Phillies-Yankees World Series Preview

Just as a certain handsome, genius blog writer predicted at the beginning of the MLB season, the Phillies and Yankees will meet in the World Series. Needless to say, this World Series matchup has a little more juice to it than last year's Phillies-Rays series. This is Philadelphia vs New York, two cities that absolutely hate each other. It's the current champs against the all-time greatest baseball franchise. It's Kevo vs. Barr.

So, here's a breakdown of the matchup, position by position:

Starting Pitching
You can't ask for a much better matchup for game 1 than Cliff Lee vs CC Sabathia. Both are former AL Cy Young award winners, both with the Indians oddly enough, and both are coming off stellar seasons and even better postseasons. Lee and Sabathia pretty much cancel each other out, so the rest of the starters will decide this one. For game 2, it will either be Cole Hamels or Pedro Martinez vs AJ Burnett. We know what Hamels can do in the postseason, but he hasn't been good this year, where Pedro has been very good as of late. Burnett has been solid, but nothing spectacular for the Yankees. Game 3 for the Yankees will go to Andy Pettite, vs either Hamels or Pedro, and Joe Blanton will go in Game 4 for the Phillies and the Yankees will probably go back to Sabathia. Overall, there isn't much separating the starting pitching staffs. If Hamels pitches the way he can, the edge goes to the Phils. But for now, it's too close to call.
Advantage: Push

Bullpen
Brad Lidge seems to have straigtened things out, which will be huge for the Phils. But no matter how good Lidge is, he can't match the mystique that is Mariano Rivera. Rivera has been simply masterful in all of the Yankees postseason runs. When you add Joba Chamberlain to the mix for the Yanks, they get the edge here.
Advantage: Yankees

1st Base
Ryan Howard vs Mark Teixeira, it doesn't get much better than that. Normally I would say this is a push, but with the way Howard has been hitting this postseason, and the way Teixeira has not been hitting in the postseason, the edge goes to Howard.
Advantage: Phillies

2nd Base
Chase Utley vs Robinson Cano. As we all know, Chase Utley is the man. However, Cano is very underappreciated and lost amongst all the big names for the Yankees. Utley has struggled a bit this postseason, but at the end of the day, there's still no second baseman I would rather have.
Advantage: Phillies

Shortstop
Jimmy Rollins vs Derek Jeter. Jimmy Rollins has always been the Phils' catalyst. If he hits well in this series, the Phils have a great chance of winning. However, it's Jeter, it's the postseason. I hate to do this.
Advantage: Yankees

3rd Base
Pedro Feliz vs Alex Rodriguez. Since we all know where this is going, A-Rod is a cheater and all-around jerk.
Advantage: Yankees

Left Field
Raul Ibanez vs Johnny Damon. This is a tough one to call. Ibanez has the advantage in power and driving in runs, whereas Damon is better at getting on base and setting the table for the powerful lineup. However, the one area in which Ibanez was supposed to struggle at, defense, has been surprisingly good for him this season. We all know how Damon struggles in the outfield. So,
Advantage: Phillies

Center Field
Shane Victorino vs Melky Cabrera. Cabrera has looked good in the postseason, but Shane is entirely different player in the playoffs. Shane gets the edge offensively and defensively. Easy choice.
Advantage: Phillies

Right Field
Jayson Werth vs Nick Swisher. Swisher is hitting .125 in the playoffs. Werth set a team record for home runs in the postseason, and could beat the all-time record. Next.
Advantage: Phillies

Catcher
Carlos Ruiz vs Jorge Posada. Chooch has been very impressive this posteason, both at the plate and behind it. Still, there's no doubt that Posada has the postseason experience and bat to be the choice here. Sorry Chooch.
Advantage: Yankees

Designated Hitter
Matt Stairs/Ben Francisco vs Hideki Matsui. I imagine Charlie Manuel will use Stairs against righties and Franciso against lefties. Stairs can hit it out at anytime, obviously, and Francisco has done well for the Phils. Still, they're not everyday hitters like Matsui is.
Advantage: Yankees

So, position by position, it's a 5-5 tie. Scientifically, this means the Phils will win the World Series in six games. Listen, you can argue and call me a homer all you want, but there's no denying that the Phils have been a better team this postseason than the Yankees have been. And remember, most of this current Yankee team has not been to World Series; the Phils were just there last season. The Phils will be loose, rested, and as the best road team in the majors this year, certainly not scared of Yankee Stadium. Get ready to celebrate again, Philly, just not like this guy:

Week 6 Picks

Last week: 11-3
Overall: 54-22
Upset Picks: 3-2

Cincinnati over Houston

Green Bay over Detroit

UPSET PICK: Baltimore over Minnesota (it's the best I could do this week)

New Orleans over NY Giants

Pittsburgh over Cleveland

Carolina over Tampa Bay

Washington over Kansas City

Jacksonville over St. Louis

Philadelphia over Oakland

Seattle over Arizona

New England over Tennessee

NY Jets over Buffalo

Atlanta over Chicago

San Diego over Denver

NFL Power Rankings and Week 5 Picks

I know, I'm a terrible blogger and forgot to put up week 4 picks. Sorry to all of those who lost money last weekend because they couldn't use my picks. To make up for it, this will be an extra long awesome blog. First, here are my power rankings after week 4.

32. St. Louis Rams (0-4)
They just have nothing to be positive about right now. Kyle Boller is their starting QB right now, they have no good receivers, and the defense is just terrible. Steven Jackson is on pace to rush for over 1,400 yards, but he is also on pace to run for 0 TDs. With the first pick of the 2010 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams select...

31. Kansas City Chiefs (0-4)
Boy, Matt Cassel sure has been a lot better this year than Tyler Thigpen was last year. Good thing they gave him $209304 million or whatever it was.

30. Cleveland Browns (0-4)
All Notre Dame bias aside, Brady Quinn had about zero chance to be a successful QB on this team. No running game, no receivers (Braylon Edwards doesn't count because he stopped trying about 2 years ago) and terrible coaching. I hope he gets out of Cleveland and proves he can be an NFL QB somewhere else.

29. Tampa Bay Bucs (0-4)
Why aren't they starting Josh Freeman? I guess they feel more comfortable with "veteran" Josh Johnson. Whatever, they stink.

28. Oakland Raiders (1-3)
Remember how I said they looked like they might be ok after week 1? Whoops.

27. Detroit Lions (1-3)
Looks like they're going in the right direction. Of course, we've said that before. They really need to start drafting some defense.

26. Washington Redskins (2-2)
Has there ever been a worse 2-2 team in history? And they just keep playing bad team after bad team. They're going to get destroyed by the NFC East, and I can't wait.

25. Carolina Panthers (0-3)
It's strange, I feel like they have the talent to be a good team. Oh wait, they have the human INT machine at QB. Seriously, time to pull the plug on Jake.

24. Tennessee Titans (0-4)
Finally I was right about the Titans being bad. They might as well throw Vince Young back in there to see if they can salvage his career.

23. Miami Dolphins (1-3)
Well at least they now have the best QB ever from Coastal Carolina, Tyler Thigpen. START HIM.

22. Buffalo Bills (1-3)
Remember when I said TO would have one good season in Buffalo? This is why I don't do this professionally.

21. Jacksoville Jaguars (2-2)
Still the most boring team in the NFL, perhaps professional sports. I've never seen so many empty seats in an NFL stadium, except for when Temple plays at the Linc.

20. Seattle Seahawks (1-3)
Don't the Seahawks realize Seneca Wallace is not good by now? They always throw him in every time Hasselbeck gets hurt, and he stinks. Maybe I just wanna see Mike Teel start.

19. Houston Texans (2-2)
NEXT year is the year the Texans will finally break out. I'll say it every year until it happens.

18. Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
Really, are they ever gonna give Matt Leinart a chance? Assuming he's not busy getting drunk in a hottub with underage girls.

17. Dallas Cowboys (2-2)
Wade Phillips definitely won't make it to next season, and I'm starting to think Tony Romo will be searching for a new job as well.

16. San Diego Chargers (2-2)
Have the Chargers of the past few seasons been the most underachieving NFL team of all-time? They've had an incredible amount of talent for years, but haven't sniffed a Super Bowl. They'll be done soon.

15. Green Bay Packers (2-2)
They might be undefeated if they had an average offensive line. Aaron Rodgers deserves better.

14. San Francisco 49ers (3-1)
A good start, but I'm still not convinced they're for real. That's still good enough to win the NFC West though.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)
Big Ben was a good host on RAW. He should probably focus on football now, since the Steelers are in third place. Never though I would say that.

12. Chicago Bears (3-1)
Remember how I said you shouldn't take too much stock in a team after week 1, and I proceded to say the Bears were done? Whoops.

11. Cincinatti Bengals (3-1)
Some will say they should be undefeated barring a miracle play from the Broncos. Of course, they needed overtime to beat the Browns. We'll see how good they are this week against Baltimore.

10. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)
It's pretty hard to tell how good they are right now. They had a tough game against the Patriots, and two other good, not great, performances. 49ers game this week should tell alot about both teams.

9. Denver Broncos (4-0)
Yeah yeah, maybe I'm just hoping they're not that good. Remember, they had the West lead for a while last season too. They'll slow down, starting with this week.

8. New York Jets (3-1)
The defense is legit, but Mark Sanchez will become a rookie QB, see last week. They'll hang around for a while because of the D.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)
Tampa, Oakland, Washington the next three weeks, followed by a showdown with the Giants. Donovan should be plenty warmed up for that game, which will be for first in the East.

6. Baltimore Ravens (3-1)
They're not the best team in the NFL yet, but they're real close. Steelers fans should be real worried.

5. New England Patriots (3-1)
No, Brady is not gonna throw 50 TDs. Most people forget he wasn't amazing statistically before that 50 TD season. So they're fine, they're gonna win the East, relax.

4. New Orleans Saints (4-0)
If that defense keeps playing as well as they did last week, look out, they could be the favorites in the NFC.

3. Minnesota Vikings (4-0)
Adrian Peterson is awesome. The defense is awesome. They have a QB. That's all I'm gonna say about them.

2. New York Giants (4-0)
Since I hate having them this high, I'll just say that watching Eli Manning doing that little hop after he hurt his foot was hilarious.

1. Indianapolis Colts (4-0)
Yeah Peyton is good. And he's doing it with a Frenchman at wide receiver. He deserves the MVP just for that.


WEEK 5 PICKS
Last week: 10-4
Overall: 43-19
Upset Specials: 2-2

UPSET SPECIAL: Cleveland over Buffalo

Pittsburgh over Detroit

Dallas over Kansas City

Minnesota over St. Louis

New York Giants over Oakland

Philly over Tampa Bay

Carolina over Washington

Baltimore over Cincy

Atlanta over San Fran

New England over Denver

Arizona over Houston

Seattle over Jackonville

Indy over Tennessee

New York Jets over Miami

The Kevin Kolb problem

If you've been an Eagles fan during any of the Donovan McNabb era, or even if you have lived in Philadelphia during that span, you have to know that Kevin Kolb's success is going to mean trouble.

For his first two NFL starts, Kolb has played very well. He's thrown for over 700 yards and 4 TDs. Of course, it was against two soft defenses in the Saints and Chiefs, but still, considering his inexperience, he has to be commended for his performance.

Of course, now the real problem starts. McNabb will most likely start against the Bucs after the Eagles' bye week in week 4. Luckily for Donovan, his first two games back will be against the 0-3 Bucs and 1-2 Raiders, so he should put up big stats in those games. However, look at this next stretch of games: @ Redskins (always tough), Giants, Cowboys, @ Chargers, @ Bears, Redskins, @ Falcons, @ Giants. Yikes. Needless to say, Donovan might not put up his best numbers in these games.

So what is bound to happen? The first game the Eagles lose, the first time McNabb throws a pick, or even the first time he bounces a pass to a wide open receiver, we're gonna hear it: PUT IN KOLB. It's almost an absolute certainty that it's going to happen.

As a lifelong Eagles fan, I have no problem saying this: 90% of Eagles fans are idiots. I'll never understand why Donovan has garnered as much hate as he has amongst Eagles fans. Yes, he has had his bad and embarassing moments. But he has been the lifeblood of this organization for over a decade now. If he was not able to play this season, this team would not make the playoffs with Kevin Kolb at QB, I guarantee that.

Is Kolb the future of the Eagles? Possibly, but there is no way he's ready to lead this team to the playoffs right now. He still makes poor passes, misses open receivers, and makes bad decisions. Yes, 700 yards is nice, but he did it by throwing 50 passes against the Saints and then playing perhaps the worst defense in the league.

So next time McNabb has a bad game this season, and it most likely will happen, think twice before you call for Kolb. McNabb is the best QB the Eagles have ever had, remember that.

Power rankings after week 3:

Top 5
1. Giants 3-0
2. Ravens 3-0
3. Colts 3-0
4. Jets 3-0
5. Vikings 3-0

Bottom 5
28. Redskins 1-2
29. Bucs 0-3
30. Rams 0-3
31. Browns 0-3
32. Chiefs 0-3

Week 3 Picks

Sorry I didn't talk about week 2, here are some highlights:

- Kevin Kolb played well, but he'll never be more than a backup

- Patriots will still win the AFC East, book it

- Pete Carroll is too "cool" for his own good, that's why USC loses stupid games

Anyway, week 3 picks:

Last week: 8-8

Overall: 22-10

Upset Picks: 2-0

Washington over Detroit

Green Bay over St. Louis

Minnesota over San Fran

New England over Atlanta

UPSET SPECIAL: Tennessee over NY Jets

Philadelphia over KC

NY Giants over Tampa

Baltimore over Cleveland

Houston over Jacksonville

New Orleans over Buffalo

Chicago over Seattle

Pittsburgh over Cincy

Oakland over Denver

San Diego over Miami

Indy over Arizona

Dallas over Carolina

Why the Emmys are a joke

I'll get to football, Kevin Kolb, Eagles sucking, etc. tomorrow, but today I want to talk about the greatest injustice in the history of award shows.

Hopefully most of you by now are familiar with The Shield, the FX cop drama that ended its seven season run this year. For those not familiar, the show stars Michael Chiklis (The Thing from Fantastic Four) as Vic Mackey, a cop who frequently uses questionable (that's putting it lightly) police tactics, but always gets the job done. Needless to say, Vic gets into a lot of trouble along the way, and has to go deeper and deeper into seedy tactics to get himself out.

I accidentally stumbled upon The Shield during its pilot, and I was immediately hooked after the first five minutes. The pilot is easily the best I've ever seen, and the end of the first episode affects everything that happens in the rest of the series. I'm not the only one who has become addicted to the show at first view. Anyone who has watched it with me has to watch the next episode, and then the next episode, and then start from the beginning, and watch them all, you get the idea.

Although the show has always been praised by critics, it hasn't been recognized by the awards shows anywhere near what it should have been. Chiklis won the Emmy for Best Actor in 2002, but the show has had a dry spell since then. I figured the final season of The Shield would finally get the show the recognition it so richly deserved. The season was amazing after all. Episodes were great from start to (especially) finish, and every actor saved their best performance for last. Chiklis was amazing as always, but Walton Goggins as Shane and David Rees Snell as Ronnie really stepped up for the last season.

So how many Emmy nominations did The Shield receive for its final season?

Zero.

Absolutely none.

None for Best Actor (Chiklis), none for Best Supporting Actor (Goggins or Rees Snell), none for Best Supporting Actress (CCH Pounder), none for Best Writing (the last episode), and most egregiously, none for Best Drama.

I don't watch every show on TV. I don't watch Mad Men, but I'm sure it's good. But honestly, how do four Mad Men episodes get nominated for Best Writing, and the final episode of the The Shield gets none?

I can't stress enough how great Goggins and Rees Snell were in this season. I might even say they deserved nominations more than Chiklis, they were that good. Vic Mackey has pretty much been the same since season 1, but it's incredible to see how much the characters of Shane and Ronnie have evolved since the beginning. Shane went from being an unlikable jackass to, well, and unlikable jackass but for many different reasons. Even though he was the de facto villain in the last season, you had to feel incredibly bad for him, and a lot of that comes from Goggins' performance.

Ronnie wasn't even supposed to be a regular character on the show. However, the writers decided to write him into the stories more because Rees Snell was so great in the role and fans loved him. He goes from having about two lines in the first season to becoming the third-main character on the show in the last season. I guess the Emmy voters didn't see his last scene in the final episode.

It wouldn't really bother me too much if The Shield didn't win any Emmys. The newer shows usually get the awards anyway. But to have ZERO nominations for the last season of one the greatest cop dramas ever is a crime. If only Vic was still around to crack some Emmy nominator skulls.

Do yourself a favor, watch The Shield, all of it, and you'll understand.

Week 2 Picks

Last week: 14-2

Atlanta over Carolina

Minnesota over Detroit

Green Bay over Cincinnati

Tennessee over Houston

UPSET PICK: Oakland over Kansas City, it's the Raiders winning, so it's an upset no matter who they're playing

New England over New York Jets

Philadelphia over New Orleans

Washington over St. Louis

Arizona over Jacksonville

Buffalo over Tampa Bay

Seattle over San Francisco

Pittsburgh over Chicago

Denver over Cleveland

San Diego over Baltimore

Dallas over New York Giants

Indianapolis over Miami