May Tebow Be With You

It's been a week and I'm over the Steelers loss to the Denver Tebows, er...Broncos. It was painful to watch, but the reality was, with the team as banged up as they were, they just weren't going to be able to make another Super Bowl run this year, and I suppose I'd rather have them lose to a silly sideshow than a team I actually hate, like the New England Patriots.

We didn't deserve to win the game, with the way we played. After our second drive, our offense pretty much shut down until the second half, which allowed the Broncos to build a two touchdown lead on their own field. Our secondary looked like it belonged in the Alamo Bowl. How a team allows over 300 passing yards on just 10 completions is beyond me. Sure, with a lot of our defensive linemen hurt, the pass rush isn't going to be as good, but that doesn't directly result in our corner backs and safeties not being able to tackle. I can't really explain how Tim Tebow keeps winning, I just know that he does. I hope he will at least continue it this week. The Patriots have 13 players listed as questionable going into tonight's game, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN. This gives me hope that more Tebow magic could be available. That, and the fact the Patriots have just a terrible defense. I feel that this game will be much closer than the beat down that took place in Denver, but I feel Tebow might turn back into a pumpkin soon and the carriage ride could be over.

I'm taking the Patriots in this one: 27-20 (Prove me wrong, Tim Tebow, prove me wrong!)

As for the early game on Saturday between the 49ers and Saints, I feel that the matchup probably favors San Francisco. They're at home for one and they have the top rushing defense to pit against the Saints' strong rushing attack. When a top offense takes on a top defense, the defense usually wins. That said, the St. Louis Rams stayed with the 49ers twice and they looked really unimpressive in both games. I still don't feel that they're that good of a team, nor do I feel that Alex Smith is that great of an NFL quarterback. Drew Brees, on the other hand, is a former Super Bowl MVP and if the ground attack doesn't do much, he can still make the offense work by throwing screen passes to Darren Sproles and hitting his myriad of receivers. Brees spreads the ball around like Antonio Cromartie spreads his, well, you know (click the link if you don't know). I have to take the Saints in this one, just due to experience and the quarterback factor.

Saints 38 - 49ers 30

The early game on Sunday I feel, is the easiest straight up pick of the week. The Ravens have finally gotten their home playoff game that has alluded them for years. Their defense is as strong as ever. And the Ravens beat the Texans 29-14 in Week 5 when Houston was at their best and still had Matt Schaub taking snaps. They're now down to their third string quarterback, rookie T.J. Yates, at this point. I just don't see a rookie going on the road against a top defense and being mistake-free enough to come away with this win. I mean, the Ravens don't have a great quarterback either in Joe Flacco, but he has much more experience managing games than Yates does. I think the Texans' only chance is if they can completely shut down Ray Rice and the Baltimore running game. Houston's defense is certainly their strong suit, so they can for Flacco to beat them, they might have a shot. I'm still taking the Ravens.

Ravens 16 Texans 10

For the last game of the weekend, we have one of those classic playoff scenarios. We have the best team, the dominant team, in the Green Bay Packers. They nearly went undefeated in the regular season and simply dominated the NFL this season. We also have the New York Giants, the classic "they're hot at the right time" team. We saw this match up in the NLDS between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Phillies and we know how that ended (See right for emphasis, especially Carp's face).

I'm going to go ahead and ride the crazy train, and pick the Giants on this one. A lot can be said for hot teams and the Packers aren't in mid-season form right now. Their offensive line is beat up and Aaron Rodgers hasn't thrown a pass in a game situation in three weeks. On the other side of the ball, the Giants defensive line finally has all of its starters together, which was not the case when these two teams met during the regular season. Eli Manning has been in the zone lately and the Giants have managed to get their running game going again in recent weeks. I went with the most logical picks last week and only went two for four. Let's see what a little bit of crazy will do.

Giants 27 Packers 25

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...


The Rams announced yesterday that they have hired Jeff Fisher as the team's new head coach. Or should I say Fisher hired the Rams, as he was choosing between them and Miami? Either way, this was a big victory for the Rams. The head coaching pool was pretty thin this season with Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden looking to remain with their television jobs for at least one more year. Fisher was the best candidate available, so it was important for the Rams to acquire him. For the first time since Dick Vermeil left, they've hired a coach who has previous experience in the NFL as a head coach (I'm not counting Jim Haslett since he was an interim and wasn't hired as an actual head coach).

The Rams already have a few building blocks in place with Sam Bradford at quarterback, probably one more good year out of Steven Jackson in the backfield, James Laurinaitis at linebacker, and Chris Long on the defensive line, who had a Pro Bowl caliber year regardless of what the idiot voters said. 13 sacks in a season when your team is almost always behind is impressive. First-round pick Robert Quinn also looks like he could be a solid player in upcoming years, especially with better coaching. The Rams also have the second pick overall in the upcoming draft and quite a bit of cap space.

Fisher chose the Rams because they have an attractive situation, even after yet another abysmal season. I don't expect the Rams to return to the playoffs next year, but if they add more weapons around Bradford (including drafting Justin Blackmon out of Oklahoma State) the one year turn around from a weak team to a power is possible in this league. The 49ers have shown us that this season. The 1999 Rams showed us that more than a decade ago by being the first (and last) team to go from 0-8 in a division to 8-0 in a division in a year's time. I'll give a true prediction on what I see the Rams doing once I see the schedule come out this spring, but for the time being, I'm hopeful that my other team can get back on track.

Photo from prosportsblogging.com

Elliott Phones Home

It's been quite the ride for Blues goalie Brian Elliott this season. He signed a two-way contract with St. Louis after a tough season which he split between Ottawa and Colorado after being dealt to the Avs late in the season. Elliott came in, won the backup job from Ben Bishop, who also played well in the preseason, and he hasn't looked back since.

Starting netminder Jaroslav Halak got off to a rocky start and Elliott was there to save the day, so much so, that when friends asked me what goalie was playing that night and I responded that Elliott was starting, they would say things like,"Oh good, we'll win tonight." That's a pretty high confidence level to have with a backup goalie. Elliott's play was so good that it took away from the fact that Halak wasn't playing up to his potential and it allowed Halak to get his game together. Halak now is 7-0-3 in his last ten starts and if the Blues could score in a shootout, it would be even better. I don't want to give Elliott all the credit for Halak's success, as Jaro certainly has been making lots of saves, many of them quality ones. However, Elliott's stellar play took pressure of Halak and now it doesn't seem to matter which goalie Hitchcock starts, as the Blues will have a solid backbone in either player.

 For a couple of weeks, Elliott ranked number one in the league in G.A.A, save percentage, and shutouts. He still remains second in all of those categories (1.62 G.A.A., .940 SV%, and five SO) after a couple of bumpy games in Detroit (not exactly easy assignments), but he rebounded with a shutout on Saturday night against Colorado. The stat I find most impressive is easily the shutouts, as the only goalie he trails, the Kings' Jonathan Quick, has started in 35 games (sixth most in the league) but Elliott has only started 20 (29th most in the league).

Elliott would've played in Montreal on Tuesday, earning the start with Saturday's shutout, but head coach Ken Hitchcock opted to give Halak the start, as it was his first game back in the Bell Centre since being dealt to the Blues in the summer of 2010. Halak didn't disappoint in his return home, shutting out the Canadiens while making some tremendous saves, including the one shown in the video below, against a shorthanded breakaway. The video also shows him receiving a standing ovation from the Habs fans as he was leaving the ice.

That is probably the most impressed I've ever been with an opponent's fans. Montreal, you have some real class. Chris Pronger (when healthy) still comes into St. Louis and gets booed, which I'll never understand. He was traded when he would have rather stayed with the Blues, has never badmouthed the team that I've heard about, and is a great overall hockey player. To each their own, I suppose.

The Blues play Ottawa in early February, but Elliott's homecoming will happen a bit sooner due to his stellar play. It was announced today that he will be the lone representative for the Blues in the All-Star Game, barring injury to another player that was already selected. The Blues do rank second in the west right now and have a chance to slide into first with a win tonight over Vancouver, but most of the team's wins have occurred with different players stepping up each night. Alex Steen could've been considered as he was one of the team's scoring leaders before missing the past two weeks, as could David Backes, who represented the team at the game last season and currently leads the Blues in goals. However, the reality is no one on this club, aside from Elliott, really has "all-star" numbers. But that's just fine, as I'd much rather watch a team with incredible depth that should claim its first playoff berth in three seasons than a team with one superstar who is a lock to make the NHL All-Star Game.

Home Cooking for the Blues in January

My hockey club has been playing extremely well as of late. The Blues are just one point back of the Chicago Blackhawks for the lead in the Central Division. The Colorado Avalanche went into Chicago last night and left with a 4-0 win. Hopefully, they come into St. Louis tired and the Blues can use their one day off to spur them past the Avs and into the top spot in the Central and maintain pace with the Vanouver Canucks for the top spot in the conference, as the Canucks are leading late in the third period in Boston. The Blues's dramatic comeback on Thursday night against the Edmonton Oilers showed the heart that this team has. They spent virtually half of the second period shorthanded, getting completely hosed by the referees with bad penalties going against the Blues and obvious calls not being whistled on Edmonton. Getting the first power play goal after a quick delay of game penalty in the third was huge. TJ Oshie completely running one of the Oilers and not retaliating when they cheap-shotted him for making a clean hit was even bigger. The Blues went back to work on the power play, tied the game, and they just kept the momentum from that point on in the third. Matt D'Agostini wristed a laser past Devan Dubnyk to put the Blues back in front and they held on from there.

With the Blues playing nine home games in January and just two on the road, they have a terrific opportunity to separate themselves from some of the lower teams in the conference and perhaps build a bit of a lead on Detroit and Chicago. The Blues' home record is an outstanding 16-3-2, which ranks tops in the NHL for home wins. Winning the division would be a huge advantage, as the winner will likely get the top seed and the two runners up could face each other in the first round as the four and five seeds. Not only will that knock out one of the better teams in the conference early, but that will be a tough, tiring series that could lead to the winner being too beat up to make much noise beyond that round. This month is critical with all of the road games that the Blues have to play in March. They must position themselves well now so that they can withstand a possible slump later, as I hold the same thoughts as team president John Davidson. "I don't want to make the playoffs, I want to win the playoffs."

NFL Playoff Preview

There are many sports holidays that I celebrate: MLB Opening Day, the first two days of the NCAA basketball tournament, and the opening of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Today, I celebrate another: the beginning of the NFL playoffs.

Wild-card weekend starts with the Houston Texans hosing the Cincinnati Bengals.I don't see the Texans, who haven't won a single game since clinching their first playoff spot in franchise history, turning it around now. Much of the Texans' success came early in the season when they had Matt Schaub at quarterback. They're now on their third string QB after Matt Leinart got injured in his first outing, and I just dont see rookie T.J. Yates making the plays that a team needs to win playoff game. And sure, the Bengals are also starting a rookie at quarterback, but Andy Dalton was a first-round pick and looks like a starting NFL quarterback. He has poise as well as a talented supporting cast with quick receivers and the rejuvenated Cedric Benson at running back. And speaking of the Bengals speedy receivers, here's my favorite moment of the season from that group:



I'm taking the Bengals 20-13.

The late game on Saturday could turn into a shootout between the Detroit Lions and the New Orleans Saints. The Lions put up 41 points last week at Lambeau Field and now they'll be back inside, which will just add to their speed. The Saints can score with anyone, so I think the difference in this game will be experience. The Saints have been there before and are just two years removed from winning the Super Bowl. The Lions haven't been to the playoffs since I was walking the halls of Parkway Southwest Middle School on a regular basis. I see the Lions putting up a fight and keeping the game close early, I just don't see them pulling it off.
I'll go with the Saints 41-30.

Sunday's games will probably both be a little ugly. The Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants have both been winning ugly for a while. A quarter of the Giants wins this season were against the Dallas Cowboys, which if you watched this season, you'll know that wasn't much of an accomplishment. For me, this game comes down to the experience factor. Tom Coughlin is a Super Bowl winning head coach (and God bless him for that!) and he has a quarterback in Eli Manning that has proven he can win in the playoffs. We're still yet to see if Matt Ryan of the Falcons can do the same and winning on the road won't be easy. I think Ryan's going to have to wait at least one more year before he gets that monkey off of his back.
I'll take the Giants 27-23

The weekend closes in the Mile-High City with the Denver Broncos hosting my Pittsburgh Steelers. I don't like my team's chances of going all the way now that we're down to our third-string running back and Ben Roethlisberger still nursing his high-ankle sprain, but they're not going to lose to Tim Tebow. Tebow and the Broncos offense only managed three points at home last week against the lowly Kansas City Chiefs. Even without Ryan Clark, who will be sitting out due to his sickle cell trait which makes it dangerous for him to play at that altitude, I fully expect the Steelers defense to dismantle Tebow and the Broncos. One of their top offensive linemen will miss the game and their top running back, Willis McGahee, is a bit dinged up as well. The illustration on the right is what I expect to happen this Sunday. Just insert James Harrison for Bane and Tim Tebow for Batman. In this case, it's a metaphor, but I wouldn't put it past Harrison to go for the real thing.

I'll take my Steelers this week, 17-9.

Photo from DC Comics

This Week, My Friends Will Call Me a Traitor

It rolls around every four years. It's a time when I choose my favorite team over the hometown team and get a lot of trash talk from my friends. It's time for the Steelers to play the Rams. And even though the Steelers winning the game would serve both teams best, the Steelers for playoff position and the Rams for draft position, it will still look like a betrayal to many of my friends.

When watching your team, even if it would be better for your team to lose, it's still difficult not to get caught up in the game and find yourself cheering for your team. It happened to me, just last week. I attended the Rams/Bengals tilt with my friends Sam, Matt, and their friend Craig. Going into the game, I certainly was hoping for a Rams loss. Winning could do the Rams no good and I was hoping for Cincinnati to get on a roll heading into their Week 17 match up with the Ravens. But after being in the Ed Jones Dome with thousands of Bengals fans and witnessing the Rams getting hosed by the refs on one of the Bengals' two touchdown drives, it still ticked me off to watch the Rams lose to them. So while it's all well and good for my friends to say they don't care about this week's game, I'm certain that if the Rams were to somehow pull ahead, I'd receive a drove of text messages about it. As for the Rams, I don't expect them to produce much on the field, but maybe we'll get another gem from Harvey Dahl (video below).

The Rams game was excruciating aside from Dahl's choice words, which livened up the stadium. The bright side was, I still had my favorite team, the Steelers, for a fall back. I wore my Pittsburgh cap to the game and didn't get a word of smack talk from any Bengals fans. It's good to have a back up.

I hope the Steelers realize that this week and decide to sit Ben Roethlisberger. He looked awful on Monday night against the 49ers and let's face it, the Steelers' defense alone should be enough to defeat this year's pitiful version of the Rams. Stick Charlie Batch in there. Have him hand of the ball to a solid running back in Rashard Mendenhall and just run it down the throat of the Rams, who have the worst rushing defense in the league (It's worse than the Raptors' new alternate uniforms). The Steelers can probably knock off the Browns in Week 17 with Batch in there too, but I'm fine with Big Ben playing again if he looks better. I just don't think it's worth risking your starting quarterback when in all likelihood, you can win without him, because in the playoffs, they won't win without him.

A quick side note for hockey fans: if you haven't been following HBO's show, 24/7, which follows the two clubs on the way to the Winter Classic (the Rangers and Flyers this year), you probably missed this clip of Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. I was on the floor the first time I watched it and it literally had me rolling. It's definitely a show worth watching if you have HBO (Or I could just be realistic and say the internet, as I'm sure it's floating around somewhere). Enjoy, eh?!

Blues Streak Heads to Music City

The Blues are certainly showing this season the true meaning of home-ice advantage. They're off to a 12-3-1 start at Scottrade Center, which ranks second in the NHL, trailing only Detroit for the best home record in the league, based on points obtained out of points possible.

The Blues haven't gone to Motown yet this season, but they are off to a 2-0 start against the Red Wings and have won three straight against them, including the magical 10-3 win I witnessed last season at Joe Louis Arena with my friends Dave, Tyler, Dan, and Julie. So while the Blues did that against the Red Wings' backup's backup's backup due to a rash of goalie injuries, it was impressive nonetheless. And looking again at the current season, I can't remember the last time that the Blues started out a year 2-0 against the Wings, even with both games being at home. I still think they the Wings will take a step back once Nicklas Lidstrom finally retires and I still think that Jimmy Howard is not a good goalie for a number one, but for the time being, the Red Wings are still a force to be reckoned with, as much as I hate to admit it. After all, look at what Detroit did with another mediocre goaltender in Chris Osgood for years?

The Blues are now 12-2-3 since they put Ken Hitchcock (happy birthday to Hitch, btw)  in charge and with the way the team is playing under him, there's no reason to believe that they can't compete for the division title. The way the conference is shaping up so far, it looks like the Central Division winner will get either the one or two seed, as the Pacific Division is struggling and could possibly only send their division champion to the playoffs. It's still early and that could change, but it doesn't look like Minnesota, Detroit, Chicago, defending conference champ Vancouver, or the Blues are going away any time soon. The Blues have a big test tonight in Nashville. The Predators, like the Blues, are on a four-game winning streak and are just coming off a third period comeback win over Detroit on Thursday. If the Blues go hard in the first, perhaps they'll catch the Preds in a bit of a let down. Not that the Blues have needed any help lately, though.

Adios, El Hombre!

I don't know why I seem to write more when I'm angry. My friends and family will tell you that I'm not an angry person. Aside from yelling at sporting events or when they're on tv, most people have never and probably will never hear me yell.

My friends and family will also (some of them begrudgingly) tell that I'm fairly liberal and usually take changes in stride. But when I heard that a part of my life that has been the same since I was a sophomore in high school was going to be different, it pissed me off. Albert Pujols will no longer play for the St. Louis Cardinals. I dropped an F-bomb as soon as I looked at my phone, especially since I expected my phone to tell me we had resigned him. As soon as the Marlins were out of the bidding, I felt secure that we would bring him back, probably for a stupid amount of money and years, but we'd bring him back just the same. And it wasn't my money, so I was somewhat okay with it. Especially since it would simply be Bill DeWitt Jr. paying for his mistake (not locking him up two or three years ago and not getting into this mess in the first place). But no, DeWitt decided it would be a better idea to let Alex Rodriguez sign a second insane contract. He decided to let Ryan Howard, a clearly inferior player on both offense and defense, a huge five-year deal. And he decided to let the Nationals sign an average (at best) player in Jayson Werth to a  mega-contract. (He looks great on giant posters, though!)

So while I dont' disagree with the Cardinals not matching the offer that the Angels made to Pujols, I'm still furious with them for allowing the situation to arise. And as John Hammond from Jurassic Park would say,"I don't blame people for their mistakes, but I do ask that they pay for them." Unfortunately, I can't count on DeWitt being eaten by a Dilophosaurus later on.

Dilophosaurus Attack by


Instead, I simply plan to not attend any Cardinals games in 2012. I'll still cheer for them. However, I've been saying since they failed to sign him before spring training, that if they messed up and didn't get Pujols to stay with the team, that I would not be attending any games the following season. I plan on sticking to my guns, just like the front office did on waiting to sign him until he was on the open market.

As for the Angels, they simply fall into a long list of teams that I hate: The Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Phillies, Brewers, Reds, Braves, and Mets. And now the Angels. At least it'll give my brother-in-law, Taylor, something to bond about. We didn't bond much during the World Series. Taylor's a Rangers fan.