CDs of the Decade!

For next year, I plan to post more and do more than just sports stuff. I may move this to a different blogger post, but for now I'm attaching it to Riding the Pine. These aren't everyone's idea of best Cd's of the decade, but they're my favorites. (So, I guess that really makes them the best. Right?)

For added difficulty I gave myself one rule: No repeat bands. I didn't want it just to become a discography of my favortie bands and it made coming up with this more challenging and fun.

Need More Listens:
Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
The Best of 2009, this probably will be on the list at some point, but it just came out in November so I figured I would give it more time to sink in. Having said that, "No One Loves Me & Neither Do I" is one of the best tracks I've heard in a long time and the whole CD has everything I look for... awesome riffs, creativity, lyrics that make me wish I thought them up, thrashing drums, etc.

These are ones on other list I have read that I need to get more listens in before making a final decision on them.
Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
Jay-z - The Blueprint
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

Honorable Mentions:
(note: any of these probably could have made the top ten, depending on my musical mood for that particular day.)
MGMT - Oracular Spectatcular
Arcade Fire - Funeral
The Raconteurs - Counselors of the Lonely
My Morning Jacket - Z
TV on the Radio - Dear Science
Incubus - Morning View
Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
blink-182 - Take Off Your Pants and Jacket
Foo Fighters - One by One
The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
Muse - Black Holes and Revelations

(That's a lot. Don't let people tell you there wasn't any good music this decade.)

The Top Ten
10. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - With more listens Gimme Fiction or Kill the Moonlight may replace this. Either Way, Spoon is awesome and this CD just makes me feel awesome.
9. Saves the Day - Stay What You Are Saves the Day were a huge part of the end of my high school career and the tremendously underrate In Reverie defined my freshman year of college (I was actually really close to putting that one one here instead). But because of Freakish, At Your Funeral and This is Not an Exit, I think this will always be my favorite Saves the Day. They get bonus points for being present at two of my top three favorite concerts of all time.
8. Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News- A lot of Modest Mouse fans prefer The Moon and Antarctica and probably don't like this one at all. But I disagree, this is great and giving Modest Mouse more exposure (and even a Guitar Hero shoutout) isn't really a bad thing.
7. Green Day - American Idiot - My initial reaction was that I liked 21st Century Breakdown more. I don't know if I've changed my mind, but for now I'm giving American Idiot the nod.
6. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - The best of many great Wilco dics.
5. Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak - Pretty much a toss up between this and Youth & Young Manhood.
4. Radiohead - Amnesiac - Kid A topped most decade lists that I read, so I know I'm in the minority but I prefer Amnesiac. "You and Whose Army?," "Life in a Glasshouse" and "Pyramid Song," come one, you can't tell me they're just Kid A B-sides. In Rainbows could very well be here too and Hail to the Thief is another underrated gem.

Top 3 (note: These really could be in any order, they're three of my all-time favorites. But for now this is how it stands.)
3. The White Stripes - Elephant (2003) - Jack White is the man. And Meg is his perfect compliment. This is one of the best guitar albums of the decade and the fun that they had making this rubs off on the listener. Ball and Biscuit is my song of the decade and probably my favorite of all time. (And you better believe it's my ringtone.)
2.The Strokes - Is This It? (2001)- Everything I ever want in an album. I've listened to this and the number one pick more than anything and there's a reason for that. A desert island pick? Hell yeah! This could even win over Ben Linus and the smoke monster.
1.Arctic Monkeys -Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)- In January 2006 I heard some buzz about this band, a band with a weird name, young ages and hyped like crazy by NME. vI checked out some of the material (not expecting too much) that they had unleashed on the Internet. It's the best feeling when you discover a band and know there is something special about them. It's like you can tell, "this is going to be my favorite band." The Arctic Monkeys are my favorite band entering this new decade and their debut is still their best. (Still please, do yourself a favor and check out Favourite Worst Nightmare, Humbug and their brilliant b-side.)
They're the kind of band that if you're driving around alone, windows down and this CD in, you won't want to reach your destination until the disc is done. Fuck wasting gas, this CD rocks that much. Alex Turner knows how to write lyrics and these tales about small, shitty towns, striking out at the same bars, bouncers, getting drunk, scummy men, etc. are simply brilliant in every way. Kids who put lyrics in their IM away messages, facebook, twitter accounts, etc. can do themselves a favor and out these songs.
And yes, an Arctic Monkeys concert that I went to at the Metro in Chicago is also on my list of top concerts.

Here's to more great music and feel free to post your favorites in the comments. Rock on!

The Official 2009 Riding the Pine NFL (Super) Preview

"Congratulations Universe, you win!"

That was my response to hearing that the Buffalo Bills (my favorite team) had signed Mr. Terrell Owens (T.O. - one of my least favorite players and a Riding the Pine go-to joke). I quickly talked myself into the move and I do like, really. It was the right thing to do and should help Buffalo's stagnant offense. And honestly, maybe the Bills (especially Jauron and Edwards) need to be called out by someone, maybe the Bills need that passion, that fire (they don't really need that egotism though...).

Anyway, my point is that I shouldn't have been that shocked. The NFL always has a few surprises up it's sleeve - it's universe will always surprise and baffle us. So, won't it happen again? Most don't seem to think so. For instance, take a look at other season predictions nearly everyone I have read has the Patriots winning the Super Bowl. Really? What a boring, predictable selection. Predictable isn't always a bad thing, the Pats are the favorites and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see them win the Super Bowl (I would however, punch a hole in my living room wall the size of T.O.'s ego).

Now, I've seen some crazy picks as the team NE will beat... Chicago, New Orleans, the Las Vegas Locomotives. That just makes no sense, why show all this respect to the Patriots but completely dismiss the other powerhouses of the league, the consistently good teams?

I noticed a trend last year in all the major sports. There were surprise teams in every league including two of the historically (at least for a short history in one case)awful, laughingstock franchises reaching the championship game: The Tampa Bay (non-Devil) Rays and the Arizona Cardinals. Both had very legitimate chances to win too. But in the end it was traditional teams from more reknonwed cities winning. Older franchises that have tasted plenty of glory in the past: the Steelers, the Phillies, the Lakers, the North Carolina Tar Heels, The Penguins, the Gators, whatever WNBA team won the title. So in the end the stalwart franchises prevail. It would be fortune in some cases if this trend continued (go Yankees!) but wouldn't be good for my Bills and Sabres. However, I think it will continue, to certain extent anyway...

Enough build-up, here's this year's preview (I'm calling it a super preview for obvious reasons) and here's to eternal hope that our favorite team will rattle the universe with a improbable Super Bowl victory! (That goes out to everyone but NE, Miami, Jets and Cowboys fans... I hope your teams lose every game. Jerks.)

Part One:

AFC

AFC East
1. You know
2. Miami Dolphins (ugh)
3. BUFFALO BILLS
4. Jersey Jets

This summer I breezed through the Battlestar Gallactica DVDs on Netflix (amazing show), and I can to an important realization. Bill Belichick is a cylon! There's no other explanation, I think Robert Kraft and Roger Gooddell both know about it and continue to do nothing. Al Davis obviously had no clue because he continues to allow NE to rip him off in trades. So, unfortunately, I have to pick the Patriots as division champs again. But I'm holding out hope that the return of the red and white Patriot Pat uniforms (I admit, they're pretty cool) will mean the return of the Patriots playing like they normally did in the gear (sucky).

I have no idea why I always get some pumped for the Bills games against NE, I'm already counting the days until the Monday Night opener (I'm going to loathe waiting all the way through Monday though). But deep down, I'm very pessimistic, in fact I can't see anyway the Bills can win this game. That's why I'm loading up on beer before hand.

But that brings me to my new outlook on the Bills this season, I'm trying something new out. If you've read my past previews, you would have noticed that I twice picked the Bills to make the playoffs. They finished 7-9 both times. I genuinely believed that they were a good team, definitely a playoff team, and maybe a team that could be the year's surprise Super Bowl contestant. The Bills did an awesome job raising these hopes (a 5-1 start, looking like a team of destiny against an undefeated Dallas squad on Monday Night Football), but they crushed these hopes like a swift kick to the groin. And, that's how I've equated being a Bills fan these past few years... it's like being continually pummeled in the groin. Well, no more suffering! I've decided to buy a cup! To put it simply, I'm curbing my enthusiasm, thinking negatively, the keg is half empty, damn it! This way, I'll be less prone to disappointment, they can only surprise me. And everyone likes surprises.

Now, will this work? Probably not, but I'm sure as well not going to predict a playoff birth for Buffalo (even with that Alex Van Pelt magic). In fact, I'm going to say that they won't see the playoffs as long as Dick Jauron is around. It sucks that the nice guys, the guys you'd like to root for, just aren't as good as coaches as the loathsome (possibly evil robot) coaches. To stick with the BSG analogy, the Patriots are the Cylons and the Bills are Caprica - a once proud entity that gets completely destroyed by a more powerful force that surprises them, overpowers them and just simply outsmarts them.

(LOST spoiler: It's all right, once Juliet destroys Jug head and resets the timeline, then both the Bills and Sabres will have avoided all those heartbreakers. There, I feel better already.)

Oh yeah, the Jets and Dolphins are in this division too. Well, I think Miami is well coached, and they could be a feisty opponent. I didn't expect Pennington to be that great last year. They'll flirt with the playoffs, but they're not at an elite level and I don't think their knocking at that specific door either. The Jets are headed in a direction that scares me, but for this year, I think they're overrated and will battle Buffalo for 3rd in the division. Ultimately, they'll show plenty of positives but won't have a record that is much better than mediocre. There's a lot of hype around Sanchez, and I have the feeling that he'll be a pretty good one, but he won't have Ryan or Flacco success. I mean, even Peyton Manning was 3-13 his first year. The silver lining is that, if Sanchez happens to be a bust than the Dirty Sanchez jokes will be all the funnier (PS I know that joke is a little too easy, but hey if it works... Artie Lange didn't let that stop him from using the "Tony Homo" routine on his infamous Joe Buck appearance, and apparently people liked that.)

AFC North
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. Cincy Bengals
4. Cleveland Browns

Oops, did I really pick the Browns to win this division last year? I'm not making that mistake this year. I think the Ravens will be a nasty team this year - a classic smash-mouth, hard-hitting defensive team that no one will want to face in the playoffs. Except Pittsburgh, that is. They won't mind, mainly because they're the new Patriots. Roethsliberger is now the guy that just always finds a way to win. He doesn't put up staggering numbers (they're Pro Bowl worthy, but not MVP/video game-like stats), but if you watch him then you can see how great this guy is. It actually makes me more bitter about the 2004 draft, you know the one where the Steelers and Bills both finished 6-10 the year before but the Steelers picked 11th, the Bills 13th. They got Big Ben, we later traded a bunch picks to get back in the first round and draft the current QB for the Vegas Locomotives, J.P. Losman. After repeatedly bashing my face into a wall, I finally realized that this is just how things work. Teams like the Steelers will always have this kind of luck, other teams will not be as fortunate.

Speaking of unlucky teams, the Bengals and Browns will finish third and forth respectively (or maybe unrespectively). The Bengals aren't a good team, but they aren't that bad either, certainly not as bad as last year. Carson Palmer was on the fast track to greatness, but injuries have wreaked havoc on him and his team. Again, some teams are just have-nots. It doesn't help when you have shoddy ownership and a team notorious for its slew of arrests. One possible bright side, may be 2nd round pick Rey Mauluga. He seems like he could be a steal despite the fact that teams like the Chargers, Ravens and Patriots passed on him. One more Bengal note, is it just me or does Andre Smith seem like the second coming of Mike Williams (not a good thing, Mr. Smith)?

I think the league is a little more fun when teams like the Browns, Bills and Steelers are all good. For most of this decade, that hasn't been the case though and the Browns aren't very good now (I was considering putting D-III super team the Mt. Union Purple Raiders ahead of the Browns, but then I wouldn't be able to recycle that same joke later in the column). Mangini is a bad a coach as Jauron and he probably won't do any better than Romeo Crennel, another former Patriot Defensive coordinator was in Cleveland.

AFC South
1. Colts (I'm really being risky with these division winners obviously)
2. Houston Texans
3. Tennessee Titans
4. Jacksonville Jaguars

I don't know. I can't quite figure this one out. Without Dungy, Indy will finally be on the decline, right? But, wait, they still have Manning. And Tennessee, I've had a feeling they'd be good the past few years, but I liked them less than other teams in the division so I slotted them at the bottom of the division. Is this the year Houston finally breaks through? Was last year a fluke for Jacksonville? Or was the year before? I just don't know.

I guess my thinking is this, as long as the Colts have Manning they'll be good, as long as the Patriots have Brady, they'll be good, etc. The Colts ended strong last year and I wasn't real discouraged by their playoff loss at San Diego. I won't pick them to win the Super Bowl again, but I do think they'll take the division.

Houston will challenge for a Wild Card spot again. They won't finish 8-8 again, but it'll fall on either side of that - 7-9 or 9-7. I'm not convinced that Schaub is the franchise and he does have problems staying healthy. They do have some franchise guys though, Mario Williams, Andre Johnson and possibly Steve Slaton.

Make no mistake, the Titans will be good again. But you can be a good team and still miss the playoffs in this league. Jeff Fisher is still one of the best and their defense should still be solid even without Haynesworth. But Kerry Collins? I can't see them getting real far with him, sorry, I guess that's Karma for the "Music City Illegal Forward Pass."

The Jags will be better than last year, but their coach looks exactly like Shooter McGavin, and we all know Shooter's fate...

AFC West
1. San Diego Chargers
2. USC Trojans
3. Oakland Raiders
4. Denver Broncos
5. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chargers take this division with more authority than last year's 8-8 clunker. I still can't see them toppling the rest of the AFC field and making it to the big game in Miami at the end of the year.

I'm obviously just kidding about USC, I have no idea how good they'll be this year. Starting a freshman QB is always a risk even for a superpower like Pete Carroll's squad.

I picked the Chiefs last, but I think they're headed in the right direction, in fact I almost picked them to finish second behind the Chargers. There's definitely some concerns, but there's a lot of things to like too, including Scott Pioli and their fiery new coach, former Cards offensive coordinator Todd Haley. It's nice to work with Belichick, but I think Pioli probably had a lot to do with New England's success and I'm not going to doubt his abilities. But it'll take more than one season to rebuild the Chiefs and Matt Cassel remains a question mark (for both health reasons and for the fact that he no longer has New England's awesome supporting cast). Still, playing at Arrowhead is never fun for opponents and the Chiefs will almost certainly pull off some upsets there.

The Raiders have some talent and I think they'll win enough games to finish behind the Chargers. However, they're too dysfunctional to win more than 6 or 7 games and I'm not a huge fan of Tom Cable as a head coach.

Wait, head coaches destined to fail? That sounds like you Josh McDaniels. Those Patriot coordinators have done, for the most part, an awful job after graduating from the school of Belichick. They've done almost as bad as players that have left the esteemed institution (they must miss that pristine cafeteria and it's excellent HGH breakfast burritos). So, that's one strike against McDaniels and the fact that I'm guessing most Broncos fans are enraged that he ripped apart the only positive from last years team (offense), swapped Jay Cutler for Kyle Orton (I know that got a bunch of picks too, but that doesn't really help my point, does it?) is another strike. I'm guessing the third strike comes when the Broncos have a disastrous season and have Pat Bowlen questioning why he fired (future Bills coach?*) Mike Shannahan.

* - only the future coach if Bill Cowher turns down the job. We know Jauron won't be the coach, right? right?

Part 2
NFC

NFC East
1. New York Giants
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. Washington Redskins
4. Dallas Cowboys

You can find flaws for every team, but that doesn't mean they aren't a good team. Each one of these teams is flawed, but also extremely talented. This is still the top division in football. Is there an NFC Champion in the bunch? Or a Super Bowl winner? Well...

The Giants were a regular season powerhouse last year, but came up empty in the postseason. Still, they have a great team and I think they'll repeat as division champs (of course I picked them to finish last in the division the year they won the Super Bowl).

Donovan McNabb is one of my favorite players, but I don't think he'll win a Super Bowl. Signing/trading for big names like Jason Peters and Michael Vick is always the way to go, and besides I'm still bitter about Peters shitty performance last year. My only hope is that Demetrius Bell turns out to be better than Peters, signs a contract bigger than Peters and then builds a house right next to Peters only twice as large, and hangs a solid gold sign in his front yard that says, "Suck it, Peters!" I think that sounds reasonable.

Washington and Dallas will have similar records, neither will make the playoffs. Even though, I picked the Cowboys to finish last, I by no means think they're a bad team. But, you have to admit it is might sweet to see Jerry Jones look like a fool. Besides, even if they did make the playoffs they would end up getting bounced in the first round like a punt off their poorly placed score board (Yep).

NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers
2. Minnesota Vikings
3. Chicago Bears
4. Detriot Lions

The other day at work we were talking about Batman. One of my co-workers was listing villians and this what he said, "You have the Joker, Bookworm, Mr. Freeze-" I cut him off there. What? Bookworm? That sounds made up (and sounds like the lamest villain ever). I was sure that I was a victim of some practical joke, I mean when did Batman start beating up on nerds? However...



Oh, man. Fucking Bookworm, are you kidding me? Anyway. my point is that the Detroit Lions are the Bookworm of the NFL. They're pushovers, more of a punchline than a threat. And I don't like this. I've always liked the Lions because I was a big Barry Sanders fan (who wasn't), and I didn't get as much joy out of their 0-16 as I would have if the Dolphins finished 0-16 (and this is a good time to remind you that they did finish 1-15 just two years ago. Good times). Matt Millen could have read all the books he wanted and he still would have been the worst GM in history (not just NFL history). The only book he did read seemed to be "How to Suck." I certainly hope they're on the right track, but that will mostly depend on if they can build a solid, reliable offensive and defensive line and of course, on Matthew Stafford. I find it funny that most people are automatically assuming that Mark Sanchez will be better than Stafford seemingly just because he was drafted by the Lions. Sadly, I can't say that I disagree.

On to the Bears... Peter King picked the Bears to go to the Super Bowl. Bold, but I don't see it. This is also a good point to mention that I took the Peter King challenge on SI.com last year and kicked his ass. I finished somewhere tied for 18th overall (I think, I don't remember that exact position) and he finish somewhere closer to 1,000th place. Chalk one up for Riding the Pine!

I try not to put too much stock into preseason, but if someone else does, that's fine with me, why would I care? I just think you have to be consistent. For instance, King was getting on the Bills case because how much their offense has sucked in the preseaon (which is a very valid point, because they were awful and both Walker and Schoenert paid for it). But the only team they looked good against was the Bears... who he picks to go to the Super Bowl. Edwards actually outplayed Cutler in that one (it was Cutler's first game as a Bear). The Bills played brilliantly last preseason against the Steelers, Edwards looked great and the starting D terrorized Big Ben, but it didn't matter in the real season when the Bills were finishing 7-9 and the Steelers were winning another Super Bowl.

Of course, one team that looked fantastic in preseason when I watched them was the Packers. That's not why I picked them first though (I'm no hypocrite). I know Favre won't want to finish behind them and I can understand why people pick the Vikings in this division. I've always had a fondness for great running backs and Adrian Peterson definitely falls into that category. But the Packers have that look of a "bounce-back team," one that goes from 6-10 to 11-5 and division champs (or something like that). When Rodgers was sitting behind Favre all those years and even when he was drafted, he reminded me of Losman. Naturally, I thought he would be a bust. I was wrong. And that's something I'm going to keep in mind for my playoff picks - my gut has been wrong. A lot. So, I'm pulling a George Costanza, doing the opposite of what I think is right. Hey, it got him a job with the Yankees...

And before I close up on this division I have to say that I - like everyone else - am sick of Favre's antics. However, when I heard he was flirting with the Vikings, I got a little excited. I mean, come on. Favre against the Packers. At Lambeau. As a Viking. No wonder ESPN has a constant Favre boner.

NFC South
1. New Orleans Saints
2. Atlanta Falcons
3. Carolina Panthers
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I've been a big Jake Delhomme fan ever since his awesome performance in the 2004 Super Bowl against New England. But man, that playoff performance was brutal. The Panthers won't get far this year and will look for a new quarterback. Tampa got their new signal caller, but to me the move to reach for Josh Freeman reminded me of the Bills getting J.P. Losman. Of course, I thought the same thing when the Packers picked Aaron Rodgers....

The Saints and Falcons are clearly the best teams in the division and I give the slight edge to the Saints because I think this is the year that Drew Brees wins MVP.

NFC West
1. Arizona Cardinals
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. San Francisco 49ers
4. St. Louis Rams

A boring division, so a short write up here...
Cardinals break the Super Bowl losing team curse, because let's face it, no one is cursed when they're in such a bad division. If the good Kurt Warner shows up (not the washed-up Giants version) the Cards will be a sleeper pick to make it back to the Super Bowl (and probably lose again).

The Seahawks won't be too bad, but the Niners and Rams will. The Rams started this decade as a surprise juggernaut and will end it as the Lions competition for the number one overall pick (again).

Part 3
Awards:
MVP - Brees
D-MVP - Troy Polamalu

Coach of the year - Mike McCarthy

Super Bowl
New York Giants over Baltimore Ravens

The pattern continues... let's just hope it's not too accurate because another Cowboys title would be another reason why if the technology from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ever comes to fruition, Bills fans will be the number one buyers.

No. No matter what - after this pitiful decade of Buffalo Bills football (and more Dick Jauron!), we'll definitely need this technology.

The Official 2008 Riding the Pine NFL Preview

Yeah, I know. The NFL season has technically already begun. But really, did Thursday night's Redskins-Giants game feel like regular season football? No, no it didn't didn't. You would have been better off watching reruns of The Office then watching that game, thanks in large part to the Washington Redskins and their ultra-conservative, minimually productive offense. They certainly stole the Steve Fairchild gameplan: run, run, short pass, punt, lose.

So forget that, this Sunday brings a slate of intriguing games. And doesn't the first Sunday of football seem like a holiday? All that anticipation, savoring each moment off pointless pregame hype by ESPN, Fox, CBS (and I guess the NFL Network too)before watching your favorite team unwrap their new offseason toys and start a quest to make history. And then of course, that anticipation turns to disapointment for most teams (especially for us Bills fans) as you watch enough baffling playcalling, pourous defense, careless turnovers to grab another beer (or ten) from the fridge.

We know the dissapointment will come eventually, it does for 31 fanbases every year. But we watch anyway. Why? Because if Eli Manning can win a Super Bowl, then so can your team. (Except for you Miami, there's better chance that fictional Miami bloodsplatter anaylaist Dexter Morgan will take his knife to Bill Parcells than the Dolphins have of winning more than six games.)

Not a second too late, here are my predictions that are sure to be way off, but are just too much fun to write or read that I have to do it...

AFC

AFC East
predicted finish:
1. (It pains me to type again...) New England Patriots*
2. Buffalo Bills
3. New (Jersey) Jets
4. The Miami 1-15's

I was reading something from last year's preview that made me decide to start this explanation from the bottom. About Cam Cameron and the Dolphins, I wrote: "As for the Dolphins, they're going to be bad this year. I'll leave it at that."

It turns out they were historically bad, pathetic really. Only the ineptitude of Brian Billick and the Ravens kept the Dolpins away from what would have been a glorious 0-16 season. So now all of a sudden a guy name "Tuna" is going to rescue the Dolphins? Come on! There's no doubt they'll be better than last year, how could they not, in fact they'll give some teams some troubles. I'm positive the Bills will have at least one close game with them this year. But the bottom line is, they'll still be losing. The fans that "fill up" half of Dolphin stadium will devasted. (But like I said earlier with each loss, they can still hope that Dexter will chose to go after true evil: Bill Belichick.)

Anyway, the AFC East, as a whole, is better than last year. Yet, I still think it will finish in the smae order. Last year, I predicted the order correctly (when most people incorrectly thought the Bills were inferior to the Jets... wow, that seems familiar)and I was close to nailing the Bills record. I said 8-8 or 9-7 and earning the final Wild Card spot. They finished 7-9 (argh, again) and were a two cololosal (mess)-ups away from 9-7 (damn you Denver and Dallas games.

So with caution I'm going to pick the Bills for the Wild Card again this year. My reasoning is this: they have to better than last year, right? They have an easier schedule, heatlhier team (knock on wood), more talent, and Trent Edwards has the look of one of those QBs who frustrate other teams because his stats aren't great, he isn't on Sportscenter a lot, but his team wins a lot. I'm thinking a young (and I mean young, not the freak touchdown machine years) Tom Brady or Ben Roesthislberger. Now, those guys both won Super Bowls in their respective second years, this is Edwards second year. I'm just saying...

Again, it's that optimism thing. Why else would someone compare a second-year, third-rounder, with a history of injuries on a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2000, to a future hall of famer and a perennial Pro Bowler? Teams like the Rams of 99 and Giants of last year are to blame for this phenominom - they give too many teams (and by teams I mean the fan base of these teams) false hope that this will be their year. Because (cynic alert) in all liklihood it won't be.

I really do like this Bills team though. They just have to show that they can stay healthy, manage to not shoot themselves in the cleat (that means you Jason Peters), and not to put starters on the IR because of spite (I'll hold off going into detail about the Angelo Crowell situation since no one seems to know what's really going on here. But I'm hoping it's not as bad, or bushleague, as it sounds).

I could go on talking about the Bills, but I'll save some of that for the regular season. As for the Jets... well, they remind me of the Bills during the Tom Donahue era. Signing big name free agents, tossing money around to washed-up former Pro Bowlers, and speaking of washed up older Pro Bowlers, trading for one to play QB. Granted, these Jets have a better offensive line than those Bills (because Donahue mostly ignored that aspect of football) and even a almost 40-year old Favre is better than the Bledsoe version 33.0. But those Bills team had a really good defense (better than this year's Jet's D) that kept them in games. When all is said and done I'm thinking 7-9 or maybe 8-8 for the Jets because they too have an easy schedule. I wouldn't be sursprised if they were worse than that though and I would be shocked if they end up making the playoffs. In fact, I think the only way for them to make the playoffs is through some league/ESPN conspiracy to get Favre into the playoffs. Which would never - wait a second, I could definitly see that happening.

(One more thing about Favre. I'm wondering about the fact that the Jets recievers are used to catching lob shots from Pennington and are now going to catch fastballs from Favre. Will one preseason be enough to make that adjustment? I say no. The Jets will lead the laegue in dropped passes.)

On to the next Division...wait, you're wondering why I'm only talking about three of the four AFC East teams. I thought that was required since most of the so-called previews of this division I've watched have only talked about three teams and acted like the remaining team was unimportant. I don't know if it's a coincidence but the team that all these networks/websites neglected was the Bills. Well, okay, I'm choosing to ignore the Patriots.

AFC North
Predicted Finish
1. Cleveland Browns
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. Cincinatti Bengals (also known as the Bangalas de Cincinatti)

I messed up the Browns pick last year, but even worse is that I just found out that I used the Dexter joke in last year's column too (weak). Anyway, it's risky picking the Browns this year, they went from being everyone's surprise pick (albeit not much of a surprise since they were 10-6 and robbed of the playoffs last year) to team that is overrated. All because of a tough schedule and a weak preseason.

Well, the Steelers have a tough 17 weeks too and they didn't impress me with their preseason performance against Buffalo in Toronto either. However, I do think that the QB simply known as "Big Ben" has passed Carson Palmer as the best quarterback in the division. Derek Anderson is good too, no fluke like some have suggested, but he does have to tone down the turnovers and be more consistant - that's the case for most young signal callers though. Joe Flacco is way, way, way behind all of them so far. The Ravens better be patient with him or it may seem like they have another Kyle Boller sized bust, when in fact the young man just needs time to learn and develop.

The Bengals seem like a mess, so I picked them to finish last but they could have flip-flop with Baltimore or the two teams could have the same record. Either way, both won't be good and Marvin Lewis probably won't be the coach too much longer. He might be better off coaching a better run organization anyway.

Here's my thoughts on the receiver fromerly known as Chad Johnson and the headache currently known as Chad Ocho Cinco. He wants to be traded he says. Well what happens if he gets traded to a team with a player who already wears 85. If I was that player I would refuse to sell him that number no matter how much he offered. The humor of Ocho Cinco wearing 86, 87 or anything else besides 85 is just too great. (And I know other agree with me because I've seen this same point in other sports columns, but still it's the first thing I thought of when I heard the name change so I had to put it in here).

AFC South
Predicted Finish
1. Indy Colts
2. Jacksonville Jags
3. Tennesse Titans (Home of the Home-run illegal forward pass-back)
4. Houston Texans

Every team in this division is good. But only one has Peyton Manning.

Like many, I was tempted to say that this is the year that Jacksonville passes Manning, Dungy and crew. The Jags will be tough for everyone to handle, but I can't put them at the level with the Colts, Patriots, or even Chargers, yet. I love the way their team plays, physical, smash mouth, crushing defense, but I would be one of the people calling shenanagins if a team with a fanbase as palrty as Jacksonville's gets to bask in the euphoria of a Super Bowl Championship before the us die-hards in Western New York.

Their D is great (although hopefully they'll miss Marcus Stroud), their running game is terrific and I like Garrard as their Quarterback. But their recievers are suspect and they'll have some problems outside of the game, most recently with the shooting of Collier. So at this point they're still a wild card. A very good wild card team.

As for the Titans, they're also very good. They're led by a strong defense and an excellant coach. Furthermore, I think Vince Young will be a very good quarterback in this league (right now he has a very good W-L record, mediocre stats and a ton of critics). I still thought Cleveland deserved that final playoff spot last year instead of the Titans, and this year Jeff Fisher's crew will be the odd team out.

Houston has a good young team, I think they're still a few years off though. I'll admit it was fun last year to waatch this team and DE Mario Williams give a Texas-sized middle finger to all the people out there that thought they were insane for not picking Bush. I still think they might have wanted to go with Young, mainly because I'm not sold on Matt Shaub yet, but almost every team in the league would kill to have a player like Super Mario. Especially after the Giants showed last year how important a relentless pass rush can be.

It's just too bad they play in one of the toughest, competitive divisions in the league.

AFC West
Predicted finish
1. San Diego (Super) Chargers
2. Denver Broncos
3. Oakland Raiders
4. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chargers should win this division easily. I picked them as the champs last year and they didn't come through. They did (and actually still do) have some key injuries but really worried me was their cowardly coaching. I call it "pussy ball." It's when a team plays overly conservative to try and minimize mistakes but they're really just killing themselves with predictablity. Dick Jauron is guilty of this too, and that worries me (playing "pussy ball" and injuries are my biggest concerns for the Bills). The Redskins employed this method on Thursday night too, it didn't work out.

Here's another reason I think the super talented Chargers won't make it to the Super Bowl, and it doesn't have anything to do with Shawne Merriman's knee. It's more of a hunch, a feeling if you will. It happened recently in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres and in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns; a talented offensive jaugernaut rules the regular season, looks unbeatable at times and have fans thinking championship. Only in the end, those same fans are left wondering how a team with so much talent, and so many wins, could fail to even make the championship round. They're frequent guests in the Conferance championship round but a freak amalgamtion of bad luck and injuries allows another team to steal the title.

I had to suffer through it with the Sabres, Suns fans had to live through it, and I'm afraid the same thing will happen to the Chargers. I hope it doesn't because for the most part I like them more than Indy or definitly more than New England. But I believe in these sort of parallels, but don't worry Bolt fans I'm sure Ladanian Tomlinson has a more optimistic view.

If my aforementioned analogy is right (which it almost certainly is) than Denver, Oakland and KC aren't going to come close to San Diego. Denver should be decent, Jay Cutler is a good young player to have leading your team. He's far from elite, but could take a team to the playoffs. The Raiders should be better than last year and Darren McFadden will be exciting to watch, not as good as Adrian Peterson, like some expect, but still a Rookie of the Year favorite (not necessarily the winner though).

The Chiefs will be bad. Arrowhead Stadium should still give some teams headaches so they'll squeeze out enough wins to avoid being being the team to pick 1st in next year's draft. They'll be in the top five though, regardless of the health of Larry Johnson too.

NFC

NFC East
Predicted finish
1. New (Jersey) Giants
2. Dalla$ Cowboy$
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Washington "I swear I had them in last even before the sucked it up on Thrus. night" Redskins

I picked the Giants to finish last, last year. They won the Super Bowl. So I'm picking them first this year. Hey, what can I say it's a tough division to play in and a tough on to prognasticate.

The Eagles were my NFC team last year, they'll challenge for a playoff spot again. They're hard to peg because their season depends on the health of Donovon McNabb. He could be the MVP or he could miss half the season...

The Skins will struggle (see above) but they're far from being awful. And that leaves the Cowboys.

I'm seeing this team pegged as not only a Super Bowl favorite, but also as the team to win it all. And if that's not enough everyone is picking Romo to win the MVP. Usually when a guy chokes in every big game he's played, the media are all over him. But I guess if it's a nice story and he plays for the Cowboy$, so I guess he's a surefire Super Bowl MVP and one of the best players in the league. Are you kidding me?

Romo had a flat-out awesome regular season last year (besides the fact that he was scared of the crazies in Orchard park), but so did Daunte Culpepper a few years ago. Now Culpepper is retired. I certainly hope that Romo doesn't get hurt like that and share the same fate, but it goes to show you that one great year doesn't mean that Romo is in the same league with Manning and Brady. Despite what ESPN might think, he's not even the most proven QB in his division (that would be Eli Manning, you know, the guy that won the Super Bowl MVP in the real world).

That being said, I think I may see why these pundits like him so much (besides the fact that he has a star on his helmet). His story is a good one. He works hard and isn't smug like Brady or pompous like TO. I would probably root for him but again, he has that star on his helmet, so I won't. Wade Phillips is an easy guy to root for too, the Bills shouldn't have canned him when they did. Unfortunatly for him, Jason Garrett is going to be the head coach next year.

(Olympic side note for a sec, because a) they were awesome and I never wrote about them and b) Usain Bolt looks a little like TO and acts a lot like TO. Bolt has one of the potentially greatest names ever, but why has it not been legally changed to Lightning Bolt. That would be cheesy for anyone else, but for the fastest person on the planet, it's badass. He could, and should, get a Lightning Bolt tattoo on his skull and still be badass. No wonder the Jamacians are better on the track, their fastest guy has a cool name like Bolt, our guys are named Gay and Dix... Whatever, Bolt would get crushed in the NFL. Take that Jamaca! Last Olympic note: I'm glad weren't too many incidents involving the US and China, you know, because of the whole Jack Bauer situation.)

NFC North
Predicted finish
1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Green Bay (wait.. Favre's not our QB anymore?)Packers
3. Detroit Lions
4. Chicago Bears

This will be one of the more exciting division races. I have the Vikes winning it and the Packers taking one of the wild card spots. I still have the Packers winning the Monday Night opener in Lambeu though. Let's hope Adrian Peterson can stay healthy, I'd love to see what he could do in a full 16 game schedule.

For the Pack, Aaron Rodgers reminds me a lot of JP Losman. Take that for what its worth. Also it concerns me that he has been hurt numerous times in his career while backing up a guy that, you know, never missed a game! How did he get hurt all the time without playing? How will he make it through the entire season? And how will the Brian Brohm/Matt Flynn tag-team fare in the regular season?

The Lions have talented players, but as long as Matt Millen is their GM I'll never pick them to make the playoffs.

The Bears? Well, I think they are a few months away from stating Devin Hester at quarterback.

NFC South
Predicted finish
1. New Orleans Saints
2. Tampa Bay Bucaneers
3. Carolina Panthers
4. Atlanta Falcons

This year's Super Bowl will be played in Tampa Bay, none of these teams will be there though. Sorry Bucs fans, you've already had your one Super Bowl for the decade. (Although Tampa is underrated and they don't get the respect they deserve. Anyway, I think they just barely miss the playoffs, but it could be a toss up between them and Green Bay.)

Carolina is an interesting team. I can see them being really good or really bad, so I'm predicting something in the middle (like 7-9 or 8-8). John Fox is on the hot seat, I've always thought of him as a good coach, so we'll see what he can do with this squad.

Atlanta will lose a lot. But Michael Turner could be a surprise Pro Bowl running back (albeit after some players drop out due to injuries) and Matt Ryan could be a surprise winner of the Rookie of the Year. He'll almost certainly get some sympathy votes.

The Saints will win the division, I like a lot of their offseason moves, but they won't be a strong threat to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

NFC West
Predicted finish
1. Seattle Seahawks
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. St. Louis Rams
4. San Fran 49ers

I think the Seahawks will lose their opening game to the Bills... but that won't stop them from making their second ever Super Bowl appearance. It's ironic that the NFC Super Bowl team would come from one of the weakest divisions in football. Seattle will win thanks to their awesome defense (Lofa Tatupu will win Defensive Player of the Year), Matt Hassleback carrying the offense for large stretches and because of coach Holmgren. Still, a banged up team, playing on the opposite coast will lose a close opener to another playoff team: the Buffalo Bills (or at least, I've talked myself into that).

Arizona will win some games over inferior opponents, but in the end their season will go down the tube like beer going down Matt Leinart's funnel. (Hey, he's just living the dream!)

The Rams will start the season out on another long (I mean looooooong) losing streak and still manage to edge out San Fran for last place.

Or will they.... In JT O'Sulliven we believe!

AFC Wild Card Teams
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
2. Buffalo Bills (hell yeah!)

NFC Wild Card Teams
1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Green Bay Packers

(...and if you're still reading) The Super Bowl
Indianapolis Colts over the Seattle Seahawks

The battle of retiring coaches is won by Dungy and the Colts on a last second controversial call that reverses an apparent Seahawk touchdown. Seattle fans, Bill Belichick and Clay Bennett are responsible for the blown call. All hell breaks loose.

And a month later Brett Favre retires...

Or does he?


(to be continued.... again)





*- Indicates a team of sinister cheaters who's pact with Lucifer is about to expire (hopefully)

Le Voyage de Rochester Rhinos

One of the few sports that I played and didn't, well, ride the pine in, was soccer. It wasn't about winning because our team almost never did, but it certainly was fun. I was decent at it too and learned about the sport, I love following the World Cup and related soccer events. So, naturally I'm a Rochester Rhinos fan.

For the first time since the Rhinos Frontier Field days, I went to a game on Friday, July 11. A lot has changed with the team since them, for one they went from a dominating, future MLS squad to a team that now has virtually no chance at the MLS.

They still have plenty loyal fans, I found this out on Friday. And if I lived close enough I would certainly love to pick up some season tickets. The fans have to be pretty loyal to accept the logo change. Now, I've accepted the fact that in today's sporting society, any team's logo/jersey modifications will suck. Teams continue their weird psychological experiment with fans to see how far they can push the limits of the fans' fashion (see: Buffalo Sabres slug logo).

We're only a few years away from the revealing of the Cleveland Browns new image: a football defiantly sticking out of a pile of shit. And what about the new Oklahoma City basketball team, what will their new fans be rooting for? A homage to their theft from Seattle? The Decafs? Or something more practical perhaps, will we finally have a pro team that goes by the badass nickname: The Unicorns. Like my floor hockey, the Unicorns of Death, the Oklahoma City Rabid Unicorns could have a logo with a snarling, horned beast, complete with razor teeth, slanted eye-brows and the clincher: a blood soaked horn. Now, that would be cool. Of course, they'll go with something dull. Can't wait to watch Kevin Durant and the "Team formerly known as the Sonic."

Anyway, back to the point of the Rhinos new insignia. Nothing was wrong with the old crazed Rhino puncturing a soccer ball look. But they dropped the "Raging" from the Rochester Raging Rhinos and replaced it with a logo that looks like something out of the Babar the Elephant children's series. "Look it's Babar's friend Rabab the Rhino."



Paetec Park is a solid soccer venue though. It was a lot better than the last time I was there (when the press box was still an unfinished wood area with power tools laying around). I had great seats towards the front of the upper deck and at midfield with some knowledgeable and friendly Rhino Rowdies (actually, these weren't exactly the rowdy bunch, but still diehards in their devotion). The concessions served tasty local beers from Rorbach's and I even scored a free white Rhinos shirt (which despite the presence of the new logo is still a sweet shirt).

Needless to say, it was a great atmosphere. Of course, there's no denying that Paetec Park isn't located in the best spot of the city. There's plenty of security around the stadium, but veer off in the wrong direction (like we did) and you end up some shady parts of the city, almost (and this might be exaggerating a little) like the Rochester version of The Wire. I even think I saw a glassy eyed Bubbles duplicate at Tops.

After experiencing the entertaining game (which had the Rhinos beating the Seattle Sounders 1-0, by the way), all these complaints became an afterthought. Honestly, I didn't know much about this current incarnation of the Rhinos. I knew that they were in last place in their division (they aren't anymore), were turning things around but still needed a few pieces (where's Doug Miller when you need him?). The trade for Andrew Gregor will certainly help, and he got a warm ovation from the crowd. But my favorite Rhino (and certainly a crowd favorite) quickly came to be the dynamic Johnny Menyongar.

At 5'5", number 10 is a small, but fearless. And he's a dart on the field, a constant offensive threat and a magician with the ball. One time he took what appeared to be one too many dribbles as he ran into an entrapping double team. He did a nifty spin-o-rama and some how snuck himself and the ball past the defenders and streaked towards the goalie. Soccer at it's best for sure.

One of my other favorite moments of the game came during a corner kick. For most of the night the Rhinos had all the corner kicks. They all turned out the same: the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" would blare on the speakers, the ball would go in the air, a Sounders player would win position and clear it. A somewhat frustrating recurrence. But during a Sounders cornerkick in the open end of the stadium something exciting happened. Now, this must happen often because the people in our section were telling us to "watch this" as a cascade of streamers rained down over the Seattle player and on to the field. And it was A LOT of streamers too. To the delight of the crowd, some got stuck on the players cleat as he tried to run back up the field. I was stunned that this was allowed, but it was still good stuff (and possibly a prelude to allowing fans to hurtle disposable cameras at Bill Belichick on the sidelines?).

That corner kick came at the end of the game. After the Rhinos had dominated position most of the game and were a questionable offsides away from a 2-0 lead. At this point, the Rhinos either tired or let up because the Sounders roared back and almost ruined the night with a stoppage time goal. There only other serious chance of the night came earlier when a defensive lapse led to a point-blank shot from around the penalty box area which I thought for sure would be the equalizer. Luckily, keeper Scott Vallow made a clutch save that was easily the stop of the game.

My only other complaint has to do with the PA nonsense. I can tell you how irritating it is when I'm watching action on the one end of the field and the PA announcer comes on and booms, "please direct you attention to the scoreboard (away from the action) and check out the kiss cam." No one cares about the kiss cam, or some jackass lingering on a couple trying to, you know watch the game, and keep prodding them to kiss. This happened other times with birthday messages or telling the fans to watch the Rhinestones dance team (who I did enjoy by the way) on the other end of the field. And people wonder why soccer gets a bad reputation in the U.S., it's because of stuff like this. It's an exhilarating sport to watch live (even in 1-0 games), fans don't need to be treated like ADD riddled idiots who can't follow the action and need to be stimulated with artificial chants and worn-out novelties like the kiss cam. The Sounders almost scored when the Rhinestones shot balled up T-shirts into the crowd, most people didn't notice because the soccer game apparently came second to the wadded up ammunition shot from a shirt bazooka.

I like to think we're better than that, and some in the organization must agree. The post game, "meet the Rhinos" event is a great coup for the fans and a nice PR move for the transitioning soccer club. Now, if you excuse me, I need to go iron out free bazooka shirt.

Go Rhinos!

My Chicago Bulls history, the NFL, and Sydney Crosby's "playoff beard"

Let me start by talking about something that Riding the Pine has rarely talked about: the NBA. Back in the 90s, I was a huge fan of NBA basketball. I liked it as much as I enjoyed watching the Bills, Sabres and Yankees. My team was the Bulls (da Bulls). Now, I've always been one to bash the bandwagon fans - fans who are only fans because "their" team won a championship(s) or becomes a dynasty.

I'll admit it certainly seems that I was guilty of hoping on the Michael Jordan bandwagon and then hoped off as soon as he left the Bulls for good and the team struggled to win 20 games a year. But allow me to defend myself on this one. (Because I never want to be grouped into the same category as people that started loving the Red Sox in 2004 or those "die-hard" Patriot fans who feel that they are directly responsible for the Pats dynasty. And we know that only way that would be true is if they had excellent video recording skills.)

Anyway, I started rooting for the Bulls the same time I started rooting for the Bills, Sabres and Yankees. It was around second or third grade maybe, I'm not really sure, but I was young and started to get interested in sports. The Bills and Sabres were logical choices because they were the locals teams and virtually everyone I knew loved them, and that passion rubbed off on me. The Yankees were still a New York state team and they were the team I knew most about, I became a huge Don Mattingly fan and in the process I became a Bronx Bomber fan (my hatred for the Red Sox would develop later down the road).

When I started rooting for the Yankees that hadn't won a title since the '70s and I couldn't tell you how many World Series they had won. The Bills reached plenty of Super Bowls early in my sports career, but still young Scott had not experienced rooting for a champion. That is until the Chicago Bulls came along.

Michael Jordan was one of the first players I knew about, and he was so fun to watch that i couldn't help but slowly develop into a Bulls fans. Also was the fact that their other great player shared the same first name with me (hey look I'm just like Scottie Pippen I would shout in the driveway while air-balling a 3) and there was no local teams (hello Buffalo Braves, Rochester Royals, anyone home?).

The Bulls three-peating in 91,92 and 93. I was very young during their first title against the Lakers, I watched them alot the following year but I don't remember a lot about their Finals matchup against the Blazers that year. I do remember their early macthups against the Knicks (although I couldn't tell you what years they faced off against each other in) and I remember shooting hoops in the driveway (yeah, I did that a lot as a kid) and humming that awesome NBA on NBC music while attempting reverse lay-ups and MJ tongue-out fade-aways (and of course a few cries of Marv Albert's "Yes!" were sprinkled in there as well). The first finals that I really got into was the spectacular Bulls-Suns matchup in '93. The Bulls eventually three-peated (and yes I duplicated John Paxon's winning shot in my driveway)and it was great to be a Bulls fans.

I'll speed this up a bit: Jordan then retired to play baseball. Secret suspension or not, I was not happy with this. He came back in March a few years later, but lost to the Magic in the playoffs. The Bulls then won three more titles - I enjoyed them all like native son of Chicago might. But when Jordan retired and Phil Jackson was replaced by Tim Floyd and the Bulls started sucking, my love for the game took a hit. The NBA overall just wasn't as fun as those days in the mid-90s, a time I like to call "The NBA Jam era."

During those days the Yankees were winning nearly every World Series, the Bills were still making the playoffs and the Sabres had the best player in hockey (The Dominator) and went to the Cup in 1999 (I couldn't tell you what happened after Game 1 because I had that erased from my memory Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind style.)

The NBA just wasn't as much fun, I eventually evolved to watching and rooting for certain players. (I was, and still am, a big Iverson fan. I had a huge interest in the Sixers-Lakers finals, but again after Game 1 everything went downhill.) The product was losing it's luster, and unlike in the NHL where the incompetent Gary Bettman and crew nearly destroyed the league I had a team that I still loved to root for. I couldn't say the same for the Bulls.

Now I don't watch the NBA much at all, still root for players and good stories (like Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets, or SU alum Carmelo Anthony). I also like watching college ball and a player that really became easy to root for was Derrick Rose. I even picked Memphis in my bracket because of the super freshman. I was hoping he would land with an entertaining team like with Kevin Durant with the Sonics. So imagine my surprise when I found out the Bulls had miraculously won the Draft Lotto and had a chance to add a great player in either Rose or Michael Beasley. I never really watched Beasley play so I don't know too much about him, I know he'll probably lead all rookies in scoring and he'll be the front runner to win the Rookie of the Year. But, I desperately want the Bulls to select Rose - My Bulls fanclub membership could depend on it.

Point guard has always been my favorite position. A good point guard can make every one around him better and instantly improve a team. Rose is an electrifying and rare talent and he could be the first step to making the Bulls relevant again. They have some good young players in place, but are victims of poor drafting and dumb personal moves. They won a playoff series last year and challenged the Pistons in the second round, and then bombed this year. Rose could, and I think probably will, become a player like Paul or Deron Williams that can be a leader for a youthful team and a superstar that will pack the seats. Beasley has the superstar quality, but Rose will ultimately make the team better. It's simple really, Beasley will score more points and Rose will win more games, the choice is up to Chicago and hopefully they'll give me a reason to welcome the Bulls back into my alliance with the Bills, Sabres and Yankees.


Quick NFL note because I haven't commented on the Draft yet.
- Really liked the selections of McKelvin and Hardy, both were exactly what the Bills needed and both can be playmakers and have Pro Bowl ability.
- I can see the Bills winning 9 games hopefully, although I think it might take at least 10 in the loaded AFC. I love the young, talented nucleus of the team but it all depends on Trent Edwards. We better hope he can be efficient "all he does is win games" type of QBs, otherwise the Bills won't be seeing the playoffs for a while.
- Despite what some people (mainly from ESPN) think, the Bills are still better than the Jets and Dolphins. Mangini is supremely overrated, I'd rather have Jauron as a coach and I think Jauron is an average at best, overly conservative coach. The Jets went crazy in free agency, but it seems like they just spent a ton of money on players who just aren't that good. But at least they have Kellen Clemons...
As for the Dolphins, they'll improve on their one win season, but I can't see them winning more than five or (if they're really lucky) six games. They'll be healthier, but so will Buffalo. And all this hype about Parcells? I'm not too worried, he'll never lead Miami to Super Bowl and I doubt they'll make the playoffs before he leaves.
- Last NFL note, I can no longer watch NFL Live during the offseason. They should get it over with and re-name it Dallas Cowboys Live featuring Spygate. Because that's all they talk about and during the slow offseason I can see talking about the Patriots cheating scandal (I cringe everytime I hear the term Spygate, couldn't we come up with something less grating to the ears.) But they also give every minute detail about the Cowboys, like Pacman Jones might be moved to receiver (who cares?), Roy Williams sucks but is still going to Pro Bowls (wait, that's news?), Terrell Owens is in some TV show no one has ever heard of (can someone take that man's voicebox away?) and I don't know why anyone would care about daily Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson updates. On any other team Romo would be a good story to root for, but on Dallas he's become this overrated, Hollywood celebrity. He's had 1.5 good seasons, been to 2 Pro Bowls (only deserved one), choked in a number of big games, and the only game that I really watched of him he threw 5 (would have been 6, if Terrance McGee could catch) interceptions and was praised as a clutch player, and a "winner," single handily slaying the Bills. Also, to anyone who makes a power ranking and ranks the Cowboys ahead of the Super Bowl Champions: really? why? Oh I know, it must be Wade Phillips. Never mind then.

And finally after about 1,700 words I'll get to why I Sydney Crosby's picture is featured at the top of this particular column. I was watching the Stanley Cup finals (and probably still complaining about how the Sabres were the best team 2 years ago and would have won the Cup if it weren't for an extreme case of bad luck) when I noticed "Syd the Kid"'s attempt at a playoff beard. Now, with my facial hair history I shouldn't be mocking anyone, but Crosby's playoff beard is pathetic and is the reason why the Penguins won't win the Cup. The hockey Gods were kind enough to grant Pittsburgh the number one overall pick a million years in a row so they could pick up Crosby, Malkin, Fleury and Staal and win the east, but they won't, WILL NOT allow the Cup to be hoisted by a Captain that has the facial hair of a 8th Grade boy too afraid to shave and surprised by his new, deep voice. Seriously, when I first saw Syd's 'stache I had a good laugh. Comedy at it's finest. I mean, did I turn it to the Finals or did the Versus network start showing hockey-themed porn for the mullet crowd.

(Of course I have just jinxed it so Crosby will probably win several Cups and the Sabres will continue to unload their best players. I blame you Gary Bettman for my misery!)

And, until next time I leave you with this picture of Claire from Heroes making out with Lord Stanley.

Leap Day Return

With the writer's strike over Riding the Pine is ready for some new episodes. Good thing too, because there's lots to talk about since my last post.

NFL Free Agency

Last time I posted about the Bills I foolishly believed they could upset the Patriots. Like with most of my NFL picks I was wrong, very wrong.

Still there have been few more moments as sweet in my sports watching career than watching the over-hyped, cheating, suspiciously lucky, villainous Patriots lose the Super Bowl thus allowing the everything to be right in the Universe again. It took it a little while for the Karma Police to arrive, but boy that entire game was SWEET. And let me say this, I don't even like the New York Giants, they robbed the Bills of a Super Bowl title and they falsely pose as a New York team (they play in Jersey). But I rooted for them like they were the Bills, and in an occurrence as rare as a leap year, a team I was rooting for actually won!

Now, with free agency period starting, it's finally time to stop laughing at Patriot fans and concentrate on how the Bills can return to the playoffs (actually, I think I'll keep laughing at the Patriot fans, the arrogance radiating from Boston has single handily set mankind back several centuries and I have no problem with laughing at their well-deserved misfortunes).

And speaking of beating up on the Pats, one of the men that ruined Tom Brady's dream season, linebacker Kawika Mitchell signed on with Buffalo. I was desperately hoping that the Bills would somehow sign Lance Briggs (all of Western New York probably felt the same way), but I like this signing. Mitchell is certainly an upgrade and he can be a playmaker (he proved it with a monster game in Orchard Park in Week 16).

There has also been plenty of rumors going around that the Bills my be able to trade for DT Marcus Stroud. I don't know much about Stroud's health, but if he isn't damaged in any way than I would absolutely love this move. He's the kind of dominating D-lineman that the Bills sorely need, and with the today's release of the disappointing Larry Triplett the Bills need at Defensive Tackle is as big as Roger Clemens' ego.

NHL

I've always thought that despite their struggles the Sabres would still make the playoffs. Even as the 8th seed, they could still be considered a dark horse for the Cup (hell, Lindy Ruff has already taken an 8th seed to the Finals with the '99 squad). But the Blue and Gold are seriously pushing their luck with the stunning inconsistency they have shown this year.

I was against the Brian Campbell trade at first, mainly because it seems like giving up on this season. Even thought the Sabres are long shots this year, rather than favorites, I believe (like I said) that anything can happen in the playoffs. Plus, sometimes it's better to be the underdog then that favorite (when was the last time the president's cup winner has gone on to claim the Cup?). I do agree that the deal that sent Campbell to the Sharks for young winger Steve Brenier and a first round pick will be the right move in the long run. Reiger and crew have made of knack of ripping off teams at the deadline and have shown a keen eye for talented players. Brenier certainly looked great in his debut against Nashville (2 goals and an assist on the Vanek-Roy line). But, still it sure is frustrating to keep losing key players, and basically have the heart ripped out the heart of one of my favorite teams to root for, ever. Those Sabres from 2005-07 should have won at least one Cup, injuries and bad luck in general derailed them and this team can still amaze at times but they are no longer "good, scary good!"

MLB

I wish Hank Steinbrenner would keep his mouth shut. His calling the Red Sox Nation an ESPN created myth came off as a desperate attempt at attention and doesn't fit the level of class that the Yankees always try to instill within their organization. And saying there is more Yankees fan in the country then Sox fan is just pointless. Both teams have real fans, obnoxious band-wagon fans (although it does seem like Boston has more of this particularly vile creature), and both teams are are also loathed by nearly as many as root for them. It's comments like Steinbrenner's that cause people to hate the Pinstripes (and I really can't say I blame them for it).

In other baseball news, I have to comment on the Santana to the Mets deal. Obviously I wanted the Yankees to land him, but he's probably in a better situation with the Mets were he can feast on much weaker NL line-ups. I think the Yankees offer was better than the Mets but the Twins didn't bite and you can't really blame them for wanting to unload their best player to the National League rather than bolstering the already potent rosters of either the Yanks or Sox.

NBA

Recently, I have been intrigued by pro basketball as much I have been since the days when I was an avid watcher (those would be the Michael Jordan days). I may even write a future NBA column that equals my only other NBA column in greatness (last year's dunk contest column. And it figures that this year's contest was a lot better then the one I chose to write about).

And finally, in honor of the return of Riding the Pine, I give you today's pointless, completely random photo of a hot girl:

Damn you Hank Steinbrenner: or How I learned to Stop Worrying and face the fact that Boston sports fans are luckier than me

More and more each day, Boston is taking over the (sports) world. And I don't like it one bit, in fact something has to give soon, right karma?

Sure, the Red Sox tortured diehard fans before... well, before they became the Yankees version 2.0. But those fans still watched the Celtics and Bruins combine for a million championships. Now they have a superteam (the Patriots) that not only are better than every other team also have the fortune of being the referee's favorite team. They got Kevin Garnet for practically nothing, got Randy Moss for basically a backup specialteamer and a case of Samuel Adams, and now they might get Johna Santana.

This cannot happen.

I understand that the Yankees rationale that they would rather keep their coveted prospects than ship them away to Minnesota for Santana. I certainly agree with that plan too, I hated seeing the Yankees throw cash to guys like Carl Pavano and Kei Igawa. But the fact that Hank Steinbrenner is apparently running the show now makes me nervous. Very Nervous.

What makes me even more nervous though is thought of Boston having a rotation that features Santana, Beckett, Schilling, and whatever stud pitching prospect they don't trade to the Twins (Clay Buchholz most likely). The Yankees would never beat this team, it would be like some sort of baseball Bizarro World where the Sox dominate and the Yankees become the punching bag between the two rivals. Rod Serling couldn't even come up with a plot as twisted as that.

So why on Earth is Hank the Tank saying that time has run out on the Santana time table and practically conceding that the Sox can have him (for a cheaper price too, now that the main competition is gone). Will he be happy when Coco Crisp (that's Coco "the worst hitter in baseball, with the stupidest name in baseball" Crisp, to you) is the centerpiece in a trade that brings the best pitcher in the world to Fenway.

I understand the timetable was to ensure that the Bombers could go after other star pitchers like Erik Bedard or Dan Harren (who are cheaper, and could turn out to be better moves in the long haul). But Santana is still young, can still be dominant (despite the fact that he let down my fantasy team last year), and would look a lot better in pinstripes then in red stirrups. Plus he brings that intimidation factor to the mound, he's a true ace that the Yanks need to matchup against Beckett. Plus, look how good the AL is now. Cleveland isn't going away anytime soon, Detroit pulled the closest to Boston with the mega trade that brought Willis and Cabrera to Motown,and the Angels always dominate New York and appear to be players on the trade market as well.

The Yankees need better pitching to compete with these powers. Phil Hughes might be great, but I can't picture him being better than Santana. Plus you can't be afraid to give up star prospects to get proven quality. My favorite recent example of this involves the Red Sox and the best farm system in the Majors, the Florida Marlins. Boston traded away All-star (and future NL MVP candidate)Hanley Ramirez to the fish. Now I'm sure they wish they still had this star at SS especially considering the rotation they've had at the position over the past few years. However, in that deal they got Beckett in return, plus the Marlins refused to make the deal unless Boston also took their aging 3rd basemen; Mike Lowell. That deal worked up pretty well for them, and who knows, the Marlins will probably trade Ramirez back to the Sox in a few years when he wants a new contact (God forbid the Marlins team payroll passes the vaunted 5 million dollar mark).

In conclusion, trade some prospects, get a star pitcher, beat Red Sox, win World Series. C'mon Hank, that shouldn't be too much to ask of you. Who knows, Santana and Joba Chamberlain could even team up together and fight crime in the streets of New York during their spare time...

- Another point I wanted to make about the luck of the Irish (in this case Boston fans) is being able to watch a team that can't lose. And I'm not talking about the New England Revolution, who were toppled by the mighty Houston Dynamo in the MLS finale.

The Patriots were outplayed by the lowly Ravens on Monday night. Willis McGahee looked like an unstoppable force and the crowd was beyond pumped to watch their team hand a "L" to the Patriots record. (This is how I thought the Bills would have played a few weeks ago, but I guess JP Losman is no AJ Feeley or Kyle Boller).

Anyway, it's apparent that someone out there really does not want the Pats to lose. Ever. For the second straight week they had a crucial touchdown, that by league rules shouldn't have been and for about the tenth straight year the refs turned around a sure Patriots loss with their ill-timed bizarre calls that destroy the Patriots opponent.

The Patriots are the best team in the league, but they way the refs continue to favor them is laughable. The smugness of that team just makes it worse. They need to suffer a heartbreaking, devastating, borderline unfair loss in the playoffs. It's the only way to set things right, to shut up arrogant non-deserving, bandwagon fans and to assure everyone that evil doesn't always win.

- Speaking of evil and classless ways, I've heard some people roast the Bills for running a play during the Sean Taylor Memorial 10-man defense play. This is ABSURD, almost as stupid as the Redskins only putting 10 people on the field for that play.

Dick Jauron and the Bills are easily one of the classiest teams in the league. In fact, sometimes they're too classy, which is why bullies can embarrass them on national TV. But why should he let a struggle offense in the middle of a Wild Card race forfeit a play to honor Taylor. I don't think that's what a player known for loving the game and playing hard no matter what (Remember when he leveled the Bills best player punter Brian Moorman in the Pro Bowl) would have wanted.

And the Redskins could have easily stopped the play,they had Fred Jackson in trouble but he burned the defenders to the outside and galloped 22 yards for a well-deserved run. The Skins had a safety deep on that play, but I still would have thrown in maybe even in flea-flicker fashion. I don't think that would disrespect the Taylor (certainly not more then Skins fans cheering during the moment of silence) and it could spark the stagnant Bills offense to make a few other plays too.

Of course, the way this game was going a TD bomb would probably have been called back due to an illegal catch, or a phantom call, since this game was eerily reminiscent of the infamous "Tedy Bruschi game" where the Bills outplayed the Pats but lost because it was determined before the game that the previously stroked out Bruschi would be Defensive Player of the Week, and therefore the Patriots must win the game. They did in questionable fashion (again) and Bruschi did indeed win Defensive Player of the week honors despite an embarrassing night on the field where ESPN had to make a new stat (number of hits) to make Bruschi look good.

It would have been a great story to see the Redskins win to honor their teammate and friend Taylor, so they got the benefit of the doubt all day. But then something happened that gave me hope that all is not lost in the sports world. The Bills overcame all this and another dreadful offensive performance and actually came out on the right side of one of these heartbreakers.

One can only hope that this means that Trent Edwards is the Bills answer to Brady, Romo all the other late round picks that become legendary, and eventually Edwards may even be able to vanquish the evil forces coming from the New England region.

Either that, or the Yankees could just trade for Santana and he can knock out Tom Brady with a fastball to the head. Hopeful thinking? Of course, but for us non-Boston sports fan that's all we have now. Hope.