Bad Karma

The crazy owner of the Oakland Raiders has struck again. After threatening to fire head coach Lane Kiffin after every week so far this season, he finally made good on his promise after the Raiders lost to the Chargers last Sunday.

Anyone else think Davis looks like the Freddy Krueger? Just wondering.

If you saw the press conference, you know why he ends up here on the list. Davis spent approximately $2.6 million in throwing that press conference (according to ESPN's Colin Cowherd), almost the exact amount of money that Kiffin was owed for the remainder of this season. But since Kiffin was fired "with cause" he won't be paid a cent.

But now, Kiffin is not only filing a grievance to the Commissioner to try to get his earnings back, but apparently he is considering a defamation lawsuit against Davis for calling him a liar, among other things.

I've gone into detail before about how messed up the Raiders are. One ESPN reporter has even joked that he covers all 31 NFL teams and the Oakland Raiders. The solution lies in ownership. Maybe the Raiders can draft a new owner with their first-round pick this year.


Winner #2- 100 years and counting

The Chicago Cubs have done it again. This time, there was no curse, no Steve Bartman, just bad juju and bad karma.

The best team in the National League froze against the most laid-back team in the NL. The addition of Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers changed the complexion of that lineup entirely. The bottom line? Manny and the Dodgers were loose and had nothing to lose.

The Cubs had the media, fans, former players and even hockey moms and Joe 6-packs rooting for an end to the 100-year curse. With that kind of pressure on their shoulders, the Cubs not just choked, they hung themselves.

Now, the maverick Dodgers step into the NLCS for the first time since 1988 when they beat the Mets en route to a World Series victory over the Athletics.

The Cubs? They go back home to Chicago to a familiar 100-year old tune. "There's always next year."


Winner #3- Insert your favorite Juice joke here

Whether your a fan of saying that the "Juice has finally been squeezed," or "whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," or perhaps like THE SNORTING BLOG says, "The Expiration Date has finally arrived," O.J. Simpson has finally gotten his just desserts. Do prisons serve desserts?

Anyways, 13 years to the day that Simpson was acquitted of double-homicide, Simpson was found guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping stemming from his role in a gunpoint robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers in Vegas 13 months ago.

The jury deliberated for 13 hours after a 13 day trial. I wonder if everyone in Vegas started betting the house on 13 at the Roulette?

Simpson will be sentenced on Dec. 5 and will more than likely spend the rest of his life in prison. Simpson's lawyers plan to appeal saying that the public perception of him during the 1995 trial tainted the jury pool this time around, that they had an agenda, that it was payback.....well....DUH! It's called karma. You can wriggle off the hook once but not twice. All Simpson had to do was disappear after his acquittal, but he had to keep "looking for the real killers" on the golf course and in public speaking appearances.

Way to keep a low profile Juice. Hear that? It's the Karmic Boomerang coming back around and beating you in the back of the head. Have a nice rest of your life in the slammer.


Good Karma

Honorable Mention- Tampa Bay is here to play

The Tampa Bay Rays have made quick work of the Chicago White Sox in the first two games of their ALDS. The White Sox may simply be running out of gas after playing two extra games just to make it to the playoffs.

For those who said that the Rays would crumble in September or at the very least, October - myself included - this is proof positive that the Rays are for real.


Runner-up- Vandy 5-0?

Yes that's right, the Vanderbilt Commodores are 5-0 for the first time since 1943. The Commodores are now 3-0 in SEC for only the 3rd time and the first time since 1950.

So are they for real? Well, they beat 13th-ranked Auburn yesterday 14-13 because Auburn missed an extra point try early on. They have beaten two ranked teams so far this year and have three to go.

No. 11 Georgia, No. 12 Florida and No. 25 Wake Forest stand in Vandy's way, but they seemed poised and ready.

"People can think what they want to think," Vandy linebacker Chris Marve said. "We just want to show the country we're a different Vanderbilt."

"A lot of these teams think they're way better than us," Vandy receiver George Smith said. "But we're proving that we can play with them."

Good luck to you.


Winner- Trail Blazers look ready to shock Western Conference

Greg Oden rolled his ankle in practice this week and the entire city of Portland held their breath. But Oden is fine and the Blazers wrapped up the first week of training camp with a scrimmage at the Rose Garden in front of some 11,000 Blazers fans.

Check out my friend mojomike's blog to see some pics from that event.

Some people have questioned where the Blazers fit into this Western Conference. Who will fall out of the playoffs to allow the Blazers to get in?

Let's look. I project that the Blazers will end up with 53 wins. That would be good enough for the 7th seed last season, knocking out the Denver Nuggets. 50 wins seems to be the target. Anything over that and they should be in, anything under that and they will miss the playoffs again.

RIP CITY is back baby!