Happy Thanksgiving from theThree Kings at the Improper Sportsonian

Guess This Wife...

Lets see if anyone can guess today's Sports Stars Wife...

Guess This Wife Answer...

The answer to yesterdays Guess This Wife is current Texas Rangers Pitcher Kris Benson. Anna Benson his wife is an American Model and a well known wife around the Baseball Community.

Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made Of!

It has come to my attention that Wes found a "remix" to our NY anthem "Empire State of Mind" I put remix in quotes because its basically a joke. However, that's besides the point, he forgot to put up the best remix there is out there. Enjoy!

Belichick, Patriots prepare for Super Bowl XLIII 1/2

ESPNBoston.com- Patriots coach Bill Belichick held his weekly Tuesday conference call with reporters, and here are two items of note:

1. Reggie Bush & Marshall Faulk: Belichick said that the Saints' offense looks, in some ways, like that of the 2001 St. Louis Rams. That Rams offense was known as "The Greatest Show on Turf." In making that link, Belichick said Saints running back Reggie Bush is similar to former Ram Marshall Faulk -- "a guy who could come out of the backfield and split out and be a receiver, but line up in the backfield and be a running back. Players like that are just rare, very hard to match up with, that give an offense a dimension that you just don't see during the course of the year."

2. Saints threatening Patriots' 2007 records: "We're really not thinking too much about that at all," Belichick said. "I'll tell you one thing, it wouldn't surprise me if the Saints set whatever records there are because I can't think of too many teams, I can't think of any really, that are any more explosive than this team is. I've talked about the Rams, I've talked about the Chargers in the early '80s, but these guys can run with anybody." Belichick added that the Saints are "as good a team as there is in the National Football League this year, so it will be a great test for us to kind of see where we're at."
This will undoubtedly be their toughest challenge of the year. Yes the Colts game was battle-tested and hard-fought. However, there's a sense of familiarity with the Colts. It's like fighting with a sibling, you're never really worried about the outcome until you end up with a black eye.

The Patriots haven't seen the new-look Saints. Yes the offense has been together for a few years, but it's the defense that has made them a bonafide contender. They rank number one in the NFL in interceptions with 20 interceptions, 7 by their ageless safety Darren Sharper. They also rank 5th in the league in passing TDs allowing only less than one per game. I have little doubts that a player of Brady's caliber won't be able to slice and dice through the Saints secondary, but it is a pause for concern. It will be imperative that RBs Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk get going early and often to gain balance on offense.

Defensively, the Patriot linebackers must pressure and hit Bush as often as possible to disrupt the timing of his routes, much like they did to contain Colts TE Dallas Clark to three receptions. I expect Jerod Mayo and Brandon Meriweather to make their presence known to the Saints offense.

I ultimately expect the Patriots to pull out the narrow victory. It will be a high-scoring battle of the gunslingers. In the Superdome, the Patriots home-away-from-home, it will be the defense that makes that one key stop who will decide the game. I will always take a Belichick defense to make that one necessary stop, even after "4th&2". The Patriots leave New Orleans with a narrow win, 41-38.

Another Thanksgiving Day Deal for Theo?

ESPN.com is reporting that Theo Epstein and the Boston Red Sox are making a serious push for Blue Jays ace, Roy Halladay. Halladay, who has one year left on his contract with Toronto, has told management that he doesn't see them competing for a title any time soon and does not want to resign with them. He has put his team in a catch-22: trade me now or get nothing for me at the end of the year.

The Red Sox were just one of the many teams to actively pursue the former Cy Young winner during the trading deadline. The trade, of course, never went through.

Yet with the news breaking about Halladay right around the start of the holidays gets me thinking. I remember a certain Cy Young-caliber pitcher being traded to the Sawx after Theo discussed the possibility over some turkey and pumpkin pie (how a real American should conduct business, if you ask me).

Yes, that's right. I'm talking about Curt Schilling. Having Schill on the 2004 rotation gave us Pedro, Schilling, and the reliable Derek Lowe as our top three pitchers. If we were to add Halladay our rotation would be Beckett, Lester, and Halladay. I don't even think lineups like the Big Red Machine or the Murderer's Row could handle that much heat.

But before all that can happen, the Sox have got to give up someone first. During the season, they flirted with letting go ace-of-the-future Clay Buchholz, Justin Masterson, and lefty prospect Nick Hagadone in exchange for Halladay. Well Masterson and Hagadone are now wearing Indians uniforms after the Victor Martinez trade and with Buchholz closing out the season on a high note, he will be undoubtedly at the forefront of all trade talks. Flame-throwing sensation Daniel Bard will also be in high demand, who looks to be the heir-apparent to Jonathan Papelbon.

According to ESPN statman Mark Simon, since 2006, Halladay ranks No. 1 in the big leagues in wins (69) and innings pitched (930 1/3), is fourth in ERA (3.11) among pitchers with at least 500 innings pitched and is fourth in opponents' OPS (.655).

And the Elias Sports Bureau proclaimed that among pitchers with a minimum of 20 decisions against the Yankees, Halladay ranks third all time with a .750 winning percentage (18-6 record) versus the Bombers, behind only Hall of Famers Babe Ruth (17-5, .773) and Addie Joss (28-9, .757).

Boston is not the only team bidding for Halladay. The Yankees, despite spending $243.5 million on pitchers CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett last winter, will not let Boston's bid go unchallenged. The Phillies, despite trading for Cliff Lee at July's deadline, still hold prime pieces they could use in a possible deal for Halladay, and they might hold some appeal to Halladay, whose offseason home is very close to Clearwater, Fla., where the Phillies hold spring training. The Cardinals, especially if they don't re-sign Matt Holliday, could be a player, given how close Halladay is with Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter, a former teammate in Toronto.

The Angels, who are likely to lose John Lackey to free agency, have made Halladay "their No, 1 priority, according to their people I've talked to,'' the executive said. "They can give Toronto a shortstop [Maicer Izturis or Erick Aybar], a catcher in [Mike] Napoli, and also have young pitching in their system. Those are all things the Blue Jays need. There could be a match there.

Despite their competition, the Sox's track record at reeling in major pitchers through trades plus the fact that they dropped the ball on being "economical" leads me to believe that the Red Sox should be at the fore-front to land Halladay.

Forget New York, I got a "Bay State of Mind"

Finally! It only seemed like a matter of time before I heard a Boston remix of Jay-Z's cult-sensation "Empire State of Mind". How fitting is it that I heard it on I-495 in Massachusetts on my way home. What a great way to be welcomed back to the greatest state in the U.S. Vice Versah is on the track, and while he may not be Jay-Z he most certainly gives the song a Masshole swagger.

The only problem I have with the song? The damn chick singing the chorus. Notice how she says "Boston". That chick has New York written all over her voice. She's a regular modern-day Benedict Arnold.