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10/02/2006: "Look ... It's the Sports Rant!"

I was on the beach this weekend, so lots o' time for sports ...

- The Dodgers hit the playoffs at full stride, riding a seven game win streak. The Padres take the division based on head to head with LA, but not sure which gets the better deal. San Diego faces a Cardinals team that hit the finish line on fumes, and LA takes on the Mets without Pedro Martinez. I'll just be happy if they can win more than one game this time ...

- If you were wondering how many years it takes to forget the NFL, it's thirteen. That's how many years since both the Rams and Raiders skipped town, and I realized this weekend I couldn't care less. The talent level is so watered down now, and the players move around so much each season, it's become a rotogeek's wet dream - all there is to pull for is individual players. Yawn ...

- Forced myself to watch the Sunday Night Football game - or as much as I could stomach - just to get a fair comparison with MNF. The crew from ABC pretty much defected together, so it's no surprise that they'd rip off all the best ideas from the old show. Not sure it will ever be the appointment-TV event that it was on Monday, though. Frankly, I think the NFL really screwed the pooch with this TV contract, because they made something that was special into something that is routine - and I think they'll regret it down the line. Of course, they did the same thing with the Thanksgiving games - and you just don't screw with tradition. I will say this about the SNF broadcast, though - while Al and John are getting mightly old, and the studio crew flat-out sucks, having Pink do the musical intro is a mighthy nice upgrade from Bocephus. It's enough to make me tune in - at least for the first five minutes ...

- Someone please tell me how he does it. Tiger Woods, who followed his five consecutive wins PGA Tour wins with a first round exit in the World Match Play Championship (technically, part of the European Tour) and a so-so effort in the Ryder Cup, decisively won the AmEx Championship yesterday, thus keeping his Tour streak alive at six. I don't know how you follow up those last two performances with this one, unless the pundits are right and it's all about the Benjamins after all. Worth noting was the solid performances by other members of the US Ryder Cup team - more ammo for the naysayers who say today's Tour players just don't care about playing for country and not cash ...

- By this time tomorrow, at least four baseball managers will have cleared out there offices. Felipe Alou and Dusty Baker have been linked ever since one replaced the other with the Giants. They've both worn out their welcome, and it's time to move on - to another team for DB, and to the recliner for Felipe. Frank Robinson has already forcibly been "retired" by the Nationals, and it'll be interesting to see where he ends up. And of course, the Joe Girardi Death Watch officially started with the last out in yesterday's 3-2 Marlin win over the Phillies. They have the obligatory end-of-season meeting tomorrow, and the outcome isn't in doubt. Let me be the first to congratulate Joe on his new job with the Cubs and to Marlins owner Jeff Loria - you suck ass, you egotistical windbag.

UPDATE: 2 down, 2 to go - the Cubs just announced Dusty won't be offered another contract.

UPDATE 2: Make it 3 down - the Giants just dumped Alou. Only one domino left to fall ...