Monday Musings

"Just Go Ahead And Add Mike Shanahan Under Zorn"

Jam-packed weekend of sports. College Football, Week 2 of the NFL, Champions League action, MLS is in the home stretch, as is baseball; seriously, does it get any better than this? And we've got several more weeks to go. Not going to focus on anything specific, just a bunch of random things from the past few days.



1. Is there any clear cut favorite to win the MLS Cup this year? Columbus and Houston are leading their divisions, respectively, but I wouldn't bet the house on either one of them to win it all. The Galaxy and Seattle are arguably the 2 best teams in the league over the past several weeks, and Chicago, despite some apparent in-house issues, has more than enough talent to go on a winning streak and bring home the trophy. Is this the most parity we've seen in MLS before? If so, then the league has accomplished its' mission.



2. Also liked the announcements last week from the league that they are suspending play during the 1st round of the World Cup next year. Like the home and home 30-game schedule next year even better. Then you add Portland and Vancouver in 2011, go to a 34 game schedule, and that, folks, is your single table that most fans want to see. Now if only there were a way to do something about the playoffs?



3. When I watch Real Madrid play so far this year, their offense reminds me of the '99 St. Louis Rams, when they were known as the Greatest Show on Turf. They might give up points, but they'll score more than you... Anybody know the La Liga record for goals scored in a season?



4. USC knocks itself out of the BCS Title game once again by losing to an unranked team. Does Pete Carroll actually try to motivate them the week when they play a supposedly crap team? I actually had them losing in 2 weeks to California anyway (Jahvid Best is my early Heisman winner right now), so this paves the way for the Golden Bears to enter the Title hunt.



5. Tim Tebow and Florida didn't look great against Tennessee, but a win is a win in the SEC, right? Oh, yeah, and Lane Kiffin is still a douchebag.



6. Way to go Terps football. Does Fridge get fired if this team goes 3-9 or 4-8?



7. If you had Chris Johnson on your fantasy football team this weekend, you won. His point total had to be one of the highest in Fantasy history. I know it's in the top 2 or 3 in my league, which has been around for 12 years.



8. The Redskins are going to lose in Detroit on Sunday. I'm saying it right now, so come next Monday, nobody will be surprised. If I were a betting man (which I am), I'd be interested to see what the numbers are right now for Zorn to finish the season. Firing a coach midseason is just so...Snyder-like, isn't it? Maybe we can look at the over/under on when it might happen? Maybe by week 8?



9. Back to soccer for a minute, Chelsea looks like they're clicking on all cylinders, don't they? They dismantled a solid Tottenham side yesterday. Too many weapons, and it look like Petr Cech has once again become a world-class goalkeeper, despite the silly helmet he has to wear.

10. Watched Floyd Mayweather dismantle Juan Marquez Saturday night. Mayweather hasn't fought in 17 months but it looked like he hadn't taken any time off. He won EVERY round on the scorecards and landed around 55% percent of his punches compared to 12% for Marquez. And Marquez is a GOOD fighter, as he gave Manny Pacquiao all he could handle in 2 bouts. Now if Manny beats Cotto in November (far from a sure thing, as Cotta, in my opinion, is a beast), then you're got the "Super Fight" between Floyd and Manny. Question is; if Marquez took Manny to the limit, and Floyd mopped the floor w/ Marquez, then how can Pacquiao hope to stand a chance? Watch Mayweather whenever you can, folks. You might be watching one of the top 4 or 5 fighters of all time in action...



11. Last thing; we were in Chicago last week for opening night of the U2 tour. Great city, great stadium (Soldier Field is amazing!), great food, great people, and most of all, a great band. If you have the chance to see them on this tour, don't hesitate to drop a few bucks. It's well worth it, and I can't wait to go to Charlottesville in 2 weeks time for another show.



Yeah, it's a half-assed column, but I'm in a half-assed frame of mind today. Thanks for reading!