HOWDY HOWDY HOWDY…HOWDY!
Yes, four of them because we are in full force this week as you get the guy on the left, the guy in the middle, the frabbit, and even the guy on the right.
That’s right folks. All four of us are here this week to tackle the topics that YOU, the adoring public want to talk about. Perhaps you talk about them around the water cooler with your buddies. Maybe you lean over to the next cubicle and discuss them as you have a small break at work. Or maybe you don’t have a job such as myself and have no-one to talk about them with in person. That’s what we are here for.
I am looking for a job though, so shut up. And please…
1.) Boston Power? (Boston College, Red Sox, Patriots)
Paulie: It’s a conspiracy I tells ya! A conspiracy! Or, maybe not. It does seem that teams in Boston are doing well this season. And if the Celtics make a run, then there could be something there. The problem is, Boston still has the Bruins and they aren’t gonna do anything this season. But does hockey count? Or are we only taking into consideration sports that people watch? Really though, the Pats and the Red Sox have pretty much made their dominance yearly occurrences. Granted, the Pats are especially dominant this year and I truly believe that the only thing keeping them from 19-0 is week 17 against the Giants if the first stingers don’t even play at all. The wildcard this year has been BC. Call it a benefit of playing in a weakened ACC. Call it a fluke. But BC is playing some damned fine football this year. Apparently it WAS the coach holding the team back all these years. And gee, where did THAT guy happen to land? *sigh* Why can’t NCSU get other people’s GOOD hand me downs?
Charles Joseph: Not quite a conspiracy, but I’d call it a perfect storm. The Red Sox finally realized they make a shit ton of money and can afford to buy the best team money can buy. And that’s why everyone hates them now. But this could just be a cycle repeating itself, the Sox won 4 World Series between 1912-1918, I think. So maybe they win 2 more over the next 3 years, then go on another 90 year drought, that seems fair right? No, they should start the drought now. And the Patriots are just damn lucky, I mean, a friggin 4th round pick for Randy Moss? They spent money on a quality LB, they have a good D-Line and they’ve been drafting DB’s lately, so it’s not really a surprise they’re good. Boston College is also lucky, Horrible ACC, Very Good QB. Oh well, at least I follow hockey, where as Paulie mentioned, there’s no Boston dominance.
Danny: I wouldn’t call it a conspiracy either, but it is rather odd how the city has come alive sports-wise in the past few months. The Pats are just simply loaded with talent from top to bottom and on both sides of the ball. I still say this though: they can go undefeated all they want in the regular season; it only takes one loss in the postseason to knock them out.
CJ is right. The Red Sox has the money to build a team of Yankee-proportions and they are finally doing it. Not comparing them to the Yankees cuz they’re a buncha assholes, but in a money standpoint, they are able to do more now. The Sox totally destroyed the Rockies in the Series and those in Denver can say whatever they want about the long layoff, but you should always be ready to play. Always.
The ACC sucks ass and Boston College is taking advantage of it. But that game against Virginia Tech said a lot. Sure Matt Ryan made some miraculous comeback, but for 57 minutes the Eagles did not look like the number two team in the country. Hell, they didn’t even look like a Top Ten team to be honest with you. Now they have Florida State and Miami at home while having to travel to Maryland and Clemson? That is not an easy remaining schedule by far. They won’t end the season undefeated, simple enough.
And yeah, there may not be a dominance in hockey for Boston, but the swagger is quickly on the way back in the NBA. The Celtics are going to go far this year and that team will live up to the hype.
Matt: Paulie you’re off your rocker…if the an undefeated season is on the line they will not be sitting there 1st stringers plus the way the Giants are rolling who’s to say they wont be sitting a player or two. Specially with the Sith Lord at the helm. 38 to 0 and they go for it on 4th down…they are going for 16-0 and then some. Besides week 16 might be the one to watch. If there is one team out there that will want to stop the Pats from going undefeated it’s the Fins. They did knock the 85 Bears out in week 13, I’m pretty sure that’s the closest any team has come to going undefeated since the Fins did it. Plus Miami maybe still looking for their first win at this point too.
The road to the Finals for the East goes through Chi-Town and I don’t see the Celtics getting there. Sure they’re stacked but lets see how they gel first. There are lots of teams who throw a couple All-Stars together and you think they’re going to the finals but it doesn’t always work. You need role players too…lets see if KG can really live by his “NO ME IN WE†slogan.
The Big East is giving the ACC a run for its money…what does that say for BC?
What sport do the Bruins play?
The only thing we know is the Sawx are world champs again, Pats look like they will be too, again. So unless one of these other teams does it Boston isn’t so All Powerful but they sure are Stong!
2.) Joe Torre/Yankees Divorce
Matt: Good for Joe is all I have to say. I’m a bit tired of the “Boss†and his ultimatums for this guy. This wasn’t the first time he did this to him nor would it have been his last. Yeah he has not won ring in what 7 years, but they have made the playoffs for like 13 straight seasons and 4 World Series wins. Sure he has an All-Star team…well All-Star lineup but that rotation is anything but All-Star. Who can really sit there and keep taking the criticism. Did he not come up with the right line up? Maybe A-Rod should have batted 3rd? If your pitchers stink and your All-Stars don’t hit in the post season you’re not winning no matter who’s the manager. The only thing that bothers me about this is Torre will not be closing the old house and opening the new one. It’s something he should be doing…not Girardi or whomever they decide will be the new manager.
Danny: I say the same thing here with good for Joe. The man has put his heart and soul into this time and brought them to the upper stratosphere of Major League Baseball. Steinbrenner can’t possibly expect…no wait, I take that back. Steinbrenner can expect to win the Series every year, but he’s not going to. You can’t put total blame on Torre here and I’m glad he left. Not only was the offer from the Yankees insulting, but they should have just fired him then if they were going to give him some big stipulations. If Torre had accepted the one-year deal, then he would have been stressed out even more then any manager is all year because he’d constantly be wondering if his job is in jeopardy. From day one it would be, “Ok, we need to win at least 95 games or I’m fired.” Then, “Ok, we need to beat the Angels in the first round or I’m fired.” Then, “Ok, we need to beat the Red Sox in the ALCS or I’m fired.” Then, “I think we did alright. We lost the Series to the Giants 4 games to 3 and only lost the last game by a run! Good year boys!”
Steinbrenner: “Uhh Joe, I think we’re going with someone who can produce next year.”
Blow it out your ass Steinbrenner. Hey Joe Girardi, enjoy your time in pinstripes because chances are it’s already limited.
Paulie: DING! Check please! I refuse to add to the media circle jerk that is Yankees coverage.
Charles Joseph: The deal itself wasn’t an insult. 5 million dollars is still 1.2 million more than the next highest paid manager, so it was nothing to scoff at. But what was insulting was the contract length, as Danny said, it would have been stupid to sign a one year contract because he’d have the questions about whether or not he’d be back to manage next year from day one. Rumors are he’s now going to the Dodgers, and I don’t think he’ll get close to 5 million a year, but it will be a much more relaxed environment for him.
3.) Rams/Dolphins – Will one go 0-16?
Charles Joseph: Dolphins already have 0-16 locked up. They lost their starting QB for the year, their starting RB for the year, they traded away their best WR, and they lost their best Safety for the year. They have absolutely no offense and no pass defense. The front seven is pretty good, but I don’t think it’s good enough to win them a game. St. Louis on the other hand has an offense. They have a top 10 WR and a top 5 RB, they lost their best OL, but I think they still have enough offensive punch to win at least 2 or 3 this year.
Danny: I think the Dolphins have the best chance of going winless this year, but they honestly didn’t look too bad against the Giants. A nicely bounced onside kick (what was with that turf?) and a recovery puts them in position to tie or beat the Gggg-Men in the horrid London Bowl. Thing is, they still have the Bills twice, the Jets, and Cincy on their schedule. Those four games are their ONLY possible chances for a victory and I think they will end up taking out the Jets or the Bills at least once.
As for the Rams, here is what scares me. The Saints are on a three game winning streak with a David Garrard-less Jags’ team coming into town Sunday. They could be 4-4 by the times the Rams clash with them, and I really dread that. No matter what, the Saints always somehow let a player catch his first TD in ten games, or let someone get their first sack in six years, or some random crap. I just hope they can keep the momentum going and the D-line of Charles Grant, Will Smith, and others should destroy the Rams’ O-line which now has only one opening day starter on it. Steven Jackson has been injured a bit and now has a bulging disc in his back. Atlanta, Arizona, San Fran, and Cincy are their best chances and I think they’ll end up with at least two wins.
So no, neither team goes winless. But it sure as hell would be funny.
Matt: Miami has history to preserve when they meet the Pats in week 16 as well as one more meeting with the Jets (week 13) who themselves only have one win at this point. I think these two opportunities will be enough to get them a win. I know, MIA beating NE seems crazy but that 16-0 means a lot to them, hell some of the 74 team may suit up to help.
This leaves the Rams…they got no history to preserve and no really easy game except for maybe in 9 when they are on the bye, but they could still lose this one. I guess their next best shot would be to get a win would be against ATL who are just as bad as the J.E.T.S at this point in the season.
Best shot STL…will it happen? Probably not.
Paulie: Both of these teams have winnable games down the stretch and they’re bound to catch someone on an off week at some point. St. Louis has more of these winnable games coming up with San Francisco, Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Arizona still on the schedule. Miami has the Jets and Cincinnati. I figure both these teams will end up winning at least one of those games. But if one of them is going to go 0-16, it’s going to be Miami. They’re basically fielding a low end D1 college team at this point. Not quite Duke level, maybe like, Stanford level. But they have enough to probably beat the Jets (Yeah, I know, and here I was all rah rah for them two months ago). The Bills though? The Fins ain’t beating the Bills with the way that team is playing behind Edwards right now.
I say, Miami finishes 1-15. St Louis finishes 3-13.
4.) Where will Kobe Bryant Play this season?
Paulie: Kobe is playing in LA this season. No one out there would be dumb enough (hopefully) to pay the price the Lakers are going to want for him. It would basically mean trading places with them. Here, Lakers, have the majority of our up and coming young team and we’ll take your one guy meaning that our team will now suck as much as you guys did with him. At some point before his contract expires in 2011, I’m sure the Lakers will wise up and realize that keeping him around is only hurting the rest of the team and will let him go for less and just cut their losses. But this year isn’t going to be it. Maybe after the 2008 season. Maybe.
Matt: As much as I hate to admit, but Paulie is on here…unless the Lakers take less Kobe stays put. The three way deal that was proposed this week was shot down which had The Lakers acquiring Ron Artest and Ben Wallace. The Kings would get Ben Gordon and P.J. Brown. And Bryant would have landed in Chicago. To me had the best chance of happening because the Bull’s weren’t shipping out everyone and more importantly keeping Deng whom they have said in the past is un-tradable. Plus Kobe has the ultimate say with his veto power. He is not going to go the Bulls if when he gets there all the best players are now in LA. So for now Kobe is a Laker, but we do have until February to speculate.
Charles Joseph: Europe? No, he’s playing in LA. I think the whole, “Well, I’d listen to offers for Bryant,†thing was a set up from David Stern to get attention back on the NBA in a positive light, nothing about gambling refs and player’s bad behavior, just purely basketball. But what do I know, or care, my team is projected to win 20 games, and most people are taking the under on that.
Danny: The Bulls have the upper hand here. They have talent coming out the wazoo and simply have to wait for the Lakers to cave and give in to accepting less for Kobe. If they do, then it works out in the favor of the Bulls because they’ll keep more of their players and get a fantastic star in return. If they Lakers don’t want to take less, then the Bulls still win because they keep their VERY solid team intact and the Lakers keep an unhappy Kobe in purple and yellow.
There was the proposed three-team trade with the Kings involved that would have sent Ben Wallace and Ron Artest to the Lakers, but it fell through. I think the ONLY possible place Kobe will play besides Los Angeles this year is Chicago, but maybe not any time soon. But as Matt said, we have until February to find out.
5.) Peyton Manning Vs. Tom Brady – Better QB? And who will win Sunday, Colts or Patriots?
Charles Joseph: Wait…the Colts are playing the Pats this weekend? Why was I not informed of this 700 times within the last hour? ESPN thinks 695 is enough? How can you be a better QB than someone who has a “laser, rocket arm?†Peyton is the better QB. This is a now society. What has Brady done lately, hung 52 on Washington? Ha, Brett Favre laid nearly ¼ of that number on Washington. And as we’ve learned in the past, a healthy, motivated Randy Moss makes any QB look good. That’s why the Pats win.
Danny: Peyton Manning is the better quarterback simple enough. I’ll agree that Brady is great and playing better football then anyone right now, but Manning is still the best ever in my opinion. The guy does magic with the ball and can make anyone into a weapon. Look at Dallas Clark. Seeing Peyton read defenses and call things at the line is like watching a fine symphony (shut up that analogy is not gay). The guy just knows what he is doing at all times and makes no mistakes.
Oh and Chucklebutt, Brady didn’t put up 52 on Washington. Let’s not forget that Matt Cassel had a rushing TD…so do your homework.
As for the game, I would rather see the Colts win. I just would. I don’t think it’s going to be a blowout as every single game has been so far for the Pats, but I feel they will win. As I write this (Monday afternoon), the line is New England by 3.5 and I’m glad they are giving the Colts their respect. Still, there are just too many offensive weapons and Wes Welker will have a big game…but I’m going out on a limb here, even though I feel I’m the only one. Colts win 35-32.
Paulie: It’s really hard to say. Brady has only ever played under one NFL coach so it MAY be the system. Manning has played well under more than one system, but he’s also always been surrounded by top notch offensive talent where Brady’s been making due with 2nd and 3rd string receivers most of his career. But a motivated Randy Moss made Daunte Culpepper look like a future Hall of Famer. But Peyton’s got a head that looks like he had to ride short busses to school. But Brady impregnates super models on a daily basis. But Tony Dungy is a good, wholesome, Christian man. Bill Belichick is a douche bag. AHHHH DON’T MAKE ME CHOOSE! Anyways, if forced to choose, I say Brady. Danny, you say look at Dallas Clark? I say look at Deion Branch and David Patten. The man made Troy Brown’s career.
Who’s gonna win? New England’s gonna win. With Harrison still ailing, The Pats aren’t going to let Reggie Wayne alone beat them like Carolina did. New England 45 – Indy 31
Matt: May the better QB not win…NE 38 – IND 17
If I were to pick a replacement for Brex Griesman I would have to go with Manning, hell I’d take Chad Pennington right now but that’s not saying much. The only thing that might steer me away form this is the point that McDuff makes here. Who has Brady had around him? Brown, Branch, Faulk (the other one)? Manning has had Harrison and Edge, Brady hasn’t had the big names around him like Manning has. However Manning has funny commercials and no bastard kid baby momma drama…that I know of. The edge goes to Manning.
Like movies? Then head over to The DVD Lounge where there are a lot of good people watching a lot of crap so you don’t have to. And for a person who has over 1300 DVDs and watches every movie imaginable, Travis really finds some things that even I have never heard of.
Popcorn Junkies is a place you really need to go check out as well because there are great people like Caroline, Ping, Michaelangelo, Kubryk, and more bringing you news and movie reviews at all hours of the night and day.
Look at Paulie’s Poll again. He likes it when you do.
Well that is it everyone as we came together as a family this week here at PTP. Strange isn’t it? You like when we all work together don’t you? If not, then go here in the forums and bitch about it. Or praise us for all I care because we also adore love and heartfelt compassion. At least, I know I do.
My Hornets are 1-0 to start off the new NBA season and no-one got injured yet, so that’s a bonus.
I have a fun-filled weekend of the Saban Bowl on Saturday along with numerous other college football games. Then on Sunday, the Saints are in the early game going for their fourth win in a row (See Jack, they aren’t dead yet), and then it’s the “Super Bowl If Teams In The Same Conference Could Play In It.”
Wish me luck on my job interview come Monday morning folks. Your good wishes will be appreciated. Or at least cross your fingers for me around 12:30 PM EST on Monday. Enjoy your weekend everyone and we’ll see you back here next week. Who will see you? I’m not quite sure, but we all made it this week.
