Mets Signing, Declining, Trading, Claiming, & Purchasing

Moises Alou looks to win big in New York in 2007 in a Mets' uniform

The New York Mets had a busy Monday, signing a big name, trading for some young talent, declining an aging hall of famer, and also claiming and purchasing on Monday, November 20th.

Omar Minaya, the General Manager of the New York Mets made it clear when he became the GM of this team two years ago that he was going to be sure to make this team a contender year and year out and continues to back it up with the most recent signing of outfielder, Moises Alou. Alou signed a one year contract worth 8.5 million dollars .

"The length of my contract doesn't really matter at this point in my career," Alou said. "I wanted to come here because this year -- I wanted to win this year."

In 98 games last season, Alou hit 22 home runs and 74 rbis and had a batting avergae of .301. Moises Alou will take over the left field job of the New York Mets in 2007 in place of Cliff Floyd, who was bothered Achillies tendon problem all of last year on and off, but mostly on.

"That's the only reason why I'm back playing in '07. I was a little frustrated last season because of the little injuries that I had," Alou said, adding that he's completely healthy now. "I felt great after July. I feel good at the plate. I feel strong. I feel young."

And a young, strong, and healthy right handed hitter is exactly what the Mets need. Well, Alou might not be young, but if he plays like it then for one year, it is just as good as actually being young. After trading Xavier Nady, right handed right fielder, to the Pittsburgh Pirates at the trading deadline of last season, the Mets lacked that right handed hitter in the bottom of the order to even out the balance. Moises Alou batted .349 verse lefties this past season.

The Alou signing was not the only thing that the Mets were up to on Monday. Omar Minaya made it public that the Mets declined their 14 million dollar option on 2 time Cy Young award winner, Tom Glavine on Monday. Tom Glavine went 15-7 and had a 3.82 ERA this past season and most importantly, barely missed any starts due to injury. Though, Glavine had troubles towards the end of the season staying in the game past the fifth inning.

"We hope to continue to speak with the agent, negotiate, and hopefully be able to bring Tommy back," general manager Omar Minaya said. "We let them know ahead of time that we were going to make this move."

It seems as if the Mets do not want Glavine to leave, but they do not want to give him fourteen million dollars, which is what a lot of teams are doing. Paying players what they are not worth, but the ironic thing is that, fi for anything, Glavine is worth that kind of money. Well, he may not be worth it, but he certainly deserves it.

Not enough for you sports fans out there? Well, good, because the Mets, along with signing Alou and declining Glavine's option for 2007, made a trade with the Florida Marlins, dealing away two young right handers for two young left handers.

Going to Florida was Henry Owens and Matt Lindstrom and in return, the Mets recieved Jason Vargas and Adam Bostick.

Jason Vargas, the only player in the deal who has real Major League experience has a career record of 6 - 7 and a +5.00 ERA, but he is only 23 years old and Rick Peterson probably saw something in him and will work with him.

The New York Mets also claimed right-hander Jason Standridge off waivers from Cincinnati and purchased the contract of outfielder Carlos Gomez from Double-A Binghamton.

Ryan Howard Wins NL MVP Over Pujols

Howard Beat Out Pujols On Monday For The NL MVP Award

It has been officially announced that the first baseman of the Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Howard, has been awarded the National League MVP award of the 2006 season. Ryan Howard started out great and finished the season even better, leading his Phillies to almost going to the playoffs, but missing it not by much.

Howard surpassed Albert Pujols, Carlos Beltran, and Miguel Cabrera for the award. The first baseman recieved 20 first place votes and 12 second place votes for a total of 288 points.

"It has been a fun ride. You can't really just sit there and kind of dwell on what's gone on in the past and all that kind of stuff and what's going to happen as far as being traded or what my future was with the Phillies. The only thing I could have done was just go out and play and let everything else just kind of sort itself out."

Going out and playing was exactly what Ryan Howard did this past season. He hit 58 home runs, had 149 rbis, and had an on base percentage of .425. To top this, he also won the home run derby that was held in Pittsburgh the night before the all star break.

"To be able to be in that kind of company and just being able to compete with a guy like Albert is, I guess, a feat in itself and it's an honor because what he's done."

Albert Pujols is arguably the best player in the majors and in many people's mind, should have been the MVP, but evidently, is not. Pujols though, had a better on base percentage, slugging percantage, and a better batting average and Pujols also missed 19 games. In those 19 games, it is arguable that Pujols could have caught Howard in the home run and RBI categories. Also, an argument can be made that Pujols' team made the playoffs and Howard had more weapons around him.

Flight720's Pro Bowl Ballot

Brett Favre is in his 16th season and he is still throwing strong

It is that time of year when tickets to the Pro Bowl are on sale and the ballots are released. I am going to be doing a Pro Bowl Ballot special, where I will be voting for players to go to the Super Bowl and giving my reasons why.

AFC - QB

1. Peyton Manning (Starter)
Peyton Manning is arguably the best quarterback every to play the game of football and he is not making it any easier for those who do not think that he is to argue that he is not. He has thrown for 2527 yards and is on top of the AFC list of touchdowns thrown with a grand total of 18. He has also lead his team to an undefeated season so far.

2. Phillip Rivers
Rivers is a first year quarterback, but has definitely made his mark in the league. He has shown that Tomlinson is not the only player on the Chargers who knows how to score. He has thrown 13 touchdowns and has shown all the people who doubted him and said that the Chargers with have to play "Marty Ball" that they are wrong, as he has compiled 2085 in 9 games.

3. Chad Pennington
The fact is that Chad Pennington does not have a Marvin Harrison, Chad Johnson, Antonio Gates, Ladanian Tomlinson, or a defense like the Ravens. He also has a very young offensive line and has been able to lead the team to a 5 - 4 record, 1 game behind the division lead. He has thrown for 1726 yards and 10 touchdowns. Pennington is also the lead candidate for comeback player of the year.

NFC - RB

1. Donovan McNabb (Starter)
Mcnabb is without the best quarterback in the NFC right now. He has put this team on his shoulders after the embarrassing season last year with all the incidents happening with Owens, injuries, etc. The Eagles are in a wild card spot right now and only 1 game behind the division lead. And if that wasn't enough, 2569 yards and 18 touchdowns speaks for itself.

2. Brett Favre
A little of a surprise, no? Well, it shouldn't be. Most people who do not follow the stats and standings of football see Favre as an old quarterback that is probably having a decent year in Green Bay and is going to consider retirement at the end of the season, again. But, the Packers are in the playoff hunt and Favre is one of the top quarterbacks in the NFC. He has thrown 13 touchdowns and passed for 2295 yards.

3. Drew Brees
Drew Brees has taken a New Orleans Saints team that was through so much last year with Hurrican Katrina and much doubt on if they would be able to win more games than they have already through 9 games into the season. Brees has kept his personal doubters silent. There were many who said that he would not be able to come back from his shoulder surgery that he had at the end of last season and he has without a doubt come back from it and strong. Throwing for 2604 yards and throwing the ball into the end zone successfully 15 times.

AFC - RB

1. Ladanian Tomlinson (Starter)
There is no real surprise or argument that has to be made. Just the fact that I write down his name is enough for many people. He has 932 already, only 9 games into the season might I remind you and a lead league by far, 16 touchdowns -- on pace to demolish the record for most touchdowns in one season.

2. Larry Johnson
Larry Johnson and the Chiefs got off to a slow start, but nothing has been slow about this guy lately. Right behind Tomlinson in each category, he has 891 yards and 10 touchdowns and has lead the Chiefs without Trent Green to an above .500 record.

3. Willie Parker
Outside of Tomlinson and Johnson, the running backs in the AFC have been pretty weak, but the one that stands out from the rest of the group is young Willie Parker. He has 847 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns. Parker has shown that he can be a premiere back and an every down back as well.

NFC - RB

1. Tiki Barber (Starter)
Tiki Barber leads his league by far with 971 yards rushing on an offense that has been struggling as of late. Eli Manning has been playing horribly as of late and there has been many injuries. Tackle, Lou Pettigout, Recievers, Burress and Tommer, etc. have all been injured, but Barber keeps going.

2. Frank Gore
Before the season's start, the 49ers traded away their previous starter, Kevan Barlow to the Jets in order to make room for Frank Gore. Gore has moved up into the cateogry of elite runners in this league as he has rushed for 831 yards so far and is averaging an amazing 5.0 yards per carry.

3. Stephen Jackson
The Rams, with a new coach, have come into the season with a new philosophy on offense. Run the ball -- once in a while, rather than pass every down. Jackson is third in the league in rushing yards with 784 and has a total of 5 touchdowns.

AFC - WR

1. Andre Johnson (Starter)
Surprise? Not to many that have watched Johnson before his injury ending season last year. Johnson leads the AFC with 808 yards on a Texans team that at times does not look better than an average high school team. Andre Johnson also has 4 touchdowns this season.

2. Marvin Harrison
Surprise? Not to any at all. Harrison has been a pro bowl quality player ever since his first year in the NFL. He plays in one of the best offenses in the league and in the offense, he has 5 touchdowns along with 719 yards.

3. Laverneous Coles
Coles has come out this year and shown that trading Santana Moss back to the Redskins for him was not a mistake at all. He has been Pennington's favorite reciever and is now one of the most feared players in the open field. 3 Touchdowns - 650+ yards is to say the elast about how important Coles has been to the Jets' early success.

4. Javon Walker
Javon Walker has surpassed Rod Smith for the Broncos' number one option in the passing game. Walker has six touchdowns and 731 recieving yards. Most of his touchdowns have been simply amazing coming from beyond 20 yards. Him and Plummer have been a great 1 - 2 punch for Denver and their early success, starting the season with a 7 - 2 record.

NFC - WR

1. Roy Williams (Starter)
800 Yards - 4 Touchdowns on the Lions. We are talking about the Detroit Lions, one of the more pathetic teams in the league to say the least. Roy Williams, even though with a big mouth, has become an elite reciever in this league. Just imagine what he would be doing with a quarterback like Peyton Manning throwing him the ball.

2. Marques Colston
A rookie out of Hofstra is leading the league in recieving yards on a team that was expected to be nowhere near a playoff spot, but in reality, is winning their division as of now. He has 7 touchdowns and 869 recieving yards from a quarterback that is coming off a shoulder surgery injury.

3. Torry Holt
Year in and year out, Holt is one of the best in the league and this year is not any different from previous ones. Holt has 697 recieving yards and 7 touchdowns in an offense that is revolved around getting him the ball. If not for Holt, the Rams would not be in the playoff hunt that they are currently in right now.

4. Donald Driver
Driver has become the only reciever on the Packers that Favre can rely on passing the ball to in the clutch or even not in the clutch. He has come up big every time that the Packers need him to come up big. 56 Receptions (1st In NFL) - 771 - 4 Touchdowns.

AFC - FB

1. Lorenzo Neal (Starter)
Lorenzo Neal has been blocking for the AFC's leading rusher, Ladanian Tomlinson.

NFC - FB

1. Jim Finn (Starter)
Jim Finn has been blocking for the NFC's leading rusher, Tiki Barber.

AFC - TE

1. Tony Gonzalez (Starter)
Even with Trent Green going down with an injury, Gonzalez still played strong, hauling in 44 recpetions for 588 yards and has a total of 3 touchdowns.

2. Kellen Winslow
This was tough between Winslow and Gates, but Winslow is having the better season on a worse team. He has shown that he is one of the best tight ends in the league and the best part about it is that he is doing it silently, not opening up his mouth like some other guys in the league or catch balls. Winslow has 561 recieving yards with 56 receptions and 3 touchdowns.

NFC - TE

1. Alge Crumpler (Starter)
Crumpler, once again has shown that he can be a number one option in an offense. Even with Michael Vick throwing him the ball at times when he doesn't even know if Vick is going to end up throwing the ball or running the ball, Crumpler has still managed to rack in34 receptions for 467 yards and 6 touchdowns.

2. Jason Witten
Witten is a tight end that is actually used more for blocking than for the passing game. And even with that being true, he has still managed to catch the ball 36 times for 425 yards and does have 1 touchdown.

AFC - K

1. Nate Kaeding (Starter)
This was more simple than I thought it would be. There is one guy in the AFC that leads all kickers in the AFC in field goals made, extra points made, and points. And that is Nate Kaeding with 17 field goals, 34 extra points, and 85 points.

NFC - K

1. Robbie Gould (Starter)
Just like the AFC, there is one guy that leads all kickers in the NFC in field goals made, extra points made, and points. That player is Robbie Gould from the Chicago Bears. He has 23 field goals made, 29 extra points, and an astonishing total of 98 points.

AFC - P

1. Ben Graham (Starter)
This was a tough one and it really is up in the air, but I went with Ben Graham. He has put the ball inside the 20 numerous amount of times, 17, and has an average of 44.3 yards per punt, which is right up there with the top of the league.

NFC - P

1. Jason Baker (Starter)
Jason Baker, of the Carolina Panthers have punted the ball inside the 20 yard line 22 times and has an average of 44.8 yards per punt.

SUBMIT BALLOT

You can vote for who you think should go to the Pro Bowl here. You can get information for buying tickets to the pro bowl here.

Forum Mailbag 11/15

Will Donovan McNabb lead the Eagles to the playoffs?

Real Ballers
Infinite Sports Talk

A mailbag is a large bag used by mail carriers for carrying mail, usually equipped with a shoulder strap. So, think of that, except for the internet. Basically, members from different sites sent in sports related questions and this is where I will be answering them.

Question: (The Fray RB) How will the Giants overcome their injuries and will it ever be possible?
Answer: It is definetly possible for the Giants to overcome all of their injuries, but it will certainly not be easy. First of all, they need Strahan to be healthy. Kiwanuka has been great, but they need their pass rushing attack back to normal if they want to start winning again. They must bring pressure. They showed that when they brought pressure in the Chicago game, they dominated. Then, when they stopped in the second half, they were the ones who got dominated.

Question: (Atrain31 RB) Will the Bears go to and win the superbowl?
Answer: Yes, No. The Bears right now are clearly the best team in the NFC. Even with a healthy Alexander and Hasselback, the Seahawks would still be stopped by the Bears defense. The Bears, for the first time this season showed that they could get beat in a game and then make a comeback, which is something that they were not faced with yet this season. And they did it against the next best team in the NFC. So, I do believe that they will represent the NFC in the superbowl. As for winning it, I don't think that that is safe to say yet. There are many teams in the AFC that can score and will score on the best defense in the league. Also, there are several teams that are much more balanced.

Question: (Heatkick RB) Have the Miami Heat been getting calls against them due to the overwhelming amount of whining from everyone else?
Answer: Most probably not. If for anything the Heat have been getting the majority of the calls for them because of Dwyane Wade. Wade has emerged as a superstar in this league and has been getting the fouls called for him almost every time he drives the lane. Also, even if they have been getting calls called against them, it is definetly not due to the whining from everyone else.

Question: (Illmatic RB) Will the Colts choke in the playoffs again?
Answer: If the Colts make the playoffs, my prediction is that they will choke again. The games that they have played this season has been way too close and they have been playing well enough just to get passed those games. Sooner or later, they are going to have lost one and it might be in the clutch.

Question: (Iverson3) Will the Eagles make the playoffs?
Answer: This might seem kind of a surprise to many, but I am going to say that the Eagles do get in. And if the Giants don't watch out, they are going to get in by winning the division. All three teams, the Giants, Eagles, and Cowboys have extremely difficult schedules to finish off the season, so anything can happen between the three and right now, the Eagles are in the first wild card spot.

Question: (TheOne&OnlyJackson) Will the Cowboys make the playoffs?
Answer: I am going to go with no. Unlike the Eagles, they do not have an experienced quarterback. Granted, Tony Romo has looked great, don't get me wrong, but compared to quarterbacks like Mcnabb, Delhomme, Vick, etc. Romo does not have the edge at all.

Question: (Hitmen99 IST) Do you think that the BCS system is a fair system to use in college football? Why or why not?
Answer: You know what, I do think that it is fair to use in college football. This is only because there is no fair system to use in college football, so they should just stick with what they have. No matter what kind of system they use, there will always be something wrong and/or someone complaining.

Question: (Drake IST) Who do you think will be in the BCS National Championship Game and who will win?
Answer: Ohio State vs. USC. Ohio State wins it. Ohio State will beat Michigan this weekend and they really do not have anyone else to worry about for the rest of the season. And as for USC, if they can beat California this weekend and then beat Notre Dame the last weekend, they will definetly get enough votes to be put at number two. And as for Ohio State beating USC, Ohio State has just been dominate, amazing, and unbelievable. Troy Smith, Anthony Gonzalez, Ted Ginn Jr, and Antonio Pittman is just four names that no defense wants anything to do with.

Question: (Ryan IST) Which would mean more for the Colts, a 16-0 season or a single win in the playoffs?
Answer: The Colts will not say this, but a 16 - 0 season would mean more. It means that they were perfect. And considering that if they only had one win in the playoffs then that means that they would not win the super bowl, so at least they would accomplish something

Question: (Logan IST) What scenario do you think there would need to be for the Rutgers to make it into the National Championship?
Answer: Rutgers right now is @2 in the BCS computer, so what they need to do is convince the writers that they are a legit team. Here is what would need to happen in order for Rutgers to get into the BCS Title Game:
- USC loses to Cal, but beats Notre Dame
- Florida loses to Arkansas
- Rutgers defeats West Virginia

I would like to thank the members from Real Ballers and Infinite Sports Talk for sending in questions for this week's mailbag.

Bobby Knight Strikes Again

Bobby Knight hits the papers again with his anger problems

Bobby Knight, head coach of the Texas Tech College Basketball Team, made the newspapers again today. The hall of fame coach was caught on tape hitting Michael Prince's head upwards after Prince put his head down while Knight was yelling at him. As we all know, Knight has had many anger problems in the past and once this happened, you knew it was going to be all over the news in matter of seconds.

Knight said that if he was faced with the same situation in his next game or any game that he would do it again.

While reading into the story, I found this quote by Knight that I found very interesting. Knight said, "I flipped his chin up and told him to look me right in the eye so he could do the job we want. I said, 'Can you?' And he said 'Yes,' and I said, 'OK, sit down and let's go.' If that's an issue then I'm living in the wrong country." And to be quite honest, Knight is right. He didn't slap the player, hit the player, throw a chair at the player, etc. He saw that Michael Prince was not concentrating or saw that his confidence level was decreasing and tried to get him focused and back on track.

The fact of the matter is simply that if this was any other coach, I would not be writing about this and this would probably not have been on any news channel, website, or paper.

NFL Midseason (and a week) Awards

Marques Colston has been a gift from heaven for the Saints this season

MVP & Offensive POY:

Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis Colts. Who else? He has lead the Colts, if not single-handedly, to a league best 9-0 mark, as well as having the best passer rating in the league thus far. Manning has competely stellar stats so far, leading the league in many categories. He has overcame all the different schemes that defenses have tried to throw at him game after game after game.

Statline: 9 Games - 210 Completions - 65.6% Completions Made - 2527 Yards - 18 Touchdowns - 3 Interceptions - 104.5 Passer Rating

Defensive POY:

Champ Bailey, CB, Denver Broncos. Probably a shocker pick, but in my eyes he is the best shut down corner in the NFL, which a line which in essence almost contradicts itself. There are very few, if any, shut down corners left in the NFL besides Bailey. He has single-handedly lead the Broncos' secondary to the point where quarterbacks do not even look in his direction when deciding who to pass the ball too. The Broncos defense is first in the lead in Points Per Game, allowing an abismal 12.3 Points Per Game.

Statline: 9 Games - 43 Tackles - 5 Interceptions - 7 Pass Deflections - 0 Sacks

Offensive ROY:

Marques Colston, WR, New Orleans Saints. A seventh round pick out of Hofstra, and quite possibly the Offensive Rookie of the Year. If I told you before the year that this award would go to a rookie in New Orleans, you'd call me crazy to tell you it wasn't Reggie Bush. However, Colston has stepped up huge for the rolling Saints and has emerged as a threat towards any opposing defense.

Statline: 9 Games - 54 Receptions - 869 Yards - 16.1 Yards Per Catch - 7 Touchdowns

Defensive ROY:

A.J. Hawk, MLB, Green Bay Packers. No suprise, Hawk has done what he was picked at number five overall to do, lead this struggling Green Bay defense. Stats cannot tell you how important Hawk is to the nucleus of Green Bay. He is also a class act and a true role model on and off the field.

Statline: 9 Games - 43 Tackles - 4 Sacks - 4 Pass Deflections - 0 Interceptions

Colts Scrape Past Bills

Rian Lindell hooked the potential game winning field vs. the Colts on Sunday

As the Indianapolis Colts look forward to meetings with Philadelphia (5-4) and other prominent teams in the coming weeks, it seems as if they've overlooked what was a meaningless opponent, and what was believed to be an easy win for them: the Buffalo Bills.
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The Bills ran all over the Colts, even without star running back Willis McGahee. Anthony "A-Train" Thomas ran 28 times for 109 yards, with a long of 19 yards. As a team, the Bills threw the ball 14 times, 9 of them complete. Indianapolis was the polar opposite, throwing for 279 yards (All by Peyton Manning, of course) and then running the ball 27 times (Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai combined) for 150 yards. However, Manning threw 39 times, as opposed to Losman's 14 times.

The story of the game was special teams, and Indianapolis making key mistakes. Joseph Addai fumbled, and Terrence McGee ran the ball back 68 yards for a key touchdown, the only one Buffalo would score all day. Reggie Wayne scored on a 1-yard TD pass from Manning on a fade route, and Addai scored on a short run near the goal line. In addition to Addai's fumble, and McGee's subsequent 68-yard return, Ben Utecht also fumbled the ball, and was recovered by Nate Clements. McGee's well-doing was almost erased with his fumble, but Buffalo players fell on the ball immediately. JP Losman also fumbled, and that was recovered by Buffalo offensive lineman (By commitee, at that).

In the 4th quarter, with the game winding down and just over six and a half minutes left on the clock, Rian Lindell came out on to the field to attempt a field goal. The kicked looked good, and at the last second it hooked just to the right, and the field goal attempt, and the 3 points what would have put Buffalo ahead by two, were for not. Manning and the Colts' offense went down the field, taking time off the clock, and eventually ended the game on a kneel down just after an Addai run for a first down.

Angelo Crowell finished with 12 tackles and 1 assisted tackle, leading the Bills'. The Colts' leader was Antoine Bethea, a 6th-round pick Defensive Back, who finished with 8 and 1 assist. Dwight Freeney also got his first full sack of the season, getting to JP Losman midway through the 3rd quarter.

Mangini Works His Magic; Other NFL News

Eric Mangini and the Jets defeated Bill Belichick on Sunday

The New York Jets came into New England to play the Patriots after coming off of a bye week where they evidently, prepared very much for this game. The spread on this game was 10.5 points in favor of the Patriots and nobody was giving the Jets any credit to win the game and saying maybe they will keep it close. Well, close is what the Patriots were trying to keep it just about the whole game.

It was early in the 2nd quarter when the Patriots struck first with a field goal to give them the lead, but that was after the Jets came up with a huge eight yard sack in the red zone. And until late in the 4th quarter, the New York Jets dominated on the defensive side of the ball. After a huge touchdown pass from Pennington to Cotchery, the Patriots drove down the field in less than a minute and scored a touchdown on a pass from Brady to Caldwell and then they got the ball back with less than two minutes left in the game inside their own fifteen. Tom Brady made some very nice passes, but the problem was that all of these passes were to the middle of the field and essentially, none were to the sidelines that would have allowed them to get out of bounds and that is basically how it ended.

With nine seconds left, the Patriots had one more play to throw a bomb, but Brady fumbled the ball and the game was over. The Jets won 17 - 14.

Now, one who did not watch the game might ask, how in the world did the Jets win this game? Well, it is pretty simple -- defense. The run defense, besides for giving up a 50 yard run to Corey Dillon, play outstanding. They have improved so much since the first time these two teams faced off earlier in the season, it is not even imaginable, only letting up 135 yards on the ground to the Patriots. Brady did have a nice game verse the Jets defense with a touchdown and 255 yards, but had a key turnover late in the game.

The key player in the game has to be Kevan Barlow. Throughout the whole game, but mainly in the 4th quarter when it counted the most, Barlow took the ball from Pennington and actually ran with it. He finished the game with 75 yards on 17 attempts and a touchdown.

Eric Mangini, head coach of the New York Jets, deserves all the credit in the world. He came into the game with his team prepared as best as they can be and they played as best as they can. Great game calling and clock management too, something that Herm Edwards failed to ace as the head coach for the New York Jets.

In other NFL news, the Colts are the first team in NFL history to start off the season 9 - 0 in two straight seasons, Ladanian Tomlinson ties the Chargers' team record for most touchdowns in a game with four, as they defeated the Bengals 49 - 41, Steve Mcnair defeated his old team, the Tennessee Titans, 27 - 26, and Brett Favre, who had 347 yards and two touchdowns defeated the Vikings by a final score of 23 - 17.

Redd's 57 Couldn't Quite Do It

Michael Redd puts up 57 points in loss

Friday night, Michael Redd of the Milwaukee Bucks scored an astonishing, team record 57 points against the Jazz. The Milwaukee Bucks were down by 24 points in the first half, but that was before Redd put up 39 points in the second half that eventually tied the game at 111 - 111. Matt Harpring though, of the Utah Jazz, put in the game winning layup with under two seconds left in the game which sealed the deal, making the final score 113 - 111.

We all know that Michael Redd might just be the best shooter in the NBA, but what a lot of people do not know is that he is an undersized shooting guard, who has no defensive abilities whatsoever. It reminds me of the Knicks, except the fact that he can actually put the ball in the hoop. Of course I am taking nothing away from his stellar performance, considering he broke the team record for most points scored in a single game, previously held by the hall of famer, Kareem Abdul Jabar, who is the NBA's career scoring leader and also who scored 55 points in a Bucks' uniform against the Boston Celtics on December 10th, 1971. It is just that when you score 57 points in a game and lose, it must be disappointing for him, the team, and the fans.

On the other hand, it was not all good news for the Jazz Friday night. Star Foward Andrei Kirilenko had to leave the game in the 2nd quarter with what was reported to be a sprained ankle. In seven games this season, Kirilenko is averaging 8.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 3.0 APG, as well as shooting 44% from the field.

Burning Questions For Week 10

Will the Seahawks be able to deliver the knockout punch on Sunday?

I saw an article on NFL.com by Vic Carucci that was based around four big questions heading into Week 10 of the NFL season and his answers. These questions, unlike other questions in many other articles that I have read in the past 24 hours seemed quite interesting, so I thought I would give my own input on them.

Will the Cincinnati Bengals take a major step toward turning their season around and enhancing their chances for a playoff berth by beating the San Diego Chargers, who are in the thick of the race in the highly competitive AFC West?

No.

Its funny because this was suppose to be one of the best divisions in the AFC -- heck, even the NFL. Between the defending super bowl champions, the revamped Ravens, and the Bengals who had been known for their unstoppable offense, it seemed as if it was going to be one of hell of a fight to see who the division champion would be. But, it has not turned out that way. The Steelers are in one hell of a mess and the Bengals have way to many issues. They are now .500 and are forced to face a red hot San Diego Charger team that is without their star linebacker, but still a team to fear with the best running back and tight end in the league on the offense.

The Bengals' offensive line is very shaken up and you can tell because of the hard hits that are being put on Carson Palmer, who I am still convinced is not 100% healthy. Rudi Johnson is not the same running back as he was last year either. And as for the wide recievers, well, between Chad Johnson still complaining, T.J. Houshmandzadeh throwing tantrums on the field, and Chris Henry probably due for an arrest tommorow morning before the game, this offense is in a total mess.

Can the New York Jets, who put a major scare into the New England Patriots in Week 2, close the deal in the rematch?

Yes.

The New York Jets have been preparing for this game for two weeks now and on top of that, Tom Brady is coming off of one of his worst games of his career committing more turnovers in his last game verse a defense that one would never think of being dominant than verse anyone else in his entire career. Eric Mangini, Head Coach of the Jets and former Defensive Coordinator for the Patriots, had this offense figured out in the second half of their first matchup in Week 2. I would be very surprised if the Patriots came out this week dominating the Jets the same way they did in that game. Also, what has to be taken into consideration is that the Jets ahd absolutely no running game stablished at that point in the season. What also has to be taken into consideration is that the Jets were not able to stop the run at that point in the season, but they are still not able to stop the run. So, will the Jets be able to take the win verse the Patriots in Week 10? As I said before, yes.

Will the Seattle Seahawks deliver what effectively could be the knockout punch to the St. Louis Rams, their only real challenger for the NFC West crown?

No.

The Seattle Sehawks will be without their pro bowl running back and quarterback again this week verse the St. Louis Rams. The Rams will not be without their star running back and quarterback, which will be why they will take this game. The Rams did have a heartbreaking loss to the Chiefs last Sunday, but that was verse arguably the best running back in the game, Larry Johnson. We all know that the Rams have no defense whatsoever, but Maurice Morris is far from Larry Johnson. And Seneca Wallace is a nice backup, but that is all he is -- A nice backup. The Seahawks wide recievers are fearsome, Jackson and Branch and if Hasselback was starting the game, I would say Yes to this question, but that is not the case. The Rams will take this one and stay in the hunt for the AFC West title.

Are the Chicago Bears going to rebound from their stunning loss to Miami by knocking off the New York Giants, another NFC heavyweight?

No.

Both teams were hit this past week with the injuries, but the Giants were way more than the Bears, which is why this was a hard question to answer. But, the Giants can still bring pressure towards Rex Grossman. The thing about Rex Grossman is that when he has time to throw the ball, he is an all-pro quarterback. And last week, the Dolphins took care of that and the Giants will do the same. Even with their injuries, they will still be able to send the pressure forcing Grossman to make key mistakes and they will take advatange on the offensive side of the ball. Watch out for Tiki Barber, the league's leading rusher to have a huge game and carry this team to victory. Also, Plaxico Burress is expected to play and if he does, it will be big because of the loss of Amani Toomer. I am not saying that the Giants are going to blow the Bears out of the water, but I would be surprised if the Bears are the number 1 seed in the NFC after tommorow.

NFL Week 10 Picks Against The Spread

Barber and the Giants will try to take control of the NFC on Sunday

Chiefs (+1) Over Dolphins

The Chiefs have been on a roll as of late, winning their past three games. The Dolphins on the other hand just came off their second win of the season, defeating the use to be undefeated Chicago Bears. Although the Dolphins looked great last week, the Chiefs will take over the game by running the ball with Larry Johnson and making sure Joey Harrington does not beat them by throwing the ball on their new defense under Herman Edwards.

Texans (+10) Over Jaguars
David Garrad has been great for the Jags this year and last year, but they just do not have an explosive kind of offense to beat the Texans by more than two scores, if they even do win. The Texans on the other hand have David Carr who besides for the one game two weeks ago has been very consistent and statistically, the best reciever in the league in Andre Johnson.

Ravens (-7) Over Titans
Ever since Fossil was fired and Billick took over the job of calling the plays, the running game and the offense overall has looked much better. Also, be aware for that Ravens defense to shut down Vince Young.

Chargers (-1) Over Bengals
Even without Merriman, the Chargers looked great last week, even if it was against the Cleveland Browns. Ladanian Tomlinson will run all over the Bengals' defense and the Bengals offense will continue to struggle.

Browns (+9) Over Falcons
The Lions showed last week that the Michael Vick is stoppable, but not always, so watch out for Vick to have a big game, but Frye, Winslow, and Droughns have looked pretty impressive, so it shouldn't get to far out of reach.

Colts (-12) Over Bills
Willis McGahee will not play, so that means that Anthony Thomas will be taking all the carries vs. the worst rush defense in the league, but that shouldn't stop Peyton Manning and the Colts' offense from having a field day.

Steelers (-5.5) Over Saints
The Saints have been just to good as of late and I think this week is where they slow down a bit. Also, Joe Horn is hurt, so the Steelers secondary will be focused all over Holston. I see Big Ben having a big day and as long as he can manage the game fine without many turnovers, they should be in good shape.

Redskins (+7) Over Eagles
After a game winning field goal last Sunday, watch out for the Redskins to come out on fire this Sunday verse the Eagles. The Eagles are coming off a bye and McNabb will be gunning from the start of the game to the end, but the Redskins should keep it close.

Giants (-1) Over Bears
This might be the biggest game of the regular season throughout the whole entire league because it may decide who has home field advantage in the playoffs. If the Giants win, they will take control of the number 1 seed in the NFC and same goes for the Bears if they win. The Giants will not have Amani Toomer, but Plaxico Burress will be in the game and the Dolphins showed last week that the Bears are beatable.

Packers (+5) Over Vikings
The Vikings were not able to score a touchdown verse the 49ers this week and Favre has been on fire as of late. Packers will not only cover the spread, but they will take the victory as well.

Jets (10.5) Over Patriots
Earlier in the season, if given one more minute the Jets would have won the game after being down 27 - 0 at halftime. Watch out for Mangini to come out attackign Brady from the start and not giving him time in the pocket to throw the ball. The Patriots should take this one, but the Jets will cover the spread.

Lions (-6) Over 49ers
The Lions destroyed the Falcons last week on offense and Roy Williams should come out again this week and put on another show. The 49ers are going to have to run, run, run with Frank Gore if they want to win. This should be a close game since both defenses are weak, but the Lions have the edge.

Broncos (-9.5) Over Raiders
The Raiders have been a disgrace this season and the Broncos have been the total opposite of just that. Javon Walker has stepped up his game this season and has proved that he is one of the elite recievers in the league doing just about everything that can be done at his position.

Rams (+3.5) Over Seahawks
After losing a game that the Rams thought they had from the start last week to the Chiefs, the Rams should come out on fire running the ball with Stephen Jackson and throwing it with Marc Bulger. It should be interesting to see if their defense can make a stop or not. But, if they do, the Rams should have win this game or at least cover the spread.

Panthers (-9.5) Over Bucs
The Bucs defense has been decent, but their offense has been awful. They just cannot score. It really is as simple as that and if you don't score then you just don't win.

Cowboys (-6.5) Over Cardinals
The Cardinals, like the Raiders have been a disgrace. Not being able to hold leads, not playing defense, not blocking, not running, not this, not that, not winning -- This basically sums up the Cardinals season. Tony Romo will throw to Owens and Glenn all day and the Cowboys will win big.

Daisuke Matsuzaka Bidding Ends; Winner Not Announced Yet

The bidding for the Lions' Matsuzaka has finally ended

The Daisuke Matsuzaka bidding ended yesterday and the winner of the bidding was reported to be the Boston Red Sox, who bidded anywhere from 38 - 40 million dollars for the rights to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka to pitch for them in 2007. The winner of the biddings have not been officially revealed yet though as there are many media outlets with different victors. An announcement from the Seibu Lions is expected to come on Monday or Tuesday.

Why Matsuzaka? What is the big deal about some japanese pitcher, in particular, this one? Is this another Kazuo Matsui or will it be a Hideki Matsui or Ichiro Suzuki in the making? Well, for one, Matsuzaka pitched 186+ innings with a 2.13 ERA and 200 strikeouts this past season pitching for the Seibu Lions in Japan, going 17 - 5. Teams like the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees who are the two favorites to win the bidding for the rights to negotiate with the young pitcher both have major pitching needs for next season. The Yankees were 7th in the American League with a 4.41 ERA and the Red Sox were 11th in the American League with a 4.83 ERA. The pitchers were rarely able to go past the 6th inning, so the bullpens were exhausted by the time the end of the season came. Another reason why Matsuzaka is because he was named tournament MVP after posting a 3-0 record, including a decisive win over Cuba in the tournament's championship game.

It also happens to be that the Red Sox and Yankees have the two highest payrolls in the league, so we all know that they have plenty of money to spend in order to make their teams better and we also know that they will spend that money.

As for whether or not Matsuzaka will have the success that Hideki or Ichirio has had, we will not know until next year, but what we do know is that he will be in a major league uniform making more money than we can ever dream of making.