Monday Night Game, Tigers-Twins Thoughts, and Other....

The past two evenings have given us some interesting and intense sporting events. Monday Night, we got Packers going into the Baggy Dome to play the Days of Our Favre Vikings. The next night, the Baggy Dome was at it again, this time, the Tigers and Twins in a thrilling extra inning play-in game to face the Godfather Yankees. Think Cable TV ratings have been decent the past couple of days? Here are some thought about both games, starting with the Monday Nighter.

- The Minnesota crowd was deafening. The Baggy Dome, along with the Superdome in New Orleans, are two of the biggest home field advantages once that crowd gets into play like that.

- Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski gushed about Brett Favre so much, I started thinking that they were the kid from Almost Famous that followed around Led Zeppelin. I was waiting for Gruden to scream out, "He touched this pen!!! Yes, he touched this pen!" Gruden and Jaws should be boarderline ashamed of themselves. That was not unbiased broadcasting, that was two groupies drooling over a guitarist.

- Favre all kidding aside, did play great. He did have some extra zip on those passes. The Vikings OLine was like The Great Wall of China. Favre had more time to throw than Obama has to get his Health Care plan through. After that first TD pass by Favre, and he jumped and pointed to the sky, scale of 1-10 on how big of a slap in the face to Packers fans was that?

- Speaking of OLines, as well as the Vikings OLine played, the exact opposite for the Pack. Aaron Rodgers played well, but got sacked eight times, and pressure even more. Jared Allen had 4.5 sacks. Allen basically put a tattoo on Rodger's body that said, "Property of J. Allen."

- If you are a pure football fan, that game you did get to see three of the best Cornerbacks in the game. The Vikings Antoine Winfield, and the Packers Chalres Woodsen and Al Harris. All three play press bump and run coverage just about every down, which is really a lost art in this league now.

- Woodsen and Harris have gotten alot of respect over the years, but I want to talk about Winfield. This guy up until last year, was one of the most overlooked players in football, right up there with MLB London Fletcher. Winfield is a physical CB that can cover any WR in the league, and tackles like a linebacker. There is not 5 better corners in the league today. If you think there is, leave a comment, and we can debate.

- Gruden is still blushing about the thought of calling that game and saying the name Brett Favre 47,612 times.

Now, the Tigers/Twins thoughts:

- The Baggy Dome was even louder for this game. I really do believe that the crowd almost willed the Twins in this game. When the Tigers were up 3-0, the crowd never stopped. Great fans.

- Jim Leyland put 20 year old, and SportsTown favorite Rick Porcello on ther mound with eveything on the line. Think about that for a second. I wrote a small article about how Porcello pitched in a big game a couple of weeks ago. He is now in a play-in game. The sick thing is, Porcello delivered... again. Most kids his age are delivering pizza, hes delivering a quality start in game 163. Porcello has the guts of a burgular, and Leyland has the stones of one for even starting him in this game.

- Magglio Ordonez is still a clutch hitter. Tigers did not lose the divison because of him. He was red hot the final two weeks of the season.

- I still think if the Tigers scored in the 12th, when Delmon Young threw the ball to 3rd to let Dan Kelly get to 2nd base, Ron Gardenhire would of turned into Simon Phoenix from Demolition Man, and performed a Murder-Death-Kill on Young for that stupidity.

- Leyland should get roasted for keeping an average closer, Fernando Rodney in for a 3rd inning. Closers are not made to throw 48 pitches Jimbo. That one is on you. Think about that over your 67th cigarette of the day.

- How funny is sports when a guy can go from the goat to the hero in less than an hour? Well, Twins infielder Alexis Casilla did just that. In the 10th inning, he got thrown out at home when he did not tag up properly, then got the game winning hit in the 12th. This is one of the million reasons I love baseball.

Other random thoughts before we go:

 My baseball playoff predictions for the first round:

Yankees over Twins in 3, Angels over Red Sox in 5, Phillies over Rockies in 4, Cardinals over Dodgers in 4.

I will say one thing though about the Yankees. They better win tonight at home, with CC on the mound. The Twins just played a grueling extra inning game for their playing lives, and now have to travel and play again in less than 20 hours?  No excuses for the Yankees today. I mean, we do not want Jorge Posada to have to choke a bitch right?

Sadly overlooked with the baseball game last night, was the best sports game of the night. Since half the country does not even get Versus, including Direct TV subscribers, I would say most people did not catch the Capitals-Flyers game. Well, you people missed out. That game is the perfect definition of why hockey can be awesome to watch. Flyers won 6-5 in OT.

Let me get this straight, Braylon Edwards decks a club owner that just happened to be Lebron James's friend, and two days later, Edwards is traded? I have about 15,000 one liners for this, but we will shrink them to five..
1. Edwards was traded to get into Witness Protection.

2. I hope Brandon Marshall was watching, all he has to do to get traded from Denver is to deck Carmelo Anthony.

3. Lebron James is the Godfather of Cleveland.

4. Edwards can come to NY, and deck Eddy Curry. He would be praised.

5. Im shocked Edwards caught the guy's face. First thing he has caught in two years.

Ricky Rubio, few tidbits........

I am starting to really feel sorry for the state of Minnesota. First, they had to watch the Twins accept 30 cents on the dollar for Johan Santana and lose Torii Hunter for nothing in the same offseason. Then, they have to deal with The Days of Our Favre soap opera and now have to fall into the trap that he is their savior. Now, they have to deal with the Ricky Rubio Saga. Here are some quotes from Rubio, and I will just play translator here:


"Going to Minnesota would have just complicated my life a lot. It was a risk and I didn't see it so clearly."

Translation: There is NO way I will play basketball in Minnesota!!!

"My Priority was the NBA and it was impossible for the Minnesota Timberwolves to pay my buyout clause, so I wanted to stay home." (By the way, which is BS, because T-Wolves GM David Khan has gone back and forth to Spain all summer to negotiate a buyout agreement, and actually was reported that he reached a deal. Also, this is the same franchise that got caught for pulling Used Car sales-under the table deals in the past. Joe Smith ring a bell? Yes, different GM, but same Owner.)

Translation: My priority is to get into a big basketball market (cough New York cough). A warm market if possible (cough LA cough).

"When the season ended, I entered the draft with the intention of going to the NBA. But some things happened that kept me from being ahead of the rest and I ended #5, which I was happy with, but it didn't allow me the chance to go to the NBA. I tried, but in the end it wasn't to be."

Translation: I thought I was going to be a Top 3 pick. I thought the Grizzles had a deal to move down since I told them there was no shot in hell I was going to go play for the Lakers AAA Team. I would already be in Oklahoma City, practicing tossing alley-oops to Kevin Durant in a gym if they picked me. Then, I was happy Minnesota took me with the 5th pick, because I thought they would trade me to New York. Lastly, they drafted Johnny Flynn as well, who is a faster, quicker, tougher, more NBA ready Point Guard than I am.

"They could only put a half a million into it, and I think that deal with Minnesota had too many obstacles." (Just see above. And Ricky? The 500k thing applied to every NBA team.)

"I won't lie. My objective has always been the NBA"

Translation: Although, my Internship at ESPN was solid this summer. Did you guys check me out interviewing the parents in the stands at the Little League World Series?

This can be spun in alot of directions, but two things are clear. one, Rubio never wanted to play in Minnesota. He is now pulling an elegant, more media friendly Steve Francis Power Play. Which, if you remember, was a drafted player telling a franchise that there was a better chance of Popeye being attracted to Bluto over Olive Oil, than he would ever put on their jeresy. And last, 18 year old kids do not know how to bullshit people yet. He just offically made his bed, I hope he can sleep in it.


Couple of more tidbits:

It never ceases to amaze me how sometimes people are sheep. The #1 selling NFL jeresy? Brett Farve. That is basically an $80 snotrag when Favre has one of his classic 23 Touchdown/19 Int seasons and leads the Vikings to a 7-9 record.

The 4th best selling jeresy? Michael Vick.... Nothing out of Philly would amaze me. Just tell me, does the Vick jeresy come with his Eagles number, or his prison process number?

Speaking of Philly, I think the Phillies are getting the A-Game from Cole Hamels just at the right time.

Big props to David Wright for coming back this season after being plunked in the peanut! But, did you see that new helmet he is wearing? Now, I am all for the safety precautious, but I dunno if he is playing baseball, or if he is at the Jetson's house flying around with Elroy.

And last, the one thing I learned from Pac Man Jones signing to play in the CFL, Winnipeg must have some high quality strip clubs.