Brandon Marshall Hosting Sports Soup

Maybe broadcasting isn't Marshall's next career move, but his delivery is better than the guy who normally hosts the show.


--Max Caster

CDR has H1N1

From a Press Release:

Nets forward Chris Douglas-Roberts, who has been sidelined with flu-like symptoms, has tested positive for the H1N1 virus, according to Nets President Rod Thorn.

Douglas-Roberts has been treated accordingly for the illness and the Nets have followed all precautionary measures as mandated by NBA guidelines.


Wow. Don't expect the Nets to win a game anytime soon. Devin Harris is out for a month -- maybe more. Yi Jianlian is gone until December -- maybe longer. And Courtney Lee will be bothered by a groin injury. That's four of your five original starters out with various ailments.

Brook Lopez has to be pissed. He's playing with Eduardo Najera.

By the way, are the Nets the basketball version of the New York Mets? I think so.

--Max Caster

Manu Ginobili Catches a Bat

What the hell...?




Maybe this is the guy the Knicks should sign next year.


--Max Caster

Ron Artest on E:60

Cool video about Ron Ron. Soldano had to change his pants after watching this one:




--Max Caster

Guzman, Cervelli Out -- Hinkse, Bruney In

From the Star-Ledger:

The Yankees, as expected made a few adjustments to their roster this morning. Utilityman Eric Hinske has been added along with reliever Brian Bruney. Francisco Cervelli and Freddy Guzman are off.


I'm a little torn on this move, but I like it for the most part.

First off, Brian Bruney is horrible. I'm shocked that he remained on the team through the season. He becomes another liability in an already shaky bullpen with Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes.

But the upside to this is that Chad Gaudin will probably make his first start of the playoffs. It's not necessarily Gaudin's ability that makes this move acceptable, it's breaking up the rotation so AJ Burnett and Andy Pettitte won't have to work on three days rest.

CC Sabathia will probably do so -- as he's done many times before -- by pitching in Games 1 and 4. But if Charlie Manuel decides to not pitch Cliff Lee on three days rest, that would open the door for Joe Girardi to take a day off (so to speak), pitch Gaudin and give CC an extra day. Regardless of whether or not Lee pitches in Game 4, Girardi would be stupid to not pitch Sabathia. I wouldn't mess up his rhythm.

But Game 5 might be calling Gaudin's name. That pushes Burnett back to Game 6 and Pettitte, an all-time great in the playoffs, in Game 7. But that brings up the dilemma of Pettitte or Sabathia if the series goes to a Game 7.


The other move is the subtraction of Francisco Cervelli and Freddy Guzman, for Eric Hinske.

First off, without three catchers, I doubt there will be a personal catcher situation with Burnett and Molina. I was for the idea in the NLDS, but in reality, it hasn't made Burnett or the New York lineup any better. So I couldn't care less about that.

What you lose without Cervelli is a smart pinch-runner and a solid bat. I'd rather have that than Brian Bruney.

Freddy Guzman was one-dimensional and brought nothing to the plate. Hinske is a better fit for this series (and the last one for that matter) because he can play 4 positions and he's a great power hitter.

Either way, I'm calling Yankees in 5. Everyone believes that the Phillies are the best underdogs in the history of sports. Well, they're an underdog for a reason. The Yanks are just better. It's close, but close never won anyone a title.

By the way, check out this feature on Phil Coke. It's a great read.


--Max Caster

Jets Look to the Past to Solidify Present

From SI:

The New York Jets have re-signed cornerback-kick returner Justin Miller, acquiring a replacement for the injured Leon Washington on special teams.

Miller was a second-round draft pick of the Jets in 2005, and made the 2007 Pro Bowl season after leading the AFC with a 30.1-yard average and two touchdowns on kickoffs.

He was waived by the Jets last season and signed with Oakland, which re-signed him for one game before releasing him Nov. 11. Miller has a 26.2 career kickoff return average, and five returns for scores.


While I'll say I'm leary -- intrigued is a nicer way of puting it -- of the signing of Justin Miller, I can also say that there was little else they could have done. Remember when the Jets lost Miller a couple of seasons ago? He tore his knee after a Pro Bowl season as a returner. Right after, Leon Washington emerged as a Pro Bowler at the same spot, causing the Jets to move on seemlessly.

Well New York isn't looking for the next Leon Washington. They don't necessarily need a Pro Bowl player to return kicks. They need a fix. And regrettably, Justin Miller is the best choice.

Who else on this team could do it? Jim Leonhard? I wouldn't be surprised if he called fair catch on the kickoff. Punt return is a completely different issue.

Brad Smith isn't as explosive. Wallace Wright isn't either. David Clowney is playing an incresed role. And, like Washington, Aundrae Allison is on IR.

The only other player who I could have seen stepping up would be Danny Woodhead. With Washington out, Woodhead steps up in the pecking order of halfbacks, but is still not slated to get more touches than Shonn Greene. I'd like to see him get more incorporated into the gameplan though. He's shown that he can be explosive and can have somewhat of an impact -- kind of like Leon Washington in his second year.

Regardless of Woodhead's potential, New York needs a vet like Justin Miller before they hand the reigns to someone less experienced.


--Max Caster

Blake Griffin Out Six Weeks, The Curse of The Clippers Continues

With the season underway tonight, the Clippers will be without their brightest star in Blake Griffin against the Lakers and for the following six weeks.  This from Rotoworld: 

"Blake Griffin has a stress fracture in his left patella (kneecap) and is expected to miss up to six weeks of action.  He is also suffering from tendinitis in the same knee."  

Wow.  What a major blow to a very promising Clippers team.  Marcus Camby is already hurting and a ton of stock is now being placed onto the shoulders of Chris Kaman, a guy who has missed a combined 77 games the past two years.  Knee injuries can always be troubling and the Clippers know all about them.  See Shaun Livingston, Danny Manning, and Co.  

While the Clippers still have talent and even without Griffin are an improved squad from last year, these six weeks are the difference in making and missing the playoffs, especially in the Western Conference.  With Griffin, out until the second week of December (most likely), I have him missing 21 games.  L.A. in my mind has to go 11-10 to stay afloat because teams like Oklahoma City and Phoenix could easily past them by in contention for that 8th spot.

-Matt Soldano

Kimbo's Got Friends

Kimbo's boy gives a karate instructor the one-hitter quitter. Slice is puting people on like Puffy did...



Wow... Ya done, son!


--Max Caster

Replacements NFL Picks: Week 7 Edition

Here is a look at the picks for both Max and I for this past week of games...

New York Jets vs. Oakland: Matt - Oakland Max - New York
Arizona vs. New York Giants: Unanimous - New York
Minnesota vs. Pittsburgh: Matt - Pittsburgh Max - Minnesota
Chicago vs. Cincinnati: Matt - Chicago Max - Cincinnati
Buffalo vs. Carolina: Unanimous - Carolina

Updated Standings:

Matt (17-13)
Max (16-14)

You can hear Max and I make our predicitions every week in the NFL and talk all things sports only on the Replacements every Friday afternoon from 1-3 pm on wcwpsports.com

-Matt Soldano

Road Trippin': Bloomsburg, PA

I'm back again, like that old Juelz Santana song said. However, I don't "pop shots, hot glocks, shoot through vans" or any of the stuff he talks about. But some of you do "remind me of Mister Softee trucks." I don't know what that means though...

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago we headed off to Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania to continue our wild escapades. Sean Croft accompanied Jordan Lauterbach and myself to our next destination. He was behind the wheel for our trip of debauchery, jovial mischief and Yoo-Hoo. We left from CW Post University, in beautiful Brookville, NY, at high noonish. Approximately 2 minutes into the trip, Sean had to make the first pit stop. This one to the wonderful establishment known as Burger King:



I don't remember what he ordered. In fact, everything at BK is forgettable. But if there's one thing about Sean Croft, it's that he has terrible luck with food service. Getting slow service, getting overcharged, getting the wrong food, etc. Well, naturally, that happened in this instance. The cashier didn't have enough change to break a $20. Long story short, Sean yelled at the cashier and ripped her for most of the ride. All I could do was laugh... softly. I don't need him yelling at me.

Oh no. I think he heard me:

Look at the soul patch!

From the back of the car, I had a lot of time to notice a lot of things. Especially when just about every window is open and the car is going 75mph on I-80. I can't hear a thing. One thing that worried me -- aside from Croft's short fuse and the Swine Flu vaccine -- was the spider web placed in the corner of the open sunroof. You can't see it in the picture, but here it is for visual purposes:


That's the type of thing that makes one wonder, "OK, where the hell is this damn spider?" I didn't bring it to anyone's attention. I didn't want to cause a panic on a highway. Mom and common sense told me that's not a great idea. That insecurity and this view made the trip eventful:



What also passed the time --backtracking a little bit -- was the story we heard while in Bronx traffic. Our friend and member of WCWP Sports Brian Rodriguez called up and told us a story about eating pizza in his boxers. Ask him about it some time.

We got to Mifflinville, PA, where our hotel was. The first thing Sean said when we got out of the car was, "I smell cows. I smell McDonald's. It's like a before and after."

The Super 8 was ballin' if I say so myself. It was in the same parking lot of this Arby's, which I tore the hell up:


Arby's is underrated; however, I could tell you the sodium content of my Roast Chicken Club by taste. I certainly ran a few miles to work that off.

Our dwelling for the night, the Super 8, was not the most upscale, but the managers sure know how to make it seem like a 5 Star establishment. Look at this treat we found in our lamp:



No joke. It's strawberry.

The one thing I hate about 1st floor rooms in outdoor hotels is the lack of privacy the full view window gives. The first things I do when I get to the room is put the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door (Jordan still doesn't believe that maids will enter the room while you're sleeping if the sign is not out there. It's just weird. Unless they're hot.) and close the curtain. Here's a full shot of the room, curtain closed. Everyone is excited!:


That night, Jordan, Sean and I sought out to get dinner at a sports bar. There was no way we would miss Joba Chamberlain pitch against the Red Sox. Luckily, it was one of his few passable games. But I digress.

The hotel lobby had fliers for local restaurants. Two of the fliers were for sports bars. We asked for advice from the receptionist to help with our choice. One place was described as a place that closes at 10pm and has an older crowd. The other was more laid back, and was for young people, like us. Well since I'm not big into chasing cougars, we chose the second place. Here's the flier:



"Taps Sports Bar and Grill" We get directions and depart. When we arrive at Taps, we were greeted by this sign. You tell me what's wrong with it:


The smiley-face was a nice touch. As Ed Wuncler III once said "[Women] love smiley faces." Let that be a lesson to all you youngins out there. The "Thanx" was a bit juvenile for my taste, but it's whatever.

The thing that bothered me was the use of quotation marks around the words "Side Door." The ellipses at the end is an issue in itself, but the quotation marks had me terrified. Is it not a side door? Is it a trap door? One that leads to a pack of lions? I don't know, but I didn't really want to find out. Unfortunately, we did.

As we walked to the so called "Side Door", I realized that our vehicle stuck out like a sore thumb in the parking lot. Every other vehicle was a motorcycle or a truck, none of them looking the newest. Sean Croft drives a newer model compact hatchback. It's didn't fit into the bunch. Which led me to believe that we, as people, would not fit into the crowd inside Taps.

Good God, was I right. Dim lights, thight Wranglers, cowboy boots and dust. It sounds like Brett Favre's house -- which I would never want to go to. I felt like a pool stick would get cracked over our heads, especially since we were all rocking New York sports gear. Maybe it was too dark and smokey to tell.

The other thing about this place was the age of the people. We were told that there would be young people. This place was full of busted up motorcycle wives. I was disappointed.

Anyway, we sat down and no one came over to serve us. I didn't think it would have been difficult. There were only three tables and the bar. Some people stared us down. They may have been drunk, ready to pounce, or both. So we got out of dodge before we had the chance to end up in someone's basement.

By a big stroke of luck, there was a billboard for a place called "Bandits Roadhouse" right outside of Taps. We went and didn't look back.

When we got there, the first thing I noticed was the attractive waitresses in their mandatory cutoff jeans. No pictures of them due to the possibility of a lawsuit. The trip was worth it just for that. It's like Bandits accumulated every good looking woman in the state of Pennsylvania inside their doors. I loved it. The second thing I noticed was all the crap on the walls. We sat by this piano that I was so tempted to play "Blister in the Sun" on:


There was also a statue of the other guy from 'CHiPs'. Not Estrada:



I ordered the barbeque shrimp salad. It was good, except for the massive amount of barbeque sauce on my lettuce. I should have expected this, I guess:


The one thing anyone should know about rural areas -- the midwest, really anywhere west of Philadelphia -- is that they like to put loads of condiments on everything. This issue will come up later.

Across the street, we spotted the 'Dollar General', which is a dollar store, obviously. With about $20 in my pocket, I quickly learned that everything in there is not a dollar. I settled on a hoody (which I still have). We considered a mini-piano and these baby flip-flops for our wrestling-loving friend Nick Malone:



I swear I almost did it. They would have fit him. But then I realized that I don't like wasting money. After that, we went back to the hotel. Surprisingly, we got the New York feed of the Yankees-Red Sox game in the room. Sean and Jordan went over to the convenience store to get some stuff. Sean came back with a big bag of Cheetos and a disgusted look on his face. He was angry. Shocking.

Apparently, Sean was upset with a certain state law for the sale of certain adult beverages. For the record, he's over 21. Either way, he pounded the Cheetos:



After that meal, Sean got the Itis. He went to sleep shortly after. We all did... in seperate beds. The next morning, we awoke to my favorite: free breakfast. Not much of a spread, but the basics were there:



There was a blueberry muffin in that muffin paper, but I ate it. Something smelled like straight ass in that hotel lobby. Good thing we got the heck out of there. Bloomsburg, PA is a small, unassuming, quaint college town, but somehow we still got a bit lost. Here's a picture of the town while we were waiting at the shortest green light in the world:



We got to the school. Surprisingly, it was in the direction of the arrow pointing to something called "Athletic Field." I couldn't tell you what that is.

When we tried to get parking, the attendant -- who I assume to be a student -- told us we had to park in the media lot. OK. "Where's the media lot?", Sean inquired. "I don't know.", said the young man in the yellow vest. That was a mistake. If there's one thing you don't do, it's tick off Sean Croft. He's got a soul patch! He doesn't have to take any of your BS!

As we went in search of the correct lot, Sean went off for a good while about this guy. Maybe 15 minutes worth. In a turn of events, Jordan joined into the lashing. I think it was peer pressure. Poor child. I didn't, for the record. I was just there to document it. We found the lot, by the way.

One thing about the schools we visit is the accomodations. There's always one thing wrong with every school. Like in Indiana, PA for instance. They have a two story press box and we had the second floor to ourselves. But how do they expect you to get up there? Climb a ladder. Ya...

That ladder was the bain of Jordan's existence. That's what makes the elevator so special. Here's us getting into the elevator. You can hear the tail end of Jordan talking about the parking attendant. Also, I convince Mr. JL that radio belongs on the floor labelled 'Radio':



We had the smallest booth in the world. It was made for 2.5 people. Not 3.

They generously feed us at every school we go to. Bloomsburg was no different. We got sandwiches, and I couldn't even tell you what was on it other than mayonaisse. It was draped in mayo. That led me to state on the broadcast that the sandwiches at Bloomsburg are a bit "mayonaissey". Jordan and I were disgusted. Sean wisely stayed away. But it's just that culture I guess.

Here's the field where the Pioneers had a promising beginning but a puzzling end in a 28-14 loss to the Huskies:


And away we went, back to Long Island. It was a good trip -- everything except Sean didn't share his Cheetos.


Uh oh...

Next time on "Road Trippin'": West Chester, PA.


--Max Caster