October 3, 2003
Defending the indefensible
Allen Barra defends Rush Limbaugh in his recent contretemps over Donovan McNabb. I think Barra is all wet on this one. McNabb may not have fulfilled his potential at Philadelphia, but he's hardly to blame for being the leading rusher on a team that can't run block or pass block worth a damn. Besides, the point isn't whether McNabb is overrated; he probably was, but expectations have come down quite a bit for him. However, Limbaugh's assertion that the media deliberately overrated him as a sort of affirmative action program is just too much to swallow. There is hardly a dearth of black quarterbacks in the NFL these days, and they don't need the press to make them feel good about their performances. ESPN made a mistake in hiring Limbaugh, and Limbaugh made a mistake in taking the job. Normally I respect Limbaugh's intelligence even if I disagree with him,...
October 4, 2003
Twinks disappoint again
The Twins seem to have a problem hitting the ball, all of a sudden. Roger Clemens looked a bit shaky at first, but apart from a bases-empty homer, the Twins couldn't hold the Rocket down today and went down to defeat, 3-1. Now that the Twins have let the Yankees off the hook for losing home-field advantage, it doesn't look likely that they'll win the next two (one in New York) to advance this year. Lohse looked good today, but unfortunately not good enough. Ah, well. Tomorrow the Vikings play against the Vick-less Falcons. We should be able to beat them to go to 5-0. If Gus Frerotte has another game like he did against the 49ers, we may have a minor QB controversy in the Twin Cities......
October 5, 2003
Another sign of the impending apocalypse
The Vikings beat Atlanta 39-26, and go to 5-0! I don't know what Tice did in the off-season, but these guys look good, and are starting to look confident. They're still making mistakes, but they're overcoming them. Of course, their biggest test comes up after the bye next week. They play Denver, who is 4-1 and I think will be the first team with a winning record they've played. We should know a lot more about this team after that....
October 7, 2003
Yet another sign of the impending apocalypse
Both the Cubs and the Red Sox make it to the championship round. The Red Sox come back from two games down to beat the A's (but who hasn't?), but now have to face the Yanks without home-field advantage. If the Cubs and the Red Sox both make it to the World Series, which jinx will be the strongest? Or will the world end during Game 7?...
Repent Now!
Indianapolis scores 28 points in the 4th quarter to beat the vaunted Tampa Bay Bucs defense in overtime on Monday Night Football last night. This was unbelievable! The Bucs had them by the throat all game long, and in fact had a 21-point lead with less than 4 minutes to go. To give you an idea of the magnitude of the Colts' victory (or Bucs collapse, whichever you prefer): Indianapolis became the first team in NFL history to win after trailing by 21 or more points with less than four minutes to play in regulation. Wow! Too bad all of you turned the game off in the 3rd quarter ......
October 8, 2003
Dan Barreiro Must Be Happy
Do you think Dan Barreiro is celebrating this, or crying in his beer? If his earlier column is any indicator, probably both....
October 9, 2003
Yanks decked by knuckle sandwich in Game 1
The fans in Boston must be happy with this -- the Red Sox just negated the Yankee's home-field advantage in this round of the playoffs. I'd love to see that Cubs-Red Sox series, and while the Cubs also lost their home-field advantage, at least they evened the series last night....
Omission Impossible but True for O'Malley
It's a shame that a story like this is even necessary. I didn't know that Walter O'Malley wasn't in the Hall of Fame....
October 10, 2003
Go Gophers! (to the bank?)
Tension mounts as perennial football power Michigan comes to Minneapolis to play against the undefeated Minnesota Golden Gophers tomorrow at the Metrodome. So far, this is Minnesota's best season in 40 years, and if they beat the Wolverines, they have a shot at a national title. Of course, at the same time we have to get a lecture on econmics: Exhibit A: At the start of 1993, when Maturi was assistant athletics director at the University of Wisconsin, the Badgers' athletic department was $3 million in debt. Then the football team went to the Rose Bowl. "We went from $3 million down to a million in reserves almost overnight,'' Maturi said. While Minnesota's $47 million athletics budget is not currently in the red, it definitely could use a cash infusion as it attempts to raise money for an on-campus football stadium. C'mon, guys, this is supposed to be fun!...
Little Brown Jug status
At the end of the third quarter: Minnesota Golden Gophers 28, Michigan Wolverines 7. Go Gophers! Take back the Little Brown Jug!...
Dodgers sold to Boston real estate man
My beloved Dodgers have been sold to Frank McCourt, who has been trying to buy a major-league baseball team for years. He finally succeeded with one of MLB's crown jewels, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Dodger Stadium, which comes as part of the deal. Frank McCourt, a Boston real estate developer who failed in two earlier attempts to buy major league teams, has reached an agreement to purchase the Los Angeles Dodgers from News Corp., both parties said Friday. McCourt will head an investment group that reportedly has offered more than $400 million for the team, Dodger Stadium and adjoining real estate, plus training facilities in Vero Beach, Fla., and the Dominican Republic. Tommy Lasorda, the legendary Dodgers' manager for 20 years (and the winner of two World Series championships, four National League pennants, and I believe seven division titles), waxes optimistic about the sale: "It's been an organization of...
Ugh ...
Okay, just as I was posting that last one, the Gophers just allowed the Michigan Wolverines to score 31 points in the fourth quarter to come back and win the game, 38-35. I stayed up for that? Long day ... I'm gonna go to bed....
October 11, 2003
Fighting Irish Fight Back
Notre Dame, who has had two losses already this season, goes on the road and upsets 15th ranked Pittsburgh, 20-14. The Fighting Irish played tough defense and relied on their traditionally strong running game, rather than the new West Coast offense of Ty Willingham. It wasn't exciting, but it was convincing. Go Irish! (and note that I didn't post a damn thing until the game was over this time!)...
October 14, 2003
What did the coach put in their Gatorade?
Let's see ... you're a football player at a major football college, and you've just been humiliated on national TV by an unranked team. What's your first instinct when you come across a rival fan? If it's decking the guy while the cameras are rolling, either you've taken a wee bit too much Testosterone or you're on the SpongeBob Squarepants academic track. I report, y'all decide....
October 16, 2003
This game's a classic .... so I'm going to bed
The Corporate Juggernauts tied the score up, we're going to extra innings, and Instapundit is still off line ... I'm watching the rest of the game in bed. G'night, y'all....
October 17, 2003
All Curses Will Remain Valid until Further Notice
So much for living in the Age of Freakin' Reason ... both "cursed" teams manage to promote their long-term images by choking in game 7 of their respective series. The Red Sox actually deserve a lot of credit; they went back on the road down 3-2, and won the first game and came close to winning the second. The Cubs, on the other hand, were up 3 games to 1 with home-field advantage, and managed to lose three games in a row, including two in Wrigley Field. [sigh] So instead of a World Series with the promise of real historical significance, which would have been true if either the Red Sox or Cubs had made it alone, we get the Marlins who won less than a decade ago, and New York for the fifth time in six years. Fabulous, simply fab-oo. I'll make sure I set the TiVo, with a...
Blogosphere Goes Once Around the Diamond
A bit of of reaction this morning to a curseless World Series ... Over at OxBlog, David waxes biblical, invoking Lamentations (how appropriate!), while Josh simply asks why anyone will care ... Jacob Levy over at the Volokh Conspiracy decides that discretion is the better part of rage ... Strange Women Lying in Ponds expresses sympathy to Cubs fans, but doesn't seem 100% sincere ......
October 18, 2003
The Game
Normally, I'd describe the game between Notre Dame and the University of Spoiled Children as the Annual Battle of Good versus Evil, but with so much real evil in today's world, I'm just calling it The Game this year. Anyway, it's not looking good for the Irish so far. The Condoms just scored a touchdown, going 80 yards in 2:35, to take the lead 7-0. [sigh]...
Prophylactics Win The Game
[sigh] The University of Spoiled Children managed to just squeak by the Fighting Irish ... uh ... 45-14. The Trojans eased more than two decades of frustration by cruising to a 45-14 victory before a sellout crowd of 80,795. The victory was USC's first here since 1997 and the Trojans' second since 1981. USC's 45 points were the most the Trojans have scored at Notre Dame Stadium, and the second-most ever scored by any Fighting Irish opponent here. The Irish stayed with the Condoms through the first quarter, but after that it was all USC, otherwise known as The Best College Team Money Can Buy. (don't ya just love good sportsmanship?) [double sigh]...
November 6, 2003
Notre Dame: Desperate
In the second item, I'm afraid that Chris Dufresne of the LA Times has this exactly correct: Navy last defeated Notre Dame in 1963, yet we can't think of a year Notre Dame needed to beat Navy more. Um, ouch! But so true. This season was supposed to be when the Irish challenged for the national championship. After last year's magical season, it appeared Ty Willingham had turned the program around. But at 2-6, it doesn't look like it's going anywhere soon. Read the first, featured item on Eddie Robinson; it's heartbreaking....
November 11, 2003
Latrell Sprewell: Old-School?
You have to love the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. This is the headline on a story about multi-millionaire basketball player Latrell Sprewell playing through an Achille's heel injury: Timberwolves: Old-school Sprewell plays with pain Old school? It turns out Sprewell also is a distinguished professor from the Old School. He plays in pain, as was evident in Saturday's 88-79 victory over the Heat, when the Wolves played the second of back-to-back games. Sprewell was having a hard time moving, but he wouldn't budge from the lineup. Every time he limped upcourt, dragging that left foot, he was making a statement. Okay. Let's cast our minds back to 1997, when Sprewell played for the Golden State Warriors and P.J. Carlesimo was the coach. The Constitutional Rights Foundation describes the "old-school" outlook of Latrell Sprewell in this Spring 1998 issue of Sports & The Law: Early in the season, the Warriors were losing a...
November 15, 2003
Diversity in Athletics
No matter how good an athlete you were, no matter how important an executive you are -- it's never too late to make a complete ass out of yourself, as former Dodgers and Angels pitcher Bill Singer demonstrated: New York Met official Bill Singer, a former All-Star pitcher with the Dodgers and Angels, directed racially insensitive remarks at Dodger executive Kim Ng in deriding her Chinese heritage this week, baseball officials who witnessed the incident said Friday. What were the comments anyway, you ask? Some critique of current Chinese political philosophy? A crack about Confucius? Mocking Mao? According to witnesses, Singer approached Ng in the bar of the hotel where the meetings occurred. After asking Ng, the highest-ranking Asian American in the major leagues, questions about her background in a sarcastic tone, Singer began speaking nonsensically in mock Chinese before eventually leaving. ... Two officials within earshot described the exchange....
November 16, 2003
Worst Damn Sports Analogy, Period
No story to link to here -- I'm watching the Vikings-Raiders game, and the Raiders are running all over the Vikes, who haven't helped the defense out by coughing up the ball at least four time. They're down by eleven in the 4th quarter. The announcer, Bill Maas, decided that he would be clever about the Vike's lack of run defense. This is what he said: "The Vikings need a whole case of Immodium, because they can't stop Oakland's runs." Ha ha, hee hee. Sam Rosen was just about speechless after that crack, if you'll pardon my pun. I'd say Maas needs something to stop his diarrhea of the mouth. And the Vikes just fumbled again. Oh goody....
December 11, 2003
Dodgers to Ship Brown to Yanks
Imagine my surprise when I found out -- via Hugh Hewitt -- that the Dodgers were about to close a deal with the Yankees to trade ace starting pitcher Kevin Brown: The Dodgers agreed to trade pitcher Kevin Brown and his $15-million salary for next season to the New York Yankees for pitcher Jeff Weaver, two minor leaguers and $3 million in cash, major league baseball sources said today. ... The deal would give the Dodgers the financial flexibility they lacked the last few seasons. Hamstrung by Brown's salary, the Dodgers were unable to upgrade a punchless offense last season and failed to make the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season. Fox made Kevin Brown baseball's first $100 million man, a label he never really lived down in five seasons with the Dodgers. When he was healthy, Brown was brilliant in his surly, intense way. However, he only stayed healthy...
December 29, 2003
Speaking of the Vikings ...
... will likely get you assaulted today in Minnesota, after watching the 'Queens blow a 6-0 record into a 9-7 finish, complete with four losses to teams that wound up with 4-12 records, including the Cardinals yesterday. Water cooler talk mostly centers on coach Mike Tice's future with the Vikings (consensus: not coming back) and the stadium initiative, which seems a lot more remote than it did on Saturday. I was prepared to discuss how frustrating this season was, and how bitterly disappointing it was yesterday to watch the Vikings fail to cover the end zone properly on the last play when that was the only part of the field in question -- next time, get behind the receivers! -- but then I found out that the guys at Fraters Libertas have it covered here. And here. And here, and here, and here and here. We take our football seriously...
January 6, 2004
Boswell: Rose Has Changed Nothing
Pete Rose has written a blockbuster new book about his life in which he finally admits he gambled on baseball while managing the Cincinatti Reds, after 14 years of public denials. Charley Hustle no doubt believes that this public admission of guilt will unlock the doors of the Hall of Fame and possibly allow him to manage a team again. Initial public reaction indicates that fans hope for the same thing. Allowing Rose back in the game is a big mistake, though, and his public admission appears to be not only less than heartfelt but less than complete as well. Thomas Boswell agrees with this assessment in today's Washington Post, and Boswell reminds us that Rose strung us all along for 14 years of denials and counteraccusations, both from himself and his many proxies: "I'm sure that I'm supposed to act all sorry or sad or guilty now that I've...
January 16, 2004
Of Course We're Not Offended, You Sexist Pig
Women's professional sports, with the possible exception of tennis, have always struggled to find a wide audience. The problem goes back as far as the defunct professional women's baseball league featured in the excellent movie A League Of Their Own right through today's WNBA and LPGA. It seems that every time league executives address this problem, some idiot comes up with solutions like the one offered by FIFA president Sepp Blatter for women's soccer: FIFA president Sepp Blatter has caused an uproar by suggesting women soccer players should wear tighter shorts to bring more attention to their sport. Blatter said women's soccer needed different sponsors from the men's game and should seek to attract fashion and cosmetics companies by featuring "more feminine uniforms." "Tighter shorts, for example," Blatter told the Swiss newspaper SonntagsBlick. "In volleyball the women also wear other uniforms than the men. Pretty women are playing football today....
January 28, 2004
How Can You Keep Them On The Farm ...
Apparently, in the eyes of Minnesota Golden Gophers athletes, Minnesota's natural beauty is a terrific attraction for high school recruits. Unfortunately, some of the student hosts gave recruits too close a look at some of our beauties: Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi said he will investigate recruiting practices within the football program after learning that high school prospects went to several Minneapolis bars and a strip club during an official recruiting visit in December. Three prospects acknowledged Tuesday that they were part of a group that visited bars as minors and that several were served alcohol. A group also went to Deja Vu, a downtown strip club that admits patrons 18 and older and does not serve alcohol. I am certain that high-school prospects would like nothing better than to go to strip clubs and get tanked, but the question is how a public university allowed such a thing to...
February 1, 2004
Super Bowl Prediction
... because I do so well at predictions -- here's mine: Carolina Panthers 27, New England Patriots 24. BBD&O, 2 Clio nominations. I think I will be live-blogging the Super Bowl, mostly to review the ads. We'll see if that works out ......
Super Bowl: First Half
5:40 - How could Vinatieri blow a 31-yard field goal attempt? It looked like the snap came to the wrong side of the holder, and the timing got thrown off. Speaking of being off, the commercials so far are not impressive. The "monkey on the back" car commercial was exceedingly lame, and the Bud Light commercial was only good for a slight grin. They spend $2 million a minute for these? 5:45 - The Panthers can't get any offense going so far, and the second set of commercials is just as lame as the first. 5:49 - The First Mate liked the Bud bikini-wax commercial. I was cringing. Go figure. 5:55 - The H&R Block commerical with the Willie Nelson advice doll was the first really good commercial so far. The Don Zimmer moment was classic. 5:59 - The Panther's Wil Witherspoon just blew up a reverse better than I've...
Super Bowl: Second Half
7:38 - King suggests that "Saving Silverman" was better than the first half of the game. Well, maybe he's right; you don't get to see Neil Diamond on screen too often, and I don't think you'll ever see R. Lee Ermey play a gay football coach again. 7:43 - Streaker on the field before the kickoff. Who said there's no action in this game? 7:58 - The Bud Light chimp commercial was worth a chuckle. The Panthers were lucky that the second-down pass play was ruled incomplete. It was obviously a catch, and the fumble would have resulted in a New England touchdown. Like the two teams, the officiating has been mediocre during this game. 8:06 - Scariest line of the night: "Erections lasting longer than four hours require medical attention." Owwww. That ought to keep you from trying Cialis. What's with all of the E.D. commercials, anyway? 8:11 -...
February 2, 2004
Super Boob Halftime Show: A Mistake?
During my live-blogging of the Super Bowl, I mentioned the Janet Jackson-Justin Timberlake strip show that occurred at the end of the halftime show. Apparently, I was mistaken in my initial viewing of the scene, as the NFL, CBS, and MTV have apologized for an unplanned "wardrobe malfunction": CBS apologized on Sunday for an unexpectedly R-rated end to its Super Bowl halftime show, when singer Justin Timberlake tore off part of Janet Jackson's top, exposing her breast. ... The two singers were performing a flirtatious duet to end the halftime show, and at the song's finish, Timberlake reached across Jackson's leather gladiator outfit and pulled off the covering to her right breast. The network quickly cut away from the shot, and did not mention the incident on the air. But there was a sticker over the nipple, as I said during my live blog, and now that I've replayed it...
February 17, 2004
Dodgers Hire New GM from A's
The Los Angeles Dodgers, a proud but chronically underachieving franchise, took steps to correct that in the first days of the Frank McCourt era by hiring Oakland A's assistant GM Paul DePodesta: DePodesta, Beane's top assistant since November 1998, faces a considerable challenge. A 1995 cum laude graduate of Harvard University with a degree in economics, he inherits one of baseball's largest budgets -- Los Angeles' $105 million payroll last year nearly doubled Oakland's -- but also one of the sport's most consistently underachieving teams. The Dodgers haven't won a postseason game since defeating Oakland in the 1988 World Series, last reached the playoffs in 1996 and finished 15 1/2 games behind the National League West-winning Giants a year ago despite recording the majors' best ERA. Los Angeles also ranked last in the majors in scoring and, despite the best efforts of previous G.M. Dan Evans, has failed to obtain...
March 2, 2004
News Flash: Barry Bonds Took Steroids!! (Yawn)
Sometimes a post is difficult to categorize; this one could go under Sports or Science, I suppose. The San Francisco Chronicle reported on its website late last night that San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds took steroids and human-growth hormone from a lab in the center of a federal investigation, according to information provided to the feds: Investigators also were told that New York Yankees stars Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield, as well as three other major leaguers and one NFL player, were given steroids, the newspaper reported. Bonds' personal trainer, Greg Anderson, gave the players the drugs from the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, according to information given to the government and shared with the newspaper. ... The Chronicle reported that two of Bonds' former teammates Marvin Benard of the Chicago White Sox (news) and Kansas City catcher Benito Santiago and former Oakland infielder Randy Velarde also received...
March 3, 2004
Speaking Truth to Power
When people ask me to identify a hero, sometimes I have difficulty answering. Sir Thomas More? General Anthony McAuliffe, who famously replied "Nuts!" to a German demand for surrender at Bastogne? The Canadian diplomats who risked their lives to smuggle Americans out of Teheran in 1979? All good answers, of course, but now one man can take his rightful place with these other people of courage: Saint Paul of Fraters Libertas. JB Doubtless writes today about how SP spoke truth about an evil, in the middle of the lion's den (er, Giants den) itself. Here is an excerpt of this inspiring display of righteous bravery: Something sent SP off (a Bonds dinger? the memory fails) and he yelled "HE'S JUICED". Embarassed, but laughing, TRAH and I continued watching the game. But he wasn't done. In what could only be described as drunken, maniacal boorishness SP launched into a ten minute...
March 9, 2004
Steelers Draw a Duce
The Pittsburgh Steelers, who underperformed their way to an out-of-the-playoffs finish last season, made a huge step forward in kick-starting their moribund offense by signing former Eagles running back Duce Staley this afternoon: Free-agent running back Duce Staley will continue to play his football in the state of Pennsylvania, but to do so, he's going to have to take the turnpike west to Pittsburgh. Staley, the former Eagle, has agreed to a five-year, $14 million contract with the Steelers, agent Leigh Steinberg said Tuesday night. One of the most sought-after rushers in the free-agent marketplace, Staley will receive a $4 million signing bonus as part of the deal. The Steelers plan on releasing last season's feature running back, Amos Zereoue, who has talent but for some reason could never catch fire in Pittsburgh. They intend on teaming up the Duce with the Bus, Jerome Bettis, who will continue his amazing...
March 31, 2004
Paul Hornung to Notre Dame: Sell Out
Paul Hornung, who had an illustrious, Heisman Award career at Notre Dame and a brilliant Hall of Fame NFL career, may have had his Al Campanis moment last night in a radio interview when he stated that Notre Dame needed to lower its academic standards in order to attract black athletes: Football great Paul Hornung said in a radio interview that his alma mater, Notre Dame, needs to lower its academic standards to "get the black athlete." "As far as Notre Dame is concerned, we're going to have to ease it up a little bit," Hornung told Detroit's WXYT-AM in an interview before the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame banquet Tuesday. ... "We can't stay as strict as we are as far as the academic structure is concerned because we've got to get the black athlete," Hornung said in the interview. "We must get the black athlete if we're going...
April 5, 2004
Dodgers Land Bradley, Hope He's Not Sheffield
The Los Angeles Dodgers, who have underachieved for several years and haven't won a playoff game since Orel Hershiser beat the A's in 1988, finally pulled the trigger on a major trade for a big-time hitter ... but somehow this sounds familiar: If all goes well, Milton Bradley will be that long-awaited impact hitter, stirring a dormant Dodger offense to life and displaying his supreme talent for the hometown fans. If not, he'll be the guy who displaced an entire outfield on the eve of the season opener, a volatile personality injected into the clubhouse of a manager whose contract expires at the end of the season. New owner Frank McCourt promised a big bat before the season started, and new General Manager Paul DePodesta delivered with 24 hours to spare, but only after the Cleveland Indians basically fired Bradley for misbehavior. The Dodgers gambled on him Sunday, trading their...
April 9, 2004
Strangest Damn Sports Columnist, Period
As some of you know, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been my favorite sports team since the Captain was just a small cabin boy. My dad took me to games at Dodger Stadium, one of the few temples of baseball, back when Wes Parker played first base, and I went to several games a year there until I moved to Minnesoooooooota in 1997. We're talking 30 years of bleeding Dodger blue, people. So one of the ongoing symptoms of this chronic disease is that I read the Los Angeles Times on line every day to catch up with any news from the Blue Crew and to find any hope at all that we'll win our first playoff game since 1988. Now that the season has started, I aim for the LAT Sports section with a laser focus, as Dick Clarke would say on his American Grandstand tour. These days, the...
April 10, 2004
Feds Throw MLB A Curveball, Union Whiffs
IRS agents raided a drug-testing lab on Thursday where results and samples of steroid tests performed on major-league baseball players were being held: Federal authorities probing an alleged steroid distribution ring have seized the results and samples of drug tests on selected major league baseball players from a drug-testing lab, a spokesman for the lab said Friday. Internal Revenue Service agents served a search warrant to obtain "documentation and specimens" from a Quest Diagnostics lab in Las Vegas, Quest spokesman Gary Samuels said. Samuels would not say whether IRS agents took the drug-test results or specimen of Barry Bonds, but said the agents took materials consistent with a federal subpoena that had sought test results and specimens from the San Francisco Giants' slugger and fewer than a dozen other players. Among them were New York Yankees Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi. The raid occurred Thursday, shortly after the Major League...
April 17, 2004
But If He'd Tried It On Ice, He'd Only Get a 5-Minute Penalty
Fox News reports today on the arrest of St. Louis Blues' center Mike Danton on suspricion of conspiracy to murder, in a story where the subtext seems to speak louder than the story: A center for the St. Louis Blues was arrested Friday in an alleged scheme to kill an acquaintance he feared could ruin his career, the FBI said. Mike Danton, 23, was arrested at the airport in San Jose, Calif., after the Blues were knocked out of the NHL playoffs in a loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Illinois, Danton told a female friend that a hitman from Canada was coming to kill him and asked the woman if she knew someone who would kill the person for $10,000. The woman, identified as Katie Wolfmeyer, passed his call to another man, described in the complaint as...
June 2, 2004
LA Coliseum? You Have To Be Kidding Me
Mayor James Hahn announced today that he now supports using the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as the venue to attract a new NFL team to the nation's #2 market. LA has been without any pro football team since the early 1990s, when the Rams left for Saint Louis, leaving La-La land in the lurch. However, Hahn's proposal will likely wind up chasing off the NFL rather than attracting them back, regardless of the TV revenues: Mayor James Hahn said he now thinks a modified Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum would be the appropriate home for the possible return of an NFL team to the city. Hahn had previously backed a proposal to build a new stadium, but said the progress the Coliseum has made in preparing environmental impact documents has given it the edge over other possible sites. ... A $400 million renovation to prepare it for a pro team would...
July 26, 2004
Good News/Bad News
The good news for today is that we have an Arroyo who is willing to fight. The bad news: it's the wrong Arroyo: A bench-clearing brawl broke out between the Yankees and Boston Red Sox yesterday after Bronson Arroyo hit New York's Alex Rodriguez with a pitch in the top of the third inning. Rodriguez stared down Arroyo as he started walking toward first. Catcher Jason Varitek, still wearing his mask, got between them as the AL MVP walked up the baseline and, after some jawing of the distinctly unprintable variety pushed the Yankees star in the face. The dugouts emptied. On the other hand, perhaps A-Rod merely put into practice what Teresa Heinz-Kerry urged from all of her fellow Beantowners -- a little more %$#@*&% civility, damn it!...
November 13, 2004
The Games Are Too Long As It Is
Baseball has decided to postpone looking at instant replay after major-league GMs split on continuing its review: Upon further review, baseball will hold off on taking a look at instant replay. After watching umpires reverse almost every missed call in the postseason, major league general managers split 15-15 Thursday on whether to keep exploring the subject. "Based on that vote, it's unlikely we'll do anything substantive in the next year to pursue instant replay," MLB executive vice president Sandy Alderson said. In the past twenty years, baseball games have bloated from an average running time of two hours to well over three hours now. I used to be embarrassed for Los Angeles fans who ducked out after the sixth inning, but now if you have kids you can't keep them up past that time for a night game. Increased advertising time, needed to pay the skyrocketing salaries of the players,...
November 27, 2004
The Fight Of Their Season
No, I'm not talking about the Ron Artest riot in Detroit -- I'm talking about the annual battle of Good vs Evil, the Forces of Light vs The Forces of Darkness ... the annual Notre Dame/USC football game. The Los Angeles Times reports that the Fighting Irish have had their difficulties this year, and they're looking for a little redemption: Three victories over bowl-bound teams and two wins over squads in the top 10 are normally confidence builders for most college football programs. Not at Notre Dame. The glass is either full or empty for the Irish, who consider a season that doesn't include at least seven wins and a bowl championship series game unacceptable. ... The Irish have had more ups and downs this season than Magic Mountain's newest thrill ride. They upset highly ranked Michigan and Tennessee after losing to Brigham Young in the season opener, a...
November 29, 2004
My Annual NCAA Playoff Plea
Chris Dufresne's column in the Los Angeles Times provides the springboard for my annual gripe regarding Division 1-A college football. The season winds up this weekend as the last of the regular season peters to an end, bringing us possibly 5 undefeated teams and yet another month of arguing who "deserves" to play for the national championship: Utah and Boise State have already clinched undefeated regular seasons. Neither has a stake in the national title race because they play in non-BCS conferences the Mountain West and Western Athletic. Meanwhile, in the so-called "power" conferences, Pittsburgh of the Big East can clinch a major bowl bid next week even if it loses to South Florida and finishes with a 7-4 record. ... Two-loss Michigan has already wrapped up a Rose Bowl bid and a two-loss team is going to win the Atlantic Coast Conference and a $16-million bowl berth. If...
November 30, 2004
Bye, Ty: Notre Dame Fires Willingham
In a move that could hardly be called unexpected after Saturday's third consecutive beating by USC, Notre Dame fired its football coach, Ty Willingham. Willingham amassed a record of 21-15, but couldn't break .500 over the past two seasons: Coach Tyrone Willingham was fired by Notre Dame on Tuesday after three seasons in which he failed to return one of the nation's most storied football programs to prominence. Willingham went 21-15, including 6-5 this season. The Fighting Irish lost 41-10 to No. 1 Southern California on Saturday. "We simply have not made the progress on the field that we need to make," athletic director Kevin White said. "Nor have we been able to create the positive momentum necessary in our efforts to return the Notre Dame program to the elite level of the college football world." The university took action just before students planned demonstrations calling for the removal of...
December 1, 2004
Willingham's Defenders Play The Race Card
After three seasons of frustration, punctuated by un-Irish-like blowouts in big games, Notre Dame fired Ty Willingham as its football coach yesterday. Those of us who have watched as the program continued its slide into mediocrity had no illusions about Willingham's status; Irish coaches are expected to win, and certainly not allowed to get blown out of games with traditional rival USC. After the third straight 31-point loss to the Trojans and the second blowout loss this year, anyone who couldn't see this as the end point doesn't know Notre Dame football. However, that hasn't stopped people from speculating that the Irish fired Willingham because of his race. Understandably, people are sensitive to the lack of African-American head coaches in the NCAA; at the beginning of the season, Willingham was one of only eight, an embarrassing number in a division with 117 head-coaching positions. After the usual exits at the...
December 13, 2004
Steelers Clinch Division, Bettis Tops 13,000 Yards
The wheels on the Bus go round and round ... The Pittsburgh Steelers clinched the AFC North division yesterday in a game when two running backs topped 13,000 career rushing yards each, the first time in NFL history that has happened. But it wasn't the rushing yards that made the Steelers' Jerome Bettis remarkable yesterday: In a game that featured two of the NFL's best young quarterbacks, the pass that launched the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 17-6 victory over the New York Jets and their eighth division title in 13 seasons was thrown by 32-year-old running back Jerome Bettis. His tiebreaking fourth-quarter toss to Jerame Tuman was as unlikely as it was spectacular, a moment that warmed the hearts of many of the 63,581 who endured sub-freezing temperatures Sunday at Heinz Field. Jerome Bettis -- who played for Notre Dame, by the way -- has had a storybook season. Considered...
December 20, 2004
NFL Game Causes Stir In Upper Midwest
The decision to schedule the big Vikings-Packers game for Christmas Eve has riled up pastors and congregations in both Minnesota and Green Bay, especially where churches rescheduled services to accommodate football fans. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that a segment of the faithful have called into question their church's commitment to the Lord as well as the judgment and avarice of the NFL: When the Rev. David Pleier of St. Bernard Catholic Church in Green Bay, Wis., announced that his church was eliminating its 4 p.m. mass on Christmas Eve because it conflicts with the 2 p.m. start of Friday's Vikings-Packers game, one congregant commented, "You mean to say you're putting football ahead of the birth of Christ?" "If we had a 4 o'clock service, we'd have family members saying, 'You go to church, but I'm not missing the second half," Pleier said. "At a time when we hope families will...
December 23, 2004
NFL Snubs Roethlisberger
The NFL announced its Pro Bowl rosters yesterday, and the AFC roster is missing a quarterback that has won 11 games in a row and is the odds-on favorite for a Super Bowl appearance. Ben Roethlisberger, the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie who has Steel City fans thinking championship for the first time in a decade, will apparently watch the Pro Bowl from home: Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger missed out as six of his Steelers team-mates were named to the NFL's annual all-star Pro Bowl on Wednesday. The rookie quarterback is unbeaten in 12 starts and could lead Pittsburgh to a Super Bowl crown. But he was surprisingly overlooked in the AFC squad for the trip to Hawaii in February. Obviously, Peyton Manning deserves the start for the AFC, with 11 wins and 47 touchdown passes in a season where he will almost certainly eclipse Dam Marino's record. However, the inclusion of...
December 26, 2004
Reggie White, RIP
One of the greats of the NFL has died today at the terribly young age of 43. Reggie White, a man who played fearsome defense as a defensive end for Philadelphia and Green Bay and worked tirelessly for his faith the rest of the time, died of apparent complications from sleep apnea, according to the reports on ESPN tonight. USA Today carried this AP report earlier: Reggie White, a fearsome defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers who was one of the great players in NFL history, died Sunday, his wife said. He was 43. The cause of death was not immediately known. ... A two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and ordained minister who was known as the "Minister of Defense," White played a total of 15 years with Philadelphia, Green Bay and Carolina. He retired after the 2000 season as the NFL's all-time leader...
January 2, 2005
Two Playoff Teams Going In Opposite Directions
The First Mate and I both are fighting off colds, and so we cut short a shopping day after a few stops to spend the rest of the day in bed. I decided to keep tabs on my two NFL teams, both of which played early games, televised in the Twin Cities. My favorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, had little to gain from this road game in Buffalo. Their tremendous rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had been injured in the last game and the Steelers listed him only as the emergency QB for the game. In fact, most of the Steelers sat out this game, allowing the Buffalo Bills to hope that they could squeak into the playoffs against the second- and third-string Pittsburgh lineup they faced. However, even with the replacements, the Steelers dominated the Bills while rolling to a 29-24 win. With future Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis sitting...
January 13, 2005
Baseball To Squeeze The Juice Out?
The Los Angeles Times reports that major-league baseball will announce a new steroid-testing regime that promises to take a much tougher stance than their previous agreement with the players union. Stung by a federal investigation that has cast doubt on historic performances by its marquee players, it appears that MLB and the players finally agree that public confidence must be restored in the game: Baseball has hardened its policy against steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in an agreement reached between the players' union and owners that will be announced today, sources familiar with the negotiations said Wednesday. The amendment to the Collective Bargaining Agreement will mandate more frequent testing, random off-season testing and suspensions for first-time offenders, baseball sources said. ... In light of growing concerns about steroids because of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative scandal, and fearing an erosion of the public's trust in the game, [MLB commissioner Bud]...
January 15, 2005
Why Is This Man Smiling?
Maybe it's because the Pittsburgh Steelers did everything they could to give away the divisional playoff game to the New York Jets -- but in the end, the New York Jets could not take advantage when it counted. The Steelers beat the Jets, 20-17, in overtime: Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger overcame two huge mistakes an interception for a touchdown and another that appeared to doom the Steelers late in the fourth quarter to lead a decisive drive that began at the Jets 13 and sent Pittsburgh to next Sunday's AFC championship game against New England or Indianapolis. The loss will go down as one of the most excruciating in the Jets' star-crossed history, with kicker Doug Brien missing not one but two makable field-goal tries in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter. The misses were doubly stunning disappointments for a gutty team on the verge of...
January 23, 2005
Steelers Vs. Patriots: Live Blog
I'll be live-blogging the Steelers-Patriots game, a last-minute decision since I've not had particularly good nights when I've live-blogged my teams. (See Notre Dame vs USC, and talk to Folsom James, who's still laughing.) 5:45 - Patriots up 3-0 after a Ben Roethlisberger interception. The defense held the Pats to a single first down, but it was still good enough for the FG. 5:47 - Yeah, let's stick to the Bus for a while. 5:51 - Fourth and 1? Go for it! 5:52 - Dammit, quit listening to me. 5:53 - I should mention that the Philadelphia Eagles finally beat the hex and the Atlanta Falcons today, 27-10, finally advancing to the Super Bowl. I'm hoping for an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl. Any Penn bloggers out there hoping for the same thing? 5:56 - 10-0 Pats after a pretty pass play down the middle. Yikes. 6:01 - Fourth and two? Don't...
February 2, 2005
When Whiny Wannabes Attack!
The Washington Times carries a story today that simply is too weird to pass without notice. A part owner and "aspiring pop star" in a minor-league (ABA) basketball team from Nashville ran onto the court in the middle of a game last Saturday and ordered the head coach to bench their star player. When the coach refused, she fired her before being carried off the floor in hysterical rage: The victim was 23-year-old Ashley McElhiney, coach of the minor league American Basketball Association club and the first woman to coach a professional men's basketball team. The owner was Sally Anthony, an aspiring pop star who once gave fans at a Rhythm game free copies of her new album. On Saturday, she gave them something else, storming onto the court in the middle of the game to order the coach to bench a new player, Matt Freije. McElhiney refused. Mrs. Anthony...
February 6, 2005
My Super Bowl Prediction (And Live Blog!)
Putting aside the Eason's Fables efforts for the evening, I'll be live-blogging the entire Super Bowl spectacle. To kick it off (at 5:17 PM CT), I'll give you my prediction ... I can't see anyone taking out the New England Patriots. They beat the best offense (Indianapolis) in limiting them to one field goal. They beat the best defense (Pittsburgh) by scoring 34 points on them (and an additional 7 against their offense). The Eagles are good, but the Patriots -- they're unbelievable. My prediction: Pats, 41-24. My other prediction: no wardrobe malfunctions. 5:25 - Michael Douglas honors WWII veterans, a classy way to start the festivities. It certainly signals a better tone than the pseudo-sadomasochistic dance routine of Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. Now we see George HW Bush and Bill Clinton introduced; I wonder how many of those veterans want to see Clinton honored along with the people...
March 10, 2005
No Wonder Randy Moss Was Such A Handful
The Minnesota Vikings traded their star receiver, Randy Moss, to the Oakland Raiders last month in what even Moss-scoffers acknowledge equates to the ludicrous Lou Brock for Ernie Broglio trade in 1964. The bad feelings about Moss came less from his on-field antics, although those were plentiful enough, than from his off-field problems, such as deliberately hitting a police officer with his car two years ago. They applauded the Vikings for moving Moss out of the Twin Cities even if they scratched their heads about only getting Napoleon Harris and a couple of draft choices for him. Moss-scoffers felt like the message had been sent that chronic misbehavior would no longer be tolerated. Unfortunately, now it looks like the Vikings got rid of the wrong person if that was their intent. Sports Illustrated reports tonight that Mike Tice has admitted to scalping his Super Bowl tickets for profit the past...
May 12, 2005
Vikings Still Lead The League In Stupidity
Just when I think I've seen everything that the Minnesota Vikings can do to look stupid -- from taking a knee in a championship game and thereby neutralizing the league's most potent offense, to a star athlete walking off the field before a game had been decided, to a coach that ran his own Super Bowl ticket-scalping syndicate that exploited Vikings players for his own profit -- this morning's news reminds me that true stupidity plumbs its own new depths every day. The Vikings' leading rusher ran afoul of airport security three weeks ago with a kit to beat NFL drug tests featuring some interesting prosthetics: The NFL was considering whether to penalize Minnesota Vikings running back Onterrio Smith after it was revealed he was caught at the Twin Cities airport with an elaborate contraption designed to beat drug tests. A search of a bag Smith was carrying April 21...
May 21, 2005
Live Blog Of Brewster-Golota Fight
9:56 CT - Fight starts. Looks like both fighters are ready. 9:57 CT - Okay, it looks like only one of them were ready. I don't think I've ever seen anyone get their butt kicked in 53 seconds before, and I watched Mike Tyson when he still had skills. Andrew Golota never even had a chance to throw a low blow. In fact, HBO says Golota threw 11 punches at Lamon Brewster, but I think at least half of those were just his arms pinwheeling while he hit the canvas three times in less than a minute. I don't get into boxing the way I did ten or fifteen years ago, but not much else was on TV tonight ... and not much boxing went on tonight either, for that matter....
June 11, 2005
Tyson Goes Out With The Same Class As Always
Mike Tyson lost again tonight, for the third time in four fights, this time to an unknown Irish fighter named Kevin McBride. For those of us who have watched Tyson fight during his entire career, he appeared to end his career with the same level of class that he exuded during the rest of it. When his punches didn't intimidate his opponent, he resorted to deliberate fouling to sabotage the fight: Mike Tyson's career apparently ended in yet another shocker Saturday night when he quit on the stool after taking a beating in a foul-filled sixth round against unheralded Kevin McBride. Tyson lost for the third time in his last four fights, and once again he faded badly as the rounds went on before deliberately head butting McBride in a desperate attempt to end the fight in the sixth round. ... The 38-year-old Tyson was a huge favorite over McBride...
June 12, 2005
Tennis And Gambling: A Love Match?
Most professional sports learned decades ago to keep professional gamblers at arm's length from the players in order to maintain the credibility of the sport. The most famous scandal of all sports, the Black Sox of 1919, taught the value of at least maintaining a plausible facade of integrity, although to baseball's credit, it put in place one of the most Draconian codes about gambling in sports. Point-shaving scandals have come and gone, but the sports involved know to act quickly and harshly with those involved to rebuild trust with fans. Now, however, a new sport may come under scrutiny for widespread cheating, and combating it may prove much more difficult: The squeaky-clean image of tennis is at risk as the sport braces itself for a court case which threatens to expose match-fixing by top players. Irakli Labadze, a Georgian last year ranked 42nd in the world, will be accused...
June 30, 2005
Noah: Spread The Smears Around
I wrote Tuesday about the idiocy of House Republicans who made an issue of George Soros' participation in am ownership group for the Washington Nationals, the transplanted Montreal Expos major-league baseball team which brought the American pastime back to the American capital. The silly objections of Reps. John Sweeney and Tom Davis have created a controversy over the role of politics in the team's bidding process, which NY Times reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg covers in a front-page article: Some Republicans went so far as to suggest that Major League Baseball, which owns the team, could lose its antitrust exemption if it permits Mr. Soros, who would be a part-owner with a group of investors headed by a local entrepreneur, to buy it - a threat that drew immediate ridicule in the sports pages and outrage from Democrats. By Wednesday, one Republican, Representative Tom Davis of Virginia, backed away from that...
October 23, 2005
Live Blogging The Vikings - Packers Game
I thought it might be fascinating to live-blog a grudge match between two 1-4 teams that coincidentally find themselves only a game out of first place in the worst division in professional aports. This is usually a terrific game, one that generates a tremendous amount of spirit and energy in the Twin Cities. Not this year; the Vikings Love Boat Cruise has taken what little wind the fans had out of their sails. 12:37 - I start watching the game; I figured I'd emulate both teams and take the first quarter off. The score is 0-0, so I obviously made the right choice. 12:40 - Ferguson makes a great catch for the Pack, and hyperextends his knee coming down. I don't think he'll be coming back; it really looks bad on the replay. 12:41 - Oh, look -- the Vike defense just gave up a TD to Favre. What a...
October 27, 2005
White Sox End Curse, Win Series
Baseball has its second curse-ending World Series in a row in another sweep. This year's newly-unjinxed champs are the Chicago White Sox, who had not won a championship since the unmasking of the most notorious gambling scandal of all professional sports in 1919: It was the third title for the White Sox, following wins in 1906 and 1917. And it was the first since "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and the "Black Sox" threw the 1919 Series against Cincinnati. In the Windy City, where the Cubs have long been king, Chicago's South Side team for once trumped its North Side rival, no small feat for the Sox. Congratulations to the White Sox for an excellent season and decades of perseverance. When the Cubs win the World Series, however, we will all be consulting the Book of Revelation to start looking for the signs of the impending Apocalypse....
November 14, 2005
Why Isn't This Man Smiling?
Perhaps because he watched last night as his beloved Cleveland Browns took a pasting from the Pittsburgh Steelers on national TV, 34-21, in a game that never even looked close, and certainly not as close as the final score indicates. Instead of facing the Steelers' daunting and nearly-unbeaten QB, Big Ben Roethlisberger, they got beat by Charlie Batch and Turnover Tommy Maddox. Instead of facing the powerful running-back duo of Willie Parker and Jerome Bettis, the Browns faced Duce Staley, just coming back from a long-term injury, and Verron Haynes. The result of the second- and third-string Steelers against the browns' first squad? 159 yards rushing, 382 overall yards in offense, and no turnovers -- although Maddox came close twice. I suppose Hugh watched Rome instead last night -- it was a great episode, too. I think I'd take the 13th over the Browns, too, even with the points, especially...
December 20, 2005
Vikings Coach Blames Fans For Loss
You think I'm kidding? Think again. After seeing their winning streak halted at six games by the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach and chief boob Mike Tice found yet another way to shed all class -- a tricky proposition, given that his players already faced charges for flying prostitutes in for an orgy on Lake Minnetonka. Now Tice has decided that the real culprit in the Viking's lackluster effort against the Steelers wasn't the fault of his offense or defense, or even special teams, at least not entirely. Oh, no -- it was the fans who didn't cheer the Vikings to Tice's satisfaction: Vikings coach Mike Tice blamed his team's 18-3 loss to Pittsburgh on its sputtering offense and frazzled special teams. But make no mistake: Tice wasn't happy with video workers at the Metrodome, nor the fans that filled it Sunday. Tice said Monday he was really bothered by...
January 1, 2006
A Classless Exit Staged By Low-Rent Ownership
Mike Tice has never been one of my favorite coaches -- his tenure as head coach for the Vikings has had a lot more to do with his cheap contract than any success on the field for any of his teams. He should have been fired after the revelation that he had set up a ticket-scalping operation involving his players over several years, but the new ownership elected to keep Tice and his cheap salary around, even after the Love Boat scandal earlier this year. After all of that, and after Tice led the Vikings back into respectability in the second half of the season and thumped the Chicago Bears at home today, owner Zygi Wilf couldn't even wait until tomorrow to announce that he had fired Tice: The Minnesota Vikings fired coach Mike Tice after Sunday's victory over Chicago. Owner Zygi Wilf announced he would not renew Tice's contract...
January 2, 2006
The NFL Starts Playing The Head Coach Shuffle
Other NFL shoes started hitting the carpet today, a day after the official end of the 2005 season. As expected, Mike Martz lost his position with the St. Louis Rams today after missing most of the 2005 season with a heart ailment. Mike Sherman unexpectedly joined him on the unemployment line, fired after his first losing season in seven years with the Green Bay Packers: Just one day after completing the franchise's worst season since 1991, the Green Bay Packers on Monday dismissed head coach Mike Sherman, ESPN.com has confirmed. The move, which will be announced at a morning news conference, came despite the fact the Packers awarded Sherman a two-year contract extension worth about $6.4 million last summer. It also fuels speculation about the future of quarterback Brett Favre, who said several times during the season that he would not return in 2006 if Sherman was not retained by...
January 15, 2006
Steelers Survive Steal, Referees To Beat Indy
The Pittsburgh Steelers stunned the Indianapolis Colts today, 21-18, knocking the Colts out of the playoffs just a month after the Colts had challenged the 1972 Dolphins for the only perfect season in NFL history. The Steelers had to hold off a late charge from Peyton Manning as well as two bad calls by the referees, one which almost handed the game to Indianapolis: The Pittsburgh Steelers gave the Colts every opportunity to steal their playoff game Sunday. In the zany, final moments of a true thriller, Indy couldn't figure out how to take it. So the Steelers survived a goal-line fumble by Jerome Bettis and one of the most mysterious replay reversals in NFL history to shatter the Colts' dream season with a 21-18 win. Pittsburgh (13-5) became the first sixth seed to make a conference championship game and will journey to Denver next Sunday for a shot at...
January 22, 2006
Steelers Get To The Super Bowl In Style
The Pittsburgh Steelers became the first team in NFL history to make it to the Super Bowl from the sixth seed position, having to beat the first, second, and third seeded teams in order to do so: Big Ben, The Bus and all those Terrible Towels sure are traveling well this postseason. Next stop, the Super Bowl, the final destination of a Pittsburgh road trip the Denver Broncos were powerless to derail. Ben Roethlisberger had a brilliant afternoon, throwing for 275 yards and two scores, and Jerome Bettis extended his career one more game, lifting the Steelers to a dominating 34-17 victory in the AFC title game Sunday. ... They became the first team to win three away games to make it to the Super Bowl since the 1985 New England Patriots. The Steelers have looked unstoppable since losing three when Ben Roethlisberger went out with a knee injury and...
February 4, 2006
Is Super Bowl XL Steelers Vs Stealers?
One of the more inspiring stories of the two teams vying for the Super Bowl win has been the relationship between the teams and their home-town fans. Everyone knows that Pittsburgh lives and dies each week with their beloved Steelers, more so than with any of their other professional teams, and that the character of the team itself reflects the character of its home town: gritty, hard-nosed, blue-collar, sometimes down but never out. For the Seahawks, the team doesn't necessarily share in the same qualities as its setting, but this season the team forged a special bond with its fans at home. The 12th Man flag, raised at every home game and its logo sold on towels, t-shirts, and other merchandise, reflected the team's appreciation for fan support making them almost invincible at home. However, Texas A&M now says that the Seahawks are the ultimate Stealers, er, thieves -- because...
February 5, 2006
One For The Thumb
Why is this man smiling? Perhaps Hugh Hewitt understands that Pittsburgh had a date with destiny tonight, surviving a subpar performance by Ben Roethlisberger and its running game to eke out a Super Bowl championship over the surprisingly good Seattle Seahawks, 21-10 tonight: The Pittsburgh Steelers finally gave coach Bill Cowher some Super Bowl satisfaction. Moments after the Rolling Stones rocked a Ford Field filled with Terrible Towels, Willie Parker broke a record 75-yard touchdown run, sparking Pittsburgh's 21-10 victory Sunday over the Seattle Seahawks. Not only did the Steelers earn that elusive fifth championship ring and their first since 1980, but they completed a magic Bus ride that made Jerome Bettis' homecoming and likely farewell a success. And they provided sweet validation for Cowher with a title in his 14th season as their coach, the longest tenure in the NFL. As a sixth seed, no less. The Steelers won...
February 15, 2006
Class Act
I think that all of the CQ community knows that I am a rabid Pittsburgh Steeler fan by now and have been since I was a kid. One of the pleasures of that long history of fanaticism is that I got to focus not only on some great Steelers players like Terry Bradshaw, Lynn Swann, Franco Harris (and today's greats like Jerome Bettis, Hines Ward, and many others) but also on the outstanding players that lined up on the other side of the ball. I'd root against them, of course, but it's hard not to respect and enjoy players like Chris Collinsworth, Earl Campbell -- was there ever a running back like Earl? -- and one of the classiest men on the field, Cleveland Browns quarterback Brian Sipe. Sipe may have been the one NFL player I recall from that generation that most deserved a shot at the championship but...
March 6, 2006
Kirby Puckett, RIP
After suffering what turned out to be a massive stroke yesterday, family members removed Kirby Puckett from life support today and he passed away at 44: Twins Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett died tonight. Puckett suffered a massive stroke Sunday morning at his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., and underwent surgery. He had been transferred to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. Family members assembled at the hospital Monday to make the decision on life support. The people with knowledge of Puckett’s condition said he was expected to be removed from the life support sometime Monday. Puckett had two children and was engaged to be married this summer. Although I have been a Dodgers fan all of my life, Kirby was the kind of player that all baseball fans loved. His joy and enthusiasm for the game and the fans came across wherever he went and whenever he played....
March 15, 2006
The End Of The Culpepper Era
An era of promise and disappointment came to a close yesterday in Eden Prairie as the Minnesota Vikings traded Daunte Culpepper to the Miami Dolphins. When Culpepper started seven years ago, he replaced Brad Johnson and now it looks like Brad Johnson will replace Culpepper for the 2006 season: Chances are the smile returned to Culpepper's face Tuesday for the first time in months, when the Vikings quietly traded him to Miami for a second-round pick in next month's NFL draft. The move closed another dark chapter in the franchise's turbulent history, sending Culpepper to a plum destination and leaving the Vikings with little to show for their seven-year investment in a 29-year-old quarterback they believed would lead them into the next decade. The Vikings confirmed Tuesday night that they will receive the Dolphins' No. 51 overall pick, three spots after their own second-round choice. One of the most immediate...
April 3, 2006
Scully: Bonds Moment Will Be 'Awkward'
Vin Scully has seen and heard it all in baseball, and has lent his wonderful voice and skills as perhaps the game's greatest announcer ever to reporting it. Scully provided the play-by-play when Henry Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home-run record thirty-two years ago this month as Dodger pitcher Al Downing left a slider over the plate in Atlanta for number 715. He delights in that experience, but dreads the thought of calling the homer that will break Aaron's record of 755 lifetime home runs: In 1974, when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's all-time home run record in a game against the Dodgers, Scully called it. But at the start of a season in which Barry Bonds could pass Ruth and then Aaron for perhaps the most cherished mark in American sports, the Dodgers' Hall of Fame announcer wants no part of that history. "I would just as soon it not...
May 20, 2006
This Bud's For Du
Germans thrilled at the prospect of hosting this year's World Cup have had their enthusiasm dimmed by the business deal made with Budweiser. In the nation that defines beer purity, the sponsorship of the American beer behemoth has set German teeth grinding: IT IS brown-gold and alcoholic but, then, in the scathing verdict of German beer fans, so is paint thinner. The Germans are furious that Budweiser will be the official tipple for the World Cup, which starts next month. The American lager has secured a near-monopoly of beer sales inside World Cup stadiums and within a 500m radius of the grounds, supplanting more than 1,270 domestic breweries. And what most upsets the fans is that Budweiser — advertised as the “King of Beers” in the US — fails to meet the ancient German standards for purity, which stipulate that beer can be brewed only from malt, hops and water....
June 12, 2006
Wear The Helmet, Big Ben
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger broke his jaw and injured his knees in a motorcycle accident late this morning. According to reports, he has undergone surgery to repair the injuries and has shown no signs of brain damage: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was badly hurt in a motorcycle crash Monday and undergoing surgery. The extent of his injuries was not known. Roethlisberger was in serious but stable condition, said Dr. Larry Jones, chief of trauma at Mercy Hospital. "He was talking to me before he left for the operating room," Jones said before the operation. "He's coherent. He's making sense. He knows what happened. He knows where he is. From that standpoint, he's very stable." The 24-year-old Roethlisberger likes to ride without a helmet, a habit that once prompted coach Bill Cowher to lecture him on the dangers. It was not known whether Roethlisberger was wearing a helmet when he...
July 23, 2006
American Imperialism In Europe!
The evidence of American imperialism showed in Europe today, in Britain and France -- but in sports rather than politics. Tiger Woods won his second straight British Open, the first player to do so in over twenty years: Tiger Woods had an answer for everyone Sunday on another methodical march to victory in the British Open. One month after missing the cut for the first time in a major, Woods was ruthless as ever on the brown-baked links of Royal Liverpool, making three straight birdies to turn away a spirited challenge by Chris DiMarco and win golf's oldest championship for the second straight year. Unlike in previous victories, his challenger actually pressed him all the way to the end. He lost two strokes off a thiree-stroke lead on the back nine as DeMarco played an excellent round, but in the end Tiger pushed him away. The victory is Tiger's first...
July 27, 2006
Tour Winner Tests Positive For Excessive Testosterone
So much for American dominance at the Tour de France. It looks like Floyd Landis will get disqualified over a positive test for excessive testosterone. This result, if confirmed, would show that Landis juiced just before his remarkable comeback in Stage 17, the key to his victory: Tour de France champion Floyd Landis tested positive for high levels of testosterone during the race, his Phonak team said Thursday on its Web site. ... The Swiss-based Phonak team said it was notified by the UCI on Wednesday that Landis’ sample showed “an unusual level of testosterone/epitestosterone” when he was tested after stage 17 of the race last Thursday. Landis made a remarkable comeback in that Alpine stage, racing far ahead of the field for a solo win that moved him from 11th to third in the overall standings. He regained the leader’s yellow jersey two days later. The team and Landis...
August 5, 2006
Plan B Didn't Work Out Too Well
Floyd Landis got fired from the cycling team Phonak and the Tour de France director indicated that his win would be invalidated as Landis' B sample came back as positive for doping. The second test confirmed the finding of the first, which found unnaturally high levels of testosterone after the 17th stage, when Landis came from behind in spectacular fashion to put himself in position for victory: Floyd Landis is set to lose his Tour de France title and faces a two-year ban after returning a positive B sample for excessive levels of testosterone. The American's Phonak team dismissed Landis on Saturday when it was confirmed he produced levels more than twice the legal limit after stage 17. Landis, 30, has said the high levels detected were a "natural occurrence". ... The official decision to strip Landis of the victory rests with the International Cycling Union (UCI), but Tour de...
September 4, 2006
Big Ben Out For The Opener
Big Ben Roethlisberger, the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, will miss the season opener this Thursday night after appendicitis caused him to have his third major surgery this summer: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had an emergency appendectomy after becoming ill before practice Sunday and will miss Thursday night's season opener against Miami. Coach Bill Cowher is not certain how long Roethlisberger will be out following the quarterback's third operation in 10 months -- and second in 2½ months. Roethlisberger began having pain and was vomiting Sunday morning, and was taken to UPMC Presbyterian for surgery after being examined by the team's medical staff. ... The appendix attack is yet another medical setback for Roethlisberger, who nearly died in a June 12 motorcycle accident only to make a remarkably fast recovery. He missed no practice time during training camp and played better in the preseason than he did...
September 8, 2006
Steelers Give Daunte Deja Vu
The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to win convincingly against the Miami Dolphins, despite the sudden unavailability of Big Ben Roethlisberger a few days ago to appendicitis. Charlie Batch came off the bench in his hometown to deliver a big win for the Steelers, 28-17. Batch threw three TDs and defensive back Joey Porter scored another as the team clicked on most cylinders: The Pittsburgh Steelers needed two big plays from unlikely sources to pull out a season-opening victory behind their backup quarterback. Maybe Miami Dolphins coach Nick Saban should be flagged for a costly delay, too. Tight end Heath Miller chugged his way down the Steelers' sideline on an 87-yard touchdown pass play midway through the fourth quarter, fill-in QB Charlie Batch's third scoring pass of the game, and the Super Bowl champions beat the Dolphins 28-17 Thursday night in the NFL's first game of the season. ... Miami had a...
November 6, 2006
JoePa, Get Better
I know it's election season and everyone wants to concentrate on the political stories, but I want to offer my best wishes for a speedy return to the sidelines for Joe Paterno, the legendary head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions. JoePa broke his leg on a freak play where his own played collided with him, and he may need surgery: The 79-year-old Penn State coach broke his left leg and damaged a knee ligament when two players ran into him during the Nittany Lions' loss to Wisconsin, and team officials said Sunday that surgery was being considered. Paterno's son and quarterbacks coach, Jay, said he spoke with his father Sunday and there was "no thought whatsoever of not coming back this year. ... It's not even in the discussion. There's nothing more to read into this in terms of his career." Paterno fractured the top of his tibia,...
December 4, 2006
The BCS Bowl Battle
Preparations for the annual Bowl Championship Series battle have already gotten under way, as tradition demands, after the final week of college football games. No, I'm not talking about teams strategizing for their opponents and bowl management promoting the matchups. I'm talking about the usual hue and cry that occurs when the BCS announces its matchups. This year promises more than its share, as Michigan finds itself aced out of the national championship and an opportunity to avenge its one loss of the year: After a month of wild upsets in college football, after all the voters cast their ballots and the computers finished computing, the Bowl Championship Series produced a touch of nostalgia to go with the usual controversy. The final BCS standings had Florida leaping over Michigan for the No. 2 spot on Sunday, sending the Gators to face top-ranked Ohio State in the title game on Jan....
December 30, 2006
And Then The Second Half Arrived
When one hears that a college football team suffered a historic fourth-quarter collapse, one only thinks of two teams, both of them in the Big Ten: Michigan State and Minnesota. Last night, it was the Golden Gophers who gave their opponent an entree into the record books, as they have up a 31-point lead in the second half to lose the Insight Bowl in overtime to Texas Tech: The Gophers football team played arguably its finest half of football this season before halftime and built a 38-7 lead against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the third quarter of the Insight Bowl ... And then gave it all away. Shannon Woods' 3-yard touchdown run in overtime capped the largest comeback in NCAA Division I-A bowl game history as Texas Tech stunned Minnesota 44-41 before an announced crowd of 48,391 at Sun Devil Stadium. "Needless to say, that was a game...
December 31, 2006
Cowher's Last Bow?
The longtime head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers will reportedly consider leaving his job after 15 seasons, the longest current tenure in the NFL. If he has coached his last game for the Steelers, he made it count by knocking division rival Cincinatti out of the playoffs in a thrilling overtime win: Joey Porter tried to end the suspense and get an answer for the question that all of Pittsburgh is asking. A few minutes after the Steelers knocked the Cincinnati Bengals out of playoff contention with a 23-17 victory in overtime Sunday, the emotional linebacker cornered his head coach — the one he kissed after a victory early in the season — and asked if he was staying. "Today was the first time anybody put him on the spot," Porter said. "I asked him. He said he doesn't know. We love the guy regardless." ... While the Steelers waited...
January 1, 2007
Broncos CB Dies In New Year's Drive-By
Too often, the world of crime intrudes on the world of sports, and this time it's even more of a tragedy. Darrent Williams, who hours earlier had a sack and a forced fumble as a cornerback in Denver's loss to San Francisco, died in a hail of bullets, a victim of a drive-by shooting: Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was killed in a drive-by shooting early Monday morning in downtown Denver. Denver Broncos spokesman Jim Saccomano confirmed the fatal shooting and said that police called the Broncos organization at 3 a.m. and told them that Williams had died. ... Williams, 24, was riding in a stretch Hummer limousine on Speer Boulevard near 11th Avenue just after 2 a.m., when the shooting occurred. The shots came from another vehicle and two other people in the limo -- a man and a woman -- were also hit. Their conditions were not known....
January 2, 2007
Thats Why They Play The Games
Michigan and its fans spent a lot of time over the last few weeks arguing that they should have gone to the BCS championship game against Ohio State. Instead, they faced off against the two-loss Trojans of USC in the Rose Bowl, ranked five places below the Wolverines. Instead of making the case that the BCS stiffed them, Michigan played like stiffs in losing the Rose Bowl to USC: There were no Heismans or national titles up for grabs for Southern California in this one. Given the way Dwayne Jarrett, John David Booty and that suffocating USC defense played, it was hard to tell. Jarrett, the sensational USC receiver, caught 11 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns to help the eighth-ranked Trojans finish their season with a statement Monday in a 32-18 Rose Bowl romp over Michigan. Booty threw for 391 yards and four scores to land himself on...
January 5, 2007
The Jaw Says Goodbye
Bill Cowher, who has spent the last 15 years as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, will announce his resignation today at a press conference at the Steelers headquarters, the AP reports. Steelers fans will hope that their source turns out to be Jamil Hussein, but in this case the AP likely has their story straight: Bill Cowher is returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers - to say goodbye. The Steelers will begin a coaching search Friday to replace the departing Cowher, a person familiar with Cowher's status said Thursday night. Cowher called owner Dan Rooney on Thursday to tell him of his decision, and the team announced a Friday news conference not long after that. Cowher is expected to attend. The 49-year-old Cowher, one of the NFL's most recognizable faces and most successful coaches for 15 seasons, has weighed resigning since shortly after the Steelers finally won the Super Bowl...
January 7, 2007
Mark Danelo, RIP
As CQ readers know, I am a rabid Notre Dame fan and have a lot of fun taking shots at our nemesis, USC. However, we know that this is all in the fun of a classic rivalry and that the game brings us together more than anything else. When tragedy strikes, no one remembers the rivalry, but we all mourn the loss of those far too young to leave us. Yesterday, USC's reliable place kicker Mark Danelo was found dead, apparently after having fallen off of a cliff in San Pedro: Southern California kicker Mario Danelo was found dead Saturday about 120 feet down a rocky cliff near Point Fermin lighthouse in the city's San Pedro section. The body was reported by a passer-by at about 4:30 p.m., said Martha Garcia of the Los Angeles Police Department. Danelo, the 21-year-old son of former NFL kicker Joe Danelo, appeared to have...
January 8, 2007
What About Boise State?
Ohio State went into tonight's national championship game favored to beat Florida in a wipeout. Some people questioned whether the Gators even belonged in the game at all. They proved it by reversing expectations and blowing out Ohio State, 41-14: Not even close. Florida -- yes Florida -- owned the field it wasn't supposed to be on, embarrassing Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and No. 1 Ohio State 41-14 on Monday night to run away with the national championship. Chris Leak and Tim Tebow showed off coach Urban Meyer's twin quarterback system to perfection as the No. 2 Gators became the first Division I school to hold football and basketball titles at the same time. I managed to watch the whole game, even though little doubt remained about the outcome after halftime. Ohio State scored on the opening kickoff and managed one decent drive, but otherwise the Gators dominated the...
January 10, 2007
A Message To Steroid Users
The Baseball Writers Association of America has a message for today's baseball players: steroids may keep them out of the Hall of Fame. Mark McGwire, whose home-run chase reignited fan support of the national pastime and whose lifetime total easily outstrips many other Hall members, only mustered less than a quarter of the ballots for his first year of eligibility: Mark McGwire's Hall of Fame bid was met with a rejection as emphatic as his upper-deck home runs. While the door to Cooperstown swung open for Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn on Tuesday, McGwire was picked by less than a quarter of voters — a result that raises doubts about whether Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa or other sluggers from baseball's Steroids Era will ever gain entry. McGwire, whose 583 home runs rank seventh on the career list, appeared on 128 of a record 545 ballots in voting released Tuesday...
January 21, 2007
The Penultimate Bowls
For fans of the NFL, this weekend is the second-most anticipated of the season. Both conferences select their champions today, setting the stage for the Super Bowl on February 4th. Kickoff starts at 3 pm ET for the NFC Championship, and the afternoon should feature two closely-fought contests. This seems a propitious moment for predictions, and I don't want to disappoint. AFC The Indianapolis Colts will host their nemesis, the New England Patriots, after both teams won improbable victories on the road. The much-maligned Colts defense came up huge against Steve McNair and the Baltimore Ravens, holding them to only two field goals in a 15-6 win. Peyton Manning could not find the end zone, but he was playing against the toughest defense in the league on their home turf. He managed not to lose the game his defense was winning, and last week that was enough. The Patriots won...
Colts Win One For The Ages
Earlier today, I made two predictions for the NFL conference championship games. The Chicago Bears made me eat my words in the first game, dominating the New Orleans Saints in a 39-14 rout. And for the first half of the AFC championship, it looked like I'd have a second helping of crow. However, in the greatest comeback ever in a championship game, the Indianapolis Colts erased a 21-3 deficit to beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, 38-34: Peyton Manning overcame his playoff past, and his biggest nemesis, to march the Indianapolis Colts into the Super Bowl with a 38-34 come-from-behind victory over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Sunday's AFC championship game. Manning and the Colts will head to Miami to take on the Chicago Bears in the NFL title game on Feb. 4. The Bears soundly defeated the New Orleans Saints 39-14 earlier Sunday in...
January 23, 2007
Tomlin To Helm The Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers picked another young replacement for a long-term coach by going outside the organization for Mike Tomlin. The 34-year-old defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings is the same age as Bill Cowher when he got the job 15 years ago: The Steelers made Tomlin's hiring official Monday morning, but it is unclear whether Childress discussed the job with Spagnuolo before he joined the Giants. Childress, in his first public comments since Pittsburgh named Tomlin a finalist for the job last week, said Tomlin "did a great job for us" in 2006. "I'm really happy for Mike," Childress said in a statement released by the Vikings. "He is a class guy and a good football coach and deserves to have this opportunity. ... I know he will be successful in Pittsburgh." ... Dressed in a black suit with a gold tie, Tomlin pledged to "have a first-class, blue-collar work...
February 3, 2007
I'll See Your Hyperbole ...
My friend and radio partner Mitch Berg goes off the deep end with his Super Bowl prediction this weekend: In 1940, everyone - everyone - predicted Sammy Baugh’s Washington Redskins were going to beat the Chicago Bears in the NFL Championship game. Of course, the final result was the Bears dishing out a legendary 73-0 drubbing, a victory that set the stage for the defeat of Naziism. ... Bears 42 Clots 17. Of course, one could more easily argue that it set the stage for Pearl Harbor ... but I digress. Historical hysteria aside, the Bears have a strong defense and a good offensive line, but the Colts have Peyton Manning and a re-energized defense that shut down Tom Brady and the Patriots as if they were the Minnesota Vikings in the second half. If the Rex Grossman that played in the second half against the Saints shows up tomorrow,...
February 4, 2007
Super Bowl XLI: Live Blog
Since I'm going to watch the game and check on the latest in the news, I figured I'd do a bit of a laissez-faire live blog. I'll update it during the pre-game, game, and post-game, but on a low-intensity basis. The opening Gloria Estefan number and its wretched excess convinced me I had to make at least a few comments. This should be a lot of fun, especially since I don't have the pressure of having the Steelers in the game ... which is a transparent effort to put the best possible face on the 8-8 season Pittsburgh had this year. 4:58 CT - I'm not sure what the point of the Estefan act was, but has anyone seen a weirder looking routine? I'm guessing that the theme was that even though we're rooting for different teams, we're really all the same ... spectators, I guess. 4:59 - Today's the...
February 5, 2007
Nice Guys Finish First
We've all heard the Leo Durocher saying, "Nice guys finish last," a tenet by which Durocher lived his life as manager of both the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants. Too often in sports (and business, and politics, etc etc etc) we celebrate the successes of the sharks -- those people whose drive to win pushes them past any sense of ethics and humanity, and the lesson always seems to be that only the obsessed win in life. That's why it becomes so important to tell the stories of those who reach the pinnacle without leaving their humanity behind -- and such is the case with Tony Dungy, the soft-spoken man who persevered and won a Super Bowl: Sportswriters cover so many jerks, egomaniacs and sometimes even criminals that when a person of such high quality as Dungy finds success we can't help but enjoy it. Dungy is fair, he...
February 6, 2007
Our Hats Are Off -- To Africa
At the end of a big championship game, the winners appear within minutes wearing T-shirts and caps proclaiming themselves as the champs. Obviously, these pieces of clothing have to be manufactured in bulk before the game in order to make that kind of deadline, and that means that half of the orders -- the ones proclaiming the wrong team as the winners -- never see the light of day. Did I say never? Well, that's overstating it, because the shirts and hats actually do wind up in the hands of those who can use them: After the final moments of the Super Bowl, when the Indianapolis Colts' coach was showered in Gatorade and hoisted atop his burliest players' shoulders, the winning players engaged in another time-honored ritual and immediately tossed on championship hats and shirts, which seemingly appeared out of thin air. These are official Reebok-sponsored, NFL-approved hats and shirts...
February 13, 2007
Going 14-2 Wasn't Enough?
Fans of the NFL might have figured that any coach with a 14-2 record in the regular season would have had no worries about his employment in the 2007 season. For most teams, that would have been true, but apparently not in San Diego. Marty Schottenheimer finds himself unceremoniously dumped by the Chargers after one of its best seasons: Marty Schottenheimer performed well enough to go 14-2 last season despite what team president Dean Spanos called a "dysfunctional situation" between the coach and his general manager. Less than a month after San Diego's NFL-best 14-2 season was wrecked in a home playoff loss to New England, Spanos said the exodus of assistant coaches -- the two coordinators became NFL head coaches and two assistants became coordinators -- contributed to an "untenable" situation that resulted in the coach being fired. Schottenheimer is due more than $3 million for the final year...
February 24, 2007
Buyer's Remorse Replaces Bugler's Delight
Great Britain celebrated when they won the 2012 Olympics over the French in 2005, hailing it as a triumph of Cool Britannia and a chance to underscore the importance of the UK. The Parisians sulked in grand fashion. Both may want to reconsider their reactions in the face of the mounting costs of conducting the Olympics: It has been reported that the cost of the 2012 London Olympics could soar to £9 billion, almost four times the original estimate. The BBC has reported that the Treasury and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are discussing the price, up from the £2.35 billion set out in London's bid document. The Government reportedly believes construction alone could cost £3.3 billion, with an extra £2 billion allocated as a contingency fund. The £9 billion figure also includes regeneration costs of £1.8 billion and a £1 billion VAT bill. Given the state of...
April 3, 2007
Retreating On Robinson
ABC News interviewed Hall of Fame baseball player Dave Winfield on an intriguing question: what has happened to black baseball players? After Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, African-American children wanted to follow in his cleat steps, and many of them did. As ABC and Winfield note and the latter laments, that has not been the case for decades now. After peaking at 27% in 1974, the percentage of blacks among major-league ballplayers has fallen to a paltry 9%. So what happened? The children have moved to football and basketball, but ABC and Winfield miss one of the most important reasons why: Baseball is no longer the sport of choice for America's children. Gone are the days of sandlot pickup games and summer afternoons filled with playing catch and home run derbies. Kids — especially in urban areas — today dream of dunking like Shaquille O'Neal, throwing the winning touchdown...
April 15, 2007
Celebrating #42
George Will has few peers in politics and in baseball politics, and he proves it yet again today in his look at the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers. For those confused by the Don Imus kerfuffle, here's what real prejudice and hatred looked like: To appreciate how far the nation has come, propelled by what began 60 years ago today, consider not the invectives that Robinson heard from opponents' dugouts and fans but the way he had been praised. "Dusky Jack Robinson," as the Los Angeles Times called him, alerting readers to the race of UCLA's four-sport star, ran with a football "like it was a watermelon and the guy who owned it was after him with a shotgun." And that was from Robinson's allies in the media. Will continues: Eig is especially informative about the dynamics among the Dodgers, who, like many teams,...
May 23, 2007
Joe Paterno, National Treasure
Remember when colleges justified the expense of their sports programs by claiming that they built character for the student athletes -- and it was still true for the premier sports, like football? I'm not sure if any CQ readers are that old, but I know one man who still believes it ... and he's the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team. Joe Paterno wants to make sure that his team learns character along with pass protections and blitzing schemes (via Mitch Berg): This spring, six Penn State football players were arrested and charged for crimes stemming from an off-campus fight April 1 in which at least 15 Nittany Lions were present. The charged included a couple of star players, although what apparently bothered coach Joe Paterno the most was how many of his kids were willing to be involved. And so Paterno, 80 now but no...
July 17, 2007
Falcons QB Indicted On Dogfighting Conspiracy
The Atlanta Falcons may have to count on their backup quarterback in the 2007 season. According to ABC News, a grand jury indicted the star QB on felony charges surrounding an alleged dogfighting conspiracy centered at his mansion: Michael Vick has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the dogfighting probe of his property in Virginia. The Falcons quarterback was indicted for conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District in Richmond, Va. Three others -- Purnell Peace, Quanis Phillips and Tony Taylor -- also were indicted by the grand jury on the same charges. According to court documents filed by federal authorities earlier this month, dog fights have been sponsored by "Bad Newz Kennels" at the property since at least 2002. For the events, participants...
July 24, 2007
Vick Suspended
Last week, news that Michael Vick had been indicted on dogfighting and conspiracy charges stunned sports fans -- and apparently NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Yesterday, he ordered Michael Vick barred from preseason camp pending his own probe into the charges. Vick could find himself with plenty of time this fall to prepare for his defense: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell yesterday ordered quarterback Michael Vick not to report to training camp with the Atlanta Falcons until the league has reviewed his legal troubles stemming from federal dogfighting charges. Vick's playing status is to be determined by Goodell, and the NFL gave no timetable for the decision other than to announce that the review would be completed "as soon as possible." ... Others in the league have said that Vick, 27, could face a lengthy suspension under the NFL's toughened conduct policy imposed by Goodell in April. The policy empowers Goodell to...
August 8, 2007
Why Aaron Is King
Barry Bonds broke the career home-run record held for 33 years by Henry Aaron last night, jolting number 756 out of the park at home in San Francisco. Bonds took a 3-2 pitch into the stands 435 feet away -- and extended a controversy as to whether he deserves the record: The ball exploded off Barry Bonds' bat, a small white sphere streaking through the dark San Francisco sky, headed for the right-center field seats and a hallowed place in baseball history. It was 8:51 Tuesday, a night no one in the sellout crowd of 43,154 at AT&T Park would ever forget, a night to be lived and relived by word of mouth, digital camera and endless reels of highlight tape. On a 3-and-2 pitch from Washington Nationals left-hander Mike Bacsik, Bonds, in his second game after tying Hank Aaron's career home run mark of 755, belted No. 756. In...
August 24, 2007
NFL Gives Vick The Pete Rose Treatment
Hours after releasing an admission that he had helped kill dogs and had bankrolled gambling as part of a dogfighting operation, Michael Vick got an indefinite suspension from the NFL. Commissioner Roger Goodell cited the "cruel and reprehensible" nature of Vick's acts, but it does not necessarily preclude Vick from a return to gridiron action in the future: The NFL indefinitely suspended Michael Vick without pay Friday just hours after he acknowledged in court papers that he did, indeed, bankroll gambling on dogfighting and helped kill some dogs not worthy of the pit. Vick, however, insisted he placed no bets of his own nor took any winnings. In disciplining Vick, commissioner Roger Goodell said Vick’s admitted conduct was “not only illegal but also cruel and reprehensible” and regardless whether he personally placed bets, “your actions in funding the betting and your association with illegal gambling both violate the terms of...
November 16, 2007
The Grand Jury Asterisk
A federal grand jury in Barry Bonds' home turf placed the asterisk on his home run record that baseball declined to provide. Bonds received indictments for perjury and obstruction of justice yesterday for his actions in a federal investigation into illegal distribution networks of steroids. Given that he claimed no knowledge of steroid use, the perjury indictments demonstrate the grand jury's conclusion from the evidence that Bonds knew well that he juiced himself to win baseball's most prized records: Barry Bonds, baseball's home run king, was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice Thursday and could go to prison instead of the Hall of Fame for telling a federal grand jury he did not knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs. The indictment, culminating a four-year investigation into steroid use by elite athletes, charged Bonds with four counts of perjury and one of obstruction of justice. If convicted, he could be sentenced to...
December 3, 2007
Can The Dolphins Do It?
The NFL and its fans have a rare opportunity to follow two teams pushing for perfection in the same season. Tonight, the New England Patriots take on history again as well as the Baltimore Ravens in tonight's Monday night game, hoping to extend their unbeaten record in 2007. Yesterday, the Dolphins managed to clear the most significant hurdle in their quest for another kind of perfection: It's going to be tough to stop the Miami Dolphins now. The last realistic obstacle in their path to imperfect immortality -- the New York Jets -- came and went Sunday, dropping a 40-13 defeat on the Dolphins as easily as Miami quarterback John Beck dropped the football -- twice -- when he wasn't throwing it to Jets defenders. After three interceptions and two lost fumbles by Beck, the Dolphins were left at 0-12 with four games to play. They are the seventh team...
December 4, 2007
The Patriots Stay Unbeaten With Baltimore's Help
It looked as though the New England Patriots would lose their perfect season in Baltimore last night. On a desperation fourth-down play, Tom Brady couldn't execute the sneak to get the final yard, and the Ravens took over on downs -- except that their bench had called a time out just before the play to ice the Patriots. That one misstep encapsulated a quarter in which the Ravens gave the game back to the Pats in a nailbiter that kept New England perfect for at least another week: The New England Patriots, pushing for the first undefeated season by an NFL team in 35 years, marched into Baltimore on Monday night and nearly ended up with a bruised ego and an embarrassing loss. Thanks to willpower and sheer luck, the Patriots defeated the Ravens, 27-24, and walked off with their 12th straight victory. Behind, 24-20, with less than three minutes...
December 9, 2007
My Steelers Prediction -- NFL Week 14 Thread
Today the Pittsburgh Steelers meet the undefeated New England Patriots in Foxboro. The Patriots face the toughest remaining test this year in their quest to match and surpass the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Miami, meanwhile, faces off against Buffalo not far away to maintain its perfect season of futility. Anthony Smith predicts a Steeler win: Certainly, Steelers second-year safety Anthony Smith thinks so. The big discussion in the Patriots locker room Thursday was Smith's bold guarantee of victory. "We heard about it," Brady said. "Coach always says we do our talking on Sundays. I'm glad they feel that way. I hope they feel that way. We'll see who comes out ahead on Sunday." Belichick, whose quotes always seem to be in lockstep with Brady, added, "I would expect when Pittsburgh walks out there, they're going to expect a win. I can't imagine they would approach it any differently. My prediction? Steelers...
December 26, 2007
The Foregone Conclusion Will Get Broadcast Live
The NFL put an end to one of the dumbest controversies in politics this season, and an end to grandstanding by a Congress that has accomplished next to none of its own business. The league has decided to have CBS and NBC join the NFL Network in televising the final regular-season game of the New England Patriots: After weeks of insisting they wouldn’t cave in, NFL officials did just that Wednesday. Now all of America can see the Patriots’ shot at history. Saturday night’s game between New England and the New York Giants on the NFL Network, which is available in fewer than 40 percent of the nation’s homes with TVs, will be simulcast on CBS and NBC. The Patriots could become the first NFL team to go 16-0 in the regular season. Could? The Patriots have proven themselves as operating at another level, while the Giants have struggled to...
December 29, 2007
Perfect Suspense
In the end, it turned out much more suspenseful than anyone predicted. At one point, the New England Patriots found themselves down 28-16, then scored 22 unanswered points to seemingly put it away. They then had to weather a late effort by Eli Manning to hold on, 38-35, to have the first perfect regular season of the 16-game schedule, and the first in 35 years overall. Tom Brady came out roaring in the second half, but the big surprise came from Manning, who had played poorly in the previous four games. Tonight, he looked a lot like his older brother had switched jerseys with him. Until the fourth quarter, Eli played flawlessly. He looked commanding, poised, and prepared. Only an unfortunate interception in the last stanza marred his record, and it provided the Patriots with the drive that won the ballgame. Once again, the Patriots looked beatable ... for a...
January 20, 2008
Who Goes To The Super Bowl?
Instead of debating the meaning of the South Carolina and Nevada primaries, most people will gather today to see who gets to go to the really big show -- the Super Bowl. Will the Patriots beat the Chargers to stay undefeated and play for the right to claim themselves the greatest football team of all time? Will the Giants send another Manning to a Super Bowl by defeating perhaps the greatest quarterback of all time in Green Bay? I'll offer a few predictions: * NFC - The game will be played late, when the temps will dip below zero, but when snow will not be likely. That will negate a little of Green Bay's home-turf advantage, but not all of it. Ryan Grant will run well enough to keep pressure off of Brett Favre, and Eli Manning will not get enough protection to have the kind of superb game he...
January 21, 2008
These Were, Well, Super
The two NFL championship games yesterday turned out more competitive than first thought, with the NFC title decided in overtime for the second time in history. The result has the undefeated team overcoming their quarterback's worst game all year to go to the Super Bowl. He gets to face the kid brother of his AFC nemesis, who beat the league's cold-weather team on the third-coldest playoff game in history. First, the Patriots get a chance at history, but only after overcoming three interceptions by a QB who only had eight all season: With a trip to Super Bowl XLII at stake and NFL history hanging in the balance, the Patriots relied on their stout defense and clock-burning running game to beat San Diego, 21-12, turning back an inspired effort by the banged-up Chargers. It was an oh-so-close call for the undefeated Patriots, who overcame three interceptions by Brady and on...
February 3, 2008
Super Sunday
Will today's Super Bowl give us the second undefeated champion of the modern era in the New England Patriots? Or will we see the New York Giants extend their improbable ten-game road winning streak and derail perfection? Most football fans would probably be satisfied with a competitive and interesting game, but a Super Bowl would not be the spectacle it is without the subplots and the drama -- and the predictions. So here's mine: New England Patriots win, 27-20. What's yours?...
Super Bowl Live-Dip-Blogging
What better way to watch the biggest spectacle in sports than to kick back in a favorite recliner and live blog while consuming chips and dip? The Super Bowl will hopefully feature a dramatic and close game, but even if it doesn't, it will provide plenty of entertainment. The game sometimes takes a back seat to the advertising championship that takes place between the plays. I'll comment on that as well as the game, and in between, I'm going to enjoy my corn chips and guacamole, too. Keep checking back. I'll post the comments in reverse-chronological order so the latest will be on top. 9:14 - Thanks to all the CapQ readers who came along for the ride, especially Jazz in the comments, where he was as good as a co-blogger tonight. Great job, Jazz. This may have been one of the best Super Bowls I've ever watched, except for...
February 16, 2008
Blogs Should Be What?
The International Olympic Committee has deigned to allow athletes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics to blog. However, the IOC wants to make sure that athletes know the rules beforehand. They cannot post pictures, audio, or video of the events because the IOC does not recognize blogs as a form of journalism: The IOC has set out guidelines for blogging at the Beijing Games to ensure copyright agreements are not infringed. They include bans on posting any audio or visual material of action from the games themselves. ... "The IOC considers blogging... as a legitimate form of personal expression and not a form of journalism," the Olympic authority said. "Blogs should be dignified and in good taste." Dignified and in good taste? The IOC obviously hasn't spent much time reading blogs. Or, maybe they have. Since this Olympiad takes place in China, where oppression on free speech and Internet access has...
About
Ed Morrissey has blogged at Captain's Quarters since 2003, and has a daily radio show at BlogTalkRadio, where he serves as Political Director. Called "Captain Ed" by his readers, Ed is a father and grandfather living in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, a native Californian who moved to the North Star State because of the weather.
My Other Blog
The Crows Nest
Blogs Should Be What?
The International Olympic Committee has deigned to allow athletes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics to blog. However, the IOC wants to make sure that athletes know the rules beforehand. They cannot post pictures, audio, or video of the events because the IOC does not recognize blogs as a form of journalism:
The IOC has set out guidelines for blogging at the Beijing Games to ensure copyright agreements are not infringed. They include bans on posting any audio or visual material of action from the games themselves. ..."The IOC considers blogging... as a legitimate form of personal expression and not a form of journalism," the Olympic authority said.
"Blogs should be dignified and in good taste."
Dignified and in good taste? The IOC obviously hasn't spent much time reading blogs. Or, maybe they have.
Since this Olympiad takes place in China, where oppression on free speech and Internet access has been a major issue, who becomes the arbiter of dignity and good taste? Will the athletes have to pass their posts through an IOC censor before the text can hit the web? Or will that fall to China's authoritarian regime, as it does for more than a billion Chinese? Once pre-publication standards get put in place, enforcement always follows.
The real concern isn't about dignity and taste. It's the fear that the athletes will use blogs to make political statements about the oppression of the Chinese government. The Olympics have a long and inglorious history of being manipulated for political purposes, by both its athletes and its host nations. The IOC wants to cut off the athletes while looking relaxed, but has no problem staging games in countries known for their dour attitude towards liberty, free speech, and free access to information.
In effect, the IOC has become a mini-me to Beijing in an attempt to straddle that line. Only the East German judges would have given them high marks for courage with this statement -- if freedom hadn't eliminated the ersatz nation of East Germany almost two decades ago.
Super Bowl Live-Dip-Blogging
What better way to watch the biggest spectacle in sports than to kick back in a favorite recliner and live blog while consuming chips and dip? The Super Bowl will hopefully feature a dramatic and close game, but even if it doesn't, it will provide plenty of entertainment. The game sometimes takes a back seat to the advertising championship that takes place between the plays. I'll comment on that as well as the game, and in between, I'm going to enjoy my corn chips and guacamole, too.
Keep checking back. I'll post the comments in reverse-chronological order so the latest will be on top.
9:14 - Thanks to all the CapQ readers who came along for the ride, especially Jazz in the comments, where he was as good as a co-blogger tonight. Great job, Jazz. This may have been one of the best Super Bowls I've ever watched, except for the five in which the Pittsburgh Steelers won. It's probably the greatest 4th quarter in a Super Bowl since Pittsburgh beat Dallas 37-35 in 1979. It's probably the biggest upset since Broadway Joe picked his Jets to beat the Colts almost 40 years ago.
What a great game!
9:03 - GIANTS WIN! GIANTS WIN! Don Shula, break out the champagne. Eli Manning just made himself into a superstar, and the Patriots have to live with the choke of the decade. They finally put in a championship drive, and Manning answered back with another. What a game, and what a gut-check by the Giants and Eli Manning.
8:56 - Eli Manning, Stud. What a great series from the Kid. They left 35 seconds on the board for the Patriots -- and if they want to earn perfection, they have their work cut out for them.
8:55 - The Pats are getting better pressure on Manning.
8:52 - Holy cow, this turned into an exciting game!
8:46 - Ben Roethlisbeger tanks ... on the Pina Colada Song. The only network promo I've liked all night long (for American Idol).
8:42 - Eli has to go 83 yards in 2:39. Here's where you earn the ring, baby.
8:39 - Randy Moss, wide open. The First Mate is boooooing. She hates Moss, but that was one hell of a drive.
8:35 - Only three minutes left in the game. If the Pats can score a TD, Manning may not have enough time to answer it.
8:30 - Can Brady lead another 4th-quarter come from behind win? He's putting together a good drive now.
8:26 - And a good stop by the Pats D. Brady and his O had better show up soon, or the perfect season's going to end in the perfect choke.
8:20 - Big stop by the Giants D. That could be the game, if Bradshaw can run the ball.
8:13 - Bill Frist and James Carville, sharing a Coke and a smile. Well, not bad, but I liked Charlie Brown getting the Coke in the previous break a little better.
8:11 - And they do! The Giants look like they've figured something out, and Don Shula may be able to breathe again soon ....
8:09 - Eli's coming ... The Giants O has come alive again, but they'd better score a TD.
8:01 - That 3rd quarter went quickly! The Pats will likely pin the Giants deep on the upcoming punt. It's a field-position, ball-control game. The Pats may have made some inroads in that strategy. Their D has to get a big stop. And I liked the Chester Pitts NFL commercial, too. "What do you play?" "The oboe ... it's a member of the woodwind family."
7:53 - Forgot to mention the Bridgestone ad where the car accelerates towards Richard Simmons -- pretty funny, and you have to give Simmons credit for poking fun at himself.
7:52 - Pats D comes up with a big stop, but the O is in the hole on their 10-yard line. They'd better start moving the ball a little better.
7:43 - Why didn't the Pats kick the field goal? 4th-and-13? What was Belichick thinking?
7:41 - The Pats just seem to be gutting this out ...
7:37 - Chase Blackburn better hope his D rescues him from a really stupid penalty. Good on Belichick for challenging it, too.
7:32 - Wow -- did anyone find the SalesGenie panda commercial just a wee bit un-PC?
7:31 - Not a bad series for either team to start. The Pats protected Brady a little better, and manages to pin Manning deep in his own territory.
7:26 - Expect dink-n-dunk from Brady in the second half -- all quick release passes.
7:23 - Wow -- it's going to be a 40-minute break by the time they get the offense back on the field. Which team spent the long halftime making the best adjustments?
7:05 - I love Tom Petty, but this looks like the Pacemakers more than the Heartbreakers.
7:04 - Was that a guitar float moving across the field, or a tribute to the ultimate wardrobe malfunction?
6:56 - An excellent and moving anti-smoking commercial. I really thought it was a trailer for a lame knockoff of Father of the Bride (either version), and I could have sworn that was Blythe Danner playing the mom.
6:51 - Exciting! Great first half, and the Patriots don't look terribly invincible so far. The Giants D has done a good job, even if their O hasn't. 7-3 at the half, and the Patriots get the ball first in the second half.
6:37 - Neither offense looks particularly adept tonight. And that cashew commercial was just ... disturbing.
6:30 - Well, the Pats look as poor as the Giants on offense. Giants are going to take it back to the running game now.
6:22 - The Giants looked pretty rattled on the next series. If they can't pull it together, they'll watch the Pats put up a lead they can't overcome.
6:20 - I liked the Garmin Napoleon ad, and Leatherheads looks pretty good. I still think the Audi commercial gets the nod so far.
6:18 - The Giant D gets their first stop of the night, and Eli's off the hook.
6:15 - Oh, Eli's made his first post-season mistake. That's a killer.
6:10 - Amazing pass and catch to Amani Toomer.
6:04 - GoDaddy has their ad on line, where they can market to their spammer base. Dell continues its series of lame commercials with "Red". The FedEx commercial with the giant pigeons -- a subliminal message for the game? And the Tide to Go ad was pretty funny, especially if you've ever interviewed a candidate who showed up in stained clothes, which I have.
6:02 - Patriots score the TD. Again, this looks like the San Diego game again.
6:00 - The Bridgestone screaming squirrel was cute. Nothing earthshaking, but better than the flatulent-horses beer commercial from a few years back. And you all missed a pretty good local Twins commercial....
5:58 - What a bad penalty on the pass in the end zone! That'll cost the Giants.
5:55 - The Patriots look pretty good moving the ball, too.
5:51 - Jazz liked the Underarmor commerical, but it didn't impress me. It just reminded me of Dune, which didn't impress me either.
5:47 - Pepsi Max commercial doesn't impress, but Lawrence Moroney does on the kickoff return. Let's see if Tom Brady can move the Pats better than Manning did the Giants. He'll have a shorter field in which to do it.
5:44 - The Patriot D stiffens and holds the Giants to a field goal. That's points, but the Giants might want to ask San Diego how it worked out for them to get field goals instead of TDs in the redzone.
5:40 - Peyton Manning, spectator, watches as his little brother keeps the Giants moving pretty well.
5:37 - Was that Alex Rocco in that Godfather satire in the Audi commercial? That one was pretty good. And Rocco is a Godfather alum, too -- he played Moe Green, who made his bones while Michael was out banging cheerleaders.
5:33 - Manning converts his first 3rd-down try. That should help settle down the inexperienced QB.
5:30 - And we're off -- with a mundane kick return. Let the commercials roll, as Jazz advises they will in the comments!
5:26 - Giants win the toss. I think they elected to receive, but all of the commentary drowned out the actual events on the field. How better to encapsulate a Super Bowl?
5:22 - Not seeing too many new commercials today. I'm now seeing the Dell "Que Sera Sera" commercial for the fourth time, and it's not getting any better.
5:15 - Nice commercial for Ronald McDonald House.
5:11 - Anyone think we'll have a wardrobe malfunction today? I was live-blogging that Super Bowl, too.
5:00 - Yeah, that was pretty awesome. It was great seeing Jim Brown, Ronnie Lott, Alan Page, Roger Staubach, and Don Shula as part of that -- but even better to see FDNY and the US Navy as well.
4:54 - The traditional recitation of the Declaration of Independence. Well, maybe not entirely traditional, but I'd call it more meaningful than the playing of our national anthem.
4:50 - 10 minutes to game time. So far, I haven't seen any new commercials except perhaps for the strange "Que Sera Sera" Dell ad. Do computer buyers care about "pretty" more than power, speed, or function?
4:48 - You know, when Monday Night Football used Dennis Miller, they had a good blend of comedy and commentary. With Frank Whoever on Fox, it's beyond pointless.
4:35 PM CT - Bradygate! He didn't return Eli Manning's pregame greeting. He has several better moments in his interview with Terry Bradshaw, a man who Tom Brady hopes to equal in Super Bowl wins tonight.
Super Sunday
Will today's Super Bowl give us the second undefeated champion of the modern era in the New England Patriots? Or will we see the New York Giants extend their improbable ten-game road winning streak and derail perfection? Most football fans would probably be satisfied with a competitive and interesting game, but a Super Bowl would not be the spectacle it is without the subplots and the drama -- and the predictions.
So here's mine: New England Patriots win, 27-20. What's yours?
These Were, Well, Super
The two NFL championship games yesterday turned out more competitive than first thought, with the NFC title decided in overtime for the second time in history. The result has the undefeated team overcoming their quarterback's worst game all year to go to the Super Bowl. He gets to face the kid brother of his AFC nemesis, who beat the league's cold-weather team on the third-coldest playoff game in history.
First, the Patriots get a chance at history, but only after overcoming three interceptions by a QB who only had eight all season:
With a trip to Super Bowl XLII at stake and NFL history hanging in the balance, the Patriots relied on their stout defense and clock-burning running game to beat San Diego, 21-12, turning back an inspired effort by the banged-up Chargers.It was an oh-so-close call for the undefeated Patriots, who overcame three interceptions by Brady and on three occasions stopped the Chargers inside the New England 10-yard line.
Said linebacker Mike Vrabel: "It was probably our time to win a game."
And now the Patriots have a chance to win their fourth Super Bowl since 2001, plus secure a hallowed place in league history. They're 18-0 and with one more victory will join the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only teams to win every game, from opener through grand finale.
For those who had forgotten that the Pats won 17 on their defense as well as their offense, Sunday provided a reminder. The Patriot D put on a tour de force showing yesterday. Despite the uncharacteristic sloppiness of Tom Brady, they kept the Chargers out of the end zone.
As for the Chargers, they seemed to overcome the exit of LaDainian Tomlinson and have energy and enthusiasm to spare. They moved the ball at will through all but the last ten yards of the field. They simply could not cross the goal line, and while the Chargers will spend all off-season trying to assign blame for that on their offense, truthfully it was the spirited New England defense that gets the credit.
On the other hand, the NFC championship appeared to have an unending supply of goats:
Lawrence Tynes couldn't have been feeling confident after hooking two field-goal tries -- two potential game winners -- wide left.But with the New York Giants facing a crucial fourth down in overtime -- try an improbable 47-yard field goal or try for a first down -- Tynes did not wait for his coach to decide.
"I just ran on the field," he said. "I kind of made the decision for him."
Moments later, his kick sailed through the uprights, giving the Giants a 23-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC championship game at sub-zero Lambeau Field on Sunday night.
Tynes avoided being a goat with his surprising 47-yarder, but both teams had missed opportunities. Thanks to the cold, passes got dropped and mistakes got made, and neither team looked especially sharp. The Giants managed to keep moving the ball, however, while the Packers offense appeared to freeze solid sometime in the third quarter.
Brett Favre has managed miracles all during his career, but last night he and his entire team came up empty. They never did adjust to the run defense of the Giants during the game, and it looked like the cold kept them from making any adjustments at all. Favre had little of his usual snap on his passes, and the final interception looked like a dead duck from the moment it left his hands. In the end, the Giants proved more adept and more adaptable in the cold, and Eli Manning completely outplayed Favre in the latter's element.
Tom Brady now has to face off against a Manning in the Super Bowl -- it's just the other Manning, the one people had begun to write off earlier this season. Will he follow his brother to championship glory and end the dream for the perfect Patriots? Given his own perfection over the last three weeks -- and the fact that the Giants get to stay on the road, where they've won a record 10 in a row -- it's a distinct possibility.
Who Goes To The Super Bowl?
Instead of debating the meaning of the South Carolina and Nevada primaries, most people will gather today to see who gets to go to the really big show -- the Super Bowl. Will the Patriots beat the Chargers to stay undefeated and play for the right to claim themselves the greatest football team of all time? Will the Giants send another Manning to a Super Bowl by defeating perhaps the greatest quarterback of all time in Green Bay?
I'll offer a few predictions:
* NFC - The game will be played late, when the temps will dip below zero, but when snow will not be likely. That will negate a little of Green Bay's home-turf advantage, but not all of it. Ryan Grant will run well enough to keep pressure off of Brett Favre, and Eli Manning will not get enough protection to have the kind of superb game he would need to beat the Pack. I see Favre going to his last Super Bowl. Pack over the Giants, 27-20. (I'm worried about the Giants' terrific road strength, though. This will be a great game.)
* AFC - Even at full strength, the Chargers would have a hard time beating the Patriots in San Diego, let alone in Foxboro. Philip Rivers and LaDanian Tomlinson are both dinged up, and Antonio Gates more so. They beat the Colts with their second squad offense, but the Colts are not the Patriots. Expect this one to get ugly. Patriots over the scrappy but undermanned Chargers, 38-17.
What are your picks?
Perfect Suspense
In the end, it turned out much more suspenseful than anyone predicted. At one point, the New England Patriots found themselves down 28-16, then scored 22 unanswered points to seemingly put it away. They then had to weather a late effort by Eli Manning to hold on, 38-35, to have the first perfect regular season of the 16-game schedule, and the first in 35 years overall.
Tom Brady came out roaring in the second half, but the big surprise came from Manning, who had played poorly in the previous four games. Tonight, he looked a lot like his older brother had switched jerseys with him. Until the fourth quarter, Eli played flawlessly. He looked commanding, poised, and prepared. Only an unfortunate interception in the last stanza marred his record, and it provided the Patriots with the drive that won the ballgame.
Once again, the Patriots looked beatable ... for a while. That 22-point run looked mighty impressive, especially given the forgettable first half the Patriots defense played. They got tough when it counted. That makes them look fairly unstoppable, and with a first-round bye to rest everyone, they will be fresh for their next opponent.
The Giants played with a lot of heart tonight, but got coached with little brains. Tom Coughlin watched two key players go out of the game with injuries, especially Sam Madison in a defensive backfield already weakened with injury. If Eli Manning or Plaxico Burress had gone down with a season-ending injury, Giants fans would rightly have asked what the hell Coughlin was thinking in keeping him in this meaningless game. As it is, they will go into the first round coming off a hard-fought loss and shorthanded. Coughlin validated the Patriot win, but that's hardly his first responsibility in coaching the Giants.
Will this go down as the greatest team in modern NFL history? Not unless they win the Super Bowl. It's the greatest regular season ever, but if they can't add a Lombardi Trophy to accompany it, history will rightly question why they failed. Nick Buoniconti and Bob Griese still have bragging rights, at least for five more weeks.
The Foregone Conclusion Will Get Broadcast Live
The NFL put an end to one of the dumbest controversies in politics this season, and an end to grandstanding by a Congress that has accomplished next to none of its own business. The league has decided to have CBS and NBC join the NFL Network in televising the final regular-season game of the New England Patriots:
After weeks of insisting they wouldn’t cave in, NFL officials did just that Wednesday. Now all of America can see the Patriots’ shot at history.Saturday night’s game between New England and the New York Giants on the NFL Network, which is available in fewer than 40 percent of the nation’s homes with TVs, will be simulcast on CBS and NBC.
The Patriots could become the first NFL team to go 16-0 in the regular season.
Could? The Patriots have proven themselves as operating at another level, while the Giants have struggled to make the playoffs. Not only that, but the game means nothing to the Giants. They won't risk their chances in the playoffs by getting Eli Manning or the rest of their starters hurt. They may play the first quarter, but after that the Giants will be giving their bench a warm-up for the postseason.
And why did the Senate get involved in this game? It may be stupid for the NFL to take its highest-profile games and reserve them for their own channel, but that would be their stupid decision and none of the government's business. One can understand John Kerry pandering to his constituents, but Pat Leahy and Arlen Specter threatened the NFL's anti-trust exemption as an extortive device to get them to break their exclusivity contract with a Boston television channel. If the anti-trust exemption is bad public policy, then Congress should revoke it, and if it isn't, then Congress should quit using it as leverage to determine the league's broadcast schedule.
Congress can't even pass its own budgets on time. What makes any of them think they have the competence to run someone else's business? If this is the new direction promised for the 110th Congress, then it's a Wrong-Way Riegels.
My Steelers Prediction -- NFL Week 14 Thread
Today the Pittsburgh Steelers meet the undefeated New England Patriots in Foxboro. The Patriots face the toughest remaining test this year in their quest to match and surpass the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Miami, meanwhile, faces off against Buffalo not far away to maintain its perfect season of futility.
Anthony Smith predicts a Steeler win:
Certainly, Steelers second-year safety Anthony Smith thinks so. The big discussion in the Patriots locker room Thursday was Smith's bold guarantee of victory."We heard about it," Brady said. "Coach always says we do our talking on Sundays. I'm glad they feel that way. I hope they feel that way. We'll see who comes out ahead on Sunday."
Belichick, whose quotes always seem to be in lockstep with Brady, added, "I would expect when Pittsburgh walks out there, they're going to expect a win. I can't imagine they would approach it any differently.
My prediction? Steelers win a tough game of smashmouth football, 27-21. Miami's already losing 21-7, so I think that streak will be safe. What are your predictions for today? The thread is open ....
UPDATE: Well, crud. Both teams kept their streaks alive, and Smith will have to get new uniforms next week to get one without the scorch marks left on him by Pats receivers:
Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes, shattering Steelers safety Anthony Smith's guarantee of a victory, Randy Moss caught two of them and New England crushed Pittsburgh 34-13 on Sunday.The lopsided victory against the NFL's stingiest defense followed a two-game struggle in which the Patriots (13-0) needed late comebacks to beat teams with losing records, Philadelphia and Baltimore.
I missed the game; I spent the evening watching the Little Admiral sing in a church Christmas pageant. The First Mate teasingly sympathized with me for missing the game, but I obviously made the right choice.
The Patriots Stay Unbeaten With Baltimore's Help
It looked as though the New England Patriots would lose their perfect season in Baltimore last night. On a desperation fourth-down play, Tom Brady couldn't execute the sneak to get the final yard, and the Ravens took over on downs -- except that their bench had called a time out just before the play to ice the Patriots. That one misstep encapsulated a quarter in which the Ravens gave the game back to the Pats in a nailbiter that kept New England perfect for at least another week:
The New England Patriots, pushing for the first undefeated season by an NFL team in 35 years, marched into Baltimore on Monday night and nearly ended up with a bruised ego and an embarrassing loss.Thanks to willpower and sheer luck, the Patriots defeated the Ravens, 27-24, and walked off with their 12th straight victory.
Behind, 24-20, with less than three minutes left, Tom Brady methodically marched the Patriots into a bind. With the ball just past midfield, the Patriots ran into a fourth and one. Brady tried a quarterback sneak and got stuffed. The game should have been over.
Instead, the Patriots got lucky. A Baltimore coach called timeout just before the snap, allowing the drive to continue. After two more game-saving fourth-down plays, and a crucial defensive holding penalty on Baltimore, Brady found receiver Jabar Gaffney for an 18-yard touchdown pass that sealed the victory and kept the Patriots' streak alive.
The Pats looked very beatable last night, struggling for most of the first half. The second half started to look the same, but somewhere in the last quarter, Baltimore looked like it just couldn't handle success. For some reason, with a one-touchdown lead and a drive looking like it might put the game out of reach, Kyle Boller decided to crank up a bomb -- to a section of turf with five Patriots and not a Raven in sight. The return gave the Pats great field position and allowed them to score a crucial field goal -- the difference in the game.
New England has run on fumes the last two games. Philadelphia, not exactly a tough team this year, nearly beat them with an aggressive defense. Baltimore would have beat them with the same kind of defense if the offense had been just a little better. Next week, they play Pittsburgh at home. Pittsburgh has also struggled a bit against poorer competition, but they play the kind of physical defense that has stymied New England of late, and they have an offense that can put points on the board. The Steelers also know how to play in cold and sloppy weather, which Foxboro will likely provide next week.
Here's my prediction: The Steelers will upset the Pats, 27-21. You read it here first.
Can The Dolphins Do It?
The NFL and its fans have a rare opportunity to follow two teams pushing for perfection in the same season. Tonight, the New England Patriots take on history again as well as the Baltimore Ravens in tonight's Monday night game, hoping to extend their unbeaten record in 2007. Yesterday, the Dolphins managed to clear the most significant hurdle in their quest for another kind of perfection:
It's going to be tough to stop the Miami Dolphins now.The last realistic obstacle in their path to imperfect immortality -- the New York Jets -- came and went Sunday, dropping a 40-13 defeat on the Dolphins as easily as Miami quarterback John Beck dropped the football -- twice -- when he wasn't throwing it to Jets defenders.
After three interceptions and two lost fumbles by Beck, the Dolphins were left at 0-12 with four games to play. They are the seventh team to open the NFL season with 12 consecutive defeats but the first to get there with seemingly no way out of an indelible 0-16 tag.*
(*The 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 0-14 because 31 years ago, NFL rules prevented teams from losing more than 14 games during a regular season. That changed in 1978, when the league expanded its regular-season schedule to 16 games. The Buccaneers went on to lose their first 12 games of the 1977 season for an overall 26-game losing streak, but the record does show that Tampa Bay never finished a season worse than 0-14. Sorry, Dolphins fans. Rules are rules.)
Florida may well find itself with two goose-egged NFL teams in history. At least the 1976 Bucs had some excuses. They had just come into existence as an expansion franchise in an era with some considerable hurdles to forming a first-year team. The NFL didn't have free agency at the time, so a free-spending new owner could hardly have bought his way to respectability, or even a couple of wins. It was a team of cast-offs and rookies, and legendary USC coach John McKay learned how Casey Stengel felt while managing the Mets in 1962. Asked to comment after one game about his team's execution, McKay replied that he thought it sounded like a good idea.
The Dolphins could use the excuse that they're in their 41st year as an expansion team, and they've certainly played like it. Despite going 0-for-2007, the Dolphins went into yesterday's game as the favorites. The Jets had just stunned the Steelers with a win at home, but otherwise had only beaten one other team -- the Dolphins, also at home. With home-field advantage and having just lost to the Steelers on the road by the only three points scored in the game, oddsmakers figured the Dolphins couldn't be bad enough to lose at home against the Jets.
Hopefully, Vegas casinos will absorb the shock at the slots. The Jets creamed the Dolphins in their worst loss all season -- and it doesn't get any better for Miami from this point forward. They have to play Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati, and the unbeaten Patriots to close out the season. They will have a tough time avoiding immortality as the only 0-16 NFL team ever.
This season could feature an impossible pas de deux: an unbeaten team and an all-beaten team, together in the same division. It would be the stuff of legend. Football fans will be on the edge of their seats for the rest of the year, and it's about the only way Miami could generate any interest at all.
The Grand Jury Asterisk
A federal grand jury in Barry Bonds' home turf placed the asterisk on his home run record that baseball declined to provide. Bonds received indictments for perjury and obstruction of justice yesterday for his actions in a federal investigation into illegal distribution networks of steroids. Given that he claimed no knowledge of steroid use, the perjury indictments demonstrate the grand jury's conclusion from the evidence that Bonds knew well that he juiced himself to win baseball's most prized records:
Barry Bonds, baseball's home run king, was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice Thursday and could go to prison instead of the Hall of Fame for telling a federal grand jury he did not knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs.The indictment, culminating a four-year investigation into steroid use by elite athletes, charged Bonds with four counts of perjury and one of obstruction of justice. If convicted, he could be sentenced to a maximum of 30 years in prison.
Shortly after the indictment was handed up, Bonds' personal trainer, Greg Anderson, was ordered released after spending most of the past year in prison for refusing to testify against his longtime friend.
The 10-page indictment mainly consists of excerpts from Bonds' December 2003 testimony before a federal grand jury investigating the Bay Area supplements lab at the center of a steroid distribution ring. It cites 19 occasions in which Bonds allegedly lied under oath.
An attorney familiar with the investigation told ESPN's T.J. Quinn that the government obtained the results of positive steroids tests for Barry Bonds during a search of BALCO facilities. The source said the positive results did not come from confidential testing conducted by Major League Baseball and the players association. In approximately 2001, MLB conducted tests to guage the level of substance problems among players. The government subpoenaed those records.
The release of Anderson is curious. Did he finally roll over on his friend? The positive steroids tests may not be entirely applicable, even if they came from BALCO rather than MLB. In order to prove perjury and/or obstruction, one has to prove an intent to mislead, and Bonds could still say that he didn't know that the preparations he received contained steroids. The grand jury likely found evidence of his knowledge and his active participation in a cover-up -- and Anderson could have provided that.
Bond's team reacted with typical arrogance. His attorney, Mike Rains, complained that a Justice Department that didn't know that waterboarding is torture couldn't tell the difference between prosecution and persecution, either. He accused prosecutors of "unethical conduct" without offering any specifics, and Rains didn't take any questions, either.
Should Bonds get the asterisk, or if convicted of perjury and obstruction, get removed from the record books altogether? Some will undoubtedly say yes, that cheating cannot be condoned, and that Bonds' use of steroids cheated pitchers and other players from honest competition. I'd have more sympathy to that argument if pitchers and other players hadn't also juiced themselves along the way, and if baseball had lifted a single finger in the years Bonds played to stop steroid use.
Not every baseball star juiced to achieve success, of course. But baseball allowed and even encouraged players to buff up, to put astronomical offensive numbers on the board in order to generate intense interest in the game. After its labor woes, MLB needed fireworks like the Sosa-McGwire chase, and Bonds' effort afterwards. As long as dingers put butts in the seats and clips on ESPN, baseball wasn't about to challenge the basis for their new success.
It's easy to target the arrogant star at the center of this controversy. He's mostly dislikable, and he's allegedly a liar to boot. However, Bonds doesn't deserve an asterisk for his records. Major League Baseball deserves an asterisk for an entire era of its statistics, and everyone -- the owners who reaped the profits, the players who refused to police themselves, and the fans who ate the sausage without caring how it was made -- should take the blame for it.
NFL Gives Vick The Pete Rose Treatment
Hours after releasing an admission that he had helped kill dogs and had bankrolled gambling as part of a dogfighting operation, Michael Vick got an indefinite suspension from the NFL. Commissioner Roger Goodell cited the "cruel and reprehensible" nature of Vick's acts, but it does not necessarily preclude Vick from a return to gridiron action in the future:
The NFL indefinitely suspended Michael Vick without pay Friday just hours after he acknowledged in court papers that he did, indeed, bankroll gambling on dogfighting and helped kill some dogs not worthy of the pit.Vick, however, insisted he placed no bets of his own nor took any winnings.
In disciplining Vick, commissioner Roger Goodell said Vick’s admitted conduct was “not only illegal but also cruel and reprehensible” and regardless whether he personally placed bets, “your actions in funding the betting and your association with illegal gambling both violate the terms of your NFL player contract and expose you to corrupting influences in derogation of one of the most fundamental responsibilities of an NFL player.”
Many wondered whether Vick would get a chance to plea out without taking responsibility for killing dogs or gambling on the illegal dogfights. Sports Illustrated reported yesterday that he would not do so, but obviously the US Attorney on the case refused to cut a deal otherwise. Vick didn't have much leverage; his three co-conspirators had already cut deals to testify against him.
Instead, Vick was forced to capitulate and submit a stipulation that the government would have proven a number of allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. The crimes included interstate transport to promote an illegal business, conspiring to do same, buying the property explicitly for that purpose, and so on. Paragraph 32 states that Vick and his partners "rolled" or tested dogs in April 2007, when the investigation first hit the news, and that "approximately 6-8 dogs ... were killed by various methods, including hanging and drowning. Vick agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of Peace, Phillips, and Vick." Paragraph 4 states that "Most of the "Bad Newz Kennels" operation and gambling monies were provided by Vick."
It doesn't get much clearer than that. Vick's attorneys say that he will have a statement for the press later. It's hard to see how he can spin this any other way than to admit to being just a little depraved.
However, depraved sells in the NFL. Even if Vick gets the 12-18 months that some have suggested, he could be ready for 2009. Will the NFL remain as offended then as they are now? As Duane Patterson and I discussed today on CQ Radio, Baltimore's Ray Lewis managed to come back to the NFL after pleading out to obstruction of justice in a case where human beings died rather than dogs. The league shrugged that off, and Lewis has been a good citizen ever since, at least publicly.
Will they let Vick do the same? It's hard to imagine that any team will be too keen on attaching themselves to Vick at the moment, but that could change in a couple of years. Once he's paid the price for his crime, he'll probably be 29 years old and still in good shape. Look for the NFL to soften its stance and allow Vick to latch onto a team -- and don't be surprised if he lands in Oakland.
Why Aaron Is King
Barry Bonds broke the career home-run record held for 33 years by Henry Aaron last night, jolting number 756 out of the park at home in San Francisco. Bonds took a 3-2 pitch into the stands 435 feet away -- and extended a controversy as to whether he deserves the record:
The ball exploded off Barry Bonds' bat, a small white sphere streaking through the dark San Francisco sky, headed for the right-center field seats and a hallowed place in baseball history.It was 8:51 Tuesday, a night no one in the sellout crowd of 43,154 at AT&T Park would ever forget, a night to be lived and relived by word of mouth, digital camera and endless reels of highlight tape.
On a 3-and-2 pitch from Washington Nationals left-hander Mike Bacsik, Bonds, in his second game after tying Hank Aaron's career home run mark of 755, belted No. 756.
In this, his 23rd season in the major leagues, his 16th in a Giants uniform, the holder of the single-season home run record with 73 in 2001 and a record seven most-valuable player awards, Bonds added the final jewel to his home run crown.
If Hammerin' Hank had his doubts about the steroid-fueled capture of his mark in baseball history, he had too much class to make that argument last night. Aaron, who pointedly refused to attend Bonds' games in objection to Bonds' alleged use of steroids, did the next-best thing:
Willie Mays, Bonds' godfather, the first Giants' icon in San Francisco, emerged from the dugout. The two men stood arm in arm, 1,416 home runs between them, first and fourth on the all-time list.And then Bonds turned, Mays turned, we all turned to the enormous video board behind center field. There was Aaron, suddenly second on the all-time list, larger than life and appropriately so.
"I would like to offer my congratulations to Barry Bonds on becoming baseball's career home run leader," Aaron said. "It is a great accomplishment which requires longevity and determination. Throughout the past century, the home run has held a special place in baseball, and I have been privileged to hold this record for 33 of those years.
"I move over now and offer my best wishes to Barry and his family on this historical achievement. My hope today, as it was on that April evening in 1974, is that the achievement of this record will inspire others to chase their own dreams."
Everyone knows that Bonds has used steroids in his efforts to improve his baseball game. It's been part of courtroom testimony, and it's been pretty obvious to those who have watched Bonds bulk up over the years. His 73 home runs in a single season -- at 37! -- made it more obvious than even Mark McGwire's bulking up on androstenidione to hit 70 shortly before that. Sammy Sosa also allegedly bolstered his natural performance, as did Jason Giambi, Jose Conseco, and plenty of others.
But that's part of the problem with putting a big, fat asterisk on Bonds' record. We may want to do that to show the difference between Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds, but both played in different conditions. If Bonds bulked up, so did plenty of other players, including the pitchers he faced. It's the Steroids Era, and Bonds excelled in it.
If anyone deserved the asterisk -- that despicable appendix with which Ford Frick cursed Roger Maris -- it's Babe Ruth. I'm not saying that Ruth took performance enhancing drugs; he usually handicapped himself with excessive drinking and eating. Ruth, however, played in an era that excluded some of the best talent in baseball because of segregation. He never had to face the excellent players in the Negro League, while Maris and Aaron played against a level field in their careers. Ruth hit 714 home runs (and set many other records as well) against a whites-only league. It's not his fault -- he didn't make the rules -- but it's the one era in baseball which limited competition and talent, and all records set in that era have to be taken with a grain of salt.
So who really deserves the asterisk? Peter Ueberroth, Fay Vincent, and Bud Selig. They did nothing while steroids flourished, because owners liked what it did to the game. It resulted in more homers, and more spectacular homers at that. It generated interest in baseball during some rocky times and led to the silly Home Run Derbys before All-Star Games. The owners marketed on steroids and they depended on them just as much as the players who used them -- and these commissioners didn't lift a finger to stop it until Congress asserted what little authority it had to embarrass MLB. Only then did Selig start pushing against the Steroids Era.
So let's not put all the blame on Bonds -- but let's recognize the man who earned that record without drugging himself, playing in an era where high mounds and wider strike zones made it one of the most difficult periods for hitters. Hammerin' Hank had to play baseball and fight bigots to get to 755. In my mind, he and Roger Maris will always be the home-run kings of baseball.
Vick Suspended
Last week, news that Michael Vick had been indicted on dogfighting and conspiracy charges stunned sports fans -- and apparently NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Yesterday, he ordered Michael Vick barred from preseason camp pending his own probe into the charges. Vick could find himself with plenty of time this fall to prepare for his defense:
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell yesterday ordered quarterback Michael Vick not to report to training camp with the Atlanta Falcons until the league has reviewed his legal troubles stemming from federal dogfighting charges.Vick's playing status is to be determined by Goodell, and the NFL gave no timetable for the decision other than to announce that the review would be completed "as soon as possible." ...
Others in the league have said that Vick, 27, could face a lengthy suspension under the NFL's toughened conduct policy imposed by Goodell in April. The policy empowers Goodell to suspend a player even if he has not been convicted of a crime. After enacting the policy, Goodell suspended Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones for a full season and imposed half-season suspensions on Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry and former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson.
Goodell met with Vick in April on the allegations of dogfighting and gambling, the latter of which really will concern the NFL. Vick apparently insisted that he had no idea what had happened on the property, but the indictments allege that Vick had been an active participant in staging the fights, killing the dogs, and gambling on the events. If Goodell determines that Vick lied in their initial meeting, that may be enough for Goodell to open up a starting QB slot for Joey Harrington in Atlanta for the entire season.
While animal lovers would cheer that decision, the real problem stems from the illegal gambling. The nexus of gamblers and athletes results in questions that shake the integrity of the games they play. Especially for an athlete whose inconsistencies are so widely noted, the presence of illegal gambling -- especially on a vile and illegal "sport" such as dogfighting -- will prompt fans to wonder whether Vick may have paid off some debts through point-shaving. The NFL has a deep interest in keeping the game clean and eliminating these kinds of questions, and Goodell will probably act long before Vick tries to defend himself in court.
Vick and his dwindling band of supporters will protest, saying that he has not been convicted in court of any wrongdoing -- but that doesn't require the NFL from acting in its own interest. If they find evidence that Vick has violated his contract and associated with gamblers in violation of their rules, then Vick needs to go. Goodell isn't required to sacrifice the NFL for the sake of one player's extraordinarily bad judgment.
Falcons QB Indicted On Dogfighting Conspiracy
The Atlanta Falcons may have to count on their backup quarterback in the 2007 season. According to ABC News, a grand jury indicted the star QB on felony charges surrounding an alleged dogfighting conspiracy centered at his mansion:
Michael Vick has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the dogfighting probe of his property in Virginia.The Falcons quarterback was indicted for conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District in Richmond, Va. Three others -- Purnell Peace, Quanis Phillips and Tony Taylor -- also were indicted by the grand jury on the same charges.
According to court documents filed by federal authorities earlier this month, dog fights have been sponsored by "Bad Newz Kennels" at the property since at least 2002. For the events, participants and dogs traveled from South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, Texas and other states.
Members of the venture also knowingly transported, delivered and received dogs for animal fighting, the documents state.
Fifty-four pit bulls were recovered from the property during searches in April, along with a "rape stand," used to hold dogs in place for mating; an electric treadmill modified for dogs; and a bloodied piece of carpeting, the documents said.
The alleged perpetrators carefully bathed the dogs before a fight. Some participants apparently would occasionally put poison on the dogs' coats in order to disable its opponent. This consideration would end in a loss; if the dog survived, they would kill it by electrocution, drowning, strangulation, gun shot, or whatever other method was handy.
Vick denied that he had any connection to the activities on his property. He sold it after the initial search, but apparently not quickly enough to convince federal investigators. He stopped talking about the case over the last couple of months -- a wise move. The federal grand jury didn't need to hear from him to hand down the indictments.
Why federal and not state investigators? The conspiracy crossed several state lines. Bad Newz Kennels staged dogfights as far north as New Jersey and as far south as South Carolina. The Virginia Attorney General originally accused federal officials of going after Vick because of his celebrity, then changed his tune when the extent of the ring became apparent.
I like watching Vick on the football field, even though I'm usually rooting against him. He's exciting and unpredictable. However, if he's guilty of this, he should do some serious prison time for participating in such a cruel so-called "sport". It's despicable, and if convicted, the NFL should think twice before allowing him back in the game -- and not just for the cruelty, but for the gambling as well.
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