Random Sports Thoughts

Okay, last night was amazing.

Not only did the Boston Red Sox/Atlanta Braves meltdown lift the game of baseball to new heights, but I would argue that the game of sports got a much-needed boost from what I would consider the best day in the history of baseball. For those of you who can give 2 cents about baseball and have no idea about the monumental collapse of the Red Sox/Braves, they both had gigantic leads for the final playoff spot, and somehow both let them slip away. The Red Sox blew the largest lead in the history of baseball so late in the season, a record which would have gone to the Braves, who nearly blew an equally large lead. As Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over, 'til it's over."

The 1st benefit for sports:

Fans of all sports can now look back on Sept. '11 and recall how two down and out teams made historic comebacks and never gave up hope. Momentum, positive or negative, should never be underestimated by the fan. In turn, this should remind the teams themselves that they should always play hard 'til the very end. As Chris Rock elegantly put it, "'Cuz you never know!"

Finally, I'm sure the agonization of blowing such big leads will haunt each and every player on the losing teams, and they will no doubt look back on what they could have done differently. No one will ever admit this unless years from now they squander all their money away and decide to write a tell-all book, but I believe that it is highly possible at least one player on the Braves/Red Sox played in a game this season unprepared or hungover from a night of partying and cost their team at least a chance of winning, be it a defensive mishap, not knowing what a pitcher likes to throw in a certain count, or just not being as sharp as they normally are due to poor preparation or anything short of giving it there all. Maybe that athlete will vow to never let anything like that happen again, and in turn, a better product will take the field for the family of four that was able to come out one time this year and shell out 250 bucks to see a game played at the highest level. A bit farfetched, maybe, or maybe not.

The real winners in this have been unquestionably the Tampa Bay Rays. Last off-season, they lost their best player in Carl Crawford to the Boston Red Sox, traded away a quality starter in Matt Garza, and let proven home run threat Carlos Pena go, giving the appearance that they were looking to rebuild, especially in the division including the Red Sox and Yankees. With maybe half the payroll as those two powerhouses, the Rays showed that they were indeed the hidden hottie. (Everyone has come across that girl whose daily attire consist of sweatpants, crappy sneakers, a ponytail, and no makeup, and then out of nowhere, she shows up with her hair down wearing a sun dress from Target with just a little bit of makeup, and you try to act like you knew she was attractive all along. Yep, that chick.)

The Rays have shown that they are the never ending underdog and have one of the best front offices in all of sports. Even though I believe they should be contracted or moved due to an awful fan base in Tampa, every year they contend I find myself rooting for them...HARD!

The Atlanta Braves were probably a year ahead of themselves, and injuries depleted their pitching staff. They could no longer cover up for a mediocre offense, so they get somewhat of a pass. The real losers are obviously the Boston Red Sox, who have become the team that they most despised: the NY Yankees, who were once referred to as the evil empire, trying to buy championships with an inflated payroll. I believe in karma. No way the Boston Bruins win a Stanley Cup Championship and the city not give up something; in this case it was the Red Sox. The fans are even screaming for the heads of the manager and GM of the team that led them to 2 World Series Championships in the last 7 years, which is insane.

On a side note, the Cardinals may appear to be winners, but it may turn out that they are the biggest losers of them all. Unless they go on to win the WS, they will be under intense pressure to resign Albert Pujols, the best player in the game, to an ungodly salary and pay him well beyond the prime of his career (which is not good for a small market team). If not, then they will feel the wrath of a very loyal fan base.

Adam Dunn's inept play arguably cost Ozzie Guillen his job with the Chicago White Sox, and now Carl Crawford may cost GM Theo Epstein and or manager Terry Francona his job with the Red Sox. Ozzie Guillen has almost exactly the same credentials as Mike Sciosa of the Anaheim Angels. One WS win apiece, almost identical winning pct., and yet Sciosa is beloved and Guillen is now exiled. The difference...EGO. Not Ozzie's, but GM Kenny Williams'. They knew what they were getting with Ozzie from the get-go, but in my opinion, Kenny Williams let his ego get in the way of Ozzie taking too much credit for being the face of the franchise.

Let's get down to biz: the Tigers are going to prove way too much for the Yanks, who will find that Verlander is more than a match for Sabathia, and the Tigers offense will be hard to tame. Tigers in 5, where they will meet and defeat the Texas Rangers, who will overpower the feisty but less talented Devil Rays. The Phils toughest matchup in the playoffs will be their 1st round opponent, the Cardinals, where a nothing-to-lose approach and 3-4-5 hitting of Pujols, Berkman and Holliday will give the Phils all they can handle, but the Cardinals will eventually lose in 6 games. The Phils will then easily dispatch of the Brewers, and likewise the Tigers, as the City of Brotherly Love will all stick their penises in cheesesteaks and try to pick a fight with everyone who is not from Philly.

The NBA needs to get down to business because I cant rely on the mediocrity of college basketball being my only hoops outlet. An autobiography about an athlete who apparently was unfaithful to his wife and abused pain killers could be written about a ton of athletes. Walter Payton deserves better - I'll pass. I said it once, and I will say it again: the NFL is so competitively balanced that special teams play is now way more important than it used to be, and it used to be pretty important.

After going a dismal 2-3 last week, I stood naked eating a grilled cheese to gain balance back with my gambling intuition.

Houston/Pittsburgh 0ver 45: Pittsburgh defense will not be able to slow down the Texans.

Atlanta -5: Falcons are way too talented for an inept Seattle offense.

New Orleans-7: Jacksonville will have to score 24 points to stay within 7 points of Drew Brees, but they can't.

Overall record: 5-5-1