89 career starts, 40-17 record with a 2.90 era. 676 strikeouts and only 217 walks in 598 and 2/3 innings pitched. Even more impressive only 33 homeruns allowed over 3 seasons.

The kid is the real deal and who knows maybe the weed is to him, like the spinach is to Popeye. They are about the same time.

We really shouldn’t be that surprised that he smokes. I always thought he had that California surfer, stoner look too him. Ya know, the really long hair, goofy looking smile. All the signs were there, seriously. Take a look.

As always home teams are in caps. Note: I don’t use the spread in my picks but if betting is your thing you can hit up Bodog Sportsbook and get all the latest lines on the NFL.

ATLANTA 24, Washington 17 – The Redskins are still horrible, that’s not changed. The Falcons have struggled as of late but are still putting up more points then the Washington offense can hope to score.

Arizona 26, CHICAGO 23 – The Cardinals have been on fire as of lately, well till they hit a hungry Carolina team I think they’ll put their foot back on the driver seat against tough opponents and get the win in Chicago. Should definitely be a close one thou.

Baltimore 24, CINCINNATI 17 – The Ravens defense we all knew from the past decade finally showed up in 2009 with an impressive showing against the previously undefeated Broncos. That defense should hold the Bengals out of the end zone enough where Joe Flacco succeed.

INDIANAPOLIS 30, Houston 20 – The Texans have been a surprise team this NFL season but even so I’m not sure if they’ll be able to keep up with the Colts this weekend. Some will doubt Indy because of the latest injury, this one to Bob Sanders. BUT you got to remember Sanders just came back about two weeks ago, as far as I remember they were undefeated during that period. I expect that to continue.

JACKSONVILLE 24, Kansas City 13 – Do we really need a description on this one?

NEW ENGLAND 31, Miami 23 – The AFC East battles have been pretty good this season. The Dolphins are in the middle of the pack but have two impressive wins against the Jets. They’ll put up a good fight but in front of the home crowd Brady should do enough to win the game.

LOCK – Green Bay 27, TAMPA BAY 13 – Another game that doesn’t need much of an explanation.

NEW ORLEANS 30, CAROLINA 24 – The Panthers woke up last week against the Cardinals but I’m not sold on them. Was this a desperate Delhomme or a sign of things to come? I’m not sure, I think it was more desperation. And desperation against the Saints doesn’t help. New Orleans should have another close game but I’m fairly certain they’ll get a win out of this one.

SEATTLE 20, Detroit 17 – The Lions should up a fairly good fight against the struggling Seahawks but this is a week that talent takes overs.

NEW YORK GIANTS 27, San Diego 23 – The Giants have had a rough three weeks against NFC title contenders. Actually rough is an understatement, they’ve gotten their asses whipped the past few weeks. This will be another tough game for them, but I think they’ll finally break through and end the losing streak. If not, it’s going to be a VERY VERY long bye week for the G-Men.

UPSET – Tennessee 24, SAN FRANCISCO 21 – The Titans exploded last week against their Jacksonville rivals. It’s no coincidence that this came after their bye week and Vince Young got more first team reps. Another week of practice for him and a rediscovered rushing and defensive attacks should help the Titans win another this week on the road.

PHILADELPHIA 34, Dallas 30 – This should be another classic Eagles / Cowboys fight. Expect the Eagles ans to be even rowdier then usual after the city’s World Series loss during the week. The Eagles are going to do whatever they can to cure what ails their fans.

DENVER 21, Pittsburgh 20 – For a change Monday Night Football might actually have the game of the week. The Steelers are on a four game winning streak and Denver’s going to look to get back to their winning ways. This is going to be an ugly defensive battle, there might even be a physical confrontation or two. I’m expecting the Broncos to pull it out but it too be very close.

LAST WEEK – 6-7
SEASON RECORD (No picks Week 6) – 72-30
LOCK – 6-1
UPSET – 6-1
CORRECT FINAL SCORES – 1

General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr made a no-brainer move in picking up the option on ace Cliff Lee. Lee was absolutely magnificent for the Phillies since being traded from the Cleveland Indians. Lee was 7-4 over 12 starts with a 3.39 era as a member of the Phillies. In the playoffs he took his game to a whole new level, giong 4-0 over 5 starts, with a 1.56 era and 33 strikeouts over 40 innings.

Numbers like that make it pretty easy for a team to pick up a players option. The real question this offseason will be do the Phillies get a contract extension done with the 31 year old lefty. Rumor has it he’s looking for a deal similar to his former teammate CC Sabathia.

The Phillies Zone is reporting that Amaro has also informed Brett Myers that he will not be returning next year. Myers is a free agent this off season and has a troubled past with the team, so it’s really not a surprise.

He’s spent his entire eight year career with the team after being a first round draft pick. He put up solid middle of the rotation type numbers with a career 4.40 era. His main problem in Philly was his mental state and injuries, so it seems the combination of the two have made expendable.

Unfortunately, Myers will never know the true reason for his exit as Ruben didn’t give him one. “I was just like, `OK, thanks for putting up with my (stuff),’ ” Myers said. “He thanked me and wished me and my family well.”

At the moment, no one knows what role he can fill at the big league level. He was an average starter and an average closer. Personally, I think he can be a middle of the rotation starter for a team on the cusp of the playoffs. A team like the Milwaukee Brewers, the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, maybe even the New York Mets?

So yea, I believe he’ll have plenty of options. Myers does have one message for all you Phillies fans. He’s now the enemy and wants to be treated like one.

“I’ll miss the guys on the team and the fans who have supported me. Hopefully I’ll be playing against the Phillies and when I do I want the roughest treatment the fans can give me – when I’m pitching. I’m an opposing player – you have to give it to me.”

Again, the Phillies have gotten off to a quick start in their attempt to make a third straight trip to the World Series. This weekend there will be more decisions, mainly Pedro Feliz’s option that has to be accepted or declined by Monday.

The most positive thing to me is they aren’t sitting back enjoying what they’ve accomplished lately, they’re moving forward and working towards a National League three-peat.

1. New Orleans Saints (7-0)
2. Indianapolis Colts (7-0)
3. Minnesota Vikings (7-1)
4. New England Patriots (5-2)
5. Philadelphia Eagles (5-2)
6. Denver Broncos (6-1)
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)
8. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)
9. Dallas Cowboys (5-2)
10. Houston Texans (5-3)
11. Arizona Cardinals (4-3)
12. Atlanta Falcons (4-3)
13. New York Giants (5-3)
14. Baltimore Ravens (4-3)
15. San Diego Chargers (4-3)
16. Green Bay Packers (4-3)
17. Chicago Bears (4-3)
18. San Francisco 49ers (3-4)
19. Miami Dolphins (3-4)
20. New York Jets (4-4)
21. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4)
22. Buffalo Bills (3-5)
23. Carolina Panthers (3-4)
24. Seattle Seahawks (2-5)
25. Oakland Raiders (2-6)
26. Tennessee Titans (1-6)
27. Washington Redskins (2-5)
28. Detroit Lions (1-6)
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-7)
30. St. Louis Rams (1-7)
31. Kansas City Chiefs (1-6)
32. Cleveland Browns (1-7)

The Saints take the top spot back to themselves this week after the Colts struggled with the 49ers.

The state of Texas had a big showing this week both the Cowboys and the Texans (yes, you read that right the Texans) have jumped into the Top 10. Both teams are playing very well now and looking like contenders.

On that note, there is one team that has been playing very poorly of late and that’s my Giants. After three straight losses against top NFC teams they have to drop out of the top 10. People are starting to wonder if this team is that good or is it a slump. I think its a few things and I’ll discuss that in a post later this week.

Staying with the NFC East, the Eagles are starting to look like the Super Bowl contender everyone thought they would be. So much for that horrendous loss to the Raiders. Guess that woke the team up from its slumber.

Cleveland may have a win but they are by far the worst franchise in the NFL right now. Not even team, just outright worst franchise. There is nothing positive coming out of that organization and they’ll stay at the bottom unless the Bucs somehow reach 0-10 record.

Want to see the NFL Power Rankings from Week 8? Click here.

“We’ve agreed to not agree,” Gay’s agent Jeff Austin said. “It will not happen. We looked at different ways we might try to get something done and we weren’t able to agree.”

Austin even says the two sides weren’t even close to an extension, “We never agreed on a deal so obviously we weren’t close.”

Personally, i already felt the 2009-2010 season was going to be big for the development of the 23-year old Gay. But with free agency the season becomes even larger.

After three full seasons, Gay has shown he has the talent to be a major player in this league. His career numbers stand at 16.7 points a game, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He’s been pretty much around those numbers throughout each of the first three season, to break into the next tier of players this would be the season he’d have to do it.

With free agency looming, I’m sure he’ll attempt to make himself even more of a focal point of the offense. He averaged 16 shots a game last season, that may not rise with a player like Allen Iverson on the team but I’m sure he’ll be looking to get himself into better scoring situations.

Back to his contract thou, Austin says the two sides weren’t close to a deal. So where are the numbers? No one is really sure, there have been rumors of a deal in the $50-60 million range over 5 seasons. Those make sense with past deals and the production you’ll get on a nightly basis from Gay. His agent thou says, “A lot of numbers I’ve read I’m trying to figure out where they come from.”

Those numbers make a lot of sense, so that quote leads me to believe that Austin is trying to work out a higher deal. OR the Grizzlies are just being their stingy selves and will wait till the offseason and see how the market plays out. For a team that only won 24 games last season, I can understand that.

Without an extension the Grizzlies will get a chance to see what they have in Gay. They’ll be times where he tries to assert himself more in an effort to show he can carry the load. They’ll be days where the pressures of playing for a contract gets to him mentally, so they’ll see what pressure the kid can handle.

2009-2010 will be the year we see what kind of player Gay will be. Will he step up to the plate?

Bruce Levin of ESPN Chicago said the two sides are nearing a contract extension. The snag is the number of years, the team is looking for a two-year deal while Grabow’s agent Paul Kinzer wants a vesting option for a third season. The numbers ($6.5 to $7.5 million over two years) sound like they’re a lock thou. There may be incentives included for games finished.

In my opinion its a fairly expensive deal for a marginal lefty reliever. In 2009, he did go 3-0 holding 23 games. Not bad but the troubling stats to me are the amount of base runners.

In 72 and 1/3 innings pitched he walked 40 while striking out only 57 batters. His WHIP stood at 1.41, a number that is fairly high for a guy who has been pretty much a situational lefty. He’s appeared in 75 games, averaging less then an inning per appearance. So yea the base runners are very troubling to me.

With that being said what doesn’t make sense to me is why you’d pay someone like that so much money? The Cubbies are looking ways to cut payroll, so why not wait till free agency and see if there are better alternatives out there.

Grabow can do his job, does it well at times but at almost $4 million a season there might be better out there. Actually, I’m sure there will be.

The New York Yankees have former admitted users Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettitte. Because they are the Yankees there are doubts about every player on their roster. Is it deserved? No, but its the age we live in and the team those guys play for.

Is it fair? In my opinion it never has been, and that’s not the Yankees fan in me talking.

Ever since Mark McGwire was accused in the 90s, I’ve been on the players side on this topic. While I may not agree with what they’ve done, it’s their body they can do what they want. In addition, they played within the rules at the time.

My main argument in the steroid debate isn’t that thou. My argument is that cheating has always been a part of baseball. Players have used spit balls, they’ve greased the balls up with vaseline. They’ve corked bats. Teams steal signs all the time.

It’s all part of the game, even if its against the rules. It’s all cheating but its whatever till you caught. I’d have to say that’s something that could be happening to the team trailing in the World Series.

First, sign stealing. Teams have accused the Phillies of this ever since moving into Citizens Bank Park. No one has ever been able to prove it but the discussion is back in the media because of the super long Yankee mound visits to discuss pitches.

Anyone who has been to the park or more importantly worked in the park, know about the “Eye in the Sky”. The left-center field control booth where they see almost every inch of that stadium and field on camera. With the placement of that there, you will always have doubt. Creating even more doubt is former Phillies manager Larry Bowa speaking up against it.

Do I believe they actually use that to their advantage? I’m not sure, it’s hard to argue that it has been with their performance in Games 3 and 4.

You’ve also got the Phillies using the old school pitcher tricks, i.e. the spit ball. FOX cameras clearly caught Chan Ho Park utilizing the pitch during Game 4. While nothing can be done about this, as it was not seen by the umpires when it happened. But I’m sure the umpires will be watching him closely if he gets the chance to pitch again.

Here’s that video.

I won’t even talk about the Phillies players who have been caught using steroids, before or after it was banned by Major League Baseball. Because that’s not the point of this post.

The point is to show that cheating is more then just who used and who may of used steroids.

If the Yankees hold on and win they’ll always be known as cheaters and a team that used ‘roids to get the title. If the Phillies win they’ll be known as the team that took down those cheating over paid steroid users.

When it comes to cheating most people hold steroids as the number one way, worse then any other method.

But in reality, cheating is cheating. Both teams have done their share of it this year and in past seasons. Every past champion has.

But this isn’t the first time baseball and Halloween have come together. A couple years ago the Los Angeles Dodgers hosted a Halloween Horrors Night. Take a look at what took place.

Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun says there have been talks between the Blue Jays and Cubs, and that those talks “have legs”. “It’s early on, but we think this one has some legs,” said one Cubs official. “But they aren’t the only team we are talking with.”

The talks have centered around the one guy the Blue Jays want to dump this off season, Vernon Wells. Wells has failed to live up to the teams expectations after signing a huge contract extension, so naturally they’d love to dump him off on someone. A change of scenery for both Wells and Bradley (again) could be what’s needed.

The major problem with any trade involving these guys will be money.

Bradley has two years left on his deal with $21 million remaining.
Wells has six years left with $107 million and a $8.5 million signing bonus left.

While the “Cubs official” tells Elliott the talks have legs, I don’t see how it can happen with that much of a difference. Elliott said the Cubs have an idea of taking the difference in salary and both teams pay half. That sounds good but would the Blue Jays really do something like that?

I doubt it. That’s a lot of money for a team that needs the money to try and be competitive in the American League East.

Because of the money I seriously doubt this deal would happen, but I could be wrong. If the Blue Jays are really serious about changing things they might do it just to make a move.

Buster Olney of ESPN says he’d be “stunned” if this deal happened. I would be too. Nice to see the Hot Stove getting started early thou.