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.