This and That

Tiger Woods has announced that he is taking an "indefinite" break from the PGA tour. This is bad news for everyone affiliated with the tour except the players. Phil Mickleson probably did a back flip when he heard Tiger was shelving the clubs for a bit. PGA execs have to be upset though. No Tiger means no ratings. Not having Tiger on the tour is like a bikini contest without women; nobody is going to watch. Most of Tiger's sponsors seem to want to stick by him. I mean hell, does anybody really think that just because Tiger is an adulterating sexual deviant, I am going to be any less inclined to buy a Buick? Hell no. In fact, I might go out right now and buy some Gillette shaving cream, nike golf balls, and a used Regal. When companies select a sports icon to represent their products, their target demographic is men. I have yet to meet a man who is concerned with a professional athlete's fidelity issues. Men care about what happens on the field, court, or course. Athlete's personal lives are of no real concern to regular Joes. You know what is? Wins, losses, highlights, and stats...and beer...and boobs. But that's it! And if he is dropped by these sponsors, hey, there's always Trojan.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has announced that the NFL will begin playing multiple games in the UK next season. The Buffalo Bills already travel to Canada to play one of their home games at the Rodgers Center in Toronto, and now the NFL's fearless leader has decided to move at least two more games to foreign lands. Taking home games away from teams not only deprives that team's fan base of a home game, but also deprives the home city, and local businesses of millions of dollars in revenue. I was dumbfounded when, after the Hurricane Katrina disaster, the NFL went ahead with plans to play one of the Saints' home games in London. If there was one city that certainly needed the money, it was, and still is New Orleans. The British don't care about the NFL any more than Americans care about soccer. Do you and the guys ever get together, head to the local sports bar, and request that they change the big screen to the MLS? Didn't think so. Let the British keep soccer, the Spice Girls, and Fish and Chips. Keep the NFL in the States.

On a side note, if the games in the UK aren't sold out, do the games still get blacked out on the "home" teams' local TV stations, or will the NFL only black out the games in England? Hmmm...

The NBA and NHL seasons are still going on.

Ray Lewis is still a murderer.

Happy Holidays!

Cooking on a Hot Stove

Major League Baseball's free agent signing period has officially begun, and according to Baltimore Orioles general manager Andy MacPhail, the Birds have "payroll flexibility" and are willing to throw major money at a few major free agents this off season. The problem is, however, there aren't really any major free agents to throw money at this year. There's Jason Bay and Matt Holliday, but the O's don't need any outfielders. I think they like where they are with Nolan Reimold, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis.

While Baltimore needs a veteran starting pitcher, the market's biggest name, John Lackey will be grossly overpaid this year, and I don't think that the O's can win a bidding war with the Yankees. So, remove Lackey from the wish list. That leaves guys like Rich Harden, Ben Sheets, Randy Wolf, and former Orioles ace, Erik Bedard. I would take any one of these guys.

Also on the Orioles Christmas wish list are a third and first baseman. They have options in Michael Aubrey, Luke Scott, and Ty Wigginton, but I would like to see them go after a guy like Adrian Beltre or Chone Figgans for third, and maybe Hank Blaylock, Russell Branyan, or Carlos Delgado at first. The Orioles have prospects for these positions making their way through the minors in Josh Bell and Brandon Snyder, but neither are expected to be ready this season. Trading for a guy like Miguel Cabrera or Adrian Gonzales would cost major prospects, but I think either would be worth it. "You gotta spend money to make money."

That leaves the bull pen. The Orioles traded closer George Sherrill to the Dodgers for the aforementioned Bell, enabling Jim Johnson to take the closer role, a role where he did anything but pitch well. Then again, Sherrill has to be the only pitcher in history to amass thirty saves in a season while loading the bases in each of those saves. Johnson is lights out as a set up guy and I would like to see him return to that role. Koji Uehara will return from injury next season and is expected to pitch from the pen,(he excelled as a closer in Japan) but I still think that the O's should go after a flame thrower like Fernando Rodney. Names like Billy Wagner, Mike Gonzales, and Raphael Soriano have been tossed around a bit, but Rodney reminds me of Lee Smith. I love having that dominant guy coming out of the pen to close out a game. It gets the fans energized and strikes a little fear in the opposing team's heart.

I'm an Orioles fan and I want to compete now. I think that with the right moves, break out seasons from guys like Weiters, Reimold, Matusz, and Tillman, a solid bounce-back season from Jeremy Guthrie, and the continued emergence of Brad Bergesen, the O's could make some serious noise next year.

I know these are a lot of "ifs", but I've always viewed the world through orange tinted glasses anyway! My name is Chris, and I am a Kool-Aidaholic.

Here is my opening day 2010 Baltimore Orioles roster.

1. 2B Brian Roberts

2. CF Adam Jones

3. RF. Nick Markakis

4. 1B. Carlos Delgado

5. 3B. Adrian Beltre

6. C. Matt Weiters

7. LF. Nolan Reimold

8. DH. Luke Scott

9. SS. Cesar Izturis

Bench: IF Ty Wigginton, IF Robert Andino, OF Felix Pie, C ?? I'd like to see Moeller come back.

SP. Ben Sheets, Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Matusz, Brad Bergesen, Chris Tillman

RP. David Hernandez, Jason Berken, Mark Hendrickson, Kam Mickilio, Koji Uehara, Jim Johnson, Fernando Rodney. (might need another lefty in there)

Ain't Nothin' wrong with that!

P.S.

I am getting married on September 25th. What an even more perfect day it would be if I could be with all of the people I love, crowded around a T.V. cheering the O's on in a game against the Yankees or Red Sox that actually means something!! (after the wedding of course, and don't judge me, the bride will be cheering just as loud as everyone else!) A few of you guys who will read this will be there and absolutely know what I am talking about. Could this be the next version of the "Why Not" O's?

Something Magic Happens.....

Exposed?

After starting the season on a six game winning streak, and being the surprise of the year in the NFL, the Denver Broncos have lost two consecutive games. Word on the street is that the Broncos have been exposed for being a one dimensional football team. I couldn't agree more. Defensively, the Broncos are extremely strong, playing incredible football for the majority of the first half of the season. Under Mike Nolan's 3-4 defensive scheme, the Broncos defense, which features 8 new starters has been left out to dry in the second half against two solid offensive clubs in the Ravens and the Steelers. Brian Dawkins, Champ Bailey and company have held the Ravens and The Steelers to 6 and zero points respectively during the first half of the last two games. The problem isn't that the defense has been figured out during the second half of the past two games, rather that the offense has performed so completely miserably that the defense simply wore down due to being on the field for what has seemed like the entire second half in both games. Against the Steelers, the Broncos offense, which should have been called "the eleven guys who were on the field when the Defense wasn't", played for 8 minutes in the second half. Even Anita Marks and the Miami Fury of the women's barnstorming football league could put up points against a good defense, especially given 75% of the half in which to play offense.

It looks like the recipe for shutting down the Broncos offense, which is full of Pro-Bowl caliber players, is to crowd the box to shut down the intermediate passing game. Consequently, by putting eight men in the box to stop the short pass, the Broncos running game has been rendered a non factor. Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon (I promise to fumble at least once a game) Moreno have been worthless. Granted, in playing the Ravens and Steelers, the Broncos faced two of the better defenses in football, but that is still no excuse for the way that the offense has performed of late. One offensive touchdown in two games is pitiful. I don't care if you are playing the '85 Bears, the '00 Ravens, the Steel Curtain, or the Purple People Eaters, an offense has to at least put up a fight. The last two weeks have looked like Miley Cyrus stepping into the ring with Mike Tyson...embarrassing.

So, I implore Josh McDaniels and Kyle Orton (believe me, they read this blog every day) to at least try and open up the passing game. This will stretch the field, (if successful) giving the Broncos running backs at least a shot to gain some ground and maybe control the clock. Brandon Marshall, who in my opinion is the #2 wide out in football behind Houston's Andre Johnson, has the ability to beat any corner in the league. He is 6'5", has great hands as well as an uncanny ability to run after the catch. Tony Scheffler, Eddie Royal, and Brandon Stokely aren't necessarily scrubs by any stretch of the imagination either. With all of this offensive firepower, why not try and chuck the ball a bit? If it comes down to the fact that Kyle Orton simply cannot make those throws, then maybe coach McDaniels should consider a different quarterback. Don't get me wrong, I love old neck-beard, but just being serviceable and efficient isn't going to get it done in this league. Don't bring up Trent Dilfer either, because I really don't think that this Bronco defense measures up to the Ravens defense that, along with Matt Stover, won a super Bowl 9 years ago. From the looks of that defense, I swear that they were the only defense in history that was allowed to field 14 players. Not a piece of green was uncovered. Okay, enough praise for the defense that featured the worlds second most famous, accused, then acquitted, murdering linebacker.

This Sunday, it's the lowly Redskins. Not to be overlooked, even though they do have a cardboard cut-out wearing a headset for a head coach. The Skins have a very solid defense themselves, but like the Broncos, are offensively anemic. The fact that they are without Clinton Portis and Chris Cooley certainly doesn't help. So what to do in this game? First, blitz Jason Campbell all day long. The Skins O-line is suffering badly. Newly acquired Levi Jones will be starting at left tackle.(Elvis Dumerville should be licking his chops) Cambpell wont be able to complete any passes from his hind-parts. Second, at least try and stretch the field a bit. The Redskins strength is pass defense, but I like Denver's chances. Their O-line should be able to contain Albert(so what if I only play six games a season, I make 100 million dollars) Haynesworth, as well as Brian Orakpo, and the rest of the Skins pass rush.

I'm not one for predictions, but I think that the Broncos win this one in a barn burner. Broncos 10, Redskins 7. Both touchdowns very well could be defensive scores, but I figure the Broncos offense can at least muster one field goal. They will be in position for two, but Matt Prater, true to form, misses a 35 yarder.

THROW THE BALL DOWN THE FIELD KYLE!!!!

P.S.

If anyone is going to the game, look for the guy in the alternate orange Brandon Marshall jersey singing "Rocky Mountain Way" in the parking lot. Go Broncos!

Must Be Nice

It's about time! The New York Yankees have finally won another World Series. All of you poor Yankees fans who have stuck by your beloved Yankees throughout this decade-long period of Gotham City mediocrity, finally have your championship. It must be really difficult to be a Yankees fan though. I mean they have only won 27 World Championships, and it seems every season that they don't win the Series they are at least in the playoffs. Oops, sorry, they didn't make it last year. Pain, suffering...

It is a sad day in Baseball my friends. When I was growing up, I remember watching baseball, and loving it for it's purity, for it's excitement, for the hope that no matter what, any team has a shot. Now, things are quite different. It doesn't matter who has the best farm system, or who is better coached or managed. All that matters is who has the fattest wallet. The New York Yankees payroll this season was a ridiculous 208 million dollars. That number is 63 million dollars higher than the next highest team's payroll, which happens to be the other New York team...what are they called again? Oh, yeah, The Mets. Isn't is weird that you never meet any Mets fans, but the world is polluted with Yankees fans? Even the people I meet that are actually from the Tri-State area always love the Yankess...hey, fugettaboutit! And go ahead tell me that there is competitive balance, and that "hey, look at the Rays..." Blah, Blah, Blah. There is always a possibility of a fluke, but nine times out of ten, it's the same eight teams in the playoffs, and honestly, I'm getting tired of it.

.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, a once proud and competitive franchise started this season with a payroll of nearly 49 million dollars, placing them third lowest in the league, just in front of Florida and San Diego. If you break that number down on a per season basis, Alex Rodriguez "earns" 8 million dollars more per season than the entire Pirates ball club...hey, fugettaboutit!! Big Markets earn more money, enabling them to spend more money. Small markets make far less money, allowing them to spend NO money. If you think that there is a competitive balance, call me when Pittsburgh and Kansas City meet in the World Series after a tough playoff run that didn't include them pulling off gigantic upsets over the likes of the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers, Mets, or Phillies.

I may sound like a bitter fan, and as a proud Baltimore Orioles fan, I might be. But first, and foremost I am a baseball fan. The game that I grew up loving is slowly dying, losing fans by the second. The only way to fix this is to install some sort of ceiling on every teams spending ability. This will create an environment in which ANY team truly has a shot. We will see fans return to their seats, more revenue for the game as a whole, and this once great game return to its rightful place as our national pastime. But until that happens....HEEYYY, FUGGETTABOUTIT!!!!

Week Six Power Rankings

Week six is officially in the books. The Broncos, Colts, Saints, and Vikings all remain undefeated. The Bucs, Titans, and Rams all remain, well, defeated. The Redskins embarassed themselves again this week, losing to the Chiefs while only scoring six points. Whoever thinks that the Skins will be suddenly transformed into a competitive football team by taking play calling duties away from Jim Zorn and giving them to Sherm Lewis is kidding themselves. No way Zorn makes it through the bye week. I wonder how much those "Horny for Zorny" t-shirts are going for these days? Whose to blame in D.C? Daniel Snyder gets my vote. How lucky the Washington D.C, Baltimore metro area is to be blessed with Peter Angelos and Dan Snyder. I won't mention the Nationals ownership because, honestly, I don't consider the Nats to be a professional sports team. I don't think Zorn can be blamed for the Skins wretched performance so far this year. The only reason this guy is the head coach of this team is because, after he was hired as the teams new offensive coordinator, Snyder couldn't get a legitimate head coach to come and work for him. With no head coach in place, the job practically fell in Zorn's lap; a job that he was never qualified for in the first place. I feel sorry for the guy.

Nobody should be more embarassed than the lowly Titans. How does a team that was 13-3 a year ago, sporting the best record in football, open the season at 0-6? Not only did Tennessee lose on sunday, but Tom Brady treated their defense like a practice squad. Actually, I think that the Patriots practice squad would have put up a better fight than the Titans did. Giselle Bunchen and the Victoria Secret models could have at least stopped Brady once. Tommy Boy threw for over 300 yards while tossing six touchdowns. A huge game for Brady. The embarrasing part, he played for just over 30 minutes and then took a seat on the bench. I think CBS actually stopped showing the game and cut to the premiere of "Heidi", and nobody, not even in New England, noticed or cared.

Brett Favre closed his eyes and threw the ball as far as he could as the fourth quarter was winding down against the Ravens. Ravens defensive back Frank Walker was beaten so badly on the play that he actually tried to pull Sidney Rice's jersey off. Not only did Walker get called for pass interference, Rice still caught the ball. The Ravens secondary is in trouble. This came after the Vikings defense, holding a 17 point lead allowed the Ravens to pull ahead. Ray Rice scampered in for the go ahead touchdown as every player on the Vikings defense watched. I don't think anyone actually tried to tackle him. The Ravens made a last ditch effort though. Joe Flacco, who in my opinion is the best young quarterback in the league, marched the Ravens down the field, setting up Steven Hauschska for the game winner....wide left. Maybe the Ravens should have held on to Matt Stover, who coincidentally signed with the Colts last week. I wonder if anyone has heard from Walker or Hauschka today. Somebody should look into that, because I'm sure that Ray Lewis is none too happy about losing three straight games.

In other news, The Denver Broncos dominated the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football for all of the world to see. The Broncos defense has allowed ten points in the second half...all season. Amazing. Kyle Orton is beginning to look like an M.V.P candidate. The guy has thrown one pick all season (and that was a hail mary at the end of the half against New England that was picked by Randy Moss...hardly a turnover.) The guy just gets the job done. The Broncos have a bye week, followed by another tough game on the road in Baltimore. The Ravens are going to be hungry, and possibly looking for a new kicker and cornerback. Somebody take that knife out of Ray-Ray's hand please!

Here are my power rankings for week 6:

1. Indianapolis Colts (The Colts got healthier during the bye week while Peyton Manning still threw for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns.)
2. New Orleans saints (The Saints would be at number 1 after destroying the Giants, but I can't penalize the idle Colts.)
3. Denver Broncos (Still undefeated, and finally starting to get a little respect. A hungry, angry Ravens squad awaits the Broncos after their bye week.)
4. Minnesota Vikings (Brett Favre is carrying the Vikings offense. Spectacular feat for a 76 year old man. Minnesota's secondary is very suspect.)
5. New York Giants (The Giants ran into a buzz saw Sunday in New Orleans. Eli looked frustrated and flustered all day.)
6. New England Patriots (So, they not only put up 59 points, but completely dominated the Titans defensively.)
7. Atlanta Falcons (Matt Ryan continues to blossom into an outstanding quarterback. The addition of Tony Gonzales gives Atlanta a complete offense.)
8. Pittsburgh Steelers (Getting Polamalu back in the secondary, and the emergence of Rashard Mendenhall has the Steelers looking like the champs once again.)
9. Chicago Bears (After a shaky week 1, Jay Cutler is playing Pro-Bowl caliber football.)
10. Cinncinati Bengals (Losing Antwan Odom for the year is a crushing blow to the stout Bengals D.)

Brady defeats Patriots with perfectly thrown incompletions to preserve Broncos'5-0 record.

The Denver Broncos are 5-0. I must admit that, although I am thoroughly enjoying being a Broncos fan, I did not see this coming. I was so dejected during the off-season that I actually predicted that this team would win 4 games. Well, at this moment I am certainly eating a huge plate full of crow. With "McJaygate" and Brandon Marshall's antics, I thought that this was going to be a horrible season. I didn't jump off of the bus and claim that I was going to convert to being a Ravens fan(shudders) like my dad did, but nonetheless I didn't see much hope for the immediate future of the Broncos.

What bugs me though, are the analysts who, no matter how well the Broncos play, never want to give them the credit they deserve. When they beat Cincy they got lucky. Oakland and Cleveland are horrible(okay, that's true.) The Cowboys are overrated, and something is wrong with Tom Brady. So if there is something wrong with Tom Brady, shouldn't the Ravens feel worse for losing to the Patriots who beat them with a rusty Brady? I don't think so. There is only something wrong with Tom Brady when he isn't playing perfect football, and not living up to his role as the NFL's golden boy. There must have been a severe ratings fall off after Brady got hurt last year. I mean hell, they actually created a rule so he could never get hurt again. Oh what would the league do without Tommy??

Maybe what's wrong with Brady is the fact that he played against a really good defense in Denver on Sunday. Anybody think of that? Seriously, he threw two passes that were off the mark. Granted they both probably would have been touchdowns, but those two plays didn't cost the Patriots the game. After throwing that last pass to Welker, I was begging CBS' Chris Simms to even say the words "Brady threw a bad pass", or even better, "horrible throw by Brady", but my requests fell on dumb ears (and not just because he couldn't hear me through the T.V.) I felt like what Simms really wanted to say was "Oh my stars, that was the most beautifully thrown errant pass I have ever seen. Even though the ball hit Welker in the foot, he's gotta make that play." There must be a clause in his contract saying: "disparaging the image of one Thomas Brady, the greatest thing to ever happen to the world, will not be tolerated, and will result in immediate termination of contract."

Suck it Simms.

Go Broncos

The Twins win it, the Twins win it, oh my god, the Twins win it!

I just witnessed one of the greatest baseball games I have ever seen. The Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers in 12 innings of exhilarating baseball.

With the score tied at five, in the tenth inning of the two teams 163rd game of the season, Minnesota's Alexi Casilla failed to properly tag up from third base on a line drive that was caught by Detroit left fielder Ryan Rayburn. He was thrown out at the plate by Rayburn, (a former college pitcher who apparently could throw upwards of 95 m.p.h but couldn't get any movement on his fastball), allowing the game to continue. In the twelfth inning, with Carlos Gomez on second base, Casilla, the goat just two innings earlier, delivered a single to right field that allowed Gomez to score easily, and the Twins to claim the Central Division title for the fifth time in eight years. Minnesota is the only team in the history of Major League Baseball to win a division title after trailing by three games with four to play.

Oh, poor fans of Detroit's professional sports teams...been a rough year. Next up for the Twins, the New York Yankees; A true David vs. Goliath. I gotta say one thing...GO TWINS!!!

Week 4 NFL Power Rankings

We've reached the quarter pole of the 2009 NFL season. This year has seen a few surprises so far. The Denver Broncos are 4-0 after a thrilling defeat of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Brandon Marshall's 50+ yard catch and scamper being the deciding offensive play. But it was the newly dominant Broncos defense that held the powerful Dallas offense scoreless through 3 quarters. With San Diego falling to the Steelers on Sunday night, the surprising Broncos hold a two game lead in the AFC West. Cincinnati's overtime win in Cleveland has them tied for first place with the Ravens (who lost a tough road game to New England) in the AFC North. The AFC East is all tied up after New England's win over Baltimore, and the New Orleans defense finally bringing Mark Sanchez and the Jets down to earth; both teams are 3-1. The Indianapolis colts, led by fantastic quarterback play from Peyton Manning, have a firm grip on the AFC South. The big shocker in that division, and probably the entire league, are the Tennessee Titans. At 0-4 their season is likely over.

In the NFC East, The New York Giants just keep rolling, still undefeated, although a foot injury to quarterback Eli Manning could hamper their progress. Word is still out on the severity of Manning's injury. The New Orleans Saints lead the NFC south by 1.5 games over the idle Atlanta Falcons. The Saints dominance over the Jets, and still unblemished record makes them an early favorite in the NFC. In the NFC North, the Chicago Bears exploded offensively on Sunday with a blowout win over Detroit, but the Bears still trail the 4-0 Minnesota Vikings by a game in that division. Brett Favre and the Vikings defeated the Packers on Monday night to conserve their slim lead in the North. If it weren't for a crazy, closed eye, sandlot play we'd be talking about another undefeated team, The San Francisco 49ers. Led by a stout defense, which features maybe the most underrated defensive player in the league, Patrick Willis, the Niners already have a firm two game grip on the NFC West. They will need Frank Gore to return 100% healthy from an ankle strain to maintain that lead in the division that's also home to the underachieving, defending NFC champion, Arizona Cardinals.

Here are my power rankings for week 4.

1. New York Giants (Eli's injury could change their ranking drastically in the coming weeks.)

2. Indianapolis Colts (Peyton looks better than ever.)

3. New Orleans Saints (The Saints don't need Drew Brees to chuck it 50 times to win anymore.)
4. Minnesota Vikings (Even with an off night from A.P., the Vikes still pulled out the win.)

5. New England Patriots (Big win over the Ravens on Sunday)

6. Baltimore Ravens (Look for the Ravens to take out some aggression on the Bengals next week.)

7. Denver Broncos (Mike Nolan's new D has the Broncos faithful thinking playoffs)

8. Pittsburgh Steelers (The O looked okay, but Rivers and company made that game too close.)

9. San Francisco 49ers (This club should run away with the NFC West)

10. Chicago Bears (Jay Cutler now has a legitimate threat in Johnny Knox to go along with second year stud, Matt Forte.)

Hockey's back...What else is on?

The 2009-2010 NHL season has officially started...awesome. I can't wait for all of the "hockey fans" to start showing up at my bar just in time to catch the playoffs. Seriously, who REALLY likes hockey anyway. I know a bunch of people who claim to be Capitals fans (certain people excluded...Comissioner Gordon), but if you ask them who Al Iafrate is you'll likely get blank stares rather than legitimate answers. By the way, the answer to that question...Al Iafrate is the man who owns the esteemed honor of not only having a monster slap shot, but also for sporting the greatest mullet in the history of pro sports. If there were a hall of fame for haircuts, this guy would be a shoo-in...but I digress. You know where you have to go to watch hockey? VS. That's right, the same channel that shows hunting and fishing all day long with the occasional spattering of M.M.A (which in my opinion is nothing more than human dogfighting). I get it though, hockey players are amazing athletes, who, through coordination alone, deserve the highest accolades. It's just that the sport sucks. You know why they allow the players to fight? Because that's the only thing that keeps people interested. Have you ever been to a hockey game where less than ten goals were scored? It's like watching tennis (only less exciting). There's a reason ESPN would rather show the National Spelling Bee than hockey. I actually think that the Spelling Bee highlights get more air time than those from the NHL, a so-called "major" sport, even though one of it's franchises had to be taken over by the league due to poor management. Not even Peter Angelos could screw up that badly.

Progress in Birdland?

Andy McPhail's goal for this season's Baltimore Orioles was not for the team to compete in the tough A.L. East, rather to, no matter what, finish stronger than they started. Well folks, the Orioles' record so far in September is 6-19 while losing their last 12; not exactly closing out the season in the strongest fashion to say the least. I personally cannot wait for the season to end.

So, if we all knew that this was going to be a rough season, which I think we can agree that it has been, what are the positives that O's fans can take away from this year? The arrival of Matt Weiters, Nolan Reimold, Felix Pie, Brad Bergesen, Chris Tillman, Brian Matusz, David Hernandez, and Jason Berken gives Orioles fans some hope for the future.

There are many questions, however, that the Orioles front office has to answer: #1, who is going to be playing the corner infield positions for this club next year? With Aubrey Huff traded to Detroit and Melvin Mora, more than likely, leaving at the end of the season(The O's have an option on his contract for next year that makes no sense for them to pick up) leaves no players on the big club to fill those voids. Michael Aubrey has been a decent stop-gap at first, but do you really want him starting opening day 2010 at first? Didn't think so. There is prospect Brandon Snyder, who produced in minor league action this year. Will he be ready to play in April? Who knows. The Luke Scott experiment at first seems to have ended, and the club needs a more consistent bat there anyway. Ty Wigginton can play there occasionally, but then again, the O's need a first baseman who can do more than pop out every at-bat. With Nolan Reimold's nagging achilles injury, I think he should get a look at first, especially with Felix Pie showing that he just might be able to produce on a Major League club. Reimold has the pop and the size to play first. I think that he's a good fit there. We could always trade for a first baseman, but that would cost prospects, and it doesn't look like the brass is willing to part with much young talent. The free agent market won't provide much either...Chris Davis, Russell Branyan?

That brings us to the hot corner, where Melvin Mora is seeing his final starts there in an Oriole uniform. When the Orioles traded closer George Sherrill to the Dodgers, they in turn received third base prospect Josh Bell. The word on the street is that Bell has middle of the line-up pop but a very suspect glove at the moment. With his defense improving, Bell has been labeled the third baseman of the future in Baltimore. Okay, but is the future 2010? Don't think so for Bell. So, that leaves the O's with few options. Do you just plug Wigginton there as a stop gap for the season (pop-ups once again), Bring Bell up before he is ready, or (gasp!) go out and sign a legitimate free agent to man the position. I say go out there and grab somebody who can play. Unfortunately the list of pending free agent third basemen is slim at best. I love Chone Figgins in an Oriole uniform, or maybe Adrian Beltre, but other than that the O's options are pretty limited.

Pitching is always a concern for this club. The bullpen needs to be completely overhauled. I'd say hold on to Johnson, Mickilio, and Hendrickson, then fill in the blanks with fresh meat. When Koji Uehara returns he will more than likely end up in the pen. With the emergence of Bergesen, Matusz and Tillman, either David Hernandez or Jason Berken (or both) will be sent to the pen as well. I believe Jeremy Guthrie deserves to be this team's opening day starter next year. Yes he has had a rough season, but we have seen what he is capable of. With prospects such as Jake Arrieta, Brandon Erbe, and Zach Britton still making their way through the system, the Orioles have a problem that they haven't had in a very long time...a deep farm system full of pitching prospects.

Finally that brings us to the management of this club. Look, I get it...Dave Trembley is a nice guy and knows how to handle young talent. That's all well and good for Mr. Trembley, but this club needs someone who will fire them up and not accept mental errors by young players or veterans. Blaming bad, unfocused play on youth is unacceptable. These guys have been playing ball their entire lives. Some of the mistakes they make wouldn't be acceptable in high school, much less the Majors. Why not bring in a guy with fire, someone who knows what it's like to win with this organization, a guy who will never accept lackluster play...a guy like Rick Dempsey.

It's quite simple for Mr. Angelos...put a winner on the field and the yards will be packed once again. He owes it to the city, the organization, and the fans to go out there this winter and MAKE this team a contender again.

What would you do to improve the Baltimore Orioles? Would you trade any of the prospects? If so, which would you be willing to part ways with, and what players would you target if you were acting G.M. for a day?

NFL Power Rankings.

The 2009 NFL season is now officially 3 weeks old. The Cowboys pulled off a come from behind win tonight edging the suddenly offensively inept Carolina Panthers 21-7 (What is wrong wih Jake Dellhome?)

To kick this blog off lets get some opinions out of you guys. We'll start with ranking the teams in the NFL, and then talk about overrated and underrated players. First the power rankings. If I had to rank the top ten teams in the NFL, my list would look a little like this:

1. New York Giants (Plaxico who? The G-men's passing attack hasn't missed a beat.)
2. Baltimore Ravens (This team can score now...very scary.)
3. Indianapolis Colts (New coaches, no more Marvin, injuries on defense...same old Peyton.)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2 start but its tough to look at this team as anything but defending Super Bowl Champions.)
5. New Orleans Saints (Name a defense that Drew Brees and company couldn't score on.)
6. Minnesota Vikings (Is The Ol' Gunslinger really the missing link?)
7. New York Jets (Gotta love the way Rexy has got these guys playing. Is Sanchez the real deal?)
8. San Diego Chargers (Has LT hit a wall? Rivers and company find ways to get it done even without LT on the field.)
9. Denver Broncos (When is the last time the Denver D gave up less than 20 points in one half, let alone 3 games)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (last time they were in a top ten, Carson Palmer was hurt and the article was ranking teams based on the number of criminal offenders on their roster.)

Now this is only week 3 so obviously this list is going to change. I'd like to hear who you would put on that list. Also, who do you guys think that the most overrated and underrated players in the NFL are...Tony Romo anyone?

MLB Playoff Chase

The MLB regular season is winding down with less than ten games to play. There are really no suprises as the teams who are in control of playoff spots are pretty much the usual suspects. New York leading the AL East with the Red Sox trailing, though holding a commanding lead on the wild card spot. The Tigers and Twins are in a close duel to win the AL Central (the first game in a crucial series between these two was rained out today), and the Angels have a firm grip on the AL West top spot.

In the National League it's pretty much a done deal except for the wild card chase where the Rockies hold a slim lead over the surging Braves. LA had a chance to clinch the NL West today but were thumped by the Pirates and their magic number remains at 1. St Louis has the NL Central wrapped up while the Phillies have the NL East in the bag with a 5 game lead over the Braves with 7 games to play.

My early predictions for the World Series? Glad you asked. I am going with the Yankees (as much as it pains me to say) and the Cardinals. I think the Cardinals win it in seven games, clinching the title in front of the masses at the new Yankee Stadium. Tell me what you think....

Drinking The Kool Aid.

The Denver Broncos are 3-0, and have to be considered one of the early NFL season's suprising stories. After an offseason filled with turmoil that has seen Mike Shannahan fired, the young Josh McDaniels hired as the teams first new head coach since 1995, Jay Cutler being traded and Brandon Marshall demanding to be traded, The Broncos have put together a string of victories that has put them on top of the AFC west. The biggest suprise however, is not that the Broncos are 3-0, but how they have achieved this success.


Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

Led by a dominant, stingy defense which has allowed just 16 points in twelve quarters of play, the Broncos are a team with not only new personnel, but a new Identity. New defensive coordinator Mike Nolan has installed a 3-4 defense that has seen the Broncos transform one of the NFL's worst defenses over the past two seasons, to the early NFL seasons best.

Offensively, the Broncos, now led by oft criticized Kyle Orton have gone from a "sling it all over the field and win it for us with your golden arm Jay Cutler" style of play, to a quick slanting, run happy attack that has shown constant improvement over the past three weeks. With Brandon Marshall finally contributing, the offense has the talent, and the scheme to compete with just about any in the league.

I know what you're saying, "the Broncos have only played one decent team and they were very lucky to win that game" (see: "The Immaculate Deflection"), and you are right. The Broncos can only play the schedule that is laid out before them. Granted, they haven't played the "toughest" stretch of their schedule (which coincidentally starts next week with Dallas), but in my opinion every game in the NFL is a tough one and there are no such things as easy victories. Besides, if you can't have hope when things are going well, what's the point of being upset when they aren't?