 Sunday, September 09, 2007
Baseball Season Coming to an End...
As we enter mid-September, the baseball season is coming to an end. Both New York teams have some work to do to make the playoffs and get their teams ready. The Mets are in a much better place than the Yankees even though they have almost identical records. Their Magic Number is 16 and the fact that we are now talking about magic numbers is a good thing. The NL East will be determined by next Sunday, since the Mets play both Atlanta and Philly at home and finish the season against below .500 Washington and Florida. The Yankees need a major collapse from Boston to take the East. The good news from the Yankees is that history is on their side and they play Boston three times at home this weekend. So the Yankees can attempt to take the East this week. If they are not 1 game out by the end of next Sunday, they better turn their attention to the wild card. The playoffs are not a question for the Yankees, they team knows how to play in September and will obtain a slot through the wild card at least. But the Yankees should focus on wining the East, the playoffs will be easier that way and the Yankees will have more home field advantage and be less of an underdog having made a statement by catching Boston. The Mets look like they will clinch around September 24th or 25th (let's hope for the 25th since Steve has tickets). That will give them a few tune up games to get their playoff pitching rotation in order and enough at-bats for the bench and ample rest for the position players going in to face the wild card (most likely San Diego.) The Yankees will be tired, but have momentum on their side. Come October it is all injuries and luck. Anything can happen. Whatever happens, as long as the NY teams make the playoffs and do ok, it was a good season. Posted by Steve in New York
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Friday, September 07, 2007
Do a little dance...
20 year old Serb Novak Djokovic defeated 15th-seed Carlos Moya, 6-4, 7-6 (9-7), 6-1 at Arthur Ashe Stadium last night. He advances to his first US Open semifinals. What makes Djokovic special is that after the match the announcer asked him to do impersonations of other tennis players on the tour. He did a great Maria Sharapova (fixing his hair and adjusting his shorts) and then went on to do a great Rafael Nadal. The crowd went crazy! Never before have we seen such a personality on the court-after a match. The energetic Serb has won over the NY crowd. If my prediction is correct we will see #1 Federer go up against #3 Djokovic in the finals on Sunday. Djokovic is the only person who can put a dent in the Federer armor. Even if Federer wins, it will sure to be one of the best matches of the year. Stay tuned. Posted by Steve in New York.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
2007 NFL Preview
I ran the table last year with the Colts, touch wood, and hope to do the same this year. In the latest installment of Buffalo Steve's and my annual tradition of NFL picks, please find my picks below:
AFC Division Winners:
AFC East: New England.
AFC North: Baltimore.
AFC South: Indianapolis.
AFC West: San Diego.
Wild Cards: Jets, Denver.
Dark Horses: Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Jacksonville. This is really an injustice as the Steelers are only two seasons removed from a Super Bowl championship. Roethlisberger is healthy and lighter but Joey Porter has left because of free agency. The Bengals have "Ocho Cinco", Chad Johnson, at wide receiver. The AFC is so much better than the NFC. It's almost similar to the gulf between the NBA East and West before the Celtics got KG and Ray Allen. More on the NBA soon. Whoa!
AFC Champion: New England.
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NFC Division Winners:
East: Cowboys.
North: Bears.
South: Saints.
West: Seattle.
Wild Card: Giants, Eagles.
Dark Horses: Redskins, Packers, Carolina. If Brett Favre gets some help his teammates in what could possibly be his last season with the Packers, the Packers could be fun to watch for the first time in a while.
Conference Champion: Saints.
Super Bowl Champion: Patriots. The Patriots finally got Tom Brady some receiving help. A hungry Randy Moss better play all games (not just national ones) or Bellichick will show him the door faster the door will hit him you know where.
Local Team Outlook:
Bills: Ouch. Where do I begin? The losses of London Fletcher-Baker, Willis McGahee, and others to free agency and trades hurt the Bills. There were so many losses that I think I was traded. J.P. Losman is improved but I don't think he has enough help yet. 6-10 is the best I can come up with and hope to be surprised.
Jets: The acquisition of Thomas Jones at running back is just what the doctor ordered to replace the now retired Curtis Martin. The Jets questioned drinking Eric Mangini's brew last year and are now drinking it by Gatorade bucket load. I reviewed the games and the Jets can win 11 games but the Patriots will win 13. Two of the Jets five losses are against the Patriots but they will be must see battle royales. The Jets do have an opportunity to upset the Patriots this Sunday without Rodney Harrison who is suspended four games for using HGH.
Giants: How will the Giants adjust to life without Tiki Barber? How will Michael Strahan's long holdout hurt the Giants? Will Eli Manning step it up like his brother Peyton did last year? Too many questions but enough to make the playoffs in the NFC at 9-7.
Posted by a psyched up Tank in NY.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Can Anyone Stop Roger Federer?
Three-time US Open defending champion Roger Federer appears to be an unstoppable force. Tonight he will meet former U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals in Flushing. Federer, bidding to become the first man in memory to win the US Open four years in a row, has not lost to Roddick in their last 10 matches. The 26 year old Federer seems unstoppable, like Pete Sampras was. Federer needs only three more Grand Slam victories to tie Sampras record of 14 total Grand Slam wins. It seem that he is in cruse control to overtake Sampras' record. But wait. There is the 20 year old hard hitting Serb Novak Djokovic. Novak is ranked #3 in the world and is a hard hitting player who does very well on hard courts. While he has lost twice to Federer this year, he also just defeated him on a hard court to win the Rogers Cup in Montreal on August 12th. While Federer has to get through Roddick and Djokovic has to get through Carlos Moya, now with Nadal out, I predict it will be a Federer-Djokovic finals on Sunday September 9th. (Good thing the Tank has tickets, he will have to report live from the Open!) Federer has been practicing against lefties to prepare for Nadal and has recently lost to Djokovic. Djokovic is in position to stage a huge upset. Steve's prediction: Djokovic in 4 sets. Posted by Steve in New York
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Don't Call it Comeback!
Pedro made a very impressive comeback yesterday at Great American Park. While his fastball never got above 90 MPH in his 76 pitches, Pedro went 5 innings and allowed only 5 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 4, including his 3,000th strikeout. The win was also a shot in the arm for the Mets, who won their 4th straight after losing 5 in a row, including the 4 ugly games in Philly. The Mets have improved to 5 games up and after the impressive outing by Pelfrey on Saturday and Pedro yesterday, have definitely improved while Atlanta and Philadelphia have stayed the same. The impressive return of Pedro gives the Mets the playoff chances they need. The ball is in their court. The Mets have an easy schedule in September, except for 6 home games against Philly and Atlanta next week, the rest of the month is against below .500 teams. The NL East will be decided next week, if the Mets can defeat the Phillies and Braves at home and put enough distance between them. Hopefully it won't be like last week. Posted By Steve in New York
Monday, September 03, 2007
Pedro Back Today
Today Pedro Martinez starts for the Mets vs Cincinnati. After sweeping 3rd place Atlanta, this is a great shot in the arm that the Mets need. While the Phillies and Braves are fighting back as hard as they can, you have to admit that the Mets just got better today with the reactivation of Pedro. With Pedro back, the core of the team is finally off the DL. He is going to be limited to only 75 pitches and no more than 35 in a single inning. But just like the Yankees tried to gain with the presence of Roger Clemens in the dugout, the Mets will try to gain by adding Pedro back to the roster. Posted by Steve in New York.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
What we learned from Appalachian State
When Appalachian State defeated #5 Michigan yesterday many people were in awe. Steve and the Tank want to remind everyone that when a complete underdog in a totally outgunned match wins, it is a day for rejoicing. It is a day that creates legend and more importantly hope. Hope for every team, when down to the last strike like the 1986 Mets, their backs against the wall down 3 games to 0 like the 2004 Red Sox or completely outgunned like Appalachian State yesterday, that anything is possible. That is the power of sports. Posted by Steve in New York
Saturday, September 01, 2007
College Football Preview
This weekend marks the beginning of one of the best weekends of the year -- college football. Boo yeah! Don't get me wrong, I love pro football too but the rivalries make college football great. Army-Navy, Michigan-Ohio State, Notre Dame-USC, and the list goes on and on. The alumni stoke the flames of passion for each team and pass the torch from one generation to the next. Pro football has rivalries but free agency and teams moving, i.e. Colts from Baltimore to Indy and Browns became Ravens has dimmed those flames. The great Cleveland fans had to wait for years for a team to reclaim the Browns name. Former Browns owner Art Modell's safety is not a certainty within Cleveland city limits. Back to college football. There are many exciting storylines. Will Florida repeat? No. Can Ohio State reload? Yes but has to close at Michigan and plays Wisconsin. Will Notre Dame contend for a national championship? Not yet, they need another season or two for Coach Charlie Weiss to get the players he wants. Notre Dame has one of the toughest if not the toughtest schedules in the country. I am not sure how they are going to do until they face Penn State. How is their defensive speed? Next is Michigan. USC visits in October. You never know about the luck of the Irish. JH will throw a parade if the Irish win. Local Outlook: Through prayer and deep thought in the past year or so, I have let most of my anti-Jersey feelings go. (I am still upset about the Jets moving to the Meadowlands but understand the business that is the NFL.). Steve's girlfriend Kathleen has asked for coverage of Rutgers. Since Steve is like a brother to me, I am adopting Kathleen as the little sister that I never had. Shhhh! Don't tell her yet because she says she doesn't read the blog. I'll break the news to her when I stop by Studio 86 for our next podcast.  Anyhoo, here goes: Rutgers: The stars may line up for an undefeated season for the Scarlet Knights. They win their first seven games. Beware of the Maryland trap game on September 29. They get a chance to avenge last year's 41-39 defeat at Morgantown. (BTW, I picked the Mountaineers to win because of home field advantage.). The Scarlet Knights will try to return the favor. The Scarlet Knights should run the table until they finish the regular season on November 29 at Louisville. Revenge is on the Scarlet Knights mind but Louisville is at home so I give them the edge. But check back in late November for the ending. If he stays healthy, RB Ray Rice will finish in the top five of the Heisman Trophy balloting. Syracuse: As rosy as the outlook is for Rutgers, the opposite is true for my beloved Orangemen. Third year coach Greg Robinson is starting to get the players for his West Coast set. We'll see what QB Andrew Robinson has. At best, I hope to save face with five or six wins but probably more like three or four. Keep the faith! Let's Go Orange! BTW, if West Virginia, Louisville, or Rutgers survive without a loss, their BCS ranking may not be as high as other conferences but will get a Dark Horse chance if Big Ten, SEC, or other major conferences all have one or two losses. Other Conferences: Speaking of the SEC, who will win it? Wow! That's a tough one because it's the best football conference in the country no doubt about it. Florida is defending champs but LSU has home field advantage on October 6. But can they win the SEC Championship Game against Florida on a neutral site? No. National Championship: I think Florida's basketball/football/Dancing With the Stars Championship Magic strikes midnight. Heisman Trophy favorite QB John David Booty and USC end the Gators dreams 27 to 20. (Disclosure: While travelling in Hawai'i for San Diego Rich's wedding on July 7, one of the guys in the wedding party ran into USC Coach Pete Carroll at a local hangout and was a pretty cool guy. I was unfortunately battling severe sun burn/poisoning -- all in less than an hour with SPF 30 on my fair skin to meet Coach Carroll. Darn it!) Enjoy the magic of college football! Written by an excited and traveling Tank and posted by Steve.
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