I am a baseball fan through and through. I attend a lot of sporting events and I enjoy them, but there's nothing I love more than a live baseball game . I'll defend the strategy, the precision and the beauty of the sport to the end of the universe. Last night though, as a baseball fan, I was disgusted by what happened on the field in Philadelphia during Game 5 of the World Series.
Around the fourth inning, the rain started to fall on Citizens Bank Park. With the Phillies leading 2-1, I immediately thought to myself, "This game could end in a rain delay if they let the Rays bat in the top of the fifth and the Phillies could win the World Series in a 4 1/2 inning game." Of all of the embarrassing things that Bud Selig has done in his time as commissioner of Major League Baseball, ending the World Series in a shortened game would've been the trump card.
Of course, Selig now claims that if it came down to it, he could've acted to call an extended "rain delay" and resumed the game on Tuesday night, no matter what the score of the game or what the actual rulebook says. That would obviously be the right thing to do in a 2-1 game after five innings given the situation, so why, exactly, did these two teams play through a freezing downpour for an inning and a half, only to have the game almost immediately suspended at the first point that the rulebook allowed for it. Sure, the Rays tied the game. But they only did it after B.J. Upton reached when Jimmy Rollins flubbed a very fieldable grounder, then ran around the basepaths to score the tying run while the Phillies attempted to throw him out with an incredibly slippery baseball. If Selig and the baseball officials had the power to suspend the game until tomorrow, even though the rules don't technically allow for it, and they were meaning to do it, why hadn't it been done at that point? With all due respect to the Rays, the tying run in this game was scored by the weather, not them. What happened last night also solidifies my point that baseball should begin in May (to avoid the debacle with the "snow days" like we had in Cleveland) and conclude at the end of September to avoid 30 degree baseball games.
Maybe Selig thought he had the power to go around the rules and suspend a game that wasn't tied. But the fact is he didn't, and he allowed the most important game of the season, to this point, to press on in conditions that were unfit for baseball. This is the exact kind of gutlessness that has ruined Selig's term as commissioner, be it turning a blind eye to steroids or allowing the All-Star Game to end in a tie. The man is simply unable to make a difficult decision. He can say what he likes about what he would or wouldn't have done had the Rays not tied the game up, but it certainly seemed to me that the Rays scoring provided an easy out for him and prevented the debacle that he allowed to to take place in the first place from going on any longer.
Yes, it’s inconvenient to reschedule games, which would be necessary if the Series were delayed until Wednesday. But you have to have some respect for the game that you keep telling us is the greatest game ever invented. You have to be willing to be inconvenienced if that’s the price of deciding your championship under conditions that are fair to the players, the game and the fans.
Oh yeah...Go Rays!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Morning After Pill - Week # 7-Plus Bye Week
So for the third consecutive week, the Minnesota Vikings took their fans on a roller coaster ride. Ups and downs, twists and turns, agony and ecstacy. . . all jammed into the space of about three hours or so. The only thing I wanna say from yesterday's game... QUIT GIVING AWAY TOUCHDOWNS!!. I almost threw up all over Tonya and my Dyngle Burger after the Vikes gave away not one, but TWO touchdowns on special teams blunders. We dominated the football game yet still found a way to lose it. If you would have told me the Vikings would score 41 points I would have bet you everything I owned that we would win.
Okay, enough about the game. The Vikings head into the bye this week so let's look at the season thus far.
Adrian Peterson? Still Really, Really Good
With his performance yesterday against the Bears, Adrian Peterson again sits atop the league in rushing yardage with 684 yards through the first 7 games. That puts him on pace for over 1500 yards and 11 touchdowns. He's still, for my money, the best running back in the National Football League, and he puts more distance between himself and the rest of the field every time he touches the football. He's still the biggest threat on the Vikings' offense, by far, and teams are still keying on him every single week. Despite that, he can still put up the numbers he has.
No matter how dark things get in Minnesota, we can take some solace in the fact that we still have this guy on our roster.
Bernard Berrian? Worth the Money
People snickered when the Vikings gave Bernard Berrian a contract that made him one of the five highest-paid receivers in the National Football League. After watching him work over the course of the last 3-4 weeks, the only people that should be laughing are Minnesota fans, because Berrian's contract is going to look like a bargain in a season or two.
Since the Vikings made the quarterback switch to Gus Frerotte, Berrian hasn't had less than 78 receiving yards in a game, and has gone over 100 yards twice. He has a touchdown catch in three consecutive games, and his 18.5 yard/catch average has him in a tie for third place in that category among receivers with at least 20 catches (trailing only Buffalo's Lee Evans and Detroit's Calvin Johnson). He's on pace to set personal bests for yardage (on pace for around 1,200 yards, which would be his first season ever above 1,000 yards) and touchdowns. He's got three scoring catches already, and he's never had more than six in a season prior to this year.
The guy's doing what we brought him in here to do. He's stretching the field, he's making big catches, and he's establishing himself as a threat. Yeah, he's had some drops and yeah, he basically did nothing for the first two games of the year, but he appears to be the receiver we've seen over the past five weeks rather than the guy we saw over the first two.
Kevin Williams? Still the Best Defensive Tackle In Football
Keep your Tommie "Can't Stay Healthy" Harris. Keep your Albert "Gutless Face Stomper" Haynesworth. When you make a list of the best all-around defensive tackles in the National Football League, the name Kevin Williams should be on the top of the list, because there's nobody that's better than he is.
Not only is he a part of the Vikings having the best run defense in the National Football League (sure, they're only #4 in that category right now, but we all know they'll be at #1 when the season ends), but with the added attention that Jared Allen has been getting at defensive end, #93 has re-discovered his pass rush skills as well, as he leads the Vikings with six sacks.
I don't know how much longer we'll have the "Williams Wall" in Minnesota, but with Williams and Allen signed for the long-term, we certainly know that we have two spots that are take care of for at least the next 5-6 years.
Brad Childress? Likely Gone After This Year
Yep. Can't emphasize that enough.
The Vikings' Season? Not Over Yet
Yep, they currently sit at 3-4, and have a 1-2 record in the division. Those two losses came on the road, in close games, by a touchdown or less. We get this bye week, and then what should be a winnable game against the Houston Texans at home before the rematch with the Packers. After the Vikings win that game, they'll be at 5-4, and things will be looking up.
The NFC's Super Bowl Representative? Not Coming from the NFC North.
Not from Chicago, not from Green Bay, and not from Minnesota. As of now, Chicago's the best team in this division, and they'll be a beast when they get completely healthy, but it's quite likely that whoever wins this division will be one-and-out in the post-season.
Most importantly, in the end, I'll still be a Viking fan, which makes me the greatest damn fan in the National Football League. And if anyone disagrees with that assessment. . . well, screw them. Because they're wrong, and they're probably stupid.
Okay, enough about the game. The Vikings head into the bye this week so let's look at the season thus far.
Adrian Peterson? Still Really, Really Good
With his performance yesterday against the Bears, Adrian Peterson again sits atop the league in rushing yardage with 684 yards through the first 7 games. That puts him on pace for over 1500 yards and 11 touchdowns. He's still, for my money, the best running back in the National Football League, and he puts more distance between himself and the rest of the field every time he touches the football. He's still the biggest threat on the Vikings' offense, by far, and teams are still keying on him every single week. Despite that, he can still put up the numbers he has.
No matter how dark things get in Minnesota, we can take some solace in the fact that we still have this guy on our roster.
Bernard Berrian? Worth the Money
People snickered when the Vikings gave Bernard Berrian a contract that made him one of the five highest-paid receivers in the National Football League. After watching him work over the course of the last 3-4 weeks, the only people that should be laughing are Minnesota fans, because Berrian's contract is going to look like a bargain in a season or two.
Since the Vikings made the quarterback switch to Gus Frerotte, Berrian hasn't had less than 78 receiving yards in a game, and has gone over 100 yards twice. He has a touchdown catch in three consecutive games, and his 18.5 yard/catch average has him in a tie for third place in that category among receivers with at least 20 catches (trailing only Buffalo's Lee Evans and Detroit's Calvin Johnson). He's on pace to set personal bests for yardage (on pace for around 1,200 yards, which would be his first season ever above 1,000 yards) and touchdowns. He's got three scoring catches already, and he's never had more than six in a season prior to this year.
The guy's doing what we brought him in here to do. He's stretching the field, he's making big catches, and he's establishing himself as a threat. Yeah, he's had some drops and yeah, he basically did nothing for the first two games of the year, but he appears to be the receiver we've seen over the past five weeks rather than the guy we saw over the first two.
Kevin Williams? Still the Best Defensive Tackle In Football
Keep your Tommie "Can't Stay Healthy" Harris. Keep your Albert "Gutless Face Stomper" Haynesworth. When you make a list of the best all-around defensive tackles in the National Football League, the name Kevin Williams should be on the top of the list, because there's nobody that's better than he is.
Not only is he a part of the Vikings having the best run defense in the National Football League (sure, they're only #4 in that category right now, but we all know they'll be at #1 when the season ends), but with the added attention that Jared Allen has been getting at defensive end, #93 has re-discovered his pass rush skills as well, as he leads the Vikings with six sacks.
I don't know how much longer we'll have the "Williams Wall" in Minnesota, but with Williams and Allen signed for the long-term, we certainly know that we have two spots that are take care of for at least the next 5-6 years.
Brad Childress? Likely Gone After This Year
Yep. Can't emphasize that enough.
The Vikings' Season? Not Over Yet
Yep, they currently sit at 3-4, and have a 1-2 record in the division. Those two losses came on the road, in close games, by a touchdown or less. We get this bye week, and then what should be a winnable game against the Houston Texans at home before the rematch with the Packers. After the Vikings win that game, they'll be at 5-4, and things will be looking up.
The NFC's Super Bowl Representative? Not Coming from the NFC North.
Not from Chicago, not from Green Bay, and not from Minnesota. As of now, Chicago's the best team in this division, and they'll be a beast when they get completely healthy, but it's quite likely that whoever wins this division will be one-and-out in the post-season.
Most importantly, in the end, I'll still be a Viking fan, which makes me the greatest damn fan in the National Football League. And if anyone disagrees with that assessment. . . well, screw them. Because they're wrong, and they're probably stupid.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Who needs all 10 fingers??
When I think of amputees, I usually think of brave soldiers who lost their limbs in Iraq and Afghanistan or innocent victims of cancer and freak accidents. But now, college football gives us an example of a man who has a far more "courageous" reason to lose his limbs. An example of a future American rocket scientist/brain surgeon: Trevor Wikre.
You see, Trevor Wikre had a choice: Lose his pinkie finger or lose his football season.
He told doctors to cut it off. He took no time to ponder. He said it wasn't a hard choice
Wikre, 21, is a guard for Mesa State College, a Division II school in Grand Junction, Colo. He had told teammates a couple of weeks earlier how much he loved them as brothers.
He told them that he would take a bullet for them and he looked at this injury as that bullet. Trevor Wikre: Genius Who Amputated Pinky to Avoid Sitting Out Season
The trauma came Sept. 30 when Wikre's right little finger shattered at practice. He pulled off a glove, saw bone jutting out and asked trainers to tape it up. They declined and got him to the hospital, where doctors advised him that he needed season-ending surgery.
He reminded doctors that he was a senior and that losing his senior season wasn't an option. Doctors tried to talk him out of it by explaining the troubles he would have later in life...didn't matter to this guy apparently. Eventually the doctors gave in....
Wikre missed one game. He played last week with a rubber cast.
Did he find any difference in how he played? "Just one less finger to hold with," he said, laughing softly.
How about differences in life?
"I can't hit the P on the keyboard very well," he said. "I have to train my ring finger to get over there. It takes time." Yeah...well good luck ever trying to receive change from a grocery store clerk because the coins will slip right through your fingers moron. Because the pinky is the plug that closes a clenched palm.
With good sense like this, I wouldn't bet that this idiot would make the same sacrifice for his country . . . but for his Division II college football team, that's the ticket.
Giving up your finger to avoid sitting out a season of D II college football. I think we've just found this year's Darwin Awards Winner.
You see, Trevor Wikre had a choice: Lose his pinkie finger or lose his football season.
He told doctors to cut it off. He took no time to ponder. He said it wasn't a hard choice
Wikre, 21, is a guard for Mesa State College, a Division II school in Grand Junction, Colo. He had told teammates a couple of weeks earlier how much he loved them as brothers.
He told them that he would take a bullet for them and he looked at this injury as that bullet. Trevor Wikre: Genius Who Amputated Pinky to Avoid Sitting Out Season
The trauma came Sept. 30 when Wikre's right little finger shattered at practice. He pulled off a glove, saw bone jutting out and asked trainers to tape it up. They declined and got him to the hospital, where doctors advised him that he needed season-ending surgery.
He reminded doctors that he was a senior and that losing his senior season wasn't an option. Doctors tried to talk him out of it by explaining the troubles he would have later in life...didn't matter to this guy apparently. Eventually the doctors gave in....
Wikre missed one game. He played last week with a rubber cast.
Did he find any difference in how he played? "Just one less finger to hold with," he said, laughing softly.
How about differences in life?
"I can't hit the P on the keyboard very well," he said. "I have to train my ring finger to get over there. It takes time." Yeah...well good luck ever trying to receive change from a grocery store clerk because the coins will slip right through your fingers moron. Because the pinky is the plug that closes a clenched palm.
With good sense like this, I wouldn't bet that this idiot would make the same sacrifice for his country . . . but for his Division II college football team, that's the ticket.
Giving up your finger to avoid sitting out a season of D II college football. I think we've just found this year's Darwin Awards Winner.
Monday, October 13, 2008
The Morning After Pill - Week # 6
I'll admit that after watching yesterday's game between the Vikings and the Detroit Lions, my immediate reaction was a bit of embarrassment. . . almost guilt. . . over the fact that the Vikings, for the second week in a row, had "won ugly." Don't get me wrong. . . statistically, the Vikings were the superior team. But, for some reason, it just didn't feel right to me that the Vikings came out on top.
At first.
But the more I thought about it on my ride home on my motorcycle, I decided that there was absolutely no reason for me to feel bad about the fact that my favorite team had somehow managed to get themselves back to .500. Yes, they were supposed to destroy the Detroit Lions. Yes, it was an ugly victory. Yes, the Lions are a bad football team that was playing a second or third-string quarterback that was making his first ever NFL start. Yes, the Vikings got the benefit of some pretty horrendous officiating calls. Yes, this means that Brad Childress more than likely won't be fired this week.
But the reality of the situation is that, as it stands now, we're part of a three-way tie for first place in the NFC North. And, yes, it was because of an "ugly win." Hell, do you think our division rivals in Chicago would have been happy with an "ugly win" today? Yet, with 11 seconds to go, the Bears had a 1-point lead and appeared to have a victory in hand. Minutes later, Jason Elam was hitting a 48-yard field goal and the Bears were leaving town with a 22-20 loss heading into next week's game.
Color me crazy, but I think Chicago fans would have been quite happy to "win ugly" today. If they had, they'd have first place in the division all to themselves. But as it stands now, like I said earlier, there's a three-way tie at the top of the NFC North.
And as far as the officiating goes? We're Viking fans. . .we forfeited the need to apologize for actually getting calls from the referees about five seconds after Drew Pearson pushed off. Yeah, we got some calls. If we get every big call for two decades straight to go our way like some teams *cough*.. Packers...*cough*, then maybe I'll feel compelled to apologize.
But what were some of the positive things we can take from the game?
Well, for starters, how about that Bernard Berrian fellow, huh? Not only was he part of the second-longest pass play in Minnesota Viking history today with his 86-yard pitch-and-catch with Gus Frerotte, but over the course of the past couple of weeks, it looks like he's finally starting to justify that paycheck he's been getting since March. In his last two games, Berrian has 11 catches for 241 yards and two touchdowns. That's an average of a cool 21.9 yards per catch. He was brought in to stretch the field, and to this point, that's finally what he's doing. If he can continue doing that, this offense should improve. . .well, if the play calling gets any better, that is.
Speaking of guys living up to their billing, where has Kevin Williams been for the past couple of seasons? The best all-around defensive tackle in football was credited with four of the Vikings' six sacks of Dan Orlovsky this afternoon, including one on the final play of the game when the Lions were attempting to get a last-second Hail Mary accomplished. Williams now has six sacks total on the season. . .which is twice as many as he had in all of 2007 and almost as many as he had in '06 and '07 combined.
Adrian Peterson got back on track this week after a couple of, by his standards, down weeks. He averaged five yards a carry and went over 100 yards after a couple of weeks below the century mark. However, he really, REALLY needs to work on that whole "holding on to the football" thing. AP might be the greatest back in the league, but losing two fumbles in one game deep in opposing territory is unacceptable.
And congratulations to Gus Frerotte, who became a member of the 20,000 passing yard club this week. He needed 174 yards going into today's game, and he passed that during Berrian's big TD catch-and-run. Surprisingly, Frerotte almost broke the Vikings dry spell of games without a 300-yard passer, and in the fourth quarter had actually gotten to 301 yards passing.
Then, in typical "kick ass offense" fashion, Frerotte threw a swing pass to Adrian Peterson. . .that lost five yards. That loss put Frerotte at 296 yards for the afternoon, and he never got back above 300. So, as it stands now, the Vikings' last 300-yard passing performance still belongs to Daunte Culpepper..... THREE years ago!!
At first.
But the more I thought about it on my ride home on my motorcycle, I decided that there was absolutely no reason for me to feel bad about the fact that my favorite team had somehow managed to get themselves back to .500. Yes, they were supposed to destroy the Detroit Lions. Yes, it was an ugly victory. Yes, the Lions are a bad football team that was playing a second or third-string quarterback that was making his first ever NFL start. Yes, the Vikings got the benefit of some pretty horrendous officiating calls. Yes, this means that Brad Childress more than likely won't be fired this week.
But the reality of the situation is that, as it stands now, we're part of a three-way tie for first place in the NFC North. And, yes, it was because of an "ugly win." Hell, do you think our division rivals in Chicago would have been happy with an "ugly win" today? Yet, with 11 seconds to go, the Bears had a 1-point lead and appeared to have a victory in hand. Minutes later, Jason Elam was hitting a 48-yard field goal and the Bears were leaving town with a 22-20 loss heading into next week's game.
Color me crazy, but I think Chicago fans would have been quite happy to "win ugly" today. If they had, they'd have first place in the division all to themselves. But as it stands now, like I said earlier, there's a three-way tie at the top of the NFC North.
And as far as the officiating goes? We're Viking fans. . .we forfeited the need to apologize for actually getting calls from the referees about five seconds after Drew Pearson pushed off. Yeah, we got some calls. If we get every big call for two decades straight to go our way like some teams *cough*.. Packers...*cough*, then maybe I'll feel compelled to apologize.
But what were some of the positive things we can take from the game?
Well, for starters, how about that Bernard Berrian fellow, huh? Not only was he part of the second-longest pass play in Minnesota Viking history today with his 86-yard pitch-and-catch with Gus Frerotte, but over the course of the past couple of weeks, it looks like he's finally starting to justify that paycheck he's been getting since March. In his last two games, Berrian has 11 catches for 241 yards and two touchdowns. That's an average of a cool 21.9 yards per catch. He was brought in to stretch the field, and to this point, that's finally what he's doing. If he can continue doing that, this offense should improve. . .well, if the play calling gets any better, that is.
Speaking of guys living up to their billing, where has Kevin Williams been for the past couple of seasons? The best all-around defensive tackle in football was credited with four of the Vikings' six sacks of Dan Orlovsky this afternoon, including one on the final play of the game when the Lions were attempting to get a last-second Hail Mary accomplished. Williams now has six sacks total on the season. . .which is twice as many as he had in all of 2007 and almost as many as he had in '06 and '07 combined.
Adrian Peterson got back on track this week after a couple of, by his standards, down weeks. He averaged five yards a carry and went over 100 yards after a couple of weeks below the century mark. However, he really, REALLY needs to work on that whole "holding on to the football" thing. AP might be the greatest back in the league, but losing two fumbles in one game deep in opposing territory is unacceptable.
And congratulations to Gus Frerotte, who became a member of the 20,000 passing yard club this week. He needed 174 yards going into today's game, and he passed that during Berrian's big TD catch-and-run. Surprisingly, Frerotte almost broke the Vikings dry spell of games without a 300-yard passer, and in the fourth quarter had actually gotten to 301 yards passing.
Then, in typical "kick ass offense" fashion, Frerotte threw a swing pass to Adrian Peterson. . .that lost five yards. That loss put Frerotte at 296 yards for the afternoon, and he never got back above 300. So, as it stands now, the Vikings' last 300-yard passing performance still belongs to Daunte Culpepper..... THREE years ago!!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
The Morning After Pill - Week # 5
Monday night's game between the Saints and the Vikings was nothing short of an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. It started with Drew Brees shredding the Vikings' defense on the Saints' first drive, followed by the first blocked field goal returned for a touchdown in Vikings' regular season history (the Vikings had accomplished the feat once in the post-season).
Then Antoine Winfield destroyed Drew Brees in almost exactly the same way he crushed Jake Delhomme in Week 3, followed by what I like to call a "morning after" touchdown pass from Chester Taylor to Visanthe Shiancoe. . . it was beautiful at the time, but after some time to look back... damn... it was ugly.
Then, the Vikings seemed determined to turn the second half into the Reggie Bush show, and they succeeded for a time, letting Mr. Kim Kardashian return two punts for touchdowns to give the Saints the lead, and I got that same feeling in my stomach that I know all too well. That feeling of "we've played pretty well thus far, and now we're at the point where everything comes apart at the seams." It seemed like 1-4 was inevitable.
And, then. . . something weird happened.
Just a few snaps after having to sit out for a play after Saints' DE Will Smith decided to get a little too jiggy with him, Gus Frerotte dropped back to pass on 3rd and 16 from the New Orleans 33. He stood in the pocket, waited, and lofted one down the center of the field for Aundrae Allison.
Or was it for Bernard Berrian?
As the ball hung up in the air for what seemed like minutes rather than seconds, #84 and #87 were streaking toward each other, with Berrian coming from the left side of the formation and Allison from the right. The ball came closer to Earth. . .Berrian ran into Allison. . .both Vikings fell to the ground. . .and when the field turf settled, Berrian was holding onto the ball in the end zone, and the Vikings were a Ryan Longwell extra point away from tying the ball game.
But there was more.
Drew Brees brought the Saints back out onto the field and, thanks in large part to a 41-yard pass to Billy Miller that ended with a hit that's going to make Cedric Griffin's wallet a little lighter, had driven New Orleans to the Minnesota 28-yard line, where they brought in Martin Gramatica to attempt to take the lead back. Gramatica had made two previous field goals, and had the kick that was blocked by Fred Evans and returned for a score by Antoine Winfield. Gramatica couldn't miss from there, could he?
But miss it, he did.
And the Vikings took over with 1:59 left on the clock. The Saints then thought they'd do the Vikings one more favor, because on a 3rd and 3, Saints safety Kevin Kaesviharn thought it would be a good idea to tackle Bernard Berrian on a deep pass attempt by Frerotte. Of course, he made that decision while the ball was still traveling in Berrian's direction, which is pass interference, and the 42-yard penalty gave the Vikings the ball on the New Orleans 14-yard line. Ryan Longwell tacked on the game winning field goal, a desperation heave by Brees was intercepted by Tyrell Johnson, and the Vikings escaped from New Orleans with a season-saving victory.
Strangely, when I got home from work the next day I turned on my "Daily Bread" (aka ESPN's Pardon the Interruption), and one of the topics was, and I quote, "Did the Vikings Win or Did the Saints Lose?"
Yes, apparently the Saints "lost" a game that they trailed 20-10 at halftime and 20-17 after three quarters. Weird how that happens. They were, apparently, somehow more deserving of a win than Minnesota. I fail to comprehend this.
I understand that the guys in the ESPN booth were totally in love with Reggie Bush, and granted, he gave them good reason to be. But the Saints are one of the top offenses in football and the Vikings held them to one offensive TD.
As the Vikings have learned incredibly well over the course of the Brad Childress era. . .more often than not, one offensive touchdown isn't going to get the job done. And turning the ball over four times, a couple of which were deep inside Vikings' territory, sure as hell isn't going to get it done, either.
Now, as you've no doubt heard, some people have had a bit to say about the officiating, and in particular the play where Reggie Bush fumbled the ball away and halted a Saints drive that had reached Vikings territory.
I'm going to say this as a fan of the team that's gotten bent over the proverbial table by the referees of the NFL on a regular basis ever since Drew Pearson pushed off. Yeah, the Saints got screwed on that call. But no...I'm not apologizing for it....the face mask had nothing to do with the fact Mr. Bush couldn't hang on to the football.
The New Orleans Saints didn't "give away" last night's game. . .the Minnesota Vikings took it from them. And they did it by showing more heart and more guts than they have in any other game of the Brad Childress era. If I would have told you on Monday afternoon that Adrian Peterson was going to get 32 yards rushing on 21 carries and the Vikings would win anyway, you would have thought I was completely insane. But that's what happened.
Most importantly, the Vikes got to take the season off of life support. They currently sit just one game behind the Bears in the division, and tied with the Packers (who, contrary to what many of their fans seem to believe, did NOT clinch the NFC North with their lucky victory in Week 1). They get to host the Lions this week, and then a matchup with Da Bears going into the bye week. Hopefully they can get into the bye at 4-3 and still in the thick of the division race, if not outright leading it. With the strength of the NFC East, there aren't going to be any wild card teams coming from this division, so it's NFC North championship or bust.
Then Antoine Winfield destroyed Drew Brees in almost exactly the same way he crushed Jake Delhomme in Week 3, followed by what I like to call a "morning after" touchdown pass from Chester Taylor to Visanthe Shiancoe. . . it was beautiful at the time, but after some time to look back... damn... it was ugly.
Then, the Vikings seemed determined to turn the second half into the Reggie Bush show, and they succeeded for a time, letting Mr. Kim Kardashian return two punts for touchdowns to give the Saints the lead, and I got that same feeling in my stomach that I know all too well. That feeling of "we've played pretty well thus far, and now we're at the point where everything comes apart at the seams." It seemed like 1-4 was inevitable.
And, then. . . something weird happened.
Just a few snaps after having to sit out for a play after Saints' DE Will Smith decided to get a little too jiggy with him, Gus Frerotte dropped back to pass on 3rd and 16 from the New Orleans 33. He stood in the pocket, waited, and lofted one down the center of the field for Aundrae Allison.
Or was it for Bernard Berrian?
As the ball hung up in the air for what seemed like minutes rather than seconds, #84 and #87 were streaking toward each other, with Berrian coming from the left side of the formation and Allison from the right. The ball came closer to Earth. . .Berrian ran into Allison. . .both Vikings fell to the ground. . .and when the field turf settled, Berrian was holding onto the ball in the end zone, and the Vikings were a Ryan Longwell extra point away from tying the ball game.
But there was more.
Drew Brees brought the Saints back out onto the field and, thanks in large part to a 41-yard pass to Billy Miller that ended with a hit that's going to make Cedric Griffin's wallet a little lighter, had driven New Orleans to the Minnesota 28-yard line, where they brought in Martin Gramatica to attempt to take the lead back. Gramatica had made two previous field goals, and had the kick that was blocked by Fred Evans and returned for a score by Antoine Winfield. Gramatica couldn't miss from there, could he?
But miss it, he did.
And the Vikings took over with 1:59 left on the clock. The Saints then thought they'd do the Vikings one more favor, because on a 3rd and 3, Saints safety Kevin Kaesviharn thought it would be a good idea to tackle Bernard Berrian on a deep pass attempt by Frerotte. Of course, he made that decision while the ball was still traveling in Berrian's direction, which is pass interference, and the 42-yard penalty gave the Vikings the ball on the New Orleans 14-yard line. Ryan Longwell tacked on the game winning field goal, a desperation heave by Brees was intercepted by Tyrell Johnson, and the Vikings escaped from New Orleans with a season-saving victory.
Strangely, when I got home from work the next day I turned on my "Daily Bread" (aka ESPN's Pardon the Interruption), and one of the topics was, and I quote, "Did the Vikings Win or Did the Saints Lose?"
Yes, apparently the Saints "lost" a game that they trailed 20-10 at halftime and 20-17 after three quarters. Weird how that happens. They were, apparently, somehow more deserving of a win than Minnesota. I fail to comprehend this.
I understand that the guys in the ESPN booth were totally in love with Reggie Bush, and granted, he gave them good reason to be. But the Saints are one of the top offenses in football and the Vikings held them to one offensive TD.
As the Vikings have learned incredibly well over the course of the Brad Childress era. . .more often than not, one offensive touchdown isn't going to get the job done. And turning the ball over four times, a couple of which were deep inside Vikings' territory, sure as hell isn't going to get it done, either.
Now, as you've no doubt heard, some people have had a bit to say about the officiating, and in particular the play where Reggie Bush fumbled the ball away and halted a Saints drive that had reached Vikings territory.
I'm going to say this as a fan of the team that's gotten bent over the proverbial table by the referees of the NFL on a regular basis ever since Drew Pearson pushed off. Yeah, the Saints got screwed on that call. But no...I'm not apologizing for it....the face mask had nothing to do with the fact Mr. Bush couldn't hang on to the football.
The New Orleans Saints didn't "give away" last night's game. . .the Minnesota Vikings took it from them. And they did it by showing more heart and more guts than they have in any other game of the Brad Childress era. If I would have told you on Monday afternoon that Adrian Peterson was going to get 32 yards rushing on 21 carries and the Vikings would win anyway, you would have thought I was completely insane. But that's what happened.
Most importantly, the Vikes got to take the season off of life support. They currently sit just one game behind the Bears in the division, and tied with the Packers (who, contrary to what many of their fans seem to believe, did NOT clinch the NFC North with their lucky victory in Week 1). They get to host the Lions this week, and then a matchup with Da Bears going into the bye week. Hopefully they can get into the bye at 4-3 and still in the thick of the division race, if not outright leading it. With the strength of the NFC East, there aren't going to be any wild card teams coming from this division, so it's NFC North championship or bust.
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Cubs are cursed??
Maybe I should stop this whole prediction thing. First I pick the Patriots to win it all in football...then Tom Brady can't even play a whole quarter before he's out for the year and now the Cubs have been swept out of the postseason again after I pick them to win the World Series. You can't really blame me though, this October was supposed to be different. It turned out to be different only in the sense that this year expectations were higher, so the disappointment will be even deeper for Cubs fans.
The Cubs scored six runs in three Division Series games against the Dodgers, the lowest output coming in the 3-1 loss on Saturday night that sealed their exit.
They had a terrible pitching performance in Game 1 and a brutal fielding performance in Game 2. They didn't produce timely hitting throughout. Add it up; 0-3 was all that could be expected.
This was a club with 97 regular-season victories, the National League's best record. That record was supposed to be a springboard to postseason triumph. Instead, the postseason performance was agonizingly short of the regular-season record.
The Cubs, though, added a new element to the possible range of postseason blunders. The Cubs' mistakes started early in this Division Series, even before Game 1 started. The Cubs' mistakes started with an attempt to undo a curse.
Manager Lou Piniella has spent two seasons trying to convince his players that the past counts for nothing, that the only thing that matters is the baseball that is played now. And then the chairman of the Cubs gets a Greek Orthodox priest to perform an exorcism of sorts, in order to counteract an alleged 63-year-old billy goat curse on the club.
Cubs management should be criticized for missing the entire point of what might be wrong with its baseball team.
A TBS camera recorded the priest spreading holy water around the Cubs dugout, which is how the Cubs players and the rest of the civilized world learned of it.
At the very moment the Cubs were trying to break the 100-year championship drought, by just playing baseball, the focus on the curse moved the Cubs backward into the past and into superstition.
There is no curse of the billy goat unless you believe that there is. And believing in that is like believing in this:
"Step on a crack, break your mother's back."
The Cubs are not losing games because a guy's goat was denied admission to the 1945 World Series. But they might be losing games because a lot of people keep distracting them from the task at hand by asking them about junk like the curse on a daily basis, annoyingly planting the seed that they have the weight of history on their shoulders, and/or that they are playing for a hopeless cause.
The blessing of the Cubs' dugout did not exactly transform the team's fortunes. The Cubs' play was tense, tight, and stretched to the breaking point by 100 years' worth of expectations. That's their real curse.
The story of the billy goat and the curse is a funny story. When you take it any further than that, you sink into the depths of superstition.
But by bringing in the priest and the holy water, the organizational position of the Chicago Cubs is that there is a curse. And if the Cubs really believe that they are cursed, there doesn't seem to be much point in playing the 162-game schedule, not to mention the postseason. Then you're just playing the games because of all the money there is to be made. By the way, if somebody really cursed the Cubs, wouldn't he make sure that they were, you know, broke?
Not winning a World Series in 100 years puts a load on a team. It isn't fair, but it's there. The Cubs had a golden opportunity to make some history and break some history here. They blew it. But it wasn't because they were cursed. The single bad thing about a curse would be believing in it. And when the management of your team actually tries to counteract a curse...well...you get swept right out of the playoffs.
The Cubs scored six runs in three Division Series games against the Dodgers, the lowest output coming in the 3-1 loss on Saturday night that sealed their exit.
They had a terrible pitching performance in Game 1 and a brutal fielding performance in Game 2. They didn't produce timely hitting throughout. Add it up; 0-3 was all that could be expected.
This was a club with 97 regular-season victories, the National League's best record. That record was supposed to be a springboard to postseason triumph. Instead, the postseason performance was agonizingly short of the regular-season record.
The Cubs, though, added a new element to the possible range of postseason blunders. The Cubs' mistakes started early in this Division Series, even before Game 1 started. The Cubs' mistakes started with an attempt to undo a curse.
Manager Lou Piniella has spent two seasons trying to convince his players that the past counts for nothing, that the only thing that matters is the baseball that is played now. And then the chairman of the Cubs gets a Greek Orthodox priest to perform an exorcism of sorts, in order to counteract an alleged 63-year-old billy goat curse on the club.
Cubs management should be criticized for missing the entire point of what might be wrong with its baseball team.
A TBS camera recorded the priest spreading holy water around the Cubs dugout, which is how the Cubs players and the rest of the civilized world learned of it.
At the very moment the Cubs were trying to break the 100-year championship drought, by just playing baseball, the focus on the curse moved the Cubs backward into the past and into superstition.
There is no curse of the billy goat unless you believe that there is. And believing in that is like believing in this:
"Step on a crack, break your mother's back."
The Cubs are not losing games because a guy's goat was denied admission to the 1945 World Series. But they might be losing games because a lot of people keep distracting them from the task at hand by asking them about junk like the curse on a daily basis, annoyingly planting the seed that they have the weight of history on their shoulders, and/or that they are playing for a hopeless cause.
The blessing of the Cubs' dugout did not exactly transform the team's fortunes. The Cubs' play was tense, tight, and stretched to the breaking point by 100 years' worth of expectations. That's their real curse.
The story of the billy goat and the curse is a funny story. When you take it any further than that, you sink into the depths of superstition.
But by bringing in the priest and the holy water, the organizational position of the Chicago Cubs is that there is a curse. And if the Cubs really believe that they are cursed, there doesn't seem to be much point in playing the 162-game schedule, not to mention the postseason. Then you're just playing the games because of all the money there is to be made. By the way, if somebody really cursed the Cubs, wouldn't he make sure that they were, you know, broke?
Not winning a World Series in 100 years puts a load on a team. It isn't fair, but it's there. The Cubs had a golden opportunity to make some history and break some history here. They blew it. But it wasn't because they were cursed. The single bad thing about a curse would be believing in it. And when the management of your team actually tries to counteract a curse...well...you get swept right out of the playoffs.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
100 years of waiting....
After waiting for the one game playoff last night between the Twins and the White Sox it is now time for my baseball playoff preview. First I just wanna pat myself on the back for defending the firing of Ned Yost. Even though the Brewers didn't exactly end the season like the Rockies last year, they did just enough to squeak by the choking New York Mets. So, it looks like the coaching change turned out alright for them. Now, it's time to see who I like for the World Series, though judging by the title of my blog, you could probably narrow it down.
The American League, as usual, is the better league. Tampa Bay is for real. The pitching, led by an incredible bullpen, combined with just enough offense will keep the Rays in the race. Their inexperience will be a factor, won't it? Not necessarily. In fact, it may work out to the Rays advantage. Home games in front of crowds that have never seen playoff baseball will lead to an atmosphere that will be hard to beat. In addition, with half the players never being in the playoffs before, the pressure will not be understood, and they will just go out there and play.The Angels did it in 2002, the Marlins did it in 2003, and the Cardinals, even though some veterans did lead that team, along with manager Tony La Russa as well, did it in 2006.
Will the Rays win the World Series though? Not this year. While it would be a great story, they would have to beat two out of three teams from the likes of the Red Sox, the Angels, and the White Sox.The Red Sox have too much experience, the Angels too much heart, and the White Sox too much power, with just enough of everything else as well. The Rays may win one playoff series, but two will not happen this year. If it does, then crown them World Series champions now!
Looking now into the NL a little deeper, as usual, it is a mess. The Brewers and Mets both struggled down the stretch as the Mets managed to choke just a little bit more than the Brewers. Thanks to the acquisition of Manny Ramirez the Dodgers were able to outlast the Diamondbacks. The Phillies took advantage of the Mets 2nd straight collapse to win the division. Finally, the Chicago Cubs. Oh, how we love those Cubbies!! Could this be the year? I've seen article after article in my Sports Illustrated talking about "It's Gonna Happen". Well, normally I would be screaming up and down "SI JINX SI JINX". But you know what? Something funny is happening here. The White Sox and Cubs are in the playoffs for the first time since...well...since the last time the Cubs won the World Series. So now the real question is:
How will it all play out in the end?
The Cubs and Dodgers will have a classic series due to the fact that the Cubs have to always make things interesting, but the Cubs will end up beating them in the last game of the series to move onto the NLCS.
The Phillies will also get past the Brewers because of the sheer fact that the Brewers do not have enough pitching to slow down the incredible Phillies lineup. CC Sabathia can't pitch every game of the series.
The Phillies though will be beaten by the Cubs in another classic seven game series due to better pitching from the Cubs with their bullpen leading the way.What’s next, stigmata? The Cubs in the World Series? As of right now, yes.
Looking now at the AL, the Angels will beat the Red Sox and the Rays will beat the White Sox due to holding their offenses in check.
This leaves us with an Angels-Rays ALCS. The Rays will give the Angels a fight, but the Angels will win the series in six games because of the fact that they have been in the big game situations in the past.
That leaves the World Series as the Angels against the Cubs. Who will win this series? Somehow, someway, the Cubs will end up winning the series in six close games because of their better power numbers against the Angels, and because of clutch bullpen pitching that does not put any runners on base regularly, something that Francisco Rodriquez can never claim he does, along with most of the rest of the Angels bullpen at this point.
The Cubs will knock in more of these runners on base with their big bats throughout their lineup, and will beat the Angels in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field in the sixth and final game of the series, leaving the Chicago Cubs as the 2008 World Series champions, which will officially break one of the longest championship droughts in sports history and let the Billy Goat, the Black Cat, and Steve Bartman off the hook!!
The American League, as usual, is the better league. Tampa Bay is for real. The pitching, led by an incredible bullpen, combined with just enough offense will keep the Rays in the race. Their inexperience will be a factor, won't it? Not necessarily. In fact, it may work out to the Rays advantage. Home games in front of crowds that have never seen playoff baseball will lead to an atmosphere that will be hard to beat. In addition, with half the players never being in the playoffs before, the pressure will not be understood, and they will just go out there and play.The Angels did it in 2002, the Marlins did it in 2003, and the Cardinals, even though some veterans did lead that team, along with manager Tony La Russa as well, did it in 2006.
Will the Rays win the World Series though? Not this year. While it would be a great story, they would have to beat two out of three teams from the likes of the Red Sox, the Angels, and the White Sox.The Red Sox have too much experience, the Angels too much heart, and the White Sox too much power, with just enough of everything else as well. The Rays may win one playoff series, but two will not happen this year. If it does, then crown them World Series champions now!
Looking now into the NL a little deeper, as usual, it is a mess. The Brewers and Mets both struggled down the stretch as the Mets managed to choke just a little bit more than the Brewers. Thanks to the acquisition of Manny Ramirez the Dodgers were able to outlast the Diamondbacks. The Phillies took advantage of the Mets 2nd straight collapse to win the division. Finally, the Chicago Cubs. Oh, how we love those Cubbies!! Could this be the year? I've seen article after article in my Sports Illustrated talking about "It's Gonna Happen". Well, normally I would be screaming up and down "SI JINX SI JINX". But you know what? Something funny is happening here. The White Sox and Cubs are in the playoffs for the first time since...well...since the last time the Cubs won the World Series. So now the real question is:
How will it all play out in the end?
The Cubs and Dodgers will have a classic series due to the fact that the Cubs have to always make things interesting, but the Cubs will end up beating them in the last game of the series to move onto the NLCS.
The Phillies will also get past the Brewers because of the sheer fact that the Brewers do not have enough pitching to slow down the incredible Phillies lineup. CC Sabathia can't pitch every game of the series.
The Phillies though will be beaten by the Cubs in another classic seven game series due to better pitching from the Cubs with their bullpen leading the way.What’s next, stigmata? The Cubs in the World Series? As of right now, yes.
Looking now at the AL, the Angels will beat the Red Sox and the Rays will beat the White Sox due to holding their offenses in check.
This leaves us with an Angels-Rays ALCS. The Rays will give the Angels a fight, but the Angels will win the series in six games because of the fact that they have been in the big game situations in the past.
That leaves the World Series as the Angels against the Cubs. Who will win this series? Somehow, someway, the Cubs will end up winning the series in six close games because of their better power numbers against the Angels, and because of clutch bullpen pitching that does not put any runners on base regularly, something that Francisco Rodriquez can never claim he does, along with most of the rest of the Angels bullpen at this point.
The Cubs will knock in more of these runners on base with their big bats throughout their lineup, and will beat the Angels in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field in the sixth and final game of the series, leaving the Chicago Cubs as the 2008 World Series champions, which will officially break one of the longest championship droughts in sports history and let the Billy Goat, the Black Cat, and Steve Bartman off the hook!!
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