Nothing to Apologize For

Rob Gronkowski has nothing to be sorry about. The Patriots tight end was pictured with porn star BiBi Jones. She was wearing his jersey, he was not.



This created quite a fitrestorm and eventually led to Gronk apologizing to Robert Kraft. Apparently, they think he sullied the Patriots image by allowing a porn star to wear the precious jersey.

The only good part of this fiasco is that the world was introduced to BiBi Jones, who is apparently a major groupie. She says she did not fuck Gronkowski, but she did sleep with Phoenix Coyotes player Paul Bissonette and Dan Uggla (that should get him into the Hall of Fame). She also claims she was used as a recruiting tool for an agent. He took her to spring training in Arizona in 2010 and would take her out to bars at night.

"You know, baseball players would come and I’d introduce myself. And then I got to hook up with baseball players and have fun. It was like a dream come true because I love athletes and baseball’s my favorite sport."

Jones claimed that she slept with "more than 10" players.

But Jones says she didn't fuck Gronkowski even though she wanted to.

Gronkowski should feel remorse about that.

The NFL is Poop - Week 7

It's Tebow Time
The debate over Tim Tebow is reaching a boiling point with each side gaining more ammunition based on his performance in the Broncos 18-15 over the Miami Dolphins. The Tebow supporters were heartened by him pulling victory from the jaws of defeat, the first ever comeback of more than 14 points in less than 3 minutes. "He's a winner," they say.
The Tebow detractors point to his performance in the first 55 minutes when he was absolutely dreadful, 4 for 14 for 40 yards. "He'll never have a comeback like that against a real team."
I'm firmly in the second camp, with one exception. I really, really, really, really like Tim Tebow. I think he is a hell of a guy and I love him as a player. But not as a quarterback. I do think there is a large psychological component to the position. I think it does take a special kind of person to make the big play when the game is on the line.
Unfortunately, I also think throwing arm and accuracy are way more important traits. And I don't believe he has them, or can learn them.



Old-Fashioned Ass-Whupping
The Saints put a hurt on the Colts, the worst beating in the history of the modern NFL. 62 points tied a post-merger record, as did the 55-point margin of victory. They scored every single time they had the ball until the very last drive, 5 touchdowns, 2 field goals, then three more touchdowns, the last of which came on an interception return. Just a complete and total domination.

How Much Does a Quarterback Really Matter?
Last year the Colts were 10-6 and made the playoffs. This year they are 0-7. The biggest difference. Peyton Manning is not playing.

How Much Does a Quarterback Really Matter? II
The Raiders were 4-2 with the good, not great, Jason Campbell running the team. He got hurt and Kyle Boller and Carson Palmer combined to throw 6 interceptions in a 28-0 loss to the Chiefs, who were averaging 30 points per game entering this game.

Suck for Luck
Dolphins fans didn't even seem too upset by their historic collapse against the Broncos. They are hoping the Fins can "Suck for Luck" and get the first draft pick, which will allow them to take Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. Problem is, they may not be the only winless team tanking. The Colts and Rams are equally atrocious, but neither of those two teams is as desperate for a QB as Miami. The Rams have Bradford, and unless Manning is too hurt to ever play again, the Colts will give him a few more years, since they paid him so much money. It'll be interesting to see if the Dolphins blatantly start dumping games in order to draft him.

I Have Seen the Light
I wasn't convinced before the season started, but now I am sure, Cam Newton is going to be a big star in this league for a very long time. He is not the White Tim Tebow or the Sane Vince Young. He's more like a better Daunte Culpepper. He is a great running quarterback as shown on a ridiculous run he had early in the first quarter against the Redskins, while evading about 5 tacklers. But Newton doesn't run at the first sign of trouble, he doesn't need to, he's a great passer. He's not in the Brady, Brees, Rodgers class of guy who throw the ball to open spots with perfect accuracy to let their receivers catch it, but he's close. He nailed so many perfect throws, especially to Steve Smith. It was very impressive to watch.



A Brief Rant About the Redskins
All the hope I had after the 3-1 start is gone. The offense stinks and now it's being run by John Beck who is not as good as Rex Grossman, but for some reason the Shanahans like him better. Now Chris Cooley and Tim Hightower are out for the season and Santana Moss is out until December. The offense looks even worse. And the defense which had been great couldn't tackle Cam Newton or defend Steve Smith.

If the Super Bowl Were Played Today
Green Bay Packers 31 New England Patriots 14
The Packers got a scare from Christian Ponder but held on. The Patriots will solidify their spot if they can beat the Steelers this week.

Song of the Week

"Real Love remix" - Mary J Blige featuring Notorious B.I.G.
One of the funniest moments in my life occurred during this song. We're at a crowded bar and TON's friend KayTee points his finger straight up in the air. He gives us just enough time to look around and act confused because we have no idea what he is pointing at. Then we hear "Look up in the sky..." Genius



Note: That awesome beat is a sample from Betty Wright's "Clean Up Woman"

Stand Up for Gary Carter

25 years ago today Gary Carter stepped to the plate with no one on, two men out and his team trailing by 2 runs.
Carter singled to center field to start the most amazing rally in the history of baseball (stakes included).
Now Carter faces a much tougher opponent, cancer. Carter is battling brain cancer with chemotherapy and other treatments.
His former batterymate Ron Darling "stands up" for Carter in a new ad.

The Greatest Day of My Life

There was a time in life when I was young and innocent. I always believed. And why not? I rooted for the Mets, the 1986 Mets in particular.
Those Mets were one of the greatest teams in the history of baseball. And it wasn't just that they won, it was the way the won.
Like July 3rd, when they trailed 5-3 in the 10th inning and then Darryl Strawberry homered to tie it and Ray Knight who had already struck out 4 times, homered in his 5th at bat to win it.
Or July 22nd, when the Mets beat the Reds in 14 innings while shuffling relievers between the mound and the outfield after several players got ejected during a bench-clearing brawl. I have described this game as one of my favorite games ever.
Or the entire NLCS against the Astros. The Mets constantly had their backs to the wall but they always won. They always believed and so did I.

25 years ago today, the Mets staged their greatest comeback.

Trailing by two runs, with two out and nobody on Gary Carter singled.

I don't remember exactly how I felt at the moment, but I know I hadn't given up the way I would have now.

Kevin Mitchell singled.

I remember watching this game with my entire family. We were crammed onto my parents bed.

Ray Knight singled. Gary Carter scored. Kevin Mitchell advanced to third.



At some point my mom admitted this game was "a little exciting."

Bob Stanley throws a wild pitch. Kevin Mitchell scores to tie the game. Ray Knight advances to second.



"Here comes Mitchell! Here comes Mitchell!"

And then it happened. The moment of pure joy and happiness that has stayed with me for 25 years.

Mookie Wilson hits a slow roller down the first base line.

Then Bob Murphy utters the 3 greatest words in the English language:

"Gets By Buckner!"

And in that moment we all started jumping on my parents' bed, as I am sure young kids all over New York did the same.



I'm getting chills while writing this. It was 25 years ago.

What an incredible moment. Proof that anything can happen, as long as you keep trying to make it happen.

The ensuing 25 years have not been kind to those Mets. Two days later (there was a rainout), they won the World Series. Three days later Dwight Gooden missed the victory parade because he was snorting coke in a hotel room. A confession he made only recently, though everyone knew it for years. Gooden served a suspension for drugs at the beginning of 1987 and the rest of the pitching staff was wracked by injuries. Then in 1988 the Mets lost in the NLCS to an inferior Dodgers team. By 1989 Carter and Hernandez and Mookie were too old and this amazing team only won one World Series.

Gooden and Strawberry were drug addicts. Kevin Mitchell was crazy too, reportedly killing a cat. Jesse Orosco, Doug Sisk and Danny Heep were the "Scum Bunch" who used to sit on the back of and drink and act like assholes. Gary Carter was media-obsessed and unpopular with his teammates.

But none of that mattered on October 25, 1986. All I know is the Mets won in the most impossible, unbelievable, exhilarating, thrilling and memorable fashion.

So memorable that it was turned into one of the greatest season highlight videos ever: "1986 Mets: A Year to Remember."

Note: that video uses the radio broadcast which is why I use Bob Murphy's "gets by Buckner" as opposed to Vin Scully's "gets through Buckner" even though I was watching on TV and listening to Scully at the time.

Over the years I have watched that video so many times and each time it brings me back to that moment on my parents' bed, with my family, jumping, screaming, hugging, and enjoying a moment the likes of which I have never seen in the 25 years since, and will likely never see again.

Say Yes to the Excess

I recently noticed an increase of hits for a very old post about a creepy cop, which was being prosecuted by fellow Susan Wagner High School alumnus Autumn Levine.
After I did some sleuthing I deduced the interest in Autumn stems from her recent appearance on TLC's wedding show "Say Yes to the Dress."



This video is only a minute long. But we can learn a few things. She still talks like a Staten Islander. She loves dark eye makeup. Her future husband is very rich. And she probably did get fake tits since high school, as rumored.

Weekly Picks

Got saved from disaster last week by the Jets. Salvaged three points and I am still on a pretty decent pace. I also think I learned a lot which I will apply to my picks this week.

NEW ORLEANS -14 1/2 indianapolis
I am worried about a spread this big but I love the Saints to win coming off that horrible loss to the ExpensiveCornPrices. A big win here would confirm what I believe about the league: always pick a good team coming off a bad loss or against a bad team coming off a good win. They should have the offensive fire power to bury Curtis Painter.

pittsburgh -3 1/2 ARIZONA
Good team versus bad team. Small spread because home field is overrated. Also the Steelers had a bad game last week against Jacksonville, no points in the second half. They should put up more points than that this week.

OAKLAND -3 1/2 kansas city
It doesn't matter who starts at quarterback. The Raiders are a good team, the Chiefs are a bad one and the spread is really small because of uncertainty. The Raiders are a team equipped to deal with a situation like this because they rely on their running game and defense. I'd rather see Palmer start because I think the whole "system" thing is incredibly overrated so coaches can prove their value. What matters is talent and the Raiders have more of it than the Chiefs.

houston +3 1/2 TENNESSEE
I think the Texans are a better team.

BEST BET
san diego chargers -1 NEW YORK JETS
I wonder if I have ever picked a team as my best bet one week, then picked against them as my best bet the very next week -- after they covered. Even in a big win, the Jets didn't seem very good. This is a big step up in competition and I expect them to lose.

Last week: 2-3 (3 points)
Season: 16-14 (18 points)
Best Bets: 1-0 (4-2)
Home Favorites: 1-3 (7-5)
Home Underdogs: 0-0 (0-0)
Road Favorites: 0-0 (3-5)
Road Underdogs: 1-0 (6-4)

A Yankee Fan I Actually Like

Leave it to the New York Post to put a New York-centric spin on the killing of Muammar Qaddafi. The Libyan rebel who claims to have fired the fatal bullet (there's no way of knowing for sure) was wearing a Yankee hat.
The post gives him credit on its cover "Khadafy Killed by Yankee Fan."
But the subheading was even better "Gunman had more hits than A-Rod."

Cain is Able

Presidential candidate Herman Cain used to run a company called Godfather's Pizza, unfamiliar to many of us on the East Coast. But apparently it was a big thing in the Midwest. Here's Cain in 1991 at the Omaha Press Club singing an ode to pizza to the tune of John Lennon's "Imagine."
His singing starts at :44



"Imagine there's no pizza
I couldn't if I tried
Eating only tacos
Or Kentucky Fried."

I really liked it, and think Cain is actually a pretty good singer. Several other big name musicians seem equally impressed and plan to release Cain-themed cover versions of their most popular songs.

Prince: "I only wanted to see you laughing in the ---, Herman Cain. Herman Cain, Herman Cain."

Wayne Newton: "Herman Cain, darling, Herman Cain. Thank you for, all the joy and pain."

Rob Base: "Joy. HermanCain. Sunshine. Rain."

Tay Zonday: "Herman Cain. Some stay dry while others feel the rain."

Update:
Scorpions: "Here I am. Rock you like a Herman Cain."

If you don't think it's funny, please click on the artist's name to hear the original.
If you still don't think it's funny try singing the new version out loud.
If you still don't think it's funny, you're a moron.

Thanks to Albino for his help on this

Song of the Week

"I'm a Thug" - Trick Daddy
There's a surprising number of good candidates for 2001. But I like this one the best. And I was trying to pick the song I liked the best, not the one that best exemplifies the era, or was the most popular.



Note: this seems to be an alternate version of the video. The original, in which he orders from Wings N Thangs cannot be embedded.

The NFL Is Poop - Week 6

Nice Game, Pal
The biggest story from Week 6 didn't even happen during a game. Everyone is talking about the postgame fight between Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz. The seeds of discontent may have been sown earlier in the game. Harbaugh got a 15-yard penalty for challenging an unchallengeable play. It was a scoring play, and new for this season, all scoring plays are automatically reviewed. Schwartz allegedly made a comment similar to "know the rules" in Harbaugh's general direction.
After a close, tense game, the two met and midfield for a postgame handshake. An excited Harbaugh overzealousy shook Schwartz's hand and emphatically clapped him on the back.
It seemed like Schwartz said something, Harbaugh fired back, Schwartz chased him down and a melee ensued.



In my opinion, Schwartz greatly overreacted to Harbaugh's display of enthusiasm. But in order for there to be something to overreact to, there had to be an initial act and that is where Harbaugh is to blame.
I think they both embarrassed themselves and failed to act as leaders of men should. But if I have to pick one, and I do, that's what the poll demands, I will say Harbaugh was more wrong.




Topsy-Turvy World
I've talked about this many times in the past, but it always pays to be reminded, especially when trying to pick games, the NFL is a roller coaster. Teams play like shit next week, and world beaters the next. This week's examples: The ExpensiveCornPrices who lost to San Francisco by 45, then beat the Saints the next week. And the Giants who lost at home to Seattle and then beat the Bills.



White Guys Can Run, Can't Jump, But Can Run
There are very few white wide receivers in the NFL, but two of them have exploded for the biggest plays this season. There was Wes Welker outrunning everyone for a 99-yard TD against the Dolphins. And this week Aaron Rodgers hit Jordy Nelson for a 93-yard TD against St. Louis.



Ain't That a Shame
A couple weeks ago, I marveled at what I thought was an unusual occurrence. Two different quarterbacks both named Jason Campbell. Until Billy informed me that the Jason Campbell playing so capably for the Raiders was in fact the same Jason Campbell who used to play so poorly for the Redskins. Now, Jason Campbell's career renaissance has been delayed due to a broken collar bone. That's unfortunate for Campbell and for the Raiders. Backed into a corner with a solid running game and a good defense, they had no choice but to get a new quarterback. Unfortunately they had to drastically overpay, two first round picks, for Carson Palmer. But with Oakland at 4-2, they couldn't just trust their season to Kyle Boller.



Picture of the Week
Unsung hero and one of my favorite players in the league, Ovie Mughelli (Oh-vee Muh-hail-ee), celebrates after scoring a touchdown. Part of a dying breed of fullbacks, Mughelli has touched the ball only about 100 times in his 6-year career.




A Brief Rant About the Redskins
How quickly things change. On Saturday the Redskins were in first place with a surprising Rex Grossman enjoying a career revival. On Monday the Redskins are struggling and in the midst of a quarterback controversy. Despite the horrid start, the Redskins had several chances to get back in this game. The turning point should have come when OJ Atogwe picked off Michael Vick at the 1-yard line, preventing the Eagles from extending their 20-6 lead. Ok, so a 99-yard drive is too much to ask. But the Redskins got the ball back at the Eagles 18, and Grossman was intercepted. Then they stopped the Eagles on 4th down and Grossman was intercepted again. At that point Shanahan had no choice but to go to John Beck. But it was too late.
The question is: who should Shanahan start now? A tough stretch is coming up at Carolina, at Buffalo, San Francisco, three teams who are much better than we thought they would be. I think he should stick with Grossman. If the Redskins can keep games close, he likely won't make the mistakes he made against the Eagles when he was forcing the ball in order to lead a big comeback.

If the Super Bowl Were Played Today
Green Bay Packers 35 New England Patriots 21
Am I ever going to be able to put a different team in one of these two slots for the rest of the season? Probably not. So I will keep playing around with the score. This week I use the score from when the Packers beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI.

Legal Sea Food Ads

My favorite seafood joint, Legal Sea Food is out with a series of cheeky new ads. They start as faux-environmental ads with messages like "Save the Trout" but they end with "save the trout so we can grill that baby up real nice."
As an environmentalist, an animal lover, a food lover, someone who believes the natural order of the universe allows even requires animals to eat other animals, and an avowed smartass, I love the ad campaign.
But of course the PETA wackos are up in arms over it.

It's Getting Ugly

Senator Scott Brown was elected two years ago in a special election after the death of Ted Kennedy. He has to run for re-election next year and already the Democrats are lining up against him. Elizabeth Warren, who was the TARP cop for the Obama Administration pulled out the dagger first.
When asked how she paid for college, Warren said "I didn't pose naked."
Brown did, in Cosmopolitan when he was 22.



When Brown was asked about Warren's comment that she didn't pose naked, he said "Thank God."



Now women's groups are calling him sexist. Even if his remark was a little bit petty and catty, I don't blame him, for two reasons. First of all, she started it. Second of all, she's ugly.

Weekly Picks

Finally pieced together two good weeks in a row to get my total points on pace (need to average three per week to have a good season). I got kind of lucky because both New England and San Diego covered on late field goals. But it still counts and I hope to keep it going this week with a bunch of home favorites laying big lines.

NEW ENGLAND -6 1/2 dallas
I think I am pretty much going to pick New England every week. I think they are really great on offense and almost no team can keep up with them. I also like the half point I get if New England can win by a touchdown there's no push.

OAKLAND -7 cleveland
The Browns are really bad and it's being disguised because their early season schedule was weak. The Raiders are actually pretty good and their quarterback Jason Campbell (Bill confirms he is the same Jason Campbell who sucked for the Redskins) has been a great game manager, allowing the running game to dominate.

jacksonville -13 PITTSBURGH
I was looking for one underdog and this was the only one I liked. The Steelers got their big blowout last week. I don't think they're a great team that's gonna roll over everyone all the time. And I don't think the Jaguars are that bad.

DETROIT -4 1/2 san francisco
Last week's 48-3 win over the ExpensiveCornPrices was a total aberration. The 49ers are not that good. As long as Alex Smith is the QB, a team that can rush the passer like the Lions can, will pressure him and force turnovers.

BEST BET
NEW YORK JETS -7 1/2 miami
All this shit is swirling around the Jets this week, and I kind of like when that happens. The Dolphins are really bad and if the Jets don't turn it over (far from a given), they will win this game big.

Last week: 3-2 (4 point)
Season: 14-11 (15 points)
Best Bets: 1-0 (3-2)
Home Favorites: 1-0 (6-2)
Home Underdogs: 0-0 (0-0)
Road Favorites: 1-1 (3-5)
Road Underdogs: 1-1 (5-4)

CNN's Head is Up Uranus

CNN says the blackberry outage is "impacting users on almost every planet."



Not on Uranus!

Song of the Week

"Something to Talk About" - Bonnie Raitt
I'm going in a different direction this week for 1991. Too many of the other songs were cheesy cliches like "I Wanna Sex You Up," "Things That Make You Go Hmmm" and "More Than Words."

The NFL is Poop - Week 5

The Nightmare Team
Vince Young's proclamation that the Eagles were a Dream Team is turning into a nightmare. At 1-4, the Eagles can tolerate only 2 maybe 3 more losses in the next 11 games. Anymore than that and that almost certainly means no playoffs. So why did things go so wrong for the Eagles? First of all, Michael Vick is not a very good quarterback. He is an incredible playmaker, as a runner he's unstoppable (90 more yards yesterday) but he is not a good passer. Even though his completion percentage and yards per attempt stats are in line with what he did last year, and better than his Atlanta career, I still think he tries to force the ball into tight spots and thus us has thrown 7 INTs this year, as opposed to only 6 all of last year (in 12 games). I also think the Eagles may have read their own press clippings. They know how much talent they supposedly have, and think they can win on talent alone. The biggest manifestation of that comes from turnovers, 15 of them so far, by far the most in the league. They refuse to go down when tackled and often end up getting stripped. Vick refuses to take a sack, thinking he can always make something out of nothing. And they take dumb penalties. They had a chance to get the ball back against the Bills, 4th and 1, no way was Buffalo going for it. But the Eagles jumped. Just the latest stupid mistake that sabotaged their promising season.

The Anti-Michael Vick
Maybe the player least similar to Vick in the whole league is Tim Tebow, a big, strong, nice, moral guy. And I know for some reason we never compare the playing styles of players from different races but I see a lot of Michael Vick in Tim Tebow. Please allow me to explain. Like Vick, Tebow is better off as a running back. Like Vick, he is not a good passer. Like Vick, he wreaks havoc for opposing defenses when he tucks the ball and runs.
Right after Tebow was drafted in 2010, I wrote that I didn't think Tebow would ever be a good NFL quarterback.. After watching him down the stretch of the game against the Chargers, I stand behind my prediction. I also predicted (in the poll) that he would get no more than 32 career starts at quarterback. He will get number 4 in the Broncos next game. John Fox has named him the starting QB. The timing is good because the Broncos have a bye, and then a game against the weak Dolphins. So we'll see what the kid can do when given the chance.

Back to the Drawing Board
During the offseason ESPN came out with a new quarterback rating system, designed to completely eclipse the current passer rating, by being much more accurate. Taking more things into account and weighting them more accurately. I think that system needs to be reworked in light of the following result: Tim Tebow (4-10, 79 yards, 2 TTDs) had a better QBR than Aaron Rodgers (26-39, 396 yards, 2 TDs). I guess the reason is Tebow produced 2 TDs in a lot fewer plays than Rodgers, and avoided the sacks and penalties that hurt Rodgers. But any rating system that ranks Tebow's game, higher than Rodgers's is of little or no value.

A Brief Rant About the Redskins
Because of everything I said about the Eagles in the first item, they will probably beat the Redskins by 20 points this week.

Picture of the Week
Dewayne Bowe (or as I call him "Taste Dewayne Bowe" made one of the best catches I've ever seen. After being completely interfered with (a flag was thrown), Bowe shook off the defender, tipped the ball to himself a couple times and made the catch.



Ten and Oh My God That Would Be Awesome
Right now the only two undefeated teams are 5-0 Lions and the 5-0 Packers. Those two division rivals will meet on Thanksgiving Day. Because their upcoming schedules aren't that tough, there's at least a reasonable chance they will both be 10-0.

If the Super Bowl Were Played Today
Green Bay 49 New England 48
Even though they fell behind early against Atlanta the Packers showed their offense cannot be stopped. Patriots looked good, but not invulnerable against the Jets.

Marching Bands Get Funky

The Syracuse University Marching Band aka the Sour Sitrus Society unveiled a new song (or at least I had never heard them play it before), "Hate Me Now" by Nas.
Though I enjoyed the song and thought it was an inspired choice, it was nothing compared to the version of LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" by the Ohio University Marching Band:

Weekly Picks

A good week last week but I really need two or three best bets in a row to really get rolling. The absence of a few teams makes things a little harder this week.

NEW ENGLAND -7 1/2 new york jets
I really wanted to make this game my best bet but I'm actually a little afraid of the Jets. They play New England well and really need this game. But most of all I was scared off by their piss-poor performance last week. I expect a better effort with fewer turnovers this week.

philadelphia -3 BUFFALO
This goes against my number one philosophy for early-season games: "believe what you see, not what you believe." But I just have a funny feeling that the Eagles are not ready to have their season end this early on.

tampa bay +2 1/2 SAN FRANCISCO
Everyone is talking about the 49ers being 3-1. But they are still not good. Even though the ExpensiveCornPrices let me down last week, I still think they have a good enough defense to get this win on the road.

kansas city +1 1/2 INDIANAPOLIS
Call this one a hunch. Hard to figure two really bad teams. But I just don't think the Chiefs are or should be that bad. The Colts are, and they've already covered two spreads in a row.

BEST BET
san diego -4 DENVER
The Chargers always screw me, especially as road favorites. But I just see the talent gap in this game being a lot wider than four points.

Last week: 3-2 (4 point)
Season: 11-9 (11 points)
Best Bets: 1-0 (2-2)
Home Favorites: 1-1 (5-2)
Home Underdogs: 0-0 (0-0)
Road Favorites: 1-0 (2-4)
Road Underdogs: 1-1 (4-3)

Baseball is Poop - Division Series

162 Games and It All Comes Down to This
The Yankees and the Phillies were the best teams on paper going into the season, and on grass during the season. And then in 5 games, poof, it's gone. The Yankees had a glaring hole in their rotation, exacerbated when CC Sabathia could really only pitch one game. But then again, AJ Burnett gave them much more than expected in Game 4. The Phillies rotation almost lived up to expectations in the series, but their offense completely deserted them. These are the two teams in the league I hate most, so I don't feel sad at all, but I do think it is kind of unfair that the best record over 162 games seems to matter so little in a 5 or 7 game series.

Numbers Don't Lie
There is always a big debate among statistically-inclined fans (of which I am one) and those who believe in "clutch" performances (I'm in that camp too). The statheads say a player who gets hits or home runs at a certain rate during the regular season, will eventually revert to that same pace in the postseason (with a minor adjustment for facing better pitchers. But this game is played by human beings not robots. And it's clear whenever Alex Rodriguez gets up in a key spot his brain prevents his body from performing at its normal level. A-Rod had two more big strikeouts in Game 5 against the Detroit, the killer in the 7th with one out and the bases loaded and the formality to end the game. If you look at his total postseason record it actually isn't terrible, 884 OPS in 299 plate appearances (better than Jeter, btw). But he has had some really awesome series (all 3 in 2009, and the ones he played in before becoming a Yankee) and some terrible ones (the two against Detroit come to mind). But he has struck out 64 times in 299 PAs, a very high rate, which occasionally leads to him walking off the field sullenly while someone celebrates behind him.



A Tiger Triple is Possible
Justin Verlander is a lock to win the AL Cy Young and a near-lock to win the MVP as well. With only 4 teams left he has a roughly 25% chance of winning the World Series too. The last two times a pitcher won a World Series, the Cy Young and the MVP in the same series they were both Tigers. Gulliermo Hernandez in 1984 and Denny McLain in 1968.

No One Ever Uses Magnificent in Front of Allen Craig's Name
In Game 3 of the Phillies-Cardinals series, the Cardinals loaded the bases with one out in the 8th inning. They were trailing 3-1 with Allen Craig up and The Magnificent Pooh Holes on deck. This was not second-guessing, I said before the at bat, Craig should have struck out on purpose. It seems crazy but I really liked their chances better with Pooh Holes up and two outs. Craig grounded into a double play and Pooh Holes led off the next inning with a double. But the Cardinals lost 3-2.

Revisiting The Last Night of the Regular Season
There has been a lot of talk about expanding the playoffs, maybe by one more team in each league and having the two wild card teams play a one-game "series" to strengthen the advantage of winning your division (would certainly give a rotational advantage). At first I was in favor, but now I have changed my mind. That great final night of the season would have been meaningless because Boston, Tampa Bay, St. Louis and Atlanta would have all sewn up spots. And I know an exciting race could still happen between the 5th and 6th teams in each league, but I think that is watering it down a little too much. You'd have barely adequate teams competing for final playoff spots, like in hockey and basketball. Better to keep it to only the very best teams, so we can continue to get exciting well-played playoff series.

Can't Buy Me Love
With the elimination of the Phillies and Yankees, none of the four remaining teams is in the top 9 highest payrolls. The Tigers are 10th, Cardinals 11th, Rangers 13th and the small-market Brewers are 17th. It will be interesting to see if that changes next year as both NL teams have free agent first basemen who will surely get $20m per year contracts. I expect Pooh Holes to stay with St. Louis, but Fielder is almost certainly a goner.