Thursday, December 22, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Rome Takes
I meant to post this 3 months ago just haven't had time. Either way, still excellent Rome takes. Sorry they are so long, but those were funny at the time. September 30, 2011
Worst 3 Minutes In Red Sox History
As for the Red Sox, where do I even start? Give me some space; this is going to take sometime. While that may have been an epic night for the sport, it has to be the worst three minutes in Red Sox history. And given that they were the ones that sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees and have suffered some of the sport’s most monumental collapses ever, that’s really saying something. And I couldn’t be more proud of you fellas. I mean, I did call it right here yesterday, but I didn’t say it would go down like that. No one could have seen that coming. I know I didn’t. Because the Red Sox I saw for most of last night’s game were not the same guys who had gripped their way through September, choking away a 9 game lead in less than a month. No, these cats were different. They were composed, confident and on the verge of getting over. And just when it looked like they were going to choke, meltdown…, and win…, they dug deep, clutched up and found a way to implode. In the most spectacular chowd fashion. It would have been so easy just to give in, fold their tents and win that game. But they refused to let the dream die and I couldn’t be more proud of the way they manned up. And cowboy downed.
But again, I had my doubts: especially in the 9th when Jonathan Papelbon hit the bump. Terry Francona had gone to him time and time again, and he had to be hanging. But you’d never know it seeing him gas the first two batters he faced. The dude’s a horse, he was peaking on adrenaline, and the Orioles were seriously overmatched. They couldn’t catch up to his filth. Dude looked like he wanted to fight the entire City of Baltimore: he was just giving off this vibe of: this all ends right now: we’re not choking. Not on my watch. Get on my back losers; I’ll finish this thing myself. But then, instead of going to the rosin bag, he reached for his gas can instead, dousing the infield…and fired off one of his blue tips. And that blaze sparked dramatically and spread tragically.
Chris Davis doubles to right on the very first pitch. Tying run in scoring position and the Sox are no longer smirking in the dugout, they’re gripping. Hard. Up steps Nolan Reimold, .167 lifetime against Papelbon. But not this Papelbon. They had gone to him so many times: the adrenaline had to be draining, yet he just kept pumping fastball after fastball. He gets two strikes on Reimold and looks to reach back one last time. One strike away from choking and winning, Papelbon digs deep and keeps the dream alive by grooving one to Reimold, who whacks it into right field. Tie game! Now all hell is breaking loose: it’s really going to happen! The Sox are about to pull off the most catastrophic tank job ever in sports. Robert Andino then shoots a liner to left. And there’s Carl Crawford, Boston’s $142 million dollar bust and that ball is sinking quickly with the winning run on the move. He can’t come up with it, which isn’t going to make the Red Sox fans like him any more than they already don’t. The winning run scores and the choke is complete! Absolutely incredible! One strike away from at least forcing a playoff today in Tampa, the Sox are D.O.A. It was sudden and it was spectacular. Shell-shocked, they walk numb into the clubhouse, to get on their knees and hope the Yankees, who hate them, and have nothing to play for pick them up against the Rays in extra innings.
And no sooner do they arrive in the clubhouse; they see their worst nightmare unfolding. Evan Longoria digging in against Scott Proctor in the bottom of the 12th. Again, the Yankees had nothing on the line, the Rays everything, and they had already battled back from a 7-0, 7th inning deficit. And Longoria was the one who brought them back with a 3 runner. And now he was facing Proctor, the Yankees 11th pitcher of the night! And a dude who missed most of 2009 and 2010, had an ERA north of 7 and…well….is Scott Proctor. A huge mismatch that played out pretty much the way you’d think it would, given the situation: Uh-oh! Pandemonia: guarantee all the Red Sox hadn’t even settled into their barcaloungers to see Longoria cross home plate to wrap the worst three minutes in Red Sox history. And I couldn’t be more proud of them for it: as I always say, and have been hammering for the last two weeks: give me an A or give me an F. Staggering into the playoffs only to be murdered in the first round would have been worthless and utterly forgettable. But blowing a 9 game September lead and getting within one strike on the last day of the season of at least forcing a playoff and then having it all rip apart?! That’s epic. And legendary and will never be forgotten. Way to cowboy down, men. I knew you fellas had it in you, but you just surpassed even my wildest expectations. I couldn’t be more proud of you as if you were my own sons.
Man Down Boston
Although they looked terrified and did their absolute best to implode against Baltimore last night, the Red Sox somehow hung on and lived to fight one more day. Which is tremendous, because now it gives them the opportunity to pull off one of the most catastrophic tank jobs ever by choking out on day number 162. It couldn’t set up any better: Boston and Tampa Bay are in a dead - tie for the Wild Card. If they both win or both lose tonight, they play it off, sudden death tomorrow, in Tampa. But I don’t think the Sox are going to get it to tomorrow. I’ve said it before and obviously, I need to say it again right now, because the Sox are still actually trying. Blowing a 9 game September lead and staggering into the postseason like a battered fighter who’s out on his feet, only to eat one last haymaker in the postseason and go to sleep forever…, gets you nothing. There’s nothing memorable in that. But, blowing that huge lead, choking out on the last day of the season and missing the playoffs altogether: now, that’s legendary. That’s something Red Sox fans will take with them to their graves. Stop thinking you just need to get in, any way possible, hit the reboot button, and start over from scratch. That ain’t happening. There’s no force quit on this tank job: you can’t reboot off this meltdown: you’re too beat up mentally and physically. There is no new season for you once the playoffs start. So man down…and finish it right now. And it says here, they will.
Because from where I’m sitting there’s not a whole lot to like about Boston tonight. They’re running Jon Lester out there, who is coming off his worst start of the season and is taking the ball on three day’s rest. And they’re battling a Baltimore team that is looking to make their season by wrecking Boston’s. The O’s are battling Boston like it’s the World Series. The O’s are in last place. This is their World Series. Buck Showalter probably has the champagne on ice and the lockers covered in plastic for when the O’s rip the Sox hearts’ out tonight. The Rays, meanwhile, are sending their ace David Price to the bump against a Yankees team that has nothing to play for. They’ve already wrapped up the home field throughout, and they’re not doing anything to jeopardize their chances in the playoffs. And you know they’re not looking to pick the Red Sox up in any way. The Rays are playing with house money while the Red Sox are playing with their hands around their throats. Hard to imagine this ending any other way but horribly for the Red Sox.
Worst 3 Minutes In Red Sox History
As for the Red Sox, where do I even start? Give me some space; this is going to take sometime. While that may have been an epic night for the sport, it has to be the worst three minutes in Red Sox history. And given that they were the ones that sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees and have suffered some of the sport’s most monumental collapses ever, that’s really saying something. And I couldn’t be more proud of you fellas. I mean, I did call it right here yesterday, but I didn’t say it would go down like that. No one could have seen that coming. I know I didn’t. Because the Red Sox I saw for most of last night’s game were not the same guys who had gripped their way through September, choking away a 9 game lead in less than a month. No, these cats were different. They were composed, confident and on the verge of getting over. And just when it looked like they were going to choke, meltdown…, and win…, they dug deep, clutched up and found a way to implode. In the most spectacular chowd fashion. It would have been so easy just to give in, fold their tents and win that game. But they refused to let the dream die and I couldn’t be more proud of the way they manned up. And cowboy downed.
But again, I had my doubts: especially in the 9th when Jonathan Papelbon hit the bump. Terry Francona had gone to him time and time again, and he had to be hanging. But you’d never know it seeing him gas the first two batters he faced. The dude’s a horse, he was peaking on adrenaline, and the Orioles were seriously overmatched. They couldn’t catch up to his filth. Dude looked like he wanted to fight the entire City of Baltimore: he was just giving off this vibe of: this all ends right now: we’re not choking. Not on my watch. Get on my back losers; I’ll finish this thing myself. But then, instead of going to the rosin bag, he reached for his gas can instead, dousing the infield…and fired off one of his blue tips. And that blaze sparked dramatically and spread tragically.
Chris Davis doubles to right on the very first pitch. Tying run in scoring position and the Sox are no longer smirking in the dugout, they’re gripping. Hard. Up steps Nolan Reimold, .167 lifetime against Papelbon. But not this Papelbon. They had gone to him so many times: the adrenaline had to be draining, yet he just kept pumping fastball after fastball. He gets two strikes on Reimold and looks to reach back one last time. One strike away from choking and winning, Papelbon digs deep and keeps the dream alive by grooving one to Reimold, who whacks it into right field. Tie game! Now all hell is breaking loose: it’s really going to happen! The Sox are about to pull off the most catastrophic tank job ever in sports. Robert Andino then shoots a liner to left. And there’s Carl Crawford, Boston’s $142 million dollar bust and that ball is sinking quickly with the winning run on the move. He can’t come up with it, which isn’t going to make the Red Sox fans like him any more than they already don’t. The winning run scores and the choke is complete! Absolutely incredible! One strike away from at least forcing a playoff today in Tampa, the Sox are D.O.A. It was sudden and it was spectacular. Shell-shocked, they walk numb into the clubhouse, to get on their knees and hope the Yankees, who hate them, and have nothing to play for pick them up against the Rays in extra innings.
And no sooner do they arrive in the clubhouse; they see their worst nightmare unfolding. Evan Longoria digging in against Scott Proctor in the bottom of the 12th. Again, the Yankees had nothing on the line, the Rays everything, and they had already battled back from a 7-0, 7th inning deficit. And Longoria was the one who brought them back with a 3 runner. And now he was facing Proctor, the Yankees 11th pitcher of the night! And a dude who missed most of 2009 and 2010, had an ERA north of 7 and…well….is Scott Proctor. A huge mismatch that played out pretty much the way you’d think it would, given the situation: Uh-oh! Pandemonia: guarantee all the Red Sox hadn’t even settled into their barcaloungers to see Longoria cross home plate to wrap the worst three minutes in Red Sox history. And I couldn’t be more proud of them for it: as I always say, and have been hammering for the last two weeks: give me an A or give me an F. Staggering into the playoffs only to be murdered in the first round would have been worthless and utterly forgettable. But blowing a 9 game September lead and getting within one strike on the last day of the season of at least forcing a playoff and then having it all rip apart?! That’s epic. And legendary and will never be forgotten. Way to cowboy down, men. I knew you fellas had it in you, but you just surpassed even my wildest expectations. I couldn’t be more proud of you as if you were my own sons.
Man Down Boston
Although they looked terrified and did their absolute best to implode against Baltimore last night, the Red Sox somehow hung on and lived to fight one more day. Which is tremendous, because now it gives them the opportunity to pull off one of the most catastrophic tank jobs ever by choking out on day number 162. It couldn’t set up any better: Boston and Tampa Bay are in a dead - tie for the Wild Card. If they both win or both lose tonight, they play it off, sudden death tomorrow, in Tampa. But I don’t think the Sox are going to get it to tomorrow. I’ve said it before and obviously, I need to say it again right now, because the Sox are still actually trying. Blowing a 9 game September lead and staggering into the postseason like a battered fighter who’s out on his feet, only to eat one last haymaker in the postseason and go to sleep forever…, gets you nothing. There’s nothing memorable in that. But, blowing that huge lead, choking out on the last day of the season and missing the playoffs altogether: now, that’s legendary. That’s something Red Sox fans will take with them to their graves. Stop thinking you just need to get in, any way possible, hit the reboot button, and start over from scratch. That ain’t happening. There’s no force quit on this tank job: you can’t reboot off this meltdown: you’re too beat up mentally and physically. There is no new season for you once the playoffs start. So man down…and finish it right now. And it says here, they will.
Because from where I’m sitting there’s not a whole lot to like about Boston tonight. They’re running Jon Lester out there, who is coming off his worst start of the season and is taking the ball on three day’s rest. And they’re battling a Baltimore team that is looking to make their season by wrecking Boston’s. The O’s are battling Boston like it’s the World Series. The O’s are in last place. This is their World Series. Buck Showalter probably has the champagne on ice and the lockers covered in plastic for when the O’s rip the Sox hearts’ out tonight. The Rays, meanwhile, are sending their ace David Price to the bump against a Yankees team that has nothing to play for. They’ve already wrapped up the home field throughout, and they’re not doing anything to jeopardize their chances in the playoffs. And you know they’re not looking to pick the Red Sox up in any way. The Rays are playing with house money while the Red Sox are playing with their hands around their throats. Hard to imagine this ending any other way but horribly for the Red Sox.
A Game of Shadows
Hit the movie circuit last night and wasn't disappointed. Of course seeing the teaser trailer for the next Batman on the big screen didn't hurt.
Thoughts:
- Seemed to have more action than the first one
- Not as dark and sinister as the first
- Could have used more Rachel McAdams for a certain crowd
- I thought it would tie in more with the first movie, but they didn't really do much of a connection to it. I know the first movie ended with a heads-up on what the sequel would be about, but I still thought there'd be a "ahh ha" moment.
- Well worth seeing opening night
Thoughts:
- Seemed to have more action than the first one
- Not as dark and sinister as the first
- Could have used more Rachel McAdams for a certain crowd
- I thought it would tie in more with the first movie, but they didn't really do much of a connection to it. I know the first movie ended with a heads-up on what the sequel would be about, but I still thought there'd be a "ahh ha" moment.
- Well worth seeing opening night
Friday, December 16, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
GI Joe: Retaliation
The first movie was awful, but if this is half as good as it looks it could be awesome:
RE: Tebow
Very interesting articles about Tebow that was in a previous post. Is this story amazing or what? Say what you want, he's a terrible quarterback...but WINS! God has an AMAZING sense of humor going on right now. He must be sitting up in heaven saying, "All right, all you people care about are wins, well, Tebow is only going to complete two passes all game but your team will win." Then, "Hmmm, let's try this. Tebow is going to play absolutely terrible for 3 and a half quarters and then the rest of the game everything will go perfect for the Denver offence and Denver wins." Or, "In the 4th quarter, the opponent won't be able to hang on to the football and won't be able to tackle Tebow."
Think about it, YOU DON'T MAKE 59 AND 51 YARD FIELD GOALS...IN DECEMBER...IN THE WINDY CITY. In the words of Vince Lombardi, "What the _____ is going on here?" Absolute divine intervention. There is no other explanation.
He is 7-1 as a starter! Unfortunately he still hasn't beaten a playoff team except maybe the Jets. 5 of those 7 wins were on the road, that doesn't stink. Also, the combined record of the seven teams he's beaten is 39-52. Not the most overachieving group. As I said, maybe one is a playoff team, and three of the seven wins were against teams that barely had a winning record.
I'm just peeved that CBS kept shoving the Packer game down our throat yesterday. It was 347-10 with 12 freakin' minutes left in the game, however they wouldn't switch over to the Bears/Broncos with 2 minutes left in a close game with both teams fighting for the playoffs...and Tim Tebow!
Think about it, YOU DON'T MAKE 59 AND 51 YARD FIELD GOALS...IN DECEMBER...IN THE WINDY CITY. In the words of Vince Lombardi, "What the _____ is going on here?" Absolute divine intervention. There is no other explanation.
He is 7-1 as a starter! Unfortunately he still hasn't beaten a playoff team except maybe the Jets. 5 of those 7 wins were on the road, that doesn't stink. Also, the combined record of the seven teams he's beaten is 39-52. Not the most overachieving group. As I said, maybe one is a playoff team, and three of the seven wins were against teams that barely had a winning record.
I'm just peeved that CBS kept shoving the Packer game down our throat yesterday. It was 347-10 with 12 freakin' minutes left in the game, however they wouldn't switch over to the Bears/Broncos with 2 minutes left in a close game with both teams fighting for the playoffs...and Tim Tebow!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Doctor Who Christmas Special Prequel
I'm mostly posting this because I love the words "smithereened" and "smithereening."
Bowls as Movies
Darren Everson of the Wall Street Journal has determined what movie various bowls would be. If you're curious, the Outback Bowl is "The Losers" and the Sugar Bowl "Cruel Intentions." The title game? "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." Okay, I admit I'd love to see the camera zoom out as Saban yells: "MMMIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLESSSSSS!"
More on Votes (Moron Votes?)
The odd voting by some of the coaches mentioned below was so blatant that even the Wall Street Journal is picking up the story. I really don't think this is getting enough attention. Many of those votes are obviously biased, not even remotely impartial, and often self-serving. So why does the Coaches Poll matter?
Tebow
After 5-straight wins as the quarterback of the Denver Broncos Tim Tebow is getting even more attention. Here's a quick roundup from just today that you might be interested in:
Dan Foster of National Review on Tebow.
Rich Lowry of National Review on Tebow.
A post by Shannen Coffin at The Corner.
Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal on Tebow (and Tiger).
Dan Foster of National Review on Tebow.
Rich Lowry of National Review on Tebow.
A post by Shannen Coffin at The Corner.
Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal on Tebow (and Tiger).
Monday, December 05, 2011
Votes that Count
My Dad and I were discussing voting in the various football polls last night and questioning if the coaches, as busy as they are, actually could evaluate teams outside of their own conference fairly, of if they (or their assistants) watch a few ESPN highlights and then fill in the ballots. Well, you can check out how they voted here. There's also a little bit of commentary here and here. It's worse than you think. And now that I see Houston coach Kevin Sumlin ranked the Spartans #21, I'm really glad his team lost that game and a pile of money.
Other Bowl Stats
I realize you need six wins to become bowl eligible, but is it asking too much to not suck in your conference?
Iowa St: 3-6 in Big 12, 6-6 overall
Wake Forest: 5-3 in ACC, yet only 6-6 overall. How?
Miss St: 2-6 in SEC, 6-6 overall. Oh wait, they are in the almighty SEC
Northwestern: 3-5 in Big 10, 6-6 overall
Illinois: 2-6 in Big 10, 6-6 overall
UCLA: 6-7 overall = LOSING record
Can we make the conference record mean more? Oh wait, that would reduce the number of bowls. But, blowing off the conference games to schedule some cupcakes so you can make a bowl isn't right either.
Did you see that Gator Bowl selection? No politics involved there. 6-6 Florida v 6-6 OSU.
Here is how I'd rank the Top 6 BCS eligible conferences:
1. SEC
2. Big Ten
3. Pac 12 - much improved
4. Big 12 - so-so
5. ACC - who?
6. Big East - they stink out loud
Iowa St: 3-6 in Big 12, 6-6 overall
Wake Forest: 5-3 in ACC, yet only 6-6 overall. How?
Miss St: 2-6 in SEC, 6-6 overall. Oh wait, they are in the almighty SEC
Northwestern: 3-5 in Big 10, 6-6 overall
Illinois: 2-6 in Big 10, 6-6 overall
UCLA: 6-7 overall = LOSING record
Can we make the conference record mean more? Oh wait, that would reduce the number of bowls. But, blowing off the conference games to schedule some cupcakes so you can make a bowl isn't right either.
Did you see that Gator Bowl selection? No politics involved there. 6-6 Florida v 6-6 OSU.
Here is how I'd rank the Top 6 BCS eligible conferences:
1. SEC
2. Big Ten
3. Pac 12 - much improved
4. Big 12 - so-so
5. ACC - who?
6. Big East - they stink out loud
Bowl Thoughts
-The BCS is supposed to pick the two best teams. I'm not crazy about the matchup, but I think there's at least a strong argument for why it was picked. I'm probably not still not going to watch though.
-The other thing the BCS does is dictate automatic qualifiers. That wasn't a big deal as all the potentially controversial schools that could have automatically qualified did something to miss out on that possibility. So obviously the bowls could pick who they wanted to fill the available spots...
-...but that doesn't mean they chose well. Honestly, I think the Sugar Bowl has done more damage to the credibility of the BCS bowls than any championship matchup we've seen. Boise State and Arkansas would have been a good game and both teams deserved a BCS bowl. Michigan and Virginia Tech didn't. I understand the reasons the Sugar Bowl would make such a decision, but it's hard to put up much of a defense of college football when money is being chased so blatantly and shamelessly.
-We mentioned before that it seems wrong that a team gets penalized for playing in a conference championship game and losing and I still agree with that. No answers here, but it sucks.
-The frakking Outback Bowl!?! That's a slap in the face. I'd just as soon have the Spartans stay home.
-January 2nd is a bad day to play a bowl game, and there's way too many scheduled.
-Too many 6-6 teams are in bowl games. I don't mind the number of games, but could we at least restrict it to teams with a winning record?
-The other thing the BCS does is dictate automatic qualifiers. That wasn't a big deal as all the potentially controversial schools that could have automatically qualified did something to miss out on that possibility. So obviously the bowls could pick who they wanted to fill the available spots...
-...but that doesn't mean they chose well. Honestly, I think the Sugar Bowl has done more damage to the credibility of the BCS bowls than any championship matchup we've seen. Boise State and Arkansas would have been a good game and both teams deserved a BCS bowl. Michigan and Virginia Tech didn't. I understand the reasons the Sugar Bowl would make such a decision, but it's hard to put up much of a defense of college football when money is being chased so blatantly and shamelessly.
-We mentioned before that it seems wrong that a team gets penalized for playing in a conference championship game and losing and I still agree with that. No answers here, but it sucks.
-The frakking Outback Bowl!?! That's a slap in the face. I'd just as soon have the Spartans stay home.
-January 2nd is a bad day to play a bowl game, and there's way too many scheduled.
-Too many 6-6 teams are in bowl games. I don't mind the number of games, but could we at least restrict it to teams with a winning record?
Saturday, December 03, 2011
?
Does anyone in the media remember that the score was tied when Kirk Cousins threw the Hail Mary touchdown pass to Keith Nichol to beat Wisconsin? The game would have went to overtime otherwise, which is far from a guaranteed Badger win.
!
Southern Miss just cost Conference USA approximately $11 million by winning the conference championship game against Houston and knocking the Cougars out of a BCS bowl game.
Another Poll Comment
Want another example of the poll insanity I mentioned below? As you know, MSU plays Wisconsin tonight for the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis. In the BCS the Spartans and Badgers are ranked #13 and #15, in the AP #11 and #15, and in the USA Today poll #9 and #12. The Badgers are favored by 9 points. Note once again that the game is being played on a neutral field, not in Madison or East Lansing. Regardless of the outcome on the field, either the polls or the line are completely screwed up.
As for the game itself, commenter "billinwilliamston" on the Yahoo preview of the game posted this notable stat:
I suspect the Big Ten hopes this game remains true to form.
As for the game itself, commenter "billinwilliamston" on the Yahoo preview of the game posted this notable stat:
A little history for those predicting a blow-out.
2011 MSU 37 UW 31 @ East Lansing
2010 MSU 34 UW 24 @ East Lansing
2009 UW 38 MSU 30 @ Madison
2008 MSU 25 UW 24 @ East Lansing
2007 UW 37 MSU 34 @ Madison
I suspect the Big Ten hopes this game remains true to form.
Friday, December 02, 2011
Mayhem
While I was at my parents somehow we got to commenting on the excellent job the actor who portrays "Mayhem" in the Allstate commercials does. I just looked him up after seeing another commercial and his name is Dean Winters. He's largely done television work, most notably in "Oz", "Rescue Me", and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles".
?
You know who really suffers from USC's postseason ban? Everyone watching the Pac 12 Championship Game.
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