Should Philly have tanked versus Atlanta?

As a Phillies fan, I’ve been waiting all season for October. Ever since Philadelphia added Cliff Lee to its rotation, a postseason appearance was basically a formality for this squad.

But even though the Phillies won 102 games this year, it was game No. 162 that worries me the most. Philadelphia didn’t roll over for NL East rival Atlanta in the final game of the schedule, and eliminated the Braves’ shot at the NL Wildcard with a win in extra innings Wednesday.

That allowed the St. Louis Cardinals, a team that went 6-3 versus the Phillies this season, to waltz into the Wildcard spot and face Philadelphia in the Division Series starting at Citizens Bank Park Saturday.

Oddsmaker and pundits have the Phillies as sizable favorites over the Cardinals. However, St. Louis brings a ton of momentum into October after storming back from a 10.5-game hole in the Wildcard race to win 23 of its final 31 games – including taking three of four in Philly last month against the likes of Halladay, Hamels and Worley.

I think it would have been much safer to tank that final game of the season, and at least give Atlanta a chance to make the Wildcard in a play-in game versus St. Louis. The Phillies could have drawn the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS – a team they went 3-3 against in the regular season but have far less to fear from than the Cardinals’ veteran lineup.

Perhaps Philadelphia’s pride got in the way. Maybe the Phillies relished the opportunity to snu... [More]

Get your NFL Overs while you can

High scores and over bets have been the talk of the town when it comes to NFL betting.

Through the first two weeks of the season, the Over has gone an amazing 23-8 (74 percent).

Many thought the shortened offseason, due to the lockout, would take its toll on conditioning and timing and keep scores low until teams got back into shape. But it appears that the offensive players are less impacted by lack of practice than those on the defensive side of the ball.

A lot of coaches have been quick to pick up on this and have switched their offense into high gear to exploit the rusty defenders. Teams like the Patriots have gone with no-huddle attacks in order to keep defensive players on the field, sucking wind while Tom Brady picks apart the secondary like it’s stuck in cement.

Jay Rood, sportsbook manager for the MGM Mirage in Las Vegas, believes Week 3 might be the last time bettors can really ride this total trend. He expects defenses to round into game shape at some point during this Sunday’s action.

“There’s been a lot of rust falling off those guys,” Rood says about NFL defenses. “The smart coaches, like Belichick, noticed this. But I think you’ll see less and less no-huddle in the next two or three weeks.”

Rood also blames the rash of injuries plaguing the NFL through the first two weeks on the lockout-shortened offseason. Plenty of marquee talents, on both sides of the ball, have suffered season-ending injuries.

“That’s what ... [More]

Snowball in the forecast for Dallas?

For the all guff Plaxico Burress get for shooting himself in the leg, the Dallas Cowboys should get twice the trouble after once again shooting themselves in the foot.

Dallas handed its fans, me included, another horrific and painful loss in Week 1. By now, you already know the gory details, but just to review: Goal-line fumble, blocked punt, interception, botched snap, stupid Romo smile = blown 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. Even a cover as 3.5-point underdogs couldn't get the taste out of my mouth.

Tony Romo took the blame for the 27-24 loss, and so he should. Despite a terrific stat line (342 yards and two touchdowns against the top pass defense in the NFL), Romo’s goal-line fumble snowballed into the mess mentioned above.



While the loss was a tough pill to swallow, like sucking back a pine cone dipped in hot sauce and rolled in fiberglass, I can’t help but be optimistic about the Cowboys’ efforts.

They managed to push around one of the league’s best stop units and, until the secondary started dropping like flies, did a great job on defense. Dez Bryant looked like a killer (before he got tired) and Miles Austin threw Antonio Cromartie around like a rag doll all night. And the pass rush was able to get to Sanchez, most notably DeMarcus Ware, which is key if the secondary continues to suck.

Dallas finds itself in a similar spot to last year’s Week 2 matchup. It’s coming off a crushing opening-game blunder and takes on a respe... [More]

Best Week 1 uniforms: Maryland or Oregon?

All the buzz in the college football world Tuesday morning wasn’t the Maryland Terrapins’ win over the scandal-plagued Miami Hurricanes Monday night, but the uniforms they did it in.

The Terps rocked home uniforms incorporating the Maryland state flag, splitting red and yellow on the helmet, shoulder pads and gloves. The uniforms, provided by Under Armor, whose founder Kevin Plank is an alumnus of the university, have received mixed reviews from football fans and fashionistas alike.

Another uniform under scrutiny in Week 1 were the black and neon green outfits worn by the Oregon Ducks in their loss to LSU Saturday night. Oregon gets numerous uni sets from Nike founder Phil Knight, an alumnus of that school’s track program. The Ducks' getup bordered on safety vest/electric Tron suits, and those radioactive gloves sure didn't help when it came to holding on to the football.

So in the spirit of those “Who wore it better?” debates in the rag mags, which college program rocked the best Week 1 uniforms – Maryland, Oregon or someone else?