Monday Morning Mehta 10/10/05
Edition # 135
October 10, 2005
www.mondaymorningmehta.blogspot.com
(Note: Special Guest Column below!)
From all of us at the offices of Monday Morning Mehta, we wish you a very happy, prosperous, safe, merry, and joyous Columbus Day. Now onto yesterday's debacle...
Eagles
Sometimes in the NFL there are games that you just "throw away" and don't worry about. Games that are just blips in the radar and have no significance in the grand scheme of things, games that should pretty much be forgotten the next day. This was NOT one of them...
Game Negatives:
- Front Four. There are two things a great defense always does; stops the run and pressures the QB. The Eagles front four does a decent job of holding ground during running plays. Through 5 games they've done a terrible job of rushing the passer. The Eagles will not win the Super Bowl if this isn't corrected.
- Special Teams play. Through 5 games Special teams has been very inconsistent. Giving up big yardage on kickoffs is a sure fire way to lose ballgames. I'm certainly not in a panic, yet, but losing Keith Adams and Ike Reese on special teams has to hurt.
- Lito and Sheldon. Now they get a pass because they've played so well for so long, but they didn't have a good game. They'll be fine, this is the least of the Eagles worries.
- Donovan McNabb. You can't go 10 TD's in the last 3 games and blame this one on the injury. McNabb just had a crappy game. It's going to happen, not a big deal.
Game Positives:
- None.
Overall, I think this loss would not have been so bad if it weren't for the way the Eagles have started every game this year. I attribute much of the Eagles early game woes to the fact that teams recognize the Eagles are the team to beat especially in the NFC, and teams are more jacked to play the Birds than other teams. Even so, falling behind so much so quickly is a huge problem.
My first two negatives are what the Eagles need to work on in the bye week. Front four pressure, and special teams. Javon Kearse needs to wake up. He's always been inconsistent but this is ridiculous.
(Reaching here)...Maybe Jerome McDougle needs to return to give a jolt to this line.
I'm not going "We miss Corey Simon" just yet. I'm not at that stage of panic. Talk to me in Week 12 though, I might be then.
3-2 going into the break is probably about right for this team. Road games at Atlanta, KC and Dallas to start the year is no picnic. The Eagles can easily win the last 6 games of the season, if not the last 8. 11-5 or 12-4 still looks easily attainable.
Around the NFL
Teams I'm impressed with:
Jacksonville. They can run the ball, have a great defense, and a tough QB. If the WR's would catch the ball, they'd really be something.
Seattle. Beating the Rams isn't exactly news. But they didn't have their top 2 WR's and plugged in Joe Jurevicius and DJ Duckett (who?). Matt Hasselbeck is returning to his 2003 form. This could be a team to watch out for if the defense steps it up. They've played every game tough, they doinked a FG that would've beaten Washington and played Jacksonville tough in Jax.
Patriots. Not because of the way they played, but this team just refuses to lose 2 in a row. And they've won in Atlanta and in Pittsburgh. They're going to slip up often this year because it's almost impossible to win 3 straight Super Bowls, but this team is an awesome dynasty. Adam Vinatieri is unreal.
Teams that stunk:
Baltimore. The defense is a joke. Ray Lewis is quickly becoming the most overrated player in the NFL. Watch out Sapp! They had a ridiculous amount of penalties and Brian Billick is losing control quickly. That's what you get Brian when you think you're smarter then everyone and think Anthony Wright and Kyle Boller can be your QB. I was totally wrong about the Ravens this year and am already throwing in the towel, they pretty much did yesterday.
Saints. You can't give up 52 points to anybody, ever.
In other news, the NFC North is wide open. The NFC West was thought of as being the worst division, it's looking like this will be the one.
Should be a great game tonight and a great indication of how good both these teams are.
NHL Week In Review By : Ed Wasser
- Guess who's back? Eddie's back. Thanks for your patience but last week I was in Chicago attending a convention of the Millennium Men. It's a support group for guys that have slept with over 1000 models in the last year. The group mostly exists to help guys like me deal with the exhaustion that comes with all those sleepless nights. Without that group I'm a 30 second sound bite "Ed Wasser, ex child star, found dead". (I played Cha-Ka on the TV show Land Of The Lost) I'm a car crash man, and you have every right to slow down and watch the car crash. Anyway, observations from the Windy City.....
- It's a long story, and this is not a joke I swear, but I actually was granted a private audience with William "The Refrigerator" Perry. Yes...THEE Refrigerator Perry who parlayed being a fat ass, a ridiculously bad lip syncher (See : Shuffle, Super Bowl), and a first round draft clown into a career. He handed me an autographed picture (which I did not ask for) and I shook his mitt. I'd put the autographed picture on the MMM website but we can't seem to master that technology. If you want to see the picture...I dunno...I guess you could come over my apartment and look at it. Bring a pizza and beer though. At any rate I made an observation and asked Billy Fridge, as us friends of his call him, "why don't you wear your Super Bowl ring?" "Because I don't!! I KNOW I WON A SUBBA BOWE!!!" Well as the years have gone by Mr. Fridge has become a wee bit ornery. I'm not sure but I'm guessing it may be because he has blown by just being fat about 17 exits ago and is now residing in the Jabba The Hut Look-a-Like Club. Fridge looks like he's a Snickers away from exploding like that python that tried to eat an alligator. Fridge's head is so big that if it was a pumpkin you could carve into it a portrait of the entire roster of the 1982 Montréal Expos and that's including Rodney Scott, Rowland Office, and ex-Philadelphia Phillies great Randy Lerch.
- I attended the Blackhawks/Ducks game while in Chicago. Few thoughts....I'm on the record as saying the Blackhawks are a Mickey Mouse organization because of their ownership. All of their home games are shown pay-per-view style and NEVER shown in bars which is a disgrace; why the commissioner allows this to go on I have no clue. Now I know just how Mickey Mouse the Blackhawks really are. First, the White Sox were playing while the Hawks were playing. Guess how many times they flashed the Sox score at the Blackhawks game? Zero. None. That means that people were leaving their seats while the Blackhawks were playing to go check the score of the Sox game. That's just bush league. And how about this.....every score shown on the "Out Of Town Scoreboard" was listed as 0-0. Even when the Flyers were winning 3-1 against the Rangers the scoreboard had 0-0 listed. The only reason I had any clue what was going on in the Flyers game was because Saurin text messaged me. BUSH LEAGUE!!!!! The Ducks won the game 5-3. The Blackhawks were totally out classed by a team that will probably be a decent but not great team and Matthew Barnaby was already in mid-season form by becoming completely unglued about 10 minutes into the game and taking an impossibly idiotic double minor, stick to the face, penalty early in the game which helped the Ducks immensely.
- Bob McKenzie had a great point on TSN Canada. He said that Oct. 15 will be the first pay day for NHL players and that will be the exact day that an incredible amount of sticker shock will set in. McKenzie believes that a lot of players aren't 100% sure just how much they gave up in the new CBA or even what they agreed to. Man I wish I had a hidden camera when the players open those envelopes and let out a collective "WHAT THE %#@&$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" when they see the check amounts.
- New rules, the whole shebang and Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo opens the season with back to back shut outs?!? And one of those shut outs was against the defending Stanley Cup champs Tampa Bay Lightning. Are you kidding me? That kid is a stud. I mean super stud. And anybody that thinks that Martin Brodeur is the best goalie in the league needs to get the NHL Center Ice Package and watch a few Panthers games.
- It absolutely had to work this way.....the first shootout in NHL history happened on opening night at the end of the Ottawa/Toronto game in Toronto. And of course it had to be a Senators victory. The reason I'm saying this is because the people in Toronto are hockey purists/arrogant hockey jerks that HATE the shootout. So now I'm watching the Canadian broadcasts of some of the out of town hockey games and Leaf apologists who do the commentating talk about how the Leafs were screwed and that they probably would have won if Mats Sundin wasn't injured and unavailable to participate in the shootout yada, yada, yada. AHHHHHH....JUST SHUT UP!!! The shootout is a great, long overdue idea. And incidentally all this anti-shootout talk has a very anti-American tone to it because a lot of Canadians believe it's the American mind set after all that can't handle tie games. Let me ask a question to all the casual hockey fans out there and even those of you that don't really care about hockey.....all 99.9% of you. Take a random Tuesday night NHL game between the Blue Jackets and the Thrashers, if you're flipping through the channels and you came across the game and a shootout was just about to begin don't you think you'd stop and watch it? I'm pretty sure you would, I'm pretty sure most sports fans would. It's one of the most compelling things in all of sports and certainly the most compelling thing that occurs in a game that was D-E-A-D dead as recently as 4 months ago.
- By the way I found a great website www.leafssuck.ca And another thing, and I don't know why this bothers me so bleeping much but it does. Every team in the NHL has "Thank You Fans!" written on the ice right by the blue line. Every team, that is, except the Leafs. They have on the ice "Thank You LEAFS Fans!". That just aggravates me.
- OK...rapid fire thoughts. The Penguins goaltending is HORRENDOUS... Don't let the Rangers beating the Flyers on opening night fool you, the Rangers will still suck... The Panthers have no scoring... From Glenn Healey on TSN Canada regarding Mats Sundin's puck to the face injury and why more players don't wear visors "I played with a lot of guys that didn't wear cups. If they're not concerned with protecting their family jewels DO YOU THINK THEY CARE ABOUT PROTECTING THEIR FACE!!"... Jessica from "Laguna Beach" is crazy underrated hot... All the ushers at the United Center carry little stop signs that they hold up in your face if you try to go to your seat while the puck is in play.... I'm hungry, I might order a cheesesteak... These new rules are great. It was never really about goals as much as it was flow of the game. I've watched games that had back to back to back breakaways. Just awesome up and down action... Brett Hull's father Bobby wears the most ridiculous toupee this side of Jerry Jones and Burt Reynolds... The only thing that sucks about the Center Ice package is that the games go off the air less then a minute after they become final. So if you turn the channel and don't come back to a game you can miss the final score... I just watched Paul Kariya of the Predators beat his old team, the Mighty Ducks, in shootout. The shootout rules.
MLB - MMM Playoff Prediction update
After one week of the MLB playoffs, the NL goes as expected, a Houston/St. Louis NLCS. This should be a great series to watch once again, but this year, it won't be overshadowed by the Yanks/Sox (well, it might, but it'll be the wrong colored sock). Phil Garner vs. Tony LaRussa is a very scary proposition, since Phil has a way of doing some very strange things (like taking out his best hitter for a pinch runner yesterday or throwing Brad Lidge 27 pitches in a blowout). But the Astros seem to have a lot of momentum. In the end, I just think the Astros have too much pitching for the Cards, and even though the Cards have had the Astros number, I think Andy Pettitte will be the difference. If Garner decides to go 3-man rotation, Pettitte could pitch in 3 games with Oswalt and Clemens pitching in 2 of them. That'll be too much for the Cards to handle. Gotta stick to my prediction, Astros in 6.
In the AL, I'll stick with the Angels winning the pennant. Whoever wins tonight's game will take the AL. I know Chicago has the magic rolling right now, I just don't like their matchup vs. either of these teams.
Phillies - Special Guest Column
We have a special guest column today to talk/b$tch about Phillies baseball. Dan "Spark" Wasser gives us his thoughts on the Phillies future.
Another year has gone by and the Phillies are on the outside looking in as the playoffs begin.. While they fought hard that's still little consolation for the fans who have now seen their team miss the playoffs 12 years in a row.. Today I would like to give my 8 things the Phillies need to do to make the playoffs in 2006... In no particular order.
8) Show Charlie the door. If there's one thing I hate in baseball it's managers with no instincts. In other words managers who go by the book all the time. That to me is Charlie Manual. That lefty vs. righty matchup and vice versa is as old as baseball itself but sometimes the numbers will show you're better off leaving your hitter in the ballgame. Time and time again I saw Manual pinch hit, say Tucker for Lieberthal, because of a matchup. What did Manual see in Tucker in the last month that made him believe he's a better hitter than Lieberthal in any spot?? In fact Lieby was one of our better hitters down the stretch. You can't pinch hit for Lieberthal who has had 3 at bats for a cold Michael Tucker because of matchups. It's by the book managing. His use of Endy Chavez down the stretch was laughable. We saw him pinch run Chavez for Burrell on 3rd base yet keep Bell who's every bit as slow as Burrell on 1st base and watch hit get thrown out at 3rd. His reasoning was defense, Bell had 20 errors. Not to mention he has no problem taking Burrell's bat out of the lineup but he'll keep Bell...Wha?? His misuse of the bullpen was terrible, Urbina and Madson had nothing left by the end of the year. But I'll get into that later...I can go on and on but you get the picture.
7) We cannot have David Bell back as a starter. I don't care if Bell makes 4.5 million next year, we cannot have him back as our 3rd basemen. He's a gritty player but with limited ability. He lacks speed, his range is limited he hit .199 against right-handed hitters, made 20 errors and seemingly half of them were extremely key. He has no power and his OBP was terrible. If we can't move him he must be strictly a platoon or bench player. This is where Ed Wade, if he's here, must do some maneuvering and see if Mike Lowell has something in the tank, or maybe an Edgardo Alfonzo if the Giants agree to pick up some salary. But NO Bell. He will be a year older and in my opinion will be worse next year.
6) Resign Kenny Lofton.. A lot of people wondered if K Lo had anything left in the tank and the answer is yes. The guy is just a professional ball player. He works pitchers well, he's a great baserunner, and he's the without a doubt the best bunter and at the age of 38 stole 22 bases. His 396 OBP was second on the team and he gives the team a proven winner. The dude was a force in September and always has been...If he wants a 2 year deal fine give it to him.
5) Resign Billy Wagner. Wags is the closest thing to a lock you're going to get. The home run to Biggio was killer but don't forget what preceded that, Bell's error and an infield hit. He's a top 3 closer who wants the ball. He speaks his mind about the fans which is annoying, but if he saves games who really cares. Apparently he wants a 3 year 27 million dollar contract with a no trade. I say give it to him. The money is reasonable and if the Phillies are struggling Wags would more than likely waive his no trade to a contender.
4) Look to trade either Abreu or Burrell. Both had solid numbers but I'm convinced both of them in the lineup just doesn't work. The reason being is the 294 strikeouts between the two. That's a ton between your 3rd and 4th hitters. Burrell was pretty consistent all year, where except for May, Abreu was pretty mediocre. His 6 homeruns after the ALL Star Break was subpar. (I'd be surprised if we see a Phillie in the HR derby again ). They both have about the same OBP, but where Abreu has it over Burrell is his speed. Abreu is a threat to steal where Burrell is a statue. Hence the big difference in runs scored. So I'm not sure who I personally would like to see go. I do know when the game is on the line Abreu and Burrell are way down the line in Phillies I want to see up. That scares me. Anyway, I would like to see them trade either two for a contact hitter who can steal bases, i.e. a Carlos Lee for Posednik move the White Sox made. Or maybe a 3rd base prospect and proven pitcher.
3) The pitchers must go deeper in games. Too many times Chas pulled the pitcher because of pitch count or inexperience i.e Tejeda or Brito without a thought of what he's doing to his bullpen. The starting pitchers and Chas were both at fault, as a starter you have to be ready to go 9 that HAS to be your thought process. More than likely that won't happen but you can't look at 6 innings as a quality start. That means coming out of spring training you have to be in shape to go 9. Got that Myers. And Chas had to use his head, using Urbina and Madson every night killed them. And remember if they're tired a 4 out save for Wagner will not kill him. Rivera does it all the time. Goes back to my "by the book manager"!!
2) Need Jimmy Rollins of Sept all year. Not the Jimmy who batted 400 in Sept that's impossible. The Jimmy who worked pitchers, saw a ton of pitches as a leadoff hitter, and always seemed to hit his pitch. When he's on his game the Phillies are a completely different team. He steals bases and is undoubtedly the best baserunner on the team. It's simple when he's on he scores. I have said many times Jimmy's not a leadoff hitter but came to realize he's not going anywhere, and because of his speed he has to hit in the top of the lineup. If he hits 7th and gets on and steals, it's walk Lieby to get to the pitcher inning over. So here's hoping Jimmy got it this year, though he was on fire last Sept. as well. Still most everyone knows I think Rollins is the best SS in the NL and if he plays anything like he did in Sept there should be no argument.
1) What to do with Thome?? Because rest assured Ryan Howard is not going anywhere. This question will be asked all offseason. Whatever they do it won't be easy. They'll most definitely have to eat some of his salary and remember he has a no trade clause. But will the Phillies be willing to eat a portion of his salary or will they try to move Howard to the outfield.. An experiment that failed last year. I say no, leave Howard alone a move to the outfield could certainly affect his bat. There's rumors of him making a return to Cleveland to finish out his career. I think that would be a perfect fit. Looks to me the Phillies have to bite the bullet on Thome and move on. I heard an interesting point that Howard will play like a 14 million dollar player while making a very minimal salary. Maybe that's one way of looking at it.
October 10, 2005
www.mondaymorningmehta.blogspot.com
(Note: Special Guest Column below!)
From all of us at the offices of Monday Morning Mehta, we wish you a very happy, prosperous, safe, merry, and joyous Columbus Day. Now onto yesterday's debacle...
Eagles
Sometimes in the NFL there are games that you just "throw away" and don't worry about. Games that are just blips in the radar and have no significance in the grand scheme of things, games that should pretty much be forgotten the next day. This was NOT one of them...
Game Negatives:
- Front Four. There are two things a great defense always does; stops the run and pressures the QB. The Eagles front four does a decent job of holding ground during running plays. Through 5 games they've done a terrible job of rushing the passer. The Eagles will not win the Super Bowl if this isn't corrected.
- Special Teams play. Through 5 games Special teams has been very inconsistent. Giving up big yardage on kickoffs is a sure fire way to lose ballgames. I'm certainly not in a panic, yet, but losing Keith Adams and Ike Reese on special teams has to hurt.
- Lito and Sheldon. Now they get a pass because they've played so well for so long, but they didn't have a good game. They'll be fine, this is the least of the Eagles worries.
- Donovan McNabb. You can't go 10 TD's in the last 3 games and blame this one on the injury. McNabb just had a crappy game. It's going to happen, not a big deal.
Game Positives:
- None.
Overall, I think this loss would not have been so bad if it weren't for the way the Eagles have started every game this year. I attribute much of the Eagles early game woes to the fact that teams recognize the Eagles are the team to beat especially in the NFC, and teams are more jacked to play the Birds than other teams. Even so, falling behind so much so quickly is a huge problem.
My first two negatives are what the Eagles need to work on in the bye week. Front four pressure, and special teams. Javon Kearse needs to wake up. He's always been inconsistent but this is ridiculous.
(Reaching here)...Maybe Jerome McDougle needs to return to give a jolt to this line.
I'm not going "We miss Corey Simon" just yet. I'm not at that stage of panic. Talk to me in Week 12 though, I might be then.
3-2 going into the break is probably about right for this team. Road games at Atlanta, KC and Dallas to start the year is no picnic. The Eagles can easily win the last 6 games of the season, if not the last 8. 11-5 or 12-4 still looks easily attainable.
Around the NFL
Teams I'm impressed with:
Jacksonville. They can run the ball, have a great defense, and a tough QB. If the WR's would catch the ball, they'd really be something.
Seattle. Beating the Rams isn't exactly news. But they didn't have their top 2 WR's and plugged in Joe Jurevicius and DJ Duckett (who?). Matt Hasselbeck is returning to his 2003 form. This could be a team to watch out for if the defense steps it up. They've played every game tough, they doinked a FG that would've beaten Washington and played Jacksonville tough in Jax.
Patriots. Not because of the way they played, but this team just refuses to lose 2 in a row. And they've won in Atlanta and in Pittsburgh. They're going to slip up often this year because it's almost impossible to win 3 straight Super Bowls, but this team is an awesome dynasty. Adam Vinatieri is unreal.
Teams that stunk:
Baltimore. The defense is a joke. Ray Lewis is quickly becoming the most overrated player in the NFL. Watch out Sapp! They had a ridiculous amount of penalties and Brian Billick is losing control quickly. That's what you get Brian when you think you're smarter then everyone and think Anthony Wright and Kyle Boller can be your QB. I was totally wrong about the Ravens this year and am already throwing in the towel, they pretty much did yesterday.
Saints. You can't give up 52 points to anybody, ever.
In other news, the NFC North is wide open. The NFC West was thought of as being the worst division, it's looking like this will be the one.
Should be a great game tonight and a great indication of how good both these teams are.
NHL Week In Review By : Ed Wasser
- Guess who's back? Eddie's back. Thanks for your patience but last week I was in Chicago attending a convention of the Millennium Men. It's a support group for guys that have slept with over 1000 models in the last year. The group mostly exists to help guys like me deal with the exhaustion that comes with all those sleepless nights. Without that group I'm a 30 second sound bite "Ed Wasser, ex child star, found dead". (I played Cha-Ka on the TV show Land Of The Lost) I'm a car crash man, and you have every right to slow down and watch the car crash. Anyway, observations from the Windy City.....
- It's a long story, and this is not a joke I swear, but I actually was granted a private audience with William "The Refrigerator" Perry. Yes...THEE Refrigerator Perry who parlayed being a fat ass, a ridiculously bad lip syncher (See : Shuffle, Super Bowl), and a first round draft clown into a career. He handed me an autographed picture (which I did not ask for) and I shook his mitt. I'd put the autographed picture on the MMM website but we can't seem to master that technology. If you want to see the picture...I dunno...I guess you could come over my apartment and look at it. Bring a pizza and beer though. At any rate I made an observation and asked Billy Fridge, as us friends of his call him, "why don't you wear your Super Bowl ring?" "Because I don't!! I KNOW I WON A SUBBA BOWE!!!" Well as the years have gone by Mr. Fridge has become a wee bit ornery. I'm not sure but I'm guessing it may be because he has blown by just being fat about 17 exits ago and is now residing in the Jabba The Hut Look-a-Like Club. Fridge looks like he's a Snickers away from exploding like that python that tried to eat an alligator. Fridge's head is so big that if it was a pumpkin you could carve into it a portrait of the entire roster of the 1982 Montréal Expos and that's including Rodney Scott, Rowland Office, and ex-Philadelphia Phillies great Randy Lerch.
- I attended the Blackhawks/Ducks game while in Chicago. Few thoughts....I'm on the record as saying the Blackhawks are a Mickey Mouse organization because of their ownership. All of their home games are shown pay-per-view style and NEVER shown in bars which is a disgrace; why the commissioner allows this to go on I have no clue. Now I know just how Mickey Mouse the Blackhawks really are. First, the White Sox were playing while the Hawks were playing. Guess how many times they flashed the Sox score at the Blackhawks game? Zero. None. That means that people were leaving their seats while the Blackhawks were playing to go check the score of the Sox game. That's just bush league. And how about this.....every score shown on the "Out Of Town Scoreboard" was listed as 0-0. Even when the Flyers were winning 3-1 against the Rangers the scoreboard had 0-0 listed. The only reason I had any clue what was going on in the Flyers game was because Saurin text messaged me. BUSH LEAGUE!!!!! The Ducks won the game 5-3. The Blackhawks were totally out classed by a team that will probably be a decent but not great team and Matthew Barnaby was already in mid-season form by becoming completely unglued about 10 minutes into the game and taking an impossibly idiotic double minor, stick to the face, penalty early in the game which helped the Ducks immensely.
- Bob McKenzie had a great point on TSN Canada. He said that Oct. 15 will be the first pay day for NHL players and that will be the exact day that an incredible amount of sticker shock will set in. McKenzie believes that a lot of players aren't 100% sure just how much they gave up in the new CBA or even what they agreed to. Man I wish I had a hidden camera when the players open those envelopes and let out a collective "WHAT THE %#@&$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" when they see the check amounts.
- New rules, the whole shebang and Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo opens the season with back to back shut outs?!? And one of those shut outs was against the defending Stanley Cup champs Tampa Bay Lightning. Are you kidding me? That kid is a stud. I mean super stud. And anybody that thinks that Martin Brodeur is the best goalie in the league needs to get the NHL Center Ice Package and watch a few Panthers games.
- It absolutely had to work this way.....the first shootout in NHL history happened on opening night at the end of the Ottawa/Toronto game in Toronto. And of course it had to be a Senators victory. The reason I'm saying this is because the people in Toronto are hockey purists/arrogant hockey jerks that HATE the shootout. So now I'm watching the Canadian broadcasts of some of the out of town hockey games and Leaf apologists who do the commentating talk about how the Leafs were screwed and that they probably would have won if Mats Sundin wasn't injured and unavailable to participate in the shootout yada, yada, yada. AHHHHHH....JUST SHUT UP!!! The shootout is a great, long overdue idea. And incidentally all this anti-shootout talk has a very anti-American tone to it because a lot of Canadians believe it's the American mind set after all that can't handle tie games. Let me ask a question to all the casual hockey fans out there and even those of you that don't really care about hockey.....all 99.9% of you. Take a random Tuesday night NHL game between the Blue Jackets and the Thrashers, if you're flipping through the channels and you came across the game and a shootout was just about to begin don't you think you'd stop and watch it? I'm pretty sure you would, I'm pretty sure most sports fans would. It's one of the most compelling things in all of sports and certainly the most compelling thing that occurs in a game that was D-E-A-D dead as recently as 4 months ago.
- By the way I found a great website www.leafssuck.ca And another thing, and I don't know why this bothers me so bleeping much but it does. Every team in the NHL has "Thank You Fans!" written on the ice right by the blue line. Every team, that is, except the Leafs. They have on the ice "Thank You LEAFS Fans!". That just aggravates me.
- OK...rapid fire thoughts. The Penguins goaltending is HORRENDOUS... Don't let the Rangers beating the Flyers on opening night fool you, the Rangers will still suck... The Panthers have no scoring... From Glenn Healey on TSN Canada regarding Mats Sundin's puck to the face injury and why more players don't wear visors "I played with a lot of guys that didn't wear cups. If they're not concerned with protecting their family jewels DO YOU THINK THEY CARE ABOUT PROTECTING THEIR FACE!!"... Jessica from "Laguna Beach" is crazy underrated hot... All the ushers at the United Center carry little stop signs that they hold up in your face if you try to go to your seat while the puck is in play.... I'm hungry, I might order a cheesesteak... These new rules are great. It was never really about goals as much as it was flow of the game. I've watched games that had back to back to back breakaways. Just awesome up and down action... Brett Hull's father Bobby wears the most ridiculous toupee this side of Jerry Jones and Burt Reynolds... The only thing that sucks about the Center Ice package is that the games go off the air less then a minute after they become final. So if you turn the channel and don't come back to a game you can miss the final score... I just watched Paul Kariya of the Predators beat his old team, the Mighty Ducks, in shootout. The shootout rules.
MLB - MMM Playoff Prediction update
After one week of the MLB playoffs, the NL goes as expected, a Houston/St. Louis NLCS. This should be a great series to watch once again, but this year, it won't be overshadowed by the Yanks/Sox (well, it might, but it'll be the wrong colored sock). Phil Garner vs. Tony LaRussa is a very scary proposition, since Phil has a way of doing some very strange things (like taking out his best hitter for a pinch runner yesterday or throwing Brad Lidge 27 pitches in a blowout). But the Astros seem to have a lot of momentum. In the end, I just think the Astros have too much pitching for the Cards, and even though the Cards have had the Astros number, I think Andy Pettitte will be the difference. If Garner decides to go 3-man rotation, Pettitte could pitch in 3 games with Oswalt and Clemens pitching in 2 of them. That'll be too much for the Cards to handle. Gotta stick to my prediction, Astros in 6.
In the AL, I'll stick with the Angels winning the pennant. Whoever wins tonight's game will take the AL. I know Chicago has the magic rolling right now, I just don't like their matchup vs. either of these teams.
Phillies - Special Guest Column
We have a special guest column today to talk/b$tch about Phillies baseball. Dan "Spark" Wasser gives us his thoughts on the Phillies future.
Another year has gone by and the Phillies are on the outside looking in as the playoffs begin.. While they fought hard that's still little consolation for the fans who have now seen their team miss the playoffs 12 years in a row.. Today I would like to give my 8 things the Phillies need to do to make the playoffs in 2006... In no particular order.
8) Show Charlie the door. If there's one thing I hate in baseball it's managers with no instincts. In other words managers who go by the book all the time. That to me is Charlie Manual. That lefty vs. righty matchup and vice versa is as old as baseball itself but sometimes the numbers will show you're better off leaving your hitter in the ballgame. Time and time again I saw Manual pinch hit, say Tucker for Lieberthal, because of a matchup. What did Manual see in Tucker in the last month that made him believe he's a better hitter than Lieberthal in any spot?? In fact Lieby was one of our better hitters down the stretch. You can't pinch hit for Lieberthal who has had 3 at bats for a cold Michael Tucker because of matchups. It's by the book managing. His use of Endy Chavez down the stretch was laughable. We saw him pinch run Chavez for Burrell on 3rd base yet keep Bell who's every bit as slow as Burrell on 1st base and watch hit get thrown out at 3rd. His reasoning was defense, Bell had 20 errors. Not to mention he has no problem taking Burrell's bat out of the lineup but he'll keep Bell...Wha?? His misuse of the bullpen was terrible, Urbina and Madson had nothing left by the end of the year. But I'll get into that later...I can go on and on but you get the picture.
7) We cannot have David Bell back as a starter. I don't care if Bell makes 4.5 million next year, we cannot have him back as our 3rd basemen. He's a gritty player but with limited ability. He lacks speed, his range is limited he hit .199 against right-handed hitters, made 20 errors and seemingly half of them were extremely key. He has no power and his OBP was terrible. If we can't move him he must be strictly a platoon or bench player. This is where Ed Wade, if he's here, must do some maneuvering and see if Mike Lowell has something in the tank, or maybe an Edgardo Alfonzo if the Giants agree to pick up some salary. But NO Bell. He will be a year older and in my opinion will be worse next year.
6) Resign Kenny Lofton.. A lot of people wondered if K Lo had anything left in the tank and the answer is yes. The guy is just a professional ball player. He works pitchers well, he's a great baserunner, and he's the without a doubt the best bunter and at the age of 38 stole 22 bases. His 396 OBP was second on the team and he gives the team a proven winner. The dude was a force in September and always has been...If he wants a 2 year deal fine give it to him.
5) Resign Billy Wagner. Wags is the closest thing to a lock you're going to get. The home run to Biggio was killer but don't forget what preceded that, Bell's error and an infield hit. He's a top 3 closer who wants the ball. He speaks his mind about the fans which is annoying, but if he saves games who really cares. Apparently he wants a 3 year 27 million dollar contract with a no trade. I say give it to him. The money is reasonable and if the Phillies are struggling Wags would more than likely waive his no trade to a contender.
4) Look to trade either Abreu or Burrell. Both had solid numbers but I'm convinced both of them in the lineup just doesn't work. The reason being is the 294 strikeouts between the two. That's a ton between your 3rd and 4th hitters. Burrell was pretty consistent all year, where except for May, Abreu was pretty mediocre. His 6 homeruns after the ALL Star Break was subpar. (I'd be surprised if we see a Phillie in the HR derby again ). They both have about the same OBP, but where Abreu has it over Burrell is his speed. Abreu is a threat to steal where Burrell is a statue. Hence the big difference in runs scored. So I'm not sure who I personally would like to see go. I do know when the game is on the line Abreu and Burrell are way down the line in Phillies I want to see up. That scares me. Anyway, I would like to see them trade either two for a contact hitter who can steal bases, i.e. a Carlos Lee for Posednik move the White Sox made. Or maybe a 3rd base prospect and proven pitcher.
3) The pitchers must go deeper in games. Too many times Chas pulled the pitcher because of pitch count or inexperience i.e Tejeda or Brito without a thought of what he's doing to his bullpen. The starting pitchers and Chas were both at fault, as a starter you have to be ready to go 9 that HAS to be your thought process. More than likely that won't happen but you can't look at 6 innings as a quality start. That means coming out of spring training you have to be in shape to go 9. Got that Myers. And Chas had to use his head, using Urbina and Madson every night killed them. And remember if they're tired a 4 out save for Wagner will not kill him. Rivera does it all the time. Goes back to my "by the book manager"!!
2) Need Jimmy Rollins of Sept all year. Not the Jimmy who batted 400 in Sept that's impossible. The Jimmy who worked pitchers, saw a ton of pitches as a leadoff hitter, and always seemed to hit his pitch. When he's on his game the Phillies are a completely different team. He steals bases and is undoubtedly the best baserunner on the team. It's simple when he's on he scores. I have said many times Jimmy's not a leadoff hitter but came to realize he's not going anywhere, and because of his speed he has to hit in the top of the lineup. If he hits 7th and gets on and steals, it's walk Lieby to get to the pitcher inning over. So here's hoping Jimmy got it this year, though he was on fire last Sept. as well. Still most everyone knows I think Rollins is the best SS in the NL and if he plays anything like he did in Sept there should be no argument.
1) What to do with Thome?? Because rest assured Ryan Howard is not going anywhere. This question will be asked all offseason. Whatever they do it won't be easy. They'll most definitely have to eat some of his salary and remember he has a no trade clause. But will the Phillies be willing to eat a portion of his salary or will they try to move Howard to the outfield.. An experiment that failed last year. I say no, leave Howard alone a move to the outfield could certainly affect his bat. There's rumors of him making a return to Cleveland to finish out his career. I think that would be a perfect fit. Looks to me the Phillies have to bite the bullet on Thome and move on. I heard an interesting point that Howard will play like a 14 million dollar player while making a very minimal salary. Maybe that's one way of looking at it.
posted by Monday Morning Mehta at 10:48 AM
9 Comments:
Ed,
Haven't you learned your lesson? Rumors are that Refrigerator Perry & William Perry are subscribers to MMM.
That's cool about the Fridge. If he wants to come after me be my guest. After running for 3 steps he'd blow out both knees, fall on his gigantic face, and go into a massive heart attack.
I've often wondered how a person becomes a fan of the Mets, Jets, and Nets...the three red headed bastard step childern of New York area sports. I mean if you're going to have that annoying halo around you of being a New York sports fan anyway why not root for the best teams?
Ed Wasser
I lived in North Jersey for a while and I could never understand how people gravitated toward some of the lesser NY teams. It wasn't a slam, I was just wonderin'.
EW
I have to admit ft, you're a lot funnier in the MMM comments section than in real life (that's a compliment, well, sort of). What's up with that?
I guess looking at that picture of you wearing that purple pants suit from the Studio 54 garage sale always awakens my funny bone. I didn't think I even wrote anything funny in the comment section, not as funny as the random mention of the 1982 Montreal Expos in MMM. I guess you're easily amused.
EW
The purple pants suit was refering the picture on the cover of MMM from Saurin's wedding. That would be the wedding featuring Chetan's fillabuster. The worst part about that speech was that I was sitting next to the door and I could see the buffet. So as the speech was going on and on and on and on all I could think about was eating.
EW
Yeah Ed, I was talking to ft - frank tang, that's why I said "I have to admit ft"...it's implied that people that are on my payroll are paid to be funny, witty, insightful, provocative, intelligent, thought provoking, etc - pretty much exactly like my writing. You've got the funny part down pat Ed.
btw, being right on predictions is not a pre-requisite.
I knew that predictions didn't mean anything Mr. "Mets will win the East". It was close though...if they had won 20 more games then they would have only been 5 out.
EW
I know about the Mets Ed that was the whole reason for the line, cripes man you're slipping on the sarcasm meter; you're turning into Morgan.
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