Every Day I Do

Classic:




I don't like to put much stock in pre-season football games. As Ted Gilbert wisely told me one day "the pre-season makes good players look worse than they are and marginal players look better than they are." As much as I try to keep these words in mind, I can't help being excited about the way the Giants played in the first quarter tonight. Eli Manning looked great, and he did it without his normal receivers. Of course, Domenik Hixon might only score three touchdowns, his total from the first quarter of tonight's game, throughout the rest of the entire year. And, after the first quarter this game melted away into nothing. I'm also aware that if I'm going to argue to you that you should only take into account the first quarter, then I'm admitting that this means nothing.

The one thing I am sure of after watching pre-season football is that JaMarcus Russell is nasty. He performed exceptionally well. I could not have been more impressed with him, even if he was dialing up long TD bombs all night (because that would have had that "pre-season flukiness" feel to it). But, what he did showed that he has the foundations to be very successful for a long time. He moves well. Even when on the run, he squares his body up before he throws. He throws bullets despite a delivery that looks virtually effortless, and (at least from what we've seen) those passes are very accurate. The experts report that the Raiders (who averaged the most rushing attempts per game last season) will be looking to ease Russell into the offense during the early half of the year. This will allow him to work within his comfort zone and build his confidence, which should foster long-term success. Expecting him to bite off more than he can chew right now, which would be more typical of this Raiders franchise, would most likely lead to a lot of mistakes and interceptions.

I said in my AFC West preview that I believed Oakland would be a surprise team this year and finish second in the division. They could also slide into a wild card spot by virtue of the weakness of their division. I also wrote earlier this summer about why Al Davis may end up looking like a genius if the NFL's next Collective Bargaining Agreement does not include a salary cap (with the understanding that if it does include a salary cap, then he's been spending very irresponsibly this off-season).

Nevertheless, the point of all this Raiders talk is that after much deliberation, I've decided to choose Oakland as my franchise for Madden 09. This is not a decision that I take lightly, and I spend the better part of the day weighing my options and checking out the individual player ratings for this year. Just to give you an idea of my process, here are some examples of teams that I eliminated:

Giants: When it comes to playing franchise mode with your favorite team, people often feel very strongly one way or the other. I don't do it. I never have and I never will.

Patriots: Considering that both Tom Brady and Randy Moss are rated 99, New England was probably the best option. The only reason I even considered it as a possibility for any period of time (about half a second) was because Randy Moss is my favorite player. But, I just couldn't do it.

Cardinals: The Cardinals are a great Madden team because Fitzgerald and Boldin are both rated above 95, and Edge is a 92. But, there are two major problems. First, this was my 08 franchise, and I can't see the sense in starting all over in 09 with a team that I already took another decade ahead. Essentially, it would mean that all my hard work last season was for not. I already won the 09 super bowl with Arizona, and 2010, and 2111, you get the idea. Second, Anquan Boldin is still requesting a trade and I wouldn't feel right about throwing to him if that trade happens (I don't think it will, but Problem #1 renders Problem #2 meaningless anyway).

Cowboys, Eagles, and Redskins: Please.

Indy: Too easy

Minnesota: Adrian Peterson makes this attractive, but I like to throw a lot as well. Plus, I have a feeling that this is going to be everyone's pick.

San Diego: LaDainian is a 99, but this would make me want to lose on purpose.

New Orleans: Of all the teams in this game, the Saints might be the most fun on offense. But, the Shockey situation makes them off-limits. That's not my style.

Pittsburgh: I can't stand Ben Roethlisberger or Pittsburgh fans.

Anyways, you get the point. By the time everything was said and done, I had narrowed things down to two finalists: Cincinnati and Oakland.

The Bengals might have made more sense here, and I had essentially settled on them by early this afternoon. Their offense is incredibly explosive, and you'd think that their off the field issues and all of their yelling at each other on the sidelines last season wouldn't matter. You'd thing that right? You'd think that because it's a video game? Me too. But, apparently in the year 2009 video games take these things into account. Check out the morale ratings for some of the Bengals players. Rudi Johnson, 70. Levi Jones, 50. Carson Palmer, 75. Chad Johnson, 20. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, 30. Dexter Jackson, 70. I can't have low morale scores like that from my stars! I don't know exactly what type of impact it can have. But, it's part of the overall equation, and no other team has such low morale scores listed among all of their key players (except maybe Dallas, I didn't look them up because I never considered them). The Bengals are out.

And so it will be Oakland. I can tend to JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden and make sure that they are able to flourish and restore the pride of the Oakland faithful.

Commitment to Excellence:




The point of all of this is that it's that time again. We're not out of the woods yet, but we're preparing to get there. We're adjusting our views on pre-season football to fit exactly the way our teams perform. We're starting our Madden franchises. We're tinkering with our fantasy football draft boards. I've already checked out all the week 1 lines several times. It's hard to even think straight right now (I realize I still owe the readers 5 more players to watch in college football. It's coming). We're on the verge of greatness once again, and you need to be prepared.

And, if you're wondering, yes I did DVR women's volleyball against Brazil tonight. I know they won convincingly, but I'll still check it out once the Giants are over.

In honor of our site returning to its full-blown glory during football and basketball season, I give you these sick Baroness videos:

Steve Earle Live At Newburyport High School

Steve Earle with Allison Moorer August 15, 2008

Newburyport, Massachusetts

A few weeks ago when I stumbled across a flyer for the Steve Earle show at Newburyport High School I wrote about the overwhelming surprise that accompanied that moment. Almost anything would have been less a surprise to me at that particular time in my life. As I had mentioned, I spent the greater part of the spring and summer attempting to locate a venue where Steve was performing. Then, as I walked through the automatic doors into a local Shaws it was as if God himself had squatted in Heaven on High and dropped a magnificent deuce of good fortune upon me. Over the past couple of years or so I have become completely immersed in the Folk-Country-Rockabilly-Blues genre of which Steve is most often classified and includes others like the late great Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark and many others yet the only live performances I had seen of these guys were on Youtube and DVD (Side note: I saw a former neighbor of mine from my days as a resident in Portsmouth, NH at the concert. I still have his copy of Heartworn Highways, and I guess in all honesty I don’t plan on giving it back. I’m an asshole.) Anyway, the concert kicked ass.

Ye Olde Stomping Grounds

First of all, I don’t know if anyone else has had the experience of seeing one of their favorite musicians of all time perform in their former high school. It is a strange thing indeed. Walking up to the show my buddy and I realized that we hadn’t been in the auditorium at NHS since we graduated, so in a way the concert was a sort of homecoming for us. Hard to believe that it has been 7 years since I graduated high school. However, any feelings of “man I’m getting old” were dispelled by the fact that we ended up being some of the youngest people there. A lot of “q tips” were in the house, or, white-hairs if you will. I’ll be honest this made me a little uneasy as I thought that the crowd would be a little “stiff”, and well, for lack of a better word, old. However, we did notice a number of cowboy hats and ponytail-beard combinations that reassured me that this wasn’t just some massive upper middle class night out to see what those rascally folk-country singers were all about. I feared that the show was going to be a sort of novelty to the crowd. Fortunately it wasn’t. The difference between this show and any of the others that I have seen (that I really remember) was that the power of the musicians performances and their amazing songwriting and storytelling literally had a way of silencing those in attendance, inducing a sort of surrender to the music and lyrics. I am used to rocking the fuck out at concerts, and this was different. Awesome, but different.

Steve Earle and his wife Allison Moorer...A mismatch of epic proportions.

What can I say about Allison Moorer. First off she is fucking Hot. I don’t know if you guys have seen Steve Earle lately, but the years have not necessarily been kind to him. I think he would be the first to agree. It has to be tough to be the opening act for a legend like Steve Earle and be a chick, and be hot, AND be the guy’s wife. But, she actually blew me away. She played a nice 45 minute set that included some originals and a couple of cover songs. I have to mention that a while back I reviewed the Patti Smith album “Horses” and I just didn’t get into it at all. I wrote at the time that maybe you had to be a chick to really get into it. I think that’s still true. However, Moorer’s cover of Smith’s song “Dancing Barefoot” was really amazing and so I can honestly say that now I kind of get it, a little bit, kind of. Also, it would be unfair for me to omit that I have a thing for women who play guitar and sing and are attractive (does any straight guy not?). I have become similarly entranced by the live performances of Alannis Morrisette and Eddie Money’s daughter. There must be male groupies out there. I wonder how you break into that line of work?

A young Steve Earle in Nashville, Tennessee

Steve played an amazing 2 hour set in which he spanned a legendary career and took turns on 12 string guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, and even a custom Martin Guitar with his name in it that he noted was “Pretty Fucking cool.” Indeed. He started the show with ‘Christmas in Washington’, and then moved into classic SE tunes ‘Tom Ames Prayer’, ‘The Devil’s Right Hand’, ‘Galway Girl’ (You may recall this song from the movie PS I Love you, if you too were forced to watch this with your significant other), ‘Guitar Town’, and ‘Goodbye’.

He added a DJ for the middle portion of his set which was an interesting touch. The guy basically just substituted for a drummer as Steve rolled through a few of his newer songs including his take on “Down In the Hole” which fans of HBO’s The Wire (Greatest TV Show of all time) will recognize as the theme music for the last season. I’m not sure I wouldn’t have preferred to have an actual drummer there. Either way, it did nothing to take away from the performance, although I suspect some of the older Folk purists may have soiled themselves to see Steve conjugating with Hip Hop.

Those of you who have seen Steve Earle perform live before, or have heard his interviews know that he is very outspoken on issues ranging from the Death Penalty, the War in Iraq, to Immigration. For what its worth, I understand that he has a right to talk about whatever the fuck he wants when its on stage but hearing musicians talk about politics of any kind during a performance makes me cringe a little bit. I was worried that it may get a little bit overwhelming given the current state of affairs in the US (and the World for that matter) and with the election coming up and all, but Steve kept things brief, personal, and heartfelt, which is about what we should be asking of our politicians I suppose.

Anyway, his discussion of his opposition to the Death Penalty led into the performance of the night. It was haunting and powerful, and I had never heard this particular song before:








I was happy to see the crowd give out several standing ovations to both Steve and Allison. The crowd even got borderline rowdy prior to and during Steve’s encore performance of ‘Copperhead Road’, which surprised me after my initial perceptions of those in attendance (except, of course, those rocking the pony tail-beard combo, I knew from the start that these men were badasses of the highest caliber). Overall it was a great night, and a concert I will never forget. I would definitely recommend seeing Steve play live if you get the chance. He is a true American music legend and one of the greatest songwriters living and performing today.

The NFC East Smack-Down: Part One

As many of you know, the RoomofZen holds the NFC East in high esteem. Where else can you find the same level of ass-kickery, history, rivalries, and championships in the NFL? Absolutely nowhere. Don't even try to argue with me here. The AFC North comes close, but keep in mind half these teams have never won a Super Bowl nor have the Ravens been in the league that long. And don't give me any crap about the AFC East. The majority of teams in that division have been mediocre for years. The NFC East is probably the best division because it features so many interesting plot-lines that have not been, nor will be in the near-future, replicated throughout the NFL. Witness:

1. The best and oldest-running divisional rivalries in football (Skins-Cowboys; Philly-Dallas; Giants-Dallas)

2. Divisional teams capable of making and traveling far in the playoffs (can you name another division with this type of potential across the board? doubtful)

3. Teams with combustible and drama-filled rosters which could explode without notice (Owens on Dallas; Jones on Dallas; Philly fans and McNabb; Burress on the Giants; Synder on the Skins; all this makes for interesting drama throughout the regular season)

4. Two of the league's most dynamic and competitive owners (Jones and Synder), combined with two of the league's most conservative and traditional owners (Lurie and Mara), duking it out for NFC East pride. Jones and Synder, love them or hate them, are easily the most competitive owners in the league. Jones would sell his soul for another Super Bowl; so would Danny if Jones did it first.

Long story short: a lot of shit goes down in the NFC East. These teams hate each other and fight to the death. As such, both Nick and I will profile this division for our readers. We owe it to you so let's get started with predictions and team breakdowns.

Overview / Predictions

Predictions are always tough because they're usually wrong and oftentimes make you look stupid. But I'll try anyway since I think history and roster changes make this division somewhat predictable.

The Cowboys will win the Division, followed by the Giants, Redskins, and Eagles. The Cowboys will either get the one or two seeds in the NFC, while the Giants and Skins will most likely pick up Wild Card berths in a nail-biting end to the regular season. I'm not saying the Eagles can't finish higher than the Redskins. If Westbrook stays healthy and McNabb produces, the Eagles have a shot. Make no doubt about it.

The G-Men

The Giants are the reigning World Champs. But we know what happens to reigning world champs outside the Patriots: they usually suck the year after. People forget how close the Giants came to losing the NFC Championship Game to the Packers, a team which was not very good in my opinion. The Redskins almost beat them for god-sakes. I give the Giants all the credit in the world, but for them to repeat would require a near-miracle. People also forget that the Giants almost imploded under Couglin last year, and it's a double miracle that the team pulled itself together for the playoffs.

Players / Plot-lines to watch:

Burress and his new contract. Plaxico was a big reason why the Giants played so well last year. His receiving skills, filling in for the injured Jeremy Shockey, made Eli look like his brother. Burress also gave the Giants a unique offensive threat which was hard to cover. As such, Plaxico wants to restructure his long-term contract, yet the Giants are not budging. They will not pay their best player despite his performance last year. If Plaxico doesn't get his new contract, will he have the same motivation to play well this year? How will this affect his relationship with the team and ownership?

Team Unity and their coach. Coach Coughlin had a sinking ship last year with the Giants. Miracously he pulled the team together and led them to a Super Bowl. But you have to assume there is some underlying disfunctionality within the Giants organization if you followed what happened last year. Players were criticizing the coach and the Giants ownership almost fired the entire coaching staff. Will those same types of issues resurface this year if the Giants lose a few games? I know Nick will disagree here, but there is always doubt in my mind. What led to the Giants organization having those problems in the first place?

Can they replace Shockey with Boss or their secondary receivers? Like him or not, Shockey was a huge offensive threat for the Giants. I know they won without him, but his skills are still a huge hole to fill. Let's say the injury-prone Plaxico goes down this year. What will the Giants do for offense at receiver? Can Boss step it up?

Bradshaw's sentencing. I know this may be a minor issue, but he could face suspension from Goddell. It's still a distraction, like it or not.

Loss of Strahan and health of their defense. Will Strahan's role be filled by his counter-part, Mr. U? I think the Giants are ok here, but Strahan's loss is a big one both in terms of leadership and pass-rushing ability.

Repeat pressure. Like any Super Bowl victor, the Giants have pressure to repeat, or at least perform at a high level again. Can they repeat? I'm sure Nick will tell you yes, but I'm doubtful. Pressure eats away at teams and coaches and without Shockey, an unhappy Burress, a tough schedule, and high expectations, I expect the Giants will collapse miserably. Yes, I am a Skins fan and yes, misery loves company.

The 'Skins

The Deadskins continue to struggle under the reign of Napoleon Snyder. And until the owner sells the team, I will be skeptical of "our chances" or Super Bowl possibilities. This is sad but true.

Yes, I think the Redskins are good enough to make the playoffs. But the NFC, apart from our division, is pretty shabby although Arizona and Minnesota may be good this year. No, I don't think they'll ever get past the first round with our current roster of midgets and QBs learning their 10,000th offense in five years. A QB can only learn so much.

Roster mistakes, thanks to Dan and Vinny, get to the heart of the matter: we have a new coach teaching a new offense to a guy who never mastered an offense in the first place. Remember our playoff run came from a 40 year old guy who never played a down of football as a starter. What does that say about Campbell who already had (has) more experience than Collins? Combine Campbell's learning curve with: tiny receivers; injury prone running backs not built for a ground and pound offensive line (which we have); throw in a rookie coach brought in to bid time for Bill Cowher and presto, you have the Washington Redskins. Bring on the pain, Danny-boy. (Side-note: I hope to be proven wrong here. If the Redskins are nasty, I will eat my shorts. But it's doubtful.)

Players / Plot-lines to watch

How well Zorn performs and the availibility of Coach Cowher next year. My sense is that Danny-Boy would, and probably will, fire Coach Zorn if Coach Cowher becomes available next year. Anything short of a second-round playoff run will liquidate Zorn if Cowher returns next year. Stay tuned. Zorn is already operating on borrowed time if you ask me.

Transition to a West Coast offense. As mentioned above, the Redskins have to go through another learning curve under another set of coaches and philosophies. Granted the Redskins are built to run a West Coast Offense in their receiving corps (speedy threats that can stretch the field, reliable tight ends for short routes and running backs who can catch the ball (Portis)), their offensive line is built for Riggins or Jerome Betis. And Clinton Portis is not John Riggins. Sorry. So can the O-line pass protect better than their run blocking skills in order to execute Zorn's offense? That's a huge liability in my mind which needs to be addressed since our pass rush defense was abysmal last year. Just ask Jason Campbell and his knee-cap.

Jason Taylor and the defense. I've already commented on Jason Taylor, but suffice to say I'm skeptical of this guy and I hope he proves me wrong. Dancing with the Stars was obviously a good career move for him, but he did leave his Miami teammates in the dust. That Parcells released him and refused to even speak to him speaks volumes in my mind. Parcells is probably one of the best coaches of all time, up there with Gibbs and Belichek. Nobody messes around with Parcells and gets away with it. But of course the Redskins will let you if you've made the Pro Bowl enough times.

Jason Campbell's knee-cap, his ability to learn the new offense, and frankly his ability to play at a high level in the NFL is still up in the air for me. Like Taylor, I am very skeptical about this guy, although he could turn out a decent year if the 0-line gives him protection. I like Campbell as a person, but he has yet to really impress me. Stay tuned here, folks.

Health of Landry, Portis, Randle-El & the Offensive line. This goes without explanation. Landry has a hamstring injury which could languish, Portis is always injury prone (as is Randle-El), and the O-Line is constantly having surgery. Let's just hope we have better luck than last year.

The 'Boys

This pains me to write, but the Cowboys are really f-ing good this year. Romo and Owens are always a threat; Barbor, if healthy, is one of the best backs in the league; Witten is nasty if he stays healthy; and with Jones / Newman / Williams, the Cowboys have one of the sickest secondaries in the league.

The thing about the Cowboys is that while you love to hate them, you can't deny how nasty they are with Owens happy. Of course Owens is always a risk to team morale (see my post on the Owens virus awhile back) and Pacman, if reinstated, can also be a huge distraction. But the Cowboys are always a threat with Owens, and I get the sense that the teams feels as though their season was short-changed last year. And I think this year they will take everything more seriously and maybe not go on vacaction before the playoffs.

Part Two: the remaining breakdown of the Boys & the hated Iggles preview and breakdown.

The Dominance Continues

After defeating their most difficult opponents to date in the form of two very feisty Norwegians, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh will take a perfect 3-0 record with them as they advance to the medal round. May-Treanor and Walsh, dawning navy blue uniforms for the first time since official Olympic play began, the top seeded American team knew that they would be challenged by the Norwegians, whom Walsh said was the best serving team in the pool (the round robin pool obviously, there is no swimming pool in beach volleyball).

Decades of ping pong experience tells me that any competitor with a tough serve can be especially dangerous (my girlfriend has defeated me in ping pong about 97 times utilizing a very tricky serve that her grandmother taught her). The Norwegians' strong serve allowed them to make this matchup respectable, as they gave Kerri Walsh some problems when they sent the ball her way. But, in the end, we'll remember these Norwegians as nothing more than another notch on the Americans' belt. This thing was over in straight sets, 21-12 and 21-15. At this point, it's hard to imagine anybody taking May-Treanor and Walsh to three sets, never mind actually beating them.

What stood out to me most in last night's match, and remember I'm new at this so I really need to be guided by the announcers, was Misty May-Treanor's ability to dive fully extended and save a ball and then immediately recover and be back in the air in time to get a kill off of an assist by her partner. I'd like to see how many up-downs she can do in 60 seconds. I bet she would beat every single person in the world that I know, male or female.

Really, you don't like this song, you heartless empty-souled son of a bitch?




Russia and Georgia also faced off in beach volleyball, and I think this quote from Jim Caple's article really touches on the things that make this such a great sport. In comparing this match yesterday to the famous "Blood in the Water" water polo match between Russia and Austria-Hungary in 1956, Caple says:

"If it lacked the animosity -- to say nothing of the violence -- of the water polo match, perhaps it was because this venue was the beach volleyball pit. And the competitors wore sunscreen, sunglasses and bikinis. And tanned, long-haired cheerleaders strutted in the sand. And the sound system blared such classic Eastern European folk tunes as "La Bamba," "Highway to Hell" and the "Ghostbusters" theme."

At this point, there's no denying the powerful impact that this sport has had on me.


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Chad Johnson wants to legally change his name to Ocho Cinco. Needless to say, I'm going to be very upset if he doesn't follow through. (From profootballtalk.com via shutdown corner)


This whole story just looks really bad for Spain, and it gets worse every time I read about Gasol and Calderon defending it.

The Irony of a Judo Match

From ESPN.com:

Georgia's Tsirekidze beats Russian in semifinals, wins judo gold

BEIJING -- Irakli Tsirekidze won Georgia's second Olympic gold medal on Wednesday after advancing through an emotionally charged semifinal against Russia's Ivan Pershin.

Tsirekidze triumphed as world powers tried to implement a peace deal, agreed to in principle by Georgia and Russia, to halt a conflict over the South Ossetia region.

The 26-year-old world champion, who pointed at the Georgian insignia on the back of his judo suit after beating Pershin in the semifinal, won the title bout in a dour struggle against Algerian Amar Benikhlef.

"It means a lot for Georgia because as you know there is a conflict now," Tsirekidze told reporters through a translator.

"We are very happy today to have won two medals as it means very much for our country," he said."

....This situation is about as awkward as the Iranians competing against Israel or Russia competing against the US during the Cold War.

We Love Chuck

Charles Barkley was not afraid of Angola in '92. As someone who was once thrown out of a bar by Charles, I can tell you from personal experience that he means business when he has that look in his eye.



Thanks for your take Bob Costas....dildo.

Dimebag, the Olympics, and College Football Players to Watch

In response to Ted's post relaying the news about the Dimebag Darrell Ozzfest tribute (which took place in Dallas this past weekend) , a reader named Stinson1976 has left the following comment:

"I WENT TO THIS SHOW AND IT WAS FUCKING AMAZING THAT WAS THE BEST OZZFEST EVER IT WAS HOT AS HELL OUT THERE BUT IT WAS WELL WROTH IT.I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT DAY.
OTHER THAT THE PIT WAS BRUTAL ALL DAY LONG. IF YOU MISSED YOU SHOULD KICK YOUR SELF IN THE ASS. MY FREINDS AND I DROVE 71/2 HOURS TO MAKE THE SHOW. ROCK ON AMERICA!!!!!"

I think it's safe to say that ever since we learned about the Dimebag tribute, we've been kicking ourselves in the ass for not being in attendance. Everything that I have read indicates that the tribute went off incredibly well. Most of the youtube videos that I have found are of Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed) doing his part of the tribute. There appears to be a pretty sick cover of Mouth For War. But, the quality thus far is not great. I'm sure more will leak out as the week continues. For now, this will suffice:



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Before we get to college football, I just have to mention that I have enjoyed the Olympics far more than I ever expected to. Obviously I knew that I would enjoy watching the basketball team play, but I never expected that I'd get so in to watching the other events. Perhaps I needed to be in my most cynical frame of mind to realize that there perhaps things are better than I thought. It's a good feeling.

The Michael Phelps storyline is obviously a good one, and it took an especially exciting turn last night, as Jason Lezak swam the fastest relay leg in history to keep Phelps' dream of 8 gold medals alive. What makes this story even better is that Lezak caught up to and edged out French swimmer Alain Bernard at the very end for the American victory. Bernard is the world record holder in the 100 meters, and earlier in the week he stated that he and his French teammates came to Beijing to "smash" the Americans. Trash talking always makes things more exciting. Better stick to painting buddy.


In possibly the most unexpected turn of events in my entire life, my favorite Olympic event thus far (aside from basketball) has been beach volleyball. I didn't even know this was an olympic sport. Well, it certainly is and it has sucked me in like no other Olympic event (except for curling in the winter of 2002 in Salt Lake City).

So far, I've only watched two matches. In the first, the number 2 seed United States team of Phil Dalhausser (a very lanky and gawky man whose head is shaved bald and who wears oakley glasses without any lenses in them. He was only wearing the frames) and Todd Rogers were upset by the 23rd ranked team from Latvia. Latvia really controlled this game the whole way through. The commentators indicated throughout that Dalhausser and Rogers were really shitting the bed. Perhaps I should have been upset at such a poor showing by an American team. But, I was very happy for the Latvians. They were clearly the hungrier team, and frankly the Americans didn't deserve to win. And, on top of that, it's beach volleyball. There's really no national pride lost in any way, which is nice.

After watching their male counterparts succumb to the pressures of the olympic stage, the top ranked American women's team of Misty-May Treanor and Kerri Walsh salvaged the pride of American beach volleyball program by defeating their opening round Japanese opponents in dominating fashion. This was the 63rd victory in international play for May-Treanor and Walsh, who are the reigning world champions and appear to be some pretty badass competitors. As you can see from this picture, the action is very intense at the international level:




May-Treanor may have cemented herself as one of my favorite Olympic athletes after I read this article , in which she asked President Bush to slap her ass earlier this week when he paid a visit to the volleyball team (for the record, he declined to do so. Probably a good move I guess).


Alright, I'd better start talking about college football here before I lose all credibility.

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I expect this college football season to be one of the most exiciting that we've ever had. There are a number of exceptionally strong teams. And, at this point, it's difficult to say which two will be playing for the national championship in January.

I talked about Tim Tebow last week . I expect him to win his second Heisman Trophy, lead Florida to its second national championship in three years, and to eventually be remembered as the greatest quarterback in college football history. Clearly, I am excited to watch Tebow this season. However, there are many other players who we will be keeping tabs on, and I want to present you with a list of the ten players other than Tebow that I am most excited to see play. I'll give you five today and five more later this week.

Ian Johnson, Boise State, Running Back



There are some guys who just seem like they've been playing college football forever. Ex-Boise State QB Jared Zabransky was one of those guys. It seemed like he had been calling signals for Boise State ever since I was in elementary school. Brooks Bollinger at Wisconsin was the same way. Drew Weatherford, who will play quarterback for Florida State AGAIN this season, is another. There is perhaps no greater example of this phenomenon than Ian Johnson. Remember his performance in Boise State's historic bowl victory over Oklahoma (which he capped off by proposing to his girlfriend)? Doesn't that seem like a really long time ago? Well, Johnson will be a senior this season, and he should be one of the most exciting players in the WAC. He rushed for over 1,000 yards as a junior and has scored 46 total touchdowns in his college career.


Noel Devine, West Virginia, Running Back



I can't ever remember being more excited to watch a freshman play in a college game than I was to watch Noel Devine last season. The guy had become a legend because of his youtube highlight videos, which are still hands down the best I've ever seen. Although he did not see the bulk of the load last season (playing behind the now departed Steve Slaton), he was an extremely explosive and exciting player that averaged an eye-opening 8.6 yards per carry. A lot of questions about Devine will be answered this season. Nobody can question his talent, but many have questioned his character and his ability to stay healthy playing at such a small size (5-8, about 175 pounds). Devine and quarterback Pat White, who are crucial to the success of this Mountaineer team, will be playing behind what many experts have said is the nation's top offensive line. This should translate to a big year for both players and a Big East championship for West Virgina.

Rich Rodriguez put the West Virgina football program on the map. An appearance in a BCS bowl game would go a long way towards helping Rodriguez' former assistant and replacement Bill Stewart recruit the way he needs to to help this program maintain his current level of excellence. There is potential for an undefeated season if they don't falter in the Big East.

We'll find out just how good West Virginia is on October 23rd, when they host Auburn.

A sample of the fabled high school highlights:



Brian Cushing, USC, Linebacker



Everyone talks about Ray Maualuga, but there are a lot of extremely talented players on defense for USC. Cushing, a fellow senior who missed much of last season with injury, plays on the strong side and could be the key to an undefeated season for the Trojans (remember, they host Ohio State September 13th, a tough test early). Although he racked up impressive numbers in his limited junior season, Cushing was a standout as a sophomore. He was the defensive MVP of the Rose Bowl and came up with many big Special Teams plays that included this onside kick return against Notre Dame:



that game was tough on Brady Quinn:



Joe McKnight, USC, running back





I have been keeping personal tabs on McKnight since his senior season of high school. I was totally won over by the Noel Devine highlight tapes and I simply couldn't understand how any prospect, particularly another running back, could be ranked more highly than Devine. But, McKnight was it. The number one prospect in the land. I created my own personal competition between the two, which I would score in my head as their careers progressed. Certainly, Devine won last season, but McKnight never had a chance. He was playing for a USC team that was more stacked with talent at the running back position than any team we have seen since the Portis/Gore/McGahee teams at Miami. That will be the case again this season, as McKnight will lose a great deal of carries to Stafon Johnson and C.J. Gable. Nevertheless, I expect him to come on strong this year. We have all seen a lot of Stafon Johnson (the slated starter). He's very good. But McKnight is supposed to be a superstar, and I expect we'll all see that in him before this season ends.

Percy Harvin, Florida, WR/offensive weapon



Do I even need to explain this one? If I do, please watch this video below:




My second 5 later in the week.................

Mike Tyson's Punchout and National Basketball Teams

You could make the argument that this whole exercise is pointless because boxing is an Olympic sport and there is no reason to devote a post to whether or not video game boxers could make real life basketball teams. Of course if you did make that argument I would counter by calling you an idiot. So hat tip to this website for the pictures in the post and on to the analysis.

Glass Joe – France: At age 38 and 110 pounds we should immediately rule him out. But that wouldn’t make for much of a post. Instead I’ll give you three reasons Glass Joe wouldn’t make the cut.

3. One of Glass Joe’s favorite sayings, “Make it quick…I want to retire” would only strengthen a certain French stereotype. For the record Ronny Turiaf mocks said stereotype.

2. In Jack McCallum’s phenomenal Seven Seconds or Less: My Season on the Bench with the Runnin’ and Gunnin’ Phoenix Suns Boris Diaw famously said, “I do not date American women. I have them.” There’s no way he’s hanging out with the least confident, worst wingman ever.

1. If Vince Carter did this to Frederick Weiss what would LeBron James do to Glass Joe?

Von Kaiser – Germany: Disregard the fact that Von Kaiser is 42 and a complete push over. The bigger concern is that he frequently talks about his military background. I'm going to make a bit of an intellectual leap here and assume that Von Kaiser would aggressively push a pro German agenda. As a result he would not be happy with Chris Kaman joining the squad. This would create huge issues and destroy the chemistry Kaman enjoyed so much upon his arrival. Although we all can agree that Von Kaiser automatically gets a spot if he convinces the entire team to grow ridiculous mustaches.

Piston Honda – Japan: At age 28 he’s in his prime. However, despite a hulking frame, at 174 pounds Honda weighs significantly less than you would think. There’s no way he has the quickness or skills to play the 2 and there’s a great chance he’d get pushed around at the 4, which is most likely his natural position. For what it’s worth I feel his pain. I was a back to the basket center that played rooted to the floor and checked in at just over 6 feet. Bad combination. Still with their current ranking (32nd in the world) the Japanese might be more inclined to take a shot. Perhaps Piston Honda could tire out opposing 4s by sprinting up and down the court. That was always Bill Russell's approach as an undersized 5.

Don Flamenco – Spain: Flamenco’s youth might help his cause with some countries, but not Spain where Ricky Rubio and Rudy Fernandez lead a talented group of young players that complement the more experienced Spanish members currently in their primes. Strangely the biggest issue might not even be basketball related. There’s a strong chance that some of the Spaniards would not tolerate Flamenco’s constant plea, “People like my hair. Don’t mess my hair.”

King Hippo - Hippo Island: Before you rule him out for his surely epic weight (exact figure unknown) remember how big Sofoklis Schortsanitis is. The bigger issue is whether or not Hippo Island constitutes a sovereign nation that is recognized by the United Nations and the International Olympic Committee. If it is, King Hippo will play if he wants to and there’s nothing you can do about it. It's good to be king. Furthermore, though his mobility is atrocious, how many basketball players are there on Hippo Island? Chances are the team couldn’t turn him away, despite his weaknesses.

Great Tiger - India: So far Glass Joe and Don Flamenco were emphatic rejections. Von Kaiser's inclusion depended entirely on whether or not he could get the Germans to all grow mustaches. Meanwhile, Piston Honda and King Hippo were probably in, but nobody felt all that good about their inclusion. However, the Great Tiger is an entirely different case. True India (currently ranked 46th in the world) is the most desperate team we have encountered thus far, not counting the Hippo Island squad, which may or may not exist. And as I considered him two glaring issues jumped out at me:

1. Much like Piston Honda, Great Tiger tips his punches big time, as the shining jewel precedes any jab. It's not out of the realm of possibility that he would telegraph his passes as well and be a turnover machine.

2. There's a massive chance that FIBA and the IOC would ban Great Tiger's teleportation method. And to be honest that's what made him so appealing in the first place.

So here's the plan. India would need to qualify for the Olympics without Great Tiger playing. With a population somewhere around 1,147,995,898 people this is doable if it is an agreed upon goal. Meanwhile, Great Tiger would practice with the team in secret and join the roster at the last minute. I'm pretty sure there is nothing in the current rule books against teleportation, because why would there be? Boom Great Tiger shows up and stuns opponents with his teleportation, leading India to a medal in the process.

Bald Bull - Turkey: During Team USA's tune up against Turkey a couple of things came to light:

1. Turkey's new coach was putting an end to established Turkish players negotiating late arrivals to camp. The idea was that everyone has to be on the same page. At 2 pounds shy of 3 bills Bald Bull could easily be the heavy and pressure his peers into making the full commitment.

2. At one point Kobe Bryant bounced a pass off the floor for an ally oop to Carmelo Anthony. That's downright embarrassing. Yet it was only possible because the Turkish players gave up on the play. Of the 5 on the floor only one player was remotely close and he was furious at his teammates. Once again if Bald Bull is running the court, and despite his size you know he will, everyone else will fall in line.

But there's more. As I mentioned Bald Bull will run the floor. That's a given due to his favorite move - the Bull Charge. Additionally I could see him taking the ball and driving strong to the hoop. There would only be two ways to stop him - punch him in the stomach or take a charge. The former is illegal and the latter takes a lot of courage. Finally, I dare you to try a bounce pass ally oop or any other chicanery against a team that features Bald Bull.

Soda Popinski - USSR: Let's get it out there on the table. Soda Popinski is an alcoholic. He drinks between rounds and his drivers license was revoked. Are we going to split hairs? So from that stand point his participation would be in doubt. And then there's the whole dilemma of what exactly Popinski's nationality is. It's hard to say. One of the underrated aspects of the old USSR was how it created a Soviet identity that was not synonymous with a Russian identity. Still I'm going with my gut on this one and assuming that Popinski was not born in one of the satellite countries. In the end I see David Blatt (Russian coach) saying thanks but no thanks and passing on Popinski. It's fine if Andrei Kirilenko roams on defense. That's part of the Russian scheme. But Popinski would be a completely liability and the system would break down. Think Zach Randolph with the '07 Trail Blazers. That's actually a decent comparison because Popinski obviously loves strip clubs too.

Mr. Sandman - USA (Philadelphia): Ultimately Mr. Sandman has several issues standing in his way.

1. What is his real name? I can't imagine the US issuing a passport to a someone under the following scenario:

First Name: Mr.
Last Name: Sandman

And even if he got that American passport officials in the host country would be less than impressed.

2. He's from the USA, which pulls entirely from the NBA. On top of that the American squad is currently heavy on guards and wings. So Mr. Sandman would be up against the same thing Tyson Chandler was when Jerry Colangelo chose Tayshaun Prince to wear the red, white, and blue.

3. You know he's a back to the basket, low post kind of player. International basketball is not conducive to that style of play.

Still given his size, toughness, and lack of character issues compared to the other Americans in Mike Tyson's Punch Out (more on this later) Mr. Sandman has the best chance of making the squad.

Super Macho Man - USA (Hollywood): Even though he just entered his prime Super Macho Man looks about 27 going on 40. My guess is that in addition to boxing he's a big time body builder. I bet he's spent plenty of time in the sun pumping iron on Venice Beach. And let's be honest, he's getting a lot of help from steroids. And I'm not taking HGH or any other top of the line banned substances. He's definitely walking around all jacked up on steroids that would knock a horse off its feet. I feel strongly about this. Therefore, given the IOC's strong stance on banned substances Super Macho Man has absolutely no shot.

Mike Tyson - USA (Catskill, NY*): Mike Tyson's Punch Out came out in 1987, which was definitely before the rape, jail time, ear biting, and everything else that went wrong with Tyson. Still in terms of creating an international incident he's right up there with Bald Bull and Soda Popinski. I can picture Tyson going into the stands Ron Artest style. At the same time Tyson says, "Is this kid a joke? Where's the real challenger?" That exemplifies an attitude that got the Americans in trouble in international play in 2002, 2004, and 2006. Add it all up and Mike Tyson does not make the cut.

Little Mac and Doc - USA (Brooklyn): Right off the bat I know what you're thinking - Little Mac is way too short to play basketball, especially when you realize that Team USA purposely went with bigger guards (Jason Kidd and Deron Williams) in '08 after possibly being undersized in '04. However, Patrick Mills of Australia showed that a lightning quick, shorter guard can do some damage in that warm up game against Team USA. And I don't doubt that Little Mac can move. So the biggest issue is that Little Mac is part of a package deal. He'd definitely want to bring Doc with him. It's similar to the way relatives or coaches of some high school basketball players join the staffs of the colleges those big time recruits choose to attend. Team USA would not want Doc on the staff. First of all he only gives vague advice to Little Mac. Secondly Doc pitches the Nintendo Fan Club at the worst possible moments, like when Tyson is pounding on Little Mac. And in the end the players on Team USA stay in excellent shape and would not go for jogging behind Doc's bike, which is his biggest strength as a coach. So Little Mac and Doc don't make the cut.

* I listed Iron Mike's hometown as Catskill, NY because the game did. But let's not for a second pretend he's from anywhere but Brooklyn.

Death Race

This movie looks kinda cool....remember Twisted Metal 2 from back in the day? I wonder why they never made a movie about that series, which was one of the best selling playstation games with an excellent plot-line, in the 90s?

The Opening Ceremony - A Polemic

I'm sure by now you've heard about or seen the Opening Ceremony for the Beijing Olympics.

- The government has spent over 100 million dollars on the exhibition

- It's supposed to be a comment on global warming and "other problems" facing the planet

- It features(d) over 2000 people doing martial arts, or "tai-chi"

- The participants are wearing Mao-era clothing, in reference to the "Great Cultural Revolution"

Pretty cool, right? NBC, and their panoply of sponsors, wants you to watch this crap and celebrate the spirit of the Olympics in China. Ignore the pollution, ignore the military regimes in Darfur and Burma, ignore the burning monks in Tibet, and ignore the trillion poor people in China's western region. Just focus on the Olympics in a city built on the sweat of poor people imported from the rural country-side.

If you ask the Chinese Government, the Opening Ceremony is supposed to be a celebration of, "how far China has come"; or, a symbol of "the might of China opening its doors and collective talent to the future of human-kind in the 21st century." --Insert-propaganda here--

Give me a break.

These guys are communists running a tyrannical regime. I wrote about the Chinese government and games a few months ago, so here is the link. Displaying a 100 million dollar show, let alone hosting the Olympics, doesn't change this fact, nor does it cover up their human rights abuses and crappy behavior. I won't rehash these facts, but suffice to say they're assholes to the 10th degree. Ask the Dali Lama, for instance.

What really gets me going is that US Companies are complicit in this propaganda campaign. You call it smart advertising, I call it a company spending share-holder dollars to support an a corrupt regime. For example, NBC/GE paid a ton of money to host the games; Coke is putting the Olympic logo on it's Coke cans; any commercial you watch during games is revenue for the Olympics and Chinese.

Think about this: most Americans have pension funds which invest in stocks in order to see appreciation in their retirement funds. A lot of these pension funds invest in GE, which is one of America's best companies and stocks. GE owns NBC and NBC is the network hosting the Games and displaying this opening ceremony / propaganda bullshit. By watching the games, you're indirectly supporting China by verifying their legitimacy to host the games. You're also saying it's "ok" for American companies to prop up these assholes on the world's largest stage.

I have nothing against Chinese people. I just can't stand their government and the American companies that do business with them. Long story, short: don't watch the Olympics this year.

College Kids Are Drinking Beer!!??

The entire college football world was shaken up earlier this week when pictures surfaced of Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen participating in beer drinking games. I have seen this story show up on television (ESPN obviously) twice today and I have read numerous comments by fans saying that Clausen needs to "smarten up" and that as the quarterback of the Irish he should be holding himself to a higher standard.

Now, I realize that Clausen is under 21, which makes it against the law for him to drink. But, I can't believe that this is a story. In my post-NBA draft post , I spoke about how unfairly scrutinized these athletes are. These are college kids. Think about your college days. Think about what an average weekend is like on any of these college campuses. If you have a son or daughter in college, please don't scrutinize Jimmy Clausen, because these pictures are probably nothing compared to what your kid has been up to lately.

What makes the criticism especially ridiculous is that Charlie Weiss isn't going to tell Clausen "Jimmy, you really shouldn't be drinking. It's against the law. And, it's really not healthy for you. I really think you should stop." He's only going to talk to him about being more discreet, because everyone on campus is going to be taking pictures of him and telling stories about times when they see him out. If the real issue here is discretion, and not the drinking itself, then what are we even talking about? As long as he's not out going nuts during the week of a game, what he does is not any of our business.

Sources at Notre Dame say that this is Clausen's second alcohol related offense. The deans have informed him that one more will buy him a one-way ticket straight to hell.

Since I already talked about one college quarterback, I might as well talk about another:





Before I get in to Tim Tebow, I want to first state the roomofzen was 100% behind Tebow last season in the Heisman Trophy race. The only guy who was even close in my mind was Dennis Dixon up until his injury. I can't get enough of watching Tebow, and I am very excited to see what the ceiling will be for this year's Florida squad.

I believe that if Tim Tebow continues to improve, he might leave Florida as the greatest quarterback ever to play college football. I made that statement publicly in a bar recently and several people insisted that he had to improve his passing for that to happen. I won't disagree, and Tebow has said on record several times this off-season that he has a lot of room for improvement. But, if you make the argument about him needing to improve as a passer, just keep in mind that he threw for over 3200 yards last year and his touchdown to interception ration was 32/6 (not to mention over 20 touchdowns on the ground). We'll have a more comprehensive college football prediction post coming soon. But, for now I just want to go on record as stating that the Gators are my pick to win the SEC this year, and I'm taking Tebow to win a second straight Heisman Trophy.

Right now much is being made of the Ohio State at USC matchup in September. But for my money November 1st, when Florida and Georgia renew their rivalry, will be the best day of the regular season. The world's largest outdoor cocktail party could reach new and unprecedented heights.

Friday Listening

Some Friday tunes from one of the greatest albums ever recorded.

A Potential Security Breach?

It's not hard to understand why the Packers didn't want to release Brett Favre. Why they didn't want him to be their starting quarterback is another matter entirely, and could be debated forever. However, once they made the decision to go ahead with Aaron Rodgers, it was a no-brainer that Favre would not be granted the unconditional release that he was seeking.

The Packers came under a great deal of heat from both fans and members of the media for their refusal to release Favre, but I can't understand why. First of all, why would you miss out on getting something in return for a player that you have under contract? I realize that they got about five cents on the dollar for Favre. But, it's certainly better than nothing. On top of that, Favre's desire to remain in the NFC North made his request for a release completely unreasonable.

Think about it. It's more than just Green Bay not wanting to have to face Favre twice a season. Brett Favre knows every in and out of Green Bay's offense. He could sit down with the Minnesota or Chicago coaching staff and give them everything that they could ever know about that offense. I realize that they get paid a lot to analyze the film, but Favre could no doubt offer them valuable information. They would know exactly what routes to jump. What blitzes to bring and when. It could be a disaster for Green Bay, particularly with a first year starter at the helm. Getting Favre out of the division was a must for Green Bay, and I'm sure they're thrilled to have him out of the NFC.

For this reason, I was shocked to hear today that the Jets were releasing Chad Pennington. First of all, as I've said, getting anything for him would make more sense. So far, 6 teams have contacted him, and I'd have to believe some of the teams in that mix (Miami, Minnesota, and Kansas City for example) might be willing to offer up cash or a late draft pick.

Aside from the business end of things, I couldn't believe that the Jets would release Pennington with the knowledge that one of the teams in their division had such a need at quarterback. According to WEEI, the Miami Dolphins were the first team to contact Pennington. Of course they were! Not only would he be a nice option for them at quarterback, but he could also be a great asset for them against the Jets, who they play twice a year. That Miami defense is very strong (albeit a little less since Jason Taylor's departure), and the information that they could gain from Pennington would no doubt serve them very well against Brett Favre, who will be playing his first year in the system, is behind schedule learning the system, and is VERY interception prone. Remember, Favre was a great story last season. But, for a couple years before that, he was an interception machine and I kind of had that feeling like he was just hanging around to break records. Giving Miami's defense an edge against Favre in his new system could be disastrous for the Jets.

What makes this even more surprising was that every team in the AFC East should know to safeguard against these things. Espionage has been a part of this division for as long as I can remember. I can remember Keith Byars causing all kinds of problems when I was younger as he moved between Miami, New England, and the Jets. I remember watching Byars playing for New England against Miami and having announcers blatantly acknowledging that Byars had given the Patriots all of Miami's audibles (I think that was during the Parcells era). And of course, I don't need to waste everyone's time by delving into the controversies of the past few seasons (spygate, miami with audio dvds, etc.)

In the end, if Minnesota does make Pennington an offer, I expect that he'll take it. That's his best opportunity for resurrection. And, the Jets may have known that this was the case. Or, it could just be that they are grateful for what Pennington has done with them and didn't want to put him through the drama of being in camp with Favre while they worked on a trade. It doesn't seem so unusual and yet I have a hard time believing that any NFL team would think that way.

I guess the main difference here is probably that Favre had made it clear that if he was released he was going to stay in the division. Pennington never made any preferences clear (that we know of) but then again (as far as we know) this probably came about pretty quickly. Still, I think the Jets would have been smarter to follow the Packers' lead in this case.

moving buildings

Technology has always made me nervous. I have always feared that one of the newest and most high tech baseball or football stadiums will some day come to life and eat all of the fans inside.

Needless to say, this thing makes me nervous (but, I like the use of wind energy):

Foil in the Oven: Turn the Page

Before we really get in to the meat of this post, I feel it necessary to proclaim my unconditional platonic love for Manny Ramirez one last time. I don't care how bad things might have gotten since the All-Star break, my feelings about Manny won't change. I have liked him for too long to change the way I feel. He has entertained me too much. I have defended him too many times (in fact, the first ever roomofzen post was one I wrote defending Manny after he came under harsh criticism during the 2007 ALCS. It may well have been this criticism that finally pushed us to start this site) to suddenly cave and join those very people to whom I had been defending him. I still love Manny, and I can't change that. He has meant too much to me. And, more importantly, he has meant too much to the Red Sox.

Obviously, I'm far from objective in this case. There is a short list of athletes about whom I simply can't be objective. It includes Manny, Pedro, Paul Pierce, Randy Moss, Eli Manning, Rodney Hampton, Taliek Brown, Kevin Freeman, and Carlos Quintana. I believe that the front office is at least partly to blame for Manny's departure. I also think that when he told the team he couldn't play in Seattle because his knee was bothering him, they should have diffused the situation by simply saying after the game "Manny said his knee was bothering him. That's fine. We don't want him playing if he's hurt." And then they should have done the same against the Yankees. I'm not saying Manny's totally innocent here. I just think the Red Sox could have handled the whole ordeal more tactfully.

What's done is done, and I need to move on. I'm happy to have Jason Bay here, and I'm also glad that I happened to be in attendance at Manny's final game in a Red Sox uniform (in which he went into the green monster for one last piss. He must have known a trade was coming). I wish Manny the best of luck in LA. Much like Pedro, I'll always want to see him do well.



Some final thoughts on this matter:

- I can't help but laugh whenever I picture Manny in LA. It's the perfect place for him. If Manny comes out and says "If it doesn't happen, so what? There's always next year. It's not the end of the world." in LA, the fans will probably just nod in agreement and say "yeah, he's right. If they lose tonight, we'll just go to the beach tomorrow. And, as he pointed out, there is always next year. Pass me some more guacamole" (I'm convinced the abundance of avocados is the main reason why everyone is so happy in California).

- Along those same lines, I don't think any athlete has ever been in a situation that would lend itself better to a major reality show. I would watch a reality show of Manny in LA instead of any other show on television. I'd upgrade to the highest level of cable. I'd even get a dish if I had to, even if the show was in Spanish (as long as there were subtitles). Somebody forked over the money to make Bonds on Bonds. I have to believe somebody out there wants to make this.

- I wasn't surprised to hear Manny thank the Boston fans. I remember being at the 2007 World Series parade and seeing him yelling that Boston fans were the best fans in the world and inviting everyone to his house for a party (I don't know if anybody ever took him up on that). I knew that what happened was between he and the front office and did not reflect the way he felt about the city itself.




- It will be interesting to see what happens with Manny's dreads. Joe Torre told him to cut them , but as of now (I just watched a highlight of him hitting a homerun in the second inning) he has not. The ball is in Torre's court now. Will he force the issue? He should know that Manny does not take well to being asked to conform. He should also know the the fans in LA will not support his neo-fascist bullshit like they did in New York. They shouldn't. I hate hearing about this stuff in professional sports. It reminds me of when Ben Wallace clashed with the Bulls, who had a no-headband rule (it should be noted that after the Bulls signed Wallace, they put up a big billboard outside the United Center of him wearing a headband. So it's not hard to see why he was confused about the rule). Manny, if you're reading this, please don't cut the dreads. You're an American citizen and you're a millionaire. You can wear your hair however you want.

- Finally, I just want to say that I don't think there are many jerseys out there more badass then the white Dodgers #99 Ramirez jersey. I've spent a lot of time this week convincing myself not to give in to the temptation.