Well that was an upset

The Steelers came from behind last night to beat the Ravens 23-20 in overtime, but that was not the upset. In fact, I'm pretty sure the Steelers were favored by more than 3 points, but a solid Ravens team covering the spread was not the upset. The Steelers had four players leave the game last night with injuries, at least two of whom are done for the year, and NONE of them were Ben Roethlisberger. Now THAT'S an upset.

In lighter news

Co-owner of the Carolina Hurricanes Thomas Thewes has passed away from a two year bought with leukemia. That's what you get for moving the Whalers to North Carolina, fucker! That's what people do there! They fuck their relatives and they die of cancer! I kid, I kid, I don't really wish death on anyone, except of course for the people who stole the Whalers. Oh snap, cancer's got my back, bitch!

Awesome

I read this over on the Shutdown Corner this morning. I touched on this briefly before, but for all his talent Burress is something of a douche bag. The Shutdown Corner guys summed it up far better than I ever could, but needless to say I am unimpressed by Burress' attitude after signing a new, fat contract. I wonder if anyone told him that nothing in the NFL is guaranteed? It's tough for me as a Giants fan because on the field the guy gives it his all on almost every play. Like most prima donna receivers, he is sometimes disinterested in blocking, but he runs his routes hard, has improved his hands considerably, and is a weapon opposing teams have to game plan for every week. I gained a lot of respect for Burress for gutting it out on a noticeably hampered ankle last season, but I have a hard time rooting for someone who works less at his job than I do. Now if you'll excuse me, someone left a Guinness in the office fridge and I think I can find it a good home.

Well that was a waste of time

161 games and almost exactly a year later, the Mets find themselves in the exact same position they held last year. Couldn't they have just played one game at the beginning of April and saved us this whole mess? Johan Santana pitched a masterful game, throwing a three-hit shutout on three days rest to help the Mets pull into a tie for the wild card lead with the Milwaukee Brewers. Ben Sheets did his part by lasting less than 3 innings for the Brewers as they fell to the Cubs 7-3. Playing the role of Tom Glavine this year is Oliver Perez, who has fittingly given up at least 4 runs in 3 of his last 4 starts, two of which he failed to pitch 5 innings. Playing the role of the Florida Marlins this year is the Florida Marlins, who have made no secret of their desire to knock the Mets out of the playoffs again.

I'm singing in the rain!

Well, actually it sounds more like a cat in distress. Once again the Mets close the season at home against the Marlins. And once again, the Mets seem intent on letting the fish knock them out of the playoffs. A solid combination of ineffective starting pitching, weak hitting with men on base, poor defense, and typical bullpen ineptitude let to a 6-1 defeat. The game got off to an inauspicious start when two batters into the game the Marlins had taken a 1-0 lead. Today's matchup pits my pessimism versus Mother Nature. Let it rain, baby, you can't lose games you don't play. Right? RIGHT?

It's all fun and games until you make an angry man cry

Oh sure, it's funny, but that doesn't make it hurt less.

Weeeee!

Last night the roller coaster started its slow climb back up after the gut-wrenching fall from the night before. Of course the barrel-rolling twisty section in the middle didn't do any wonders for my stomach. Don't these guys know how much I drink? Pedro Martinez battled through 6 tough innings last night in a steady rain, leaving with the game tied at 3 in the top of the 7th after letting the first two runners reach base. Following what could have been his final appearance on the mound at Shea, the Mets fans gave Petey a rousing ovation, which he acknowledged with a tip of the cap and a wave to the crowd. Of course, the love fest lasted all of one pitch, which reliever Ricardo Rincon saw deposited in the Mets bullpen for the go ahead three run homer. You know why!

But this Mets team is a different team from yesterday. Literally different from the night before. Ramon Hernandez (I don't know who he is either) and backup catcher Robinson Cancel came through with huge two out hits to tie the game in the bottom of the 8th, thanks in no small part to an imaginative slide from Ryan Church and a generous interpretation of "in the baseline" from the home plate umpire. Carlos Beltran's screaming line drive up the first base line ticked off the firstbaseman's glove in the bottom of the 9th to drive in the winning run and everyone exhaled. Kudos to the Mets for grinding out a victory against a Cubs team that started at least two regulars including pitcher Rich Harden. Sure very few of those players would actually make the postseason roster for Chicago, but the important part is the dream is still alive!

Next up for the Mets in their desperate kick for the finish line, their toughest opponent yet! Mother Nature! It started raining during last night's game and according to most weather reports it won't stop until Sunday. That means the Mets will have to scramble to get their final series against the Marlins played. Could baseball's first triple-header in over a century (if ever) get played on Sunday? Fuck no. Of course Bud Selig forced the Houston Astros to play "home" games against Chicago in Milwaukee while Hurricane Ike battered their city. I can see a situation where the Mets play a double header on Sunday, a makeup game on Monday that forces a tie with the Brewers, and then a one game playoff Monday evening for the National League wild card. It could happen!