They call me Mush

That's right I am officially Eddie Mush. Why the fuck do I do it to myself?

This week evaluating my winless fantasy team, I had the no brainer pick of all time. I have 2 QB's, Steve McNair and David Carr. Okay so neither one of them is great, but Carr has had a productive fantasy season this year.

Well look at the numbers, McNair and his Ravens with a totally new offense and new offensive coordinator go into play the Saints who's defense is rated 9th in scoring and 13th in yards per game. Well Carr is playing against the Tennessee fucking Titans who are ranked 26th in the league in scoring Defense and 29th in yards per game, and whose best defensive back Adam "Pac-Man" Jones was questionable for the game after an arrest Friday night for misdemeanor assault.

Well fuck me in the goat ass. David Carr got benched for the first time in his 5 year mediocre career and McNair threw 2 TD's with no picks, the first game since Week 3 he has not thrown an interception.

And one last side not on the Houston Texans, when they cut Domanick Davis at the beginning of the year I picked up the backup Wali Lundy who was presumably going to get more carries. Well by Week 4 Lundy had 17 carries for a robust 57 yards and two DNP's. I of course cut him loose, he only went 18 for 116 this week.

As Calogero said, "The teller would give Mush his tickets already torn up."

T Kinsey BITCHES!!!!

I have nothing much to write today, I am too fucking pumped.

My man Tarence Kinsey made the last roster spot for the Memphis Grizzlies. I have no other care in the world today.

The Daily Nooner

So in my hatred for all things having to do with the New York Metropolitans I wasn’t able to post last weeks On Campus segment. On Campus is clearly my favorite and most well researched segment each week and I apologize to those faithful readers of this column who use On Campus as part of their Saturday viewing guide. Better late than never, here is the outline of what On Campus would have looked like:





On Campus 10/21


5 Games to Watch:

#19 Rutgers vs. Pittsburgh

South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt

#23 Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma State

#18 Boise State vs. Idaho

#21 Wisconsin vs. Purdue





4 Players to See:

Chris Williams, WR New Mexico Sate-


Ian Johnson, RB Boise State-


Erik Ainge, QB Tennessee-


Oderick Turner, WR Pittsburgh-




Back to cooler news. Tonight promises to be one of the better nights of my life. You say, “Kris why would a random Monday in late October be such a great night?” Well one of my dreams is going to come true this evening. I am going to have a chance to go out and party with an under intelligent yet highly overpaid professional basketball player. We are going to go to strip clubs and spend hundreds maybe even thousands of this mans salary and I cannot wait. What’s even better, is whom the player is. If you could hang out with one NBA thug to go to strip clubs and party with is there anyone besides Stephen Jackson who would be at the top of your list? Nope, I didn’t think so, he is numero uno on my list. Be sure to check the bottom line on ESPN tonight to make sure me and Steph don’t have another “incident” at the strip club.

Lastly, everyone loves this Dennis Green rant from last week after his team blew the game to the Bears. And while that is a great rant, let us never forget the all time greatest coach’s rant. Yes it is Jim Mora, but no it is not the playoffs rant which for some reason more people remember, watch this clip from 1996 where Mora snaps after another pathetic loss by who New Orleans Aints;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX4ox7aX_wc

Let’s Go Mets

Oh those Amazin’s….hey think you guys maybe could get a hit of Jeff Suppan sometime this millennium? In his illustrious career batters only hit about .280 off the damn guy. And Danny don’t give me any guff about how at least the Mets won a playoff series and the Yankees didn’t and all that jazz, because winning it all is the only thing that matters.

Meet the Mets, meet the Mets,
Step right up and greet the Mets.
Bring your kiddies, bring your wife,
Guaranteed to have the time of your life.
Because the Mets are really sockin' the ball,
Knockin' those home runs over the wall.
East side, West side, everybody's coming down,
To meet the M-E-T-S Mets, of New York town.
Oh, the butcher and the baker and the people on the streets,
Where did they go? To MEET THE METS!
Oh, they’re hollerin’ and cheerin’ and they’re jumpin’ in their seats,
Where did they go? To MEET THE METS!
All the fans are true to the orange and blue,
So hurry up and come on down -
‘cause we’ve got ourselves a ball club,
The Mets of New York town!
Give ‘em a yell! Give ‘em a hand!
And let ‘em know your rootin’ in the stands!
Come on and...
Meet the Mets, meet the Mets,
Step right up and greet the Mets.
Bring your kiddies, bring your wife,
Guaranteed to have the time of your life.
Because the Mets are really sockin' the ball,
Knockin' those homeruns over the wall.
East side, West side, everybody's coming down,
To meet the M-E-T-S Mets,
Of New York town,
Of New York town.

As for the whole Tiki Barber nonsense, I could really give a shit. If he wants to retire I won’t begrudge him. As Dan Filowitz (A Great Jew) once talked about on this site, when we were discussing the latest situation having to deal with “the player” (I love Bill Parcells), why do we demand so much from our athletes as people. So Tiki Barber is selfish, whoopty damn doo, find me an athlete who isn’t or says he isn’t and I will point out someone who has violated the 7th commandment. Okay Tiki Barber is selfish and clearly looking out for his best interests (I agree wholeheartedly with just about everything you said Josh), but I can move past it, enjoy him while he is still on my team and move on with it next year. My hatred is reserved for people who deserve it, like Stephen Colbert for not being funny and Bill Walton for being alive. Dan, can we put out a Fatwa on Walton? Is there some type of paperwork we have to fill out, or council we have to appear before to do that?

The Daily Nooner

Game 7...........there aren'y two better words in sports. Marty Met and Danny L. Price good luck to the Metropolitans tonight. I may actually sit down and watch more than 5 minutes of this game tonight, then again My name is Earl and Deal or No Deal are both on, so probably not.

I will give you some insight into my personal journal. Sunday October 15, Entry Time 11:15. Why I suck as a fantasy owner, reason #4,982,387,680. I really have no idea when to start what guys and why, whatever buttons I push never work (unlike Willie Randolph who seems to be throwing darts at a board and every move comes up genius). I currently have the two best (statistically) receivers in football, Roy Williams and Lavarneus Coles, the #2 & #10 RB (Stephen Jackson & DeShaun Foster) the #5 QB David Carr and the #4 kicker Jon Carney. All this has added up to a 0-5-1 record. Do you know how inept you have to be in order to do that?

Speaking of football it has been going on 2 years now that I have been making the argument for Steve Smith as MVP of the NFL. Well this season has done nothing to halt my personal quest to give the award to the most deserving man on the planet. Simply put, since 2003 when Steve Smith plays his team is 39-21 a .650 Winning percentage and when he does not play they are 7-11 a .388 winning percentage. Can it get much clearer than that, I don’t think. Take this year for example, 0-2 and people questioning everything about the team, Smith returns from injury 4-0 and up to 8th in this week’s edition of ESPN NFL Power Rankings. That is a far cry from 16th when they were 0-2 and people were pointing out that 0-2 teams rarely go to the playoffs. Now with Smith the Panthers are on a four game tear, they are the only team to beat New Orleans. Since Smith’s return the Panthers have played at Tampa Bay and at Baltimore (the #7 and #8 rated pass defenses in the league) and Delhomme and Smith have gone for 272 and 112 against the Bucs and 365 and 189 against the Ravens. The man is the best and the most valuable player in the game, at receiver no less, truly amazing.

You know what I don’t get, that Ali G./Borat guy and his new movie? I know I will probably get creamed for this because I guess I am no longer hip and with it, but what makes this guy so funny? Are the same people who watch this guy the ones who keep giving Jaime Kennedy work? I watched some of that Ali G show and it had some moments but by no means was some groundbreaking new comedy revelation. I doubt I will see the movie, I would be better served removing my own spleen with a spoon I bet, that or watching Talladega Nights (wasn’t that supposed to be a comedy classic, since it left theatres I haven’t heard one person mention it yet, but everyday I hear someone doing Caddyshack lines).

AND

Speaking of movies, I have seen a few recently but do not have time for long boring reviews. I saw “The Departed” and it was very good. First of all it had such a strong cast that it couldn’t help but be decent. And yes I am admittedly a Leo DiCaprio fan, I think he is far better that most give him credit for and one of the better American leading men out there. I also happen to think Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg are both fairly talented, you put them in a movie with guys like Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, and Jack Nicholson who we all know are talented and you have something special. The movie has all the Martin Scorcese trademarks, from music to the use of close ups and the fast to slow action that he uses so well, he just knows when to heighten the intensity of the movie. I would suggest seeing it; it is entertaining and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Lastly, just because you are in on the whole secret of the movie, it does not ruin the plot at all. I also saw the Dane Cook movie, “Employee of the Month.” IT was solid, nothing spectacular. It was a formulaic comedy movie that had its moments. Will I watch it again sometime, probably because I like Dane Cook but will it be something I own and show to people when the come over (like say, I dunno, Caddyshack) probably not. Lastly on the subject of movies, as you all know I am always interested in movies awards and I just recently bough “A Prairie Home Companion” (still the best movie released this year) and watched “The Departed” and both of these movies had great performances from numerous actors so much so that I couldn’t decided who’s was best and therefore maybe worthy of an Oscar Nomination. I wonder if the Academy has ever thought of putting in an ensemble category because so many movies have great ensembles and it seems unfair to just single one person out. Seriously, “A Prairie Home Companion” is entirely an ensemble vehicle, if one part were missing (yes even Lindsey Lohan) the movie would not have been nearly as good. Just wondering what some of my other movie nerd friends thought?


KEITH, I just saw your comments from my last post asking for the staff here to comment on the NFL season so far and the brawl during the Miami game. Here is what I can say on all of that, short and sweet. The NFL will suck until the correct the ills of the past two seasons and award the MVP Trophy to Steve Smith, and throw in this years trophy as well, until they do they will suck. As for the brawl, I haven't much to say. I am glad to see Florida International stepping up and throwing players off their team and even kicking two kids out of school for their indefensable behavior, unlike Miami who will probably make statues of those guys.

On Campus 10/14

5 Games to Watch:

Wake Forest vs. NC State- Will the real NC State please stand up. I think this weekend will be a better indication of who the Wolfpack really are. They are coming into this game after consecutive wins versus Top 25 teams, Boston College and Florida State. The Deamon Deacons may be just as unproven, they spent the first month of the season beating a bunch of nobodies before Clemson came calling last weekend. The Tigers won the game, but the Deacs showed some toughness in an ugly football game. Deamon Deacons QB Riley Skinner is a tough kid and could help his team pull off an upset in Raleigh on Saturday.


#10 Cal vs. Washington State- Wazzou has two losses this season and they were to the #4 Auburn Tigers and the #3 USC Trojans. After losing to USC they bounced back with a road win at Oregon State. All this means the Cougars could be the best team nobody is talking about and they can prove it this week. Cal has ripped off 5 straight victories averaging 43.5 points after the season opening loss to Tennessee. They have settled on QB Nate Longshore who has thrown 17 TD passes (3rd in the country) and Marshawn Lynch is quietly putting together another solid season. This weekend could be a shootout in Pullman where the Bears have lost 10 straight games.


Houston vs. Southern Miss- The Cougars head down to Hattiesburg trying to shake out a 2 game losing streak. After narrowly losing at Miami, Houston laid an egg at home against Louisiana-Lafayette. However they are still 2-0 in Conference-USA play and they can grab a firm hold on the Western Division if they can go 3-0 in conference. Southern Miss has a trip to Blacksburg, Virginia on the horizon and they are only 1-1 on conference. If they lose this game they rub the risk of falling 2 full games behind the Eastern Division leader UAB Blazers. This is a must win for Southern Miss but Houston may be too good for them.


#2 Florida vs. #11 Auburn- Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators are flying high after 4 straight SEC wins. In those games they have only surrendered 12 ppg and they have discovered a way to play Chris Leak and super-frosh Tim Tebow. The Gator defense has been swarming and been the key to their victories. Auburn comes off a disappointing home loss to Arkansas, where their defense was exposed on the ground by Arkansas’s Darren McFadden. The Tiger offense under Brandon Cox also has struggled lately not moving the ball and failing to score in the red zone. Everything points to a Gator romp, but Auburn and Coach Tubberville have won seven of their last eight against Top 10 teams, and they haven’t lost consecutive games down on the plains since Tommy Tubberville’s first season in 1999.


#4 Michigan vs. Penn State- The Wolverines have been on a steady march all season long, not slowing down at all. They are 3-0 in the Big 10 but a single loss can throw them into a four or five way tie with 1 loss. Everyone is pointing toward an undefeated showdown between Michigan and Ohio State, but the Wolverines have to travel to Happy Valley this week and without star receiver Mario Manningham. The Nittany Lions have lost two games this year, but to two of the better teams in the country (Notre Dame & Ohio State). Penn State will need their QB Anthony Morelli to really step up; running back Tony Hunt may have a hard time moving the ball against the Wolverine defense which ranks number 1 in the country in rushing yard against. Penn State would love to ruin the Wolverines party this weekend, and JoePa may still have a little magic left.


4 Players to See:

Pat White, QB West Virginia- The dual threat QB spearheads the Mountaineer offense, which is ranked 10th in the country despite having the 109th ranked passing offense. White has been efficient through the air completing 70% of his passes and only throwing three picks. He does most of his damage on the ground where he has scored 4 TD’s in the last 3 games. He could break out against the weak Syracuse Orange defense and have his first 100 yard game of the season; last season he had 4 100 yard rushing games.

Darren McFadden, RB Arkansas- He was the best Freshman in the SEC last season rushing for 1100 yards and 11 TD’s. This season he has had a few small games but the last two weeks he has rushed for over 100 yards against Alabama and Auburn, two of the better defensive in the league. This week against SE Missouri he has the chance to go for 150+. And the stat of the week belongs to McFadden who in 242 career carries has yet to fumble.


Cody Glenn, RB Nebraska- Glenn usually splits time with tailback Marlon Lucky but last week got the majority of the carries and looks to again this week. Against the Cyclones last week he went for 148 yards and averaged almost 8 yards per carry. As the Cornhuskers go on the road again it will be important for Glenn to do the same against the K-State Wildcats. If Glenn can have a big game, look for a big win from the Cornhuskers.


Matt Grothe, QB South Florida- He may be the most underrated signal caller in the country, a gritty redshirt freshman who has lead the Bulls to a 4-2 start to the season. He leads the team in rushing yards at 422 and has scored 7 TD’s on the ground and pass for 8 more. He has yet to gain 100 yards on the ground but twice he broke 80 and against a weak Tar Hell defense he could have an all around huge day passing and rushing the ball.

Damn you A-Rod

Well no, I amnot going to get into the whole A-Rod thing, because truly it is silly. I mean he is clearly at fault, always, for everything. Wait until the Democrats get a hold of this, George W. Bush is not the cause for all the suffering in the world, it's A-Rod. Can you believe A-Rod is murdering all those people in Darfur, what an asshole. And this weekend after the season he flew across the globe to North Korea to help Kim Jong-Il test nuclear weapons, unbelievable.

Let's not forget what he did, or didn't do on the baseball field, not just all the marriages he has broken up. I mean in game 2 there he was on the mound at home with a 3-1 lead and his $19 million contract weighing his pockets down so much that he blew the lead. Oh no, wait that was Mike Mussina. What was he thinking in game 3 when Kenny Rogers was on the hill against his teammates they showed A-Rod in the dugout putting hexe's and psyche outs on those guys specifically so they would strike out. There he was at third base clearly plotting with Pudge Rodriguez not to tag him so that he would be called safe at third.

Heck we paid Randy Johnson a cool $16 million to barely give us 5 innings and Jaret Wright almost $8 million to pitch 2.2 innings, that is a sweet deal, for Wright. Of course not as sweet as the Carl Pavano deal who we have shoveled $16 million to pitch 17 total games, a cool Million a game, sweet, where do I sign up? Well back to guys who actually play. Did you know Jason Giambi gets $20 million this year, and he is so good Torre sat the damn guy with the season on the line against a right handed pitcher. Giambi murders right handed pitching, but A-Rod must have convinced Torre to bench him, that's the only explination.

Oh but the Great Derek Jeter had a wonderful series. Let's reverse roles for a second here, if A-Rod had the same series that Jeter just had what would the A-Rod hater say? O, well they still lost the series, so it doesn't matter what he did. What does the A-Rod hater say when Jeter has this kind of series? Fucking Jetaaaaa is unbelievable, he is the only guy out there playing hard. And we have that, it is called the 2004 ALCS where A-Rod had a solid series, nothing spectacular, but solid drove in 6 runs, hit 2 homers, scored 8 runs, slugged over .500, but the Yankees lost, so nobody seems to care. But if Jeter does it he is fighting and scarpping hard and trying to lead his team. Folks, it is what we call a double standard, plain and simple.

For and interesting take read this: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple/061009&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1

On Campus 10/7

5 Games to Watch:

Washington vs. #3 Southern Cal- Coach Tyrone (there you go Paul) Willingham is starting to turn the Huskies program around in year 2. They have won 3 consecutive games including their first two Pac-10 games against UCLA and Arizona. Senior QB Isaiah Stanback will lead his option attack offense into the coliseum trying to upset the Trojans. The Trojans last regular season loss came over three years ago against Cal. Pete Carroll’s squad is certainly not as strong as they have been the past few years and narrowly escaped getting upset in Pullman Washington last week. This could be a prime opportunity for the Huskies to announce they are back and pull off a stunning upset.


#15 Clemson vs. Wake Forest- Again this is the Tommy Bowden trap game, just when things are going well for his Tigers he finds away to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Wake Forest is the worst 5-0 team in football history, their opponents are 6-12 and that doesn’t include the I-AA team they beat. Clemson has a myriad of injuries they are fighting through but as long as they can hand off to James Davis and CJ Spiller they have a chance. With a yawner against Temple next week and games versus Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech later in the month the Tigers cannot afford a slip up here. Look for them to keep the ball on the ground and try not to make mistakes through the air since Chansi Stuckey their best receiver is injured.


#23 Missouri vs. Texas Tech- Quick, who’s the only Big 12 team that is still undefeated? You guessed it, the Missouri Tigers. Who would have thought that after losing the best QB in school history you could come back and start 5-0 the next season? This week QB Chase Daniel takes his team to the plains of west Texas for an old fashioned shootout with Graham Harrell and the Red Raiders. The winner of this game will go to 2-0 in the Big 12 and have a leg up in their respective divisions. The Red Raiders have only given up 3 points at home this season, but the Tigers are averaging 33 points a game, so something will have to give.


Memphis vs. UAB- The Blazers are only 2-3 but they are 1-0 in the conference and are looking to try and take a stranglehold on the East division of Conference USA. The Memphis Tigers are downright awful this season. Tommy West’s Tigers have only one win and that is versus I-AA UT-Chattanooga. The Blazers have one of the worst offenses in the country, but if QB Sam Hunt can get things going his team could get to 2-0 in the conference which would give them the inside track to winning the whole thing. Sometimes a game between two crappy teams can be a fun one to watch.


#7 Texas vs. #10 Oklahoma- The Ole Red River Shootout, there is nothing quite like it in all of college football. This is the first time this decade that neither team is ranked in the top 3 in the country when facing off, but that doesn’t mean the game isn’t still important. Texas is 1-0 in Big 12 play and they could gain a three game advantage on Oklahoma by putting them at 0-1 in the conference race. This may be a must win for Oklahoma because they still have road games at Missouri and Texas A&M looming later this month. The Longhorns have one of the best rushing defenses in the country giving up only 36 yards per game; they will make life tough for Heisman candidate Adrian Peterson.





4 Players to See:

Calvin Johnson, WR Georgia Tech- Johnson is simply the best receiver in the country, hands down. The guy who etches the name on the Biletnikoff award might as well start putting Johnson’s name on it. For the third consecutive season he is averaging 17 yards a catch and this season he matched his career high for touchdowns with 7 and he still has 7 games to go. He has had three games where he’s caught multiple touchdown passes this season and this week against Maryland should be no different.


Mario Manningham, WR Michigan- If Johnson is the best, Manningham is not far behind. The sophomore has shown the ability to shine brightest in the biggest games, earlier this season he caught 3 touchdown passes in an upset of Notre Dame. Over his last three games he is averaging 120 ypg. and the Michigan State defense has been susceptible to the big play this year. QB Chad Henne will be looking for Manningham down the field and he should have another big week adding to his 100 yard game totals.


Tyler Palko, QB Pittsburgh- Maligned throughout his career Palko is playing as well as any QB in the country. This season he has an off the chart QB rating of 191.32 and has thrown 14 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions. Over the last two weeks he has completed a ridiculous 84% of his passes while racking up 96 points. This week he goes against the weak Syracuse Orange defense, Palko will have another huge game as his Panthers roll over the Orange.


Tyson Jackson, DE LSU- Jackson leads the formidable LSU Tiger defensive attack. The Tiger defense is second in the country is scoring defense. Jackson and the rest of his mates have racked up 19 sacks and 9 interceptions. Jackson is the freak defensive end who leads the team with 5 ½ sacks this season. He and his line mates will try to wreak havoc on Florida QB Chris Leak and disrupt Urban Meyers offense in the Swamp.

Playoff Preview: Junior Circuit

Minnesota Twins vs. Oakland Athletics, Initial thoughts- Everyone always loves these two teams going into the playoffs, they are always the darlings. Neither one of them has been overly successful in this era though in the post season. The A’s are the biggest mystery, everyone knows they have solid pitching, but is their lineup good enough to get it done with the likes of Nick Swisher and Jason Kendall? The Twins have the best weapon in baseball in Johan Santana but he doesn’t play everyday. On paper this would look to be the most even and intriguing series, likely to go 5 games.

Pitching: At the top of the rotation it isn’t often that Barry Zito is the prohibitive underdog, but when Johan Santana is on the mound everyone is an underdog. Santana has been brilliant again this season, and virtually un-hittable in the second half going 10-1. After that though the Twins rotation falls off severely, relying on rookies Boof Bonser and Matt Garza who have a combined 28 major league starts. The A’s counter with the deepest rotation in the American League. Zito is still a front line starter and then the A’s bring the young power arms of Rich Harden and Dan Haren. Both these guys can take over a game with their power and deceptive breaking pitches especially Haren’s split finger. The number four starter for the A’s is Joe Blanton who is a poor mans Zito relying on control and a nasty curveball. The Twins have one of the better bullpens in baseball with the nearly impossible to hit sidearmer Pat Neshek and a premier set up man in Juan Rincon all to get to Joe Nathan who has 123 saves in 133 chances over the last 3 seasons. The A’s bullpen is solid with the likes of Kirk Sarloos, Kiki Calero and Jay Witasick and the sometimes erratic Huston Street closing games down.
EDGE- A’S

Lineup: The Twins had the best average in the Majors this year at .287 with only the Yankees and Blue Jays coming close to them. The two big hitters for them are Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Mauer had a monster year winning the batting title with a .347 while catching 120 games (only Hall of Famers Bill Dickey, Mickey Cochrane and Mike Piazza have done better). Justin Morneau burst into the scene as a legit MVP candidate in the second half of the season when he helped carry the team. The outfield also has Torii Hunter and Michael Cuddyer who provided pop throughout the lineup. They have speed, power and hit for average. The A’s had a decidedly weaker lineup especially with Jason Kendall and Eric Chavez having down years. They were saved time and time again by an aging Frank Thomas and Jay Payton who had a career year. In the playoffs they will need significant production from guys like Milton Bradley and Mark Kotsay to have a chance.
EDGE- TWINS

Intangibles: The Oakland A's may have one of the deepest and most versatile bench's in all of baseball. Nick Swisher and Bobby Kielty can play multiple positions both infield and outfield and starters Milton Bradley and Jay Payton can play all three outfiled spots adequately. They also have Antonio Perez and D"angelo Jimenez who can play the three skill infield postions. Couple all of that with the fact that 5 of the bench players are switch hitters and you have some serious options for Ken Macha. Macha has taken his team to the playoffs once, losing in the first round. The Twins don't have the deepest bench, Lew Ford and Mark Redmond are the only real options. Manager Ron Gardenhire has got more out of less than a lot of managers over the past couple of seasons, and this year he has some terrific talent. As long as he can manage his bullpen effectively the Twins will have a great chance this post season. Plus he Twins are one of only two teams that have a distinct homefield advantage, play in the Homer dome with a bunch of crazy Minnesotans is always a big lift.
EDGE- TWINS

TWINS IN 4



Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees, Initial thoughts- The Yankees had an uphill battle this season dealing with a myriad of injuries, and through it all they got stronger and stronger throughout the season. The injuries may be a blessing in disguise because it could’ve cut down on wear and tear on guys like Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, and Jorge Posada. The Tigers are going to rely on a young pitching staff to carry them through, and I mean young, Kenny Rogers is the only guy with any playoff experience. And the one key element the Tigers have is a manager to rival Joe Torre, Jim Leyland knows how to get it done and that is what Detroit management brought him here for.

Pitching: This is not exactly the rotation the Yankees had envisioned but Chien-Ming Wang is definately the deserving Number 1 starter, and anytime Mike Mussina and Randy Johnson are your 2-3 starters your staff is probably pretty good. Wang gets to pitch at Yankee Stadium where he is more comfortable and Johnson on the road where he is more comfortable. The Tigers will counter with the young power arms of Nate Robertson and Justin Verlander before they get to veteran Kenny Rogers. Can the rookies handle the mystique of Yankee Stadium? Robertson and Verlander like to work quick and strike batters out which may be hard against the Yankees. Rogers will start in Detroit to avoid the pressure cooker that is Yankee Stadium. In the bullpen the Yankees still have the edge at closer, even if Rivera is limited to one inning of work per night (and anyone who thinks that rule will last is insane). The Tigers however have a solid bullpen from top to bottom; Joel Zumaya brings the chedder and Fernando Rodney & Jaime Walker help a good set up staff before they get to Todd Jones who had 37 saves but a 3.49 ERA which is a little suspect.
EDGE- SLIGHTLY TO THE YANKEES

Lineup: Really, do we have to evaluate this? I don’t mean to sound like the obnoxious Yankee fan, but now with all hands on deck this is perhaps the sickest lineup in the history of baseball. I heard this ridiculous gem of a statistic yesterday from Tim Kurkjian: Jeter and Robby Cano both batted over .340 this season, the last time a 2B/SS combo did that was 1894.
EDGE- YANKEES

Intangibles: The Yankees have a deeper and more productive bench than the the Tigers. The Yankees two main bench players for the playoffs will be Melky Cabrera who played in 130 games this season batting .280 and the ageless Bernie Williams who was a huge part of the Yankees success playing more outfield than they thought he would. Cabrera will likely be used as a late inning defensive replacement for Matsui. The Tigers counter with the light hitting types like Omar Infante and Neifi Perez, so Manager Jim Leyland doesn’t go to his bench much. Both teams have superb managers, perhaps the two best in the game and guys who enjoy the chess match against one another so it should be a fun series to watch from that perspective. The Tigers are young and totally playoff inexperienced and we all know that Yankees are built for this and expect to be here every year. The last few years even I and huge Yankee lover have not had a great feeling about my team, but this year is different, with everything they went through all the drama with A-Rod and the injuries, this team seems to be rising at the right time and if they get rolling the Yankee magic can take over.
EDGE- YANKEES

YANKEES IN 4

Playoffs Preview: Senior Circuit

St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres, Initial thoughts- Well obviously the Cardinals have struggled down the stretch, almost blowing their huge lead. I don’t know why this was a surprise, the reason they struggled is because they are not that good. Outside of Carpenter on the mound and Pujols at the plate they are a relatively weak team. The Padres have been pretty steady all year long, the pitch and play quality defense. In the playoffs team who can pitch and field usually out duel hitting teams.


Pitching: This isn’t even close. Even at the top where the Cardinals have last years Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter the Padres counter with Jake Peavey. Peavey struggled early in the year but since August 1 he has given up more than 3 runs in only one out of 10 starts and has lowered his ERA from 4.81 to 4.09. The Padres also have Chris Young, and Woody Williams and the wild card in David Wells. The Cards counter with a load of questions marks, like Jason Marquis who has 0 wins in 9 post season appearances and Jeff Suppan who has been decent this year, but then they have to decide between Anthony Reyes or Jeff Weaver, yikes! In the bullpen it is a NC (no contest) the Padres have the all time saves leader in Trevor Hoffman and the Cards have Braden Looper.
EDGE- SAN DIEGO PADRES

Lineup: Both of these teams are basically middle of the pack offensively. Obviously with Albert Pujols in the lineup the Cards have some pop, but the rest of the lineup has been shaky all season. Table setters like David Eckstein and Ronnie Belliard have been disappointing this season as well as Jim Edmonds. Scott Rolen and Juan Encarnacion have been solid but not spectacular. The Padres counter with a mix of journeyman and youngsters and two veterans looking to make their mark. Mike Piazza has had a rebirth this season knocking 22 HR’s and batting .283 his best season since 2002. Veterans like Mike Cameron, Geoff Blum, Dave Roberts, and Russell Branyan make the Padres lineup a solid one, sprinkle in youngsters Josh Barfield and the surprisingly powerful Adrian Gonzalez. The X-factor for the Padres is if Brian Giles can rebound from a sub par regular season, if so he can give the Padres the edge they need offensively.
EDGE- EVEN

Intangibles: I like how the Padres have mixed in quality veterans with their usual compilation of young players. They have added quality vets who have playoff experience like Dave Roberts, Mark Bellhorn, Geoff Blum and Alan Embree. Bruce Bochy is in his 12th season at the helm of the Padres and he always does a great job, and his team will be loose and ready to have fun. The Cardinals have a great deal of pressure on them, most especially Tony LaRussa. I don’t think LaRussa is half the manager he fancies himself and he has been frequently out coached in the playoffs. I don’t see this year being much different
EDGE- SAN DIEGO PADRES

PADRES IN 4

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets, Initial thoughts- The Mets have been on cruise control since the All-Star break, while the Dodgers didn’t even wake up until about mid-July. The Mets received the news all of us Mets haters rooted for, and that is the injury of Pedro (who is Karim Garcia?). Also, over the last ten years teams that win playoff series and the whole thing have usually played meaningful games in the month of September, the last cruise control second half team to win it all was the ’98 Yankees. The Dodgers have been that magical second half team winning all sorts of crazy games in the second half of the season, and they have NOMAR!!!!

Pitching: The Mets received some bad news last week; Pedro was done for the season, but that news wasn’t all that bad at least he is shut down, better than running him out there and not knowing if he is healthy. That being said what the Mets do run out there is a triad of veterans all with their own problems. Tom Glavine has 3 wins since July 1, Steve Trachsel has the highest Era of any 15 game winner maybe in the history of baseball, and they are running out El Duque for Game 1. The Dodgers counter with Derek Lowe, Greg Maddux, Hong-Chih Kuo, and Brad Penny. As mediocre as Penny has been in the second half of the season Lowe and Maddux have been just as spectacular; since August 1st they are 14-4 with a 3.01 ERA. The Dodgers rotation is solid and what kept them around all summer until their bats started producing, and they have had success against the Mets as starters. The Mets have had the best bullpen in baseball all season long and every move they have made has paid off including getting Guillermo Mota as a set up man, and closing games with the lights out Billy Wagner.
EDGE- LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Lineup: This is where I think many Mets fans think they have an advantage, but I tend to disagree. I think the teams are just about even when it comes to producing runs. The Dodgers who people think have an anemic offense only scored 14 less runs than the Mets this season. The Mets have a few great hitters in Wright, Beltran, and Reyes and a consistent hitter in Delgado but the rest of their lineup does not pack much of a punch. The late addition of Shawn Greene is a wild car for the Mets. The Dodgers have a more consistent lineup 1-8 with the like of Russell Martin and Wilson Bettemit as legitimate bottom of the order producers. In the middle JD Drew and Jeff Kent know how to produce runs and nobody has more big hits this year then the reborn Nomar Garciaparra. Also the Mets have been a team that can manufacture a run better than almost anyone, except for the Dodgers. The Dodgers have 128 Stolen Bases this year (Mets 146); they have a better OBP% and strikeout less than the Metropolitans. So the one advantage the Mets usually had is neutralized by a Dodger lineup with speed and pop at the top with Kenny Lofton and Rafael Furcal.
EDGE- EVEN

Intangibles: Off the bench the Dodgers have put together a solid core of veterans like Julio Lugo, Marlon Anderson, and Toby Hall. They also have some punch with Olmedo Saenz, 3 HR 14 RBI while pinch hitting this season. Too bad the guy running the bench for the Dodger is clueless; Grady Little showed his ineffectiveness in handling a pitching a staff in his last playoff appearance, lets hope here he doesn’t do the same. The Mets hired Willie Randolph to reach this point and use his experience with the Yankees to help in the post season. His quite demeanor like Joe Torre will be a positive and calming influence on his team when they are in a tight spot. The bench for the Mets is a little weak, but they have enough youth that they hopefully won’t have to go there very much.
EDGE- EVEN

DODGERS IN 5