This Is Our Last Post

After completeing almost 40+ podcasts and 200+ posts East Coast Bias is calling it quits. Thank you for reading our blog and listening to our podcast. Unfortunately due to time constraints, schedule problems, and other unforseen scenarios myself, Brendan Canney and Jason Mish will no longer be publishing the blog and its podcast. Again, we thank you for reading and listening to us since July. Hopefully a time will come when we can devote ourselves to another sports blog. Thanks again for all the support!

Sincerely,
Brendan Canney and Jason Mish

The Mitchell Report

East Coast Bias has been watching all the press conferences and so far, myself, Brendan Canney, am disgusted with Major League Baseball. Even though there is a lot of hear-say in the report, there is enough evidence that points to major players, like Roger Clemens and Andy Pettite, that they indeed took steroids. It truly is a dark day in baseball.

Stay tuned to East Coast Bias as both me and Jason will chime in soon with both of our opinions on what has been said and reported.

Bobby Petrino Resigns As Falcons Head Coach

Bobby Petrino has resigned his position as coach of the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday, and is currently negotiating an agreement to become the new coach at the University of Arkansas.

After only 13 games as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, which included 10 losses, Petrino is out of the NFL. Petrino had a five-year, $24 million contract with the Falcons and will be taking a pay cut to coach the Razorbacks.

The Falcons are assured of the 32nd losing season in their 42-year history. Petrino's resignation is another blow to a team that dealt with Vick's legal troubles since the first day of training camp, a blow up with DeAngelo Hall over personnel decisions, and a bunch of injuries.

Poor Arthur Blank....

The Podcast Is Up!

Check it!

Sorry about the delay folks. Archive.org was being bitchy and finals week starts on Monday.

Not Guilty, And He's Sticking To It

Bonds' new lawyer entered a not guilty plea in U.S. District Court to the four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice contained in the Nov. 15 indictment.

"Barry Bonds is innocent," defense attorney Allen Ruby said "He has trust and faith in the justice system."

The indictment charges Bonds with lying when he testified he never knowingly used performance enhancing drugs, even though prosecutors say he flunked a private steroids test in 2000. Bonds' personal surgeon, Dr. Arthur Ting, collected the blood sample and is expected to be called as a witness if Bonds take the case goes to trial.

Investigators also say they seized other evidence, including an alleged "doping calendar" maintained by Bonds' personal trainer Greg Anderson, who spent about a year in jail for refusing to help investigators in their perjury probe of Bonds.

I have always been an outspken critic of Barry Bonds so I hope all of these charges stick so we can land this dirtbag in prison. I'm sick and tired of his whining, unprofessional, and "It's all about me" attitude. He broke the most storied record in all of sports and instead of having people embrace him as our new home run king, most people despise him.

Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera Moving To Detroit

The Florida Marlins and Detroit Tigers have agreed in principle on a trade that will send Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to Detroit for key prospects.

The Tigers would send outfielder Cameron Maybin, pitcher Andrew Miller, catcher Mike Rabelo and three other minor league pitchers to the Marlins. The most notable of those prospects obviously is Andrew Miller who went 5-5 in 13 starts after being called up last summer.

A huge move for the Detroit Tigers. They get a hude prospect and RBI machine in Miguel Cabrera (who according to reports is losing the bulk) and Dontrelle Willis, who might see a resurgence in his new city. The AL Central just got a lot more interesting. Perhaps this could lead to a conclusion of the Johan Santana trade talks because it appears that the Tigers mean business.

East Coast Bias- December 4, 2007

Today's Headlines

- The "Live Wire"

- NFL Rundown

- College Football Rundown

The Weekly Phil

- Billy King Fired as Sixers GM



On today's show we begin with some of the latest news on Johan Santana trade talks, the wild Pats-Ravens Monday Night Football game last night, and the tragic passing of Sean Taylor. The NFL Rundown is next where we dive into the Sunday gridiron action followed by the College Football Rundown were we dissect Saturday's big games. And we wrap up the show with The Weekly Phil featuring the news of Billy King's dismissal as Sixers GM.

Holy Crap, We're Back!

After a long hiatus Team ECB is back in the saddle! Be prepared for the podcast debuting tomorrow and regular blog updates there after. Between work, the end of school, and other family matters we have been really tied up, so we apologize for wait!

Live Wire News

Barry Bonds Indicted By Federal Grand Jury

Maybe Bonds would be willing to take an asterisk at this point. Bonds was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice Thursday and could go to prison instead of the Hall of Fame for telling a federal grand jury he did not knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs. If he is convicted he could serve as many as 30 years in prison. When Bonds was shown papers confirming that a "Barry B" tested positive for two types of steroids in November 2000 he said, "I've never seen these documents. I've never seen these papers."

The ball is in your court Barry. You, in my estimation can do one of two things, admit you did steroids because you were jealous of Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, or you could be a coward. Either way what you have done will be tarnished and rightfully so.

You Don't Want To Be Number 2

Oregon is the fifth No. 2 team to lose this season, 34 - 24 to the Arizona Wildcats. USC, Cal, USF and BC all feel the Ducks pain, especially Heisman hopeful Dennis Dixon. The stellar quarterback aggrivated a knee sprain he suffered against Arizona State. Arizona became the 10th unranked team to knock off a top 5 team this season. Depending on who you talk to the belief is is that Dixon could be done for the season. Without Dixon at quarterback the Ducks looked lost on offense. They went 3 and out six times and had only 3 drives after the 1st quarter in which they gained more than 50 yards.

If I'm Kentucky, I would just pretend that their is no polls or BCS because if history is any indication, you don't want to be number 2.

Kiss The BCS Championship Game Goodbye

Our 200th Post! Live Wire News

Stephon Marbury Fined $180,000 For Skipping Game

- Controversary seems to follow the former all-star point guard at every turn now. On a recent team plane trip Marbury learned from player Eddy Curry that Isiah Thomas planned to start 2nd year guard Mardy Collins ( a Temple University Grad! ) instead of him. Marbury got up and confronted Thomas about the move and later was quoted to ""I've got so much [stuff] on Isiah and he knows it." What this entails not many people are sure of but should Marbury's playing days be done in New York, there could be some juicy details.

Ricky Williams Re-Instated By Roger Goodell

- Ricky Williams retired in 2004 and has only played 12 games since then, including a stint in the Canadian Football League. Williams can attend team meetings and practice immediately, but won't be eligible to play until Week 12 when the Dolphins play at Pittsburgh on Monday night, Nov. 26. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has reinstated Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams after a suspension that lasted 18 months because of Williams' violation of the league's substance abuse policy.

Who mants me?!

East Coast Bias- November 13, 2007

Today's Headlines

- The Debut of the "Live Wire"

- NFL Rundown

- College Football Rundown

The Weekly Phil

- Eagles Win: Lidge Comes In Relief



We begin with the debut of a new segment called "Live Wire", where we keep you up-to-date with the latest news in the sports world. Then ECB delivers the NFL Rundown followed by the College Football Rundown to fill you in on all the gridiron action of the weekend. We end the show with The Weekly Phil, with discussion on the Eagles victory, and the acquisition of Brad Lidge to the Phillies.

Phillies Acquire Bullpen Help, Get Brad Lidge

The Phillies appear to have addressed their need for bullpen help by acquiring closer Brad Lidge from the Houston Astros in a five-player trade. In addition to Lidge the Phillies also get utility infielder Eric Bruntlett. The Phillies gave up outfielder Michael Bourn, reliever Geoff Geary and Minor League third baseman Mike Costanzo.

This move now allows the Phillies to move Brett Myers out of the bullpen and into the #2 starters role. A role I believe he will be much more comfortable in. No longer will Myers have the pressure on his shoulders to be the number one guy.

The 24-year old Bourn, a Houston native, hit .277 in his first full season as a Phillies reserve. This proves to me beyond a reasonable doubt that the Phillies will be re-signing Aaron Rowand and are comfortable with Burrell and Victorino as their 2008 starters. Costanzo was once considered one of the organization's top prospects before a down year in 2006. He hit 27 home runs while playing for the Phillies AA affiliate, the Reading Phillies.

Kentucky Wildcats Get Rolled On

The Gardner-Webb Bulldogs brought their bite with them to Rupp Arena. The former Division 2 basketball program held the lead throughout the entire game and dominated the Kentucky Wildcasts in every aspect of the game. The Bulldogs led by more than 10 points the entire second half.

Grayson Flittner scored 22 points to help Gardner-Webb beat the No. 20 Wildcats 84-68 Wednesday night in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic. Ramel Bradley of Kentucky led all scorers with 24 points, including 14-14 from the charity strike. The last time Kentucky lost to a mid-major? Try November 2001 against Western Kentucky.

The Wildcats were coming off their best defensive performance since 1995 after holding Central Arkansas to 20% shooting. Against the Bulldogs however, Kentucky allowed them to shoot 53% from the field.

Sleepless In Seattle

David Stern has entered the no spin zone and has laid the smacketh down on Seattle. "I'd love to find a way to keep the team there," he said, "because if the team moves, there's not going to be another team there, not in any conceivable future plan that I could envision, and that would be too bad."

SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett told the NBA last Friday that he plans to move the team to Oklahoma City. The current lease calls for the team to play in Seattle through the 2009-10 season, but Bennett wants out sooner.

Basketball has been in Seattle for 40 years and no one in the Washington legislature or Seattle's can find a way to keep the team there? The Sonics are set up to succeed with the drafting of Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. They cleared TONS of cap space with the trading of Ray Allen and release of Rashard Lewis. To not keep a team there, especially one that has actually been a winner, is a sad thing for Seattle basketball fans.

Curt Schilling Remains In Boston

Curt Schilling, who said it himself that he might have played his last game in Boston after his brilliant World Series performance, is coming back to the Sox. Schilling agreed to a one-year deal worth $8 million dollars that will also include incentives.

• $375,000 bonus for pitching 130 innings
• $375,000 for every 10-inning increment up to 200 after first 130 innings
• $333,333 each time he maintains his weight after random weigh in

When asked by reporters if he had signed for less money he had this to say, "Did I leave money on the table? Yes. Could I have gotten another year? I think so," Schilling said on his Web site. "Looking at the teams that called, my best guess would be around $14 million-$15 million for a one-year deal with the potential to get $25 million-$30 million for a two-year deal."

East Coast Bias- November 5, 2007

Today's Headlines

- NFL Rundown

- College Football Rundown

The Weekly Phil

- Eagles See Stars; Flyers Fast Start


On today's podcast we begin with action from the gridiron as we dissect all the games in the NFL, including the great game between the Pats and Colts. We then switch to the college kids as we wrap up the week in College Football. Finally, we end the show with The Weekly Phil with Eagles, Flyers, and Sixers talk.

Edit: Podcast is up!

Pats Rally Late To Remain Unbeaten

Though the Patriots were outplayed and out gained for much of the game vs. the Colts on Sunday, they managed to pull off a come-from-behind win to remain perfect at 9-0.

The Patriots won 24-20 thanks to two touchdowns in the final 8 minutes of the game, after trailing 20-10, to get the comeback victory.

Tom Brady threw for 255 yards and 3 TD's, but did double his season interception total from 2 to 4. On the other side, Manning had a solid day with 225 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. But Manning's final mistake, a fumble coming with two minutes left, was recovered by Rosevelt Colvin of the Pats and ended the game.

The Patriots will now get a chance to rest with their bye next week and then will play at Buffalo on Nov. 18 to try to stay unbeaten.

Navy Ends 43 Game Losing Streak To Notre Dame

It took 4 quarters plus 3 overtimes but the Midshipmen finally accomplished something they had not in 43 games prior. The final score was 46 to 44 in a game dominated by each team's running game. The combined yardage on the ground of both teams was 492 yards. Each team's combined yardage in the air was only 207 yards.

To put the streak into perspective, the last time Navy beat Notre Dame was when the Midshipmen were led by now Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach. Navy won that game in 1963 35 to 14 and wouldn't taste victory for 44 more years.

For Notre Dame, it was its school-record fifth straight home loss, another low point in a season of lows. "We lost the game. The streak doesn't mean anything to me," Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said.

Wanna Know A Coach?

I will be profiling, dissecting, and investigating present, retired, and six feet under coaches from the universe of the NBA, MLB, NFL, and NCAA (basketball / football) in no particular order.

First on the menu will be Hall of Fame college basketball coach John Chaney.

John Chaney was born on January 21, 1932 in Jacksonville, Florida. John grew up in Jacksonville with his mother, stepfather, stepbrother and stepsister. His mother worked a thankless job cleaning the homes of white families in which she earned $3.50 and car fare. From a young age John knew what a “hard knock life” was. When John Chaney entered 9 th grade his family moved to Philadelphia and thus began his love affair with the game of basketball.

On the playgrounds of downtown Philadelphia, Chaney played with the likes of Wilt Chamberlain and other playground legends who never played in a NBA arena. He honed his skill of basketball while playing under the tutelage of Ben Franklin High School basketball coach Sam Browne. John sill refers to him as “my great white father” and his coaching helped him become the public league player of the year in 1951.

His stepfather insisted that he get a 9-5 job but Sam Browne insisted that John attend college. Still in the John Crow era, Division 1 schools rarely accepted black basketball players and John wasn't any different. Sam Browne mentioned a black school named Bethune-Cookman College which is located in his home state of Florida and while hesitant at first ( mainly because of the bad memories of his childhood while growing up there) finally committed and became am NAIA All-American in 1953.

After a short stint playing in the Philadelphia circuit of the Eastern League in which he made the all-star team 6 of his 10 seasons. His basketball playing career however ended abruptly when his car was involved in a head-on car crash he severely injured his leg in. John then settled into his role as junior high school teacher. After returning to his role as a junior high school teacher, John Chaney began his ascension to Hall of Fame status as a basketball coach. From junior high, Chaney moved on to the storied Philadelphia Public League basketball mecca Simon Gratz High (alums include Rasheed Wallace, Aaron McKie, and Mardy Collins), to Cheyney State ( now called Cheyney University of Pennsylvania ) for 10 seasons, including the 1978 NCAA Division II national title. At Cheyney, John was 225-56. He didn't start coaching at Temple until 1982 when he was 50.

When he began coaching at Temple University and was expected to make Temple a nationally recognized college basketball program. He refused to load his schedules with easy teams, and instead traveled to hostile courts to play teams supposedly brimming with talent. Speaking of talent, it was something John Chaney hardly had while coaching at Temple. That's not to say that he never had great players ( Mark Macon, Eddie Jones, and Aaron McKie), but he never had a TOP 25 recruiting class. He couldn't compete with the Duke's, the Kentucky's, and the North Carolina's when it came to recruiting. He was however possibly the greatest coach ever in getting the most out of his kids.

And one thing John Chaney never forgot was that he was coaching kids. He held 6AM practices that his players hated, but later thanked him for. By scheduling his practices so early he made sure his kids had time to attend classes and succeed academically. He understood that there is a life after basketball and that his players needed to understand that. He was tough on his players but you ask anyone one of them if they regret playing for him they will look at you like you're crazy.

While a great coach and teacher, Chaney was known to lose his temper, sometimes resulting in some very embarrassing moments. On February 13, 1994, he said "I'm gonna kick your ass!", and threatened to kill then University of Massachusetts coach John Calipari at a post-game news conference. Chaney and Calipari did makeup however and are even friends now. Chaney's most notorious moment however was what is now considered by many as “Goon Gate”.
Chaney made headlines in 2005 after ordering forward Nehemiah Ingram to commit hard fouls against Saint Joseph's in response to what he thought were illegal picks being set by the Hawks. After the game Chaney admitted to "sending a message" and stated "I'm going to send in what we used to do years ago, send in the goons." John Bryant of Saint Joseph's suffered a fractured arm as a result of an intentional foul. John Chaney promptly suspended himself for one game, and eventually suspended himself for the remainder of the regular season and the A-10 tournament after hearing that Bryant's arm was fractured. Chaney later apologized to Bryant, his family, and Saint Joseph's.

While most casual college basketball fans will relate John Chaney to Goon Gate, enthusiasts and die-hard fans will relate the name John Chaney to excellence.

• Has compiled a 499-238 record at Temple



• Has compiled a 327-108 Atlantic 10 Conference Regular Season Record



• Won his 400th game at Temple against No. 1 ranked Cincinnati on Feb. 20, 2000



• NCAA Tournaments, 1984-1988, 1990-2001 (18)



• NCAA Regional Finalists, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2001



• National Invitational Tournament, 1989, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005



• Atlantic 10 regular season Championships, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002



• Atlantic 10 Tournament Championships, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 2000, 2001



• Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000



• Has compiled 15 20-win seasons at Temple



• USBWA National Coach of the Year, 1987, 1988



• Consensus National Coach of the Year, Associated Press Coach of the Year



• Eastern Basketball Coach of the Year, 1993



• Won his 700th game, becoming the first African-American in history with 700 wins

While it would have been nice to see John Chaney leave in a blaze of glory instead of a negative media blitz but he will always be a favorite of people who knew him and followed him. Mark Macon said it best after hearing about John's then announcement he was retiring. "He was my mother and my father," Mark Macon, an assistant and a former star at Temple, said of Chaney on Comcast SportsNet, a cable network. "He'd tell me the right thing to do and not to. I don't have words to say what that meant to me."

East Coast Bias - November 1, 2007

A Very Special East Coast Bias:

NBA Preview Edition

Today's Headlines

- How good are the Celtics?

- Will Kobe Bryant be traded?

- NBA Conference Predictions

- Finals Predictions

- Handing Out The Hardware

On today's show it's a very special editon of East Coast Bias in which we preview the coming 2007-08 NBA Season. First we start off with what we consider the two most important story lines leading up to this season. We then accordingly tell you who will win their respective divisions and finish up with our NBA Finals prediction. Lastly we hand out the hardwar and give the Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, and MVP award out to who we think will be receiving it come season's end.

Torre Changes Coasts: Heads To L.A.

Two weeks after rejecting a one year contract from the Yankees, Joe Torre agrees to a three year, $13 million deal to manage the Los Angeles Dodgers. The announcement came Thursday and will be officially introduced in a press conference Monday. Torre, the winningest manager in postseason history, agrees to take over a Dodger team that finished 4th in the NL West this season.

Torre should have plenty of talent in a weak National League to compete for a division title. The return of Jason Schmidt from injury and Brad Penny in the starting rotation should be very solid. Talent is evident on offense too with players like Russell Martin, Nomar Garciaparra, and Jeff Kent.

If Torre in anyway matches the success he had in the Bronx, L.A. should be very happy with this move for years to come.

Breaking News: Martina Hingis Retires Under Suspicion of Cocaine Use

Martina Hingis said Thursday she has been accused of testing positive for cocaine at Wimbledon, and then announced her retirement from professional tennis.

In a statement made to the press through her agent, (BIG surprise there) "When I was informed that the A Test I took following my defeat at Wimbledon apparently came back positive for a cocaine metabolite, I was shocked and appalled."

"Acting upon the advice of my family and my management, I immediately took the hair test which can prove whether or not someone has taken cocaine. This test of course produced a negative result, the same negative result as all the countless doping tests that I have taken over the last twelve years."

"However, the B Test from Wimbledon once again produced the opposite result -- positive for a metabolite that apparently stays in the system for some time following cocaine use."

Apparently Hingis retired because she said she doesn't want to spend years fighting the case. Talk about a cop out. Wouldn't one think that by spending years fighting the case that it would entail that she is set to prove her innocence to everyone and herself?

Bulls GM Paxson Says "No Deal!"

"There's not a deal done," said Bulls GM John Paxson. "There's not going to be a deal done. All the things that were out there were really unfair to all of us who were trying to do our jobs. The misinformation ... I think gets in the way of the process. It's just such a complicated thing and we kind of put it to rest now."

There was a rumor most recently that would have seen Ben Gordon and a signed-and-traded P.J. Brown to Sacramento, Chicago's Ben Wallace and the Kings' Ron Artest heading to Los Angeles and the Bulls landing Kobe Bryant. I could see that deal working defintely infavor of both the Bulls and the Kings, but the Lakers getting an over-the-hill Ben Wallace and a time bomb like Ron Artest just wouldn't have been a logical trade.

The trade deadline isn't until February, so it's possible talks between the Lakers and Bulls could resume.

Carl On The Red Sox and Isiah Thomas'

Courtesy of the funny people at Adult Swim.

East Coast Bias- October 29, 2007

Today's Headlines

- Sox Sweep, Changes in the Bronx

- NFL Rundown

- College Football Rundown



On today's show we start with the World Series and the domination by the Red Sox. We wrapup the week that was in the NFL and finish strong with our College Football Rundown highlighting the best games of Saturday. Look for the ECB NBA Preview Show this Thursday followed by our second mailbag!

Also, check out this wild finish to the Trinity vs. Millsaps College Football game.

Boston Red Sox Sweep The Colorado Rockies

The Red Sox won their second World Series crown in four years, sweeping the Rockies with a 4-3 win in Game 4. Jon Lester tossed shutout ball into the sixth inning and gave up just three hits on his way to his first career playoff win. Take into consideration that this kid was undergoing chemotherapy at this time last year for cancer.

Rookies Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury played phenomenal ball all series, especially Ellsbury who ended hitting .438 in the series. What a thrill it must be for them and the two Japanese stars, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima, to accomplish something in their first years that some veterans never get to celebrate, a World Series crown.

Third baseman Mike Lowell took MVP honors after hitting .400 in the Series with four RBIs, three walks and six runs scored. After battling back from a 3-1 deficit against Cleveland in the AL Championship Series, Boston won seven straight games to earn the seventh championship in franchise history.

Breaking News: Joe Girardi New Yankees Skipper

The Yankees have officially offered their managerial job to Joe Girardi. He is expected to take the deal that is reportedly worth $6 million over three years.

Girardi caught for the Yankees from 1996-99, served as a bench coach in 2005, then managed the Marlins the following year and was NL Manager of the Year. He was then promptly fired apparently for clashing with owner Jeffrey Loria and other management.

The 43-year-old Girardi turned down the Baltimore Orioles' managerial job last summer, choosing to spend time with his father, who had health problems. Girardi, working as a broadcaster Sunday night for Fox Sports from the World Series in Denver, said he had nothing to announce regarding his status as a manager.

Kobe To Chicago?

According to ESPN's Ric Bucher, the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers are in serious trade talks involving the super-talented Kobe Bryant. The Lakers as of right now are asking for a package that includes Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah, which is more than Chicago is willing to give up.

Negotiations right now are however at a stand still. Even if the Bulls agreed to trade Deng, Gordon, Thomas, and Noah to the Lakers for Bryant, Kobe has said he would use his no trade clause to block it. He believes getting rid of that many players would leave the Bulls without enough pieces for a championsip run.

So the pre-madonna wants out of Los Angeles but wants to play on a contender? The Lakers are not going to settle for 30 cents on the dollar Kobe. You know you are the best player in the league, the fans know you're the best player in the league and the players know you're the best player in the league. Whatever team you go to will be gutted because you're so good. The Lakersare realists and will not trade you for spare parts.

Daisuke Takes The Mound With Sox Up Two

The Boston Red Sox are on a roll, having won 5 in a row and owning a 2-0 World Series lead over the Colorado Rockies. After Thursday's game in which the Red Sox won a pitcher's duel 2 - 1, the series is moving to Colorado.

Tonight, Daisuke Matsuzaka will be taking the hill against the Rockies Josh Fogg. Since there is no designated hitter in the National League, Boston's manager Terry Francona decided that he will move David Ortiz to first despite a bad knee while regular first baseman Kevin Youkilis is benched; Mike Lowell remains at third.

Bad news for the Rockies, 27 of 34 previous teams to open 2-0 at home have gone on to win the Series. "If we win, the opponent might be like, 'Damn, we're done," Ortiz said. "And if we lose, that might give them some hope. It is a big game."

The NBA Is Upon Us!

Be sure to check out the podcast this coming Monday as myself and Jason breakdown what is going to happen this NBA season in our ECB NBA Preview. We will also provide you, our listeners, with our "expert" NFL picks for week 9.

Looking forward to talking to you guys once again and guess what? We're bringing back the mailbag! Yes, enough people actually enjoy us to the point where they e-mail us. Weird huh?

Edit: Due to more scheduling conflicts we have unfortunately pushed back our podcast to Monday.

Red Sox End Rockies Win Streak

Josh Beckett struck out the first four batters he faced and Dustin Pedroia hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first in route to a rout of the Rockies. While the three runs scored in the first inning were enough to win it, Boston piled on the runs in the fifth inning with seven runs

Jeff Francis, who pitched on 12 days rest fell behind 3-0 in the first inning and was finished after four. To say he looked rusty would be an understatement. Francis gave up six runs and allowed 10 hits. Reliever Franklin Morales in relief got just two outs and was charged with seven runs for a 94.50 ERA.

Beckett struck out the first three batters he faced, making him the the first pitcher to strike out three batters in the top of the first in Game 1 of the World Series since Juan Guzman in 1993 (shudder). Beckett lowered his career postseason ERA to 1.73. The Red Sox are the first team in MLB postseason history to score more than 10 runs in 3 straight games.

Mattingly Favorite For Yankees Job

After four seasons as bench coach, Mattingly was interviewed Tuesday to replace former manager Joe Torre. Yankees broadcaster, and former Florida Marlins manager Joe Girardi interviewed a day earlier. First base coach Tony Pena is due to speak with team officials on Wednesday.

Ever since Torre's departure Mattingly has benen considered the leading candidate for the job. Hank Steinbrenner said Monday four or five people will be interviewed, but it is possible the candidates will be limited to Girardi, Pena, and Mattingly. According to ESPN the Magazine's Buster Olney it "is a good bet" that the Yankees will name the team's next manager on Friday.

Drafted in the 19th round in 1979, he batted .307 with 2,153 hits and 1,099 RBIs during a 14-year career diminished by back injuries. He won nine Gold Gloves at first base and the 1985 AL MVP, serving as team captain before his No. 23 was retired by the Yankees in '97.

Red Sox Win ALCS In 7 Games

The Red Sox who were down 3 games to 1 at one point are now on their way to the World Series against the Rockies. This marks the 11th time in MLB history a team has come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-7 series.


The Indians could not shut the door. After grabbing a 3-1 series lead, the Indians never led at any point in Games five, six or seven. Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched five solid innings while Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon each tossed two scoreless innings. In addition to the pitching, rookie second baseman Dustin Pedroia added his first career post season home run while driving in five. Boston will hosts Colorado in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday.

Breaking News: Joe Torre Turns Down Yankees Offer, Era Over

Joe Torre turned down the New York Yankees' offer to return as manager on Thursday.
The Yankees offered Torre a one-year deal with a base salary of $5 million and incentives that would have increased his salary to $8 million based on postseason performance.

- $1 million dollar bonus for reaching ALDS

- $1 million dollar bonus for reaching ALCS

- $1 million dollar bonus for reaching World Series

The Rockies Are In, The Red Sox Look Done, And Kobe's On The Move?

Rockies In The World Series

With their 21st win in 22 games, the Colorado Rockies beat the demoralized Arizona Diamondbacks 6-4 in Game 4 Monday night to sweep the NL Championship Series at Coors Field.

The Rockies will be heading to their first World Series in franchise history and have 8 days off before the start of the World Series. NLC MVP Matt Holliday hit a three-run homer that lead to a six-run fourth inning. The only team to sweep a NLCS since it went to a seven game format in 1985 was the Atlanta Braves in 1995.



Red Sox On The Brink

Thanks to a seven run 5th inning the Cleveland Indians are now one game away from reaching the World Series. The Indians are trying to make it back to the World Series for the first time since 1997 and minus the Chiacgo Cubs current streak, have the longest drought of no World Series wins.

C.C. Sabathia will likely be starting for the Indians in Game 5. Sabathia's last start was a short one. He last only 4 1/3 innings giving up 8 earned runs on seven hits. The game is in Cleveland so it would the icing on the cake if the Indians can wrap the series up at home.


Kobe Moving On?

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has missed the last 3 practices and was rumored to have cleaned out his locker the other day. One team source insisted to ESPN.com that Bryant removed his personal belongings, but Bryant and agent Rob Pelinka told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher that Kobe had "merely cleaned up his locker after Monday's practice, leaving plenty behind."

Everything seemed to be honkey dorey when Bryant showed up on time for Lakers training camp. That aura of tranquility seems to be over now though after coach Phil Jackson has been a "no comment" machine regarding anything asked to him about Kobe and owner Jerry Buss admitting that he is "willing to listen to offers" about Bryant. Could Kobe be gone before the season even begins? Let the soap opera continue....

Cal Loses Heartbreaker to Oregon State

As we mentioned on the podcast, Cal lost 31-28 on a crazy play to end the game. Redshirt freshman Kevin Riley played a great game at quarterback for the Bears, but ended the game with maybe one of the worst mental breakdowns. You gotta feel for the kid after you see this play.

East Coast Bias- October 15, 2007

Today's Headlines

- NFL Rundown

- College Football Rundown

- NLCS and ALCS Review

The Weekly Phil

- Eagles Win 16-9


On today's podcast show we discuss the big games in the NFL and rundown the Top 25 action in the College game. We also get into the exciting MLB postseason games with a review and preview of the NLCS series between the Rockies and D-Backs and the ALCS series between the Indians and Red Sox. And we end the podcast with some Eagles talk following their victory over the Jets in the Weekly Phil.

College Football BCS Rankings - Oct. 14th

BCS Standings

1. Ohio State

2. South Florida

3. Boston College

4. LSU

5. Oklahoma

6. South Carolina

7. Kentucky

8. Arizona State

9. West Virginia

10. Oregon

11. Virginia Tech

12. California

13. Kansas

14. USC

15. Florida

16. Missouri

17. Auburn

18. Hawaii

19. Virginia

20. Georgia

21. Tennessee

22. Texas

23. Cincinnati

24. Texas Tech

25. Michigan

Guess What The Rockies Did Again?

Arizona reliever Jose Valverde walked Willy Taveras with the bases loaded for the winning run. The Rockies have now won 19 of their last 20 games and it doesn't seem like the Rockies can be stopped.

The Rockies are now part of an excluisive club, they joined the 1976 Cincinnatti Reds as the only NL teams to win their first five games in a postseason. Despite only batting .211 the Rockies find themselves up 2-0 in the NLCS and going back home to Colorado.

The next game in the series will be on Sunday. The starting pitchers will be the Diamondbacks Livan Hernandez and the Rockies Josh Fogg. Can the Rockies make it 20 out of 21? All signs right now point to yes.

Breaking News: Mitchell Reports Will Name Names

The 18 month steroid investigation headed up by Senator George Mitchell, according to ESPN.com, will names names of players, including well-known ones. When clubs asked whether they would be given an opportunity to review the report for accuracy, it was learned that they probably wouldn't be able to.

"This is going to be enormous", said one source familiar with the investigation, "It's going to be a huge story when these names come out."

The Rockies Forgot How To Lose, Win 5-1

Thanks to another stellar effort by Jeff Rancis, the Rockies have won.....again. The white-hot Rockies are 18-1 in their last 19 games. Over the course of 6 2/3 innings, Francis only gave up one unearned run and struck out four. The bullpen did its job the rest of the way, allowing only 2 hits. Brad Hawpe provided all the runs Colorado needed going 2 for 3 with two RBIs.

Brandon Webb allowed four runs on seven hits in his six innings. Consequently the Diamondbacks 3-11 this season when Webb gives up 4 or more earned runs. With the exception of Eric Byrnes, no other Arizona player had more than 1 hit and grounded into double plays twice on the night.

Game two is tonight in Arizona starting at the absurd time of 10:18 EST.

Wild, Wild West in the NLCS

Game 1 of the NLCS begins tonight between the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks with first pitch at 8:37 EST.

Both teams send their aces to the mound as lefty Jeff Francis goes for the Rockies and last year's Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb goes for the D-Backs. The pitchers were important in their teams NLDS success, combining for 17 K's and 13 innings pitched in their Game 1 victories over the Cubs and Phillies.

It will be interesting to see if the youth can continue to carry the D-Backs past Colorado, as SS Stephen Drew, CF Chris Young, and 3B Mark Reynolds all were key in the 3-game series with

Chicago. As for the Rockies, the Triple H's are what fuel the Colorado power surge. In the 18 games against the D-Backs this season, the Rockies Brad Hawpe, Todd Helton, and Matt Holliday combined for a .350 BA, and had a total of 40 RBI's and 30 walks in the season series. Don't sleep on the should-be Rookie of the Year SS Troy Tulowitzki who has been sensational in the field and with the bat.

The "Dinosaur" Is Back!

With Jake Delhomme going down with a season ending injury and with only 2 quarterbacks on its roster, the Carolina Panthers went out and signed 43 year old Vinny Testaverde. This will be Vinny's sixth NFL team.

Testaverde will backup David Carr, who became the Panthers' number one QB on Monday after it was learned Delhomme would be done for the season. Testaverde could even start as soon as Sunday when Carolina plays Arizona after Carr suffered a back injury in Carolina's win over New Orleans.

Testaverde will turn 44 next month.

ALCS Preview

Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Indians

The Red Sox are coming off a sweep of the Los Angeles Angels in which they outscored them 22-4 in 3 games. The Cleveland Indians come into the ALCS after defeating the New York Yankees in 4 games. Both teams have solid pitching but I think this series will come down to how well the lineups produce for their starters.

The Pitching - Both teams have great 1-2 punches in their rotation with the likes of Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling for the Sox, and C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona for the Indians. The Indians bullpen was sixth in ERA during the season (3.75). Rafael Perez, who could be the next K-Rod, and Rafael Betancourt are both solid coming out of the pen for the Indians. The Red Sox bullpen consists of Jonathan Papelbon and Hideki Okajima, who both helped the Red Sox to a bullpen ERA of 3.10 during the regular season.

Edge - I have to go with the Red Sox. While the bullpen doesn't have a lot of post season experience minus Papelbon, the starting pitching for the Sox includes a World Series MVP (Beckett) and Curt Schilling, who has been to 3 World Series. Experience in the starting rotation wins out.

The Lineups - The Red Sox lineup includes the likes of David Ortiz (.715 BA and two HRs in the postseason) and Manny Ramirez (.375BA and two HRs). And good news for the Red Sox, Ramirez has a career batting average of .571 (12-for-21) with four HRs and seven RBIs against C.C. Sabathia, the Indians game 1 starter. The Indians lineup consists of the triple threat Grady Sizemore, the big bat of Travis Hafner, and the sweet hitting Victor Martinez. The key to the Indians success though will be their superior speed on the basepaths. If they can move runners around they'll have a big advantage in the series if the games are tight.

Edge - The Red Sox take it again but only because of the recent resurgence of Manny Ramirez's bat. Big Pappi already has his sweet stroke going this post season so if Manny keeps hitting like this, the Indians could be in for a short series.

Shrinkage, Liver Damage, and Bloating: Steroids Are Awesome

In her book, Marion Jones used two pages, bold letters, and red type to exclaim that she had never used steroids and would never use them. In 2004 Jones emphatically declared, "I have never, ever used performance-enhancing drugs." Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag now. The three-time Olympic gold medalist pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators when she denied using performance-enhancing drugs. Accordingly, she retired from track and field after the hearing was over.

Many people are asking how she did it, how she kept a lie like this for so long, even after winning all 5 of those medals in 2000. How can someone tell themselves for nearly 7 years that what she took was "flaxseed oil". Hell, she convinced herself to the point that she spent her money to sue Victor Conte, founder and president of Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO), for continuously stating that he had saw Jones inject herself with roids.

The Internation Olympic Committee has a statue of limitations for up to eight years regarding circumstances such as this. Marion Jones could possibly be stripped of all her medals from the 2000 Sydney Olympics which would include gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 1,600-meter relay and bronze in the long jump and 400-meter relay.

Now, if it wasn't bad enough that she cheated then lied about it, Jones will probably also be prosecuted for her involvement in a check-fraud scheme. During the hearing Marion Jones admitted lying when she told investigators that she knew nothing about Tim Montgomery's scheme to cash millions of dollars worth of stolen or forged checks. In addition to Montgomery, Jones' agent Charles Wells and former coach Olympian Steve Riddick, have all been convicted in the scam. The maximum sentence on each count is five years and a $250,000 fine, for a total of 10 years and $500,000.

The "bodies" are adding up the longer the BALCO investigation goes on. Currently there are over 15 athletes known to have taken and received supplements from BALCO.

• MLB players: Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield, Benito Santiago, Jeremy Giambi, Bobby Estalella, Armando Rios
• Athletes: Hammer thrower C.J. Hunter (former husband of Marion Jones, sprinters Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery and Kelli White, middle-distance runner Regina Jacobs, boxer Shane Mosley.
• NFL players: Bill Romanowski, Tyrone Wheatley, Barrett Robbins, Chris Cooper and Dana Stubblefield.

Worth the risk?

Do Or Die For MLB Teams

The Cubs, the Phillies, the Yankees, and the Angels are all now trying to stave off elimination. All of these teams are currently in 0-2 holes and beginning tonight, the Phillies and Cubs begin their attempt to win 3 in a row.

Saturday Games

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Chicago Cubs

A 3 run home run by Chris Young sparked the Diamondbacks to a 8-4 win and a step closer to challenging for the NL Pennant. Doug Davis won his first career postseason game while allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings and striking out eight. Chicago's Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee have combined to go 4-for-27 through two games in the series. The young and upstart Babybacks could shut the door again on the Cubs who are still looking for their first World Series title since 1908.

Diamondbacks lead 2-0


Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies

A decision to take Kyle Kendrick out of the game after loading the bases proved to a be a costly mistake by Charlie Manuel. Reliever Kyle Lohse came in and served up a grand slam to Kaz Matsui putting the Rockies up for good. The Rockies won the game 10-5 thanks to a great performance from the bullpen (gave up only 1 earned run in 6IP). With the series shifting to Colorado, the Phillies have quite a task ahead of them. The Rockies batted .298 at home, including a staggering .376 BA by Matt Holliday.

Rockies lead 2-0

Sunday Games

Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels

A healthy Manny is a clutch Manny. Thanks to a 3 run walk off home run Manny Ramirez propelled the Red Sox to a 2 game lead in the 5 game series. After a rocky start from Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Red Sox bullpen came in and shut the door going 4 1/3 scoreless innings. Angels pitchers gave up 9 walks including 5 by Cy Young hopeful Kelvim Escobar. Manny Ramirez has 21 post season homers, one shy of Bernie Williams for most all-time.

Red Sox lead 2-0


New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians

The Yankees held a 1-0 lead heading into the 8th inning, then it got all buggy. A swarm of bugs began attacking Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain in the 8th inning and while he didn't want to blame the bugs, they certainly contributed to his 2 wild pitches in the inning. One of those wild pitches led to a Indians run by Grady Sizemore. Indians fans were treated to a win in wild fashion when in the 11th inning Travis Hafner singled in the winning run. The Indians Fausto Carmona pitched 9 solid innings in his post season start. Yankees stadium will be host to the next two games, assuming they last another game.

Indians lead 2-0

MLB Playoffs, Phillies Lose Opener

Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels

Josh Beckett, the 2003 World Series MVP, pitched his 2nd consecutive post season shutout to help the Red Sox take a 1-0 lead on the Angels. David Ortiz added a home run and considering that the Sox are 7-2 in post season games when he homers, the Boston faithful are hoping to see more of them.

After surrendering a lead off single Beckett began his domination of Angels hitters by sitting down 19 in a row. Only one other pitcher besides Beckett has thrown a shutout in the first game of the post season for the Red Sox. The other? Babe Ruth.

Boston leads 1-0

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies

17 game winner Jeff Francis pitched four hit ball on his way to his first post season win and Matt Holliday homered in the top of the 8th to provide a 2 run cushion. Prior to yesterday's game Francis had a paltry 15.12 ERA when pitching against the Phillies.

On the season Chase Utley was batting .332 but looked confused at the plate yesterday, striking out four times. Aaron Rowand and Pat Burrell provided all of the Phillies offense when they went back to back in the 5th inning.

Colorado leads 1-0

Arizona Diamonbacks vs. Chicago Cubs

Brandon Webb pitched a gem going seven strong innings while striking out nine. The Cubs Carlos Zambrano also pitched well but only made it through 6 innings and gave up a solo shot to Stephen Drew.

In addition to Drew homering, the young Mark Reynolds homered to give the Babybacks a 1 run lead. Conor Jackson provided a cushion with a sac fly to make the score 3-1.

Arizona leads 1-0

Sorry About The Wait!

We actually did record on Monday! I was just having problems uploading it since we don't have our own server to host our podcasts. Plus, this one was a long one. Hope you guys enjoy and make sure to check back for highlights from the baseball playoffs!

East Coast Bias- October 1, 2007

Today's Headlines

- NFL Rundown

- College Football Rundown

- MLB Playoff Preview

The Weekly Phil

- Eagles Fall; Phillies Fly High


On today's podcast, we review a crazy weekend in the world of sports. We start with the gridiron action in the NFL and then College Football as we rundown the scores and stories of the football weekend. Next, ECB previews the MLB Playoffs with keys for each team advancing to the next round. And finally, we sound the horn for The Weekly Phil where we talk the demise of the Eagles and the rise and playoff berth of the Fightins'.

The Eagles Falter Against the Giants

For a team to score 56 points then only score a paltry 3 points against a New York Giants defense that is ranked almost last in pass defense and points per game is astounding. But the Eagles found a way to do it. The Eagles lost to the Giants 16-3 yesterday in what can be described as nothing less than pathetic.

For once, people weren't screaming at their television wondering what was going wrong with McNabb. People were asking why we wasted a 2nd round draft pick on Winston Justice after seeing him get humiliated by Osi Umenyiora (6 sacks). I knew not having Brian Westbrook for this game was going to make it tough, but I never dreamed that the loss of William (Tra) Thomas was going to be so big.

In addition to not having Westbrook and Thomas, the Eagles defense was without Brian Dawkins and Lito Sheppard as well. The defense however still played well but were having trouble getting pressure on Eli Manning. So don't let the score fool you, this game was DOMINATED by the Giants.

The Eagles are 1-3 and 0-2 in the division. Unless something miraculous happens this season could be a wash, especially considering this part of the schedule was suppose to be the east part. Hopefully this bye week will give our players some rest and we can build off of that.

Phillies Win! Phillies Win!

In what can be considered one of the greatest choke jobs of all time in baseball, the New York Mets, who were up by 7 games on September 12th, have been eliminated from playoff contention. Since that time, the Phillies have gone on to win 13 of 17 and now are going to the playoffs for this first time since 1993 when they reached the World Series.

Jimmy Rollins predicted at the beginning of the year that the Phillies were the team to beat in the NL East. Not only has Rollins backed that bold prediction up, he joined an elite club when he hit an RBI triple in sixth inning as only the fourth player to hit at least 20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 home runs, and 20 stolen bases. Towards the end of the game fans were heard chanting, "MVP, MVP, MVP!". And rightfully so.

The last time a team blew a seven game lead in the month of September was pre-WW2. The Pittsburgh Pirates achieved that feat in 1938. The Phillies before today were the greatest choke artists of all time when they blew a 6.5 game lead with 12 games left in the 1964. Now I wouldn't say that the Mets choke job was larger, but it certainly will help Phillies fans forget about that part of our history.

For once, Philadelphia fans will be cheering "Phillies! Phillies!" instead of chanting "E-A-G-L-E-S". A welcome change of pace if you ask me!

East Coast Bias - September 29th

Today's Headlines

- #18 South Florida Bulls Upset #5 West Virginia Mountaineers

- Phillies Take 1st In NL East

- McNabb Is Back

- Oklahoma State's Football Coach Mike Gundy


On the plate for today's podcast is a run down of the USF Bulls upset over WVU Mountaineers. Talk about deja vu! We will also analyze and give our thoughts on the Eagles offensive resurgence and the Phillies improbable run to 1st place in the NL East. Finally the show will end with thoughts on Mike Gundy's media tirade. Next Monday look forward to the NFL Rundown, College Football Rundown and the latest sports headlines from the weekend.

Believe

The Philadelphia Phillies have always had to deal with coming up short, never being able to win the big one, and just looking uninterested in winning. That has changed this year however with what is the funnest team to watch since Lenny Dykstra and the 1993 Phils.

The Phillies were seven games behind the Mets after getting killed at home by the Colorado Rockies 12-0 on Sept. 12. The Phils had not been in first place until yesterday when they tied the New York Mets for first. Philadelphia has won 12 of 15 while the Mets, after losing tonight to the Marlins 7-4, have lost 11 of 15.

The Phillies defeated the Washington Nationals 6-0 tonight thanks a brilliant effort by now 15 game winner, Cole Hamels. Ryan Howard homered for his 45th of the season while Chase Utley had 2 hits and an RBI.

It's time to believe in Philadelphia. We may be challenging for our first NL Pennant in 14 years.

EAST	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	RS	RA	STRK	L10
Philadelphia	88	72	.550	-	46-33	42-39	884	816	Won 3	7-3
NY Mets	87	73	.544	1	40-39	47-34	790	742	Lost 5	4-6