Week 9: Patriots at Colts

So, one of the most interesting games of the season is coming at Week 9 with the Patriots and the Colts, the two teams whom had been the dominant force of the AFC during the past decade.

Now, the spice of such rivalry comes in the clash of all-star quarterbacks Payton Manning and Tom Brady, and the usual questions at sports bars where football fans ask each other about “which of both quarterbacks would you rather have your team”

On both, Patriots AFC East and Colts AFC South, things are pretty tight between the teams (except for the unbeaten Titans of course). And certainly these teams are not the ones we are used to see, these teams are just a mere shadow of such past football powerhouses.

As a clear proof are the Colts, whom are coming to this game with a 3-4 record and hoping that they will be lucky enough to earn a wild card berth in a near future. Something interesting considering that the Colts has won six straight AFC South division titles.

Ok, so the Patriots are playing without Tom Brady, and the Colts are playing with Payton Manning, so some people might think that Indianapolis has a clear advantage over New England, but the truth is that Payton is there for the Colts, but he’s not the same quarterback we are used to use to see, in fact he’s not even in the top five in any statistical passing category, so this is promising to be an almost-even game in terms of quarterbacks.

Now, the Patriots are currently holding a better record than the Colts, but New England have come up with victories over underdog teams like the Rams, Broncos and San Francisco, so is still unclear what the outcome of this game can be, though I think the Colts have a certain advantage since the game is at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Lakers beat Clippers for second season victory

The Lakers are coming big this season with the power trio of Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. They are the NBA champion-runner ups and are ready to prove that they already have a reserved spot at the next NBA finals.

Los Angeles first ruin the debut of Greg Oden with the Trailblazers with a victory over Portland, and now they just ruined the debut of Baron Davis with the Clippers on their 117-79 victory against the… you know, the other basketball LA team.

The Lakers defense was a dominant force one more time, holding the Clips to only a 36.7% shooting percentage.

Kobe Bryant finished with 16 points, Derek Fisher had 15, Andrew Bynum finished with 12 and 7 Lakers ended with double digits.

O the other side of the fence, Baron Davis finished the night with 11 points and 13 shots. (David was probably unconsciously looking for Elton Brand over the court with no signs of him).

Sure, Kobe is the dominant man in the Lakers, but we all know that such spot is reserved for Andrew Bynum (it cost 80 million dollars to the Lakers to keep him on the team), and now that Bynum will be playing along with Pau Gasol, they will become a power duo among the trio.

Now that Bynum is active on the team, Gasol has moved to Power Forward while Bynum is set to be a more defensive man for now.

Now the competition is on the small forward position with Lamar Odom as the clear man to assume the position, but Vladamir Radmanovic and Luke Walton are also ready to play it, we’ll have to wait and see who is going to remain as full time starter.

All in all we can expect a lot from the Lakers, and with two wins in a row, they are surely motivated at this season opening.

Celtics begin 08/09 season with victory over Cavs

So yesterday the NBA season began officially with the game between the Celtics and the Cavaliers, on which the current champions received their respective NBA title 92-diamond rings as “we are the champions” blared through the whole TD Banknorth Garden which was packed with 18,624 fans.

Sure, Kevin Garnett was the most emotional player when the Celtics won the title against the Lakers, but yesterday that seat was reserved for Paul Pierce, the oldest of the “big three” who has been a part of the team since they were just another NBA team, not a clear contender as they are now since the arrival of Garnett and Ray Allen.

The Celtics raised their banner number 17 for their first championship since 1986.

Boston inaugurated the 08/09 season with a 90-85 come-from-behind victory over Cleveland as the Cavs were leading by 50-43 at half time.

When the game was over, James Posey was not missed. Even though he was an essential piece for the Celtics in the past season, Boston looked very complete without him.

Apart from trading Posey, the Celtics also lost veteran P.J. Brown (retired), and did not add any significant players instead of them, but with a power trio like the one they have, I see no reason why they had to bring extra talent.

Oh sorry, yes, they add Tony Allen as a replacement for Posey, but he still needs to prove himself, so… more on Allen later.

Of course Paul Pierce is still the man. He leaded the Celtics with 27 points, while Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen finished with a combined 19 points. Rajon Rondo helped with 14 and Leon Powe ended with 13 points.

The Celtics have very good chances to make it to the finals one more time, and surely Pierce, Garnett and Allen will try to prove that they didn’t came to Boston just for a single championship.

Rays won second World Series game and tied it to 1-1

At least the Rays got one out of two possible wins at home, as the first game of the World Series was for the Phillies, and now the series is moving to Citizens Bank Park for the next 3 games.

The Rays will have some time to rest before flying to Philadelphia for game 3 which is on Saturday. Tampa Bay defeated Philly by 4-2 at Tropicana Field. Two runs in the first inning have given the advantage to both teams, Phillies on the first game and Rays on the second.

Tampa Bay scored one more in the second inning and the final run came in the fourth, while Philly scored one run in the eight inning and their last on the ninth.

James Shields is credited with the Rays victory as he didn’t allow a run in 5 and 2-thirds of work. "There's no doubt. This is the World Series. This is what we dreamed of doing as kids. And you know our crowd tonight was electric, and I mean it's exciting, it's an exciting time in our lives and we're trying to enjoy the moment." The starting pitcher said.

Shields teammates call him “Big Game James” as he’s the man who has leaded a young team to practically their best run at the MLB. At 26, James Shields is the oldest man in the rotation for the Rays.

Shields was chosen as the 466^th pick at the 2000 MLB draft and is an specialist at the strike zone.

It’s a tough task for the Rays now that they will be playing 3 straight road games, but nothing is impossible for a team that is currently at a peak performance level.

I think the Rays will beat the Phillies at their own patio and will come home with a World Series title under their arm.

Kobe and Bynum

Yesterday Kobe Bryant got his right knee injured on an exhibition game against the Bobcats which the Lakers won by 102-98, and as of now the extent of the injury is unknown.

Kobe went after a rebound when he bumped into Josh Powell, at that moment his knee was hyperextended. He immediately made some signs to the bench indicating that he was injured and left the court with 3:08 minutes remaining on the second quarter. He finished with 4 points in 14 minutes.

Bryant didn’t make too many comments when asked on the injury, "It's sore, it's sore. I'll have more for you guys.” He said.

Today he will be re-evaluated in order to determine the near future of the current NBA MVP.

So when Kobe Bryant isn’t able to help his team, there is another name it comes to mind: Andrew Bynum, who is the near the date of his contract extension and is the most important man after Kobe at the Lakers.

Los Angeles and Bynum haven’t reached any terms yet, and rumor has it that both sides numbers are not even close, with Bynum demanding an all-star salary while the Lakers are still thinking how is Andrew Bynum really worth for the team.

Kobe Bryant is entering the 30’s and Bynum is surely the future of the team, so why are the Lakers not treating him like the franchise player he is?

With Bryant on the team, Bynum has a more defensive roll but when Kobe retires, the team will depend on the 20 year-old center.

If business are good between Andrew Bynum and the Lakers, we can expect to see a team that will surely be more dangerous than last season with a trio made of Pau Gasol, Bynum and Kobe Bryant.

Bills are 5-1 with victory over Chargers at Week 7

When the season was about to start, nobody would believe that the Bills will be leading the AFC East with a 5-1 record entering Week 8, but they certainly are the current best team on such division.

Yesterday they proved their excellent shape as they beat the Chargers by 23-14. The Bills were coming from the team’s bye week and Trent Edwards had enough time to recover completely from a concussion caused by a sack from Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson and so he looked like the accomplished quarterback he usually is and led his team with a touchdown and 261 yards.

The win came as a surprise for Bills personnel, “It's a big win for us, they're a team that, quite frankly, I think everybody thought would come in here and beat us pretty soundly” Bills head coach Dick Jauron said.

Next week the Bills will be facing the Dolphins, while the Chargers (3-4) will play the Saints.

Oklahoma City Thunder

It’s sad times for Sonics fans as their team has vanished from their city and has evolved into the brand new Oklahoma City Thunder.

The team with a new face at the NBA is setting its hopes mostly on rookies, as they signed UCLA guard Russell Westbrook at the past NBA draft, and are keeping on the team reigning rookie of the year Kevin Durant and a member of last year’s all-rookie team forward Jeff Green.

The team moved to Oklahoma City last season as they were unable to work out the terms of the construction of a new arena in Seattle.

Well, the Sonics finished 20-62 last year, the worst in the NBA Western Conference, so this season they have the chance to show that they not only have a new uniform but a new attitude too.

Eli Manning Ok to play 49ers on Week 7

Eli Manning got slightly injured by Browns tackle Shaun Rogers on New York’s first loss of the season on Monday, but the 27 year-old quarterback says he’s fine and will play against the 49ers next week

"There is no severe injury, nothing that would cause any reason to miss any time, any practice or be worried about playing in a game." Manning said.

Eli Manning had a truly bad performance against Cleveland. He threw three interceptions, one of them returned 94 yards for a touchdown by Eric Wright.

3 other Giants were injured on Week 6: Gerris Wilkinson with a mild knee sprain, James Butler with a biceps injury and Antonio Pierce with an aggravated quad, their status is unknown.

Red Sox one game away to say goodbye to the postseason

The Red Sox are in a predicament, they must win two in a row in order to stay alive in their series against the Rays. And it doesn’t look impossible as Boston did the same last season when they came back from a 3-1 deficit against the Indians and won the ALCS, then advanced to the World Series against the Rockies and won it too.

But this year is much different, the Rays are fired up by an outstanding season, and in case Boston can remain alive and win the divisional championship, they still have the Phillies in front of them.

And while the Red Sox are more or less the same team than last season, Tampa Bay is not, they are a younger team ready to come up with their first World Series title.

The odds are favoring the Rays, but the Sox still have the magic and are the reigning champs, so the next game on the series for the American League Championship will be one not to be missed.

Cardinals upset Cowboys in OT

Are the Cowboys a truly dominating force? Well with 2 defeats in 3 weeks, questions are rising over this matter.

The last upset for Dallas came in the hands of the Cardinals and delivered by two of Arizona’s most unheralded players: Sean Morey and Monty Beisel.

The game was into over time when Matt McBriar got his point blocked by Morey, then Beisel picked up the ball and scored a touchdown that gave the Cardinals a well-deserved 30-24 victory over the Cowboys.

In despite of having 4 victories just as the Redskins and Giants, the Cowboys are third at the NFC East, and will play the Rams on Week 7 on a game they can use to climb some positions at their division.

Texans with first win this season

The Texans are still unbeaten against the Dolphins since both teams had their first meeting. 4 victories for Houston in total since the franchise was created back in 2002.

Before yesterday’s game, the Texans were 0-4, and the Dolphins were expecting to improve their record, but it seems like Houston has denied Miami fans the taste of a victory against them. Now the Dolphins are 2-3 and still at the bottom of the AFC East.

Houston won by just a single point as the final score was 29-28, and this victory is probably what they needed to bring some confidence into the team. Now they have the chance to come up with a second straight win at Week 7 since their next rival is the Lions, a team that is at the bottom of the NFC North with a 0-5 record after their 12-10 loss to the Vikings on Week 6.

Since we are now at the middle stage of the season, I don’t think the Texans will do much, but they still have the option of prove themselves that they are not one of the worst teams at the NFL.

Trent Edwards says he's fine

Last week Trent Edwards got sacked by Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson. And after he left the game injured, everybody thought it was a bad time for the Bills, who were coming of winning 4 straight games. And they had good reasons, as this game meant the first defeat for Buffalo this current season.

A writer from the Billsinsider.com saw Trent the other day at the Home Depot and the 24 year-old quarterback told him that he was fine and would play against the Chargers on week 7.

Since week 6 is Buffalo’s bye week, the Bills and Edwards have enough time to play San Diego, a team which is considered one of the best but that hasn’t delivered the quality of football expected by critics and fans alike. So just at this point, is when the Chargers need to prove that they are made of something more than good talks, and the Bills will surely look to keep up with a season start that is probably their best in years.

Same Ol' Pacman

The Cowboys are truly dependant of Pacman Jones since Pro Bowl cornerback Terrence Newman got injured, and that is the only reason why the 25 year old cornerback has his position secured.

Jones got in trouble again, and there is no need to explain in detail what will happen if he gets handcuffed again, in simple words, he will be banned permanently from the NFL.

Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones hit his bodyguard Tommy Jones yesterday at the Joule Hotel and police were informed, but no charges were pressed and so Pacman walked a free man from the situation.

Since Jones got drafted in 2005 he’s been arrested 6 times and has been involved in 12 incidents involving law officials.

Oden is back, Blazers win their first preseason match

Just in 20 minutes Greg Oden proved the Blazers that they had made the right decision on picking him at the 07’ NBA draft.

Oden finished with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in an exhibition game against the Kings which the Blazers won by 110-81. This is Oden’s first game after he lost the entire 08’ season due to knee surgery.

When he was leaving the court of the Rose Garden, Greg Oden received a well deserved standing ovation from Blazers fans.

"The guys told me, especially Joel Przybilla, just to take a deep breath and go out there and play basketball, that's all it is. I'm not as good as I was but I'm going to get there." Oden said after the game.

Both Portland and Sacramento gave their reserves plenty of work, as Kevin Martin and Brad Miller were absent for the Kings, and Steve Blake and Brandon Roy were absent for the Blazers.

MNF: Vikings 30 / Saints 27, both are 2-3

With the result from yesterday’s Monday Night Football, both the Vikings and the Saints are 2-3. It was a pretty closed game between both NFC franchises which finished 30-27.

The Saints are truly a better team than in past NFL seasons; they had the chance to come up with a victory at home against a Vikings team whom were employing a veteran quarterback in Gus Frerotte instead of Tarvaris Jackson.

But all their efforts weren’t enough against Minnesota, "All for nothing because you didn't win the game, all over stupid stuff,'' quarterback Drew Brees said.

Now the Saints have an easy rival on the Raiders at Week 6, and that is their chance to improve their record to 3-3 and continue with their efforts of making a long run this current NFL season.

MLB postseason new standings

National League:

The Cubs basically didn’t have a chance against the Dodgers, whom swept them in 3 games to advance to the NL finals.

Now is the chance for Los Angeles to measure their strengths against the Phillies, whom beat the Brewers in four games by 3-1.

American League:

Chicago fans have only one team on the playoffs run, as the White Sox remain alive after 2 straight defeats to the Rays and a single 5-3 victory from yesterday.

The Angels are also hopeful after their 5-4 win to the Red Sox, this series is 2-1. Tonight Anaheim’s luck will be decided when they face Boston at home on game 4 of the series.

MLB playoffs standings

Let’s go through a fast recount of what it has been the four series of games at the MLB playoffs.

At the American League, the current World Series champions, the Boston Red Sox, are leading their series against the Angels by 1-0, while the Chicago White Sox are down 0-1 against the Rays. When the season was starting, the Rays looked like the team to beat the Red Sox in order to take the title away from them, and that possibility is stronger than ever, while Chicago fans are probably seeing their only chance of watching one of their two pro-baseball teams advancing, as the Cubs are in a very difficult position with one two straight home losses to the Dodgers at the NL.

At the National League, we have the Phillies leading their series against the Brewers by 2-0, while the Dodgers are hoping to come up with one more victory over the Cubs in order to advance to the Conference championship.

I guess an all-Chicago final will not be possible, but watching the Rays against the Red Sox and the Phillies against the Dodgers is still quite interesting.

The World Series game this year: I think the Red Sox will have to deal with the Phillies in order to keep the title in Boston.

Chargers and Dolphins on week 5, what can we expect?

Well we can expect a Miami team coming rested from their bye week and confident due to their previous 38-13 victory to the Patriots on week 3.

We can also expect a San Diego team fueled by LaDainian Tomlinson, whom showed a great character on the Chargers 28-18 victory over the Raiders, in despite of coming from a recent injury.

Another incentive for the Chargers is their bad record against the Dolphins in recent matches, as they have lost six in a row to Miami.

The Chargers are also looking to improve their 2-2 record, with two straight losses followed by two straight victories.

Both teams are coming strong to this game, but if you are to be it, take the Chargers at -7.

Josh Howard apologizes

It seems like Josh Howard has had a real bad time the past five months since his Star Spangled Banner incident. While the song was playing, Howard said he didn’t celebrate it because he was black, and soon after those words came out of his mouth, he started living a nightmare that has last until the present day.

Everything came to the public light by a youtube video of the incident.

But on Monday, the Mavericks small forward took the first step and called himself an idiot in order to try to repair his damaged reputation.

"This is not the way I carry myself, not how I want to be portrayed. I'm sorry to everybody I've offended. I'm upset with myself and the way I've acted." He said.