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      Lord Favre giveth and he taketh away

      October 12, 2010 /
      Minnesota Viking wide receiver Randy Moss (R) and quarterback Brett Favre butt heads together on the bench before their NFL football game against the New York Jets in East Rutherford, New Jersey, October 11, 2010. Moss was playing in his first game with the Vikings after being traded by the New England Patriots earlier in the week. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Was it just me or did anyone else hope that Brett Favre would snap his femur when he threw that touchdown pass to Randy Moss in the third quarter and then pranced around the field like a G-damn ballerina for six minutes?

      I realize what the moment meant to him. It was his 500th touchdown pass of his career, it was thrown to the receiver he has wanted to play with for years and it got the Vikings back into a game that the Jets had dominated up until that point.

      But I’m sorry, was it not Favre who almost single handily gave the Jets a 12-0 lead with his shoddy play in the first half? Was it not Favre who looked like he was trying to handle a greased pig when he lost two fumbles earlier in the game? Was it not Favre who couldn’t hit water if he threw a rock into the middle of an ocean before he dropped that beautiful rainbow to Moss late in the third?

      Again, I know why he was excited and this has been Brett’s style ever since he came into the league, but I can’t be the only one who’s tired of his cartwheel act after every passing touchdown. His act is as old as he is and while I’m still amazed at what the man can do on a football field, if you’re the one that has put your team in a whole, just give Moss a high-five and get back to work. I may be completely overreacting, but enough is enough already.

      Of course, in the end, Favre was Favre. With the Vikings trailing by only two points with under two minutes left to play, Brett threw a frozen rope to Jets’ safety Dwight Lowery, who returned the gift 26 yards to seal a 29-20 Jets’ victory. It was classic Favre, who gave his team a chance to win with three second half touchdowns, only to doom them with one enormous mistake when the game was on the line. (Maybe he had something else on his mind.)

      The Vikings’ offense did show signs of life late in the third and throughout the fourth quarter, however. It’s going to take a few weeks before Moss can learn the nuances of Brad Childress’ offense, but he’ll eventually get up to speed and then Minnesota could be dangerous down the stretch.

      If Favre doesn’t bury them in the meantime, that is.

      External Sports, NFL

      Braves can’t send Bobby Cox out on top as Giants advance to NLCS

      October 11, 2010 /
      Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox number is painted on the field during a tribute ceremony honoring the retiring manager prior to their National League MLB baseball game in Atlanta, Georgia, October 2, 2010. REUTERS/Tami Chappell (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL IMAGES OF THE DAY)

      Nobody can say that the Atlanta Braves didn’t try to send their beloved manager Bobby Cox (who decided before the year started that he would retire at the conclusion of the 2010 season) out on a high note. They played with enthusiasm, passion and urgency, but in the end it wasn’t enough.

      The Braves’ mantra at the start of the postseason was “11 for 6,” which is the number of wins they needed to win the World Series (11) for Cox, who wears No. 6. Unfortunately they came up 10 wins shy, as the Giants beat Atlanta 3-2 on Monday night to take the best-of-five series 3-1 and advance to the NLCS to face the Phillies.

      Cox and the Braves couldn’t have asked for a better outing from Derek Lowe, who allowed three runs (two earned) over 6 1/3 innings in the loss. He didn’t allow a hit for the first 5 1/3 innings, but Cody Ross (who went 2-for-3 tonight and singled home the eventual game-winning run in the eighth inning) took him deep in the sixth to tie the game at 1-1. Lowe was pitching on only three days of rest, yet his sinker baffled San Francisco hitters for most of the night before he hung a pitch to Ross, who made him pay for the mistake.

      While you can’t take anything away from the Giants (whose starting pitching was absolutely phenomenal throughout the entire series and they got another strong performance tonight from rookie Madison Bumgarner), they were the benefactors of close calls the entire series. Every time there was a close play at one of the bags, it went in San Francisco’s favor. Before Ross singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth, it appeared as though Pat Burrell was thrown out on a Juan Uribe hit to shortstop Alex Gonzalez, who made a throwing error to second baseman Omar Infante. The throw took Infante off the bag, but replays showed that he might have kept his toe on the bag.

      That said, all of those plays were bang-bang and umpires don’t have the luxury of watching instant replay in order to get the calls right. Unfortunately for the Braves, they were snake bitten by the human element of baseball in this series.

      So was Cox, who received a standing ovation at the end of the game from both the fans and the Giants, who congratulated each other and then stayed on the field to celebrate the skipper’s historic career. It was a classy move and it was a well-deserved moment for the three-time NL Manger of the Year and the two-time World Series champion.

      Thanks for all the memories, Bobby.

      External Sports, MLB

      You’re starting, Colt McCoy! Really?! Against who?! Pittsburgh. Ah, crap.

      October 11, 2010 /
      TAMPA, FL - SEPTEMBER 12: Rookie quarterback Colt McCoy of the Cleveland Browns warms up just prior to the start of the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on September 12, 2010 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)

      Nothing has been confirmed yet, but Browns head coach Eric Mangini said Monday that rookie Colt McCoy might make his pro debut on Sunday because Seneca Wallace has a high ankle sprain and Jake Delhomme is still dealing with an ankle injury himself. (Not to mention he’s also Jake Delhomme, which will always continue to hold him back.)

      That’s the good news for McCoy. The bad news is that the Browns’ opponent this Sunday is a well-rested Pittsburgh team that will no doubt be fired up with the return of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

      The Steelers have the second ranked defense in the league in terms of yards allowed with 1,156 (Miami has given up the fewest yards at 829). They also have the best run defense in the NFL, which is a problem considering the Browns like to pound the ball on the ground. So if the hope was to feed the ball to Peyton Hillis (who is banged up himself) and Jerome Harrison (whom Mangini apparently never wants to see get another carry the rest of the year) in order to take the pressure off young Colt’s hands, that may backfire.

      The Browns are hoping that they can start Wallace this week, but high ankle sprains can be tricky. Andre Johnson of the Texans just had one and despite his best efforts, he had to miss Houston’s game against Oakland two weeks ago.

      It’ll be interesting to see whether or not McCoy is thrust into action this week against arguably the best defense in the league.

      Update: According to Chip Brown via his Twitter page, McCoy has been told he will start this Sunday at Pittsburgh. Hold onto your nuts…

      External Sports, NFL

      Aaron Rodgers may miss Week 6, Jermichael Finley out three weeks

      October 11, 2010 /
      Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is hit by Washington Redskins Brian Orakpo after throwing the ball in the second half of their NFL game in Landover, Maryland, October 10, 2010. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      The Packers received some bad news on Monday when it was announced that tight end Jermichael Finley would miss at least the next three weeks and could possibly be out six weeks after having surgery on his knee. Green Bay has a bye in Week 10, so that means Week 11 will likely be his return to action.

      In other injury related news, head coach Mike McCarthy said that quarterback Aaron Rodgers will miss some practice time this week after suffering a concussion on the final offensive play in Green Bay’s 16-13 loss to the Redskins on Sunday. There’s a chance Rodgers could miss Week 6, although it’s too early to determine his playing status at this point.

      One player who is certain to miss Week 6 is middle linebacker Nick Barnett, who will undergo wrist surgery on Wednesday. Once he has the surgery, the team will decide whether or not to place him on IR and effectively end his season.

      The last bit of injury news for the Packers is that Clay Matthews hasn’t been ruled out of Week 6 after suffering a hamstring injury on Sunday. Again, the team won’t know his playing status until later in the week.

      If Rodgers can’t play, Matt Flynn would start against the Dolphins on Sunday.

      External Sports, NFL

      Favre’s non-denial pretty much confirms it, right?

      October 11, 2010 /
      NEW ORLEANS - SEPTEMBER 09: Quarterback Brett Favre of the Minnesota Vikings looks on during warms up against the New Orleans Saints at Louisiana Superdome on September 9, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

      In Kevin Seifert’s NFL Nation post, he outlines what response Brett Favre has given the Jenn Sterger story.

      Favre has fueled the story by passing on two opportunities to deny involvement. Asked for comment last Thursday, Favre said: “I’m not getting into that. I’ve got my hands full with the Jets and am trying to get some timing down with our guys, so that’s all I’m going to discuss.”

      Asked again Sunday night during an ESPN production meeting, Favre said: “My main focus is the New York Jets. They are a tough team; as good as they are, that has been my focus. I hate in any way if this has been a distraction. As I said Thursday, we are here focused on trying to beat the Jets.”

      Favre was asked point-blank if the original Deadspin.com report was accurate. His response: “That will take its course.”

      Look at it this way — if Favre didn’t do what he’s accused of doing, what’s the downside of denying the story? The only reason (I can think of) that he’d issue these evasive non-denials is that he doesn’t want to get caught in a lie when the allegations are proven to be true.

      Jenn Sterger (pics) apparently does not want to discuss the story, and for good reason. She told the editor of Deadspin about Favre’s advances in the winter of 2009 before she landed her television gig on the Versus show “The Bottom Line” in the spring of 2010. She left the Jets in the summer of ’09, so when she spoke to Deadspin, she probably wasn’t sure she’d make it as a legitimate sports personality. (The original reason for the meeting was to discuss a “Deadspin Swimsuit Project,” after all.) Now that she has a gig, she doesn’t want to backpedal into Rachel Uchitel territory. Anyone who wants to make her out to be Mother Theresa is delusional, however, because this wouldn’t be a story if she hadn’t kept those voicemails and photos and told Deadspin about them.

      But back to Favre — right now, he’s doing the non-denial thing and the story is only getting bigger, as two more women have (sort of) come forward with their own allegations. I think even his most fervent supporters can see that he’s being evasive about Sterger, and the only reason that he’d do so is because he’s guilty.

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

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