So Bill Parcells made his first big draft splash as the [Miami Dolphins GM this week.  The team announced they have agreed to terms with Jake Long, LT Michigan, making him the highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL.  I can’t say I’m that surprised.

You didn’t really think Bill Parcells was gonna pick a hot shot Running Back or Wide Receiver did you?  The man knows how to build a franchise, and it’s from the inside out.  If you watched any of the games in Miami last year, you saw quarterbacks running for their lives.

There’s a reason Ronnie Brown was 2nd on the team in receptions last year and he only played in 7 games.  Well there’s 2, one being the best other option was Marty Booker.  But all that aside, it’s because the QB was running for his life roughly 0.7 seconds after receiving the ball.

Also, the Dolphins went for the “skill players” last year in the form of Ted Ginn Jr. and John Beck, and how’s that working out for them.  Parcells isn’t going to take a punt returner 9th overall.  QB’s and RB’s are a crapshoot in the 1st round just like the 6th round so why would you pay $30 million for one.  The pressure on an OT will be exponentially less.  There’s also that small fact that he makes life easier for the guys next to him, and behind him.

The NFL moves in cycles and the Dolphins are definitely on the way up.  Watch out for them in 3 years, when they will be a wild card contender.

Technorati Tags: Bill Parcells, [Miami Dolphins

We enjoyed you while it lasted.  Your endzone dances, electrifying interviews, trash talk, and cultural references always made headlines.  Not only did you do it a lot, but you seemed to do it with class, never really causing any problems and always having fun.

Now it’s over.  You’ve T.O.’ed us.  Your new end zone dance is kicking and screaming with your fingers in your ears begging for a trade.  I guess it could only last so long.  You are, after all, Keyshawn’s cousin.

Where will you go now?  The Bengals had the offense for you and Carson Palmer throws a great ball.  The Philadelphia Eagles run a west coast offense, that isn’t going to work for you.  The Redskins, Ravens, Chargers, and Packers have no QB.  What about teams that actually win?  The Colts, Patriots, and Giants don’t need any receivers.  No good can come of this situation.

It was a good career while it lasted Chad Johnson, we’ll miss you.

Technorati Tags: Bengals, Carson Palmer, Philadelphia Eagles, Redskins, Chad Johnson

Welcome Home.

The slogan for Nationals Park makes me smile every time.  And home is a great way to describe it.  I attended my first game tonight and despite the 45 degree temperature, I enjoyed myself.

My first wow, came when I got off the metro.  I had heard the horrible predictions about getting to the stadium;  the metro station is too small, there’s no parking, it’s a walk through a rough neighborhood, traffic will be horrible, etc.  We got to the game with 30 minutes to spare which is peak arrival time.  The metro was crowded, but not so bad that we couldn’t find a seat.  The station was run very well with Metro officials directing everyone where to go with no stopping.

When exiting the station, we could see the park no more than 2 blocks away.  The neighborhood was fine, lined with street vendors and guys who “need tickets”.  I felt completely safe and comfortable.  We were greeted by the Budweiser Clydesdale’s at the park entrance and beyond them was a beautiful site, the wide open patio-like entrance to the Center Field area of the park.

The staff inside welcomed everyone and there was no line to get through ticketing.  The Red Porch is straight ahead, a restaurant/bar with great views from center field.  To the left was the arcade.  It was lined with Guitar Hero on the left wall, Karaoke on the back wall, and MLB 2k8 on the right wall.  Beyond that, the batting cage where you can virtually hit your favorite Nats pitcher.

Taking a lap around the main level brings you by cleverly named concession stands like “Slicing down the line” and “Frozen Rope” as well as some DC favorites like Red, Hot, and Blue and Ben’s Chili Bowl.  The lines weren’t bad and the food is a bit pricey, but that’s expected.

We sat on the first base line, lower level, in right field and had a great view.  There isn’t a bad seat in the park.  The “nosebleeds” have breathtaking views of the monuments, the outfield seats have great views of the bullpen or a chance to catch a home run which you didn’t get in RFK, and the seats are just generally closer to the field.

My favorite feature is the new high-definition big screen in right field.  It’s as clear as an iMAX movie and the sound is even better.  Whether it’s the kiss cam or the MC interviewing Joe Blow for a trivia contest, your focus keeps going back to it.

The beer guys are all over the place for those who like to partake in some spirits while peanuts, cracker jacks, and chips are on every vendor’s hip.  If they don’t have what you want, concessions line the main walk with a lot of variety.

When we left, the staff was waiting at the gates to wish us well until next time and I can’t wait to see them again.

Welcome home indeed.

Technorati Tags: Nationals Park

Fantasy football is my wheelhouse.  It’s what I know best, it’s what I do best in fantasyland.  That being said, I do need something to do while football is not being played and because I can’t really find any NFL Europe or Arena fantasy leagues worth a flying tube sock, fantasy baseball will have to do.

The problem with fantasy baseball is my stinkyness (probably not a word).  It’s not that I don’t research, don’t know the players, don’t know about baseball, it’s just that I stink.  Once I find a reason for said stinkyness (still don’t think it’s a word) I may start to enjoy the game, but until then I just check the Interwebs (also not a word) every day and watch my team plummet to the bottom of existence.

My first problem this year?  Alfonso Soriano.  Right now I would pay a large amount of money to hit him in the face with a shoe.  I drafted ‘the fonz’ in the 2nd round of our draft, thinking I got a bargain for a power hitter with some speed mixed in.  Not so much.  Through 4 games this year, he’s a sweet 1-27.  After his 0-9 start in the first two games, Lou Piniella had the great idea of moving him to the leadoff spot.  When I think leadoff, I think 0-9 and 1-27.  Soriano obviously responded well, crushing his only hit of the year in the next game and then promptly stinking again, he hasn’t hit since.

Today, the Chicago Cubs scored 9 runs with no help at all from Captain McNohits.  How does a team score 9 runs with their leadoff man hitless?  Leave it to my 2nd pick, now batting a red hot .037.  That’s a tough hole to come out of.

I offered Soriano to another owner in my league for some goat cheese and he wanted no part of the deal.  Granted, that particular owner has a thing for California style pizza, but you get the idea.  My team will not succeed this year without Soriano playing like a … well … baseball player.

Fonzie, if you’re reading this I challenge you to stop the parade of craptasticness you lead every day and hit an effin’ baseball, for the love of the Rusty Infield Rakes.

Technorati Tags: Fantasy football, NFL, fantasy baseball, Alfonso Soriano

My hometown division has always been the NL East and this year it looks to be one of the most competitive races in baseball. The upstart Braves, the 3-headed Phillies, and the very expensive Mets will be factors both in the division and the NL wild card. The Nationals and Marlins will be factors with … well … the Nationals and Marlins.

#1) New York Mets - For some reason, no one’s got the Metropolitans this year. Everyone is going with the trendy Braves or defending champ Phillies. It’s like we need a reminder that it took the biggest collapse in Major League history to knock the Mets out of the playoffs last year. I don’t think they’ll break their record this year. Especially when every 5th day they have someone I like to call Johan Santana on the hill. I drink his bathwater by the way. The lineup is stacked, the pitching is better, and the Mets have a bad taste in their mouths from 2007. (98-64)

#2) Philadelphia Phillies - Utley, Rollins, and Howard might be the most formidable threesome in baseball (mainly cause Wilt Chamberlain isn’t involved with the sport). The question with the Phillies is their pitching. Brett Myers is surrounded with questions, Cole Hamels is a stud but still young, Jamie Moyer is 90, Adam Eaton gets hurt more than ‘Glass Joe’, and this will be Kyle Kendrick’s first full season in the majors, maybe. Add international superstar Tom Gordon and Brad “I love watching people hit the ball far when I pitch” Lidge and who knows what you get. They’ll still be good, but not Mets good. (93-69)

#3) Atlanta Braves - I just don’t see how these guys are better than the Mets and the Phillies. I’ve seen analysts pick them over and over again but I’m just not buying it. Tom Glavine comes back to finish his career well past his prime and Smoltzy’s in the same boat. Chipper, Bobby Cox, Mike Hampton, Glavine, and Smoltz both bring a sense of urgency to a team that is in somewhat of a rebuild. It doesn’t seem like a win now team, but they will have some great stretches this year and at least challenge for the division. (88-74)

#4) Florida Marlins - Trading away Miguel Cabrera cut the level of excitement on this team in half, the other half being Hanley Ramirez. The Marlins have been an all or nothing team in their short history, and this is definitely a nothing year. Attendance won’t be getting any better this year in south Florida as the Marlins continue to rebuild. Just let me know when Hanley is at the plate, I’ll be napping in my blue recliner until then. (76-86)

#5) Washington Nationals - The Nats are my hometown team, and let me first say that I’m psyched about the new stadium. Let me also say that’s where the ‘psychedness’ ends. While they seem to be headed in the right direction, Manny Acta’s team is a few years away from competing for anything. They have some guys to build around in Ryan Zimmerman, Lastings Milledge, and Elijah Dukes but they’ll need some help other than the likes of Christian Guzman and Odalis Perez (their opening day starter - *shudder*). I like where this team is going, but not where they are right now. (74-88)

Sox and Yanks. It’s best rivalry in sports and the only national rivalry that exists in baseball. There are bars in out in Colorado for Pete’s sake dedicated to these particular matchups. The problems with this division are the Orioles and Rays (should still be Devil Rays), who are absolutely awful.

1. #1) Boston Red Sox - The defending champs look strong again in ‘08. Manny and Big Poppy provide the best 1-2 punch in the bigs, especially in the clutch. The rotation was hurt when Curt Schilling went down for the year, but Bartolo Colon should pick up the slack. Young guns Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester should have good years and help with the success in Fenway. (101-61)
2. #2) Toronto Blue Jays - That’s right, not the Yankees. The race for 2nd place will be tight but the Blue Jays have solid pitching with Roy Halladay, Dustin McGowan, and A.J. Burnett and the Bronx Bombers don’t. They’ve finished 3rd in the East 8 out of the last 10 years but this year they break through. David Eckstein, Scott Rolen, and Marco Scutaro join the infield this year with loads of potential. Watch out BoSox, Toronto is here to play. (85-77)
3. #3) New York Yankees - Let me first say that I love Hank Steinbrenner and his crazy antics. What I don’t love is the Yankees pitching. They will be a good team with flashes of brilliance, but their ace right now is Chien-Ming Wang. He’s great, it’s the other guys that worry me. Andy Pettite (without the juice), Phil Hughes, Mike Mussina, and Ian Kennedy round out the rotation and who knows what to expect. This means ups and downs for the pinstripes and LOTS of back page attention. (83-79)
4. #4) - Tampa Bay Rays - Surprisingly, this team seems headed in the right direction. Scott Kazmir, their ace, is the youngest AL strikeout champion ever at the ripe young age of 23. James Shields is another stud pitcher, who I think may have a better year than Kazmir and Matt Garza joins the rotation from the Twins, along with his 2.49 e.r.a. The lineup is strong featuring Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton, and Carlos Pena with even more young upside joining them. They aren’t close to the playoffs, but things are finally looking up in Tampa. (75-87)
5. #5) Baltimore Orioles - Take all the positives I said about Tampa and reverse them. What do you get? The Orioles. They’re a grease fire folks, and will burn again this year. When I think of ways to make a team better, those ways don’t include trading Erik Bedard and Miguel Tejada for Matt Albers and his minor league garage band. Sure it’s a long term process, which may pay off in the future, but not this year. This could get ugly, again. (60-102)

So below is my Vegas skydiving video. Check out the cheeks on me!  I would definitely do this again.

One of my favorite divisions, the AL Central, has always seemed like that underdog division of mid-majors fiercely competing against one another but not quite at the level of the Sox and Yanks. The small market Indians and Twins combined with the traditionally-bad-until-recently-Tigers make this one of the most competitive divisions in the game. How’s it gonna turn out?  I’m glad you asked, or at least that I asked.

#1 - Detroit Tigers - Not exactly the consensus pick, the Tigers will need to improve substantially if they are winning this division. They’re aggressive off-season will allow them to do just that. Gary Sheffield comes back healthy and is now joined by Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis, Jacque Jones, and Edgar Renteria, giving the Tigers a 7 All-Star lineup. Except for Willis, the pitching staff remains the same but will step up this year after the disappointing finish in 2007. (98-64)

#2 - Cleveland Indians - What a race this will be. The Indians’ rebuilding project finally paid off in 2007 which landed them in the playoffs with a 96-66 record. They had the best E.R.A in the American League last year, led by C.C. Sabathia’s Cy Young performance. Fausto Carmona had a breakout season and the bullpen answered when called upon. The offense will only be better this year considering they only had one .300+ hitter. Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner should have huge seasons.   (91-71)

#3 - Minnesota Twins - The departure of Johan Santana indicates the Twins might be ready to take a step back in their World Series hopes.  Also gone are Torii Hunter, Carlos Silva and the rest of the 2007 pitching staff with the exception of Boof Bonser.  This combined with the fact that Minnesota scored the third fewest runs in the AL last year doesn’t translate to goodness.  It’s rebuilding time which means a mediocre season at best.  (80-82)

#4 - Chicago White Sox - What happened to the Southside Sluggers in the last few years?  Three years ago they were World Series Champions and dancing to some epic ‘Journey’ at their parade, and now they are coming off a 72-90 record.  No signs of improvement this year, unless you consider Carlos Quentin and Nick Swisher improvements.  The worst offense in the AL will again suffer and be just as painful to watch.  At least we’ll get to hear Ozzie Guillen swear a lot.  (73-89)

#5 - Kansas City Royals - How can anyone still be a baseball fan in Kansas City.  It’s a shame what happens to small market teams in MLB’s system.  At any rate the Royals stink AGAIN and will finish last AGAIN. Enough Royal talk.

The most volatile division in baseball is in the country’s breadbasket, the National League Central. Through the past few years we’ve seen a combination of the Cubs, Astros, and Cardinals at the top. Granted, the bottom of the division hasn’t done much to plunge themselves out of the toilet, and I don’t see Pittsburgh having a good team for years to come, but the rivalries between the big 3 here make up for it, specifically the Cubs/Cardinals battles.

1. #1 - Chicago Cubs - That’s right folks, the curse of Bartman be gone! The Cubs have moved past the days of depending on Wood and Prior and into the days of Zambrano and Lilly. No more Sammy and a lot more Alfonso. These Cubs has a huge second half last year and it will continue into 2008. Look for breakout years for Ryan Theriot and Rich Hill as the Cubs handily win this division. (92-70)
2. #2 - Milwaukee Brewers - The ‘Brew Crew’ is clearly on the upswing, and they have a really cool team name. That’s like a middle-aged guys softball team name or something. Anyhoo, they posted their first winning season since 1992 last year mostly led by Prince Fielder’s 50 HR’s. Ryan Braun, Corey Hart, and J.J. Hardy also had great seasons giving the Brewers 231 team dingers. Their pitching was the problem, leaving them 2 games out of the playoffs. Annual ace Ben Sheets had health problems and the rest of the staff underperformed for a disappointing finish. Look for another strong year from the Brewers as their young talent gets even better. (86-75)
3. #3 - Houston Astros - 2007 marked the first losing season in Houston since 2000. That’s coming off a World Series appearance two years before. Houston is on the fence right now. They can either bounce back from last year and remain a contender or continue in their downward spiral towards a complete rebuild. Brining in Miguel Tejada says that they aren’t quite ready to give up yet. The lineup will also include Kaz Matsui (anal fizzures and all), Ty Wigginton, and Michael Bourn. The pitching staff looks very similar to 2007 with Roy Oswalt and Brandon Backe as anchors. Houston will bounce back this year behind a solid offense. (83-79)
4. #4 - St. Louis Cardinals - Only 2 years removed from a championship, the Cardinals are in the same position as the Astros this year. There’s an interesting mix of young talent and older veterans on this squad indicating some indecision on where to go with the franchise. Ace Chris Carpenter is still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and may be out until June, so Adam Wainwright will be leading this staff along with Mark Mulder, Braden Looper, and Joel Pineiro. The offense won’t be the same with Albert Pujols’s torn elbow ligament, which he won’t operate on until it “blows out”(he still managed .327 and 32 HR’s with the injury last year). However, it’s a solid offense overall and should produce. (81-81)
5. #5 - Cincinnati Reds - Pop quiz, who was the manager of the Reds last year? Does anyone even care? There hasn’t been much to get excited about in Cincy since ‘Ocho Cinco’ was putting the football around the end zone. Now Dusty Baker comes to Ohio, and he’s a great manager, but what can he really do with this level of talent? The only reason I have them in 5th instead of 6th is because they aren’t the Pirates, who stink. Brandon Phillips is a gamer who brings the whole package. It’s just a shame the only championships he’ll be winning will be of the fantasy variety. The pitching staff is ‘eh’, the offense is ‘eh’, and I’ve spent more time on the Reds than I care to already. (69-83)
6. #6 - Pittsburgh Pirates - There’s a few reasons I have the Pirates last here. The main one is the fact that they are indeed the Pirates. They were under .500 for the 15th straight season last year, and this year John Russell is managing the team. He was great as Marshal Dan Troop in ABC’s Lawman back in the 50’s but I’m not sure how that translates to managing a baseball team. Bottom line, the Pirates stink and all the Nate McLouth’s in the world can’t change that. (65-97)

Technorati Tags: National League, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates

We start our preview of the anointed American League out west.  It looks to be the easiest race to call.  Long gone are the days when two American League teams came from here and back are the days of east coast dominance.

#1 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - Sure the name is stupid and a pain in the tookus to say, but they are the favorite by default here.  The Disney-owned club has more wins than any other AL team outside of New York and Boston in the last 5 years.  They’ve turned into a solid ballclub as their divisional rivals have begun rebuilding.  The addition of Jon Garland is already proving to be huge with injuries to John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar, both likely out until mid-May.  Finally, Torii Hunter joins the powerful outfield in Anaheim to try and add some more runs this year.  (97-65)

#2 - Seattle Mariners - The ‘M’s’ surprised some folks in 2007 with 88 wins even though they scored fewer total runs on the season than they allowed.  They had some major offseason additions in their rotation with Erik Bedard and Carlos Silva, while losing Jeff Weaver and Horacio Ramirez.  That’s two big upgrades.  Also, the solid Jose Vidro comes to town to bat DH, where he may be able to stay healthy.  I don’t see 88 wins coming out of Seattle this year, but they’ll be close.  (84-78)

#3 - Oakland Athletics - The tightest race in this division will be the battle for the cellar.  The A’s have been going in the wrong direction for the last year and a half and may hit rock bottom in 2008.  Gone are Barry Zito, Tim Hudson, Frank Thomas, Jason Kendall, Milton Bradley, Esteban Loaiza, Nick Swisher, and Dan Haren and in comes Kurt Suzuki, Daric Barton, Mark Ellis, Travis Buck, and Chris Denorfia.  Isn’t that the guy from Family Ties?  It’s gone real bad if fans in Oakland are waiting for football season.  (68-94)

#4 - Texas Rangers - See everything I said about Oakland.  Apply it to the Rangers and just change the names of new guys to Ben Broussard, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and such.  Not only does there offense now stink, but the guy who was second on the team in wins last year was Joaquin Benoit, a reliever.  Look for a heated battle for the bottom out west this year in Arlington.  (67-85)

Technorati Tags: American League, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers