Championship To Boston, Red Sox Win World Series!

Let the party begin in Boston! For the 3rd time in the last ten years, the Boston Red Sox claim the World Series, dispatching the St. Louis Cardinals in six games. Here we have a Red Sox team who really did go from worst to first. A season ago, Boston finished in last in the AL East, losing 93 games. Now this year, they win 97 games, claim the AL East crown, and now add a World Series title to that mantle. The way things looked for the Red Sox in this series at the start, it didn't look too good.

Game one saw the Boston offense explode for eight runs, beating up on Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright who gave up 6 hits and 5 runs. David Ortiz put the game away with his 2 run bomb in the 7th inning.

Games two and three went in favor of the Cardinals, with game three ending in an unusal fashion.. With game two of the series, David Ortiz provided the only offense for Boston, hitting another 2 run homer in the 6th. St. Louis got their runs in the 4th and 7th thanks to Yadier Molina, Matt Holiday and Carlos Beltran. Rookie pitcher Michael Wacha pitched a great game, getting touched up by the Ortiz homer, but going 6 innings, giving up 3 hits and 2 runs. That sent the series back to St. Louis tied at a game each. With the loss by the Red Sox in game two, it was the first time that Boston had lost a world series game since losing game seven of the 1986 world series against the New York Mets.

Now back in St. Louis for game three, the Cardinals got off to a good start in the bottom of the first inning, putting two on the board from RBI singles by Matt Holliday and Yadier Molina off of Boston starter Jake Peavy. In the bottom of the seventh, Matt Holliday hit a line drive off of reliever Junichi Tazawa that just got past a diving Xander Bogaerts that drove in two, and Holliday advanced to third on the throw. Even though this happened with no outs, Holliday was stranded at third. Boston quickly responded in the top of the eighth by loading the bases off Carlos Martínez. Trevor Rosenthal came in to pitch, and the first batter he faced, Daniel Nava, grounded in to a fielder's choice, after a great diving stop by rookie second baseman Kolten Wong. The next batter, Xander Bogaerts, bounced a ball up the middle for an RBI single of his own, knotting the game at 4–4.

now here's where things get really interesting. I said this game ended in an unusual way, well here it is. Game's tied at 4 in the 9th. Boston closer Koji Uehara was brought in to face pinch hitter Allen Craig, who doubled on the first pitch. With one out, Jon Jay hit a grounder to second baseman Dustin Pedroia. He made a sensational diving stab and threw home to catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who tagged out the sliding Molina. But then Saltalamacchia threw to third trying to get Craig, who was running on the play and decided to slide towards Middlebrooks knocking him down. However, the ball glanced off Will Middlebrooks' glove and Craig's body, caroming into foul territory down the line. When Craig started toward home, he ran over Middlebrooks, slowing him down as he tried to take off for home. The third base umpire, Jim Joyce, called obstruction on the play; home plate umpire Dana DeMuth determined that Craig would have scored without the obstruction, giving the Cardinals the win and a 2–1 lead in the World Series.

So now we move on to game four, which saw largest paid crowd in the history of Busch Stadium (47,469). After Boston starter Clay Buchholz, pitching through a shoulder injury, was removed for a pinch-hitter after four innings, five Red Sox relievers combined to hold St. Louis to one run on three hits the rest of the way. In the sixth inning, the bases were empty with two outs before Dustin Pedroia singled and David Ortiz walked. Then, outfielder Jonny Gomes came to bat and the Cardinals brought in Seth Maness to face him. Gomes worked the count to 2–2 before he broke the tie with a three-run homer that would become the difference in the game. The game ended when Boston closer Koji Uehara picked off pinch runner Kolten Wong with Carlos Beltran at the plate, making it the first postseason game in baseball history to end on a pickoff.

Game 5 saw a rematch on the hill from game one of the series. Jon Lester again outdueled Adam Wainwright to give the Red Sox a 3–2 series lead.  Boston scored first when Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz hit back-to-back doubles with one out in the first. Matt Holliday tied the score with a home run to center in the fourth inning, but it would be the only run Lester would allow over strong 72⁄3 innings of work. Wainwright matched Lester until the seventh inning, when a ground-rule RBI double by David Ross and RBI single by Jacoby Ellsbury scored Xander Bogaerts and Stephen Drew to give Boston a 3–1 lead. Koji Uehara relieved Lester with two outs in the eighth and retired all four Cardinals he faced to earn his second save of the series. Uehara tied John Wetteland, Robb Nen, Troy Percival, and Brad Lidge for most saves in one postseason year, with seven. In addition, Lester joined Babe Ruth as the only Red Sox lefthanders to win three World Series games.

Boston had a chance, in game six, to do something they have not done since 1918. And that was clinch a world series title at Fenway Park. Boston pounded on Wacha, knocking him out after just 3 and 2/3 innings. Wacha gave up 5 hits and 6 runs, all earned. Stephen Drew went deep to put the game away. John Lackey became the first pitcher in MLB history to win two World Series clinching games with two different teams. Lackey won the series clincher with the Los Angeles Angels in 2002 as a rookie.

To nobody's surprise, David Ortiz was named 2013 World Series MVP. Ortiz was having an insane series, slugging 2 homers, driving in six runs, compiling a .688 batting average and 1.948 OPS, just in this series. Ortiz is the first non-Yankee to win three rings with one team since Jim Palmer did it for the 1966-70-83 Baltimore Orioles. Ortiz finished the playoffs hitting .353, with five homers, 13 RBI's, 16 walks and a 1.206 OPS. With taking home the MVP award, Ortiz becomes the 3rd oldest player to be named a world series MVP. Here's the list of the 5 oldest MVP winners:

1979 Willie Stargell PIT (39 years 225 days)
2001 Randy Johnson ARI (38 years 55 days)
2013 David Ortiz BOS (37 years 346 days)
1993 Paul Molitor TOR (37 years 62 days)
1971 Roberto Clemente PIT (37 years 60 days)

The Red Sox are also the first team to win three Championships after 2000, having previously been the first to win two Championships after 2000, when they won in 2007. This was the first World Series victory clinched at Fenway Park by the Boston Red Sox in 95 years, having won their 2004 and 2007 titles on the road, and the first time a World Series was won at Fenway for the first time since 1975 (when the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Red Sox).

Congratulations again to the Boston Red Sox, the 2013 World Champions!

2013 MLB Gold Glove Winners

That time of year has arrived. With the Major League Baseball post season starting to come to a close, the hardware starts getting handed out. Of course we have the big awards of the Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and MVP. Those will be given out within the next week or two. That's not the only awards to be given out. The first bit of hardware for the 2013 season has been handed out in the form of the Gold Glove awards. Now what we are going to do here is, we are going to list the winners for both leagues. After that we will let the debate begin as to who was worthy, in our view, of winning the award this season.

So without further ado, here are your 2013 Gold Glove Award Winners!

American League
P R.A. Dickey Toronto (1st)
C Salvador Perez Kansas City (1st)
1B Eric Hosmer Kansas City (1st)
2B Dustin Pedroia Boston (3rd)
3B Manny Machado Baltimore (1st)
SS J.J. Hardy Baltimore (2nd)
LF Alex Gordon Kansas City (3rd)
CF Adam Jones Baltimore (3rd)
RF Shane Victorino Boston (4th)

National League
P Adam Wainwright St. Louis (2nd)
C Yadier Molina St. Louis (6th)
1B Paul Goldschmidt Ariona (1st)
2B Brandon Phillips Cincinnati (4th)
3B Nolan Arenado Colorado (1st)
SS Andrelton Simmons Atlanta (1st)
LF Carlos Gonzalez Colorado (3rd)
CF Carlos Gomez Milwaukee (1st)
RF Gerardo Parra Arizona (2nd)

So here's my thoughts and observations on the awards. With the American League, there were a few things I thought didn't go right. How Eric Hosmer won at 1st base over James Loney is a little puzzling. Between the two, Lowney, I felt, had a better year, slightly, defensively than Hosmer did. And how Adam Jones beat out Jacoby Ellsbury for the award in center field is beyond me. Don't get me wrong, Jones is a good center fielder, but Ellsbury is far and away a better center fielder defensively. Those were the only two problems I had with the AL winners, which had Baltimore and Kansas City clean up.

Now with the National League. Yadier Molina became the fifth catcher to win at least six Gold Gloves, joining Ivan Rodriguez (13), Johnny Bench (10), Bob Boone (seven) and Jim Sundberg (six). So yeah, he really is that good. Russel Martin of the Pirates was the only catcher in the league who can come close, and even he was a distance back in my book. The pick for the winner at 3rd base surprised me a little bit.n Both David Wright and Juan Uribe had good years. With Wright, I think he had a down year by his standards, plus missing time with injuries hurt his chances to win the award. Arenado just out played Uribe, but not by much as far as I could tell. Brandon Phillips took the award again at 2nd base, but Darwin Barney of the Cubs played incredible, and made this decision tougher than most thought it would have been. How Gomez beat out Andrew McCutchen in center field was a bit of a surprise to me. Otherwise the voters I feel got the awards right.

Best And Worst Of NFL Week Eight

We are now close to the halfway point of the NFL season, with things really starting to take shape around the league. The Kansas City Chiefs are still the lone undefeated team in the league, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars are still winless. Some divisional races are starting to heat up, some teams are starting to find their stride again, while others are still looking to hit their stride. That's just the teams. We also have individual players having huge weeks and huge seasons, some for the record books. Things have gotten more and more interesting by the week in the NFL and it sure makes for good stuff to talk about. So with all that in mind, lets now look back at some of the best and worst from week eight in the NFL season.

Best:
Calvin Johnson, Wide Receiver Detroit Lions
The man they call Megatron has already had some highlight reel plays and games this season, Remember the catch two weeks ago in triple coverage? Well last Sunday against the Cowboys, Johnson had a game for the ages. Megatron only put together the second-highest single-game receiving yardage in NFL history.Johnson made 14 catches for 329 yards, 2nd most yards in a game behind only Flipper Anderson's 336-yard performance in a 1989 overtime win. With the monster day, it gave Megatron his fifth career performance over 200 yards, tying him for the NFL record with Hall of Famer Lance Alworth. Oh and the Lions came away with a 31-30 win over the Cowboys.

Worst:
Dez Bryant, Wide Receiver Dallas Cowboys
Lets keep the record clear, Bryant had a good day receiving in the loss to Detroit. He caught two touchdowns, including an incredible one-handed grab from five yards out. He finished the day with 3 catches for a total of 72 yards, not a bad day by most standards. That highlight will likely be diminished by clips of Bryant’s multiple outbursts on the Dallas sideline, which started with him screaming at assistant Derek Dooley and Tony Romo midway through the fourth quarter (with the Cowboys leading) and continued with DeMarcus Ware and Jason Witten needing to restrain him as time expired. His sideline antics made him look like a total and complete fool, showing a level of immaturity that doesn't need to be in the NFL. That's why I have Dez here on this list.

Best:
Marvin Jones, Wide Receiver Cincinnati Bengals
There is a big reason why the Bengals are atop the AFC North at 6-2. We knew they had a potent offense, with star wide receiver AJ Green. But Jones had a huge coming out party against the Jets on Sunday. Jones had eight catches for 122 yards and a ridiculous four touchdown day in the Bengals’ 49-9 blowout win. It was almost like playing a videogame. Jones went off and made a lot of fantasy owners very, very happy.

Worst:
New York Jets Defense
After a big victory the week before against New England, you would like to think that the momentum would have carried over to this week. Well thats not what happened. The Jets had been a top flight defense this year, sitting in the top 8 in all categories. They got lit up like a cheap cigar by the Bengals, allowing AJ Green and Marvin Jones to both have over 100 yards receiving in the ball game and gave up 49 points. This was almost like the loss against the Titans two weeks back. The difference is the Titan loss wasn't all on the defense, this one I place most of the blame for the loss on the defense.

Best:
Andre Ellington, Running Back Arizona Cardinals
For a long time now, Arizona has been looking for a solution to their problem at running back. Beanie Wells, Ryan Williams and Rashard Mendenhall have all tried and have failed to really hold down the job of running the football. Well now it looks like Ellington has taken a solid hold of the job. He had the best week of any running back in the league this week, carrying the ball 15 times for 154 yards and a touchdown in the Cardinals 27-13 win over Atlanta. Based on that performance, he may have sealed the deal and become the starting back in Arizona.

Worst: 
LeSean McCoy, Running Back Philadelphia Eagles
Coming into week eight, he had been the leading rusher in the NFL. this week, facing the Giants, McCoy couldn't even hit 50 yards on the ground, the 2nd time in a month that's happened. He gained just 48 yards on 15 carries and was held without a touchdown in the Giants 15-7 win. The biggest glitch in Chip Kelly’s suddenly low-octane offense has been not being able to get McCoy going again. If the Eagles want to be able to stay in this hunt, he really needs to step his game up and return to form.

Best:
Drew Brees, Quarterback New Orleans Saints
Lets face facts, behind Payton Manning and maybe Tom Brady,  Drew Brees is the best Quarterback in the NFL. The Saints quarterback threw five touchdowns in his team’s 35-17 win over Buffalo, improving New Orleans’ record to 6-1. But that's not all he did. With the five touchdowns, Brees now has 343 career touchdown passes. That helps Brees pass Fran Tarkenton, and move into a tied with Tom Brady for fourth place all-time. While his competition with Brady remains ongoing, it’ll take a little bit of time for Brees to approach third-place, which is held by Dan Marino and his 420 career touchdown throws. But with how good he has been during his career, and if he can stay healthy, Brees should be able to catch Marino on the all time list.

Worst:
Matt Ryan, Quarterback Atlanta Falcons
Not having your two top receiving targets to throw to is going to be tough for any quarterback to work with. Take Julio Jones and Roddy White away from Matt Ryan and he is going to really struggle. Well the man they call Matty Ice melted in Arizona, as the Falcons quarterback threw four interceptions in Atlanta’s 27-13 loss to the Cardinals. Tyrann Mathieu, Daryl Washington and Rashad Johnson (twice) all victimized the Pro Bowl quarterback. The loss puts Atlanta at 2-5 on the year and has them sitting in 3rd place in the division. If Matt Ryan can't return to form and help right the ship for the Falcons, they may be stuck on the outside and miss out on playing in the playoffs.

Best:
Oakland Raiders Pass Rush
There is something that doesn't really get talked about too often. Its been a good long while since the Raiders have had a solid pass rush in this league. Last Sunday, the Raiders pass rush showed up, making life very tough for the Steelers. Oakland took full advantage of a weaker Steeler offensive line, getting to Ben Roethlisberger five times in Oakland’s 21-18 win over the Steelers. Linebacker Sio Moore got to him twice while the other three were amassed by defensive linemen as the Raiders doubled their per game average in that category. Yes the Raiders are still in last place in the AFC West and yes they are currently a game under .500 but they have played better this season than I think most fans would have anticipated.

Worst:
Washington Redskins 4th Quarter Offense
This is a sign of how rough a year its been for the Redskins. Washington’s quarterbacks threw four picks in the final 7:54 of their 45-21 loss to the Broncos. After trailing 21-7 in the third quarter, the Broncos went on a 24-point run in less than a quarter of football. Suddenly down 31-21, Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins’ attempts to generate a comeback resulted in two consecutive interceptions by Griffin and then two more by Cousins after Griffin exited with an injury. Denver used the extra possessions to finish the game with a 45-21 win. That shows me that who really knows whats going on with the Redskins. They are 2-5, sitting in 3rd place in the NFC East, and look a little bleak right now in Washington.

So there you have it, the Best and Worst of Week Eight of the NFL Season!

Was Trading Matt Moulson A Good Idea?

This trade and move really has me scratching my head as an Islanders fan. General Managers Garth Snow of the Islanders and Darcy Regier of the Buffalo Sabres pull off the first major trade of the 2013-14 season. The Islanders trade winger Matt Moulson, a 2014 1st round pick and a 2015 2nd round pick to the Sabres in exchange for winger Thomas Vanek.

Now there are quite a few things wrong here with this move. First of all the trade was done between two struggling teams. Buffalo has 1 win on the year, ironically it came against the Islanders, while the Islanders sit at 4-4-3. Both guys, Moulson and Vanek, are the same age 29. Both guys will be free agents at the end of the season. Both guys can score goals, Moulson has had three straight 30 goal seasons, while Vanek has scored 40 or more twice and 30 or more four times. So it's kind of swaping talent.

Here's where the trade bothers me. I know the Islanders needed to try and shake things up. There were high expectations on the team coming into the year after last seasons success. Sitting 4-4-3 after 11 games isn't where the team wanted to be, but it is still better than where they have started the past few seasons at this point. Garth Snow could have done so much more in this trade. Don't get me wrong I don't mind yet the Islanders getting Vanek, who is a proven scorer. What I do mind is that the Islanders didn't address their biggest needs, defense and goaltending.

Garth Snow gave up a bit much in the deal, losing the two draft picks as well. He also didn't address the problem of a lackluster goaltending and a just as lackluster defense. We know the Islanders can score goals, they have the punch on offense to make noise in the NHL, and be one of the top tier talent teams in the league. The defense and goaltending isn't even close to being on par with the offense. Evgeni Nabokov and Kevin Poulin can only do so much in net. The defense, at times, has left their goalies out to dry. They needed to be upgraded and Snow failed to do that with this trade. He dropped the ball on the deal. Of course this could change, and it could really work out in the Islanders favor. But right now it looks like a really stupid trade.

Pam Oliver Please Remove Foot From Mouth

Pam Oliver is one of the more popular sideline reporters in the NFL. She is good at what she does, but that doesn't me I necessarily have to like her. I fully can't explain why, but just something about her has always rubbed me the wrong way. Now I have another reason not to like her. She put her foot in her mouth at Super Bowl business Breakfast earlier this morning.

According to multiple reports, one of them being WFAN Radio, she made a few disparaging remarks about the Jets, Giants and New Yorkers in general. Here's some of what she said. At one point, Super Bowl Host Committee chairman Al Kelly said he couldn’t be worried about “a couple of idiots” who might not layer appropriately for a cold-weather game. “They’re probably Jets fans,” Oliver responded, according to the New York Daily News. It doesn't stop there.

To Giants co-owner Jonathan Tisch she said“How are we going to instruct the people of this area, particularly New Yorkers, to be nice, to say please and thank you.” She went further than that with the Giants owner, later asking “And Jonathan, what the hell is wrong with the New York Giants?”

She also went after the Jets too. To Jets owner Woody Johnson: “How does Rex Ryan keep his job?” 

Oliver apparently recognized the gaffe following her query into the manners of Tri-Staters: “I’m sorry. I’m from the South.”

FOX Sports said in a statement that Oliver made the remarks “in jest,” and even received compliments from many attendees at the event put on by the Association for a Better New York. But the Post reported that she drew “gasps, groans and more than a few boos.” According to the Daily News, there was a palpable “negative buzz.”

Ok now here's where I have the problem.When asking those questions about the Jets and Giants, I can understand where she is coming from, but that is not the way to phrase those questions at all. Pam you're supposed to be a professional reporter, you should know better than that.

Now here's what really bothered me about the whole thing. When she said Sorry I'm from the south when she realized she insulted new yorkers, that don't fly at all lady. I don't care where you're from, that don't work as an excuse. All you should have done was make a simple apology and move on, not say something that stupid.

According to a couple of other reports there were some gasps, groans and even a few boos, with the reception in the place being negative. I can see why.

So Pam Oliver please kindly remove foot from mouth!

(Author's note: Some of the story was provided by WFAN.com)

2013 World Series Preview

The stage is now set! After a long, tough journey, there are two teams left standing. The Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals. These two teams finished the regular season with the exact same record of 97-65, each having the best record in their respective leagues. Both teams got to the World Series via slightly different routs. The Red Sox got here after beating Tampa Bay in the divisional round in 4 games, then beat the Tigers in the ALCS in six. The Cardinals, meanwhile, had to go the full five games in the divisional round to beat the Pirates, then beat the Dodgers in the NLCS in 6 games.

This is the fourth meeting of the Cardinals and Red Sox in the World Series. The Cardinals have won in two of the three previous meetings. Both wins came in 7 games, first in 1946 and then again in 1967, while Boston won the last meeting in the fall classic in 2004 in a clean 4 game sweep. This years series marks the first World Series since 1999 to pair the two teams with the best regular-season records in their respective leagues (Yankees and Braves). This also marks only the third in history to feature two teams with identical regular-season records. The other times it happened were in 1949 (Yankees Beat Dodgers in 6) and in 1958 (Yankees beat the Milwaukee Braves in 7).

Because both teams share the best overall regular-season records in baseball, this will be only the fourth time since 1995 in which the team with the best regular-season record went on to win the World Series that season. The three previous occurrences came in 1998 (Yankees beat Padres in 4), 2007 (Red Sox Beat Rockies in 4), and finally in 2009 (Yankees beaat Phillies in 6).If history is any indication, this type of situation has favored the American League.

So with all that history now on display for you, lets get down to the meat and potato's and break down this series. Here is the date and time of every game to be played in the World Series:

October 23 St. Louis Cardinals @ Boston Red Sox Fenway Park 8:07 PM
October 24 St. Louis Cardinals @ Boston Red Sox Fenway Park 8:07 PM
October 26 Boston Red Sox @ St. Louis Cardinals Busch Stadium 8:07 PM
October 27 Boston Red Sox @ St. Louis Cardinals Busch Stadium 8:15 PM
October 28† Boston Red Sox @ St. Louis Cardinals Busch Stadium 8:07 PM
October 30† St. Louis Cardinals @ Boston Red Sox Fenway Park 8:07 PM
October 31† St. Louis Cardinals @ Boston Red Sox Fenway Park 8:07 PM

Every game of the series can be heard on ESPN Radio.

So now that we know how they got here and when they will play, lets take a deeper look at this series. From a statistical perspective, the Red Sox have the edge when it comes to hitting. They have scored more runs, have a higher team batting average, and a higher team on base percentage. Pitching wise, the Cardinals have the edge. I know St. Louis has played one more game than the Red Sox, which makes the numbers a bit more inflated in St. Louis favor.

The pitching staff is going to be key for me in this series. Both teams can score runs, we saw that in the league championship series. Starting pitching is going to be critical in this series. The bullpens, as far as I can tell are about even. Based on the first few rounds of the playoffs, it doesn't look like the pens are going to give up much in the runs department, so they balance each other out. Starting pitching is going to be key, to which the Cardinals have the advantage. The Cards have the better pitching rotation. Adam Wainwright and  Michael Wacha are throwing better than Boston's aces of Jon Lester and John Lackey. Lance Lynn and Jake Peavy sort of cancel eachother out, and Clay Buckholtz is better than Joe Kelly.

During the ALCS, Boston was able to overcome the top pitchers in the Tigers starting rotation. They got to the Tigers bullpen, which by comparison here is weaker than that of the Cardinals. The Tigers pitching staff was good, but the one Boston is now going to be facing is a better staff, not only in its starters, but the pen as well. Out of all the Red Sox hitters who have played a lot during this years playoffs, Jacoby Ellsbury is the only one in that lineup who is hitting above .275. Plus think about this. Since the Cardinals have home field advantage, the Red Sox look like they are going to lose Ortiz and Napoli from their lineup because they play four games, possibly, in the NL park. That has the Boston offense at a disadvantage.

To be fair here, the Red Sox have had the better all around, more balanced offense. Carlos Beltran has been the most productive bat in the Cards lineup. The Cards were able to stop a high powered offense in the Dodgers in the NLCS and the Dodgers offense is almost on par with that of the one Boston has. The Dodgers were shut down by the St. Louis pitching staff, which is the same problem Boston is going to have. Also throw in the fact that in the NL parks two of Boston's biggest bats are being taken out of the lineup.

So with all things taken into account, with what the lineups are looking like for the series and what has gone on already in this years playoffs, I'm taking the Cardinals to win the series in 7 games!

Best And Worst Of NFL Week Seven

We have now hit week seven of the NFL season, and boy how things can change in a week. The Giants finally pick up their first win of the season, leaving Jacksonville and Tampa Bay as the only still winless teams this season. The Denver Broncos were upset by the Colts, leaving the Kansas City Chiefs as the only undefeated team left in the league. What stands out to me the most from this week, is the fact that many of the leagues stars have gone down for the year with injuries, most of which occurred last Sunday. So with all that has gone down over the weekend, we now provide the best and worst from Week Seven in the NFL season.

Best:
Geno Smith Quarterback New York Jets
Smith didn't put up the greatest passing numbers in the world, but he was able to lead the Jets to victory over the Patriots. Sure he had the interception returned for the touchdown, but that was his only mistake made during the game. He showed composure, played well under pressure, and took advantage of the field, when it was given to him. Smith looked solid in the Jets 30-27 overtime win.

Worst:
Chris Jones Defensive Tackle New England Patriots
This one is a combination for both Jones and the officials in this football game. There's actually two reasons I have Jones here. First is that he was one of the guys on the Patriots defensive line who allowed 104 rushing yards by Chris Ivory of the Jets. Jones combined with fellow Vince Wilfork replacement Joe Villano to try and stop Ivory and the Jets running game, which didn't work at all. That was bad enough. To make things worse, Jones was the Patriots player flagged  for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on a missed 56-yard-field overtime field goal by Nick Folk that gave the Jets a first down and allowed them to set up a game winner from 42 yards out. Jones shoved a fellow defensive player into the Jets offensive formation, a maneuver that became illegal due to a rule change this offseason. Now that is also where the ref comes in as well. I blame him for makign the call when he did. I know he has a job to do but that was the first time a call like that has been made all year, so I just feel the timing of it was bad.

Best:
Calvin Johnson (wide receiver Detroit Lions) & A.J. Green (wide receiver Cincinnati Bengals)
Both of these guys fit the bill here. They played eachother on Sunday, as Green's Bengals beat Johnson's Lions 27-24. Both guys finished with 155 yards receiving, Green doing it on 6 catches (1 TD), while Johnson managed to do it on 9 catches (2 TD). Green played just as well if not better than Johnson, helping the Bengals to the win. Hands down though, Johnson had the more impressive grab, snagging a touchdown catch in TRIPLE COVERAGE!

Worst:
Josh Freeman Quarterback Minnesota Vikings
With this one, I do cut Freeman a little bit of a break. Here's a guy going from a bad situation in Tampa to another bad situation in Minnesota. Freeman had a few weeks to prepare to go under center with the Vikings. He did OK in the yards department, throwing for 190 yards. He didn't throw a touchdown and got picked off once. What surprised me more than anything was the fact that that Freeman went 20 of 53. Understand that. He went 20 of 53, which comes out to a 40.6 QBR. Its the worst out of anybody in the league who threw more than 10 passes. The only one who came close to having as bad a day was Brand Weeden of the Browns. Still going 20 for 53 passing is a really bad night.

Best:
Devon Hester Returner Chicago Bears
The Bears got their human highlight reel of a return man back on Sunday against Washington. Hester ran back an 81 yard punt for a score in the second quarter, which was his 18th career return touchdown. That milestone tied Deion Sanders’ NFL career record for returns, which “Prime Time” set in his 11th season. Hester, in only his eighth year, will likely own the mark outright by the time he retires.

Worst:
Jacksonville Jaguars Home Field Advantage
Normally, when a team plays at home, that should be giving them some kind of advantage. Well that hasn't been the case for the Jacksonville Jaguars this season. But the facts are, the Jaguars are so bad, they might be the worst team in the league. They have a legitimate chance to join the Lions as the only teams to go 0-16 in a season. Jacksonville only managed a pair of field goals in their 24-6 loss to San Diego. As of now, thje Jaguars have scored just 11 total points in their first three home games. According to Elias Sports Bureau, that’s the fourth worst total of any team since 1970. Yeah they are a bad team. Its almost turning into a sick joke.

Best:
Robert Griffin III Quarterback Washington Redskins
For the first time this season, RG3 started to look like, well RG3. He was one of the big reasons the Redskins came away with a 45-41 shootout win against the Bears. Griffin was able to use his arm, and legs, to run a muck against the Bears. He struggled a tad at the start of the ballgame, but finished up greata, going 18 of 29 for 298 yards and two touchdowns along with 11 carries for 84 yards, making several clutch second-half plays along the way. So, at least for this week, RG3 looked like his old self again/

Worst:
Matt Barkley Quarterback Philadelphia Eagles
Talk about another tough situation for a quarterback. The Eagles are in Dallas playing the Cowboys, which is always a tough place to play in. When the game started, Barkley was sitting on the bench as the backup to Nick Foles. Then Foles goes down with the head injury late in the first half, and Barkley has to take over. He didn't do so hot. He went 11 of 20 for for 129 yards, and was picked off three times. Talk about a rough way to start your career in the pros.

Injury Bug!
Week seven turned out to be a very tough week for players. Now every team has to deal with injuries during the course of the season, that's just part of the game. Injuries do happen in football. It just seemed to me like there were a high number of season ending injuries that happened during this week. In total, seven guys went down with bigtime injuries. The Packers lost tight end Jermichael Finley was hit in the back, having to be carried off the field on a stretcher. Currently he is still in the hospital dealing with the injuries. Sam Bradford is done for the year with a knee injury, while Jay Cutler is out with a groin injury. Doug Martin is out with an injured shoulder and may be done for the year. Finally Reggie Wayne is out for the season with an injured knee, leaving a hole in the lineup for the Colts.

Best And Worst Of Week Six In The NFL

Well it's that time of the week again. We have now gotten through week six of the NFL season. Things certainly change from week to week. We still have winless teams; New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Bucks. There are still unbeaten teams in the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs. Some teams played great, while others got lucky in some of their games. Teams surprised us, while others disappointed us. With all that in mind, lets take a look at the best and worst of week six in the NFL.

Best:
Andy Reid, Head Coach Kansas City Chiefs
Coming into the season, everybody thought the Chiefs were going to be good. Few thought they were going to be this good. And after what happened on Sunday, it looks as if the Chiefs really aren't a fluke after all. Kansas City beat Oakland at Arrowhead Stadium for the first time since 2006, improved to the second-best start (6-0) in franchise history and managed to sack Terrelle Pryor ten times in a 24-7 win. While you can point to personnel upgrades at quarterback and offensive line, this isn’t that drastically different of a team than the one that went 2-14 last season. A bulk of the credit for the quick turnaround certainly has to go to the team’s new head coach, who has been able to get the best out of this group. The Chiefs face Houston, Cleveland and Buffalo in their next three games, leaving a decent possibility that they could head into Week 11’s divisional showdown at Denver with 9-0 record.

Worst:
Gary Kubiak, Head Coach Houston Texans
You can’t put the blame for Sunday’s 38-13 shellacking by the Rams on beleaguered Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub, who played adequately before leaving the game injured in the third quarter. The total breakdown of the team’s special teams and pass defense along with a shortage of offensive points has to reflect on the Texans’ head coach, who watched his team commit 95 yards of penalties, lose two fumbles and only cross the goal line on a garbage-time running play. After two straight blowout losses (and four consecutive defeats), the reigning AFC South champs need to turn it around quickly or Schaub may not be the only one on the hot seat.

Best:
Vernon Davis Tight End San Fransisco 49ers
The 49ers tight end had a MASSIVE week this week. He finished the day with 8 catches for 180 yards, the 2nd most receiving yards this week, behind Justin Blackman of Jacksonville. Hands down Davis had the best week out of any tight end in the league. In fact, Davis did the bulk of his work in the first half, grabbing 7 catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns before halftime. He added an extra catch for nine yards in the second half as the reigning NFC champs improved to 4-2. So yeah Davis had a damn good week this week.

Worst:
Jimmy Graham Tight End New Orleans Saints

The Saints tight end entered Week 6 leading the NFL in receiving yards and on pace for the second-highest single-season yardage total in history. The Patriots figured out how to put a stop to that, holding Graham without a catch on six attempts, his first game without a reception since his 2010 rookie season. Graham also appeared to injure an ankle early in the fourth quarter and left the field after returning for several plays on the following drive.

Best:
Justin Blackman Wide Receiver Jacksonville Jaguars
In a season where the 0-6 Jaguars have been the laughingstock of the NFL, the team has found its bright spot in the past two weeks as the second-year receiver is showing why he was drafted fifth overall in the 2012 draft. After missing the first four weeks of the season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, Blackmon caught 14 passes for 190 yards in Jacksonville’s 35-19 loss to the Broncos. The total gives him 326 yards in his first two contests and provides the Jaguars with a little bit of optimism heading into Week 7 versus San Diego.

Worst:
Baltimore Ravens Running Game
Ray Rice averaged 2.4 yards on 14 carries and Bernard Pierce was even worse, gaining just nine yards on six carries in the Ravens’ 19-17 loss to the Packers. The Ravens even had four opportunities to score on a 1st and goal from Green Bay’s 4 in the second quarter but called unsuccessful running plays on every down. Baltimore’s 47 total rushing yards now brings their season average down to 72.7 per game. The Ravens are a team known for their solid running game. IT's been a big help to Joe Flacco and the passing game. This year though it really hasn't been there.

Best
Nick Foles Quarterback Philadelphia Eagles
Foles has done a very good job of coming in as an injury replacement for Michael Vick over the last two weeks. I know Foles didn't put up the best numbers by a quarterback this week, but still it was better than any other injury replacement QB during the week. Foles stepped in for Michael Vick and threw three touchdowns and ran for another one as Philadelphia beat Tampa Bay 31-20. If Foles keeps playing like this while Vick recovers from his hamstring issue, he may end up staying in the lineup for good.

Worst:
Brandon Weeden Quarterback Cleveland Browns
Brandon Weeden hasn't really played very well during the course of the season. Sunday was more proof as to why. A bizarre, ill-timed shuffling underhanded heave into the hands of Detroit’s DeAndre Levy proved why the Browns’ new brass had replaced the 30-year-old 2012 first-round pick with third-stringer Brian Hoyer weeks earlier. With Hoyer out for the year with a knee injury, Weeden was tasked with continuing the Browns’ three-game winning streak. Down 24-17 late in the fourth quarter, he had the opportunity to do so but instead made a play so bad it’ll likely headline Sportscenter’s “Not Top 10” for the rest of October.

Best:
Kansas City Chiefs Fans
Your probably wondering why I decided to add this into the mix this week. Well there is good reason. Late in the game between the Chiefs and Raiders, the crowd at Arrowhead Stadium set the world record for an outdoor sports stadium in their 24-7 win over Oakland on Sunday when they reached 137.5 decibels in the closing minutes. An official from Guinness World Records told The Associated Press confirmed that Chiefs fans broke the record of 136.6 set by Seahawks fans during a game against San Francisco earlier this year. Yeah that's loud. Probably a reason why the Chiefs are unbeaten at 6-0 this year.

Worst:
Houston Texans Fans
The Houston Texans fans and Matt Schaub have had an ugly 2013 season so far. Sunday afternoon it got a little uglier after Schaub went down late in the third quarter of the Texans’ 38-13 loss to the Rams with an ankle injury and fans were heard cheering while the quarterback was still down on the ground. I'm sorry but this is embarrassing and downright disgusting. I understand that fans can get unhappy with players performance. Trust me I do get it really. But that is crossing the damn line. Fans are entitled to having their opinions on sports. Texans fans took it too far in my book.

2013 American League Championship Series Preview

After a long and grueling regular season and the divisional round of the playoffs, the American League Championship series is set to go between the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox. For the third consecutive year, the Tigers will play in the American League Championship Series. They clinched their berth with a 3-0 win over the Athletics in ALDS Game 5 on Thursday night. The Red Sox clinched their ALCS spot -- their first since 2008 -- with a win over the Rays in Game 4 of their ALDS matchup earlier this week.

The Red Sox have made it to the ALCS for the 5th time since 2000, winning two titles. The Tigers have played in now their third straight ALCS and 4th since 2000. Since 2000 the Tigers have made it to the World Series twice, and they lost both of them.

The Tigers and Red Sox are not division rivals, so they only played seven times during the regular season. The Tigers won four of the seven -- three of four at Comerica Park but only one of three at Fenway Park. The Red Sox outscored them 43-35 in the seven games, however. The best-of-7 ALCS starts Saturday night in Boston. These were the two highest-scoring teams in the AL this year, so expect to see a bunch of runs regardless of who's on the mound.

Here's the date, time and location of every scheduled game of this series:
October 12 Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox 8PM
October 13 Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox 8PM
October 15 Boston Red Sox vs. Detroit Tigers 4PM
October 16 Boston Red Sox vs. Detroit Tigers 8PM
October 17† Boston Red Sox vs. Detroit Tigers 8PM
October 19† Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox 4:30PM
October 20† Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox 8PM

The offenses are going to be involved in a slugfesst. that is pretty much a given with these two ball clubs. The Red Sox have an advantage in a few fielding positions, except 3rd base. Lets face it Miguel Cabrara is the best 3rd baseman in the American League. Pitching sort of balances itself out in this series. Detroit has an edge in starting pitching, especially near the top of that rotation. Boston though has a better bullpen, except for maybe the closer spot.

The Red Sox definitely have that look of being unbeatable right now. They score a ton of runs and they do a great job of preventing them as well. That said, I think the Tigers have the two best pitchers (Scherzer and Verlander) as well as the best position player (Cabrera) in the series on their roster. In a short series where star power gets more of a chance to shine than sheer depth, I think Detroit has a bit of an advantage. This series should be an awful lot of fun and I don't see it ending early. I'll take the Tigers in seven.

2013 National League Championship Series Preview

The stage is set. After a long 162 game regular season, plus a grueling Divisional round of the playoffs, the series is set to determine the best team in the National League this season. the Los Angeles Dodgers get set to take on the streaking St Louis Cardinals in the NLCS for 2013. The winner of this series punches their ticket to the World Series.

For the Dodgers, they come in as the NL West Champions, finishing the regular season with a record of 92-70. This was the first time in four years the Dodgers had won the NL West. Once the playoffs started, they disposed of the NL East champions the Atlanta Braves. The Dodgers are 5-2 all time in the NLCS, their last win in the league championship series coming in 1988, the last time they won the world series. LA last played in the NLCS in 2009, which they lost to the Cardinals, that coming a year after losing to the Phillies in the 2008 NLCS. This is the first time the Dodgers had made the playoffs under manager Don Mattingly. All time, the Dodgers have a record of 70-86 with six world series titles to their credit. Three of those titles came while the franchise was still in Brooklyn.

As for the Cardinals, this is the 3rd consecutive year they are playing in the NLCS, and the 4th time in the last 7 years they are playing for the NL Pennant. In fact, since 2000 the Cardinals have made the NLCS 7 times, going 3-4 in those series. St Louis is 116-101 all time in the playoffs, in franchise history, and have 11 world series titles to show for all that success. St Louis got here after holding off the wild card winners the Pittsburgh Pirates in a hard fought five game series. St Louis has home field advantage in this NLCS. This will be the fourth postseason meeting between the Cardinals and Dodgers. They previously met in the 1985 NLCS (Cardinals won 4–2), 2004 NLDS (Cardinals won 3–1), and 2009 NLDS (Dodgers won 3–0). Of the seven games played between the two teams during the regular season, the Dodgers won the series 4-3.

Here's the date, time and location of every game during this best of seven series:

Oct 11, 2013 LAD @ STL 8:37 PM ET
Oct 12, 2013 LAD @ STL 4:07 PM ET
Oct 14, 2013 STL @ LAD 8:07 PM ET
Oct 15, 2013 STL @ LAD 8:07 PM ET
Oct 16, 2013 STL @ LAD 4:07 PM ET
Oct 18, 2013 LAD @ STL 8:37 PM ET
Oct 19, 2013 LAD @ STL 8:37 PM ET

All games are set to be broadcast on TBS and ESPN Radio.

The series matches a largely homegrown team seeking its second World Series appearance in three years against one that's been among the biggest spenders trying to get there for the first time in a quarter-century. The Dodgers spent well over $200 million to put together their team.

This series pits two of the highest scoring, and best power hitting teams in the league. LA has scored 26 runs in the 4 games against Atlanta, and hit 7 home runs. St Louis scored 21 runs off 6 long balls. These two clubs also have some of the best pitching numbers in the playoffs as well. The have both struck out 40+ opposing hitters, with the Cardinals boasting a team ERA of 2.66, while the Dodgers come in with a 3.09 ERA. So this is going to make for a highly entertaining series, considering that both clubs are pretty evenly matched.  Both teams are a little banged up, the Dodgers are going to be limited with what outfielder Andre Either can do, same thing with the Cardinals and Adam Craig.

What this series is going to come down to is, who can come up with the bigger hit in the series. It's going to go six games easy. St Louis does have a good team, but they are back on their heels a little coming off the five game series with the Pirates. Plus they are facing a team that has been knocking the cover off the ball lately. St. Louis is going to put up a good fight but I think the Dodgers take the series in six.

Best and Worst of Week Five In The NFL

Week five of the 2013 NFL season is in the books, showing us that there are still surprises that can happen on any given week. The New England Patriots perfect season comes to an end, the New York Giants are still winless, Josh Freeman has a new team to play with, Geno Smith comes of age on Monday Night Football. Dallas and Denver treated fans to a shootout in Big D, until Tony Romo made that one mistake near the end that gave Denver the win. All in all a good week in the NFL. So with all of that in mind, lets take a look at some of the best and worst from week five in the NFL.

Best:
Geno Smith Quarterback New York Jets
Smith really showed me something on Monday night. Its the big stage of Monday Night Football, in a building that's normally a tough place to play in in the Georgia Dome. Smith had seemed to struggle a little over the first four weeks of the season, turning the ball over 11 times, including a disasterous week last week against the Titans. This week Smith went 16 of 20 for 199 yards 3 touchdowns and more importantly NO INTERCEPTIONS. Smith actually held onto the football, and lead the game winning drive with under two minutes to go in the ball game. He really had a coming of age this week. The big question going forward is, is this the real Geno Smith or is this just a flash in the pan? Whatever it is, it was a great performance from the rookie.

Worst:
Tom Brady Quarterback New England Patriots
Brady went 18 for 38 for 138 yards, got picked once and was sacked four times. Now the four sacks weren't his fault, his line just simply was unable to help keep him on his feet. He struggled for the first 58 minutes of the game.It still looked like he might be able to pull off some of his famous late game magic, but after three first downs got him down to the Bengals 27, Brady’s deep pick to Pacman Jones sealed the loss, as well as the end of the future Hall of Famer’s streak of 52 games with a touchdown pass. His post-game outfit was pretty fantastic though.

Best:
Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are one of the few teams left in the NFL that are 5-0 at this point in the season. A big reason for that has been the connection between quarterback Drew Brees and tight end Jimmy Graham. Graham, who is currently on pace to obliterate the NFL single-season record for yards receiving by a tight end by 560 yards, was targeted 11 times in New Orleans’ 26-18 win over the Bears and pulled in ten catches for 135 yards.

Worst:
Tony Romo Quarterback Dallas Cowboys
I know I praised the Cowboys for the game they played against Denver, and they did play one hell of a ball game. Tony Romo played out of his mind. He went 25 of 36 for 506 yards and 5 touchdowns. Then why do I have him here on a worst list? Because of the one bad pass he threw at the end of the ball game. Throwing a pick to Danny Trevathan with two minutes left to set up the Broncos’ game-winning field goal. That's why Romo is on a worst list. The one mistake pass cost Dallas the game. Sure Romo had one hell of a week, but one play undid all of it.

Best:
T Y Hilton Wide Receiver Indianapolis Colts
With the exception of a 47-yard catch in the team’s Week 2 loss to Miami, Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton hadn’t done much to showcase the big play potential announcers and fantasy experts had been touting all preseason. He certainly made up for it in Indianapolis’ 34-28 win over Seattle, faking out safety Earl Thomas for a 73-yard touchdown, one of his two scoring plays on Sunday. He finished the day with 5 catches for 140 yards. Hilton was one of the big reasons why the Colts knocked off the Seahawks.

Worst:
Mike Munchak Head Coach Tennessee Titans
Not really sure if its Munchak that should get this or his offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains that should get this. Here's the reason I even have them here. The Titans struggled badly to score in the red zone, especially late in the ball game. After finally getting into the red zone for the first time all game, the Titans failed to score on three plays after getting a 1st and 1 at the Kansas City goal line in the second quarter. Down 10-0, Munchak and Loggains opted to go for it on fourth down but chose a predictable carry up the middle by Jackie Battle that went nowhere. The team also couldn’t do anything on a 1st and goal from the KC 7 in the third quarter, giving them three points (and only three yards) on those eight plays. If the Titans want to prove to the rest of the league that they can really do something, play calling has got to be better than that.

Best:
Baltimore Ravens Pass Rush
So much for the demise of Baltimore’s defense without Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and several other key members of the Super Bowl winning group. Terrell Suggs got to Ryan Tannehill for three sacks and Elvis Dumervil, Courtney Upshaw and Pernell McPhee each added one in the Ravens’ 26-23 win over the Dolphins. So yeah the Ravens seemed to find their intimidating defense once again.

Worst:
New York Giants Defense
While their offense continues to turn over the football at an alarming rate, the 0-5 Giants defense has given up at least 31 points in each of its five games this season, the first team to do so since the Chicago Cardinals in 1954. Sure going into the season, there were questions about the Giants defense. You knew from the start of the season that the defense was going to be average to good for the Giants to have a chance. The offense was supposed to be a lock and they have had their own problems. The last few weeks the Giants defense has really been coming up short. The team doesn’t have much time to come up with a new plan as they head to Chicago to face the Bears in primetime Thursday night.

2013-14 NHL Season Preview

That time of year is upon us once again. The puck is set to drop on the 2013-14 NHL Regular Season, and with so many changes going on around the league during the offseason, its going to make for one exciting regular season. The most notable change made during the offseason was the realignment of the divisions. We had two teams move from the West over to the East, with the divisions shrinking from six to just four. There will still be eight teams that are going to make the playoffs. The top three teams in each division are a lock to get in. The other two playoff spots in each conference are going to go to the wild card teams, those that aren't in the top three but still better than the rest. So that really puts an emphasis on divisional play during the regular season.

Now then, it would take way too long, and to be quite honest would be way to boring to read, all the player moves that were made during the offseason. So rather than waste your time with that, let's jump right in with both feet and make our predictions. What we will do is predict which teams will finish where in their respective divisions and why. So without further ado, I present my predictions for the 2013-14 NHL season. Enjoy!

Western Conference
Pacific Division

1. Los Angeles Kings*
To me, the Kings are finally going to overtake the Canucks as the class of the division this year. LA still has one of, if not the best netminder in the Western Conference in Jonathan Quick. Sure they lost a little bit of talent up front to free agency, but they were able to replace it. So for the Kings to recapture the throne, they'll need some steady production from their top stars or lean on secondary scoring to get them through the long season. That hasn't always been a strong suit for this team, but perhaps the addition of Matt Frattin, traded from Toronto, will give Los Angeles a more balanced attack. This will help the Kings get back on top in the division.

2. San Jose Sharks*
The Sharks are another strong team coming from the west coast. Playing in a tough division, San Jose needed to try and bulk up in the goals department. Bringing in Tyler Kennedy will help out guys like Brent Burns in the production department. Burns and Joe Thorton are still going to be expected to carry the team, which they have done in the past. San Jose is still a very solid team, but the only question I have is how set are they in goal behind Antti Niemi?

3. Vancouver Canucks*
With a new coach comes a new attitude. Some around the Canucks felt things got too stale under Alain Vigneault. So enter John Tortarella. The biggest question facing the Canucks this year is if and how they can embrace Tortarella's style of coaching. With Corey Schneider being traded at the draft, more emphasis is being placed on Roberto Luongo, and it's not clear yet whether or not he can handle the pressure. Plus with a few new faces up front in Vancouver, things are already starting to look different. The Canucks are still a good team, but they won't be as dominant as past seasons.

4. Anaheim Ducks* (wild card team)
The Ducks surprised quite a few people with that hot start they got off to last season. The Ducks will need even more from the kids this season now that winger Bobby Ryan is gone to Ottawa in a trade. The perennial 30-goal scorer brought the kind of offensive depth that made Anaheim a contender for years. Somebody is really going to have to step up and fill that role. Adding Dustin Penner can help replace a lot of the offense lost by the Ryan trade. Anaheim has a lot of upside and with the young team they have, they will be making things interesting come playoff time.

5. Edmonton Oilers* (wild card)
Edmonton has been in rebuilding mode for the last seven years, and haven't sniffed the playoffs at all during that time. Enter new coach Dallas Erskins. Combine that with the young talent that the Oilers have built up over the last few years, and Edmonton really has something cooking for itself. As a five-man unit, the Oilers will have to bring more accountability to both ends of the ice, and if youngsters like Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle can embrace two-way play, then Edmonton has a shot at that elusive playoff game.

6. Phoenix Coyotes
The biggest thing to happen to the Coyotes during the offseason was it coming under new ownership. After that, bringing in Dave Tippit was the biggest move. Not only has Tippett been able to get the most out of his teams since coming to Phoenix in 2009, he's been a source of stability for an organization that knows little about the word. And again this season he'll be working with a thin lineup, particularly up front. They were able to stabilize at the center position by signing Mike Ribero. Only problem is the Coyotes still aren't all that deep a scoring team. If that doesn't get better this year, then the Coyotes will once again miss the playoffs.

7. Calgary Flames
On paper, there isn't a whole lot to get excited about in Calgary. The Flames traded away longtime leader Jarome Iginla last season and saw longtime goalie Miikka Kiprusoff retire this summer. The goalie situation is but one of the myriad question marks for the Flames this season. And if they don't get answered quickly, Calgary is in for a long season.

Central Division

1. Chicago Blackhawks*
Not a lot changed over the summer for the defending Stanley Cup Champions. With their excellent defense corps returning, there are no serious deficiencies on this roster. The only question might be in goal, where the Blackhawks return Corey Crawford and his glove hand, which was exposed in the Stanley Cup Final against Boston. Chicago lost Ray Emery, a fine backup for Crawford last season, but brought in Nikolai Khabibulin, who even at 40, should still be good for 10 or 15 wins. Still the Hawks are going to roll and walk away with the division again.

2. St Louis Blues*
The blueline in St. Louis is one of the most solid in all the league. Picking up Jay Bouwmester and Jordan Leopold at the deadline, and now having them for a full season, really gives more stability to an already decent defense crops. Coming into the year, the Blues ability to have consistent scoring has been an issue. Well now throw in guys like Derek Roy, Brendan Morrow and Maxim Lapierre, it gives the Blues the mix they need to challenge the Hawks for the division crown.

3. Minnesota Wild*
The cornerstone, top end talent is in place with the Wild. They have Zach Parise, Ryan Sutter and Mikko Koivu. The challenge with this team is solidifying the talent beyond the top tier talent. A season ago, the Wild made the playoffs, but there were times where it seemed they relied too much on those top end talented players. The role players have to step up, and step up big, for the Wild to make any serious noise. They are still going to be a playoff bound team, that which I have no doubt. They aren't quite there yet to be heavy favorites to come out of the West.

4. Winnipeg Jets
Having switched conferences and divisions, the travel schedule will be so much easier on the Jets than it was just a year ago. There also in lies the problem. The Jets have played their entire existence in the East, and now moving over to the West, they have to adjust again to the new styles of play. This could set the Jets back a little bit. Last year they were in contention for a playoff spot. This year may be a little bit harder. Winnipeg does have a talented young team, there is no denying that fact. But like I said having to switch over to the West could throw the club for a bit of a loop.

5. Nashville Predators
Having rookie Seth Jones in the lineup is going to be a boost to this Predators team. They finished last in the league a year ago in goal scoring, tied with the Florida Panthers for fewest goals scored in the NHL. The offense has been retooled a little bit this year, but considering the other teams they play in conference, its going to be a real challenge for Nashville. So while all the hype this season may revolve around a teenage defenseman, the true test will be the Predators' ability to create more offense to challenge for a playoff spot in the Central and improve a really lackluster PK.

6. Dallas Stars
The Stars are in a rebuilding mode. They started it with getting Lindy Ruff behind the bench, then brought in Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverly from Boston for Loui Eriksson.  The biggest move made by the Stars was adding Sergei Gonchar. Only problem with Gonchar is he's 39 years old. He still a solid defensemen, but isn't as good, or as gifted a scorer, as he was a few years ago. Dallas has a talented core, and look to try and make some noise in the West.  And so the Stars are hopeful that a veteran pro like Gonchar can mold a largely young blueline group, but they run the risk of hanging on to a star who is well beyond his prime and watching their rebuild stagger in the process. They may miss out on the playoffs.

7. Colorado Avalanche
New head coach Patrick Roy is going to have his hands full this season. He has the task of trying to mold a young core of skaters to produce a winning hockey team. The talent is there, they just have to be able to gel under Roy. The big question mark in Colorado is going to be goaltending. More than likely they'll lean on goalies Semyon Varlamov, who hasn't been nearly as good a starter as he was as a backup in Washington, and J-S Giguere, who is serviceable at 36 years old. So that right there could, potentially hold the Avalanche back in the Western Conference.

Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division

1. Boston Bruins*
Always a major threat to come out of the East, Boston has to build off last year. They came up just short in the Finals against the Hawks, and are looking to get back there again. Boston took a bit of a hit, losing Andrew Ference, Nathan Horton, Rich Peverly and Tyler Seguin. Now you can throw into the mix Loui Eriksson and Jarome Iginla. Boston had one of the more interesting summers out of anybody in the league. Still, most of the core team is in tact, and the Bruins are one of the deeper, more balanced teams in all the league. They are the best team in this division, hands down, and will walk away with a division title.

2. Ottawa Senators*
Things got really interesting in the capital of Canada at the start of the summer. The abrupt departure of Daniel Alfredsson and bold acquisition of Bobby Ryan made some big waves in Ottawa. What is going to be key for Ottawa this year is health. The Sens were decimated by injuries in 2013, as Jason Spezza (50 games), Erik Karlsson (31) and Milan Michalek (25) each spent lengthy stretches on the shelf, leaving a shell of an offense that struggled to find the net. With everybody healthy and on the same page, Ottawa will once again be a force to be reckoned with in the East this year.

3. Detroit Red Wings*
Sure moving the Wings to the East has thrown a wrench in the rivalry between the Wings and Hawks. The Wings won't run wild in the East, as most teams in the East are really good. The Wings will be better off in the East. The reason being is that because of where they are, it cuts down on travel and it gives the team more time to rest and relax, which means a healthier team. This team is loaded, and will be a very good team, which should translate well into becoming a playoff team once again.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs* (wild card)
Toronto finally got off the playoff slide last year, making it in for the first time in a decade. Toronto GM Dave Norris could have kept the faith in his young hockey club to do it again this season. Instead he became aggressive in signing free agents, picking up Dave Bolland, David Clarkson and Jonathan Bernier.  With adding Bernier, the Leafs solidify a solid one two punch in goal, something they really needed to do in this conference. The Leafs have the talent, but more important, they have an identity now. Toronto is destined to be in the playoff mix.

5. Montreal Canadiens
Last year, Montreal was a Jekyll and Hyde type hockey club. They started the year off really strong, resulting in a Northeast Division title. But down the stretch they fell apart, offering up little resistance to Ottawa in the first round of the playoffs. So the Habs did a little retooling. They added Danny Briere, George Perros and Douglas Murray. With a solid nucleaus and good mix of talent, the Habs will make a strong push for the playoffs again this season.

6. Tampa Bay Lightning
Last year was a down year in Tampa Bay. The lone bright spots for the Bolts were Martin St Louis winning an Art Ross and Steven Stamkos coming up just short in the race for the Rocket, as goal scoring leader in the league. This year's team looks a little different. Valterri Filppula was brought on board, while Vincent Lecavalier left for Philly. Scoring goals for this Tampa team isn't going to be a problem, as they have plenty of talent to do that. It's keeping the puck out of their net that's going to be an issue. The talent is there, but the goaltending isn't. Tampa is going to miss out on the playoffs again.

7. Florida Panthers
Going into the summer, there weren't too many positives for the Cats. Things have changed a little down in Sunrise, all with the addition of one guy. By signing Tim Thomas in the offseason, it gave the Panthers a little bit of hope. Florida has some talent to work with, and now they have solid goaltending to match it. Florida is still a long way off from being a playoff team. But they take another step closer to it this season.

8. Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo is going to be in a serious rebuilding mode, so don't be surprised if the vultures start buzzing around this hockey team. There won't be much in the way of success in Buffalo this year. Even if the Sabres are not winning, the presence of Steve Ott, Patick Kaleta and Marcus Foligno ensures that this team will be entertaining.

Metropolitan Division

1. Pittsburgh Penguins*
It was amazing the way the Pens were dispatched from the playoffs a year ago. Scoring just two goals in the conference finals when they were swept by Boston. GM Ray Sherro deserves a lot of credit for not overreacting to the way things went down. Instead he stayed calm and went to work revamping the Pens. little tinkering was all the Pens needed to stay in a good place, so he repatriated stay-at-home defender Rob Scuderi and brought in some veteran depth to shore up the bottom six. So the offense isn't a worry for the Pens, who still have the two best players in the world in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Goaltending is going to be interesting. Fleury can't falter like he did in the playoffs, because Vokoun isn't there to back him up. If Fleury returns to form then Pittsburgh will be fine. If not then they are in trouble.

2. New York Rangers*
It became public knowledge last year that John Tortorella's abrasive and dismissive style had run its course with this team, as it was revealed that he had lost his locker room. So when Torts was fired, the signing of Alain Vigneault the most important move that GM Glen Sather made all summer. Vigneault has a style more suited for this Rangers team. Brad Richards is going to see a bounce back year this year, now that he should have more freedom to create offense. Marc Staal will be back and healthy and ready to rock and roll. And this goes without saying, but the Rangers have the best netminder in the entire league in Henrik Lundqvist. With all those pieces in place, it's easy to see this team making some real noise in the postseason.

3. Washington Capitals*
It took Washington a little while to get used to the systems that Adam Oates was implementing last year. Once the Caps bought into the system, it was off to the races, as they stormed back to win the division. Heading into this year, loosing Mike Ribeiro will knock the league's top power play down a couple of notches, but Mikhail Grabovski, his replacement, should make Washington a tougher team at five-on-five. On defense, there is a little bit of concern, because outside of Mike Green, John Carlson and Karl Alzner, there isn't much to go on. So its a bit of a concern. Still the Caps have enough talent to make noise in this division and get into the playoffs.

4. Philadelphia Flyers* (wild card)
A season ago the Flyers had top flight talent on their hockey club, but with injuries taking their toll, it lead to Philly missing out on the playoffs. The Flyers spent a little money this summer retooling the club. Briere and Ilya Bryzgalov were both bought out. In their place comes in Ray Emery and Vinny Lecavalier, as well as bolstering the blueline with the trade and then signing of Mark Streit. The forwards in Philly are going to power this hockey club. Philly has the talent to get back into the playoffs again this season.

5. New York Islanders
Last year was a step in the right direction for the Islanders, as they made the playoffs for the first time in six years. Now they look to build on it. Adding players like Cal Clutterbuck, Pierre-Marc Bouchard will help out on offense. The big worry on the Island is going to be goaltending. How well can Nabokov hold up at 38? How well are his backups going to play? The Islanders are going to make a strong push for the last playoff spot, and be in contention all year. Unless they get some relief in net for Nabokov, they may come up just short.

6. Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus came oh so close to making the playoffs last year. Having a torid last two months of the season, they came up just short of making the playoffs in the West. This year, with moving to the East, they are hungry to try and get back there. Adding in Nathan Horton to the mix brings in a little more grit and experience to a talented group of young forwards. There's a lot of talent on this team. But while this looks to be the best lineup the team has ever iced, the move to the Metro Division likely means they're nowhere near as close to making the playoffs in the East as they were in the West. Think of it as one step back before taking two steps forward.

7. New Jersey Devils
The offseason started off in a jarring fashion for the Devils. Ilya Kovalchuck decided to retire from the NHL to go home and play in Russia. Then the team lost David Clarkson to Toronto via free agency. Now Lou Lamoriello has to rebuild again. He picked up Corey Schneider from the Canucks, then added in Jaromir Jagr, Damien Brunner, Michael Ryder, Ryane Clowe and Rostislav Olesz. Sure the retooled, but the Devils are becoming an older team in this conference, and with that its going to be hard to compete with some of the younger, quicker teams in the East. The Devils are still a good hockey club, but they won't be able to hang with some of the faster teams, and they will fade out and miss the playoffs.

8. Carolina Hurricanes
Talk about a team in a bit of a slump. Carolina hasn't made the playoffs in four years, with injuries playing a big factor into that. Scoring this season won't be a problem, the defense will be. The focus then will be on a blueline that will sport at least three new faces after a season-ending injury to Joni Pitkanen. The ability of that group to impact the league's worst special teams unit will determine whether Carolina makes a show of it or quickly sinks to the bottom of the conference.

So there you have it, my predictions for the 2013-14 NHL season!

(Note that all of these predictions were made BEFORE the start of the regular season)

The Best And Worst From Week Four In The NFL

Another week has come and gone during the NFL season. Teams are looking up, while some others are really struggling. We now have five teams that are undefeated: New England, Denver, Kansas City, Seattle and New Orleans. At the same time we still have the Giants, Bucs, Steelers and Jaguars that are winless. Injuries are starting to pile up, as Jake Lockert went down with a knee injury against the Jets. Some players are really starting to find their stride, while others are struggling. So now with that in mind, lets take a look at some of the best and worst from week four of the NFL season.

Best:
Reggie Bush, Running Back Detroit Lions
Coming into this season, there was a question mark as to how good Bush was going to be. He hasn't looked like the same Back that made a name for himself with the Saints. But Bush made a statement that he was back. He had 18 carries for 139 yards and a touchdown. Now those are good numbers. To make this more interesting, he did it against the Bears defense, which is one of the better run defenses in the league. It appears, at least for one week, that Reggie Bush has returned to form.

Worst:
Joe Flacco Quarterback Baltimore Ravens
Coming off his Super Bowl MVP, and his new contract, a lot was expected from Flacco coming into this season. In week four, he was a little disappointing. Sure he threw for 347 yards and two touchdowns. At the same time he went 25 of 50 and threw 5 interceptions. No you didn't read that wrong Flacco was picked off five times Sunday against the Bills. Still the Ravens only lost 23-20. Flacco has got to play better if the Ravens want to maintain that lead in the division.

Best:
Drew Brees Quarterback New Orleans Saints
Brees was nearly perfect throwing the ball Monday night against the Fins. He went 30 of 39 for 413 yards and four touchdowns. Twice Brees found Jimmy Graham for touchdowns, with the other two tosses going to Benjamin Watson and Darren Sproles. The reason Brees is here is because of the 4 TD's and 0 picks. Plus he only missed 9 passes all game, something that's really tough to do during the course of a game.

Worst:
Geno Smith Quarterback New York Jets
Smith went 23 of 34 for 289 yards 1 touchdown and 2 picks. He was sacked 5 times, and turned the ball over two other times. This was Smith's worst start during the regular season. Now with Mark Sanchez likely done for the year with shoulder surgery, Smith is the man in New York. If he doesn't get it together, and quickly, its going to go straight downhill for the Jets the rest of the way. He has got to cut down on his turnovers otherwise the Jets may make the switch and go with Matt Simms as their starter.

Best:
Victor Cruz Wide Receiver New York Giants
\Cruz was a big help for Eli on Sunday. Despite the Giants coming up short against the Chiefs, and only scoring 7 points, Cruz still had a big day. Cruz had 10 catches for 164 yards and scored the lone touchdown of the ball game. He really has been the one offensive bright spot for Big Blue all season.

Worst:
Hakeem Nicks Wide Receiver New York Giants
As good as Cruz has been for the Giants last week, Nicks wasn't. The Giants receiver complained that he couldn’t “throw it to myself” after the team’s Week 3 38-0 drubbing in Carolina. Eli Manning targeted Nicks nine times during Sunday’s loss to Kansas City, but Nicks produced only three catches for 33 yards and had multiple drops. So Nicks had a bad week, and for the Giants to be able to recover, and try and get back into the playoff picture, he needs to get it together