- ...The Super Bowl, as New England and New York square off on Sunday. What I'm not sure about is whether Bill Parcells or Dave Meggett will be cheering for the Giants or Patriots. Perhaps Tiki Barber will put on a throwback Drew Bledsoe jersey and pray New York doesn't win. If he says he's happy for his ex-teammates he's lying - he's wanted a ring so badly and it stings that the team has come together without him or his ego in that locker room.
Speaking of Bledsoe, it would have been interesting if Robert Kraft were to have called him for this game in case Tom Brady's foot fell off during a drive. Kid you not, I was thinking about it.
What I do know is this is New England's game to win and to lose. The New York Giants have fought hard to get here and should be credited for coming together and growing as a team through the pains they have shared together. Nobody expected the week 17 matchup of these two teams to be the Super Bowl preview. We'd be in for a great game if this was the case. But instead of the game being played in New York we watch this in Arizona, a neutral site game.
That said, Arizona's warm weather plays into New England's passing attack and if their O-line stays one step ahead of the Giants defensive front it will be a long game for that Giant defense that has a very suspect secondary as is.
My call is New England will win and cap off one of the greatest seasons in sports history.
-...Jason Kidd sweepstakes have begun as the disgruntled point guard wants out of New Jersey. The backboard and basketball rims inside the area breathe a sigh of relief.
Let's remember how he showed up; he left a deep West Conference and a checkered past with Phoenix to a depleted East with virtually no dominant point guard left (A.I. had moved to the 2 spot by then). Though he couldn't shake off the rusty jump shot or his wife's makeup from his knuckles he gave New Jersey a lift into the NBA finals twice and quickly helped himself to becoming the best point guard on the planet - facing nobody in the East to get there.
Since then he helped Byron Scott get fired and he still dents rims with regularity. He also went through a messy divorce and hasn't been that leader New Jersey can depend on. Perhaps he will head back West to help a decent team get better, but he will quickly find out that there are point guards - LOTS OF THEM - that will shread him to pieces every night. If he goes to the West he isn't a top 4 point guard in that conference. Good luck with that trade.
-...Johan Santana is looking to get PAID by the New York Mets. Is it just me or are these prospects not what they seem? If I'm giving up potentially the best pitcher in baseball why would I want a mid-20's pitcher with a losing record and a 22 year old who makes Richie Sexson a batting champ? I suppose the Mets needed this one as they held onto Lastings Milledge so long that they got, well, nothing in return. Unless this 22 year old becomes legit overnight and learns to hit at least .260 in the major leagues this trade will be a success for the Mets - unless Santana goes Francisco Liriano in two months. God forbid.
-...Tiger Woods attempt at the Grand Slam. We say this every year and we see him fall short. No slight on the guy - it's not like he sucks or anything.
But Tiger is entering his golf prime, or at least according to history as guys in their early 30's find their best success on the golf course, Seve Ballasteros excluded. So if there was a shot at it we could see the best attempts over the next couple of years. After that, we may not see another male golfer bring the kind of game or intensity or desire to win like Tiger Woods.
It's sad, but wait and see when Tiger hits 45; we'll watch Tiger past his prime and obviously not the golfer he once was KILLING himself on the golf course for another major championship and he'll be playing with a young stud who just doesn't have the same will, focus or guts Tiger brings to the golf course. It's great now that we see the guy who wants it the most winning the most - but how will we react when we see that same man unable to beat random Joe's who luck out a major victory?
We'll probably be cheering for the fallen hero to return to glory one last time the way we rooted for Jack Nicklaus in 1986 and, for me, 1998.
I cannot imagine being a fan of a Football team who has never had the luxury of seeing their favorite team never reaching the Super Bowl in their lifetime. Fans of the New Orleans Saints felt like they had a great shot at it heading into the NFC Championships against the Chicago Bears last week. What if you are a fan of the Arizona Cardinals? They whiff on making the post-season let alone the Super Bowl. These two places have venues that has no problem hosting a Super Bowl but cannot sneak into one. It has to be hard to watch year in and year out. Maybe not as hard as being a Cleveland Browns fan, who've had their franchise move to Baltimore only to watch them win a Super Bowl. Who knows when Cleveland will get back to the glory they once had prior to the existence of the Super Bowl.
I live in Canada as you all know there is no NFL team north of the border. Toronto has discussed the possibility of securing an NFL franchise for many years but that's all it has been. They already have a Canadian Football League team, the Toronto Argonauts. They draw around 30 000 people each game, give or take 5 000. That does not prove that we are a city capable of holding an NFL team. Having said that, we have a lot of NFL fans here in the city and beyond. Some are fans of the closest team geographically, the Buffalo Bills, and some are fans of their former rival in spite of the Bills, the Miami Dolphins. There are Dallas fans, Jet fans, Giant fans etc. A bunch of years ago, one team caught my eye and they weren't even a playoff team.
Back in late 1993 the New England Patriots were wrapping up their 5-11 season with a #### as they defeated the Miami Dolphins, eliminating them from the post-season. The Fish began the year 9-2 but unfortunately lost Dan Marino for the season, holding their breath for Scott Mitchell to bring them to the playoffs. The final game of that season ended with Drew Bledsoe throwing a game-winning touchdown and a new fan was born: My favorite NFL team was the New England Patriots. The rest is history.
This past weekend I could identify with Saints fan with the dissapointment of being so close to the final showdown but coming up just short. Last week was hard to watch because it wasn't what I was use to seeing out of the New England Patriots. The championship teams finish off the Indianapolis Colts when up by 18. But this isn't the same team as it was 3 years ago, on the field and on the sidelines as changes happen regularly in the NFL. But after turning the television off, I still felt lucky to have seen my team in 4 Super Bowls and winning 3 of them. Many people don't get to have that opportunity.
Having your team on top of the world must have been the same feeling Dallas had in the mid-90's, San Francisco had in the 80's and Pittsburgh in the 70's. The feeling of how great it is to watch your team play and win the ultimate prize, The Vince Lombardi Trophy. All of a sudden they become memories. Perhaps New England is on the brink of hard times in the near future. There were some lean years between the 1996 and 2001 Super Bowls but nothing compared to what some of the other franchises have had to face.
Next weekend the Chicago Bears and the Colts will battle for NFL supremecy. The Colts have had some close calls over the years along with some terrible teams during their tenure in Indianapolis. Chicago just can't stop talking about those 1985 Bears, who perhaps had enough talent to cash in more than just one title. Let it all sink in, Bear and Colt fans, because you don't know when you'll get back to the title game next.
The Super Bowl shall be interesting as both teams bring different strengths a weaknesses to the game. That should make the matchup somewhat compelling. The outcome? I won't predict a score but I'll go with Indy by 10. The AFC has proved to be the superior conference and I expect to see them prevail this season for the 8th time in 10 years. Enjoy the game.
Sometimes the most entertaining blogs to read are the sports-related ones where we finish reading the person's write-up only to see long comments which bash what was written. Then the writer comes back in defense and then a blog war occurs. We've all had it. Problem is, we have seen over and over again comments go overboard and then things are said that we would never normally say to someone in person.
Today I encountered perhaps a part-funny, part insulting website involving Dallas Cowboys QB's Tony Romo and Drew Bledsoe. Apparently a Drew Bledsoe supporter came up with a blog site: www.tonyhomo.com.
First off, it appears this Bledsoe fan does not like Tony Romo being the starter for the Dallas Cowboys. Second, the name of the website is obviously derogatory. Lastly, we realize that Bledsoe is not the one writing these blogs.
So I read a few stories and they were funny for some reason. It's wrong without a doubt, but it will give you a chuckle. The fact that I am helping this creator get recognition for something that is a tad stupid is bad on my part. But it is a clear example how things can be taken too far.
I'll be honest, I am still a fan of Drew Bledsoe dating back to his days as a gunslinger with Bill Parcells in New England. When his go-to guy was Ben Coates and his running back was Marion Butts. The receiver who's chest use to get broken by Bledsoe passes was Vincent Brisby, and his key blocking fullback was Sam Gash. Those were the days when New England was shedding their past of being such a poor team. Unfortunately, time changes and the players change with it. There was a time when guys like Bledsoe and Kurt Warner stood tall. Those days are gone.
Now I'm not saying you should check this site out but know that it exists. What fans will do to support their favourite player sometimes can sure make you shake your head in disbelief.
The Dan's family at Thanksgiving did what they usually do for every get-together and that is bicker. Glad to stroll out of the grandparents for an afternoon of Canadian Football as the Argonauts hung on to win 28-23 against the Edmonton Eskimos. Rick Williams was ok, I just don't think it was a performance good enough to help reach Sean Salisbury's prediction of 3000 yards or whatever he said.
Baseball
I don't think Joe Torre deserves to be fired over this season. Granted, the money and pressure to win has probably been at an all-time high during his tenure as Manager of the New York Yankees, but there are guys on that team that must perform regardless of who is coaching the team.
Take into consideration the pitching matchups against the Detroit Tigers; Aside from Game 1, was there a matchup the Yankees had the edge with pitchers? I won't put Mike Mussina over Justin Verlander for the season he has put up, and Jaret Wright doesn't come close to Bondermania. Randy Johnson and Kenny Rogers? Rogers has been better this season. 3-1 with the head-to-head matchups translated into the series outcome.
As for the hitters, perhaps Torre made 1 mess up: They should have started Sheffield against Rogers. However, Sheffield and Giambi, who weren't happy being benched during the series, have no right to complain. Sheffield is a notorious choker in the playoffs and you can ask the Atlanta Braves from 2002-03. And, someone forgot to teach Sheff how to catch the baseball: Open...CLOSE. As for Giambi, he hit a bomb in Game 1 and then he dunked his head into the grease tank and never came up for air.
Then there is Alex Rodriguez. The man has proven he is head screwed. He is way too talented to have a performance like he had with the stick.
Overall, it is tough to ask the manager to win games when your pitchers can't shut other teams down as well as have 2 players (Jeter and Posada) show up to hit. Last I checked, it was not Torre's choice to pay huge money for pitchers who can't out-pitch others or that 2 players hitting out of 9 will make a team successful.
Football
I know everyone is talking about the dominance of the Chicago Bears but let's halt that for a second. Until they show that against better teams (Seattle lost Alexander, but they were impressive), they should not be considered the far and away leading candidate to represent the NFC at the Super Bowl. They are a team that has a great chance, but because of their weak division and weak schedule, they don't have those teams they can measure themselves against. Beating the #### out of Buffalo proves nothing. Having said all of this, they are talented enough that they should be able to beat everyone in the league because the NFC is not as deep as the AFC.
Over to Dallas, Terrell Owens has thrown his quarterback under the bus. Nice work. I can't really sympathize for Owens as he dropped 2 balls in the game, one of them appeared to be because he did not want to get smoked by one of his ex-teammates. Now, Drew Bledsoe did not have a very good game and neither did the offensive co-ordinator, but its pretty tough to throw the ball when you are in the 'put me in the casket' position. I know people are looking for Drew to be benched, but do you think Tony Romo is your answer? Doubt it. And when the Cowboys got that close at the end of the game, the play calling got stupid. It should have been a quick pass to avoid getting crunched for the hundredth time.
Being impartial to the game, were the officials afraid to call pass interference on Philly's defense or were they letting both teams play? I leave that question up to you.
Performance Enhancing drugs
Hate to say this, but I felt once a sample B came back negative we would not hear much with top name athletes cheating. I didn't know it would happen but it was a certain feeling. For a brief period, we the fans were getting some justice with the sporting world. As a whole, sports is much better knowing that athletes are clean. Doubt we'll ever get back to that.
So did Major League Baseball shut down their testing once they got the big-name cheater caught? Or are players simply able to beat what appears to be a simple system. Perhaps the show 'Playmakers' was on the money with athletes knowing when the testing occurs and who will be tested at what point. Who really knows except those inside Major League Baseball. Would it be wrong to ask if there is a job opening at the head office?
My night is done. Time to catch some more MNF and head to bed. Blog contest this Thursday, check it out on one of my previous blogs from the past few days or so. One more thing: Mr. Cameron Diaz's new album sucks. Usher, not JT, is the next MJ (musically that is). Just The Dan breaking sports format. Cheers.
No time for sleep nor is this a Friday night for celebration. Ever since my 24th birthday 10 days ago the time and effort put forth in work has been off the chain. Guys tend to fall in love with women, I've fallen in love with work and the potential prospects of it.
So here I will throw out random thoughts as I'm jacked with caffeine and a boss ready to hover over my very move as he's taking the all-nighter with me and some other gentlemen.
- Steve Foley was walking toward the police officer who shot him believing Foley was about to pull out a weapon. So if he was walking toward him, how could Foley have been shot twice in the back of the leg and once on the outside portion of his leg? Is it just me or does something not add up?
- It doesn't matter whether or not Greg Maddux ever throws a no-hitter in his career, he's still one of the greatest pitchers to ever grace Major League Baseball. Strange that he and Roger Clemens have never thrown a no-no. Clemens has struck out 20 in a game twice while Maddux's 1995 MVP-type season was one for the ages.
- Haven't dropped the Rick Dipietro situation on paper yet so I will now: Charles Wang needs to have the New York Islanders franchise ripped away from him. If he had offered Dipietro 8 years would he have declined it? Probably not. Even 10 years would have been extreme, but 15 #### years? They now have their team set up where they have two players: Dipietro and Yashin. Congrats Isles, you guys aren't very smart.
- My eyes are having a rough time staying open. With Roasts and all-nighters at work things get tougher and tougher.
- The US Ryder Cup team lacks depth compared to Europe. They will need their top guys winning matches everyday, but who knows about Phil Mickelson. Doubt Fred Couples will be cheering him on like he did in The Masters.
- Is it just me or is the NBA not that compelling heading into this 2006-07 season? Maybe it was a lack of hot rookies coming out of the draft. But as of now, I'm not as excited about it as usual. Hope that changes next month.
- Fantasy Football has ruined my football viewing. I can't sit back and just watch games anymore. That's my problem. That or the fact players are already bailing out of games due to injury. Not positive.
- Hypothetical: Would the Toronto Blue Jays have hired JP Ricciardi if he had stated the team would need a 70-75 million dollar payroll AT LEAST to compete in the AL East division? I'd say no.
- The Dallas Cowboys are playing a must-win game with Drew Bledsoe's job potentially in jeopardy. That should be this week's focus, not Terrell Owens.
That's all for the night. More work to go. Good morning.
The excuse I often hear when it comes to picking all star teams is, 'it's never an easy choice when you're picking an all star team'. Naturally I would agree. How hard is it to pick another quarterback over the overrated Michael Vick, who was absolutely man-handled by the Chicago Bears last Sunday? He got in on his name and the recognition he gets. When that becomes the issue, the choice becomes way too easy.
Seeing Vick's name in the top 3 for the NFC was brutal. my reaction to it was, 'you gotta be kidding me!?'. The same guy who can't complete 60% of his passes, or at times throw for under 100 yards in a game. Oh, but he runs really well! Great, that's what running backs are for. Shaun Alexander didn't get into the Pro Bowl because of his arm. If Vick gets in with his legs, then just take 2 quarterbacks and add a 4th running back. Perhaps the 4th guy can actually hit receivers on stride rather than 2 hopping passes into their knees. I wonder how long it would take for T.O. to throw him under the bus alongside Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb if he decides to go to Atlanta.
There were much better choices for the 3rd QB for the NFC. The first one that comes to mind is Drew Bledsoe. Love him or hate him, his stats are much better this season and Dallas has improved from last year. Or how about Brad Johnson? He has led a team that was on the brink of a disaster season to a respectable run at a possible playoff position. I would have also taken Eli Manning and his 51% completion percentage over the man formally known as Ron Mexico.
Vick talks about not getting respect, as he feels he doesn't get enough credit for how well he plays the quarterback position. Well I have news for you V.D. boy: You've got way more respect that you've earned with your QB play. So I have 3 suggestions for you Ronald: 1) Shut up and play, let your team record and your play speak for itself, 2) Start throwing the ball with consistency, this is year #4, and 3) Wrap up always. That way you don't need an alias like Ron Mexico.
Looking at my title, you can formulate your own answer to it: Super Bowl victories, self-esteem or otherwise. But that really isn't what I am getting at.
I was listening to a syndicated radio show earlier today that conducted an interview with Drew Bledsoe, the former Bills quarterback and current Dallas Cowboys playcaller. Bledsoe has had a very successful career that has seen the highs and lows of being an NFL quarterback. He has enough passing yards and touchdowns to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame but he really does not get the recognition. Perhaps during his days as a young gunslinger in New England he was a perennial top 10 quarterback in the league. As other QB's left that list, new one's emerged and guys like Bledsoe found a way to stay on board. That was, until his lung was knocked silly in 2001, bringing in some guy named Tom Brady to replace him.
Anyway, as I was listening to Bledsoe he took a little jab at Buffalo who he played with for 3 years prior to his reconnection with former coach Bill Parcells in Dallas. And why not? This town pretty much kicked him to the curb in favour of JP Losman, stating that Bledsoe was finished as a quarterback and was the reason why they were not successful. Boy, were they mistaken. Just like they were mistaken when Rob Johnson was the future of their organization (just to make sure, Doug Flutie is a Patriot and Johnson is a, well, not even his family members really know). Just like Glen Williams was the coach to bring them to the big show. Just like Mike Mularkey was going to form a great Buffalo offense. You guys will never get it.
So there were responses to this radio show saying how wrong they were about Bledsoe, and they were sorry for running him out and doubting his skills as a quarterback. Then some female caller from Buffalo called in and said Drew was 'whining and crying' about him being mistreated in Buffalo. Question is, why would he? If anything he feels good about proving doubters wrong and redeeming himself. Call it simple retribution. He puts up Pro Bowl worthy numbers while Buffalo sits 4-9. I think it's the Bills organization and the fans themselves that have something to cry about. Typical that they would not own up to making a mistake in judgement. Getting rid of Bledsoe may not have been a mistake, but calling him out the way they did over the 3 years was. The man did not deserve it, but why would we expect Bills fans to actually to the right thing? Exactly.
Let the rebuilding process begin. And Buffalo, might want to replace Tom Donohue too, the guy that's done relatively nothing since he arrived.
From Toronto, CANADA. On hiatus from sports talk show. Also the starting shortstop for the Lizzards. Honorary member of "The Clique" because I am a made guy. If I ever got to work for Fox Sports I'd put into my contract that I must put in no less than 60 hours of work per week.
Just shows that sports is my life.
And check out the Samsung T10. Excellent MP3 device. For more info: http://www.an ythingbutipod .com/archives /2007/10/sams ung-ypt10-rev iew.php
