Faith and Fear In Amway

What Magic fans have been waiting for since last June begins Sunday night at Amway Arena, this time with a goal that doesn’t seem absurd. They enter the 2010 playoffs with the same 59-23 record as last year’s squad, the #2 seed in the East and most importantly, home court advantage should they return to the NBA Finals. It could all be so simple…….

As a fan, I have never felt so confident in my team going into a postseason in any sport and yet, I can’t help but be nervous.

This Magic squad is every bit as good as last year’s team that made the NBA Finals and may be even better. They shoot just as well, the bench is much deeper (arguably the deepest in the league) and the defense is even better with the addition of Matt Barnes, who brought a much needed nasty streak to this team. They’ve proven they can beat the NBA’s elite anywhere, anytime and last year’s Finals defeat, in addition to the continued lack of respect from the national media that’s been on display since last year, has sharpened this team’s focus and determination.

Also consider this: Atlanta has no match inside for Dwight Howard, which allows him to either dominate or have the Magic play inside-out; Reality show housewives can’t believe how beat the Celtics look right now. Most of all, there are several factors with Cleveland that are in play. Lost in all the post-series handshake palaver last year, was the fact that LeBron played at an all-galaxy level in every game and it still wasn’t enough. Now, I would never put it past LeBron to say that he can’t do it again, but he’ll need that Herculean effort once again to put his team in position to win it all.

And for those who remember last year’s ECF, it was clearly a case of LeBron and a pack of stiffs. Mo Williams did a better vanishing act during the series than LeBron did after the series; Anderson Varejao was rag dolled in the post by Dwight and repeatedly embarrassed by Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu at the perimeter. While Danny Ferry was wise to bring in Shaq and Antwan Jamison, neither of these are a certainity. Shaq Diesel is just now working his back into the Cavs’ lineup after missing almost 2 months due to a wrist injury and as he once said about Michael Jordan before his 2nd comeback, “39 ain’t 29.” Jamison is a 2nd tier player and well worth them making that trade since they got Big Z, but as a member of a Wizards team that never advanced further than a second round sweep in 2005,we have yet to see how he’ll respond to this kind of spotlight.

Then there’s the Lakers.

As my friend Anthony over at Keeping Busy points out, “The lakers have that Yankee vibe about them, where even when they look like garbage you cant count em out”, but it feels like the invincibility that they had last year isn’t there this time. A lot of that has to do with the injuries they’re currently facing with Andrew Bynum (achilles) and Lamar Odom who just doesn’t look right. Obviously, the biggest concern is Kobe, who is battling a litany of injuries. Naturally, the first reaction is that he’s been playing with injuries for years it seems, but keep in mind, he’s dealing with this new round on top of the fact that he’s played three full regular seasons, going the distance in the last two postseasons AND the Beijing games. Add on to that that he’s been playing at the highest level for 14 years now and you just wonder at what point does it start to breakdown as we’ve seen with KG over the last year.

Thinking about all that really makes me believe this is the best chance the Magic have ever had to win an NBA Championship. Then, I look at what they’re up against in Round 1.

Not that anyone is confusing the Bobcats with the ’96 Bulls, but they’re a to do some damage. Larry Brown knows how to get the most out of a team and Stephen Jackson is one of the best playoff performers in the game (more on that in a minute).

The main concern is history. The Magic are playing the role of the team who came up just short the year before, dominated the regular season and are now looking for redemption….it doesn’t always work out for the best:

The 1994 Seattle Sonics were going to use the inexperienced Denver Nuggets as the launching pad to a championship….a funny thing happened though:



The 2007 Dallas Mavericks looked unstoppable during the regular season on the way to avenging their painful defeat in the NBA Finals the year before and nobody thought much when somehow the Golden State Warriors got into the playoffs. But the Bay Area got hyphy with a legendary upset thanks to some familiar faces in this series:



Fortunately, the Magic have two of the NoCal assailants from that team, but Charlotte has maybe the most important player from that series. When Stephen Jackson is in the postseason, big things happen. In his foray in 2003, he (in the championship-clinching Game 6 against the Nets) and Steve Kerr teamed to hit nearly every big shot for the Spurs 2nd championship. In 2005, he helped a depleted Pacers squad upset the Celtics in the 1st round and pushed the defending champion Pistons to 6 games. As you just saw, the Mavericks never had an answer for him and until this year (with a nearly brand new roster) never recovered.

Combine him with a solid player in Gerald Wallace who has been there since day one in Charlotte and has been eagerly awaiting this moment and the Bobcats have a chance to do huge damage.

I genuinely believe that if the Magic get through the 1st round, that they will win it all. It's the team nicknamed after its owner that scares the hell out of me.

2010 NCAA Tournament Running Diary Day 1

It's the best 2 days of the year, and it wouldn't be the same without thousands across the country doing a running diary of it, so allow me to join the crowd. I also haven't had a chance to post my picks and upsets, so here goes: Final 4 will be Kansas, K-State, West Virginia and Baylor. Cinderellas (no further than the Sweet 16 in any case): UTEP, Cornell and Siena.

12:21 P.M.: BYU-Florida will come down to two players, the Cougars' Jimmer Fredette and Florida's Chandler Parsons. If either one has a sub-par day, it will be an early exit for their squad.

12:29: BYU's offensive strategy so far seems to be have Fredette collapse the defense and kick out to his perimeter guys.

12:36: I'm starting to worry about Dr. Dre. First a Dr. Pepper ad and now HP. Did Suge extort him out of more royalties?

12:40: I mentioned it's important for Parsons to step in order for UF to have a chance, but they're also going to need contributions from Erving Walker and/or Kenny Boynton as we just saw there.

12:48: Florida's interior D establishing themselves as the half has gone. Notre Dame and Old Dominion are still getting their footing, sloppy game so far.

12:55: These Gators are looking more like the underachieving 01-05 squads who had no toughess and less like the bullying national title squads.

12:59: Looks like Notre Dame is more than happy to keep winning in 50-45 fashion. Which is fine against ODU, but that won't fly against Baylor.

1:03: Florida's early success from 3 is starting to fade. Meanwhile, Villanova is having trouble getting going, just 13 points with 5 and a half to go in the 1st half.

1:06: Florida withstands a 14-5 run by BYU to trail only by 2 at half.

1:19: Villanova looks like they're just waiting for Robert Morris to realize who and where they're playing, except RM doesn't look the least bit scared. The Wildcats' offense looks way too stagnant.

1:28: My brother, who is going to UF next year and claims to be a die-hard fan, even after watching the game for a half still can't name 5 players on the team. Gator fans are the best, Jerry, the best!

1:33: Given that I hadn't seen them play this year, BYU's defense has been a lot stingier than I expected, especially on the interior. That said, they need to do a better job of challenging the perimeter if they're going to a hang for the win here.

1:45 P.M.: Minor note that I'm being a stickler for. Kevin Harlan keeps mentioning that Vernon Macklin is helping a frontline that's been decimated by players leaving early. Not entirely true, while the three that won the back-to-back titles, they already wpuld've graduated in 08, and the other 2 (Marreesse Speights and Nick Calathes) were overrated at best.

1:52: Two eye-opening statistics at the 10-minute mark for Florida: no one in double-digit scoring and 0 assists/4 turnovers for Erving Walker.

1:58: Credit to BYU, every time Florida looks like they're about to make it close, they've been able to match it with a big play of their own. Dumb foul though on the layup on Walker.

1:59: For such a close game, this Notre Dame-Old Dominion game is near sleep-inducing. Somebody get Mike Tirico to call this one.

2:05: Another 3 by Florida gets it to 3. But Fredette makes up for it on the other end. If I'm Kansas State, I'm feeling pretty nervous about potentially facing this kid.

2:06: While Parsons has been kept in check, Kenny Boynton is keeping the Gators alive. He looks gassed however, checking Fredette on the defensive end and carrying the load on offense.

2:10: A Redick-like (Duke Redick I might add, J.J. is cool with me now) effort from Luke Harangody today, 0-7. That won't cut it as an 8th man in the NBA.

2:11: Bad possession by ND there, they didn't have to get the 3 there.

2:12: And they get bailed on a missed 1 and 1 by ODU.

2:15 P.M.: Horrendous shot selection by BYU and the Gators are looking for a killshot.

2:16: What a game of can you top this going in OKC!

2:19: I'm really look forward to the sudden emergence of Gator fans who haven't watched a basketball game in 3 years talking all sorts of noise.

2:20: ODU hangs on to beat Notre Dame by 1. I picked the Irish, but I'm not entirely surprised, cosnidering that ND basically got that 6-seed by haviing a nice run in the Garden last week.

2:24: Very surprised that Chandler Parsons missed that shot after the reputation he's built this year. Meanwhile, Robert Morris isn't going away.

2:28: Physically, Florida looks better prepared to survive OT.

2:31: If Robert Morris hangs on for the upeset, it's not because Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher didn't start, it's because they took this team lightly. 'Nova seems to still be waiting for Robert Morris to lose this game, instead of them trying to win it.

2:38: Florida showing the tougher effort here in the OT, as evidenced by the last few loose balls.

2:39: Excellent last-shot strategy by Florida there. And to think Billy Donovan could've been coaching the Magic....whew.

2:43: Boynton fould out and it now falls on Chandler Parsons to keep the Gators alive.

2:46: Near panic as March Madness On Demand crashed for 2 minutes during the RMU-Nova game. Tied with 52 seconds.

2:47: Looks like Villanova may get a reprieve as they'll have a chance for the last shot with 25 seconds left. 20+ turnovers may be ultimately what do in the Colonials.

2:50: I've never been a fan of having the last posession and lettin g the clock run all the way down to 6 or 7 seconds before making your move, you leave yourself no room for a 2nd chance.

2:51: Shades of Courtney Lee in Game 2 of the Finals there. You know, minus the holding and the goaltending.

2:55: At least The Ivan Brothers ads won't get very tired really quick.

3:00 P.M.: Billy Donovan has yet to win an NCAA Tournament game since robbing the Orlando Magic at gunpoint. The Magic have won 52, 59 and (as of today) 48 games respectively in those 3 years, made it to the NBA Finals last year and have a chance to do it again this year. Thanks again, William!

3:03: Scottie Reynolds just picked a good time to make his 2nd field goal of the game, that may have just ended the dream for RMU.

3:08: They're still alive after 2 free throws and a layup off an inbounds steal makes it 68-67. There's something different about this 15-seed team, most other low seeds would've gone into "well, that was nice, but it's over now" mode.

3:15 P.M.: Villanova got away with some questionable clock management after that block and quite frankly,I don't know what Robert Morris was doing on that last shot. That said, 2 overtime games and a game that went down to the final shot to start the day, we're off to a much better start this year than in the past few years.

3:25: Murray State leads Vandy by 4 at half. Not as shocking as some think, because Murray State has 30 wins on the year and the Comoodores are vulnerable away from their gimmick-court.

3:37: Freshman Gilberto Clavell helps Sam Houston State to a one-point lead over my Final Four pick, Baylor at half. Fun fact: Clavell comes from Florida Air Academy, my high school's archrival in basketball. FAA also produced Walter Hodge (played on Florida's 2 championship teams), Sasha Kaun (starting center on Kansas' title team), Rihards Kuksiks (starting SG at Arizona State), Evka Banilius (guard at South Carolina), amongst others, as well as Kuamaine Osbourne a guard who currently plays there who will be going to Sam Houston State next year. Not surprisingly, my school has beaten them just once in the last 11 years.

3:54: Vanderbilt is getting bullied inside by Murray State, this is starting to look like a repeat of the Siena game in '08.

4:07: The new guy for CBS, Spero Edes, isn't too bad. He gets a goos game to start with in Vandy-Murray St. Unfortunately, he has to work with Bob Wenzel who is thoroughly bland.

4:09: I really hope that A.J. Ogilvy is rocking that 'stache for ironic reasons only.

4:30: This is the first NCAA Tournament that I've watched in HD and I can already notice differenbt things. For instance, in HD, you can notice the shirt collar tightening around Kevin Stallings' throat.

4:36: Bad call by the Murray State guard there, should've gone up straight to the basket.

4:41: Murray State has a chance for the winner with 4 seconds left. Look for a screen and slash to the basket.

4:43: A picture-perfect buzzer-beater....nice!

4:55: Sam Houston State has nothing to be ashamed of, but Baylor has too much shooting and too many athletes, which is why I have them smoking Duke to go to Indianapolis next week.

5:00 P.M.: Done for now, but I'll be back between 8 and 8:30!

8:03: Ohio, who was the #9 seed in the MAC Tournament, leading Georgetown by 13 late in the 1st half. Admittedly, Ohio is a sentimental favorite of mine because I have a good friend who is an academic advisor to the team.

8:10: You wonder how long these shots will keep falling for Ohio. Unless you're an NBA team, it's hard to keep draining 3's over a sustained period of the game.

8:17: I know taking care of a 6-seed isn't exactly a priority of the commitee, but isn't it strange that Washington, who was one of the last teams in, gets to play in San Jose?

8:38: A badass alley-oop off the glass from Cooper to DeVaughn Washington for Ohio. This might be their night to make history. Well, since the Gary Trent days anyway.

8:44: Very surprising that the Hoyas seem to be getting zero calls around the basket tonight.

8:51: I feel like Northern Iowa would be a huge probelm for any #1 seed this year except Kansas. Too bad that's what UNI could be looking at.

9:03: Call me crazy, but if Ohio holds on and they face Tennessee, the Vols are just streaky enough that the Bobcats could continue their miracle run.

9:11: The one thing in Georgetown's favor is that they haven't packed it in yet. Meanwhile, the Rebels' guards are keeping them in it.

9:16: Too bad the Magic are playing tonight. Otherwise, Stan Van would have to be quite impressed with what we're seeing from the Bobcats at the arc.

9:19: The most surprising part of this game is that considering Georgetown's advantage is their size and to say that it's non-existent tonight would be generous.

9:30: The winning shot by UNI might've been one of the balliest shots I've ever seen.

9:38: annnnnnnnnnnnnd there's Washington when they're good.

9:43: Who's been in school longer: Lazar Hayward at Marquette or Edgar Sosa at Louisville?

9:44: Normally I'd call this an abject implosion, but Marquette is used to this by now.

10:00 P.M.: Quincy Pondexter with the potential dagger....was there any doubt?

10:15: Screw it, I'm ditching SDSU-UT for the Underachiever Classic aka Wake-Texas

10:37: I took Texas in this one based on the fact that I've never seen a team play less inspired than Wake has under Dino Gaudio.

10:50: Not a bad half of basketball by SDSU, but the Vols' D has been exceptional tonight.

11:01: I'm filling in my friend Anthony over at Keeping Busy, who's a sports fan but doesn't follow the college game on all the highlights of today and it's like showing someone what the latest gadgets can do.

11:04: So much for that, Texas-Wake is just straight up dull.

11:09: Just a tip to the networks: when there's a potentially gruesome injury on the court like the one we just saw in the New Mexico game, turn the courtside mics off. I'm pretty sure I just heard that I didn't think a human could make.

11:33: What is it about Kansas being a #1 seed that makes 16 seeds step their game up?

11:39: As soon as I say that, the Jayhawks flex their muscle on both ends of the floor, especially Marcus Morris getting nice with back-to-back swats.

11:45 P.M.: Arinze Onuaku likely out for the weekend for Syracuse. The door for Florida State to do major damage just swung open.

11:49: Maybe it's me, but I feel like Wayne Chism should be said a little more carefully.

11:58: Wake leading Texas by 2 with 2 to go. WHO WANTS IT LESS?

12:00 A.M.: Somehow, I just don't see things ending well for Tennessee's Brian Williams. Just a hunch. Hey B-Dub, avoid changing your faiths at all costs.

12:02 A.M.: Great block by UT's Avery Bradley to keep their season and J'Covan Brown immediately comes back down and ties it with a 3. I foresee a deadly Demon Deacon turnover coming.

12:06 A.M.: Good interior D by Wake to hang on to the lead.

12:07 A.M.: Wretched defensive strategy by SDSU on that possession as it looked like they were willing to let the Vols run out the shot clock down (leaving no less than 9 seconds on the game clock) and they paid for it when Goins nailed the 3.

12:10 A.M.: Damian James gets away with a big-time walk and gets the foul.

12:12 A.M.: Texas and Wake going to OT......they must be pissed.

12:22 A.M.: As OT drags on in the Big Easy, Montana's hanging around against a New Mexico that I honestly still know nothing about.

12:30 A.M.: Another one to the wire on this day as Wake wins in the final seconds. They're pissed that tehy'll have to play another game.

12:35 A.M.: Montana's Anthony Johnson is 0-11 from the field and they're still only down 3? Maybe it's their night.

12:40 A.M.: Mismanaged posession by Montana. Don't know why they were forcing into traffic there and it may have just cost them their shot at the upset.

12:43 A.M.: This has been the best day of tournament basketball since the weekend (they're tied together in my book) of the Elite 8 back in 2005 that featured 3 overtime games.

12:46 A.M.: Another poor offensive decision by Montana with another chance to tie it.

12:50 A.M.: After 12 hours and 40 minutes of pure, unadulterated college basketball bliss, Day One has come to an end......just wow. Even better, I get to spend part of Day Two breaking it down with a college coach.

Be sure to check in throughout the tournament for more updates!

INT That A Bitch

In one of the biggest I told you so moments in recent history, Brett Favre submarined the Minnesota Vikings' chances at a championship with a fatal interception in the final seconds of regulation, giving the Saints a reprieve and ultimately a 31-28 victory in overtime. Unless you were a purple and gold backer, a member of ESPN or Peter King, you knew this was coming at some point. Like an average action movie, you can almost pinpoint when they're coming. With that in mind, and hell, who doesn't enjoy kicking a man when he's down, I present to you Brett Favre's 5 Greatest Meltdowns:

5. 2004 NFC Wild Card vs. Vikings



Technically, this shouldn't count because the play (at 2:11) was called back due to the fact that he was beyond the line of scrimmage and he actually completed it to his own team. However, this play defines the media's verbal french-kissing session with the Wrangler QB for the last 5 years. Whereas Eli Manning or Jay Cutler will get crucified for, when the Silver Fox makes these plays, you'll hear the following:

"There he is, playing like a kid in the backyard!"
"He's playing with reckless abandon! What a warrior!"
"He's just having fun out there! He'd play the game for free!"
"He's having painkiller withdrawls!"

Ok, I made that last one up, but you get the idea. Thanks to Randy Moss' pantomime-shit in the end zone later in the game, this stunt largely went unchecked.

4. 2001 NFC Divisional Playoff vs. Rams



The Ol' Gunslinger ties a playoff record with 6 INT's in a 45-17 loss to The Greatest Show On Turf. You can excuse a couple of these because the Pack were in such a huge hole and he had to throw; Not to mention, even if Favre has a perfect game that day, it may not have been good enough against that Rams squad. But it's hard to leave a 6 INT playoff game off this list.

3. 2007 NFC Championship Game vs. Giants



Favre's 2007 season was supposed to be one of the best farewells in sports history. After a disastorous '05 season and an average '06, it appeared he one left in the chamber as he came back with one of his best seasons. With the help of the newly discovered Ryan Grant, the Packers went 13-3 as Favre threw for 28 TD's. His apparent blaze of glory into the sunset even caused his on-again/off-again boyfriend, Peter King, to be the only writer who did not vote for the record-setting Tom Brady as MVP that year.

On it went to the playoffs, and the Pack blew out Seattle in the Divisional round, providing us with another signature moment with his underhand TD pass to Donald Lee. He started off the bone-chilling NFC Title game with a 90-yard strike to Donald Driver. After Lawrence Tynes shanked a potential game-ending FG to end regulation, Favre was picked off by Corey Webster in his own end of the field and this time, Tynes converted as the Giants would go on to pull off the upset of upsets. Sadly, it seemed as if the final play of Favre's career would be one that cost his team their season. Stop me if you've seen this movie.

2. 2003 NFC Divisional Playoff vs. Eagles



This is was about the time where the media's love affair went to the next level. Credit where it's due, in Week 16, less than a day after Favre lost his father in a tragic car accident, went out on Monday Night Football and threw for 4 TD's and 399 yards as the Packers smoked Oakland 41-7 in one of the most inspirational performances of my lifetime. In the season's final week, they would run past Denver and with Minnesota leading 4-12 Arizona 17-6, it seemed all was lost....until:



SIDE NOTE: As awesome as Paul Allen and his partner's call was Sunday night, this still takes the crown.

The Packers won the Wild Card game the next week against Seattle 33-27 in OT on an Al Harris pick 6 moments after Matt Hasselbeck's infamous "We want the ball and we're gonna score!" prediction and you couldn't but help to start to wonder if there were higher powers at work.

Green Bay led 17-14 with just a over minute to go when Donovan McNabb converted 4th and 26 to Freddie Mitchell, leading to a David Akers FG with :07 left to force OT. On Green Bay's first possession and approaching midfield, Favre launched a fly ball (at 3:04 in the first video of the segment)that even Manny Ramirez would've fielded without issue. With no Packer receivers in the vincity, Brian Dawkins picked it off as millions around the country watched and said "What the hell is he trying to do?" It's a signature "I'm Brett Favre, I can make this throw" that became a staple during his final years in Lambeau.

1. 2009 NFC Championship Game vs. Saints



I'm not a fan of being caught up in instant history, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a more egregious brain-lock in a brain game. Many (including yours truly) had put Favre on blast for another summer of "Will I or won't I?" and that he was washed up, but we've all had to eat crow. Bad ending or not, the man still has it.

He played within the system, excelled beyond belief and most importantly, was not making the classic Favre mistakes. But much like a troubled teenager, just when you think they've finally made that turn in their life, you find that ain't shit changed.

In my opinion, this is one of the dumbest decisions in the history of sports. You have one of the best 50+yard kickers in the history of the game in your back pocket and you're gonna try to be the hero? We shouldn't be shocked that he did that but I'm just amazed that the lone mistake he made this season came at the worst possible moment.

Favre is a first ballot hall of famer and he's one of the best to ever play the position, but his final pass for the Packers, Jets and Vikings were all season-crushing picks and that is as much a part of his legacy as the ring and records are.

Otis, My Man

The big question going into the Orlando Magic's offseason following their run to the 2009 NBA Finals was what changes would general manager Otis Smith make to a roster that came within 3 wins of a championship minus a healthy Jameer Nelson? Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee and Tony Battie were sent away to bring in Vince Carter and a then little-known reserve named Ryan Anderson. Hedo Turkoglu, Tyronn Lue and Jeremy Richardson (the last two of whom had as much to do with the playoff run as I did) were gone via free agency; Brandon Bass, Matt Barnes and Jason Williams came in.

The team has played just 1 game at full strength this year due to Rashard Lewis' 10-game suspension to start the season and Jameer Nelson's injury late in that only game together against the the Bobcats. In spite of it, it's been the new additions, and not just the big name, who have helped the Magic run out to a 17-6 record. Smith has had many detractors during his tenure as GM (including yours truly), but he needs to be given credit for helping make the Magic arguably the deepest team in the East.

Anderson was thrust into the starting lineup immediately due to the Lewis suspension and has thrived in many ways. He scored in double figures in 5 of the 6 games he started and in 10 of the 19 games he's played in, giving Stan Van Gundy another threat beyond the arc and allows him to throw many different looks on the floor with his lineup, something that could loom big come playoff time . Anderson’s impact has been immediate as seen Thursday night in Salt Lake City as Rashard Lewis deferred to a red hot Anderson for the 2nd quarter.

Bass isn't an attention getter (averaging about 9 points and 3 rebounds a game) but the dirty work he does underneath against the likes of Shaq have helped make life easier for Dwight Howard. This is critical because while Lewis and Hedo did get their fair share of rebounds, they generally didn't like fighting for them, something Bass and Barnes have no problem doing.

Barnes is an older version of Courtney Lee. As seen during his stints in Golden State and Phoenix, he can slash and create his own shot. More importantly, he is an absolute pest on D. Typically, he doesn’t draw the best offensive player, that often goes to Mickael Pietrus, but when he’s nearly glue-like on his assignments. As the Magic are likely to face teams with many offensive weapons (Boston, Atlanta) in the playoffs, Barnes could be an X-Factor.

I’d be remiss not to mention the presence of White Chocolate. J-Will was expected to provide steady minutes in relief of Jameer (and did to start the season), but has been more than serviceable as the starting point after Nelson’s injury. Who would’ve thought we’d ever see the day where Jason Williams would be playing the role of the savy veteran? Yet he’s done just that, with an over 4:1 assist to turnover ratio. Having been a part of the Heat’s 2006 championship squad, Jason’s obviously at the stage of his career where it’s strictly a ring thing. Because of this, a Nelson/Williams tandem in the playoffs has a chance to work in a way that the Nelson/Alston duo didn’t because Skip To My Lou was more concerned about starting.

And then of course, there’s Vinsanity.

The debate raged over the summer as to whether Vince Carter would be an upgrade over Hedo and so far, Carter has been equal to the task. He’s been the most consistent scorer on the team to this point and has been able to create his own shot much like Turk. Most importantly he’s filled Hedo’s role as Mr. 4th Quarter, with his biggest moment coming in their first trip to Boston, where he scored 10 in the 4th, including the go-ahead jumper with 2 and a half to go.

The faces may change, but the roles have remained the same in the Magic’s Eastern Conference title defense. I may not always agree with some of his trades and his drafting has been suspect, but credit to Otis Smith, he’s kept this team in position to finish the job in June.

Welcome to Sports Fan Hell

Being a sports fan ultimately boils down to two things: the unbridled joy of winning and the pain of losing. More times than not, you lose, it comes with territory, we all get that, it's what makes winning that much better. However, in the past 3 years for me, there's losing and then there's being repeatedly kicked in the protective cup. It's not just losing, it's having rivals win too, to pour salt in the wound, which lately has become a cement mixer. I've dubbed this Sports Fan Hell, and allow me to give you a tour. Think of it as a way to understand my incessant pessimism and whining.

It unofficially began on April 3, 2006 when Florida defeated UCLA for the NCAA basketball championship. I hate seeing UF win anything, but I didn't think much of it.Cute, those spoiled kids up in Gainesville finally have a basketball title, that's nice. Little did I know the misery I was in for:

October 19th, 2006 : It officially began when the Mets lost Game 7 of the NLCS in heartbreaking fashion to the Cardinals on a 2-run homer by Yadier Molina in the 9th inning and the season ending with Carlos Beltran striking out looking with the bases loaded. This is actually the most painful loss of my lifetime. 2006 was the season of destiny for the Mets, they had the pitching and the lineup and an 83-78 team took it from them, no one saw it coming. It took me almost til Christmas to get over it.

January 8, 2007 Florida boat races Ohio State 41-14. Great, 2 titles in 9 months, just what the trust fund babies needed. Part of the UF hate comes from being a Florida State fan, part of it comes from my friends who go to UF and never shut up about how much better they are than everyone simply by going to UF. Two titles for them is like pouring another gas can on the fire.

March 2007: Jimmy Rollins declares the Phillies, perennial September swooners, the team to beat in the NL East. When did Jimmy Rollins become good enough to be talkin shit like that? Please, like they have a chance.

April 2, 2007 : b-ball title #2 for UF and title #3 in 364 days. All of a sudden, there's a lot of blue and orange car flags around.

September 14-30, 2007 : The Collpase......already did an entry on this, and I'm not in the mood to do it again.

December 2007: Tim Tebow wins the Heisman and thus, the ballwashing begins. I can say without question that I have never hated an athlete like I do Tebow. The aw shucksness, the phony showbiz christian act, the fact that he's not a great QB and can just simply run over people at 6'5 245, yet people act like he's reinvented the wheel, the Favre-eque way announcers fawn over him. I actually danced a jig when he got that concussion.

January 6, 2008: Bucs lose NFC Wild Card game to Giants. This one doesn't bug me that much since I thought the Giants would win this game anyway and ended up doing what they did a few weeks later.

September 28,2008: The Collpase Part 2 concludes and destroys Shea Stadium. Nice to see 87 wins wasn't good enough for the Marlins this year, just like 89 and 88 weren't good enough for the Mets the 2 years prior. Karma po-lice, arrest this team.

October 29,2008 : Phillies win the World Series. Maybe the baseball gods don't exist.

December 2008: Following Monte Kiffin's announcement that he will be leaving the Buccaneers after the season to go to Tennessee, the defense takes the last month of the season off and the Bucs go from 9-3 to out of the playoffs, including blowing a 10-point lead in the 4th quarter in the final game against the freaking Raiders. I'm starting to wonder if I killed somebody in a past life

January 8, 2009: UF defeats Oklahoma for another national title, and Tim Tebow gets verbally blown by Thom Brennaman on TV for 3 hours......absolute torture.

March 20, 2009: Florida State blows a 13-point lead to Wisconsin in the 2nd half and falls in the final seconds of the 1st round of the NCAA Tourmanet. Ok, I'm reaching here, but at this point I was just hoping for ANY of my teams to come through at this point.

April-September 2009: Mets season becomes wet garbage.

June 11 and 14, 2009: Derek Fisher's daggers in Game 4 and the Lakers clinch it in Orlando. As I've said on here before, it sucked that they lost, but the fun of the Eastern Conference playoffs outweighed the end. That said, screw the Lakers, and I hope Yoko Khloe and her ugly sister Kourtney help wreck the repeat.

*Side note for June 14: The Mets lose 15-0 to the Yankees, where Johan Santana gets tagged for 9 runs in 3 innings in a series that also featured Luis Castillo's game-ending dropped pop-up. If the memory-eraser thing from Men In Black was available, it would definitely be used for that 4-5 day stretch.


The next 2 weeks: Phillies-Yankees World Series: Since my rage over this is approaching a Stephen Jackson in Detroit level, I'll let my friend Anthony sum it up: "It's the Alien vs. Predator World Series, no matter who wins, we lose."

Editor's note: This may be updated again in the coming months for the undeserved Tebow Heisman and another UF title.

NFL thoughts 10/22

So far we know who the NFL's bottom shelf is (Cleveland, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Buffalo, KC and Tennessee) and we're pretty sure of the elite teams (Saints, Giants, Vikings and Colts)and the 2nd tier who could be elite late in the year (New England Denver, Pittsburgh, Baltimore,Atlanta and Chicago). But what else have we learned?

- We've learned that Brett Favre is setting up Vikings fans for a massive letdown in January.

- Josh McDaniels knew what he was doing and that Kyle Orton is not just a caretaker.

-Tom Brady is just fine, and if you still don't believe that, go back and check how Peyton Manning's 2nd half was last year.

-Speaking of Peyton: no disrespect to Jim Caldwell, who I'm sure does contribute, but Manning is officially the coach of the Colts.

- Drew Brees is the most complete QB in the league in terms of mobility, poise, arm strength, and leadership

- That the Wildcat is a lot more complicated than just putting fast guys under center and running a screen pass; which is to say, the Dolphins are the only team that can truly pull it off.

- That the Niners are getting there, but they're not on the big boy level. I think they'll win the NFC West, get bounced in the Wild Card, but could make some serious noise in the next few years.

- There's a reason why Brady Quinn fall to 22nd in the draft. I couldn't have said it any better myself

- The Cowboys have gone from overrated to irrelevant very quickly.

- I'd say the Bengals are legit, but I want to see how much of an effect the loss of Antwan Odom has on their defense.

- Baltimore's suddenly mediocre secondary makes them beatable. Which is a shame, because I'd love to see what that team could do with both sides of the ball at full strength.

- Jason Campbell is apparently forever the victim of circumstance. I'd love to see how he'd look in a stable situation because it's never going to get any better for him in the District.

-Maybe, just maybe, the Eagles aren't Super Bowl material and I would've said that even prior to the Oakland fiasco.

LCS Opinions

- Last night shows the fundamental difference between the Phillies and Dodgers that still exists. If there is nothing else the Phillies have done better than any other team in the last 3 seasons, it's the ability to drop the hammer when the other team is waiting for the bell to ring. You watch them and you can tell they have this sixth sense of when they have chance to a bury a team(i.e. Howard's 2-run double in Colorado and in the 5th last night, Ibanez's 3-run shot in the 8th) and they usually do. On the flip side, the Dodgers had chances with the bases loaded in the 6th, a runner at 2nd with no out in the 7th, runners at the corners in the 8th and a lead off hit in the 9th and couldn't cash in. Outside of Cliff Lee, the rotations are even, L.A. has a better bench and bullpen, but they just can't finish, and that's why The Champs are who they are.

- Add this to the list of Phillie breaks over the last 3 years: Brad Lidge correcting himself just in time for the postseason run. Of course he would, these things always happen for the Phils.

- What will the Yankees do now that Ronan Tynan can't ice the opposing pitcher for 10 minutes in the 7th inning?

- It's essential for the Angels to take Game 1 tonight in The Bronx. I'm sure they'd feel satisfied with a split, but with the level of expectations for the Yankees right now, taking the first game would take the air out of the place and the feeling that L.A. is in their heads would be back.

- Picks : Phillies in 5, Yankees in 6......somebody kill me.

Playoff Blog Hits 10/10

- I'll leave my thoughts on the Twins-Yankees game to my good friend and loyal Twins fan, The Bama Gringo : "Unless the goddamn Twins are playing, A-Rod is the worst motherfucking postseason player in baseball history. Against the Twins, he turns into the second coming of Yogi fucking Berra. And for fuckin' fuck's sake, the 3-4-5 guys do their damn jobs, and Delmon Young, you hack-happy fucker, you just HAVE to swing at the first pitch, don't you. You, too, Gomez. FUCK!!!!!"

- I'm amazed that ESPN exercised so much restraint this morning in not showing the Luis Castillo Play every single time they talked about Matt Holliday's drop. You know, like they do every day as pretty boy Josh Elliott and Hannah Storm giggle incessantly. Oh wait, Hannah Storm giggles through every highlight, as you were.

- Speaking of, can there be anything worse than not only contributing to your team's devastating playoff loss, but getting drilled in the package in the process? As much deserved heat as Holliday's getting, Ryan Franklin should be getting ripped for walking Blake after being up 0-2, giving up a hit to Ronnie freaking Belliard (who I honestly thought was out of baseball), and to Loretta who was cold coming off the bench.

- I'm quite puzzled as to Jim Tracy adhering strictly adhering to the matchup-style lineup against Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. It paid off in Yorvit Torrealba's 2-run homer in Game 2, but at this point in the season, you should have your best 9 guys out there and Torrealba might be the worst starting position player in the postseason and Garrett Atkins is clearly fearing the drug testing. But then again, I was happy to be wrong Thursday.

-Speaking of Mr. Hamels, I can't wait for his kid's first words to be "why is dada a shaggy-haired girl?" Waaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh, TBS doesn't respect us, wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh why do I have to pitch during the day? Wahhhhhhhhh, my wife's giving birth! What's next? How dare the hitters swing at my pitches?

- Chip Caray is the new Joe Buck and by that I mean, no matter how bad he is (in this instance, Caray's cheerleading getting in the way of him actually presenting the game, as opposed to Buck's cheerleading mixing with his completely dull delivery), the network will continue to push him on us. There's hope for me yet.

Running Diary: Twins vs. Tigers AL Central One-Game Playoff

I will have a running diary for today's one-game playoff starting at 4:30 P.M. My prediction: an 8th inning implosion by the Tigers pen gives the Twins a 4-2 win.

4:30 P.M. : Congratulations to TBS on one of the dumbest programming decisions in history. Nothing like having According to Jim as your lead-in to a one-game playoff.

4:43: 16 months ago, I was watching Rick Porcello pitch in the Florida State League All-Star Game. They grow up so fast. And yes, I'm pissed that I missed out on seeing Stephen Strasburg sole appearence here until March.

4:46 - Watching Al Leiter on the MLB Net pre-game and them running highlights of his 2-hit gem in the one-game playoff against Cincy makes me feel old. My God, that was already 10 years ago?

5:01- Ron Darling, thankful to leave the prison sentence that was being on SNY for the 2009 season, gets to call his first meaningful game in over a year.

5:04- This entire Miguel Cabrera situation is a beauty. Even the Mets weren't this dumb the last 2 years.

5:07- It's 44 degrees and raining in Minneapolis. I don't see how Target Field will pose any sort of problem.

5:11- Text from my friend Tyler (a loyal Tigers fan):" We're 9 min into the broadcast and they've already listed about 37 reasons/stats why the Twins will win. This is gonna be a fun broadcast to watch."

5:18- Joe Mauer legs out a double with two out and one of the purest swings in the game. You think Bobby Bowden wishes he had taken that football scholarhsip to FSU right about now? Yeah, me too.

5:20- Porcello doesn't even look remotely fazed and gets Jason Kubel to pop out to short to end the first.

5:22- A "beat your wife, Miggy, beat your wife! (clap clap)" chant would've been solid, but as we all know, Minneapolis is classier than most.

5:24- Cabrera breaks out of a wretched 0-11 slump, with a one-handed double to the wall. Now THAT'S strength.

5:26- " It's like we say on the NBA ON TNT....win or go home," says Chip Caray. Nice to see Turner has learned the plug portion of the Broadcast from FOX.

5:27- Denard Span is one of those guys that won't get mentioned in the papers, but he's a player that you don't win without. Here's hoping the Mets can find/grow those kind of players.

5:31- Those final 2 outs are exactly why you trade for Orlando Cabrera. Despite his reported surliness in the clubhouse, he just gets it done.

5:46- Tigers avoid a double play after Curtis Granderson beats a nick Punto flip to 2nd. Darling dontests that Punto needed to make a better throw, but I don't think Punto had much of a choice considering how close Granderson was to the bag.

5:47- Maggloio Ordonez singles home Granderson for the first run. Maybe that haircut was for the best.

5:49- Miggy shuts everybody up with a 2-run blast into the football seats. Speaking of which, did you know Brett Favre played his old team last night?

5:59- Span makes it happen again with a single to right moving Matt Tolbert to 3rd. It's the little things.

6:01- nice to see Johan is still revered in the Twin Cities with all those jerseys. No need to worry, the Savior will rise again in March.

6:03- A botched pickoff attempt at 1st allows Tolbert to score. Bad move, you can't be focusing on the runner with 2 outs.

6:07- With the bases loaded, Kubel whiffs to end the inning. Let's just say he's not having the best of days.

6:09- Nice to see Tyler Hansbrough secure at least one endorsement before he fades into bolivian.

6:17- Great job by Punto to stand down the take-out slide by Ryan Raburn.

6:20- Worth noting: Rick Porcello has one less win in one season than Joba Chamberlain does in 3.

6:24- Colorado will not have Jorge De La Rosa in the rotation for the NLDS. That's a huge loss, now throws Jason Hammel into Game 4 and I'm not so sure he's ready.

6:27- Did you know this might be the last baseball game ever played in the Metrodome? They should mention that.

6:49- Kubel belts one almost to the upper deck to trim the lead to one. With the efforts this month from him and Cuddyer and Justin Morfneau, Delmon Young should probably be selling his house right about now.

6:53- Cuddyer works a 2-out walk with a great AB and Porcello is done. I would've let him face Delmon Young before pulling the plug.


6:55- Texas leaguer falls in and Cuddyer goes to 3rd.

6:56- Is pinch-hitting Brendan Harris for Jose Morales THAT big of a difference? That's making a move for the sake of it.

6:57- moot point, he gets plunked on the first pitch. The wheels are coming off for Detroit.

7:00- Impatient hitting by Tolbert bails Zach Miner out of disaster. 3-2 going to the 7th.

7:01- "God I hate Zach Miner, he's trying to kill me."- Tyler

7:07- Seems a little too early to be bringing Jon Rauch in, I'd much rather have him facing their heavy-hitting righties.

7:13- Delmon Young's favorite reliever, Jose Mijares, enters. From the same bullpen that brought us Dennys Reyes and Eddie Guardado, the Twins certainly do not discriminate against waistlines.

7:20- Matt Guerrier induces an inning-ending grounder and the Metrodome is coming back to life. Jim Leyland went into the tunnel for a heater.

7:29- After Punto reaches, they decide not to have Span bunt and tghen punches out. Puzzling call, may come back to haunt them.

7:30- Immediately upon typing that. Cabrera hits a 2-run homer. I know nothing.

7:32- "Why is Miner still in? Is Leyland alive?"- Tyler

7:35- Question: Why was Miner throwing him a hanging slider when Cabrera couldn't catch up to his fastball?


7:44- Magglio Ordonez puts the defribilluator to the Tigers with a homer just over the left field wall. I'm telling you, they should have these every year, 3 straight thrilling Game 163's.


7:47- I know Joe Nathan doesn't usually go 2 innings but with the season on the line, he has to be out there.

7:49- Now this is just aspiring announcer in me, but the 8th inning of a tie game is not the time to be going to the human interest story about how the Tigers are doing this for Detroit.

8:02- So just so were clear: Joe Nathan wasn't worth bringing in to start the 8th, but was ok to bring in with one out? A MENSA-worthy move by Gardy there.

8:13- A Wally Backman-esque bunt by Ramon Santiago. Nathan v. Granderson, buckle up.

8:16- This is exactly who you want up if you're the Tigers.

8:19- Once again, I know nothing. That said, what a lousy call.

8:22- Lousy baserunning by Granderson there, you have to wait for that to fall. When you have first and third with no one out and you can't cash in, maybe it's not your day.

8:28- How many times does a leadoff walk in the bottom of the 9th comes into score?

8:30- The division-title winning run on 2nd and here comes Fernando Rodney.....I'm actually worried what might happen to Tigers fans in the next 5 minutes.

8:34- What a play by Inge. Big names tend to do big things in these games.

8:36- If you needed any reason to keep watching after 3 and a half hours, Craig Sager's purple suit makes an appearence. Thank you, TBS.

8:46 Who says September call-ups who only make 3 appearences aren't useful? What wheels by Don Kelly, although Mauer should've been made Kelly blown him up.

8:50- What is Ryan Raburn thinking? Just let that one drop.

8:51- What is Delmon Young thinking? You have the cloer rattled and the place going and you're gonna swing on the first pitch? Nice going.

8:57- As a Met fan, I know exactly what's about to happen. Opposite field single by Span to win it.

9:01- Incredible play by Raburn, and dumbfounded that they sent Casilla on a ball that shallow (shades of Junior throwing out Cuddyer last year). What a game. And what a horrendous call by Chip Caray who yelled "BASE HIT!" before Raburn even had a play on it.

9:15- You figure with Fernando Rodney going into his 3rd inning of work that this won't end well for the Tigers.

9:16- Simply put, Curtis Granderson is the balls of the Detroit Tigers. Great catch.

9:18- Randy Marsh must be getting a playoff spot from one of these teams. Wow, was that awful.

9:30- Bases loaded and Inge at the plate.....this is where putting Rauch in in the 7th hurts them.

9:38- And the Tigers go back to their Mets impression....weak.

9:40- You can't possibly expect a closer to go 4 innings, right? right?

9:43- Young and Casilla have plenty of speed to break up a double play, but if Alexi Casilla beats you, it wasn't gonna happen anyway.

9:45- What a game, sucks it had to end. Congrats to the Twins on a miraculous comeback and will now receieve a 1 and 2 asswuppin courtesy of the Yankees.

That Day

It’s been 731 days since the worst day in the history of the New York Mets franchise, but it still feels just as bad as the first and just thought of it leaves most Met fans with the face you see above.

On September 30, 2007, the Mets completed the worst regular season collapse in the history of the game, falling to the Florida Marlins 8-1 and handing the National League East championship to the Phillies.

What the Mets had spent the last 2 years building as a championship franchise disappeared in the course of 3 hours (and ultimately, the next September and all of 2009). The players and management can talk about how it didn’t affect their psyche, but it’s been quite obvious that they’ve been chasing ever since. That day and, what happened in Game 7 the previous year, and the following September have left even the most loyal Met fans (including yours truly) with a deep amount of distrust and resentment.

In 2008, the thought the orange and blue might replicate the abject failure of the previous September was there, but not in 2007.

Sure, the team’s biggest free agent acquisition that winter was Moises Alou, but this was a team that was one fluke home run away from a World Series the year before. Tom Glavine continued to be the staff ace in the final year of his contract, El Duque was his old (and I do mean old) reliable self in the 2-spot, John Maine was continuing to make leaps and bounds in his 2nd full season, and Oliver Perez was showing the promise that Mets’ brass saw when they traded for him the previous July. Despite no Duaner Sanchez and a sub-par Scott Schoeneweis, the bullpen was in its 2006 form. With a healthy Alou, the offense was just as potent as its 2006 counterpart.

In addition to being on a mission to finish what the 2006 team came so painstakingly short of, there was fuel on the fire when Philly shortstop Jimmy Rollins declared the Phillies the team to beat in the NL East, bringing life to a rivalry that had been largely dormant for its history.

While the Phillies had 2 critical sweeps during the season (a 3-gamer in Shea in early June and a 4-game sweep in Philly at the end of August which featured just about every way you could lose a ball game), the Mets had a 6 1/2 game going into a three-game showdown with them at Shea Stadium on September 14.

It’s a strange day for me, as it signaled a beginning and an end in different respects. That night was my first night working in radio as I was covering a high school football game in Stuart for Sebastian River High. I remember listening to Aaron Heilman surrender a go-ahead sac fly to Greg Dobbs in the 10th inning, giving the Phillies a 3-2 win and bringing them with 5 1/2 games, with the radio crew having a post-game meal. Still, no big deal, right? Rollins would hit a 2-run triple in the 7th on Saturday and Guillermo Mota would begin his trail of devastation on Sunday, loading the bases in the 6th, eventually setting up a Dobbs grand slam off of Jorge Sosa to seal a 10-6 win, the sweep and shrinking the lead to 3 ½. But hey, the Phillies are a pretty good team and they don’t have to play them again, so it’s all good. Right?

Here’s where it gets painful.

Even with the lead the shrinking, Met fans weren’t pulling their hair out like the following year. This was a team that when push came to shove, usually handled it’s business. Plus, the schedule was in their favor as the final 14 games against bottom-feeders Washington and Florida and a make-up game against a St. Louis club that was out of contention and banged up. If ever there was a gift-wrapped division championship, this was it.

For some reason, Omar Minaya thought it would be a swell idea to sign Brian Lawrence in December 2006, despite the fact that Lawrence hadn’t been relevant (or any shade of servicable) in almost 4 years. With El Duque hurt (only made a brief cameo during implosion), a pitcher who was more used up than a 1997 Camry, was now asked to stop the bleeding against a team hungry to play spoiler and led by a manager eager to get back at the team who he felt should’ve hired him back in the winter of 2004, instead of Willie Randolph. Naturally, Lawrence gave back a 4-0 lead that the Mets had built off of future Met disaster Tim Redding. Aaron Sele, Schoenewis and 4 Met errors (10 in 2 games) finished it, as Washington won going away 12-4. They would blow another 4-0 lead and a 7-3 lead the next night, as Austin Kearns and Wily Mo Pena continued to transform into the ’07 Ruth and Gehrig, the lead now down to 2 ½. They’d stop the slide the next night but it would be followed by what would be personally, the most painful defeat of the freefall.

September 20th, my 21st birthday. I was actually supposed to go to the game that night, but it fell through at the last moment and thank God. Being 21 and having nothing to do, ordering the Extra Innings package can be a dangerous thing. As The Collapse ventured on, watching the games turned me into an emotional puddle of a human being, however this night would be more pathetic. Since the geniuses that have run the Marlins got into a 13-year pissing match with the cable companies that only ended just this season, a critical 4-game set was not available to any Met fans living in the Sunshine State. On this night I was reduced to running back and forth from talking and having cake with relatives to running into my room to check the game on the computer. In the 9th inning, Marlon Anderson hit a bases clearing triple and Beltran then brought him home to make it a 7-4 lead. Awesome, the Mets right the ship on my birthday, great birthday present. WRONG. When Billy Wagner wussed out with back spasms (nothing like getting $10 million a year and bailing in a big spot), Jorge Sosa was brought into close, who immediately imploded, giving up 3 in the 9th (thanks in part to a David Wright throwing error) and then a game-winning Dan Uggla double in the 10th, leaving a mouth agape irish kid who just turned 21 with only one thing to do.

They would win the final three games (though nearly imploding on Sunday, coughing up a 9th inning lead only to recover in extras), highlighted by me during the Saturday game at Dolphin Stadium yelling at Guillermo Mota to sit the hell down when all he did was stand up to shake his arms loose.

They’d save the worst for last.

The Nationals continued their best impression of the ’27 Yankees, while Pelfrey was still in a rut (you know, the one he went back into this season), Tom Glavine showed a preview of what was to come and Phillip Humber was pulled too early in his first major league start with a 6-2 lead in which Joe Smith and Pedro Feliciano gave up 5 runs in the span of 3 minutes. Also, I’m pretty sure the Mets hit into 20 double plays during the series, and David Wright hitting into 8 of them. Irony of ironies: who got the save to complete the sweep? Luis Ayala. More proof that God hates the Mets.

They’d waste Pedro Martinez’s last good start as a Met in a make-up game with St. Louis the following night to fall into a tie with the Phils, being shut out 3-0 by Joel Piniero. Repeat: Joel Piniero. On a side note, will all these experts please stop talking about how the Cardinals have a great 3-man rotation for the playoffs? Carpenter and Wainwright, yes, but Joel Piniero? Child please. It’s JOEL FREAKING PINIERO! The guy defines pedestrian!

The Collapse reached a new low when Oliver Perez’s renassiance season ended with a whimper, giving up 6 runs in 3 2/3 innings as the Mets fell out of first place. The next 2 days would reach levels of the absurd and tragic.

Let me put it this way: If Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden didn’t, and Johan Santana doesn’t, there will NEVER be a Mets no-hitter. But John Maine nearly did it on the second to last day of the season, carrying a no-no for 7 2/3, losing it on an infield single by Paul Hoover. Between work and going to/at my friend’s house, I kept my nose buried in my phone watching it , thinking “It HAS to happen this way” and just laughing how it surreal it was. What occurred after the Hoover single would be the ultimate case of pride before the fall. After a shouting match, Jose Reyes charged Miguel Olivo, sparking off a bench-clearing brawl in the process, giving the Marlins incentive for Sunday.

Meanwhile, Matt Chico kept the Phillies in check, and it was a dead heat going to the final day of the season. If it were any other two teams, it’d be amazing theater. Instead, it would be akin to the South Park episode where they tried to remove Butters’ bad dreams.

Again, with no TV and attending 2 different family-related parties that I had to be dragged to, I was stuck to the phone and watching gamecast, only to watch horror unfold.

Hanley Ramirez walks, Uggla fielder’s choice, Jeremy Hermida single, Miguel Cabrera RBI single (crap, but Tommy will get out of this), Cody Ross doubles home Hermida and Cabrera then scores on a throwing error by Glavine (no….no….no….this can’t be happening….maybe there’s a mistake….there’s no way), Mike Jacobs single, Matt Treanor walks (what the hell is he doing? Get him out of there), Alejandro De Aza singles (he’s toast), Dontrelle Willis hit by a pitch with the bases loaded (oh my God, we’re screwed), Glavine gone (and good freaking riddance), Jorge Sosa in (great Willie, who doesn’t get enough blame for being an absolute corpse in the midst of the disaster), Ramirez strikes out, 2-run double for Uggla (we’re doomed), Hermida grounds out.

And just like that, it was over. The Marlins ace wasn’t much better (not making it out of the 3rd) as the Mets scratched across a run in the first and had the bases loaded when Ramon Castro’s blast died on the track. They would never come close again and when the Nationals laid down for the Phillies, The Collapse was complete.

By the time I got to the 2nd party, the only hope was for the Nationals to make a miracle rally. My dad, seeing the mood I was in, decided to have me join in a volleyball game he was playing with his buddies. Understand, this is a beautiful house right on the Indian River with plenty of palm trees, just a perfect place. So I’m playing, trying to take my mind off what was happening, when I’m running for a spike when I realized I was going to smack right into a palm tree. I caught myself mid-stride like Felix Jones Monday night and started backpedaling, with one problem: I couldn’t stop. BOOM! For two seconds, I honestly thought I had cracked my head open. There I was, on the porch of a beautiful, expensive house, holding a soda can to the back of my head to stop the bleeding, while looking at a phone, hoping and praying that the worst of worst case scenarios wouldn't happen. Yeah, safe to say it was the worst day ever. When I got home, I did what any rational Met fan would’ve done; I kicked my recycle bins across the front lawn and smashed the contents with a bat. But the Mets weren’t finished, they had one more knife to twist follwing the game.


In 36 words, Tom Glavine did almost as much damage as he had done in 36 pitches:

“I’m not devastated. I’m disappointed, but devastation is for much greater things in life. I’m disappointed, obviously, in the way I wanted to pitch. I can’t say there is much more I would have done differently.”

Rationally, he’s correct, given the current state of morale in our country, a baseball game should be just a hair of a blip on the radar screen. But when families are dolling out $100-$200 to go to a game to pay your ridiculous salary, it means something to them. The fans who buy your jersey and watch each game on TV or in person with a fervent passion and intensity over the course of 5 months like myself care a whole lot in that moment. Had Glavine said that the day after when the team was cleaning out their lockers, I’m probably not talking about this, but to say that immediately after the worst big-game pitching performance in the history of the game is just insulting. He would’ve been better off just saying “eh, shit happens.”

That’s what hurt the most, knowing that it doesn’t bother them as much as it does us. You spend every day from the end of March through the end of Spetember following every single game on TV, every box score, transaction, rumor, etc. and when it happens as this did, you can’t focus, you don't sleep as well, you worry, you keep thinking of superstitions that could possibly fix it and then you realize that there’s absolutely nothing you can do. You just feel like such an idiot for wasting all your time on something that went up in smoke so quickly and in such pathetic fahsion.

There was some small amount of joy when the Rockies continued their miracle run by sweeping the Phillies in the NLDS, but as I've said here before, it's like sending the guy who killed your brother into the hospital; nice, but the damage had already been done. There's no erasing the images of despondent Met fans and kids crying at Shea or a champagne-doused, grinning Jimmy Rollins, realizing that he got over. It invokes sadness, frustration, anger, disbelief, the list of emotions goes on and until they cash one in, they won't ever go away.

2008 was almost as painful because it closed Shea Stadium and thankfully, 2009 was over in July, but I can’t imagine anything ever being worse than those 16 days in September 2007.

In Memory of the traumatic events of September 28, 2008

Shea deserved a better fate. *bleeping* Schoeneweis.... R.I.P. Shea Stadium

Week 1 Cover 16

A soon to be Tuesday tradition here at 7U17TG, where I'll give a couple thoughts on each week's games.

Pittsburgh 13 Tenneessee 10 (OT)

- Standard practice for these two teams: low-scoring but damn if it wasn't entertainingly violent for 4 quarters and OT. That said, the Titans had no business winning this game or even being within contention.

- I think the Titans have a legit downfield threat in Kenny Britt and if Vince Young can ever get his head on straight and some sembelance off accuracy, he has that safety valve that Matty Ice has in Roddy White.

- The Steelers will miss Troy Polamalu to be sure, but unlike the Bears, they have enough playmakers (Harrison, Farrior, Woodley, Taylor) that it won't be dehabilitating to the team.

- Santonio Holmes' last 2 games (seperately mind you): 9 receptions, 131 yards, 1 TD; last touchdown of 2008, first touchdown of 2009.....spooky

Atlanta 19 Miami 7

- Miami's offensive line, which was one of their biggest strengths last season, was exposed by Atlanta's underrated D. While people point to the Dolphins having the toughest schedule in the league this season, but whether the O-Line (Jake Long especially) can duplicate their 2008 success will dictate where the Dolphins go this year.

- Watching Matt Ryan duel Drew Brees for the next 2-3 years while Brees is in his prime is gonna be awesome.

Baltimore 38 Kansas City 24

- You could look at this score in one of 2 ways:

1. Joe Flacco had a 300 yard game and Baltimore's offense looked sharp.

2. Baltimore gave up 24 points to an offense led by Brodie Croyle.

I'm gonna go with option 2. Granted, losing Rex Ryan, Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard hurts, but they still have several playmakers on that side of the ball (including the best defensive playmaker in the game), so it shouldn't make that much of a difference, right?

(Upon further inspection: 7 of that 24 came on a fumble recovery in the end zone and they held the Chiefs' offense to under 200 yards, so my bad, keep on truckin guys. Though I'm still surprised a Croyle-led unit got that much.)

Philadelphia 38 Carolina 10

- I don't think we've seen a complete career meltdown like the one Jake Delhomme's currently experiencing since Rick Ankiel. Egad.

- I was kind of banking Week 9 being the time when Donnie Mac does his annual impression of Glass Joe. Oh well.

- Good luck to love birds Hank and Kendra as they are probably moving to Canada within the next 2 weeks. Though I suppose with her being in Canada, the 2 reasons for watching her show won't be on display anymore, will they?

Denver 12 Cincinnati 7

- With the way Jay Cutler played Sunday, the Broncos probably would've lost that game.

- Credit to Denver's defense needs to be given for holding an offense thought many think could (and still can) return to its 05-07 form.

- That said, their top 2 quarterbacks on the depth chart are Kyle Orton and Chris Simms, so we can make this past Sunday as win number 1 of 3 on the season.

Minnesota 34 Cleveland 20

- Can we decide which is Adrian Peterson's nickname: AD or AP? Just need it for future reference.

- Underreported story from the weekend: Jared Allen being dominated by Joe Thomas, who might be arguably the best offensive lineman who isn't a Viking.

New York Jets 24 Houston 7

- I'm not going to start with the Joe Namath comparisons, but I'd be feeling pretty good right now about my QB if I were a Jet fan.

- This is the year where we find out just how good Bart Scott is and that it wasn't just the fellow studs in Baltimore that made him look so good.

- Is it just me or do the Texans perform much better without expectations?

Indianapolis 14 Jacksonville 12

- Now since I'm a Florida boy and I doubt that there's any Jaguar fans outside of this state, let me explain to you how entertaining Jaguar fans are. They've been thinking that this is "The Year" for about 5 years now and that 12-4 is always reasonably within reach. Prime example: Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton, as expected for someone's first NFL game against two of the best in the business, got handled by Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney at the line; a friend of mine, who is as hardcore a Jags fan as there is, still considered it a good effort and thought they are the future of the line. Right, just like Marcedes Lewis was the future best tight end in the NFL? Myopia can be a beautiful thing to see some times.

- I know Jacksonville always plays the Colts tough, but the Indy offense didn't look so spectacular even before Anthony Gonzalez's injury. I think the depature of Tom Moore is going to have a bigger impact on the Colts than the loss of Tony Dungy.

- I thought my nightmare was 4 months from being over WHYYYYY???????

New Orleans 45 Detroit 27

- Matthew Stafford didn't exactly light the world on fire, but I think we've all been warped on the rookie progession scale by Ryan and Flacco. I think we're forgetting the struggles Peyton Manning had his rookie year on his way to a 3-13 season. Given the weapons Stafford has in Calvin Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew and Kevin Smith, I think he'll be just fine.

- Any hint of a defense from the Saints and they're going to be scary as hell this year.

Dallas 34 Tampa Bay 21

- Apparently, tackling is now illegal in Raymond James Stadium. At least since December anyway.

- Can somebody please fill me in as to why Matt Bryant was cut? One of the most reliable and clutch kickers in the league was dropped for a guy who immediately went Mike Vandershank? Not to mention, it has to be extremely bad karma to do that to a guy who just lost his son.

- I was glad to see Cadillac back out there and nearly rack 100 yards in the process. As hard as the loss to Oakland to end the season was, it was even tougher to see Caddy go down in a heap in a play late in the 4th of the game. I remember there being a open mic nearby when it happened and it sounded as if he had been pummeled with a tire iron. I see Raheem Morris working with the 3-man backfield like the Giants have and hopefully Cadillac reaps the benefits of it.

- I like what I saw from Kellen Winslow. They didn't give up the house for him and he's still young so him and Josh Freeman could become a good tandem.

- Can I start the whispers that maybe just maybe Aquib Talib is a bust?


San Francisco 20 Arizona 16

- Forget the Madden Curse on Larry Fitzgerald, what about the Super Bowl losers curse the Cardinals are staring down? If the previously undefeated Patriots couldn't crack the playoffs, what chance do these guys have?

New York Giants 23 Washington 17

- In case anyone forgot, the Giants still have THE best pass rush in the league.

- Due to some shoddy play, Jason Campbell is one again under fire, which in my opinion is undeserved. Campbell has had no continuity on his coaching staff since he came to Washington 4 years ago and the constant Cutler/Sanchez talk in the offseason probably didn't help matters. As he showed in the preseason, he does have big play capability and if he continues that over the next 4 months, Jim Zorn will have his first playoff appearence as a head coach.

Seattle 28 St. Louis 0

Okay, Steve Spagnuolo, you'll got your head coaching gig and HC money, but you have to inherit this tire fire. How many of us would be so willing?

Green Bay 21 Chicago 15

- I don't know which overrated spoiled brat's embarrassment on national TV was more enjoyable Sunday night: Jay Cutler or Taylor Swift? Oh wait, Jay Cutler is on my 2-QB fantasy team, Thank you for nothing, Jay.

- Greg Jennings will enter the top tier of elite receivers this season.

- He wasn't exactly pretty in his performance Sunday night, but you can tell that not only does Aaron Rodgers have the game, he absolutely has the respect of his teammates and they are definitely buying it. He was able to shake off a sub-par night and make the big play when he needed. It wouldn't shock me at all if Rodgers leads the Packers to a deep playoff run.

New England 25 Buffalo 24

- Maybe it's because as a Met fan I can relate to the whole devastating losses piling up and the media being way too happy to rehash the past failures when it happens again, but my God do I feel bad for Buffalo fans right now. Have a drink on me, guys, hang in there.

- The loss of Jerrod Mayo will hurt the Pats' D more than the veteran turnover will.

- As soon as Tom Brady gets his deep ball timing back, look the hell out.

San Diego 24 Oakland 20

- The only thing more predictable than McNabb's injury was LT getting hurt too. Can't wait to see him spend October on a bike again; but you're right LT, Adrian Peterson ain't got shit on you.

-Maybe there is hope for JaMarcus Russell after all.

- If the league re-drafted right now, the top 5 QB's would look like this: 1. Brady 2. Peyton 3. Brees 4. Big Ben 5. Phillip Rivers. Face it, the only thing missing from Rivers' resume at this point is a ring. He's got the arm, the attitude, and the leadership to be a franchise QB and with a new head coach and one or two personnel moves, Rivers will have the bling too.

Labor Day Blog Hits

- I had to sit on this for a minute because I needed to get all of the frustration out of my system about the end of last night's instant classic. As much as I'd like to call Jarmon Fortson "Jarmon Castillo" or "Luis Fortson", it's not entirely his fault. Lost in the drop was Jimbo letting 30-35 seconds run off the clock in confusion, on top of some questionable playcalling inside the 10 in the waning moments. Not to mention, I've never seen a Mickey Andrews defense get out-athleted like that. Sooner or later, not getting stops on 3rd down (at least two on Tha U's winning drive) will come back to bite you.

That said, I haven't been this excited about FSU football since the 2000 title game. For the first time since Old Man Weinke was under center, they have a potent offense with weapons (Taiwan Easterling and potentially Ty Jones); and for all the defensive shortcomings last night, Greg Reid is a superstar in waiting (as a freshmen no less). With 38 sophomores on the team, not only are they closer to Florida than delusional Gator fans would have you believe, they're a year away from beating them; most importantly, Shirtless Jesus the QB isn't going to have a highlight-reel boat race this year against them.

Can't wait for the rematch against Tha U in Tampa in December.

- I'm not saying LeGarrette Blount's suspension is right or wrong, but Oregon needed to do it. Chip Kelly had to make a stand in what was the first major moment of his collegiate coaching career and the university needed to be decisive in its punishment on an incident that brought negative attention to them. As for Blount, that should end his NFL prospects. Ask Marcus Vick how on-field incidents bode for your career.

- If Joe Mauer and Zack Greinke aren't your AL MVP/ Cy Young winners, then the postseason awards are officially a joke. Scratch that, it became a joke when Jimmy Rollins got the MVP in '07 because his teammates won the division for him to make him look like a prophet. My bad, keep on truckin, writers.

- Love the verses on the new Kid Cudi/Kanye/Common track. The beat? Ehhhhh, not so much. Who were the ad wizards who decided "Hey, let's take the chorus of a song that was really annoying to begin with and put it on the beat of the entire track!" Taylor Swift thinks Lady GaGa is oversaturated. Oh wait, who are we kidding?

- Anyone else find it strange that for the majority of his career, Jayson Werth was a pinch runner/defensive replacement and yet has suddenly become a 30+ home run hitter?

- Thoughts on the Rescue Me finale last week: From a comedy aspect, this was probably the most consistently funny season since the first, the storylines though were a little disappointing. Sure, seeing Lou get even with the hooker was nice, but there were a couple useless stories to go with it (Mike's band and Franco the 9/11 conspiracy theorist). Not to mention the whole "season ends with Tommy's life in question" has been done already in Season 3 when Sheila lit the beach house on fire in a fit of rage.

Speaking of Sheila; as hot as she is (and from what I've been told, TV doesn't do her or Janet justice), her over the top psycho nympho act has gotten stale.

- Like what I've seen from Josh Thole at the plate so far since his call-up. I think him and Santos as a platoon next season works very well. Jerry Manuel needs to be playing him as much as possible this month. When you have a year old switch-hitting catcher, it's best to see what you have. There is no reason AT ALL why Brian Schneider should seen anything beyond a pinch-hitting role this month. Then again, I could've said that same sentence 3 months ago.

- I was hoping to see if they would bring up Ike Davis as well. For those of you who don't know, Davis was the one of the Mets two first round picks last season and has been mashing all year in St. Lucie and Binghamton. The front office does have a dilemma, I suppose, since Davis is a first baseman and that just so happens to be the place where Daniel Murphy is finally comfortable. That leaves left field open and hell, anything is an upgrade over The Incredibly Dreadful Nick Evans.

- I can honestly say Tim Redding is in the discussion for worst Met pitcher of my lifetime. The lack of any good stuff, the fact that we wasted some of the Derek Lowe money on him, the blank expression and the incredibly hideous goatee, it's all there. Anthony Young is #1 by default with Armando Benitez 1A, Redding and John Thomson (the import of the ridiculous Jay Payton trade) fighting for next in line.

- The Bucs firing their offensive coordinator (whose last name I'm not even going to attempt to spell) isn't as big of a deal as it seems for a few reasons. For starters, it will be a 6-win season at best. Secondly, from reports, he was way over his head since joining and that his replacement was drawing up most of the plays. There was also a reported squabble between him and Raheem Morris over who the starting QB should be. If it were up to me, I'd go the old fashioned route and let Hour Glass Leftwich start the first 7 games before letting Josh Freeman take over.

As I've said since the Glazers cleaned house in January, I'm willing to sit through a 6-10 or 5-11 season if there's progress, especially with Freeman. Did Freeman show promise in the preseason? Yes. Enough to say he's a 1st round pick? Not quite. Has Raheem Morris done anything instill confidence in the Bucs fan base? Uhhhhhhhh, not exactly.

Oh well, at least we can keep watching Barrett Ruud run with the torch Derrick Brooks handed to him last season.

Running Diary: New England Revolution vs. Seattle Sounders FC

As promised, I'll be keeping a running diary of tonight Sounders match against New England, I'll post the first half comments at half and the 2nd half after the conclusion.

9:26 P.M.- Quick aside before we begin. As Omar Minaya is determine to run off one of the two guys left on this team that can actually hit, I can't wait until David Delucci, Wily Mo Pena and Nick Evans make up the starting outfield, good lord.

2nd Minute- the marco polo-like "SEATLLE......SOUNDERS!" chant is EPL-esque....or an asshole chant from Monday Night Raw

6th minute- Nyassi of New England has a brief ankle injury. XBox Pitch at Qwest Field is back to field turf after using real grass during the international friendlies.

8th minute- Nearly get our first chance to see rookie sensation (and No. 1 pick) Steve Zakuani in action, pass goes wide.

10th minute- Sounders controlling the tempo so far, and on the attack, and they can't quite convert after crosses from Jaqua, Brad Evans and Alonso.

17th minute- good takedown by the Revolution's Darius Barnes on a James Riley breakaway

19th minute- I think Kasey Keller tends to get a bit of an unfair rap. While he was in net for the U.S. disappointments in the '98 and '06 World Cups (in '06 he had the uneviable task of following Brad Friedel's supreme effort in Korea, he's always kept his teams in the match and he;s finally getting credit for that this year in Seattle.

20th minute- naturally, New England immedately scores thanks to some great 3-man passing in the open field and even better foot work by Sharlie Joseph to put it home.

22nd minute- Seattle can't convert the corner kick thanks to a solid-handed save by Matt Reis and clear by Steve Ralston

24th minute-nearly 2-0 Revs but they can't convert on a loose-ball scramble

26th minute- Jaqua with an inexcusable miss after a great set-up from Leo Gonzalez, who's playing in just his 3rd game with the Sounders.

29th minute- Joseph with a neaar-perfect header that goes over the goal

34th minute- our first true dive of the evening goes to New England's Sainey Nyassi

35th minute- Reis slips on a goal kick and the crowd roars. I know it's not soccer's deal and all, but a "you fucked up!" chant would've been cool.

39th minute- Gonzalez gets a yellow card for an alleged takedown, but replays show a complete miss.

42nd minute- Freddy Montero takes a knee to the chest from Steve Ralston while going up for a ball, penalty kick coming. Momentum-changer right here either way.

44th minute- Iron unkind as Montero's kick hits the top crossbar and goes out.

stoppage time- a yellow card away from the ball, followed by the Revolution coach, who was filling in for Steve Nicol who is on a 2-game suspension, getting ejected, leaving the goalie coach to oversee the 2nd half. Somewhat similar to Bruce Bochy getting tossed, then his bench coach getting canned in the same game a few weeks back.

51st minute- New England starting to control the tempo by slowing it down.

53rd minute bogus yellow card against Montero, keeping him out of Sunday's match at conference-leading Houston

56th minute- Evans nearly ties it, deflection brings a corner kick.

57th minute- Reis isn't pretty, but he keeps it 1-0

62nd minute- Usei just knocks away a game-tying goal by Gonzalez

65th minute- 5 yellow cards for the Revolution tonight, I have a feleing we're not done in that department.

71st minute- Two quick responses by Keller to prevent point-blank chances.

76th minute- New England's defense has been tremendous in closing on scoring opportunities tonight, they deserve to win.

82nd minute- This is sort of like one of those basketball games where one team is rallying the entire game, but can't get any closer than 1 or2. It's that kind of night for the Sounders.

2 minutes into Stoppage That may have been the Sounders last chance as Sanna Nyassi (Sainey's twin brother) hits one of the side of the net. Not a great idea, considering he had 4-5 Seattle attackers coming.

The final whistle goes and the Sounders fall 1-0, fail to get a point, and fall to 8-5-8.

More Sounders (and EPL as well) reports to come in the future.

Digging The Sound

Soccer and I go back awhile. Most of us, of course, played soccer in the schoolyard when we were kids; My brother played soccer since the age of 9 through high school, several friends of mine in high school were on the soccer team (the boys team won the mythical national championship in my sophomore year) and i call both the men's and women's teams at the local college on the internet. That said, outside of the World Cup and maybe the UEFA Champions League final, I never followed it much on TV. Mulling it over recently after all the attention the U.S. national team has received during its Confederations Cup run and World Cup qualifying match against Mexico, I figured as a true sports fan and sports blogger, it be my duty to follow the MLS and English Premier League and pick a team in each league.

I'm still very green as far as the EPL goes, I've had an interest in Portsmouth because an old friend of mine lives over there and Green Street Hooligans nearly made me a fan of West Ham on the spot, but that would be trite. With the EPL season kicking off last weekend, I'll be following closely and eventually finding myself a team.

When it comes to an MLS tam, I've already got myself a team picked out. I've always believed that if the MLS wanted to be as popular as its European counterparts, that it needed to be as true to the European elements as possible, fan bases who know the subtleties, rivalries and no silly nicknames (which is why I have a measure of respect for Toronto FC, FC Dallas, D.C. United, etc.). While my adopted team is guilty of that, Seattle Sounders FC is as true to the european style as any team and fanbase in the league.

Despite playing in a nearly 67,000 seat football stadium, the Emerald City Supporters routinely jam 25-30,000 into Qwest Field for their games. Much like they have done with making the most crowd noise possible with the Seahawks, Sounders management has alloted the rowdiest fans towards the stands behind the goal (normally the end zone seats, which are made of aluminum to reverberate more noise) and travel well too (as evidenced by their presence in L.A. earlier in the week for the match against the Galaxy).

From everything I have read and witnessed during brief viewings, I'd say the best fanbases rank like this:

1. D.C. United
2. Columbus
3. Seattle
4. Toronto FC
5. Houston

Also, the Seattle FC Alliance has a unique privilege in that they have an important say in team decisions including whether the general manager retains his job (strangely enough, minority owner Drew Carey suggested the idea); you think Omar Minaya's glad that this hasn't translated to other sports? Another cool part of the fan base is the March to the Match, in which fans join the team marching band in a march from a nearby park into Qwest Field, very coillege football-esque if you ask me. All this was enough for me to buy in as a Seattle Sounders FC fan.

I'll have a Sounders FC running diary on Thursday night when they take on New England.

Sometimes you can't make it on your own

One of the biggest stories of the weekend was the pictures of Josh Hamilton's relapse in an Arizona bar in January. The media reaction has been divided with some saying that this is a cry for help, proof that solely beliving in God to keep him sober isn't working, that this takes the shine off of his comeback story, or that this earns him more respect because it proves he's human, but to have a story-line based opinion is to miss the point. On that note, I think it makes the story more compelling because that element of this whole thing disappearing in one bad night is very real now, again though, there's a deeper problem.

All of us have a friend or relative who has dealt with an addiction of some kind and it can be unbearable to watch at times. When some of those who are lucky enough to make it back to soberity, it's a constant vigil to keep them there. Whether they are an accountant, plumber or an executive, the battle to avoid the bottle, the needle or whatever it may be is an constant high-wire act. It's hard enough to battle this if you're an everyday Joe, but imagine being in Hamilton's position. He was a resident of the abyss for a time, made it out, was still able to live his dream while not trying to run from the past that nearly killed him and in part, became a star because of it. If I were him, it would be torture just running to the outfield and seeing alcohol advertisements sprayed all over the walls.

I obviously don't know what his intentions were the night he went into that bar, but I am of the belief that it was just one night that got away from him. The way that he immediately took responsibility (both following the incident and the release of the photos) by not reading a statement or anything along those lines says to me that he's making a concerted effort to keep this isolated.

What's going to make it tough though is the scrutiny that was already intense to begin with. You've heard the old saying about how we love building athletes up and tearing them down, but Hamilton was someone we all genuinely wanted to see make it, the problem is there are plnety of shock journalists in the media and degenerate fans who won't be as forgiving.

Unlike Doc Gooden and Daryl Strawberry, Hamilton has people in place to keep him in line, the question will be can he check himself. Given what we know about what it means to be a recovering addict, I'm worried he won't. I can't tell you how much I'd like to be wrong.

Late Night Hits From The Blog

With my dad beginning his chemo this week and family in town, I won't get to do an entry on the front office chaos, but here's a couple current thoughts:

- Props to the Phils for getting a Cy Young winner and a 2nd postseason anchor without having to tear down the farm to do it. The Phils post-season rotation now sets up like this: Hamels, Lee, Blanton (who has been solid since he came to Philly last July) and potentially J.A. Happ since Jamie Moyer no longer looks like the reliable pitcher he was when he stared down Rube Waddell. Pretty damn imposing, right? Ugh, I'll be drinking heavily when it's a Phillies-Yankees World Series.

On top of that, they were able to keep prized prospects Kyle Drabek and Dominic Brown. Maybe someday the Mets will learn that the farm system is there to help them. Wait, who are we kidding?

- To paraphrase Big Daddy Kane, I'm not saying Mark Buehrle's the best, I'm just saying he's (bleeping) incredible.

- I think the entire argument about when Michael Vick should return is unnecessary, at least for this year. Had the circumstances been different and Roger Goddell was able to make this decision back around May, this would be different. I think that with Vick just being eligible now, if a team was interested in signing, they would have to dedicate part of their camp and preseason to helping him learn the playbook, finding a way to intergrate him into their offense, on top of the PR hit they'd be tkaing. I just don't see why any team (save for the Raiders obviously) would find it worth the trouble.

- If Colin Cowherd really is right (I just threw up in my mouth) and sports is EXACTLY like the stock market, then somebody must have got insider trading on the Pirates. Good lord, it's not even funny anymore.

- Jeff Francoeur's first 14 games with the Mets: .309 avg, 3 HR, 16 RBI. Last 22 games with Atlanta: .233, 1 HR, 6 RBI.........and yes, I'm the driver of the Frenchy bandwagon, why do you ask?

- I like the Magic signing Matt Barnes, I'm just not sure how he'll fit though. If it works, he'd be a big X-factor come playoff time.

- Does anyone else think Brett Favre was intentionally screwing with the Vikings all this time just to get back into the good graces of Packer fans? Nah. As much as I'd like to think it's for real this time that the Wrangler QB is finished, let's wait 'til after Week 9 before we can celebrate.