My wife is opposed to our sons playing football. Soccer, basketball, and baseball are all okay, but she has a fear that they will damage their knees, spines or something far worse, their skulls. One look at Troy Aikmen's injuries confirms her worst fears. Concussions, back injuries, knee injuries, shoulder injuries, and elbow problems all plaqued the Cowboy star. He is lucky he even remembers his own name.
I can not promise her that they will never get hurt, but I can promise that if they become field goal kickers they can have a career that is almost as good as the young stallion who is put out to pasture to stud.
Adam Vinatieri, almost as hard to pronounce as it is to spell, is taking it easy during preseason so he can get some rest.
News: Vinatieri did not play in Thursday's preseason game and may sit out Indy's second preseason game as well as the Colts rest him for the regular season, the Indianapolis Star reports. Impact: Vinatieri isn't injured as the Colts don't want to take any chances with him and don't feel he needs the practice. Shane Andrus handled all kicking duties, although he's unlikely to make the final roster (but could be signed to the practice squad). (RotoWire)
Now don't get me wrong, you do rest your super stars, but even Peyton Manning is taking a series or two during the preseason. The Indianapolis Star is reporting that Vinatieri is resting up for the season. One question, what has he been doing the entire off season? Shouldn't he at least go out and kick a few extra points? I don't want the guy to get injured, but place kickers have it pretty safe. They are the last one to run down the field on the kick off. If the runner gets by the other ten players, he usually trips over himself making it look as if he is diving for the runner, and rarely takes a hit. What is Adam saving himself for? (Questioned answered in picture below)
A good place kicker is put in more situations to win games than any other person, but plays the least amount of time on the actual playing field. What other gig is so sweet? Next to the quality quarter back, the place kicker is in the limelight the most. He takes home all the glory when his winning field goal sails through the uprights. His team mates carry him off the field in glory, probably because it's too hard to walk in two different shoes, and the QB who made the winning drive pats him on the back like he did all the work. I need to have my wife read this article today and maybe my boys can still feel the comraderie of playing football, as a kicker.
SoCalSportsFan
*On a side note, do an image search for Adam and you might see a picture that shows his rippling muscles, maybe steroid enhanced. Also, I am heading to see the Chargers vs Seahawks today and will report on that game tomorrow.*
One of the hot new shows on NBC this year is Heroes. In it, different characters learn about their special abilities as they try to save the world. Well, I would like to do a parody comparing certain sports figures to the Heroes of NBC. Without further adieu, I give you Sports Heroes.
NBC Hero: Nathan Petrelli, he can fly but has trouble remaining faithful to his wife.
Sports Hero: Kobe Bryant whose high flying antics include a few trips to Vale.
Fox Blogger Hero: TravisDW. Also looks like he has been flying a bit in his avatar.
NBC Hero: Hiro Nakamura, he can bend the time and space continuum.
Sports Hero: Ichiro whose swing is from the Ted Williams era.
Fox Blogger Hero: Dudski whose posts are from a different era.
NBC Hero: Claire Bennet the Cheerleader who can regenerate.
Sports Hero: Scottie Pippen, the ageless one who is trying to regenerate his career. (although you will never confuse his mugshot for that of a cheerleader)
Fox Blogger Hero: Dusty Outlaw who just never dies.
NBC Hero: Peter Petrelli, he absorbs others powers and is possibly the strongest hero of all.
Sports Hero: Steve Nash, is there anything he can’t do on the court.
Fox Blogger Hero: ShooterB who pops up when needed. His writing is powerful and versatile.
NBC Hero: D.L. Hawkins who can pass through solid objects.
Sports Hero: LaDainian Tomlinson who passes through the walls of linemen in the NFL.
Fox Blogger Hero: Demonicume who has an obstacle to overcome every day in South Carolina.
NBC Hero: Niki Sanders who has a deadly alter ego.
Sports Hero: Pacman Jones who is always causing trouble.
Fox Blogger Hero: Lisa who has a dark side. Watch as she defeats her opponents in Rev’s bracket challenge. Also, she is willing to sleep with the judges for gain much like Nike slept with Nathan to clear her debt.
NBC Hero: Matt Parkman who can read peoples’ thoughts.
Sports Hero: Peyton Manning. He knows what the other team is thinking when he calls out his audibles from the line of scrimmage. He also knows what everyone thought of him prior to this Super Bowl.
Fox Blogger Hero: MeanDovine who always knows what to say to bloggers.
NBC Hero: Isaac Mendez who can paint the future.
Sports Hero: Gilbert Arenas who seems to know when he will score 50 points weeks in advance; if only his predictions were as accurate as Mendez’s paintings.
Fox Blogger Hero: Norcal who ranks the draft better than anyone.
NBC Villain: Sylar, who is very powerful. He absorbs the powers of the other heroes.
Sports Villain: Barry Bonds who is about to surpass Hank Aaron for the new all time HR record. Is anyone more hated in sports? Also like Sylar, he absorbs his powers from other sources.
Fox Blogger Villain: You decide who the Fox Sports Villain is and post below.
The Philadelphia Eagles have soared under Coach Reid’s reign, but today Andy Reid has asked for and been granted a leave of absence. The length of which is yet to be determined but the news report said he should be back by mid March. Considering the trouble Reid’s sons have been into lately, he is making the right move. In fact, he should take all of March off if that is what it takes to help his sons overcome their addictions. Parenting is never easy and for an NFL head coach it must be even tougher to spend the quality time that children need.
I am not blaming Andy for his sons' troubles anymore than I am blaming Coach Dungy for his son’s suicide last year, but as a father of four it is my job to know what is going on in my children’s lives. Maybe some of the problems could have been avoided had dad looked into things before the escalated to “run ins” with the law. Of course it is much clearer today than it was yesterday because hindsight is 20-20.
So I say to Andy, "Take all the time you need!" Your family is more important than football right now, and always. One day if you never win a Super Bowl but you have drug free children who are still alive and around to play 18 holes of golf with you on Father’s Day, you will not regret it. Ask Tony if he would trade a Super Bowl ring for his son’s life. I know the answer.
This is one of my favorite times of the year because I throw a Super Bowl party every year. We invite a few friends, have each one cook some chili, I cook brats on the grill, and we just enjoy the game with our sons. It is the one day of the year where I control the remote for the entire day. My wife actually cooperates! The purpose of this post is to see what everyone else does for their Super Bowl parties? Let's see who throws the best bash, and then come back and report on it on Monday.
For the record, I am picking the Colts to win. My heart tells me the Bears have a better chance than they are being given, but I think Peyton and his boys will be able to score too many points for the Bears to win. Make your predictions here too.
I'm not talking about the Indianapolis Colts, but rather the Kentucky Derby Winner of 2006. Barbaro had to have surgery again. This does not surprise me at all considering that many years ago horses were spared the agony of leg injuries by being “put” down by their owners. Horses stand almost 24 hours a day seven days a week. A severe leg injury is almost impossible to recover from and this is why in the old westerns the cowboys pulled out their Winchesters from the rifle sling and as the camera panned away you heard one single gunshot. It was tough to do, but necessary.
Now as a pet owner and a horse lover, I can understand why they want to save this magnificent animal. Barbaro is a beautiful horse and he has tremendous value on the stud market if he can survive this ailment and live the grand life of a horse gigolo. Unfortunately, sometimes the humane thing to do is to just shoot the horse and get on with life. My gut is telling me the owners have too much invested in this horse and his survival maybe key to theirs. Either way, is this still newsworthy? Looking at his ankle x-ray on the left you can see just how devasting his injuries were and yet the owners and vets keep trying to save him. Unlike with humans on life support, this decision is a bit harder because the vets will have to put the animal to sleep for good. It is not as simple as pulling the plug on a machine, but I think it is time. I say let Barbaro compete in that great race track in the sky. It’s time for him to test his skills against Secretariet, Seattle Slew, and a host of other famous equines.
To all of the religious zealots who are ready to hang me, please hear me out. First off, I am a Christian who believes in God. My kids and I go to church every weekend. I believe in prayer and I have never met a dying man who did not want someone to pray for him. That is not the point. When championship games are won or players have a great game, thanking God for the victory is not appropriate.
Last night when the Colts won, the owner Jim Irsay and Tony Dungy both thanked God on national television for “His” help in the victory. To be fair, Dungy merely thanked God for the energy to play the game. But to me this makes Christianity appear fake and artificial. My reasoning for this statement can best be answered by examining these four questions:
Does God really care who wins the Super Bowl, or any game for that matter?
Does God not give both teams the energy to play?
If the Patriots had won, did God let the Colts down?
Has God controlled the outcome for every Super Bowl winner in the past, or every other sporting event?
To me, the God who runs the universe may be interested in the affairs of men, but to take sides over a sporting event somehow demeans his very nature. I believe that God loves competition and he wants man to strive to be his best, but that he chooses sides is a bit like the old Greek myths where “gods” became men just to procreate and to interact on a personal level with their subjects. The God in heaven that I know loves each of us equally and wants what is best for everyone, including the Patriots. God gives everyone the strength to play and work hard.
Lastly, if the Patriots had won, did God let the Colts down? Well then he let every other team in the NFL down too because each team has some Christians playing on the field and Christian fans praying for their team. If you believe God has pre-ordained everything to come to pass then that opens up a whole new set of problems such as:
God wanted a drunken quarterback named after a serpent, Kenny the Snake Stabler, to win with the Oakland Raiders.
How did the 85 Bears win with Jim Party Central McMahon?
Does it also mean that God is cheering on along with the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders or the Sea Gals last year?
Let me say that I am not against players praising God, but just don’t do it for winning a sporting event that I am not sure the outcome was predetermined by Him. Just my thoughts, but feel free to disagree as I am sure some of you will.
Great offense but no defense is what both of these teams have in common. Can anyone stop Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire? Can anyone stop Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison? Only they can stop themselves when they have an off game, but the trouble is that defense wins championships. This is why the Colts and the Suns will be on the outside looking in when the NBA Finals and the Super Bowl happen this year.
I wish it were different because I like both teams, but offense can only carry you so far. The mind set that the best defense is a great offense will only take you so far. If having a winning record and going to the playoffs each year is enough for you then stick with this philosophy. If you want to win it all, draft some defensive minded guys and make a few tweaks and these two teams could win it all.
Tony Dungy has been called a defensive genius. Many people want to give him credit for the Super Bowl that Jon Gruden won at Tampa Bay following Dungy’s departure. The fact is that Dungy is a horrible coach when it comes to defense. He was lucky to have John #### and Warren Sapp in their prime. Great players make great defenses. Look at Sean Merriman for the Chargers or Ray Lewis for the Ravens. You need talent to have a great defense. If Dungy was such a great defensive minded coach, then why have the Colts not been in the top 10 in total defense since he took over? They have been in the middle of the pack or next to the bottom every year that he has been in Indy. Dungy is a great guy and very likeable, but he is not a very good coach. I can think of three coaches that would have won back to back titles with this team. It's time to fire Dungy and bring in a real winner. Let someone else have a chance before Peyton turns into the next Dan Marino.
My wife is opposed to our sons playing football. Soccer, basketball, and baseball are all okay, but she has a fear that they will damage their knees, spines or something far worse, their skulls. One look at Troy Aikmen's injuries confirms her worst fears. Concussions, back injuries, knee injuries, shoulder injuries, and elbow problems all plaqued the Cowboy star. He is lucky he even remembers his own name. 
Adam Vinatieri, almost as hard to pronounce as it is to spell, is taking it easy during preseason so he can get some rest. 
A good place kicker is put in more situations to win games than any other person, but plays the least amount of time on the actual playing field. What other gig is so sweet? Next to the quality quarter back, the place kicker is in the limelight the most. He takes home all the glory when his winning field goal sails through the uprights. His team mates carry him off the field in glory, probably because it's too hard to walk in two different shoes, and the QB who made the winning drive pats him on the back like he did all the work. I need to have my wife read this article today and maybe my boys can still feel the comraderie of playing football, as a kicker.
e of absence. The length of which is yet to be determined but the 
I'm not talking about the Indianapolis Colts, but rather the Kentucky Derby Winner of 2006. 
Now as a pet owner and a horse lover, I can understand why they want to save this magnificent animal. Barbaro is a beautiful horse and he has tremendous value on the stud market if he can survive this ailment and live the grand life of a horse gigolo. Unfortunately, sometimes the humane thing to do is to just shoot the horse and get on with life. My gut is telling me the owners have too much invested in this horse and his survival maybe key to theirs. Either way, is this still newsworthy? Looking at his ankle x-ray on the left you can see just how devasting his injuries were and yet the owners and vets keep trying to save him. Unlike with humans on life support, this decision is a bit harder because the vets will have to put the animal to sleep for good. It is not as simple as pulling the plug on a machine, but I think it is time. I say let Barbaro compete in that great race track in the sky. It’s time for him to test his skills against Secretariet, Seattle Slew, and a host of other famous equines.
To all of the religious zealots who are ready to hang me, please hear me out. First off, I am a Christian who believes in God. My kids and I go to church every weekend. I believe in prayer and I have never met a dying man who did not want someone to pray for him. That is not the point. When championship games are won or players have a great game, thanking God for the victory is not appropriate. 
To me, the God who runs the universe may be interested in the affairs of men, but to take sides over a sporting event somehow demeans his very nature. I believe that God loves competition and he wants man to strive to be his best, but that he chooses sides is a bit like the old Greek myths where “gods” became men just to procreate and to interact on a personal level with their subjects. The God in heaven that I know loves each of us equally and wants what is best for everyone, including the Patriots. God gives everyone the strength to play and work hard.
