Dirtbag Wilfork let off the hook by Goodell

This is why people should hate the New England Patriots, and why commissioner Roger Goodell may truly be a Pats fan. He let the NFL’s scummiest player out of a possible suspension despite what is one of the most disturbing pieces of video footage from the 2008 NFL season. Jay Cutler can now commiserate with the likes of J.P. Losman, Jason Witten, Brandon Jacobs and Michael Turner, all four of whom Wilfork was fined substantially for cheap shots on last season. Following a Denver turnover, Wilfork was seen not only pummeling the Broncos quarterback to the ground, but utilizing an elbow to his helmet that left him wobbly. The footage was not in HD, but the violent and malicious intent was as clear as day. As a football fan, that hit even made me feel a little queasy, although hardly as bad as Cutler felt lying face-down on the turf.
Rodney Harrison may be out for the season, but the despicableness of Patriots players is very much alive in the mean spirit of Wilfork. Somehow, some inexplicable way, Goodell let Wilfork off easy. Adam Jones goes to a few too many strip clubs and is banned from the NFL. Wilfork throws an elbow that could jeopardize a player’s health and merely has to cough up a few chump-change dollars.
In a season where we should all be rejoicing that Tom Brady is out for the season (not rejoicing that he is injured, but simply the fact that the Patriots have to try and win without their Golden Boy), New England has again benefitted from a pathetic schedule and weak division to get out to a 5-2 start.
And it’s because of the consistent inhumane acts of players like Wilfork that one day, the tables should truly turn on the game’s biggest cheaters. One can only hope so, no thanks to Goodell.

Time to reflect on the 2008 MLB season

Now that the Tampa Bay Rays are in the World Series, it’s no longer necessary to mention that they are the biggest surprise team in baseball in 2008. However, as the World Series is upon us now, let’s take a look back at the biggest other surprises, and busts, from this past season. I will also dole out my awards for the best individual performances.

Top Surprise Teams (Besides Rays)
- Minnesota Twins (88-74). The Twins were supposed to tank after dealing Johan Santana to the Mets for a very little haul and watching Torii Hunter depart in free agency. Instead, they battled the White Sox down to the very last day for the AL Central title, falling just short in a one-game playoff. Justin Morneau had an MVP-caliber year to help ignite an offense that on paper should still be one of the weaker ones in baseball. Their rotation, spearheaded by up-and-comers such as Scott Baker, kept them in many games, key because their bullpen still ranks as one of baseball’s best.
- Florida Marlins (84-77). Like the Twins, the Marlins greatly overachieved in a 2008 that was supposed to be a rebuilding year for them. Thanks to outstanding offensive years from the likes of Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla and great pitching from youngsters such as Ricky Nolasco, the Marlins were able to hang in despite a shaky bullpen and very little fan following. They ultimately came up short, but Fredi Gonzalez’s squad has paved the way for a breakout year in 2009.
- St. Louis Cardinals (86-76). The Cardinals used a patchwork starting rotation for virtually the entire year, yet Tony LaRussa’s team overcame that in addition to a two-week injury to all-world hitter Albert Pujols to stay in the hunt into September. The world champs of two years ago were also without the services of their ace Chris Carpenter for virtually the entire season, but utilized overachievers such as Todd Wellemeyer and Braden Looper to stay afloat.

Top Disappointments
- Detroit Tigers (74-88). Like many so-called “experts”, I had this team winning the World Series. Instead, they not only missed the playoffs, but finished in last place (behind even the Royals) in the suddenly weak AL Central. Their pitching was awful, especially their bullpen, while a lineup considered by many as the best in baseball never really got going on a consistent basis. By the time the dust cleared from a shocking 0-7 start, it was too late.
- Seattle Mariners (61-101). For some unknown reason, your truly had this awful club picked to win the AL West in 2008. Instead, they achieved the dubious feat of not having a single pitcher win 10 games. Starting pitching was a weak point in a surprising 2007 campaign, and the trade for Orioles ace Erik Bedard was supposed to fix that. Instead, Bedard pitched only 15 games for a team that lost a disgraceful 101 games.
- Arizona Diamondbacks (82-80). Yes, the Rockies could easily be on this list instead of the D-backs. My NL pick for the World Series, the D-backs showed that a great starting rotation can’t overcome a horrendous bullpen. With Brandon Lyon blowing saves left and right, many a great effort from Brandon Webb and Dan Haren were wasted. The offense never fully flourished, and instead of running away with a subpar NL West, Arizona ended up barely finishing over .500. The team that ended 2007 with the National League’s best record took a step backward in 2008.

Awards
- AL MVP: Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox. It pains me to give this to a Boston player, but Justin Morneau faltered greatly down the stretch for the Twins, and Carlos Quentin’s idiotic self-inflicted wrist injury cost him a chance for the award. Pedroia was the spark plug all year for a Red Sox lineup constantly enduring injuries. He hit .326, narrowly missing the batting title to Minnesota’s Joe Mauer, and tied Ichiro Suzuki for the league lead in hits with 213. Pedroia played in 157 games and also led the league with 118 runs scored.
- NL MVP: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals. Perhaps missing two weeks due to injury only enhanced Pujols’ case as the NL’s top player. He still finished second in batting average (.357) and on-base percentage (.462) and fourth in homers (37) and RBIs (116). The Cardinals offense went as Pujols did, as he once again proved that no one in as feared and respected at the plate than he is. Chase Utley, Lance Berkman, Hanley Ramirez, and Ryan Howard all deserve consideration, but Pujols deserves the trophy.
- AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians. Lee will also easily grab Comeback Player of the Year, as he bounced back from an injury- and ineffectiveness-plagued 2007 campaign to post an astonishing 22-3 record and 2.54 ERA while earning the start for the American League in the All-Star Game. He almost single-handedly turned a forgettable season for the Indians into a late-season push to .500.
- NL Cy Young: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants. I changed my mind about taking Brandon Webb, who won 22 games but faltered a bit down the stretch when his team was still in contention. Lincecum went 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA and a league-leading 265 strikeouts. His win and ERA totals were good for second in the league behind Webb and Johan Santana, respectively. Lincecum’s dominance prevented the Giants from being an utter laughingstock this year, as the baby-faced ace was perhaps the lone bright spot in yet another miserable season by the Bay.
- AL Rookie of the Year: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays. Even though he missed more than a month with a fractured wrist, Longoria was one of the main reasons the Rays went from worst to first in 2008. He led all major-league rookies with 27 home runs and all AL rookies with 85 RBIs for baseball’s best team and was outstanding defensively at third base. Chicago’s Alexei Ramirez should finish a close second, while Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury will also garner some votes.
- NL Rookie of the Year: Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs. Soto appeared in 141 games for the National League’s best team, posting impressive numbers, especially for a backstop. He led all rookies with 86 RBIs while hitting a solid .285 and clubbing 23 homers. He was as valuable as anyone for the 97-win Cubs in 2008. Cincinnati’s Joey Votto also had an outstanding rookie season and deserves consideration.
- AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays. This one is almost self-explanatory. The Rays remarkable turn-around and run to the top of the AL East standings was baseball’s best story in 2008. Maddon got the most out of a roster that, on paper, wasn’t anything dynamic. Seemingly every move he made turned out well, and his “9=8” slogan seemed to energize his team throughout the season.
- NL Manager of the Year: Lou Piniella, Chicago Cubs. Yes, normally it would be hard to fathom Sweet Lou, manager of the talent-loaded, high-payroll Cubs, getting the nod. But in a year in which no other team took center stage quite like the Cubbies, Piniella deserves the award. He kept his team focused and competitive despite endless talk of the curse, and guided the Cubs to their most wins since 1945. Chicago was one of the most exciting teams to watch, and that’s no coincidence.

Boston-hater haters rejoice, and attack yours truly

I deserve it. All my Boston-bashing has come back to bite me yet again, as your beloved Red Sox have completed another amazing comeback en route to a World Series title. I was left speechless, even a tad bit queasy. I knew subconsciously it was possible, but I couldn’t grasp it as reality. Until it actually happened, that is.
J.D. Drew, the great one, a hero yet again. A team with no business being in the playoffs succumbing to Fenway magic. It was bound to happen. So let’s give credit where credit is due, wherever credit is due. Perhaps it is time for me to stop fighting it and instead embrace it as cold-hard fact. After all, I have long-searched for happiness in sports. My Orioles have been in the toilet for years, and the Ravens’ best years are long behind them.
The Patriots are hurting this year, and the Bruins aren’t exactly the cream of the crop, but no worries. The Red Sox and Celtics are not only picking up the slack, they’re capturing hearts and places in history with each passing day.
I avow you this right now. If miraculously, somehow, the Red Sox don’t win these last 2 ALCS games behind Josh Beckett and Jon Lester, I will not bash Boston and say “Just kidding!” about this recent rant. Rather, I will simply express pure shock that this unimaginable comeback didn’t lead to a third world title in five years for the Nation. That a team winning solely with momentum and confidence, and not sheer talent, is in the World Series instead of the best team baseball has seen in years.
The two aces are still left to go for Boston, and I would really be surprised if a Boston fan told me he/she was concerned about their team’s chances at this point. Even down 3-2, how could you be worried? Tampa Bay will help your team out even if they are not doing enough themselves to get by.
I’m not a rocket scientist, nor do I claim to be one. But I envision a bounce-back start from Beckett, followed by a classic dominant performance by Lester in Game 7 so send Beantown into yet another frenzy.
Red Sox Nation, start preparing for the victory parade.

Shhh – NFC South quietly making waves

You know that division where every team is at or above .500? The one with all the hoopla, the top-notch quarterbacks and such? Okay, the NFC East has lived up to its hype for the most part. The division boasts the defending Super Bowl champions and everyone’s consensus Super Bowl pick for this season. In addition to the Giants and Cowboys, the Redskins have been an early-season surprise at 4-2 while the Eagles are treading water at 3-3.
But the East isn’t the only NFC division with an impressive resume through six weeks. Thanks to the upstart Falcons, the South also has three teams with winning records and a fourth at 3-3. The Buccaneers, Falcons, and Panthers are all 4-2 thanks to solid quarterback play and strong defenses. The Saints, another chic Super Bowl pick this year, have been their usual Jekyll-and-Hyde selves, hanging in despite a boatload of injuries.
Let’s face it, sexiness sells. The NFC South is hardly “sexy”. The Bucs and Panthers in particular are hard-nosed, grind out it teams who rarely achieve style points for their success. Even with a dynamic player like Steve Smith, Carolina has never won pretty. The Falcons have garnered more attention in recent years for their disgraced former star quarterback than anything they’ve done on the field. Fortunately, it’s been a new young sensation at QB that’s helped Atlanta regenerate excitement.
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who truly believes this year’s NFC Super Bowl representative will come from outside the NFC East. The North and West are clearly a cut-below. But lest we forget that it was just a few years ago that the NFC South produced back-to-back Super Bowl teams and then a title game representative the next. While they have won a total of just one playoff game since 2005, perhaps it’s time to start giving them some props again.

Big Brother was watching Sox in Game 1

Did you see that Game 1 of the ALCS? Well someone above certainly did, and he was donning the famous “B” cap. The 2-0 Red Sox victory was sprinkled (maybe “tainted” is a better word) with the kind of breaks that have no business being the determining factor in a championship series. Mark Kotsay, the team’s obligatory in-season pickup-for-nothing, was inevitable right at the heart of that. The left-hander hit a check swing double off James Shields in the 5th inning to set up the game’s first run. He almost duplicated the feat in his next at-bat but was thwarted by a great effort from Rays’ shortstop Jason Bartlett.
Then, of course, was Dice-K getting lucky, just as he has all year. The Rays hit themselves out of a game-tying inning in the 7th before Evan Longoria aided reliever Justin Masterson with a double play ball in the 8th. Of course, sandwiched in between was a ball glancing off the glove of left fielder Carl Crawford to plate the much-needed insurance run.
The Red Sox, as usual, got more breaks last night than a Kit Kat bar, while the Rays could only scratch their collective heads. Considering that there is no team with that kind of karma, this bad movie will have a predictable ending yet again in 2008. Unfortunately, the final victim will be the Philadelphia Phillies and their die-hard fans, starving for a championship for the first time since 1980. The Phillies are no match for the Red Sox, and bitter memories of Super Bowl XXXIX will arise and once again haunt city of Brotherly Love.
The final word is this. Since that matchup is obvious, it will be Brad Lidge choking again in the postseason at the hands of a David Ortiz walk-off home run. The rerun will air sometime next week during the Red Sox’s final frontier.

Ponder this theory on Dice-K

Okay, so you, the reader, have to make a decision now. The decision is regarding Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox, whether or not he is one of the greatest pitchers of all time.

I am one of the top Red Sox haters, but I am starting to wonder after Game 1 of the ALCS. If Matsuzaka isn't perceived as great, he has at least earned the nickname Jam Master (Dice)K. I can't figure out myself how he constantly gets out of jams. I am aware he has good stuff, but so did Sandy Koufax and Walter Johnson. Like all greats, they were human, they had bad outings that they wanted to erase from their memory. But no, not Dice-K. No matter how bad he pitches, he is bailed out.

This is a guy that walks about 5 batters per game, yet continues to defy logic. Watching his games make me sick, especially game 1 of the ALCS, because it's a tease. You think you are about to rally, and then the opposing hitter psyches himself out and swings at an awful pitch to strand the runners. The Rays had 1st and 3rd with 0 outs needing just a ground ball or adequately deep fly ball to tie the game, yet came up empty. They ended up, predictably, being shutout.

So is this one of the all-time greats weaving his magic? Or just the baseball gods once again doing everything in their power to help the Red Sox? That is for you the reader to answer.

ESPN hoping (dying, actually) for Sox-Dodgers Series

If only the world were truly perfect were ESPN… But oh, it can be. Even though Golden Boy Tom Brady is shelved for the year, the Red Sox-Dodgers World Series that is seemingly inevitable will fill up countless hours of airtime. America’s heartthrob sports city against Tinsel Town and all its glory. Manny against the Sox. Nomar and Lowe against the Sox. Joe Torre matching wits with Terry Francona yet again, almost like a renewal of the Yankees-Sox rivalry.
Boston versus L.A. in sports is equivalent to Boston over L.A. Red Sox over Angels. Celtics over Lakers. Harvard over USC (okay, not in sports, but in things that matter, like academics). Besides the obvious sports storylines that this World Series will feature, it will also feature all the Red Sox fans in the celebrity community making their presence felt on both coasts. I can picture it now, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck flaunting their David Ortiz jerseys in the faces of so-called Dodger fans like Alyssa Milano (yea that’s lame, but can you think of any real Dodgers fans)?
It’s almost as if this matchup should’ve been a sure thing since Day One. It’s almost as if the pro-Boston media getting its juicy stories to air supersedes the once-pure aura of sports. This decade has been all about Boston sports, a kind of divine intervention not seen in professional sports. Do the gods feel bad about the Curse and all that stuff? Doesn’t seem to be working for the Cubs.
The Red Sox-Dodgers world series would be nothing more than a sideshow with no desirable winner. Even a Dodgers victory would somehow be diminished in the wake of Boston’s seven other pro titles in the 2000s. And Manny getting another ring would hardly be a settling feeling.
World Are-You-Serious 2008 here we come.