Yes, I stole this pic from SI.com, but hey, it was too good and I couldn't pass it up. It seems all of San Fran is in love with these dyed beards (although no one will admit it's dyed) that have propelled the Giants just three wins from the World Series title. Cliff Lee got rocked last night after looking untouchable to start the game. It was rather shocking to me and the people who Tweets I was reading on Twitter last night during the game.
So is this series all Giants? I wouldn't go that far. The Rangers are still ready pitching-wise and this one will come down to the "other guys" after Tim and Cliff like we predicted anyway. I still like the Rangers behind Cliff, starting with C.J. Wilson tonight. I would not count them out, but they need to win tonight to right the ship. I also think they did a little bit of something of "giving them something to think about" with how they closed the game out last night, making a bit of a rally in the late innings to put up seven runs in the loss.
The key, something I did not touch on yesterday here, was the defense. You will never win a World Series game where you commit three errors. That is something they are not accustomed to doing and probably got caught up in things.
Enough said.
I have not posted in a bit and have missed my NFL picks for the season. I've been mired in mediocrity much like my Bears through the first seven weeks, going just 58-46 on the season in picking winners.Well, my teams doesn't play this week, so my judgment will not be clouded in their game. Here goes. Winners, as always, in bold.
Dolphins at Belgals
Jaguars at Cowboys Redskins at Lions
Bills at Chiefs
Panthers at Rams
Packers at Jets
Broncos at 49ers
Titans at Chargers
Bucs at Cardinals
Vikings at Patriots Seahawks at Raiders' Steelers at Saints
Texans (28) at Colts (34)
Alright, now to a quick Nussie Hunter segment. I'm sure if you read the gossip mags, rumors are circulating whether or not my boy Justin Timberlake cheated on his girl Jessica Biel with one of our favorites here at Wilber's Way, Olivia Munn. Well, US Weekly is divulging details. Check that out and see what JT may have turned his back on, here.
It's finally time for the Fall Classic boys and girls and while it's not necessarily one that we pictured at the start of the playoffs, it is clear these are the two teams that deserved to be in his position the most through the playoffs and thus, to us baseball purists, make for the best World Series.
The stories of both franchises having two of the longest droughts in MLB makes for one storyline, but none of these guys were part of those teams. So let's just look at them. The reason this is set to be the best in my eyes is the pitching. The Giants have shown they've had the best pitching all year. And as good as the Rangers were to get out front of the AL West, they knew they had to go get an arm and did so in the biggest way when they got Cliff Lee (who as I write this is killing Giants hitters).
So, who will win this Series? The way I look at it, the pitching on both sides makes it too close to call, so that is a wash. So I took a look at the lineups and offenses for both teams and that is where I think the Rangers have a slight edge. Not a huge edge, but enough pop with their offense to do the most damage, especially when the series moves to Texas for Game 3. They have power and can hit it out, but should be able to get at least one game in SF and steal the home field advantage from the Giants. The key to it all to me has to be Vlad Guerero who had another ridiculous year when everyone wrote him off. I see him making a splash and helping the likes of Josh Hamilton get his.
I'm thnking Bruce Bochy could give the Giants the edge in managing, but I'm also thinking the Rangers won't let their coke head of a manager get in the way of things and make his decisions pretty easy. My Prediction: I know Game 1 has started, so check the time stamp on my Twitter post where I predicted at nearly 6:50 this evening the Rangers would win the Series in six games.
Now for some Brewers talk. The rumor mill was set on fire today when Bill Scott of the Wisconsin Radio Network reported the Crew was set to name Bobby Valentine, formerly with the NY Mets in the states and has since been in Japan and is currently with ESPN, as their new manager.
The Brewers beat reporters, Tom Haudricourt and Adam McCalvy, were sent running to get word from Doug Melvin and Valentine who flat out denied anything was going on. Before I get into that, I want to talk about what I think about Bobby V. coming to town because I actually like this move. Yesterday I talked in this very space that it would be a good move for the Brewers to go with Joey Cora. Well, that was just me picking him over Bob Melvin. And, of the three, Valentine, is the pick of the three. There is talk the fourth of the eight candidates is Ron Roenicke, who is with the Angels, is the fourth guy and Valentine would be my pick of those four still.
He is a proven winner. He brings the entertainment factor and is a big enough name where Milwaukee would be on the national baseball map at the start of the season and throughout the year. I also think he, like Cora, would gel well with the young nucleus of the team. His history and his personality would be one the players would get right away and, as a fan, I actually like the idea of him leading this group.
He has made it public he likes the Brewers people and what they are doing (or say they will do) heading into next season. I also see him as the "Big Name" of the group and it would be a huge "Get" for the smallest market in Major League Baseball to woo him into town with a three-year $10 million deal.
Of course, baseball's unwritten rule will have this thing denied for at least a week with the World Series starting tonight and it's kind of an unwritten rule to not steal the limelight from the two teams that are playing to announce things like this during the series. If something must be done, it should be done so on off days, the first of which comes Friday. We shall see. Stay close to your Twitters and Brewers blogs.
Now it's time for the Nussie Hunter. I saw our featured guest of the day a while back on some MTV special and had to do a double take. Well, apparently she's showing us all she is no longer a child star. That someone is JoJo, who has become one damn beautiful woman. She's been documenting it on her Twitter page, posting photos of herself in tight, revealing tops. Umm, just see for yourself below with a couple more, here.
Two days removed now from Jay Cutler's historic interception fest with DeAngelo Hall and things are starting to come out about what the Bears saw and why they went after the former Falcons and Raiders DB. Mike Martz told WBBM Chicago Hall just "guessed" and they had planned on going after him all game coming in and he guessed right throughout the second half.
Well, that's all fine and dandy, but I guess Jay must have gotten shell shocked with what what going on after the first couple that he could not make the adjustments in his head and make better throws when the rush was around him.
Martz does not throw Cutler under the bus in the interview, and actually talks him up.
Things are pretty clear though heading into the bye week for the Bears. They are ranked No. 5 in total defense and No. 30 in offense. That's why they are 4-3 and still in first place of the NFC North.
Going forward, things need to get better. If there is a way to cinch up the offensive line, that needs to be done. Mike Tice (yes former Vikings coach) runs that unit and to be honest, he's kind of in the same boat as Brewers manager Ken Macha was with pitching. There isn't much help there to work with and guys are just being taken to task. It's not so much they are missing one or two fundamental keys they can work on, it's much more than that with this crew.
But I look back at the Carolina game when the Bears HAD to run the football to get ahead and rely on Matt Forte to get them where they wanted to go. Well, with Jay back from injury, they went right back to a 65-35 pass-run split and at time forgot they had he and Chester Taylor in the backfield. It's been rather disappointing at times. The line showed, if for just a little bit, they could run block. So maybe they need to build some confidence that way and it will lend itself to the pass blocking. I"m just thinking out loud here.
The schedule doesn't lend itself to much more time to figure this out and the losses could start to pile up if things continue to go south in the second half of the season.
Now to turn attention to my other favorite sports team, the Brewers. Word from my guy Tom Haudricourt, is that the Crew has narrowed its list of candidates from eight to four. Only two of the four finalists are known, at the moment, though with White Sox bench coach Joey Cora (above) among them. The other is former D-Backs manager and current Mets scout Bob Melvin (below).
Since we know just two guys, I'm going to talk about those two, one of which I'm pretty high on, the other I'm kind of lukewarm on.
Cora would be coming from Chicago where he has seen how Ozzie Guillen has handled the Sox the last few years. Say what you will about Ozzie, but I'd guess those guys in the clubhouse love him because he gets every single one of those guys as players and can relate to them (after they figure out what he's saying, of course). Cora likely plays a big role in that, too, just a few years removed from being a player himself. That might be the one thing missing with Macha. The guys didn't really get along with him in the clubhouse and didn't really have his back. Makes it rather hard for guys to get motivated after he says something they don't find much sense in.
On the Melvin side, he has been away from the game a bit and his last stint at manager ended with him getting fired into a season and did not really show much after some of his talent went away. I know a coach and manager is only as good as what is around him, but it kind of shows what he really meant for the team: not much.
I'd almost lean toward the fresh face to breathe some life into the position and let the young players flourish. We went the old manager and bringing them back into the game before and he didn't really sync up with Ryan and Prince and it ended badly here. The second interviews are going down as we speak in Milwaukee and GM Doug Melvin, Asst. GM Gord Ash and owner Mark Attanasio are working on the matter. I'm hoping they make the right decision.
Today is opening night in the NBA boys and girls. To be real, I'm not really that into the NBA (but I could go for a game of the new NBA Jam about now). There is one storyline I am watching though, and that is how LeBron James and the Heat will fair this season and how will they be perceived. Early on it looks like the "Evil Empire of the Association" has been born. But with Dwyane Wade and King James being two of the biggest names in the game and with big endorsers, Nike and Jordan can't sit back and let their names be tarnished for long. I'm sure you've seen the ads by now, but here they are for D3 and King James.
And now King James:
We're pretty ACTION PACKED today, but I have one more thing before we get to the Nussies. Today, Oct. 26, 2010, is the 25th anniversary to the date in the first Back to the Future that Doc Emmit Brown is at Twin Pines Mall and has a run in with some Pakistanis. I encourage you to watch it if you call yourself a fan. I know I will be! GREAT SCOTT!
Alright, time for the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast. I was on the subject of Jay Cutler earlier and it's well known now that he is dating former The Hills star Kristin Cavallari. Well, she posted on her Twitter the other day that the two of them carved pumpkins. Be sure to check out the photo here (Shouts to BearsGoggleson.com).
I figure since we put one side of the couple at the top of the page, why not put the side you and me would rather look at, here. Then check out more pics of her, here.
I know I've been away for a short bit and some of you faithful followers of The Way were probably thinking I went away because of the Bears struggles. Well that is not the case.
Yesterday the return of "Old Jay" made an appearance at Soldier Field and it was the reason the Bears lost. Well, really the four interceptions by DeAngelo Hall scored the winning points, but Jay's fumble on the goalline in the middle of a scrumb that showed he had crossed the goal line was what really cost the Bears the game.
At some point, Jay has to find a way to go and win the game for the team and I have no problem with him throwing interceptions if he is making at attempt at what could be a big play.
Considering the Bears lost just 17-14 with six turnovers could be a sign the defense is as strong as it's ever been and they just need to fix the offensive line to get this thing turned around after the bye week.
It is still like this game slipped away, though. There were many chances and the defense and Jay know they had a golden opportunity to make a run at winning this game and staying in first place in the NFC North.
The picks Jay did throw are all ones he knows how to fix and the problems are all things he can fix. That's what is the silver lining in this game.
The fumble on the goalline was a situation where I'm sure Lovie did not want to challenge after just challenging a play earlier. But in all honesty, that is the play he should have challenged and he would have won that one to get the Bears out front.
Note: As I've been away, I have still been making NFL picks. If you know me you can see my picks. I'll update things Thursday for you guys and get you a new season number.
Yep, my boy Brock got his ass handed to him and his face busted in this weekend. Can't say I didn't see it coming. I'll say Cain Valesquez is great and everything I heard coming into this fight was how he was the real deal and such a great threat to Brock, who came out firing, but couldn't finish it quick enough to avoid danger.
I just hope Brock gets a rematch and doesn't have to go through an undercard fight to get a shot at his title again. I think he deserves it.
Alight, time for the Nussie Hunter and while I was on the subject of MMA and UFC I was going to mention Ariany Celeste is on the cover and in the pages of this month's Playboy. Bad news is I couldn't find photos suitable for this space.
I did, however, find some shots of Adriana Lima that are easy on the eyes. She might be the single hottest Victoria's Secret model. But maybe I'm just smittent! There's more here at Guyism.
After Week 2 everyone said the Bears made a statement. Well, after Week 3 was put to rest, the statement got its punctuation. Yes, there were 18 penalties on the Packers, but the Bears took advantage and became the NFC's only 3-0 team.
They have areas they need to improve, but the positives do out number the negative which is promising heading forward this season.
Devin Hester shined and got that first return touchdown in two years and it helped Jay Cutler put it together. Yes, I'm not giving my full endorsement of his performance, but he did enough.
As usual, it was the defense that made the big statements ring true. The leader of all of that was the biggest acquisition made in the offseason, Julius Peppers. How amazing was he in the third quarter?
The stats might not show that the Bears did a lot of things right in terms of getting to the quarterback, but three big holding penalties and an intentional grounding speak for that.
Also, Brian Urlacher (So great to have him back) and Lance Briggs just continue to show how great they are together. Yes the Bears are 3-0 by way of a bit of some help, but you have to win those games if you're going to be a successful team and you have to give them credit for that.
This week, the New York Giants are on the docket, as the Bears get to check out the new Meadowlands. For once this season, the Bears are favored in a game and they'd rather be the underdogs. I think they have reveled in being the underdog and want us to not give them a shot so they can prove us wrong.
The Giants have shown they are not disciplined at all the last two weeks, and I'm not so sure that can go away after a week. It could be the key, again, for the Bears to win. I have not been impressed by Eli Manning all season and this could be another chance for the Bears to take a step forward.
Prediction: Bears 24, Giants 14
Before I get into my picks, I got an E-mail from a big Giants fan this week, that I have agreed to not talk about the game with this week so we wouldn't say anything lame to upset each other. Yes, On The Line Sports' own Vaughan Gartrelle wanted to chime in as things led into the game. These are his thoughts on the week:
"This is the week where it sucks to have two of your closest friends be bears fans. I will tell you this much my New York Giants will come out swinging. We have many problems but we are a team that plays extremely well under the owners pressure i.e. 2007. If I was in thee Giants locker room my pregame speech would sound something like this :
We played a damn good week one, instead of taking that momentum into week two for our game against big brother we let the media convince us we had no chance. And then in week three we did exactly what we should have done for week two and took that terrible momentum into a game that we should have won. No look at where it has us behind the eight ball let's just be glad we have many other shots before that's our concern. Now we must go out today and be the reverse of ourselves and be GIANT KILLERS. Let's go win on the big stage.
If this is the speech 20-13 giants if not 31-6 bears."
That was pretty good from V. But it's now time for my NFL Picks. Last week I delivered a great week and went 10-6 to push my record on the year to 28-20 for the season. Here is Week 4 with the winners in bold.
49ers at Falcons Jets at Bills Bengals at Browns
Lions at Packers
Broncos at Titans
Seahawks at Rams
Panthers at Saints
Ravens at Steelers Colts at Jaguars
Cardinals at Chargers
Redskins at Eagles Bears at Giants Patriots (17) at Dolphins (14)
It should be a big week and the Nussie Hunter wanted to give you a girl that is a fan of sports to close things out. Is there one hotter than Kelly Brook right now? Yes she's made the blog twice in recent months, but that's because she's at the top of her game. Just check out the photo below. Then head over to Guyism.com to see her in a red dress. ALL HOT!
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