Give My Boy Tiger a Break...

It’s no secret that I’m a golf fanatic and a huge fan of Tiger Woods. An no its not because 4 our of 5 people think I look like him. Since he started making his mark on tour in the late 90’s, he has been my favorite athlete and continues to be to this day despite all the drama over the past two years. Once again T-Woods has made international headlines for something that in my opinion, isn’t even that big of an issue.

During the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic, Tiger was caught spitting on the green of the 12^th hole and now faces a fine of up to $16,000. Seriously? You’re going to fine the guy $16,000 for spitting? I understand that this a professional sport and there is a certain code of conduct that all players must follow but this is absolutely ridiculous. You don’t see fines being doled out to players breaking equipment in anger or throwing clubs into a water hazard out of frustration, but the tour is going to go ahead and fine a Tiger for spitting?

To me the more important and relevant story is that going into the final round Tiger was 1 stroke back of the lead, managed to shoot at 75 and fall into a tie for 20^th and more importantly has yet to notch a win since the 2009 incident. But instead, all of these media cockroaches are coming out of the woodwork and attacking Tiger for his conduct on the course, how this is hindering his rehabilitation process, how he will never repair his image this way, and even some go as far as to say they hope he never wins another tournament again (highly unlikely). All I’m saying is give my boy a break. So he fucked some bitches and got a divorce from his wife. Big deal. That’s all in the past and he’s trying to move on and start winning again. Everyone just needs to lay off and give the guy a break and not attack him for every little thing.

100 Wins for the Phillies?

Today is the first day of spring training for the Philadelphia Phillies. With football season long gone, it's now time to look forward to the team that plays across the street from the Eagles and the team from Philadelphia that has the most realistic chance to win a championship. I for one am extremely excited about season and very optimistic that the Phillies will win another World Series. Like most Phillies fans, my first order of business will be to listen to the 4 Aces and Joe Blanton press conference at 1:30pm today. Leading up to today, there has been a lot of talk on local sports radio about how many games the Phillies will win this year. From what I've heard it sounds like Vegas for the most is setting the over/under line at 96.5 wins this year. To me this number sounds on the low side and I'll tell you right now my top three reason why the Phillies will get to 100 wins.

1) The Four Aces + Joe

Ever since re-acquiring Cliff Lee, nobody has stopped talking about what could possibly be one of the greatest rotations of all time. Not only do we have two of the best pitchers in the league going #1 and #1A in Halladay and Lee, Roy Oswalt, who has always been a #1 or #2, moves to a #3, a former World Series MVP moves to a #4, and Joe Blanton all of a sudden becomes the best #5 starter in all of baseball. Baring any major injuries, large dips in performance (Hamels in 2009) or natural disaster, this rotation could easily combine for 60+ wins.

2) Cupcake Division

While the Phillies are certainly the cream of the crop in the National League, the division is which they play isn't particularly all that competitive. The Mets have taken numerous steps back in recent years and finished a distant 4th in 2010. Their position players continue to underachieve and Johan Santana seems to be the only pitcher with any consistency. Even with the recent acquisition of Jason Werth, the Nationals are still the Nationals and will be without Strasburg. It would surprised to see this team compile more than 70 wins this year. The only team that the Phillies should even think about being concerned with is the Braves. The Braves finished second in the division last year behind some strong pitching and with the recent acquisition of Dan Uggla, they should be the only team that could challenge the Phillies.

3) Position Players Bounce Back

Last year was not a great year by any stretch of the imagination for the Phillies line up. Not a single player everyday player finished with an avg over .300 (Polanco was tops with .298), Rollins had statistically one of the worst years of his career, Utley was once again plagued by injury, and Ryan Howard finished below 40 HRs for the first time in 4 years. That being said, this lineup as much as they under performed still made it to the NLCS. Expect the core of Rollins, Utley and Howard to have rebound years and look for the emergence of Dominic Brown, replacing Jayson Werth, who absolutely dominated the minors.

Super Bowl XLV and onward

So here it is, the final football game of the year and for many of us, the final opportunity to bet on football until next fall. For those of you who have been going with my picks, we've had a pretty successful post-season. Once again, my pick and breakdown of the match-ups can be found at fanalysissports.com. If you guys haven't signed up for this site I once again recommend that you do so. There have been some very solid debates thus far on all topics in the sports world. With the end of football season approaching, look for the majority of my sports related posts to be on the Philadelphia Phillies and their upcoming season. 17 Days till Pitchers and Catcher report. 17 days till the start of the 4 Aces + Joe Blanton.

Why Even Tri?

So approximately this time last year, I decided that my new year’s resolution for 2010 would be to get my ass back in shape. At that point I had been approximately two and a half years removed from college, which as many of you can attest to was 4 years of doing everything bad for your body. Binge drinking, ripping cigs, staying up till all hours, and a few others things that I don’t care to mention but probably should be part of this list. I set a modest goal of starting running again with the Broad Street Run (a 10-mile straight shot through the city of Philadelphia) as my ultimate goal. While the first few months were hell (my first run I nearly keeled over and died after about 2 miles), time passed and I began to find it easier and easier to get back to my high school form. After a few weeks, I found myself running distances further than I ever did in high school at the peaks of X-Country and Track seasons.

I thought that was the end of it. Goal achieved, end of story. That was until my girlfriend decided that she would run the Marine Corps Marathon. Well that obviously didn’t sit well with me. I couldn’t let her one-up me like this so I signed up for the Philadelphia Marathon. This is something that I am glad that I did and I recommend that everyone at some point train for and run a marathon. It’s actually not as difficult as it sounds and the achievement of being among the 0.01% of people to accomplish this is something to be said for in addition to being in great cardio shape.

During the course of my training, one of my tune up races was a triathlon that two of my friends and I competed in. One guy did the 0.8mile swim, who then tagged off to another who did the 38mile bike, who then tagged off to me for the 6.2mile run. While waiting for my friends to finish their respective legs of the race, I thought to myself, “These people are legit. Is there any reason why I can’t do this all on my own?” Prior to the start of the race I spoke briefly with an experienced triathlete. She said that she had completed several of these triathlons to go along with several marathons, and this girl was in her mid-30s. That was all the convincing I needed. Those of you who know me know that I don’t need much motivation to accept a physical challenge. Tell me that you can do it, and I’ll definitely do it.

So the goal for this year is to train for and complete the Philly Triathlon. Why do I subject myself to this stuff? After running a marathon, is there really anymore that one can accomplish on an individual basis as a person who isn’t even considered a real athlete? I have a very addictive personality and is training for ridiculous events or the thrill of competition just another form of drugs, alcohol, and gambling? It’s clearly no longer about working out and staying in shape. I think I may have a greater problem.

Championship Weekend Recap and Looking Ahead

I hope that those of you who read this blog chose to check on Fanalysis Sports. If you did and went with my picks, you went 2 for 2 this weekend and likely made some nice money.

The Good

If money was the only thing you were concerned about this weekend, then it was all good. Both the Packers and the Steelers covered though not without a little bit of last minute drama. The Jets made a nice run in the second half but thanks to a gutsy call on 3rd and 6th in the final quarter, the Steelers were able to seal the deal punch their ticket to the big dance in Dallas. I bet nobody was worried when Collins and Haine came in in relief of Jay Cutler and his questionable MCL sprain but that 3rd stringer sure found a way to make it interesting in the end. Bottom line: $$$

The Bad

For those of you who chose to watch these games purely as football fans and were hoping for a good game, I am so sorry. This past weekend has to be up there in some of the worst football I have ever seen. For a long time the Bears and the Packers looked like a bunch of retards in a knife fight and the Steelers looked to have won the game in the first half. If it wasn't for me having money riding on both games, I probably would have turned them off, done something else, and checked the scores on my computer later. Very poor product for supposedly the best 4 teams in the league.

The Ugly

Jay Cutler. Nothing says ugly like being crucified by the Chicago fan base, the national media, and your fellow players on twitter. I don't think Brian Urlacher and Lovie Smith are enough to defend Cutler from all the heat he is taking for sitting out parts of the 3rd and all of the 4th quarter. If you're hurt, you're hurt. But at least look like you're hurt for the sake of the fans, and help out Collins and Haine on the sidelines to show that you care. Sometimes body language says it all.

Championship Weekend

Typically I post my analysis and picks for the games here on my blog however I have been asked this week (and for the Superbowl) to write up a post for my buddy's website. This can be found at http://www.fanalysissports.com/ Look for the post titled "The AFC and NFC Championship Games: Betting the Spread" and you'll find my analysis and picks for this week.

Fanalysis is a great sight where anyone can join and voice their opinions about anything in the world of sports. If you consider yourself an expert in a particular area and want to have a discussion, I suggest you join today and start posting.

Sin City Rewind

So I'm now just about one week removed from my trip to Las Vegas and I can safely say that I still have not yet fully recovered physically and mentally. I went in under the impression that I'd do a good bit of gambling, definitely go out to bars and clubs, but certainly not going back to back 20+ hour days and blowing the doors off both nights. This weekend was the epitome of the party marathon. Now that I'm back, for those of you who are looking to go in the future, I thought I'd leave you with some words of advice so that you're trip will be just as enjoyable and ridiculous as mine was.

"The guys I roll with, they're the real deal." - anonymous

It goes without saying that when you go to Vegas, it's going to be a weekend long boys-night-out trip. But who of those guys you bring can make or break your weekend. Every guy has to be on the same page as far as what kind of scene you're looking, how much you're willing to spend, who's going to hit on what girl, etc. Conflict amongst yourselves is the last thing that should be an issue when you go out to Vegas. If you're the kind of guy who wants to do VIP style, bottle service, and the works, find 3 or 4 guys who are willing to shell out the cash. If you're the kind of guy who wants to crush pitchers of beer at a dive bar and gamble all night, make sure your boys are willing to do the same.

"Oh, we asked for an empty refrigerator. The one here is full of mini-bar shit. Please bring an empty refrigerator.... we're not paying for it." - Tom

Special requests are what Vegas is all about. You can make anything happen if you ask the right people and you're willing to pay for it or are very persuasive. They want you to have a memorable time so you come back and spend money again the next time. Yes the above quote by my buddy Tom is 100% accurate and we did get a new, empty, fridge in a matter of hours. Too lazy to try to pick up girls at a club? Just ask the promoter and he'll gladly bring ladies to your VIP table. Book the limo for 3 people when you rolled to dinner and now you need to get 7 people to a strip club? Your driver will certainly look the other way for the right price. If you can imagine it, someone in Vegas can make it happen.

"Gucci and Ferragamo loafers! That's how we roll." - Tom

Don't underestimate the power of dressing up. A nice suit can go a long way in how you are treated by your driver, at the door of a club, the promoter, the waitresses and ultimately that 10 that you are trying to pick up. If you look the part, it's a whole lot easier to act the part, and subsequently you will be treated in an appropriate manner by all. While at Tao our first night and Moon our second night, the contrast in how guys were treated merely on the basis of if they were wearing a suit versus jeans and a button up was astounding. If you're going to ball hard, better suit up.

"Adrian, I'm pretty sure someone is going to need oxygen on the flight home." - HMS

Plan you're arrival and return wisely. When heading out, remember the time difference and that it's ok to leave the east coast late morning or afternoon. You will still have a full day when you arrive. Be sure to get those extra few hours hours of sleep the night before because once you arrive, the shock of Vegas will kick in and you'll want to take it from 1st to 5th gear the moment you land. While you're there, don't let the glitz and glamor of being able to drink and smoke pretty much anywhere (public streets and in the cab/limo is perfectly acceptable) get the better of you. Pace yourself or bring a ton of adderall to help you through the weekend, whatever works. Finally, give yourself the next day to recover. If you have work on Tuesday, fly home Sunday night or Monday morning and sleep it all off. I can't tell you the amount of physical and mental exhaustion I experienced Monday morning. You will not be able to function the next day.

I hope that these little tips help anyone who is heading out to Sin City in he near future. They certainly helped us. Viva Las Vegas!

And finally, a memorable quote from our taxi driver, "I don't gamble. I'd spend all the winnings on blow and women!" Godspeed sir. Godspeed.