MLB Predictions

Just realized I hadn't put my MLB predictions down on paper as of yet. I am really looking forward to this season. Got my MLB.tv package again this year. I think this season will be one of the better ones in recent memory as far as competitive balance is concerned. Check out my over/unders too.

AL East
I really could see Toronto, New York, Boston and Tampa all win 85 games this year. Of course that means that Baltimore probably loses a 100 games this year. The Red Sox are obviously the cream of the crop and should come out on top at the end. Manny and Papi in the middle of the lineup is just too much for pretty much anyone to handle. I really expect the Jays to be very good this year. I really like their pitching and hopefully they can stay healthy. The lineup should score a lot of runs with Rios having a breakout year and announcing his arrival on the big stage. I expect Vernon Wells to have a really solid comeback year. My choice for AL Comeback player of the Year. Wouldn't surprise me if they are the Wild card team this year but with this division being so deep I'm pretty sure the Wild card comes out of another division. I have a lot of questions about the Yankees. The pitching would really worry me if I was a Yankee fan. What kind of inning limits are Hughes and Kennedy on? Can Mussina bounce back? How will Pettite handle steroid talks over the summer as the Clemens story develops? Who builds the bridge to Chamberlain and Rivera? A-Rod should have a monster year. A season of 55+ HRs wouldn't surprise me one bit. I like Tampa's lineup. Pitching is obviously a concern. I like the signing of Percival. How early do we see Price called up? Saw his stuff in the spring and I'm surprised he's not up on the roster already.

Red Sox
Blue Jays
Yankees
Rays
Orioles

AL Central
Even with their awful start I will stick to my original pick of the Tigers winning the Central. I'm not just doing it out of the principle either. That lineup is just too good. They will score a ridiculous amount of runs this year and should feast on AL pitching staffs all year. I really don't think Cleveland is that good. Twins somehow or another pull it off every year. Really pulling for Liriano this year. Wouldn't surprise me if Gomez won Rookie of the Year. I don't what to think of the White Sox. Their lineup doesn't impress me one bit.....and the pitching staff isn't much to write home about. The Royals? What else is there to say. One of these years they might do something. I love their pitching but don't see them scoring anywhere enough runs to matter.

Tigers
Twins
Indians
Royals
White Sox

AL West
It is the Angels division to lose. I like the Hunter signing but am still scratching my head over the Matthews contract from last year. I love the pitching staff even with the injuries. As an Angels fan I really want to see what Adenhart and Wood can bring to the table this year. Contract year for K-Rod so hoping he comes through. I wouldn't be surprised if he's pitching elsewhere though. The Mariners bullpen is just filthy. I like their starting pitching....but where exactly are they going for offense? The A's are rebuilding....again. Only thing that matters with the A's is...where does Blanton end up at the deadline? The Rangers have had some horrible pitching staffs over the years but this year's group is just horrible. Their lineup is pretty bad too. Millwood probably gets traded at the deadline.

Angels
Mariners
Atheletics
Rangers

NL East
I think this is the Mets division to lose. The Pedro injury doesn't bother me. His arm seems to be fine. The Mets should let him come back mid June/early July and keep his arm fresh. I have questions about the Mets lineup but I expect Reyes to have a great year. There is no way we see a repeat of the 2nd half with him. Even with Pedro hurt the Mets have the best pitching staff in the league. Perez is going to get himself a really nice contract somewhere next year. Is Delgado finished? I don't understand how some of the experts are picking the Braves here. What exactly do they see with this team? I love the Phillies lineup but the pitching staff would bother me if I was a Phillies fan. Which Lidge will we see? Is Tom Gordon really the setup guy here? What's the over/under on the amount of big games he blows for them? I like the trades that Nationals made in the offseason. I think Milledge is going to be a very good player for them for a long time to come. This is a lineup with some potential when healthy (Do they trade Nick Johnson somewhere at the deadline?)but the pitching is just awful. The Marlins? What is it....a $16 million payroll? Wow. What a joke. Someone strip this franchise from Loria.

Mets
Phillies
Nationals
Braves
Marlins

NL Central
Love the Cubs. Although I have questions about the lineup I think the pitching is strong enough that they should carry this division. Can Wood stay healthy? Hopefully their ownership saga can be resolved soon as this team could be a player at the deadline. It's been a 100 years since they won it all. I love the Reds as the Wild card team coming out of the NL. I think that lineup as long as it stays healthy will score a lot of runs and the pitching staff is good enough to keep them in it in the NL. The Cardinals and Brewers are just awful. The Pirates pitching staff I like but that lineup is awful and it'll only get worse once they ship Nady off to a contender

Cubs
Reds
Brewers
Pirates
Cardinals

NL West
If the bullpen can hold it for them this is one of top 3 pitching staffs in all of baseball. What can they get out of Randy Johnson? Webb and Haren will be a handful for anyone in the playoffs to open up a series. The lineup is really young but it should score more then enough runs for that pitching staff. The Giants are just awful . Barry Zito needs a change of scenery. I don't believe he's forgotten how to pitch. How much of the contract are they willing to eat up in order to ship him somewhere. I love Lincecum and really like Cain. Too bad none of the big 3 will get anywhere close to the run support you'd expect in the big leagues. This just maybe the worst lineup I have ever seen any team have. Dodgers are a borderline playoff team. If they were in the Central I'd have them be a lock for the playoffs. Torre obviously gives them a lot of credibility. Lineup is good enough....does the pitching hold up? I love the Rockies lineup but the pitching really worries me. Don't expect a repeat of last year. Padres are right up there with the Dodgers. Another team where I wouldn't be surprised if they were in the playoffs but with the Dodgers and the D-Backs they'll be beating each other up all year long.

Diamondbacks
Padres
Dodgers
Rockies
Giants

Playoffs

Divisional Series
Red Sox over Mariners
Tigers over Angels
Mets over Reds
Cubs over Diamondbacks

League Championship Series
Red Sox over Tigers
Mets over Cubs

World Series
Mets over Red Sox

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Jeff Weaver Finds Himself A Home

Who says Scott Boras has lost it? Sure, he bombed out the Alex Rodriguez negotiations, and he ended up putting Kyle Lohse, the supposed top free agent pitching name, in St. Louis at an extreme discount.

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I'm actually a Jeff Weaver fan (don't ask me why). It's a shame that all that potential hasn't produced much results other then his 2002 with Detroit before the trade to the Yankees and those few weeks in St. Louis.

Leaf's San Diego failure had ripple effect

If Ryan Leaf had performed to expectations, the careers of quarterbacks Drew Brees, Michael Vick, Eli Manning and Philip Rivers could have started quite differently.

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Read this really good piece on ESPN today. Can't believe it has been 10 years since that draft.

Workers dig to rid new Yanks stadium of Red Sox Jersey

It took about five hours, but the Red Sox jersey that was embedded in the concrete of the Yankees' new stadium to place a curse on the New York franchise has been unearthed with jackhammers, according to a published report. Earlier this week, a construction worker who is a Boston fan working on the concrete crew...

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So someone in the Yankee organization was actually worried about this shirt? Funny thing is that Ortiz is off to one slow start this year.

CREW SABOTEUR BURIED RED SOX GEAR UNDER NEW YANKEE STADIUM

A devilish Boston fan working on a concrete crew at the $1.3 billion stadium covertly buried a Red Sox T-shirt under what will become the visiting team's locker room to jinx the Yanks

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You really can't make this stuff up.

"A tradition unlike any other"

In a year when many are picking him to win the Grand Slam Tiger Woods began his quest with an even par 72 today in the first round. Who are you guys rooting for? Ever since Duval dropped off the map I've continued to be a big fan of the two lefties, Mickelson and Weir. When all is said and done this weekend I think Mickelson walks away with the Green Jacket.

As good as Tigers has been this year there is no way I can pick him to win the Grand Slam. The competition today is just too deep. I can actually see a scenario where he wins none of the 4 major championships this year. The fields seem to get deeper every year. Ogilvy is playing really well right now. Goosen has putted really well the past couple of tournaments. As much as I despise him Vijay is always a threat. Want a long shot? How about Aaron Baddeley, arguably one of the best putters on the tour. People have been talking about Justin Rose for a couple of years and even though he really hasn't made much noise he was the only guy not named Tiger to finish in the Top 12 at all 4 events last year. Weir has won here. Couples is always a threat here. Weir and Zach Johnson have won in the past few years. I haven't even begun to talk about the other 3 events yet.

I love the Masters. There always seems to be guys up on the leader board that usually don't play much of a factor elsewhere. Mark O'Meara is 3 off the lead after one round. I can't believe it was 10 years ago when he beat out one of my all time favorites (David Duval) to win the Green Jacket. Of course most people remember that Masters more for Jack Nicklaus finishing tied for 6th shooting 2 strokes better then Tiger.

Leaderboard

Bill Buckner throws out first pitch at Fenway Park

Loud cheers and a long ovation greeted Buckner, who occasionally dabbed at his eyes as he walked to the mound to throw out the first pitch. Former Red Sox outfielder Dwight Evans caught his throw from the mound.

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That is from the ESPN.com story. This is something that I wanted to see happen opening day 2005 but Buckner wouldn't do it then. I have to go check this out on mlb.tv as soon as the archive for the game is up. For so long Buckner was one of the faces of the "curse". That is quiet a burden on anyone and his anger at the Red Sox fans was somewhat understandable. So today he decided to forget all that and make his first trip to Fenway since '97 when he was a coach with the White Sox. Will Steve Bartman get his day in Chicago one day?

Yankees’ Matsui gets married, pulls fast one on teammates

Seems like Jeter and Abreu owe Matsui some $$

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Why I'm not worried about the Raptors

With the recent slide the Raptors have been on I've been asked on more then one occasion whether I'd like to retract my pre-season prediction about the Raptors. My response?No. The Bosh injury was obviously a big factor in the the slump. This group plays like a team more then any group in the history of the franchise. In the short history of the Raptors the team has had a lot of "me" players.....you can not say that about this team. When Calderon replaced T.J Ford in the starting lineup the team didn't miss a beat. Both of these guys have played their position well over the past year and a half. You want your Point Guard to be a leader....a general on the floor if you will The Raptors have two guys who do that. To prove my point more.....Calderon volunteered to give up his starting spot today to Ford. The result? A 89-82 win over the Pistons.

No Madden in Madden'09? EA Promises New Game Announcers

A potential bombshell has been dropped by EA audio director Aubrey Hodges. In an interview with Louis Bedigian of Gamezone, Hodges seems to suggest that John Madden may not be one of the game announcers in Madden 09.

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I miss the days of Madden/Summerall and Madden/Micheals. I hate the "radio" voice that they have now. They need a broadcasting team in the game. I will be getting '09 for 360....as long as its not the ESPN crew (as I don't know how they'd work the 3 man team into the game) I don't care who they get.

2008 MLB Over/Under

I'll have my full MLB preview up this weekend but wanted to get a head start on these. I've been doing these the past few years for all the sports with friends. I've had a decent track record with these so why not bring them to this blog. Simple drill. Copy the list and leave a comment indicating whether you think that the team's win total this year will be over or under the listed number. I'm getting these #s off of Vegas Watch.

Listed below are my picks:

Arizona UNDER 86.5
Atlanta UNDER 86
Baltimore UNDER 65
Boston UNDER 94
Chicago (N) OVER 87.5
Chicago (A) UNDER 76
Cincinnati OVER 76.5
Cleveland UNDER 91
Colorado OVER 83
Detroit OVER 93.5
Florida OVER 68.5
Houston UNDER 73.5
Kansas City OVER 73.5
LA Angels OVER 92
LA Dodgers OVER 87.5
Milwaukee OVER 84
Minnesota OVER 73.5
NY Mets OVER 92.5
NY Yankees UNDER 94
Oakland UNDER 74
Philadelphia OVER 88
Pittsburgh OVER 68.5
San Diego OVER 85
San Francisco UNDER 72
Seattle UNDER 85
St. Louis UNDER 77
Tampa Bay OVER 72
Texas OVER 75
Toronto OVER 84
Washington OVER 71.5

Use the same numbers and post your predictions in the comments .

Hillary's 3 AM Ad.....and the girl's response.

By now we've all seen the Hillary Clinton "3 AM" commercial. Faraz showed me this response that the little girl from the commercial, Casey Knowles, posted up on Youtube.


3AM Ad


Response


On a related note Keith Olbermann's scolding of Hillary the day the original commercial was released was brilliant and definitely worth a look.

TIME Magazine - 14 reasons Hillary Clinton should quit

Mark Halperin of TIME lists the 14 reasons why Hillary Clinton should quit.It is impossible for Hillary to beat Obama in the number of delegates or the popular vote, and her "kitchen sink" strategy is angering top Democrats and superdelegates like Nancy Pelosi.

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That list pretty much covers it all. As much as I would love a real floor fight at a convention.....this is Obama's year.

Mayhem At Fox News: Anchor Walks Off Set

Fox News' very own anchors are speaking out — and walking off — over what they perceive to be "Obama-bashing" on their network.

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People at Fox News are getting tired of Obama bashing? I never thought I'd see that day. Wow. Kudos to Chris Wallace and Brian Kilmeade.

A few Daily Show Clips

Some Random Daily Show clips from the past week involving everything from Spitzer to the stock market.

3/21/08
International Man of Misery

Highlights from the latest Daily Show headline coverage and guest interviews.

The First 5 Years

Jon looks back in time to see the Bush Administration's benchmarks for success after the start of the Iraq War.

3/18/08
Open Discussion

Despite their differences, Larry Wilmore and Jon can agree about at least one thing.

3/17/08
Broken Arrow

Jon responds to President Bush's rosy outlook on Wall Street and Jim Cramer's terrible Bear Stearns advice

href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=164644&title=iraq-the-first-5-years">Iraq:

NY's New Governor

Larry Wilmore claims David Paterson for African Americans and compares him to the fourth Ghostbuster.

Actual Sermon from Rev. Wright

So Biggz linked me to this video earlier today and I'm just trying to help spread the word. Hopefully the mainstream media picks up on this pretty soon but below is the video of Rev. Wright's now famous sermon. Listen to the sermon in context and its a different story from what you hear on the news (surprise!).

Anderson Cooper did mention it in his blog....I don't know if he did on his TV show.
Video

NCAA Tournament

Already a much better 2nd day then Day 1. The Duke/Belmont game game was pretty much the only thing that stuck out for me on Day 1. Eventhough it would've hurt my bracket I as always was rooting for the upset. What a game it was though. Definitely an early favorite for the game of the tournament.

UConn game today again falls into the same category. First George Mason and now San Diego? That's a rough 2 game stretch for UConn as far as the NCAA Tournament is concerned. Saw it on a CBS graphic that this is the first time UConn has lost in the first round of the tournament under Calhoun(14-1 now).

What a game for Stephen Curry. Its crazy that he wasn't recruited more heavily. I got a chance to watch his father Dell Curry, day in and day out when he was with the Raptors and he became an instant favorite of mine because of that 3 point shot. The son is pretty much the same.

Sports Illustrated opening up its Archives

Faraz sent me a NY Times article earlier which said that Sports Illustrated is opening up its archives. As a long time subscriber I love it. I'm still going to save the hard copy of all the good issues but there are plenty of old ones I've already thrown away that I'd like to dig up.

Cubs destroy coach's car, then give him brand new SUV

According to multiple media reports out of Chicago, his 1995 Nissan Sentra was almost unrecognizable after someone or something destroyed it. The windows were smashed, the doors tied closed, the trunk peeled up and the roof punctured.

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So today seems to be the day where players sticking up for clubhouse guys stories come out. First the Red Sox and now this. We hear hundreds of stories of about greedy and stupid athletes(I'll post that one tomorrow)so its nice to hear about something like this.

My Bracket

Just finalized my bracket. Hopefully everyone has the next 4 days off to watch as much of this tournament as possible. What's your Final Four?

Vesa Toskala

Man has it been a miserable year to be a Leafs fan. Despite the win last night the season hit a new low last night. Watch this play.

Obama Speech: 'A More Perfect Union'

Link

Gutsy speech from Obama. Definitely not one you're used to seeing from someone running for President. People say he's the only one who could've pulled off that speech and I have to agree on that one.

Cheney STILL publicly links Iraq with 9/11 WHAT???

"So the United States made a decision: to hunt down the evil of terrorism and kill it where it grows, to hold the supporters of terror to account and to confront regimes that harbor terrorists and threaten the peace," Cheney said. "Understanding all the dangers of this new era, we have no intention of abandoning our friends or allowing this country of 170,000 square miles to become a staging area for further attacks against Americans."

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Someone turn on the news for this man. It is insane that they still believe this crap.

The Onion: Black Guy Asks Nation for Change

Black Guy Asks Nation For Change

CHICAGO—Some residents reported seeing the black guy waving wildly and quoting from the Bible, while others said they spotted him shouting about global warming.

The Onion does it again.

Red Sox Players May Boycott Japan Trip!

The players are prepared to respond to Major League Baseball with an ultimatum -- if the coaches aren't paid, the Red Sox players will not get on the plane to go to Japan, the Herald reported.

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Good job by the Sox. This is pathetic on behalf of MLB. They are making off of this trip where they can compensate that support staff.

Shelley Duncan is a moron

This is just getting pathetic now. I should get it out the way first that as much as I hate the Yankees I am a Shelley Duncan fan. His slide today was pathetic. His comments before and after the game were stupid and made no sense.

After the game last week:

"What it does is it opens another chapter of intensity in the spring training ballgames," Duncan said, referring to the home-plate collision. "They showed what is acceptable to them and how they're going to play the game, so we're going to go out there to match their intensity -- or even exceed it."

"There's going to be no malicious evil intent in terms of carryover, but it just adds a different type of fire to your gut when you play that team because you understand how they're playing the game and what their mind-set is," Duncan said Sunday.

After today's game:

"I made a hard slide into [Iwamura's] glove," he said. "When I'm out there playing, I like to play hard. In my head, I wasn't thinking about a message. They see me playing hard every day.

"To me, there's no malicious intent at all. I just felt I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. I play the game one way. I'll never stop playing the game that way."

How are you going to complain on one hand that you can't run over a catcher in spring training (not to mention the fact that the catcher was blocking the plate) and then go and say you play one way all the time?

Second Muslim elected to Congres

Second Muslim elected to Congress

By Judith CebulaTue Mar 11, 11:16 PM ET

Indiana voters on Tuesday elected a Muslim to Congress, only the second of that faith chosen in U.S. history.

Andre Carson, grandson of the late Democrat Rep. Julia Carson, was elected to serve the balance of her term in the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election.

She died in December 2007, after serving 11 years in the heavily Democratic district.

The younger Carson, 33, a member of the Indianapolis City Council who converted to Islam about a decade ago, will serve out the remainder of his grandmother's term through calendar 2008. He beat Republican Jon Elrod and a third party candidate with 52 percent of the vote to 44 percent for Elrod.

The first and only other Muslim member of the U.S. Congress is Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, also a Democrat, who is in his first term.

Carson will face a strong challenge against other contenders in a May primary which will determine who runs in November for the next full two-year term in the district which covers most of the city of Indianapolis.

His Democratic opponents then are expected to be two state legislators -- Carolene Mays, an Indianapolis newspaper publisher, and David Orentlicher, a lawyer and doctor who is a professor of law and medical ethics at Indiana University School of Law and Indiana University Medical Center.

Carson's faith had not been an issue in the special election.

Link

Looks like he's heading for a tough primary challenge in May but there it is. The 2nd Muslim elected to congress in the past 18 months.

Clinton Campaign: We "Disagree" With Geraldine Ferraro

In a display of Bush Administration-like focus on loyalty, the Clinton Campaign fails to force the resignation of Geraldine Ferraro, former Democratic VP candidate and now a finance chair for the Clinton Campaign, for her racist comments. Instead, they say they "disagree" with her.

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The irony of Ferraro's statement is amazing. The only reason Ferraro was the VP nominee in '84 was that she was a woman.

Shaq Clip

Posted the clip of the Shaq leap yesterday of him going into the crowd after a loose ball. Faraz ended up finding a better one on Youtube. Here it is from a better angle.

Sports' two most intriguing words: What if?

Great piece by Bill Simmons today for Page 2. The Grant Hill staying healthy for the Magic one to this day I ponder about. With him and McGrady they definitely would've been the team to beat in the East.

Yankees newest FA signing

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Yankees are ready to add a touch of Hollywood to their roster, announcing their plans to sign actor and comedian Billy Crystal to a one-day contract during Spring Training.

Crystal will sign the contract on Wednesday and work out with the Yankees at Legends Field before playing in the club's game on Thursday against the Pirates in Tampa. Commissioner Bud Selig approved the Yankees' extension of a contract to Crystal.

"I've been waiting 50 years for this call," Crystal said. "I'm overwhelmed by the generosity of the Yankees and Commissioner Selig. I know this'll be tougher than the Broadway Softball League, but I'm looking forward to helping the younger players -- by the way, which is all of them."

Crystal, who will turn 60 on March 14, will wear uniform No. 60 in the game.

"The Yankees are excited to welcome the newest member of our team known for his humor and wit as well as his undying love for the Yankees," said Yankees COO Lonn Trost. "The Yankees are very grateful to the Commissioner's Office for allowing us to extend this special invitation to Mr. Crystal."

A lifelong Yankees fan, the star of movies, television and Broadway has been a regular presence in the Bronx over the years. In 2001, Crystal directed and produced the film 61*, which chronicled the historic seasons of Yankees greats Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle as they sought to break Babe Ruth's single-season home run record. The film garnered 12 Emmy nominations, including nods for "Best Director" and "Best Made for Television Movie" and also earned Crystal a prestigious Director's Guild nomination.

Crystal has often said in interviews that he has carried one of Mantle's baseball cards in his wallet for his entire life. Crystal has starred in movies such as Running Scared, Throw Momma from the Train, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, City Slickers, Mr. Saturday Night, Forget Paris, Hamlet, Deconstructing Harry, Analyze This, Monster's Inc. and America's Sweethearts.

Link

Wow. I know its an exibition game and all...but do we really need this?

Off topic I find it really funny that Girardi and the Yankees are complaining about that collision at home plate. Why is it OK to block the plate in an exhibition game but not to knock over the catcher?

Why you shouldn't sit in the first row (or second for that matter) at a Suns game.

Caught most of this game earlier today. Look at the leap from the big fellow. How he missed those kids I don't know but that was some leap from "Superman". Another solid game from Shaq. Don't understand the people that say it was a bad trade for the Suns. I've always thought Marion was a little overrated.

Video

Saddam Clinton

Daily/Colbert - Saddam Clinton

Stephen attempts to link Hillary Rodham Clinton to Saddam Hussein and a secret Muslim heritage.

Kucinich Appears Headed To Victory In Primary

Kucinich Appears Headed To Victory In Primary
Mar 4, 2008(The Politico) Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) appears like he will prevail in the Democratic primary against a insurgent primary campaign from a well-funded Cleveland city councilor, Joe Cimperman and three other Democratic challengers.

With 26 percent of the vote in, Kucinich is comfortably leading Cimperman by a 53 to 32 percent margin. Three other Democrats -- North Olmstead Mayor Tom O’Grady, anti-war activist Rosemary Palmer and 2006 candidate Barbara Ferris -- are splitting the remainder of the vote.

Cimperman attacked Kucinich for neglecting the needs of his Cleveland constituents while running a quixotic campaign for president. He was the first candidate to air television ads parodying Kucinich’s absence from the district.

But Kucinich quickly abandoned his presidential bid to focus on the newly-competitive Congressional race, and his last-minute efforts paid off. He raised over $700,000 in the last two months, tapping into his large national donor base.

He will be facing former GOP state Rep. Jim Trakas in the general election.


Copyright 2008 POLITICO

Link

Finally...to the other race going on of interest to me today. A few weeks ago the Democratic leadership led by Nancy Pelosi in Congress walked into Kucinich's office and threatened him with a primary challenge for his seat if he didn't drop the call for the impeachment of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. He proceeded to throw them out of the office. As crazy as he may sound from time to time....Kudos to Dennis Kucinich.

Super Tuesday II

We had Super Tuesday. We had the Potomac Primaries. Tonight was Super Tuesday II. What a night it has been. The Clinton campaign refuses to go away and again comes out with victories in the big states of Ohio and Texas. This race is far from over. It really is funny that all the states were rushing their primaries to the start of the election cycle when they could've been influential at this time. I mean Puerto Rico and Guam are going to be relevant....need I say more? Didn't like Obama's body language at all tonight.

This race is far from over. It'll get more interesting once Florida and Michigan get rescheduled for June. The irony of it all is obvious. Those two states had their delegates stripped because they went against party wishes in order to be relevant and decided to schedule their primaries early. So the Democrats punished them and thought they made them irrelevant (which was stupid like I've mentioned before)by stripping them of delegates. Now when it is all said and done those states can essentially serve as the tiebreakers. If you love politics there is no way you're not enjoying this.

Hopefully the campaigns can stay somewhat civil over the next 3 months. One of Obama or Hillary still will be the nominee and needs to lead the Democrats not only as the presidential candidate but also help the candidates for congress. John McCain can almost be irrelevant for the next 3 months. I mean who really has paid attention to the Republicans the past month? The same can go on for the next 3 months as you see McCain out there occasionally just to make sure people haven't forgotten him. He'll get his photo op with Dubya out of the way tomorrow with lunch at the White House followed by an endorsement in the Rose Garden. How soon does McCain name a VP? He needs a conservative. He does not need Bush campaigning for him in the fall. Someone earlier today referred to him as John W. McCain. If that sticks....that could be a huge downfall for him.

Up Next is the Democratic Caucus in Wyoming on the 8th.

Vermont towns approve Bush indictment

Voters in two Vermont towns approved measures Tuesday calling for the indictment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for what they consider violations of the Constitution...

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So I read earlier today that Vermont is the only state Bush has not visited since he became President. Tonight....this happens. I guess not that these towns have done what Congress should have a long time ago he better not make plans to visit any time soon.

Harvard tries women-only gym hours

In a test of Harvard's famed open-mindedness, the university has banned men from one of its gyms for a few hours a week to accommodate Muslim women who say it offends their sense of modesty to exercise in front of the opposite sex.

The policy is already unpopular with many on campus, including some women who consider it sexist.

"I think that it's incorrect in a college setting to institute a policy in which half of the campus gets wronged or denied a resource that's supposed to be for everyone," said student Lucy Caldwell, who also wrote a column in The Harvard Crimson newspaper critical of the new hours.

Full Story
Kudos to Harvard. People need to give this a shot before complaining about it. 6 hours out of 70 isn't a big deal....nor are the 6 hours "peak workout hours" either. The Muslim community at Harvard better take advantage of this.

Daily Show clips from 2/28

Bush's Senioritis


Bushman of Africa


Brian Williams

Hank Steinbrenner denounces Red Sox Nation

"Red Sox Nation?" What a bunch of [expletive] that is," he said in an interview with The New York Times' Play magazine. "That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans.

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I am really getting sick of these Steinbrenner brothers(Hank in particular). The Yankees might as well have George speaking for them even in the state he's in now. He probably would still sound less moronic. "I don't think [they] wanted to play us in the ALCS." Oh really Hal? You guys lost in 4 to Cleveland in the first round. They won the World Series. They've won 2 out of the last 4 and are favorites to make it 3 in 5.



...on a side note. Can the moronic Yankee fans talking trash about the Mitchell Report because no current Red Sox player was on it just please stop.

Barry Bonds Grand Jury testimony

A judge ordered this testimony released to the public today.

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I haven't read this yet but this is the testimony everyone has been waiting to hear for years.

Tyson and Holyfield in talks over rematch

Evander Holyfield has raised the prospect of a rematch of his infamous world heavyweight title fight with Mike Tyson despite both men being into their 40s.

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Wow. I don't know if I have any other word to describe this. This will be a train wreck. It really is a shame what happened to Tyson....the man could've been an all time great. Killed the sport too as Boxing hasn't been relevant since and with the rise of MMA never will.

Minaya decided against adding McNamee to staff in '07

Brian McNamee, the former strength trainer for Roger Clemens and a primary figure in Major League Baseball's doping scandal, was close to becoming a member of the Mets' coaching staff last season, according to the New York Post.

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Kudos to Omar. Boy were we close to having the Mets be the "face of steroids" in NY rather then the Yankees.

Texas university giving freshmen iPhones and iPod touches

ACU began exploring uses for mobile devices in the summer of 2007 and ran a pilot study with faculty and and educational technology developers to determine how the iPhone could be used by students. The group came up with quite a few uses for the devices, devising more than 15 iPhone applications that they hoped will be useful to students.

read more | digg story

What a ploy to recruit more students.

Whoopi Goldberg needs a better staff

Generally I don't have much of a problem with celebrity sports fans. A lot of people have a problem with celebrities sitting court side I usually don't. They've made their money and can spend it in any way as long as they are not hurting anyone. What I do have a problem with is bandwagon sports fans who know absolutely nothing. Whoopi Goldberg who I am a fan of was one of the speakers at the Giants Super Bowl parade. About a week later on The View she had no idea that David Tyree and not Amani Toomer was the one who made "the play."


Link

Bring your WiFi enabled DESKTOP to Starbucks

Ever brought in a Wifi enabled desktop someplace that offers free wifi?

read more | digg story

Brilliant. You knew something like this would happen sooner or later.

2008 Rutgers Football schedule

Hopefully the open date turns out to be someone good. As a season ticket holder there is not much there if you want to see good games.

read more | digg story

Robed Obama Photo Sparks Row

The photograph shows Mr Obama wearing a white turban and a white robe presented to him by elders in north-eastern Kenya.

read more | digg story

The fact that this is "news" is pathetic. When will this segment of the American populace grow up? A guy wearing something that is not "western".....ooh....must mean he can't be president.

Mats Sundin should accept a trade out of Toronto

As everyone knows I am a big time hockey fan. More importantly I am a big time Toronto Maple Leafs fan. During his tenure in Toronto, Mats Sundin has never been my favorite Leaf but I know what he has meant to the Leafs all these years. I understand the Leafs never went to the finals under his leadership and that they did underachieve at times...Mats Sundin has represented the city of Toronto well on and off the ice. It really is sad that the Leafs never did get him a set wing man in all his years. I can't even begin to count all the guys that have come and gone without being the proper #2 that every successful team needs.

With that said the time has come to move....at least for the time being. I have no doubt in my mind that if at the end of the year he wanted to return to Toronto the Leafs would welcome him back. Accepting a trade now would help all parties involved. The Leafs can get a dynamic young player or two along with much needed draft picks. Sundin can go to a contender and make a run for that ring that has alluded Toronto for four decades.

While I respect his decision of wanting to finish his career in Toronto I don't see why he can't accept a deal now. Don't get me wrong...I respect the loyalty shown to the team but it is not like he has been a lifelong Leaf. I would probably think of this differently if it was someone who had spent his entire career in Toronto.

The city of Toronto needs the Leafs to be great once again. A Mats Sundin trade now speeds up the process.

CNN: US shoots down satellite

According to CNN just a few minutes ago the US successfully shot down the "dead" spy satellite. It really is a scary thought that this can be done. Something like this will surely be the start of a World War some day as taking out a few satellites can clearly damage a country's infrastructure with the disruption of the likes of cellphones and GPS units.

Obama needs to stop being so cocky

So I was watching Hillary's speech when Obama comes out and interrupts the speech. Yes this has been a heated fight so far but if he does win the nomination he needs the Clinton's in his corner. Why not just let her finish? His charisma would have outshine Hillary anyways.

The greatest prank ever pulled

Trade bait? Something's fishy
Did Kyle Kendrick get sent packing to Japan? Nah, he just got punked.

By Todd Zolecki

Inquirer Staff Writer
CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Phillies traded Kyle Kendrick yesterday.

To the Yomiuri Giants. In Japan. For Kobayashi Iwamura.

"Do they have good food in Japan?" a stunned Kendrick asked reporters, who circled his locker inside the clubhouse at Bright House Networks Field. "I don't know what to think right now."

Unbelievable, huh?

Indeed. The Phillies executed an elaborate prank on Kendrick, one so believable that it had their 23-year-old starting pitcher convinced that he needed to be on a 7:05 a.m. Delta Airlines flight today, connecting in Atlanta for the 14-hour, 30-minute trip to Tokyo. The accomplices in the ruse included assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.; manager Charlie Manuel; Frank Coppenbarger, director of team travel and clubhouse service; Kendrick's agent, Joe Urbon; pitcher Brett Myers; and pretty much everybody else in the clubhouse.

"They got me," Kendrick said later. "I thought it was a done deal. I thought it really happened. Gosh, good thing it didn't."

Think these Phillies are a loose bunch?

The idea developed early last week, but those involved were borrowing an old idea. Phillies broadcaster Larry Andersen once pulled the same prank on former pitcher Wayne Gomes.

Amaro created an official-looking document on Phillies letterhead, spelling out the trade details, which Kendrick had to sign in triplicate. Coppenbarger also created a detailed itinerary for Kendrick's trip overseas.

After yesterday's workout, Kendrick went into the weight room, as usual, when Amaro pulled him out. He and Kendrick walked through the clubhouse together.

(Keep in mind, any time the assistant GM or GM pulls a player out of the weight room or clubhouse and walks him into the manager's office, something almost always is up.)

"Contract signed," J.D. Durbin said from across the room.

"What'd you do, Kendrick?" Myers asked.

Comcast, which had been in on the scheme from the start, had Manuel and Myers miked for the prank.

Kendrick took a seat in Manuel's office. The manager and Amaro explained that he had just been traded to Japan. (Major leaguers can't be traded to Japan, by the way.) Kendrick didn't seem to notice or care that a TV camera was filming the event because he had been told earlier that Comcast was following Manuel around for the day.

Then Coppenbarger handed Kendrick his flight schedule.

He explained to Kendrick that he tried to get him a layover for a night in Seattle (Kendrick is from Washington), but couldn't because his Japanese team needed him to arrive immediately.

Stunned, Kendrick left Manuel's office and staggered to his locker. He grabbed his cell phone and walked outside to call his agent.

"It happens," Urbon told Kendrick. "It's a chance for you to make some more money. This is going to be a big deal. This really never happens. The media over there is going to be big."

"All right," Kendrick said.

He hung up.

Kendrick returned to his locker, where Amaro brought over reporters, who didn't expect to be part of the gag. Amaro announced the trade.

"It was a deal we felt was important for us to make," he told reporters. "The fact of the matter is we're trying to get to the next level."

Then the questions started.

Did Manuel, who played in Japan, give you some tips?

"No, not at all," Kendrick said. "Um, I don't know what to think right now."

Have you had all your shots? Seriously, you need shots to go over there.

"Uh, no," Kendrick said. "I haven't. Um, I don't know. This is going to be a new little chapter I guess, huh?"

Are you upset?

Is your passport in order?

Have you talked to your agent?

Are you shocked?

"You know what I say?" Myers said, stepping in next to Kendrick. "You just got punked!"

The clubhouse erupted in laughter. Everybody could see the relief wash over Kendrick.

"I've never been so happy. Seriously," he said. "I was not getting on that flight in the morning. They got me."

And Kobayashi Iwamura? He's relieved, too.

If he only existed.

Link to the Philadelphia Inquirer Piece.
Video



Give everyone involved lots of credit. Trades are obviously an unfortunate part of the business......but what a humorous look at how it all goes down. The look on Kendrick's face is priceless.

MSNBC:Pentagon to shoot down broken spy satellite

Pentagon to shoot down broken spy satellite

Broken satellite expected to hit Earth in early March

BREAKING NEWS

The Associated Press

updated 12:10 p.m. ET, Thurs., Feb. 14, 2008

WASHINGTON - U.S. officials say the Pentagon is planning to shoot down a broken spy satellite expected to hit the Earth in early March.

This is the first time U.S. military will use a missile to destroy a satellite in space, NBC News reports.

The spy satellite has lost all power and is expected to crash back on Earth in early March, spreading debris and potentially hazardous fuel over several hundred miles.

The Pentagon will rely on part of its Missle Defense System to destroy the satellite while still in orbit over the Pacific. The Navy will fire two or three SM-3 missiles from a cruiser and destroyer off the northwest coast of Hawaii.

The SM-3's, which are more of a medium-range interceptor, had to be modified — more fuel and new software — to reach the disabled spy satellite in orbit. If the intercept is successful and the satellite blown to bits, it appears most of the debris will become orbitting "space junk" and not re-enter the earth's atmopshere.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Link

This has never been tried before. Lets see if this works.

Congressional hearings on Steroids

Strange hearing. It is unbelievable that even a hearing on steroids has to be a partisan affair in congress. It seemed like the Democrats were basically questioning Clemens and the Republicans were questioning McNamee. I need to watch more of this tomorrow as I pretty much missed all of it today but Clemens does come out this looking pretty bad. The fact that his lawyers kept jumping in doesn't help his cause much. The fact that Andy Pettitte threw him under the bus doesn't help him much. Does he really expect people to believe that his wife got HGH....from this trainer no less....and he wasn't aware of it? I'm not saying McNamee is a saint....but I've always thought Clemens was a scum and he's proving me right every day. From the little that I saw of it today 2 congressmen stuck out as having done their work on this...and actually make it worthwile and they are Representative Elijah Cummings, D-Md and the chairman Representative Henry Waxman, D-CA. I will comment more on this tomorrow when hopefully I'll get a chance to catch more of this.

Rob Riggle from the Daily Show on the Writers strike ending.

Rob Riggle hails the return of the striking writers, but predicts only bad things for The Daily Show's host

Link

Congratulations Jay Triano

Jay Triano tonight becomes the first Canadian to coach in the NBA. He will be the acting head coach for the Raptors tonight against the undermanned New Jersey Nets while Sam Mitchell is away tending to family matters.

ESPN: Clemens told Pettite that his wife did HGH

So appearantly today in front of congress Clemens will validate claims from Pettite and McNamee that his wife did HGH. I wonder how that is going over in the Clemens household. Yet another McNamee charge that is going to be proven true.....I wonder how that is going for Clemens' defense.

Link

Obama vs McCain?

The McCain/Obama debates are going to be a repeat of the Nixon/Kennedy ones or even Reagan/Mondale. I mean McCain is pretty witty as his numerous appearances with Jon Stewart and Don Imus have shown but he is no match for Obama. Someone on his staff screwed up big time tonight. Why on earth did he come out to interrupt the Obama speech? First of all MSNBC didn't even pick up his speech until Obama was done with this. Secondly, why didn't he go before Obama? I understand why he couldn't go a little bit later as it is getting late on the east coast and you want that TV audience....but to basically cut into Obama's speech really highlights how bland of a speaker he really is. McCain and Obama pretty much started to campaign against each other today. McCain even stole a bit from Obama's stump speech with the whole "fired up and ready to go bit."

I loved the whole contrast with the two speeches. Obama speaking at a packed Kohl's Center with a really energetic vibe....McCain's speech looked and sounded like it was in someone's basement.



Obama's "fired up" Speech

Daily Show on CNNs Situation Room

Watch as Jon Stewart breaks down each of the screens in the Situation Room.



Link

Primary name game....courtesy of The Daily Show.

The cable news talking heads try to drum up nicknames for upcoming primaries while the candidates share their stamina regimens.

Link

Japanese Town rooting for Obama?

Ran across this on Yahoo News earlier.

Barack Obama, who has been credited with tapping support in unlikely places, is enjoying a groundswell of enthusiasm in a small city in western Japan, which is delighted to share his name.

Obama, Japan, is rooting for candidate Obama, hoping that if he becomes the US president he will put this ancient fishing town of 32,000 people firmly on the tourist map and, just maybe, choose it for an international summit.

Supporters in Obama -- which means "small shore" in Japanese -- have held parties to watch election results, put up posters wishing the senator luck and plan a special batch of the town's "manju" sweets bearing his likeness

Full Story

Zednik in stable condition after being sliced on neck by skate

Zednik in stable condition after being sliced on neck by skate
Associated Press

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Panthers forward Richard Zednik had blood gushing from a deep cut on the right side of his neck after being struck by a teammate's skate during the third period of Florida's 5-3 loss to Buffalo on Sunday night.

Zednik was behind the play and skating into the right corner of the Sabres' zone, when teammate Olli Jokinen was upended by Sabres defenseman Brian Campbell. Jokinen fell head-first to the ice, and his right leg flew up and struck Zednik directly on the side of the neck.

Clutching his neck, Zednik immediately raced to the Florida bench, leaving a long trail of blood. A Sabres trainer jumped on the ice to apply a towel across the player's neck, and Zednik was immediately escorted to the Panthers' dressing room.

Players and coaches on both benches looked on in shock, and a silent hush fell over the crowd at HSBC Arena. The game was delayed for more than 15 minutes as crews scraped the blood from the ice.

"Richard Zednik is in stable condition and on his way to a Buffalo hospital," was the announcement over the loudspeaker.

The crowd stood in applause during the announcement.

Prior to resuming the game, referee Bill McCreary and Panthers coach Jacques Martin consulted in the tunnel outside the Panthers' dressing room.

Sabres general manager Darcy Regier was also spotted talking with NHL vice president Colin Campbell. Campbell, the league's director of hockey operations, attended the game in part because his son, Gregory Campbell, plays for the Panthers.

Credit ESPN. It really is amazing that things like this don't happen more often. The video really is a scary sight to see as it could've been a lot worse.

1000 games of Raptors Basketball

Friday night the Toronto Raptors played their 1000th game in franchise history. Of all the pro sports teams I'm a fan of...the Raptors have always been at the top of the list. From the Mighty Mouse era to the VC one....to the CB4 one, this definitely has been a roller coaster ride. Here's my personal top 10 moments in Raptors history.


10)VC makes the guarantee.
It was the 5th of May in 1999 and the Raptors had just wrapped up a 97-86 win over the Cavaliers. Why is the date significant? It was the strike shortened season and the Raptors had just gone 23-27. After the game a rookie guard out of North Carolina grabbed a mic and addressed what remained of the crowd. Thanking the crowd
for the support all year he added a guarantee that the Raptors would be in the playoffs the next year. For the first time in their young history the team actually had a chance. With a 1-2 punch of Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter everyone in Toronto including me believed that it was the start of an era. Surely enough the Raptors made the playoffs the next year. They lost to the Knicks in a rather forgettable series for all the wrong reasons and with T-Mac's quick departure out of Toronto at the end of the season that dream of a potential championship run died as well.

9)Raptors win first playoff series
First playoff win. Enough said. The 2nd trip to the playoffs was definitely a lot sweeter and this series was just the start of that and reflected the playoff run. The Raptors lost game 1 before coming back and winning game 2 by 20 at MSG. They lost game 3 at home but came back to win game 4. The win in game 4 was the first playoff win in franchise history. Game 5 at MSG....in another close game the Raptors finally did pull it off. I still remember that Alvin William jumper in the final seconds of the game that sealed the deal for the Raptors.

8)Playoffs vs Nets
Have a personal bias towards this one. I went to games 4 and 6 at the Continental Airlines Arena (now IZOD Center) in NJ. Even though the Raptors lost both of those games and the series those two games are the only 2 NBA games I've been to. The atmosphere at both of those games was electric. The amount of Toronto fans that had taken the drive down to Jersey was insane. VC getting booed every time he touched the ball.....it almost had a Canadian feel to it as by estimate at least 40% of those in attendance were rooting for the Raptors.

7)Raptors make playoffs for first time.
Enough said. The guarantee laid out by Vince Carter at the end of the previous year is followed through on. Of course that series is one I'd like to forget because of all the drama that went on.

6)VC Dunk Contest
Part 1

Part 2

Watching on TSN....I had the same reaction as the rest of the basketball world. The term "Half Man Half Amazing" was coined that night. It is a shame looking back that VC was at the peak of his career that night. He stole the show. The reaction he got from the crowd, NBA players all spoke volumes. He had arrived.

5)VC erupts for 51 on NBC
February 27th 2000. The Raptors are on their way to the first playoff appearance in franchise history and the US fan base starts to take notice. The stage was set on a Sunday afternoon, NBA on NBC. Noon tip off. It was the first time the Raptors appeared on national TV in the US. It was just days after his electric performance at the Slamdunk contest in Oakland, California. Anyone who didn't know him by that point took notice that day as VC shot 17-32 from the field on his was to 51 points. No Raptor has touched the 50 point plateau in a regular season game since.

4)March 24, 1996
It was just the 67th game in franchise history.....but to me sticks out more then any of other ones that came before or after it The Raptors were 18-49 coming into the game. Respectable for an expansion team. Standing on the otherside were the Chicago Bulls who came into the game with an unbelievable 60-8 record. Trailing by 1 having last possession the Bulls in a year where it all went right for them...could not do it against the lowly expansion team. Both Steve Kerr and Michael Jordan (fadeaway...what else with time expiring that he could not get off in time) could not seal the deal. Playing shorthanded (the Raptors played just 7 men that night) against one of the greatest teams ever assembled the Raptors pull of a 109-108 win in front of more then 36,000 fans at the Skydome. For a moment time did freeze. For that split second no one had any idea whether that MJ fade away counted or not. When the realization did sink in.....the expansion Raptors were part of a small group of teams that defeated the Bulls (72-10) that year.
Highlights


Boxscore

3)Mo-Pete for 3
"Onions...Baby....Onions!" indeed. Chuck Swirsky's reaction says it all. Why Mo-Pete even got a chance to make that shot...no one knows as the ball should just have been heaved to the other side.


2) February 24, 1999
Game 10 of the strike shortened year and Toronto loses by 20 to slip to 3-7 on the year. Why does this make the list? This is day Vince opened some eyes around Toronto. Mighty Mouse got traded too soon.......Camby was a dissapointment....no one knew what Mo-Pete or T-Mac were at this point....did the Raptors finally have a star to call their own?


1)Raptors vs 76ers
What a series it was. Seven amazing games one after other. The nightly battle between Iverson and Carter were epic. The ball was again in VC's hands and he got his patented falling away 3 poing shot off which I was certain that shot was going in but it wasn't meant to be. It certainly was the peak for the franchise to this date. I am confident this years team can give us a run to match that one but being 2 inches away from the Conference Finals....this is my #1 Raptors moment from the past

Alltime Raptors team.

This is purely based on what they did in a Raptors uniform

PG - Damon Stoudamire
SG- Vince Carter
SF - Tracy McGardy
PF- Chris Bosh
C - Antonio Davis

Bench
Charles Oakley
Alvin Williams
Morris Peterson
Doug Christie
Jerome Williams
Jose Calderon
Jalen Rose

Digg

If you use Digg add me on there as a friend.

sahyder1 is my id there.

Get off of Pedro's back

I just love how people are trying to equate Pedro Martinez to Micheal Vick. How are the two stories even related? Cockfighting is legal in the Dominican Republic.....I love the hypocrisy here as the same people killing Pedro today are the same ones who'd go and to their thing in Vegas or A.C despite those activities being illegal where they live.

Daily Show on Romney "suspending" his campaign

Thank God he's gone. What a noble man he is indeed.....as Stewart said "Mitt Romney loves his country so much....he would not and could not subject it to a Romney presidency"

...What a moron.....a Clinton/Obama win is a win for terror? Love the way Stewart reveals his hypocrisy. This idiot is going to run again in 2012....all I have to say is that its Good news for Democrats.

Link

"One more thing I would say about that that I think is interesting -is it’s proof that voters like to vote for who they like."

Jon Stewart looks at how the 24 hour cable channels tried to fill six hours of airtime covering Super Tuesday. And Amy Holmes says it all.

Holmes: One more thing I would say about that that I think is interesting -is it’s proof that voters like to vote for who they like.

Video


Here is a link to the story courtesy of Crooks and Liars

Would you walk away from $135 Million

So according to Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated, Johan Santana was pretty close to returning to the Twins for one more year.

Santana, through his agent, Peter Greenberg, had informed the Mets earlier in the day that he wanted $140 million over six years. The Mets were holding firm at $135 million. Santana flew from his Florida home to New York and joined negotiations in Wilpon's office at about 2 p.m. At 4:55 p.m. -- five minutes before the Major League Baseball-mandated deadline -- Santana told Wilpon that he was leaving and was prepared to pitch one more year for Minnesota before becoming a free agent. Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon, general manager Omar Minaya and vice president Tony Bernazard were among those in attendance.

"I told you I wasn't backing off my number," Santana told Fred Wilpon. "I appreciate your offer, but I'm passing on it."

Wilpon replied, "I've been in business a long time. That's a lot of money to walk away from."

"No disrespect to you," Santana said. "But I deserve it. I'll just go back and pitch and I'll get it later. Alex Rodriguez is the highest paid player in the game. I'm the best pitcher. I'm not even asking for that [Rodriguez] kind of money."

Santana was about to walk out of the room when Wilpon and Greenberg agreed to ask Major League Baseball to extend their negotiating window by two hours. The two sides eventually agreed to split the $5 million difference, settling at $137.5 million. The deal also includes Cy Young Award bonuses that could trigger an option year. One of the sources said Santana told Minaya, "You get my clause, I'll get my Cy Young."

Link

Eli on Letterman

As most of you know Eli was on Letterman last night. The two cover everything from the game, to Peyton to WFAN. Here are the clips.

Part 1


Part 2

Think you're a great fan?

So how many people reading this consider themselves a big fan of a professional sports team? Read this. What a story.

Link

The other commercial

So a couple of days ago I put up a video of a Reebok commercial about the Giants defeating the Patriots. Well Reebok of course had another commercial ready...just in case the Pats had won.



Link

Play of the year

Early nomination but it'll be hard for anyone to top this play from the Giants' Eli Manning and David Tyree.



How did Eli avoid that rush? How did Tyree hang on to the ball?

Link

Perfectville

Great stuff from Reebok.

19-0? Scratch that....

You know how they say you shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch? Anyone wanna throw some cash at this book tonight?


Link

Congrats Giants Fans

Congrats to all Giants fans out there. To everyone who's been critical of Eli all year.....I told you so! What a game. Great to see the Pats go down. Eli was brilliant on the final drive. That pass to Tyree.....what can I say. Play of the year without a doubt. Man I hate New York as a whole.....but it is great to see the Patriots go down. No one cares about 18-1.....if anything they are the 3rd best 18-1 team of all time. Big kudos to the Giants defense. They made the Patriots offensive line look bad all day. If this was Strahan's last game....what a way to go out. Hopefully more comes out about spygate in the next couple of days and the Pats suffer some more.

Man I love sports. 6 weeks ago everyone hated Coughlin and Eli. Now Coughlin is going to walk away with a 5 year extension and Eli is set for life in New York.

Super Bowl Weekend should be a long weekend

So it has been said for years and perhaps we'll even see it in our lifetime but the Monday after the Super Bowl should be a national holiday. While we wait for that to happen....here's a memo Fedex sent out to its employees:


Credit to Deadspin.

4 hours from game time

On November 19th I said one of the NY teams would beat the Pats......hopefully the Giants prove me right tonight. The game should definitely be a lot closer then what a lot of people are predicting. Giants definitely need this to be a low scoring game. It's raining so the Dome should be closed. I think Eli will have himself another solid game. Giants definitely need a big game from Jacobs as they definitely need to keep the Pats off the field.

Giants 24....Patriots 21.

Congratulations Mets fans

Congratulations Mets fans. A ccording to ESPN the Mets have finalized a contract extension with Santana. I'm calling a 20-4 2.24 ERA season right now.

Link

NEW YORK -- Johan Santana and the New York Mets completed contract negotiations Friday, the last major step needed to finalize the team's blockbuster trade with Minnesota.

After the sides were granted an extra two hours to work on a deal, they finished negotiations before the new 7 p.m. EST deadline. The pitcher is scheduled to take a physical, the Mets said.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Michael Wilbon returns to the Post

As some of you may have heard Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post and ESPN's Pardon the Interruption had a heart attack earlier this week. He returned to work today with a column for the post.

Link

How Berman should do highlights from now on.

A follow up on the other Berman story.

Link

Do not disturb Chris Berman

Saw this on Deadspin yesterday and I agree what took so long for this video to come out?

Link

Bandwagon Fans

I've mentioned this a million times before....but I really do hate bandwagon fans. As most of you know I work for a sporting goods retailer. So last night 2 men in their 30s walk in (each wearing Giants apparel) to the store. They were looking at football jerseys and all of a sudden one of them laughs and points to a Carolina Panthers Steve Smith jersey. He asks me why we still have that jersey in stock? I question him as to why we would not? His response? "Doesn't he play for the Giants now?"

So bandwagon Giants fans. Steve Smith from Carolina is #89. Steve Smith from Giants is #12 and not related at all to the other Smith.

Championship Sunday

Should be a great day of football. I am expecting two very close games. It doesn't look like we'll see snow in either game but the weather should play a factor just because of the temperatures alone. I don't care either way who comes out of the NFC....I just don't want the Patriots to win. I've said it all year that there is no way they go unbeaten this year....hopefully someone proves me right.

Chargers 24
Patriots 21

Packers 27
Giants 21


Vegas has the Patriots as a 14 point favorite and the Packers at 7 and a half.

Last Man[ning] Standing

So how many people here had the Giants in the NFC Championship game? Yeah, I didn't think so. How many people thought Eli would go deeper into the playoffs then Peyton? What a strange year it has been indeed. I am not a Giants fan but hopefully the moaning and groaning from Giant' fans stops now about Eli.

Predictions for this weekend.

I'm going to stick with my picks from earlier in the week.

Jaguars 20 Patriots 17
Chargers 24 Colts 30
Giants 28 Cowboys 17
Seahawks 13 Packers 24


Is this Favre's last game?

John Oliver of the Daily Show reports on the strike

Here is a link to the video.

Top 5 Misstatements At This Weekend’s Debates

Lies in a political campaign are nothing new. Kerry got pinned with the "Flip-flop" tag when there are enough other politicians who could wear that pin. Dan Abrams of MSNBC did this segment on Monday night about the top 5 misstatements of the past week.

Here's a link to the piece thanks to Crooks and Liars.

The Comeback Gal

Wow....who saw this coming 24 hours ago? MSNBC just called NH for Hillary. It was appearantly right off the bat that this was going to be a bad night for Obama....but an all out win for Hillary here is huge. Tonight was supposed to be the coronation but now this race is wide open again. I don't count out Edwards yet either. Should be a fun Super Tuesday.

The Comeback Kid Part 2?

Back in 1992, Bill Clinton dubbed himself the comeback kid. That declaration came after he lost the New Hampshire primary by 8 points having been down as many as 20 points at one point. Hillary broke down yesterday. No polls were done since then....but did she pick up enough independents....and more importantly independent women as a result? With 13% of the precincts reporting (yes I know its early) Hillary has a 5 point lead on Obama right now when all polls earlier in the week showed her down about 10 points.

In other news McCain wins the Republican primary. This news would've excited me in 2000....but the McCain campaign now is just a shell of its former self.

Clemens phone call

So how many people here watched that Clemens conference call? The call does nothing to change my view on Clemens. Brian McNamee comes across as a joke....but at no point in the call can you definitely say that Clemens in innocent. Read more on the call here. Only good thing Clemens did was agreeing to appear before congress.....not that he had much of a choice there anyways. When asked if steroid users are cheaters....he refused to say so. When asked about the HOF he said he doesn't care about the HOF which I don't believe. On the call McNamee repeatedly asks him what he should do......and Clemens not once asks him to retract his statement. To me all the taped conversation does is prove that McNamee is some loser trainer who feels bad he outed one of his clients.

37 Days......

Pitchers and Catchers report to camp in 37 days.

Eli comes through

So if you live anywhere near the NYC area all you hear on sports radio day in and day out is how Eli is not the right QB for the team. Two solid performances in a row for him hopefully will make things easier on him in the coming weeks. Give the man a break. Yes, he was drafted first overall and the Giants gave up a lot to get him....but seriously how many QBs in the league would you rather have over him? He hasn't practiced with his #1 WR all season long so of course the flow of the offense won't always be there but the coaching staff hasn't helped him much with the play calling. This team lost its #1 RB heading into this year ( a blessing in disguise) yet it didn't miss a beat. Eli and Coughlin have been on the hot seat all year so hopefully they now get the credit they deserve leading this team to the playoffs 3 years in a row and now advancing into the 2nd round.


Went 3 for 4 this weekend with my predictions and here are my early predictions for next week.....that I might change later in the week depending on the circumstances.

Jaguars 20 Patriots 17
Chargers 24 Colts 30
Giants 28 Cowboys 17
Seahawks 13 Packers 24

Wildcard Round Predictions

Nothing in depth but here are my predictions really quick for this weekend.

Giants over Bucs
Redskins over Seahawks
Chargers over Titans
Jaguars over Steelers.

Iowa Caucus

The Iowa Caucus is tonight at it kicks off the 2008 election season in the US. I predict a top 2 finish from John Edwards tonight. He right now is my pick for the Democratic nomination. I'll be satisfied on the Republican side as long as Rudy does not finish in the top 3 tonight. If I had to predict today I'd say it will be a Edwards vs Hucakabee election in November.