Random Tuesday Thoughts

Here are some random thoughts I had coming into work this morning.

• The Sounders released some photos from the day in Monterrey and it appears that Sigi Schmid has made some interesting decisions regarding the game. First, Taylor Graham made the trip to Mexico - a move that surely only helps the team communicate with the locals better. Second, Kasey Keller was left home, leaving the goalkeeping duties to Terry Boss and Josh Ford. I know I have not been too kind to Boss in the past and should probably kill the decision, but actually I think it is a good one. He is on the roster and Keller is 41 and could use the occasional break, so why not use him? The 4-1 win at home gave us a little cushion. Winning in Mexico has been near impossible, so why not get Boss and Ford some experience? Third, no Mauro Rosales or Fredy Montero. I get both of those exclusions - if I'm not mistaken, they have been starting every game lately, so leaving them home is not the worst decision considering we have an MLS game on Saturday followed by the uber-important US Open Cup Semi-Final a week from today.
  
  If I had to guess on a lineup, I think that even though Brad Evans made the trip, I imagine that Carrasco might get the start alongside Ozzie to try to be more defensive oriented. El Flaco will be on the left and maybe Evans will move to the right. Up top might be Jaqua and Fucito. In the back, Parke, Scott, Riley, Leo seems to be locked in. Come on boys, let's pull off a shocker.
• Speaking of the Sounders, I saw an MLS on NBC ad and was shocked to see that there was not a single Sounders highlight involved. I'm pretty sure I saw the Timbers Army 2-3 times and Kenny Cooper hanging on the net after scoring his only goal, but no mention of the team that regularly draws 36k. I know I sound like a bitter Colorado fan, but where is the respect? To take a step back though, this commercial aired during a Sunday Night Football telecast which drew a 7.1 which means more people may have been exposed to the product than ever before (ok, so most were probably soccer haters, but still...a big step!)
• One final Sounders related thing - take a look at this great post by Jeremiah Oshan. Basically, he suggests that Sounders fans are enamored by the DP designation and that if Mauro Rosales, who is playing like a DP, was being compensated as one the DP, we might be feeling a little differently.
  
  
• The Mets and Dillon Gee followed up my post on them with a 10-0 loss to the Phillies. Really I should have seen it coming. What I want to discuss today is the fact that the Mets front office approached Mike Pelfrey about the possibility of closing. As Matt Cerrone of metsblog.com noted, this indicates that the team is thinking about life after Pelf, which I think it s wise choice. I, like most Mets fans, were optimistic about Pelfrey and Humber being the future aces of the team. Humber served us well as he was part of the Santana trade. Pelfrey has had his moments, but if I had to describe him in one word, it would be inconsistent. Oh wait, no...it would be headcase. Yeah, that is clearly much better. He certainly has the stuff to be a top of the rotatoin guy, but now in his 4th full year in the big leagues he has not mastered the mental part of it yet. At 27 and playing in NY, I'm not sure he ever will. Some are suggesting that we don't pick up his option, but I think Alderson is being wise in not just letting him go, but rather seeing if there is another way he can help this organization. Stay tuned to this one.
• So let me briefly speak about WWE. I wrote a few weeks ago that the company had stumbled into an amazing storyline where CM Punk was blurring the lines of 'reality' and 'wrestling' by using social media and dropping in at public appearances to be in character at all times. At the time, he had just beaten John Cena for the title and 'left WWE with the belt.' I knew he was coming back, but never thought he would be off tv for only 1 week. Ultaimtely I get it - Summerslam was a few weeks away and they had to hype the Punk-Cena rematch, but since then, I have not enjoyed his storyline. Last night he fought Cena for the #1 contenders spot (Alberto Del Rio cashed in his title shot and won at Summerslam) and instead of having what would be an awesome Punk-Del Rio showdown, they decided to further the HHH-Kevin Nash conspiracy storyline. Punk, it appears that he is going to be the anti-authority figure similar to Stone Cold a decade ago. There certainly is some uncertainty with where it ultimately is going...and for WWE sake I hope they don't eff it up, because Punk deserves better. (Oh, and it also looks like The Miz and R-Truth are also going to have some role in the conspiracy storyline...again, for Miz's sake I hope they don't eff it up)
• I'm not gonna lie - I love this whole AJ Burnett/Joe Girardi controversy. For those who don't know, AJ Burnett publicly showed up his manager by swearing at him when Girardi took him out of a recent game. Girardi pretended not to hear it and kept talking to his players, but after he back to the dugout, we stormed right into the clubhouse where Burnett had just gone. Obviously the two had some sort of confrontation. IN the post-game press conference, Girardi not only said that Burnett was yelling at the umpire, but that he went into the dugout to try to catch the replay. Girardi was trying to cover for Burnett, but the question remains, why? The guy has been a huge bust since dawning the pinstripes and has been nothing short of a headcase. It can't be that he thinks Burnett is the key to the postseason, does he? I know he has a WS title to his name, but that was in a different time. The Yanks are screwed if they put their faith in this guy to be their #2 starter for the playoffs (but then to think of it, I think they're screwed with Ivan nova, Bartolo Colon or Freddy Garcia as their #2...I LOVE IT!) Back in the early 90's this type of story in the Bronx was commonplace. That was well before the decade of excellence they encountered - hopefully we can rewind time a little and bring back the Bronx Zoo.
• So I got my SI College Football preview last week and I have to say that I really miss reading magazines. When I was younger I would get The Sporting News season previews chock full of stats and read it cover to cover. Now in the digital age, when more information is available, I actually find myself knowing less about the sports than I ever did before. Part of it is because I'm a dad, but an equally large part is that I simply don't like reading long article over the internet. I suppose it's the same reason I would rather listen to a Bill Simmons podcast than actually read his articles.
  
• The English premier League just finished week 2 and it looks like United and City might be the clear favorites, while Arsenal has definite issues. Obviously it's a long season and Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal will be fighting for Europe, but I think the city of Manchester will have the two title contenders.
• I find it funny that ESPN.com is running daily NBA previews when we all know there won't be a season (or at least, it won't start on time). I get that they don't own the cable rights to the NHL, but at some point, don't you think it might be wise to preview a professional sport that will actually be playing come October?
• Seahawks fans- any comments on Tarvaris, the defense and overall outlook? I don't want to jump to conclusions and say mean things.