MLB: Pennant Races ho hum in 2009

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

This has got to be the most boring Pennant Race season in a long time. If you're a huge baseball fan, like myself, you're rooting hard for the Minnesota Twins to make the final week and a half of the baseball season exciting. Realistically, that is the only race that is left. The Yankees and Dodgers lead their division by 5 games, The Phillis by 8, Angels by 7.5 games, and the Cardinals by the widest margin of 10 games. Even the Wild Card race is pretty much over. The Red Sox lead the Rangers by 7 games and the Rockies are starting to pull away from the Giants with a 4 game lead.

What does this all mean? Well, it means that most playoff teams will be well rested. It will mean their starting rotations will be set up. It should mean the best team will win, but you never know. You still have to play the games. The Red Sox could have made the AL East race interesting if they didn't blow a huge lead against the lowly Royals last night. The Yanks lost, once again, to the Angels. A BoSox win would have brought them within 3 games in the loss column a few days before they head into the Bronx for a 3 game series. Of course, a Red Sox sweep this weekend would certainly make things interesting, but I just don't see that happening. Even if they take 2 of 3, they would still only game a game with one full week on the schedule remaining.

Personally, I can't wait to get to the playoffs. As a die hard Dodgers fan, I've been waiting for quite some time to start the postseason. I will, however, be watching the Twins & Tigers battle it out over the next week and a half.

I'm rooting for the Twinkies. What about you?

What's the matter with Tom Brady?

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Who really thought that New England Patriots all-everything quarterback Tom Brady would be scuffling like he currently is?

Not me, that's for sure.

But no matter how much you love and respect what he's done in a Patriots uniform -- this is killing me to blog about this because Brady's by far my favorite current player in the NFL -- Brady hasn't been vintage Brady at all. He's not even near where he's been in previous seasons.

I'm hoping it's just that he's still trying to get his feel for the game down pat and timing with his receivers. Plus, coming off reconstructive knee surgery and only playing a portion of one game last year doesn't help, either, I know. But I really didn't think he'd be having such issues under center.

Realistically, the Patriots should be 0-2 and you can honestly point to Brady as a reason why they've struggled. Yes, even Tom Brady is human. 

Brady and the offense were sleeping -- bad passes, too many dropped balls, total slow motion on the offense's part -- for three quarters against Buffalo, but the Football Gods helped out the Patriots in the fourth quarter and they pulled off an incredible win. Brady was the reason for that win. In the second half, he was outstanding, firing two late TD strikes to tight end Ben Watson.

But Brady and that offense got right back into that funk against the trash-talking Jets. Boy, did coach Rex Ryan and his talking heads really shut the Pats up. The defense dialed up blitz after blitz. The Jets didn't get to Brady, but they hurried his throws all day and made him uncomfortable in the pocket. The rust of not playing much in the last year even showed when Brady was called for two delay of game penalties in the second half. That stuff just can't happen. I know he wants to audible into a new play and that's fine because I trust his decision-making more than my wife's driving, but get the snap off in time and save a 5-yard penalty. That's just a rookie mistake from a veteran QB. 

Look inside the numbers: 62-0f-100 passing for 594 yards and two TDs and two INTs with a QB rating of 76.8. 

That's not Tom Brady. Who is this, Shaun Hill? 

But I'm not counting him out for one second. While it might take a little more time than expected to get this offense clicking like it should be going -- not like two years ago because that type of season is a once-in-a-lifetime season -- I'm banking on this offense turning it around. 

The weapons they have makes that statement pretty easy to type. Even if Wes Welker misses more time -- boy was he rusty in that Buffalo game after missing training camp -- Brady has enough threats to carve defenses. Just think if the Patriots actually committed to the running game a little more. If they do, then the passing game with be pretty darn potent. 

So stay tuned. 

Brady doesn't like being average, so expect continued improvement from himself and the offense. 

The Pats will fix this problem. If not, coach Bill Belichick will make some changes.

If I hear the Pats shouldn't have traded Matt Cassel one more time, I think I'm going to puke. Brady is still the best QB in the NFL, are you doubting him?

Big mistake.