Mike McCarthy is THE STIFF, Not Matt Flynn

As a New England Patriots fan, nothing was more enjoyable than watching the Green Bay Packers final drive of the game on Sunday fall flat on its face.

But unlike the rest of the sports world, I don't fault the Packers backup quarterback Matt Flynn for the embarrassing last play of the game on a potential game winning drive.

Everyone seems to think that with 20 seconds left, Flynn should have been able to receive the play from McCarthy and then execute a game winning touchdown pass.

Well not me.

It was obvious the play took too long to come in and Flynn took too long directing traffic before snapping the ball.

But let's be serious. This is the NFL. Coaches are supposed to be prepared. That's right, I say McCarthy blew the game.

If that was Bellichick with the game on the line and a backup quarterback taking the snaps - do you honestly think he wouldn't have been prepared.

4 days earlier in practice he would have been practicing the 2 minute drill with very simple plays, and very simply named plays at that, ready to go.

If the tables were turned on that last play, Bellichick would have simply said something like "dog' or "rabbit" or whatever and everyone on the field, including the backup quarterback, would have known their assignment. Bellichick would have dumbed it down so there was no room for error.

But what does McCarthy do? He goes to his playbook and calls something that Matt Flynn probably had never executed, never mind practiced. You could see it on the field. No one knew the call and Flynn was pushing people left and right trying to just get A PLAY run.

I mean how do you just not have a go to play in that situation? With an unexperienced backup quarterback you just have to have a simple play ready. Who cares if you use it 6 times in the same game. It is your responsibility as a coach to manage the game for a guy with no experience.

So where was McCarthy's "dog" or "rabbit" play? What was he thinking? Was "X-45, Z, 2, Out" the play to call with the clock ticking, the crowd yelling and the game on the line?

Nope.

For your epic FAIL - Mike McCarthy, you are THE STIFF OF THE WEEK.

I've been waiting to write this one

Today's Stiff of the Week is well known to Boston Red Sox fans everywhere. He is caustic, boorish, pompous, arrogant, self-centered, self-righteous and above all, contemptuous. Let's have a hearty chorus of boos for Brian Cashman, Yankees GM, who just experienced one of the biggest OOPS moments ever. He let Cliff Lee slip through his hands and now that left-handed Boston lineup doesn't have to worry about 3 or 4 starts from Lee against them.

The truly pitiable part of all this is that Brian Cashman cannot understand why Cliff Lee signed with a bunch of bums such as the Phillies. How could he not yearn for pinstripes? Who wouldn't want to play with A-Fraud, besides most of baseball? Why wouldn't he want a 900 sq. ft apartment in Manhattan for only $35,000/month + utilities? Why wouldn't he want a state tax on his income of about $17.5 mil from the proposed contract? Why wouldn't he want to play in one of the most crowded and ugly parts of any city in the country?

Brian fails to see that Cliff cares about people, places AND last of all, things. He liked Philly. He liked the people there and they liked him. He had his own devoted fans. He doesn't need any more Joe six-packers or corporate honchos hanging all over him. He wants to win and with that rotation, he will win. Brian's team is older and slower and more tedious and plodding than ever. Did i mention slower? Pettitte's arm will soon fall off or collapse from age. CC is just one pizza away from a total explosion where he won't be able to pick up the rosin bag, Posada is Jason Varitek and the sox aren't planning to use him. AJ Burnett - oh, nevermind - I can't write about him - it's just too funny and pathetic. He is clearly the worst #3 starter in baseball and the Yankees only paid him $18mil per year for what seems to them now like forever.
Cashman could not produce a winner with a $235m payroll in 2010. Now what, Bri? Let's face it. you thought that the name " NY YANKEES" would be enough to have Cliff begging to come there. Guess what, Buddy? Wrong again !!!!

You offered him 7 years and $175m and he said "NO". What does that say about how his feelings for the Big Apple, Hank S. and all the other clowns there? It says - you're not as wonderful as you think. Come down off that high horse. You were lucky to get your other mercenaries in the past, although many of them are total busts as well ( see- AJ Burnett ).
I can't wait for 2011. Unless CC is in shape and pitching every other day, you've got a big problem, pal. I know, you have Phil Hughes and Joba the mutt. Good for you!!! Let's go with them, OK?

Yankee fans are soooooo forgiving. some are already calling for your head. Nice place to work there, isn't it Brian? Good luck to you in 2011. I know a nice Subway franchise in queens that will hire you, as long as you don't let the sandwiches slip through your fingers as well.

Wah Wah Wah Anaheim Angels

Tom Hanks said it best when he said " There's no crying in baseball!" . The California Angels of Anaheim need to take a lesson from that. For the past 18 hours, they have been crying that the Boston Red Sox stole Carl Crawford away from them. I don't remember Carl saying that he wanted to go to Boston over Anaheim ( a no brainer, though ) or that he wanted to go anywhere. Carl was on the "open" market, up for the highest bidder. The Angels chose to give him a less lucrative offer and for fewer years, so he's now headed to Boston.

Torii Hunter even came out today and said that he wanted to play with Carl. Well, you should have ponied up some of your own cash there, Torii, and maybe he would have signed with your team. Of course, you could always ask to be traded to Boston and then you and Carl can be best buds on the Red Sox juggernaut for the next 6-7 years.

No one has the right to complain when they get outbid for the services of a player. The Red Sox are clearly going for it now this year and are not concerned about whether or not they make a profit for the 2011 season. Ego does that to people and it drives them to perhaps overpay for a player, so that they can keep interest high.

The Angels problem is the fan base. They show up for a game in the 3rd inning after having a few margaritas and a wheel of brie downtown, then they sit on their hands for most of the game, and leave after the 7th inning stretch, so that they can still make the buffet at Red Lobster.

Anaheim is not a baseball town. They don't deserve Carl Crawford or even Broderick Crawford ( remember him on highway Patrol? ). Joan Crawford lived nearby - so they should be happy with that.

The Angels had plenty of money to spend. After all, now they want Beltre and Soriano, neither of whom will come cheaply. But be careful, LA, you could easily lose them too if someone else throws in a few extra bats and gloves to the deal and you balk at making a move.

You are the stiff of the week - your ownership, your fan base and yes, even the city (ha-ha) of Anaheim. You have worries this year about Oakland and Seattle as well. Best of luck with that -see you on the way to the AL West basement.