Yes, that subject again. Sorry, but there just doesn't seem to be much news to write about, and I've been working hard on the script I have been writing, so that's why blogging has been relatively light. In addition, I am working on getting the new blog, Classlesswarfare up and running.
So what's the news? Well, the Daily News is saying the NY Giants, who will be without a coach once Wellington Mara fires Jim Fassel after the season is over, should go after Jimmy Johnson.
I've always liked Johnson and his desire to win. I hated his guts when he coached the Cowboys, but that's because it was the Cowboys. I am sure Cowboys fans couldn't stand Bill Parcells, but now that they're 8-4 in his first year, they'd kiss his ass one second after he told them to pucker up.
The Giants are too talented to be 4-8. They have a pretty good defense and a great offense. To me, the Fassel show was over the day they lost to the putrid Atlanta Falcons. Jim Fassel has been a good coach. He got the Giants to the Super Bowl. Sure, they got the shit kicked out of them by the Ravens but they were still there. But he lost something, and he's lost this team. They just don't seem to want to play for him anymore, and Fassel appears to be in over his head trying to be the head coach and the offensive coordinator (for reference see Steve Spurrier in Washington). He doesn't trust anybody else to do it, so it's time to bring somebody in who does.
Jimmy Johnson can do that.
As the article points out, the chances are remote. But Johnson isn't going to be asked to take over a team and rebuild from the ground up. The Giants are as talented, even moreso than the Philadelphia Eagles. Given the right direction, they could win and given Johnson another Super Bowl ring.
Kevin Brown that is. That's what Newsday is saying.
I'd rather the Yankees get Brown for two years than Bartolo Colon for three. It will actually cost them less money and I'm convinced Colon starts resembling Marlon Brando the moment the ink dries on his contract. This also means they wouldn't have to part with Alfonso Soriano (it amazes me that they're even considering trading this guy) in order to land Javier Vazquez from Montreal. The Expos would have to 'settle' for Nick Johnson, now that it appears the Yankees are intent on making Bernie Williams their full time DH with rumors that they are looking to land Kenny Lofton to play center.
If the Vazquez deal does't work out, nobody appears to be rushing out to grab David Wells, so the Yanks could offer him a one year deal for a couple mil since they declined his $6 million option. In addition, they have an ace in the hole with Wells. He joked and laughed about his lack of conditioning and it cost them in the World Series. They can tell him to shape up, get a fewl million and try for another Series ring, or he can take $750K from somebody like the Tigers and enjoy being a cellar dwellar his last few years in the bigs.
That would give the Yankees a starting rotation of Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, Kevin Brown, Jose Contreras and David Wells/Javier Vazquez.
It appears that aside from some details over the size and length of the contract, Gary Sheffield will be the Yankees new right fielder.
Sheffield can hit. There's no denying that. I just question the wisdom of signing a guy that's 35. Bernie Williams is 35 and Hideki Matsui will be 30 in June.
They're no geezers by any stretch, but the Yankees should be looking for ways to drive that average age down, not up.
I will have a long post on this later. Let me just say that the excuses coming from both the players assocation and Bud Selig are pathetic. So are the penalties for getting caught using steroids.
UPDATE:
This is a black eye on baseball. It's worse than Pete Rose. It's worse than the strike of 1994. It immediately calls into question all of the big home run feats we have seen over the last 5-6 years. McGwire's home runs. Sammy's home runs. Barry's home runs. It also puts a taint on pitchers who are probably using as well.
Selig and others have said that the percentage of those that tested positive, 5-7% is proof that steroid use isn't as rampant as some have said. Well fine. Jose Canseco was wrong. Big deal. It's still cheating.
The fact that THG was not tested is revealing as well. Considering the FDA only declared it to be illegal just a few weeks ago, anybody who was taking it last year gets a pass. Guys like Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi have been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury investigating the company BALCO, which produced THG. Both have in effect said they "did nothing wrong." Technically, they're right. Since THG was legal at the time and because MLB didn't test for steroids, they didn't violate any laws or rules. Of course, at that point, it comes back to the question of whether or not something is moral, simply because it's legal. I wonder how high that percentage would be if THG was tested.
Worse yet, are the absurd penalties if somebody gets caught. Get this. For the first offense, the player essentially has to take a class where some guy will tell him how bad steroids are for him. The second offense merits a 15 day suspension, 25 for the third, 50 for the fourth and a ban of a year on the 5th failed test.
Sammy Sosa got an 8 game suspension for corking his bat. But he can juice up all winter if he wants and get to take a class if he fails the pee test. A player can get busted for doing coke, and it automatically merits (if I am not mistaken) a 30 day suspension. It's quite reasonable to believe that the coke sniffing goes on after hours and nobody is going to say that a coked up player improves his performance.
Steroids do make you stronger. And there's no doubt that extra strength is what allows some of these guys to hit 450 foot home runs off the end of the bat.
Selig and the MLB Players Association (who were dead set against any testing at all but were cowed by these results) are attempting as hard as they can to spin this as the league "getting tough" on players who cheat in such a way. It's not tough. It's weak, and it's an insult to people like me who love the game.
Why was the 'Rookie Of The Year' award ok for Ichiro Sukuki and Kazuhiro Sasaki but not for Hideki Matsui?
I agree that Major League Baseball needs to redefine exactly what constitutes a 'rookie.' However, the writers are supposed to vote within the rules, and they offered up another reason why they shouldn't be in charge of who wins what awards or who gets elected to the baseball Hall of Fame.
Kazuhiro Sasaki was 32 years old when he won Rookie of The Year honors in 2000. Ichiro Suzuki was 28. Hideki Matsui is 20. None of them are rookies in the conventional sense, but under current rules, they are.
The problem I have with Matsui not winning is precisely because some writers left him off because they didn't think he's a 'real' rookie.
Bill Ballou of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune didn't include Matsui."I really do think he is not a rookie in the traditional and true sense of what a rookie is," Ballou said. "I think major league baseball has to look at redefining what a rookie is."
That's great Bill, but you're not the arbiter of what is and isn't a rookie. You're supposed to follow the rules:
A rookie is a player who hasn't accumulated 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in previous seasons and hasn't spent 45 or more days on 25-man active rosters, not including times when the active list is expanded to 40.
Sorry, but it's not right. Matsui put up better numbers than Angel Berroa. Matsui had more hits, RBI's, doubles, walks, and less strikeouts. Their batting averages were the same (.287) and Barroa hit 7 triples to Matsui's 1. Barroa also had more stolen bases. That's it.
If you ask me, Matsui's pinstripes had a lot to do with why he was left off some ballots as well.
Remember when I asked this question?
Let's see:
Kerry Collins - 25 of 40 for 202 yards, 2 picks, 0 TD's
Trent Green - 29 of 43 for 368 yards, 0 picks, 3 TD's
Tbogg is the only one who told me to go with Green.
Oh well.
They will be needing a new third base coach as Lee Mazzilli will be the latest manager for the Baltimore Orioles. Good for him.
The New York Post is reporting that the Yanks are interested in Arizon pitcher Curt Schilling. Why? He's 37 years old and they'd have to trade to get him. And since Arizona is looking to dump payroll, that means the Yankees would have to give up cheap and young talent.
It seems to me that the Yankees aren't being desperate enough in their efforts to re-sign Andy Pettitte. Unlike many players in the game today, Pettitte is a true family man and will easily accept an offer to play close to home if he thinks the Yanks are playing games. The Astros just cleared $8 million from their payroll by trading Billy Wagner to the Phillies and Andy lives right nearby. Stop fucking around George. Give him his 4 years and his $50 million. The guy has only averaged 16.5 victories and 200 innings for you over the last nine seasons.
I am in a Fantasy Football league and while I am sitting in first place, I have a big time redneck breathing down my neck as well as a OJ looking brother. I have two QB's but can only play one. The predicament is that both of my QB's are going to be playing against teams they will probably feast on.
Kerry Collins and the Giants are playing the hapless and Vickless Atlanta Falcons, who have the worst secondary in the game.
Trent Green and the undefeated Chiefs go up against the Cleveland Browns.
Both the Giants and Chiefs are playing at home.
I am leaning towards Collins. He seems to have finally awakened and in fact is leading the NFL in passing yards. However, he can look like an All-Pro sometimes (like he did last week) but then look like complete stiff other times. At the same time, Atlanta has a putrid defense. They are dead last in passing defense and only the Jets and Raiders have a worst defense against the run.
Who would you play?
MIB, you stay out of this....
One of the most feared hitters in all of baseball during the mid-80's was Don Mattingly. Dubbed 'The Hit-Man' because of his lethal bat, Mattingly's presence as a Yankee was right up there with Gehrig, Ruth, Dimaggio and Mantle. Even people that hated the Yankees, liked watching him play. He was so damned good. A back injury forced him out of the game early. He belongs in the Hall of Fame. Don't believe me? Compare his stats to Kirby Puckett, who is in the Hall. They are eerily similar.
Mattingly left baseball after the 1995 season, just one year before the Yankees began their great run. In that season, Mattingly enjoyed post-season play for the first time and he showed in that series why he was so good. In 5 games he batter .417, sported a slugging percentage of .708, had 10 hits, including a home run and four doubles. He also drove in 6 runs.
Though he has been a part time hitting instructor for the Yankees the last few seasons, Mattingly has resisted coming back full time because he preferred spending time with his family in Evansville, Indiana.
Well, the wait is over. Don Mattingly will be introduced today as the Yankees new full time batting coach, taking over for the recently canned Rick Down.
Welcome back Donnie Baseball.
This is pretty funny. Go to this page and on the right there is a graphic on the right that says:
Fan Prediction73% of Pro Pick'em users chose New York to win this game.
Of course, the problem with this is, the game was between the New York Giants and the New York Jets.
Continuing with the discussion about the Yankees, there are two interesting articles today where two writers are advocating what the Yankees should do.
First there is this one where Kevin Kernan of the NY Post thinks the Yankees should get Alex Rodriguez. The greedy Yankees fan inside of me wouldn't mind seeing A-Rod and Jeter playing together, but who would move? One would have to move to second or third.
Second, there is this article where John Harper offers his views on what the Yanks should do. In hindsight, I will say Matt's idea of trying to get Mike Lowell, is probably a good idea. Brosius was 32 when the Yankees picked him up and Lowell would be around for a good 5-6 years. Harper thinks so too. Here's what Harper says. I'm paraphrasing.
1. Move Alfonso Soriano to the outfield and put him 6th in the lineup. He's too good to trade, and putting him down in the order (Which MIB suggested in earlier comments) would take off the "get on base" pressure and allow him to do what he does best, which is hit for power. Question is, where in the outfield does he go? Do you move Bernie to right?
2. Sign Japaneses star Kaz Matsui to play 2nd base, despite the fact that he is a shortstop.
3. Sign Mike Lowell.
4. (I love this one) Trade Jeff Weaver and Nick Johnson to Montreal for Javier Vasquez. Vasquez, a.) Is young (27) b.) Is durable (230 innings each of the last 2 seasons with 6 complete games) c.) Can strike people out (241 K's this year). His record this year 13-12, but he had an ERA of 3.24 which gets him 20 wins on the Yankees.
Harper may be on to something.
Anybody who follows baseball knows about George Steinbrenner. Despite the fact that the Yankees came two wins away from winning their 5th World Series title in 8 years, there are going to be changes. One big change is out of their hands and that's the retirement of Roger Clemens. David Wells and his casual attitude about conditioning sounded funny before Game 5, but nobody was laughing when he had to come out after one inning with a bad back - the result of poor conditioning.
In my previous post, I jumped the gun when I said Torre would leave. I don't think he will. But who will go and what changes should and will be made? I'll offer some thoughts here, but don't hold me to it.
Third base. Aaron Boone is a free agent. Let him go. He's going to want $10-$11 million a year, and he isn't worth it. Yes, he'll forever be remembered for crushing the dreams of Red Sox fans around the world, but he'll also be remembered for his bad glove (7 errors in the postseason) and his inability to hit anything other than a fat knuckleball out of the infield. Drew Henson will probably get his shot.
Second base. As much as I hate to do it, the Yankees would do themselves a favor by dealing Alfonso Soriano. Soriano is only 25 years old and he'll eventually get more patient at the plate. In fact, in 2003, he walked more and struck out less than he did in 2002. But he doesn't seem all that interested in becoming more patient at the plate and that is why he has a .330 on base percentage. That's no good for a lead-off hitter. The Yankees should deal him now, while he's a hot commodity. The fact that he will come cheaply for many teams, is going to make him that much more attractive. The Yankees should consider going after somebody like Jose Vidro from Montreal to fill the spot. Vidro won't steal bases, but he'll be on base. His OBP has gone up every year for the last 3 years. Plus he's a switch hitter.
Outfield. Forget Gary Sheffield. Forget Vladimir Guerrero. Get Carlos Beltran. Don't get me wrong. Sheffield can still smoke the ball and Guerrero is a monster with a cannon for an arm. But there's a reason Sheffield has been on 5 different teams in 15 years. Plus he's 35. Guerrero is going to cost tons of money. Beltran gives the Yankees a brand new center fielder. Bernie Williams can still play, but it will have to be in right field. Beltran can cover a lot of ground, and is getting more patient at the plate. In addition, he's only 26. He's also a switch hitter. With him and Vidro added to the lineup, that gives the Yankees 4 switch hitters (Williams, Vidro, Beltran, Posada) which would give opposing managers a fit.
Such a lineup would improve the Yankees ability not only to get on base but get baserunners home. They don't need anymore power. Giambi's going to hit 40-45 home runs. Williams, Matsui, Beltran, Vidro, Posada, Jeter and Nick Johnson will all hit between 15-25 which is more than enough. They should be willing to take their chances with Drew Henson at third. Even if he doesn't hit, it won't matter all that much.
As for the pitching staff, they have to give Pettitte whatever the hell he wants. That would give the Yankees a starting 4 of Pettitte, Mike Mussina, John Lieber and Jose Contreras. What they do after that is anybody's guess. I suppose Soriano could be used in a deal to get somebody. Who knows? Jeff Weaver, the latter day version of Ed Whitson and Kenny Rogers has all the tools to be a good pitcher. He just won't be one in New York.
In any event, that's what I could come up with. It doesn't cut a hole through the team, and it doesn't make them older.
Hitting coach Rick Down is probably going to be the first guy that gets canned. Maybe Steinbrenner will bring back Chris Chambliss who was fired after the 2000 season because of none other than Derek Jeter. Jeter didn't like Chambliss's approach and was seeking advice from Gary Denbo, who became the Yankees hitting coach in 2001 and proceeded to start the Yankees on their quest to hit below the Mendoza line in the playoffs. That firing never made sense to me. Chambliss was the hitting coach for the three year run they won championships (98-00). Yeah, let's get rid of that guy! It was probably the only selfish thing Jeter has done in pinstripes. I'd love to see Don Mattingly take over, but he's a big family man and is comfortable doing part time hitting instruction.
Oh well. We'll see. Only 4 months until pichers and catchers report!
UPDATE: Matt chimed in, and despite his ideas to turn the Yankees into geriatric central, he makes a salient point about Carlos Beltran. His agent is Scott Boras, and he's apparently going to be asking for $18-$20 million per for his client. Thanks, but no thanks. Beltran is good. But he's not good enough yet for $20 million per.
Good work. (BTW, I snickered when Bobby Valentine said Marlins in 6 on Baseball Tonight last week. That bastard got the last laugh.)
Josh Beckett. Wow. How long before Steinbrenner is yelling at Brian Cashman to get that guy?
Oh and here's a question: Does Torre stay or go? It doesn't have to be by getting fired, but will he go?
I say he's outta here. There's no way he's going to take another of shit like he just put up with.
Here's hoping Loria doesn't dismantle a championship team.
Let me just settle this thing once and for all because I want to make clear what my view is on the subject, rather than people telling me what my view is.
1. Zimmer's actions were wrong. He knows that. It's why he apologized for what he did. He should have been ejected. He had about as much chance as landing that haymaker as my 6 year old son would have hitting a tape measure home run off a Martinez slider. That doesn't matter. He threw a punch. He should have been tossed.
2. The excuse by some that Pedro was merely 'defending himself' has to be some of the most pathetic nonsense I have ever read. I don't care what political spectrum you belong to. I watched the video of that over and over again. Pedro didn't just 'push' Zim to the side. He grabbed him by the back of the head and threw him to the ground. It's as simple as that. People are laughingly saying that Zimmer 'ran and lunged' at Pedro and there was nothing else he could do. Stop it. Zim running and lunging is like 'bullet-time' in The Matrix. What Pedro did cemented my feelings toward him as nothing but a punk.
Subject is closed.
Despite Ricky's hopes and prayers, today's the day that the mighty Big Orange machine kicks some serious Georgia Puppy butt....and I win the bet.
Too bad I didn't bet with this one, too. Next time, I'll buy the crying towels by the gross.
UPDATE: I'm working on my list. 
For two reasons: Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.
I cannot stand listening to these two idiots for more than a couple of minutes before I have to hit the mute button.
I still have trouble fathoming why McCarver is consistently praised for his ability to call games. I'm not taking away from his knowledge of the sport. He knows that game and he also knows a lot of the nuances about the game, but guess what Tim? So do the people watching and we don't need you explaining every little goddamned thing to us as though it was the first game we ever watched.
A perfect example was in the Yanks/Twins series. Derek Jeter was on second and Jason Giambi was on first with Bernie Williams at the plate. During that at-bat, Jeter broke for third and got the steal. Giambi stayed put. McCarver hit us with this winner:
"Now you see that? When there's first and second and one guy takes off for third, the guy on first doesn't automatically run too because he doesn't get as a good a jump as the guy on second."
Wow. Thanks Tim. I never would have known that.
This wouldn't be so bothersome, except he does it all the time. For whatever reason, he thinks the audience doesn't know a thing about baseball. He also loves to dwell on the stupidest things for minutes at a time and refuses to let go.
Joe Buck is just awful. He tries to be dramatic - just to be dramatic. His knowledge of the game is poor, and his attempts at being humorous are very lame. At least when Bob Brenly was there prior to joining the Diamondbacks, there was somebody who could offer some valuable insight to viewers. Neither of these clowns do.
Once again I will try to pick up ESPN radio from my house.
Might as well stay with the baseball theme. If you were going to choose Manager of the Year, who would you choose?
In the American League, I would probably go with Ron Gardenhire of the Twins. Even without one of their better pitchers, Joe Mays, the Twins were still able to win the division.
The National League is more interesting. At this point it comes down to Dusty Baker and Jack McKeon.
What Baker has done with the Cubs is awesome. It should no doubt cement his standing as one of the best managers the game has seen. Remember, the Cubs lost 94 games last year, and this year, they won the division. Should the Cubs make it to the World Series, Baker become the first manager to take two different clubs to the big show in two consecutive years.
At the same time, you have to marvel at what Jack McKeon has done with the Marlins. Taking over for the fired Jeff Torborg in May when the Marlins were 19-29 and in last place, McKeon has taken a team of young upstarts (aside from veteran catcher Pudge Rodriguez) and turned them into playoff contenders. They beat the San Francisco Giants in 4 games without guys named Wood and Prior.
It would be close, but as of right now, McKeon would get my vote.
It doesn't get any better than this. There are no rivalries in other sports quite like the ones in baseball. Baseball rivalries transcend different players and different decades. Yankees/Red Sox, Giants/Dodgers, Phillies/Mets. If you're a fan of one team, chances are you hate the other. That's just how it goes. Everybody can tell you a different story about why they hate the other team. There are so many examples. That's why it's always great to see when two rivals meet in the playoffs.
The American League Championship Series starts Wednesday night at Yankees Stadium. It's called 'The House That Ruth Built.' The Yankees are winners of 26 World Series titles. 4 of those have come in the last 7 years.
The Red Sox have not won a World Series since 1918 - the year before they traded the greatest slugger who ever lived - Babe Ruth - to the Yankees. Since then, Red Sox fans have had to deal with the legend of 'The Curse.' For the non-baseball fans out there, 'The Curse' is what has supposedly inflicted the Red Sox the last 85 years. That was their punishment for trading away Ruth, who is arguably one of the best baseball players ever to play the game.
The Yankees meanwhile went on to become the greatest sports franchise of all time. Critics have written off their last 4 World Series titles to nothing but money. The Yankees 'bought' their World Championships by being able to sign big name players like Mike Mussina and Jason Giambi. Of course, they forget that the nucleus of this team - Andy Pettitte, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada (Thanks Sean! - ed.)Bernie Williams and Mariano Rivera - were farm team talent. They forget the stretch of 18 years they didn't win, including a 4 year stretch where they finished with losing seasons. The argument that they 'bought' their championships can easily be written off as nothing more than sour grapes.
This ALCS is going to be interesting. Many of the players have changed. The edge at this point has to go to the Yankees, and I think most Red Sox fans would agree. With Pedro pitching last night, he won't be available until Game 3. That means the Yankees will face Tim Wakefield and John Burkett in games 1 and 2, while the Red Sox will face Mike Mussina and/or Andy Pettitte/Roger Clemens. In addition, Mariano Rivera is rested and pitching as well as he ever has. The guy is practically untouchable.
Still, the Red Sox do have big bats. The throwback lineup they have (I mean throwback in a good way) can get big hits, and if they can get to the starters early, watch out.
No predictions here, but you all know who I will be cheering for. This is going to be fun.
One has to wonder about Bud Selig. Talks of contraction within Major League Baseball are likely to surface again following this years World Series.
The funny thing is, will the Twins once again become a target? I am still amazed, that the Twins would even be considered. After all, this is a team that has won 2 World Series titles since 1987. And even though they didn't make it to the World Series in 2002 or 2003, they did win the American League Central division title the past two years. They made it to the ALCS last year. Why on God's green (or brown if you're an environmental wacko) earth would the Twins be targeted and not Selig's shitty Brewers, who haven't won a damned thing since 1982?
Rush Limbaugh's stint at ESPN is over. He has quit.
Now people can stop whining, thank God.
But, I do have some thoughts on this.
Rush's criticism was not directed towards Donovan McNabb (other than to say he was overrated which I don't agree with), but the media.
A few months ago, when Sammy Sosa's corked bat incident came up, several players said the whole thing was blown out of proportion by the media -- because of racism. So if the media blew a black player's foibles out of proportion due to race, isn't it possible that the media could also patronize a black player due to race?
UPDATE: Let me also say that I agree with what Jane said in the comments. Rush did exactly what he said he wouldn't do and what his critics said he would do: bring politics into the mix.
His commentary about hiring and interviewing coaches was fair game. That was regarding NFL policy. This incident wasn't. Though I don't think his comments were anywhere near as bad as some have made it out to be (you'd think from Wesley Clark's reaction that Rush shouted, "I hate n*gger quarterbacks!"), he fu*cked up by choosing to try and blend his radio show with the sport.
As for the drugs...well....it just seems strange that a guy as wealthy and connected as Limbaugh could only score meds from his housekeeper. However, he has had some harsh things to say about drug addicts.......
That's right Red Sox fans. The New York Yankees won their 6th straight AL East division title last night, when they slapped the Chicago White Sox 7-0. I want to thank White Sox manager Jerry Manuel for walking Derek Jeter to load the bases so that they could pitch to Jason Giambi. Grand salami baby.
The Giants made it exciting, but they did win!
And the Yankees have reduced their magic number to ONE. Two weeks ago the Red Sox were 1.5 games out of first. Now they're fighting for their lives just to get into the playoffs.
Mike and JK have been strangely absent....
Just as I predicted, Big Orange travelled to the Swamp and kicked Gator butt. I'm sure Jay will acknowledge my unerringly fab taste in SEC teams, as soon as he stops sobbing.
Next prediction....Smokey stomps the sissy Dawgs, baby. Ricky, what are you willing to stake?
That's right Vols fans. You and your crappy orange uniforms are going down this weekend when they take on a real team:
There's going to be a lot of this
and this
which will lead to this:
It's on baby!
Let me first say that the Giants deserved to lose that game last night. I can understand the offense not doing much at first because of 3 rookies on the offensive line, but the defense had no excuse. They practically made Quincy Carter look like Michael Vick for crying out loud. Bill Parcells is good and he's going to make the Cowboys good again. But this season, a team like the Giants shouldn't have to rally from a 15 point deficit.
That being said, would somebody please explain to me the logic of 'squib' kicks? I know that part of it has to do with the clock, and that kicking it along the ground means there's a better chance a player will touch the ball, thereby starting the clock. However, how many kickoffs are actually returned for touchdowns? The percentage has to be in the single digits. Even if the guy gets the ball back to the 40 where it was after the penalty, they'll be down to 3-4 seconds and there's no way they can move the ball 25 yards and set up in time for a field goal even with a timeout.
So now Willis is happy because the Skins are in first place. Next week is going to be an interesting game.
Next Saturday. BIG ORANGE vs the Girly GATORS. Jim Bob Cooter vs. some nameless Swamp-boy.
My prediction: The Vols in a romp. What sayeth you, Jay?
The above picture was a familiar site for Kurt Warner all day, as the Giants defense took control of today's game.
The Giants looked good and their off-season pick ups helped out as Brian Mitchell scored their only offensive touchdown of the day and Jeff Feagles had two punts inside the 20 including one that put the Rams on their own 6. That led to a fumble by Warner in the end zone, recovered by Kenny Holmes for a touchdown.
The concerns, which will improve, were the Giants lousy 3rd down efficiency, and giving up 347 passing yards.
They were monstrous on the run holding the Rams to a total of 35. Marshall Faulk had 23 yards rushing on 10 carriers.
It was a great start to the season. Next Monday, they will take on the Cowboys. I can't wait for that game.
There is no analyst who has been more wrong in his football selections (when it comes to key games) than Jay Novacek, former Cowboy tight end, turned NFL guy for MSNBC.
For the NFL opener, he has picked the Jets to win. Now, I am not a Jets fan (I used to like them until 1986 when their annoying fans (they're like Mets fans) started hooting and hollering about how dominant they were. They laughed when Paul McGwire said on NBC they wouldn't win another game the rest of the season, when at the time they were 10-1. Not only was he right, but the Jets proceeded to lose very big in those games. Needless to say, their season ended with a whimper while Big Blue went on to get their first Super Bowl ring) but as a Giants fan, any team that plays against any other NFC team is going to get my support.
Now we have Jay Novacek saying they'll win. That's almost as bad as a Sports Illustrated endorsement.
UPDATE: Told you.
People can talk about the 'curse' all they want, but there's a big reason why the Red Sox still can't get to the big show, while the Yankees show the way. The Red Sox went into this weekend with the chance of being a mere 1.5 games out of first place. If you want to see the difference, take a look at how players from each team approached the series. First the Sox:
“We come in and sweep this weekend, we’re in great shape to win the division,” [Todd] Walker said.
And now the Yankees:
But New York’s Derek Jeter is taking a short-term approach."You can’t worry (about) it being 1½ after the first day and you can’t worry about it being 7½ after the first day,” he said. “You have to take it day-by-day."
That's the difference. I don't need to explain anything.
I will say that Sox fans showed a lot of class giving Clemens a standing ovation and recognizing his greatness, even though he is now the enemy.
The thing is, I probably wouldn't hate the Red Sox so much if it weren't for their arrogant, pompous, holier than thou fans. See JK's response to Pedro's wussiness. That's typical Red Sox fan nonsense. PFFFT.
Is he guilty? I have no idea. I am not going to discuss the case right now. Somebody said that a DA would not have brought these charges if he didn't have strong evidence, while others are saying "Look how much this prosecutor is on television." I do have to admit that his timing for the announcement (right at the height of the news hour) was tacky considering they already knew whether or not he was going to be charged.
In any event the issue here is a very simple one: You play you pay. Kobe Bryant, whether he is innocent of rape or not, would not be in this predicament if he had just kept his pants zipped. That's all there is to it.
This is a time where I will agree that the media bloodhounds are embarassing themselves. These reports about Kobe Bryant allegedly sexual assaulting a woman in a Colorado hotel are insane. The man hasn't even been formally charged with a crime and yet w're reading stories about how he might lose his endorsement deals, and other troubles he may have.
The kicker is this story in ESPN in which the neighbors of the alleged victim were interviewed. The husband at first didn't believe the story until he found it was his neighbor and he had this to say:
"My thinking was entirely based on Kobe's clean image. But now, actually knowing this girl and her family a lot more than I know Kobe, I just do not think she would do anything malicious. We're dealing with a young girl here, somebody brought up in the mountains, a trusting person.
"Somebody brought up in the mountains"? What the fuck is that? I'll tell you what that is. Let's translate: "She's white, he's black. Therefore, she isn't lying."
Of course, I don't know what happened. Maybe she is telling the truth. Who knows? The point here is, Kobe's name is being dragged though the mud already before we even know anything.
Barry Bonds fans often wonder why he's considered such a jerk. Well, his response to why he isn't going to take part in the home run derby this year is a perfect example. When Bonds was asked why he wasn't going he said:
"Because I'm a grown man and I don't have to do it.""Did Michael Jordan play in the slamfest every year?" Bonds asked. "Nobody asked him why. I'm 30-something years old. They didn't even ask me. Go ahead and get mad at me. Say what you want, but no."
He sounds like my 6 year old son when he pouts and says, "I'll do whatever I want!"
Grow up dude.
Jayson Stark has a good article over the stupid selection process for this year's baseball All-Star game. What kills me is the whole promotion of "this time it counts" wherein the winner of this game will get home field advantage in the World Series. Let's look at the stupidity of this:
1. Some of the best players are not going thanks to the stupid selection process. The rule that every team must field a player makes it harder for the managers to make up their rosters which is why pitchers who are 8-1 with a 2.13 ERA don't go and pitchers with 4 blown saves and an ERA of 6.29 get to go.
2. Do you think guys playing for the cellar dwellers are going to give a rat's ass who gets home field advantage in the World Series, considering they won't be there?
All this does is continue to shine a light on just how incompetent Bud Selig is as a commissioner. The All-Star game is supposed to be about the fans. The fans select the starters, but under the rules, the manager has to use the entire roster. This is what led to the 7-7 fiasco of a year ago. By the time the game ended, there were no other pitchers and most of the players had left. What happens this year if one of the pitchers no-hits the other team through 3? Since 'it counts' this time, why should the manager have to take him out of the game? Alternatively, if Ichiro Suzuki gets hits in his first two at bats, and steals some bases, why should he be taken out if 'it counts'?
It's just stupid. Stop with the dumb experiments. I just want to watch some baseball. Save the gimmicks for professional wrestling.
Ricky West has an entry dealing with this ESPN article which lists the 10 most overrated athlete of all time. I can't argue with some of his choices, but the one glaring error in this list (and Ricky agrees) is Nolan Ryan.
How in the hell can anybody say Nolan Ryan was overrated?
Too many people point out his shoddy win/loss record, but that's a lot of bunk. This guy played for lousy teams in an era when free agency was new, and pitchers weren't as coveted as they are now. Can anybody imagine what Ryan would have done had he played with Oakland or Cincinnati in the 70's or the Dodgers or Yankees in the 80s? Case and point: In 1987, Ryan was pitching for the Astros. He was 8-16 with 34 starts that year. He had 270 strikeouts in 211 innings pitched. His ERA was a league leading 2.76 and he still lost 16 games. Talk about a lack of run support.
This is a guy who had 300+ strikeouts in a season when he was forty two years old. He pitched seven no-hitters.
There is easily some debate over whether or not Ryan was the greatest ever. But overrated? No way.
It looks as though they are actually going to have to compete for ACC Championships from now on instead of that candy-ass schedule they normally get. Miami and Virginia Tech are coming to the ACC.
This is a major hit for The Big East. The Big East used to be the premier college basketball conference. UConn, Villanova, Georgetown, St. Johns, Seton Hall, Syracuse, were all powerhouses. Granted, Syracuse just won the national title, but the conference as a whole has seen better times. The resurgence of Miami football, and the explosion of the game at Virginia Tech has helped bring The Big East some big bucks over the last few years. That money disappears after next season.
Expect additional lawsuits to follow.
The probably shouldn't be reporting this, but Jose Canseco who must have the brain power of a fleas' fart, has been arrested. Again.
Michele believes Roger Clemens should show a little respect to Red Sox fans and graciously accept going into the Hall of Fame wearing a Sox cap instead of the Yankees cap like he wants. Clemens has gone so far to already say that he will not show up at the induction ceremony if he doesn't go in as a New York Yankees player.
The Hall of Fame, being an independent museum, has the final say on what cap a player is shown wearing on his HOF plaque.
The issue with Roger Clemens goes back to 1996 and how the Red Sox dumped him when he was a free agent. Red Sox General Manager at the time, Dan Duquette said Clemens was in the 'twilight' of his career. Clemens last 4 years with the Sox weren't the best of his career, but an argument can be made that he didn't get much help either. In 1996 for instance, which was his last in Boston, Clemens pitched 242 innings, had 257 strikeouts and had an ERA of 3.63 and yet went 10-13. Talk about your lack of run support. In the strike shortened season of 1994, he was 9-7 sporting a 2.85 ERA. He made 24 starts that year, so he had 8 no-decisions.
Clemens was treated like crap by organization that apparently didn't care what he had done for them in the 13 seasons he pitched for them. Had they shown some class and simply said they wanted to go in a new direction or rebuild at the time (even if it wasn't true!), my guess is, Clemens wouldn't care what hat he wore. But they didn't, and Red Sox fans continue to show what spiteful little crybabies they are by booing The Rocket whenever he comes to town. In fairness, it has nothing really to do with Clemens, but more to do with the fact that he plays for the NY Yankees. They booed Wade Boggs as well. They'll never get over 'The Curse' so any player that takes up with the Yanks are traitors.
Clemens has won two World Series rings in New York. He won his 6th Cy Young award, and he entered the record books by becoming only the third pitcher in major league history to have 300 wins and 4,000 strikeouts. He says he's a Yankee.
Let him wear that cap on his plaque.
A day after the Yankees play like the Yankees, they are once again playing like the 1962 Mets.
The Yankees are on the verge of being no-hit by a combination of SIX pitchers. It's never happened before. Ever. The last time the Yankees were no-hit was back in 1958 by Hoyt Wilhelm.
They struck out FOUR times in one inning. Juan Rivera whiffed. A wild pitch allowed Alfonso Soriano to get down to first after he struck out and then Octavio Dotel blew away Jeter on a heater (a rap!), and got Giambi on a nasty slider. 4 frigging K's in one inning.
I also found out that the Yankees are 0-19 when trailing after 6 innings. They have only 8 total come from behind wins this year.
And they are now one out away from being no-hit and Bubba Trammel's strikeout just now was the EIGHTH STRIKEOUT IN A ROW by Yankees hitters.
Steinbrenner is right to pissed.
UPDATE: The no hitter was just completed.
Ugh.
The New Jersey Devils won another Stanley Cup. Their third in 9 years. A lot of Devil's fans complain that even though they have won that many, that they still don't get the respect the NY Rangers do, even though their last Cup win was in 1994 and the last before that in 1940.
Well they're right. And too frigging bad.
There are two professional sports teams that I hate. I mean, really hate.
One is the New Jersey Devils. Yes, I am from New Jersey but when I started to get interested in hockey which was around the age of 18 thanks to my friend Steve. He was a Rangers fan, and I merely latched on to them because I knew so much about them from him. Brian Leetch was a rookie that year along with Tony Granato and finally, things were looking up for The Rangers. Steve also hated the Devils, as did any other Rangers fan, so I hated them too.
I also hated them because the people I knew who were Devils fans were some of the most annoying people on the planet. My brother Matt remembers Rob Nadolnly (sp) and can confirm that. Remember David Puddy (sp) from Seinfeld? Elaine's beau? He was a Devils fan on that show and THAT's what Devils fans are like.
Devil's fans loathed the fact that more Rangers fans would be in attendance for head to head matchups at the Meadowlands. They burst blood vessels when Mark Messier guaranteed a Game 6 win in the 1994-95 Stanley Cup Semi-Finals and proceeded to clinch that guarantee with a hat trick (3 goals for those that don't know). Of course they could not stand watching the Rangers go down the 'Canyon of Heroes' while their Cup victory parade was held in the parking lot at the Meadowlands. They're jealous of the NY Rangers and always will be. The Devils are also second fiddle to The Rangers and always will be.
By the way, that other team I hate? The New York Mets. How strong is my hatred for all things Mets? I was rooting for the Boston Red Sox to beat them in the 1986 World Series. That's how much I hate the Mets. It was so sweet to watch The Yanks hand them their ass in 5 games in 2000.
Will the Yankees please fucking get rid of Juan Acevedo?
Dump that loser. He takes over for Clemens the other day and promptly gives up a 3 run homer on the first pitch to Eric Karros.
Tonight, the Yankees start to come back from a 6-0 hole and he gives up (so far) two more runs thanks to his own wild throw.
Too many times he's done this crap. Dump him.
The score of the Spurs/Nets game is 57-54 Nets....at the beginning of the 4th quarter.
The Nets scored a total of 9 points in the second quarter. Both teams are shooting around 37% combined and they have 27 turnovers between them.
Yuck.
Can you believe this? No wonder this guy dated Madonna. They're both dumb enough to believe their own nonsense in order to get their names in the paper:
Jose Canseco, who hit 462 home runs in a 17-year major league career, charged Wednesday night that a predominantly white media was treating Sammy Sosa unfairly because the Chicago Cubs' slugger is black.Canseco made the charge on ESPN's "Outside the Lines Nightly" show Wednesday, in an interview with Bob Ley.
"I definitely am very disappointed in the media, the way they're attacking Sammy Sosa," Canseco said. "The way they're portraying him because he's a Latin, black athlete is completely wrong. I guarantee you if this were Mark McGwire or Cal Ripken Jr., a so-called 'protected athlete', an 'All-American' name, this would have never happen because I've seen things that some players have done, and they are white players and they're completely covered up ... if he were a white superstar player, this would never, never happen."
Oh shut up you non-fielding allowing a home run off the top of your head bar brawling bitch.
Apparently his brain is too small to remember the media eruption over Mark McGwire's use of Andro which of course morphed into questions about his possible use of steroids. McGwire is so white he practically glows.
When you retired you said you wanted nothing more to do with Major League Baseball. Well, do us all a favor and keep your word.
UPDATE: Michele has more and has a nice Jose mug shot as well.
It is almost upon us. Each sport has its' own 'crown jewel' event. We know what it is for baseball, basketball, football, and hockey. In golf, The Masters is the tournament everybody wants to win. In tennis, Wimbledon. In auto racing, The Indianapolis 500 and The Daytona 500.
In horse racing, The Kentucky Derby is considered 'the' race, but it's the Triple Crown - The Derby, The Preakness and The Belmont Stakes - that make up the jewel. Only 11 horses have won all three races, the last being Affirmed in 1978. It's a tough schedule for a 3 year old horse. They have to run three major races in the span of a month finishing up with the 1 1/2 mile Belmont Stakes in New York. Over the last 6 years there have been 4 horses to win the first two legs but lose in New York. Two of Bob Baffert's horses, Real Quiet and Silver Charm both finished second in the Belmont. Charismatic, trained by D. Wayne Lucas finished third, and last year War Emblem finished 8th.
This year is truly special. This year a New York bred gelding owned by New Yorkers named Funny Cide is going to get his shot. He's 3-0 at Belmont and ran a blistering workout the other day (some people say it was too fast but the rider said Funny Cide was going along easily). Plus he is going to have all of New York cheering for him. And if he does win, there's a $5 million bonus from Visa to go with it. There's only going to be 6 horses in the field so Jockey Jose Santos won't have any excuses. He'll have all the room in the world to race. It's going to be all about Funny Cide.
I hope he wins.
The sports world is abuzz over the Sammy Sosa corked bat issue. Already on CNNSI there is a pro/con argument with one side saying his image will be tarnished, and another saying it is no big deal.
Some players, most recently, Albert Belle have corked their bats. Graig Nettles of the NY Yankees had a bunch of super balls fall out his bat in 1974. Let's face it. Players sometimes cheat. Gaylord 'Vaseline Man' Perry cheated for 22 years and he made The Hall of Fame. Players, managers and coaches are all going to push the envelope. They'll do what they can to win, within reason. Sometimes managers make the grounds crew keep the grass a little higher on the third base line when they know there's a gimpy 3rd baseman coming to town and he won't be able to charge those bunts fast enough. Batters kick away the lines in the batters box so they can get that rear foot planted back a few more inches. Pitchers, when given the go ahead to blow on their hands to warm them up are without a doubt, adding a little spray to the ball to give it just a little more movement.
The question is: Has Sammy been corking for some time now and does it tarnish the 505 career home runs he has blasted? Perhaps. He said it was a bat he only uses in practice and grabbed it by mistake. We'll see what happens when they examine his other bats which were confiscated. If they call come up clean, he might be out of the woods. However, if they find just one more bat with the same cork, then his image will be tarnished, no matter how minimal the help might have been.
Mark McGwire was not hurt over the Andro issue because he still had to hit the ball, and he was hitting moonshots the moment he joined the majors. But some people will argue that corking a bat makes it that few ounces lighter that allows a player to get that bat around just a little faster which would turn a foul ball into an opposite field home run.
Unfortunately for Sammy, his happy go lucky image has been dealt a blow over the last couple of years with his whining about his contract (Want to piss a baseball fan off? Moan about your multi-million dollar contract) and complaining about the comforts of a plane ride. It's petty crap and people don't like that.
Sammy will draw a 7-10 game suspension (which he will probably appeal so that he can play against the Yankees this weekend) and have to deal with the questions for quite some time. If they find any other corked bats in his arsenal, it will be even longer.
The Oakland A's have a new ad:
This particular poster is one example and can be seen in the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) subway system and on bus sides in the Oakland area. It says: "A's fans: Please be courteous and don't litter, Non-A's fans: Please be courteous and move to Saskatchewan."
Not Berkeley. Not Orange County. Not even Fargo. No, Saskatchewan! I hope they all like winter and beef and mosquitoes.
How cool is going to be for Roger Clemens to attempt to win his 300th game at home against the team that dumped him over 5 years ago?
Pretty damned cool. Roger Clemens will attempt to become only the 21st pitcher in baseball history to win 300 games and he will get his chance on Memorial Day at Yankees Stadium. After the 1996 season, Clemens was dumped by the Red Sox. To add insult to injury, Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette said Clemens was in the "twilight" of his career. That was 3 Cy Young awards and two World Series Championships ago.
This leads me into some comments about records. The cliche is, "Records are made to be broken." In the game of baseball, hitting and fielding records have been broken and quite a few of them have fallen or been tied in the last 15-20 years. The single season home run record, most consecutive games, most consecutive games with a home run, single season walks, the all time hit record, etc. Pitching records are another matter. While some records are made to be broken, there are pitching records in baseball that will not be broken.
Most Wins: Cy Young owns this record with 511. The fact that Roger Clemens and possibly Greg Maddux (275) and Tom Glavine (245). Randy Johnson is a long shot at the age of 40 with 225 wins. Most young pitchers starting out these days will not win 300 games. With a 5 man starting rotation and an average of 30 starts a year, winning 200 will be an accomplishment. Winning 512 is impossible.
Most Losses: Cy Young also owns this record with 383. For the same reasons as above, no pitcher will lose more than that.
Most Wins In A Season: Jack Chesbro owns this one (in the modern era) with 41. See the same reasons above. No pitcher is even going to get that many starts. We'll be lucky if any pitcher can win 30 or more games again (Denny McClain last did it in 1968).
By the end of this season Roger Clemens will have accomplished the following:
300+ Wins
4000+ Strikeouts
6 Cy Young Awards (A record)
1 MVP Award (Pitchers rarely win this)
2 World Series Championships
Why wait the 5 years after retirement for his intro to the Hall?
Forget A-Rod. Forget Tejada. Forget Vlad.
Forget them all.
Right now (and take note of that), there isn't a better baseball player than Alfonso Soriano.
In fact, I have never paid to watch a boxing match (I've paid cover charges to see watch some in sports bars), and Showtime is included in my satellite package. But enough saps probably paid the $24.95 to watch Mike Tyson vs. Clifford Etienne tonight.
It was over in 49 seconds. Tyson laid him out with a right hook.
Now, a bunch of saps will pay $50 in June to watch Mike Tyson get his ass kicked again by Lennox Lewis. Tyson is still good enough to beat guys like this, and do it easily (as he showed tonight), but he's no longer able to beat the top guys and he won't beat Lewis. In fact, I fail to see how a victory over this guy earns him a rematch with Lewis.
The next person who tells me Tiger Woods is "overrated", I'm probably going to smack them upside the head.
Will somebody like Mark Cuban please purchase the NY Knicks or the NY Rangers?? Anyone? Can we get an owner who has such a passion for their team that they will do what it takes to make them winners? Anyone? Can we get an owner who not only wants to win, but enjoys the game so much that it adds to that?
The NY Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994. It was great. It had been 50+ years since their last one. Well, now they aren't even good enough to make the frigging playoffs even though they have the highest payroll in the NHL! They are in last place and this would mark, I think, the 6th straight year they will not have made the playoffs.
The NY Knicks are just an embarassment. I feel sorry for Don Chaney because he had to inherit this mess. I look at this roster and I don't even recognize half the names. This team reminds of the Knicks prior to getting Patrick Ewing. Remember them? Pat Cummings, Ken Banister, Johnny Newman, etc. Sure, there was Bernard King, and the 83-84 season when they pushed The Celtics to the brink, but still.
Problem is, they're (both the Knicks and the Rangers) doing now what the Yankees did in the late 80's. They're spending way too much money on players that don't really deserve such big paychecks and who are on the downside of their careers. The Rangers were thrilled to get Pavel Bure this past year. Why? It would have been great in 1995 or 1996, but the man has bene plagued by injuries for the last few years. Where is he now? Injured. Do the Knicks really think Clarence Weatherspoon is a starting center? Please.
Cmon guys. I don't even have the Knicks or the Rangers on my Yahoo homepage for scores. It's not worth it because they're just so bad.
Thank God for George Steinbrenner , The Yankees and the NY Giants.
I don't know when they started it, but I don't like it. Does anybody know when they started to do the trophy presentation in the field?
One of the great things about watching a team win the Super Bowl is seeing the coach being carried off the field by his team. It's a great site and it's the only sport where it happens. Other sports have their moments. In baseball, the players jump all over each other on the pitchers mound or home plate. In hockey all the players have a chance to skate around with the Stanley Cup. In basketball....well...they don't do much in basketball either. They still don't have a name yet for their championship.
In football, it was always the coach being carried off the field. Now, the coach is immediately surrounded by a squad of security guards and hustled over to a stage in the middle of the field to blab, while most of the players mill about like fans at a rock concert. What's the big deal about doing all of that in the locker room?
I am also tired of the Super Bowl being played in warm weather stadiums and domes. Yes, I know that it means a lot of money will be lost, and those totally lame enjoyable halftime shows won't be the same, but the Super Bowl isn't about luxury skyboxes, midfield trophy presentations and other crap. It's about football baby. Think about it. What was more exciting last year? The Super Bowl or the AFC Championship game The Patriots and The Raiders played in the snow? Wouldn't it have been great to see two warm weather teams battle out in Lambeau Field or Soldier Field?
I know Paul Tagliabue has suggested the possibility of playing the Super Bowl in Washington DC or New Jersey, and you could hear the squeals of protest when he did. Screw them. Let Chicago, New York or even Buffalo enjoy having the Super Bowl played in their city.
And another thing: No Super Bowl should ever be played in a dome. Ever.
UPDATE: Note to Kevin. I am really a NY Giants fan. Though since moving to Florida, I have adopted The Bucs as a 'homestate' team to cheer for.
As for Signs, all I need to know is if you liked Steel Magnolias. If so, then the conversation is over.
It's early, but today we had some visitors in from different motor carriers (actually, they have been here all week). One of those visitors happens to be the brother in law of Atlanta Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone.
Now, everybody knows what a huge Yankees fan I am, but I am still a baseball fan, so when this guy told me what he was going to do, I was pretty thrilled.
In March he is going to come down (the Braves spring training is in Orlando at Disney) and take a few of us over to a game. Since he's Leo's brother in law, we'll be able to actually get on the field, go into the dugout and see the locker room. Therefore, autographs and photographs of great players (but an inferior team!) will be plentiful.
I am a NY Giants fan through and through. However, since moving to Florida, I felt it was necessary to adopt one of the home state teams. A little background.
You have to know that I am troublemaker.
When I moved here, NASCAR was all over the place. I don't believe I had ever watched more than a few laps of a race. Up north it just wasn't a big deal and this was before NASCAR's popularity exploded and had network television deals. When I got here, it was all the late Dale Earnhardt. He was the man. Jeff Gordon on the other hand, is loathed by southerners. They looked at Gordon as a guy who had a great team and a great sponsor but didn't really know much about the driving. Well, I immediately started telling people I liked Jeff Gordon. Just to piss them off. It worked. Eventually, I did start to enjoy NASCAR and realized what these guys do while in a vehicle that travels 190 mph. So I really did become a Jeff Gordon fan.
It was the same with college football. Up north, I was a Penn State guy. I also liked USC. Down here, you're either an FSU fan or a Gators fan. An obnoxious guy I work with is an FSU fan (He's one of those fans who says "we" when talking about the football team even though he went to college in Colorado). A huge FSU fan. To piss him off I told him I was a huge Steve Spurrier fan and Gator fan. It worked.
Nobody around here gives a crap about hockey or basketball so the Rangers and Knicks were it.
As for pro football, I wasn't about to just ditch the Giants, but I also knew that my days of watching Giants games were pretty much over. I had to make a choice. I went with the Bucs because of three reasons:
1. They ditched those ugly orange and yellow uniforms and got rid of that gay looking pirate that was on the helmets. They went to a red and black scheme along with a skull and crossbones on the helmet. Cool.
2. All of the Jacksonville Jaguar crap around here turned me off. People riding around with all the flags, bumper stickers, and other stuff all over their cars.
3. It would have been the Miami Dolphins, but by this time, the greatest quarterback to ever play the game (Yes people it was Dan Marino. I don't give a flying fuck if he didn't win a Super Bowl. That is not a measure of individual greatness but an entire team. Nobody's going to tell me Jim McMahon and Trent Dilfer were great quarterbacks simply because their teams won a Super Bowl) was on his way out of the game.
So, my adopted Florida team is going to the Super Bowl. What's really great is that they beat the Philadelphia Eagles. I despise all of the teams in Philadelphia, and you know what it has to do with? Their fans.
New York fans can be rough. Boston fans can be rough. So can Chicago fans. Philadelphia fans however, are for the most part, vulgar thugs. They're the worst. And it's for all sports in that city. They are without a doubt the worst fans in the country. It's no wonder that there is a court set up in the stadium to punish those idiots for all the crap they pull. The worst. So kiss my ass Eagles fans. You went home early again.
I don't think Tennessee has what it takes to beat the Raiders. If they win, you'll have to appreciate the irony. Jon Gruden will have left the Raiders to coach the Bucs and chances are he will face the Raiders in the Super Bowl. Think he will have something to prove?
Go Bucs!