Before we get to today's regularly scheduled column and NFL picks... I just wanted to briefly address the gut wrenching Mets loss in the NLCS to St. Louis. My buddy Paul in L.I. text messaged me after the game last night and said this was the worst Met loss ever... Maybe it's because it was fresh in his mind but frankly the Kenny Rogers bases loaded walk in '99 and the loss to the Yankees in 2000 were much more bitter than this one.
Frankly, it reached a point where the Mets were playing with house money. Considering 2 of their 4 scheduled playoff starters were injured, and we got only one inning out of Steve Trachsel, I am actually quite impressed that the series went this far. Amazingly had they won Game 7 its likely the unheralded Oliver Perez would have won the MVP.. a player the Mets only traded for because reliever Duaner Sanchez was injured in a car crash. Nonetheless, no matter how you twist and turn there really is nothing Willie could have done differently... Aaron Heilman was the man I wanted out there in a tie game in the 9th inning of Game 7.
Which leads me to my turning point of the Series.. and you might find this strange.. but I think it was the 2 run double So Taguchi hit off Billy Wagner in the 9th inning of Game 6 which turned a 4-0 lead into 4-2. Wagner's inability to get out of that inning without giving up the runs caused Willie and the Met fans to question his intestinal fortitude. I'm not overly concerned about the Game 2 meltdown.. Wagner was due to have a bad game, and frankly if he kept the game tied and that game went extra innings, the Met bullpen would not have been as rested as it needed to be for the subsequent games. But the book says, the stopper pitches the 9th in a tied home game since there is no way he can get the save. Yet, here were all the Met fans praying that Heilman's batting spot would not come up in the 8th so he and not Wagner would be out there in the 9th. That speaks volumes about how much the team relies on its stopper. And who knows.. maybe Wagner might not have given up that 2 run dinger to light hitting Yadier Molina.
By the way, it should have been 5-1.. but Endy Chavez's gravity defying catch behind the AIG sign stole 2 runs from the Cards. Too bad it wasn't ING with the commercial with the person sitting on the park bench that has ING on it. I could just see the endorsements now.. hey what's that? Oh ING... its an investment firm.. yadda yadda yadda... No.. I mean behind that... Oh that? Thats Endy Chavez reaching over the fence stealing a 2 run homer from Scott Rolen!
Here is something in the news this week that just grinds my gears!
John Mark Karr - is he a pedophile or a master media manipulator?
Here is a guy nobody ever heard of teaching little kiddies in Thailand. Next thing you know, he is arrested as the long awaited suspect in the murder of poor little Jon-Benet Ramsey... after his apparent "confession" to a college professor in a series of emails. The guy is flown here first class.. but the case falls apart since his DNA was not found on the poor little girl and he is cut loose. Subsequent kiddie porn charges are also dropped after the computer that holds the evidence - was lost. Are we all caught up now?
So Monday night I was watching Larry King Live and 2 things stood out about that hour long interview. First, Karr doesn’t deny that he is thinking of having a sex change. Folks, if you don't deny it.. that means you’re having one.. I mean c'mon... any guy who is asked if he is thinking of being deshmeckelized... the technical term for the procedure,.... and doesn’t strongly deny it immediately.. is thinking about it!
Mr. Karr also showed great enthusiasm to selling his story as a book and/or movie.
Here is my question....
Did Mr. Karr make the whole Jon Benet thing up so he could write a book to make a million dollars? Is Karr selling himself and his story to pay for his expensive sex change operation?
The media just loves to jump on certain bandwagons. Jon Benet Ramsey is one of them. Does this mean that others wanting expensive sex change operations will falsely confess to a crime and then write a book about their brush with fame? How about a seriously ill person who can't afford a kidney, heart and/or liver transplant? Will they confess to killing OJ Simpson's wife so they can raise the money for their surgery?
And one other aspect that is also disturbing.. there is a new talk show hosted by this guy named Keith Ablow. He also interviewed Mr. Karr and then chatted with him "off camera" and would you believe.. Mr. Karr exhibits a totally different personality "off camera"? The only exception was he was being recorded on a hidden cam and we got to hear Mr. Karr discuss such nuggets about acceptable scenarios involving physical contact with children. Was this part of Mr. Karr's manipulation of the media? And is Abelow being ethical about the "hidden camera" even though he says it helped expose a person he says is a pedophile?
And why doesn’t Mr. Karr just go away? And an even scarier thought... if he is a pedophile, will he be able to disappear into the woodwork under his new female identity? Or will this creep re-emerge one day as a woman who calls himself.... Jon Benet Ramsey?
Now on to the picks... Last week we went 8-5... 2 straight winning weeks folks.. and the season to date record is 38-43-6. The ever popular Pumpstradamus lost his game and his record is 3-2-1.. (He was telling people it was 3-1-2 until we told him the tie goes last!)
JETS 3 ½ faves over Detroit – Unlike the Yankees, this NY team can beat a team from Detroit.. See Pumpstradamus’s pick below.
San Diego 5 faves over KC – This game could seriously damage the Chiefs wild card hopes
Jacksonville 10 faves over HOUSTON – The Texans have their first half win.. see ya in Nov or Dec for win #2.
New England 5 faves over BUFFALO – Wow.. another 1pm road favorite. The fans can leave early to get home for the 4 o’clock games
Pittsburgh 2 ½ faves over ATLANTA – Did both of these teams make a statement last wk? If so, 2 and a half may be a very generous spread.
CINCINATI 3 ½ faves over Carolina – Tough game for the Bengals, but I cant see them as a .500 team if they lose this game.
PHILADELPHIA 5 over Tampa Bay – Bucs fans are looking at those playoff years as a thing of the past.
Green Bay 5 doggies over MIAMI – Ladies and Gentlemen.. a 1 o’clock doggie. The only one for this wk! I don’t respect the Dolphins enough to cover and I have been so busy watching the Mets this week, I didn’t see if GB traded Favre….
Denver 4 ½ faves over CLEVELAND – Did you take my advice and take the Raiders to cover last wk? The Broncs don’t score a lot, but this spread looks very do-able.
INDIANAPOLIS 10 faves over Washington – A very deceptive 5-0… should become 6-0 thanks to the Skins who are in must-win situation in a very tough division.
SEATTLE 6 ½ faves over Minnesota – Lotsa bad blood between these 2 teams… they like each other like Scott Rolen and Tony LaRussa.. That phony hug after Game 7 was as good as an acting job as Tom Kean Jrs. concession call to Senator Menendez will be on Election Night.
Arizona 3 faves over OAKLAND – Shouldn’t this be the first win for Oakland? CBS is putting Tony Siragusa in the booth as the color man for this game by the way. Should be a fun game for the die hards who have the NFL package.
Giants 3 ½ doggies over DALLAS – Only the second doggie pick of the wknd. Disclaimer: This pick comes from a Giants fan Cowboys hater. Take this pick with a grain of salt.
PUMPSTERDAMUS PICK OF THE WEEK; 3-2-1 so far.. This wk the Great Pumpsterdamus picks NY over Detroit in both the NFL and The World Series. Note from Nate: Maybe Pumpie should NOT send me his picks on Thursday afternoons.
OK Mets fans.. lets all sing together from The Life of Brian….. “Always look at the bright side of life.. doo doo … doo doo doo doo doo doo…
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