Stompbox

Lamenting The Super Loss

2008-02-04T18:26:00.000-06:00

from TremendousUpsidePotential.com...

BobbyStompy is bummin'

My name is Bobby. My favorite NFL teams are the Patriots and Bears. Equally. (Yes, I know I'm stupid and dumb. I can't change it. I've tried. I'm sorry.)

My favorite college football team is the Michigan Wolverines.

In a year that began with the Appalachian State upset, how fitting was the Giants toppling the Pats? Pretty fitting, I guess.

I remember when the Bears and Pats both lost in the divisional playoffs two years ago. I remember writing in 2006: "Pats and Bears lost their respective playoff games this past weekend. So that was pretty depressing. Hopefully that's the last time in my life where my two favorite NFL teams are eliminated from the playoffs about 22 hours apart from each other."

You know what's worse than the Bears and Pats both losing in divisional playoff weekend? The Bears and Pats losing back-to-back Super Bowls! Way worse. ARGH.

The worst part is, I don't even mind the Giants. I'm not laughing now, but I know Eli Manning is funny. I know he deserves it. I know Strahan deserves it. I know Coughlin deserves it. I know Barber didn't deserve it. I know the game-deciding play was a fade route (my absolute favorite of all routes). I know the Pats already attained three rings in the last decade, and that alone should give me little to complain about. Am I not grateful? No, I really don't think that's it.

That's the difference between being a Michigan/Pats/Bears/Bulls/White Sox fan, and being a fan of the Atlanta Hawks, or any team based in Philadelphia or Cleveland. Being able to feel the pinnacle of a sport, knowing how great a championship truly does feel -- it just makes it that much worse when it doesn't end up happening.

It's like the Chicago Bulls this year. They suck. They piss me off. And I've pretty much given up on them. But in the end, it's pretty much disappointment combined with reservation. It's horrible, don't get me wrong, but it's nothing compared to aggressively following the 18-0 -- oops, 18-1 -- Patriots and their stumble on the big stage.

With a season that began with the biggest upset in college football history (even though point spreads don't agree), I imagine it's fitting to finish with the biggest upset in NFL history (even though point spreads don't agree).

I'll be the first to say it: if I wasn't a Patriots fan, I'd probably be rooting for the Giants. But I am. And I wasn't.

The only solace I take is knowing that this loss brings Pats fans -- the insufferable ones -- down a notch. The rest of the NFL teams' fans will have this against us for pretty much ever (just like cough cough Appalachian State cough cough). No more full-on smugness. If the Pats pinball the scoreboards next year, we'll know why. But I don't think that's going to happen again.

The solace I won't take is knowing how happy Mercury Morris is right now. I hate him.

As I made my somber walk home through Iowa City from the Super Bowl party I'd attended, trudging through about 8 inches of snow and twenty degree weather for about 40 minutes, I began to feel like Jack Nicholson during the last five minutes of The Shining...

Just depleted, and about ready to give up.

Myths About Super Bowl XLII

2008-02-02T02:00:00.000-06:00

from TremendousUpsidePotential.com...

BobbyStompy talks pigskin, cold weather, stupid commercials.

If I have any math skills at all, I think we're less than 48 hours away from the Super Bowl, right?

It's so difficult to try and get a word out regarding the game without feeling like a broken record, so I figured I'd use this space to debunk a few myths about the big game.

Week 17 gave us a good indication of how these two teams match-up...Well, not really. For maybe the first week of Super Bowl hype, I really started to buy into this claim. But thinking more into it, I realized it's not totally true. You look at the box score, see a three point Pats victory, and think, "wow, these teams match up really well."

Wrong.

The Giants needed a late touchdown just to make it look respectable, and this was after blowing a double-digit second half lead. On top of this, one of the G-Men touchdowns was from a kickoff return. It was the only Giants kickoff return touchdown this season (including playoffs). It was also the only time the Patriots gave up a kickoff return touchdown this season (including playoffs). Just seems pretty flukey, you know?

There's at least a small chance Tom Brady might be hurt...Listen closely: Tom Brady is not hurt. Other than his record breaking right shoulder, which has been a mainstay on the injury report for years, the Golden Boy should be ready to go. Even as a Patriots fan, with absolutely everything invested into this game, I have no concern about the health of QB1.

It's actually pretty cold in Arizona...Really? Let's review my 'Winter sucks in the Midwest' checklist:
Is it snowing? Nopes.
Below zero? Please.
Below 32 degrees? Hah.
Are cars covered in weird salt-dirt? Don't think so.
Can you stand outside and be relatively comfortable? Seen plenty of people pull it off.

You're in Glendale for America's biggest sporting spectacle. Stop bitching.

The New York Giants will hoist the Lombardi Trophy...Did I miss something? Are the Patriots not 18-0? Did they not set a gazillion offensive records? I really don't get sports, sometimes. I feel like I've seen more Giants upset picks than I saw Patriots upset picks back when they played the Rams in '02. There were less people taking the Rockies in the World Series. Jesus, did the Rockies really play in the World Series? Man.

The Eagles game was close, yes. The Ravens practically beat them, I know. But this is the playoffs. It means ultra-preparation. Every little detail scrutinized, analyzed, and processed. This isn't the five-day layoff both teams had last time. Two full weeks to scheme, design, and come up with a plan. Against Eli Manning.

Bottom line: the Patriots are not invincible, and it's sports, so anything could happen. And yes, that includes a Giants win. But, to paraphrase Aaron Schatz from the Bill Simmons Super Bowl Podcast, picking the Giants is saying you think they have a greater than 50% chance to win.

I just don't think that's possible to say.

Other items of note:

There's some dumb local commercial here in Iowa City where a car dealership is advertising some Super Bowl related sale, but since the game is trademarked, the commercial says, "Come down for our Super (BLEEP) sale!" Seriously. The bleep is really loud, too. And they do it three or four times. One of the stupidest, tackiest things I've ever seen in advertising.
Pau Gasol to the Lakers. Aargh. Luckily for Bulls fans, firearm purchases have waiting periods.
Props to the immortal Johan $antana for finally cashing in, leaving the AL Central, and setting himself up for what could be a monster year. The only thing left to do is the obligatory lighting cigars with hundred dollar bills ritual.

Pipe Down, LDT

2008-01-23T18:43:00.000-06:00

from TremendousUpsidePotential.com...

BobbyStompy bitches about the Chargers, everyone else wonders why he doesn't just appreciate the Patriots' Super Bowl birth

A lot of people hate the New England Patriots. I get that. A lot of people seem to hate the San Diego Chargers, too. I get that. But what I fail to understand is how LaDainian Tomlinson -- or as I like to call him, "No Gain" LaDain -- gets a pass from most Charger haters. You usually here stuff like, "yeah Rivers and Merriman are so cocky, but LT is a class act." Are you kidding me?

Listen, I know the Patriots have their fair share of bastards (Rodney Harrison comes to mind), and I also feel very unqualified to assess Chargers center Nick Hardwick's venomous statements about Patriot DT Richard Seymour, who I always thought was a nice guy. Hey, I'm not in the trenches, I have no idea what goes on. It's pretty hard to say. But while I don't see everything that goes on between defensive and offensive linemen, it was pretty hard to miss what was happening on the San Diego sideline this past Sunday.

After re-injuring himself early on in the AFC Championship, LDT presumably pouted on the bench for pretty much the entire game. I say presumably because you can't see a damn thing behind that visor of his. For all we know, he paid a body double to sit out in the cold while he watched the game in a locker room hot tub.

This post at the Jack Bauer of SEO sums up my sentiment perfectly (via Deadspin):

And my biggest problem is with LT. He just sat on the bench all day feeling sorry for himself. Hey, aren't you supposed to be a leader on that team? Get your butt up and cheer your teammates on, offer advice and help to Turner and Sproiles. Do something! I watched Sam Madison last week in street clothes offer everything he could to his teammates but LT sits on the bench behind his visor and says nothing and does nothing. Just sits and watch. I guess he was just feeling sorry for himself because he couldn't play.

What's worse is his comments after the AFC divisional playoff loss last year. He says a few Patriots dancing on the Chargers logo is a reflection of the classlessness of Bill Belichick? Please. Belichick might not be a saint, but he can't control how his players celebrate. The whole thing came off as sour grapes to me.

My favorite part of his post-game from last year was when, in an incredibly serious tone, he said:

When you go to the middle of our field, when you start doing the dance that Shawne Merriman is known for, that's disrespectful to me.

Oh, really, LaDain? Was it disrespectful to you when Antonio Cromartie picked off a Tom Brady pass in the end zone and mocked the celebration that Randy Moss is known for? Or did you not see that play because you were sulking on the bench? Give me a break.

When Cromartie mocked Moss, I thought it was funny, even as a Pats fan. Though I'm still a little confused why no one -- mainstream or blogs -- has touched on Cromartie punking Randy. But whatever. It kind of reminded me of when TO danced like Ray Lewis as a touchdown celebration a few years ago. If, as a professional athlete, you have the audacity to create a celebration or dance that is specifically yours, you have to be ready for someone to mock it at some point. It's the way of the world.

Hopefully, NFL player ever does the "Hand On Head Ball Flip" (pictured above) that LDT is known for. After all, there would be hell to pay.

Bottom line: I'm not saying LDT is a bad guy, I'm just saying he's equally insane as the rest of his crazy ass team.

Nothin' But BS

2008-01-19T12:24:00.000-06:00

from TremendousUpsidePotential.com...

After going an unprecedented 0-4 with his spread picks last week, BobbyStompy -- a glutton for punishment -- is back for league championship week

Alright, a few things about me have changed since last week's apocalypse:
1) Rejoined the sports staff at The Daily Iowan, which ups my title from "fake journalist" to the slightly more prestigious "pseudo journalist"
2) Departed from my winter break used CD store job, which ups my job description from "works with drug dealers" to "blogs with lunatics"
3) Defended potential woman beaters
4) Saw "No Country For Old Men", "There Will Be Blood", and "Cloverfield" in a four-day span, and if I've learned anything from these movies, it's that bad things always happen always

Let's pick 'em -- I've gotta get my head above water...

Chargers (+14) over PATRIOTS

Quick side note: I always thought everybody hated the Patriots except me and all the Massholes, but today's poll on DanShanoff.com was really shocking:

If you aren't a natural Patriots fan, what is the result you are rooting for?
Pats lose in AFC C.G. (27%)
Pats lose in SB XLII (27%)
Pats win SB XLII, go 19-0 (44%)

Votes so far: 616

The majority? Really? Maybe I read too many Deadspin commenters.

After New England beat the Bills by 46 in Week 11, its only covered the spread once (Week 14 against the Steelers) since then.

I look at this game and get a Pats-taking-an-early-lead vibe, followed by spirited attempts by San Diego to get itself back into the game. What I'm saying is, if the Patriots are up by something nice like 17 in the fourth quarter, the defense isn't going to have to pull out all the stops while Rivers or Volek is running a no-huddle two minute drill against a prevent. And remember, screw job covers count just as much as legit covers.

PACKERS (-7) over Giants

This line feels too low.

Don't get me wrong, I like this Giants team, I like that they're sticking it to Tiki Barber, I like that Eli is slowly morphing into the unlikely hero, I like the heart that cornerback Aaron Ross played with when his shoulder quit on him, and I loved their game plan against the Cowboys last week.

But a new week brings new challenges, and its very easy to see the Packers not only winning, but totally steamrolling New York in the process. That cold Wisconsin night is going to be brutal.

* * *

Oh, and for all of you who hate me and my Patriots, I hope it brings you some solace to know that the Daily Iowan sports section meeting is at 2PM Sunday, which all but exactly coincides with Pats-Bolts kick-off.

Oh, oh, and a respectful "He Gone" to the late chess champion Bobby Fischer. I imagine if a TUP post was written about him, it would say something like "Life checkmates Bobby Fischer". It's too bad we're not in the business of chess player obits.

And The House Wins

2008-01-13T07:17:00.000-06:00

from TremendousUpsidePotential.com...

The Art of the Oh Fer
BobbyStompy goes 0-4 against the spread in an abysmal -- yet oddly comedic -- weekend of NFL picks

First and foremost, sorry to all those that believed in me. I really, really screwed you over. After not picking any NFL games all year, I thought I'd do a nice thing for the TUP community and write a guest post, and, well, you know what ensued: it blew up in my face.

So, what exactly went wrong? Let's take a look, game by game.

The Game: Seahawks at Packers
The Pick: Seahawks (+7.5)
The Result: Fail
Level of Failure: A half disappointed shoulder shrug

To be fair, the team I thought would win this game was the eventual winner; it just so happened they won a lot more convincingly than I could have predicted.

The Twist: All of that damn snow in Green Bay ironically created a hellish atmosphere for the visiting Seattle Seahawks.

The Funny: Brett Favre's unarguably* homo-erotic snowball antics.

The X-Factor: On the Green Bay side, it had to be Ryan Grant, who literally destroyed the Seattle defense by breaking the two hundred yard mark and finding his way into the end zone three times.

For the Seahawks, it was probably Shaun Alexander, whose fat antics (fattics) gave Seattle no chance to compete. His 2.2 yards per carry cemented another disappointing season for a player who just hasn't been the same since guard Steve Hutchinson (of the University of Michigan) left via free agency.

* - all Packer fans have argued this claim

The Game: Jaguars at Patriots
The Pick: Patriots (-13)
The Result: Fail
Level of Failure: 1% cared, 99% celebrated advancement to AFC Championship

Again, another game where the team I thought would win actually won. Unfortunately, the overwhelmingly high spread caught up with the Patriots.

The Twist: Gostowski's unexpected second quarter field goal miss was the eventual difference maker in crushing New England's chance to cover the spread.

The Funny: Jacksonville's Reggie Nelson's inexplicable but subtle call-out of Tom Brady's monster game:

"It was a dump-down game," Jaguars rookie safety Reggie Nelson sniffed. "Anybody can go 26-of-28 in a dump-down game."

Was he serious? More importantly, do I care? I'm going to go with 'probably' and 'no'.

The X-Factor: Laurence Maroney. Lo-Mo, Kool Aid, whatever you want to call him. His 122 yards and 1 touchdown kept the ball on the ground and the clock moving. Had he been ineffective, perhaps the Pats could have leaned more on the pass en route to putting more points on the board. Talk about a blessing and a curse.

The Game: Chargers at Colts
The Pick: Colts (-7.5)
The Result: Fail
Level of Failure: Catastrophic

Just an unreal game that few saw coming. You're telling me that San Diego is losing their starting quarterback and running back and its still going to beat Indy on the road? I scoff at that notion. Just like I scoffed at the spread.

Now everybody scoffs at me.

Going into this game, I had a lot of questions. They got answered...

Who is Rivers throwing to? ~~Uhhh...~~ Vincent Jackson (7 catches, 93 yards, 1 touchdown), apparently. Chris Chambers got in on that action, too.

Is Tomlinson breaking 100 yards against a rested Colts D? ~~Uhmmm....~~ I was right about that, but who cares when you've got Michael "The Burner" Turner backing you up? He had 71 yards on the ground in one of the biggest performances of his career. And all this while the former league MVP stood watching on the sidelines.

Will Manning rebound from one of the worst performances of his career? ~~Zuhhhh...~~ Yeah, he did, but it didn't really matter. None of the blame for this loss should fall on his shoulders. P-Mann threw for 402 yards and three touchdowns, and although critics will point to his two interceptions, both were chest passed to the DBs from his wide receivers. The bottom line is Manning is one of the most prepared players the league has ever seen, but today, the whole "it's a team game" philosophy was as evident as ever.

Is Vinatieri gonna choke in playoffs -- in a dome? ~~Wuh....~~ Nope, not at all. He hit a season high field goal (47 yards) in the first half and split the uprights on all of his extra point attempts. But, like a smaller version of Manning, his play was not what derailed the Colts.

So, even though my projections that pointed to a Colts victory were -- for the most part -- accurate, they were inconsequential in the big picture. Maybe I was just asking the wrong questions.

The Twist: The injury bug was out in full force, limiting the playing time of assumed superstars LaDainian Tomlinson, Marvin Harrison, and Phillip Rivers.

The Funny: For the Chargers, it was backup QB Billy Volek going three of four and becoming the unlikely playoff hero after his game-winning QB sneak on the goal line.

For the Colts, Marvin Harrison's early fumble comes to mind. I would say Harrison has been notoriously bad in the playoffs, but the problem with that statement is the 'notorious' part. Nobody seems to realize that the guy absolutely disappears in playoff games, and because he's such a sweetheart, the mainstream media never seems to touch on it. I applaud Harrison for doing his best to come in today, but his fumble just destroyed the Colts momentum in the first half. The post-season mediocrity continues for the mustached one.

The X-Factor: The aforementioned Michael Turner simultaneously kept the clock and chains moving. His efforts eased the pressure that would have burdened Billy Volek. Forcing the rusty second stringer to make plays through the air would have been the downfall of the San Diego Super Chargers.

The Game: Giants at Cowboys
The Pick: Cowboys (-7.5)
The Result: Fail
Level of Failure: Pretty High

Great game from top to bottom. Killer penalties, heroes, goats, a rabid Texas crowd. I found myself rooting for both teams so many times throughout the course of this heated bout.

The Twist: Eli Manning's second straight playoff road win propels the Giants to an unlikely upset over the Cowboys! Eli's headed to the NFC title game while brother Peyton sits on the couch next week. Un-real.

The Funny: The AP game recap lead...

Tony Romo can go wherever he wants with Jessica Simpson now.

Poor Romo's playoff woes continue. This media firestorm around Simpson in Dallas has got to cool off, but it won't. While Simpson wasn't at the game, she did spend time with Romo during the idle wildcard week. Will crazy Texans turn this into a scapegoat? Of course. Just don't tell Matt Olsen about it.

The X-Factor: Amani Toomer (of the University of Michigan) got the ball rolling for the Giants with a 52-yard touchdown catch. He finished with four receptions, 80 yards, and two touchdowns. No. 1 wide out Plaxico Burress had one catch for five yards.

* * *

So, we had two underdogs win outright while a third underdog was able to cover. Green Bay was the only favorite to actually win. These picks have brought me shame, dishonor, and misery, and my spread cred got thrown out the window like bathwater. What a travesty.

See you next week.

Well, Someone Should Make NFL Picks, Right?

2008-01-11T14:26:00.000-06:00

from TremendousUpsidePotential.com...

With Rickhouse off in La La Land with real people, real comments, and real ideas, I thought I'd hold the fort down this weekend with some NFL picks.

The Lock
PATRIOTS (-13) over Jaguars

Before I knew what the actual line for this game was, I set my personal line at 14. Even with a line that high, I feel no reservations about picking the Patriots in this game. They're rested, they're at home, they're undefeated, and everyone and their mother seems to be looking for any type of convoluted reason to defend the Jags as winners in this game. To me, the whole thing comes off as desperate.

The "I Scoff At Your Line" Pick
COLTS (-8) over Chargers

This game is way too easy. A few questions:

Who is Rivers throwing to? Uhhh...
Is Tomlinson breaking 100 yards against a rested Colts D? Uhmmm....
Will Manning rebound from one of the worst performances of his career? Zuhhhh...
Is Vinatieri gonna choke in playoffs -- in a dome? Wuh....

No, you're not constipated; you're trying to talk yourself into picking the Chargers.

The Funny
Seahawks (+7.5) over Packers

Is it possible that Matt Hasselbeck could be one of the coolest QBs of our generation...you know, if he wasn't bald? I'm not trying to take cheap shots, but that "we want the ball, and we're gonna score!" has held up quite nicely since its inception a few years ago. The Pack should take this game, but the Seahawks will keep it close.

The Mystery
COWBOYS (-7.5) over GIANTS

Everyone's "on the fence" game. I say Owens plays, Romo shines, and the 'Boys win in a shoot out.

Wowza, I'm Back

2008-01-09T01:36:00.000-06:00

Hey, all,

After a ridiculously long hiatus, I'd like to start getting back into the grind of posting irregularly in this space. My goal is to mostly cover Chicago-stuff, along with Wazzu's killer men's basketball team this year. All this while blatantly ignoring the Chicago Bulls' horribly disappointing season, and keeping hope that the Blackhawks can keep their heads above water in the NHL Western Conference playoff race.

I'll probably post on the TUP site, but re-post here for the BobbyStompy regular readers (...mostly Tony Ochs).

More to come...

(Deion) Branching Out

2007-08-31T21:49:00.000-06:00

I've landed a gig writing for the Chicago-based sports blog Tremendous Upside Potential. My new column Big Ten Rambler is fresh out of the oven, and it can be found here. It mostly covers football in the Big Ten, but also broadens to the national scope when I get bored.

I'll be writing there weekly, so that could mean less posts here. In the meantime, go there. Sound fair? Good.

Oh, I'll probably still be writing NFL stuff here, so if that's an incentive to keep visiting...great!

Update: Big Ten Rambler (Week 2) -- 9/7/07
Update: Big Ten Rambler (Week 3) -- 9/14/07
Update: Big Ten Rambler (Week 4) -- 9/21/07
Update: Big Ten Rambler (Week 5) -- 9/28/07

Losing Patience

2007-08-16T00:47:00.000-06:00

Dear Football,

Please come sooner.

Your Pal,
BobbyStompy

Barry Bonds vs. History

2007-08-01T22:34:00.000-06:00

I just caught some of the Giants-Dodgers game, just now. The Giants were batting in the Top of the 8th, there were two outs, and a runner on third. The Dodgers had a 3-2 lead.

Then, he stepped into the box.

Barry Bonds. The name by itself can stand alone. Bonds came into the game to a chorus of boos from the L.A. fans, but there were a good amount of San Fransico fans on their feet to support him. A few signs were shown in the crowd, but the one that stood out to me most was one that said something like, "Every historic event needs a villain," with the first part in Dodger blue and the 'villain' part in orange. It was kind of cool to see, especially since I couldn't see the fan holding it, so I wasn't even sure if it was a Dodgers fan or not.

ESPN kept cutting to Bonds' young daughter. She looked so excited to see her father there.

The pitcher fell behind 2-0, and without even thinking about it, he intentionally walked Bonds with the last two pitches. It was during this that something funny happened...

Everyone started booing.

It was incredible. For people who "don't want to see him break the record," they sure could have fooled me. The whole moment was pretty powerful.

Like how he got there? Don't like how he got there? Cheater? Legit? Fair, or not? It just didn't matter. Barry Bonds is/was one homer away from tying the all-time home run mark. The majority of Dodger Stadium -- fans who probably hate Bonds more than most -- wanted to see him do it. Everyone there wanted to be part of history.

What really got me was when they showed Bonds' daughter happily booing the intentional walk, like just about everyone else.

Why Joakim Noah Rules and Why You're Prejudice and Close Minded for Dismissing Him

2007-06-29T00:52:00.001-06:00

I spent the night before NBA Draft day and the entire day of Draft day hoping the Chicago Bulls wouldn't choose the amazingly unimpressive Spencer Hawes (C, Washington).

My primary choice for the Bulls was either: a- Joakim Noah (F, Florida) or b- Anyone but Hawes. The rationale was and is quite simple, really. Why draft someone who didn't succeed on a team or individual level in college (Hawes) over someone who dominated on a team and individual level in college (Noah, Noah, Noah)? Where is the sense in that?!

But John Paxson and I think alike, and he decided to make my night by drafting Noah. And upon that selection, my guests and I cheered the brilliance of the pick.

Surprisingly, after the Bulls made the selection, I got call after call from my friends, absolutely killing Pax for his "idiotic," "moronic," "ridiculous," and "b.s." move.

Here is a current away message...
PrObLyMaNy: eat sh-- a--f--- noah

And some IMs...
APerformS (1:56:53 AM): F'in noah
APerformS (1:57:05 AM): out of like 1000000
APerformS (1:57:22 AM): i hate noah
APerformS (1:57:35 AM): he is more over rated then michael vick
APerformS (1:57:42 AM): and less talent than me
APerformS (1:58:22 AM): but more so completely ignoring my contempt for noah
APerformS (1:58:31 AM): why do the bulls need him?
APerformS (1:58:40 AM): isnt he a mexican version of ben wallace?

That last IM sums it up perfectly. This is all just a case of general ignorance.

Most people, when asked why they don't like Noah, usually say close minded things like, "I hate the way he dances" or "His long hair is stupid" or "He thinks he's soooo great."

Well, he dances because he wins conference championships and NCAA titles, he has long hair because he defies petty social norms, and he thinks he's great because he has every desire to be great, and at this point, nothing has stood in his way from fulfilling that desire.

He's more than what you hear. Leading up to the draft, the one word I heard used more than any was the word "energy," and don't get me wrong, that's a pretty accurate word in describing his play, but I think he brings more to the table than that. He brings flair. He brings personality. He brings the right attitude.

I can't wait for the Joakim-era to start in Chicago. I hope the local media understands him for who he is -- a pensive, dedicated, and passionate young player who is looking to do everything he can to help his team win. And trust me, these aren't cliches. His quotes are going to be memorable, colorful, and hilarious, and his play should amplify his already present passion.

I'll end this with a call-out to the haters; why do you dislike Noah? I'd like some legitimate and real reasons. Nothing fake, nothing about dancing or hair. You know, maybe something about the way he plays basketball? And finally, if you're so against the pick, who would you have drafted in his place?

Oh, And Also...
Major props to Wilson Chandler (DePaul), Sammy Mejia (DePaul), and Adam Haluska (Iowa) for getting drafted tonight. Congrats, guys.

News & Notes: 5/30/07, Kobe, Hockey, Bonds

2007-05-30T14:29:00.000-06:00

Bah! First, in the most overhyped storyline of the day, Kobe Bryant is apparently asking for a trade from the L.A. Lakers.

This site lists the Bulls as the 3/1 favorites to land him. But the question is, do the Bulls want him?

Well, I'm not the Bulls, but I am me, so let's rephrase that question to "As a Bulls fan, do I want him?"

Short answer, yes. Long answer, if Luol Deng isn't traded for him, then a big time yes. The rumors floating around include players like Deng, Ben Gordon, and Ben Wallace. But like all things sports, we'll just have to wait and see. I remain excited and optimistic. If we get him, that'd be stellar, but if not, oh well.

It's win-win.

Next item: Hockey.

I've been disinterested with the NHL since probably the late 90s. I never really followed hockey on a regular basis, but that could be because the Chicago Blackhawks have been absolutely terrible. I loved the Colorado Avalanche and Patrick Roy for a while, but it was more of a bandwagon thing. And all I really did was watch a few highlights on SportsCenter and a playoff game here and there.

But last night, things changed -- uh, maybe.

I was watching Comcast SportsNet last night, and they did a piece which talked about Jonathan Toews, a guy the Hawks drafted third in 2006. Toews could potentially be a stud. He has a Canadian Gold medal at the World Championships under his belt, he took his North Dakota team to the Frozen Four, and oh, he's 19. Yeah, two years younger than me.

Toews, combined with whoever the Blackhawks select with the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft, immediately makes the team interesting again. Will they be contenders right away? Probably not. But it's getting me to care again, and that's something I haven't done for a while.

So, my 2007-08 policy is going to work like this: I'll aggressively follow the team for the first month of the season, and if they are still in contention at the end of that month, I'll continue to follow them until they fall out of the playoff race.

It could be interesting. Right? ... Maybe?

We'll see.

And lastly for today, bodacious Barry Bonds.

Not a lot to say, other than a quick comment on his amazing quote yesterday. This was his response when asked if he'd donate his home run memorabilia to the Hall of Fame:

"I'm not worried about the Hall," the San Francisco slugger said during a recent homer drought.

"I take care of me."

"Doesn't everybody have the right to decide to do it or not do it?" he said last week.

He's the best.

Predictably, everyone in the media is freaking out about it, but if that quote makes you mad, it's probably just because Bonds said it. Think about it, why should Barry Bonds have any obligation to donate his personal items to a Hall of Fame that may not admit him as a player? It makes no sense.

Is it really that selfish? Not if you ask me.

Either way, Bonds gets to keep his gear while the haters keep grinding their teeth.

Can't get too mad about that.

Favoritism In The NBA Final 4

2007-05-21T22:15:00.000-06:00

In what's become an annual tradition in my AIM Profile, I break down my rooting interest once my favorite team -- in this case, the Bulls -- is eliminated from contention in the post-season. On tap for right now, the NBA.

Remember, this isn't who I think is going to win (if you must know, I picked the San Antonio Spurs in my DI Point-Counterpoint), it's just who I'm pullin' for.

Favoritism in the NBA Final 4

1) Detroit Pistons - It's never a bad thing to be eliminated by the eventual champions, and in this case, they'd deserve it. Of the remaining teams, I like Detroit best for a few reasons.

Rasheed Wallace: The guy is so misunderstood that it hurts. His passion for the game is infectious, and anyone who can't get past his high amount of technicals is just too close minded to have ever understood him in the first place. Does his emotion compromise the team? Yeah, sometimes. But without him, they aren't winning squat.
Mason: I love the Pistons PA guy. Call him annoying, but if you can't get into "DEE-TROIT, BASKET-BALL," what can you get into?
Tayshaun Prince: Probably one of my Top 10 favorite players in the NBA. He ranges from good to really good at just about everything; almost like an evolved version of Luol Deng. It's probably why I like him so much.
Chris Webber: Say what you want about C-Webb, but I love him. He's one of the few players in the league that makes me smile with just about everything he does. Maybe it's my Michigan bias, but some way, some how, he just has to make up for that timeout he called in the NCAA Finals oh-so long ago. What better way to do it than with a ring?
The East: I want it made clear, I do believe the West is the better conference, but at the same time, people have spent this season treating the East like it doesn't even belong in the NBA. Don't get me wrong, it's been a rough go for the Leastern Conference this year, but need I remind you that the East has produced two of the last three champions? Sure, Miami was a fluke and a lot of analysts also argue that the West teams "beat each other up," which weakens them come NBA Finals time, but to that, I say "whatever."

...and although I won't go into detail, I'm also a big fan of Billups and Hamilton. Those guys are the best back court in the league. No contest. So yeah, I guess I could have just listed "The Pistons Starting Lineup" as one of my reasons.

2) San Antonio Spurs - Again, they have the "been there, done that" feel to them because they have in fact been there and done that. So seeing a team like this win isn't going to hurt, because nothing's really at stake. They also get bonus points because I picked them to win in the DI, and I like looking right. Docked points for Bruce Bowen. Does any non-Spurs fan like him at this point?

3) Utah Jazz - Watching old highlights of MJ, Scottie, and Co. torching the Utah Jazz almost a decade ago really made me nostalgic about watching this team lose, and I took a special enjoyment of seeing that happen in Salt Lake. Although I really enjoy Deron Williams, have come around on Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer, and can tolerate AK-47, John Amaechi's words about Jerry Sloan's bigotry are still in my mind, and the obvious racism of their fans -- pushed even more into the spotlight by Golden State players -- makes them almost impossible to get behind.

4) Cleveland Cavaliers - Why hate on Ohio? Eh, a few reasons. First, LeBron James has replaced Peyton Manning on my "amazing player who I hope doesn't win a title even though he probably deserves one" list. No real reason other than the fact that he's a rival of the Chicago Bulls and also because he's been known to take games off. I also think the whole quote about his biggest goal being "global icon" shouldn't precede win an NBA title, which, you know, is his actual job. Bonus hate points: that weird hair on the back of Gooden's head, Mike Brown's questionable coaching prowess, and, of course, Anderson Varejao.

-

Here's to that playing out in the most desirable way possible.

Bulls-Pistons: DOA, Field of Dreams

2007-05-12T10:29:00.000-06:00

Well, if I've learned anything about the Bulls-Pistons Round 2 series, it's that it's a lot harder to write about your favorite team when they are being disassembled by a much, much better team.

The Pistons really turned it on the past three games, and there's really not a lot to say. When people have asked me about the series, I've pretty much said the only thing there you can: the Bulls are being outclassed in just about every phase of the game. And I'm really developing a distaste for Ben Wallace. Yeah, he can shutdown some of the best traditional centers in the NBA, but really, how many teams still use centers like that? You've got Shaq, Yao, Dwight Howard...am I forgetting anyone? Even if I am, there aren't more than a handful, and playing 4 verse 5 on offense isn't helping the Bulls score points. That said, I don't miss T-Chan, and I think, even now, he's half the player that Big Ben is.

Here's to the Baby/Grown Up/Losing Bulls not getting swept.

***

In slightly more cheerful news, I took a trip to the Field of Dreams with P and Healy two days ago. Since I don't really feel like re-writing about it here, I'll just re-post the column I wrote for the Daily Iowan:

Dream Field
Bobby Loesch - The Daily Iowan
Issue Date: 5/11/07 Section: Sports

Between a light finals schedule this week, my beat coverage winding down, and this amazing weather we've been having, my buddies P, Healy, and I planned a trip to Dyersville, Iowa, to see the Field of Dreams, made famous as a setting in the 1989 movie of the same name.

Before the trip, I did a Wikipedia search on the film just to brush up on some stuff and check out trivia. All of the info was pretty standard, but the quotation, "The restored relationship between protagonist Kinsella and his father is notable for making male viewers cry," had me laughing.

Anyway, we made the hour-and-a-half drive from Iowa City, and at about half past noon, the field was in sight.

"There's a guy with his shirt off," Healy said.

Little did he know it was actually a wooden statue of "Shoeless Joe" Jackson.
We parked the car in the gravel lot in between cars with Iowa and Wisconsin plates and made our way toward the field. Going in, we estimated as many as 20 people would be around, but those guesses ended up being overzealous - there were no more than five or six.

The Gift Shop(s)

Before we took the field, we headed over to the gift shop, which, according to Healy's online research, lent out baseballs and gloves for people to play catch. But there was a problem, there were two separate gift shops.

One, called "Field of Dreams" was approximately 100 feet behind home plate, while the other, called "Field of Dreams Souveniers" was located by third base. The first gift shop, which is managed by the Lansing family, who own the field, uses proceeds for the maintenance and upkeep of the field, farm, and house. The other shop is owned by a different farmer who leased it to out-of-sate investors not associated with the Lansing farm or family. Naturally, I drifted to the first one, which I perceived to be less evil.

Standing in front of T-shirts, stickers, baseballs, and even actual DVD copies of the movie was an elderly woman named Marcia Weigell, who has worked at the field for
18 years. Much to our disappointment, she told us the shop had to stop lending out balls and gloves because of pending lawsuits. Luckily, Healy had a mitt and a tennis ball in his car, so we made do.

Weigell estimated 50,000 people visit the field each season, which lasts between April and November.

"Most people are happy to come down," said Weigell, who has been interviewed by countless television and newspaper reporters. "Some people who come are actually emotional because they just lost their father, but for the most part, people are just
happy."

I guess Wikipedia was right. It was my fault to question its power.

The Field of Dreams

"They built it, and I came," P said after we finally stepped onto the field.

After playing some pitch and catch, half-jogging the base paths, snapping some pictures, and looking into the not-yet-grown cornfields in the outfield, Healy asked me to throw a pop-up to him. As I obliged, I noticed power lines running over left and center field. After getting more information out of Weigell, I learned the power lines are the divider between the Lansing farm and the farm that leases the out-of-state shop. It depressed me to think something so pure and serene as the Field of Dreams could be tarnished by commerciality, but I did my best to block it out.

Now, I'm not one for simple pleasures - I'll take A/C and a television over a camping trip on most days - but the overwhelming simplicity of the scenery really captivated me. Mixing it with a gorgeous mid-May day, and it was one hell of an afternoon.

"I haven't felt this emotional since Friday Night Lights," P said in a serious tone.

I wasn't sure if he was joking.

All problems aside, I'd say the trip is a must-do for any baseball fan, serious to casual. And because I don't have a clever "If you build it, they will come"-type ending, I think I'll leave you with a phrase I saw on the back of the Field of Dreams sign as we made our way towards to the car:

Live the magic, Have faith in simplicity, and Always dare to dream.

News & Notes: 5/2/07, Grown Up Bulls, St. Louis Trip Nixed, Moss, Keyshawn

2007-05-01T23:18:00.000-06:00

Sorry for my lack of timeliness on some of these subjects, but I got pretty burned out after my live-blog. Nevertheless, I'm back, baby!

First off, the Grown Up Bulls sweep the Miami Heat in Round 1. It all happened so fast. I had a meeting for the newspaper, so I actually missed the last eight minutes or so of game time, but when I found out the Bulls actually closed it out, I was partly surprised. I mean, yeah, I thought the Heat would quit on the series, but they're the defending champions, right? Playing at home? Man, the Bulls have come a long way.

Second, I know I ended my last post talking about my trip to St. Louis. Well, that couldn't have ended (or, started?) worse. Minutes before we hit the highway, we got news of Josh Hancock's death, and needless to say, we never made it to St. Louis because the game was postponed. Sad story, and made more angering due to the fact that the whole thing is likely DUI related. Ugh.

In better news, Randy Moss is headed to the Patriots!

First, the only negative I see: it puts a helluva lot of pressure on the Patriots. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is crowning the Pats as the Super Bowl 42 Champs, and the whole thing is giving me an eerie Carolina Panthers vibe. I don't like it one bit.

I won't list the positives, because they're obvious, but I will give a few reasons why I think the situation won't be catastrophic.

It's clear that Moss is awfully motivated. In all of his interviews around draft day, he kept talking about how all of the uncertainty about what team he'd be playing for led to him working out and training harder than he'd ever trained before. Maybe he's lying, but I don't think he is, and when he's delivering quotes like "You're going to see things from me that you've never seen before," you better believe I'm fired up.
He took a pay cut to play for the Pats. It's clear winning is his No. 1 priority, now.
The Patriots gave up a 4th round pick on him. That's it. No matter what happens, it's clear they got a bargain deal for a player with a high ceiling of potential.
Even if -- going against everything I believe -- Moss becomes a problem, the Patriots have enough depth at wide receiver now to cut all ties immediately. Moss' one-year deal gives the Pats a lot of flexibility. But again, I really don't see any negatives spawning from this. The only reason people will be worried is because the sports media will give them reasons so to worry. You just have to look at the situation; Moss has clearly matured, and I think he's willing to put his past behind him and finally come into his own on a winning team.

And last, but not least, how could I not mention Keyshawn Johnson getting cut from the Carolina Panthers. I noted the irony on Draft Day of the Panthers drafting USC wide-out Dwayne Jarrett because Keyshawn said Jarrett wasn't ready for the NFL. Now? Jarrett's on Keyshawn's old team. Sports are amazing, sometimes.

Either way, best of luck to Keyshawn in the future. I always liked him.

Do You Feel a Draft in Here?

2007-04-28T18:54:00.000-06:00

(Note: I originally uploaded this whole thing unedited from NotePad. I didn't have internet connection until 7:55 p.m. on Draft Day, so there's some weird spacing at points, but for the most part, it's cool.)

Ahh, the NFL Draft. My favorite sporting event of the year. At this stage of the draft, I'm usually excited about what the Pats will do and very, very nervous about what moves the Bears will make. This year, it's a little different.

Coming off the Super Bowl, I can't say the Bears have a lot of needs. I don't even know if I have a preference for offense or defense. I guess I'm looking for the Bears to draft a safety and a wide receiver.

As for the Pats? The Bill Simmons stance: a linebacker and safety. I really hope they address those two needs with the first round picks. People like Michael Griffin (S, Texas) and David Harris (LB, Michigan) would be absolutley perfect.But if I know the Patriots -- and I do -- they'll bust out a surprise in the first round. They always do. It's pretty much a fact.

Well, let's rock this...

NFL Draft Live Blog 2007 (all times Central)

11:19 - Well, no surprises yet. The Raiders took JaMarcus Russell, which is what they should have done all along.

11:30 - Calvin Johnson to the Lions! I love Millen. I'm not saying this is a bad or good move, I'm just saying it's funny. I suppose if Detroit snags a QB in the second round, they could end up salvaging the draft.

11:36 - Come on, Browns. Draft Quinn already and get it over with. I probably should mention that my buddy Ryan and I are doing head-to-head mock drafts for money. So far,we're tied 2-2. I think he has Quinn, too. So this pick doesn't really matter.

11:41 - Joe freaking Thomas! Ohhhh man. Quinn is falling falling falling. So who's going to pick the Irish QB? Minnesota, I suppose. Washington would be a hilarious wildcard, though. Nothing the Redskins ever do makes sense, to me.They draft Jason Campbell in the first round a few years ago, and now, with limited playing time, they're ready to ditch him. They need to settle down, get some patience,and maybe save their draft picks, for once.

11:45 - Wow, looking at the Bucs depth chart, they REALLY shouldn't be drafting a QB. Wasn't Jeff Garcia, like, thee coveted free agent of the off-season? My money's on Gaines Adams.

11:49 - Goodell seems like he's taking this whole process a lot less seriously than Tagliabue. I feel like he could burst out laughing while he's delivering some of these picks.

Also, I wonder if Joe Thomas heard he's been picked yet. I wish I had the NFL Network so I could see his reaction on that fishing boat of his.

11:54 - Little Gaines Adams action. I'm digging his hair.

Bobby: 3, Ryan: 2

11:55 - I kind of go in and out of being indifferent to Mel Kiper and being totally bothered by him. Here's a guy that can be totally wrong about everything, but just because he's been there for so long, nothing ever needs to be validated. It's like when a college professor gets tenure. He's practically invincible.

12:03 - Well, Michael Smith was right. The Cardinals took OT Levi Brown from Penn State. The surprising thing here was learning Brown was actually higher on the Cardinals' board than Joe Thomas. I guess it makes sense, especially if you think about things in terms of "nastiness," which apparently is an important quality for o-linemen.

12:05 - I'm thinking the Bears aren't going to pull off a trade with the 'Skins.The Bears are such trademark letdowns on draft day. It's hard to believe in them. I'd be kinda nice to see a straight up Lance Briggs for the 6th pick trade. The problem is, Redskins and Bears fans alike claim they wouldn't be getting enough. This makes no sense to me. The Redskins are getting a young, proven player, and the Bears are getting a high profile draft pick. Tell me, who is getting the short end of the stick, here?

12:12 - It's hard to believe that after just five picks, it's already been an hour. This is going to be quite the day.

12:13 - LaRon Landry reppin' the White Sox (hat). Always good to see. And is he wearing a hang down belt? If so, does that make hang down belts cool? I haven't thought of hang down belts as cool since sixth grade. It's a new era for them, I suppose.

12:27 - Adrian Peterson is a great choice for the Vikes. Everybody I'm watching the draft with is claiming Quinn was a better choice, but the Vikings took Jackson last year in what, the second round? Give the kid a shot before you bringin an overhyped Noter Dame quarterback as your 'savior'.

12:36 - Who cares where Quinn is going! I have a new debate: Is Quinn's girlfriend hot?

The Verdict...
Mike: "She's cute"
Ryan: "She looks like she's in high school."
Scott: "She's attractive, but I wouldn't call her hot. I mean, I would go out with her, but Brady Quinn shouldn't go out with her -- I'm not nearly as attractive. Put it to you this way, Brady Quinn must have been pretty drunk last night if he brought her to the draft."

Ouch.

I'm still on the fence. I'd think I'd have to hear her talk first to develop a better opinion.

12:39 - Do you think old runningback Jamal Anderson is upset that the Falcons drafted a player with the same name (but an extra A in the first name)? I mean, what if new Anderson becomes amazing in the A.T.L.? That's an overshadowed legacy, right there. Oh well, he'll never have the dirty bird.

12:41 - With Miami on the clock, Mike, a huge Dolphins fan, is pretty much going Quinn crazy right now: "What's taking so long?! Just pick! Just pick!"

He's presenting some theory about how the Dolphins should pick faster because it would put more pressure on the Texans to make a pick afterwards, but I'm not really sure why he has it out for the Texans. At least he makes sense to himself.

12:47 - The new consensus here is that Suzy Kolber looks hotter with long hair. I always liked Suzy. Not enough to name a blog after her, but she really knows her football.

12:50 - And the Dolphins take Ted Ginn, Jr.

Mike: "No, No! No?! NOOOOO!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!"

Haha, it's kind of like he didn't believe it at first, then it really hit him.

12:54 - I'm still kind of coming to terms with Ted Ginn getting picked in the Top 10. So much for all those claims about his foot injury altering his draft stock. Good for him. Minor injuries shouldn't play a part, anyway. We're talking five, 10, and15 year careers, here. Why get over-concerned about an injury that will obviously heal.

1:04 - Nailed the Okoye pick. Ryan claims he's going to make a push later in the round.

Bobby: 5, Ryan: 3

1:18 - Patrick Willis rockin' a White Sox cap, too. Are the White Sox 'in' again? Are they the hang down belts of MLB teams? Quite possibly.

1:27 - Well, Packers fans everywhere just cringed. Every single cheesehead I know was positive they were gonna snag Lynch in the draft. Oh, well.

I'm debating if I feel bad for Quinn or not. I mean, as a society, should we really feel THAT bad if all of these players are going to be millionaires, anyway? Should the NFL be at fault for inviting him? I don't know. I don't think it's that big of a deal.

1:39 - Quite the picture of Adam Carriker; enough there to rattle a roomful of guys. I think each one of us gasped.

1:43 - TRADE! I love trades. Panthers swapping with the Jets. Are the J-E-T-S drafting Quinn?

Or are they making a push for Hall? Oh, man. I love the NFL Draft.

2:02 - Pittsburgh takes Lawrence Timmons from FSU. I got the pick right, but so did Ryan.

Boo.

Bobby: 6, Ryan: 4

2:02 - With the Packers on the clock, I have no idea who they've got in mind. I think I'll make a call to my friend Chris (big time Pack fan).

2:09 - He, uh, didn't pick up. Might be taking the Lynch loss pretty hard. That, or he's ignoring me. Either way.

2:13 - The Packers picked up DT Justin Harrell. I think it's a good move, despite the fact that some little white kid in a Packers jersey started booing the camera.

What does he know?

2:24 - TRADE! Broncos swap with the Jags to land Florida d-lineman Jarvis Moss....interesting.

2:33 - Sorry, I'm kind of slacking on the comments. But the Bengals are on the clock, so it's all getting interesting again. What if they drafted a shady character guy?

2:34 - Leon Hall to Cinci. Meh. I'm a huge Michigan fan, but Hall is the first guy from UM in a while that I really wasn't excited about being drafted. Him and Branch never really stood out to me. I mean, all season long, I was told that Hall was a lock to be a first round pick, but nothing he ever did on the field jumped out at me. There was never a time where I thought, "Wow, we're lucky to have this guy." Still, best of luck in Cinci, Leon. Stay out of trouble.

2:37 - We're planning a huge trip to Chick-Fil-A at the end of this round. I've never been before, but one just opened up in Iowa City. The real wrinkle here is that Ryan apparently won a year's supply of free Chick-Fil-A. Unfortunatley, Round 1 is at Pick 19, so we're far away.

2:47 - Damn. The Titans nabbed Michael Griffin. The Pats are going to have to re-think their draft strategy. I'm really thinking they're going to back out of this sensible S/LB policy. Is wide receiver a possiblity? I like Dwayne Bowe from LSU. Can't imagine he'll still be available when the Pats pick.

3:05 - Reggie Nelson to the Jags. Dan Shanoff's favorite player in the draft going to his 'favorite' team in the NFL. Gotta imagine he's pretty happy. I didn't even have Nelson going in the first round.

Oh, and just to update...Bobby: 6, Ryan: 4

We've both gone a little cold. Can we use these trades as an excuse?

3:09 - It offends me that ESPN is addressing the possiblity of Quinn going to the Cowboys. Tony Romo has to be at home thinking, "What the hell's going on?!"

I know that ESPN has to keep things interesting, but Quinn is NOT playing in Dallas next year. Is it possible that Quinn could fall to the second round? What a story that'd be.

3:14 - The Pats are so close to Harris. And with the Cowboys and Chiefs in front of them, there is no one standing in their way.

3:15 - TRADE! Browns swapped with Dallas. All signs point to Brady Quinn. Good for him...I guess.

3:17 - It's official. Quinn's a Brown. Ryan just put on "Hero" by Enrique Igleasis, and it's blasting. This, meshed with shots of Quinn dressed in a Browns uniforn as a kid makes this easily a Top 10 NFL Draft moment of my entire life. The chorus of the song started the second Quinn walked onto the stage in New York.

3:19 - I can be your hero, baby! I can kiss away the painnnnnn.

3:30 - The Chiefs used up all 15 minutes of the clock. Looks like their GM took a class or two in Herm Edwards Clock Management School. That joke doesn't even make that much sense. Whatever, Herm Edwards can't manage games...ha!

3:32 - Dwayne Bowe to KC! You know what this means? David Harris, David Harris, David Harris.

Come on, Pats.

3:33 - I have this hope that the Patriots won't take up as much clock as the other teams. You know, they're your team, you're hoping they act cooler than the other time wasting franchises that prolonged this first round.

Keep dreaming, Bobby. (Yeah, we've reached third-person mode).

3:43 - Well, the Pats drafting early into the 15-minute clock was a pipe dream. 1:37 left. Come. On. Pats.

3:44 - I'm getting a bad feeling about this. I'm bracing myself for a letdown. Mort's suggesting a trade. Nahhh. Keyshawn suggested a WR as a choice. Nahhh.

3:46 - Announce it, already!

3:46 - Brandon Meriweather, Safety, Miami (Fla.). Well, I originally had Griffin going in this spot. So, I think I can say things are alright so far.

3:47 - They just showed the video of Meriweather stomping on some FIU player during the FIU-Miami brawl. I'm feeling good about this. The thing is, I never really saw a lot of Meriweather in college, so I associate him with the only other safety from The U that comes to mind: Sean Taylor.

So, although I know nothing about him, I'm stereotyping him as a heavy hitter, playmaker,and loose cannon. Seems OK.

Hopefully Harris is still good to go in the 28 spot.

3:49 - Michael Smith's brilliant breakdown of Meriweather's ability to replace Ellis Hobbs in some complicated nickel package has talked me into the pick, more so.

I love Michael Smith.

3:50 - Sean Salisbury called the stomp in the FIU game "bush league." You tell 'em, Sean.

3:51 - Another interesting thing to think about: this pick came from the Seahawks. So immediatley, the question becomes, is/was Meriweather worth Deion Branch?

With the kind of free agency the Patriots have had in terms of wide recievers, I'd like to think that thus far, the trade will come out with the Pats in an advantageous position.

3:55 - Whoooo. Dodged a huge bullet with the Panthers taking Beason. When ESPN cut backfrom the commercial, I overheard Mort say "They took a Linebacker." Man, was I scared

Harris on the board. Harris on the board.

3:57 - "Are they playing the Rocky song for Philly's pick?" Ryan asks as he looks over at me. "You should blog about that one, don't you think?

3:58 - TRADE! Dallas and Philly swap, with Dallas now on the clock. Who do the Cowboys have in mind, here? I knew Jerry Jones couldn't go without a first round pick.

4:00 - Man, that Chick-Fil-A is becoming increasingly appealing. Buuuut, the Bears and Pats still have first round picks. Gotta stick it out, can't quit now.

4:03 - Oof, I just realized we passed the five hour mark.

"Doesn't seem like it," Ryan says. "It's going pretty smoothly."

I've gotten a second wind, so I'd have to agree with him. Mike and Scott probably don't, though. They've been gone for hours.

4:06 - ...and the Cowboys pick DE Anthony Spencer from Purdue. The Cowboy fans don't look happy. On the plus side, I just clinched the first round head-to-head mock draft victory!

The current score...Bobby- 6, Ryan- 4

Yeah, we're not that good.

4:08 - A lot of people thought Keyshawn would be a disaster analyzing this draft, but he really hasn't bothered me at all. Although he has talked about the wide receiever position pretty excessively, it's what ke knows, so I understand. I look forward to his comments just as much -- if not more -- than most of the other guys.

4:12 - It feels like the Saints have been on the clock forever, and they still have seven minutes left. I think I'm starting to hit another wall.

4:19 - Muh-Muh-Muh-Meachem to the Saints. They just cut to Meachem and he looked more surprised and upset than anything else. You just got drafted, dude. And the Saints aren't bad anymore.

Pats back on the clock, and I'm getting a third wind.

4:27 - Oh man, Greg Olsen is still available. Are you listening, Bears???

4:28 - Four minutes left until the Pats make their second pick of the first round.

4:29 - It's gotta be Harris or Poz, but which one?

4:31 - TRADE! Pats swap with the 49ers. I'm assuming the Pats are going into the second round because they don't currently have a second round pick. Maybe Belichick and Pioli know they can get a 'backer for cheaper in Round 2. Kind of like when they traded into the second round and got Chad Jackson last year. As far as cap space goes, this makes sense.

4:34 - Details of the trade are still unannounced. Get on it, ESPN!

-

5:36 - Ryan and I ended up caving and leaving for Chick-Fil-A as soon as the Niners drafted Joe Staley. I caught the details of the trade on the radio, and they seem pretty solid (the major highlight being the Patriots getting the Niners first round pick next year). It'll be nice to root against a team all year like I got to do with the Seahawks last season. Get the voodoo curses on Frank Gore's ACL going, ASAP.

As for the rest of the first round, I'm glad the Bears finally got the tight end everybody wanted them to get...it just took a year longer. Olsen was a combine stud, and hopefully that translates into some success in the NFL.

It's also worth nothing that the Colts got Anthony Gonzalez with the last pick. Man, Ohio State, then the Colts. That's a recipe for some hating. I can't wait to start rooting against him.

Well, I think I'm going to take it easy for the second round. After (almost) making it through the longest first round in NFL history, I'm a little burned out. So if you'll excuse me, I've got some loungin', eatin', and hangin' out to do.

Here's to a stellar Rounds 2-7.

-

5:48 - Eh, it got boring not blogging. Plus, the Eagles picked QB Kevin Kolb! Now that's inexplicable. The Eagles fans look a bit upset. Too bad Kolb didn't get to walk on stage. He would've been McNabbed so hard. Philly fans are insane.

I think I'll post some updates sparatically.

6:08 - GET OFF OF TED GINN! These NFL Live guys won't quit. I don't even like Ted Ginn that much, but these guys refuse to let go of the fact that he hurt his foot in the National Championship game in January. What did they want? For him to go undrafted? This injury isn't a big deal! Maybe it will effect the start of his season this year. Maybe. But that's about it. They act like he's recovering from paralysis or something.

6:10 - Meanwhile, the Dolphins redeem themselves (at least in the eyes of their fans) by taking the Brigham Young QB, John Beck. The fans were mad because they didn't get Quinn, but if Beck is as good as Quinn -- which some of the analysts are saying -- then maybe Miami ended up saving a lot of money and gained wide receiver/punt returner in Ginn.

I don't know a lot about Beck, but I kind of get the feeling Miami is doing the right thing. Not like that basketball team of theirs! ... Zing! ... Sorry, I had to.

3-0!!!

6:36 - Dwayne Jarrett to the Carolina Panthers. The ironic thing is, Keyshawn Johnson, his future teammate, was one of the more prominent people saying Jarrett should have stayed at USC for his senior season.

This whole selection led Keyshawn to say something like, "I can TEACH him to be physical, I can TEACH him to be agressive..." Ohhhh, man. Keyshawn is regeretting that call.

Keyshawn eventually interviewed a very emotional Jarrett, who is barely able to speak after being selected. Understandable, but we haven't seen a lot of that today.

Also, after re-watching highlights of Jarrett, how the hell did he slip to the second round?! He just dominated in college, and even if his speed is a problem, his hands and size pretty much ensure a certain level of success in the NFL. I really am rooting for him this season.

6:44 - David Harris to the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS. Mangini strikes again. Bummer. Well,I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have been available when the Pats pick in the THIRD round.They better get a solid linebacker.

7:10 - And the Titans draft Arizona RB Chris Henry. Ouch to LenDale White. Thankfully, former Trojan Keyshawn Johnson backs up his boy White. Everything is right in the world.

7:30 - Well, Ryan is kicking me out of his place. Says he has to go to work or something. Weak. So, I guess this ends my live blog. In better news, he just offered me a free ticket and ride to the Cards-Cubs Sunday Night Baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis tomorrow, and I'm in. So, say 'goodbye' to a live blog for Day 2, and say 'hello' to a probable post on my experience at Busch.

Bulls-Heat: !!!

2007-04-28T05:58:00.000-06:00

Even with my head swollen from the buzz that is the NFL Draft, I owe it to the Bulls to write about last night's tremendous game.

There really is a lot to say, but I don't know if I have the words. It was probably one of the most complete games the Bulls have played all season. And it was on the freaking road! They just kept scrapping, and digging, and giving their best effort -- basically being the antithesis of what Miami Heat basketball is all about -- and although the Heat looked unbeatable during stretches, the Bulls were able to overcome Miami's scoring binges and put the game away with slightly more ease than I expected.

Deng was a little streakier than usual, but he got the job done. Hinrich and Gordon played the way they needed to play, especially on defense. And it can't be overstated how important to this team Ben Wallace is. There's a lot of people at ESPN who seem to think that keeping Tyson Chandler (who I pretty much only refer to as T-Chan...because I hate him) would have been a better move for Chicago, but being someone who watches the Bulls regularly, they're wrong.

Sure, T-Chan averaged more points and more rebounds playing with a great point guard on a non-playoff team, and maybe the Bulls did overpay a little bit, but with someone like Ben Wallace, stats kind of go out the window. Last year's playoffs spawned what I liked to call the "Two-Two" rule for T-Chan. Two fouls, two minutes. He was so glaringly ineffective at guarding Shaq that he basically fouled his way off the court every single time Skiles put him in. The Chicago Bulls picked up Wallace for these situations, and you say what you want about T-Chan's stats, but right now, Big Ben and his amazing defense/playmaking are likely headed to the second round, while Two-Two-T-Chan is sitting at home.

Sounds like a decent deal to me.

The question now is, when do the Bulls close out the series? Game 4? Game 5?

I said before if the Heat went down three games, they'd probably end up giving up, and you know what? I'm gonna stick by that.

Bust out the brooms, Bulls in 4.

We'll see.

Bulls-Heat: So Far, So Great

2007-04-26T20:30:00.000-06:00

Wow, what an impressive win for the Grown Up Bulls. (Up 2-0 on the Heat, heading into tomorrow' game in Miami).

Favorite highlights from Game 2:

Noc's sick seven straight points to close out the first quarter. The look on Ty Thomas' face when he first passed the ball to Noc was amazing, but it got even better after Noc hit the three at the buzzer. Watching those two interact is absolutely amazing.
Speaking of Ty Thomas, how about Alonzo Mourning obliterating Thomas when he tried to sky over him for an attempted dunk. The veteran really put the rookie in his place -- I'm just glad Thomas didn't get hurt.
Thabo being able to shoot the ball a little bit -- always nice to see.
Hinrich getting things going a little bit. He wasn't dominant, but he was a lot more impressive than his dud Game 1. Dude still needs to work on staying out of foul trouble, though. Always happy to see him get his assists.
The Bulls literally running the Heat ragged with screens and motion. I really think Miami is fading into the dreaded 'not-care' zone.
Luol Deng: The surge continues.

Before the contest MJD at the AOL FanHouse predicted a Bulls victory, but he also followed it up something that really stuck with me: "And in Game 3, the Heat will still feel like 20-point favorites."

You know what? They kind of do feel like favorites. As confident as I felt about the Bulls winning Game 3, Alonzo Mourning said this, and again, It got me thinking:

"You guys [the media] can write what you want to write, and that's fantastic. You've got to do what you've got to do, and that's appease the public. But the bottom line is we're the world champions, and the first team that wins four games moves on. And that has not happened."

You know what? Mourning's right. The Miami Heat are the defending NBA Champions, and as dreadful as they've looked at times during this series, there's no reason to write them off, especially going into consecutive home games. That's not to say I'm forecasting some type of Bulls collapse -- I'm not -- but let's just say I'll be singing a much, much happier tune if the Bulls somehow go up 3-0.

But the way the NBA works, and homecourt works, and champions work, the task is daunting, to say the least.

Bulls-Heat: So Far, So Good

2007-04-22T23:37:00.000-06:00

I really had to force myself out of writing a headline that said something using a play on of the word "heat," but I guess I was able to manage. I couldn't imagine being a headline writer for a Miami newspaper. Those hilarious/goofy headlines are just too easy not to use.

Anyways, I look at the series score, and I see:
Bulls- 1
Heat- 0

To me, that doesn't give a lot space to complain -- and I don't plan on it.........yet.

There have been a few things about this series that I've really enjoyed.

Luol freaking Deng: The man from The Sudan has lived up to my always sky-high expectations of him. He's been my favorite player in the NBA for a full season now, and I think the rest of the league is finally starting to take notice (What took so long?!). He's finishing when he takes it to the basket, he's exploiting his match-up against D-Wade, and most importantly, he's leading the team in scoring. I really hope Deng can keep things going throughout this series. Seeing him in an All-Star uni next year would be stellar.
Thabo Sefalosha: I've always been high on Thabo since his first game of the regular season against Miami on opening night. I thought he'd have a chance to contend for Rookie of the Year if he got the minutes. Obviously he didn't play well enough to deserve those minutes, but he's really coming into his own of late. He's always been great at defense, and apparently Scott Skiles is taking notice. What stood out to me was when Kirk Hinrich picked up his fourth foul in the 3rd quarter, and Skiles put in Thabo over Chris Duhon. It showed trust in the rook, and we're going to need him if we wanna take down the defending champs. Did you know Thabo's wingspan is 7'0''? Yeah, crazy!
Shaq: The big fella's upset, and after fouling out in Game 1, he's already calling out the refs in his post-game interviews. It's the same every year. It's tough to officiate someone so big, powerful, and dominant. I feel for him, but at the same time, the question remains: is this whining going to turn into more motivation or a series-losing excuse fest?
Mi-apathy: Do these guys care? Shaq and D-Wade seem to be invested, but after Game 1, Pat "The Devil" Riley told reporters that he instructed Wade to bank in a three for the last second attempt to tie the game. To me, Riley is too loose -- he just doesn't take these Bulls seriously. I know it worked last year, but I don't think this year's team has the same "it" that this current team does. They can't continuously treat the regular season like a joke and just expect to turn it on for the playoffs. I really think if they hit a two or three game deficit, the roof might just cave in on the team and they'll fully give up. They just seem like quitters, to me. (Again, excluding Shaq and Wade.)
The Chicago crowd: This is the homer in me, but the good folks at the UC really turned it on for Game 1. From resurrecting the "No-ci-oni" free throw cheer from 2004, to shamelessly riding James "Public Enemy No. 1" Posey with a chorus of constant boos that culminated in Posey getting a technical while sitting on the bench, to cheering at all the right moments (like Ty Thomas' blocks and alley-oop), that was, in my opinion, the best crowd for an NBA game I have ever seen in a long, long time.

That's all I gots for now.

Tune in Tuesday for Game 2. I don't expect a let down. That is, I think the Bulls will continue to turn up the ... heat?

Haha, I knew I couldn't go a whole post.

Va Tech

2007-04-18T01:48:00.000-06:00

Instead of making a feeble attempt at shedding perspective on the Virginia Tech massacre, I'm going to post a take from Michael David Smith at the AOL FanHouse entitled, "The Virginia Tech Tragedy and Why Sports Matter":

When I hear the words "Virginia Tech," sports immediately come to mind. I think of Michael Vick nearly leading the Hokies to the national championship and Marcus Vick falling far short of the expectations that came with his famous name. I think of the breakout season for Seth Greenberg's basketball team and the way they knocked my Illini out of the Big Dance this year.

I think of things that don't really matter, not compared to the tragic loss of life that happened on the Virginia Tech campus yesterday.

And then I see what other sports fans have to say about yesterday's events, and I'm reminded that sports do matter. They give us a sense of community with our fellow sports fans. None of us can imagine what my colleague Nick Dallamora, who's a student at Virginia Tech, went through yesterday. But I've been struck by how many sports bloggers have shown that sense of a community of fans today.

Dan Shanoff began today's column with the headline, "Today We Are All Hokie Fans." Every Day Should Be Saturday had a poignant post simply titled, "Moment of Silence," with a Hokie flag at half staff. We Are The Postmen reflected what I think a lot of people were thinking, which is that we want to say something but don't know what. With Leather noted the difficulty of being funny and The Big Picture said "no jokes today." Larry Brown Sports and Chris' Sports Blog and My Sports Talk all set sports aside.

That's the immediate reaction, but in five months we'll be watching the Hokies on the football field again. When we do, we'll no doubt see black stickers on the players' helmets, and our first response might be to think a football game doesn't mean a damn thing. But then we'll get a look at the student section, and the young people that game is bringing together, and we'll be reminded that sports matter.

Couldn't have said it better.

Also, I'm not one to be overzealous in the moment of tragedy with outrageous claims about courage and stuff like that (especially when my only means of being there is via television), but in all honesty, I can't believe how united the students in Blacksburg seem to be. Every take on the incident and every interview I've seen has featured intelligent, well spoken kids who -- even in the face of major tragedy -- have maintained a certain poise. I envy their ability to hold together like that. To me, it's remarkable.

He Gone of the Moment: Wilson Chandler

2007-04-13T10:22:00.000-06:00

I'm a pretty superstitious guy, so when Friday the 13th comes around, I like to be as careful as I can. Fortunately, from a sporting sense, I'm not sure what else could go wrong. Wednesday, Drew Bledsoe retired, and now, I find out that Thursday, DePaul forward Wilson Chandler declared for the NBA Draft.

(via AP): CHICAGO -- DePaul sophomore Wilson Chandler said Thursday that he intends to declare for the NBA draft.

Chandler said he studied his options with his family and coach Jerry Wainwright, and he decided that going into the NBA was the best decision.

The 6-foot-8 forward led DePaul in scoring and rebounding last season, averaging 14.6 points and 6.9 rebounds. Chandler also led the Blue Demons with 47 blocks last season.
DePaul had a 20-win season and made the quarterfinals
of the NIT.

If it's a family/money thing, you can't really fault Chandler for his decision, but obviously this is a near fatal shot to DePaul's 2007-2008 campaign. I'm not sure if Chandler has hired an agent or not, but I'm assuming he's as good as gone.

If Chandler was already the man this year, he was going to be theee man next year after the departure of senior guard Sammy Mejia.

A great athlete, dunker, defender, and occasional three-point shooter, Chandler's brand of basketball was a hell of a lot of fun to watch. He always sucked me into DePaul games. I always thought he was good enough to go to the NBA after this season, but I hoped the lack of media attention on the Blue Demons combined with Jerry Wainwright's Top 25 recruiting class (currently ranked #12 at rivals.com) would be enough to keep Chandler in Chicago.

Guess not.

Looking onto a Chandler-less '07-'08 season, there are a few positives, including incoming five-star shooting guard (Darquavius Tucker), four-star power forward (Nayal Koshwal), and a few three-star guys as well. Also, I'm not totally sure on this, but I think Wainwright is bringing in a JuCo player or two, and from what I heard, he/they are supposed to be pretty talented. But aren't they all?

With Mejia and Chandler gone, this squad turns into Draelon Burns' team. Burns, heading into his senior year, will have enough talent to at least make a run at DePaul's first NCAA Tournament birth since 2004. Would I fault them if they came up short? Not after losing Chandler. His versatility will be missed.

RIP Wilson Chandler's Collegiate Career (2005-2007) ... He Gone.

He Gone of the Moment: Drew Bledsoe

2007-04-12T18:36:00.000-06:00

Well, Drew Bledsoe, my second favorite NFL quarterback of all-time, retired yesterday. I honestly think -- based on his style of pocket passing which relies very little on mobility -- he could have lasted another four to six years in the league. Would he have been mediocre to sub-par? Probably, and I think Drew knew that.

He walked away from the game at the right time, and all of his quotes were squeaky clean, feel good, and for me, provided some closure.

Here were my favorites (quotes via ESPN, specifically Michael Smith) :

"Nobody ever had to come and get me off the field," he said. "Even in New England [in '01 after Mo Lewis of the Jets leveled him with a hit that sheered a blood vessel] I went back out there and they had to tell me to stay out. I never once stayed down."
***

"I'm not leaving the game with any hard feelings," he said. "I had a great career and I enjoyed all of it, with the
exception of losing. I enjoyed the time I had with all the teams I played for. I played with a ton of great players and a ton of great people.

"[Last season] was hard, very hard. Nobody said life was fair but that was a tough pill to swallow. I'm happy for
Tony, who's a good guy and a good player. It was sad for him the way the season ended. It's just that I felt like that team had a chance to do some things and I wanted to be on the field with those guys. It didn't work out. But there's no bitterness toward anyone over anything that
happened."

I disagreed with him being benched for Tony Romo last season, but I think, in the end, it was the right move. But that's why Bill Parcells has rings and I don't.

Also, after that Mo Lewis hit, he really could have died. But he didn't, and he came back weeks later, and I have all the respect in the world for him because of that. Even though Brady had taken over his original job.

I also think that Bledsoe was Pro Bowl worthy in 2005; just look at the numbers. He ended up losing the last NFC Pro Bowl QB spot to Michael Vick, who, predictably underachieved, but got in on name recognition. But I swear I'm not bitter.

I'll remember Drew for a few things...

Getting me into Washington State and New England Patriots football...hell, getting me into football, period. He was my favorite player for a very, very long time.
Altering the course of NFL history after taking the Mo Lewis hit.
Being a class act all the way, in every city, for every team he played for.
Always taking responsibility for good AND bad things that happened to his teams.
My bandwagon-ish Dallas Cowboys fandom (2005-2006), solely because he was playing for them.
Bledsoe's cannon arm in its prime, that -- assuming he had sound blocking during the play -- could make any throw, any where with surgical precision

But now, that's all over. So the question presents itself: Is Bledsoe Hall of Fame worthy?

On the New England Patriots message board I post on at over football's future, user "cordovagolfer" and I came up with a pro-HOF argument.

I wrote, "...I think his numbers alone garner at least some HOF consideration. 4 Pro Bowls. 2 AFC Championships. (1 Super Bowl, if we're counting that.) Top 10 in a few major QB statistical categories. I don't know, we'll see."

cordovagolfer wrote, "First it's 2 Super Bowls - 96 and 01 [he seemed to favor appearances alone as an accomplishment]. Let's not forget without him we don't beat Pittsburgh and then never get there.

Top 10 in Yardage and Completions. #13 in TD's. Everyone (who's retired) in that range is in the HOF. Whenever this man had an offensive line in front of him he performed better than anyone else. You can't call what Buffalo and Dallas put in front of him offensive lines, just offensive. He was one of the best pocket passers ever to play. His problem was always mobility. That shouldn't get him discarded from consideration. He will be every bit a serious candidate, just like Tippett."

To counter, user "Tzimisce" (a Patriots fan, who I consider to be the most intelligent poster in the whole forum) made his anti-HOF argument.

Tzimisce wrote, "He's one of those stat-padder types. Like Vinny Testaverde, but without the longevity.

As far as I'm concerned, the HOF should only be for truly dominant players. And Bledsoe was never in that category - not even close. He never really developed great football fundamentals. He was always trying to make the big play, rather than taking what the defense gave him, and that's why he was run out of New England. After the '00 season, I knew that he wasn't long for this town, even if Mo Lewis hadn't nearly killed him in week 2 of '01. Brady would've become our starting QB at some point during that season, regardless.

Bledsoe will forever belong in that second or third tier of QBs - guys who were good when placed in the right situation, with the right talent around them, but were never good enough to carry a team. He's in the same league as Kenny Anderson, Vinny T, Dave Krieg and Steve DeBerg - none of whom were Canton-worthy, even though they certainly had some very good years. If you want to see why Bledsoe was never a great QB, watch a tape of him performing when the defense got pressure from the outside, and then watch one of Brady in the same situation.

Brady would either dump it off to the running back in the flat, or step up into the pocket and throw it at someone's feet, where it couldn't get picked off.

Bledsoe, on the other hand, would continue to stand there like a statue until he was sacked, or he would wing it into coverage downfield, where it could've easily gotten picked off. The dude simply didn't have the pocket presence and intangibles that seperate [sic] the decent QBs from the great ones."

Whether you agree or disagree with Bledsoe being in the Hall of Fame, Tzimisce certainly makes a better argument.

But the numbers (padded or not) are up there with the best QBs of all-time, and maybe for some voters, that will be enough to push him in.

RIP Drew Bledsoe's NFL Career (1993-2007) ... He Gone.

Imus vs. Rutgers: Everybody Loses

2007-04-12T10:36:00.000-06:00

Please don't allow me to be the millionth person to rag on Don Imus and his "nappy headed hos" comment. I'm so burnt out on it, that at this point, it means nothing to me.

What did rile me up, however, was the Rutgers women's basketball's cryfest-press conference. I'll admit I only saw highlights of the players speaking, but I did watch the Rutgers President and head coach C. Vivian Stringer in their entirety (live, during one of my classes here at the University of Iowa), and I must say, come. on.

The thing that really upset me about this press conference was the fact that it happened. I can't believe they got away with it. Could you ever see Bob Huggins, Bobby Knight, Roy Williams, or even Coach K scheduling a press conference to defend his players from comments few people even agreed with in the first place? I'll answer that question, N-O.

Rutgers' problem was thinking the majority of America sided with Imus, and my problem is, most people didn't to begin with, and after Imus apologized, there was no reason for them to go on live TV to feel sorry for themselves. This press conference was free publicity for Rutgers and blatantly stole Tennessee basketball's thunder. Instead of an off-season of Candace Parker and Pat Summitt, the casual women's basketball fan will probably think Rutgers won the title, based on the way they were acting.

That self gratifying, pointless press conference did nothing but bump Imus' words from inconsequential to relevant -- is that what Rugters wanted? The dude got suspended and dropped from MSNBC, and remember, he apologized!

Again, to Stringer and Co., everybody agreed with you in the first place. There was and is no reason to treat the situation like it was Rutgers women's basketball vs. America. You weren't setting the record straight, you were simply pushing your own agenda. Seriously, what was the point of dragging the media into your school? To cry? To feel sorry for yourselves? That's not news.

Acting like they had their backs against the wall was a shame, and while America ate out of the palm of their hand, I cringed.

News & Notes: 4/3/07, Chicago Baseball Edition + CBB

2007-04-03T17:48:00.000-06:00

- Well, the folks at the Tribune are selling the Chicago Cubs after this season. This move intrigues me for a few reasons.

Who will be the new owner? Although I've never addressed it here, I am a pretty big Cubs-hater. I'm sure I can get into specifics later, but for right now, I'm just putting that out there. Anyway, as a Sox fan, I sure as hell hope Mark Cuban doesn't purchase the team. I think if he did, the likability of the Cubs would increase. Heck, I'm a casual Dallas Mavericks fan, and most of that has to do with everything he's brought to the team. He's a blue-collar billionaire, if that's possible. I think Cuban could easily spin the Sox to be the villainous team from the South Side, and as far as national attention goes, it would only hurt a team that could certainly use some. My current stance on Cubs ownership: anyone but Cuban.
Will this new owner posssssibly, mayyyybe think about a new stadium? One of the biggest reasons I dislike the Cubs is Wrigley Field. I know, I know, it's the "best stadium in baseball" and it's full of "history," but I really don't buy into that (like I said, that discussion is for another day). But if a new face stepped in and thought about getting the Cubs a new stadium, I'd say there's a serious chance I could get (slightly) into the team again.

- I'm not a big predictions guy, but just because this pick is so out there and bold, I'd like to go on record saying I believe Ted Lilly will win the NL Cy Young Award. It's a mixture of his natural talent, playing in the NL, and leaving the stacked AL East that gives him a solid chance, I think. Of course, this bold pick could just as easily be wrong and I'd look like an idiot, but hey, it's a lot more interesting to read than someone ranting about Chris Carpenter. I mean, anyone could do that.

For some reason, I've really gotten behind Lilly since he signed with the stupid Cubs. I can't really explain why, but I'm hoping he does well this year. It pains me to say I'll probably end up rooting for the Cubs -- well, not the Cubs, just Lilly -- in 20% of the games they play this season.

- I really think it's possible I jinxed the Chicago White Sox 2007 season. Let me explain...

I'm a firm believer in making sure I watch the first pitch of Opening Day for my favorite team. I just feel like it has a lot of meaning, and it's an important part of the season. It's the team's launch pad, if you will. Any success (or failure) the team experiences started from that exact point.

Unfortunately, I made the mistake of confusing Eastern time with Central time when I looked at the MLB game schedules, so instead of catching Jose Contreras' first throw, I spent time watching/making fun of the Cubs as they took on the Cincinnati Reds.

It wasn't until I got a text from my buddy Gahgs that read "Well, better luck next year, Sox" that I realized I'd been missing the game. As I rapidly flipped from WGN to Comcast, I was horrified to see the Sox already down to the Indians, 5-0. I was hoping I wouldn't have to hear Hawk Harrelson say "The Tribe put a crooked number up on that board" until much later in the season. Unfortunately, that happened twice in the first two innings of the '07 campaign.

Well -- as the Sox's new slogan says -- back to the grind.

- Being a blog that supposedly covers Washington State, Michigan, and Iowa basketball, I probably should comment on the coaching situation of the three schools.

Wazzu extends Tony Bennett: I was delighted to hear this, and I think he's the best fit for the program, albeit it's a little boring to watch those grinders in action from time to time. I can't wait to see what Papa Tony has up his sleeve for next season. I mean, they're getting most everyone back, so is a Final 4 run too crazy to think about? Oh, and I know I forgot to mention it earlier, but congrats on the award, coach. I'm 10 out of 10 excited. Hearing that he resigned was such a relief. He had every right to bolt to a bigger and better program, and I can't respect him enough for staying.
Michigan hires West Virginia coach John Beilen: Michigan simply needs new everything. A new look, a new attitude, a new style -- maybe even some new players. Beilen seems like a real X's and O's kind of guy, which is a welcome change from Tommy Amaker. I can't wait to see this 1-3-1 zone I keep hearing about. As far as negatives go, I'm most concerned with what he'll be able to bring to the table in terms of recruiting, but I've gotta give the guy a chance before I hound him for something like that. All in all, I'm 8 out of 10 excited.
Iowa hires Butler coach Todd Lickliter: To me, this isn't as much about Lickliter coming as it is about Steve Alford going. Lickliter took Butler -- a mid-major -- to multiple Sweet Sixteens, but I don't understand how that makes him any different from Alford when Iowa hired him eight years ago. Here in Iowa City, the campus seems to have a slight buzz about the Lickliter hire, but nothing too huge. I just don't think anybody (myself included) knows enough about Lickliter to be for or against him. Again, I was completely against Alford leaving, and Lickliter's hiring (no matter how good or bad he is) is going to really set Iowa's program back. I'm 5 out of 10 'excited', if you'd even call it that.

Saying Goodbye to the Madness

2007-04-03T01:19:00.000-06:00

So, March Madness has come to an end. While Ohio State got mega-owned in the finals (haha), the tournament was rather dud-ish. From a gambling standpoint, I won:

$6 on a UNLV-Wisconsin bet

But lost:

$1 in an NIT pool
$5 in an Iowa tournament pool (22 total people)
$5 in a three-way pool with two buddies (3 total people)
$1 in a play-in game bet ... damn you, Niagara!
$1 on a Washington State-Vanderbilt bet ... I thought the Cougs could make it to the Sweet 16 ... bummer)
$1 on a Final 4 bet ... once the field was set, I bet that both 2-seeds would make the finals...oops

That brings me to -8 overall. Not too shabby.

Reflecting, I probably still would have picked Kansas to win. So, no real regrets, but I obviously discounted how talented Florida was. They looked unbeatable in the finals. Very few lineups in college basketball feature five legitimate scorers on the floor at once, but unfortunately for the Buckeyes, Florida's does.

Spreading the Mayo

2007-03-24T17:46:00.000-06:00

I must confess, I absolutely love O.J. Mayo.

Who is O.J. Mayo? Well, right now, he's just a senior in the off-season of his sport finishing up his last semester of high school in West Virginia. But at this time next year, he could be college basketball's biggest villain. And only one year after, completely gone from college ball like he was never there.

Mayo, who committed to play basketball at USC, built himself quite the rap sheet during his formative years. Most notably:

Bumped an official after being ejected from a game, sending him to the ground
Passenger in a car where marijuana was found (later cleared of any charges)
Decided to go to USC based on its platform as a national market, rather than it's facilities, coaching staff or players
Got into multiple fights
Essentially told Tim Floyd he was going to USC, which was a totally unorthodox method of recruiting

...and my absolute favorite:

This is how he ended his high school career -- with an ally-oop to himself off the glass followed by an ejection

Classless? Yeah, maybe. But he was well aware of the situation. The game was over, his HS career was through, and there were no real repercussions (other than the ejection, which was meaningless). And you know what the end result was? More media attention to the 6'5'' senior.

The craziest part is the thousand of fans cheering him on. He's like Barry Bonds and Terrell Owens, but he's being encouraged instead of discouraged.

There are plenty of people in the national media -- like Pardon The Interruption's Mike Wilbon -- who know what Mayo is all about, and have already established their negative stances, but what makes him any different than someone like Cincinnati Bengal's wide receiver Chad Johnson? USC coach Tim Floyd seems to think Mayo's a good kid.

He's even endorsing him leaving after just one season:

When asked if Mayo will stay more than a year, Floyd said he wants Mayo to go to the NBA as soon as he can, adding, "This kid can make a lot of money."

Now, there's no bones about it, Mayo might be a bit of a punk, but at this point, he's going to get a tough spin from the media no matter what happens to him.

So why do I like him? He's such an incredible personality.

Sure, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant are both mega-talented All-Americans who seem to have it all, but there's one thing they're both missing: shameless charisma.

Both kids have squeaky clean reputations at this point, but maybe that's the problem; it's taking the intrigue out of college basketball. I want heroes, but I also want bad guys. I want people to get bent out of shape by a kid who could care less.

Mayo literally plays by his own rules, and until he actually is involved in a serious illegal offense, I'm going to react to his act in the way it's presented: by being entertained.

And think about this, USC went to the Sweet 16 this year with a fairly young team, and if NBA-caliber junior Nick Young comes back for his senior year and freshman Taj Gibson plays his regular season like he played his NCAA Tournament, adding Mayo to the mix could easily make USC a national title contender.

It's everything Mayo ever wanted -- and maybe even more.

Not only will get his national platform (playing in L.A. on a Top 25 team ensures the freshie all the attention he needs), but he'll also get a coach who is giving him the keys to a very expensive car. Forgive me if I don't think Mayo is going to adhere to a curfew or speed limit.

And while Tim Floyd sits blindfolded in the passenger seat, Mayo, without boundaries, can leave his 'black mark' on college basketball that will probably end up only being a temporary scar ... if that's actually possible. Now, I don't know if I endorse all of his antics, but I do endorse the flavor he's going to bring to college basketball. Let him ruffle some feathers, I say. He'll be out of the building before it collapses.

One thing's for sure, you're gonna love him or hate him, because there is no room for middle ground.

Durant SAYS He's Coming Back...It's Early, Though

2007-03-07T22:32:00.000-06:00

In an interesting little ditty from the Dallas Morning News, University of Texas freshman point guard D.J. Augustin says he's coming back to UT next year. But there's a twist, he says teammate Kevin Durant -- maybe you've heard of him -- might just do the same.

Augustin also said that star freshman Kevin Durant has told his teammates that he's coming back.

"But Kevin's a humble guy, so he's probably going to say he's coming back whenever he's asked that question," Augustin said.

The idea of Durant coming back to college basketball delights me. With the Knicks having semi-decent 2006-2007 campaign, the idea of the Chicago Bulls getting a top tier lottery pick faded a long time ago. So, with no real shot to land the phenom, let him stay another year. How about another year after that? Maybe even one more past that?

It's not like he's beating up on Big Ten, Big East, or Pac Ten opponents (cough cough, Michigan, DePaul, Iowa, Wazzu). So, I've got no problem casually watching ESPN's bottom line and seeing, "Durant 27 points, 18 rebounds" for another year. Who knows what he'll be able to do the college game with another year under his belt.

And as for what Durant should do? My stance: what he wants. He wants to say? More power to him. But he needs to understand that serious injuries are a possibility.

News & Notes: 3/5/07

2007-03-05T22:36:00.000-06:00

- As of right now, I'm picking Kansas to win the NCAA Tournament. I have a few reasons, but I'm waiting for the Big 12 tourney to play out to write anything more. It's my hope that they lose in the semis or in the final, and maybe fall out of getting a 1-seed. My normal tournament bracket philosophy is to pick the favorite, and key in on some good first round upsets and Sweet 16 teams.

I usually don't think about the field until Selection Sunday, but this year is just different. I have a pretty good feeling about KU, and since I'm feeling more unconventional with this bracket, I'm hoping they're not favorite, so less people will pick them.

- If I'm a GM with the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. Right now: Oden or Durant? Oden.

- The Chicago Bears and New England Patriots are having off-seasons that are about as comparable as night and day. They seem to be heading in different directions with the Pats throwing money around (what?!) and the Bears losing key pieces (Thomas Jones already, and Lance Briggs, quite possibly). I'm going to wait until the Bears ruin more things to comment any further, but as for the boys in Massachusetts? I can't even begin to describe my excitement for the Patriots' acquisition of Adalius Thomas. Here is a guy that's played every single defensive position. I keep telling my friends about him, and the dialogue usually goes like this...

Bobby: He's played every single defensive position.
Friend X: Tackle and Cornerback?!
Bobby: Yes.

I've had this exact same conversation with at least five people.

Anyway, Thomas will make this team better because he provides youth in the linebacking core, an ability to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and of course, his versatility.

In the real Super Bowl -- the AFC Championship -- the Patriots led the Colts, 21-3 in Indianapolis. The ship was sailing smooth until the Colts offensive unit refused to leave the field. Ending and starting the half, Manning and Co. were able to not only sustain long drives, but also run their famous no-huddle in doing so. This is a successful form of offense because it doesn't allow adequate time for defensive substitutions. It ended up badly burning the Pats, and the D was essentially running on fumes for the 3rd and 4th quarter.

I mention this because Thomas will have the ability to come up to the line and rush, or drop back into coverage. He's a perfect way to combat the Colts' style of play. Basically, seeing the New England front office pull the trigger on this deal tells me, "Hey, we blew it in Indy last year, and right now, we're building a team to compete with our only real competition: the Colts."

The Pats also gave up some draft picks to the Dolphins for WR Wes Welker, whose size, speed, and toughness make him perfect for an offense that caters to small wide receivers who run sharp and precise routes. This year should be his best yet in the NFL.

On top of all this, the Patriots are rumored to acquire Randy Moss or Dante Stallworth.

I'm drooling.

Chief Gone!

2007-02-19T21:52:00.000-06:00

I've always really hated Illinois Fighting Illini mascot, Chief Illiniwek. Actually, no, I take that back. "Hate" is too strong of a word. I guess I always just thought he was kind of stupid.

I wasn't ever personally offended by him, but I always understood why whites and Native Americans were. Here was some kid doing dances that all but mocked a culture that (the majority of fans) knew nothing about. On top of this, the dances aren't all that great. It's nothing out of the ordinary. I, with no dancing experience, feel like I could probably learn the act if given a day of lessons.

Since 2004, I've attended three or four football games at Champaign's Memorial Stadium, and each time, the fans went gah-gah for the Chief. They freaking loved the guy, and there's no argument about that.

In the midst of these games, the Illini were usually getting crushed by whatever Big Ten foe I happened to see them matched up against, and U of I fans typically never made it to the 4th quarter of the game...but they did, however, always make it to half-time.

Why? To watch Chief Illiniwek.

I'm sorry, but we live in an age of YouTube, the internet, special effects, and all that glitz, and these kids are entertained by some mascot doing dances. Come on, guys, I know you've seen better. In the end, it always seemed like they were just pretending to be captivated more than anything else.

I can easily equate this to another in-conference school. I currently attend the University of Iowa, and at our typically sold-out football games, entertainment comes in the form of Herky (our mascot) and Diana "The Golden Girl" Reed, who works her magic with a baton.

Now, if Herky and Reed were plucked from half-time at Iowa games, the students would be furious -- just like the ones at Illinois. But they need to understand that some people are offended by the entertainment they love.

It's all just about entertainment, and in my opinion, mascots stop being entertaining once you leave elementary school. Any adult or college student who develops a real attachment to a mascot and their act to the point where they're horrified to see them go has more problems than a bland half-time show. Trust me.

Any argument in favor of the Chief usually uses the word "tradition."

Give me a break, slavery was a tradition. And there's a reason the three-point line was added to the NBA and the goal-posts were moved to the back of the end zone in the NFL -- the sports are simply better off with the changes, regardless of the original states.

I'm sorry, but I just find it hard to believe the people who support the Chief care more about him than the people who are offended by him. The people that like him are all about his entertainment value and supplementing of school spirit. The people against him are offended because he mocks their cultural roots and heritage. To me, they have more of a point.

In this debate, it's all about taking something away. The administration either has to take away the majority's "entertainment" or the minority's "offended-ness." And correct me if I'm wrong, but keeping people un-offended is a lot more important than weakly entertaining them with a mascot more intended for children than anyone else.

The Lamenting of a True NFL Bigamist

2007-01-21T23:25:00.000-06:00

It's my dirty little secret -- or not-so-secret because I'm so overt about it.

The Chicago Bears. The New England Patriots. My two favorite pro football teams. My two equally favorite pro football teams.

I was raised a Bears fan in the Chicago suburbs, but also a Michigan (Ty Law, Tom Brady) and Washington State (Drew Bledsoe) fan. These guys hooked me into the Patriots, and when they fell to the hated Packers and Brett Favre in Super Bowl XXXI, I was hooked for life. I had two lovable losers on my hands.

I never really knew who I liked more, and I never really had to think about it, but when the Pats won three titles in four years, let's just say I started to lean more towards the East Coast.

Although some people think of the Bears as the dominant team from '85, I don't. I was in the womb when they won the Super Bowl, and to my recollection, I'd never seen them win a playoff game until the beat the Seahawks last week.

But then Lovie Smith happened, and the Bears experienced a resurgence.

Both teams were so pitiful for so long, that when I made them both my favorites (around age 9 or 10, I'd guess), I don't think I ever could have dreamed they'd both be Super Bowl contenders, ever...especially not in the same season. But they both ended up making the final four this year, and I really had to do some thinking.

--

Don't get me wrong, if I could, I'd make a change. But I can't. I won't. Even if I said I liked one over the other, I'd be lying to myself. I wish I could at least subordinate one to the other, but I just can't. And even though I am the way I am, I hate people who like teams "equally," mostly because I didn't believe it was actually possible. But I've grown to learn that it is. The best comparison I could make is the feeling parents get when they watch their children face off against each other. Who do you pick??

With every other major sport (College Football, College Basketball, NBA, MLB), I have one clear-cut favorite team. In the collegiate ranks, it's all about Michigan football and Iowa basketball. Do I also love Washington State football/basketball, Michigan basketball, Iowa football, and DePaul basketball? Yeah, I do. And if any one of those teams won a title, I'd freak out as if they were my absolute favorite. But if there was a championship pitting any of those teams head-to-head, I would have a pre-decided favorite team to root for. That's just not the case in pro football. This is what made tonight's AFC Championship so difficult.

I hate the Colts. Hate. They're my least favorite team in the NFL. But the Colts not going to the Super Bowl meant the Patriots would. And that would have been terrible.

I said I pre-decided to root for the Bears if the unthinkable Super Bowl game happened. Why? They had one title to the Patriots' three. My pre-decision was a crock, because if the Bears had jumped out to a big lead on the Patriots, I know, in my heart, that I would have been pulling for the Pats to at least make a game out of it.

Back to tonight.

As the AFC Championship unfolded, even with the knowledge that I didn't want the Pats to make it, I rooted balls to the wall and expended nearly all of my energy hoping hard that they'd defeat Peyton. "Forget the future. The present is now," I thought.

When it finished, I was left silent and shaking. Why did I feel so crappy if one of my favorite teams had advanced to the Super Bowl earlier in the day? Maybe I'm just selfish. But I knew the feeling would pass, and in the end, it was all for the best.

I'd much rather have my favorite team (the Bears) playing my least favorite team (the Colts) instead of my other favorite team (the Pats). I know it seems complicated, but it's not. The Bears-Pats game would have been win-lose. My favorite team would have won and lost on the NFL's big stage. I would have had no anticipation for the game, and I probably wouldn't have had desire to even watch. So even though the Patriots lost a game I wanted them to win more than anything, in a way, I'm happy.

Here's to Super Bowl XX never, ever, ever repeating itself. My head would probably explode.

College Foot-bawl

2007-01-02T03:27:00.000-06:00

College football is really bumming me out. I have three teams I absolutely love, and surprisingly, I've only experienced one bowl win in the last three years.

2006? Let's forget.

Washington State: After a promising 4-2 start, the Cougars finished 6-6, highlighted by a big loss in the Apple Cup to hated Washington. The .500 record was not good enough for Wazzu to get a bowl game, which stunned me. So as it stood, the Cougars are still bowl-less since 2003. Wazzu is going to have a mediocre recruiting class, and with the Pac Ten likely having better competition next year, I am even more humdrum about the prospects of success in '07.

Outlook: Failure now, failure later.

Iowa: My alma mater never ceases to disappoint. After an incredible finish to the Capital One Bowl two seasons ago, the Hawkeyes have gotten progressively worse; specifically Drew Tate. This is a true headscratcher because, typically, quarterbacks don't regress from their sophomore to senior years. But in this situation, it happened. After losing the Outback Bowl on a blown call last year, Iowa came up short against Texas this year in the Alamo Bowl (0 for 2).

Outlook: Jake Christensen could be the savior, and hopefully with some coordinator shakeups, Iowa can (at least) have a winning record in 2007. Maybe we'll even win a bowl game, or something.

Michigan: Ugh, ugh, ugh. Four straight bowl losses (maybe more, actually, but I don't want to look it up). 0 for 3 against the hated Buckeyes the last three seasons. On top of that, Lloyd Carr -- who I like -- constantly comes up short in big games. It's as if the team cannot make adjustments or counter attacks. More specifically, QB Chad Henne just can't handle pressure. He falls apart.

Outlook: Even though the Wolverines lost to OSU and USC, they should still be in the pre-season Top 5 for 2007. With Hart, Long, and ...sigh... Henne coming back, they should be in prime position to contend for the national title. The Buckeyes will be looming, though. If they can't get it done, I give up.

NFL Rookie of the Year

2006-12-12T00:34:00.000-06:00

This is going to be really rough. Probably because I don't know how any of this works, but whatever.

I think this year's NFL Rookie of the Year is really up in the air.

Speaking only offensively (I really haven't done a lot of looking at defense), here are my contenders.

Vince Young, QB, Tennessee Titans
Reggie Bush, RB, New Orleans Saints
Marques Colston, WR, New Orleans Saints
Devin Hester, CB/KR, Chicago Bears

Unless I'm blatantly snubbing someone, I think these are the only viable choices.

Here's the breakdown of all four...

Vince Young: Wins football games.
Reggie Bush: Leads league in receptions. X-factor. Teams have to alter schemes simply because of his presence on the field.
Marques Colston: One of the few WR's to actually make an impact. Immediately filled the void of Stallworth and provided the Saints with a big play threat.
Devin Hester: X-factor. Game changer. Single-handedly decided the outcome of multiple games.

It's hard to vote on this without a bias. Being a Bears fan, I immediately look to Hester. Being a Reggie Bush fan, I kind of root for him. Originally, I was a big VY hater (terms like "Ryan Leaf" were thrown around), but I'm really starting to come around on him.

I say, as of right now, my vote goes to D-Hest, but if Big Vince can win two of his last three games, I'll give the award to him. He may not have the fancy passing stats, but wins are wins.

We outta here.