Back!

Back after a day on the down low after a wild one in Buffalo on Sunday.  The game sucked, but had a great time.

The MLB playoffs are set to start tomorrow, and the first round is never one I'm fond of with the far-too-short best of five format which can see a team that had a far better regular season wiped out in a few days.  That said, in the American League, I'm liking the New York Yankees to take out Minnesota in four, the Tampa Bay Rays to take out Texas in three.  In the National League, I'm going to pick San Francisco to take out Atlanta in five low scoring games, and the Philadelphia Phillies will wipe out Cincinnati in three games.  With regard to the Twins, they'll be minus Justin Morneau for the duration of the playoffs, still suffering from post-concussion symptoms suffered in July.  Would like to see him out there, frankly, Yankee loyalties aside.

Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick of 2009 Nazem Kadri's, sent down to the Marlies in the AHL yesterday, would have made an NHL salary of $810,000 had he made the big club. Kadri's AHL salary: $67,500. Or broken down: $4500 a day in NHL; $375 a hockey season day in AHL.  That'll get you motivated if anything does.  Personally, I'm glad he's down, mostly so we can stop with the coverage that is treating him like he's the second  coming of Gretzky in Toronto.

A fantastic piece here from a Toronto FC blog called View From The South Stands (no, it isn't me) that looks at Dwayne De Rosario's consisting whining over his contract, an annual event now going back into his days in Houston.

Bad news for those that can't stand the grunting/screaming of a tennis match.  Research suggests that the louder the grunt, the more likely the player is to hit a winning shot.

Buster Olney's pick's for the MLB awards for the 2010 season: NL MVP: Joey Votto. AL MVP: Robinson Cano. AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez .  NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay. AL Rookie of the Year: Pedro Feliz.  NL Rookie of the Year: Buster Posey. AL Manager of the Year: Ron Gardenhire.  NL Manager of the Year: Bud Black.  I could see all of those coming through, though I think David Price and CC Sabathia are better Cy Young choices than a 13-12 guy who skipped his last start to stay above .500, ostensibly.

Not sure I remember a team ever giving up more special teams big plays than what the Miami Dolphins did last night.  That was comical, unless you're a Fish fan.  New England stomped the Dolphins 41-14, and more important, Prime Time Picks are now at 66.7% on the season.

By the way, if you've not checked out HBO's Boardwalk Empire yet, be sure to get on it.  Exceeds the hype coming in.

Manchester City's Nigel de Jong, who famously drop kicked Spain's Xavi in the World Cup final, is back to his butchering ways, this time breaking the leg of Newcastle United's Hatem Ben Arfa with a nasty tackle that broke both his fibula and tibula.  Not for the squeamish. 


Counties Manukau loose forward Fritz Lee has been suspended for three weeks for a dangerous tackle on Northland scrum-half Luke Hamilton.  Translation: dude delivered a hell of a clothesline.