LSU-Alabama is everything you want in a college football game.
It is the two best teams. But, more than that, it is two teams seemingly playing the game at a different level. That's where this is more than just "1-vs-2," which historically has left plenty of room for the idea that No. 3 or 4 or 5 might be in the discussion.
In this case, there is no debate: These are the two best teams, and they will play each other for the presumptive right to play for (and, again, presumably) win the national title.
(This deciding-it-on-the-field stuff matters a lot, no matter how you feel about the BCS. You want a playoff? This is it. It is laughable that the loser of this game will drop in the rankings behind Oklahoma State -- and probably Boise and Stanford -- when the loser of this game is still the second-best team in the country.)
That parenthetical said, I am virulently against a rematch in any form this season -- say, in the national-title game. I don't care if it is the greatest game ever played and we all are begging for four more quarters. What makes this game so amazing is not just that it pits the best two teams, but that it is definitive. If the loser gets a rematch, this game is essentially meaningless -- more meaningless than any game that will be played in college football this season, actually.
The talent. The subplots. The stakes. This game has it all, and I cannot wait. I don't think it's understating to call it -- at least in pre-game theory -- the best match-up of the year, and that includes the Super Bowl, Heat vs. Anyone in the NBA Playoffs, whatever. Now, the game itself might or might not live up to that expectation -- but the expectation is there. By virtue of college football's system, the magnitude of the outcome alone ensures the game has about as much gravity as any championship elimination game has had this year.
Prediction: Alabama, decisively.
And be sure to check out the Alabama-LSU stream on Quickish. It is loaded with awesome stuff.
More:
*Other CFB this weekend: Oklahoma State is going to throttle Kansas State... Expect Stanford and Boise State to put up big style points, too... If not for LSU-Bama, then Arkansas-South Carolina would be a damn good game of the week... Upset Special: Iowa over Michigan (would Texas Tech over Texas in Austin count?)
*NFL: Steelers-Ravens is the Game of the Week, but -- to the point above -- it is largely inconsequential who wins, because both teams seem to have a bead on the playoffs. I mean, the winner gets an edge for a Wild Card bye and home-field advantage, and that's not nothin'. But let's be honest: The game everyone is going to be paying attention to is the Broncos vs. the Raiders, because Tim Tebow remains the most talked-about topic in football, even if that drives everyone a bit crazy. (Fans and haters, alike.)
*NBA Lockout: This whole "decertification" thing feels like a badly executed feint. The union might as well cave now and save what is left of the season.
*MLB Hot Stove: There are few things I want to see more in 2012 than 49-year-old Jamie Moyer pitch in the Major Leagues again.
*Happy 9th anniversary to Around the Horn. I point to my career 0-4 record proudly.
Have a great weekend. Quickish is rocking the whole time.
-- D.S.
Friday, November 04, 2011
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
11/02 (Pay College Athletes?) Quickie
What to do about paying college athletes gets a bump today. In this week's SI, George Dohrmann takes a deep dive not on the morality, but simply the feasibility. On Grantland today, Charlie Pierce takes on the morality -- and the NCAA's impossibly FUBAR logic.
I go back to an old Shanoff staple: The crux of the problem is the perceived exploitation of the star college football players, the ones who are worth far more than any college could ever afford to pay them, under any system.
The simplest solution is to create a pro football minor league that allows the best/star players (read: top NFL prospects) to skip college at any point -- before their freshman, sophomore or junior years -- to enter a minor-league system that (a) prepares them for the NFL better than college would/could and (b) pays them rather well for it.
College football would be fine -- it doesn't need "star" players. It needs its teams and its traditions. That college football put an emphasis on its biggest future-NFL talents was a huge reason it got itself into this mess (the media have been complicit). The perceived exploitation -- not to mention the levels of compensation in a pay-for-play system -- would be mitigated.
The players would be better off: They would be getting paid. They would be focused full-time on maximizing their NFL potential. Back on campus, scholarship slots would be given to players with no pro future -- the ones for whom a full-ride college scholarship helps set them up for a non-football future.
The NFL would be better off: The league doesn't need the marketing bump of college football to get fans excited about its rookie players. And instead of college players learning college systems and playing for coaches with no incentive to train them for a pro career, they enter a system whose entire rationale is to maximize their NFL potential. While paying them.
I wish Mark Cuban would stop futzing around with a college playoff when the more valuable arbitrage is so obviously the three-year gap between the moment a star player enters college football and the moment they leave for the NFL Draft.
If the minor league gets a nominal, reasonable piece of the players' financial future (we're talking fewer percentage points than an agent would demand), the minor league could be self-sustaining within a few years. There is even a compelling (and ironic) case it be created as a non-profit.
-- D.S.
I go back to an old Shanoff staple: The crux of the problem is the perceived exploitation of the star college football players, the ones who are worth far more than any college could ever afford to pay them, under any system.
The simplest solution is to create a pro football minor league that allows the best/star players (read: top NFL prospects) to skip college at any point -- before their freshman, sophomore or junior years -- to enter a minor-league system that (a) prepares them for the NFL better than college would/could and (b) pays them rather well for it.
College football would be fine -- it doesn't need "star" players. It needs its teams and its traditions. That college football put an emphasis on its biggest future-NFL talents was a huge reason it got itself into this mess (the media have been complicit). The perceived exploitation -- not to mention the levels of compensation in a pay-for-play system -- would be mitigated.
The players would be better off: They would be getting paid. They would be focused full-time on maximizing their NFL potential. Back on campus, scholarship slots would be given to players with no pro future -- the ones for whom a full-ride college scholarship helps set them up for a non-football future.
The NFL would be better off: The league doesn't need the marketing bump of college football to get fans excited about its rookie players. And instead of college players learning college systems and playing for coaches with no incentive to train them for a pro career, they enter a system whose entire rationale is to maximize their NFL potential. While paying them.
I wish Mark Cuban would stop futzing around with a college playoff when the more valuable arbitrage is so obviously the three-year gap between the moment a star player enters college football and the moment they leave for the NFL Draft.
If the minor league gets a nominal, reasonable piece of the players' financial future (we're talking fewer percentage points than an agent would demand), the minor league could be self-sustaining within a few years. There is even a compelling (and ironic) case it be created as a non-profit.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
11/01 (Flag Football) Quickie
Excuse me, but I'm a little obsessed with Kevin Durant spontaneously showing up at an Oklahoma State frat flag-football game and playing, because one of the frat guys tweeted him about it.
(I appreciate the frat guy's hustle. When I was in college, I was the intramurals impresario for my house.)
Despite my complete aversion to tackle football as a sport any kid should be playing (or any parent should be letting a kid play), I have Gabe signed up for flag football, starting this Saturday. I guess I need to look into getting him a Durant Sigma Nu No. 35 jersey.
Meanwhile...
*Good for Tony La Russa: Impressive ending to an already Hall of Fame career.
*The Tim Tebow backlash (aka "The Tebacklash"): Can't say the schadenfreude was unexpected. I follow this pretty carefully (obviously) and think he'll get 3-4 more starts from John Fox, then get benched for the rest of the season (barring injury to Brady Quinn), then get cut in the offseason (then get signed by Bill Belichick, who will turn him into a QB/RB/FB/TE/WR hybrid who scored 10+ TDs per season).
*Chargers blow it: Yeesh.
*MLB Hot Stove: Yankees lock up CC Sabathia by throwing an extra $30M or so at him for a year down the road. Good move by both sides.
*NBA Lockout: I'm a little obsessed with the "amnesty" stuff. Prediction: The team that wins the NBA title will have in its playoff rotation at least one amnestied player.
*Kardashian and Humphries divorce after 72 days: Everything's kind of been said, hasn't it?
*Congrats to my pals at SB Nation -- now Vox Media -- on the re-branding of the parent company and the official launch of The Verge, instantly one of the great tech-news sites.
It's November already?
-- D.S.
(I appreciate the frat guy's hustle. When I was in college, I was the intramurals impresario for my house.)
Despite my complete aversion to tackle football as a sport any kid should be playing (or any parent should be letting a kid play), I have Gabe signed up for flag football, starting this Saturday. I guess I need to look into getting him a Durant Sigma Nu No. 35 jersey.
Meanwhile...
*Good for Tony La Russa: Impressive ending to an already Hall of Fame career.
*The Tim Tebow backlash (aka "The Tebacklash"): Can't say the schadenfreude was unexpected. I follow this pretty carefully (obviously) and think he'll get 3-4 more starts from John Fox, then get benched for the rest of the season (barring injury to Brady Quinn), then get cut in the offseason (then get signed by Bill Belichick, who will turn him into a QB/RB/FB/TE/WR hybrid who scored 10+ TDs per season).
*Chargers blow it: Yeesh.
*MLB Hot Stove: Yankees lock up CC Sabathia by throwing an extra $30M or so at him for a year down the road. Good move by both sides.
*NBA Lockout: I'm a little obsessed with the "amnesty" stuff. Prediction: The team that wins the NBA title will have in its playoff rotation at least one amnestied player.
*Kardashian and Humphries divorce after 72 days: Everything's kind of been said, hasn't it?
*Congrats to my pals at SB Nation -- now Vox Media -- on the re-branding of the parent company and the official launch of The Verge, instantly one of the great tech-news sites.
It's November already?
-- D.S.
Monday, October 31, 2011
This Week's BlogPoll Top 25 Ballot
The winner of LSU-Alabama will play for the national title (unless the winner of that game has some kind of freakish epic upset later this season). That is a phenomenal outcome -- among the best you can get in an inherently flawed system -- when the two best teams can play each other and the winner gets a clear shot at the national title. (And, really, does anyone think that Stanford or Oklahoma State or Boise can really beat the LSU-Alabama winner? Or LSU-Alabama loser, for that matter.) The other spot is Oklahoma State's to lose... that is, until they lose to Oklahoma. Then it's Stanford's to lose... that is, until they lose to Oregon. And then we'll have a ravaging national debate about whether Boise's unbeaten record built on top of a middling schedule deserves preference over a 1-loss team (Oregon or Oklahoma, neither of which have proven themselves worthy of a title shot) with a vastly superior schedule. Here's this week's ballot:
DanShanoff.com Ballot - Week 10
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSU Tigers | -- |
| 2 | Alabama Crimson Tide | -- |
| 3 | Stanford Cardinal |  2 |
| 4 | Boise St. Broncos | -- |
| 5 | Oklahoma St. Cowboys |  -2 |
| 6 | Oregon Ducks | -- |
| 7 | Oklahoma Sooners | 1 |
| 8 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 2 |
| 9 | Houston Cougars | 6 |
| 10 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 4 |
| 11 | Clemson Tigers | -4 |
| 12 | Texas A&M Aggies | 1 |
| 13 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 5 |
| 14 | Kansas St. Wildcats | -2 |
| 15 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 1 |
| 16 | Michigan St. Spartans | -5 |
| 17 | Wisconsin Badgers | -8 |
| 18 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | -- |
| 19 | Texas Tech Red Raiders | -2 |
| 20 | Michigan Wolverines | -1 |
| 21 | Texas Longhorns | -- |
| 22 | Arizona St. Sun Devils | -2 |
| 23 | Penn St. Nittany Lions | -2 |
| 24 | TCU Horned Frogs | -- |
| 25 | West Virginia Mountaineers | -- |
| Dropouts: Baylor Bears, USC Trojans, Cincinnati Bearcats | ||
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »
Sunday, October 30, 2011
10/30 (Luck!) Quickie
Remember a few weeks ago when so many "experts" were worried about 4 or 5 or even 6 unbeaten teams this season? Ha: Quaint times.
We're down to just a handful now, after Clemson pulled a Clemson and K-State felt Oklahoma's wrath (let's not even speak of poor Wisconsin).
Stanford barely survived its trip to USC -- Andrew Luck looked brilliant (well, except for the pick-6 that could have cost the Cardinal its dream season). Stanford will lose to Oregon.
Oklahoma State throttled Baylor -- a very good Baylor team, I thought. The Cowboys have some swagger... just enough to peek past rival Oklahoma to the BCS title game. OKS will lose, too.
There is the winner of LSU-Alabama next week -- as it should be, at least one half of the national championship picture settled on the field, head-to-head -- and then... who?
I'd like to see Boise, even though I think Boise's schedule is a sham and a scam. As usual, there are probably a dozen teams in the country that could go unbeaten with Boise's schedule. I try not to let that obscure that they are, in fact, a terrific team in the absolute sense. (Frankly, I'm unclear that Boise could hold off Houston, another prolific unbeaten with even less of a chance of playing for the national title than Boise.)
But what we have -- and this is mostly perennially -- is the excitement that a single loss ruins aspirations for more (as if an ACC title and BCS bowl game is a terrible outcome for Clemson) and the clarity that comes with sports' most exciting and most(ly) meaningful regular season.
Clemson didn't make it. Stanford is still going. Oklahoma State looks strong. And the rest of us are captivated along the way.
-- D.S.
(Oh, NFL Week 8 today, so it's Red Zone Channel all day. Pats-Steelers might be the Game of the Week, but you should expect plenty of coverage of Tebow vs. the Lions.)
We're down to just a handful now, after Clemson pulled a Clemson and K-State felt Oklahoma's wrath (let's not even speak of poor Wisconsin).
Stanford barely survived its trip to USC -- Andrew Luck looked brilliant (well, except for the pick-6 that could have cost the Cardinal its dream season). Stanford will lose to Oregon.
Oklahoma State throttled Baylor -- a very good Baylor team, I thought. The Cowboys have some swagger... just enough to peek past rival Oklahoma to the BCS title game. OKS will lose, too.
There is the winner of LSU-Alabama next week -- as it should be, at least one half of the national championship picture settled on the field, head-to-head -- and then... who?
I'd like to see Boise, even though I think Boise's schedule is a sham and a scam. As usual, there are probably a dozen teams in the country that could go unbeaten with Boise's schedule. I try not to let that obscure that they are, in fact, a terrific team in the absolute sense. (Frankly, I'm unclear that Boise could hold off Houston, another prolific unbeaten with even less of a chance of playing for the national title than Boise.)
But what we have -- and this is mostly perennially -- is the excitement that a single loss ruins aspirations for more (as if an ACC title and BCS bowl game is a terrible outcome for Clemson) and the clarity that comes with sports' most exciting and most(ly) meaningful regular season.
Clemson didn't make it. Stanford is still going. Oklahoma State looks strong. And the rest of us are captivated along the way.
-- D.S.
(Oh, NFL Week 8 today, so it's Red Zone Channel all day. Pats-Steelers might be the Game of the Week, but you should expect plenty of coverage of Tebow vs. the Lions.)
Saturday, October 29, 2011
10/29 (Cardinals!) Quickie
What an amazing World Series champion -- one of the most unique in baseball history. You don't have to be a Cardinals fan to appreciate what they did (or, more importantly, how they did it).
They came back from 10+ games behind at the end of August. They played a big role in "Game 162." They beat Roy Halladay in an elimination game. They played in that unreal Game 6 on Thursday night. The rain-out let Carpenter pitch in Game 7. They have the best player of the generation (yes, who might leave in a few weeks). They have a polarizing manager. They have a group of no-names and reclamation projects and hometown kids and mid-season trades. They have a World Series championship and the accompanying baseball immortality.
More than anything -- and apologies in advance for the trite observation -- it reminds that just when you think sports can't get any more amazing, they do.
College Football Saturday: LSU and Bama have a bye week to get ready for each other next week in the Game of the Year, but plenty of intriguing games on the schedule today:
*Is at USC the trap game for Stanford? (Remember when Stanford was the trap game for Pete Carroll?)
*Is this the week (at GA Tech) that Clemson finally pulls a Clemson? (Yes.)
*Can Baylor and Robert Griffin keep up with Oklahoma State in Stillwater? (Unlikely.)
*Does a bitter Oklahoma take out last week's season-killing disappointment on still-unbeaten K-State in Manhattan? (Yes.)
*Does a bitter Wisconsin take out last week's season-killing disappointment on Ohio State? (Yes.)
*What's the "let-down" factor for Michigan State at Nebraska? (Big enough.)
*Has Georgia-Florida ever been less exciting? (In 11 years of avidly following, nope.)
*Nominal Upset Specials: Tennessee over Lattimore-less South Carolina in Knoxville, Purdue over Michigan in Ann Arbor. Oklahoma over Kansas State doesn't count.
So maybe Stanford, Oklahoma State and Clemson will all win -- although, after last week's insanity, the chance is better than not that one of them will stumble -- but each team gets a chance to bolster its resume and reputation with a quality win.
-- D.S.
They came back from 10+ games behind at the end of August. They played a big role in "Game 162." They beat Roy Halladay in an elimination game. They played in that unreal Game 6 on Thursday night. The rain-out let Carpenter pitch in Game 7. They have the best player of the generation (yes, who might leave in a few weeks). They have a polarizing manager. They have a group of no-names and reclamation projects and hometown kids and mid-season trades. They have a World Series championship and the accompanying baseball immortality.
More than anything -- and apologies in advance for the trite observation -- it reminds that just when you think sports can't get any more amazing, they do.
College Football Saturday: LSU and Bama have a bye week to get ready for each other next week in the Game of the Year, but plenty of intriguing games on the schedule today:
*Is at USC the trap game for Stanford? (Remember when Stanford was the trap game for Pete Carroll?)
*Is this the week (at GA Tech) that Clemson finally pulls a Clemson? (Yes.)
*Can Baylor and Robert Griffin keep up with Oklahoma State in Stillwater? (Unlikely.)
*Does a bitter Oklahoma take out last week's season-killing disappointment on still-unbeaten K-State in Manhattan? (Yes.)
*Does a bitter Wisconsin take out last week's season-killing disappointment on Ohio State? (Yes.)
*What's the "let-down" factor for Michigan State at Nebraska? (Big enough.)
*Has Georgia-Florida ever been less exciting? (In 11 years of avidly following, nope.)
*Nominal Upset Specials: Tennessee over Lattimore-less South Carolina in Knoxville, Purdue over Michigan in Ann Arbor. Oklahoma over Kansas State doesn't count.
So maybe Stanford, Oklahoma State and Clemson will all win -- although, after last week's insanity, the chance is better than not that one of them will stumble -- but each team gets a chance to bolster its resume and reputation with a quality win.
-- D.S.
Friday, October 28, 2011
10/28 (Cardinals! Game 6! Holy S--t!) Quickie
As a sports fan, I live for those rare moments of pure unexpected drama-infused joy-hysteria-awesomeness. Last night was one of them.
Without hyperbole or typical "instant-history" crazy, it was one of the greatest baseball games of all time.
Joe Buck takes a lot of grief, but even he nailed the perfect climactic note, echoing his father's famous "We will see you tomorrow night!" from the walk-off Game 6 20 years ago.
I want to do it justice here, but I'm not sure I can. Instead, I'm putting all my energy into Quickish -- into creating the best collection of columns, front pages, videos and Tweets you'll find anywhere.
Please give it a look (and pass it along to your friends). What a night and what a day-after. (And Game 7 coming tonight. Whew.)
-- D.S.
Without hyperbole or typical "instant-history" crazy, it was one of the greatest baseball games of all time.
Joe Buck takes a lot of grief, but even he nailed the perfect climactic note, echoing his father's famous "We will see you tomorrow night!" from the walk-off Game 6 20 years ago.
I want to do it justice here, but I'm not sure I can. Instead, I'm putting all my energy into Quickish -- into creating the best collection of columns, front pages, videos and Tweets you'll find anywhere.
Please give it a look (and pass it along to your friends). What a night and what a day-after. (And Game 7 coming tonight. Whew.)
-- D.S.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
The Night the Red Sox Won the World Series
So 7 years ago tonight the Red Sox won the World Series. I was leaving the next morning for my honeymoon, and I knew I wouldn't be able to write about it after the fact.
But the Sox winning the World Series was such a HUGE deal that I just had to have my say. So in the Quickie before that Game 4 the Sox clinched the title, I wrote everything I would have said had I been writing the next morning, one of the more memorable columns for me:
-- D.S.
But the Sox winning the World Series was such a HUGE deal that I just had to have my say. So in the Quickie before that Game 4 the Sox clinched the title, I wrote everything I would have said had I been writing the next morning, one of the more memorable columns for me:
Two Words For You:Fun times.
REALLY. OVER.
It's over, and this time I really mean it.
There will be no historic 0-3 comeback. We've already had one of those. Laugh at the people who cite the ALCS as some kind of precedent.
Once you give yourself over to the only conclusion possible, it hits you like very few feelings you've ever had as a sports fan:
The Red Sox.
Are gonna win.
The championship.
I'm so sure that Boston is going to capture their first world title since 1918, that I'm going to pre-empt the series' remaining games and write a "Sox Win!" lead today, to beat the crowds.
(Okay, I'm also doing it because I'll be on my honeymoon starting tomorrow -- and it's so wrong that I might miss commenting this moment.)
Break out the champagne ...
Sox Win!?!?
"Pre-printed" from after the Sox eventually win, despite the hostility today from my "believe-it-but-can't" RSN friends to stop me:
What the hell happens next? For sports fans everywhere, the reality we have all known, grown up with and lived with for our entire lives will change.
What's that? Jumping the gun?
No more Curse? No more New England fatalism? No more self-loathing?
RSN is averting their eyes...
Clocks will be re-set: Not Daylight Savings, but some kind of Spiritual Savings, at least for Red Sox Nation.
Protest howls! (And peeking?)
As for the rest of us, we can simply bask in experiencing something that no one younger than 86 has ever been around for.
It's okay, Sox fans. Embrace it! I'm already on the other side, and I can tell you: It's the most liberating sense you've ever had!
-- D.S.
10/27 (Tebowing) Quickie
I'm in the 99th percentile of people who pay attention to the Tim Tebow phenomenon, and even I have to step back and marvel that two days ago some dude created "Tebowing."
Game 6 can't get here fast enough.
Game 6 can't get here fast enough.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
10/26 (Game 6) Quickie
*Would love to have the World Series Game 6 tonight -- unclear if the weather will accommodate. It'll change the pitching availability a bit at the margins, particularly for a Game 7. (Game 6 pick: Cards)
*I don't mind admitting that the NBA Lockout discussion -- which is full-throttle, every day, if you're following NBA folks on Twitter -- is wearing me out. I think I'm in the silent majority (which includes plenty of NBA media) that sympathizes with the players but would rather see the season start now than the players get a fair deal. It's abhorrent but true.
*As I have been since the start, I am totally down with Theo in Chicago. As a die-hard Cubs fan as a child (if not today), I can get behind this.
*More good Tebow analysis.
Pop by Quickish for a bunch of good recommendations (on a surprisingly slow day).
-- D.S.
*I don't mind admitting that the NBA Lockout discussion -- which is full-throttle, every day, if you're following NBA folks on Twitter -- is wearing me out. I think I'm in the silent majority (which includes plenty of NBA media) that sympathizes with the players but would rather see the season start now than the players get a fair deal. It's abhorrent but true.
*As I have been since the start, I am totally down with Theo in Chicago. As a die-hard Cubs fan as a child (if not today), I can get behind this.
*More good Tebow analysis.
Pop by Quickish for a bunch of good recommendations (on a surprisingly slow day).
-- D.S.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
10/25 (La Russa) Quickie
What happened last night in the bottom of the 8th inning -- La Russa's debacle -- was so inexplicable (literally and metaphorically) and so unexpected (not to mention so critical in the grand scheme of winning a World Series title) that I found myself rooting on the insanity.
Partly, that's because I'm not a huge La Russa fan. Partly, that's because I enjoyed the irony of the folks who just a few nights ago were praising TLR as a genius now burying him. Partly, that's because it was just so damn fascinating.
Frankly, this is what Quickish was made for: This morning, I've pulled together the best reactions to La Russa. Quickish showcases a money quote, but you can click through to read all the various rippings of the manager, all deserved.
(It's worth noting that if the guy had simply said: "Cripes, did I mess up," it's mitigated. But by obfuscating and throwing his coaches under a bus, he compounds his initial problems. Remember: The cover-up -- in whatever form it takes -- is almost always worse than the crime.)
NFL MNF WTF: I didn't watch, but from all accounts, the Ravens-Jaguars game -- featuring what I think we can all agree was a stunning JAX upset of a team many thought was a contender in the AFC -- was a dog. I will say this: I won my fantasy league week in dramatic come-from-behind fashion thanks to Josh Scobee. So there's that.
Have you seen that Wade-CP3-Melo TV ad yet? It might be my favorite ad since the Volkswagen Super Bowl "Star Wars Kid" ad. Check it out here. I don't want to spoil it, but let me just say that I thought I had seen my favorite part when -- BOOM -- the ad takes it to an entirely new level of awesome.
More later.
-- D.S.
Partly, that's because I'm not a huge La Russa fan. Partly, that's because I enjoyed the irony of the folks who just a few nights ago were praising TLR as a genius now burying him. Partly, that's because it was just so damn fascinating.
Frankly, this is what Quickish was made for: This morning, I've pulled together the best reactions to La Russa. Quickish showcases a money quote, but you can click through to read all the various rippings of the manager, all deserved.
(It's worth noting that if the guy had simply said: "Cripes, did I mess up," it's mitigated. But by obfuscating and throwing his coaches under a bus, he compounds his initial problems. Remember: The cover-up -- in whatever form it takes -- is almost always worse than the crime.)
NFL MNF WTF: I didn't watch, but from all accounts, the Ravens-Jaguars game -- featuring what I think we can all agree was a stunning JAX upset of a team many thought was a contender in the AFC -- was a dog. I will say this: I won my fantasy league week in dramatic come-from-behind fashion thanks to Josh Scobee. So there's that.
Have you seen that Wade-CP3-Melo TV ad yet? It might be my favorite ad since the Volkswagen Super Bowl "Star Wars Kid" ad. Check it out here. I don't want to spoil it, but let me just say that I thought I had seen my favorite part when -- BOOM -- the ad takes it to an entirely new level of awesome.
More later.
-- D.S.
Monday, October 24, 2011
10/24 (Tebow) Quickie
As a longtime Tebow-watcher, the defining moment for me of yesterday's Are-You-Not-Entertained?! game was just after Prater kicked the game-winning field goal in OT. Tebow's reaction was to drop to a knee, then calmly walk around hugging his teammates. No jumping around. No histrionics.
Tebow was clearly glad to have won the game, but he clearly understood that his performance for the first 55 minutes was sub-par. Partly that was him, partly that was the typically orthodox-to-a-fault Broncos coaches' play-calling.
When things opened up in the furious final few minutes -- the first successful NFL comeback from 15 points down with 3 minutes to play in 40 years -- good things happened. John Fox could learn a lesson from that.
Prepare yourselves: It's going to be a long week of Tebow mania -- not from me, but from the mainstream media; I'm demure by comparison. I think it's fair -- even predictable -- that Tebow's performance gave both the fans and the haters something to latch on to. Wouldn't be any other way.
Other notes from NFL Week 7: Drew Brees was incredible, even if it was against the Colts... Aaron Rodgers' 2011 season is quite possibly the greatest I have ever seen by any NFL player (or perhaps any team-sport athlete)... Love the breakouts, including DeMarco Murray's... I have to admit: I thought Carson Palmer would be a lot better (then again, that's a low bar).
CFB: LSU-Alabama? Yes! Twice? No! I said this below -- I think that LSU and Alabama are clearly the two best teams in the country, and that won't change after they play on November 5. But this idea of a rematch in the event the other unbeaten teams get nicked (and it could easily happen -- OK St losing to Okla and Stanford losing to Oregon and Clemson losing to anyone) is brutal. The amazingness of the game on Nov. 5 is that it is a de facto playoff; that is entirely undercut if the idea is that the loser gets another shot. I'm aggressively anti-Rematch.
(I am, however, rooting for the above-mentioned unbeatens to lose; I'd love to see a LSU-Bama winner vs. Boise national title game, even though there is an entirely fair argument that penalizing a 1-loss team (or teams) for having an infinitely more difficult schedule than unbeaten Boise is patently unfair.)
MLB: Derek Holland's mustache is as amazing as his performance last night. This is one hell of an entertaining World Series, and the idea that it's now a best-of-3, with Carpenter vs. Wilson tonight in the so-called "pivotal" Game 5, is quickly bringing this Series up the all-time best-ever rankings.
-- D.S.
Tebow was clearly glad to have won the game, but he clearly understood that his performance for the first 55 minutes was sub-par. Partly that was him, partly that was the typically orthodox-to-a-fault Broncos coaches' play-calling.
When things opened up in the furious final few minutes -- the first successful NFL comeback from 15 points down with 3 minutes to play in 40 years -- good things happened. John Fox could learn a lesson from that.
Prepare yourselves: It's going to be a long week of Tebow mania -- not from me, but from the mainstream media; I'm demure by comparison. I think it's fair -- even predictable -- that Tebow's performance gave both the fans and the haters something to latch on to. Wouldn't be any other way.
Other notes from NFL Week 7: Drew Brees was incredible, even if it was against the Colts... Aaron Rodgers' 2011 season is quite possibly the greatest I have ever seen by any NFL player (or perhaps any team-sport athlete)... Love the breakouts, including DeMarco Murray's... I have to admit: I thought Carson Palmer would be a lot better (then again, that's a low bar).
CFB: LSU-Alabama? Yes! Twice? No! I said this below -- I think that LSU and Alabama are clearly the two best teams in the country, and that won't change after they play on November 5. But this idea of a rematch in the event the other unbeaten teams get nicked (and it could easily happen -- OK St losing to Okla and Stanford losing to Oregon and Clemson losing to anyone) is brutal. The amazingness of the game on Nov. 5 is that it is a de facto playoff; that is entirely undercut if the idea is that the loser gets another shot. I'm aggressively anti-Rematch.
(I am, however, rooting for the above-mentioned unbeatens to lose; I'd love to see a LSU-Bama winner vs. Boise national title game, even though there is an entirely fair argument that penalizing a 1-loss team (or teams) for having an infinitely more difficult schedule than unbeaten Boise is patently unfair.)
MLB: Derek Holland's mustache is as amazing as his performance last night. This is one hell of an entertaining World Series, and the idea that it's now a best-of-3, with Carpenter vs. Wilson tonight in the so-called "pivotal" Game 5, is quickly bringing this Series up the all-time best-ever rankings.
-- D.S.
This Week's BlogPoll Top 25 Ballot
It's LSU and Alabama. I'm already weary of the ludicrous talk that there could be a rematch for the national title. I hate that idea -- it diminishes the game on Nov. 5. If they're just going to play again, who cares who wins? The whole idea is that whoever wins this game on Nov. 5 means EVERYTHING. It's a de facto playoff, which is a huge part of its appeal. I'm 100% against the "rematch" idea.
DanShanoff.com Ballot - Week 9
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSU Tigers | -- |
| 2 | Alabama Crimson Tide | -- |
| 3 | Oklahoma St. Cowboys | 4 |
| 4 | Boise St. Broncos | 1 |
| 5 | Stanford Cardinal | 1 |
| 6 | Oregon Ducks | 2 |
| 7 | Clemson Tigers | 2 |
| 8 | Oklahoma Sooners | -4 |
| 9 | Wisconsin Badgers | -6 |
| 10 | Arkansas Razorbacks | -- |
| 11 | Michigan St. Spartans | 5 |
| 12 | Kansas St. Wildcats | 7 |
| 13 | Texas A&M Aggies | -2 |
| 14 | South Carolina Gamecocks | -2 |
| 15 | Houston Cougars | -2 |
| 16 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 2 |
| 17 | Texas Tech Red Raiders | -- |
| 18 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | -1 |
| 19 | Michigan Wolverines | 3 |
| 20 | Arizona St. Sun Devils | -5 |
| 21 | Penn St. Nittany Lions | -- |
| 22 | Baylor Bears | 3 |
| 23 | USC Trojans | -- |
| 24 | Cincinnati Bearcats | -- |
| 25 | West Virginia Mountaineers | -11 |
| Dropouts: Auburn Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, SMU Mustangs | ||
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »
Friday, October 21, 2011
Happy 10th Anniversary, PTI
PTI -- celebrating its 10th anniversary on Saturday -- is the best TV show in the history of sports television. Period. The end.
(Here's what I said last year on the 9th anniversary.)
(Here's what I said last year on the 9th anniversary.)
Thursday, October 20, 2011
10/21 (Weekend Watch) Quickie
First, a happy 10th anniversary to PTI, the best show in the history of sports television.
Rangers tie up World Series: After a day of glowing reviews for Tony La Russa's managerial prowess, it was only natural that he out-think himself into blowing the 9th-inning lead for the Cards.
NBA: The mediation between the players and owners imploded. It's not that I think the season will be cancelled; I do think that it's unlikely it will get started until January 2012. You're totally allowed to ignore the moment-to-moment coverage until there is a resolution.
CFB Preview: The Game of the Week is Wisconsin at Michigan State. I predict the Badgers win by 30. Can we please insert them into the discussion with Oklahoma as the Best Team Not Alabama-LSU Winner?
*Other games of note: Auburn at LSU, with LSU missing the Honey Badger and their killer of an RB, Ware. If Auburn didn't look so horrible last week beating Florida, I might give Auburn a chance here. But it won't be close.
*Upset Special: Well, Clemson is due for their mid-season implosion, aren't they? (Last week was just foreshadowing.) I'd love to have the guts to pick Washington over Stanford, but I'm firmly on the Luck bandwagon. Kansas State losing at Kansas would be hilarious.
My Favorite NFL Storylines:
*Tebow: Tebow, Tebow, Tebow. You know you're following it.
*Carson Palmer in Oakland: Good thing the Chiefs are terrible.
*Must-Win for... Atlanta in Detroit? Jets at home vs. Chargers?
*Laughable mismatch: Packers at Vikings
*Cam Newton Watch: Home vs. Redskins
*Suck for Luck Update: Easy loss for the Colts at N.O. And the biggest reason I think Tebow will have a great game vs. Miami is that the Dolphins are in full-on tank mode, especially against a team that would potentially be a "Suck for Luck" contender with a loss in Miami.
Business: The NFL is launching a VC fund. I got up to stretch my legs a bit with a brief analysis about it for CNBC.com. Check it out here.
Have a great weekend. Great stuff all day today (and all weekend long) at Quickish.
-- D.S.
Rangers tie up World Series: After a day of glowing reviews for Tony La Russa's managerial prowess, it was only natural that he out-think himself into blowing the 9th-inning lead for the Cards.
NBA: The mediation between the players and owners imploded. It's not that I think the season will be cancelled; I do think that it's unlikely it will get started until January 2012. You're totally allowed to ignore the moment-to-moment coverage until there is a resolution.
CFB Preview: The Game of the Week is Wisconsin at Michigan State. I predict the Badgers win by 30. Can we please insert them into the discussion with Oklahoma as the Best Team Not Alabama-LSU Winner?
*Other games of note: Auburn at LSU, with LSU missing the Honey Badger and their killer of an RB, Ware. If Auburn didn't look so horrible last week beating Florida, I might give Auburn a chance here. But it won't be close.
*Upset Special: Well, Clemson is due for their mid-season implosion, aren't they? (Last week was just foreshadowing.) I'd love to have the guts to pick Washington over Stanford, but I'm firmly on the Luck bandwagon. Kansas State losing at Kansas would be hilarious.
My Favorite NFL Storylines:
*Tebow: Tebow, Tebow, Tebow. You know you're following it.
*Carson Palmer in Oakland: Good thing the Chiefs are terrible.
*Must-Win for... Atlanta in Detroit? Jets at home vs. Chargers?
*Laughable mismatch: Packers at Vikings
*Cam Newton Watch: Home vs. Redskins
*Suck for Luck Update: Easy loss for the Colts at N.O. And the biggest reason I think Tebow will have a great game vs. Miami is that the Dolphins are in full-on tank mode, especially against a team that would potentially be a "Suck for Luck" contender with a loss in Miami.
Business: The NFL is launching a VC fund. I got up to stretch my legs a bit with a brief analysis about it for CNBC.com. Check it out here.
Have a great weekend. Great stuff all day today (and all weekend long) at Quickish.
-- D.S.
10/20 (La Russa) Quickie
So the dominant storyline this morning is that Tony La Russa's managing moves were on full display last night in the Cards' taut Game 1 win over the Rangers. (The flip side, of course, is that La Russa didn't simply do clever things, but he out-managed Ron Washington.)
To the extent that the MLB manager has substantial power over a game's result -- and, at the margins, they most certainly do -- La Russa has put on a clinic this month. When he goes into the Hall of Fame, this will be his defining display.
Theo to the Cubs is nearly done: And he's apparently taking Quickie favorite Jed Hoyer with him.
LSU going to be missing Mathieu and Ware on Saturday: If this was the Alabama game, LSU would be screwed. Against largely hapless Auburn, they'll be fine.
CBB Coaches' Top 25: UNC is No. 1, obviously. Most notable for me: Belmont -- widely considered a Cinderella favorite in the Butler mold -- didn't get a single vote for any coach, not even for the No. 25 pity slot.
Tebow mania: Whether you like it or not (and I'd argue you should like it), it is going to be THE storyline on Sunday. Really good piece on Tebow from the cover of ESPN Mag. (And I'm pretty critical of most Tebow coverage; Keown really did a good job here.)
- D.S.
To the extent that the MLB manager has substantial power over a game's result -- and, at the margins, they most certainly do -- La Russa has put on a clinic this month. When he goes into the Hall of Fame, this will be his defining display.
Theo to the Cubs is nearly done: And he's apparently taking Quickie favorite Jed Hoyer with him.
LSU going to be missing Mathieu and Ware on Saturday: If this was the Alabama game, LSU would be screwed. Against largely hapless Auburn, they'll be fine.
CBB Coaches' Top 25: UNC is No. 1, obviously. Most notable for me: Belmont -- widely considered a Cinderella favorite in the Butler mold -- didn't get a single vote for any coach, not even for the No. 25 pity slot.
Tebow mania: Whether you like it or not (and I'd argue you should like it), it is going to be THE storyline on Sunday. Really good piece on Tebow from the cover of ESPN Mag. (And I'm pretty critical of most Tebow coverage; Keown really did a good job here.)
- D.S.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
10/19 (Game 1) Quickie
*Cardinals in 7: All signs point to the Rangers winning the World Series -- that lineup! that bullpen! And yet, all signs have pointed to the Cardinals facing oblivion for months, and that hasn't stopped them from advancing. The irony is that "This Time It Counts" will actually... count.
*Raiders trade for Carson Palmer: If Palmer is healthy? OK, maybe this works out for Oakland. I give them credit for trying to win now, with the playoffs in sight, rather than simply folding up. That said: The Bengals pulled in a haul -- one 1st-round pick, possibly two? Bravo, Mike Brown.
*Suck for Luck update: Or should that be "Luck's Run Out?" I read this item yesterday that Team Luck is more sophisticated and aggressive than even Team Eli, and you remember how that went on draft day. (Actually, a whole lot of griping by the media about the Mannings, quickly forgotten, particularly when Eli led the Giants to a Super Bowl title.)
Here's the upshot: If you think that just because your team tanks 0-16, you're definitely going to secure Andrew Luck, you're making a tenuous assumption. There's no reason that the Lucks won't pick their franchise and demand a draft-day trade to that franchise.
*Vikings bench McNabb, start Ponder: By all accounts, Ponder isn't ready. But McNabb has been terrible, and the Vikings might as well figure out whether the high draft pick they spent on Ponder last year is worth it. I'm all for giving the rookie some experience.
*NBA Lockout: I follow a lot of people on Twitter for Quickish, and nothing has been more wince-inducing than the coverage from the cadre of NBA reporters staking out the mediation between the owners and players. That is one bored, pathetic bunch.
*LeBron is No. 1 on ESPN's Top 400 ranking of NBA players: As he should be. (That doesn't mean that we all can't feverishly root against him.)
Lots of great stuff at Quickish. If you missed yesterday, roll on by this morning to catch up fast. Otherwise, pop by throughout the day to keep up with the best takes on the biggest topics.
-- D.S.
*Raiders trade for Carson Palmer: If Palmer is healthy? OK, maybe this works out for Oakland. I give them credit for trying to win now, with the playoffs in sight, rather than simply folding up. That said: The Bengals pulled in a haul -- one 1st-round pick, possibly two? Bravo, Mike Brown.
*Suck for Luck update: Or should that be "Luck's Run Out?" I read this item yesterday that Team Luck is more sophisticated and aggressive than even Team Eli, and you remember how that went on draft day. (Actually, a whole lot of griping by the media about the Mannings, quickly forgotten, particularly when Eli led the Giants to a Super Bowl title.)
Here's the upshot: If you think that just because your team tanks 0-16, you're definitely going to secure Andrew Luck, you're making a tenuous assumption. There's no reason that the Lucks won't pick their franchise and demand a draft-day trade to that franchise.
*Vikings bench McNabb, start Ponder: By all accounts, Ponder isn't ready. But McNabb has been terrible, and the Vikings might as well figure out whether the high draft pick they spent on Ponder last year is worth it. I'm all for giving the rookie some experience.
*NBA Lockout: I follow a lot of people on Twitter for Quickish, and nothing has been more wince-inducing than the coverage from the cadre of NBA reporters staking out the mediation between the owners and players. That is one bored, pathetic bunch.
*LeBron is No. 1 on ESPN's Top 400 ranking of NBA players: As he should be. (That doesn't mean that we all can't feverishly root against him.)
Lots of great stuff at Quickish. If you missed yesterday, roll on by this morning to catch up fast. Otherwise, pop by throughout the day to keep up with the best takes on the biggest topics.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
This Week's BlogPoll Top 25 Ballot
DanShanoff.com Ballot - Week 8
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSU Tigers | -- |
| 2 | Alabama Crimson Tide | -- |
| 3 | Wisconsin Badgers | -- |
| 4 | Oklahoma Sooners | -- |
| 5 | Boise St. Broncos | -- |
| 6 | Stanford Cardinal | -- |
| 7 | Oklahoma St. Cowboys | -- |
| 8 | Oregon Ducks | -- |
| 9 | Clemson Tigers | -- |
| 10 | Arkansas Razorbacks | -- |
| 11 | Texas A&M Aggies | -- |
| 12 | South Carolina Gamecocks | -- |
| 13 | Houston Cougars | 1 |
| 14 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 2 |
| 15 | Arizona St. Sun Devils | 2 |
| 16 | Michigan St. Spartans | -- |
| 17 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 2 |
| 18 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 2 |
| 19 | Kansas St. Wildcats | 2 |
| 20 | Auburn Tigers | -5 |
| 21 | Georgia Bulldogs | -- |
| 22 | Michigan Wolverines | -4 |
| 23 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | -10 |
| 24 | SMU Mustangs | -- |
| 25 | Baylor Bears | -3 |
| Dropouts: Texas Longhorns, Florida Gators, Illinois Fighting Illini | ||
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »
Monday, October 17, 2011
10/17 (Harbaugh vs. Schwartz) Quickie
NFL Week 6: The story, of course, is the Harbaugh-Schwartz handshake smackdown after the 49ers shocked the Lions in Detroit.
Here's where I net out: Jim Harbaugh WAS over-enthusiastic, and he sure as hell earned the right to be. I don't buy that there's a handshake "protocol" -- Jim Schwartz (no stranger to what some might call "showing up" opposing teams and coaches from his sidelines) was just sore that he lost; he is entirely entitled to be a bit pissy. But in that scenario, Schwartz has got to keep his cool and not make it into a bigger deal.
If we're in the fault-assignment business, I'd give more -- way more, actually -- to Schwartz than Harbaugh. But the larger point is this: Is there even a problem here? Oh, the prudes will have a field day -- either griping about Harbaugh's enthusiasm or Schwartz's response. The fact is that it's amazing that both coaches reacted the way they did. It's human and it's endearing.
Answers to questions you didn't ask:
*Did the Eagles turn around their season? No.
*Is it possible the Vikings are even worse than the Colts? Yes.
*What will be the dominant NFL story of the week? Easy: Tim Tebow.
Cardinals win the NL pennant: The most improbable baseball pennant-winner of all time? A case could be made for the 2008 Rays, sheerly on economics, but circumstantially, these Cards are right up there. What an easy team to root for in the World Series against Texas.
BCS: As expected, it's LSU-Alabama at 1-2 -- for now. They'll play each other and one will seemingly secure a spot in the national-title game. Interestingly, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State could be a play-in game, too.
There's a lot of talk today about the logjam of quality unbeatens outside of that four, including Wisconsin, Stanford and Boise State. First, let's let the season play itself out; more often than not, these things take care of themselves in unpredictable ways.
But I can't put to fine a point on it: The quickest path to imploding the BCS isn't 4 or 5 unbeaten teams. It's a 1-loss SEC champ being left out of the national title game.
RIP Dan Wheldon: As a dad of two young kids, I couldn't stop thinking about Wheldon last night. What a sad story. And good man.
-- D.S.
Here's where I net out: Jim Harbaugh WAS over-enthusiastic, and he sure as hell earned the right to be. I don't buy that there's a handshake "protocol" -- Jim Schwartz (no stranger to what some might call "showing up" opposing teams and coaches from his sidelines) was just sore that he lost; he is entirely entitled to be a bit pissy. But in that scenario, Schwartz has got to keep his cool and not make it into a bigger deal.
If we're in the fault-assignment business, I'd give more -- way more, actually -- to Schwartz than Harbaugh. But the larger point is this: Is there even a problem here? Oh, the prudes will have a field day -- either griping about Harbaugh's enthusiasm or Schwartz's response. The fact is that it's amazing that both coaches reacted the way they did. It's human and it's endearing.
Answers to questions you didn't ask:
*Did the Eagles turn around their season? No.
*Is it possible the Vikings are even worse than the Colts? Yes.
*What will be the dominant NFL story of the week? Easy: Tim Tebow.
Cardinals win the NL pennant: The most improbable baseball pennant-winner of all time? A case could be made for the 2008 Rays, sheerly on economics, but circumstantially, these Cards are right up there. What an easy team to root for in the World Series against Texas.
BCS: As expected, it's LSU-Alabama at 1-2 -- for now. They'll play each other and one will seemingly secure a spot in the national-title game. Interestingly, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State could be a play-in game, too.
There's a lot of talk today about the logjam of quality unbeatens outside of that four, including Wisconsin, Stanford and Boise State. First, let's let the season play itself out; more often than not, these things take care of themselves in unpredictable ways.
But I can't put to fine a point on it: The quickest path to imploding the BCS isn't 4 or 5 unbeaten teams. It's a 1-loss SEC champ being left out of the national title game.
RIP Dan Wheldon: As a dad of two young kids, I couldn't stop thinking about Wheldon last night. What a sad story. And good man.
-- D.S.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
10/16 (Sunday) Quickie
*Last night, I was so miffed by Florida's performance against Auburn that I wrote a 2,000-word post all about it. I'm not going to publish it, but it was nominally cathartic. The gist was that in 11 years as a Florida fan, last night was the least enjoyable game I have watched, and I mostly blame that on offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. You don't want to read the rest.
*CFB: Apparently, Oklahoma is going to be No. 1 when the first BCS rankings come out tomorrow. Unclear how Oklahoma jumped Alabama and LSU from last week's projections, given that Oklahoma beat a terrible Kansas team and Alabama and LSU beat comparatively better SEC teams. But no matter: Does anyone really think that if/when Oklahoma plays the Alabama/LSU winner, the SEC champ won't throttle the Sooners?
*MLB: Congrats to Rangers fans on a second straight AL pennant and second straight trip to the World Series. Texas will be favored over either the Brewers or Cardinals. Manager Ron Washington might produce head-scratching moments and the starting pitching might be impressively "just OK," but there's no denying the combination of the power of the lineup and the power of the bullpen.
*NFL: All I know is that the six hours I spend in front of the Red Zone Channel every Sunday afternoon has redefined my relationship with pro football. I don't even care who is playing, because the whole experience is just so awesome.
Enjoy the day, everyone.
-- D.S.
*CFB: Apparently, Oklahoma is going to be No. 1 when the first BCS rankings come out tomorrow. Unclear how Oklahoma jumped Alabama and LSU from last week's projections, given that Oklahoma beat a terrible Kansas team and Alabama and LSU beat comparatively better SEC teams. But no matter: Does anyone really think that if/when Oklahoma plays the Alabama/LSU winner, the SEC champ won't throttle the Sooners?
*MLB: Congrats to Rangers fans on a second straight AL pennant and second straight trip to the World Series. Texas will be favored over either the Brewers or Cardinals. Manager Ron Washington might produce head-scratching moments and the starting pitching might be impressively "just OK," but there's no denying the combination of the power of the lineup and the power of the bullpen.
*NFL: All I know is that the six hours I spend in front of the Red Zone Channel every Sunday afternoon has redefined my relationship with pro football. I don't even care who is playing, because the whole experience is just so awesome.
Enjoy the day, everyone.
-- D.S.
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