I will start by saying that I DO look forward to a NGS 2!  This contest was very fun and exciting for me before the final 16 were announced and I'm sure just about anyone other than Ty would be amped to have another shot at getting in those finals.  I think it could be really great ... IF some things are fixed first!

Having said that... apologies to the judges and anyone who designed this contest, and to Ty, for what I'm going to say.  I know the people who created this thing probably put a lot of time into it, and it was a nice concept, and it's cool that a random person just got $5000 for nothing more than giving his 2 cents on the internet, but I have to say after seeing how the finals went that this contest was a farce.  Ty, although a good writer, was not the best in the competition, and for that matter neither was Mustang.  The fact that they both ended up as the final 2 is evidence that there were some critical flaws in the way this contest was set up and I hope those flaws are corrected before the next competition.

There were some VERY strong writers in the finals who got eliminated rather early on, particularly Crookdnose and yes, Doc.  Whether he plagiarized or not, I can't say for certain, but regardless, he and others like crookd, norcalfella, and a couple others were quite obviously the cream of the crop of the finalists in this competition, and yet none of them got anywhere near the finals where they deserved to be.  They got beaten by weaker writers who skated by on popularity and biases.

I also just found out that Ty runs a radio show in California...saw it posted up on a website where his place in this competition was being advertised...not that it was against the competition rules, but what bigger advantage is there than that?  Who knows how many listeners he was able to pool votes from?  That's just one more reason why public voting should not be the determinant in this competition.  That's thousands (if not more) of listeners who would be voting for Ty simply because they know him from their radio, and they would give him good ratings simply because they know him, not because they thought he wrote the best stuff.  Hell I'd be surprised if they would even be reading the blogs before voting.

In the future I hope for the next competition that the judges take the power of elimination AWAY from the public!  The judges are the only ones who are professionals in this field and they are really the only ones who should have the ability to judge who did well enough to advance through the rounds.  Leaving the decision up to a bunch of laypeople, most of which are voting moreso on bias than on actual judging of talent, will cause you to end up with the result that this competition ended up with...people lasting until the end who really ought to have been eliminated by then.

Please judges if you choose to hold another one of these competitions (and I sincerely hope you do!), correct this problem and leave the elimination decisions up to yourselves only!

First this is going to be all positive because I figure we've already had enough negativity from Foo for one week so if youre foo or anyone who likes foo's way of expressing opinions then this blog isn't for you.

Going to try to give a quick synopsis of my opinions on each finalist up to this point.  I'm curious to see if my views matchup with the majority or not.  So as to make sure my post avoids looking like I'm trying to sway anyone's opinion about any one blogger or another I'll just list them in order of earliest to join the competition to the last.

 

 

Jdeppa (First entry for competition: Nov. 27): Deppa is very creative and original and he got himself noticed with relatively few blogs compared to how much time he's been registered for the competition which I think is very difficult to do.  To do that you have to write high quality stuff every single time without fail and that's exactly what deppa's done.

MBrady (First entry for competition: Nov. 30): Brady's blog is probably the most unique in my mind with the most individualistic style of writing.  He's also pretty clever to be able to figure out how to categorize all of his postings into links at the bottom of his page like that for easy navigation.  I would like to see this bright writer advance but he's another like Domer who for some reason or another did not input an entry for the assignment this week so unfortunately may be on the way out before his time.

DrMidnight (First entry for competition: Dec. 6): Obviously a very intelligent blogger with a lot of knowledge of sports history.  A lot of his blogs bring back fond memories for me of games that I have loved throughout the years.  His comments are witty and poignant, he doesn't write a whole lot but when he does he has substance.

Detpack (First entry for competition: Dec. 7): A very funny guy who's come up with a couple very creative writings.  His blog with the song names for each team is a work of art.  I don't think I can even name 32 songs, much less think of 32 that apply to each team in the league!  It takes brains and a good sense of humor to know what makes people laugh and Detpack has shown that ability.  He's also another pick of mine who could make it to the top 4 (including Domer if she isn't voted out this week for missing deadline).

DC_Domer (First entry for competition: Dec. 8): I really like Domer's blog because it's informative and insightful.  Great, informative posting with a touch of class (something you just can't get from men!! J/k fellas ;)  She writes very effectively and in a manner that keeps you interested throughout the entire piece.  She's definitely one of my favs for the final 4.

Arabchickencurry (First entry for competition: Dec. 12): When I look back at the first few posts of arab's and compare them to what he's doing now it's like night and day.  You can actually SEE the growth in his writing it's remarkable.  IMO his first few posts wouldn't qualify him as a finalist and now what he's writing is right there with the top writers legitimately.  Very impressive.

Crookdnose (First entry for competition: Dec. 12): A rather humorous writer who offers a unique insight to pretty much all of his posts.  His personality comes out in a lot of his writing.  It's not stoic or without feeling, which makes it more interesting to me.  He also seems to be able to write well on a variety of sports.

Jon Mano (First entry for competition: Dec. 12): The amazing thing about Mano is that he posted just SEVEN blogs before the judges decided on their final 16!!  That's incredible.  To get noticed with that few blogs is really impressive and he got noticed for good reason.  I really like his insightful approach and his write up on the pittsburgh game is (IMO) spot on.

Sportstraveler (First entry for competition: Dec. 12): A very sound writer with very creative input.  The piece he wrote on Monday Night football is probably one of the best blogs I've read on the site because of the ingenuity he used to create it.  There is no sign of writer's block with S-traveler because he has shown that he can write about any topic fluidly and in entertaining fashion.

tyhildenbrandt (First entry for competition: Dec. 13): Yet another very creative writer who uses parody, sarcasm, and wit to grab his readers attention.  Really like pretty much all of his blogs even his piece on the "Rose has its thorn" bit despite the fact that he was pretty wrong on it lol!  (Just messing with you ty !!) He doesn't miss a beat  when switching from topic to topic and is one of the few writers here who has kept me interested throughout a good portion of his blog entries.

HiPlainsDrifter (First entry for competition: Dec. 13): He uses a lot of very witty sel####epricating humor to help make his points and he uses them perfectly.  He's one of the few bloggers who's actually got me literally laughing out loud when I read some of his posts.  There are a lot of blogs out there that are funny in the sense that they make me laugh in my head but not more than that but some of Drifter's blogs have actually caused a spontaneous chuckle from me =)  An accomplishment for sure if you knew me haha (see that was one of those "laugh in my head" moments).  Here is another that I think will probably be going to the final 4.

Mustangj17 (First entry for competition: Dec. 13): One of the better senses of humor in the competition.  He knows how to write entertaining pieces that will grab readers attention.  He even grabbed the attention of a judge so much that the judge actually broke protocal just to post a comment on a blog of his with congratulations!  Now that's mighty impressive given that the judges have not done that even once for anyone else on this site that I know of.

Jwatters (First entry for competition: Dec. 16): He is one of the more technically sound writers in the finals and that will be a great benefit in helping him advance.  I hope he does because he's a very unique writer with a unique voice that he makes sure comes out in all of his blogs.  His entry for this week is probably among the top 3 in my mind and also IMO is very accurate.

Norcalfella (First entry for competition: Dec 19): Entered the competition late and made an impression in a hurry AND without writing very much making all of his blogs really count.  He has impressed a lot of people with his writing and rightfully so because he offers writing that really makes you go "hmm..." and makes you think.  He finds ways to discuss an issue that aren't so obvious to the average person.  He's definitely an outside-of-the-box thinker and that's what I like most about his writing. 

The_Doc (First entry for competition: Dec. 20): Like Forgotten_Fan, Doc entered this competition very late and yet still managed to go from complete unknown to the final 16 and seems to have built one of the largest readership bases of any of the finalists in just 9 days.  The thing I like most about Doc is that he has written all sorts of blogs about all sorts of different stories in all sorts of different styles and yet writes with exceptional quality in all of them.  I've written a few things professionally and I can tell you that people underestimate the enormous talent it takes to be able to do that.  His technical writing skills are extremely solid and his assignment entry this week was IMO hands down the best of the finalists and he is another that I think is a favorite to make it to the final 4.

Forgotten_Fan (First entry for competition: Dec. 21): This guy impresses me with the sheer volume of quality writing, note I said QUALITY with a T , I've seen people on ehre saying the finalists got in with just quantity but if they wrote a lot AND had quality to it you can't fault htem and that's what Fan has done here.  Very good posts across the board and interesting topics.  He also managed to work his way into the top 16 with very little time before the end of the first leg of the competition which is quite remarkable.

Comments?  Anyone else agree here?  Disagree? (but don't be too nasty for the sake of drama in this place!!) Anyone else care to give their prediction for the final 4?

 

Before I give some Chicago sports-angled predictions for the upcoming year, I'd like to tell a quick story about a recent DePaul basketball game I attended.  It was New Year's Eve and the team looked very sluggish against a weak, injured Florida International team.  We won the game and the players who excelled were Sammy Mejia, Draelon Burns, and Cliff Clinkscales.  But what made it an inspiring game for me to watch as a fan was the game by Marlon Brumfield, the 6'8 senior center.  Most DePaul fans know the story of Brum, he worked his butt off after being a backup to Andre Brown and earned a starting job last season but was ####ed up frequently.  He is always considered the hardest working player on the team by coaches.  This season Brum has been ####ed up and his minutes have been limited.  In the game on Friday, Brum had 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.  But he was so fun to watch.  He got his hand on many balls fed to the post on defense and induced turnovers and bad shots.  All of Florida International's points came from their guards it seemed because of Brum's inside defense, not to mention his constant battle under the basket that led to offensive rebounds by him (2) and other Blue Demons.  When Brum exited, my Dad and I stood to congratulate his game, but few others realized his impact.  Brum is one of those players that makes sports so joyful because he's a feel-good story that makes you feel even better when he does well.

 

Now some predicitons for 2006, once again with a Chicago angle:

Bulls: Will get the 8 seed, get swept in the first round, but make a great run at the end of the season to make the playoffs that makes most fans forget about their early exit.

Illini: They'll get a 2 seed and get upset in the 2nd round.  Sorry orange crush, but Dee can only do so much.

DePaul: They'll have a couple fun upsets in the Big East and just miss making the big dance after an early Big East Tournament exit.  They'll win a game or two in the NIT.

Northwestern: Bold prediction: The Wildcats make the NCAA tournament for the first time in history after winning the big ten tournament with Vedran Vukusic averaging 40 points per game.

Bears: They'll make the NFC Championship, i obvoiusly want them to win the Super Bowl but it seems like it's the Seahawks year, with a healthy Rex next year things may be different.

Cubs: If they trade Prior: They'll finish 3rd in the NL Central and Miguel Tejada will have many arguments in the already tumultuous clubhouse.

If they keep Prior: they'll get the Wild Card and lose first round.

White Sox: Can anyone say back-to-back?

i will start of by saying i am a Texas Boy. born and raised in the south. the past couple of years i have been relocated to Tennessee. all these people are so stuck on Tennessee they deny texas anything. i had a guy at work tell me that Tennessee's halfback would win the heisman next year.... who cares!!!!! the team is a wreck and they keep on cycling quarterbacks and cordinators. i believe it is time to get to the real problem and get rid of phillip phulmer.

  next the title game. i am still hearing people tell me on the daily that Texas does not deserve to be there. they will not compete with U.S.C. i constantly point out the fact that they have a better all around defense and offense that U.S.C. their only point of arguement is that Texas has not played anybody this year.. Is Ohio State nodbody. Did they not blowout an undefeated Texas Tech team. there only scare was a double digit victory over a rival team. rival teams are always tough. I think you have to look at last year. is this not the same team that tore its way to an 11-1 record last season when the big 12 was on top? the same team whos only lost was to rival Oklahoma who went on to play for the national title. the same team who beat Michigan in a game that literally went to the end? The answer is NO. this is a better team. this team has depth at running back, a more solid defense, and more than one wide receiver, no offense to Roy Williams, but the depth at receiver is definetly a benefit. Lets not forget about Vince Young, A.K.A. THE FREAKING MAN, well by me anyway. He is even more mature than last season with only one off day on the season which again was a double digit victory.

   If anything, i think U.S.C. has had a less impressive season. the number 1 team in the nation should be benching its starters by the 4th quarter. U.S.C. has been behind at the half as many times as not however. they have had multiple games come down to late scoring drives. against a comeback player like Vince Young, U.S.C. will have no chance of coming back in the 4th quarter.

  Now i know this isnt the greatest article ever, and you might not haave read the entire thing, but im working on it.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana.  Emboldened by the NCAA's decision to bar teams with Native American nicknames from post-season tournaments, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals today demonstrated at the athletic group's headquarters in an effort to ban mascots based on non-human animals as well.

"There is nothing so demeaning to a tiger or a lion as to sit in a cage while a zookeeper watches Penn State or LSU on TV," said Heather Ulrich, PETA spokesperson.  "Wild beasts have feelings too." 

The ban would extend to insects such as the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Ulrich added, even though she admitted to swatting mosquitoes herself.  "Sometimes the personal isn't political."

Under PETA's proposal, the only teams allowed to compete in the NCAA's March Madness, BCS and College World Series tournaments would be those named after colors, vegetation, forces of nature, minerals and regional human sub-groups such as the "Sooners" of Oklahoma and the "Hoosiers" of Indiana.  "We couldn't care less about people," Ulrich explained. 

The Stanford Cardinal, a color-based name that is symbolized by a undergraduate dressed as a tree, could thus pass muster on either of two grounds, she noted, "although how that guy ever gets a date is beyond me."

Asked to provide member schools with an easy-to-remember yardstick to determine whether their mascot would be permitted under the PETA proposal, Ulrich's colleague Michelle Shaloob said,  "Miami Hurricanes--fine, UCLA Bruins--nein."

If the NCAA agrees to PETA's demand the Iowa State Cyclones would be unaffected by the new policy, but assistant football coach Ogden Fry was not mollified by this fact.  "I don't like to be on the same side of any issue with your wing-nut liberals," he explained.  "The guys at the coffee shop will give me grief for the rest of my natural born days."

The tension is beginning to build now.  After this posting, only eight competitors in the “Best Gimmick Ever” contest will be left.  We have some fantastic matches set up the rest of the way, so let’s get right to it.
 
In Bracket A, the final will be top seeded Hulk Hogan facing third seeded Mr. Perfect for the right to go to the final four.
 
Hogan defeated his best friend, Brutus “the barber” Beefcake in an interesting match.  The two clearly had a mutual respect for each other at the start, but that quickly changed.  Jimmy Hart was in the corner of Brutus and despite being fond of Hogan, knocked him over the head with his megaphone.
 
Hogan managed to just keep his arm up when he was in barber’s sleeper hold and began to hulk up.  Before long, Hogan hit Brutus with a big drop kick and pinned him to advance.
 
Sting became the third number two seed to be eliminated in the tournament after Perfect handled him with relative ease. 

The Green Monster has stood stoically on watch over the outfielders of Fenway Park since the early 20th century.  With the departure of its wild child Johnny Damon and the inevitable exit of the querulous Manny Ramirez, it is a reminder once more of the fragility of modern baseball as we observe the nervous winter dance taking place among players and teams.  While the excitement of landing a star player (really a cruel illusion for all but the big market teams anyway) always keeps the winter titillating, in the past there was something of intrinsic value in having a calmer, less frantic off-season.  When players were rooted to their teams with something stronger than just casual familiarity, and players and fans were more than just two ships passing in the night.  This was a period in the game which served a useful purpose; it gave the fans continuity and allowed them to build a relationship with their team and its members, which like anything of worth, takes time.

The left fielder position for the Boston Red Sox was at one time a paragon of this consistency.  From 1939 to 1996- close to sixty years- there were just four regular left-fielders for the team: Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice, and Mike Greenwell.  This included two Hall of Famers (Williams and Yastrzemski), one soon to be inducted into the Hall (Rice), and the fourth (Greenwell), a solid regular.  While the Red Sox had other players patrol left field intermittently (most noticeably during Williams’ extended absences for military service, an astounding concept now- can anyone imagine Manny taking a season off to fly jets in Iraq?), these four, during their respective reigns, were the men fans identified as the guardians of the Green Monster.

Through the presidencies of FDR and Bill Clinton, from Pearl Harbor to White Water, big band music to grunge, one of these men could invariably be found in the shadow of the Monster.  All were signed by the Red Sox.  All retired Red Sox.  None played for any other major league team.

Fenway Park is, by American sporting standards, ancient.  Its longevity is as cherished by the fans arguably as much as its eccentric design.  The Green Monster plays into an enormous part of this attraction; it is essentially an ambassador for the park.  However, the superb talent that played beneath the massive wall for close to sixty years is what truly made watching so entertaining.  And reassuring.  We could look out season after season and the face beneath the Sox cap, except for perhaps a few more weathered lines around the eyes and mouth, would remain unchanged.  We observed the four in the brightness of their youth, and watched as they slowed in the Monster’s shadow.  The full cycle of the player’s talent would eventually display itself if we had the patience to watch.  The Green Monster will remain looking onto left field for the foreseeable future.  It is, and will remain, an indelible part of the Red Sox.  Unfortunately, the restless nature of the game being what it is today, the names of the Red Sox left fielders patrolling beneath it most certainly will not.

Gonzaga 72 Memphis 83

Not the game that I wanted to see.  It's very disappointing to see them lose such an important game.  Memphis did well but Gonzaga definitely let it slip through their fingers.

I much preferred to listen to Dickie V and whoever was with him call the game.  I'm not the biggest Dickie V fan with his undeniable love for Duke but they did a great job of talking about Gonzaga and Memphis.  Although, I am very much a believer that it is way too early to talk about player of the year.

Up next is St Josephs.

This is how one of the announcers described Adam Morrison.  He sounded as though he is very proud of himself for thinking of it.  I present it as another example of why we need new announcers.

The Zags once again got off to a slow start but I am starting to believe it's part of the game plan.  With the exception of their two losses this year, the Zags have been able to put teams away in the game's last few minutes.  I never doubt that Gonzaga will win but they keep me anxious.

Gonzaga 75 EWU 65

This is my very first blog!  I'm not sure what I will include in it but for now I will start by saying that I am very excited that ESPN the Mag featured Shaun Alexander on the cover!  In addition to Alexander, there was also an article on Adam Morrison!  I am first a foremost a Zag....on old Zag, but a Zag nonetheless.

SI will have both Alexander and Morrison on the cover of this week's issue....here's wishing that the SI jinx does not follow them.