Detroit Tigers: Real or Footnote?

It's been a while, but let's see if I've still got this. I was happy to attend the Labor Day game at Progressive Field (Indians vs. Tigers), and thought for a while my Tribe was still in it. That was until Ubaldo Jimenez left a pitch over the plate that even I could crush for Victor Martinez. That's kind of like leaving a buffet in front of a fat man, it won't last long and boy are you going to be paying for that!

Then, when it looked like a comeback might be upon us, Doug Fister turns into freakin' Cy Young and Jhonny Peralta decides to grab his gold glove (we could have used that when you were in Cleveland, you putz). As I watched the remnants of the 2007 Tribe put the final dagger through the hearts of their 2011 counterpart, it occurred to me, these guys really peaked at the right time.

But the more I thought about it, and the more nachos I downed to ease the pain of another Indians season, I realized the Detroit Tigers will be nothing more than a footnote on the 2011 MLB Postseason. Whoever comes out of the AL Central will be staring down the barrel of either the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox. The Yankees seem to hit home runs at will, and even with Bartolo Colon & AJ Burnett in their rotation they still find a way to win. I would not want to go into Yankee Stadium and stare down CC Sabathia in Game 1. CC's at 19 wins already, and if it weren't for Justin Verlander he would be in the discussion for AL Cy Young. Ivan Nova is a solid, young pitcher who has handled the AL East well. I would not doubt his continued success in the postseason.

Boston is a little more questionable, but when you field a lineup that includes Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, & David Ortiz, you really don't have to worry about scoring runs. What you should worry about is how badly you're about lay the smackdown on the opposition (or their "candy asses" as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson would kindly remind us).

It's always been said hitting wins games, pitching wins championships. That's all well and good. But look at Detroit's rotation beyond Verlander. Impressed? Me neither. Doug Fister was a consolation prize when Detroit lost out on the big name pitchers at the trade deadline. Rick Porcello is a hot & cold pitcher; one minute unhittable, the next the Little League World Series Champions could tee off on him. Brad Penny can't seem to find what he had in 2006 & 2007 with the Dodgers- talent. I must admit I like Max Scherzer. I've liked him since he started his major league career in Arizona. But he has yet to prove he can handle the #2 spot in the rotation.

Bottom Line: Justin Verlander is an incredible pitcher, but he can't pitch every game. And that's the only way Detroit can stop New York or Boston.

(Editor's Note: This was kind of fun. Maybe I should do it again sometime?)

455 for 1

The Major League Baseball has come and gone, and with each minute that passes, I fear the worst for my beloved Cleveland Indians. They have dealt 1B Ryan Garko, RP Rafael Betancourt, and perhaps the two biggest blows to fan morale, reigning American League Cy Young winner Cliff Lee & the lone Indian to make the All-Star team C/1B Victor Martinez.

I've never been Cliff Lee's biggest fan. I once called him "the hack that anchors the Tribe." And that's the nicest thing I can print. I've watched Victor Martinez go through an awful slump earlier this season that culminated on Memorial Day. After going 0-5 in the game, the Indians rallied from down 10 runs down. And Victor came to the plate in the clutch situation in the bottom of the 9th. And he delivered! A big single up the gut to score the game-winning run. It is quite easily one of my favorite sports moments to have been a part of.

I still was not a V-Mart fan, until I tuned in to watch his farewell interview with an increasingly despondent Cleveland media that has become all to familiar with the scene and questions. The first thing I noticed, Victor was wearing sunglasses. Why? Because the poor man had been reduced to tears at the thought of leaving his friends, his family, & HIS team. Martinez did not play anywhere else. He was a "home-grown" talent. And he's cast aside, just because our team won't be playing in October. In that moment, I became a Victor Martinez fan, and I came to a horrifying realization.

Cleveland Indians management has destined the Indians to fail.

How else do you trade the reigning Cy Young winner, and get prospects, none of which are ready to contribute now? Or next year? Why are we planning for 2012? How do you trade someone like a Victor Martinez, without so much as a thank you or a good luck? This weekend, ironically, is Victor Martinez giveaway weekend. A bobblehead Saturday, a backback on Sunday. In the e-mail newsletter announcing the trade, a quote at the bottom made me furious. I won't quote it, rather I'll paraphrase it. "Don't worry, we're still giving away the items listed, cause we could careless about V-Mart." Nice work, Cleveland.

You're probably asking yourself, who in the hell is responsible for this. That would be GM Mark Shapiro, whose claim to fame is the infamous trade of 2002 that sent SP Bartolo Colon to the then Montreal Expos for 4 players (prospects) including OF Grady Sizemore & SP Cliff Lee. Shapiro must think he's got the Midas touch. Well, I would like to be among the many Cleveland fans who would like Shapiro to take a one-way trip the hell out of Cleveland. In fact, I'm listening to a song that just about sums up Cleveland at the trade deadline. It's from Theory of a Deadman; called "So Happy." Take a listen thanks to the fine folks at youtube.



Hey Shapiro, "we're fed up, so get up and get out!"

What does this mean? It means, the Indians will get rid of anyone no matter what. And at any cost. I joked with my friends yesterday that the Indians had just traded me to Cincinnati for a bowl of Skyline chili & a fan to be named later. And I double-checked Sporting News.com & ESPN just to make sure they really didn't! For 455 games in the '90s and early 2000s Cleveland fans sold out Jacobs Field. Guess what? Regressive Field is going to sit empty for quite a while. Except for me.

I won't be hard to find. I'll be the guy holding the sign that says "Fire Shapiro, or they won't come back."

...And I Still Don't Know What Twitter Is!

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls; children of all ages, welcome to the show that never ends! Ok, so it does go on temporary hiatus, but hey, what can you do, right? Anyway, I am happy to report that I am officially over my nagging cold! Yay! Oh man, I should never do that again.

I had the absolute privilege of being in attendance Memorial Day for the Indians vs. Rays game at Progressive Field. The Tribe rallied back from a 10-0 defecit to win 11-10 on a sensational walk-off two run single by Victor Martinez. The same V-Mart had gone 0-5 in his previous at-bats that game. Anything can happen in baseball, and V-Mart proved that!

The excitement in the stadium during that unbelievable bottom of the 9th is something I will never forget, and I was happy to be a part of that. I was fortunate to attend the game with my brother, and it was a great time to say the least. I hope everyone who gets a chance, will go out to the ballpark this summer and take in one of the many games going on this summer. Trust me, every game leaves you with a story to tell the next day. Here's the MLB.com story on the game for the Indians' 10-run rally that had me leaping out of my seat in celebration.

What is Twitter? I see on tv, everyone's on Twitter. My friends tell me to send them a tweet, and I have to look at them funny because I don't know what they just said! Just curious is all.

I want to do a little janitorial work here and remind everyone that coming up this week on Basic Bloganomics, BWE & EBW are back in action as we proudly present the Jakarta Encounter! Live from the Tripzibit Resort in Jakarta, Indonesia! I'm proud to be one of the writers for this, and while I may be biased, I think this is our best show to date! There's a little bit of everything in this one, and it is currently scheduled for this Thursday, May 28th. Be there! And for anyone unfamiliar with it, click on the banner to the top left for our previous show!

Now, I want to comment on a situation that is unfortunately far too common on the internet. It is called plagiarism, and it is a serious crime. I've seen this happen before on another site I blogged on, Sporting News, with my friend David Funk. It is one of the most disgusting things I have ever witnessed on-line and it is something I DO NOT tolerate! I have called people out on this before and I will do it again if needed to protect my friends.

Here's the tag, please feel free to grab it share with everyone to show those who steal the works, thoughts & ideas of others that it will not be tolerated!

Please copy from here and share:

What is Plagiarism?

According to Dictionary, Plagiarism is the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one’s own original work.

To all Bloggers who exert effort to create noteworthy entries and who continue to maintain a Blog which is a reflection of who she / he is, ” Good job! ”

To those who have the desire to Blog but are merely scraping contents from other people‘ s materials, ” Whether you are monetizing your site to help you with your basic needs or to satisfy some of your wants, do it the proper way. Stop making money out of someone else’s work. Otherwise, you are nothing but a common thief! ”

Thank you!

Spread the word to stop plagiarism! And please check out the talented writer's in the list to the right. They are the cream of the crop in blogging. Oh yeah, what is Twitter?

Special Awards & A Story

I am going to try and knock out as many of the tags I have as possible in the next week, and there's a lot! First, I have this really cool award from my buddy The Funkster on Basic Bloganomics, who also came up with the second tag I'll be working on in this edition of the Soapbox. Here's the first one.

That is a very cool award called the Blogger Trophy Award. Very cool. I'm going to pass this along to all of my friends who have stopped by to visit. If you've ever read this site (and thus are reading these words now.) feel free to grab this really cool looking trophy.

The second tag is a little old, but it's taken me a little while to get this one done. It's especially close to my heart being this is a sports blog, I want to make this sports tag very important.

This is the WBE Sportsmanship Award! WBE stands for World Blogging Entertainment which is a name created by David Funk used to recognize excellence in blogging, and has annually named a Blog of Courage Award winner every year since 2006.


WBE Sportsmanship Award is given to ANY blogger for showing the following qualities:
*Kindness to all bloggers
*Courtesy to others
*Respects the opinions of bloggers
*Displays a sportsman-like attitude
*Addresses and debates any topic with professionalism
*Motivates or supports other bloggers
*Strong leader and community builder.


The Rules for the WBE Sportsmanship Award:

1. Talk about your favorite sports team or teams. List what team you like, where they are from, what league they play in, and why and how you like them.

2. If you don't have a favorite team, then talk about your favorite player or players in other sports. Any sport can be talked about, and not just team sports.

3. You can talk about favorite teams and players that are no longer playing if you choose.

4. Download a picture or logo of your favorite team or teams so that other countries around the world can see them. Or provide a picture of your favorite player or athlete.

5. You can add more information about any teams you talk about to help other cultures understand more about them.

6. Nominate at least five bloggers for this award, and let them know you tagged them.

7. Link back to this post and the person you received this award from.

8. Come back and leave a comment on this post so that your name can be added to the list of those who received this award. This is also done so that others can refer back to this entry, and read other entries throughout the world that they may have missed.

Favorite Team: Cleveland Indians baseball team
From: Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
League they play in: Major League Baseball, American League, Central division.

Why I Like 'Em: This is going to be fun, because as I write this my favorite team has yet to win a professional baseball game in the year 2009. That sucks. I am a die-hard Cleveland sports fan, and I blame that on my family & friends. Being a Cleveland sports fan is like enjoying pain. See, Cleveland teams raise losing to an artform. Ever watched a baseball game where your team had a 10 run lead? Felt comfortable, right? Not for Indians fans! We look at that and say, "Nope, we need 5 or 6 more!" As funny as that might sound, it's not really a joke. The reason I love the Indians and will happily be in attendance for two games this season is the passion the fans have for the team, and the passion I have for the team.

I come from a poor family, so I didn't attend my first game until I got a job and paid for the tickets myself. But the few games I have attended are very special to me. I won't highlight them all, but I want to point out one game in particular. I believe it was August of 2004. I had heard talk all week on sports radio of this guy, Grady Sizemore, being called up to the major league roster and he would get to play "any day now." I heard great things about him and I wanted to see him play. He was not in the starting lineup. "Crap!" Well, at least I get to watch a game against the White Sox. Suddenly, a hellacious rain releases from the heavens (oooh, irony!) and drenches the field. "Crap!" We wait, and wait. An hour and a half later they tell us the game will be played. "Cool!" Maybe we can at least out-hit the Sox? Mark Buehrle of the White Sox pitches a no-hitter through 6 innings. "Crap!" Well, at least I'm on SportsCenter! Hey Omar Vizquel just hit a bloop single. "Crap!" Well, maybe we can start a rally, a get on the board. 12-1 looks much better than 12-0. Double play. "Crap!"

Not the best game in world right? Until I hear over the PA, "now playing in center field, Grady Sizemore." Yes! And you could tell even in the one inning he played in that game he had the star potential. I proudly keep the scorecard from that game, because I can say that I saw Grady Sizemore's major league debut. I've followed him ever since, and I am happy to say I was there. I have not been to the ballpark in 3 years, but that will change later this month when I see the Indians take on the Boston Red Sox and in May I get to see the defending American League Champions the Tampa Bay Rays. And thanks to a great promotion from the Indians and my wonderful family's help, I've got the best seats I've ever had at the ballpark. Behind home plate for the Tampa game, and 15 rows back from the field for the Boston game!

Why do I like the Indians? I don't. I love them, and I always will for the great moments, the history, and the joy they bring me even when they're down. Being at the ballpark is an experience you never forget, and I'm greatly looking forward to the next two trips to see my beloved Tribe.

I'm going to do the tagging portion of this show a little different. I'm putting it up for everyone to grab. This has easily been one of the most fun tags I've done, and I want everyone to get a chance to try it. So show your love of your favorite sports team and take this tag!

And don't forget to check out the newest BWE Throwdown! on Basic Bloganomics! Some very unique matches took place, and yours truly even stopped by to leave a comment or two. It's a very good read, so if you have not already, click over to Throwdown!

Reference: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE200407210.shtml

Let's Try This Again

After realizing I have not posted on my blog in a while I thought, "what the hell? Let's try this again!" So I just want to comment on some stories in the news. First, spring training is in full swing finally. After watching the Indians play earlier and looking at their roster, three things come to mind.

1. What the hell happened to our rotation??? If our hopes of getting 6+ innings out of starter rests in the hands of Carl Pavano, we may be in trouble! Think about this, the Yankees got rid of this guy because he lost his stuff. So, unless he is a magician and can make things appear and disappear at the drop of a hat, I don't suspect he found his stuff and is going to carry the load this season.

2. Why is Kerry Wood our closer? Granted, he did make the All-Star team last year, it's still frustrating to see the team making the same mistake over-and-over. If you want a true closer, look in the farm system and grow one! Relying on closers who are in the latter stages of their career is a recipe for disaster, and it has not brought a championship to Cleveland.

3. Why is Matt LaPorta not on the 40-man roster? This is the top prospect we traded our #1 starter, CC Sabathia for at the trade deadline last season, and he's not even on the 40-man roster? I'm no expert, but if I traded away the best pitcher Cleveland's seen this decade and then the guy we traded for ended up elsewhere the following year, fans might get pissed! Even the video games would call that questionable!

Speaking of which, (cheap plug alert!) the new MLB games for 09 are out this Tuesday. The San Francisco Giants Tim Lincecum is on the cover of 2K Sports MLB 2k9; Boston Red Sox Dustin Pedroia is on the cover of MLB 09: The Show, which is exclusive to the Sony brands. I have a PS3, so I'll be looking for The Show. I played both last year, and I still can't stand the game 2K Sports keeps putting out. I don't see them making the changes to put that game on top of the market, and the only reason it will sell better is because it will be on every current generation console. When does that exclusivity deal end, anyway? It can't be soon enough!

I have to talk about Manny Ramirez. Why? Well, when someone is greedy about money, I feel like I should stand up and say, WHAT THE HELL??? In this economy Manny has decided that very substantial offers from the only team who's bidding on him, the Dodgers, is not enough? Read that sentence again. Does that make sense to you? Let's see if we can put this in perspective. Let's say you were window washer. And let's say your contract with A-1 Washers expired Jan 1st and you were making good money after spending several years at BRS Cleaners. But you grew tired of BRS and purposely did a lousy job in your final year with them. Now, A-1 wants you back. But you raised your asking price and now not even Steam Frank Gigante wants to sign you because you're just too expensive and after your experience at BRS, you can't be trusted. A-1's offered you three deals but each one is met with your agent saying, "More money and more years." Don't you think A-1 should just tell you to stick it and let you sit on the sidelines making nothing? Let's see what happens to all those sponsorships and investments then!

Hmmm... I seem a little angry there. Let's end on a fun note (and a another cheap plug). As you may know, I'm a wrestling fan. With it being WrestleMania season, it's great to hear that a new video game is coming out this month with legends from WWE. The game, Legends of WrestleMania features stars from the '80s and '90s. You can relive the famous Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant match from WrestleMania III, or the Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock match from WrestleMania XV that launched the biggest rivalry of the "attitude era." And the list of legends in this game is impressive: Undertaker, Ted DiBiase, Ulimate Warrior, Shawn Michaels, Legion of Doom, Yokozuna, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Jimmy Hart. This one is quickly crawling up my wish list, and if you would more info on it, including the complete roster, head over to ign.com.

One last thing, I'm trying to find some good blogs for baseball card collecting as I'm restarting my favorite old hobby. If you have one, or write one, please let me know and I'll be happy to link you once I get that part of the site fixed.

OK, final thing. If you're wondering what's up with all this "What the hell" stuff that's going on throughout my blog, I have just the person for you to ask. That would be my buddy David Funk. He's much better at explaining it than I am, plus he's good to talk sports with. Any Sooners fans will want to add him to your blog roll, trust me on this one. And don't forget to check out our Basic Bloganomics site where you can read both of us, including new BWE & EBW blogs! Thanks everyone!

Cash Cow, Baseball & Congressional Playoffs

Just how much is a left handed starting pitcher worth these days? I would think it is not as much as CC (Cash Cow) Sabathia will be making as a member of the New York Yankees. It seemed common logic Sabathia was going to be a very wealthy man in 2009, but the rediculous amount of money being thrown at a pitcher who has one of the worst postseason records of any Cy Young winner in the past decade leaves me wondering just what the Yankees won't do to bring a championship to their new home. With the economy in a state of shock, and investors unsure what to throw their pots of gold into, the Yankees' deal with CC is the biggest middle finger to the working class that could be made. Not only did they overpay, but they did so at a time where their fans' wallets are getting lighter. And they aren't done yet. This is one of the biggest reasons why the Yankees are so hated by the rest of the country. What will it take to get the Steinbrenners to close their wallet and use some "home-grown" talent to win some throphies?

It's times like these that I wish I had spent more time working on my fastball and less time on "i before e except after c."

On a positive note, the World Baseball Classic is returning in 2009. I really like the idea behind this, and I hope that the tv networks get their coverage right this time around. The last time it was held, in 2006, nearly half of the games were presented with abbreviated video. However, the advent of the MLB Network gives me hope. Competiton drives invention and a desire to succeed. Hopefully, ESPN will use this as a chance to deliver a better tv product this time around. In other words, show the whole game or don't show it at all!

The wonderful folks up in Bristol (ESPN) broke a story today on their Outside the Lines program that made me laugh. Apparently there is only one thing Republicans & Democrats can agree on, college football needs a playoff. And they want to do something about it. The planned legislation does not specify how the playoff system would be implemented, but it is clear on one thing: The BCS needs to go. It seems anyone who has watched one snap of college football has an idea of how to fix the BCS mess. Most will cite the March Madness college basketball tournament as a reason for why the playoff is needed for football. March Madness is one of the most lucrative tv contracts in all of sports and is currently owned by CBS. The network does a tremendous job of promoting, televising, and analyzing the games since they picked up the contract for the games in 1991. Nearly 20 years later, the Madness has thrived on CBS and the station has become synoymous with the March basketball.

Now, imagine if in 2010 when ESPN picks up the rights to the BCS that instead, we have a playoff system in place. The possiblities of some of those useless bowl games actually mattering would have fans salivating. Now, I have a reason to tune in for the Allstate Sugar Bowl because a team's chances of winning a National Championship will be ended within 4 quarters of play. It gives those games a sense of importance and urgency, which are two things sports thrive on. Why else would fans wish for a Game 7 in other sports?

Who would have thought I would agree with congress on something? The playoff system is long overdue for college football. There should be no guess work in determining the National Champion. No one wants to share the throphy. And congress is going to make sure that no one has to share a throphy again.

I was deeply disappointed to hear that Petty Enterprises has released 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Bobby Labonte amid concerns of no sponsorship. Times are tough, especially when one of the crowned jewels of the sport is forced to merge with another team just to make ends meet. The year 2009 will not be a kind one to NASCAR; I certainly hope Brian France has a plan to keep teams afloat this season, or we may be left watching Hendrick Motorsports battle Roush-Fenway Racing for the championship. Oh wait, we already did. Oh well.

Another sad note for NASCAR fans, the Wood Brothers team, another staple of the Cup Series garage for over 50 years, announced plans earlier this week to cut its racing schedule drastically. They will no longer run a full season, and their plans for the Truck Series have also been put into question. I hope this is not a sign of things to come for NASCAR, but with two of the most legendary teams in desperate trouble things do not look promising. Looks like Jimmie Johnson's road to the 4 in a row is going to be easier than previously thought.

Thanks for stopping by, and next time wipe your freaking feet off on the door mat!

MLB Playoffs Preview

First, let me apologize for some of the missing elements of this page. The Soapbox is currently undergoing reconstruction. I'm currently looking for a really cool blogger template to brighten things here, and I have very little knowledge of HTML, so if anyone knows how to increase the width of the blog columns. I have found a really cool template, but the columns are just too freaking narrow!

Alright, enough of the house cleaning, let's get down to baseball! This is the time of year that I can't get enough of! This is the reason 32 teams play 162 games for 6 months straight. This is the Playoffs, where one loss could cost you the championship! Eight teams, four per league are vying for the right to play for the title. While I'm not going to say I did great with my picks last year, I am hoping to bounce back this year.

vs.

What I like about this series, is the story of redemption. Last year, the Sox sweeped the Angels taking two at Fenway Park then finishing them off at Angel Stadium. This year, the Angels could do to Boston what the Red Sox did to the Angels. I like the team the Angels have. Good starting pitching with John Lackey and Ervin Santana, plus the best closer in the majors in Francisco Rodriguez. Couple that with the two big acquistions of Torii Hunter and Mark Texiera, and I see a team that is being overlooked. And they will use that to their advantage to surprise the Red Sox and knock off the defending Champions.

My Pick- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 3 games.

vs.

Who would have thought the "devil" was keeping down the Rays? I have enjoyed watching the young Rays shock the baseball world this season. Really, who picked the Rays to win the AL East at the beginning of the season? And who could have imagined that it would take a one-game playoff between the White Sox and the Twins to decide the AL Central, which many handed to the Cleveland Indians right out of Spring Training? The point is, going by conventional wisdom usually leads to predicitions that are just plain wrong. I've waffled on this pick since late last night. On one hand, you have the ChiSox momentum, coming out of the regular season winning two "do or die" games. The last team to do that, was last year's Colorado Rockies, and they made it all the way to the World Series. On the other hand, the Rays have come out of nowhere this season and have left a huge imprint on the entire 2008 season. It's hard to choose, so I'm going to go with my gut here.

My Pick- Tampa Bay Rays in 4 games.

vs.

Has there been a time when Chicago has been any more excited? Both teams in the playoffs for the first time since 1906, when the White Sox won the championship. Could it be the Cubs' time to shine? Not if the Dodgers have anything to say about it! Many are considering the trade for Manny Ramirez one of the best trades of this season. It was absolutely key to getting the Dodgers to the playoffs, but I don't think it is enough to keep them going in the playoffs. It has been 100 years since the Cubs won their last World Series championship, and this series is going to be one of the biggest tests.

My pick- Chicago Cubs in 5 games.

vs.

If there's any series I'm looking forward to, it's this one. The Phillies had a rough NLDS last year, as they were swept, at home by a surging Colorado. This year, they face another surging team, the Brewers. CC Sabathia has been the best pitcher in the NL since being traded by the Indians. He has put the Brewers on his back and has carried them to October baseball. This will be Sabathia's second trip to the postseason in a row, and I hope for Milwaukee's sake he has learned from his many mistakes last year. But I do not think he has, and that will hurt the Brew Crew.

My Pick- Philadelphia Phillies in 4 games.

vs.

I like the boppers of the Angels. There is some serious power in that lineup! Having home-field advantage can only help the Angels, but as much as I like the Angels I just have this feeling in my gut that the Rays are the team to beat in the American League. I had that same feeling last year about Boston, and I foolishly ignored it. I won't be doing that again!

My Pick- Tampa Bay Rays in 5 games.

vs.

The season series between these two was very close, with Philly winning it 4-3. I like the Cubs in this series. Their pitching is good, they have the bats in the lineup to get the job done, and they have Lou Pinella who knows how to handle October baseball. Philly is good, don't get me wrong, and this series is so close it really could go either way. The one question I have about the Phillies is Brad Lidge. He won the NL Comeback Player of the Year, but I question his reliablity in pressure situations. If you recall this is the same closer who could not get the job done for the Houston Astros in 2005. That is not something you can fully recover from. And I feel like it will rear its head again in 2008.

My Pick- Chicago Cubs in 7 games.

vs.

Holy cow! Rays & Cubs? How the hell did that happen? We have a team that has never even sniffed the postseason until 2008 going up against a team that has not won a World Series Championship in 100 years! I think this series is one of the best possiblilties of the postseason. I would love to see what the Rays lineup would do against Carlos Zambrano. Or how about Kosuke Fukudome going against Troy Percival with the game on-the-line? The possiblilities are endless! Now for the tough part. Who would win in the this series? As much as I love the youth of the Rays, the Cubs' experience is a big key to this series. As much as I would love to see the Rays pull off the biggest shocker in MLB history with the ultimate worst to first story, I don't see it happening.

World Series Champions- Chicago Cubs in 5 games.

So, 100 years after their last World Series Championship, the Chicago Cubs will bring the title home to their very excited fans in a story bigger than that of the Red Sox in 2004! I'm sure that makes a lot of you happy. And I'm sure those of you who have followed my picks in the past know that I have cursed every team I picked last season. So some Cubs fans might be angry with me, but that's my preview of the 2008 MLB Postseason. So I ask you now, who are your picks?

First Time Out

Since I've been getting my start here at blogger with the BWE Promotions blog, I thought I would also finally get around to posting here in my own blog.

Since it's incredibly late as I write this, I just wanted to mention a few things I noticed this July 4th that made me go, What The Hell?

1. I actually watched the infamous Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on ESPN. No, I don't know why. No, I'm not a fan of Kobayashi, but I watched it nonetheless. And as I watched I noticed the announcers were getting more excited than a wrestling announcer during the main event. Seriously, they were eating hot dogs and the announcer's acting like the eaters were saving someone's life! When it got to the "Dog Off" (their words, not mine), I thought the announcer was going to pass out! The guy calls the NHRA drag races where the cars reach crazy speeds, and he seems nearly comotose. But give him a hot dogger, and he's like a six-year-old at Christmas time.

2. My beloved Cleveland Indians are so far out of first they are no longer in the cellar. At least a cellar has a door to climb out of. No, this is more like a bottomless pit. They just keep falling, waiting to hit the bottom but it never comes. So, what do you do when you're free-falling? You get rid of dead weight, of course! So exit closer Joe Borowski, stage right. C.C. Sabathia, get your bags packed, because you're next.

3. Speaking of baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays are the best team in MLB. My readers, I'd like you to go back and read that last sentence again.

Alright, that's all I have for now. Stop back again for more rantings, sports-wise, and for good measure I may throw in some pro wrestling!