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      Phillies clinch NL East title

      October 1, 2009 /

      With their 10-3 win over the Astros on Wednesday night, the Phillies clinched their third straight division title. Raul Ibanez went 1 for 2 with a two-run homer, two runs scored and three RBI in the victory.

      From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

      On the third time around, the familiar white towels snapped in the seats and the same joyous roar rose high. The Phillies beat the Astros, clinching the division again, and the fireworks and the champagne were the same. The picture that will remain, after everything, was the charge of Phillies players out to the sign on the leftfield wall.

      It is the sign with the microphone and the big red letters, the omnipresent reminder of Harry Kalas, the voice and the soul of the franchise who died in April. They gathered around the sign, all of them, jumping and joyfully pounding against it, showering it and the nearby fans with every available beverage.

      You do not script these kinds of moments. They just happen if the stars are aligned just right. You do not script life, either. And here we all are again.

      What a special moment for the Phillies and a great tribute to Kalas to win the division yet again. He was one of the greatest play-by-play announcers in baseball history and it was cool to see the players gather around the sign in the outfield to honor him.

      The Phillies have the best offense in the National League and the sixth best team ERA. Their lineup consists of five guys who have 20 home runs or more, including Ryan Howard (43), Jayson Werth (35), Raul Ibanez (34), Chase Utley (31) and Jimmy Rollins (21).

      A Dodgers-Phillies matchup would be fun to watch seeing as how L.A. boasts the lowest team ERA in the league and Philly can score runs in bunches.

      MLB

      2009 NFL Week 4 Odds & Point Spreads

      October 1, 2009 /

      Along with the odds and over/under totals, here’s a look at some of the marquee matchups for Week 4 in the NFL.

      Jets (3-0) at Saints (3-0), 4:05PM ET
      Perhaps the most anticipated match up on this week’s schedule (outside of the Monday night game, that is) will be played at the Superdome when the 3-0 Saints host the 3-0 Jets. Both teams are playing with tons of confidence on both sides of the ball and this game will be a great test for each team. How will Drew Brees and the explosive New Orleans offense handle Rex Ryan’s aggressive defense? Can Mark Sanchez and the Jets offense keep pace with Brees and company if they start lighting on the scoreboard? This should be a great game from start to finish.
      Odds: Saints –7.

      Ravens (3-0) at Patriots (2-1), 1:00PM ET
      Although the Patriots soundly beat the Falcons last week, they still have some issues to resolve. Tom Brady didn’t play particularly well (especially in the first half), but he also didn’t face much of a pass rush. Baltimore won’t make the same mistake Atlanta did and allow Brady to sit back in the pocket and pick them apart underneath. The Ravens also have a better run defense than the Falcons do, so the Pats shouldn’t be able to control this game on the ground like they were able to do last week. Baltimore has its issues as well, particularly in the secondary. If Brady is on, he could have some success moving the ball against the Ravens’ pass defense. It’ll be interesting to see how New England’s defense handles Joe Flacco and a running game that already looks like it’s in midseason form.
      Odds: Patriots –2.

      Chargers (2-1) at Steelers (1-2), 8:20PM ET
      Is this a must win for the defending champs? The lack of a running game is killing the Steelers right now because they can’t nurse leads late in games. If Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall can’t get going against a beat up San Diego front seven, then the onus will once again be on Ben Roethlisberger and the defense to win the game for Pittsburgh. The Chargers know what it’s like to play in Pittsburgh since they made the trip twice last year, which resulted in a 11-10 regular season defeat and a 35-24 loss in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Consistency has been an issue for Philip Rivers and company, but the Steelers are primed for the taking. Will Pittsburgh fall to 1-3 or can it right the ship this Sunday night?
      Odds: Steelers -6.

      Packers (2-1) at Vikings (3-0), Monday, 8:30PM ET
      Did the schedule makers nail this one or what? Brett Favre will host his former team a week after producing some of the late game heroics that made him an icon in Green Bay. The football world is abuzz with Favre’s game-winning touchdown pass to Greg Lewis last Sunday, which helped the Vikings edge the 49ers and remain undefeated. The Green Bay offensive line must do a better job protecting Aaron Rodgers, especially with Jared Allen ready to provide consistent pressure for a great Minnesota defensive line. Rodgers will have to make plenty of plays in the passing game, since Ryan Grant isn’t likely to find much running room against the Williams Wall. Can Rodgers outshine his predecessor or will Favre teach the young quarterback a thing or two about playing in primetime?
      Odds: Vikings –3.5.

      Continue reading »

      NFL

      How a Packer fan copes with Brett Favre

      September 30, 2009 /

      Back in 1969, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross introduced the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. As a long time Green Bay fan (starting with Packers teams that featured Lynn Dickey, Paul Ott Carruth, Eddie Lee Ivery and a host of other players with ridiculous-sounding games), I have firsthand experience with these five stages as I’ve dealt with Brett Favre and his annual retirement dance.

      In the summer of 2008, when the news leaked that Favre was interested in unretiring, I argued that the Packers should bring him back. He was coming off a stellar season and I firmly believed that he gave Green Bay the best chance to win. At this point, I couldn’t comprehend that the Packers would choose to move on without Favre and this denial quickly turned to anger as I saw just how entrenched management was in that decision.

      But I wasn’t aware of a crucial fact: Favre flirted with coming back earlier in the spring and then changed his mind when head coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson were prepared to fly to Mississippi to discuss it. At that point, I totally understood why the Packers said ‘enough is enough’ and made the decision to cut the cord once and for all. And I understand why Favre was upset that the organization didn’t welcome him back with open arms. After all, he is one of the most iconic players ever to play in the NFL and has to have an ego to match. I figured that if he couldn’t come back and play for the Packers, then he’d make the wise decision and hang ’em up, once and for all. This is the third stage of grief — bargaining.

      Unfortunately, Favre’s anger towards the Packers quickly turned to spite as he tried to maneuver his way into either Chicago or Minnesota, the Packers’ two biggest rivals. It was obvious what was going on at the time — that Favre wanted to stick it to the Packers, specifically Ted Thompson, who made the final call (and was the one who drafted his successor) — and Favre confirmed this in a interview conducted a few months later. At this point, depression sunk in. I couldn’t believe that Brett Favre — my all-time favorite player and the guy that I would schedule my Sundays around — would risk the goodwill of the Packer faithful just to get revenge on those whom he believed wronged him. This spiteful behavior was just sad.

      Continue reading »

      NFL

      NBA News & Rumors: Delonte, LeBron, JJ and Julian

      September 30, 2009 /

      Delonte West misses practice (unexcused) again. All right, one unexcused absence I can understand, but after he was MIA yesterday, wouldn’t the Cavs track him down to find out why he was absent? Of course they would, which is why he is either completely unreachable or the Cavs don’t approve of his reasons for missing practice. This is worrisome, but expect the team to give him a lot of leeway to get his life straightened out.

      The New York Daily News thinks there has been another sign that LeBron is headed to the Knicks.       His name is William Wesley and apparently he has LeBron’s ear. He was at Knicks camp this week and some conspiracy theorists believe his presence is a sign that LeBron will be playing in New York next season.

      The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Joe Johnson will not sign an extension this season.       Instead, Johnson is going to become a free agent next summer when a number of teams are going to have the cap space to offer a max deal. After LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and (maybe) Amare Stoudemire, Johnson is the next biggest prize in the free agent class of 2010. He’s one of those players that isn’t quite worth a max deal but he’s going to get one anyway. (Think Michael Redd circa 2005.)

      Byron Scott told the Times-Picayune that the Hornets’ starting small forward job is Julian Wright’s to lose.       This is about a year too late. Wright was quite productive (PER: 15.48) in his rookie season, but the Hornets went with James Posey instead, thinking that he’d be the missing piece to the championship puzzle. Wright is one of those young, talented players that is going to see a big increase in minutes, so fantasy basketball owners should take note.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Sam Bradford to return this week?

      September 30, 2009 /

      The Oklahoman reports that Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford split snaps with the first team in practice this week with redshirt freshman Landry Jones and might be ready to play Saturday against Miami.

      Stoops still isn’t ready to announce whether Bradford will play Saturday at Miami, but said Bradford hasn’t had any setbacks in his recovery and wasn’t particularly sore Tuesday morning after throwing during Monday’s practice.

      “That’s positive in that everything to this point that he has done he has handled in a positive way and he has made daily progress,” Stoops said. “That part is encouraging. But it’s just too early to determine his status for Saturday. I’m not able to give the answer yet, until we see what Sam’s capable of throughout the week. Is he able to make all the throws? Is he able to do it without too much soreness? How does he react the next day?

      If Bradford plays on Saturday, it would signal a remarkable turnaround from where he was at a few weeks ago. Some were suggesting that his season was over and now he has a chance to play this week.

      Hopefully Oklahoma isn’t rushing Bradford back onto the field too soon. I doubt Stoops would put the success of the team over the health of his player (or at least, I hope he wouldn’t), but if Bradford continues to progress throughout the week then there might be no reason for him to sit out.

      Even though VA Tech shredded them on the ground last week, Miami has an aggressive front seven – one that could cause problems for Bradford if he’s rusty upon his return. It’ll be interesting to see how he progresses throughout the week and whether or not he’ll play against the Canes on Saturday.

      College Football

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