Cain, Vick, Carmelo, and random observations on the wonderful world of sports

In the words of the great San Francisco Chronicle sports columnist Scott Ostler, here are my deep thoughts, cheap shots, and bon mots:

---As we enter the last week of the Major League Baseball regular season, my beloved San Francisco Giants are in first place. I am overflowing with euphoric excitement. Please, baseball gods, let this be the Giants year.

---A big reason for the Giants success this season has been the magnificent pitching of Matt Cain. When Cain is in top form, as he was on Sunday against the Rockies, he is absolutely unhittable. Cain carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning, and his prowess on the mound rendered the likes of Troy Tulowitzki, Todd Helton, and Carlos Gonzalez helpless at the plate. It was a beautiful performance from one of the best pitchers in the game.

---Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow this morning on "The Murph and Mac Show" on KNBR: "Being around this group, it's been a privilege." Amen to that. Go Giants!!!!!

---Now back to unbiased programming.

---In other baseball news, the Atlanta Braves are slumping at the most inopportune time. For most of the season, the Braves have been an irresistible story. The Braves were resting comfortably atop the NL East standings, poised to end manager Bobby Cox' career on a high note. However, as the playoffs approach, Atlanta is in grave danger of missing out on the postseason. While it must be noted that the Braves demise has coincided with the magnificent, inevitable run by the Phillies, Atlanta's fall from grace has been rather shocking.

---But make no mistake: If Atlanta does not make the playoffs, it is in no way a reflection of Bobby Cox. Cox is one of the five best managers of all-time. Case closed.

---Congratulations to the Texas Rangers, who clinched the AL West title on Saturday with a win over the Athletics. In a year rife with surprises-----the Padres, the dominance of pitching, the woes of the injury-plagued Red Sox, etc.-----no surprise was greater than the stellar play of Ron Washington's Texas Rangers. With Micheal Young, Josh Hamilton, and Nelson Cruz, the Rangers' potent offense rivals that of the Yankees. And as far as pitching is concerned, you need look no further than ace Cliff Lee as evidence that the Rangers will be a major force to be reckoned with come October.

---Gotta love pennant-race baseball. Once the postseason matchups are set, look for my MLB postseason preview, coming to a computer near you.

---On to football now, where Michael Vick is as electrifying as ever. Vick's spectacular play at quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles buoyed Philly to a dominating win over the hapless Jaguars on Sunday. Thanks to Vick's leadership, the Eagles are 2-1, in first place in the NFC East.

---Vick's amazing play underscores just how absurd the thought of starting Kevin Kolb over Vick really was. No disrespect to Kolb-----he is a talented QB-----but he has no place starting ahead of Vick.

---And for those of you who still refuse to offer Vick forgiveness for his admittedly heinous behavior in regards to dogfighting, get off your moral highground. Vick has showed genuine remorse for his past actions, and he deserves our forgiveness. Now, it is time to sit back, relax, and enjoy his stunning athleticism.

---Is there any professional sports franchise more overrated than the Dallas Cowboys? I say no. Granted, the Cowboys' 27-13 road win against a very good Texans team was extremely impressive. But Dallas still sits at 1-2, and there is no evidence to suggest that they are a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Tony Romo is solid, but he is not in the same class as Manning, Brees, and Brady. Not even close. So while much of the sports world overreacts to Dallas' Week 3 win, let me be the voice of reason: The Dallas Cowboys will miss the playoffs.

---I've been to a lot of elementary school football games in my life, but I'm not sure I've ever seen a sloppier game than yesterday's Bengals-Panthers dud. Carson Palmer was terrible, and Jimmy Clausen was.........Wow.

---On the flipside, the Jets-Dolphins game was tremendous. Rumor has it that Rex Ryan celebrated the Jets win by flipping off the partiers at South Beach. Gotta love Rex, one of the most entertaining and fearless personalities in all of sports, and one of the best coaches in the NFL.

---As for the Niners, well, their start to the season has brought back painful memories of the Dennis Erikson team that went 2-14. So yeah, I'm not too optimistic.

---Meanwhile, in college football, there are two quarterbacks who are poised to be stars in the NFL: Michigan's Denard Robinson and Stanford's Andrew Luck. Both Robinson and Luck are joys to watch.

---There is bound to be more BCS controversy this year, as Alabama, Boise State, Oklahoma, TCU, Florida, and Ohio State all seem to have a shot at an undefeated season. BCS controversy? Gee, what a shock. It's time for a playoff system, people!

---The richly compelling NBA offseason continues. The latest chapter is the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors. As a diehard NBA addict (the NBA is the best league in sports), I have a crazy amount of thoughts that are exploding in my head. As soon as Carmelo's destination is determined, I will have a mega-blog on all the happenings of the NBA season, as we prepare for the regular season to tip off at the end of October. Stay tuned!

---I will conclude this edition of Random Observations with my favorite tweet of the week, courtesy of KNBR's Brian Murphy, a superb sports-talk radio host in San Francisco. Commenting on UCLA's shocking butt-whooopin' of Texas, Murphy (himself a UCLA alum) tweeted the following: "If Austin, TX is anything like Dillon, TX, Mack Brown must be getting the cold shoulder at Applebee's tonight!" If you do not understand the reference, then you are missing out one of the very best shows on television.