Hardball Heaven

Well, most football prognosticators - including the pros and the amateurs - had a tough week with their NFL picks last Sunday. Your humble blogger went 7-6-1, with good picks on the Vikings, Broncos and Saints, and bad picks with the fraudulent Bills and the perpetually crappy Lions. That brings the season total to 26-19-1, with plenty of room -- like our beleaguered Patriots -- for improvement. New England looked positively dreadful Sunday night against the Broncos on national TV, as Denver and Belichick foil Mike Shanahan figured out a way to cut off the Pats' running game and then dared Tom Brady to go to the air. Only problem with that is Brady had no one to throw to, though Doug "Dreds" Gabriel did show some spunk toward the end. The results were predictable, and the Pats lost again to their nemesis, 17-7. It doesn't get any easier this week as they have to travel to Cincinnati to face the well-balanced Bengal machine and hot QB Carson Palmer, who has a full stable of thoroughbreds (Johnson, Whoseyourdaddy, Henry) zig-zagging all over the field. The only hope is that Corey Dillon is healthy and is out for blood against his former team, and that Chad Jackson actually, like, suits up for this one. The Patriots will be putting a pretty amazing streak on the line this weekend, as they haven't dropped back-to-back games since 2002. All good things must come to an end, I s'pose.

Great story unfolded in New Orleans Monday night, as the Saints scored a rousing homecoming victory against the hugely overrated Mike Vick and the Falcons. The Superdome, which served as a "shelter" in the aftermath of that bitch Katrina, was electric, and you know what - the Saints may actually be pretty good. Think Dolphins coach Nick Saban is kicking himself for signing Daunte Culpepper instead of Drew Brees during the offseason? Anyway, good for New Orleans and especially their fans. They needed this.

Oh hey, the Sox are still playing too. Almost forgot. The boys beat Tampa Bay last night behind a solid effort from Curt Schilling, and Big Papi cranked No. 54. Yankees, A's, Twins and Tigers are in the dance, with the Tigers and Twins still fighting it out for the AL Central title. The NL is still up in the air, as the Cardinals are currently taking the choke.