USA - I hate being wrong, really I do.  I am afraid that this second round may just make a liar out of me yet.  The US lost, again, this time to Korea.  I didn't think that team USA would sweep through the second round, I really didn't.  But once again here they sit on the brink of being eliminated.  What a topsy turvy tournament this has been for the US.  Next on deck for them is Mexico.  Mexico hung around with the US in the opening round, although didn't really threaten thanks to some fine fielding that turned double plays in key moments.  2-0 is not the scoreline that most of us were expecting from that game. 

     Willis has been a disappointment to say the least for the US team.  Several major league stars declined invitations for the WBC based on the fact that they didn't feel they would be ready enough to play at the level needed for their country.  Willis probably should have been one of them.  He doesn't have his stuff and it has cost his teamates dearly.  Willis isn't the only player on the US squad not producing, but getting hammered in your only 2 outings, makes you a target for criticsim, either unfortunately or unfairly. 

    The US should be able to get past Mexico and at least be in contention for the semi's.   I will do my best to lay out the possible scenario's shortly.

Mexico - This team really hangs in there.  They again kept the game close against the undefeated Korean side, but couldn't pull out a victory falling 2-1.  Later on today they will be playing Japan with any chances to continue on in the tournament on the line for both teams.  This second round is extremely difficult to predict, as I'm finding out.  All I can say is that the game should be close and going on past games, probally low scoring.  If Mexico wins they then will have to beat the US for any hope of advancing, all tall order, so even if they win, they are definately not out of the woods yet.

Korea - What can you say about a team that just continues to win.  They are almost assured of a spot into the semi-finals.  The could possibly get knocked out in a complicated set of tie-breakers however things are looking good for the club right now and there isn't any indication that it won't continue. 

Japan - Just like Mexico they dropped a close game to open round 2.  We can argue about if they were the victim of a bad call, but here's the facts.  Give them that run and at worst case scenario it would have been 4-4 at the end of 9.  But really, chances are that the US would have scored two on A-Rod's single up the middle that seemed to be determined to find it's way through the defense.  So they still probally would have lost that game.  Bad calls are part of the game, we all know that, it's unfortunate but you have to continue on. 

     Japan needs to win out to have a shot at advancing.  Even if they do still need a lot of things to go their way to get through.

Who will go through - Right now you have to say Korea of course and it looks like the US has the best path to head to the Semi's.

Possible scenario's - Korea can only be knocked out if, Japan beats Mexico and Korea, and the US beats Mexico forcing a 3 way tie , but only if Japan beats Korea soundly and scores a lot of runs in the process. 

USA - Must win vs Mexico and hope for either a Mexican win vs Japan, or a Japanese win over Mexico and Korea and a large run differential.

Mexico - For the Mexican side it's simple, they must win vs. Japan and team USA.  They have the least complicated road to the next round, but probally the hardest.

Japan - They need victories over Mexico and Korea to start, then they need help.  They need either the US to lose to Mexico or could squeak in by the tie breaking system (in the event of a US win vs Mexico).  For those interested here it is.

• The team that defeated the other tied team head-to-head in a given Round shall be ranked higher in the pool standings for such Round.
• The tied teams shall be ranked in the standings for that Round according to fewest runs allowed divided by the number of innings (including partial innings) played in defense in the games in that Round between the teams tied.
• The tied teams shall be ranked in the standings according to fewest earned runs allowed divided by the number of innings (including partial innings) played in defense in the games in that Round between the teams tied.
• The tied teams shall be ranked in the standings according to highest batting average in games in that Round between the teams tied.
• Standings shall be determined by the drawing of lots, conducted by WBCI.

     You got that?  Now onto Pool 2 and a much simpler way to figure out who goes through.  How simple is it?  You win your next game, you're in.  Every team is tied in the standings at 1-1, should be interesting to say the least.

Dominican Republic -  I did say they could lose....again though, I didn't expect them to.  It comes down to a win vs. Venezuela tonight.  I want to take a brief time out to say how exciting pool play has been over here, including their first round pool's.  This has been were the games are at, just watching on TV you can feel the passion and excitement.  Back to the Dominican, Venezuela played them tough in their opener for 8 innings, too bad the game is 9 innings long.  It should be another great game, I won't predict the winner of that game just yet though.

Venezuela - The team really seemed to spring to life against the previously undefeated Puerto Rican club.  They aren't dead yet, but as I mentioned they need to beat the Dominican Republic to get in.  It won't be an easy task.

Puerto Rico - After getting schelled against Venezuela PR now needs to beat Cuba to advance.  It will be interesting to see how they respond to their first loss of the tournament and now in a real pressure situation.

Cuba - A win vs. a streaky Venezuela team has kept their dreams of reaching the semi's alive.  Now they need to pull out a win over PR.  They couldn't handle the Dominican side and Puerto Rico put a good old fashioned butt whooping on the Dominican and Cuba (in Round 1).  Things don't look so good for Cuba's chances, although they did prove me wrong in the first round.

Who will go through - I'm not a betting man, but if I was there is one thing for sure, I would never bet on a baseball game.  Too much can happen and the outcome is hardly ever easy to predict.  With that said, I will stick with my orginal predictions of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic to advance.  Again, it is tough to call, but those 2 clubs should have the best shots at advancing

     Well well well, look who's getting some attention these days and not for being terrible, the Arizona Cardinals announced the signing of Edgerrin James yesterday and it has some Cards fans, the few there actually are, excited.  No this isn't like when Emmitt Smith signed with the Cards, Edge actually has some years left in him.  What does this mean?

    Anyone remember "The Greatest Show on Turf",  stop laughing, really, take a look at the Cards offense, Boldin, Fitzgerald, add James in the backfield, and the former commander of the greatest show on turf Kurt Warner.  It should be explosive.  Let's not all hate on Kurt Warner, sure he has been injured, a lot.  But, with any luck, or any protection in the pocket he could have a rather big year.  Which brings me to the downfall of the team.  The Offensive Line, was Arrington's lackluster performance last year all his own doing?  I'd say yes, but nobody got the job done on the ground last year.  A running back can't do anything without an OL, well anyone not named Barry Sanders.

     So will James make a big impact on the ground game?  As the team stands right now, probally not too substancial of a change,  but the NFL draft is coming up.  Hopefully the Cards will realize that Jay Cutler is not a good idea for this team.  Sure he may be great, blah blah blah blah, but 1). They have a QB that has proven in the past he could get the job done. 2). Culpepper apparently likes the sound of the Cards cause of his connection with Dennis Green.  3) Josh McKnown proved that with the talent in the WR core that pretty much anyone could throw to these guys and look good.  4).  Did I mention their line is pathetic.  5). I'm not advocating taking a special teams player in the first round, but their special teams were absolutely dreadful, my point is, don't draft a player in a position where you are at least holding your own at, get help where you actually need it.

    This team has a real chance to make real leaps and bounds, and more than the 9 wins that others only want to give them.  Cards or not, moving into not only a new stadium, but their own stadium will be a great boost to the team as well.  New stadium, a team on the rise, don't expect the usual Sun Devil Stadium turnout.  If the Cards address actual issues they have in the draft they could contend, if they waste their first round pick on Cutler, then don't be surprised when Warner and Cutler both go down with injuries because they passed up the chance to draft someone who could block for a QB, anyone could throw to these WR's as long as they're not always scrambling for their lives or getting hurt.

     Welcome to the first installment of the Bonehead of the Week Award.  Here's where I will highlight the low point of the week in sports.  This week we have co-winners/losers.

Evengy Artuykhin (Tampa Bay Lightning) - What if Happy Gilmore played in the NHL?  Well besides the poor skating ablity we could expect some bad behavior on the ice, remember he said he held two records, most penalty minutes and he was the only guy to take his skate off on the ice and try to stab someone with it.  Well Evengy didn't take his skate off and try and stab, but he did the next best thing, he took an opposing players helmet off his head and proceeded to hit him with it. 

Tony Skinn (George Mason University) - Skinn committed the ultimate sin in a game against Hofstra.  He did the unthinkable (well we could think about it, but it makes us males cringe) he punched a Hofstra player in the crotch during a game.  That alone is enough to get the award, but to make matters worse he has been suspended by his coach and that suspension could cost his team a NCAA Tourney bid. 

Congrats to both Artuykhin and Skinn on winning this weeks award.  Tune in next week for the worst in sports. 

     I've really tried to avoid this subject, and have made it this long with out writing my own feelings on this subject.  But, I can't help it, the more the soap opera known as the NFL goes on the more I can't help but think that TO made one of the Ultimate Bonehead moves in the history of the NFL and maybe even sports. 

Things I will agree with in the TO saga.

     McNabb isn't a great QB, I've been saying that for a long time and having actually been one of the fans who booed his selection in person at the NFL draft I still don't and never have backed off that stance, heck most of the time I wouldn't even call him good.  Here's a joke for everyone that illustrates.

Did you hear about the new sandwich at McDonalds?
It's called the McNabb.  When your order is ready the person behind the counter either throws it at your feet or into the arms of the guy behind you in line.

     Feel free to insert any other McQB's name into that joke, but really, McNabb isn't consistent never has been and probally never will be, in fact TO did get a little Brett Farve out of McNabb this past year, he played while he was hurt and not for the best interests of the team.  McNabb has a chip on his shoulder, maybe cause fans like me greeted his drafting with boo's, given his career and Ricky Williams, I'd still probally have the Eagles select Williams.  I stand by my guns on that one.

     That's about all I will agree with TO on, oh that and he was the only reciever that could catch the ball, I never like to think that an injury helps a team, but I honestly thought with Pinkston being out for the past year before it even started that the Eagles actually had an improved WR core, addition by subtraction I guess you'd call it.  Oh the other thing I agree on, the man can play football.  No one questions that, he's a great WR. end of story.

Things I disagree with TO about:

     Everything else.  The NFL is not about stars, in fact they promote the league as teams, not individuals, or at least claim that anyway.  TO wanted more money after just one year into a new deal.  Here's where it starts, sure blab all you want about you being the addition that got the team to the Super Bowl, which oh yeah, you didn't play in the playoffs, it was the Eagles without TO that got over their previous sticking spot of the NFC championship game. 

     TO wasn't the one who got tired in the Super Bowl.  Maybe so, he also wasn't the one that handles the ball every offensive snap either.  Sure, he put up some good numbers during the game, his stat line did come up looking nice, but I remember watching the game.  TO's great numbers weren't from any impressive catches and few if any in important situations for the Eagles.  It was by far the most quiet 100+ recieving yard performance I've seen in a big game, or even most games for that matter.  If you want to say that you did your part, that's great, here's a hearty pat on the back, good job, your team still lost.  A team which in case you forgot you are a part of and if you were as good as you claim shouldn't you have been able to overcome that outcome? 

     So back to getting paid what your worth.  The heart of the whole arguement about this wasn't so much getting more money as it was getting more guaranteed money.  Put yourself in an owners shoes for one second and consider this, here you have a player who put up great numbers during the season when he played, but, on the flip side missed significant time due to an injury, a broken leg no less.  From a risk management standpoint you obviously would be less likely to pay any player guarenteed money the season after a major injury.  Sure he showed great effort and commitment to getting back on the field, but the injury still occured.  If you were running the team who would be more likely for you to give garunteed money to? A player who consistently performs and has played in all the games or someone who missed time with injury thus meaning you are paying someone to not play.  TO because of the injury was more of a risk of loss for guarnteed money.  The demand also came right after a season with the injury.  It's purely a buisness decision, and if i haven't forgotten my insurance terminology it's called a moral hazard, that's why it's hard for people who are already sick to get insurance, the chances that it will be a good proposition for the insurance company are slim.  Just like the Eagles and TO in this case.

     I'm sure someone is going to bring up that in an arguement between Billionaires and Millionaires I would side the Billionaires (the owners).  Your absolutely right, they own the team and have the right to say who is there and how much they are going to pay them.  If they don't like it they can find a different employer, just like you or me.  Because it really isn't any different, just the dollar amounts.  Sure, most of us don't have contracts at our jobs, but some of us do, and the owner has every right to hold a person to that contract that they agreed upon, and I stress BOTH SIDES AGREED UPON IT. 

     People on TO's side say that the Eagles would have cut him eventually even if did play nice.  That's is a load of you know what.  The Eagles are not a team in finacial trouble.  They are below the salary cap and have been for some time.  TO was in no trouble of becoming a cap casualty.  Sure you can point to Trotter.  People want to say the Eagles treated him badly.  Again, it was a buisness decision, for the money he was making and the other talent on the team at his position it didn't make sense to keep him, so he went to the Redskins.  He obviously didn't have any hard feelings about it, cause if he did he wouldn't have re-signed with the club for this past season. 

     Then there is the most dubious arguement I've heard, it's a race thing.  That I'm on the Eagles side because I have a problem with a black man shooting his mouth off about getting paid.  Complete and utter hogwash.  I would have the same thing to say about any athlete in any sport of any race who acted in the manner that TO did and demanded what he did.  Given the information presented what he wanted was not a good investment for the Eagles.  Buisness is hard and it can be cruel.  TO only had to look a few miles north to the Lehigh Valley to see that historically in that era.  Take time out to listen to the song Allentown by Billy Joel, how many Lehigh Valley residents were hurt by buisness and capitalism when Bethlehem Steel went under.  It's a harsh reality but nothing is owed to anyone, it really isn't.  It may be cruel or seem wrong but it is the reality of things.  Buisness is buisness, that's all there is to it and that's what this was all about.  TO's antics and history did play a role in it, but it was a poor buisness proposition, end of story. 

     Now, I am about to make a must curious statement.  Where will TO be next year.  I've stated before and thought the most natural fit, or should I say the only team that has a knack for putting up with the TO's of the world is the Denver Broncos.  I also could see that blowing up large with Jake Plummer at QB.  I don't think the Cowboys or Skins are really all that close to being in the running.  But now there is a different problem.  The new salary cap and many teams not having the money for a TO. 

     First off, he most certainly ensured that he wouldn't be getting anywhere near what he wanted or even what he was getting paid by the Eagles.  So his whole reasoning for acting the way he did blew up in his face (the Ultimate Bonehead move).  So, where could he end up, well, I know this seems odd, but, with the rush to cut players still sees TO on the Eagles, although as I said, the Eagles were not in any salary cap danger, but is it possible that TO stays with the Eagles?  He seems to have burnt all his bridges but TO knows he won't get any more or even as much as his contract is currently with the Eagles.  The market for him appears to be slim and any free agent for that matter.  Bottom line is TO actually needs the Eagles.  He destroyed any positive reputation he did have, if any.  He needs to rebuild that and show that he can be a valued asset to any team.  I don't think the Eagles would have him back, but it actually seems like his best option, if not his only one.

We as sports fans don't just settle for watching sports on tv, or even writting about them in blogs, we also spend/have spent a decent amount of time playing them on various gaming systems.  But what's the best of the best in sports gaming?  Here's a list of games/game franchises for each sport vote for which you deem to be top dog in each catagory.

Football -

Madden - If you haven't owned or at least played on version of Madden football you are most likely in the minority of sports gaming or even general gaming.  I don't think I even need to explain about this one.

Tecmo Bowl - A revolutionary football game in it's time, easy and fun to play and the first (that I know of) to have actual NFL teams and actual NFL players.  Even between the Tecmo Bowlers there is a lot of division between Tecmo Bowl and Tecmo Super Bowl, heck  even between the two versions of Tecmo Bowl (one has eric dickerson running for the Colts, the other version has Albert Bentley).  Not wanting to split any votes all versions of Tecmo Bowl will be included, we can argue over which version of Tecmo Football was better at a later date.

Joe Montana Football - I really can't recall too much on this one at the moment, other than it was a flagship game for orginal Sega, do you remember even what the orginal Sega looks like, hard to remember isn't it.  This was the Madden before there was Madden.

Play-action Football - A very underrated game in my opinion, didn't spend much time on the NES version but the SNES version was outstanding, first time I could recall fatigue being a factor in a game, also that version boasted the first time we could play as our favorite colleges, sorta (they were given slightly askew names, some rather humorous like smartmouth instead of darthmouth).

Hockey -

Blades of Steel - What hockey fan doesn't remember this classic, not much in the way of hockey strategy, or player names, this game was just full out fun.  Three checks and a fight breaks out, now that's what hockey (gaming) is all about.

NHL Hockey - Probably the best known hockey game around this game has seen annual editions from back to the very early 90's with the orginal NHLPA hockey, some versions better than others of course.  Some memorable versions included NHLPA, NHL 93, NHL 97 to name a few. 

ESPN hockey - I'll try to be nice but having played several of these they just don't cut the mustard for this gamer.  Sometimes akward to play, sometimes impossible to score, minor things that bug me, near NHL license.  Unless you've worked in licensing or for a company that made sports clothing (I worked for Majestic for a semester while in college) you might not notice this, but the jersey's where nearly authentic, with one minor detail being different, sorry but I just couldn't take looking at those Black Flyers jersey's with the cuff's of the sleeves being entirely orange, minor peeve but if you want to hang with the big boys....

Ice Hockey - I'm sure that there are plenty of fans of this classic NES game.  It was fun, not too realistic, but a good time, the kind of games Nintendo is known for producing.

Baseball -

RBI baseball - This was another classic NES game.  Skinny guys, extremely fat guys.  Spawned several sequals.  Not much to say on this other than if you didn't play it back in it's day you were missing out.

MVP/Triple Play - EA sports entry into baseball games.  The game went through several name changes (I think it was called something else before Triple play).  EA is always a front runner in the sports gaming landscape.  A standard of all baseball games.

ESPN/SEGA - I'm currently a little peeved since they now are the only licsenced MLB game.  I never played it, hear it is good though.

Baseball Stars - Another classic NES game, this added a new dimension of earning money for victories.  This game was fun, although for many of us it just meant playing game after game against the Lovely Ladies

Bases Loaded - The most comprehensive game of it's time, quality baseball gaming well ahead of it's time.  These games never got the credit they deserved, but let me put it this way, These games were solid way back to their days on the Commodore 64.  If you don't know what that is, it's ok, it was back in the days when floppy disks were still floppy and before they became user friendly *,8,1

Basketball - 

Disagree with me if you'd like but there is only really one great basketball game.

NBA Jam - I refuse to even discuss this anymore, hands down best basketball game ever.

Others of note if you want, NBA Live, Tecmo Basketball, 2K..., Jordan vs Bird (which for us older gamers didn't star Jordan, it starred Dr. J)

Let the debate begin