The Giants Beat Who?

Has a team ever gone from the brink of greatness and history to meaningless so fast? All it took was an Eli Manning-to-Plaxico Burress TD pass and the Patriots were no more important than the Jacksonville Jaguars. Nobody remembers second place. Florida beat who to win the NCAA basketball championship last year? Who’d the Chicago Bears beat in Super Bowl XX? Yesterday, the New York Giants made the 18-0 Patriots meaningless. A team that dominated the NFL this season couldn’t close the deal.

Hello 1935 and 1942 Chicago Bears! We’re the 2007 New England Patriots and we’re here to join your exclusive club: Undefeated teams who couldn’t win the Big Game.

Think about this: A team coached by Tom Couglin and quarterbacked by Eli Manning beat a team coached by “mastermind” Bill Bellichick and quarterbacked by the Greatest QB Ever* Tom Brady. The Patriot offense was confused and frustrated all game, except their go-ahead drive in the 4th quarter. The offensive line that is sending 3 players to the Pro Bowl couldn’t stop the Giant’s front four. The Patriots didn't lose the game, the Giants won the game.

Wasn’t it great to watch Peyton Manning cheering on his brother and hating the Patriots? To see Bill Bellichick leave the field with 1 second left? To hear Rodney Harrision say the Giants made more plays than the Patriots and how if he could have taken some more HGH the Patriots would have won?

31 NFL teams, including the Patriots didn’t bring home the Vince Lombardi Trophy this year. We here in Seattle know about being the best during the regular season but not bringing home the championship. Anyone remember the 2001 116-win Seattle Mariners? Unless your from Seattle you remember Luis Gonzalez and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

So take your rightful place in history New England and tell George Halas hello.

Oh yeah, in Super Bowl XX the Bears beat the same team the Giants beat yesterday. Who was that again?

Why 16-0 Doesn't Matter

The New England Patriots are 16-0, the first team in NFL history to win 16 regular season games. Tom Brady and Randy Moss are setting individual records faster then the Celtics are winning games (which if you haven’t been paying attention, is at a ridiculous rate). But in order to be remembered as a truly great team, perhaps the greatest team of all-time, the Patriots have to reach another number: 19.

19-0. That is the only way 16-0 matters. Every team’s goal is to win the Super Bowl. Every player would trade their individual statistics for a championship ring. New England’s won 16 games to put themselves in the best position to win #19. While the Patriots have to be the odds-on favorite to win Super Bowl XLII, there are plenty of things standing in their way. Right now, 16-0 is great but not important. What is important?

-The 1934 and 1942 Chicago Bears. Both finished the regular season undefeated, both lost in the championship game. History shows that just because you dominate the regular season it doesn’t necessarily mean you win the championship. New England will forever be grouped with those teams if they don’t bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Foxboro.

-January in Foxboro: The Patriots rely on Brady throwing the ball. If they can’t throw it, their in trouble. The offensive line and running backs have shown nothing, other than the fact that you don’t want to rely on them to win you a game.

-The Indianapolis Colts: The defending Super Bowl champions are quietly waiting in the bushes. They have beaten New England before, Peyton Manning loves beating Belichick, and with all the focus on the Patriots, they have to feel disrespected. Yes, they are a dome team and the Patriots have beaten them in the playoffs before, but after last year that "mystic" may be over.

-19 games: The Patriots have to win 19 games IN A ROW!!!! That is incredible. As only the second team to win 16 games in a season, we know they can stay focused. But now they will be playing back-to-back games against quality opponents, knowing full well that history is on-the-line with every play. Every mistake will be overblown, every great play over celebrated. The desire to go undefeated will drive them, the chance to knock them off will fuel their opponents. Mentally, the Patriots are going to go through possibly the toughest month ever.

Right now, the 2007 New England Patriots and the 1972 Miami Dolphins are in the same category. If the Patriots lose this season, they get acquainted with the ‘34 and ‘42 Bears. If they go 19-0, they stand alone, atop the NFL mountain, the best football team this world has ever seen.

What Happened Last Night...

We have a new champion of the baseball world, the #10 Cougs lose a player, and the Top 3 of the BCS change nada.

The Red Sox swept the Rockies outta the World Series, giving all those 3-yr. old Red Sox fans their long awaited championship. I expected a better showing from Colorado, now I can't watch ESPN for 2 days.

The Cougar basketball team took a hit this week when freshman forward Fabian Boeke was banned from playing this season. I don't know what he was expected to contribute this season, but it was better that this was found out now, before the season started. I don't know what repercussions would have happened to the team, but its best they just not go there.

No big upsets this week, no changes with the Top 3 of the BCS. The biggest matchup of the week has to be #4 Arizona State going to #5 Oregon, the winner being in the national championship picture for the long haul.

Powerhouse Red Sox make their mark [ESPN]
WSU's German frosh banned [Seattle PI]
Ohio State, BC, LSU remain atop BCS [Fox Sports]

Weekend Notes

Here are some notes and thoughts from the past weekend in sports:

-Good to see the Cougars get their first Pac-10 win. The offense and defense played a great game, special teams not so much. Obviously, the running game was outstanding and Brink had an ok day going 28 for 46 for 271 yds. 1 TD and 1 INT. Hopefully this can carry over to next week against a struggling Cal team.

-That sucks for the Huskies. They can't play defense and Jake Locker is the only offense the team has. They are 2.5 pt. favorites at home against Stanford this week and right now I'm think I'm laying the points.

-The damn Patriots won again. I don't want to believe it, but they might go undefeated this season. While I didn't get to see all of today's game, I saw enough to know it was a absolute domination.

-Looks like the World Series is gonna be over tonight, Boston is up 2-0 in the 5th. Even if Colorado pulls it out tonight, there is no way that they will win 4 in a row.

-This weekend showed the Pac-10 is the best conference in the country. South Carolina loses to Tennessee and Mississippi State beats Kentucky. Not to mention Florida's 3rd lose of the season. The Oregon and Arizona State winner should play for the NC if the win out. They will have a better resume then LSU if they both finish with 1-loss.

World Series Prediction

Everyone knows that the World Series kicks off tonight in the glorified landfill known as Fenway Park. The Red Sox come off a drilling of the Indians 3 days ago to win Game 7. The Rockies have been off for 9 days, possibly killing any momentum or luck they had.

I really want the Rockies to win the Series. They have never won it and I believe my dislike for anything Boston is quite apparent. Unfortunately, I have the ability to pick with my head instead of my heart. It really pains me to say this but I like the Red Sox in 5.

They have Beckett, momentum which I believe is important in baseball, and the Rockies have been off for way to long. I can already see stories chronicling how the Rockies dominance of the NLCS cost them the World Series. I hope I'm wrong, but I had this same feeling after Game 5 of the ALCS when Cleveland couldn't finish the sawx off at home and we all know how that ended.

What Happened Last Night...

The Red Sox won't let us start the World Series yet, the Ducks put on an offensive display at the Huskies' football and track and field stadium, another thriller in the SEC, and Central showed Western how to play ball.

J.D. Drew has drawn the ire of Boston fans all season, they were loving him last night when he single-handily beat Fausto Car-sucks.

Oregon had 661 total yards of offense, Johnatan Stewart rushed for 251 yards, and the Ducks pushed toward a NC game berth. The Husky defense looked completely lost and embarrassed themselves because of it.

I had the privilege of watching this exciting game last night. Matt Flynn's TD pass with 1 second left gave LSU the 30-24 victory. It was a very gutsy call considering they were in FG range with a reliable kicker that could have won the game. If that ball is picked or bobbled, the game is over and LSU loses without even attempting the game-winning kick.

Another Central Wildcat victory, another big day for Johnny Spevak. The Puyallup High product showed off his old QB arm, throwing for a TD and catching another to lead the good guys over the bad.

Drew delivers Sox to within one win of Series [ESPN]
Oregon rushes past the Huskies [Seattle PI]
No. 5 LSU edges No. 18 Auburn [Fox Sports]
Battle in Seattle: CWU smothers Western [Seattle Times]

So Far, Is Dice-K Worth the Salary?

*This was linked on The Big Lead so thanks to them for grabbing the post.

When the Red Sox paid $51 million just for the right to talk to Daisuke Matsuzaka you had to scratch your head. Who the hell was this guy that had a secret, magical pitch? Maybe when it came down to the wire and no contract was worked out that should have been a clue. When the deal finally got done at the last minute the total cost to the Red Sox was $103 million, with the $62 contract added to the posting fee. The big question is, through his first season, which isn't over yet, was he worth the money?

Looking strictly at the numbers he was no where close to the savior and ace that many Red Sox fans thought he would be. He finished the regular season 15-12 with a 4.40 ERA. He did break the 200 inning mark with 204 2/3 innings and had a WHIP of 1.32. What I find interesting is his ERA against the other 3 AL playoff teams. Against the Yankees it was 6.12, the Indians 4.26, and he never faced the Angels in the regular season. He also had a 4.86 ERA at Fenway Park, which I believe is quite high for your homefield. During his first Fenway start when everyone was juiced to see him, he was outpitched quite handily by Felix Hernandez, who threw a 1-hitter and shutout the Red Sox.

Tonight in a pivotal game for the Red Sox because of tomorrow's starter Tim Wakefield and the game being on the road Dice-K couldn't make it out of the 5th inning. He gave up 4 runs and 6 hits in 4 2/3 innings. He didn't have his best stuff and got out of a jam in the 3rd that could have extended the Indian lead. It was not the performance the Red Sox or their fans were looking for at the price their paying.

So back to the original question: Is Dice-K worth the money? I realize that this season isn't over and this is only the 1st year of his 6 year contract. But with all the preseason hype and the ridiculous posting fee I think it's a fair question. Based on his 1st year numbers I do not think the Red Sox got what they paid for. He has been a solid middle of the rotation starter, but that's not what they were looking for. They thought they were signing a pitcher that you could throw out in a Game 7 and have no doubt about the performance you were going to get. Right now, I don't think they want him anywhere near a Game 7.

MLB Playoffs Set, Game Pitching Matchups

If last night's game was any indication of what the entire playoffs are going to be like then put on your seat belt. That game was one of the most exciting of the year, ripe with drama, come-from-behind rallies, and a lot of controversy.

Three of the series' begin tomorrow with the Yankees and Indians starting on Thursday. Here are the pitching matchups for all the Game 1's:

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Boston
Lackey 19-9 3.01 at Beckett 20-7 3.27

New York at Cleveland
Wang 19-7 3.70 at Sabathia 19-7 3.21

Chicago at Arizona
Zambrano 18-13 3.95 at Webb 18-10 3.01

Colorado at Philadelphia
Francis 17-9 4.22 at Hamels 15-5 3.39

New England Spy Video

Here is a exclusive video of the Patriots spying on the Jets, courtesy of Youtube and Deadspin:

I can't get the video to upload to the site, so you can check it out here.

Patriots Cheating, Typical Boston

The Patriots were caught video taping defensive signals from the Jets coaches on Sunday. NFL security confiscated the tapes and Fox Sports is reporting that they may lose draft picks as a punishment.

The saddest part of the story is that I'm not surprised. This sounds like the exact kind of thing the Patriots and Bill Belichick would do. Dirty tactics by a dirty team. This just makes it even easier to root against them.

Commissioner Goodell has already decided that they are guilty and deserve to be punished. Keep up the good work Roger!

Source: Patriots could lose draft picks [Foxsports.com]
Sources: Goodell determines Pats broke rules by taping Jets' signals [ESPN.com]

Letter to Boston Fans

Dear Boston Sports Fans:

Relax, have a drink of water. You guys have been talking and going 100 mph ever since the end of July. Yes, you got Eric Gagne, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Randy Moss. That’s a hell of a list. But it’s a hell of a list that has won absolutely nothing. These additions may look good on paper, but I’m going tell you why they will not lead to ANY championships for Boston.

First off, let’s address the Red Sox, Eric Gagne deal. He’s a washed-up closer who isn’t even closing for you. 7 runs in 4 innings is a heck of start. You had a solid 8th inning guy but now Francona has forgot how to use him. Your lead in the East has been shrunk to 5 games and everyone knows the Red Sox always choke away the lead. The team and you guys are scared of the Yankees. Admit it. You all know that the series at the end of the month with the Yanks in NY is where they will take over the AL East lead after they sweep you under the rug. Maybe if Schilling paints another blood stain on his sock it will motivate the team like it did the last time the douche bag tricking “Red Sox Nation.”

(By the way, who invented “Red Sox Nation?” Come on, Boston. It’s a joke. Your dumb chants in the stands about “Lets Go Red Sox” is from 12 and under and no one wants to hear you kiss Ortiz’s ass anymore then you already do. I hope you filed as a 3rd-world nation with NATO, cause that’s what you are.)

Secondly, I hope you don’t like team chemistry too much. Cause all that hard work the Patriots did in the early 2000’s to be known as a group of players that cares more about the team than the individual is out the door with Randy Moss. Sure he says and does the right things in training camp, but what’s going happen when in Week 7 the Dolphins are handing them their asses and Moss has zero catches in the 4th quarter. You can kiss that good nature good-bye and expect him to start fake-mooning Belichick, at which time he will pull his hoody down over his eyes and pretend not see him.

Finally, we need to talk about the Celtics. I’ve never heard of a basketball team winning the championship with only 3 players on the roster. The supporting cast for the trio is laughable. How are they even going to get the ball up the court? Allen is injury-plagued and weak. Garnett has no leadership abilities and doesn’t want to take the big shot. Pierce will still want to take his 30 shots a game, therefore never passing the ball. The icing on the cake is the fact that Doc Rivers couldn’t coach his way out of a paper sack and Danny Ainge might trade away the Celtic’s next four 1st round picks in order to get Stephon Marbury to play point. If the Eastern Conference wasn’t so weak the Celtics wouldn’t even be in the discussion for the Finals. It’s too bad Cleveland is the best the East has to offer, talk about pathetic.

So as you can see, championships aren’t won on paper. Which I guess you guys already know. They are won by invoking little-known tuck rules and the biggest choke job in the history of the MLB playoffs. Too bad Tim Donaghy got caught or he might have laid $5,000 on the Celtics to win the championship. He was the best chance you had.

KG to the Celtics?

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/7075382

Apparently this is close to being a done deal.

The Celtics have made some great improvements this offseason. Adding Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett will help their offensive tremendously. I would worry that the rest of the team will not be up to par, therefore relying to much on the older veterans.

We know here in Seattle that Allen is injury-prone especially the last 2 years. I still believe the Sonics got the better end of the Allen deal, but the two teams were making the trade for completely different reasons. Boston wanted to compete next year, the Sonics in 2-3 years.

KG and Allen, along with Pierce will mean that Boston will be a contentor in the weak Eastern Conference. If this trade goes through, I would expect the Celtics to give Detroit and Cleveland a run for the Eastern Conference crown.