Friday Night Lights "Tami Knows Best"

Sorry for the delay, in getting the episode two summary up.

Riggans has been receiving letters of interest from colleges, including football power, Oklahoma. I'm pretty sure you have pass some of your classes to be able to play in college. Tami is taking some heat from the Boosters and the Mayor over cancelling the Jumbotron initiative and a less than flattering article comes out in the local papers about her. Saracen is dealing with the stress of his Grandma not taking her pills. Smash continues working with Coach Taylor, who is trying to get him a tryout with some colleges, but is having a hard time, since it is during the football season. Lyla wants to bring Tim to Dinner with Buddy and the McCoys and Buddy is not sure Tim is right for Lyla, because of his playboy ways. Buddy warns Riggans about hurting Lyla and messing up his relationship with Mr. McCoy. In Riggans' defense he has been very redeeming in season 2 and so far in Season 3. Tyra gets mad when fellow students aren't taking her student body president campaign seriously, by defacing her picture. Saracen meets with a lawyer who suggests that he become an emancipated minor and then become his Grandmother's guardian, this poor kid is 17, trying to graduate, go to college, play football and take care of his grandmother who has dementia. Smash is still hesitant about testing his knee and doubts his ability to resume his football career. Saracen get frustrated with is Grandma when she won't take his pills and takes out his aggression on some boxes in the back of Applebees, when he realizes Julie has been watching him. Julie asks him what is wrong and after he describes his situation she makes a joke to lighten the mood. Looks like Julie may regret leaving Saracen for "the Swede" now. Lyla dresses up Riggans for the big dinner, to help him get into Oklahoma. Riggans totally blows it when he can't answer basic questions, or form sentences for that matter, and he orders the squab (raw pigeon) really Riggans? You live in Texas, do you know what a steak is? Lyla gets the help of her sister Mindy and her co-workers when they are performing some provocative dance moves in the school courtyard to draw attention to her campaign. The Asst Principal wants to suspend Tyra for 3 days and Tami overrules him. Coach Taylor is frustrated with Smash's doubts and asks him if he should stop trying to find him a tryout, and tells Smash to be a man and to meet him at the field in full pads on sat night. Tyra tells the student body that the election is all about who they want planning their prom and tells them that nobody is getting laid if they vote for her competition who will hold the prom in the gym. The crowd cheers for Tyra. The Panthers win the game easily and then celebrate at their favorite place Applebees. Boosters ask Coach Taylor when they will see super frosh JD McCoy play again? Taylor says that Saracen played a good game tonight. Taylor is having a hard time balancing Coach and Husband duties while Tami is dealing with the Jumbotron situation. Saracen borrows Landry's car so he can go find his mom to sign his emancipation papers, so he can take care of his Grandma. Saracen is such a sweet boy. His mom doesn't know who he is and can't believe his dad left him alone with the Grandma, when she herself left him? She signs the papers and he heads back to Dillon. Tyra tells Tami that she has won the election and Tami is disappointed in her for sinking to low levels to win. Smash gets to go against the Dillon Panthers in full pads to test his knee, this would never happen in real life for numerous school insurance reasons but I digress. Smash finds his way and makes a Smash Williams like play to score a TD and takes a minute to get up and worries everyone. Smash then jumps up proclaiming he is back! Lyla is mad at Riggans for messing up the dinner. Riggans goes home and Lyla is sitting on the couch waiting for Mindy and Billy to finish "Business time." Riggans drops his pants and grabs some beers from the fridge. Lyla shows up with some food for Riggans to find this situation and takes it surprisingly well considering his past with Tyra and Lyla's lack of trust in his sincerity and fidelity. Buddy tells Tami that the school board will be having a meeting to discuss the Jumbotron funds. Coach Taylor goes over to Smash's house to tell him he's got a tryout with Texas A&M. Saracen sees Juile waiting for a ride and offers her a ride home, she tells him she is saving up for a car, and makes him stop so she can show him the car she wants. Julie tells Saracen maybe she will give him a ride to school.

Next episode: Billy needs Riggans help to commit a crime, Mrs. McCoy offers to host the team barbecue, and Smash worries about how is mom is going to pay for his schooling.

Friday Night Lights "I Knew You When"

FNL is Back! After the season ran exclusively on Direct TV, NBC is now running Season 3, which will only be 12 episodes, possibly but hopefully not the last 12. "Are you ready for Friday night?"

Season 3 picks up at the beginning of a new school year, we learn that after Smash's suspension he returned for the Panthers playoff run and tore up his knee, and lost his scholarship. Coach Taylor is under a lot of pressure after last season and could be fired if he loses 2 games this season. There is no room for rebuilding at Dillon as the media wonders how they will win without Smash. Well they had to win 3 games without him last year when he was suspended, so it must have been possible. Riggans will move from Fullback to Running back to replace Smash. Saracen is still QB1 in his Senior season, but there is a new hotshot freshman transfer from Dallas, JD McCoy who is QB2 and looking to get some snaps for the Panthers. Tami Taylor is the new Principal at Dillon. Tyra and Landry have broken up, I wonder if Landry regrets breaking that other girls heart for Tyra? Lyla has moved in with Buddy after her mother moved to California with her fiance and took Lyla's siblings. There is no sign of Santiago, so either he graduated, or is back in Juvi, looks like Buddy has no need for him since he isn't playing football. As we see Lyla, at Buddy's we see that she has dumped religious Chris and got together with Riggans, for the summer to the delight of many fans, although they deny being together when school starts. Coach Taylor is helping Smash with his rehab, so he can get another chance at playing college ball. JD McCoy's dad has been pushing Buddy to get his son some playing time. Tyra's new guidance counselor tells her she has little hope of getting into any of her college choices. Buddy and the boosters donate a large sum of money to the school to be used for a new Jumbotron for the football games, after struggling with the budget for the school year, Tami decides to use the money for academic needs, much to the ire of Buddy, and the boosters. Tami is trying to be a renegade and challenge the football is king mentality in Dillon. Riggans is upset that Lyla doesn't take him seriously and doesn't want to have more than a sexual relationship with him. Riggans does have some redeeming qualities. Smash's doctor tells him he may never be as fast as he was before the injury and that sends Smash into depression and he tries to quit his workouts with Coach Taylor. Saracen and Riggans can't seem to get on the same page in practice. JD McCoy's dad sends a smoothie truck to practice and Coach Taylor makes them leave, saying nobody deserves a smoothie. Tyra gets into an argument with her former guidance counselor/new principal Tami about inflating her hopes about college. There is some big to do about Julie wanting to change her English class, so she can get an after school job, Tami doesn't think its a good idea, and Julie talks Coach Taylor into signing the permission slip, Tami is mad at Julee and Coach over this. Lyla tells Riggans that he scares her and that she can't take him seriously. JD McCoy's dad pays Coach Taylor a visit to apologize for the smoothie truck and praises him for his work with an average QB in Saracen, and tells Taylor that is why his family moved to Dillon, is to work with Taylor. Riggan's brother, Billy proposes to Tyra's sister, Mindy, at a local bar, very classy especially after 5 weeks of dating. Of course she say yes. Tyra is worried she will be trapped in Dillon forever, and decides to submit her application to Texas even though her guidance counselor advised against it and she has decided to run for student body president. Friday night and the Panthers take a commanding lead behind Riggans and Saracen. Coach Taylor puts in Super Frosh JD McCoy who throws a long perfect spiral TD, to excite the crowd and Saracen can been seen bowing his head knowing his time as QB1 could be limited. Panthers get the win. At the party after the game, Lyla and Riggans decide to not hide their feelings and are seen kissing in front of everyone, to the dismay of Buddy. After seeing a highlight video of Smash, Coach Taylor, takes Smash to play some racket ball? After they both get sweaty and winded, Taylor tells Smash not give up on his rehab and his dreams, how sweet :)

Next week: Tami faces criticism for not installing the Jumbotron. Lyla tries to dress up Riggans to impress her dad. Saracen struggles to care for his Grandma. Tyra runs for class prez.

2008 College Bowl Picks 4

Outback Bowl
Iowa vs. South Carolina
Both teams Defenses are ranked in the top 12, but Iowa's hot streak and the running of Shonn Greene will be the difference. PICK: Iowa RESULT: Iowa 31-10 (13-10)

Capital One Bowl
Michigan State vs. Georgia
Many people's pre season #1 pick Georgia disappointed many this season and Michigan State played beyond expectations. This game will feature two of the nations best RBs in J. Ringer and K. Moreno. Look for Georgia to play the way they were supposed to all season. PICK: Georgia RESULT: Georgia 24-12, Both star RBs were held in check by the opposing Ds (14-10)

Gator Bowl
Clemson vs. Nebraska
Clemson was another team that didn't play up to their pre season top 10 hype. They changed coaches during the season and regained some of the offensive power they had in 2007. PICK:Clemson RESULT: Nebraska 26-21, Clemson blew a 14-3 halftime lead (14-11)

Rose Bowl
USC vs. Penn State
USC could have easily been in the title game, with so many NFL prospects this should be another beating of the Big 10 champs just like last year's beating of Illinois. PICK: USC RESULT: USC 38-24, this one was all USC despite Penn State's late effort (15-11)

Orange Bowl
Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati
Does this even deserve to be a BCS Bowl game? V Tech usually stinks it up in Bowl games and Cinci has found creative ways to win all season. PICK: Cinci RESULT: V Tech 20-7, The Hokies end their bowl slump (15-12)

Cotton Bowl
Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss
This is a good SEC/Big 12 battle just like the title game. Tech knows how to score and Crabtree should put on a huge show, in what may be his last college game. PICK: Texas Tech RESULT:Ole Miss 47-34, Highly disappointing showing by the Red Raider as the SEC wins another a bowl game (15-13)

Liberty Bowl
East Carolina vs. Kentucky
ECU had a lot of early season upsets and then stumbled before winning 6 of their last 7. PICK:ECU RESULT:Kentucky 25-19, another game where the team struggling ha a big 4th quarter to get the win (15-14)

Sugar Bowl
Utah vs. Alabama
This year's non BCS team that claims they belong with the big boys. Alabama was number 1 much of the year and played a tough SEC title game with Florida. Alabama will be too strong for Utah. PICK: Alabama RESULT: Utah 31-17, Alabama gets embarrassed by Utah who will finish the season as the only unbeaten team in Division 1 (15-15)

International Bowl
UCONN vs. Buffalo
Both programs are on the rise but UCONN features the nation leading rusher RB D. Brown, and the chatter of Buffalo coach T. Gill leaving for a better job may be a distraction. PICK: UCONN RESULT: UCONN 38-20, UCONN muffed 2 kickoffs, and turned the ball over 5 times in the first 17 minutes of the game before getting back on track. Huskies RB D. Brown rumbled for 261 yds (16-15)

Fiesta Bowl
Ohio State vs. Texas
Many question whether Ohio State from an overrated Big 1o deserved a BCS bowl, and Texas will show them they don't while trying to gain some National Championship votes from the media. PICK: Texas RESULT: Texas 24-21, Ohio State blew a late lead to give Texas the win, and despite the Longhorns pleas to voters should not be a factor in the National title picture. (17-15)

GMAC Bowl
Tulsa vs. Ball State
2 great QBs in this one, Ball State lost the MAC championship to ruin their perfect season, their coach has left them and they were too scared to committ to a bowl matchup with Boise St. before the MAC Championship loss. Things continue in that direction. PICK: Tulsa RESULT: Tulsa 45-13 Ball State's downfall continued as Tulsa put a beat down on them (18-15)

BCS Title Game
Florida vs. Oklahoma
The 2 best teams in the country. I had Oklahoma has my #1 team for this season after last seasons bowl games and they have looked powerful this season, and "but for" some injuries to their middle linebackers could be undefeated. The Sooners also have some key injuries heading into this game. Florida has won all the big games this season and after Tim Tebow shed some tears after watching his team botch an XP, nobody has played harder than the Gators. 2 Heisman QBs face off, and the current Heisman winner usually doesn't play too well, and the SEC has dominated the title game in recent years. PICK: Florida. RESULT: Florida 24-14 As there was any doubt the SEC would win the BCS title. Florida showed that they could also play some D with 2 goal line stops before halftime. And as Tim Tebow promised after the loss to Ole Miss, he would not let his team lose (19-15)

Bowl Picks this season: 19-15 - 56%
Bowl Picks all time: 40-26 - 61%
Picks All time: 62-35 - 64%

You can contact Tony @ TTOHblog@hotmail.com

2008 College Bowl Picks 3

Independence Bowl
La Tech vs. N. Illinois
La Tech has won 4 of their last 5 games and will be playing close to home. PICK: La Tech RESULT: La Tech 17-10 (6-6)

Papa Johns Bowl
Rutgers vs. NC State
Both teams finished strong after slow starts to the season, a win in this game will be a nice way to finish a season. PICK: Rutgers RESULT: Rutgers 29-23, Rutgers scored 23 2nd half points to come from behind to get the win (7-6)

Alamo Bowl
Missouri vs. Northwestern
Missouri was a victim of playing in one of the 2 best conferences in CFB and should steamroll Northwestern. PICK: Mizzou RESULT: Mizzou 30-23, not as big a margin of victory as many expected (8-6)

Humanitarian Bowl
Maryland vs. Nevada
Nevada averages almost 38 ppg and has 2 1000 yards rushers to lead their offense. Maryland like much of the ACC was very inconsistent this season. PICK: Nevada RESULT: Maryland 42-35 (8-7)

Holiday Bowl
Oklahoma St vs. Oregon
Both teams can score and neither play much defense. Oklahoma St. was in the top 10 most of the season, with all of their losses coming to teams in the ranking's top 3. PICK: Oklahoma St. RESULT: Oregon 42-31 Oregon continued OSU's late season slide from the top of the rankings (8-8)

Texas Bowl
Rice vs. Western Michigan
Rice looks to win their first Bowl game since 1954 and they will be playing close to home. PICK: Rice RESULT: Rice 38-14 (9-8)

Armed Forces Bowl
Air Force vs. Houston
Hard to pick against Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl, but Houston led the nation in offense this season. Pick Houston RESULT: Houston 34-28 (10-8)

Sun Bowl
Oregon St vs. Pitt
Oregon St. was ranked high all season by virtue of their upset win over USC, and the Rodgers brothers will be too much to handle for Pitt. Pitt did finish the season on a roll with 2 quality wins. PICK: Oregon State RESULT: Oregon St 3-0, not the high scoring Beavers people expected (11-8)

Music City Bowl
Boston College vs. Vanderbilt
BC has the nations longest Bowl winning streak but after the loss of QB C. Crane have had to rely on their defense. Vandy is making its first Bowl appearance in 26 years, and playing close to home. Tough to pick against BC in a bowl. PICK: BC RESULT: Vandy 16-14, Vandy stops BC's bowl winning streak when BC committs two costly personal fouls late in the 4th qurter. (11-9)

Insight Bowl
Minnesota vs. Kansas
The gophers limped down the stretch this season even losing to Michigan. Kansas couldn't follow up on their 2007 season but had a big win against rival Mizzou to end the season and should carry that momentum into this game. PICK: Kansas RESULT: Kansas 42-21 (12-9)

Chick Fil A Bowl
LSU vs. Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech ended their season on a roll beating 4 ranked opponents. LSU did not follow up their National Title season like they hoped losing 3 out of their last 4 games. Hard to pick against the almighty SEC but... PICK: Georgia Tech RESULT: LSU 38-3, The old LSU showed up and kicked some butt (12-10)

Check back for results;

Contact Tony @ TTOHblog@hotmail.com

2008 College Bowl Picks 2

Poinsettia Bowl
Boise St vs. TCU
In what could be the best matchup of the non BCS bowls undefeated Boise St looks to complete their perfect season furthering their argument that they should have been included in the BCS games. This matchup will pit a high scoring offense against a fast stingy defense. TCU's only losses came to 2 teams that ARE playing in BCS games Oklahoma and Utah. Unless Boise St has some more trick plays, I'm picking TCU. PICK:TCU RESULT: TCU 17-16, Boise State scored 10 quick points then the TCU defense took over and finished the game with an INT. (2-4)

Hawaii Bowl
Notre Dame vs. Hawaii
Hawaii is not as good as they were in the June Jones/Colt Brennan days but they get a home game against a highly disappointing Notre Dame team. Poor Jimmy Clausen will be lucky to survive 4 years of the beatings his O-Line allows him to take each game. Notre Dame should enjoy the warm weather because that may be the only fun part of this trip. PICK: Hawaii RESULT: Notre Dame 49-21, Good for Notre Dame proving me wrong, Jimmy Clausen finally got some support from his teammates. (2-5)

Motor City Bowl
Central Michigan vs. Florida Atlantic
CMU's QB Dan LeFevour is one of the best QBs that nobody knows about and is a major offensive weapon both with his arm and legs. FAU QB Rusty Smith has also put up some big numbers in the past 2 seasons, so this could be a high scoring game. PICK:CMU RESULT: FAU 24-21 (2-6)

Car Care Bowl
West Virginia vs. North Carolina
Early in the season both of these teams had BCS aspirations. This will be the final game for WVU QB Pat White and his stellar college career, and with a few weeks to rest all of his injuries should put on show. PICK: WVU RESULT: WVU 31-30, Pat White led WVU from behind to get the win (3-6)

Champs Sports Bowl
Wisconsin vs. Florida State
Two disappointing teams from this year, neither of which could win any of their must win games. Both teams rely on the run, and I'm picking FSU for no reason but their near home game advantage. PICK: FSU RESULT: FSU 42-13, All FSU as expected (4-6)

Emerald Bowl
Miami vs. California
Miami QB Robert Marve has been suspended for this game for missing classes (In Miami, can you blame him?) So QB Jacory Harris who splits time will play the whole game and I think he will play well, just not well enough. Cal's RB J. Best will prove too much for the Hurricanes . PICK: Cal RESULT: Cal 24-17, a whole lot of J. Best, as expected (5-6)

A little bit of a comeback with the picks.

Check Back for Results.

Contact Tony at TTOHblog@hotmail.com

2008 College Bowl Picks 1

Bowl Picks are back!

After taking the regular season off, I have decided to once again pick all the Bowl games.

Last season I wen 21-11 for the Bowls which gave me an overall record of 43-20.

Here we go;

Eagle Bank Bowl
Navy vs. Wake Forest
A rematch from earlier this season that saw Navy win 24-17. Navy's Defense finished the season strong with 2 shutouts and they run a a tricky triple option offense that gives teams a lot of trouble. Wake Forest was a disappointment this year on offense. PICK: Navy
RESULT: Wake Forest 29-19, Wake scored 15 points in the 4th quarter to come from behind
(0-1)

New Mexico Bowl
Fresno State vs. Colorado State
Fresno State was a top 25 team earlier in the season and will get back a few offensive weapons from injury. PICK: Fresno State
RESULT: CSU 40-35, Another come from behind victory 20 points in the 4th quarter, Colorado State RB G. Johnson's 285 yds/2 TDs was the difference. (0-2)

St. Petersburg Bowl
South Florida vs. Memphis
When was the last time anyone said South Florida's season was a major disappointment? After a strong 2007, the Bulls had high expectations for 2008, but inconsistent play plagued the Bulls. My money is on QB Matt Grothe and South Florida playing up to their capabilities and making amends for a lost season. PICK: South Florida RESULT: USF 41-14, as expected a one sided affair. (1-2)

Las Vegas Bowl
BYU vs. Arizona
Arizona makes its first bowl appearance since 1998. BYU is a high scoring offense led by QB Max Hall and RB Harvey Unga, as long as they continue to score they should win despite a defense that gives up a ton of points. PICK: BYU RESULT: AZ 31-21, BYU was pretty disappointing on offense and their defense gave up some big plays to the Arizona offense, this is the type of game that voters point to when non BCS conference teams campaign for BCS games as to why they don't belong with the big boys. (1-3)

New Orleans Bowl
Troy vs. Southern Miss.
Southern Miss needed to win their last 4 games to become bowl eligible and have RB Damion Fletcher. Troy won the Sun Belt after losing their starting QB early in the season. I think Southern Miss' momentum comes to a halt. PICK: Troy RESULT: Southern Miss. 30-27 OT, I only saw the OT of this game due to the much more important Giants/Panthers game and both teams looked bad. (1-4)

Not a good start, but maybe this is an argument for a playoff system, who cares about unispired teams going through the motions in low level bowls.


Check back for more Bowl picks and Results

Contact Tony @ TTOHblog@hotmail.com

Mets offseason plans for 2009

Another season that came down to the last day for the New York Mets, that ended in disappointment and another year of playoff tickets for me to throw away. Here are some of Tony's Thoughts on how the Mets will approach the offseason.

2008 said goodbye to Shea Stadium, 2009 will say hello to Citi Field, probably the only reason I will keep my season tickets after the way the last 2 seasons ended.

GM Omar Minaya-He was heading into the last year of his deal and has already been rewarded with an extension? huh? Shouldn't Omar have to prove he can do more than spend the Wilpon's money? Make the Playoffs? He over paid Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez (when everybody knew he had a torn labrum) He traded for Johan Santana but only because the Red Sox and Yankees wouldn't give up prospects and give Johan the money he wanted. He signed Luis Castillo to a 4 year deal after having knee surgery that would take away his greatest asset his speed? He traded away Brian Bannister for hit and run driver A. Burgos. He refused to trade Milledge and Heilman for Dan Haren or Joe Blanton a few seasons ago? The only successful move I can think of during the Minaya era is the Ryan Church trade. He threw Willie Randolph under the bus for a team he built, I think the Mets should have made him wait until after this season to EARN an extension.

Manager Jerry Manuel-Manuel had his interim tag removed and was given a low cost deal that makes him expendable should the Mets struggle again. The Mets did play better once Manuel took over but, its hard for a team to relax and play good baseball when they know the manager (Randolph) could be fired if they lose. Manuel is guilty of the same bullpen abuse Randolph was, he uses almost all his guys every night, for one batter. Does he not realize that even though each pitcher may only throw a few pitches, it takes a toll on their arms to warm up every night? The Bullpen was not very good this season but their workload was definitely a factor.

1b C. Delgado-The Mets have already told Delgado they will pick up his 09 option which could be a bargain at 12 million if he plays more like he did from June-Sept and not like he did in April and May. Delgado will be a cheaper alternative than the 200 million plus it will take to sign Mark Texiera.

2b As mentioned above Luis Castillo is signed for another 3 seasons and hopefully will never have to play another game for the Mets. 08 saw the Mets so desperate that they used 38 year old D. Easley, all field, no hit A. Reyes and career AAA guy R. Martinez, who was their guy down the stretch. Well the good news is that the Mets have asked slick hitting LF Dan Murphy to learn 2b in the Arizona Fall League, Murphy was a 3b in the minors but was obviously blocked by one Mr. Wright. If Murphy can not make the switch, a name being thrown around is Orlando Hudson.

LF-Not even urinating on his hands could keep Moises Alou healthy in 08. LF saw the likes of Murphy, Endy"the catch" Chavez, Trot Nixon, Fernando Tatis and another 3b turned OF Nick Evans. A priority for the offseason is finding a power hitting LF most likely a right handed batter. One possible cheaper alternative would be Raul Ibanez, who is 37 (just the age Omar likes them) he keeps putting up solid numbers with little fanfare in Seattle. Ibanez would likely ask for a 3 year deal in the 10-14 million per season range, he could play LF this year then switch to 1b for 2010, and 11, after Delgado leaves, this option would allow the Mets to target LF Matt Holliday who will be a FA after 2009. Some other alternatives would be Manny Ramirez, Omar has a major man crush on the eccentric Manny, but new agent Scott Boras will want atleast a 4 year 100 million deal, and whats to say Manny's phantom knee injury doesn't rear its ugly head again. He quit on his team, and would not be a good example for the already easily distracted Jose Reyes. And can you imagine Manny in his pajama size uniform running around LF in Citi Field without the protection of the Green Monster? Another target would be On Base/HR Machine/Strikeout King Adam Dunn, He too can play LF this season and move to 1b but he is another lefty bat. Another aging star Minaya will like is Bobby Abreu, also a lefty. One other option is Met killer Pat Burrell who the Phillies may try to replace with Manny Ramirez.

Rotation-The Starters should be solid, Santana, Pelfrey and Maine provided his shoulder surgery went as well as expected. Pedro will be gone and proved he is no longer capable of giving more than 4 innings in the NL which means he is just about done. The Mets need to resign big game pitcher Oliver Perez, even if they give him 4 years, 60 million, he is a better value than an AJ Burnett, Derek Lowe, Ben Sheets or Andy Pettite, and if Carlos Silva got a 12 million a year deal , come on, Perez has some rough outings but he pitched gems in big games; Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS, the last game of 08 was going well until he got into trouble with walks in the 5th, and he was pitching on 3 days rest. The Mets do need to find a 5th starter and the name on everyone's mind is CC Sabathia, but can the Mets really tie up 2 pitchers that will make 22+ million dollars per year? Would you even want CC after watching the Brewers let him throw something like 8 CGs down the stretch many over 130 pitches? He is not in good shape to begin with and is a good candidate for an elbow/shoulder explosion within the next 2 seasons. I would prefer the Mets to sign a veteran to pitch out of the 5 hole and hope that Jon Niese can be ready by midseason or make a trade at that time.

Bullpen-As I mentioned above, they were severely overworked but with the exception of Wagner there was no consistency in this group. Heilman should be traded, all these other teams value him as a potential starter and the Mets should get something while they can. Schoenweiss is awful, the Tigers were willing to trade the Mets LF Marcus Thames last season for him, betcha they were glad they kept Thames. When Wagner went down, so did the Mets season, Peter Gammons had a stat that showed if the Mets would have ended games after 8 innings, they Mets would have won the division by 8.5 games! Wagner is out for all of next season. This creates a desperate situation for the Mets at the backend of the bullpen, and plays right into the greedy hands of one K-Rod. The Angels seem likely to focus on resigning Big Tex and moving on at closer. The other teams with enough money to pursue K-Rod (Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs) already have closers. The Dodgers could be another suitor, but they have a much cheaper alternative in J. Broxton. Regardless the Mets need major rebuilding in the bullpen.

It will be interesting to see how the Mets attack the offseason, they will want to reverse their fortunes as they move into Citi Field and as always they will be competing for the back pages with the cross town Yankees who are poised to spend a lot of money after missing the playoffs for the first time in Derek Jeter's career.

2008 Fantasy Football Rankings-RBs

Here are Tony's RB rankings;

1.LT-Obvious #1

2. Westbrook-Recs put him at #2, health is always a question, but he has only missed 2 games, the last 2 seasons.

3. M. Barber-He had 975yds and 12TDs last season in 200 carries, look for him to be a monster this season with the increased carries and clear goal line assignment.

4. Peterson-I worry about the injuries and if you take away the 2 huge games he had last year he only averaged 72 yds per game. And he had games of 3, 27 and 36 rush yards in the last month of the season, otherwise known as the Fantasy Playoffs.

5. Addai-He scored in 10 of 15 games and but you have to worry about the Colts shutting down at the end of the season, Addai only had 10 total carries in Weeks 16 and 17.

6. S. Jax-I worry about the holdout (See LJ 07) but Bulger and Pace are healthy this season, and Jackson's season should look more like the way he finished last season.

7. Portis-Look for the skins to rely on the run while Campbell tries to learn another new offense.

8. Gore-Does Martz make him look like Faulk? Most owners would settle for something closer to the Gore of 06 and not the Gore of 07. Teams will stack the line until O'Sullivan can prove he can run the Martz passing O.

9. Lynch-Still no real passing game in Buffalo, but he is supposed to get more recs this season.

10. LJ-Healthy this season, LJ should bounce back as KC will lean on him as usual.

11. MOJO Drew-He manages to score a healthy amount of TDs and catches a good amount of passes. He is a Fred Taylor injury away from being a stud.

12. R. Bush-NO-This ranking is purely on recs, if you don't play in a PPR league drop Bush down into the 20's.

13. Grant-His body of work is only 8 games, but what an 8 games it was, draft with a little bit of risk, much like D. Anderson at QB.

14. J. Lewis-Lewis saw a resurgence in Clev and with the Browns on the way up could have another solid year.

15. McGahee-Knee injury is a concern and the emergence of R. Rice could cut into what was supposed to be a big year for Willis playing the LT role in Cam Cameron's O.

16. E. Graham-Much like Grant, can he keep it going this season? Dunn is only competition so it looks like the Bucs will sink or swim with Graham, and they gave him the big deal he wanted.

17. B. Jacobs-Beast, if he can stay healthy for a season, he is a top 12 back. He drops a ton of passes though.

18. McFadden-Looks like he has passed Huggy Bear Jr on the depth chart, Run DMC is an injury risk b/c of his height and the hits he takes.

19. Turner-Atl is weak in the pass game, but Turner has some fresh legs and could have a Priest Holmes like emergence after leaving SD.

20. James-He has been solid averaging almost 1300 yds over the last 3 years.

21. Maroney-If the Pats run him like they did at the end of last season, I would move him up, but with the Pats you never know, they may pass the whole game.

22. T. Jones-With Favre and a new O Line things are aligned for Jones to have a nice season, but he has struggled in the pre season.

23. Parker-He is returning from a broken foot, and after having 16 TDs in 06 he had only 2 last season and figures to lose goal line touches to Mendenhall.

24.L. White-His season will depend on how many carries C. Johnson steals, White should get the goal line touches.

25. D. Williams-Held off J. Stewart and looks to prove he should be the featured back in the Panthers time share.

26. S. Young-Denver backs always seem to do well, but could be benched at any moment.

27. K. Smith-Starter by default who had over 400 carries last season at UCF, Lions signed Rudi Johnson to compete.

28. R. Brown-Was well on his way to being an elite back last season until his knee injury. He is coming off an ACL injury, is dealing with a thumb injury, and it looks like Ricky Williams will share the carries in the early part of the season.

29. M. Forte

30. F. Taylor-I don't expect him to have as good a year as he had last season, but Jax is a run first team and its possible for Taylor and Jones-Drew to each get 15-20 carries per week

31. J. Jones

32. C. Perry-Gets the starting nod, but has never been able to stay on the field.

33. J. Stewart-Could be a star if he gets passed the toe injury that has bothered him since last season. Looks to split carries with D. Williams.

34. C. Taylor-Stock rises if/when Peterson gets hurt.

35. M. Morris

36. F. Jones

37. C. Johnson

38. R. Rice

39. R. Williams

40. J. Fargas-Huggy Bear Jr. got paid so they should use him right? Ask Rhodes and Jordan how their 07 went.

41. J. Norwood

42. R. Mendenhall

43. K. Watson

44. A. Green-Starter by default, he will get hurt and Slaton could be the man in Houston

45. D. McAllister

46. L. Washington

47. S. Slaton

48. W. Dunn

49. D. Rhodes

50. D. Ward

51. L. Booker

52. T. Bell-Cut by Detroit could be the answer in Houston, he played in Kubiak's zone blocking scheme in Denver.

53. B. Jackson

54. C. Taylor-Somebody is going to end up getting the carries in Houston.

55. D. Foster

56. K. Jones

57. F. Jackson

58. P. Thomas-Finished strong last season when Bush and Duece were hurt.

59. L. Betts

60. D. Sproles

61. A. Bradshaw

62. R. Johnson-Could be your last pick, and end up the starter in Detroit.

2008 Fantasy Football Preview - WRs

For WRs, I'm going to rank my top 30, then list some other guys I like this season.

Here are Tony's WR rankings;

1. R. Moss-NE-Even if Moss has half the TDs he had last year he is a star.

2. T. Owens-Dal-Averaging 14 TDs over the last 2 seasons, he has stayed out of trouble in Big D, since his overdose, he already signed an extension, and is BFF with his QB.

So a Happy TO = a productive TO

3. R. Wayne-Ind-Took over the WR1 role in Indy with Harrison out last season, 3 year avg, of 91/1292/8.

4. M. Colston-NO-I moved him up over the past few weeks due to some injuries, but if Brees looks more like he did at the end last season and TE Shockey attracts some attention in the middle of the field look for Colston to keep improving 100/1200/12 is not out of the question.

5. B. Edwards-Clev-he drops a notch because of his foot injury which may cost him a few early season games or being a Brown, possible staph infection. The Browns offense has a lot of potential but QB Anderson is dealing with a concussion and Edwards injury may lead to a slow start.

6. A. Johnson-Hou-Could be #2 on this list if he and his QB could stay healthy.

7. L. Fitzgerald-AZ-Likes playing with K. Warner, Fitz scored 9 TDs in the final 7 games last season.

8. TJ Housh.-Cin-Tied for the league lead in recs (112) Should be the Bengals #1 with the shoulder injury to Ocho Cinco.

9. Chad Johnson-Cin-Shoulder injury is a concern, but he has been super consistent over the past 5 years, and last seasons 93/1440/8 was considered a down year despite being in line with his 3 yr avg.

10. T. Holt-Stl-Getting up there in age, that knee is always a concern but can't argue with the numbers he puts up.

11. P. Burress-NYG-We saw what he could do with a severe ankle injury. Its a good sign that he has practiced more in the preseason than he did all of last season.

12. W. Welker-NE-Welker is a stud in PPR leagues, he won't score a bunch of TDs though.

13. S.Smith-Car-Starts the season with a 2 game suspension for rearranging his teammates nose, but he is falling in drafts and should be in line for a big year with the return of a healthy Delhomme.

14. B. Marshall-Den-Lots of off field problems earned Baby TO a 3 game suspension, reduced to 1 game. Marshall has had a big preseason and should be drafted a lot higher then he is falling in drafts.

15. A. Bolden-AZ-WR is disgruntled and wants to be traded, but I think he benefits if Warner is the starter.

16. R. Williams-Det-with the departure of Martz, the pass happy O, will see more of a balance hurting Williams, not to mention the further development of Calvin Johnson.

17. G. Jennings-GB-My question is can he have the year he had last season without Brett Favre or is he the next Lee Evans?

18. S. Holmes-Pit-Primed for a big season as the Steelers let the ball fly last season.

19. M. Harrison-Ind-If healthy could be a draft steal.

20. H. Ward-Pit-Battled some injuries last season but he averaged 5.5 recs per game and scored 7 TDs.

21. J. Cotchery-NYJ-Seems to be the major benefactor of the arrival of Favre, he could be this years Greg Jennings.

22. L. Coles-NYJ

23. D. Bowe-KC

24. D. Driver-GB

25. R. White-Atl-White had a breakout season last year, because the Falcons played from behind most games, this year should see a lot of the same and Ryan should be a better passer than Redman/Harrington.

26. C. Johnson-Det-Back injury limited him last season, should continue to improve.

27. N. Burleson-Sea-He becomes the defacto WR1 with the injuries to Branch and Engram, He had 9 TDs last season playing behind Branch, Engram and Hackett.

28. B. Berrian-Min-He moves from one team with an awful QB to another team with an awful QB.

29. S. Moss-Wash

30. L. Evans-Buf

Here are some other guys I like;

A. Gonzalez-Ind-He gained a lot of experience with Harrison's injury and could do some damage out of the slot in Indy like Stokley did a few years back.

R. Brown-Phi-His recs have increased every year, and he had 9 TDs 2 years ago, with the injury to Curtis, Brown could see a lot of action early in the season.

K. Walter-Hou-Another good guy in PPR leagues, I don't see him scoring more than 6 TDs though.

D. Hester-Chi-Don't Laugh, Hester may actually finish the season as Chicago's #1 WR, they don't have much else and they will get him the ball. If you play in a league that counts his return yards he is an easy top 15 WR.

R. Meachum-NO-Last season's 1st round pick missed last year and has had a big preseason could beat out Patten for the #2 job and seems to have already passed Henderson for #3.

J. Gaffney-NE-Its always hard to predict what the Pats will do, but Gaffney could be solid he scored in 4 of the last 5 games last year and Stallworth is gone this season but he has to hold off former #1 pick Chad Jackson.

DJ Hackett-Car-If he can ever manage to stay healthy he could put up big numbers, playing opposite S. Smith could give him a lot of room to work and he is a nice red zone target on a team without an elite TE.

2008 Fantasy Football Preview-QBs

Here are Tony's QB rankings;

1. T. Brady-NE-Pats offense should be just as potent as last year, expect Brady to reach about 35 TDs, not the 50 he had last year.

2. P. Manning-Ind-Doesn't get more consistent then Manning, knee injury is a concern but still one of the top 2 QBs

3. T. Romo-Dal-Romo has one of the top WRs and one of the top TEs to target. Can carry you some weeks with 4 TDs, but he tends to throw a good amount of INTs (19)

4. D. Brees-NO-After a strong 2006, the Saints started off slowly, but Brees threw 27 TDs in the final 12 games last season in 2007.

5. C. Palmer-Cin-A good candidate for a bounce back season, He has 85 and Housh to throw to and the Bengals added TE Utecht, C. Henry was resigned but chances of him making the team seem slim once the other WRs are healthy.

6. B. Roethlisberger-Pit-The Steelers opened up the passing game last season and Big Ben threw 32 TDs, 25 this season doesn't seem out of the question.

7. D. Anderson-Clev-He was at the helm of a strong offense last season, but can he do it again? Anderson is already dealing with the effects of a concussion and has the pressure of holding off 06 1st rounder Brady Quinn. He is a high risk, high reward player.

8. B. Favre-NYJ-Favre is known to throw with reckless abandon, he should be able to get 20-25 TDs but he may throw that many INTs

9. J. Cutler-Den-He threw 20 TDs last season, while unknowingly suffering from diabetes. He has his health under control and plays with a cast that includes Baby TO and Scheffler. Look for Cutler to continue to improve.

10. M. Bulger-Stl-Al Saunders a Mike Martz disciple takes over as OC, Bulger was hurt most of last year and was also without S-Jax a good deal of 07.

11. D. McNabb-Phi-When he plays, he is usually solid, and that is with no name WRs, but he will break your heart and kill your season with his almost yearly season ending injury. If you take him as your QB1, make sure you have a good backup.

12. M. Hasselbeck-Sea-Seahawks offense should be a little less potent this year, with Hackett gone to Carolina, Engram and Branch injured to start the season, but expect him to be a solid backup for your team.

13. E. Manning-NYG-Don't be fooled by his postseason run, the Giants didn't ask him to win games with his arm (Tyree catch excluded) as they relied on the run. Manning will get you about 25 TDs, but will throw about 20 INTs.

14. J. Delhomme-Car-Another bounce back candidate, he had Tommy John surgery in the off season, the Panthers added 2 WRs and a RB to their offense. Good pick as a backup who could become a #1.

15. P. Rivers-SD

16. D. Garrard-Jax

17. A. Rodgers-GB

18. J. Campbell-Wash-New HC Jim Zorn brings his passing O from Seattle, Wash added 2 WRs in the draft, but I think Campbell needs one more season, and he will be a breakout candidate for 2009.

19. M. Schaub-Hou

20. J. Kitna-Det

21. K. Warner-AZ-Warner is expected to be named the starter, he threw 27 TDs after taking over for Leinart, He has 2 high level WRs but he throws a bunch of picks and fumbles at least once per game.

22. V. Young-Tenn-He can't get any worse, can he?

23. C. Pennington-Mia-He may make a living throwing screen passes to Ted Ginn Jr.

24. J. Garcia-TB

25. T. Edwards-Buf

26. J. Russell-Oak

27. JT O'Sullivan-SF-Most people don't know who he is, but he takes over the Martz offense that made Warner and Kitna stars and nobody knew them either.

28. T. Jackson-Min-He will be asked to handoff almost exclusively.

29. B. Croyle-KC

30. K. Orton-Chi

31. M. Ryan-Atl-Expected to be named starter, he worked magic with sub par talent in college he will have better WRs in the pros, but will still struggle as many rookie QBs do.

32. M. Leinart-AZ-He has value if you have the oft injured Warner. The Cards have tried to hand him the job, but he chooses to party with high school girls in his hot tub instead.

33. B. Quinn-Clev-Anderson is not a sure thing, and his concussion could open the door for Quinn to step in and run this talented offense.

34. R. Grossman-Chi-Chances are he will start a few games this season.

35. C. Redman-Atl-Will regain the job if Ryan struggles more than expected.

36. T. Smith-Balt-Likely starter who will keep the seat warm until Flacco is ready.

37. J. Flacco-Balt-Will start when team thinks he's ready.

38. JP Losman-Buf

39. A. Smith-SF

40. K. Boller-Balt

41. C. Simms-TB-Expected to be cut by TB, pay attention to where he ends up, he could be a fit in Chicago, or may settle for a backup job (Dal, NE, NYG)