Leyritz Charged With DUI

What a shitty off-season this is for Yankees fans! First all the steroid stuff, now this gem:

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A former major league baseball player is in the Broward County Jail after being arrested on suspicion of DUI and vehicular homicide.Police said Jim Leyritz was behind the wheel of a Ford SUV that collided with another vehicle at the intersection of Southwest Seventh Avenue and Second Street in the Himmarshee area of downtown Fort Lauderdale.The impact caused the other car to roll over and the female driver of that vehicle was ejected and she died after being taken to Broward General Medical Center, police said.

Read more...

Mitchell Report Predictions

The report on steroid use in baseball is set to be released by former Senator George Mitchell at 2 p.m. today in New York, Rumor has it that there will be many former (and possibly current) Yankees on the list of 60-80 named steroid users.

Since Mitchell was an employee (actually, director) of the Red Sox, I kinda doubt there'll be any Sox names on the list, you know?

These are the Yanks that I expect to see on the list:

• Roger Clemens
• Andy Pettitte
• Tino Martinez
• Chuck Knoblauch
• Gary Sheffield (already busted)
• Jason Giambi (ditto)

I wouldn't be surprised to see A-Rod on the list too. As for the Mets, Piazza and Edgardo Alfonso are likely candidates.

Read more about Mitchell's report (and his Red Sox connections) here.

Ain't Gonna Happen

Nice job of Photoshopping, but this ain't gonna happen. If the Yanks want Santana they should wait till after 2008. Why give up half the farm for a guy who's gonna be a free agent after one season?

Image swiped from here.

It Keeps Getting Better

New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte comes onto the field after warming up before beating the Baltimore Orioles for his 200th career victory in New York in this Sept. 19, 2007 file photo. Pettitte declined his US$16 million option to return to the Yankees, still uncertain whether he wants to pitch next season, his agent, Randy Hendricks, said in an e-mail to the Associated Press on Monday, Nov. 5, 2007. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, file)

Sigh. It just keeps getting better. A-Rod brazenly opts out before the World Series is even over, Torre gets kicked to the curb and quickly resurfaces as the Dodgers' manager, now Andy "isn't sure" if he wants to play here anymore.

So let's see where we're at:

The outfield consists of a platoon in left field of two guys that get injured a lot and have bad arms. Centerfield is manned by a young guy with a good arm who is good for about 10 homers and often lets catchable balls drop because of miscommunication with the right fielder. The right fielder's power numbers have steadily dropped in the last 3 years and he went into a deep 3-month slump at the beginning of the season.

At first base we have an aging DH who's often injured and two light-hitting, but strong defensive fielders. At second we have a young guy who put up near-batting champion numbers the year before, but whose numbers fell off last year. He also has a tendency to zone out. Our shortstop hits for average with little power and he had a poor post season -- but didn't get ripped for it. At third we have nobody, and we need to replace 150 RBI and 50+ homers.

At DH we have a switch-hitting utility infielder who strikes out a lot and a powerhitting right-handed nearly 30-year-old rookie who also strikes out a lot.

Both of our catchers have filed for free agency. The backup catcher is very good defensively, but has no power. The primary catcher will probably re-sign, but his career year with the bat won't be repeated.

Our starting rotation will consist of a sinkerball pitcher who was great in the regular season but killed us with two losses in the postseason. Then there's an ornery finesse pitcher who doesn't get calls off the plate anymore and three rookies, who could be great or, more likely, a mixed bag over the course of the season.

Our closer has filed for free agency. He is good, but no longer lights out. Our setup man can't be trusted, and has a huge contract that prevents him from being moved. The other setup man filed for free agency and might not be back. We have no middle relief. There are two rookies that will likely be added to the pen who looked bad in their late season and post season appearances.

We have a manager with only one year of experience who was fired from his previous position for beefing with intrusive ownership. Most of the coaching staff has gone to LA with the former manager.

Well, it should be an interesting year.

Asshole!

What an asshole Rudy is.

A real Yankee fan who isn't running for office would NEVER root for the Red Sox. The Rockies will be lucky to win one game, but I'm still rooting for them.

Oh, for God's Sake!

A Boston Red Sox fan holds up a sign while the Red Sox play the Cleveland Indians in Game 6 of Major League Baseball's ALCS playoff series in Boston October 20 2007. (Adam Hunger/Reuters)

Come on, Cleveland!

Up 3-1, now you have to place a game 7 in Fenway!

Why does everyone look like Cy Young when they pitch against us (Fausto Carmona), but they roll over and play dead against the Red Sox?? Disgusting!

For God's sake, man up and beat the brains out of Daisuke tonight, PLEASE? I can't stand another peep out of "Red Sox Nation."

Joe Is Out! Rejects $5 Mil+ Deal

Lifelong New York Yankees fan Martin Silver encourages passersby to sign a petition to save Joe Torre's job as manager of the Yankees during a rally he sponsored near Times Square in New York, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007. Silver hopes to gather a million signatures to send to Tampa where the team's hierarchy has been meeting to decide whether Torre can keep the job he held for the past 12 seasons.

Shocker from Yahoo Sports! Joe is out as Yankee manager.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Joe Torre rejected a $5 million, one-year contract to return as manager of the New York Yankees on Thursday.

Torre, who had held the job since 1995, made an unannounced trip from New York to the team's spring training complex in Tampa, Fla., accompanied by general manager Brian Cashman and chief operating officer Lonn Trost. Yankees president Randy Levine said Torre turned down the offer during the meeting, which lasted about one hour.

"It is now time for the New York Yankees to move forward," Levine said.

Torre made $7.5 million this year, the final season of a $19.2 million, three-year contract. His new deal would have included substantial bonuses for each round of the playoffs the team reached.

"We felt we needed to go to a performance-based mode," Levine said. "We thought it was very fair. It clearly was at the top of the market, but we respect Joe's decision."

Read more...

What else could Joe do? That's a huge pay cut. If you were making $75 grand and you had won major awards for your company, then your pay was slashed to $50 grand, what would you do?

But who the hell is gonna run this team now? Mattingly can't do this. I would prefer Joe Giradi over him, but he's younger than some of the vets on the team. LaRussa is okay with me too, but people keep saying he's bad with the media. I don't care. If he could win a championship with that joke of a Cardinals team in '06, he can advance the '08 Yankees to the World Series.

Is Davey Johnson available? How come no one mentions him anymore?

One and Done

Doug Mientkiewicz of the New York Yankees kneels in the infield after failing to throw out Grady Sizemore of the Cleveland Indians during Game Four of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium. The Indians won 6-4 to take the series 3-1.(AFP/Getty Images/Jim McIsaac)

Do Or Die

New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens leaves the game in the third inning against the Cleveland Indians during Game 3 of an American League Division Series baseball game Sunday, Oct. 7, 2007 at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Wow, look at the faces in that picture of those mean-ass fans, tearing Roger a new one as he limped off the field last night. Was that necessary? Luckily, Phil Hughes came in and saved the Yanks' bacon, at least for one night.

Thank God we won that game. I didn't want us to get swept.

I can't believe that Cleveland is going with Paul Byrd! If it was me, I'd pitch Sabathia on short rest. I wouldn't be surprised if Byrd suddenly "pulls something" right before game time and they switch starters.

Chien-Ming Wang is capable of bouncing back and winning this game (he's 10-4 at home), but I'm concerned about the fact that Joba won't be available (30+ pitches last night). That means they may bring in Farnsworth, and I'll have to turn off the TV if they do.

Hey, Derek Jeter -- try not to hit into a freaking double play tonight, okay?

Rockies Continue to Roll

Colorado Rockies' Kazuo Matsui, right, is sprayed with champagne by pitcher Franklin Morales after the Rockies beat the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 3 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007 at Coors Field in Denver. The Rockies sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies advanced them to the National League Championship. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Unbelievable. The Rockies have lost like one game in the last two and a half weeks.

Although it's interesting to see new blood in the League Championship series, you gotta assume that the brass at TBS will be looking at some seriously poor ratings as the D-backs and Rockies, expansion teams from the 90's, fight it out to decide who represents the NL in the World Series. They had to have been praying for a Phillies/Cubs match up that would draw on large established fan bases.

As for this afternoon's Red Sox/Angels game, it would be nice if the Angels won one game, but I doubt it.

As for the Yankees, I don't care if we win or lose. I dreamt that we got blown out early and lost by the same score that the Mets lost by last week -- 8-1. If we win, I'll be ecstatic of course, but we don't deserve to win. Torre is incapable of thinking outside the box in the playoffs. It's not his nature. He did it last year when he stuck Sheffield and Matsui, both coming off of hand surgeries, in the postseason lineup and killed the chemistry established by Melky. He's done it again in this series by starting ailing Matsui at DH for two games when we have a healthy Shelly Duncan and a healthy Jason Giambi on the bench. Both of those players came off the bench and got hits and Matsui hasn't sniffed one yet.

I don't want to hear anything about A-Rod. He's not the problem. He's hitless, but so are Posada and Matsui. Jeter, Cano and Melky are all hitting under .200. The only one doing anything is Bobby Abreu! He may have saved his job here.

Lord Of The Flies

New York Yankee head trainer Gene Monahan rubs bug spray on New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain as small insects swarm around in the eighth inning of Game 2 of an American League Division Series baseball game against the Cleveland Indians Friday, Oct. 5, 2007, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

**SIGH**

We had this one won, I tell you. Andy didn't allow a run in 6.1 innings. We had Job for the 8th and Mariano for the 9th and we were going to head back to New York with a split. I felt good about our chances against Cleveland's third and fourth starters.

So what happens?

A swarm of insects descends on the Jake, a disconcerted Joba walks the leadoff batter in the 8th, the batter takes 2nd on a wild pitch, take 3rd on a bunt and scores the tying run on another wild pitch.

I knew the game was over then, even though it lasted another three innings before Vizcaino gave up the bases loaded hit.

Ironically, before the plague of locusts fell on Joba like a biblical curse, I was worried about Mariano in the 9th. I was worried that he might not be able to hold a 1-run lead and I was hoping that Joe would roll the dice and keep Joba in there. Naturally, Mariano pitched an effortless 1-2-3 9th. If Joba had held the lead, we would've won the game, 1-0.

I don't know what's wrong with this team. We don't play competitive post-season baseball. We can't manufacture runs. We're looking at getting swept now.

Please win games 3 and 4. PLEASE!

Oh, and game 5, too.

Dammit!

Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James holds up his New York Yankees hat during the fourth inning of Game 1 of an American League Division Series baseball game between the Yankees and Cleveland Indians Thursday, Oct. 4, 2007, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

I predicted that we were going to lose, but I didn't want to be right. And we got ROCKED, too, to the tune of 12-3. Chien-Ming Wang didn't have shit.

Please, please, please let Andy win tonight. I just don't want to get swept. Baby Orlando was giggling at me while I prayed.

At least Derek Jeter fan LeBron James had a good time.

Oh, BTW, I like how an inept YES Network cameraman ran over our 1st baseman Doug Mientkiewicz and possibly ruined him for the postseason! Probably a Red Sox plant!

The Unkindest Kaz of All

Colorado Rockies batter Kazuo Matsui hits a grand slam in the fourth inning in Game 2 of their MLB National League Division Series playoff baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Philadelphia, October 4, 2007. REUTERS/Tim Shaffer (UNITED STATES)

Don't look now, but little ole Kaz Matsui, who was run out of town by the Mets, has 5 RBI today against the Phillies, including a Grand Slam!!

Rockies are kicking the Phillies asses, 10-4 in the 7th.

Looks bad for the Phillies, though J-Roll and Ryan Howard both have homered in the game.

Good Pitching Beats Good Hitting... But Man, Is It BORING.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett wheels to look at a line drive single off the bat of Los Angeles Angels' Vladimir Guerrero in the ninth inning of Game 1 of an American League Division Series playoff baseball game against Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007 in Boston. Beckett pitched a complete-game 4-0 shutout. The Red Sox and Angels play Game 2 in Boston Friday night. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

God, what a boring-ass game that was. The Angels looked so overmatched, they look like they might get swept. I couldn't see the Phillies/Rockies game because it was on in the middle of the freaking day and the Cubs/D-Backs game was on in the middle of the freaking night.

Hey, that reminds me of that Jodeci song:

Every freaking day
And every freaking night...

Playoff Predictions

Okay, I'll keep it short and sweet:

Cubs vs. Diamondbacks -- D-backs in 5. Although the Cubs (and the whole NL Central) are weak, if the Cubs were to win the series it would be because the D-backs have a lot of rookies on their team. Though the Cubs as a team haven't been in the postseason in a few years, many of their players have (Soriano, Lilly, etc.)

Phillies vs. Rockies -- Tough one. It's unfortunate that the two most exciting NL playoff teams will meet in the first round. Phillies in 4.

Red Sox vs. Angels -- Red Sox in 4. The Angels are as bad against the Red Sox as the Yankees are against the Angels.

Yankees vs. Indians -- Yankees in 5, though I could see the Yankees losing this one. I have no confidence in Mussina pitching a game four, and I can only pray that Clemens can summon up whatever he has left to win game three. We will probably lose game one in Cleveland to Sabathia with our lefty-dominated lineup.

Mr. Met Goes Home

ROFL!

He Never Touched The Bag!

Colorado Rockies base runner Matt Holliday (R) slides safely into home to score the winning run past San Diego Padres catcher Michael Barrett (L) on a sacrifice fly by Jamey Carroll (not pictured) in the 13th inning of their MLB National League Wild Card tiebreaker baseball game in Denver, Colorado, October 1, 2007. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

Congratulations to the Colorado Rockies on winning the NL Wildcard!

But the winning run was BOGUS! Holliday never touched the bag!!

Whatever. They're an exciting team and I wanted them to win. The Padres only had to win two games in the last four days and they couldn't do it. So much for "the greatest reliever ever" Trevor Hoffman. Seven blown saves this year. SEVEN!

Not So Amazing

Philadelphia Phillies' Jimmy Rollins points skyward after hitting a triple in the first inning of a baseball game with the Washington Nationals, Sunday, Sept. 30, 2007, in Philadelphia. The Phillies won 6-1 taking the Eastern Division Championship.(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

Well, the greatest collapse in regular season history now belongs to the Mets. The game was over in the top of the first, as Glavine only recorded one out and gave up a whopping 7 earned runs. If not for a wild pitch by Dontrelle Willis, the Mets would've been shut out.

There will be some riveting radio tonight (and for months to come, I expect) about what went wrong with the Mets, whose fault this is and what should be done for next year. There'll be a lot of talk about firing Willie Randolph. This collapse isn't his fault. If you have a bullpen that can't hold a 5-run lead, what are you supposed to do? Every single pitcher in that pen went south in September. No one could be trusted.

If you have starting pitchers and position players in their 40's, how much can you expect from them? This is not unlike what the Yankees went through, but they had young arms in the minors that were able to rescue the club. This looks more like a GM issue, but even there it's not clear how much Omar Minaya could do, especially mid-season when it was clear that they needed pitching help, but so did every other team.

As for the one-game tie-breaker tomorrow for the NL Wildcard, I'm picking the Rockies. They are tough at Coors Field (they swept both the Mets and Yankees there in June/July) and they're a better offensive team than the Padres.

Man Up!

Florida Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez (L), New York Mets Jose Reyes (2nd L), third base coach Sandy Alomar, Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera, Dan Uggla (2nd R) and Miguel Olivo (R) scuffle on the field in the fifth inning of their MLB National League baseball game at Shea Stadium in New York September 29, 2007. (Jeff Zelevansky/Reuters)

It took a near no-hitter to do it, (and two brawls) but the Mets managed to live another day as they blanked the Marlins and the Phillies fell to the pesky Nats.

I smell a tie-breaker on Monday. I hope it goes down to that. Hell, I'm hoping for a four-way tie so there's a double elimination scenario -- Met vs. Phillies and Rockies vs. Padres on Monday with the loser of Mets/Philles playing the winner of Roclies/Padres on Tuesday.

I'd like the Phillies to take the East and the Mets to win the Wildcard to set up a HUGE seven game NLCS if they both get past the first round.

BTW, seemingly forgotten in the Mets 13-0 blowout of the Marlins was the fact that in the 3rd inning before Milledge's second homer, Jose Reyes stood at the plate and watched a pop up, failed to run to first, and was called out. With their fucking season on the line! What's in his head? It was only the third inning and the Marlins have already showed in the last ten days that they're perfectly capable of putting a ten-spot on the board.

Unbelievable!

Have we settled the "who's the best shortstop in New York" question yet? Jeter would pull that shit. Hell, what about who's the best shortstop in the NL question, for that matter? Jimmy Rollins wouldn't have done that. They booed Reyes' ass the next time up, and rightly so. In the instant poll the broadcasters set up, 80% of the viewers said Randolph should've benched him. That wasn't going to happen, of course.

Meet The Mess

New York Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca hangs his head in the dugout after after the Mets lost 3-0 to the St. Louis Cardinals in a baseball game, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007, at Shea Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Ed Betz)

The Mets (87-72) were ahead by seven games with 17 remaining but have lost 10 of 14 overall and seven straight at home. No major league team has failed to finish first after having at least a seven-game lead with 17 to play.

Whoa! Shit is hitting the fan in Queens.

I can't believe this team is underachieving like this. Actually, the Mets are not unlike the Yankees, but unfortunately for them, they've chosen to bite the big one at the end of the season, not at the beginning.

Metstradamus, who writes a very entertaining Mets blog has been chronicling the agony:

Hope? Not for me. We're done. I'll pray I'm proven wrong. It will be futile. Any team that lets a first inning error by their second baseman, and a journeyman pitcher who was picked up off the scrap heap by a team that's out of the money dictate their night is exhibiting the classic signs of a team that is playing nervous, scared, whatever you want to call it. I'll go so far to say that if you used the C-word in this instance, you wouldn't be wrong. And any fan base that sings the "Jose Jose Jose" like it was a funeral march knows exactly what's going on.

Read more...

Unlike him, I think they'll be fine. It'll probably come down to a one-game tie-breaker on Monday, but they'll be fine.

On another note, I have to say I'm very impressed with the Phillies. Such heart! And the Rockies have won 11 in a row. How. HOW??

Sweet

New York Yankees' Joba Chamberlain, right, and Alex Rodriguez celebrate after the team clinched a playoff berth with a 12-4 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays during a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007 in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

What a crazy season! I freely admit that I did not think I'd be posting the above picture when we were 14.5 games out on May 29. That's about the time that I stopped doing my podcast. However, I should know by now that you can never count out the "evil empire."

This picture, however, is pushing it:

Link swiped from Can't Stop the Bleeding.

Funny Clemens Commercial

Fall 2007 TV Season

OMG, I can hardly find time to post on this blog any more! :(

Anyway, the new Fall TV season is here, and there are a few shows to catch up on. I spent the weekend watching most of season 3 of Battlestar Galactica. I have about four episodes left.

Man, did that season suck. I stopped watching in November and I didn't miss much. More on that later.

I see that they're remaking the Bionic Woman. I have a bad feeling about that show (that it will be sleazy), but I will watch the pilot.

As for Heroes, I hated the season finale, but I will continue watching just to see if it gets better.

There's a new vampire show, I think on CBS. How can that NOT be terrible?

Looks like a wasteland for fantasy and sci-fi TV this season...

The Machine is Us/ing Us

R.I.P. Scooter

Phil "The Scooter" Rizzuto passed away on August 14, 2007 at the age of 89. He was such a funny, upbeat guy. He made all of those awful Yankees teams of the 80's seem like they were going to win something when I was watching. He was an incredibly humble person, considering he had seven championships and an MVP award under his belt.

The current crop of broadcasters are all about the stats and it’s funny how people who never had the talent to actually play the came come off as so critical. Scooter, on the other hand always had an entertaining anecdote, and he was doing shout-outs before that term existed.

He will be missed.

You know technology is part of your life because...

You know technology is part of your life because:

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.

2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.

3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.

4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.

5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.

7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.

8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.

10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )

12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.

13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.

14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.

15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.

Who's Your Daddy?

Amazon is doing something cute for Father's Day. If you're unsure what to buy for your dad, compare him to one of these famous dads and vote for your favorite:

I like the write-up for Darth Vader:

People who think of Darth Vader as a father figure often have mixed feelings about their own fathers. You admire strong disciplinarians, yet you tend to rebel against authority. When growing up, you were probably distant from your own imperious father, perhaps cultivating a closer relationship with an aunt or uncle. You still may feel as if you've never really known your father, suspecting that he may be keeping important family secrets from you. This mystery that has always surrounded him leads you to second-guess his motives--you may wonder whether he's trying to steer you down the wrong path.

The suggested gifts are cute too. The Art of Parenting Twins and Woolite Dark Laundry Wash are among the suggestions.

Oh, and there's a hoax item too -- a land cruiser tank you can buy for a mere $19,999.95.

On The Lot

Wow, how could a reality show with such good backing suck so badly?

I really had high hopes for On The Lot. The premise of the Fox show is that 18 undiscovered directors will compete for a $1 million movie deal with Dreamworks pictures. The show is produced by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett. The judges are Gary Marshall, Carrie Fisher and a random director of the week.

But it’s bad!

There have been about four episodes so far and they’re down to the final 15 people. Over 12 thousand people supposedly submitted films, but I’m not very impressed by the quality of films that we’re being shown. I’m certain that 18 students from NYU or UCLA would put together better films. I also think 18 kids could be found on YouTube with films with more raw originality.

I’m disturbed at the weak subject matter. Between last week’s shorts and this week’s, we’ve seen a film about vomiting, two films about farting, one about giving birth (while refusing to get off a cell phone) and one about peeing and they were all boring and stupid. And it’s not adolescent boys making these films! Three of the films I mentioned were made by adult females.

I’m wondering what the problem is. Was there something wrong with the selection process? Did they choose photogenic people over creative people? Did they pick people who had worked in the industry before over truly raw talent?

I think Zach is the likely winner, since he has the edge with editing and post production special effects, but I wonder if the show will be canceled before it gets that far?

"Web site" baffles Internet terrorism trial judge

From Reuters:

LONDON (Reuters) - A British judge admitted on Wednesday he was struggling to cope with basic terms like "Web site" in the trial of three men accused of inciting terrorism via the Internet.

Judge Peter Openshaw broke into the questioning of a witness about a Web forum used by alleged Islamist radicals.

"The trouble is I don't understand the language. I don't really understand what a Web site is," he told a London court during the trial of three men charged under anti-terrorism laws.

Prosecutor Mark Ellison briefly set aside his questioning to explain the terms "Web site" and "forum." An exchange followed in which the 59-year-old judge acknowledged: "I haven't quite grasped the concepts."

Violent Islamist material posted on the Internet, including beheadings of Western hostages, is central to the case.

Concluding Wednesday's session and looking ahead to testimony Thursday by a computer expert, the judge told Ellison: "Will you ask him to keep it simple, we've got to start from basics."

Oh my God! How is this man qualified to judge this case?? Why doesn't he do the right thing and excuse himself from this trial?

Read more...

Militant 'Mickey Mouse' pulled off air

From Yahoo News:

RAMALLAH, West Bank - Hamas militants have suspended a TV program that featured a Mickey Mouse lookalike urging Palestinian children to fight Israel and work for global Islamic domination, the Palestinian information minister said Wednesday.

nformation Minister Mustafa Barghouti said the character — a giant black-and-white rodent with a high-pitched voice — represented a "mistaken approach" to the Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation.

He said that the program was pulled from Hamas-affiliated Al Aqsa TV at his ministry's request and "placed under review."

The character, named "Farfour," or "butterfly," but unmistakably a copy of the Disney character, preached against the U.S. and Israel each Friday on the show called "Tomorrow's Pioneers."

Nuts!

Read more...

Diego "Chico" Corrales Dies in Motorcycle Accident

From Excite.com:

LAS VEGAS (AP) -Diego Corrales, who won titles in two weight classes and was involved in one of the most exciting fights in recent years, died in a motorcycle accident a few miles from the Las Vegas Strip. He was 29.

His promoter, Gary Shaw, said Corrales was driving his motorcycle at a high rate of speed when he ran into the back of a car Monday night. Shaw said Corrales, whose career had faltered the past two years, recently bought a racing motorcycle and apparently was riding it the time he was killed.

"He fought recklessly and he lived recklessly," Shaw said. "That was his style."

Las Vegas police spokesman Jose Montoya said the victim in the accident was wearing a helmet, and police were investigating if drugs or alcohol was involved.

Corrales, who fought most of his career at 130 pounds, was a big puncher best known for getting up after two 10th-round knockdowns to stop Jose Luis Castillo on May 7, 2005, in what the Boxing Writers Association of America and numerous boxing publications called the fight of the year.

Wow, I remember this guy. He was pretty good, up until he lost his first fight to Floyd Mayweather. That was a very memorable fight. Corrales looked like a favorite coming into that fight. He was taller, had a reach advantage and just looked bigger. But Mayweather kicked his ass to the point that Corrales' stepfather, who was working his corner literally threw in the towel to stop the ass-whipping. Corrales burst into tears and cursed at him, but his stepfather shook his head, hugged him and said he didn't want him to get hurt. I've never forgotten that fight.

Read more...

He's Baaaaaack!

Newly signed New York Yankees starting pitcher Roger Clemens speaks at a news conference at Yankee Stadium in New York May 6, 2007. The New York Yankees have signed seven-times Cy Young Award winner Clemens to a minor-league contract, the American League club announced on Sunday. (Jeff Zelevansky/Reuters)

Golden Fraud

I'm so glad I didn't pay to see this fight!

They almost had me. On Saturday I watched a marathon of the reality TV series / pay-per-view promo De La Hoya / Mayweather 24/7, and, hey, it was pretty damn good. I think we can be sure of seeing similar promo "documentaries" whenever another fight comes up that needs the ducats.

The one thing that bothered me is that Mayweather agreed to make himself look bad to promote the fight. The whole series made Oscar look like a saint.

Uh, he has three out of wedlock kids and he had to pay off a girl who accused him of raping her at his condo when she was 15. Big family man.

His carefully crafted image makes me sick, which is why I'm always happy when his ass gets beat. He has a tendency to lose the high-profile fights, too. Trinidad, Hopkins, Moseley. And now Mayweather.

I hope none of you bet on this one...

(Almost) Perfect

New York Yankees’ Chien-Ming Wang delivers against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning in Major League Baseball action Saturday, May 5, 2007 at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Chien-Ming Wang!

Man, he threw down. Remember back in the day when Andy was the stopper and had this incredible winning percentage after a Yankees loss? We’ll that’s Chien-Ming Wang’s role now. Not only was he pitching a shutout, only was he throwing a no-hitter, he had a perfect game going with 5 outs to go!

Again, like with Hughes, it was not to be. At least he didn’t get hurt, except for his feelings, perhaps. The perfect game, no-hitter and shutout were broken up with one swing of the bat by Ben Broussard. It was a hell of a game, nonetheless.

Is a healthy Chien-Ming Wang, a healthy Mussina and a healthy Pettitte enough to win a World Series? My mind says no, but…

Oh, yeah, the final score was 8-1.

From the people who brought you NaNoWriMo...

From the people who brought you NaNoWriMo, comes Script Frenzy:

Script Frenzy is an international writing event in which participants attempt the creatively daring feat of writing an original, full-length screenplay—or stage play—in a single month. Spurred by a wild deadline and buoyed by a community of countless other writers, Script Frenzy participants can't be bothered with self-doubt—or editing. They're too busy writing by the seat of their pants, typing out beautiful, flawed stories that no one else could have dreamt up.

As part of a donation-funded nonprofit, Script Frenzy charges no fee to participate; there are also no valuable prizes awarded or "best" scripts singled out. Every writer who completes the goal of 20,000 words is victorious and awe-inspiring and will get a Script Frenzy Winner's Certificate and web icon proclaiming this fact. Even those who fall short of the word goal will be applauded for making a heroic attempt. Really, you have nothing to lose—except that nagging feeling that there's a script inside you that may never get out.

The 5 Basic Rules of Script Frenzy

1. To be crowned an official Script Frenzy winner, you must write a script of at least 20,000 words and verify this word count on ScriptFrenzy.org.
2. You may write individually or in teams of two. Writer teams will have a 20,000 total word goal for their single co-written script.
3. Script writing may begin no earlier than 12:00:01 AM on June 1 and must cease no later than 11:59:59 PM on June 30, local time.
4. You may write either a screenplay or a stage play.
5. You must, at some point, have ridiculous amounts of fun.

Are you tempted?

Read more...

Number 13

There was an interesting rundown of A-Rod's April stats on ESPN on Sunday. It's still hard to warm up to this guy after he's let the team down in the post season every year, however, these numbers were impressive:

1 Grand Slam
2 Walk-off home runs
3 Multi-home run games
4 [His spot in the order]
5 Home runs when the Yankees were trailing
6 Go-ahead home runs
7 Home runs at home (and 7 on the road)
8 Two-run home runs
9 Home runs with 2 outs
10 Home runs to left field
11 Home runs with runners on
12 Home runs vs. right-handed pitchers
13 [His number]
14 Home runs in April, tying Albert Pujols' record set in 2006.


Hey, Alex -- **PLEASE** repeat this performance in October, okay?

Phil Hughes is Throwing a No-Hitter

Can it happen?? Hughes is no-hitting the Rangers through 5 and two thirds innings.

UPDATE 1: No hitter through six!

UPDATE 2: Noooooo! Hughes has been pulled after one out in the seventh. He pulled his hamstring pitching to Mark Texiera!! Shit! What more can happen to this staff?

I knew it...

I had a hunch that the person in Sylar's painting from last week was really Sylar, not Nathan. It was too demonic a depiction. Nathan has some sleazy ways, but he tends more towards weak morals than outright evil.

BTW, Mohinder really is a brick, isn't he? He was working for Sylar who was masquerading as Nathan for five years and didn't catch on?

I wasn't too impressed with last night's episode of Heroes. I could do without the blatant rip-offs of all too familiar X-Men plots. Hopefully we'll get back on track next week.

Sumo Babies

Sumo baby : University student sumo wrestlers attempt to make babies cry during the "Baby-cry Sumo," an annual contest which is supposed to bring good health, at Tokyo's Sensoji temple in Tokyo.(AFP/Toshifumi Kitamura)

Weird. Sounds kinda mean, too.

Last Night on "Heroes"

The seven-week hiatus was excruciating, but last night's episode was pretty meaty.

Hiro met up with his future self. Not sure where that's going.

Niki/Jessica continues to work for Linderman, despite the fact that D.L. threatens to take Micah from her.

Linderman wants Micah to do something for him. I bet he wants the kid to mess with electronic voting machines and swing the election to Nathan.

Peter manages to survive his second encounter with Sylar, but only because he has Claire's super healing ability. Mohinder takes Peter's "body" back to his family and Claire pulls a huge shard of glass out of his brain, which revives him.

Nathan listens to Linderman's spiel about saving the world and buys into his plan. The plan is evidently to rig the election, let most of New York get blown up by an exploding Peter, and then position Nathan as some savior that's going to "lead people out of darkness."

Claire gets to know her granny, who is a really calculating old woman. Granny Petrelli showed no emotion when Mohinder showed up with Peter's body. She actually suggested to Nathan that they hide Peter's body until after the election. Is she really that cold, or did she know that Peter wasn't dead?

Mohinder. Dude, what is your problem?? He underestimated Sylar, then he got jacked up and stuck on the ceiling. But then Peter shows up and Mohinder manages to knock Sylar out... and he leaves Sylar alive and escapes with Peter's body!! Is he insane or what? At the very least if he was unable to kill him for personal moral reasons he should've, I dunno, broken both his legs, tied him up, put the IV back in him... SOMETHING! Jeez!

Matt. Matt is the butt monkey of the show. Luckily, Mr. Benett told him exactly what to do to escape from Primatech. Now we have the unlikely trio of Matt, Mr. Benett and Ted, the radioactive guy.

Last but not least, Isaac. I couldn't believe Isaac gave himself up like that and literally laid back and let Sylar cut his head open in a pseudo crucifixion scene. That pissed me off. I have to assume that something about having Isaac's power will have a negative impact on Sylar, but I hated that. He went out soft.

I guessing the comic book pages and sketchbook Isaac gave to the Asian guy moments before Sylar showed up has some clues the remaining heroes will use to kill Sylar.

Questions: Where's Mrs. Bennet? Where's Mr. Muggles? What happened to the Haitian?

Alec Baldwin Gets Nasty with Daughter

Whoa! TMZ.com broke an ugly tirade from Alec Baldwin directed at his 11-year-old daughter. He's going through a seriously nasty divorce from Kim Bassinger and it looks like he's taking it out on his daughter.

From TMZ:

An enraged Alec Baldwin unleashed a volcanic tirade of threats and insults on his 11-year-old daughter, Ireland, calling her a "thoughtless little pig," and bashing her mother Kim Basinger -- and TMZ has obtained the whole thing unfiltered and raw. And we've learned, a family law judge was so alarmed after hearing the tape, she has temporarily barred Baldwin from having any contact with his child.

After Ireland failed to answer her father's scheduled phone call from New York on April 11, Alec went berserk on her voice mail, saying "Once again, I have made an ass of myself trying to get to a phone," adding, "you have insulted me for the last time."

Switching his train of thought, Baldwin then exercised his incredible parenting skills and took a shot at his ex-wife, declaring, "I don't give a damn that you're 12-years-old or 11-years-old, or a child, or that your mother is a thoughtless pain in the ass who doesn't care about what you do." The irate Baldwin went on to say, "You've made me feel like s**t" and threatened to "straighten your ass out."

"This crap you pull on me with this goddamn phone situation that you would never dream of doing to your mother," screamed Baldwin, "and you do it to me constantly over and over again."

Before hanging up, Baldwin warned the child, "You better be ready Friday the 20th to meet with me."

Listen to the mp3.

Nasty! I feel threatened, and he ain't talking to me.

Read more...

The Walk-off: Part Deux

New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez, right, celebrates with teammates and coaches after hitting a two-out, walk-off, three-run home run in the Yankees 8-6 win over the Cleveland Indians in their baseball game at Yankee Stadium in New York, Thursday, April 19, 2007. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Who Was Seung-Hui Cho?

Today the tragic and senseless Virginia Tech massacre got even stranger. NBC news in New York received a package sent to them by the shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, after the dorm shooting but before the engineering building shootings.

From the L.A. Times:

Shortly before Seung-hui Cho gunned down 30 people in Norris Hall, the Virginia Tech senior apparently mailed a large package to NBC News containing rambling messages about his anger at the wealthy and alluding to the slaughter that was about to take place.

"You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option," Cho said in one of the QuickTime videos included in the package, in which he compared himself to Jesus and the two shooters at Columbine High School.

NBC received the package today and broadcast excerpts of the videos this evening on "NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams."

The package also contained more than two dozen photos of the Cho, including 11 of him aggressively thrusting pistols at the camera. Cho, 23, did not explain his exact motives for the killings, but expressed rage and resentment in an 1,800-word, profanity-laced diatribe that Williams described as a "multimedia manifesto."

This guy was totally in his own world. I'm still waiting to hear something from his family, or someone who actually grew up with him. There must've been somebody.

I also find it interesting that race hasn't been raised in this case except for NBC's Clint Van Zandt, who hinted (with no evidence) on MSNBC on Monday that Cho's shooting spree may have been an "honor killing" of some kind because he may have been spurned by a woman and "needed to save face." If an alienated black student had shot 32 people, I have no doubt that the massacre would've been painted as a bias incident, and not a mental health incident.

While we're on the mental health issue, I like how in Virginia when one fills out an application for a gun permit, they ask you if you've ever been diagnosed with a mental disorder and they take your word for it when you say no. That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard of.

Read more...

Minnesota's Muslim cab drivers face crackdown

From Reuters:

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Muslim cab drivers at Minnesota's biggest airport will face new penalties including a two-year revocation of their taxi permits if they refuse to give rides to travelers carrying liquor or accompanied by dogs, the board overseeing operations ruled Monday.

Gosh, no one in New York has ever denied me a ride when I'm trashed and I have my pooch with me. These Minnesotans are so unreasonable.

Read more...

32 Killed in Massacre at Virginia Tech

The Waco Siege ended in April. The Oklahoma City bombing happened in April. Columbine happened in April. Now this.

What is it about April? Specifically the third week of April?

In honor of Jackie Robinson Day...

In honor of Jackie Robinson Day, Mariano Rivera, the last man allowed to wear number 42 as his official number, blows his first save of the year.

**SIGH**

Yankees lose a heartbreaker to Oakland, victim of a walk-off home run with two outs, two strikes on the batter in the bottom of the ninth. The flipside of what A-Rod did to the Orioles last Saturday.

**SIGH**

Unexpected Imus Fallout, Part II: WFAN in Deep Doo Doo

As mentioned in my Thursday post, Imus accounted for a whopping 25% of the revenue for radio station WFAN. In the wake of his firing by parent company CBS, it's an understatement to say that the station is in deep doo doo as they scramble to replace his spot. In the meantime, Mike & The Mad Dog are going to be on twice a day, for a total of something like 8 hours. How can they possibly keep that up?

From the New York Times:

Yesterday there was clearly no succession plan in place for Mr. Imus, but for the next two weeks, Mike Francesa and Christopher Russo, who are the co-hosts of the afternoon “Mike and Mad Dog” show on WFAN, will fill in, working from 6 to 10 a.m., tweaking their two-man act to have a slightly more national flavor. After the midday hosts, Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts, expand their show to 2 p.m., Mr. Francesa and Mr. Russo will return to the air for the afternoon drive shift, from 2 to 6, which will be cut temporarily from their usual 1 to 6:30 p.m. slot.

Mr. Russo also said the program would be heard on all the stations that received “Imus in the Morning,” except those in Boston and Washington. A Westwood spokeswoman said she could not verify that.

Mike Barnicle, a frequent guest of Mr. Imus and the host of a talk show in Boston, was considered as an interim replacement, “but it didn’t work out,” said Karen Mateo, a spokeswoman for CBS Radio.

Mr. Francesa and Mr. Russo were first teamed at WFAN in 1989, two years after it pioneered the sports-radio format. Mr. Imus was never a sports aficionado, but sports were frequently discussed on his program.

He often tapped Mr. Francesa and Mr. Russo — whom he dubbed “Fatso and Fruit Loops” — for their sports knowledge. Ultimately, it was Mr. Imus’s toxic mix of sports and a racist comment that led to his stunningly abrupt fall.

“This place is reeling,” Mr. Russo said by telephone yesterday during a break in their program. Mr. Francesa, also during a break for commercials, added: “He was the rock upon which WFAN’s success and ‘Mike and the Mad Dog’s’ success were built. No ifs, ands or buts.”

Trouble. This is my favorite station. I'd hate to see the whole station go down because of one guy.

Read more...

Unexpected Imus Fallout, Part I: NJ Gov. Corzine Critically Injured

Unbelievable! New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine was critically injured on the way to the Rutgers summit between Imus and the girls’ basketball team.

From the New York Times:

Months of painful rehabilitation could well limit Mr. Corzine’s physical and political stamina for tackling such an array of problems that would challenge the healthiest and most established of political figures.

The crash occurred about 6:15 p.m. Thursday in the northbound lanes of the Garden State Parkway, about five miles north of the Atlantic City Expressway. The governor’s Chevrolet Suburban swerved to avoid a Dodge Ram truck that had, in turn, turned to avoid a red pickup that was described by the police as driving erratically.

The Suburban slid into the end of a guardrail, which “penetrated the vehicle, and struck both Rasinski and Governor Corzine,” according to a police report.

Mr. Corzine’s left thigh bone, or femur, was fractured, and it punched two holes through his skin. He lost about half of the blood in his body, requiring seven units during surgery Thursday night, and broke six ribs on each side, along with his sternum, collarbone and a lower vertebra.

Doctors provided few details about the extent of internal injuries, the arc of Thursday night’s treatment, or the prognosis for recovery. Mr. Corzine remained unable to speak because of the breathing tube.

Wow. He’s really messed up, to put it mildly. Very, very scary.

Read more...

Outta Here

Good riddance. Dropped by MSNBC yesterday, fired today by CBS.

From Bloomberg:

CBS Fires Imus, Joins MSNBC, After Racist Comments (Update3)

By Don Jeffrey

April 12 (Bloomberg) -- CBS Radio fired talk-show host Don Imus after his racially charged comments sparked protests from civil-rights leaders and advertisers.

CBS Radio said ``Imus in the Morning'' will be off the air permanently, making the decision a day after cable-television network MSNBC canceled its simulcast of the show.

``All of us have been deeply upset and revulsed by the statements that were made on our air,'' CBS Corp. Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves said today in an e-mailed statement. New York-based CBS owns CBS Radio.

Imus called the Rutgers University women's basketball team ``nappy-headed hos'' on April 4. CBS and MSNBC reversed an earlier decision to suspend the host for two weeks as calls for his firing grew louder and the show's largest advertisers, including General Motors Corp. and Sprint Nextel Corp., pulled their ads.

Imus's ability to attract high-profile political guests such as John McCain, John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman, drew listeners and made it the top-grossing show on CBS. He generated more than 25 percent of the revenue for CBS's WFAN radio station in New York, or about $12 million, according to Mark Fratrik, vice president of BIA Financial Network, a broadcast consulting firm in Chantilly, Virginia. The show was carried on more than 60 stations across the country.

Read more...

Preston Wilson says racial issues remain in baseball

I came across this tidbit a few weeks ago.

From STLtoday.com:

When it announced the first annual Civil Rights Game between the Cardinals and Cleveland Indians less than four months ago, Major League Baseball envisioned this weekend as a commemoration of the civil rights movement and baseball's role in enacting social change.

Cardinals outfielder Preston Wilson, meanwhile, notices that he is part of another change: the game's ever-diminishing minority of African-American players.

The veteran Wilson is the only African-American player on the Cardinals' projected opening day roster. He has witnessed the steady ebb of black athletes from the game for two decades.

"I think the perception is if there's a dark-skinned Latin guy out there, then he's black," Wilson said before Friday's game against the Memphis Redbirds. "A lot of people don't differentiate. But it's not the case. There are a lot of issues involved."

Uh, but Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, Vladimir Guerrero, Big Papi, etc. are black. Right? And I'm pretty certain that African-American kids aren't playing the game because they like other sports more, not because white people are keeping them off the diamond. Right?

Read more...

Primatech Paper Company - Heroes Fans

For the Heroes fans out there, I invite you to visit the very nondescript website of Primatech Paper Company.

Find the helix hidden in the logo on the 'About us' page.
Log in with :

id: bennet
pw: claire

Enjoy!

En Fuego!

Unbelievable. Look who came out the box hot – A-Rod, leading the league in homers and RBI and sharing Player of The Week honors with Vladimir Guerrero.

I especially loved Saturday’s game. Two outs in the 9th, three men manage to get on base, A-Rod’s down to his last strike, BOOM! Grand slam. Awesome. I screamed and scared poor Orlando.

Too bad it’s April. If only A- Rod could’ve done this against the Tigers in October. **SIGH**

From Yankees.com:

Alex Rodriguez felt so good after his walk-off grand slam on Saturday he thought he'd add to it, so the Yankees third baseman slugged a two-run homer in his next at-bat the following day.

"I'm having a good time," Rodriguez said Sunday.

The Orioles, however, were not enjoying Rodriguez's success. Their pitching staff was at the mercy of the 2003 and 2005 AL MVP as A-Rod was 5-for-11 against Baltimore (.455) with three homers and eight RBIs.

His performance earned him the distinction of receiving the season's first AL Player of the Week award, which he'll share with Angels right fielder Vladimir Guerrero.

Rodriguez, a 10-time All-Star, went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs on Opening Day against Tampa Bay, and drove in another run Tuesday. It was a refreshing change from the postseason struggles he endured at the end of the 2006 season, and Yankees manager Joe Torre credits part of it to a lack of hesitation in Rodriguez's swings.

Read more...

Happy Easter!

Don Imus: Racist

Just another in a long line of foul comments by this aging piece of filth.

I have a personal take on this situation. I'm forced to watch this guy every morning at work because we have a large screen TV forever tuned to MSNBC. I raised concerns about Imus's racial remarks to the head of Communications at the company I work for seven years ago because the company is a sponsor of the show and of the Imus Ranch. He blew me off. Maybe if sponsorship had been pulled then, these girls from Rutgers never would've be insulted.

So Wrong

From Reuters:

LONDON (Reuters) - A British dentist was found guilty Thursday of urinating in his surgery sink and using dental tools meant for patients to clean his fingernails and ears.

A medical tribunal said it was satisfied the evidence showed 51-year-old Alan Hutchinson, who "routinely" did not wear gloves or wash his hands, had risked the health of "himself, staff and patients" for more than 28 years.

A dental nurse who worked for Hutchinson for 16 years said she had caught him urinating in the sink more than once.

"He was tucking something into his trousers before zipping them up hastily. I walked over and I was behind him. He moved to the left and I could smell urine," the nurse told the tribunal.

A later hearing will decide if the dentist's unhygienic habits impaired his ability to treat patients, and if so, whether he should banned from practicing.

What does he have to do to be banned? That's not enough?? Eww!

Happy Birthday, Orlando!

Coyote makes sandwich run; stops at Chicago Quiznos

From USA Today:

CHICAGO (AP) — For one day, at least, the roadrunner was safe. It seems the coyote was hankering for another kind of fast food.

Employees and customers at a downtown Chicago Quiznos sandwich shop were stunned to see a coyote walk through the propped-open front door Tuesday afternoon and lie down in a cooler stocked with fruit juice and soda.

"It wasn't aggressive at all," restaurant manager Bina Patel told the Chicago Tribune. "It was just looking around."

Employees and customers calmly cleared out of the restaurant, though some took the time to finish their sandwiches and snap some cell-phone photos, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Animal control officers took the passive coyote away after about 40 minutes, after a curious crowd had gathered outside.

"This one definitely I will definitely remember forever. A coyote in downtown Chicago," Quiznos employee Rick Torres told WLS-TV.

LOL! The coyote was kinda cute. They released it to the wild about an hour ago. I remember about two years ago a coyote wandered into Central Park here in New York. It mysteriously died in custody. That happens a lot here. Not the coyote part.

Podcast Delay. Dammit!

**SIGH**

I'm off to a bad start already. I did some tests and I really need a larger hard drive to handle all of the sound files and the new programs I want to install to accommodate this podcast. An external drive doesn't cut it because there're only two USB ports on the laptop and I need those for the trackball and the preamp.

So, I'm going to have to drop off my laptop at Tekserve. I probably won't get it back in time to do my podcast on Sunday, but I'll see what I can do with my ancient G4 Titanium...

Baseball Season 2007: Predictions

I’m starting my baseball season podcast (hopefully) this Sunday, but I felt I needed to put out my predictions ahead of time.

American League

East: Yankees

Central: Tigers

West: Angels

Wild Card: White Sox

National League

East: Mets

Central: Cubs

West: Dodgers

Wild Card: Phillies

Division Series Matchups

American League

Yankees vs. White Sox

Angels vs. Tigers

National League

Mets vs. Dodgers

Cubs vs. Phillies

League Championship Series Matchups

American League

Yankees vs. Tigers

National League

Mets vs. Cubs

World Series

Yankees vs. Mets

World Champs

Yankees (What did you think I’d say??)

Surprise Team of 2007

Milwaukee Brewers. I think they’ll flirt with the Wild Card all year. I’m also pretty confident that Atlanta isn’t going to be a cellar dweller this year.