A Sign of the Apocalypse

No it's not frogs raining from the sky or the 4 horsemen come to kill everyone, its Vernon Wells finally earning some of the $15,687,500 that he is being paid this season.  As of the writing of this article Wells' numbers look like this: 

27 Home Runs 77 RBI  71 Runs .272/.326/.523/.849  (that's AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS)

Those are pretty decent numbers and the Jays still have roughly 30 games to play so they can only improve.  I didn't believe them at first so I had to do a little digging and you know what I discovered?  Not only is Vernon Wells having a decent year, he is having one of the best years of any center fielder in baseball.

Here are his rankings among CFs in both the AL and NL:

Runs (14th but only 9 runs back of 5th place)

Hits (Tied for 8th)

Doubles (2nd)

Home Runs (2nd)

RBI (4th)

Batting Average (10th)

OBP (13th)

Slugging (2nd)

OPS (4th)

Not bad for a guy that many people consider to be one of the most overpaid players in all of baseball.  Yes he still gets paid way too much money but at least he is starting to earn it this year unlike last year when he was just 'Big Fat Vernon' filling up a roster spot and going through the motions.  So what changed in Vernon to make him bring back his 2004 form?

I personally believe that Vernon has taken more of a leadership role on this young team and he realizes that he has to lead by example.  In the past it always seemed like the Jays leadership came from its pitching staff as guys like Roy Halladay put the team on their back and tried to carry them to victory.  Now it's Wells turn and along with Jose Bautista he is doing a decent job.  He seems more involved in the games and in the dugout he is much more active than in the past.

Wells return in power could also be contributed to him being healthy.  Last season Wells suffered from various injuries including wrist, hip and shoulder injuries that really hindered him at the plate.  Now he is healthy and using the Dwayne Murphy philosophy of swinging for the fences and it's hard to argue with the results.

Back to Wells' salary vs his production.  He is the 22nd highest paid player in baseball but considering the other names on that list and the production, or lack there of they provide, his salary looks less and less ridiculous.  Here are some of the guys that make more than Wells and produce less (Keep in mind Wells makes $15 million):

Derek Jeter -  $22.6 million - inferior to Wells in every major category except stolen bases

Carlos Beltran - $19.4 million - last 2 years thrown away due to injuries 

Carlos Lee - $19 million - Only beats Wells in RBI and total Baconators consumed

Alfonso Soriano - $19 million - Power numbers on track with Wells but worse average & god awful defense

Carlos Zambrano - $18.75 million - 7-6 rcord with an ERA of 4.23, point for Wells

John Lackey - $18.7 million - 12-9 with an ERA of 4.48, 12 wins aren't bad but I give it to Wells

Manny Ramirez - $18 million - if he would stay healthy he would be better, toddlers play better defense

Barry Zito - $18 million - 8-11 with a 4.18 ERA, possibly the worst contract in MLB

Todd Helton - $17.75 million - .249 6 HR 28 RBI, plus he runs the bases like a complete jackass

Aramis Ramirez - $17 million - power numbers right there with Wells but his average is 29 points lower

AJ Burnett - $16.5 million - 10-13 with an ERA of 5.15, pitching for the Yankees I could put up 10 wins

When you look at that list and see all the guys with stupid contracts that don't produce it makes the $15 million cap hit from Wells a little easier to take.  Plus unlike most of the guys up there Wells can play defense and has won Gold Gloves in the past and may be in the discussion again this year.

I know it's hard to believe but Vernon Wells may not be overrated anymore.  With Jose Bautista getting all the attention Wells has quietly put together a nice season and hopefully all the Jays fans out there he can continue to do so.

Random YouTube Video (Apparently there is an actor named Vernon Wells, who knew?)

Gods Do Not Answer Letters

I just finished reading John Updike's classic essay Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu which is an account of Ted Williams' last professional baseball game.  It is only 30 pages or so but it is amazing and really makes you think about how athletes are viewed today compared to how they were viewed in the past.

Updike writes about Williams as if he was a benevolent being that graced everyone with his presence.  The reverence in which he refers to Williams can only be reserved for a true fan and the essay itself was actually written before Updike became a very successful journalist.  At the time he was just another fan who was at the game and felt that it needed to be recounted as so few people actually attended it.  

Now imagine this happening to any baseball player currently playing.  Of all the guys still playing who would get this kind of reaction?  Derek Jeter is the only person I can think of and outside of New York no one really has a lot of love for him and unlike Williams who was an effective player until the day he retired Jeter is slipping statistically and will no doubt continue to do so eventually becoming a utility player.  Times have changed and there are no more heroes or immortal figures left in baseball.

The title to this post is from the essay and is one of the most famous lines in sports journalism history, it refers to Williams refusal to come out and tip his cap after he hit his final home run of his career in his last at bat ever.  After he hit the home run he did was he always did, ran the bases quickly with his head down as if he was running through a storm and was trying to get out of the rain and went to the dugout and sat down.  Williams never tipped his cap after his 520 previous home runs and he wouldn't do it on the 521st time despite lengthy pleas from the crowd, the umpires and the players.

Gods do not answer letters.

As a Red Sox fan I always knew Ted Williams was one of the best baseball players ever but after reading this essay and doing a little research I finally understood just how great he actually was.  Here are a few stats that show just how great Williams was (keep in mind he gave up 5 years of his prime to serve as a pilot in the Korean War):

19x All-Star Selection

521 home runs (18th)

2,654 hits (69th)

1,839 RBI (13th)

2x MVP

.344 career batting average (8th)

2x Triple Crown Winner (lead the league in batting average, home runs and RBI)

6x Batting Champion

Last person to hit over .400 when he hit .406 in 1941

12x Led the league in On Base Percentage

.482 Career OBP Highest in MLB History

One interesting note about Williams career is that although he was a dominant hitter, one might argue the best pure hitter in baseball history, he doesn't own very many records.  He is in the top 10 in a number of categories but other than OBP and being the last man to hit above .400 he doesn't have much to stake his name to.  He did have the distinction of being the oldest man to win the batting title but he lost that in 2004 when Barry Bonds won it at age 40 a fact that is about to launch a mini rant:

I have been reading more books about the history of baseball lately and trying to learn more about the great names from the past.  Guys like Mantle, DiMaggio, Musial, Williams, Cobb and Foxx and they are all interesting guys who seem likable and worthy of the constant high praise they receive.  Yet they are all continuously falling down the leaderboards in various categories because they are being passed by guys from the "Steroid Era."  

Now if you read this blog regularly you know that for the most part I don't have a problem with steroids as everyone was cheating so who cares.  When A-rod was caught I shrugged it off as just another guy using drugs, there is a list of 103 he is just one of them.  But after reading these books its kind of starting to piss me off that all these cheaters are passing legends whose accomplishments were achieved based solely on skill and heart.

Ted Williams is tied for 18th on the home run list but was passed by guys such as Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, Palmeiro, Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez (Jim Thome is also ahead of him but I think he is clean).  All these guys were caught cheating and all achieved their records through the use of performance enhancing drugs.  They all tarnish the names of Williams, Mantle and Foxx by moving them further down the list and off the radar screens of newer fans who live on stats.   

This never used to bother me but after learning more about the past generations of players I now see the error of my ways.  In my mind Hank Aaron is still the home run king and Barry Bonds never broke any of Williams records.  To me Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire are just punchlines in a joke about baseball and steroids.  They are both lairs, frauds and cheats and Chael Sonnen  should bury them where they stand.

But Ted Williams was about more than just stats.  He was a humanitarian, through his ongoing work with the Jimmy Fund, and an honest man who felt people should be paid based on merit.  In 1959 Williams had his first sub .300 season and went to management and demanded a pay cut.  He was also a tolerant man as unlike many other players at the time he was open to black players in baseball and lobbied to get excluded blacks into the Hall of Fame.
 

He wasn't without his faults though as he had a rough relationship with the Boston fans and absolutely despised the media.  He also had some bad habits on the field as he would routinely spit everywhere and would throw a tantrum if things didn't go his way but I would attribute those actions more to his competitiveness and desire to be the best.


In 1941 going into the last 2 games of the season ( a double header) Williams was batting .3955 and would have had his average rounded up to .400 if he had sat out.  Williams would have none of this and went out and had 6 hits in 8 at bats over the two games finishing with a .406 average.

He loved to win and hated to lose, in sports that's called passion.  Of his desire for greatness Williams summed it up best when he said, "I want people to say, 'There goes Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived."

When you watch people talk about Ted Williams a smile always appears on their face and they always have this look of wonder like he needed to be seen to believed. I only wish I had been able to see him play live and be able to fully appreciate his greatness the way others do.   

Random YouTube Video

Derek Anderson > Matt Leinart?

I remember a couple of years ago I was watching the NHL Trade Deadline special on TSN and one of the analysts said that someone was a, "poor mans Jeff Halpern."  At the time I thought this was the biggest slap in the face any athlete could receive.  Then I came home from a weekend up north and found out that the Arizona Cardinals had released Matt Leinart.

The fact that he got released isn't the slap in the face.  The slap in the face is that the Arizona Cardinals would rather have Derek Anderson as their starting quarterback than Matt Leinart.  I couldn't imagine a bigger hit to someones ego than hearing that.

I know people always rip on guys like Jake Delhomme and JaMarcus Russell for being awful quarterbacks, and believe me they are, but Derek Anderson is in a league all his own.  He had one good season where he managed to make the Pro Bowl and since then he has been absolutely pathetic.  His career quarterback rating is 69.7 and he has 46 touchdowns to 45 interceptions and he has completed just over 50% of his passes.

So why would the Cardinals want Anderson instead of Leinart?  

Well it's no secret that Cardinals coach Ken Wisenhunt wasn't a fan of Leinart and thought that he lacked the work ethic and leadership skills to be a starting quarterback in the NFL but is he still not the lesser of two evils in this situation?  

At least Leinart believed he was better than Anderson as he recently told AZcentral.com, "the philosophy is you want the best 11 guys to play. I feel like I've proved that with my performance. I don't really know what else I could possibly do, so it probably goes beyond football. For me, I just really want an explanation, and I haven't been given one."

I have to agree with him on that point.  Leinart gives the Cardinals a better chance to win then Derek Anderson so why release him? I know Cardinals fans call him Captain Checkdown, and with good cause, but he looked great in the preseason and had a few years to learn from Kurt Warner so you would think he would be the choice going into the season.

But did he really learn anything from Warner while he was holding his clip board or did he just go through the motions until Warner retired and he could step up and take control of the team?  

Critics of Leinart have always said that since the day he was drafted 10th overall by the Cardinals 4 years ago that he came into the league thinking he was larger than life. Having won a Heisman Trophy at USC Leinart obviously got a big ego and he brought that with him to Arizona when he held out of training camp after being signed a move that did not endear him to his teammates.

Many people often said that Leinart was more concerned with being a celebrity than being a good quarterback, a viewpoint that gains more credence when you search his name in Google Images.  There are 6 pictures of him partying and getting wasted before a picture of him in an Arizona Cardinals uniform.  Clearly the guy liked to party and wasn't 100% devoted to football.

Leinart isn't a rare breed in that regard however as a number of quarterbacks from high profile schools often fall into the party lifestyle because on campus they are gods.  John David Booty went to USC and had the same problems as did recent draftee Jimmy Clausen who's partying lifestyle caused him to fall from a projected top 10 pick all the way to the 48th overall pick.

Even with the off-field problems I still feel like the Cardinals would have been better served sticking with Leinart over Anderson.  By releasing Leinart and making Anderson the starter the Cardinals have basically thrown this year down the toilet and said to their fans 'maybe next year.'

What I find odd is the timing of the move.  The Cardinals must have known they didn't want Leinart around and that they would need a new quarterback to replace him so why where they not involved in the Donovan McNabb talks and why would they not have made a move for Marc Bulger?  Why wait until one week before the season starts to cut your starting quarterback?  Then again these are the Arizona Cardinals who until 2 years ago were the most irrelevant team in the league.

Back to Leinart.  If he ever wants to overcome this ultimate ego attack by the Cardinals he is going to have to choose his next team carefully.  What he doesn't wanna do is go to Jacksonville or Buffalo and be a one-year stop gap.  He needs to pick a team where he can learn the system, dedicate himself, and prove to people around the league that he isn;t just another Heisman Trophy winning bust like Eric Crouch, Chris Weinke, Danny Wuerffel, Charlie Ward, Gino Toretta and Ty Detmer. 

I think Leinart is going to use this as motivation and go on to become a decent quarterback in the NFL.  Even if he goes on to become a bum that never makes it and has one of the worst quarterback ratings in the league and throws a bunch of interceptions in big moments he will still be better than Derek Anderson.  And when Ken Wisenhunt looks up at the scoreboard at halftime in Week 1 and see his team is losing 49-0 he will look up to the sky and say, "I made Derek Anderson my starting quarterback. Lord what have I done?"

Random YouTube Video

Tidbits to Hold You Over

Tomorrow I am headed to Carnarvan to enjoy some R & R with a few beers and some sunlight so I won't be writing anything.  Instead of writing one big article to hold over the rabid fans of this blog I have decided to write a bunch of small ones that should peak your interest and hold you over until I get back on Saturday.

Dolphins Go On Treasure Hunt

Today the Miami Dolphins had to stop their practice for almost an hour to look for an earring.  The 2.5 karat diamond earring worth roughly $50,000 belonging to defensive end Kendall Langford was lost during practice and needed to be found.

After spending an hour searching for the diamond, which was not found, practice ended and now Langford is out 50k.  Ihave a few questions out th ole incident:

1)  Why on earth would you wear a $50,000 earring to a football practice?  

2)  Why would Langford not just offer the rounds crew a few hundred bucks to check for him afer practice was over, or before practice stared the next morning?

3)  How does a 3rd round pick have enough money to be buying a 50k earring?

4)  Why did Tony Sparano stop his practice for this nonsense?

5)  Did they check the filter in the dolphin tank?

Chatroulette Scandal

There is a big scandal surrounding Brandon Spikes, a rookie linebacker for the New England Patriots, and the website Chatroulette.  Apparently someone was on Chatroulette and happened upon Spikes and some woman wearing just a bra and watched as the girl performed oral sex on him.  That's not even the best part. The best part is that Spikes never identifies himself in the video and it was only thought to be him because the guy in the video is also a black man covered in tattoos.

Even thought that's a racist way to go about identifying Spikes it turned out to be effective as since the story broke an NFL investigation has begun and Si agent has come out and said in an interview with the Boston Herald, "the embarrassing situation certainly doesn't reflect the kind of person that he is."

I think it says a lot about him.  It says that he likes women, is very self-confident and that he wants to have a great relationship with the fans.

Bolting to Man U

In his autobiography Usain Bolt wrote, "Ideally, if I was to play football, I'd sign for my favorite team -- Manchester United. People say it's not realistic but nobody has seen me play so you never know. If Alex Ferguson saw me in one of those charity matches he might think I could replace Ryan Giggs."  

Bolt isn't the first athlete to talk about switching sports as LeBron James has talked abut laying in the NFL and Terrell Owens expressed and interest in the NBA.  I mean James Toney is the best two sport athlete on the planet but Bolt could give him a run for his money.  At the very least it would be a good publicity move for a team to let Bolt tryout plus he might turn out to be real good so whats the harm.

Bolt has trained with an number of top clubs including Man U, Barcelona and Bayern Munich and there was a feature in the French newspaper L'equip on his skills so maybe he does have a shot playing professional soccer somewhere.

Maybe he could be a winger and just sprint down the flanks and thrown in crosses all game.  He would have 0 problem getting by anyone in the Premiership, with the possible exception of Theo Walcott or Aaron Lennon.  I think its worth a shot and with the way Man U spends money (the team recently spent & million pounds on a player that manager Sir Alex Ferguson had never seen play)  why not?

Little MJ in Big Trouble

Marcus Jordan, the son of his Royal Airness Michael Jordan, is getting a lot of heat in the media right now for some comments he posted on his Twitter feed over the weekend.  Here is the twee: ""Last night was stupid... 35K at Haze.  Totals 50K something the whole day."

OK so whats the big deal the guy spent 50k in Vegas, 35k of which was dropped at a strip club, like father like son.  Problem is Marcus Jordan is only 19 and is a sophomore at the University of Central Florida.  So how was he drinking and gambling in Vegas when the drinking age is 21?  Also how does a 19 year old have $35,000 to spend at a strip club?  Were the lapdances $2500 a song?

The whole reason Marcus was in Vegas was to attend his dads basketball camp.  Now people are critisizing not only Marcus but his father as well and knowing MJ he is royally pissed, not about what Marcus did, but about being second guessed as a parent.  MJ doesn't like people giving him a hard time on the basketball court imagine how he will react to this.

Since the story broke the tweet has been removed and Marcus has made a public statement saying, ""I didn't mean it the way it came across.  My family and friends know the type of person I am."

Now the MGM Grand is under investigation for allowing minors to drink and gamble and if you've seen Casino you know that if you mess with those guys money you wind up in a shallow grave in a cornfield getting bludgeoned to death by metal baseball bats. 

Mets Pitchers Looks to Supplement Income

Mets knuckelballer RA Dickey is looking to supplement his income by following in the steps of Cosmo Kramer and becoming a "ball man" at the US Open.  In an interview after a recent win Dickey told reporters about his ambitions, "I think it would be really cool.  I’m really serious. Do you think I can do it?” 

According to the New York Times, he can.  Just not this year because he already missed the sign up period and the tournament has already begun but maybe next year.  Plus the Mets are on the road right now and although they have a 0% chance of making the playoffs they still need Dickey to pitch.

The NY Times spoke to Tina Tapps who is the USTA's director for ball boys and girls (what an easy job that must be) and she seemed really excited about Dckey being a ball boy, "That would be really exciting.  It’s obviously too late for this year, but if he’s really willing to go through the process, we would love to have him. I think he would be great at it.” 

My favorite part of this story was Dickey's reaction to a reporter who told Dickey he would have to pass certain tests like a running test, catching test and a throwing test.  Dickey's response was, "I think I can handle that. I’m a professional athlete.” 

Dickey is up for arbitration after this year so if the Mets aren't willing to cough up the cash he might have to move on to greener pastures and start raking in all of that F you ball boy money.

Roy Halladay Pisses Class

Roy Halladay is a great guy.  That is a fact.  Everyone knows this.  Here is some proof of how great a guy he is.  He recently gave every member of the Philadelphia Phillies (including ball boys, trainers and medical staff) a Swiss Baume and Mcier watch.  Halladay handed them out himself. Each watched was engraved with the date of the game and each players name and number. 

I understand that the Jays are a team that is rebuilding and Halladay wanted a lot of money but I would give this guy whatever he wants to pitch for my baseball team.  He is a massive beauty both on and off the field and one of the coolest athletes in sports.

...and because I am gone for 2 days here are 2 YouTube videos.  One is an amazing song by an amazing Canadian band and the other is hilarious:

Random YouTube Videos

Brian Tallet: World Class Duster

Urban Dictionary defines a duster as - "unfortunate souls who usually only step on the ice with 14 seconds to go when your team was initially down 4-2 but gave up an empty netter to make it 5-2. The coach finally calls the "dusters" number and does so in a way that the duster feels like he is finally getting an opportunity to showcase the talent he doesn't really possess. Why the term duster? Cause this plug has been sitting on the bench the entire game.............Collecting dust. Always the worst player on team."

Nobody better embodies what it means to be a duster than Brian Tallet of the Toronto Blue Jays.
 

Anybody that watches Blue Jays games regularly knows that if Brian Tallet is brought in to the game then the game is lost.  Even if the Jays are ahead by 4 or 5 runs Tallet will find a way to make sure that they lose.  Tallet is the human victory cigar and does his very best to be absolutely terrible every time he takes the mound for the Jays.

The other night I was driving to my buddies place and remembered the Jays game was on so I turned it over to the play by play and heard this, "Brian Tallet has just entered the game."  Station immediately switched.  The game was over so why bother listening at that point?

Yet for some reason Cito Gaston insists on continually putting this massive duster in games. In fact Tallet is 5th amongst Blue Jays pitchers in innings pitched with 64 1/3 trailing only the 4 regular starters on the team (Romero, Cecil, Morrow and Marcum).  That stat really speaks more to the Jays being behind by multiple runs in numerous games than it does to the talent of Brian Tallet.  Cito knows that if the game is lost he better bring in Tallet to save the arms of the quality guys in the bullpen. 

But how in good conscience can Gaston bring in a guy with these numbers?  As of tonight Tallets's record is 2-5 and he has an embarrassing  ERA of 6.44 and a WHIP of 1.54.  Opponents are batting .262 off Tallet and he has allowed 18 home runs this season (2nd most behind only Shaun Marcum who has pitched almost 100 more innings than Tallet).  He does however have more strikeouts then walks (42-33) but when that is your only decent stat you know you're a duster.

Here are some baffling numbers that Tallet has posted over his last 10 games:

19 Innings pitched

20 hits

17 runs

15 earned runs

5 home runs

7 walks

In those 10 appearances Tallet failed to have a single 1-2-3 inning.  Not once could he get 3 straight outs.  In 19 tries he couldn't do it once.  I feel like you have to purposely try to be that dusty.  He also gave up at least 1 run in 8 of his last 10 games, and gave up at least 1 hit in every inning he pitched over his last 10 games.  The guy is a joke and is statistically guaranteed to give up a run if he enters the game.

Plus he looks like a complete jackass.  I think he was going for the Hugh Jackman as Wolverine look but ended up looking like a cholo on Easter.  Maybe if he didn't have the lamest sideburns/facial hair combo in history it wouldn't be so bad but the whole package just makes him even dustier.  I mean its one thing to suck ass at your position but to also be incredibly ugly?  That's just disrespectful to the fans watching in HD at home.

In fairness to Tallet he hasn't always been a duster.  Back in 2006 he put together a 3 year stretch where he put up some decent numbers and wasn't an embarrassment.  He was a solid pitcher out of the bullpen and had a sub 4 ERA and kept his opponents batting average below .250.

Then last year the Jays tried to make him a starter and everything went downhill.  He pitched 160 innings last year and had an ERA of 5.32 while going 7-9.  Opponents hit .268 off him and he had 72 walks and only 120 strikeouts.  He was a passable 5th starter but was merely a stop gap and not a long term solution.  Basically if he was pitching it meant the Jays needed to score 5 or 6 runs to even have a shot at winning the game.

Now Tallet is back in the bullpen and pissing off Jays fans with every inning he pitches.  Even Tallet knows he sucks telling the Globe and Mail recently, "There’s no doubt about it, I haven’t been myself, I haven’t really been able to help the team out a lot.  And that’s pretty disappointing as far as I’m concerned."  That's putting it mildly.

Not only is Tallet not helping the team by being dusty as all hell but he in fact hurting them by giving up runs at an incredible pace.  If he keeps up his current play he very well might finish the year with an ERA of 7 or 8 which would put him in the running alongside Josh Towers as the worst Blue Jay pitcher ever.
 

Don't expect Tallet to be going anywhere anytime soon though as Brandon Morrow has been shut down for the year as he has reached his innings count so it looks like we will be seeing even more Brian Tallet in the upcoming weeks.

Ladies and Gentle get your Swiffers ready.

Random YouTube Video

Antonio Bryant Gets Paid to Leave

Today the Cincinnati Bengals released wide out Antonio Bryant.  This was a move that every one saw coming as going in to camp the Bengals were stacked as wide receiver having guys like Chad Ochocinco and Andre Caldwell on the roster and signing free agents Terrell Owens and Matt Jones this off-season.  They also picked Jordan Shipley in the draft giving them tonnes of depth at the position.  There was simply no room for Bryant who was coming off of major knee surgery and had been lackluster in training camp thus far.

There is a silver lining for Bryant though as the 4-year $28 million contract he signed with the Bengals back in March guaranteed him $8 million no matter what.  So basically the Bengals paid Bryant $8 million to show up for a few weeks of training camp and then go home.  He was a Cincinnati Bengal for exactly 172 days.  Talk about easy money.

But wait it gets better.  

Back in 2008 Bryant signed a league minimum contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and went on to have a breakout season catching 83 passes for 1248 yards and 7 touchdowns.  At the end of the 2008 season the Bucs put the franchise tag on Bryant meaning he would be paid a salary in line with the top players at his position in the league.  In 2009 the price to franchise tag a wide receiver was $9.84 million.

In 2009 Bryant caught only 39 passes for 600 yards and 4 touchdowns while getting paid $9.84 million. So in the last 12 months Bryant has made $17.84 million to play in 13 games and catch 39 passes for 600 yards and 4 touchdowns.  Broken down that works out to:

$457,435 per catch

$29,733 per yard

$4,460,000 per touchdown

Not a bad pay day if you ask me.  But this incident speaks to a larger issue, mainly the ineptitude of the Cincinnati Bengals.  This is a team that has never won a SuperBowl and probably never will based on the way their going.

Everyone is entitled to a screw up here and there, maybe a bad draft or a bad free agent signing but giving someone a big contract with big time guaranteed money and then not having that player make it through training camp.  Someone definitely got fired for this one.

It's just business as usual for the Bengals though as this team routinely screws up draft picks and free agent signings often getting guys with poor track records or guys that just bust the second they put on the uniform, just look at last years draft.

The Bengals had the #6 overall pick and were in desperate need of a franchise left tackle.  Waiting for them at #6 was Michael Oher the best lineman in college football and a high character guy out of Ole Miss.  Oher would have been a perfect fit for the Bengals but they passed on him and chose Andre Smith from Alabama. Smith is a headcase and had a pathetic combine which was highlighted by his milkshake bringing all the boys to the yard. This of course merited a $42 million contract, that was only signed after a holdout.  In his first practice Smith hurt himself and missed most of the season.

Smith is just the most recent example however as the Bengals have also drafted such historic busts as David Pollack, Chris Perry, Peter Warrick, Akili Smith, Reinard Wilson and Ki-Jana Carter.  The Bengals have found some gems in the draft, Leon Hall and Jonothan Joseph, but for the most part the guys they take don't work out.

This is a team that has made the playoffs twice in the past 20 year seasons and its because they make awful personal moves like the Antonio Bryant deal.  Who gives a wide receiver coming off of major knee surgery a contract worth $28 million?  It blows my mind.

You can;t blame Bryant though, he was just trying to get paid.  His comeback season with the Bucs in 2008 was one of the feel good stories in the league and by all accounts he is a great guy.  He just got injured and was lucky enough to have the Bengals come calling for his services.  Thankfully he has some money to live off for awhile or at least until he can get back on his feet.

Random YouTube Video

UFC 118 Predictions

"The Prodigy" BJ Penn (15-6-1) vs Frankie Edgar (12-1-0) 

I don't even consider this the main event but more of a desert after the main course.  I love BJ Penn and I really want him to kill Frankie Edgar as no man named Frankie should ever be champion of anything.  The last fight was indecisive and was more about Edgar running away then actually fighting.

In all of his interviews BJ seemed real pissed off and was talking his usual smack but his heart just didn't seem into it.  The guy has been fighting for most of his life and I don't know if he wants to do it anymore.  His recent book has caused friction between himself and the UFC and if he loses a 2nd fight to Edgar will he really want to climb the ladder to become champion again?  I hope that isn't the case but you never know BJ has been known to throw in the towel before, HIYOOO

If BJ loses the lightweight division could become like the light heavyweight division with a revolving door of champions.  Frankie might get by BJ but Gray Maynard, if he wins, poses a whole new problem and let's say Florian wins I could see Kenny beating Frankie no problem.

Just like going into the last fight I see no way in which BJ loses.  He is far superior on the ground and his stand up is better.  Edgar may be faster but BJ will be more prepared for him this time, I hope.  Look for BJ to try an take him to the ground at some point and not just stand in the middle of the Octagon spinning in place as Edgar circles him like a vulture over a dead animal.

Prediction: Penn via TKO

James "Lights Out" Toney vs Randy "The Natural" Couture (18-10-0) 

Oh baby.  This is the fight I have been waiting for.  James Toney makes his MMA debut against a 47 year old that has made a career out of beating the crap out of people that were supposed to kill him.  It's boxing vs MMA, white vs black, wrestler vs striker, senior citizen vs pretty much senior citizen, classy vs trash talking degenerate.  Its a match-up for the ages.

Randy Couture has 0 chance in this fight and I will tell you why.  James Toney is a two sport athlete that trains with his dad and King Mo Mousasi.  Seriously though people need to not sleep on Toney.  This guy is a phenomenal athlete that has looked better and better in every piece of footage I've seen him in.  He looks to be in great shape and all it takes is 1 punch and the fights over.

Couture likes to dirty box and try and push people up against the cage but if he does that against Toney he could be in trouble.  Josh Acheson's thoughts on Couture's dirty boxing, "man if he tries that shit Toney will hit him with 1 mean uppercut and it's over."  The longer this fight goes the more Toney has a chance to pull off the victory.

Having said that Couture might just bull rush Toney and put him on his back and pound him out in 45 seconds.  But he seems to want to hurt Toney and has said he plans to leg kick him,  Not a smart move.  I am pulling for Toney only because I wanna hear his victory speech.

Prediction: Toney via KO

Demian Maia (12-2-0) vs Mario Miranda (12-1-0) 

This was supposed to be Maia versus Alan Belcher but Belcher suffered an injury to his retina and was forced to pull out.  Enter Mario Miranda aka Ensign Ricky.  This guy is going to be get tapped so violently and beautifully that he might thank Maia afterward for allowing him to be a part of the whole ordeal.

Seriously though this Miranda guy is a nobody.  he is 12-1 but has never beaten anyone of note and his strength just happens to be ju-jitsu which also happens to be the strength of Maia.  Too bad for Miranda Damien Maia is the best ju-jitsu practitioner in MMA. 

Maiai hasn't fought since that embarrassing display he put up against Anderson Silva back in April so no doubt he will be looking to come out and impress.  He doesn't want to become another Thales Laites.  As long as he does what he always does and gets this fight to the ground he will be good.  Maybe he will pull off the armbar/triangle submission that I have dubbed the "Double Rainbow."

If Maia doesn't come home with Miranda's arm in his suitcase then consider this a loss.

Prediction:  Maia via Submission

Kenny "Ken-Flo" Florian (14-4-0) vs Gray "The Bully" Maynard (10-0-1) 

This fight is fascinating for the following reasons:

1) Kenny Floiran destroys everyone that isn't a title holder.  Since joining the UFC (I am excluding the finale of the Ultimate Fighter Season 1) he has lost only twice.  Once to Sean Sherk, for the lightweight title, and once to BJ Penn, also for the lightweight title. 

He has wins over guys like Roger Huerta, Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson and Takanori Gomi but he has never faced a wrestler like Gray Maynard.  Yeah Joe Stevenson has a wrestling background but he isn't on the same level as Maynard.

2) Florian's future in the UFC could very well come down to this fight.  He is already 34 and if he loses to Maynard he will have to win at least 2 or 3 more fights before getting another title shot and at that point he may be too old.  Florian has always been the second banana in the lightweight division and his career hangs in the balance tonight.

3) Can Florian finish Maynard?  So far in his 10 career fights Maynard has gone to the judges score cards 7 times including 6 fights in a row.  He always talk trash about how he has big punches but he never finishes anybody.

Conversely all Kenny Florian does is finish fights.  He has gone to the score cards only 3 rimes in his 18 fight career and whether he wins or loses the guy puts on an entertaining fight.

I have always been a huge Florian fan and I think he is one of, if not, the smartest fighters in all of Mixed Martial Arts.  He always has a great gameplan and he has been training with GSP lately to improve his wrestling so I think he will pull this out.  Maynard won't finish him so Kenny doesn't have to worry about that and he showed in the Gomi fight that his stand up has greatly improved.  I wanna see Kenny uses those elbows to smash up Gray and then rip on him for having a tramp stamp.

The fact that the fight will be in Boston aka Florian's home town should also give him an advantage as the crowd will surely be on his side.

Prediction:  Florian via TKO

Nate Diaz (12-5-0) vs Marcus 'The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis (17-1-2) 

How did we end up here?  Both these guys were once promising fighters but have run into a string of losses that have pushed them far down the pecking order in the UFC.

After starting his UFC career with 5 straight wins Nate Diaz ran into some tough competition and has gone 2-3 in his last 5 fights and is no longer fighting at lightweight but has stepped up to 170lbs.  In his last fight against Rory Markham he looked impressive as he imposed his will on the feet and hit Markham about 678 times in the span of 3 minutes.  If Diaz can bring the same swarming striking style to this fight he might be alright.

Remember when people thought Marcus Davis might be a contender for the welterweight title?  I do.  Then Dan Hardy worked him over and Ben Saunders (no longer with the UFC) kneed him into irrelevancy.  Davis has lost 2 of his last 3 fights and looks to be made of glass.  He hasn't evolved with the sport as other fighters have and he's also a "fake Irishman" so that's working against him too.  

Nate has a great reach advantage and a better ground game.  Davis still possesses knockout out power but his T-rex arms will make it hard to land any punches.

Prediction:  Diaz via Decision

Random YouTube Video

Who Ya Got? - Votto or Pujols

The last man to win the Triple Crown in baseball (that means to lead your respective league in Batting Average, Home Runs and Runs Batted In) was Carl Yastrzemski back in 1967 when he played for the Boston Red Sox.  Every year it seems as though someone is going to come close but they usually tail off at the end of the season or another guy in the league gets hot and beats them out in 1 of the 3 categories.

This year it's not just one guy trying to join "Yaz" in the exclusive club, it's two.  Both Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals and Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds have a legit chance of winning the triple crown and accomplishing one of the rarest feats in baseball. 

Here are their stats as of today:

Pujols  .319   -   33 Home Runs   -   92 RBI

Votto   .326   -   31 Home Runs   -   90 RBI

To make the chase for history between these two more exciting just add in the fact that Votto's Reds currently have a 3.5 game lead over Pujols' Cardinals in the NL Central.  So going down the stretch the play of these two All-Star first basemen will be even more important.

So the question now is Who Ya Got?

Votto

Home vs Road

For some players hitting at home is much easier than hitting on the road.  The fans are behind them and they know the ballpark.  For Joey Votto this is a non issue.  In fact his numbers on the road are just slightly higher than his numbers at home.

  

Home -  .306/15/43 

Road  -  .345/16/47.  

16 of the Reds last 32 games are on the road so it seems like Votto is covered in that sense.

Competition

Of the Reds last 32 games 22 are against the Pirates, Astros, Cubs and Diamondbacks all of which are in the bottom 1/3 of the league in team ERA and Runs Allowed.  The other games come against much stiffer competition in the form of the Padres, Rockies and Cardinals.  

Career September Numbers

Some players tend to slow down in September as the long season gets to them and they become tired and weak.  This is not the case for Votto as his career numbers in September are just as impressive as his numbers the rest of the year.  

In 118 career September games Votto is hitting .326 with 31 Home Runs and 90 Runs Batted In.  So down the stretch run he should be able to maintain his level of play.  

Other Factors

One of the things that really worries me about Joey Votto is the latest cover of Sports Illustrated magazine.  Why you might ask does this worry me?  Because of the SI cover jynx.  Anytime anyone is put on the cover of that magazine they suffer some sort of defeat/injury/downward spiral right afterward.

I remember during the NFL playoffs last year the Jets were cruising and looked to be on the verge of beating Indy when they found a way to blow it.  Next day my issue of SI shows up and sure enough on the cover is the New York Jets and Mark Sanchez.  That's only one example but there are more.  The SI Cover Jynx even has its own Wikipedia page.

I think Votto made a huge mistake by doing that cover and it could end up costing him the Triple Crown.

Pujols

Home vs Road

Much like Votto Pujols doesn't have a problem hitting on the road.  His average is much lower but in terms of the production it's just about equal. 

Home - .352/17/48

Road - .286/16/44

Of the Cardinals last 34 games 20 of them are on the road.  That doesn't bode well for Pujols as his average suffers significantly when he isn't at Busch Stadium and seeing as the only category he trails Votto in is average this could spell the end of Pujols' chase for the Triple Crown.

Competition

Of the Cardinals last 34 games 18 will be against the Cubs, Astros, Pirates, and Brewers which as I stated previously are among the worst pitching teams in baseball.  The Pirates have the 2nd lowest team ERA in all of baseball at 5.04 and the Cardinals play them 6 times before the end of the season.

The Cardinals also have to play some tough teams though as they have 4 games against the Atlanta Braves #4 in team ERA and 4 games against the San Diego Padres who are the best pitching team in the league.

Career September Numbers

Much like Votto Pujols does not fade late in the season.  In 123 career September games he is batting .319 with 33 Home Runs and 92 Runs Batted In.  This isn't surprising though as ever since he first came into the league Pujols has been one of the games best hitters.  The guy is a monster and is probably the best pure hitter of this generation.

Other Factors

All season Albert Pujols has been going along at a steady pace.  That was until August started.  So far this month has 9 Home Runs and 20 RBI and his OPS is a ridiculous 1.353.  When Pujols gets hot there isn't a better hitter in the game and right now Pujols is hot.  If he keeps up this pace he should pass Votton in Batting Average by the end of the month and from then on its over.

Interesting fact:  if Pujols wins the Triple Crown this year he will have done so while not putting up his best season, statistically of course.  Last year he hit .327 with 47 home runs and 135 RBI.  If he finished with those numbers this year the Triple Crown would be a lock.

I personally want Votto to win simply because like myself he is Canadian.  Also he went through some pretty serious depression a year ago after the death of his father and this would be a nice rebound for him.  He has the whole underdog thing going for him as well as he plays for a small market team in Cincinnati and Pujols is such an established player where as Votto is still not a household name.  Votto has all the talent in the world and with the pennant race coming down to the wire he has ample distractions to stop him from dwelling on winning the Triple Crown.

Having said that I think Albert Pujols is just too damn good.  The guy is an absolute freak when it comes to hitting and I think a Triple Crown would really cement him as one of the best ever.  Since he first entered the league he seemed like he had Triple Crown potential and now this year the stars might finally align and allow him to finally put together that dream season.

Random YouTube Video

MMA vs Boxing

Saturday night is UFC 118 and although the main event is listed as the Lightweight Championship fight between BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar the real main event will be the fight right before that when Randy 'The Natural' Couture and James 'Lights Out' Toney meet to finally put an end to the debate: which is better boxing or MMA?  

Ever since the UFC first became mainstream fans of boxing have been criticizing it saying that 'the striking is a joke' and 'these guys are just street fighters with pathetic striking technique.'  Practitioners of MMA have responded by saying 'MMA fighters need to be well rounded and not just good at one thing' and 'boxing is a dead sport no one cares about anymore like horse racing.'

The UFC has been promoting the hell out of this fight and in every interview Dana White and Joe Rogan have been making it seem like the fate of combat sports hangs in the balance and its up to Randy Couture to defend the honor of MMA against James Toney.

I personally could care less about all of that.  All I know is that James Toney is hilarious and I want him to give Randy Couture the beating of a lifetime.  I hope Couture shoots on Toney and can't take him to the ground.  I hope Toney catches him with a ferocious combination that just floors him and leaves him begging for mercy like when Forrest Griffin fought Anderson Silva.  But most importantly I hope the fight is entertaining.

The whole MMA vs boxing angle is just a way for the UFC to sell more pay per views.  I am a huge MMA fan but in no way do I see a James Toney victory as an blemish on the sport.  This whole debate doesn't affect me in any way.  None of my friends watch boxing and its not like I am going to get a bunch of texts or emails from people ripping me if Couture loses.  For me this is just another fight.

I mean does under the age of 35 even watch boxing anymore?  I feel like the only people that watch boxing are old guys and the dudes on Entourage and that's only to help promote the fact that boxing is on HBO sometimes.  MMA is infinitely more popular than boxing and is one of the most popular sports in the world right now while boxing is under constant criticism and is struggling to remain relevant.

Plus how exactly is a boxer competing in MMA supposed to be considered MMA vs Boxing?  Its not as if James Toney is going to enter the cage with boxing gloves on and will only be allowed to throw punches while Randy Couture will be allowed to do whatever he wants.  This is a mixed martial arts fight with MMA rules and boxing has little to do with it.

I mean if this was really a fight to determine which sport was best don't you think the UFC would have picked a better fighter than Randy Couture?  If Dana White actually cared about making an example out of James Toney he would let Brock Lesnar fight him.  

Randy Couture is a 78 year old man who hasn't beaten anyone good since he beat Vitor Belfort back in 2006 (and don't try and say Brandon Vera, Tim Sylvia and Gabriel Gonzaga are good fighters because they aren't). He was picked for one reason and one reason only: whether he wins or loses the UFC saves face.

If Randy Couture goes out there on Saturday and beats the piss out of James Toney then Dana White can say, 'look a 48 year old man beat one of the best boxers of this generation like it was nothing, MMA is better than boxing.'  But if Couture happens to lose to Toney then White can hide behind the excuse of 'well Randy Couture is 48 and isn't one of our best fighters so this proves nothing.'  Either way he is good.

But if Brock Lesnar fought James Toney and lost then the UFC would look bad because that's their Heavyweight Champion that just lost to this boxer with no experience whatsoever.  I personally would rather have seen that fight I understand why Dana picked Couture to fight Toney.

No matter what the outcome the whole debate will continue.  Boxing fans, and even boxers, will continue to trash MMA and MMA fighters and fans will continue to believe their sport is superior.  Its like Isreal vs Palestine it's not ending anytime soon.  As long as both sides continue to exist there will be a conflict to talk about.

Like I said before I prefer James Toney to win but as long as the fight is entertaining I will be happy.  It's not Boxing vs MMA its 47 year wrestler vs a 42 year old boxer.  It's just a fight.

Random YouTube Video