Yesterday we hit up the NLCS hyperbole, and to be certain Manny Ramirez and Joe Torre provide the Fox crew with ample opportunities. And yet, there’s nothing that gets announcers worked up in a froth quite like the Boston Red Sox. Combine them with the feel-good Tampa Bay Rays and the TBS crew has a potential bonanza for hyperbole in this year’s ALCS.

Potential hyperbole: This Rays team is so amazing! They were so bad forever and NO ONE ever expected this kind of turnaround from them!
The truth: Well, 97 wins is more than anyone really expected this year, but observant baseball fans have seen the Rays coming for a couple of years now. Baseball Prospectus predicted 88 wins for them this year. Just because the talking heads predicted far fewer wins for them this year doesn’t mean that no one saw it coming.

Potential hyperbole: This Jason Bay is amazing! He’s really raised his play since his trade to the Red Sox! How did this amazing player just fall in to their laps from nowhere?!?
The truth: Jason Bay is in fact a professional baseball player who’s been playing very well for the Pittsburgh Pirates since 2005. In fact, he hit .282/.375/.519 with the Pirates and .293/.370/.527 with the Red Sox. Which is to say that he hit almost exactly the same with the Red Sox as he did with the Pirates. People just paid more attention to him in Boston.

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Is it the stolen Monday Night Football theme? The low rent “highlight” package at the beginning? The awesome URL? The bonus coin? The eight more bonus coins with handsome carrying case? This might be the classiest currency related marketing campaign since the September 11 $20 bill.

I think the part that I like best, though, is the opportunity to forever memorialize Brett Favre using legal tender … but only as a Green Bay Packer. I dare someone to buy a bag of Doritos at the Fond du Lac Walgreens with one of these babies and not get their ass handed to them six ways to Sunday by the cashier.

• The Brett Favre Coin [GreatQB.com]

Yesterday I wrote that MMA referee Jorge Ortiz should explain his decision to stand up Roy Nelson in his fight with Andrei Arlovski on Saturday night, and that I had been unsuccessful in my attempts to contact Ortiz to get an explanation.

Today the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which licenses Ortiz and all referees in the state, provided me with his phone number, and Ortiz answered my questions about the decision-making process that went into the stand-up, which came with 2:22 remaining in the first round, while Nelson had side control.

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• The fall of the Raiders began with Gruden: “Letting Gruden go was our biggest mistake,” a source in the front office said. “We still haven’t recovered from that decision. We should have paid him whatever it took to keep him around. Look how much it has cost us in terms of wins and losses.” [Real Clear Sports]

• Jose Canseco still wants to fight: “Jose Canseco is planning to fight again. According to WIP radio, Canseco is looking for an opponent to fight him in the Philadelphia area this January. Canseco was knocked out by former Philadelphia Eagle Vai Sikahema in a celebrity fight on July 12th in Atlantic City. Jose, an admitted steroid user, hit 462 home runs in 17 seasons for the A’s, Red Sox, Rangers and others.” [SBB]

• ESPN’s race coverage is not so good: “People don’t want to be lied to. They don’t want to watch that. I mean, you watch Brad Daugherty and Rusty Wallace and you gotta have a barf bag. It is the worst television ever. They don’t tell you anything, it’s all this suck-ass, kiss-ass dialogue, it just makes me cringe. That ESPN Now show everyday is one of the worst things that’s ever been on television, it’s just hysterical to watch. I think it’s an insult to a race fans mentality that they have to put up with this shit. ” [Ride Buyer]

The Houston Texans are a 0-4 team that could easily be 2-2 if they weren’t so snake bit. Three of four on the road, with a Hurricane Ike-imposed bye in week 2.

They have lost in so many strange ways this season, that I don’t think anything could surprise me. I mean, look at the above video from last week. It was like a remake of the movie Predator, with Gary Kubiak playing the Schwartzenegger guy and with the backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels playing the role of the uh Rosenchappa.

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For those of you who might be looking to make the Flyers-Rangers game on Saturday night a little more interesting, the folks at Bodog are offering odds with a slightly different twist.

With Republican Vice Presidential nominee, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin set to drop the ceremonial first puck before the game, the folks at Bodog are offering a couple of additional wagers to the regular menu.

The following come from our friend Jimmy Shapiro at Bodog:

Will Sarah Palin Fall while dropping the Puck at the Philadelphia Flyers Home Opener?

Yes 10/1

Will Sarah Palin get in a Donnybrook with the Flyers Captain at Center Ice?

Yes 1000/1

Will Sarah Palin get Booed more or Cheered more when introduced onto the Ice at the Flyers Home Opener?

Booed Even
Cheered -130

Will Sarah Palin wear a Philadelphia Flyers jersey at Center Ice?

Yes Even
No -140

Those are some interesting choices to say the least. I wonder what Janet Gretzky thinks?

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JON STEWART: Cubs fans are considered a subset of stupid?
JOHN OLIVER: Oh absolutely John. They’ve had a hundred years to figure out that what they want will never happen, and yet they still yearn for it.
JS: And that is stupid.
JO: Yes, that’s very stupid.
JS: Because the Cubs will never win.
JO: No, that’s right John. The Chicago Cubs will never, ever win the World Series. They won’t do it.
JS: They’ve made God angry.
JO: That’s right. That’s what I’m saying.

Thank you, Daily Show. And thank you, Cubs.

Baseball Rules On Comedy Central’s Late Night Shows”> [Big League Stew]
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Well, five weeks in and I finally land my first push. Which is good news (and a little bizarre) I guess, since I still went 5-7-1 for the week. Which brings my astounding season total to 31-41-1. On the bright side, my Tungsten picks are 7-3, so if you’ve been placing your money … actually scratch that. If you’re wagering on my picks, you’re a bigger loser than me.

But, I have been known to occasionally get warm. Streaky business this handicapping. Let’s rock.

Oakland Raiders @ New Orleans Saints (-7)
You would think that the Saints could come off Monday night’s debacle and piece together a decent game against the frigging Raiders. And I don’t want Mantz accusing me of jinxing the Saints this week. Or did I just do that? Crap.

Saints -7

Baltimore Ravens @ Indianapolis Colts (-4)
Peyton Manning is like the Phil Mickelson of football and that should be self explanatory. (Loser turned winner goofball type.) Sage Rosenfels is still working on that transition so maybe Peyton doesn’t deserve all the credit. Still, I’m not generally inclined to bet on Joe Flacco over anyone named Manning.

Colts -4

Cincinnati Bengals @ New York Jets (-6)
Doesn’t this feel like a trap game? Cincy’s horrible but they’ve at least been close in a few recent games. Jets favored by less than a touchdown, people teasing Brett Favre all over the place (No, not the “Nice painkiller addiction, wuss!!” type of teasing, you jackass.) And then BAM. Ryan Fitzpatrick gets all up in your bidness.

Bengals +6

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