Christien Louviere

Back in May, I wrote about Reggie Bush’s marketing power for the New Orleans Saints.  I think we (the fans, the city, his sponsors) became a little nervous earlier in the week when camp opened.  A few talked about how he might hold out until the next draft.   Honestly, I had no doubts that he would sign because it would have been marketing suicide.  My worries lied more with his learning curve.  The NFL is a completely different beast than the NCAA.  Cedric Benson is a prime example.  Also, I’m tired of hearing all the preseason hype on him.  No one has a clue how he will do.  Obviously, the potential is there, but give the man some time.  Anyway, I’m looking forward to being in the Dome for the home reopener versus the Falcons.  I spoke to a very knowledgeable person in a coffee shop Wednesday night from AZ.  She commented on how hopeful and optimistic she was about the Saints.  It’s good to hear that from someone that isn’t a Saints fan.  It also gave me a better thought process from my previous ideas about outsiders.

The Other Trojan
Matt Leinart has yet to sign  I’m fearful he will turn into this year’s Cedric Benson.  It’s unfortunate because, unlike Benson and the Bears, the Cardinals have some serious talent.

The Braves
It’s almost surreal, in the loosest form of the word, to see the Braves on a run to not make the playoffs.  I remember when I was 10 back in 1991 the call, "From worst to first!"  Now, I fear this year I could possibly hear, "From 14 years of divisional titles to last."  We are 14 games behind the Mets and they are nearly running on all cylinders.  We are 5.5 out of the wild card, but 9 teams are ahead of us.  Bobby Cox is no one to be argued with and I will give him the benefit of the doubt because he has been so successful.  They better make the move though.

I will be at the TED during the last weekend of September for the season finale against the Astros with one of their fans.  I hope I’m watching a wild card playoff series.  Of course, they’ve been killing teams on the road but not at home…Why?  Because they’re all offense and most parks are designed for HRs.  The offense reminds me a lot of the 2003 Braves.

On another note, the Braves put Andruw Jones on the waiver wire and was claimed.  I’m not going into the details but basically it’s a technical way to trade someone after the deadline.   It goes on all the time, but Andruw is a headliner.  Schuerholz knows what he’s doing.   He’s not going to be traded, but I’m a little surprised by the response from fans.  I understand the frustration that comes from watching him at the plate.  He’s always swinging for the fences instead of going to the opposite field for RBIs and doubles, but he has over 90 RBIs with two months left in the season.  Moreover, he could be the best CFs to EVER play this game.  Too often, defense gets overlooked in this sport because there are few official stats.  That alone warrants him staying in Atlanta.  We’ve been spoiled having him for 10 years (he’s still on 29) and I guarantee if he left, we’d miss him sorely.

NCAA Football
Ok, preseaon polls are a terrible idea.  They should come out about 4 weeks into the season.  Don’t get me started on the BCS either.   The coaches poll came out this week.  Iowa at 17.  I have a feeling they break the top 10 by week 2.  Leadership combined with an easy schedule.  Those boys can play. 

OU lost their QB for taking cash outside the job.  He was kicked off the team and needs to be accountable.  My beef is with the critics.  All of a sudden everyone says they’re going to drop out of the top 10.  Have you seen Adrian Peterson play?  Have you seen their defense?  It proves that people are itching for college football to start because they’re creating unnecessary drama.

MLB Notes
The world series champion is coming out of the AL this year.  If the Twins can get the wild card, I say they win the whole thing.  Their pitching over a 3 game period is unbelievable (think 2001 D’Backs).  If the Twins are home in the postseason, the Red Sox will take it.  Their pitching has lacked some consistency, but they (namely David Ortiz) are money in the clutch

Floyd Landis
Not many in America care about cycling unless they’re in it or an American is winning (which is only known via Sportscenter).  Lance put us on the map.  Mr. Landis comes out of nowhere to win.  Long and short he’s been fired by his team and stripped of the title. because he tested for high testosterone.  I’m not sure what that means, since I’ve never juiced; but can you imagine how many more women will be calling him for dates now.