Leading in to the World Series, all the talk was how dominant the Detroit pitching staff had been and how they would be responsible for winning the World Series. Well, the experts were right. The Detroit pitching staff were responsible for the outcome of this World Series, but unfortunately their efforts on the field led to the St Louis Cardinals winning. During the World Series, the Tigers pitchers committed 5 errors, some of which led to runs scored by St Louis at pivotal moments in the game.
Prior to the series starting, I told my friend in St Louis that they would need to improve their hitting in order for them to have any shot at winning the series. However, the Cardinals didn’t really hit that well during the series, as seen in the stat box below. What does stand out is just how poorly the Tigers pitching was during the series - the same pitching staff that defeated the Yankees in 5 games and swept the A’s in 4 games walked a total of 23 Cardinals’ players on top of the aforementioned errors.
Forgetting the awful performance by the Tigers, it really was an incredible performance by a St Louis team that had the fewest wins (83-78) of any team to reach the post-season. They now have the honour of having the lowest amount of regular season wins in the same season they became World Series Champs.
Detroit gave St Louis a lot of opportunities during the series, and to the Cardinals credit, they took advantage of the situations and are now World Series Champs for the 10th time.
Albert Pujols great defensive play denied the Tigers
The celebrations begin for the first time since 1982
The Bears can thank Dennis Green for the victory who continually ran the ineffective Edgerrin James at the end of the game. Brian Urlacher reinforced his status as one of the leagues elite defensive players.
2
(5-0)
↔
Stay in #2 because they are one of two undefeated teams.
3
(4-1)
↑ 1
Move up a spot thanks to the Eagles losing to the Saints.
4
(4-1)
↑ 1
Matt Hasselbeck rebounded nicely against the Rams following his disappointing performance against the Bears. His 3 TD passes also helped my fantasy team.
5
(4-1)
↑ 1
Not an overly convincing win against the leagues worst team. That being said, the Colts have been unconvincing and they’re still in #2.
6
(4-1)
↑ 2
Talk about helping my fantasy team. I don’t know how LT ever fell to me with the #3 pick, but I was more than thankful for it. His 4 TD’s against the 49ers made me extremely happy!
7
(5-1)
↑ 3
It’s time to take the Saints seriously. Drew Brees is shining in New Orleans and the attention that Reggie Bush gets from defenders continues to open things up for Joe Horn and Duece McAllister.
8
(4-2)
↓ 5
I didn’t expect the Eagles to lose to the Saints, especially after defeating the Cowboys a week before. Although they drop 5 places, they are still a top 10 team.
9
(4-2)
↑ 4
I hate it when T.O. is right. Bledsoe put some trust in him and T.O. produced the results.
10
(4-2)
↑ 6
How important is Steve Smith to this team? Without him the Panthers are awful.
11
(4-2)
↓ 4
Perfect timing for the bye week, especially after 2 straight losses.
12
(3-2)
↑ 3
The Giants continue to baffle me. If they ever get it together consistently they will be a great team.
13
(3-2)
↓ 1
Should be ready for Houston after coming off the bye week.
14
(4-2)
↔
I said I’d put the Rams in the top 10 if they won. They were impressive in their close loss to the Seahawks, so I decided to keep them in the same spot.
15
(3-2)
↓ 6
What happened to the Bengals? Losing to Tampa Bay and now they face the hot Panthers. They can easily be 3-3 after this weekend.
16
(3-2)
↓ 4
When Michael Vick is great, so are the Falcons. When he is contained, so are the Falcons. No surprises there.
17
(2-3)
↑ 2
Very impressive against the Chiefs, but until they can play this way against the top teams they will fail to convince me.
18
(3-2)
↓ 1
Will have a tough task against the Seahawks this weekend.
19
(1-5)
↑ 7
I’m sure many people will question my decision to elevate the Cardinals 7 places, but if not for some awful coaching decisions, the Cardinals would have pulled off the upset of the year. Matt Leinart is the real deal and the Cardinals will be great once they get an offensive line.
20
(2-4)
↑ 1
Barely managed to withstand the Dolphins – not a good sign.
21
(2-4)
↓ 3
Another team that I just can’t manage to comprehend. However, I’m pretty sure they won’t be making the playoffs.
22
(2-3)
↓ 2
After an impressive victory against the 49ers, they follow it up with an equally disappointing effort against the Steelers.
23
(2-4)
↔
Totally outclassed by the Chargers, but there are signs of a bright future for this team.
24
(2-4)
↓ 2
Lost to the Lions. Ouch!
25
(1-4)
↔
Coming off the bye week, they should be ready for the battle of the bad this week against Miami.
26
(1-5)
↑ 2
Vince Young and the Titans did incredibly well against the Redskins and they’ll have the winning feeling for two weeks thanks to the bye.
27
(1-4)
↑ 3
Impressive win against the Bengals. It will be even more impressive if they can beat the Eagles this weekend.
28
(1-5)
↑ 3
Roy Williams is a stud, but he still plays for the Lions. Let’s see if they can make it two straight against the Jets.
29
(1-5)
↓ 5
The Texans have cemented their status as one of the worst teams in the League. Where would this team be now if they had have drafted Reggie Bush instead?
30
(1-4)
↓ 3
The Browns will be 1-5 after they play Denver this weekend.
31
(1-5)
↓ 2
As soon as the Dolphins went to the no-huddle offence, they looked fantastic. Joey Harrington is a great 2-minute QB and the Dolphins should utilize the no-huddle offence earlier in the game to get the most out of the QB.
Expect the Lions to have a lead late in the fourth quarter only to lose the game and fall to 0-6. Willis McGahee will score 2 TDs to help my fantasy team!
21 vs 38
T.O. will be looking to have a big game after being disappointing last week against the Eagles. Look for Terry Glenn and Andre Johnson to get some receiving TDs and also help my fantasy team!
13 vs 17
The Ravens were disappointing on Monday night and their defence will prevent the Panthers from getting on a roll.
27 vs 31
This one could go either way, but I’m counting on the Giants to screw-up in some way and allow the Falcons to get the W.
17 vs 34
After being embarrassed by the Giants last week, the Redskins will get back on track against the Titans.
31 vs 17
The Bucs have lost a couple of close games this year. They will lose this one too, and it won’t be close.
34 vs 23
A lot of experts are expecting the Rams to win this game because the Seahawks are without Shaun Alexander again. However, the Rams defence is not the same as the Bears and the Seahawks will win on the back of a huge game from Matt Hasslebeck.
31 vs 20
The Eagles have been the most surprising team this year and will continue their good form against a Saints team that has overachieved to date.
41 vs 17
The Chargers will have a field day against the 49ers. LT will have 2 rushing TDs and a passing TD too.
17 vs 20
The Steelers will end their losing streak this week at home against the Chiefs. If they don’t, next week the media will be dominated about the decline of Ben Roethlisberger – unless of course T.O. overdoses again.
24 vs 20
The Dolphins looked much improved with Joey Harrington as their QB and I think they will surprise the Jets this week, whose mental state may be questioned after last weeks thrashing.
6 vs 24
The Raiders are the worst team in the league. The Broncos are not.
31 vs 13
Matt Leinart is up against the best defence in the league this week. I like Leinart, but he’ll be punished this week.
When you talk about the best team in the league, it’s not even close. The Bears look incredible.
2
(5-0)
↔
The Colts keep finding a way to win, but their 5-0 record is the only reason they’re #2.
3
(4-1)
↑ 1
Any doubt that the Eagles are better off without T.O. have been removed after their disposal of the Cowboys over the weekend.
4
(4-1)
↑ 3
The Patriots struggled against the Dolphins, but they always do. Did enough to win though.
5
(3-1)
↑ 1
Coming off a bye week, but will be without Shaun Alexander against the Rams.
6
(3-1)
↑ 15
Played superbly on Monday night to beat the previously undefeated Ravens. The biggest mover in this week’s rankings.
7
(4-1)
↓ 4
McNair suddenly looked average.
8
(3-1)
↑ 2
Did enough to get by the struggling Steelers. Philip Rivers is looking very steady.
9
(3-1)
↓ 1
Unfortunately drop a spot even though they had a bye.
10
(4-1)
↑ 2
Another close victory for the Saints, which included the first career TD of Reggie Bush.
11
(3-1)
↓ 2
Another case of dropping places even though they had a bye.
12
(3-2)
↑ 3
After a disappointing 2 weeks, the Jags responded with a 41 point whooping of the Jets.
13
(3-2)
↓ 8
I bet Jerry Jones is second-guessing his signing of T.O. The baggage that comes with T.O. is not worth the occasional moment of brilliance he presents.
14
(4-1)
↑ 5
The Rams are 4-1, but are #14 in the rankings. I don’t think they’ve played convincingly enough to be any higher. If they beat the Seahawks this weekend, you’ll see the Rams in the top 10 next week.
15
(2-2)
↑ 5
I really didn’t think the Giants would beat the Redskins, but they did and move up as a result.
16
(3-2)
↑ 2
The Panthers are slowly gaining the form that led them to be highly touted leading in to the season. I don’t think they have hit top gear yet, but I also don’t know if they will.
17
(3-2)
↔
They got past the Lions, but that doesn’t mean much.
18
(2-3)
↓ 7
Skins take a tumble this week after their loss to the Giants. Should recover this week against the Redskins.
19
(1-3)
↓ 5
Just one victory so far for the defending Superbowl champs. Roethlisberger has struggled in every game and faces a tough Kansas City defence this weekend.
20
(2-2)
↑ 2
Larry Johnson may be missing following that horrible facemask, but their defence should keep them in the game against the Steelers.
21
(2-3)
↓ 8
The Jets have kept it close in all of their games, but lost the plot against the Jags to lose by 41.
22
(2-3)
↓ 5
Got dismantled by the Bears, but almost everyone has so far this season.
23
(2-3)
↑ 2
Won the battle of the Bay – an event that used to mean something.
24
(1-4)
↓ 1
Coming off a bye week to face their Texas rivals, the Cowboys.
25
(1-4)
↓ 1
Lost a close one to the Rams. I don’t think that the Packers will drop Brett Favre, but it would unfortunately be the best thing for this team.
26
(1-4)
↑ 1
This team was automatically improved with Matt Leinart as their QB – unfortunately they lost the game and WR Larry Fitzgerald to a hamstring injury.
27
(1-4)
↓ 1
The Browns keep losing, but that won’t bother Kellon Winslow Jr., who is getting his touches of the ball.
28
(0-5)
↑ 1
Almost pulled off the upset of the season against the Colts. Vince Young rushed for 43 yards and a TD, but only threw for 63 yards – Yikes!
29
(1-4)
↓ 1
The Dolphins started Joey Harrington and looked better for it. He threw 2 INTs (one unlucky), but looked very good. He will get them a victory against the Jets this weekend.
30
(0-4)
↔
Lost a close one to the Saints, but will be 0-5 after they play the Bengals this weekend.
31
(0-5)
↔
Harrington was unfairly run out of Detroit and was blamed for the Lions woes, but the Lions are 0-5 now and can’t blame Harrington anymore.
32
(0-4)
↔
There is a good chance that this team will not win a game this year.
I was wrong – it looks like the Bears have an offence to go with their incredible defence.
2
(4-0)
↓ 1
Somehow they manage to win games – it’s not pretty, but it’s also how New England won 3 Superbowls.
3
(4-0)
↑ 2
Won in the last minute of their game, who thought McNair could turn this team around?
4
(3-1)
↑ 5
Losing at halftime to the Packers, but held them scoreless in the second half and ran away with it.
5
(3-1)
↑ 7
Now that Bledsoe has said that Terry Glenn is the best receiver that he has played with, when does T.O. chuck his tantrum?
6
(3-1)
↓ 3
The Bears dominated Seattle in ever facet of the game. I don’t think that having Alexander would have changed the outcome of the game, but it would have been closer.
7
(3-1)
↑ 7
Does Tom Brady have a new favorite receiver? Watch out if he does.
8
(3-1)
↓ 6
A baffling loss to the Patriots leaves many questions to be answered.
9
(3-1)
↑ 2
Michael Vick is the fifth leading rusher in the league; can the Falcons contend when he is a better runner than passer?
10
(2-1)
↓ 4
Close loss to the Ravens, but didn’t deserve to win and their offence was ineffective against a tough defence.
11
(2-2)
↑ 6
The Redskins offence is kicking in to gear and although they have a 2-2 record, they are looking extremely dangerous.
12
(3-1)
↓ 2
Reggie Bush has yet to score, but with Drew Brees behind centre the Saints are going to contend every week.
13
(2-2)
↑ 2
Easily the most improved team in the league and could easily be 4-0 at the moment. The Jets are no longer an automatic victory for the top teams in the league.
14
(1-2)
↓ 1
Coming off a bye week – hopefully the time off has helped Roethlisberger.
15
(2-2)
↓ 8
Have lost the past two games after looking great. Will be looking to get back on track against the Jets this weekend.
16
(2-2)
↑ 3
Willis McGahee finally scored a TD for my fantasy team and the Bills defeated a consistent Vikings team.
17
(2-2)
↓ 9
Looks like the Vikings will be close in a lot of their games. Some will go their way and come won’t. Against the Bills it didn’t, but against the Lion’s it will.
18
(2-2)
↑ 3
Still need a lot of improvement, but they have the ability to cause teams a lot of problems.
19
(3-1)
↑ 3
They beat Detroit. Big deal.
20
(1-2)
↓ 4
Who would have thought that the Giants would be the worst team in the division at this stage in the season?
21
(2-1)
↓ 3
I now think their victory over New England was because New England played poorly, not because Denver played well.
22
(2-1)
↑ 2
Didn’t Trent Green get injured and never regain his starting position once before in his career? Don’t know if that will happen this time, but a 41-0 victory against the 49ers will start the rumors.
23
(1-3)
↑ 4
Beat the awful Dolphins while Andre Johnson scored a TD for my fantasy team! David Carr has a 109 QB rating – can he keep that up?
24
(1-3)
↓ 1
Looked good for half a game against the Eagles, looked equally as bad in the second half.
25
(1-3)
↓ 5
I really thought the 49ers would have pushed the Chiefs, but Alex Smith struggled and the offence just couldn’t get going.
26
(1-3)
↑ 2
Losing 21-3, but battled for a 24-21 victory. At least they really aren’t the worst team in the league.
27
(1-3)
↓ 1
This team consistently has so much promise, but they always manage to screw-up somehow. Matt Leinart is an improvement over Warner, but he’s not going to be effective straight away.
28
(1-3)
↓ 3
With every passing week the Dolphins look worse and worse. Culpepper is definitely not the QB he was two years ago.
29
(0-4)
↔
Albert Haynesworth should have been suspended for the rest of the year and he should spend time in jail for his actions over the weekend.
30
(0-3)
↔
Even coming off the bye week they are going to struggle without their starting QB.
31
(0-4)
↔
The Lion’s offence finally clicked, but as has been the case in recent years the Lion’s found a way to lose the game.
32
(0-3)
↔
What can you say about that loss to the Browns? Not much.
Schumacher snatches an unlikely victory from Alonso’s grasp
Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso are all level on 116 points with only races in Japan and Brazil remaining this season. A little over a month ago Alonso held a 25 point lead, but over that time period Michael Schumacher and Ferrari have been on a roll.
In the race over the weekend, Fernando Alonso had built up a substantial lead in the rain-affected race before having his first pit stop. It was during this pit-stop where Alonso and his team made a crucial error in judgement. They changed his front intermediate weather tyres right before the track dried out and his performance suffered dramatically as a result. His lead diminished and both his teammate and Michael Schumacher overtook him. To cap it off, his second pit-stop was miserable, taking 19 seconds due to a faulty rear wheel nut. Although Alonso made up considerable time on Schumacher, it was too little too late and Schumacher took the victory.
A very impressive pass by Schumacher on Alonso
This leaves the championship with its most exciting finish in quite some time. Schumacher has all the momentum leading into these final races and should have the support of the majority of fans due to his retirement once the season is over. Alonso will do everything in his power to prevent Schumacher from winning his eighth championship.
Last week I correctly picked the winner in 10 out of 14 games. Here are my picks for round 4.
24 vs 20
This one could go either way. David Carr currently has the highest QB rating in the NFL, but the Dolphins need to kick into gear sooner or later.
17 vs 24
It’s going to be tough for the Saints to recover from their emotional victory on Monday night and the Panthers will be looking to continue their winning form. Steve Smith WILL have a big game.
20 vs 24
The Bills and Vikings have been surprisingly good this year. The only reason I’m picking the Bills is because they are playing at home and Willis McGahee will score some TDs sooner or later (my fantasy team needs it!).
27 vs 13
The Ravens have a great defence, but the Chargers have LT and I think he will come up big after having last week off. The Chargers defence is nothing to sneeze at either and the fact that the Ravens almost lost to the Browns last week is why I like the Chargers.
27 vs 24
This is how I see it going down. In the first quarter Kurt Warner fumbles once and throws 2 INTs. Second quarter, Matt Leinart starts his NFL career throws 3 TDs and leads the Cardinals to victory over Michael Vick and the Falcons.
31 vs 17
Vince Young is making his first start tomorrow, but even though he will throw one TD and rush for another, the Cowboys will win this one comfortably.
41 vs 10
The Jets have been good this year, but the Colts have been even better. The Colts will establish the run against the Jets and open up the passing game for Peyton Manning who will throw 4 TDs.
20 vs 21
The 49ers have been impressive so far this year and Alex Smith has been very reliable. The Chiefs have not been impressive and without Trent Green they will struggle. However, the Chiefs still have Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzalez and playing at Arrowhead will help them get the victory.
24 vs 27
The Lions will put up a little up some offence this weekend because Mike Martz will want to prove something to his old team, but the Rams will have something to prove too and because the Lions suck so much the Rams will get the W.
13 vs 20
The Jags are coming off a tough loss to the Colts and will struggle against the rejuvenated Redskins. Clinton Portis is in great form and will help the Redskins defeat Jacksonville.
17 vs 9
Two of the worst teams in the League face each other and someone will get their first win. It won’t be the Raiders.
20 vs 31
This one had the potential to be a great showdown between two of the leagues best QBs. Even though Tom Brady has no weapons to work with, he will make this game interesting even though the Patriots will go down to the Bengals.
31 vs 17
The two best teams in the NFC face off in Chicago. Chicago has a great defence, but so does Seattle. The difference is that Seattle also has a great offence while the Bears don’t. The 4 WR sets that the Seahawks used last week against the Giants worked wonders – expect more of that this week.
21 vs 31
It’s a shame that Brett Favre is on such a bad team because he can still throw the football with the best of them. The Eagles have the advantage of playing at home and having Donovan McNabb. The Eagles win this one on Monday night.
The West Coast Eagles got revenge over the Sydney Swans from last years Grand Final by defeating the Swans by 1 point. The Swans looked all but out of the running at halftime, down by 25 points. However, the Swans fought back and during the final period the score fluctuated from the Eagles being up by 7 points and being up by 1 point. Unfortunately for the Swans, they were never able to get their noses ahead in the final period, but they put up a spirited effort in what was a thrilling end to the AFL season.
Congratulations go out to the Eagles, who have won their first premiership since the 1994 season.