Some Redemption

In the final game at Yankee Stadium for the Boston Red Sox the tables turned and the clutch factor kicked in for the Yankees. Mainly for Jason Giambi.

Giambi who didn't even start the game came off the bench in the 7th inning and hit a 2 run homer to tie the game. In the 9th inning with 1 out and closer Johnathan Papelbon on the hill for the Sox, Giambi lined an 0-2 offering up the middle plating Brett Gardner for the game winning run.

But what does this win mean in the big picture? Not much, its 1 game less they will have to make up. By the way they are now 6.0 games back of the Red Sox for the wild card. There are 29 games left in the regular season.

Out of those 29 games, the last 3 are against the Red Sox to end the season in Fenway Park. But it will take a remarkable and almost perfect end to the season to have a shot. As you all have read already I have officially lost faith in this team after yesterdays game. It has become to difficult to watch the struggles of this team. And I do not see this team being good enough to be there in the end.

Would I like to see the Yankees in the post season, of course but I am no longer expecting it, I have come to the realization of the situation that the Yankees have put themselves in. A deep hole, that everyday seems to get deeper and darker. And as the Hole gets darker the dirt shoveled on top of them becomes heavier. And now it seems like its just a matter of time before we sadly begin preparation for the funeral.

It's Officially Over

That's right I said it, my beloved New York Yankees are finished. After the 2 losses to the Red Sox on Tuesday and Wednesday 7-3 and 11-3 respectfully it is upsetting to say this but the 2008 post season will not feature the Bronx Bombers.

But lets face it, they don't deserve it! Not the way they have played this year and the way they have played lately. No one is stepping up, no one can get that big hit AND ITS NOT JUST AROD SO STOP BLAMING EVERYTHING SOLELY ON HIM. Sure he is having a sub par year for AROD. Rodriguez is batting .310 with 28 home runs 79 RBI's, a .399 OBP % and a .587 SLG %, thats certainly a great year for anyone, but sub par if you are AROD. Yes he has had trouble with clutch hitting this year, but he has been doing well overall. Yes he has had off the field issues but that should not effect him on the field. Is this some what his fault? That he is not rallying the troops and trying his hardest to carry the team to October? Maybe, but its not his fault that the entire team seems lackadaisical.

The chances the Yankees have of making the playoffs as of right now are all but 0. Jayson Stark of ESPN has said that the Yankees have a 2.3% chance of making the post season. Joe Girardi came into the series with the Sox saying they need to win 2 out of 3 games, well since thats impossible now, its just about done.

Hank Steinbrenner made a guest appearance at Yankees Stadium, as this was only his 2nd time there, and he had some choice but positive words to say about his team. He said he is not concerned with AROD. "He is still young enough. He is going to have a lot of good years ahead of him. He just has to quit pressing." After the 0-5 night Rodriguez had on Tuesday, Steinbrenner added his full support for Alex, "When he has a night like that, he is going to hear it from the crowd," Steinbrenner said. "That's the way it works. I'd rather have him than not have him."

Hank said that the Yankees' injuries were the reason they were in danger of not making the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. "That's the realities of sports," Steinbrenner said. "Every year there are one or two baseball teams that get racked by injuries. Usually just one, sometimes two. In football, it can be as many as four or five teams. Look at the Giants already. They lose Strahan and now they have lost Osi."

Steinbrenner's last words were "We still have a shot." Well Hank I hop you have a couple hundred shotguns ready because its looking really grim for the boys in pinstripes.

But the entire season could be defined by the look on Derek Jeter's face at the end of the game. He was shown slumped over on the bench, holding up his head with his hand and looking at the field with ghost like blank stare. Its been a tumultuous season for the Yankees no doubt, and for the first time since the 1994 MLB strike, we will see the playoffs without the Yankees.

A Giant Problem; A Bigger Solution

Pro Bowler Osi Umenyiora is out for the season for the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. With Michael Strahan calling it quits and retiring on top, this season was suppose to be the pass rushing attack known as Osi and Tuck, but thats about to change. With Tuck now the lone solider on the line the Giants will need to do something major to try and fill the enormous hole on the right side of the defensive line.

The G Men today have announced they are bringing Mathias Kiwanuka back to his natural and drafted position DE. But now the Giants are trying to get a little creative and maybe bring back a big piece of their Super Bowl last year.

That's right the New York Football Giants have reached out to Michael Strahan to come back and play football for them. And guess what, he is listening. Apparently there have been reports that the Giants are willing to offer Strahan anywhere from 8 to 12 million dollars to play this year. Are these numbers ridiculous for a 36 year old DE to play 1 year of course, but it does show how desperate the Giants are. Can you blame them?

Strahan left football the way everyone who has ever played dreams of, on top. Winning the Super Bowl and riding off into the sunset with the Lombardi Trophy. At the time of the Osi announcement Strahan was and still is on vacation in Greece.

Justin Tuck was asked what his thoughts were on Strahan coming back he said "Strahan is probably on a beach sipping pina coladas." Right now Strahan has a contract with FOX to be a analyst on their football show every Sunday afternoon. Today FOX has said that they wish Strahan well and they stand by anything he does, his job will be waiting for him if he chooses to leave.

Do I think Strahan comes back, right now its 50-50. There is no way he is in football shape and in order for that to happen and him to get into game shape and into games it will probably wont be until week 3 or 4. Do the Giants need him right now, the answer is probably yes. Is he worth the money, if he plays like we know Strahan to then yes. Tough decision for all parties involved.

The Super Bowl champs now have a bigger obstacle to go around besides defending their crown, the season starts September 4th against division rivals the Washington Redskins.

Ponson and Pavano: Heroes?

That's right, the name Carl Pavano is some what relevant once again and this time he isn't in an accident while in his Porsche with a hooker. I guess its only a matter of time. (just kidding) In what has become desperation time for the New York Yankees they will rely on the names Ponson and Pavano to get them back into the post season.

A MLB playoff without the Yankees? What's that you may ask yourself, as the New York Yankees have not missed a playoff appearance in 13 seasons. In Pavano's first appearance in over 2 baseball seasons he got a win and pitched like the starter the Yankees acquired after the 2003 World Series he won with the Florida Marlins.

Pavano dusted himself off throwing a, as Roger Clemens say "grind it out performance" 5 innings pitched giving up 3 runs all coming in the 2nd inning. Pavano gave up 7 hits and struck out 5 and earned himself another shot to pitch.

Sydney Ponson has been a work horse for the Yankees, putting together plenty of quality starts many at least 6 innings. The righty is 7-4 this year with an ERA over 4, but has done enough to keep the Yankees in games.

And as the Yankees wind down the season and at this moment find themselves out of the Playoff picture it will be the likes of Ponson and Pavano that will have to do their parts to get the Yankees back to October baseball. And it all begins with a 3 game set with the Red Sox on Wednesday in what no doubt is do or die for the Yankees and their season.

My Official MLB Predictions

Well it's about that time to let you all know where I stand on whose going to win what, which players are playing above their heads and who are for real, lets get started.

The Tampa Bay Rays will win the AL East. I think it is now a forgone conclusion that this team is the real deal and will be very tough to stop with all their young talent.

The White Sox behind their power bats will win the AL Central. The Twins as of right now are only 1 game back but with a 2 week period of being on the road coming up I don't feel they will step up and contend. I also see the Twins falling out of the Wild Card race leaving it up to the Red Sox and the Yankees.

The AL West is a lock and a half, its the Angels division, end of story. Although the Rays are on the verge of sweeping them which dare I say could be a ALCS preview. (Yikes)

The Wild Card as I mentioned will come down to the Yankees and the Red Sox, as of right now the Red Sox are on the verge of getting whalloped by the O's and the Yankees have beat the Blue Jays so the separation between the Sox and Yanks for the WC is 5.5 games. The Yankees and Red Sox meet two more times, once next week in a 3 game series at Fenway and once more to close out the season with 3 more games in Bean Town. The last 3 games could be the biggest games in baseball this season. My Yankee pride and homerism wont let me pull the plug on the season just yet but they better start winning games. The Red Sox pitching is very suspect and could fizzle out down the home stretch. So I will go out on a limb and say the Yankees make an enormous September push and take the Wild Card!

The NL East is locked in a tight one as well but I believe the Mets will pull it out. The loss of Billy Wagner will hurt but then again the Mets are 11-5 since he has been gone.

The NL Central will be won by the Cubbies. The Cubs have been playing solid baseball all year and have had solid pitching that has carried them. Sweet Lou should be proud.

The boring NL West will be won by the Diamondbacks. They were my World Series pick back when the season started and I still think they can pull it off by beating the Dodgers.

The Wild Card in the NL will come down to the Phillies, and Brewers. The Dodgers are too far behind both of these teams right now to fight on later. The Brewers will win the wild card because the spark the CC and Sheets have given them will just carry them.

So your playoffs look like this:

AL

Rays
White Sox
Angels
Yankees


NL

Mets
Cubs
Diamondbacks
Brewers
-----------------------------

The season MVP's are much harder to determine. In the AL my vote would have to go to Josh Hamilton and in the NL Ryan Braun gets the tally.

Cy Young Award winners are AL - Cliff Lee with honorable mention to Mike Mussina and Roy Halladay and in the NL - Brandon Webb with honorable mention to CC Sabathia and Rich Harden.

Well there you have it, leave some feedback on your thoughts of how the season will pan out and who will reign supreme.

Coming Down The Home Stretch

There are about 6 weeks left in the baseball season which is about 40 games, and it's time to buckle your chin straps and start making a push. If your fighting for the post season, now is the time to kick it into gear. No more excuses, everyone has to step up.

A few things are certain this year is baseball and thats something we never say; Barry Bonds wont play this year. The Rays are for real, K-Rod is going to obliterate Bobby Thigpen's saves record in a season. The Yankees run at 13 straight postseason's is seriously in jeopardy and the trade for Manny Ramirez from the Sox to the Dodgers proves that Manny didn't care about Boston, and when he puts his mind to something he can literally be one of the best ever.

In my opinion the favorite for the World Series at this moment are the Anaheim Angels. The Angels just seem like they have everything going right for them, pitching, bullpen, a solid manager and Mark Teixeira. In a possible playoff preview the Rays and Angels play 3 games right now, as tonight is game 2 of the series, the Rays won the first game. The Angels are now 15.5 games ahead of the Texas Rangers in the AL West and are basically a lock and a half for the playoffs.

In the NL the playoff picture is much different. The NL East is separated by 4 games, so that division is going down to the wire between the Mets, Phillies and Marlins. In the NL Central the Cubs are 5 games ahead of the Brewers who behind the arm of 8-0 CC Sabathia are making themselves into a contender. And last but not least the NL West is a huge toss up. The Diamondbacks and the Dodgers are tied for first place and both have 38 games left in the season.

The NL will come down to the Cubs, as I believe their offense is superior to anyone in the NL and a match up of the Angels and the Cubs in the World Series is not out of the question.

So what are the biggest questions going down the home stretch? There is no doubt in my mind everyone is waiting for the Yankees to fall and miss the playoffs. Will it happen? who knows as of right now they are 5.5 games out of the Wild Card. The Twins are 1.5 games out and the Red Sox currently hold the Wild Card spot. Can the Rays hold on to their AL East lead and who will step up in the NL East?

Questions to ponder and baseball to see, a couple weeks left as we wind down the season and get ready for football. Play ball.

Think You Can Eat Like An Olympian?

So the normal human eats on average 2000 calories a day, in a standard 3 course meal. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner the normal lifestyle, eating normal food, cereal or eggs in the morning, sandwich or left overs for lunch and chicken, steak, fish etc. at night. Then again your average, you don't eat like a Olympic swimmer, or a bear for that matter.

This is the diet of none other than Michael Phelps, think you can eat all this?
Phelps secret to his success is an extraordinary 12,000-calorie daily diet, six times the intake of a normal adult male.

Breakfast: Three fried-egg sandwiches with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise; two cups of coffee, a five-egg omelette, a bowl of corn porridge, three slices of French toast and three chocolate-chip pancakes.

Lunch: Half a kilogram of enriched pasta, two large ham and cheese sandwiches, and 1000 calories of energy drink.

Dinner: Half a kilogram of enriched pasta, a pizza, and another 1000 calories of energy drink.

As Phelps told NBC yesterday: “Eat, sleep and swim: that’s all I can do.”

If anyone would like to experiment and see if they can consume this much food please let me know how it goes, if you survive that is.

Gold Broken Like Glass And Michael Phelps

Am I the only one who has noticed the craziness of the Olympics this year? Every day at least 5 records are broken, and by a lot. All of a sudden, records that stood for 4 years seem like they were achieved by the junior tad poles age 3-6 of your local YMCA.

The human fish known as Michael Phelps has captured 6 gold medals already and in every single one, he has shattered the previous records. The American smashed his own mark by 0.57 seconds, clocking 1:54.23 in men's 200-metre individual medley on Friday.

Phelps needs two more victories to surpass Mark Spitz's 36-year-old standard of seven gold medals at a single Games.

If Phelps can win Saturday's final, only the 4x100 medley relay would stand between him and an eighth gold medal.

In Friday's sessions Gymnasts, women and men swimmers, weightlifters, and many more all set and broke records. It seems weird that all of a sudden records that once stood crumble like cookies out of the wrapper. Has the world athlete become that much superior in just 4 years times? Perhaps, just something interesting to think about.

Team USA: The Redeem Team

We all heard of the Dream Team, which featured the likes of Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird and a whole slew of other Hall of Famer's. Well the 2008 Olympic team has been labeled the Redeem Team, for the fact that they are trying to overcome a disapointing bronze metal finish 4 years ago.

Team USA got off on the right foot today dominating Yao Ming and team China in a 101-70 win. LeBron James scored 18 points, Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant each had 13 points as well. Dwyane Wade had a game high 19 points and set the pace and tone for Team USA's first win.

Everyone on the team is excited to be representing their country and know that they are playing for more than just themselves. In an interview with ESPN Kobe Bryant and LeBron James both said everywhere they go all they hear is "bring home the gold." With the worlds best talent on their team its time for USA to dominate and take what is rightfully theirs, the Gold Medal.

Other NBA players representing their countries, Yao Ming for team China, Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman for team Germany, Manu Ginobili, Andres Ocioni, Luis Scola and Fabricio Oberto all play for team Argentina and Andrei Kirilenko represents team Russia.

The test for who will be the best and who will rise to the top with their team mates and most importantly their country has begun, can Team USA bring home the gold? I hope so.

Brett Favre; Welcome To A New Type of Green

Brett has traded in the cheese for the apple, and its time to get rid of the green and yellow and join gang green.

Brett Favre has been traded to the New York Jets, and boy does that change the entire AFC East picture. With Favre at the helm and an up and coming WR in Jerricho Cotchery, veteran receiver Laveranues Coles, Favre certainly has some targets. In the draft the Jets took a big play maker TE from Purdue in Dustin Keller.

The Jets this offseaon revamped their offensive line and added pieces to their defense. With the addition of players like Alan Faneca, rookie Vernon Gholston, Kris Jenkins, Calvin Pace, and Damian Woody the Jets are serious in their efforts to get better.

Their biggest concern was stability at quarterback as Kellen Clemens and Chad Pennington weren't exactly names that struck fear in the opposition. Now with Favre the Jets actually have a shot to do some damage and make a run for that wild card in the AFC.

Well now we wait and see what Brett Favre will do and when he will show up at camp in Hempstead Long Island. All I know is that when #4 comes to town it will be a circus but a good one. Favre will now be wearing green and white and throwing passes for the New York Jets.

Welcome to New York City , Brett Favre.

Favre On The Move

Oh yea, its on the way...Favre trade!

Sounds like a summer blockbuster movie, there are talks that the Packers have all but agreed to trade #4 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With Jeff Garcia injured, Chris Simms release and the other 3 QB's on the Buccs, one more wouldn't hurt. And none of the other guys on the team has the last name Favre.

The NFL Network has said that the Jets are still a player with a slim chance of hope but this deal is just about done. Now could Tampa Bay use this a trade bait right away? Imagine they acquire Favre today and then trade him to ...oh lets say the VIKINGS! and spite the Packers. The odds of that happening are not great but boy would that be interesting.

Jeff Garcia has spoken out on this situation saying he is the starter and if he isn't they better tell him soon and sit him out. Well sorry Jeff, #4 does what he wants...its unfortunate but hey thats the NFL.


More info coming as I hear about it, but the deal is supposedly in the works right now and the trade could be official as early as TODAY.

Football Hall Of Famer's Today

This weekend was the induction of some more football legends into Canton as some more faces crowd the hallowed corridors known as the Professional Football Hall Of Fame. At the ceremonies one comment struck me the wrong way and I felt the need to address it. Darrell Green's son, Jared who introduced his father said "My father and I were discussing todays players and who would end up in the Hall Of Fame, and we only came up with 2." 2!?!? sorry young fella but you are way off.

Just off the top of my head this is the list so far, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, LaDanian Tomlinson, Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher, Marvin Harrison, Jonathan Ogden, Steve Hutchinson and I'm sure there are more.

Now the reason I feel this kid said 2 was just to give his dad some sort of credit but the fact that he completely discredited so many players playing today is wrong. And I would love to know what 2 players he thought were deserving. And why for that matter the rest of these guys I mentioned are not so fortunate.

Now that I think of it, I will list some more people that are not locks, but have a good shot of making the HOF.

Steve McNair, Tony Gonzalez, Adam Vinatieri, Morten Andersen, Jeff Feagles, Derrick Brooks
Ed Reed, Champ Bailey, Torry Holt, Issac Bruce, Hines Ward, Kurt Warner, Fred Taylor.

The NFL contains the best talent out there and the potential for greatness is reached in the National Football League. So with that said there are way more than 2 HOF'ers playing the game today, Darrell Green's son was slightly off.

The Big 4 Moves At Deadline, And What It All Means

So I don't know if you have heard yet but Manny Ramirez was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers as the Boston Red Sox finally said, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

Ramirez was dealt in a 3 team trade involving the Pirates, Dodgers and the Red Sox. In exchange for Manny, the Red Sox get Jason Bay from the Pirates and the Bucs get Andy LaRoche, Bryan Morris, Craig Hansen, and Brandon Moss.

So now lets break it down. The winner in this trade, surprisingly enough in my opinion its the Pirates. Pittsburgh now have a young third baseman (who is playing across the diamond from his older brother) and their outfield for the future set. Brandon Moss is a stud in the making, and add that with McLouth and possibly Steve Pearce and you have a productive young outfield for years to come. A healthy Freddy Sanchez along with their young pitching staff and I can see the Pirates as a contender in a couple years.

The Red Sox are the big, big loser, there was no way they were going to replace the production and value that Manny had in that line up. Ortiz will be walked like no bodies business now because no one is scared of Jason Bay. Ortiz and Ramirez were the deadliest 1-2 in baseball. Somehow Ortiz and Bay just doesn't have the same effect on me and rest of the AL. Bay started off his Red Sox career tonight with a walk and scored the games first run. Bay in his career at Fenway Park in only 3 games he is hitting .250 with a slugging % of .417 and an on base % of .357. And now to the man of the week, (not Brett Favre) Manny Ramirez. Ramirez said he wanted to leave and the Sox gave him is walking papers, Manny...welcome to Hollywood. Ramirez now goes to play for Joe Torre and fills a big void of power in the Dodgers lineup. Ramirez at Dodger Stadium in 3 games, Ramirez has 1 home run, 3 RBI's a batting average of .222, an OBP% of .300 and a slugging % of .556. The leader in HR's on the Dodgers is Matt Kemp with 12, Ramirez has 20. How will Ramirez fair in tinsel town, probably well, sub par pitching in the NL and a laid back atmosphere, have fun Manny, My Yankees don't have to deal with you till October.

The other news besides the Manny deal was another future hall of famer dealt, Ken Griffey Jr. Junior was dealt from the Reds to the White Sox. Kenny Williams the GM of the Sox has said that Griffey will play center field. This is a nice move for the Sox and Griffey as they get experience in center and another power bat to add to the middle of the line up along with Swisher, Thome, and Dye.

The Yankees made another move besides the other day acquiring Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte for RHP Dan McCutchen, RHP Jeff Karstens, OF Jose Tabata and RHP Ross Ohlendorf. It was previously reported that there were other players involved in the trade but once everyone took and passed physicals the Pirates had a list of players to chose from. After adding Nady and Marte the Yankees decided to make another big move and aquire a future hall of famer for themselves. The bombers traded the inconsistent fireballer Kyle Farnsworth to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for catcher Ivan Rodriguez. Rodriguez comes in an fills a void as Jorge Posada is out for the rest of the season. Rodriguez has said time and time again he thrives under pressure and there is no other place where the lights are as bright as the ball park in the Bronx.

Last but not least the Angels got themselves quite the first baseman the other day. In return for Casey Kotchman and Stephen Marek the Halo's received Mark Teixeira. It is believed though that Teixeira is a rental for 2 months and the playoffs because of how much he will cost at the end of the season. The Angels will have to resign Teixeira, K-Rod and Vlad, and the Angels just do not have that many resources to get all 3 of those guys back. But for the stretch run it is hard to say that the Angels are not a top 3 favorite to win the AL.

And speaking of the AL, with this trade I do believe the Red Sox have taken themselves out of the playoffs and now its a race to the top between the Rays and Yankees. In the NL the Dodgers are only 2 games back of first place of the Diamondbacks. And with the addition of Manny I think they have secured themselves the NL West.