Phils/Yanks... Enjoy, Mets Fans!

Mets fans thought about it before the playoffs even started. They feared it once the Championship Series started. With the World Series now upon us, they face it...

The hated Philadelphia Phillies will play the hated New York Yankees for baseball's championship. Some fans of the orange and blue have deemed it the 'baseball apocalypse.' Some fans may choose not to watch the series. Some may tune in and not enjoy it. Heck, some wackos may just root for injuries.

I disagree with all three of these strategies. The Phillies and Yankees may be two main rivals of the Mets, but there is a good guy in this series. There is a team for Met fans can (and should) support. There is a team that Mets fans may not be happy with them winning, but should be accepting of them winning.

The Philadelphia Phillies.

Yes, yes, I know. 2007. And 2008. Jimmy Rollins declaring them the team to beat. Cole Hamels labeling the Mets as chokers. Ryan Howard's body mass. Jayson Werth's alarming resemblance to WWE wrestler Edge. Shane Victorino's...well, everything about Shane Victorino.

I have hereby acknowledged all those things. But let's get real here. Those things came into play shortly before the '07 season...about 2 and a half years ago. Since then, the Phillies (and their fans) have often marched into Shea/Citi and walked all over the Mets and their fans. This rivalry, though still expanding, started just two and a half years ago. Before that, it was the Mets/Braves rivalry. Some day, it may be the Mets/Marlins rivalry. Not every division can have a Yankees/Red Sox-esque slugfest year after year. Things often change between the five teams.

One feud that never changes is Yankees/Mets. For every championship the Mets have won, the Yankees have celebrated 13. Any Mets fans born after November 1986 have never experienced a title. Yankees fans born before October 1996 have already seen 4 in their lifetime. Say what you wish about the Yankees' payroll or how many of their players were on the Mitchell Report, but these things truly are supplementary as to why the Yankees should never be rooted for.

It's their fans. Personally, I noticed this phenomenon in the late 1990's when interleague play began. I would be lucky enough to go with my family to one, maybe two, Subway Series games at Shea Stadium. By some divine anti-miracle, we would always find a way to be in the same sections as the 'Bleacher Creatures' that invaded the stadium. As a young teenager, it blew my mind how 40, perhaps 50 people could all get seats next to each other. There they were, cowbells, middle fingers, Mr. Met dolls literally hanging (by the throat) from the stadium ceiling above them.

It wasn't difficult to dislike these people. Sure, they were loud. They were dedicated. But it went beyond that. It was almost as if they weren't there to cheer for the Yankees, but were instead there to take the proverbial dump on Mets fans. The Mets would always have the inferior team, so it was mostly a glorious day at Shea for them. If the Mets would get a hit or, heaven forbid, take the lead in the game, they would simply point to their huge lead in the AL East that season or their boatload of championships.

And they are correct. There is no denying that being a Yankee fan is the easiest job in the sports world. They get whatever free agent they feel like purchasing. If they get criticized, they point to their dozens of championships. They are either the first or second favorite team nearly everywhere in the country. Everyone likes a winner.

But don't fall into this trap, Mets fans. Maybe you haven't had a profound experience with the Yankees/their fans. But it's real. Yes the Phillies have been a royal pain, but I think they are so hated because they are everything the Mets have wanted to be. Howard was our Delgado. Rollins is Reyes. Utley is Wright. Werth is Beltran. Ibanez is a free agent the Mets let get away. Yes, they talk. But the Mets don't have the tightest lips, either.

Here's one last argument. Lets say you're a kid on the school yard. Your entire life, a bigger, older (richer) bully has kicked you in the groin everyday for years. You try to fight it and deny it, but it's happened all your life. You can't help it. Now imagine the past few years, that bully has laid off a little bit, and a new punk has come and for the last few years, gives you a little slap in the face from time to time. If a time came when those two bullies got into a brouhaha and you had to pick a side, which way are you swaying? For me, those years of the bully's torment were a lot worse than the current annoyance of the other guy.

So don't be put off, Mets fans. A great series awaits between clearly, the two best teams. And you have a team to support. Please don't order Phillies hats and jerseys online or anything. But don't feel like Benedict Arnold if there's a glimmer of happiness inside when Howard takes Burnett deep or Lidge strikes out A-Rod in the ninth inning. In the end, fans of the Phillies and Yankees couldn't care less who we root for. In the 2010 season, they will still hate the Mets and their fans whether they win or lose.

But as Rick Reilly once said, "Rooting for the Yankees takes all the courage, imagination, conviction and baseball intelligence of Spam. It's like rooting for Brad Pitt to get the girl or for Bill Gates to hit Scratch 'n' Win."

I couldn't put it any better myself. Enjoy this World Series, and root, root, root for the Phighting Phils. And who knows? If the Mets win the NL East in 2010, it will feel that much better taking down the Champs.

...And with the Mets' luck this year, expect the Yankees to win in 4.

Oh, The NBA is Starting!

Disclaimer: Out of the 4 major sports, the National Basketball Association is the league I follow the least. I will not fraudulently try to paint myself as an NBA guru. To make my point perfectly clear, you all should be told that my favorite basketball player of all time is Salim Stoudamire. Before I do the quick standings/playoff predictions, I'm going to challenge myself with a little game...

My favorite team has been and always will be the New York Knicks. As I sit here now, I have not looked at ESPN or anyone else's NBA preview yet. I am going to try to name the starting roster and bench players for these Knicks...we'll see how I do.

G- Nate Robinson
G- Chris Duhon
F- David Lee
F- Jared Jeffries
C- Eddy Curry
Bench: Darko Milicik, Danillo Galinari...uh. Yeah

That's all I had. Fast forward 4 minutes. After carefully inspecting ESPN's projected depth chart for the Knickerbockers...well, I didn't do so hot. I had Duhon and Jeffries correct, and David Lee kind of correct, because he actually plays Center. Eddy Curry was the fourth Center on the depth chart...presumable because he tried to eat a toaster.

The other starters are Al Harrington (really shoulda knew that one) and Wilson Chandler at guard. Nate is behind Duhon. Darko and Danillo are indeed on the bench, but I missed reserves such as Larry Hughes, Toney Douglas, and newcomer Jordan Hill.

Ok? So it's all out in the open. This 'preview' is simply for fun purposes. It was demanded by few (only Terrence Regan) but will hopefully be enjoyed my many. So here it is, the Reilly Sports Blog's 2009-2010 NBA Preview! Use your imagination on this one.

East

Atlantic Division
1. Boston Celtics (1)
2. Toronto Raptors (4)
3. New York Knicks (8)
4. Philadephia 76ers
5. New Jersey Nets

Central Division
1. Cleveland Cavs (2)
2. Detroit Pistons (6)
3. Chicago Bulls (7)
4. Indiana Pacers
5. Milwaukee Buccaneers

Southeast Division
1. Orlando Magic (3)
2. Atlanta Hawks (5)
3. Washington Wizards
4. Miami Heat
5. Charlotte Bobcats

West

Southwest Division
1. Dallas Mavericks (3)
2. San Antonio Spurs (4)
3. New Orleans Hornets (6)
4. Houston Rockets
5. Memphis Grizzlies

Northwest Division
1. Portland Trailblazers (2)
2. Denver Nuggets (5)
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Utah Jazz
5. Minnesota Timberwolves

Pacific Division
1. Los Angeles Lakers (1)
2. Los Angeles Clippers (7)
3. Phoenix Suns (8)
4. Golden State Warriors
5. Sacramento Kings

PLAYOFFS
Rd. 1
Celtics over Knicks
Cavs over Bulls
Pistons over Magic
Hawks over Raptors

Rd. 2
Celtics over Pistons
Cavs over Hawks

East Final
Cavs over Celtics

Rd. 1
Lakers over Suns
Trailblazers over Clippers
Hornets over Mavericks
Spurs over Nuggets

Rd. 2
Lakers over Hornets
Trailblazers over Spurs

West Final
Trailblazers over Lakers

NBA Finals
Trailblazers over Cavs in 5

**I know the Milwaukee franchise is indeed the Bucks, not the Buccaneers. Just wanted to see if anyone would glance over that and be astonished about how little I know about basketball. I'm not that bad.

Monday Mash- Week 7

Welcome back to the show. I apologize for the hastily-styled picks section yesterday...I only had mere minutes to get them in before the 1 pm kickoffs. The Steelers/Vikings game was pretty solid at 1 pm, but it was starting at 4pm when New York sports fans were glued to their sets. The (much needed, mentally stabilizing) Jets-Raiders game was over before it started, and that led right up to Angels-Yankees as well as Giants/Cardinals. Big Blue came up short, but the Yanks are going to the World Series for the first time since 2003. I will do a write-up/World Series preview tomorrow, but the Monday Mash as always will be dedicated to football. Here was my favorite stuff of week 7:

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week:
Shonn Greene, Jets. Wudduya say, rookie? Thomas Jones started this game off with a touchdown, but it was Greene's day. Nineteen carries for 144 and 2 touchdowns. Can you say fantasy football waiver wire?? Greene's contributions gives Gang Green and their fans some peace of mind because...

• After losing Kris Jenkins last week, Jets runner Leon Washington broke his leg yesterday and is also gone for the season. Jenkins may not have been the flashiest, but he was the most important player on the D. Leon is without a doubt the flashiest and the most important player on the team (running, catching, kick returning, everything.) Sure, the 38-0 win was super, but the loss of Leon makes yesterday a real downer in the end. The Jets' most important individual offensive and defensive players are now gone. First test: next week against the Miami team that embarassed the Jets earlier this season. Let's get to work, Rex.
• The Giants should really send some kind of fruit basket to the Yankees. The baseball game overshadowed the real dud laid by Big Blue at home. The Cardinals came in as a real feast-or-famine team, and they controlled the game from the start. So from out of nowhere, it's the Giants that have lost two straight as their meaty divisional lead has dwindled. Lots of questions will be answered when they travel to Philadelphia next week.
• Speaking of the Jets and Giants games, the Reilly Sports Blog's NFL picks came back with a fury this week. Chargers and Jets cover as favorites while the Cardinals come up big as the underdogs. Houston busted the blog's collective balls by letting the 49ers back in for a miracle push. Favre's bed-wetting display at the end of the game made the Perfiction a failure. But we will take 3-1-1. We can take that.
• A dirty little secret from week 7: besides HOU/SF, MIN/PIT, and NYG/ARI, there were NO COMPETITIVE GAMES. The games I just listed were the only ones decided by 10 points or less. The Texans-Niners was the only one decided by less than a touchdown. On the other side of the coin, there were six (6) games that were won by 28 points or more. That is utterly absurd. The talent gap between good and woeful is greater than ever. It was really reflected this week. This season, pick underdogs with extreme caution, no matter the spread.
• Miles Austin gives Tony Romo the love and security that Jessica evidently could not. 170 yards and 2 scored for Miles, as Tony doesn't throw a pick and at least for this week, keeps the critics and their pitchforks at bay.
• The Bills are a very respectable 3-4. I thought Carolina would dismantle them since QB Trent Edwards was out. But Buffalo has an extremely unique ability. They seem to know they are low on talent, but manage to drag their opponents right down to their crappy level as well. It's uncanny. The last 3 weeks: losing 6-3 to Cleveland in a game that was rated NC-17 for disturbing images, beating the Jets in overtime because Sanchez throws them 5 picks, and taking down a Panthers team that went 12-4 last year by a score of 20-9. I'm never picking for them or against them for the rest of the year. They are too weirdly freightening.
• Keeping things in the AFC East, the Saints/Dolphins had a final score that was...well, deceiving. The Dolphins light-sped out to a 21 point lead over the New Orleans team that dominated the Giants start-to-finish last week. Drew Brees throws 3 picks for a rating below 60, but runs for 2 TD's. Such a bizarre game, and you get the feeling every single Dolphins game the rest of the way will be among the most entertaining of the week.
• The Broncos are resting on their bye with 6-0 record and a 3-game lead in the division. Jay Cutler is in now in 3rd place after losing to the Bengals by 35 points. Just saying...
  
• How did the Bucs intercept Tom Brady twice? Was he paid by the US embassy to give Bucs fans in London a reason to cheer?
• Monday Night Football features the NFC East tonight, Redskins-Eagles. Washington is playing to save their season as the Eagles try to keep the 2-loss pace of the Giants and Cowboys. If Oakland didn't beat the Eagles last week (biggest mystery of NFL '09 thusfar,) I would give the Skins a chance. But Philly is now angry and eager to keep the city amped with the Phillies in the World Series. Eagles 27, Redskins 14. Enjoy the game.
  

Sunday Smash- Week 7

All business. Just cover, baby. Home teams are in bold.

1. Chargers (-6) over Chiefs
The fact that San Diego is only favored by 6 is a testament of how poorly their season has gone so far. If they play up to half their talent level, this is a double-digit victory. If they don't cover or heaven forbid, lose outright, I officially give up on the Super Bowl prediction for them. Now's the time.

2. Texans (-3) over 49ers
Houston quarterback Matt Schaub leads the league with 14 touchdowns. Whoa. For the benefit of my fantasy team, maybe Steve Slaton and the running game catch up with his production. I have not hopped on with the Niners yet. If they win today, that will certainly start to change.

3. Cardinals (+8) over Giants
I know for certain the Giants are a better team. But Arizona always has the best player on the field with Larry Fitzgerald. Sunday night, prime time...It might be a playground for him out there tonight. Both teams put up at least 3 touchdowns, and it comes down to the wire. This game doesn't deserve one of the bigger lines of the week.

4. Jets (-7) over Raiders
For the love of God. Please.

Upset Perfiction of the Week

5. Vikings (+6) over Steelers
Minnesota is undefeated and getting almost a touchdown. Yes, please. Vikings win outright, because hey, "That guy's just having fun out there. He's a freakin' kid out there."

BONUS UPSET PERFICTION OF THE (DAY)

Angels (+160) over Yankees
Booyah.

Enjoy the games everyone!

Down Comes the Sky

Let's start this by making one thing abundantly clear: the New York Jets are 3-3. Out of 16, there are just five teams in the AFC with a better winning percentage. If the playoffs started this very second, they would be tied for the final spot.

Now that those facts are abundantly clear, we can begin.

The Jets are in complete and utter turmoil. Sunday, Mark Sanchez threw five interceptions. The special teams threw another pick on a botched field goal. With Jerricho Cotchery out, no receiver besides newcomer Braylon Edwards even showed up. The defense, though decent, lost their most important player (Kris Jenkins) for the season. Yes, they ran for over 300 yards. But to accomplish that and still lose the game takes a disaster of epic proportions. We are through week 6 now, and the good teams and bad teams are starting to separate. The two teams I see with the most deceiving records are the 3-3 Ravens (way better than that) and the 3-3 Jets (far more vulnerable than that.)

So what's happened the past 3 weeks? Well, Sanchez had his 'rookie game' in New Orleans (which, by the way, looks like a brilliant performance after what we saw this week.) Rex Ryan and the defense were caught woefully unprepared for the Wildcat in week 2. And on Sunday afternoon, Sanchez played like a rookie that doesn't belong anywhere near the field. It was a performance that absolutely terrifies the fans for the future. Throwing in windy, bitter Giants stadium after October is no ordinary task. After one game, Sanchez demonstrated that he is not yet up to that task.

At the moment, the mojo has just evaporated for gang green. The loss against Buffalo would have been bad enough with the Bills hitting the field goal at the end of regulation. It would have been quick, less painful, William Wallace-like. But the fans suffered through another 10+ minutes of overtime, which showed them over and over that something truly awful had overtaken the team. At the end, it had lasted nearly four hours, the Jets lost a huge part of their defense, their QB was nearly crying, and fans missed over 10 minutes of The Simpsons Halloween special that started at 8pm. Everyone was cranky. Until the Jets get back their mojo, the things that made them great for three weeks (pass rush, 3rd down efficiency, great special teams, etc.) they will continue to sputter.

But as football Yoda says, 'turmoil does not a season ruin.' There is time to get things turned around. Yesterday, the Jets played like a team that should be 1-5. But they are 3-3 because of some great efforts against Houston, Tennessee, and the Patriots. Those three victories count just as much as the three ugly, ugly losses. There are no style points here. Ask the Arizona Cardinals about how much style points they got last year during their 9-7 regular season. Things can happen.

But there is an incredible amount of work to do. It starts in Oakland on Sunday--the same lowly Raiders that beat the Eagles yesterday. Clearly, as the Jets now know, there are no real pushovers in the NFL.

Monday Mash- Week 6

Not the greatest weekend for New York football. Though losses are rarely encouraging, the defeats by the Giants and Jets were particularly worrisome. The Jets got outworked and embarrassed at home by an inferior Buffalo team without their starting quarterback. The Giants were never truly within striking distance as the Saints put up 7 touchdowns.

We'll take an extensive look at the Jets later in the week, so we'll focus on the Giants today. Maybe it was just me, but I had just one thought on my mind from the get-go: Wasn't this how Super Bowl XLII was supposed to be?? The record-setting, high flying Patriots offense ready to stomp on the Giants and complete their perfect season.

Yesterday, the G-Men looked like that big underdog ready to get smoked. Their pass rush, that manhandled and harassed Tom Brady into submission, let Drew Brees do absolutely whatever he wanted yesterday. And he was more than willing to accept, as Marques Colston, Lance Moore, and others ran wild in the Giants secondary. Maybe Mark Sanchez's debacle starting at 4pm looked so much worse because many fans saw Brees' mastery starting three hours earlier. Bottom line: both New York teams have a lot to do. But hard work at 5-1 is a lot more comfortable than hard work at 3-3. As far as the rest of week 6:

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week:
Tom Brady, Patriots. Fair is far. 380 yards with 6 TD's before being pulled in the 3rd quarter. Pretty delicious.

• A big thank you to Brady for flushing my upset perfiction down the toilet. It's been a real up and down year for the upset of the week picks. Things looked great at the start, with the Niners over the Cards and Jets over the Pats. The things got rocky as the Chargers dismantled the Dolphins and the Niners modestly beat the Rams 35-0. After the Browns came through against Buffalo, the Titans couldn't quite cover the 10-point spread, going down valiently by the score of 59-0.
• Tommy was the posterboy for what was really a ridiculous week for NFL quarterbacks. Peyton Manning may have been on a bye, but look at these numbers! Eight guys going for 300 yards or more. The low point (besides Sanchez) can be found in the Pats-Titans box score. ESPN was required to put Vince Young (0-2, 0 yards) as the top passer. The reason? Kerry Collins passed for negative seven yards. Great job, Titans. Great pick, Conor.
• Speaking of the upset pick, who in the world saw that coming from Oakland? Just a week ago, the Eagles beat Tampa Bay 33-14, and the Raiders lost to the G-Men 44-7. Simple math tells us that....the Raiders don't allow a touchdown and go on to win?? Crazy.
• I beefed up the Redskins a lot yesterday, hoping they would beat the Chiefs handily. I started Campbell, Portis, and Moss. Therefore, I had all the bases covered and would get points on everything except Washington field goals. The result? Two field goals, Campbell pulled at halftime, Clean Sanchezes lose. Thanks, 'Skins.
• Game of the week has to go to Baltimore-Minnesota. It was pretty pedestrian until the 4th quarter, where all hell broke loose. Minnesota had it, then lost it, then had it, then should have lost it only to end up having it. Favre magic I suppose. But is his Jet-like swoon coming?
• Teams helping my preseason prediction for them: the Cardinals beating the Seahawks and the Rams losing a close one to the Jaguars (1-15 for St Louis lives on.)
• Broncos vs. Chargers tonight on Monday Night football. Unfortunately, the Bolts are my Super Bowl picks. Too soon to turn back now. Chargers 17, Broncos 13.
  

Sunday Smash- Week 6

Hello there and welcome back everyone. Like you, I am a tad sleepy while getting ready for this football Sunday. The Yankee/Angel game ended shortly after 1 am, and I had to sneak in an episode of Dexter on demand before retiring to sleep. Not much I can say about the game...only that I thought the kind of baseball Anaheim played last night was over back when the Mets season ended. Both teams put the game on a platter for one another, but in the end it was the Angels giving the Yanks "an offer they couldn't refuse."

Ok, over to the Smash. Honestly, there is a slew of crappy, crappy games today. There is a peculiar amount of bad team vs. bad team or solid team vs. bad team. But the goal here is to pick 5 games. And although the picks have left much to be desired, we will never ever forever stop trying. So we've got five games that we have sufficient confidence in. Home teams are in bold. Just cover, baby.

1. Saints (-3) over Giants
I know, I never learn. What can I say? I picked the Bucs and Raiders over the Giants due to preposterous spreads, and the Giants covered about 30 seconds into each game. Now arguably the best team in the NFL is getting 3 points and I say no? Well I picked the Saints to win the freakin' Super Bowl before the season, and it wouldn't say too much about my fortitude to pick them to lose at home now. Marques Colston goes for 130 and 2 scores, making the difference.

2. Bills (+10) over Jets
Yep, I have picked the Jets every. single. week so far. It hasn't gotten me too far. But in this man's opinion, it's both the Bills and the weather (+10) over the Jets. The Jets have been sneaky-bad at running the ball this year, Mark Sanchez's follies handling the ball may be magnified by the conditions. The Jets won't lose. They can't dig that kind of divisional hole against a team this bad. But 10 is a little high due to said weather and shaky performances lately.

3. Ravens (+3) over Vikings
If the Ravens were to beat Cincinnati last week, there's no way I pick them in this one. But plain and simple, I just can't see the Ravens being 3-3 and the Vikings being 6-0 after this week. 4-2 and 5-1 sound a lot more sensible. They will force Favre into a couple of mistakes today.

4. Redskins (-6) over Chiefs
This is a pick near and dear to my heart. Clean Sanchez is a paltry 2-3 and must bounce back in the money fantasy league. Tony Romo is on a bye (probably a good thing) so operation Washington is in effect. I had Clinton Portis and Santana Moss all season, but the buzzsaw Jason Campbell is officially a fantasy league starter this week. I may be the only one...but I wasn't putting it on Kyle Orton on Monday night. If the Redskins don't cover, there's no way my team wins. Might as well pick them here. Get it done, 'Skins. You will be rewarded handsomely.

Upset Perfiction of the Week

5. Titans (+10) over Patriots
Please see pick #2. This is a 10 point spread, and the weather in Foxboro is the same as the weather in Jersey. We'll see what happens, but I'm a man that believes in weather. And call them a different team, but the fact still is that Tennessee was 13-3 last year, and they're getting 10 today. Perfect candidate for the Upset Perfiction.

Jets Rookies Plummet to Earth

How quickly the tide turns.

Two weeks ago, the Jets were on top of the world. The team was a perfect 3-0. Mark Sanchez had the Rookie of the Year award in the bag. Head coach Rex Ryan wasn't backing down from anyone as the Jets out-muscled opponents. The defense hadn't given up an offensive touchdown, as the frenzied fans tried desperately to name the unit (D-Rex, Broadway Blitz, Revis and the Buttheads, etc.)

Now? Let's just say the fans have a lot more things on their mind than "Name that Defense." Unfortunately, none of these things are very positive. Gang Green fans were perfectly willing to accept the defeat in New Orleans. Tough road game, great offense, and Mark Sanchez is required to have that 'rookie game.' But that loss in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football...now that one's tough to swallow.

Just as Mark Sanchez had his 'rookie game,' Rex Ryan also had one of his own last night. And believe it or not, Ryan's might have been uglier. The Dolphins came into this game 1-3 and, on paper, the vastly inferior team in terms of talent. But the Miami coaching staff took the gameplan Rex presented before them promptly deposited it into the shredder. And then the toilet. If you told a Jets fan that the team was going to score 27 points and the offense wouldn't have a turnover, they would bet their house it would be a victory.

But it wasn't to be. Rex Ryan, deemed the 'mad scientist' for his ferocious defense, had his Frankenstein turned into a Teletubby on Monday. Maybe it was overconfidence, leading to a lack of preparation. Maybe it was that south Florida heat. Maybe the Dolphins are a lot better than people think. But one thing for sure is that there's going to be some silence for a while. The masses will laugh at Bart Scott & co. if they try to preach their greatness this week.

But maybe this isn't a bad thing. Truth be told, the Jets were anointed way too prematurely this year. They have three winnable games coming up (hosting Buffalo, @Oakland, and hosting Miami for what they hope will be sweet revenge.) The media won't hear of their dominance anymore, but maybe the Jets will like this new strategy of 'go about your business first, then talk.' And hey, if they win all three and go into that bye week at 6-2, nobody will have a problem with the mute button being shut off.

At least for a little while.

Monday Mash- Week 5

It was quite a jacked sports Sunday we had yesterday. NFL, MLB playoffs, sprinkle in a little hockey. It's a great time to be a fan right now.

Unless you're in New England.

Because the mighty fell hard yesterday. The Red Sox had one of the more stunning playoff roll-over-and-die performances in recent history, and the Patriots were beaten in Denver by a broncos team that is somehow now 5-0. The Red Sox simply ran into a buzzsaw of great Angel pitching by Lackey and Weaver, and weren't able to escape the 0-2 hole. Though they seemed to be in trouble the whole series, it was truly stunning to see Papelbon blow that lead yesterday in front of the home crowd. The Angels showed a killer finishing ability that will definitely give them a fighting chance in the ALCS against...

The Yankees. Yep, the Twins were swept and my epic 5-game prediction never materialized. Nevertheless I think we have a treat of a series coming up. You either like the juggernaut talent machine of New York, or the never-say-die, mojo-driven, fundamentally sound Angels. (Did that sound adequately biased against the Yanks? I hope so.) As per my playoff preview, it's the Halos in 6. Wrapping up baseball, the Cardinals' paltry effort rivaled that of the Red Sox. So much for that NL pennant predictions. It'll be the Dodgers going up against whoever comes out of Phillies/Rockies. I have to think the Dodgers have the edge against either.

Ok, enough of that baseball stuff. The Monday Mash was founded on the principles of cheerleaders, wings, manlyness, and football. Mentioned earlier was the Broncos' impressive win over the Patriots, which was a great boost for the picks yesterday. The Broncos and Bengals both won outright, as did the upset perfiction Browns. Though those were good, the Panthers failed to cover the 5 point spread against the Redskins, and for some demonic reason i picked the Raiders to cover the huge spread against the Giants, only to see New York cover during the second quarter. A modest 3-2 on the week. Baby steps. Here's the other junk from week 5.

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week:
Miles Austin, Cowboys. Ten catches for 250 and 2 scores? On behalf of Tony Romo's frustrated fantasy owners across the country: GIVE ME A HELL YEAH! This included a 60-yard score in overtime against Kansas City (yes, the Cowboys actually needed OT against the Chiefs, but that's not Austin's fault.) Roy Williams was out with an injury for this game, and it clearly wasn't much of a loss for Dallas.

• Denver-New England was a dandy, but there were also doozies in Arizona and Baltimore. The Cardinals almost blew an enormous lead against the Texans, only to make a miraculous goal-line stand at the end to save the victory. Maybe if you gave the ball to Steve Slaton instead of Chris Brown, you would have won, Houston. My fantasy team sure would have. The Bengals scored the road upset against the Ravens on the back of...Cedric Benson? Maybe Baltimore really does miss Rex.
• No worries for the hobbled NFC east quarterbacks. Donovan McNabb proved the ribs are fine against the hapless Bucs, while Eli Manning blew away the just-as-hapless Raiders.
  
• The Rams looked grotesque again, losing 38-10 against the Vikings. They, were, however, out-grossed by the 41-0 loss by Jacksonville. Matt Hasselbeck's 4 touchdowns made him the Beverageworks runner-up. Most surprising blowout? Atlanta's 45-10 bashing on the road against the 49ers.
  
• Tennessee might just be as bad as their record. Going into last night's game they were though to be the best 0-4 team in history. After that game they just seem like a plain ol' 0-5 sewer rat.
• Daunte Culpepper lives! The Lions came off their first win since the Reagan administration with a respectable 28-20 loss to the Steelers. They are going places.
• Quite a Monday night tussle tonight, Jets-Dolphins in Miami. Mark Sanchez is coming off his toilet-worthy performance last week, while the Dolphins are 1-3 and without Iron Chad. A lot of people are picking Miami, making me uneasy. Braylon Edwards makes his debut with the Jets, which can go either way. Jets are favored by 4. We'll take it. Chad Henne has 3 turnovers total and the Jets pull away in the end, 24-10. I think.
  

Sunday Smash- Week 5

Well, it's now or never. A quarter of the way through the season, the only way I can sum up my NFL picks so far is with the first 35 seconds of this trailer. It's all there. I tried the no-nonsense picking strategy, I tried the pick-with-your-gut strategy. And in recent weeks, I have tried the prayerful strategy. Nothing has worked. A paltry 2-3 last week; when anything less than 4-1 was not an option. Even the bread-and-butter Giants almost missed their big cover over the Chiefs. Scary stuff. But this week will be different. This first quarter of the season is done, finished. Out of sight, out of mind. In honor of week 5, we are going 5-0. Simple as that. Just cover, baby. Note: No Jets pick here today, as they are the Monday night game. We will get to them tomorrow.

1. Raiders (+16) over Giants
No, this is not the Upset Perfiction of the Week, as Oakland will not come close to winning this game outright. This is however, too big of a spread for the current Giants situation. Eli Manning has an injury with a very complex name that is better known as 'heel ouchy.' If he plays (an it looks that way) the Giants will probably use caution and rest him once this game hits double digits late. Raiders barely cover and perhaps take a moral victory, which is pretty much all they are gunning for this season.

2. Panthers (-5) over Redskins
The absolute lock of the week. My eyes bulged open when I saw this line. It blows my mind that Washington (2-2) is a .500 team, and the Panthers are now officially in 'save the season' mode. Carolina is coming off their bye week and are ready to free themselves of the 'most disappointing NFL team' conversation. The Redskins mail it in during the second half and Carolina steamrolls. Gotta have this one.

3. Bengals (+9) over Ravens
Yeah, I pick the Bengals way too much. I have a man-crush on all 53 of them. Yes, they contributed to my 2-3 record last week with that abomination against Cleveland, but I am certain they have been discipined accordingly for that. I don't care what the opponent is...Cincinnati is too good this year to be spotted 9 points against anyone. Baltimore is home and it will get ugly, but these divisional games are always closer than they should be (I.E. Browns-Bengals last week.) This game won't be decided by 10 or more.

4. Broncos (+3) over Patriots
I'm coming after you again, New England. I made a silly move by picking a non-mojo'd Atlanta team on the road against you. You made me pay. I responded by lulling you into false security and taking you over the Ravens. And it worked. If Kevin O'Connell can supposedly give the Jets enough intel to take down the Pats, what on earth will be the impact of Josh McDaniels? Should the Pats just forfeit? I'm still positive that the Broncos are not a good team. But the Pats' one game on the road so far (@NYJ) they didn't seem too comfy. At all. I'm taking the 3 with fingers crossed.

Upset Perfiction of the Week

5. Browns (+6) over Bills

A part of me wonders if Roger Goodell will find a way to black out this game across the nation. He will find some sort of bogus loophole that prevents all of America from watching this game. An innocent fan's eyes should be shielded from this quality of football at all costs. The starting quarterbacks are Trent Edwards and Derek Anderson, who combined on the year have just over 1,100 passing yards and 6 touchdowns. These numbers are similar to middle-of-the-road Houston quarterback Matt Schaub combined with...well, me. In a game like this, 6 points is as valuable as 60 points. Cleveland gets the win outright.

Enjoy the games everyone. See you tomorrow for the Mash.

MLB Playoff Picks

A double-dip Wednesday! Read all about it. I tried to combine the Jets and baseball into one post, but then I rambled for centuries about Braylon Edwards, and here we are. Let the record show that although these predictions are late, I have not watched the Rockies-Phillies game that is already underway. No unfair advantages here--not even a couple of innings. So let's get it done. I will understand if you pick the opposite of what I predict. My football picks have not done anything to combat that.

Twins vs. Yankees
I'm going to go ahead and give the Twins a chance in this series, which seems to be blasphemy across the nation. Yes, I thought the Tigers would escape with the Central division, but the Twins made me believers. On the surface, the Yankees have a better lineup, better pitching, are coming in rested, and have home-field advantage. Sweep? Perhaps. But why do we always forget about the MOJO? The Twins have trucks full of it. They are on fire, yet come into the series with absolute house money. They have already climbed a mountain everyone told them they couldn't climb. I don't care how talented the Yankees are. Nobody, nobody, NOBODY was going to beat the Twins in the Metrodome yesterday. They were not going to allow that. If they can channel that for one or two games, we got a series here. Yankees will probably win something like 16-2 tonight because I don't think the Twins have slept yet. But I think they get to Burnett in game 2, and the insane crowd of game 3 steals a win. Call me a lunatic, but this mamma jamma goes back to Yankee Stadium for a game 5. Oh it's true. It's damn true. Viva Carl Pavano!
Yankees in 5

Red Sox vs. Angels
Don't I know you? Both teams are probably saying this looking at their schedules, since the Angels and Red Sox have met in the playoffs every year since the Civil War. The Red Sox always win. They have the rally monkey cryptonite. But hey, the Mets lost more than 90 games this year--screw the past. These Angels finally faced some competition in the AL West this year, which makes them a stronger unit. Scott Kazmir will show why Anaheim acquired him and win a game. The 'Idiot' Red Sox of yesteryear knew how to flip the switch and turn up the turbos when the playoffs came. I'm not sure this club can snap out of their late-season crappiness so easily this year. Swing, monkey, swing!
Angels in 4

Rockies vs. Phillies
I really don't know here. This seems like an 8-9 matchup in the NCAA basketball tournament. Either team could sweep, it could go 5 with every game going to extra innings. Nothing would shock me here. Colorado took down the Phillies with ease 2 years ago on their magical run to the World Series. The Phillies, being the defending champs, won't be snuck up on again. I can't back a team whose most dominant pitcher is named Ubaldo. Can't do it. Brad Lidge blows one game, putting Philly fans in a very queasy mood heading into the NLCS.
Phillies in 4

Cardinals vs. Dodgers
The series I'm most excited about in the first round. I've liked the Cardinals for the past few weeks to win the NL pennant, but I'm very fearful of the recent avalanche of people that think the same thing. Nobody is giving the Dodgers much of a chance here, after their crappy finish and nearly losing the division in an embarassing way to the Rockies. I'd like to go bold, saying Manny will go ballistic and carry the Dodgers (and everyone knows he has the ability.) But it's pitching, pitching, pitching. Carpenter and Wainwright cannot be argued. Wish I could, though. I hate going with the crowd.
Cardinals in 5

Championship Series
Angles vs. Yankees
Again, the Angels ask, 'Don't I know you?' This time though, they are excited to ask the question. Much like the Sox own the Angels, (um, except this year...bear with me) the Yankees hate seeing the Angels this time of year. LA runs too much, they get clutch hits, their pitchers pitch out of their minds. It's a nightmare for them. If the Red Sox were to win the first round, the Yankees would know from their furious season series that they have the upper hand in momentum. But with the Angels, it is permanently branded into the core of this team that they are going to have trouble. It's supernatural. Once the Angels know that they can finally beat Boston, ain't nothing stoppin' this express. Torii Hunter is MVP of the series, Joba Chamberlain sports an ERA over 6.00 for the post-season, riots erupt in Gotham. Swing on, Monkey.
Angels in 6

Cardinals vs. Phillies
A pretty interesting series if it comes true. Pujols vs. Howard. St. Louis' two Cy Young candidates testing their skills in Philly's bandbox. Power against balance. I like the Cardinals. The Phillies are defending champs, but it was only in '06 when St. Louis threw off the energy in baseball's atmosphere by beating the Mets and eventually winning the World Series. If Carpenter and Wainwright are enough to get through the Dodgers, they are enough to get through the Phils as well. Oh and Brad Lidge, remember Albert Pujols? Me too. He is your series MVP.
Cardinals in 5

World Series
Angels vs. Cardinals
Now here's a matchup I can be proud of. As I said, I hate going with the grain, and I don't think I did here. The Cards are popular, but many expect the Angels out in the first round. And those that think they survive round 1 know for sure they will get killed in round 2. So the Halos and Redbirds duke it out for the title. I'll be honest here, I didn't think much of the Angels until a touching Sports Illustrated article about the team responding to Nick Adenhart's death and all. I fell in love reading it. This team's got something working with them this year (plug in Christopher Lloyd reference here) and they can do it. St. Louis will get too comfortable with their pitching winning all their postseason games, and their lineup won't make up for when Carpenter and Wainwright stumble against Anaheim. Vlad Guerrero MVP. California knows how to party.
Angels in 6


Thanks for reading, everyone. And the way my football picks have gone, enjoy the Angles getting swept by Boston in the first round.

Broadway Braylon

Apparently the Jets don't like that taste of losing.

Because after 3 wins to start the year, they responded to their first loss by acquiring wide receiver Braylon Edwards from the Cleveland Browns early today. He is a Pro Bowler. he was taken with the #3 pick in 2005. And he is 26, an absolute prime age for and NFL receiver. What did it take to get him? Leon Washington? David Harris? The biceps of Thomas Jones?

Jason Trusnik, Chansi Stuckey, and 2 draft picks no earlier than the third round. Wow. Let's just say if Edwards plays to 20% of his ability, this is an absolute steal.

Yes, it hasn't been the best season for Edwards. This week it got worse, as he allegedly put the boom boom pow on the face of someone in LeBron's Cleveland entourage. Not the best for PR. But if that's what drove down his value this low, I think Jets fans will be more than willing to pay the medical bills of Lebron's friend.

So what does this mean for Gang Green? Here are some quick snippets.

• This can go one of two ways for Jerricho Cotchery. For the optimists, he will see way less attention from opposing defenses because they have to respect Edwards' deep threat. He will have an easier time getting open and will improve on his already-stellae production. For the pessemists, Cotchery may feel a little slighted that nobody believes in him as a true #1 receiver. He has done everything expected and more for this offense, and the Jets somewhat-'replaced' him at his #1 slot. But Cotchery has been nothing but a team-first guy from the start, and as long as the Jets win, it doesn't matter who gets the ball.
• This only goes one way for the running game: POSITIVE. Just look at the Saints defense from Sunday. New Orleans just begged Sanchez and the pass game to beat them, as they committed all defenders to stopping the run. The Jets played right into that and got crushed. With Edwards now going deep, defenses will not dare play that style.
• If Edwards can't become a professional in this locker room, he's not going to do it anywhere. Rex Ryan, Bart Scott, Kerry Rhodes, Cotchery, and others will let him know how to do things. His behavior in Cleveland was bad, but the man was in Cleveland, which is currently equivalent to a pool of lava in the NFL. He has a new lease on life for a winning team. If he wants to get paid and perhaps even get a championship, now's his chance.
• Just to stress again, I do not see the downside in this deal. the Jets nearly gave David Harris for Brandon Marshall just over a month ago. Now they give a special teams role player, a nice but unproven receiver, and 2 picks for Edwards? It's a tremendous move. And remember, Edwards is just months older than Stuckey. This isn't trading youth for some old guy. We may not have see the best of Edwards yet.
• This team looks very sexy right now. We all know about the defense, but now offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has his most talented offense to work with. Edwards as a home-run target, Cotchery as a top-of-the-line #2 possession receiver, Dustin Keller roaming the middle, and the 3 capable runners. As long as Sanchez doesn't pull too many kamikaze missions, I'm not sure how you prepare for this unit now.

So there you have it. I for one am very excited about this move. If you're reluctant as a Jets fan, just think of this... Put yourself in the shoes of a Browns fan right now. Do you think for one second that you got the better part of this deal? Are you excited in any way?

Because I'm sitting here on the other side of the fence. And I sure am.

Monday Mash- Week 4

Dirty, Mark.

Yep, the clock struck midnight for Gang Green's Cinderella as Mark Sanchez went all "December '08 Brett Favre" on the Jets. The Saints won 24-10, and Sanchez was solely responsible for the 14 point difference. All Jets fans knew this ugly day would come, but most were hoping it would be against a crappy team so maybe they could still steal the victory despite rookie mistakes. But unfortunately it came against a legitimately elite NFL team, and no team could overcome Sanchez yesterday.

It looked pretty ok early, as the Jets held the Saints (40 points per game coming in) to just an opening field goal. But Sanchez threw his pick-6 and played with the poop scared out of him the rest of the game. It showed. No touchdowns, 3 picks, fumble in the endzone, 140 yards. WFAN's Mike Francesa said he was more impressed with the Jets defense yesterday than he was after any of the three wins. It's tough to argue. The defense gave up 4 points less than Sanchez on his own, and that's saying a lot.

So yeah, it was bad for the Jets. But 3-1 is not too shabby for the toughest quadrant of their season. Come to think of it, 3-1 was seen as a dream start just one month ago. Now, the schedule gets lighter, Calvin Pace is back on defense, and assuming Sanchez learns from that game yesterday, a brighter road ahead.

In case you didn't know, Sanchez was bad. I don't know whether it was curiosity or nerves, but I checked out last season's game log for rookies Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco to see their worst games. Each of these quarterbacks managed to take their teams to the playoffs. Here are their worst games compared to Sanchez yesterday.

M. Sanchez (10/5 vs Saints) 14-27, 138 yards. 0 TD, 3 INT, 1 Fumble. QB Rating: 27.0
M. Ryan (9/14/08 vs Bucs) 13-33, 158 yards. 0 TD, 2 INT, 0 Fumbles. QB Rating: 29.6
J. Flacco (12/14/08 vs Steelers) 11-28, 115 yards. 0 TD, 2 INT, 0 Fumbles. QB Rating: 22.2

Of course, all three quarterbacks lost these games. That's what happens when a rookie QB has his worst game; the team loses. But those stats above are just proof that all rookies have "that day." Ryan and Flacco were incredible last year, and were able to learn from their crappy games and pereserve. We're going to learn a lot about Mark Sanchez nex Monday night in Miami. Here are some other quick hits from an interesting week 4.

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week:
Steve Smith, Giants. Yes, the other one. The lesser known of receivers with that name, Smith is off to a historic start in Giants history. Eleven catches for 134 and 2 touchdowns. Watching the game, he looked even better than those numbers suggest. Assuming Eli's wheel is healthy, it's all systems go for that hookup and the entire Giants offense.

• A quarter of the way through the season, the Giants are the best team in the NFL. When I picked the Eagles to win the NFC East, Steve Smith must have read it and gotten amped up. Ok, there's no way that happened. But he's been awesome, the defense has been awesome, and if Eli's foot is no big deal they are going to make some serious hay.
  
• Even though the Giants are numero uno, I'm feeling pretty proud with my prediction of the Saints as champs. They have been better than even I expected. Who would have thought they could beat the 3-0 Jets with the defense scoring more points than the dynamite offense? Their balance is impressive.
• My other Super Bowl team? Ugh. The Chargers were absurd last night in their game against Pittsburgh. The Steelers looked vulnerable without superstar Troy Polamalu, but the Chargers got stomped on for almost the entire game, before going berserk late. But it was indeed late--too late. They fall to a very mysterious 2-2. They could beat the Patriots and they could lose to the Raiders at this point. They freighten me.
• Ok, let's confront the panda in the room...my picks. Giants and Patriots got it done, but the Bengals let me down bigtime by not covering and the Jets...nuh uh. I wish I could delete the Upset Perfiction forever. St. Louis got 10 points against San Francisco. They wouldn't have covered if the point spread were 20. Or 25. Or 30. Or 34.5. Yep, thanks Rams. You made a mockery of my half-decent name. We'll get 'em next week.
  
• The Titans are the best 0-4 team in the history of the NFL. But I also think the Broncos are the worst 4-0 team in history. I just don't get it. I personally guarentee that if Stokely doesn't make that crazy week 1 catch they would be 1-3 or worse. I don't get it.
• The Dolphins were awfully impressive without Chad Pennington yesterday. And the way Buffalo looked, my last-place proclamation for Miami seems quite premature at this point.
• I don't know what to think with that Ravens-Patriots game. Baltimore probably got hosed on at least one roughing the passer calls. But I don't know. I feel like in years past, I would be fuming a lot more about this if it were really a big deal. So what's up? Maybe the Jets are just playing so well my envious rage against New England is subsiding. Maybe the calls just weren't that bad. But I'm just gonna go ahead and tell myself that the Pats have gotten so many calls and benefits of the doubt by the refs over the years that I am just immune to it. Yeah, that's good. That's sufficiently bitter.
  
• After an already-interesting Sunday, all hell breaks loose tonight. Favre vs. the Packers. The Packers vs. Favre. Yeah, it'll be better when the teams play in Green Bay, but I gotta build up this game all I can so my prediction looks better. Minnesota is favored by 5. NOT GONNA HAPPEN. Upset rains down in Minnesota. Aaron Rodgers throws 3 touchdowns, and actually flips off Favre as Greg Jennings is running into the endzone on the third one. Packers 24, Vikings 14. Boom.
  

NFL Picks- Week 4

LIVE FROM JONES BEACH, it's the Reilly Sports Blog. It's one of the best days of the year today, as the annual Walk for Autism is underway. Nice people, great environment, and by some divine miracle it's about 70 degrees here on an October day. I would highly recommend it. Just a great day. Well, let's get to the picks. We need a serious rebound this week after last week's disgrace. Just a total meltdown. I feel partially responsible for putting the KABOSH on Chad Pennington, as I picked the Dolphins week after week after week...it was just too much presure for my (non-Jets) favorite NFL player. Sorry Chad, sorry Miami. You're going to finish in last place. But on the bright side, I won't pick you anymore and your players will probably be safe. Let's do it. 5-0 this week...Just cover, baby.

1. Bengals (-7) over Browns
Every Vegas logic says to take the Browns here. Desperate team, at home, divisional game, the Bengals being the Bengals. Cleveland hates their coach, and they are close to just plain hating themselves now. Brady Quinn? Derek Anderson? Don't matter. I refuse to take the bait and am going with my Hard Knock darlings.

2. Giants (-10) over Chiefs
Are the Chiefs decent? Perhaps. But probably not. Big Blue rolls.

3. Patriots (-2) over Ravens
Ok, Patriots. Ya got me. I went with Atlana last week, thinking you were ripe for the picking. Ya got me. I won't do it again. Jerks.

4. Jets (+7) over Saints
Whew. My Super Bowl pick vs. my boys. I'm shameless. But seven points is a lot, isn't it? Maybe? Hopefully. I see Leon Washington breaking free on a couple of kickoffs though. Hopefully. Are you not buying this? Yeah I'm not sure I am either. If you'll notice, this is not the Upset Perfiction of the Week, despite that spread. Because...

Upset Perfiction of the Week

5. Rams (+10) over 49ers
Lord help me. That prediction was absolutely chilling to write. Chilling to my bones. You can see in my NFL preview what I think of the Rams this year, spoiler alert: it ain't pretty. But I am not ready to give the 49ers a 10 point spread at this point in my life. Don't let me down Rams. Frank Gore is not playing, and this is your week. THIS IS YOUR WEEK. NOW GO OUT THERE, AND TAKE IT!



Enjoy the games everyone! We'll see you tomorrow for the Mash.