Asshole Of The Week: The Boston Herald

Welcome to Asshole Of The Week, where every Friday your trusty Foul Balls editor picks out the one person from the previous seven days who makes him think, "Man, what an asshole." It could be anybody from an athlete, an owner, someone in the media, or just anybody who happens to catch my ire.

Another first in the short history of Asshole Of The Week here on Foul Balls: instead of naming a person as the Asshole Of The Week, I'm naming an entire newspaper. Or at least their sports department.

Though, if this week's honor were to be bestowed upon one individual, that individual would be John Tomase. Who the hell is John Tomase, and why should you care? Well, Christ, give me a minute and I'll tell you. Have some god damn patience.

Tomase is the New England Patriots beat reporter for The Boston Herald, and he's also the guy who wrote the original story (which I would link to, but the Herald charges you for that type of thing) that the Patriots had taped the St. Louis Rams walk-through prior to Super Bowl XXXVI. His story led to a year's worth of "Spygate."

Before I get into what Tomase did, though, I want to just say how happy I am that the NFL has finally put this entire Spygate debacle to bed.

There has never been a bigger non-story to get so much coverage. A professional sports team trying to gain a competitive advantage over another professional sports team!? Oh, the humanity!

But since this story involved the New England Patriots - and ESPN loves the Patriots and runs the world - we were all forced to deal with it.

So when Roger Goodell came out and said that there was no tape, I was relieved. Though it did beg the question, if there's no tape, then why was the Herald running stories saying there was?

The complex (read: fake) answer is one that has to do with an inferiority complex reporter Tomase has suffered since early childhood, when he was always picked last in pick-up games at the park and in local canasta tournaments with his grandmother (she wanted John's older, smarter, and better looking brother Joe).

The simple answer is, they were wrong, and they finally apologized for it on Wednesday.

On Feb. 2, 2008, the Boston Herald reported that a member of the New England Patriots’ video staff taped the St. Louis Rams’ walkthrough on the day before Super Bowl XXXVI. While the Boston Herald based its Feb. 2, 2008, report on sources that it believed to be credible, we now know that this report was false, and that no tape of the walkthrough ever existed.

Prior to the publication of its Feb. 2, 2008, article, the Boston Herald neither possessed nor viewed a tape of the Rams’ walkthrough before Super Bowl XXXVI, nor did we speak to anyone who had. We should not have published the allegation in the absence of firmer verification

The Boston Herald regrets the damage done to the team by publication of the allegation, and sincerely apologizes to its readers and to the New England Patriots’ owners, players, employees and fans for our error.

What's that? Did a major newspaper just admit to running with a story it really had no real reason to believe was true? Did it just publish something in hopes of selling papers?

I thought publishing poorly researched, incorrect stories is something only bloggers do. Now I find out that the mainstream media do it too, and...well....I...

My world has been turned upside down. I don't know what to think anymore.

Thankfully for everyone involved, major newspapers only fire their writers for swearing on web sites that aren't affiliated with the paper. If you make up stories, your job is secure.

This, from the Herald's Editor in Chief, Kevin Convey:

"Nevertheless, I continue to stand behind the work of the Herald sports department and John Tomase, a talented journalist who has dealt with this difficult matter professionally while continuing to do his job under intense pressure.

In the end, as editor in chief of the Herald, I take full responsibility for the publication of this story, and I offer my own apology to our readers and our staff.

In tomorrow’s Herald, you’ll hear from John Tomase directly. And I hope that you’ll see, as our coverage of this story and others goes forward, that our dedication to accuracy remains unchanged, and that our first priority will always be maintaining that bond of trust with our readers."

Yes, maintain that bond of trust which you just admitted to breaking. It's always nice to see newspapers holding themselves accountable to the standards they seemingly only set for others.

So, Boston Herald, for forcing me to have to hear about Spygate for so long, then finding out the article your paper published that started the whole thing was bogus, and finishing up by not even firing the bastard who started it, you're the Asshole Of The Week.

Enjoy it while you can. The rest of us irresponsible publishers are coming for you.

Bill Belichick Gets the South Park Treatment

One of my favorite television shows of all time is South Park, and anytime they work in a sports angle to a new episode and give me a chance to post video of it here, I'm going to take it.

Edward James Olmos should be proud.

That Was Unexpected

Like a lot of you this morning, I woke up this morning with a bit of a headache, and still unsure whether or not the Giants and Eli Manning really beat the Patriots yesterday. It had to have been a dream, right?

Eli Manning?

The Giants?

Come on.

The Patriots aren't supposed to lose, they're supposed to be the greatest team ever.

Eli Manning beat the greatest team ever? He beat Tom Brady!?

The game was pretty boring for the most part, but the end of the game was probably one of the greatest in Super Bowl history. Right up there with the Patriots first win in Super Bowl 36, or when Kevin Dyson came up a yard short against the Rams.

After Corey Webster fell down and Tom Brady found Randy Moss for the wide open touchdown that made it 14-10 New England, I thought the game was over. I was proud of the Giants for giving New England a game, but as I said to my friends around me, we had arrived at the time for Eli's patented Back-Breaking Interception.

It's something we Chicago fans are used to thanks to one Rex Grossman, but not even Rex has perfected the art form that is the Back-Breaking Interception like Eli has in his career.

It never came, though there were a few close calls, but instead we ended up with this.

Did you ever, in your life, expect to see Eli Manning do something like that? David Tyree made an absolutely amazing catch, but I was too shocked by Eli's escape to really appreciate it at first.

Afterwards I immediately turned to my friend Bill, and the look on his face mirrored my thoughts exactly.

"Holy shit. The Giants are going to pull this off."

A few plays later Eli was floating a pass to a wide open Plaxico Burress in the end zone, and the Giants were taking a 17-14 lead with 35 seconds left. The same Plaxico Burress who caught crap from bored members of the media all week for his prediction that the Giants would win this game. (Seriously, what the hell is he supposed to say when asked that question? "Oh, I think we're gonna lose by at least 30. Just happy to be here!")

Of course, if Eli Manning could lead the Giants 80 yards to a Super Bowl, surely Tom Brady could get the Patriots in field goal range with 35 seconds and three timeouts. He never did though, as a Giants pass rush that had overwhelmed the Patriots offensive line all night, kept right on plugging along.

I don't care how good of a quarterback you are, you can't throw with a 280-lineman planted firmly in your chest.

The New York Giants are Super Bowl champions, and the Patriots are 18-1 wondering what could have been.

Talk about the ultimate kick in the stomach for Patriots fans. Not only did they see their dream season fade away in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday, but their team fell to a Manning. A Manning that plays for a team in New York.

And somehow all of this makes me want to kick Rex Grossman in the face.

Foul Balls

Sucks To Be You, Tiki - My immediate thought after the game, well right after the "Holy shit, the Giants just won" feeling, was "How much does it suck to be Tiki Barber right now?"

I think it's safe to assume that Tiki probably felt he was the biggest reason behind any success the Giants have had the last few years, and for the most part, he's right. Then in his first year after an early retirement he has to watch the team he left, then ripped on, not only get to the Super Bowl but pull off one of the greatest upsets ever.

That's gotta hurt. Maybe Tiki and Jeremy Shockey can meet up and cry together.

The Commercials - I know a lot of people love watching the Super Bowl for the commercials, but I'm not one of them. I used to enjoy them, but frankly, they've sucked for the last few years. Each commercial you see during the game has been picked apart by different people for so long that by the time it airs, anything that was creative or original behind it has been swapped out with safe and unoffensive.

That said, there were still a few commercials that amused me a little, and here are some of them.

Spread Em: Super Bowl XLII

I don't know if you've heard anything about it over the last few days, but apparently there's a pretty big football game being played this weekend, and it's called Super Bowl XLII. The Super Bowl is one of my favorite days of the year, in fact, it's my Christmas. Still, it's a bittersweet day, because after it's over, I don't have a single football game to watch for seven months. But you're not here to listen to me ramble on about what the Super Bowl means to me, you're hear to find out who's going to cover the spread. Let's get to the pick, plus a few fun prop bets.

New England Patriots (-11.5) vs. New York Giants

I want to pick the Giants to win this game, for many reasons. First and foremost because I hate the Patriots. I respect what they do, but I hate them. They have the best quarterback, they have the best coach, they have the best wide receiver....noticing a trend? Oh, and they're 18-0. I tend to root for the underdog, and it's pretty obvious that's not a role the Patriots are playing in this game.

There was a time when they were though. Not coincidentally, there was a time when I liked them. I recently saw a replay of New England's first title, over the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, and I remembered everything about watching that game. I was living in Champaign at the time, and I stayed home to watch the game with my roommate, Bill.

The Rams, of course, were the offensive juggernaut back then, and the Patriots had no chance. That didn't stop Bill and I from backing them, and it was also helped by the fact Bill's girlfriend's roommate was from St. Louis, and she was annoying. So screw her.

As I watched the game again yesterday, I couldn't help but notice how everything we now know about Tom Brady was so obvious then. After the Patriots had blown a 17-3 lead in the fourth quarter, he kept his cool and led his team down the field with a 1:21 left and no timeouts. Tom didn't do anything stupid, just took what the Rams defense (coached by a certain Lovie Smith) gave him and calmly moved the team down the field, setting up Adam Vinatieri's game-winner as the clock ran out.

That's when I realized there was no way in hell the Giants have any shot this weekend. Not when Bill Belichick has had two weeks to figure out how to beat you, and not when you're going against Tom Brady.

I know Eli Manning has played well in the playoffs so far, but you still wouldn't be surprised if he had a Rex Grossman-like performance, would you? No, you wouldn't.

The truth is that Eli can play well, and it's not going to matter. The Giants played the Patriots as well as they could in Week 17, and they still lost. Now the Patriots know what the Giants are going to try to do to them.

This Patriots team is destined to go 19-0, and the Giants aren't going to stop them from doing it.

Patriots 31 Giants 17

Conference Championships: 1-1

Playoffs: 6-4

Overall: 133-109-9

Prop Bets

It's the last game of the season, so that means you won't have any football to gamble on for a while, so you better feed that monkey as much as you can now. Luckily there are hundreds of prop bets available!

First Player to Score TD - Jabar Gaffney 12/1- I always like to make this bet in the Super Bowl, and it paid off big time for me two years ago in Super Bowl XXXIX. I took Ben Roethlisberger at 20/1 odds, and although most people in Seattle will still tell you Ben never crossed the goalline, the folks in Vegas said he did and that's all that matters to me. I just figure that the Giants are probably going to pay a lot of attention to Moss and Wes Welker, and Tom Brady isn't picky when it comes to who he throws to. He just finds the open guy, which could easily be Gaffney after he gets lost in the shuffle.

Wes Welker Receptions - Over 7.5- So far this postseason Welker has had 9 catches against Jacksonville, and 7 against San Diego. Eight times this season he's had 8 or more catches in a game, and he's Tom Brady's security blanket. I think the Giants will get pressure on Brady during the game, and he'll look to Welker a lot.

And if you're really sick...

Coin Toss - Tails (-103) - It never fails.

All spreads and prop bets courtesy of Bodog

Surprised and Disappointed

Okay, so now that I got my concern for Tom Coughlin out of the way, I guess I can move on to actually talking about the games yesterday.

Honestly, I don't really have that much to say about the AFC Championship game. The game played out exactly how I thought it would play out, with the only surprise being LaDainian Tomlinson only getting two carries. Obviously, the lack of Tomlinson didn't help San Diego's cause, but I doubt he would have made much of a difference had he played.

The Patriots have been the best team in football all season, and they weren't going to lose yesterday. I mean, Tom Brady played more like Rex Grossman yesterday, and the Patriots still won. It's not fair.

And now, the only team standing in the way of the Patriots pursuit of an undefeated season is the same team that tried to stop them from having an undefeated regular season: the New York Giants.

I was shocked that the Giants beat the Packers. Shocked. I really didn't feel as though the Giants would keep it close. I know they'd won their last nine road games, and I know that they were playing better the last three weeks than they had been all year, but I still didn't think they had a shot.

There was just no way that Eli Manning, who has been horrible in cold weather throughout his career, was going to be able to out duel the great Brett Favre. Not in his storybook comeback season!

But instead the great Favre morphed back into the Favre we saw the last few seasons, making bad decisions and worse throws. Favre had no excuse either.

Sure, his offensive line did a horrible job of giving Ryan Grant and the Packers run game any room to operate, which forced Green Bay to completely ditch it's running game (one of many mistakes Green Bay made yesterday), but they did a fantastic job in pass protection. The Giants lead the entire free world in sacks, yet they never got to Favre once yesterday.

Eli Manning, on the other hand, looked like a quarterback that had been there a hundred times before. Moving his team down the field time after time for scores during the second half. If Lawrence Tynes was as good at kicking 37-yard field goals as he is kicking 47-yard field goals, this game never would have even gone into overtime.

I don't want to take away from what Eli has done this postseason, because he really has played great, but I can't help but be disappointed by the Giants victory. I wasn't really rooting for the Packers yesterday, and if you're a real Bears fan you weren't either, but I preferred that they won. I wanted the Super Bowl to feature Tom Brady and Brett Favre. The two quarterbacks who sucked yesterday.

Not to mention that I caught a lot of crap from Packers fans after the Bears lost in the Super Bowl last season, so I wouldn't have minded returning the favor this season after Green Bay lost to New England.

Instead we're stuck with the same old story we're always stuck with. New York vs. Boston.


Fantastic.

I'm surprised the collective boner of everybody at ESPN didn't block the sunrise this morning.

Foul Balls

Trade Ben Gordon - This is just something I've been thinking the last few days while watching the Bulls. Trade Ben Gordon, and do it soon. I have nothing against Ben, and in fact I'm very grateful for all those points he's scored these last few years, but I think it's time for him to move on.

I mean, I'd rather trade Kirk Hinrich, but I don't think he'll be anywhere near as easy to trade, nor will he bring back as much in return. I just think that the Bulls will be better off with Thabo Sefolosha playing the 2-guard right now. Thabo has played terrific basketball the last few weeks, and I'd like to see him as much on the court as possible.

So the Bulls should trade Gordon now because he can be used in a package to get somebody like Pau Gasol (there's that name again) and Ben won't be back next season anyway. So you may as well get something for him now, instead of nothing for him later.

What's the worst that can happen? We miss the playoffs?

Lou Piniella Doesn't Want Brian Roberts - I've understood why the Cubs are interested in Brian Roberts this winter, they would like a real lead-off hitter, and moving Alfonso Soriano down to the three-spot would be beneficial to the offense, but I've been against the trade all along. Mostly because I'm just a real big Mark DeRosa fan.

Thankfully, Lou Piniella feels the same way as I do. At the Cubs convention over the weekend, Piniella said he doesn't expect the team to complete the deal for Roberts, and that would be fine with him.

"I don't think we're going to do anything, to be honest with you," Piniella said before Friday's opening ceremonies. "And I think if we do [acquire someone] it'll be in the outfield. I'm very comfortable with our club the way it is."

"[A trade for a right-handed centerfielder to platoon with Felix Pie] probably a possibility, as opposed to the other things that you all have been hearing about," he said, adding again he's "perfectly content with [Mark] DeRosa at second base."

Hopefully Jim Hendry got the message.

Mike Vick Gets 23 Months

Yesterday was a pretty good Sunday all things considered. Since there was no Bears game, I could just enjoy watching football without all the hassle of really needing to care. Sure, there's my fantasy football team, but the Swamp Nutz had already wrapped up the division going into the final week of our regular season.

It was a wonderful day.

I wonder how Mike Vick's Sunday was? I hope it was good, because I'm pretty sure his Monday has sucked pretty bad so far.

Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison Monday for his role in a dogfighting conspiracy that involved gambling and killing pit bulls.

The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback could have been sentenced up to five years by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Vick, who turned himself in Nov. 19 in anticipation of his sentence, was wearing a black-and-white striped prison suit.

After Vick apologized to the court and his family, Hudson told him: "You need to apologize to the millions of young people who looked up to you."

"Yes, sir,' Vick answered.

Vick acknowledged he used "poor judgment" and added, "I'm willing to deal with the consequences and accept responsibility for my actions."

That's a long time to spend in prison, for anybody, let alone Mike Vick. It's hard to know if he's going to be able to make a comeback to the NFL after spending two years in jail. As of now, Vick won't be out of prison until October 2009. If he's a good little inmate, he can get out three months earlier in July 2009.

So even if Vick gets out early, he'll still be nearly three years removed from the football field. Most people will have forgotten about Vick by then, so somebody's going to take a chance on him. Whether or not he'll ever even be a shell of what he was before the arrest will remain to be seen, but I don't think he'll ever be a starter in the NFL again.

On the bright side, Vick could have been sentenced up to five years. Still, the 23 month sentence is the longest of the three sentences handed out in this case so far. The two friends who snitched on Vick, Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips, each received 18 and 21 months respectively. The third co-defendant, Tony Taylor, won't be sentenced until Friday.

What I'm wondering is, who will be the next athlete to go to jail? I mean, the way things are going in the world of sports right now, it's inevitable that it's going to happen again. Just look at all the big stories taking place off the field.

It all started with Pacman Jones, who gave way to the Bengals and Tank Johnson. Then the Vick story broke, and a few weeks ago Sean Taylor was killed by somebody who broke into his house.

It's not just the NFL either. Barry Bonds is probably the favorite to be the next athlete to do some prison time. Those federal indictments are hard to get away from.

The NBA is getting involved as well, as Indiana Pacers guard Jamaal Tinsley was involved in a shooting incident over the weekend as well. It's at least the third time Tinsley has gotten into serious trouble with the law over the last year and a half.

It's a pretty disturbing trend in sports right now. Mike Vick is just the posterboy.

Foul Balls

The Colts and Patriots Have Changed Places - I've noticed something over the last few weeks, and with each passing Sunday I become more convinced that my suspiscions are true. Both the Patriots and Colts had an easy time of it on Sunday, with blowout wins of the Steelers and Patriots.

But have you noticed that the Patriots and Colts have switched places?

Remember a few years ago, back in 2003 and 2004 when the Colts were lighting up the scoreboard every week and had us all wondering if they could go undefeated? Obviously, they never did. No instead they would run into the Patriots in the playoffs, the same Patriots team that had spent the season flying a bit under the radar thanks to injuries.

They were still winning, but they didn't get as much attention as the record breaking Colts.

Then the Colts won the Super Bowl last season, I don't remember who they beat, and the two teams switched roles. Now it's the Patriots who are setting offensive records, and the Colts are a team dealing with injuries, but a team that seems to be finally hitting it's stride late in the season.

At this point you shouldn't be surprised if the Colts go into Foxboro for the AFC Championship game and put an end to the Patriots dreams of an undefeated season. I know I won't be.

Kenny's Not Inspiring Much Confidence In Me - My biggest concern about the White Sox going into the 2008 season is not the offense. I know the team hasn't made too many changes to it's lineup, save for Orlando Cabrera, but I really don't think we're going to have a repeat performance of 2007 at the plate.

There's just too much talent in the lineup.

No, the thing that scares the hell out of me is a starting rotation that not only still includes Jose Contreras, and has lost Jon Garland, but it also features John Danks and Gavin Floyd.

Neither of which make me feel safe. Kenny on the other hand, he's pretty sure these two are future Hall-of-Famers.

"These are guys everyone would want and most people in the industry view ultimately as top-of-the-rotation guys," Williams said last week at the winter meetings in Nashville. "Our pitching is not going to be a problem this year. We'll be just fine in that area."

Obviously, Kenny has been experimenting with drugs lately. I want to know who these people in the industry that think Gavin Floyd will be a top of the rotation guy are. They should immediately be fired, because it's obvious they know nothing about baseball.

I only say it about Floyd because even though I don't have the same expectations Kenny does, John Danks could develop into a solid #3 starter eventually if not this season.

Holy Crap: Illinois Is Going To The Rose Bowl

Okay, so it’s been a few days since we last met. I’m all moved into the new place now, and I have my internet back.

I have to tell you though, I missed out on a lot the last few days. I’d heard the news, courtesy of Panger, on Sunday night that Illinois was going to the Rose Bowl. At first I thought Panger was just messing with my head, but I saw it today on the internet, so it has to be true.

I’ll fully admit, I’m shocked that this has happened. I’m incredibly happy, but I’m shocked. Of course, I was just as shocked that West Virginia lost to Pitt on Saturday.

I figured that once Ohio State got bumped up to the title game that the Rose Bowl was going to take Georgia. Right now the two “it” teams in college football are USC and Georgia, so I thought that matchup would be too appealing for the Rose Bowl, and that they’d buck tradition for once. Luckily the BCS is such a mess this season thanks to parity in college football that crazy things like this can happen.

Think about this for a second. Illinois went 2-10 last season. Now they’ll be playing in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1983. I expected the Illini to turn things around a bit this season, as you can see in my season preview, but I don’t think anybody expected this kind of a turnaround so fast.

I’m about ready to start my “Ron Zook For Jesus” campaign. Speaking of the Zooker, not even he thought any of this was possible.

''I told coach Guenther, if we weren't in the Rose Bowl at the end of three years,'' Zook said, ''he could get rid of me.''

Kidding aside, Zook said, ''I would have asked you what you'd been smoking,'' if anyone had suggested at training camp in Rantoul in August that this season would end in Pasadena.

''I'm so proud of our seniors,'' Zook said. ''They've never been to a bowl game. And now they're going to play in the 'granddaddy of them all.'''

The question now becomes, do the Illini have any shot in hell at beating USC? At first glance, I’d say no. I know USC lost to Stanford earlier this season-the same Stanford that lost to Notre Dame, just so you get an idea how “good” they are-but they did so without their starting quarterback. They’ve also had key injuries all season long, and hadn’t been healthy all season until their last few games.

Now that the Trojans are healthy, they look like the team everybody thought they’d be at the beginning of the season.

That being said, if the Trojans are going to play a team from the Big Ten, Illinois is probably the Big Ten’s best option.

We know USC would rip Michigan a new one because they did last year, and we saw how Ohio State handles big athletic teams last year in the title game against Florida.

Illinois on the other hand has the type of high powered rushing attack that could give USC’s defense fits. Juice Williams started developing into a real quarterback the last few weeks of the Big Ten season, instead of the running quarterback he had been all season.

Now whether or not the Illini defense is going to be able to keep the Trojan offense from putting up points, I’m not so sure. Still, the game is still a month away so I’ll have plenty of time to try and figure it out before then. So for now, I’ll just be happy that the Illini are finally getting the respect I’ve felt they deserved all season long.

As for the rest of the BCS, I really do feel bad for Missouri. I know they didn’t look very good against Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game, but they have a legitimate beef. After all, they’ve beaten both Illinois and Kansas this season, yet the Tigers didn’t get a BCS berth.

Illinois, meanwhile, is in the Rose Bowl, and Kansas is going to the playing Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. It doesn’t make much sense, but then again, when has the BCS ever made any real sense?

As for the title game of Ohio State and LSU, I can’t really argue against it because Ohio State is the best one loss team in the country, and LSU is the best 2 loss team. I fear that the Tigers are going to treat the Buckeyes much the way the Gators did last season, but it’s not my fault the BCS overvalued the Big Ten this season.

Foul Balls

So When Is The NFL Draft? - As for the Bears loss on Sunday, what can I really say? It hurt. Bad. Still, the Bears didn’t really deserve to win the game anyway.

The offense was able to move the ball down the field pretty consistently in the first half, but they kept bogging down in the red zone and settling for field goals.
Then there was the drop by Devin Hester, that if the catchbeen made, the Bears take a 14-0 lead and cruise to victory from there.

I couldn’t help but feel nervous after the Bears scored on their opening possession though, despite how good they looked. I haven’t had a chance to do the research completely, but generally when the Bears score early, they lose.

A few weeks ago against Seattle the Bears scored on their first drive for the first time this season, and lost. In Super Bowl XLI Hester returned the opening kick for a touchdown, and the Bears lost.

Notice the trend?

The good news is that this loss will finally kill any real talk of playoff chances because even though the Bears are only a game back record wise, there is a whole pile of teams between them and the Cardinals right now.

White Sox Clinch World Series Berth – The winter meetings began yesterday, and Kenny Williams has already gotten to work. After trading Jon Garland to Anaheim for Orlando Cabrera, and losing out on Torii Hunter (whom I’m still not convinced the Sox ever really wanted anyway), Kenny knew what he had to do.

The Sox were only one player away from getting back to the World Series in 2008, and Kenny went and got him yesterday.

The Chicago White Sox added depth to their inexperienced outfield Monday, acquiring Carlos Quentin from the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league first baseman Chris Carter.

That’s right! We got Carlos Quentin!

Quentin is a lifetime .230 hitter in 138 Major League games with 14 home runs and 63 RBI as an Arizona Diamondback.

What’s the point in even playing out the 2008 season? Just give us our trophy now.
Meanwhile, we’ll let the rest of the league try and go after those crappy pitchers like Johan Santana, Dan Haren, and now Erik Bedard. Who needs those guys when you have Gavin Floyd?

The Patriots Barely Survive – New England’s bid to go undefeated nearly came to an end in Baltimore last night. Just one week after struggling at home against the Eagles, the Ravens gave the Patriots quite a scare on Monday.

The Patriots needed a last minute drive, which was helped by a few Ravens holding calls on 4th downs, to overcome a 24-20 deficit. Then with 44 seconds left, Tom Brady found Jabar Gaffney for an 8-yard touchdown to give the Patriots the win.
Of course, I didn’t actually watch the game because I didn’t have cable last night. So who knows? Maybe I just made all of that up.

Even though the Patriots are still 12-0 after last night’s win, the air of invincibility is gone. For the second week in a row they’ve struggled against sub-.500 teams, and they still have no running game.

Passing all the time may work when the weather is nice, but as we get later in the season, it can get you into trouble. Just ask Tom Brady who completed only 18 of his 38 passes. With a date against the Steelers looming next week, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Pats bid to go undefeated ends next week.

The Bulls Fall Short - The Basketball Diaries will return tomorrow because since I didn't have cable, I couldn't actually watch any games yesterday.

Just know that the Bulls poor shooting in the first half doomed them like usual, and they lost to Dallas 103-98. They're now 4-11, but on the bright side, they've won two of their last three!

Who's The Second Best Team In The NFL?

We all know that the New England Patriots are the best team in the NFL right now. I'm pretty sure the only way they don't go undefeated is if an asteroid strikes in Boston and blows the whole place to hell.

The question is, who's the second best team in the NFL?

A few weeks ago it was obviously the Indianapolis Colts, but ever since they lost to New England at home in Week 9, the Colts have looked pretty mediocre. They followed that loss with another one against the Chargers in Week 10, a game that saw Peyton Manning throw a career worst six interceptions.

They finally got another win this last Sunday against the Chiefs, but it wasn't exactly a victory to be proud of. Anytime you need a last-second field goal at home to beat a Larry Johnson-less Chiefs team, you're doing something wrong.

Whether it's the rash of injuries they've suffered the last few weeks, or whether they just haven't gotten over that loss to New England, the Colts look lost and extremely beatable.

The team that was supposed to take over their spot in the NFL hierarchy was the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they came out and laid an egg on Sunday, losing to the New York Jets. That just shouldn't happen, and anybody who loses to the Jets cannot be considered an elite team.

So you know what that means?

The horrible, mediocre, little brother of the AFC has stepped up and taken a seat next to the Patriots.

That's right. The NFC is starting to catch the AFC, at least at the top, anyway.

Right now I'd have to say the Dallas Cowboys are the best team in the NFL, non-Patriots division, of course.

If it wasn't for Tom Brady and Randy Moss, Tony Romo and Terrell Owens would be the story this season. Romo threw 4 touchdown passes on Sunday, all to Owens, as the Cowboys improved to 9-1 on the season.

The lone loss? To the Patriots.

The third best team in the NFL might be from the NFC as well, because as much as it pains me to say it, the Packers are 9-1 too. Though to be completely honest, I'm not sure I buy into Green Bay's performance. I mean, they lost to the Bears, how good can they be?

Yes they're 9-1, but they haven't really played anybody this season. They've only played one team that currently has a winning record, the New York Giants. Everybody else is .500 or worse.

There won't be a rude awakening for the Packers though, because the rest of their schedule is a lot like the first half. They only have one tough game, and it's going to be a very important one, as they travel to Dallas on Thursday November 29th to play a game that will settle homefield advantage in the NFC.

Make no mistake about it, whoever emerges from the NFC is going to get their ass whipped by New England in the Super Bowl, but it's nice to see that at least somebody in the conference is good enough to at least be mentioned with AFC teams.

Foul Balls

John McDonough Leaves The Cubs - Apparently, I'm not the only one who's excited about the nice start the Blackhawks have gotten off to this season. (Second place and 4-0 against Detroit, bitch!) Cubs president John McDonough is so excited by the Hawks performance, he done quit his job!

Cubs president John McDonough will be introduced as the new president of the Blackhawks at a noon news conference Tuesday at the United Center.

"He's as good as anyone in the country and just happens to be living in Chicago," Hawks chairman Rocky Wirtz told the Tribune on Tuesday. "I've watched the job he's done with the Cubs throughout the years. He's a guy that I think has great vision, leadership and I think he'll be a terrific addition to the Hawks organization."

Obviously, with the uncertain future of the Cubs ownership McDonough couldn't be sure he'd still have a job by this time next year, so he did the smart thing and went to the Blackhawks. He'll either be seen as some kind of savior, or the Blackhawks will continue to be lousey and nobody will notice.

MJ In Orange and Blue? - I watched the Illini beat Arizona State in the first round of the Maui Invitational last night, and I was very impressed by what I saw. For more you can check out what I wrote at FanHouse.

You know what I wasn't prepared for, though? Seeing Michael Jordan in orange and blue.

As MJ sat at courtside with his daughter Jasmine watching his son Jeff play for the Illini, I wondered: What happens if Illinois and North Carolina meet in the tournament this spring? What's MJ wearing to that game?

The Garland Trade: The Day After - Yep, still pissed!! Seriously, Kenny Williams gave up a 28-year old pitcher entering his prime - one who's stayed healthy his entire career - for a 33-year old shortstop who's probably going to leave after this season anyway.

I know that this isn't going to be the Sox only move this offseason, but it's a pretty shitty way to start. Maybe tomorrow we'll trade Javier Vazquez for Barry Bonds.

The Illini Could Be BCS Bowling! - The BCS is facing a crisis right now. As currently constructed, only two teams per conference can be allowed to play in a BCS bowl. It's never been a problem before this season, but it could become a large one after next week.

You see, the BCS has always been able to rely on Notre Dame to win nine games so they could justify giving them a spot, but that's not happening this season. Then there's Hawaii, who is vulnerable to a loss this week against Boise State, which would knock them out of the BCS picture.

So that would mean the BCS will have to take two teams from four of the six BCS conferences. Of course, that becomes a huge problem since only the top 14 teams in the BCS rankings are eligible to play in a BCS bowl. So what's the BCS to do? Expand.

In an attempt to avoid a potential headache at the end of the regular season, the commissioners of the six BCS football conferences have voted to expand the pool of BCS at-large candidates from 14 to 18.

The new rule goes into effect only if there aren't enough teams among the top 14 of the final BCS standings to fill 10 slots in the BCS National Championship Game, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Rose Bowl.

So how does this affect the Illini? They're currently ranked 17th in the BCS.
And obviously, all of this is way less complicated than coming up with some kind of playoff system.

FanHouse: Charlie Weis Is Returning To New England...For Advice

Maybe while he's there he can kidnap Tom Brady.

Slow Starts Can Kill A Team

The biggest reason I was excited about this Bulls season getting started was that there would finally be something to say about the Bulls that didn't have something to do with Kobe Bryant. After watching this team play it's first three games, I think I'd rather talk about Kobe again.

I know the Bulls are notoriously slow starters under Scott Skiles, but losing to Philly at home? Losing to Milwaukee on the road? It's not just the fact that this team is losing either, it's how horrible they've looked while doing it. It's one thing to play well, and come up short in the end, but when you've been playing horribly for three games, that's worrisome.

Something's not right here.

I don't know whether it's the fact that the Kobe talks have become a distraction for this team, or if Luol and Ben Gordon have their contracts on their minds, but this team just looks lazy right now.

Through the first three games, the Bulls are shooting 38% from the field. Joe Smith is the only player on the team making half of his shots, but he's only taken 14. Ben Gordon is shooting at a 39% clip, Luol comes in at 43%, and Kirk Hinrich is at 34%. I think Hinrich has as many fouls as he does assists right now: 15. As a team, they're scoring only 86.7 points a game, which isn't going to lead to many wins in this league.

So what's to blame? Is it just rust? Distractions? Does this team really need Kobe?

It's none of those.

It's the Cubs.

They've cursed this entire city! Their "success" this season has killed everybody else. The White Sox were supposed to be good again this season, and they blew. The Bears were supposed to get back to the Super Bowl, and they're in last place.

Nothing's going right in Chicago!

Okay, so it's probably not the Cubs fault, but while the city of Boston is having a fantastic sports season, Chicago's falling flat on it's face everywhere you look. Sure the Cubs got to the playoffs, but they couldn't even manage to win a game before bowing out quickly.

So really, I have no idea what's wrong with the Bulls right now. Do I think that we'd have a better record if Kobe were here? Yeah, but I don't think his absence is what's causing the problems either. I'm hoping that this will all prove to be just another slow start for this team, and they'll get rolling sooner rather than later, but these slow starts are still killers.

Look at last season for example. In the Bulls first twelve games they managed to go 3-9 before going on a seven-game win streak to get over .500. But had the Bulls just managed to go 6-6 in those twelve games last season, they'd have finished the season 52-30 with the #2 seed in the East. That means they'd have had the same easy route to the Eastern Conference Finals that the Cavs took.

Had they gone 7-5 they'd have had home-court advantage in the playoffs.

So while an 0-3 start in an 82 game season isn't going to kill a team, it could end up hurting them quite a bit at the end of the season.

Foul Balls

In The Navy - I had said during Spread Em last week that I didn't think the Irish could cover a 3.5 point spread against Navy, and that I had no confidence in this team. Still, I don't think I ever really thought they'd lose the game.

I've never been more embarrassed to be a Notre Dame fan than I was on Saturday afternoon. That was just.....I don't even know. It was bad. I can understand why the Irish lose to teams like Michigan, Penn State, Boston College, USC, and Georgia Tech because they're all better teams with more talented players. Navy does not have more talent than Notre Dame.

Though that didn't seem to matter on Saturday, did it?

I've tortured myself all season by watching every Irish game, but after this weekend, I think I'm going to have to take the rest of the season off. If for no other reason than my sanity.

Purple Jesus - I probably shouldn't be enjoying the exploits of a Minnesota Viking as much as I am right now, but I don't care. I love Adrian Peterson. I don't care if he's a Viking and that he'll be torturing the Bears twice a season for the foreseeable future. He's on my fantasy team!! And since it's a keeper league, I have him for two more season after this one.

So I look forward to more performances like the one he had on Sunday against the Chargers. The Messiah broke the NFL's single game rushing mark with 296 yards yesterday. No, you didn't read that wrong, he actually rushed for 296 yards in one game. That included three touchdown runs, a one-yarder, a 46-yarder, and a 64-yarder. That's 35 points for my fantasy team right there.

The Vikings are only halfway through their season, but Peterson has already eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark, which puts him on pace to finish the season with over 2,000 yards. And to think, the Vikings didn't draft him until the 7th spot. I wonder what the Raiders think about taking JaMarcus Russell with the first pick now.

What's even crazier is that in two games against the Bears and Chargers-two teams that are supposed to have strong run defenses-Peterson has rushed for 520 yards and seven touchdowns. In eight games this season, Cedric Benson has rushed for 466 yards and two touchdowns. Just in case you didn't realize how bad Cedric Benson sucks.

That Patriots/Colts Game - I was at work on Thursday and a co-worker of mine told me that "Take the over this Sunday, man. Easiest money you'll ever make." My response? "Actually, I think it's going to be a 24-20 type game. I'm taking the under." "You're an idiot, man."

Who's the idiot now, man?

It was a very good game, and though it would have been impossible to live up to it's hype without aliens landing at the RCA Dome in the third quarter, the game didn't disappoint. The Colts had plenty of chances to win this game, but their failures in the red zone early came back to haunt them.

The question is, now that they've gotten the Colts out of the way, what's to stop the Patriots from going undefeated? They've got a bye next week, but after that, there isn't much to stand in their way. At Buffalo, Philadelphia, at Baltimore, Pittsburgh, the Jets, Miami, and finally on the road against the Giants.

The Steelers and Giants are the only threats, and I don't think they pose much of one.

Blogpoll Ballot Week 10 -

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	--
2	LSU	1
3	Oregon	2
4	Kansas	3
5	Oklahoma	1
6	Missouri	2
7	Boston College	5
8	Arizona State	4
9	West Virginia	--
10	Connecticut	5
11	Michigan	1
12	Hawaii	1
13	Virginia Tech	3
14	Texas	2
15	Georgia	2
16	Boise State	1
17	Auburn	2
18	Southern Cal	3
19	Kentucky	1
20	Florida	3
21	Clemson	5
22	Virginia	4
23	Tennessee	3
24	Illinois	2
25	Cincinnati	1

Dropped Out: South Florida (#14), Alabama (#18), Vanderbilt (#22), Wake Forest (#24), South Carolina (#25).

There's Only One Way To Stop The Patriots or Colts

I don't mean to add to the hype surrounding this weekend's game between the undefeated Patriots and undefeated Colts this weekend, but let's be honest, it really is the only game this regular season that matters. They're the only two teams in the NFL that are playing for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

The other 30 teams in the NFL are just jockeying for draft position.

If you've watched either team play this season, it should be obvious to you. Nobody can touch either of them. The Patriots are beating teams by an average score of 41-16. The 331 points they've scored in their first eight games is more points than Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, and St. Louis Rams have scored combined. Hell, they've almost outscored their entire division.

The Colts on the other hand, are undefeated as well, but they're only averaging a meager 32 points per game. Which helps explain why even though they're the defending champs, and haven't lost a game this season, they're currently 6 point underdogs at home against New England next week.

The Patriots and Bill Belichick have also taken a lot of heat around the league for "running up the score." On Sunday against the Redskins, the Patriots had a 38-0 lead at the end of three quarters, but that didn't stop them from throwing deep in the fourth quarter and trying to put more points on the board. It didn't stop them from going for it on fourth down either. They'd end the game winning by a score of 52-7.

As you'd expect, a couple of Redskins took exception to it. After the game Joe Gibbs said he didn't have a problem with what the Patriots did, but after the game ended he barely looked at Belichick as they shook hands, and Gibbs got the hell out of there.

Personally, I don't think it's possible to run up the score in the NFL. If it's a college game, and it's Michigan playing Appalachian State LSU playing Eastern Michigan and still trying to put points on the board in the fourth quarter even though they have a 72-0 lead, that's running up the score.

In the NFL though, it can't happen. These guys are all professionals. If you want a team to stop putting points on the board, stop them. That's all you can do.

Still, I completely understand why it's pissing teams off, and I wonder if Bill Belichick is really thinking this through. I mentioned it in last week's Spread Em, that the only way other teams have a chance to beat the Patriots is to take out Tom Brady. Everybody knows this, but these aren't the days of Butkus and Nitschke, nobody is going to try and kill Brady on purpose.

At least, they weren't going to try. The more the Patriots dominate their opponents, and embarrass them, the more likely it is to happen. At some point, somebody is going to snap and dive right at Tom Brady's knees.

They'll take the 15-yard penalty, and they'll take the fine, because in the end it's worth it. Without Tom Brady playing quarterback, the Patriots are just an average NFL team.

The same could be said about the Colts and Peyton Manning, but nobody hates the Colts enough to try and do it.

The question becomes, would it be acceptable to intentionally try and take out Brady?

In my opinion, hell yes it would. I'm not the only one that feels this way either. Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post and Pardon the Interruption agrees. He was asked about it in an online chat yesterday, and he admitted as much.

Tom Brady's Knee: I can understand Bill Belichick's desire to crush every team in the NFL, but why keep your franchise QB in there to do it? One cheap shot helmet to the knee and it's goodbye Super Bowl unless Cassell suddenly gets good.

Michael Wilbon: You're absolutely right. And if I was on the opposing team, I'd hit Tom Brady with everything I had as late as I could and take the penalty and join the fight that would surely follow. Football is a violent game and there's got to be somebody out there sharpening his fans for the Patriots Golden Boy in the 4th quarter one of these weeks.

I just want to make one thing clear though, I don't mean dive at his knees. Wilbon also made that clear later in the chat as well. I don't think that teams should take cheap shots at Brady and intentionally try and injure him, I just mean they need to do everything in their power to knock him out.

Think of the 85 Bears for a second. What was that defense's main objective? They weren't shy about telling you that their goal was to take out the quarterback. Knock his ass out, and when they bring in the backup, knock his ass out too.

This is what current NFL defenses need to do.

If you're a defensive lineman, and you have a shot to hit Brady right now, you have to put everything you have behind it, and lay him out. Drive him into the ground with your weight on top of him. Maybe you'll get lucky and dislocate his shoulder.

The one flaw with this theory though, is that you have to get to Tom Brady first. Have you seen his numbers this season? They're absolutely mind-boggling. Look at this line.

• Passing yards - 2,431
• Completion Per. - 74.2% (74.2%!)
• Passing TD's - 30
• Rushing TD's - 2
• Interceptions - 2
• Rating - 136.2

That's absolutely insane. The man is responsible for 32 touchdowns, and he's only thrown two interceptions. Do you know why his numbers are so amazing?

Because he isn't getting touched.

That's the flaw of the "Kill Tom Brady" strategy. Nobody can get to him. The Patriots offensive line is just wiping out defensive lines and linebackers. It seems that everytime Brady drops back into the pocket, he has about a minute and a half to find somebody open.

So that means every opportunity is crucial. If you have a shot to hit Tom Brady, even if it's late, you have to take it at this point. If you have a shot to hit Peyton Manning, you have to take it.

It's the only way anybody in the NFL has a chance to beat either of these two teams. If they don't do it, the rest of this NFL season will serve absolutely no purpose except for gambling reasons and fantasy football.

Though there are plenty of people who will tell you that's all the NFL is for in the first place.

Foul Balls

Brian Urlacher has a blog - Brian Urlacher and I have a lot in common. We're both athletic freaks, and we're both big time celebrities in Chicago. But there's another thing we have in common right now as Urlacher has started his own blog. You may have noticed that Urlacher has been pretty short with the Chicago media lately, limiting himself to one word answers, and kinda just being a dick. So he's started this new blog as a way to communicate with his fans, and answer questions from Fox Sports' Jay Glazer.

You’re at home against a terrible road team and you didn’t just lose, they walked through your defense. Is this as low as it gets for you?

This has been one of the most frustrating times of my career. The feeling after a loss like yesterday is terrible. It’s an awful feeling. You know going in that you have a great game plan but we don’t execute it. The coaches had a great plan for us, we just messed it up. We’re so inconsistent on both sides of the ball. Defensively? One day we stop the run, the next game we don’t but we do stop the pass. The next time out we’ll stop the run again but we can’t stop the pass.

I've no idea whether or not he's going to start posting YouTube videos of people getting hit in the nuts. Until then, he'll never be a real blogger.

Boras and A-Rod Are Douchebags - Scott Boras and Alex Rodriguez are taking a lot of heat right now for the timing of A-Rod's announcement he was opting out of his contract with the Yankees. They had ten days after the end of the World Series to decide what to do, and they chose to make the announcement during the middle of game 4 on Sunday night.

You see, they wanted to upstage the sports biggest showcase. Because, in case you weren't aware of it, they are more important than the game. As you'd expect, MLB is slightly upset by it.

"We were very disappointed that Scott Boras would try to upstage our premier baseball event of the season with his announcement," Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, said Monday in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

"There was no reason to make an announcement last night other than to try to put his selfish interests and that of one individual player above the overall good of the game," DuPuy said. "Last night and today belong to the Boston Red Sox, who should be celebrated for their achievement, and to the Colorado Rockies, who made such an unbelievable run to the World Series."

I'm not sure I understand all the uproar though. Haven't we always known that Boras and Rodriguez are douchebags? Is this a shock to most people? Personally, the only way I'd have been surprised is if Rodriguez didn't find a way to steal the spotlight away from the World Series.

Oh, and Cubs fans? He's not coming here, so don't fool yourselves.

Bill Belichek Will Have To Wait On That New Hoodie

Since trying to figure out what the other team is doing is apparently a crime now, Bill Belichick caught some heat recently for videotaping the Jets defensive signals last Sunday.

The whole thing has been debated to death, so I'm not even going to get into it.

What I will get into is the punishment given from the Lord Zeus himself, Roger Goodell.

Rece Davis just reported on ESPN that the NFL commissioner will fine Bill Belichick and the Patriots $750,000 for videotaping the Jets' defensive signals (Belichick will personally be fined $500,000, and the team will be fined $250,000).

If the Patriots make the playoffs, they will forfeit a 2008 first-round pick.

If they don't make the playoffs, they have to give up a second and third rounder.

For a blogger such as myself, $500,000 is a mere drop in the bucket. For a homeless man such as Belichick, it's devastating. Just more proof that you do not fuck Roger Goodell. Roger Goodell fucks you.

Tom Brady To Be Hung In Effigy

I don't care how many Super Bowl rings you're wearing or how many hot chicks you've slept with, there's only one thing that you cannot do in the city of Boston, and Tom Brady done did it.

Tom and his galpal... Gisele Bundchen were strolling hand-in-hand in the West Village when he was snapped committing the horrid topper transgression. Red Sox Nation was shocked and appalled and - as is our way - making excuses for the Bronx Bombers blasphemy.

“We know that Tom has an array of Red Sox caps from which to choose,” said team spokesguy Dr. Charles Steinberg. “But we fully respect that he needed to wear a suitable disguise for his own health and protection. We don’t doubt that he’s a card-carrying member of Red Sox Nation.”

Oh. My. God.

Bill Simmons' head just exploded. Ben Affleck kicked Jennifer Garner. Paul Revere just rolled over in his grave. A few Boston men stopped fighting at the bar this morning to gaze at the paper before resuming their fights.

First it was Big Papi, and now The Dreamboat. There's mass hysteria in Boston right now, steer clear folks.

(via