Ritter’s Weekly Rant

by Mark Ritter… Well Argo fans, it seems that sitting Kerry Joseph didn’t work out the way we wanted it to. I am not sold on the fact that Joseph would have done much better against the Calgary Stampeders, but anything would have been better than the debacle we witnessed. Are the Argos really this bad, or is there actually a hint of hope for our beloved double blue? It says here the Argos grossly overrated the talent on the offensive side of the ball, combine that with a defense that is looking every bit of their old age and you have a recipe for disaster. Here’s hoping the good ship Argonaut get’s their butts in gear, the CFL without the Argos to cheer for and/or boo is just not fun.

Hands up all three of you that await the nightly highlight films from the Kontinental Hockey League? The complete and total disinterest in the KHL proves once and for all that the KHL is not a threat to the fan base of the NHL and will never be a threat. Just try to find any stats on the internet, near impossible my friends. The players that have chosen to head to Russia to play in the KHL are in for a rude awakening when they get back to North America and find out nobody is watching, listening or keeping up with their performances. Besides, what exactly can a player prove by forwarding their KHL statistics to GM’s and Agents? “Hey I scored 20 goals in 10 games in the KHL, I deserve a tryout”, RESPONSE: “yeah right buddy, I scored 20 in 4 games in my Beer League and my team has way more NHL rejects on it!” The KHL, like most Hockey leagues that try to thump their chests and take on the NHL is a joke, book it!

The Toronto Blue Jays are a complete mess going into the off season. Will J.P. Riccardi continue to dodge the firing line? Can Lyle Overbay be your first baseman if you want to contend? Attitude and demeanor aside, If A.J. (should be “J.A.” for “Jack Ass”) Burnett leaves the Blue jays nest for greener pastures, who replaces the 18 game winner? With Shawn Marcum out for all of 2009, who do you bring in to fill his slot? Who the hell is going to hit home runs for the Blue Jays in 2009? Wells, Rios and Overbay were decent, but none of them were consistent and none of them scare opposing pitchers. The Jays have a ton of holes to fill, as such; the Jays will have to spend a ton of money in order to address their needs, if you’ve looked at the Jays’ minor league teams you realize there is very little in the way of help coming in 2009. I hope to he-double-hockey-sticks the Jays intend on finishing better than 7th or 8th in the American League, losing is getting old fast.

Looking for more Hockey Pool advice? Why not look at the Washington Capitals Brooks Laich; sure he’s not known for putting up big stats, but anything can happen on a Washington team whose philosophy resembles the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980’s. Laich was solid in the playoffs and should see considerable time on the ice this season as a top six forward. In case you forgot about him I’ll remind you to take a good long look at Johan Franzen A.K.A. “the Mule” of the Detroit Red Wings; this guy can flat out score and should put up close to 40 goals this season.

In the category of “not all is bad in sports”, nice to hear that Toronto Maple Leafs defensemen Pavol Kubina is giving up his #31 jersey to beloved goaltender Curtis Joseph. Kubina befouled the number by playing horribly (at times) last season; let’s hope for Cujo’s sake the curse will be lifted once he dons number 31 again. Kubina weighs in at a slender 244 pounds; I hope he plays more like he’s 244 and not like he’s 185 like he did last season.

If I am Carlo Colaiacovo I am feeling pretty uneasy heading into training camp; with the amount of competition for a spot on defense in the Leafs’ training camp I would not bet my wad on Carlo cracking the lineup. My top seven D-Men would be as follows-

1. Thomas Kaberle
2. Pavol Kubina
3. Jeff “don’t give me the” Finger
4. Anton Stralman
5. Mike Van Ryn (barring injuries)
6. Jonas Frogren
7. Ian White

That leaves Carlo Colaiacovo on the outside looking in, injury riddled career OVER! Good luck with that Brother!

The Blue Jays are done, the Red Sox are in, GO CUBBIES!!!

Until next week,

Peace!

Upon Further Review - NFL WEEK 3

by Mike De Marco…

Its only week 3 and already I am scratching my head in disbelief. I just don’t understand how many of these games are finishing.

Miami absolutely throttled New England in such a convincing fashion that I don’t think anyone could have imagined. Boy are things different this year.

How are the Indianapolis Colts 0-2 at home? (0-4 including pre-season) Are they mere mortals after all? Is Peyton Manning’s knee injury affecting more than he is letting on?

Denver wins another last second thriller. Boy that defense is a huge contrast to their offense.

NFC East rivals Giants, and Cowboys remain undefeated. Dallas looked outstanding in Green Bay, while the G-Men struggled to beat the Bengals in overtime. Don’t let that game fool you; these teams along with Philadelphia will battle it out all year. Washington? Sure they have won two straight, but let’s see how they fare in Dallas first before including them with the rest of the division.

Well the Dolphins were the first out of my terrible four to win a game. The other three: Lions, Rams, and Chiefs all looked horrid. There are some bad football teams in the league right now.

THE GOOD
Lot’s of offense. Eight teams surpassed the 30 point mark, 21 teams surpassed the 20 point mark. That’s a ton of points.

Brian Griese and his 67 pass attempts. I thought the Bucs were a run first team?

Five teams are still undefeated at 3-0, with Buffalo being the biggest surprise, Dallas the least.

THE BAD
Defenses…there are some that are getting gashed at record paces…ahem…Denver…

THE UGLY
Kansas City, St.Louis, Detroit…need I say more?

JUST MY OPINION
If I am Browns head coach Romeo Crennel, I am not hesitating at the notion of having Brady Quinn start at quarterback next week in Cincinnati. Cleveland sits at 0-3 and with all intents and purposes; have a slim to none chance of reaching the post-season. So why waste time in which Quinn can develop? This is a perfect opportunity for the Browns to throw him in there. Your season is over and your next opponent is also winless. The offense is struggling mightily, so maybe the insertion of Quinn gives this team a spark. Somewhere Castor Troy is yelling “Weeeeeeee…..What a predicament!

This and That

I am very intrigued at the way the 49ers have played so far. After dropping their opening game, they have played well on both sides of the football. But I still have to ask myself…J.T O’Sullivan? Starting NFL quarterback?

Joe Flacco is still undefeated in the NFL. Sure it’s only two games, but the kid has shown flashes that the city of Baltimore hasn’t seen in a quarterback since Johnny Unitas. You think it’s a tad overdue?

The Titans sit as one of the unbeaten. I am still not convinced that they can sit up there with the big boys. I want to see how this team fares the next couple of weeks. Home to Minnesota, and at Baltimore. Let’s see what you do against those defenses.

Jacksonville looked like the team they were supposed to be. Good defense and an outstanding run game. Both Maurice Jones-Drew, and Fred Taylor passed the 100-yard mark. I can’t wait to see what this team does on offense once Jerry Porter gets back.

Tell me your not excited by the play of a couple of AFC West quarterbacks in Jay Cutler and Philip Rivers? You read it here first: One of those two guys wins the MVP award THIS YEAR!

I think the Cowboys have been the most complete team so far. Two very impressive road victories sandwiched between that Monday night thriller against the Eagles.

A bunch of talk about the NFC East being the toughest division in football, which is probably correct, but take a glance at the NFC South. Tell me that division doesn’t look real exciting right now.

Memo just in from NFL headquarters: The next team that loses to Kansas City, Detroit, or St. Louis gets kicked out of the league!

3 STARS
Miami Dolphins Offensive line: With all the funny formations they used, that line deserves some props for opening up the gaping holes Ronnie Brown had.

Mike Martz: 49ers offensive coordinator called an outstanding game against his former team, who probably thought they knew what was coming. Martz out-smarted them.

Eagles defense: Nine sacks, two forced fumbles, one interception, only six points allowed. That wins games in my book.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Steve Slaton: The Houston running back enjoyed his first 100-yard day in the NFL.
18 carries, 116 yards and a touchdown.