2006-07 Philadelphia Flyers

Has there ever been a team that ended up with less than half the amount of point they averaged over the previous 5 years in NHL history? The Flyers now have 26 points. They have averaged 101 points a season this decade. They will likely end up getting a little hot and end up around 55 points, but they are on a pace to get around 48. Are you kidding me?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/standings?season=2007

Glory Days?

I thought Tony Romo would be taking the Cowboys back to the glory days of Cowboys supremecy...what I didn't realize was that Saturday night would bring back a feeling I haven't felt since I was a young 10 year old boy, crying after Dwight Clark tore out my heart...click picture below for story.

Tony, Tony, Tony...I thought you may struggle your first professional playoff game on the road, but I didn't think it would be in the "holding the ball" game...

So after a weekend of watching the team I love (Dallas) give away a winnable game, and the team I hate (Eagles) win a game handed to them by the porous Giants Defense and a bunch of refs who were bigger pussies than the idiots the night before, I am very down. However, driving into work this morning, a couple things hit me...

First, Romo will be back. This will be his motivation to do bigger and better things next year.

Second, the defense will be back. They will restructure the safeties, and move Roy to the LB position, where he will be devastating playing closer to the ball.

Third, and this is only a wish, the Tuna will be back. God, I hope he doesn't leave. He is a great coach and he will bring a Super Bowl to the ranch next season.

Fourth, bring back Owens. With a little stability, he will be fine. He didn't kill Dallas this year...what killed them was the blown hold, Terry Glenn fumbling accounting for the 2 point safety and the difference in the game, and even Jason Whitten who fumbled for the first time in two years. Talk about a perfect storm of things to go against you.

Now to the refs...what a shame that a gutless home crowd reversal even makes the Cowboys have to kick the ball anyway. The fact is that there was no clear evidence that Whitten did not have the first down. With it, they would have scored the TD, gone for two, and never had to kick another ball in the game anyway. However, when the ref reversed the call, he changed the complexion of the game. Disgraceful. I hope that ref dies in his sleep very, very soon.

Otherwise, I'm not bitter. I'm sure I'll get over this...like I did "The Catch"...I'm still waiting for either Montana or Clark to die in their sleep.

Now to the NFL...

What the #%$^#% happened to the Cowboys? Jesus Christ. Has a team ever shut down as badly as they did in 3 of the last 4 games? I mean, first they drop a big turd at home to New Orleans. Then they gamely go out and beat the Giants, with Romo throwing the best pass I have seen all year to Witten to win that game. Then they proceed to shit all over their home turf for two games against the Eagles and Lions and give away the division? The Eagles didn't even have McNabb and they went out and swept the 3 division road games in a row. And then for Dallas to lose at home to the Lions...giving the Eagles a chance to rest their starters? That really sucked. It showed me that Bill has lost this team. They have a 3% chance to win in Seattle.

I can't help but think that they are better off going to Seattle than they would be hosting the Giants next Sunday. The logical part of me says that the Eagles have their hands full, but they have bucked logic the last 5 weeks, so why not this week too. Think about this one...3 weeks ago, the Eagles were 6 point dogs in New York. Now they are 6.5 to 7 point favorites at home to the same Giants team. What does this tell me? The Eagles are in trouble.

Early predictions...

Giants 24 Eagles 13 - The magical run of Garcia has to end soon, doesn't it?
Seattle 37 Dallas 10 - Followed by T.O. burying the whole team and him being cut after the Super Bowl.

Indy 37 KC 3 - Followed by talk of Indy being a SB contender...how they "manned up" and stopped the run...blah, blah.
NE 23 NYJ 21 - I like Mangini...he will be a good coach in this league for a while.

Then I see it being NO vs Chicago and NE vs SD in the Championship games, with a NO-SD Super Bowl and about 2 million reports on how it is Drew Brees vs Philip Rivers to show who is the best when the game will be about one thing only...LaDanian Tomlinson, your MVP of 2006 in the NFL.

Just got back from Vegas...

New year's Eve in Vegas is something to do once and only once. There were more losers walking around runk than anywhere else in the world on NYE. I mean, if you think about it, then it makes perfect sense. Everybody drinks all day, loses cash, then goes outside and yells out their frustrations and nobody cares. As a matter of fact, people thrive on the yelling. They all join in and it becomes one big headache. Maybe my hurt foot contributed to the agony, but I would rather have had my foot blown completely off than have to deal with that aggravation again.

I did learn one thing though...if I do go back to Vegas for New Year's Eve, I will DEFINITELY get a room on the strip somewhere. This way, I can walk down to the strip at 11:55, watch the fireworks, then go right back to gambling or to my room for a much-needed shower.

F U Minnesota

Well, Minnesota really spoiled my playoff scenario fun last night. Could an offense be any more pathetic? Tarvaris Jackson is brutal, and not a professional quarterback. He has zero skills in this league.

Updated NFC playoff picture...

Bears, NO, Sea and Dallas are all pretty much in.

Eagles still need a win over Atlanta or Dallas to lock themselves in. If Atlanta wins this week, which they should, then they will finish ahead of the Eagles with a win on NY Eve. Giants will beat Wash on NY Eve, so they will be at worst 8-8. If they can somehow beat NO this weekend, they would also be ahead of the Eagles and Philly would be out. Then you have GB and the Rams in the mix. GB gets Chicago in Chicago next week, but how much will the Bears play because they are locked in to the #1 seed. Rams play Wash and then home to Minnesota, who is dead and did I mention that their QB really, really sucks? So St. Louis could end up 8-8 too. But with thei good NFC record and head-to-head breakdowns, I think that the Eagles win tie-breakers over both St. Louis and GB. But they lose the tiebreaker to the Giants because of common opponents.

So Eagles fans...don't get crazy just yet. Michael Vick could work his magic the last week and crush your playoff hopes. Why not just win this Sunday in Big D? Because the Eagles never ever win really big games...i.e. NFC Championships games at home to Tampa and Carolina.

Predictions for NFL Week 16 and playoffs

NFC Playoff seed predictions...

1) Bears
2) New Orleans
3) Dallas
4) Seattle
5) Eagles
6) New York Giants

I think the Eagles are going to lose badly on Christmas Day...along the lines of 31-13, and their record will be 8-7. I hope the Giants beat New Orleans, but I have no reason at all to think they will. Their record will be 7-8. Atlanta will kill Carolina at home, and their record will be 8-7.

Here's what I think about each 6-8 team at this time...

Carolina will lose both games to finish 6-10
San Fran will split and finish 7-9...good year for them
Green Bay will lose both and finish 6-10.

That leave St. Louis and Minnesota. I already have Minnesota beating GB tonight. I also think St. Louis will beat Washington this weekend, leaving both those teams at 7-8.

So we will have Philly and Atlanta at 8-7 and St. Louis, New York Giants, and Minnesota at 7-8. The funny part is that Philly plays Atlanta and St. Louis play Minnesota on the final weekend. The Giants get Washington, and I think they will win that game to finish 8-8. If Philly beats Atlanta, you will have a 3 way tie between Atlanta, Giants, and the Minnesota/St. Louis winner. Good luck figuring out the permutations there. If Atlanta beats the Eagles on NY Eve, the Eagles would likely be out of the playoffs, since they would lose the tiebreaker with the Giants based on common opponents. Both would be 8-8, 4-2 in the division and 7-5 in the conference. They would have played 14 common opponents, and the Eagles would be 6-8 while the Giants would be 8-6.

So the Eagles better win one of the next two games, or they may just find themselves out of the playoffs.

Stupid drivers

I guess during the holidays, everybody has to go out shopping. The downside is that the worst drivers in the world go out and drive to the mall. Unfortunately, I had to go to the mall last night. What a frigging nightmare. Some of my pet peeves related to driving, particularly at the mall:

1) For everyone entering the mall...if there is no stop sign, then DON'T STOP!!!!!!! There's a reason there is no stop sign for the people entering the mall. They usually are coming from a traffic light and the designers of the mall road system do not want the line of cars backing up to the light. So the cars already in the mall have stop signs, but the cars entering the mall do not.

2) Don't stop at every parking row and look down for a spot. It causes rear-enders behind you and makes people want to get out of their car and kick your ass. Just drive down each row you selfish bastard.

3) That little stick on the left side of your steering wheel...IT'S A FRIGGING TURN SIGNAL. Try using it every once in a while.

4) If you are making a right, then get in the right-hand lane. If you are making a left, then get in the left-hand lane. If you are going straight, then DRIVE THROUGH THE GREEN LIGHT!!!!

5) I have no problem with talking on your phone while driving. But if you have an IQ that is the same as the temperature in your car, then pull over please. You can't do both. You are too dumb.

Iverson Trade

Well, Billy King has finally killed the Sixers once and for a long, long time. He sucks. There is no other words to describe the man. The deal is OK...Andre Miller is a nice point guard, Joe Smith is not much salary cap relief, and the two picks will likely be #'s 22 and 29. But the question is not trading Iverson...yes, that was inevitable now...the question is how did it get to this? Dalembert got an outrageous contract. So did Korver. They traded for a Webber with a gazillion bucks left on his shitty knee. They have Kevin Ollie starting at the point guard for Christ's Sake. KEVIN FUCKING OLLIE? Give me a break. Iguadala is getting better. I think the lineup, Miller, Carney, Iguadala, Webber and Dalembert is not terrible but by no means good. With Green, Joe Smith, Korver and Henderson coming off the bench...ugh. Just pray that they end up with the most balls bouncing in the hopper and they get lucky and win the Greg Oden sweepstakes. Moving forward, I like the 1-2-3 of Miller, Carney and Iguadala. That is a couple young guys who will be helped by Andre Miller's passing instincts. Just not alot this year I hope.

Now to Iverson...I am now going to watch Nuggets games to see how my man is doing. There's no denying that I like Iverson. And he will make the Nuggets better. The people who dis him are idiots. He is still playing like his prime years. He is averaging 31+ points and 7+ assists. Think about that one...over 7 assists a game with this band of complete stiffs. Imagine what he will do when his dish is to a wide open Yellow for three (side note: Carmelo Anthony is now going to be called Yellow instead of 'Melo in my book forever). If AI could register 7 freaking assists with passes to Kevin Ollie and a washed-up Webber...oh man. I have to get the NBA package...but for $200 for the rest of the year, the price is very steep. Maybe I'll do it though over the holidays when the Sixers are playing their usual shit brand of hoops and the Nuggets are on another channel and Ai is ripping up the floor.

The Departed

One of my favorite movies ever. DiCaprio, Damon and Nicholson are 3 A-list actors who were at their best in this movie. That's three guys who can carry a show by themselves, yet here they are together. Every scene is incredible. Then the supporting cast...Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen. Every single thing about this movie clicked. It received a 92% on Rottentomatoes.com (see my links to the right). If you haven't seen it yet, then go this holiday season.

Knicks-Nuggets Brawl

There is so much I want to say about this, but since it would be hard to put it into coherent sentences, here goes in order:

1) Carmelo Anthony is a pussy
2) Isiah Thomas is a stupid fool and the Knicks blow
3) Nate Robinson is a stone cold moron

First, Carmelo Anthony is a stone cold pussy. He smacks Mardy Collins with the girliest punch you'll ever see, then runs aways like a little girl. I hope Mardy Collins sees him one day and beats the shit out of him. Carmelo, I have lost all respect for you. I don't care what anybody says, you will never be another Jordan, Magic, Bird, etc. Can you imagine Jordan or Bird punching a guy in the face, then running like a little girl across the floor? In the words of Don Corleone...Carmelo, "ACT LIKE A MAN!!!" Carmelo needs to be bitch-slapped by the Don.

Second, Isiah Thomas is a stupid fool. You suck as a coach. You blow as a GM. You ruined the CBA. Now you have ruined the Knicks. You are the only reason Billy King is not the worst GM in the NBA. You are a fool for telling Carmelo not to go into the lane driving. You are a pathetic fool. Instead of blaming the Nuggets for having their starters in the game, Isiah, blame your players for SUCKING SO BADLY!!!!!

Third, Nate Robinson is a stone cold idiot. He talks about how the Nuggest were showing them up. Hmmm. Nate, weren't you the one who bounced the ball like a crazy fool trying to show up the other team a couple weeks ago? Was that OK...because it was YOU showing THEM up? You are a little idiot. Shut up and lose, stupid. You only got 8 games...I would have suspended you for 8 games for the fight and 100 games for being a stupid fool.

How 'bout them.....E-A-G-L-E-S?

One word...Unbelievable. I definitely underestimated how the Eagles would respond this past weekend. Was it inflating how good the Giants are or how bad the Eagles are? I think a little of both, but I really thought the Birds would get spanked. I have to give them their due for a great game. The defense held the run and the offense did enough running to win the game. Cole's late TD made up for his bone-headed 15 yard penalty in the first Giants-Eagles game.

Now, the Christmas Day match-up is for the division. Eagles-Dallas. IN Big D. Monday, December 25th. It will probably be 70 degrees. The sun will shine through the hole in the roof so God can watch this classic.

My early prediction...Dallas 31 Eagles 13. I just don't see the Eagles getting up for the third consecutive division road game. They know they will get into the playoffs now with a win over Atlanta the last game. They will not lay down...Eagles hate Dallas. But they won't be able to get up for this game.

The Boys better win tomorrow night...

If the Dallas Cowboys lose in Atlanta tomorrow night, they will NOT be in first place on Monday no matter what happens. They will be 8-6 and unless the Eagles-Giants tie, the winner of that game will be in First Place.

So go Cowboys. The fact that Jim Mora, Jr. would rather coach Washington University has to hurt the Falcons the day before the big game. What a complete fool Mora is. I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

Scumbag Democratic Senators

It never ceases to amaze me how hypocritical the Democrats can be. In 2001, after they were beaten once again in the Senate and the split was 50-50 with the VP Cheney being the deciding vote, they whined and cried that all the committees should be even because the country was split, wah, wah. So when they didn't get their way there, they paid Jumping Jim Jeffords off to switch from Republican to Independant, siding with them, and this left them with a 51-49 advantage, which they used to sabotage all of the committees and load them with Democrats.

Two years later, the people spoke and gave the Republicans a bigger margin...big enough that it would take more than one pussy like Jeffords to switch parties. Then in 2004, the margin grew. Republicans fucked it up and they lost the majority. Oh well..shit happens. We'll see how the Dems do.

That's not my point. Now that the Dems are in control, 51-49, they are again talking about stuffing the committees with Dems, even though the Senate is still close. If something happens to Senator Johnson, and he can't serve, I hope the governor appoints a Democrat or Independant. If not, the country will speak again in 2008 and not only give them a bigger majority, but will probably guarantee we will see a Dem in the White House. Mark my words.

Media Bating Republicans

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/14/AR2006121400379_pf.html

It's funny how much the media is bating the Republicans into giving a quote about the Senator from South Dakota being sick. Isn't it rediculous how the media is throwing around the control of the Senate going back to the Republicans if this man dies because the Governor from SD is a Republican and will pick a Republican to replace him? Do you know why this is? They are trying to get a Repulibcan to say something stupid like, "Well, this would make the Senate 50-50 again and give us control." I am glad to see that the Republicans are keeping their dumb mouths shut, but eventually someone stupid will crack. It might be Frist. It might even be Hastert. Who knows.

The media should shut the #%@$#^%$& up. This guy has a family worrying about whether he will survive and we have to read this crap.

A fart brought down a plane???

I have taken alot of flights, and have farted on every single one of them. I don't care who smells it, but rarely do they actually make their way into the air because the cushions usually keep them contained. If I shift my ass, then yeah, the smell could make its way into the oxygen flowing in the tube. But that's only if I am with friends and want to stink them out. This stupid lady light a match so that the smell goes away...huh? Why bring the attention onto yourself? Nobody would have known it was her if she would have sat there and blasted away. But when you light a match on a plane, you are definitely bringing attention to yourself.

Phillies 2007...now back to Reality

Well, it's pretty obvious that the Phillies won't be signing Zito or Piazza and won't be trading for Manny...nobody will be. I think they will still be alright...but just alright. Not exciting. Not extraordinary. Just average. Another year of 84-88 wins. Maybe the league will be down again and they will be in the hunt for the Wild Card. But they have a chance to be something special. They need to make a major move. Soriano was a good try. Now go for Zito. Why not? He's 28 and a lefty. And you'll be taking him away from the Mets. How about Zito, Myers, Hamels as a 1-2-3 punch? Left, right, left? I like the sound of it...no matter what the cost. They were going to spend the cash on Soriano...spend it on Zito. Man, I wish someone who spent cash would buy the Phillies...instead, our owners are cheap bastards.

Phillies can win the 2007 World Series.

Here's my plan for the Phillies to win the '07 Series...

#1) Sign Barry Zito. Give him what he wants. $102 million for 6 years would get it done.

#2) Trade for Manny Ramirez. OK, I edited this because it appears that Boston is asking for the kitchen sink for Manny. I think they would take Hamels, but if not, then give them a couple high-level prospects as well.

#3) Sign Piazza and keep Ruiz as the backup. Mike can catch around 120 games and DH in the interleague games. Ruiz is a very good backup.

So here's the starting 5...

Zito
Myers
Eaton
Moyer
Lieber

That's a pretty solid 5, and with 2 lefties, they can do well against the Mets who struggle against left-handed pitching.

And as for the lineup...

Rollins SS
Utley 2B
Howard 1B
Ramirez RF
Piazza C
Burrell LF
Victorino CF
Helms 3B

Doesn't Howard become another Big Papi in that lineup? Utley can do it all and he showed last year he is clutch. Piazza can still hit...and maybe some pressure comes off Burrell and he learns to relax. Victorino is a solid CF and Helms is better than Nunez at 3B. As long as Jimmy plays the role of Leadoff hitter and doesn't try to match Howard's power numbers, I think that lineup will be just fine.

The bullpen will be questionable, but hopefully, Flash can close as well as last year and with the solid starting 5, maybe they won't be overused as they were last year.

Big Eagles win last night

Eagles won last night 27-24 over the Panthers. They are now right back in the playoff hunt...but really, what difference does it make? They suck. They just suck less than alot of the other NFC teams.

There is no reason why the Eagles should not make the playoffs. They should finish no worse than 8-8. The other 3 teams at 6-6 are NYG, ATL and CAR.

Here's the final four games for the contenders:
PHL - @WSH, @NYG, @DAL, ATL
NYG - @CAR, PHL, NO, @WSH
CAR - NYG, PIT, @ATL, @NO
ATL - @TB, DAL, CAR, @PHL

There's alot of these teams playing each other, so the last 4 weeks should be interesting. If the Eagles beat WSH and ATL, they finish 8-8. If the NYG beat PHL and WSH, they finish 8-8. If CAR beats NYG, PIT, they finish 8-8. If ATL beats TB and CAR, they finish 8-8.

So there is a decent chance that all four teams finish 8-8...what a nightmare that is. Let's hope it happens...I'm rooting for it.

Thank You Albert Pujols.

I know I ripped him last week, but I did preface my remarks with "I like Albert Pujols". I do. I think he is a classy guy. And that's why I was happy to read the article below.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2685770

Thanks, Albert, for showing that there is at least one guy in sports who gets it. It doesn't matter that I am pretty sure you were quoted exactly as you said what you said. The fact that you want to apologize to Ryan shows you are a man.

Funny story...my brother and I were eating and he said "Albert should have just said congratulations to the kid." So I thought...is Albert Pujols younger than Howard? Well, he actually is. Howard was born 11/19/79 while Pujols was actually born 1/16/80. Pujols was born in the frigging 80's. Man, I feel old.

Jim Tressel, Ohio State football coach

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2685119&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

This article contains quotes from a couple coaches, Urban Meyer and Lloyd Carr in particular, who think a playoff is required to crown a national champion on the field, which is what I have been saying all along. However, Jim Tressel, whose Ohio State team is 12-0 and scratched out a 3 point win at home over Michigan, has to chime in with his opinion...

"With a 12-game season, it would be next to impossible to have a 16-team playoff," he said Sunday. "We'll continually improve the system. As you look at it over the past few years, it has gotten better and better."

Let's look at that statement in both of it's assanine parts.

First..."With a 12-game season, it would be next to impossible to have a 16-team playoff." WHY? Because your team is unbeaten this year and has no worries? Jim, to have a couple teams play 16 games, 2 more play 15, 4 more play 14 and 8 more play 13 games would be no big deal. I don't care how you spin it, a 16 team playoff is the only way to fix college football. Teams like Ohio State, Michigan, Florida, LSU, USC, ete. could easily play 16 games. Don't tell me about schoolwork, because the christmas break is long enough to play the whole playoff...and they are playing the championship game on the 8th this year anyway.

Second..."We'll continually improve the system. As you look at it over the past few years, it has gotten better and better." Are you kidding me? Yeah right, Jimmy-boy, Jim-bo, Jimmy crack corn and I don't care. Tell that to Auburn. Last year was lucky that only 2 teams ended up unbeaten. 2 years ago, Auburn got the shaft. This year, it was Michigan. So how is it getting better? Because one time in the last 4 years, two teams ended up unbeaten? What about the joke that was the 2003 College Football season?

Jim...shut the #$#%$# up.

BCS=BS without the Common sense

College Football is a joke and always will be a joke until division 1A decides to have a playoff. There needs to be a playoff. Imagine if there was no field of 64 in NCAA Basketball? Picture this...the following is the final AP top 8 before the 2006 tourney...

Week 18 AP Top 25
1. Duke (59) 27-3 1,783
2. Connecticut (11) 27-2 1,709
3. Villanova (1) 24-3 1,626
4. Memphis 27-3 1,610
5. Gonzaga (1) 26-3 1,509
6. Ohio State 23-4 1,347
7. Boston College 24-6 1,243
8. UCLA 24-6 1,243

So Florida, the eventual champion, was not even in the top 8. Would not even have made the "BCS" if they had one in hoops. Would be playing in the Peach Bowl, or whatever it is called now. There probably would have been a BCS championship game between Duke and UConn and that would have been it. Big fun, right?

So we are so excited to have Ohio State and Florida play in the BCS Championship game, right? Why? Who cares? Even if Ohio State loses, why should Florida be the champion? Why not Michigan, who beat Wisconsin, Notre Dame and lost AT Ohio State by 3? Why should Florida be champion? I don't buy it.

That's why College football is BS, will always be BS until they get some type of playoff system. Michigan was jobbed this year. Last year, it was Auburn. Every year it is somebody else. You rarely hear the NCAA hoops teams were jobbed...yeah, there are teams on the "bubble" but they are the 65th team...not a choice between #2 and #3. It is a huge difference there, and if you don't see that, then you have never rooted for a team, had them go unbeaten, and have no shot at a championship because of a lousy system.

Look at Boise State...all they did was win every game they had scheduled and they don't even have a shot to play for a national championship. Is that fair? In hoops, there is no team who looks in the mirror and says "Even if we win every game this year, we still can't win the championship." In football, there's about 100.

Cowboys thoughts

Yesterday's game between the Giants and Cowboys was a classic. Tony Romo is the real deal, winning in a hostile environment with the NFC East division lead at stake. Watch out for them in the playoffs. With Rex Grossman's horrendous play yesterday, I believe the Cowboys will be the team to beat in the NFC playoffs. This week's game against the Saints will be the game of the year for the Boys. If they win this one, I believe they will go 12-4 and get the #2 seed. I would not be surprised to see either the Seahawks or Saints win at Chicago in the second round of the playoffs, which means Dallas would host the NFC Championship...ahh, it reminds me of the good old early 90's with Aikman, Emmitt and Irvin.

Is Romo the next Troy Aikman...or Gary Hogeboom? Will he be in the Hall of Fame with 3 Super Bowl rings or on Season 20...Survivor Mars?

Michael Strahan...another whiner

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2680347&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

Michael Strahan goes on WFAN and says that Plaxico basically quit on the play and that he is too good for that. A reporter asked Plaxico about it, and he said he doesn't talk about his teammates like that. Strahan hears that a reporter is asking Plaxico about what Strahan said about him and goes out and berates the reporter and the media.

Strahan, you are a BABY. Stop whining about the media. If you don't want what you say on your PAID RADIO SPOT ON WFAN to come out to your teammates then don't say anything about them. I heard the tape...you said that Plaxico quit on the play. Didn't you think that somebody would ask him about the comments?

Michael...shut the #%$!$% up.

Albert Pujols...Great Player, Baby, and a Moron.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2680495

Let me preface this by saying that I like Albert Pujols. He is the best player in Major League Baseball over the last 6 years. His numbers over those years are awesome...250 HRs 758 RBIs .332 BA .419 OBP .619 SLG. He also hit the greatest home run I have ever seen...10/17/2005...playoff series game 5 against the Astros...down 3 games to 1...down 2 runs in the top of the 9th...2 men on...2 outs...He comes up with the crowd going absolutely bonkers...He crushes the ball 5,000 feet off the train in left field and the crowd became so silent you could hear a pin drop.

Now to his bitching in the article above...Albert, are you kidding me? You says the MVP winner should come from a playoff team...like your 83-79 St. Louis Cardinals. Sure, they won the World Series, so I give them credit for that. But Albert...um...THE PHILLIES FINISHED THE SEASON 85-77, WHICH IS 2 GAMES BETTER THAN YOUR CARDINALS YOU DUMB ASS.

OK, well maybe the Cardnials are in a tougher division and they had to play tougher teams?

The teams were 3-3 heads up...with both teams actually sweeping each other on the road.

In Interleague play, St. Louis played the White Sox and Tigers, while the Phillies played the Yankees and Red Sox. St. Louis got to play the 100-loss Royals 6 times, while the Phillies played Toronto, Baltimore and TB...however, for the sake of argument I'll give Albert a push there.

As far as league play, they play pretty much the same amount of games against opponents outside their divisions.

Where the Cardnials had the HUGE advantage is when they played divisional opponents. St. Louis was lucky enough to play in the worst division in baseball, with 3 of the 8 worst teams in all of baseball. So St. Louis got to play Chicago, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh 50 times this season. As bad as those three teams were, with a winning pct of .428, Albert's Cardinals could STILL could only manage a 26-24 record against them.

The St. Louis Cardnials had an average record against terrible opponents in a horrible division. That's the ONLY reason you made the playoffs to begin with. The fact that your team got lucky with a couple young relievers and David Eckstein getting hot at just the right time does not mean you should get the MVP over Ryan Howard.

Albert, do us all a favor and shut the #%$#$ up.

What's up with Snoop?

I guess he thinks he is above the law or something. In the article below, I lost track of the number of arraignments he has over the next couple months. Is this some kind of joke? Jesus Christ Snoop...stop carrying a fucking gun in your car. As a convicted felon you are not allowed to carry a gun, whether registered or not. And as for the marijuana and cocaine...why not just take all the millions you have already made and live somewhere quietly for the next 50 years. Better yet, move out of the USA and somewhere you can smoke pot legally. You alone are single-handedly paying the salaries of every prosecutor in Orange County for the next 2 months.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061129/ap_en_ce/people_snoop_dogg

Open Letter to Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee D-Tex

Dear Ms. Jackson-Lee,

Shut the &#%$%#^ up.

Thank you
Chris

p.s. If you would like to know why I am asking this, read your quote here:

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20061128-122902-7522r.htm

Steroids in Baseball

Why is it such a terrible thing that McGwire and Sosa used steroids when they played baseball? Was it against the rules of Baseball or something? As far as I can remember, steroid use was not banned by Baseball. Gambling was, and Pete Rose was banned from baseball for doing it. But Steroids? Nothing in the rules said you could not use Steroids. Gaylord Perry, who cheated every time he took the mound with his utility belt of sandpaper and vaseline, are in the Hall of Fame. Ty Cobb is in there and he was a documented racist who took pleasure in slicing a second baseman's legs with his sharpened spikes whenever he slid into the base. I've read stories of clubhouses filled with green and red pills in the 70s and 80s and guys using speed all the time. Why isn't there a big outcry over them?

Sure, Steroids is banned now. TODAY. And if you get caught doing steroids TODAY, you should get your punishment. But to keep McGwire out of the Hall of Fame for doing something that was NOT against the rules of baseball is ludicrous and hypocritical. Of course, when you talk about the Baseball Writers of America, the first word that comes to mind is HYPOCRITICAL.

NCAA Football Playoff Schedule

I took the 15 bowl games scheduled from 12/30 and later. Obviously, there would be bidding and other bowls that would be allowed to get into the mix, but for the most part, you could rotate the championship game between 4, 8, or all 15 if they wanted to pony up the cash. I think the championship game and even the Final Four games would generate HUGE cash.

So here's the schedule...

On 12/16, there would be 4 games scheduled:
1) Ohio State vs 16) Georgia Tech in the Meineke Car Care Bowl (Charlotte)
8) Oklahoma vs 9) Louisville in the Alamo Bowl (San Antonio)
3) Michigan vs 14) Tennessee in the MPC Computers bowl (Boise, ID)
6) LSU vs 11) Boise State in the Chick-fil-A bowl (Atlanta)

On 12/17, there would be 4 games scheduled:
2) USC vs 15) Virginia Tech in the International Bowl (Toronto)
7) Arkansas vs 10) Notre Dame in the Outback Bowl (Tampa)
4) Florida vs 13) West Virginia in the GMAC Bowl (Mobile, AL)
5) Wisconsin vs 12) Auburn in the Capital One Bowl (Orlando)

Assuming the rankings hold up, you would have this weekend on Christmas...WOW
On 12/23, there would be 2 prime-time games scheduled:
1) Ohio State vs 8) Oklahoma in the Gator Bowl (Jacksonville)
3) Michigan vs 6) LSU in the Cotton Bowl (Dallas)

On 12/24, there would be 2 prime-time games scheduled:
2) USC vs 7) Arkansas in the Orange Bowl (Miami)
4) Florida vs 5) Wisconsin in the Sugar Bowl (New Orleans)

Final Four Saturday would be on 12/30, and the games would be:
1) Ohio State vs 4) Florida in the Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, AZ)
2) USC vs 3) Michigan in the Rose Bowl (Pasadena)

NCAA Chamionship Monday night (the real playoff championship, not the phony one from BCS Standings)

1) Ohio State vs 2) USC in Glendale AZ.

Wouldn't it be better to get to that point having played a playoff system, instead of by using computers? Wouldn't it be great that USC has to go through Michigan to get there...instead of just beating Notre Dame and UCLA? How about if Boise State upsets LSU, then beats Michigan in the next round. Don't you like the cinderellas in the NCAA hoops tourney? Why not have them here?

Why not have a college football playoff system?

Here is my opinion on how the College Football playoff system would work and thrive like its counterpart in Basketball...

Schedule-wise, you can even keep the bowl system, but play 15 of the games as part of the NCAA Football Playoffs. Wouldn't that make the smaller bowls more important? I think so.
My schedule would be as follows:

Play 8 games on 12/16 and 12/17 at neutral bowl sites.
Play 4 games on 12/23 and 12/24 at neutral bowl sites.
Play 2 games on 12/30 at neutral bowl sites.
Play Championship game on 1/8 at BCS Championship site.

Those are 4 weeks where the kids are out of school, so I don't want to hear any BULL that it affects schoolwork.

The game this year is being played on Monday, 1/8, so the championship game is not too late.
There is simply no excuse for this not to be the set up by 2010...when all the contracts with current bowls have run out I'm guessing.

You would take the winners of these conferences as locks:
ACC
Big 12
Big 10
SEC
Pac 10
Big East

You can keep the BCS, but use it as a guide, similar to how the RPI is used in hoops.
So this year's locks would be (For the sake of this post, I am assuming some of the teams will win this week)
ACC - Georgia Tech
Big 12 - Oklahoma
Big 10 - Ohio State
Big East - Louisville
SEC - Florida
Pac 10 - USC

Thos are the ONLY 6 locks. The other 10 are at-large bids. There could be a committee to pick the other teams. They could have "Seclection Sunday" and have it be really huge, just like the hoops.
So who would be the other 10 teams this year and where would everybody be ranked? Here's how my 16 teams would be seeded...

1) Ohio State
2) USC
3) Michigan
4) Florida
5) Wisconsin
6) LSU
7) Arkansas
8) Oklahoma
9) Louisville
10) Notre Dame
11) Boise State
12) Auburn
13) West Virginia
14) Tennessee
15) Virginia Tech
16) Georgia Tech

Some tough decisions to make there, but they were fun to figure out...much like the time leading up to March Madness. Next up, my NCAA Football Playoff schedule.

How bout them Cowboys...

Tony Romo looks like the real deal. Of course, now that I post this, he will fail miserably next week in New York. Are the Giants really in trouble? Or will they come off that horrendous loss to Tennessee and kick the crap out of the boys? I think they are in trouble. If Dallas wins this week, they will be 2 games up in the division with 4 to play.

Dallas's final 5 games... @NYG, NO, @ATL, PHL, DET
NY's final 5 games.... DAL, @CAR, PHL, NO, @WAS

A couple things jump out at me...

First, New Orleans will have a huge say in who wins the NFC East. I think they are just an average team, but with all the injuries, can the Giants beat them, even at home? I don't know. They blew a 21 point lead to the Titans in a game they HAD to have. I'm not sure they can do it with 2 of their best front line defenders out and Toomer gone for the year. He is quietly a huge loss for them as he ALWAYS made the big catch.

Second, the Eagles, who I love to hate, may not win another game this year. Their defense looked so pathetic last night, plus they have to play at WAS, NYG and DAL all in a row, sandwiched between home games against two desperate teams in CAR and ATL. I be surprised to see the Birds finish better than 6-10 again.

Third, I think the Bears are definitely beatable in the playoffs. Grossman is terrible against a stout defense, which Dallas has. If the Cowboys can get a first round bye, they should beat anybody else in the NFC in the second round and have a legitimate chance against the Bears in Soldier Field in late January. Of course, I hope they don't get ahead of themselves like us fans do. If they do, the Giants will blow them out of the Meadowlands on Sunday.

One other thing...I think it is pretty funny how everybody complained about the distraction that TO would cause to the Cowboys...and yet, who has been a bigger distraction this year? How about Tiki Barber, who said this would be his last year and since then, the Giants have gone in the tank. I know they have injuries, but between him saying he will retire, then complaining about the coach...he has been a much bigger distraction than T.O.

Why is this a stunt?

So some white collegiate students in the College Republicans decide to create a White cholarship for poor intelligent people who may need the money and it is a "stunt"?

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2674267&page=1

The media hates Republicans so much...especially ABC. Too bad Peter Jennings wasn't around this election cycle. I would have loved to hear his characterization of Americans voting in Democrats in congress this time around. Do you think he would have called it a "hissy fit"? Neither do I. RIP Pete, you biased liberal hack.

Getting back to the scholarship issue. I believe we should have "income-based scholarships" only that are independent of race or gender. The question is...why do we have scholarships? To reward students who want to go to college for trying their best in High School. I know some smart rich kids, and they deserve scholarships too...even though their parents could pay their way through school. I also know some smart poor kids, and they deserve their own scholarships too...for low income smart kids. Why do we even need racial scholarships at all? Why not have "income based" scholarships for everyone regardless of race? You could set aside a certain number of scholarships for rich kids, poor kids, and middle classs kids. Then give them out to whoever does the best, both in school grades AND essay writing or interviewing. Don't make is solely objective, but don't makei t solely subjective either. There are still racists out there within all races who do not need to be making final decisions. There should be large diverse panels making these decisions.

I think that if we are going to have scholarships for one race, we should have them for all races. And it should not be called a "stunt".

If you need a few extra bucks this holiday season...

You shold give this a try...

http://www.cashcrate.com/index.php?ref=126177

If you are going to go full out, you should set up an e-mail address that you don't mind will get some spam, as you will get spam. But I already made a couple hundred this month. I used an older credit card for the ones you need a credit card for. I have already signed up for alot of things and cancelled and have not been charged anything extra yet. Will it happen? I'm sure it will. But on the whole, I have received some books, different kinds of medicine, weight loss junk, and even some skin care stuff that my fiance likes. All of it only cost the shipping charges, which have totalled about $22 on my credit card, while I have earned over $200. They have alot of little surveys that you can do that take a minutes each and pay from 50 cents to 2 bucks. I did it at work during lunch or breaks or whatever.

I would suggest that you do the following if you are going to give this a shot...

1) Create a junk e-mail address
2) Keep really good notes and always check the terms and conditions when you do it. Write down all phone numbers needed for cancelling.
3) If you are afraid of using a credit card, get a Visa gift card. From what I have read, they work fine.

Good luck and drop me a line if you have any questions...CFioren317@GMail.com or post a comment here.

Unbelievable...

So you are shopping early for Christmas...maybe getting that special someone a nice diamond ring or earrings. Next thing you know, there's a Mercedes Benz on top of you. 82 freaking years old. Kills Joan Zamborsky, 59, of Allentown. I can't imagine how her family must feel this morning, her being killed right around the holidays. Why? An 82 year old man crashed into the freaking store. I believe that once you turn 65, you should be given yearly vision tests in order to have driving privileges. No once every 4 years. Not rubber stamped approval. I mean full vision tests. This type of thing is 100 times worse than someone not wearing their seatbelt. Why? BECAUSE IF I DON'T WEAR MY SEATBELT THEN I DON'T CRASH INTO A FREAKING WINDOW AND KILL AN INNOCENT SHOPPER...THAT'S WHY? Leave me alone to not wear my seatbelt and I promise I won't drive directly into a jewelry store window.

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-a1_5crashnov22,0,1685542.story

Mandatory Vision Tests for drivers who reach 65.

Why is there not a vision test for drivers when they turn 65? There was a lady driving the other day who simply ran into a newspaper box on the curb. When asked what happened, she said "I didn't see the box." She SQUINTED when she said it. She SQUINTED. She could not see. She was half-blind. She looked like Mr. Magoo. I was there because I witnessed the accident and wanted to make sure she was OK. Also, I wanted to be there when the guy whose Corvette was hit by the flying newspaper machine came out. Basically, I wanted to prevent the murder of an elderly woman who turned out to be 74. 74 freaking years old. I do believe that if I didn't stay around, there would be one less silver-haired woman driving around squinting. On second thought, maybe I should have just left.

One of the many reasons why New Jersey is a Communist State.

New Jersey has a law that makes failure to wear a seat belt a primary offense. What does this mean? It means they can sit there on the side of the road and pull you over if they "see" that your seatbelt is not fastened. So if they are wrong, or see incorrectly, you are in trouble. It will be your word against theirs. You will get a fine. You will have to go to court to fight the ticket, or take it where the sun don't shine.

There has been cases where a person who died in a car accident would have lived if he or she was NOT wearing their seatbelt. So how can the State make the people do something that could actually kill them? I'm not saying wearing a seatbelt is less safe than not wearing a seatbelt. But it is NOT 100% safer. So it is a bad law that needs to be fixed ASAP. Next thing you know, they will make a law that says it is a primary offense to talk on your cell phone while driving...oh shit...too late.

Of course, this law is found all over the good old US of A, but there are many more reasons why New Jersey is a communist state. This is only the beginning.