Super Bowl Sunday and almost time to report
Topic: sports

The Super Bowl is nigh upon us and once again we are treated to the local team taking on the New England Patriots. The Seahawks got to the big game by rallying from a 19-7 deficit to beat the Green Bay Packers 28-22 in overtime. The Patriots made it this far by cheating. Everyone knows about the deflated footballs by now. I'm not shocked that the Patriots were caught cheating, for two reasons. First, they were caught cheating in the past. A few years back, they were caught videotaping the Jets' practices. It seemed like the Patriots knew what play my Ealges were about to run, even before the Eagles knew when they met in the Super Bowl. Now we know why. Secondly, head coach Bill Belichick moonlights as Galactic Emperor.

How can you expect him to play by the rules? While the cheating needs to be addressed, the NFL is busy scratching its head over what to do about Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch. He won't talk to the media (and gets fined for it), wears gold shoes (threatened with suspension if he wears them), and wears a hat with his own "Beastmode" logo on it (another fine, because it's not licensed apparel). Given the Patriots' sketchy past, I think what the NFL should've done was boot them from the Super Bowl and let the Colts in. Better yet, rather than reinflate the balls at halftime of the AFC Championship, the league should have awarded the game to the Colts by forfeit. The Emperor should be fired and blacklisted. Instead, it's another bungled job by the NFL following a year of player arrests.

In other news, since the Super Bowl is here, that means Spring Training is right around the corner! The local Mariners had a decent finish last year, just missing the playoffs. They added outfielder Nelson Cruz, who brings a big bat to tiny lineup. Former Phillies pitcher J.A. Happ joins the team, coming in a trade that sent outfielder Michael Saunders to Toronto. I expect the Mariners to be competitive again this year, but I'm not expecting a penant. Across the country, my Phillies are gearing up for what should be another long season. Gone is Jimmy Rollins, freshly minted all-time franchise hits leader. I will miss him, even though he was traded probably two or three years too late. In return, the Phils got a righty and a lefty I never heard of. The lone free agent they were able to reel in is 36 year old pitcher Aaron Harang, most likely because no one else wants a 36 year old pitcher whose best season is 10 years behind him. Best of luck, Aaron. What I want is another World Series win. I know it won't be easy (or cheap) and I know it won't come for a few more years if rebuilding is done properly. I think a firesale is in order. I would keep catcher Carlos Ruiz, pitcher Cole Hamels, and infielders Cody Ashe and Darin Ruf are the only players I would refuse to deal. Well, I'd trade Hamels if I get a good return. Only three more years sitting on Ryan Howard's contract. Play ball!

My First Blog in 3 Months!
Topic: sports
Since I no longer have a job where interesting things happen, it seems like I have nothing to blog about. Alicia just finished her softball season an hour ago. Yet another tie- maybe someone should keep score next year. She went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs and an RBI. She hit .652 for the season with 24 RBIs and 15 runs scored. In other news, I just finished blogging on my other blog at my campaign site www.goodinforcongress.com and Sasha doesn't have any broken bones. Just a bad infection complete with abcess. She needs antibiotics and some pain pills and she'll be back on all four soon. At this exact moment, the Phillies are in LA, tied at 2 in the 10th, with 2 outs but the Dodgers have 2 on. Last night we left the Mariners game (2-1 Twins in 10) with a 3-2 Phillies lead. I turned on ESPN this morning only to find out they lost 4-3. What do you expect on the dreaded west coast road trip? Certainly not a 3 game sweep of the Padres, which is what we got earlier this week. On tap for tomorrow- taking Lucy out for the day to do some hiking if the weather holds out.

My Shirt Let Me Down
Topic: sports
For the first time this season, the Phillies lost despite my shirt. Since the playoffs began they won every time either I wore my Phillies shirt or Heather wore hers. Today, despite my 1993 World Series sweatshirt (it's cold here now!) they lost 7-2 in LA. Previously, they beat the Brewers 3-1 and 5-2 with the shirt, lost 4-1 to the Brewers without the shirt, then won again 6-2, then beat the Dodgers 3-2 and 8-5 with the shirt. Today, the power of the shirt is gone. Baseball is a game of superstitions, so tomorrow we'll try it without the shirt. If they lose again, I guess I'll have to look for a slumpbuster. In other news, my new website www.joshgoodin.com is semi-online! Check out who I'll be voting for (or in the case of Congress, just rooting for) and if you think I'm smart or something, go ahead and vote like me (unless you live somewhere else, like anywhere outside of Pierce County). Here's to hoping the Dodgers choke and turn blue!

The Phillies Are Killing Me!
Topic: sports
A few days ago, the Phils lost 2 of 3 against the Marlins, dropping them 3 games behind the Mets for the division lead and 4 behind the Brewers, with the Brewers coming in for a 4 game series. The Philadelphian in me couldn't dare hope for a 4 game sweep to tie for the wild card. Well, they did get the sweep and are now tied with the Brewers for the wild card, plus they only trail the Mets by a single game. But again, being Philadelphian I just know they Phils will lose 2of 3 against the Braves and/or Marlins and hand the lead back to the Brewers. Last year's miracle comeback against the Mets was a once in a lifetime thing. I doubt they can do it again. Besides, the team hasn't made the playoffs 2 years in a row in almost 30 years. Why let a good thing end now? In just a few weeks we'll know for sure if they pull it off again. And congrats to Carlos Zambrano of the Cubbies on tossing a no-hitter at the Astros tonight!

NFL Preview
Topic: sports

My first annual NFL predictions! With a game alreadyin, the 2008 season is officially underway.

AFC North: A toss-up between the always good Pittsburgh Steelers and the upstart Cleveland Browns. Last year the Steelers won by tiebreaker and it could be that close again this year. My pick- Steelers 11-5, Browns 10-6.

AFC East: Once again, this division belongs to the New England Patriots. The Pats won it by 9 games as the first team to finish 16-0. They won't win quite that many games this year, but are still a force to be reckoned with and will run away with the division again at 13-3.

AFC South: The Indianapolis Colts are facing some competition this year in what could be football's toughest division. Last year's last place team (Houston Texans) finished 8-8 and is improving more this year. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Tenessee Titans both made the playoffs last year and likely won't miss a step this season. But, you can't bet against Indy. I Like the Colts at 12-4, Jags and Titans at 10-6, Texans at 9-7.

AFC West: Chargers all the way! Only theDenver Broncos will be close enough to get a sniff of the Chargers, and they won't be that close. Chargers win the west at 12-4.

NFC North: So many questions in this division. How will the Packers look without Brett Favre? Can the Lions play a whole season like the first half of 2007? Can the Bears bounce back? Are the Vikings for real? I don't know the answer to any of those questions, but I will venture to guess that the Minnesota Vikings will take first at 9-7, followed by Green Bay at 9-7.

NFC East: Another tough call, although  the Redskins take themselves out of the equation with yet another coaching change. The Giants look to repeat as champs, the Eagles look to bounce back, and the Cowboys look to win a playoff game. My pick- Cowboys in first at 11-5, Giants at 10-6.

NFC South: Once again, a tough call because this is such a weak division. Only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished above .500 last season- and just barely. After much deliberation, I predict the New Orleans Saints in first at 10-6.

NFC West: For years, this division belonged to the St. Louis Rams, and then when they faded the Seattle Seahawks took over and have held it since. Now the Arizona Cardinals are trying to make some noise. They may come close, but the Seahawks will repeat as division champs again at 10-6.

Twins at Mariners
Topic: sports

Last night I was part of a group of 15 people for the Twins-Mariners game at Safeco Field in Seattle. The last place Mariners were victorious in knocking the Twins a full game behind the White Sox in the AL Central. It was a very exciting game, with the lead changing 3 times, twice in the eighth inning. The Twins went up by 2 in the 2nd on a wild pitch and sac fly. Seattle took the lead with a 4-spot in the 3rd, then extended their lead to 6-3 in the 6th. It looked like things were beginning to unravel for the Mariners in the 8th when the Twins scored 4 times to take a 7-6 lead. But the M's were able to make their own comeback in the home half of the inning, spoiling yet another game for Mark, who is here with Debbie from Minneapolis visiting.

The Twins blew a 6-0 lead in Monday night's game, losing 11-6. Raul Ibanez had a team record 6 RBI's in that game, and added 5 more last night. Today's game saw the Twins winning 7-3 to salvage a win in the series.  

If you're ever thinking of going to a Mariner's game (or Seahawks even) and you're in the South Sound take the bus from Tacoma. You can take Sound Transit from Tacoma Dome Station and they drop you off 2 blocks from the stadium complex. It's $3 a person each way and you don't have to worry about traffic except crossing the streets.

Baseball Fever!
Topic: sports

The trading deadline is nigh upon us and the Phillies are back in first! It looks like my prediction of Braves in the lead won't happen. Seattle baseball god Ken Griffey Jr. seems to be on his way to the South Side of Chicago.

In TriCounty news, Limeport wrapped up the top seed for the playoffs. Gabelsville is in unfamiliar territory as the #4 seed. They played to a 9-9 tie against the ICC Pirates in game 1, then tossed a 1-hit shutout in game 1 beta version. The Northern Yankees won their series against Cetronia 2 games to none and will next face the Fleetwings.

Sticking with the Lehigh Valley, Adam Eaton is the latest Iron Pig since being demoted from the Phils and the Eagles are holding training camp at Lehigh University. Football is right around the corner!

Baseball Fever- Catch It!
Topic: sports

It must be June. The phirst place Phillies are in a phree phall. It's almost an annual tradition in Philly. This year's edition has a catch- the rest of the division is so underachieving they haven't caught up yet. I predict the Braves will be on top by August.

A few days ago I saw Shawn Chacon of the Astros got into some deep doodoo for choke-slamming his GM. Naturally, I was upset and I hoped he would get the most severe punishment allowed by law. Then I read the story and saw the GM was Ed Wade, who formerly held the same position with the Phillies. Instantly my thought changed to "Finally! Someone did it!" As a Phillies fan, I myself wanted to choke the man for years. His signature move was to trade for a 38 year old relief pitcher at the deadline as his way of pushing a team that was just a few games back.

If you're a fan of the TriCounty League in PA, there's a bit of a shake-up. First, the old Milford team got kicked out of the league for using an illegal player last year. No doubt they pulled a guy off the street when they only had 8 of their own players show for a game. Too bad for the rest of league- there go 3 or 4 easy wins. Next, we have the Northern Yakees atop the standings, a place usually reserved for Gabelsville, Limeport, and the Fleetwings. What's next, a win for the Sox?