Reading

Barcelona have made back up keeper Jose Manuel Pinto’s loan move permanent. The Catalans have paid Celta Vigo half a million Euros or three hundred and ninety five thousand pounds for their new third choice shot stopper. (Marca)

Palermo have signed Fiorentina’s former Lazio midfielder Fabio Liverani on a three year deal, the Sicilian club have confirmed. (Sky Sports News)

Fenerbahce are in talks with Newcastle’s Turkish International Emre about returning to Istanbul for four million. Emre started his career with Fenerbahce’s arch rivals Galatastaray.

Rennes, Lens and Portsmouth are all interested in signing Liverpool back up keeper Charles Itandje. (The Sun)

Jose Mourinho is almost certain to take over at Inter Milan after Roberto Mancini’s sacking by the Italian club. Ironically the former Leicester and Italy International is now favourite to take over at the “Special Ones’” old club Chelsea. (The Guardian)

Fiorentina Viola have signed AC Milan’s Italy international striker Alberto Gilardino. (The Guardian)

Lyon will sign Nice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to replace the departing Gregory Coupet, who is expected to leave the Stade Gerrland this summer. (L’Equipe)

Ernesto Valverde, who resigned from Espanyol a few days ago, has been appointed Olympiakos manager on a three year contract worth four million Euros. (The Guardian)

Sam Morrowhas become the first managerial casualty of the MLS season after the FC Dallas manager was sacked last night after the club’s after the Texan clubs disappointing start to the season. (ESPN)

Former Argentina Manager Jose Pekermanhas resigned from his position as manager of Mexican outfit Toluca for family reasons. (ESPN)

Chelsea could appoint AC Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti as their new head coach, and then exploit his relationship with star playerKaka with a fifty million pound bid for the Brazilian superstar. (Daily Star)

Barcelona claim that Arsenal’s Belarus Captain Alexander Hleb has agreed to join them for next season, Yaya Touregoing the other way as part of the deal. The Catalans are also reportively interested in Tottenham’s Dimitar Berbartov and Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor. Although no deal for either of the front men can be made until Samuel Eto’o leaves. (Daily Star)

Reading’s Ivory Coast midfielder Emerse Fae is close to a return to France with Nice close to acquiring the player on loan with a view to a permanent two point four million pound move. The player was previously fined two weeks wages for refusing to play for the club’s reserves back in April (The Times)

Crystal Palace are facing a real war to keep hold of some of their star players. Teenage superstar John Bostock is on the verge of signing for Tottenham and fellow midfielder Ben Watson is being chased by Derby, Nottingham Forrest, Bolton, and Middlesbrough. QPR have already had a one and a quarter million pound bid turned from the eagles. (The Times)

Rangers are interested in Le Mans left back Jean Calve, and Monaco left back Jeremy Berthod. (Various)

Portsmouth are interested in Trinidad and Tobago international eighteen year old midfielder Khaleem Hyland, who will play against England on Sunday. (The Times)

Sunderland are planning a swoop for Aston Villa’s Scotland midfielder Shaun Maloney with a four million pound bid (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham will bid for twelve million pound rated Paraguay striker Oscar Cardozofrom Benfica. (Daily Mirror)

Derby, Reading and Coventry are all in the race to sign Swansea’s Dutch midfielder Ferrie Bodde this summer. (Derby Evening Standard)

Plymouth Argyle and Aberdeen will fight it out for Leicester’s former Republic of Ireland full back Alan Maybury. (Daily Record)

Cardiff City want to sign Manchester City’s young Welsh midfielder Ched Evans on loan this season. (South Wales Echo)

West Brom are considering making a move for Dundee’s highly rated midfielder Kevin McDonald. (Daily Record)

Swedish champions Djurgardens and Dundee United are bidding to take Ranger’s winger Alan Gowon loan for next season. The Tannadice club are also interested in taking Charlie Adamfrom Ibrox in a similar deal. (Various)

Celtic will rival Sunderland for the signing of Manchester city’s Republic of Ireland midfielder Stephen Ireland with a five million pound bid. (Daily Mirror)

Atletico Madrid are looking at signing Barcelona’s Mexico captain Rafael Marquez, so the defensive player can join compatriot Javier Aguire and fellow defensive recruitments Johny Heitinga and Thomas Ujfalusi. (Sky Sports News)

The Spanish club have also abandoned plans to sign a host of players, such as Porto’s Lucho Gonzalez, Hamburg’s Rafael Van Der Vaart, Werder Bremen’s Diego and Juventus’ Thiago. This is because the players’ signings would disrupt the wage structure at the Vicente Calderon. (Sky Sports News)

Bristol City have had a bid for Nottingham Forrest striker Nathan Tyson turned down. The offer was believed to be around three quarters of a million. The former Reading player has one year remaining on his current deal, but he has been offered a two-year extension. Forest have also completed the signing of Wales striker Robert Earnshaw from Derby County for two and a half million. (Sky Sports News)

Tottenham are set to sign Crystal Palace’s 16-year-old first team player John Bostock subject to a tribunal agreeing a fee for the England youth International. (The Times)

Finland striker Mikael Forssell has left Birmingham and signed for German Bundesliga side Hannover 96 on a free transfer. (The Times)

Wolves and old firm duo Rangers and Celtic are battling it out for the four million pound signing of Burnley’s Northern Ireland International Kyle Lafferty after the player announced his intention to leave Turf Moor this summer.  

Derby County have completed a double raid on championship rivals Watford, by signing striker Nathan Ellington for one million and full back Jordan Stewart on a free transfer. (Sky Sports News)

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres will get a four million pound pay raise to his current contract to stop interest in the Spain International from Chelsea. (The Sun)

Everton will bid eight million for Manchester City’s England International Michael Johnson this summer. (The Sun)

Wolsburg and Monaco are keen to take Manchester City’s Italian striker Rolando Bianchi away from Eastlands this summer. (The Sun)

Another striker on the brink of leaving Eastlands is Belgium International Emile Mpenza, who is being chased by Bolton, Leicester, Reading and Ipswich. (The Sun)

West Ham could be on the verge of signing Reading’s England left back Nicky Shorey, after five million was quoted by the royals. (The Times)

Sunderland hope to pip rivals Portsmouth and Aston Villa to the signing of Reading’s Ireland winger Stephen Hunt for five million pounds.  This is despite fact that the former Brentford is currently on his honeymoon, and negotiations not expected to be completed until mid-June. (The Times)

West Ham are willing to listen to offers of around five million for centre half Anton Ferdinand. Tottenham are rumoured to be readying a bid. (Daily Mirror)

Crystal Palace will make a third bid for Sheffield United striker Danny Webber, after having two bids for the former Manchester United and Watford striker turned down in January. (Daily Mirror)

Former Scotland cap Kevin Kyle could be set to sign for Southend United to try to resurrect his fledging career. (Daily Mirror)

The old firm are both interested in Middlesbrough’s captain and Dutch International George Boateng. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa and Tottenham will go head to head with eight million pound bids for Manchester City’s England keeper Joe Hart. (Daily Star)

Juventus have signed Brazilian striker Amauri from Palermo for around 18 million, with Italian midfielder Antonio Nocerino going the other way. (The Guardian)

Wigan will sign Zamalek attacking midfielder Amr Zaki on loan if the Egyptian club can find a replacement. (The Guardian)

Southampton will try and resign Chris Baird from Fulham. The Northern Ireland right back would be available for a knock down price. (The Guardian)

Barcelona may seek out Inter Milan with a trade; The Catalans want to exchange their player Samuel Eto’o for Inter striker Zlatan Ibramovich in a straight swap. (Various)

Although apparently Barcelona are lining up a move for Thierry Henry’s International strike partner David Trezequet from Juventus. (L’Equipe)

Rangers want to sign Juventus’ Italian winger Raffaele Palladino for five million. (Daily Star)

Manchester United will allow reserve keeper Tom Heaton to join Cardiff City on loan in the hope of stealing a march on their rivals in the race to sign teenage prospect Aaron Ramsey. (Daily Mail)

Espanyol have turned down a 9.5 million pound bid from Liverpool for their former Manchester City and Spain winger Albert Riera. (Various)

Werder Bremen, Villarreal, Valencia and Bayern Munich are all interested in signing out-of-favour Peru striker Claudio Pizarro from Chelsea. (Bild)

Tottenham could sign both Giovanni Dos Santos and Richard Dunne in a 17 million pound deal, five million for Dunne and 12 million pounds for Dos Santos. (Various)

Well, what a season. 

Let's not dwell on Alladyce's short reign at Newcastle United. Let us cast our minds back to January, and to the arrival of Kevin Keegan back at St James' Park. In a few short weeks he had the team playing football again, the ball got to see a lot more of the pitch than it did under Alladyce's and we finished 12th. 

So what's in store for next year?

Nothing so far. KK talks about a top five finish but he needs to start making moves in the transfer market before Euro 2008 kicks off. No doubt the top clubs will be watching for the brightest young players from each country represented and it would be best to get in early. 

A defender or two are definitely needed at SJP. Dunne from Man City would be a great signing and I could see a partnership between him and Taylor. He is just the sort of experienced player Taylor needs to play alongside. Nicky Shorey would be a good choice for the left back position, although I have been impressed with Jose Enrique.

With Joey doing a rather good Ronnie Barker impression ("don't let the bastards grind you down") we need some quality in midfield, and Emana (even though he sounds like a hospital procedure) would be an ideal replacement. Hopefully Charlie N'Zogbia stays and Alan Smith gets booted down the road to Smogville.

Viduka looks like he'll be on the sidelines for a while, Owen seems upset with  £80,000 a week and Martins is being eyed up by Wenger. If Owen and Martins stay, I can't see the harm in signing another striker. Andy Carroll needs more time and hopefully this season he gets it.

I have a good feeling about next season. I don't believe we'll challenge the top five, but a top 10 and dare I even say it, a top eight finish could be on the cards, provided changes are made to the defence.

Hold on tight fellow followers of the Toon, we're in for a bumpy ride.

Again.

Falkirk sign Sheffield Wednesday captain Lee Bullen on a Bosman transfer. The thirty-seven year old defender played every position for the Owls last season, he even played in goal.

Wigan are keen to sign out of contract Le Mans midfielder Hassan Yebda. But will face competition from a host of clubs throughout Europe for the Frenchman’s signature.

AC Milan were the mystery club that bid, close to thirty million for Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech last month. (Corriere dello Sport)

Tottenham are expected to return for Bolivian striker Marcelo Moreno with a six million bid to the player’s club in Brazil, Cruzeiro. (Press Association)

Liverpool are interested in Manchester City and England U-21 midfielder Michael Johnson in a six million pound move. (The Sun)

The reds have also completed the double signing of Swiss right back Philip Degen on a free from Borrusia Dortmund and installed ex Bolton manager Sammy Lee as assistant manager to Rafa Benitez. Lee has already played and been first team coach at the club before he left to concentrate on his role in the England set up.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Carvalho have shocked Manchester United and Chelsea respectively by both admitting that they could leave for Spain in the summer, just five days away from the Champions League Final. Both players have been linked to Real Madrid in recent weeks. (Daily Star)

Rio Ferdinand has signed a new five year contract with Manchester United until 2013. (The Mirror)

West Ham have bid six million for Manchester city defender Richard Dunne. (The Times)

The Irons have also made Anton Ferdinand available for transfer, after manager Alan Curbishley finally lost patience with the former U-21 star. (The Times)

However Alan Curbishley’s job may not be safe with new Italian Sporting Director Gianluca Nani earmarking Foligno manger Pierpaolo Pisoli as a future Upton Park manager. (The Times)

Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra will unload the “deadwood,” at Eastlands. With Paul Dickov, Darius Vassell, Rolando Bianchi, Giovanni, Javier Garrido, Georgios Samaras, Valeri Bojinov and Andreas Isaksson all set to be allowed to leave in the summer. (The Times)

If Gareth Barry leaves for Liverpool, then Martin O’Neil will bid five million for Chelsea outcast Steve Sidwell. But Werder Bremen’s Brazilian playmaker Diego and Bayer Leverkussen’s German international Bernd Schneider remain other alternatives. (The Guardian)

But Middlesborough boss Gareth Southgate is also interested in bringing Sidwell to the Riverside. (Daily Mirror)

In the bidding war for Ronaldniho, Manchester City have bid twenty four million while AC Milan have bid only twenty, although the Brazilian sees the San Siro as his preferred destination. (Gazzette dello Sport)

Samuel Eto’o is also available for thirty million, to fund a big name signing in the summer. (Marca)

Manchester United and France defender Mikael Silvestre would be interested in a move to Bordeaux to rejoin former club team mate Laurent Blanc, who is the Grondin’s clubs manager. (L’Equipe)

Newcastle may rival Sunderland for the signature of Manchester United and Northern Ireland defender Johnny Evans if the Red Devils make him available for transfer. (The Journal)

Wolverhampton Wanderers want to sign Leicester City striker Steve Howard for one million. The Scotland B international only joined the club from Derby County in January. (Daily Mirror)

Feyenoord want Chelsea’s Israeli defender Tal Ben Haim. (Daily Express)

Gary Johnson will attempt to bring Reading striker Leroy Lita back to Ashton Gate if Bristol City win the playoffs and are promoted to the Barclays Premier League. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal want experienced Barcelona and France defender Lillian Thuram next season to shore up their defence. (Daily Star)

Nottingham Forrest will attempt to bring both, Wales Striker, Robert Earnshaw from Derby County and England cap, James Beattie from Sheffield United to the City Ground. (Various)

However Sheffield United boss Kevin Blackwell is also interested in signing Earnshaw, and unite the pair at Bramall Lane instead. (The Star)

Aston Villa will bid four million for Reading’s Republic of Ireland striker Kevin Doyle. (The Mirror)

At Anfield, Portsmouth are in talks with Peter Crouch over a possible fifthteen million pound deal and Scott Carson wants his ten million pound price tag lowered so he can leave Liverpool. (The Times)

Cardiff are ready to cash in on seventeen year old wonder kid Aaron Ramsey after the FA Cup Final, with bids of one million being muted as enough to prise the youngster from Ninian Park. Liverpool and Manchester United are interested. (Daily Telegraph)

Another Cardiff star that may leave the welsh club is semi final hero Joe Ledley, who is considering his future, after a failed bid from Wolves for the winger in the winter. (BBC Sport)

Portugal international Deco has confirmed that he will leave the Nou Camp this summer with Serie A and the Premier League his preferred destinations. (Sky Sports)

Nervous nail biting, constant checking of the cell phone for the latest updates around the league, and hundreds of questions waiting to be answered: it's all a part of the process when entering the final day of what many refer to as the best league in the world.

And for Ryan Giggs, the scene couldn't have been more perfect when he came on as a substitute for his 758th appearance in the United shirt, a record that ties him with Sir Bobby Charlton, to record the game clinching goal that sent a travelling mob of United supporters into delirious celebration as they watched their side clinch their 17th domestic league title.

Cristiano Ronaldo added to his tremendous goal total of 31 on the season with another successfully converted spot-kick in the 33rd minute when he sent Latics goalkeeper Chris Kirkland diving the wrong way.

Sprinkled in with the Wigan fans across the JJB Stadium, the day wasn't filled with the type of comfort that you would have expected from a team destined to lock up another title. Andriy Shevchenko stuffed the ball into the back of the net in the 62nd minute to give the London club some hope of clinching a Premier League title of their own.

However, it was not to be for Chelsea, as Manchester United already held the tie-breaker based on goal difference heading into the final day of the season. Needing a United slip-up and a Chelsea win, the Blues' supporters at Stamford Bridge fell to complete silence, almost in complete resignation that Chelsea would still be without a trophy in the 2007/2008 season.

With a Chelsea side already dejected, Bolton's Matt Taylor equalized through a weak shot between the legs of goalkeeper Petr Cech in injury time to leave Avram Grant's men two point behind United.

Chelsea's problems could stem even further after John Terry had to be withdrawn from the match after he was involved in a collision earlier in the game with Petr Cech. The Blues' skipper is rumored to have a partial dislocation of the shoulder, but could still be making an appearance in Moscow for Chelsea's Champions League final clash with their English rivals Manchester United.

In the battle for fifth place and the final UEFA Cup spot, Everton clinched a 3-1 win over Newcastle at Goodison Park to finish five points ahead of Aston Villa, who drew 2-2 against West Ham.

Yakubu rediscovered his mid-season form as he ensured that David Moyes' men would be in Europe for next season. Moyes' record signing of £11.5 million from Middlesbrough has paid dividends as his 21 goals on the year have made him the first Everton player since Peter Beardsley to top 20 goals on the season—a feat that hasn't been achieved for 26 years.

Aston Villa skipper Gareth Barry appeared to have fired in what should have been a sure game-winning goal until Dean Ashton destroyed Martin O'Neill's hopes of participating in European football for next season.

The season ends with a disappointing 2-2 result away from home, considering that Villa had a realistic chance of leapfrogging Everton to 5th place. Regardless of the match itself, Villa's efforts would have proven to be meaningless as Everton had already secured victory against Newcastle. 

In what should prove to be Sven Goran Eriksson's last match in charge of Manchester City, the Blues of Manchester were spanked in humiliating fashion as their 10-man side fell to Middlesbrough 8-1.

Although City are most likely to be awarded a UEFA Cup spot via the Fair Play League, Eriksson's future as manager looks even gloomier after such a result.

Led by a hat-trick from record signing Afonso Alves and two goals tallied in by Stuart Downing, Boro finished out their season on a high-note as they look to build towards gaining mid-table status for next season. 

At the bottom half of the table, Fulham's Danny Murphy converted the goal of the season for his side when he headed in a Jimmy Bullard free-kick in the 76th minute to lift his side towards retaining their Premier League status.

Despite next week's crucial FA Cup final match against Cardiff, Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp still elected to field a full strength squad—only to no avail as the travelling Fulham supporters at Fratton Park were signing in jubilation.

Danny Murphy's critical goal spelled the end for Reading and Birmingham as they get set to join Derby County back down to the second tier of English football.

In spite of the fact that Steve Coppell's men hit four past Derby goalkeeper Roy Carroll, Reading was left to rue the questionable goals given up earlier in the season as they were eliminated based on goal difference with Fulham. Defensive lapses and questionable performances at the back have proven costly to Reading as they look to regroup for another run back with the Premier League big-boys. 

Over at St. Andrews, fans were turning on co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan after their side failed to stay up despite a convincing 4-1 victory over Blackburn. 

Cameron Jerome's double proved to be pointless as Alex McLeish was forced to suffer another injustice as he joins Steve Coppell and Paul Jewell in their quest to bounce back to the Premier League. 

Uncertainty with Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung's proposed takeover with Birmingham City could ultimately be looked as a key reason behind Birmingham's overall failure.

With Steve Bruce leaving due to constant instability regarding his status as Birmingham's manager, the points lost during that time have Birmingham fans ruing their status as England's "yo-yo" club.

Birmingham vs. Blackburn

It all comes down to the wire for relegation threatened Birmingham, but with Blackburn still within a shout for a place in Europe next season, Alex McCleish won’t be expecting an easy game. A win may not even be enough for the Blues if Fulham or Reading pick up three points in their final league matches. I wouldn’t be shocked if Blackburn condemns Birmingham to the drop. Birmingham 1 Blackburn 2.

Chelsea vs. Bolton

It’s do or die for Chelsea but the Blues know that even a win may not be enough to grant them the chance to lift the Premier League crown. Nonetheless, a win and any slip-up by United will see Chelsea crowned champions. Only a dramatic twist of fate will see Bolton lose their Premiership status so consequently I don’t fancy Gary Megson’s side will be putting up much of a fight against Avram Grant’s title chasers. Chelsea’s home record speaks for itself and I don’t see them stumbling at home. Chelsea 3 Bolton 0.

Derby vs. Reading

Derby has long been relegated but Reading know a win could secure safety, depending on Fulham’s result. Steve Coppell’s side has struggled recently but I anticipate them snatching the win at Pride Park. But the question is, will it be good enough? Reading 1 Derby 0.

Everton vs. Newcastle

Everton has already secured a place in the UEFA Cup for next season and Newcastle aren’t playing for anything more than pride so there isn’t much riding on this fixture. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if this game ended in a draw. Everton 2 Newcastle 2.

Middlesbrough vs. Man City

It’s been a roller coaster season for Gareth Southgate but he will certainly be the more relaxed of the two managers on Sunday. Sven Erickson’s future at Eastlands is looking rather bleak and the Swede is being linked with the vacancy at Benfica. Expect Erickson to conclude his short era at City with a win. Middlesbrough 0 Man City 2.

Portsmouth vs. Fulham

 Portsmouth’s players will have the FA Cup final on their minds but Harry Redknapp knows a place in Europe is still up for grabs. Fulham meanwhile will have their eyes fixed firmly on securing a place in England’s top flight next season. Roy Hodgson’s side looked dead and buried but have produced an improbable comeback in recent weeks. They’ve come too far to throw it away now. Portsmouth 0 Fulham 1.

Sunderland vs. Arsenal

The Gunners have already secured third place while Sunderland could jump as high as 13th place by winning at the Stadium of Light on Sunday. But the Gunners will be hoping to send out a message to the rest of the big four next season with a persuasive win against Roy Kean’s side. Sunderland 0 Arsenal 3.

Tottenham vs. Liverpool

Very little is riding on this fixture but it won’t change the fact both sides will be hoping to finish the season on a high. Nothing could separate the sides in their previous meeting this season and I’m envisaging another draw. Tottenham 2 Liverpool 2.

West Ham vs. Aston Villa

 Aston Villa will be anxious to secure a place in the UEFA Cup final next season and a win over the Hammers could even see them rise to 5th place. A loss on the other hand, could see them slip as far 8th. But I can’t see Martin O’Neil’s side succumbing to defeat at Upton Park in the final game of the season. West Ham 1 Aston Villa 2.

Wigan vs. Man United

Manchester United is 90 minutes away from retaining their title and I imagine Sir Alex Ferguson will do whatever it takes to make sure his side secure the title by winning against the Lactics. But it will be far from easy for the Red Devils against former United captain Steve Bruce. United may even be in for one of their toughest games of the season, but in the end I think they will prevail and clinch their tenth Premier League crown. Wigan 1 Man United 2.

No matter if my predictions come true this weekend or not, the only thing for certain is that it will be an absolutely thrilling finale to what has already been a fantastic season.

But until then there’s plenty of time for you to give your own predictions below.

Four teams remain in the fight for Premier League survival. Two of Fulham, Birmingham, Reading, and Bolton will join Derby in returning to the Championship. All this will be decided on the final match day.

Three weeks ago, Fulham and Bolton looked sunk, but resilient fighting and surprise results have put both sides in the box seat going into match day 38.

If only Reading and Birmingham could say the same; both face an uphill struggle to retain their Premier League status.

Bolton's 2-0 win over Sunderland looks to have secured their place in the elite division for at least another year. That's some achievement considering they sacked one manager and the other is universally hated among fans—not to mention they sold their top and only goal scorer Anelka to Chelsea.

Gary Megson's side will be travelling to the glamorous stadiums once again—as long as there is no flurry of goals at St. Andrews or Pride Park.

Goal difference will keep the Trotters up.

Fulham's escape act kicked on from their sensational 3-2 comeback against Man City to defeat fellow strugglers Birmingham 2-0 at Craven Cottage.

Fulham, like Bolton, seemed dead and buried but their three-goal reply in Manchester displayed the confidence Roy Hodgson has instilled in the side.

The Londoners travel to FA Cup finalists Portsmouth, who despite Redknapp's claims will surely field a weakened team. A win on the South Coast is the minimum requirement, anything less and Reading will condemn them to the Championship.

Reading, as well, is suffering from the old "second season syndrome."

Their inability to score goals has damaged them this term and may ultimately cost them. Without a win or a goal in six matches, it would usually be goodnight Vienna but...

Derby are the opponents—officially the worst ever Premiership team and the worst defense in the league. Paul Jewell's side will attempt to go down with a bang, but Reading simply must win.

Birmingham City, how David Gold must hate Carson Yeung.

He refused to sanction a new contract for manager Steve Bruce and fellow strugglers, Wigan, snapped him up. The upshot is Wigan are safe and Birmingham face trips to Blackpool. 

Their final chance is at home to Blackburn and the only thing that has kept Birmingham in touch is their record at St Andrews. A win and no success for Reading or Fulham and they'll stay up.  

Forget the action at the summit of the league, the real 70 million pound questions will be asked to four clubs at the bottom this weekend; there will be plenty of mentions of "great escapes" and "heartbreaking."

It's the definition of do or die.

For anyone who's familiar with the records for yardage, completions, TDs, and other game stats, you've seen some real gems. Take our picture above, for example. Jake Plummer, one time, had a game out of his mind. 499 yards. His previous best, came against the Cowboys, with 465 yards.

Know what was odd about both games? His team lost both times.

Now, let's look at the 499 yard game, on Oct 31st, 2004. Playing at home, against Atlanta. Plummer actually had 4 TDs, accounting for his team's 28 points. However, he also tossed 3 interceptions, which doesn't help. but as well, how do you throw for almost 500 yards, and only get 4 TDs? If you start an average of the 20 yard line, that's only 80 yards....Plummer must have had some drives die, at the worst possible places. Another fellow, to have a ton of yardage in a season, but fail to convert it into wins, is Kerry Collins.

In 2005, Kerry Collins, playing for the Oakland Raiders, passed for 3759 yards, 20 TDs, against only 12 INTs. Good, decent numbers, right?

Raiders went 4-12. Collins highest yardage game, came against the Eagles, losing the game by 3 points. 345 yards passing, two TDs. Some of it, is not always the QB's fault....if the defense can't hold a lead, or the QB can't get that put-away TD, then all that yardage looks like this, in the stats that matter:

0-1

Probably the king of confusion, on stats, was Warren Moon. Moon's first year, he had over 3000 yards....someone was doing a lot of catchwork. The only problem, was they apparently weren't catching it in the end zone, as he only had 12 TDs, 14 Interceptions, and a 3-13 record. In fact, the Oilers didn't have a better than .500 average, until 1987, Moon's 4th year. Granted, he did have great stats, on some seasons, including one when he challenged Marino's Yards record for a single season....only to fall short when injured late in the year, in a meaningless game.

The main point is pretty simple. Yards in a game, only become meaningful, if they involve the one yard, that turns into a Touchdown. Because, if you drive from the 1 yard line 97 yards....congrats...you didn't score.

And that's the name of the game.

Love baseball? So did I. Now I understand it.

If you are a fan of the game then you have probably heard something about the book, "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game." The Michael Lewis book follows Billy Beane (the general manager of the Oakland Athletics) and his methods for evaluating baseball players.

Beane (through Michael Lewis) provides a very convincing argument that by using better statistics, you can field a better baseball team for less money. He highlights the best and worst indicators of baseball proficiency in players. 

Any person in the baseball industry who argues about the relative value of players has an obligation to read this book to be taken seriously by other serious baseball minds.

Knowing how to win a game is important to general mangers, managers and players.  But why is baseball important to you? One reason is that the game provides a sense of justice. We believe that righteous always win and the unfaithful always lose. We admire small undersized infielders as we admire the child of little means. 

In our society, just as anyone can grow up to be President, anyone can grow up to be Mark Lemke. If you follow these lessons in life you will be successful, just as if you follow them in baseball you will win. For the Gods have dictated:

The most important thing is to preform well in the clutch.

Sacrifices are one of the best ways you can help your team win.

Teamwork and chemistry are more important than statistics. 

Don't swing for the fences. 

You can't do anything if you don't get the bat off your shoulder. 

Effort, grit and determination will make up for physical shortcomings.

The only thing that matters are wins, losses and if you have a world series ring.   

What if every one of those things were true? Would you want to know? Is the life lesson more important than whether or not it is true in a baseball context?

Baseball is a multibillion dollar industry. The median salary of the major league baseball player recently cracked $3 million. Its general managers are paid enormous sums of money and their job is to provide their teams with the best opportunity of winning.

Your job is to enjoy the game.  

Baseball is a game, and games are supposed to be fun. Reading Moneyball has made me more knowledgeable, but it has not made the game more fun. There are those who claim just the opposite—that reading Moneyball has enhanced not only their understanding but their enjoyment of the game. Like them, I desperately want this to be true. Honestly, I don't know if it is. 

If I could ban children from reading this book, I would. The ideas contained within are NC-17 baseball porn with graphic displays of truth. However if you are a mature adult, and after reading this you decide you'd still rather read the book do so at your own peril.  

If there were no God, would you want to know?  Is the comfortable illusion more valuable than the cold truth?  Magic tricks aren't as enchanting when you know how they are done. Cypher from The Matrix wished he had never taken the red pill. You can't un-know what you know.

Sometimes, I wish I could.