Panni

The Jets are making me sick. This is so damn pathetic.

2002 was a great year as Jet fan. The season started awful which led to the infamous "You Play to Win the Game!" speech from Herm Edwards. Chad Pennington then took over starting QB from Testaverde and was on fire. The Jets got red hot and were involved in a three team tie Week 17. That week Vinatieri hit a Field Goal in Miami that had the Meadowlands going wild because all the Jets had to do was beat Favre and the Packers. Sure enough with Pennington in charge they torched the Packers and then Peyton and the Colts in week 1 of the playoffs. Sadly they fell to the superior Raiders, but I remember having so much hope for the promise of the Jets. Then the next pre-season Pennington was injured in a game against the Giants. The culprit was Brandon Short, I won't forget his name. Chad was never the same again.

Not that I think it's going to happen, but it's not impossible that a team like St. Louis or Seattle gets red hot in the playoffs. Nobody expected the Arizona Cardinals to get to the Super Bowl a few years back when they were 9-7, and they just happened to get hot. I could see the Rams winning a game at home, and then maybe getting lucky on the road in the Divisional round. It's not out of the question.

I like Jason Werth alot, but I feel like this huge deal will go down as one that many people will point out how awful it is. Werth will be about 38 and making 18M if I saw it correctly. As far as the previous Jeter vs. A-Rod discussion. In a big spot I'd take Alex Rodriguez at the plate any day. The only person on the Yankees I'd consider putting up in a big spot before A-Rod is Robbie Cano. In just the past three years Alex has as many big hits as anybody in baseball, and far more than anyone on the Yankees. He must have about ten walk-offs or huge game-tying homers, including two HRs in the playoffs. Plus, he's been a Red Sox killer.

I can't wait to watch that Heats-Cavs game. The Heat will ultimately be fine, but I think the Cavs will get the win tomorrow. They will probably be playing at an extremely high energy level, and the Heat are coming off a night of travel. Either way it's going to be an incredible game to watch.

Personally, I think the offer that the Yankees have offered Derek Jeter is extremely fair. This is not a matter of "playing hardball." This is simply the Yankees don't want to be paying two 40 year old men 50 million collectively (Jeter and A-Rod). 15 Mil a year would make Derek Jeter the second highest paid middle infielder, only behind Tulo. Tulo is 27 years old...Derek Jeter is 36. DJ would already be making more money than guys like Hanley Ramirez & Chase Utley who are certainly better middle infielders as well. Don't get me wrong, Jeter should certainly be rewarded some extra money for the brand he's established for himself in the past 15 years, but he is receiving that. The Yankees offered 15 when realistically his numbers indicate he's worth no more than 10. Also, nobody else is going to give Jeter the sort of money he wants. The Yankees have all the bargaining power here. Ultimately though I think he winds up with a contract where he makes 17-18 M a year. I feel like now Yankee fans will expect him to live up to those numbers when 2011 starts up.

Nikki Minaj went nuts in Monster, and I think easily had the best lines. I'm not a big fan of her at all, but she really stole the show. Overall this album is incredible. I think it's Kanye's best work so far. Not including the singles my other favorites are Gorgeous, All of the Lights, & Hell of a Life.

So Chad Pennington is getting the start in Miami over Chad Henne this weekend. As a Jet fan who obviously has much disdain for the Dolphins, I still can't help but love Pennington. I always felt he was such a smart passer that you knew you wouldn't lose a game due to mistakes. He was always good enough to get the Jets in or around the playoffs. However, his lack of arm strength, always held the Jets back from being the best. I remember a funny stat one year where he had the passer rating for 1-10 yard passes, the lowest for 11-20 yard passes, and the highest for 21-up. That was because he would throw one or two bombs a game, but they would be on the money. That season he debuted everyone was comparing him to Joe Montana. I remember in 2002, Pennington led the Jets to a blow-out win over Manning and the Colts. I was convinced we would get at least one Super Bowl ring with Pennington in charge. Unfortunately, he got hurt and was never the same. Although he is the only two-time Comeback Player of the Year. Either way I'm happy to see him back again and hope he does well yet again. If it wasn't for LT or Vick, I'd be rooting for him to become 3x Comeback Player of the Year!

Rangers have great pitching don't get me wrong. Cliff Lee is even better than Tim Lincecum right now. There are probably only two pitchers in baseball that are better than Lee and that's Hallady & King Felix. What's great about that is we are probably going to see that marquee pitching match-up in Games 1,4, & 7 if necessary. However, I think Jonathan Sanchez is better than CJ Wilson and Matt Cain is much better than Colby Lewis. So I give the rotation advantage to the Giants. SF also has an advantage in middle relief while Texas has the better closer. While SF does have the pitching advantage I just don't think they'll have the hitting to match-up with Texas who is a more well-rounded team.

I think Brian Wilson should have MVP of the NLCS. He was shaky at times, but he closed out all his games. As far as the World Series goes...should be interesting. Rangers have a huge hitting advantage, and I'd say the Giants have a significant pitching advantage (even though the Rangers have Lee). People say pitching beats hitting, but not this Rangers lineup. I just don't think Giants loveable batch of mediocre veterans (Uribe/Huff/Renteria/Ross/Sanchez/Burrell) will be able to keep up with the firepower of the Texas lineup. I say Rangers in 6.

Seeing as how the season is now just a few days away here's some predictions. Eastern Conference Finals - Miami Heat d. Orlando Magic (7 games) Western Conference Finals - Los Angeles Lakers d. Oklahoma City Thunder (6 games) NBA Finals - Miami Heat d. Los Angeles Lakers (5 games) Surprising Playoff Teams - Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, & Golden State Warriors MVP - Kevin Durant Rookie of the Year - John Wall

In 2002 the San Francisco Giants took on the Los Angeles Angels. The argument that Texas constantly beats New York teams is a little absurd. As a New York I'm honestly used to the Yankees bouncing the Rangers. Plus, being a New York citizens I can tell you the vast majority of fans from New York City really don't consider the Buffalo Bills one of their teams. I'm a Yankee fan, but this loss to the Rangers isn't that hard to swallow. The Rangers simply outplayed the Yankees in every aspect of the game. Plus, I kind of like the guys on Texas. They got a really fun batch of hitters in that line-up. I think they will easily handle the Giants, but this year's playoffs have been so hard to predict so who knows.

1. Grand Theft Auto 32. Pokemon Red/Blue 3. Mario Kart 64 4. Super Mario Bros. Wii 5. God of War 2 6. Donkey Kong Country 7. Grand Theft Auto IV 8. Mario Bros. 3 9. The Sims 10. Bioshock

1. Frank Sinatra 2. Ray Charles 3. Ella Fitzgerald 4. James Brown 5. Whitney Houston 6. Frankie Valli 7. Elvis Presley 8. Bruce Springsteen 9. Michael Jackson 10. Steven Tyler

This looks like it would have been an absolute blast to be a part of.

1. "Forgot About Dre" - Dr. Dre & Eminem 2. "Moment of Clarity" - Jay-Z 3. "The Way I Am" - Eminem 4. "Gangsta's Paradise" - Coolio 5. "Dat New New" - Kid Cudi

I've had a pretty good year so far with my teams (with one huge exception) MLB - New York Yankees NFL - New York Jets NHL - New York Rangers NBA - New Jersey Nets College Basketball - Syracuse Orange College Football - Penn State

Here are my division winners AL East - New York Yankees AL Central - Chicago White Sox AL West - Seattle Mariners AL Wild Card - Boston Red Sox NL East - Philadelphia Phillies NL Central - St. Louis Cardinals NL West - Arizona Diamondbacks NL Wild Card - Atlanta Braves World Series - New York Yankees over St. Louis Cardinals CY Youngs - Felix Hernandez & Roy Halladay MVPS - Mark Teixeira & Albert Pujols (boring pick but how do you go against him) *Dark horse MVP picks Youkilis & Werth

I consider Season 2 of the Office to be one of the funniest seasons of television I've ever seen. I used to enjoy Jim Halpert a lot, but over the seasons Dwight has become my favorite character. Every time Dwight brings up Schrute family traditions I crack up (getting married in their own graves, not being allowed to watch television, knowing the dangers of a male turkey during mating season).

1. Seinfeld 2. The Office (U.S.) 3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer 4. 24 5. South Park 6. Entourage 7. Arrested Development 8. Da Ali G Show 9. Freaks and Geeks 10. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia