In an effort to give you, my amazing readers, more to feast their (or rather “your” seeing as you ARE reading this) eyes on, I’m going to try to post twice a week. I know this won’t be happening every week, but I think that you all deserve more from me. Starting this week I plan on posting an opinionated news brief and a column-format piece every week. The news brief will be known as the Werd on the Street, so welcome to the Werd on the Street.
KC Chiefs
Is this for real? The Chiefs are 3-0 going into week 5. I highly doubt anyone saw this coming, and would take up fisticuffs with anyone who claimed otherwise. The thing is, the Chiefs have yet to make any amazing plays or have a true star step up. They are winning the old-fashioned way, by playing as a team and executing a gameplan. The team isn’t asking too much of any one player; Matt Cassel is doing very little, the running game is split between Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones, and the defense is stepping up at the right times. Granted, this will only work for a limited amount of time, someday a team will force them to make mistakes. Until then, the Chiefs will grow more confident in themselves and pull tricks like this one:
Ben Return
Ben Roethlisberger returns from hiatus this week because his suspension has been lifted. One big cloud of carbon dioxide lifts from the Steel City (and LaNasty’s fantasy football team) as they breathe a collective sigh of relief. Sure, the Steelers survived the first few weeks, but barely. Big Ben will put the Steelers light-years ahead of where they are now. Maybe, just maybe, he can make them Super Bowl contenders. The balance of Ben-Ward in the passing game and Rashard Mendenhall in the running game, combined with the ferocity the defense is showing, and we may see an AFC title game appearance from the Steelers.
Liverpool
This story just surfaced today: Liverpool’s soccer team is up for sale and the general assumption is that the owner of the Boston Red Sox will be purchasing the organization in the next few days. I’d be wary if I were a Liverpool fan, the last team to get purchased by Americans (Manchester United) has a very angry fan base right now.
Image courtesy www.sportsgrindent.com
Detroit Sports Boss
Mike Ilitch, the owner of Detroit’s Red Wings (NHL) and Tigers (MLB) has purchased the Pistons (NBA) according to ESPN.com. Everyone who has ever worked for an Ilitch-owned team has had nothing but good things to say about their experience, so I can see this being a good transition for the down-trodden organization. Ilitch keeps his hands off the team, listens to advisors, and spends money when he needs to, so long as it benefits the team. I can see the Pistons becoming a threat in the East in five years or less under Ilitch’s ownership. With this purchase, Ilitch has officially given himself leverage in any arena negotiations, too. The Red Wings have been contemplating renovating Joe Louis Arena/rebuilding the arena, and this gives them a way to move to The Palace at Auburn Hills. The move could be permanent if Ilitch doesn’t get a new arena in Detroit, but I believe he wants to keep Detroit teams in Detroit, thereby the more likely situation is the Pistons move back into Detroit and out of the suburbs, and Detroit can return the favor by helping renovate or rebuild the Joe.
NL Playoff Picture
Sorry LaNasty, but your hometown Padres choked (I am so unhappy). Even I didn’t see this coming when I wrote this piece awhile back (scroll towards the bottom if you read the link). The Giants came out of nowhere to capture the West, and the Padres ended one win off of having a play-in game versus the Atlanta Braves, another choke-job. For awhile the Padres had the best record in baseball, but a couple stretches of bad play combined with a good run from the Giants did them in. In the East, the Braves barely held on this last month, losing the lead in the East to the Phillies, and then barely squeaking out a Wild Card berth. With all the ups and downs in the NL this season, the playoffs will make for an interesting month.
NEXT POST: I plan on revealing my theory on how to improve the NHL later this week. Don’t be surprised if it comes a little late, as I want to get it perfect. Check us out on Facebook for updates when new posts are added to the Werd.
