It was a busy weekend, but really I just had to put off the recap until the Red Sox won a game. So now that that’s settled, here you go:
It’s been a crazy off-season in the NFL this year, hasn’t it? I don’t remember another year where so much was constantly in flux. Maybe it’s the uncapped year everyone likes to talk about, but there just seem to be inordinate trades, trade rumors, and draft buzz this spring. I feel like normally you can come back to football in August to find it more or less where you left it in February, with the one exception of a weekend in April where you take in the draft. This year I can’t keep track of all the moves, and the media is so full of buzz and speculation that I can hardly tell what’s real and what’s conjecture on a given day. I am not sure I like it, seeing as how both the Celtics and the Bruins are locked in exciting playoff battles and baseball is hitting its stride. Football needs to go on the back burner for awhile; until the Cup is hoisted at least. That’s why I am going to hold off on getting into it until the draft actually takes place.
There’s one guy who will take all the innocuous NFL news he can get right now though, and that’s Ben Roethlisberger. This news-heavy off-season could not have come at a better time for him. He has been allowed to duck a bit of the spotlight that he brought on himself by being a drunken asshole. It is really no big deal to be a drunken asshole out at a bar or club. I have done it many a time. The issue is when you are a drunken asshole who’s out with a bunch of enablers who can’t be trusted to check you and will in fact assist in any assholic pursuit your drunken ass decides to pursue. The rest of us slump off a stool and go home alone, but not Ben. He has a cadre of muscle seemingly to ensure he follows through on whatever devastating thought his inebriated ass can dream up. I don’t just blame Ben’s bodyguards or whatever they are for this incident, and I hope he gets a suspension (6 games is my call) because he was a dick, but what are these guys getting paid for if not to PREVENT an occurrence like this from happening in the first place? Still, I thought until recently that this would blow over for Big Ben and he would come out more or less unscathed. What changed my mind was not the release of the gory details of the Milledgeville incident (though that did hurt to listen to), but the fact that on Thursday Eli Manning commented on the situation, deigning to give Ben and all athletes some life advice and wisdom gleaned from his years as a professional. What?!?! Eli Manning is offering people counsel?!?! As I have said many times, especially since, oh, early February 2008, Outside the Lines is going to have a special any day now about the mentally handicapped son of Archie who overcame his disability to win an NFL championship. So Ben, if it has come to the point where you are getting life advice from Algernon Manning, I feel its safe to say you’ve hit rock bottom.
So anywho, how bout them playoffs? Lemme splain; no there is too much. Lemme sum up. I won’t get into all the match-ups because there are, in the case of hockey, too many good series, and in the case of basketball too few. These opening rounds embody why you need to abandon the NBA (if you have not done so already) and get yourself some hi-def hockey action. Look at all those good match-ups, all those potential or at least possible upset series wins in the works. I am in love now that I have an LCD TV and the proper component feed to put into it. Plus, the Bruins have jumped to a 2-1 lead on Girl’s Buffaslugs, so I am psyched. And how bout that Montreal-Washington series? It looks like it might be over after that pounding the Habs took at home on the heels of that thrilling OT loss here, but I say they hold serve at home tonight and get this thing at least to a game 6. 7 was my original call, though, so that’s what I am pulling for.
Speaking of that series, I’ve never done this before, but I find myself drawn to root for the dreaded, despicable, hated Habitants over the Caps, thanks solely to my distaste for the bandwagon, amateur-hour, fair weather fans in this area. I didn’t even root against the Rays like that. It raises the question as to whether I was right in declaring Florida fans utterly the worst when DC fans can make me root for the Canadiens no matter how many times I try to stop myself. The difference, I suppose, is that while I don’t like these Washington homers, I actually felt pity for Florida teams due to the blight that was their fan base. So no, they are still the worst. I feel better.
Baseball is a bit too painful for me to get into right now, as my team that was ok with sacrificing offense to win this season with pitching and defense has some of the worst stats in both latter categories in the majors. God. Dammit. That walk-off win better be the jump start they need and not an aberration, or it is going to be a long season. The Rays and Yanks are just too good for us to survive with much more foot-shuffling, especially from the staff. Oh well. I'll get into some broader baseball analysis Wednesday in the Fantasy Journal, but for now: Go Darnell McDonald!
I haven’t spared soccer any of my time yet, so if you were hanging around for the MLS report, no soup for you.
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