My4Albany

Quick Quiz: When is a No-Hitter NOT a No-Hitter?  Answer: Whenh the other team gets a hit.

And that's exactly what happened on Sunday in Pittsburgh during the Pirates-Brewers game. Bottom of the 5th...swininging bunt to the left of the mound off the bat of the Pirates' Andy LaRoche.. Milwaukee's C.C. Sabathia...who had held the Bucs hitless until that point...unable to field the ball...official scorer rules the play a "hit"...and that should be that.

But...because Sabathia didn't allow a hit the rest of the game...the Brewers want the official scorer's ruling to be overturned...and Sabathia awarded a No-Hitter. Ridiculous.

First of all...it was a borderline call. I've watched the play several times and it's 50/50 as to whether or not Sabathia would have been able to throw-out LaRoche. Secondly...and most importantly...you CAN'T overturn an official socrers call hours after a game is over...especially when it comes to something like a No-Hitter.

The Brewers should simply be happy that they got another win...that they're going to make the playoffs for the first time in forever...and that...in Sabathia...they made one of the best in-season picks-ups in baseball history.

But a gift, after the fact No-No? No....no.

Happy New Year!

For football nuts, a group of which I proudly claim membership, it's time to celebrate as a new NFL season is upon us. Let's be honest, don't you smile a little more, sleep a little better, walk a little taller now that the only sports season that really matters has arrived once again? Of course you do.

I'm not about to make many of you smile even wider with my fearless pigskin prognostications for the '08 season.

NFC Division Winners: Philadelphia, Minnesota, New Orleans, Seattle

NFC Wild Cards: Dallas, Green Bay

AFC Division Winners: New England, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, San Diego

AFC Wild Cards: Jacksonville, Cleveland

NFC Title Game: Philadelphia vs. Dallas

AFC Title Game: Pittsburgh vs. San Diego

Super Bowl  XVII Champions: Philadelphia Eagles   

The defending champion NY Giants will finish last in the NFC East (7-9). The NY Jets will finish 3rd in the AFC East (8-8) and the Buffalo Bills will shock the world by actually being in the playoff hunt until late...finishing 9-7...but miss out on a wild card spot.

Enjoy the season everybody! See you in Tampa in Feb. 

Every Friday I'll be handing out my NFL "Locks of the Law".

Let's get right to it...and get you off to a fast start this season:

Steelers -6 1/2  

Looking for a big season from Pittsburgh so there's no reason to think they shouldn't blast a medioce Texas team right out of the gate.

Raiders +3

They might not win many, but Week 1, prime time, against a Broncos team on the decline, is a great spot for an Oakland upset,

Patriots -16

Number too high. Brady hasn't played. Pats getting old. Sure, all of that is true. But we saw Thursday night how bad teams play on the road in season-openers. And the Chiefs are a bad team. You may have to sweat a bit but the Pats win by at least 17.

Bills +1

Seattle may win the NFC West (by default), but this is another franchise going in the wrong direction. The Bills will be pumped up as hope is always high in Western NY in Sept.

Lions -3

Normally don't like road favorites on opening weekend but Detroit has too much fire-power on offense for the Falcons and rookie QB Matt Ryan, who will make enough mistakes to allow the Lions to win and cover.

There are your 5 "Lock of the Law" for Week 1. No need to thank me yet. Wait until Tuesday.

So, apparently, Marsha Brady is the only member of the family that can be hurt in a football-related incident.

Folks, it was just a matter of time before the New England Patriots, as an organization, sufferred some adversity. Every other team in the NFL has to deal with injuries to key players, why not the Pats, who have lived a charmed life for the past half-dozen seasons.

What does the Brady inujury to the the Patriots? It kills them. Anyone who thinks that this team is going to roll along, wihtout missing a beat, and still contend for the Super Bowl is either a) as arrogant as Bill Bellichick (which I don't think is possible) OR b) as ignorant as Randy Moss, who called the hit on Brady "dirty", even though he didn't see it beacuse he was 40 yards down the field catching, and then  fumbling, Brady's final pass of the '08 season.

With New England now out of the picture in the AFC, and in light of embarrassing losses by the Colts, Jags, Chargers and Browns, who's the best team in the AFC today? The Steelers, hands down.

But Jets and Bills fans are also smiling on this day, because they now see the real possibility of, not only a wild card run late in the season, but a division title. Well, don't get too excited just yet, because the Patriots will likely still win 10 games...and if they're the right 10 games, that may be enough to win a weak AFC East.

As for the best division in the NFL, there should be no doubt. The Cowboys and Eagles both dominated their opponents on Sunday. And if you combine that with the Giants solid display on Thursday and it's clear the NFC East rules the roost.

We went 2-2 with our Sunday picks. We love the Raiders +3 tonight. Enjoy the MNF DH. Hopefully, someday soon, we'll get two games every Monday night.  

Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books. And I know it's dangerous to jump to conclusions this early in the season. However, here are a few things that we have learned that should stand the test of time (meaning they'll still be legit two months from now):

1) This season has the potential to be The Year of the Offensive Rookie in the NFL. Eagles WR/KR DeSean Jackson, Bears RB Matt Forte, Cowboys RB Felix Jones, Broncos WR Eddie Royal just four of the first-timers who has spectacular debuts. Sure, they'll all hit the wall at some point (as all rookies do). But there's so many of them to go around (including a few QB's as well) that thsi could go down as one of the best rookie classes of all-time.

2) While there are several very good teams there are more HORRIBLE teams. The Raiders, Rams, Redskins (maybe it's the "R") and Bengals all give-off a stench that will likely linger for the entire season. This should finally be the year that Marvin Lewis gets canned in Cincinnati (it's amazing he's lasted this long). But the first coach to go will probably be Lane Kiffen in Oakland. Al Davis hates him. He hates Davis. Kiffen and his defensive coordinator don't get along. It's a mess.

3) Officiating isn't getting any better. There were dozens of bad calls by crews in Week 1, and it's only going to get worse. But I have a solution. Since the league has put speakers in the players helmets, why not put one in the cap of each referee. That way an official in the press box can watch each play...determine the correct call...and then immediately tell his decision to the ref on the field. It would eliminate the need for instant replay (in most cases) and take any potential to screw-up a game away from the woefully inept officiating teams. 

Even before word came down from Columbus that Chris Wells was doubtful for Saturday's big "Ohio State-USC" clash...I was leaning heavily toward the Trojans. Now...with "Beanie" likely a "no-go"...this could ugly.

But before you start thinking 52-10...remember that the Buckeyes...especially under Jim Tressel...rarely get embarrased before Bowl season. Yes...talent-wise...this appears to be a mismatch. But I've got a feeling that Tressel will have his team ready..."Beanie or no Beanie."

This in no way, shape or form, means that Ohio State will win the game... becasue they won't. But you know this is the game that the Buckeyes have been focussing on for the past 8-months (and one of the reasons they looked so uninterested in their first two games of the season).

USC will win because they're the better team. But don't be silly enough to think of (or bet) this game as a blow-out.

Final: USC 30 Ohio State 23  

O.K. We got off to a slow start with a 2-3 week last week. Hey, if we went 5-0 I'd have to start charging for these picks so consider yourself lucky.

That being said, we expect better results this week, and so should you.

1) Chiefs - 3 1/2. I was shcoked how poorly the Raiders played Monday night. If that's as good as they could do...at home...with all of camp to get ready for the season...hwo are they going to go into K.C. and stay with a Chiefs team that is tough at home and played admirably last week @ NE.

2) Rams +8 1/2. This game has "Classic Giants Let-Down" written all over it. On the road...following emotional win...against a team that got whipped last week...everyone's thinking Eli and the Jints will roll. But remember my #1 rule in picking NFL games (or anything for that matter): "everyone" is never right. Manning should have had 4-picks against the 'Skins. He'll throw at least two here to make this game close. Giants should win but won't cover.

3) Patriots + 1 1/2. As much as I'd like to see Bill Beli-cheat finally "get his" (and that will come later in the season) it's won't be this Sunday at the Meadowlands. The Jets aren't ready yet to take this step. The Pats will rally around Matt Cassel and find a way to win this game. Did somebody say "late Favre pick?" Oh, yea, I did.

4) Steelers -6. Browns are a fraud. Bad coach. Overrated defense. Shakey QB play. If this were a 1:00 game I might stay away. But in Primetime the Steelers will be anxious to show the world that they are the best team in the AFC.

5) Cardinals - 6 1/2. Miami laid it on the line in Week 1, at home, against an arch rival, and still lost. Now they have to fly west and face a Cardinals team that will score at least 27 points. So that means the Dolphins have to put-up at least 21. I don't see it.

There they are...the FAB 5. Use them wisely. And remember: Bet with your head...not with MY $$$. 

Wow...there are some bad teams in the NFL. If you get spanked week 1 on the road...O.K....it happenes. But you better bounce back in your home opener the following week. If you don't...that immedicatley signals to me that your season is over. Sure, we all know the Giants started 0-2 last year and ended-up winning it all. Mark my words...none of this year's 0-2 teams...none of them......not the Vikings...Jags...Chargers...Seahawks...Browns...NONE OF THEM are winning the Super Bowl. In fact, there's a great chance that none of them will make the playoffs.

The Chargers deserve an astrisk next to their 0-2...since they lost because of a brutally bad call by the referee. I've been saying it for the past 15 years: NFL officiating is terrible. Too many old men...too often out of position...to work as judge and jury for this fast, physical game. That's why I've always been a huge replay guy. But, unfortunately, there are still incidents when replay isn't a remedy. And this was one of them. Shame on the NFL for allowing an officials bad call to decide a game.

As for Denver Coach Mike Shanahan going for two and the win...hey...he was playing with house money. You get a break like that from a referee you have to think it's your day and roll the dice. And if the conversion had failed he could have always said, "Hey, we should have lost the ball on the fumble anyway, so it was justice that the Chargers won the game."

He could have said that, but you know he wouldn't have.

As for the Carlos Zambrano no-hitter - can that really count, considering it took place against an Astros team that clearly wasn't mentally in that game? After getting "Iked" out of home games, you just know that the Houston players were "irked" that they had to leave town, and their stadium, for this big game. Baseball players are creatures of habit. This "adjustment" clearly didn't go over well with the Astros...and they were sitting ducks for Zambrano.

Yes, the Eagles DeSean Jackson made one of the biggest blunders in recent memory Monday night when he threw the football down before reaching the endzone on a long pass from Donovan McNabb. Fortunately for the rookie the blunder didn't cost his team any points and didn't cost them the game (McNabb found a way to do that late in the 4th quarter).

But the bigger blunder, brought to light again on that play, is that the NFL still refuses to have permanent cameras stationed at  the goal line during every play of every NFL game. The announcers remarked last night, while "replay" was looking at the play, that we wouldn't have a definative look as to whether or not Jackson crossed the goal line because the play happened so fast that there wasn't a camera in position.  Why not? This is nuts!

Scoring plays can happen from anywhere on the field at any time. We can't expect the camera guys to rush down the field, with the play, to get the shot down the line. And we certainly can't expect 60 year old Back Judges to be able to stay with WR's and DB's as they sprint down the field toward the end zone and then be in postion to make the correct call.

These things are so obvious it baffles me why a league that's supposed to be "the class of all professional sports leagues" is still so backwards when it comes to technology and simple common sense. What would it cost to have permanent camera stationed at every goal line? Peanuts. And yet they would solve do many problems. Maybe last night's gaff will finally get someone's attention to this simple solution.

I do know one thing for sure - Eagles Coach Andy Reid will certainly get DeSean Jackson's attention this week. I wouldn't expect another hot dog move like that from Jackson this season. Unfortunately the same thing can't be said for goal line issues this season. 

I've never been a big Ryder Cup guy. And it's for a lot of the same reason that I don;t get all caughtup in "Olympic Fever."

For me, sports are not about "country vs. country." That's what real life is about. Sports is about "athlete vs. athlete" and "team vs. team." When all the Nationalism and Patriotism starts creeping in...that's when I check out.

Unfortunately...hype has taken over the Ryder Cup. Last night I caught a little of the Red Carpet ceremony. Red Carpet Ceremony? Bobby Jones has to be turning over in his grave. Intead of waisting time with the limos and the paparazzi I would have much rather had seen Phil Mickelson out on the practice range hitting a bucket of balls. Or...on the putting green...because you just know that Phil is going to gag over a big putt at some point this weekend.

And what is it with the wives? When did they become an important part of this event? I sued to think the occassional camera shot of the wives section at the World Series was over doing it. But at the Ryder Cup...the wives are actually part of the team. Ridiculous! Ladies...if you have to be there at all...stay out of sight while the men are playing. Be in range for the obligatory post match kisses...but that's it.

Better yet...follow Tiger's lead and stay home.

Maybe a subtle change to the title of this Friday column will help change our luck.

After another so-so week it's time to break-out in a BIG WAY!

Cardinals +3 

Ariizona is the better team. Redskins can't get into a shoot-out with Warner and Co. And, you're getting 3 points. Easy pickins.

Bengals + 13 1/2 

If Cinci scores 17 (and they should) the Giants have to score 31 to beat me. I'll take that chance.

Patriots - 12 1/2

Patriots should score about 40. Moss alone will cover this number.

Vikings - 3 1/2

Change at QB pays immediate dividends for desperate Vikes. Panthers early-season luck runneth out.

TAKE IT TO THE BANK - CASH COW OF THE WEEK

Packers +3

Only reason Dallas is favored in irrational "Cowboys Hype". Dallas banged, bruised and emotionally spent after tough Monday nighter. Packers will be waiting to land knock-out punch. Take the three points, but you're not going to need them.

 Enjoy the games, everybody. I'm smelling a 5-0 week. At least that's what I hope I'm smelling.

Hey, is Yankees Stadium closed yet? I watched a lot of sports on TV over the past three days but couldn't find anything on the end of Yankee Stadium.

Was that the most coverage for a non-event in the history of sports? YES. I could see...maybe...if the team was disbanding, moving to Vancouver...or I some tragic series of events had forced the Steinbrenners of the city to close the facility. But...think about it...this was a voluntary decision by the owners of the team to close down this dump and replace it with a new, state-of-the-art stadium. And for one and only one reason: TO MAKE MORE MONEY!

So save all the hearts and flowers and tributes. The Yankees are moving all of one thousand feet into their new stadium,,,and everyone involved in this veture is getting rich beyond their wildest dreams. Except for you...as it's the fans who will be footing the bill for this new stadium. 

Meantime...across town...Shea Stadium closes it's door this week with no some much as a whimper. And talk about dumps. Shea was an antique three years after it was built. The Mets deciding that it's about time they got into the game and had themselves a new home. 

It's going to be weird see the loveable losers playing in a nice...new stadium. My guess is it won't matter. Some franchises just fit perfectly  with their surroundings...and the Mets...and Shea (in "Flushing" by the way)...especially as they spend another September circling the bowl.

Before we get to our NFL picks for the weekend...how about that USC - Oregon State game? Here's the thing: if history has taight us anything it's that there are no such things as "locks" in college football. Oh, you might think there are....but remember way back to last season...when top 5 teams (most of them #2's) were getting knocked-off on a weekly basis by unreaked opponents?

That made what  was hearing on sports-talk radio all week even more ridiculous. There were actually legitimate conversation going on about what will happen if USC, Oklahoma and Georgia all finish undefeated. Which two go to the National Championship game?

This in the final week of September! I tell you what...there's a great chance that none of the three will be undefeated...especially in light of USC's embarrassing performance Thursday night.

Folks, sit-back and enjoy this college season...instead of looking ahead to January. This is one of those classic cases of the journey being much more fun than the result.

Also...sit-back and enjoy these NFL selections for Week 4:

Jets +1 vs. Cardinals

Cardinals stayed East all week follwoing their loss to the Redskins. I don't like that strategy. I said before the season that the Jets would win 8-games. If that's going to happen they're going to have to get thos one.

Bengals - 3 1/2 vs. Browns

I'm sure I'll live to regret this...but Cinci actually showed signs of life last week against the Giants...while the Browns remain lifeless. I don't expect the threat of Brady Quinn waiting in the weeks will inspire the Cleveland receivers to actually hold-on to the football.  C. Palmer will throw at least 3 TD passes.

Saints - 4 1/2 vs. 49ers

This'll be a shoot-out...and the Saints have a few higher caliber bullets in their gun. N.O. can't afford to fall to 1-3...while the Niners belong @ .500. The number scares me a bit...but not enough to stay away.

Chiefs + 9 1/2 vs.. Broncos 

This is a rivalry game...which means, while you can't "throw-out the records", you do have to take emotion into consideration. K.C. isn't going to lose every game and they will be able to run the ball against the Broncos. And Arrowhead is one of the toughest places for visiting teams to win, even when the Chiefs are bad.

TAKE IT TO THE BANK - CASH COW PICK OF THE WEEK

Jaguars - 7 1/2 vs. Texans

Amidst all the talk of how bad the Browns, Chiefs, Rams and Lions are...the Texans have been given somewhat of a "pass." Trust me, folks, Houston reaks. Sunday they continue their Road-Kill Tour in Jacksonville...where they 1-2 Jags can't afford a stumble. This will be a break-out game for D. Garrard and the Jags offense. Easy pickins.

Enjoy the NFL and the final weekend of the MLB season. Prediction: The Phillies win the East, the Mets win the Wild Card. And the Al Central won't be decided until Monday. 

For the life on me I couldn't understand all the jubilation I saw coming from the Mets players and their fans Saturday in the latter stages of their win over the Marlins. All I kept thinking was - nice win,...but the problem is: Santana can't pitch again tomorrow.

There are no true "locks" in sports when it comes to trying to predict the outcome of games. And those who think there are are fools. That being said, anyone in their right mind had to know that the Mets were going to lose to the Marlins on Sunday. We'd seen that movie before. We know how it ends.

But, for those of us who aren't fans of the Metropolitians, it was still a lot of fun to watch. A $140 million dollar collection of talented baseball players who, collectively, are worth about $1.95. And yet, "Omar the Optimist", the team's oblivious GM, says no major changes are needed.

Please. This teams needs the most important procedure a sports team can have: a heart transplant. I keep hearing - "You can't break-up this great young nucleus of Reyes, Wright and Beltran." Really? How many big games have any of them won? Which one of them grabbed this team and carried it to the playoffs this year? How about last year? This is the time to ship one or two of them elsewhere, get equal talent, but some guys with more character and guts. These guys are pretty boys. And pretty boys are worthless when it's time to get down and dirty.

As for the ceremony to close Shea Stadium...it was laughable. If you ever wondered why the Mets are considered second-class citizens to the Yankees...and ALWAYS WILL BE considered second-class sitizens to the Yankees, you saw it demonstrated in spades on Sunday. And what makes the joke even funnier...is that the Mets and their fans don't get it.