Some thoughts on this past weekend in sports.

1. BYU vs. Washington

I really wish I was writing about this game because of how great a game it was or because un-ranked Washington knocked of the 15th best team in the country. This, of course, is not what anyone was talking about after the conclusion of this game. Sure, it was a good game. A very good game. But college football fans were robbed of getting a chance to see if Washington could knock of 15th ranked BYU because the men in zebra stripes decided that themselves, and not the players, should decide the end of this game. In case you are reading this and do not know what I'm talking about (and therefore lived under a rock this weekend), Washington quarterback Jake Locker ran in for a 3 yard touchdown with :02 left in regulation to put his team within an extra point of sending the game to overtime. Locker, of course, was excited for the clutch score and tossed the ball over his shoulder and ran to celebrate with his teammates. No big deal right? Wrong. For tossing the ball over his shoulder Locker was flagged for a 15 yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, turning a normal extra point try into a 35 yard attempt to tie the game. Of course, the kick was blocked, stirring up a pot of controversy over Rule 9, Section 2, Article 2c, which clearly states that any player can be penalized for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for "throwing the ball high into the air." The Pac 10 has since issued a statement supporting the officiating crew and agreeing with the call. I guess there is technically no way to argue that it was a bad call since it is pretty clearly spelled out in the rulebook, but the fact of the matter is that it is one of the worst calls I have ever seen and here is why. The celebration was in no way excessive, nor was it done in a manner as to mock or taunt BYU players, coaches or fans. It was simply a kid rejoicing after running in for a TD that could tie the game against a team that should be mopping the floor with him and his teammates. The officials argued that it was not a judgement call but that is a load of crap. They could easily have easily kept the flag in their pockets and no one would have ever said a word. The NCAA, BYU, reporters, etc would never have given it a second thought. Thus far in the college football season there have been several plays flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct that were just baloney. Its a football game. The players beat each other up for 2 halves and when they do something good they are going to be happy about it and do a little celebrating. What's next? Are teams going to be penalized at the beginning of every drive they begin in which they are up by more than 3 touchdowns? I mean, what could be more demoralizing to the other team and its fans than getting the crap kicked out of you by another team? I hope that this play puts a stop to the officials trying to get too involved in the game and makes the NCAA look into the unsportsmanlike conduct rules a little better because officials should not be deciding the outcomes of the games.

2. Brett Favre's first start as a Jet

I was already tired of hearing about Brett Favre long before the season even started. Now that he had a mediocre game against the worst team in football last year I am even more tired of hearing about him. "That's vintage Brett Favre right there" or "what a performance by Favre" or "look God is playing football" is all I heard Sunday (other than the injury to some guy named Brady). GIVE ME A BREAK. Favre had an OK game at best. AT BEST. Yes, his first touchdown was impressive, but you have to take into account that he is playing against a young Miami Dolphins secondary that left his wide receiver so wide open that I'm pretty sure Rex Grossman on one of his bad days would have completed that pass. The second touchdown was a reckless, stupid pass and was pure luck. He just threw the ball straight into the air and a wide open receiver was able to run over and get it. If there had been any coverage at all it would have been a turnover on downs or an INT, and who knows how the game would have turned out then. If everyone is going to give Brett Favre the MVP for throwing two touchdowns and 190 some yards against a team that was 1-15 last year then I am going to quit watching football. If Favre had been playing against most other teams in the NFL he would probably of had 0 TD's and a couple of INTs. The running game of Thomas Jones carried the offense, and by the way, the Dolphins still almost won the game!!! Yes, the 1-15 team from last year that only won a game because Bill Belick forgot how to coach almost beat the amazing Brett Favre in his Jets debut. What if they had? What would people have said then? I can just see the headline "Favre spectacular in Jets opener but Dolphins cheat to win game" or "Favre god-like in first game as Jets but Parcels sells soul to devil to win game".

3. Tom Brady out for the season.

I guess all I really have to say about this is WOO HOO!!! I do hope he has a successful recovery and look forward to seeing him again next year, but for now, I'm going to enjoy watching the Patriots struggle for once.

4. Baseball playoff races

The race to the playoffs are really tightening up. The Cubs and Brewers have been struggling in the N.L Central, keeping the Cardinals weak division title hopes alive but certainly giving them a chance for the Wild Card along with the Philis and surging Astros. The Mets lost Billy Wagner until 2010, helping to keep the N.L East race close. The White Sox lost Carlos Quentin for the year, giving the Twins a better chance in the A.L Central, while the Red Sox are right behind the struggling Rays for the A.L East. The N.L West is still close as the Diamondbacks and Dodgers struggle to stay above .500. The A.L West, however, is not close. How is this all going to play out? Well I'm glad you asked!

Mets win the N.L East

Cubs win the N.L Central

Dodgers win the N.L West

Brewers win the N.L Wildcard

Rays win the A.L East

Twins win the A.L Central

Angels win the A.L West

Red Sox win the A.L Wildcard

Chris' 2008 NFL Predictions

The 2008 NFL season is right around the corner, which means it is time for crystal ball gazing and reading of the astronomical signs to make bold predictions as to what the coming football season will bring to its eager legion of fans. So hear are my picks for the 2008 season as I see it playing out before a single game of any significance has been played. The Wild Card teams will be indicated with a (WC).

AFC

East:
New England Patriots
New York Jets
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins

As much as I would love to pick my Dolphins to surprise people and compete in this division, it is hard for me to do so. I certainly do not expect them to go 1-15 again, however, with an almost completely new roster it is hard to know what to expect from this team. New England had some off season problems with arrests, lingering publicity from Spygate, free agent losses, and Tom Brady's foot, however, this is still a team that did not lose until the Superbowl last year and the recent addition of Pro Bowler John Lynch certainly won't hurt. Buffalo looks to be a mediocre team and while the Jets may finish in second place with Brett Favre, this is still not a high enough caliber team to make the playoffs. Look for the Patriots to again compete for the top spot in the AFC and be the AFC East's only representative in the playoffs.

North:
Pittsburgh Stealers
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Baltimore Ravens

This is a difficult division to pick because you never know which Bengals team is going to show up and it is still hard to tell if the Browns are for real or if last season was a fluke. Baltimore is in a rebuilding stage and while they have a host of young, upcoming players, it will be hard for them to compete in this division. The Browns may have overachieved last year and with numerous injuries, including a concussion and bruised hand for QB Derek Anderson, Cleveland is a huge question mark. Then Bengals seem to have the talent on offense to compete with anyone, but the lack of defense and inconsistency of play prevents me from making them a playoff lock. All of that being said, I will not be completely shocked if either or both of the Ohio teams make the playoffs.

South:
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars (WC)
Tennessee Titans (WC)
Houston Texans

A lot could change in this division depending on how long it takes Peyton Manning to come back from injury and how effective he can be coming back from it. Assuming Manning is healthy, do not expect anything different from the Indianapolis Colts this year. They may not quite be the team they have been in the past, but they are well coached and have one of, if not the best quarterback in the game leading the offense. The Texans may compete and even have a good year but they play in a very tough division and can not compete the other three teams. Jacksonville's unbelievable running game will help them to give the Colts a run for their money, while Vince Young and the Titans should look to make things interesting as well. While there is nothing new or different about these picks, look for three teams from the South to be in the playoffs again this year.

West:
San Diego Chargers
Oakland Raiders
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City is in a complete rebuilding phase and while they have some good, young talent, they are a few years away from competing for the playoffs. Denver remains a well coached team and while Cutler had a good year last year, there is nothing about this team that indicates to me that they are a force to be reckoned with. The Raiders spent some money this season to bring in players like Jevon Walker and DeAngelo Hall. They also drafted the college phenom Darren McFadden, which combined with a more experienced JaMarcus Russell could make for a team that surprises a few people. They are still a few years away from competing for the division, but they are on the right track. That being said, L.T and the San Diego Chargers run away with the AFC West.


NFC

East:
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants (WC)
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins

This is a very good division, maybe the best in the NFL. A lot of what happens in the NFC East may depend on the health of Donavan McNabb, who when healthy, is still one of the best players in all of football. I believe that all four of these teams will compete for a playoff spot but only two will make it. Dallas has to be the favorite to repeat as the division winner, and don't underestimate the difference veteran linebacker Zach Thomas can make for the Cowboys if he is healthy. With all due respect to the defending Superbowl Champion New York Giants, the off season losses will prevent them from taking this division. A healthy Donovan McNabb could even prevent the Giants from making the playoffs, but if history is any indication that may be a long shot.

North:
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings (WC)
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions

Matt Millen is still with the Detroit Tigers organization which means that they will not make the playoffs and probably will not have a winning record. The Chicago Bears are starting Kyle Orton at QB, how long will it take for Bears fans to turn on him like they did to Rex Grossman causing him to collapse and give up the starting role? Devin Hester will keep the Bears in game but the lack of running backs and wide receivers will keep the Bears from being a serious playoff contender. The Vikings should be in the picture all year long but the health of Adrian Peterson should be the deciding factor. History shows that he will not be able to play a complete season which could leave them watching the playoffs from home. I will still take Minnesota as a Wild Card team banking that Peterson stays healthy and at worse misses very limited time. Look for a talented Green Bay team to rally around its young QB and take the NFC North in a close race.

South:
New Orleans Saints
Carolina Panthers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Atlanta Falcons

For obvious reasons the Falcons look to be the worst team in the NFL going into the 2008 season. Jeff Garcia will help Tampa to be competitive, but should finish behind the Panthers in the division. While Carolina should take second place in the division, questions over Jake Delhomme's health, team chemistry problems, and being without Steve Smith for the first couple of games keeps me from putting them in the playoffs. The Saints should rebound from last years disappointing season with a more experienced Reggie Bush and the addition of Jeremy Shockey for Drew Brees to dump passes off to. Look for the Saints to win the South easily compete with Dallas for the top spot in the NFC.

West:
Seattle Seahawks
San Francisco 49ers
Arizona Cardinals
St. Louis Rams

This division may be the weakest in the NFL, and while I do not expect any of these teams to have a chance at the Wild Card, the competition for the division should be a great battle. The Rams have had health problems which leaves them as kind of an enigma. That with the off season conflict with Steven Jackson leaves them as the long shot to win the division. The Arizona Cardinals looked to make a strong push but with Anquan Boldin announcing his wish to be traded, the Cardinals are also a huge question mark this season. The 49ers should be somewhat better with their young players having last years experiences under their belt, but look for the Seahawks to repeat as the NFC West champs, even without Shawn Alexander.


Now to get completely crazy, here is my pick for NFL MVP and my Superbowl predictions:

MVP: Tom Brady

Yeah, yeah I know, too easy of a pick. Well, I like being right, so deal with it.

Superbowl:
Look for the Patriots to repeat as the champions of the AFC. The Colts and Jaguars make strong cases for consideration, but the Patriots have a lot to prove this year and are still coached by one of the best and most ruthless coaches in NFL history. I like the Saints to represent the NFC with an explosive offense that will be hard to stop. The Cowboys will give them a run for their money, but Romo's early inability to win a playoff game makes me hesitant to pick them
So hear you go:

Patriots 31, Saints 23.

The Patriots do not go undefeated but they get the Superbowl ring they believe they should have won last year. The Saints make it interesting but in the end, the Patriots will be the World Champs.

So there you go! Now you don't even have to watch the NFL season because I just told you whats going to happen. Feel free to share your opinions about how brilliant I am or to let me know what a complete jackass you think I am. Goodnight!

Can the Cubs go 100?

There's talk right now that the Cubs can potentially win 100 games this year. Is that possible?

This is Rich Harden. He's kind of a stud.

I think it really is, coming into tonight, the second game of the Reds series, they only needed to go 23-14, which is pretty doable. Winning 2 out of 3 games means, quite frankly, that you're winning series, and that's something these Cubs have been doing pretty consistently.

Kev's NFL Predictions 08-09

Why....on god's green earth.....did we make the url for this thing so ridiculously long?


So as I sit here, forced to watch the Project Runway, I thought I'd beat Chris to the NFL predictions punch (that's what happens when your friends know you work all day).

I'm not going to predict records, because I'd hate to run into some sort of mathematical impossibility, but I'll just take each division and rank them one through four, and give some general reasoning behind the choice. Wildcard choices are getting a "-wc" next to their name, since I think everyone on the planet knows that if you win your division you're automatically in the playoffs.

I''ll do the NFC tonight. I'll do the AFC tomorrow night.


NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants-wc
Washington Redskins
Philadelphia Eagles

The cowboys are going to win this thing, again. I think they are the most complete team in this division, the Giants Super Bowl win notwithstanding. I had the Eagles as doing better than the Redskins, but then I was reading today that Curtis of the Eagles has a hernia right now, which I'm pretty sure makes it really, really tough to run 30 yards and catch the ball, and then subsequently be pulled down by the waist or drilled in the stomach.

NFC West
Seattle Seahawks
San Francisco 49ers
St. Louis Rams
Arizona Cardinals

Well, yes, I put San Francisco up there. Not to win it, but to definitely take that next step. They're going to need Gore to step up, and Vernon Davis, but I think they're on the cusp of being really good again. The Rams drama with Jackson is going to hold them back, plus they just don't have enough impact players, and, well, quite honestly, I think God might actually hate the Arizona Cardinals.

NFC South
Carolina Panthers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New Orleans Saints
Atlanta Falcons

I think the Bucs are going to compete, but probably just miss it with a 8-8 record. (I know, no records, but hey). That's just because in the North I'm going to indulge my fantasy of the Bears making the postseason. Carolina runs away with this one, because they're going to have an awesome rushing year, for some reason.

NFC North
Minnesota Vikings
Chicago Bears-wc
Green Bay Packers
Detroit Lions

I think we're all agreed, the Lions are pretty bad. I know, realistically, that the Bears are a long shot, but this NFC North is largely going to beat each other up. Everyone will beat the lions twice, and probably split their games with each other. As it is, Green Bay is going to have some issues when A.Rod isn't quite as good as that other guy right away, and there's going to be some in-team tension when they start to miss their "gunslingling, brett being brett" dbag of a former quarterback.

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