D.J. Zaccagnini (aka Zakk Tyler)

2010-04-11T08:41:00.002-04:00

Tiger at Masters (Take 2)

(Saturday, April 10, 2010)

2010-04-07T10:39:00.002-04:00

Tiger at Masters (Take 1)

(Tuesday, April, 6, 2010)

2010-04-06T10:23:00.002-04:00

Maybe they bet on the Bulldogs, plus the point spread?

The Butler Bulldogs, a No. 5 seed in the 2010 NCAA Tournament and winners of 25-straight games entering the national championship game, were anything but a “Cinderella” in this year’s March Madness. However, as a mid-major school from the Horizon League, the Bulldogs captured the hearts of Americans with their spirited effort despite losing to the Duke Blue Devils in the finals, 61-59.

It was easy for anyone to get caught up in the hype of Bulldogs-fever in Monday’s championship game from Lucas Oil Stadium, located just a few miles from the Butler University campus, especially for those in Indianapolis.

And that includes the hometown newspaper and this cute, lovable but confused Bulldogs cheerleader just seconds after Gordon Hayward’s half-court heave barely missed becoming the greatest shot in the NCAA Finals history.

And to add to the confusion there will be a celebration rally today starting at 3 p.m. at Hinkle Fieldhouse to honor the Butler Bulldogs, winners, err, runners-up in the 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

2010-04-03T08:35:00.002-04:00

Poppy Don't Preach

This was the sports section cover of the Indianapolis Star from Friday morning. A day late for an April Fool’s joke, but the newspaper from Central Indiana wasn’t kidding. They actually thought that depicting Duke’s basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski, in this manner would be a great way to stir up more interest in the Final Four weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Fair to say it stirred up something. After further review, the Indy Star pulled the artwork “when we realized it didn’t meet our standards," said their sports editor.

What standard was that guys, wrong color crayon?

The newspaper was also quick to point out that the illustration only appeared in 30,000 copies before being pulled. As if their declining circulation was the issue at stake and not their judgment call or even the ridiculous-looking artwork.

"How could a newspaper do that?” Mike Krzyzewski said on Friday. “That's like somebody doodled. Actually, I thought I looked better. But it was kind of juvenile. Not kind of. Just juvenile. And my seven grandkids didn't enjoy looking at it. 'It's not Poppy.'

No, the silly drawing over the photograph is not the way Poppy looks, as Mike Krzyzewski’s grandchildren can clearly see. But there will come a day (if it hasn’t happened already) that those same kids will learn their grandfather doesn’t always speak the same as their accustomed to hearing, either.

Ask anyone who has ever sat near a Duke Blue Devils bench during a game. They’ll tell you how Coach K isn’t shy to use four-letter words that end with the same one his last name begins with. Even more so than your typical college basketball coach. For his grandchildren who aren’t old enough to attend games and yet to have discovered YouTube, is this ‘Poppy’??

2010-03-19T09:10:00.000-04:00

Tiger's Masterful Spin

My first knowledge came on Tuesday, a little after 10:00 a.m. (ET) in the form of a Breaking News Alert, " Tiger Woods returning to golf at The Masters on April 8th."

My first reaction, "When exactly was he gone?"

Rhetorical, sure, but it is still a legitimate question.

Tiger announced his "indefinite break" from golf on December 11, 2009. That was following a tumultuous final few days in November in which Woods was, among many other things, injured in a car accident, treated at a hospital, had rumors swirl about numerous alleged affairs before admitting to being unfaithful with a message on his web site and then, finally, receiving a $164 traffic citation from the Florida Highway Patrol for careless driving on the 30th day of November. It was March 14, 2010 when he announced his return.

So let's check his scorecard from year-to-year before signing
- PGA events Woods played from 12/11/09 to 3/14/10 = 0
- PGA events Woods played from 12/11/08 to 3/14/09 = 2

But hey, he's back!

The scandal that began as an accident, that has still not yet been fully explained, when Woods hit a fire hydrant and tree near his driveway in Orlando, Florida, on Thanksgiving night was not the first controversy for Tiger. Over the years, Woods has taken criticism for dismissing autograph seekers, allegedly being a poor tipper, swearing out loud while on national television, playing too few events and overpopulating the continent of Asia. (Okay, I made the last one up.)

Woods played in only 17 PGA tournaments in 2009, 16 in 2007 and 15 in 2006 (his 2008 was shortened due to a knee injury). By comparison Phil Mickelson averaged playing in over 20 PGA events in the last 3 seasons. Most golf fans know that all Woods really cares about is winning the majors and surpassing Jack Nicklaus in career wins. Currently Woods trails the "Golden Bear" by 4 major championships.

"I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled."
[Tiger Woods, February 19, 2010]

And he still is today.

How timely for Tiger, who feels he has now repaired the personal damage from the fallout of his scandal(s), to not miss playing in any majors. How convenient for Woods, who is now focused on his family and being a better man, to have an excuse for not playing in the Shell Houston Open, Puerto Rico Open or the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Choosing the Masters for his return was an easy putt for Woods. Like his press conference, err, prepared speech that he read at TPC Sawgrass on February 19th, Augusta National Golf Club is also a controlled environment. Therefore, Woods can most likely avoid any heckling and (as an added bonus!) won't have to deal with any of those pesky autograph seekers, either.

Golf experts would like us to believe that to win the Masters one must tune-up beforehand by playing competitively in some other tournaments. That might be true for them, but not Tiger Woods. This isn't a baseball batter getting his timing, a basketball player getting in "game shape" or football player in "hitting shape". It's golf, and for Tiger Woods that means as long as he can practice and then prepare with the same access to the course as the others, then he's able to shoot the lowest score on it after four rounds.

Just, for us, it's not as difficult as landing a 350 yard drive in the middle of the fairway to understand Tiger's intention from the beginning of this "indefinite break" or predict his strategy moving forward. Woods will play the majors and then limit himself the few events he wishes to participate. Only now the PGA, its fans and writers can't fault him because he's doing so under the guise of a "family man".

Not that it should concern professional golf, the country clubs hosting or the networks televising the tournaments (that he selects to play) because all that matters is that Tiger Woods is there. Ticket sales will spike and viewer ratings will inflate all because of Tiger Woods. Even though these two say they won't be watching.

As actor Ving Rhames in the lead role of the 1997 movie "Don King: Only in America" said, "Let me tell you something: [ Mike] Tyson will be heavyweight champ again. And this time, you'll pay twice as much to see it. Why? Because y'all part of the same hypocrisy."

While that's as far as I'll compare Mike Tyson to Tiger Woods (rape and cheating on one's wife are less similar acts than boxing is to golfing) but the point of the statement should be taken. Woods will be golf champion again and you'll be there to watch him.

I know I will.

2010-03-12T08:44:00.000-05:00

NASCAR's Carl Edwards was placed on 3 weeks probation for intentionally wrecking Brad Keselowski's car last Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. No suspension or probation following an intentional accident, you ask? Sure, says NASCAR president, Mike Helton.

And, if it matters to anyone in or outside of auto racing, I agree with the decision.

In the world of competition, "intent" is difficult to define. Whether it's a quarterback grounding a football, a basketball player making a flagrant foul, a baseball pitcher plunking a batter or, in this case, a NASCAR driver taking out another car, it's a judgment call. In the case of Carl Edwards at AMS, there was intent and spite. The No. 99 car had earlier been into the wall by Keselowski and Edwards was trailing by 156 laps when the incident occurred. Later, Edwards admitted on his Facebook page what our eyes and common sense already told us.

But it didn't matter because NASCAR needs wrecks and now more so than ever. Television ratings have spiraled downward. This year's Daytona 500 was off 16.3% from last year and the lowest since 1991. Okay, blame that damn pothole.

The next race in Fontana at the Auto Club 500 was down 6% from 2009, in Las Vegas they plummeted 37%. Ticket sales have slumped, and sponsorship money is drying up. The racing aficionados are still watching but the sport needs more fans.

What makes NASCAR more appealing to others? Car wrecks and the ensuing drama between the drivers. That combination of collision plus confrontation jumpstarted the sport to fans in the 1979 Daytona 500. Now once again stock car racing needs to slap some interest into television viewers.

The same night after the NASCAR incident in Atlanta, the NHL was dealt a blow of their own when Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins blindsided Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins. The open-ice body check resulted in a Grade 2 concussion for Savard. Cooke had already been suspended twice before by the league since January of 2009 for hits to the head.

This week, NHL chief disciplinarian Colin Campbell decided that Matt Cooke would not receive any suspension, fine or even probation.

Many hockey purists believe there is no need for over-aggressive behavior or fights in the NHL. They even cite the success of Olympic hockey as proof. But the only buzz left over from the 2010 Winter Olympics exists north of the United States border or inside Bode Miller's head. The NHL, to most Americans, is back in hibernation.

When Major League Baseball enjoyed its resurgence during the famous "Summer of 1998" they surely knew, what we all know now, that the tape-measure home runs were enhanced by more than just extra batting practice. If they did care, it wasn't going to take precedent over the attention of McGwire's or Sosa's chase of Roger Maris. Nor did it matter as Bonds broke the record again in 2001. It's what the fans wanted and not until the backlash was too great to ignore did baseball address the issue of steroids.

The only recent exception in American professional sports of putting player safety ahead of ticket sales or television ratings has been in the NFL. Rules have been consistently changed to protect the health of their marquee athletes and more discussions will continue at the annual owners meeting this month to further investigate the effects of concussions.

But unlike NASCAR and, especially, the NHL, the popularity of NFL has been mostly immune to any downturns in fan interest.

Otherwise, we might still see quarterback sacks like this. (For the record and back in 1976, Joe "Turkey" Jones was penalized and fined $3,000 for the tackle)

For now, just like baseball needed a home run chase to revive itself over a decade ago, NASCAR racing needs wrecks and hockey needs hits to have any chance of competing with the NFL for popularity in our lifetime.

"Have at it, boys," NASCAR president Mike Helton recently said.

"I am personally placing a hundred-dollar bounty on the head of Tim McCracken," fictional hockey player/coach Reggie Dunlop famously declared.

And "Chicks still dig the long ball."

2010-03-03T09:27:00.000-05:00

NFL Overtime Proposal Needs More Time

I've heard some say that spending 10 minutes with Tim Tebow will change one's life. Mine, somehow, remains unaffected

After countless hours of reporting, waiting and even speculation, the announcement most everyone was waiting for finally happened at the 2010 NFL Combine.

"Some guy named Tebow is now at Podium C," said the crackled voice out of the main media room speaker last Friday.

Oh, that announcement.

(In defense of those present that slammed the lap tops closed, pulled out a handheld recording device and ran to the podium - almost as fast as they sprinted the sandwich line hours earlier when lunch was served - it was a welcomed pro football prospect to hear speak after being reduced to interviews mostly consisting of placekickers, punter and offensive lineman from the day prior.)

It was actually on Saturday, at the Combine, when the NFL announced something that made my ears perk. News was leaked that the league could change its overtime format for playoff games when the competition committee meets March 21 – 24 in Orlando, Florida.

As a vocal opponent to the current system, Saturday's announcement was a better potential prophecy than anything the almighty Tim Tebow might have said to me the day before (which he did answer, albeit brief, a question for a story I was working on).

According to NFL spokesperson, Greg Aiello, the proposed change to overtime in postseason games would assure that both teams get the ball at least once unless the first team scores a touchdown. If the first team scores a field goal on the overtime's initial possession, then the other team gets one turn with the football. If they tie the game with another field goal, the game continues until the very next score.

As far as fixing how NFL overtime playoff games end its, well, a start. But it's still not right.

[Have you ever been in a social situation where everyone is ready to go somewhere and trying to decide, collectively, where to go and what to do? And you know "that guy" (or worse even, "that girl") who rejects each individual suggestion without offering a better suggestion? Well today, and in this column, "that guy" would be me.]

It's been a few days since I learned of the proposal and already I have, at least, a couple problems with it. The current system places too much advantage on the team that wins the overtime coin toss and the potentially updated version would do the same (only then, teams would strategically choose to kick rather than receive the overtime kickoff).

If this overtime procedure was passed (by winning at least two thirds of the vote from the 32 teams) the disadvantage shifts from having to play defense first to having to take the initial possession. Based on good football sense, that team would play with an offensive strategy much the same as a normal situation. They would try to score and, if not, pin the opposition deep in its own territory. If able to get in scoring position they would be faced with a decision; go for a touchdown or kick the field goal.

And both present disadvantages.

By electing to kick a field goal you give the ball back to your opponent. They would have a much higher percentage for answering your field goal with a touchdown (or, at least a tying field goal) since punting would be taken out of the equation. Trailing by 3 points and with the ball in a "do or die" scenario, offenses would be using 4 downs from anywhere on the field. In other words, they'd be playing with 33% more downs to move the chains.

By skipping the field goal and going for a touchdown on the initial overtime possession, you risk not scoring at all and then giving the opponent the very same opportunity (and same high percentages that we dislike under the current format) to win by a long field goal.

"There have been various concepts that have been discussed in recent years, but this one has never been proposed," Greg Aiello said to the Associated Press about the postseason overtime format.

Maybe this one was once thought about by some league official before, but was decided against after further review.

On this proposal I'm throwing a red flag challenge, or a red-faced fit, whichever is permitted by fans like me. The NFL needs to get back to the drawing board, the film room or wherever they go and find a fairer and more complete way to handle overtime games in the playoffs.

2010-02-26T08:10:00.000-05:00

Who Needs a Villain?

"I wish I could hate you!"

Good vs. Evil.

The conflict between the two polar opposites has been the epicenter for, among other things, religious lessons, Hollywood drama and sports allegiances. For every "white hat" indentifying the honorable, there needs to be a "black hat" to represent the outlaws.

It's difficult to be a fan of a sports team without being a dedicated "hater" for another. The dislike that Boston Red Sox fans have for the New York Yankees (and vice-versa) has been well documented. So has the line in the sand that's been drawn between fans of the Dallas Cowboys and those of the Washington Redskins, the Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes, Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels, Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons, Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadians and countless other rivals.

Most often, who represents the "good" and the "bad" is solely dependent on which side you are on. But for every hero we worship in sports, we typically have a villain to despise.

Or, so I once thought.

My original, and still my most dedicated, sports allegiance belongs to the Pittsburgh Steelers. While watching the Steelers through the 1970's (who would later be tagged the 'Team of the Decade'), there were many other rivals to despise. There were the Oakland Raiders who we thought were dirty and cheaters, the Dallas Cowboys who were flashy and arrogant as well as the Houston Oilers, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, who were nothing less than division-rivals.

Having someone to cheer against while rooting for your team makes following a sport more interesting and when your team clashes with their commonly hated opponent, the stakes for winning become even higher. (Just ask any Indiana Hoosier or Purdue Boilermaker fan.)

Recent events, however, indicate that the lure of sports intrigue may no longer need a Cain for their Abel, a Joker for their Batman or even a Rocky for their Drago. Having a likeable opponent doesn't lessen the desire to conquer in modern games. It's no longer needed when our country plays against the world or when our nation plays the biggest game in the world.

Thirty-years ago the Winter Olympics were held in Lake Placid, New York. "U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!..." we'd cheer for the United States hockey team. But we might as well been chanting "F.A.Q.! F.A.Q.! F.A.Q.!..." (Or something that had a similar phonetic sound when pronounced together as one word) to the team in red wearing the letter's CCCP on their hockey jerseys.

We loved the Americans winning gold during the Miracle on Ice because of how much we hated the Russians. Since the cold war ended, we've become indifferent to the nation, and athletes, we once abhorred.

In the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, once again we cheered the American's on ice but this time our "rivals" were the team from Canada.

Since when do we hate the Canadians?

We don't, and that's just my point.

The last time I crossed the northern border I was subject to less hassle and search than I got when driving from Nevada into California. (State police said they needed to be sure I didn't have any live firearms, dead bodies, fruits or vegetables in the car. No kidding.)

Just days after the United States upset Canada in the preliminary round of the Olympic hockey tournament, how many of us Americans found ourselves rooting for Canadian skater, Joannie Rochette, after learning her mother unexpectedly died days before her scheduled routine in the women's short program?

Television ratings for the 2010 Winter Olympics have been strong, despite our lack of hatred toward other countries. And so too was the viewership of another recent sports spectacle.

When the New Orleans Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV, it was the most watched television program, ever. An estimated 106.5 million people saw the Colts play the Saints but, to anyone not already aligned with one of the participating teams, which of those upstanding, likeable teams was playing the part of the villain?

Was it the Indianapolis Colts?

I doubt it. Unless there is now jealousy toward Indy for the success they've enjoyed in the past decade.

Was it the New Orleans Saints?

Um, certainly not. A disaster devastated their city in 2005, which was then followed by resilience and a renaissance, turned (for now) the Saints into "America's Team".

Americans love their games and still hate their enemies. We just no longer need to dislike our opponents in order to be able to support our home teams.

2010-02-19T09:55:00.001-05:00

Let the Delays Begin!

Leave it up to Canada to screw-up snow

"... and Shaler area schools will be delayed two hours today because of snow..."

For me at one time, hearing that on the radio or seeing it across the news ticker of my local television station was cause for excitement.

Already awake and dressed, a snow delay from school was always welcome. Before I could decide to sled down Kenneth Drive, ice skate on Pine Creek or be a derelict and bomb cars with snowballs from my secret hideout on East Pennview Street, my winter wonderland would be brought back to reality when handed a snow shovel.

Now, too old for school, I surely know what I was being taught back then. Delays are really no fun to be around.

My father used to say when I was a kid, "My son could never be a doctor because he doesn't have any patience." Perhaps a not-so-funny play on words but, still, it was very true. And it still is today.

I hate to wait on anything. Worse yet is when I'm being held up from watching a sporting event that I delegated time to view. You know that split-second when you turn on your television and can hear the audio but the screen hasn't appeared on your set? I hate it!

Last weekend I decided to give the XXI Winter Olympic Games some attention. I'm not a huge fan of certain events (especially the outfits and uniforms) but felt skipping them altogether might make me feel a little "un-American". But on Saturday (2/13) the men's downhill event had been postponed because the snow was too 'slushy'.

On Sunday, and then again on Monday, the speed skating competition was postponed because the ice needed resurfaced. On Tuesday, it was the women's downhill skiing and the men's super-combined event that both needed moved but this time because of too much snow.

Slushy snow, bad ice and too many snowflakes have interrupted the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada? Don't they call themselves the "Great White North" on that side of the border? Perhaps, it's now the "Mediocre White North".

(Not to further any frustration, but most 2010 Winter Olympic events we actually do see are already on tape-delay.)

Oh well, maybe some good old fashioned American ingenuity would fix things on Sunday, or at least I thought. Once tuned into the "Great American Race" for the Daytona 500 as NASCAR revved-up their engines to start another Sprint Cup season I was forced to sit through not just one, but two, delays. The 2 red flags were caused by a pothole that formed on turns 2 at Daytona International Speedway and the delays totaled almost 2 ½ hours.

[Note: Before we torch the track officials at DIS for the lengthy delay let me offer an insider's view at pothole repair. Throughout my college years I earn would money during the summer working for the road crew maintenance department of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. 2 hours and 24 minutes is actually a record-time for fixing a pothole, based on my experiences.

If the procedure was anything like I remember it would typically go down like this... First, the foreman would receive the assignment then wake up the rest of the crew from their morning naps. Then, the faulty pavement would be surveyed, analyzed and surveyed some more, before it's time for a coffee break. After the cup of java, the site manager would decide that extra tools are needed to properly make the repair so a truck would be sent back to the garage to pick them up. After returning, a Nimbus cloud would be spotted from miles away indicating the possibility of rain so work would be shut down to prevent breaking any of the union rules negotiated in the previous contract. More delays would ensue until someone notices that it's time for lunch break. After lunch, and only once the potential rain cloud had totally disappeared from eyesight, the summer-help would be instructed to set up orange cones around the pothole and redirect traffic for safety reasons. Following another mandatory break, work would resume (or, begin, depending on your interpretation of the word) work and the pothole would hopefully be fixed before the end of the day.]

If not, we'll try again and repeat the process tomorrow while we hope for a cloudless morning.]

There once was a time when stoppage in action meant something really cool just happened. If you were a fan at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City or the Philadelphia Spectrum in 1979 when Darryl Dawkins brought these 76ers games to a shattering stop, it might have been worth the wait to relish in what just happened.

Bad ice at an indoor coliseum, lack of snow at ski resort or potholes at our most revered racing event, those are not events to brag about having waited through delays to witness.

2010-02-12T08:52:00.000-05:00

All Shook Up Over Handshakes

Peyton Manning did not shake hands with our photographer either before leaving Sun Life Stadium

Following the upset loss to the New Orleans in Super Bowl XLIV, there's been a lot of talk about what Peyton Manning did. Most of the chatter has been centered around the interception that Manning threw, which was returned 74-yards for a touchdown by Saints' defensive back (and IU graduate), Tracy Porter.

That fourth quarter play, which essentially ended any hopes for the Indianapolis Colts while securing the first Super Bowl championship in New Orleans Saints franchise history, was followed by another move that has some calling Peyton Manning a 'poor sport'. After the game ended, Manning walked off the field at Sun Life Stadium without congratulating Drew Brees (or any other Saints players or coaches).

No postgame handshake, no high (or low) fives, no fist-bumps, no 'point and go's' and not even a 'bro hug double back-tap combo'. Peyton bolted for the locker room with his helmet still on.

I don't know if Peyton Manning is a sore loser or not. But I am pretty certain that, if so, he's self-aware of his public image enough to be sure not to appear in that manner. Especially on such a grand stage while knowing that most of the world is watching him.

Manning said after the game, "I certainly know how it was three years ago when we won and there's not much consolation for the guys that didn't win. There's the stage being set up, and the celebration, and it's the time for the Saints to celebrate. It's their field. They deserve the moment. But I certainly congratulate all their players and the Saints organization."

Indeed, Peyton Manning did call Drew Brees to congratulate the MVP from Super Bowl XLIV. Said Brees: "Peyton's a class guy."

Take his word for it, even if you didn't get to see for yourself.

Last May, after his Cleveland Cavaliers lost in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron James walked off the court without shaking hands with Dwight Howard or any of the other members of the Orlando Magic.

Like Peyton Manning, James reached out to his victorious opponents after their initial celebration was well over. Only, James didn't make a phone call to Dwight Howard. Rather, King James sent an email to Howard congratulating him on advancing to the 2008-09 NBA Finals.

Oh, kids these days and their modern ways of communicating.

It's been almost 20 years since the "Bad Boys Pistons" lived up to their name and 9 of their 12 players (including Isiah Thomas) walked off the court with 14 seconds left in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals as they were being swept by the Chicago Bulls.

Maybe they should have sent a fax to Michael Jordan and his Bulls teammates after the Pistons recognized their mistake?

Some postgame handshakes are less honorable then had it been skipped all together. Remember Bill Belichick "congratulating" Tony Dungy after the Patriots lost to the Colts?

Bill Belichick made sure to offer Tom Coughlin a hurried handshake after the New York Giants upset the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Then, 'Darth Hoodie" disappeared from the field of the University of Phoenix Stadium with 1-second still remaining on the game clock.

And while this display of poor sportsmanship during a postgame handshaking tradition wasn't broadcast live to millions, it soon may have that many views on YouTube.com because of its shock appeal.

What's my suggestion?

I say we get hip with the times and take a lead from one of the Bud Lite campaigns that debuted during Super Bowl XLI. Skip the handshakes, hugs or even the fist-bumps with a new postgame tradition that's more fitting for true competitors.

2010-02-05T08:41:00.000-05:00

Super Bowl Blunders

Eugene Robinson gives his head some attention before playing in Super Bowl XXXIII

Namath guarantees victory in SB III!

Montana to Taylor in SB XXIII!

Elway goes airborne in SB XXXII!

Tyree out leaps Rodney Harrison in SB XLII!

Holmes out jumps the Cardinals secondary in SB XLIII!

As we approach Sunday's big game, we'll surely hear all about those legendary players and moments that helped make the Super Bowl the super spectacular that it has become. But let's not forget some of the memories the NFL would like for us to erase. And we're not referencing any of the on-field blunders such as Yepremian's attempted pass in SB VII, Jackie Smith's drop in SB XIII or even Scott Norwood's wide right in XXV.

Perhaps it's the pressure of the big game or the (most often) extra week that exists in between the conference championships and the Super Bowl. Then again, maybe it's just a bunch of rich, spoiled athletes who already thought they were above society's laws that have made some Super Bowl preparations result in unexplainable pre-game behavior.

Remember Stanley Wilson in SB XXII? Of course not, because he never made the game. The Bengals RB missed it after nearly overdosing on cocaine in his hotel room on the eve of the kickoff. Barret Robbins didn't take his drugs the week of SB XXXVII and then was found drunk, wandering the streets of Tijuana the day before the game.

There's Mark Chmura, who after the Green Bay Packers won SB XXXI, refused an invitation to the White House citing protest of President Clinton's lack of moral code. Then less than three years later was accused of sexually seducing a teenage girl (his babysitter) at an after prom party.

And my favorite screw-up before the Super Bowl, there was Eugene Robinson, who on the eve of SB XXXIII was honored with the annual "Bart Starr Award" presented by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for "high moral reproach and character". What better way to celebrate then to offer a street prostitute forty dollars for oral sex? Too bad for Eugene, it was an undercover cop.

We're less than 72 hours before the kickoff for Super Bowl XLIV and, so far, no immediate member of either the Indianapolis Colts or the New Orleans Saints have embarrassed their respective franchises. And, if there is a Super Bowl proposition for me to wager on, I bet none of the Colts or Saints will make that blunder before the Super Bowl begins. While keeping tabs on each player on an NFL team involves more watching-over than the OctoMom's babysitter, both the Colts and Saints are loaded with classy individuals throughout their 53-man roster.

Tuesday's annual Media Day was anything but controversial. While media members tried to get something, anything, from Dwight Freeney concerning his injured ankle, the other players avoided making any controversial statements. Not even a tired "Namath-like guarantee" could be pried from any of the players populating the concourse at Sun Life Stadium. These athletes don't just make their hometown fans proud, but probably do so to all of their parents as well.

Increased exposure from sleazy, celebrity web sites can't even crack the participants of this Super Bowl. As this column went to press, so far, the best TMZ could do was get a photograph of Reggie Bush walking out of a South Beach club Tuesday morning at 3:30 a.m.

Wow, how scandalous!

Super Bowl XLIV matches the two top playoff seeds from the NFC and AFC for the first time since 1993. The game should be on for the ages, but not one for the tabloids.

2010-01-28T09:45:00.000-05:00

NFL Overtime Changes Overdue

Peyton Manning should have a chance to play if Super Bowl XLIV would go into overtime

There's only two things I can't stand in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures... and the Dutch"
[Michael Caine, aka 'Nigel Powers', from Austin Powers in Goldmember]

If the commissioner of the NFL was to ask me what two things I can't stand, the most likely answer would have been, "The preseason and the Pro Bowl." Now, I'm not so sure. (And it's not because of moving the Pro Bowl to the week before the Super Bowl, Mr. Goodell. Sorry.)

While still not a fan of the 'simulated scrimmages' before each regular season or the 'fake football' of the annual Pro Bowl, last week's NFC Championship Game reminded me of something that leaves me more frustrated than a Cowboys fan in January. The NFL rules for overtime.

I'm far from alone on this one. While some analysts (Cris Collinsworth, Phil Simms) and league executives throw their support, there may be more fans of college football's BCS than there are of today's NFL overtime rules.

The current system begins with a coin toss and the team that scores first, by any means, wins. (You already knew that, but that was just in case Donovan McNabb is reading.) These overtime rules were put in place back in 1974. Since then, the game has transformed through many rules changes and most of them have benefited the offense. During that time period, the kickers (and kicking conditions) have improved as well.

Following a 60-minute deadlock, we just aren't thrilled to watch a team win the overtime coin toss, receive the kickoff, drive 30-40-yards and make a field goal before 4th down. But, reality isn't such the case and it only feels like that happens each time. There were 13 overtime games in the 2009 regular season and in only 5 did the team that won the coin toss score without having to play defense.

But in the playoffs when better teams are competing in this, an offensive-era of the league, it becomes a bigger issue. The league's overtime rules may have just hurt the Minnesota Vikings, and their fans, more so than another win by them would have inflicted pain on the people in Green Bay. In Indianapolis, it was felt just a season ago.

In last year's AFC wild card playoffs, the San Diego Chargers won the overtime coin toss and beat the Indianapolis Colts, 23-17, without Peyton Manning ever touching the football. This year's NFC championship, same scenario, but this time the Saints won and Brett Favre never took a snap.

In January of 2009, fans were denied the history to witness the legendary Peyton Manning, for the first time in his hall of fame career, lead a postseason drive with everything on the line. Last week, we may also been robbed of seeing Brett Favre have another memorable sudden death playoff game moment.

Peyton Manning in the 2008 playoffs would have been 50 years separated from when Johnny Unitas, wearing a Colts uniform, led a drive that I've now seen on film more times than the original Pamela Anderson sex tape. In the first-ever sudden death overtime game in NFL history, Unitas and the Baltimore Colts beat the New York Giants for the league championship. But we weren't able to see if it would play out in the same way for Manning.

Nor did football fans get to watch Brett Favre imitate history. Just 2 years ago was his last veteran opportunity to make a 'rookie throw' on a grand stage.

Favre's underthrown ball in overtime of the 2007-08 NFC championship sent the New York Giants to Super Bowl XLII weeks before he and the Packers began their nasty breakup. One more Favre interception to finish off his Vikings in New Orleans, and the Packers management would have been celebrating more than the Saints organization did following the game.

In the National Football League, it's the quarterbacks who are stars and the placekickers who are expandable. But in an overtime situation, the little soccer dude has more impact than the prestigious field general. And neither might be more crucial than the luck of winning that 50/50 coin toss.

It's fair for the league and the union to protect their players from injury. The regular season can withstand the anticlimactic shadow their overtime system sheds on an otherwise exciting ending. But postseason should provide the ultimate drama.

Unlike MLB, who failed to address issues that could embarrass the game in its biggest events like the 2002 All-Star Game tie, the NFL needs to be proactive and fix the overtime rules for their postseason games.

The fans deserve it.

2010-01-22T08:59:00.000-05:00

No Experience Necessary

Commuters throughout the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area have been treated to a unique outdoor advertising campaign. The billboards, however, weren't aimed at them as consumers but towards Bills owner, Ralph Wilson, who probably doesn't even drive his own vehicle to work.

"Buffalo Fans Want Bill Cowher -- Paid For By Bills Fans" read the giant signs. The bigger sign was that of the Buffalo Bills fans, who have apparently grown tired of watching sub-par professional football.

It's understandable for fans in Buffalo to feel this way. The home team hasn't made the playoffs since 1999. That's 10 years and it ties the Bills for the longest drought in the league with, you guessed it, the Detroit Lions.

But simply hiring Bill Cowher to coach the Bills doesn't guarantee anything for Buffalo. In fact, upon looking further into the numbers, it makes as much logic as using a wooden barrel to safely travel to bottom of those giant falls to which their city neighbors.

[At this point we could calculate the years (15) it took for Bill Cowher to win a (1) Super Bowl as the head coach in Pittsburgh and then compare how many different people (7) have held that position in Buffalo during that tenure. Or, reference the number of Super Bowls the Steelers had won (4) before hiring Cowher. And maybe even offer up how many years it took the Steelers to win another (2) after he retired. But, being from Pittsburgh, I don't wish to turn this into a Bill-bashing column and ruin any specials I still get on sauerkraut pierogies when I visit home.]

In 2009, 3 NFL teams were led by head coaches who had won a Super Bowl. 2 of them missed the playoffs (New York Giants with Tom Coughlin and Pittsburgh Steelers with Mike Tomlin) and the other (New England Patriots with Bill Belichick) was crushed in the opening round.

12 teams made the NFL playoffs this season. 9 of them were led by first-time head coaches. 2 of the 4 teams playing in the conference finals have rookie NFL head coaches (Rex Ryan and Jim Caldwell). The other 2 (Sean Peyton and Brad Childress) who are leading teams into this weekend had no previous head coaching experience before hired by their current owners.

Not all that different than the 2008 version of the NFL's Final Four. Last year, three of the teams playing in the conference finals were led by first-timers who had a combined 5 years of NFL experience (Baltimore Ravens with John Harbaugh, Arizona Cardinals with Ken Whisenhunt and Pittsburgh Steelers with Mike Tomlin).

Despite the success of these former assistants, the same famous names are dropped for each potential NFL opening. Now that Mike Shanahan has gone to Washington and Mike Holmgren is running things in Cleveland, it's Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden who carry this false prophecy automatic success in pro football. Currently, Cowher is still a studio on 'The NFL Today' and Gruden is under contract with ESPN's 'Monday Night Football' where he reminded us weekly "That's the kind of guy I'd like to coach!" following the name of every player mentioned.

Admittedly, there is a lot I don't understand when it comes to the NFL and head coaching (like, for instance, the fact that Rich Kotite once was one) but when owners chase a legend from yesteryear instead of pursuing a talented, hungry newbie, it shows I must no little when it comes to finance as well. With a salary cap free season seemingly imminent in 2010, it would seem fiscally sound to not overspend for experience when so many are having coaching success while on their rookie contracts.

Or, maybe that's exactly what's happening in the National Football League. Before the 2009 season, there were 11 coaching changes and 9 were hired with no previous experience. But so far, going into 2010, that is not the case. The Washington Redskins (Mike Shanahan), Seattle Seahawks (Pete Carroll) and Buffalo Bills (Chan Gailey) have all made recycled choices for their head coaching hires.

2010-01-15T09:02:00.003-05:00

Tiny Needles, Little Pills & BIG Lies

If some had their way, this would be the 1990's wing at the Baseball Hall of Fame

This week Mark McGwire admitted that he took PED's while he played professional baseball including during his record-breaking 1998 season.

"I used steroids during my playing career and I apologize," McGwire said in a statement released on January 11, 2010.

Wow, you can knock me over with a small feather on that one. (Or, if it's after my next cycle with steroids then, knock me over with a large bulldozer.)

Like the time Bill Clinton confessed of an extra-marital affair, Clay Aiken announced he was homosexual or when Nick Nolte pleads 'no contest' to any alcohol-related offense, there were certain celebrity admissions that don't exactly catch the rest of us too far off guard. Nor are we blindsided to learn another modern day slugger took steroids while rapidly climbing baseball's home run list.

Was it the 500-foot bombs being launched from Popeye-like forearms that first hinted of McGwire's involvement during that decade? Didn't Big Mac put some special sauce on that speculation in 2005 wih his refusal to speak about the past when he was sitting before congress for the sole purpose to speak about the past?

Anyone who didn't suspect McGwire, or others, of using steroids wasn't paying close enough attention. And whoever needed Mark to come clean to know that he was cheating needs to just stop paying attention (to anything, come to think of it, because you're naivety might be dangerous to the vast majority).

For baseball fans, it justifies our understanding of the game when the more obvious users confess to our suspicions. But the manner in which they admit to their actions is worse because that insults our intelligence.

Alex Rodriguez got his from a cousin, Barry Bonds didn't know what it was ( Sammy Sosa, remember, couldn't speak English for one day) and McGwire's attempt to come clean was also a pile of lies.

"I have the chance to do something that I wish I was able to do five years ago" …"I wish I had never touched steroids", Mark's statement had self-righteous rhetoric and his sincerity was as enhanced as he and his fellow bash brothers were when they played ball.

McGwire spoke with the Associated Press soon after he sent his prepared release and, as he apologized, his voice cracked. While some suggest that was just a precursor to what his tendons might someday do, I think it was genuine emotion coming from McGwire.

Genuine and selfish emotions from Mark, I'd say.

[Flashback to the summer of 1985 and, with his newly earned State of Pennsylvania Driver License, Dominic Joseph Zaccagnini is sitting on his parents couch while a Shaler Township policeman explains how he just clocked my mother's Volkswagen Rabbit at double the speed limit through a 40 mph zone. As I was busted and banned from that mean machine it dawned on me that I didn't have a car of my own, or anything else, so I began to apologize. Over and over until, and I'm pretty certain, my voice cracked while I did.

The point was that I wasn't so emotional because of how sorry I was for making my mistake. But I was REALLY sorry that I was caught. It was difficult now telling the truth and scary too.]

The timing, tone and take of Mark McGwire's admission felt disingenuous.

The mistruths continued just hours following his released statement and AP interview when McGwire told Bob Costas on the MLB Network, "The only reason I took steroids was for health purposes"

It had nothing to do with his hitting all those home runs, he says. Or, the fame, money and adulation that comes with being a major league baseball home run king.

Really, Mark?

2010-01-11T19:44:00.001-05:00

The Boston Red Sox once endured the infamous “Curse of the Bambino”. For 86 years, sports fans in Boston blamed their team’s trade of Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees during the 1919-20 offseason for a championship drought.

Throughout the history of the curse, numerous documentaries were filmed, books were written and comedy skits were developed detailing its depths. Its mystique created material for comedians (Dennis Leary) nicknames for athletes (“Bucky F’n Dent”) and its ultimate reverse caused re-writes of Hollywood chick flicks (“Fever Pitch”).

Since following the 2004 ALCS, when the Red Sox overcame a 3-0 best-of-seven deficit to defeat the Yankees and go on to win a World Series title (again in 2007), the Babe no longer curses Beantown.

Well, at least not that “babe”.

Enter, Gisele Caroline Bündchen.

She’s a Brazilian model, actress, former socialite and now the (much) better half to New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady. Tom and Gisele were married in February of 2009. The super-couple began dating in 2006 when Tom was on top of the football world.

Like a Tom Brady-led 4th quarter drive, his relationship with Gisele could not be stopped. Not by their successful careers, the bothersome media or even a positive pregnancy test from his former and famous girlfriend, Bridget Moynahan.

When he and Gisele became a couple, Tom was only a year removed from a Super Bowl XXXIX championship (played on February 6, 2005). It was his third world title with, what seemed back then, more rings to follow. But in the 2006 postseason, his Patriots would blow an 18-point lead and lose to the eventual winners of SB XLI, the Indianapolis Patriots.

In 2007, Brady would break more passing records and lead New England to the NFL’s first ever 16-0 regular season. And everything seemed as fine as half-naked Bündchen in a bundle of bed sheets.

But, just like this photograph is to rest of us men in the world…

It was all just a big tease

After leading victories in 12 of the first 13 playoff games which he started, Brady has lost 3 of his last 5.

Tom Brady in the postseason:
First 12 games - 5 interceptions
Last 6 games - 10 interceptions

Pick up your head Tom, at least you spend the offseason with a supermodel

2010-01-09T09:33:00.001-05:00

Don't let the 5 wins and even fewer fans discourage you guys, go ahead and dump the coach with Gatorade in subfreezing temperatures

When gambling, I always like to set up my later losses before making my more immediate bets. Some don't get that and warn to not "put the cart ahead of the horse", but I bet they never had money on a horse where the cart was the only thing it didn't finish behind.

I'd be more confident predicting these NFL playoffs starting with the conference championships and working backwards to the wild card games. My ever-expanding holiday gut says the eventual winner of the NFC is playing football this weekend while this year's AFC champion has a first-round bye.

Dallas, Philadelphia, Green Bay or Arizona, put me down for any of those to beat the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings next weekend. Meanwhile, Indianapolis and San Diego should use their off week to prepare for one another in the conference finals.

The hottest teams advance and the luckiest ones eventually fall.

The Cowboys and Packers are hot but the Eagles and Cardinals have the chops to start sizzling after a quality road win. The Vikings and especially the Saints will have home field but whoever they play in the divisional playoffs will have their share of advantages too.

(Speaking of hot, I sure was in Week 17. Testing my theory that teams with nothing to play for will cover against those trying to make the playoffs we salute the Chiefs, Raiders and Patriots and denounce the Bengals in the final week.)

The Colts and Chargers are the class of the AFC. The Texans and Steelers didn't deserve to make the postseason but both would have a better chance than the Jets or Bengals to win a playoff game in Indianapolis or San Diego. The Ravens can't run the table and the Patriots just don't look right.

Despite great momentum from a Week 17 winning streak, for the NFL Wild Card Playoffs I place my predictions with a confidence level at about - on a scale of Rosie O'Donnell to Megan Fox - I'd say, a Paul Poundstone chance of making me proud the next morning.

New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals
If Marvin Lewis has any strategic sense at all (and that's a big IF) then he showed the Jets absolutely nothing during last week's slaughter. And by nothing I mean NOTHING. From Sunday's game to Saturday, the defensive schemes that Mark Sanchez sees in Cincinnati should look more foreign to him than the menu at Nha Hang Pho Viet Huong in Manhattan once did to me. Bengals 27, Jets 10

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
Wow, could you imagine how good either might be if they had Terrell Owens? Guess you haven't heard anyone say that.

Here's something else that you shouldn't hear anyone say, "It's hard to beat a team three times in the same season," because that's about as accurate today as Nick Folk field goal attempt. Last season the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens three times and since 1999 in games where a team has a 2-0 series, they are 5-2.

Dallas is finally playing really well at the right time. Cowboys 31, Eagles 21

Baltimore at New England
I don't think much of the Patriots potential this postseason. Welker's torn knee, Brady's broken ribs, Maroney's butter fingers, there even seems to be a deeper resentment toward the press in Bill Belichick's voice.

They couldn't win on the road against mediocre competition this season and won't against a quality opponent next week, but New England might be good for one win at home. Patriots 17, Ravens 13

Green Bay at Arizona
Disclosure item #1: Before the season began I had placed a "future" wager (on a whim and not so much done for the team as much as for the potential payout) on the Arizona Cardinals to win SB XLIV.

Disclosure item #2: It might not be possible for a heterosexual sports guy to have a bigger man crush on a player than I currently have on Aaron Rodgers.

Credit the Green Bay Packers management for knowing what fantasy football have now learned too, Aaron Rodgers is a quarterbacking stud. Packers 34, Cardinals 28

Still, for reasons I disclosed in my top-listed item, I'll be rooting for Kurt and the Cardinals.

Money over honeys, I guess.

2010-01-05T12:22:00.003-05:00

Boyzee State Broncos

Boise State University has won their second Fiesta Bowl in four years after beating TCU 17-10 on Monday night. The win concludes another undefeated season for the Broncos (14-0) who have won more games than any college football team since 2000.

How did an athletic program, located in Boise, Idaho, become such a dominant force in college football?

Could it be the college courses they offer their student-athletes?

Or, the postgame reward the players receive for winning games?

2010-01-04T20:25:00.000-05:00

Don't Rush to Recognize These Records

When someone says that NFL games lack competitiveness during the final week of the regular season, they are obviously missing the point. The decimal point, that is. Whether it’s to add leverage for the free agent market or for personal performance bonuses, players had a lot to play for even if their Week 17 game didn’t have any playoff implications.

And we’re not just talking of the Tennessee Titans’ relentless use of Chris Johnson to break the all-time total yards from scrimmage record and also to become the 6th player in league history to rush for more than 2,000 in a season. The Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills game wasn’t at all being played for the final score (Buffalo won 30-7, I think), but for certain individual accomplishments. Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne got a lot of short passes thrown in their direction and each left the game following their respective catches that gave both 100 for the season. Terrell Owens caught 4 balls to surpass Tim Brown for 3rd place on the all-time receptions list. Running back Fred Jackson rambled through a defense of Colts’ reserves to reach 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.

I’m not trying to knock Jackson’s 212-yard rushing day or break my New Year’s revolution for picking on team’s that I hardly got to see (did the Bills even play in between their Week 1 Monday night loss to the Patriots and the Week 17 formality with the Colts?) but do we still even recognize a 1,000 rushing season as an actual accomplishment??

We shouldn’t.

Before 1978, when the NFL regular season was only 14 games in length, it was a heck of a deal. Before 1961, when the regular season was only 12 games, it was one helluva an accomplishment.

Let’s do some math (and, by doing so, I’m breaking a second resolution this year). In 1960, only 3 NFL players (Jim Brown, Jim Taylor and John Crow) surpassed 1,000 rushing. To reach that plateau, they needed to average 83.3 yards per game. That same weekly average for rushing output, today, would total over 1,333 yards in a season.

(And, likewise, the “water mark” for a great receiving season would now also be 1,333 yards and, by doing some more mathematics, 3,000 yard passing should now be measured by 4,000.)

Using that 83.3/game average as a measuring stick for today’s running backs and only six players (Chris Johnson, Steven Jackson, Thomas Jones, Maurice Jones-Drew, Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice) accumulated enough yards on the ground to consider the 2009 season a statistical accomplishment.

So Fred Jackson, and some others, just doesn’t make the cut.

Throw that souvenir ball back to the fans, Fred. It won’t be worth much on eBay.

2010-01-01T08:53:00.000-05:00

Even I Can Be Right... Sometimes

Look closely at this offshore sportsbook and casino and see the newly added wing which they plan to name in my honor.

They say that it's not easy always being right. Not that I'd know because often, too often, I'm wrong. And so will admit anyone who tries to predict the actions of others, that is, if they are being honest.

For those who pick sports publicly, there is no denying the inability to do so correctly with any consistently. Video evidence exists of ESPN's Chris Berman (or, "The Swami") and his consecutive, but incorrect, preseason guesses of a Buffalo Bills vs. San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. Nowadays thanks to the Internet (and, according to him, Al Gore) mine and others leave a paper, err, I mean, an online trail of our missteps.

How wrong we can be and how available it is for others to see.

This IHSAA football season, our very own Jeremiah Johnson was flooded with emails from fans in southern Indiana following his semi-state playoffs prediction that Cathedral would clobber Evansville Reitz (42-7). Not only did Evansville Reitz crush Cathedral (31-10) but the Panthers would go on to defeat Lowell in the Class 4A championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Despite a 56 point swing in his semi-state game prediction, Jeremiah was hardly the goat of this football-guessing year. One NFL.com analyst (Bucky Brooks) made a preseason prediction that the 2009 Indianapolis Colts would finish 8-8 and in 4th place of the AFC South. It took only 9 games for the Colts to buck Bucky's win total.

You don't have to dig very far to read how wrong I've been, either. Just last week in this very same column I addressed the potential of Indianapolis being the first NFL team ever to accomplish a 19-0 season and that, despite the team's public denial, making history was important to all of them.

Well, we all know how that one turned out. (My apologies for further infuriating those who still disagree with the team management for their personal decisions in the 2nd half of that loss to the Jets). Furthermore, back in April when the 2009 NFL schedule was officially released, I half-heartedly prognosticated an undefeated regular season for the Indianapolis Colts.

Try not to be too hard on me for that one.

(In September, I later amended my ambitious prediction with an 11-5 record and 1st place finish in the AFC South for the Colts. For that one, you can go ahead and take your open shots at me.)

I was off on some other "educated guesses" this NFL year as well. My mock draft from April, my visions of seeing Michael Vick play in the UFL from August, my pregame prediction of the Week 4 Titans/Jets game from September and, of course, my predictions and pursuit of perfection for the Indianapolis Colts.

As the 2009 National Football League regular season comes to a close this Sunday, it's only fair that I too recognize those few instances when I was actually correct. While you'll have to take my word on some of those calls (like Brett Favre not actually retiring despite another press conference announcing he was, of Aaron Rodgers being the highest-scoring quarterback for this fantasy football season, the Pittsburgh Steelers not defending their NFC North title and the Denver Broncos not winning the AFC West despite a 6-0 start), a quick Internet search will show that I wasn't too far off when it came to the Bears' trade for Jay Cutler, Indianapolis defeating Tennessee in Week 13 despite the Titans more needing the win or, at least the overwhelming public feelings toward, the Colts' pursuit of perfection.

Wow, that's not an awful lot. Is it?

Well soon enough we will know how right or wrong it was for me to dispel the fashionable notion that the Houston Texans would finally make the playoffs or of Brett Favre's value when it's time to actually play in the postseason.

Predicting NFL outcomes isn't easy. But, hey, I'm just a fan. Unlike Tom Benson, he is the owner of the New Orleans Saints. Forget him trying to guess what will occur in the future, poor Tom wasn't even able to decipher what had actually already happened as he accidentally celebrated a potential, but missed, game-winning field goal in his team's Week 16 loss to the Tamp Bay Buccaneers.

2009-12-27T09:32:00.001-05:00

You're a Mean One, Mr. Gundy

The Christmas tie isn't fooling anyone, Stan

"Did you have a nice holiday?"

Unofficially, that's the most overheard question beginning Christmas Day until the New Year. (Unless you are Charlie Sheen, of course, then it would be, "Did they read you your rights?"). The rest of us (sans Charlie) will typically respond with an agreeable, positive reply while mentioning our families, the children and loved ones whose company we enjoyed.

But don't expect Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy to give you the standard seasonal response. "I would rather not play on Christmas," Van Gundy said before losing to the Boston Celtics on Friday. "This is a day to spend with your family. The league has been good to all of us in terms of what we get (big money) out of these TV games, so it would sound a little disingenuous to complain too much. But if I had my way, we'd take a five-day Christmas break."

Hey, put the rest of us down for a five day break too, Stan! And while we're synchronizing our work schedules, can ours also include a 3 to 4 month offseason as well??

The scheduling of NBA games on Christmas Day dates back to the inception of the league (late 1940s) then, starting in 1983, they were televised nationally and became a household tradition. This year the ESPN/ABC Network broadcasted 5 games on December 25th. And, unlike the NFL, the National Basketball Association strives to entertain fans with the game's biggest stars and best teams (LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers in one of those games this year).

Not only should the NBA ignore Van Gundy's scrooge-like request, but the NFL should be more particular as to how they gift-wrap games for their fans. Each year on Thanksgiving Day, fans are forced to suffer through blowouts because the NFL stubbornly sticks to the tradition of including the Detroit Lions and then scheduling a weak opponent for the Dallas Cowboys. Over the past four years of pro football on Thanksgiving Day, the Lions have lost by a combined score of 144-58 and the Cowboys have crushed their opponents (Oakland, Seattle, New York Jets and Tampa Bay) by a 130-29 margin.

Then, beginning in 2006, there is the Thanksgiving night game broadcast on the NFL Network - which is still only available in about half the homes in America. I guess is important to remind the less fortunate what they DON'T have on that day of thanks.

As for the family dilemma in the Van Gundy household... every heard of celebrating on Christmas Eve, Stan?

2009-12-25T06:23:00.001-05:00

Can We Be Perfectly Honest About 19-0?

Super Bowl ring ... check. Super Bowl MVP... check. NFL MVP... check. Multiple passing records... check. 19-0 season... Sure!

Entering Week 16 of the 2009 season, the Indianapolis Colts have won an NFL record 23 consecutive regular season games. Last week's victory in Jacksonville was the 115th for Indianapolis during this decade which is also a league record. All the while, the Colts now have 7 straight seasons with at least 12 wins. That current streak is yet another NFL milestone.

Why do we know that these accomplishments have never before been achieved? The records are documented and because they matter to us fans and everyone who is either involved with or follows the game.

We are all also well aware of 19-0. And we know that it's never been done before.

So, can we all stop pretending that it doesn't matter?

And, I mean, everyone?

Before losing to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15, the New Orleans Saints were approaching their own perfect regular season. Unlike the home team in Indianapolis, the Saints aren't accustomed to such success. And it showed. Like someone old enough to recognize the meaning of Christmas, their players basked in the possibility of an unblemished regular season record and openly spoke about presenting the 16-0 gift to the long suffering football fans in Louisiana.

But in Indianapolis, where too many seasonal dreams have been returned shortly after Christmas, the focus is on what happens in the new year (the postseason).

Each week as the pursuit of perfection becomes closer and closer for the Indianapolis Colts, the coaches, the players and staff surrounding the franchise deflect questions about the possibility of going 19-0.

"It's a great conversation for those who love our sport. We know what the most important thing is," head coach Jim Caldwell said about the media and fan frenzy surrounding the unbeaten Colts.

Yes, we know. Going undefeated during the season without winning the ultimate prize, a Super Bowl title, devalues a 16-0 record. We've seen that before in 2007. And we're not overly enamored with that New England Patriots team for doing so.

But owning an undefeated regular season record along with a Super Bowl championship? Now, that is special. And while they can try to deny that while in pursuit, few will dismiss it when they are not involved with the possibility of achieving perfection.

"I would give it all up for one year of perfection," said three-time Super Bowl champion, Michael Irvin. "All 3 Super Bowl rings for 1 perfect season!" exclaimed the Hall of Fame wide receiver when discussing the topic on 'NFL GameDay'.

While Irvin's exclamation may be an exaggeration, it does reveal what most of us already know… that winning a championship in a way that no one else has done before would be even more super.

Do we even have to ask any living members from the 1972 Miami Dolphins how they feel? For over three decades they root against and then celebrate afterwards whenever the last remaining unbeaten NFL team is finally defeated. They know that each season somebody is going to win the Super Bowl but they hope each year that no one does so the same way that they did.

For athletes or even coaches, things are more acceptable to say and easier to admit when you are no longer actively involved. Remember John Elway during his playing days who, after a series of Super Bowl disappointments, would deny that his football career would be personally lacking if he didn't win a NFL championship? When asked again his feelings of that potential scenario following the Denver Broncos Super Bowl XXXII victory, Elway admitted, "I lied."

And so too are many of the 2009 Indianapolis Colts who act as if being the first to achieve 19-0 would not be more memorable to them. But we get it. They can't make themselves publicly vulnerable by vocally trying to make NFL history and not keeping their focus on the true prize of winning Super Bowl XLIV. At least not while during the process of pursuing it.

The reality is that teams and individuals are not just playing each season against the rest of the NFL but they are also competing against the history of the league. There have been 43 Super Bowls played so far and while only 17 NFL franchises have won them, those individual teams are more than remembered for their championship season. Inevitably, each will also be historically compared to the other Super Bowl winners.

Being the first and (so far) only Super Bowl champion to go "19-0" would be forever remembered. For the players, coaches and everyone involved with such a perfect season, it would be even more special.

And there is nothing wrong with that.

2009-12-21T08:47:00.005-05:00

So, These Are the Experts?

The massive interest for professional football and the growth of the National Football League has been undeniable. Replacing baseball many years ago as our nation’s most popular sport, the media coverage dedicated to covering the game has exploded almost as fast as the league, itself. But so many hours of coverage also means too many cliché’s and, as a result, too much lazy analysis.

Want to know what ESPN’s Tom Jackson thinks the (insert any NFL team here) need to do to win this week? “Run the football, play good defense and avoid turnovers”.

Thanks, Tom. I’ll try to remember that next time. Unlike the thousands of times you stated that in the past.

Last week Tony Dungy said on NBC’s “Football Night in America” pregame show that the Dallas Cowboys had ‘no chance’ of beating the New Orleans Saints in Week 15.

The Cowboys won 24-17. And, according to quarterback Tony Romo, they had Tony Dungy to partially thank for it. Romo mentioned following the game that a tape of Dungy’s comments was played for the Cowboys before they left for New Orleans.

How’s that for “Uncommon”?

When Tony Dungy joined the Sunday night show many wondered if he could be opinionated enough to make it work as an analyst. No longer a concern, we must now wonder if Dungy is objective enough.

Wasn’t Tony once the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? His 1999 team made it all the way to the NFC Championship where, behind quarterback Shaun King, they had to play the “Greatest Show on Turf” in St. Louis for a chance to be in the Super Bowl. Dungy’s team was far more than a touchdown underdog (the Saints were favored by 7 ½ over the Cowboys in Week 15) in that conference title game.

So, did your team have ‘no chance’ at winning, Tony?

Surely the Indianapolis Colts teams he coached know what it’s like to win as an underdog and lose as a favorite. The San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers have beaten the heavily-favored Dungy-led Colts’ teams in the postseason while his 2006 Super Bowl champions were underdogs their road playoff road games leading up to SB XLI.

In the future Tony Dungy (and some others) can watch some tape of their own during the week to avoid such analytical errors on Sunday. I’m positive that some pregame host, somewhere, reminded us recently, “That’s why they play the game”.

Tom?

2009-12-18T08:54:00.000-05:00

Quit Ruining My Fantasies

Excuse me ladies, would you know how many touchdowns Adrian Peterson scored for my fantasy football team this week?

Upon first glance at this article's title and one might wonder why I haven't bought a lock for my bedroom door or simply dated a less cerebral blonde, but this eligible bachelor isn't referencing females. Well, at least not today.

Like many football fans, each autumn my fantasies don't so much involve me scoring with Kate Moss, Sienna Miller or Catherine Zeta-Jones but, rather, me scoring from Randy Moss, Zach Miller or Maurice Jones-Drew. As most of you know, its playoff time for fantasy football owners.

If your team has been anything like mine than you surely know that it's not only the weather that goes cold each December. Fantasy football, not unlike gambling, seemingly only provides the participant with hard breaks and bad memories. At IndySportsNation.com, my desk is within an ear's shot of the entire FOX-59 sports department. None were happy with the results of their team this week.

Finding a fantasy football owner this time of the year who was on the right side of a missed field goal or a late touchdown is much harder than uncovering a woman willing to share an extra-marital fling with Tiger Woods. And you won't hear any gloating from me (on either subject).

12 wins in 13 regular season weeks only to be demolished in the postseason by a Wild Card team with a 6-7 record. Such was my luck. But as the saying goes (or, if not, it should be a cliché' by now) "The only one who cares about YOUR fantasy football team is YOU!"

(Therefore, I'll spare you the details and the following NFL stars the wrath of my insults: Aaron Rodgers, DeAngelo Williams, Calvin Johnson, Donald Driver, Anquan Boldin, Tony Gonzalez and New England's defense/special teams.) But, suffice to say, the past decade has given me new found respect and a much deeper empathy for the Dan Reeves', Bud Grant's and Marv Levy's of the football world who had coached tremendous teams but could never win "the big one".

So, I digress.

With most leagues done with regular season play (a universally shortened format that can be credited to the Indianapolis Colts and traced back to the years when they would notoriously rest their stars in December), lets recognize this year's fantasy football busts from 2009.

QUARTERBACK

Jay Cutler - The only thing worse than his attitude before the season was the disposition of his fantasy owners throughout the season.

Matt Cassel - Amazing how ordinary a QB can look when his receiving core of Randy Moss and Wes Welker is replaced by Dwayne Bowe and Bobby Wade.

Matt Ryan - Call it a sophomore slump or blame his late injury but following Week 6, "Matty Ice" was pretty much cold for the remainder of the season.

(Dishonorable Mention: JaMarcus Russell, Eli Manning and anyone from Cleveland)

RUNNING BACK

Matt Forte - Before the season, fantasy owners thought he was the next Walter Payton but once the real games began he was more like the next Curtis Enis.

Brandon Jacobs - I swear there was a game this year that he was so slow hitting the hole the Giants were called for delay of game in mid-play.

Michael Turner - "Turner the Burner" or "Turner the Bust". You decide.

(Dishonorable Mention: Larry Johnson, Marion Barber, Clinton Portis, Derek Ward, Brian Westbrook, Willie Parker, LenDale White)

WIDE RECEIVER

Steve Smith - Who knew that having "The good Steve Smith" meant drafting the guy from the New York Giants?

Greg Jennings - What was supposed to be a "breakout season" took a backseat to Donald Driver's "comeback season".

T.J. Houshmandzadeh - Way to step-up and become a #1 wide receiver, T.J. And just when the novelty fans finally learned how to pronounce your last name.

(Dishonorable Mention: Antwaan Randle El, Nate Washington, Ted Ginn Jr., Terrell Owens, Roy E. Williams, Devin Hester, Santana Moss)

TIGHT END

Jason Witten- Yet, somehow Tony Romo put up decent fantasy numbers while he was his top target.

Tony Gonzalez - Not a horrible season but like his wardrobe in the PETA advertisement, we expected a lot more.

Greg Olsen - Imagine how little his numbers would have been had he NOT been Jay Cutler's favorite drinking buddy.

(Dishonorable Mention: Owen Daniels and Chris Cooley but only because of injury)

That's all since it's too painful for me to continue. I can't take these December disappointments much more and am officially retiring from fantasy football...until next year.

2009-12-13T18:07:00.006-05:00

Heisman Watch?

Sophomore running back Mark Ingram has been awarded as this year's Heisman Trophy winner. In the closest race in Heisman history, Ingram edged runner-up Toby Gerhart by a mere 28 votes to become the first member of the Alabama Crimson Tide to win the prestigious award.

Sounds pretty exciting, doesn't it?

For Ingram it certainly was. “I'm a little overwhelmed right now," he said. "I'm just so excited to bring Alabama their first Heisman winner,” as the tears flowed (and subsequently ended all jokes in Tuscaloosa poking fun at Tim Tebow for crying after the SEC Championship game).

Standing at the podium Ingram struggled to speak and was encouraged to 'take his time' by the surrounding former winners. They all knew what a great moment it was to be recognized as college football's best in a season.

Well, almost all of them.

My favorite Heisman Trophy winner of all-time is Tony Dorsett. Attending games at Pitt Stadium as a child, I marveled at the Panthers tailback for his elusive ability and exceptional speed. Dorsett would scorch the opposition and would famously tear-up the Notre Dame Fighting Irish defense for over 303 in 1975 and then (despite the efforts to grow the grass longer in effort to slow him down at South Bend) again in 1976 for a total of 290 yards. (Back then, an individual performance like such versus Notre Dame was unheard of, however, today even a white running back from an academic university can do so.)

Tony Dorsett, the 1976 Heisman winner, would hold the college rushing record for 22 years until Ricky Williams would surpass his total in 1998 (when Williams, himself, would win the award).

He was my favorite college football player then and now Tony Dorsett is my favorite former winner too. Check out Tony during Mark Ingram's speech stopping to check his BlackBerry (about 2:15 into the video).

Finally, we get to enjoy a classic moment during an acceptance speech.

Thanks "TD"!

I just hope for Tony's sake he wasn't being replied to after a late night text.

2009-12-11T09:45:00.003-05:00

Be Smart and Quit School

College chicks dig professional men learned Matt Leinart

Notre Dame's quarterback Jimmy Clausen announced this week that he was leaving the university to enter the 2010 NFL Draft. The move was hardly a surprise and, in fact, had Clausen chosen to stay for his final year of eligibility it would have made much bigger news.

When, back in 1983, Herschel Walker made the decision to forego his senior season at the University of Georgia it was groundbreaking. The 1982 Heisman Trophy winner left the college game to pursue a career with the USFL which was something that the NFL rules, at that time, did not allow. Since then the National Football League has amended their eligibility rules and now anybody with at least 3 years of college experience can enter the draft.

For Jimmy Clausen, to leave an institution of higher-learning and declare his eligibility for professional football, it was a no-brainer.

According to numerous (and anonymous) NFL scouts, Clausen should be the most sought after quarterback in next April's draft. Since he arrived at Notre Dame in 2007 (as one of the most highly anticipated recruits in the school's recent history, he even picked the College Football Hall of Fame as the venue for his announcement to attend Notre Dame) Clausen started 34 games for the Irish and was 16-18 in them.

Having run a pro-style offense under Charlie Weis at Notre Dame, Jimmy Clausen has the arm and the experience that NFL teams seek. This season, Clausen threw for 28 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions. And, after inviting his tight end and receivers to his home in California last summer to work on the passing game (and then subsequently being chosen by his Notre Dame teammates as a captain for the 2009 squad) criticisms of his maturity issues and questions about his leadership abilities have been quieted.

In a release handed out at the press conference this week Clausen said, "Growing up as a kid, one of my lifelong dreams has been to play in the NFL and with that being said, with the support of my family and coaches I will be forgoing my senior year and entering the 2010 NFL draft."

But Clausen's choice was also the right and safe business decision. Perhaps, it was Clausen's business-savvy, and not his football skills, that was the deciding factor.

In 2004, Matt Leinart was a Heisman Trophy winner and the starting quarterback for the national champions, the Southern California Trojans. Many saw him as the logical first-overall selection for the 2005 NFL Draft, but instead (not long after routing Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl where Matt was named the game's Most Valuable Player), Leinart decided to stay in school and not turn professional before his senior season.

Instead, quarterback Alex Smith was selected as the top draft pick in 2005 by the San Francisco 49ers. Smith was signed by the 49ers to a 6-year deal worth $49.5 million with $24-million, guaranteed.

Following Leinart's senior year at USC (which was arguably better than his Heisman Trophy season as a junior), Matt fell to the 10th overall pick of the 2006 draft and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals deal with Leinart included $14-million in guarantees.

You don't have to be a Finance Major to figure out the difference. And neither does Jimmy Clausen. (For the record, Sociology was Clausen's major at Notre Dame.)

Last season, Southern California's Mark Sanchez announced he would leave the Trojans to turn professional. His coach at USC, Pete Carroll, was vocal that he did not support Mark's decision. Now, months later, Sanchez is the starting quarterback for the New York Jets with $28-million guaranteed in his rookie contract which is the largest in the franchise's history.

Had Sanchez gone the Matt Leinart way and stayed in school, how much could he have done to improve his professional value on a noticeably weaker, Trojans football team? If so (or not), how much would his decision to have stayed in school have cost him?

Whatever the answers or the final tally, it's more than Jimmy Clausen (or anyone else) should be willing to gamble.

2009-12-07T14:20:00.003-05:00

No sin for Romo to visit Vegas

Can you tell that it's the month of December in the NFL? The Indianapolis Colts are debating when to sit their starters, Brett Favre's arm is aging faster than the 2009 Baby New Year and the Dallas Cowboys have lost a key divisional game.

Don't you just hate the end of a television season? Damn, these repeats!

The folks down in Texas are getting antsy. And unlike the Longhorns quarterback, Colt McCoy, the football fans in the Lone Star state are very aware of what time it is... December, when their beloved Cowboys run out of gas and their signal-caller, Tony Romo, runs out of touchdown completions.

It's true that Romo typically loses his "mojo" seemingly every year during the playoff chase. And, once again, a vacation is being blamed for a Dallas defeat.

It wasn't the first (or the last) time Tony took a trip before a crucial Cowboys game. His Cabo San Lucas vacation with Jessica Simpson during the bye weekend of the 2007 postseason is still being blamed for the NFC Divisional loss to the New York Giants. Now, following a Week 13 defeat to those same Giants, Romo's decision to leave for Las Vegas has got Cowboys' fans all rustled up again.

Sniff, sniff... Hey you all, he was my quarterback. Sniff.

A week ago on Friday (11/27), Tony Romo (along with teammate Miles Austin) flew to Las Vegas. The Cowboys had the weekend off after a Thanksgiving Day victory over the Oakland Raiders so Romo and Austin attended a charity event. No debauchery has been uncovered and nor did any scandalous photos appear on any celebrity web sites after both returned to Dallas... the next day!

Then on Sunday (NFL's Week 13) Romo returned and completed 30 passes, 151 yards and 1 touchdown MORE than Eli Manning did but the Cowboys lost to the Giants, 31-24. Talk about your long shots.

The trip to Nevada obviously didn't affect Romo's preparation (he didn't miss any team meetings or practices), nor did it cause him to have a bad performance. However, when a team loses, fans need something to blame. But any Cowboys' supporters that think Tony's trip was responsible for this defeat needs to take their own vacation.

A trip to the land of reality, that is.

2009-12-04T10:16:00.001-05:00

Winning Always Matters

Don't you think this guy wants to win... always?

For the 6th time in the past 7 seasons, the Indianapolis Colts are champions of the American Football Conference South Division. Last Sunday in Houston, the Colts drove a spike in the heart of the Texans' postseason hopes with another come-from-behind win. Later that same day, the Jacksonville Jaguars broke their hearts in San Francisco, losing to the 49ers by the score of 20-3. The Indianapolis win, combined with both the Texans and Jaguars losses, was enough to clinch the title after only the 12th week of the regular season.

I know. It was still only November when this happened. But an early division crowning is something that fans in Colts Country have become accustomed to celebrating (and fantasy football owners fret).

This week the Colts play host to the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Remember those Titans? Yep, that same team that Indianapolis put on a Week 5 thumping back on October 11th. But after a 0-6 start, the Titans now hold the NFL's 4th best current winning streak. They've won 5 in a row and haven't lost since they've made the switch from Kerry Collins to Vince Young at quarterback.

And they're undefeated since their head coach, Jeff Fisher, donned his Peyton Manning jersey while speaking at a Nashville convention.

And now he is truly feeling like a winner again.

Like the rest of the IndySportsNation.com staff, I've entered my weekly predictions for the NFL games. But while I'm in the prognosticating mode, allow me to predict who the NFL analysts will chose to win the Week 13 game in Indianapolis and even guess their reason as to why. Most will take Tennessee (with the point spread or to win outright) and the reason they will give is "Because the Titans NEED the victory more than the Colts do".

In other words, the same reason most took the Houston Texans to beat the Colts in Week 12, the Baltimore Ravens to beat them in Week 11 and the New England Patriots in Week 10.

In each of those games, they were wrong.

It's the same tired (and untrue) philosophy that these analysts spew during the finals weeks of every NFL season. There is a consistent, albeit unfounded, belief that late season games are determined by who needs the win instead of who should actually win.

The 2009 Indianapolis Colts have disproved that theory in the past three weeks and so has the history of the National Football League. Just last season, when entering a do-or-die Week 17, both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears needed a victory to ensure a postseason berth and both were playing teams who had already been eliminated from playoff contention.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-6) hosted the Oakland Raiders (4-11) while the Chicago Bears (9-6) were at home against Houston Texans (7-8). Both the Buccaneers and the Bears would make the postseason with a win and neither the Raiders nor the Texans could buy their way into the playoffs. But both the teams that needed to win lost (ironically by the identical score of 31-24).

Much was said about the late season collapse of the 2008 Denver Broncos who had led the AFC West by 3 games in December. In Week 15, San Diego completed the greatest late season comeback in history when crushing the orange, 52-21. But more telling was how the Broncos failed to beat the Buffalo Bills in Week 16. The Bills were 6-8 and already eliminated from the postseason. They didn't need to win at all.

The Indianapolis Colts can tie the league's all-time regular season winning streak (21) by beating the Titans on Sunday. But even if not so, does anyone really believe that Peyton Manning and the Colts don't want to win the game, any ways?

Whether it's to pad one's career coaching record, add leverage to a pending contract negotiation or just for one's own professional pride, for any true competitor in sports, winning always matters.

2009-12-01T11:14:00.001-05:00

Playing the Name Game

Another college football regular season is coming to end as the National Football League playoff picture begins to take shape. As teams prepare for the bowl games or the playoffs, fans and supporters of teams left out of the postseason (or, worse yet, prepare for any college bowl game played in December) are now left to question what went wrong. Most will have the same answer as to how to return their proud team back to its glory days. "Let's fire our underperforming head coach and go out and hire us a big name replacement so we can win again!"

In other words, the same strategy that put them into their current predicament.

Fascination with high-profile personal is nothing new to football. We see it every April during the NFL Draft and before each season with the annual coaching carousel.

Charlie Weis was supposed to be that guy for Notre Dame when they hired him beginning for the 2005 season. With 3 shiny Super Bowl rings, a confident (bordering on cocky) swagger and with university ties, he would surely fix what Tyrone Willingham and Bob Davie couldn't. (We pause to recognize interim coach Kent Baer and George O'Leary who, between the two of them, coached one football game for the Fighting Irish.)

But after 5 seasons in South Bend, only the 0-1 Kent Baer had a worse winning percentage than Charlie.

Some popular names will surely be mentioned for the Notre Dame opening and, following this NFL season, those usual suspects will be mentioned for other vacancies as well. You've heard them before and you will soon again... Jon Gruden, Mike Holmgren, Mike Shanahan and Bill Cowher, just to name a few.

Gruden, Holmgren, Cowher and Shanahan each have achieved the ultimate expectation for success as an NFL coach by winning a Super Bowl. But, none were that well-known before they got their chance to do so.

Jon Gruden had worked his way through the college ranks, was part of the Green Bay Packers' success in the 1990's and then was an offensive coordinator for the Eagles when the Raiders took their chance on a young "Chucky". Following two division titles in Oakland, he was sought after in Tampa Bay where his Buccaneers would win SB XXXVII win over his former team.

Mike Shanahan had, at best, marginal success as head coach with the Los Angeles Raiders in the late 1980's before returning to an assistant's role and, eventually, becoming the head coach for the Denver Broncos. Under Mike Shanahan and in the twilight of John Elway's career, the Broncos would win SB XXXII and SB XXXIII.

Bill Cowher was a little-known defensive coordinator in Kansas City when the Pittsburgh Steelers hired him to replace the legendary Chuck Noll in 1992. It took 14 seasons, but Cowher delivered "one for the thumb" for the franchise who had previously won 4 championships under Noll.

It's easy for professional owners, college Athletic Directors and even us fans to forget who these big names were back when they were first hired. They were all little names. So too were most of the NFL coaches who have successfully emerged in recent years.

Mike Tomlin, Sean Payton, Jim Caldwell, Josh McDaniels, John Harbaugh, Mike Smith, none were household names before helping their teams rebound. Joe Gibbs, Steve Spurrier, Bill Parcells were very well known before their last head coaching rounds in the NFL.

Want to compare the recent success of these "David's" vs. those "Goliath's"?

Despite the temptation, hiring the best man instead of the BIGGEST name for your next head coaching vacancy could pay dividends while also reducing the payroll. Neither sounds like a bad idea during these economic times and competitive days.

2009-11-27T08:34:00.002-05:00

The NFL's M.I.A. (Missing In Action)

Before the start of the 2009 NFL regular season, many of the league's story lines were already predetermined. Today (11/27/09), only 78 days following the inaugural kick-off of the Thursday Night spectacular in between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans, many of those book's seem already closed while some others feel totally forgotten.

They were the players, coaches, teams and things to look for this football year. But where are they today?

Michael Vick

On the 3rd play from scrimmage in the Week 11 Sunday night game at Chicago, #7 for the Philadelphia Eagles took a snap from the shotgun formation and ran for 32 yards. "Wow," I thought. "Ron Jaworski has come out of retirement and, with his same jersey number (but different foot speed, body weight and skin tone) just put the Eagles in scoring position early."

Only it wasn't Ron Jaworski, it was Michael Vick.

Following his release from prison in May, Vick's return to the NFL was the target of much, too much, speculation. Vick confided to and then remained in contact with Tony Dungy before taping his first full length media interview for '60 Minutes'. After signing with the Eagles, there was more "Michael-Mania" as the media and fans wondered aloud how his athletic skills would transform the league's latest offensive craze, the "Wildcat Formation".

So far in 2009, Michael Vick is 3 for 8 passing, for 6 yards and has rushed for 61 yards on 13 carries.

Hanging Scoreboard at Cowboy's Stadium

The 160-foot long, 90-foot high video board hangs over the field at Cowboys Stadium and during the first preseason game ever played at the new $1-billion dollar complex, it was nailed by Tennessee Titans reserve punter, A.J. Trapasso. The punt was ruled a "do over" and the league decided that's how all future balls bounced off of the HD screen would be handled.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was mocked for his Texas-sized blunder as we prepared for constant Dallas "do over's" throughout the 2009 season.

Entering Week 12, the overhead scoreboard has yet to be hit during a regular season game.

The Dominant Division of the NFC East

Why so unfair of the NFL, many asked, to put 4 great teams in the same division and have only 2 Wild Card playoff berths to distribute amongst an entire conference? The New York Giants would be a top contender in the NFC followed by the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys and watch out for those Washington Redskins.

Entering Week 11, only one of those teams (Dallas Cowboys) was more than 1 game above the .500 mark and it took 3 wins over 4 weeks to get there. Combined, they are 16-12 in games played outside the NFC East and, with wins over Tampa Bay (4), Kansas City (3) Oakland (1) and St. Louis (1), they can credit the weak schedule more so than their own division strength.

Young Head Coaching Minds

It was already becoming a trend, but following the 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers championship run led by the youngest coach (Mike Tomlin at age 36) to win a Super Bowl, the copycat league started, well, copying. The instructions of NFL team owners turned from "Go out and find me the next Jon Gruden!" to "Go out and find me the next Mike Tomlin!"

So they tried.

The Denver Broncos bounced Mike Shanahan for Josh McDaniels (33) Cleveland Browns picked Eric Mangini (38), Tampa Bay promoted Raheem Morris (33), Kansas City Chiefs called on Todd Haley (42) New York Jets courted Rex Ryan (46), Detroit Lions hired Jim Schwartz (43) and the St. Louis Rams got the 'ancient', Steve Spagnuola (49).

The combined record of the head coaching "young guns" entering Week 12 is 18-52 (and this despite Josh McDaniels and the Denver Broncos starting at 6-0).

The Indianapolis Colts had already picked Jim Caldwell (54) to be the successor to Tony Dungy before the 2008 season began. Caldwell is 10-0 so far in 2009, the best start ever by an NFL rookie coach.

Famous Football Girlfriends

Not that long ago, Tony Romo was enjoying Mexican vacation's with his pop star princess ( Jessica Simpson), Reggie Bush was appearing in reality shows with his bodacious babe ( Kim Kardashian) and Tom Brady was sleeping with too many starlets to keep track of his own child-bearing.

But now, due to a couple breakups (reports say that Reggie has now reunited with Kim) and a wedding for Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen, we'll soon be left with more camera shots of Archie Manning or, worse yet, Brenda Warner.

2009-11-23T22:03:00.002-05:00

Taking More Cuts at Jay Cutler

Soon all of Chicago will be telling Jay Cutler where they'd like him to kiss

The Chicago Bears have fallen 2 games below .500 and playoff hopes are looking pretty dim in the 4 win-dy city. Only once in the past 5 years have the Bears suffered through a losing season and not that long ago, Chicago was still a monster amongst the competition in the National Football Conference.

Remaining fresh in the memories of football fans in Chicago is the great Super Bowl Bears team that shuffled their way to an NFL championship in 1985 led by a "Punky-QB they called McMahon". For those keeping count, that would be 24 years and 24 staring quarterbacks ago.

In April of 2009, enter Jay Cutler. Cutler, for all intents and purposes, forced himself out of Denver soon after learning that new Broncos coach, Josh McDaniels, inquired about a possible trade for Matt Cassel. With 1 Pro Bowl selection and zero postseason victories on his resume, he was insulted that a team, any team, could consider passing on his services. I mean, after all, he was only trailing Brett Favre by 9 Pro Bowl appearances and by 12 playoff wins. And no team would ever push Brett Favre out now, would they?

Ahem.

I wasn't a supporter of the move to acquire Jay Cutler back then, and I'm still not today.

Very few fans (me included) are able to crunch the numbers mathematically to determine what is called a Passer Rating but even fewer understand how that this rating only represents a portion of what it takes to be a winning quarterback. Case in point... in the last 20 NFL seasons, only 3 quarterbacks who led the league in passer rating won the Super Bowl in that same year (Peyton Manning in 2006, Kurt Warner in 1999 and Steve Young in 1994).

Being a team leader (both on and off of the field), managing the game, calling the correct audible's and blocking assignments from the line scrimmage, these are just a few crucial ingredients to being a successful quarterback beyond having a rocket-launcher as a throwing arm.

Jay Cutler does have a multi-million dollar arm... and loose change for a head. Like others with an unbalanced worth of the full quarterback package (Jeff George, anyone?) Jay looks destined to have more value to fantasy football owners around the country than he does to football fans in Chicago.

2009-11-20T09:31:00.001-05:00

So, There is Crying in Football?

"There's no crying in baseball!" screamed Jimmy Dugan to Bitty Schram.

Still quoted nearly 20 years later, that quote (delivered by Tom Hanks in the 1992 film, 'A League of Their Own') has now outlasted the morning television career of one cast mate (Rosie O'Donnell) and the plastic surgery of another (Madonna).

It's also been said that 'baseball is a contact sport but football is a collision sport'. That being true, if crying is not allowed in baseball then why is it permitted in football?

Former NFL coach Dick Vermeil used to shed more tears at postgame press conferences than a financially forgotten Goomar at an Italian funeral. But Dick is a sensitive guy, who once claimed "burnout" as the reason for retiring from the Philadelphia Eagles following the 1982 season.

But I'm not buying that this week's sobbing adults are quite as emotionally delicate as Dick Vermeil.

The day after a disappointing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan shed tears while addressing his team. Ryan, who is currently 4-5 in his first season with the Jets, was so emotional while speaking to his players he let the tears flow during his speech.

We know you're new at this coaching thing, but it's called 'football' not 'foot-bawl'. Got it?

Ironically, the Jets are preparing to play the New England Patriots this week. If any coach should have been crying on Monday following their Week 10 loss, it should have been Bill Belichick.

But we've all heard enough about that situation.

More disconcerting are the crybabies in Cleveland and Kansas. And for the head coaches with similar-sounding names and identical-looking waistlines, this is no laughing matter.

Just 2 years ago, Mark Mangino was the college football 'Coach of the Year'. Very soon, he may not even be a coach.

Some of his players are threatening to transfer following accusations of verbal abuse and inappropriate physical conduct. Now, some former Kansas players are claiming their coach's insults were too personal and, because so, their feelings were often hurt.

According to former Jayhawks linebacker Joe Mortensen, Mangino was "ruthless".

According to former Jayhawks running back Jocques Crawford, Mangino made him feel "disgraced".

According to me, both former Jayhawks need to fix their skirts and be a man about the situation.

Almost the exact same time frame ago, Eric Mangini was nicknamed "Man-Genius" while still head coach of the New York Jets. Today, leading the 1-8 Cleveland Browns, many call him the dumbest coach in the NFL. His problems were compounded recently when veteran running back, Jamal Lewis, complained that team practices are too long.

All of these claims took some real guts

(Well, you know what I mean)

My football playing career never made it to the college level and certainly not to the professional ranks. But, from my beginnings as the starting halfback for the Shaler Area Midget Cubs, through my successive demotions which ultimately dropped me on the depth chart to the backup placekick holder for the Shaler Titans, I had many opportunities to pout.

But I didn't.

Whether it was additional laps around the practice field or an extra hot jock strap from a locker room prank, I never cried. (Not even on the day I retired and when after the high school coach pointed to where my equipment got returned without even looking up.)

But maybe I shouldn't be so hard on these college and professional athletes and coaches. After all, they are grown men and I was just, um, well, a boy.

So, I digress. I'd hate to hurt any feelings and make someone cry.

2009-11-17T10:27:00.001-05:00

Not Your Father's Football

The National Football League has seen many changes since its inaugural season in 1920 and that should be expected. If the largest professional football organization was the rock band Kiss, it would be selling tickets to fans for its 7th 'Farewell Tour'. If the league was Larry King, by now, it would be getting married for the 9th time.

In reality, just like Joan Rivers, it's been through too many facelifts to keep count.

The evolution of the game was inevitable and, for the most part, good for the sport. But like the title of this blog reads (with a slight audible to make the initials match), this is Not your Father's League, anymore.

More evidence of the NFL's new era occurred in Week 10 of this 2009 regular season. New England's Bill Belichick (regarded by many as the smartest coach in the league) made a non-traditional decision by going for a 4th down and 2 from his own 28 yard line while his team owned a late 4th quarter lead. Jacksonville's Jack Del Rio (regarded by many as the, umm, head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars) instructed his team not to score a touchdown while they were trailing late in the 4th quarter.

While only one of those decisions worked, both signify a mighty change in NFL philosophy. It is no longer a defensive game but, rather, an offensive one where having last possession of the football is more important than a late lead or field position.

George Halas, Vince Lombardi, Chuck Noll... so many successful coaches from the past would not be able to comprehend either choice. But, modern math supports both calls even if Ron Jaworski can't.

The new view of time-management is apparent in today's NFL (as I wrote about following Week 10) but still it's a few years overdue. I was shocked by that lack of understanding while watching SB XXXVIII. (Few heard my screams which would have been louder had not Carolina covered the point spread.) In that game, the Panthers were driving late and would tie the New England Patriots, momentarily.

This Super Bowl should have (and most likely, would have) gone into overtime had the Panthers understood modern management of the game clock. Following a 31 yard pass play that put the ball on the Patriots 14, Jake Delhomme chased down a referee and hurriedly called time out with 1:43 remaining. Seemingly saving time for one more position (which, of course, went to New England) the Panthers scored and tied the game. But with still 1:08 left on the clock!

Of course, Tom Brady was left with enough time to get into field goal range and the rest was history. And the time-management exercised by the Panthers was historically dated.

To Ron Jaworski, Tom Jackson, Mike Ditka and the rest, deal with it. The game has evolved (even if Al Davis hasn't).

2009-11-14T09:57:00.003-05:00

Taking Sides

In the most hyped game of the NFL Week 10, it's Peyton Manning (and 52 men dressed in Indianapolis Colts uniforms) versus Tom Brady (and 52 other men dressed in New England Patriots uniforms).

Remaining a strong proponent that football is a "team sport" and that by comparing only the quarterbacks ignores the essential components of each position and, therefore, the true outcome of a game, I mocked those who oppose that theory before these teams played in 2007. (Then, following the game in which I accurately predicted the final score, made a larger point to warn anyone before mistakenly believing that I'm able to make such accurate predictions.)

From All-Decade Team lists to yearly statistical comparisons, the mention of the 2 most successful quarterbacks of this era will continue to spur debate and especially the week prior to playing one another. The identical score of "3-1" can be used to argue for either side. Brady leads Manning by that margin in Super Bowl rings but Peyton is ahead of Tom by the same tally in NFL MVP Awards.

Brady once seemed positioned to make Manning the Kenny Stabler to his Terry Bradshaw, the Dan Marino to his Jim Kelly, the Jim Everett to his Joe Montana. He was able to close the argument with a simple mention of their head-to-head records. But after Brady was on the winning side in the first 6 games, Manning has won 3 of the past 4 games of their over-publicized duals.

With another chapter about to be written, the Great QB Debate of the 21st Century will continue but, at least for today, without me. Like that of Ali-Frazier, Bird-Magic, Palmer-Nicklaus, Connors-McEnroe, Earnhardt-Gordon, Minnesota Fats-Mosconi and other individual sports rivalries of yesteryear, let's leave the modern day Brady-Manning fight for the other, umm, sports blogs.

However, for these timeless and more important pop culture arguments, I will take a definitive side....

Ginger vs. Mary Ann
Maybe the most heated debate of mankind. Who cares about a bunch of shipwrecked fools until you notice the blond and the brunette? The movie star had the hair, lips, eyes and body that oozed sex. Mary Ann was more genuine. She had the sparkle, innocence, and homemaking skills (even on a deserted island).

In a perfect world, Mary Ann would be the girl I'd take to the prom but Ginger would be the babe I'd hook-up with after the dance. But in this debate we can't have it both ways. As a tiebreaker, I bring forth the 2008 arrest of Dawn Well (Mary Ann) for smoking marijuana while driving. A good girl with a naughty side, come on!

Advantage: Mary Ann

The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones
My initial nod goes to the Stones based on the fact that Keith Richards and Mick Jagger defy the odds and are still living while 3 of The Fab Four are dead. Oops, check that, I've just realized that Ringo is actually still alive. So, with that in mind, let's base this on their music and image.

The Rolling Stones may be "The World's Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band" but The Beatles are the world's greatest band... period! And the images were deceiving. One moment they were clean-cut lads from Liverpool innocently strumming, "She Loves You, yeah, yeah, yeah..." but one hash-filled joint with the Maharishi later and "They are the eggmen. I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob g'goo goo g'joob".

Advantage: The Beatles

John Wayne vs. Clint Eastwood
Both of these Hollywood studs have been the object of enough "man crushes" kissing their ass and seduced by too many starlets kissing them elsewhere to care who I choose. I think this comes down to age. No, I'm not referring to the fact that Clint is 79 and the Duke is dead, we're talking about when I was born.

Missing most of the John Wayne's greatness on the small black-and-white screen, I was old enough to adjust the bunny ears and watch a good old-fashioned repeat of a cowboy movie filmed in Italy (bonus for an Italian man).

Advantage: Clint

Coke vs. Pepsi
Let's be totally honest about this one. Like a Hooters calendar girl or a tailback for the Southern Cal Trojans, they're pretty much the same and interchangeable. In fact, my purchasing decision at the grocery store is typically based on which 12-pack in on sale.

But when ordering a drink at the neighborhood bar, "Coke" more easily rolls off the tongue when choosing a mixer for Jack Daniels or Jim Beam.

Advantage: Coke

Ford vs. Chevy
This isn't going to be influenced by any model that my favorite NASCAR drivers climb into each week. I lost my virginity in an Oldsmobile, but that's not on the list. Have yet to own a Chevy, but did enjoy challenging the 4.6-Liters and 8-Cylinder engine in my 1998 Mustang GT convertible on the back roads in South Carolina and along Highway 1 on the California coast.

But after moving to Chicago, the rear-wheel drive didn't work quite as well in a snowstorm.

Advantage: Push

David Lee Roth vs. Sammy Hagar
It's true that Van Halen sold more albums with Sammy Hagar than they did with David Lee Roth. But trying to harmonize, "I Can't Stop Loving You" over top a synthesizer just doesn't stack up to saying, "I like the way the line runs up the back of the stocking" over a guitar solo.

Advantage: Diamond Dave

2009-11-10T09:21:00.001-05:00

Permanent Vacations

Aerosmith, arguably the greatest American rock band in history, is said to be looking for a new lead singer. Formed in the late 1960's and signed by Columbia Records in 1972, Aerosmith sold over 150-million albums worldwide and has been one of the top touring musical acts for decades. Their inside feuds and outside addictions caused band changes and a hiatus in the early 1980's but they re-established themselves as rock 'n roll legends with a 1987 comeback called Permanent Vacation.

Steven Tyler, who fronted the band for almost 40 years, has reportedly left his "toxic twin" (Joe Perry) and band mates in Aerosmith to pursue a solo career. If true, my suggestion for Steven would be to find a band in the same division so he can compete directly with them. This way he can show everyone who the real star was, including his former band, their management and the fans.

Oops, wrong front man.

"Change is good", a famous man once said (and an ordinary man just quoted in a blog) and things, over time, can became stale. In honor of Steven Tyler's decision to cut the cord and move forward, these are my Top 3 Sports Figures should also take a 'Permanent Vacation' from the outfits they helped make successful.

1. Bobby Bowden and Florida State

With 2 national championships and 12 conference titles, Bobby is a coaching legend. But according to my calendar, his success in the late 1980's and early 1990's occurred in the previous century. Since 2001, Florida State has lost at least 4 games in all but 2 seasons. On the all-time list, he is currently 7 wins (21 if you vacate the wins from 2006-2007 for NCAA violations) behind Joe Paterno. More revealing, however, is that he actually led JoPa by a handful of games before the 21st century slide began. And Bobby lost playing in the ACC (a BASKETBALL conference) while Penn State plays in the Big Ten.

Years ago, the Seminoles have fallen to being the 2nd best college football team in the state (Florida Gators), recently to 3rd best (Miami, Fla), now, arguably 4th (South Florida) and eventually 5th (UCF).

Dadgumit, Bobby! It's time to move on so FSU can move ahead.

2. Larry Brown and NBA

Since he was always looking ahead to his next job, this separation needs to be from an entire league. While Brown often improved the teams he coached, he needs to be judged in the same, harsh fashion that others are critiqued - by how many championships he won (in the NBA, for Larry, that's 1). His supporters will brag that Brown has won more than 1,000 regular season games but then overlook that his winning percentage is hardly extraordinary (.557).

He hasn't made the NBA playoffs since leaving Detroit in 2005 (2 teams ago). His Charlotte Bobcats finished fourth in their division last season and, in 2006-2006, he led the New York Knicks to only 23 wins. Almost as many teams as he's coached during his career.

3. Al Davis and Oakland Raiders

When you own a team that plays in the same league as the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions, and still your team is considered the joke of the NFL, you have issues. A proud franchise that once would boast 'Just win, baby!", now begs "Just win, please?" The Raiders have not won more than 5 games in a season since 2002.

His draft picks are atrocious and his coaching hires are head-scratchers. Some are confusing to Al, himself. In 2008, when at the press conference to announce his most recent head coach (Tom Cable), microphones were able to pick up Davis asking his public relations department for information since he barely knew the man he had just hired.

Sadly, only one thing will give the football fans in the East Bay area a permanent vacation from this buffoon.

2009-11-05T18:45:00.001-05:00

A Role Reversal for A-Rod

It's easy to hastily misjudge others and we've all been mistaken for doing so. But often, over time and with closer evaluation, we realize how easily we were duped.

That panhandler on the sidewalk with the track marks on his arms? He wasn't really asking for spare change so he could buy something to eat. That exotic dancer from the club whose most marketable assets being her long legs and deep intellect? She wasn't really saving the tip money to finish her law degree. But at the time I believed them mostly because I wanted it to be true.

With famous athletes, it becomes even more difficult to accurately assess character. We don't see the individual so much as we see their public persona. Admittedly, I've been quick to judge before and, for that, I've been wrong. Some recent stars who have caused me to flip-flop, Kurt Warner, Shaquille O'Neal, Philip Rivers, Phil Mickelson, Randy Moss, both Peyton and Eli Manning, my initial image of you all was incorrect and upon further review, I admire your dedication and competitive nature.

Next up, is it Alex Rodriguez?

Well, not quite. But I'm getting closer.

Up until the last couple of weeks, it hasn't been an easy year for A-Rod. (That is, as difficult as life can be for someone who earned over $33-million before endorsements.

Fueled with as much negative publicity as he was performance-enhancing drugs, Rodriguez was labeled a liar, a cheater and a choker before the 2009 major league baseball season began. Both Selena Roberts and Joe Torre ripped him in the pages of their books while most of the rest of us just ripped into him publicly.

Now, months later, he is a world champion and a postseason performer. More importantly, he did so without putting himself before or above the team. Look at this photograph taken shortly after the trophy presentation for the 2009 World Series champions, the New York Yankees.

Notice where Alex Rodriguez is or, more revealing, where he isn't. Not in the limelight and not acting as the center of attention.

It's something he was never able to do before. But it wasn't just in this captured photo but throughout the postseason and during the entire World Series that he resisted putting himself first. Could it be that Alex Rodriguez has finally become a "team guy"?

2009-11-03T21:46:00.002-05:00

A Knee, a Foot and a Mouth

Today I had microscopic surgery on my left knee to repair a torn meniscus. Thanks to the injury, I learned a new word. Previously, I might have assumed that a meniscus was a creature that lived deep in the ocean or maybe an engine part for my car that would cost thousands to be replaced. Turns out it's the medical term for the cartilage found in the human knee.

The tear occurred while I was playing basketball at the gym, or maybe when playing softball in cleats. Then again, at this stage of my life, it could have happened while simply walking up a staircase.

Look closely at the top of the photo; they let me keep the hip, blue surgery socks!

Following the surgery, I was placed on painkillers and told to lie on my back with my leg raised in the air. Cool, I thought. Finally I get to spend an afternoon in the same state and position that Lindsay Lohan enjoys most every day.

While dozing off in between dosages of my painkillers (people actually take these recreationally??), I was able to watch even more television sports than my typical daily allowance. (And, yes, they are still talking about Brett Favre beating Green Bay at Lambeau Field on Sunday.) Still my leg may be in less pain today than the hand of Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino or the ego of former Cleveland Browns general manager, George Kokinis.

And I can still run faster than Bengie Molina.

With a leg unable to bend until later in the week, I can also avoid doing what Phillies pitcher, Cole Hamels had recently done - inserting his foot into his mouth. After his lackluster performance in Game 3 of the World Series and when asked about his postseason struggles, Hamels said, "I can't wait for it to end. It's been mentally draining."

And to Phillies fans that quote left a worse taste in their mouths than a Philly cheese steak sandwich made with E. coli contaminated beef.

But what was so wrong with Cole's admission?

In this era of sports cliché's and predictable postgame interviews, Hamels' honesty is a breath of fresh air. And for any of you Philadelphia fans traveling to the Bronx for Game 6, you might want to take a last sniff of one. Cole was frustrated and, like the rest of us real people, he vented. He also did so without taking a swipe at others.

Have you ever, in a moment of anger, said something negative about your job, your friends or a family member? I have just today (I'll leave you guessing at which one).

But the good news (and, I suppose, the bad news too) for Cole is that these same Philadelphia fans that are upset today will be forgetful tomorrow. Just last season, Hamels was the MVP of the first Philadelphia Phillies World Series championship in 28 years.

So please don't let the negative publicity stop you from being genuine in the future, Cole. I'm okay with what you said.

Or, then again, maybe it's just the painkillers speaking for me.

2009-10-31T10:47:00.002-04:00

Sign Sign But Not Everywhere a Sign

While social networking is all the rage, it does have its limitations. Too many important messages go unnoticed because we can't be Facebook friends with everyone and the Twitter pages are jammed for anyone who follows Ashton Kutcher and his endless (and mindless) posts.

So what's a sports fan to do when they have a message for everyone to read? They create a sign. Or, better yet, pay for a large billboard.

But don't try to create a smaller, handheld message in our nation's capital. In a policy that began on Monday night, Washington Redskins fans can no longer bring signs to games at FedEx Field.

The 2009 Washington Redskins are a mess. So bad, fans in the DC area say that healthcare and the war are now our country's 2nd and 3rd biggest problem. They are more irate than Native Americans become when the team's nickname is mentioned.

But the Redskins franchise claims that it isn't their insult, but your injury that they are trying to prevent. They claim that the signs obstruct the view of others and that they can also be potentially dangerous and harmful.

Yeah.

We'd hate to see anyone get hurt, right Daniel?

2009-10-27T09:51:00.001-04:00

Get it Right, Griese!

College football analyst Bob Griese made a gaffe last weekend during the Ohio State-Minnesota game. Griese, who along with Chris Spielman, was a color commentator for the Big Ten matchup

But in today's politically correct world of broadcasting... there is no COLOR in commentary!

The former Purdue Boilermaker great and Pro Football Hall of Famer who won Super Bowls with the Dolphins made what some might call a "racial reference" to the whereabouts of Juan Pablo Montoya during a NASCAR promo in the football broadcast. Griese apologized, at least twice on air, but is still being suspended by ESPN.

In case you haven't seen or heard, here it was...

How wrong of Bob. Less than 24 hours later he would see that despite anyone's Hispanic heritage it is hot dogs, and not tacos, that athletes enjoy eating...

2009-10-26T10:09:00.005-04:00

NFL Parity is a Parody

Is she a natural blonde?

By the 2nd half, that was the only mystery left remaining in the Colts and Rams game

Watching Sunday's NFL Week 7 games made for some real drama and competitive finishes. In my fantasy football league, that is.
Total points scored by Sunday's winners - 406
Total points scored by Sunday's losers - 152
Average margin of victory in Sunday's Week 7 games - 21 points

Were you watching from the edge of your seat all day?

If so, might want to purchase some of this

(Because the football surely wasn't the cause)

Here in Indiana, the early game had the undefeated Indianapolis Colts trouncing the winless St. Louis Rams in a matchup that provided as much suspense and unpredictability as the pregame weather forecast did. (Note: It was played indoors). The victory was the 15th straight regular season win for the Colts and the loss was the 17th in a row for the Rams.

42-6 was the final. Wow, didn't see that one coming.

In the later game we were treated to a cliffhanger in Cincinnati, where the Bengals and Bears final (45-10) was more lopsided than the leftover deep-dish pizza I used to turn sideways to fit into the mini-refrigerator of my Chicago condo. Mercifully, when that game ended, the network switched to the Saints comeback win in Miami and not to the New York Jets blowout (38-0) in Oakland.

When the National Football League introduced a salary cap before the 1994 season, there were two objectives for doing so: To control costs and to promote parity.

Without having the tax reports from all 32 NFL teams handy, I'm pretty sure some costs have been controlled by the salary cap. But without enough competitive games to watch each week, I'll safely go on record as saying that there is less parity in the NFL as there were Rams fans yesterday at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

In 1994 (the first under the salary cap) the Patriots, Steelers and Vikings were all either atop or tied for first place in their respective divisions. Also that season, the Buccaneers, Redskins and Rams finished in last place.

Anyone want to check the NFL standings after 7 weeks of the 2009 season?

In the 16 seasons since it's been implemented, the salary cap can take credit for taking some perennial NFL losers (2008 Arizona Cardinals, 2006 Seattle Seahawks, 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and turning them into Conference, if not, Super Bowl, champions. But, likewise before the cap, the 1970's Steelers and the 1980's San Francisco 49ers were able to reverse a history of losing into a decade of dominance without the help of controlled player salaries.

The NFL's salary cap will likely be gone by 2010 following the next labor negotiations. As a result, if so, the balance of the league's competitive power may very well be affected. Just like it's been WITH the salary cap.

2009-10-22T15:41:00.001-04:00

Thermal underwear, gloves, hat, parka, ski mask, tickets... got your wardrobe ready to attend a World Series game? With the Phillies in and Yankees in command, it looks like another fall classic will be played in some wintery conditions.

Like many, I've ridiculed for years the irony that the "Boys of Summer" must prepare to play in football-weather if they want to win a World Series. On the other hand, if you want to win an NFL Super Bowl, you'd better have your sunscreen ready (unless it's in a dome at Detroit, Minneapolis or, as in 2012, in Indianapolis).

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, not exactly a paradise for those enjoy a nice climate. But I disagree anytime someone, aware of that fact, says on a frigid day, "You must be used to the cold".

Wrong. No one gets used to being cold. Just like you don't get used to feeling pain or experiencing hunger....I still get cold when temperatures drop.

This Eskimo must be new to Alaska

Give him a few years to get more accustomed and he'll be able to shed the coat

Some health experts believe that blood thickens when exposed to colder temperatures for periods of time. Others disagree and, as for me, I can't bring myself to be in the company of a physician long enough to discuss.

But in my lifetime of watching major (outdoor) sports, it does seem like warm-weather teams are at a disadvantage when playing in the cold, and vice-versa.

In MLB, the Yankees and other teams based far north of the equator, including the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies, excelled in late October while Atlanta and San Diego (or, the 2008 Tampa Rays) had not.

In the NFL, the Buffalo Bills of the 1990's were tremendous in the playoffs but not so much when they'd play the Super Bowl in a sunny city. But the great San Francisco 49ers of the 1980's and early 1990's wouldn't miss a step from the conference playoffs until the big game.

In college football, I watched Big Ten Conference teams grind out November victories in less than favorable conditions, then travel to southern California only to get destroyed by a Pac-10 team that appeared so much quicker that I often waited for Michigan or Ohio State to get called for "Delay of Game"... while they were running an offensive play!

Has the colder weather adversely affected this year's NLCS and ALCS for the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Los Angeles Angels? Here's Angels 1st Baseman Kendry Morales before their Game 1 loss to the Yankees in New York, you be the judge...

Did we mention it was still 45-degrees when Game 1 started???

2009-10-19T22:56:00.004-04:00

Dismember the Titans

For their Week 6 game in New England, the Tennessee Titans continued the NFL's 50th anniversary celebration of the eight original American Football League teams by wearing their throwback road uniforms. But even if it was the 1984 Houston Oilers (who began 0-10) that they chose to honor, they still may have went a little overboard.

59-0 was the final. The most lopsided shutout loss in Oilers (and Titans) history and tied for any game since the AFL-NFL merged in 1970. The 45-0 halftime lead was also the largest in league history.

For Tom Brady, the five 2nd Quarter TD passes are the most anyone has thrown in a quarter since 1950. For either the Boston Patriots or the New England Patriots, the 59 points scored and 619 total yards were both franchise records.

In the aftermath of a loss so humiliating, certainly many in the Titans organization were both saying and hearing many four-letter words today. But none hurts worse than QUIT.

After watching the Boston massacre Sunday and with over 300 miles to travel Monday (almost as many yards as Brady put up on the Titans defense), I thought about when was the last time I saw an NFL team beaten so badly. Not just any pro football team, but one who thought they had a winning swagger and too much talent to be embarrassed in such way.

The best I could come up with was the 1999 Miami Dolphins. Dan Marino was their quarterback and Jimmy Johnson their coach when they traveled to play the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Divisional Playoffs on January, 15, 2000. (Side Note: Jacksonville finished 14-2 that season and lost in the AFC Championship game. All three losses were to Jeff Fisher and the Tennessee Titans.) With almost 2 minutes remaining still in the first half, the Jaguars led the Dolphins 41-0. The final score was 62-7.

Dan Marino would never play again and Jimmy Johnson has never coached since.

I'm sure Jimmy would appreciate me remembering

For the Titans, the same dismantling needs to take place and when their owner, Bud Adams, said after the game that he wouldn't fire Jeff Fisher or his staff during the season, he did say he'd evaluate the positions following 2009. Adams also said he wants Vince Young (who, after being selected to be the future of the franchise in 2006, is heading into the final year of his contract) at quarterback and not veteran Kerry Collins.

Whether or not the Titans players quit during the 59-0 loss in New England, the perception is that they did. Just like it's a perception that makes some inaccurately label Jeff Fisher's head coaching career as a success.

In his 16th season, Fisher is currently the longest tenured coach in the NFL. But that longevity is more due to the loyalty of the team's ownership than a virtue of Fisher's success. In the volatile world of NFL coaching, most aren't allowed 6 years to produce their first winning season or survive through 5-11, 4-12 and 8-8 droughts 5 years removed from the team's only Super Bowl appearance.

Supporters will mention that 1999 Super Bowl team and Fisher's 6 playoff appearances as stripes on his coaching resume, but my math sees it as more, well, average.

Number of teams in the AFC - 16
Playoff teams each season- 6 (about 38%)
Super Bowl teams each season - 1

Number of Jeff Fisher coached seasons - 16
Playoff appearances - 6 (about 38%)
Super Bowl teams - 1

Very average, one might add.

2009-10-15T13:20:00.003-04:00

The NFL has approved Fergie (real name "Stacy Ann Ferguson") from the Black Eyed Peas as a limited owner of the Miami Dolphins. If Fergie proceeds with the move, she will join other A-list celebrities: Venus Williams and Serena Williams, Jimmy Buffett, Marc Anthony and Emilio and Gloria Estefan, as limited partners of the Dolphins franchise.

Meanwhile, conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh waited for the NFL to approve his motion to make a bid on the St. Louis Rams. Throughout the process Limbaugh was left sitting like an addicted pill-popper outside of a convenient store hoping to meet his drug dealer. (So, in other words, he's been here before.)

Of the possibility of Rush becoming a partner on the Rams bid, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson were vocal of their displeasure (no surprise there) but so were both Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban (more surprising). And so were numerous others both in and outside of the media.

On Wednesday (10/14/09), the group seeking to purchase the St. Louis Rams dropped Rush Limbaugh in effort to keep their bid intact.

Why was there such opposition to Rush Limbaugh as an NFL owner?

I know what the critics say was the reason. They claim that Limbaugh, while working as an NFL analyst in 2003, made racist comments about Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Here's what Rush Limbaugh said back then, you be the judge...

"I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL,'' Limbaugh said."The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. They're interested in black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well ... McNabb got a lot of the credit for the performance of the team that he really didn't deserve.''

Is that a racist statement? Perhaps, but not directed towards Donovan McNabb but, rather, pointed at the media.

Personally, I didn't find Rush's comments racist then or now. Nor do I find racist the lyrics that Fergie sings in the Black Eyed Peas hit, "My Humps"...

I drive these brothers crazy, I do it on the daily...
...I mix your milk wit my cocoa puff, Milky, milky cocoa, Mix your milk with my cocoa puff, milky, milky riiiiiiight.

And lastly, before you think I'm a fan of Rush Limbaugh or his rhetoric, listen to the 'Bud Lite' parody I was doing about him well before he made his bid to become a limited owner in the National Football League HEAR.

2009-10-12T14:53:00.001-04:00

Despite my suggestion to the contrary, the Missouri Division of Tourism insists that this landmark is NOT actually half of a "W", buried upside-down.

While never having spent a great amount of time there, I've been told that St. Louis is a really good sports town. It makes logical sense to me being that it isn't a very transient city, but, rather, inhabited by generations of locals. It also doesn't hurt that the natives are well known to enjoy the taste of beer (a trait I've discovered is consistent with other great sports towns like Chicago and Philadelphia).

And after the past few days, any sports fans in St. Louis (and throughout Missouri) should be ready for more than just a few cold ones.

The St. Louis Cardinals have been swept in the NLDS by the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3 games to 0. The St. Louis Rams are 0-5 and their losing streak (15) is most in franchise history and is the longest current one in the National Football League. They've allowed at least 28 points in 4 of their last 5 games, been shutout in 3 of those 5, haven't scored a touchdown in the past 10 quarters (or, a rushing touchdown at all in 2009) and their total net points (-112) is worst in the league.

The "Gateway to the West" isn't going to be confused as the "Gateway to the Best" for any Division I college football teams they might be cheering either. After a 4-0 start, Missouri played a miserable game (in even worse weather) last Thursday night when they surrendered 27 fourth quarter points to the Cornhuskers and lost to Nebraska, 27-12. Missouri State fell to South Dakota State, 24-17, on Saturday.

For the sports fans in Saint Louis, perhaps it's true that "Misery loves company" (or, in this case, "Missouri loves company" as well) since the neighboring Kansas City Chiefs are also 0-5 so far this season.

What about the Royals?

Do we even need to go there?

2009-10-10T09:55:00.002-04:00

Do Like Dave Did

It's been over a week since David Letterman made the public admission of sexual indiscretions with female members of his staff. The target of an extortion scheme for his affairs, Letterman first went to the authorities and then shared his salacious story to the rest of the world on his late night television show.

Since last Thursday (10/1/09), the scandal has become, well, less scandalous. While the investigation into the alleged extortion has accelerated, the story, itself, has been delegated further and further to the back of media reports. The size of Dave's audience hasn't been negatively affected by the size of his libido either. To the contrary, as Letterman this week has increased his ratings lead over his direct competition at NBC, Conan O'Brien.

Based on their perceived popularity, many might believe that David Letterman has always owned that time slot when measured by viewership. They'd be wrong. Jay Leno had consistently led David Letterman in the late night ratings war ever since 1995. Ironically, it was the broadcast confession of another celebrity, Hugh Grant, which helped catapult Leno to a ratings lead over Letterman.

And ever since then until he left the time slot, Leno led by a... ummm... chin?

So what have we learned by the way David Letterman handled his 'damage control'? For folks like me, nothing (that is, until some sexy intern makes herself available). But for the famous, here is "The Top 10 lessons to be taken from David's recent Stupid Human Trick".

1. Be proactive and be the first to break the news of your mistake.
2. Admit what you did
3. Apologize
4. Make eye contact
5. Don't read from a prepared release (or appear as such)
6. Be humble
7. Don't implicate others
8. Don't displace any blame
9. Be vulnerable and admit your fears for coming forward
10.Move on!

For those who ignored this list (Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Rick Pitino) their scandals linger. For those who borrowed from the cheaters chart (David Letterman, maybe Andy Pettitte, possibly Alex Rodriguez?) life can move on.

2009-10-06T10:48:00.005-04:00

Tony Soprano, "Revenge is like cold cuts."
Dr. Melfi, "I think it's, revenge is a dish best served cold."
Tony, "What did I say?"

That's one of my favorite verbal exchanges from my favorite all-time television series, The Sopranos. It was classic dialogue from the fictional head of the New Jersey mob, Tony Soprano. He knew what he wanted to say, but just said it incorrectly.

So too mistaken are many of the NFL headlines following the Week 4 Monday Night Football game...

'Vikings' Favre embarrasses Thompson, Packers' (FoxSports.com)

'Favre makes Packers pay' (CBC.ca)

'Favre gets revenge, or something like it' (ESPN.com)

True, Brett Favre led the Minnesota Vikings to a 30-23 victory over his former team, the Green Bay Packers. And Favre played very well, throwing for 271 yards and 3 touchdowns.

It's also accurate to say that in recent times I have been critical of the way Brett Favre has handled himself since his days of playing with the Packers.

Okay, more than once.

All right, more than twice!

But last night's Vikings victory doesn't mean that Brett Favre showed the Packers front office, coaches or quarterback (Aaron Rodgers) that he should still be the franchise player in Green Bay. This game, like so many, was determined in the trenches and not in the air.

Aaron Rodgers was sacked 8 times, Brett Favre none. And when Rodgers was not being sacked, he was under pressure. And the Vikings defense did so, most of the time, by rushing only their front four. The Packers, meanwhile, blitzed often and still hit Favre less than the flag football pickup players did in the Wrangler's commercial. When Favre was not being sacked, he had enough time in the pocket to ponder his next retirement and return to the NFL.

And here's more to consider before anyone believes that it was Brett Favre who bested Aaron Rodgers (and not the Minnesota Vikings defeating the Green Bay Packers). In his 16 seasons with the Packers, Favre's record playing against the Vikings in Minnesota was 6-10. And in those games he never threw for as many yards as Rodgers just did (384) in the Metrodome.

It's not like I'm unable to admit I'm wrong when it comes to Brett Favre. I did inaccurately predict that the postgame handshake between him and Aaron Rodgers would be the most disingenuous in NFL history.

But that honor still goes to Bill Belichick.

Okay, more than once.

2009-10-03T10:38:00.012-04:00

It's tough being a man. We're easily threatened in many more ways that woman aren't. Have you ever heard of "Little Woman Syndrome"? Seen many advertisements targeting women when trying to sell products which prevent performance anxiety?

For me, and so many other dudes, it's difficult to admit you enjoy certain things in life without risking the revocation of your imaginary "man card". For years, due in part to a best-selling book, you couldn't find a man to admit he eats quiche. Or one who suggests taking baths as a way of relaxation.

Thanks to years around the music business, I have a large (that is, very large, ladies) collection of compact discs. And when I'm driving, it's not always the AC/DC, Van Halen or Metallica that's in my car player. However, when I do demonstrate my music diversity and pop in a disc from Supertramp, Elton John or Bon Jovi, I'm typically driving that day with all my windows up to protect my perceived masculinity for passing commuters.

Then again, perhaps I wasn't being as macho as I once thought when cranking music from these bands up to 10.

So, like many guys, when it came to the WNBA I scoffed, dismissed and avoided it worse than a playmate does me at a Super Bowl party. The women of the WNBA could never keep up on the court with any man, yet alone with their male counterparts in professional basketball. Well, perhaps the latter is still true.

My introduction to a live WNBA game was while working in Chicago because my radio co-host ("Sweet Baby Jane") was the entertainment hostess during the pregame, time out breaks and half time activities. And, to my surprise, I wasn't the only man in the crowd.

After further review, maybe I wasn't the only guy in attendance that night just to see Jane?

But it was in Atlanta when my mouth got me in trouble (this time with the WNBA, any ways). While on air to promote their franchises first-ever game two members of the Atlanta Dream, Ivory Latta and Chioma Nnamaka, sensed my pretentiousness and challenged me (and my traffic guy, Denzil) to a game of H-O-R-S-E. If I won, I'd get to address the WNBA crowd and show highlights of my victory over their star players. But if I lost, Ivory and Chioma decided, I'd have to perform a karaoke version of a song of their choice while dressed like "Jackie Moon".

I'll show them why guys are better, or so I thought, and showed up to the grudge match already dressed like the Will Farrell character. If my shooting skills or "Y" chromosome wouldn't provide me an advantage, then my intimidating uniform would, or so I thought.

I thought wrong.

Here we were later singing the Sonny & Cher duet, "I Got You Babe".

Tomorrow night (10/4/09) the Indiana Fever continues their run at the 2009 WNBA championship hosting the Phoenix Mercury at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Me? I'll be watching NFL football and then preparing for the 'Indy Sports Nation OT' weekly show. But I'm rooting for Fever and am not embarrassed to say so either.

These girls can play.

2009-09-30T10:18:00.004-04:00

Tonight's Top 10 'Things That Make NFL Fans Go....Huh?'

Before there was 'The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien', 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' or Jay Leno (whatever they call his show) at 10 PM, there were many late night talkers to entertain us. In the days between the transferring of the late night crown from Johnny Carson to David Letterman it seemed everyone (Chevy Chase, Pat Sajak and even 'Magic' Johnson) had their own nighttime television show.

Among the less memorable was 'The Arsenio Hall Show'. However, there was one rehabilitated woman (Paula Abdul) and one recurring bit ('Things That Make You Go Hmmm...') that Arsenio was notable for doing (and the latter even inspired a 1990 hit song from C +C Music Factory).

This past Sunday during Week 3 of the NFL season, Brett Favre led another improbable comeback. With only 2 seconds left in regulation, Favre connected with Greg Lewis for a 32 yard touchdown pass that give the Minnesota Vikings the lead (and the win) over the visiting San Francisco 49ers.

A come-from-behind win led by Brett Favre is hardly unbelievable. But what was surprising, at least to me, was learning that it was the first time Brett Favre has ever thrown a game-winning touchdown pass in the final 10 seconds of a 4th quarter.

Huh?

Really, it was. (Just too be sure, I watched 'Monday Night Countdown' and Chris Berman confirmed it - reluctantly, I might add.)

It's easy to overlook certain facts about sports especially when it comes to legends of the game. We take it for granted and assume that they've done it all and in every way. But they haven't.

In honor of those late talk shows, here is the rest of 'Top 10 NFL truths that should make us fans go... Huh"?

9. Edgerrin James (2) led the NFL in rushing in more years than Walter Payton (1) did.

8. Chuck Noll won more Super Bowls (4) then any head coach in NFL history but was never once named as "Coach of the Year". He retired after the 1991 season and the following year Bill Cowher, Noll's successor, won the award.

7. The great Johnny Unitas career Super Bowl passing stats... 14 for 33, 198 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT.

6. During Miami's consecutive Super Bowl seasons (1971-1973), Earl Morrall (90%) had a better winning percentage then Bob Griese (87%) as the Dolphins starting QB.

5. Both Joe Montana (SB XVI) and Tom Brady (SB XXXVI) have won Super Bowl MVP Awards in games which their opposing QB (Kenny Anderson and Kurt Warner, respectively) had thrown for at least 140 yards more than them. And in Brady's case it was over 200 yards.

4. The 2000 Baltimore Ravens and the 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers are considered among the best defensive seasons in history. During those years, neither was the NFL's top ranked defense.

3. There is only one placekicker in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Jan Stenerud). His career field goal percentage (66.8%) would have ranked him in last place among kickers in 2008 who attempted more than 10 field goals.

2. Dave Krieg is hardly, if ever, mentioned for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Yet he ranks in the top 15 of all-time in almost every key passing category.

1. And, finally, since the 1970's Ron Jaworski has appeared in more adult films than Ron Jeremy.

Okay, we made up that last one.

2009-09-27T16:56:00.004-04:00

Oh, Now I Can See It

No way, I thought this morning, could this potentially be tomorrow's headline in the New York Times newspaper.

The Tennessee Titans, who only lost 3 regular season games in all of 2008, cannot start 2009 with an 0-3 record. I can't see it.

The NY Jets, who already surprised so many (perhaps even themselves) with wins over the Patriots and at Houston, cannot begin Mark Sanchez's rookie season at 3-0. Nope, I still can't visualize it.

Oh, I know why. The Jets were to honor during the game the 50th anniversary of the American Football League by wearing their throwback New York Titans uniforms.
Wait, now I can see it.

Umm, yeah right.

If you believe that there's a bridge not far from the Meadowlands that you may be interested in purchasing.

2009-09-27T10:38:00.013-04:00

None of us can accurately foresee the future. And when I say that, I mean, NO ONE. Otherwise, wouldn't psychics win the Power Ball Lottery each week?

The Chicago Tribune embarrassingly learned this lesson on November 3, 1948 when they erroneously reported that Thomas E. Dewey (Governor from New York) won the 1948 Presidential election over the incumbent, Harry S. Truman, in their newspaper's headline.

"Newspaper? What is that??" (Collectively heard by everyone reading this that isn't older than 17 years of age)

Settle down young ones, we're on the Internet and back to blogging now

Like the rest of the world, even us dinosaurs that recall newspapers and headlines, I'm hardly effective when trying to use the proverbial 'Crystal ball'. But like everyone else, I still try. (By the way, "You're Welcome", just in case my account manager from BetUS.com is also reading.)

Before the start of the 2009 NFL season, the Tennessee Titans were highly regarded as one of the top teams in the American Football Conference. They have a ferocious defense, a "thunder & lightning" type running game and veteran quarterback capable of managing Titans' games. Most of which were victorious. They finished the 2008 regular season as the top seed for the conference playoffs.

But the Titans were shocked at home in last year's postseason when the Baltimore Ravens, led by a rookie quarterback, came into Nashville and upset them, 13-10, in the divisional playoffs. The mighty Titans have started this season at 0-2 and haven't won a significant football game since last December (Week 16) when they pounded the Pittsburgh Steelers on the field and trounced their Terrible Towels on the sidelines.

Before the 2009 NFL season began, the New York Jets were considered a team in transition. New head coach, Rex Ryan, brought some swagger to the nation's top-sized market but rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez was expected to learn the stiff lessons of the NFL's learning curve.

However, the New York Jets are off to a 2-0 start and even lead the "Team of the Decade" New England Patriots in the AFC East. They are already saying that the cute QB kid from California is the man in the Big Apple these days.

Although I personally doubt that Derek Jeter has to wait behind Mark to get seated at any Manhattan restaurants

Today the winless Titans travel to the Meadowlands to play the undefeated and favored (you read that right) Jets.

And here's a newspaper headline for tomorrow that I Just DON"T see today.

So today, I just love the Titans in this Week 3 matchup. Not because they are playing better (they aren't), not because they are at home (they aren't) and not because the other experts see them as favorites (they don't). But because the Titans are supposed to be better and desperately need a win, the Jets are supposed to be more average and wouldn't disappoint with a 2-1 record but, most of all, I just can't believe their respective records can look otherwise when I see the NFL standings following Week 3.

Then again, what in the hell do I know? Last week at this time, I certainly didn't see this headline coming...

Mackenzie Phillips: 'I Slept With My Dad'

2009-09-25T09:31:00.003-04:00

Wayne Gretzky resigned this week as head coach (and director of hockey operations) for the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes. During his four seasons as Coyotes coach, only the St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings had a worse winning percentage than Gretzky had in Phoenix.

Anyone who witnessed "The Great One" during his playing career can serve witness to his legitimate title. No one looked more skilled on ice than Gretzky and, following his trade from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988, his remarkable talents is still recognized today for introducing professional hockey to certain sunny cities (including Phoenix).

But like so many great athletes, he was a better player than he was a coach. Phil Esposito, Bryan Trottier, Denis Savard and Alex Delvecchio all were successful as players. Like Gretzky, they all failed as NHL coaches. Finally there is something the NHL has in common with the professional sports that, you know, Americans actually care about.

Success as a player does NOT mean success as a leader. In fact, it seems the more mediocre one's career as a professional athlete - the better their chances to be a winning head coach or manager.

Today's top managers in major league baseball will hardly be remembered for anything they did as a ballplayer. Tony LaRussa (St. Louis Cardinals) played a total of 132 games in the majors. Tony Francona (Boston Red Sox) was a journeyman for most of his 10 year MLB playing career. Bobby Cox (Atlanta Braves) played a couple of forgettable seasons with the Yankees before he retired to coach. Joe Maddon (Tampa Bay Rays) never made it past the minor leagues.

The NFL coaches from this era who are regarded as the best (Bill Belichick, Tony Dungy, Bill Cowher, Andy Reid) all either failed to play professional football or had marginal careers in the league when they did.

In the NBA, can anyone argue the coaching success that Phil Jackson has had compared to Earvin 'Magic' Johnson or Isiah Thomas?

It was said that Ted Williams had a difficult task of teaching others to hit a baseball. Like many blessed with natural talents in sports, he couldn't understand why the ones who coached hitting weren't able to do so with the same ability that he had. And perhaps that's what makes the players who had to study, learn and work to be among the best, more effective as teachers and leaders later.

For many others who dominated their respective games on the field, they should have stayed away from coaching after they retired from playing.

2009-09-21T12:16:00.002-04:00

The Indianapolis Colts visit the Miami Dolphins on MNF from Land Shark Stadium tonight. The Colts are 1-0 in 2009 and hoping to extend their record streak with a 7th consecutive season with 12 or more wins. The Dolphins, meanwhile, are coming off the best one-year turnaround in NFL history improving from 1-15 in 2007 to 11-5 in 2008.

Some might say the Dolphins are flying high again.

Or, for some of their players, they have already been high for years.

Ricky Williams returned to the NFL in 2007 following a suspension the year before for failed drug tests. Williams tested positive a fourth time in 2006 and was subsequently suspended from the league. Following his fourth violation, Williams defended his use of marijuana and even retired because, at least at that time, he'd rather smoke grass then play football on it.

As a youngster, who grew up with dreams of one day playing professional football, Ricky's choice left me more confused than a teetotaler on Thai Stick. But at the time of his dopey decision, I was hosting a daily radio show where such news developments sometimes resulted in silly parodies and spoofs.

"It's a 'Golden Oldie!'... It's a 'Blast from the Past!'... It's a..."

Okay, it's just a stupid song that we wrote years ago that was performed by a Northern California band known as the X-Rated Porno Machine.

With credit to Toni Basil for her #1 hit from 1982, here was our smokin' smash from 2006, "Ricky" HEAR.

2009-09-19T11:17:00.006-04:00

Well at least the fans had something new to say

It's week 3 of the college football season and things are already both looking and sounding familiar. Florida, Texas and Southern California are assuming their usual position atop the rankings and the commentators who preview the weekly games are already falling back on their usual takes and phrases.

The popularity of the sport has resulted in countless television, radio and Internet shows all trying to fill the public's insatiable need for opinions and information about the game. There is a lot to discuss but few different things to say.

We're not even in the final week of September and few conference games have yet been played but already coaches are on the hot seat and teams are facing that dreaded, "Must Win" situation. At least according to the experts I've been watching.

So far, by my unofficial count, the following are all playing a "Must win game" today... Notre Dame, Michigan State, Tennessee, BYU, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, California, Florida State, Mississippi, Utah, TCU, Oregon, Nebraska and Michigan. Why that many? It's my guess that's it's only because I haven't been watching enough pregame shows to hear the other 103 FBS teams being tagged with the same win or else situation.

The 2008-09 NHL champions (Pittsburgh Penguins), the 2008-09 NBA champions (L.A. Lakers) and the 2008 World Series champions (Philadelphia Phillies) all lost playoff games during their championship runs that someone, somewhere, was calling a "must win" for them to be able to do so. When the fact is, the only games they actually NEEDED to win were ones that would involve elimination from the postseason had they lost. Wasn't anyone paying attention to the 2004 Boston Red Sox who came back from 3-0 deficit to beat the NY Yankees in ALCS?

True, college football has a different template in which only 2 teams get to play in the 1 bowl game that really matters so each week of the regular season has championship implications. But, still consider the reality of how the others were able to get there and win it all.

Since 2003 there have been seven college football national champions (LSU and USC split the title in 2003). Of those seven, only two went unbeaten (USC in 2004 and Texas in 2005). Of the other five who won the title, each of them lost games in that championship season later than in the 3rd week of September. The 2007 national champions, the LSU Tigers, suffered a loss on November 23rd of that year and that was their second defeat of that season.

I'm ready for another exciting Saturday of college football. And it's my guess that, once again, today will offer some surprises and unpredictable results....at least on the field.

Almost time for kickoff and I better get focused and really start paying attention. Mel Kiper just said this week's Notre Dame and Michigan State game is the biggest ever for Charlie Weis. Hopefully Charlie will fare better than he did last week against the Michigan Wolverines when, you know, that was the biggest game of his career.

2009-09-15T17:11:00.001-04:00

Look Who's NOT Talking

There is an old saying, "Children should be seen and not heard". (Actually, I hope this was a cliché' everywhere and not just in my home). But, anymore, it seems that once becoming an adult some feel they should be heard even when no one is asking. How I wish I could go back in time and show my grade school teachers how these grownup interruptions were far more intrusive than anything I ever blurted out as the class clown at Marzolf Elementary.

The Pop Star

The Tennis Pro

The United States Representative

Who needs Twitter or Facebook when a loud mouth works perfectly fine?

The first week of the 2009 NFL season is in the books as the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills both reminded us that "They are who we thought they were!" Each lost and both did so in dramatic fashion.

The Bills and Bengals already shared something in common before the season even began. Both have star wide receivers that spend more time opening their mouths in public than they do getting open in a defensive secondary.

And neither did enough to contribute to their teams in the opening week losses.

Terrell Owens - 2 catches, 46 yards, 0 TD's in 25-24 loss to New England.
Chad Ochocinco - 5 catches, 89 yards, 0 TD's in 12-7 loss to Denver.

And neither has had much to say since. Chad was remarkably unquotable following Sunday's loss and Terrell Owens left New England without speaking to reporters following the Bills fold against the Patriots on Monday night.

Strange these two, with so much to say during the offseason, can't communicate with the media when it comes to do what they are actually paid to do, playing football.

Hey, maybe Tom Brady can share some insight. He's considered a model athlete and a respectful professional.

Oh well, maybe next week.

2009-09-13T08:52:00.005-04:00

Colts 16-0? It Could Happen!

As an athlete I hardly led my teammates to many championships. When I was 12 years old, my Braun-Jeffery Little League squad made the finals at a tournament in Morningside, PA, but, other than that, it was a lot mediocre teams and even less spectacular results.

As a broadcaster, however, my local presence has had a much more positive effect on the teams I've covered and reported for. For the first half of this decade I was in the bay area where the San Francisco Giants would win a pennant, the Oakland Raiders made a Super Bowl and the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Athletics and even the San Jose Sharks were having playoff success. Not so much since (especially for those Raiders).

The White Sox ended an 86 year World Series drought and the Bears made their first Super Bowl in 21 years during my professional stay in Chicago. (The Chicago Cubs? Well, some curses are seemingly impossible to reverse.) And last season while anchoring the pregame and postgame broadcasts for the Atlanta Falcons Radio Network, the young team made the postseason just one year after their head coach quit and their franchise player went to prison.

With IndySportsNation.com and WXIN-TV, it's the Indianapolis Colts that I will follow and cover. But with an NFL record 6 consecutive seasons (and counting) with 12 or more wins, Peyton Manning and company don't need any good luck vibes from me. The Colts started 7-0 in 2007, 9-0 in 2006 and began the 2005 NFL season 13-0.

But maybe, just maybe, the 2009 Indianapolis Colts can be the 2nd team in NFL history to go undefeated. Don't laugh, it could happen...

Week 1: Sun, Sept. 13 vs. Jacksonville 1 p.m.

The Colts open at Lucas Oil Stadium against the division rivals and their passing game is out of sync. At halftime Anthony Gonzalez learns that "stepping into Marvin Harrison's role" doesn't mean sitting apart from everyone while on the bench, but making plays while on the field. He responds with 2 touchdown grabs from Manning and Colts win, 24-20.

Week 2: Mon, Sept. 21 at Miami Dolphins 8:30 p.m.

The Monday Night matchup becomes a mistake for ESPN when viewers with new HDTV converter boxes are put into trauma with the discovery of how much makeup Ron Jaworski wears. The Colts defense holds Ricky Williams to negative yards rushing at Dolphins Stadium proving that he doesn't play better while on "natural grass". Colts over the 'Fins, 34-16.

Week 3: Sun, Sept. 27 at Arizona Cardinals 8:20 p.m.

It's a terrible night, for both Cardinals fans and for Christians. Kurt Warner throws four interceptions and swears to atheism after being pulled for Matt Leinart (who is sacked 5 times). Worse for Matt, there was no beer or sorority girls in the locker room hot tub. Colts over the (0-3) Cardinals, 41-7.

Week 4: Sun, Oct. 4 vs. Seattle Seahawks 1 p.m.

Coach Jim Caldwell outsmarts Jim Mora Jr. by having Colts interns continually call him on his cell phone all week. Mora runs out of roaming minutes and isn't able to communicate or game plan with his staff. Matt Hasselback and the Seahawks lose in Indianapolis, 20-0.

Week 5: Sun, Oct. 11 at Tennessee Titans 8:20 p.m.

Scheduled to make his first start of 2009 for an injured Kerry Collins, Vince Young refuses to take the field because his feelings are hurt after seeing a fan in a Peyton Manning jersey. With no quarterback the Titans managed to keep it close by starting a new league fad, the "Scaredy-Cat Offense". But not enough as the Colts hold on 34-28.

Week 7: Sun, Oct. 25 at St. Louis Rams 1 p.m.

Returning from the bye week so rested and with no fans left in St. Louis to wake them, the Colts sleep through the first half. They get up in time for 3 Manning to Wayne touchdowns and neither, even better for me, are playing against my fantasy football team this week. Colts come back, 21-20.

Week 8: Nov. 1 vs. San Francisco 49ers 1 p.m.

Disgusted with his team's pass rush, 49ers head coach Mike Singletary puts on shoulder pads and sacks Manning 4 times. Too bad Mike now runs a 6.7 in the 40 yard dash and he's burned for 2 touchdowns by Dallas Clark. Colts roll, 38-21.

Week 9: Nov. 8 vs. Houston Texans 1 p.m.

Houston breaks an NFL record for consecutive seasons of nobody saying anything about them after the month of October. Colts, 27-6.

Week 10: Nov. 15 vs. New England Patriots 8:20 p.m.

Tom Brady is distracted when supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen and his child with actress Bridget Moynahan are seated apart due to a last name screw-up. Gisele said she still loves the kid as if it was her own but attendants at the Lucas Oil Stadium box office had windows shot out of their truck. Colts beat the Pats, 23-17.

Week 11: Sun, Nov. 22 at Baltimore Ravens 1 p.m.

Ray Lewis is publicly embarrassed when he again tries to trash talk Joseph Addai but loses control of his bladder. The Ravens lose a game while Lewis wins an Avodart endorsement. Colts, 34-9.

Week 12: Sun, Nov. 29 at Houston Texans 1 p.m.

The Colts are taken by surprise when Houston doesn't show up for their own home game. The Texans wanted to see if anybody would notice. Nobody did. Colts, 51-0.

Week 13: Sun, Dec. 6 vs. Tennessee Titans 1 p.m.

Jeff Fisher insists on wearing his designer sunglasses inside Lucas Oil Stadium and calls for a 4th down running play to LenDale White. But the Titans were on defense. Manning scores on a naked bootleg and the Colts pull out a close one, 24-21.

Week 14: Sun, Dec. 13 vs. Denver Broncos 1 p.m.

After being held to only 33 yards passing, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen makes head coach Josh McDaniel walk up Intersate-65 and beg Jay Cutler to come back to Denver. Colts shutout Broncos, 23-0.

Week 15: Thu, Dec. 17 at Jacksonville Jaguars 8:20 p.m.

Broadcast on the NFL Network, it's one of the great fourth quarter comebacks as Manning leads 3 scoring drives in the final 5 minutes. No one in America could stay awake to see it due to Bryant Gumbel's monotone delivery. Cris Collinsworth swears it happened, 30-28 the Colts over the Jags.

Week 16: Sun, Dec. 27 vs. New York Jets 4:15 p.m.

Following an injury to Mark Sanchez during practice, a Jets quarterback guarantees a victory the week of the game. It didn't make news because still nobody has ever heard of any of the other quarterbacks on the Jets. Colts crush New York, 41-13.

Week 17: Sun, Jan. 3 at Buffalo Bills 1 p.m.

Stubbornness and senility make them forget the 2007 Patriots so living members of the undefeated 1972 Dolphins team show up to Ralph Wilson Stadium with champagne and liquor hoping for an Indianapolis loss. The Colts don't cooperate but the former 'fins stay out all night getting sauced anyways. Seems Mercury Morris had a little something to keep them awake all night. Colts complete perfect season, 31-17.

2009-09-09T11:53:00.006-04:00

Nine! Nine! Nine!

And all these years I thought Colonel Klink was shouting "No!" in German. Turns out he was getting an early start promoting the big day for Beatles fans. What visionaries they were on that sitcom.

Today (9/9/09) is the release of The Beatles: Rock Band and also new digitally remastered stereo tracks from the Fab Four. The box set includes over 206 songs from 13 original albums and the Beatles-themed video game will contain 45 tracks for fans to do today what Pete Best was once asked not to do - play along with John, Paul and George.

The video game includes only 45 tracks? Are these the same people who make available only 4 Sopranos episodes at a time on my cable television "On Demand"??

Like "Hogan's Heroes", I was born too late to appreciate The Beatles in their prime. My first recollection of the band was hearing "I Am the Walrus" while a strange smelling cigarette was being passed among my older brother and his friends.

But that doesn't mean that my childhood was void of my own 'Fab Four'. They existed and, in fact, they might even be considered 'Zaccagnini's Heroes' from back in the day.

#4 Davey Lopes

Not sure I even understand how he became one of my first idols. I was never a Los Angeles Dodgers fan but I did play 2nd base throughout little league and up until high school. Maybe it was because I liked to pronounce "Daveeeeey Lopes" (or the way it rolled off of the tongue of Vin Scully). Either way, I watched the 1977 and 1978 World Series rooting for the guy with the crazy moustache and the fun sounding name.

#3 Paul Stanley

Here's a band that even The Beatles could learn a thing or two from when it comes to repackaging the same stuff and selling it to the same people. In between albums, cassettes and remastered compact discs, I unofficially own over 30 different versions of "Detroit Rock City".

Glad I got over this one. Only the Chicago Cubs have taken more and given back less to their fans.

#2 Terry Bradshaw

Let's see... I was a football fan since the day I can first remember and raised in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during the 1970s. This was an easy one. But, unlike Davey Lopes and Paul Stanley, it's one that I can still support to this day.

Bradshaw won 4 Super Bowls and was the MVP in 2 of them (and he ALWAYS beat the Dallas Cowboys). Terry might never have been a fan favorite in Pittsburgh (they often cheered when he'd get knocked out of a game) but he was clutch, throwing a TD pass in the 4th quarter of ever Super Bowl game he played.

Hell, you know you're a fan of someone when that photograph doesn't deter your idolism.

#1 Farrah Fawcett

Thanks to this woman and this poster I became a man. A young man who was discovering things years before my 5th grade health class showed us the filmstrip with the naked people in the shower. Because of Farrah I learned that the lock on my bedroom door served another purpose other than pretending to do homework after dinner.

Fabulous, indeed!

2009-09-06T20:40:00.003-04:00

College Classed I Needed to Take

Tommy, "You know a lot of people go to college for seven years."
Richard Hayden, "I know, they're called doctors."
[Tommy Boy, 1995]

D.J. Zaccagnini, "I graduated from Indiana University..."

When someone first hears me mention my Alma mater, a gleam momentarily fills their eyes. Then I finish the school's name.

"...of Pennsylvania".

(Their excitement then fades faster than it does following an opening kick-off for a Big Ten vs. Pac-10 football game. And expectations are erased quicker than the point spread will be when Ohio State plays Southern California next weekend.)

With a diploma that serves little professional purpose, I'd been better served by taking some different courses during my collegiate years. Not that by attending these classes (or any at all) back then could have furthered my professional career - since no employer has ever asked me once about that degree... NEVER - but they might help me when watching college football.

History 101
Thanks to LeGarrette Blount's postgame meltdown Thursday night, Oregon's season started with some punch. The Ducks 2009 season ends on December 3rd when they host their interstate rival, Oregon State, in the annual "Civil War".

Didn't Oregon become a state (1859) just two years before the U.S. Civil War (1861) began? What battle in between the Union and the Confederacy was ever fought on their soil?

Accounting 101 + 1
How is it that every game I watch is also a new all-time attendance record for that stadium? Whenever a total is announced the commentator almost inevitably says next, "That's the biggest crowd to ever watch a football game at (insert stadium name here)!"

Brent Musburger did it again during the Alabama/Virginia Tech game from Atlanta. I'm looking for a bookie right now who will parlay action that they'll be a new college football attendance record for the Georgia Dome set at the SEC Championship Game in December and then, again, on New Year's Eve for the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Excuse my limited academic credentials but me thinks they either miscount or secretly add one seat before every televised game.

Statistics 2002
Prior to 2002, individual or team statistics from bowl games were never counted toward season or career numbers. Many astute commentators and analysts will again note that fact when more records are broke this upcoming bowl season.

Why not go back and fix the old totals?

I play fantasy football with a guy who can tell you how much Chris Chandler scored in week seven of the 1998 NFL season but no college football geek can add 247 from the 1980 Rose Bowl to Charles White's career rushing yards?

Advanced Public Relations
It's safe to assume you can't enroll for a master's degree before completing your BS in this department. Only then might I be able to comprehend how a speech that contains so many self-references is considered to be so selfless.

2009-09-02T09:22:00.001-04:00

That's my hometown. And the sign says it all.

With a 53-78 record today (9/2), the professional baseball team from 'Da Burgh' (as the natives call it) is all but assured a 17th consecutive losing season which will be a new record for any team in a major sport. But it wasn't the 11-5 defeat to the Reds last night the secured the inevitable new standard for futility, that was all but guaranteed in April when the Pirates took the field for opening day.

Yesterday (9/1), the Pirates promoted two more players from their Triple-A squad, the Indianapolis Indians. 3rd baseman Neil Walker (the 2008 Indians MVP) and pitcher Virgil Vasquez who will join Andrew McCutchen, Daniel McCutchen, Lastings Milledge, Garrett Jones and some others in Pittsburgh who also began the season with the minor league team here in Indianapolis. But with Jason Bay, Freddie Sanchez, Aramis Ramirez and Jack Wilson (who are all former Pirates) now contributing to other teams' pennant chases in 2009, there is good argument to call the team in Pittsburgh a developmental squad for the rest of the major leagues.

The once proud organization was very successful when I first became a fan in the mid to late 1970's. They won the 1979 World Series in dramatic fashion and remained competitive throughout the 1980's and into the 1990's. They won the first three division titles of the 1990's under manager Jim Leyland and a lineup of stars and even led in final inning of the seventh game of the 1992 NLCS.

But bad timing for Pittsburgh that Barry Bonds had yet to discover those performance-enhancing drugs that might have enabled him to throw out the speed-challenged Sid Bream from shallow left field.

And then it got worse. Bonds would say goodbye to Pittsburgh and hello to BALCO. The bulked-up Barry would become the all-time home run king in San Francisco while the defending division champs, the Pirates, would fall to 5th place in 1993 beginning a streak of, well, you know.

Since that 1992 season the Pirates have finished a grand total of 324.5 games out of the first place. (They are currently 24 back in the NL Central and the 2009 season is not yet over.)

For years now I've suggested that the Pirates not even pretend to compete for a NL Pennant but, instead, attempt to win the "Grapefruit League" title each exhibition season. If not, might they consider leaving their best prospects in Indianapolis so the Indians can make a run at the International League title and a Triple-A National Championship?

2009-08-29T09:07:00.002-04:00

Being a typical guy, I tend to fantasize a lot. And recently I've had some amazing dreams. In them, I own a harem of famous stars and score big with them each and every week throughout this fall. But it's not Kate Moss, Sienna Miller or Catherine Zeta-Jones that are the object of my adult desires but, rather, it's Randy Moss, Heath Miller and Maurice Jones-Drew who have my attention.

Ah... it must be time again for my fantasy football draft.

This morning I will shut off my ringer, lock the door and hope to not be bothered. I need some serious "alone time" with my computer on line.

I've done some studying over the Internet to help prepare and many of these gossip sites have it all wrong. TMZ.com, PerezHiton.com and some others have recently blogged about Tony Romo and Reggie Bush being unattached but my ESPN.com fantasy football page clearly indicates that they are already owned by teams in my league.

I'll take Tom!

Umm...for my fantasy FOOTBALL team, that is

Fantasy football has done so much to bring people together and tear relationships apart.... kind of like Facebook. It's also affected the way I feel about players, many whom I've never met.

Like Steve Smith in Carolina, whose ejection from a game in December of 2005 cost me a title. And LaDainian Tomlinson, who blew me a chance at a championship the following year with 199 yards rushing (including an 85 yard TD run) in our league's final week. Brian Westbrook taking a dive on the 1-yard line in 2007, the referees blunder in the 2008 Pittsburgh-San Diego game costing the Steelers defense a late game score... we have all had our fantasy games turned into nightmare realities.

It's something we 'owners' can all relate to that others, who don't play, would never understand. Just the same way we know how a top performance from Brady Quinn can be more thrilling than a private physical from Dr. Quinn.

That is, only, when Brady is starting at QB for my fantasy football team.

2009-08-26T22:47:00.002-04:00

Rick Can't Handle the Truth

Rick Pitino spoke of his public sex scandal for the first time since two weeks ago when he apologized for his "indiscretion". Pitino had already admitted to authorities of a 2003 sexual encounter with Karen Sypher in a restaurant. Sypher is calling it an assault and when Louisville police Wednesday (8/26) released audio and video of her allegations, Pitino got pissed.

So Rick called a press conference. Not a wise thing to do for him but certainly a funny thing to do for us.

The speech was prepared but it was ill-delivered - a rarity for the charismatic coach - and eventually the basketball savior in the state of Kentucky placed blame on those who report the game. Pitino became slightly emotional and showed hints of the spontaneous aggression we might assume he typically reserves for his dinner guests.

He accused the media of reporting lies and Pitino may very well have a point. Hell, much of the news released on the relationship between he and Karen Sypher is hard for me to make sense too.

Rick Pitino: Lawyer Says Money Paid Was For Medical Coverage, Not Abortion

Huh? (Or, as those top-10 recruits would text, WTF?)

Well, I'm sure Pitino wouldn't let his lawyers lie without rectifying us with the truth. It was, after all, 'a day where Ted Kennedy died' as Rick thoughtfully reminded us... twice.

As for it being 'pure hell' for his family, I imagine that is very true. Even if the allegations of assault are false, it would seem a normal reaction upon learning one's husband is having sexual encounters with strange women after hours and in public restaurants.

No lie.

2009-08-23T19:29:00.005-04:00

"Everything is bigger in Texas", they say, and apparently that's true even for the mistakes. Friday night (8/11/09) in Arlington, Texas, Cowboys Stadium was opened for its first professional football game. As the new home for the Dallas Cowboys, it's the largest domed stadium in the world, has a retractable roof, can seat as many as 100,000 football fans and, at $1.2 billion to build, it is one the most expensive sports venues ever built.

And already there is a big problem with the big stadium in the ‘Big D’.

During the third quarter of the first preseason game, A.J. Trapasso, of the Tennessee Titans, punted a ball that hit the overhanging JumboTron. According to sources, numerous footballs did the same during the pregame warm up. After it occurred during live play it was ruled a "do-over" and the Titans punted the ball again.

It's not like it was the first "do-over" in a professional football game or even in one that was much more important than a preseason exhibition. But that glitch occurred over 40 years ago (before the name "Super Bowl" was ever even coined) and wasn't because of a structural deficiency in a venue that cost over a billion dollars to construct.

Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, says that the stadium along with the video screen was built within "league specifications and he had no intentions of raising it to a higher level". It's estimated that correcting the problem by elevating the gigantic screen (which is 60 yards wide and 25 yards high) would cost at least another $2-million.

The league, the competition committee and the Dallas Cowboys are reportedly discussing a solution.

While they do, lets' be sure Dallas Cowboys fans know that the following are NOT eligible for a "do-over".

Jackie Smith in the Super Bowl

Tony Romo in the playoffs

Jessica Simpson in the luxury box

Terrell Owens in the postgame

Live with it, Cowboys fans!

This is the only thing in Dallas we'd be willing to give a full "do-over"...

2009-08-19T12:20:00.005-04:00

Dear John (and a Tale of 2 QB's)

Any NFL fan can attest to the 'Bromance' that former football commentator John Madden once relentlessly pursued with Brett Favre. During the 1990's and until he, err, John retired, the man-crush on #4 was thicker than John's makeup would later become following sales of HD-Televisions to the public sector. According to Madden, Brett Favre played the game with a passion like non-other and he represented everything that a football player should be.

So, John, which attribute of Favre do you admire most?

Is it his indecisiveness or inability to be forthright? Or, is it being driven more by getting revenge on others than bringing good to those around him? Maybe the way he avoids bonding with teammates or refusing to embrace practice and team preparation? Could it be the way he exaggerates injury or downplays his own physical potential until training camp is almost over and his personal compensation exceeds his value?

Brad Childress auditions for his next job in Minnesota as team driver

I recall, not that long ago, another future first-ballot Hall of Fame QB being pushed away for a (Steve) young arm. He was traded to Kansas City in 1993 after the 49ers organization made him feel less wanted in San Francisco than a heterosexual man in The Castro.

Following the 1992 NFL season, after it became apparent that his heir apparent (Steve Young) was the new starting QB for the 49ers, did Joe Montana obsess with playing for a division rival? Did his professional purpose become getting revenge against his former coach (George Seifert) and general manager (Eddie DeBartolo)? Did he flirt with the Kansas City Chiefs throughout the offseason and most of training camp only to join the club when the majority of preseason practice was over?

Both Joe Montana and Brett Favre should be mentioned in any argument over which player was the greatest quarterback in NFL history. But there should be no debate over which man handled himself with more dignity in the final chapters of their storybook careers.

2009-08-17T15:32:00.003-04:00

Major Fall of Moneyball

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game was released in 2003 and soon afterwards became a national bestseller.

The book was based on the Oakland A's organization and how their general manager, Billy Beane, utilizes a modernized and analytical approach to field a baseball team that can compete with richer, larger market organizations.

I bought the book. And I bought into the book.

Read more HERE

At that time I was hosting a radio show based out of the San Francisco bay area and would be one of the first to interview the book's author, Michael Lewis.

Lewis is a talented writer who is bright, articulate and well researches his subjects before putting them to print. He is also a marketer who uses sensationalism to help sell books. (A semi-interesting side note is that he is alos married to former MTV reporter, Tabitha Soren. A fact that some of my radio audience found to be more interesting about Lewis than Michael, himself.)

Can someone please clear the phone lines so we can get an actual baseball question?

Much of the premise and the strategies outlined for making the small market A's one of the American League's best (at that time) made sense and was backed with results.

In 2001, it took this play for the $teinbrenner's Yankees to eliminate the Athletics from the postseason.

In the 2003 AL playoffs, the Red Sox had to come back from a 2-0 deficit and needed a Miguel Tejada base running blunder to avoid being swept by the Athletics. After losing the series to Boston (3-2) the A's had a major league record of 9 consecutive losses in playoff games which their opponent was in an elimination situation. With just a little luck this small market team would be playing with the big boys.

So I thought.

The Oakland A's have only made the playoffs once since 2003. This season they are in last place of the AL West. The NY Yankees, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels lead their respective divisions in the standings... and on the payroll. So do the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.

Looking back was it really a contemporary view of the game that allowed the Oakland A's to compete for the pennant or was it because of the young 'Big 3' arms of Barry Zito, Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson (all whom were lost by the Athletics through free agency)? Or, did A's general manager Billy Beane place his ego ahead of his professional success by revealing his trade secrets which were easily copied by his richer competitors?

2009-08-14T10:46:00.007-04:00

Confession #1... I don't enjoy being in adult clubs.
Confession #2... I don't enjoy drinking non-alcoholic beer.
Confession #3... I don't enjoy watching NFL preseason games.

Upon reading the above admissions one might believe that it's the look of scantily-dressed ladies, the taste of beer and the game of football for which I declare to dislike. They'd be mistaken. In fact, it's because of how much I LOVE each that leaves me frustrated with anything that cheapens the original.

Allow me to further explain. I LOVE women, so I have no interest in being falsely seduced by one who has no intention of furthering her physical advances and seductive body-language. I LOVE a good beer buzz, so I have no desire to taste anything that reminds me of that high without ever getting there. I LOVE football, so meaningless effort on the gridiron when the field is ready for significant games is, quite simply, a tease.

This week, while watching the NFL Network, I saw a promo boasting that the channel will air all 65 preseason games in their entirety. I couldn't have been less excited had Indiana's-4 been bragging about a George Lopez comedy marathon.

I hardly feel alone with the above confessions and especially with my indifference to exhibition football. Each NFL year fans beg for shortened preseason schedule before the "real" games begin. And it's no wonder why.

Consider that going into 2009, the Indianapolis Colts who have won a record 6 consecutive season with 12 or more regular season wins. During that stretch of regular season success, the Colts are a combined 8-18 during the preseason. More telling to the insignificance of winning pro football in August is that in 2008, the Detroit Lion were 4-0 in the preseason.

The regular season, well...

2009-08-12T10:26:00.002-04:00

Honoring the Dishonored

The NFL's Tennessee Titans will wear a #9 decal on their helmets this season in honor of their slain former quarterback, Steve McNair. This past Sunday night during the annual Hall of Fame Game, the team got to debut their tribute to McNair in the 21-18 preseason win over the Buffalo Bills.

Soon after the tragic death occurred and the funeral arrangements were completed, the Tennessee Titans franchise began discussing ways they could recognize the career and life of one of their most adored former players. McNair won more games at QB for the Titans than anyone in history, was the Co-MVP of the 2003 NFL season, led Tennessee to their only Super Bowl appearance and was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor in 2008.

He was also murdered by his much younger mistress while his wife and four kids were elsewhere. And, for that reason, not everyone is in support of this honorable recognition.

The events that occur and truths that arise following the athlete's retirement don't have to be tragic to raise concerns, either. And, often, they are more permanent than a helmt decal worn for only one season.

Not every professional sports team is able to invest their image safely behind stars that (seemingly) manage their behavior with the same class and dignity away from the playing field as well as they athletically excelled on them.

For the hometown Indianapolis Colts, Peyton Manning provides that safety net. But, for some other franchises, committing to a lifetime of honoring a former player can be a more risky proposition than hiring Donte' Stallworth as their designated driver.

2009-08-09T22:14:00.002-04:00

Get the Hell Out of the Hall

John Madden says he believes at night when the lights go out at the Pro Football Hall of Fame the busts of the players all talk to one another. If so, I bet Lawrence Taylor never shuts up. Mercury Morris, too, once he gets started on the cocaine. Oh no, I hope Michael Irvin isn't on that side of the room.

The 2009 class; Rod Woodson, Bruce Smith, Derrick Thomas, Randall McDaniel, Bob Hayes and Ralph Wilson, Jr. are all deserving. So, too, are some others which surely you've heard about or debated, yourself. Of the greats I felt were overlooked two, Bob Hayes (2009) and Art Monk, (2008) are both now in leaving just one, L.C. Greenwood, as the worst oversight to me.

Thanks to the Hall of Fame Senior Committee, Bob Hayes and others are able to take their rightful place in Canton, Ohio, among the rest of the best who played the game.

But why stop there?

For every year that the senior committee inducts members we should extract one too. My three nominees to have their hall of fame privileges revoked...

Bob Griese

("Throw it just like you sometimes do at practice, Bob."

Apologies for calling out a Purdue graduate on the same weekend that former a Boilermaker (Rod Woodson) is honored, but is there really a talent for handing off the ball forty times a game? In SB VII, the Dolphins ran 50 plays from scrimmage and attempted 11 passes. Csonka-left, Morris-right, Csonka-right, Morris-left... that, along with a strong defense, is how the 1970's Dolphins won. During Miami's 1972 undefeated season, Griese was injured in the fifth game. The backup who played in ten regular season games, Earl Morrall, was almost forty years old.

Jan Stenerud

(Pronounced "Yawn" but still spelled "Jan")

His career FG percentage (66.8%) was lower than every NFL kicker in 2008 who attempted more than ten field goals. Okay, so he's not the only one on this list named after a girl, but at least the other wasn't a kicker.

Lynn Swann

(Even the Ballet Hall of Fame demands more than four plays)

As a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan it doesn't pain me at all to admit when Jeff Graham, Ricky Proehl, Carl Pickens, Charley Hennigan, Brian Blades, Del Shofner, Mick Quick, Chris Calloway and tight end Ben Coates are just some of the names ahead of him on the all time list for yards receiving. Larry Fitzgerald is only 25 years old and already he has more career receiving yards than Lynn Swann.

Ever seen his acrobatic catches in SB X and his touchdown receptions against the Cowboys in that game and SB XIII as well? Of course you have. And the repetition of seeing the aesthetic beauty of those few plays is what finally got Lynn Swann inducted in 2001.

Let's admit our mistakes and nominate, then eliminate, one hall of famer each year. So, do you think football players will cry more when they're inducted into the hall or when they are kicked out?

2009-08-07T10:51:00.002-04:00

Games and Gambling, Always a Sure Bet

Gambling and sports combine and make news a couple of times each calendar year. Not to out myself as a degenerate gambler, but I'd set the Over/Under for when it occurs at about 7 months.

So where did the most recent sports gambling debate originate from? Las Vegas? Atlantic City? Caribbean Islands? The basement of my neighbor, Louie?

No, it's in Delaware.

To be fair, the slogan branded with Las Vegas is also true of our nation's 45th most populated state. "What happens in Delaware stays in Delaware" if for no other reason than the fact that the 49 other states don't care.

But the NFL does ever since Delaware decided to be the first state east of the Mississippi River to offer full-service sports gambling. With an anticipated rollout date of September 10th, a recently passed Delaware state budget is projecting over $50-million in revenue from sports gambling (in just this fiscal year). The NFL along with the NCAA, MLB, NBA and NHL have filed suit against Delaware, but not in attempt to block the state's sports gambling, entirely. But, rather, to challenge and limit the types of betting that can take place. From there, it gets more confusing than does the concept of buying points and placing them towards a future proposition in a three-team parlay.

Regardless, the National Football League fears that sports gambling will compromise the integrity of the game. But it can't, because it already has.

It's been documented before (but rarely mentioned) in the "Greatest NFL Game Ever Played", the 1958 championship game in between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants. You remember the highlight of Alan Ameche plowing in the end zone from the 1-yard to give the Colts the victory in the league's first ever sudden-death overtime game. But the most telling highlight was the play from scrimmage before the touchdown.

Why did Baltimore insist on scoring a touchdown when a chip-shot field goal would win the championship? (Remember, the goals posts were on the goal line back then and not in the back of the end zone like today.)

Did you know the point spread for the game was 3 ½ and the Baltimore Colts owner, Carroll Rosenbloom, was said to have $1-million on the game?

It makes sense and I'm not even a conspiracy theorist. Not because of Ameche's score to seal the victory but the play call before it. It was 2nd and goal from the Giants 7-yard line when Johnny Unitas completed a 6-yard quick-out pass to tight end Jim Mutscheller. That's right, a QUICKOUT.

Dangerous because the pass could be intercepted (and returned for a touchdown) and strategically baffling since it moved the ball to the right hash mark and, therefore, would make a potential field goal attempt be at an unnecessary and bad angle.

[See the official play by play of the 1958 NFL Championship Game]

But there was never going to be a field goal attempt. 3 points might win the game but it wouldn't cover the spread.

Not every game is tarnished because of illegal gambling but not only Pete Rose and Tim Donaghy compromised their sport by crossing that line in competitions which they could affect. To protect the integrity of their respective games, it's the obligation of professional sports to limit any acts of gambling among the players, coaches and related participants. It's a battle which they may never win, but must continue to fight.

The war that professional sport continues to wage against gamblers not related to the game is one which they will surely never win. And one they should no longer continue to fight.

2009-08-04T16:49:00.003-04:00

Take Your Vick

There are 32 teams in the National Football League but if feels like twice that many have already been rumored to be signing Michael Vick. Despite the 18-month prison sentence for running a dogfighting ring, the court ordered home confinement (which ended on July 20th) and Vick's self-imposed choice to since keep a low profile, the former "MV7" is the most talked about athlete around the NFL.

Every NFL training camp has now started in preparation for the 2009 season. There is no guarantee that he will be invited to any but you can bet as much money as Michael Vick was once worth that his name is being mentioned following each day's practice.

It doesn't matter who said it or where it came from. If it involves the former Falcons quarterback then it's already more accurate than any third-down sideline pass that Vick ever threw.

Misrepresented are the head coaches who avoid the same questions with vague responses but misunderstood too are the passing words from Michael, himself. As he left the courtroom in Newport News, VA following a bankruptcy hearing, Vick was asked if any teams were interested and answered using three words, "We're getting close".

This is how Michael answers using 2 words

If by "getting close" Vick actually meant that he is waiting for an NFL team, any NFL team, to offer him a contract...or an invite to camp... or for a workout... or to a beer summit.... Yeah, then he's really close.

My guess as to where Michael Vick will be throughout 2009? I'll take rumor #1,397,436 (give or take a few) and predict that Vick will play first in the UFL. The upstart league needs the attention and Michael Vick will bring that, plus ratings. Vick needs a job and also a platform to prove that he still has elite football talent. The NFL and its owners would prefer someone else act as buffer to test (perhaps calm) the proverbial waters of the public reaction to his return.

It's a WIN-WIN-WIN situation. And following the United Football League Championship Game (held Thanksgiving weekend) there will still be five weeks of the NFL's regular season for any owner who thinks Vick is their team's ticket to the postseason.

And now that every team in the NFL has been debated and discussed as a potential suitor for Michael Vick, surely someone will ultimately be able to say, "I told you so".

If it's me saying it, then it's a WIN-WIN-WIN-WIN situation.

2009-07-31T11:46:00.007-04:00

No Teasing Tebow on Twitter?

According to the Help Resources section of Twitter.com, one or more of the following violations can result in your account being suspended…

• Terms of Service Violations
• Technical Abuse
• Spam Investigation

However, not unlike the leaked list from 2003 of major leaguers who tested positive for steroids, not all violations (or, in the case of professional baseball, violators) were included. Allow my current suspended account to serve as “Exhibit D” as another despicable act which will disable your power to post on Twitter.

• Teasing Tim Tebow

Sound like a joke? Well, I’m neither laughing nor posting tweets. Not since my Twitter account was suspended last week.

On Friday, July 24th at 3:04 PM, this was a message I place on http://twitter.com/ISNzakk...

#Tebow a virgin? Pick a sportscaster Tim, male or female, they seem to all want to have sex with you.

Not long afterwards, this appeared on my page…

Account Suspended

This account is currently suspended and is being investigated due to strange activity. If we have suspended your account mistakenly, please let us know. See Suspended Accounts for more information.

Following their advice, I’ve notified them of the mistake, visited and e-mailed the Suspended Accounts section for more information.

A week later, I’m still suspended.

Let’s review. Did my post violate any of the rules listed on Twitter’s Help Resources section (Term of Service Violations, Technical Abuse, Spam Investigation)?

No.

While my hero worship of sports stars remains non-secular, I’m not oblivious to the growing congregation at the Temple of Tebow. But if teasing Tim is a sin in the eyes of this social networking site, then I just became a bigger fan of Facebook.

Spared this week from my controversial keyboard was Brett Favre, Juan Pablo Montoya, David Ortiz, Greg Norman-Everett-Lloyd, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cambridge police, President Obama and the BlackBerry (don’t ask).

We’ll keep you posted on my future permission to post.

2009-07-29T11:08:00.004-04:00

Rocking the Vote

Moments after this photograph was taken, this single orange was turned into a feast for his thousands of followers

The Big Ten Football Media Day lacked the mystery and suspense that the SEC had last week at their annual convention. But don't blame Danny Hope, Bill Lynch and the rest of the coaches in the Big Ten Conference for not having the charisma of Nick Saban, Mark Richt and their counterparts from the Southeastern Conference.

This had nothing to do with college coaching. It had everything to do with preseason voting.

And, of course, the most perfect man to ever play collegiate football (or step foot on planet earth), Tim Tebow.

Last week at the SEC Convention in Birmingham, Alabama, there was a fierce man search being conducted that rivaled any hunt that is currently taking place in Afghanistan (and far exceeded the one once promised by O.J. Simpson). The fans, the press and, perhaps too, the United Nations all needed to know one thing... what coach did not vote for Tim Tebow for the Preseason All-SEC First Team??

It's impossible that this could happen. I mean, do they not know who Tim Tebow is and everything that he's done?

He's been part of 2 national championship teams with the Florida Gators and holds the SEC career record as a QB for both rushing and total touchdowns in a season. (In fact, as we also learned from the SEC Media Days, Tim Tebow has apparently scored in every way possible except for one.)

Tebow is an All-American (2007, 2008) who has won the Heisman Trophy (2007), AP Player of the Year 2007), Davey O'Brien Award (2007), Harley Award (2007), the Maxwell Award (2007, 2008), ESPY Award for Best Male College Athlete (2008, 2009), NCAA QB of the Year (2007), Sporting News Player of the Year (2007), Manning Award (2008), SEC Male Athlete of the Year (2007), SEC Offensive Player of the Year (2008) and SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2008).

Off of the field he has solved world hunger, cured cancer, reversed global warming, fixed the national deficit, created peace in the Middle East and walked on water.

Hey, I'm just relaying what's been reported elsewhere.)

The Whodunit (or, Whodidn't) was finally solved when South Carolina head coach, Steve Spurrier, owned up to the oversight.

Whew. Crisis solved.

Wait, who cares about preseason voting anyhow? Every college football year we bash preseason polls and the teams being labeled as best in the country before ever playing a single down. Now we have to argue who the best players are before they even put on a jockstrap?

Perhaps the SEC voting police needs to be reminded that last preseason LSU had the most (14) players named to the All-SEC team. The Tigers finished 2008 with 3-5 conference record.

And prior to Tebow's 2007 Heisman Trophy season (when the world was introduced to and then changed by him) the All-SEC First Team QB was Andre Woodson.

What did the coaches know back then about how that season would unfold?

And how will they know now?

2009-07-26T21:06:00.003-04:00

"Nookity, Nookity, Nookity, Let's Go Racing Girls!"

Before putting on my cap, sunglasses and sunscreen for my first NASCAR event (the Chrysler 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway back in 2002) I knew it wasn't my Granddaddy's stock car racing any more. Already by then, NASCAR no longer suffered from the stereotypes of past generations. Even those who once ridiculed racing had to acknowledge how untrue those typecast were for describing the sport's current culture.

All the drivers did NOT speak with a slow, southern drawl.

All the major sponsors did NOT come along with a warning label from the Surgeon General.

All the fans were NOT rednecks.

And the females who attend the races did NOT all look like this...

I absolutely love the "race day look" on the women who enjoy motorsports. It's confident and yet, understated. It's says they know how to eat chicken off of the bone and drink beer out of a bottle. She can, dare I say it, bring home the bacon AND fry it up in a pan!

Gentleman, start your engines.

The Top 5 Babes at the Brickyard 400 (as seen in between 10:00 AM and 10:15 AM)

Taking the checkered flag (to, wishfully, change into later and wear little else)

Have a victory lap honey, you earned it

(Excuse any pictures if out of focus or if not properly centered. Hey, you try looking inconspicuous taking such photographs while wearing an IndySportsNation.com t-shirt!)

2009-07-22T12:48:00.003-04:00

We Hate Our Fans!

Being labeled a "fan" is a title that we, for the most part, tend to embrace. Many don't even care if we are actual followers, just as long as we pretend that we are "fans". This month alone, my Facebook account has been requested to join "fan pages" for a radio station I used to work at, a television show I never watched, a photography studio I never heard of and over a dozen or so cyber-babes who I'm certain have no clue as to who the hell I am.

But often forgotten is that when used in a certain context, "fan" is an abbreviation of the word "fanatic".

All of a sudden it feels like my invites are being sent to me by a Jessica Walter character

Remind me to remove her from my Facebook page of friends

On Sunday (7/19/09), David Beckham was the target of negative jeers and homemade signs from a section at the Home Depot Center, home of the MLS's Los Angeles Galaxy. The group, who call themselves the "L.A. Riot Squad", harassed the international soccer star and, by halftime of the game, the husband of Posh Spice got a little bent.

"So David, tell us what you want, what you really really want..."

More disconcerting (and downright creepy), was the violation of privacy which ESPN reporter Erin Andrews is currently enduring. In case you haven't heard (or seen), Andrews was illegally videotaped through a peephole during a hotel stay. The perverted perpetrators first attempted to shop the video to numerous web sites in attempt to profit. So far no takers, but it's my guess that those decisions were based more on potential legal liabilities than they ever were by the ethical code of the proposed buyers.

Some other opportunistic online scumbags decided instead to use the public's fascination for the viral video and created computer viruses for many who attempted to download the link.

And because of them we had to endure reading the word "virus" in the same sentence as the name "Erin Andrews", a crime in itself.

We, at http://www.indysportsnation.com/, have no reason to hate our fans. Join our fan page HERE and we promise that you'll never have to see me in the buff (or in a soccer uniform).

2009-07-20T11:01:00.004-04:00

A Loss for the Ages (Oldest Best of the Rest)

Tom Watson fails to get it up

..and down, that is, to par the 72nd hole and win the British Open

Don't feel too sorry for old Tom Watson for letting the 138th British Open slip from the wrinkled palms of his aged hands. He should feel fortunate for being so forever young and just being allowed to play at Turnberry golf course this weekend. With his 60th birthday less than two months away, had Tom been born a few weeks earlier he wouldn't qualify because of the tournaments age limit.

It's been said that there is little interest in golf, even in majors, if there is no Tiger competing. But apparently we fans will also watch when there is a dinosaur challenging.

Had Watson pulled the improbable and drank tonight's prune juice from a Claret Jug then the oldest and best in sports would be celebrated for the days following. Much like the weekend Walter Cronkite specials, the highlight packages were produced, finished and ready to air before it all sadly ended.

Following a farewell to Julius Nicholas Boros (who would be the "former oldest player to win a golf major" had Tom won), Watson's accomplishment would have brought mandatory mentions of Julio Franco (oldest to play in MLB), Nolan Ryan (oldest to throw a no-hitter), George Blanda (oldest to play in NFL game), Steve DeBerg (oldest NLF QB to start), Nat Hickey (oldest to play in NBA game), George Foreman (oldest heavyweight boxing champion), Willie Shoemaker (oldest jockey to win Kentucky Derby), Harry Gant (oldest driver to win a cup race) and Gordie Howe (oldest to play in NHL).

With so many golden oldies to play, the television highlights would be on the air for almost as a long as a Jamie Moyer fastball is in the air.

And that's without making any mention of Danny Almonte

Oldest Little Leaguer

Or Johnny Holiday

The oldest guy (91) I ever saw grab the ass of a Hooters waitress

And let's not forget the girls who still brought their "A-Game" after their prime.

Like Rebecca Ramos

Oldest Playboy centerfold (36)

And Terry Moore

Oldest to appear in Playboy pictorial (55)

Even Tempest Storm

Oldest stripper (Born in 1928)

At the risk of this blog appearing too sexist, we present "One for the Ladies"...

Bernie Barker

Oldest Male Stripper (Born in 1940)

2009-07-17T10:36:00.003-04:00

They Swear It Helps

Great news for us "gutter-mouths", a new study says that the act of swearing out loud reduces physical pain. Those sitting in my dentist's waiting room last week are feeling pretty judgmental right now and some others will finally understand that I was trying to lessen the pain and was not shouting requests to my proctologist.

Whew.

Like other behavior research, such as those that concluded women are more sexually attracted through their emotions or that men are more apt to cheat, this is another study that could have saved a lot of time and money by simply asking me, first. My parents didn't curse around my home. Household injuries were always more excruciating when reduced to "Gosh Darn It!" or "Jiminy Cricket!" following an electric shock, a hammered thumb or a fall down the stairs.

Had there ever been a bathroom zipper accident for me

Then Mom and Dad would have needed some extra-thick earplugs

Since British scientists are taking credit for the obvious, let me take this initiative to warn golf fans in Great Britain that swearing also reduces emotional pain, especially when it occurs during competition.

But don't take my word for it. Instead, observe the world's greatest golfer, Tiger Woods.
(Warning: Adult Language!)

So if anybody in the gallery at Turnberry this weekend at the 138th British Open has a problem with Woods' words, then "F*CK YOU!"

Wow, that feels better already.

2009-07-14T15:01:00.011-04:00

Take Me Out OF The Ball Game

While still respecting their anonymity, I've been told ("off the record") by more than one major league ballplayer that while they'd professionally like to be named to the All-Star roster, they would personally much rather prefer having the three days vacation than actually participate in the game.

It's hard to fault them. 162 regular season games in (about) 6 months is more time on grass than even Bill Maher enjoys and it involves more looking at diamonds than a Kardashian sister can handle.

Following the tie game in 2002, commissioner Bud Selig decided that starting the very next summer, the All-Star Game would now have to mean something ("This time it counts!"). But has the lure of home field advantage in the World Series really meant a more competitive game?

Well, you decide.

Compare Pete Rose and Ray Fosse in 1970 to Justin Morneau and Brian McCann in 2008 (both were game-winning scores)

Remind us again which of those games was for exhibition and which one "counted"?

Taking stabs at Major League Baseball's All-Star Game is easier than predicting the NL East Division finish for the Washington Nationals. But having rosters decided by fan voting, while not perfect, isn't all that much different from what the player statistics dictate. The "phantom injuries" that prevent the participation of some is no more disingenuous as they are for the NFL, NBA and NHL all-star gatherings. And the controversial decision to allow this former "exhibition game" determine home field for the World Series, has netted almost exactly the same results as had MLB used a more supported system, wins in interleague play, as the decisive factor (the American League would still have earned home field advantage every year but once since 2003).
The day before and the day following baseball's all-star game are the only two days on the calendar in which no American professional sports leagues has any games scheduled. Perhaps it's the fact that the rest of the sports world is moving slower than a Jamie Moyer fastball that makes the Midsummer Classic so popular for taking pot shots from pundits.

Love it, or not, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game is an American tradition.

And if that's not enough, then which of us wants to tell these fans that it doesn't matter?

2009-07-12T19:05:00.005-04:00

Do Tweeters Never Win?

Do you follow any professional athletes on Twitter?

I do and, by doing so, am constantly amazed at the exclusive "inside information" I'm privileged to.

For instance, on July 4th, Mark Sanchez of the NY Jets posted this alert...
In miami w/ best friend scotty. Happy 4th of July!

This was a June 29th tweet from LPGA golfer, Natalie Gulbis...
Watching The Mens US Open....at least the weather broke so they can play some golf.

(With this information in my arsenal, I'm destined to someday win an award for my investigative journalism.)

PGA golfer John Daly is always quotable, let's see what he's tweeting about...
im still here to twitter--been tough lately my stays have had no internet & or bad connection--will sign on later w/some pics
about 8 hours ago from web

Well, it is hard to be clever or insightful when the hotel you're staying at doesn't provide a good wireless connection. Otherwise, surely we'd be impressed by his genuine honesty for providing us an uncensored view and never-before-seen look into his personal life.

IndyCar Series driver Tony Kanaan has a dedicated landline, he tweets a lot.

(From July 10th at 9:55 PM)
Going to bed guys, sorry I haven't tweet much busy weekend. I will talk to you guys tomorrow. Good night.

Well, we're hooked. What did Tony have to say the next day?

(From July 11th at 7:20 AM)
Goood morning everybody. Today is 7/11 :-) . Getting ready for thr meeting. Good day to all of you.

So, anyone can have a typical day at work. How about some Tony Kanaan tweets from earlier in the week?

From July 9th at 10:04 PM)
Going to bed guys. Sweet dreams everybody.

He sure does stick to a regiment.

I'm hardly the first to ridicule the rich and famous for their tedious tweets...

(For the record, Conan O'Brien wasn't the first either)

As the creators of Twitter try to develop a business plan to profit from their popular micro-blogging service, users (famous, or not) are still trying to figure out the best way to use the free social networking site. While most of the information shared is of little urgency or importance, some self-promoting athletes are teetering on tweeting too much information.

Last month, Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves tweeted about the firing of Kevin McHale before the news broke elsewhere.

In May, Milwaukee Bucks' Charlie Villanueva sent a tweet at halftime of a game with the Boston Celtics.

And, still as shy as his hair is long, Chad "Ocho Cinco" Johnson vows to tweet during Cincinnati Bengals games this season.

Anger management classes teach to "count to ten" as a safeguard against acting before we think, but an active Twitter account in the hands of human beings allows for mass communication within an instant.

Last week after being blindsided with a trade by the NY Mets to the Atlanta Braves, a disgruntled Ryan Church sent his new teammate, Chipper Jones, a text message, "They're going to have to change up a lot of signs. I know everything,"

Besides breaking an unwritten rule of baseball, what Church also did was demonstrate how emotions can affect a competitor. Those potential reactions, along with modern-day technology and communications, and no longer are teams protected by preventing only against past means of stealing signs or stolen playbooks.

Other than an occasional fine for Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban (hardly newsworthy any more), the tweeting fad in professional sports has yet to cause an emergency of anything near cyber-sized proportions. But will the NFL, NBA, MLB and the others be as slow to recognize this behavior trend and social change as they historically were when it came to racial integration, free agency, drugs or steroids?

And once so, as sure as we know that an Ashton Kutcher follower couldn't spell "CNN", we can expect that someday, some game, some player will be accused of cheating because of their tweeting.

2009-07-09T12:23:00.011-04:00

Absence and the Heart

It's been said before that "Life imitates sports", and that notion has been proved true again over the past couple of weeks. What might be otherwise been considered a down time for sports has recently been filled with news of tragedy, controversy and reconciliation.

They also say that, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" (which anyone with a computer and a Facebook account may have discovered from a former high school sweetheart already), and the sports fans in Nashville, Los Angeles and Boston have surely demonstrated that in just the few days since our most recent holiday weekend.

Today (7/9/09) in Nashville, TN, is the second of a two-day public memorial for former NFL star, Steve McNair. On Wednesday, there were more than 4,000 fans lined up outside the LP Field to watch a video tribute to McNair. Over 5,000 people are expected to attend the service today (Thursday) at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Whites Creek, TN.

But the relationship in between Steve McNair and the Tennessee Titans was no more perfect than the one which we can now surmise that he shared with his mistress, Sahel Kazemi.

During the 2006 NFL off-season, Steve McNair, former NFL co-MVP, was in a contract dispute with the Titans. The standoff escalated and Titans management banned McNair from working out at team facilities (in the team's defense, had McNair been injured during those workouts Tennessee would have been on the hook for over $23-million). The Titans eventually traded the 3-time Pro Bowl QB to Baltimore for a 4th round selection in the 2007 NFL Draft.

Last Friday (7/3), Manny Ramirez was welcomed back from his 50-game suspension to the delight of the fans wearing the visitor's blue at San Diego's Petco Park. Manny-Breasts was handed his suspension back in May after the female fertility drug, hCG, was discovered in his system. When Ramirez began his suspension, the Dodgers were 21-8 and 6 ½ games ahead of San Francisco atop the NL West. When Manny returned on July 3rd, the Dodgers were 50-29 and maintained their division-lead over the Giants.

Manny is a busted cheater who has shown little, if any, remorse and yet he is being heralded by the same fans who vocally abused Barry Bonds for years - despite the fact that Bonds had never been suspended from baseball for a failed drug test. But when Ramirez steps back up to the plate at Dodger Stadium for his first home game since the suspension, fans in Los Angeles will cheer their returning star with the same forgiveness and double-standard that they typically reserve for accused child predators/pop music stars.

The final act of our recently reconciled trilogy of temporarily terminated relationships occurred on Monday (7/6/09) when Nomar Garciaparra made his first appearance at Fenway Park since being traded from the Boston Red Sox in 2004. Once the pride of town, Nomar thrilled fans on the field and allowed them to emphasize their Bostonian accents while pronouncing his name over Sam Adams beers.

But by 2003, Theo Epstein and the new-look "idiots" had created a new chemistry in the Boston clubhouse that left Garciaparra more out of place than a British tax collector at a tea party. Engaged at that time to Mia Hamm, Nomar was one of only a few Red Sox players who refused to shave his head as part of the team bonding (led by David Ortiz and Kevin Millar). In 2004, moments before the MLB trading deadline, Nomar Garciaparra and his new soccer babe was sent to Chicago while the Red Sox would go on to reverse the 86-year old curse of their old "Babe".

We'll never know for sure if the public reaction in Nashville for Steve McNair would have been equal had this senseless murder taken place closer to his non-amicable breakup with Titans, if the cheers for Manny would have been as loud had Ramirez returned to baseball following a shorter, less costly suspension, or if the ovation for Nomar in Boston had been as heartfelt had Garciaparra visited Beantown 5 years and 2 World series rings ago.

This upcoming football season, we may get some insight as to the relationship in between the length of absence and the fondness fans have for their hometown hero's. Mark your calendars for November 1, 2009. That's when - barring any shoulder problems that prevent him from signing and then playing - Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings are scheduled to play the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

2009-07-06T12:51:00.004-04:00

"One Yard and a Cloud of Doubt" (McNair's Missing SB MVP)

First, let's take a quick pop quiz.

In the following Super Bowl's, which quarterback statistics belonged to the winner of that game's MVP Award?

SB XVI
A. 14/22, 157 Yards, 1 TD
B. 25/34, 300 Yards, 2 TD

SB XXXVI
A. 16/27, 145 Yards, 1 TD
B. 28/44, 365 Yards, 1 TD

If you guessed "A" to both, then you are correct. (And, if you guessed "B" to either, then you should be wondering what the point was of providing those postgame box scores.)

Only once in Super Bowl history was a member of the losing team named as the Most Valuable Player (Chuck Howley of the Dallas Cowboys in SB V) but, in my lifetime, more than once did the most inspiring individual effort of the NFL's championship game come from someone who didn't earn a winning ring.

Some nominees...
Kurt Warner in SB XXXVI...Possibly.
Thurman Thomas in SB XXV...Probably.
Steve McNair in SB XXXIV... Definitely.

Although Kurt Warner quarterbacked the winning team (St. Louis Rams) in SB XXXIV, had superior passing statistics in the game and had already been named as the league's MVP for that season, it was Steve McNair that had captured the unforgettable competitive moment as he willed his team all but 36 inches away from the first overtime in Super Bowl history.

Earlier that game, McNair had already led the Tennessee Titans back from a 16 point deficit. It was the first, and only, time in Super Bowl history that a lead that large has been erased. Before that final possession, the Titans began with the ball on their own 10 yard line with less than two minutes remaining. During that drive Steve McNair would account for every yard gained (other than Ram penalties).

The drive also included a dramatic 3rd down completion with 22 seconds remaining that demonstrated the magic of McNair. It was, with apologies to any Santonio Holmes, David Tyree or John Elway fans, the most exciting single play in Super Bowl history.

One of the romantic aspects of the games which we love is those rare moments when an athlete emerges as a winner despite having just been defeated. Rocco Mediate matching the more talented Tiger Woods shot-for-shot in the 2008 US Open, Shaquille O'Neal hustling both ends of the court (despite having been turned-on by his Lakers coach, star teammate and owner) all the way to the finish of the 2004 NBA Finals defeat to Detroit and, just one day following the tragic news of Steve McNair's untimely death, Andy Roddick's marathon loss to Roger Federer in the 2009 Wimbledon's Men's Tennis Finals.

To me, none was more inspiring to witness than was the effort of Steve McNair in the second half of SB XXXIV. Here's that entire final drive from that Super Bowl to relive the memory of a winner who lost his life too soon.

2009-07-02T13:05:00.004-04:00

Greatest Game Ever Heard

"Mark Cuban Plans to Meet Jason Kidd at 12:01 According to E-mail"
"Tony Romo Teams with Tiger Woods at AT&T Pro Am"
"David Beckham Spending Wedding Anniversary at Ultra-Exclusive Necker Island"
"Joey Chestnut a Slight Favorite over Kobayashi in July 4 Hot Dog Showdown"

Not exactly the most exciting period in sports. It could be a sexy time but that, too, was ruined thanks to a woman from Argentina.

No Senator, not your woman from Argentina

Rather, it was this one

But we'll get back to that in a moment.

The Wimbledon Tennis Championships faced little competition from other sports for attention this year. The NBA Draft, the NHL Draft and the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest are hardly considered must-see television events (however, the Coney Island competition is quickly gaining ground in the ratings game). Beating foreigners on their own turf will always be a favorite American pastime and thanks to Serena and/or Venus Williams, we will be able to celebrate that tradition once again this year.

Did you know that at least one Williams sister has been in every Wimbledon finals but one since the turn of the century? Or, that either Venus or Serena has won the championship in seven of the last nine years (and soon, possibly, eight of the last ten)?

I haven't witnessed sisters kick this much ass since the time I confused a laundry basket for a men's urinal at an Alpha Sigma Tau sorority party.

Rooting for fellow Americans is an easy call, even in sports that I don't care enough to follow. But as much as I admire the sisters for serving up some humble pie with the British breakfast of tea and crumpets, I will miss hearing the lovely Maria Sharapova play at Wimbledon.

You read that right, it says that I will miss HEARING the lovely Maria Sharapova play at Wimbledon.

Take a listen to the two real sound clips provided below. One is from a tennis rally staring Maria Sharaporno, err, make that, Sharapova from a Wimbledon match and the other is from a gang bang staring someone I hope isn't your daughter and it's from a DVD I have secretly stashed.

Sound Byte #1

Sound Byte #2

OK, so the crowd noise made this game easier than a Hilton sister on Tequila.

More unfortunate, still, is that if I wish to enjoy that excitement this weekend it's going to have to be from the videotape (by the way, it's kept in a "Steel Magnolias" DVD shell in case you ever visit). Sharapova was ousted from the tournament last week by Argentinean tennis player, Gisela Dulko.

At least those paper towels are still useful for wiping Bar-B-Que sauce off of your hands.

Have a safe July 4th weekend.

2009-06-29T12:14:00.002-04:00

Dying to be Loved

Which superstar's appearance changed more during our lifetime?

One of the many marvels of this celebrity-stalking era is the fascination over the physical change that Michael Jackson has endured. Some plastic surgeons estimate that throughout "HiStory", more than fifty operations have altered the face of the King of Pop (but still trailing Joan Rivers by my unofficial count). The only thing that may have changed more often than the shape of Jackson's nose is the public's opinion of Michael, himself.

As a person, he was a child star who later became a presumed child predator. As an artist, he was a radio staple and then a radio cancer. As a superstar, he was the celebrity who everyone wanted to be seen with and then he was the freak that required immediate disassociation from.

Face it, when Corey Feldman stops taking your calls it's time to take a serious look at the "Man in the Mirror"

Despite Michael Jackson's acquittal on child molestation charges back in May of 2005, many music radio stations exonerated his songs from the airwaves. The same medium that looked for excuses and reasons to embrace the artist (at one time even trying to classify "Beat It" as a rock record because Eddie Van Halen played guitar on the track) would ban the pop star's music and even promote their silly stunt while doing so.

A couple of weeks ago, Mediabase - which monitors commercial radio airplay and charts the results - reported 511 national spins for songs performed by Michael Jackson or the Jackson 5. Since his death last Thursday, that number has exploded to over 15,000.

Last night (6/21) on BET, the 2009 awards show honored Michael Jackson's life (I didn't watch, but the highlights indicate that Jamie Foxx does a much better Ray Charles imitation). Tonight (6/22) on the Fox TV Network, American Idol plans a re-broadcast to honor Michael Jackson's career (I won't be watching). And, for the record, if Nickelodeon plans any tributes to Michael you can be damn sure I won't watch!

Music sales? Within hours of his death, Michael Jackson owned the top 15 slots on Amazon.com's chart of online album sales.

Seems like the public, as well as the media, has drank from the "Jesus Juice" cup.

Or, maybe, there's nothing like a good old-fashioned death to resuscitate one's image. It took years to do so for some (Ty Cobb), months to do so for others (Anna Nicole Smith) and mere moments to do so for Michael Jackson.

For Pete Rose, Al Davis, Barry Bonds and other fallen stars of modern-day sports, how long will it take?

2009-06-26T11:06:00.009-04:00

Playing After the Slaying

According to many historians, the myth of Saint George and the Dragon dates back before that of the origins of Christianity, itself. As the Golden Legend tells, Saint George wounded the mighty dragon first with a sword and then wrapped its neck with a girdle from the princess which the beast was ready to bite.

It sort of resembles a Marv Albert sex scandal except the dragon wasn't wearing a garter belt

In the sports world, "Slaying the Dragon" means to finally overcome an opponent that has consistently been in between your team and the promised land of a championship. (Or, I just made up what can now be a new sports metaphor.) During my lifetime, I've seen examples of this famous fable - and now, a newly crowned sports cliché - in almost every major athletic game.

In basketball, it was the Chicago Bulls who, after losing two straight Eastern Conference championships to Detroit, finally defeated the Pistons in the 1990-91 postseason.

In baseball, it was the Boston Red Sox who, after years of being bridesmaids to the baseball team from the Bronx, finally beat the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS.

In hockey, it was the U.S.A. who, after years of playing in hopes of a Silver medal, defied all odds by miraculously beating the powerful Russian squad in the 1980 Winter Olympics.

In football, it was Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, who, after consecutive postseason losses to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, finally pasted the Pats in the 2006 AFC Championship.

As a result, Peyton Manning was finally able to retire this pose

This week it happened again but, this time, in soccer as the 2009 U.S.A. Confederations Cup team upset Spain (winners of 15-straight and who hadn't lost in 35 matches).

"And now for something completely ironic..."

In each example, the teams that were finally able to "Slay Their Dragon" were all forced to play one more opponent before actually winning their championship.

The 1990-91 Chicago Bulls still had to take down the LA Lakers, the 2004 Boston Red Sox had to beat the St. Louis Cardinals, the 1980 U.S.A. hockey team still had to defeat Finland (and the Soviet Union was still eligible of winning the Gold Medal - talk about your "fuzzy math") and the 2006 Indianapolis Colts still had to overcome the Chicago Bears.

The good news is that all the teams were able to win again following their "slaying". Here's hoping the United States soccer team can also do so to Brazil on Sunday.

So we can all read about it the next day.

2009-06-25T16:46:00.005-04:00

Another sign that the newspaper industry has lost it...

Wouldn't it be more accurate to read, "Cold and Clammy?"

2009-06-23T13:11:00.005-04:00

Being Fair About Fehr

Donald Fehr has resigned from his position as Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players Association. A graduate of Indiana University, who would later receive a degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, Fehr has been the head of the baseball players union since December of 1983.

A little more than a quarter of a century later, the success of Fehr's tenure is one that will be greatly debated. How one will remember the soon-to-be former leader of the MLBPA is like an assessment of a stripper on a catwalk... it all depends on your point of view and how much light is being shed upon the subject.

Opponents to Donald Fehr's 26 years will be quick to point out the cancellation of the 1994 World Series, the lack of sufficient steroid testing over the years, the escalating salaries (and, therefore, rising costs to the consumer), the elimination of competiveness among small market teams and the embarrassing congressional hearings in 2005.

Proponents of Fehr can counter with the lack of a salary cap (the only professional sport without one), the money won for players in early wars against the owners for collusion (around $280-million), the escalated average salaries (more than 10 times greater today than in 1986), the astronomical growth in top salaries (from $2.1-million of Mike Schmidt in 1986 to $33-million of Alex Rodriguez, today) and the protection of players' privacy.

Again, it all depends on when you're looking and what side you're seeing.

Kind of like these photographs of Britney Spears

During my college years, my summer job was at the Pennsylvania State Turnpike. The full time maintenance workers (that I was being paid hourly to assist) were all members of a union. Travelers of the toll road would commonly blast the crews and their union for rising costs and declining roads. But, the workers would praise the union for their benefit packages and for the numerous mandatory work breaks (and also the stoppage of labor whenever a rain cloud could be seen anywhere at all within miles of the tri-state area).

When assessing the job performance of Donald Fehr as head of the players union, whether we, as fans, appreciate what has happened to the sport is as pointless as a Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates game in the middle of August. How he protected and rewarded the players for which he was hired to represent is what is in the final box score.

And, for that, Donald Fehr won the ballgame.

2009-06-21T09:27:00.000-04:00

“It Never Rains On A Golf Course”

That was a line that my Father used to say and one of his many that I still fondly remember. He’d repeat that particular phrase on overcast weekends and while packing his golf clubs before he and our neighbor drove off for their weekly tee time.

The USGA schedules the U.S. Open to coincide with the Father’s Day weekend. This year’s tournament, at Bethpage Black, has experienced so many delays from rain and thunderstorms that the final round may not be completed until Monday or perhaps even Tuesday.

We lost our Dad a little over 5 years ago but, if he were still alive today, I’m sure he’d be watching. How much I wish that I could tell him right now just how wrong he was about his ability to forecast weather on a fairway.

Then I’d tell him how RIGHT he was about most everything else.

Happy Father’s Day.

2009-06-19T11:05:00.002-04:00

I'll admit that I, too, was excited to watch interleague play when Major League Baseball introduced it back in 1997. The "Red Line Rivalry", the "Subway Series", the "Bay Bridge Series" (and some other professional baseball rivalries which were determined by geographic proximity) added intrigue to what can otherwise be a slow stretch on the sports calendar. However, since then, the novelty has grown thinner than Lou Piniella's hairline.

Last weekend when the Oakland Athletics went west to meet the San Francisco Giants, so too did the Cincinnati Reds to play the Kansas City Royals. When the New York Mets traveled north to play the New York Yankees, so too did the Florida Marlins to play the Toronto Blue Jays. And this week while the Chicago White Sox trekked north to play the Chicago Cubs, so too did the Pittsburgh Pirates to play the Minnesota Twins

And, due to the imbalance of the number of teams between the National and American Leagues, last weekend the Astros and Diamondbacks weren't allowed to play in the interleague sandbox but, instead, in the desert sand of Arizona.)

For the Royals, Marlins and Twins, who won their respective series', there wasn't a great deal of bragging rights earned.

Other than a spike in attendance and the media-frenzy in a few, select baseball cities, relevance of interleague play is nonexistent. If not for the ridiculous reaction to a tied All-Star Game in 2002, it could be used to determine home field advantage for the World Series. But that concept would be too contemporary for Bud Selig (despite his attempts this week to appear cool, hip and cutting edge in lame bits on "Joe Buck Live").

Rather, the league that wins the most games during interleague play is, in fact, penalized for their success. The 2006 Major League Baseball season serves as my example. The American League decisively proved to be far superior to the National League by dominating interleague play that season, 154-98. Due mostly to the lopsided record of interleague play, the St. Louis Cardinals were able to win the 2006 NL Central Division with a paltry 83-78 regular season record. Meanwhile, four teams from the American League (Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels) all posted better regular season records than St. Louis but failed to make the postseason. Adding to the insult, the Cardinals would go on to win the World Series that year.

When introduced 12 years ago, interleague play helped rejuvenate interest in Major League Baseball (which had been waning since the 1994 players' strike). Since then, well, take it away B.B....

2009-06-16T10:48:00.006-04:00

Favre From The Truth

The Brett Favre and Minnesota Vikings courtship has now officially lasted longer than that of Eddies' Father.

(Wow, what a dated reference! Way older than me, even. Let's take a mulligan on that.)

The Brett Favre and Minnesota Vikings courtship has now officially lasted longer than that of The Bachelorette.

(Now we're back in the 21st century with our metaphors..

Much has been speculated throughout the last few weeks about Favre's football future and also the relationship in between him and his former NFC North rivals.

Among the items surmised on those topics...
- If healthy, Favre would like to play again
- He has discussed that desire with the Minnesota Vikings
- He knows the Vikings offensive system very well
- He's had a recent surgery on his throwing shoulder

Monday night (6/15) on HBO's "Joe Buck Live", Brett Favre finally spoke publicly on those rumors.

Here's what we learned...
- If healthy, Favre would like to play again
- He has discussed that desire with the Minnesota Vikings
- He knows the Vikings offensive system very well
- He's had a recent surgery on his throwing shoulder

Glad I watched.

(Side note: Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt for the interview, is it possible that Brett really wants to wear Wranglers and play in a backyard instead of in a Vikings uniform at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome?)

Whatever the back story, Minnesota cannot afford to wait much longer. Preparation for the 2009 season have already started, they begin training camp on July 31st and open their preseason August 14th against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The fascination over Favre's return is one that I, as a fan of the NFL, have been following too. But I'm unable to fall in line with the myth that the addition to Brett Favre to an NFL roster ensures postseason success or a likely Super Bowl berth.

Some statistics to mull over...
Eli Manning postseason wins IN 2007 = 4
Brett Favre postseason wins SINCE 1999 = 3

A short list of NFL QB's that have won more playoff games than Brett Favre over the last 10 years...
Tom Brady (14)
Donovan McNabb (9)
Kurt Warner (8)
Ben Roethlisberger (8)
Peyton Manning (7)
Steve McNair (5)
Matt Hasselbeck (4)

Too quality a list of QB's to make my point? Okay, then here's some more who have won more playoff games then Favre since 1999...
Trent Dilfer (5)
Jake Delhomme (5)
Rich Gannon (4)
Brad Johnson (4)

Now I've been a longtime believer that the quarterback position gets too much credit for victories and too much blame for defeats, but it does beg the question...Does adding Brett Favre to an NFL roster guarantee success in January (or February)?

Favre, make that, far from a sure thing.

2009-06-14T19:13:00.008-04:00

All I Really Need to Know...

Why didn't these MAJOR LEAGUERS learn?

Both hands on the ball

3 outs in each ½ inning

Touch all the bases

My coaches also said something about cheaters and never winning.

Maybe they weren't right about everything.

2009-06-12T08:44:00.006-04:00

See What You've Been Missing

Welcome to the world of DTV!

This is the historic first day of the federally-mandated switch to digital-only transmissions by television stations. For those (of the reported 3.1 million) homes without televisions compatible for the digital signals, right now their sets must appear either as mine did on the morning of Y2K or that of any day that I watch an adult movie at a hotel without being charged.

Sports fanatics that are just now discovering high-def, you are in for a real viewing treat. MLB fans will now be able to see blades of grass at Yankee Stadium, NBA fans will distinguish in between each panel of the parquet floor at Boston's TD Banknorth Garden and NFL fans will be able to accurately read the lips of Chicago Bears fans when they scream, "You Suck!" to their starting quarterback at Soldier Field.

The NHL could sure use the help of the high-definition signal (that is, assuming, everyone purchases cable packages that include actual professional hockey broadcasts), especially when the next Florida Cougar, make that, Panther fan gets "tipsy" and shows off her "topsy".

Some television events that make High-Definition Television seem like a BAD idea...

Emmy Awards Red Carpet reviews

Kiss' Gene Simmons reality shows

Desperate Housewives reunions

Andy Rooney commentaries

Tabloid shows featuring annual Jocelyn Wildenstein ("Cat Woman") updates

And viewer beware of these sports events too...

College Football Game Day

NFL games with referee Ed Hochuli in form-fitting shirts

Any sporting event in which I emcee

(Before complaining to my bosses for the "meanness" of this blog, note the self-deprecation and also the omission of any Dick Clark, Barbara Walters or Jerry Lewis mentions)

Hey, at least this guy got out just in time...

2009-06-09T15:16:00.001-04:00

Balancing Baseball

Entering this week of the major league baseball schedule, teams with the top 7 highest payroll's all having winning records. None of the bottom 7 teams based on payroll had a winning record. Like a Wrigley Field rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" sung by Denise Richards, it feels like it will never end.

Too many sports topics have been debated to death. Among those are steroids, Michael Vick, the college football bowl series and, of course, the financial imbalance among major league baseball teams. So we won't rehash one of those but, rather, offer baseball a chance to add some symmetry to their sport without negatively affecting the bottom line of anyone whose last name is "Steinbrenner".

Why does MLB refuse to have an equal number of teams in each league and division?

The NFL finally got it right when, following the 2001 season, they created eight (instead of the previous six) divisions all with an equal number (4) of teams. MLB switched from 4 to 6 divisions following the 1993 season. Unlike in the NFL, the divisions for MLB remain lopsided.

There are 16 teams in the National League and 14 in the American League. The AL East, AL Central, NL East and NL West all have 5 teams in each division. The NL Central has 6 teams and the AL West has only 4.

Why?

At first glance, the obvious move would be to take the Houston Astros from the 6-team NL Central and add them to the 4-team AL West and, by doing so, securing two 15-team leagues with three 5-team divisions. But it's not that simple. The Houston Astros would then be in the same division as the Texas Rangers and major league baseball prefers to put geographically close franchises in opposite leagues (see Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs, NY Yankees and NY Mets, LA Angels and LA Dodgers, Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants).

Fair enough.

So we'll try again.

How about we take the Houston Astros and move them from the NL Central into the NL West. Then, we take the Arizona Diamondbacks from the NL West and move them to the AL West.

Now you have two leagues of four divisions with each containing five teams.

It's not unprecedented for a franchise to switch leagues. The Milwaukee Brewers moved to the National League in 1998 after being a member of the American League since their inception in 1967. The Arizona Diamondbacks have only been a professional franchise since 1998.

That's hardly a break from conventional history even for the most stubborn of baseball traditionalists. And it just makes sense for a sport that is so often criticized for its lack of balance.

2009-06-07T10:19:00.002-04:00

Suggestive Selling

A new NFL rule this year will allow teams to attach a sponsored logo to their practice jerseys. Hopefully for Peyton Manning's agent, the winning bidder isn't in conflict with DirecTV, MasterCard, Sprint, Reebok, Gatorade, Sony or any other products he endorses.

Indianapolis Colts senior executive vice president, Pete Ward, said that when training camp opens (Aug. 2nd) you will most likely see a paid-for patch on the upper left corner of the player's jerseys. Ward would not identify which company, yet, but indicated that there are some early candidates. The NFL prohibits teams from entering into contracts with businesses that the league doesn't feel fits their image.

Let's look at some corporate fits for these franchises.

For the first team in NFL history to go winless during a 16-game regular season schedule

For the team who spied on opponents, lies with weekly injury reports...

For the team that shows off Visanthe Shiancoe's junk during the postgame

For the team with this owner

Depends Diapers

For the team whose nickname insults American Indians

7 Cedars Indian Reservation Casino (hey, if you can't beat them - join 'em)

For the team who once had 10 arrests within 14-months

ABC Bail Bonds

For the teams whose fans made Vince Young cry

My Baby Pacifiers

For the team that blew a 3 game division lead with 3 weeks remaining

Batik Sarong Chokers

For the team whose QB took Jessica Simpson to Los Cabos, Mexico before their last playoff loss

Mezcal Tequila

For ????

They'll have to wait and see if anyone has the "cohones" to invite Michael Vick to camp

2009-06-04T10:37:00.005-04:00

The Loyalty Road is a 2-Way Street

Many baseball fans were shocked this week when the Atlanta Braves cut ties with veteran pitcher Tom Glavine. A 2-time Cy Young Award winner, Glavine has... well make that, had, the most wins among active pitchers in MLB and, until Randy Johnson soon joins, was the most recent member of the 300 career wins club.

Atlanta Braves manager, Bobby Cox said it was "the hardest thing I've ever been through", Chipper Jones was caught off guard with the news and John Smoltz called it "a shame". Tom Glavine, himself, told the Associated Press that he was "very surprised" in a text message.

Hey, someone sign this guy up for Twitter! (Tom, I checked for you and www.twitter.com/tomglavine is still available.)

Glavine's agent, Gregg Clifton, was more direct with his take.

"Tom is extremely disappointed. He agreed to return to the Atlanta Braves at a drastic discount, and assume all the risk for his 2009 contract, except for a base salary. He has fulfilled his obligations and rehabbed diligently to return to the Braves' staff, and to not have that opportunity at this time is extremely disappointing for a Hall of Fame player like Tom Glavine."

Glavine had made three rehabilitation starts this season (one of which for the Gwinnett Braves against the Indianapolis Indians on May 28th) and was signed to a $3.5-million deal with Atlanta. (That's a 'drastic discount' for a 43-year old pitcher??)

In 2003, and after 16 seasons in Atlanta, Glavine signed with the Braves division rivals, the New York Mets. After 5 years in the Big Apple, Glavine returned to the organization that he was most identified with. Presumably, both decisions were made because Tom felt that it was best for him. Now, an aging lefty, Glavine's agent is seemingly disappointed that the Atlanta Braves didn't also do what was best for Tom.

Earlier this week, I joined Chris Hagan of IndySportsNation.com on 1260/WNDE while he was guest hosting for JMV. Among the topics discussed was the position of professional franchises when a legendary player wants to continue playing beyond when team management would like them to retire.

And it wasn't limited to only Brett Favre. But, like Favre, it's usually the franchise that suffers most of the brunt of public criticism because it's the players, not the front office, that fans embrace. But that doesn't make the players right.

The 2005 World Series Champions, the Chicago White Sox dealt with this issue with their all-time home run leader, Frank Thomas. The New England Patriots were faced with this dilemma with their all-time leading passer. They traded Drew Bledsoe to Buffalo and with their new quarterback, Tom Brady, became the NFL team of the decade.

Someday, the Indianapolis Colts may have to make a choice when it comes to the final years of Peyton Manning's NFL career. What will they do?

It was a different time, a different place, a different owner and management, but many of us remember what the Baltimore Colts did when they were forced to decide.

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2009-06-02T12:22:00.001-04:00

Hey, did I hear Danica Patrick say that she is cool with enhancements?

You go, girl! I'm all for it too.

Umm, it was performance-enhancing drugs that she actually endorsed. Isn't that just our luck?

In a Sports Illustrated interview, the IndyCar diva responded to a question about using performance-enhancing drugs in effort to win the Indy 500 and said she'd do it providing that she didn't get caught. The USADA called her statement "totally irresponsible". Danica is now saying that she was joking.

Is that hilarious?

Maybe it wasn't so funny but it is probably very true. And in the words of Col. Nathan R. Jessep (played by Jack Nicholson)....

And the truth is that cheating is part of life. Some do it on their tax returns, others do it to their spouse and some, yes some (if you haven't heard), do it in competitions.

It comes in many forms. And more often than not, the punishment isn't all that bad.

Barry Bonds (presumably) did it and became the owner of the most heralded record in sports. Alex Rodriguez did and became the highest paid player in baseball. Derrick Rose became the top pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. His coach has become the highest paid coach in college basketball. Fans of Kris Allen did it and he became an American Idol.

If Danica Patrick could take a magic pill that would guarantee her a checkered-flag finish at the greatest spectacle in sports, would she really do it?

I think she would.

And I bet you would too.

Now if we did place that hypothetical wager, would we be committing a more punishable offense than if we'd actually cheated?

Remember, Manny Rameriz only got a 50-game suspension. But Pete Rose was banned for life.