Today is the State of the Union address, and it's an annual tradition that I offer up my own "State of the Sports Union," and so here we go:
The state of the sports union is, as I have said every year, as strong as it has ever been. More people are consuming sports than ever. More people are into fantasy. More people are transfixed by whatever the story-of-the-day might be.
Things like "The Decision" or the Cam Newton saga or Brett Favre "dong shots" or even the insane flurry surrounding Jay Cutler over the last 36 hours are not, per se, "bad" for sports. On the contrary, it is entirely healthy. It's hard to argue with the fan interest.
Then throw in the things that we already agree are awesome -- the Saints winning the Super Bowl, the World Cup, Tim Tebow putting up monster stats as an NFL starting QB (kidding), the Pats losing to the Jets (not kidding).
The volume and velocity of sports consumption has increased over the last year -- but I'm actually going to argue that we've reached a sort of "terminal velocity." The next evolution is managing life at that pace and intensity, which is part of the reason I founded Quickish.
But where we are is by no means bad or, as crotchety Frank Deford put it this morning, "terrible." In fact, the state of sports is better than it has ever been.
***
The Jay Cutler reaction torrent yesterday was wearying, but it's worth noting where we netted out:
The initial, in-game reaction was largely recanted -- naturally, the same media who were ripping Cutler (or facilitating the ripping during the game) turned it into some kind of meta "It's Twitter's fault!" argument, or some such thing.
Cutler may be a pretty repulsive personality. Cutler may not have displayed the bearing of someone who wanted-to-go-but-couldn't. But that's our problem, not his. If we (we meaning his fellow players on Twitter or the media or certain fans) wanted to see him wince or limp or something, that's on us, not him.
I think it's clear that if he could have played, he would have.
***
Now, as for this bunk argument about "oh-woe-is-us-this-insta-opinion-world-we-live-in!" Come on. (1) It's been that way for at least a decade, but probably longer. (2) Twitter in sports is a vast net gain, and if you're going to worry about the stuff at the margins, you're missing the bigger picture.
And (3) As someone who has built a BUSINESS on real-time news, I am going to tell you that when you weed out the crap (thus: Quickish), the insta-reactions are largely...awesome. Not shallow. Not knee-jerk. Not ill-informed. But smart, provocative and -- largely -- the framework for "morning-after" columns and coverage.
***
CBB: Notre Dame shocks Pitt at Pitt. That's the best game ND will play all year. Still not buying them to get out of the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament.
Tonight: Purdue at No. 1 Ohio State. Should be a great one.
***
Movies: The Oscar-nomination successs of "The Fighter" makes it one of the most decorated sports movies of all time. Best Picture. Best Director. Best Supporting Actress (two!) and Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale, the favorite to win).
***
TV: HBO's "Real Sports" tonight will profile Peter King. I'm trying to pull together a post for later today about him. Check back.
***
It's 12 days until the Super Bowl and I'm already weary of the "TWO CLASSIC FRANCHISES!" storyline.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
NYC Save the Date: Feb 3
If you live in NYC (and aren't, say, going to the Super Bowl), save the date: Feb. 3 for the greatest Varsity Letters event in its history.
That's because VL is celebrating its 5th anniversary -- good grief, it's older than my older kid. And doing it with an all-star lineup, featuring a mix of alums and noobs:
Klosterman. Leitch. Joe Drape. Alex Belth. Jason Fry. Amy K. Nelson. Henry Abbott. Jeff Pearlman. Katie Baker. Emma Span. Ben Cohen. Michael Weinreb. Sam Walker (the very first Varsity Letters reader). Current VL curator Carl Bialik.
And me, if only because I founded the damn thing. I promise not to talk long. Actually, none of them are going to talk long.
As it happens, Quickish is sponsoring the event, and true to form, everyone is limited to 3 minutes of all-new material on a topic related to "defining moments." Presumably about sports. But we're offering a lot of leeway.
It should be a terrific night at a terrific new venue. Hope to see you there.
-- D.S.
That's because VL is celebrating its 5th anniversary -- good grief, it's older than my older kid. And doing it with an all-star lineup, featuring a mix of alums and noobs:
Klosterman. Leitch. Joe Drape. Alex Belth. Jason Fry. Amy K. Nelson. Henry Abbott. Jeff Pearlman. Katie Baker. Emma Span. Ben Cohen. Michael Weinreb. Sam Walker (the very first Varsity Letters reader). Current VL curator Carl Bialik.
And me, if only because I founded the damn thing. I promise not to talk long. Actually, none of them are going to talk long.
As it happens, Quickish is sponsoring the event, and true to form, everyone is limited to 3 minutes of all-new material on a topic related to "defining moments." Presumably about sports. But we're offering a lot of leeway.
It should be a terrific night at a terrific new venue. Hope to see you there.
-- D.S.
01/24: Cutler, Steelers, Packers, More
Can you recall any time in NFL history when, on the Monday morning after the conference championship games, our No. 1 focus wasn't on the winners, but on a losing team's QB?
Jay Cutler IS the story of the day, and I've been trying to figure out if I can add anything substantial to a discussion that has really come down to:
(1) Was he dogging it? (HE WAS DOGGING IT!)
(2) Was he injured? (LEAVE HIM ALONE!)
And I think I'm going to focus on the question marks, not either side, because it is the question marks that define the story.
Jay Cutler's problem was one of perception, but it wasn't the perception that he's an asshole normally thus he is dogging it now.
I put the blame for this entire "cutlerf--k" on the Bears PR team, which could have de-fused the entire situation with a simple "The docs said he can't play." That's it.
What compounded the failure was that they should have TOTALLY seen this problem brewing -- it was right there for everyone to see on Twitter, literally within 10 seconds of Cutler limping.
Jay Cutler doesn't need to get off the bench and look attentive, if that's not how he normally is and his teammates know it. The guy is a bit of a laconic chucklehead.
However, count me among the camp that believes that if he could have been in there, he would have been. Just because he's not emotive about it -- just because he has possibly the worst media-management skills of any player in the NFL (and, again, not helped by his own team's PR staff) -- doesn't mean he was faking it. Or didn't want it. Or gave up.
Or quit.
I will not condemn the rush-to-judgment that happened on Twitter during the afternoon -- hell, it made the game's Quickish stream infinitely more compelling.
I do think, however, that you can already see some walking-back as more of the story comes out -- as the Bears defend him, as columnists defend him, as players reconsider their snap judgment.
There is no question: Fair or not, Cutler has seen his career indelibly tarnished by this. It is, for now, the new defining moment of his career.
I don't think he cares (except perhaps to the extent he is hurt by fellow members of the football-playing fraternity ripping his heart, after the way he got pounded all year long).
One thing is clear: I'm quicker to blame the Bears' inept PR department than I am to blame Cutler.
*****
I will miss these Jets. They played one of the worst halves of football you could think of, yet came within a Big Ben 3rd-down conversion of having a very good chance of winning the game. I think, in defeat, they did even more to humanize themselves than beating the Pats -- which, by the way, was a pretty good consolation prize. I know not for Rex or the players, but it should be for the fans.
*****
The Packers were/are better than the Bears. But give the Bears credit for making a lame blow-out into one of the most dramatic halves of football of the year, behind Caleb Hanie, who -- if nothing else -- goes down in Chicago sports mythology.
*****
More coming later. I'm working on a couple of bonus posts, when I'm not frantically updating Quickish. If you would, please give it a visit (or few) today -- and if you wouldn't mind reminding your friends about it, I would really appreciate it. Can't believe it's only been live for two weeks.
-- D.S.
Jay Cutler IS the story of the day, and I've been trying to figure out if I can add anything substantial to a discussion that has really come down to:
(1) Was he dogging it? (HE WAS DOGGING IT!)
(2) Was he injured? (LEAVE HIM ALONE!)
And I think I'm going to focus on the question marks, not either side, because it is the question marks that define the story.
Jay Cutler's problem was one of perception, but it wasn't the perception that he's an asshole normally thus he is dogging it now.
I put the blame for this entire "cutlerf--k" on the Bears PR team, which could have de-fused the entire situation with a simple "The docs said he can't play." That's it.
What compounded the failure was that they should have TOTALLY seen this problem brewing -- it was right there for everyone to see on Twitter, literally within 10 seconds of Cutler limping.
Jay Cutler doesn't need to get off the bench and look attentive, if that's not how he normally is and his teammates know it. The guy is a bit of a laconic chucklehead.
However, count me among the camp that believes that if he could have been in there, he would have been. Just because he's not emotive about it -- just because he has possibly the worst media-management skills of any player in the NFL (and, again, not helped by his own team's PR staff) -- doesn't mean he was faking it. Or didn't want it. Or gave up.
Or quit.
I will not condemn the rush-to-judgment that happened on Twitter during the afternoon -- hell, it made the game's Quickish stream infinitely more compelling.
I do think, however, that you can already see some walking-back as more of the story comes out -- as the Bears defend him, as columnists defend him, as players reconsider their snap judgment.
There is no question: Fair or not, Cutler has seen his career indelibly tarnished by this. It is, for now, the new defining moment of his career.
I don't think he cares (except perhaps to the extent he is hurt by fellow members of the football-playing fraternity ripping his heart, after the way he got pounded all year long).
One thing is clear: I'm quicker to blame the Bears' inept PR department than I am to blame Cutler.
*****
I will miss these Jets. They played one of the worst halves of football you could think of, yet came within a Big Ben 3rd-down conversion of having a very good chance of winning the game. I think, in defeat, they did even more to humanize themselves than beating the Pats -- which, by the way, was a pretty good consolation prize. I know not for Rex or the players, but it should be for the fans.
*****
The Packers were/are better than the Bears. But give the Bears credit for making a lame blow-out into one of the most dramatic halves of football of the year, behind Caleb Hanie, who -- if nothing else -- goes down in Chicago sports mythology.
*****
More coming later. I'm working on a couple of bonus posts, when I'm not frantically updating Quickish. If you would, please give it a visit (or few) today -- and if you wouldn't mind reminding your friends about it, I would really appreciate it. Can't believe it's only been live for two weeks.
-- D.S.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
1/23 (Very NFL) Quickie
This is going to be an awesome double-header of NFL conference championship games.
The weather is forbidding. The biggest personality in the league is involved (Rex Ryan). The biggest TV -- and most self-centered -- market (New York). The most legendary franchise (Packers). The hottest player (Aaron Rodgers). The best defensive player (Troy Polamalu). The best fan base (Steelers). One of the best rivalries (Chicago-Green Bay). Some regular-season precedent to affirm or overturn. And legitimate uncertainty over who will win.
Because if the Jets can beat the Pats in New England, anything can happen.
****
Please check out Quickish throughout the day -- and, if you want to see the system at its most up-tempo, no-huddle, fun-n-gun best, drop by during the game. Better yet: Leave it on a "second screen" (laptop, phone, iPad) during the game to keep up with the best real-time analysis we can find. And, if you wouldn't mind, tell a friend or two (or 10) about it.
****
Picks: Jets over Steelers, Packers over Bears.
****
NBA: Check out Quickish for two great highlights from the NBA last night: Blake Griffin's alley-oop and Kevin Durant's buzzer-beating game-winner.
(And John Wall and the Wiz beat the Celtics, in what will almost certainly be the Wizards' single-greatest highlight of the year -- perhaps the past few years. Thanks, League Pass.)
****
College Hoops: What a win by Texas yesterday. As top UT blogger Peter Bean of Burnt Orange Nation told Quickish (exclusive-ish-ly!), it was the biggest regular-season win in UT hoops history. Now, that team has no excuse not to make the Elite Eight.
Ohio State survives at Illinois: As I said yesterday, Jared Sullinger is the best post player in the country - and possibly the best player, period. (With respect to both UConn's Kemba Walker, who led UConn over Tennessee , and BYU's Jimmer Fredette, who had 42 in a Cougars win.)
****
Tons hopping over at Quickish. Would love to have you check it out. It'll keep you occupied until gametime -- and then keep you up during the games.
Enjoy 'em.
-- D.S.
The weather is forbidding. The biggest personality in the league is involved (Rex Ryan). The biggest TV -- and most self-centered -- market (New York). The most legendary franchise (Packers). The hottest player (Aaron Rodgers). The best defensive player (Troy Polamalu). The best fan base (Steelers). One of the best rivalries (Chicago-Green Bay). Some regular-season precedent to affirm or overturn. And legitimate uncertainty over who will win.
Because if the Jets can beat the Pats in New England, anything can happen.
****
Please check out Quickish throughout the day -- and, if you want to see the system at its most up-tempo, no-huddle, fun-n-gun best, drop by during the game. Better yet: Leave it on a "second screen" (laptop, phone, iPad) during the game to keep up with the best real-time analysis we can find. And, if you wouldn't mind, tell a friend or two (or 10) about it.
****
Picks: Jets over Steelers, Packers over Bears.
****
NBA: Check out Quickish for two great highlights from the NBA last night: Blake Griffin's alley-oop and Kevin Durant's buzzer-beating game-winner.
(And John Wall and the Wiz beat the Celtics, in what will almost certainly be the Wizards' single-greatest highlight of the year -- perhaps the past few years. Thanks, League Pass.)
****
College Hoops: What a win by Texas yesterday. As top UT blogger Peter Bean of Burnt Orange Nation told Quickish (exclusive-ish-ly!), it was the biggest regular-season win in UT hoops history. Now, that team has no excuse not to make the Elite Eight.
Ohio State survives at Illinois: As I said yesterday, Jared Sullinger is the best post player in the country - and possibly the best player, period. (With respect to both UConn's Kemba Walker, who led UConn over Tennessee , and BYU's Jimmer Fredette, who had 42 in a Cougars win.)
****
Tons hopping over at Quickish. Would love to have you check it out. It'll keep you occupied until gametime -- and then keep you up during the games.
Enjoy 'em.
-- D.S.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
1/22 Quickie: Jets, QBs, CBB, Rays
It's a long 36 hours or so until the NFL's conference-championship double-header, which -- if form holds -- will end up being one of the most-watched days of non-Super Bowl NFL in history.
The build-up has been near-SB in volume and intensity -- Rex and Tomlin, Rodgers vs. Cutler, Big Ben and history, Bart Scott and "Can't Wait!" The Jets' LACK of trash-talk is a story.
So what can keep us occupied until then?
Today is a terrific day of college hoops, with games running from noon (Ohio State-Illinois on CBS, Villanova-Syracuse on ESPN) through midnight, when Michigan State-Purdue will probably end).
So if you've been holding off on CBB this season for all the other stuff on the sports agenda -- mainly college football and pro football, with some NBA and NHL sprinkled in -- this is your day. Pay particular attention to OSU's Jared Sullinger -- the best post player in college hoops this year -- and UConn's Kemba Walker (playing Tennessee at 4 on CBS), who is the best guard in the country this year. There: You're all caught up.
Meanwhile, the whole baseball world is having a pretty good chuckle at the expense of the Angels, who took on the expense of Vernon Wells, who is vastly overpaid and has some questionable skills. It smacks of early-90s Yankees desperation, and the Angels' performance next season should reflect that. That team went from one that should have had the playoffs on lockdown for a half-decade to one that may have the least momentum in its division.
And I love the Rays signing Manny and Johnny Damon. First of all, I think Manny still has some pop and he is going to end up having a surprisingly good year -- you can already see this coming. And the pair of them might actually put Red Sox Nation who live in the Tampa-St. Pete area into seats from time to time. But Manny for $2 million? Where's the risk?
Wrapping in a bit of non-sports news, how about that surprise exit of Keith Olbermann from MSNBC last night? I know his deal will prevent him from doing TV news for a while, but I really do think he would be great if he moved over to MLB Network for the season and put all his energy and enthusiasm into baseball. It would be therapeutic for him and a benefit to baseball fans, who recognize that -- no matter what your political affiliation or temperament -- Olbermann knows and loves baseball.
Finally, if you didn't hear about it yesterday afternoon, we announced the SXSW sports-media panel I will be moderating, and it's going to be fantastic: ESPN's Jemele Hill, CNBC's Darren Rovell, SBNation's Spencer Hall and Deadspin's AJ Daulerio. It should be a frank and fast-paced discussion of the state of the industry.
Please give Quickish a look today (or throughout the day) -- and don't forget to come by tomorrow, particularly during the NFL games. I've found that Quickish during live events like football games is particularly useful for fans who are watching the game and are looking for a "second screen" experience. Thanks in advance!
Enjoy your Saturday.
-- D.S.
The build-up has been near-SB in volume and intensity -- Rex and Tomlin, Rodgers vs. Cutler, Big Ben and history, Bart Scott and "Can't Wait!" The Jets' LACK of trash-talk is a story.
So what can keep us occupied until then?
Today is a terrific day of college hoops, with games running from noon (Ohio State-Illinois on CBS, Villanova-Syracuse on ESPN) through midnight, when Michigan State-Purdue will probably end).
So if you've been holding off on CBB this season for all the other stuff on the sports agenda -- mainly college football and pro football, with some NBA and NHL sprinkled in -- this is your day. Pay particular attention to OSU's Jared Sullinger -- the best post player in college hoops this year -- and UConn's Kemba Walker (playing Tennessee at 4 on CBS), who is the best guard in the country this year. There: You're all caught up.
Meanwhile, the whole baseball world is having a pretty good chuckle at the expense of the Angels, who took on the expense of Vernon Wells, who is vastly overpaid and has some questionable skills. It smacks of early-90s Yankees desperation, and the Angels' performance next season should reflect that. That team went from one that should have had the playoffs on lockdown for a half-decade to one that may have the least momentum in its division.
And I love the Rays signing Manny and Johnny Damon. First of all, I think Manny still has some pop and he is going to end up having a surprisingly good year -- you can already see this coming. And the pair of them might actually put Red Sox Nation who live in the Tampa-St. Pete area into seats from time to time. But Manny for $2 million? Where's the risk?
Wrapping in a bit of non-sports news, how about that surprise exit of Keith Olbermann from MSNBC last night? I know his deal will prevent him from doing TV news for a while, but I really do think he would be great if he moved over to MLB Network for the season and put all his energy and enthusiasm into baseball. It would be therapeutic for him and a benefit to baseball fans, who recognize that -- no matter what your political affiliation or temperament -- Olbermann knows and loves baseball.
Finally, if you didn't hear about it yesterday afternoon, we announced the SXSW sports-media panel I will be moderating, and it's going to be fantastic: ESPN's Jemele Hill, CNBC's Darren Rovell, SBNation's Spencer Hall and Deadspin's AJ Daulerio. It should be a frank and fast-paced discussion of the state of the industry.
Please give Quickish a look today (or throughout the day) -- and don't forget to come by tomorrow, particularly during the NFL games. I've found that Quickish during live events like football games is particularly useful for fans who are watching the game and are looking for a "second screen" experience. Thanks in advance!
Enjoy your Saturday.
-- D.S.
Friday, January 21, 2011
1/21 Quickie: NFL Conf Title Games
There's a part of me that says we can't go wrong with any of the four possible Super Bowl combinations. Partly, that's because all four fan-bases are intolerable in their own way.
With no dog in the fight -- despite living in NYC and despite growing up a HUGE Bears fan -- I'm probably partial to Jets-Packers, for two reasons:
(1) The two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl are miserable displays of media oversaturation; the Jets will at least make it interesting.
(2) Aaron Rodgers is playing out of his mind, and presuming the Packers beat the Bears, he will still be on a roll. I would love to see him against a white-hot defense that would have stopped -- in order -- Peyton, Brady and Big Ben.
My picks: Jets over Steelers. Packers over Bears. Two road teams winning in the conference title games. Consequently: Congratulations, Steelers and Bears fans.
*****
There is so much good stuff being posted over at Quickish on a minute-to-minute basis (ok, more like 15-minute-to-15-minute basis) that I can barely keep it all straight in my head.
If you haven't yet today, I would love it if you would pop over there to check it out. Even visiting once a day will keep you up on the real-time chatter and all the best longer-form commentary.
Two more requests: (1) If you haven't dropped by during an NFL playoff game, give it a try on Sunday. Oh, watch the game on TV for sure. But fire up your laptop, phone or iPad and head over to Quickish; I really do think it is the very best "live" online companion you will find.
(And I wouldn't say that if I thought something else out there was better -- I'd point you to THAT and then tell you to try Quickish anyway. But I monitor all the big live-blogs and comment sections during the games, looking for good comments -- and Quickish is faster, easier to consume and smarter.)
(2) By design and necessity, Quickish doesn't have a huge marketing budget and no big distribution partners (yet). It really relies on people who enjoy it telling their friends, co-workers, whoever -- your recommendation is the most powerful thing out there.
So tell some friends. Tell all your friends. Tweet it out. Like the Quickish Facebook page (or just drop a status update on Facebook about it). It would really help.
OK: I'll stop now. (As soon as we get to a million users, I'm happy to stop being so pushy!)
Enjoy the games, and hopefully another update later.
-- D.S.
With no dog in the fight -- despite living in NYC and despite growing up a HUGE Bears fan -- I'm probably partial to Jets-Packers, for two reasons:
(1) The two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl are miserable displays of media oversaturation; the Jets will at least make it interesting.
(2) Aaron Rodgers is playing out of his mind, and presuming the Packers beat the Bears, he will still be on a roll. I would love to see him against a white-hot defense that would have stopped -- in order -- Peyton, Brady and Big Ben.
My picks: Jets over Steelers. Packers over Bears. Two road teams winning in the conference title games. Consequently: Congratulations, Steelers and Bears fans.
*****
There is so much good stuff being posted over at Quickish on a minute-to-minute basis (ok, more like 15-minute-to-15-minute basis) that I can barely keep it all straight in my head.
If you haven't yet today, I would love it if you would pop over there to check it out. Even visiting once a day will keep you up on the real-time chatter and all the best longer-form commentary.
Two more requests: (1) If you haven't dropped by during an NFL playoff game, give it a try on Sunday. Oh, watch the game on TV for sure. But fire up your laptop, phone or iPad and head over to Quickish; I really do think it is the very best "live" online companion you will find.
(And I wouldn't say that if I thought something else out there was better -- I'd point you to THAT and then tell you to try Quickish anyway. But I monitor all the big live-blogs and comment sections during the games, looking for good comments -- and Quickish is faster, easier to consume and smarter.)
(2) By design and necessity, Quickish doesn't have a huge marketing budget and no big distribution partners (yet). It really relies on people who enjoy it telling their friends, co-workers, whoever -- your recommendation is the most powerful thing out there.
So tell some friends. Tell all your friends. Tweet it out. Like the Quickish Facebook page (or just drop a status update on Facebook about it). It would really help.
OK: I'll stop now. (As soon as we get to a million users, I'm happy to stop being so pushy!)
Enjoy the games, and hopefully another update later.
-- D.S.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
1/20 Quickie: Melo and More
Good for the Nets. You can mock them for being suckers in all this, but it was obvious from the beginning -- and throughout -- that Carmelo Anthony had NO interest in playing for them.
The Nets' pursuit of him was pathetic, given that he wouldn't -- and would never -- reciprocate. (And even if he did sign an extension with them, is there any doubt he'd bolt in three years as soon as the deal was up?)
The Nets are better off without him -- and instead focusing on getting players who WANT to be there. Or drafting good young talent and being entertaining, if not winning. I think fans can live with entertaining basketball; only 3-4 teams a year have a legit shot at the title.
As for the Nuggets, good luck getting any more than dimes on the dollar for Carmelo, who almost surely seems destined for New York. Fine -- especially if NY can get Chris Paul or Deron Williams in the summer of 2012.
*****
NFL Conference Championships: Everyone wants to talk about Rex Ryan and the Jets -- with good reason -- but I love this Packers-Bears game in Chicago. After what Green Bay did to the Falcons, I find it hard to believe they won't keep rolling through the Bears all the way to the SB.
*****
Charles Barkley being part of the NCAA Tournament broadcast is the best thing to happen to the Tournament on TV since they created the "on-demand" service that lets you watch any game you want online for free. The more Charles the better; they cannot have him on-air enough.
*****
This Tom Jackson thing won't go away: He picked the Pats to win by a lot, then back-tracked to say that he only did it to motivate the Jets. This is ludicrous. All Jackson has is the trust of fans that he is offering up an honest opinion. I don't expect him to be right; I expect him to be earnest. And now I'll never believe a prediction from him again. (To the extent that pre-game picks EVER matter, given that there is zero accountability for being wrong.)
*****
Yikes, it is a slow sports day. Last night's frenzy over Carmelo was worth it though. Did you check out Quickish's coverage? Finding that Quickish is super-helpful to keep up or catch up on those big stories in the hour or two after they break.
-- D.S.
The Nets' pursuit of him was pathetic, given that he wouldn't -- and would never -- reciprocate. (And even if he did sign an extension with them, is there any doubt he'd bolt in three years as soon as the deal was up?)
The Nets are better off without him -- and instead focusing on getting players who WANT to be there. Or drafting good young talent and being entertaining, if not winning. I think fans can live with entertaining basketball; only 3-4 teams a year have a legit shot at the title.
As for the Nuggets, good luck getting any more than dimes on the dollar for Carmelo, who almost surely seems destined for New York. Fine -- especially if NY can get Chris Paul or Deron Williams in the summer of 2012.
*****
NFL Conference Championships: Everyone wants to talk about Rex Ryan and the Jets -- with good reason -- but I love this Packers-Bears game in Chicago. After what Green Bay did to the Falcons, I find it hard to believe they won't keep rolling through the Bears all the way to the SB.
*****
Charles Barkley being part of the NCAA Tournament broadcast is the best thing to happen to the Tournament on TV since they created the "on-demand" service that lets you watch any game you want online for free. The more Charles the better; they cannot have him on-air enough.
*****
This Tom Jackson thing won't go away: He picked the Pats to win by a lot, then back-tracked to say that he only did it to motivate the Jets. This is ludicrous. All Jackson has is the trust of fans that he is offering up an honest opinion. I don't expect him to be right; I expect him to be earnest. And now I'll never believe a prediction from him again. (To the extent that pre-game picks EVER matter, given that there is zero accountability for being wrong.)
*****
Yikes, it is a slow sports day. Last night's frenzy over Carmelo was worth it though. Did you check out Quickish's coverage? Finding that Quickish is super-helpful to keep up or catch up on those big stories in the hour or two after they break.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
1/19 Quickie: Ugh
Apologies to everyone for the lack of a post today. A doctor's appointment for one of my kids threw the whole well-oiled machine off track. Back in full force tomorrow a.m., for sure.
In the meantime, I hope you looked for all the quick-ish goodness over at Quickish throughout the day. If you haven't been yet today, take 30 seconds -- a minute, tops! -- to head over and catch up now.
Apologies again.
-- D.S.
In the meantime, I hope you looked for all the quick-ish goodness over at Quickish throughout the day. If you haven't been yet today, take 30 seconds -- a minute, tops! -- to head over and catch up now.
Apologies again.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Revisiting Comcast-NBC Sports
With today's FCC approval of Comcast's acquisition of NBC-Universal, it's a good moment to re-visit my post from a year ago about the potential of this on the sports-media front, with updates on my recommendations based on new realities a year later:
ORIGINAL (12/03/09):
I had been sitting on an analysis of the sports-media potential of a Comcast merger with NBC-Universal for a month, until the deal looked sealed. The NYT's Richard Sandomir beat me to it, but I want to drill into it just a little bit.
Here's the top-line: The sports-media monster that comes from Comcast-NBCU has the potential to be the biggest alternative to ESPN in the history of sports media. Note how I avoid using "competitor," because I'm coming at this from a consumer/fan perspective: More choice is a good thing. No one will ever replace ESPN, but this might offer another comprehensive high-end option.
The fundamental thing Comcast-NBCU needs to do is -- like ESPN within Disney -- create one all-encompassing sports brand that will be the focal point for all sports on NBC, Versus, Golf Channel, Universal Sports, all the Comcast regional nets and across every media platform -- sorry, Versus, you're gone. Let's call it "NBC Sports Network" (NBCSN)
There are plenty of TV assets currently accessible to Comcast/NBCU to make NBCSN a compelling network, across multiple channels:
*NFL Sunday Night Football
*NFL Red Zone channel (!!!)
*Olympics
*Notre Dame football
*Grand Slam tennis finals
*US Open (USA)
*MMA/UFC (via Versus -- thanks, reader Zak W.)
*At least one golf major championship
*Mountain West college football
*NHL
*Golf Channel
*Bull Riding, Cycling, MMA and other Versus sports
*The 76ers and Flyers (fwiw)
*Bob Costas
*Dan Patrick (via FNIA)
*Tony Dungy (via FNIA)
*Keith Olbermann (via MSNBC)
*Peter King (via FNIA)
*10 regional sports TV networks in some of the biggest markets, all of which could feed a "mother" channel.
But they need more, a lot more: National studio programming, and lots of it. And not cheesy ones either. Take sports coverage as seriously as fans do. As Sandomir pointed out, they need a SportsCenter franchise. I'll go one better: They need a PTI-like franchise, too.
Then there are the TV assets that a cash-flow powerhouse like Comcast-NBCU could afford to buy, like the NCAA Tournament, more Olympics, NFL Thursday Night Football. And I'd cut a deal with the NBA and MLB networks to get access to cut in to any game they want.
(By the way, here's a memo to NBCU's new Comcast overlords: Now that you own MSNBC, try to recruit MSNBC's brilliant primetime programming honcho Bill Wolff -- an ESPN veteran, by the way -- to be your head of all programming for NBC Sports Network under Dick Ebersol.)
But I'm actually equally intrigued by the online sports powerhouse that could be created. Again, let's review the assets that the new company has access to right now:
NEW (1/18/10):
*NBCSports.com
*Pro Football Talk (via NBCSports.com)
*The other NBCSports.com "Talk" sport blogs.
*10 regional TV networks' online sites (getting huge investment for video and reported content)
*Darren Rovell (via CNBC)
*Rick Chandler (Deadspin alum and NBCSports.com lead blogger)
*RotoWorld (via NBCSports.com)
*Access to all of the NBC Local online sports content talent, including Deadspin's Drew Magary.
*Versus.com
*The MSNBC.com front-page firehose
And, again, with Comcast's cash flow powering it, here are the simple, logical and efficient moves that NBC Sports Network could combine with the existing assets to instantly turn it into a Top 2-3 site online, with massive growth potential in local media and social/mobile media:
*Acquire SBNation, which exponentially boosts Comcast's local online efforts. (Comcast's VC unit is already an investor in SBNation.)
*Gobble up as many early-stage sports-media and sports-tech start-ups as you can. For example, FanVibe (which is trying to be Foursquare for sports); numberFire (which cleaned house in fantasy football projections in 2010); and, yes, self-servingly, they should at least ask about Quickish.
*Fanhouse just flooded the market with 100 talented writers, bloggers and web producers. You can cherry-pick any you want: Leave the newspaper alums to Sporting News and start with the folks who have already achieved online virality: Clay Travis, Bethlehem Shoals and a few others. They're all available.
*Partner with Yahoo! Sports, which has the massive online reach but lacks a TV presence.
*Build your own version of ESPN3.com, an online-only cable network.
The idea of a new sports TV network gets all the headlines, because it involves a lot bigger dollars spent and generated. But much more efficiently, the new company can massively expand its existing footprint online, bringing together all of these various (and valuable) assets -- along with a couple quick acquisitions -- to become a leader in emerging sports media, not just televised sports media.
-- D.S.
ORIGINAL (12/03/09):
I had been sitting on an analysis of the sports-media potential of a Comcast merger with NBC-Universal for a month, until the deal looked sealed. The NYT's Richard Sandomir beat me to it, but I want to drill into it just a little bit.
Here's the top-line: The sports-media monster that comes from Comcast-NBCU has the potential to be the biggest alternative to ESPN in the history of sports media. Note how I avoid using "competitor," because I'm coming at this from a consumer/fan perspective: More choice is a good thing. No one will ever replace ESPN, but this might offer another comprehensive high-end option.
The fundamental thing Comcast-NBCU needs to do is -- like ESPN within Disney -- create one all-encompassing sports brand that will be the focal point for all sports on NBC, Versus, Golf Channel, Universal Sports, all the Comcast regional nets and across every media platform -- sorry, Versus, you're gone. Let's call it "NBC Sports Network" (NBCSN)
There are plenty of TV assets currently accessible to Comcast/NBCU to make NBCSN a compelling network, across multiple channels:
*NFL Sunday Night Football
*NFL Red Zone channel (!!!)
*Olympics
*Notre Dame football
*Grand Slam tennis finals
*US Open (USA)
*MMA/UFC (via Versus -- thanks, reader Zak W.)
*At least one golf major championship
*Mountain West college football
*NHL
*Golf Channel
*Bull Riding, Cycling, MMA and other Versus sports
*The 76ers and Flyers (fwiw)
*Bob Costas
*Dan Patrick (via FNIA)
*Tony Dungy (via FNIA)
*Keith Olbermann (via MSNBC)
*Peter King (via FNIA)
*10 regional sports TV networks in some of the biggest markets, all of which could feed a "mother" channel.
But they need more, a lot more: National studio programming, and lots of it. And not cheesy ones either. Take sports coverage as seriously as fans do. As Sandomir pointed out, they need a SportsCenter franchise. I'll go one better: They need a PTI-like franchise, too.
Then there are the TV assets that a cash-flow powerhouse like Comcast-NBCU could afford to buy, like the NCAA Tournament, more Olympics, NFL Thursday Night Football. And I'd cut a deal with the NBA and MLB networks to get access to cut in to any game they want.
(By the way, here's a memo to NBCU's new Comcast overlords: Now that you own MSNBC, try to recruit MSNBC's brilliant primetime programming honcho Bill Wolff -- an ESPN veteran, by the way -- to be your head of all programming for NBC Sports Network under Dick Ebersol.)
But I'm actually equally intrigued by the online sports powerhouse that could be created. Again, let's review the assets that the new company has access to right now:
NEW (1/18/10):
*NBCSports.com
*Pro Football Talk (via NBCSports.com)
*The other NBCSports.com "Talk" sport blogs.
*10 regional TV networks' online sites (getting huge investment for video and reported content)
*Darren Rovell (via CNBC)
*Rick Chandler (Deadspin alum and NBCSports.com lead blogger)
*RotoWorld (via NBCSports.com)
*Access to all of the NBC Local online sports content talent, including Deadspin's Drew Magary.
*Versus.com
*The MSNBC.com front-page firehose
And, again, with Comcast's cash flow powering it, here are the simple, logical and efficient moves that NBC Sports Network could combine with the existing assets to instantly turn it into a Top 2-3 site online, with massive growth potential in local media and social/mobile media:
*Acquire SBNation, which exponentially boosts Comcast's local online efforts. (Comcast's VC unit is already an investor in SBNation.)
*Gobble up as many early-stage sports-media and sports-tech start-ups as you can. For example, FanVibe (which is trying to be Foursquare for sports); numberFire (which cleaned house in fantasy football projections in 2010); and, yes, self-servingly, they should at least ask about Quickish.
*Fanhouse just flooded the market with 100 talented writers, bloggers and web producers. You can cherry-pick any you want: Leave the newspaper alums to Sporting News and start with the folks who have already achieved online virality: Clay Travis, Bethlehem Shoals and a few others. They're all available.
*Partner with Yahoo! Sports, which has the massive online reach but lacks a TV presence.
*Build your own version of ESPN3.com, an online-only cable network.
The idea of a new sports TV network gets all the headlines, because it involves a lot bigger dollars spent and generated. But much more efficiently, the new company can massively expand its existing footprint online, bringing together all of these various (and valuable) assets -- along with a couple quick acquisitions -- to become a leader in emerging sports media, not just televised sports media.
-- D.S.
01/18 Quickie: Ryan, Griffin, Favre, More
The pace of sports news is lulling a bit, but it's still a jam-packed day of Quickish coverage:
*Jets Hangover: The prevailing opinion continues to be that if you talk, you better back it up -- and because the Jets backed it up, they're o.k. with fans.
(Ironically, the Jets have totally toned down the rhetoric in the first 36 hours since their match-up with the Steelers was set. Different set of mind-games for Rex?)
*Blake Griffin scores NBA season-high 47: And, at this point, I'm ready to throw my support behind Griffin for more than just Rookie of the Year -- how about MVP?
*Sidney Crosby vs. the NHL: Today, NHL All-Star captains are announced, and Crosby is expected to be one of them. And yet, someone is leaking that he might skip the weekend. (Check out Quickish for a tip to a Yahoo/Wyshynski explanation.)
*Brett Favre "retires": Not being sarcastic at all, I just don't believe it. And I won't believe it until not just next season goes by, but TWO seasons go by. I don't think he really wants to retire.
*Zenyatta wins Horse of the Year: As she should.
*LeBron is launching a web-based cartoon series that is described as a cross between "Fat Albert" and "The Boondocks," which doesn't make a ton of sense.
As I wrote on Quickish -- anticipating that this could turn into a "thing" across sports media -- I'm waiting for the "very special episode" where cartoon LeBron learns a tough lesson about abandoning his die-hard fans.
*What was Tom Brady huffing out of that Gatorade cup? Ammonia. It's common practice in the NFL, and I could totally see it becoming a problem with the "Won't somebody think of the children!" crowd. (Frankly, I think the ammonia-huffing is much more insidious as a bad influence on kids than steroids, which are a lot harder to come by. Ammonia-huffing is off-the-shelf.
There's tons more on Quickish today, throughout the day. Please give it a try -- or, if you're already a regular, please tell your friends and co-workers. At this point, getting the word out and getting people to (a) know about it and (b) try it is the No. 1 challenge/priority. Thanks.
-- D.S.
*Jets Hangover: The prevailing opinion continues to be that if you talk, you better back it up -- and because the Jets backed it up, they're o.k. with fans.
(Ironically, the Jets have totally toned down the rhetoric in the first 36 hours since their match-up with the Steelers was set. Different set of mind-games for Rex?)
*Blake Griffin scores NBA season-high 47: And, at this point, I'm ready to throw my support behind Griffin for more than just Rookie of the Year -- how about MVP?
*Sidney Crosby vs. the NHL: Today, NHL All-Star captains are announced, and Crosby is expected to be one of them. And yet, someone is leaking that he might skip the weekend. (Check out Quickish for a tip to a Yahoo/Wyshynski explanation.)
*Brett Favre "retires": Not being sarcastic at all, I just don't believe it. And I won't believe it until not just next season goes by, but TWO seasons go by. I don't think he really wants to retire.
*Zenyatta wins Horse of the Year: As she should.
*LeBron is launching a web-based cartoon series that is described as a cross between "Fat Albert" and "The Boondocks," which doesn't make a ton of sense.
As I wrote on Quickish -- anticipating that this could turn into a "thing" across sports media -- I'm waiting for the "very special episode" where cartoon LeBron learns a tough lesson about abandoning his die-hard fans.
*What was Tom Brady huffing out of that Gatorade cup? Ammonia. It's common practice in the NFL, and I could totally see it becoming a problem with the "Won't somebody think of the children!" crowd. (Frankly, I think the ammonia-huffing is much more insidious as a bad influence on kids than steroids, which are a lot harder to come by. Ammonia-huffing is off-the-shelf.
There's tons more on Quickish today, throughout the day. Please give it a try -- or, if you're already a regular, please tell your friends and co-workers. At this point, getting the word out and getting people to (a) know about it and (b) try it is the No. 1 challenge/priority. Thanks.
-- D.S.
Monday, January 17, 2011
1/17 Quickie: J-E-T-S, Jets! Jets! Jets!
Wow. That was one of the greatest NFL wins I have ever seen.
When you consider everything: That the Pats were the overwhelming favorite, playing at home and coming off a bye week, having stomped the Jets 45-3 just a few weeks ago, with a sick offense and with the Jets having talked themselves into a corner...
And the Jets just shut them down. They racked up that Pats offense and made them look like chumps -- it was as inspired of a defensive effort as I have ever seen, including the Giants doing just enough to stop the unbeaten Pats in the Super Bowl (or, say, the '85 Bears totally shutting down the Pats in Super Bowl XX.)
Most impressively -- and folks disagree with me, and that's totally fair -- the Jets talked as big of a game as I have seen a team talk, certainly in the playoffs against a juggernaut like the Pats were...
...and the Jets backed it up. Talk and lose, and you're a huge chump. Far more of a chump than had you not talked and lost.
But talk and WIN? You're far more of a badass than had you NOT talked and won.
The fact is that the Jets' talking wasn't just a reflection of their coach or some team mentality to yap; it was a concerted effort of psy-ops to get in the heads of the Pats. I honestly think it wouldn't work -- that no Belichick-coached team would fall for that. But the Pats did.
It wasn't just the talking alone, obviously. The Jets' schemes were superlative, but the talking didn't make those schemes less effective, and if it got the Jets themselves fired up -- rather than taking the Pats out of their game -- that's also a perfectly acceptable reason to do it.
These Jets may talk -- a lot -- but they are likable, not the least of which because they dispatched the Patriots, a team loathed everywhere but New England (or by displaced Pats fans). You can find the Jets annoying, but even more, you really didn't want to see the Pats win it all.
Check out the Quickish feed from last night to re-live one of the best performances in NFL Playoff history -- and thus NFL history, period.
*****
Bears throttle the Seahawks: OK, I think we can all get behind Bears-Packers at Soldier Field with the NFC's Super Bowl spot on the line.
Nets given permission by Nuggets to talk directly to Carmelo: If Mikael Prokhorov gets a chance to talk to Melo, he'llscare him into signing the extension agreeing to a trade.
(UPDATE: They might not have permission -- and even if they do, Carmelo seems REALLY disinterested in playing for them. Why are the Nets pushing if he's not into it? Even if they convince him today, he will have a count-down clock on until this new deal expires.)
Red sign Joey Votto to an extension at a very reasonable 3Y/$38M. That's a lot less than the Cardinals -- or, say, the Mets -- are going to pay for Albert Pujols.
Blake Griffin and the Clippers beat the Lakers: Coming off a win over the Heat, this would qualify as the best week in the history of the franchise.
The weekend's biggest winners: Rex Ryan, Bart Scott, Santonio Holmes, Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler, Big Ben.
-- D.S.
When you consider everything: That the Pats were the overwhelming favorite, playing at home and coming off a bye week, having stomped the Jets 45-3 just a few weeks ago, with a sick offense and with the Jets having talked themselves into a corner...
And the Jets just shut them down. They racked up that Pats offense and made them look like chumps -- it was as inspired of a defensive effort as I have ever seen, including the Giants doing just enough to stop the unbeaten Pats in the Super Bowl (or, say, the '85 Bears totally shutting down the Pats in Super Bowl XX.)
Most impressively -- and folks disagree with me, and that's totally fair -- the Jets talked as big of a game as I have seen a team talk, certainly in the playoffs against a juggernaut like the Pats were...
...and the Jets backed it up. Talk and lose, and you're a huge chump. Far more of a chump than had you not talked and lost.
But talk and WIN? You're far more of a badass than had you NOT talked and won.
The fact is that the Jets' talking wasn't just a reflection of their coach or some team mentality to yap; it was a concerted effort of psy-ops to get in the heads of the Pats. I honestly think it wouldn't work -- that no Belichick-coached team would fall for that. But the Pats did.
It wasn't just the talking alone, obviously. The Jets' schemes were superlative, but the talking didn't make those schemes less effective, and if it got the Jets themselves fired up -- rather than taking the Pats out of their game -- that's also a perfectly acceptable reason to do it.
These Jets may talk -- a lot -- but they are likable, not the least of which because they dispatched the Patriots, a team loathed everywhere but New England (or by displaced Pats fans). You can find the Jets annoying, but even more, you really didn't want to see the Pats win it all.
Check out the Quickish feed from last night to re-live one of the best performances in NFL Playoff history -- and thus NFL history, period.
*****
Bears throttle the Seahawks: OK, I think we can all get behind Bears-Packers at Soldier Field with the NFC's Super Bowl spot on the line.
Nets given permission by Nuggets to talk directly to Carmelo: If Mikael Prokhorov gets a chance to talk to Melo, he'll
(UPDATE: They might not have permission -- and even if they do, Carmelo seems REALLY disinterested in playing for them. Why are the Nets pushing if he's not into it? Even if they convince him today, he will have a count-down clock on until this new deal expires.)
Red sign Joey Votto to an extension at a very reasonable 3Y/$38M. That's a lot less than the Cardinals -- or, say, the Mets -- are going to pay for Albert Pujols.
Blake Griffin and the Clippers beat the Lakers: Coming off a win over the Heat, this would qualify as the best week in the history of the franchise.
The weekend's biggest winners: Rex Ryan, Bart Scott, Santonio Holmes, Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler, Big Ben.
-- D.S.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
1/16 Quickie: Rodgers, Ben, Jets-Pats
Here's some "realtalk": Aaron Rodgers' performance yesterday was better than any single game Brett Favre had for the Packers.
It wasn't just the finest performance by a QB in the history of the Packers franchise (oh, Starr fans, fine: In the ESPN Era), but it was one of the greatest performances by a QB in NFL Playoff history.
It was sublime to watch (and to follow on Quickish, if you did -- and you still can!) -- a QB playing about as well as you can witness one play, under any conditions, let alone a road game against the top conference seed coming off a restful bye week.
Rodgers was already a great QB -- top tier in the NFL, along with Brady, Manning and, this season, Vick. But a game like that on a stage like this elevates him to superstar status.
****
After watching that insanely intense Steelers-Ravens game, it seems crazy to think that it would end up the second-biggest storyline of the day, but that's how good Rodgers was.
...And how bad the Ravens' offense was in the 2nd half, even as its defense faltered just enough -- let's call it one insane 70-yard play on 3rd-and-19 late in the 4th quarter -- to let a win slip away. The offense, with its free-agent WR drops and its Flacco-ness, made it worse.
The Ravens should have won. They didn't. Even allowing that beating Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh in the playoffs is no easy task, that makes Baltimore an unlikeable loser. No moral victories here.
*****
Pats vs. Jets: The cover of the NY Post today is outrageous -- they fully embrace the crazy, and I love it. I am no fan of the Pats -- although I love Belichick -- and I find myself enjoying the Ryan-led bluster of the Jets, who should be considered massive underdogs. I would like nothing more than the Jets to win -- not quite as much as I wanted the Giants to beat the then-unbeaten Pats in the Super Bowl, but certainly enough to be on the "rooting for Jets" side. Too bad they're going to get drilled.
*****
It is a complete mis-read by NFL "experts" to think that Seattle making -- and hosting -- the NFC championship game would be bad for the NFL, some sort of mockery or sham. On the contrary, casual and ("non-") fans would absolutely love it, and it would only increase attention on the league from more of the country, as everyone embraces the "Cinderella."
Most of the country couldn't care less that the Seahawks are under .500 -- in fact, that's part of the charm. It's like calling Cinderella "mediocre" and insisting she isn't worthy of going to the ball unless she puts on superficially fancy clothes.
I grew up a huge -- HUGE -- Bears fan. And it was in DC, so I took a fair amount of grief from my friends, who were ALL Redskins fans. But I find myself rooting for this unique Seahawks story to continue, all the way to a home game back in Seattle with a Super Bowl bid on the line.
*****
*Carmelo jerseys are 50% off at the Nuggets team store: Make of that what you will.
*Albert Pujols wants a new deal by the time spring training starts: And? Why won't the Cards pay the guy the rate he has earned -- and deserves? He's an all-time Top 10 player.
*Enjoy the games today. Even (or especially) if you're watching the games on TV, please drop by Quickish during the games for the best "live" accompaniment of big sports events you'll find.
-- D.S.
It wasn't just the finest performance by a QB in the history of the Packers franchise (oh, Starr fans, fine: In the ESPN Era), but it was one of the greatest performances by a QB in NFL Playoff history.
It was sublime to watch (and to follow on Quickish, if you did -- and you still can!) -- a QB playing about as well as you can witness one play, under any conditions, let alone a road game against the top conference seed coming off a restful bye week.
Rodgers was already a great QB -- top tier in the NFL, along with Brady, Manning and, this season, Vick. But a game like that on a stage like this elevates him to superstar status.
****
After watching that insanely intense Steelers-Ravens game, it seems crazy to think that it would end up the second-biggest storyline of the day, but that's how good Rodgers was.
...And how bad the Ravens' offense was in the 2nd half, even as its defense faltered just enough -- let's call it one insane 70-yard play on 3rd-and-19 late in the 4th quarter -- to let a win slip away. The offense, with its free-agent WR drops and its Flacco-ness, made it worse.
The Ravens should have won. They didn't. Even allowing that beating Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh in the playoffs is no easy task, that makes Baltimore an unlikeable loser. No moral victories here.
*****
Pats vs. Jets: The cover of the NY Post today is outrageous -- they fully embrace the crazy, and I love it. I am no fan of the Pats -- although I love Belichick -- and I find myself enjoying the Ryan-led bluster of the Jets, who should be considered massive underdogs. I would like nothing more than the Jets to win -- not quite as much as I wanted the Giants to beat the then-unbeaten Pats in the Super Bowl, but certainly enough to be on the "rooting for Jets" side. Too bad they're going to get drilled.
*****
It is a complete mis-read by NFL "experts" to think that Seattle making -- and hosting -- the NFC championship game would be bad for the NFL, some sort of mockery or sham. On the contrary, casual and ("non-") fans would absolutely love it, and it would only increase attention on the league from more of the country, as everyone embraces the "Cinderella."
Most of the country couldn't care less that the Seahawks are under .500 -- in fact, that's part of the charm. It's like calling Cinderella "mediocre" and insisting she isn't worthy of going to the ball unless she puts on superficially fancy clothes.
I grew up a huge -- HUGE -- Bears fan. And it was in DC, so I took a fair amount of grief from my friends, who were ALL Redskins fans. But I find myself rooting for this unique Seahawks story to continue, all the way to a home game back in Seattle with a Super Bowl bid on the line.
*****
*Carmelo jerseys are 50% off at the Nuggets team store: Make of that what you will.
*Albert Pujols wants a new deal by the time spring training starts: And? Why won't the Cards pay the guy the rate he has earned -- and deserves? He's an all-time Top 10 player.
*Enjoy the games today. Even (or especially) if you're watching the games on TV, please drop by Quickish during the games for the best "live" accompaniment of big sports events you'll find.
-- D.S.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
1/15 (Divisional) Quickie
Sorry for the delay -- Quickish tech issues this a.m. But all good now!
The phrase that pays today is "trash-talk." The Pats and Jets went at it all week, capped last night by Bart Scott basically threatening Wes Welker with bodily harm (um, it IS football) and Nick Mangold not-so-slyly dropping "Spy" and "Gate" in a tweet. The Jets make things much more interesting than if they were sullen and quiet and lost by 30 anyway.
Meanwhile, it's kind of ludicrous that we're all talking about Pats-Jets, when there are two games today -- great games -- that will determine half of the NFL's final four. Steelers-Ravens might be the best game of the playoffs, with all of the bitter enmity but half the yakking.
By the way, Blake Griffin nearly put down a 60-foot alley-oop last night. He is turning into a one-person commercial for NBA League Pass.
NFL Draft: Nick Fairley going pro. It really doesn't matter whether he goes No. 1 overall or not. He's not going much later than Top 3, and he's going to wreak havoc wherever he ends up.
Hot Stove: Glad to see Jim Thome re-signing with the Twins. Count him among the players I'd like to see in person before he retires. (I really need to make a more formal list about that.)
Enjoy the games today -- and please drop by Quickish if you're watching the NFL games today with a laptop or iPad or phone next to you. If the BCS title game was any indication, Quickish will have the best "live" accompanying experience of anywhere online.
-- D.S.
The phrase that pays today is "trash-talk." The Pats and Jets went at it all week, capped last night by Bart Scott basically threatening Wes Welker with bodily harm (um, it IS football) and Nick Mangold not-so-slyly dropping "Spy" and "Gate" in a tweet. The Jets make things much more interesting than if they were sullen and quiet and lost by 30 anyway.
Meanwhile, it's kind of ludicrous that we're all talking about Pats-Jets, when there are two games today -- great games -- that will determine half of the NFL's final four. Steelers-Ravens might be the best game of the playoffs, with all of the bitter enmity but half the yakking.
By the way, Blake Griffin nearly put down a 60-foot alley-oop last night. He is turning into a one-person commercial for NBA League Pass.
NFL Draft: Nick Fairley going pro. It really doesn't matter whether he goes No. 1 overall or not. He's not going much later than Top 3, and he's going to wreak havoc wherever he ends up.
Hot Stove: Glad to see Jim Thome re-signing with the Twins. Count him among the players I'd like to see in person before he retires. (I really need to make a more formal list about that.)
Enjoy the games today -- and please drop by Quickish if you're watching the NFL games today with a laptop or iPad or phone next to you. If the BCS title game was any indication, Quickish will have the best "live" accompanying experience of anywhere online.
-- D.S.
Friday, January 14, 2011
01/14 Quickie: NFL Divisional, More
The NFL Divisional round might stack up just behind the first two days of the NCAA Tournament as the best pair of days on the sports calendar.
Depending on how you feel about the Pats and Jets -- and most of you probably loathe them both -- they are the marquee game of the weekend.
In hype, yes. But the Pats are going to throttle them. So that's kind of the end of that story.
The Ravens should give the Steelers a game in Pittsburgh -- it's the best game of the weekend. Give the Packers a puncher's chance in Atlanta. And let's just root for the Seahawks to keep it going with what would be a shocking upset in Chicago.
Check out Quickish for links to two ends of the tabloid spectrum on this Pats-Jets rivalry: The NYPost's Star Wars-themed cover -- and Boston Metro's let's-just-get-to-the-feet mockery.
Cam Newton entering the NFL Draft: Of course he is. Two points to make here:
*Newton had the single-best (and single-most intriguing) season of any player in college football history. Part of the myth is its "one-and-done" essence. Veni, vidi, vici. Part is just the ass-kicking dominance.
*Where will Newton go in the NFL Draft? Sounds like the draftniks have learned their lesson from the shellacking they took with Tebow last year. Kiper has Cam at No. 14 overall -- which has nothing to do with where he'll ultimately be drafted (which is all that matters -- my problem with the draftniks is that I don't care how they rank the players; I care where they think the players will go. I suppose ranking is a proxy for general draft status, but it's not the same). I think he goes in the Top 15, probably the 3rd QB taken after Gabbert and Mallett. I'm long on Newton as a pro QB. Then again, I was/am long on Tebow as a pro QB.
NFL Coaching Hires: Really like John Fox in Denver (despite the 2010 season in Carolina), and am willing to give Pat Shurmur a chance in Cleveland. That's a rough situation for any coach.
Hot Stove: Yankees get Rafael Soriano, and now they have the best bullpen in baseball -- all they need to have is the best bullpen in the AL East.
Heat lose 2nd straight on the road: They were playing without LeBron -- what were you expecting? Without LeBron, the Heat are barely better than last year's Wade-only team.
The best thing ever yesterday? Shawn Kemp as a trending topic, because of the halo effect from comparisons to phenomenon Blake Griffin.
Quickish is going to be HOPPING this weekend during the NFL Playoff games. Presuming you're watching, fire up the laptop, iPad or phone and check in at Quickish during the game for the best real-time commentary from Twitter, live-blogs and everywhere else.
Thanks for an awesome launch week for Quickish. So much more to come next week and beyond.
-- D.S.
Depending on how you feel about the Pats and Jets -- and most of you probably loathe them both -- they are the marquee game of the weekend.
In hype, yes. But the Pats are going to throttle them. So that's kind of the end of that story.
The Ravens should give the Steelers a game in Pittsburgh -- it's the best game of the weekend. Give the Packers a puncher's chance in Atlanta. And let's just root for the Seahawks to keep it going with what would be a shocking upset in Chicago.
Check out Quickish for links to two ends of the tabloid spectrum on this Pats-Jets rivalry: The NYPost's Star Wars-themed cover -- and Boston Metro's let's-just-get-to-the-feet mockery.
Cam Newton entering the NFL Draft: Of course he is. Two points to make here:
*Newton had the single-best (and single-most intriguing) season of any player in college football history. Part of the myth is its "one-and-done" essence. Veni, vidi, vici. Part is just the ass-kicking dominance.
*Where will Newton go in the NFL Draft? Sounds like the draftniks have learned their lesson from the shellacking they took with Tebow last year. Kiper has Cam at No. 14 overall -- which has nothing to do with where he'll ultimately be drafted (which is all that matters -- my problem with the draftniks is that I don't care how they rank the players; I care where they think the players will go. I suppose ranking is a proxy for general draft status, but it's not the same). I think he goes in the Top 15, probably the 3rd QB taken after Gabbert and Mallett. I'm long on Newton as a pro QB. Then again, I was/am long on Tebow as a pro QB.
NFL Coaching Hires: Really like John Fox in Denver (despite the 2010 season in Carolina), and am willing to give Pat Shurmur a chance in Cleveland. That's a rough situation for any coach.
Hot Stove: Yankees get Rafael Soriano, and now they have the best bullpen in baseball -- all they need to have is the best bullpen in the AL East.
Heat lose 2nd straight on the road: They were playing without LeBron -- what were you expecting? Without LeBron, the Heat are barely better than last year's Wade-only team.
The best thing ever yesterday? Shawn Kemp as a trending topic, because of the halo effect from comparisons to phenomenon Blake Griffin.
Quickish is going to be HOPPING this weekend during the NFL Playoff games. Presuming you're watching, fire up the laptop, iPad or phone and check in at Quickish during the game for the best real-time commentary from Twitter, live-blogs and everywhere else.
Thanks for an awesome launch week for Quickish. So much more to come next week and beyond.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
1/13 Quickie: Clips, Duke, Pats-Jets
Today's Names to Know: Duke (FSU!), Antonio Cromartie vs. Tom Brady, LeBron, Blake Griffin and the Clippers, Brady Hoke, Pat Shurmur, Brandi Favre and Don Shula. Plus so much more... all on Quickish today!
We can argue about a lot of things in sports, but here is one truth for today:
Contrary to Twitter rumor, Don Shula is NOT dead.
All clear? Great. Because there's a lot to discuss.
*Duke loses: Oh, yes, Duke loses. At Florida State -- and here it comes -- as usual. Here's the thing: Duke will be fine. They're still the team to beat in late March.
*Cromartie vs. Brady: There's a strong argument to be made that the Jets have nothing to lose by Cro's trash-talk. What, like Brady was going to play less well without the taunt?
And then there's the idea that no one seems to argue with Cromartie on the merits of his claim that Brady is an asshole. They just don't like that he said it out loud.
*LeBron vs. Blake Griffin: Clippers beat the Heat! LA scored 44 in the 1st quarter (44!) and -- of course -- let the Heat back into the game. But they held on, in the franchise's most defining regular-season win in its history.
*LeBron's "karma" tweet: As usual, there's a backtrack from LeBron. "It wasn't even a comment from me, it was someone who sent it to me and I sent it out." Right.
(Meanwhile, LeBron tweaked his ankle and is day-to-day. Smartly -- and I mean that sincerely -- LeBron said he recognizes it's only the regular season and he's best to ensure he doesn't do anything to risk further injury that might impact him for the playoffs.)
*"This is Michigan, for God's sakes": I am inclined to believe Brady Hoke is going to do a great job at Michigan, but I absolutely LOVE that quote.
*CFB 2011 Top 25 lists are trickling out: Oklahoma as No. 1? Really? Do people think that Oklahoma could beat the SEC champ (say, Alabama) in the national title game? No chance.
*CFB WRs are going to be sick next year: Justin Blackmon will be back at OK St., and Michael Floyd is going back to Notre Dame. Good times.
*Browns hiring Pat Shurmur, who is the QB guru who tutored Sam Bradford -- and Donovan McNabb before that. If only the Browns actually had a QB. (No, Colt McCoy doesn't count.)
*Mike Vick wins NFL Comeback Player of the Year (via his own Tweet) and it is arguably the most improbable award victory in NFL history. (Unless you presumed that if/when he came back, if he played well at all, he would be a lock for this award. Really, it's the fact that he will be runner-up for MVP that is the most staggering award result in NFL history.)
*Qatar plied World Cup officials with lots of money: I'm shocked, shocked.
*Brandi Favre busted in a meth raid: She shouldn't have come back.
Thanks for checking out Quickish today -- and for passing it along to all your friends.
-- D.S.
We can argue about a lot of things in sports, but here is one truth for today:
Contrary to Twitter rumor, Don Shula is NOT dead.
All clear? Great. Because there's a lot to discuss.
*Duke loses: Oh, yes, Duke loses. At Florida State -- and here it comes -- as usual. Here's the thing: Duke will be fine. They're still the team to beat in late March.
*Cromartie vs. Brady: There's a strong argument to be made that the Jets have nothing to lose by Cro's trash-talk. What, like Brady was going to play less well without the taunt?
And then there's the idea that no one seems to argue with Cromartie on the merits of his claim that Brady is an asshole. They just don't like that he said it out loud.
*LeBron vs. Blake Griffin: Clippers beat the Heat! LA scored 44 in the 1st quarter (44!) and -- of course -- let the Heat back into the game. But they held on, in the franchise's most defining regular-season win in its history.
*LeBron's "karma" tweet: As usual, there's a backtrack from LeBron. "It wasn't even a comment from me, it was someone who sent it to me and I sent it out." Right.
(Meanwhile, LeBron tweaked his ankle and is day-to-day. Smartly -- and I mean that sincerely -- LeBron said he recognizes it's only the regular season and he's best to ensure he doesn't do anything to risk further injury that might impact him for the playoffs.)
*"This is Michigan, for God's sakes": I am inclined to believe Brady Hoke is going to do a great job at Michigan, but I absolutely LOVE that quote.
*CFB 2011 Top 25 lists are trickling out: Oklahoma as No. 1? Really? Do people think that Oklahoma could beat the SEC champ (say, Alabama) in the national title game? No chance.
*CFB WRs are going to be sick next year: Justin Blackmon will be back at OK St., and Michael Floyd is going back to Notre Dame. Good times.
*Browns hiring Pat Shurmur, who is the QB guru who tutored Sam Bradford -- and Donovan McNabb before that. If only the Browns actually had a QB. (No, Colt McCoy doesn't count.)
*Mike Vick wins NFL Comeback Player of the Year (via his own Tweet) and it is arguably the most improbable award victory in NFL history. (Unless you presumed that if/when he came back, if he played well at all, he would be a lock for this award. Really, it's the fact that he will be runner-up for MVP that is the most staggering award result in NFL history.)
*Qatar plied World Cup officials with lots of money: I'm shocked, shocked.
*Brandi Favre busted in a meth raid: She shouldn't have come back.
Thanks for checking out Quickish today -- and for passing it along to all your friends.
-- D.S.
1/12 Quickie: LeBron, Hoke, More
Let's try this again, friends. I'm going to post the Quickie column here (and first), then "re-publish" it on Quickish a little later. That way, it's easy to find (including RSS) but it's still on Quickish. Cool? Legggooo...
Antonio Cromartie calls Tom Brady an "asshole": Sigh. And there's your meme for the day -- or rest of the week. Yes, he shouldn't have said it. Yes, he's kind of an idiot. Yes, the "kids" thing. But, yes, Brady IS kind of an asshole, and we all can agree on that.
LeBron's "karma" tweet: ICYMI, LeBron tweeted this out late last night, as the Lakers were absolutely trouncing the Cavs:
Crazy. Karma is a b****.. Gets you every time. Its not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!
It's what everyone will be talking about today, even if it's totally superficial, because (a) it's LeBron, (b) and he's dissing the Cavs, (c) kicking them while they were getting humiliated.
I don't mind LeBron speaking his mind -- the less filtered the better, frankly -- but it came off as classless and fuels the argument that LeBron is a sore winner.
Meanwhile, yes: The Lakers did stomp the Cavs by 100. No, really: 55. But it felt like 100. Wow.
Michigan hires Brady Hoke: Polarizing, but I... like it? Hoke has (re-)built two programs -- and Michigan is a rebuilding job, perhaps the biggest in the country. And he loves the program; he's wanted this job forever. He won't win big, but he will win more. Is that enough for UM fans?
Carmelo Watch: He obviously doesn't want to play for the Nets. Otherwise he would have publicly said (or leaked) he would sign an extension. So why would the Nets continue to pursue him? They'll have a guy who will be on a countdown clock from day 1. We have seen this before; that's how we were talking about LeBron the SECOND he signed his last deal with the Cavs. This is a mistake for the Nets.
Panthers hire Ron Rivera: Haven't read any analysis that doesn't like this hire. (Have you heard the rumor that Norv Turner might hire Dave Wannstedt to replace him? Ha!)
Browns hiring Pat Shurmur? That's the presumption. Fans will go "Who?" And his defenders will say "Mike Smith." (That's the Falcons coach that no one had heard of.)
Trevor Hoffman retiring: Future Hall of Famer. I can't begrudge him hanging on a bit past his sell-by date. At least he did it modestly. (Actually, Neyer says that the HOF is hardly a sure thing. OK: I'm inclined to trust his instincts.)
CFB: How soon before Cam Newton declares he's going pro? Has to happen in the next few days, and you KNOW it's going to happen. I predict he ends up going in the 1st round, like Tebow.
"Everyone loses games. Few changed them.": That's a Nike ad for Oregon. That's what having the best brand managers on the planet on your side can do -- make you look awesome, even when you lose the championship game.
CBB: Jimmer Fredette: 47 points, including this.
Plus: Big win for Michigan State in OT over Wisconsin. MSU -- my preseason pick to win the NCAA title (yeesh) -- really needed this one, if only to show they CAN win these kinds of games.
Media: Yahoo! Sports has a new online magazine launching today -- ThePostGame. Check it out. (Wow: Big week for sports media launches -- Quickish Monday, Onion's SportsDome yesterday, Yahoo's new thing today.)
BTW: SportsDome was not very good. I know the Onion folks are really smart, but it's really hard to pull off. I liked the anchor on the left; his mock-serious delivery was spot-on. The rest of it? Ehh...I didn't laugh once and cringed a few times.
More later. Please check out Quickish! (And please tell your friends, co-workers, etc. We need all the grassroots support we can get. It's going to be one new reader at a time, with friends telling friends.)
-- D.S.
Antonio Cromartie calls Tom Brady an "asshole": Sigh. And there's your meme for the day -- or rest of the week. Yes, he shouldn't have said it. Yes, he's kind of an idiot. Yes, the "kids" thing. But, yes, Brady IS kind of an asshole, and we all can agree on that.
LeBron's "karma" tweet: ICYMI, LeBron tweeted this out late last night, as the Lakers were absolutely trouncing the Cavs:
Crazy. Karma is a b****.. Gets you every time. Its not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!
It's what everyone will be talking about today, even if it's totally superficial, because (a) it's LeBron, (b) and he's dissing the Cavs, (c) kicking them while they were getting humiliated.
I don't mind LeBron speaking his mind -- the less filtered the better, frankly -- but it came off as classless and fuels the argument that LeBron is a sore winner.
Meanwhile, yes: The Lakers did stomp the Cavs by 100. No, really: 55. But it felt like 100. Wow.
Michigan hires Brady Hoke: Polarizing, but I... like it? Hoke has (re-)built two programs -- and Michigan is a rebuilding job, perhaps the biggest in the country. And he loves the program; he's wanted this job forever. He won't win big, but he will win more. Is that enough for UM fans?
Carmelo Watch: He obviously doesn't want to play for the Nets. Otherwise he would have publicly said (or leaked) he would sign an extension. So why would the Nets continue to pursue him? They'll have a guy who will be on a countdown clock from day 1. We have seen this before; that's how we were talking about LeBron the SECOND he signed his last deal with the Cavs. This is a mistake for the Nets.
Panthers hire Ron Rivera: Haven't read any analysis that doesn't like this hire. (Have you heard the rumor that Norv Turner might hire Dave Wannstedt to replace him? Ha!)
Browns hiring Pat Shurmur? That's the presumption. Fans will go "Who?" And his defenders will say "Mike Smith." (That's the Falcons coach that no one had heard of.)
Trevor Hoffman retiring: Future Hall of Famer. I can't begrudge him hanging on a bit past his sell-by date. At least he did it modestly. (Actually, Neyer says that the HOF is hardly a sure thing. OK: I'm inclined to trust his instincts.)
CFB: How soon before Cam Newton declares he's going pro? Has to happen in the next few days, and you KNOW it's going to happen. I predict he ends up going in the 1st round, like Tebow.
"Everyone loses games. Few changed them.": That's a Nike ad for Oregon. That's what having the best brand managers on the planet on your side can do -- make you look awesome, even when you lose the championship game.
CBB: Jimmer Fredette: 47 points, including this.
Plus: Big win for Michigan State in OT over Wisconsin. MSU -- my preseason pick to win the NCAA title (yeesh) -- really needed this one, if only to show they CAN win these kinds of games.
Media: Yahoo! Sports has a new online magazine launching today -- ThePostGame. Check it out. (Wow: Big week for sports media launches -- Quickish Monday, Onion's SportsDome yesterday, Yahoo's new thing today.)
BTW: SportsDome was not very good. I know the Onion folks are really smart, but it's really hard to pull off. I liked the anchor on the left; his mock-serious delivery was spot-on. The rest of it? Ehh...I didn't laugh once and cringed a few times.
More later. Please check out Quickish! (And please tell your friends, co-workers, etc. We need all the grassroots support we can get. It's going to be one new reader at a time, with friends telling friends.)
-- D.S.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
01/11 Quickie: Tostitos for All!
Apologies: I'm still trying to work out the programming schedule on Quickish and how that relates back to here, plus updating the site, plus writing back to all the people who email, plus try to promote the site on Twitter and Facebook, plus start fixing tech bugs.
But I am not complaining. Not for a second. Yesterday was awesome. Amazing. And today is even better. So here's today's Quickie -- heavy on the Tostitos -- and I'll get everything ironed out soon... um: Soon-ish.
Thanks for your patience here and your support over there. I appreciate it more than I can express. Back to posting....
But I am not complaining. Not for a second. Yesterday was awesome. Amazing. And today is even better. So here's today's Quickie -- heavy on the Tostitos -- and I'll get everything ironed out soon... um: Soon-ish.
Thanks for your patience here and your support over there. I appreciate it more than I can express. Back to posting....
Monday, January 10, 2011
Announcing Quickish.com
I am thrilled to announce the launch of Quickish.com.
Quickish offers real-time news recommendations -- "tips" -- to help you keep up with the biggest things that are happening.
Initially, Quickish will be focused on sports (I'm sure you're shocked).
All I can ask is that you try it out.
Wait: That's not true. I can also ask you to "like" the Facebook page (facebook.com/quickish) and I can also ask you to tell everyone about it -- friends, co-workers, randoms on the street. That would really mean a lot to me. This isn't launching a column on a huge platform with millions of built-in readers; this is building something people love, one fan at a time.
I wouldn't have launched the company if I didn't think that there was a huge value in quick-hit real-time editor-vetted analysis and context about the big topics we're all talking about, updated constantly and around the clock.
As I said a few months ago, if you liked the Daily Quickie, I think you're going to love Quickish.
I also want and need your help. The site has editors, but is powered by tips from readers -- if you find a piece of awesome analysis (and it could come from anywhere from sports news sites to Twitter to Facebook to message boards to TV to talk-radio to use-your-imagination), send it to tips[at]quickish[dot]com, and if you're the first to send it to us and we use it, you get the credit, right next to the content. I know folks here can deliver on that.
If you're looking for the usual morning "Quickie" post, you can now find it at Quickish. I'll post the link as soon as it's ready, and I will have a permanent URL you can bookmark to get the latest.
One last request: Please feel encouraged to send me your feedback about the site. What you like, what you don't, what you want or need but don't see. Just shoot me a note to dan[at]quickish. The feedback is the best part, and I especially want it from readers here.
Thanks again. It's a big swing -- and going to be even more fun.
Quickish.com. Keep up.
-- D.S.
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Sunday (Very Quickish) Quickie
Launching a new company tomorrow?
Launching a new company tomorrow.
This'll be quick -- how relevant! -- but typically superlative: That was the single-best day of Wild Card games in NFL history.
The first-ever sub-.500 NFL playoff team beat the defending Super Bowl champs -- favored by a ton -- in front of a frenzied crowd and featuring the beastmode-iest run in the history of the NFL Playoffs.
Then the mouthiest team in the NFL improbably knocked out the defending conference champ -- and a nemesis its coach had been trash-talking all week -- on a last-second field goal that totally (not to mention metaphorically) tied in to the coach's presumptive foot fetish.
What more can you ask for? (Well, aside from a week of lead-up to Pats-Jets 3.)
Yesterday was an incredible day of NFL football. Here's hoping today's even remotely comes close. (Honestly, I can't see how it can.)
OK, time to head back to Quickish prep. Where has the time gone? (That would qualify for today, the last week, the last six months...)
The site should be live and accessible by 6 a.m. -- but don't hold me to that if tech issues or whatever delay it.
I cannot wait for you to check it out. And I will keep saying this, so forgive me, but I really want your feedback. It matters a lot -- to the product and to me. (At the same time, I'm going to be asking you to help spread the word. Again, please give me a little leeway on that before you get too sick of me asking -- this is only the biggest swing of my professional life.)
Back to programming!
-- D.S.
Saturday, January 08, 2011
01/08 Quickie: Harbaugh, Wild Card
Happy Wild Card Weekend. Saints-Seahawks in the late afternoon; Jets-Colts tonight. More than enough to keep you entertained.
49ers hire Jim Harbaugh: A coup for a franchise that needs a lot of help. Harbaugh is the rare college coach who can/will make a successful transition to the pros.
It doesn't hurt that 8 wins will put him in the hunt for a division title.
(And if he doesn't? That's the 49ers problem; Harbaugh will always be able to command a fortune in college, basically at the program of his choice.)
LSU clobbers Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl: Was that Les Miles' last game for LSU? (Doubt it.)
But who's ready for the BBVA Compass Bowl between Kentucky and Pitt today? (No one? Fair enough.)
NBA: Carmelo to the Nets with help from the Pistons? Sure doesn't seem like it. But when it comes to Carmelo rumors, it doesn't take much to get folks talking.
MLB: Cubs get Matt Garza from the Rays. It's a display of Tampa's crazy surplus of starting pitching that they can ship out Garza -- who would have priced them out anyway, eventually -- yet still have one of the best rotations in the AL. Nice upgrade for Chicago, but the consensus is that the Rays got a ton of talent in return, led by Chris Archer, the Cubs' most recent Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
More NFL Coaching: Jeff Fisher gets another year with the Titans. Bud Adams was obviously not ready to rebuild yet, despite the need for a new franchise QB -- and how that typically goes hand-in-hand with a new coach to help pick him.
CBB Today: UConn at Texas in a Sweet 16-quality match-up. Performance to be filed away for use in March.
Enjoy
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