2011 NFC West Preview: Can I Have a Mulligan?

It's that time of the year again as I look at each division in the NFL on a day to day basis and decide who will win it. The first division I'll look at is the NFC West. Where to begin here? I guess we'll start with the runner ups last year and that was the St. Louis Rams. Not a great statistical season for their QB, Sam Bradford, in 2010 but you'd expect that with a rookie. I see bigger things for Bradford and the Rams this season with their main contenders being the Arizona Cardinals. The Cards get Kevin Kolb in a trade and lock up Larry Fitzgerald for a long time. They do sacrifice a bit on defense trading Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie away but their offense gains a ton.

As for the other two teams, why even bother. The 49ers are going to limp along again this season with Alex Smith as their QB. Sure they have the pieces around him but it's him that's the problem. As for the Seahawks, they are even worse off. Their new QB solution, Tavaris Jackson, hasn't really shown any good qualities that lead you to believe he can get this team to the playoffs again. The Niners may be borderline .500 but the Seahawks will be way below that.

As to who will win the weakest division in football, I have to say the Rams. It seems like Bradford will get better this season and Kolb in Arizona just is too much of a question mark for me to say they are the better team. If Kolb turns out to be that elite QB that's expected of him, look out Cardinals. But I have to pick the St. Louis Rams.

P.S. The Sports Khan returns to KSUN starting tomorrow at 4 PM. It will be on every Thursdays at 4 PM this Fall on KSUNradio.com... Pretty Good.

Vick Inks $100 Million Deal

Not everyone has the luxary of signing a $100 million contract in their lives. But to be able to sign two? That's what Michael Vick has done in his life so far. His first was when he was a Falcon in Atlanta. The second was with the Eagles and it had just happened. Vick signed a 6 year $100 million deal with $40 million guarenteed. A lot of faith and confidence being put into Vick despite a less than successful preseason. But it is just the preseason and shouldn't count for anything.

Vick has managed to get the big paycheck once more and with a different team. It's been a weird financial road for him with millions of dollars to bankruptcy to millionaire again. I guess Eagles fans should feel better about their future at the QB spot. I'd still be a bit concerned with the fact that Vick hasn't played more than one full season. Injuries are likely still going to affect Vick which means the Eagles are taking a big gamble with their future.

P.S. WE'RE BACK!!! Starting tomorrow at 4pm, The Sports Khan makes it return to KSUNRadio.com... Pretty Good. Tune in every Thursday at 4 PM this Fall for The Sports Khan.

Suspensions Handed Out to Hurricanes

The NCAA has reviewed the several players that were declared ineligible and has handed out punishments. All 8 of the ineligible players must repay the gifts they received. They have also been suspended but for different amounts of time. One was suspended for 6 games, two for 4 games, and the rest for one game which included Jacory Harris. There was also mention of 4 other players that must repay the small amounts but they didn't seem to fall under the statute of suspensions or ineligibility.

Some damage done, for sure, but perhaps not enough. Now there isn't exactly a lot of National Title hype in Miami or BCS hype for that matter so these suspensions might not harm their season that much anyway. I still think they went to light on 5 of the players but I don't know the details and the specific rules in place regarding suspensions. The big concern is with the athletics program and how will the NCAA punish the U as a whole.

Big 12 To Be 9?

College Football has another interesting story to discuss as it could lead to even more shake up across the current landscape. Texas A&M has made it no secret they are in love in with the SEC and since there is no word on whether or not they have been accepted in the conference, it appears they want to at least be available if the opportunity should present itself. Texas A&M has notified the Big 12 that it will withdraw from the conference. It has apparently already received a letter from the Big 12 about the withdrawal process.

The Big 12 now becomes just 9? Nebraska has already left them for the Big 10 (now twelve teams) and so has Colorado as they joined the Pac 12. It seems like the Big 12 is being picked apart little by little by the other conferences because of the benefits (money) being offered. Pretty soon this conference might disband being unable to keep its members from leaving. Perhaps we are moving to an era of super conferences after all. This conference better find new teams to replace the old ones and fast.

California Wins LLWS of 2011. How Much Did You Make?

First of all, congrats to Huntington Beach, California for winning the Little League World Series over Japan, 2-1. It's probably the best moment of your young lives. Second, why does this thing get coverage? It's just a bunch of kids playing baseball. If I want to watch that, I get "The Sandlot" out. Third, it's bad enough that College Athletes get exploited for their talents left on the field but now it's literally kids? I agree that we shouldn't pay the players but there are other things we can do for them. FREE PIZZA FOR EVERYONE!!! Okay, maybe not that.

Now that I do think about it, why not pay the players a little something? Hollywood pays child actors and ruins their lives all the time. It's not like a few bucks to some random kids from Montana is going to hurt anybody. True, the kids are there to have fun (and get ripped off while they do so) but that's no reason not to share some of the pie. People enjoy their careers all the time and get paid for it. Why shouldn't these prepubescent little brats get their's?

I'll admit it, I don't know all the financial details of the event or the agreements with all the teams involved. I certainly hope that money goes to local baseball teams across the country. But you're still exploiting the kids to make a solid profit.

P.S. To be real cynical, it's only exploitation in the US. 3rd world kids get exploited all the time. At least they get to play in the cleats they make.

Pryor is Not #2

Okay, not the best story to write on but I'll give it a shot (code for it's a slow sports news day). Anyway, Terrelle Pryor has gotten together with the Oakland Raiders and not with his #2 jersey, the number he wore as a Buckeye. Instead, Pryor is wearing #6 on his jersey. Why? Because JeMarcus Russell was that bad. Russell wore the #2 for the Raiders and he is quite arguably the biggest draft bust in NFL History or at least rivalring Ryan Leaf for that dishonor. Apparently the Raiders don't want to remind their fans of JeMarcus Russell, at least for now.

This is funny. We've seen numbers retired with the player that wore it get honored for his achievements but I think we've just seen a number get banished from a team for a player's bad deeds. I'm sure the #2 will be returned to the team eventually or perhaps given to a punter or kicker but the Raiders figure it can't be given to a perspective QB who has just entered the league under less than appealing circumstances. Suck it up, Pryor. At least you're on a team this year.

The U Declares Some Players Ineligible

The big scandal involving the U continued today as some punishment was dealt. Miami has declared several players ineligible for the upcoming season in College Football. Among the list of ineligible players is Jacory Harris, the starting QB of the Hurricanes. As it turns out, the ineligible players could possibly face zero suspended time. The NCAA could reinstate the players that are declared ineligible by a university. Miami is seeking for their players to return to them and quickly as their first game is September 5 against Maryland.

This sort of feels like a run around. Isn't the whole point of punishment to make the players miss some games? It just seems like the U doesn't want to play any games this season with any players not okay'd by the NCAA. If I was in charge at the U (and actually cared about upholding the amateur system instead of exploiting it for profit) I would just simply throw the players out of school or suspend them for a year. Either way, I certainly wouldn't just limit it to claiming ineligibility.

As for the NCAA, they should either suspend the players for a year or throw them out of school. If they don't do that and fail to suspend any of them for a significant amount of time, they should just throw their hands up in the air and admit the system is broken, publicly, and start all over. What do I actually expect to happen? Remember Terrelle Pryor? AAAGGGHHH?

P.S. The Sports Khan is coming back to KSUNradio.com... Pretty Good. Details of when coming shortly.

Kerry Collins Comes Back for Indy

Kerry Collins had announced his retirement last month after being part of 5 different franchises over his 16 year career in the NFL. However, it seems like Collins has Favred a bit as the Colts contacted him and signed him to a two year contract with $4 million going to Kerry this season. This signing is spurred by the fact that Peyton Manning might not be ready for the start of regular season because his neck is not healing fast enough. Manning has started every game since coming into the league and must come back for the opener for any chance to catch Favre for the most consecutive starts.

Getting an experienced ex-starter like Kerry Collins is the best thing that the Colts can do right now. Even though Collins has never been a great QB like Manning, he has been able to put up some good performances. He was able to make the Pro Bowl a couple of times. Collins always seemed to be a QB that can keep you in contention but one that could never win a title. He was close once but the Ravens put an end to that bid. Collins might be able to hold down the fort for a few weeks but Manning will have to come back to give the Colts a chance at a postseason.

Pat Summitt Diagnosed With Early-onset Dementia

Bad News has hit the Women's College Basketball World and it involved perhaps the sport's biggest figure. Pat Summitt, the head coach of the Tennessee Women's Basketball Team, has announced that she was diagnosed with early-onset Dementia three months ago at the Mayo Clinic. Too add more stress and concern is the possibility it could lead to Alzheimer's. Pat Summitt has said that there will be "no pity party" and that she will coach the Lady Vols for the upcoming season and beyond for as long as she can. Summitt already has the most wins in Women's College Basketball (and men's for that matter) with 1071 and also has the most National Titles in the women's game with 8.

Alzheimer's is a mental disease that no one deserves to go through in old age. To hear of a brilliant coach like Pat Summitt to have to face it as a possibility is just shocking. She isn't that old, either, being only 59 years young. Summitt will fight this, of course, with meds and mental exercises. It might be an uphill battle considering her grandmother had Alzheimer's but I'm sure if anyone could fight it, Pat Summitt can and will.

Terrelle Pryor Gets Drafted by the Raiders

Terrelle Pryor was allowed to enter the supplemental draft that was held yesterday and as expected, a team selected him. Pryor's name was the only one that was worth noting in the supplemental draft and where he went might be even more intriguing. The Oakland Raiders selected Terrelle Pryor in the third round of the event. As a result, the Raiders lose their third round draft pick for the 2012 NFL Draft. Who else but the Raiders draft Terrelle Pryor. They have Jason Campbell as their current QB who has struggled a bit but hasn't been horrible in Oakland (for one year). Now it seems like they have a replacement for him.

Or is he a replacement? Many analysts are speculating that Pryor will be converted into a Wide Receiver or a Running Back considering his physical qualities. The Raiders have always been unpredictable, even a bit crazy (Al Davis), so it wouldn't surprise me to see the Raiders try and move Pryor to another spot on the field. Either way, it will take some time considering that 5 game suspension coming up and the fact that he has even less time to prepare than the other rookies that didn't even have OTA's in the off season because of the lockout.

So how will this all end? It's the Raiders, how do you think it will end?

P.S. Who is worse: Al Davis or Jed York? One is old and senile and the other still allows Alex Smith to be part of the team. Al Davis is crazy but at least he had the guts to let his bad QB go (JeMarcus Russell) before he brought them down even more.

Plaxico Scores in his Return to Football

It has been over two years since Plaxico last played for the New York Giants and there was much speculation on to how he would do coming back to the football scene. Yesterday, he made his return to the sport, his New York Jets debut, and his debut in the New Meadowlands Stadium. A lot of firsts for Plaxico. Anyway, he did well, I guess. A bit rusty with that first catch but the other two were pretty solid, especially that TD catch delivered by Mark Sanchez. Nice throw, Mark. All in all, Plaxico had 3 receptions on the day for 66 yards and a TD catch for the highlight reel. Looks like the Jets filled Braylon Edwards' vacancy pretty well. If things continue like this, Plaxico will be a big contributor for the Jets.

China Turns Away Some NBA Players

A blow was dealt to the NBA players recently as many of them continue to look for work overseas. Many analysts speculated that China would be a possibility for several NBA stars seeing how the game has grown in the People's Republic. However, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA, I know it's funny it shares the same abbreviation with Collective Bargaining Agreement) has decided not to let all NBA players into their league. They have stated that they will not allow players that are currently under contract with an NBA team to sign with a team in the CBA. That excludes many stars including Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony. Free Agents, however, will still be allowed to sign in this league.

What is wrong with the CBA? This might be the only chance for China to see Kobe Bryant up close and they shut that door? Maybe they heard about the rape accusation. That still doesn't include why they won't allow the other contracted players in. Could there be a lawsuit if any contracted player signed with one of their teams? It didn't seem to stop Deron Williams from going to Turkey. It also looks like they will have strict contracts for free agents that do sign like making sure they won't have opt out cluases in case the NBA comes back. This is a bad move by China all around. It ultimately decreases their chances to nil that they will get a NBA superstar over to their league.

P.S. THE SPORTS KHAN RADIO SHOW IS COMING BACK TO KSUN!!! Details on when will be released next week (that means I don't know exactly when but I that I like to tease).

Did NFL Steer Vick?

Last year, Michael Vick showed how good he has become by having his best season ever and leading the Eagles to the playoffs. As he enters this season as the Eagles starter as opposed to backup last year, an article in GQ is starting to make people think of what could've been. Vick told GQ that his first choice in a return was not the Eagles and that he was thinking about the Bengals or the Bills saying he thought they were better options. Then Vick said that after a meeting with Roger Goodell and others in the NFL, he decided his best option was going to the Eagles. He said "And I commend and thank them, because they put me in the right situation."

Now Vick has clarified his statements after getting whooped by the Steelers yesterday saying he wants to be with Philly now. As for the NFL, they have said they met with Vick to decide his reinstatement and on what terms. They also said the decision was entirely his own and they would never steer players to one team over another.

Is there a scandal here? Hearing this story, I'm not sure. At first it sounds like it but maybe the NFL talked to Michael about his reinstatement, the impending suspension coming up, and asked him to take that into consideration when he signed with a team. On the cynical side, the NFL overstepped their bounds and won't admit it which would be expected. If this in fact did happen, it's a huge scandal that a league would try and influence players to go to one place over another. It borders on league manipulation. I hope that the league didn't steer Vick and that they just discussed his terms of reinstatement and Vick made his decision based on that.

NFL Shames Pryor While Allowing Him in Supplemental Draft?

The debate around whether or not Terrelle Pryor will be able to participate in the supplemental draft is over. The draft was postponed from being held yesterday in order for the league to review Terrelle Pryor's situation. After going over all the facts, the NFL seemed to scorn Pryor saying "Pryor made decisions that undermine the integrity of the eligibility rules for the NFL draft." However, the NFL decided to allow Pryor to be in the supplemental draft. As another condition, Pryor will be suspended the first five games of the season after he signs a contract with a team.

What just happened? The NFL shook their finger at Pryor but let him into the league anyway? That's like saying "Bad Dog" but still handing the pet a treat. Maybe a bland treat with the 5 game suspension that he would've gotten if he stayed in school but still a treat. Now that it's all over, why is there even a supplemental draft? It seems like there should be just that draft back in the spring and that's it. If you miss the boat, you shouldn't be allowed on board until next year especially if you were thrown off the boat you were on. Okay, this analogy is breaking down. It just sounds like the whole supplemental draft is for players who were discovered to have broken the rules a bit after the regular daft and where made ineligible. It just sounds wrong.

Dead Program Walking

Looks like there are 72 more reasons to hate South Beach even more in the sports world. Nevin Shapiro, a former booster for the Miami or the U, has told Yahoo Sports that he provided at least 72 players with improper benefits from 2002 to 2010. These improper benefits include a variety of things including access to a house and yachts, paying players for bounties earned during games, and even providing players prostitutes. Of the names mentioned, many notable NFL stars have been named including Devin Hester, Jon Beason, and Vince Wilfork. What makes this worse is that Shapiro said the university seemed to be aware of his activity saying at least 6 coaches knew about his activities as well as 10 athletic department employees at most.

Now Shapiro does seem less than credible considering he is serving a 20 year prison sentence for running a Ponzi scheme. However Yahoo has backed up the claims pretty well interviewing over 100 people and getting corroboration from 21 people about these allegations including 9 former players or recruits and a former coach. There is also a lot of paper work from Shapiro that backs this up with financial statements and cell phone logs and there is even over 1000 photos proving his involvement.

WOW!!! This makes USC and Ohio State look like jaywalkers. I don't know where to start. To be honest, this thing seems so overwhelmingly awful for the U and College Football that it's making me giddy. That's right, like a school boy. This is a hurricane (HA HA) of alleged infractions for the U and just proves further that the amateur system in college athletics is broken and needs to be torn down and restarted from the ground up.

As for what will happen to the U, the worst punishment imaginable for a program might be considered: the Death Penalty. There seems to be a possibility that the football program could be killed for a season or two. The famous Death Penalty instance in the past has been the SMU Football scandals and having there 1987 season killed. If the U gets the Death Penalty, which does look likely now, the program will undoubtedly go from prestigious to borderline Division II. Their history will mean nothing anymore and everything that has been put into building this program will be torn down.

P.S. Allegations mentioned also included some in the basketball program.

Supplemental Draft Pushed Back for Pryor?

Terrelle Pryor's quest for a pro career has been a strange one indeed. Pryor was supposed to be with the Buckeyes this season serving a five game suspension first. That plan went out the window when Jim Tressel resigned from Ohio State. Terrelle Pryor then just decided to leave Ohio State and pursue a pro career. The problem for him is getting into the supplemental draft. Apparently this draft is for players where their eligibility has changed between regular draft and this one. Terrelle Pryor, however, left Ohio State which is not technically a change in his eligibility.

To get into the draft, players must be approved by the league and Terrelle Pryor is asking to see Roger Goodell about getting into the league. Goodell is looking into the case and looks to have stalled the supplemental draft itself in order to do so as he has postponed it for a later date yet to be decided.

The supplemental draft was supposed to be tomorrow but has been delayed seemingly for Pryor's benefit. The controversial Pryor can get in if he is able to obtain a letter from the NCAA or Ohio State saying that he is ineligible for the upcoming season. Otherwise, there is a good chance that Pryor might be watching the NFL from home. I'm not sure that Pryor will get any letter from either party considering that Ohio State might not want to do him any favors and the NCAA might not give him one just to send a message. While his particular situation has changed, I'm not sure if he will get into the supplemental draft anyway.

Welcome to the 600 Club

Jim Thome is one of those guys that has been in the league forever. He also has always been seen as a power kind of guy known for the long ball. Last night he would help solidify that statement again when the Twins played the Tigers. Jim Thome went yard not once but twice (in consecutive at bats) and the 2nd time was his 600th home run of his career. Both were impressive shots and both hit the opposite way. This achievement makes Jim Thome the 8th member of the 600 Home Run Club. Quite a thing to be able to say you're part of that rare club and to do it at age 40 soon to be 41.

Congrats to Jim Thome and his milestone. This destined Hall of Famer has solidified his spot in history.

Can't Streak Forever

Today marked the end of a very significant streak in baseball and it was one that was being watched and one that couldn't help but be noticed. It was an exciting to watch and as a fan you wondered when and how it would end. Well it ended today and it was something that it ended in style. Cody "the Boss" Ross ended the Giants Solo Home Run streak at 21 as he hit a Two Run Home Run today against the Marlins as the Giants won 5-2 and won the series 2-1. This streak is actually a MLB record for the type of Home Run hit. It was the first Giants Home Run that wasn't a Solo Shot since July 6th. It was a truly remarkable streak for a team like the Giants. Considering the fact that the Giants have trouble getting runs, you'd figure they would take a record like this one.

Also, Dan Uggla would end his hitting streak at 33 games. Whatever. That ain't a record.

Zambrano's Temper Gets Him DQ'd

Carlos Zambrano is known as a guy that has a bit of a temper. His emotion is what drives him in games but also gets him in trouble. There have many instances in the past that have shown this aggression and the Cubs have apparently let it slide. That is until now. After allowing 5 home runs in a loss to the Braves last night, Zambrano threw a pitch at Chipper Jones (which he dodged) and was immediately ejected. Zambrano then collected his stuff from the locker room and started telling people that he was retiring. It would later be revealed that night that he wasn't retiring and he would later bring his stuff back to his locker. The Cubs didn't like his antics at all and how placed him on the Disqualified List for 30 days without pay and without team contact.

This is not the complete end to the story. It now seems like the Cubs have had it with Zambrano altogether and are trying to get rid of him through a trade or deal. They talked to the Yankees about this and have said they would eat most of his remaining salary. The Yanks, though, seemed to have declined. Now they want to get rid of Zambrano. Took them long enough. I guess leaving your teammates because of a few home runs doesn't sit well with management or Mike Quade. It must be depressing if you're a Cubs fan and you have to see Big Z continue to go down hill. It must suck even more for him to try and drag the Cubs with him. I can't think of a team that would want Zambrano. He's not having a great year and he has anger issues. Unless the Cubs want to cut him, Chicago will have to deal with Big Z.

P.S. Does anyone think that he was just honoring Bobby Cox on his special night by getting himself ejected?

MEANINGLESS GAMES, YEAH!!!

Yesterday was the beginning of the NFL Preseason with 5 games being played across the league. Believe it or not, I actually watched a preseason game for a while. I watched the Seahawks-Chargers game. Okay, just part of it... muted... while I played MLB 11 The Show. I can only get so excited, OK. Tavaris Jackson was the player to watch for the Seahawks and boy it was awkward. He got hit a few times and was 3/5 with only 13 yards. He was only in there for a couple of series. As for the other team's main QB, Phillip Rivers still looks good. 5/6 with 87 yards and 1 TD pass, all in one series. The final score... doesn't matter at all.

Another game to watch was the Broncos-Cowboys game. Kyle Orton was only 2/6 with 37 yards but the people's choice, Tim Tebow, was 6/7 with 91 yards in the air and 15 yards in 2 carries on the ground. Not a bad game for Tebow. Not great. Somewhat in the middle. Meanwhile, the starter for the Cowboys, Tony Romo, saw little action as he was 3/5 with 33 yards.

As for the other games, Michael Vick played well in the little time he had in the Ravens-Eagles game. He was 4/6 with 74 yards and one TD pass. No rushing stats for Vick. Vince Young was out there for a bit and was 3/5 with 45 yards for the Eagles. Kevin Kolb made his Cardinals debut, I guess, and was 4/7 with 68 yards against the Raiders. Lastly, Blaine Gabbert made a start for the Jaguars as they faced the Pats. He went for 9/16 for 85 yards in his rough debut.

A somewhat exciting day of football considering there was a chance of none this year. The 49ers actually play there first preseason game today and against the Saints. Break a leg, Alex Smith. I mean your own leg.

P.S. I can be your throwing arm too if you're feeling generous.

1-1 Draw for US V. Mexico is Klinsmann's Debut

The Juergen Klinsmann era began today for the US Men's Soccer team and it was against the team the US lost to in the Gold Cup Final: Mexico. Not nearly all of Mexico's stars were there with one of the notable absentees being Javier Hernandez. The match, however, was going Mexico's way early on with them getting plenty of chances and then scoring in 17' with Oribe Peralta getting the score off a great pass. The US came out in the 2nd half and Robbie Rogers, one of the subs for the US, came out and scored a goal in the 73'. The game would end with a 1-1 draw.

While it was certainly a chance for the US to get some revenge against Mexico, it perhaps was more of a game for Klinsmann to see how the US is overall. It was a chance to see the US players in action and also to evaluate them. Klinsmann has very recently gotten the job and still has time to put a proper squad together before the World Cup Qualifiers begin next year.

Let's Hear From the Caddie?

Adam Scott played in some tournament over the weekend and won it giving him almost no attention from the golf world. The attention, instead, is going to his new caddie, Steve Williams, who used to caddie for Tiger Woods. Steve Williams would also comment on the saying that is was his... AH WHO GIVES A CRAP!!! We are talking about a caddie. A CADDIE!!! Not the winner of the 'who cares' tournament. I'm in no way trying to demean caddies (anymore) but the attention must go to the golfer, what's his name. I already forgot it.

This is how ridiculously popular Tiger Woods is. His former caddie of about a dozen years is somehow getting a lot of attention for being fired by Woods. It proves that if you hang out with Tiger enough, YOU become famous for no good reason. Shame on the media for making this a story. Not the reporters who ask the questions because they are trying to make a living but the suits and the movers and shakers that support this crap.

That all being said, I actually don't care if Steve Williams spoke to the media or not. Wouldn't have been preferential if he didn't. Yes. But this is his 15 minutes of actual fame and like most people, he took it. Yes, he hogged all the attention from the player he was caddying for but the media and the fans gave him that attention in the first place.

P.S. "Aren't you giving him more attention than he deserves as well?"... ONLY TO PROVE A POINT ABOUT MEDIA COVERAGE!!!

P.P.S. HOW IS A GOLFER THIS DAMN POPULAR!!!

Giants Salvage a Game vs Phillies and Red Sox Still Own Yankees

I've got to say this have been the roughest week and a half to be a Giants fan this year. The Giants have been 2-8 since they got Carlos Beltran. I appreciate the bat but only 2 RBI's for us so far. No home runs by the way. 10-41 including today's game, which we were lucky to win. The Phillies came into town and have made our homestand more miserable than the D'Backs did. They won out of 3 of this 4 game series and were looking for the sweep. Luckily, Timmy was on the mound and pitched a solid game (no thanks to Chase Utley) and managed to get the win with Wilson closing it out, 3-1. The miraculous thing is that we still have a 1/2 game lead over the D'Backs in the NL West. I guess we have to thank the Dodgers a bit and then hate them so more. At least we now get the slumping Pirates for our next series and at home still.

From the Bay Area to the Bay State, the Red Sox squared off with the Yankees to close out a 3 game series at Fenway. Each team had taken a game so this was a rubber match. The Red Sox had the lead for a while at 1-0 until the 5th when Eduardo Nunez hit a solo shot and then Brett Gardner hit a solo shot in the 7th giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Bottom of the 9th came up and Marco Scutaro managed to get on third with a double off the monster and then a sac bunt by Jacoby Ellsbury. Dustin Pedroia managed to sac fly him home. All this off Mariano Rivera. In the Bottom of the 10th, Big Papi got a ground rule double with one out. Darnell McDonald came in to run for David Ortiz and then Carl Crawford got intentionally walked. Josh Reddick was next and hit a single down the LF line to get McDonald home for the walk off win in the 10th. Red Sox win it, 3-2. They win the series, 2-1, and have a one game lead over the Yanks in the AL East.

Somehow, both of my teams still have a slim divisional lead despite the runner ups gaining on them. Little more concerned for the Giants considering the runner up in the AL East will most likely run away with the Wild Card. That being said, let's hope this funk is finally over. The Giants need to win more games.

P.S. It's now 3-8 since we got Beltran.

Speculation Goes on Favrever

The Miami Dolphins have had a rough preseason with their training camps and free agency. Heck, the whole off season has been horrible. They try to get Jim Harbaugh without firing Tony Sparano making him seem like the guy they don't want at all. Sparano doesn't seem to want Chad Henne as QB trying to put in Chad Pennington whenever he was available. And the worst thing yet is that minority owners Marc Anthony and Jenifer Lopez broke up.

In this whole mess of who doesn't want who, the Dolphins and their fans have seemingly made it clear they don't want Chad Henne as their QB. They recently tried to get Kyle Orton from the Broncos after the Denver fan base is screaming for Tim Tebow to start. John Fox and the Broncos, however, see that Kyle Orton is their only chance of winning now and don't want to trade him. That doesn't seem to stop Dolphins fans as they continue to scream for Orton during the Dolphins' training camp.

Where else is there to look? Brett Favre of course. He's good for a comeback. He says he love to play. Why wouldn't he want to come back? A good reason really. The AFC East is currently being dominated by the Pats and the Jets. Favre wants to comeback and win, not just play for a team that is still developing. Favre recently said he isn't planning anymore comebacks and that means that Miami is stuck with Chad Henne.

It's a shame they are stuck with a QB and Head Coach they don't want. True, it's of their own making that the fans are hostile to Henne and that Sparano has been put in a awkward situation. But look at the bright side, Brandon Marshall has Borderline Personality Disorder. Fine, it's the closest thing to good news they have yet.

P.S. Yes, I only wrote this article for the bad pun above. Couldn't resist.

49ers Find Some Gold in Braylon Edwards

The free agency moves these last couple of weeks have been plenty and exciting to watch except if you're a 49ers fan. The Rams have a main QB in Sam Bradford that looks like he will only get better, the Seahawks are giving Tavaris Jackson another shot at a starting role with Sidney Rice tagging along, and the Cardinals have gotten potential star Kevin Kolb as QB to throw to Larry Fitzgerald. What do the 49ers have? An good (not great) defense and an offense that depends solely on a guy that can't carry the whole team, Frank Gore. And that benefit gets taken away whenever "the mistake" is on the field. The bright side, though, might be on the way. Braylon Edwards has agreed to a one year deal worth $3.5 million.

While this is not a huge deal for the team, it helps (take away excuses from Alex Smith defenders i.e. the 49ers organization). It gives Smith two targets to miss, I mean throw to. Three if you count Michael Crabtree (ha ha ha). Edwards, though, is not going to make a big enough difference. He was good on the Jets alongside with Santonio Holmes but he wasn't a miracle worker. He'll keep us from being a pushover team (in the division) but that's about it. The biggest thing that the 49ers need to work on still is either finding a new QB or finding out if Colin Kaepernick is any good.

P.S. Sometimes you need to make fun of your own team and laugh at it a bit just to keep yourself from crying about how much they suck. We could've had Rodgers.

A-Rod Gambling with his Career

I guess this is the only time I could speak about poker when it comes to sports. Alex Rodriguez, the All Star 3B who has notably been through controversy in the past, could now possibly face suspension. MLB is now looking into allegations that A-Rod has been involved in some illegal poker games. Apparently, A-Rod has been told in the past to not participate in these games but he may have ignored these warnings. It is possible he could be suspended for this.

Involved in steroids and now underground poker? Does A-Rod want to push his Hall of Fame chances or eligibility? What might be more serious than Steroids in baseball is Gambling and baseball. It almost destroyed the game once and you can't blame the front office for wanting to make sure no questionable figures start ruining it again. As for the actual severity, I would say no big deal if this was a first offense but A-Rod has apparently done this before. If he indeed participated in illegal poker recently, he deserves suspension. A strong stance against illegal gambling needs to be taken.

Randy Moss Retires

A big announcement was made in the NFL today regarding one of best and most controversial Wide Receivers of all time. Randy Moss, who was on 3 different teams last season, has decided to call it a career and retire. Moss has apparently yet to find a team that will offer him what he wants and has just decided to walk off into the sunset. The last team he played for was the Tennessee Titans.

Many adjectives can be used to describe Randy Moss. Great, talented, superb, diva, quitter, self centered. But perhaps the one that will be attributed to him later is Hall of Famer. As controversial as Moss was, he was undoubtedly one of the best WR's in NFL history. He caught 153 TD's tied for 2nd all time, 5th in receiving yards with 14,858, and 8th all time in receptions with 954. His greatest days were mostly when he was with the Vikings. Everyone thought he was done after a couple of seasons playing for the Raiders but Moss showed he was still a legend when he went to New England and teamed up with Brady for a perfect regular season that included individual records for both players with Moss getting a record 23 TD receptions that season.

Last season did not end the way that many expected for Randy Moss. He was part of three different teams in his last year starting out with the Pats, then getting traded to the Vikings, and then ending up with the Titans. He would end his playing career virtually irrelevant and forgotten in Tennessee. Randy Moss, however, leaves the game itself still remembered in many respects for what he has done both on and off the field. He will be remembered as one of the greatest receivers ever that had an ego only his talent could match.