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Sorry for the readers who have not seen a blog posted from me recently. Starting January 1, 2009, I will begin blogging again right here on sports everyday. So stay tuned and continue watching sports. It's great. Thanks.

Pujols and Pedroia Win MVP

Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals has won the NL MVP award, winning it over Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies and Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers. This is Pujols second MVP award. He won the MVP award in 2005 as well, the year he led his team to the NLCS, where they lost against the Houston Astros. This year, however, the Cardinals didn't make the playoffs. Howard, however, won the World Series with the Phillies. Pujols missed some time this year due to injuries, but he was still dominant. He batted .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBI. Pujols, and outfielder Ryan Ludwick, were the only productive bats in the lineup and carried the team. Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox has won the AL MVP award. Pedroia was instrumental to a team that was dealing with David Ortiz's injury and Manny Ramirez's trade at midseason. Pedroia beat out teammate Kevin Youkilis, Minnesota Twins players Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, and Los Angeles of Anaheim Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez. The Red Sox went to the ALCS, where they lost to the Tampa Bay Rays in seven games. Pedroia batted .326 with 17 home runs and 83 RBI. He was good wherever the Red Sox put him. At the top of the lineup, he led off and got the game started in a good direction. Should Pujols have won the MVP over Howard? Will these two players continue to have MVP success?

Week 11

Week 11 of the NFL season had great matchups and some weird finishes. The New York Jets played the New England Patriots last Thursday night to start the football weekend and it was good. Both quarterbacks were effective. Jets' quarterback Brett Favre was 26 of 33 for 258 yards and 2 touchdowns. Patriots' quarterback Matt Cassel was 30 of 51 for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Jets took the game in overtime 34-31, after blowing a big lead. The matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cincinnati Bengals ended oddly. Eagles' quarterback Donovan McNabb struggled, throwing three interceptions and completing less than half of his pass attempts. Bengals' quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, however, was solid, going 29 of 44 for 261 yards and a touchdown. However, the game ended in a 13-13 tie, the first NFL tie since 2002, when the Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers ended in a 34-34 tie. The matchup between the San Diego Chargers and the Steelers was intriguing as well. Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers and Chargers' running back LaDainian Tomlinson struggled, while Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Steelers' running back Willie Parker flourished. However, the Steelers were unable to score an offensive touchdown, but they still won 11-10. That was the first time in the history of the NFL a final score was 11-10. In other scores, the Cleveland Browns beat the Buffalo Bills 29-27, the Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Redskins 14-10, and the Denver Broncos beat the Atlanta Falcons 24-20. The Tennessee Titans, who won again to improve to 10-0, have been impressive, but I think they will lose to the Jets next Sunday to end their streak. The New York Giants, at 9-1, also have a test coming up next week as they play the Arizona Cardinals. I think the Giants will win that game in a close one. What do you think? Who is the MVP so far? Who is disappointing?

MLB Awards

Joe Maddon, manager of the defending AL champion Tampa Bay Rays, has won the American League Manager of the Year. Maddon led a team that was last place in the AL East division to the World Series in a year. The Rays' franchise has never won more than 70 games in a season prior to this season, and they won 97 games this year. Lou Piniella, manager of the Chicago Cubs, won the National League Manager of the Year. For Piniella, it was his third time winning the award. He won in 1995 and 2001 with the Seattle Mariners. Piniella led the Cubs to a 97-64 record, which was the best in the National League. They ended their season in disappointing fashion, losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a sweep. Also, San Francisco Giants' pitcher Tim Lincecum has won the National League Cy Young award, beating out Arizona Diamondbacks' pitcher Brandon Webb and New York Mets' pitcher Johan Santana. Lincecum was probably the lone bright spot for a Giants team that lost 90 games. Lincecum went 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA, and had a major league best 265 strikeouts. Cliff Lee, pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, won the American League Cy Young award. Lee beat out Toronto Blue Jays' pitcher Roy Halladay and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim closer Francisco Rodriguez for the award. Lee went 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA. This is the second straight season an Indians pitcher has won the AL Cy Young award. C.C. Sabathia won the award for the Indians last year. Were these people deserving of their respective awards? Should the Cy Young award be awarded to the best pitcher or the most valuable pitcher?

Iverson Traded To Detroit

Allen Iverson, guard for the Denver Nuggets, has been traded to the Detroit Pistons on Monday for point guard Chauncey Billups and forward Antonio McDyess. Pistons' president Joe Dumars promised that changes will be made to shake up the roster after losing to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals in six games. Last season was the sixth straight season in which the Pistons appeared in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, they have only appeared in the NBA Finals twice and won one against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004. They lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals the following season in seven games and they have never gone back. The Nuggets, on the other hand, add Billups, who they will use to run the team and not make mistakes. McDyess, who used to play with the Nuggets, will most likely be waived and may sign with the Pistons again. The Nuggets, in the offseason, traded their best defensive presence in center Marcus Camby for a draft pick. The Pistons accepted Iverson's huge contract because it expires at the end of the season. He is not expected to be re-signed by the Pistons, and they were able to get rid of Billups' contract as well. Some people think the trade was made in order for the Pistons to clear cap room in order to make a run at landing Cleveland Cavaliers' guard Lebron James in 2010 if he opts out of his contract. I believe the Nuggets got the better of the deal because they get a point guard who can run the scoring offense and can play solid defense. What do you think? Who got the better of the deal?

Phillies Win The World Series

The Philadelphia Phillies have won the World Series for the first time since 1980 with their 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Phillies won this series in five games. Game 5 of this series, however, was started on Monday night and severe rainfall suspended the game in the sixth inning, tied at 2. That was the first time in World Series history that a game was suspended in the middle of the game and continued at another date. The Phillies continued the game with a bang. Pinch hitter Geoff Jenkins, who was the first batter that night, led off with a double off of Grant Balfour. The Phillies would later put a run in that inning to go ahead 3-2. In the seventh inning, the Rays tied the game with a solo home run from Rocco Baldelli off of Ryan Madson, who has been great for the Phillies out of the bullpen. The Phillies took the lead again, however, off of Pedro Feliz's RBI single in the bottom half of the seventh inning, which would turn out to be the game winning run. The city of Philadelphia hasn't seen a championship since 1983, when the Philadelphia 76ers won the championship over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Phillies, who have the most losses out of any pro franchise in the United States, have now won 2 championships in their 125 years of existence. Pitcher Cole Hamels, who won the NLCS MVP, has been awarded the World Series MVP for his two wins in the series. How big is this championship for the city of Philadelphia? What happened to the Rays? B.J. Upton, who had seven home runs in the first two series, didn't have a home run in the World Series. What happened to him?

Week 8

Week 8 of the NFL season included a matchup of 5-1 teams and a game outside of the United States. The matchup between the San Diego Chargers and the New Orleans Saints took place in London at Wembley Stadium. These two teams are high scoring teams and they proved it on Sunday. Saints' quarterback Drew Brees, who used to be the starter for the Chargers, threw for 339 yards and threw three touchdown passes. Philip Rivers, the Chargers' quarterback, threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns as well but threw a game changing interception with under two minutes left in the game. The Saints won the game 37-32. The best matchup was between the defending champion New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both teams came in at 5-1, and both quarterbacks Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger came into the NFL from the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft. The Giants defense dominated, recording five sacks and four interceptions against the Steelers. Giants' defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka had three of those sacks for the Giants. Manning was able to do enough to help his team win, throwing for 199 yards and throwing the game winning touchdown, giving the Giants a 21-14 victory. The Monday night matchup involved the Indianapolis Colts and the undefeated Tennessee Titans. The Colts got off to a good start, leading 14-6 in the third quarter, but the Titans defense locked down and quarterback Kerry Collins was very efficient, leading the Titans to a 31-21 victory. In other scores, the Dallas Cowboys beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13-9, the New York Jets beat the Kansas City Chiefs 28-24, and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Atlanta Falcons 27-14. The Giants, in my opinion, have solidified themselves as possibly the best team in the NFL with their victory and also proved the point that the Steelers and Roethlisberger are overrated. I also believe the Colts are in trouble, and may not make the playoffs. What do you think? Which team are clearly going to the playoffs? What team(s) have been disappointments?

Rays Advance To World Series

The Tampa Bay Rays have advanced to the World Series for the first time in their franchise history with their 3-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox in Game 7 of the ALCS. Matt Garza, who was acquired in a trade from the Minnesota Twins last offseason, was very effective, only giving up one run and striking out nine. The Rays, who were an expansion team in 1998, have drafted a lot of good players over the past couple of years and it has finally paid dividends. They won the AL East division, with the Red Sox and New York Yankees being the dominant team in the division for years. For their first 10 years of existence, they have had 10 losing seasons and have not won more than 71 games in a season. They are the second team in history to make it to the World Series a year after owning baseball's worst record. The Atlanta Braves of 1991 accomplished that feat but lost to the Minnesota Twins in seven games. The Rays will face the Philadelphia Phillies, who defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games in the NLCS. Garza was named the ALCS MVP, with several other players deserving consideration. Third basemen Evan Longoria and center fielder B.J. Upton each hit four home runs in the series, and Carlos Pena hit three home runs. The Rays have home field advantage, due to the fact the American League won the All-Star Game back in July at Yankee Stadium. The World Series starts Wednesday night in Tampa. Who do you think will win the World Series? Which team poses a bigger threat?

Phillies Advance To World Series

The Philadelphia Phillies advanced to the World Series on Wednesday night by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1. Shortstop and leadoff man Jimmy Rollins led the game off with a solo home run, putting the Phillies ahead and never looking back. In the NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers, Jimmy Rollins hit a leadoff home run in the series clinching game as well. This is the Phillies first appearance in the World Series since 1993, when they lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1993 World Series. Pitcher Cole Hamels, who won games 1 and 5, won the NL MVP by pitching dominantly. The Dodgers scored their lone run on Manny Ramirez's solo home run. Ramirez, who was acquired from the Boston Red Sox before the trade deadline, was red hot with the Dodgers since joining the team in August. In the NLCS, he has been the only spark for a Dodgers team that struggled offensively after putting up good offensive numbers in their shocking NLDS sweep of the Chicago Cubs. The Phillies are now awaiting the winner of the ALCS between the Red Sox and the shocking Tampa Bay Rays, who went from a last place finish last year to a first place finish. What will be the better matchup for the Phillies? Will the Phillies' pitching continue to be dominant?

Jones Suspended, Williams To Cowboys

Adam Jones, troubled cornerback of the Dallas Cowboys, was suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for a minimum of four games. Last week, Jones was involved in an altercation with a bodyguard that was appointed by owner Jerry Jones. Police were called to the scene, and it was reported that there were some damages to a bathroom in the hotel they were in at the time of the altercation. This is the latest straw in a string of incidents involving Jones. Jones spent his first couple of seasons with the Tennessee Titans and has been arrested or involved in incidents numerous times. He was suspended for the entire year last season, and in the offseason, the Titans traded him to the Cowboys. He vowed to never get into any kind of trouble again, but this was a setback. It was reported that Goodell will decide after the four game suspension what course of action will happen next with Jones. On the same day, the Cowboys acquired wide receiver Roy Williams from the Detroit Lions for a first round, third round, and sixth round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. Williams gives the Cowboys an immediate offensive boost, alongside wide receiver Terrell Owens. Quarterback Tony Romo has a broken pinkie finger and reports earlier in the week were that he would miss four weeks. Now, he has practiced throwing the football and reports are that he will play against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. I think the suspension of Jones, in my opinion, is unnecessary and it leaves the secondary very depleted with an injury to Terrence Newman. What do you think of the Cowboys' situation? Will Roy Williams help their offense and Owens?

Week 6

Week 6 of the NFL season did not have many intriguing matchups but ended up with some fantastic finishes. The matchups between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Rams and Washington Redskins, and the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans were all decided in the last 10 seconds of regulation and the margin of victory for the winners were no more than 2 points. The most surprising of those outcomes was the matchup between the Rams and Redskins. The Redskins, who were 4-1 coming into the game, were coming off of road division wins against the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. The Rams did not have a win yet, coming in at 0-4. But they shocked the Redskins at FedEx Field and won 19-17 on Josh Brown's 49 yard field goal as time expired. The best game from week 6 was between the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals. Quarterback Tony Romo was 24 of 38 for 321 yards with 3 touchdowns. However, the Cowboys lost in overtime when punter Mat McBriar's punt was blocked by Sean Morey and was recovered and taken to the end zone by Monty Beisel for a 30-24 overtime victory. One surprising game was the Monday night matchup between the defending champion New York Giants and the Cleveland Browns. The Browns won, surprisingly, 35-14. Browns' quarterback Derek Anderson was very effective and Giants' quarterback Eli Manning wasn't, throwing 3 interceptions with one being returned for a touchdown. In other scores, the Indianapolis Colts beat the Baltimore Ravens 31-3, the Philadelphia Eagles beat the San Francisco 49ers 40-26 and the San Diego Chargers beat the New England Patriots 30-10. In my opinion, other than the games coming down to the final seconds, there wasn't anything interesting in this week of football. What do you think? Which team is the best so far? Which team(s) are pretenders?

Week 5

Week 5 of the NFL season involved teams trying to stay undefeated and teams trying to get their first win. The matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Dallas Cowboys was an example of that. The Bengals came in to Dallas looking for their first win, and they came out flat, falling behind 17-0. However, they battled back and got within 17-13 and made it a game. But a key turnover made the difference as running back Chris Perry fumbled with the Bengals down 24-22. The Cowboys were able to score another touchdown and put the game out of reach, winning 31-22. The Bengals are now 0-5 while the Cowboys are 4-1. The NFC East divisional matchup between the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles provided a surprise. The Eagles jumped on top of the Redskins early, leading 14-0 in the first quarter. The Redskins then happened to pull off 23 straight points, leading 23-14 in the fourth quarter and stopping the Eagles from scoring another touchdown in the red zone. Clinton Portis rushed for 145 yards on 29 carries, and quarterback Jason Campbell has continued to be careful, not throwing an interception all season up to this point. The Redskins won 23-17 in Philadelphia to improve to 4-1. The Monday night matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints was good also. Reggie Bush of the Saints returned two punts for a touchdown and almost returned a third. Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson only rushed for 32 yards on 21 carries but the Vikings still won 30-27. In other scores, the New York Giants beat the Seahawks 44-6, Indianapolis Colts beat the Houston Texans 31-27 in a bizarre game, and the Tennessee Titans beat the Baltimore Ravens 13-10. In my opinion, the Colts are in trouble because their offense is struggling along with their defense. The Giants look like Super Bowl contenders and the Redskins look for real as well. What do you think? What teams are disappointing right now?

Rays, Red Sox Advance To ALCS

The Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox, both AL East teams, advanced to the ALCS by wrapping up their respecitive series on Monday. The Rays defeated the Chicago White Sox 6-2 in Chicago, winning the series three game to one. Later that night, the Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3-2 to also win their series three games to one. Andy Sonnanstine, pitcher for the Rays, was effectiv, giving up 2 runs in 5 2/3 innings. Those two runs came off of home runs from Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye. The Rays were offensively better, however. B.J. Upton hit two home runs in his first two at-bats against Gavin Floyd to propel the Rays to the win. This is the Rays' first playoff appearance since they became a major league baseball team in the 1998 season. They advance and will play the Red Sox, starting on Friday. The Red Sox, who are the defending champions, dominated the Angels in this series like they have done in past series. In two previous playoff series between the two teams, the Red Sox swept the Angels in both. It almost happened again with the Red Sox taking the first two games in Los Angeles, but the Angels won Game 3 in Boston to extend the series. Both starting pitchers, John Lackey of the Angels, and John Lester of the Red Sox, pitched good. Rookie Jed Lowrie had the game winning hit in the bottom of the ninth, driving in Jason Bay. The Rays won 10 of 18 regualr season games against the Red Sox. I believe that both teams are good and the Rays will pull it out in seven games. What do you think? Who has better pitching? Who has better offense? Does experience play a factor?

Phillies Advance To NLCS

The Philadelphia Phillies have eliminated the Milwaukee Brewers and advance to the NLCS for the first time since 1993 with their 6-2 victory in Game 4 in Milwaukee. Pat Burrell for the Phillies was a big reason why the Phillies won the game. Burrell hit two home runs, with the first one being an important three-run home run that put the Phillies ahead 4-0 in the third inning. Jimmy Rollins got things started with a leadoff home run for the Phillies, and the Phillies never had to look back. They also got strong pitching from Joe Blanton, who was a midseason acquisition from the Oakland Athletics. Blanton pitched six solid innings, only giving up a run. The Phillies got strong starting pitching for the most part in this series. Cole Hamels and Brett Myers pitched great in the first two games. Jamie Moyer did a solid job in Game 3, but the Phillies' offense didn't come through. Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, and Chase Utley, the Phillies best hitters, were non-existent in the first three games of the series. The Phillies' offense finally came alive in the series in Game 4, and they were able to clinch. The Phillies will now play the Los Angeles Dodgers, who swept the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS. In my opinion, I believe the Phillies have enough offense to get by the Dodgers. It will definitely be an interesting series. What do you think? Who will win the NLCS? Will Brewers' pitcher C.C. Sabathia return to the Brewers next season?

Cubs Swept By Dodgers

The Chicago Cubs were eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday by losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 in Los Angeles. Pitcher Hiroki Kuroda of the Dodgers pitched a gem tonight in a game where people thought the Cubs would show some life. The Cubs, after losing the first two games of the series at home, came out flat again. Pitcher Rich Harden didn't pitch badly, giving up three runs in 4 1/3 innings. Manager Lou Pinella of the Cubs pulled Harden early because he didn't want to risk the game being blown open by the Dodgers. The Cubs bats, however, were not alive the entire series. The Cubs only scored six runs the entire series, and the Dodgers outscored them 20-6. The Cubs starting pitchers Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano didn't do a good job in the first two games. They were outpitched by Derek Lowe and Chad Billingsley. The Cubs owned the National League's best record, with a 97-65 record, their best record since the 1945 season. The Cubs and the city of Chicago have suffered through some bad luck and terrible moments in the franchise's history. The Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1908 and had a couple chances to reach the World Series in the past. In my opinion, I don't think the Cubs were cursed. I believe that the combination of Lowe, Billingsley, and Kuroda was underrated and they were and are better than Dempster, Zambrano, and Harden. What do you think? What does this mean for the Cubs' future? How long will Pinella be in Chicago?

White Sox Get In, Eliminate Twins

The Chicago White Sox defeated the Minnesota Twins 1-0 in a one-game playoff to get into the playoffs. Both teams were tied at 88-74, meaning that they would have to play an extra game to determine who gets into the playoffs and win the AL Central division. John Danks started for the White Sox while Nick Blackburn started for the Twins. Both pitchers were pitching great, holding each team without a run. In the 5th inning, Michael Cuddyer of the Twins was trying to score off of a fly ball out by Brendan Harris. The ball was caught by Ken Griffey Jr. and he made a strong throw to home plate to get Cuddyer out. That was the only chance the Twins had of scoring. In the seventh inning, Blackburn finally got burned on a pitch. Jim Thome of the White Sox provided the only run of the game, with a solo home run to deep center field. Closer Bobby Jenks of the White Sox came in the game in the ninth inning to close the door on the Twins and advance to the postseason. With the White Sox postseason berth, this will be the first time both Chicago teams made it into the playoffs in the same year in 100 years. The White Sox will face the AL East division champion Tampa Bay Rays in the divisional series. I believe the White Sox have a good team but not better than the competition the Rays have faced in the season. The White Sox, in my opinion, will be eliminatedby the Rays. What do you think? What lies ahead for the Twins in the offseason?

Mets Eliminated From Playoff Contention

For the second straight season, the New York Mets have been eliminated from playoff contention on the last day of the season. The Philadelphia Phillies clinched the NL East title on Saturday with their victory over the Washington Nationals. The Mets only chance of making the playoffs was getting in by being a wild card. The Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers were tied in the wild card standings. The Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1, effectively eliminating the Mets. Last season, the Mets played the Florida Marlins last year on the last day and had a chance to win the NL East. They lost to the Marlins and the Phillies beat the Nationals as well on the last day to capture the division crown. Earlier this season, manager Willie Randolph was fired and many thought that it was because the Mets didn't recover from their collapse last season. The Mets had a three and a half game lead earlier in the month and they let it slip away just like last year. Last year, they had a seven game lead in September and blew the lead. Was this collapse bigger than last year's collapse? What does this say about the Mets? Should the Mets make drastic moves?

Week 3

As usual, there were a couple of interesting and great matchups in week 3 of the NFL season. The most intriguing matchup of the week was the Sunday night matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers. Last season, these two teams were the two best teams in the NFC. This year, Aaron Rodgers is the new starting quarterback, replacing the legend Brett Favre. The Cowboys proved that they are real contenders to win a Super Bowl with a convincing 27-16 win over the Packers. Cowboys' running back Marion Barber had an excellent game, rushing for a career high 142 yards on 28 carries with a touchdown. His backup, Felix Jones, gained 76 additional yards on 6 carries with a touchdown himself. The Cowboys' defense was the story of the night, however, sacking Rodgers five times. Another great game was the offensive matchup between the New Orleans Saints and the Denver Broncos. The Broncos won the game 34-32, when Saints' kicker Martin Gramatica missed a potential game winning 43 yard field goal with under two minutes left in the fourth quarter. Saints' quarterback Drew Brees threw for 421 yards and completed 39 out of 48 passes. Jay Cutler had another good game, throwing for 264 yards with two touchdowns. In other games, the Jaguars beat the Colts 23-21 to avoid going 0-3, the Giants beat the Bengals 26-23 in overtime to improve to 0-3, and the Chargers beat the Jets on Monday night 48-29 to get their first win. I think the Broncos defense has to improve or they will encounter problems down the road trying to win the AFC West. The Cowboys and Giants are also looking like contenders for a Super Bowl run. What do you think? Who impressed in Week 3? Which team looks shaky?

Week 2

Week 2 of the NFL had a couple exciting finishes and hyped matchups. The best game by far was the divisional matchup between the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos. The Broncos outlasted the Chargers 39-38, only before giving up a huge first half lead. This game did not end without controversy however. On 2nd and goal with the Broncos trailing 38-31, Broncos' quarterback Jay Cutler dropped back to throw but fumbled the ball and the fumble was picked up by Tim Dobbins. Referee Ed Hochuli, however, blew the whistle signaling that it was an incomplete pass. Hochuli was not able to change the call since he blew the play dead, and the Broncos had another chance, and they capitalized by Cutler's touchdown throw to wide receiver Eddie Royal. They decided to go for the two point conversion instead for the win, and Royal caught the conversion as well to go ahead. Another great game was the Monday night matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys. Both defenses were not very good, and both offenses capitalized. The Cowboys won 41-37, behind quarterback Tony Romo's three touchdown passes, two of them that ended up to Terrell Owens. He threw for 312 yards. Eagles' quarterback Donovan McNabb also threw for a touchdown and 281 yards in another explosive offensive outburst for the Eagles. Down the stretch, however, the Eagles could not make the plays necessary to take the lead. In other games, the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Minnesota Vikings 18-15, on Adam Vinatieri's 47 yard field goal with 3 seconds left to win. The New England Patriots, behind backup quarterback Matt Cassel, beat the New York Jets 19-10. That was the most surprising outcome, as I thought the Patriots would struggle with Cassel. The Chargers and Broncos matchup was definitely the best and I think Jay Cutler is going to be a good quarterback in this league. What do you think? Who had the most impressive performance this week? Which team is in trouble?

K-Rod Gets Save Record

Francisco Rodriguez, closer for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, has set the record for most saves in a season with his 58th save against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night. Rodriguez has been pursuing the record for most of the season. He had a lot of saves at the All-Star break, and was definitely on track to setting the record. He has been helped by the team's stellar play this season, and great relief pitching in front of him. The Angels have already clinched their division earlier in the week, when they defeated the New York Yankees. That was coupled with the Texas Rangers' loss the same day. The Angels have been dominant all season, having the best record in baseball for some of the season. Rodriguez broke the record previously held by Bobby Thigpen of the Chicago White Sox in 1990. That season, Thigpen set a record with 57 saves. Rodriguez will be a free agent after the season with many teams looking to acquire him. I believe Rodriguez won't be back with the Angels because of his expected demand for a huge contract. I believe that he can end up in a big market like with the New York Mets. What do you think? How does this record help Rodriguez for the upcoming free agency season? Will the Angels win the World Series?

Merriman, Colston Out Due To Injuries

Marques Colston, wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints, is expected to miss four to six weeks with ligament damage in his left thumb that required surgery. Also, Shawne Merriman, pass rushing linebacker for the San Diego Chargers, will miss the rest of the 2008 season with two torn ligaments in his left knee that will require reconstructive surgery. Colston and Merriman are two key players to their respective teams. Colston suffered the injury in their opening game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Colston, who was a seventh round draft pick out of Hofstra in 2006, has the most catches of any wide receiver in NFL history in their first two NFL seasons. Colston is Saints' quarterback Drew Brees' big target, and Brees has relied heavily on Colston to make plays. Now the Saints have to rely on receivers Devery Henderson and David Patten, as well as Reggie Bush being a receiver out of the backfield. Merriman, on the other hand, had ligament damage on his left knee in the offseason and went to four doctors across the country for opinions. They all advised him to have surgery and miss the entire season, but Merriman was not content with that idea. He decided to give it a go and play the season, but after playing the first game against the Carolina Panthers, he could not deal with the pain. In my opinion, I believe that Colston and Merriman's absences will affect the Saints and Chargers respectively, but it will not hurt their chances of a playoff berth. The Chargers have more defensive weapons and the Saints have a lot of offensive weapons. What do you think? Who's absence will hurt more?

Week 1

The NFL season got underway this weekend and there were a couple intriguing matchups in week 1. Brett Favre started his New York Jets debut when the Jets played the Miami Dolphins in Miami. Favre was 15 of 22 for 194 yards and 2 touchdowns en route to a 20-14 victory. Dolphins' quarterback Chad Pennington made his debut for the Dolphins. He was cut by the Jets after the Jets acquired Favre from the Green Bay Packers. Pennington has been with the Jets for eight seasons. Another interesting matchup was the matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers. This marked the first start for Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has been a backup for Brett Favre the past four seasons. Rodgers did not disappoint Green Bay fans as he went 18 of 22 for 178 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a touchdown in his stellar performance. There were a couple surprises as well in week 1. Carolina Panthers' quarterback Jake Delhomme threw a touchdown pass to Dante Rosario as time expired to give them a 26-24 victory over the San Diego Chargers. In the Sunday night matchup between the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts, the Colts came out flat and Bears' running back Matt Forte ran for 100 yards in the first half. The Bears stunned the Colts 29-13 in Indianapolis. I think Jay Cutler, Denver Broncos' quarterback, performance against the Oakland Raiders on Monday night was very impressive. I also think the Bears have found a solid running back in Matt Forte. What do you think? Should the Colts be concerned? Who looks impressive from week 1?