As the NFL Season is about to kick off, it is time to bring on offline tradition online. For the past several years, long-time friend and former co-worker Buffalo Steve and I pick the division winners, conference, and Super Bowl XLI champions. Without further ado, please find my picks below:

AFC East: Patriots

AFC Central: Steelers

AFC South: Colts

AFC West: Broncos

Wildcard: Dolphins, Bengals (if they stay out of the police blotter)

Dark Horse: Chargers, Chiefs

AFC Champion: Colts

NFC East: Cowboys

NFC North: Bears

NFC South: Panthers

NFC West: Seahawks

Wildcard: Giants, Buccaneers

Dark Horse: Eagles, Cardinals

NFC Champion: Seahawks

Super Bowl Champion: Colts

----

Local Team Outlook:

Giants: Improved with new stars like LaVar Arrington but the NFC East is the toughest division in the NFL. The Cowboys got better with T.O. but he may implode sometime during the season. The Eagles have an easier schedule this year as Donovan McNabb was injured and T.O. redefined "team cancer" to epidemic perportions last year. The Giants will finish 10-6.

Jets: New Coach Eric Mangini has his work cut out for him but the Jets will be playoff contenders by 2009 or 2010 if management gives him a chance. I expect the Jets to go 5-11 or better because of Mangini's Magic and toughness.

Bills: Since the Jets and Giants aren't real "New York" teams as the play in New Jersey and I am a Bills Believer, I must review the Bills. I unfortunately don't expect much from the Bills because owner Mr. Ralph Wilson's family can't afford the estate tax ala the late Dolphins owner Mr. Joe Robbie so he is preparing to sell and/or move the team to Los Angeles. Granted, this may seem far-fetched but even former Bills star Thurman Thomas was publicly critical of Mr. Wilson's personnel moves. As then Commissioner Paul Tagliabue went to announce his last pick at the NFL Draft on Saturday, April 29, 2006, the Tank stood up in Radio City Music Hall and asked him to keep the Bills in Buffalo. Literally, a cry for help but that isn't the first time I did that to further a cause I believe in. (Please don't confuse this with Mr. Wilson's fighting for small market teams but without much needed estate tax reform or Mr. Thomas Golisano buying the team as he did with the Buffalo Sabres, the Bills days in Buffalo are unfortunately numbered.) The Bills finish 6-10.

Go Bills! / Jets! / Giants!

Posted by The Tank in NY.

As the song says after the Mets win at Shea, the Mets are "Takin Care of Business" and swept the Atlanta Braves today including a 4-1 victory over future Hall of Famer John Smoltz.  Oliver Perez was very impressive in the second game 8-0 victory pitching a five hit complete game shutout.  This all but mathematically de-thrones the Braves as the 14 time NL East Champions.

Next up, the LA Dodgers for a four game set at Shea in what could be a playoff preview. Let's hope the Mets destroy the Dodgers!  I haven't forgiven the Dodgers for beating the Yankees in 1955 and for leaving Brooklyn after the 1957 season and both were before I was born.  The Tank forgives little and forgets less.

Speaking of impressive pitching performances, Randy Johnson pitched a no-hitter into the seventh and only gave up one hit and eight strikeouts through seven innings at the Kansas City Royals. The Yankees won 8-3.  (Had Randy completed the no-no, he would have matched the Florida Marlins rookie Anibal Sanchez who pitched one earlier in the evening.)  Next up for the Yankees are the Baltimore Orioles starting on Friday for a four game wrap around weekend set.

Both the Mets and Yankees won two out of three in their respective series. Very impressive!

Posted by The Tank in NY.

With our first two fans. :)

 

A-Rod had two home runs, five RBIs, and a couple of curtain calls in the Yankees 10-1 victory Sunday over the Minnesota Twins at the Stadium.  A-Rod now has nine consecutive seasons of 30 home runs and 100 RBIs.

Even Boston Bob, A-Rod's biggest critic, called me to congratulate A-Rod on his breakthrough. I really think that Steve, Tony Robbins, and I have been making a difference with A-Rod. If the Yankees win the World Series this year, I think the three of us should get a WS ring and a playoff share.

On a more serious note, it was great for rookie Darrell Rasner get the win. Both rookies Rasner and Jeff Karstens have pitched great lately to let Mike Mussina get the proper rest. Mussina is scheduled to return on Tuesday at the suddenly surging Kansas City Royals who recently and thankfully swept the Boston Red Sox. Rasner and Karstens will hopefully pitch more in the Bronx in years to come.

Though the Mets lost Sunday, they took two out of three against the Houston Astros in the weekend series at Houston. Next up, the Atlanta Braves at Shea. The Braves are almost mathematically eliminated from winning the division but it would be nice for the Mets to knock them farther back in the division and wildcard races and to continue to show that they are the new boss in the NL East.

Posted by Tank in NY.

After the San Diego Padres loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night, "Metal Mike" Piazza called into Eddie Trunk's "Friday Night Rocks" radio show on Q104.3.  When asked about DHing in the Boogie Down Bronx by comedian Artie Lange of the Howard Stern Show and star of the upcoming "Beer League" movie, MMP left the door open.         
                                     
Piazza replied: "I spoke to (Yankees GM) Brian Cashman during the winter and we had good discussions.  He wanted me to play some first base behind Giambi but I'm not that good a first baseman."
                                        
The rest of the interview focused on MMP and his wife expecting their first child and going to the Motley Crue concert on October 4 which would be an off day if the Padres make the playoffs.  (On a related note, The Tank is considering going to the Crue and Aerosmith concert at Jones Beach on Sunday, September 17.)
                       
Fingers crossed for MMP's return to NY to DH and back up Jorge Posada in day after night games.  Keep your eyes posted on this space for future updates. 
      
Posted by The Tank in NY.

As summer becomes fall, it is one of my favorite times of year as the leaves change and hopes of an Indian Summer with warm days and cool nights. One constant is college football replete with wonderful rivalries, i.e. Army-Navy, Ohio State-Michigan, Texas-Oklahoma, Auburn-Alabama, etc. I like college football slightly more than pro football because it's harder to move a college team than a pro team as the Jets moved from NY to NJ (moment of silence please -- thank you).

Though I am still in baseball mode, I wanted to comment on the upcoming college football season. Ohio State is the consensus #1 which I agree with. I also root for Ohio State as I was admitted to graduate school there in 1994 for Eastern European studies but did not attend because of funding issues as the areas I was interested in studying, the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, had or were disintegrating and scholarships were far and few in between. For various reasons, I also root for Army and Syracuse were physically and emotionally near and dear to my heart and I am a Alabama fan especially of former Jets quarterback Joe Namath and the late Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, R.I.P.  Go Army and Roll Tide!

Who will face Ohio State in the National Championship Game in January?  Go Buckeyes!

Notre Dame is ranked #2 and tied for #3 in the AP and USA Today Polls, respectively.  If Notre Dame can get through a difficult first month including at home against #19 Penn State and #14 Michigan and overall schedule, then I see them running the table until USC on November 25.  If Notre Dame trips up, last season's title game teams, USC and Texas, are waiting in the wings.  Under Charlie Weis' guidance, Notre Dame is a year or two ahead of where I thought they would be.  Brady Quinn is the front runner to win the Heisman Trophy.  

Most games this weekend are warm-ups except for #9 California at #23 Tennessee (Go Bears though don't bet against the Vols at home) and a classic in the making in Miami with the #11 Seminoles visiting the #12 Hurricanes. The latter game is normally later in the season but the loser still has enough time to get back in the title chase.  Yes, I am proud of the fact that I was offered admittance to Miami, the "U", during senior year of high school but glad that I went to Syracuse for freshman year because I would have partied out of the "U" focusing on women's tan lines and fun in the sun.  Go Canes!    

Syracuse's games can be heard on ESPN 1050 AM in NYC.  Saturday's opener is scheduled to be broadcast at 6 p.m.  Go Orange! 

I am happy that former Nebraska star Turner Gill took over my alma mater, SUNY Buffalo.  Go Bulls!

Bring on the cheerleaders and the tailgate parties!

Posted by The Tank in NY.

 

I received my Mets playoff ticket invoice in the mail the other day and am filling it out in anticipation of a great post-season as my ticket plan has one game in both the NLDS and WS and two games in the NLCS, respectively, God Willing!

I have yet to receive my Yankees playoff ticket invoice as they have gotten my snail mail address wrong with my old Manhattan address.  I'll have to call them to square it away once again.  I hope I don't have to repeat the stress of getting my season tickets where I ended up picking them up at the gate a few minutes before first pitch on Opening Day (whew) instead of going to the updated address that I specified.

Speaking of playoffs, kudos to our friend and Mets fan extraordinaire Linda for the following "Playoff Odds" website!

As for our teams, the Yankees split against the Tigers 2-0 and 5-3.  The Yankees should have won the second game but Proctor blew a 3-2 lead with two strikes and two outs in the ninth.  Darn it!   

The Mets continue to steamroll and beat the Rockies 11-3 as David Wright broke out of his "slump" with a grand slam and a key defensive play.  If the Mets don't make in error in Thursday's game, they will break their twelve game errorless streak set in June 15-27, 1999, according to WFAN.

Posted by The Tank in NY. 

 

 

An Interview with Jeff Rochford

 

About Jeff:

Jeff was the owner of Jeff’s Gym for 15 years before he sold the gym in 2006. Jeff is a United States Track and Field Certified Coach. He also volunteers as the coach of Fred’s Team (Marathon team benefiting cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.)

 

 

Steve & The Tank: All three of us met in Antarctica running a marathon. That was my first Marathon, the Tank has run a marathon on all 7 continents (he is that crazy), how many marathons have you run?

 

Jeff:

This November will be my 10^th consecutive New York City Marathon. Others thrown in for variety, of course Antarctica being the coolest. No pun intended I’ve also done countless Triathlons and Distance swim races.

 

Steve & The Tank: How did you get started running?

 

Jeff:

Owning a gym, I was totally into bodybuilding. Running was something you didn’t do. Aside from hurting like hell, it made you small. Every year around marathon time clients would ask if I ever ran the marathon, and being a gym owner in NYC, it was a little embarrassing to say no. So ten years ago, I set out to run my first and only NYC Marathon. I had no Idea what I was doing. My longest run prior to the marathon was 13 miles and I was still well over 200 pounds. I thundered the course; it hurt every step of the way. I’ve broken bones, torn ligaments, and nothing hurt more than that marathon. I finished in 4:17 out of sheer stubbornness. The second I crossed the finish line, I said to myself, that was the greatest thing I’ve ever done. I have to do this again, the right way.

I immersed my self in the endurance world, went back to school and learned everything I could. I’m still learning till this day.

 

Steve & The Tank:  Describe Fred’s Team.

 

Jeff:

Fred’s Team is a marathon team benefiting cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Each member of the team raises money by running the NYC marathon. We have over 750 runners running NY this year. We raise a lot of money for the Cancer Center.

 

Steve & The Tank:  How and when did you get involved with Fred's Team?

 

Jeff:

9 years ago, when I set out to run my second NYC marathon, I received a mailer from Fred’s Team and figured why not make my marathon really count?  4 years ago, I was running with a friend who was the director of the team and we were brainstorming ideas to grow the team. She said she wished the team could afford to hire a coach. Being this is where my career was moving, coaching runners, I volunteered.

 

Steve & The Tank:  How rewarding is that?

 

Jeff:

I can’t even begin to describe it. When the weather is nice, the hospital will bring the kids out to the MSKCC cheering section at mile 17. When you run by and give those kids a high five, their faces light up like you just dropped a million dollars in their lap. Your adrenaline starts pumping and you start to sprint up First Avenue till you realize you still have 9 miles to go. Also helping my fellow team members cross the line is a total rush.

 

Steve & The Tank:  Wow. Being the Coach of Fred’s Team, what type of workout do you put everyone through?

 

Jeff:

I have the team on a pretty aggressive 4 day a week running program, no junk miles. Quality over quantity. We meet three days a week as a team. Saturday morning we go long. Tuesday evening we alternate speed and hill work. Thursday night is coach’s choice work out. Think of track drills in High School.

 

 

Steve & The Tank:  Ever make some annoying guy do extra laps or something like that?

 

Jeff:

No, but if I’m training someone annoying who can only talk about themselves. I pick up the pace as to where they can no longer talk and breathe at the same time.

 

Steve & The Tank:  In what ways can people get more involved with Fred’s Team?

 

Jeff:

Aside from running for the team, we are always looking for volunteers to support our training runs by manning water stations and of course donate money. To learn more about our volunteer opportunities in New York or elsewhere, please contact us by e-mail at fredsteam@mskcc.org or phone at 800-876-7522.

 

Steve & The Tank: Do you think that the NYC Marathon has gotten too large of a field? Too Commercial?  Should it go qualifier like Boston?

 

Jeff:

It doesn’t bother me. The size of the field is what makes NY, NY. Boston needs the prestige of the marathon. God knows they don’t get it from their baseball team.

 

 

Steve & The Tank: My goal is to have Lance beat me by less than 2 hours; do you think I can do it?   

 

Jeff:

Lance will be probably be running a sub three, so you need to run a sub 5. The hills in NYC are nothing like we ran in Antarctica, so I think you guys can do it. Then again, you won’t have those crazy birds dive-bombing you motivating you to run faster

 

Steve & The Tank: Advice to young runners?  

 

Jeff:

Don’t be the first one to tell a girl you love her, be patient, don’ get married too young. Oh I’m sorry, you meant about running. Well be patient there too. Many young runners come out of the box too fast and struggle to hang on. Respect the distance.

 

 

Steve & The Tank: What is next for you Jeff?   

 

Jeff:

Half Ironman in October then the NYC marathon, and now that I don’t live at the gym any more, train for the Ironman. Join Tom (Tank) in the 7 continents club.

 

Steve and the Tank: Good Luck, see you at the finish line November 5^th.

 

Posted by Steve in New York.

My baseball past and present collided Monday night at the Staten Island Yankees game. As many of you know, I grew up in beautiful Upstate New York north of Oneonta and south of Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Oneonta was the home of the Oneonta Yankees where I watched greats like Don Mattingly and John Elway when he didn't want to play for the Indianapolis Colts. I don't blame him because the Colts sucked and Elway made $150,000 for playing only 2.5 months of short summer Class A baseball. I also watched Buck Showalter manage the Oneonta Yankees to a couple of NY-Penn League titles. I even blended my Oneonta Yankees passion with a local bank promotion that would give me an extra .01 percent for each win on the few hundreds dollars in my savings account. Therefore, I was a Oneonta and New York Yankees fan hook, line, and sinker.

When former NYC mayor Rudy Guiliani and Yankee owner George Steinbrenner to transfer the Oneonta Yankees to Staten Island in the late 1990s. I have been in mourning until tonight. The closest I have been in the SI Yankee parking lot for the Start/Finish of the SI Half Marathon in October 2004 and 2005.

The gang took a while to rally at the South Ferry in southern Manhattan. Vicky, Linda's Mom, James, Chris, and Steve are the new additions from Friday night. As the SI Ferry pulled into SI, my stomach filled with butterflies. It's time for closure and to play ball. I crossed myself and asked for forgiveness from my Oneonta brethren. As Saint George is my patron saint, I was comforted by walking into the "Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George" and settled into my awesome seat, third row behind the Brooklyn Cyclones dugout -- the best seats I have ever been in. Kudos to Linda for another great great ticket purchase!!

Now that I have started to get past my past, who do I root for? My borough, Brooklyn Cyclones, or past, SI Yankees. I am sitting in between two Mets die-hards, Steve and Doris. What do I do?

In addition to my nerves, Linda's cousins, Tommaso and Marta, are visiting the States from Italy and I also wondered what their reaction to "Italian Heritage Night", Staten Island style. The problem with these nights is that they are dated by the frame of reference of the immigrants that came here decades ago. I notice this with my parents from the former Yugoslavia as well. It is sometimes easier for me to talk to people their age because of a common reference point, values, and respect than my age because kids my age want to be "American" and "modern".

The Cyclones pitcher is pitching a no-hitter through three innings and the Italian Heritage is starting to kick in with King Henry eating Italian Ices and the scoreboard honoring the local Knights of Columbus.

Our section won the enthusiasm contest. Huck the Cow sits two rows in front of us. Seth Fortenberry is Steve's new favorite player as they share a common ethnic heritage. Steve and I are networking with our new fledgling sponsors the "Liquor Depot" who also DJ at "Redemption" in Manhattan. Steve and I are big in the community.

The Cyclones no-hitter holds through four innings. Steve is trying to get Huck in trouble as a Jose Reyes fan.

Meatball Eating contest going into the bottom of the fifth. Steve should be in the contest.

Linda tries to explain baseball in Italian to her cousins. I find the Italian baseball link on Wikipedia and give it to Linda and she gives it to Tommaso and Marta to read in their native tongue as we take in the game. God Bless the Internet!

In the top of the sixth, Brooklyn bunts a guy on but he is thrown out as the catcher overthrows first and is thrown out while trying to go to second.

The spinning of the heads on the baseball bat is the feature going into the bottom of the sixth. Mike beats out Jim.

Steve smells the salt of the sea or is it Mike's sweat he wonders out loud.

No hitter through sixth. Happy birthdays on the left center field scoreboard going into the seventh.

To inspire her fellow Canadian, Sara removes her jacket and he singles to center. He is sacrificed to second. Steve is not going to the restroom until the Yankees get a hit. He is keeping it in for the team.

"That's Amore" finally comes on as I thought the SI Yankees would have had more Italian heritage than a sushi toss earlier in the game. 

Steve nominates Sara as our mascot and offers to make g-strings "un-sexy as it hurts my bum". Even TMI (Too Much Information) for The Tank.

Back to the game, #11 flies out to end of the top.

An eight or nine year girl does a great job of singing "God Bless America" during the Seventh Inning Stretch.

Chevy's is the current promotion as Steve wants a quesadilla. He didn't win it and the ball girl didn't throw me a ceremonial softball souvenir even though Steve pointed to me and many in our section rallied to our cause. A lady behind me tells me that it is going to be another 30 years before I get a foul ball. Not comforting! I am definitely the Charlie Brown of the baseball souvenir world.

Steve's fruity cousin, Fortenberry, grounds out to start the bottom of the seventh. Larsen breaks up the no hitter with two out in the bottom of the seventh and #30 is pulled. Our inaugural sponsors encourage me to go to rally cap mode.

Huck and his friends are dancing the YMCA during the pitching change.

Curtis doubles in Larsen and the SI Yankees take a 1-0 lead. Linda and her Mom both blame Steve for going to the restroom for the Yankees taking the lead. Steve returns to the seat while the Yankees fly out to end the seventh.

Going to the top of the eighth, I am encouraged to go to the restroom so the Cyclones start a rally. I get some water, a lemonade, and even a funnel cake and the Cyclones get a walk while I still don't return to my seat. The Cyclones fly out to end the game. The Yankees win 1-0.

Go Cyclones! / Mets! / Yankees!

P.S. I tried to run the bases like I did after the Cyclones departmental outing last year. The usher let me through tonight but the power tool lady at the first base line did NOT let me run the bases. That seals my conflict, I am rooting for the Cyclones from here on out. Go Cyclones!

P.S.S. This is Steve's second minor league game!!

Posted by Steve and The Tank live from Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George