Monday Morning Mehta 12/28/04
Edition # 99
December 28, 2004
We've had a lot of requests on what to do for our Special 100th anniversary edition. Some said that Edition # 99 should be the Jerome Brown edition. Some said there should be a parade down Broad St. But as we approach Edition 100 we can't help but think about and thank the many writers that have helped make Monday Morning Mehta the Pulitzer Prize winning world renown article it has become. So in preparation of our 100th anniversary celebration that will take place midnight Friday, we've got Doug Morgan who covered college football last year back to talk about the upcoming Bowl Games and the BCS.
By the way, for all you hoops fans, Derreck Sura is on vacation and will return January 10th.
NFL/Eagles
Eagles lose their 2nd game of the year in an absolute yawner. I really don't put too much stock into this game so I won't spend too much time dissecting it.
Game Positives:
a. The fact that there was a Sixers game on also. If it wasn't for being able to flip over to the Sixers, this would have been painful.
b. Resting Brian Westbrook. Reid made the absolute right call in resting Westbrook. John Madden on the broadcast said multiple times how he didn't like the idea of resting starters with 2 games left. I generally don't mind Madden but the comments were absolutely asinine. This is a veteran Eagles team which doesn't need a few more reps. They'll be rusty because of a week off anyway.
c. No Freddie celebration. Freddie Mitchell said before the game the "People's Champ Belt" and the "It's About Time" have been shelved until at least the Championship game. Thank God.
d. Dorsey Levens. I do like the way Dorsey Levens is running and think he can play a key role in the offense in the playoffs. If Levens can excel in short yardage situations as he has most of the year, the Eagles will be in decent shape to make the Super Bowl.
Game Negatives:
a. Koy Detmer & Jeff Blake. Koy Detmer was absolutely asleep for this game. Neither of Billy McMullen or Greg Lewis had a good game, but with the 2 QB's playing as poorly as they did it was hard to tell if they're any good or not. McMullen did look a little lost.
b. Dexter Wynn. The Rams attempted a fake FG on 4th and short from about the Eagles 45. Instead of just batting the ball down and getting much better field position, Wynn decided to try and intercept the ball and nearly decapitates Lito Sheppard.
I refuse to put much stock into the fact that the Eagles starting run defense was shredded on the first drive of the game. When your coach announces that Westbrook & Jevon Kearse aren't playing, and your star QB is playing one drive, the intensity in the game just isn't there.
This is the first MMM since the Terrell Owens announcement. Owens is done for the NFC playoffs and might be able to play in the Super Bowl, but likely not be 100%. I think the Eagles are still by far the best team in the NFC. They should win the NFC but we've said that the past two years.
Around the League
This time of year is my favorite because I absolutely love going through every single little scenario about teams making the playoffs. This year it's been somewhat easy. Let's breakdown each conference.
NFC: The top 4 seeds are just about locked. Phila, Atlanta, GB and Seattle. Seattle could still jump into the # 3 seed with a win and a GB loss. This effects who the Eagles will play.
AFC: The top 4 seeds are locked. Pitts, NE, Indy and SD. What's interesting about each of the seeds is that the higher seed has beaten the next lower seed in all three games (ex: #1 Pitt beat #2 NE...#2 NE beat #3 Indy...#3 Indy beat #4 SD). This is where is gets interesting. The Jets and the Broncos are in the drivers seat. Win and they're in. No questions asked. Buffalo needs to win and one of those teams to lose in order to get in. Jax and Baltimore need all the above to lose. Balty needs Jax to lose also.
After hearing about his shredding in MMM, Jim Haslett and his Saints have gone on to win 3 in a row and now face an opportunity to make a playoff spot if they win in Carolina and get some help. This is the Game of the Week this weekend. The Rams win last night really muddied the NFC playoff race. St. Louis can actually still win the division but can also not make the playoffs despite winning next week.
2nd Game of the Week is the Jets at the Rams. What a contrast in styles this is going to be. If the Jets don't win this one you are going to hear some serious screaming from the New York media for Paul Hackett's (offensive coordinator) head.
Buffalo remains the hottest team in the NFL. It would be a shame if the Bills did not get into the playoffs but that is exactly what a Denver and NYJ victory would do. First year head coach Mike Mularkey deserves a lot of credit and if not for Marty Schotenheimer, would be Coach of the Year.
On a sad note, as everyone has heard by now Reggie White died over the weekend due to respiratory failure. Reggie White was an Eagle. He should've never donned another teams jersey. It's a shame it got to that point but Norman Braman was an idiot, what can you say. I hope the Eagles do the right thing and retire his number sometime next year.
NHL Week in Review By: Ed Wasser
- The NHL's board of governors will meet on January 14th to decide the fate of the season. Some are saying that the threat of canceling the season on that day will put pressure on the players to cave in and accept the salary cap. Others are saying the meeting is just to confirm the inevitable end of the season announcement. Neither will happen. It didn't dawn on me until last week, and then I read confirmation last Sunday, that if the owners announce that the season is cancelled they have to return all season ticket money. Those are checks that the owners will wait until the last possible second to write. Plus, as soon as the season is officially history, the players can start putting on exhibition games, etc. without consulting the owners.
As far as the salary cap is concerned the players association is more committed than ever that it won't happen. Two weeks ago the players presented the owners with a good faith CBA proposal meant to spur negotiations; along with the proposal the players extended a theoretical olive branch. The owners returned the players' proposal like a snowball to the face from point blank range. That really pissed off and united the players. Right now the NHL season is on death row, the phone in the lethal injection room is busted and the governor is George W. Bush. It ain't good.
- So Terrell Owens got hurt in the Dallas game and he may be out for the remainder of the year. I know we're all hoping and praying that Owens gets well in time for the Pro Bowl in Hawaii but it's not looking good. Quick observation about Philadelphia's reaction to this situation.....if you believe that the Eagles are still a good team and will make it to the Super Bowl despite the loss of Owens then I can respect your opinion. If you believe that the Eagles will have trouble in the playoffs because Owens is gone then I can respect that opinion too. If you believe, like I heard two people say on WIP and their calls were actually listened to, that the Eagles are BETTER OFF without Owens then the authorities should be alerted and you should have your doors broken down and be forcibly sterilized because anyone with an IQ so low that Sir Isaac Newton couldn't chart the number should not be allowed to produce offspring.
- Line of the week (that occurred 2 weeks ago) Frank DeFord on 'The Dennis Miller Show' regarding the steroid controversy in MLB. "Somewhere around 7 to 10% of major league baseball players failed the last steroid test.....and the players knew the test was coming. THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN IQ TEST!!!!"
- The recent death of Reggie White has brought back a flood of memories from the days when he was an Eagle. Not all of those memories are good. Here's my most vivid memory from those days. Back story...from 1989 until 1995 I lived in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and from 1986 until 1995 the Eagles were owned by Satan, who took human form in those years and went by the name Norman Braman. Braman made the lion share of his money in South Florida as a used car salesman and as we know most used car salesmen share a level in hell right above child molesters. As the years under Braman's ownership wore on the Eagles amassed a massive amount of talent, especially on defense. Most of the years between 1989 and 1994 it seemed like the Eagles were one player (ONE PLAYER!!!) away from winning the Super Bowl but alas....you'll sooner see William Hung perform 'The Phantom of the Opera' at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts then see Norman Braman not fleece the public for every possible nickel he can squeeze from them. Don't forget, it's impossible to lose money in the NFL so I'm not talking about Braman losing money, I'm talking about him making a little less money. So instead of getting that one player the Eagles waved goodbye to, in their primes, Keith Jackson, Eric Allen, Seth Joyner, Ron Heller, Andre Waters, Keith Byars, Clyde Simmons, and of course Reggie White. But this is what really, really, REALLY, got under my skin....when you live in South Florida it seems like every car has a Braman logo on it. Braman Honda, Braman Toyota, Braman Chrysler, Braman Lexus, Braman Saturn, Braman Dodge, Braman Ford, Braman BMW and everytime I would see a Braman car I would want to pull it over and scream "HOW COULD BUY A CAR FROM THAT EVIL BASTARD!!!! ARE YOU INSANE!!!!" Anyway, rest in peace Reggie!!
- And now please welcome the Baltimore Ravens nominee for the 2004 Walter Payton Award for NFL Man of the Year given to acknowlege off the field community service....MR. RAY LEWIS!! (Wait! Huh? Is that the.......? That can not be the....... Is this for real? The Ravens must have a back up punter with the name Ray Lewis that pushed a kid out of the way of a speeding train because there is NO WAY they can be talking about thee Ray Lewis.) Yes, they're talking about thee Ray Lewis. The same Ray Lewis that was once charged with double murder, a crime so nice they charged him twice. The same Ray Lewis that was convicted of obstruction of justice for said murders. The same Ray Lewis that turned states evidence during the murder trial, sorry...murder trialS, I don't want to sell Lewis short, and ratted on his friends. From Sports Pickle.com "maybe if Lewis wins this award (the Ravens) should take him to do his trademark dance on Walter Payton's grave".
- Is there a bigger blow out in pop culture history then "Do They Know It's Christmas?" vs. "We Are The World"? When was the last time you heard "We Are The World" on the radio?
- I went to a morning work out at Philadelphia Park last week and who do I see....Harry Vega, the jockey that screwed Fairway Miss in her last race. Vega sees me and starts running away like the dock worker that owed Gazzo money when he saw Rocky coming after him. I chased after him and managed to catch up to him; I slammed him up against the barn wall and put my hand over his mouth. "Why you running? Huh? You know Vega, I'm usually a reasonable person but unfortunately for you my boss is not. He needs some answers. Why did you box in Fairway Miss?" I take away my hand to let Vega talk. "AYE!! JESUS CHRISTO!! TU ERES EL DIABLO!!!" I slam him up against the wall again and put my hand back over his mouth. "Nah, I'm not the devil but I'll tell you this Harry...it took you long enough but you finally (bleeped) with the wroooooooooong mother (BLEEPER)!! I don't know whether I should do you like the cop in 'Reservoir Dogs' and cut off your ear or if I should do you like Eric Roberts in the 'Pope of Greenwich Village' and cut off a thumb. What do you think Harry?" I take my hand off his mouth. "LO SIENTO!! LO SIENTO!!!" "Sorry ain't going to cut it punk!!" I grabbed a metal lid off a trash can and slammed Vega's head with it. "You did us dirty you little bastard!!" Then I kicked him the gut. As he was wiggling on the ground I grabbed him by the leg and drug him to the manure pile and tossed him in it. Then I spit on him and said "good thing you caught on a day I was in a good mood!!!!" OK, that's not exactly the way it happened. I did see Vega but I didn't say anything. I did go to the workouts though!
- Here we go......Fairway Miss will next be running on New Year's Eve in the 7th race. The race goes off around 2:45 PM eastern time. She'll be running out of the 5th position in a 9 horse race. Everybody is invited. Here's the intrigue....Fairway will have a new jockey, a guy named Ryan Barber. Our last jockey, Frankie Pennington, will be riding a horse called My Favorite Miss in the race. Pennington has ridden My Favorite Miss a few times in the past so you can't blame him for opting to ride that horse. David Mello, a 2 time winner on Fairway, was asked to ride her but his agent hemmed and hawed about it. The reason? He was waiting to see if a better mount would become available. Specifically Mello's agent was waiting to see if a horse named Weber's Drive In, a horse that beat Fairway twice, would be in the race. Fairway's trainer is as ornery as a wolverine so this really pissed him off. Fairway's trainer just figured the hell with Mello and gave the mount to Ryan Barber. Mello's agent wound up screwing himself and Mello because Weber's Drive In isn't in the race so they have no mount at all. So Ryan Barber it is. I've met Barber a few times and he's really a nice guy. Plus he has 3 kids and his girlfriend, who is Fairway's exercise rider, told me she wants breast implants so I know he's money motivated. I'll have a full break down of the race in next week's MMM.
College Bowls - by Doug Morgan
The year that college football lost its fan base. Thanks to the BCS and some head coaches’ college football will never be the same. The BCS had to deal with 5 undefeated teams for the first time in decades and it completely dropped the ball. Auburn was left out of the national championship game because they started the season ranked 17. All they did was win the SEC and have 4 wins against top 15 teams and beat Tennessee twice in Tennessee. The best they can hope for is a split national title, which probably won’t happen this year because both Oklahoma and USC are ranked above them in both the AP and Coaches poll. Utah and Boise St. also ended undefeated, but neither played a ranked team during the regular season.
With so many undefeated teams this year, this is the best year for the skeptics of the BCS to call for a playoff in NCAA division 1 football. Of course, it will not happen because of all the money involved. Which leads me to the Texas football coach, Mack Brown, whining about his Texas team deserves to be in a BCS bowl game. The following week California beats a bowl team, Southern Miss, by less then people would have liked and lose some votes and fall one spot, which puts Texas into the Rose Bowl. What did this do for Texas and the Big 12? It gave Texas coach a $50,000 bonus and the Big 12 a payday of an extra $300,000 per team. Coaches and schools don’t care about a national championship, all they care about is money and it is going to cost them in the long run. Now to the top four bowl games that most people are not going to care enough about to watch.
Rose Bowl
Michigan (9-2) vs Texas (10-1)
Michigan: offense 30.3 rank 31 defense 21.9 rank 36
Texas: offense 38.5 rank 6 defense 16.2 rank 14
While Texas is on offense look for Cedric Benson and some more Cedric Benson. Cedric had the 6th most rushing yards this year in football. The only game Benson had under 140 yards was in the loss to Oklahoma. If Michigan can force Texas to get away from running Benson, look for this to be a long day for Texas.
While Michigan is on offense look for Freshman QB Chad Henne to be handing the ball off to Freshman Mike Hart or passing to Braylon Edwards. Henne and Hart have not been playing like freshman, but if Texas can rattle Henne early Michigan could have problems moving the ball. I expect Edwards to have a monster day against Texas. In my opinion Edwards was the best receiver in college football this year. He should be the second receiver taken after Mike Williams the USC receiver who did not play this year to a NCAA ruling.
The point spread as of 12/26/04 has Texas as a 5.5 point favorite. I have watched Texas play in their last few bowl games and they usually don’t show up until the second half if at all. I expect more of the same this year. I pick Michigan to win this game by the score of 38-27.
Fiesta Bowl
Utah (11-0) vs Pitt (8-3)
Utah: offense 46.3 rank 3 defense 20.6 rank 30
Pitt: offense 28.9 rank 45 defense 23.0 rank 42
While Utah is on offense look for the most important player, on any team this year, Alex Smith to prove to voters why he deserved the Heisman trophy. In my opinion Alex was the most important player on any team this year. Without Smith, Utah is not much better then a .500 team and would be lucky to make a bowl game, but instead they are heading to the Fiesta Bowl against the Big East champ Pitt. Utah is one of the most well balance teams in the nation this year. Smith has two receivers with over 60 receptions and 800 yards receiving. Then he has Marty Johnson or Quinton Ganther to hand the ball off too. Plus, Utah runs a little option and Smith can just run the ball himself. I just don’t see Pitt being able to stop this high-octane offense.
While Pitt is on offense look for Tyler Palko to pass the ball to Greg Lee and his secondary target Joe DelSardo. I don’t know how Pitt is in a BCS bowl game. Their three losses are against Connecticut, Nebraska, and Syracuse. None of them are tough football schools. Nebraska finished 5-6, Connecticut 7-4 and Syracuse 6-5. This is the weakest Big East Champ in a long time.
The point spread as of 12/26/04 has Utah as a 15.5 point favorite. Pitt just doesn’t have enough offense to keep up with Utah. I pick Utah to win this game by the score of 52-24.
Sugar Bowl
Auburn (12-0) vs Va Tech (10-2)
Auburn: offense 33.4 rank 18 defense 11.2 rank 1
Va Tech: offense 32.3 rank 22 defense 12.6 rank 3
While Auburn is on offense look for Jason Campbell to hand the ball off to Carnell Williams or Ronnie Brown. With Williams and Brown to run the ball Jason has not had to look to throw the ball that much, but he has an impressive QB rating of 172.7. Auburn is not an exciting offensive team to watch, but they make very few mistakes and score when they have too.
While Va Tech is on offense look for Bryan Randell to hand the ball off to Mike Imoh, Cedric Humes or run it himself. Va Tech offense is nice and safe and it doesn’t force Randell to make difficult passes. Va Tech has three receivers with over 20 catches, but nobody with over 500 yards receiving. Va Tech won games with their defense and will have to rely heavily on it for them to stay in this game with Auburn.
The point spread as of 12/26/04 has Auburn as a 6.5 point favorite. Auburn has too much to prove to the nation to let Va Tech win this game. I pick Auburn to win this game by the score of 34-28.
Orange Bowl
USC (12-0) vs Oklahoma (12-0)
USC: offense 36.8 rank 7 defense 12.5 rank 2
Oklahoma: offense 36.1 rank 9 defense 13.7 rank 6
While USC has the ball look for Matt Leinhart to get the ball to Reggie Bush. Bush is the best all around athlete in college football. He will be the next Marshall Faulk when he goes to the NFL. Bush has been "the spark that lights the fire"* for the USC offense. When Bush is dominating, USC is dominating. Leinhart will also hand the ball off to LenDale White, the leading rusher for USC. When not running the ball, Leinhart will be passing the ball to freshman Dwayne Jarrett or sophomore Steve Smith. The only weakness with the USC team is that they toy around with the opposing team for the first half and don’t step it up until the second half in some games. I have seen about half of the USC games and they are the most dominating college football team I have seen in a long time.
*Copyrighted quote from Dan Wasser aka "Spark"
While Oklahoma has the ball look for Jason White to hand the ball to Adrian Peterson. This year if Jason White comes hobbling out with a hurt ankle, Oklahoma fans don’t have to worry as much, because of Peterson. Peterson is a big part of the offense and White doesn’t have to do as much for Oklahoma to win this year. White’s numbers are still impressive 2900 yards, 33 TD’s and only 6 INT’s. Oklahoma’s top two receivers are Mark Clayton and Travis Wilson.
This is the match up everybody has been waiting for all year. The first time in history two Heisman trophy winners will play each other. These teams are just about mirror images of each other. Both use the running game to open up the passing game and both teams have defenses that don’t give up many yards or points. Having seen a few Oklahoma games, I would have to give the edge to USC. It might be my Pac-10 bias, but USC is just the better team. The point spread as of 12/26/04 has USC as a 2.5 favorite. I think USC is going to pull this game out in the second half and win 35-17.
December 28, 2004
We've had a lot of requests on what to do for our Special 100th anniversary edition. Some said that Edition # 99 should be the Jerome Brown edition. Some said there should be a parade down Broad St. But as we approach Edition 100 we can't help but think about and thank the many writers that have helped make Monday Morning Mehta the Pulitzer Prize winning world renown article it has become. So in preparation of our 100th anniversary celebration that will take place midnight Friday, we've got Doug Morgan who covered college football last year back to talk about the upcoming Bowl Games and the BCS.
By the way, for all you hoops fans, Derreck Sura is on vacation and will return January 10th.
NFL/Eagles
Eagles lose their 2nd game of the year in an absolute yawner. I really don't put too much stock into this game so I won't spend too much time dissecting it.
Game Positives:
a. The fact that there was a Sixers game on also. If it wasn't for being able to flip over to the Sixers, this would have been painful.
b. Resting Brian Westbrook. Reid made the absolute right call in resting Westbrook. John Madden on the broadcast said multiple times how he didn't like the idea of resting starters with 2 games left. I generally don't mind Madden but the comments were absolutely asinine. This is a veteran Eagles team which doesn't need a few more reps. They'll be rusty because of a week off anyway.
c. No Freddie celebration. Freddie Mitchell said before the game the "People's Champ Belt" and the "It's About Time" have been shelved until at least the Championship game. Thank God.
d. Dorsey Levens. I do like the way Dorsey Levens is running and think he can play a key role in the offense in the playoffs. If Levens can excel in short yardage situations as he has most of the year, the Eagles will be in decent shape to make the Super Bowl.
Game Negatives:
a. Koy Detmer & Jeff Blake. Koy Detmer was absolutely asleep for this game. Neither of Billy McMullen or Greg Lewis had a good game, but with the 2 QB's playing as poorly as they did it was hard to tell if they're any good or not. McMullen did look a little lost.
b. Dexter Wynn. The Rams attempted a fake FG on 4th and short from about the Eagles 45. Instead of just batting the ball down and getting much better field position, Wynn decided to try and intercept the ball and nearly decapitates Lito Sheppard.
I refuse to put much stock into the fact that the Eagles starting run defense was shredded on the first drive of the game. When your coach announces that Westbrook & Jevon Kearse aren't playing, and your star QB is playing one drive, the intensity in the game just isn't there.
This is the first MMM since the Terrell Owens announcement. Owens is done for the NFC playoffs and might be able to play in the Super Bowl, but likely not be 100%. I think the Eagles are still by far the best team in the NFC. They should win the NFC but we've said that the past two years.
Around the League
This time of year is my favorite because I absolutely love going through every single little scenario about teams making the playoffs. This year it's been somewhat easy. Let's breakdown each conference.
NFC: The top 4 seeds are just about locked. Phila, Atlanta, GB and Seattle. Seattle could still jump into the # 3 seed with a win and a GB loss. This effects who the Eagles will play.
AFC: The top 4 seeds are locked. Pitts, NE, Indy and SD. What's interesting about each of the seeds is that the higher seed has beaten the next lower seed in all three games (ex: #1 Pitt beat #2 NE...#2 NE beat #3 Indy...#3 Indy beat #4 SD). This is where is gets interesting. The Jets and the Broncos are in the drivers seat. Win and they're in. No questions asked. Buffalo needs to win and one of those teams to lose in order to get in. Jax and Baltimore need all the above to lose. Balty needs Jax to lose also.
After hearing about his shredding in MMM, Jim Haslett and his Saints have gone on to win 3 in a row and now face an opportunity to make a playoff spot if they win in Carolina and get some help. This is the Game of the Week this weekend. The Rams win last night really muddied the NFC playoff race. St. Louis can actually still win the division but can also not make the playoffs despite winning next week.
2nd Game of the Week is the Jets at the Rams. What a contrast in styles this is going to be. If the Jets don't win this one you are going to hear some serious screaming from the New York media for Paul Hackett's (offensive coordinator) head.
Buffalo remains the hottest team in the NFL. It would be a shame if the Bills did not get into the playoffs but that is exactly what a Denver and NYJ victory would do. First year head coach Mike Mularkey deserves a lot of credit and if not for Marty Schotenheimer, would be Coach of the Year.
On a sad note, as everyone has heard by now Reggie White died over the weekend due to respiratory failure. Reggie White was an Eagle. He should've never donned another teams jersey. It's a shame it got to that point but Norman Braman was an idiot, what can you say. I hope the Eagles do the right thing and retire his number sometime next year.
NHL Week in Review By: Ed Wasser
- The NHL's board of governors will meet on January 14th to decide the fate of the season. Some are saying that the threat of canceling the season on that day will put pressure on the players to cave in and accept the salary cap. Others are saying the meeting is just to confirm the inevitable end of the season announcement. Neither will happen. It didn't dawn on me until last week, and then I read confirmation last Sunday, that if the owners announce that the season is cancelled they have to return all season ticket money. Those are checks that the owners will wait until the last possible second to write. Plus, as soon as the season is officially history, the players can start putting on exhibition games, etc. without consulting the owners.
As far as the salary cap is concerned the players association is more committed than ever that it won't happen. Two weeks ago the players presented the owners with a good faith CBA proposal meant to spur negotiations; along with the proposal the players extended a theoretical olive branch. The owners returned the players' proposal like a snowball to the face from point blank range. That really pissed off and united the players. Right now the NHL season is on death row, the phone in the lethal injection room is busted and the governor is George W. Bush. It ain't good.
- So Terrell Owens got hurt in the Dallas game and he may be out for the remainder of the year. I know we're all hoping and praying that Owens gets well in time for the Pro Bowl in Hawaii but it's not looking good. Quick observation about Philadelphia's reaction to this situation.....if you believe that the Eagles are still a good team and will make it to the Super Bowl despite the loss of Owens then I can respect your opinion. If you believe that the Eagles will have trouble in the playoffs because Owens is gone then I can respect that opinion too. If you believe, like I heard two people say on WIP and their calls were actually listened to, that the Eagles are BETTER OFF without Owens then the authorities should be alerted and you should have your doors broken down and be forcibly sterilized because anyone with an IQ so low that Sir Isaac Newton couldn't chart the number should not be allowed to produce offspring.
- Line of the week (that occurred 2 weeks ago) Frank DeFord on 'The Dennis Miller Show' regarding the steroid controversy in MLB. "Somewhere around 7 to 10% of major league baseball players failed the last steroid test.....and the players knew the test was coming. THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN IQ TEST!!!!"
- The recent death of Reggie White has brought back a flood of memories from the days when he was an Eagle. Not all of those memories are good. Here's my most vivid memory from those days. Back story...from 1989 until 1995 I lived in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and from 1986 until 1995 the Eagles were owned by Satan, who took human form in those years and went by the name Norman Braman. Braman made the lion share of his money in South Florida as a used car salesman and as we know most used car salesmen share a level in hell right above child molesters. As the years under Braman's ownership wore on the Eagles amassed a massive amount of talent, especially on defense. Most of the years between 1989 and 1994 it seemed like the Eagles were one player (ONE PLAYER!!!) away from winning the Super Bowl but alas....you'll sooner see William Hung perform 'The Phantom of the Opera' at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts then see Norman Braman not fleece the public for every possible nickel he can squeeze from them. Don't forget, it's impossible to lose money in the NFL so I'm not talking about Braman losing money, I'm talking about him making a little less money. So instead of getting that one player the Eagles waved goodbye to, in their primes, Keith Jackson, Eric Allen, Seth Joyner, Ron Heller, Andre Waters, Keith Byars, Clyde Simmons, and of course Reggie White. But this is what really, really, REALLY, got under my skin....when you live in South Florida it seems like every car has a Braman logo on it. Braman Honda, Braman Toyota, Braman Chrysler, Braman Lexus, Braman Saturn, Braman Dodge, Braman Ford, Braman BMW and everytime I would see a Braman car I would want to pull it over and scream "HOW COULD BUY A CAR FROM THAT EVIL BASTARD!!!! ARE YOU INSANE!!!!" Anyway, rest in peace Reggie!!
- And now please welcome the Baltimore Ravens nominee for the 2004 Walter Payton Award for NFL Man of the Year given to acknowlege off the field community service....MR. RAY LEWIS!! (Wait! Huh? Is that the.......? That can not be the....... Is this for real? The Ravens must have a back up punter with the name Ray Lewis that pushed a kid out of the way of a speeding train because there is NO WAY they can be talking about thee Ray Lewis.) Yes, they're talking about thee Ray Lewis. The same Ray Lewis that was once charged with double murder, a crime so nice they charged him twice. The same Ray Lewis that was convicted of obstruction of justice for said murders. The same Ray Lewis that turned states evidence during the murder trial, sorry...murder trialS, I don't want to sell Lewis short, and ratted on his friends. From Sports Pickle.com "maybe if Lewis wins this award (the Ravens) should take him to do his trademark dance on Walter Payton's grave".
- Is there a bigger blow out in pop culture history then "Do They Know It's Christmas?" vs. "We Are The World"? When was the last time you heard "We Are The World" on the radio?
- I went to a morning work out at Philadelphia Park last week and who do I see....Harry Vega, the jockey that screwed Fairway Miss in her last race. Vega sees me and starts running away like the dock worker that owed Gazzo money when he saw Rocky coming after him. I chased after him and managed to catch up to him; I slammed him up against the barn wall and put my hand over his mouth. "Why you running? Huh? You know Vega, I'm usually a reasonable person but unfortunately for you my boss is not. He needs some answers. Why did you box in Fairway Miss?" I take away my hand to let Vega talk. "AYE!! JESUS CHRISTO!! TU ERES EL DIABLO!!!" I slam him up against the wall again and put my hand back over his mouth. "Nah, I'm not the devil but I'll tell you this Harry...it took you long enough but you finally (bleeped) with the wroooooooooong mother (BLEEPER)!! I don't know whether I should do you like the cop in 'Reservoir Dogs' and cut off your ear or if I should do you like Eric Roberts in the 'Pope of Greenwich Village' and cut off a thumb. What do you think Harry?" I take my hand off his mouth. "LO SIENTO!! LO SIENTO!!!" "Sorry ain't going to cut it punk!!" I grabbed a metal lid off a trash can and slammed Vega's head with it. "You did us dirty you little bastard!!" Then I kicked him the gut. As he was wiggling on the ground I grabbed him by the leg and drug him to the manure pile and tossed him in it. Then I spit on him and said "good thing you caught on a day I was in a good mood!!!!" OK, that's not exactly the way it happened. I did see Vega but I didn't say anything. I did go to the workouts though!
- Here we go......Fairway Miss will next be running on New Year's Eve in the 7th race. The race goes off around 2:45 PM eastern time. She'll be running out of the 5th position in a 9 horse race. Everybody is invited. Here's the intrigue....Fairway will have a new jockey, a guy named Ryan Barber. Our last jockey, Frankie Pennington, will be riding a horse called My Favorite Miss in the race. Pennington has ridden My Favorite Miss a few times in the past so you can't blame him for opting to ride that horse. David Mello, a 2 time winner on Fairway, was asked to ride her but his agent hemmed and hawed about it. The reason? He was waiting to see if a better mount would become available. Specifically Mello's agent was waiting to see if a horse named Weber's Drive In, a horse that beat Fairway twice, would be in the race. Fairway's trainer is as ornery as a wolverine so this really pissed him off. Fairway's trainer just figured the hell with Mello and gave the mount to Ryan Barber. Mello's agent wound up screwing himself and Mello because Weber's Drive In isn't in the race so they have no mount at all. So Ryan Barber it is. I've met Barber a few times and he's really a nice guy. Plus he has 3 kids and his girlfriend, who is Fairway's exercise rider, told me she wants breast implants so I know he's money motivated. I'll have a full break down of the race in next week's MMM.
College Bowls - by Doug Morgan
The year that college football lost its fan base. Thanks to the BCS and some head coaches’ college football will never be the same. The BCS had to deal with 5 undefeated teams for the first time in decades and it completely dropped the ball. Auburn was left out of the national championship game because they started the season ranked 17. All they did was win the SEC and have 4 wins against top 15 teams and beat Tennessee twice in Tennessee. The best they can hope for is a split national title, which probably won’t happen this year because both Oklahoma and USC are ranked above them in both the AP and Coaches poll. Utah and Boise St. also ended undefeated, but neither played a ranked team during the regular season.
With so many undefeated teams this year, this is the best year for the skeptics of the BCS to call for a playoff in NCAA division 1 football. Of course, it will not happen because of all the money involved. Which leads me to the Texas football coach, Mack Brown, whining about his Texas team deserves to be in a BCS bowl game. The following week California beats a bowl team, Southern Miss, by less then people would have liked and lose some votes and fall one spot, which puts Texas into the Rose Bowl. What did this do for Texas and the Big 12? It gave Texas coach a $50,000 bonus and the Big 12 a payday of an extra $300,000 per team. Coaches and schools don’t care about a national championship, all they care about is money and it is going to cost them in the long run. Now to the top four bowl games that most people are not going to care enough about to watch.
Rose Bowl
Michigan (9-2) vs Texas (10-1)
Michigan: offense 30.3 rank 31 defense 21.9 rank 36
Texas: offense 38.5 rank 6 defense 16.2 rank 14
While Texas is on offense look for Cedric Benson and some more Cedric Benson. Cedric had the 6th most rushing yards this year in football. The only game Benson had under 140 yards was in the loss to Oklahoma. If Michigan can force Texas to get away from running Benson, look for this to be a long day for Texas.
While Michigan is on offense look for Freshman QB Chad Henne to be handing the ball off to Freshman Mike Hart or passing to Braylon Edwards. Henne and Hart have not been playing like freshman, but if Texas can rattle Henne early Michigan could have problems moving the ball. I expect Edwards to have a monster day against Texas. In my opinion Edwards was the best receiver in college football this year. He should be the second receiver taken after Mike Williams the USC receiver who did not play this year to a NCAA ruling.
The point spread as of 12/26/04 has Texas as a 5.5 point favorite. I have watched Texas play in their last few bowl games and they usually don’t show up until the second half if at all. I expect more of the same this year. I pick Michigan to win this game by the score of 38-27.
Fiesta Bowl
Utah (11-0) vs Pitt (8-3)
Utah: offense 46.3 rank 3 defense 20.6 rank 30
Pitt: offense 28.9 rank 45 defense 23.0 rank 42
While Utah is on offense look for the most important player, on any team this year, Alex Smith to prove to voters why he deserved the Heisman trophy. In my opinion Alex was the most important player on any team this year. Without Smith, Utah is not much better then a .500 team and would be lucky to make a bowl game, but instead they are heading to the Fiesta Bowl against the Big East champ Pitt. Utah is one of the most well balance teams in the nation this year. Smith has two receivers with over 60 receptions and 800 yards receiving. Then he has Marty Johnson or Quinton Ganther to hand the ball off too. Plus, Utah runs a little option and Smith can just run the ball himself. I just don’t see Pitt being able to stop this high-octane offense.
While Pitt is on offense look for Tyler Palko to pass the ball to Greg Lee and his secondary target Joe DelSardo. I don’t know how Pitt is in a BCS bowl game. Their three losses are against Connecticut, Nebraska, and Syracuse. None of them are tough football schools. Nebraska finished 5-6, Connecticut 7-4 and Syracuse 6-5. This is the weakest Big East Champ in a long time.
The point spread as of 12/26/04 has Utah as a 15.5 point favorite. Pitt just doesn’t have enough offense to keep up with Utah. I pick Utah to win this game by the score of 52-24.
Sugar Bowl
Auburn (12-0) vs Va Tech (10-2)
Auburn: offense 33.4 rank 18 defense 11.2 rank 1
Va Tech: offense 32.3 rank 22 defense 12.6 rank 3
While Auburn is on offense look for Jason Campbell to hand the ball off to Carnell Williams or Ronnie Brown. With Williams and Brown to run the ball Jason has not had to look to throw the ball that much, but he has an impressive QB rating of 172.7. Auburn is not an exciting offensive team to watch, but they make very few mistakes and score when they have too.
While Va Tech is on offense look for Bryan Randell to hand the ball off to Mike Imoh, Cedric Humes or run it himself. Va Tech offense is nice and safe and it doesn’t force Randell to make difficult passes. Va Tech has three receivers with over 20 catches, but nobody with over 500 yards receiving. Va Tech won games with their defense and will have to rely heavily on it for them to stay in this game with Auburn.
The point spread as of 12/26/04 has Auburn as a 6.5 point favorite. Auburn has too much to prove to the nation to let Va Tech win this game. I pick Auburn to win this game by the score of 34-28.
Orange Bowl
USC (12-0) vs Oklahoma (12-0)
USC: offense 36.8 rank 7 defense 12.5 rank 2
Oklahoma: offense 36.1 rank 9 defense 13.7 rank 6
While USC has the ball look for Matt Leinhart to get the ball to Reggie Bush. Bush is the best all around athlete in college football. He will be the next Marshall Faulk when he goes to the NFL. Bush has been "the spark that lights the fire"* for the USC offense. When Bush is dominating, USC is dominating. Leinhart will also hand the ball off to LenDale White, the leading rusher for USC. When not running the ball, Leinhart will be passing the ball to freshman Dwayne Jarrett or sophomore Steve Smith. The only weakness with the USC team is that they toy around with the opposing team for the first half and don’t step it up until the second half in some games. I have seen about half of the USC games and they are the most dominating college football team I have seen in a long time.
*Copyrighted quote from Dan Wasser aka "Spark"
While Oklahoma has the ball look for Jason White to hand the ball to Adrian Peterson. This year if Jason White comes hobbling out with a hurt ankle, Oklahoma fans don’t have to worry as much, because of Peterson. Peterson is a big part of the offense and White doesn’t have to do as much for Oklahoma to win this year. White’s numbers are still impressive 2900 yards, 33 TD’s and only 6 INT’s. Oklahoma’s top two receivers are Mark Clayton and Travis Wilson.
This is the match up everybody has been waiting for all year. The first time in history two Heisman trophy winners will play each other. These teams are just about mirror images of each other. Both use the running game to open up the passing game and both teams have defenses that don’t give up many yards or points. Having seen a few Oklahoma games, I would have to give the edge to USC. It might be my Pac-10 bias, but USC is just the better team. The point spread as of 12/26/04 has USC as a 2.5 favorite. I think USC is going to pull this game out in the second half and win 35-17.
posted by Monday Morning Mehta at 9:46 AM
2 Comments:
Oklahoma and Bob Stoops upset the Trojans 23-17.
Wasser must go!!!
Post a Comment
<< Home