Manny Ramirez

Now that CC Sabathia has signed a contract with the Yankees, Manny Ramirez is the primary topic in all the trade talk. At the beginning of the offseason you couldn't turn on sports center without hearing someone talk about where Manny was going to end up. But then everybody started talking about Sabathia. Well now the Manny talk is back.

According to Newsday.com, Manny is becoming very upset over the lack of offers and lack of interest teams have been giving him. It is rumored that Ramirez told some friends that he is considering retirement if he doesn't receive a suitable offer soon. He is mad because he thinks he should be the top player in the market because of the way he played during his two months with the Dodgers. I kind of agree with him on this because did play really good. He was even considered for the National League MVP after only playing in the National League for two months. But I don't think he is necessarily the top prize. Not everybody is looking for an old veteran that isn't sure how much longer he is going to play.

Manny Ramirez confirmed that he will play next season and he is not planning on retiring soon. He said that he plans on playing at least till he hits seven hundred home runs and right now he is only at five hundred and twenty seven. So if this is true he will be playing for at least four or five more years if he keeps hitting home runs at the rate he is.

The main team that is interested in Manny is the Dodgers who offered him a deal at the begging of the offseason but then pulled the offer off the table once the free agency began. It is also rumored that the Washington Nationals are interested him but right now the Nationals are concentrating on trying to get Mark Teixeira. Another possible team is the New York Mets but I haven't heard to much about the yet. Personally I think he will end up back in LA with the Dodgers. He seems to enjoy playing there and the fans certainly love seeing him in a Dodger's uniform.

What else is new?

It's that time of year when everyone should be jolly but that isn't the feeling that is going around in Dallas these days. Big surprise, Terrell Owens is feuding with another one of his quarterbacks. He can't seem to grow up but i can't seem to get enough of it.

TO, what is wrong with you? You publically said that you always have a good relationship with your quarterbacks. Really? Did you think that we all just forgot about how you went crazy in San Francisco with Jeff Garcia? Or did you think that we forgot about that very infamous feud with Donovan "You can tie?" McNabb in Philly? Well, well, well it looks like your dirty tricks are back to their dirty ways. Now you are getting into it with Tony Romo. You even accused him of drawing up secret plays with Jason Witten that exclude you on purpose.

What more do you want from him? He has tried to get you the ball 50 more times than his partner in crime Jason Witten. But i guess you have a point. I mean, it can't be your fault that you are consistently at the top of the league in drops. It's gotta be Tony. And this whole secret play nonsense is good. You honestly believe that this is happening? Maybe if you would get open when it counts and get some hands on you, then you won't be "excluded".

Now i know it sounds like i'm complaining but i love this stuff. Watching TO tear teams apart from the inside gets better every time. Especially now because the Cowboys are one of my least favorite teams. So even though i just criticized you for the past few hundred words, i love ya man. So i'm sorry for the flip flop here sports fans, but by golly this is entertaining stuff.

Hatin on the Yankees

Well it happened. I told you it probably would and guess what, I was right. The New York Yankees officially have CC Sabathia in their pitching rotation. This pisses me off because the Yankees have so much money they can just buy whoever they want. But the funny thing is they'll probably fuck up and miss the playoffs again this year. Over the past few years they have had what seems to be an all-star roster and they still have no world series championships to show for it.

You can't really blame Sabathia for going to the Yankees. They gave him an offer he couldn't refuse. They offered him a record setting seven year deal at 161 million dollars a year. I absolutely hate the Yankees, almost as much as I hate the Cubs, but if I was offered a seven year contract for 161 million dollars I would play for the Yankees. Hell I would play for anyone for that much money.

But this deal with Sabathia doesn't mean the Yankees are satisfied. They are still trying to land A.J. Burnett who is another big name starting pitcher. I don't think they'll ever be done spending money. The Yankee's owner Hal Steinbrenner said he is optimistic that they will soon have Burnett right behind Sabathia in the rotation. This is what Steinbrenner said,

"We're interested in [Burnett] and he's interested in us. Obviously, New York has a lot to offer, and playing for the Yankees is just a great thing."

This just shows how stuck up the Yankees franchise is. They think their so great because they used to win a lot of World Series and they have so much history. Their last championship was in 2000. They've had so many big names on their roster the last 8 years they should win just about every year. In my opinion they just aren't that good.

And the Winner is...

While i was looking around Yahoo sports today i saw an interesting blog in the Shutdown Corner which is their collection of football blogs. This one was about an award that the blogger thought should be brought into existence. It is the "Vinny Testaverde Award" which he wants to be given to the best "old guy", or player over 35,in the league. This post made me wonder, who is the best old guy in the NFL this year?

There are a few that come to mind. First off Pat Williams of the Minnesota Vikings. He is part of the best rush defense in the NFL. He and Kevin Williams don't allow any kind of running their way. But does he deserve the award? I don't think so. Why? because Mr. Williams is what i like to call a fatass. He is listed at 317 but looks easily at least 350 pounds. He could sumo wrestle Santa Claus, Ruben Studdard, and 2 midgets all by himself. Everybody gets fat when they get old, so i don't think that he should get the award for letting life take it's natural course.

Another player that comes to mind is Kerry Collins. He has the Titans at 12-1 which no one expected. But he hasn't done it putting up incredible numbers. He is a game manager. Granted he has managed 12 wins in 13 tries but this goes to players who put up those kind of amazing stats. He has proven that he can win games when he has to but he is only averaging 183.9 yards per game through the air. He is old, we'll give him that, but he still doesn't deserve this award.

So who should the winner be? My pick for old guy of the year is Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner. He has been lighting up defenses every week. He has given the Cardinals their first division title in quite some time. But not only that, he has been putting up those huge numbers that we all like to see. He averages 301 yards per game passing. Most guys think that it is good if you have a few games over 300 yards passing but to average over 300 is just absurd. Kurt is having an MVP year so he, of course, is going to get my old guy of the year award.

[standing O]

So congrats to old guy of the year award winner Kurt Warner. That horrifically ugly trophy will look splendid on your mantle Mr. Warner.

Nemanja Vidic scores late for win over Sunderland

Nemanja Vidic scored in the 90th minute against Sunderland yesterday to lift Manchester United to another win on the season. After the game Vidic admitted that his goal in stoppage time is the most important goal in his Manchester United career. Vidic has now scored eight times since arriving at Manchester United in January 2006, but none prompted the sort of celebrations seen after his strike on Saturday.

“I think the pictures tell the story!” Vidic told MUTV. “My favourite goal is my one against Everton (another winner, in September 2007), but this one, scored with my left foot, is probably the most important. It’s always nice to score.”

Old Trafford erupted when Vidic side footed home in the 90th minute after Michael Carrick’s shot came back off the post. The Reds had been knocking on the door all afternoon, only to be frustrated time and time again after blowing each opportunity.

“We tried all game to score a goal, but we never gave up,” Vidic said. “We attacked all game and we got our reward, we got the three points. At this time in the season it’s important to win every game and we did that. We’ve taken another important step today. We played well against Manchester City last week and today, although we didn’t play as well as we did last Sunday, we got the three points and that’s what’s important."

For anyone who does not know, the points system in the English Premier League is 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. So it is absolutely important to just barely win 1-0 as this system pays favor for the teams that can pull out wins week in and week out. Rivals Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool all pulled out wins earlier in the day so Manchester United's huge win kept them in distance as they are 5 points behind Chelsea and 6 points behind league leading Liverpool.

Good News for the Cardinals

Finally there is some good news for Cardinals fans that are worried about the redbird's starting rotation. Starting pitcher Chris Carpenter's come back from a shoulder injury is going as planned. I was certainly relieved to here this news because during the 08 season the Cardinals definitely had some issues with their starting rotation. They were plagued by many injuries and struggled to put together a competitive pitching rotation. Because of these injuries, the Cardinals were expected to finish at the bottom of their division. But surprisingly they managed to stay competitive the whole season, narrowly missing making it to the playoffs. They had an alright season using what they had but imagine how good they might have been if they had a healthy pitching rotation. Chris Carpenter's return is only a start to solving St. Louis' pitching problems as they are still trying to make some trades in the offseason. The Cardinal's general manager said that even with the return of Carpenter they will still concentrate on getting better pitching in the offseason.

Here is some more on Carpenter's recovery. He underwent a nerve conduction test on Thursday and the Cardinal's general manager John Mozeliak reviewed the results and he liked what he saw. Carpenter is scheduled to begin a throwing program to get him ready for spring training. This is what Mozeliak said, "It was a very positive report. Clearly, the nerve is healing. It's healing at the normal rate. ... It's doing exactly what they expected it to do. Most importantly, he's regained his shoulder strength to almost the level he had prior to this even happening. So that's positive news as well. Right now, he's scheduled to start his throwing program in middle to late January, and as of today he's expecting a normal spring."

The one thing I'm a little concerned about is how good will Carpenter be when he returns to 100%. Many pitchers that have had shoulder problems and try to make a return just can't get to where they were at before the injury. The one good thing is Carpenter had a similar injury in 2004 and when he returned to the rotation in 2005 he had the best season of his career. He ended up winning the National League Cy Young Award. So hopefully He will be able to make a similar return next year and help the Cardinals reach the playoffs.

Cristiano Ronaldo receives Ballon d'Or

The "Ballon d'Or", often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year, is an annual association football award. It is presented each year to the player who has been considered to have performed the best over the previous year. The award was conceived by France Football's chief magazine writer Gabriel Hanot, who asked his colleagues to vote for the player of the year in Europe in 1956. The inaugural winner was Stanley Matthews of Blackpool.

The Manchester United winger was named as Kaka's successor (Kaka won it last year) in the early hours of Tuesday morning. On Sunday he was presented with the Ballon d'Or trophy, a golden ball, in a televised ceremony and admitted it was a dream come true.

''I'm very, very happy, It's a dream I've had since I was younger, I've always dreamed about winning it one day. I'm very moved, very happy and I'd like to take this opportunity to dedicate this trophy to my family, they've helped me get here. I thank my mother, my father ... my close friends. I had a whole list of people I wanted to thank but it's difficult, I can't remember as it's too emotional. The trophy is splendid, marvelous, very beautiful. I've waited for this.''

Of the 96 leading journalists polled, 77 voted Cristiano Ronaldo as their number one player this year and every one placed him in their top five after he scored 42 goals in Manchester United's Premier League and Champions League winning season. Ronaldo polled a massive 446 points from a maximum of 480, finishing comfortably ahead of second-placed Lionel Messi (281) and third-placed Fernando Torres (179) of Liverpool.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the first Manchester United player to win the award since George Best in 1968 in addition to Bobby Charlton in 1966 and Denis Law in 1964 have also won the award.

Should He Come Back?

Mike Vick is set to be released from prison on July 20th of next year. The Sporting News reports that when he gets out, he will try to ease his way back into the game by playing on a UFL team. The UFL is a new 6 team league that the NFL is forming. Vick is suspended indefinitely from the NFL, but should he be let back in?

I think that he should, but i'm not a bad person. I don't in any way agree with his actions. I think that dog fighting is a horrible thing to do. I mean, he is a stupid man, but NFL players have done stupid things before. Look at Pacman Jones. He goes hanging out in titty bars but yells at the strippers when they try to take his money. And they suspend him for a year but then they let him back in. Then he got in trouble with the law again. And the NFL let him back in. He is a repeated offender and he never learns his lesson. But it's ok for him to come back but not Mike Vick? That doesn't make sense to me.

Another good example is the recent incident involving Plaxico Burress. He brought an unlicensed, loaded gun into a club. A loaded gun in a public place. He endangered everyone in that club by bringing that gun in there. But all that i hear on TV and all that i read doesn't talk about how long he's going to jail or how much trouble he's in, i hear about what team he should play for when it's all over and should the Giants keep him around or release him? That doesn't make any sense either. He could have killed someone but no one seems to care. When he gets out, he's right back in the NFL. But they won't let Mike Vick back?

Mike Vick did wrong and he knows that, but there are other players that have broken the law and they got put right back into the NFL. Why should it be different for Vick? Dog fighting is a terrible thing to do, but does that mean that beating up strippers and bringing a loaded gun into a crowded club is ok? Vick isn't the only one. So let him back in, not because he's a good guy (he isn't) but because that's how you've treated everyone else.

A-Rod Switches Teams

Don't be fooled by the title of this post. Alex Rodriguez will still play for the Yankees. When I say he is switching teams I'm talking about the World Baseball Classic. The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament. It is the only international tournament that major league players are allowed to play in. Last year in this tournament Alex Rodriguez played for the United States team. But this year he has decided to play for the Dominican Republic. He made the announcement while playing in a charity golf tournament hosted by David Ortiz. This is what he had to say,

"I am 100 percent sure that I will play for the Dominican Republic team. This time, there will be no doubts, and it is a dream of my mom's that I intend to fulfill."

Last year after deciding to play for the US A-Rod took a lot of criticism from the fans of the Dominican team. This is because he had first announced that he was playing for the Dominican Republic but then later decided to play for the US. I think this had a major influence on his decision to play for the Dominican Republic this year.

In order to play for a team you or your parents have to have been born in that country. While A-Rod himself was born in the US, both of his parents were born in the Dominican Republic which gives him the choice of which country to play for.

Some other well known major league stars playing for the Dominican Republic are: Adrian Beltre, David Ortiz, Placido Polanco, Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes, Alfanso Soriano, Miguel Tejada, Moises Alou, and Vladimir Guerrero.

'Tis the Season

Well kiddos, 'tis the season and if you're like me, you have no idea what to get anyone for Christmas...er...sorry, the holidays(ugh). Well lucky for you, i was perusing the internet and i found some cheap, pointless gifts that you can get for that special football fan in your life.


Most football fans are the typical man, and 85% of typical men have dogs (statistic credit: my ass). So what better gift to get him than a jersey...for his dog! And at 29.95, it's a steal! Any pooch is going to be styling fo sho in this jersey. Look at that stud in the picture, he won't be able to keep the poodles off of him. Now people, one of my pet peeves is dressing up your animals. But if i got this for Christmas, i would be nice, i would make my dog try it on...then return and/or burn it.


Another "amazing" gift that i found is stylish, but useful. That's right you guessed it, team color plastic cutlery (don't be ashamed, i ooo'd and ahhh'd too). And get this, they come in TWO different colors. Why, the possibilities are endless! Also, this gift comes in at only 3.50, so it's the perfect gift for people that you don't really care about. And, it's disposable. I don't know about you, but to me, that's a major plus.


Finally, a stocking stuffer. This one is a nice break from the usual stocking stuffers of socks and tooth brushes. It's your very own team specific, football shaped candle. This is another little cheapy gift (5.95) but it's from the heart, and that's all that counts, isn't it? What better way to relax than to take a nice warm bath and light up your ugly, unscented, football shaped candle (they used to be scented but jock strap never really caught on). And my favorite part about this, this might sound evil, is that it's gone in a matter of hours. It's just right for that relative you're angry at. Take that grandma! That's what you get when i get clothes for Christmas, Bitch!

Well i hope these gifts gave you some good ideas, but if you still want more, you can go to NFLshop.com. That's the NFL's official online store. So go out now and get your plastic cutlery before it all gets snatched up and good luck in the rest your holiday shopping.

How did it really happen?

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the awards for 2008's dumbest man. We'll get to the perfomance by Crosby, Stills, and Nash featuring Vanilla Ice in a second but first the award. And the winner is...New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress! He shot himself in the leg...really he did. Now i've heard several stories about how he did it. I heard the gun fell, hit the ground and then shot him. I also heard that the gun was sliding down his pants, he reached to grab it, and shot himself in the leg. But i have some of my own theories, some of them may be far fetched, but if you don't mind, i'd like to share some of them with you:

1) Maybe he actually was at an Applebee's like he told the doctors at the hospital. Maybe he was taking his grandmother out to a fancy dinner. He was having such a good time that he forgot about the gun that was lodged in his waistband. And when the waiters and waitresses finished singing happy birthday to his nana, all hell broke loose. He reached into his pants to pull out his wallet to give them a hefty tip and he pulled the trigger. That's my first idea.

2) Maybe he was watching highlights of himself on Sportscenter, wondering why he wasn't on the top ten (again), and he fell asleep. I'm talking passed out. You know how it is, that show repeats the same stuff every hour, it gets old. You can't stay awake for too much of it. So you know, his eyelids got a touch heavy and he dozed off. Right in the middle of a good dream, his kitten came up to him and started crawling around on him. I think you know what happened next, one wrong step, and boom.

3) Midget pirates, need i say more?

So those are my ideas. Who knows, maybe they could be right. With the hi-jinks these people are getting into anything is possible. And now, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Ice.

MLS Expansion Draft

The Seattle Sounders selected 10 players in the expansion draft that took place Wednesday, choosing one player each from 10 of the 14 MLS teams. The four teams with no players selected were the Colorado Rapids, Chivas USA, D.C. United and FC Dallas.

Each of the 14 teams was allowed to protect 11 players. Seattle's choices will be added to Seattle Sounders FC roster, Sebastien Le Toux, Kasey Keller, Freddie Llungberg and Sanna Nyassi, are already on the roster.

The specific format for the expansion draft is as follows:

• Only one player may be selected from each team. Four of the league's 14 current teams will not have a player selected.

• Teams will be allowed to protect 11 players from their 28-man rosters. Generation adidas players are automatically protected, though players who are graduated from the program to the senior roster at the end of the 2008 season are not.

• Teams with 4 or more international players must protect 3 of them. If a team has 3 or fewer international players, then it must protect all but one.

• Any developmental players selected must be moved up to the senior roster for the 2009 season.

Here is the complete list of who the Seattle Sounders picked in the expansion draft and what team they came from:

Nate Jaqua (Houston Dynamo)

Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake)

Jeff Parke (New York Red Bulls)

Jarrod Smith (Toronto FC)

Khano Smith (New England Revolution)

Peter Vagenas (Los Angeles Galaxy)

Tyson Wahl (Kansas City Wizards)

James Riley (San Jose Earthquakes)

Stephen King (Chicago Fire)

Brad Evans (Columbus Crew)

Trade Talk Continued

As the baseball off season continues to drag on there are more and more trade rumors that circle around in the media. I wrote a post a while back about some of these rumors and now there seem to be even more of these rumors. So I thought it would be fitting to fill you in on some of these new rumors.

There was a false rumor that the San Fransico Giants had signed short stop Edgar Renteria. The spokesman for the Giants said that Renteria was a fall back just in case that they couldn't get Rafeal Furcal. Renteria's agent stated that the signing was not true.

The Angels have come out as a contender in the fight for starting pitcher CC Sabathia. But the Angel's main concentration is still on free agent Mark Texeira. The Angels are expected to make an offer to Sabathia but then the Yankees will probably have a counter offer ready.

Another starting pitcher that isn't sure where he'll end up is Andy Pettitte. Pettitte is starting to consider teams other than the Yankees such as the LA. Dodgers. According to the reporter Ken Rosenthal, Pettitte spoke to Dodger's manager Joe Torre multiple times about coming to Los Angeles. Rosenthal notes that Pettitte has a history of leaving teams when he feels unwanted, and the Yankees are taking a laid back approach toward him this off season.

Jermaine Dye may be parting ways with the White Sox. Some teams that he might end up with are the Philidelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, or the New York Mets. The White Sox expect to get a good deal from somebody for Dye.

The Chicago Cubs managed to resigned Ryan Dempster and are looking to deal with the Padres for starting pitcher Jake Peavy. The Padres are trying to get a third party involved in the deal for Peavy in order to get what they want. If the Cubs were able to get Peavy they would likely have to part ways with starting pitcher Jason Marquis.

The Los Angeles Dodgers stopped pursuing Jack Wilson when the Pirates asked for a third player in the package of Chin-Lung Hu and Delwyn Young as compensation for the Dodger's request for cash to reduce Wilson's contract.

Another rumor is that the Cinncinati Reds might be interested in Jermaine Dye. The source for this rumor is Lance McAlister who said there are trade talks between the White Sox and the Reds. McAlister's source says the White Soxs initiated talk to trade Dye for the Red's Homer Bailey and another player. It is said that Dye had a list of six teams that he will not be traded to but the Reds are not believed to be one of them.

Well there you have it. Now that I've told you about some of the circulating rumors there will probably be ten more tomorrow. I just can't wait until the off season is over and the next season begins so that all these rumors die down and I know who plays for who.

Houston Dynamo 1-0 Luis Angel

The CONCACAF Champions League a brand new tournament, replacing the Champions’ Cup which ceased to exist after the 2008 edition. The competition will see a Confederation record number of 24 teams from all sectors of the CONCACAF region participating.

The CONCACAF Champions League will feature four teams from Mexico and USA; three Caribbean sides; two clubs each from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama; and one representative coming from Canada, Belize, and Nicaragua.

The CONCACAF Champions League winner will qualify as the CONCACAF’s representative to the 2009 edition of the FIFA Club World Cup.

Brian Ching scored in the 13th minute, and the Houston Dynamo held on for a 1-0 win over CD Luis Angel Firpo in the CONCACAF Champions League Group B.

With the win, Houston finishes 2-1-3 in Group B play with nine points to finish in second place and advances to the quarterfinal round of the CONCACAF Champions League tournament. Luis Angel Firpo was knocked out from the tournament and finished 2-2-2 with eight points for third place in the group.

The match was physical throughout with Houston whistled for 27 fouls and Firpo for 12 fouls. The two teams combined for eight yellow cards and two red cards. For nine minutes in the second half, Houston actually had to play a man down after Eddie Robinson was issued a straight red card in the 82nd minute, but Firpo's Carlos Calderon was issued his second yellow in the 91st minute and was sent off the field and evened the teams for the rest of the stoppage time.

Brian Ching scored on a header off a corner kick by Dwayne De Rosario. De Rosario kicked the corner from the left side and hit Ching in the middle of the box where Ching headed it off Firpo goalkeeper and into the net.

Football Einstein: Thanksgiving Edition

The tradition in the NFL is play a few games on Thanksgiving day. As usual we have the Lions and Cowboys playing games against the Titans and Seahawks, respectively. But the recent addition of the NFL network gives us the much needed third game. This one is between the Cardinals and the Eagles. Who would want to spend time with their family on Thanksgiving? I would, too bad my family consists of Brian Urlacher and Kyle Orton. Looks like i'm forced into actual family bonding. But for those of you who aren't, here are my picks for the three games:

The first game of the day is the Lions and the Titans. The Lions always play on Thanksgiving, it's part of their history. Another part of their history is always losing on Thanksgiving. Too bad it doesn't get any easier this year. Those jokers who make the schedule decided to let the Titans humiliate the Lions in front of the world. Come on, they're 0-11, let them rest in peace. Now i would love to see the Lions get their first win of the year against the formerly undefeated Titans. Too bad they suck. I just don't see anything that crazy happening. The Lions can't stop anyone and they can't score. And the Titans can run all over you, they recently found out they can pass and they have a great defense. This all spells defeat for the Lions.
Titans 28 Lions 14

The next game is the dinner time matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks. Good thing this one is during dinner because it might not be worth watching. You can even take a nap after dinner for this one. It'll be worth it, trust me. The Cowboys got Romo back and contrary to my beliefs, he saved their team. They're on a roll and they are going to roll right over the Seahawks. Seattle is limping in at 2-9. And the Cowboys are playing pretty good football. Not great but it was good enough to beat the Redskins and the 49ers so they should be good enough to beat the Seahawks. Plus the Seahawks are a very poor team on the road, and Dallas isn't the easiest place to play.
Cowboys 35 Seahawks 17

The final game is easily the best game of the holiday. The Arizona Cardinals go on the road to take on the struggling Eagles. Too bad this one is on the NFL network so no one can see it. Both teams are coming off of losses. But the Eagles loss was much worse than the Cardinals. The Cardinals took on arguably the best team in the NFC in the Giants on Sunday. They went out and stuck with them the whole way but came up short, 37-29. The Eagles went into Baltimore and got their asses kicked 36-7 in a messy game that featured Donovan McNabb getting benched at halftime. They said he was going to start this week but they're a mess right now. The Cardinals also have too much to play for. They're trying to make the playoffs for the first time in forever. They're a better team than Philadelphia and they won't lose with this much on the line.
Cardinals 27 Eagles 17

So let's recap the picks. I got the Titans over the Lions, the Cowboys to crush the Seahawks, and the Cardinals to take down the Eagles. Have a happy Thanksgiving, enjoy your football, and thank God you aren't a turkey.

St. Louis MLS expansion bid gets backed by Albert Pujols

Honestly if you want your town to get a bid for an expansion slot for the MLS, why not use a huge baseball star from that town. That's exactly what St. Louis is doing. Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is adding his star power to a group working to bring an MLS expansion team to the area.

The announcement on came a day after Pujols won his second NL MVP award. Pujols' reputation, plus a significant financial investment that was not disclosed, is expected to strengthen St. Louis Soccer United's chances of winning a franchise in 2011.

"I am very proud and excited to join the effort to bring Major League Soccer to the St. Louis area," Pujols said in a statement. "This means a lot to me and my family, as we all love soccer and we believe in MLS."

Seven cities are competing for two expansion teams with selections expected by the end of March. Also applying were Vancouver, Montreal, Atlanta, Miami, Ottawa and Portland.

I don't think both Vancouver and Portland could win bids for an expansion team because they are way to close together. Plus Vancouver has NBA star Steve Nash backing that team up, so Vancouver would get picked over Portland. Ottawa is a huge hockey town and somehow I just do not see them switching from hockey to soccer, so they do not have much to offer. Miami has zero chance in my book because Miami did have the Fusion and they only lasted about 3 years. The rest I really am not too sure about.

The St. Louis group believes that adding Pujols, the highest paid player in Cardinals history with two years to go on a seven-year, $100 million contract, will eliminate doubts about its financial footing and encourage area business leaders to become involved. The team would play in an 18,500-seat stadium yet to be built in Collinsville, Ill., near St. Louis.

"This is something that will be great for our community, especially our youth," Pujols said. "St. Louis is an unbelievable sports town and we'll be a great city for Major League Soccer."

The St. Louis group submitted a formal bid for an expansion franchise on Oct. 15.

"It is frankly impossible to imagine a better partner in our effort than Albert Pujols," Cooper said. "Albert's commitment is a testament to the strength of the league, the interest and promise of Major League Soccer in St. Louis and the overall quality of our team, stadium and youth complex plan."

MLS Cup: Columbus Crew 3-1 New York Red Bulls

It is now in the history books. The Columbus Crew have won their first ever Major League Soccer Championship 3-1 against the New York Red Bulls.

Your Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player Barros Schelotto recorded three assists to help deliver a championship in his second season in MLS. Rightfully so he also claimed MVP honors for the MLS Cup as well. What a surprise considering he had a league leading 19 assists during the regular season, which five of those were game winners.

Columbus easily dominated during the regular season but did not have much success against the Red Bulls, who won two of three meetings one of which was a 3-1 win. Sorry New York, but I guess that's karma.

Alejandro Moreno, who was the leading goal scorer on the team with nine goals, opened the scoring in the 31st minute. He hit a shot from the right side of the 18 yard box with virtually no angle, but still managed to fit it just barely inside the left goal post.

After New York forward John Wolyniec tied the match in the 51st minute, The Crew immediately answered and reclaimed the lead, dominating the rest of the game. Just a minute later Chad Marshall snapped the 1-1 tie. Schelotto delivered a perfect corner kick right in front of the goal to Marshall, who powered home what proved to be the game winning goal.

But the Crew were not done yet, they still searched for the goal that would seal the deal for them. In the 82nd minute Schelotto lofted a pass over the Red Bulls defense to Hejduk, who scored on a header to ensure that the Cup would be rightfully theirs.

It was a perfect ending to what was a dominant regular season for the Crew, who had 17 victories and 57 points during the season. That included a nine-game unbeaten streak that lasted more than two months. Strangely enough it was the New York Red Bulls that ended that winning streak during the regular season.

Should Maple Bats be Banned?

During the 2008 season many players switched to bats made out of maple wood. And also in the 2008 season there was an increase in the number of bats being broken. But is the maple wood to blame? Yes the maple might be causing the bats to break more often but some experts believe that it is the model of the bats that is causing them to break. The model of the bat has more to do with the shattering of bats than the kind of wood used does. So it is likely that there won't be a ban on these bats but there will likely be specifications for the model of the bats. One thing they can change is the difference between the length and the weight of the bat. According to the MLB rules, bats can be no more than -3.5, which means the difference between the length in inches and the weight in ounces cannot be greater than 3.5.

Brian Hillerich, who is the owner of a bat company that makes the Louisville Slugger (type of bat typically used in the MLB), said this, "We've been told that they probably won't ban maple, that they will come up with some recommendations for changing what we do now."

Some of you might be saying why does it matter if player's bats break? The answer is because when a wooden bat breaks it sends little splinters of wood flying everywhere and it can be very dangerous to not only the players on the field but also to fans sitting in the stands. There were several of these incidents in the 2008 season where people were injured due to a shattered bat. A piece of the broken bat of the Pittsburgh Pirate's Nate McLouth hit coach Don Long in the face while he was standing in the dugout minding his own business.

Personally, I don't think maple bats should be banned because I don't think maple bats are any more breakable than the ash bats that were used before. I agree that they need to make some specifications for the bats such as handle width, barrel length, etc.

A New Rule in Baseball

A while back I wrote a post about game five of the World Series. If you remember, that game got postponed due to a rain delay in the sixth inning. But according to the rule book it was officially a complete game. The commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig, overruled this rule and they played the rest of the game the next night.

Well now Bud announced that there has never been a rain-shortened game in the postseason and there never will be because there is now a new rule in effect that states that postseason games can not be shortened by bad weather. He also said this rule will also include the all-star game and tiebreaker games. Here is part of Selig's official statement,

"All postseason games, All-Star games and that, will be full-length affairs, and the rule will be so written."

According to baseball's rules, games are official as soon as the trailing team has made 15 outs (5 innings). This was the case in game 5 when the Rays had just tied the game in the sixth inning and it started to poor rain. Since the game was tied, it would have been finished later anyways, but Selig said that if the Phillies would have still led 2-1 when it started raining, the game would have been continued later even if it took several days.

Columbus Crew's Guillermo Barros Schelotto wins MVP

Of course it would be an older guy that used to play professional soccer outside of the US that wins the MVP. The Columbus Crew's Guillermo Barros Schelotto, a midfielder who was a big star in Argentina, won the Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player award Thursday.

Schelotto, who is 35, had 19 assists and seven goals for Columbus as the Crew bounced back from a 9-11-10 record the previous year to finish with an MLS-best 17-7-6 record. He and his teammates face the New York Red Bulls this afternoon in Carson for the MLS Cup.

Schelotto beat out second place Landon Donovan of the Los Angeles Galaxy and Cuauhtemoc Blanco of the Chicago Fire in the voting by the league's coaches and general managers, players and media.

"My teammates and coach had a lot to do with it. They made the transition much faster, a transition that could have been very difficult," Schelotto, speaking through a translator, said. "They understood that I don't understand English and that I had another style of play.

As much as I would have liked to see Cuauhtemoc Blanco win the MVP award, I really cannot argue with Schelotto winning it. He had five game winning assists during the regular season, and I am one of those people who think assists are by far one of the most underrated stat in soccer. And he has set up all of two of the the Columbus Crew's goals in this years playoffs. I mean what else is there to say about this guy, he can take anyone one on one and with his pinpoint accuracy he will find you regardless if you are open or not.

Matt Cassel: Superhero

There's something really weird happening in New England these days. The New England Patriots are winning games without Tom Brady in at starting quarterback. That isn't supposed to be happening. As soon as Brady went down with that knee injury, their season was supposed to be over. But Matt Cassel, the man who never started a game in college is leading them, and more importantly, winning some games.

So who would have seen this coming? All of the injuries combined with an aging defense, but they are still pulling off a 6-4 record and they are right in the middle of the playoff hunt. So there are a lot of reasons that they are still playing well but i think the biggest one is Matt Cassel. He came out and showed that he can still play. He is also coming off of a career game. And this isn't even a rookie level career game, this is the kind of game a hall of famer would like to have. In the Pats last game against the Jets, Cassel threw for 400 yards and also rushed for over 60 yards. He was the first player in the history of the NFL to do that. And it was only his 9th start. Even though his team lost the game, he clearly outplayed one of the greatest of all time, Brett Favre. He has been playing solid games all year long but he is flying under the radar because he isn't Tom Brady.

But what does this mean for his career in the future. When Brady comes back, New England is going to start him again, there's no reason that they wouldn't. But what does that mean for Cassel? Will he really want to come back to New England as a backup after showing everyone that he can play this well on a consistent basis? He might get an offer from some team that is struggling to find a good starting quarterback, like the San Francisco 49ers, and take a starting job there. That's what i think is going to happen. He is too good of a player to be a backup, he has shown that. I would expect to see Matt Cassel wearing different colors next year, he's earned it.

Dear Roger...

Dear NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, how many more chances are you going to give Pacman Jones? He obviously doesn't learn anything from his mistakes, why would you keep giving him chances to embarrass your organization?

Look at the things that he has done, some of the dumbest shit that i have ever heard of anyone doing. First off, a few years back, he goes to a strip club, which already is a mistake. But then, of course, it got worse from there. He decided to show how much of a straight up baller he is and started making it rain, with 81,020 dollars, on some of the strippers. Doesn't he have something better to do with his money? I'm not saying he has to donate it to needy kids but come on. Then he got irate at them when they tried to pick up the money. After that there was a huge frenzy in the club and then shots were fired that killed two people and left another paralyzed.

Now you think after something like that happened and you got suspended from the NFL for an entire year, you would learn a thing or two. But not Pacman. After he got reinstated guess what happened, he done it again! He got in a fight with one of his bodyguards and then got suspended again. And those aren't even the only two. The Dallas Morning News says that he has been arrested 6 times and involved in 13 incidents since he was drafted by the Titans in 2005. Hey Roger, he isn't going to learn.

I don't know how much more obvious it could be. He has gotten in trouble a bunch of times before, what makes you think this last one out of 13 has made him a changed man. Wake up, Roger, he's done.

Who Cares?

Something very rare happened last Sunday in the NFL. The game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cincinnati Bengals ended in a 13-13 tie. Now that's odd enough in itself but what some people find even more outrageous is that the Eagles starting quarterback Donovan McNabb wasn't aware of the leagues overtime rule. He said that he didn't know that if a game is tied after the first overtime, the game ends in a tie. Now i know that he should have known and that there have been games during his career that have ended in ties but i think that this whole thing is being blown out of proportion.

Now he is Donovan McNabb and he should have known the rules but he didn't and that doesn't bother me one bit. He has plenty of people on his side. Fellow quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger have come out and say that they think maybe even 80 percent of players don't know the overtime rules. So Donovan was one of them. Who cares? If anyone was supposed to know the rule it should have been the head coach Andy Reid.

What's worse is that i even hear some talk about this ruining his legacy. How would that work? He didn't know one rule and his underachieving team tied with another underachieving team. I don't see why everyone is making such a big deal out of this. This isn't going to kill the Eagles this year, they're already dead. There are at least two if not three teams in that division that are better than them. Their road to the playoffs is tough to begin with and they weren't expected to come out on top.

So Donovan didn't know a rule that almost 80 percent of players didn't know. You're right, he's a failure. So now if you'll excuse me i have to leave and keep on not giving a shit.

And the MVP is...

Albert Pujols. Enough said. This guy is amazing. Can you tell how much of a Pujols fan I am? Albert Pujols is arguably the best in baseball. He has been putting up amazing numbers since his rookie season and he still seems to be going strong at 28 years old. If he continues to play the way he has been for the rest of his career and he stays injury free, then I think he will with out a doubt be the best baseball player ever. Ok, so you might think I'm going a little over bored here. But I don't care because I absolutely love this guy. Not only is he a really good baseball player he is also a really great guy. Along with winning the NL MVP this year he also won the Roberto Clemente Award. This award recognizes the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individuals contribution to his team. He is also involved in many charitable organizations such as the Pujols Family Foundation which is dedicated to the love, care and development of people with down syndrome.

Sorry I got a little side tracked there. Lets get back to Pujols winning the MVP award. His magnificent season earned him his second MVP award Monday night. He beat out Philadelphia's Ryan Howard, who finished just ahead of him in the MVP race last year. Pujols has finished in the top 10 in the voting in every single one of his eight seasons in the major leagues. This is another good argument of why he is the best in baseball. Pujols became the 11th player to win two NL MVP awards and he's one of only three active players with two of these awards. And something tells me there will be more MVP's sitting on Pujols' shelf before he retires. I'll leave you with a comment from Pujols,

"I have to thank my teammates. Obviously this is not an award that you win by yourself. My teammates were involved everyday, day in, day out, supporting me, getting on base and driving me in. These kinds of numbers, you can't do it by yourself."

Sean Franklin wins MLS Rookie of the Year

Well at least the Los Angeles Galaxy have something going for them this season. Their own defender Sean Franklin has been named the 2008 Gatorade Rookie of the Year. Sean started 26 out of 27 games and recorded one assist.

The 23 year old native of Palmdale, California and 2008 graduate of Cal State Northridge was the Galaxy's first pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft and the fourth overall selection. He is the first Los Angeles Galaxy player to win Rookie of the Year.

The MLS Gatorade Rookie of the Year winner received the most votes from polling of media, players and coaches and general managers.

At least the Galaxy's future looks a little brighter and that their might be some talent on the horizon other than David Beckham and Landon Donovan. A team with those two players should hardly fall below second place in their conference, let alone tie for last in the entire league.

MLS Playoffs: Conference Finals

This weekend the Conference Finals for the Major League Soccer have finally concluded and we now know our two teams that will be heading to face off against each other for the MLS Cup. We have the Columbus Crew taking on the New York Red Bulls.

Columbus Crew 2-1 Chicago Fire

After having the best record during the regular season it is only rightfully so that the Columbus Crew are going to appear in their first ever Major League Soccer Cup championship.

The Fire opened the scoring on a header from Brian McBride in the 29th minute. The former Crew forward sent the ball from the top of the box over goalkeeper Will Hesmer's head for an early 1 to 0 lead. It was McBride's 10th career playoff goal. One of the most popular players in Columbus history, McBride was booed heavily by the Crew faithful every time he touched the ball.

Columbus answered quickly in the second half, as defender Chad Marshall headed in a service off Guillermo Barros Schelotto's direct kick for the equalizer. Six minutes later, a pair of headers set up Gaven, who faced tight defense inside the box but drilled a shot past the Chicago Fire goalkeeper just inside the left post for a 2-1 lead.

"This is absolutely huge," Schmid said. "We talked at halftime about trying to get behind their defense and we also thought we were getting closer on set pieces. Then the first goal is off a set piece and the second goal is Gaven getting played in behind."

Chicago had been the only MLS team that Columbus hadn't beaten this season. Both teams played two games of 2-2 draws during the regular season.
New York Red Bulls 1-0 Real Salt Lake

Dave van den Bergh scored halfway through the first half and the New York Red Bulls got a few fortunate bounces as they clinched their first ever appearance in the MLS Cup with a 1 0 victory over Real Salt Lake.

Real Salt Lake came close to tying the game manyl times, but hit the post four other times. The loss was difficult to accept for an emotional Real Salt Lake team that controlled possession from early in the first half.

"It was chance after chance after chance," second-year Real Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis said. "I drove myself to laughter on the bench. It was either that or cry."

Driving the anxious crowd absolutely mad, Morales barely missed tying the match in the fourth minute of stoppage time after he volleyed his own rebound off the left post from the top of the penalty area. Moments later, the referee's whistle sounded and New York players rejoiced while Real Salt Lake could only think about all the chances they had missed.

"They were inches away, literally, from scoring goals," Cepero said. "Some nights there are nights where it's just not going to go in for a team. Fortunately for us, it was that kind of night for Real Salt Lake."

New York will play the Columbus Crew for the championship on November 23 in Carson, California. The Crew claimed the Supporters' Shield for most points after the regular season. If I was asked who would win this game, I would have to say the Columbus Crew. They were the best team during the regular season and they just beat the Chicago Fire who I thought was the only team that had a shot to beat them. I just don't see New York having the same fire power that the Crew do.

Trade Talk

As the MLB is now moving deeper into the off season there are many trades already being made and there are many trade rumors circulating. I have been following most of these trades and rumors closely because I am anxious to see where all of the big name free agents are going to end up. Here are a few of the trades that have already taken place and also a few of the trade rumors that are going around.

The Oakland A's were able to acquire the Colorado Rockie's star Matt Holliday on Monday. The A's traded Greg Smith, Hutson Street, Carlos Gonzalez for a one year deal with Holliday. In my opinion the Rockies got the better end of the deal here because I don't think Holliday himself isn't enough to help the A's contend this year.

The Yankees were able to trade for Nick Swisher, and Kanekoa Texeira from the White Sox. I think this will quite the rumors of the Yankees trying to trade for Mark Texeira because the Yankees will need to use a lot of their money for starting pitching. They have already made a hefty offer to CC Sabathia. They offered him a six year 140 million dollar deal and I'm not to sure if he can turn something like that down.

The Chicago Cubs traded Jose Ceda for Kevin Greg. I think this trade makes the rumor of the Cubs parting ways with long time Cub, Kerry Wood, almost a sure thing. Wood had been heard saying he would do almost anything to stay with the Cubs but I don't see the Cubs resigning him. Another rumor going around is that the Cubs might be looking to sign veteran pitcher Randy Johnson. They are considering a one year deal for the 45 year old lefty who only needs 5 wins to reach 300 career wins.

There is a rumor going around about Edgar Renteria returning to the St. Louis Cardinals if the Detriot Tigers don't make him an offer.

There have been many rumors about Jake Peavy so far this off season as everybody seems to be interested. And of course one of the teams interested in Peavy is the Yankees but of course who aren't the Yankees interested in. I don't understand why they are after Peavy if they have already made a huge offer to CC Sabathia.

Only time will tell where all these players will end up and that really sucks because I'm a very impatient person. There is just to much suspense for me and it is driving me crazy. I just can't wait until next season starts and I know who is on every bodies rosters.

Beckham dropped for next exhibition game

David Beckham was dropped from England's international team for next week's exhibition game in Germany because his coach says he's not in shape. Beckham has come on late in the half as a substitute in all four of England's World Cup qualifying victories. If England advances to the 2010 championship in South Africa, Beckham is in good position to make the team.

But the coach of the England squad, Fabio Capello, said the former England captain will not play against the German international team because the Los Angeles Galaxy's season is over in Major League Soccer and Beckham has not played and will not play until he joins AC Milan on loan in January.

Coach Fabio Capello did admit that he would play Beckham if the Galaxy did make the playoffs. That way Beckham would still be up to par on his game.

"He last played three weeks ago. ... If he had played in the playoffs, it would have been OK for me," the coach said. "It's my system for my job. If you play, you will be in the squad. He is a good player. He will play for AC Milan. We have time to check him."

Hmm, now it may seem that there is an even stronger reason for Beckham to stay with AC Milan. If he stays with the Galaxy his international chances are shattered. If he stays with AC Milan he can creep back up into the international scene.

So what's it going to be Beck's, stay with the Galaxly or pack your gear up and stay back in Europe?

Football Einstein: Week 11

This week i picked a tough one. It isn't a marquee matchup by any means but it seems like it is going to be a close one. I'm talking about the Monday nighter between the Cleveland Browns and the Buffalo Bills. Both of these teams are in a bit of a funk right now and they need this win to get back on track.

On offense, Cleveland is looking better than it used to. Putting Brady Quinn in at quarterback seems like a good move so far. Granted he has only played one game, but he played very well in the starting role. He could provide the spark that they need. But it's going to be tough for him to do it on his own. And that looks like what he is going to have to do because the Browns can't run the ball. Averaging 101 yards per game is good enough for 21st in the league. Good luck Brady. The Bills certainly aren't an offensive machine by any means though. They can put up points but they are ranked 24th. A lot of their points are set up by their great special teams. But still, when they get it close, they can punch it in. Advantage Bills.

Defense is not a strong suit for the Browns. They played awfully last week against the Broncos. They lost that game for their team and it was so bad, it looked like they were doing it on purpose. They are 27th in the NFL in total defense and sometimes, that seems too high. They just plain suck. The Bills D isn't nearly as bad. They aren't at the top of the league but they do a much better job than Cleveland. And playing against a weak offense like the Browns, they shouldn't have too hard of a time shutting them down. Advantage Bills.

So I think that Brady Quinn is going to play well again. But he can't do it all unless he goes out at linebacker and jacks up some suckas. The Bills have lost 3 in a row but i think that this is the game that they will use to turn it around. Even if the Browns are up, they will probably hand the game to the Bills anyway. That is what that team likes to do. The Bills take this one.
Bills 28 Browns 17

Romo Can't Save the Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are finally getting their savior back. After missing several weeks with a broken pinky finger, Tony Romo is returning to his role as quarterback for the Boys when they take on the Washington Redskins. But Romo isn't Anne Sullivan (Miracle Worker reference, count it), he can't do it all. Sorry Dallas, Tony Romo can't come back and fix everything.

Look at it realistically. Tony Romo missed a few weeks with that finger injury so he might take some time to get back on track. It happened with Peyton Manning and I think that Peyton is a better quarterback than Romo. Face it, no matter who you are, when you miss time, it takes time to get back on track. Romo is a streaky player to begin with, when he's good, he's incredible, but when he's bad, he's worse than your grandma getting you a haypenny for your birthday. I mean, he wasn't born in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts! (Miracle Worker reference deuce).

Now we all know the truth. When Romo was gone the Cowboys straight up sucked. They were like the children of impoverished cooks during the potato famine (Miracle Worker reference trey). But you can't blame it all on the quarterbacks. They couldn't run the ball at all. They were getting stuffed no matter where they tried to run. So that goes to the offensive line and the running backs. Their defense hasn't been playing too well either. Dallas has lost 3 of their last 4 games and they're giving up a lot of points. In those three losses they gave up 24, 34, and 35 points. It's pretty tough to win games when you can't stop the other team from scoring.

So when no one on your team is playing well, you expect Tony Romo to come and save the day? Sorry but things don't work that way. The Cowboys are going to go into Washington and lose this Sunday. They might even lose a few more before they get going. But one thing is clear, they need a lot more than just Tony Romo to get things back on track.

Miracle Worker reference count - 3, beat that bitches.

Cliff Lee Wins Cy Young Award

Has anybody ever heard of Cliff Lee? I know I haven't. I consider myself a pretty big baseball fan and I've never even heard this guy's name before. That's why I was so surprised when he was announced as the American League's Cy Young Award winner. (The Cy Young Award is basically the MVP Award for pitchers). I guess if this guy is as good as he sounds he is the best kept secret in baseball.

I was reading an article out of the New York Times and apparently it's not like he just suddenly emerged as a star this year. He also finished fourth in the race for the Cy Young in 2005. Maybe the reason why he isn't that well known is because in 2007 when the Cleveland Indians came within a game of the World Series, he was left off of the roster because he wasn't having a very good season. During 07 he experienced an abdominal injury that set him back, then he never really got back to full form and he was demoted to the minor league where he had a record of 5-8 with an ERA (earned run average) of 6.29.

His teammates where sure that he would have a much better year than last year. This is what his teammate, Jensen Lewis, had to say about it,

"I think we all could tell right out of the gate, from spring training, that Cliff was completely different than the year before. He carried himself differently, with the utmost confidence in his stuff."

His confidence really showed this year and he was rewarded with it on Thursday with the AL Cy Young Award. Lee's record this year was 22-3 with and ERA of 2.54 which makes him just the third pitcher since 1990 to have that many wins with an earned run average that low. The other two pitchers to do this were Pedro Martinez in 1999 and Randy Johnson (who i think needs to retire but that's a whole other story) in 2002.

The other contenders in the Cy Young race were Toronto's Roy Halladay (record of 20-11) who finished second, the closer for the Angel's Fransisco Rodriguez (set a single season record for number of saves) who finished third, and the Yankee's Mike Mussina (record of 20-9) who finished in fourth.

So if there is anybody out there like me who didn't know the name Cliff Lee, you now have no excuse to not know who he is unless of course you hate baseball and you don't really give a rats ass who he is. In 2008 Lee proved all of his haters wrong and really made a name for himself.

The Important Issues

With the new election just in the books we have to focus on the main issue. But what is the main issue? Is it the economy? The war? No, of course not. The main issue is what will Obama pick as the White House dog. This is very, very gripping news people.

There is a shocking twist to this story though, Obama's daughter is allergic to dogs (cue the cliche, something really big just got revealed music). So that doesn't leave much of a choice now does it? I mean, if the dog has fur, she's going to be allergic to it. Just what is a president-elect to do? Well lucky for him, the madness continues. The great nation of Peru has offered him the (kinda) perfect solution, a hairless breed of dog. Not only is it the ugliest god damn thing i have ever seen, it still won't help his daughter. If she's allergic to dogs, she'll be allergic to this dog too. And can you imagine trying to pet this thing? It'd be like groping a raincoat while wearing rubber gloves. And what if it gets sweaty? That's gross. Plus it's probably going to sell our secrets to Peru. And that's bad news bears.

So Barack, this is your first major decision of your of your presidency, maybe your life. Who's it gonna be? The dog or your daughter? Which one is gets the bedroom and which one gets the yard? This is why we voted for you. To make these tough decisions. So make sure that you make the right decision, the next four years depend on it.

Flying Blind

Can you imagine trying to land an airplane with your eyes closed? Neither can I. That's why I was so surprised when I read a story about a man who was flying a plane and suddenly went blind. No I am not making this stuff up it actually happened.

This all took place in London when a British pilot was suddenly blinded by a stroke during a solo flight. He had to be talked down by a military pilot in the Royal Air force. The pilots name is Jim O'Neill and he was in the middle of a flight from Scotland to southeastern England. He lost his sight 5,500 ft in the air. This is about where I would start panicking. "It was terrifying," O'Neill said, "Suddenly, I couldn't see the dials in front of me." He then made an emergency call for help and said, "I want to land, ASAP!" Luckily there was a military pilot, Paul Gerrard, on a training flight nearby who was contacted and asked to guide O'Neill down to safety. This is what Gerrard had to say about the situation:

"For me, I was just happy to help a fellow aviator in distress. Landing an aircraft literally blind needs someone to be right there to say 'Left a bit, right a bit, stop, down. On the crucial final approach, even with radar assistance, you need to take over visually. That's when having a fellow pilot there was so important."

O'Neill is currently recovering in a hospital and he is begging to regain his sight. The doctors have confirmed that he suffered a stroke due to a blood clot. What I would like to know is if O'Neill is planning to continue flying after he has fully recovered. If I were him there is no way I would even attempt to fly a plane again. I think it's time this 65-year-old calls it quits. He has been a pilot for nearly two decades. He gave it a good run but I think it's time for him to get a job as a Walmart greeter or something like that that suites his age.

MLS Playoffs: Second Leg

We now have the four teams that will advance to conference finals and fight for their chance to play for the MLS Cup.

Chicago Fire 3-0 New England Revolution

There was really no doubt about this game. The Revolution had to come and win in Chicago to advance which is not an easy thing to do. MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Jon Busch only had to stop four shots after the Revolution found themselves again to not generate any offense in this game. Rolfe knocked home the rebound after Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis made a diving save right before the half which sent the momentum towards Chicago. The Fire came out in the second half just as energized and easily capped the win scoring two more goals.

Columbus Crew 2-0 Kansas City Wizards

As the top seed in the MLS Cup, the Columbus Crew earned the right to host the second leg of their Eastern Conference semifinal match with the Kansas City Wizards. They sureused that to their advantage on Saturday, extending their home unbeaten streak to 10 games and advancing to the conference finals. After scoring really late in stoppage time giving the Crew a 1-1 tie in the first leg against the Wizards, they dominated a 13-6 advantage in shots during the second leg and took an early lead on Evans goal in the seventh minute.

Chivas USA 2-2 Real Salt Lake

Javier Morales and Dema Kovalenko each scored a goal as Real Salt Lake won its first playoff series ever in their history with a 2-2 draw over Chivas USA in the second leg. Real Salt Lake won the first game 1-0 so with a tie of 2-2 they end up with an aggregate score of 3-2.

"We knew it was going to be tough, they always are," Kovalenko said. "We fought all year and no one believed in us. Even the (newspaper) in Salt Lake said we wouldn't make the playoffs, but we believed in ourselves and now we're in the conference finals. That just goes to show you what you can do when you believe in yourself."

New York Red Bulls 3-0 Houston Dynamo

Houston Dynamo 0-3 New York Red BullsApparetly winning the western conference is a guarenteed way to fall out of the first round. For the fifth straight season, the regular season champs in the west fell in the first round of the playoffs. This the victim was the two-time defending champion Houston Dynamo. The Red Bulls won the aggregate goal series, 4-1 and advanced to the Western Conference finals Saturday at Real Salt Lake.

"I'm very proud of the boys," New York head coach Juan Carlos Osorio said. "As always, the plan was there, and they executed very well. In the second half, as you know, 2-0 up is still very dangerous, so all they would need is one goal, and they would have the upperhand in the game."

Cardinal's Trade Talk

If you have read some of my other post you probably have realized that I am a die hard St. Louis Cardinals fan. This is why I got excited when I heard a rumor about the Cardinals talking about trading for Colorado Rockies star Matt Holliday. I do however have mixed feelings about this news. This is because in order to acquire Holliday the Cardinals would probably have to give up Ryan Ludwick who is coming off of a break out season in 2008. I'm not saying that Ludwick is better than Holliday, I have just kind of taking a liking to Ludwick over the past year. Ludwick has expressed a desire to stay in St. Louis but understands that it may not work that way. This is what Ludwick had to say about the situation:

"I have heard about the rumors. However, I have not heard any details. They don't concern me--obviously. I can't control the situation. There is no place I'd rather be than St Louis, but I have been with five different organizations, and I know it's a business. St. Louis feels like home, I love my teammates and most importantly, I think we can win."

One thing I don't understand is why are the Cardinals trying to trade for another outfielder? They already have a surplus of talented players that can play in the outfield such as Ludwick, Rick Ankiel, Skip Schumaker, Colby Rasmus, Joe Mather, and Brian Barton. Tony La Russa, Cardinals Manager, has said that the reason for going after Holliday is he wants a clean up hitter to bat behind Albert Pujols, and while Ludwick certainly has the ability, he doesn't have the reputation that Holliday does. One of the worries of the field staff is that Pujols is pitched around too often, and having a star like Matt Holliday batting behind him would cause other teams to pitch to Pujols.

I guess all I can do is sit back and watch this one play out and see what happens. Whatever the outcome is I'm sure I'll be happy because both Ludwick and Holliday are very talented players who can help out on the Cardinal's roster.