A mess of things

Fooled ya, didn't I? You thought this blog would be about the Falcons, didn't you? Well, you're half wrong. I felt the term "Hodgepodge" as a title for my entries encompassing the entire pro sports world was a bit Jeopardy-ish. Maybe it's a term more commonly used before my time, but either way, I'm going to leave it for Alex Trebek.

But since I brought up the Falcons, I might as well mention a few things. As you may or may not have noticed, I spent most of last week blog-less since the Falcons were enjoying(?!) a bye week. I felt I needed to. I don't know how much more I can get out of the words "disappointment," "controversy" or "collapse."

The honeymoon is now over and the Falcons are back at work this week preparing for a home matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. And despite all the problems the Falcons have had this season, particularly last week, and against my better judgment, I'm going to pick the Falcons to win this one. I don't know why, but I just think that an unhealthy Alex Smith isn't going to be able to get much done against a Falcons' defense that is actually pretty good. So, it's final: the Falcons win this Sunday. Maybe I won't have to use any of the words listed above this weekend, which means you wouldn't have to read them, and that would be nice.

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The Boston Red Sox are World Series champions again! I never, ever thought the Series would be over so quickly or that the Colorado Rockies wouldn't put up much of a fight. After the Sox won the first two games, I thought the Rockies would come away from a three-game homestand with at least two wins. When I heard other sports writers say that the Series was over after Game 1, I thought it was ridiculous. And I've been a Sox fan for years now. But the Sox, and the Rockies, proved me wrong, and I couldn't be happier. I never thought I'd see the day when the Red Sox were thriving and the Yankees were stumbling. Yet, somehow, that day has come, which makes the coming baseball season very intriguing.

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The big NFL game this weekend is the New England Patriots vs. the Indianapolis Colts. Oh, you heard? So you saw the 50 mentions of the game on ESPN that started two weeks ago? Yeah, it's a huge game that requires a lot of coverage, but when it's being crammed down my throat for two weeks, I come to a point where I've had enough. Will I pay attention to the game? Yes. Will it be a great one? Yes. Do I need to know every time Tom Brady sneezes? No.

All I'll say from here is that I think the Patriots are going to win a close, high-scoring game to remain unbeaten. Now I can go back to living my life.

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The Atlanta Braves traded away Edgar Renteria today for a couple prospects, one of which is a young pitcher with a lot of potential. It's really a fantastic move. You look at Renteria's stats and it may not seem like trading him away is a smart decision, but he's only getting older and the Braves have to do something about the pitching staff. The Braves will go with Yunel Escobar at shortstop now, which means they just got younger at the position. Escobar is turning 25 soon. This is just one of several moves the Braves will make here in the near future. I'm looking for an overhaul of the team during the offseason, and in relation, the trade of Renteria will become a footnote.

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I took a lot of crap from Chiefs fans last week for putting the NFL tribe in the bottom half of my weekly NFL rankings. There was a reason for that: Simply, I don't think the Chiefs are all that good. And just because the Chiefs beat San Diego earlier this year doesn't mean the Chiefs are a better team. It just means they were better that day. The Chiefs have a tough schedule in the second half of the season, and I don't think they're going to survive long enough to get into the playoffs. It's as simple as that. If I'm wrong, I will be the very first one to admit it.

The NFL rankings are one of the many new, fun things we're trying to do at The Telegraph in the world of pro sports. There will be much more to come in the future. But it's great that people are talking about the rankings. That's what they're there for. I'm all for debate, so if you disagree with me, let me know and we can have at it in a little friendly back-and-forth. If you get me to side with your argument, I'll wear your favorite team's hat for a day.

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Rumors, predictions, thoughts and simple hot air:
I like the Patriots, Lions, Falcons, Bills, Titans, Packers, Chargers, Jaguars, Redskins, Bucs, Browns, Raiders, Cowboys and Steelers this weekend in the NFL. ... The Atlanta Thrashers aren't going to be worth watching this year. The rest of the NHL, however, will be, especially if you like fights. ... The Falcons' defense/special teams might be worth picking up this week if you're in a pinch in your fantasy league. The Niners are -4 in turnovers this year and the Falcons are +5. You do the math. ... Again, New England will not go undefeated this year. The St. Louis Rams, however, might not win a game. ... Your 2007-08 NBA champions: The Boston Celtics. ... Please, again, don't be fooled by the Atlanta Hawks. You have been warned.