16-0

The Patriots will beat the Giants this Saturday. 

ESPN, as well as much of the rest of the country is trying to hype this game up more than it needs to be. New England is 15-0, haven't lost a game in what feels like forever, and the Giants are the second-worst playoff-bound team in the history of the NFL (Last year's G-Men take the cake). 

The game is supposed to be on the NFL Network which would normally be viewed by roughly 8% of NFL fans, 100% of them being at some sports bar because no one has the NFL Network. But the lovely National Football League will be putting this monumental game on NBC and CBS. It is the most widely simulcast game in the history of football, or television. 

It has gotten so pathetic that StubHub.com has a ridiculous amount of tickets on sale for this game because even the die-hard Giant fan would love to make a quick buck off this hype instead of going to see their team take a worse beating than Tina Turner. I saw a luxury box on sale for over $26,000 (If you don't believe me, check it out for yourself).

Bottom line: The Patriots are going to win Saturday, and maybe every game they play ever again.

PS- I'm not even putting a picture to go along with this entry, if you'd like to know why, Google search images "Eli Manning", and just look at the first picture. I just started laughing because I didn't think Eli was old enough to drink.

Curt Schilling is a Moron.

I have recently learned that Curt Schilling has "sounded off" about the Mitchell Report, as well as most of the names on it.

In his incoherent, typo-riddled rant on his online blog, Schilling claims that Roger Clemens should have to essentially forfeit everything he has accomplished since 1997 (When Mitchell claims he began using HGH). This includes 162 wins, 2,082 strikeouts, 4 Cy Young Awards and 6 All-Star Appearances (Source). Curt would also like for the Yankees to each mail him their World Series rings from 1998, 1999 and 2000, as well as a partridge in a pear tree... for his backyard.

I have an even better idea, Curt. How about we throw out every record of baseball existing professionally in America since the strike in 1994. We won't play baseball again, and we can have the last memory of baseball being guys like Pedro Martinez and Cliff Floyd telling us how the '94 Expos were the best team ever. Or, this is even better, we can strap you to a satellite and have you orbit earth and patrol things until you see fit they can continue playing. 

Curt, there is exactly one person in all of baseball that I can confidently say has never and will never take performance-enhancing substances: Derek Jeter. I know you hate the Yankees Curt (And trust me, the feeling is mutual), but Jeter is the only player that has been in the league through the steroid era that I can undoubtedly call "clean". I cannot say the same about even you, the untouchable Curt Schilling. 

If you are going to begin making claims to take away records and awards won by people who are being speculated to have used steroids, the game of baseball might as well not exist. We don't know who is using, and until there is vigorous testing to reveal and filter out the bad seeds, there is nothing you can do about it. I understand this is just your blog and you are free to say whatever you want (I will do the same), and I understand that steroids is slowing destroying the game, but you cannot go around pointing fingers at certain players without truthfully knowing more than what you read about in the Boston Globe from Bob Ryan.

The Mitchell Report has done nothing but caused Bud Selig to buy stock in Tylenol. In the opening paragraphs of his blog, Schilling claims that everyone should throw out the fact that George Mitchell is a senior member of the Red Sox organization. According to Schilling, there couldn't possibly be a tie between the lack of Red Sox on the list and the compiler of the list getting paid by the very same Red Sox. Curt also knows everything there is to know about every player in Boston's organization and that Mitchell is right on in his lack of dirt coming out of Boston (Although I could easily find some dirt from Boston-his name begins with an "M" and ends with an "anny Ramirez"). 

Curt I'm sorry I'm not sorry you never won a Cy Young, but to claim you respect players like Andy Pettitte, then spell his name wrong is just embarrassing. Step one on respecting someone: Learn to spell their name, step two: take a 5-minute break, we wouldn't want you hurting yourself, we don't have time to buy you more socks. All I have to say is, God forbid someone wrote "Kurt Shilling" on their website, you would throw a fit like a 5-year-old who has been told they weren't having dessert.

P.S.- I responded to Curt's blog, and am awaiting any feedback from the man himself, gosh I feel so lucky.

*For all of you that would like to see this atrocity for yourselves, please visit 38pitches.com, the official blog of Curt Schilling. 

Clemens: "I Did Not Take Steroids"

Roger Clemens, the most notable name on the Mitchell Report, has finally released a statement through his agent, Randy Hendricks.

"I want to state clearly and without qualification: I did not take steroids, human growth hormone or any other banned substances at any time in my baseball career or, in face, my entire life. Those substances represent a dangerous and destructive shortcut that no athlete should ever take. I am disappointed that my 25 years in public life have apparently not earned me the benefit of the doubt, but I understand that Senator Mitchell's report has raised many serious questions. I plan to publicly answer all of those questions at the appropriate time in the appropriate way. I only ask that in the meantime people not rush to judgement."

The time between the release of the Mitchell Report and Clemens' statement has resulted in the "benefit of the doubt" he talks about go right out the window. There are talks of Clemens having to face the Grand Jury, which would certainly put him in the same sentence as McGwire, Palmiero and Sosa should he be found guilty of lying.

Clemens and Pettitte are the two players that stayed loyal to Brian McNamee after he left the Yankees, Clemens has been quoted as saying he is a one-of-a-kind trainer. 

The next time Clemens is available for comment is not known, but you can bet your bottom dollar he's going to face tough questions from the media. 

A-Rod on "60 Minutes"

At 7 o'clock Sunday night, Alex Rodriguez talked to Katie Couric on "60 Minutes". In his interview, he was grilled by Couric about his opting out during the clinching game of the World Series. A-Rod ensured everyone watching that he was as shocked as them when on-field reporter Ken Rosenthal claimed that Alex would be opting out of his contract with the New York Yankees. He insisted that the timing of the announcement could be put solely on the shoulders of his agent, Scott Boras. (Source)

A-Rod told Couric that he was under the impression that the announcement would come one or two days after the World Series was over, thus confirming Scott Boras' selfishness and also putting to bed one of the issues fans still have against him. She asked about his situation with Boras, and Alex said that they are not speaking at the moment. Couric then asked if they would speak again and A-Rod replied "We'll see."

Couric then moved on to the topic of the week: steroids. When asked if he ever used steroids, human growth hormone, or any other performance enhancing drug, A-Rod simply said "No". When asked if he was ever tempted to use any of these drugs, A-Rod said "No". The conversation continued as follows:

Couric: You never felt like, 'This guy's doing it, maybe I should look into this, too? He's getting better numbers, playing better ball.'

Rodriguez: I've never felt overmatched on the baseball field. And I've felt that if I did my work as I've done since I was, you know, a rookie back in Seattle, I didn't have a problem competing on any level. So, no.

The interview then turned the way of other players, like Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens. A-Rod declined comment on them besides saying that if all of it was true, it would be a "black eye" for the game of baseball. He did not throw any of his teammates under the bus, regardless of what he really thought, he kept his opinions to himself. 

A-Rod realized he got perhaps the first break of his life when it comes to the media. There is a huge debate right now in the baseball world about the Mitchell Report, a report not containing the name "Alex Rodriguez". But as A-Rod knows, this is the first time in a long time that he can wake up and read about a crisis in baseball without seeing his picture on the back page of the Daily News.

You Can Bet on the Jets

The line for this weekend's Jets/Patriots game is 24 points. This is a result of a combination of a 13-0 team, a 3-10 team, the obvious bad blood between Eric Mangini and Bill Belichick and the overall domination the Pats have been demonstrating.

There is a snowstorm pummeling the east coast as I type, with the Boston area (Including Foxboro) expected to get slammed. At game time tomorrow, it will be roughly 19 degrees, with a "Wintry mix" and heavy winds. (Source) The point? If the Jets cannot get within 24 points of the mighty Pats, they have more problems than the SpyGate Controversy. 

Take the Jets to cover the spread. 

Pettitte Confesses

On Saturday, Andy Pettitte spoke out about his name being on the Mitchell Report. Pettitte talked to the media, and said all the things a baseball fan wants to hear from their favorite player who was outed by Mitchell. 

"I felt an obligation to get back to my team as soon as possible. For this reason, and only this reason, for two days I tried human growth hormone... That is it -- two days out of my life; two days out of my entire career, when I was injured and on the disabled list. I wasn't looking for an edge. I was looking to heal." 

This does not taint the Yankee Dynasty on the part of Andy Pettitte, but I do know that if Chuck Knoblauch wasn't on the juice, the Yankee dark age (1979-1995) would have probably never ended.

Pettitte goes on:

"I have the utmost respect for baseball and have always tried to live my life in a way that would be honorable. If I have let down people that care about me, I am sorry, but I hope that you will listen to me carefully and understand that two days of perhaps bad judgement should not ruin a lifetime of hard work and dedication. If what I did was an error in judgement in my part, I apologize."

Pettitte is a class act, but I do not, under any circumstances, condone the usage of any type of performance enhancing substances. But I think we can all agree that Andy Pettitte's situation, if what he is saying is true, is much less serious than let's say, Barry Bonds. 

Let's also not forgot Pettitte took HGH when it wasn't on Major League Baseball's banned substances list. 

Coincidence? Probably Not

George Mitchell, a U.S. Senator and Board Director at the Boston Red Sox released his findings during his steroid investigation in Major League Baseball on Thursday. Allow me to magnify the biggest part of that sentence, "AND BOARD DIRECTOR AT THE BOSTON RED SOX". 

Let's now take this knowledge and apply it to Mitchell's findings. Twenty-two former and current Yankees found their names in this report, as opposed to no big name Red Sox. I find this interesting as it comes from a man who receives a paycheck from the Red Sox. I don't quite understand how a man who is said to be investigating the majors has only one primary source: Kirk Radamski, a former Mets clubhouse worker.

This leads the media, the fans and the rest of the baseball world to believe that the Red Sox are clean and totally free of this epidemic spreading across baseball. The supposed "Steroid Era" we are now living in is turning a new page, according to Bud Selig and George Mitchell. I do not understand though, for the life of me, how you cannot take more time and dig deeper into the supposed dark underworld of baseball, one that sees drugs, creams and injections on a daily basis. Mitchell spend 20 months "investigating" at the request of Selig. Does he think he got to the end? Does he really believe he found all the sources linking players to HGH and other steroids? What if he spent another 20 months investigating? 

Jose Canseco has come out and called the investigation "laughable" in the sense that he has more information on tons of higher profile players than the report had. Why not talk to Jose Canseco? I hate the man probably just as much as I hate Barry Bonds, but in an investigation like this, he is probably your best source. Canseco says he has "stuff" on A-Rod, and was appalled that his name didn't appear on the list. 

My thoughts are just this: This thing is not over, we are simply seeing the tip of the iceberg, but apparently the Boston Red Sox Director, George Mitchell, thinks otherwise. Jose Canseco will write another book, a book that will shock the world more than Mitchell's accusations of Tim Laker and Marvin Bernard, among others.