As a sort of tie-in to our recent entry into the Twittersphere, we present this from the awesome (see linky on the right) Awful Announcing, via USA Today.
The Sportscaster Twitter Game
Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
A Word About The Bird
Damn, the "submit" button was barely clicked for the Harry Kalas post when word arrievd about Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, who passed away Monday at the age of 54.
Fidrych arrived on the scene like a flash in the summer of '76. I remember one of my friends enthusiasticaly telling me about this crazy pitcher who talked to the ball. In those pre-Internet, pre-24 hour news cycle days, it was awhile before i got to see him for myself, and i wasn't disappointed. Antics aside (besides talking to the ball, which he later clarified was actually talking to himself, Fidrych groomed the mound with his hands, ran off the mound after retiring the side, and was known to shake hands with players after they made a nice play in the field), the kid could pitch, racking up 19 wins en route to the Rookie of the Year award.
More than that, Fidrych was genuine. By all accounts, he was just a cool guy who happened to have the ability to pitch at the big league level. After fate cruelly intervened with a series of debilitating injuries which forced him from the game by 1980, he remained upbeat and thankful for the time he had. Simply, he was a "character" who was just being himself.
The sports world is a little less cool today. Damn.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Goodnight, Harry
Sad news out of Washington today as Harry Kalas, longtime voice of the Philadelphia Phillies and NFL Films, passed away at the age of 73.
Though not from the Philly area, we grew up with Kalas as the golden throated voice of NFL Films. He had that classic voice which could make even the most mundane 3 yard off tackle play into a battle for the ages, make an awful 4-12 team sound like world beaters, or make a aging veteran quarterback into a warrior headed for one last battle.
Finding out later that he was a baseball play-by-play guy struck us as odd, until we heard him do a game. The man was money, pure and simple, and he will be missed.
Though not from the Philly area, we grew up with Kalas as the golden throated voice of NFL Films. He had that classic voice which could make even the most mundane 3 yard off tackle play into a battle for the ages, make an awful 4-12 team sound like world beaters, or make a aging veteran quarterback into a warrior headed for one last battle.
Finding out later that he was a baseball play-by-play guy struck us as odd, until we heard him do a game. The man was money, pure and simple, and he will be missed.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Elway Frowns On Your Shenanigans, Jay
The Denver Bronco saga continues to provide endless hours of entertainment, if by "entertainment" you mean "whiny bitching".
Mr. Bronco himself, John Elway, expressed his disappointment over the entire Jay Cutler situation last week, and this was before yesterday's trade to the Bears.
Hmm.....well said John. We can't imagine the unmitigated gall of a Quarterback who gets so frustrated about playing in a certain city that he whines his way into forcing the team to trade him elsewhere. Man, what kind of ungrateful scak of crap would pull a stunt like that?
Mr. Bronco himself, John Elway, expressed his disappointment over the entire Jay Cutler situation last week, and this was before yesterday's trade to the Bears.
Speaking at a fundraising event in Pueblo, Elway said, "I'm disappointed
for both sides, I look at the Denver Broncos organization as the best in the
NFL, as well as Jay Cutler as (one of) the top five quarterbacks in the
league."
Hmm.....well said John. We can't imagine the unmitigated gall of a Quarterback who gets so frustrated about playing in a certain city that he whines his way into forcing the team to trade him elsewhere. Man, what kind of ungrateful scak of crap would pull a stunt like that?
Friday, February 27, 2009
Calhoun: "Misinterpreted"?
Nearly a week after his unhinged rant at a local rabble rouser, UCONN Coach Jim Calhoun issued a sort of apology. Not to said rabble rouser, Ken Krayeske, but to the people of Connecticut.
From the statement released Thursday:
Exactly what was "misinterpreted" Coach? The part where you moaned that you weren't giving back one dime, or the part where you needed to retire with this cushion?
This entire story only went viral because of Calhoun's ridiculous response. Had he simply given a stock answer, something at which sports folk usually excel, the story would never have taken off. Something along the lines of "I know times are hard, but I have a job to do...." etc. This whole controversy is on him.
Trust us, we live in CT, and both Calhoun and Geno Auriema walk on water, with little to no bashing from the local lapdogs in the media, who fear a loss of access if offending the savior coaches. Seeing someone calmly ask a question which immediately showed Calhoun's prckly side was a rare sight indeed.
For his part, Krayeske accomplished his goal of bringing the issue to light, and has reaped the reward of national exposure. Let's hope if he decides to show up at any future games or press conferences, he brings a bodyguard.
Calhoun Comments Misinterpreted (WTNH.com)
The 40 Year Plan
From the statement released Thursday:
It has become clear that my comments have been misinterpreted by some as being
insensitive to the current economic climate that those of us around our
country
and here in Connecticut are all facing
Exactly what was "misinterpreted" Coach? The part where you moaned that you weren't giving back one dime, or the part where you needed to retire with this cushion?
This entire story only went viral because of Calhoun's ridiculous response. Had he simply given a stock answer, something at which sports folk usually excel, the story would never have taken off. Something along the lines of "I know times are hard, but I have a job to do...." etc. This whole controversy is on him.
Trust us, we live in CT, and both Calhoun and Geno Auriema walk on water, with little to no bashing from the local lapdogs in the media, who fear a loss of access if offending the savior coaches. Seeing someone calmly ask a question which immediately showed Calhoun's prckly side was a rare sight indeed.
For his part, Krayeske accomplished his goal of bringing the issue to light, and has reaped the reward of national exposure. Let's hope if he decides to show up at any future games or press conferences, he brings a bodyguard.
Calhoun Comments Misinterpreted (WTNH.com)
The 40 Year Plan
Friday, February 20, 2009
Fixing NFL Overtime is Simple
The NFL Rules Committee is meeting this week, and one of the items on the agenda is overtime. Specifically, should it be changed and if so, how?
The Colts-Chargers playoff game brought this issue back onto the front burner, when Peyton Manning's Colts lost the coin toss, and the MVP stood there on the bench and watched the Bolts go down the field, score a TD, and send Indy home. The standard cry of "how can a playoff game be decided by a coin flip?" echoed throughout the land. "Something needs to be done!" cried disgruntled Colt fans.
Tony Dungy, for his part, was not one of the grumblers. He simply stated that you still have to play football after the coin flip, and if his teams' inability to get one defensive stop was the reason they lost. Plain and simple.
"Sudden death is a good procedure. It’s fun and everyone knows the rules," said Rich McKay, Atlanta Falcons president and co-chairman of the NFL's Competition Committee. Apparently he forgot about Donovan McNabb, who had zero clue how the whole "we're tied after 60 minutes thing" actually worked. How many other players lacked this knowledge is unknown, but we're betting there are many others.
"Sudden death is a good procedure. It’s fun and everyone knows the rules," said Rich McKay, Atlanta Falcons president and co-chairman of the NFL's Competition Committee. Apparently he forgot about Donovan McNabb, who had zero clue how the whole "we're tied after 60 minutes thing" actually worked. How many other players lacked this knowledge is unknown, but we're betting there are many others.
"I would like to see the stats change because I don’t like the fact that that the team winning the coin flip now wins 60 percent of the time, and the team winning the coin flip, 40-plus percent of the time, wins it on the first possession." McKay continued.
Based on that stat, the clamor for change is being heard. Suggested options include the following:
A college style system where by each team alternates possession from the opposing 25 yard line. (This is gimmicky and reminds us of an NHL shootout. Also, it's stupid.)
Minor tweaks to the existing sudden death system, such as moving back the kickoff line to force longer drives for the team receiving the kick. (Nice try, but not enough)
Not allowing any punts in the extra session. (Stupid, since it removes an element from the game - why not eliminate blitzing while you're at it?)
An eight minute overtime, which presumably would allow each team a chance to get at least one possession. Ties remian ties during the regular season. (Hmmm.....)
This last one has some merit. However, we see an even simpler solution which requires no major overhaul of the existing system, nor any crazy stunts. Get ready, here it comes...
Each team gets to touch the ball in an offensive manner at least once. That's it.
In our example, let's say the Colts and the Chargers are playing, but in the regular season. San Diego wins the toss, and scores a TD after a 7 minute drive. They would then kick to Indy, who would have to score a TD to stay alive. Fail and the game ends. Succeed, and we're now in Sudden Death mode, next score wins. If the 15 minute period expires and we're still tied, it remains a tie. Stratgey would be a huge factor when deciding to kick a field goal or not, knowing that a miss leaves a short field for your opponent. Teams with strong defenses might opt to kick when winning the OT coin flip in the hopes of pinning down the opponent and getting good field position for its offense. No mater what, it brings some strategy back into the game here, would be entertaining as hell, and eliminates the coin flip stat McKay uses above once and for all.
It could be hashed out as to what constitutes a "touch", but for the sake of argument let's say that in the example above, if Indy fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, the game would end. Other items like this could be hashed out by the comp committee, since they need something to do this week anyway.
For post-season games, the same rules apply, only we go beyond the 5th quarter until the game is decided.
Basically, the rule isn't overhauled, overtime doesn't become gimmicky, and the games don't get any longer. We can't see how the NFL goes wrong here.
Your move, Mr. Goodell.
Rules committee meets to discuss overtime rules (Yahoo Sports)
Saturday, January 31, 2009
NFL Picks - Super Bowl Edition
We tried to lay low after the perfect round we had during Championship Weekend. That's right, let that settle in for a moment......perfect. Four and oh, thanks to Troy Polamolu's pick six late in the 4th, whihc brings the post-season mark to 12-8.
As promised, we will be selecting not only the game versus the points as well as the over/under, but a selection of prop bets as well in a misguided attempt to bring the season record above the .500 mark. Let's get to it...
First of all, it is refreshing to see a team that has never made it to the game play in the Super Bowl. Cardinal fans, wherever you are, rejoice and enjoy this moment. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, is gunning for the a record sixth Super Bowl title, so this is all pretty much old hat for the players and fans in the Steel City.
So what happens Sunday then? The Steeler defense is as formidable a group the Cards have seen all season. Dick LeBeau's group simply cannot be run against, which might not matter since Arizona seems to have littl einterest in runngin the ball anyway. On the flip side, Pittsburgh's offense hasn't really been lighting it up, but could see some success against a Cardinal defense which has suddenly become a swarming bunch of ball hawks. The key could very well be how the "off" units (Pitt's Offense, 'Zona's Defense) perform. Let's look at it from that angle:
Steelers on offense - Big Ben is as tough as they come, and he has that uncanny, immeasurable ability to create something out of nothing, like he did on the long TD toss to Santonio Holmes against the Ravens. He also, however, tends to make some head scratching plays at times. He will have to keep those in his pocket on Sunday night. A less than 100% Hines Ward is still better than nothing at all, but the degree of his effectivemess will go a long way toward determining how successful these guys will be. The running game, normally a Steeler hallamrk, has been as spotty as ever and it's hard to predict what it can provide.
Cardinals on Defense - Eleven turnovers in three playoff games is a staggering total, and is an easy indicator when determining why this team has not only won its way here, but how. Since turnovers are often impossible to predict from game to game, we can't assume the trend will continue. Should the turnovers not come, this unit must force a few three and outs and avoid allowing long drives in the humid Florida night.
The pick:
All things seems to point to the Steelers: the experience, the better defense, the chance to make history. All solid reasons, but we just can't shake one big thing working against them - Ken Whisenhunt, Arizona's coach. As a former Steeler assistant, he kjows the Pittsburgh personnel, has spent countless hours practicing against Dick LeBeau's schemes, and has no doubt seen just about every look LeBeau can give. Toss in the crazy mojo surrounding Kurt Warner, the best ffnsive player on the field in Larry Fitzgerald, and we're going to go ahead and grab the Cardinals to not only cover, but win outright.
Cardinals (+7)
OVER 46.5
Cardinals 27 Steelers 20
On to the Prop Bets!
Since many of these bets involve multiple options (with accompanying odds), we're going to stick with only those involving two choices.
Coin Toss: Tails
Winner of Coin Toss: Steelers
How Many Times will NBC show Brenda Warner during the game: Over 2.5
Which QB will John Madden mention using his full name after kickoff: Ben Roethlisberger
First Score: Touchdown
First to score: Cardinals
Number of songs sung by Bruce Springsteen: Over 3.5
Jersey Number of player to score first TD: Under 38
Enjoy the game everybody.
As promised, we will be selecting not only the game versus the points as well as the over/under, but a selection of prop bets as well in a misguided attempt to bring the season record above the .500 mark. Let's get to it...
First of all, it is refreshing to see a team that has never made it to the game play in the Super Bowl. Cardinal fans, wherever you are, rejoice and enjoy this moment. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, is gunning for the a record sixth Super Bowl title, so this is all pretty much old hat for the players and fans in the Steel City.
So what happens Sunday then? The Steeler defense is as formidable a group the Cards have seen all season. Dick LeBeau's group simply cannot be run against, which might not matter since Arizona seems to have littl einterest in runngin the ball anyway. On the flip side, Pittsburgh's offense hasn't really been lighting it up, but could see some success against a Cardinal defense which has suddenly become a swarming bunch of ball hawks. The key could very well be how the "off" units (Pitt's Offense, 'Zona's Defense) perform. Let's look at it from that angle:
Steelers on offense - Big Ben is as tough as they come, and he has that uncanny, immeasurable ability to create something out of nothing, like he did on the long TD toss to Santonio Holmes against the Ravens. He also, however, tends to make some head scratching plays at times. He will have to keep those in his pocket on Sunday night. A less than 100% Hines Ward is still better than nothing at all, but the degree of his effectivemess will go a long way toward determining how successful these guys will be. The running game, normally a Steeler hallamrk, has been as spotty as ever and it's hard to predict what it can provide.
Cardinals on Defense - Eleven turnovers in three playoff games is a staggering total, and is an easy indicator when determining why this team has not only won its way here, but how. Since turnovers are often impossible to predict from game to game, we can't assume the trend will continue. Should the turnovers not come, this unit must force a few three and outs and avoid allowing long drives in the humid Florida night.
The pick:
All things seems to point to the Steelers: the experience, the better defense, the chance to make history. All solid reasons, but we just can't shake one big thing working against them - Ken Whisenhunt, Arizona's coach. As a former Steeler assistant, he kjows the Pittsburgh personnel, has spent countless hours practicing against Dick LeBeau's schemes, and has no doubt seen just about every look LeBeau can give. Toss in the crazy mojo surrounding Kurt Warner, the best ffnsive player on the field in Larry Fitzgerald, and we're going to go ahead and grab the Cardinals to not only cover, but win outright.
Cardinals (+7)
OVER 46.5
Cardinals 27 Steelers 20
On to the Prop Bets!
Since many of these bets involve multiple options (with accompanying odds), we're going to stick with only those involving two choices.
Coin Toss: Tails
Winner of Coin Toss: Steelers
How Many Times will NBC show Brenda Warner during the game: Over 2.5
Which QB will John Madden mention using his full name after kickoff: Ben Roethlisberger
First Score: Touchdown
First to score: Cardinals
Number of songs sung by Bruce Springsteen: Over 3.5
Jersey Number of player to score first TD: Under 38
Enjoy the game everybody.
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