The Smorgasbord

By Rob LaBrie

For the past month or so, I’ve been a little busy trying to elude Stephen Jackson and his posse.  Ever since I threw that beer on one of them in the Bada-Bing strip club, they’ve been tryin’ to bust a cap in my (butt) and chasin’ me with Cadillac Escalades.  So, needless to say, I’ve been a little too busy to write about sports.

What better way to get back in the saddle than with a nice little smorgasbord (yeah, that’s how you spell it) of sport?  A good smorgasbord covers all the bases.  That means we’re going to need a little of everything, from the basics (“the player” and Blue Lips) to a first in the history of mankind; a sponsor for time.
R.I.P. Cory Lidle

Every once in a while, an event occurs that really makes us take a step back and look at life from a fresh, innocent, mortal perspective.  This is most definitely one of those times.  Cory Lidle wasn’t a star, he didn’t have Hollywood good looks and wasn’t one of those outspoken guys who makes news with his mouth.  All he did was live life to its fullest and there’s something we can all learn a lesson from.

Cory Lidle didn’t take life for granted.  He had a life long dream of becoming a Major League pitcher.  So what did he do?  He made the dream reality even without a proto-typical big league body.  Lidle had a dream of becoming a pilot, soaring through the air with the clouds.  In typical Lidle fashion, he made that happen too.  

Sure, that ended up being his demise, but, really, chances are better of dying in a car accident than a plane crash.  His friends and family can’t fairly look back and say “I should’ve stopped him”.  I’m sure if he were to do it all over again, he would do what he loved again, but maybe just take a few more precautions.  Even through this tragedy, we can’t lose sight of what’s really important: living life to the fullest and living each day as if it may be your last.  Thank you, Cory.

—————————————————————–

His blood is red, his lips are blue.  He makes 25 million, but still gets booed.

Yankees fans are hot about the most recent collapse of the Bronx Bombers.  Mostly, they want their $25 million man out.  There have been some rumors, mostly initiated by talk-radio, about potential trades including: A-Rod to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (of California of the United States of Planet Earth) for Ervin Santana, and maybe Chone Figgins or Dallas McPherson, A-Rod to the White Sox for Joe Crede and a pitcher or two, or A-Rod to the Cubbies for Aramis Ramirez and some young guns.

Alex Rodriguez may be a bit of a choker in the postseason, but he’s still the same player who was once talked about as “the guy who could become the greatest player who ever lived”.  Frankly, as a Red Sox fan, I hope he goes to Chicago or anywhere else other than New York.  I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather have to face Joe Crede in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded.

—————————————————————–

Oh yeah, playoff baseball

While the Yankees are the topic of most current baseball debates in the sports world, according to my sources, there are actually four teams still trying to get to the World Series.  My picks are A’s and Mets.  Yes, the A’s are down 2-0, but I think they’re going to take games 3 and 4 to get right back into this thing.  I truly believe that their starting pitching and bullpen (especially now with Zumaya out) will prove to be better than Detroit’s and that will eventually be the key to the series.

As for the NL, the Mets will probably take this one in 5.  Their offense is head and shoulders above the other three teams out there, but I think they’re going to have problems once they reach the World Series, no matter who they play.  The starting rotation is in a shambles, regardless of whether or not El Duque returns for the Series.  Glavine is no longer a horse and I just don’t think they’ll be able to keep the A’s or Tigers in the ball park.

—————————————————————–

O.D., O.D., O.D.

T.O. is really having some problems in Dallas.  For the first time since playing alongside Jerry Rice, T.O. finds himself as a number two option.  He and Drew Bledsoe just haven’t synched up and it’s too bad because a Bledsoe-Owens connection could be the final ingredient to a Super Bowl recipe in the Big D.

Is it time to bring in Tony Romo?  Not yet.  However, I think the time has come to tell Drew Bledsoe to get Owens a little more involved in the offense.  Parcells needs to grab hold of this team and force them in the right direction because they don’t seem to want to do it on their own.  They’ve got as much talent as anyone else in the NFL, but they just need a little Tuna to bring it all together.

—————————————————————–

Other NFL tidbits

Have you ever seen a more disappointing 5-0 team?  Maybe it’s just because we’re used to seeing them rip it up every Sunday (excluding the ones in January), but the Colts seem to be playing lackluster football.  According to the odds makers, while Indy beat Tennessee 14-13 last week, they actually got blown out by the Titans as the point spread in this game was -18.  This could be the best team in the NFL for all we know, but they’re being talked about as if they were 2-3.

Speaking of the best team in the NFL, how about the Raiders?  First step: trade Randy Moss.  Al Davis could probably get a first round pick and a couple solid young role players for him right now.  There are plenty of teams looking for a wideout, so it’s not like there wouldn’t be a market for him.  Second step: clone 11 Howie Long’s, 11 Marcus Allen’s, and 30 Aaron Brooks’ (somebody has to warm the bench).

Quick, which two quarterbacks currently sit atop the NFL passer rating ranks?  Who’d you say?  Donovan McNabb?  Tom Brady?  Peyton Manning?  Carson Palmer?  Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.  Coming in at number one is David Carr with a 108.9 QB rating (I don’t know what that means either, just that it’s good).  In the number two slot is Damon Huard.  Yes, Huard still plays in the NFL.  He’s the replacement for injured Cheifs QB, Trent Green who suffered a concussion in week 1.  The QB situation in the NFL is crazy right now.  The combined record of those top two QB’s: 3-5.

—————————————————————–

Stephen Jackson goes postal

Anybody in the Indianapolis area get hit with falling bullets last Thursday night?  Yeah, sorry, that was just Stephen being Stephen.  Jackson fired some “warning shots” into the crisp autumn night after almost getting run over by a car.  What I can’t get over is that this guy is still in the NBA.  He is constantly in and out of trouble, and really isn’t a great player.  Jackson has the character of an angry troll and if I were the Indiana Pacers, Jackson would be gone faster that you can say T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

—————————————————————–

NHL is back

At least, I think it is…

—————————————————————–

White Sox sell time

Now, White Sox fans can officially have a Big Gulp and a baseball game at 7:11.  The ChiSox and 7-Eleven have reached a deal that, along with in-park signs and advertisements, the White Sox will start their weeknight home games at 7:11.  I think this really is exciting news.  I mean, if they can do this, what next?  Ads on the Green Monster, or a 5 minute commercial break in between each half inning, or, get this one, teams will start naming their stadiums after certain company names.  Aren’t the names AT&T Park, U.S. Cellular Field, Lincoln Financial Field and T.D. Banknorth Garden just music to the ears?  Oh wait…

—————————————————————–

That’s it for this edition of the Smorgasbord.  Here’s to the family and friends of Cory Lidle and his instructor who was also on board, Tyler Stanger.  You are in our thoughts and prayers.