Meet the Mets Meet the Mets

by: Michael Mosco
I figure this blog will get a lot of Yankee attention and frankly I can’t blame anyone for that. It’s the Yankees, not talking about them is a cardinal sin right? ESPECIALLY in a blog involving sports. However, if you didn’t know, there is another NY baseball team out there (SURPRISE!). I would like to get a post or two in about them to satisfy the one or two people who may care. Maybe I’ll even stir up some debates and, if I’m lucky, heated arguments that turn into tough online threats!


As you may or may not know the Mets this season are a sad team. Front office drama involving Bernie Madoff and the Wilpon family has trickled down all the way to players on the field. It seems as though the indifference of the ownership has influenced the indifference of the team. Now, let me make something clear, I don’t want to assume that the players on the field don’t want to win or even have the talent to win. I actually feel like they have both. It’s the general attitude of the team that makes me want to rip my hair out every time I watch them. It’s the “oh well, we lost again we’ll get them next time” bull that makes my blood boil. It doesn’t seem like they think they CAN win. Barring any type of Met-like collapse from the Phillies and the Braves coupled with a Met win streak, Met fans know that their team is pretty much out of contention for this year. And I’d be damned if the players don’t have a similar feeling. Of course they’ll talk to the media as if they have a chance but a true fan knows it’s a long shot until they get their act together.



So! How do they get their act together? Welp… they need a nasty, scary presence in their lineup.. which they don’t have ever since they lost Carlos Delgado. Let’s compare a typical 2010 lineup to a lineup from 2006:



2010 2006

Reyes Reyes

Pagan LoDuca

Beltran Beltran

Wright Delgado

Davis Wright

Bay Floyd

Barajas Green

Castillo Valentin



What the lineup on the left lacks is the homerun threat (that’s taking into account that Bay has only 6 homeruns this year). The homerun is, I think, an underrated talent (underrated talent not stat; people overrate the stat –see Adam Dunn). Couple the ability to hit homeruns with the ability to put the ball in play and avoid strike outs then you have a legit threat. The bigger the threat the more the talent around you is enhanced (see 2006 Carlos Beltran and David Wright). The more those talents are enhanced the more the talent around THEM is enhanced (see 2006 Reyes, LoDuca, Floyd, Valentin). Now all of a sudden you have a terribly scary lineup. When you are scared, you make mistakes. You make mistakes, you get hit… hard. Confidence goes down for the opponent and your confidence goes WAY WAY up. There is no coincidence why the 2006 Mets were so good and the subsequent Mets since have been so bad. That 2010 lineup may have talent, but there is no threat. Wright is not a homerun hitter and neither is Reyes (even though he thinks he is). In fact, neither is Beltran. They are all talented line-drive hitters but if you need a homerun they cannot be counted on. Bay was brought here to be a threat but it seems as though he himself needs some protection.



So what should we expect? It’s actually very tough to say. The Mets always enter the season with high hopes, and then proceed to surgically remove your heart slowly and painfully until it’s finally ripped out by August. Then you, as a hollow shell of a fan, are left to wonder how and why as you watch the rest of the season searching for a glimmer of hope (maybe you’ll catch yourself saying some of the following: “Oh he’s going to be better next year!” or “This rookie will start next year and be awesome”…. sad…). It’s easy to say expect the same disappointment next year but naturally we won’t. We will hope and dream that one day something will click and we become confident in ourselves and show it on the field.



Hey! Maybe next year!

THE NFC SOUTH

THE NFC SOUTH


By: Anthony Mosco



The New Orleans Saints coming off a shocking 13-3 season, upsetting the 14-2 Indianapolis Colts and star QB Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLIV for the 1st championship in team history believe it or not has its consequences. While Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees and the gang where whooping it up the rest of the division took notice.

But let’s begin with the champs and rightfully so. With their high-powered offensive attack, led by QB Brees and WR Marques Colston, the offense put on an impressive air show during the season. Brees, one of the shortest QB’s in the league threw for 34 touchdown passes with only a staggering 11 picks. His counterpart in the air was standout Colston who caught 70 passes for over 1,000 yards and tying teammate Robert Meachem with 9 touchdown passes. Former Kim Kardashian boyfriend, Reggie Bush shared the rushing duties with breakout star Pierre Thomas who led the Saints with 6 TD’s on the ground to go along with 793 yards on 147 carries and the Saints also benefited from the help of Mike Bell. Plus loudmouth TE and former New York Giant Jeremy Shockey helped stabilize the offense with 48 receptions and 3 touchdowns.

Now the defense is where you win championships. You can score all the points you want but without a solid D you aren’t going anywhere. The Saints defense was led by veteran safety Darren Sharper who recorded 9 interceptions and 3 TDs. DT Will Smith led the team in sacks with 13. Another impact player on this Super Bowl winning team was former Jet linebacker Jonathan Vilma who led with 87 tackles and 3 picks himself.

There you have it. And now that Drew Brees is the new face of the Madden NFL 11, which hasn’t been too kind to previous participants, has a bull’s-eye on his back can he and the Saints break the curse? Only time will tell. Here are their challengers.



Number one threat to the Saints repeating are the Atlanta Falcons, led by pretty boy QB Matt “Matty Ice” Ryan and RB Michael Turner both need rebound years if they want to be mentioned in the same breath as the champs. Matt Ryan and the Falcons started the season off to a flying start defeating the Dolphins and Panthers with 5 touchdown passes and 1 pick in the 2 games combined. His favorite target down the field is Roddy White.

Ryan threw more interceptions than touchdowns last year, was sacked 10 times and missed time with a turf toe injury in week 12. Turner was also in and out of games with various injuries.

So for the Falcons to compete the priority is health and if that is intact it should be an interesting battle to keep our eyes on throughout the year.



The next 2 teams in the division, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers are gonna have to slug it out to see who won’t be sitting in last place come season end. My guess is the Panthers will finish ahead of the Bucs and here’s why.

Even though the Panthers have let go of long time QB Jake Delhomme to the Browns and Defensive End Julius Peppers to the Bears, I have a feeling they are in better shape than Buccaneers. None have a proven QB in Matt Moore and Josh Freeman but I see the upside in Moore. When Delhomme went down in Week 12 with a finger injury, Moore took his spot the next week in a division game against the Bucs. Well he showed up. Moore only misfired on 6 passes for 161 yards and 1 pick in a victory. Gotta give the edge to the Panthers on that one. Then against the Vikings in a December matchup, he had the game of his life, throwing for 299 yards and 3 td and no picks in an upset win. After this game Moore received praise from head coach John Fox and Pro Bowl WR Steve Smith who scored a touchdown in the game. Against the Giants and their pitiful defense Moore ripped them a new one, completing 15 of 20 pass attempts for a career-high passer rating 139.8. The Panthers are 4-1 when he’s a starter.



On to the woeful Buccaneers. When you start a season 0-7, I guess you can only look up right? Well the light for these guys is so for out of reach it’s a dot. They have 2 rookie quarterbacks in Josh Johnson and Josh Freeman. Have running back Derrick Ward who severely disappointed last year after career years with the Giants. A second year head coach in Raheem Morris, man I’d hate to have his job right now. And their best player on defense, Ronde Barber, isn’t getting any younger. They have one of the youngest teams in the league on both sides of the ball after releasing Derrick Brooks, Jeff Garcia, Ike Hilliard, and Cato June a year ago. Every team goes through rebuilding, so its going to be a learning curve for these youngsters. But what they should have is some type of veteran presence other than Barber in there so when they endure a tough loss they can have reassurance that it will in time get better.



Here are my predictions:

1)Saints 12-4

2)Falcons-10-6

3)Panthers 8-8

4)Buccaneers 2-14

AFC West

AFC West

by: Michael Mosco
Ah… The tease that is the AFC West! Such intrigue, yet such disappointment! The west consists of the two *cough*powerhouses of the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders, the enigma that is the Denver Broncos, and the good but not great San Diego Chargers. Let’s take it team by team shall we?

San Diego Chargers (last year= 13-3, Division Winner, Lost AFC Divisional Playoff)

The recently perennial division winner had a pretty good season last year at 13-3. This team can consistently rack up the yards and the points, especially through the air with Phillip Rivers, Vincent Jackson, and Antonio Gates doing all the work. The ground game last year was not as good as it was supposed to be with half injured LaDainian Tomlinson at the helm rushing only for 730yds (884 total yds, 12 TDs) and little Darren Sproles and Michael Bennett unable to pick up the slack. Sproles on the other hand is more valuable on kick/punt returns where he can really turn on his speed and elusiveness. Defensively the Chargers were efficient enough to get the job done. They were smack dab in the middle of the pack in average yards per game with 327.0. Basically they were pretty average on defense. This year may not be any better. They did not upgrade in the offseason. First they lose Tomlinson and Antonio Cromartie to the Jets (the team that beat them in the playoffs last year). They did draft running back Ryan Matthews in the first round of the draft and one can only suspect that he’s going to be thrust right into the middle of the offense with Tomlinson out and Sproles not a huge threat at RB. Cromartie is a huge loss as a shut down corner as well. He going to be hard to replace putting more pressure on the front 7 and also giving the Jets the best cornerback tandem I’ve ever seen. All this being said, the Chargers will still score points; especially with Rivers constantly throwing for 4,000+ yds and 25+ TDs a season. Will they be as good as last year? No, but they aren’t a team to take lightly, not even a little bit.

Prediction= 11-5 division winner. Will lose in the playoffs

Fantasy= Always pick Rivers and Gates if they are available for your #1 QB and TE respectively, Jackson had a great stat year last year and is definitely worth a #1 WR pick (keep in mind Jackson is suspended for 3 games). Risky picks would be Matthews at RB and their DEF.









Denver Broncos (last year 8-8, missed playoffs)



The Broncos in 2009 were the crazy story of the year starting out with problems between Josh McDaniels and Brandon Marshall, then they resolved it, then they open the season 6-0 only to go 2-8 the rest of the way. Their success was the main result of the 7th ranked defense lead by previously unknown Elvis Dumervil and his 17.0 sacks and the Pro Bowlers Brain Dawkins and Champ Bailey. Their offense was very surprising with Kyle Orton breaking out of Chicago and figuring that 2009 will be the year that he’ll be a legit quarterback and the pleasant surprise in rookie Knowshon Moreno, who was sorely needed after a horrendous 2008 for Denver RBs, rushing for nearly 1,000 yds and 7 TDs. Brandon Marshall was, once again, a large part of their offense. This year one would suspect a similar result from the Broncos. They lost their playmaker in Brandon Marshall but they sured up their rushing attack acquiring LenDale White. They drafted Demaryius Thomas for a WR replacement for Marshall. The person to look for in 2010, however, is of course Tim Tebow. I’m almost positive that he will be used in the offense this year and the Broncos would be stupid not to. With the breakout of the Wildcat offense in recent years do not be surprised to see the Broncos use it and Tebow be a big part of it, especially at the goal line. Could Tebow eventually be a starter? It’s tough to say. Orton will definitely start the season based on his 2009. Tebow and Brady Quinn look to battle for the backup position. Honestly I feel that Quinn will get the initial nod as backup but a successful Tebow in key situations will easily bump the generally disappointing Quinn. 2009 Broncos were interesting to hear about. 2010 Broncos will not disappoint either.



Prediction= 8-8 miss playoffs

Fantasy= Knowshon Moreno is a legit pick now. Orton could be a solid 2nd or backup QB but only if you’re in a league where QBs are running thin. WRs are 3rd/4th string at best with Jabar Gaffney and Eddie Royal the main 2 receivers. If Demaryius Thomas makes a name for himself it could be a good mid-season pick-up (especially if Lloyd or Royal gets injured). DEF is a good pickup, better than SD in my opinion.



Oakland Raiders (last year= 5-11 missed playoffs)



As much as the Raiders are ridiculed and beat up on, this team is certainly going in the right direction. In fact I’m putting myself out there and saying I would not be surprised to see this team in the playoffs in 2010. Last year their offense was laughable giving JaMarcus Russell yet another shot to prove he’s not a lazy fatty and an actual NFL starter, Darren McFadden trying to stay healthy, and a slew of rookie receivers. Their defense was ranked 26th but I blame that on the offense ability to not gain yards, score points and hold onto the ball. I think the Raider defense is generally very underrated with Nnamdi Asomugha shutting down corners, hard hitting safety Michael Huff developing into a quality starter, Richard Seymour as a veteran leadership on the D-line, and rookie Rolando McClain who I think will be a Pro Bowl LB if not this year then next year. The more talent they have the more the talent around them will be enhanced. Offensively in 2010 they shed some fat (pun very much intended) and cut Russell and acquired a seasoned QB Jason Campbell. McFadden, Michael Bush, and Michael Bennett are good enough, when healthy, to present a rushing attack worth talking about. Darrius Heyward-Bey and Louis Murphy will give Campbell targets to throw to and Johnnie Lee Higgins is a threat at 3rd WR and kick/punt returns. Please don’t forget about Zach Miller either who was a top tier TE even when useless Russell was throwing to him. This offense will be able to hold onto the ball longer than the 2009 offense giving the defense much needed rest during games. If these two parts of the team find out how to meet in the middle, which I think they will, the 2010 Raiders will put up a +.500 season.



Prediction= 9-7 miss playoffs (I’d say eliminated in the 16th or 17th week, close but no cigar)

Fantasy= Zach Miller was great last year and will be again this year for your #1 TE spot. He is easily overlooked too. Campbell’s ability is comparable to Kyle Orton’s and Darren McFadden is a risk for underproduction due to injuries. The WRs should be a more legit pick in 2010 than in 2009 due the major upgrade in QB so you may get some nice points in your 3 or 4 WR spot. Their DEF may be a good late pickup based on how their season is going (of course)



Kansas City Chiefs (last year= 4-12 missed playoffs (duh))



Not much good came out of the Kansas City 2009 season. Offense was awful, defense was just as bad. The bright spot was Jamaal Charles who pretty much squashed any hope of Larry Johnson becoming a starter again and ultimately made him expendable. He rushed for 1,000+ yds (broke out a few sick runs too) and scored 7 times. In his first year as a first string QB, Matt Cassel was not impressive but, then again, he’s playing for the Chiefs. Dwayne Bowe had a down year and also was injured. Chris Chambers is no longer a viable WR option. Brandon Flowers had 5 picks but I’ll really have to dig deep to find the next impressive part of the defense (8.5 sacks by LB Tamba Hali??). A decent draft brought in Eric Berry the best safety on the board, Dexter McCluster (RB? WR? Both?), and Javier Arenas at CB. You can put money on at least 2 of these draft picks to be starting before the season is half over. The Chiefs also sured up their running game getting Thomas Jones after he was cut from the Jets. Jones may be on the decline based on what history tells you but stat-wise he finished last year with numbers to make a 25 year-old running back jealous. I don’t see him putting up the same numbers as last year, but him coupled with Charles can be a major focus for opposing teams. McCluster will probably not be used too much at RB so look for him at WR alongside Bowe and perhaps as a returner too. The Chiefs are not going anywhere this year but I guess they improved somewhat. Still got to fix a porous OL and an under-talented defense. Maybe next year.



Prediction= 5-11 no playoffs

Fantasy= Bowe is a pretty good 2 WR. Thomas Jones will probably be the #1 RB so he’s a good pick (keep an eye on him though, KC does not have the NY Jets OL). Cassel is just as good as an Orton or Campbell but he does have a better WR threat in Bowe. Stay away from their DEF.

AFC South

by:  Adam Fathelbab
 In 2007, the AFC South claimed 3 of the 6 teams to advance to the playoffs, all of which had 10 or more wins, including the Super bowl champion Indianapolis Colts. Over the next 2 years, the division had only receded. In 2008 the Titans and Colts advanced to the playoffs, but both were beaten before the Super bowl game. This brings us to 2009, which maybe the most disappointing season for half of the teams in the division. As always the Colts advanced to the playoffs, while the division underdog, the Houston Texans posted a very respectable 9-7 record, the first time the Texans posted a season of above .500 in the short life of the team. While these 2 teams faired okay in the division, the Tennessee Titans took a big step back with the loss of DT Albert Haynesworth. In 2008 the Titans were 13-3 while without Haynesworth in 2009 were only 8-8. While the pattern for the 2010 season does not look good, we will see if the division can turn itself around, and become the dominating division they once were in 2007.


Looking into the upcoming season, each team has new faces around the locker room, they will encounter new obstacles and each has a new question to answer. For the team who finished under .500, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the biggest question is definitely; can the offensive line of the Jaguars keep Gerrard standing? The Jaguars gave up 44 sacks in 2009, which was 7th worst in the NFL. The Jags took a step forward in the off-season with acquiring Free Agent OG Justin Smiley. The other problem with the Jaguars is that as of Week 1 in the Preseason, there are 2 positions yet to have starters, the problem is they are both Safety positions. For this upcoming season’s prediction, the Jaguars will go a dismal 5-11 and finish 4th in the AFC South,

In 2008, the Titans won the division with hard nosed defense and a methodical offense that did not turn the ball over often. The reason I bring this up is that listening to sportscenter this morning I heard the phrase, “The high-powered offense of the titans”, which seems almost ironic based on the last few years. However this made me think back to when scrambler Steve McNair, Scrappy Eddie George and TE Frank Wycheck took the Titans to 1 yard away from a Super Bowl championship. This makes us think, if Pro Bowl QB Vince Young can play the role of Steve McNair, and Chris Johnson the same for Eddie George, who will step up and play the big target for Young. Kenny Britt had a very respectable rookie season, but will it flow into 2010, and Nate Washington became the speedster of the team, while Justin Gage needs a bounce back season. While these problems themselves are more than some teams the Titans have 1 big question. Will Safety’s Michael Griffin and Chris Hope show up this year. After a great 2008 season, both Griffin and Hope fell off the map in the first half of 2009. If the Titans have any shot of winning in 2010, they need these 2 safety’s to return to their 2008 form, especially after the loss of Pro Bowler LB Keith Bullock. Taking into account the loss of Bullock, and the absence of a strong passing attack, the Titans will be following they’re pattern and go 7-9 in 2010.

The Houston Texans have been the underdog team in the AFC South since their arrival in 2002. Since the infamous passing up on a “sure bet” in Reggie Bush, the Texans and pick Mario Williams have slowly built a very dangerous team. The Texans have arguably the best WR in the NFL in Andre Johnson, a Pro Bowl CB Dunta Robinson, and Pro Bowl QB Matt Schaub. This team looks ready to pounce on the first playoff appearance in team history, and the Texans have upgraded in 1 huge, and very underrated position; Kicker. Last season the Texans had Kris Brown who was a dismal 21-32 (66%) on FG Attempts in 2009. This year, the Texans signed K Neil Rackers while on the Cardinals in 2009, was 16-17(94%). In 2009, he Texans were 1st in team passing yards but 30th in team rushing yards. If the Texans can balance this out they will be a lethal team. For the 2010 season, the Texans will post a 11-5 record and make the playoffs.

What is there to say about the AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts? The Colts have won the AFC two of the last three years under superstar Peyton Manning. With the second best passing attack in the NFL, and a hard nosed defense led by S Bob Sanders, the Colts have a chance to win the Super Bowl. The Colts added star CB Deshea Townsend in the off-season to bolster and already formidable defense. The only knock on the Colts is that they were last in rushing yards in the NFL. Also the Colts, were ranked 9th in total rushing defense in 2009. With the acquisition of Townsend and the return of Sanders, the Colts will explode out of the starting gate and cost into the playoffs with a 13-3 record, easily winning the AFC South. Next Division on the Stoop will be the AFC West.

An upcoming look at football season

Over the next couple of posts the Stoop will be taking an in depth look into the approaching NFL season.  In this analysis we shall share our picks for division winner and a super early but possibly right pick for playoff teams and even a super bowl champion.  The Stoop will also share our advice for the top five player at each position. with  birth of a new season beginning this weekend with the first game of the season happening last night when the Dallas Cowboys beat the Cincinnati Bengals.  What I got from this meaningless and uninteresting game is, whether or not its an advantage or disadvantage that both these teams get an extra game of the preseason.  Now the starters barely played but is it an advantage to get to see your second string and rookies get some more time.  This game didn't end without injury Cowboys TE John Phillips maybe out for the season.  The good things the Cowboys got from this game is they got to test out second year kicker Buehler finally got a chance to kick field goals after only being a kickoff specialist last year.  The Bengals had a hard time finding positive notes from this game.  They had 12 penalties for 90 yards, while having four turnovers (3 ints, 1 fumble) but when you read the Espn recap you can tell they had a bad game as they picked the punter as the Bengals best player.  For Fans however the biggest positive was that football is on its way back as this was the highest rated show in prime-time.

To the Yankee Haters, How bout this for homegrown talent!

The Yankees beat the Red Sox tonight after losing game 1 of the series yesterday and who would i put as the standout performer in this game. Hmm let me think I guess ill choose Robinson Cano.  This game was another example of Cano's petition to be the best second basemen in the league.  Cano gave the yankees their first lead of the night when he hit a 3-1 pitch from lackey for a single to right field.  Cano has always seemed to have great potential but lacked strong work ethic but he is showing that last year's 204 hits was no fluke. This year Cano is hitting .332 with 21 homeruns and 72 runs batted in.  He leads all second basemen in Average, RBI, Hits, doubles, Slugging, and Total bases.  Along with his great arm and range there maybe no other choice for top 2B in the league and to rub it in to other teams he is from our "minor league system". So yea we may buy alot of guys and if your team had the money you would to but we are now tasting the sweet life with the growth of one of our best homegrown players since maybe Derek Jeter.  If Cano continues his reign at the plate he maybe getting than just an all-star trophy but maybe MVP and possibly another ring.
  Also a side note on two other things is it crazy that the Rays lost to the Blue Jays by a score of 17-11.  I mean that is ridiculous.  The Rays may be the second best team in the league but they are also the team most likely to be part of something ridiculous.  It takes real talent to be the second best team record wise and be no-hit as many times as they have this season and now to be giving up 17 runs to the Blue Jays what is in the water in Toronto. However I must say I am impressed that they scored 11 runs on 9 hits with only one of them being a home run. So ill keep my eyes on you Tampa and maybe i will see the a 20th perfect game or no-hitter this season.
P.S- who gets hurt in BP come on A-Rod you don't need BP when you have the good stuff that you take with your cereal or in your hip. Stop being a pussy you already hit 600 now is the time to stop struggling and help out the club.

The Expendables

The Expendables is a new film coming out August 13th and it is jam packed with more action stars than actors.  The role call for action heavyweights contains such names as Stallone, Bruce Willis, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, and Jason Stathom with a splash of B-team ass kickers such as Steve Austin, Randy Couture, and Terry Crews.  With all this muscle and explosions could there possible be room for any sort of a script.  My guess is a explosive Jason Bay style NOOOOOOO(a bus explodes in the background, it looks sweet).  I mean even the Govenator himself, yes folks Arnold makes an appearance in the film.  The film has the generic story line of any action movie. There is a mission, it goes wrong and the heroes must make it right. we have all pretty much seen this movie a hundred times usually the only thing that keeps it fresh is a different actor as the hero, but wait Joe does this mean I shouldn't see the movie.  Hell no it means you must see the movie, well that is if you love fights, explosions, bullets, muscles, action, improbable stunts, and sweet one-liners.  Usually at this time in the summer the movie industry tends to throw out some of there worse movies as to not take away any anticipation for the fall run, but I must say some movies that are presently out look great. So my recommendation is if you don't want to think and love action see this movie.  There is no doubt it will visually impressive.  However here are some other movies that I would recommend you see.
1)Inception
2) Dinner for schmucks
3) The Other Guys
4) Salt
5) Despicable Me

The Beginning

  Ladies and Gentlemen thank you for joining me on "The Stoop".  I'm Joseph Picarello and im here to blog about anything and everything from sports to relationship, and from family problems to politics. I want "The Stoop" to be more about my opinion on certain topics and would very much appreciate fan interaction and viewpoints.  So please If you have any topics or questions you would like to discuss please feel free to email me at joe_picarello@yahoo.com.  If you send some great ideas I will post your views as well on my blog and give you full credit for your ideas.  The Stoop is for everyone and no topic is off limits so please whenever you have a free minute join me on The Stoop.