Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 4 2008

Just as we should not overreact to one ugly loss, we too should not overreact to one big win.

Just as I didn't think the poor showing against the Chargers meant that the team was doomed, I don't think the spectacular against the Cardinals means the team is destined for greatness.

This has been my theory of the NFL in this decade, that there are some weeks where a team, no matter how good they are, will get their asses whipped, and that there are other weeks, no matter how bad they are, that everything will go their way and will whip someone's unsuspecting ass.

For example, look at the Chiefs against the Broncos this past week. The Broncos will likely fight for the AFC title, and the Chiefs will likely fight for the worst record in football. But on that one day, the Broncos could do no right and the Chiefs no wrong.

And so it was with the Jets in the first half against the Cardinals - absolutely everything that could have gone their way did go their way. That's how you end up scoring 34 points in a quarter, and giving up none in a half despite giving the Cardinals the ball twice inside the 20 in the first quarter.

I think you can more or less ignore what went on in the second half. Sure, the defense played poorly in the third quarter, but you can't blame a team for maybe losing some focus after being up 34-0 at halftime.

Though it was funny watching that Cardinals mini-comeback, sitting at my usual bar with Teaneck's own Greg Kohler, who was in Chicago visiting (to see the My Bloody Valentine show the night before, which was not only awesome, but perhaps the loudest show I've ever been to.) During the first half, I mentioned to my other friend that this was not a typical experience, to sit with these two particular Jets fans and not hearing them bitterly and profanely complaining. How could we, when the Jets played close to a perfect half?

But then this mini-comeback starts, and all we could do was laugh, and say, "why can't it ever be easy?" Most teams, they go up 34-0 at half, they end up winning 41-14 or something. Not the Jets. They have to make it interesting, right? I honestly don't know how I've lived like this for the last 22 years or so.

Let's break down the good things, the ones that I think might actually be relevant to future weeks:

- The run defense was good again. When the Cardinals had the ball early, while it was still a game, the Jets completely stopped the run, forcing the Cardinals to put the game in Kurt Warner's hands, which led to all those first half turnovers. The Jets have stopped the run well in all games so far, especially early on, and that will most definitely help as the weather cools.

- The offensive line played well. They did a good job picking up the Cardinals on the blitz, and Favre didn't get hit too often. I suppose any day the QB throws 6 TD passes, you have to like the pass protection.

- Favre and the receivers seem to have found some chemistry.

- Laveranues Coles looks healthy again.

- Darrelle Revis looks like the real deal at CB.


So where are we? 2-2 going into the bye, which is exactly where they should have been given the schedule. Won the games they were supposed to win, didn't win the two tough games, which isn't a total shock since, again, this is a team breaking in a new QB, a new offensive line, and many new people on defense. No one should have expected perfection out of the first four games. They just need to avoid a 1-3 or 0-4 type disaster.

Now a bye week, a chance to regroup, and then four very winnable games out of the next five (Cincinnati, at Oakland, Kansas City, at Buffalo, St. Louis.) They have to be no worse then 6-3 coming out of that stretch, and then we can start thinking about contending.

For now, we can just enjoy that 34-0 half, and 56 total points, and allow ourselves during the bye week to dream a little of mabe having a high-flying passing attack for the rest of the year. Just a little.

Baseball Awards

I will make outlandish picks, but I actually believe wholeheartedly in every one of them. As always, I go against the grain.


NL CY YOUNG AWARD

Tim Lincecum-18-5 2.62 ERA 260 SO 1.17 WHIP
I looked at all the numbers closely and I give Lincecum a very slight edge over Johan Santana. Both men have different reasons for low victory totals. Lincecum plays for a shitty team that is 28 games below .500 in games he doesn’t pitch and Santana had 8 leads blown for him by the bullpen this year. Lincecum has been dominant all year long; he has 50 more strikeouts than the nearest pitcher, his batting average against is .221 best among starting pitchers, only given up 11 homeruns, and has the best winning pct. at .783. No matter what way you look at it Lincecum’s numbers are sick and he has been the best pitcher in the National League.

NL MVP

CC Sabathia- 11-2 1.65 ERA, 7 CG, 3 Shutouts
While he certainly deserves consideration for the Cy Young I believe he has been the most valuable player to any team in the national league. Overall in his starts the Brewers were 14-3 and most importantly in 7 complete games they were 7-0. That saves an already thin bullpen when he does that and he completes the game with a W which is so important.

NL MANAGER

Dale Sveum, Milwaukee Brewers- Taking over late in the season with his team staring down the barrel of missing the playoff narrowly for the second year in a row, Sveum sprang into action. After a one and three start as manager Sveum motivated his team to 6 out of 7 wins in the final stretch to take the NL Wild Card away from the Metropolitans. He finished the season 7-4, and astonishing 64% winning percentage.



AL CY YOUNG AWARD

Mariano Rivera-1.40 ERA, 39 Saves, 1 BLSV, 0.67 WHIP

Yes he has been the best pitcher in the American league, but no he doesn’t have some super number of saves or wins. His team underperformed so he didn’t get a chance to have 50+ saves but when he did pitch nobody did it better. He blew 1 save all year. In 70 IP he struck out 77, walked 6, gave up 11 runs and gave up a ridiculously low 4 homeruns.


AL MVP

Francisco Rodriguez- 2.24 ERA, 62 Saves, 1.29 WHIP
If you look around the AL it is hard to find a hitter that may be the MVP so I went with K-Rod. He was on the best team in the AL and was the best player on that team. He shut down more teams than anyone in the history of the game. Not only did he perform but when you have a closer like that he improves the rest of your pitching staff because he strikes fear in the opponent. They know they have to get runs before the get to K-rod, it is like the guy batting ahead of Vlad is going to see plenty of pitches, it works the same for pitchers.



As for the rest of the awards Longoria and Soto are the ROTY's and Madden is clearly the AL Manager of the Year.

The Countdown is over

A day in the life of a pathetic Mets fan

4:20 pm: I'm pacing back and forth between my computer screen with GameDay and the bathroom, which holds the only radio in this apartment that I can receive my XM Radio on.

Only problem is the signal comes in choppy at times, but I was able to hear enough to curse when Manuel went to the bullpen after Ollie struggled into the sixth inning, I heard enough to know Carlos Beltran tied the game with a 2-run homer and I was just getting back to the room after putting my daughter down to hear Scott Schoenwiess and Luis Ayala give up back to back homers to Wes Helms and Dan Uggla.

I'm not even taking happiness in the fact that the Cubs are playing close with the Brewers right now, but I'll continue this later...

4:35 pm: The radio feed went out as Beltran walked to put runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs and Carlos Delgado coming to the plate. Of course, the Marlins went to the pen for a veteran left handed pitcher Arthur Rhodes...

Did I mention he also announced that the Brewers have won and that the season is now on the line? Let's see about the MVP voting...

Oh, did he just line out to left field and now I've got to hope we get into the last of the ninth with the deficit just at two. I'm tempted to leave my apartment and go to my car for the bottom of the ninth. That way, when I start cursing and screaming I won't influence my 7-year old or wake up the baby.

5:05 pm: I did go to the car and listened as David Wright started off the frame with the awe-inspiring at-bat you like. Full count, a couple of foul balls and then...

He popped up to second base.

Yeah, they walked Easley and Ryan Church had a chance to tie the game but they don't call it Big Shea for nothing and that's why pitchers will challenge anyone to pound it out to straight away center field.

Matt Linstrom did, the former Met farmhand, and Church didn't get it all and the walls of Shea will come tumbling down.

I might post about the season lost in a bit, but I think waking up my daughter is more important. Besides, the Giants are on a bye week.

The Collapse, Part Deux!!!

Here is the thing, I really dont hate the Metropolitans all that much, but it is hilarious watching this unfold again.

I have some Yankee bretheren who just revel in every Mets loss or error or scoreless inning for that matter, not me. I don't mind seeing the Metropolitans do well, it doesn't bother or effect me; they aren't really a rival for my beloved Yankees. I would much rather the Blue Jays plain go down in a fiery wreckage or a Noreaster come along and wipe out Fenway Park while the Sawx hold "fan" appreciation day.

But to watch and listen to Mets fans as this drama unfolds once again is just great theatre. Everyone knows about their historical collapse last year, while this years isn't as spectacular it is hilarious nonetheless. It is so funny because the Brewers want no part of actually making the playoffs either, and it is a war of attrition between these two teams.

That, and for the second year in a row when consulting with Mets fans friends of mine before the season both years they would say things like, "Well hell, who is going to win the NL East, the Phillies?" Yup, it appears they will for the second year in a row.

So lets go Brew Crew and lets go Marlins. How fun will it be to see Mets fans launching themselves off the upper deck of Shea Stadium before they tear that hell hole to the ground where it belongs.

The Countdown - 3 to go

I'll make this short since this is my second post of the day, but reading about Carlos Voltron made me laugh so hard I figure I would try to do this on time while it's still fresh...

This was the bounce back game I wrote about in the previous post, the game where the night before fans were tearing their hair out and quoting Scripture about the Second Coming and...

OK, it wasn't that bad but there were many that lost faith after another late-inning loss.

Tonight, we needed a good start from Pedro and it's clear that he needs to either warm up extra in the bullpen or Jerry Manuel send out a reliever for the first and then let Pedro pitch. He's horrible to start the game and let some guy you've never heard of take him deep in the first and come back for more later...

But Pedro is a professional and stemmed the tide and kept the team in the game and the Mets tied it at 3-3 against Rich Harden headed into the seventh. Now, with his age and everything, any manager would have slapped Petey on the ass for a decent game (Quality Start no less) and called for the pen.

But Manuel looks out and is as scared and scarred as any Met faithful and instead of letting the pen blow it from jump, he asked Pedro to go back out. He promptly gave up a hit and a walk and when Ricardo Rincon (Yes, that same guy who's name you know because you know he's not any good) allows a three-run bomb and the Mets trail by a 6-3 margin.

But since this was a bounce back game, they bounced back with a small-ball run in the seventh and got big hits from Ramon Martinez (Not Pedro's brother) and Robinson Cancel and a great cat and mouse slide from Ryan Church to tie the game at 6-6.

Pedro Feliciano, a left-handed specialist, proved he's not that special and allowed a leadoff hit in the top of the ninth but Joe Smith closed the door and when Reyes led off the bottom of the ninth with a single, it was just a matter of time.

Yes, it would have been nice for Daniel Murphy to get down a bunt. Yes, it would have been nice for David Wright to come through but I'll take a two-out hit by Carlos Beltran for the win and make the Brewers have to beat up on the Cubs, who are on cruise control, while we deal with those pesky Fish.

Next up: Marlins at Mets
Chris Volstad, RHP (5-4, 3.10) vs. Mike Pelfrey, RHP (13-10, 3.70)

After a horrible start, Pelfrey has shown why Omar didn't want to include him in the Santana trade. The fact his ERA is below 4 is pretty amazing. Nevertheless, his last start was the first decent one against the Fish.

Volstad is a rookie, so of course he pitched 6-plus innings of good baseball against us in his only appearance against the Mets...

If any of you get to this, I wanted to mention this earlier but...
Kellerman was calling the Mets a jinxed franchise and it's hard to argue against that, especially lately. But the fact of the matter is the Mets are the by-product of the departure of the New York Giants (orange) and the Brooklyn Dodgers (blue).

The Giants (1885 - 1957) won 5 World Championships, 17 Pennants, and 16 Playoff Appearances before leaving the city that never sleeps, but there are big gaps of time when the team was horrible.

The Dodgers were known as the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1911, 1912, 1932 - 1957 and had only 1 World Championship and 7 Pennants but the Lovelbe Bums' were in Brooklyn from 1884 and before Leo Durocher took over in 1939, they had a 15-year run of being pretty average.

Point is the foundation of the Mets then and today as they build CitiField in tribute to both these teams is that of a second-rate team. It's something that the media latches onto and rides to advertising sales and website clicks, that fans easily adopt and one can only hope, is completely lost on those in uniform...

The Countdown - 4 to go

This is getting harder and harder to write, each time out...

I could look on the negative side, which is what every Met fan did over the final three innings. I could think about how David Wright could be in the top 5 in the league in RBIs and still bat under .250 with runners in scoring position. How he couldn't come through with a fly ball in the ninth after rookie Daniel Murphy tripled to start the frame...

I could think about Ryan Church stranding runners at third with less than two outs twice and how a win would have gave the Mets a chance for a first-place tie going into the weekend.

I could think about all that or I could think positively.

I could think that if you told me in June when the team was in fourth place and 7.5 out that we would be in this position this late in the year, I would have likely took it.

If you told me that we would have three guys with 100 RBIs, that Jose Reyes would have 200 hits and that despite all the injuries, we would be in a pretty good position to play postseason baseball at the beginning of the year, I would have likely took it.

But we don't have time machines and we, as a society, never live in the past. We are a What Have You Done For Me Lately people except when it comes to the Great Collaspe of 2007, which everyone feels the need to bring up over and over again.

Listening to Max Kellerman's radio show, he brought up the point that the 08 version of the Mets is currently one game behind the win total of the 2007 team. He's a big proponent of using Johan Santana in the bullpen on his off-days to ensure the playoffs and other silly things that come from the mouth of an irrational Yankee fan.

(The other point he brought up is that Yankee fans, at least the loud mouth ones that post on newspaper sites and call into talk shows, are acting like Red Sox Nation fans used to when they take any joy in the disfunktional existence of the city's other franchise. Do you think I take any joy that the Yankees' aren't in the playoffs this year? It matters little to me and the same approach is rarely taken the other way around.)

I've forgotten my point and I hope the Mets, as a team, forget about last night. They've done a good job this year and if they put their heads in the sand and somehow win 3 of their next 4, they've got a 75% chance of avoiding an extra game.

Next Up:
Rich Harden, RHP (10-2, 2.03) vs. Pedro Martinez, RHP (5-6, 5.50)
On paper, this looks like a mismatch. On recent history, this looks like a mismatch and with the importance of the game unchallenged, this looks like a mismatch...

So let's look someplace else for pleasure.

The Brewers send Yovani Gallardo, RHP (0-0, 1.80) against the Pirates and Zach Duke and I've got to hope that Pittsburgh can show some sort of ball sack and get it done with a win. They've played the Brew Crew close, but failed to assist the boys from Queens.

After that, the Brew get the Cubs and who doesn't want to see another road sweep like they did a couple of weeks back when both teams were close atop the NL Central?

Meanwhile the Flilthies have today off (and hopefully will only lead the East by one game after it's done), then throw Joe Blanton, Jamie Moyer and a starter to be announced on Sunday. It will clearly depend on what's needed and the Mets need to make sure and force them to throw Cole Hamels on short rest or hope that Brett Myers remembers he's not as great as he's been down the stretch.

Mets Updates?

I assume we haven't had any more Mets updates from Martin because the team's second-straight September implosion has led to his head's exlplosion.   Or maybe his dreadlocks have caught fire.

In the meatime, read this, because it's funny:

Carlos Voltron

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 3 2008

Let's not spend too much time on this full-team giant turd of a game.

There wasn't much positive to take out of this, except maybe the run defense early on when it still kind of mattered, and that Leon Washington is still a good kick returner.

The worst thing that happened? Letting the Chargers score on that first drive of the third quarter. The entire defense should be embarrassed, because they got punked as a unit on that drive.

The bottom line is that the team made far too many mistakes, mostly early turnovers. This team isn't good enough to overcome that many mistakes.

And, we better hope Kris Jenkins isn't hurt too bad, because apparently the defense is awful without him.


That all said, this game shouldn't provoke an over-reaction. Sure, it's a game that a contending team should win, playing a team like the Chargers that have been struggling on defense and with half their offensive weapons hurt. But, then again, the Chargers are a very good team, playing at home, with pretty much their season on the line, on national TV. The odds are that they would play a good game.

Plus, if we looked at the schedule before the year started, well, the Jets were supposed to be 1-2 at this point. Losing to the Patriots and at the Chargers isn't the worst thing that ever happened, especially early in the year when the team is still figuring things out.

If they lose to Arizona next week? At home? Then the season is lost.

If they win, like they're supposed to? Then they're 2-2 going into the bye, with a wide open AFC, and playing Cincinnati, at Oakland, Kansas City, at Buffalo, and St. Louis in the next five. They could very well be 6-3 after that.

That all depends, of course, on the entire team playing a fuck of a lot better than they did tonight. Because the team that played in San Diego tonight doesn't win any games the rest of the year.

But since it's still warm out, I'm not ready to believe that the team we saw tonight is the true reflection of what this team can be. I hope I'm not wrong to retain that sliver of optimism.

The Countdown - 6 to go

Well here we are again. The last week of the season, the playoffs within our grasp and we send a rookie pitcher to the mound.

I'll keep this short so all you Yankee fans can think back on a stadium that was closed for renovations for two years AND YOU PLAYED AT SHEA and then think about the fact that the team isn't leaving town.

They're just going across the street. Calm down about the closing of the place for God's sake, and I'm not the only one. Dave Anderson of the New York Times agrees with me (or I agree with him) and he's been covering games since...

Well, long enough to have over half a century of experience and if he's not impressed, then I don't feel I should be.

Yeah it's sad that they're moving across the street and taking all that history with them, but no one is making a big deal about the closing of Shea and it makes me a little sad. Not because they shouldn't open Citi Field but Shea's got a lot of heart.

I went to Yankee Stadium once. Didn't get a chance to walk around Monument Park or anything, but I did sit behind home plate at Shea on Mother's Day. I did wait out a day game with Brian John, walking around the place to kill time after attending a baseball camp in the morning.

I went with friends I have and have forgotten. I went on the 7 train and by car and I've sat in the bleachers and moved up close for Merengie Night. I've left disappointed and unfulfilled and boarded the train with happiness and hope for a new tomorrow.

Yes, it's sad that Yankee Stadium is closing for a new one across the street. And yes, Citi Field looks great growing in the backdrop behind center field and they'll eventually move the Big Top Apple into the new home, but there will always and only be one big Shea.

One place that housed the Jets, Mets, Yankees and the Beatles.

And now will house the thousands that didn't think it wise to take mass transit to the game.

Next Up:
Sean Marshall, LHP (3-4, 3.62) vs. Johan Santana, LHP (14-7, 2.65)
This is the epitome of a must-win game. It's really simple - A loss here and they won't make the playoffs. There'll be another long winter of silly Yankee fans rightfully making fun of the Next Collaspe and the media will have a field day, not looking into the fact that the Mets resemble the walking wounded more than anything else.

Simple as that.

The Weekend that Was

If you were a sports fan, could you have asked for a better weekend? I can’t remember a weekend as chock full of sports excitement this good in a long time. The two biggest things the weekend will be remembered for is the US regaining the Ryder Cup back from the Europeans for the first time since 1999 and the closing of the most famous and hallowed venue in all of American sports, Yankee Stadium. But also there were big happenings in College and Pro Football.


GOLF

Without El Tigre the Americans found a way to come together and win, not really a surprise to me. The questioned was universally asked, would the American team be better without Woods. Well common wisdom would say not having the best player in the world would be a detriment. I didn’t totally subscribe to the theory, only because of Tiger’s singular focus. It has been proven that in Ryder Cup play there needs to be fellowship and selflessness something more akin to team sports, rather that individual sports like Golf. Tiger never played team sports growing up and was taught by his father how to channel all is energy and focus and block out all distractions, at which he is terrific. However, in Ryder Cup play the first 4 rounds of 5 involve strategy and team play something Woods is not very good at yet. He has yet to be able to give himself over to the team concept when it comes to Ryder Cup play.

How about Paul Azinger’s captains picks? JB Holmes, Chad Campbell and Hunter Mahan all played their asses off. If I had to give an MVP award for the weekend it would go Mahan, he was 2-0-3 and was one of only 2 guys to play all 5 matches. Also, how about the kid, Anthony Kim. This young man is on the verge of breaking through big time next season on the Tour and could be a Major Champion in the nest 2 years.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Not much to say here but SEC. Are you fucking kidding me, Florida went up to Tennessee and beat that ass. LSU also went on the road and beat the Auburn Tigers in another great game in this series. And just when you have your back turned, the undefeated Vanderbilt Commodores have snuck in to the top 25 and they are the worst team in the SEC.

PRO FOOTBALL

So Elisha just keeps producing, and 274 Sherman Ave keeps hating. I ask you, and lord knows this will elicit the most responses ever in this blog, but name me 5 NFL QB’s you would take right now over Elisha. And for the arguments sake I will even let you use the injured Tom Brady. My list goes like this, and these are all maybes; Brady, Peyton, and McNabb, outside of that I can’t really think of anyone else I would clearly take over him. Now I would say guys like Brees, Rothliesberger, and Romo are on the same level but I wouldn’t take any of them over the youngest Manning.

Ummm….the Cowboys are pretty damned good; that was one hell of a game at Lambeau last night.

Can we cancel all pro football in the state of Missouri? Who thinks the Missouri Tigers are the best team in the show me state right now?

Nice to see Super Bowl picks Minnesota and Jacksonville getting of the schnied yesterday.

How about those Buffalo Bills, my 15-1 prediction for them is not far away baby!!!

YANKEE STADIUM

What more can be said? The Yankees had a perfect and poignant send off to the great venue and to cap it all off with a Jose Melina homer; the House that Ruth built and in these multicultural times the House that Jose closed.

So I leave it to you the reader to regal us with favorite Yankee Stadium memories, and yes we will even allow Mets fans to comment on this one.

The Countdown - 9 to go

This season really comes down to two things and you can check that to determine what the final score was/is for the Mets, something that's been the case for the past three years.

How did Jose Reyes do and did the bullpen finish the job?

They won three games in a row and took over first place again. Reyes was 7-of-14 with 6 runs scored and 5 RBIs and the bullpen held off late charges in two of the three.

The Mets lose two in a row, two very winable games at Turner Field with Bobby Cox taking his foot off the gas slightly shown by the fact that Chipper Jones didn't even start on Saturday.

Reyes strikes out to start the game and Pedro gives up three runs in the first. Yes, he did settle down and keep the game close until the sixth but that's still a mountain to climb and an anthill seems like Mt. Everest when Reyes goes 0-for-4.

That 4-2 loss ended moments after the Phillies, who sense blood in the water, hold off the Marlins, who I actually heard someone talking how they're closing in on the wild card with three left in New York to end the season.

If that were the case, then someone would have come through on Saturday night. Thanks to Gameday (I really hate listening to the Marlins announcers), I slowly watched the Fish put a runner in scoring position in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings when a base hit would have tied the game and JC Romero, Ryan Madson (Didn't he play at Gonzaga?) and Brad Lidge did what a compentent bullpen is supposed to do - close the door and confirm a victory.

With that in mind, the Mets got four runs early on Sunday afternoon and the offense went into the tank. Meanwhile, Mike Pelfrey struggled at first but got into the seventh with the lead and turned it over...

Well, I picked up the action on the radio in the top of the eighth and with Marlon Anderson on first I was able to hear Reyes complete an 0-for-5 day. Then smiled with glee as Schoeneweis gave up a double and the lead then Joe Smith let the Braves go up on a Frenchy triple.

That's when I turned the radio off and it wasn't for another 20 minutes that I went to my computer to see that the pen allowed four runs in the frame. Yeah, Delgado did homer in the ninth to make the score close, but that only matters with horseshoes and hand grenades...

Where does that leave us? 1.5 behind Philly for the NL East, 1.5 ahead of the Brewers for the wild card and seven games in seven days at home to end the season. We all know Met fans aren't the kindest lot in the world, so that means Monday's game is huge and will likely set the tone for the rest of the week and who do we get to send to the mound?

Next Up:
Jason Marquis, RHP (10-9, 4.39) vs. Jonathon Niese, LHP (1-0, 4.09)
We send a rookie pitcher making start No. 3 in his career against the NL Central champion Cubs in easily the biggest game of the year. This is similar to last year (Did I just say that?) when a mis communication or just sheer stupidity forced us to send Phil Humber to the mound to make his pro debut against the Nationals during that downward slide.

The kid pitched well last time out and he is at home, but it's really simple - We have to pound the baseball and leave it out of his hands, out of the bullpen's shaky hands and hope that if we get up early that Sweet Lou will call off the dogs and start clearing the bench.

Speaking of the bench, Johan Santana will be sitting there with two more starts to make and I can't see how the season finale won't be necessary and he can rest up. The way it's set up, Pelfrey and Neise will pitch against the Fish and I've got to hope those games still mean something positive not that we're fighting for our lives...

BTW - The Giants are 3-0. I don't really care how it looked, that the Bengals suck this or the defense allowed that. The defending Super Bowl champs have started the season 3-0. A fat man texted a question - name five quarterbacks you would take over Elisha?

The first three are easy, so long as injuries are taken out of the equation. Brady, Peyton and McNabb are just better and a lot of that has to do with experience. I argued Drew Brees because I'm impressed with what he's done in two different systems, but Elisha's on his level. Tony Romo made my list because anyone who's motorboated Jessica Simpson's breasts gets a nod regardless of his flaws and lack of playoff victories. What do you thing, America?

The Countdown - 9 to go

So I'm at my full time temporary job which will hopefully become full time soon because I need some benefits because children need shots and dentist appointments and that stuff cost a lot when you don't have insurance to knock down the cost...

Anyway, I'm walking past the manager's office, after overhearing him say
"Not the Jets, the Mets..."
And I notice tickets on his desk. Naturally I ask about the four tickets and if I could buy one off him. He says he's going with his girl and a couple of her friends.

The day continues and eventually, five minutes before 5 pm, I head home. I'm doing manual labor on a regular basis for the first time in my life, meaning I'm getting sweaty at work so I quickly get into the shower.

I don't notice the missed calls and voicemail on my cell phone, instead I get on the phone with my former insurance company. It's not until my wife says "Your job is on the phone" that I pick my head up to hear my boss say those magic words...

"I've got two tickets. Do you want them?"
My answer was the married man's answer - "Yes. I have to ask my wife, but yes."
Faye, clearly upset with my question, mumbled a yes that was full of venom and general angst that I'm sure I'll feel the wrath of later but...
But...
BUT...

That's a story for a different day. As for the moment, I went to the office, was handed two tickets and after my brother-in-law turned down my invitation for the free ticket I parked my car, hopped the next MARTA train downtown and join the throngs headed for Turner Field.

My baseball stadium list isn't long, but includes Fenway, Yankee, Shea and Tiger Stadium before they tore it down. I've seen SafeCo and Pac Bell and Turner has them beat with public transportation to the game. Train to Underground, then countless free bus shuttles to right outside the front gate.

Good sight lines from the main concourse and although I didn't get there soon enough to watch batting practice, I did have enough time to get lost trying to find my seat.
In case you go, field level is 100 and 200, the upper deck is 400 and the mezzanine or covered section is 300 and you have to go through/near/around the casino which threw me and two fellow Met fans looking for their seats for a loop.

I didn't have to bet on black to sit down. Thought about it, but Jose Reyes was coming up and I try not to miss his plate appearances. You never know when he'll lead off the game with a home run off Jo-Jo Reyes for an early 1-0 lead.

Oli P didn't pitch great, but he wasn't helped by two errors by David Wright in the second (although the official scorer only gave him one) that allowed the Braves to take a 2-1 lead. I pleaded for the team to get my runs back and Jo-Jo Dancer obliged by walking Reyes to lead off the third.

Luis Castillo, who a random Met fan on the train home ripped for "swinging like a girl" and wouldn't listen to me say that he's batted .300 a couple times with that swing, advanced him to second, then Jose Reyes stole third and scored on a single to center by Wright.

I'm not going to go through the entire game, but I haven't been to a pro game in a while so bare with me. It was fun to watch the game and the scoreboard as the Marlins beat up on the Phillies and helped us regain first place.

I realize I really hate the tomahawk chop, mostly cuz they do it all the time. I mean when the No. 7 batter walks in the sixth, I don't think we need the fucking chop. But I will admit it's funny to see the big Chic-Fil-A cow high on the rafters in left-center doing the chop.

Some fans tried a wave and I joined in, but it died out. Yes, I know it may sound corny, but the wave is fun to do at a stadium and watch it go around. Some silly fans tried to start a Let's Go Mets chant. There were enough of us there for it to work, but Braves fans would counter with a Let's Go Braves which made the whole thing just sound like noise.

After Reyes singled home Daniel Murphy in the eighth, I tried to start a "Jose Jose Jose Jose Jose Jose" chant ala any Spanish soccer game but stopped when the realization of what I was doing set in.

I didn't stick around for the fireworks show after the game (They do it after every Friday night home game), but all in all was completely pleased with my trip. The only thing that would have made it better is if I tried to use my valid 2008 Mississippi Press Pass to get into the press box, but I was too busy enjoying the game to search for Newsday's Wallace Matthews and the News' John Harper.

By the way, did I mention that I was given the $13 tickets and when I tried to pay for them was told that they were company tickets that were passed down, that it was cool and my payment really was taking a couple of pictures of my boss and his girl and a $6.25 bag of peanuts?

Next Up:
Pedro Martinez (5-5, 5.47 ERA) vs. Jorge Campillo, (7-7, 3.79)
On the train home, I was asked by the same fan who made fun of Castillo if I was going on Saturday. My answer was "I don't want to see Pedro get roughed up." He could throw a gem, but more than likely this is a high-scoring affair that will likely tax a bullpen that needs more rest days with the season coming down the wire. Campillo hasn't pitched well lately and against the Mets, but he's still got a pretty impressive ERA and I can only hope the offensive team, the same one that got clutch hits late to put the game away, shows up knowing that they control their own destiny,

With the Brewers latest loss, they are now 1.5 behind Philly. If they stay that way and the Mets and Phillies end the regular season tied, according to everyone knowledgable that I asked, the Mets would be division chamnps due to their 11-8 regular season record. Let's just hope it doesn't come down to that.

The Countdown - 10 to go

So it goes...

Jose Reyes led off the game with a double and Daniel Murphy followed with a run-scoring single. That would be enough, especially after the superstar shortstop slapped a single to score Santana...

Sorry, this blog is brought to you by the letter S.

Johan pitched well, the Mets scored runs and more importantly, the Cubs scored four runs off Solomon Torres to erase a 4-run Brewers lead in the ninth and now sit 1.5 games behind the Mets for the final playoff spot in the NL.

Yeah, I would rather the division title but the only thing that matters is a ticket to the Dance. After that, anything goes.

I heard about the Brewers collapse listening to Chris "Mad Dog" Russo on my XM radio, only to find out that he cut a deal with both satellite radio stations meaning he's on Sirrus as well.

Good for him. I never really listened to Mike and the Mad Dog on WFAN, mostly cuz I was out doing stuff like playing in the street, collecting empty crack viles and breaking into bakeries near Votee Park.

Anyway, my next mission is trying to figure out how and/or when I'll get into Turner Field this weekend. Two night games and a Sunday special which I'll be lucky to get anything more than a score report with it being my daughter's first birthday, which is interesting enough because wouldn't it really be her second birth day?

Next up:
Oliver Perez (10-7 4.09 ERA) vs. Jo-Jo Reyes (3-11 - 5.50 ERA)
Oli has pitched well against the Braves, in big games and at Turner Field. We really need this game and if I had a game to pick to attend, this would be it. I don't really want to see Pedro struggle on Saturday night while Jorge Campillo looks like Fernando in 1981. As I said, Sunday is out of the question, although I would love for that to be Naomi's first baseball game somehow I don't think my wife will let that fly...

The Countdown - 11 to go

Well, that's a way to start a game.

I believe I stated the obvious in the last post, but I'll say it again. As Jose Reyes goes, so goes the Mets. Reyes led off Wednesday's game with a home run, Delgado followed and Beltran smashed two more behind them for a much-needed 9-7 win.

It was 9-7 because the Gnats are acting like roaches and niggas. They just won't die (Thanks to Nas and The Last Poets for that reference).

That and they're facing Ricardo Rincon, Aaron Heilman, Brian Stokes and the rest of the Mets pen. I will always find it funny when everyone says Omar should have got someone at the deadline, like he was the only GM looking for bullpen help.

To prove my point, I'll ask you to conduct a personal quiz. Think quickly about all the teams battling for playoff spots that are lock, stock and set with their pen.

Go ahead. I'll wait.

National League:
Phillies - Lidge has returned to form and that sets up the rest of those guys. Plus it helps that Flash Gordon is done for the year although he's a great 8th inning guy...

Cubs - Although be honest. Can you really trust Kerry Wood, first time trying to close the door in the postseason?

Dodgers - Yeah, but name me three of the guys coming in? What's that? Broxton, Hu Jung Qou or whatever with Siato at the end? OK, but where were those guys when they were losing 10 straight like two weeks ago?

American League
Angles - Did you know KRod hasn't entered a tie game or entered without a lead and he's never worked in the eighth inning? Granted, that's a shout out to the rest of his pen, but he's no Mo Riveria and wouldn't that worry you a touch? I mean, if they're tied in the ninth at home against the Red Sox and someone gets on, wouldn't you want KRod to get you into the bottom of the frame still tied? That would be new for him and if he doesn't come in then, he's never going to get a chance if you're only holding him for save situations...

Twins - Now you certainly can't name three guys in this pen, but Joe Nathan is the real deal despite getting bombed the other day.

Red Sox - Well, I guess. But that's a slight reach just because of Pap in the ninth.

That's it. That's the list and that's six teams when we're talking about 12 total. No one is a lock and everyone is looking for help. It just so happens that the Mets need it more...

One quick note about the win. The biggest run happened in the third inning. Reyes led off the frame by working the count full then walking. He then stole second base and was in scoring position with no one out. Rookie Dan Murphy would hit one off the wall and Reyes would score easily, but a sac bunt would have put him at third and if David Wright remembered he's a professional hitter, he would have brought the run home.

That's the kind of production we need to get a ticket to the October dance.

Quick note on next year - I know about the Delgado contract and the fact of the matter is, he's still gonna cost $4 just to let go, so we're really paying him $8 for the year. I don't think we have to worry about MVP and that whole point thing that would trigger the $16 mill for next year and think about it, for him to do that would mean we just won the World Series. I think I speak for Mets fans everywhere that wouldn't mind seeing his old ass again at that price if it meant a championship.

I think the days of the old geezer free agent contract is over, not just for the Mets but around baseball. Hence the emphasis on the draft and signing foriegn players. Let's take first base for example - Texeria will be paid, the Rangers will pick up Hank Blalock's contract and the rest aren't great.

Manny, CC and Tex will get paid. The rest of the list is loaded with over-30 guys and few have their best years ahead of them although if the Angels don't pick up John Lackey's 9 million option, I would love to see him in Citi. Likely more like Randy Wolf if the price tag for Oli gets too high. A feeler at Brandon Lyon and sign Juan Cruz for the pen and give the youngsters a chance. I think the Mets will be like many other teams and remember Carlos Silva and not overpay for underperforming talent...

Next Up:
Johan Santana will face Tim Redding, a crafty 30-year old who is beatable but who isn't for the Gnats. the 137 million dollar man is 13-7 with a 2.70 ERA. I've said this before and I'll say it again - if the bullpen saves half the games he's left in thier hands with a lead they would be taking about another Cy Young for him...

The Countdown - 12 to go

One fucking run.
They lost by one fucking run.
They lost by one fucking run to the Gnats.

There's really not much else to say. Two weeks ago, they were finding ways to win. They would rebound from demoralizing losses one night with a great win the next.

Now they are reverting back to last year, to what everyone is predicting and writing about and the whole nine. It's time like this that I'm glad I don't have ESPN...

By the way, the Phillies, like the sharks they are, smelled blood and came back and beat the Braves to take over first place. Good for them. That town needs some positive sports team to rip down and let's face reality, the Eagles can score but they can't defend and will be exposed in the playoffs...

We are now tied for the wild card and 1/2 game behind J-Roll, Chase and HR or K Howard. By the way, who's gonna pay $12 million a year for 4 years to put Pat Burrell in left field.

I did hear about Murphy moving to 2B and I love that move too. I would like to think you could eat that contract, but it will be hard to convince the Wilpons with the fact it's a lot of money and the 10 million they're eating with Wagner.

I could see Oli P getting too expensive, but the Dodgers have bigger fish in the ocean to spend on, like the guy playing left field right now. He started out in San Diego and I don't think they want him back. Seattle is still paying Carlos Silva to suck and the D-Backs need a closer and a power bat, not pitching. San Francisco already has an erractic left-hander and we all remember the last left-hander that pitched well at Shea, then went to Colorado for the money. I mean the school system...

Next Up:
We continue in DC, now with hopes to come away with a split of this four game series. The Mets official website gave me the rookie starter I wrote about yesterday, but luckily for us it was Odalis "Yes, I'm still pitching for money" who spoiled another great performance by Pelfrey.

Now we look to Brandon Knight, according to the site, against Shairon Martis. All I can say is good luck and a note that's obvious to anyone who's seen the Mets over the past four years. As Jose goes, so goes the team.

He got hot. We got hot. He smoked a coke-filled cock for the last two months of last year, we followed suit. The past three games, all losses, the NL hits leader has gone 2-11 with one walk and has only scored three of his 101 runs in the last 10 games.

So if you want to see how the team will do. Just watch the first at-bat. If he works the count and walks or lines a single on the third pitch, look out. If he pops up to shallow right, as Howie Rose says, you can put it in the books.

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 2 2008

I had a bad feeling about this game from the beginning. It's true. I even said so via text message to our friend Greg out in Seattle right when the game started.

Here's why, and what seemed to me to be a little bit lost in the coverage prior the game: the Patriots are still a talented, disciplined, well-coached team, even without Tom Brady. And if they were going to find a way to stay that way, it was going to be against the Jets, whom all of the Pats, especially the coach, hates passionately. There's something about the combination of shared adversity and intense hatred that can focus the mind of an NFL team, at least for a week.

On top of that, the Jets are still a team working in a lot of new people, most particularly the quarterback. We all knew the first four to six weeks were going to be sloppy, no matter who they were playing. But sloppy against a team like the Patriots, even a little sloppy, and you don't have much of a chance.

So you have the combination of a team motivated to show everyone that they can win without their star QB, playing a team trying to figure itself out but now with dramatically increased expectations.

Of course the Jets were going to lose. I felt it in my gut.

That, of course, didn't make it any less frustrating. Because if the Jets played up to their potential consistently, they definitely could have won this game. But they didn't, as is typical, so they lost, which is familiar.

The other thing that's typical, of course, is that the coverage of the game's aftermath has been all about the quarterback play. That's what the media story line is always going to be. If you look at it, though, the quarterback play wasn't what was important in this game.

This was actually a very evenly played game, statistically.

Really. Look it up.

Total Yards: 260 for the Pats vs 256 for the Jets
Rushing Yards: 104 for both
3rd Down: 6-14 for the Pats vs 6-12 for the Jets
Time of Possession: 31:35 for the Pats vs 28:25 for the Jets

The game could have gone either way, based on those numbers.

So let's talk about the numbers that lost the game for the Jets:

One missed FG. The Jets get the ball to open the game, and move it very nicely. Thomas Jones has a few good-looking runs, Favre makes a couple of good 3rd down throws. The offensive line is looking good, the Jets have momentum, the crowd is energetic. The drive stalls, no huge deal, kick the field goal, take the lead, and put even more pressue on Cassel, playing from behind. So they bring Jay Feely for a 31-yard chip shot. Which he misses. Badly. Thus the air is taken out of everything: the team, the crowd, the cheerlearders, everything. And Cassel can take a deep breath and get settled.

Three runs. The Jets get first and goal at the Patriots 3 yard line in the second quarter. They run Thomas Jones three times, who does not score, and they kick a field goal. I was actually okay with the first two runs - up until that point, they had been running the ball effectively, so it wasn't that bad a call. But on third down, with Favre as the QB, call a pass. That's what you have him for. And against the Pats, really against any team, you have to get a TD when you get first and goal inside the 5. Just ask the Vikings what only kicking field goals gets you.

Three penalties. The first time the Jets get the ball in the second half, down 6-3, after a drive where the defense sacked Cassel twice, they decide to show off their sloppiness. On the first play, a 10-yard run by Thomas Jones gets called back by a holding penalty. On the next play, Favre throws the ball from in front of the line of scrimmage. Whatever momentum they might have had from the good defense was gone. But, wait, two plays later, they actually convert on a third and 22, a great throw from Favre to Stuckey. On the next play, they go deep to Cotchery, who makes a great catch in Pats territory. But, questionably in my opinion, they call Cotchery for offensive pass interference. Two plays later Favre throws a bad interception. Six plays later the Patriots get a TD, go up 13-3, and basically put the game away.

Seven of nine. Field position was the real key to the game. Here's an interesting stat: the Jets had the ball nine times in the game. Seven of those times, they started from their own 20. The other two times, they started from their own 25 and their own 23, respectively. That means that every scoring drive would have had to be 55 to 80 yards, which is hard to do against any team, especially against a defense as good as New England's. Gostkowski has to get a lot of credit for this - the first five times he kicked off, it was an unreturnable touchback. But this means there were no turnovers, no big kick returns, no big penalties on the Pats after a kickoff, any of that. Hard to win when you play a team that is not making mistakes.

26 yards, 29 yards, 14 yards, 40 yards. The net yardage of four punts by Ben Graham. Those are pitiful numbers. The Patriots had three scoring drives where they first got the ball in Jets territory. One of those was after Favre's interception. The other two were because of terrible Graham punts. Giving an offense you know was going to be conservative (runs, short passes, etc.) a short field is making it a bit too easy for them.


So where does it leave everything? 1-1. Which isn't the worst thing, but it isn't great. They play the next game in San Diego, on Monday night. The Chargers are going to be pissed and desperate at 0-2. Not an easy game, by any means.

Can the Jets win games, even against good teams? Absolutely. The offensive line looked very good at times, and the more they play together the better they should get. The run defense looked dominant, up until the fourth quarter when they gave up a bunch of runs to Lamont Jordan (of all fucking people), and the offense didn't do the defense any favors, putting together a string of short drives in the second and third quarter. Plus, Revis basically shut down Randy Moss, which was awesome to see, Favre is starting to figure things out, and Thomas Jones has looked stronger and faster than last year in the first two games.

What do they need to do? Fix the kicking game. Right now. Today. Do whatever they have to do, get a new punter, fix the existing punter, get Nugent back, get Dave Jennings from the booth, I don't care. And stop with the conservative play-calling already. It almost cost the game in Miami, and it contributed to this loss against the Pats.

The other thing they need to do? Win a game they're not supposed to win, like on the road against San Diego. Then actually win a game they are supposed to win, like home against Arizona. Then be 3-1 going into the bye week. Do that, so I can get these bad feelings out of my guts already.

The Countdown - 13 to go

So I've started this before the final out, but the outcome is clearly apparent and I'm already into rehab mode...

So with his outburst in the second half, we'll pick up Carlos Delgado's option and have him mentor Mike Carp and 2008 first round draft pick Ike Davis at first base. Luis Castillo is signed for another three years, so he's the option at second base with Argenis Reyes as the backup.

The left side is locked down and...

Oh yeah, no one cares that I think we'll be OK with Santana, Pelfrey, a healthy Maine, Johnny Neise and Oli P at an overblown rate, but at least we known what we're getting with him.

To be honest, no one really cares about the loser Mets finding ways to lose yet again, but here we go again...

Nationals 7, Mets 2

Well, what is there to say? I was joking yesterday when I wrote about Lannan doing his best impersonation of Steve Carlton. Someone must have texted him about it because he didn't take it as a joke.

Seven innings, seven strikeouts, one hit (by big bat Brian Schneider) and one run on a ground out by Jose Reyes. That's it. That's the list.

"One hit. We only got one god-damn hit!"
"You can't say that on the air!?!?"

It doesn't matter because the bats don't seem to be listening anyway. Pedro went five and allowed two runs, then gave up a two-run single to Anderson Hernandez, the same Anderson that we traded to the Gnats for our closer Luis Ayala. The same Anderson that Omar determined wasn't good enough to take over the job at second base so he signed Luis Castillo for four years and $25 million...

Another point for another day, I guess. I guess the main point is there's 13 days left in the season and we've got everything to play for. I figured it would take a 10-4 finish with wins on the two days the Phillies had off to win this thing.


I envisioned "Major League" and stripping off parts from Paul Lo Duca's ex-wife.

Instead, it's like there's a picture of Lo Duca in the locker room and they're trying to keep his patches on to avoid staring at his junk every time they head to the park.

Up Next: Mets at Nationals
The matchup is a classic between Cy Young specialists. The good guys from Queens will put Nelson Figuroa on the mound against Shairon Martis.

Yes, that same Shairon Martis, the 21-year old phenom with two career starts against Florida and Atlanta. He went five innings against each and struck out 11 while allowing just three runs.

There's not much about him, but who can't see him throwing 7 shutout frames in the thick of a pennant race, one which now makes things really interesting.

The Countdown - 14 to go

Sad to have this be my return to this blog, but here I am with enough time in my new home in Atlanta to start an journey that hopefully won't be a painful reminder of a season gone lost...

With 14 games left and your New York Metropolitans the only New York baseball team with an outside chance to play postseason baseball, I will provide you with my thoughts on each of their remaining games. Add to that, I'll add a little bit about what's been happening with me and my family over the past couple of months, what I'm doing now (like you care) and hopefully there'll be a report or two that include my up-close and personal view of the team I love when they arrive in Atlanta next week...

But before that, we start with Sunday's heartbreaking loss.

Atlanta Braves 7, Mets 4

At the beginning of the baseball season, I found $180 to pay for the Extra Innings package because I believed my team would be competitive, mostly because they would put a quality starting pitcher on the mound each night...

Well, with my prison sentence complete after five years in the penal colony that is Mississippi done thanks to good behavior, a desire to return to a city (any city) and my wife's inability to get a quality job in that podunk crap shoot of a state, I'm in Atlanta (Doraville to be exact, I'll get to that later...)

Being in Atlanta means I had to sell my house and in this market for selling homes being a touch barren, I'm waiting for the profit, which means I have to currently live in my two-bedroom apartment with broadcast instead of DirecTV.

Either way, I would have missed the first couple of innings of Sunday's game thanks to church service. Yes, I go to church with my family because they need it and they deserve that. That and when you marry a maiden from the Magnolia State, you marry yourself into that Sunday ritual.

We could get into a religious debate, about whether there was a Jesus and why women are belittled in the Great Book despite committing the first sin and the strangeness of hearing preachers talk about how everyone needs to conform to their beliefs and what would happen to the millions that believe something different and the billions that lived without Christ entering their lives another day...

Especially since the Lord seems to hate my team with a passion.

Saturday's doubleheader was a testament to this season. Johan Santana, who would have the Cy Young wrapped up if not for the bulk of the this blog's closing, pitched great for seven innings and despite getting little support from the boys behind him, was in line for another win.

Jerry Manuel (At least a top three finish for Manager of the Year) looked down the bench and instead of asking for the phone, with Johan having thrown 107 pitches with runners on base in each inning, sent the ace back out there...

Well, I could continue but you know the rest. Then the rookie, Johnny Niese, comes out in the nightcap and has to throw into the eighth because of...

Well, fast forward (or rewind however you want to look at it) to Sunday and Oli P (Who we'll probably have to overpay for in the offseason, but probably will be worth it with the recent free agent pitcher's market, the huge contract for Santana and the fact we'll have $10 to pay to Billy Wagner next year when he doesn't pitch for us at all).

Anyway, Oli P goes seven and Jerry has to reluctantly go to the pen, but Joe Smith would strike out two to end the frame after Scott Schoeneweis allows two hits. Bottom eighth sees two on and two out and Endy Chavez doing what seemed to be the affliction last year and has taken form this season as well - stranding runners in scoring position late.

The Mets did the same thing on Saturday and have done it for the past month - the offense scores early (They lead the majors in first inning runs), then goes dormant and hopes the starting pitching can hold on long enough for the bullpen not to blow it.

Well, Luis Ayala has been money. As money as you can be when you're a relief pitcher that Omar had when he was in Montreal, that missed the 2006 season due to surgery and was absolutely dreadful for the Gnats before getting traded to Queens.

I was driving back from Target after getting my wife some unmentionables and listening to the game on my XM radio when the ninth inning began. My complex has a fitness room with televisions that have cable and for some silly reason, I parked and went in.

When I finally found the game on Turner Sports South, I was just in time to see Ayala had allowed the first two Braves on base and Greg Norton (cue Berman in Bristol for a Honeymooners voice) up to bat. Ayala got two strikes and then left a change right over the plate that Norton fouled off.

Van Buren or Sutton or whoever was calling the bloody game said, "He just missed that one" and the replay confirmed that yes, when you throw a pitch right down Broadway to a major league batter, they will usually kill it or "Just miss it". Two pitches later, he didn't miss it and the game was over.

The fact that Wright and Delgado reached in the bottom of the frame, meaning Fernando Tatis had a chance to be the hero with one swing was just a way to tease fans into watching these last two weeks closely, even if it means following on MLB Gameday like I was in my apartment while pretending to watch my nearly-one year old daughter race around.

This Mets team has resolve and that's a credit to Manuel. But they are hot and cold like no other. We've got three guys with 100 RBI's (Wright, Delgado and Beltran), the NL hits leader with 101 runs and 50 stolen bases in Jose Reyes but still find a way to make guys like Jeff Bennett look like Goose Gossage.

Next up: Monday at Nationals
So do they make John Lannan (8-13, 4.09) look like Steve Carlton, especially with his former team hot on their heels? Philly, who will be tied for the NL Wild Card lead after tonight's four-game sweep of the Brew Crew, are on fire and will come here to take on Turner Field and its empty seats starting on Tuesday.

Our two-game sweep in Shea was an offensive explosion with Delgado making people believe he's a legit MVP candidate despite the old-grey mare sucking like a whore for the last 64 to 66 weeks before a 9-RBI afternoon at Yankee Stadium. Oli and Mike Pelfrey (Thank the Gods above and below he's not in Minnesota) got shelled and the later is a probable for Tuesday. However it's Pedro for starters and if you want to talk about old grey mares, we need this one to remember how to pitch for the next two to three starts.

Especially tonight. Especially with the Phillies playing like it's 2007 and there's 17 games left and we're seven games up...

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 1 2008

Another NFL season can mean only one thing here at the Sherman Avenue Block Party: another year of weekly looks into the always-tortured soul of this particular Jets fan.

Before we get into the first week's game, we have to pause to mention the NFL's biggest news - Tom Brady injuring his knee in the first quarter of the first game, ending his season.

And to Patriots fans, let me say heartily: boo-fucking-hoo.

No one shed a tear for me when Vinny tore his ACL in the first game of the year back in '99. No one played me a sad song on the violin after Chad got hurt in '03, and no one tenderly patted me on the back when Chad got hurt again in '05.

So to expect me to have any sympathy for Pats fans, well, you might as well expect me to root for the Germans in the Olympics or to start watching American Idol; it will never happen.

I hope, oh I hope, that the Pats struggle mightily this year. I hope they get to taste what every other freakin' team in the league has had to taste the last 7 years, because they've hardly had to taste it through this dynastic run of theirs - the taste of wasted potential. They got a mouthful of it in the Super Bowl last year, and with no Brady, they may not be able to wash it out any time soon.

At least until they beat the Jets in the Meadowlans next week, while Matt Cassell throws for 350 yards and four touchdowns. Which is inevitable.


But let's not go there yet. Let's talk about the Jets on Week 1, and the very nice win to start the year.

The Good

Brett Favre's first touchdown pass. Sure, I wasn't totally psyched about the move, and I won't back down from anything I wrote about it, but I will say that the Jets haven't had a QB that could make a throw like that since Vinny back in '98, and it was nice to see. Refreshing, even.

The Dolphins only gained 49 yards rushing. The Jets run defense has been terrible for years, and this was a nice start. Plus, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams always kill them with career days. Shutting them down was huge, especially since this was only the first game with all of these new guys (Kris Jenkins, Calvin Pace, Dwight Lowery) starting.

The young guys on defense. David Harris still looks great at LB. Revis and Lowery look good at the corners. Pace looks like he can really get after the QB. Kerry Rhodes is still fairly young at safety. It's early, but these guys looked good in the first game.

The Bad

The pass rush was incosistent. They had four sacks, which didn't happen much last year. But in the fourth quarter, when they needed to get to Chad the most, they couldn't, and almost let them come back and win.

The offensive line was inconsistent. True, Thomas Jones had 101 yards and a touchdown (equalling his total rushing TDs from last year.) But there was too much pressure on Favre throughout the game. They sacked him 3 times, forced him to fumble once, and were in his face seemingly all day. And this wasn't exactly the best defense of all time. If they want Favre to last the full season, they're going to have to keep his 39-year-old ass a lot cleaner than it was against Miami.

The Ugly

The end of the game. Why can't the Jets ever just finish a game out sparing the fans the drama? It's week one and I have to spend fifteen minutes hunched over the bar at the Newport Bar and Grille stressed and pained? I can't live like this.

Mangini's fourth quarter play calling. He was too conservative on offense, and it almost let the Dolphins come back and win it. There was a 3rd and 7 with a couple of minutes left and Miami having no time outs. They throw the ball and get the first down, the game is over. Instead, they run, don't get the first down, and give Miami a chance. Against a better team, the Jets lose a game in the fourth quarter that they should have won.

Mike Nugent. I can't believe they haven't cut him yet. If he misses any other field goal from inside 40 yards this year and someone should find where he lives and throw the rotting corpse of Bucky Buckeye in his lawn and then frame him for the murder.


In the end, though, Chad Pennington did his Chad Pennington thing - looking just good enough to give you hope but not being good enough to actually give you the win. Thanks to Jesus, Allah, Jah, and Christopher Hitchens that he did that for Miami instead.

And as they say, a win is a win. Now go do that, say, 10 or 11 more times and maybe I'll feel better.

On Campus 9/6

We are back with our weekly viewers guide to college football. Last week the season snuck up on me so I forgot about my On Campus segment. Speaking of things happening on campus, let us never speak of last nights college football game ever again.

5 Games to Watch

Miami (Fl) vs. Florida- It is always a big match-up when the Florida schools butt heads but this year the game is intriguing for a different reason. Usually this game has significant National Championship implications, but the Gators are a 3 touchdown favorite. The Gators do have their sights set on the Orange Bowl in January while the Hurricanes are trying to discover themselves under Randy Shannon. We will see how close the Canes are to regaining their form in this one.


#8 West Virginia vs. East Carolina- Skip Holtz and the Pirates pulled off a shocker last week beating V-Tech. This just in, Holtz can coach (he won at UConn and is now winning at ECU) and it makes you wonder had his father let him coach a little more while they were at South Carolina if things may have worked out differently. West Virginia comes into the game with a new coach, butt he same old Pat White at QB whom they say will throw the ball more this year. The Pirate defense has good speed, but we will see if they have BCS conference speed trying to track down White in this one.


Louisiana Tech vs. #14 Kansas- La Tech also pulled off a stunner last week beating Mississippi State ate home. Kansas is coming off their best years since Gale Sayers played for them, and now it is time to see if that was a fluke or if Mark Mangino is building something there. The Jayhawks big playmaker is their crafty Junior QB Todd Reesing, he is not the biggest or fastest or strongest he simply gets the job done. He threw for 3 TD’s in their opening game victory against FIU. If Reesing can continue to be on target the Jayhawks should roll. (Get it, Jayhawks roll, like roll a doobie, like Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur, they know how to roll).


Ole Miss vs. #20 Wake Forest- The ACC has not faired so well this season, especially against the SEC were NC State and Clemson took pounding at the hands of Alabama and South Carolina respectively. The Rebels are under new coach Houston Nutt who is a proven winner and he takes his team on an early road test to Winston-Salem(jeez those words have seldom been uttered about football in Winston-Salem). Coach Grobe has the Deacons well prepared for every game and he has a veteran leader in Riley Skinner. If the Deacs can get a big win here they could roll in the ACC.


Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh- Coach Wannstedt’s Panthers took a tough loss at home to Bowling Green in week 1. Buffalo is lead by one of the best young coach’s in the game, former Nebraska QB Turner Gill. The Buffs racked up almost 500 yards of total offense including 2 separate 100 yard rushers in their week 1 victory against UTEP. The Panthers better not take this game lightly or they could be staring an 0-2 record in the face.



4 Players to See

Chase Daniel, QB Missouri- A Heisman finalist last year, Daniel picked up where he left off. In the season opener against a good Illinois team Daniel made it look like a video game. He was slinging the ball around the field for over 300 yards and 3 TD’s and ran for over 50 yards. Daniel has a chance to rack up huge numbers against SE Missouri State this weekend and will be in the Heisman race all year long.


Sam Bradford, QB Oklahoma- Last season Bradford was a question mark for the Sooners starting as a true freshman. This season Bradford is being relied upon as the unquestioned leader of the Sooner offense. Bradford threw 36 TD’s and only 8 picks last season and with an improved Sooner running game he should put up similar numbers. And this week Cincinnati Coach Brain Kelley has been running his mouth so look for the Sooners to try and put up big numbers.


Mark Ingram, RB Alabama- Ingram is the Freshman phenom at running back for the Tide. In his first game against Clemson he averaged almost 6 yards per carry going for almost 100 yards. He has the break away ability and the hard hitting between the tackles running style. Ingram can easily rack up over a 1,000 yards in his freshman campaign.


Arrelious Benn, WR Illinois- The super-Soph Benn caught 54 balls last year as a Frosh. This season and improved Juice Williams at QB could lead to 70+ catches. Benn started off last week against Missouri in fine fashion catching 7 balls for 93 yards. The one thing Benn needs to improve upon is his consistency in the red zone. He is a big strong target and can really be a weapon in the end zone for Coach Zook’s offense.

Outlandish NFL Predictions

Every year I sit down and do some serious research and try to give the readers a nice in depth look at the NFL season, and every year I am way off base. So this year I am going to make 10 predictions sure to come true. Most of what I will say will be way wrong, but at least I didn’t do a lot of research to be wrong.


1) This years NFL MVP will be Arizona Cardinals QB Kurt Warner. He keeps beating out Matt Leinart for the starting job. And last season he was the unquestioned starter for the second half of the season where he threw for as many yards and more TD’s than did Tom Brady. I say Warner leads the Cardinals to an 11 win season a berth in the playoffs and his 3rd MVP trophy.

2) The Dallas Cowboys will collapse like a house of cards and wind up missing the playoffs. As Giants/Yankees/Knicks/Rangers/Gamecocks fans I have some natural rivals that I am supposed to hate, but most of my hatred is directed solely at the Cowboys. Best stat ever to remind the millions of Cowboys fans out there; the last time they won a playoff game was 1996 under Barry Switzer (and for some context Bill Clinton hadn’t yet spewed on that fat girls dress). I think Pac-Man and TO will be at each others throats all year, Tank Johnson and his homies are bound to shoot up a Dallas night club and Tony Homo may start dating every celebrity he possibly can all at once..

3) The Kansas City Chiefs will win 13 games under Herm Edwards, and then he will give a big middle finger to everyone that doesn’t think he is a good coach. This is the man crush on Herm Edwards portion of these predictions.

4) Brett Favre will throw more TD’s than Brady and Peyton combined as he sets a new NFL record with 53 TD’ but the Jets still manage to only win 9 games an get into the playoff on a tie breaker that involves total points scored.

5) By the fifth game of the season Bill Parcells will be beside himself with his 0-5 Dolphins being coached by some guy I have never heard of, he will return to the sideline and lead them to the playoffs.

6) Kyle Orton will throw for over 4,000 yards and 35 TD’s as the Bears return to the playoffs. Orton’s performance so miraculous thus ends the career of the forlorn Rex Grossman.

7) The Bills put together a string on nine consecutive wins after their first loss in week 4. With 3 games remaining @ NY Jets, @ Denver and home against New England, Andrew vows he will hitchhike form Boston to Buffalo if the Bills finish with the best record in the league. WKTV 2 in Utica reports a lonely pale man wearing nothing but a Bills hat is seen thumbing for rides along Interstate 90.

8) The New England Patriots will remember that from 1970-1999 they were the laughing stock of the NFL compiling only eight 10+ win seasons (they have 6 this decade). After Tom Brady really hurts his shoulder in week 2, Matt Cassel comes in and leads them to no victories as they finish 1-15.

9) Eli Manning goes down early in the season and David Carr somehow leads the Giants back to the Super Bowl and wins. Next offseason the Giants are involved in the most tumultuous QB controversy ever.

10) The Browns reach the NFC Championship game for the first time since 1989. Their opponent, yeah that’s right, the Denver Broncos. With time winding down and the Browns going in for the go ahead score Jamal Lewis fumbles on the 3 yard live. In a driving snow Jay Cutler leads his team down the field and Rich Karlis, barefooted and all, comes out of the stands to his the game winning kick. The Broncos are off to the Super Bowl and the legend of Jay Cutler is born!!