I had a thought last night while I was trying to fall asleep... Much controversy has been made this year of the NFL's crackdown on helmet to helmet hits against defenseless players. The NFL has stepped up enforcement and punishment of these illegal hits in an effort to emphasize player safety. On Sunday night a Ravens defender lit up Steelers tight end Heath Miller leaving him woozy and laying on the field for a good 5 minutes or so.
Here's the problem: No flag was thrown. This was at a critical point in the game and whether or not you agree with these calls, it was a clear penalty to all those watching. The referees missed the call. Here's my idea:
Why not take the commercial break to look at the replays and determine if a personal foul (15 yd penalty - automatic first down) needs to be called. This is not unprecedented in sports. MLB has instituted replay on homerun calls. NBA refs can stop a game to look at the tape to determine if a shot was a 2 or a 3 pointer. The NFL already has a coaches challenge replay system, with official replays under 2 minutes. They should expand the official replay system to include personal foul penalties. 99 percent of the time when a personal foul of that nature is committed there will be a stoppage in play due a player injury. If that is the case the league should use that time to at least make sure they get the call right during the game. I know if a player gets a concussion a first down is not much of a consolation, but at least his team would benefit instantly from his having to suffer an illegal and painful hit. It is much better than the league fining players 25,000-75,000 dollars on Tuesday a day or two after the game has been decided. One of the main reasons the league hesitates to use instant replay more is because of the disruption in the rhythm of the game. What is more disruptive than a player lying unconscious on the field for 15 minutes?
This to me is a no brainer and if anyone at the league had an practical sense they would implement this immediately.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Prime Time
Two straight days, two straight big prime time games in the NFL between division leaders in heated rivalries. In both games the winner made a statement and gained the inside track to a division title and a first round by in the AFC playoffs.
While watching the Ravens/Steelers last night I could tell a big play had to be made somewhere. The Ravens managed a few deep balls from inside their own 10 yard line but weren't able to convert both in to points. The Steelers kept making mistakes around midfield but hung around and kicked a couple field goals. Terrell Suggs was a terror in a way I have rarely seen one player be in one game. Maybe Ray Lewis 10 years ago had games like that, I can't remember. When it came down to it the Steelers made 3 beastly plays in the span of a minute or two. Polamalu comes off the corner and destroys Flacco causing the fumble. Woodley picks it up and takes it to the 10. Down 4 they needed at TD and that is no easy task against the Ravens D inside their stadium in Prime Time on the road. On 1st down Roethlisburger came under heavy pressure by Suggs (who else). One thing Big Ben is known for is using his height and strength to hang in the pocket or escape defenders that might bring smaller QBs down. He escaped the pocket while Suggs was dragging him down and shoved the ball out of bounds for an incomplete pass instead of taking a 10 yard sack. No one scores TDs on 2nd and goal from the 20, and Ben wanted to avoid that all costs. With a injured ankle and broken nose he was not going to allow that to happen. Two plays later he found a 3rd string running back across the middle at the 5 yard line. With a defender on his back he shook a tackle and outran a couple more Ravens for the game winning. These are the kind of things that makes a team's season.
New England made a different kind of statement tonight. Both the Patriots & Jets played on Thanksgiving (against different teams obviously). Both won. Both had 10 days to prepare for this MNF showdown among the 2 best teams in the conference. The Patriots have a much maligned defense and the number 1 offense in the league. The Jets have at top 5 defense and an offense that struggles at times but generally makes enough plays to win (usually because the other team chokes big time, ie. Browns, Texans). Labeled as a rough and tough battle of Boston v. New York this turned ugly quickly. New England established their dominance offensively, defensively, and on special teams. They ran the ball effectively, Brady cut up the defense with his precision passing and improvisational ability, and racked up 17 points in the first quarter. The Jets moved the ball a little but couldn't get the ball in scoring position, and that was it. By then my DVR needed to record some things but at I didn't care; it was 38-3 (the game ended 45-3).
Like I wrote last week, when December comes the big time teams cement themselves as true contenders.
In the NFC the Falcons also went on the road yesterday and pulled out a tough win against a division rival in Tampa Bay, and they are also 10-2. New Orleans squeaked one out against Cincinnati (that word is hard to spell for some reason... it is 2 Ns and 1 T...) who gives teams a lot of trouble but usually chokes. Green Bay pulled away from an inferior San Francisco team, and Chicago shook off a tough challenge in Detroit and stayed a game up on the Pack. Looks like Minnesota has figured some things out by playing bad Washington & Buffalo teams, but thank God they are in the rear view mirror now.
Thanks to NFL.com for the sweet highlights.
While watching the Ravens/Steelers last night I could tell a big play had to be made somewhere. The Ravens managed a few deep balls from inside their own 10 yard line but weren't able to convert both in to points. The Steelers kept making mistakes around midfield but hung around and kicked a couple field goals. Terrell Suggs was a terror in a way I have rarely seen one player be in one game. Maybe Ray Lewis 10 years ago had games like that, I can't remember. When it came down to it the Steelers made 3 beastly plays in the span of a minute or two. Polamalu comes off the corner and destroys Flacco causing the fumble. Woodley picks it up and takes it to the 10. Down 4 they needed at TD and that is no easy task against the Ravens D inside their stadium in Prime Time on the road. On 1st down Roethlisburger came under heavy pressure by Suggs (who else). One thing Big Ben is known for is using his height and strength to hang in the pocket or escape defenders that might bring smaller QBs down. He escaped the pocket while Suggs was dragging him down and shoved the ball out of bounds for an incomplete pass instead of taking a 10 yard sack. No one scores TDs on 2nd and goal from the 20, and Ben wanted to avoid that all costs. With a injured ankle and broken nose he was not going to allow that to happen. Two plays later he found a 3rd string running back across the middle at the 5 yard line. With a defender on his back he shook a tackle and outran a couple more Ravens for the game winning. These are the kind of things that makes a team's season.
New England made a different kind of statement tonight. Both the Patriots & Jets played on Thanksgiving (against different teams obviously). Both won. Both had 10 days to prepare for this MNF showdown among the 2 best teams in the conference. The Patriots have a much maligned defense and the number 1 offense in the league. The Jets have at top 5 defense and an offense that struggles at times but generally makes enough plays to win (usually because the other team chokes big time, ie. Browns, Texans). Labeled as a rough and tough battle of Boston v. New York this turned ugly quickly. New England established their dominance offensively, defensively, and on special teams. They ran the ball effectively, Brady cut up the defense with his precision passing and improvisational ability, and racked up 17 points in the first quarter. The Jets moved the ball a little but couldn't get the ball in scoring position, and that was it. By then my DVR needed to record some things but at I didn't care; it was 38-3 (the game ended 45-3).
Like I wrote last week, when December comes the big time teams cement themselves as true contenders.
In the NFC the Falcons also went on the road yesterday and pulled out a tough win against a division rival in Tampa Bay, and they are also 10-2. New Orleans squeaked one out against Cincinnati (that word is hard to spell for some reason... it is 2 Ns and 1 T...) who gives teams a lot of trouble but usually chokes. Green Bay pulled away from an inferior San Francisco team, and Chicago shook off a tough challenge in Detroit and stayed a game up on the Pack. Looks like Minnesota has figured some things out by playing bad Washington & Buffalo teams, but thank God they are in the rear view mirror now.
Thanks to NFL.com for the sweet highlights.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
December Football
It's been awhile since I've had a chance to write something. I suppose I could have made time over Thanksgiving but for whatever reason I don't feel compelled to blog on the weekends.
December is upon us and now is the time when the men really separate themselves from the boys in the NFL season. The top teams have finally separated themselves: Atlanta, the Jets (maybe... I can't take them seriously), and New England. New Orleans seems to have things on the right track, and San Diego is making their usual late season run. The Bears are making a case to be taken seriously getting to 8-3 with an impressive win over Philadelphia. The NFC & AFC West divisions both pretty much stink, however the NFC Wild Card race should be good with the Saints at 8-3, and the Packers, Eagles, Giants, and Buccaneers at 7-4. 3 of the 7-4 teams lost last week, and 2 of them are going to have to make a push here in the last month to gain a playoff spot.
The Packers-Falcons game lived up to the hype with a close finish with Atlanta coming out on top. This clearly establishes the Falcons as the NFC's top team. Green Bay came up short in a frighteningly similar fashion on the road once again. They have lost 4 games this season, all 4 by 3 points, and those points have all come under 30 seconds in regulation or overtime. One way or the other it seems that they can't come up big on offense, defense, or special teams when the game is on the line. Even when Aaron Rodgers comes up big and leads the team on a 90 yard drive with 6 minutes to go and throws a game tying TD with 1 minute to go the special teams and defense makes it far to easy for Atlanta to kick a game winning FG.
Down the stretch the Packers play some winnable games (San Francisco this week and Detroit after that), with the last two being the key. I have the game a New England penciled in as a loss, but home games to the Giants and Bears the last two weeks of the year will determine whether they are moving on to the playoffs or staying home in January.
As far as the rest of the NFC I don't take any team lightly, however I am expecting one of the NFC East teams to falter, and Tampa Bay is a young team that has had a good season and a 10-6 season is definitely possible, however games against Atlanta & New Orleans will be true tests of how good they really are.
There is a lot of buzz about how bad the NFC West is and the likelihood that an 8-8 or even 7-9 record will win the division. Compared to the teams I previously mentioned who already have 7 wins and are fighting for their lives many people think something needs to be done to address the playoff format. I think everyone for the most part agrees that if you win your division you should make the playoffs, however a common suggestion is that the team with a better record gets the home game, not just the division winner. IE: Chicago wins NFC North with a 11-5 record. Green Bay goes 10-6 and squeaks in to the playoffs. Green Bay then goes on the road to play a 7-9 St Louis team in the first round. This seems unfair to many. I would be glad for the league to modify the playoff structure to accommodate this, however I've always said that you have no one to blame but yourselves for your record. No one should ever blame anyone else but themselves for what hand they are dealt in professional sports. You are paid to play 16 games, and what you do in those games determines your outcome for the season. You cannot do anything about what other teams do, and if you take care of business you will have nothing to complain about once January comes along.
The more I watch sports and see the fine line between winning and losing at the highest level the more I understand that the only thing that matters is the professional athletes themselves "manning up" and making plays when necessary. As Tom Hanks says in A League of Their Own: "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
December is upon us and now is the time when the men really separate themselves from the boys in the NFL season. The top teams have finally separated themselves: Atlanta, the Jets (maybe... I can't take them seriously), and New England. New Orleans seems to have things on the right track, and San Diego is making their usual late season run. The Bears are making a case to be taken seriously getting to 8-3 with an impressive win over Philadelphia. The NFC & AFC West divisions both pretty much stink, however the NFC Wild Card race should be good with the Saints at 8-3, and the Packers, Eagles, Giants, and Buccaneers at 7-4. 3 of the 7-4 teams lost last week, and 2 of them are going to have to make a push here in the last month to gain a playoff spot.
The Packers-Falcons game lived up to the hype with a close finish with Atlanta coming out on top. This clearly establishes the Falcons as the NFC's top team. Green Bay came up short in a frighteningly similar fashion on the road once again. They have lost 4 games this season, all 4 by 3 points, and those points have all come under 30 seconds in regulation or overtime. One way or the other it seems that they can't come up big on offense, defense, or special teams when the game is on the line. Even when Aaron Rodgers comes up big and leads the team on a 90 yard drive with 6 minutes to go and throws a game tying TD with 1 minute to go the special teams and defense makes it far to easy for Atlanta to kick a game winning FG.
Down the stretch the Packers play some winnable games (San Francisco this week and Detroit after that), with the last two being the key. I have the game a New England penciled in as a loss, but home games to the Giants and Bears the last two weeks of the year will determine whether they are moving on to the playoffs or staying home in January.
As far as the rest of the NFC I don't take any team lightly, however I am expecting one of the NFC East teams to falter, and Tampa Bay is a young team that has had a good season and a 10-6 season is definitely possible, however games against Atlanta & New Orleans will be true tests of how good they really are.
There is a lot of buzz about how bad the NFC West is and the likelihood that an 8-8 or even 7-9 record will win the division. Compared to the teams I previously mentioned who already have 7 wins and are fighting for their lives many people think something needs to be done to address the playoff format. I think everyone for the most part agrees that if you win your division you should make the playoffs, however a common suggestion is that the team with a better record gets the home game, not just the division winner. IE: Chicago wins NFC North with a 11-5 record. Green Bay goes 10-6 and squeaks in to the playoffs. Green Bay then goes on the road to play a 7-9 St Louis team in the first round. This seems unfair to many. I would be glad for the league to modify the playoff structure to accommodate this, however I've always said that you have no one to blame but yourselves for your record. No one should ever blame anyone else but themselves for what hand they are dealt in professional sports. You are paid to play 16 games, and what you do in those games determines your outcome for the season. You cannot do anything about what other teams do, and if you take care of business you will have nothing to complain about once January comes along.
The more I watch sports and see the fine line between winning and losing at the highest level the more I understand that the only thing that matters is the professional athletes themselves "manning up" and making plays when necessary. As Tom Hanks says in A League of Their Own: "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Bob Costas is the man
Sunday was the Packers "bye" which apparently means I can't think of much to write about. That and I've been pretty busy with work and stuff, but fortunately PBS played the second have of Ken Burns 10th Inning of "Baseball" last night. I am now finding out what happened in the past decade of the sport.
The reason I titled this post the way I did is because it is true. Sports writers and journalists tend to use hyperbole, exaggeration and over excitement a lot to get their points across and make names for themselves. I was barely born when he started broadcasting football, baseball, & basketball for NBC in the 80s, but I have a feeling that he didn't gain respect with ridiculous catch phrases and yelling over everyone else in the room. Whether it is the Olympics, Football Night in America, his work for MLB Network, or a 15 second interview with Ken Burns he manages to deliver an intelligent commentary on the subject. He is critical when he needs to be, but not disrespectful. And he offers a sense of perspective that is often overlooked. And since I am running out of things to say (maybe I am trying to be concise and profound like Bob... or not) here are a couple clips of great Bob Costas moments:
The 1996 Olympics Opening Cermony Most people probably know what is memorable about this. The Greatest. (Video is 8 minutes long... skip ahead to about 5:45 if you want)
Costas on Bonds I've said before I am not one to harp on the steroid users of the 90s-00s, but Costas really has a perspective on the situation which was much more realistic than most other Baseball Writers of America at the time. Now that the Mitchell Report came out everyone likes to act all high and mighty; Costas had it figured out long before that.
The reason I titled this post the way I did is because it is true. Sports writers and journalists tend to use hyperbole, exaggeration and over excitement a lot to get their points across and make names for themselves. I was barely born when he started broadcasting football, baseball, & basketball for NBC in the 80s, but I have a feeling that he didn't gain respect with ridiculous catch phrases and yelling over everyone else in the room. Whether it is the Olympics, Football Night in America, his work for MLB Network, or a 15 second interview with Ken Burns he manages to deliver an intelligent commentary on the subject. He is critical when he needs to be, but not disrespectful. And he offers a sense of perspective that is often overlooked. And since I am running out of things to say (maybe I am trying to be concise and profound like Bob... or not) here are a couple clips of great Bob Costas moments:
The 1996 Olympics Opening Cermony Most people probably know what is memorable about this. The Greatest. (Video is 8 minutes long... skip ahead to about 5:45 if you want)
Costas on Bonds I've said before I am not one to harp on the steroid users of the 90s-00s, but Costas really has a perspective on the situation which was much more realistic than most other Baseball Writers of America at the time. Now that the Mitchell Report came out everyone likes to act all high and mighty; Costas had it figured out long before that.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Lambeau Leap
Everyone in my family seems to love Clay Matthews. As we say, "he's a beast." I think he may generate the most texts back and forth of any player we have. This would be one of those plays that gets us excited.
I just wanted to point out Charles Woodson on this play. He and Hawk make the deflection, then he races down field to make sure Matthews takes it to the house to make his Lambeau Leap. He even throws his body at the last couple players chasing him down the field. It is pretty impressive to see a 13 year veteran, Heisman trophy winner & Defensive MVP fly down the field to put his body on the line to see a teammate score. Somehow I don't think Dallas has a lot of players who would do that.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Top 100
Today was the conclusion of NFL Network's Top 100 greatest players of all time. I have very few arguments with most of the list. I am not that old, so I can't really argue with sports writers, analysts, personnel men, coaches, and players about who is the greatest. I feel though that I have an understanding about football and what it takes to be great, and I know who passes the "eye test."
The player who I probably admire the most in the top 10 is Reggie White. Yes, he was a Packer, and I saw him play up close and personal for 6 years as a kid. He was ranked the 7th greatest of all time. That is about right, although Lawrence Taylor was ranked 3, which I kind of questioned as compared to Reggie. The argument is that LT changed defense & impacted games in ways that had not been done before. My argument for Reggie is that he played the game the same way it had been played for 75 years and did it better than anyone ever has. Without question. When he played for Philadelphia (8 seasons) he had 124 sacks in 121 games. That is absurd. You do not average a sack per game in the NFL for 8 years. You just don't. Bruce Smith, who has the most sacks of all time (2 more than White), had 108 sacks in his most productive 8 years span (minus an injury plagued year at 28 years old). The thing that I remember about White is how is sacks came when it really mattered. Anyone can get 2, 3 sacks in the first half of a game, but Reggie would get them on 3rd and 3 with the game on the line. The other thing that separates Reggie White from anyone else that has played the game is that he did things that no one ever did before, and no one has ever done since. Deacon Jones slapped guys in the head to sack them, guys like Mean Joe Greene & Gino Marchetti didn't have to worry about roughing the passer & facemask penalties. Reggie White beat offensive linemen for 15 years in the NFL (and 2 years in the USFL) using power, speed, agility, and pure heart. He had no dirty tricks. He bull rushed, swim moved, and clubbed (a move that I have never seen anyone else do) his way to 198.5 sacks by just being plain better than anyone else. And he made everyone else around him better too. Brett Favre was the lovable southern boy superstar of the 90s Packers, but White made them a legitimate Super Bowl team. He commanded the respect of his teammates; offense, defense, young, old. He did not swear and act like a crazy person like you see a lot nowadays. You can find videos of him telling his teammates before the game to "kick some tail" and "dominate." This is a far cry from the profanity laced tirades that you hear now. I don't think we will ever see another player quite like the Minister of Defense.
The player who I probably admire the most in the top 10 is Reggie White. Yes, he was a Packer, and I saw him play up close and personal for 6 years as a kid. He was ranked the 7th greatest of all time. That is about right, although Lawrence Taylor was ranked 3, which I kind of questioned as compared to Reggie. The argument is that LT changed defense & impacted games in ways that had not been done before. My argument for Reggie is that he played the game the same way it had been played for 75 years and did it better than anyone ever has. Without question. When he played for Philadelphia (8 seasons) he had 124 sacks in 121 games. That is absurd. You do not average a sack per game in the NFL for 8 years. You just don't. Bruce Smith, who has the most sacks of all time (2 more than White), had 108 sacks in his most productive 8 years span (minus an injury plagued year at 28 years old). The thing that I remember about White is how is sacks came when it really mattered. Anyone can get 2, 3 sacks in the first half of a game, but Reggie would get them on 3rd and 3 with the game on the line. The other thing that separates Reggie White from anyone else that has played the game is that he did things that no one ever did before, and no one has ever done since. Deacon Jones slapped guys in the head to sack them, guys like Mean Joe Greene & Gino Marchetti didn't have to worry about roughing the passer & facemask penalties. Reggie White beat offensive linemen for 15 years in the NFL (and 2 years in the USFL) using power, speed, agility, and pure heart. He had no dirty tricks. He bull rushed, swim moved, and clubbed (a move that I have never seen anyone else do) his way to 198.5 sacks by just being plain better than anyone else. And he made everyone else around him better too. Brett Favre was the lovable southern boy superstar of the 90s Packers, but White made them a legitimate Super Bowl team. He commanded the respect of his teammates; offense, defense, young, old. He did not swear and act like a crazy person like you see a lot nowadays. You can find videos of him telling his teammates before the game to "kick some tail" and "dominate." This is a far cry from the profanity laced tirades that you hear now. I don't think we will ever see another player quite like the Minister of Defense.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Nothing important happened today...
OK so I guess since I am a blogger now (yikes) I should respond to comments.
First of all, the queen of blogging, My Mom, directed everyone here and looks like we got some good chatter in the comment section. I'm glad to see people were interested in this year's World Series.
Secondly, I (Patrick Jr) have written all the posts so far. At some point, when he is not changing diapers and working like crazy, Matthew (Asher's Dad) will probably contribute. Miz Boo is really hoping we can collaborate on a brothers themed sports blog (maybe with a name not quite as lame as "sports plus" at some point), so we'll see. Anyways, thanks to everyone for your comments on how wonderful my nephew is.
Cheryl - I'm not really a Boston basher. I respect the Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox. I actually cheer for them in a lot of series, especially vs teams like the Yankees, Lakers, and I was really hoping the 07 Pats would have went 19-0. I just get sick of the East Coast media bias. Some people like to say it doesn't exist, but lets be realistic. Yankees vs. Red Sox in June gets more coverage on ESPN than then the World Series. That was my main point there. Like Sandy C. said, even in a documentary they seem to get more coverage than anyone else.
The thing about the Giants winning this year that everyone is talking about is how they were able to win without any huge stars, especially on the offensive end. The one thing I haven't heard anyone say yet is that this is such a contradiction to the '02 team (with Barry Bonds) that lost to the Angels. I am not a Barry Bonds basher and someone who likes to act holier than thou when it comes to steroids and that whole era of baseball, but it is fitting that the first team to bring a championship to San Francisco is a group of selfless guys and exceptional pitchers rather than hulking sluggers with inflated muscles and egos that just crank the ball out of the ballpark.
As far as the Favre situation is concerned I don't bash Brett or begrudge him for continuing to play. I'm not thrilled about it, and losing to him and the Vikings twice last year was brutal. But if I was 40 years old and someone wanted to pay me 16 million dollars to do what I loved, with minimal commitment to the organization, why not? It is not his fault, it is Vikings management's, and even more so, head coach Brad Childress's fault. You do not give a professional football team the impression that one player out of 53 is the key to your season, and that is what they have done two straight years with Favre. They are getting what they deserve this year. Do I think the Packers will win the Super Bowl this year? Probably not, but at least I know the coach & team have one goal in mind and are in this together.
Also, I have changed the design of this for now per the advice of Shelby who tells me the black/white is too hard to read.
First of all, the queen of blogging, My Mom, directed everyone here and looks like we got some good chatter in the comment section. I'm glad to see people were interested in this year's World Series.
Secondly, I (Patrick Jr) have written all the posts so far. At some point, when he is not changing diapers and working like crazy, Matthew (Asher's Dad) will probably contribute. Miz Boo is really hoping we can collaborate on a brothers themed sports blog (maybe with a name not quite as lame as "sports plus" at some point), so we'll see. Anyways, thanks to everyone for your comments on how wonderful my nephew is.
Cheryl - I'm not really a Boston basher. I respect the Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox. I actually cheer for them in a lot of series, especially vs teams like the Yankees, Lakers, and I was really hoping the 07 Pats would have went 19-0. I just get sick of the East Coast media bias. Some people like to say it doesn't exist, but lets be realistic. Yankees vs. Red Sox in June gets more coverage on ESPN than then the World Series. That was my main point there. Like Sandy C. said, even in a documentary they seem to get more coverage than anyone else.
The thing about the Giants winning this year that everyone is talking about is how they were able to win without any huge stars, especially on the offensive end. The one thing I haven't heard anyone say yet is that this is such a contradiction to the '02 team (with Barry Bonds) that lost to the Angels. I am not a Barry Bonds basher and someone who likes to act holier than thou when it comes to steroids and that whole era of baseball, but it is fitting that the first team to bring a championship to San Francisco is a group of selfless guys and exceptional pitchers rather than hulking sluggers with inflated muscles and egos that just crank the ball out of the ballpark.
As far as the Favre situation is concerned I don't bash Brett or begrudge him for continuing to play. I'm not thrilled about it, and losing to him and the Vikings twice last year was brutal. But if I was 40 years old and someone wanted to pay me 16 million dollars to do what I loved, with minimal commitment to the organization, why not? It is not his fault, it is Vikings management's, and even more so, head coach Brad Childress's fault. You do not give a professional football team the impression that one player out of 53 is the key to your season, and that is what they have done two straight years with Favre. They are getting what they deserve this year. Do I think the Packers will win the Super Bowl this year? Probably not, but at least I know the coach & team have one goal in mind and are in this together.
Also, I have changed the design of this for now per the advice of Shelby who tells me the black/white is too hard to read.
Monday, November 1, 2010
November 1, 2010
Talk about an eventful day in sports.
I'm sure that Bud Selig and Major League Baseball is pretty thrilled with Randy Moss & Brad Childress right now...
It is amazing how for about 4 years all Brett Favre has wanted is to be able to throw to Moss and it lasted all of 4 games. Not that it is unusual for a situation to go south with Moss, but in 4 games? Obviously this was a power play by Childress who has totally lost this team. He begged Favre to come back, and less than half way through the season has butted head with the Hall of Fame quarterback. No one really thinks they are going to bench Brett so when this Moss situation arose he cut him to make it look like he is the man. No one is buying it. Childress is done. Should be sooner rather than later so they can implement Leslie Frazier as their head coach before another team gets ahold of him.
As far as the World Series goes, I guess I am proud of the Giants. I have talked trash about them all year because they really seemed to be a choking team to me during the regular season. They have no start players, no big RBI producers or OBP guys yet as they say pitching is key and their underrated bullpen as well as the studs at the top of the rotation carried them to a championship. The Rangers were a good story too, but it didn't seem like they had the attitude and guts to win it. Overall I am just glad we had a series without Boston, New York or Philadelphia.
I'm sure that Bud Selig and Major League Baseball is pretty thrilled with Randy Moss & Brad Childress right now...
It is amazing how for about 4 years all Brett Favre has wanted is to be able to throw to Moss and it lasted all of 4 games. Not that it is unusual for a situation to go south with Moss, but in 4 games? Obviously this was a power play by Childress who has totally lost this team. He begged Favre to come back, and less than half way through the season has butted head with the Hall of Fame quarterback. No one really thinks they are going to bench Brett so when this Moss situation arose he cut him to make it look like he is the man. No one is buying it. Childress is done. Should be sooner rather than later so they can implement Leslie Frazier as their head coach before another team gets ahold of him.
As far as the World Series goes, I guess I am proud of the Giants. I have talked trash about them all year because they really seemed to be a choking team to me during the regular season. They have no start players, no big RBI producers or OBP guys yet as they say pitching is key and their underrated bullpen as well as the studs at the top of the rotation carried them to a championship. The Rangers were a good story too, but it didn't seem like they had the attitude and guts to win it. Overall I am just glad we had a series without Boston, New York or Philadelphia.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The Natural
Well, well, well.
A second straight baseball post. Does this have anything to do with the Packers 2 game losing streak? You be the judge.
I'm watching the Yankees vs. Rangers in the ALCS tonight. Once again the Rangers have managed to come back on the road vs. the mighty Yankees. This kind of reminds me of the '01 World Series against the Diamondbacks, but obviously not as dramatic. The Rangers have been the better team in every game but lead 2-1 due to one bad inning. It is the 8th now and the Rangers have a 4 run lead, and seem to be in command. Never count out the Yankees though.
Whenever I see Josh Hamilton play I am amazed. He was the 1st overall pick out of high school in 1999 and was expected to be a star. He got into trouble with drugs & alcohol in 2001 and next thing you know he was out of baseball. Now, all sports are hard, and baseball especially takes ability that is learned over time. You cannot just show up one day and be a stud. But in 2007 after he got is life on track he came back to the Big Leagues through the Rule 5 draft (little known draft where players can be taken by another team if they have yet to reach the majors after their rights with their original team have expired... boring stuff blah blah blah). Next thing you know he is a .300 hitter with power who can drive in runs. He gets traded to the Rangers from the Reds for a stud pitcher and is in the All Star game next thing you know. His career stats are .311 BA, 93 HR, and 331 RBI. If he plays at a productive level until he is 40 he is a potential HOFer and could be a .300/400HR/1500 RBI kind of guy which is extremely rare (look it up, it is).
Roy Hobbs was a fictional character in a movie from the 80s (forget about the book where he strikes out at the end...) set in the 30s. But are we seeing the modern day real deal in Josh Hamilton...
THE NATURAL
A second straight baseball post. Does this have anything to do with the Packers 2 game losing streak? You be the judge.
I'm watching the Yankees vs. Rangers in the ALCS tonight. Once again the Rangers have managed to come back on the road vs. the mighty Yankees. This kind of reminds me of the '01 World Series against the Diamondbacks, but obviously not as dramatic. The Rangers have been the better team in every game but lead 2-1 due to one bad inning. It is the 8th now and the Rangers have a 4 run lead, and seem to be in command. Never count out the Yankees though.
Whenever I see Josh Hamilton play I am amazed. He was the 1st overall pick out of high school in 1999 and was expected to be a star. He got into trouble with drugs & alcohol in 2001 and next thing you know he was out of baseball. Now, all sports are hard, and baseball especially takes ability that is learned over time. You cannot just show up one day and be a stud. But in 2007 after he got is life on track he came back to the Big Leagues through the Rule 5 draft (little known draft where players can be taken by another team if they have yet to reach the majors after their rights with their original team have expired... boring stuff blah blah blah). Next thing you know he is a .300 hitter with power who can drive in runs. He gets traded to the Rangers from the Reds for a stud pitcher and is in the All Star game next thing you know. His career stats are .311 BA, 93 HR, and 331 RBI. If he plays at a productive level until he is 40 he is a potential HOFer and could be a .300/400HR/1500 RBI kind of guy which is extremely rare (look it up, it is).
Roy Hobbs was a fictional character in a movie from the 80s (forget about the book where he strikes out at the end...) set in the 30s. But are we seeing the modern day real deal in Josh Hamilton...
THE NATURAL
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Baseball
I just finished watching Ken Burns' part one of the "Tenth Inning" the continuation of his famous 9 Inning "Baseball" documentary that was originally broadcast during the strike in 1994.
The original series is fabulous. Ken Burns considers it a continuation of American History after his "Civil War" documentary. It is true that you can follow American history from the mid 1800s on through baseball. It was interesting for me to watch this episode though because I was alive during the period it covers. I was not a big baseball fan as a child. Football (and the Packers) were the focus in the fall. I also loved basketball for the fall/winter. I shot hoops in the driveway by myself and with friends year round. Golf took over as the sport I really liked to play in the spring and summer. Baseball was just not my thing, but like most people I specifically remember watching 2 things in the mid nineties. Cal Ripken's 2131st straight game and Mark McGwire's 62nd home run.
I have always heard that the strike almost "killed" baseball. But to see everything that went into its development, and the aftermath when the 1995 season opened was something new for me. I never realized that attendance was down 20%, and fans were booing their stars, especially the ones that were MLBPA reps (i.e. Tom Glavine). The Yankees weren't even good yet. The Expos were. Bonds was skinny. And Ripken was the new iron man. And sports fans, as usual have a short memory. Viking fans embrace Brett Favre 1 year after despising him. Everyone hates Tiger now. You're either the greatest, or the worst. Cal Ripken was the greatest, and we loved it. Then Big Mac & Sammy Sosa came along in 98 and blew us all away. As a kid you are not thinking about steroids, and all of that. Especially for me as a big football fan seeing big bodied athletes is not unusual. Steroids were not banned at the time; a lot of times they were even sold over the counter as "supplements."
We all know what happened in the next 5 years. Bonds went on to hit 73, and for some reason that (not the 70 McGwire hit or guys like Clemens pitching well into their 40s) made us really think something was going on.
Unfortunately I'm a spaz and forgot to record the "Bottom of the Tenth" but I see that PBS is replaying it on November 15th. Until then I will not know what happened in baseball from 1998-2010.
The original series is fabulous. Ken Burns considers it a continuation of American History after his "Civil War" documentary. It is true that you can follow American history from the mid 1800s on through baseball. It was interesting for me to watch this episode though because I was alive during the period it covers. I was not a big baseball fan as a child. Football (and the Packers) were the focus in the fall. I also loved basketball for the fall/winter. I shot hoops in the driveway by myself and with friends year round. Golf took over as the sport I really liked to play in the spring and summer. Baseball was just not my thing, but like most people I specifically remember watching 2 things in the mid nineties. Cal Ripken's 2131st straight game and Mark McGwire's 62nd home run.
I have always heard that the strike almost "killed" baseball. But to see everything that went into its development, and the aftermath when the 1995 season opened was something new for me. I never realized that attendance was down 20%, and fans were booing their stars, especially the ones that were MLBPA reps (i.e. Tom Glavine). The Yankees weren't even good yet. The Expos were. Bonds was skinny. And Ripken was the new iron man. And sports fans, as usual have a short memory. Viking fans embrace Brett Favre 1 year after despising him. Everyone hates Tiger now. You're either the greatest, or the worst. Cal Ripken was the greatest, and we loved it. Then Big Mac & Sammy Sosa came along in 98 and blew us all away. As a kid you are not thinking about steroids, and all of that. Especially for me as a big football fan seeing big bodied athletes is not unusual. Steroids were not banned at the time; a lot of times they were even sold over the counter as "supplements."
We all know what happened in the next 5 years. Bonds went on to hit 73, and for some reason that (not the 70 McGwire hit or guys like Clemens pitching well into their 40s) made us really think something was going on.
Unfortunately I'm a spaz and forgot to record the "Bottom of the Tenth" but I see that PBS is replaying it on November 15th. Until then I will not know what happened in baseball from 1998-2010.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Columbus Day
Is today really a Holiday?
Anyways it is Columbus Day (or Thanksgiving for our Canadian friends, eh). We're in the midst of the MLB Playoffs and a month into the NFL season. I guess if I'm going to get going on this sports blog now's the time.
Favre and Moss are together at last in Minnesota. Who would have ever thought that Favre would be the controversy in this game with all the texting allegations, etc? Moss's ramming a parking meter maid with his SUV seems tame right about now.
I don't really care for the SF Giants much, but I realized I should cheer for them to make the World Series so I can go to a game. I'm sure I can work it out with my job. Some kind of business "meeting."
Anyways, this is just an introductory fluffy post, the content of this blog is intended to be opinion on pro football throughout the season, but with the Packers loss yesterday I am not that motivated to analyze that game...
Follow me on Twitter @Boucher1982 or @FBNOW
Anyways it is Columbus Day (or Thanksgiving for our Canadian friends, eh). We're in the midst of the MLB Playoffs and a month into the NFL season. I guess if I'm going to get going on this sports blog now's the time.
Favre and Moss are together at last in Minnesota. Who would have ever thought that Favre would be the controversy in this game with all the texting allegations, etc? Moss's ramming a parking meter maid with his SUV seems tame right about now.
I don't really care for the SF Giants much, but I realized I should cheer for them to make the World Series so I can go to a game. I'm sure I can work it out with my job. Some kind of business "meeting."
Anyways, this is just an introductory fluffy post, the content of this blog is intended to be opinion on pro football throughout the season, but with the Packers loss yesterday I am not that motivated to analyze that game...
Follow me on Twitter @Boucher1982 or @FBNOW
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