Weekend Warriors

After a nice, little weekend hiatus, I'm back at it with a lot to say so bear with me, as there is a lot of stuff to say a lot about.

PENN STATE

Wow. That's really all I have to say. PSU's performance in Mad-town really blew my mind. I thought that they would have to tough out a relatively close game, but this one was never really in doubt. You know an offense is good when you say to the person watching with you "oh well, i just wanna see our offense again" as Penn State's D allows a touchdown. Basically, the only thing standing between this team and the ultimate success that I will refuse to name is the same mental pitfalls that often betray even the best of teams' goals, the trap games. Penn State has two games left that could be challenging on paper, Ohio State and Michigan State and you can bet they'll be up for those matchups. However, you have to be worried about the game against Michigan, as it seems to be an autumnal ritual for the Wovlerines to beat the Lions, and that away game against Iowa has mental letdown written all over it... A game against a crappy team on the road in a different time zone. In any case, I'm lovin' this team. They DESTROYED Wisconsin in every facet of the game. The offense was nearly unstoppable, even leaving points on the field in the form of off target deep balls that should have been completed. The defense was scary good, and Aaron Maybin has cemented himself as a favorite in my book. Finally, our special teams were really good, aside from the obvious. D-Will's punt return was one thing, but to regularly tackle Wisconsin's Gilreath, a top returner in the Big Ten, short of the 20 yard line speaks volumes about this team. I can't wait to go up to State College this upcoming weekend as I'm sure it will be even more fun than 2005, the last time PSU was a national title contender. Obviously, as the week wears on, I'll have more to say about that.

EAGLES

I'm leary about feeling good about this game. Granted, the names missing from the starting lineup against San Fran are tough names to lose, however, good teams wouldn't have let that game become a game, given the start the Birds got off to. I see glimpses of a really good team, but I also see flare-ups of a terrible team, and, truthfully, I'm not sure which one is the real Eagles. On one hand, to not only show life offensively, but to, at times, dominate without Westbrook, Andrews, Reggie Brown, and Kevin Curtis is extremely encouraging. McNabb did some of what I discussed last week in targeting his possession receivers in the mid-range passing game to free up the deep ball, and the play-calling allowed for the running game to establish itself and put the right players in the right position at the right time. On the other hand, the mistakes were somewhat egregious. Defensively, the team seemed apathetic at times and I hate apathy. The coverage units had my heart in my throat on a regular basis. McNabb misfired on numerous occasions and should have thrown more than one pick... I can think of 2 more that should have been caught that would have been absolute season-killers. In short, the jury is still out and will be until we play the Giants, the next real, solid test on our schedule. If I can speak real quick on something that has been bothering me though, it's the David Akers issue. I think he's been catching some undue flak lately for the long misses. In my mind, Akers is still a good kicker, or at least better than anyone we could find at this point in time. He'll never miss the short stuff and I think the long stuff will come around. I'm not confident about a lot of things regarding the Eagles, but I am confident that David Akers will come around by season's end and be the asset he always has been once again.

PHILLIES

Until tonight, the World Series was a nearly a forgone conclusion by the looks of the first two games of the NLCS. Until tonight, the starting pitching had been solid and the bats had come alive. That is, unitl tonight. Jaime Moyer was less than less than stellar. He was borderline horrendous. I'm a Moyer fan. I like the thought of a crafty, grizzled veteran showing these young bucks a thing or two, but not in the NLCS. There is such little room for error that, after the 1st inning, I thought Charlie should have sent out a J.A. Happ in inning 2 and used him as a long reliever to get to the 5th. In the end, it didn't matter, the damage had been done. On the bright side, you had to sense that the Phils were inches from a big rally on several occasions. It's not like their bats were silenced. They were making good contact, but their shots were going straight to the Dodgers' fielders. As a Phils fan, I couldn't realistically have expected to sweep LA. In fact, I wouldn't be stressed if this series made it's way back this side of the Mississippi. If I had to predict an outcome, I would guess that the Phils will win tomorrow night in a tight one, 6-5. Blanton will be so-so but get the game to the bullpen with a lead after 6. MVPs? I think Howard will finally show up for a game and knock in a few RBIs but the real star will be someone late in the order like Feliz or Ruiz or Coste depending on who starts. The Phils need the lineup to turn over regularly to be successful and a 3 for 4 night from one of those guys who typically bat in the 7 or 8 hole will get a win for the Phightins. Beyond that, I would expect LA to avoid elimination at home just to bring it back to Philly where they stand no chance. Either way, Phils fans should be rooting really really really really hard for the Rays to beat the Sox in the ALCS. I would feel much more confident against Tampa than Boston, but to root for them may simply be wishful thinking. I'm picking the Sox in 6.

MISCELLANEOUS

A few random thoughts... The Rocketeer is not nearly as cool of a movie 17 years later... I've always liked LSU but 51-21?? Ouch!... The Shield is becoming so intense that I'm not sure I can continue watching, by recommendation of my doctor. Having said that, don't even try to call me Tuesday night... South Park needs a bounce back week worse than the Eagles did. While the concept was good, driving the point home with more than 4 rape scenes involving just males reminded me more of the unfunny Britney episode than it did make me laugh. Where's the genius that spawned Imaginationland? or Cartmanland? Step your game up!... I like that the NBA decided to have an outdoor game. However, if they really wanted to do it right, they should have done it at one of the playgrounds that serve as basketball meccas throughout the country. I mean, it was a preseason game so who cares about the quality of play, etc. Playing the game at a tennis center made as much sense as the NFL playing regular season games in Europe. Oh wait... I really can't wait until my television is dominated by Bud Light V. Miller Lite commercials again and not these political ads. Believe what you want and vote for whom you choose, but seriously, we ALL need to rally against these television ads. They are such a buzz kill. Now that is change we can believe in...