WBRS Sports Blog

Expect Chad Johnson to play for the Eagles next season.

With their 52-7 victory over the Washington Redskins Sunday, the New England Patriots improved to 8-0 this season. The Patriots have defeated every opponent by at least 17 points, have had at least 3 passing touchdowns in every game, are averaging 41.4 points per game, and are just plain old nasty.


*From the 2004 Super Bowl Parade, care of WBRS' own, Ragin' Ravi

The Patriots have scored 48, 49, and 52 points in their last 3 games, starting with the 48-27 romp of the then 5-0 (now 6-1) Dallas Cowboys.

It's worth noting the Indianapolis Colts improved to 7-0 on the season, setting up a battle of unbeatens at the RCA Dome next Sunday in Indianapolis. It's worth noting that as of last night, the Patriots were 6 point favorites for this game.

First...Congrats to the Red Sox. I thought they were finished 3-1 in Cleveland, but they showed great resilience. In a true year of parity in Major League Baseball, they once again rose victorious and made this another tough winter for this Yankees fan...

But the other major story at the end of the World Series was A-Rod. In a twist of bitter irony--since A-Rod's failures to get the Yankees to that point has now allowed the Red Sox to get two World Series championships--Alex Rodriguez, the chicken that he is, decided to announce through superagent Scott Boras last night that he was opting out of his contract with the Yankees.

Excuse me for one second while I begin to empathize with Freshman girls...I feel used and the Yankees organization and the rest of Yankees fans should also.

This is for Teddy Ballgame.
This is for Dom Dimagg..
This is for Johnny Pesky,
Fisk and Yaz.

Raise the flag! The curse is over.
The Babe don't live here anymore.

This is for Teddy Ballgame
And this is for Bobby Doerr.

They won it for Dewey Evans.
They won it for Tony C.
Tiant and Petrocelli,
Remy, Rice and Lee.

Raise the flag (something I can't make out)
The curse is banished when you win
They won it for Dewey Evans,
they won it for Freddie Lynn.

Hail, Hail Red Sox Nation,
both the present and the past.
Hey, hey, daddy can you hear me?
we're champs at last!
We're champs at last!

So this is for Curt and Kenny Coleman,
their voices echo through the New England night.
And this is for Bill Buckner.
It's all right. It's all right.

Raise the flag, the curse is over,
those idiots made us all believe,
So this is for Johnny Damon,
Schilling, Manny and Ortiz.

Raise the flag and damn the curse, boys.
The bambino don't live here anymore.
So this is for Teddy Ballgame,
This is for Bobby Doerr,
Yeah, this for Teddy Ballgame,
Dominic, Pesky and Doerr.

-Terry Cashman, 2004

So the time has finally come. After six and half months and 170 some odd games, its finally time for the fall classic. And its the beasts from the east against the pests from the west. In this match-up of the unknown super hot kids vs. the big name, experienced vets - who has the upper hand?

Offense: Both teams have lineups that can beat you with the long ball or beat you with small ball. The Rockies have speed at the top, the Sox speed at the bottom. Both teams have the boppers in the middle. Obviously in a clutch spot theres no one I'd want up more than Papi, but I'd go to war with Holliday and Helton and feel ok. But in the end, its the gritty guys like Youkilis, Lowell, and Pedroia that will make the difference. Edge: Slight- to the Red Sox

Defense: Troy Tulowitzki and a team that makes no errors compared to Papi at first with those knees for three games? nuff said. Edge: Major- to the Rockies

Starting Pitching: We all know how good the the top of the Red Sox rotation is. Schilling has consistently been one of the best postseason pitchers while Beckett is the best postseason pitcher. But after that - its a crapshoot. I still dont trust DiceK at all, and not having Wakefield is gonna hurt. On the flipside, dont sleep on the Rockies starters. Jeff Francis is legit. He's a lefty who can mix up his stuff and throw a breaking ball in any count. The guy won 17 games for a reason. And Jimenez got some gas. But Fogg and Cook, probably worse than DiceK and Lester.
Edge: Moderate to the Red Sox

Bullpen: Keep Eric Gange as far away from the field as humanly possible. If the Sox can do that, they're pretty good. I have no idea how Okey-Dokey pitches without looking at home plate, but boy does he get the job done. And Papelbon is about as crazed and focused on the mound as anyone I've ever seen. But that bullpen in Colorado is pretty legit too. Corpas has been very effective since taking over for Fuentes, and Fuentes has been great as a set-up guy. Plus the Rocks got Affeldt and now Morales too to get Papi out. Edge: Push

So where does that leave us in the end? It's gonna be a very competitive series. Don't expect a lot of blowouts. But I think the layoff might slow the Rockies down just enough. And the Red Sox experience is a bigger factor than you think. This team actually believes that they can come back and win - which is a new thing in beantown. Damn doesnt this city win enough now?!?!

Prediction: Rocktober comes crashing down in 6

So I'm going to start granting you a little preview column here every Friday as I nurse 5 cups of malt liquor. Expect bitterness, anger and drinking advice. For what else should you expect from a sports-crazed alcoholic drinking alone at 9am on a Friday.

Now why am I starting in week 7? Well the majority of past Friday mornings have been spent waking up in gutters out of reach of wireless internet or in the free clinic trying to figure out what the hell caused this itch. I've also blacked out weeks 2-4.

Week 7 is brought to you by Steel Reserve:

Steel Reserve: The cheapest way to get shit drunk

SF @ NYG: Poor Alex Smith. After having Julian Peterson go Zangief on him, he comes back in time to face Osi "Blanka" Umenyiora, a vicious sack machine. Mormon way of watching the game: drink only when SF scores a TD. Irish way: drink whenever the SF qb gets hit.

Osi holding down and hitting punch

Ten @ Hou: Blah blah blah Vince Young. Blah blah blah Mario Wiliams. The real story is Eric Moulds getting back at his old team. To be honest, I didn't know Moulds

a) was still alive

b) was a starting WR for Tennesse

c) previously played for the Texans.

In honor of Moulds, bottoms up for every catch. Shit, take a drink every time someone even tries to throw to him. And let's not forget the true potential star of this game: Kerry Collins. Get the moonshine ready for our good ol' country boy. Start drinking from the time he enters the game until the time he completes a pass. Then walk outside and punch a Mexican in the eye and yell "That's for fucking with my boy Kerry!"

Ari @ Was: When Tim Rattay throws more than 2 passes in game, his teams are 5-22. When Jason Cambpell is feeling frisky, he gets freaky with her. I think we know who the winning QB is before this game has started. Screen shots of Tim Hasselbeck get a drink. Screen shots of Elisabeth Hasselbeck get a shot of scotch. Screen shots of Rosie O'Donnell take a bottle of scotch just to get that image out of our vulnerable brains.

Atl @ NO: Reggie Bush said he's rebuilding New Orleans 1-win at a time; the way the Saints are playing, they're getting things back in order even slower than the Bush administration. If any game were to call for Vodka, this one is it. Go buy some Absolut, it's at least giving some money back to NO. Then just drink that until you no longer notice Drew Brees' birthmark.

NE @ Mia: Quick name a Miami WR! If you named Ted Ginn, get yourself a Miller Light. For Marty Booker, give yourself a MGD. For Derek Hagan, you sir get a High Life. If you said Chris Chambers, you have to go drink a six pack of Genny. This is kind of how the game is going to look like. Miami's only shot is to try to take out NE's ankles and then it's going to just get really really ugly. Grab a forty for this one and be ready to pour out a few drops when Adalius Thomas kills Trent Green.

TB @ Det: I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that either the Bucs are going to continue its good defense and win or the Lions are going to score a lot and win. Sip of a wine cooler for every Jeff Garcia completed pass. Down a bottle of Baptist's Beer if Jon Kitna is touched again by the hand of God. If Calvin "Megatron" Johnson transforms back into a Tank, slowly put down the bottle and back away from the TV.

Bal @ Buf: There is not enough alcohol at my local 7-11 that could get me through this game.

NYJ @ Cin: Expect a 35-35 tie. Neither team deserves to win this game. Easy drinking guidelines here - Mormon version: drink for every Bengal tackle. Irish version: drink for every Bengal missed tackle.

StL @ Sea: Dearly beloved we are gathered here today in memoriam of Marc Bulger's ribs. Drink for every Bulger grimace or grab of his ribs. 2 drinks for every time he hits the ground. 3 drinks for any time he has to be taken out of the game. A shot for every time the word "flak jacket "is uttered.

KC @ Oak: I have taken all of the money in my underwear drawer and placed it on the over (37.5). Sure both of these offenses are bad, but their defenses are even worse. With that extra cash, we'll be stepping up from the Steel next week. So think of your good friend the gambling alcoholic here and just drink whenever someone scores.

Chi @ Phi: Drink when McNabb takes 2 or 3 steps forward, loads up and then underthrows a receiver. Drink whenever there's a shot of Rex Grossman. Drink when the Eagles punt away from Hester. Basically drink anytime Hester or Westbrook aren't touching the ball cuz this one's going to be a snooze fest. Luckily all the booze from the first set of games should hit you know and passing out will be easy.

Min @ Dal: Ahh, finally an entertaining afternoon game. Buy a 12-pack of Corona, Dos Equis, Tecate or your favorite Mexican beer. Place those beers on the left side of the couch. Then buy a 12-pack of Budweiser, paint the cans Purple and place them on the right side of the couch. Hold one of each beer. Drink the Mexican one when Romo does well. Drink the Purple Jesus beer when Adrian Peterson acts like the stud he is.

Pit @ Den: The Steelers machine gets to roll through the mile-city. Be sure to break out the Manishevitz as Hines Ward & Steely McBeam exchange vows at halftime! Mazel Tov you two love birds.

That's a wrap. I've finished the ol' 211 and am feeling pumped for Sunday. Godspeed and may your livers forgive me.

Giants 31, Falcons 10: Before everyone jumps on the Giants bandwagon, let's stop to consider who they beat in their four game winning streak. They get credit for edging Washington on the road, as they've been a solid team this year, but other than that they've beaten Philly, the Jets, and Atlanta A.V. (after Vick). The Eagles were missing Westbrook and most of their secondary, and yet were in it for most of the game. The Jets are just bad and Leon Washington has probably been their best player. The Falcons...two words: Joey Harrington.

The fact is, the Giants have lost to the only legitimate teams they've played. They'll probably extend their streak to six straight, with Trent Dilfer's 49ers and Cleo Lemon's Dolphins coming up, followed by the inevitable "Eli Manning is finally living up to his hype" talk. After that, the schedule gets a lot tougher. It reads as follows: Dallas, at Detroit, Minnesota, at Chicago, at Philadelphia, Washington, at Buffalo, New England. Would anyone be shocked if they lost six of those eight games?

On another note, during the game an ESPN analyst pointed out that one of Eli's strengths is his "amnesia," or his ability to forget bad plays and move on. First off, I could already tell that Eli doesn't care when he messes up. He always has the same blank stare on his face at all times. Second, isn't a quarterback with "amnesia" just another way of saying that a quarterback is bad? I'd rather have a quarterback remember his interceptions and fumbles so he can, oh I don't know, learn from them! I hope Eli forgot about last season's second half collapse, or he's going to have a severe case of deja vu this year. Finally, if I want a quarterback with amnesia, the first guy I'm calling is Trent Green.

Saints 28, Seahawks 17: I know I'm not the only one who did a double take when Reggie Bush ran up the middle for 22 yards in the first quarter. This game really seemed to sum up Bush as an NFL player. When he's running intelligently, he can be a force. He's a lot like Brian Westbrook, with his elusiveness and speed. Yet he insists on dancing around in the backfield, as if he's back at USC. That doesn't work in the NFL.

On the other side, Shaun Alexander was abysmal, with 35 yards on 14 carries. It was one thing when he struggled against Pittsburgh, but the Saints? Pathetic. I'll give the Saints special teams some credit for jump-starting the team with that botched punt TD, and to Drew Brees who had his first productive game of the season, but this looked more like Seattle stumbling than anything else.

Patriots 48, Cowboys 27: I have to give the Patriots credit for this one. They beat a legitimate team on the road, really for the first time all year. I was never sold on Dallas, who also hadn't played a tough schedule in the first five weeks, but they are by far the toughest team the Patriots have faced. The true test will be when they play Indianapolis, but blowing out the Cowboys at home is pretty impressive.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys weak pass defense was once again exposed. To be fair, can a team starting Roy Williams be expected to effective cover anyone? His strategy on every play seems to be torpedoing himself at the nearest opposing player. Sometimes he connects and does some damage, but most of the time he whiffs or just grazes the guy. He's like a power hitter who swings as hard as he can on every pitch. For every 500 foot bomb, there are 50 strikeouts. So there you have it, Williams is the Wily Mo Pena of the NFL.

Chargers 28, Raiders 14: Looks like the Chargers are back. There's nothing particularly impressive about beating the Raiders (although they were leading the AFC West coming into the game), but Tomlinson reverted to his MVP form. Even more important was that LT had more carries than Philip Rivers had passing attempts. Could Norv Turner be learning, or was this just a random sequence of events that led to this play-calling? They say a bunch of monkeys with typewriters would eventually write Shakespeare, so I'm willing to believe that Turner could get lucky for two weeks in a row.

Jaguars 37, Texans 17: Jacksonville has very quietly achieved a 4-1 record and they have a great shot at beating the Colts in two weeks. That could potentially be a more difficult game than the Colts game against the Patriots, just because Jacksonville's running game is so strong. I'll admit I was overambitious when I picked the Jaguars to win the AFC South, but they are a legitimately good team nonetheless.

Eagles 16, Jets 9: The difference in the game was a 75 yard bomb to Kevin Curtis, which is great, but doesn't exactly inspire a ton of confidence in the Eagles offense. If this team is going anywhere they should be able to put up more than 16 points against the Jets. At this point I'd say the Eagles are looking at a 7-9 season, unless something drastically changes.

Buccaneers 13, Titans 10: The Madden Curse finally got to Vince Young. But really, who could've foreseen a young scrambling quarterback without much talent around him succumbing to injury?

Packers 17, Redskins 14: How about Santana Moss taking himself out of the game? I guess I can't blame him after he dropped several passes and had more rushing attempts than receptions (1-0), though his rushing and receiving yards were the same (0). Even Sean Taylor made a few catches, though he dropped two easy interceptions. Meanwhile, Brett Favre had a pretty lousy game (19-37, 0 TDs, 2 INTs) and yet the ESPN headline reads that he "led" the Packers to victory. I must've stepped out for that part of the game. Moss did more to help the Packers than Favre did.

Chiefs 27, Bengals 20: Maybe Kansas City really isn't that bad...oh wait, Cincinnati has no linebackers (no, they're not in jail...yet). Meanwhile, Tony Gonzalez should enjoy his TD record while he can because Antonio Gates is closing fast.

Vikings 34, Bears 31: Adrian Peterson is just ridiculous. The Bears defense isn't as good as it was last year, but no one should be able to run all over them just like that. It was like a team full of Adam Archuleta's out there.

That's right kids, it's Vinny Testaverde Signing Day!! Every year aroud this time, Vinny is brought back to some team (generally a Parcells and/or Jets team) for stability and that wily veteran presence. To celebrate the QB who has the record for most consecutive seasons with a TD thrown (20) and who won the Heisman ('86) before most of you Brandeis kids were born, we bring you Vinny haikus:

On any normal day, the Yankees extending a series with the Red Sox's next opponent is a good thing. But how cool would it have been to have all four Division Series' end in sweeps? Every sports fan without a girlfriend was hoping for it, including me. I guess it just doesn't work out the way you want it.

Those Damn Yankees.

By the way, Roger, stop playing. Retire and go to the HOF. Stop playing. Don't take the phone calls and for once in your life, say no to el dinero (money).

Again, those Damn Yankees.

So who's better at picking NFL games against the spread, Mini Me or a random card that is flipped up in the air with one side representing the home team and the other the road team? We will see....

Last Week's Results:
MC 8-6
Mini Me 6-8
Random Boy 5-9

Records after Week 4:
MC 8-6
Mini Me 31-28-3
Random Boy 28-31-3


Week 5 Picks

Carolina @ New Orleans (-3.5)
Mini Me: New Orleans
Random Boy: Carolina

Jacksonville (-2.5) @ Kansas City
Mini Me: Kansas City
Random Boy: Kansas City

Detroit @ Washington (-3.5)
Mini Me: Detroit
Random Boy: Washington

Atlanta @ Tennessee (-8)
Mini Me: Atlanta
Random Boy: Atlanta

Miami @ Houston (-5)
Mini Me: Miami
Random Boy: Miami

Seattle @ Pittsburgh (-6)
Mini Me: Pittsburgh
Random Boy: Seattle

Cleveland @ New England (-16)
Mini Me: Cleveland
Random Boy: New England

Arizona (-3.5) @ St. Louis
Mini Me: St. Louis
Random Boy: St. Louis

New York Jets @ New York Giants (-3.5)
Mini Me: New York Giants
Random Boy: New York Jets

Tampa Bay @ Indianapolis (-10)
Mini Me: Indianapolis
Random Boy: Tampa Bay

San Diego @ Denver (PK)
Mini Me: San Diego
Random Boy: San Diego

Baltimore (-3.5) @ San Francisco
Mini Me: Baltimore
Random Boy: San Francisco

Chicago @ Green Bay (-3.5)
Mini Me: Green Bay
Random Boy: Green Bay

Dallas (-10.5) @ Buffalo
Mini Me: Dallas
Random Boy: Dallas


Please leave your picks in the comments section if you would like to join this crazy competition. Whoever has the highest winning percentage at the end of the season will receive a bundle of prizes including a trip to the laboratory where Mini Me was created.

As reported by Josh Peter of Yahoo! sports here, there's yet another performance-enhancing drug scandal ripping through the sports world. These accusations against the elite of the bovine athletes could crush the sport on its rise. In an exclusive BRS interview with one of the top bulls on the tour, Mossy Oak Mudslinger said "Moo." Critics are worried about the effects on calves trying to make it professionally.

Pictured above: the tragic repercussions of bullroid-rage.

Within the last hour Red Sox manager Terry Francona announced that Daisuke Matsuzaka would start Game 2 of the ALDS, not veteran right-hander Cut Schilling. Dice-K, the rookie, is 15-12 with a 4.40 ERA in 2007, whereas Curt Schilling is 9-8 with a 3.87 ERA in 24 starts this season. However, Schilling boasts an 8-2 post-season record, including two World Series championships.

The announcement caught me off guard because Curt was scratched from his start yesterday after Boston had clinched the AL's best record Saturday night. The thought was that he was scratched in order to make him available for Game 2 on Friday. Instead, he will pitch Game 3, and of course Josh Beckett would pitch Game 1, and Game 4 if necessary.

I would rather see Schilling pitch twice in the ALDS, however, if Beckett or Dice-K doesn't do well, Curt Schilling would be waiting in Anaheim for the Angels' number 3 starter, looking to get Boston back in the series, or give them a 2-1 lead. On the other side of that, if Boston is up 2-0, Curt Schilling would be looking to seal the deal. Then again, Dice-K has had one good start in recent memory.

Hopefully this doesn't come back to haunt the Red Sox.

Media Day is a crazy day. Some random thoughts from media day:

-Kevin Garnett is a huge dude, he was two inches away from me

-Leon Powe has crazy large hands, and he has a tight grip when he shakes your hand

-Rajon Rondo was mobbed so badly that I didn't even realize he was on the floor taking interviews.

-Brian Scalabrine is a funny, funny man.

-I have Scalabrine on tape saying the Celtics will take the Atlantic, and he specifically said to tell "J Kidd" that.

-Tony Allen calls himself TA, and speaks of himself in the third person at times. He is also feeling very well and is well-ahead of schedule according to doctors.

-Doc Rivers says Scot Pollard is a pain in the ass.

-Scot Pollard says his job is push people around.

-Kendrick Perkins is looking forward to "holding Al" when they play each other.

-The Celtics use grade A material to make their uniforms, according to Paul Pierce.

I haven't gone through all the tapes yet, but once I do, I'll try to post some of the interviews and I'll write a little bit more about my findings.