Sweep!

Well, Laura is pregnant and the RS win the World Series!! Maybe I'll have to rethink not having any more kids...

IF the Sox had lost that game, they would have been in tough shape for game 5. Papelbon, Okajima, and Timlin all probably would have been unavailable. That is why it was HUGE to end it right there. Give them life and anything can happen.

Nice that Lester got the win.

Nice that Ellsbury actually started playing in this series instead of Crisp. Give Terry credit for finally making that move (even if it was later than most wanted, at least he DID make it). I'd say he made a difference, no??

PLEASE DO NOT SIGN A-ROD!! That would be a disaster. I would bring Lowell and Schilling back. 1 yr for Schilling and 3 yr / 40+ for Lowell. Not sure if he'd bite since you know the Yanks will throw crazy money at him. Let A-rod thrive in the regular season in Anaheim and watch him dissolve in the playoffs. Lather Rinse Repeat.

How great was Francona in the WS? A couple minor quibbles with the BP management, but he was spot on with when to yank his starters. Always better in the playoffs to pull a guy one batter too soon instead of one batter too late. He really "changes gears" better than any manager. He is completely different during the marathon of the regular season, compared to the sprint of the playoffs. Not sure why he hasn't gotten an extension yet.

I HAVE to make this comment about the Pats. Its getting ridiculous with the way they are running up the score. The ending TD against Dallas was cute. I mean, its Dallas and Wade Phillips - go ahead and put your stamp on it (especially since they called the timeout at the end which kind of forces their hand). But, the past couple weeks have been blatant. I feel like you are spitting in the face of the football karma gods to keep piling on like this. Eventually someone is going to say "screw it", and pull out the vintage Charles "Too Mean" Martin hit towel with the #12 on it, and take out Brady. One injury to Brady and all this offensive fireworks and inevitable march towards an AFCCG rematch with Indy is out the window. When you are up 30+ at home in the second half, start handing off with a vengeance and countdown to the final gun.

Wedding Gifts

I'm always confused on what to get people as a wedding gift. In the past I have left it up to the ole girlfriend or just gave cash. But now with Carol not knowing many of my friends back in Baltimore that well, she has left it up to me to purchase the gifts.

So there is a wedding coming up next weekend where I have never met the wife and I'm debating on what to give them:

• Cash- Very boring, but very safe.
• Crate and Barrel- When Carol and I registered at Crate and Barrel, we only put crap on the list that we would use and if someone bought the item, we both would be happy. I want to teach this guy a lesson for some of the crap that is on their list. 6 fondu forks, chipotle salsa, and two sets of cocktail napkins courtesy of the Zahns. Enjoy.
• Mirage Bucks- I have a Mirage credit card and have been racking up the Mirage bucks over the past year. Anything that we can put on the card and then payoff we have been doing in preparation of our March trip. I think I have something like $1000 Mirage bucks, which I could give my gambling friend who would probably appreciate it, since they can be used as chips, but it probably wouldn't be a great first impression with the wife.
• Go off the grid- I could get him something from his college, or make a deposit to his online gambling service, or gift certificates to some local golf courses, or an autographed picture of Jimmy the Greek, or a year supply of Stoli Vodka. Since I don't know the wife, shouldn't my gift be geared towards him instead of her?

NFL Week 8: Kenny Bania

Well, this is what I am reduced to right now with my NFL picks. I feel like I am Kenny Bania. Oh sure, I have a confident face - I have my material, my Ovaltine, my conviction that the Dolphins will score 20 points in London - but deep down, I'm insecure and looking for help.

It's so bad that Jay could come up to me and say: "hey, look, I'm worried. I not only think the Pats game will be close, I think the Skins can win!".

That's Gold, Jay, Gold!!!!!!

Anyway, I have absolutely no confidence in any of these picks, and that's usually a good sign.

Det 24, Chi 17. I am thoroughly unimpressed with Chicago.
Ind 24, Car 16. Maybe I'm giving Vinny (!) too much credit here. This Vinny thing is amazing, no? He was a veteran for us - in 1994!!!!! And now here he is.
NYG 34, Mia 20. Derek is convinced the under will happen here - and logically, that's the right way to go - but do you think the NFL will let a 20-7 snorefest occur in London?
Ten 23, Oak 13. Ten is my prediction for a wild card and to knock off SD in the first round ofthe playoffs. Mark my words. (The other AFC Wild Card matchup? See 2002 (but hopefully a different result).
Min 19, Phi 16. Just a hunch here.
Pit 27, Cin 20. Should be a lot worse than the score indicates.
NYJ 23, Buf 17. Why am I doing this to myself?
SD 24, Hou 10. Gees, Hou has been bad the last couple of weeks. And the 4th quarter last week was a fluke.
TB 20, Jax 10. I will be shocked if Jax wins this game.
NO 27, SF 10. This prediction makes me queasy. Something is wrong here with the line - only 2 1/2?
NE 30, Was 13 - I'm not saying Was will stop New England, but there will be enough ball control (on both sides) to slow down the game a bit.
GB 23, Den 17. Let's not give Denver too much credit here, ok?

Best bets: Last week: 3-12 (woo hoo!); overall: 43-58-8. Oh my God.
Det +6
Det/Chi Under 45
NYG/Mia over 48
Ten -7
Ten/Oak under 40 1/2
Min +1.5
Pit -4
NYJ -3
SD -9
SD/Hou under 45
TB -4
NO -2 1/2
Was/NE under 48
GB +3

6 favorites, 3 underdogs. I don't like that.
4 unders, 1 over. I don't like that either.

Thank you!!

Since I have been living on my own for the past 45 days, I really slacked off on many things. One of those things would be the mail. Now that Carol is back, the post office won't have to hold my mail anymore. Sorry for the delay, but Carol and I want to say thank you to everyone that sent cards for Carol's mom.

Sox and Pats

I hate the Red Sox. Some of it has to do with the media. Some of it has to do with their fans. But what I find strange is that while I hate the Red Sox, I don't hate the Pats. Its the same fans. Its the same media exposure. But I find myself cheering for the Pats to cover every spread even though I might not be wagering on them. I find myself actually listening to the coverage and reading stories about them. I'm just a little confused.

Saturday notes

Rough week.

1. Deposed- Has anyone gone through a deposition? Probably not, but now I have. What a terrible experience. Even though I had a top notch LA defense attorney beside me, and the plaintiff attorney was pretty cool, it was very grueling. 5 hours of straight questioning. I can't tell you how many times I stated "I don't recall".
2. Wedding Ring- I get a call yesterday on my way home from work from a balling Carol. I can't even understand what she is trying to say since she is crying so badly. After she calms down slightly, she tells me that she thinks she lost her wedding rings in the parking lot of Target. She was putting lotion on her hands in the car, put the rings in her lap, then forgot about them and exited the car and they must of dumped into the parking lot. How long ago I asked? Two hours. Strangely I wasn't mad. All I could think about was how would I leverage this into something awesome for me? Crazy enough we found the rings under a truck. Nothing missing and no damage. After we got home, I went on this rant about how I was going to put stripper poles in and Ben and I were getting hookers that night.
3. Last night Ben, Carol, and I went out for some drinks. Somehow we got o the subject of who have you slept with that had the ugliest body. Mine of course was the linebacker (the back of a Ray Lewis). But Ben trumps this with a girl from Yuma named "Spongebob Square Pants". That alone sent Carol, Lee (we called him), and myself into a hysterics. The story behind it was even better, so when you see Ben next time make sure you ask him about it.
4. College Football- As most of you know I gave up gambling on college football two weeks ago. 1-10 was a sign that I should stop. Well, I can't stop. Took West VA, Terps, and USC today. I have a little bit of a problem.
5. For once I don't think that the cable news channels are doing the firestorms out here any justice. It is horrendous out here from Bakersfield to the Border. For reference purposes, that would entail Philly to Richmond. Now just imagine that everything from Philly to Richmond has a heavy cover of smoke and ash. Have you ever seen is snow ash before? This is the second time for me. It gets old. Today is the first day that it doesn't smell like a campfire. What's wrong with the campfire smell? Its nice for the first hour, but 4 straight days and it is unbearable. I had Carol's friend Laurin, her husband, and her parents come stay with me since they were evacuated. Laurin's dad had to make a decision to either take a lot of their personal belongings in their Jeep, or leave everything and they take the Astin Martin? Let's just say that they had to take the Jeep, and when I left for work the next morning at 5:00am, the dad was getting up to go back down to the house to get the car.
6. Some interesting notes- San Diego County does not have a fire department. It is made up of little fire departments like the volunteer Hereford Fire Department. How is that allowed?
7. Ben text me on Wednesday telling me that Camp Pendelton was on fire that the fire jumped one of the hillsides and was heading towards the I-5 checkpoint. No fire department. No nothing. Just a huge wall of flames coming down towards their building. The wind changed at the last minute and they got an airdrop of water and luckily the fire fell short.
8. Can everyone stop comparing the fires to Katrina? Let's see what are the major differences? Slow and effective evacuations in SD allowed people to move to several locations that had plumbing and electricity. Supplies and assistance was easily able to get into these locations. Only one road was closed at the beginning (I-15). Christ all of our executive team was able to drive to Qualcomm to make breakfast outside and hand out different shit. Katrina was just a little bit different.
9. Insurance 101- I was on a conference call yesterday giving a status on all of the claims from the fires and someone from our Foremost company had to give a status on their claims. Foremost is a company that we bought 5-6 years ago that specialises in mobile and pre-fab homes. They were saying that one of the fires destroyed a trailer park that had 300 homes in Fallbrook. Someone asked how many homes do we have in the park and they responded with 150. Um...that's not good. In insurance, the max exposure that you want in a certain area is 25%. State Farm, which is the #1 insurance company hovers around 20% nation wide. How the hell do we have 50% of the trailer park? "Word of mouth" was the response from the marketing guy. We did such a great job selling to a couple of homes in the area, that word spread and everyone moved over to Foremost. Someone will probably lose their job over that.

I love the Salami!

(upon reading this post title, Steve and Kermit ask "well, what took Eric so long to come out of the closet?)

No, not THAT salami. The Grand Salami!

The Grand Salami has the capability to pull the NHL out of the abyss.
What is it? It is a gambling proposition every night on:
1. the over/under on the total number of goals scored for all games;
2. the total # of goals scored by home teams vs. away teams.

Last night, I decided I needed a distraction from the adult Halloween haunted house - 600 kids at an Elementary school for trick-or-treating. Anyway, there were 9 NHL games last night; the Grand Salami over/under was set at 52. So if gambling was legal, I took the under.

By 9:00, a couple of games were final at 2-0 and 3-0. The Salami bet was looking good!

A 1-0 Phoenix final came in at the end - the grand salami total came in at 39. I was a winner!

Tonight we continue to push our luck with the salami (if gambling were legal, of course); I have the over 29.5 and the home teams -1.5 goals. Five games are on the schedule tonight.

Tomorrow is the grandest of all grand Salamis - 12 games on the docket. I'd expect the over'under to be around 72 or so.

Leland is actually going to glance at the ticker when NHL scores are shown - that's a HUGE gain for hockey and the NHL! Those VS ratings will quadruple from 0.01 to 0.04 with Leland and I now paying attention.

Random Notes

Some hot topics:

1. I'm a little better after Sunday night. Thanks for asking. But it will be hard to watch the World Series. Now, this won't be a complete media boycott - such as Super Bowl XXXV. To the amazement of Derek, I made a decision to boycott the Super Bowl that year and consciously did not watch any of the Super Bowl. I puttered around the house - did the bills, watched a random South African golf tournament on the Golf Channel.

Derek ended up calling around 10:30 or so that night. I still remember that conversation.....

D: "Hey - did you see the end of the game?"
E: "Uh, no, I said I wasn't going to watch it".
D: (clearly still not believing me) "You didn't? You didn't see Stover's kick?"
E: "No. What happened?"
D: "Stover won the Super Bowl on a last-second kick. 3-0, Ravens, final".
E: (sigh, 5 seconds of silence...)
"Well, I guess I'm happy for Stover... he's an old Brown"
D: (5 more seconds of silence, now a bit shocked)
"You're serious? You didn't see it?"
E: (annoyed) "No! What part don't you understand?"
D: "Wow..... "
(10 seconds)
D: "So do you want to know what really happened?"
E: "I guess....it is good news for me?"
D: (3 seconds....)
"No....31-7 Ravens....they dominated"
E: [click]

I'll watch some of the series - but I won't go out of my way or plan any viewing. In fact, I'm watching a TiVo'd episode of "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares" on BBC America.

2. Browns play the Rams this weekend. The interconference games occur every 4 years now (in the past, it could have been longer than that). It's fun to reminisce on the rare times we get to play NFC teams. I usually can recall each and every game vs. NFC opponents over the past 10-20 years.

Last time we played the Rams was in Cleveland, in 2003 - the last home Monday night appearance for the Browns. Couch got hurt; Kelly almost led the team back as we lost, 28-23 (and we were 4 pt dogs, I think, so no cover for the Browns.)

1999 was our first year back in the league; when the schedule came out, I circled the Rams game as one of the few chances for us to win. The Rams were coming off a 4-12 season, and in week 1, Trent Green got hurt. Even a better chance for the Browns, right?

Well, we should all know the story..... Kurt Warner came in, and then in week 7, the eventual Super Bowl winners killed us, 45-13, in the most recent game in St Louis.

We also played them in Cleveland in 1991..... .wow.......I was supposed to go to that game, being a junior at Case. Steve got me tickets and was going to pick me up at the dorm. I ended up canceling for a reason that I probably won't talk about here.

Will the Browns actually win 2 in a row and go to 4-3?

3. So - how am I going to break out of my Travis Hafner-like slump? Another terrible, horrible week (3-12). Geesh, Freddie can probably pick better....

hey, what an idea! Maybe I'll let the kids pick my 14 games this weekend. I mean, it can't get any worse....can it? How am I going to snap out of this?
Feel free to pull a Leland and take the opposite of my picks for a while. Lord knows, someone needs to win money off of my horrendous performance.

Congrats

Congrats to Jay and the Red Sox for winning the AL Pennant.

NFL Picks Week 7: Bob Sacamano

Does an NFL week occur if your favorite team is not playing? It's always a weird feeling with the bye week. My routine and scheduling for a Sunday is off. Should we actually make plans during the day? Should I make sure I'm around at 3;45 and 6:55 Eastern to watch the end of other games - games I'm not truly emotionally invested in?

Does an NFL week occur if you're not paying full attention to it? If you don't watch it?

Does Bob Sacamano exist if no one sees him? Bob is Kramer's friend that is never seen in any episode, yet Sacamano's exploits are the basis of a few shows. Does he really exist, or is he a figment of Kramer's imagination?

Sacamano is probably related to another famous TV character that only exists in one person's mind....Snuffleupagus.

(By the way, two fascinating pieces of movie trivia I stumbled upon myself this weekend.....

1. While watching the end of "The Naked Gun", the lady who was the mayor of LA gave Frank Drebin an apology at the end of the movie. I instantly recongized her but couldn't place her. What other famous character did the mayor in "The Naked Gun" play?

2. Everybody remembers the blackjack scene from Austin Powers, right?
"You have 5..."
"I'll stay!"
"Sir, I suggest you hit! You have 5!"
"I ALSO like to live dangerously!"

The blackjack dealer later played a famous role in a sit-com. What is that role?

On to the picks:

Was 27, Az 10. I believe the QB situation is now the end of the Arizona mirage.

NO 30, Atl 13. Why am I jumping on this bandwagon?

Buf 20, Bal 17. OK - I'll be honest. Baltimore is a FRAUD. A Fraud, all right? Don't you people understand this? Doesn't anyone? They have played: @ Cin (L), NYJ (W), Az (W), @ Cle (L), @ SF (W), Stl (W). Jees - when you list 6 teams and Cleveland BY FAR is the best team on that list, that's a weak schedule. And here they are playing Buffalo.

Dal 28, Min 20. Don't have a real idea on this one. Peterson could break out again.

NE 31, Mia 20. I'm sorry, I don't care how good you are - if you are a home team and are getting 16-17 points, you have to take it. Miami's not that bad - they're not 1999 Expansion Browns bad. They're just not.

NYG 16, SF 10. This is a letdown game for the Giants.

Det 24, TB 21. Does anyone know anything about these two teams?

Hou 20, Ten 17. I think Johnson is back for the Texans.

Oak 24, KC 20. KC is not that good - Cincinnati is that bad. That explains last week's Chiefs' win.

Cin 27, NYJ 24. I really want to pick a JEts win here....

Phi 27, Chi 21. The Cincinnati chapter of "I picked McNabb as my Fantasy QB and now look what crap I have" will meet at my house at 1 pm on Sunday.

Sea 23, StL 10. I'm secretly rooting for a Rams win here....I don't want to face them next week when the Rams are 0-7.

Pit 24, Den 10. Safe to say the only way I'll be watching this is if the Red Sox are up 8-0 in the 4th.

Jax 27, Ind 24. Should be a Monday night classic.

Best bets: (last week: 4-8-2. Geesh, time to start heating up, Eric!. Season: 40-46-8)
Was -8.5
NO -8.5
Buf +3
Mia + 16.5
SF +9.5
SF/BYG under 39 1/2
Hou +1.5
KC/Oak over 37 1/2
NYJ +6.5
Chi/Phi over 41 1/2
Sea -8.5
StL/Sea under 39 1/2
Pit -3.5
Jax +3
Ind/Jax over 44 1/2

Is it time to panic?

Why, yes! Yes it is!

I'm depressed this morning. I am shocked at the results of the game last night - especially how we (and how Boston) looked.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much out of game 5. Steve and I - before big games - have a phone call where we give our predictions. Before game 5, he said 4-1 Boston (almost getting it right before the bullpen explosion) and I said 4-3 Boston.

Well, last night Steve said 6-1 Cleveland and I said 6-4 Tribe (with a Borowski-induced near heart attack). Needless to say, we were way off last night.

Schilling clearly did not have his stuff, yet that doesn't really matter when you are down 10-1 in the 3rd. Cleveland doesn't look scared, but they do look young and inexperienced. The errors. The "mailing it in" cloud seem to hover over this team when Drew hit the grand slam.
Now questions are arising on this team:
- Travis Hafner, please pick up the white courtesy phone
- Asdrubal (or Ashtabula) Cabrera is starting to come back to earth
- Perez, of course

And Boston? Well, when Lugo is starting to get 2-run doubles, then you know they are heating up.

While I never - honestly! This is the truth - while I never thought the series was over at 3-1, I thought we'd play well in the following games and at least have a fighting chance at winning games 5 and 6. But no. That's 2 striaght blowouts. I truly am shocked.

How do we turn it around? One inning, one at-bat, one pitch at a time. That's a lesson from golf. You make an effort to make your next shot a good one. It's very, very tough to forget about the past - but yet we somehow have to do that. One batter, one pitch at a time. We have the talent - now we have to execute.

I have no idea how Wedge will use the pen here in game 7. You could guess he would have a short hook, but then who? Say it is 4-3 Boston in the 4th. Now what? Byrd? Lewis? Betancourt? Sabathia? I think if trouble arises in innings 2-3, Byrd will come in. If it is 4 or later, we can start with Lewis for 2, then Betancourt for 2 - that will get us to the 8th, and then we will see where we are. To answer Jay's questions - I think that's why Borowski came in last ngiht. To save Betancourt and Lewis for longer outings today, if needed.

But now, in a game 7, it seems the better bullpen is on Boston's side. Say today is an implosion of a game for both sides: it is 6-6 after 3. Who has the advantage:
Boston: with Lester, Beckett, Wakefield, Okajima, and DelCarmen?
Cleveland: with Byrd (Laffey out), Sabathia, Lewis, Betancourt?

The long relief in my mind favors Boston. That's why Jake has to go 5 or 6 innings tonight.........and I don't like the chances of that.

Rat Pack Shine on Saturday Night!

Yessssssssir!! The crew who I criticized as a Rat Pack of automatic outs, actually dominated game 6 - who knew??? I had to Tivo the game since I was going to the MD / UVA game (homecoming). We had a great time at the game, and planned to leave no later than halftime (around 9:30). I was taping the game on two different Tivos on two different channels - just in case. It was KILLING me not to be watching it live, but Luke was REALLY looking forward to the football game, and it was a beautiful night to be outside, so what can you do??

We ended up leaving a little before halftime, as I narrowly avoided seeing the score that was flashed on the big stadium video board. I covered my ears as Laura was screaming "DON'T LOOK!!! DON'T LOOK!! COVER YOUR EYES!!". I covered my eyes and shrieked in horror. Basically we re-enacted the opening of the Ark scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark. People sitting next to us must have thought we were mental.

Couple thoughts:

• Derek put the mega whammy on Carmona and CC. Seriously, they would "win all their starts"? Well he was close. They went a combined 0-3 with 23 ER in 16 IN. What do I owe you?


• I know the Red Sox are very conservative and careful with their pitchers, but I don't know how you can't look to get 2 or 3 innings out of Beckett. If Derek Lowe can throw 6 innings in Game 7 on two days rest in 04, then why can't Beckett give you a couple innings of relief?


• Gagne and Perez looked great in their new roles as mopup men


• I know you try and keep guys from getting rusty, but was it necessary to pitch Borowski in that game? Wouldn't you rather have him rested and ready to go in case he's needed for multiple innings?


• Jacoby Ellsbury - finally. If I had to watch Crisp fly out weakly in one more AB I was going to lose it


• I can't tell you how pleasant it is to watch a Sox playoff game in which the broadcast doesn't have the word "Curse" in it. Such a relief.


• Tito better have a quick hook tomorrow. Dice K has a fabulous Wakefield-esque ability to go from cruising to "4 spot" at any moment. This will be an incredibly difficult decision to make. It isn't like the bullpen has been great, although adding some innings from Beckett would be a lift.


• If you were Wedge, would you go to CC in a close game tomorrow (on 2 days rest - like Beckett) out of the pen? They made a big deal about never relieving, but I don't think that matters. Of course you wouldn't bring him in the middle of an inning since that would be foreign to him, but I'm saying to start an inning. Say 6th inning of a tie ballgame. Would you do it? He's pitched like such crap, but he's the Ace. Incredibly tough call.


• Did anyone miss seeing towels? It looked like a great playoff atmosphere to me. We don't need no stinkin' towels!

There is one game on Sunday night, there will be exactly one game to be played on Sunday night, so win that one game.


Its alive, Its Alive, ITS ALIIIIIIIVE!!!!!!!!!!

Rough Time

Tough time out here in Louisville. Carol's mom passed away and today was the memorial. Things I thought of to keep me from crying several times:

• Tony Larussa as a Yankees manager.
• Tony Larussa as a Yankees manager in a post game press conference with his stupid sun glasses.
• A's starting rotation in 2008.
• Reasons why I like Miller High Life
• Should I take the Monday night home dog despite the Jags playing against Manning?

And it actually worked. I was about to fully break down several times, but these things got me through it.

Game 5 thoughts

Well, what can you say? Jay is right - Beckett is a stud in postseason. He was just awesome on Thursday night.

(By the way, I think I've finally recovered from the road trip to Cleveland Thursday night. Wow - I'm too old to do that again. Leave Cicni at 3 pm, get to the game around 7, leave the game at 12, and back in Cincinnati at 4 am. Yikes.)

Some thoughts:
- Hafner is really struggling. It got so bad that Steve and I had a quick discussion in the 1st inning, when we had 1st and 3rd with 0 outs. What should we wish for? Should we hope he swings away - but then bringing a strikeout into play and then possibly getting 0 runs in the inning? Or should we hope for the DP, guarateeing a run but sacrificing not one, but 2 outs? It's a shame that a Sac Fly wasn't in the realm of possibility for Hafner now - let alone a basehit.
We rooted for the DP, and got it.
- Why why why why why why why why did C C come back out for the 7th? We all were shocked to see that, wspecially with the topof the lineup coming up that inning.
- When we wiggled out of the 5th when Boston had 1st and 2nd with 0 outs - and CoCo couldn't get the bunt down and Lugo then hit into a DP - I was sure we were going to win.
- I think it is funny that the bench-clearing "argument" started when Beckett didn't like the way Lofton laid down his bat the pitch before. Ha! This is ludicrous. Um, Josh, you do know that Manny plays on your team, right? That's arrogance - calling out someone else for possible showboating.

Look, I still feel good. We have faced the best postseason pitcher of our generation - TWICE - in five games, and there is a 90% chance that we won't see him again - and we are up 3-2 in the series. We just have to win one more in Boston, with the pitching matchup tonight being a tossup of Carmona and Schilling. I just hope all our bats don't start to go cold for tonight.

I'd like to retract the Mr. Automatic Out title - its not Casey, it Franklin "3 syllables or 4?" Gutierrez. He's done nothing this whole series, save for the A-Rod like HR in Boston at the end of game 2.

Gooch of the decade: So Don, Janice and I were walking to our cars down Carnegie after the game. These two guys were setting up a table and putting T-shirts on there, yelling "HALF PRICE! HALF PRICE T-SHIRTS! TEN DOLLARS!"
We look, the T-shirts say "Cleveland Indians: 2007 AL Champions".

A bit of wishful thinking. If they won game 5, I would have bought one for $30, $40. But those guys lost a lot of money with the game 5 loss. Now what to do with that merchandise?

Beckett = STUD

What else can you say about the postseason pitching of Beckett? Wow. This is why even if Hanley Ramirez turns out to be a SUPERstar SS, getting Beckett was the right move. The guys that can perform at a high level on the big stage are so rare.

CC is a great pitcher, but he hasn't gotten it done in any of his postseason starts. Maybe all the innings are piling up on him? Who knows. He was lucky to only give up 4 runs, there were tons of baserunners every inning.

I was so excited when Beckett was able to pitch through five innings!! That 4 2/3 innings barrier was getting old. The sox best rotation is still probably Beckett, rain, rain, rain.

Couple thoughts:

• Coco Crisp SUCKS!!!!!! Please bench him. He is completely useless. Can anyone remember the last hard hit ball he had? When called upon to sacrifice he can't even execute that. Get Ellsbury in the lineup!


• If the sox lose this series, much of the blame will be put on Francona (its just the way it works). Barring him pulling a "Grady" I think that will be unfair. Up until tonights game, the Indians have outhit, out starting pitched, out reliefed, and out defensed the red sox. They were just playing better in every phase of the game.


• I like how Eric was calling Casey Blake "Mr Automatic Out" even though he was hitting close to .300! Try watching Drew, Crisp and Lugo!!!! That's a Rat Pack of Automatic Outs! Hell Blake would probably be a better option to hit 6th in the Sox lineup right now


• Perez has got to be close to Gagne territory for Tribe fans. He has looked awful, and it seems like Wedge is going away from him in situations where they would normally go to him


• I'm glad we wont be seeing anymore of those damn towels. Since when did Cleveland decide to take cues from Pittsburgh??


• I am trying to channel the energy of this in 86, this in 99, this in 03 (can't forget that one), and of course this in 04



• There is one game on Saturday night, there will be exactly one game to be played on Saturday night, so win that one game.


• 
  Its alive, Its Alive, ITS ALIIIIIIIVE!!!!!!!!!!

Back in town...

after a hellish trip to Iowa City via car. Well, it was good in a couple of respects: I got to listen to game 3 on the radio Monday night (and to find out that satellite radio is at least 10 seconds behind real TV) and then spent Tue night in the hotel room watching game 4 and yelling and screaming. Today was spent driving him and fighting traffic especially in Indy, in which it seems every fricking highway is under construction. (Can you name all the interstates that go through Indianapolis? Yes, every one - 65, 70, 74, 69, 465 - are all under construction).

This series is not over yet....I can easily see Beckett winning game 5, and then we would have to find a way to win one game at Fenway. I don't want to go back there.... let's close it out tomorrow, huh?

I continue to be impressed, in no particular order, by:
- Westbrook and Byrd
- Jensen Lewis (wow)
- Cabrera
- Peralta
- Blake (I was calling him "Mr. automatic out" before last night)

We need Hafner to get going - anytime now, Travis. And I hope the lack of us seeing Perez isn't a carryover from his appearance in game 2.

Well - it looks like all signs are a go for tomorrow- Janice and I may have scored tickets through Don. I have never been to a possible clinching playoff game (unless you count the 1999 NL Wild Card 1-game playoff between the Reds and the Mets); this will be my 3rd ALCS game that I attended, with the other two one being memorable ones:

- 1995 Game 4; we were down 2-1 and counting on Ken Hill (!) vs. Andy Benes (!!). We won 7-0, starting the charge back as we won in 6.

- 1997 Game 3; this was the famous "stealing home/passed ball/squeeze bunt/fouled bunt" play in which we won, 2-1, in 12; with Grissom on 3rd with 1 out, Vizquel squared to bunt as Grissom took off. The ball ended up missing Vizquel's bat and popped out of Hoiles' glove; Grissom came home with the winning run as the whole stadium paused for 1 second not fully comprehending what just happened. Hoiles still argues to this day that Vizquel fouled off that pitch.

So my record is 2-0 in ALCS games.

We were in this situation in 1997, up 3-1 hosting a game 5; we ended up losing game 5 at home and then winning game 6 in Baltimore in the Tony Fernandez/"God hit the home run"/ Charlie Nagy tightrope/ the "wheel play" game. For those that don't remember, the fascinating line score from that game 6:
Cle 000 000 000 01 - 1 3 0
Bal 000 000 000 00 - 0 10 0

In fact, we've had a very tough time closing it out at home. REsults in games where Cleveland could have won a postseason series at home:

1920: WS: up 4-2; won game 7 at home (won series 5-2)
1948: WS: up 3-1; lost game 5, won game 6 on road
1997: ALDS: tied 2-2: won game 5 at home (won series 3-2)
ALCS: up 3-1: lost game 5 at home (won game 6 on road)
1999: ALDS: tied 2-2: lost game 5 at home (lost series 3-2)
2001: ALDS: up 2-1: lost game 4 at home (lost game 5 on road)

so we are 2-4 all time in possible home clinchers for the Tribe.

I don't know if I like our chances to win tomorrow - but I am glad we are up 3-1 instead of 2-2.....

Let's see what the Sportsguy has to say tomorrow

Wow. Indians lead the series 3-1. Some quick comments about the last couple of games:

1. Papelbon and Manny. I want to rip them for their antics but I can't. With the stupid face and fist pumping from Papelbon to Manny's posing which is becoming worse by every home run, it is almost too much to handle. But then I remember back to my favorite players growing up and it was The Eck doing his fist pumping, Canseco and Rickey doing their ridiculous home run trots, and Dave Stewart and his stupid glare. With that being said it is hard for me to be really critical of the Sox doing the same things that the A's used to do in the late 80s.

2. I hate Fox. Has anyone else noticed that they continue to do close ups of all 9 players of the Sox each game either in 8th or 9th inning, but they don't do it with the Indians? Now I hate the close ups, but why is it only centered on the Sox?

3. Joe Morgan made a comment about democracy during the last broadcast. He said "With the luxury tax, everyone gets to share in the wealth and that is what democracy is all about." Really? That's not what I think it means, then John Miller stated "While it is nice, but that is not what democracy stands for" with Joe replying "Well it should be what it stands for." Ummmm....Joe please just stop.

4. Can we make a rule that if a ball is not hit for a homer, then announcers can't say "Well that ball can't be hit any harder." Well sir it can be. It's been happening too many times.

5. Great preview on AthleticNation about Game 4. Its the "I throw slow" vs. "No I throw slower" pitching matchup.

NFL Week 6: Mr. Peterman

Who better to promote a crap slate of games than Mr. Peterman? There is only one game at all worth mentioning - the NE-Dal game - but Mr. Peterman would come up with a way to make all 13 games this week exciting!

Hell, he'll try to convince you that the teams on a bye - Indy, Pittsburgh, Denver, among others - aren't really on a bye but playing in an alternate cosmos for you to watch. But only if you buy his sunglasses from Lesotho.

(baseball comment: C.C. really disappointed me. I was yelling at the TV - Stop Nibbling! Stop trying to make the exact perfect pitch! You are CC- not Zack Grienke, for God's sake. Argh.

I will be at a Halloween party - the exact same party I was at in 2001 when Jeter made the tag on Jason Giambi. I watched that play from the host's bedroom that night. Don't ask. It's better than telling you the story of where I saw the OJ Verdict be announced....

Anyway, on to the picks:

KC 26, Cin 23. Maybe this is wishful thinking.

Jax 24, Hou 13. Jax is one of those teams no one knows anything about - but they are efficient (now with Garrard) and have a solid D.

Chi 20, Min 19. GB had Grieses stopped dead last week, until Favre gave away the game. No one says anything about that.

NYJ 23, Phi 20, OT. Just a hunch.

Bal 20, StL 17. Bal is 0-5 ATS this season.

Ten 23, TB 16. Something about this game is fishy....but I'm biting.

GB 27, Was 20. Favre should bounce back.

Az 24, Car 20. Again, this line is too good to be true. I'm not biting here, though.

NE 30, Dal 28. I'm taking the points in the game of the year so far.

SD 24, Oak 20. Oakland is much better than peolpe think.

Sea 24, NO 13. No comments here - NO is demorlaized, I think.

Atl 24, NYG 21. Monday night underdog - again!

Best bets: last week: 8-8; overall: 36-38-6.

KC +3

KC/Cin Over 42 1/2

Jax -6.5

Min +5

NYJ +3.5

StL + 9 1/2

Ten +3

GB -3

GB/Was over 40 1/2

Dal +5.5

Oak +10

Sea -6.5

Sea/NO Under 43

Atl +3.5

I will be in Cleveland for the game tomorrow - go Browns!

Saturday Comments

1. Locks of the day- BC, Cal, and TCU. And for tomorrow, I'm unloading on the Raiders an Eagles.

2. ESPN Radio- I can't tell you how enjoyable my rides home from work have been over the last two weeks during the baseball playoffs. John Miller and Dusty Baker were great despite the inability of Baker to identify a player correctly on the Indians and Yanks. He had nothing to add to the game. Clueless. Now for the Sox-Indians, it is Miller and Morgan. Say what you will about Morgan, he is head and shoulders above every other color guy. He made some excellent points and actually increased the overall listening experience. It was obvious he watched the Yanks-Indians and Angels-Sox games as well as hundred other games from both teams as he was referencing shit back in April that was dead on. I hated leaving the car and then having to listen to the two boobs on FOX once I got home. Ugh.

3. I really dislike Schilling. He is in the category of those players who once they are on your team you love, but if he is playing for the other team you hate. My hatred for him seemed to blind me from his spectacular post season record. He is 8-2 with a 1.93 ERA. Wow.

4. What is up with the Rockies? Can they be beat? And why can't I get into the games? I think the Sportsguy put it best stating that there is a lack of history with those teams so its really tough to relate.

CC? No no

Well, well, well. We have two postseason starts now for CC and two stinkers. Could he come back in game 4 or 5 and dominate? Of course, but right now given what we have seen from him in the postseason, lets not put him in Beckett's class just yet (in terms of postseason performance). I would still give CC the Cy Young this year though.

I had posted before the game from my cell phone trying to tell Layup how insane his thoughts were on CC and Carmona winning all of their starts. But my cell phone crashed before it posted. My main point was you had two great postseason pitchers in Schill and Beckett and you think they are going to go 0-4???? Plus 3 of those 4 starts would be AT Fenway. There was no way they would lose all of them. Finally, you picked the Indians in 7, but said CC and Carmona would go 4-0. That would be Tribe in 6 since they are pitching games 1,2 5,6. FYI.

Couple thoughts on the game.

I was surprised that they yanked Beckett. Yes I know the lead seemed secure, but that is risky. Worry about the current game, win THAT game.

Gagne. Wow. Everything is an adventure with him. It is clear that he is currently a complete afterthought by Tito

By yanking Beckett are they thinking of bringing him back for game 4? What does that say about the health of Wakefield? It is a very real possibility that they lose the next two and would be in an awkward position for game 4. But lets not get ahead of ourselves.

I was shocked they let CC pitch to Keilty in the 5th with the bases loaded and 0 outs. He clearly wasn't fooling anyone. Why not go to the strong middle/setup guys for a couple innings at that point and see if the Offense could scratch some runs to make it close?? Rest is not a problem for any reliever right now.

Manny and Papi are LOCKED in right now. They are hitting at 04 05 levels.

Fausto vs Schill. Should be the low scoring game everyone predicted for game 1. IF it is a low scoring pitching duel, the Sox need to get Carmona's pitch count up enough that he can't complete the game. If he can "only" go seven or eight, I would consider that a win. Finally, find a way to get Borowski in the game.

I know this is a couple of days late....

Updates and Random comments

1) Update on the appliance fight: Remember my post several weeks back on my problems with the insurance company? Well, it all boils down to whether a Christmas tree stand is considered an appliance. I provided the dictionary definition (thanks to some here on the board) that helps my case....the insurance claim adjuster has come back with a definition from....

(wait for it)

Wikipedia.

Unbelieveable. I had to print out this webpage to tell them - hey look, this is not a definition. I have threatened now to go to the state commission; they have promised an answer by Thursday. We will see.

Sports Update:

2) Warren is turning into Allen Iverson. Seriously. So we signed him up for 3-4 yeard old Tiny Tot soccer. It's been a challenge to get him to participate. For the first three weeks, he won't leave our side and go out onto the field. He has been pretty clingy. It's been so bad we've had to leave 20-30 minutes early becase it's just useless.
Well, he got his jersey last week, and today was the first game.
Guess what? No problems. He's out on the field, playing fine.

Practice? We're talking about practice here. Practice?

3) Football: So I'm helping to coach Freddie's flag football team. This is something else. This is a 1st- and 2nd-grade league. Some of the players haven't played any sort of organized football before, and some alreday have 1 or even 2 years experience.
And I'm trying to teach them plays?
We're 0-2, losing on the last play of the game last week. And the other coach celebrated and pumped his fist like it was the AFC Championship game. It made me disgusted for a bit.
Geesh, these are 6 and 7 year olds. We're lucky to have some of them snap the ball (sideways) without dropping it. I think it should still be more about participation at this age -everyone trying new positions - instead of going for the win all the time.

It's a fine line- you want them to be competitive and to win, but geesh- can we make it a little more subtle at this age, please?

Oh - and there is a runner on our team that has touched the ball twice and is 2-for-2. Two rushing attempts, two safeties. I won't post his name since some of you know him. His father is a bit embarassed right now....

4) Talking about embarassed.....we (Freddie and I) are heading up for the Browns game this weekend. I'd like to get there around 10, 10:30 and tailgate a bit in the parking lot for an hour or 2 before hand - play cornhole. throw the football around, etc. I was even going to buy a dozen Sausage McMuffins with Egg as food - I think those would be delicious in the parking lot on a 55 degree morning.

Well, one of our friends who is going to join us will not be tailgating. Why? Because he is going to a bridal show, even though a) he is a man and b) is not engaged (but he is seeing someone). Hey - you get whipped when you get married, not before!
I won't be mean and speaK or divulgE his name, but it's pRetty sad when this person can't enjoy a Morning of food, friendshIp and drinks in a parking loT. Embarassing.

About Last Night

A couple of notes from this weekend and last night:

• Chip Carey sucks!!!!!! This reminds me of the mid 90s when every offensive lineman was trying to sound like John Madden. If I closed my eyes I could of sworn that was Joe Buck doing the game. And what was with that "A little Vitamin D from the Milkman" line when Melky caught a fly ball? Makes no sense.


• I said it before and I will say it again, Tony Gwynn wears his fat so nicely.


• I listened to most of the Indians series on the radio and it was so enjoyable because of John Miller. But its bad when I'm asking why isn't Joe Morgan the color guy. Dusty Baker was terrible as his fill in. The guy is clueless. Knows nothing about either team. Really took away from Miller's magical calls.


• What a great push last night on the over/under in the Indians score!!! I thought I had it in the bag until Mussina pitched lights out and Byrd pitched out of his ass.


• I told Eric that Wedge was doing the right thing by pitching Byrd, but wanted a quick hook if he got in trouble. Too many times in the past I have seen the A's push Hudson, Mulder, and Zito to go on 3 days rest with horrendous results. Unless your name is RJ or even Schilling, go with a fresh starter instead of pushing a guy on 3 days rest. Those days are over since nobody is capable of even going on 4 days rest anymore.


• And what is with Wedge. He is a cross between a homeless man and Popeye. I can't wait to see what happens to him during the ALCS.


• Joe Torre gone? Its tough but I think it is the right move. And it is the perfect time in my mind. George has to hold someone accountable right? And the players won't leave because of him since most of them will take the extra million to stay.
• Right now I'm going with the Indians in 7. CC and Carmona will win all of their games.

Never a doubt!

To the ALCS we go after an extremely nervous, nausea-inducing 9th.

Some notes on the game, none of them strategy related:

1) It was just like old times with the phone tonight. Every half inning, a call would come in (or I would call) from/to either Derek or Steve in Cleveland. Just like the good old days in the mid- to late-90s.

Steve used to live in his grandmother's house in the basement - many of my hard-earned grad school dollars were lost there to Steve while playing gin and watching Beavis and Butthead. He lived there in 95, 96 and 97, and we called each other constantly during the playoffs that year.
His grandmother got the phone bill one time in Oct, 97.

Grandma: "STEVIE!"
Steve: "yes, Grandma?"
G: "What the hell is this? There is a phone call to Cincinnati at 8:42 pm, and then another phone call at 8:44 pm. Explain this!"
S: "Well, that's because Eric called me at 8:43!"

I swear that is the truth.

2) Steve and his family used to have front row, upper deck tickets to Indians games. We spent at least 7-10 games in old Municipal stadium every spring/fall....and then he had very similar tickets when Jacobs field was opened. Anyway, I developed some annoying habits sitting with him which we can go into later.
One of them that developed over time was for me to pound my hand against the upper deck railing in front of us and whine/pray/request a DP when runners got on base for the opposition. I could only summon the spirits once or (at most) twice a game, so we had to make sure not to waste it.

I have to say I had a pretty good success rate (although I'm sure that's just my selective memory).

Well, we come to the 6th inning and Perez got himself into a jam. 1st and 3rd, 1 out....and Jeter at the plate. Carl Willis comes to the mound to calm Perez down...and my phone rings.

Eric: "Hello?"
Steve: "Hello sir. You remember what you used to do?"
Eric: "Of course...."
Steve: "Well?
Eric: (pounding my hand against the coffee table) "I WANT A DOUBLE PLAY!"

and Jeter obliges.

3) What children's music will do to you, part 35: Victor comes up in the 5th with the bases loaded and 1 out...... 4-1 TRibe. A hit here breaks it open.

Ground ball! Base hit! I yell Victor! Victor - hey, that's a song! Let's sing and dance!

Victor Vito and Freddie Pasco
They like to eat fast, they never eat slow
Oh they ate their rice...they ate their beans
They ate their rutabagas and they ate their collard greens...

Hey Victor! (hey Victor!)
Hey Freddie! (hey Freddie!)
Let's eat some...
spaghetti!
Hey Victor! (hey Victor!)
I'm ready....
to have some
spaghetti
with Freddie!

Ah, Laurie Berkner is a genius.

Gooooooooo Tribe!

My guess is the Jaeg is empty

I'm figuring with Joe Borowski's heart attack ninth, Eric is probably passed out. Or potentially looking as bad as Derek did at the end of his wedding night. How great is it that the Yanks are out? I know everyone will bitch that the RS are in....but I'd like to offer a hearty STFU to all of you! I'm still giddy that we will no longer be seeing:

1. Jeter and have to hear about his great intangibles and leadership qualities
2. Ronan Tynan and his freaking Satellite dish ears
3. Yankee mystique
4. Roger F-ing Clemens
5. Joe Torre and Steinbrenner

Woohoo!!!! Thank you Tribe!!!!!!!!

As far as th ALCS goes. Well, lets face it. These were the two best teams in baseball all year, so its fitting it comes down to them. The Yankees slept for two months, had an incredible run just to get in the postseason - nice job. But the Sox and Indians were the most consistant, most balanced teams all season - so they deserve to be playing right now.

I am scared sh!tless of Carmona and CC right now. I think they can completely shut down the Red Sox offense. BUT, with Borowski at the end ANYTHING is possible. We all know that a teams season long achilles heel ALWAYS rears its head and mushrooms in the postseason, so I have to hope that his suckitude derails a strong start or two in the series (think Mark Wholers, or any Braves closer for that matter, Calvin Schiraldi, BYK, etc). If that does happen that will be tough to rebound from because a blown lead just hangs around like a black cloud. I know, ARZ won with BYK, but would Wedge be bold enough to pitch his two horses the amount that ARZ rode Schilling and RJ?? I doubt it.

Should be a good series, I'll pick the Sox in 7. Not really a pick, just what I want.

BTW, Eric where was the writeup on the Browns Pats game? And was that the craziest cover this year?? Wow. The Browns played OK, the Pats definitely didn't have their A game. You must feel like they are still going in the right direction despite the 17 point loss. Hey that was the closest game they played all season!

Let the record show...

that I would have started CC tonight.

Am I nervous? Yes, a bit. Worried? No. Last night was a bad game. Let's shake it off and move on. I expect Byrd to pitch 5-6 innings of 2-3 run ball; I hope we can get to Wang and score 4-5.

Am I worried about Borowski, if it comes to that? Who knows - I will immediately ingest 4 shots of Jager and becme unconscious. That's the only way I'll be able to get through a JoeBo save situation.

layups tonight

After my lock of the year falling through last night, I'm back in the saddle tonight for two easy layups.

Buffalo +10.5 (another home dog on Monday Night)
Indians Over 10 - Joba won't be in tonight and Paul Byrd is starting. Hmmmm. 7-5 Indians. Mark it down and go to the bank!!!!

Frank TV

I'm starting to warm up to the idea of Frank TV. At first I was annoyed with him, but all of his impersonations are very good. Madden's love of Favre, Pacino's accent, and even the Robbin Williams bit was pretty funny. There I said it and got it off of my chest. Ahhhh.....


And despite losing every single game on Saturday except for one, I still feel pretty good. Why you ask? Because I made money for the second week in a row off of Rutgers. For those of you at my bachelor party last year, Rutgers cost ALL of us teasers, parlays, and straight bets. It was devastating. And the week before they beat WVU which cost me even more money. So I now look at Rutgers with an evil eye and hope nothing but the worst for them.

NFL Week 5: Newman

"Hear me, and hear me well. The day will come. Oh yes! Mark my words, Eric. Your day of reckoning is coming, when an evil wind will blow through your little play world and wipe that smug smile off your face. And I'll be there, in all my glory, watching."

Well, that was last week for me. A miserable 4-12. It was Black Sunday, where I took a huge hit in my picks - and a sizable monetary blow if gambling was legal. Every time a result flashed on the screen that didn't go my way - like Detroit scring THIRTY FOUR points against the Bears IN THE FOURTH QUARTER - I knew how Jerry felt when he answered his door, opened it and heard:

"Helllllloooooo, Jerry...."

It's like the Grim Reaper. You don't want to have another Newman week.

I'll be golfing in a inter-club event today - with uniforms and personalized hats, too! - so everytime I'll check my pager frequently (like, oh, every two minutes)....

... and I'll have that nagging feeling that Newman is waiting for me with the latest NFL scores.

My day of reckoning came and went, Newman. Let's not have another one this week.

On to the picks:

KC 20, Jax 17 - I don't know who I'm drinking the Cheifs' Kool-aid.

Was 28, Det 17 - I think Washington will be able to move the ball rather well.

NO 31, Car 13. Boy, the Panthers are a mess right now. And David Carr is still there leading them?

NYG 29, NYJ 20 - I should have kept with my first impression - the Jets are way overrated.

Az 20, St L 16 - A clear letdown game for the Cards.

Pit 27, Sea 24. A classic game that should go down to a FG.

Ten 20, Atl 13. Ten should be fine at home - lots of running and time-consuming drives.

Hou 24, Mia 13. Should be a ball-control struggle here.

Ind 27, TB 17. Jeff Garcia will have some success, and TB's D will stop a couple of drives, but Indy should win comfortably.

SF 16, Bal 13. Boy, was I not impressed with Baltimore last week. McNair better snap out of his funk if the Ravens want to go anywhere.

Den 23, SD 20 (OT). The Norv watch is officially on.

GB 24, Chi 10. Favre, Favre, Favre, Favre.....

Dal 27, Buf 20. The Monday Night rule will be tried again.

Best bets: Last week: 4-12; overall: 28-30-6.

KC +2.5

Was -3.5

NO -3.5

NYG -3.5 (ugh! three in a row with this line)

NYG/NYJ Over 41

Sea +6

Sea/Pit over 40

Atl/Ten under 41

Mia -5.5

Mia/Hou Under 43

SF +3.5

SF/Bal Under 35.5

Den PK

GB -3.5

GB/Chi Under 41

Buf +10.5

Line of the day....

...comes from my friend Steve in Cleveland.

When Asdrubal came up ... in the 10th? .... with runners on and a chance to win the game, he shouts:

"Come on Cabrera! This is why we pay you... (pause) ...the league minimum."

What a game!

Yes! The Blue Jackets win tonight, 4-0, behind the excellent goalkeeping of.... .what?

(You don't even know the goalie's name, do you? -ed)

Wow. What a game tonight. That's a game I could NEVER imagine the Tribe of 1995-2001 winning. A 2-1 pitcher's duel.

How many chances did we have? How many breaks went the Yanks' way (like Peralta's shot in the 6th, or Hafner's liner in the 8th - right at Doug M)? Well, wait.... that didn't come out right. Not saying that the Yanks were lucky or anything....

but we tried to give that game away any way possible. From baserunning mistakes to overeager at-bats (see Cabrera, Asdrubal) to the complete opposite of clutch hitting, we had no business winning that game.

But we did. And we owe it to Fausto.

There were people in this lineup that looked completely overmatched tonight in the spotlight - Cabrera, Gutierrez, even Peralta (especailly when he took his time on the Abreu play in the 11th). But Lofton, Sizemore and finally Pronk carried us through.

Perez, as usual, was golden. An a well-needed day off means Perez - who pitched 2 innings today and yesterday - may be ok to go on Sunday. And we still have Betancourt.

I would not mind if we can win this series without seeing Borowski. Please?

Still, a long way to go. Westbrook won't have a stellar outing, but I predict a 5 2/3, 4 ER outing. Will the offense hit vs. Roger to have Westbrook's outing be sufficient? Who knows?

The key, of course, is to make Roger work so that Torre has to pull him in the 5th or 6th. Then we strike. I don't see us getting to Joba in Yankee Staidum, and Mariano was his old self tonight.

The sooner we win the third game, the better. Let's not give them any more chances to get off the mat. We need to win Sunday.

Quick Notes

Shocking: Yes the Indians win was shocking last night. Sabathia was 1-7 with a 7.43 ERA against New York and he pitched fairly well.

Message for Everyone in Cleveland: I'm on the fence about this now, but how much crap do you want to give Lebron for wearing a Yanks hat to the game? Eric says that this is a really big deal because it has to do with "Civic Pride" and it was the on the cover of Yahoo news so it must mean that its a big story. I'm of the opposite belief since what are you going to do? Drive him out of town? If the answer is no, then just drop it. If the answer is yes, then keep it up. Either way I'm sure you won't see Lebron at another playoff game for the Indians the rest of the year.

Lock of the week: Take the Broncos. TAKE THEM NOW!!!! Even with Henry being out. No reason other than media bias that the Chargers should be less than a 3 point favorite.

And why can't I resist in taking the Browns? 16 points is so freaking enticing. I can tease that one up to 3 touchdowns and put it with the Broncos.

And now onto a great email from Lee on a women's post taken off of Craig's List.

What am I doing wrong? Okay, I'm tired of beating around the bush. I'm a beautiful (spectacularly beautiful) 25 year old girl. I'm articulate and classy. I'm not from New York. I'm looking to get married to a guy who makes at least half a million a year. I know how that sounds, but keep in mind that a million a year is middle class in New York City, so I don't think I'm overreaching at all. Are there any guys who make 500K or more on this board? Any wives? Could you send me some tips? I dated a business man who makes average around 200 - 250. But that's where I seem to hit a roadblock. 250,000 won't get me to central park west. I know a woman in my yoga class who was married to an investment banker and lives in Tribeca, and she's not as pretty as I am, nor is she a great genius. So what is she doing right? How do I get to her level? Here are my questions specifically:
- Where do you single rich men hang out? Give me specifics- bars, restaurants, gyms
-What are you looking for in a mate? Be honest guys, you won't hurt my feelings
-Is there an age range I should be targeting (I'm 25)?
- Why are some of the women living lavish lifestyles on the upper east side so plain? I've seen really 'plain jane' boring types who have nothing to offer married to incredibly wealthy guys. I've seen drop dead gorgeous girls in singles bars in the east village. What's the story there?
- Jobs I should look out for? Everyone knows - lawyer, investment banker, doctor. How much do those guys really make? And where do they hang out? Where do the hedge fund guys hang out?
- How you decide marriage vs. just a girlfriend? I am looking for MARRIAGE ONLY
Please hold your insults - I'm putting myself out there in an honest way. Most beautiful women are superficial; at least I'm being up front about it. I wouldn't be searching for these kind of guys if I wasn't able to match them - in looks, culture, sophistication, and keeping a nice home and hearth.

And here is the response of one male reader:

I read your posting with great interest and have thought meaningfully about your dilemma. I offer the following analysis of your predicament. Firstly, I'm not wasting your time, I qualify as a guy who fits your bill; that is I make more than $500K per year. That said here's how I see it.
Your offer, from the prospective of a guy like me, is plain and simple a crappy business deal. Here's why. Cutting through all the B.S., what you suggest is a simple trade: you bring your looks to the party and I bring my money. Fine, simple. But here's the rub, your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity...in fact, it is very likely that my income increases but it is an absolute certainty that you won't be getting any more beautiful!
So, in economic terms you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning asset. Not only are you a depreciating asset, your depreciation accelerates! Let me explain, you're 25 now and will likely stay pretty hot for the next 5 years, but less so each year. Then the fade begins in earnest. By 35 stick a fork in you! So in Wall Street terms, we would call you a trading position, not a buy and hold...hence the rub...marriage. It doesn't make good business sense to "buy you" (which is what you're asking) so I'd rather lease. In case you think I'm being cruel, I would say the following. If my money were to go away, so would you, so when your beauty fades I need an out. It's as simple as that. So a deal that makes sense is dating, not marriage. Separately, I was taught early in my career about efficient markets. So, I wonder why a girl as "articulate, classy and spectacularly beautiful" as you has been unable to find your sugar daddy. I find it hard to believe that if you are as gorgeous as you say you are that the $500K hasn't found you, if not only for a tryout. By the way, you could always find a way to make your own money and then we wouldn't need to have this difficult conversation. With all that said, I must say you're going about it the right way. Classic "pump and dump."I hope this is helpful, and if you want to enter into some sort of lease, let me know.

This was too good not to share with everyone.

Game 1 in the books

A 12-3 win. Wow.

In the past, I would be thinking that we were blowing our load here, and a shutout against us is in the making for game 2 tomorrow - but this is the Yankees. No lead is truly safe. I could really, truly relax only at 11-3.

Courgaeous performance by CC. Kept battling and battling, despite the minute (but consistent) strike zone set by Froemming.

Would like to hear Jon's perspective on the non-bunt by Jeter. Does Jeter ever bunt in that situation?

That 5th inning brought all the adrenaline back that has been missing since 2001 - the fear and nausea in the top of the inning, and the wild, 4-year-old girl celebrations in the bottom of the inning ( I think I hurt my hands as I was pounding them on my waist yelling for Blake's double to get down...)

I'm not sure why Wedge elected to use our setup men (Perez and Betancourt) in the game. Do they need work? Why do we give the Yanks a look at them?

It's nice to have 1 in the books - I'll feel a whole lot better if Carmona can come through tomorrow.

And - we have the LeBron controversy. I think it is sickening. It truly has lowered my opinion of him.

Quick Indians post

A couple of things:

1) Who the hell starts a playoff game at 6:30? Well, since I am flying solo this week (with Janice in Paris), I won't be able to watch game 1 (or game 2, for that matter) in peace.

So I am planning to TiVo the game. Please, all of you - no calls. I'll put the kids to bed around 8:30 or 9 or so and then start watching. Everyone will know when I find the final result of the game - phones will be ringing, this blog will have 4-5 more posts.

PS - so do I need to TiVo TBS and TNT? Like a playoff game will be 3 1/2 hours - please. At 10 pm, will TBS stay on the TRibe/Yanks game, or should I TiVo TNT? Argh.

2) I could learn a few parenting tips from Don. We are in the porcess of trying to win the ticket lottery for ALDS, ALCS and WS tickets. I was wondering what do to if I won and the Tribe got to the Series - who would go?

Don: Why not the boys?

Eric: Well, they'd be too young, I think...maybe Freddie... but it would be too late in the night....

Don: No, no, this is a team effort!

Eric: Team effort?

Don: Yeah - you flip the car over.....

the boys can light it on fire.

I like the optimism.

I then complained to Don that we have a global yearly meeting on Oct 31 and Nov 1 in Cincinnati that not only is mandatory, but I am on the organizing committee. Oct 31 and Nov 1 are games 6 and 7 of the WS, if necessary.

So how the hell can I attend and/or celebrate with those meetings?

Don has the perfect solution:

"You can't go to work if you can't post bail...."

Brilliant!

3) Browns-Miami tickets arrived today. Freddie and I are going up next week for the game. We'll see how this goes.

I resemble this....

So yes, back in college I thought that Browns games were a matter of life and death. I would pace around for the whole game muttering, strategizing, and yelling at the TV. Of course, I had no shame, and I did it in our dorm lobby many times.

So it gives me a good laugh to see this video of a Florida undergrad watch the last few moments of the Fla-Auburn game this weekend. You won't be disappointed.

And yes, it reminds me of me 16, 17 years ago...

http://deadspin.com/sports/argh/florida-fan-motto-dignity-always-dignity-306450.php