Sportacalypse Podcast Episode #1: The Proposal

Episode #1: The Proposal

Clearly we have no idea what we are doing. We will be working on getting a player installed so you don’t have to click to a different page.

The ALCS Fix is in

It’s Thursday and the word “theory” has a T in it so therefore we get this…

huh? You really think we are going to let the Yankees get eliminated during a day game?

As a sports fan it’s hard to come to terms with the fact that at the end of the day it is a business. One that needs to make hard decisions with the best interest of the entire league, and it’s teams, in mind. A business run by multi-millionaires who only really care about money.

It’s sad, but true.

Now we are faced with an interesting dilemma in Major League Baseball. With the Detroit Tigers up three games to none over the New York Yankees they are in a position where they only have to win one game to eliminate the Yankees and make their way into the World Series.

This all could’ve been taken care of last night, I don’t there are many realistic fans out there who expect the Yankees to comeback and win four straight games, especially when Verlander can take the hill again, but rain postponed game 4 and will be played today, at 4 p.m.

Doesn’t seem to be in the best interest for MLB, which has also had trouble holding on to big TV contracts with Fox because of the length of playoffs and those same games being played during the prime time of the year for the networks. Yes, yes I know the ALCS is on TBS, it’s just an example. And MLB would much rather be on Fox than on cable.

So, what if there was a plan to ensure that if the Yankees lost it would happen during prime time? What if MLB purposely tries to alter the course of this game by doing all they can to push it to game 5 so it airs on TBS at 8 p.m. instead of 4? What if they want to make sure the Yankees, the biggest and probably most popular and profitable team, were eliminated in front of a huge T.V. audience?

It’s a crazy notion and, I will agree, somewhat of a crackpot theory but it is possible. Remember, this is a business and imagine all the money the MLB would lose if the Yankees lost at 4 p.m. There are fans out there that will specifically watch that game just so they can see the “Evil Empire” be brought to its knees and killed off.

If the Yankees win today I’m leading the charge in saying that the fix was in. You may not agree and you may think I’m crazy but if I got you to even explore the possibility of the game being rigged I did my job.

Sidney Crosby Ain’t Sorry

his face makes my hands make fists uncontrollably

You would think that a guy who is the face of the NHL would be a little more careful with his words. In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Mr. Crosby stated that he wasn’t sorry for [possibly] breaking Claude Giroux’s wrists during a face-off while playing in the heated, and often violent, opening round playoff series between the Flyers and Penguins last year.

Excerpt from Philly.com

“I don’t try to go after his wrists, but if I caught it, I’m not sorry for it,” Crosby said. “I really like to win the face-off. I think it’s hilarious that I hear that stuff from Philly. It’s comedy to me, to be honest with you. They’re probably involved in that stuff more than any team in the league and they’re the ones always talking about it.

“I guess I’m not apologetic. I was trying to win a face-off and if I caught his wrist, then I caught his wrist. He seemed to play okay so I couldn’t have hurt him that bad.”

Sure, he’s a tough guy. You know the type of guy who picks fights with people then whimpers in the corner until his big brother comes out to fight his battles, then starts to kick you on the ground after someone took care of the dirty work. I really don’t understand this guy at all.

Oh, one more thing. The guy’s career was nearly ended because of concussions. You know when your brain gets hit around too many times, that’s not good for you. So it’s smart to keep talking about how much you don’t care if you hurt someone and then saying it’s laughable that people get angry at that. Something I don’t understand is that this guy is probably one good shot to the head from not only getting his career ended prematurely but he could possibly die on the ice.

Hockey is a tough sport, I get it. You have to be thick skinned and unapologetic, but it’s also a sport that simply hires enforcers to specifically target guys of Crosby’s caliber to make sure they have less of an impact on the game. If a guy has a clear shot at your on the boards and your head happens to be down, they don’t give a FUCK if they end your career, that’s what they’re there for.

Where Are You Now…Vernon Gholston

Probably the most physical activity he did in a Jets uniform

Vernon Gholston will always have a special place in my heart. Not because he made the NFL team I loathe waste a ton of money on him only to be disappointed immediately because he was heard saying he wasn’t sure if he wanted to play football anymore, that was just a bonus. He played for The Ohio State University, my favorite NCAA Football Team, and was one of the greatest DE’s in the history of the school. When the Jets drafted him I was crushed because that meant I couldn’t cheer for him anymore, that was until I saw that he would be a perennial pro-bowler if only they added the best player to sit on the bench spot. Vernon had promise to be a great hybrid back, too small to play DE in the pros but too big to play LB, and could be the next Brian Urlacher. His work ethic was questioned immediately and it landed him on the bench where he had plenty of time to count all the money he made when he was drafted. Today Vernon is not in the NFL and is a free agent. Vernon, you have shown us all that college really does pay off and that we all can just not give a fuck about anything and still get paid big chunks of money…yeah, right.

Meme of the Day

 

Lance Berkman Eyes Possible Return in World Series

Could Lance Berkman make his return if the St. Louis Cardinals advance to the World Series?

Berkman isn’t sure of the answer himself, but is feeling better from a physical standpoint. He only played in 32 games this season and a knee injury has kept him sidelined for the rest. With the extent he’s been limited this season he’s not sure that it’s an option the team would be interested in exploring, but he says that if they want to, it could be a possibility.

Of course, the San Francisco Giants might have something to say about this as the Cardinals have to get past them in order to advance and the National League Championship Series shifts to Busch Stadium in St. Louis at 4:00pm ET tomorrow. Berkman has enjoyed lending his support from the bench in a disappointing season for him, which saw him get sent to the disabled list on 3 separate occasions for left calf and right knee issues. He underwent surgery in May and September to repair a torn meniscus in his knee.

Of his 97 plate appearances this season, his ceremonial at-bat as a pinch hitter in the final game of the regular season at Busch Stadium was one of the more memorable as it drew him a standing ovation from the crowd. Berkman has given retirement thought, which a year ago would have left one scratching their head. While debuting with the Cardinals in 2011, Berkman played in 145 games and posted a .301 batting average while hitting 31 home runs and driving in 94 RBIs. Berkman received the NL Comeback Player of the Year award and his first World Series ring in the process.

Berkman worked out on Tuesday and took some swings off of Jake Westbrook who is also trying to recover from a rib injury himself. He is a career .317 hitter in 223 plate appearances. He went 11-for-26 with a home run and 5 RBIs in the 2011 World Series against the Texas Rangers. The Cardinals want him to feel healthy enough to play and admire his optimism, but they haven’t given any thought on roster decisions at this time.

At the time Spring Training begins Berkman will turn 37 and with Allen Craig and Carlos Beltran back, there may not be a spot for him to fit on the Cardinals roster. Berkman is a career .296 hitter in a career spanning 14 seasons, split between the Astros, Cardinals, and Yankees. He has 360 career home runs and 1,200 career RBIs and has made 6 NL All-Star teams. On 6 occasions Berkman has finished in the top 10 in NL MVP voting.

It would be tough to see Berkman go out on this note, but don’t be surprised if he doesn’t suit up for the 2013 season. Age may have caught up to him. If he does report to Spring Training, I wouldn’t bank on him being in a Cardinals uniform.

NFL Week 6 Recap

 

Through the first 6 weeks of the NFL season we’ve witnessed how anything can happen on any given Sunday. In reality the NFL is upside down right now. No team has truly found consistency yet. Some of that is because of injuries, and some others remain a mystery. 

As I start by recapping the New York football teams, I want to quickly discuss what most of us just witnessed on Monday Night Football…Peyton Manning just took his team back from a 24-0 halftime deficit to beat the Chargers 35-24 on national television. 

First off….the Chargers are a joke. It must be so hard to root for that team when you can’t take them seriously. Not only did your defense give up 35 unanswered points, but your offense couldn’t even move the ball into field goal range? Your “franchise quarterback” is now going into the same conversation as quarterbacks such as Tony Romo and Jay Cutler. Some weeks the numbers look nice but the bad always outshines the good. 

As for the Denver Broncos, mark this date…October 15th, 2012 as the day you won the AFC West. Take injuries out of the equation and this team will run away with the West. Peyton put on a clinic completing 24 of 30 passed for 309 yards and 3 TD’s. The scary thing is, he still may not be playing his best football. 

Now officially moving onto the New York games…

NY Giants @ San Francisco 49ers – In a game I would’ve expected the Niners to win, the Giants manhandled them. I thought it would be close, with the Niners defense doing just enough for the win. I clearly took the wrong defense in this game. 

The Giants defense looked like they had a coming out party. They were incredible all around. They made Alex Smith look like the Alex Smith of 2010, forcing 3 interceptions and a fumble. (that the Niners recovered)

Offensively Eli Manning wasn’t spectacular, but he didn’t have to be. He was able to put the car in cruise control from the start of the second half. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw had his second consecutive big week, rushing for 116 yards and a touchdown. The Niners hadn’t allowed a rushing TD all season. Bradshaw on the other had has 316 yards rushing in the last two weeks…Not bad for a guy who was deemed “washed up” by the fans after the loss in Philly in week 4. 

The Giants who went into this game at 3-2 had beaten three easier teams, the Buccaneers, the Panthers and the Browns, but lost to two division team the Cowboys and Eagles. By crushing the 49ers on the road whom I thought was the best team in the NFC, showed why they are defending Superbowl champs and they have as good a shot as anyone in the NFC. 

Colts @ Jets – This was a must win for the Jets. They couldn’t go into Foxboro in week seven a 2-4 team. Luckily enough they won’t be. Many fans were skeptical because the Colts had just come off a win against the Packers at home. One of those crazy things in this unpredictable season in the NFL. 

The Jets defense was spectacular this week. Though Andrew Luck did make some plays and threw for 280 yards, the Jets mostly made him look like a rookie. He only completed 50% of his passes, he threw two interceptions, another which was called back, and was sacked 4 times. Give credit to the Jets pass rush for finally finding the quarterback, and give credit to cornerback Antonio Cromartie. He has stepped up in the biggest way possible for the Jets defense after the loss off Darrell Revis. He held Reggie Wayne to one catch for 5 yards before garbage time in the 4th quarter. 

Offensively the Jets were the healthiest they’d been since week one. Rookie wide receiver Stephen Hill and tight end Dustin Keller returned to the lineup. Hill made an impact catching a touchdown pass from Mark Sanchez. Sanchez wasn’t spectacular in this game but his confidence must certainly be up and he threw for two touchdown passes and made some very big throws. The bulk of the offense for the Jets went through running back Shonne Greene, who rushed for a career high 161 yards and 3 touchdowns. Also credit the Jets offensive line for bullying the Colts D line. 

Once again I need to credit Tim Tebow this week. Yes, he’s not getting all the offensive snaps Rex Ryan said he would have, but he is excelling on special teams, making big plays week after week. His big play in this game was a 23 yard pass on 4th and 12 when he was in as a punt protector. This changes the game so much, because now special teams units are going to have to spend extra time preparing for this guy. He is finally making the Jets trade for him look like a “football decision”

The first place Jets (yes you read that correctly) head into Foxboro next weekend to play the Patriots who are coming off a tough one point road loss to the Seahawks. The Patriots will want blood, and this game will show if the Jets are for real or not in the division. 

Other weekend NFL notes…

Cleveland Browns

Congrats to the Cleveland Browns on getting their first win of the season. Now every NFL team has at least one win. I’ve said all season that they Browns are much better then their record showed. Their 5 losses were by a total of 39 points. 14 points came to the Giants and 10 to the Bills. That leaves three losses by a total of 15 points, showing that all three of those games could’ve gone the other way. There is a lot of talent on this Cleveland team, and they’re very young, but as the Steelers and Ravens start getting older, we may be talking more and more about the Browns team in the next few years. 

Philadelphia Eagles

Maybe the Eagles need to stop proclaiming themselves victors before the season ever starts. They’ve done this two years in a row and the media also seems to buy into it. In 2011 backup quarterback Vince Young called them the “dream team” and this season Michael Vick called them a “dynasty”. Maybe the Eagles will win the Superbowl this season, but teams who claim themselves to the highest power shouldn’t be blowing 10 point leads at home with 3:33 remaining in the 4th quarter. The Lions looked anemic until the 4th quarter. Michael Vick continues to turn the ball over constantly. The Giants have already overtaken them in the standings, and unless they play like the team they claim they are in the preseason, it’s going to stay that way. 

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens won the game this week but suffered a huge loss in the process. Linebacker Ray Lewis tore his triceps and will miss the remainder of the season. It’s bad enough the Cowboys ran for 227 yards against them, but losing Lewis can crush this once dominant defense. They are already without Terrell Suggs and they also lost cornerback Ladarius Webb with a torn ACL for the season. Webb is the teams best cornerback. The Ravens were lucky enough to sneak away with the win as Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey missed a game winning field goal attempt. (At least he wasn’t iced by his own coach this time)

Week 7 Preview…

So 6 weeks in the books, here is what we can look forward to in week 7.

Thursday night football…Seahawks @ 49ers. Winner takes over first place in the division. 

Washington @ NY Giants – the Giants get their first up close look at RGIII. What will the Giants defense do for an encore. 

Baltimore @ Houston – Ravens are hurt, Houston is coming off a bad loss at home, who responds more?

Arizona @ Minnesota – Are either one of these teams for real? they’ll have to prove it this week. 

Jets @ Patriots – Sole possession of first place is on the line. 

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati – Both teams are coming off road losses to teams most teams thought they’d beat. With the Ravens banged up, who wants to the division more? It’s wide open again. 

Detroit @ Chicago – Lions kept their season alive this week, but they could look dead again with a loss to the bears on Monday Night Football. 

 

Meme of the Day

NFL QB’s Talk Smack on Facebook-Again!

To Check out the rest, go to profootballmock.com

A Letter From Nick Swisher to Yankee Fans

Yo Yo wassup Yankee fans!

I thought we were bros! We had a good thing going, ya know? I was super-pumped..naw man pumped isn’t even the word..I was AMPED to be here man.

I had my whole bro-salute-the-stands thing when you yelled my name during role call. Jeter barely even waves, and he’s loved. I turn around and give you a bro-salute, and I get treated like this? C’mon man, this is totally not cool.

Yo, I mean, I feel you and all. I’m not hitting that great, but nobody is hitting great. It would be super awesome if you didn’t boo me all the time bros. You can’t blame me for messing up to routine plays either, I don’t know if you ever noticed, but I’m really not a great fielder.

My boy Derek got hurt, but it wasn’t my fault his ankle snapped like a surfboard on a totally huge wave bro.

I can’t believe that you peeps boo A-Rod so much either. Dude pulled the ultimate bro-move in 2009 when he carried this team to a Championship. Now all you guys hate him. I don’t get it.

I just want to say again that some of you dudes have been cool, but ya gotta stop booing me, ok? I’m just a laid-back happy dude who doesn’t need to get booed by people who he was bros with.

So Yankee fans, please stop being douchers and get back to being my bro.

Thanks bros,

Swish

PS…Can somebody please help me with my eye-black? I can never put it on correctly