Monday, October 23, 2006
Back from the Abyss (or just Greece and Italy)
Wow. This blog has taken off in my absence, which goes to show you that I never really did anything on the radio show either, except talk a lot. Anyway, I'll try to keep this quick on my responses to the last two weeks:
-) Getting news on the NLCS from CNN International is pretty frustrating. Did you know there's a huge doping scandal in cricket? Probably not. I, however, know a ton about it but very little about the Mets-Cards. Still, there were some highlights and the USA Today International edition and the International Herald Tribune filled in the rest.
So here goes: I'm really not that disappointed. You wouldn't have been able to tell that by my initial reaction to the loss (a mix of groaning and f-bombs), but the Mets had a great season. Much better than I could have hoped for. And never in my wildest dreams would have expected them to do so well without Pedro and El Duque, and Trachsel pitching only one inning (though I have never been a Trachsel fan, as Big Thunder well knows). Not to mention earlier injuries that KO'd Victor Zambrano and Brian Bannister. That's a stupid amount of injury to starting pitching, and yet it wasn't the starting pitching that let them down. Go figure.
Quick questions: What the hell was wrong with Billy Wagner in the playoffs? He finished the regular season very strong, but was awful in the playoffs. You really can't blame Willie for leaving Heilman in for the ninth. Also, in the non-blame department, Mets fans need to lay off Beltran. He got frozen. Dude was looking fastball and got a nasty curve. It happens. I give a lot of credit to Wainwright, though -- that was a great sequence with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth of the NLCS. Too bad Isringhausen wasn't pitching.
And also, what happened to the Mets' hitters? Were they unlucky? Tentative? I can't believe they managed just 5 runs in four starts between Jeff Weaver and Jeff Suppan.
-) Honeymoon sporting notes (non-cricket related). Got to see the 1896 Olympic Stadium in Athens and the Colosseum in Rome, and flew Olympic Airlines (which craftily avoided copyright infringement by have a logo with six rings as opposed to five). That's about it.
-) I'm very sad about the Raiders' victory. I was really pulling for an 0-16 team. I always do, but last week really ruined things. That said, the Jets are 4-3. I'm shocked. I picked 5-11 for this season, so what do I know, but they look good. I mercifully missed the entire Jacksonville game, but other than that they've been competitive, and Leon Washington looks great. If they can get the run defense in order, they could threaten to go 9-7.
By the way, tough loss for the Eagles. A 62-yard field goal to win it is, to me, the most incredible finish I've seen since the Music City Miracle. Matt Bryant is not known for having a huge leg (as in kicking the ball far), and this wasn't indoors or in Mile High. Impressive stuff.
-) Getting news on the NLCS from CNN International is pretty frustrating. Did you know there's a huge doping scandal in cricket? Probably not. I, however, know a ton about it but very little about the Mets-Cards. Still, there were some highlights and the USA Today International edition and the International Herald Tribune filled in the rest.
So here goes: I'm really not that disappointed. You wouldn't have been able to tell that by my initial reaction to the loss (a mix of groaning and f-bombs), but the Mets had a great season. Much better than I could have hoped for. And never in my wildest dreams would have expected them to do so well without Pedro and El Duque, and Trachsel pitching only one inning (though I have never been a Trachsel fan, as Big Thunder well knows). Not to mention earlier injuries that KO'd Victor Zambrano and Brian Bannister. That's a stupid amount of injury to starting pitching, and yet it wasn't the starting pitching that let them down. Go figure.
Quick questions: What the hell was wrong with Billy Wagner in the playoffs? He finished the regular season very strong, but was awful in the playoffs. You really can't blame Willie for leaving Heilman in for the ninth. Also, in the non-blame department, Mets fans need to lay off Beltran. He got frozen. Dude was looking fastball and got a nasty curve. It happens. I give a lot of credit to Wainwright, though -- that was a great sequence with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth of the NLCS. Too bad Isringhausen wasn't pitching.
And also, what happened to the Mets' hitters? Were they unlucky? Tentative? I can't believe they managed just 5 runs in four starts between Jeff Weaver and Jeff Suppan.
-) Honeymoon sporting notes (non-cricket related). Got to see the 1896 Olympic Stadium in Athens and the Colosseum in Rome, and flew Olympic Airlines (which craftily avoided copyright infringement by have a logo with six rings as opposed to five). That's about it.
-) I'm very sad about the Raiders' victory. I was really pulling for an 0-16 team. I always do, but last week really ruined things. That said, the Jets are 4-3. I'm shocked. I picked 5-11 for this season, so what do I know, but they look good. I mercifully missed the entire Jacksonville game, but other than that they've been competitive, and Leon Washington looks great. If they can get the run defense in order, they could threaten to go 9-7.
By the way, tough loss for the Eagles. A 62-yard field goal to win it is, to me, the most incredible finish I've seen since the Music City Miracle. Matt Bryant is not known for having a huge leg (as in kicking the ball far), and this wasn't indoors or in Mile High. Impressive stuff.
# posted by EJ @ 11:33 AM 
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As the Rog said yesterday, when Bryant was a Giant (unintentional rhyme), anything beyond 40 was a risky proposition. It's like the old Berman line on Tyrone Wheatley: "Was a Giant, now he's good."
And I agree about Beltran, though I made a wise-ass remark to the contrary last week. If you look curve ball in that situation, you could still whiff, and if you get a fastball, you'll be lucky to foul it off. You look fastball and get fastball? We might have a different World Series matchup.
And I agree about Beltran, though I made a wise-ass remark to the contrary last week. If you look curve ball in that situation, you could still whiff, and if you get a fastball, you'll be lucky to foul it off. You look fastball and get fastball? We might have a different World Series matchup.
Couldn't have had a worse sports week. I can't even talk about the Mets yet.
However, that Eagles game was a special kind of torture. I can't tell you the illness that I felt (could have been the hangover from AC but probably not). I will say this, for the first time in my life - I turned off football after that game and had no desire to see any more sports that day (no NFL, no NHL, no MLB). Just disgusted. And it doesn't seem to be getting better. I just threw up in my mouth.
However, that Eagles game was a special kind of torture. I can't tell you the illness that I felt (could have been the hangover from AC but probably not). I will say this, for the first time in my life - I turned off football after that game and had no desire to see any more sports that day (no NFL, no NHL, no MLB). Just disgusted. And it doesn't seem to be getting better. I just threw up in my mouth.
Yeah, a tough week to root for Philly teams. The Eagles lost a third-straight heartbreaker, the Sixers are gonna suck in a big way and the Flyers are off to a terrible start. Good thing the Phillies signed 43-year-old Jamie Moyer to a 2-year deal or this week could have been a total bust.
Welcome back Edge!
Any comments on the new Bledsoe vs. Romo controversy? I vote for Bledsoe. Even though Romo is certainly more agile, I don't know how any quarterback is supposed to succeed with the incompetency of the Cowboys' offensive line. I must have seen 4 plays last night in which a Giants defensive lineman or end sacked the QB without being touched by a lineman.
How about that "dirt" on The Gambler's hand?
Any comments on the new Bledsoe vs. Romo controversy? I vote for Bledsoe. Even though Romo is certainly more agile, I don't know how any quarterback is supposed to succeed with the incompetency of the Cowboys' offensive line. I must have seen 4 plays last night in which a Giants defensive lineman or end sacked the QB without being touched by a lineman.
How about that "dirt" on The Gambler's hand?
As to the beer, I welcome the figurative case. I wanted the keg, though. Very much.
As to the Cowboys, I'd go with Romo. Behind a good offensive line, I'd take Bledsoe over Romo, but the Cowboys O-line looks pretty shaky to me. Plus, I think a team loses some confidence in a QB when he gets pulled. It could backfire, but the Cowboys need to get things in order quickly before the playoffs slip away. Plus, things worked out pretty well last time Bledsoe got replaced mid-season (I still blame Mo Lewis for the entire Patriots dynasty).
As to the pine tar, the notion that Kenny Rogers tried to cheat doesn't seem so far-fetched to me. The dude has never had the best reputation. You just think he would be a little smarter -- perhaps some vaseline or suntan lotion, or just rub a little jalapeno up his nose to get that running.
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As to the Cowboys, I'd go with Romo. Behind a good offensive line, I'd take Bledsoe over Romo, but the Cowboys O-line looks pretty shaky to me. Plus, I think a team loses some confidence in a QB when he gets pulled. It could backfire, but the Cowboys need to get things in order quickly before the playoffs slip away. Plus, things worked out pretty well last time Bledsoe got replaced mid-season (I still blame Mo Lewis for the entire Patriots dynasty).
As to the pine tar, the notion that Kenny Rogers tried to cheat doesn't seem so far-fetched to me. The dude has never had the best reputation. You just think he would be a little smarter -- perhaps some vaseline or suntan lotion, or just rub a little jalapeno up his nose to get that running.
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