It's The End of the World As We Know It

REM, of course...

Tonight is a tough night for me. Sadly, the New York Yankees finished their season during the ALDS, which is a series or two short from the expectations of Yankees fans. (Sidebar: luckily, I taped Game 4 (a Yankee victory) for when Jacob is demanding that we watch baseball. He loves watching baseball so much, I can't break his heart to tell him that baseball season ever ends.) What happened tonight was a microcosm of the entire ALDS: the heart of the order simply did not produce much fruit.

Alex Rodriguez is supposed to protect Robinson Cano, but he put up numbers that were an atrocity- even for A-Rod. He went 0-4, with 3 Ks tonight, leaving him with a paltry .111 AVG (2 for 18), 3 RBI with 6 Ks for the series. Hardly the number you expect for a man with the highest salary in baseball. The numbers don't do his performance any justice. He did not look comfortable at the plate for most of the series. He simply looked confused did not have any confidence swinging the bat. There were instances where Tigers pitching made him look downright foolish. Mark Teixiera and Nick Swisher didn't offer much more for the Yankees either. Teixiera .166/1 RBI/5 Ks and Swisher .211/2 RBI and 5 Ks for the series. These 3 men left enough men on base to make the Weather Girls blush (queue the song, "It's Raining Men?") The heart of a lineup cannot perform like this if you expect to progress in the postseason.

CC Sabathia did not pitch well either. His Game 3 performance was less than spectacular, and he also gave up a run in relief tonight. Considering that he is not used to coming out of the bullpen, he kept it close enough for one of the Yankee hitters to pick him up tonight.

Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson both had a stellar postseason. Cano was amazing at the plate hitting .318 with 9 RBI while looking smooth as silk in picking it in the field defensively. Granderson produced offensively as well, but his defense proved to be the best of any player in the series. He stretched out to make an inning-ending catch that saved 3 runs in the 1st inning of Game 4 and another amazing diving catch to end the a later inning and saved 2 more runs. Without his leather in Game 4, A-Rod would not have had a chance to kill the Yankees in Game 5.

The brightest spot for the Yankees in this series must be the emergence of Brett Gardner. Gardner (in the 9th spot) had a .428 AVG and accounted for 8 runs (5 RBI and 3 runs scored). When he is on first, it isn't long until he ends up stealing 2nd and has his eyes on 3rd. Gardner is looking like the player I wanted him to become- a speed demon that gives the Yankees an opportunity to manufacture runs instead of simply relying on the long ball.

Finally, I do have an issue with Joe Girardi's decision-making tonight: not one pinch-hitter the entire evening. Russell Martin did not have great ABs tonight, why not throw Jesus Montero a bone? Girardi also had Andruw Jones on the pine who could have taken swings for Swisher. As poorly as A-Rod was swinging the bat tonight (much less the entire series), was there an opportunity to pinch-hit for him? ThereI realize that the NY sports writers would have likely had a field day with it, but I would have like to seen Eric Chavez with an opportunity at the plate. What's the worst that could happen: Chavez to make the final out of the season instead of A-Rod? That would have made it easier for A-Rod over the next few days, Instead, the season ended the same way it did last year: with A-Rod striking out swinging and a bunch of question marks heading into the offseason.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman has a lot of work to do this offseason. The Yankees will likely lose Jorge Posada, and they will be looking for starting pitching once again. Who really thinks that Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia will have a repeat of this season's success nest year? Finally, CC Sabathia is likely to opt-out of his contract with the Yankees next year. That will be a huge blow to the AL East Champion Yankees' chances of repeating and progressing further in the postseason if he is not re-signed. It figures to be a tumultuous time in New York over the next few days as the ire of fans turns to the anticipation of the Hot Stove of MLB Free Agency.

Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting!

Preface: Notice that all of my recent posts have ties to a song? I like the thread and will be continuing it as long as possible!

Ok- I know that I just posted yesterday, but I am trying to post more often. I am currently watching the preliminary fight expose for UFC 101 an thought I would share my opinions on the co-main event fights for Saturday night.

Forrest Griffin v. Anderson Silva

I like Forrest Griffin as a person a lot. I like what he brings to the UFC. The former Light-Heavyweight Champion brings the "every man" personality to the table and he relishes being in a good fight. He always comes prepared for a battle in the octagon and refuses to give up. To sum it up quickly- he is the Rocky Balboa of the UFC. I am impressed by his heart and sheer desire to win. How can you not like this guy?

Again, I like Forrest Griffin a lot, but I LOVE Anderson "The Spider" Silva. The reigning Middleweight Champion is unquestionably the best pound for pound fighter in the world today. His striking ability is impetuous and lands about 80% of all of the strikes that he throws and kicks. He has some incredible victories over some of the best fighters the UFC has to offer. He has completely cleared out the 185 weight class leaving no one available to even contend for a title shot. He has dominated several fighters that previously fought at 205 pounds. He makes great fighters look awkward, ridiculous and outclassed.

When these guys meet, both have something to prove. Griffin wants to win this fight to prove that he is a threat to regain the Light Heavyweight Championship. Silva is fighting the criticism of his last two performances, which were underwhelming to his standards. This could potentially be the fight that we see history in the making. I can see different scenarios in which Forrest Griffin wins the fight. Griffin is the much bigger fighter at 205, when it comes to his frame. He has the chance to lean on Silva and use his size to control the fight. He also has the power to end the night early with one powerful blow. However I see Silva winning in numerous ways. His striking is deadly accurately and his Muay Thai stand-up style could pose a lot of problems for Griffin. On the ground, Silva is clearly the better fighter, but the size difference that Griffin has over Silva may negate Silva's prowess as a black belt in Jui-Jitsu.

Prediction: Silva TKO over Griffin in Round 2.

BJ Penn v. Kenny Florian

BJ Penn is looking to defend the Lightweight Championship in what should be considered one of the biggest fights of his career. Coming of a forgettable loss to Georges St. Pierre (moving up to the Welterweight Class for the fight), his corner did not allow him to continue the fight. His conditioning has always been the big question mark throughout his career. Otherwise, BJ Penn has all the skills a person can train for: strong striking, defends well, and has an incredible ground game.

Kenny Florian is a great fighter as well. His conditioning is never in question. He has continued to get better and better for each subsequent fight over the past 6 fights. He is the type of guy that you like to see fight because you know you are going to get a strong performance out of him for each fight. While not the world-class skills of BJ Penn, his ground skills are nothing to snicker about.

This fight will come down to which BJ Penn arrives for the fight on Saturday night. I have to think that Penn has learned his lesson after the last fight against St. Pierre, but I am going to go against the grain and choose Kenny Florian to upset him and take the lightweight title.

Prediction: Florian over Penn by unanimous decision.

That said- I want to get something else off my chest pertaining to MMA: What is going on with Fedor Emelianenko? Why in God's name would you NOT sign with the UFC? These other organizations are not even on the map. I can't figure out how to even find the fights in order to watch. Sick and tired of hearing people blow up this guy saying he is the best fighter in the world, I have a major problem calling someone the best in the world if the are continually ducking the UFC. Instead of fighting the best fighters in the world, he continues to fight the rejects that have been casted off by the only organization that is well represented in the industry. Dana White is right calling this guy a joke. He offered him everything under the sun to come fight the best in the world, but he declined. As far as I am concerned, I will not entertain any argument from his fans about his status in the world of MMA.

Looking forward to Saturday night. My boy, Joe has a reserved table at Buffalo Wild Wings her in Murfreesboro- the only reserved table in the building. I feel like such a VIP when I sit there because we are always treated well by the BWW staff. This should be a great event for the UFC. Long live the best MMA company in the world continuing to put the best fighters together event after incredible event!

Great Day In Sports!

"I've been waiting for this moment all my life, oh Lord..." 

-Phil Collins, "In The Air Tonight"

That lyric sums of my sports life today. The Football Gods have given me all I could ever hope for in Week 17  of the NFL. Let me break this down for you:

1. The NY Jest traded to get Brett Favre from Green Bay in order to take them into the playoffs. The Jets immediately cut their returning starter, Chad Pennington. 

2. The Miami Dolphins immediately sign Chad Pennington to to be the starting QB for a struggling team.

3. Tom Brady is injured and out for the season for the New England Patriots. The AFC East division is now up for grabs!

4. At Week 17, the Jets have been eliminated from playoff contention. The Dolphins will win the division and the Patriots will be eliminated if the Dolphins can beat the Jets. 

Before the games started, it was shaping up to be a wonderful day. The sun was shining and it was clear, but cold outside. A perfect day to stay indoors, where it is warn and cozy. I sat back, relaxed and watched a miserable Detroit Lions team attempt to avoid going 0-16 for the season. They came close, but ultimately lost to become the only team in NFL history to lose every game in a 16 game season. Sure, the 1976 Buccaneers went 0-14, but they were an expansion team so they get some slack. Plus- they only went 0-14. The Lions have been miserable for years and almost pulled of this feat once before (see the 2001 season). What makes it better is that they were 4-0 in the preseason- how crazy is that? Win all the games that didn't matter and none of the games that did matter... That is truly a sign of a tremendous feat that will NEVER be seen again. A part of history and sports folklore forever. 

On to the second set of games, where I see Chad Pennington have the opportunity to beat the team that released him for an over-the-hill QB that should have retired a year ago in Brett Favre. Pennington does what he does- precisely cuts through the Jets defense to lead them down the field and take the lead into the 4th quarter. Favre gives me everything I could hope for- 3 INTs (1 returned for TD), completed 50% of his passes and ends his season with a QB rating less than 50! A fitting way for his career to end- playing as horribly as ever. A vintage bad Favre game... He is the model for inconsistency. He's either goes 35-43/385/4 TDs or 20-40/3 INTs. Today he was the latter and I am eternally grateful! FOr once in my life, I can say I love Favre!

Seriously- who would have ever thought that a team that was 1-15 last year (which challenged for the right to be called "worst team ever") could turn around and win their division and go 11-5 on the season? I did not think they had it in them. I figured it was a year or so away.... So the Dolphins are in the playoffs, which means that the Patriots are out! Made my freaking day. Could it really get any better? Surely not... Yet- it did.

I then turn the channel to the Eagles/Cowboys game and see that the Eagles are obliterating the Cowboys 44-6! So, with a wild card bid hanging in the balance, the Cowboys completely melt down and mail it in against a division rival? That is so great! NOW- it cannot get any better in the NFL...

So there you have it- one of the best days for me as an NFL fan.