Welcome to the Other Side

BY IAN TASSO
EDITORIAL. PHOTOS BY AP IMAGES

Take yourself back nine years.

The date is February 2, 2002. The place is the Louisiana Superdome.

Outside, it’s quiet. Warm. Damp. Humid.

Inside, it’s equally as quiet. Warmer. Damper. Sweatier. 73,000 fans collectively holding their breath as fabled kicker Adam Vinatieri lines up to cement his name in the NFL history books.

Kurt Warner meanwhile, sat on the bench, bloodied, looking on helplessly. Marshall Faulk sat there too, just as his quarterback, every bone in his body aching. Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce, there all the same, mimicking their general -- their quarterback -- who had been knocked around and smacked in the face more than those kids at the end of Step Brothers.

Seconds later, Vinatieri’s arms shot through the air like red and blue fireworks, igniting a Patriot celebration. They had toppled the Goliath. They had beaten the giant.

The Greatest Show on Turf however, was over. They had hit the wall, and were upset by a team that had no business being there, and no business winning. The most powerful team in the NFL -- the Super Bowl favorite -- a team that had all the marbles, all the cards, and all the tricks, had come up short.

It’s a tale as old as time. It’s a tragic storyline. And it’s also the way sports are.

Because nine years later, the Patriots are on that sideline. Wounded. Bullied. Beaten. And Braylon Edwards and the Jets are doing backflips on the field.

I’m not saying it’s a direct parallel, but it’s pretty damn close. One year you’re writing the history and ten years later you’re drowning in it, unable to get out of your own way. Three straight playoff losses will do that to you as a fan, and suddenly, you don’t feel so high and mighty anymore.

NFC Playoff Picture

BY EVAN SPORER
EDITORIAL. PHOTOS BY AP NEWS


With one more week in the books, the playoffs grow even closer.

And with the 2010-11 postseason quickly approaching, certain teams are vying for position, others are fighting for their playoff lives, and the rest are trying to prove they have what it takes. Where does your team sit?

In a Class of their Own:

Atlanta Falcons

Seems like these Falcons are on a collision course to meet the Patriots in Dallas come February. Like the Pats, the Falcons have played lights out at home, and clinching home field advantage could go a long way for the Falcon’s high-powered offense. 

Matty Ice is coming into his own in his third season in the league, and should get some MVP consideration. His main target, Roddy White, leads the NFC in receiving yards, and the entire league in receptions. Ryan and White’s chemistry is key to the Falcons success. 

Then there’s Michael Turner, who has eclipsed the 1,000 yard plateau after a down season in ‘09, and his ability to run the ball along with backup Jason Snelling has opened up the pass game even more for Ryan. 

So what could cage these Faclons? 

Both of this teams losses have come on the road, outside of the Georgia Dome. Also, this team has been susceptible to the long pass, with a secondary that ranks 25th in the NFL.

Can the Falcons beat the better teams the NFL has to offer? Sure, they have put up big wins against Baltimore, Green Bay, and a big win IN New Orleans. But on the flip side, the team fell flat against Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. 

A Week 16 matchup versus New Orleans should tell us a lot about these Falcons. For now, they sure look like the best the NFC has to offer. 

AFC Playoff Picture

BY IAN TASSO
EDITORIAL. PHOTOS BY AP NEWS

The temperatures are dropping - fast.

And that can only mean one thing: playoff football.

With the postseason quickly approaching, certain teams are vying for position, others are fighting for their playoff lives, and the rest are trying to prove they have what it takes. Where does your team sit?

On a whole different level:

New England Patriots:

Not only do they have what it takes, they are what it takes; the prototype for success. Is there one quarterback you'd rather have in a playoff matchup than Tom Brady? And at home, too? Locking up home-field advantage might have been the worst thing for the AFC. Not good news unless you hail from somewhere between Boston and Maine.

Still, there are a few questions. Can they win sloppy? The game against the Browns showed a distinct weakness with this team – if Brady is off, this team sheds a little skin.

Also, second half defense. The past two games, New England has shown they can close out games – but early on this year, they had trouble slamming the door shut. Which Patriots’ defense will we see down the stretch?

In the clear:

Jets Have Tools to Take Down Pats

BY JESSE LIEBMAN

EDITORIAL. PHOTOS BY AP NEWS

The legendary Bill Parcells once said, “you are what your record says you are.”

And while on the surface that saying might be brain-numbingly obvious, and as empty as Al Davis' heart, Tuna just may have been on to something. As of their Thanksgiving Day performance, the New York Jets boast a record of 9-2, good for first place in the AFC East.

Following last season’s run to the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts, the Jets have been the media darlings of the National Football League. Rex Ryan is always good for a quote (or two), and the team’s antics constantly have even members of the media in stitches. And then there was their appearance on HBO’s Hard Knocks series -- talk about exposure.

Living in Boston, it’s not rocket science to see that the New England Patriots have entrenched themselves as the toast of the town.

The numbers speak for themselves. Three Super Bowls in a four-year span. Four appearances in the big dance in the past decade. If we flash forward to the present, New England has put up more than respectable numbers this year, carrying an identical win-loss record as New York.

Patriots fans -- and while we’re at it, a lot of the media -- will be inclined to remind outsiders that New England’s record is identical to the Jets; even going so far as to imply that Rex Ryan’s team has gotten by on dumb luck.

Let’s face it: the Jets are not a perfect team; then again, no one else is either.

Red Sox Midseason Questions: 6-10

BY IAN TASSO
EDITORIAL. PHOTOS BY AP NEWS

Well, it’s about that time.

July is almost through, baseball’s in full swing, and naturally, the Sox have questions – and plenty of them.

Will the rebound from the injuries? Will John Lackey rebound from whatever’s wrong with him? Will Dice-K ever have two similar starts in a row? 

No, seriously. For good or for bad - at this point, I really don't care which it is. Two great starts in a row, or two horrible ones - just anything that slightly resembles the last, at all, would be great, thanks Dice-man.

They’re the burning questions that everyone’s asking, as the Red Sox lace up the cleats for the second half of what is turning out to be a very difficult baseball season in Boston. How will it all end up?

Check out for yourself below, as the first half of the top 10 Red Sox Questions are answered, numbers 6-10:

10. Have the Red Sox finally found a capable shortstop in Marco Scutaro? (Steve, Springfield, MA)

I can’t say that I was fully on board with the Scutaro signing before the season began.

In fact, I was a bit skeptical that after all their troubles at the shortstop position, the Red Sox would expect a 34-year old, .266 career-hitting journeyman (who had spent time with the Athletics, Blue Jays, and Mets) to be the knight in shining armor to their fire-breathing dragon of a problem.

After all, 2009 was his breakout year, where he slugged a whopping .282, popping 12 homers to go along with 60 RBI. An absolute monster breakout. Right. And Lou Bega is a top 10 recording artist.

Musical Backfields

by Nick Traicoff
Editorial. Photos by AP News

As the opening waves of free agency begin to settle, running backs have easily experienced the greatest fluctuation of any position.  

Faces of franchises, former Pro Bowlers, and backups oozing with potential were released into the wild, the majority of them questionably lodging in already crowded situations. In doing so, they have passed over many vacant jobs of promise--openings that continue to exist.  

Let’s take a look at the many meaningful fantasy implications free agency has held for four specific plowhorses—two of which are former first-round stalwarts who’ve fallen from grace, the other two hoping to find themselves among this prestigious crowd in the near future.

Thomas Jones:

The 31 year-old Thomas “Biceps” Jones provided the offseason with one of its first big splashes. 

Playing in 2009’s most run-heavy offense, the Jets’ veteran was fed the ball a whopping 331 times.  He feasted royally behind arguably the top run-blocking offensive line in the league, amassing a career best 1402 rushing yards while breaking the franchise rushing touchdown record (13) which he had set the year prior by crossing the plane 14 times.  

Rushing for over 1,000 yards in 5 consecutive seasons, one of only three active backs to do so, Jones now ranks second in rushing yardage totals over that span, trailing only a man who will be discussed later.  So how did the Jets re-pay their yardage-raking, history-making, and record breaking plowhorse? By refusing to pay his bonus and sending him packing.

But backs of Jones’ pedigree don’t tend to last too long in the open market, and given the many muddied backfields throughout the NFL, Biceps unsurprisingly found work rather easy to come by.  Where he decided to settle, however, proves quite surprising.

AFC East Draft Breakdown

by Tom Nieradka

Editorial. Photos by AP News

Almost more than any other division so far, the AFC East has been very active this offseason, adding big-time free agents and instant impact draft picks. But, how is this all going to play out, and is anyone going to be able to topple the Patriots from the top of the division this year?

Let's take a look.

4. Buffalo Bills:

I was not a fan of the Bills draft style this season.

They used their first pick, nine overall, to go out and grab the best running back in the draft in CJ Spiller. No question this guy is a playmaker, but the problem here lies in the fact that the Bills already have two effective running backs. Fred Jackson ran for 1,000 yards last season, and Marshawn Lynch is only one year removed from doing the same thing. 

There was no reason for the Bills to grab this running back when they had such huge needs, primarily at quarterback and on the offensive line.

Last Call MLB Playoff Predictions: Preseason

Opening Day: Back with a Bang

by Ian Tasso

Editorial. Photos by AP News

A five-year old Herb Brooks. The Father of Rap. The Anti-Zimmer. The Bloody Sock. Sweet Caroline AND Sweet Emotion.

For Christ’s sake, part of me is surprised President Obama and the goddamn Grinch weren’t there. I mean everybody who was anybody was there. LeBron James was there. Jay-Z. Snoop Dogg. Heidi Watley (yes, I realize she’s there every game. But still…have you seen her?)

There were fireworks, explosions, rocket ships, F-22’s. And on top of that, it was a Sox comeback win. What more could you ask for?

Wait, what? Some people are complaining it was a little over the top?

You’ve got to be kidding me. Those are probably the same people who still use Blockbuster. Dude. It’s called Netflix. Or the ones who played Magic the Gathering instead of Pokemon – you know, the kids who always brought Cheese-Doodlez for lunch, snack, recess-snack, mid-snack, and probably had them for breakfast and dinner. Disgusting. Have you seen those things?

C’mon people. The program - get with it.

It was The Opening Day of baseball – the entire sport. It was The Yankees versus The Red Sox. At The Fenway Park. What did you expect?

Locked and Loaded

by Ian Tasso

Editorial. Photos by AP News

And after five long months of awkward tension and dick measuring, the battle is back on. 

All winter, Yankee and Sox fans have been hurling shit at each other, some of it factual, most of it not; anything from Rex Ryan fat jokes all the way to ‘who’s your daddy’ chants.

But all that is finally over. Enough is enough. At last, the battle can now return to the base paths – where it belongs.

And both teams are ready, too.

Because while the fans have been spending the winter trying to decide what’s better, spending an absurd amount of money or only winning once in ten years while spending an absurd amount of money, both Boston and New York’s front offices were hard at work.

The Yankees, fresh off a World Series Championship, rather than sitting at home and shining their trophy went out and landed Curtis Granderson in exchange for top prospect Austin Jackson. And then, in what can only be described as a blackout-drunk Fantasy Baseball trade, swapped a 12-pack and a pair of shoes for NL strikeout runner-up, Javier Vazquez.

Meanwhile, after being eliminated in the first round of last year’s playoffs, the Red Sox took a long, hard look in the mirror, and decided it was time for some changes - big ones.

Enter John Lackey, Adrian Beltre, Mike Cameron and Marco Scutaro.

Yeah, I know. Those four names don’t exactly strike fear into your heart.

But it’s not just the players that have changed. You have to step back, and realize that everything about the Red Sox battle plans have changed – no longer will they go about war with the Bombers by fighting fire with fire. No, outslugging the Yankees proved to be a futile effort last season.

Instead, Boston will fight fire with water – which, if you think about it, makes a hell of a lot more sense than fighting it with fire. To be quite honest, I don’t even really understand that saying. But maybe that’s because I was raised on Pokemon.

It’s like this: if the dude you’re facing has a Charmander, why would you even think about using your Growlithe? Growlithe is a complete pussy compared to Charmander anyway. It makes no sense. Especially when you could just water gun his ass with Squirtle, who, though comparatively, looks like a bitch, in fact holds such an advantage it’s not even funny.

That’s what the Yankees are, though, at their core – a team full of Charmanders. A bunch of big, huge, scary and sometimes mustached (Giambi) Charmanders. And you know the Yankees are that kid who has a level 65 one before they even reach Mt. friggin’ Moon, just because they’ve ONLY been using Charmander all game. So what’s the solution? Jason Bay? Matt Holliday?

First Round Fever

by Jesse Liebman

Editorial. Photos by AP News

It’s that time of year again: the skates are getting sharpened, the sticks are getting taped and the organist is once again getting ready to get the crowd pumped.

Playoff hockey is in the air, and the quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup is about to begin.

In the east, half of the eight spots for the NHL’s second season have already been locked up. In the west, there are still seven spots available. Nothing is as it seems; however. Some teams only need two or three more points before they’re in. And with roughly seven games left in the season for every team, the race to secure those final playoff sports is going to get even tighter.

In the Eastern Conference, the two teams that look to relax their grip on a playoff spot are the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers have struggled as of late (3-5-2 in their last 10), and the Bruins have struggled with consistency all year. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Thrashers appear poised to return to the playoffs for only the second time in franchise history, and the first since they won the Southeast Division in 2007. The Rangers have a shot, but it will take a phenomenal surge from New York and a monumental collapse from Boston and/or Philly.

Out west, it’s more of a struggle to determine seeding for the current eight teams already in position. Calgary appears to be the only bubble team that even has a chance of sneaking in; when you consider that they were Stanley Cup favorites at the start of the season, it’s hard to justify giving it to them based on their play as of late. They’re still alive, but these Flames will probably be snuffed out.

So, let’s get right to it: if the playoffs ended today, how would the first round look for each conference? Here at Last Call, we’ll try to break down each match-up for the Stanley Cup Quarterfinals. Here's hoping we pick these better than our NCAA brackets.

Behind the Green

by Gabe Souza
Editorial. Photos by AP News

With baseball season here and the buzz of spring training in the air, I thought it might be a good idea to have a refresher course on some A-Rod math.

Alex Rodriguez, the New York Yankees’ third baseman, is the highest paid baseball player in the history of the game. His initial contract with the Texas Rangers in 2000 paid the perennial All-star $250 million over ten years.

But with A-Rod being such a talented phenom – and lest we forget a proven steroid user – the Bronx Bombers decided to reward the former choke-artist with a new contract after his high-output postseason that helped the Yanks clinch their 27^th franchise world series last year.

His new deal is worth $275 million over the next ten years, making his salary for the 2010 season exactly $32 million dollars. That equates to $2,666,666 a month, $615,385 a week, $87,912 a day, $3,663 an hour, $60 a minute and $1 per second. Translate that into everyday living and A-Rod makes $600 for taking a ten-minute shower and almost 30 grand for a good night’s sleep.

By the time number 13 finishes his current contract, his total career earnings will probably sit around $560 million, not including endorsements and commercial advertising.

The guy is rolling in dough. Let’s take a look at a few things he could scrounge up with one year’s salary.

NL East Breakdown

by Tom Nierakda
Editorial. Photos by AP News

This year will be an interesting one for the National League East.

The reigning NL Champion Phillies have poised themselves to continue their dominance, but the other four teams made moves and improvements of their own.

The Mets made a big move in grabbing outfielder Jason Bay from free agency, one that cartainly can’t hurt their power numbers. Meanwhile, the Marlins are a young team, but their underrated starter Ricky Nolasco looks to bounce back after a poor 2009 campaign. Atlanta is the home of the number one hitting prospect in all of baseball in Jason Heyward, and he looks to make an immediate impact being their opening day starter in right field.

And then, of course, there are those Nationals; a team that year in, year out contends for the title of the worst club in baseball. But even the Nats made some moves of their own, drafting the top pitching prospect in baseball in Stephen Strasburg, and are in a great position to do maybe a little bit better than they did last year (but probably not).

2009 Standings                           Projected 2010 Standings                                               

Philadelphia Phillies                              Philadelphia Phillies

Florida Marlins                                      New York Mets

Atlanta Braves                                       Atlanta Braves

New York Mets                                     Florida Marlins

Washington Nationals                           Washington Nationals

AL East Breakdown

By Ben Barker

Editorial. Photos by AP News

         The American League East will once again be a two-team race in 2010. The Red Sox and Yankees have both bolstered their teams enough to ensure a tight finish in arguably baseballs strongest division.

The Rays may stick around for a while, but their lack of quality starting pitching puts them too far behind the big markets of Boston and New York. Baltimore and Toronto will end up fighting for a fourth place finish, and the loser may see some changes in their front office.

2009 Standings                                          2010 Projected Standings

1. New York Yankees                                  1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox                                      2. Boston Red Sox

3. Tampa Bay Rays                                     3. Tampa Bay Rays

4. Toronto Blue Jays                                  4. Baltimore Orioles

5. Baltimore Orioles                                  5. Toronto Blue Jays