Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Sunday, January 28, 2007
41 Stops To Super Bowl XLI: Completed Version!!!
#1-WIN THIS GAME, GO TO HALL OF FAME: This is the 9th Super Bowl played in Miami. The winning quarterback of the 8 previous Super Bowls played in Miami have gone on to the Hall of Fame. No kidding. Bart Starr, Joe Namath, Johnny Unitas, Terry Bradshaw [twice], Joe Montana, Steve Young and John Elway all won Super Bowls in Miami....and all are in the Hall of Fame.
#2-SPORTZ' PREDICTS: Colts 30-Bears 20. Super Bowls tend to be high scoring by nature...and despite the feeling that the Bears offense sucks, they did score the 2nd most points in the NFL this season. This is the rare Super Bowl where I don't have some sort of feeling for either team. Last year, I wanted the Steelers to lose. I hate the Eagles, so Super Bowl XXXIX was nice. The year before that, since I am from Charlotte, I rooted for the Panthers. I don't hate either team. I'd like to see Manning get a Super Bowl ring [he's a keeper on my fantasy team, so I am used to rooting for him]...but I picked the Bears in my office's Super Bowl pool.
#3-SARAH SPAIN: Go to the AOL's NFL Fanhouse and read about the story of Sarah Spain.
#4-SOUTH FLORIDA'S LOGO: Check out the logo above. The orange represents the sun; the blue represents the ocean. The Roman numeral "I" is made to look like an endzone pylon that is supposed to signify "the goal is to get to the game".
#5-CBS'S FIRST GO AROUND SINCE NIPPLE-GATE: This is CBS's first Super Bowl since the Janet Jackson halftime fiasco in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Something about a pasty, a boob and Justin Timberlake. On a tangent here, but isn't it odd that Prince is deemed non-threatening?? Didn't dude wear butt-less chaps to the MTV Awards many moons ago?
#6-WINNING TWO AT HOME: This is the first Super Bowl since 1996 that both participants won two home playoff games. The Colts beat the Chiefs and Patriots at the RCA Dome. The Bears beat the Seahawks and Saints at Solder Field.
#7-GAME TIDBITS: Dan Marino will flip the opening coin toss. Don Shula will hand out the Vince Lombardi trophy. Jim Nantz and Phil Simms will call the game [this is Nantz' first Super Bowl]. Prince performs the halftime show. Billy Joel will sing the National Anthem. The Bears, most likely, will wear their traditional black jerseys...and the Colts will wear white.
#8-DOLPHINS STADIUM ON A NEW NETWORK: This is the 4th Super Bowl played in Dolphins Stadium [or whatever name it's been]....and the 4th different network to cover a Super Bowl. NBC did Super Bowl XXIII; ABC did Super Bowl XXIX; Fox did Super Bowl XXXIII; and now CBS is doing Super Bowl XLI.
#9-AFC LOVES FEBRUARY: Since the Super Bowl has been played in February, the AFC is 4-0 in those games. The Patriots beat the Rams [in a Super Bowl that was pushed back into February due to postponment of Week 2 due to the attacks of 9/11], Panthers and Eagles and last year the Steelers beat the Seahawks.
#10-THE LUCKY NUMBER 8: Starting QBs who wear the #8 are a combined 5-1 in the Super Bowl. Troy Aikman won 3 Super Bowls with the Cowboys; Trent Dilfer won with the Ravens; Steve Young won with the 49ers. However, last year #8 Matt Hasselbeck lost the Super Bowl. So...is this good news or bad news for Rex Grossman??
#11-FIRST BLACK HEAD COACHES IN SUPER BOWL: Chicago's Lovie Smith and Indianapolis' Tony Dungy are the first black head coaches to lead their teams to the Super Bowl. Don't know if you've heard that one or not? And like the time the first black QB started in the Super Bowl [Doug Williams], one of these coaches will win in that first try.
#12-BUT THEY'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE: However, the two coaches aren't strangers to the Super Bowl. Tony Dungy was a safety [who forced a fumble] for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII. Lovie Smith was the defensive coordinator for the St Louis Rams when they lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI.
#13-LITTLE NAMES FOR BIG GAMES: The Colts and Bears meet up for a Super Bowl that marks the 2nd shortest combined team names in Super Bowl history. The Colts have five letters in their name....the Bears have five. That's a combined 10 letters. The shortestis Super Bowl III, which saw the Colts face the Jets, with just 9 letters.
#14-WHO WILL BE AT THE GAME?? Here ya go: Each team is given an allotment of 17.5% of the tickets to the game. The host team [in this case, the Dolphins] gets 5% of the tickets. The NFL gets 25.2% of the tickets....with each other NFL team to get 1.2% of the tickets. So...what does that mean? Well, each team can sell tickets to their fan base [most likely the season ticket holders] and such. The NFL does several things with their tickets. They hold a lottery to sell some of the tickets. Some more get sold in a "package deal" via a tour group that includes a lot more than just the ticket. The other teams use their tickets for their players, some "special fans" and used in various contests. The best way to buy a ticket for yourself?? Go somewhere like StubHub.com and pay thru the nose.
#15-LINGERIE BOWL: Yep...it's that time of year again. Lingerie Bowl IV!!! The Dallas Desire, Los Angeles Temptation, Chicago Bliss and New York Euphoria will do battle on the gridiron!! Jena Jameson will be there. So will Jim McMahon, The Fridge, The Boz and Kato kaelin. Go to LINGERIE BOWL IV - Home of the Lingerie Football League (LFL) for more info
#16-BEWARE OF THE DARK HORSE: In a game like this, sometimes someone that nobody planned for has a huge game and becomes the difference maker. Thisdates all the way back to Super Bowl I....when Max McGee [who spent the previous night partying in LA] of the Packers caught 7 passes. Weird, since he caught only FOUR all season long! Or the Redskins' Timmy Smith, who ran for a record 204 yards in Super Bowl XXII. Or Desmond Howard, who is known for twothings. His Heismantrophy and Super Bowl XXXI MVP. Or the Cowboys' Larry Brown, who went from a nobody to Super Bowl XXX MVP.....back to a nobody. So, who could be the darkhorses in this game?? Well, for Indianapolis, I'll take Aaron Moorehead; For Chicago, Desmond Clark.
#17-SOMEONE WILL SCORE BEFORE HALFTIME: There has never been a Super Bowl that was scoreless at halftime. NEVER. The closest came in Super Bowl IX when the Steelers took a 2-0 lead into the half over the Vikings. But the last five Super Bowls have seen NO touchdowns scored in the 1st quarter....with two of them being scoreless in the first quarter. In fact, only TWICE has the Super Bowl been tied at halftime anyways. Super Bowl XXIII, the Niners and Bengals weretied at 3-3 at the half. Then, Super Bowl XXXIX was tied 7-7 at the half.
#18-PROPOSITION BETS: These are the other betting scenerios during Super Bowl Sunday. Bets such as the coin toss, who will score first, who will score last, who will get the first 1st down in the 2nd quarter, the last score of the first half, who will punt first, will there be a missed FG attempt, who committs the first penalty, who uses the coach's challenge first, will that challenge be overturned, first QB sack, first timeout,etc. Go to Bodog Sportsbook for more betting info.
#19-SUPER BOWL AND NBA FINALS: Sort of. This marks the 2nd straight season that the Super Bowl will be held in a city that also hosted the most recent NBA Finals. Last year, the Super Bowl was in Detroit....who also saw a Pistons-Spurs NBA Finals. Now, it's in Miami....which saw the Heat-Mavericks Finals last year.
#20-SEC QUARTERBACKIN': Rex Grossman went to Florida; Peyton Manningwent to rival Tennessee. This is the first time the opposing quarterbacks in the Super Bowl have been from the same colleigate conference since Super Bowl XXXIII...when the Pac-10's John Elway [Stanford] hooked up with Chris Chandler [Washington].
#21-NO MORE GRASS: The Colts have lost their last three games on grass surfaces. Miami's Dolphins Stadium, where the Super Bowl will be played, has a grass surface.
#22-SUPER BOWL DROUGHT: The last time the Colts were in the Super Bowl....it was 1971. It has been 36 years between Super Bowl berths. That is the longest drought between appearances in Super Bowl history. The Chiefs [1970] and Jets [1969] can break that record with another trip to the big game.
#23-THE SUPER BOWL PREGAME GOATS: There have been many blunders in sports....but there three paramount screw-ups in the history of the Super Bowl. Stanley Wilson, Eugene Robinson and Barrett Robbins. Wilson was set to play for the Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII in Miami when the night before he was found by police high of cocaine after a binge. Ten years later, Robinson, who just won the Bart Starr Award for "high moral character", gets caught by an undercover cop trying to get a hooker toput her mouth on him the night before the big game. Robbins takes the cake. He disappeared from the Raiders before Super Bowl XXVII, went to Tijuana on a drinking binge. The team finally found him......in jail and on suicide watch.
#24-HEADING TO GLENDALE: Super Bowl XLII will be held in Glendale, AZ next year....where the awesome new University of Phoenix Stadium now sits. The UPS held the BCS National Championship game earlier this yearand is a marvel. Miami will see the Super Bowl back again pretty soon. Super Bowl XLIV in 2010 will be held there.
#25-CHAMPIONSHIP BANNERS: This is only the 2nd time Indianapolis has been on the championship stage....sort of. Only the 2000 Indiana Pacers of the NBA has made a pro team championship appearance for Indy. However, Indianapolis is one of the most popular Final Four sites. As for Chicago, just two years ago the White Sox brought home the World Series. In 1991-1993 and again in 1996-1998, the Chicago Bulls brought home the NBA Championship. In fact, Chicago has won their last 6 professional attempts for a championship. The last failed attempt was the 1992 Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals.
#26-THE AD GAME: There are three major themes during the Super Bowl. The actual game, the halftime entertainment and the commercials. Whether it is Bud Bowl, the Bud-Weis-Er frogs, those dot-com companies littering our airwaves a few years ago, learning about 4-hour erections for the first time, Michael J Fox running around for a Diet Pepsi, the Apple computer ad in 1984[which didn't feature the product], Jordan and Bird banking shots all over the place in the ultimate game of horse, or the Pepsi or Coke delivery guy trying to get a sip of the competition and getting caught on the security camera spilling all the drinks. Ya know....YOU KNOW....that there will some some ad that everyone will be rolling on the day after the Super Bowl. Go to SuperBowl-Ads.com for more on those crazy ads.
#27-SMALL ARENAS: The Colts and Bears boast the smallest stadiums in the NFL. The refurbished Soldier Field in Chicago holds63,000 fans....lowest in the NFC and 2nd smallest in the league. The RCA Dome in Indianapolis, which willbe around just one more season, holds a meager 56,127...smallest in the NFL.
#28-COLTS DOUBLE DUTY I: The Colts join the Raiders and Rams as the only franchises to play in the Super Bowl from two seperate cities. The Raiders have played in Super Bowl as Los Angeles and Oakland. The Rams have played as Los Angeles and St. Louis. The Colts have now been to the Super Bowl as both Baltimore and Indianapolis.
#29-COLTS DOUBLE DUTY II: The Colts are trying to become the second team to win Super Bowls with in two different cities. The other is the Raiders, who won Super Bowls in Oakland and Los Angeles.
#30-COLTS DOUBLE SIDED: The Colts are the only franchise to have represented both sides of the coin. In SuperBowl III, the Colts were the NFL/NFC Champion. In Super Bowls V and now XLI, the Colts were the AFC Champion.
#31-TEN POINT COMEBACK: Sure, this is a biased remark...but it seems to be true. Super Bowl XXII.....Denver goes up 10-0 quickly. Then came the 2nd quarter. Doug Williams, Ricky Sanders and Timmy Smith led Redskins onslaught. Five TDs in an 18-play frame that took up 5:47 off the clock. 35 points. When halftime came around, Washington was up 35-10....and coasted in the second half for a 42-10 victory. Timmy Smith ran for 204 yards, still an NFL record. And the 10 point deficit is still the largest comeback in Super Bowl history.
#32-WIDE RECEIVING TO AN MVP AWARD: The last two Super Bowl MVPs have been wide receivers [Deion Branch, Hines Ward] marking only the fourth and fifth times a WR has won the award. But, it is the 2nd time receivers have went back-to-back. In Super Bowls X and XI, Lynn Swann and Fred Biletnikoff won the MVP award [the only other WR to win the thing was some dude named Jerry Rice]. Could Reggie Wayne or Marvin Harrison be the next one?
#33-KICK RETURNING: Much is made about the Bears' Devin Hester returning kicks this year [he has 3 punt returns for TDs]....but no punt has been returned for a TD in Super Bowl history. None. In fact, only once has a punt been returned for more than 35 yards [John Taylor's 45-yd puntreturn in Super Bowl XXIII]. And no opening kickoff has been run back for a TD, either.
#34-BAD QB PLAY: Many people will wonder how Rex Grossman got his team to a Super Bowl? He will likely go down with Tony Eason, Kerry Collins, Trent Dilfer, David Woodley, Craig Morton, Joe Kapp, Vince Ferragamo and Neil O'Donnell as one of the worst QBs to ever make the big game. Of those QBs, only Dilfer won the game. By the way, Ben Roethlisberger last year set the record for worst QB game rating for a Super Bowl winner.
#35-NO TWO-AND-OHS: The Bears are makingjust their 2nd Super Bowl appearance. They won their first trip, back in Super Bowl XX, joining the Ravens, Buccaneers and Jets as the only franchises to win their only trip to the Super Bowl. However, no franchise is 2-0 in Super Bowls. None. The only franchise that has made more than one Super Bowl appearance and is still undefeated is the San Francisco 49ers...who are 5-0.
#36-AFC DOMINATION: The AFC has won 7 of the last 9 Super Bowls, including three in a row....just after the NFC ran off 13 straight wins in the 1980s and 1990s. The NFC still holds the advantage at 21-19. But take outthe NFC's 13-game win streak....and the AFC has won 19 of 27 games. The only NFC champions to with the game in the past decade are the 1999 Rams and 2002 Buccaneers.
#37-INDY'S IN THE SUPERBOWL: Scratch Indianapolis off the list of current NFL cities to never go to the Super Bowl. The ones left: Detroit, New Orleans, Phoenix/Glendale, Cleveland, Jacksonville and Houston. If you break it down to cities who have had nothing to do with the Super Bowl at all....all you had was Indianapolis and Cleveland. Detroit, New Orleans, Phoenix/Glendale, Jacksonville and Houston have all hosted Super Bowls. Now, only Cleveland stands alone.
#38-MIAMI HOSTS 9th SUPER BOWL: Miami joins New Orleans as hosting their 9th Super Bowl [the 10th will come in 2010].
#39-ANIMAL POWER: This Colts-Bears Super Bowl will only be the 2nd time that both mascots are animals. The first time was in Super Bowl XXXIII when the Falcons and Broncos matched up. Technically, this will be the first meeting of mammal mascots.
#40-CLOSEST SUPER BOWL EVER: Chicago andIndianapolis are just 159 miles apart. That is the closest proximity between two Super Bowl cities ever. Coming in 2nd is Baltimore-New York....which is 173 miles apart. The odd thing about that is that the Baltimore-New York connection met up twice, yet involved four different teams. Once, it was the NY Jets and Baltimore Colts....with the NY Giants and Baltimore Ravens being the other matchup.
#41-TWO LIKE OPPONENTS: The Colts and Bears have just two like opponents during the regular season: the Patriots and Giants. Both teams beat the Giants in New York. But the Colts beat the Pats [twice] while the Bearslost to them, 17-13, in Foxboro.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Sports TV at 4:45 am
I was reading my newest edition of Entertainment Weekly when I came upon Stephen King's column where he just flips around his TV and says what's on each channel. Not what show....but what is on during those 10 seconds he flipped there.
So, I want to do the same. I am a DirecTV customer and have the entire sports lineup that I am paying for. What can a sports nut at 4:45 am count on? Below I will answer that with a list of most of the sports channels I have [since many showed the same infomercials, I didn't list them all].
Here we go:
ESPN: Aussie Open. Two dudes are volleying and making noises of forced man love. Not to my liking.
ESPNews: Highlights of the Sixers smacking up the Hornets.
ESPNClassic: The 2004 World Series of Poker. I swear, if not for the WSOP and Cheap Seats....would there be an ESPNClassic??
ESPN2: A promo for Grey's Anatomy. Don't watch the show...and the term "McDreamy" makes me want to honk. Dude was the pizza boy in Loverboy. He ain't "McDreamy"
NFL Network: A nice chit-chat about the story of the New Orleans Saints this year. Truly and amazing story.
NBA-TV: A replay of the Suns-Wizards game from earlier in the day. Phoenix smacked the Wiz around.
TVG: That's the horse racing channel. Ah, a promo for Bowflex. Right now, I'd be willing to bet that I have 25 channels showing a Bowflex at this moment.
VERSUS: I see three dudes with all kinds of sponsors on their jackets....fishing. I don't fish, never wanted to fish, don't eat fish, don't like fish.
FUEL: A bunch of burned out neo-hippies in the woods trying to do something with a skateboard or something.
MSG NETWORK: Man! I can make a fortune just sitting at home and selling real estate! If I buy a ticket to hear someone talk about a "pyramid of success", I will be rich!!!!
YES NETWORK: The Sleep Number Bed. Nice. The best thing to have on TV for people who can't go to sleep.
NESN: The Sonic Blade. Not advised to use when still thinking of that Sleep Number Bed.
SNY: The folks at Sports New York are worried about my credit card debt.
MID ATLANTIC SPORTS NETWORK: No kidding. They are showing "Washington Nationals Classics". The team has been around for two seasons and have sucked!! They have no classics. I mean, how many games can they have to choose from???
FSN-PITTSBURGH: Some chick in a bikini wading around in a pool asking people about these sunglasses. Ah, the Blue Blockers.
COMCAST: Christie Brinkley and Chuck Norris show up about the Total Gym. Chuck Norris says it tastes great!
FSN-DETROIT: Some British dude is telling me how to clean my home by using some sweeper thing.
FSN-ARIZONA: Apparantly there is a system to making a mint on Ebay. As if the concept of garage sales hadn't crossed anyone's minds. Look, the key to Ebay is to buy in-demand items up...duh.
FSN-ROCKY MOUNTAIN: Wesley Snipes talking about not trusting someone. Like, your baby's mama? The IRS? Oh! It's another Total Gym.
FSN-WEST an FSN-WEST 2: Here is the legendary [in his own mind] Van Earl Wright. The dude who thinks his own voice is funny. Especially to the people of "Los An-gul-lez"
FSN-BAY AREA: A commercial for Hooters. Now, why do I need a Hooters commercial at, now, 5:10am???
FSN-EVERYWHERE ELSE: Sonic Blades, Total Gyms, Sleep Numbers, Glasses.
ALTITUDE: Something called the Sled Head. People racing sleds.
And there you have it. Nothing is on. I guess I'll have to flip over to Nick at Nite and watch another episode of Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
Peace.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Another Bengal Arrested!
Cincinnati Bengal Arrested For Pot Possession
According to the Boone County Sheriff's Department, Bengals defensive back Johnathan Joseph was a passenger in a vehicle that was weaving around 2:15 Monday morning.
When deputies stopped the vehicle, they said they detected an odor of drugs.
Police said a search turned up a bag of marijuana, and Joseph was charged with possession.
The female driver, Kelsy Glover, of Fairfield, was charged with careless driving and operating on a suspended license.
Joseph was the Bengals' first round draft pick in 2006 and played in every game this past season.
Joseph is the ninth Bengals player to be arrested since 2005.
Bill Parcells Retires As Cowboys Coach
There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall
And the bells in the steeple too
And up in the nursery an absurd little bird
Is popping out to say "cuckoo"
Cuckoo, cuckoo
Regretfully they tell us Cuckoo, cuckoo
But firmly they compel us Cuckoo, cuckoo
To say goodbye . . .
Cuckoo!
. . . to you
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night
I hate to go and leave this pretty sight
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu
Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu
So long, farewell, au revoir, auf wiedersehen
I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye -- Goodbye!
I'm glad to go, I cannot tell a lie
I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly
The sun has gone to bed and so must I
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye!
Not that I'm known to put a song from Sound of Music on my site....but it's pretty apropos. Imagine Bill Parcells at a press conference singing this song. Just imagine. It is perfect. And you can fill in who would qualify as the "cuckoo".
The NFL Proves We Know Nothing
What a day. Interesting that both home teams won today's AFC and NFC Championship games, and we're surprised. Also interesting since midway through the season, these two teams [Bears and Colts] were clearly the best in their conferences. Still, we don't know a lick about anything.
PEYTON MANNING CAN'T WIN THE BIG ONE: That was a valid gripe coming into this game....and for 35 minutes, it looked as if Manning was going down in postseason flames again. But Manning hung tough in the pocket as the Patriots pressured him hard. He hung tough as he stared at an 18 point deficit. He hung tough despite hurting the thumb on his throwing hand. And it was Manning that orchestrated the game winning drive in the AFC Championship game.
PATRIOTS NEVER FOLD: Conventional wisdom is that to beat the Patriots, you must jump on them early. If not, they will slowly kill you. Today, New England jumped to a 21-3 lead and looked like a buzzsaw. All of the sudden, their defense looked bad, took too many chances and they choked away that lead.
TOM BRADY MAKES GOOD ON FINAL DRIVES: When the Pats took the field with a minute left and down by 4 points, I thought to myself, "can Tom Brady do it again." Then, I thought to myself, "but, he's never had to do this!" We all remember the big game winning drives against Oakland in 2002, and in Super Bowls XXXVI and XXXVIII...and even last week against the Chargers. But in those games, Tom Brady took the ball when the score was tied. If he failed, no big deal...the game was going to overtime [aside from the Oakland game, which was already in OT]. Brady just had to drive the team into FG range and then the kicker took it over. Not this time. Down by 4 points and having to go 80 yards is no easy task for any QB. But this is Tom Brady...the modern day Joe Montana. And Montana made the same drive nearly 20 years ago in a Super Bowl. Brady couldn't do it...and unceremoniously threw an interception to end their season.
BEARS OFFENSE SUCKS: They do! Rex Grossman blows. The receivers aren't really special. The running backs are okay, but both have issues. Oh, and they can put up 39 points in the NFC title game in the freezing cold.
SAINTS OFFENSE IS UNSTOPPABLE: I am a Redskins fan, and I know that the Saints offense can be slowed up a bit. I have no idea how we did that...but we did. Aside from that long run by Reggie Bush, the Saints really couldn't break up the Bears defense.
BELIEVE IN FATE: When anything unpredictable happens in sports, we always say that it was fate. George Mason getting to the Final Four?? Fate. That's why many people felt the Saints would go to the Super Bowl. It was too good of a story and made us feel warm inside to see this bastard team of 2005 blaze a path to the Super Bowl the very next year. I'll admit that I wanted to see New Orleans in the Super Bowl for a ton of reasons....including the "well, they deserve it." But sports also tells the tale of scoreboard....meaning that sometimes the good guys who fought so hard don't get the biggest glory.
YOU CAN'T CROWN A CHAMPION IN OCTOBER: Last year, the Super Bowl champion Steelers were 7-5 and needed a winning streak just to make the playoffs. We all know that usually the team that fires out of the gate ends up flaming out before we get to February. Not this year. The Bears were 7-0 at one point....and the Colts were 9-0. Around mid-November, these two were clearly the best teams in their conferences. Since then, both flamed a bit. But both are here now to bask in the glory for a couple of weeks.
NFL GAMES DON'T MEAN AS MUCH AS COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES DO: College football loves to seethat "every week counts". I think that's a lie. It only counts for a select few teams. Once you are out of the BCS loop, it really doesn't matter anymore. Check out the NFL. The fact that the Colts beat the Patriots about 4 months ago brought a huge baring on this game, eh? If New England won that game, this AFC Championship game would've been held in Foxboro. Heck, if New England had won that game, the Colts would've faced the Jets in the first round....then the Chargers. The Pats would've had the Chiefs then Ravens. That AFC Championship game could've been totally different. And even if that Colts-Pats game stayed the same...how big were those New England losses at home to Miami or NY Jets?? If they won one of those games, the playoff bracket would've been totally flipped around. Or if San Diego didn't make that great comeback in Seattle in Week 16...Baltimore would've been the #1 seed. The point is, the games all mean something in a domino effecting way.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Colts v Bears: I Called It One Year Ago
Last year on Sports Bloggers Live [click the link to hear me say it]....I said that the Colts and Bears would meet in the Super Bowl.
Of course, when I said it....I meant Super Bowl XL. Still, it ended up happening a year later, and it should be a very good game. There are stories all over this one.
Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith lead their teams into the Super Bowl. No black head coaches have ever taken their team to the Super Bowl. None. This year, both teams are run by black coaches....meaning that for the first time, a black coach will win the game [just like the first black QB to start a Super Bowl game, Doug Williams, won it].
There are many more....and rest assured that SPORTZASSASSIN.COM will be laced with tidbits. Last year, I rocked the 40 Stops To Super Bowl XL. This year, I'll do that one better...with 41 stops. Keep checking out the site for that heading your way!
What Super Bowl Would I Rather See?
Today is Championship Day. At the end of the night, we will all know who will be the two participants in Super Bowl XLI. We'll know the storylines, we'll all know what colors to make our Super Bowl party, we'll all know what squares we got on the ol' Super Bowl pool.
So who do I really want to see? Each game has some interesting side-stories.
1-COLTS v SAINTS: This could be the most entertaining Super Bowl. Both have awesome offenses and, at times, suspect defenses. This game would have Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Deuce McAllister, Marques Colston, Dwight Freeney and Joseph Addai. Pretty good. It also has the Saints, who are the feel-good story of the NFL season. It would also feature two cities who have never been to the Super Bowl. Also, Tony Dungy would be the first black coach to take his team to the Super Bowl. Oh, and something about Peyton Manning facing off against his favorite team growing up.....his dad's team.
2-COLTS v BEARS: First one will be that both head coaches will be black, quite a memorable feat in an age of trying to get teams to look at minority candidates. Also, would be the legendary Colts offense against the legendary Bears defense. Neither is as good as their "legends" suggest....but it still would be cool. Then, on the other side, you'd have the much maligned Rex Grossman going up against the much maligned Colts defense. Nice. There is also the proximity of the teams, who aren't but a few hours apart.
3-PATRIOTS v SAINTS: The young Sean Payton against the NFL's big game man in Bill Belichick. Tom Brady in another Super Bowl. Oh, and Drew Brees against the patchwork New England defense.
4-PATRIOTS v BEARS: This game brings the least amount of excitement. Especially when you think of winter games with the Bears or Pats, who think of freezing, snowy conditions. Not the heat of South Beach. Still, it would be interesting to see Belichick up against Lovie Smith....just like in 2002 when the Pats won their first Super Bowl over Lovie's Rams defense. It ranks 4th on this list because we've already seen this game once...and it wasn't that good.
So....who do I think will make the Super Bowl?
The Bears in the cold beat the offensive Saints. The offensive Colts run the track on the Pats. Super Bowl XLI: Colts v Bears
Friday, January 19, 2007
David Beckham Plays For the Galaxy....and Now You Can Too!!!
The LA Galaxy of the MLS [that's Major League Soccer to the layperson] are bringing over David Beckham to play for them this season for what could be a whopping $250M deal.
Not too shabby.
Maybe you can help out on the finances of that. You see, for $130 out of your own pocket, you can try out to be Beckham's next teammate.
Yeah, the Los Angeles Galaxy and holding open tryouts on February 10th and 11th. Click on the above link for info about applying for the gig.
The fee is $130. Type in your preferred position, height, weight, kicking foot, if you are a US Citizen and list your previous soccer experience. They'll pick a stock of fellas from the pile and give you a call if you made it. Not too shabby?
I know we all liked that movie INVINCIBLE about Vince Papali and him making the Eagles from an open tryout like that....but c'mon. Are the Dodgers sending out feelers for pitchers? Are the Lakers looking to bring in some rec leaguers to fill out their roster? This is why the MLS is the MLS and no one cares about it. After Game #1 of the Beckham Era, we will all lose interest just as we always do after soccer does something to "build up the sport in America".
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Kwame Brown, the Cake Snatcher
Lakers' Brown takes the cake, but won't be prosecuted
HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. -- A man walking down the street at bar-closing time with a $190 cake in his arms claimed Los Angeles Lakers center Kwame Brown swiped his birthday treat.
But authorities said the cake caper won't be prosecuted.
In a police report, Alexander Martinez said he left his 30th birthday celebration at the Shore Restaurant and Lounge at about 1:45 a.m. Saturday with the uneaten 2-by-2-foot cake and walked north toward the Blue 32 nightclub.
Martinez told police he first came upon Lakers forward Ronny Turiaf, who he said agreed to pose for a photograph with him and the chocolate cake.
But outside of Blue 32, the 6-foot-11, 270-pound Brown came along, grabbed the cake and threw it at Martinez, according to the report. Brown got into a white limousine and left, Martinez claimed in the report, although he didn't suggest any reason for the cake toss.
Martinez reported that he then walked up to Lamar Odom as the Lakers forward left Pedone's Pizza and confronted him about the cake, which was splattered on the birthday man's back.
A man believed to be Odom's bodyguard pushed Martinez into the street, yelling at him to get away from Odom, the police report said.
"Calm down,he didn't do anything," Odom told the man believed to be his bodyguard, the report said.
Everyone then went their separate ways and Martinez filed a police report 12 hours later.
Detectives presented a possible "grand theft of a person" case to the city attorney's office, which decided not to prosecute.
Brown wasn't talking, but Lakers spokesman John Black said the team was aware of the alleged incident and had been told prosecutors were not filing charges. Black had no other comment.
The Lakers are on a three-game road trip through Saturday.
Brown, averaging 8.7 points and 6.6 rebounds, has been sidelined since spraining his right ankle on Dec. 31. He is expected back in about two weeks.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
R.I.P. Benny Parsons
Baseball's Hall Of Fame is Stupid
I said it...and I meant it: Baseball's Hall of Fame is stupid.
It's dumb.
It's full of crap.
Case closed.
In what is supposed to be the mother of all Halls of Fame, the baseball Hall of Fame is both full of itself and wreckless. Not to mention that the voters of this Hall view themselves as the St Peter's of the baseball world. The gatekeepers to immortality.
That's fine and dandy until they decide on other's mortality. Check Mark McGwire's plight.
Now, I'm all for keeping Big Mac out. His numbers are there....but I think he cheated. Most baseball followers think he cheated. And I have no problem with the voters that decided to keep McGwire out....or even the voters that wanted him in. My thing is WHY voters did either.
If you think he cheated when you voted this year [barring information solidifying the opposite], then you think he cheated next year. And the year after. And so on.
Yet, next year, for some reason, McGwire will get more votes. Why? Why? Why???? His numbers won't change in a year. Neither, most likely, will be the facts around his perceived steroid use. So why would he get more votes?
Oh, many voters forget to check Big Mac's ballot because they didn't want him to be a "first ballot Hall of Famer". Whooooo. A scourge if ever there was one. As if being a 2nd, 3rd or 4th ballot HOFer means your plaque is near the bathrooms in the basement or something. Ask Bruce Sutter if being a first time HOFer matters right now. If you are in....you're in, regardless.
So why the charade? If the man deserves to be in the Hall of Fame at any point...go ahead and vote for him. Why vote NO in 2007 and YES in 2008?? Nothing about his candidacy is different. Nothing! The fact that these baseball writers who vote on this thing do stuff like this is moronic. Again, the St. Peter reference.
How about a new rule for induction....since the Baseball HOF loves rules: if you don't make the first vote, you're never in. Heck, make that the rule for all Halls of Fame.
My point is that if you are really, really, really, really a Hall of Famer, there would be no doubt that you should be there. I think Bruce Sutter is a fine player....but the fact it took his so long to get in [on a ballot where no one else got in] shows that he really wasn't a HOFer, but a guy that got in because they had to elect someone.
Sutter was elected on his 13th year on the ballot. THIRTEEN YEARS!! What all of the sudden made him electable last year, but not the previouse 12 years? Honestly: what? Not that I am picking on him....but he was the most recent addition to the Hall and proves my point.
Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken, Jr were darn near unanimous selections to be in the 2007 class into the Hall of Fame. Everyone else should be lopped off the list. Those guys deserve enshrinement and the fact there was no wavering makes them true members. Bruce Sutter not only was wavered on for 13 years [and still is], but now opened the doors for many other "maybe/maybe nots" who can point to Sutter's status and cry, "why not me?". If there is any debate about if you should be in or not....you shouldn't be in.
Roger Maris is more famous that about half the people in the Hall....and he ain't in it.
My point is that if you are a Hall of Famer ballplayer, there should be no doubt about it. And baseball writers, stop the fakeness of being stoic against Big Mac's "transgressions" this year only to let him slide next year.