5. Rudy

Daniel E. "Rudy" Ruettiger lived his dream.  His story was depicted on the big screen in 1993 and is considered one of the best sports movies ever.  Now I don't take everything from movies to be based on true stories to be fact, but I would imagine this one was a close to the real deal.

Without giving away a whole lot, I will point out that one part of the movie pissed me off immensely.  In the beginning of the movie when Rudy was in high school, there was an announcement from the priest that there would be a bus leaving for Notre Dame.  Sure enough Rudy wants to go and take a tour of the campus.  He shows up to get on the bus.  The priest doesn't let him on the bus.  He takes Rudy aside and tells him, "not everyone is meant to go to college."

I was livid.  Let the kid see the campus.  If that part was true, shame on that idiot.  Anyway the rest of the movie for me was very telling.  Rudy's dream was to play football at Notre Dame.  A simple dream.  Not so simple when your family doesn't think you can do it.  He gets through that and tragedy in the beginning to finally pursue his dream.

It's not a walk in the park and along the way he makes some new friends.  One of them was the head groundskeeper at Notre Dame Stadium.  Fortune was his name.  He was played by Charles S. Dutton.  Rudy was working for him to get the feel for being on the same field as his favorite Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Fortune was an important character who got Rudy back into focus on his dream.  Just when things were at their lowest for Rudy, Fortune gave him the pep talk he needed.

Fortune: Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey what are you doing here don't you have practice?

Rudy: Not anymore I quit.

Fortune: Oh, well since when are you the quitting kind?

Rudy: I don't know I just don't see the point anymore.

Fortune: So you didn't make the dress list, there are greater tragedies in the world.

Rudy: I wanted to run out of that tunnel for my dad to prove to everyone that I worked...

Fortune: Prove what?

Rudy: That I was somebody


Fortune: Oh you are so full of crap.  You're five foot nothin', a hundred and nothin' and hardly have a spec of athletic ability and you hung in with the best college football team in the land for two years, and you were also going to walk out of here with a degree from the University of Notre Dame in this life time you don't have to prove nothing to nobody except yourself and after what you gone through if you haven't done that by now, it ain't gonna never happen, now go on back.

Rudy: I'm sorry I never got you to see your first game in here.

Fortune: Hell I've seen too many games in this Stadium.

Rudy: I thought you said you never saw a game...

Fortune: I've never seen a game from the stands.

Rudy: You were a player?

Fortune: I rode the Bench for two years thought I wasn't being played because of my color I got filled up with a lot of attitude so I quit, still not a week goes by I don't regret it, and I guarantee a week won't go by in your life you won't regret walking out letting them get the best of you.  Do you hear me clear enough?

That sums up the entire Rudy story in a nut-shell.  He had to fight through a lot of crap and still knew he had a chance to succeed at one of the finest universities in the country.  Rudy showed us that no matter the dream, if you work hard to achieve you will have lived it out.  Rudy stands alone as one of many examples that what you dream can come true.  There's always hope, don't ever forget that.  Rudy-Rudy-Rudy-Rudy.

This top 10 list is sports movies that I've seen.  Not what others recommend, but only what my eyes have seen and that I truly enjoy.  If you haven't seen this movie, netflix it, pirate the movie, however you go about watching movies, just do it.

Week 11 Review of the NFL

It's splits-ville for Vince Young

It seemed to me and to everyone else that Vince Young had finally understood what you had to do to become an elite quarterback last year.  After his issues on and off the field the previous year, he was the backup to Kerry Collins going into the 2009 season.  Collins faltered and Titans head coach Jeff Fisher went to Young.  Immediately his skill set brought out the best in the entire offense and the Titans were off.  After a 0-6 start they finished the season 6-2 with Young.  Things began to look good going into 2010 that he was going to finally live up to his billing as the number two overall pick of 2006. 
All that changed after a disappointing defeat at home to the Washington Redskins.  Young was turnover prone and left the game with a season ending thumb injury to his throwing hand.  After the game, Jeff Fisher said something that most head coaches never say, even when there is turmoil in the locker room.  "Regardless of whether Vince is hurt or not, he's no longer the starting quarterback."  Young by all reports went on a tirade in the locker room after the game and it's become apparent that Fisher has had enough.  Unfortunately owner Bud Adams loves Young and he will have to choose after this season between his quarterback and head coach.  One will be leaving after the 2010 season.

Zygi has had enough

We all knew it was going to happen.  Brad Childress was going to be fired.  What we didn't expect was that he was going to be fired after one of the worst losses the Vikings had suffered in a long time to the division rival Green Bay Packers.  Now all eyes will be on the interim coach Leslie Frazier.  He has interviewed for numerous jobs the last half-dozen years.  This is an audition for a guy who has been touted as a players coach who demands they play hard on every play.  His only problem is that he is now the newest coach to deal with the Brett Favre question.  Will Frazier bench Favre at the first sign of trouble and hand the reigns to Tarvaris Jackson?  I say yes because you don't want to show weakness during your one chance to show the league that you mean business.  For his sake he should make it absolutely clear in that locker room that he expects them to forget about the last two and a half months and focus on now.  The same goes for Favre.  He should be on a short leash and not be given any breaks from here on out.  If Frazier does anything less, he will be looking for a job elsewhere, but not as a head coach.

Why does there need to be a team in Los Angeles?

It's a question that has been bothering me for most of my life.  I was aware that Los Angeles had two teams for the first eight years of my life.  Soon thereafter 1994 both the Raiders and Rams bolted and the second biggest media market was without a NFL team.  Since then the NFL has added teams in North Carolina, Jacksonville, Baltimore, Cleveland, Tennessee and Houston.  Why not LA?  Well, like with all of the state of California's problems, it starts with the politicians.  Los Angeles politics screwed this up royally.  The nuts and bolts of it was that the city wanted a new franchise, expansion or existing, to make their home at the Los Angeles Coliseum.  Now if you haven't been around Los Angeles, the Coliseum is a dump.  It would need to be renovated big time and the neighborhood isn't exactly ideal.  Only recently the city decided to abandon that idea and that left the door open for others to make their plans public.
The company AEG, which owns Staples Center and LA Live in downtown Los Angeles, is ready to go forward with the building of a stadium next to the Staples Center.  AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke is leading that charge.  There is another person that wants to build a stadium in the hills outside of downtown in the City of Industry.  Ed Roski, a billionaire real estate mogul and part owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Kings is behind that idea.  The problem isn't the stadium now, but rather does the NFL need Los Angeles and does Los Angeles need the NFL?
The crux of it of course has to do with revenue.  The NFL has grown into a billion dollar sport without Los Angeles.  Los Angeles seems to have been all right in the sport department without the NFL.  The Lakers are on top.  The Kings have made a resurgence the last couple years in the NHL.  Just about everyone is a Dodgers fan.  If you want to watch football, there are many ways to watch your favorite team.  Either on television, computer and cell phone.  Raider fans can drive or fly up north.  The same for 49ers fans.  Charger fans can do the same going south.
Los Angeles wants some extra cash and the NFL wants to get back into the Los Angeles market.  I get that from both sides.  I'm not gonna say that it will never happen.  That would be naive of me.  It will happen.  The problem with it is there is a looming labor fight and the NFL will not be thinking about expanding anytime soon.  The easiest solution would be if an existing team moves to Los Angeles, but that would still force the league's hand to give that city an expansion team.  Nobody wins regardless.
The argument that fans are clamoring for a team is totally non-existent.  I polled some friends here in Southern California.  The question was 'Do you want Los Angeles to have a NFL team?'  The results were 37% percent said yes and 63% said no.  To put it simply we don't think about having a team of our own.  When the Rams and Raiders left, those Los Angeles fans are still fans of those teams.  If those fans aren't loyal anymore they found new teams to root for.  I honestly believe Los Angeles football fans don't care and assume it will happen.  Whether they will embrace in the short-term or the long-term is another question that won't be answered until it happens. 

6. Rocky

If there's a better example of the ultimate "underdog" story, please share.  It's quite amazing to think that a movie that was released back in 1976 is still considered not just one of the best sports movies, but one of the best movies of all time. 

"The Italian Stallion" Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) gets the chance of a life time to fight the world heavyweight champion of boxing Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers).  Seen more as a publicity ploy by Apollo Creed than an actual fight, it turns out to be one of the best fights in recent memory.

At the same time, Rocky's personal life is in shambles.  Being given the opportunity of a life time quickly thrusts him into the limelight and forces him to have a different outlook for the future.  He pairs up with Mickey Goldwill (Burgess Meredith), a trainer who didn't give Rocky the light of day for six years until Rocky was given the chance to fight Apollo.  They form a strong bond that helps get them both through the training and the fight of the century.

Rocky also has met the love of his life Adrian Pennino (Talia Shire) who becomes the Yin to his Yang.  To Rocky, Adrian is something worth fighting for and it adds extra motivation for him to do his best and no matter what happens, he will still have her. 

Ultimately it comes down to the relationship between Rocky and Adrian.  Even though Rocky is fighting for the world championship of boxing, he and Adrian continue to get closer as the fight approaches.  The night before the fight, Rocky goes for a walk.  He figures he has no shot at beating Apollo, but as he explains to Adrian when he comes back, there's still a chance for respect.

Rocky Balboa: Ah come on, Adrian, it's true.  I was nobody.  But that don't matter either, you know?  'Cause I was thinkin', it really don't matter if I lose this fight.  It really don't matter if this guy opens my head, either.  'Cause all I wanna do is go the distance.  Nobody's ever gone the distance with Creed, and if I can go that distance, you see, and that bell rings and I'm still standin', I'm gonna know for the first time in my life, see, that I weren't just another bum from the neighborhood.

I'm sure most of you have seen this movie at least once.  Most of you probably have it higher on your list.  It's a timeless classic.  Everyone can agree on that.  The characters are unforgettable.  Some of the lines are recognizable. 

"Yo Adrian"
"You're gonna eat lightning and crap thunder"
"Cut me Mick"
"You're a bum"

All memorable quotes.  This was a great story that frankly went two movies too long.  "Rocky V" and "Rocky Balboa" were unnecessary and you could make the same argument for "Rocky IV."  However, the standard was set with the original and "Rocky II" was just as good, but nothing is better than the original.

This top 10 list is sports movies that I've seen.  Not what others recommend, but only what my eyes have seen and that I truly enjoy.  If you haven't seen this movie, netflix it, pirate the movie, however you go about watching movies, just do it.

Week 10 Review of the NFL

What was Washington thinking?

Like with most of the politicians in Washington, the football team is making some puzzling decisions.  They didn't let Albert Haynesworth go when it was clearly apparent that he didn't want to play for the Redskins.  Then benching Donovan McNabb in favor of Rex Grossman when they're down by only one touchdown.  Does anyone honestly think that Rex Grossman is a better quarterback than McNabb?  That's what Mike Shanahan said.  Now after that, the Redskins went for it and gave McNabb a five year extension.  Amazing indeed.  I'm a firm believer that McNabb is a great quarterback.  Not many can say they led their team to five straight NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl appearance.  With that aside, why did the Redskins give him an extension in the middle of the season?  Someone I know said that it was "shut up" money.  I don't think that was the reason, but rule number one for me on giving contract extensions is you don't do it in the middle of the season.  Just ask the New York Knicks how it worked for them giving Isiah Thomas a contract extension in the middle of the season when he was the head coach.  What happened to the Redskins during McNabb's first game with a new contract?  They fell flat on their face to McNabb's former team losing 59-28.  Not a wise move in an already lost season.

Jacksonville's prayers are answered

It's probably the most exciting play in football, the Hail Mary pass.  It doesn't happen very often, but it brings everyone to their feet.  I can't say that I agreed with the move at the time, but I did think, "what the heck, why not try it" if you're Jacksonville head coach Jack Del Rio.  It works, you win.  If it doesn't, it's overtime.  Houston came into the game with the worst pass defense in the league and Del Rio figured that it was worth a shot on their home turf.  Houston cornerback Glover Quinn did the right thing by batting the ball towards the ground.  That's what you're told to do in that situation.  The problem was that no one, and i mean no one was covering Jaguars receivers Mike Thomas or Marcedes Lewis who were two yards away from the endzone when Thomas caught the ball.  It was definitely the most exciting play of the year so far.  The Jaguars and Texans seasons will be marred by that one play.  Jacksonville is moving up while Houston is on the way down. 

Whose the best team?  I don't know, quit asking.

It's being asked every single week and frankly I'm tired of hearing it asked.  This week it's New England turn to be called the best team in the NFL.  Sure they beat a pretty good Pittsburgh Steelers team in Pittsburgh, but they seem to always stiffen up when they play New England for some reason.  The Giants were considered the best team in the NFC.  That is until they laid down against the lowly Dallas Cowboys.  Sure, the stadium had a couple of delays due to the stadium lights being out, but you shouldn't have been blown out at home by a division rival.  Here's how it will setup for next week.  Will Indianapolis or New England be the best team after they play each other?  Will Philadelphia be the best team in the NFC if they beat the Giants?  Mark my words that will be the topic of discussion in another episode of, "Whose the beast team?"  Ask me when it's January 3, 2011.

7. Happy Gilmore

Yes, it's a golf movie.  Not the kind of golf movie you would expect.  I mean it stars Adam Sandler.  Now I will go ahead and say this now.  The rest of the list doesn't have another Sandler movie?  Why?  To me this movie was better than "The Longest Yard" and "The Waterboy."  If you've seen this movie, then you know exactly what I mean.  If not, I will set it up for you.

As I said earlier the main character is Adam Sandler's.  That character is Happy Gilmore.  He is really a hockey player who isn't as good as he thinks he is.  His grandmother's house is being seized by the IRS and will be up for auction if they don't pay up.  Happy discovers by accident that he can hit a golf ball over 400 yards.  So he figures he can make some easy money that way.  A former pro-golfer named Chubbs Peterson sees some real talent in him and offers his help to turn Happy Gilmore into more than a side show.  Happy will have to learn on the fly as a rival named Shooter McGavin will stop at nothing to make sure he fails.

Besides seeing Adam Sandler and his antics, the other cast is pretty well known and hilarious.  Chubbs is played by Carl Weathers.  Yes that same "Predator" and "Rocky" fighting individual.  Christopher McDonald does a great job of being Shooter McGavin.  Julie Bowen, who is one of the stars of "Modern Family" played Happy Gilmore's love interest Virginia Venit.  She is fantastic.  And last, but not least Bob Barker from "The Price is Right" makes an appearance.

The following scene with Happy Gilmore and Bob Barker is the best way to sway you to watch it for the first time or the one hundredth time.  This is easily one of the best if not the best thing about this movie.  Enjoy.

Happy Gilmore: [Having a bad day of golfing due to a member of the crowd] That guy's driving me *crazy*!

Bob Barker: You know what's driving *me* crazy? You, not getting the ball in the hole.

Happy: Don't push me, Bob! Now's not the time.
[Happy hits the ball, which hits a man standing on a boat, who then falls into the water]

Bob: This guy sucks!

Announcer: We haven't seen Happy Gilmore play *this* badly since his first day on tour. He and Bob Barker are now dead-last.

Bob: I can't *believe* you're a professional golfer! I think you should be working at the snack bar.

Happy: [Angrily, with teeth clenched] You better relax, Bob.

Bob: There is *no* way that you could have been as bad at hockey as you are at golf!

Happy: Alright, let's go!
 [Happy throws down his club and punches Bob in the face, who falls to the ground]

Happy: You like that, old man? You want a piece of me?

Bob: [Shaking his head as he gets up] I don't want a *piece* of you, I want the *whole thing*!
[Punches Happy in the gut, then proceeds to punch him in the face ten times, sending Happy falling into a pond]

Happy: [Happy gets out] Now you're gonna get it, Bobby!
[Happy grabs his club and swings at Bob, who blocks, punches Happy in the face, then throws him to the ground. Happy tackles Bob, resulting in both of them rolling down a hill. At the bottom, Happy headbutts Bob]

Happy: The price is *wrong*, bitch!

Bob: [Bob grabs Happy's throat, opens his eyes with a menacing look, stands up, punches Happy in the gut twice, and once in the face before Happy falls down again] I think you've had enough.
[Starts to walk away, but notices Happy start to stand up again]

Bob: No?
[Kicks Happy in the face]

Bob: *Now* you've had enough... bitch.

Yes.  Bob freaking Barker is the man.  Aside from that, "Happy Gilmore" really brought the sport of golf to the forefront for me.  Not that I watch it all the time, but I do have an interest in it.  Heck, it does run in my family and most of yours to.  If you haven't seen it I highly recommend it and that you watch it with someone who has.  You will appreciate it that much more.

This top 10 list is sports movies that I've seen.  Not what others recommend, but only what my eyes have seen and that I truly enjoy.  If you haven't seen this movie, netflix it, pirate the movie, however you go about watching movies, just do it.

Week 9 Review of the NFL

The Return of the Blackhole

The one overlying question about the Oakland Raiders at the beginning of the season was whether Jason Campbell was the answer to their quarterback problems.  From the start it looked like he wasn't and Oakland turned to Bruce Gradkowski once again.  Gradkowski isn't the best quarterback, but brings added life to a struggling offense.  When he went down to a shoulder injury, head coach Tom Cable decided to change the offenses approach.  The answer was to run the football.  Darren McFadden, a former 4th overall pick of the Raiders, has been a big part of the Raiders turnaround the past three weeks.  With that added emphasis on the run, that has made it a lot easier for Jason Campbell to throw the ball down field.  That has led to Campbell throwing 5 touchdowns to 1 interception in the last three games.  It marks the first time that the Raiders have won three straight games since their Super Bowl season of 2002.  Rejoice Raider Nation, with that showing against your rival Kansas City, the rest of the league might have to take you serious once again.

J.J. makes a move

I've been confused about the Dallas Cowboys for a long time.  It goes back to the time when they hired Dave Campo as their head coach.  Yeah, who is that again?  Anyway, the Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has made a big investment once again into his team and he like any owner expects a return on that investment.  A 1-7 start is not the return he expected.  When J.J. said after one of their losses that Wade Phillips was going to be the head coach for the rest of the season.  I found that kind of odd.  Yes, Jerry has never fired a head coach in the middle of a season, but this was Jerry's making.  He and many others expected the Cowboys to be Super Bowl contenders.  Dallas was not living up to his expectations.  This last butt whooping against the Green Bay Packers on national television no less was the last straw.  Jerry fired Wade Phillips, who will definitely get another defensive coordinator gig, but I don't believe he will get another chance as a head coach.  He's had so many chances to succeed with good teams.  This latest one in Dallas will stick with him for a long time.  Jerry now will have to start over and bring in someone who knows football to over see the operation.  He will also need to bring in a no nonsense coach, like Jon Gruden, to demand more from his players.  If J.J. can do those two things, the Cowboys will be a contender very quickly.

Brett Favre does it again

Just when you think Favre can't be the old gunslinger again, he surprises us all.  The Vikings being down by two scores against the Arizona Cardinals at home.  Really most of the pressure was on head coach Brad Childress who was probably going to be fired as soon as the game was over.  Favre calmly after throwing his second interception of the game, is given another chance to drive the Vikings down the field for a Adrian Peterson rushing touchdown.  The Cardinals offense is stagnant and the Vikings have another chance with Favre throwing the ball all over the place to tie the game.  Why Visanthe Shiancoe was that wide open I will never know.  With all that momentum the Vikings were sure to win it in overtime thanks to a Ryan Longwell field goal.  Now does this mean the Vikings will turn their 3-5 season around?  Probably not.  It does say that Favre is still Favre and the Vikings have made a deal with the devil in a sense that last season and this season rests on the right arm of Brett Favre.  Childress' fate has been sealed, but if they have a miraculous turnaround, say winning the Super Bowl, they will probably keep him around for another year.  It won't happen, but it's in the back of our minds.  Crazier things have happened.

8. Remember the Titans

This is the first of only two football movies on my list.  Why?  It's difficult to make a great football movie.  Put together your top ten list and tell me how many of them are football movies.  Unless you're a die hard football fan and that's the only sports movies you will watch, you won't have many on your list, guaranteed.

"Remember the Titans" is based on the true story of the 1971 T.C. Williams high school football team from Alexandria, Virginia.  The main character is the head coach of the football team, Herman Boone played by Denzel Washington.  Now don't go storming off to watch this because Denzel is in it.  There is much more to this movie.

Basically the story goes like this.  Segregation was beginning to be washed away and in Virginia it started with an all white school and an all black school being integrated into T.C. Williams.  Boone was hired to be the coach of the all black school while the all white school coach Bill Yoast, played by Will Patton, was to be the head coach for T.C. Williams.  Boone was going to be an assistant under Yoast at T.C. Williams, but the school board decided before the season to give the job to Boone over Yoast.

Of course that didn't go over well and all hell was about to break loose.  What it all boils down to is that it's a case of black and white at a time when they were judging by the color of their skin and not the content of their character.  Even when it came to playing a game of football.  This true story of what both Herman Boone and Bill Yoast did to calm the animosity both on the field and in the community is nothing short of miraculous.  At the same time the football team was doing something that was extremely special too.

The two star players, both playing on defense, were at each others throats from the start.  Gerry Bertier, played by Ryan Hurst was white.  Julius Campbell, played by Wood Harris was black.  Both were headstrong, but soon realized that what they originally thought about each other was completely wrong.  Their story along with the coaches was amazing to see unfold.

During their camp at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, coach Boone decided to take the entire team for a pre-dawn hike.  At the end of the hike they came upon hallowed ground in which coach Boone said the following:

Coach Boone: Anybody know what this place is?  This is Gettysburg.  This is where they fought the battle of Gettysburg.  Fifty thousand men died right here on this field, fighting the same fight that we are still fighting among ourselves today.  This green field right here, painted red, bubblin' with the blood of young boys.  Smoke and hot lead pouring right through their bodies.  Listen to their souls, men.  I killed my brother with malice in my heart.  Hatred destroyed my family.  You listen, and you take a lesson from the dead.  If we don't come together right now on this hallowed ground, we too will be destroyed, just like they were.  I don't care if you like each other or not, but you will respect each other.  And maybe... I don't know, maybe we'll learn to play this game like men.

If that was just a Hollywood speech so be it.  If the real Herman Boone said this, that is truly an amazing speech.  Either way, it brings to life what the movie is all about.  We too will be destroyed if we don't come together right now.

To me this movie both brings light to modern times.  It's just a movie, but the core of the story is that we need to judge someone by their character and not by skin color if we are to be a cohesive society.  Anyone can play a game together and anyone can do anything they want so long as they strive to be the best they can be.  Tensions were high and no body wanted to get along, but they realized that there wasn't anything different about them other than the color of their skin.

This top 10 list is sports movies that I've seen.  Not what others recommend, but only what my eyes have seen and that I truly enjoy.  If you haven't seen this movie, netflix it, pirate the movie, however you go about watching movies, just do it.

2010 World Series Champions

Love them or hate them.  Giants fans from New York to San Francisco are happy to have a winner.  Since moving from New York to San Francisco in 1958 the Giants have had some talented teams.  From Mays and McCovey. To Will Clark and Matt Williams.  Then to Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent.  Anyone of those talented teams would have won a World Series. 

As the San Francisco Giants they made it to three World Series before this year.  They lost in seven games to the New York Yankees in 1962.  They were swept by their crosstown rivals the Oakland Athletics in 1989.  They blew a 5-0 lead in Game 6 of the 2002 World Series to the Anaheim Angels, who would go on to win Game 7.  It hasn't been a great history in San Francisco, but at some point they were due.

In essence when you think about baseball, you can't always assume the best teams on paper will be there in the end.  The Giants were an after thought during the regular season.  I had them finishing second, but not making the playoffs.  The main reason why I had them that high was because of their pitching.  That wasn't overlooked by anyone I don't believe.  That's why they are champions today.

Not since the Florida Marlins championship team of 2003 has a World Series champion had so much home grown talent in the pitching staff.  Tim Lincecum is a legitimate big game pitcher.  Postseason experience has been thrown out the window as long as you have great pitching.  Matt Cain is finally getting the recognition he deserves.  Remember he was an established starter before Lincecum.  Jonathan Sanchez struggled late in the postseason, but he is a hard throwing left-hander that most teams covet.  Madison Bumgarner, another hard throwing left-hander, was phenomenal in the NLCS and World Series.

Hitting was their glaring weakness throughout the year, but it came together at the right time.  Aubrey Huff received no other offers in the off-season than the one from San Francisco.  He had never played in the postseason before and was playing like a savvy veteran.  Edgar Renteria, who was the hero of the Florida Marlins 1997 championship, had another fantastic World Series and was the MVP.  Cody Ross, who was waived by the Marlins during the regular season, was eagerly claimed by the Giants.  His impact was felt immediately down the stretch and when they played the Phillies in the NLCS. 

They had some characters on this team and none more crazy than their closer Brian Wilson.  Now you have to be a little crazy to be a closer in baseball.  Wilson takes it to a whole other level.  I like that though.  And so does their manager Bruce Bochy who is one of the most underrated managers in the game today.  I knew the San Diego Padres made a mistake letting him go, but the Giants were happy to bring him in after seeing the success he had with the Padres for over a decade. 

Say what you want about the 2010 San Francisco Giants, but you can't deny that they beat the Atlanta Braves in four games during the Division Series.  They beat the two time National League champion Philadelphia Phillies in six games during the Championship Series.  Then topped it off by beating the offensive juggernaut the Texas Rangers in five games during the World Series.  They were underdogs throughout the playoffs.  But in the end they were the best team in baseball.

Week 8 Review of the NFL

At the beginning of the season I started doing a weekly segment on twitter called the Good, the Bad and the Ugly after every week in the NFL.  With so much futility this year, I feel this is the best way to sum up the half way point of the 2010 NFL season.  Each team will be briefly broken down into the Good, the Bad and the Ugly section.  Lets get started.

The Good

New England Patriots 6-1
They haven't missed a beat since trading Randy Moss.  Tom Brady looks as good as ever and the defense, while young is performing above their pre-season standards.  They are doing this while playing in a very competitive division with the Jets and Dolphins looming behind them.

New York Jets 5-2
A slow start was averted and they won five straight.  They hit a snag last week coming off their bye, but this is still the most talented team in the NFL.  As long as they return to their roots of running the ball and controlling the clock, they will be fine.  The defense is as good as advertised even with a banged up Darrelle Revis.

Miami Dolphins 4-3
All of their wins have come while on the road and for some reason they don't play the same at home.  It has made them a force to be reckoned with the rest of the way.  They will need to fix that problem at home if they want to get into the playoffs.  It won't help them beat the Jets or Patriots, but other teams might not have a chance if the Dolphins start winning at home.

Baltimore Ravens 5-2
The defense is performing up to their standard and they now have Ed Reed for the rest of the season.  The offense sputtered at times, but it seems that Joe Flacco has a handle on what went wrong and Baltimore seems primed to take a hold of the division.  They've already beaten Pittsburgh on their home turf and a season sweep would make it a lot easier to claim the division.

Pittsburgh Steelers 5-2
They went 3-1 without Ben Roethlisberger and everything seems to be running pretty smoothly.  The Steelers are still rushing the ball pretty effectively, but the Steelers are turning the ball over a little too much for their liking.  They have a tough fight ahead with Baltimore in the division, but it isn't out of the question for them to make the playoffs.

Indianapolis Colts 5-2
When you have Peyton Manning everything else seems to fall into place.  Injuries to Dallas Clark and Joseph Addai haven't slowed down Manning as the Colts are now positioned to clinch another division title.  It still won't be a walk in the park, but how can you doubt the Manning led Colts.

Tennessee Titans 5-3
They have been a little inconsistent lately, but the Titans still have the best running back in Chris Johnson.  Now they've thrown Randy Moss into the mix to help take pressure off Johnson to produce all the time.  Whether the Titans can keep Moss happy is one thing, but going forward they have another weapon defenses will have to gameplan for.

Kansas City Chiefs 5-2
Yes they are playing in one of the worst divisions, but they are the best team in that division.  It's no fluke.  They're winning games they're supposed to and they have the best 1-2 combination at running back in Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles.  Matt Cassell hasn't been perfect, but no where near what he was last year.  It's a recipe for success the rest of the way.

New York Giants 5-2
The defense is playing with the same tenacity that won them a Super Bowl just three years ago.  Eli Manning is on fire.  Especially with his favorite target Hakeem Nicks.  And surprise, surprise the Giants are running the ball effectively too.  The NFC East is theirs until further notice.

Philadelphia Eagles 4-3
Their record is deceiving, but the Eagles are doing a good job while having issues at quarterback.  Obviously hindsight tells you that they have to continue to ride Michael Vick until he falters, but what's to say that he will after a rib injury kept him out the last couple games.  For now they are in a good position to succeed, but it all rests on Vick's shoulders.

Green Bay Packers 5-3
Injuries are starting to mount for the Packers, especially on defense.  Has that stopped them?  Hardly.  Beating the Favre led Minnesota Vikings and the New York Jets has put the Packers back into the conversation of contenders in the NFC.  It basically boils down to whether Aaron Rodgers can continue to lead the Packers the way he did last season.

Atlanta Falcons 5-2
They have the slight edge in the suddenly tough NFC South.  The defense is coming around slowly, but what matters is that they can continue to run the ball.  Matt Ryan will need to continue to find Roddy White.  They have become the best quarterback wide receiver combo in the NFL this year.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-2
The surprise of the NFC.  For the Bucs it comes as no surprise because their quarterback Josh Freeman is the real deal.  I haven't seen a young quarterback with this much poise since Peyton Manning burst onto the scene.  Tampa Bay will be in the spotlight if they can beat their rivals Atlanta and New Orleans.

New Orleans Saints 5-3
The defending champions still have some life left.  Winning the division is priority number one right now.  They have to get back in sync on offense and they started to against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.  Whether they can get on a winning streak before Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas return is another question they will have to answer now.

St. Louis Rams 4-4
Quite shocking that a .500 team is in this position.  The reason is simple.  They are playing a lot better.  So much so that they have a chance at their division.  Sam Bradford is getting better every week.  The defense is playing with a sense of urgency on every possession.  In the weakest division, the NFC West, the Rams only competition is the lowly Seahawks and Cardinals. 

The Bad

Cleveland Browns 2-5
Who is the quarterback?  Who is running the offense?  Who has all the answers?  How much longer will it be til Mike Holmgren takes the headset away from Eric Mangini?  The Browns only bright spot is their defense, but they can't score the points at the same time.

Houston Texans 4-3
If you want to be considered a good football team, you have to beat the lowly Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts.  The Cowboys only win was against Houston.  The Colts were fortunate that the Texans forgot that they ran the ball all over the Colts in the first game of the season.  How much longer will it be before the Texans use their strengths to their advantage?

Jacksonville Jaguars 4-4
To be fair, the Jaguars are beating teams they're supposed to beat.  The next week against a tougher opponent, they seem to lay down.  With the beating they laid at Dallas last week, maybe it finally puts the Jaguars are the right track going into their bye week.  They've been inconsistent all year long and they have to show something to counter that.

Oakland Raiders 4-4
They are coming on lately, but it could all be a ruse if they fall flat on their faces against the Kansas City Chiefs.  You can put them a step ahead of the Chiefs if they win their third consecutive game next week.  For now though, there is still a big question mark at quarterback.  Is this Jason Campbell's job or will Bruce Gradkowski have to save the day again?

San Diego Chargers 3-5
Because they play in the AFC West you can't count them out just yet.  Sure they haven't won a game on the road yet.  Why would that matter to a team that plays better in November and December?  Can Norv Turner re-create that magic of years past?  The Chargers will need to for their sake and Turners.

Washington Redskins 4-4
Things are looking pretty bad right now if Mike Shanahan thinks that Rex Grossman gives them a better chance to win than Donovan McNabb.  That's pretty much what it boiled down to last week when McNabb was benched down by eight points to Detroit.  I said at the beginning of the year that Shanahan lost the season with the Haynesworth fiasco and now he's lost the team with this move.

Buffalo Bills 0-7
Yes they're winless, but they haven't looked like a winless team every week.  They could have easily beaten the Ravens and Chiefs, their last two opponents.  Then you would look at them a little differently.  Alas, they still are the Bills and it will be a matter of when not if they win a game.  Probably sooner than you think in my estimation, but that's all they have to look forward to the rest of this year.

Seattle Seahawks 4-3
They are leading their division by percentage points right now, but can you see them being on top at season's end?  Where is the running game?  The defense is carrying them, but after that performance against the Oakland Raiders, I don't see how Seattle can stay afloat.  It won't get any easier for them as only two of the remaining teams they play have no shot at the playoffs.

Detroit Lions 2-5
Things are starting to look better with the return of Matthew Stafford.  Him and Calvin Johnson connected for three touchdowns last week.  The defense is starting to put a lot of pressure on the quarterback.  The only problem is keeping a lead.  They haven't shown the discipline needed to close games out.  The running game has slowly disappeared and the Lions fans start to hope for next year.

The Ugly

Chicago Bears 4-3
After a 3-0 start, they've fallen back down to earth.  Jay Cutler has gone back to the turnover prone quarterback from a year ago.  Mike Martz still doesn't realize he has two running backs capable of running the ball.  The only saving grace for the Bears is their defense, but again how far can they carry them?  The Bears don't have a huge window anymore and this is the year to make it happen.

Cincinnati Bengals 2-5
Come to find out this year that it wasn't the talent around Carson Palmer that has been holding the Bengals back.  It was Carson Palmer.  This years talent pool is the best he's ever had in Cincinnati.  Now the pressure was on him to make it happen.  So far it has been a disaster.  This was the make or break year and Palmer is breaking fast.

Denver Broncos 2-6
Josh McDaniels said goodbye to the franchise quarterback his first year in town.  Then followed that up with the trade of the franchise wide receiver.  What does he have to show for that?  Since they started 6-0 last year the Broncos have gone 4-14 going into Week 9 of the 2010 season.  That's what the Broncos have to show for those two moves.

Dallas Cowboys 1-6
If there has been another team with as high of expectations as the Dallas Cowboys and fallen faster than them, please tell me.  I didn't predict them to go to the Super Bowl like some, correction, most pundits did.  I however didn't expect them to start the season 1-6.  I would be shocked if Wade Phillips is still head coach for one second after their final game.  But Jerry Jones has to look in the mirror as well to cast blame.

Minnesota Vikings 2-5
Favre's Vikings are the laughing stock of the NFL.  Who is really the head coach?  Come to find out it's Brett Favre.  Brad Childress admits to making a mistake by acquiring Randy Moss.  He fires him and in the process goes back to square one before they brought in Moss.  If this team makes the playoffs it will be nothing short of amazing.  Favre is done and so is Childress at seasons end.

Carolina Panthers 1-6
The biggest example of why you need a quarterback is right here in Carolina.  Matt Moore is not the answer and unless Jimmy Clausen gets the right tutelage, the Panthers future is even bleaker.  They are playing in the toughest division in football, but they haven't even looked competitive against their division rivals.  The Panthers need to hope they land a big name coach to help turn their ship around.

Arizona Cardinals 3-4
Something tells me that Ken Whisenhunt wants to have a shot at drafting a quarterback in next years draft.  What was going on last week?  Max Hall was the starting pitcher and Derek Anderson came on in relief.  Was I watching a baseball game?  The Cardinals barely lost to Tampa Bay, but Anderson isn't the answer with that late interception.  Max Hall looked promising in the pre-season, but it's a massive fail in Arizona.

San Francisco 49ers 2-6
Alex Smith at times looked great, but wasn't consistent and went down with a shoulder injury.  Apparently David Carr isn't the answer as he was passed over for Troy Smith who hasn't seen much action in the offense.  It worked against a porous Broncos team on a neutral site in London, but will that continue?  Most likely not, but five of the Niners final eight games are against the NFC West.  A 7-9 record is possible in the weakest division.

9. Rookie of the Year

Time to move from the make believe sport (No. 10 Baseketball) to the real sport.  Now "Rookie of the Year" is more of an after thought nowadays, but when I first saw this movie, to me it was every kids dream come true.  Who wouldn't want to be playing baseball with their favorite baseball players?  Now I won't refer much to the other movie that came out a year after this one, but I will say that "Little Big League" was totally lame.  If you don't believe me, watch it and tell me otherwise.  Both are similar, but "Rookie of the Year" had a better story.

The jest of it is that a 12 year old kid named Henry Rowengartner from Chicago is having a rough time becoming a good baseball player, heck even an okay one.  An accident at school results in a broken arm to which he has to wear a ridiculous looking cast for the summer.  Once the cast is removed, he goes to a Chicago Cubs game.  While sitting in the bleachers, a home run ball hit by the opposing team is given to Henry to throw it back.  He does, but it results in a bullet thrown to the catcher at home plate.  Henry is there by signed by the Cubs and becomes an attraction at first to get fans to Wrigley Field.  What surprises everyone is what he does to help the Cubs become winners.

Without going into too many more details I will just say that there is also a great story between Henry and his mom Mary.  I don't want to give it away, but I'll just say that there is more to his mom than Henry thinks.  I'd be interested to hear what Cubs fans think about this movie.  To me it does bring to light the amazing futility of the Chicago Cubs for over 100 years now.  They haven't won a World Series since 1908 folks.  But I think it also sheds some light into why the Cubs are always called the "Lovable Losers."  Who doesn't want to see the Cubs finally win one?

The cast is pretty well known nowadays.  The main character Henry Rowengartner was played by Thomas Ian Nicholas of the three original "American Pie" movies.  Gary Busey was the star pitcher Chet "Rocket" Steadman of the Cubs.  Even John Candy was in the movie as the Cubs play-by-play announcer Cliff Murdoch. 

This quote pretty says it all about what would probably be the first thing you would say if you were asked to play baseball for your favorite team.  The Cubs General Manager Larry Fisher asks Henry the important question.

Larry Fisher: Hey, kid! How'd you like to play for the Chicago Cubs?

Henry Rowengartner: Great! But I gotta ask my mom first.

Now you can't say that wouldn't be your first response.  Right?  Not a well known movie, but a good one in my view.   The list will start to get more intriguing in the coming days so stay tuned.  Don't forget to let me know what you think here and on twitter @WesSportsGuy

This top 10 list is sports movies that I've seen.  Not what others recommend, but only what my eyes have seen and that I truly enjoy.  If you haven't seen this movie, netflix it, pirate the movie, however you go about watching movies, just do it.