Monday Morning Mehta 11/28/05

Edition # 142
November 28, 2005

Eagles/NFL

Eagles stop the bleeding with an ugly but effective 19-14 win over the Green Bay Packers. Let's break this game down:

Game Positives:

- Brian Westbrook on offense. Pretty much carried the offense the whole game. Where was this rushing attack in the first half of the season!

- Ryan Moats on special teams. Not only did he cause a key fumble late in the 4th quarter, but he turned around and recovered it. There's not many more painful things than watching Reno Mahe returning punts or Lamar Gordon fielding kickoffs. They both stink. We need more Moats!

- Javon Kearse on defense. You know how they say "It's better to take a sack then force a throw and get it intercepted". Well, Brett Favre abides by the theory of "Don't get sacked, it might hurt, so throw it away and don't worry about a pick". Kearse wasn't going to get to Favre, but was involved in a lot of defensive tackles. - Offensive Line. A makeshift O-line did very well protecting McMahon (for the most part) and opening up holes for Brian Westbrook.

Game Negatives:

- Mike McMahon. McMahon just missed way too many open receivers. He probably should've been pulled but he made a couple plays late that salvaged the W.

- The game itself. Just some seriously bad football. Eagles have a pulse for the playoffs, but let's be real here. Mike McMahon isn't leading this team to a 6-0 finish.

Overall I thought it was an encouraging performance. Ryan Moats shook off the effects of his poor first game and had an impact. Maybe Andy Reid will realize that running the ball is necessary to win a Super Bowl. Maybe Rod Hood can be a very good 3rd CB.

I was at the game and sat in the end zone with a great view of every play develop. I'll say this, there were plenty of guys open. I think LJ Smith & Billy McMullen were open every time they went out.

That was probably the quietest I've heard the Linc since it's opening. Understandable considering the 4-6 record. But I still will say Giants stadium was one the poorest displays of fan loudness I've heard for a meaningful November divisional game.

Next week comes a Monday Night match up vs. the 9-2 Seattle Seahawks. Yesterday's game stopped the bleeding, this Monday Night game is all about respect and still showing the Eagles can compete with the better teams in the league. Andy Reid is 0-3 on Sunday & Monday Night this year, which is a 180 degree change from years past.

Around the League

Didn't watch all the games on DirecTV like I normally do, so this will be a generic recap. Most impressive performance has to go to the Bears again. After an emotional win last week at home vs. Carolina, they travel to one of the toughest places in the NFL and beat Tampa in Tampa. I've said it for months that the Bears play hard for Lovie Smith but this defense is getting closer and closer to being talked about with the greats.

The biggest news this weekend is probably the loss of Byron Leftwich by the Jaguars. His broken foot will keep him out over a month, and likely the rest of the regular season. A terrible blow for the Jaguars, but a light schedule probably won't keep this defense and running oriented team from going 3-2 the rest of the way. 11 wins is still likely for Jax.

If Jacksonville is in, the Bengals, San Diego and Kansas City are all fighting for the last spot (assuming Pitt wins the division - they play Cincy at home and already beat them earlier). Either of those teams could be favorites in the NFC.

The NFC doesn't stink like everyone wants to believe. There is just no dominating teams, but there's about 7 or 8 good teams that happen to be beating up each other. Next week's big game is the Giants/Cowboys for who controls the division for a week. Another big game is Carolina/Atlanta.

Memo to the Lions ownership: Fire Matt Millen, not Steve Mariucci.

An awful loss on Thanksgiving for the Cowboys. Billy Cundiff missed a 33 yarder late in regulation and Ron Dayne of all people buried the Cowboys with a late run. Denver was impressive in winning a game they didn't run the ball too well in. Jake Plummer showed signs of returning to his old self, which should scare Broncos fans.

The Patriots defense is ridiculously awful (due to injuries). All the Bill Belichick magic in the world can't get bad talent to play defense.

A definite stay up until 12:30 EST game tonight, as the Steelers face the Colts in Indy. Ben Roethlisberger is back for the Steelers in a game which will probably be better than the NE/Indy game a few weeks back on MNF.

Drexel Dragons/Baseball

Drexel goes a disappointing 1-3 this week with losses vs. Duke, UCLA and Penn. They played tough against Duke, which was very encouraging, should've won the UCLA game but showed their youth down the stretch, and just had nothing for most of the game vs. Penn. They had a shot to put themselves right in the thick of the selection committee's at large bidding, but just didn't get it done. I'll say this, if Penn doesn't win the Ivy League this year I'll be shocked. That team is good.
Two more Big 6 games this week for Drexel as they take on St. Joe's and Lasalle. A 2-0 week is likely.

The Phillies trade Jim Thome this week in what is probably going to be looked at as a very good trade for the Phillies. They got two B-level prospects along with a solid CF'er in Aaron Rowand. Rowand strikes out a lot and should fit in perfectly into the lineup, but plays an excellent CF, something the Phils haven't had in a long time. Put him next to Gold Glover Bobby Abreu and you have some awesome defense (as long as Rowand can get to it).

Next up is Billy Wagner, whose agent probably bought himself a new car this weekend after seeing what BJ Ryan got from the Blue Jays. 5 years $47 million! 4 years guaranteed is easily the market for Wagner at this point. It also appears that the Red Sox and Braves are now getting involved in the Wagner sweepstakes. I'd like to see what the Phillies backup plan is before making a comment on Wagner. Seems like a lot of money and years to give to a closer when there is starting pitching needs.

NBA - Derreck Sura

- The Sixers' week was going along as expected until they lost to the Knicks on Saturday afternoon. Bad loss. Philadelphia (7-7) blew a 16 point third quarter lead and ended up losing in overtime on a buzzer beating miracle 3 pointer that spoiled the return of Samuel Dalembert. Even though they went 1-2 on the week, the Sixers still hold the Atlantic Division lead and the 3rd seed in the East.
There are two reasons that I can't get excited about Philly's chances this season. The first, as everyone knows by now, is their defense. The Sixers moved up the charts to 24th in opponents field goal percentage (46.3%) while maintaining their own hot shooting (47.1%, 5th overall). Philly is also now 1st in the NBA in points per game at 103.8, but they still give up more (105 ppg, 28th overall) then they score. Not good.

Next is the play of 4th year swingman John Salmons. I've been reluctant to give him credit so far because he was basically comatose for his first three seasons in the league. Under new coach Maurice Cheeks John S has become the Sixers' 6th man and top performer off the bench. Salmons has upped his career averages across the board this year. Points (10.3 ppg now to 4.5 career), assists (2.6 apg to 1.6), rebounds (3 rpg to 2), steals (1.1 spg to .6), free throw shooting (78% to 75.9%), 3 point shooting (54.5% to 34.6%), and field goal shooting (53% to 41.2%). Of course his minutes have also seen a boost from 16.2 mpg career to 25.3 mpg now. I suppose the additional minutes could be the root behind his improved play, but I'm more inclined to lean toward John S becoming a restricted free agent after this season as the impetus for his sudden leap in production. Maybe I'm just a pessimist, but I'd hate for GM Billy King to reward Salmons with a fat long term contract after just one decent year. On the other hand, this could be the natural progression of John's career development. Time will tell, but Salmons being a consistent contributor makes a major difference in the quality of Philly's bench. I just need to see him keep it up for a longer period of time before I'm a believer.

The Sixers will be challenged this week with: Portland & @Boston (back to back) and @New Orleans/Oklahoma City & @San Antonio (b2b). I guess 3-1 is possible, but I'd say that 2-2 will be plenty good enough if Philly can pull it off.

- The Houston Rockets have got to be the biggest disappointment in the NBA so far. Houston (3-11) has lost seven in a row and is dead last in the Western Conference. Much of that can be attributed to Tracy McGrady only appearing in six games due to a strained back. The Rockets are 0-8 without T-Mac and clearly miss his ability to close out games as their go to guy. T-Mac being out has also shown that Yao Ming can not carry a team. Yao has made a noticeable attempt to show more emotion this season, but it's the same old song and dance with him. He still lacks the stamina to be at his best in the fourth quarter (when the team desperately needs his offense). Yao also still takes silly fouls that could easily be avoided if moved his feet and played like he's 7'6 (stop trying to take charges and block some shots big fella). You can blame Yao for Houston's struggles if you want to, but this is just another example of a team losing their best player (T-Mac) and falling apart.

The Rockets have more problems then that with their guards however. My cousin Bob Sura, who was very instrumental in Houston's success last year, had to undergo surgery for a ruptured disc in his back. Sadly, Bob's career is probably over. Sura's replacement at starting PG, Rafer Alston, has missed the last five games with a hairline fracture in his right leg. Supposedly Rafer's fracture is so small it can be treated like a bruise, we'll see about that one. Even bench player and spark plug extraordinaire Jon Barry missed Saturday's game with a bruised left foot. This has forced coach Jeff Van Gundy to start David Wesley (6'1) and rookie Luther Head (6'3) in the back court. Wesley is no more then bench playing third guard at this point of his career. Head has been a pleasant surprise thus far bringing much needed athleticism to the Rockets' guard core. Luther can score (9.8 ppg), shoot (49% from 3), penetrate, grab a rebound or two, and defend his position.

There's no quick fix for Houston though, other then McGrady's back not turning into a chronic problem. With the way JVG likes his teams to play, there's just not a lot of room for error. That style is fine for the late 90's Eastern Conference playoffs, but in today's more free flowing NBA, it just does not work. The Rockets are third overall in points allowed (89.8 ppg) and opponents field goal percentage (42.5%), so they obviously play great defense as all JVG coached teams do. Where I have a problem with JVG (other then not playing Stromile Swift more) is that he hasn't adapted to the times when it comes to offense. Houston is dead last in points scored (85 ppg) and shooting (40.7%), and while a healthy T-Mac fixes some of that, the Rockets still play an inordinate amount of close games. What that means is they slow the game down, turn it into a slug fest, and rely on T-Mac's individual brilliance to bail them out in the end. In other words, playoff style ball in the regular season. I guess that's a good way to have your team ready for the post season, but it's an excruciating brand of ball to watch, and doesn't work without a super star to save the day.

- The Boston Celtics' brain trust of coach Doc Rivers and Director of Operations Danny Ainge face an interesting dilemma in Beantown. Should the Celtics (5-7) play their veterans and try and compete for the 8th seed in the East? Or should they trade some of those same players and let their plethora of youngsters start to show what they can do for the future? It's a tough call because I think Boston's "core" group of veterans (Paul Pierce, Ricky Davis, Raef LaFrentz, & Mark Blount) could actually be something with a real PG and a few experienced bench players. Now Ainge could trade some of his "upside" guys and fix the PG and bench situations, but I doubt that's even on his radar.

That being the case, what's the hold up already? For a team with all that young raw talent in need of minutes, I don't understand why they are playing the four guys mentioned above so much? I think they all have very tradable contracts, even though LaFrentz (too much per year) and Blount (too many years total) may cause some double takes. Of the young guys only Delonte West (31.6 mpg) is getting the type of minutes necessary to show what he can do (Sorry MMM, but I think he's no more then a career back up at this point). Al Jefferson (15.9 mpg), Justin Reed (11.7 mpg), Kendrick Perkins (10.6 mpg), and Ryan Gomes (9.9 mpg) have all shown promise to varying degrees, but need more burn to develop the confidence they need. I'm not even mentioning Gerald Green (inactive), Marcus Banks (leg), and Tony Allen (knee) either.

I know it's extremely unpopular with fans when their team packs it in and begins full on rebuilding, but why acquire all those young players if the plan was to ride the vets as far as they can take you? Mediocrity is not what NBA teams are striving for, so just man up already (a la the Portland Trail Blazers), and let the fan base know "It's going to be rough for a while, but we think we have a very bright future here." Who knows, it might actually be true too.

- On the injury front this week, Golden State (9-6) lost reserve swingman Mickael Pietrus for four to six weeks with a sprained MCL in his right knee. "Euro-Jordan", as he was once known, was the Warriors insurance policy for when Mike Dunleavy Jr. didn't show up (pretty often). GS was really able to push the tempo and run when Pietrus, Baron Davis, and Jason Richardson were on the floor together. However, rookie Ike Diogu returned to the Warriors' lineup this week and averaged 12.3 points on 66.7% shooting in 17.7 minutes. The consistency of Ike's low post offense will go a long way in deciding if GS makes the playoffs.

Phoenix (7-5) lost combo guard Leandro Barbosa for two to three weeks with a sprained MCL in his left knee. This one is a real shame because Barbosa was easily playing the best ball of his career and had just earned a starting spot beside Steve Nash in the Suns' back court. Leandro had increased his scoring (15.7 ppg), shooting (53.9%), and 3 point shooting (41.7%) to career high levels, and was playing with more confidence then I'd ever seen before. The loss of Barbosa, combined with the struggles of other players, has Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni playing some serious small ball lately. As in not even starting a legit PF or playing a C at all. On Friday against New Jersey the Suns started a PG, a SG, and three SF's. Then D'Antoni came off the bench with a SG, SF, and a PF. And they won by 11. Wow.

Peja Stojakovic has missed the Sacramento Kings' (6-7) last three games with a sprained pinky finger on his right hand. I know every injury is different, but Kobe Bryant just played through a sprained right index finger without missing a game. Ummm Peja, it's time to get the skirt off, and the shorts on. I really don't know what else to say about this other then he's protecting himself in a contract year. I mean really, missing games with a sprained pinky finger? I don't care if it is on his shooting hand, that's weak. The two positives from this "injury" are that second year pro Kevin Martin had career high's in points (18) and rebounds (7) last Wednesday, and rookie Francisco Garcia has been starting in Peja's place and looking OK.

NHL Week in Review By : Ed Wasser

- Quick notes from around the league.....A guy wrote a letter to "The Hockey News" making a pretty good point. Essentially he said that don't believe the NHL's crap about trying to create rivalries with all these conference games, it's all about saving traveling money. I think he's right. The Flyers have 4 away cities that they don't fly to (Washington, New York, Long Island, and New Jersey) so the amount of money they're saving by not having to fly as much is astronomical.....Pavel Bure officially announced his retirement, ironically right after he cashed his last paycheck from the Rangers. Now the debate starts, Hall of Famer or not. I vote no. He was a lazy player who should have been much better.....Mike Keenan will be lucky if he makes it past this season as GM of the Panthers. Not only do they stink but they're stuck with a lot of over priced, over the hill players like Gary Roberts, Joe Nieuwendyk, and Alexander Karpovtsev who they just released even though they signed him for $760,000 per year and still have to pay him next year. And now there's a rumor that Roberto Luongo will be traded to the 'Lanche. First of all, if that happens the 'Lanche will be a force out west and second of all it will be impossible for the Panthers to get equal value so the trade will be a waste.

- Line of the week - From NY Islander announcer Joe Micheletti during the Islander/Senator game last Friday night. This is why having the NHL ticket is so great...."We've had (Islander) Aaron Asham miked up tonight but ahhhhhhhh, well....he didn't provide us with anything that was suitable to air".

- If I was an NHL hockey player playing in a game that was being refereed by Paul Devorski every time an opposition player came within 3 feet of me I would just fall on the ice because a penalty would be called every single time. I might even scream and throw my stick and gloves in the air like I just got shot for emphasis. How a veteran referee is so consistently fooled by players diving is beyond me.

- The Eagles released punter Reggie Hodges last week. Reggie Hodges is the guy whose performance was so bad against the Giants two weeks ago it prompted me to ask Saurin while we sat in the Meadowlands "has there ever been a player released while the game was still going on?" It should have happened. Andy Reid should have just turned to Hodges after the punt block in the second quarter of the Giants game and said "just get out of my face. Pack your crap and be gone before this game is over". It just seems like a simple release allowed Hodges to get off too easy. He should have gotten the treatment Billy Batts got in "Goodfellas" or the treatment Sonny got when he stopped at the New York Turnpike toll in "The Godfather" or the treatment Butch and Marsellus got from the shop keeper in "Pulp Fiction". How is possible for me to hate a punter this much? I dunno, but I do.

- Last Tuesday was the first battle of the Pittsburgh Sidney Crosby's versus the Washington Alexander Ovechkin's. The Penguins scored a 5 - 4 win in the first ever battle between the two rookie phenoms with Crosby having 3 points (goal, 2 assists) and Ovechkin scoring just a point (assist) but watching the game I can tell you that at the end of the year Ovechkin will statistically come out on top. He has to...the guy is on the ice practically the whole game. Ovechkin was double shifted pretty much the whole game and in the last five minutes of the Pittsburgh game he was hardly off the ice long enough to grab a squirt of water. The guy is great, even as a kid he looks like a man among boys. He's so good that if he was a basketball player Larry Brown might even let him play (a little cross sports humor). I just hope Ovechkin doesn't get frustrated by the slop he's surrounded by as the year goes on.

- If technology existed for humans to be able to jump through the TV and be on a TV show how many people do you think would have done it last Tuesday so they could have beaten the living crap out of Wes and Nehemiah on "The Real World"? I'm setting the under/over bar at 175,000 people.

- The Flyers have problems. Last week they had a weak and plodding effort against the Lightning (a 4 - 2 loss). They had a decent game against the Bruins (a 5 - 3 victory) that featured 2 goals from Peter Forsberg. Forsberg also pulled a groin during the game and was kept out of the game Saturday. And that game Saturday, a 4 -2 loss to a painfully mediocre Islander team, was the icing on the cake. It was just a ridiculously bad game; I've seen more effort from people trying to open a jar of pickles. And it drives me up a wall when I hear people say "the Flyers are still figuring out the new NHL". First of all, there are very few new rules in the NHL, mostly they are just enforcing rules that have been on the books for years. And if the damn Nashville Predators and the Carolina Hurricanes can figure it out then the Flyers should be able to handle it too. The Flyers have trouble on defense and their offense is inconsistent but they do have time so they have that going for them, which is nice

Comments:
saurinmeht@aol.com
dsura@peacehealth.com
ewwasser@hotmail.com

Monday Morning Mehta 11/21/05

Edition # 141
November 21, 2005

Eagles

Last Tuesday was shock and denial. Today, it's complete acceptance that this is a lost season and even to the point that we should've seen this coming. I have to give credit to Derreck Sura, our resident NBA expert (and clearly an NFL one too), who said the Eagles would suffer a "post Super Bowl loss type season ala Oakland or Carolina". He said this the day after the Super Bowl. That's why he gets the big bucks.

Anyway, onto the 27-17 loss:

Game Negatives:

- Whoever the punter is. He doesn't deserve to have a name. He stinks. Not only do his punts suck, but he has problems catching the snap. Is this really the 32nd best punter in the world? Cripes, find someone better! You can't give up 7 points on special teams and expect to win a road divisional game. (Note: even though the ball was spotted on the 1 yard line, that's 7 that's goes to the ST)

- Defense. Not only has the pass rush been from the front four been a problem this year, but when we've blitzed the last two weeks, we haven't gotten to the QB fast enough in crucial spots, and the cornerback has been burned badly. Last week it was Lito Sheppard, this week it's Sheldon Brown.

- DT's. There is nothing coming in terms of a rush from up the middle. I wish I didn't have to say we miss Corey Simon, but I do.

- Mike McMahon in the 1st half. Looked scared, couldn't hold onto the ball, and threw a bad pick when the Eagles could have put some points on the board late in the half.

Game Positives:

- Mike McMahon in the 2nd half. Still seems like he fumbles a lot.

- Trent Cole. I hope we have something here, because we really need it. 5 sacks in the last 3 games.

- Reggie Brown. Looked decent. He can certainly become a solid # 2 WR. It'd be nice to have a # 1, hehe.

Overall, it's time to just chalk up the season as a complete fiasco. The Owens fiasco which began in April, Jerome McDougle getting shot, the Corey Simon issue, the Owens controversy during camp, the Donovan McNabb injury in the first quarter of the first game, which just escalated all the problems every game from there.

Looking back, it's funny how much Roy Williams has effected the Eagles. He puts Owens out for the year last year. McNabb and Reid say "We can win without T.O.". Owens gets upset and feels disrespected. McNabb/Owens/Reid relationship hasn't been the same since. Then, to boot, with a fighters chance still left in the year, Williams decided to pick off a pass late in the 4th quarter, but a dagger into the Eagles hearts and gets McNabb hurt on the runback to only bury us further.

Roy Williams, the root of all evils.

Why do I get the feeling the T.O. saga isn't nearly over yet? The arbitrator will make his announcement by tomorrow, I can't even guess what will happen after that. I can even see a scenario where he ends up in a Seahawks or Redskins uniform, and ends up playing at the Linc this year.

Around the League

Indy/Bengals in what has to be considered the Game of the Year to this date was an awesome game. 45-37 tells most of the story, but one thing impressed me the most. Peyton Manning and the Colts get it now. With the score 35-34, both defenses reeling, the Colts took the ball with their first possession in the 2nd half and decided not to air it out and score in 2 minutes, but run the ball and give their defense a breather. They ran the ball 10 times, held the ball for over 8 minutes, and completely changed the complexion of the game. The Colts defense got their act together, only giving up a FG the rest of the way. This showed me the Colts and Peyton Manning get it this year, it's about winning, not putting up 300+ yards passing and losing in January.

(Note: If you watched the game you noticed that Manning had a brief lapse, where he threw the ball 3 times (audibling twice) with 4 minutes to go instead of running the ball. I'm going to let that one slide, but that was a major botch by Manning, and he was told about it on the sideline).

Speaking of which, Michael Vick throws for 300 yards in his best "passing" game, but who cares, they lost. Passing yardage has got to be the most overrated stat in the NFL. It was a key fumble by Vick that doomed him.

If there was any question about the Bears, they were answered yesterday. That defense is awesome and I've said for weeks how hard they play.

Jacksonville's schedule is very easy as we said last week. The AFC's last few playoff spots are going to shaft two of: Jax, SD, KC, Cincy or Pitt. Steelers better get Big Ben healthy. Some great teams, but it looks like NE, Indy, Denver, and winner of Pitt/Cincy division are locks for a spot. Only two left...No the Raiders aren't anywhere near the playoff picture even with a W yesterday.

The NFC picture is a jumbled mess. Dallas is getting hot at the right time, and there's a chance somebody's going to miss the playoffs in the NFC at 10-6 also.

Baseball

I haven't talked about baseball much since the horrible World Series, but the hot stove season is well underway. The Phillies are trying to figure out the Billy Wagner situation before anything else, and I expect that to be settled later this week (50-50 where he goes, IMO).

My biggest shock of the offseason is that the Marlins are dumping everyone in sight as a salary purge again. First off, this is the 3rd time they've done this in the last 10 years or so. They shouldn't have a team if that's going to happen. Next, whoever gets Josh Beckett is getting a fantastic pitcher for the next 10 years. There should be people lining up to get him (currently the Rangers and Red Sox have the lead). I'm just peeved because I know there's no way they'll trade him inside the division.

Drexel Dragons' basketball team is 2-0 and will face Rider tonight, then travel to "The Mecca" on Wednesday to face the # 1 ranked Duke Blue Devils on National TV. The Big 6 is alive and well as is Bruiser Ball. More importantly, Drexel faces Penn on Saturday in a key Big 6 showdown.

NBA - Derreck Sura

- The Sixers (6-5) went 2-2 this week, winning and losing the games exactly like I thought they would. Philadelphia currently holds the 8th seed in the East, which is right where I expect them to be hanging around most of the year. I hate to sound like a broken record, but I still believe that the Sixers' defense is going to have to improve if they want to make the playoffs. Philly is currently 28th in opponents field goal percentage (48.1%). For those of you that I think I over do that stat, this research is just for you. Last season 13 of the 16 playoffs teams were in the top 15 in OPPFG%. Only Sacramento, Washington, and Seattle (all tied for 23rd at 45.9%) were not, but they were 2nd, 6th, and 11th in points scored respectively. If you're a glass half full kind of person, then you have some hope because the Sixers are 2nd overall in points per game (104.6 ppg). As of last Wednesday, Philly was also 3rd in the league in ESPN statistic guru John Hollinger's measure of offensive efficiency (108.68 points per 100 possessions). Another positive on the scoring front is that Allen Iverson (32.5 ppg) and Chris Webber (21 ppg) are the highest scoring duo in the NBA right now. Now comes the reality check, can the Sixers really keep shooting the ball this well (47.1%, 7th overall) as a team? I have my doubts there, but time will tell.
This week brings Philly: New Orleans/Oklahoma City, @Milwaukee, @New York. The Hornets are on a two game winning streak since revamping their starting lineup, so the Sixers better be ready to play tonight. Wednesday's tilt against the Bucks is a revenge game, so Philly should have no problem getting motivated there. All division games are must win's for the Sixers, and the contest against the Knicks on Saturday is no exception. I can actually see Philly going 3-0 this week, but 2-1 is probably more realistic.

- Taking a cue from guest columnist Frank Tang, I'm going to rant on my favorite team for a while. After looking like they might actually be mediocre early on, the Lakers (4-6) have slide back into terrible country. They are lost on offense, but that really doesn't concern me as it takes time for any team to develop a comfort level in the triangle offense. My gripe is that coach Phil Jackson has yet to improve their team defense. Sure Los Angeles' defensive numbers look better, but on the court it's still ugly. If they fall behind, you can forget about seeing any effort on the defensive end. The Lakers' transition defense, non-existent last year, is just as awful this season. GET BACK AND FIND YOUR MEN ALREADY GUYS! It's not a hard concept. And then there's Kobe Bryant. He looked awesome the first week of the season winning Western Conference Player of the Week honors by averaging over 36 points per game and shooting above 50% from the field. A day after winning the award Kobe sprained his right index finger on a dunk in Atlanta, and hasn't been the same since. Now he's the same volume shooter he was last year. Hence LA is the same bad team too.

The latest word on the Lakers is that Kwame Brown will miss two weeks with a moderate sprain of his right hamstring. Fine by me. I'm pretty confident LA can replace the 5.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in 27.8 minutes he puts up a night. Where the Lakers might have trouble is finding someone to take the 3.9 fouls per game Brown does. The real reason I'm not upset about Kwame being out is that 18 year old rookie Andrew Bynum has looked surprisingly solid. By solid I mean that he doesn't get embarrassed when he's out there. Bynum is a decent rebounder, can block some shots, and won't shoot unless he's wide open. I think he's earned some minutes, and have been wondering why Phil wouldn't give him more burn.
Below are the five things I hate most about my boys right now.

5. Sasha Vujacic - 27th pick in 2004 was supposed to be a play maker/ball handler. All I've seen is a 3 point gunner (23.5% from 3) and a guy who's a step slow on defense. GM Mitch Kupchak could have drafted Beno Udrih, David Harrison, Anderson Varejao (the next 3 picks), Chris Duhon, or Trevor Ariza (played at UCLA for cripes sake) instead.

4. Slava Medvedenko - Why he was re-signed in the summer of 2004 still baffles me. He has done nothing in his six years in LA, not surprisingly having his best season (8.3 points & 5.1 rebounds) in his contract year. Now Slava is out six weeks with a herniated disc in his back. Good riddance.

3. Lamar Odom's 3 point shooting - Hey Lamar, you are NOT a 3 point shooter (27.3% from 3), and never have been. Get your ass into the low post and start showing some aggression down there.

2. Kwame Brown's hands - Just plain awful. People blamed the gunners in Washington for him not getting the ball more, now the Lakers' players are thinking twice about passing it to him too. All because he simply can't catch.

1. Full court pressure - Phil, this hasn't worked once yet. Not in the pre-season, nor in the ten games
that count so far. Unless you're purposely trying to get the other team lay-ups, SCRAP THE GIMMICK PRESS D ALREADY! There's a reason teams don't press in the NBA, in case you don't know.

- I'm starting to get a little concerned about the Denver Nuggets (6-5), my pre-season pick to win the Northwest Division. Their record is not horrible, but Nene Hilario is already lost for the year with a blown right knee, and he was the Nugs first big man off the bench. Now starting PF Kenyon Martin has been missing time with a sore left knee that has not fully recovered from the arthroscopic surgery he had this past summer. That is not a good sign so early on in the season. Sure Marcus Camby has been playing well so far, but what happens when he goes down with his inevitable injury? Dutch big man Francisco Elson has yet to step up at all, and I'm not confident he ever will. Not to mention Denver still needs to acquire a decent 3 point threat (last in the NBA in 3 point percentage at 19.1%). On the bright side, coach George Karl has finally started playing "big" free agent signing Earl Watson. Ugh. GM Kiki Vandeweghe is basically a lame duck, and I have to wonder how interested he is in his current job when there are new rumors almost daily about his destination this coming summer. I also have to question if he's really going to get fair offers from other GM's around the league while his status with the Nugs is in limbo. I still think Denver should make the playoffs with what they have, but being an elite team is looking more and more like a long shot.

- One deal that went unnoticed before the season was Houston (3-7) trading Mike James to Toronto (1-9) for Rafer Alston. Since I was not writing for MMM yet, only a select few saw my analysis of this trade at the time. A quick recap, "What was Rockets' Vice President Carroll Dawson thinking?" James is no where near a star, but his 3 point shooting was very instrumental in Houston's late season run last year, and he's a more consistent defender then Alston as well. So why trade Mike for a headache guy in Rafer, when you have the notoriously disciplined Jeff Van Gundy as your coach? It's tough to give Raptors' GM Rob Babcock credit for what he's done to the franchise, but he got this one right, and the numbers bear it out. James is arguably Toronto's second best player right now, and is averaging 17.3 ppg on 50.9% from the field and 40% from 3 in 32.7 minutes. Alston is putting up a measly 7.1 ppg on 32.3% from the field and 28% from 3 in 31.4 minutes. I didn't get it at the time, and still don't get it now.

- More bad news for the Utah Jazz (4-7). It was announced this past week that Andrei Kirilenko's sprained left ankle will keep him out two to four weeks now. It gets worse from there. Carlos Boozer re-injured his left hamstring last Monday, for the second time already (10/31), trying to get in shape before returning to action. Those two better get back in a hurry because Utah has lost five in a row, and is sinking fast. It's a shame really. My one worry about the Jazz was their PG play, but rookie Deron Williams looks like a player. Now with these injuries to their front court it could be another lost season in Utah.

- I have a memo for all foreign born players coming to the NBA from over seas to be role players, "choose your situation wisely." Take for example the cases of Sarunas Jasikevicius and Arvydas Macijauskas. Both of these guys were stars in Europe, and could have easily stayed there and made similar money. Sarunas choose to sign with Indiana (6-3), while Arvydas picked the Hornets (4-5). SJ has appeared in all of the Pacers' games so far and is averaging 17 minutes per game for a title contender. AM has only played in four of New Orleans/Oklahoma City's games (4.3 mpg) and is caught up in the franchise's youth movement. I'm not sure if Sarunas has a better agent the Arvydas or what, but it would behoove guys
that come over to know a little bit about the NBA landscape before making a decision.

*Note: All statistical data does not include Sunday's games.

NHL Week In Review By : Ed Wasser

- Being an author of national prominence I constantly get asked to attend events all over the country. Last Wednesday I was asked to go to the Flyers/Penguins game as a guest of long time MMM subscriber Christina Wichterman in a Comcast Cable luxury suite. Normally I'm not big on events like that because of all the questions I'm forced to answer from my public. "Yes I write my own jokes", and "yes I think the Flyers can win the Stanley Cup", and "just because the kid looks like me doesn't necessarily mean I'm his father". But since I've been sending Comcast cable ridiculous amounts of money every month just so I can watch television I felt Comcast owed me. So I went. I didn't think I could drink enough beer to equal the $10,000 + I've paid to Comcast over the years but dammit I was going to try. First the suite, the party suite at the Wachovia Center is certainly the best way to see a game, if you have the means I highly recommend it. The food was great. Pasta, hot roast beef, sandwich tray, salad, hot turkey, and desserts. There was a bartender who was a little ornery; when the national anthem was starting he yelled at the people in the suite "take off your caps!!!" Geez....how about getting me a beer Uncle Sam? There was a kid in the suite who saw me get a drink and asked me with a "this is way too good to be true" look in his eyes "are the drinks free?" I assured him they were and a massive grin appeared on his young face. But there is a little matter of the game....

- This was the first time I've seen the Flyers in person all year and they looked great, controlling the lion share of the play......for the first two periods. As I was watching the game it seemed that the Flyers chances were all coming from way far out, the were taking TONS of low percentage shots. The Flyers are a team that should be blazing across the blue line, wreaking havoc, and taking their shots from in deep. The dump and chase game is deader then Corey Feldman's acting career. But even with that the Penguins goalie, Marc-Andre Fluery, played great. (PS...Fluery was sent back to the minors the day after his superb performance against the Flyers. Ouch!!) In the third period the Penguins took it to the Flyers and scored two goals in what seemed like a few seconds. But the Flyers roared back and tied the game at two at the end of regulation. Overtime was a back and fourth affair until the Flyers got the puck deep in the Penguins zone, the Flyers defensemen were also in deep when the Flyers turned the puck over to Ryan Malone who passed the puck to Sydney Crosby who was standing (yes, standing) at center ice, miles away from the nearest Flyer, and he buried a break away shot to give the Penguins the 3 -2 win. Obviously that was my first time seeing Sydney Crosby play live and the kid had 2 goals and an assist. By the way, the kid turned 18 years old last August. Given the new rules and the fact that by the time this kid is Sergei Fedorov's age it will be his 18th year in the league I'd say he has a nice chance of breaking a hell of a lot of records.

- I have to make sure to extend a special thanks to Christina Wichterman who made our visit to the luxury box possible. My only regret is that I didn't bring a bigger suitcase so I could steal more sandwiches. I was always curious how far someone would go to get a mention in MMM, now I know. Christina has thrown down the gauntlet, you have to do better then that to earn a mention. The challenge is out there people. Seriously Christina, that was great, thanks.

- On the other end of that spectrum yesterday I attended the Eagles vs. Giants game at Giants Stadium. I won't comment on the game because that's Saurin's job but I'll tell you about the stadium. The place is a complete toilet. And what's worse is that it's a hard to get to and hard to leave toilet. And with Eagles fans mixing with Giants fans it's like a "Perfect Storm" type of convergence of jerks which lead to about 4 fights, at least that I saw. It's like the "Double Deuce" with a football game going on. That might be the last time I go to that crap house.

- Just in case you didn't know the Toronto Maple Leafs are like the New York Yankees in Canada, at least in terms of press coverage. Even when I'm watching games on the ticket from Calgary, Vancouver, or Edmonton they talk about the Leafs a lot of times. That being said, unless coach Pat Quinn raises the Stanley Cup next summer, he's going to be very fired. First of all he's giving more ice time to Eric Lindros then Mats Sundin which is driving Leaf fans insane. And at this point it seems like Quinn is doing it to spite his critics. Then Leaf Jason Allison politely, in private, asked Quinn for some time on the power play. Quinn told the media what Allison had asked him which was seen as a betrayal of trust by the Leaf players. Fortunately for Quinn the Leafs have been winning so the media scrutiny is as bad as it could be but he better win it all if he want to keep his job.

- Bad week for the Flyers. It started with the aforementioned overtime loss to the Penguins followed by a loss to the Thrashers which might have been the worst officiated game I've ever seen. I honestly believe that referee Chris Lee may be quietly suspended by the NHL because of his performance last Friday. Long time MMM subscriber John Miller attended the game and said that people in the crowd were throwing things at Lee. Now if you've read this column in the past you'll know that I rarely write about the officials and trust me, I could. I could probably write a whole piece on NHL officials. I could probably write a book on the NFL's pass interference penalty alone but I just figured it was too boring and it always sounds like sour grapes but last Friday Lee made it impossible to ignore him. The Flyers salvaged the week with a 6 - 3 win against the Penguins last Saturday.

Comments?
saurinmeht@aol.com
dsura@peacehealth.org
ewwasser@hotmail.com

Monday Morning Mehta 11/15/05

Edition # 140
November 15, 2005

******BREAKING NEWS******

Ed Wasser of MMM is reporting that Donovan McNabb is done for the season.

Special Guest Column below...

There's been 4 times in the 140 editions of MMM that I've dreaded writing this column. The previous 3 were after 2 NFC Championship losses and a Super Bowl loss. Today is the fourth. So, I'm going to keep it short this week. I don't feel like writing about the Eagles, as I'm sure you don't feel like reading about them...

Eagles

Eagles blow a 20-7 lead in the final 3 minutes of the game in an absolutely crushing defeat to the Cowboys, 21-20.

Game Negatives:

- Donovan McNabb. Blowing a 20-7 lead falls squarely on the shoulders of the QB, in my opinion. Let's face it, it was the interception that lost this game. If they punt, the defense probably stops the Cowboys.

- Andy Reid. Eagles should have won the game 34-7 last night. I blame that on the coach. All the stupid penalties throughout the game have to fall on someone's shoulders.

- Lito Sheppard. Pro Bowl to Pro Goat. How do you a let a WR get behind you when you're winning 20-7? I'll tell you, you get full of yourself. Eat some humble pie kid, you aren't Chris McCalister yet.

- 2003 all over again. I seriously felt like this was 2002/2003 again, with Todd Pinkston and James Thrash as our WR's. Yes, I officially want T.O. back already.

Game Positives:

- Trent Cole. Maybe we've found this year's Derrick Burgess?

Is the season over? No. But the way they're playing, Super Bowl is completely unrealistic. After 3 straight losses, the Eagles are on the verge of "not winning it in November, but certainly putting themselves out of contention". If McNabb takes a couple games off due to injury, it's over for sure.

How does Jon Runyan get multiple false start calls at home? Next Question....

Are you still going to the Giants game at the Meadowlands this Sunday? Next Question...

Does LJ Smith or Jevon Kearse get hurt every game? Next Question...

Do you think that there are people that still think the Eagles won last night? Next Question...

What play call was dumber, the throw on 2nd down that led to the pick, the draw play early in the game from the 40 on 3rd and 13, or the shovel pass which Dat Nyguen yelled out 3 seconds before the snap? Next Question...
One last thing, today is officially the day Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb go from the golden boys of Philly sports to being on the firing line. Not saying Reid's job is in jeopardy, but neither guy has won a Super Bowl, they shouldn't get too much slack.

Around the League

The Raiders and Kerry Collins showed why they aren't going anywhere. Collins is a turnover machine and is a nice fantasy QB, but you don't want him running your team.

Gutsy aka stupid call by Jon Gruden to go for 2 with 50 seconds left from the 1 yard line.

Best game of Sunday was the windy bowl in Chicago. The quality of play was putrid, but the comedy was awesome.

Can we please stop carving Eli Manning's bust for Canton? Eli has a knack of making plays down the stretch of games, but his inaccuracy is almost comical at times. There's many times Eli misses his target by 10 feet.

Watch out for Jacksonville in the 2nd half. They play their next 3 games on the road vs. weak opponents, if they can go 2-1 in that stretch, they're a lock for the playoffs.

NBA - Derreck Sura

- The Sixers (4-3) went 3-0 this week and rode a 4 game winning streak to the top of the Atlantic Division (which translates to the third seed in the East). They caught a break on Wednesday when Dirk Nowitzki only played 17 minutes after straining his back in the second quarter. On Friday Philly took care of a mediocre Laker team, which is nothing to get overly excited about. Then on Sunday they handled a Clipper team that had been playing pretty well. Although the Clippers really have not played anyone yet, but they are still the only club that has beaten Washington (5-1). Before I get accused of bashing Philly, let me explain myself. Like Ftaok says in the comments section, "a win is a win", and I agree with that 100%. Yet just like it was too early to abandon ship last week, it's still a little premature to be singing their praises from the roof tops. I will say that it's an encouraging sign that the Sixers are beating teams around their same level at home.

I blast GM Billy King a lot, so I have to give him credit when does something smart. Trading Marc Jackson and cash for essentially Steven Hunter and a 2006 second round pick was a quality move. Where would Philly be right now without Hunter to fill in for Samuel Dalembert in the middle? Sam D averaged 8.2 points on 52.4% shooting, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.68 blocks in 24.8 minutes last season. Hunter is playing 27.7 minutes and scoring 9.1 points on 65.1% shooting, while grabbing 4 rebounds and blocking 1.71 shot a night. Obviously Stevie H needs to improve his rebounding numbers, but the rest is pretty similar, if not better then Sam D's production, and comes much cheaper taboot.

Last week I dropped some awful numbers associated with the Sixers. Well I'm glad to report that they have improved in every category, if only slightly. Philly went from 30th in points allowed to tied for 27th (104.3 ppg). They were also dead last in team rebounds per game, and have upped that to 27th (37.4 rpg). The Sixers are now 24th in both rebound differential (-5.4 rpg) and total rebounding percentage (46.6%), up from 28th and 29th respectively. One thing to still worry about is opponents field goal percentage though, where they only moved from 29th to 28th (50.5% to 47.7%). Coach Maurice Cheeks must get his team to play better defense as the season rolls along.

Philly has Toronto & @Toronto (back to back) and @Miami & Cleveland (b2b) this week. Coming away from that 2-2 would be fine.

Sixers' side note: Andre Iguodala did a great job defending Kobe Bryant, holding him to 7-27 from the field. However, I have to wonder how AI2 can log 47 minutes, 41 of which were spent guarding Kobe, and have ZERO fouls at game's end? I thought this was the NBA.....

- After only two weeks it's still too early to draw concrete conclusions on any team, but these three teams have been especially awful so far.

Seattle (2-4) - Besides Toronto, no team plays with less passion then the Sonics. Before beating the hapless Raptors on Sunday afternoon, Seattle had lost their three previous games by a combined total of 93 points. Included in that was their 41 point drubbing at the hands of the Wizards. The Sonics let Washington shoot 58.5% from the field and 47.1% from behind the 3 point arc, not to mention the Wiz ending up with seven players scoring in double figures. Obviously defense is optional for Seattle. The Sonics are last in points allowed (111.2 ppg), scoring differential (-15.2 ppg), and opponents field goal percentage (50.3%). Their problem is that they miss former coach Nate McMillan's leadership, intensity, and attention to detail. New coach Bob Weiss appears lost, and is already losing control of the team. It looks like it's going to be a long year all around in the Pacific Northwest.

New York (2-5) - Believe it or not, I expected a pretty slow start for the Knicks. Now maybe not this bad, but coach Larry Brown loves to tinker and play mind games with his new teams, and his latest stop in NY has been no exception. The players are already questioning their roles and President Isiah Thomas has been burning up the phone lines making just about the entire roster (not an exaggeration) available for the right price. Yes, they've only played seven games, but I read a new rumor about a different Knicks' player almost daily (I'm not kidding). When you combine those two factors (mind games & constant trade rumors), it can't make for a happy locker room. Never the less, I'm still confident that NY will improve eventually and "get" what LB wants them to do. My worry is that they are in danger of falling too far behind here early on. Mainly because they don't have the firepower to make up ten games or more in the loss column for 8th place.

Sacramento (2-5) - My pre-season pick to win the Pacific Division have looked like strangers on the court together. Their starting five, which I thought looked so good on paper, has absolutely no chemistry in game situations. To make matters worse, for some reason unknown to me, coach Rick Adelman has refrained from using his bench more. Granted their bench is not super talented, but the Kings have a lot of solid NBA players sitting around wondering where their minutes are. The two main culprits behind Sacto's slow start are Mike Bibby and Peja Stojakovic, who have not been able to throw in the ocean. Bibby's field goal percentage is down from 44.3% last season to 37% now, and Peja's 3 point shooting has dropped from 46.9% to 40.2%. To make matters worse, Peja's shot selection has left a lot to be desired as well. If the Kings don't get their act together soon, lame duck Adelman will be the first coach fired this year.

- I'd be remiss if I didn't mention some good things that I've seen so far in this young season, but I'm not going to go overboard anyone yet.

Detroit (6-0) - The Pistons are the only undefeated team left in the NBA, and have looked very good up to this point. The addition of swingman Maurice Evans, to go along with Antonio McDyess and Carlos Arroyo, has solidified their bench. Their starters still play the team concept and compliment each other's strengths and weaknesses to a tee. The main difference in Motown though is coach Flip Saunders' new offensive scheme, which has the players enjoying themselves much more overall. Last year the Pistons averaged 93.3 points a game on 44.4% shooting. This season their scoring is up (100.7 ppg) as well as their shooting (48.6%). Detroit's defense has remained relatively the same though. Last year they gave up 89.5 ppg on 43% shooting, as opposed to 87.7 ppg on 44.6% shooting this season. One thing that has not changed with the Pistons though is their propensity to coast during games, and I don't expect it will any time soon.

Elton Brand - Is there a star player that goes about playing the game in a more business like manner then EB? His quiet nature has made him the most under appreciated star (not superstar) player in the NBA today. He has led the Clippers to a 5-2 start while scoring 23.7 ppg (career best & 9th in the NBA) on 61% shooting (career best and 5th overall). It doesn't stop there, EB is also pulling down 9.3 rpg while blocking 2.4 shots a game (5th overall). All this for an undersized (6'8) PF with minimal athleticism. I'd like to see him take the next step in his development by becoming a more vocal leader and demanding the ball at crunch time. I know it's not his style, but he and his team will benefit greatly if he can bring himself to be a little less unselfish.

Tony Parker - Through San Antonio's first seven games TP has really stepped up his scoring. He leads the Spurs (5-2) with 22.7 ppg on 57.4% shooting. Compare that to last year's 16.6 ppg on 48.2% shooting. The thing is, he's doing it in only .2 more minutes a game. In fairness, his new found shooting touch has increased his turnovers per game from 2.7 topg to 3.9 topg, and his assists have gone down .2 per game as well. Looking past the numbers, TP's leadership and decision making when the game is on the line have noticeably improved also. Time will tell if TP can really keep this up, but I'm thinking GM R.C. Buford and coach Gregg Popovich are kicking themselves for not bringing in competition for TP earlier in his career.

- On the injury front this week Utah's Andrei Kirilenko is expected to miss one to two weeks with a sprained left ankle. The Jazz (4-4) can not buy a break. PF Carlos Boozer still has at least a week before he returns from his strained left hamstring, and now AK-47 goes down early in the season again. I still think Utah could have one of the best starting front lines in the league, that is if all three could ever get healthy at the same time. Especially since C Mehmet Okur is off to a career best start in minutes (36.1 mpg), points (22.6 ppg), rebounds (10 rpg), field goal (53.9%) and 3 point percentage (45%).
Another player off to a career best start is the Charlotte Bobcats' (2-5) Gerald Wallace. After a summer of somewhat contentious contract negotiations with GM/coach Bernie Bickerstaff, Wallace was scoring 16.2 ppg (leads team) and shooting 56.6% from the field in 32.4 minutes per game. Not to mention putting up 6.2 rebounds per game, 2.8 steals per game (leads team), and 2.2 assists per game (all career best averages). Now Gerald will miss at least a week with a chip fracture in his right wrist. To me, that injury seems like he'd be out way more then a week, but I'm not a doctor. I only play one in MMM.

*Note: All statistical data does not include Monday's games.

NHL Week in Review By : Ed Wasser

- Quick note on the controversy regarding the two Carolina Panthers cheerleaders who were recently fired for....well, you know. I was always curious why girls in bars always went to the bathroom in pairs. I guess now I know. On we go....

- Speaking of girls I'd like to make Mrs. Wasser, if you go to www.nhl.com you'll find a bunch of hockey blogs. One of the blogs is written by actress Elisha Cuthbert, the girl who's birth certificate says "To Ed, Love God". In the one blog Elisha talks about loving hockey, buying LA Kings season tickets, and while at the games eating hot dogs and drinking beer. These are a few of my fa-VOR-ite things. Shut up Elisha, just shut up....you had me at beer. (Wiping away tears) You had me at beer.

- In the month of October Washington Capitals rookie Alexander Ovechekin scored 8 goals, leading all NHL rookies, and is single handedly trying in desperation to make the Capitals a respectable team. Ovechkin is pretty much the only player in Washington that wouldn't make NHL fans break into violent vomiting fits after watching him play for 10 minutes. So obviously, "Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the NHL Rookie Of The Month Award for October 2005 is......SIDNEY CROSBY!!!!" Huh?!?! That's Sidney Crosby and his 2 goals in October. Gotta hand it to the kid....Crosby knows how to create a buzz. The NHL probably had Crosby's name engraved on the award back in June. To his credit Ovechkin was asked who he thought should have won the award. Sensing he was being set up Ovechkin said (Calgary Flame) "Dion Phaneuf".

- Now that the NHL has their act together with the on ice rules only one more adjustment needs to be made....winner take all. This is the only team sport that gives a reward for losing. If you make it to overtime in basketball or football or extra innings in baseball you don't get any extra consideration just for making it to overtime. Giving a point to a team just for making it to overtime is silly. The NHL should eliminate the point system and just have wins and losses with no consideration of when you lost the game. You think the overtimes and shoot outs are intense now? Wait until you see if it's winner take all.

- Hey TO!! Why don't you ask Latrell Spreewell how being a loud mouth, malcontent worked out for him? You can find Latrell either in the unemployment line or at his agent's office desperately telling him that he'll play for the Bobcats for the league minimum and he would be willing to carry towels if need be. That guy bitched, moaned, and choked his way out of a career and millions of dollars. And I'm sure all of Spreewell's crap seemed like a fabulous idea to him at the time, ask him about it now.

- So I'm reading about the NHL's problems with the Outdoor Life Network, Dish Network, Comcast, and Cablevision. Basically Comcast owns OLN, Cablevision and Dish Network wanted to charge customers an additional $4.95 a month to get OLN because of the newly added hockey. Comcast got pissed because they believed it was unfair to customers, which it is, so they blacked out NHL games on Cablevision markets which, by the way, is about 90% of New York City. So Dish Network and Cablevision retaliated by completely pulling OLN from their subscriber channels. In short, it's a debacle that would have never happened if the NHL had just stuck with ESPN. So me, being as sharp as a cue ball, finally realized something.....the Flyers are owned by Comcast and the Rangers are owned by Cablevision. So it's impossible for them to work this out on every level. And where the hell is the commissioner on this? Basically the Hockey News said there's contractual issues so Bettman has to watch his step. Bettmen implied on NHL.com that it's really a beef between three companies, none of which are named NHL, so it's none of his business. Huh? I don't believe it, I think Bettmen's intimidated. You think this would ever happen to any other sport? You think David Stern would let this happen? Or even Bud Selig? And forget Paul Tagliabue....I think Congress has ruled that he is legally allowed to assassinate anyone that stands in the way of the NFL. If Taglibue wanted to bulldoze Mt. Rushmore and build a stadium on top of the site Congress would say "is Tuesday OK for you?"

- By the way.....did anyone else who saw Terrell Owens on "Punk'd" this week think that would be a great way to get him back on the field? Hire Ashton Kutcher and a camera crew to storm the practice field and tell Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb "YOU GOT PUNK'D!!" Terrell comes out in full uniform, puts his arm around Andy and says "a 9 month Punking!! The longest one ever!! So guys, let's practice". It's similar to the "Seinfeld" episode when George quit his job on a Friday, totally regretted it, and just showed up on Monday morning pretending like nothing happened.

- Here's a funny thing I've noticed when I'm watching Penguins games. The announcers, especially the Canadian ones, constantly refer to Mario Lemieux in terms like these...."Lemieux is excited about the play of so and so". Or "Lemieux needs a more consistent effort from so and so". It's like you want to tap on the announcer's shoulders and say "ahhh guys, the coach of the team is Eddie Olczyk and the general manager is Craig Patrick...not Mario Lemieux". But the more I watch the team the more I realize that Lemieux is the leader of that team on and off the ice. Just watch them play, they have ZERO defensive accountability, just like the way Mario plays. Don't get me wrong, it's as exciting as hell to watch. I fully expect one day to be reading the scores scroll on the bottom of ESPN II and I'm going to think I'm looking at a Steelers score. Pittsburgh...17, Tampa Bay...14. Ultimately that style of play will kill them though.

- Line of the week - From the .50 Cent video game "Bulletproof"..."You eva have one of dose days were everything starts out awe-ite but ends up wit bullets flying everywhere?" Who hasn't?

- Quick notes from around the NHL.....the one player that has benefited the most from the new rules is Jaromir Jagr. The guy has been dominant. And I mean DOMINANT. First of all he's impossible to knock off the puck so when he's in the offensive zone the whole game stops like a construction site when a hot girl walks by. And he's the most patient player in the NHL. He'll skate into the offensive zone with the puck and wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And, like it's written in a script, the defenseman covering him will think A.) I better close in on him, which opens up somebody, and that's when Jagr passes the puck to the open man for a shot or B.) the defenseman will think that Jagr knows something that he doesn't and will peel off Jagr looking for the open man and that's when Jagr fires a shot. The guy is a magician.....remember about 8 years ago when the Flyers could have had Mats Sundin for Eric Lindros straight up? Well trust me it happened. One of the reasons Bobby Clarke didn't do it was because of his belief that European players weren't tough enough for the NHL. This week Sundin is back playing for the Leafs, wearing a visor only, with fractured bones in his face. Lindros on the other hand signed with the Maple Leafs to be closer to his mother.....I don't wanna say that Harry Neale and Joe Bowen (the announcers for Hockey Night in Canada) are Canada-centric but when they announce the referees they tell the fans their Canadian home towns. "The referee tonight is Bill McCreary, FROM GUELPH, ONTARIO!!!".....Wanna know what I'm good on? The Eagles Pep Band. If you don't know who they are they consist of two guys and a reject from an Oak Ridge Boys tribute band that go around singing "Fly Eagles Fly" with more glee and enthusiasm then I had when I learned that "Busty Cops" came out on DVD. God they're annoying!! And I hear they're available to play parties. So they come out and play "Fly Eagles Fly" and then what? Is there a dance remix I don't know about about? That band is like tequila, it's good in small doses but repeated exposure can make you sick.....Brendan Shanahan told "The Hockey News" that in the new NHL when he gets off the ice after a shift he's really winded, the way he used to be when he played junior hockey which always tends to have a north/south style. It got me thinking (I know that's dangerous) how some of the older teams will handle this Go Speed Racer Go pace all year long. Including pre-season and playoffs it's like running 100 marathons in 9 months. We shall see.....The Blues have 2 wins so far. To Blues head coach Mike Kitchen, I know you have ownership issues and all but whatever the preseason plan was for the Blues just scrap it because you guys are terrible. And if there is no plan B then just remember that you can save as much as 25% when booking a vacation 90 days in advance or better.

- A decent week for the Flyers. They had a 3 - 2 win against the Islanders, a nice come from behind, overtime, 4 - 3 win against the Bruins that featured Joni Pitkanen scoring the tying goal and the OT winner, and an incredible win against the Panthers in which Mike Knuble scored with 3 and change seconds left in the game. But yesterday the Flyers had a lazy effort against the Lightning, losing 5 - 2. I was watching as much of the Flyers game as I could after the Eagles game started but I felt like I was the only person in the Delaware Valley watching the Flyers, like the Flyers' announcers could have just start yelling out the F word and nobody would have noticed. Anyway, the Flyers are playing well, including goalie Robert Esche who I thought would struggle, and far be it from me to tinkle on their parade, but they have a problem that I believe could eventually bite them in the arse. It's their defensive speed, especially now that Desjardins is injured. Mike Rathje and Derian Hatcher are big, physical players but they lack skating speed. And Chris Therien...forget him, that guy is a turtle. As time goes on and teams start falling out of contention I think getting a speedy defensemen will be the Flyers number one priority. Think Alexei Zhitnik, Janne Niinimaa, or Teppo (Hello) Numminen.

- From the world of Bada Boom Racing.....Clemente ran last Tuesday, 7th post position, 6.5 furlong race with Rodrigo Madrigal Jr. in command. This was the first time Clemente has raced on the dirt in about 6 months, all the other races were on the grass. Prior to the race there was somewhat of a let down, the number one horse at Philadelphia Park (Senor Cielo Two) was scheduled to run but was scratched a few hours before the race. It would have been cool to see if Clemente could have beaten him. Senor Cielo Two's trainer claimed that he was injured but I honestly believe that since there are a few horses gaining on SCT for the Horse Of The Year Award at Philly Park (given out the horse with the most wins for the year) they want to put him in easier races to ensure he wins and gets the award. Don't ask, it's an ego thing. At any rate Clemente broke out of the gate really well and was in first place for the first few furlongs but Rodrigo, as he was instructed, pulled him back for fear that he would prematurely run out of gas. In retrospect Rod should have let him run and took his chances; breaking out fast, slowing him down, and then trying to refire the engines was probably more tiring for Clemente. He finished 4th. At first it looked like a bad fourth because Rod might have been able to get third with a harder ride but he stood up in the irons with about 30 yards to go. Rod said he could really feel Clemente tiring badly and he thought it would be best to pull him up. That was cool of Rod, third place would have meant a few more dollars for everyone but you have to think long term. An injured horse doesn't do anybody any good. Speaking of that our other horse, Second Story Man, was scheduled to run today in the 9th race but we had to scratch him because of what's called a "cracked quarter" which is like a cyst right behind his back hoof that needs to be removed. Cracked quarter is a name that makes it sound a lot worse then it really is, it only takes 3 days to heal. That's the bad part of the horse business, they still eat and cost money when they don't run. He should run again in a few weeks.

Special Guest Column - Frank Tang, out of the comments section and into the limelight...

OK,

I'm back and I've completed my expose. I have to warn you, when I started, I was more ambitious. As the week progressed, I lost interest and now, we got what we got.

Here's the premise. Andy Reid and the Eagles Management have preached that the players are interchangeable. When one goes down, you plug another one in and never miss a beat. They feel that if someone asks for more money or steps out of line, they cut ties and pop in a new player. Well, this is the case for every player except McNabb.

Good theory, but does it work? Well, let me tell you. After exhaustive research into the archive that is known as Yahoo!, I think the stance that the Eagles have taken is not founded on anything but HOT AIR!
Here are the facts. Since the Eagles have become a good team (aka 2001), the Eagles have compiled the best record in the NFL. The team is very eager to let you know that. However, when you go inside the numbers, you realize that sometimes, numbers lie. Since 2001, the Eagles have a record of 52-21. That's a lofty 71%, and that includes last night's debacle.

Now, back to my point. If the players (except McNabb) are as interchangeable as the Eagles say, then it stands to reason that the team's record would be the same, with or without the individual player. I surmise that the Eagles three most important players are McNabb, Westbrook, and Owens. So let's breakdown the overall winning percentages for each of these players.
Westbrook - We all know what Westbrook means to this offense. And the Eagles finally realized it as well when they gave him a contract extension. So let's see if Westbrook's importance is real or imagined. Since 2002, the Eagles have gone 38-13 (75%) with Westbrook in the game and 2-4 (33%) without. That tells me that Eagles are much better with Westbrook than without. No brainer, right? So let's give the Eagles credit for recognizing that Westbrook is an important part of their team and not as interchangeable as they want to think.

McNabb - The QB is the most important part of a football team. This is the axiom that has been taught at the NFL Temple since the beginning of time. The Eagles have invested $$$$$$$$$$millions on McNabb, thus sending the message that McNabb is the one player that is not interchangeable (and honestly, with guys like Feely, Detmer, McMahon, Blake, who could blame them). But, when you dig into the numbers, you might think differently. Since 2001, the Eagles are 46-19 (71%) with McNabb and 5-3 (63%) without. Sure, they're better with him, but they're not bad without. Hmmmm. Maybe guys like Detmer and Feely aren't as bad as we think. Have we been fed a line by the Eagles brass?

Owens - Terrell Owens has been an important part of this Eagle team since they got him. It started out with a fiasco involving the 49ers, the Ravens, the NFL, and his former agent. It would only get crazier from there. So, we all know how the T.O. - Eagles experiment ended up, but what happened in between. Well, what happened was that the Eagles offense went bonkers and together, they compiled an NFC best 13-3 record on their way to the Super Bowl. However, something else happened along the way. T.O. broke his leg and many thought the Eagles season was over. The consensus among the fans was that T.O. was irreplaceable. Here's how the numbers break out. With Owens, the Eagles are 17-4 (81%). Without him ..... the Eagles are 0-4 (0%) ..... wtf?!?!?!?!?! The Eagles have yet to win a game without T.O. How could this be?

Well, the numbers don't lie. Some players are irreplaceable and some are not. It's just that the Eagles have been telling us the wrong ones.

-----------------------------------------------------

Onto my weekly rant against the NFL's grudge against the Raiders.

Isn't it funny how the Raiders are always scheduled to play the Broncos (probably their fiercest rival) in Denver when it's snowing. I remember a game in the 90's where the Raiders beat the Broncos in Mile High with the snow falling and the wind blowing. The winning play was a 59 yard field goal by the great Jeff Jaeger. Great times.

Anyways, it seems a little unfair that the Raiders always play in Denver when the weather's bad, thus giving Denver a bigger home field advantage. Just once, I'd like to see the Oakland at Denver game played in September. Rhetorical question: is it the NFL schedulers number one objective to screw the Raiders? Why all the hostility against the Silver and Black?
OK, so I dove into the numbers and here's what I found.

Since 1995 (why 1995? Because that's all Yahoo! had), the Raiders have played in Denver 11 times (that includes this year's yet unplayed game). Of those 11 times, there has been only one played in September. YES! One lousy September game. Well, how about October? The weather is still nice in Denver in October. OK, I'm glad you asked. Since 1995, the Raiders have played only one game in Denver in October. WTF?!?!?!?!? So that leaves nine other games to be played in the horrible, blustery weather of Denver during the months of Novemeber and December. This reeks of Tagliabue's manipulation. For the record, there have been 6 November and 3 December games in Denver.

Here's a bonus: Since 2001, the Broncos have had 5 bye weeks. One for each season. Now, the Broncos play 13 teams a year. What are the odds that the Broncos will have Oakland scheduled the week after a bye? I'm no mathmetician, but 1 in 13 sounds right. How about 3 in 5. YES! That's right, the Broncos have played the Raiders the week after a bye 3 times in the last 5 years. CRAZY!

And people think I'm crazy when I rant about the NFL's vendetta against Oakland.

Message to Tagliabue: TUCK YOU!

Comments:
saurinmeht@aol.com
dsura@peacehealth.org
ewwasser@hotmail.com
ftaok1@gmail.com

Monday Morning Mehta 11/7/05

Edition # 139
November 7, 2005

NEXT MMM: TUESDAY NOVEMBER 15TH

Eagles/NFL

After a 17-10 loss at Washington and the Terrell Owens situation only worsening, all I can say is this; It's OK to start to panic now...

Game Negatives:

- Front Four. Mark Brunell is a statue. Get to him and he'll cough up the ball or throw a pick. The Eagles got to him twice but there were too many times where Brunell had all kinds of time to find Santana Moss open somewhere. Like I said last week, I've come to the conclusion this is just not that good of a front four.

- Offensive Line. If I've already come to the conclusion that the D-Line isn't good, if the O-line isn't good, that means we're getting slaughtered in the trenches and you're not going anywhere if that's the case. Not giving up here just yet though, O-line's can gel as the season progresses.

- End of 1st half debacle. An easy 3 points were staring the Eagles right in the face. Yet McNabb decided that was the time he wanted to pull a Dan Marino and pull a fake spike. Problem is, he didn't tell anyone else. Total debacles in the final seconds of a half are becoming Eagles staples. That's coaching and the QB.

- 4 downs, no runs. With 1st and 10 from the 13 yard line, more so 2nd and 4 from the 7 yard line under the two minute warning

- Donovan McNabb. He had a decent enough game, but after the game he went onto say this: "It's tough to lose a guy of his (Owens) caliber, but I think we might be better off without him. Tonight we showed we can play well as a team." First of all, Donny, look at the scoreboard, you showed nada. Secondly, isn't that pretty much exactly what Owens said about you?? McNabb has shown zero leadership skills throughout this whole process.

Game Positives:

- Reggie Brown. Not bad at all. Nothing to go crazy over but looks like he can be a very nice # 2.

Overall, it seems like this team is completely lacking in any purpose. Meaning, they don't have an identity. What is it that we do better than the other guy, and just smash that over and over again. A serious thumping of Dallas on National TV without T.O. is badly needed for the team, the fans and the rest of the NFC.

I completely admit I didn't think the Eagles were this bad. The play has to improve a lot if they're to still make the playoffs.

I really don't know what to say about the whole Hugh Douglas/T.O. fight other than I wish it was a player on the team that had some guts to do whatever Douglas did.

Does L.J. Smith or Jevon Kearse get hurt in every game?

Seriously, I didn't just see Reid take Westbrook out on the final two plays, did I?? I'm glad we signed him long term so that we could play Josh Parry and Lamar Gordon in the clutch.

Our CB's and DB's stink at jump balls.

Around the NFL

Some serious yawners around the league yesterday, but a couple of points.
Carolina is awesome and they're the team to beat in the NFC. Julius Peppers is a maniac. Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith are awesome together. This team is no joke and is probably my half way point team to win it all, they're better than Indy.

What a semi stupid gutsy call by Dick Vermeil to go for the TD with 5 seconds left and no timeouts on the 1 yard line. Larry Johnson will put up some fierce numbers with Priest Holmes out.

I better mention Penn St before Philly Phaf sends negative feedback. PSU is now one win away (vs. MSU) from a BCS game birth and what could be a great match up vs. Alabama. This team is one second away from being unbeaten.

Carson Palmer is great, but there isn't a team in football that I can't stand more than the Ravens. Unmatchable.

The Game of the Year to date in the NFL tonight, as the Patriots host the Colts. Peyton Manning puts his 2-10 record vs. the Patriots and 0-7 in Foxboro on the line in what is always an interesting game. If the Colts win, they'll probably waltz to home field advantage and a Super Bowl berth.

NBA - Derreck Sura

- On October 26th the Milwaukee Bucks sent Desmond Mason, a 2006 first round pick with no restrictions on it, and cash to the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets for Jamaal Magloire. Before I get to my point, I'll address the NO/OKC end of this deal. What was rookie GM Jeff Bower thinking? He traded easily one of the ten best C's in the game for a dime a dozen swingman and a first round pick? Not like the Hornets were going anywhere with Magloire, but they could have done much better then a former Oklahoma State Cowboy. Supposedly Golden State Vice President Chris Mullin offered a first round pick and Troy Murphy, a much better deal in my opinion. Memphis President Jerry West was also rumored to be in the mix, and surely had a better offer on the table then the one Bower accepted.

Now to my point. Some of you out there may not like it, but this trade (made a FULL week before the season started) changes my pre-season predictions in the East. I had NO/OKC last in the West, and there they will stay, but Milwaukee improved themselves with the addition of the "Big Cat". Below are direct quotes from my Eastern Conference preview on the Bucks.

"Milwaukee - I really like the makeup of this team, and was tempted to put them in the playoffs, but a few things stopped me. First, I'm not a big fan of new coach Terry Stotts. Next, they lack quality front court depth. Mainly though, I can't see all 5 teams from any division making the playoffs in the same year."

Well Terry Stotts is still their coach, but their front court is now very deep with big men. Adding Magloire to rookie Andrew Bogut and role player Dan Gadzuric is a serious improvement, and when Joe Smith returns from his sore left knee, the Bucks are only going to keep getting better. I still don't think all five teams from one division can make the playoffs in the same year, so I'm removing the Chicago Bulls from my original predictions. An excerpt from my Chicago preview follows.

Commenting on the Eddy Curry trade. "The one down side for the Bulls is that they are a little small up front now."

Milwaukee got bigger, so I'm switching Chicago out, and the Bucks in. The rest stayed the same more or less (moved Orlando from 10th to 11th).

"Official" post trade Eastern Conference pre-season predictions

1. Pacers
2. Heat
3. Nets
4. Pistons
5. Cavaliers
6. Wizards
7. Bucks
8. Knicks
9. 76ers
10. Bulls
11. Magic
12. Celtics
13. Bobcats
14. Raptors
15. Hawks

Before anyone goes crazy in the "comments" section, Milwaukee's 3-0 start could very easily turn out to be fool's gold.

- Philadelphia started the season off a brutal 0-3, only to hang on and salvage a win in Indiana to go 1-3 for the week. I missed the season opener (stuck in an airport) and the win at Conseco Fieldhouse (napping). Spark and Source both told me the opener was a terrible loss, and I respect their opinions on the Sixers. I wanted to watch the Pacers' game, but the cocktails I had for the California - Oregon game would not let me. The games that I did see in between were awful no effort or enthusiasm contests. It's still way too early to give up hope on this team's season, but there are some very disturbing statistics attached to Philly right now. Keep in mind, there are only 30 teams in the NBA. The Sixers are 30th in points allowed per game (111 ppg) and rebounds per game (34.5 rpg). They are 29th in opponents filed goal percentage (50.5% !!! ) and total rebounding percentage (42.9%). Lastly, Philly is tied for 28th in rebound differential (-11.3 rpg). While some of that can be attributed to Samuel Dalembert missing time with a strained right quadriceps, those numbers are flat out atrocious. The Sixers are off until Wednesday, and hopefully coach Maurice Cheeks will use that time to address his team's utter inability to stop anybody. This week brings Dallas, the Lakers, and the Clippers to Philly. One win would be good, two would be great.

- On opening night the Denver Nuggets (1-3) lost back up big man Nene Hilario for the rest of the season when he blew his right knee to shreds. Nene's injuries include a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus, to go along with a sprained medial collateral ligament. Ouch! This effects the Nuggets on two levels. First is replacing his production in the lineup. This burden falls to Eduardo Najera and Francisco Elson. While Najera is a proven entity (energy guy with a nice shooting touch) Elson has yet to really establish that he belongs. Cisco has about the same physical size and athletic ability as Nene, but Elson has far less skill on offense, and I'm not a big fan Nene's offensive game either if that tells you anything. The bigger picture for Denver is that GM Kiki Vandeweghe just lost his most valuable trade commodity. When Kiki chose to let Nene become a restricted free agent by not extending his contract this summer, that was a sure sign that a trade was in the works. Then after Earl Watson was signed as a third PG, that sealed the deal. It's going to be very tough to package Andre Miller and Nene for a top flight SG now, but it could still happen. One thing is for sure though, if the Nuggets want to be an elite team in the NBA, they need to upgrade their SG situation.

- The Miami Heat (1-2) lost Shaquille O'Neal in second game of the season for two to four weeks with a sprained right ankle. The injury happened early enough in the season that Miami should be fine in the long run. The Heat have the depth at the C position with Alonzo Mourning and Michael Doleac to maintain for however long it takes Shaq to get back. However, this could wind up being enough to keep Miami from getting the best record in the East or overall. There's no guarantee that Shaq will back in four weeks because he's a notoriously slow healer. Even if he is back quickly, it's going to take him a few more weeks to get back up to playing speed. If I'm Heat management, I'd be very careful not to rush the Diesel back
until I'm sure there's very little chance for re-injury.

- Tracy McGrady will be sidelined for up to three weeks with back spasms. Again, as long as this injury does not turn into a recurring thing (very possible when backs are involved), it happened early enough in the season that Houston's long term prospects should be about the same. Winning the Southwest Division over San Antonio is probably out of the question now, but the Rockets (1-1) could still easily finish with the second best record in the West. I'll be looking for Yao Ming to assert control over the team while T-Mac is out. Yao is now 25 years old and in his fourth season. He also had the summer off for the first time since he was drafted #1 in 2002. It's time to step up buddy. To throw in a Rob Schneider pop culture reference, "You can do it!"

- It's good to see that Baron Davis wasted no time not stretching himself out properly before games by straining his left hamstring in Golden State's opening game of the season. He was back for Sunday's matinee win over the Knicks, but he "tried not to push off too hard on it." Ugh. The Warriors' (2-1) players, coaching staff, and fan base all know that B Diddy is the key to their success this season. They clearly are not the same team without him. He is their vocal leader on and off the floor, the catalyst for their fast break, and their go to guy in the clutch. What is with this guy and Sam Cassell? I thought pre-game warm-ups were for stretching? For cripes sakes Baron, just stretch out already, it's really not that hard, I promise.

- Grant Hill is expected to be back for the Orlando Magic (0-3) by mid-December after successful surgery for a sports hernia. I wish I had something good to say about that, but I don't. Hedo Turkoglu is a nice player, but he does not have anywhere near the all around game that Hill does. Frankly, without Hill the Magic are not a good team. They miss his play making, ball handling, rebounding, defense, and overall unselfishness from the SF position. Unfortunately for Orlando fans, I think being without Grant for three to six weeks pretty much kills any playoff hopes they may have had.

NHL Week in Review By : Ed Wasser

- Few impressions of Denver.....first of all it's one of the hottest cities I've ever been to. (Hot?) Yes hot. Every building had the heat on, even the plane was a flying sweat box. I'm assuming it's because the calendar said it was late October and people think they should have the heat on even though the thermometer says 70 degrees.....in terms of a sporting pecking order a guy told me the Broncos were far and away the number one team, followed by the Avalanche. He said that before the Nuggets got Carmelo Anthony it was like they didn't exist. And the Rockies are off in the distance. I have a feeling the Rockies are like the Phillies, people want to love them but they make it impossible.....our tickets for the Eagles/Broncos game were in the 31st row of the upper section. Every time we had to go to the bathroom or to get a beer the Sir Edmund Hillary-esque trek back to the seats, combined with no oxygen, combined with 30 + years of neglect in regards to working out would leave you so out of breath that you seriously were wondering if you were on the verge of seeing a Jimi Hendrix concert next week. But it wasn't just me, all around us we would see guys gasping for air like the goldfish at the end of the Epic by Faith No More video......little trick I learned from Saurin. When faced with a full crowd scene at the men's room, simply enter through the exit and just blend into the closest line. Trust me, you won't miss a play.

- From the department of "Now There's Something You Don't See Everyday", a few hours after arriving in Denver Saurin and I saw a fall down drunk, Asian midget picking a fight with a bouncer at a club.

- OK...the Avalanche game. First of all the Pepsi Center is amazing. They have two full size restaurants, tons of consessions everywhere you look, plus vendors walking through the stands. Even if you wanted to attend a game and not eat or drink something resistence would be futile. It just seemed to me to be what the Wachovia Center should have been from the start. I didn't like the fact that only people sitting in the lower bowl are allowed to watch the pre-game skate around, I was forced to Jedi mind trick the security card so I could watch practice ("You don't need to see my ticket". "I don't need to see your ticket". "I can go down to the glass". "You can go down to the glass".) The game itself was a good one. It was game 2 of Todd Bertuzzi's return to Colorado after his attempted murder of Steve Moore and the fans didn't miss a beat in terms of booing him every time he had the puck. Unfortunately Bertuzzi did have one assist but he was on the ice when Lanche forward Ian Laperriere scored the game winning goal in overtime. Lanche won the game 4-3.

- One of the lesser known new NHL rules help cost the Minnesota Wild a game against the Calgary Flames last Tuesday. The puck was in the neutral zone when Wild defenseman Andrei Zyuzin's skate blade became dislodged and he went to the bench for repairs. The Flames skate into the Wild offensive zone and before they can send out a replacement for Zyuzin the Wild ice the puck to avoid a shorthanded situation. Only one problem, the new rules say that a team that ices the puck is not allowed to change players so the Wild are stuck with only four players on the ice for the next face off. Plus Alexandre Daigle, a guy with zero defensive prowess, has to take the face off for the Wild. Long story short....Daigle loses the face off, the Flames score to make the score 1 - 0 and go on to win the game 3 - 0.

- If any of the computer geeks out there want a challenge there's a new NHL players only website run by ex-Flyer great Trent Klatt that's purpose is to run NHLPA president Ted Saskin out of a job. The site is www.trentklatt.com. Only you need a username and a password to read it. Might be a cool site to see if anybody out there can help me hack into it.

- Last Thursday the Flyers played the Capitals. The game was an 8 - 1 Flyers win but don't let the score deceive you, the game was nowhere near that close. The Flyers were as dominant as any pro team can be against another pro team; most drubbings like that are reserved for college football or college basketball games that feature Div. 1-A schools versus Div. 2 schools. It was one of those games that you're watching, change the channel to check out the other games, and when you change back 3 goals were scored. "What the....." Plus the Caps were getting destroyed physically. The worst part was that the Caps left goalie Brent Johnson in for the entire game. Why? I have no idea. The Caps did have a game the next night so I guess they didn't want to wear out Olaf Kolzig but Johnson obviously didn't have it so why leave him out there to get embarrassed? Johnson's no kid (he's 28 and he's been around) so he'll probably be OK emotionally but why do that to a guy? Anyway a funny thing happened toward the end of the game.....I was starting to feel sorry for the Caps. The Caps brought a slingshot to a nuclear war and it showed. But unlike when the Rangers were a laughing stock the Caps actually played as hard as they could, they just have no talent with the exception of Alexander Overchkin. Overchkin on this team is the worst waste of talent since Paccino's cameo in "Gigli". The Flyers also had a solid 4 - 3 win against the Thrashers, a game that featured a hat trick by Simon Gagne. Gagne didn't really score the goals as much as he just flicked his wrist after Forsberg put a pinpoint pass right on the tape of his stick. The Flyers are hitting their stride right now, they just have to stay healthy.

Monday Morning Mehta 11/1/05

Edition # 138
November 1, 2005

First off, congratulations to the 6 new subscribers to Monday Morning Mehta. With your subscription to MMM, you'll receive a weekly email and all access to our website (the one you're on right now).

Now onto the action. Ed Wasser is on vacation today, he'll return next week. Next week's MMM will be a late Monday edition. Expect MMM around noon EST on November 7th.

NFL & NBA are all that's on the agenda for today:

Eagles

In one of the worst efforts in the Andy Reid era, the Eagles get trounced by the Denver Broncos 49-21, as their comeback attempt gets thwarted. Even the presence of MMM and Ed Wasser at the game at Invesco Field at Mile High couldn't help the Eagles in this ugly game. I've attached a shot of the kickoff.

Let's break the game down:

Game Negatives (a record 6 negatives this week):

- Front Four. Here's the deal. The front four has looked awful for 6 games, and looked great against San Diego after a bye week. The coaches had plenty of time to defend LT2. My point is, it's time to realize these guys just aren't that good. Mike Patterson is inconsistent and has shown very little in terms of pass rush. Javon Kearse has been hurt, but even when healthy was non existent most of the year. ND Kalu? Please. Darwin Walker is about the only consistent player, and he's nothing to write home about.

- Donovan McNabb. How in the world can you start 0 for 12 and be a top notch QB. "INCONCEIVABLE" (The Princess Bride - a pop culture reference since Wasser is out). Anyway, McNabb was so bad it wasn't even funny. He's had three horrific games in a row, I really have no answer for it.

- Brian Dawkins. One thing Dawkins isn't good at is one on one coverage. Maybe it's the fact that he's vertically challenged over most TE's and WR's, but he just can't seem to do well. There was all kinds of blown coverage's in this game though.

- Jim Johnson. Here's the deal. Being at the game you can see the Eagles defenses coverage. The Broncos played most of the game, as they usually do, with two tight ends and a fullback. If you do that math, that leaves a QB, one RB and one WR. One WR means there's no reason to play both cornerbacks. But the Eagles chose to play Sheldon Brown deep in coverage and play both safeties at the line of scrimmage. Stupid. You should have another down lineman or another LB and play Dawkins or Lewis in their normal spots. They were torched at the line and manhandled most of the game.

- Offensive Line. Eagles fans should be worried about one thing. If the offensive line and defensive line have consistently been on the Negatives side of the Eagles recap, and Super Bowls are won "in the trenches", what does that tell you about this team?

- The chant "IN --- COM --- PLETE". This is the Broncos little chant after every incompletion by the opposing team. It got really funny when the Eagles starting coming back and the Eagles fans started doing it to Jake Plummer though.

Game Positives:

- Free Beer at the Broncos tailgate. Some local establishment sponsors a Broncos tailgate and there was free beer there. It didn't seem like many fans knew about it either.

Overall, I'm not in a panic, just yet. If the Eagles beat the Redskins this Sunday, they'll finish the first 8 games of the year 5-3, just like I thought they'd be at the beginning of the year. Their last 8 games are very easy, with 5 of them at home. A 6-2 finish to the season is very likely which would put them at 11-5, just as I suspected. Eagles fans were fooled last year by the 13-1 season, it doesn't happen often.

This isn't an excuse, but this team looks bored. Does it stem from the fact that they know the season doesn't start until December. Donovan McNabb doesn't even look like he cares when he's on the sidelines, where's the emotion? This is a completely different McNabb from last year, I hate the saying but it works here, "He really doesn't look to be having fun".

OK, here's the excuse. The season doesn't start until Thanksgiving weekend in the NFL. I truly believe that (of course you can't be 1-9 before that). It's the you can't win it but you can lose it theory. If the Eagles are able to tread water, they'll be fine. This team has shown the ability to turn it on and off.

I didn't really see too many people tailgating in the lots around the Denver stadim. Pretty weak tailgate. I think it has alot to do with the fact that there's plenty of bars around the stadium since the stadium is so close to downtown Denver. Still, pretty weak.

The noise inside Invesco was something else. One of the loudest stadiums I've been to. The fact that they pack in about 80,000 doesn't hurt as compared to 65-70K for most other stadiums.

I met the mayor of Denver. Should've given him the finger or set him on fire, but I choked and let all of Philadelphia down. Sorry.

Around the League

How funny was that guy who ran out onto the field and took the ball from Brett Favre in Cincy? That to me was the best moment of Week 8. Is there any security at Bengals games??

Jeff Garcia's honeymoon has ended abruptly in Detroit as he throws a Joey Harringtonesque pick for a TD in OT as the Bears take control of the NFC North. Looks like my co-writer Sura could be right, Harrington isn't the only problem in Detroit.

Speaking of that game, I've written this many times, the Bears play hard for Lovie Smith. This is a team that will continue to surprise people.

The Giants win an emotional game as they thump the Redskins 36-0. I hate the Giants and Giants fans, they're going to get theirs in a few weeks, another game attended by 2 MMM staff writers at the Meadowlands.

A great win by the Rams. Of course, Mike Martz's replacement Joe Vitt also had an angioplasty yesterday. Vitt looks committed to running the ball and the Rams look like a completely different, and better team. Are you listening Coach Reid? (Obligatory Eagles should run the ball MMM comment, you didn't think I wouldn't mention that did you)

Tom Brady is the best QB in the NFL by far. That's right, you read correctly, by far. Antonio Gates is the best TE in the NFL by far. LT2 is the best running back in the NFL. How in the world does Marty Schoetenheimer still have a job?

NBA West Preview and Playoff Predictions - Derreck Sura

The conferences are more evenly matched this season then they have been in years. In fact, if you compare my predictions, I think the top five teams in each conference are pretty similar talent wise. The main difference is that the middle to the bottom of the West is still much deeper then the East.

Last year I returned to my ways by having at least one of my pre-season picks for the NBA Finals actually get there. Which makes it four out of five years. There is a little reminder below in case you forgot.

'00-01 Lakers - Bucks
'01-02 Lakers - Raptors
'02-03 Nets - Lakers
'03-04 Spurs - Pacers
'04-05 Pistons - Timberwolves

1. San Antonio - The rich just keep getting richer. GM R.C. Buford proved again this summer why he is one of the best in the business by signing free agents (FA) Nick Van Exel and Michael Finley to go along with Argentinean big man Fabricio Oberto. Wow. They won the title, then added a back up PG that is known for hitting clutch shots, a 6th man of the year candidate swingman, and an experienced big man with some skill. Again, wow. The only player of any consequence the Spurs lost was Devin Brown, and he was hardly integral to their success. Besides an injury to Tim Duncan, the only possible problem I see with SA is coach Gregg Popovich keeping everyone happy with their minutes. The Spurs will probably start slowly again, then turn it on to run away with the West and right into the NBA Finals.

Eyes On - Tony Parker. He's been known to pout when things aren't going his way. I wonder how he will react if NVE is always on the floor to finish games?

Now or Never - Rasho Nesterovic. His days are numbered with the arrival of Oberto. If anyone wants the 4 years and 30 million left on his deal, they can have him.

2. Sacramento (3rd best record) - The job President Geoff Petrie has done to remake the Kings on the fly while keeping them near the top is very impressive. Only Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby remain from the team most remember. Sacto is two deep at every position but SG, and if everyone stays healthy, they can be a better team then they were last year. Newcomer Bonzi Wells and Peja are both in their contract years, so they won't need any extra motivation to bring it every night. The Kings do have an issue that concerns me though. Coach Rick Adelman's contract is up after the season, making him a lame duck. If they struggle early, the players might tune him out, and things will snowball from there. However, if Sacto is able to gel quickly and play some defense, they could end up with the 2nd best record in the West.

Eyes On - Francisco Garcia. Placing expectations on a rookie is dangerous, but if he can provide some decent minutes as Bonzi's backup, that will be huge.

Now or Never - Shareef Abdur-Rahim. We'll get to see if all those numbers he put up really are hollow since he's on a playoff team for the first time in his career.

3. Denver (4th best record) - The Nuggets went 28-6 under coach George Karl last season, so having him
in the fold from the opening tip is only going to help. Their starting front court could be one of the best in the league if Carmelo Anthony continues to play under control and Kenyon Martin returns to form. Denver still lacks a consistent outside shooter though. The Nugs have three PG's that deserve minutes now with the addition of FA Earl Watson. His signing was a bit of a curious move by GM Kiki Vandeweghe, but if Kiki can parlay one of their PG's into a top flight SG, then it will make perfect sense. Denver has a lot of volatile personalities, which could lead to dissention if Karl isn't able to keep them all happy, but if the Nugs address their SG situation, they have a chance to be the 2nd best team in the West.

Eyes On - Andre Miller. The most likely candidate of the three PG's to be traded. He has good value around the league, and Karl is not his biggest fan.

Now or Never - Nene Hilario. Really has not improved much since his rookie year. He's a restricted FA after the season, so it's money making time for the big man.

4. Houston (2nd best record) - The Rockets were on a big time roll heading into last year's playoffs. Then Juwan Howard came down a viral infection in his heart, and Houston was bounced in the first round. Enter FA Stromile Swift. Swift is an extremely athletic player who runs the floor well for a big man. His addition gives the Rockets a dimension they did not have last season. Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming will have better chemistry with a year of playing together under their belts. Houston's back court is still a little shaky though. They are undersized, injury prone, and a little long in the tooth. The additions of Rafer Alston and Luther Head do give them some youth, but neither of them can really be counted on yet. The Rockets' defense will still be very strong, and they will challenge the Spurs for #1 if can score some more points.

Eyes On - Derek Anderson. He'll give them a versatile back court performer with some athleticism if he's able to stay healthy (a big IF).

Now or Never - Alston. Traded from Toronto mainly because of his off court antics. He better shape up
since Jeff Van Gundy is his coach and he's on a title contender.

5. Dallas - Even though Dirk Nowitzki is the only remaining member of their former "big three", the Mavericks are still loaded with talent. Coach Avery Johnson has two main tasks in his first full year in charge. First he has to settle on a regular rotation. This will undoubtedly alienate a few players, and how "Toothy" handles that will show what kind of coach he's going to be. Next, as is always the case in Dallas, he has make sure they play defense and rebound. FA Doug Christie was brought in specifically for his defensive attitude. He should team with Jason Terry and Josh Howard to form a very solid trio of perimeter defenders. After Erick Dampier the Mavs lack a consistent rebounder though. If Dirk pretends like he's playing for the German national team, Dallas could finish with the 2nd best record in the West.

Eyes On - Marquis Daniels. His jump shot is not great, but he can get to rim and finish in transition. Has the uncanny ability to always be in the right place on offense.

Now or Never - Keith Van Horn. He'll be asked to play out of position as backup PF in his contract year, so he's going to need to get tough on defense and rebound.

6. Phoenix - The loss of Amare Stoudemire until approximately the All-Star break due to microfracture surgery on his left knee is a huge blow for the Suns. The plan was to move Amare back to his natural PF position and become a more traditional team. Now I think Phoenix will play the exact same way they did last year until Amare gets back. Shawn Marion will continue to play out of position at PF and MVP Steve Nash will run the point. New acquisitions Kurt Thomas, James Jones and FA Raja Bell will start at C, SF, & SG respectively. The Suns wanted to get tougher on defense this summer, so they brought in Boris Diaw and FA Brian Grant to go along with Thomas and Bell. I think Phoenix will be more competitive then people think without Amare, and I expect them to be a very dangerous team when he returns.

Eyes On - Jones. Acquired from Indiana for a 2nd round pick in a very shrewd move by GM Bryan Colangelo. Deadly spot up 3 point shooter will contribute right away.

Now or Never - Leandro Barbosa. Has yet to prove he can a run team as he enters his 3rd year. Gets into the lane at will, but rarely creates shots for his teammates.

7. Memphis - This team made whole sale change in the off season as President Jerry West cleaned out all the bad apples. Gone are Jason Williams, Earl Watson, Bonzi Wells, James Posey, and Stromile Swift. In are Damon Stoudamire, Bobby Jackson, Eddie Jones, and Hakim Warrick. Even though the Grizzlies have less overall talent and depth, the hope is that their improved team chemistry will be enough to overcome that. Another positive side effect of having less depth and talent is that Pau Gasol will play additional minutes and be relied on more. Memphis really has to focus on rebounding the ball as a team because they had the 3rd worst rebounding percentage in the league last year ( 48.5%). If their PG's can stay healthy, they should be fine, but the Griz can't have injuries and make the playoffs anymore.

Eyes On - Dahntay Jones. 3rd year SG is very athletic, a good spot up 3 point shooter, and a quality defender. Will see regular minutes for the first time in his career.

Now or Never - Bobby Jackson. Has averaged 45 games played over the last three seasons. Will have every opportunity to be the starting PG if he can stay healthy.

8. Utah - The return of Andrei Kirilenko is very good news for the Jazz. Any team that loses their best player is in trouble, and that's exactly what happened to Utah last year. Their projected starting front court of AK-47, Carlos Boozer, and Mehmet Okur never really had a chance to show what they could do. With those three healthy now, they will be able to use their collective versatility to create mismatches just about every night. FA Devin Brown and Gordan Giricek form a decent SG rotation. Where I worry about the Jazz is at PG. Picking a team with a rookie PG to make the playoffs is dicey at best, but Deron Williams seems like a perfect fit for coach Jerry Sloan's offense. Utah has no depth at PG after Williams though. The Jazz are no lock for the playoffs by any means, but I think their front court is enough to get them in.

Eyes On - Brown. Never had an opportunity to get regular minutes in San Antonio. Can create his own shot and play a little defense. Should be starting before too long.

Now or Never - Boozer. After a disappointing first year in Utah, it's time for him to start earning the 59 million over the next 5 years he has left on his deal.

Also Ran's

Seattle - The Sonics ended up losing only three of their eight FA's this summer. Jerome James' departure means nothing, but losing coach Nate McMillan and backup PG Antonio Daniels hurts. "Mr. Sonic" (McMillan) got them to over achieve by playing a run and gun 3 point shooting style as a lame duck. New coach Bob Weiss has a pretty unimpressive resume, to be kind. I just don't think he's going command the player's respect like Nate Mac did. Daniels was Seattle's closer at the PG position every game he was healthy last year. His replacement, Rick Brunson, does know how to run a team, and rarely turns the ball over, but he is no where near the dynamic offensive player that AD is. The Sonics will be just as fun to watch this season, and could make the playoffs, but they really didn't do anything to improve their roster.

Eyes On - Nick Collison. He's a bit undersized to be a starting C at 6'9, but he has a nice low post game, shoots a high percentage, rebounds, and plays aggressively.

Now or Never - Luke Ridnour. With Daniels gone the team's playoff hopes rest on Rid's ability to play big when it counts the most. Time to step up buddy.

Golden State - I really wanted to put the Warriors in the playoffs, but I just couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger. Regardless, GS is going to be "my" team this season (Washington was last year). The Warriors will be able to push the pace and score a lot of points this season because they are two deep at PG, SG, and SF. Baron Davis and Jason Richardson form one of the most dynamic and fun to watch back court's in the NBA. I worry about their front court though. Starting big men Troy Murphy and Adonal Foyle are nice role players, but neither is a consistent offensive threat on the low block. The rest of their bigs are unproven youngsters, giving GS virtually no depth up front. If the Warriors play some defense they can make the playoffs, but their lack of a true post presence will probably be too much to overcome.

Eyes On - Ike Diogu. Rookie missed all of training camp and the pre-season with a broken left hand. In a perfect world he'd be the scorer they need down low.

Now or Never - Mike Dunleavy Jr. 3rd pick from the 2002 draft has never really lived up to his billing. Must become more consistent since it's his contract year.

Lakers - Coach Phil Jackson will deserve everyone's respect if he can guide this Los Angeles team to the playoffs in his first year on the job. I thought the Lakers needed two things this off season, an athletic big man and a pass first PG with quickness. Kwame Brown fits the first category, albeit he's not exactly what I had in mind. Conversely, GM Mitch Kupchak did nothing to address LA's utter lack of a distributor. When Smush Parker is your best option at PG, you know you've got problems. The Lakers still have Kobe Bryant though, and that can make up for a lot of ills. Phil has two jobs this year as I see it. First is to get this team interested in playing defense again. Then he has to define role's for everyone on offense. I suppose if everything goes right for them LA has an outside shot at making the playoffs.

Eyes On - Lamar Odom. I have a feeling he's primed for a break out season. He's a perfect fit for the triangle offense and Phil should be able to keep him motivated.

Now or Never - Brown. Since he only signed a two year contract, it's make or break time for his career. Needs to improve his work ethic and attitude immediately.

Clippers - Los Angeles' other team has a very solid starting five in Sam Cassell, Cuttino Mobley, Corey Maggette, Elton Brand, and Chris Kaman. I am a little concerned about their ability to share the ball on offense, but overall they are a pretty well rounded unit. On the other hand, the Clips really have no quality depth to speak of anywhere on their roster with the possible exception of Chris Wilcox. This means that they are in big trouble if any one of their starters goes down for an extended period of time, which seems awfully likely given that group's history on the injured list. LA could make the playoffs if they avoid the injury bug, play solid defense, and get some kind of contribution off the bench. Not like it matters one way or the other to owner Donald Sterling though. As long as he turns a profit, the season is a success.

Eyes On - Shaun Livingston. 2nd year PG is very entertaining to watch on the rare occasions when he's healthy. Great court vision and an extremely creative passer.

Now or Never - Kaman. Has the size and ability to be an above average low post scorer. Needs to play under control and develop a better understanding of the game.

Minnesota - I have a bad feeling about this team. Sure, they have some talent on paper, but I just don't think it fits well together. For example, the Timberwolves' two best players, Kevin Garnett and Wally Szczerbiak, supposedly have never seen eye to eye. Minnesota has three respectable PG's, but no decent C. Basically, rookie coach Dwane Casey has his work cut out for him. Casey earned his shot by being an assistant in Seattle for the past eleven years. His coaching acumen will definitely be put to the test with this group. The Wolves are very thin up front after KG, and don't really have any dependable perimeter scorers after Wally and Troy Hudson. Minnesota could make the playoffs if KG stays healthy and two or three of their role players have career years. If KG misses significant time though, the Wolves will be awful.

Eyes On - Rashad McCants. Rookie SG could be instant offense off the bench. Should get enough minutes early on to sink or swim.

Now or Never - Marko Jaric. Has yet to prove he can consistently run an NBA team's half court offense. No way is he worth 38 million over 6 years.

Portland - The house cleaning is almost complete for the Trail Blazers, but in the meantime they are in the midst of a full fledged youth movement. In fact, the majority of the players on their roster were born in the 1980's. The center piece of Portland's rebuilding project is PF Zach Randolph, but it remains to be seen if he can return to his '03-04 form ( 20.1 points & 10.5 rebounds) after microfracture surgery on his right knee. If the Blazers have a second piece to their puzzle in place, it's PG Sebastian Telfair. Hopefully new coach Nate McMillan will be able to show "Bassy" what it takes to run a team at the highest level. Nate Mac must've really wanted to stick it to his former bosses in Seattle to take over this club. I'm not expecting much from Portland this season, but they are exactly the type of team I love to watch develop.

Eyes On - Travis Outlaw. Super athletic swingman is ready to break out in a big way as he enters his 3rd year. All he needs is regular playing time to show it.

Now or Never - Darius Miles. He is what he is at this point. The house cleaning is not done until he is traded. Only problem is the 41 million over 5 year left on his deal.

New Orleans/Oklahoma City - The Hornets shouldn't be as abysmal to watch in action this season. They have a young and athletic back court in Chris Paul and J.R. Smith, and a surprisingly deep rotation of big men. NO/OKC will be able to rebound and block shots with the best teams in the league, but can they score points is the question. The Hornets averaged a league low 88.4 points a game last year, and I suspect they are going to have trouble in that area again this season. The main reason is the team has no go to guy. C Jamaal Magloire is their best player, but he's not really offensive minded. I'm sure Paul or Smith would love to be the focal point of the offense, but neither is ready. NO/OKC could surprise a few people this year if Paul pans out and they develop some chemistry, but they are still far from the playoffs.

Eyes On - Local support. The Hornets' average home attendance was 14,221 last season. If the good people of OKC can do better then that, the team should stay there.

Now or Never - David West. Big man had a promising rookie year, but struggled through an injury plagued sophomore campaign. He'll have to earn his minutes now.

Final Four - San Antonio, Houston, Phoenix, Sacramento

Western Finals - San Antonio, Phoenix

NBA Finals - San Antonio, Miami

NBA Champion - San Antonio