Fire from the Hip: Thoughts on Sports & Real Life

Last Week: 7 – 7
Season: 35 - 27

For the first time since I was a senior in high school, the Indians will play October baseball. Often questioned whether I was a bigger Browns or Indian fan, I always replied that it depended on the year. During the mid-1990s when the Indians were so good, the Browns weren’t around. And the brown and orange have been so bad since their return that never have I encountered the predicament that I now face. With the Indians opening tonight against the Yankees and further energized by a couple of coffees, it’s a struggle to focus. Thirty minutes later….alright, so I just watched the Braylon Edwards 78-yard touchdown reception against the Ravens about a half dozens times, I am focused and ready to forge ahead with my picks for Week 5.

Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots – Patriots

I was talking to a friend of mine recently who is a huge Red Sox and Patriots fan. He said: “Boy, they made it look so easy. It didn’t even seem like that big of a deal…it was kind of anti-climactic.” He is talking about:

1. the Patriots domination over the Chargers in Week 2
2. the Patriots domination over the Bengals in Week 4
3. Game 1 of the Division Series between the Red Sox and Angels.
4. All of the Above.

Now imagine his surprise, when Derek Anderson (the D.A. who is prosecuting defenses across the land) shocks his Patriots in Foxboro. Only in my dreams I’m afraid.

Atlanta Falcons at Tennessee Titans – Titans

I know they haven’t played since Week 3 and so I haven’t had a chance to comment about it, but the Titans really took it to the Saints in the Superdome a few weeks back. The Falcons meanwhile surprised the Texans for their first win of the season. The offense looks much better in the last two weeks. However, I really like how the Titans are playing and they’ll be prepared with the extra week to stop Joey Harrington and the Falcons.

Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams – Cardinals

Quick thoughts about everybody who is belittling Matt Leinart, especially Peter King…

1. It’s rare that a player like Leinart will speak his mind to the media but he certainly won’t do that any more thanks to Michael Silver.
2. You want your QB to be confident and want the ball in his hands when the game is on the line.
3. I find it very bizarre that somebody as media-savvy as the young QB would make comments like that in a dinner with a columnist. He must have known those would come out. Big mistake.
4. I like Leinart and think he’s going to be a great player. Sharing his inner thoughts about the situation was a mistake. However, I found the article by Silver interesting and enlightening thanks in part to the former Heisman winner’s honesty.

Gus Frerotte is starting for the Rams! I had to double-check the spelling of his name. Your team was expected to compete for a division championship Coach Linehan and at 0-4, you’re nearly dead. Is Gus Frerotte a better option than Marc Bulger at 75%? The way this season is going; Frerotte pulls off a Warner-esque job replacing Bulger.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Kansas City Chiefs – Jaguars

Alright Jacksonville, you don’t like me and I don’t like you. I know you like to lose games that you’re supposed to win and lose games I have you winning but can’t we get along just this once? I like the Jaguars mostly because I was impressed by their performance two weeks ago in Denver. And quite frankly, I still don’t really understand how the Chiefs beat the Chargers last week. So I am just going to put that aside and remember what the Chiefs looked like the first three weeks of the season.

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints – Saints

Wow, was David Carr, and the entire Panther team for that matter, terrible last week or what? I was fooled into thinking this team could still win with or without Delhomme. Word on the street has Carolina’s starter missing this game. The possibility of Delhomme missing this game gives me enough confidence to take the winless Saints. Besides, I believe Sean Payton is going to roll out a new offense this week, now that Deuce McAllister is out for the year. Payton’s also had two weeks to come up with something better than the stuff that we saw in the first three weeks of the season, which wasn’t good.

New York Jets at New York Giants – Giants

I like the Giants for one reason: home-field advantage. No but seriously, I like the Giants because I think they’re more likely to win. Okay, that wasn’t serious either. To be honest, it’s a tossup game, of which few have gone in my favor. I’ll take the Giants based on their defense…and the Jets defense…which is poor.

Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers – Steelers

In the last several years, these are the kind of games people build up that end up a disappointment. Sure, the Seahawks look good but let’s be honest. The AFC’s top teams are head and shoulders above the NFC with the possible exception of the Cowboys. The Seahawks will have difficulty running the ball this week against the Steelers. Balance is the key to the NFC’s third best offense. The Steelers do an excellent job, stopping the run led by Nose Tackle Casey Hampton who is a rather large man. This game will be like Super Bowl XL: a boring, lackluster Steeler victory.

Detroit Lions at Washington Redskins – Redskins

The Lions happen to be 3-1 but they haven’t looked particularly inspiring with the exception of the fourth quarter in the Oakland, Minnesota, and Chicago games. With a bye week, I expect the Redskins to have a good game plan to defend Mike Martz’s high powered offense. The Redskins secondary is above average and the Lions haven’t shown they can consistently pick up yardage on the ground. I suspect the Redskins will pound the ball on offense with Ladell Betts and Clinton Portis and control the clock. Jason Campbell and the Redskins win a close one late.

Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans – Texans

Who would have ever thought the Dolphins defense could be so bad? It’s disappointing to watch. I thought they would bounce back at home last week against the Raiders but their defense was a joke. The front seven is getting blown off the ball and it certainly doesn’t help when Zach Thomas is hurt. The Dolphins are in trouble and it might soon be time to make a change at QB for no other reason than an audition for 2008. Coming off a disappointing loss against Atlanta, Houston needs this game.

Tampa Bay Bucs at Indianapolis Colts – Colts

Year in and year out, the Colts find a way to win. It’s pretty impressive. Although when you have one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, it sure makes things easier. Colts are banged up on both sides of the ball with key injuries to Bob Sanders and Joseph Addai. If Sanders doesn’t play, the Colts run defense becomes very porous. However, Manning will find a way to win this game, outscoring Jeff Garcia and the Bucs offense.

Let’s go back to greatest quarterbacks ever debate. How spoiled are NFL fans right now? We are watching three of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the game currently. Granted, Brett Favre is in the final stages of his Hall of Fame career. But when you look at Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, you’re looking at two QBs who are as good as they come. I think Brady will be compared to Joe Montana when he’s done. His focus and determination are unparalleled. With Manning, I think what’s most amazing about him is how much he studies and understands the game. His ability to identify defensive schemes at the line of scrimmage is the most amazing (and annoying) characteristic of his game.

San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos – Broncos

I don’t know what to think about either of these teams. The Broncos lost a hard-fought game last week after a lackluster effort against the Jaguars at home the week before. Meanwhile, the Chargers have looked just terrible in three straight losses. Everybody keeps talking about how talented the Chargers are but things just aren’t clicking right now. I don’t particularly like the Broncos as nothing hurts a team’s chances of winning more than settling for field goals in the red zone and that has defined this team’s season thus far. But they’re at home this week in a must win against a division rival. I expect them to win a hard-fought game on a late field-goal by Jason Elam. Sound familiar?

Baltimore Ravens at San Francisco 49ers – Ravens

I have been screaming at the top of my lungs that this Ravens team is just not that good. Their defense is stout as always but so susceptible to the big play. Last week, they were really never in the game against Cleveland. However, they have three winnable games lined up here through the end of October starting this week at San Francisco, then home against St. Louis, and then on the road in Buffalo. They’ll probably be 5-2, heading into their bye week at the end of October and the press will fawn all over their defense. Their offense just isn’t capable of putting up enough points. The team’s success is just too dependent on big plays from their defense and special teams.

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers – Packers

Well, I think the Bears may have hit rock bottom last week. The Bears were in control of a rather ugly game at Ford Field last week 13-3 headed into the fourth quarter. 34 Lions points later, the Bears defense had shown they were about as dependable as Rex Grossman. The question has become, “What now?” And I don’t there is an easy answer. Brian Griese clearly isn’t the answer at QB but you can’t really go back to Grossman now. It’s a perfect mess in Chicago right now. At least the Cubs are still playing…for now. They face arch-rival Green Bay who has had everything go right thus far in the young season. If Green Bay doesn’t turn the ball over, expect the Packers to win by a comfortable margin. Although I can’t help but feel like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop for a team that has no running game and whose offense is entirely dependent upon a soon-to-be 38 year old QB.

Dallas Cowboys at Buffalo Bills – Cowboys

This game could be similar to those Super Bowls back in the early 90s…except the Bills were actually good back then. To the Bills defense, they played very well against a very under-whelming Jets squad. This week, they play the best the NFC has to offer. I don’t think the Bills can hang with Tony Romo and the Cowboys, especially with the rookie QB Trent Edwards at the helm.

This week, we’re adding a new feature this week. It’s called the Scott Player Fact of the Week. This week’s fact:

Did you know that Scott Player made the Pro Bowl in 2000? Shocking…

Labels: Football, National Football League, NFL, nfl analysis, NFL predictions, NFL week 5

If the game between the Rockies and Padres are a sign of things to come, we could be in for one fantastic month of baseball. Before we get into some scenarios I foresee in the first round, I'll start with the Rockies game.

1. Does anyone else feel that Tim McClelland should be made to offer his side of the story of what sure looked like a terrible call last night when Matt Holliday attempted to score on Jamey Carroll's flyball to right field? His delayed call left me and I'm sure countless others feeling a bit hollow at the end of one of the most dramatic games in recent postseason memory. If that call had been made against New York or Boston, I can't help but think that public outrage and media attention would have forced a statement by McClelland.

1A. Where were all the cameras last night? It's the playoffs and we can't see a definitive angle on a close play at home and a disputed home run? A bad omen.

2. Red Sox/Angels - Vision 1. Boston jumps out to an early lead and feeds off the Fenway Faithful taking the first two games behind strong starting pitching and the bullpen that performs as they did back in May and June. Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia prove to be the bane of the Angel pitching staff by working counts and getting on base while Ramirez and Ortiz get the key hits.

3. Red Sox/Angels - Vision 2. Angels earn a split in Boston and head home where they managed the best home record in baseball. Angels play small ball and the Red Sox fail to execute in key situations similar to the 2005 Division Series against the White Sox.

4. Yankees/Indians - Vision1. Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu, and Jorge Posada continue to foul off pitches from Cleveland pitchers' Sabathia and Carmona. Each leaves after 5 plus innings, putting the strain on the Indians middle relievers. Yankees get key knocks and take care of the young Indians who struggle against Wang and Pettitte. 4A. Insert Yankee hitter here _________ hits game-winning home run in Games ____ and ___ off Indians closer Joe Borowski, breaking the hearts of Indians fans everywhere.

5. Yankees/Indians - Vision 2. Yankees and Indians split the first two games, the Indians behind a dominant pitching performance, the Yankees by way of clutch-hitting late. They split in New York in two heart-stopping one-run games. Game 5 sees Sabathia dominate and the Indians pull off a thrilling series win.

6. Phillies/Rockies - Vision 1. Phillies jump the emotionally-drained Rockies in front of a raucous home crowd and win the series in a slugfest. Neither team's starters produce a win as the Phillies patchwork pen finds a way to get it done against Colorado.

7. Phillies/Rockies - Vision 2. Colorado manages a split in Philadelphia and returns home to magical Coors Field. With a starting staff of unknowns, the Rockies hold the psychological edge against the Philly pitchers at home. The offense continues to produce with Troy Tulowitzski and Matt Holliday, propelling Colorado into the NLCS.

8. Diamondbacks/Cubs - Vision 1. Behind sterling starting pitching from Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly, the Cubs shock the Diamondbacks in the first two games. On offense, the Cubs take advantage of a few mistakes up in the zone against Brandon Webb and Doug Davis. Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez lead the Chicago offense. Arizona can't overcome some tough luck and even tougher losses.

9. Cubs/Diamondbacks - Vision 2. Brandon Webb sets the tone in Game 1 with a scintillating performance, shutting down the hit-or-miss Cubs offense. Arizona starters' Doug Davis and Livan Hernandez battle the Cubs starters to a draw in Games 2 & 3. The Diamondbacks bullpen holds the Cubs in check while the offense scratches out a couple of runs against Ryan Dempster and Chicago's pen. Diamondbacks win a tight series as Cubs fans experience heartbreak once again.

10. I have a heart-attack watching Joe Borowski pitch in the ninth inning of Game 1 against Alex Rodriguez with the bases loaded and the Indians clinging to a one run lead. Thus, I am unable to witness any of the events above. At any rate, as I said before, we should be in for a thrilling month of baseball.

Labels: AL Division Series, American league division series, American League Playoff Hunt, American League Playoffs, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, MLB Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, NL division series

As an Indian fan, I can attest to feelings of heart-break and adversity. One of the most painful memories for me was the stunning final week of the 2005 season when the Indians squandered their Wild Card lead and missed the playoffs, losing six of their final seven games. Now living in New York, I have watched with wonder as the Mets have stumbled through the past three weeks. Yesterday, they completed their collapse, losing 8-1 to the lowly Marlins. I am not writing to break down how it happened or who is to blame for such an epic downfall. No, I want to share my thoughts as a witness to two collapses, one as a die-hard fan, and the other as a rather impartial observer. For me, I don’t think there is anything worse than the helpless feeling of watching your team collapse.

Watching the Indians during 2005 was one of the most exciting experiences I’ve ever had as a Tribe fan. This was better than the dominant teams of the mid-90s. This was my team. I had watched Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore, and Coco Crisp, to name a few, become major-league talents during the trying seasons of 2003 and 2004. They hovered around .500 through the first half of the season and following a four game sweep at home to the division-leading White Sox following the All-Star break, a division championship appeared impossible. Suddenly, the team got hot, red hot, going 35-13 from August up till the final week of the season.

Up by 1 and a half games in the Wild Card on Sunday, the Indians hosted the Devil Rays and Chicago White Sox to end the season. With their main competitors, the Red Sox and Yankees facing off in the final weekend, the Indians were in excellent position to win the Wild Card. Suddenly against Seth McClung and a Devil Rays pitching staff that was the worst in the majors, the Indians suddenly stopped hitting. They went just 7-56 with runners in scoring position in those final seven games, losing six of seven games, five of which were by one run. I still remember Ronnie Belliard hitting into a double-play with the tying run at third in the first game against Tampa. I remember Ben Broussard striking out with the bases loaded and one out that Friday against the pale hosers.

Watching in horror while still clinging to hope, I tried every little foible that I’ve been doing since I was 10 years old in an effort to rally that team. It wasn’t to be. When the season finally ended with a 3-1 loss, I just sat there dumbfounded. If only there had been more games, they would have come out of that slump. It was the first time that I didn’t watch a single playoff game. I didn’t have any interest. When you miss the playoffs by a single game, you can’t help but sit there and wonder about games that slipped away or plays that weren’t made. The collapse of 2005 hurt me as much as losing game 7 of the World Series to the Marlins.

Fast forwarding ten years, I dragged myself out of bed Saturday morning and headed off to Shea Stadium to watch the Mets. Amazingly, no pun intended, New York had lost the night before to Florida, dropping one game behind the Phillies in the division. It was the first time since mid-May that they weren’t in first. As I took the 7 train out to the game, I looked and listened quietly to fans discussing the Mets chances. I was struck by how those comments echoed back to my feelings in ’05. “They just need to play the way they’re capable of playing.” Or “All we need to do is find our way in and we can make some noise.” After their win Saturday, the Mets had a chance. A win Sunday would have given them a playoff game against Philadelphia but it wasn’t to be.

Across New York, thousands of Mets fans are mourning a devastating end to a season that looked so promising. Ingrained in their minds will be Tom Glavine, walking off the mound Sunday after just 1/3 of an inning pitched having given up seven earned runs. Or the countless leads that slipped away in the final weeks. Rarely in baseball is their such a helpless feeling for fans than the one felt after a late-season collapse.

Labels: Cleveland Indians, late-season collapse, new York Mets