Been a while since we talked sports here, seems like a good time to pick it back up…..so many things going on in areas that I care about. Guess it’s time for my quick thoughts blogging or as it shall be known moving forward, the A.D.D. blog:
NFL and the Eagles:
Ok, before I go on a depressing rant, I have to say this has been a really interesting season. There is no team so far that stands head and shoulders above the others. Teams seem to dominate one week just to be crushed the next. For fun I came up with this flow that goes win loss:
Jags lost to Eagles lost to Packers lost to Bears lost to Giants lost to Colts lost to Texans lost to Cowboys lost to Redskins lost to Rams lost to Raiders lost to Cardinals lost to Falcons lost Steelers lost to Ravens lost to Bengals lost to Browns lost to Chiefs who haven’t lost yet this year!!! That is pretty insane for 4 weeks into the season. Some other freaky stats to keep you confused at night include Brandon Lloyd being 2 yds off the league lead in receiving yds (tallying almost as much as he has in the last 3 years combined in the first 4 weeks), Arian Foster being the greatest RB in football and Run DMC being relevant if not downright dangerous. It has been an interesting and exciting start to the football season….
Unless you are an Eagles fan that is….Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to get too depressed right now, but watching Kevin Kolb play so far this year has been depressing at best. Mike Vick has been a wonderful story and amazing to watch, but you knew an injury was coming with all the hits he has been taking. There is a lot of talent on our offense and defense, but the coaching really doesn’t seem to be getting it done. Each game that I watch, win or lose, I feel that I would have rather seen McNabb without Reid as opposed to the other way around. The only upside right now is that the NFC East is pretty awful, so even a sub par Eagles team has a chance to win the division….I’m moving on before I start to get angry.
College Football, The Noles and Shoelace
Here is hoping to another year with multiple undefeated teams. How will we ever figure out who should be in the championship game? If only there was some way, where each team could be measured against each other towards that goal….maybe something like A PLAYOFF!!! It amazes me that this is a concept that still seems as far away as it did when I started this blog three years ago. There are teams at the top that just don’t have the chance in their regular season to prove themselves, they should be afforded that opportunity in a playoffs.
The Noles have looked awesome this year (what do you mean what happened week 2? There was a game that week? Are you sure?) Ok, so take out a blow out at Oklahoma and we have looked pretty good this year. The things that have stood out to me so far the most is that the run game is BACK, Christian Ponder is not as good as advertised (but maybe good enough with this run game) , and Mark Stoops has brought serious improvement to the defense. This weekend is really going to tell us what the season holds for us. Lose to the U and will be back in the toilet bowl (seriously, its sponsored by Charmin..)
Anyone caught Michigan this year? I know no one has caught Shoelaces Denard Robinson. I am in no way a Michigan fan, at all. But when Saturday rolled around I was looking for their game to see what he would do….first run of the game, 72 yard TD! The guy leads the nation in rushing, by two hundred yards! He has the top three all-purpose yards performances in Michigan’s history…in 5 games played. It is as simple as this, if he stays up all season, he is the Heisman winner and he is going to break endless records. The kid is a true pleasure to watch.
Phillies Run
So let’s end this on the high note that is the Philles. As has been demonstrated many of times in this blog, I am a diehard Philadelphia fan. In my lifetime, I have witnessed one championship team, the 2008 Phillies. I have witnessed countless other let downs, teams falling flat on their face, teams overachieving just enough to make it hurt. I remember it all very clearly and it has shaped me as a fan. People commonly say that Philly fans are too negative, in fact my brother and I commonly say that about my father and Uncles. In reality, I think guarded is the better word. After so many years of being fully invested in these teams and having your heart-broken, smashed and chewed up, you learn to step back, to not get too excited. My whole life, when I talk to my dad about a team doing good from Philly there is always words of caution…”this guy isn’t consistent”; “They aren’t a team”; “The coaching will kill us” ….in almost every single instance he was absolutely right. So it is this conversation that makes me so excited for the postseason:
Me”I think this might be the best Philly team of all time, they win another championship it’s for sure. I’m not even scared about them blowing it, I feel cocky”
‘ Dad “Absolutely, they are the best team in baseball and every move is paying off. This is already the best Phillies team of all time, if they win it all this year it won’t even be a debate.”
What? Did my dad just endorse the team before it’s over? For the first time in my life I’m not nervous about a Philly team! Am I convinced that they will win no matter what? Of course not, that’s why they play the game because you never know what will happen. There are these points that make me really excited though:
The hottest Pitcher going into the Playoffs is Cole Hamels
The best pitcher going into the Playoffs is Roy Halliday
Roy Oswalt is pitching as good as both of them
Every star position player was on the DL this year yet we still finished with the best record in the NL
The Phils have home field advantage throughout the playoffs
If we make the WS, our away lineup (Ibanez DH and Brown in the OF) is better
Those are just some of the points. The team seems genuinely happy to be together and to win together. They don’t get ruffled by challenges because they have been there before and won big. If Halliday is pitching in the Playoffs the way he did in the regular season and Oswalt and Hamels can hold up their end, then people better watch out.
So let me set myself up right here and now to get kicked in the teeth. I am predicting that the Phillies will win the WS. I will go on record that I think they will sweep the first round and not lose 4 games over the entire playoffs. So maybe I will eat crow and become more “Guarded” then ever before, but until then LET’S GO PHILLIES!!!!!!!!!!!
