The NFL Is Back! And The Riff Presents The First Set Of Predictions

Football fans rejoice!! With the opening of training camps, it's the first sign of fall...the first sign of contact! It's been an eventful July, with the death of Steve McNair, the uncertainty of Mike Vick's future and Brett Faver finally....retiring!! But I won't address the frivolous things as quarterbacks....today, I present my first of the season predictions. Today, I will give you my team predictions as I see right now. Final predictions will be made in September. Let's just say, these are my summer ale predictions. Enjoy!!

AFC East

If Tom Brady can return to form, the Patriots should return to the top of the heap. But the Dolphins look to prove last year was no fluke. The Jets start with a new coach and Buffalo will learn life with TO is no bed of roses.

1. New England 11-5

2. Miami 10-6

3. NY Jets 9-7

4. Buffalo 7-9

AFC North

Even If Big Ben behaved himself, defending champs have all kinds of distractions anyway. But Pittsburgh should still win this thing-only Baltimore can stop a repeat. The state of Ohio will wonder why they are stuck with not one...but two dysfunctional franchises.

1. Pittsburgh 11-5

2. Baltimore 10-6

3. Cincinnati 7-9

4. Cleveland 6-10

AFC South

One crazy division!! Tennessee should be able to take advantage of the changes in Indy, but I suspect Peyton will have something to say about that. Can Houston sneak in for a first playoff berth? Jacksonville will make things interesting, but someone has to be in last.

1. Indianapolis 11-5

2. Tennessee 11-5

3. Houston 9-7

4. Jacksonville 8-8

AFC Worst

I call it like I see it. Each team here makes me feel like the July flu I just went through. Just puke baby should be the moto!!

1. San Diego 9-7

2. Denver 8-8

3. Oakland 7-9

4. Kansas City 6-10

Super Bowl rep: New England

NFC East

This could be the most interesting division in the NFL. Each team has its flaws...BUT...each is capable of a playoff run.

1. NY Giants 10-6

2. Philadelphia 10-6

3. Dallas 8-8

4. Washington 7-9

NFC North

Brett Faver again impacts the division. Can Jay Cutler put the Bears over? Can Detroit win again? Yes.....

1. Chicago 10-6

2. Minnesota 8-8

3. Green Bay 7-9

4. Detroit 4-12

NFC South

Top to bottom, the best division in football. New Orleans can win, but so can Atlanta. Tampa and Carolina can also be entertaining as well.

1. Atlanta 11-5

2. Carolina 10-6

3. New Orleans 9-7

4 Tampa Bay 7-9

NFC West

Like its AFC Counterpart, this division is UGLY...and it has no alibi....

1. San Francisco 9-7

2.Arizona 8-8

3. Seattle 7-9

4. St. Louis 4-12

NFC Super Bowl rep: Philadelphia

Predicted champ: New England

We'll revisit this in September....

JP

Boston Baked Beans...Boston Tea Party..Or Just Plain Steroids??

Just when you think the drug shockers have stopped, we have breaking news that two more prominent major league baseball players were on the "secret" positive list from the 2003 drug testing.  David Ortiz and Manny Rameriez were the latest baseball players "outed" from the so called "secret" drug tests in 2003.  What's shocking to me...although we should not be by now...is that Boston goes on to win the World Series in 2004 with not one player with a positive drug test...but two players.

In college sports,if programs used ineligible players, wins were taken away from the violators.Even National  Championships and Final Four appearances have been erased.   Florida State is the latest program to experience this after a cheating scandal.  Should the Red Sox be forced to forfeit their World Series title?  I think if I were Bud Selig, I would seriously consider this.  I certainly would support a forfeiture.

Of course, one might argue these 2003 drug tests were supposed to be kept secret and the results destroyed.  For whatever reason, they were not kept confidential.  But knowing what we now know, does this taint the accomplishments of the Red Sox in 2004?  I think it does.  One could argue the Sox had an unfair advantage with at least two cheaters.  If the two stars were suspended, as they probably should have been, would they have won the wild card?  I bet not.  But we'll never know.

I think it's time to out the rest of the drug offenders from 2003.  Doing this piecemeal does no one any good.  This inquiring mind wants to know.  And I also want to know why we continue to let Bud Selig run the show....when he knew exactly what was happening...and let it happen.

JP

Post #600-Maybe I'll Party Like Penn State!!

It is with great pleasure that we have reached post #600 of the Riff!! 600 is an odd number, because there aren't really that many milestones in sports to celebrate. No one in the NFL has ever had a 600 yard passing game (I'm sure in college it's been done a lot). No one has won 600 games on any high level of of pro or college football. 600 is a rare milestone for sluggers (I think only 5 or so have done so). A .600 winning percentage in baseball usually means a very successful season. In football, that can sometimes get you fired. So, for this milestone, I'll skip all of the crazy lists I tend to do....

I will celebrate, however, in a manner typically Penn State-I'll do a bar tour or party...or even tailgate!! Why mention these activities?? Recently, in its annual survey, the Princeton Review ranked Penn State as the #1 party school in the country!! Woooo Hoooo!! I don't know if this truly a good thing to be proud of, but for those of us in the know, its validation!! Who would not want to visit Penn State during a football weekend? The atmosphere is truly amazing...even if you don't like college football. The people are friendly, the food...oh the food!! It's a must see experience!!

And speaking of Penn State football, the Big 10 (+1) writers predicted Penn State to finish second behind A Ohio State University. I'm very guarded about the upcoming season. PSU lost a lot from last year. I see a 15-20 position in the preseason polls, with a 10-2 regular season on tap.

Anyway.....enjoy my celebration...as well as Penn State's!!

Jp

Wednesday's Toe Scrapings

Having returned from the foot doctor to get my toe scraped, I have tons to talk about today. Be prepared for multiple postings in the next day or so.

We'll start the proceedings by following up on the Baseball Hall Of Fame Induction ceremony. I missed the festivities on Sunday, but I heard Rickey Henderson was humble and put out a good speech. When you look at his numbers, I think it's fair to say that perhaps he was more dominant than he was given credit. In a lot of ways, baseball could be better with more players like him. What I also found interesting were the comments by home run king Hank Aaron. He thinks players who used steroids should be inducted into the Hall Of Fame, but with an *. I have mixed feelings about this, but given who's in the Hall already, this might not be a terrible idea. Numbers are numbers, right? Another theory put forth by mrs. jp23 is that Pete Rose should be inducted into the Hall, but without the fanfare of the normal induction (i.e. not letting him bask in the glory during Hall of Fame Weekend or making a speech.) Just allow him...quietly and be done with it. This might not be a bad idea either, but can you imagine Rose not being allowed in the spotlight??

Still along the baseball lines, let's talk trade. The big story today is that the Phillies acquired Cleveland pitcher and last year's AL Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee. This could be the biggest acquisition, perhaps along with the Matt Holliday trade. I honestly do not see Roy Halliday going anywhere. Stay tuned, as rumors and "facts" are changing by the minute.

Let's talk football. Normally I would spend a separate post ranting and riffing about this, but let's help the economy and save the space. As I'm sure most know by now, my favorite flip flopping quarterback Brett Faver decided not to unretire and will not be playing for the Minnesota Vikings this season. Yes, Faver is a definite sure fire first year Hall Of Famer and perhaps a top three all time QB. But man, did he leave the Vikings hanging. I think it was jerk- like for him to do this, but does anyone think he will be criticized for this?? It's a joke and he should be ashamed. As a Bears fan, I'm relieved (I think) he's not playing in our division. But then again, 30 INT's by Faver might have helped our cause....

Ah football...training camps open and I do know a lot of us are psyched for football!! The Bears start off with two tough games in September-Green Bay (rivalry games are always tough no matter how bad you are) and Pittsburgh. I will do a very special pre-pre season NFL post this week, which is really my gut reaction picks for the upcoming season. Stay tuned!!

That's it for this post...more later!!

Jp

Baseball Week #16: Deluxe Edition

This week in Baseball, so many things are going on. So, this week is a deluxe edition. I will cover the following topics this week: The Hall Of Fame Induction (which is today!!), Perfection (we had a perfect game this past week) and the Trade Deadline (which is coming up Friday and will probably be featured in more depth in next week's recap). So strap on your seat belts for for a wild recap!!

The Hall Of Fame Inductions are always special to the baseball fan-whether you are a hard core fan or not. It's a long weekend of fun-you get to meet players, broadcasters, fans, locals. you name it and it's probably all crammed together in Cooperstown. Having been there to witness Ryne Sandberg's and Wade Boggs' induction in 2005, I can tell you it's an awesome experience. This year we will witness the inductions of Tony Kubek (broadcasting), Joe Gordon (Veteran's Committee), Jim Rice (last year of regular eligibility) and Rickey Henderson (first year of eligibility).

I think most eyes will be on Rickey Henderson, especially in his self serving light. But I think what we should remember most about Rickey is that he was a once in a lifetime player whose feats will probably never be matched. He is the all time leader in stolen bases and runs scored. He stole 130 bases in a season (most teams won't do that today); he led off more games with home runs than anyone else. Had it not been for Barry Bonds*, Henderson would have been the all time leader in walks as well. His style of play probably matched what we thought of the 1980's: freewheeling and sometimes reckless. But unquestionably Henderson loved the game, attitude notwithstanding and he deserves his place in the Hall.

Jim Rice was a more controversial inductee this year. While for a short period of time Rice was perhaps the most dominant player in baseball, his career numbers probably were not quite in line in what you would think would be Hall of fame numbers. Sure, you have his 382 HR's and maybe his 2452 hits; but he hit only .298 and was surly with the media. When you have Andre Dawson still eligible, not to mention pitchers like Bert Blyleven and Jim Katt out there, I don't agree with the selection. But it's not up to me and I'm sure many others would disagree.

As far as Joe Gordon, I cannot say much. He played 11 seasons, won one MVP award and was in the post season for 6 of those seasons. My memories of Tony Kubek was that he announced for NBC's Game Of The Week when I was growing up and spent many years with the Yankees as well.

Perfection in baseball happens so rarely, so when it does happen, we embrace it. Even if it's done by a team you don't like. On Thursday, baseball was treated to its 16th perfect game since 1900, as Mark Buehrle pitched the gem (and his second no hitter) against Tampa Bay. Buehrle was also just the 6th pitcher to pitch a no hitter other than a perfect game. It's amazing that this has happened so infrequently. The fact that happened in the age of babying pitchers, it's even more impressive. Congrats!!

The trade deadline in baseball is fast approaching (Friday). The Cardinals (as mentioned in the blog yesterday) have made their big move in acquiring Matt Holliday from Oakland. There are still quite a few teams out there still in playoff contention. But with the economy always an issue, how many teams will actually deal? Teams like the Yankees and Red Sox always seem to deal. But are they content with what they have? The Cubs seem handcuffed with the ownership issue still out there. Roy Halliday seems to be the big short term prize; but will teams sacrifice long term futures for the playoff now mentality? I honestly see this year's trading minimal at best. I'll evaluate this in more detail next week.

A quick recap of the week:

-The Phillies are on a major roll and could eventually challenge the Dodgers come post season time. They have broken the NL East race wide open. The Dodgers are cruising as well. The NL Central race is baseball's best, although 3 mediocre teams within 1 1/2 games of each other make for a good race?? My money for the best race would go to the AL East, with the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays each 10 games over .500 and within 4 1/2 games of each other. The Angels and Tigers have breathing room in their respective division races.

Hunter Flops.

It's been a while since I've done a regular Flop feature. So we catch up with the underachievers this week:

-NY Mets. I know they have been decimated by injuries. But so were the Angels and they're in first place also playing .600 ball.

-Cincinnati. Sure, they weren't truly expected to contend, but better was expected with Dusty Baker. Or was it??

-Kansas City. Same as Cincinnati, but they have fallen all the way to the AL's worst record.

-Brian Giles. The once solid player is hitting .191. Wha happened??

-Jason Giambi. .193 BA and 11 HR. See what being clean does??

-Ken Griffey, Jr. .211 BA and 10 Hr. End of the road for Junior. Sad.

-Chris Davis. 15 HR and a .202 BA. Thought he was more promising than this.

-Francisco Lriano. 4-10 and a 5.56 ERA. Was once can't miss; is he washed up already??

-Barry Zitto. Bringing the Giants down with his 6-10 record and 4.68 ERA

-Scott Kazmir. 6.69 ERA and trade bait. Who would want him??


Thanks for hanging in there with this post. Lots of stuff this week. I wonder if my blog will get traded for a blog to be named later??

Oh...I almost forgot...please answer the poll question!!

JP

The Summer Flu Post

Nothing like being knocked out with a summer cold/flu. But that has been my week and the blogging world has suffered from it (or has it???). As usual, lots going on in the world in spite of my sickness, so let's recap the week through a sick man's eyes:

-The item mostly likely to give me a fever. The Cubs of course. After a rather easy sweep of the Nats in DC, the Cubs run into the Phillies buzzsaw and lose two out of three. All Star Ted Lilly is also injured (which may explain the fever induced shellacking he received on Monday night).

A close second was the acitivity in the Cardinals organization. First they acquire Mark DeRosa. Then it was Matt holliday. The Cards seem very serious in keeping their slim lead in the NL Central. The Cubs? Nothing done yet.

The cure? Win games Cubbies-and the cure this weekend are the Reds. Also, acquire some missing pieces.

-The item most likely to burn my eyes. Seeing Erin Andrews naked in a hotel room. Whoever is responsible is either a hero or a truly sick and perverted individual. But everyone is talking about it and I'm not sure that's a great thing.

-Items most likely to give me a big fat headache. As much as I can't wait for football, it's the NFL. I'm sick of the Bret Faver speculation. Just make a decision for god's sake. Is it that hard?? Then there's Mike Vick. Again, the speculation is killing me. Reinstate, don't reinstate-make a decision soon. I'd hate to see Vick back in the NFL because he doesn't deserve it, but I'm guessing he'll be back. NFL Commish-be careful of what you wish for. And lastly, Big Ben Rothlisberger. It's bad enough to try to repeat as NFL champs, but to bring this distraction to your team. Given the proclivity of NFL players to commit crimes right and left, I hate to say I'm not sure I believe him. Yes, that makes me evil in the eyes of Steeler fans (a team I love next to the Bears). But I'm also getting tired of hearing about football players and criminal acts. (I really hope I'm wrong about Ben...)

-The item I might need painkillers for. I really hope Lance Armstrong hangs on to third place in the Tour de France. If he can make it to the podium after all these years, that would be fabulous. It sounds like he's been to hell and back.

As I recover, I will do a special baseball recap tomorrow. It's special because it's Hall Of Fame Induction weekend!! Rickey Henderson, Jim Rice and Joe Gordon will be inducted. I'm anxious to hear how Henderson's speech will turn out. Oh yeah, there was a perfect game pitched on Thursday as well.

So...the best cure? maybe keep the TV off and read books. Or some thing....

JP

To Choke...Or Not To Choke

That was question Sunday after 59 year old Tom Watson could not hang on to the British Open he seemed destined to win. I usually hate the word choke unless it is warranted. I think it's sad to see people refer to Watson as a choker. He's 59 doing things people half his age can't do. So kudos to Watson for hanging in there.

Now the Cubs...they are chokers (by definition). But I think until we put ourselves into the athletes' shoes, it's just not fair...

Other items today:

-Mike Vick was released from his "jail" obligations Monday. I know the NFL is salivating, but please Roger Goodell- DO NOT REINSTATE HIM!!!

-Lance Armstrong seemingly has conceded the Tour De France after his teammate won Sunday's stage. Odd to see Lance in a "backup" role. He says he will return next year...so hopefully it will be for a winning run.

-The Brett and the Useless soap opera continues. Why can't he see the writing on the wall and retire??

Another econo post as I recover....

Jp

Baseball Week #15-The Econo Post

Sorry for the late and short baseball recap this week. Unfortunately Sunday I picked up the head cold my wife has and sadly will put forth a short post this week. No Hunter Flops this week. Everything will resume normally next week. Instead, some quick notes from the week:

-I did attend Friday night's game in DC as the Cubs were in town. While definitely a very pro Cub crowd, I was disappointed in the size of the crowd. It seemed when we saw the Red Sox game three weeks ago, there were many more (Red Sox) fans at the stadium. We saw Big Z Carlos Zambrano pitch and, man, is he maddening to watch in person (just like on TV). Z survived a very wild 40 pitch first inning and the Cubs used a two run double by Zambrano and a home run by Aramis Rameriez to win 3-1. We never see the Cubs win in person, so this was a bonus! In fact, the brooms were out as the Cubs swept the Nats this weekend. The Phillies, the hottest team in baseball, are next for the Cubs

(Game update....the Phils have already knocked Ted Lilly silly, using two homeruns to take a very early 5-0 lead)

-The All Star came and went...and the AL prevailed yet again. Obama threw the first pitch and good time, I guess was had by all (not me).

-I'm still sad by the Nats firing Manny Acta. The DC fans have waited so long for baseball and they have put a crappy product on the field. Two of the four Cubs games drew only 27,000 fans. They must get a better product out there quickly. I'm sure we'll see more of Acta in the future.

-Albert Pujols is just a hitting beast. The bigger question is whether or not he can win a triple crown.

-The AL East is shaping up to be one helluva race. Tampa Bay has recovered from a slow April to pull within 4 1/2 games of Boston. The Yankees are right in it as well. Darn shame one of those teams won't make it to the playoffs.

Well, the economy has cut this post short. I'll be at DC Wednesday night night to see the Mets and Nats. Health and weather permitting of course.

JP

Riffs, Rock And Reggae

As usual, I've let work get the best of me, so here's a summation of all the recent sports stuff I care to riff about.

-Death is the theme for the Summer Of 2009. Another favor boxer of mine-Arturo Gatti-was shot and killed in Brazil. Apparently by his wife. On the heels of Alexis Arguello apparently killing himself. Enough death already....

-Speaking of death, maybe it's time to kill baseball's All Star Game. Didn't watch it or even and didn't miss it. However, it allowed Commish and of Head of Douchebags Bud Selig to comment about the drug testing. Apparently Selig feels that Manny Rameriez wasn't punished harshly enough. And Selig felt that Manny shouldn't have rehabbed in the bush leagues before his suspension was finished. Well Bud you created this monster by looking away and pretending there was no steroid issue. Now that you have testing, you don't feel the penalties are harsh enough. Frankly Mr. Douche, get a spine and start banning these jokers for life. Or just allow it to happen. Frankly, if the players feel the threat of being spoiled multi-millionaire is going to end with a lifetime ban, maybe they'll stop cheating...

-Sadly at the beginning of the week, we started the All Star Break with firing of DC Manager Manny Acta. I've met him before and know his brother and they're good people. But in this game, being nice gets you fired quickly. Acta had a bad situation not of his doing, but perhaps could have done better. Acta will be back, but I think it will be a while before he's hired on to become a manager.

-Lance Armstrong is still hanging in there in the Tour De France. I don't get the whole team dynamic and the tour's rights and wrongs. But I would sure love to see Lance give a big F You to this and win the damn thing again.

-I was looking at espn at the early hour I write this and the darn British Open golf major thing is happening. Can you imagine teeing off at what would be 3 or 4am Eastern US time zone? And Tiger already lurks in 4th place after a few holes.

And lastly...my favorite football flopper Brett Faver is looking to come out of retirement. Again. Which means for you my fellow readers...more wasted time in my Faver bashing and writing. Brett...do you have gambling or other debt related issues we don't know about??

I will be at Nats park in DC Friday night for a Cubs home game. Should be cool. Hope I can get some ivy.

I'll to have a report on this Saturday....

JP

Regular Baseball Update

A couple of interesting things have happened in the world of baseball this past week. Let's not even talk about those crazy Cubs (and yet I will anyway). In the last 10 or so years, they seem to go on patterns of 2-3 really good years, followed by 2-3 bad or mediocre only to be followed by two or three more. 1998-a surprise wild card run followed by a bad two years. 2001, a playoff run followed by a bad year. 2003 and 2004 are good years, even with the chokes of each year. 2005 and 2006 sucked balls. Then 2007-2008-division titles followed by playoff failure. The managers for these teams is a who's who of evil: Jim Riggleman (nee Rigglefuk), Bon Baylor and Dusty Baker. Now, in 2009, everybody (but me) gift wraps another division title to the Cubs. Except this team loses a lot from 2008 and doesn't seem built for any kind of success. We go into today at .500, wondering when they will break out. Folks, I do not see it happening. There is something very wrong with this team and I fully expect a flame out as we get into the dog days of summer. Will Lou Pinella join the list?? Remember you heard it here first.

Anyway...on to what I intended to post. There was a no hitter Friday night-the first one for this season. In fact, if not for an error in the 8th inning, we could be talking perfect game. Congrats to San Francisco Giant pitcher Jonathan Sanchez. Sanchez was actually demoted to the bullpen, but was pressed into a starting role. He definitely took advantage! The Giants could really be players in the playoff run, as their pitching is killer. you know what they about pitching and championships???

Another thing I wanted to pass along-something my wife sent me. It turns out if you stay in Milwaukee, be prepared the (opposing team's) hotel may be haunted. From Fox sports:

First Carlos Gomez heard voices. Then he watched his iPod go haywire after he got out of the shower, sending him scrambling for the lobby without stopping to put on his pants and shoes. After last year's experience, the Minnesota Twins outfielder didn't want to go back to Milwaukee's Pfister Hotel. But Gomez had to stay there when the Twins were in town to play the Brewers last month, so he brought some protection: teammate-turned-roommate Francisco Liriano and a Bible.

Also check this: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9793112/Baseball-teams-fear-%60haunted%60-Milwaukee-hotel

Pretty freakin' funny!! Don't stay in Milwaukee. And it probably doesn't hurt to not drink the water either. Thanks mrs.jp23!!

All Star Break is coming up, but no excitement like I had when I was a kid. I won't partake in the Home Run Derby (they use cork bats for this, right???), or the game itself. I will say Major League Baseball must remove immediately the whole home field advantage tie in to the All Star Game. I think it sucks and does no one any good. But what do I know???

Jp

Baseball Week #14: Disco Demolition Night Revisited

It was thirty years ago today that one of the most infamous promotions in baseball and possibly sports history took place. On July 12, 1979, a local radio station and the Chicago White Sox worked on a promotion together. The whole premise was that if someone wanted to bring in an unwanted disco album (there was somewhat of an anti disco thing going on), admission would be .98. There was a double header that day (a Thursday), so in between games, the DJ would put the albums in a crate and blow it up. As we know, all hell broke lose (the Sox were originally expected an additional 5,000 fans; some 75,000 turned out instead). Many were stoned; many threw the records like frisbees. The field was torn apart, including the dismantling of the batting cage. The riot police ultimately showed up. Needless to say, the second game of the double header was forfeited.

Maybe this was a crazy way to end the 1970's. It was certainly one of the crazier promotions of the decade, with the 1974 10 cent beer night the only one that would rival the craziness. While teams of all levels in today's tight economy are doing all kinds of things to bring in crowds, I don't think anything would ever rival Disco Demolition Night.

So with nostalgia in mind, and in the spirit of the upcoming All Star Game this Tuesday night, I wanted to put together my All Star and Hunter Flop Teams from 1979. A Turn Back the Clock thing if you will. For those alive to remember, I hope this bring back the memories.

1979's Riff All Star Team

1B. This was a tough year to pick one-cases could be made for Keith Hernandez (.344 BA); Pete rose (.331 BA and 208 hits); Willie Stargell (32 HR for the champs); Steve Garvey, Rod Carew or Cecil Cooper. Riff's pick: Hernandez.

2B. Paul Molitor was only in his second season, but already stood out as a great player (.322 BA; 33 SB). Bobby Grich had the unusual power for his position (30 HR); Phil Garner or Ken Obkerfell were probably the NL's best that year. Riff's pick: Molitor.

SS. Riff's pick: Gary Templeton. .314 BA and 26 SB; over 200 hits. Alfredo Griffin, Tim Foli or Dave Concepcion fans may object.

3B. A tough position to pick. George Brett had an outstanding year 9on the heels of his .390 season in 1980, he hit .329, 29 HR and 107 RBI. Mike Schmidt hit 45 HR. Ray Knight replaced Pete rose nicely hitting .318. Ron Cey, Bob Horner, Buddy Bell and Bill Madlock had nice seasons as well. Riff's pick: Brett, but man, it's not tough not to pick Schmidt. Both players will prove to be "valuable" in 1980.

C. Another position that was tough to pick. Thurman Munson was tragically lost this year. Brian Downing hit .326; Darrell Porter had 20 HR, 112 RBI and a .291 BA. In the NL, Gary Carter and Ted Simmons stood out as well. Riff's pick: Porter, who also had 10 triples...for a catcher!!!!

Outfield overview. How do you pick only three for the Riff team? Fred Lynn and Jim Rice had stellar offensive seasons (Lynn hit .333; Rice hit .325, 39 HR and 130 RBI and no MVP); Don Baylor as the AL MVP hit 36 HR and 139 RBI. Sixto Lexcano and Willie Wilson (Wilson stole 83 bases; Lezcano hit .321 and 28 HR). Dave Winfield hit 34 HR, 112 RBI; Dave Kingman hit 48 HR and .288. So the Riff picks are listed below:

OF. Jim Rice, Fred Lynn and Dave Winfield

Pitching Overview. There were actually five 20 game winners in 1979. Three pitched over 290 innings; one over 300 (Phil Niekro threw 342 innings!!) Standouts: Mike Flanagan (23-9 and the AL Cy Young Award); Tommy John (21-9); JR Richard (18 wins, 303 strikeouts); Ron Guidry (18-8 and a 2.78 ERA). For relief pitchers, Bruce Sutter (37 saves; 110 K's in 100 innings and I believe the Cy Young Award); Jim Kern (29 saves and 13 wins); Mike Marshall (32 saves and 90 appearances); Kent Tekulve (31 saves, 10 wins and 94 appearances). The Riff's picks are listed below:

SP. Mike Flanagan, Ron Guidry, JR Richard, Steve Carlton

RP. Bruce Sutter, Jim Kern, Kent Tekulve

Notable Achievements:

-The Pirates rally from a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series.

-Carl Yastrzemski had his 3,000th hit.

-The Phillies beat the cubs in May 23-22 in a crazy game at Wrigley.

-Gary Templeton became to the first player to get 100 hits from each side of the plate.

-Thurman Munson died tragically in a plane crash (he was only 32)

-There co-MVP's in NL for the first time ever (Willie Stargell and Keith Hernandez)

Hunter Flops for 1979:

-Mario Mendoza. .198 BA in 148 games. A legend is born.

-Larry Murray. Hit 20 HR, but only .186. All or nothing.

-Mark Belanger. .167 BA in 101 games.

-Ozzie Smith. Yes, that Ozzie. In year two, hit only .211 for 156 games and nearly 600 AB. Clearly not in the lineup for his hitting.

-Doug Decinces. The replacement for legendary Brooks Robinson, Decinces hit only .230.

-Jeff Burroughs. The one time top draft pick hit only 11 HR and .224.

-Mike Morgan. The first overall draft pick in 1978, goes 2-10 with a 5.94 ERA

-Phil Huffman. 6-18 and a 5.77 ERA

-Matt Keough. 2-17. How in the hell do you stay in the majors with that record? Oakland had nothing and no one (they lost 108 games that year)

-Oakland A's. 54-108. I think their attendance was like 200,000 or 300,000 for the entire year.

I hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane. I will resume real time reviews next week.

Check out footage from the 1979 demolition:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpQfCcsqQ0E

Jp

Crime And Punishment

There were two very notable incidents in baseball this week where personnel threw their General Managers under the bus. And they happened in the same division within two days of each other.

Exibit A. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee "All Star". After seeing his Brewers get mostly outplayed last weekend against the Cubs, Braun called out his GM for not having good starting pitching. He even said each Cub starter was better than the Brewers'. Sure, he "apologized", but methinks the damage is done. The crime? Don't say in public when you can deal with it in private. The punishment? Maybe when Braun gets hit by an opposing pitcher, his teammates won't retaliate. Also, the GM should trade him (of course he won't) to DC. More appropriately, I'd bench him for a game or two.

Exhibit B. Lou Pinella, Cubs "Manager. It's been a rough year so far for Lou and the Chubs. In a year that his friend and hitting coach Gerald Perry let go and the GM handpicking the replacement, you'd figure Lou would eventually lash out. After a loss this week, Lou fired this shot: "I get asked the same questions every day - every day, you know? I think what you need to do is go ask the players why they’re not hitting instead of asking me. Or go talk to the hitting coach." Again, the hitting coach Lou didn't ask for. This year's version of Cub failure should be blamed on GM Jim Hendry putting together a poor team, although it can be argued Lou had some to do with this mess. Nonetheless, the crime is talking out loud about issues that could be said in private. The punishment? The way the Cubs have way underachieved is not dissimilar to 2004 and 2005 when Dusty Baker lost control of the team. Eventually Baker was fired. I've been wondering about Lou all season-while I do like him, somebody other than the players have to pay. And will be with Lou's job. (But until the ownership issue is resolved, I wouldn't count on anything being done).

And of course, the big crime of the summer-the sad death of Steve McNair. The crime in all of this are the sordid details of his personal life. In the age of instant information, sometimes there is TMI. It sadly soils the legacy of what seemed to be a class player. And maybe if we can put away those sordid details, we can remember him for what he was. But we won't. The punishment? Sadly, his family bears the punishment on this, as they are the ones who have to deal with this. One could morbidly argue that maybe McNair received the ultimate punishment for his actions (not that I think anyone should be punished by death). Unfortunately, there are no winners in this one.

Look out for my baseball recap on Sunday! If you like disco flashbacks, this post will be for you (that in itself may be a big crime!! And the punishment may be forcing me to listen to it for one week).

Jp

Just Another Manic Monday.....

....or a sensational Sunday?  Sunday was a super day for the superstars, even if the sports involved were not my favorites.

Congratulations are in order for Roger Federer.  Even a non tennis fan like me had to tune in to the fifth set that never ended.  I could actually picture the Cub game I was planning on watching-'We welcome those of you who were watching the Wimbeldon final..."  Well the match ended before my beloved Cub game, but not before Federer broke Andy Roddick's serve for the only time.  In terms of time, this year's final could not top last year's final.  But it certainly had all of the drama you could hope for with two elite athletes.

So after watching a very solid Cubs win (are they back, or just fooling all of us??), I figured I check out Tiger's tournament-a tournament he hosted here in the DC area.  After holding off a golfer named Hunter, Tiger won for the third time this year.  Can he win the British Open in a couple of weeks?  We shall see...

And then there's the biker called Lance.  A biker who I believed who should have stayed retired.  And there he is on Monday, sitting in third place overall after third stage.  Too early to see if Lance will truly contend, but amazing nonetheless.  

And now to the bawdy, tawdry story about a man named Steve.  McNair was his name; quarterbacking was his game.  He may have even revolutionized the position (a little bit).  Many considered him classy.  Unfortunately, many remember you with you finish, not for the body of work.  And sadly, most will now remember Steve McNair for how he left us.  Let's hope someday those Super Bowl memories will be those that ultimately will stick out.

Will Tuesday prove to be terrific???

JP

Baseball Week #13: Baseball Review #2-The Players

As we conclude lucky Baseball Week #13, I will now announce my All Star and Flop Star teams. I'm thinking the real All Star teams and rosters will be announced sometime soon (maybe today, but I'm not sure). Compare and contrast accordingly.

ALL Major League Team (along with league counterpart and possible backups)

1b. Albert Pujols. Player of the year in my book; no one even close so far.

AL: Kevin Youkilis. Backups: Miguel Cabrerra, Justin Morneau and Prince Fielder

2b. Chase Utley. In my book, the complete package.

AL: Aaron Hill. Backups: Robinson Cano, Freddy Sanchez

ss. Hanley Rameriez. The latest monster at shortstop.

AL: Derek Jeter. Backups: Miguel Tejada, Cristian Guzman

3b. Evan Longoria. Yes, there are some with better stats, but I think already, Longoria has proven himself as the best overall third baseman.

NL: David Wright, Michael Young, Ryan Zimmerman.

c. Joe Mauer. Maybe besides Pujols, the best overall player in baseball today.

NL: Brian McCann, AJ Pierzynski

rf. Ichiro Suzuki. The best pure hitter today.

NL: Brad Hawpe. Backups: Justin Upton, Jermaine Dye

cf. Torii Hunter. Always has had the best tools of any center fielder.

NL: Matt Kemp. Backups: Jacoby Elsbury, Carlos Beltran.

lf. Ryan Braun. Of the best young players in baseball today.

AL: Carl Crawford. Backups: Raul Ibanez and Juan Pierre

sp: Roy Halliday. By far the closest thing we have to a throwback pitcher-he pitches complete games.

NL: Tim Lincecum. Backups: Zack Greinke, Matt Cain, Dan Haren, Mark Buehrle, Felix Hernandez

rp: Joe Nathan. Ah, the Papelbon fans will kill me, but I think Nathan has the edge so far.

NL: Ryan Franklin. Backups: Jonathan Papelbon, Heath Bell, Francisco Rodriguez, Francisco Cordero

manager. Tony LaRussa. A jerk, yes, but he's done the most with the least so far this year.

AL: Terry Francona. Backups: Joe Torre, Mike Scoscia

MVP: Albert Pujols (NL) and Joe Mauer (AL). The two best players in baseball today. Hands down.

The Hunter Flop Team

And now to the ugly...the flop star team. These are the players who are either just plain bad or are playing WAY under expectations:

1b: Jason Giambi. .200BA and 11 HR. Off cycle again??

2b: Kelly Johnson. .214 BA

ss: Jimmy Rollins. .212 BA. The latest in a long line of stars forced to a temporary seat on the bench.

3b: Ryan Freel. .143 BA before being released this week. I would also say Chipper Jones at .295, who is hitting more than 100 points below where he was at this time last year.

OF: Alfonso Soriano. Just has been lost the last month or so. Hitting just .226.

OF: Brian Giles. Also way below what he used to do with a .191 BA.

OF: Grady Sizemore. Injured or not, .226 just not acceptable.

P: Francisco Lriano. So much potential wasted on a 4-8 record and 5.62 ERA

P: Jamie Moyer. Sure, he's 46 or so. How do you have an era over 6 with a 6-6 record??

P: Chien Ming-Wang. How does someone win 19 games in the past have an ERA over 10 now?

P: Rafael Perez. 30 games pitched with a 8.88 ERA

Manager: Eric Wedge. Cleveland was favored to win and now has one of the worst records in baseball

And there you have it....feel free to comment...blast me or whatever...

JP

BREAKING NEWS: Former NFL QB Found Dead

I'm not usually a breaking news kind of guy, but as I was getting caught up on the day's events, I just discovered that former NFL QB Steve McNair was found dead this afternoon of a gunshot wound. I've seen via profootballtalk.com that it might be either a double homicide (involving a woman) or a murder-suicide. Details I'm sure will be forthcoming. As you party today, please say a prayer for his family, as this seems to be (for now) a very tragic death





Again, since I'm not in the breaking news business, stay tuned to the usual suspects; I personally would check http://www.profootball.com/, espn.com, or even national news sites like cnn. I'll have more later this weekend.

Too many celebrity deaths; what next???

Have a safe night...

Jp

Baseball Week #13 Special: July 4 Checkpoint

Happy Fourth Of July to all...perhaps I should sing Happy Birthday to the USA. For baseball, the Fourth of July is also noteworthy because it's another traditional checkpoint as to where the teams are. We are actually (for most teams) at the actual halfway point in terms of games played. (Unfortunately, I don't have the 4th of July statstical data; i'll try for this later on this weekend).


Now I want to check on my predictions vs. actual records.



NL East



NY Mets. Predicted 96-66; actual 39-40; projected 80-82



Florida. Predicted 85-77; actual 41-40; projected 82-80



Philadelphia. Predicted 83-79; actual 40-37; projected 84-78



Atlanta. Predicted 79-83; actual 39-40; projected 80-82



Washington. Predicted 69-93; actual 22-55; projected 46-116



**Close on three teams, although predicted standings are off. Biggest bust: Mets



NL Central



St. Louis. Predicted 89-73; actual 44-38; projected 87-75



Chicago. Predicted 82-80; actual 39-38; projected 82-80



Houston. Predicted 81-81; actual 38-40; projected 79-83



Cincinnati. Predicted 75-87; actual 39-39; projected 81-81



Milwaukee. Predicted 70-92; actual 42-38; projected 85-77



Pittsburgh. Predicted 66-96; actual 37-43; projected 75-87



**Biggest surprises: Milwaukee and Cincinnati. Also note that in the beginning, I felt that St. Louis would win and Chicago would be mediocre at best.



NL West



LA Dodgers. Predicted 93-69; actual 51-29; projected 103-59



San Francisco. Predicted 86-76; actual 43-36; projected 88-74



Arizona. Predicted 84-78; actual 31-49; projected 63-99



Colorado. Predicted 76-86; actual 42-37; projected 86-76



San Diego. Predicted 68-94; actual 34-45; projected 70-92



**All teams but Arizona are projecting better than my predictions.



*** All teams but the Mets are projecting towards the playoffs, although technically, the Mets are still in it. Only one team projects exactly to predicted record (Cubs).



AL East



Boston. Predicted 97-65; actual 48-31; projected 98-64



NY Yankees. Predicted 95-67; actual 46-33; projected 94-68



Tampa Bay. Predicted 87-75; actual 44-37; projected 88-74



Toronto. Predicted 78-84; actual 42-39; projected 84-78



Baltimore. Predicted 74-88; actual 36-44; projected 73-89



** Most predicted records are close (except Toronto). Note that the predicted finishes are perfect so far in this division.



AL Central



Cleveland. Predicted 90-72; actual 32-49; projected 64-98



Minnesota. Predicted 85-77; actual 41-40; projected 82-80



Chicago. Predicted 83-79; actual 42-38; projected 85-77



Detroit. Predicted 79-83; actual 44-35; projected 90-72



Kansas City. Predicted 77-85; actual 33-46; projected 68-94



** Cleveland is clearly a bust and this year's Detroit. Detroit is doing what I predicted last year.



AL West



Anaheim. Predicted 88-74; actual 43-35; projected 88-74



Oakland. Predicted 83-79; actual 33-45; projected 68-94



Texas. Predicted 81-81; actual 43-35; projected 88-74



Seattle. Predicted 75-87; actual 41-38; projected 84-78



** A division full of surprises. Anaheim just the second team that is matching its predicted record.



***Like the NL, just one predicted playoff team not meeting expectations (Cleveland). Unlike the Mets, Cleveland's already looking to 2010.



Happy Fourth!!

Vacation Rant#2: The Week's Rants

I figured being off this week would mean many posts. Hmmm...I figured wrong, but the treat for all of my loyal readers is a week's worth of amusing rants, news and fireworks as we lead in to the Holiday Weekend.

-I hate to start on a sad note, but since the last two weeks has been a period of celebrity deaths, I wanted to mention the passing of boxing great Alexis Arguello. He was probably one of my two or three favorite boxers growing up (Marvin Hagler probably being the other) and certainly one of the best lightweight boxers of all time. His 1982 fight with Aaron Pryor was a classic, somewhat marred by Pryor using a mystery water bottle. Arguello was a mayor in his native Nicaragua. RIP Alexis.

-This weekend starts the three week epic Tour de France. (ZZZZZZZZZZZZ goes my wife-each and every year!!) I am very dismayed that Lance Armstrong is racing. I have this thing where I think athletes overstay their welcome and possibly ruin their legacies. Michael Jordan and Armstrong were champions when they retired; there is no need to come back!! Jordan's legacy will always be that he was the greatest, but playing in DC tarnished that to me. Armstrong won 7 straight Tours. Why is there a need to put yourself through the inevitable physical and emotional trauma??

-Wimbeldon will conclude this weekend (somewhat ironic on the USA's Independence Day, don't you think??). The Williams sisters once again will meet in the finals; we'll know today if Roger Federer will have a chance at Grand Slam history.

-I noticed the "unofficial" NBA free agent signings are taking place. The Chicago Bulls let their top scorer Ben Gordon go. To a divisional rival. I just don't understand what the Bulls do anymore...

-I think there's even a NASCAR event at Daytona on the Fourth. Man, I'm covering all of the fun sports today...

-Okay, let's talk baseball-the TRUE Fourth of July tradition. This weekend marks the return of Manny. That rulebreaking jackal of steroid use, or pregnancy pills, or whatever...everybody seems to be marking this as the return of a hero. Baseball fans, as I have said before....you are stupid. Manny was a selfish and doesn't truly care about you. He proved it in Boston and he's proving it now. The Dodgers are still "comfortably" in first place and surely can win without you.

-NFL Comish Roger Goodell seems to be deliberating on Mike Vick's football future. Here's another selfish jackal. Do the right thing Roger and keep this thug away from the NFL. Talent or no talent, he really showed his true colors. I do not believe for one milisecond that Vick has any remorse. He may seem to feel bad because he got caught!!!

Coming this weekend, I will have the second part of my first half baseball review. This week I will look at the players and reveal my All Star and Flop Star teams. I'm also going to do a bonus Baseball Recap post on where stand on July 4th-another traditional baseball checkpoint. So check it out while in between barbecues and fireworks.

Be safe....

JP