Things Are About to Get Hairy, Very Hairy!!

Happy Tuesday Everyone!!  I hope everyone's Halloween weekend was filled with ghosts, ghouls, good costumes and great times.  The clocks went back an hour (in case you didn't realize), the weather at least here in the northeast got cooler and most importantly November is finally upon us!  It's a magical time for sports, food and revelry.  Thanksgiving = more food, 3 Thursday football games, random NBA games and more food.  The MLS playoffs are in full swing, Red Bulls won again (twice in 4 days on Sunday at Red Bull Arena), I was there and a lot of fun.  I highly recommend checking out their next playoff game…there will be more!  Continuing on with the awesomeness of November is how the college football playoffs/bowl series will shape up as the rivalry game flood the weekends and every game means so much more…exciting.  The FOOD, oh the FOOD of November!!  Turkey, mashed potatoes, candied yams, cranberry sauce from a can with the little can ribs on the sides, pumpkin pie (not really a pumpkin latte guy though) and of course stuffing - massive amounts of stuffing…all kinds of stuffing.

BUT what really got me excited about the turn from October to November this past weekend was the start of GROVEMBER!! For those of you who are unaware of this exciting charitable endeavor it is like Movember where you grow a mustache for the month and raise money for a good cause. BUT in GROVEMBER you grow the whole beard.  I am participating to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House of New York which offers a ton of services for families who have children fighting cancer.  Hit me up for details if you want to donate and help some really great kids!!

I am only a few days in so the growth is not extremely strong but it will get there.  While thinking about the combination of sports and beards a new world of wackiness was opened. So let's take a look around and exhibit some of the best and gnarliest beards out there!!

BEARDS!!

Brad Kreisel of the Pittsburgh Steelers, it's been a thing for a while and is quite legendary as far a beards in sports go - 

Next on the list is Brian Wilson most recently of the Los Angeles Dodgers has been working this jet black (pretty sure it's dyed) beard with reckless abandon.  Pair with crazy Mohawk and he is a sight to be seen on the mound late in games - 

Johnny Damon had the Captain Caveman thing going when he patrolled the outfield for the Boston Red Sox when they made one of the most improbable comebacks in MLB playoff history against the rival New York Yankees - 

Timmy Howard keeps the USMNT in most games with his quick reflexes and uncanny ability to always seem to positioned properly in goal.  He also had this lately...not one of my favorites - 

BUT it's way better than this one rocked by Captain Lou Albano of WWF fame in the 1980's- 

That's all I have for now...when mine grows out a bit more I'll throw it up there for humiliation purposes especially compared to these beasts!!

Happy Growing My Friends and enjoy the fall!!

HAPPY WATCHING!!!

You Go And Do Something Like This...And Totally Redeem Yourself!!

HARRY, I TOOK CARE OF IT!!

So yesterday I wrote about how depressing the sports world had been lately…and you know what, the facets I spoke about are actually still really annoying BUT the sports world as a whole goes ahead and totally redeems itself tonight and tomorrow!!  Finding intrigue and excitement in some dark corners (at least for me) has revitalized my sports interest…for now.  Here's a look at what can get you pumped over the next two day (nights really) - 

Tonight at 8:07PM on FOX the Kansas City Royals host the San Francisco Giants in Game 7 of Major League Baseball's World Series.  Last night in KC the Royals rolled on the Giants 10-0 behind more stellar pitching from Yordano Ventura.  Ventura honored fellow Dominican Oscar Tavares by writing an RIP message on the front of his blue Royals hat.  Tavares was killed earlier this week in an automobile accident in the DR.  Ventura's classy move surely would have set him up for some sort of uniform violation had he been playing in the NFL.  KC pounded SF pitching last night and took care of the other side only giving up 6 hits.  I am not going so far as to call anyone who is a citizen "un-American" but you really should tune in for an inning or two on this one with a perennial winner (SF) taking on the underdogs (KC) in a winner take all match up.

Thursday Night Under The Lights!  The MLS Playoffs come to Harrison, New Jersey at Red Bull Arena!!  I will be there in the flesh to take it all in, should be a great time.  Here is some great insight and predictions for tomorrow's game from Steven Humiston (a hardcore Red Bulls fan, adamant sports follower and also happens to be my brother).  Steve take it away - 

Thursday night’s MLS Eastern Conference Play-in game is a rematch of the season finale as the New York Red Bulls (RBs) take on Sporting Kansas City (SKC) from Red Bull Arena in Harrison. Sunday night’s finale saw MLS Golden Boot winner and Red Bulls striker Bradley Wright-Phillips score in each half leading the Red Bulls to a 2-0 win in Kansas City. With only three days of down time, the teams will play Thursday in a winner take all for the chance to take on Eastern Conference regular season Champ DC United in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Red Bulls are a streaky team led by a strong backbone in the middle of the pitch with central defenders Jamison Olave and Ibrahim Sekagya providing a solid base the RBs rely on to sure up their defense as well as key their attack. Through the midfield, Dax McCarty and Erik Alexander rely on work rate and pin point passes to spring speedsters Lloyd Sam and Wright-Phillips in on goal. The question marks for the Red Bulls are big ones. The first is what Red Bulls team will show up, the one that dismantled SKC to ensure this game would be played in Harrison, or the one that looked sluggish and disinterested in their 3-1 home defeat to the Columbus Crew on October 19th. The second one centers around the RBs big money players. Thierry Henry missed Sunday’s win with an Achilles injury and is a game time decision for Thursday night. The other, Tim Cahill has been the enigma for the Red Bulls all season. He scored perhaps the goal of the 2014 World Cup, but his club form has not been on the same standard. They will need one of them to play up to their potential to see their side through to the semifinals. 

SKC comes into the match with only one win in their last five games. Let in the back by Matt Besler and Aurelien Collin, the defending MLS Cup champions have had the target on their backs all season. SKCs midfield is controlled by US World cup veterans Graham Zusi and Benny Feilhaber, with 22 goal scorer Dom Dwyer leading the way upfront. Questions about this team as they have played more than their fair share of games this season with MLS, US Open Cup, and CONCACAF Champions League games on the schedule. The last few games they look to have been playing on tired legs, and with the short turnaround, this could provide the difference in Thursday’s pivotal match. The main two concerns for SKC are things they have full control over. In Sunday’s match up, they seemed to have trouble keeping track of the runners for New York. Their defensive organization must be better to ensure a different result this time around. Also, Dom Dwyer has scored 22 goals this season. They must find ways to get him the ball in dangerous attacking positions. 

In all, the Red Bulls don’t play their best when the lights are brightest, but have made Red Bull Arena a nightmare for visitors since opening in 2010. Sporting Kansas City does, but are their legs too weary to defend their crown after a long campaign? Will the home field advantage that the Red Bulls have be the difference? Tune in Thursday 8PM on ESPN2 to find out.  Editor's note:  If you are attending the game you gotta grab one of these on the way in at Five Guys!

Thanks a ton Steve!!

And last but not lease the NBA kicks of it's regular season tonight with a whole slew of games.  It is a cool night for basketball, a lot of fan fare BUT I am holding off for tomorrow's NYK vs CLE game.  LeBron plays Carmelo in Cleveland and I assume the TV networks will be bumping with chatter…Worth watching tonight are CHI vs NYK and OKC and POR…the rest of the games are fine but nothing special, check your local listings.

And that my friends is how sports got me interested again!  Let's keep it going.

HAPPY WATCHING!!!

Somali Pirates & Weekend Wackiness

Somali Pirates & Weekend Wackiness

Welcome to Monday!!  I hope that you are as excited as I am that the weekend has faded behind us and the work week lies ahead of us…waiting, watching like a Bengal tiger in the high grass hoping we are wandering around aimlessly so it can pounce on us and chew our faces off.  That what most weeks feel like, right?  Stupid tigers….Or maybe the weekdays are more like pesky Somali pirates - speed boats zipping around surrounding you with guns drawn, screaming who knows what about why they are trying to take your stuff before they hop on-board.  THEN, they take a few things and ransom you back to the local navy.  At least that's how I think it goes when you get hijacked by pirates.  Not as glorious as the pirates of yesteryear but I guess you take what you can get.  OK enough loathing the week that is only a day old…we'll be fine, probably. 

The weekends are never long enough, even the long ones are too short.  I think most of the world agrees that you try to relax a little, sleep a little, eat a little and drink a little and before you know - WHAM!  Sunday night at 10PM.  Like a stiff left hook that knocks you unconscious in an Atlantic City elevator (insert Ray Rice joke here or did I already?) you are wiped out and not ready for the week.  I think that A LOT of the sports world feels very similar…let's investigate shall we??

The leg pictured above belongs to the son of Adrian Peterson (superstar running back for them Minnesota Vikings).  Nope not the one that was assaulted by Addie's baby mama's daddy...no this one was beaten up by AP himself....with a tree branch.  Apparently this passes as normal discipline/abuse in the great state of Texas.  I for one completely understand the to keep kids in line.  If you do not learn right from wrong at an early age, you are very...very unlikely to learn it later on in life.  BUT does anyone think it necessary to beat a 4 year old with a thin branch (similar to a good ol' Singaporean caning) to teach him a lesson?  I think not.  The NFL is a joke.  Minnesota sat AP down for a week while he was indicted/making bail and now he is back at practice...no big deal.  I get innocent until proven guilty, but I feel like the photos make a pretty bold statement as to something might be wrong here.

The picture above is that of Jeremy Kerley making a great catch in the end zone as a result of a BEAUTIFUL pass from Geno Smith of the New York Jets.  It was/would have been a game tying TD reception (PAT pending) against the NFC beasts Green Bay Packers...instead...instead, offensive coach Marty Mornhinweg called a TO right before the snap (confirmed on replay) and the play was called back.  Oddly enough, according to NFL rules (not that they give a flying fart about those lately) only the head coach can call for a time out or a player on the field, like the QB doing the whole play clock winding down TO type thing.  At the end of the day, as a Jets fan...it's ultimately the Jets just being the Jets.  It stinks but that's just how they roll.  Maybe it makes it that much better when they finally stop doing/losing because of stuff like this...maybe, just maybe.

Grilled Cheese Sports Quick Hits

++  We beat Serbia for FIBA Gold 129-92 (that's basketball, in case you weren't sure)  Is this really even fun anymore?  Just letting you know...that's what I do.

++  Redskins quarter back Robert Griffin III injures (dislocates) his ankle, likely done for a long time…if not the rest of the season.  Ladies and gentlemen - welcome to the Kirk Cousins Show!!  That's not a bad thing really if you're a Redskins fan.  Cuz is actually pretty legitimate, he has seen this movie before and I am sure will be completely cool in this role.  What actually sucks more for the 'Skins is that newly acquired Dee-Shawn Jackson was also hobbled on Sunday. 

++  Alex Torres (relief pitcher for the San Diego Padres) wears this gigantic hat and now it's going to Cooperstown!  The MLB Hall of Fame decided that this massive hat was groundbreaking and worthy of at least being worked into a showcase of new items at the BHoF.  Congrats Alex, your hat looks ridiculous, but now you'll be in the Hall of Fame, well your hat will be at least.  More than I can say for any of my hats, most of them have sweat rings and are of the blue and orange variety...but at least we have a no hitter.  Sorry Dads, pitcher's ballpark, you should have one by now.

++  Speaking of hats, is this the most original/bad ass college football helmet around? - NAVY  The logo is awesome and the gold stripe is right in line with their colors, awesome.

Maybe we all need to get back to business...seems like we are falling apart at the seems in the sports world.  Rewind, start over and see how that works.

HAPPY WATCHING!!

Ray Rice Debacle Gets Deep & Fun Stuff

Oh Ray & A Lot More!!

Yeah Ray, we get it!  Ok, that was a cheap shot...wait so was that?  I'm done.  Here we go!  

To take a David Chappelle line and bend it to my own needs - "What can be said about Ray Rice that hasn't already been said about Afghanistan?"  Ray Rice has been bombed out, depleted and left for dead in the middle of a field of blood thirsty ninjas whose only job it is to claim the souls of their enemies to increase their power.  I am not going to go too far into the Ray Rice thing because it has been covered by everyone from Oprah to Opie and Anthony, Rush Limbaugh to David Letterman, Howard Stern to Stewart Scott.  It's one of those stories that people love to read and then I think kinda get tired of.  

Today it was announced that the folks over at EA Sports will be wiping Rice from the recently released Madden 2015 game.  That really means nothing to anyone in my opinion.  Isn't he suspended anyway?  Could you really use him?  Isn't he a free agent right now?  What position would he play?  In other corporate news, the Baltimore Raves are offering a Rice Swap.  You can trade in your Baltimore Ray Rice jersey and get a brand new legends of the field and court room Ray Lewis jersey.  See how I just did that there?  The double standard (read some here)

BUT!  What I am really looking forward to is what Rutgers University - Ray's alma mater is going to do with their stadium and surrounding campus.  Rice was the big man on campus during and after his fantastic career there.  He led the program to relevancy after decades of less than mediocre play.  This situation is kinda like the Penn State University/Joe Paterno thing from a few years back after it came out that he turned a blind eye on that whole Jerry Sandusky molester situation.  Oddly enough...Saturday's home game is in New Brunswick against Penn State to open up Rutgers' first game in the Big 10 (which now has 14 teams, dumb).  It will be interesting indeed.  So there you have it, the Ray Rice sitch has a lot of semi-off the radar things going on around it.

Fins Beat Pats

(above is an old photo of the two teams but it sums up Sunday's game quite well)

Pats were leading 20-10 at half time, couldn't score in the second half and gave up 23 unanswered points.  That's pretty much it.  I am moving on.

Grilled Cheese Round Up

++  Eli was Eli Manning Monday night...the Eli from 2013, not the one from 2011.  This could get ugly fast as Giants Nation gets antsy and eventually calls for Coach Tom Coughlin's job and probably a host of other unreasonable demands.  Sports radio the first week of October could golden...don't touch that dial!!

++  Steelers wide out Antonio Brown tries to take a punt return to the house but there was a pesky punter in his way.  Solution??  Front Ninja Kick to the face mask...didn't work.  Did get slapped with a 15 yard penalty for unnecessary roughness.

++  The US Open finals over the weekend were a complete snooze fest.  Serena Williams beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-3 6-3 bleh.  On the mens side Marin Cilic beat Kei Nishikori 6-3 6-3 6-3, again bleh.  Apparently no one watched and ticket prices being scalped on StubHub were the lowest for a US Open Finals in a loooong time.  Even they don't look stoked - 

++  OK one last thing - baseball is still going.  If you have the chance to tune in over the next few weeks, try to watch Clayton Kershaw pitch.  He pitches for the LA Dodgers.  His stat line is phenomenal and it's a really enjoyable watch.  Just catch like 2 innings...I am sure he will be on the ESPN Sunday night game at some point.  The Dodgers are rolling so you can probably catch him in the playoffs...I recommend it...highly.  

-->  18 wins, 3 losses, 210 strikeouts in 177 innings, 6 complete games, 1.67 ERA and 0.82 WHIP...and he missed a month with a back injury.  SICK!

HAPPY WATCHING!!

Football is HERE!!! Let's All Rejoice!!

I LOVE IT!!!

It's Thursday night and the feeling's right!  Right for football season 2014 to begin!  In Seattle tonight, the Green Bay Packers make the trip to Seattle in what very well could end up being an NFC playoff match up come winter.  Aaron Rodgers returns from last year's injury shortened season with a solid array of options to put up big numbers (good for fantasy owners).  Russell Wilson kicks of the season tonight with a brand new, big ol' fatty of a Super Bowl on his ring finger from that blow out win this past February.  Riding high with a stout defense, a running back who's known for BEAST MODE and the loudest home crowd in the NFL the Seahawks look like the odds on favorites to get back to the Super Bowl.

Wes Welker Caught in the Club!!! (SORTA)

Yesterday news hit the wire that Wes Welker (starting wide receiver for the Denver Broncos) tested positive for amphetamines which are banned by the Goodell Mafia.  Welker denied every knowingly taking anything from the banned substances list.  Then later that morning some "unnamed source" that works in, for or around the NFL claimed that they also found other compounds in the sample which lead them to believe he was taking Moly or some form of Ecstasy.  They pinpointed this event to be around the time of the Kentucky Derby this past May.  How they do that, I don't know.  Science probably, maybe it's bull…who knows.  Welker replied with stating that maybe someone put something in his drink while partying at the Kentucky Derby.  This is completely possible, it does happen…in clubs when you put your drink on the bar to pick up your glow sticks that slipped out of your hands and rolled under the velvet sofa you were sitting/laying on.  Welker will be back for week 6.

US Basketball Looking For - (Pictured above are Ukrainian women in the Army)

Today we (the United States) played Ukraine in basketball.  We have now played Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Ukraine in the past week or so…Shouldn't we play some of the other bigger/better teams.  At this point we have played 2 Caribbean teams the size of Connecticut and 1 team who's country is at war with one of the world's super powers…they might be distracted.

It's football day today but this tackle is legit!! 

Watch Or Get Laughed At!!

++  US Open
++  Baseball is everywhere
++  Video of Madden glitch causing tiny linebacker (Christian Kirksey) - Madden 15 Gaff!
++  College Football can be found everyday from here until Saturday
++  FOOTBALL!!  In case you did not read the first part

Keep it Real!

Happy Watching!!

Manchester United Complete Mega Transfer Deal & Ice, Ice Baby!!

Less farting around and more productivity!

Hi Everybody!  It's Tuesday, let's celebrate with some soccer news!

Angel Di Maria (Argentine soccer player) has been purchased from Real Madrid by the Red Devils of Manchester United for a club record 

£59.7M!!  That is some serious scratch just for the right to then sign him to a long term contract.  Di Maria a world class winger will really add poise and punch for a currently punchless and directionless ManU side.  He had a very solid World Cup for Argentina back in July and was named Man Of The Match at the Champions League final, where Real Madrid took down cross town rival Ateltico Madrid.  The signing piles up the total summer transfer costs incurred by Manchester United to a whopping  £132M.  The jury is out on the productiveness of the signings (the EPL season is only 2 games old for the squad) but I feel like it will not be enough to get them back to where they want to be (on top of the EPL table).  They missed out on a ton of top notch talent this summer with most of it either resigning with their current club or heading to the "new" Super Powers, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.  I am not saying that they haven't been good in the past but now they are all drawing THE top talent.  Toss in the top English and German clubs and someone is bound to get boxed out.  The REST of the soccer world does not operate with the high level of socialism found in our MLS.  **I am looking right at you New England Revolution and this pathetic "lottery" for Jermaine Jones**

Moving right along - I was called upon to do the  Ice Bucket Challenge, kinda nailed it...a big ol' bowl of frosty ice water...which was welcomed given that it is in the mid 80's in Jersey City and the more important part is that my dad, mom and brother were nominated for the challenge.  I am sure it will be great to see their interpretations of the challenge!  This charitable endeavor goes to raise money for curing ALS aka Lou Gehrig's Disease.  I have always found him to be a fascinating figure in baseball history despite being a life long New York Yankee.  He was nicknamed the Iron Horse for having played in 2130 consecutive games in the majors, a record since broken by Cal Ripken Jr.  Not to take anything away from Ripken, but when comparing Gehrig's career statistics to his, the only way Gehrig's playing were cut short was due to this debilitating disease.  The Iron Horse was a lifetime .340 hitter with 493 HRs and 1995 RBIs compared to Ripken's .276/431/1695 stat line.  Again, it takes a great player to play this long and for this many consecutive games but as evidenced by his stats, Lou Gehrig was not slowing down any time soon if not for getting ALS.  I am reminded of a post I put up last week or the week prior about silly sports injuries and the reasons some guys missed playing time.  It would have been interesting if fantasy baseball were around in 1939 and the little injury note icon popped up next to Gehrig's name in your lineup.  And you're like WHAT?  He can't be injured...and the note just simply says - "considers self world's luckiest man, potentially out for season because he's slowly dying."  Gehrig died 2 years later.  Let's find a cure!!

Also - I am matching my ALS donation with a donation to The Water Project they help people (kids, moms, dads and everyone else) who do not have easy access to potable water.  There are nearly 1 billion people like this around the world.  That's not fair and we need to help.

Keep it real my friends, and Dad, Mom and Steve you are on the clock!!!!

Happy Watching!!!

Reporting to you from the US Open tomorrow - will be a good one!

Johnny Foosball & Odd Sports Injuries

Johnny Foosball & Odd Sports Injuries

It's 2 for Tuesday today and man am I excited to get to some lighter stuff after a semi-depressing Manic Monday, which will only get worse once football season starts and the Jets and Giants are racking up losses with reckless abandon (well, I hope not…but probably).

As previously mentioned at Grilled Cheese Sports and just about every other sports website, TV show, water cooler or family BBQ - Johnny Manziel has been making headlines since being drafted 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns in this year's NFL Draft.  Whether it's doing blow in the women's room, throwing money around like it's his last day on Earf or getting silly on social media he has been a very, very busy boy.  

During last night's Monday Night Football game (pre-season so no one really watched it) the Redskins played the Browns and it apparently got a little heated…at least in Manziel's head.  During one of the plays he ended up by the Redskins sideline and for reasons only known to him, he flipped the bird to the Redskins players.

Seems he did not take too kindly to the Redskins pointing out to him that this was not college and in fact was the NFL.  Not sure why that would get you fired up…pretty sure the uniforms that everyone is wearing has the NFL logo on it.  They said that the defenses were faster than him…again, not sure why that would make him flip the bird.  Everyone's 40 yard dash time is published on some website somewhere from their NFL combine days - Combine Database.  Not a mystery that he is playing in the NFL (not college) and that the defensive players are faster than many he faced in college and probably much faster than he is…BUT here's the thing, oh wait…there isn't a thing.  Johnny Foosball is just dumb.  He is some clown who is good/great (especially at the college level) and that's about it.  I am sure he will rise to the mediocre level the Browns expect of themselves but probably nothing more.  It won't be entirely his fault, as the Browns have holes all over the field…even more so with Josh Gordon most likely out for the season after his 14th drug related infraction.  Good luck Johnny - it's going to be a rough one!

Oddly Ridiculous Sports Injuries!

I am going to make this one into a list because the hilarity doesn't really need that much color (all of which led to missing games) - 

1.  Marty Cordova - missed time due to a severe sunburn because he fell asleep in a tanning bed
2.  Wade Boggs - strained back while pulling on his cowboy boots
3.  Ricky Henderson - acquired frostbite from prolonged exposure to…you guessed it, an ice pack
4.  Matt Cain - sliced hand open while cutting crust off of sandwich, actually crust was removed…cut hand while cutting bread into triangles
5.  Sammy Sosa - pulls muscle in his back after a violent sneeze (I think it was a 'roid sneeze)
6.  Joel Zumaya - missed 3 games with an injured wrist from of all things playing Guitar Hero

That about wraps it up for today!

Was just about to sign off for the day but I figured I would drop this one on you…you're welcome! - Suarez Claims "No More Biting!"

Happy Watching!!

Let's Drink What's Under The Sink!! - A Manic Monday

Hello Everyone! 

I hope your weekend was relatively enjoyable and that the soul crushing weight of waking up on Monday morning wasn't more than you could handle…I really do hope that was the case, no really!

Aside from the usual Monday woes that go along with the first day of the work week (for most) the sports world has seen a real uptick today in depressing news.  So without further ado, let's dive right in and hopefully make ourselves feel better by comparison -

Josh Hamilton (on the bar in the image above...covered in whipped cream) of the Los Angelos Angels of Anaheim or LAAAs is depressed…again.  Hamilton has waged a well documented battle against addiction throughout much of his adult life…booze, drugs and tattoos have held his potential baseball superstar abilities in check (well maybe not the tattoos, they would hold his daycare worker potential).  He asked to be taken out of the lineup for Sunday's game to "rest his mind".  When resting one's minb, I think it is commonly referred to as taking a nap or just zoning out into space while driving down the Turnpike going 75MPH…I mean, the sleep one more.  He gets paid a ton of dough to play baseball, and at times it is completely justified but right now he is hitting .266 with a handful of homers and 35 RBIs.  That's a bad use of resources in my opinion.  Mental illness is a real issue in the world and sports stars are by no means immune to it.  You know what?  I blame the LAAAs for giving him this much money, there I said it…maybe you take a step back and say this guy can't handle that kind of pressure (as evidenced by his repeated relapses).  There is NOTHING wrong with that assessment.  Heck, maybe giving him less money makes it easier for him to deal with things.  It's like when there are less Kardashian headlines in the news, life just seems a bit rosier…the birds sing in harmony and less students are jumping off balconies during finals week - sometimes less is more!

This next story isn't quite as depressing, it's more just sad for Jamaal Charles the start running back for the Kansas City Chiefs.  As the Chiefs broke training camp this weekend, Mr. Charles decided to move his own stuff out of the dormitory the team was using for camp and well, wouldn't you know it…he walked on some grass and the curb and some how twisted his foot/ankle.  He is listed as day-to-day but man are fantasy drafters everywhere sweating it out!!  Charles is slated to be one of the top backs in the league this year but has had injuriy issues in the past…I suggest he dials up the local 2 Dudes and a Van and leave the moving to the professionals, the KC front office agrees.

Another depressing one, a real quick one - Bartolo Colon could not make his scheduled matinee start today because he is visiting his sick mother which stinks.  Carlos Torres started in his place after pitching a ton recently and did admirably well.  Then the bullpen came in and screwed it up.  Dana Eveland stunk it up, then Buddy Carlyle stunk it up (I image Buddy Carlyle being a character on a sitcom from the 1950's or early 1960's.  He is either the hapless sheriff of a backwater town or the squirrelly neighbor in a Leave It To Beaver type setting.  Then Jenrry Meija (yep, 2 Rs in Jenrry) blew it up by giving up two runs in the ninth…well guys thanks for helping out Colon in his time of need…that's just about as depressing as it gets.  Hopefully Mrs. Colon gets better, has a better chance at a turnaround than the Mets' bullpen.  It's kinda like at work, "Hey guys, I have to take care of this dentist thing tomorrow morning (tooth is literally falling out)." You get to work and the printer is on fire, your co-workers are wearing makeshift Haz-Mat suits and the dudes in the lobby are wearing camouflaged face paint.  Thanks guys, thanks a lot.

This year's US Open will not shine as brightly as it could without Rafa Nadal (notorious butt picker as evidenced above).  He will be missing the only American tennis major due to an injured right wrist.  That's fine, makes it easier for my boy Roger Federer to make moves and pick up yet another Grand Slam title (unlikely but I can hope).  The funny thing is Rafa is a lefty.  I think he should have given it a go.  Crush a few guys in the early round with one functioning wrist and see where it takes him.  Would be the stuff of legend and undoubtedly make a strong case even stronger for most dominate player of all time!  But…nope.  No dice.  Dumb!  Man this is depressing…

There you have it, take your pick of cabinet elixirs. Or maybe just wait until tomorrow, it's Tuesday and it could be better...slightly better.

Tomorrow we buck this depressing trend and will thumb through the history books for lamest sports injuries of all time!!!  Mr. Charles, you and your box of English Lit books and Method Man posters may make the list.

"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary."

~ Vince Lombardi

Big Ben Not A Good Leader? No way!!

Pittsburgh Steelers long time starting quarterback Ben "Big Ben" Roethlisberger (pictured above on the right) is in the media again for "off the field" well...sorta on the field stuff surrounding comments made by former Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (now with the Denver Broncos).  I know exactly what you were thinking when I mentioned "off the field" but this time it was not followed by any of these key words - "alledge" "antics" "sexual" "misconduct" or "bathroom' or "rape".  Which is good because I think we need a lot less of those words floating around the world of sports...maybe except for antics...everyone loves a little antics every now and again - except from you Aaron Hernandez...not cool.

It seems Sanders made a comment to the media that he felt Peyton Manning was a "far better leader" than Big Ben.  Look I don't know either of these two dudes personally (Ben and Peyton) but from I have seen on the field, off the field in the media at least and those "Cut That Meat" commercial segment starring Manning I pretty have made up my mind that Peyton has the edge here. But let's dig a little deeper - 

Roethlisberger - kinda, sorta raped someone in a bathroom.  I am not 100% sure that he did and seemingly neither are the police or the chick who accused him of "kind of" raping her.  Either way, Ben was in the bathroom with a really, really ridiculously drunk chick after allegedly showing her his tender vittles moments earlier.  There was also some issue at a celebrity golf tourney where he cornered a casino worker after asking her to check his "broken" TV system.  Gotta love the ol' TV repairman script being flipped.  But nothing came of that so who knows.  That does not sound like the behavior of a leader  - allegedly. He also in my opinion holds the ball for too long and takes ridiculous sacks instead of preserving field position for his team, which is selfish and not leader material.  I will say in his defense though, he does not seem to micromanage things at the line of scrimmage with Omahas and Tallahassees (just made that one up) like Peyton does...that just slows down the game which I appreciate.

Manning - manages his offense like a field general, can be a bit of a whiny puss when things don't go his way...or at least it seems like that on camera.  He could also be angry with his WR for running a bad route.  Rumor is after being drafted by Indianapolis he learned the entire playbook in 4 days and from what I can tell of his off the field life, he seems like a model citizen and pretty good guy overall, which doesn't make you a leader but it certainly doesn't hurt when asking people to respect you in the locker room.  

Ok, enough about that - Sanders can say whatever he likes.  I don't believe in trash talking in this fashion but hey, maybe Goodell put him up for this.  When are these two teams playing?  Thanksgiving night?  Christmas morning?  It's all about the ratings YO!!

Grilled Cheese Sports Round Up Time!!!

Now it's time for the GCS Round Up!!

+  Tiger Woods has pulled out...of being in the running for this year's Ryder Cup team due to back issues which he said require zero practice or playing time...bummer!

+  The 4 month ban placed on Luis Suarez for biting has been upheld after it's appeal.  This should be a lock for 3 strikes and your out...as I have mentioned before my daughter Penelope's daycare has a 2 strikes and your out policy...Way to uphold some standard for decency FIFA, jerks.

+ The Little League Baseball World Series and the Little Softball World Series are in full swing and can be seen throughout the day and night on ESPN and ESPN2.  I suggest you check it out because is some really solid stuff being played out in these games....and the kids couldn't be more excited to be there...I'm looking directly at you Major Leaguers who take Sundays off during "Bring Your Kid to the Ballpark Day"...you know who you are.

+  Lastly, the NY Yankees are pretty much the worst team right now.  They can't hit, they can't pitch (at least the Mets can pitch, most days...the starters anyway) and they certainly did not do enough to get better after the trade deadline - Chase Headley is not the answer...and it looks like they are going to miss out on that David Price off-season sweepstakes.  BUT owner Hal Steinbrenner stated that he wants more out of them.  Carlos Beltran is always hurt (but will be around next year), Hiroki Kuroda is 39 and the wheels have finally fallen off, Jeter is leaving to play golf in Boca Raton at season's end and CC has lost his mojo along with the poundage.  You just have to wonder if they can regain that winning form they so desperately spend for each winter.  Well if all else fails, there's always Cervelli ('roids) and Pineda (pine tar, bonus points because he has the word pine in his last name) keeping things interesting.

Happy Watching!!