Philly Fanatics?

Actually, in response to K.L.'s statement that "no one actually celebrates," that brings up my biggest dilemma when deciding who to root for in the World Series. Maybe it's just me, but when i think about who to support, I don't just think about the teams and the players, but also the fan bases--which one needs/deserves it more?

And this is where I ran into crippling indecision. Philly fans are notoriously mean and obnoxious, so my first inclination was to root for the Rays and their docile, harmless fan base. But then I wondered--are Philly fans really meaner than supporters of any team with a huge fan base that really cares--Red Sox, Yankees, etc.? Do I really believe that there aren't Red Sox fans that are just as terrible as Philly fans? Didn't Sox fans make fun of Jorge Posada's kid's craniosynostosis at Fenway? Does it get more horrible than that?

And on the flipside--are Rays fans really the better choice? Wouldn't I rather reward a passionate and long-suffering fan base than a few Floridians who picked up a couple of Rays hats when their team was hot at the All-Star break and think that Rocco Baldelli is some sort of adult film star? Let's be utilitarian about this--when it comes to rewarding actual fan bases, a Philly win would make more fans happier (this doesn't apply, of course, when you factor in the fact that most neutral parties seemed to support the Rays).

For all these reasons, I settled on the Phillies. Also, I really, really hate B.J. Upton.

phils win world series

no one actually celebrates.

...

...

...

well, i guess my picks were better than theirs. woohoo?

kobe hurts knee, k.c.r. pukes

but he's okay! kobe, that is. no confirmation on k.c.r.

injuries aside, what will the reigning nba mvp bring to the court this year? until the 2008 finals, it seemed that kobe had finally figured out how to feed his teammates while taking over at the right times. but as game 6 dragged on, bryant looked like the kobe of old, utterly unable to do anything as the celtics ran away with it all.

oh, and lamar odom seems to be on the trade block. these lakers may still be good, but they're far from a shoo-in as repeat western conference champs.

one thing's for sure: things are going to get mighty interesting once bynum is back in as the go-to big man.

why do people keep hiring ty willingham?

apparently, ty willingham's job is not so secure.

no shit, sherlock.

the real question is, why do teams keep hiring him in the first place? okay, he won one pac-10 title with stanford, taking them to to rose bowl in 1999, and he had 10 wins in his first season with the fighting irish. but he hasn't had a winning season since 2002 and has been to one bowl game since then, a loss with notre dame in the insight bowl.

maybe he's just a nice guy. or maybe the fact that he could take a piss-poor team like stanford and turn the cardinal into a contender speaks to his strength as a coach. but if we go by the record, this guy is a capital-L loser. Loser.

guess investment banks aren't the only ones having a hard time getting rid of the deadweight.

when sports news just doesn't make sense

one of the top stories on espn.com earlier today: tom brady underwent a second procedure on his left knee to clear out an infection.

go ahead. ooooooh and aaaaaaah.

i mean, is this really news? it must be, given that espn ran a similar story about peyton manning just a week or so ago. perhaps that is more relevant, given that peyton is still playing this season. but does it really matter whether tom brady underwent one or two knee surgeries to take a break from eating chocolate strawberries with gisele? unless that surgery magically cured him and he is ready to put matt cassel back on the bench where he belongs, this really isn't news.

guess espn.com is trying to become more like cnn.com - a provider of irrelevant news, that is. ah well, there's always real newspapers.

Red Sox Love Has Driven Me Insane

Still breathing.

That's the thought that flashed through my mind as I lay on the hardwood floor, moments after collapsing in a heap in front of the TV screen and moments before regaining my full cognitive functions.

I'm still breathing. This game didn't kill me.

It was tense as the Red Sox closed in on the Tampa Bay Rays, and was it ever fun. As the improbable turned into the impossible and then into the ridiculous, as J.D. Drew's ninth-inning liner screamed through the enchanted Fenway air, as 7-0 improbably, impossibly, 

ridiculously, turned into 8-7...it was fun.

The second thought that occurred to me, after I confirmed that I was still alive, was that my team was still breathing as well. I had seen it shocked back to life by a series of question marks--Dustin Pedroia and his postseason slump, J.D. Drew and his ailing back, David Ortiz and his bum wrist, Justin Masterson and his rookie jitters. If all those roadblocks to postseason success could be forgotten in two-and-a-third innings, then why shouldn't Josh Beckett return to form against James Shields in Saturday's Game 6, and why shouldn't Jon Lester bounce back if there should be a Game 7? This is Boston. Why not?

Momentum, of course, is a tricky thing, and, thinking realistically, there are plenty of reasons why the rest of the series may not go as unbelievably well. But no matter what happens on Saturday night, Thursday's miracle had irreversible consequences. It reignited the passion and hunger of Red Sox fans, who, like Patriots fans before them, had become bloated and complacent with too much mundane success. Thanks to Thursday's insanity, Red Sox fans care again, as much as they did in 2004, and that's no small feat, considering Pats fans never cared again as much as they did in 2001.

In some ways, victory in baseball is just a synonym for delaying the inevitable. Even if the Red Sox are as successful as it is possible to be, even if they never lose again, their season will still end at some point. But that's why the effects of Thursday's win were so important. I had taken October baseball for granted, but after staring death in the face, I'm just happy to have the chance to see one more game, to watch my team taste the postseason at least one more time. After Thursday, I appreciate what I've got. And if James Shields thinks he can take that away from me, well, I'd love to see him try.

monday night sports digest

three-day weekend = bonus sports.

to the devil with it. so tampa bay drops the evil part of its name and suddenly can't be stopped? my predictions are still within reason, but the rays are making baseball fans scratch the back of their heads in confusion. you have to feel for lester, though - not only does he have the pressure of red sox nation upon him, but he's also fighting for all those cancer survivors that consider him their hero.

phillies keep thumpin'. for all the talk about the weakness of the NL, LA and philadelphia are certainly putting on an offensive show. while kuroda silenced the phillies' bats in game 3, victorino and stairs put some juice behind the ball in the come-from-behind victory tonight. a victor-in-y, perhaps? nah, guess not.

no mo' romo. go figure: of all the things he could have hurt, tony romo goes and breaks his pinkie - and now he's out for a month. now dallas isn't even in position to take advantage of the suddenly beatable new york football giants. if the nfc east looked invincible two weeks ago, it's just another division again come tuesday morning. but hey, new york, at least the market's back on track!

year of the serbian. djokovic and ivanovic are pretty sweet, but jelena is proving that she is the serbian you don't want to mess with. ousting zvonareva in the final of the kremlin cup, jankovic won her third title in three weeks and solidified her spot as the no. 1 player in the world. she may not be a (singles) grand slam champion, but she is by far one of the most competitive women on the circuit.

a hockey tragedy. unfortunately, this digest ends on a sad note. new york rangers prospect alexei cherepanov, 19, died of an apparent heart attack towards the end of a game in the continental hockey league. authorities are currently investigating whether adequate medical care was available at the rink, and one can only hope that this terrible occurrence leads pro sports franchises around the country to reexamine their emergency preparations to ensure that such health-related occurrences can be avoided in the future.

Brrr... Outdoor Basketball

The Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets met in a preseason game on Saturday night in Indian Wells, CA, near Palm Springs.

While Indian Wells isn't your typical NBA destination anyway, the game had another twist: it was played outdoors.

ESPN's Marc Stein recaps the action in Denver's 77-72 victory over the Suns, an uncharacteristically low scoring game for the two squads.

The reason? It was chilly. Well, sorta.

The temperature dropped to a frigid 64 degrees, or, as Marc Stein says, "all the way down to 64 degrees." Brrrr...

I mean, I understand that when you sweat, that's gotta be a bit chilly, but 64 degrees is hardly "cold." Stein does say that the wind was "gusting" at 15 MPH, so perhaps I should lay off and give them the benefit of the doubt.

Still, knowing the countless street ballers play through the "elements" of wind, rain, cold, and much more difficult rims and chain nets to shoot on than what the NBA players had to "suffer" through on Saturday night, you've got to ask, how spoiled are these guys? And, how would they fare against the street scene's best? It's a fair question.

That said, I think it's a fun concept, but one that ought not transfer into the regular season. Watching NBA teams battle it out in different venues, different countries, and through different elements is great, but when the games start counting, all teams need to be on equal footing.

Plus, Shaq's free throws are miserable enough that I don't wanna have to watch him try to shoot it through the wind. (O'neal was 0 for 2 from the line).

Shaq wasn't the only one. Neither team shot over 36% from the field, and the teams combined to make just 3 of 27 three-point attempts. And actually, it was Denver whose free throw shooting suffered, sinking just 18 of 38 attempts.

Like I said, cool concept, but I'd rather watch more exciting basketball than a 77-72 brick-fest.

The Los Angeles (insert NBA team name here) of Anaheim?

The Lakers played an exhibition game at Anaheim's Honda Center on Tuesday night, as they usually do once each season, giving fans a bit further south their yearly glimpse of NBA basketball in their home territory. It wasn't all that long ago that the Clippers played a handful of games in Orange County from 1994-1999 (at the then-named Arrowhead Pond) and seriously considered moving there permanently before deciding to become the Lakers' co-tenants at Staples Center.

Now, after Tuesday's pre-season contest between the Lakers and the Jazz, one Anaheim official told the Orange County Register that he wouldn't be surprised if the city gets an NBA team within the next 5 years.

If that team isn't the Clippers, it seems a bit much to have 2 Los Angeles teams, then an Anaheim team down the road, don't you think? The Clippers barely make a pull in the LA market, competing with the Lakers, and plenty of Orange County fans are already plenty devoted to the Lakers.

After seeing the Angels change their name to consider themselves a part of the LA market, it seems clear that the two cities are too close to each other to sustain 3 NBA teams between them.

Two suggestions:

1) Make that team the Clippers. They've got to be sick of playing red-headed step-child to the Lakers not only in the city of Los Angeles, but playing there in the same building as them all season long. Make a clean break, give Orange County fans something to be excited about close to home, and don't clog the already congested market.

2) Why not bring a team to San Diego? It's far enough from the LA market (Padres do fine, away from the Angels and Dodgers) to sustain its own fan base, and you've got enough LA hatred to form a fan base in SD alone.

Now, what team is moving next? Oklahoma City just got the doomed Sonics from Seattle, but who else is on the list of teams ready to move out of their market?

I don't see the NBA expanding yet again. At 30 teams, it's at its current limit, in my opinion.

So, again, who's next? Personally, no team seems to be in that much turmoil to move out, but then again, five years is a long time for something to happen. Cities like Memphis, Charlotte, Toronto, Oklahoma City, and New Orleans, would be my guesses for places that may not be able to keep their teams. Any other thoughts?

Interesting Shaq Interview

Shaq sat down with ESPN for a candid, very unlike-Shaq interview. He was very apologetic and sincere. It's definitely something to check out. It's long, so if you don't have time, I've broken down the highlights.

9:40 - OK, this is Shaq-being-Shaq; "Dream Team II" (which Shaq played on) was better than Dream Team I. Really, Shaq?

5:44 - Favorite Moment with the Lakers? - "Playing with one of the greatest players ever, Kobe Bryant. That was fun." Again, seriously?

4:26 - "I think we were the greatest 1-2 punch in the game." - on him and Kobe. Is he regretting things?

4:08 - Shaq talking about the infamous rap about Kobe. He apologizes, says it was blown out of proportion, but then says, "if you look back, I just said the same thing that you guys said." Really, Shaq? Did any ESPN commentator say "Kobe, tell me how my ass tastes!?" He later says he called Kobe and said "My bad."

2:29 - Great Shaq moment. "Did you already make a prediction that this team will make it past the first round?" "Yes I did. "But, it's September." "So."

:50 - "What is Tim Duncan got his fifth [ring] before you got yours?" "I'd be pissed."

It's a fun interview. Check it out.

poop picks: ALCS, NLCS, and world series

here at poop on boozer, we're all about duking it out, especially when it comes to our (supposed) sports knowledge. so as we prepare for the four remaining baseball teams to entertain us over the next few weeks, enjoy our best guesses as to who's going to come out on top this fall.

and remember: there's only one october!

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K.C.R.

ALCS: Boston fans wanted this matchup. They're pissed. The Red Sox Nation just took care of its biggest nemesis this season after knocking off the league best Angels, 3-1. Next on their list? Tropicana Field. Not the Rays - just the field. The Sox went 1-8 at the Trop this year, which played a big factor in their losing the season series 10-8, to the Rays. Sox fans would like nothing more than to shut up the Tampa Bay faithful and prove once and for all that the Rays don't really belong. After watching what they did to the Angels, I don't think they'll have a problem, personally. Red Sox in 5.

NLCS: Good to see the Dodgers make a splash after basically 20 years of futility. Manny-mania exists in Dodgerville, and thank goodness, cause they needed something. The Philly lineup is potent with Howard, Utley, and Rollins, but the prospect of another major sports meeting between LA and Boston is just too much for the networks to pass up (did I say that?). Dodgers in 6.

WORLD SERIES: As much as I hate to admit it, the Sox are too powerful and too strong. Manny will be booed heavily in his return to Fenway, and he'll resume his place in left field in front of the Green Monster. I'd be very surprised if his trip back to Boston doesn't include a stop to pee in the bathroom inside the Green Monster. That said, the series will go back and forth, before the Red Sox ultimately take control and repeat as World Champions. Red Sox in 6.

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D.R.W.

ALCS: If the 2008 season had gone on for any longer, say another month, you would have eventually seen the Boston Red Sox in first place. They were closing the gap in the AL East, and theoretically may have been able to do it inside of 162 games without injuries to the heart of their lineup (Jason Bay can indeed replace Manny Ramirez, but not with Mark Kotsay hitting behind him). Of course, as a counter to that, even when the Sox were hot and the Rays were not, Tampa won those crucial head-to-head matchups down the stretch, and the middle of the Sox lineup is STILL hurting, not to mention Beckett's oblique. It's a lot to sift through, but I think it comes down to this: if Beckett's healthy, the Beckett-Lester combo will win the Sox the series. If not, Tampa's knack for timely hitting will take it. Red Sox in 7.

NLCS: The Dodgers are reminding me a lot of the 2007 Rockies lately. Their late hot streak allowed them to enter the playoffs with all the momentum in the world, which masked the fact that they had been quite a mediocre team all season. Of course, the cliche is true: the playoffs are in many ways a crapshoot, and baseball is a sport where the hot team can always beat the better team (you may want to ask John Lackey about that - just don't stand within grabbing distance when you ask him). So why shouldn't the Dodgers beat the Phillies? The red-hot 2007 Rockies beat all NL comers, and they didn't even have midseason acquisition Manny Ramirez (who, by the way, may knock Cole Hamels down a couple of pegs). Dodgers in 5.

WORLD SERIES: I could devote an entire post to how awesome this series would be (and I will, if it happens), but for now, I'll try to contain myself to how I think it will go. If the Dodgers really were the Rockies, it would be a sweep to end all sweeps and everyone would go into the long winter months hating the Red Sox that much more. But they're not. The Rockies, in my opinion, were blown out of the water by the Sox last fall because the NL's best just couldn't measure up to the AL's best. The Dodgers, however, actually have the AL's best, and he used to wear a Red Sox uniform. And that leads me to ask: how many World Series wins is Manny Ramirez worth? It may very well be one or two, which is remarkable for a single player. But it's not four. And it would have to be, because I believe the Red Sox would sweep the Dodgers without him. With him? Red Sox in 5.

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K.L.

ALCS: there were only three teams that were really fun to watch this year in the AL (and might i say in baseball?), and two of them are in this matchup (nice knowing you, los angeles, anaheim, california, or whatever you plan to be next). with the rally monkey (thankfully) out of the picture, the AL east's best will fight to the finish in a pennant battle that has to have a-rod choking on his own vomit. injuries have been the name of the game for boston in the fall, and the health of beckett and drew will have a significant impact on the series. that said, theo did his best to fill those gaps, and with options like casey, kotsay, and crisp to plug holes here and there, the red sox should be set on offense. so it comes down to the pitching matchups. matsuzaka wins game 1, beckett goes 4-5 innings and gets a no-decision (to go with a paul byrd loss) in game 2, lester takes game 3, wakefield loses game 4, but matsuzaka comes back with a win in game 5, and lester (on short rest) and papelbon get the job done before the series can be stretched to seven. as much as i hate to agree with both d.r.w. and k.c.r, the arms don't lie. Red Sox in 6.

NLCS: was manny ramirez really hurt in boston? can players really put up his kind of numbers without performance enhancement? these are all the interesting questions that will be completely irrelevant when the phillies and the dodgers take the field. these two teams had impressive runs in the division series, although the phillies did have a blip loss to the brewers in game 3 that forced them into some extra action. what city of brotherly love fans can feel good about, however, is that pat burrell has his swing back. between him, howard, and utley, the middle of the philadelphia lineup is just scary. that's not even counting players like jimmy rollins and shane victorino. i don't care how good manny is - the phillies are on fire at the right time, to the point where they pretty much have the wild card fervor about them. (and we all know that wild cards have been far from shabby in the past decade.) hamels and blanton are ballers, moyer looks young again, and lidge - though a little shaky - is still perfect. as good as lowe, kuroda, and billingsley can be, they lost 31 games between them for a reason. myers drops game 2 at home, but the phillies surprise most of the sports world (and k.c.r. and d.r.w.) by finally getting back to the world series. Phillies in 5.

WORLD SERIES: red sox-phillies? meh. interesting, but i've seen better. you would think this would be a close series, but if we've learned anything from the past four years, when a team with the word "sox" in its name makes the playoffs, a sweep is in the making. who am i to bet against a 100% win percentage for the red and white sox in the final round since 2004? Red Sox in 4.

a video is worth a thousand words

on thursday night, the NHL kicks off the regular season in full force after a few international bouts to get fans going.

not excited? you've just forgotten what the game is all about. let this video bring back the good times - and get you ready for another sweet season.

So much for that

I don't quite understand what went down, but despite my excitement several weeks back about the Clippers signing Jason Williams, the guard has called it quits.

Thats right, after signing with the Clippers in August, Jason Williams, called "Clippers guard," despite never donning the red, white, and blue, has retired.

How and why does that happen?

Williams signed on August 7. I'm pretty sure he never started training with the team, but he decided to call it quits.

I was always a J-Will fan, ever since rumors back in the day of a deal with the Sacramento Kings that would have brought him to the Lakers. I'm talking like 1999.

He was always a fantastic passer and a great shooter, and as my post back in August indicates, I was excited to see him bring some of that flash to the Clippers.

Oh well, Baron Davis as the only point guard will have to do for the new look Clippers.

Next time, just retire first, Jason, don't get our hopes up.

he's got the brain to go with the brawn

the Boston Herald reported the other day that former crimson captain and current panthers defenseman noah welch agreed to donate his brain to medical science.

okay, okay, get all those jokes out of your system about dumb jocks. hardy har har.

but welch's move is actually very important. in a sport like ice hockey, players can sustain quite serious head injuries due to the physical nature of the sport. by studying the long-term impact of big hits on the brain, scientists, doctors, and engineers can do more to protect athletes - especially younger ones - from doing too much damage to themselves.

it certainly isn't easy to actually commit your organs to posterity - who hasn't had a brief nightmare of having their organs harvested while being still alive? - so welch should should be commended for his move, especially as he is the first hockey player who has agreed to pledge his brain to science. here's hoping that he'll able to convince his teammates and peers to sign on for the research as well.