Sunday, March 14, 2010

Ladanian Tomlinson's a New York Jet

If the Jets wanted a 30 year old running back why didn't they just keep Thomas Jones? This is the first dumb move they've made in a while. I like the Cromartie trade but letting TJ go was just dumb. He was such a huge presence in the locker room and has been a top five runner the last 3 seasons. He's a comfort runner and he found his comfort zone with the Jets and had his best seasons statistically. Thomas Jones last year had 1400 Yards and 14tds and that was with 2 other good backs. Ladanian had his worst season ever last year with only 730 yds rushing and 12tds is good but he was on one of the best offenses in the league. I know he's just going to be a 3rd down back behind Shonn Greene but it's only his 2nd year and who knows if he can handle a full season as the starter. Thomas Jones has been proven commodity for the Jets and probably their biggest leader in the locker room. The Jets were too cheap to give him his roster bonus and it's not even a capped year so it's not that big a deal. They're paying LT 2 years 5 million with a bunch of incentives but that's the same contract that the Chiefs gave Thomas Jones. This is like when the Eagles didn't give Brian Dawkins an extension that was for more then 2 years and he left for Denver for less money. The Eagles really missed him on and off the field this year and I think the Jets will be missing him a lot this year.

www.omalleyandgoldstein.com
Where The Bookies Don't Stand A Chance!
Get ALL of our NFL picks for the 2010 Pre-Season and Regular Season + ALL our College Football picks for 2010 + Bowl Season for one low price, with our "Football Pass"

Saturday, March 13, 2010

AL East Preview

The AL East, It is hands down the best division in the Majors lead by the best team, the defending champions, the New York Yankees. Will they grab another American League East crown? Can they repeat and capture their 28th title? Will the Red Sox stand in their way? Yes, Yes, Hell No.
The Yanks lost Damon and Matsui but at least they got younger and better I think in the process. They signed Nick Johnson, Curtis Granderson and Randy Winn to replace those great clutch bats which is impossible but I'd rather see a player leave a year early as opposed to a year later. They have big shoes to fill but Johnson when not injured can be a great hitter and Winn is a good defensive player and has started for most of his career. Curtis Granderson is the best addition to the bats even though he cant hit left handed pitching with a tennis racket. He will replace Damons lack of defense and most likely produce more offensively. The question is where will he play? Brian Cashman said when he was signed that he was the starting center fielder but the Yankees might want to give Brett Gardener a chance which i think they should do. He doesn't have much of a bat but he makes up for it with his speed and that's all they really need considering 1-8 hitters will most likely hit 20+ home runs each with at least 75 runs batted in and that's not counting the bench. How do you pitch to that kind of line up? Very very carefully and a lot of luck.
On the pitching aspect the Yankees added Javier Vazquez and I hope it goes better then last time. I think this is a good situation for him considering he doesn't have the pressure of being the #2 and instead he'll be the #4 behind CC, AJ, and Andy. Who will follow him? My guess is Joba. Not based on performance but because they spent the last 2 years giving him stupid unnecessary rules on how many innings he can pitch so he doesn't get hurt. Pitchers have been converted from the pen without these rules for decades but apparently he's one of the special exceptions so they have to see what he is capable of or the last 2 years were for nothing. That leaves 4 potential starters that will go to the bullpen (Phil Hughes, Alfredo Aceves, Sergio Mitre, and Chad Gaudin). I think Gaudin would be the best to fill the 5th spot but it's Joba's to lose. That leaves the Yanks with one hell of a pen and the best damn closer period in Mariano Rivera.

I expect a slow start as usual but after the All-Star break the Yankees will start their drive to the World Series behind the excellent veteran leadership of Mark Teixera (who usually starts slow), Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and hip hip Jorge Posada. We'll see great 2nd half pitching from C.C Sabathia and of course Andy Pettite. There are many pies to come this year for the Yankees. Joe Girardi might need to change his number to 29 next year.
The Red Sox will be staring at pinstripes in front of them in the standings as they will finish 2nd in the AL East this year. Their starting staff is probably the best in baseball with 3 potential Aces in Beckett, Lester and Lackey. They round it out with a solid young pitcher in Clay Buchholz and the last pitcher could be the old knuckle baller Wakefield or Daisuke Matsuzaka if he's healthy for once. That combined with a great bullpen could give the Yankees some trouble but do they have the right guy behind home plate calling the games? Nope. Their captain's gonna be riding the pine because he can't hit himself out of a paper bag. Jason Varitek calls a great game but he's such an easy out. With Beltre at 3rd they can't move Kevin Youkilis from 1st which means catcher is the only place Martinex can go since Big Papi plays the kind of defense you expect from an elderly woman. Victor Martinez is terrible defensively but he's got a hell of a bat and that's one thing the Red Sox need since David Ortiz is off that HGH and they lost Jason Bay to free agency over a couple million dollars(Dumb). Granted they brought in Adrian Beltre, Marco Scutaro, and Mike Cameron their line up is not as good as in years past. Camerons 37 so he's not gonna be able to play every game and his .250 average doesn't help. Scutaro had his best season statistically last year but that was at age 33. I guess the Sox are hoping he can repeat that. Beltre had one of his worst seasons last year but still gets almost 14 million a year which baffles me but he should benefit from the green monster. They got older bats in the off season and it doesn't look promising for the future. Maybe they're eyeing Crawford next year but who isn't? I kinda think he'd look good in pinstripes.
The team to watch out for though is the Tampa Bay Rays and I would not be too surprised if they did better then the Red Sox. They have a great young team but their starting pitching is questionable at best. They are hoping David Price can be the pitcher they want him to be, an ace or at least a number 2. Along with James Shields, Jeff Niemann and Matt Garza. They have a formidable foursome but nowhere near as good as the Yanks or Sox. Tampa's bullpen is pretty good but when it's compared to the Yanks and Sox it doesn't look like much. Talk about great young talent, this team is full of it. Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena, Jason Bartlett, Carl Crawford, BJ Upton and Ben Zobrist will try to propel this team to a wild card berth. I also like the signing of Kelly Shoppach who could end up replacing Dioner Navarro if he doesn't bring his average up this year. The sad part is they could really make a run for it if they were in any other division but the Yanks and Sox are here and they will be the teams to beat. If anything this will be an exciting team to watch, especially that line up.
The Baltimore Orioles will probably finish 4th and again that's only because they're in this division. Baltimore does have a better team then they usually do with some nice off season acquisitions like Garret Atkins and Mike Gonzalez. They also brought back Miguel Tejada and traded for Kevin Millwood but do they still have anything left in the tank? The O's need them to play like it's 2002 if they wanted to make any kind of run. As unlikely and as far fetched as it may sound Baltimore's not to be overlooked because they have some young bats that could give teams trouble. Adam Jones is going to be a great player and is one of the top all around center fielders in the game (best move Orioles have made in years getting rid of Eric Bedard for him). Matt Wieters at one point was one of the best catching prospects in the minors is now getting his chance to start the whole year. Nick Markakis is probably the scariest bat that not many people know about and he's only 26 and Brian Roberts is still one the premiere 2nd basemen in the league but the O's have to keep a close eye on his ailing back to make sure it doesn't affect his future. Other then Millwood the pitching staff is pretty young and has a lot to prove but this team really looks like it has a good future. They have great talent which could be hard to keep for a team like Baltimore but if it does the AL East is going to be 4 teams deep leaving the poor Toronto Blue Jays in last which won't be too surprising for them because that's where they will be this year.
There are very few reasons to watch the Blue Jays.
1. If they're playing the Yankees, Red Sox, or Rays.
2. The 2 stockbrokers that pose as umps.
That's about it. They have a couple good players in Adam Lind and Aaron Hill but that's about it. They have absolutely no chance of finishing anywhere but last. It's not like anyone in Toronto will care, mainly because they'll be paying attention to how the Maple Leafs mess up another off season.

AL East projected Standings:
New York Yankees 104-58
Boston Red Sox 89-73
Tampa Bay Rays 87-75
Baltimore Orioles 80-82
Toronto Blue Jays 66-96

www.omalleyandgoldstein.com
Where The Bookies Don't Stand A Chance!
Get ALL of our MLB picks for the entire 2010 Season from Opening Day Thru the World Series, with our "MLB Pass"

Monday, January 25, 2010

Will Donovan depart?

With McNabb only having a year left on his contract and the Eagles front office in love with Korn on the Kolb will they get something for him or try to win it all with him for 1 more year. They really like what they saw out of Kolb while he was filling in for Donovan so they may want to promote him to the starter and trade Donovan because there are 2 teams that may need Qbs that can make the playoffs.
The Vikings may be the best place for Donovan so he can be reunited with Brad Childress and have basically the same weapons he has in Philly minus AP fumblemachine (Maclin, Jackson,Celek= Rice, Harvin, Shiancoe). The only thing is Favre may not make up his mind to stay or leave so the Vikes might not be willing to pull the trigger.
The Cardinals might also be a good fit for him. Its his offseason home and he's got a nice set weapons down in the desert. With Kurt Warner probably retiring I don't think they trust Matt Leinart with that team and would rather bring in a veteran like McNabb to stay in control of that weak division.
Other possible destinations:
The 49ers may not want to give Alex Smith the reins and they do have a great D and nice weapons for Donovan. They may just be a QB and healthy corners away from the playoffs.
The Cleveland Browns don't have anything on their team especially a QB but they do have draft picks and that could be something the Eagles are interested in.
The Carolina Panthers may be tired of Jake Delturnover and do they really want to start the season with Matt Moore. They finished the season strong why wouldn't they be able to rekindle that next season with a Probowl QB?
If the Eagles did want to keep Donovan it wouldn't be the end of the world. He's been to 6 Pro Bowls and had one of his best years last season. Its just that he hasn't won a Superbowl in 10 years and its great they're almost always in the playoffs every year but is it ever gonna happen ?Or should they just go in a different direction with Kolb?

Saturday, August 15, 2009

The Red Sux should change their name to the Beaners of Beantown

No I'm not talking about Mexicans I'm talking about how many batters they've hit this week. The beaners have hit 7 players in a span of 7 days. Ramon Ramirez has hit 3, Manny Delcarmen has hit 1, Junichi Tazawa hit 1, Brad Penny hit 1, and Fernando Cabrera hit 1. Ramirez hit Alex Rodriguez while the Red Sux were down 4-0 the day after he hit a game winning home run and today Ian Kinsler got plunked by Fernando Cabrera as the Red Sux were down and he was 2-3 with a homer. Seems like they're just hitting people because they are losing which is just wrong. Major League Baseball should be stepping in and warning the Red Sux especially Ramon Ramirez since he's hit 3 people in his last 4 appearances. You would think he'd get fined or suspended or some kind of penalty but no only pitchers trying to defend their batters like Rick Porcello get that. The fact that Boston is only hitting people because they're losing is just sad. I really hope the MLB steps in and does something but i doubt they will. I just feel bad for the batters who have to go up against Ramon Ramirez and the other Beaners of Beantown.

Where the bookies don't stand a chance!
Check out our daily guaranteed pick only $15

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

F Youk and the Sux

Kevin Youkilis and Rick Porcello got suspended 5 games for the fight last night during the Tigers Red Sux game last night and Edwin Jackson got fined for what they call "aggressive actions" for hitting Youkilis the night before. What I don't understand is why the hell did Porcello get suspended and Jackson get fined when there were 3 other Red Sux pitchers who also hit batters and did not get penalized. Pitchers throw at batters all the time to protect their players and are rarely suspended especially if they get rushed by the batter and attempt to defend themselves.
On Monday the Tigers Miguel Cabrera got hit in the top half of the fourth by Brad Penny and then Edwin Jackson hit Youkilis in the bottom half to avenge that. Then for some odd reason Ramon Ramirez hits Brandon Inge in the 8th and nothing happens to him. To start the game the Red Sux starting pitcher Junichi Tazawa hits Miguel Cabrera in the hand for no apparent reason. I would call those two pitchers throwing at the Tigers aggressive actions, more so then Edwin Jackson hitting a batter after one of his teammates got hit. To make matters worse it was Miguel Cabrera who got hit yet again and didn't respond like Youk. Porcello threw inside to Victor Martinez but did not hit him in the bottom half of the first. Then he hit Youkilis in the 2nd inning and what ensued was madness. Youk charged the mound and Porcello tried to avoid him back pedalling towards 1st base and then Youk threw his helmet at him and tried to tackle him which failed miserably. Now how do you get suspended just 5 games for throwing your helmet, intentionally trying to hurt Rick Porcello by doing that and trying to tackle him.
Kevin Youkilis should get at least 10 games for trying to hurt another player. This is ridiculous because his reasoning for charging the mound was "you have to defend yourself if you get hit two days in a row." I guess that means throwing a helmet at someone? I didn't see Miguel Cabrera do anything like that even though he was hit twice. Rushing the mound is one thing but throwing your helmet, that's just wrong. Why don't you just bring the bat too. Youk couldn't even take down a Porcello who is like half his size which was pretty hilarious.
Porcello gets suspended 5 games for intentionally throwing at Martinez and Youkilis even though he did say he wasn't trying to hit Youkilis. That's probably bs but he was just defending his teammates who got hit the last game and in the first inning of this one. Even though the last two batters that were hit were Tigers none of the Red Sux pitchers were suspended or fined, only Tigers pitchers who were just defending their teammates. If your going to fine/suspend 2 Tigers pitchers you're going to have to do the same to the 3 Red Sux pitchers who also hit batters which attributed to the chaos. It's just not fair and Porcello and Jackson were penalized and I hope he wins his appeal. If any pitcher should be suspended for throwing at batters its Ramon Ramirez who also did it over the weekend.
The Red Sux have been throwing at players for the last couple of days, maybe they're just pissed at how bad they got swept by the Yankees this weekend. The Red Sux pitcher Clay Buchholz threw at Alex Rodriguez's head on Saturday because he beat them earlier that morning with an A-Bomb. Then in the 7th Arod got plunked by none other than Ramon Ramirez who did get thrown out of the game but not suspended or fined. The Yankees also never tried to hit any Red Sux players. The Red Sux shouldn't get away with this and i wish the MLB would look into this and at least punish all players involved in the beaming as opposed to just the Tigers pitchers.

Where the bookies don't stand a chance!
Check out our daily Guaranteed Pick only $15

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

6 years 97.5 million?!?! Are you kidding me!?!?

Eli Manning gets a 6 year extension worth $97.5 million with 35 of that guaranteed. Wow can this guy get any luckier. First this AVERAGE quarterback had one of the best D coordinators in the league in Steve Spagnuolo (now coach of the rams thank god) that figured out New England's offense week 17 and gets that D to play better then it already was. Then David Tyree makes the play of his life by pure luck. Then he lobs a ball up to Plax and he pulls it down with him being like 7 foot with his arms up. Insert any other top 10 QB in the NFL in his place and they can do that. That Superbowl was won by that Defense no doubt.
Eli Manning is only as good as his teammates. He doesn't make anyone better like the best QBs should like his brother Peyton (my favorite) Manning, Tom Brady, Donovan McNabb, Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger. Yes most of these guys have great teams but they can make the players around them play above and beyond their level. You can give these guys any wide receivers and they'll still throw for 3000 yards and probably get in the playoffs (unless your defense is as bad as the Saints). Eli without that big wide out kicks him out of the Top 10 QBs in the NFL but still gets this paycheck.
I know he's worth something but not anywhere near that. There is no way he can live up to those expectations unless he wins 2 more Super Bowls which would never ever happen. Did the Giants front office talk with the Lions about over paying for average players (Matthew Stafford 6 yr 78 mil, 42 guaranteed)? They should have used half of what they're giving Eli to hire Dante Stallworth's lawyer for Plax and to keep Spags around. Those 2 were the MVPs of that team and a big reason why the beat the Patriots, now they have neither. Before Plax shot himself the Giants were cruising to a Superbowl or at least the NFC Championship. After that they clearly were not the same. Giants record with Plax 9-1. Without Plax 3-4 including the Eagles dominating them in the playoffs. We'll see this year how "good" Eli is this year without his MVPs around him. Sure he can b a franchise QB but there is no way in hell he is worth that contract but congrats to him and his agent for getting that deal.

QBs that will be better than Eli this year(in no specific order): Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Phillip Rivers, Drew Brees, Donovan McNabb, Carson Palmer, Matt Ryan, Kurt Warner, Matt Hasselbeck, Aaron Rodgers, and Jake Delhomme. Maybe even Jay Cutler and Matt Cassel depending how they mesh with their new teams. Eli Manning is NOT a top ten Quarterback and everyone should stop drinking his kool-aid because even though he won a Superbowl he was just an interchangable part on a great team with a great coaching staff.


Where the bookies don't stand a chance!
Check out our daily Guaranteed Pick only $15

Friday, June 19, 2009

If I ever need a lawyer i want Dante Stallworth's

I cannot believe this guy got 30 days in jail, that's a joke. Did Johnny Cochran reincarnate into one of his lawyers because no one has gotten off this easy since OJ. Whoever those lawyers are they are definitely earning their millions. For anyone that's ever watched OZ Beecher got like 10 years for killing someone drunk driving and this guy gets 30 days. Andrew Thomas Gallo, the guy who killed Angels pitcher Nick Adenart and 2 others is facing 55 years to life in prison. Obviously money talks becuase this guy is basically in the same position other then him killing 2 others but still he faces atleast 55 years which is roughly 1/669 the time Stallworth is doing. I don't understand why the family settled on this but i don't know their situation so i wont judge but it's crazy someone can get just 30 days in jail for killing another human while Mike Vick gets 2 years for training and fighting with dogs. The worst part is you don't even hear people outraged about this but with Michael Vick people made it seem like he was worse then Hitler. I actually feel bad for him because he took so much shit for dog fighting for years and now Dante basically a slap on the wrist. I hope he does feel remorse for what he did and that must do a toll on someone but still he isn't paying the price for what he did. 30 days of jail with probation for 8 years, house arrest, community service and no license. Big whoop i wouldn't mind being on house arrest when i live in a mansion with anything you want, sounds tough. No license, Oh no I'm rich i get a driver for life what a shame. Community service, damn i get to catch a football at schools. I just think it's ridiculous that if you have money you can get out of anything its just sad that's how it is.

www.omalleyandgoldstein.com