Battle Royale

1

Forget the Cubs. Will former M’s manager Lou Piniella ever make it back to the World Series?

Honsen

Not with his current ball club. The Red Sox and White Sox may have broken their long championship droughts but the Cubs appear to still be very, very cursed.

Zach

I think he’ll make it. However, a more relevant question is will he reach 100 ejections first?

Christian

No, but we shouldn’t pity him. He’s already won a World Series. A better question: will John McLaren find another job?

Maks

Only if the Cubs sign Prince Fielder to help offset Piniella’s weight on the other side of the airplane.

2

Is it the ultimate irony for M’s fans that the Rays, with one of the lowest payrolls in the Major Leagues, could be headed to the World Series this year?

Honsen

No, the M’s may have spent a ton of money this past offseason, but they’ve had success with a low payroll in years past. Conversely, there are lots of baseball teams out there who’ve shelled out big bucks and still didn’t make the playoffs. I’m looking at you, Yankees, Mets and Tigers.

Zach

That and the fact that they lost 100 games.

Christian

It sure is.

Maks

It’s not ironic, it’s just plain sad. The Mariners paid Miguel Batista, Carlos Silva, Kenji Johjima and Erik Bedard combined approximately $35 million this year to do jack squat. The entire Rays team has a payroll of $43 million. Just sad.

3

How about them Seahawks?

Honsen

The ‘Hawks are sure looking like the second worst team in the NFC West this year. But I wouldn’t write them off yet, at least not until they get blown out against the Cardinals.

Zach

What? A 44-6 loss is supposed to bother me? We’ll win the Super Bowl ... eventually.

Christian

I have given up on the Seahawks, along with every other major Seattle sports team. Shaun Alexander is probably laughing somewhere. Or praising Jesus. One of the two.

Maks

Olindo Mare is a good kicker.

4

Will the Madden curse strike Brett Favre or is he immune?

Honsen

Forget the Madden curse, karma will strike down Favre soon enough for all the drama and headaches he’s created over the summer for his former team — the Green Bay Packers.

Zach

If you look carefully, Brett Favre is wearing a Green Bay uniform on the cover. This means that he should be thanking his lucky stars he was traded to the Jets.

Christian

Probably not. And if it did, John Madden will probably retire out of guilt. Ace is the place with the helpful hardware folks!

Maks

Alzheimer’s and the Madden curse are about neck and neck right now, with farsightedness a close third.