s and even new ones each year.  He’s spawned his own Brand Jordan line-up which currently includes Carmelo Anthony and Derek Jeter.  The big question is would this have happened if Jordan played for the Trailblazers? 

 

            Jordan signing with Nike while playing for the Trailblazers most definitely could have happened.  Nike got started in Oregon, seems like a perfect fit right?  At first thought, yes.  But, let’s look at this from a marketing prospective.  Portland is not Chicago.  I really can’t say that enough.  What would be more appealing to a company looking to further its influence across the nation.  Signing a local NBA player to a deal or choosing a player from one of the top markets in the country.  Nike would have been looking to do just that, Jordan might have been on their list, but they wanted to broaden appeal and escape a regional market in the Pacific Northwest.  Taking this into consideration Jordan most likely would not have been their target for an endorsement deal.  So who would they have targeted for their poster boy? 

 

A New York player, how about the nations 4^th largest market, Philadelphia, Charles Barkley entered the draft the same year.  L.A. would be of interest but, being on the west coast would not have expanded Nike’s market as much as a large eastern city would.  Barkley does indeed have a deal with Nike, but instead of being second fiddle to Jordan the roles easily could have been reversed. 

 

Nike opened up further endorsement deals for Jordan.  Would we be saturated with a plethora of sports drinks today if it wasn’t for Jordan and Gatorade.  Gatorade wasn’t new to the market by a long shot when Jordan signed on as an endorser.  However he brought it to the mainstream.  What catchy song would be singing if Jordan didn’t take place with Gatorade, “Like Dominique, if I could be like Dominique….” (or insert other fun names like Chuck, Larry or Ervin).  The world would definitely be a much different place.  (However I believe that people would still buy Haines endorsement deal or no endorsement deal). 

 

Scenario 2 – Jordan and the Trailblazers flop.  This doesn’t seem as unlikely as it sounds.  The Trailblazers were a consistently good team (give or take a few years) over Jordan’s time.  However, sometimes it’s a matter of right player, in the right place, at the right time.  Maybe Jordan doesn’t get to see the playing time he did in Chicago as a rookie.  Endorsement deals wouldn’t be coming his way or for any player coming off the bench.  

 

Maybe Sam Perkins career, or lack of, is a direct result of playing for the Trailblazers.  Jordan could have just been remembered as a great college player and nothing more.  He might have only enjoyed moderate success in the NBA.  Sure we could scoff at that statement knowing what we know now, but it could have happened. 

 

Although the use of athletes for marketing of products was not a new invention, it seems to have helped spawn a multi media marketing frenzy across sports as we know it.  Athletes and company’s seem to go hand in hand these days.  Jordan’s success as a spokesman has played an integral role in that.  All I know is this, had the Trailblazers selected Jordan with the 2^nd pick in the draft that year the world as we know it would be a much different place. 

     Some of you may have been wondering how exactly one receives the nickname “The Saint”.  Well, the most obvious would be a religious context.  Well this “Saint” is anything but.  One thing I have been well known for through-out my days however is my ever changing appearance.  This is how my nickname came about, an ever changing appearance much like Val Kilmer in the movie, “The Saint”.  So without further adieu I will reveal some of the many faces of “The Saint” in some of my most popular roles.

 

 The Saint as…..

Ben Rothliesberger

 

 The Saint as….

Sal Fasano

 

 

The Saint as….

David Eckstein

 

 

The Saint as…..

A young HillBilly Jim

 

 

That’s just a few of the many faces of the Saint... more to come.

            Call me a pessimist, but things aren’t looking good for the Flyers.  Down 2-0 already to the Buffalo Sabres’ things just keep getting worse.  The team was lackluster to say the least in their 8-2 loss in game 2.  Once again the goaltending bug bit the Flyers.  Robert Esche managed to stop just 5 of Buffalo’s 10 shots.  Yup that’s right he only stopped 50% of Buffalo’s shots.  That might be ok if the Flyers only allowed 2 shots the entire time he was in the game.  

 

            Goaltenders in Philadelphia have been the shown the door for much better performances in the recent past.  So barring a major comeback can we already assume that Esche is on his way out?  Given the recent past, I’d have to say yes.  The only way Esche could possibly stay is if he leads the team to the Stanley Cup.  Which is unlikely considering he probably won’t see another start in the playoffs.  Niitymaki should be in goal for the remainder of the series and if they don’t win, there should be no reason, other than injury, to put Esche back in the net. 

 

            The Flyers have been flirting with disaster for some time now.  They struggled to put the division away in the final weeks and slipped once again into their tradition playoff spot of 5^th.  Key injuries, a Flyers specialty, have played a major role in the teams play.  Things definitely are looking bleak for a team that looked to be a Stanley Cup contender coming into the season.  What went wrong?  Besides the injuries, poor goaltending down the stretch.  Goaltending has done the Flyers organization in the past few playoffs, why would it be any different this year.

 

            Is there an answer to the goaltending problem?  Niitymaki looks to have a promising career ahead of him.  He played very well all year long as well as in the Olympics.  The best move might be to let him develop, but this move won’t fly in Philly.  The Flyers have had a series of excellent teams that underachieved in the playoffs.  After being swept by the Red Wings in the last Cup Finals appears the goaltending carousel has been in full motion.  Bobby Clarke may be a genius when it comes to garnering offensive talent, but one area that is definitely lacking is on defense. 

 

            The key on defense is the Goaltender, a position it seems Clarke has little respect for.  The Flyers always seem to have great young talent in the goaltending core; however it never seems to stay in the Flyers organization.  Brian Boucher, Maxim Oullette and Jean-Marc Pelliter were all highly touted prospects with the Flyers.  Oullette was the highest drafted goaltender in history (at the time).  But of those 3 on Boucher was given a real shot, remarkable considering he wasn’t even the starter for the AHL’s Phantoms (that honor went to Neil Little).  Boucher made the most of his tenure but couldn’t find a way to win games in the playoffs.  He was shipped to Phoenix, Oullette to Washington and Pellitier to Carolina.  While those guys were developing the Flyers seemed content to try a series of goalies with little playoff success. 

 

Roman Checkmanek, Sean Burke and Robert Esche all posted excellent regular season stats.  All failed miserably in the playoffs, Checkmanek above all others couldn’t seem to figure out playoff hockey.  Esche has had the most playoff success.  Last season’s playoffs saw the Flyers bowing out to eventual champions the Tampa Bay Lightning in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.  But, Esche has faltered all season long and once again I fear there will be a goaltending shake-up in Philadelphia this off-season.  Who could the Flyers add?  Well there in lies the problem.  Quality goaltenders with a lot of playoff experience are hard to come by, and if you can get them, won’t come cheaply.  Rumors should begin to pop back up about the possibility of Roberto Luongo becoming the next Flyers goalie.  It would be a great addition to the team, but he lacks playoff experience, in fact he has never even played in a playoff game. 

 

So what will this mean?  Luongo to the Flyers very well might happen, but the reality of the situation is that their long term answer should be Nittymaki.  No one would like to hear this though as it probably means lowering the always high expectation of the Flyers organization.  Unfortunately Esche will probably be gone before the start of the next season.  A great goaltender at times, he happens to currently inhabit the wrong position at the wrong time.

     So you've finally decided to do it.  You packed up all your things, made arrangements, house, job, moving vehicle.  You're on your way to a new life in a new place.  You'll miss friends and family, but you knew that.  One thing you probablly didn't count on however is missing seeing your favorite sports teams in action.  Do you struggle, sometimes in vain to keep update with your old hometown teams or do you embrace your new local teams?

     It has been about a year now since I moved out to the desert and I'm still dealing with that dilema.  I grew up a Philadelphia sports fan.  It was easy to follow all the stories and the games, they were always readily available to watch.  Now 2,000 plus miles away from Philadelphia those games are few and far between on the television.  To make matters worse, it is hard to even catch the games on tv when they are on due to the time difference.  I'll always be a loyal Philly fan, but is it really ok to cheer for the teams in Arizona as well?  Let's compair the choices.

Flyers vs. Coyotes : This decision is actually a bit tougher than I ever had imagined.  Back east I could watch every single Flyers game and knew every player on the team as well as 90% of the players with their AHL team the Philadelphia Phantoms.  People can say all they want about Philadelphia being a football town and how the Eagles are the cities top team.  I wouldn't go that far.  The Flyers are always exceedingly popular in Philly, partly due to the fact that they have been consistent winners through their existence.  Especially come playoff time Philadelphia bleeds Orange and Black giving the guys in Green a real run for their money as the top bill in Philly.

     Now on the other hand we have the Phoenix Coyotes.  The 'yotes haven't put together too many winning teams since moving to the desert from Winnipeg.  There is also the obvious drawback of not many people being hockey fans out here.  It's the desert, in fact Glendale Arena during hockey season is the only place in Phoenix where you'll even be able to see Ice.  The Coyotes do hold one major attraction for me though.  The team does hold a large number of former Flyers on it's roster.  So cheering for the Yotes isn't the worst thing in the world.  In a way it is like cheering for your old hometown players who made the move to the desert just like you did.  (It is no wonder why the team has so many former Flyers, the staff is litered with former Flyers/Sixers personel)

Decision time : I'll always be a Flyers fan.  Maybe if the Coyotes were on TV more than 25 times a season it might be a harder decision.  But, I can also cheer for the Yotes, which I will do, since the teams play in different conferences and only meet 1-2 times per year.

Phillies vs. D-Backs: Another one I thought would be a no brainer.  Of all teams I've liked, the Phillies have always been number one and have never waivered.  (ok, I'll admit, they shared the title for a brief period of time with the Dodgers due to Gary Sheffield being one of my favorite players.  He reminds me a lot of my all-time favorite player Reggie Jackson).  But with the exception of about a year, there never has been anyone else I've cheered for.  I love all things Phillie. 

The D-Backs: No real love for the D-Backs here.  The only real positive they have going for them in my mind is they play in the National League (American League baseball are  dirty words to me).  They do have the added bonus of being on TV nearly every night.

Decision time:  Phillies still win out. The D-Backs can actually be enjoyable to watch on TV though.  Phillies come first, I'll cheer for the D-Backs except for when the Phils are in town, at which time I will be seated firmly in Chase Field wearing my Phillies gear.

Sixers vs. Suns:  By all accounts this would be one place where I switch my alligences.  The Suns are great, the Sixers are terrible.  In fact the Sixers of the post Barkely era are the reason why I don't watch or follow basketball closely.  They were hard to watch, with their best player being "The Other Shaq" Charles Shackleford.  Being in different conferences could give me the option to cheer for both.  But realistically I don't watch Basketball until the NBA finals.  

Decision time: Neither, I have no real attachment to basketball and I shouldn't even pretend anymore that I do actually have a favorite team.

Eagles vs. Cardinals:  The battle of the Birds.  I like the Eagles but am not the typical Iggle fanatic from Philadelphia.  I'd watch all their games, cheer for them to win, but they were never my top team  (Long time Bronco fan actually).  The Cards are well, the Cards.  They remind me a lot of my beloved Phillies, around forever and just one championship to their credit.  The Cards look to have an exciting team and even through this past season found myself more engorged in Cards games than I ever thought I would be.  

Decision time:  Well, I think I'm actually going to make a bit of a switch here.  I'll still watch and follow the Eagles, but since they were never my top NFL team, They get dropped down to second billing and the Cards will get the majority of my attention as my top NFC team. 

     Moving is tough on sports fans.  After a year I still don't have it completely figured out and looking at the posiblities of changing zip codes again sometime in the next year, it could just get that much worse.  But, for better or worse, I'm still sticking with the teams I've always loved, even if I do feel guilty cheering at games for Arizona teams.  I don't like feeling like a traitor, but if I don't start taking more of an interest in some of these teams the games I do get to see would be pretty boring. 

            The legacy of the Philadelphia Phillies over the years can be summed up as perennial losers with flashes of success from time to time.  They currently have amassed the most losses of any team in the history of pro sports, not just baseball, all of professional sports.  Including today’s loss they are just 118 defeats away from 10,000 all-time (9,882 if you’re counting).  Established in 1883 the team has had little to celebrate.  Now in their 123rd year of existence, the Phillies lay claim to 9 playoff appearances, 5 pennants and just one World Championship.  However, the team has seen a streak of winning seasons as of late, but improved in nearly every way, there is still one position that seems to haunt the Phils organization, the closer.

 

            The Phils have had their most recent post season post season experience back in 1993.  They dominated during the regular season (they didn’t lose back-to-back games that year until sometime in early August) and made their way to the World Series.  In the series they faced the defending champions the Toronto Blue Jays.  It was truly a great series, although for the Phils’ faithful, the ending was disappointing.  Mitch “Wild-Thing” Williams served up the game and series ending homer to Joe Carter and the rest was history.

 

            The closer position in Philadelphia has never recovered.  Williams by all accounts had a stellar season in ’93.  He finished the year with 43 saves and while he did save a lot of games, he had his share of blown saves.  He lived up to his nickname of “The Wild Thing”.  However, after serving up the series ending homerun neither Williams nor the Phillies closers ever recovered.  Williams was run out of town and could not pull together his stuff and was soon out of baseball.  Williams may be gone, but for the Phils Phaithful the memory remains.  No one position in any sport has been as scrutinized since ’93 in Philadelphia (although the Flyers goaltenders come in a close 2^nd). 

 

        Closers have come and gone from Philadelphia in the past 13 years, but as the team has seen those recent successes, they have come close, only to be let down by their good friend, the closer.  Jose Mesa was filling the closer roll when the Phils began to become winners again.  Mesa posted 42 and 45 save seasons in his first two campaigns with the Phillies (2001, 2002).  Great numbers but Mesa seemed to collapse at the most in opportune times and the Phils could not hit post season pay dirt.  2003 was the end of the road for him, managing only 24 saves.  Mesa, the once dominant closer looked rattled at best most of the time.  The media and the fans came down hard on him for his blown saves, despite posting back to back season of over 40 saves.  Mesa left Philadelphia and the very next year was back to his normally confident self and had 43 saves for the Pirates in ’04.  So, was it Mesa after all who was to blame?

 

            Enter the next victim, Billy Wagner.  Wagner was signed by the Phillies to be their savior in the pen.  An established closer (so was Mesa at the time he was signed) Wagner was expected to come in, shut things down and get the team over the hump that had plagued them for so long.  Wagner had great numbers in Philadelphia, but was not overly impressive with his save totals, just 21 his first season and 38 last year.  But even with the likes of Wagner, closing out games for the Phils always seemed to be an adventure.  Why is this?

 

 

            Besides the pressure of fans and media, there is something else going on with Phillies closers, the coaching staff.  Wagner posted 38 saves last year, but the shocking statistic is that he appeared in 75 games last year.  75 games!  It seems a bit high for his save total.  The fact is there has been mismanagement of the pitching staff in Philadelphia over the past several season.  Man times over the course of Wagner’s tenure he was trotted out to the mound in non-save situations, only to have the team be in a save situation the very next day, only to have a tired Wagner who was worked 2-3 innings the night before.  In 2004 he had a similar game to saves ratio, appearing in 45 games and saving 21. 

 

            Wagner wasn’t the only one.  Mesa appeared in over 70 games each of his first two seasons as a Phillie.  His final year he appeared in 61 games and saved 24.  Although his last season there his confidence was definitely shaken after recording a career high of 9 blown saves the prior year (2002, his previous high in a season was 5 and averages just over 3 per season for his career).  It seems that current Phillies closer Tom Gordon is in for much the same fate.  Already much maligned from the outset in Philadelphia, the coaching staff doesn’t seem like it wants to take the pressure off their closer.  In the second game of the season Gordon was put in the game, in a non-save situation and gave up the winning run.  It looks like the start short tenure for Gordon (although this season might seem like an eternity for him). 

 

            So who is to fault here, is it Mitch Williams and him adding even more pressure and attention to an already pressure packed role?  Is it the pitchers themselves?  Or is it the coaching staff, Larry Bowa and Joe Kerrigan both have felt the wrath partly (more like mostly) due to pitching woe’s.  However Charlie Manuel and Rich Dubee appear to be running down the same road, the road to heartbreak and failure….

     When it comes to football two words are hardly ever uttered in the same sentece, Cardinals and Winners.  Look out everyone but it seems that this year the Cards may just be on the verge of being *gasp* winners.  Two recievers returning with over 100 catches, former MVP at QB and one of the best Running Backs in recent history.  If that doesn't sound good also add in a defense that quitely finished 8th last season in total defense.  Not to shabby now is it.  Oh and a kicker who set an NFL record for Field Goals last season (runner-up as the NFL's sexiest man as well). 

     So coming into the draft what exactly are the Arizona Cardinals needs?  Well, it may not come down to needs.  Jay Cutler seems to be on everyone's list to be drafted by the Cards at the 10 spot.  This wouldn't be the worst move in the world, however it is not the best move the Cards could make.  Here's why drafting Cutler should not be the Cards top priority.  QB is not a current need for the Cardinals.  Kurt Warner showed he can still play, when not hurt.  But, more interestingly Josh McKnown showed he could play too.  Bottom line is that with Boldin and Fitzgerald at WR it will not take a superstar QB to run this team.  McKnown is not a bad player, however I doubt that he will have the same success through the air without both those players to throw to.

     The Cards not drafting Cutler is not a knock on Cutler's ablities.  The Cards could get at least one more year out of Warner, if he stays healthy.  So why was Warner hurt so often last year.  It has to do with the same reason that the Cards had the worst rushing attack in the league, the offensive line.  They couldn't open holes for Arrington and when the pressure came in the form of a pass rush, well, let's just say that both Warner and McKnown had plenty of grass stains on their uniforms after each game.  So why draft a young QB to come on a team that already has protection problems.  Sure he could be a great QB, but more likely he will suffer the same fate as the Cards QB's last season. 

     The Cards biggest need is someone to protect whoever is under center.  Without the constant pressure Warner should be able to finish out an entire year and he finally has the offensive weapons he once had in St. Louis in his arsenal again.  But an even bigger reason not to draft Cutler, Warner just recently had a similar situation befall him in New York.  Cutler probably wouldn't be ready to start this year, however it would unnessicarily put pressure on Warner and could rattle him, by constantly looking over his shoulder.  So by doing so you would have one QB who isn't NFL ready and another looking over his shoulder each week.  It's not a good situation and looks more and more like a lose-lose scenario. 

     So who should the Cards draft?  I think the best pick would be Winston Justice OT from USC.  (Glad to see that Adam Schein agrees with my mock draft selection)  Justice would give the Cards a solid cornerstone on the offensive line for years to come and would help in establishing a running attack.  Speaking of the running game, James could be in for a disappointing season if the Cards don't make a move for a OL with their first pick.  Everyone had bad things to say about Arrington this past season and some was well deserved. (like his tendancy to shy away from contact) But, it wasn't just Arrington who couldn't get it going on the ground.  Marcel Shipp, who although never posting stand out numbers has alwa