Just John

Sting returning at Uncensored 97 and beating the crap out of the NWO was really cool. Unfortunately, the most memorable thing abou the feud was how their Starrcade match was fucked up in every way possible. From Hogan controlling 95% of the offense, to the "fast" count, to the indecisive finish... Just awful.

Man, one game this series the Stros will stop fucking around with guys on base and just light up the Cards. There might be only one game like that, but with all these opportunities, they will come through eventually. Tonight they did just enough to win, but still wasted addtional scoring chances. The pitching came through in a big way, and hopefully will continue to stay at a high level. I feel Saturday's game is another must win for Houston because the Cards can steal all the momentum back with victory.

I too question the Vizcaino move. Does he ever get hits? Why not put Bagwell up there? And I do think tonight's do or die. The Astros have to win one on the road eventually if they want to win the series, and going home in a 2-0 hole never helps. A 1-1 tie gives them road confidence and momentum going back to Houston. Plus, if Oswalt gets tagged with a loss, the Cards are taking the games out of the hands of the big 3, which everyone pretty much agrees is the main thing the Astros have going for them.

They had huge opportunities blown in the 3rd and 4th innings, that could've at least resulted in a tie at the end of regulation. The fact is, both teams had opportunites but the Cards capitalized on them and the Stros didn't. Oh well, tomorrow's do or die for Houston.

Ugh, the Stros are just pissing away every opportunity they get. The Cards have come through twice. That could be the difference in the series.

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Super Calo (Fall Brawl 96) Juvi, Hector Garza, and Lizmark Jr. vs. La Parka, Psychosis, and Villano 4 (Bash at the Beach 97) Hardys vs. E/C (No Way Out 2000) Dean Malenko vs. Perry Saturn vs. Eddie Guerrero (Judgment Day 2000)

I don't know if it's fair to include aerial skills because that's not essential for being a good wrestler, and it limits lots of debate. It can help one be a good a wrestler, but most great wrestlers don't have a strong high-flying game. If aerial skills must be included, then it's probably Eddie. He really can do it all. I don't know if I'd buy Kurt Angle under that definition. Yeah, he has a pretty moonsault, but that's it. If he had a larger sampling of mic time, I would throw out Rey Mysterio Jr, who for my money, is one of the more underrated workers in the last 10 years. Without aerial skills, I think Steve Austin makes for a good choice.

This show sounds decent. Much better than recent weeks. Not good for my fantasy team, but I look forward to Eddie/Randy, the 4 way, and Mexicools/Brits.

Man, I feel bad for the Angles. Played Sunday in New York, Monday in Anaheim, and today in Chicago. That's rough. The Sox have the clear advantage tonight with rest and healthy pitching, but what happens afterwards in anyone's guess.

One thing to consider is this years Astros pitching is much better than what the Cards saw last year. Obviously Pettitte back in the starting rotation, but this year's pen is way better (look to their 8 innings of work yesterday). There will be no Dan Miceli to give up late HR's to blow leads like last year. Dan Wheeler has become a quality setup man, so it won't just be starter to Lidge anymore. The Astros will at least take the Cards the distance, and pitching wise, they have a much better chance to win this year. And most of those wins were during the Astros shitty early season. They're only 3-2 against Houston after the all-star break. Remember the Braves dominated Houston in the regular season too...

No it is one gray stripe <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Ugh... What a terrible fashion statement.

Hold on... Does that Kings jersey only have the gray stripe on ONE "sleeve?" Or is the picture just cut off? I hope the Rockets continue to break out the 70's throwbacks this year. I love those.

Kennedy should become a long-term US Champ to help strengthen the belt first. He seems like a perfect fit for that role, and Benoit still seems too good for that division. Let Kennedy have a nice 5-6 month US run, then let him work some more midcard programs, occasionally flirting the ME (Like Cena facing Lesnar at Backlash 03), then ease him into a full time upper midcarder. These writers have no idea how to build anyone up without a mega push. It's sad, really. I think Kennedy has potential, but pushing him to the ME now would produce an Orton-like effect. Go slow, and let him get comfortable along the way.

Thank god the Astros won. The NLCS doesn't start until Wednesday, so that's 2 full days of rest and tiredness shouldn't be an issue. The use of Clemens might throw off the rotation slightly, but they can just go Pettite, Oswalt, Clemens for the NLCS. Shouldn't be a problem at all. It takes some serious delusional bitterness to think the Astros will get swept.

I really liked that battle royal. Lots of cool spots and a good finish. I loved seeing the DVD again. MNM hit some good moves in their squash. I liked Nitro's break dance leg drop and the flipping neckbreaker/slingshot elbow. It's a shame they're not champs. I still mark for Ken Kennedy. I wonder if they were going for a Full Metal Jacket parody with that jelly doughnut segment.

You say that like a game against Backe is a free win for the Braves. He's only the #4 because he gets overshadowed by the big 3, so don't take him lightly. And Pettitte would start Game 5, so the Braves still have to deal with that if the series gets that far.

SD sounds absolutely awful.

I didn't realize Astros hate was so rampant. Anyway, the thing I dread the most is a Yanks/Red Sox ALCS. Please not again. As far as WS matches go, Yanks/Braves would be the worst. 2 of my 3 least favorite teams in baseball going for the ultimate prize... Ugh. At least the Cubs wouldn't be there, but still.

Astros in 4: Clemens, Pettitte, Oswalt, and don't forget Backe. The bullpen is stronger than last year's, and Lidge is still one of the top closers in the game. If the hitting manages to stay alive, watch out. Since that can't be counted on, though, I'm not looking for a sweep. Cardinals in 4: Padres win Game 1 and everyone goes "OMG collapse!!!1" Then the Cards pull out the backdoor sweep and show everyone why they're the most complete team in the NL. Or it could just be a straight sweep, but I like the Padres to steal one. White Sox in 5: Even if I didn't think the Chisox are WS material, I was sure they were ALCS material. I'm sticking to my guns plus I like the pitching combo of Garland, Buerhle, and Garcia. Yankees in 5 I do NOT want another Boston/NY ALCS, but one of these teams has to move on to spite me. Since I'm stubbornly sticking to the Chisox, I'll take the resurgent Yanks to advance.

If the Stros and Phillies tie for the WC, do the Stros get it for sweeping the season series, or is there a one-game playoff?

I'll be attending the Philly/KC game this week, and I'm excited. I picked the Chiefs in an upset. McNabb's hurt, and the Akers loss could prove critical. NE/SD will be interesting to see if the Pats continue to prove doubters wrong.

That site is priceless.

Is the ME for the tag titles? I'd be interested in the finish of that match, but this card looks pretty awful.

I'm sorry, but I won't count the Pats out until they've been eliminated from the playoffs. They're like the Terminator of football... Whenever you think they're wounded, they heal lightning fast and come back stronger than ever. When Light went down yesterday, the Steelers beat up the O-line for a couple plays, but by the end of the game, they were a fully cohesive unit that allowed Brady to go 12/12 in the 4th. It would take most teams several games to get that kind of solidarity out of a re-arranged O-line, if they achieved it all. The Pats thrive on adversity and people counting them out. When will people learn?

That would have been fine. If the fans turned on him, then Hassan could have gone into the character he had, but it would have actually made sense.