Why would you bet against the Saints? Why would you bet against them when they’re playing the Redskins? Why did someone as stupid as this have a 60-inch HDTV to begin with?
Anyways…here’s stuff I think about the NFL so far since we’re kind of on the subject…
Start of the season, my $20 bet on the Ravens at 10-1 to win the Super Bowl looked good. Now, well I’m glad I didn’t put more than that down because I thought about it. This is why I couldn’t live in Vegas. I would lose everything at the sports book. There was an Elvis impersonator there yelling at a pre-season NFL game between the Seahawks and Eagles because he had bet on it. That would be me. Minus the Elvis part. Ok I’d be dressed as Elvis too.
I’m really hoping for the Saints-Colts Super Bowl. That would be a FANTASTIC game. I’m truly hoping Favre breaks a hip as I think Minnesota might be the only team that can beat the Saints and prevent that from happening. Also, I need the Chargers to remember Norv Turner is their coach and choke in the first round so they don’t knock the Colts out because they absolutely can.
Speaking of the Turner boys, say good bye to Ron. His contract is up with the Bears at the end of the season, so he won’t be back. Is it all his fault? Yes and no. Truth is, the Bears have no offensive line at all. I’m convinced that you could line me up against Orlando Pace right now and I would sack Jay Cutler. But, Turner didn’t adjust properly. Any coach will tell you that you have to adjust your scheme to the guys that you have. Turner didn’t really do that. He saw his new toy in Cutler and decided to chuck the ball all over the place, which would’ve been fine if the Bears had good receivers, but they don’t. Hester will never be the guy they want him to be. He just isn’t. Is he an above average #2 receiver? Yes. Is he a great #3? Absolutely. But he ain’t Randy Moss and he won’t be. And that’s where Turner screwed up. But whatever. I’m not bitter.
One last NFL note: why did the move the Pro Bowl to the week before the Super Bowl? Now you’re not going to see anyone from either Super Bowl team. I didn’t watch it before, but if the Saints and Colts get there, I’m certainly not watching a Pro Bowl with no Manning, Brees, Colston, Wayne, Addai, etc. Dumb idea. Like really dumb.
And just like that we’ve completed the circle of dumb. Don’t you feel better for it?
I’ve talked about this before on the show, but if you haven’t seen it, here’s a clip from the Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode with the Foreigner belt. It is awesome.
Enjoy.
I think you can basically watch the entire episode on adultswim.com so I recommend wasting 15 minutes of your day on it. It’s good stuff.
Michael Vick signed with the Philadelphia Eagles late Thursday night (I know…you’ve heard). I’m stunned just because Philly seems like the last place he would’ve gone. They have an established starting quarterback in Donovan McNabb, and they have the most vocal, passionate, and ruthless fan base…um…ever. Philly fans don’t like this move and they’ve let everyone know that, but I actually kind of like it. He’s with a very solid, stable organization and his coach and quarterback are very used to dealing with the fans and media in Philly. They’ll help Vick weather the storm surrounding his comeback. And Eagles fans should be happy too. If McNabb gets hurt, they have a pretty legit back up now. Do you really want Kevin Kolb or A.J. Feely over Vick? I don’t. I know, Vick was never the QB we thought he would be, but he’s a hell of a lot better than Kolb or Feely.
Ultimately though, I’m just really disappointed Cleveland didn’t sign him so he could play in front of the Dawg Pound.
So Affliction crumbled and Fedor found himself a free agent. Arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and maybe the only guy who could take down Brock Lesnar, Fedor was about to get PAID right? Maybe not. Today he signed with Strikeforce, which is fine, but they don’t offer the level of competition that UFC does, and while I don’t know the details of his new contract, I’m betting they didn’t offer this:
-A 6 fight, 30 million dollar deal (that’s $5 mil per fight…unheard of in MMA)
-An immediate shot at the title against the best heavyweight in the world right now.
That was part of UFC’s offer which also included a cut of proceeds from the Fedor/Lesnar fight (which would probably be the highest grossing fight in the history of MMA) would go to Fedor’s company M-1. Also, Fedor would be allowed to wear any M-1 logoed items he wanted and would be allowed to fight outside the UFC, both of which would be a first for any UFC fighter.
And Camp Fedor said no. What more do you want? A golden goose that lays eggs that turn in to naked Jessica Simpsons?
So the All-Star Teams were announced. I think it’s time to get rid of the “every team has to be represented rule”, the “fans determine the starters” rule, and “this one counts”. Here’s why (in order):
1. The Washington Nationals shouldn’t have anything to do with the game. Yes, Ryan Zimmerman’s good. Sure, he deserves to be an All-Star, but every year in the NBA, NFL, and NHL deserving guys get left off the team. The reason why is simple, the All-Star games are supposed to be the absolute best of the best. Having a player from every team has always felt to me like when Little Leagues or YMCA’s give every kid a trophy just for participating.
2. The fans by in large get it right, but there’s always a few All-Star starters that shouldn’t start…or even be on the team. This year, Dustin Pedroia over Ian Kinsler and Josh Hamilton over anyone were screw ups. Look, both Pedroia and Hamilton are great players, and Pedroia deserves to be on the team, but he isn’t having a better year than Kinsler. Some numbers:
Pedroia: .290, 3 HR, 36 RBI, .368 On-Base Percentage
Kinsler: .253, 20 HR, 53 RBI, .331 On-Base Percentage, and he’s slugging .500. Keep in mind, Kinsler’s a lead off hitter. He shouldn’t have nearly those numbers since his first at bat of every game, he gets the starting pitcher at his absolute best. Kinsler’s 4th in the AL in Home Runs and 9th in steals with 16. He’s not even on the All-Star roster.
Hamilton has played in only 36 games this year and missed almost all of June with an injury. He’s only hitting .248, although his other numbers are pretty good. Again, he’s a great player and will be an All-Star for years, but he didn’t deserve it this year and he certainly shouldn’t start because we don’t even know if he’ll be able to play.
3. This one counts is what they’ve been saying for a few years now because the winner of the All-Star game determines home field advantage for the World Series. How stupid is that? Guys who have no chance of making the playoffs, let alone the World Series (Nationals, we’re talking about you again) are going to potentially affect home field advantage in the World Series. Why we can’t just let the team with the best record have home field like EVERY OTHER SPORT DOES is beyond me.
The Cubs and Sox got screwed. Only one All-Star each. Ridiculous. Theriot and Lee deserved it from the Cubs, Dye, Podsednik, and Jenks deserved it from the Sox. But again, there’s always snubs. Oh well.
NBA free agency started and the Bulls lost Ben Gordon, as expected. Bottom line was that Ben wanted out of Chicago, so I’m not shocked. I’ll miss his scoring, but otherwise, he wasn’t doing much for the team. He’s definitely what my dad would call a “selfish player”. Have fun in Detroit Ben.
Speaking of Detroit, they lost Rasheed Wallace to Boston which has the talking heads saying the power has shifted back to the East. I don’t think so. Yes, he’ll help Boston, especially if Garnett’s knees are really that shot, but Artest will help the Lakers more. They’re still the favorite if you ask me.
Final thought: peanut butter on sourdough english muffins is just fantastic.
Obviously, we lost a whole bunch of famous people. I think everything that can be said about Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson has been said at this point. But Billy Mays, well, he was awesome.
Here’s what I mean: I didn’t buy OxyClean or whatever else because he told me to, in fact, I don’t own anything he pitched. I really didn’t pay much attention to his commercials to be honest, but the man had a sense of humor. He had absolutely no problem making fun of himself and that’s something we all to rarely in a world full of people who take themselves WAY too seriously. Billy’s ESPN360.com commercials were, in my opinion, brilliant. He openly mocked himself, and yes he got paid to do it, but like I said, most people wouldn’t make fun of themselves on TV.
OOOOOOooo 2 blog posts in 1 day! Lucky you! So I figured since the Finals start tonight in L.A. I’d give you my thoughts because, you know, you care what I think. Humor me.
Truth is, this series depends entirely on Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol. If Odom shows up and if the Lakers remember they have Gasol, Lakers win in 6. It’s that simple. I just don’t think that Orlando can keep pace with them if Odom and Gasol play well. Plus, they’ll have Walton and Bynum who have 6 fouls each to hack Dwight Howard and keep him on the line where he’s shaky at best. Don’t think that Phil Jackson, whom I grant you almost got outcoached by Rick Adelman (Houston) and George Karl (Denver), doesn’t know this. Phil’s not what he used to be as a coach, but he’s smart enough to know that Bynum isn’t good for much more than fouling Howard right now. And that’s how he’ll use him.
Now, if Odom goes in the tank like he did in last year’s Finals and for at least 3 games each series so far in these playoffs, Orlando’s got a great chance. If the Lakers forget they have Gasol, like they did against Denver, I like Orlando in 6. If Jameer Nelson plays effectively, not just “if he plays” mind you but if he plays well, Orlando in 5. Nelson torched the Lakers this year because, news flash Laker fans, Derek Fisher ain’t what he used to be and Jordan Farmar ain’t…well he wasn’t ever all that good to begin with. If Nelson and Rafer Alston can abuse the L.A. point guards the way they should, I REALLY like Orlando’s chances. If Rashard Lewis and Hedu Turkoglu keep hitting threes (did you know they’ve hit at an astonishing 47% since Game 7 of the Boston series? That’s insane!) then Orlando will absolutely win.
Now if you’re paying attention, you’ll notice I’ve said “if” a lot and haven’t actually comitted to a pick. That’s because, truth be told, I’m a bit torn. Orlando has the “us against the world!” mojo because no one thinks they can win, and historically, those teams win (see: 2001 Patriots, 2007 NY Giants, 2001 Diamondbacks). The Magic guards are far superior with the exception of the 2, which of course is Kobe for the Lakers. But overall, the guard play favors Orlando. I think Orlando is a better defensive team and they rebound exceptionally well. I like all those things.
I DON’T like that Stan Van Gundy is their coach. I don’t think he’s terribly bright in terms of motivating his team. I think he knows the X’s and O’s (unintentional rhyme) but I don’t think he motivates well and ultimately, I don’t think his players like him that much. Rafer Alston’s a head case who slapped Eddie House in the head. Don’t get me wrong, Eddie deserved it, but you just don’t do that. Head cases can win you a series, or they can cost you a series. He’s too big of a wild card for me to feel comfortable with him. Howard can’t stay in games. LeBron showed us the blue print for fouling Howard out and frankly, Orlando’s in trouble without him because they won’t be able to guard Odom, Gasol, AND Bynum effectively. And if Howard fouls out and Phil doesn’t immediately go to a lineup of Shannon Brown, Kobe, Odom, Gasol, Bynum then I demand we strip Phil of “genious” status and admit once and for all that without Jordan, Pippen, Kobe, and Shaq he wouldn’t have won a ring, let alone 9 of them.
However, I think Phil is a genious. I think he’s always been smart enough to know how to gain advantages in all aspects of the game. The man even knows how to play the media perfectly. I think Kobe (whom I can’t stand by the way) is so angry from everyone asking him if he needs Shaq to win a ring that he’s going to go off. I think that Odom (an all-time waste of talent by the way) will show up for 3 games and that’s probably enough. I think Gasol will get more than the 10 shots per game he got in the Denver series. I think that Bynum will foul out of every game but in the process he’ll neutralize Howard as best he can.
In other words, I think the Lakers win in 6. I think Phil retires afterwards, having passed Red Auerbach on the all time list with 10 rings. I think that in 2 years Kobe hangs it up and it won’t matter if he wins again after this year because, at the end of the day, he’ll have his ring that he won without Shaq. People will argue he did it by himself, but I’ll argue he needed Gasol. Jordan needed Pippen, Shaq needed Kobe/Wade, Kobe needed Shaq/Gasol, and LeBron…well he just needs SOMEONE. That’s how it goes in the NBA.
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m a comic book geek and fairly proud of it…although it could explain why I’ve been single for 10 years. I digress. Anyways, I lifted these from Ain’t It Cool News, which is a pretty awesome site about all things movies, TV, comics, and other general awesomeness. Check these out and tell me you don’t get excited too…
Yeah. That’s pretty awesome. Apparently the guy that plays Captain Kirk’s dad in the new Star Trek movie is Thor. I haven’t seen the movie so you’ll have to decide on your own if that’s good or not. Rumor is that the guy who played the FBI agent/boyfriend of the main chick in Fringe will be Captain America which I’m good with. Right look and all. I particularly like the “Avengers Assemble” in the middle. Nice touch Marvel.
You’re talking about coming back to football again, this time with the Vikings. Please don’t. We’re sick of you. We’re sick of hearing about you. Please stay away as no one really wants you and your torn bicep anymore.
