Big Z will have to shut it down for at least one start as he’s diagnosed with right rotator cuff tendinitis. He was put on the DL in June because of a sore shoulder and has gone past the 5th inning in only 2 of his last 6 starts.

The Cubs need to make sure that he gets well before the playoffs. They have the best record in the National League right now, even though they’ve lost 5 straight. The Cubs have all but locked up a spot in the post-season. If by chance, the Brewers catch then in the Central (which I don’t think they will), the Wild Card is still theirs. So let’s not start jumping off the Sears Tower yet Chicago.

One thing that I think Lou needs to be aware of is keeping his bullpen fresh. Thankfully the rosters have expanded and there are more arms to come up and help. That might just be the saving grace for the Cubs.

ESPN, welcome to the mobile era. I logged into my fantasy football teams today to find a link to get updates on my mobile device (inn my case an iPhone). I have guarded excitement since I complained that there was no such thing (at least that was easily findable) for fantasy baseball.

To get started, they asked me for my phone number and wireless carrier. I put that in and got a text message with a link (http://espn.mobi) that took me to http://m.espn.go.com/. I eventually found my way to the fantasy football section and all I needed to do was login. I’m assuming that they just wanted my phone number so they can spam with text messages as the season wears on. Yey! I imagine that you can just go directly to the fantasy football section, and login and you’ll be all set.

Everything is totally hunky dory. As it stands right now, it only allows you to see results. I haven’t found the ability to change your roster, or make any other sort of roster moves. That would be nice. It’s decent as is, but I’d love to be able to manage my team totally from my phone. So, it’s better than nothing and hopefully we’ll keep seeing improvements.

AFC

Cleveland Browns - The pieces are in place for them to make a run. Their defense will need to step up to make them contenders for the Super Bowl.

NFC

North

Green Bay Packers - They’re the best of the worst. Aaron Rodgers has huge shoes to fill, but he has a solid offense around him and a defense that is poised to win now.

South

New Orleans Saints - Drew Brees has a go to receiver in Jeremy Shockey. They still have Marques Colston, and Reggie Bush. They look good this year.

East

New York Giants - Hard to pick against the reigning Super Bowl Champs. I think this will be the tightest division in football this year. The Redskins are really the only team that doesn’t have a chance at this division.

West

Seattle Seahawks - Another case of the best of the worst. Julius Jones in at running back will help the offense, the big question mark is still the offensive line.

Wildcards

Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears - I think that Dallas is a train wreck waiting to happen but they have a ton of talent. If they can all keep their heads on straight they’ll be a force in the playoffs. The Bears truly are a wildcard. Their defense is still among the best in the league. If Kyle Orton can work some magic (without any real threats at receiver) or Matt Forte can come in and be a dependable back they might climb into the playoffs. A weak NFC North schedule helps.

The 2008 NFL Season kicks off tonight with Washington Redskins facing the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. If you have payed attention in the pre-season you will have noticed the new NFL logo. The letters “NFL” are sharper than the previous letters, the image of the football has been updated to resemble the Vince Lombardi trophy and the 23 visible stars have been replaced by 8 stars representing the 8 divisions (4 in each conference). The blue in the logo is now a little darker.

I think this update is a really smart and sharp update of the logo. It shows me that the NFL really cares about the image that it is sending out there to the public. I know that the public perception of the NFL has taken a hit in recent years. Maybe this is an effort to refresh that image.

The 2008 college football season is here!

Here is a recap of the action in Week 1.

East

Florida dominates. This team is well coached and will be a contender.

Georgia dominates. This is my team, and what a year we have in front of us. I am looking forward to our watching Richt coach this talented team.

Kentucky beats Louisville. Kentucky loved playing outside the SEC to open, this will definitely be a rebuilding year for the Wildcats after losing play makers to the NFL this year.

South Carolina beats up on NC State. Spurrier finds himself with a question mark at QB heading into next week at Vanderbilt. The starter Beecher did not play well and his replacement, Smelley, did an excellent job- I’d like to see the Smelley get the start.

Tennessee loses to UCLA. I love watching Tennessee come across the country to start their season. I really enjoyed this game. Tennessee should have blown out UCLA after 4 first half interceptions, but UCLA hung around and won a thriller in overtime. I am excited to see Neuheisel coach the Bruins; watch out USC. Fulmer got beat again in the state of California to start the season. Don’t think this isn’t a tough Vol team, winning in Neyland Stadium is not going to be an easy thing to do.

Vanderbilt beats Miami of Ohio. QB Nickson runs for 2 TD’s and 166 yards; it will be fun to see if he can run on the defenses of Vanderbilt’s SEC opponents starting with the visiting Gamecocks next week.

West

Alabama surprises Clemson- winning 34-10. Everyone had Clemson in this one, but I knew the Tide would roll. Saban’s turnaround of Alabama is realized and senior QB John Parker Wilson has apparently found himself. An impressive but inconsistent performer last year, Wilson, was solid against the Tigers.

Arkansas sneaks by Western Illinois. A close call for the Razorback’s new coach Bobby Petrino. I expect Arkansas to be one of the weaker teams in the west this year.

Auburn blanks Louisiana-Monroe 34-0. Tuberville’s team is looking good this year, as always, and I think their game with LSU should be an early highlight considering what happened last year.

LSU destroys Appalachian State. The Tigers are strong again this year. This despite some serious issues with the QB position as former star-to-be Ryan Perrilloux was dismissed by Coach Miles in May. LSU RB Charles Scott will be the center of a strong rushing attack this year and the defense will be a force to be reckoned with.

Ole Miss beats Memphis. The Houston Nutt era begins with a win. I am excited to see what effect Nutt has on a team that went 3-9 last year.

Mississippi State loses to Louisiana Tech. Three 3rd quarter turnovers kill the Bulldogs-tough start for Coach Croomer.