Weekend Wrap Up Part I/Monday Night Selction

We will get the brunt of the Weekend Wrap-Up in after the exciting Titans-Texans game tonight. Before the rest of the weekend action, I want to talk about two sports journalist/personalities that made me really scratch my head this week.

The first being ESPN's newly crowned Stat-Nerd Keith Law, who was one of two people (the other being Will Carroll) to keep Cardinals Ace Chris Carpenter off his NL Cy Young ballot. The latter being NFL Network's Jamie Dukes.

Law, who is a really smart guy (*cough* Egghead *cough*), decided to vote for Braves pitcher Javier Vazquez on his ballot instead of Carpenter. Now, I understand someone offering a different opinion than others, but it is the way he expressed his decision is what really bothers me.

Law explained that there are certain sabermetric numbers, team defense, run support, luck (Yes, Law actually used the term luck),etc. that went into his decision. I agree with him in the most part about this. Those stats should be looked at. There is only one problem.

Law comes off as if these are the only things he looked at. Mr. Law? Did you even watch a baseball game this season? The numbers in baseball mean alot, but when pitcher's have similar stats, what you see with your own eyes factor in as well.

Carpenter and Wainwright, carried their teams into the playoffs with tremendous Post All-Star Break performances. Vazquez did do all he could to get the Braves into the postseason, but the eventual winner, Tim Lincecum, went 1-3 with a 3.60 ERA in September when his Giants still were alive for a playoff berth.

I read Keith Law's ESPN Chat that week, and he was barraged with questions over this. He came off arrogant about how he knows the numbers to base his opinion. That is fine, but if you are a voter for a specific baseball award, at least act like you watched these pitchers throw, instead of coming off like you just read a computer or a piece of paper with their numbers on it.

Yes, that is how you come off Mr. Law. The way you argued your stance, you come off in two ways. One, that you are just trying to be different, just to be different. Second, that you made this vote just to prove that the sabermetric (WAR, etc.)numbers mean more than what a person sees.

That is not the case. It is a combination of everything put together. Next time you make a vote like that and you need to argue your stance, use all the angles, because this time, you just sound like a Fantasy Baseball nerd that wanted to make a point.

And I will spare Rob Neyer from ESPN, that tried to defend Law's voting. I will eventually get to that stiff one day, but I have another beef.

That beef is with NFL Network's Jamie Dukes.

Before I make my point, how did this guy get that cushy job? Does he have incriminating photos of the Network President and Rich Eisen doing the nasty? It really is baffling.

Yesterday, around 4pm, I am flipping between the games and the NFL Network. The announcing crew, Dukes, along with Tom Waddell and Fran Charles, were in the midst of talking about the Redskins-Cowboys game when Dukes made this outrageous statement. (Do not remember it literal, but I will try my best.)

That even if the Cowboys win the Super Bowl, they made the wrong move with Terrell Owens....

Um, what?

This is not the first time Dukes has mentioned this situation with the Cowboys and TO. When Fran Charles decided to take the stance that the Cowboys are better off without TO, Dukes, as unprofessional as they get could not even look into the camera and argued his point like he was about to get into a barfight with someone and did not want to look them in the eye.

This is the best the NFL Network can do? Jamie Dukes is, at best, below average as an analyst. Even Tom Waddell is a stiff, but at least he a professional stiff. This leads me to believe that Dukes has some serious dirt on someone in the higher up to actually have that job. My 14 year old cousin that does not follow football can do a better, more professional job than that crying stiff.

Hey, Mr. Dukes? You should read this blog and not get angry over the truth I mentioned about you, but you should listen to what I have to say and perhaps fix what you do wrong on television.

It is obvious that you will not be fired anytime soon, might as well do your gift job correctly.


Now, onto tonight's game....

The first time the Titans and Texans played this year, it was a complete shootout. The Texans could not stop Chris Johnson, and the Titans could not stop anything about the Texans offense.

I expect some more of the same, but the Titans defense has stiffened up a bit. Steve Slaton will have a hard time running the ball, so it will be up to Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson to provide an aerial attack that Afganistan would be freightened over.

The Texans will not be able to stop Chris Johnson. He will get his 125 yards and 2 Touchdowns. They have to makes sure that Johnson does not break those 60 yard runs. Big test for the Texans defense, who has played very well the past month.

Houston needs this game, and somehow pulls it out....

Houston Texans 34, Tennessee Titans 27

(Fun Fact. I actually am in a Fantasy Football league that I am down 49 points going into tonight, with Chris Johnson and Andre Johnson left for me. I am not worried one bit that I will lose. That is sick!)

Weekend Wrap-Up

I just got finished watching the Chicago-Green Bay game. Damn I am happy that the NFL is back. Waking up in the morning, getting your bagel and coffee, with the Sunday newspapers, (Yes, I still read stories print on paper with ink. I still live in the stone-age, and I love it.), waiting in anticipitation of the Pre-Game shows. Seriously, does all these Pre-Game shows needs 5+ people at the studio desk? With another 5-10 reporters in studio/on the sidelines of the games showing their faces as well. It is overkill people, especially by ESPN. There is no need to have that many in-studio. Just finally tell the Godfather of ESPN, Chris Berman, and his sidekick Tom Jackson that it is time to retire.

Back to the Chicago-Green Bay game. Was it just me, or did Jay Cutler look an awfully like Kyle Orton, or perhaps even worse, Rex Grossman? I saw Cutler throw into triple coverage about 5 times off the top of my head. Hey Jay, you do not have Brandon Marshall anymore that can outjump everyone. Time to learn how to play the QB position.

By the way, that game winning touchdown by Greg Jennings and Aaron Rodgers? To quote the best sports analyst in the world, Bill Rafftery, that playcall took "Onions!!!". 3rd and 1 with less than two minutes left, and you pull the change up on the Bears and hit the bomb. Way to be gutsy.

Speaking of onions, how about the Redskins? Down 17-0 at Giants Stadium, just before halftime, the Skins line up for a chip shot FG, and they pull a successful fake, and put 6 on the board instead, when their Punter ran it in. Thats not just "Onions", thats a "Double Order!".

If this is how the Jets plan to play all season, they are going to be dangerous. That defense was more intimidating than realizing you are about to get into a barfight with Kimbo Slice. The defense smothered a very good Texans offense, especially Andre Johnson, who needed to call a locksmith after the game to pry CB Darrelle Revis off of him.

New York's new Prince, Mark Sanchez looked pretty good yesterday, pret-ty, pret-ty good. Who said a rookie starting QB needs time to learn?

Well, if you watched the track meet that was the Saints-Lions game, the 40 Million Dollar Man, Matthew Stafford looked like a deer in the headlights, tossing up 3 freebies. Hey Stafford, wait until you have a real defense. You're in trouble! At least Stafford was not the worst QB of the day...

That would be Carolina's Jake Delhomme, who seems like he went colorblind or something along those lines. Jake, you do realize that you throw the ball to the guys that wear the same uniform you do right??

Great win by San Francisco going into Arizona and getting the job done. Yes, I want to pat my own back, awesome call on the upset here!

Memo to Michael Crabtree. This team does not need you. You need them much more. They are the ones that will make you a millionare. The 49ers will make you more money in endorsements deals of basically being the next Jerry Rice. You need them, because if you are that big of a moron, you will become Mike Williams.

Remember Mike Williams? He was the last great college football WR, that was tall, fast, and physical at USC. He did not play for a whole year and what happened? He got lazy, gained weight, lost a step or two, dropped from being an automatic top 3 pick, to #10. I believe he is out of the league now. Put the ink on the paper Crabtree.

In tonights two games, I will not even waste both of our times trying to analyze them. The Pats and Chargers are going to bury the Bills and Raiders. Both games will be like the 1992 Dream Team playing against a CYO 7th Grade team from Syosset, Long Island. Lights out. Pats 44, Bills 13 and Chargers 38, Raiders 10.

Now, onto a few non-football things:

When the hell did Pedro Martinez start hitting 92 mph again, let alone in the 7th inning? It is amazing what the chemicals will do for you huh...

I do not want to hear another person preach to me that anyone, other than Zach Greinke or Felix Hernandez can win the AL CY Award. No, Justin Verlander cannot, neither could CC Sabathia. I also do not want to hear another Yankee fan mention that Mariano Rivera should win it, because there is no clear winner and it would be like a lifetime achievement thing. The two guys I mention have ERA's over a run lower than 97% of the pitchers. It is one of them, otherwise we know that the voting is more rigged than a Trotter's horse race.

I really thought I would be smashing Serena Williams to death after the stunt she pulled the other night at the US Open, but then what Kayne West pulled took the cake.

What Kayne West did was classless. If he really had a problem with the outcome of a certain award, all he had to do was wait until after the show, and announce to the hundreds of media whores that hound every single any celebrity spews out of their mouths, and he would've been just some guy voicing his opinion. What you did was ruin a young girl's moment in the sun.

Kayne West just showed his true colors, and that is that he is a classless thug. Sick thing is, no one is loving this more than Jay Leno, since he has Kayne on his opening night.

Let me make this clear though Serena. You are not off the hook for threatening a judge, then lying that you did not, when hundreds in the stands heard you with no problems whatsoever. Serena should be suspended, because that slap on the wrist 10k fine was babyfood. Worst part about this, Serena could not acknowledge that she was at fault at all, and had to downplay losing to Kim Clisters. Just suck it up and admit that you got your ass whooped by a housewife on the comeback trail.