Throughout the season, I don't pay much attention to the American League. First off, it just doesn't seem like real baseball with their lack of fundamentals, designated hitter, and high payrolls. Or maybe it's a non stop ESPN coverage of the Yankees and Red Sox. I've only written like 5 posts and I'm sure my readers can tell by now I am not a fan of the east coast bias. However, the White Sox have shown me something. They can pitch. I almost forgot they had the 2003 AL Cy Young winner. Contreras, Buerhle, and Garland are something special. They have stepped up huge when asked. My only gripe is Guillen allowing his pitchers to go so deep into games. Why not let the bullpen warm-up and take care of business. After all it is the job of a closer to close games. In a series when Garland may be needed twice, why risk having him throw 118 pitches and go the distance. Paul Konerko might be seen as the real hero of the White Sox, but it is their pitching that scares me. Of course in my mind, if the White Sox make it to the World Series and they have to face the Astros, they will get dominated by Clemens, Pettitte, and Oswalt.

It is Saturday and football is finally on. Football that matters anyways. Sure we have embarrassing games on during the week like NC State, but it's Saturday, and we have USC vs Notre Dame. We have the Gators and the Noles and the Longhorns. Saturday is a glorious day for sports fans everywhere. In fact, I'm going to keep today's entry short because it's already after 11:00 and College Gameday is on. I can't wait to watch Corso. This man cracks me up. Has there ever been a week he hasn't picked FSU to win? What a homer.

Since we've got the NFL coming on tomorrow, and I know most of you probably play fantasy football, I'm going to list some of my sleeper type picks/good starts of the week.

QB- Has Peyton Manning ever been considered a sleeper pick? Well with the way he's been sucking this year, I think he warrants a spot on my list. This might be the week he returns to form (ya he had a nice 4 td game a few weeks ago, but I'm looking for consistency)
WR- Joe Jurevicous showed what he can do last week when given an opportunity to play in a starting roll. Seattle is playing Houston this week and will likely put up some points against the leagues worst team. I'm going to that this opportunity to bash Houston again. Has there ever been a team to roll with the same awful coach for so long. They've never had a winning season. With all those top 5 draft picks you'd think they could get some players on that squad.
RB- Priest Holmes is my RB pick. Once again, a first rounder shouldn't be mentioned, but Roaf is finally coming back and Priest will light it up.
TE- Troupe has scored 3 tds so far this season. McNair is looking his way more often. I had the pleasure to watch Troupe in college and let me tell you, he is a stud. He will be a fantasy stud by the end of the year.
K- Scobee will likely get a couple field goals. He nailed two 50 yarders last week. Pittsburgh should keep Jacksonville out of the endzone forcing them to kick field goals.
DEF- Gotta go with Seattle this week. They're playing the worst offense and worst team in the NFL.

If I remember correctly, in my first post I mentioned that I wouldn't talk about women sports. Michelle Wie is an exception in this post because I wanted to rant about how I'm still not impressed. So she just turned pro and shot a 65 and might win a tournament this weekend, her first as a pro. That's great and all, but guess what.. She's still 16 and still hasn't won anything important. I don't want to hear about how Wie can play against men on the PGA Tour because you know what, she can't. After Michelle wins 6 Majors or so, then maybe she can a have a shot. But when the undisputed best woman golfer in the history of the game Annika Sorenstram can't even compete against the men, Michelle can't either. I don't want her taking up a man's spot in a tournament just because she might draw a crowd. She may draw a crowd on Thursday and Friday, but come the weekend she will be packing her bags back to Hawaii. That's all the time I have to write about Wie.

Chris Burke, USC vs Notre Dame, and Cheerleaders


How clutch is Chris Burke? In case you haven't been watching the NLCS, let me fill you in. A 25 year old rookie, who is playing out of position, has managed to put up Reggie Jackson type numbers. Ok, no one is ready to call him Mr. October yet, but 10 years down the line who knows. Every team has their post season hero. Last year the Astros had Beltran, the Red Sox has Damon, and the year before that the Marlins had Pudge. In 8 post season at bats Burke has hit in 5 of them including 2 home runs, a triple, and 4 rbis. Welcome to the Killer Bee's Mr. Burke.

Don't let Burke's performance last night fool you on who the real star of the game was. Roy Oswalt dominated the Cardinals. His only bad pitch was a solo shot giving up to Pujols. Oswalt is the best young pitcher in all of baseball. Back to back 20 win seasons, a career ERA sitting around 3.00, and the nastiest stuff you have ever seen. He can throw a 97 mph fastball and then throw a 67 mph curveball on the very next pitch. Roy doesn't get the respect of the media or fans that he deserves, but I guarantee that if you ask the players who has the best stuff in the NL, you will hear Roy's name an awful lot.

On to college football. There are plenty of good games going on this weekend. Of course the one everyone is aware of and everyone will be watching, USC vs Notre Dame. As much press as this game is getting you would think it was the National Championship. Will Notre Dame step up for this game? Probably. Will the step be large enough to over take USC? Probably not. USC is just that good. There is no other team out there with 6 possible Heisman candidates on their roster. As much as I don't like USC, you have to admit they are the best. Charlie Weis will get his players ready and they will put up points, but it won't be enough to beat the Trojans. Another top game of the week is UF vs LSU. Urban Meyer has got to start scoring some points. The Gator offense has got to start clicking. Leak has been banged up and their running game isn't what it should be. LSU has a solid defense and a potent offense. They have 20 more first downs than the Gators and have played two fewer games. Prediction: Gators win by 7. And what would a blog on sports be without talking about ACC football. Florida State vs Virginia is the ACC's top game. But you know what? I detest FSU and refuse to donate anymore blog space to their athletics.

And now on a more serious note, from ESPN and the AP:

NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. -- A man who was fatally shot by police was part of a botched conspiracy with two other men to kidnap and kill a Jacksonville Jaguars cheerleader and steal her Mercedes, police said on Thursday.

Police were investigating Jamie Lee Williams, 22, who was shot and killed on the beach on Tuesday after he pointed a gun at a Jacksonville Beach police officer, when they found out about the kidnapping plot, said Neptune Beach Police Chief David Sembach.

The men targeted the woman because one of them used to live in the apartment above her and knew she drove a Mercedes, with a vanity tag which read, "The Roar," which is the name of the Jaguars cheerleading squad, Sembach said.

The name of the cheerleader was withheld by police.

"We're pleased she is safe and that the police are handling this situation," said Dan Edwards, a spokesman for the Jaguars.

Link to full story http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2190588

This story hits close to home for me. I'm from Jacksonvisaddens it sickens me to think that there are some degenerates out there that plot to kill a celebrated member of society. Our cheerleaders provide us with entertainment every week for very little pay. They do it because it is their passion. They want to make the games more exciting for us fans. No one should ever be put in a situation like this. She handled the situation perfectly. By screaming and yelling she called attention to herself and successfully scared off the armed robbers. Cheerleaders deserve the utmost respect from us fans. I never thought it could be a dangerous position. I'm sure they are targeted by jerks and bars and clubs, but to be confronted by armed robbers who plotted to kill you, that's just unbelievable. To the cheerleader who suffered through this, I want to say we are all happy you are safe, and will be cheering you on during the next home game.

I'll be quick to admit defeat in my prediction for the Astros vs. Cardinals game. I never expected the Astros to sweep St. Louis, let alone win the first two games away. If the Astros can come out of there 1-1, they have a good chance of winning this series. Although, we all remember they were up 3-2 last year and ended up losing. Maybe if the Astros didn't have to put Jose Vizcaino in the lineup we might have a chance at winning. Has this guy ever hit the ball out of the infield. I swear he is batting .000 when the game is on the line, and probably .070 when there is a runner on base. This guy is the opposite of Mr. October. Jose shall now be known as Mr. Groundsoutober.

Ok, that last line was lame and I know it, so let's move on to something more interesting. The blown call last night in the Windy City. How much was this ump paid off to make that call. Did anyone else notice that huge money bag in his locker? Why didn't they ask him about that big brown sac with a Dollar sign on it. You can't point at a batter and say "You're out", and then let him run to first base and reverse the call! Do we need instant replay in baseball? The ball did not hit the dirt. But even if it did, if the umpire points at the batter and says "You're out", then guess what, the batter is out. Doug Eddings is now the most infamous umpire of the 21st century. Don't make a fist with your hand and say "You're out" and then let the runner stay on first base. I think the whole world knew Chicago was going to win that game after a call like that. It always happens. So the AL series is tied 1-1 and they are going to Anaheim. Let's hear those thunder sticks roar.

College Hoops made its first news splash of the season. Duke's Coach K was selected to coach the 2008 USA Olympic Basketball team. Coach K is a great coach, probably one of the best college coaches ever. But I'm not so sure he is the right fit to coach NBA thugs. Sure there are thugs in college ball, but they aren't rich thugs with massive egos. I will say that over half the Olympic team with have either A) not gone to college at all or B) never earned a degree in their 2 year college stint. I can't see kids who never experienced college hoops, listening to a college coach. College basketball is different than Pro basketball. The defensive schemes are different, the players are different. Our Olympic basketball team has been a joke for years. Bring back the Dream Team.

Ricky is back!! Yup, that's right. Ricky the tree smoking hippy is back. I heard he was pissed at all the media types and bloggers for constantly ripping him about his weed habit. Apparently he gets tested like twice a week, but I have a feeling that won't stop Ricky from being Ricky. This is a guy who hasn't carried a football in a real NFL game since December 2003. That's a long time to go without being hit. Sure he played in the preseason this year, but no one hits 100% in preseason games. Ronnie Brown looked impressive last week. Do the Dolphins even need Ricky back? I think they do. He adds an explosiveness to the offense that Brown just doesn't have. I'm still going to pencil the Dolphins in for 6 wins. Ricky will help them, but by no means is he the savior of South Florida.

Every Wednesday I will post my NFL weekly Power Poll. This poll is my opinion. I don't watch every game so don't argue with me that Cleveland should be 2 spots higher. They are where they are because based on what I've seen that is where they belong.

1. Indianapolis Colts 5-0. Obvious choice for number 1. The only unbeaten team
2. Pittsburgh Steelers 3-1. Let's see how well they do with Big Ben hurt.
3. Denver Broncos 4-1. They've beat some solid teams in Jax and Washington.
4. Tampa Bay Bucs 4-1. Without Cadillac they would be lower, but he is back this week.
5. New England Patriots 3-2. Injuries are killing them for once.
6. Philadelphia Eagles 3-2. McNabb is banged up, but the NFC is still awful.
7. Washington Redskins 3-1. Only loss so far came to a good Broncos team.
8. Cincinatti Bengals 4-1. Exposed for what they are by the Jaguars.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars 3-2. Finally stepped up in prime time to win a game.
10. New York Giants 3-1. Can Eli carry them all season? No, but Tiki can.
11. Dallas Cowboys 3-2. I like their new spread offense. Bledsoe still has a cannon for an arm.
12. Atlanta Falcons 3-2. They still won without Vick, but I don't see that trend continuing.
13. Carolina Panthers 3-2. Steve Smith is becoming an elite WR in this league.
14. Seattle Seahawks 3-2. With injuries to their WR core Alexander will need to step up.
15. Kansas City Chiefs 2-2. Roaf is coming back. Time for KC to start scoring again.
16. San Diego Chargers 2-3. A bit disappointing, but they are still a solid team.
17. St. Louis Rams 2-3. Monday night against Indy could spell trouble for Bulger.
18. Buffalo Bills 2-3. They are finally starting to click with Holcomb at the helm.
19. Detroit Lions 2-2. Wow, they beat Baltimore. When does Garcia come back again?
20. Miami Dolphins 2-2. Ricky the tree smoker is back. Lets see how "high" the Dolphins get.
21. Cleveland Browns 2-2. Without Edwards Dilfer will be forced to throw to Bryant. Ewww.
22. New York Jets 2-3. The Jets are done in my opinion. Too much hype for old man Vinny.
23. Tennessee Titans 2-3. McNair still has it, but no one else does. Welcome to salary cap hell.
24. New Orleans Saints 2-3. Duece is out for the year. Watch the Saints fall.
25. Oakland Raiders 1-3. Randy is still a stud, but their defense is still awful.
26. Minnesota Vikings 1-3. No Moss = no playoffs. 1-3 in the worst NFL division. That's bad
27. Baltimore Ravens 1-3. Their defense showed signs of life last week. We'll see...
28. Green Bay Packers 1-4. See Vikings above. Brett can't do it alone.
29. Chicago Bears 1-3. A solid defense can not carry this team, nor can a rookie QB.
30. Arizona Cardinals 1-4. Warner going down really hurt this team. Division champs? Nope.
31. San Francisco 49ers 1-4. Did anyone expect them to be any higher?
32. Houston Texans 0-4. Year after year the Texans continue to suck. Win #1 isn't coming soon.

There you have it folks, my first Power Poll. I may rank teams different than professional sites.
I rank it how I see it. I try to stick teams with similar records near each other. Some sites will put a 1-4 team way up at spot 19 or something. I don't think that's fair to teams with 2 wins (even iff those wins came from NFC North teams). I don't like having Cincy that high because they have played god awful teams, and actually lost to the first decent team they faced. But at 4-1 they belong in the Top 10.

Ok so it's been awhile since I last posted. Like I said, I am new to this and have been rather busy at work. So I've finally found time to post. It is baseball time. Last week I was coincidently home sick during the first game of the St. Louis Cardinals vs San Diego Padres. I think I would have rather stayed at work than watch that pitiful display. The Padres talked all week about how well they could perform in a short series. They had the spotlight on them and a chance to prove the baseball world wrong. Did they step up? No. They got swept. How embarrassing was it for Padres fans everywhere to show up to work the next day? They had their chance, and got swept. They were a bad team all season, and were a bad team in the playoffs.

Well, the Red Sox lost and the Yankees lost but you know what... I don't care. I'm sick to the east coast bias in baseball. For once we have two championship series without an east coast team. What is ESPN and MLB going to report about? During the broadcast are we going to have to listen to Joe Morgan talk about what Jeter had for breakfast or what the Red Sox nation will do next season? I'm sick of the east coast bias in baseball. I'm also tired of hearing about Big Papi (David Ortiz) and how he should be MVP. No DH should ever be MVP. If you just sit in the dugout and wait 3 innings before you have to move your fat self off the bench, you are not worthy of being a Most Valuable Player.

Enough of that. It's time to focus on what's good in baseball.. The Houston Astros. The most fundamentally sound team in the league. A team where pitching comes first, solid defense second, and hitting third. A team that is built to win, and built to win now. Sure the Cards are good, but they are missing a lot from last year's team. Eckstein is not a solid replacement for Renteria and Rolen is still sidelined. However, Edmonds is still trolling centerfield and will likely rob a homerun or two to make this an interesting series. The Astros have all the making of a championship team. Look for Bagwell to pull a Kirk Gibson and give Houstonians their first World Series appearance, and ultimately, their first World Series win.

Also, I heard on the radio that the Minnesota Vikings had a sex orgy party on a yacht. Are you kidding me? A team that is 1-3 in the worst division in the NFL spent their time having three ways with prostitutes on a yacht. Wow. Instead of going over game film and preparing for next week's game, the Vikings felt it would be best to relieve their sexual tensions. If Mike Tice has a job at the end of the year I will be surprised.