Monday Morning Mehta 9/19/05

Edition # 132
September 19, 2005

www.mondaymorningmehta.blogspot.com

Eagles/NFL

As the great Jackie Chiles said, "I'll tell you what this is. This is a public humiliation." The Eagles take out their aggression and pummel the San Francisco 49ers 42-3 in the Eagles home opener. Not much to talk about this trashing, I'll keep it brief...

Game Positives:

- Too many things went right for the Eagles to single anything out here. It looks as if the Donovan McNabb - Terrell Owens, after two games, isn't much of an issue.

- I am loving Greg Lewis' play after two games. He's a great possession type WR to compliment the big play Owens. His TD grab yesterday was one that Todd Pinkston only dreams of making.

- LJ Smith. It's pretty strange that someone can get 119 yards and 1 TD and go unnoticed. Smith had by far his best game of his career by the first half of the game. If LJ develops some consistency this year, that will be a huge boost for this offense.

Game Negatives:

- David Akers. What's wrong with this guy? I'm scared to hear what kickers we bring in this week just in case Akers can't play for an extended period of time.

- Offensive Line play scares me. Maybe Shawn Andrews and Artis Hicks need to gel as the guards, and Tra Thomas hasn't had much of a training camp, but I have to admit I'm worried here.

Overall, I don't think you can take much from this game. The Eagles are obviously a playoff team and a Super Bowl contender, so thumping the 49ers isn't a shock. The Raiders now come into town and they really shouldn't pose much of a threat to the Eagles. But after that, the Eagles face the Chiefs and Cowboys, both on the road. I could really see the Eagles struggling heading into the bye. (BTW, Philly Phaf from Detroit predicted the Eagles would struggle early, going 2-3 only to finish 12-4 - I'm liking that more and more).

Around the League

Teams that impress me:

Jacksonville. The Colts are heading to the Super Bowl, I almost think there's no doubt about it after yesterday's win, but the Jaguars played them to a dead heat well into the 4th quarter. That Jags defense is legit. Jack del Rio is a little clueless on offense but he adjusts pretty well.

Steelers. I've not given this team any credit the past two seasons, and beating up on the Titans and Texans isn't anything to write home about, but give this team credit. Huge game next week versus the Patriots.

Tampa Bay. Cadillac Williams left, right, and up the gut is working great for Jon Gruden. The defense is revitalized, and the NFC is looking a lot better than last year. The NFC South is division in football (bold statement).

Kansas City. People say "The Chiefs defense is 'not bad'..." I'll go a step further, this defense may actually be good.

Don't impress me:

Minnesota. Daunte Culpepper looks awful. Mike Tice looks clueless, I think it's time for a change in Minnesota, I mean immediately. They shouldn't be getting thumped like this, Moss or no Moss.

Ravens. Don't count this team for dead yet though. I think Jamal Lewis just needs to get into game playing shape and the offense needs to re-establish the run. Once that happens things will start to fall into place.

Packers. The pass defense is just abysmal here just like last year, the year before, well you get the point.

Bad Luck teams:

Falcons. Flying out to Seattle was just a tough schedule draw after the emotional Monday Night game to start the season. Just the fact that they had a shot down the stretch was impressive to me.

Patriots. What a rough schedule to start the year for the Pats. Carolina absolutely had to have that game yesterday otherwise it was going to be a long season.

Chargers. Playing the Cowboys without Antonio Gates and going to Denver (Marty never wins there) is a tough way to start the year. Look for the Chargers, who have an incredible hard schedule, to beat up on the Giants next week.

Quick Notes:

For those many loyal readers, you know how much I love Carson Palmer, and he's showing everyone why right now. He's so much like Troy Aikman it's almost scary. He makes a deep out look so smooth ala Aikman. I promise not to get out of hand but this guy's a star.

Joey Harrington showed why he stinks yesterday. What an absolute pathetic showing after the Lions had some momentum after last week's win. David Carr and Harrington who came out the same year are going through some massive troubles. Carr is very close to being benched, he better get his act together immediately after their bye week this week.

MLB/Phillies

Phillies are coming off a great 5-2 week against division rivals. Unfortunately the Astros also went 5-2 and the Phillies picked up no games in the Wild Card hunt. A Houston win over the Pirates today would make the Phillies a full 2 games behind with only 12 games left. Houston has a very easy schedule the rest of the way while the Phillies play some tough road division games.

Jimmy Rollins has been great the last two weeks. He's been getting on base and being a terror at the top of the lineup. He's got to keep it up if the Phils are to get this wild card.

Jon Lieber has been great. He's pitching like the $8 million pitcher the Phillies needed. He may be called on to pitch on 3 days rest the rest of the way.

Ryan Madson and Ugy Urbina are very scary right now. Madson needs to step it up he's been sub-par.
Around the MLB

Intense races all across the League. The Indians vs. White Sox and Yankees, the Yankees vs. Red Sox and Indians and the Angels vs. A's battles are all awesome in the AL. Huge series this week with the Indians facing the White Sox. The A's battle the Angels for four games next week (in Oak) while the Red Sox/Yankees and White Sox/Indians all battle it out on the final weekend of the season.

NHL Week in Review By : Ed Wasser

- OK, OK people settle down!! We have a lot to cover and not a lot of time to cover it!! Before we begin let me go over the answer key to the season preview. Ready? Allright. P = Playoffs. This is for teams that are likely to make the playoffs but have only a small chance of making a serious run. AR = Also Ran. This is for teams that are unlikely to make the playoffs but may, MAY squeak in but they'll be making tee times for the day of Game 6 of Round 1 of the playoffs because they know they won't be working. CC = Cup Contender. These are the big dogs. And finally we have OTC = On The Clock. This is for teams that have no prayer this season and are waiting for the 2006 draft to begin. No chance, none, nada, zero. And in alphabetical order we go.....

Anaheim (P) - Super solid D with the addition of Niedermayer added to Ozolinsh, Carney, and Ruslan Salei. New rules will help Teemu Selanne and Federov IMMENSELY. Jean Sebastian Giuere has the potential to catch fire (see 2002 Cup Finals).

Atlanta (OTC) - The Thrash traded Dany Heatley to Ottawa for Marian Hossa because Hossa was leaving once he was a free agent anyway and Heatley needed a change of scenery after killing his teammate (Daniel Snyder) in that car wreck and all. They signed goalie Mike Dunham and center Bobby Holik from the worst team in the NHL (Rangers) to lead the team. Now word is that IIlya Kovalchuk wants to stay in Europe to play. Forget the Thrash. The most amazing thing about the Thrash is that 67 year old ex-Flyer Scott Mellanby is on the team.

Boston (P) - This franchise only gives damn about making money. PERIOD!! Yeah they signed over the hill defenseman Brian Leetch as a press conference move but after that they have nothing. Brad Isbister is an OK addition but they also signed Tom Fitzgerald who I believe has played for every team in North America.

Buffalo (OTC) - Put it to you this way....in the transaction portion of their website the only news was "The Sabres hired Tim Macre as their new athletic trainer". That was it. 'Nuff said.

Calgary (CC) - Two important facts about the Flames; 1.) they will benefit more then any other team in the NHL from the new CBA and 2.) as long time MMM subscriber John Miller was able to show me via a website a lot of Girls Gone Wild type activity goes on before, during, and after Flames games outside the arena. Who knew? SOLID pick ups with Tony Amonte, Darren McCarty, and defenseman Roman Hamrlik. Added to Jarome Iginla and stud goalie Miika Kiprusoff and this team may make Calgary, Alberta the
happiest place on Earth come June 2006.

Carolina (OTC) - It's a shame because Rod Brind'Amour is the captain of this team and he deserves a lot better. They are shoving Cory Stillman (who?) down people's throats as a big free agent signing along with Ray Whitney who I believe played hockey before they had the ability to make ice indoors.

Chicago (AR) - GREAT NEWS!!! The Blackhawks signed Nikolai Khabibulin to play goal!! COOL!! Who's going to play offense?!?!? (silence.............silence............crickets chirp............coughing by a random audience member) Well, they have Eric Daze and Matthew Barnaby? Yeah and? And nothing.

Colorado (P) - Now I won't be so cavalier as to say that Colorado's Cup hopes left with Peter Forsberg but I will say that their Cup hopes left with Peter Forsberg. Resigning Milan Hejduk was a key, everybody knew it, but David Aebischer in goal? Come on...not in the Western Conference with the blazing offensive; unless Rob Blake can play 60 minutes a game it will be tough for the 'Lanche D to compensate for Aebisher.

Columbus (OTC) - This team should be called Rick Nash and the Blue Jackets. The kid is a stud but he has no help. Jan Hrdina looks like he'll play on Nash's line but he's a guy that was mediocre playing on a line with Mario Lemieux so what does that tell ya? Don't cry for the Blue Jackets though, they're going about it the right way by loading up on draft picks; in a few years they should be a force.

Dallas (P) - Here's how I figured out the Stars were an old team. I was looking at their rooster and I noticed that not only did they only have 3 players on the active rooster that were born in the decade of the 80's, a lot of the guys on the team are older then me. Old hockey players are like old horses, they get injured easily. And as much as we'd all love to shot Bill Guerin like a dying horse we're just not allowed to. Oh...and their goalies stink too. (Marty Turco and Johan Hedberg)

Detroit (CC) - Just an old school team that knows how to win. They resigned their 1998 Stanley Cup winning goalie Chris Osgood and also grabbed Manny Legace to make a competition out of it. One thing that may hurt them is it looks like the contract negotiations with Pavel Datsyuk are going to turn into a Ron Burgundy, anchorman vs. anchorman, style rumble. This team is like the Flyers, except for the Cups of course, when something needs to get done it gets done. He'll be around soon.

Edmonton (CC) - In a deal that would have never been able to occur before the new CBA the Oilers traded for defenseman Chris Pronger just as he is hitting his prime. Plus they resigned their own guys Ryan Smyth and the vastly underrated Raffi Torres. Then the Oilers went and got Michael Peca, another rock solid move. Granted they have questions in goal but they are so loaded with young players they could always go and get a decent one. And since Edmonton always has the best ice in the league by virtue of the fact that it's colder then Ted Williams' head all winter long, the new rules should help them with their lightning quick up and down game.

Florida (AR) - The best pound for pound goalie in the league is Roberto Luongo. In 2003 - 2004 he saw more rubber nailing his body then Jenna Jameson at Club Hedonism and he still kept the pathetic Panthers respectable. So what did the Panthers do? They low balled him with a contract offer, took him to a vicious contract arbitration, and managed to infuriate the only player worth a crud on the Panthers roosters. GREAT MOVE!! They made a bunch of "this would be great if it was 1996" moves like picking up Joe Nieuwendyk, Gary Roberts, and Martin Gelinas but I'd be stunned if they made the playoffs in the rough and tumble east.

Los Angeles (OTC) - Here's me on the Kings website "who the?.....he's still playing?......ummmmm what???........ahhhhhh OK" then I tried to spell the names of these mystery men. That's usually a bad sign. Another bad sign is when your number one goalie is some dude named Mathieu Garon. The guy may be the next coming of Patrick Roy for all anybody knows but somehow I doubt it. They should have traded for Jagr when they had the chance.

Minnesota (??AR??) - This is a team that honestly has less talent then last year's Philadelphia Phantoms. I mean their second line right winger is Alexander Daigle for crying out loud! But that was also the case when they made it to the Western Conference finals a few years back. So now I don't know what to say. Plus they're trying to do the old rotating goalie thing with Dwayne Roloson and Manny Fernandez; that's never worked ever in the 80 plus years of NHL hockey. I think that and the fact that they won't be able to clutch and grab anymore will eventually sink their ship.

Montréal (P) - The Canadiens are the kings of coming this close to getting that last one or two guys to make a serious run but they just never seem to come up with them. The Habs should be awe-ite but man would one more scorer be huge for them. There were plenty of scorers available too. And I'm sure if they tried to pull the trick the Phillies have made famous, saying that a player returning from injury (Saku Koivu) is the same thing as signing a free agent, the French Canadian press would have kicked the team in the oui oui. They have a solid defense with goalie Jose Theodore, defensemen Craig Rivet and Sheldon Souray (who has to maintain his focus knowing that after the game ex-Baywatch babe and wife Angelica Bridges is waiting for him) and they're high on this kid Michael Ryder who was supposedly the last untouchable Hab come trade time since Ken Dryden. Second round of the playoffs tops.

Nashville (AR) - They went out and got Paul Kariya but the only other offensive player worth a crud they have is Steve Sullivan. And coach Barry Trotz is thinking of playing Sullivan and Kariya on the same line. So if an opposing team stops that line the Preds are left with guys like Martin Erat, David Legwand, and Adam Hall to provide offense. Ever heard of any of those guys? That's usually not a good sign.

New Jersey (AR) - My first bold prediction, the Devils won't even make the playoffs. Scott Stevens retired, Scott Niedermayer bolted to Anaheim, and Patrick Elias contract hepatitis A somehow and he'll miss at the very least the first 10 games. The East will be too tough for them to make any type of run.

NY Islanders (P) - The Islanders were smart, they let slow veterans (Dave Scatchard, Adrian Aucoin, and Kenny Jonsson) walk out the door and they and replaced them with speed (Mike York, Miroslav Satan, and Alexei Zhitnik). This is goalie Rick DiPietro's time to prove he was worth all the money, time, and effort the Islanders put into him. And if the Islanders look like they won't make the playoffs circa December then if you know anyone in the moving business tell them to leave a brochure at GM Mike Milbury's house.

NY Rangers (OTC) - OK, here we go. (I'm cracking my knuckles so my fingers they are nice and limber for this one) The Rangers will be absolutely terrible this year. I mean awful. They have no one and they signed no one. They have no young promising players coming up and they have no solid veterans returning. None, zero. They have Jaromir Jagr and that's it. And Jagr was a malcontent on the 1992 Penguins, one of the greatest teams of all time, what do you think he'll be like on this team? GM Glen Sather has been doing his impression of an ex-Sixers coach, sitting around for a few years doing noting and getting paid for it. Most cities that have a team with inept ownership are lucky because that owner only owns one team; Cablevision chairman James Dolan owns two teams in New York, the Rangers and the Knicks. Hey, if you think this is sour grapes or whatever just go to the Rangers website and look at their roster and honestly tell me that the Rangers have a prayer.

Ottawa (P) - I struggled with this one. I wanted to write CC but I just couldn't. They picked up Dominic Hasek but he'll be 41 years old in January and has been hemming and hawing about staying in Europe. They have a nice defense but I'm not sure how their defensive style will fair with the new rules. They have a lot of European players used to playing the north/south style but I just think they may be out classed when it's all said and done.

Philadelphia (CC) - They only thing that will keep this team from at least playing for the cup is injuries, and it's a legitimate concern by the way. Great veterans brought in (Knuble, Stevenson, Rathje), new young guns coming in (Sharp, Carter, Sim), a great young goalie (Niittymaki) that will take over for Eshe around December I predict, this team would have to TRY and lose the East.

Phoenix (AR) - Coyote defenseman Cale Hulse is married to ex-Baywatch babe Genna Lee Nolin. Just wanted to mention that. This team is a collection of players that would be a great addition to a playoff bound team looking for a jolt. Brett Hull, Petr Nedved, Brian Boucher, Mike Leclerc, Mike Ricci, Mike Comrie.....they would all make a great addition to a team looking for a nice player to help in a playoff run. That being said, in February when this team is going down in flames like the Hindenburg ("Ohhhh the humanity!!") they should unload a lot of these players and pick up a lot of young blood for new coach Wayne Gretzky to mold.

Pittsburgh (CC) - Incredible turn around. Incredible. If every game is not sold out this coming season I'd be stunned; I hear they're selling tickets like crazy so it may happen. They signed John LeClair, Ziggy Palffy, Mark Recchi, and the incredibly underrated Sergei Gonchar to go along with Sidney Crosby, who has been ELECTRIC so far in training camp playing on the same line as Mario Lemieux. And remember their young goalie Marc-Andre Fleury? Well trust me he exists and he's palying well. Don't be surprised if they're playing the Flyers for the Eastern Division crown.

St. Louis (P) - Don't you hate when a news outlet fails to reports the whole story? Blues winger Keith Tkachuk reported to camp overweight, so overweight that he failed his physical. Now wouldn't the logical next question be "well, just how overweight was he?" Well I guess nobody asked the question because I couldn't find the answer anywhere. This team, like it has for last 50 straight years, will have ups and down, make the playoffs, and eventually go down to a lesser team. It happens every spring, like the swallows coming back to Capastrano.

San Jose (P) - Just a like a girl with an A cup, they just don't have enough. And unlike a girl with an A cup, they have a handful.......of nice players. Kyle McLaren, Brad Stuart, Marco Sturm, and Patrick Marleau to name a few. Plus they have a nice goalie situation with Evgeni Nabokov but scoring will be a
problem.

Tampa Bay Lightning (P) - Everything revolves around Nikolai Khabibulin's replacement John Grahame. Everything. They have the scoring, they have the defense, but do they have the goaltending? I doubt it. Plus Grahame's back up is Sean Burke. Not good. But I will say this...ex-Flyer and future jockey Rob DiMaio is on this team. I'll give him credit, the guy is like 5'3" and he was expected to only last a few games, if even made the NHL at all, when he hit the scene with the Islanders in 1988. And now here we are, the guy's 37 years old and he's still at it.

Toronto (CC) - This team will be tough. Tough in every aspect of the game, especially the tough parts. Of course they are the NHL masters of the cheap shots which they use as much as possible. Unfortunately now they have Eric Lindros who will probably be on the receiving end of a lot of those cheap shot retaliations. They may have trouble with Ed Belfour in goal, who is a Hall Of Famer even though he lost 2 seasons to World War II, because he's very injury prone.

Vancouver (CC) - Goalie Dan Cloutier doesn't have a lot of fans in Vancouver but I always thought he was often hung out to dry by his crappy, offense first, defense. Well now that the rules have changed I think Cloutier can give up 4 or 5 goals a game and still win. The 'Nucks are LOADED with offense. Their fourth line center, a position generally saved for a goon, is ex-Philadelphia Phantom sniper Richard Park. So this team should be involved a few 9 to 7 games.

Washington (OTC) - Their number one right winger is some guy named Boyd Gordon. Their number one left winger is some guy named Alexander Ovechkin. And their number one center is ex-Flyer Dainus Zubrus. Another team that was terrible two years ago that got a lot worse. But they have Olaf Kolzig, so if you're a team that needs a good goalie come trade deadline time call the Caps.

Remember the name of this horse if it's the last thing you do....hold on, let me look it up again....OK, the name is Sky Valley Road. The new horse for Bada Boom Racing, Second Story Man, ran on Saturday...a 5.5 furlong Allowance race in the dirt. 3 horses scratched out so it turned out to be a 4 horse race which is always nice because that means no matter what happens the horse's owner will cash a pay check. Second Story Man was completely and totally out classed in this race. He never had a prayer. He finished fourth. We didn't want to put Second Story Man in this race because we knew it would be a tough race but the original race we entered him in didn't go because they didn't have enough horses in it so we were stuck. The horse that won the race, the aforementioned Sky Valley Road, was dominant. I mean Smarty Jones-esque style dominant. He's trained by Anthony Dutrow, who also trains NY Yankee manager Joe Torre's horse. (FYI - Just to show you what a piece of bleep everything involved with the Yankees is Dutrow recently served a 60 day suspension for drugging horses. It wasn't Torre's horse, it was other horses, but he's still a scumbag) Sky Valley Road may wind up running for the roses in May of 2006. Just an Eagles vs. Niners like domination. Clemente goes today, 5 furlongs on the turf. He's opening up at 9/2. Could be a nice day.