This, that, and the other thing!

Hey all…Just touchin’ base and exercising the fingers a little bit. Stopped by at Backyard Radio to catch some of Bryant, Chelle, and Margo…happy to report to all parties involved are still goin’ strong after just celebrating their 1 year anniversary bringing to show to the masses. I also stopped last night for about a 1/2 hour to catch Ray and Jenn laying out The Sports Buffet…(btw…both show are on Ubroadcat.com…check em out!) It was great to talk to people I haven’t spoken to in a long, long time…talked to Deez, Tony O, D.O., and others…it was very cool.

My big screen Magnavox rear-projection 52″ TV finally took a shit…but guess what? All is not lost! I have wanted this LCD HDTV…(I’m not pimpin’ the brand) for quite awhile now…it is a 57″ widescreen with all the amenities. Let me tell you how we are going to get it. Years back…man …my daughter was still home…we put aside 4-5 gallon empty water jugs…one for quarters…one for dimes…nickels…and pennies. Well we took the quarter one…which was full and weighed in at about 200lbs according to our scale…give or take. the end result? We spent HOURS between the 5 of us stacking $10.00 piles of quarters to roll. Some people set up dominoes…I’ll stack quarters…we discipined ourselves every day to save all of our collective change and drop it in the jugs…you never think you’ll EVER fill them…but they get full. Grand total on the quarters…almost $4100.00…we kept shakin the jugs as we went to settle the change until we couldn’t fit anymore. So there is our new HDTV…it pays to save. My son Chris asked me how many of those jugs it would take to hold 1 million pennies…the answer as best as we figured out? About 26 of em! Btw…1 million pennies is $10,000.00 dollars! So if you never did this before…the 5 gallon jugs can be had at K-Mart…don’t try and steal em…they cost about $6.00 a jug…and just start chuckin’ your change in them every day…FORGET they even exist! Watch the money you accumulate in a few years or so! Well, gotta roll…I can’t wait to get back on the air!!! See you ALL very soon…I miss you all very much!

I have a blog here don’t I

     Hello all, I’m sorry I have not been posting here on a regular basis…to be perfectly honest with you I have been helping a friend by posting my brains out on his message boards…I think I’m almost at 700 posts already. Sorry to all who visit here. It is by no means on purpose that I have ignored my blog. My apologies.

     More info on The Shift and The Shift B-Sides…I plan on coming back live on Ustream with The Shift on January 6th, 2009…if I don’t get hit by a London street car or a 20-ton anchor doesn’t fall out of the air and do me in. However, my live show is going to initially be in the mornings…when it is really quiet here…the kids are in school. I want to replay it in the evenng and hang out in chat as it is playing to interact with the listeners who didn’t here it live in the morning. I fully realize that my live listenership in the AM might be nil. But I have to do it that way to start out again. I look at it like this…I have to rebuild it all from the ground floor up again. But so be it. As far as The Shift B-Sides…that will be back on Fridays at its Friday time on Ubroadcast Channel 3666. That will obviously be tunes and talk.

     I have had a VERY rough Summer with both my disability and some side-effects from it, which I have discussed here before. I think that’s about all I have to say for now. Have a great Sunday!

NFL Ned HITS his teaser…barely!

Well, the old coot came through on his Sweetheart NFL Teaser…in a 3-team “sweetheart teaser” you win on a tie…which is what Ned did with the Colts +10 last night in Tennessee. The other 2 picks, Washington and Philadelphia came in easily. Good job Ned…we will be waiting with baited breath for this weeks picks!!!

He’s baaaaaack! NFL Ned!

After months of being stuffed in the sports toy-box NFL Ned rears his ugly head and his stinky cigar to bring you his weekly NFL picks…I couldn’t help but bring him back…he e-mailed me from Maine lamenting on how happy he was that lobster on the docks up there is selling for a paltry $3.89 per pound…due to our economy and the fact that fisherman net about 400,000 pounds of the seafood per day. It seems that a few companies up there send a bunch of their take to Canada to be processed. And with the credit probs with the banks some or most or these companies are suffering from economic strife. But aside from that…here are Ned’s picks for week 8…and with them a disclaimer from me. I take no responsibility for his picks or how they turn out. The old coot has been on a hot streak so far…but that could change in a heartbeat. That being said…here goes…

NFL Ned is recommending a 3-team “teaser” this week…if you are not familiar with the term or how it works you are better off doing something else with your eyes than reading this post. If you are familiar with it…here it is.

Tease Washington down from -7.5 to -1.5 at Detroit

Tease Indy up from a +4 to a +10 at Tennessee

Tease Philly from a -9 to a -3 at home against Atlanta

All 3 picks must be grouped together…this is called a “Sweetheart Teaser” and it pays better money. But the risk is obvious…all 3 picks must win for you to win. I went with the nut case and hit a sweetheart teaser in the College ranks…he gave me WVU teased to 2 1/2 against Auburn…WVU won 34-17 outright….he gave me Air Force teased to +1 against New Mexico…Air Force won 23-10 outright…and gave me Boise State teased to -1 against San Jose State…and #12 Boise State pulled away late in the game and won 33-16. Talk about EASY MONEY!  I’ll tell ya what…I see NO REASON why Boise State can’t finish this season undefeated looking at their remaining schedule and throw a nice big WRENCH into the BCS system again…let’s see what happens…I hope they DO run the table so we can keep pushing for a play-off system in NCAA football! 

Some great NCAA football games this weekend…Penn State at Ohio State…a nightmare haven for Joe Pa…and has anybody looked at the Texas schedule the past few weeks and the next 3 weeks after this one?…ALL ranked teams! Talk about not ducking anybody. I’m a Michigan State fan so I’m still depressed about the ass-kicking Ohio State gave us…But we are the last game Penn State has this year…perhaps Javon Ringer can run wild and help his long shot chances at winning the Heissman Trophy alive. He leads the country in rushing yardage…keep on truckin’ Javon!!!

Game 3 of the World Series is tonight if the rain doesn’t drown it out. Moyer vs. Garza. Anyone who is in their mid-forties has to be pullin’ for Moyer. I think this is a very pivotal game in the series…in fact I’ll go so far as to say this is the big one. Whomever wins this game has a big advantage momentum-wise. And even though Tampa lost home-field advantage in the Trop I say they come to Philly with that advantage. Moyer has been PITIFUL in the playoffs. Garza has been golden. It just seems to me that aside from Hamels the Phillies starters are questionable. And as I outlined in 2 posts here…Joe Maddon has come home too. The safety squeeze the other night was BRILLIANT…especially considering Cliff Floyd was on third when he put it on. Floyd’s knees are shot! Ballsy move by Maddon! But let’s hope the rain holds off so we can watch the game. I’m really enjoying this World Series so far. The first 2 games were great…let’s hope it continues. Have a terrific weekend and I’ll talk to you all soon!

Playing the NFL Money Line the right way

Playing the NFL money line can be a great way to enhance your gambling winnings during the NFL football season. If you are especially adept at picking the winner of NFL football games, you can make a reasonable profit playing the money line without ever having to worry whether your winners cover the point spread. However, without a proper betting and money management strategy, the NFL money line is an area of gambling where you can quickly lose your money – even if you are able to pick more winners than losers.

Because it’s much easier to pick the winner of an NFL football game than it is to predict both the winner and the game’s final margin of victory, making a winning wager using the NFL money line is much easier than using the NFL point spread. However, that doesn’t mean it’s any easier to make money playing the money line. Because of the way the money line works, not every pro football game is created equal – the same rate of return is not available on every wager. Each week, some teams offer more than a 100% return on your money while others yield only a portion of what you wager on them. When betting on the NFL point spread, you have the opportunity to win dollar for dollar (less vigorish) what you’ve wagered. However, your potential return on each dollar wagered using the NFL money line can vary quite a bit depending on the situation. As a result, when it comes to money management, betting on the NFL money line is much trickier than betting on the NFL point spread, and how well you manage your money plays a much larger role in determining your ultimate NFL football wagering success.

Other than determining the winner of an NFL football game, there are generally two other factors an NFL football handicapper must consider when wagering on the money line. The first is determining whether a wager actually should be made (is the risk/reward favorable?). The second factor is deciding how much to wager. Both of these decisions are crucial. Just because you can pick the winner of a professional football game the majority of the time doesn’t necessarily mean you should wager on it; and just because you are able to win the majority of your NFL money line wagers doesn’t necessarily mean your football wagering will be a profitable experience (I will illustrate this in an example below).

There are several different approaches pro football handicappers take when using the money line to make a wager. Some NFL handicappers focus on underdogs because of the higher payoff they offer. Others focus on favorites because they are generally easier to win. By overlooking one or the other, an NFL bettor limits their potential winnings. By ignoring favorites, handicappers leave a lot of winners and money on the table. By not considering underdogs, bettors rob themselves of higher potential returns on individual wagers. Betting on a combination of both throughout the course of the NFL season is the best approach for generating higher overall returns while lowering the relative amount of risk taken to generate those winnings. Of course, no pro football game should be wagered on unless it provides a good betting opportunity.

When determining whether to place a wager, one popular approach among professional football handicappers is to use the following formula:

Win % = Amount Risked / (Amount Risked + Amount of Win)

In this formula, Win % represents the percentage of wagers you must win at a specific money line level in order to breakeven over time. For example, if you were to wager on a favorite at -200, requiring you to lay $200 in order to win $100, then the required Win % would be:

Win % = 200/(200 + 100)
Win % = 66.7%

So, you would need to win a wager at this level at least 66.7% of the time in order to break even. This percentage also happens to be the point at which your Expected Return equals zero.

Expected Return = (Win % x Amount of Win) – (Loss % x Amount of Loss)
Expected Return = (66.7% x 100) – (33.3% x 200)
Expected Return = 66.7 – 66.7 = 0

On the other hand, if you were to wager on an underdog at +200, requiring you to lay $100 to win $200, the required Win% would be:

Win % = 100(100 + 200)
Win % = 33.3%

So theoretically, given the situation, if you have the ability to forecast the winner of an NFL game at a success rate higher than the required Win %, then that game offers you a betting opportunity with a positive return expected on your wager. Before actually placing a wager, however, other things should be considered. First, not all professional football games are created equal from a wagering perspective. The NFL money line fluctuates based upon the betting action, not the true superiority of one NFL team over another. As a result, in some cases a team going at -200 may be a bargain while in other instances you’d be taking on more risk than the game truly warranted. These are additional factors you need to consider when determining your level of confidence in forecasting the game’s ultimate winner.

How Much to Wager?

 

 

Once you’ve decided that a particular NFL football game does, in fact, offer you a betting opportunity, determining the appropriate amount to wager is the next step. One common mistake when wagering on the NFL money line is failing to minimize risk by wagering inappropriate amounts. Inexperienced NFL handicappers fail to consider the varying payouts that go along with the money line and will wager the same amount on favorites as they do on underdogs; or follow some other “home brewed” method lacking mathematical reason. Theoretically, over the course of the NFL season, you should win more of your wagers on favorites than on underdogs, but because the return is less, you need to wager more money individually on the favorites in order to maintain an overall net winning position throughout the football season. The following example will help clarify this point.

Assume that one week during the NFL football season you wager $100 each on two favorites at -230 and -250 and one underdog at +200. If the two favorites win and the underdog loses you will win approximately $83.50 combined on the favorites but will have lost $100 on the underdog. Here’s a situation we referred to earlier where you win two out of three wagers, but you lose money! Imagine if you repeated this performance each week during the football season – by the end of the year, you’d have wagered on twice as many winners as losers, yet lost money in the process. So, it’s a matter of not only knowing which NFL team to wager on, but how much to wager on them, that determines your ultimate success (or failure).

Wagering on the NFL money line can require a fair amount of capital when you have to lay down more than normal to wager on a favorite. It also requires sufficient bankroll to cover any losses when a favorite gets upset. As a result, you can quickly burn through your entire bankroll if you don’t control the amount you wager on each pro football game. Determining the appropriate amount to wager depends on whether you are betting on the favorite or the underdog. Considering the fact that your individual wagers on favorites will be more than on underdogs, you first need to decide what your standard NFL money line wager on underdogs should be. A simple method is to use ½ your standard wager on pro football games versus the NFL point spread. The resulting wager amount, although smaller than what you’re normally used to, will allow you to increase the dollar amount of your wagers on favorites without risking too much of your bankroll all at once. This “½ rule” is a simple and quick method, but you can adjust this amount taking into consideration your personal bankroll and other wagers you typically make on a weekly basis.

Deciding what your standard wager on an underdog will be is the starting point in figuring out what amount you will wager on favorites. Determining the amount to wager on a favorite requires some work, and the amount will change depending on what the NFL money line is for the specific favorite you are considering. You can easily calculate the correct wager amount for favorites by using the following formula:

Wager Amount = (Underdog Standard Wager Amount)/100 x Money line

For example, if you normally wager $100 per game using the NFL point spread, then using the ½ rule for the NFL money line, you would wager $50 on an underdog which would mean wagering ½ the money line on a favorite.

Wager Amount = 50/100 x Money line = 0.5 x Money line

If a favorite is -250 you would wager $125 (0.5 x 250)

On the other hand, if your standard wager amount on the NFL point spread is $200, then you would wager $100 on underdogs and on a favorite at -250 you would wager $250.

Wager Amount = 100/100 x 250 = 1 x 250 = 250

How does this translate as far as winning and losing money? Well, let’s go back to our example above where you wager on two favorites at -230 and -250 and one underdog at +200. Assuming your standard underdog wager is $50, the amounts you would wager on the favorites would be $115 (50/100 x 230) and $125 (50/100 x 250). If both favorites win and the underdog loses you will net $50 in winnings. Win any two out of three and you will still net at least $25, something that wouldn’t happen without proper money management.

Now, assume you wagered on one favorite at -250 and two underdogs at +200 and +180. Sticking with our $50 standard underdog wager, you would lay $125 (50/100 x 250) on the favorite and $50 each on the underdogs. Once again, as long as you win two out of three you’ll be a net winner. You should follow this philosophy throughout the NFL season, making your predetermined standard NFL money line wager on underdogs and using the formula above to determine the amount to wager on favorites. Of course, you also need to keep in mind the risk/reward ratio at all times and should not adjust your standard wager amount from one week to the next because of losing/winning streaks. Don’t worry about whether you bet on more favorites than underdogs or vice versa, just stay true to your strategy of wagering only on those NFL games that offer a good betting opportunity based on the required win % and your ability to pick winners in particular game situations.

As you can see, money management plays a vital roll in ensuring successful results when wagering on the NFL money line. This is because of the varying payouts (return on investment) you receive when using it. Unlike equal wager amounts using the NFL point spread that offer equal returns, the NFL money line offers varying returns requiring wagers of different sizes in order to remain profitable. However, the ability to pick straight winners, along with a solid money management strategy can make playing the NFL money line a great way to enhance the total return on your pro football gambling throughout the NFL football season.

***My thanks to www.nflgaming.com ***

Baseball “Anti-purist”…Fox Sports Radio’s Tomm Looney!

    I put this post on a board that I am a very active member of in regards to a comment made by Fox Sports Radios’ Tomm Looney who co-hosts a show with JT the Brick in regards to the World Series…as always, your commentary is welcomed.

I will try and keep this post as respectful as I can per John’s request. We have seen 2 games of the World Series so far and I must admit as a baseball purist and life-time fan of baseball that so far this is a VERY enjoyable series…Now my question is this? What is wrong with Tomm (not mis-spelled) Looney and his comment when ask by JT about it that “This is not 1949 and people are not sitting around the radio”? Followed by further busting about safety squeezes and other stratagems used by baseball managers to try and gain an edge in the game. He quickly deferred to how the NFL is number one anymore, (and ratings-wise I’m sure it is), but TRUE baseball fans have to be enjoying this series. Ive been a staunch Yankee, Jet, 49er, and Knick fan since I’ve been a little S**T-Head! But just because this isn’t the perfect match for Fox or moreso Looney personally doesn’t mean it should be tossed to the side. Wake up Looney…maybe it’s not 1949…but there are real fans of the sport out here…don’t insult us with your insulting drops about days when people only had baseball and a radio to enjoy it by. I was born in 1957…so I missed taht era in sports…but I can damn sure remember when baseball was ALL I had as a kid…and we had a black and white TV because we were too poor to afford a colored one. I used to put tin-foil on our rabbit earred antenna to try and get better reception…most times it didn’t work. So I listened to some of the great broadcasters on the radio…Mel Allen and the such. YOU of all people who make your LIVING in radio and media should not be so quick to insult the past generations that enjoyed those times with their families. Totally ignorant commentary on your part. But it not the first time you have insulted people. It seems to be a habit with you. And JT…Maddon is from up here in Hazelton…he’ll handle the pressure just fine. don’t run the Phillie fans on him…he’s WAY ahead of you on that take!

Tampa Bay’s “secret weapon” Part II

     So sorry my Part II post is a day late…but sometimes things can’t be helped. But it’s all good! The World Series starts tonight and since I plan on making my pick in this piece I’m still in under the wire as they say! As I touched on in Part I of this…if you are a TRUE baseball fan you will watch it. I think it is a very even series in so many ways. But I think the Rays will ultimately take home the trophy. And before I reveal why I have to say something to all the people who are whining that this World Series is going to be a TV ratings bust…TOO FRIGGIN’ BAD…my team isn’t in it either! DEAL WITH IT! Let’s move on…

     I am not going to spend much time analyzing the pitching match-ups in this series…I’ve looked at the collective staff numbers and come to the conclusion that this series may come down to both teams bullpens. I would say Philly has a slight edge on the back end…but if you are a Philly fan tell me Brad Lidge doesn’t cause you to reach for heart meds at times! Trust me; I had Joe Nathan from the Twins as my closer all year in fantasy. As you can see in this post I put up a picture of David Price. But in my mind he is not the “secret weapon” Tampa Bay has. I witnessed this kid get shelled in a start when he was in AAA Durham when our Scranton Pa. Yankees were on their way to the Governor’s Cup a few months ago. He CAN be hit. And let’s not forget the fact that National League power hitters…especially those on Philly’s club…(Stairs will be their DH)…will crank that heat into someone’s windsheild if this kid mis-spots a pitch. So NO…Price is not the weapon…but here ’s who is!

  

 

     Did anyone ever hear the phrase “There is nothing like home cooking?” Well this might sound a little far out but I believe it applies here. Why? Because when Joe Maddon packs his bags for the trip north he’s coming home. Yes, home. He is from Hazelton, Pa. and that is about 45 minutes from me in Scranton and just a short hop from Philly. Joe’s Dad passed away not too long ago and his Mom and family is still very much alive and kicking. In fact, “Beanie Maddon”…Joe’s 75 year-old full of energy parent is a matron at “Third Base Luncheonette”…I’ve never eaten their…but they are supposed to have some of the best hoagies on Earth. Beanie’s relatives opened the joint in 1948 and named it Third Base because it was the “closest base to home”…Joe’s parents met there decades ago…and you can still buy penny candy there. Definition…”blue-collar neighborhood” as many are up here. Things don’t change in these neighborhoods. They stand stoic and proud. Philly is only 90 miles away from Third Base Luncheonette…hmmm…90 feet from third base to home plate no? Coincidence? No, I think it’s destiny. I’m sure Joe Maddon will find his way up here to visit and be totally relaxed by being back home. And it will show in his managerial prowess and his teams’ performance. My pick…the Rays in 6. But history lately suggests someone will be swept. but I won’t be that bold out of my respect for Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. He has been around the game for a very long time and can’t be discounted. But as I said…I’ll take the Rays on a fresh hoagie bun…some hot bats, some AL dressing, and some home TLC on the side! Enjoy the World Series folks!

I just don’t get it!

     What exactly is up with Denver Bronco coach Mike Shanahan? Since when do you in good conscience leave your starters in when you have a realistic shot at winning the West and you are getting HUMILIATED by a New England team that has come home after a rough West coast swing and knew they needed to win this game or fall 2 games behind the East leading Buffalo Bills? Not to mention the fact that Cutler again seemed to wack his throwing hand off a helmet again? Yeah Mike, I know pride has a great deal to do with it but once this thing got out of hand you have to pull some of your starters…especially your QB! And by the same token Bill…there is absolutely NO REASON why Rodney Harrison had to be motored off the field when your greed took over and you wanted to run the score up. These two have to be the most selfish and heartless coaches I’ve ever seen in regards to their players health. And oh yeah…I’ve heard it all before about starters not wanting to come out of games…but I’m willing to bet you they would have tonight on both teams. I was floored when I saw Cutler come back in the game in the 3rd quarter. It was a 20-0 game at halftime and on its way to 34-0 after the third. Shanahan…your team is 4-3 right now in the West…and San Diego is going to pay a visit to the Queen over in England to play New Orleans. Did you really think you had a chance in that stadium especially when the Red Sox just blew their hearts out the night before? I must admit it was the easiest money in the world for people who had the Pats -3! The bookies forgot to figure on all that hostility filling the seats tonight in Foxboro. That was a 12th AND 13th man! Every time the cameras panned the crowd they looked nuts! Jay Cutler seems to have a bright future in the NFL…don’t lose him for the season over your stupid pride.

Tampa Bays “Secret Weapon” for the World Series?

     The Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies…who would of thought it? But here we are and here it is…so if you are a true baseball fan you will sit back and enjoy it. Look at the bright side of it…you are going to have two teams that REALLY want to win it. It’s been 28 years for the Phillies and Tampa Bay is looking for their 1st championship. I live in Scranton, Pa. So I’m not too far from Philly. It wil be cold at night here when Tampa flies into town for games 3,4, and 5 (if necessary). And no, I’m not calling for a Tampa Bay sweep…although it happened last year to the Rockies. Will the cold weather help the Phillies and hurt the sun-shined Rays? I would tend to think that adrenaline will provide enough heat to get both teams through it…don’t you? And playing in Tampa in a dome will offer optimum playing conditions to both teams. So let’s throw out desire and weather as edges…it’s even there in my mind. That being said…let’s move on.

     How bout we have a look at the dimensions of the ball parks they are playing in…does that hold an edge for either team? Here are the parks and dimensions:

*Tropicana Field*                       *Citizen’s Bank Park*

Left field line-315′                      Left field line-329′

Left-center-370′                         Left-center-374′

Left-center-410′                         “The Angle”-409′-381′-385′

Center-404′                                Center-401′

Right-center-404′                       Right-center-369′

Right-center-370′

Right field line-322′                    Right field line-330′

     Yikes…both parks are band-boxes for the most part…which means there should be a fair amount of homers in this series. For your info, during the regular season the Phillies hit more home runs in their home ballpark than any other team in the National League. I think the replica Liberty Bell gonged something like 111 times. If Ryan Howard and Chase Utley come out of their slumbers expect more of the same. This team lives and dies for the most part by the long ball in Citzen’s Bank Park. Which why I was shocked that they only hit 5 in the NLCS and beat the Dodger’s so handily. But then again the Dodgers hit only 4. Let’s look at Tampa Bays’ power sticks. Tampa Bay hit 87 dingers at the Trop during the regular season…BUT…a whopping 16 in the ALCS! By comparison Boston had 10…was Manny’s bat missed? It’s a question I’m sure Red Sox fans will ask themselves all off season. So by the numbers I just laid out and the dimensions of these parks being fairly equal I’m going to give this edge to the Rays…but as I said earlier…Howard and Utley’s performances are KEY to Philly’s power numbers. Burrell is far too erractic and Rollins and Victorino cannot carry this team…although their performances in the NLCS were very admirable…more Victorino than Rollins though. And by about this time in my article you might be asking yourself…what “secret weapon” are you writing about Bob? Relax, I haven’t gotten to it yet…and I will continue this piece tomorrow in Part II.

    

    

Joe…a Shift update…and more!

I could have made the Dodger logo smaller…but I didn’t want to. I can’t tell you HOW HAPPY I am for Joe Torre, Don Mattingly, and yeah…I’ll even throw in Larry Bowa because I like his fire at whatever he does. As you know I am a dyed-in-the-wool Yankee fan…but I hope the Steinbrenner boys are choking on all of this…not George mind you…but the boys. How’s it feel to sit home and watch it guys? Feel good? After all, you let Joe go…and I know…you’ll say it wasn’t Joe…you’ll say it was Manny. Well, I will agree that Manny has been a tremendous influence on this Dodger ball club…but remember one thing. It’s a BALLCLUB…A TEAM…and somebody had to oversee all of that. And that WAS Joe Torre! In the meantime back in New York we have one of the worst seasons I can remember as a fan…and Cashman gets signed to a new 3-year deal!!! Since when do we reward mediocrity in New York? I honestly wonder what Georges’ sons will do once he dies? Will they sell the ballclub? Don’t think it is too far-fetched of an idea. But enough Yankee banter…they are eating Dorito’s in front of their big-screen TV’s. Let’s get back to what happened tonight. Look…I know Joe Torre is no Superman…the National League West was a pitiful division at best…but someone had to win it…and Joe did. I am rooting for the Dodgers the rest of the way…call it my personal vendetta against Hal and Hank. Good luck in the NLCS Joe!!! I didn’t forget you! As far as the Cubs go…I feel bad for Lou…but getting swept for 2 years in a row? Lou…you are 0 for the century in play off games!!! and I’m sure all the Cub fans are flocking to the Sears Towers as I type this. can’t blame Bartman for this one…blame Soriano…dismal performance again. When I saw Derrick Lee toss his bat and SMASH his batting helmet off the ground…I KNEW they were done…Lee is a CLASS ballplayer. I subscribed to MLB.tv about halfway through the season so I could watch any games I wanted to…it was a great investment for me as a fan because it gave me a taste of how fans from other cities loved their clubs. I watched a bunch of Cub home games…to enjoy their passion as fans…(and boy oh boy they have it) and because Wrigley Field is a CLASSIC ballpark! And also to help me with my fantasy baseball team…(we don’t wanna talk about how THAT turned out…LOL!) But now the supposed CURSE will go to 101 years! Hang in there Cub fan. One last thought on the Cubs…Zambrano is a TOTAL BABY! Nuff said on him. And Lou…I know you are a great manager…but you can’t expect to pencil a lineup card in as you did in Game 2 and watch your WHOLE INFEILD make errors like that! TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!!! GOD…I hope Ron Santo didn’t kill himself over this! Let’s move on…

I know this is an old Brewers’ logo but it’s the one they had when they last made it to the World Series and I happen to think it’s a very cool logo too! Dave Bush threw a very good game and I’m willing to bet there was much joy in the Brewer gang when they sat in their homes and watched the Cubs get eliminated last night. Charlie Manuel didn’t do something Torre did do…he had his opponent down 0-2 and he put his foot on the Cubs neck and broke it…I’m sure Joe learned that lesson in 2004 when his club was up 3-0…don’t you agree? This Brewer club is really nothing special…but they have heart…and if they win today…all bets are off in Philly for Game 5. Because they can win that game. I REALLY enjoyed this game…here’s what I did. I had it on Sopcast…I muted that…went to MLB.com…and listened to Bob Uecker call it on the radio at MLB’s website…IT and HE were GREAT!!! Be careful Phillies…these guys are a scrappy bunch at times. I think winning Game 3 was a BIG ego boost for them! We’ll see.

     And lastly, an update on The Shift…the show is going to be a morning show again…it will air when it comes back on Fridays at 11am ET and be a 1 hour show. I am in the process of setting my new gear up…have to run to the Guitar Center to grab some Mogami studio XLR cable…it is all I use…but I had to wait for some 3′ pieces…they are in now. Mogami is expensive as hell…but very well worth it. I also have to go through the grief of a FULL upper dental implant soon. The good-ol Prednisone I take for my RA has made this necessary. not a cheap procedure…but once it is done…it’s done for good…I have no choice. Let’s put it this way…I look like Hillbilly Jim right now!!! LOL!!! But that is it for now on The Shift. And the Friday gig will work out very well. I know I won’t get too many live listeners as the night folks do…but I have to roll with what works with my family. The kids and their studies in school come first and foremost needless to say. have a GREAT Sunday folks!!!