Kudos to the Angels for coming back and winning the World Series. Also, I think that Barry Bonds proved that he is capable off playing well in the postseason...have any of his home runs landed yet? No we head to the offseason and already the managerial merry go-round has started. Art Howe in NY, Lou in Tampa, Yost in Brewtown and former PawSox star Eric Wedge takes the reins in Cleveland. I think Dusty Baker will stay in San Fran only because I think Barry will stand up and demand that he stays.

Guess I was wrong about Notre Dame and Ohio State....that's why you should never use my advice for illicit gambling purposes. My powers are only for good boys and girls - remember that.

Think NFC teams are losing some sleep thinking about the years of McNabb, Vick and Brooks that lie ahead of them? Of all of these guys, Brooks has the best supporting class and the other guys are just elevating their teams. It's going to be a tough MVP vote. Over in the AFC New England is in trouble if they lose next weekend against Bledsoe's Boys. I wouldn't put the blame on Tom Brady though. He is not the qb to throw 40+ passes a game. The Pats won last year by running the ball and playing tough d....hmmm this seems to come up often when discussing winning football teams.....

Big game for my fantasy squad as the return of Mason and the continued great play of Deuce McAllister led the way....Yeah I play fantasy sports, so I'm a dork.......ok give me a moment here.....there I'm ok...big deal I've always been a dork and always would be- now I am off to play NHL 2003. Buh-bye!

Has this page become the new "SI jinx"? Last night my Habs took another one on the chin(and the mouth and both eyes) and the Angels were shelled. Can the Rally Monkey pull out two more games? Guess I shouldn't have worn the Angels shirt the other night.

Don't count on seeing the Boston Expos next year. Do you think George will stand by and let the Sox get the extra revenue from 81 more home games in Fenway....yeah right. I think Commissioner Bud has some big ones: 1) he tries to let his friend Pohlad contract the Twins and pocket 300 million 2) lets Jeff Lauria off the hook in Montreal and gives him another franchise to ruin 3) sells the Red Sox to his pals over the Cablevision group and now he wants to help them out with money. Don't you think that KC and Pittsburgh will be jumping in line. Besides, I don't see the Player's Association going along with a barnstorming deal or move to a temporary location. It makes it hard to live or be near your family if you are not in one place....and the logistics of two teams sharing a ballpark wouldn't be easy. Why doesn't Bud just do what he really wants to do and give Boston Vlad, Vidro, Vasquez and Colon so they can win a World Series and beat the Yankees. I predict that George is going to be very angry and will be out for blood this off season. Here are your 2003 NY Yankees: 1B- Giambi 2B-Soriano SS- Tejada 3B- Jeter OF- B. Williams OF- B. Giles OF- J. Cruz C- Posada...oh you think this can't happen......check back in March and see.

Good luck to Art Howe- you're going to need it. Soon you will long for the days of tripping over race cars in the clubhouse....welcome to the world of Rey Ordonez- the most overrated player in baseball. Burnitz and Cedeno make Justice and Long look like All-Stars.

I'm saying that FSU beats Notre Dame this weekend. The Irish have not thrown the ball well enough to take advantage of FSU's weak secondary and look for Greg Jones to get back in the Heisman race with a big game. I'm also taking Penn State over OSU as long as Larry Johnson keeps getting the ball.

O where are thou Daunte Culpepper? Don't make me play Chad Pennington...I'll do it...I'm not kidding....one more 3 INT 2 fumble game and you're benched....wait...don't walk away.....please I don't mean it...just run the ball 25 times...you're bound to go over 100 yards...don't give it to Moe Williams at the goal line...Daunte I need you....don't be mad..I wasn't really going to play Pennington.....time to get to work....out.

"Jos-e where's the d?"
My Habs are not playing well in front of Theo and the play of Jeff Hackett last week have left many wondering about last year's MVP. I am not one of them as I think the team takes Theo for granted and sometimes expects him to save them. Let's hope he can right himself soon and maybe Hackett can fetch something good (more size) in a trade.

Behold the power of the Rally Monkey....I'm thinking that this could make a great Halloween costume this year unless you can get your hands on a David Eckstein mask.

My take on Emmitt Smith is that while he is not the best back of all-time, there is no shame in having him hold the rushing record. People forget that he was the core of that Dallas team and the man simply found his way to the end zone like no one else.

Kudos to Tim Salmon for delivering big time last night. Wish I could have seen that game, but since it has to start after the thrilling Eagles-Bucs game, I missed out on the end. You know what is a crazy idea- a World Series game that starts during the day- oh wow I need to stop this crazy talk.

Let's hope Brett Favre is ok. I'm no Packers fan, but the guy plays the game the way it should be played- he has fun and goes all out to win. Kind of eerie that he goes down on the day that ESPN runs a story on his backup Doug Pederson...*cue ominous music*..

Some random thoughts: This Barry Bonds guy is pretty good......can't wait to see Spreewell vs The Post on next week's episode of Judge Mills Lane....just what is happening in Viking Land when they only score 7 against the Jets....is there a new NFL rule that says every team must wear ugly uniforms at least for one game....let's pray that the Chargers don't make the Super Bowl this year- can you say NFC blowout if this occurs....I still say Va Tech or Miami will win the National Championship this year...what was Bill Walton talking about in his Page 2 column?....maybe the Mets will ask me to manage them next year....

Goin back to Cali..well the World Series trophy will be staying out west for at least one more season. I am going with the Angels due to their offense and pitching so far. Maybe LaRussa shouldn't have walked Bonds with nobody on base in Game 4. Anyone who played RBI baseball can tell you how good Benito Santiago is.

I thought the Terrell Owens thing was pretty funny. Yeah it was putting down the Seahawks, but hey they play again and they should just try and hammer him when he comes across the middle. The NFL should be happy because it brings attention to the games...maybe put some fun back into the league. So much for people not giving the Patriots credit...way to lose at home to a banged-up team. Maybe Antowain Smith is not the back everyone thought he was last year. Gotta love Brett Favre and the way he plays ball....he is a definite throwback.

Things are not looking good on the S.S. Layden based out of NYC. I am still predicting a Spreewell trade to either Miami or Dallas. NY fans will not sit through a 60 loss season. The only thing I am looking forward to this NBA season for is the return of Barkley and Walton.

Clah-ssic day of college football action. Say what you want about Ken Dorsey, but he wins games and gets the ball into the hands of his playmakers. Chris Simms, well nothing against the kid, but would you draft a QB in the first round that hasn’t won the big game. Especially when you look at the weapons he has at his disposal. He plays against Oklahoma like the Washington Generals play against the Globetrotters….and that’s not good.

Someone told me Syracuse played a football game today, but I don’t recall that happening….really I don’t. College hoops season is on the horizon and I think it will be another outstanding season that will see the return of the Big East. Pitt, UConn, SU, BC, Gtown and Nova should have good teams this year. As we get closer, I will utilize my “patented prediction process” (an official trademark of Black Squirrels, Inc) to give you the full scoop.

The puck drops in a little while, so here is the Western Conference Preview and Stanley Cup predictions from the man who was Canadian in a previous life:
1)Colorado- because St. Patrick told me so
2)Detroit- can repeat if Stevie Y returns in top form
3)Dallas- lost Belfour and added Guerin..team improves, while crazy player quotient remains the same
4)LA Kings- old crest returns just in time
5)San Jose- nice deal to get Sykora
6)Phoenix- Sean Burke playing for Whaler pride
7)St. Louis- will rise if Fred Braithwaite plays more
8)Vancouver- needs some better tending to compete
9)Edmonton-Salo just misses final playoff spot
10)Calgary-Drury and Iginla are dynamic duo
11)Anaheim- whole lot of Kariya from Oates
12)Nashville-home of the Grand Ole 5-Hole
13)Minnesota- no clutching and grabbing = less wins
14)Chicago- complete mess of an organization

Big weekend in college football. I see Miami and Oklahoma both winning this week, but think that the Sooners will lose once in the Big 12. Miami should be in the BCS Championship against........Air Force- just kidding. Actually I think it will be Oregon getting through this year. My Heisman top 5 right now: 1) Willis McGahee 2) Charles Rogers 3) Seneca Wallace 4) Byron Leftwich 5) Maurice Claret

Waiting for the Knicks to pull the trigger on a Spreewell deal....maybe Philly can offer up Van Horn for Spree. Either that or the Knicks will acquire Brian Grant and Rod Strickland so they can have 5 point guards and 4 under-sized centers on their team. The NBA is fantastic.

"I've got a lot of teeth"
That NBA/ESPN commercial is great. I hope this is only the first in a series. I want to see Steve Nash and Linda Cohn exchanging hair care secrets while Stuart Scott is playing chess with Ben Wallace.

Yankees and D-Backs are gone....now we get Rally Monkey vs Homer Hanky. If San Fran holds on tonight, will Tony Larussa announce that he will intentionally walk Barry Bonds for the entire series?

First to have a complete breakdown on the sideline? Mike Martz or Bill Cowher? Any thoughts on who is the LVP in the NFL so far....here's my list: Kordell Stewart, Johnny Morton,Randy Moss.

When Jim Brown: All-American debuts on HBO in Dec- be sure to watch. Yes, the man has flaws, but check out the game footage and be amazed by how Brown dominated and destroyed defenders.

My NHL Prince of Wales Conference preview...we go from #1 down because that's what matters most...(Note: I am a diehard Montreal Canadiens fan. I do not hide this, so keep in mind as you read this)
1) Ottawa Senators- should have the top overall record, but will NOT go to the Stanley Cup Finals
2) Philadelphia Flyers- very dangerous if they play some defense this year
3) Washington Capitals- as Jeff Burke once said about Jagr "Look Mario, I score goal."..he will score a lot this year
4)Montreal Canadiens- Jose + Koivu= better year for Les Habitants
5) Carolina Hurricanes- little letdown after last year's playoff run
6) NJ Devils- trades will hurt record, but still dangerous in the playoffs
7)Toronto Maple Leafs- unless Eddie loses it again
8) NY Rangers- they have to make it one of these years...don't they?
9) Boston Bruins- see how much they miss Dafoe and Guerin
10)NY Islanders- still not quite there w/o Peca
11)Pittsburgh- "hey Jaromir, I still score goals"...just not as many as he used to
12)Buffalo- getting more offense if the team can pay their checks
13)Atlanta- young guns creep up the ladder
14)Florida- Luongo and not much else
15)Tampa Bay-they should trade Lecavalier to Montreal for Stephane Quintal, Jeff Hackett and Mike Ribero..sounds fair to me..