What did I predict? HAHA

Well well, what did I towards the beginning of the season? I believe I said that the Red Sox were NOT going to make the playoffs this year. With their hilarious 10-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals today (pushing them 10 games behind the Yanks in the AL East), I'm going to pat myself on the shoulder and say "well done!" Even without Matsui and Sheffield for most of the season, and with Cano out for fairly lengthy periods of time, the Yankees still were able to stay within reach of the Red Sox, and with the addition of Abreu, they finally were able to get to the top.

The Red Sox are all whining now about their injured players. Minus Jon Lester who has cancer (luckily it's very curable so I'm happy about that), they can't talk about their bad luck. The Yankees haven't had 2/3 of their original starting outfield, and yet they were able to manage through the injuries.

What was Theo Epstein doing at the trade deadline this year? Not making a move for anyone really hurt the Red Sox. Cashman once again wasn't afraid to make the deal, and Abreu certainly has proven to be a huge addition to the ballclub. Lidle has made some quality starts as well, and Craig Wilson has given the Yankees some pop when they need it in the lineup, not to mention he can play several different positions in the field as well.

I'm looking forward to the postseason this year. I really believe there's no one in the AL right now who can take the Yankees. The Mets are the only team that worry me at the moment. And even if the Yankees lose in the 1st round, at least I'll have satisfaction knowing that the dirty disgusting Red Sox did indeed miss out on the postseason.

GO YANKEES!

Back again

After close to a month's rest from blogging (it really is quite strenuous and demands a lot of mental and physical energy), I'm back on. Just wanted to congratulate the Yankees on having a 2-game lead over the Red Sux, and for going out and making some deals before the trade deadline. Abreu and Lidle will definitely help!

What a dumbass!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Last night's World Cup Final was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Watching Zidane (in his final match IN OVERTIME) inexplicably head-butt the Italian defender was too much to take. Is Zidane really too much of a wuss to punch a guy? I guess so. The French once again showed their inability to succeed on the world stage without the aid of others, such as the U.S.A or the U.K. Italy couldn't even beat ETHIOPIA and they lost miserably in WWII, yet they were able to beat the French. (Yeah, I know, it's not the most accurate comparison, but it's my blog and I'll do whatever I damn well please)

The French also use a bunch of players from their colonies for the national team. A bunch of French players were crying after the game, and it wasn't because they lost. It's because they knew that they'd once again be deported back to their colonies for another four years before the Cup comes back around.

Van de Velde's British Open meltdown? Mickelson's U.S. Open choke? Chris Webber's NCAA Final time-out? Greg Norman's final day Masters descent? Buckner's Blooper? None of them compare to Zissou's head-butt yesterday. Thanks Zinedine, for making me laugh. And you're now a national hero in Italy. Mile Grazie Zinedine!

Yankees Mid-Season Report

Well, the Yanks aren't where I hoped they'd be at this point, but I'm confident that by the end of the season, they'll be AL East Division Champs once again. They've managed to stay only three or four games back of Boston WITHOUT Matsui, Sheff, Jeter (at times) and Cano. As well, there have been several horrific outings for Yankee starting pitchers, mostly by Wright or Chacon, and a few by the Big Unit. With all this in consideration, three games back is not really bad at all.

I think they need to give Wright and Chacon a few more starts to see if they get in a grove, and if not, they need to trade for a pitcher or bring one up from AAA Columbus, because otherwise the team won't be able to really get on a run. Moose has been great so far, a true ace. I've been surprised by how well Wang has pitched also. Besides his most recent outing, he's given the Yankees solid innings at the least in his starts. So the Yanks get on these 2-3 game winning streaks, but then Wright or Chacon has a horrendous outing and the momentum from the winning streak is gone. Cashman needs to address this (I'm sure he realizes it already though). I'm confident Big Unit will bring down his E.R.A this second half as well.

Fans also really need to stop booing A-Rod. This is a player who, by the end of his career (barring injuries), will go down as the greatest player ever. True, he has a huge salary and I don't think anyone (especially a pro athlete) deserves that much money, but if anyone in baseball does, it's A-Rod. He's the reigning AL MVP. He's in a "slump" this year (like a Tiger Woods slump), but he'll bounce back this second half. I hope the Yankees P.R staff and the New York media encourage the fans to stop booing him so much. Yeah, it's New York and the fans are intense, but he's trying hard. It'll be the fan's loss if he ends up leaving. I know he'll stay though, and the fans will stop with the booing.

Damon's been solid, but I hope he can kick up his average a bit. Jeter, as always, is more than dependable, and comes through whenever the Yankees need him to. He's a true captain. Cano's all-star selection itself speaks for the kind of season he's had. Posada's been swinging the bat great. Giambi's got the home-run swing back, and I hope he can bump up his average as well to the kind of average he had during his MVP season in Oakland. Hopefully, we'll get at least Matsui or Sheff back relatively soon (preferably both), and then add a 27th World Series banner.

Rants, Gripes and Thoughts

-Antonin Scalia is BY FAR my favorite justice. I like him for the same reason I like Don Rumsfeld: they both are no-nonsense and don't take crap from anyone. Plus, Scalia just looks cool.
-When will the Red Sox start losing?! This has to stop now.
-Yankees fans need to stop booing A-Rod. What the hell are they trying to do?
-Larry Bird better be right about this new draft pick.
-How do the French get to be in such a bad group in the 1st round of World Cup play, and the U.S. has to be put in the hardest? It's because the whole world hates the idea of the U.S. succeeding. To be honest, our great president has also helped in increasing animosity towards us around the world.
-How the hell is the second son from the Brady Bunch engaged to such a hot young model?
-Speaking of the Brady Bunch, here are the top 5 WORST television shows of all time:
1) The O.C.
2) The Brady Bunch
3) The Partridge Family (well, besides Danny Bonaduce. He's great)
4) American Idol
5) The Real World
-Did the Brady dad, Robert Reed, die? I believe he was gay and died from AIDS, but I'm not 100% sure. Maybe that was the 1st Darrin from Bewitched (Dick York)

More horses need to be made into glue

I was going to have dinner in downtown Indy last night, and I was held up TWICE by a horse-drawn carriage. Now I love the way downtown Indianapolis has improved these past few years. It's wonderful being down there. If only they would get rid of the horse carriages.

Seriously, what the hell are you going to see taking a carriage ride in Indianapolis? The World's Largest Christmas Tree (which isn't even a real tree. I really don't understand how you can call a monument with lights a tree)? St.Elmo? RCA Dome? I can understand taking a carriage ride in NYC Central Park. I've done that, and it's enjoyable. Or maybe down the Champs-Elysees or the English countryside. But downtown Indianapolis? I don't think so.

I'm a patient person. Nonetheless, I refuse to miss three straight traffic lights just because a damn horse can't move fast enough. They either need to give the carriage drivers whips and spurs to give the horse more giddy-up, or, better yet, just get horses off the streets and on the fast lane to the Fast-Tac glue assembly line. This isn't Mongolia. We're not nomads here. Cars are how we get around nowadays. I think that public recognition (like a key to the city or something) should accompany anyone who "accidentaly" runs over a horse downtown.

I don't like horses. I get sick of people saying how beautiful they are. The only way I would find them to be beautiful is if they were filling up an Elmer's Glue bottle, or on a platter with some vegetables or something and helping to feed starving children. I've never eaten a horse, but I can't imagine it'd be much worse than beef or veal. Man, Barbaro's damn lucky I don't own him.

American Arrogance

Although I was certainly pulling for the U.S. team to win yesterday and make the next round of the World Cup, I also realized that their loss could be very productive. Ever since President Bush took office, arrogance has been swirling all over the country. We basically went it alone in Iraq, and we really haven't shown any desire to collaborate with or even welcome other of our allied nations and their opinions, unless of course, we have something substantial to gain from it (like at the present moment, Bush is trying to get support for the Iraq War as he finally realizes that at the present moment, the outlook doesn't look good).

We think we're the best, that we're more important than other nations because we're the most influential, and thus that entitles us to do whatever the hell we want. We think we're invinsible, we can't be beat (a la Bush's famous "Bring It On" slogan). Well, yesterday Ghana certainly brought it, and our team didn't respond. True, this is soccer, a sport that's not popular, but we still should have been able to get a win against a tiny African nation. Stories like Ghana's are why I enjoy watching the World Cup because I love seeing little, impoverished African countries with not much else to look forward to rally behind their team and knock off the world's most powerful nations.

Recent U.S. performances in basketball and baseball international competition have been pathetic as well. We got beat by Puerto Rico in the Olympics, an island so small I couldn't fit both feet on it. And like it or not, we're basically getting beat by the Iraqi insurgency right now (especially after we're were told that we could expect a quick and relatively easy victory).

I love my country. I do think it's the greatest nation on the face of the earth, and most of us agree. But when proud patriotism turns into arrogant and ignorant extremist nationalism, problems arise. President Bill Clinton has said," There's nothing wrong with America that can't be fixed with what's right with America." I couldn't agree more. We need to teach our fellow citizens in this country that patriotism is a beautiful thing, but we can't let it overshadow the fact that as a member of the global community, we must adhere to the standards of everyone else. God doesn't just bless America, he blesses every single nation on earth, no matter how much we might disagree with how that other nation acts. So in closing, I'm glad we got beat by Ghana. Maybe now our arrogance in this country will mellow.