Monday, October 05, 2009

After 4 full weeks have (nearly) been completed is it now time for everyone to jump of the Broncos Bandwagon already?

Sensible people do not get excited about teams QB'd by Kyle Orton. Yes, they're 4-0 but that's against the Bungles, the Browns, the Raiders and Cowboys. Their next 4 games are against New England, at San Diego, at Baltimore and against Pittsburgh. If they escape better than .500 after that run, I'll be shocked. Pretenders.

The Patriots won the battle against the Ravens on Sunday but only just. Don't expect them to win the war. One less dropped pass and the Ravens probably would have won this. A few less rubbish calls by the refs saving Tom Brady's career, again, the Ravens probably would have won. Of course winning is worth more than what could have been but the Patriots are not a better team than the Ravens and if and when they meet post-season, this game will stick with those Ravens and fuel a nasty feeding frenzy...

Ditto the Saints over the Jets yesterday. Sanchez won't always be a stuttering rookie and yes, the Saints Defence is much improved but if these teams were to play each other again (when, right? The Super Bowl?) the Jets would win most every other time. And for the record, that bit about Is Sanchez Spanish for Turnover? Cheap, lads, cheap. He'll be back.

Blackout Luck of the Draw had me watching the Bears-Lions game this week - I'd have loved watching the Pats-Ravens but frankly, this game was quite surprisingly exciting for a Black and Blue Division match up. Lions receivers were running free, particularly Calvin Johnson against a Bears defence that looked less-than-ferocious. Had rookie Matthew Stafford been a little more accurate the Lions could have blown this game out early but regardless, the Bears looked very vulnerable - a team like the Packers or Vikings might make mince meat of that defence still stumbling around missing its two best linebackers. Regardless, Jay Cutler's crazy flip dive into the end zone, completely giving up his body to the defenders is the kind of crazy shet that either gets you killed or inspires teammates.

Rankings won't come out, if at all until after tonight's game. After watching the Vikings just barely take out the 49ers last week (and don't get me wrong, the 49ers are easily one of the best (and unlike the Broncos) real surprises of the 2009 season so far.) you'd have to wonder if the Pack will be as flexible. The guess here is Aaron Rodgers is going to far outshine Favre this week - it's still early days but I can't help remembering how quickly Favre peetered out last season and one can only imagine it happening even earlier this season. Of course if they just feed Adrian Peterson over and over again, eventually it probably won't matter. I've got him on one of my fantasy teams but am playing against him on another so I'm torn as to how I'd like to see him perform. Still, I'll be rooting for the Vikes.

Perhaps more interesting than trying to guess how low the Raiders will sink before the season is over is wondering if they'll be the first team EVER to have their head coach arrested in mid-season. That'd be too easy for Al Davis, saving him from having to sack yet another coach after yet another bad decision. If it's possible, this is a franchise, albeit in a different sport, probably run even worse than the New York Mets.

*****

I'm still sick from the Mets season but reading that they're making ceremonial sacking of a few meaningless coaches (still even keeping them in the system) and NOT sacking the pitching coach Dan Warthen just points out early and significantly that the Mets are not serious about turning the franchise around.

Looks like next year will suck as much as this one did. Wake up you fecking eedjits.

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Isn't it nice the Twins, who seem to have made a franchise history out of fighting back and overcoming the odds, came back from 7 games back to force a playoff? And even nicer that it is postponed by a day because of the Packers-Vikings game and then the Minneapolis fans will, if they're lucky, host the Yankees that same week in the playoffs?

Yes, the Tigers are probably the better team on paper but this time of year it's so much about momentum. That or which team has the fewer drunks.

I don't have any post-season predictions perse other than to think about how funny it'd be if the Yankees get knocked out in the first round by the Twins given the massive disparity in payrolls.

Realistically, I guess I'd have to root for a Yankees-Dodgers World Series for the Irony Factor alone; Manny and Joe Torre facing the Yankees, wow.

But in the first round, we get two of the best managers in the business going head to head when the Dodgers play the Cardinals and La Russa. That's gotta go the full five and down to the last nail-biting out.

Am I the only one finding it sick funny that the Dodgers' most consistent and perhaps best pitcher all year has been Randy Wolf, the pitcher Omar Minaya didn't think more of than the useless headcase Oliver Perez he ended up WAAAAY overpaying a free agent contract to? I'm rooting for The Dodgers in Five.

No matter what, I'm rooting against the Phillies. Period. I have to. They did it in 2007, no reason they can't do it in 2009 with their very deep bench, their momentum and the Phillies rather rubbish bullpen. Rockies in 4.

In the AL, you've got to wonder if the Angels really are capable of being eliminated three seasons in a row by the Red Sox. Their biggest worry has to be their bullpen, the Red Sox strength. On the other than, the Angels are a better hitting team than the Red Sox and are fast on the basepaths which plays to the Red Sox weakness. Homefield advantage and depth in the rotation gives the slightest of edges to the Angels in five.

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