Random notes on a Saturday morning while killing hours between now and tomorrow's NFL games...
Meanwhile, USC assistant Steve Sarkisian pulled out of the Raiders' search, where he was apparently the front-runner. Why? Well, maybe it had to do with the Raiders sucking...
...But maybe he had his eye on another job, related to his current boss: If Carroll leaves USC for an NFL job (say, the Chargers next season), Sarkisian would be a front-runner to replace him at USC.
Jeff Samardzija spurns NFL for Cubs: Perhaps he read all the coverage about Ricky (oops: my bad) Andre Waters' concussion-driven suicide and decided that perhaps baseball is the safer career (and life) move.
NBA: (1) Suns win 12th straight (yawn)... (2) Sixers beat defending champ Heat in OT (doesn't Philly understand about tanking?) (3) NBA first-half MVP Gilbert Arenas leads Wiz past Magic.
(But also Arenas said on his NBA.com blog that he'll score 50 again this season AND PREDICTS IT WILL HAPPEN AGAINST THE BLAZERS, then instructs TNT or ESPN to put the game on TV or risk missing it. Let's not underappreciate how insanely -- and awesomely -- unique that kind of statement is. How would you feel if you were a Blazers player?)
College Hoops Today: Brand-wise, it doesn't sound particularly glamorous, but Oklahoma State at Texas A&M is the biggest game of the weekend and not a bad proxy to assess both team's chances in March.
You Might Have Missed: NHL's All-Star Folly. Don't forget to check out the Slate piece about how the NHL manipulated the All-Star fan-voting to exclude Rory Fitzpatrick. This was brutal on two key levels.
First, they messed with the integrity of "letting the fans vote," which – for better or worse – is one of the greatest innovations in sports in the last century.
Second, they missed out on the p.r. bonanza of actually having Fitzpatrick play in the game. Not even Ovechkin or Crosby could have gotten casual fans to tune in to the game like the Rory story.
Today's Comments debate: Let's pick up a meme from other blogs (and this one) from earlier in the week: Given that both teams are insufferable, are you rooting for the Colts or the Pats to win?
-- D.S.
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25 comments:
re: are you rooting for the Colts or the Pats to win?
I'm am rooting for Dungy, not the sleevelss wonder.
Why Boston fans annoy the hell out of me:
For years they've played the whole "The Yankees and their fans are the evil empire" angle and claimed the higher moral ground for themselves. Well Now the Red Sox spend freely just like the Yankees and Patriots fans are even more arrogant and obnoxious than Yankees fans have ever been.
Yankee fans are like that sleazebag guy at the bar who hits on every woman at the bar. Sure he's eventually going to hit on your girl but you expect it. Red Sox/Patriots fans are like your best friend who's sleeping with your girl behind your back. They sucked you in with all this lovable loser shit but it turns out they're even bigger assholes themselves.
Are you rooting for the Colts or the Pats to win?
I like Manning. I like Dungy. I guess that puts me in the minority, but I actually like one of these teams (and don't mind the other one). Go Colts.
Also, Steve--great analogy.
I also like the analogy Steve. Poor manning has become the 2003 Red Sox.
We New Englanders aren't all assholes, but nothing is going to change that perception. So be it. Whatever.
Rooting for the Pats to annoy the country some more.
Dan, it wasn't Ricky Waters, it was Andre Waters. You'd be a lot more knowledgable about sports if you clicked on the headlines after reading them.
Gilbert for 50 on the 'Blazers? He'd have Udoka and Roy guarding him all game: he can probably do it.
Since the 49ers are out, it's all about seeing good football now. Hopefully the games will have relatively few penalties, no stupid fouls, and great O- & D-line play.
Is tennis a taboo subject? The first slam of the year is at its halfway point and no mention? Is it because no one cares or because Federer (all left hand!) is cruising?
It's not Ricky Waters, it's Ricky Watters. But it wasn't Ricky Watters, it was Andre Waters.
That AFC choice is too hard. I like Dungy better than Belichick. I like Brady better than Manning. Oh, decisions, decisions. I take the Pats.
NFC: Hmmm, da Bears is my choice.
In regards to the "fans" argument...if you really think about it, all fans are assholes in one capacity or another. If you are sober at a football game, your own fans are assholes. If you are at the rival city or school, those fans are assholes. If you run into a bunch of bandwagoners, they are assholes when they try to act like they've been a die-hard _____(insert big name team) fan, yet couldn't even give you any fact or history of the franchise, let alone think a football game has "innings".
Side note: Ok, I am going to puke...the freakin' radio station has John Cougar's "This is Our Country" playing right now. Like the playoffs don't air the dumb commercial enough.
If your premise is that both the Colts and the Pats are insufferable (i disagree, the colts haven't done much to be hated)....then fine.
Both teams may be insufferable, but only one fan base is also insufferable. That's why I still root for the Colts.
actually..the colts really aren't insufferable as a team. Manning and his commercials might get annoying...'cept for the fact that most of them are actually pretty funny.
I actually started disliking the Pats a few years ago when they decided sportsmanship wasn't necessary. So not hard to root for the Colts.
Annoying fanbases aren't annoying because they win or because they root for their team. They are annoying because they play the 'no respect card (STILL), they constantly talk smack (and if they lose, they talk historian smack -- yeah well we won last year). Most annoying fanbases are in college sports. In the Pros...its pretty much the Boston teams and a handful of others.
uhm.. two words why Samardjuad;'lhgad gave up football for baseball: GUARENTEED CONTRACT.
I've been disgusted by Boston fans since I was a little kid watching the '75 world series. It isn't winning that makes them obnoxious. Many are just in-your-face jackasses -- like Raider fans, but with a speech impediment, lower IQ and a higher propensity to seek out fights.
I didn't know they still played pro tennis.
Next you'll be telling me there's pro hockey on TV.
LT is what he is because he is awesome, not because Cam Cameron made him awesome. Ronnie Brown looks like a fine running back, but he doesn't even have the same running style as LT (power vs. speed) so the comparison ends there.
Samardzija made an interesting choice chosing baseball. Pitching is a lot less physically draining than playing WR, but choosing baseball doesn't guarantee him the chance to ever play in the big leagues. He gets his big money now (although I think he would have got more with football), but beyond that if he turns out to be one of those guys who never makes it then this could be his last big paycheque. But he said he chose the sport he likes better, and I wish him all the best.
If I'm a Blazer, after what Arenas said, I feel like clocking him one when he drives into the lane. Arenas says interesting things, but he statements like this could eventually get him hurt.
Not only did the NHL (may be) cheat Fitzpatrick out of a spot in the All-Star game, they should be letting him in now. Scott Niedermeyer, one of the guys voted ahead of Fitzpatrick, is sitting the game out to rest. But rather than go to the fans 3rd choice (Rory) they're just picking a player (Jovanovski) to replace Niedermeyer.
I agree Rafael, Colts really aren't that insufferable. Manning's commercials are funny. Just the concept of him flipping the tables and cheering people in their daily lives is hilarious.
Also Dan Shanoff stated that we would be heartless to not root for NO. However I want to see an all black coached SuperBowl. Isn't that a much HUGER story than the local team from a hurricane ravaged area making the SB? To me that epitomizes the whole civil rights struggle that started at the same time as the SB.
Dungy and Smith are not coaches because they are black, they are coaches because they lead winning teams. Won't this also help NCAA coaches who have something like 3 African American coaches in all of Div IA?
I am rooting for the Colts and I am rooting for the Bears. I think the Saints are a slightly better overall team though. Colts and Pats are too hard to call. Way too many variables.
Also I am missing the game since I am going to MSG to watch Syracuse play St. Johns in basketball. Oh well, I am sure I will see highlights.
@ kirk
Good god, man. "So I slept with your girl--what about it? If you weren't such a pussy she wouldn't have had to go running to a real man?" Is that how it works now?
i'm also rooting for whomever comes out of the NFC game.
in other sporting news... Villanova won again today (beat 21 ranked texas). that's two top 25 teams this week. woot.
and to whoever was talking about tennis.... i'm watching. i love tennis. have we discussed already on this blog how leyton hewitt looks like the token rich blonde jerk from a bad 80s movie?
What? OSU - A&M biggest game? How about UCLA - Arizona? even though it's over at time of posting this; great game though
I always thought is was creepy that Hewitt and Clijsters were a couple: don't they look like siblings? I suppose there aren't many major upsets yet, although Serena is unseeded and still in and American Mardy Fish (unseeded former Top 20 w/ injuries the last couple of years) knocked off the 4 seed in the first round and is still going. Who thinks Roddick's win last week over Federer in an exhibition was a fluke? Who wants Blake to destroy Capri...I mean Nadal?
Is dog showing considered a sport (more so than poker isn't it)? I'm trying to figure out if I attended a sporting event today. It has a similar atmosphere to other sporting events (although a little more subdued).
IND but they don't cover (20-19 ish).
NO pulls ahead and CHI has time, but can't get into range for Gould to win it (21-20 ish).
you went to a dog show today?
I think I miss having pets. My cat (living with the parents) died in 06 (since when do cats live to 17?) and I haven't had a dog that I felt was "mine" in about 10 years. Rose City Dog Show: apparently - as dog shows go - it is a pretty big one: there were 58 Newfoundlands. Amazing group!
Mauresmo went down in straight sets to the unranked Safarova! Upset, Upset! Will Dan even mention it (or even acknowledge the Aussie Open)? Probably not with the 2 games tomorrow.
Back to Action!
So... I'm back. After 3 weeks in Israel and 1 week in Orlando I'm glad to be back home. (OK, I'm not. But how would you feel if I told you that you guys aren't the most interesting bunch ever? Yeah, that's what I thought.) Did anybody miss me? I know that when I left I was Big D's favorite commenter, and I wonder if that still holds true.
As far as the Pats-Colts debate goes...
I'm rooting for the Pats. As I'm not actually a fan of either team I will root for my favorite player, which is Tom Brady.
I don't understand the hatred towards Pat's fans. The suggestion that they even rival Yankee fans is insane. Pat's fans are just happy their teamhas been winning and that they have a great coach and QB. Can you blame them? If my team won three Super Bowls and had Belichek and Brady I'd be pretty fricking happy about it too.
I love the fact that I have another opportunity to see the Manning Face. I know deep down that Dungy is not a good playoff coach.
Sure, I think it's actually a little unfair that the Patriots line to the Super Bowl included Jets-Marty-Dungy. But that's how the cookie crumbles.."
(on a side note: when was the last time you heard someone actually say "That's how the cookie crumbles." 5 years? 10?)
On a comppletely seperate note...
As a Bullets fan, I am blind to all things detrimental to Gilbert "Hibatchi!" Arenas. And if I was a Blazer right now, I'd be shaking in my boots.
(on a side note: when was the last time you heard someone actually say "I'd be shaking in my boots." 15 years? 20?)
Its a known fact that Notre Dame fans (and players) = Cubs fans.
Chipp,
A 17 year old cat is not that uncommon. Cat years are more like 5 human years, so that's the equivalent of an 85 year old. Old yes, but not unreasonable.
So...SI. and ESPN both insist that the steelers will be hiring Tomlin...despite everyone involved saying that it wasn't the case, and Pittsburgh papers saying it will be Grimm.
Last evening, the ESPN article said sources had told Mortensen that it wasn't true...by late in the night, the article had been changed to say that Mortensen had been told that it WAS true.
Sounds like first class reporting. It's good to see that the WWL is fine with being a gossip queen and printing stories that my be false just so that it can claim to have gotten the 'scoop'.
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