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Saturday, October 27, 2001
Big Ben's World Series Preview    By Ben Maller All Games on FOX Did You Know? The Yankees have never played Arizona, either in the regular season, post season or in an exhibition. New York and Arizona are scheduled to meet next June 10-12 at Yankee Stadium in an interleague series. 3 Keys for the New York Yankees 1.) Jump on the back of Mussina & Pettite. The Yankees can come close to matching Schilling and Johnson with Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte in the first two games. Mussina and Pettite must pitch well because Roger Clemens and Orlando Hernandez have been shaky in this postseason. Clemens has had problems throughout his career in the playoffs.  2.) Burn Baby Burn: Bernie Williams is locked in at the plate and that's huge for a struggling New York lineup. Williams almost signed with the Diamondbacks a few years back and will have that added motivation going into this series. Tino Martinez has also been swinging the bat well. There is nobody in baseball you would rather have up in game seven of a tie game then Derek Jeter. 3.) Bullpen Rocks: The Yankees pen isn't the deepest, but with Mariano Rivera able to go for two-inning stints, New York is able to play shorter games than everyone else. Ramiro Mendoza and Mike Stanton, two of the best postseason relievers in history, are enough to get to Rivera as long as the starters pitch into the sixth inning. This is the area that gives the Bronx Bombers the biggest advantage. 3 Keys for the Arizona Diamondbacks 1.) Ride Schilling and Johnson: The pair of Aces have lived up to the hype in postseason. Schilling is 3-0 with a 0.67era and more importantly has pitched a complete game in each start, leaving the bullpen door closed. Johnson known as a playoff flop is 2-1 with a 1.88 ERA and has tossed 24 innings so far. Arizona needs to win everytime these guys pitch because of a weak bullpen and backside of the rotation. Game 3 starter Brian Anderson for example lost his spot in the rotation in August, but D'Backs manager Bob Brenly likes the idea of a left-hander pitching against New York's lineup in Yankee Stadium.  2.) Don't depend on the Bullpen: The only player who has an above average arm is Byung-Hyun Kim, and he's no sure thing in late game pressure spots. Everyone else in the bullpen is a has-been or never-was. Mike Morgan has played for 12 teams a major league record is along side such solid journeymen as Bobby Witt and Greg Swindell. 3.) Stars Shine? Its hard for me to believe that the Diamondbacks can win this series unless their star bats come through. Luis Gonzalez, Reggie Sanders and Mark Grace have to get the job done. Gonzo who hit 57 Homers during the regular season batted just .211 in the NLCS. Craig Counsell and Tony Womack are nice guys but you can't depend on slap hitting speed guys to win you a World Series. Erubiel Durazo is going to be the secret weapon for Arizona playing alot because of the DH slot a Yankee Stadium. Big Ben's Breakdown: The Diamondbacks are not only fighting the Yankees, they are fighting baseball history. The Yanks have won 27 World Series in franchise history. The Diamondbacks haven't won one. The Yankees have 24 Hall-of-Famers in their history, The D'Backs have none. The Yankees have 16 retired uniform numbers, Arizona has none. Only three teams have won in their first World Series appearance in franchise history since World War II. That includes the 1997 Marlins, 1992 Blue Jays and 1969 Mets. The same number of teams -- the 1984 Padres, 1982 Brewers and 1980 Royals -- lost in their first appearance. The Yankees and Diamondbacks are similar in their starting rotation and that's about it. Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, David Justice and Tino Martinez are better everyday players than Arizona can throw out. And let's not even mention the bullpens where Mariano Rivera and company have a huge advantage! The Diamondbacks will live or die by Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson -- if the Yankees beat either one in the first two games, Arizona is in serious trouble.  Ben Maller World Series Prediction Yankees in Six Games. (Bank It) permalink Friday, October 26, 2001
Friday Thoughts, Opinions and Notes  By Ben Maller Any chance the Philadelphia 76ers had of repeating as Eastern Conference champions went away when the Sixers picked up "The Cancer," Derrick Coleman. This is another one of those trades that proves many pro sports GM's have no idea what they are doing. Last season Coleman was 30 pounds overweight and averaged 8.1ppg shooting 38% from the floor and averaging 5.4 rebounds.  Charlottle not only got rid of Coleman they also picked up George Lynch & Robert "Tractor" Traylor. Shaquille O'Neal and Phil Jackson have had an ongoing disagreement in the media. Shaq shooting 30% from the line this preseason doesn't think he has a problem shooting foul shots. The Zen Master was quoted as saying it was a "scary situation." I know when it's playoff time the Lakers will be fine and Shaq will make enough of his foul shots to win games.  So much for Elton Brand making the big impact off the court for the Clippers. Only 40 of the Clippers 82 games will be televised locally in Los Angeles. That means the Mighty Ducks and Kings will have more of a television presence than the Clips. A source at KCAL 9 told me suits at the station flipped when Andy Roser of the Clips demanded a rights fee to air Clippers games. Roser was shown the door. The Grizzlies moved from Vancouver to Memphis, but appear to have brought a truck full of losses with them. Michael Jordan has yet to play a regular season game, yet he has still added to his record books. Jordan is appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the 50th time in the Oct. 29 issue. Kareem Abdul Jabbar Jr., George Gervin Jr. and Calvin Murphy Jr. - the sons of three of the NBA's most famous players - were among the 162 players invited to the National Basketball Development League training camp in Suwanee, Ga. Center Yinka Dare one of the great busts in NBA history was also invited. Let's hope that Disney is able to sell the Angels soon to someone who will take pride in them. Larry Lucchino, outgoing president of the San Diego Padres, has been mentioned as having an interest in joining a new ownership group to buy the Angels. Lucchino is one of the brightest guys in the game who might even be able to convince me to pull for the Halos again,.something I haven't done with passion since Jackie Autry took over for the Cowboy. As Always, ESPN Classic did a great job with a "Sports Center Flashback" on Donnie Moore of 86 Angels fame. Moore's story is a sad one, although I don't blame the fans for him killing himself. Fans had a right to be on him for serving up the most famous meat ball in Angels history to Dave Henderson in game five of the ALCS against the Red Sox. Juan Gonzalez will play for the Texas Rangers next season; that's my prediction. Tom Hicks has more money to burn for his pathetic baseball team.  If the Florida Marlins fold, the Angels should buy the "Billy the Marlin" costume and make him their mascot. Coming Tomorrow, Ben Maller's World Series Preview: a complete breakdown of the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. New York Yankees. It's going to be cool to see stars and stripes on baseball's used during the world seris. I have a feeling Rawlings will be charging a ridiculous price if you wanted to buy one of those special balls. I was told by Hockey Insiders at Fox Sports that the Kings deal for Jason Allison of the Boston Bruins this week was a steal. LA sent Jozef Stumpel and Glen Murray to Bean Town and also got left wing Mikko Eloranta in the deal. Allison led the Bruins with 95 points last season, including 36 goals, and was fourth in the NFL in scoring.  O.J. Simpson proved again this week that he can not only get away with double murder, but that he can get away with anything. Simpson was cleared of battery charges this week.  Just when you thought the Cowboys' season was turning around: QB Anthony Wright has a right knee injury and will miss this weekend's game against the Arizona Cardinals. Clint Stoerner is going to get the start instead of Ryan Leaf. In case you've never heard of Stoerner he was an average QB even in college at Arkansas. Leaf is expected to get some action. Tony Dungy could be the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts next season. Dungy is almost a lock to be fired as coach of the 2-3 Buccaneers after this season. Jim Mora is also going to be fired after this season as coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Jake Plummer has stunk up the "Valley of the Sun" so much that speculation around the NFL is that Plummer will be left unprotected in the upcoming expansion draft. Would the Houston Texans be dumb enough to draft him? Big Ben's Week Seven NFL Notes & Odd Facts... Vikings at Buccanners. The home team has won the last 7 meetings between Minnesota and Tampa Bay. Bucs defense is ranked 21st against the run. The Vikings are 13th against the Run. Saints at Rams The Rams are the first team to start 6-0 three consecutive seasons since Green Bay did if from 1929-31. Saints K John Carney leads NFC with 12 field goals. Oakland at Philadelphia The Raiders have won eight straight games against NFC teams. Oakland K Sebastian Janikowski leads the NFL with 11 touchbacks on kickoffs. Eagles have won 4 of last 5 meetings against Oakland.... Both starting QBs Rich Gannon of Oakland and Donovan McNabb were in the Pro Bowl last year. Raiders' coach Jon Gruden was Eagles' offensive coordinator from 1995-97. ... Gruden and Eagles' coach Andy Reid were both assistants for the Packers from 1995-97 The Eagles' red zone defense ranks second in the NFC with a 27.8 TD percentage. New England at Denver The Broncos have committed 28 penalties and turned the ball over seven times in the last three games. Patriots' WR Tony Brown is second in the AFC with 39 receptions. New England QB Tom Brady has lead the Patriots to three wins in four games after replacing Drew Bledsoe in the loss to the Jets. Brady has thrown for 866 yards and five touchdown passes, hasn't been intercepted and has a passer rating of 92.6. As a team, the Pats are averaging 30.3ppg with Brady under center. Both Tom Brady and Brian Griese were starting QBs for the University of Michigan. Jets at Carolina The league's worst run defense faces the worst rushing offense when the Jets visit the Carolina Panthers New York allows 167.5 rushing yards per game, a figure so high that only one other team is within 25 yards of it. New York Jets Total Defense - 395.5 ypg (31st in NFL). The Jets plus-16 turnover ratio leads the league. ... The Jets lead the NFL with a 73.3 percent touchdown ratio in the red zone. Carolina QB Chris Weinke ranks 4th in the NFC with 1,356 yards. Panthers' coach George Siefert is 2-0 vs. Jets. San Francisco at Chicago 49ers first meeting in Chicago since 1988 NFC title game, won 28-3 by San Francisco. Niners' Terrell Owens set an NFL record with 20 catches (for 283 yards) in last meeting with the Bears. Chicago has the 2nd best rush defense in the NFL but is 27th against the pass. San Francisco is the 2nd best rush offense in the NFL but 10th passing. Jacksonville at Baltimore The Jaguars are 4-1 all-time in Baltimore. The last 4 meetings have been decided by 7 points or less. 4 of the 5 meetings in Baltimore have been decided by 7 points or less Jaguars have lost 3 of their last 5 games by 3 points Miami at Seattle Dolphins' K Olindo Mare is perfect thus far this year, hitting all seven of his field-goal attempts and 11 consecutive extra points. Miami's Lamar Smith has three fumbles this season, matching his total from all of last year. None of Seattle's wide receivers has caught a touchdown pass thus far this season. Seahawks' special teams are holding opponents to 23.6 average starting position, second in AFC. Bengals at Lions Bengals' RB Corey Dillon has been held to 46, 64 and 30 yards in the Bengals' three losses. Lions, the only winless team in the league, have 820 yards total offense in their last 2 games... QB Charlie Batch has 683 yards and 6 TDs in last 2 games. Giants at Redskins Monday's loss marked the first time since 1930 that the New York Giants have dropped consecutive one-point games. New York has outrushed Washington 283-86 in the last two meetings. Giants Coach Jim Fassel is 23-10-1 vs. NFC East. The Redskins' 10 INT's are tied for first in the NFC with Tampa Bay. Washington has allowed a 100-yard rusher in five of six games. Arizona at Dallas Eight players have scored at least one touchdown for Arizona. Dallas has scored 30-or-more points versus the Cardinals in seven of their last 11 meetings. Cowboys have won last 11 meetings in Dallas and have allowed 20 or fewer points in all 11.... Dallas has outscored the Cardinals 353-108 in last 11 meetings in Dallas Monday Night Football Tennessee at Pittsburgh Steve McNair of the Titans 60.9 rating is the lowest among AFC quarterbacks. Pittsburgh QB Kordell Stewart's 65.3 rating is second-worst in the AFC. Ben Maller Trivia Question of the Week:Michael Jordan is making his 50th apperance on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Who was the last Washington player to appear on the cover of SI.  Now a message from our sponsors... A friendly reminder to listen to my radio show this weekend on your local Fox Sports Radio station. It's me and Patrick O'Neal from 2am till 5am(est) Saturday morning. (Now Heard on Fox Sports 1290am in Tucson) Sunday morning from 4am till 7am, I'll be on with my partner Jason Smith. We'll breakdown Game 1 of the World Series and all the college football action and preview the week's action in the NFL. (Now heard on Fox Sports 1290am in Tucson) Ben Maller Trivia Question of the Week Answer: The last Wizards' or Bullets' player on the cover was Elvin Hayes on May 7, 1979. Big Ben Maller's Five Star College Pick of the Week   (2) Oklahoma (7-0) at. (2) Nebraska (8-0) The Line: Nebraska -4 Last Meeting: Oklahoma won 31-14 Nebraska had owned the series before that winning seven in a row before having that streak snapped last year. Did you know? The Cornhuskers are ranked in the top 10 in the country in both total offense and total defense, matching Florida as the only other team in the country that can say that. Game Notes: The Huskers currently own the nation's longest home winning streak at 19 games. This is the first time current head coaches Bob Stoops (OU) and Frank Solich (UN) will face off against each other in Lincoln. Oklahoma hasn't won at Nebraska since posting a 17-7 victory back on November 21, 1987. Big Ben's Breakdown: This is a simple game to preview. The Sooner offense against the Cornhusker option offense. Oklahoma's defense has performed extremely well this season allowing an average of just 15.3 points and 282.0 total yards per game, with just 13.8 first downs per contest. All three of those stats rank the Sooners among the Big 12's top teams. Junior Safety Roy Williams is the best player on a talented defense. He has tallied 62 total tackles and is currently tied for the Big 12-lead in interceptions with four. Butkus Award candidate, senior LB Rocky Calmus is having an outstanding season also as he currently leads the team in total tackles with 69. He has also notched nine TFLs, recorded two sacks, broke up six passes, pulled down one INT and recovered two fumbles. On offense, Oklahoma will turn to Sophmore QB Jason White who rose to the occasion in his first start, completing 32- of-44 passes for 343 yards and a touchdown. Mark Clayton was his primary receiver, catching eight balls for 108 yards. Junior TE Trent Smith caught seven passes for 70 yards and junior WR Curtis Fagan finished with five receptions for 50 yards and a score. White has made the most of his opportunities this season, hitting on 68 percent of his passes for 631 yards, five TDs and just two INTs. Nebraska's outstanding option offense is averaging nearly 340 rushing yards per game. The Huskers ran up 531 yards of total offense in last week's 10-point win over Texas Tech. The trio of QB Eric Crouch and RB's Dahrran Diedrick and Thunder Collins have combined for 2,128 yards and 27 TDs on the ground this season. The Nebraska defense had been nearly perfect this season until last week. Texas Tech generated 440 yards of total offense and scored 31 points against a UN defense that allows just 255.8 total yards and a mere 11.1 points per game this season -- both tops in the Big 12. The Huskers have done a good job stopping teams from running the ball this season (69.4 ypg - best in the conference). The Huskers have shown a vulnerability in defending the pass (186.4 ypg - seventh in the league). Senior LB Jamie Burrow leads the unit with 44 total tackles. Senior DB Keyuo Craver is right behind him with 43 takedowns, however he was banged up in the Texas Tech game and his status for this contest is questionable. Ben's Bottom Line: Having seen this matchup first hand last year in Norman I have great interest in the outcome of this game. Look for the speed of the Oklahoma defense to contain the Big Red running game but not stop it. Jason White looked great against Baylor in his first start a week ago. He'll struggle at times but make enough plays in the end to pull out another Sooner W. BenMaller.com's Final Score: Oklahoma 24, Nebraska 17 Other College Picks: Maryland -8, Virginia Tech -18, Washington State -2 1/2, Colorado- 9 1/2, Oregon State -19, Notre Dame +3, Georgia +19 Big Ben Maller's Five Star NFL Pick of the Week   Buffalo Bills (1-4) at San Diego Chargers (4-2) The Line: Chargers by 8 1/2 Did You Know? Buffalo's Rob Johnson leads the league with a 72.5 third-down completion percentage. Big Ben's Breakdown: This is a classic quarterback grudge match between good guy Rob Johnson of the Bills and "The Jerk" Doug Flutie of San Diego. Buffalo did the right thing in chosing Johnson over the now 39 Flutie. San Diego has turned their team around because of rookie RB LaDanian Tomlinson who is tied with the New York Jets' Curtis Martin for the league lead in touchdowns with seven, and is third in rushing with 544 yards. The Chargers also have a defense that ranks 5th in the league. Flutie and Johnson were teammates for three years in Buffalo; the whole time Flutie instead of helping the younger Johnson was taking shots behind his back in the media. The biggest problem with the Bills is a poor offensive line. Johnson was sacked 49 times last season and has been sacked 16 times already this year. Buffalo is feeling confident after a Thursday night prime time win against Jacksonville. Look for Johnson to have a good game through the air and the Bills to pull the road stunner. BenMaller.com's Final Score: Buffalo 24, San Diego 23 Other NFL Picks: Raiders+1, Jaguars +8, St. Louis-12 1/2, Minnesota +3, Chicago- 1 1/2 Write Back:Send Ben Maller E mail by CLICKING HERE! permalink Thursday, October 25, 2001
 Ben Maller's NBA Preview  permalink
Ben Maller.com NFL Preview   Indianapolis (2-3) at Kansas City (1-5) Date/Time: Tonight at 5:30pm on ESPN Line: Colts -3 Did You Know? Despite both men having long runs, this is the first meeting between Colts' coach Jim Mora and Chiefs' coach Dick Vermeil Big Ben's Breakdown: It's hard to figure out the Colts. They got off to a 2-0 start and looked like the St. Louis Rams of '99. Since that start, the team has lost three straight, including the two to the AFC East rival New England Patriots. Peyton Manning has at times looked like Jim Everett instead of his Pro Bowl self. Manning is tied for the NFL lead with 9 Interceptions. The strange thing about Indy is that they lead the NFL in offense ahead of St.Louis yet still that's not enough. Last week is a perfect example: Manning threw for 335 yards, Edgerrin James ran for 143 and Marvin Harrison caught for 157 as the Colts totaled 484 yards but still found a way to lose to New England by 21 points. Trent Green: In his first year in Kansas City since the Chiefs gave St. Louis a first-round draft choice for him, Green has thrown five TD passes but been intercepted nine times. Green's quarterback rating is 66.2 ranking 13th in the AFC Both KC and Indy have horrible run defenses. The Chiefs have been giving up more than 140 yards a game while the Colts have been run over for almost 137. The Colts are 25th in defense while the Chiefs are 18th in the NFL. Ben's Take: Edgerrin James will have a party against the Chiefs' 29th ranked rush defense. This should be an old western shootout. I'll take Indianapolis because they have more bullets in their gun with the big three. Ben's Final Score: Colts 38, Chiefs 28 CLICK HERE FOR BEN MALLER'S UCLA & USC Previews permalink Wednesday, October 24, 2001
Flush The Expos & Marlins Down the Toilet    By Ben Maller It would be every true baseball fan's dream: A chance to spend a Wednesday evening in January watching the "Major League Baseball Dispersal Draft 2002." Just imagine watching to see where those old Expo and Marlin players end up. Its hard to feel sorry for fans in Miami and Montreal if they lose their baseball teams. The bottom line is if you can't support a baseball team you don't deserve one. The Expos have struggled for years. The last time they drew any fans Tim Wallach and Tim Raines were stars in the National League. As for fans in South Florida, it's hard to understand why they don't support baseball. I understand that after the '97 season the team was burned and left for dead. Still, as a fan, you have a chance to watch the Cubs, Mets, Cardinals and Dodgers come to town.  Having been in Miami for the World Series in 1997 against the Cleveland Indians I saw baseball at its best. 60+ thousand screaming Marlin fans driving all over the city after Edgar Renteria knocked in Craig Counsell with the game winning run in the 7th game. I was told by a high ranking baseball official that the only reason the Devil Rays, Diamondbacks, Rockies and Marlins even exist goes back to the collusion of the late 1980's. The owners got caught being cheap. Major League Clubs colluded in the market for free-agent services after the 1985, 1986, and 1987 baseball seasons, in violation of the industry's collective bargaining agreement. In 1990, the Major League Players Association won a $280 million settlement with Major League Baseball for collusion damages. According to my baseball sources the owners were furious that they would have to pay that kind of money. So they made an agreement to expand by four clubs over the next 10 years allowing for clubs to get their cash back and actually come out ahead in the long run. The problem is that there were not enough cities out there to support Major League Baseball Teams; however the owners went ahead with their plans anyway. Now Bud Selig, who was part of the initial problem, can fix it. The Marlins and Expos should be eliminated.  The way I see it, the draft would go in reverse order of finish from the 2001 season. The Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Devil Rays tied with 100 losses so a coin flip would determine the first pick. Baltimore would draft 3rd followed by the Kansas City Royals 4th and the Reds 5th with the Tigers 6th. Pitching will go early in the draft. Montreal has Javier Vasquez and Tony Armas Jr. while the Marlins have young stars like Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett, Ryan Dempster and Brad Penny. Among the position players RF Vladimir Guerrero (34 HR's 108 RBI's) of the Expos would be the best. Montreal has talented SS Orlando Cabrera (41 Doubles 96 RBI's) 2B Jose Vidro (34 Doubles 15 HR's) and 3B Fernando Tatis who was hurt most of 2001. Florida has OF Cliff Floyd and 3B Mike Lowell who each drove in 100 runs last season. OF Preston Wilson is a young star in the outfield and leadoff man 2B Luis Castillo could be the fastest player in the game with 95 steals the last 2 years. Josh Beckett and Javier Vasquez should be the first two players selected in my opinion. What do you think? Sound Off Click Here To Write Back to Big Ben permalink Tuesday, October 23, 2001
Big Ben's ALCS Recap  By Ben Maller  Congratulations to the New York Yankees who won their 38th American League Pennant beating the Mariners 12-3 Monday night in the Bronx. The greatness of the Yankees has been shown in these baseball playoffs. Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neal and Chuck Knoblauch all have one thing in common: they make plays to win baseball games.  The Yankees of Jeter, Williams, and Pettite became the first team since their predecessors in 1960-64 - led by Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Whitey Ford - to win four straight pennants. The Bombers beat the two best teams in baseball the Oakland A's and Seattle. The Mariners joined baseball's only other 116-win team as a postseason dud. The 1906 Chicago Cubs lost the World Series to the crosstown White Sox in six games. Its hard to believe but the best record in baseball is a curse. Since 1990, the team with the best record during the regular season has gone on to win the World Series just once: the '98 Yankees.  Andy Pettite won the ALCS MVP Award, after the game; even Pettite was surprised to receive the award. Joe Torre, who couldn't get the job done as skipper of the Cardinals and Braves, joined John McGraw (New York Giants 1921-24), Joe McCarthy (Yankees 1936-39) and Casey Stengel (Yankees 1949-53 and 1955-58) as the only managers to win four straight pennants.  It was great to see Torre go to the stands after the final out in both games four and five of the ALCS and bring New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani onto the field to celebrate the Yanks' win with the players. Giuliani is truly the biggest Yankees fan in the Big Apple. Since 1996, the Yankees have gone 53-and-18 in the postseason- a .747 winning percentage. They also have set a record with 11 consecutive postseason series wins. I take pride in the fact that even down 0-2 heading to Oakland against the Athletics I believed that the Yanks would still turn things around and with their 27th World Series title. New York is expected to start Mike Mussina in game one of the Series this Saturday against Curt Schilling. Coming later this week Ben Maller's World Series Preview. permalink Monday, October 22, 2001
Monday Morning Quarterback
By Ben Maller I don't think Marshall Faulk missed the Ram's victory against the Jets. Instead, I feel that he wore a Trung Canidate jersey. Canidate looked as good as, if not better than, Faulk with a pair of scores: 232 all purpose yards and 195 yards on the ground in a 34-14 rout of the Jets.  The 195 yards by Canidate are the most yards rushing for an NFL running back making his first start since Gerald Riggs had 202 for Atlanta in 1984. How bad are the Jets up front? Canidate didn't play the final 14 minutes of the game. St. Louis is only the second NFL team to start three straight seasons with six victories. The 1929-31 Green Bay Packers had the only other such streak. Coach Jim Mora will be looking for work next year after the Colts' latest loss to the Patriots. Some guy named David Patten of New England became the first NFL player in 22 years to run, catch and pass for touchdowns in the same game. Thanks to the Indianapolis defense, that is.  Patton has a similar story to Kurt Warner of the Rams. He was not drafted out of Western Carolina in 1995 and spent time working in the landscaping business, as an electrician, and hauling 75-pound cases in a coffee bean factory until joining the Albany Firebirds of the Arena Football League... Then on to the NFL. Pats QB Tom Brady also had another big day with three touchdown passes and no picks. Could the Chicago Bears, of all teams, be this year's St. Louis Rams or Baltimore Ravens? Da' Bears won again with defense and the running game 24-0 over the Bengals. Chicago is 4-1 on the season and has allowed a total of 43 points all season, tops in the NFL. Corey Dillon the mega star running back of Cincinnati had no chance against the Chicago front seven. Dillon was held to 30 yards on 16 carries.  Rookie Anthony Thomas set a Bear's rushing record with 188 yards rushing. Revenge is a wonderful thing, just ask Cleveland Browns fans this morning. Six years after the dick, Art Modell, moved his team to Maryland, Cleveland finally got some payback beating the Super Bowl champion Ravens 24-14.  Cleveland had been outscored 116-to-26 while going 0-4 since '99 against the Ravens and Modell. Butch Davis can flat out coach. The Brown's defense forced three turnovers, had seven sacks and dominated the Raven's pathetic offense. Elvis Grbac has made a great impact on the Super Bowl Champions as they dropped to 3-3 with the loss. Don't look for Bucs QB Brad Johnson to get his offensive line gifts anytime soon. Johnson was sacked 10 times by the Steelers defense in 17-10 loss.  Jerome Bettis had 143 yards on the ground and a TD. He also passed for a TD as Pittsburgh looked good again. The team that Terry Bradshaw made famous has won four straight and is now 4-1. At some point QB Kordell Stewart will kill them, trust me. Tony Dungy had better turn things around soon, following a 2-3 start, or he'll be looking for work. Its good to see that the Titan's offense is still kicking ass. Joe Nedney kicked four field goals including the game winner with five seconds left as Tennessee edged the Lions 27-24 Detroit playing for the 2nd overall pick in the draft dropped to 0-5 for the first time since 1989. The Saints looked more like the 'Aints after a 20-13 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons. What happened to that vaunted New Orleans defense? Falcon's signal caller, Chris Chandler, who shouldn't even be a starting QB anymore in the NFL, threw touchdown passes of 57 and 39. St. Louis is the class of the NFC West and the NFL. The Saints are a class behind.  You can all rip me if you want for picking the Carolina Panthers as my NFL lock of the week. They had a 14 point 4th quarter lead and if Chris Weinke hadn't thrown a ball to LaVar Arrington of the Skins they would have easily covered.  Does an overtime victory against Carolina mean that Marty Schottenheimer can keep his job? Nah, he should keep in touch with his friends in Bristol, CT. If you know what's wrong with the Denver Broncos can you please e-mail me and I'll give Mike Shannahan a call. San Diego kicked their ass 27-10. The Broncos allowed that midget Doug Flutie to throw a pair of touchdown passes and 280 yards. Brian Griese shouldn't be playing hurt. He had 212 yards passing, a TD, and two interceptions.  Dick Vermiel has left his mark on Kansas City. The Chiefs lost its third straight and fell to 1-5 in its first season under Vermeil, KC's worst start since opening 1-9 in 1987. The Vikings don't need Michael Bennett when they have Doug Chapman. The no-name running back, Chapman, subbing for the injured Bennett, rushed 22 times for 90 yards as Minnesota embarrassed the Packers 35-13. Green Bay's worst regular season loss since 1993  Brett Favre threw two touchdowns and an interception with just 169 yards on 21-for-35 passing -- his worst game this year. It should be noted that Minnesota entered this game with the 23rd ranked defense in the league. Why does Favre suck so bad in dome's? Every year Favre stinks up the Metradome and Silverdome. Big Ben's NLCS Recap By Ben Maller Congratulations to the Arizona Diamondbacks who certainly deserved to represent the National League in the World Series. Randy Johnson deserves some credit for stepping up in the NLCS after losing his previous seven post-season decisions.  Former Dodger, Craig Counsell, was the NLCS MVP batting .381and scoring five runs. I had a chance to talk with Counsell and get to know him a little bit when he played in LA and he's a great guy and deserves to get some national fame. Counsell has worked his ass off to get the most out of his ability just to reach the Majors. The Atlanta Braves continue to be a joke in the post season. Arizona became the third visiting team in five years to clinch the NL pennant at Turner Field, following Florida in 1997 and San Diego in 1998. Atlanta is the worst sports town in America. A pathetically small crowd of 35,652, about 15,000 short of a sellout showed up to Turner Field.  Bob Brenley formally part of the FOX Sports family became the first manager to lead a team to the World Series in his first year since Kansas City's Jim Frey in 1980. Hats off to Steve Lyons of Fox Sports for not letting the F Bombs flying from Mike Morgan's mouth interfere with his interview of Randy Johnson after the game. Morgan a former Dodger is making his first Series appearance having played for a record 12 teams in the majors, and 22 clubs overall in his pro career.  Randy Johnson Mark Grace, Luis Gonzalez and Jay Bell are also all making their first appearance in the Fall Classic. I wonder how the Yankees are going to stop Curt Schilling in games 1, 4 and 7 and Randy Johnson in games 2 and 6. It was exciting to be talking to Diamondback Fans on XTRA Sports 910am in Phoenix and Fox Sports 1290am in Tucson last night; they picked up the show I did with Jim Daniels on Fox Sports Radio. permalink |
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