Sports Wrap from Monday: Fantasy or Reality?

by Editoratlegendofcecilioguante

This was originally posted on my blog, The Legend of Cecilio Guante, here.

You know how sometimes you're watching sports and your brain has "gut reactions" that you know are fundamentally flawed yet you can't avoid having them pop in your head? Things that once you step back and apply some logical thinking and your own experience watching sports you know can't possibly be right?

Well, that seemed to happen to me a whole bunch of times last night. Here are a few examples...

Case: Joey Harrington

Initial Reaction: Wow, Joey actually looks pretty damn good out there (check out the highlights). The Falcons may not be in such bad shape after all. Plus, he looks like he's really embraced the leadership role. And, he's all fired up (reference one-minute mark of video link above)...even if it is his enthusiasm is a little dorky and uncomfortable. Heck, he almost threw his arm out on a fist pump following a Chris Redman completion (Joey, you don't need to try too hard).

Fantasy or Reality: I'm actually not sure on this one. Logical brain was all ready to jump on the "this is Joey-freaking-Harrington...he's never won nothing...he doesn't have "it", etc, etc." That may very well be the case. However, I wouldn't be surprised if Joey does just fine. The bigger problems for the Falcons are going to be in other areas of the offense. First, the running game. I love Warrick Dunn, but he's not going to bang for 30 carries. And Vick isn't going to be there to pose another ground threat. Therefore, Norwood needs to be big. If Dunn and Norwood can form a legitimate duo, they may be ok running the football.

Uhhh...part two would be those sticky-handed Falcons receivers. Truth be told, Joey should've had three TD passes as Roddy White inexcusably dropped a perfect pass in the endzone. And maybe it's just that "guy changes jerseys and now he looks done" but Joe Horn doesn't look like the same guy anymore. Jenkins on the other hand looked pretty good. Bottom line, the receivers need to start catching the ball. Now, if the runners can run and the receivers catch, I think Joey and the Falcons may surprise some folks.

Case: Michael Vick

Initial Reaction: Good job. For the first time, I bought something Michael said. The words, scripted or not, came off as sincere which is more than can be said for other public utterances. He spoke honestly and it sounded like something that might actually come from his mouth. Tend to agree with the folks who are accepting what seems to be a legitimate apology and hoping he can make the promise stand up.

Fantasy or Reality: As much as I'd love to think this is for real, history does not point in that direction. We've heard a lot of apologies and supposed awakenings about hurting the fans, hanging out with the wrong people and changing his ways...blah, blah. Remember all that if I have to play golf and hang out at home in order to avoid those bad people that's what I'll do stuff? Hopefully, I'm proven wrong, because I actually enjoyed seeing people who get knocked down and come back better (NFL or not).

Case: The Philadelphia Phillies

Initial Reaction: Holy sh*t, f the Braves, this is the scariest lineup in the National League, and I'm officially nervous. My Mets have coasted along this season. They actually haven't played all that well, or all that poorly, yet they're still in a position of relative comfort, 16 games over .500 and five up in the division. Over the past few weeks, I've been watching some of the apparent "contenders" from out West (and Midwest) and, frankly, they stink. From a playoff perspective, neither the Dodgers, Padres, Rockies or Brewers cause me a moment of trepidation. The Cubs make me think about it for a second.

But, at least for one evening, the Phillies flat-0ut scared me. Combine Rollins, Howard and Utley (possibly my favorite non-Met in the majors), with a Pat Burrell who has the fourth-best avg in the bigs in the second half (still can't believe that), Aaron Rowand and guys like Werth and Dobbs hitting?? It's insane. Not to mention, a bench that now has Victorino for defense and Iguchi who always seems to hit in the clutch...not too shabby.

Fantasy or Reality: Well, both. It's a reality that this is a formidable lineup right now that I want know part of, particularly with a triple-A talent starter like Brian Lawrence on the hill (more on him later). However, tt's probably a fantasy that the Phils can take this division from the Mets. The reason. Simple. Baseball is a two-part game. And the Phillies part two is not-so-good. A rotation that features Moyer, Durbin, Lohse and Kendrick causes me to rest a little easier. On a side note, if you would have told me that a Philly Inquirer writer wrote a column endorsing Charlie Manuel for manager of the year a day ago, I would have looked at you like you had 12-heads. A day later, after hearing the actual listing of the MASH unit that has been the Figthing Phils, this article makes some decent points.

Case: Mike Mussina

Initial Reaction: Not unlike some of those with RIP headstones on their sites, if not in the same words. After hearing some of the post-game commentary and checking the box score my reaction was simple: Mussina's done. Perhaps it's a little bit premature, but the fall has been quick and precipitous.

Fantasy or Reality: I can't say, as I don't watch this team enough, but those who do say he's done. If so, he's been a very good pitcher for a very long time and a not-dislikable Yankee (which is saying a lot from me). Perhaps, we can now start listening to Yankee zealots call into the Fan to start the "Moose for the Hall" campaign. Something else to potentially look forward to...

Other quick ones that are less worthy of debate.

Miss Teen South Carolina is mind-numbingly dumb. If you are one of the four people in America not to have watched this, click now and you can read the rest of this column later. Want my initial reactions on this one? Speechlessness. You know that part in the AFLAC commercial where Yogi talks about AFLAC "giving you cash...which is just as good as money"? And then you see the duck's bill literally drop to the floor in dumbfoundedness (new word, deal with it)? That was me. No words. Second thought was how on Earth did A.C. Slater manage not to laugh out loud on national TV. He should get a medal.

Brian Lawrence is an above average triple-A pitcher. This is fact. You cannot be a successful major league pitcher with an 83 MPH fastball and an average to above-average slider as your only two pitches. Can't do it. Especially when you walk 12 in 25 innings. How Willie Randolph or anyone in the Mets organization can even be considering ' another start for this guy is unfathomable. He gives the team absolutely no chance to win, bringing back visions of Jose Lima.

UFC fighters are bad, bad men.