Australia-Bound!

Mates:

I will be taking out for Australia tomorrow until the 17th of January. Not to sure how much I will be able to "chime" im but I hope to give some thoughts on a cricket match or the tennis tourny taking place in Sydney if the opportunity is there.

I'm Just saying....

...Roger Clemens is a moron for the fact that all he has to do is deny he ever took "PEDs" or claim he only took them to recover from an injury. THERE IS NO PROOF EXCEPT HEAR-SAY!

...Johan Santana will not be traded to either New York team and I got a fever he will be headed to Boston.

...Eddie Sutton and the San Francisco hoops program is a joke. To let this guy come back as an interim coach for his 800th victory after having to retire because of a DUI is a bit odd and ridiculous.

...Tom Brady will most likely win MVP, but shouldn't Brett Favre be more deserving? A Brett Favre-less Packers team finishes 4-12.

...Mike McCarthy should win Coach of the Year. Before week 16 my vote would have gone to Romeo Crennel.

...the Tampa Bay Bucs have a legitimate shot at winning the NFC.

...the New York Giants do not.

...The Jacksonville Jaguars will be scary in the playoffs and Fred Taylor has found a second life.

...Donovan McNabb should be starting in Philadelphia next season, not Chicago, Minnesota or Miami.

...The NFL Pro Bowl is a joke and it's a joke Mario Williams, Marques Colston, and Fred Taylor did not make it and Marion Barber III did.

...Kevin Durant will be very good once he has a "NBA" body.

...The Bulls will get it together and make the playoffs.

...The Miami Heat are T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E and Shaq is cooked.

...NBA East All star starters should be Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Jason Kidd

...NBA West All star starters should be Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, and Carmelo Anthony

...The Celtics are legit

...The Blazers have some good players.

....The suns and warriors are the most fun teams to watch in the NBA


Off to the Land Down Under...

...til next time

-E

Quick Hits

Well the Steak, Crab & Curry show is on Hiatus until the end of February...but I will stick around via blog to give some opinions and thoughts on the sports world...

Some quick hits and thoughts:

Bill Parcells signs to be the VP of Football Operations of the Dolphins...whatever that means...I give him 3 years MAX before he is gone.

Coaches need to learn respect in football. It appears the whole concept of a contract does not exist anymore. Bobby Petrino never had the respect of his players in Atlanta and I'm not sure he is going to succeed in Arkansas either.

The Patriots will lose 17-13 to the 'Phins this weekend....I'm just thinking outloud.

Really T.O.? You have stooped this low to go after Jessica Simpson because of Romo's terrible game on Sunday?

Yes, the Celtics are THAT good...easy schedule or not.

Chris Paul and Deron Williams will be some of the best point guards in NBA recent history.

Yes, the Heat are THAT bad...too old and to reliabe on D-Wade.

When the Blazers get Greg Oden next year, they will be scary. A rotation of LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden, and Channing Frye up front with Brandon Roy scoring is nice.

The Dodgers will win the NL West this season.

The Devil Rays will not finish last in the AL East this season.

Roger Clemens is as big of a jerk as Barry Bonds.

Ed Wade is a terrible GM and has quickly traded the whole farm system of the Astros for a nut case like Valverde and a washed-up Miguel Tejada.

Ohio State will be crushed once again in the BCS Championship by another SEC team.

What has happened to the Florida State football program?


...til next time
-E

Baseball Hot Stove

Well it's been a little while since the last post....but let's jump into some hot stove.

*The biggest splash so far in the offseason has been the signing of Torii Hunter to the Angels for about 5 years at 90 mil. The Angels have distanced themselves as the leader in the West with some real protection now for Vladimir Guerrero. Not to mention a rotation of John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar and Jered Weaver at the start of offseason.

*The first big trade has also occurred at the Winter meetings. Miguel Cabrera AND Dontrelle Willis have reportedly been traded to the Detroit Tigers for 6 prospects, including Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller. I think this move was huge for the Tigers and has also made the AL THAT much better than the NL. Can you imagine a rotation fronted by Justin Verlander, Dontrelle Willis, Jeremy Bonderman, and Kenny Rogers...2 L's 2 R's, some power pitchers and some finesse pitching. You can't also overlook the lineup that will most likely open the season up...something that looks like this...
CF Granderson
2B Polanco
RF Ordonez
3B Cabrera
DH Sheffield
C Rodriguez
SS Renteria
1B Guillen
LF Thames/J.Jones

...I like my chances with that lineup.

There are still some good free agent options out there such as Andruw Jones and Aaron Rowand. Some intriguing low risk/high reward such as Bartolo Colon, Matt Clement. Not to mention the possibilities for trade like Erik Bedard, Danny Haren, and oh yes Johan Santana.

...til next time
E

Taking my first sip...

So as it goes the Celtics are 5 - 0 and I am pondering the whole "open mouth, insert foot" thing. The Celtics have won by an average of 16.6 points a game, which is RE-DIC-U-LOUS.

So as I sit here, I am going to take my first sip of the green kool*aid and will continute to moniter this fascinating team as the NBA season unfolds.

3 Teams left without a W on the season...
Golden State
Minnesota
Seattle

Who is the last team to win a game? Well its simple...

- It's not going to be Golden State, it's only a matter of time before the Warriors get on track or Don Nelson may pull the ole "personal reasons" excuse and get the hell out of dodge...

So the answer...whoever loses the December 14th between these two teams who helped form the monster that is known as the Boston Celtics!

...'til next time

-E

p.s. Seattle Say So long to the Sonics

Andy Reid

As it stands the Cowboys are up 38-10 on the Eagles right in the 4th quarter, I am going to have to chip in my 3 cents on the Andy Reid situation.

"A Montgomery County (Pa.) judge who sentenced two sons of Eagles coach Andy Reid to jail yesterday described the Reid house as a "drug emporium" and directly rebuked both parents, saying, "I have some real difficulty with the structure in which these two boys live." Reid and his wife, Tammy, showed little emotion as Judge Steven T. O'Neill sentenced Garrett and Britt Reid to jail - for up to 23 months - in a six-hour session and capped months of drama for the family and, by extension, the Eagles organization."

November 2, Philadelphia Inquirer

So ever since last season ended, it has been trouble, trouble, and more trouble for the two sons of Coach Reid. This past week, both kids were sentenced to terms in jail. The judge even went as far as to say that Reid was the owner of a "drug-emporium". How much you can blame that on Andy Reid is debatable. Coaching today in all sports is a year long commitment, and it gets to the point that these guys are barely home. It's tough to put this on Andy Reid because he is in such a demanding job.

Andy took a leave of absence last Spring and had thought that he straightened some things out in his life. But the problems just kept coming. If I were Andy Reid, I think you need to take a leave of absence. Clearly, the Eagles should not fire Reid because he has been so successful for the city and team and these would be unfair conditions for him to fired upon. The Eagles have looked very flat way to often this season, especially tonight against the hated cowboys on primetime TV, there is no excuse for that. The offense has looked very dull to often this season as well.

Andy Reid's head could not be completely focused on the Eagles, and there is no reason to not blame him. My recommendation for Andy is to take some time off for the season and get things straightened out.

...til next time


-E

Gilbert...Just Zip it!

Memo to Gilbert Arenas: Sometimes you just need to zip it!

Courtesy of Arenas' blog:

"On November 2nd, we're going to go into that building, we're opening up Boston. Right now I'm telling the Boston fans: You guys are going to lose. It's not going to be a victory for Boston. You might as well just cheer for me, because Boston isn't winning in Boston for the season opener. I'm sorry."

November 2
Washington 83
Boston 103

Gilbert Arenas: 5 - 20 with 21 points.

So how exactly did you open up Boston, Gilbert? Who lost that game? And why would the Boston fans cheer for you when Kevin Garnett almost had more rebounds than you did points?

Hibachi if there is one thing you should learn, it's that when you make a bold statement like that, please please please BACK IT UP! Or maybe Gil should just take the normal route and keep his mouth shut unless he plans on backing it up.

...til next time.

-E

T.O./Roy Williams

With only a few hours left til the Sunday Night matchup of the NFC East rival Eagles and Cowboys, I figured I would chime in a bit on some of the words going back and forth between the teams.

First let me start with Donovan McNabb's comments. Mc5 said that anyone thinking about winning the NFC East division title is going to have to go through Philadelphia. According to the Dallas News, Roy WIlliams responded by saying, "Right now, they are in no position to talk about everything going through Philly", basing this off of the Eagles 3 - 4 record this season. Roy, last time I checked the Eagles have won the NFC East 5 out of the last 6 seasons, with the Giants winning the other year. So Roy, I think that Donovan has some just justification in those statements until of course someone else wins the NFC East.

Now on to everyone's favorite, Terrell Owens...

In the San Antonio Express on Friday, TO came out firing saying, "It's so evident that ever since I left nothing's been going right there."

Excuse me, Mr. Owens but if nothing has been going right in Philly since you left, then why did the Eagles win the division last year? Why did the Eagles win one more game in the playoffs than you did? Oh and by the way not sure how much of Dallas' success can be attributed to you because you did in fact lead the league in drops last season. But I would be disrespectful if I didn't say thanks for helping with the Super Bowl run. But not so much thanks for becoming the biggest nuisance in the NFL.


EDIT: Well the Eagles have come up a bit lame tonight...YIKES


...til next time

-E

Torre Goes West

Well the deal is official. Joe Torre has officially signed a contract for 3 years worth about $13 million. Interesting move to say the least. Now obviously this was a shock to no one when Grady Little suddenly resigned, but it will be diferent to see how Torre will fare in a less pressurized situation ( I know its LA, but let's face it, the pressure is nowhere as tough as NY).

Joe Torre will try to bridge the gap between the rivalry of the Rookies and the Veterans on the Dodger squad and with all the egos that Torre has had to deal with NY, I think this is a perfect fit for the Dodgers. GM Ned Colletti said this will most likely only be a short-term position, which makes it seem that Don Mattingly's first chance to manage will be in LA (presuming he does indeed follow Torre to LA). Now the question is, do the Dodgers try and pursue A-ROD to come to this LA and not the LA of Anaheim?

The Dodgers have a plethora of young talent to deal with and I think Torre will be in a much better situation in LA than in NY. With their lineup looking like this...

SS Furcal
CF Pierre
3B Garciaparra
2B Kent
C Martin
1B Loney
RF Kemp
LF Ethier/Young

...I like the way the team is built. Sure, A-Rod would like nice in there instead of the oft-injusred Nomar, but is it worth the risk?

By the way, not to mention a starting rotation headlining Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, and Jason Schmidt.

I like the Dodgers chances next year.

...'til next time

-E

Green Kool*Aid

Don't Sip the Kool*Aid on the Boston Celtics this year!

Before the Celtics tip off their season, I just want to put it out there that I am not going to sip on that green kool-aid, celtic flavor. I do not think the Celtics will win the NBA Championship, nor do I think they will win the East. Sure, the Celtics will be a tough team to play against, but they draw similar comparisons to the '03-'04 LA Lakers. The Lakers team that included Kobe, Shaq, Karl Malone,and Gary Payton.

That Laker squad did not have any real role players and way to many egos to do anything with that team. Sure, they made it to the Finals, but lost 4 - 1 to the Detroit Pistons, who were a much better TEAM. Talent-Wise the Lakers were much better, but didn't mesh very well.

THe one thing that could set the Celtics apart this season is the different types of superstars they have this season. Kevin Garnett, does not need to score every possession to be happy, and is one of the most unselfish players in the NBA. Ray Allen, is the perfect example of someone to kick the ball out to to hit open 3's all day when KG is double teamed. Paul Pierce is the definition of a slasher. What is missing from the equation? A pass-first PG and role players. Don't even tell me Scot Pollard and Eddie House are going to make a difference. I do agree that James Posey was a good signing as a defensive stopper. But Rajon Rondo?! If I were the Celtics I would look for a player that has some experience and is a known pass first guy.

The Celtics will be a very tough team this year, but I'm just saying DONT SIP THE KOOL*AID....just yet at least.

...'til next time

-E

Little is Done

According to a report on espn.com, Grady Little has resigned as the manager for Los Angeles Dodgers. Little cited "personal reasons" as the reason he left.

Are his "personal" reasons any sort of a codename for the beef he had with GM Ned Colleti or is that he "personally" could not keep the veterans from wanting to choke out the rookies during the strecth run of the season?

The most likely canidate to replace Little already is Joe Torre. Who could come along with bench coach Don Mattingly and who knows perhaps Alex Rodriguez will fly off to LA LA land as well.

...'til next time

-E

The Days of our Lives (Yankees edition)

The first topic I want to write about has to be what should be known as the "Yankees Saga". Seriosuly, this team has become more of a soap opera than The Days of our Lives. Let's run down what has happened so far after the Yanks once again came up short in the ALDS, even though having the highest payroll in baseball. (By the way, the team with the second highest payroll WON the World Series for the 2nd time in 4 years).

10/9/07 - Yankees lose to Indians, eliminated from playoffs

The saga starts with the list of potential free agents including:
- Bobby Abreu (team option), Alex Rodriguez (opt out option), Jorge Posada, Mo Rivera, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite (player option) --> (courtesy of http://www.mlb4u.com/freeagency.php?field=team)

- Joe Torre rejects the Yankees offer of 1 year for $5million
- list of potential replacements include Tony Pena, Don Mattingly, and Joe Girardi

10/28/07 (Approximately the 6th Inning of Game 4 of the World Series): Word comes out that A-Rod will opt out.
10/28/07 Joe Girardi will be offered managerial position
1029/07 Don Mattingly will not return as bench coach for New York.

So the potential ripple down effect of Torre rejecting this offer has already left the Yankees without Don Mattingly and Alex Rodriguez, but has a very good chance of seeing Rivera, Posada, Clemens, and Pettite all leaving.

What the Yankees do have going for them is that Joe Girardi as their manager who knows how to deal with young talent (Marlins) and a lot of homegrown talent coming up such as Joba, Hughes, and Kennedy for Girardi to help groom. Potentially, not a bad rotation in the next few years with Wang, Hughes, Kennedy, and Joba.

Now was the 1 year offer to Joe Torre initially a slap in the face or was it a nice gesture saying the Yankees don't want him back but will at least make an offer? I applaud Torre for turning that down and sticking it to New York. If the dude wins 4 world series and makes the playoffs every year but somehow is still not living up to the standard of Mr Steinbrenner, then why deal with it year in and year out? It won't be long before Torre has other offers coming his way, should he choose to continue managing (potentially the LA Dodgers).

What to think of Alex Rodriguez and his decision to opt out as rival Boston Red Sox are about to clinch another World Series? One side of me thinks it was A-rod being an egomaniac because of him personally taking away the attention from the BoSox winning the World Series and shifting it to himself. The other side of me thinks that it is a smart move on his part. A-rod was able to opt out before a manager was named and now it doesn't look like he didn't wanna play for Joe Girardi or if it was Don Mattingly, he just wanted to get out to avoid anymore unnecessary issues.

It will definitely be interesting to see where this Soap Opera leads to the rest of the Winter...

...'til next time

-E

Allow me to Introduce Myself...

Allow me to open this first post by introducing myself and the purpose of this blog. My name is Eric DeLash and a student at the University of Maryland. I am part of a radio show at UMD titled "The Steak, Crab, & Curry Show" which airs from 5 to 6 pm on Mondays on www.wmucsports.com. Philadelphia Sports are my thing and a mentality of "what have you done for lately?" generally goes along with it. Not to mention a big supporter of Terps football and hoops.