The Week That Was 4/3/06 - 4/09/06 

 

ED: AND NOW BEGINS THE TERRIBLE TWOS!!!  Like they could be any worse.

 

BB: I have no clue what Ed is talking about. That being said, VP is turning three and in tribute to our first two years – we are mailing in a WTW.

 

PR: Be brave little “Best of Veteran Presence”

 

MLB

 

ED: BASEBALL SEASON HAS BEGUN!!! Ahhh! More importantly, the Preview is done. WHOOHOOO!

 

PR: Things learned during the first week of the season. The state of Pennsylvania... not so good at the baseball. The Orioles are at least still better than the Devil Rays. Chris Shelton’s clearly doesn’t need eyebrows to hit. And Rob Neyer knows every thing that is going to happen this year... he just isn’t going to tell us yet.

 

ED: Injured already - Dodgers OF Kenny Lofton (on the DL with a bad calf), Red C Jason LaRue (on the DL with a bad knee), Rockies P? Byung-Hyun Kim (on the DL with a bad hammy) and C Yorvit Torrealba (on the DL with a bad shoulder), Tigers PVC!!! Todd Jones (on the DL with homophobia), Indians P CC Sabathia (on the DL with a bad belly-welly), Dodgers CANCER! Nomar Garciaparra (on the DL with a bad rib muscle), D-Rays UTL Luis Ordaz (on the DL with a bad knee). Dodgers P Eric Gagne (on the DL with elbow problems). Padres P Shawn Estes (on the DL with a bad elbow)

 

BB: Wait – wait – Nomar has rib cancer? Does that even exist? And Eric Gagne’s solution to pain is, apparently, to just remove the nerve. BYK, on the other hand…his solution to having a bad hamstring is to sit in a pool of money and failed dreams.

 

PR: So is that how Canada is able to offer free health care – they just harvest random parts of the human anatomy and sell them on the internet.

 

ED: Fools and their money - the Brewers extend the contract of PVC! Derrick Turnbow for three years. The Giants extend the contract of P Noah Lowry for four years. The Pirates extend the contract of GM Dave Littlefield through 2008. The Angels extend the contract of P John Lackey for two years. The Marlins extend the contract of GM Larry Beinfest through 2010. The Pirates extend the contract of P Solomon Torres for two years.  The Cubs sign GM Jim Hendry to a two-year contract extension.

 

BB: The Lackey deal is so good that it may make up for all the other terrible contracts. Not only do the Pirates give Dave Littlefield – whose resume consists of I DID NOT SIGN DEREK BELL – a new contract, they decided that they needed to lock Salomon Torres in too? What, did they get the rights to his life insurance if he passes during the deal?

 

PR: Because clearly the Cubs problems have nothing to do with Jim Hendry. They are cursed. CURSED!!!

 

ED: Roster moves - the Marlins claim P Franklyn German off of waivers from the Tigers and DFA P Nate Bump. The A's pick up PORN STAR!!! Kaz Tadano from the Indians for OF Ramon Alvarado.  The Indians trade UTL Brandon Phillips to the Reds for the ol' PTBNL or cash.  The Rangers re-sign DH Erubiel Durazo.

 

BB: God knows the Reds needed an eighth middle infielder. And FRANKLYN GERMAN! APRIL CLOSER!!! Once upon a time, of course. Then again – who is closing for the Marlins? Bryan Harvey?

 

PR: Aww... you so want me to roll out my gimmick don’t you? And let’s be honest – the only better location for Phillips would have been the Cubs.

 

ED: Dodgers P Derek Lowe reveals he has ADD. Which may explain why he can't focus on just one LA area sports babe.

 

BB: I cannot even touch that.

 

PR: Here is a little Behind the VP curtain. Ed compiles the WTW as the week progress and he usually asks me on around Thursday or Friday for any stories he might have missed. (Especially when it comes to the basketball and hockey sections). This week, I go, “Well Derek Lowe has ADD” and Ed proceeds to write that joke story unseen. Of course – it trumps anything I could have come up with upon actually reading the story. And he sends me an IM with what he wrote and I was like “Well I can’t add to that.” So as per usual – Ed is carrying this site.

 

ED: ALL THINGS BARRY BONDS!!! The Barry Bonds reality show debuts on ESPN. Bonds gets a syringe thrown at him at opening day in San Diego. And a story reveals that Bonds' aunt was broke and homeless but too proud (or afraid) to ask the man with the largest head in the world for any money.

 

BB: It’s too bad Gammons hasn’t sat in the stands at any Giants games so far this year or she might’ve mistook him for a $20 tree. Rippa – have you been able to locate Pedro Gomez in the credits yet?

 

PR: Oh man – don’t make me TIVO the show.

 

ED: ALL THINGS ANNA!!! Anna withdraws her divorce petition from Orioles P Kris Benson. Likely after she realized how much she really doesn't want to sleep with the entire Orioles roster.

 

BB: I wonder if Jooge is happy or sad about this.

 

PR: See I am sure Anna would try to sleep with Jay Gibbons. But every time they would try – Jeff Conine would block him.

 

ED: Doc Gooden is sentenced to one year of jail time for violating his parole thanks after testing positive for cocaine.  Barry Bonds breathes a sigh of relief that someone else's urine is more newsworthy than his for five minutes.

 

NBA

 

ED: RECYCLING IS KIND!!! [INSERT NAME OF PLAYER WHO NEVER WON A CHAMPIONSHIP - Reggie Miller] gets his number retired. Number easily lifted to the rafters since there are no rings to weigh it down.

 

ED: Charles Barkley, Dominique Wilkins and Joe Dumars are elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Mmmm, Dominique!

 

BB: Isiah immediately offers…wait, I can’t use that joke here. Ugh.

 

ED:  Nuggets G Julius Hodge is shot in the legs outside a Denver nightclub.  Hodge is in the hospital in Good condition still trying to figure out how he was mistaken for a Trailblazer.

 

BB: If only I had tore my ACL like Nene…

 

NHL

 

ED: Holy crap! The Rangers made the playoffs?!?!?! Only six more signs to come, I guess.

 

BB: I saw a homeless guy on a bus today wearing a clearly-six-or-seven-years-old Capital jacket and a Red Sox t-shirt underneath. I then tried to figure out how someone had developed a mirror for me to see what I will be like in ten years. It was creepy.

 

PR: This sounds like the worst sequel to an Ashton Kutcher movie ever.

 

AFL

 

WEEK ELEVEN!!!

 

ED:  San Jose takes Tampa Bay, 52-43.  HAH!  Six rushing TD's by the Cats?  Oh man, the anti-Arena game.

 

ED:  Arizona handles Utah, 64-52.  'Zona's gonna take the West with like Bonner and nothing else, aren't they?

 

PR: Well come on... they were playing Utah.

 

ED:  Colorado throttles Grand Rapids, 73-48.  God, it was so very long ago when Grand Rapids was good.

 

PR: Well I was home over the weekend, ESPNEWS had the scroll going and the score came up 42-7 with like 40 seconds in the first half and I remember thinking “Aww... I bet that’s the national NBC game”

 

ED:  KC upsets LA, 62-45.  Yep.  More proof that even Grand Rapids could win the West this season.

 

ED:  Dallas whips New York, 46-28.  Yep, must've been Browning Nagle's week to cameo as a New York QB.

 

PR: Sigh...

 

ED:  Philly tops Colorado, 56-55.  WOW!  How ever could I have guessed that NBC was going to give me this game?

 

ED:  Orlando edges Columbus, 39-36.  Cheer up, li'l Ohio football fans!  It's Ohio State football team arrest season!

 

ED:  Nashville slaps around Vegas, 58-44.  Oh man, getting beat at home by Nashville?  By 14?  Yeah, the West is indeed the suck this year.

 

ED:  Georgia mauls Austin, 61-29.  Shucks!  Wasn't Austin good just like 3 weeks ago or something?

 

NCAA

ED: The NCAA hoops season is FINALLY over! Florida is your men's champs. Maryland is your women's champs. Phil enjoys the riots.

 

PR: The Mason celebration rally/parade thingy on Friday was... unfortunate.

 

ED: Wisconsin is your NCAA Hockey Champs.  Well, that should make them forget about the royal screwing over Brett Favre is giving the state.

 

BB: DON’T RUSH HIM!!!!

 

ED: TROUBLED TIMES!!! Six Mississippi State football players are suspended (or suspenders if you are a Yahoo headline writer) for assaulting a police officer. Duke's lacrosse coach resigns and the team's season is cancelled after that whole stripper rape deal.

 

BB: I am working on Facebooking the entire Duke lacrosse team. More on that in the weeks to come.

 

NFL

 

ED: FORWARD PASSINGS!!! Inventor of the shotgun formation, Red Hickey dead at 89. Former GM of the Browns and long-time NFL official, Peter Hadhazy dead at 62. Former Cardinal Marshall Goldberg dead at 88.  Former Giant and Steeler Jim Clack dead at 58.

 

ED: Catching up on some PLAYA MOVEMENT! - Nate Burleson signed with Seattle, Sam Adams signed with the Bengals, Jamie Winborn signed with Tampa Bay, Eric Warfield signed with New England, Lenny Walls signed with KC, Matt Turk signed with St. Louis, the Dolphins signed S Deke Cooper, the Texans trade a fourth round draft pick to the Bills for WR Eric Moulds, the Bills signed T Aaron Gibson, the Eagles signed DT Ed Jasper

 

BB: I wonder how many buffalo wings were in Aaron Gibson’s contract. Big big fella likes to eat. Deke Cooper also has to be a fake name.

 

PR: God – how was Gibson not manly enough to stay on with the Lions.

 

ED: Victor Green re-signs with the Jets then retires. Well, retiring as a Jet beats being a real live player for the Jets.

 

PR: My Madden does not approve. Unless of course – he remains in the FA list ranked at like 88..

 

ED:  Packer QB Brett Favre holds a big news conference to announce...that he doesn't know if he's going to play next season or not yet.  God, if I'm a Packer fan I punch him in the jimmy already.

 

BB: I will happily contribute $20 to that cause.

 

ED: Former Packer TE Mark Chmura calls Packers QB Bret Favre selfish for not making up his mind about retiring yet. No word on if Chmura made those comments while gnashing his teeth over a replay of Nick's Kid Choice awards.

 

BB: NOT GUILTY!!!!!!!!! SHE WANTED IT! Poor poor babysitter.

 

ED: The Titans tell QB Steve McNair not to show up at their training site until he reworks his contract. Titans owner Bud Adams says the ban is just because he just doesn't want McNair to get hurt.  Uh.  Huh.

 

BB: If he didn’t want McNair to get hurt he wouldn’t let him out of the Bubble, let alone on the training site.

 

PR: Umm... it’s Steve McNair. When is he not hurt?

 

ED: The NFL decides to make the late season games more flexible so NBC Sunday Night games won't be full of the usual turkeys that ESPN was stuck with.  Right.  That will work out well, I'm sure.

 

ED: Speaking of schedules, the NFL RELEASED THEIR SCHEDULE!!!! Ooo, I am reminded that ART SHELL!!! is the Raiders coach again. Mmm, Art Shell.

 

BB: Yeah, but Aaron Brooks is the QB. Which means Art Shell may be the recipient of a few pass attempts this year.

 

PR: I think I predicted the Raiders would win at least 7 games to Ed. He did not like that. Not at all. Meanwhile – I think I easily had the Giants going 0-7

 

ED: TROUBLE LIST!!! Redskins S Sean Taylor's attorney says that Taylor won't plead guilty to assault charges. Dolphins QB Daunte Culpepper is cleared of his charges in the Vikings love boat incident. Eagles QB Donovan McNabb and LB Jeremiah Trotter are found guilty of parking their trucks in handicap spots.

 

BB: In all fairness, McNabb was pretty crippled this year. And he may be able to pass off his hair as obviously that of a handicapped person.

 

SOCCER

BB: Wayne Rooney has accrued 700,000 pounds in gambling debt. Would have been 850,000 if he hadn’t caught that flush he chased to the river against me. I hate you PartyPoker.

 

PR: FLUSH! FLUSH! FLUSH!

 

BB: Brian McBride’s goal against Sunderland is forgotten when the game is called off after 20 minutes due to snow. Eric Wynalda cackles with glee.

 

BB: Inter Milan’s players are attacked in an Italian airport after returning – from a victory in a league match – because they lost in the Champions League in midweek. Preferable to “Dida treatment”.

 

BB: Villa happy to note that Milan Baros will only leave if his minimum fee release clause of 18 million pounds is met. Rest of world’s teams happy to note Milan Baros should get comfortable at Aston Villa.

 

BB: This first line of an article must be pasted in untouched. “Wigan's remarkable success story is about to touch the heart of America.”

 

PR: Are they joining MLS?

 

OTHER

ED: Phil Mickelson wins the Masters.  And I cannot possibly care any less.

 

PR: Ben Crane won the traditional par-three contest before the Masters. His caddy for the event - Drew Bledsoe. So yet again, Bledsoe rides someone else's coattails for a championship.

 

ED: Well, that's as close as Bledsoe will ever get to another championship, anyway.

 

ED: CFL NEWZ!!! To recap - the Ottawa franchise is completely farked. The Montreal Al's sign QB? Quincy Carter. Edmonton trades QB? Danny McManus to Calgary for a third round pick.

 

ED: Kasey Kahne wins the Samsung/Radio Shack 500 and then poses for possibly the gayest picture ever taken.  Oh man, even Mike Piazza laughs at that.