Sorry about the late hour of the Trash, I got a bit preoccupied with qualifying at the Korean Grand Prix and, well, fell asleep apparently. Mark Webber took pole with Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel close behind. Alonso’s Ferrari took P4 just behind Lewis Hamilton as he finishes out his run for McLaren. This is going to make for one heck of a race as, thanks to Alonso’s DNF last week at Suzuka, Vettel is only a scant 4 points behind Alonso for the driver’s championship. With four races left after the Korean, everything is wide open. The Korea International Circuit is located in Yeongam and is still in its infancy by F1 terms. Unlike Suzuka, it has little tradition or particular character and beauty. KIC is, to be blunt, nice but somewhat nouveau, pedestrian and sterile. Maybe someday it will hold some allure and tradition, but that seems very far away.
Major League Baseball, however, is back and better than ever. Wow, what an end of the season and start of the postseason. This is the kind of stuff I remember as a kid. The Detroit Tigers rode Justin Verlander past the amazing A’s and into the ALCS Thursday against……the dreaded New Yawk Damn Yankees who Friday ended the similarly dreamy season of the Baltimore Orioles. None of that, of course, held a candle to the incredible 4 run ninth inning the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals used to crush the seemingly in control and destined Natinals. In washington. Just wow. And ALL of that was after the Giants came from 0-2 in the divisional series to close out the Reds. In Cincinnati. I am not a fan of Bud Selig, but hat’s off to the most roaring start of the postseason in a very long time. There is only one game today, with the ALCS opening in the Big Apple as Doug Fister matches up against the ageless Andy Pettitte. Will be fascinating to see how the Yank perform on such short turnaround and what they do with ARod, their wayward benched $25 million a year superstar. Sunday will put both leagues into play with the Cards going out to the Bay in California.
Whew, exciting stuff!
Oh, wait, there is still football going on – who knew?? Seriously, how often does a full slate of good college and pro football games seem like an afterthought to baseball? Well, okay, not often. And, yet, here we are. As I write, the Longwhores are trying to dodge that damn Conestoga wagon the Okies roll onto the field in Norman. Both Oklahoma and Texas are playing catchup to newcomer West Virginia in the Big Somethingoranother this year, but is will likely be a pretty interesting game. Gawd I hate to say it, but the most intriguing game of the week may, again, involve the dreaded Domers. Yes, the TREES of Stanford have moved their coniferousness all the way to South Bend. the Tree is 4-1 and Touchdown Jesus a detestable 5-0. Luck may no longer be with the Tree, but let us all hope he ain’t with the Irish either. I mean, coooommmme on man. The other really big game this weekend is the Cocks (yes, I love saying that, why do you ask?) against LSU in Baton Rouge. Can the ‘Ole Ball Coach finally get over on Les Miles and the Tigers? If so, they then get the pleasure of going to his old Swamp in Gainesville. Good stuff.
Aaaand, now for something completely different! Pro football payers and teams! Yay. Again the Motor City looms large as the Lions at Iggles is, perhaps, the most interesting game. The Lions are looking a bit lame, and the Boy named Suh is, yet again, in trouble with Johnny Law. This, too, will go away I am sure; but it is a troubling pattern for a troubled young man on a troubled team. Deetroit is gonna need themselves a new coach, ideally of the Red Faced Coughlin disciplinarian mold. But the Eagles have a bit o desperation about them too, and what with Michael Vick finally getting another dog, you gotta think they will be jacked up. I think the Kittehs sink further down the rabbit hole.
But, by far, the power matchup is Gents at Niners. A grudge rematch of last year’s NFC championship game. I think Alex Smith will get over on Easy Eli this time. Cause it is not late enough in the season for Good/Bad Eli. Honorable mention goes to Peyton’s Dokos at the Bolts. Truly a pickem, with the Bolts playing better, but so too Manning. The Vikings at the Skins will also be a lot of fun. Who knew Christian Ponder and The Norske would come on as they have? And RGIII to boot. Big fun. The Bills come to visit Spidey Fitzgerald and the Cards here in the desert. Spidey Dude has been rubbing shoulders with The Clenis though, and that is too much mojo for the Wagon Circlers.
That, my friends, is a wrap. Let’s roll.