What a weekend gang. I almost forgot about the Medias feeding frenzy on Tiger Woods. ESPN is still beating the dead horse with special updates, but the coverage is easier to ignore. A lot happened in the NFC East this weekend, the most overrated division in football is having a huge power struggle at the top. Coming into Sunday the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants all had a shot at leading the division. The Boys faltered in a tight one against the Chargers, and the Eagles and Giants beat the crap out of each other with the Eagles prevailing in the end. While the road to the Super Bowl likely isn’t going through the NFC East they put on a great show this weekend, now to the top stories.
Did we jinx him?
For a few weeks I’ve been saying that should the Lakers and the Celtics stay injury free they would represent their conferences in the Finals. It looks like this prediction may have jinxed Kobe Bryant who recently broke his finger. In all fairness I wasn’t the only one to make the observation about the team’s health so it’s not like I feel responsible.
It’s also fair to point out that this isn’t the first time that Kobe has broken his finger. ESPN says to keep a closer eye on his stomach issues which might be more pressing. Either way the Lakers had their wining streak broken by Utah and are no longer the top team in ESPN’s power rankings.
All in all this seems like a minor hiccup, but I would use caution because confidence can attribute itself to momentum. If the Celtics come into town on Christmas looking like world beaters and the Lakers limp into the game, I don’t like the Lakers chances. A loss to the Celtics would give that club confidence and sometimes confidence is the difference maker.
Pitchers on the move
John Lackey is headed to Boston. The Red Sox have enjoyed a lot of success of late and are determined to stay in the picture. The bad news is that the Yankees have a habit of winning titles in bunches. Lackey will be a great addition to the Red Sox who might win the Wild Card.
Cliff Lee is a part of a 3 team trade that will land him in Seattle. The Mariners are moving players around all over. If Adrian Beltre rejects arbitration (He may have I don’t know at this time) then the team might be the better for having Cliff Lee as their ace. It’s not like the AL West is hard to win.
The other part of the Cliff Lee deal sees Roy Halladay go to the Phillies. This move is interesting because I don’t see Halladay being leaps and bounds better than Lee. If you already have an ace why trade him for another? It wasn’t Cliff Lee’s fault that the Yankees won the title after all. I just don’ see how the Phillies really improve with this move.
Uncharted Territory
The Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans are both still undefeated. To be fair both teams have not won pretty in recent weeks, so what does that say? It says that it takes a lot of effort to stay perfect over the course of a rigorous season. Both teams have proven that they can take the best shots from their opponents and remain standing. It’s thanks to these two teams that this might be one of the greatest seasons in NFL history.
Will the Saints and the Colts prevail? I don’t know for sure, because the way they are playing and the schedule they face makes the field look unclear. Also, there are some serious teams out there that pose a threat come the post season. In the NFC you have the Vikings and the Cardinals both representing worthy challenges for the Saints.
In the AFC there are a few teams that could give the Colts trouble in the post season. The San Diego Chargers are on a role and could challenge late in the second round. Baltimore can’t be discounted either with an improving rushing attack and that signature defense. While I think there are worthy challenges out there, it could be the year when two undefeated teams meet in the Super Bowl.
