I don’t know if any of you readers know that we at Vigilante Sports are a part of a blog community over at 9rules. We have been members over there since June 2006. We’re proud to be a part of such a great community. Especially the Sports community.

We’ve met great people through our time at 9rules and look forward to all of the great stuff they have in their relaunch (named Ali2). In our tenure in 9rules, we’ve seen it grow from a small but active blogging community. With the previous launch of Ali, and now with Ali2, 9rules has established itself as a destination on the web. No matter what you’re interested in, you can probably find either a blog in their community, or something about it in their Notes section. There is also a social networking component of 9rules (my.9r) which has really taken off as well.

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Game 3 of the NLDS between the Cubs and the Diamondbacks was a shining example of everything that went wrong with the Cubs in this series. In game 3 alone they left 9 runners on base, were 0-9 with runners in scoring position and hit into 4 inning-ending double plays.

Critics will point to pitching as the problem in this series. Whether you want to look at Piniella taking out Zambrano in Game 1, Ted Lilly acting like a little baby in game 2, or Rich Hill’s ineffectiveness in Game 3, the problem that cost the Cubs this series was hitting, not pitching.

Aramis Ramirez, the Cubs regular season leader in RBI, second in home runs did not get a hit in the series. Alfonso Soriano cooled off significantly in October and Derrek Lee struggled at the plate as well. The offensive leaders on this club let the Cubs down.

The pitching wasn’t great… but it shined in comparison to their awful hitting. I’m disgusted with the Cubs performance. I’ll have to cool off a bit before I’m able to look forward.

Oh Boy, the Bears could really use a win this weekend. They’re on a stage against their arch-rival, the Green Bay Packers. The only problem is, the Packers are 4-0 and the Bears are 1-3. This feels like these teams are heading in different directions. Brett Favre is hot, on the heels of his record-setting performance last week.

The Packers pass-happy offense (2nd in the NFL with 288.8 yards per game) will go up against a severely battered and bruised Bears defense. There are definitely a lot of injuries for the Bears but they also have not played well as a unit. They got blown up against Detroit last week, and Dallas the week before. A Sunday night game on national TV is bad news for the Bears. Brett Favre has always loved the limelight. I’m sure he’ll be jacked up to take advantage of the Bears porous defense. One gap in the Green Bay attack is at the running back position. They have had their share of injuries in the backfield and that will continue this week. The problem for the Bears is that the Green Bay rushing attack has been effective enough to open up the pass.

The other side of the ball for the Bears continues to be a mess (29th in total offense). Their offense is lost. Cedric Benson has been completely ineffective. Brian Griese was decent in his debut. He threw 3 interceptions in over 50 pass attempts. I’m not sure how the Bears showed a commitment to the run when they threw 52 times. But I digress. The Packers are in the middle of the pack (15th) against the run so far this year, yielding 106.2 yards a game. I seriously doubt the Bears will break the century mark against the Pack. They are however 23rd in the league against the pass. Unfortunately, the Bears don’t have much of a passing game. When you combine an ineffective quarterback and wide outs who consistently drop balls, it’s really hard to be successful.

Final score: Bears 9 - Packers 27

Michigan should be on track to move to continue their winning ways as they face the Eagles of Eastern Michigan. It’s a local battle. The Eagles are located just up the road in Ypsilanti. Lloyd Carr did some coaching at EMU, and seems like he’s helping out his old program by giving them exposure.

Chad Henne is back as the Wolverine’s full-time quarterback. Glad to see him back but I wouldn’t mind seeing Ryan Mallett come in for a couple series a game. Similar to how Florida worked in Tim Tebow last year.

The defense has really come together over the last couple of weeks. It should continue this week.

Mike Hart will continue his record-setting season behind his stout offensive line.

Hopefully the Wolverines won’t suffer the same fate that they did against 1-AA Appalachian State. Hopefully they won’t overlook the Eagles and focus on their future Big Ten opponents. The have plenty of time to worry about that. Hopefully the coaching staff will have learned that they can’t overlook any team. Lloyd Carr, Mike DeBord, and Ron English need to continue to bring their A game. There is not any room for them to take a week off. As we’ve seen, in college football, anything can happen.

Final score: EMU 6 - Michigan 28

SEC Preview for week 6

It all starts with a big game Thursday between Kentucky and
South Carolina and keeps going Saturday with a number of
good matchups.

Here’s a look at three big SEC games this week:

Kentucky vs South Carolina

This was once a game that had little to no impact on the rest of
the SEC, but times have changed. Kentucky has not lost yet and
the Gamecocks are ranked 11th. To me this is a classic SEC
matchup. The Heisman hopeful Andre Woodson will come out
for the Wildcats, after throwing for five touchdowns last week,
and lead one of the highest powered offenses in college
football. He will do this against the highest ranked pass
defense in the SEC. We should see some difficulty with the
passing game early on, but I see Kentucky making adjustments
and finding ways to beat the Gamecocks secondary. The
offense for South Carolina is where the outcome will be
decided. If they can keep up with the Wildcats through three
quarters I think they have a chance to pull the upset on their
home field. This looks to be a great game.

My Pick: Kentucky

Georgia vs Tennessee

This game has a fantastic history and a great venue. Neyland
Stadium will be packed to watch the Volunteers try to knock off
12th ranked Georgia. The Bulldogs have come back after
suffering an early loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks and
have won three in a row including two conference games
against Alabama and Mississippi. The Volunteers will be facing
a Georgia team that excels in opponents stadium led by a
young and talented quarterback in Matthew Stafford. Stafford
has proved to be lethal if left undisturbed in the pocket, but
when the young offensive line has been penetrated he has
made some poor decisions under pressure. This will be a key
for Tennessee. Expect to see senior Thomas Brown and
freshman phenom Knowshon Moreno team up on a Volunteer
defense that has been weak against the run this year. On the
other side of the ball the Volunteers will be looking to senior
quarterback Erik Ainge to lead the team to the tune of “Rocky
Top”. Ainge has had a difficult time throwing with an injured
thumb on his throwing hand, but that has reportedly healed
and he is a seasoned SEC quarterback that can make things
happen for Tennessee. Georgia has a stout defense. I expect to
see the Volunteers try to spread the field and use their talented
young receivers to test the Georgia secondary. Overall this
looks to be a fantastic game between two good teams with
very smart coaches, this is what SEC rivalry is all about.

My Pick: Georgia

Florida vs LSU

This game is what many are calling the Game of the Week. I
agree. If Oklahoma and Texas had not lost last week I would see
that game as just as important, but with the current standings
this is the game. The defending champs roll into Baton Rouge
mad after a tough loss last week to face the team ranked #1 in
the AP poll, the LSU Tigers. The Tigers are a very talented team
both on offense and on defense. On offense they are led by
senior quarterback Matt Flynn. Flynn has proven to be tough,
consistent leader on this high powered offense. Wide receiver
Early Doucet is expected to return to action after missing three
game to injury and that is good news for the Tigers. Doucet is a
6-1 senior who will make the Gator defense earn the win. On
the Florida offense it will take not only sophomore Tim Tebow
having a career game passing and rushing, but some help form
the backfield as well. The rushing game has been a weakness
for the Gators thus far, and for them to beat the Tigers they will
need production out of Kestahn Moore coming out of the
backfield. The implications of this game across the college
football world are huge and the nation will be watching as they
two powerhouses face off on Saturday.

My Pick: LSU

We Live for This! The playoffs are here. We have some very interesting matchups here in the first round.

National League

Chicago Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
The series most near and dear to my heart. The DBacks have Brandon Webb, and not much else. The Cubs have the deepest bullpen and bench in the NL. Cubs in 3.

Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies
The hottest teams entering the playoffs. The Rockies fought from way back to get in, and the Phillies overtook a floundering Mets team. Tough to call, I think that the Rockies have spent too much energy to move on. Phillies in 4.

American League

Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles vs. Boston Red Sox
This is the marquee matchup. If the Angels bats can work some magic, they can hang with the Red Sox. I don’t think they will. Red Sox in 4.

New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians
I have not been a believer in the Yankees all year. I’m not going to start now. Indians win this in 5.

What are your predictions for this years MLB playoffs?