Double-Nickel

The Incredible Jackass

2009-01-15T11:45:00.001-08:00

Before I return to some sports talk regarding the NFL and NBA, Thursday marks the start of my work week. I'd like to share my feeling about that and the fact that it will be sub-zero today as well as Friday. What I like most about this clip isn't that he's a fucking moron, but the sounds he makes after his injury. It reminds of sounds we all make when getting hurt badly. It makes me laugh today. Just a reminder though, I do not think bodily harm is funny, but it does make me laugh when someone obviously is doing something they shouldn't be. Skaters for example: Wear proper gear! Yokels: Lay off the beer and whiskey.

A couple of the Funny Clips

2009-01-08T08:43:00.000-08:00

And I found the Following comes from the people from buzzcuts and withleather.com
This makes me laugh really hard and it shouldn't. I've hurt myself like this a few times. Thank God the young body is so strong. Do not watch if you hate people hurting themselves.

Cubs Talk....and another Cardinal Moron

2009-01-08T08:17:00.001-08:00

Well, here we are. January 8, 2009. The Cubs have made some very controversial moves during this off-season. Some moves have been good, some bad, and always leave plenty of room for arguements and speculation.
In order to dump salary, the Cubs trades utility man Mark DeRosa to the Cleavland Indians for three minor league pitcher. I believe two single A, and one from double A. Many, many women will be buying tickets to a White Sox game when the Indians come to town. Many men are furious that we gave up arguably our most valuable player. I am certainly sorry to see him go. That move was tough to swallow, but what is done is done.
Another move that Jim Hendry made was just a day or two ago, finally shipping Jason Marquis and his salary to Colorado, for Luis Viscaino. It's not so much who we aquired, but who we dumped. Not one person I have talked to about the Cubs ever respected or enjoyed having Marquis on the Cubs. Although he was one of the better bottom rotation pitchers in the league statistically, no one cares. He just doesn't fit with Cub fans, and that's fine with me. Sometimes you have to look at the team objectively, but we are a passionate people.

Then enter Milton Bradley. He crazy. This is one of the bigger risks Hendry has made in recent memory. Yes, M.B. had the best ops. in the league last year. That is on base plus slugging percentage. He had aroung 22 hr's and 77 rbi's. He's the kind of offensive compliment the Cubs said they were looking for. He's a switch hitter and will play right field. Defense will be his problem, and he is a bit injury prone. He's really a DH, but he does have the athleticism to play out there, but right field is extremely difficult at Wrigley. All those day games in the heat might equal dehyration and pulled muscles. Fortunately as of now, Reed Johnson and Kosuke Fukodome will platoon the centerfield position, seemingly covering the groung that Bradley can't get to. That's a plus. Milton bradley can be a hothead, and I just hope he is dtermined to help win it all with us, and can control any outbursts against fans, players, opposing players, play by play guys in the booth, and umpires. I don't mind an occasional helmet slam, bat pounding and the like, but he needs to control himself. That being said, welcome Milton, and good luck.

Aaron Miles was an earlier free agent sighning. This was really a head scratcher. Pinella got his wish I guess. We now have Fukodome, Bradley, Fontenot, Miles, Hoffpauir, Sam Fuld and Koyie Hill as our left handed hitters. A couple of these guys won't make the roster, but it looks like we will have plenty of lefty's to choose from.
The question is defense. Aaron Miles and Mike Fontenot? Yikes. I mean I really don't know about this one. Miles stinks out there. I've seen him. He is scrappy, and we he played against the Cubs at the plate, I never felt good about it. In the field he is poor. Fontenot is better out there. I see a platoon at 2nd as well.
(Trevor Hoffman just signs a one year with the Brewers)

My overall (emotional) opinion is that if we can't get a Brian Roberts(which we are not), or trade for Jake Peavy, then the Derosa trade does not make sense to me. It's all or nothing for the Cubs this year, and maybe next. They will have to rebuild this team eventually, as everyone gets older and their skills diminish.

The Cubs probably will make one more move. I can't specualte on anything I've heard or read. The new potential owner could be named this week, and that should spin the wheels to their final moves before pitchers and catchers report.

Enjoy this video. Another idiot Cardinal fan. Don't cry buddy, he's not THAT good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idQmNjMICnA

you have to copy and paste this one, but it's good Cub Fans!!!!!

NFL Divisional Round

2009-01-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

NFL Divisional Round
I kept up with picking half the NFL games correctly last week-end. My winners were Arizona and Philadelphia, my losers being Miami and Indianapolis.
I expect to continue that trend this week, picking from the heart instead of the awful truth.

Baltimore vs. Tennessee

Baltimore scorched the Dolphins. They never had a chance. The worst game of last week-end. This defense is playing better than any I've seen in a while. We'll see what Pittsburgh does this week.
The Ravens are a scary team right now. Tennesse's defense is no slouch either, and if Baltimore has trouble moving the ball, the game might be all about field position and field goals.
I'm picking Baltimore here. They are great against the run. Chris Johnson/Lendale White have been great this year, but McGahee/Mclain will offset them. Do you sense a boring game here. I certainly do. If I had my way, San Diego would go to the Superbowl. Ravens move on to the AFC Championship.

Arizona at Carolina

Carolina, Carolina, Carolina. Two great backs, a seasoned quarterback, a great wideout, and a defense that plays great at home.
I can't imagine Arizona going in and beating this team. It could happen. Big ups to the Cards for getting a playoff win last week. The defense showed up a bit. This is the end of the road though.

Philadelphia vs. New York

Can you really ask for anything more than a rivalry game? These two teams HATE HATE HATE each other, and there will be blood. I wanted the Giants to beat the Pats last year like everyone else outside the New England area, but the truth is that I hate the Giants. I can't pick them, and won't pick them.
With Plaxico Burress out for the year, you can see that he is sorely missed on offense. They are completely different. The Eagles have two great cornerbacks, and a pro-bowl safety in Brian Dawkins. Their focus should be on the run, and play man to man in the passing game, hopefully not giving up the "big play".
Philly will win this one on the road to meet the Panthers in the NFC Championship.

San Diego at Pittsburgh

In the AFC we have three great defensive teams. Then we have San Diego. I'm at the end of my post, and don't have much to say on it. I'm dissappointed L.T. is hurt again, although Sproles was fantastic in his place. Against the Steelers. No way. Big Ben is coming back from a big concussion, and his offensive line has been horrible this year.
In week 11, the Steelers won 11-10, in a very tight game. If the Steelers offense can't sustain a few drives, San Diego may have their revenge. This one is difficult to predict, but since I want to, I'll go with the home team fresh off a bye week. San Diego has to travel after an emotional win.
Steelers face the Ravens in the AFC championship, opening up the doors for an all Bird Superbowl. One, the symbol of The United States of America. The other, a bird that scared the hell outta that poor dude.

The Crow is supposed to eat anything with fur

2008-11-20T08:51:00.000-08:00

A stat that needs to be looked at

2008-07-03T08:56:00.001-07:00

Last night in the bottom of the seventh the Cubs have a 5-2 lead. Carlos Marmol comes in to give up three runs on a Ray Durham bomb! Then Fontenot hits a solo shot to give the Cubs a 6-5 lead. Kerry Wood comes in for the save, and Carlos Marmol gets the win? There's something wrong with that. It happens all over the league, and it's mind boggling. I believe that win should go back to the starting pitcher. Dempster in this case. Or perhaps Kerry Wood should get the win AND the save. Or shit, give the win to Mike Fontenot. Marmol did nothing to earn that win. Nothing! Any perspective on this from any readers, please share.

The Cubs have won two out of three at AT&T Park against the Giants. Can they beat Tim Lincecum? This kid(and I mean kid,) is unreal.
He's 9-1, with a 2.38 era, and 114 strikeouts to 43 walks. Opponents are batting a shabby .233 off him.
Sean Gallagher takes the mound for the Cubs. His last outing was poor, and I see a Cubs loss tonight against this young phenom for San Fran. The Cubs bats are great this year, but with Aramis away and Soriano on the D.L. still, we lose quite a bit.
Jim Hendry has been one of the better General Managers around the league as far as picking up players at the break. His off-season moves for free agents has been superb as well, considering the Cubs buy many free agents and trade for players. Right now we have Soto and Theriot playing well out of the minor leagues. Who else is there? The Cubs just can't get it together down there.
The Cubs rotation is was a mess without Zambrano in it. I feel no confidence throwing Dempster, Gallagher and Marshall in a series. You saw what the White Sox did to them! I give all the credit in the world to "Dumpster", who is still looking for his first road win. He's been great this year, and I believe he can continue his success, but if you have a series when Gallagher and Marshall pitch two of the three, you're done for. No question about it. Add Marquis in the mix? Shit man.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Jim Hendry is quoted as saying that he and the organization is not handcuffed by potential buyers on trades, pick-ups and spending more money. We need to get somebody in here for the second half. I don't see the end of the century of pain with this staff. Now, I understand pulling off a deal like this can be difficult, considering the Indians might not like any players we could package for him. We could give him an extension though, as opposed to let's say the Brewers. Erik Bedard might be on the block, and he has one more year on his contract, which would be more desirable.
Will we see Jeff Samardzija get a start this year?
Cubs are slumping and limping into the All-Star break. A three game series at the Cardinals ends the first half for the Cubs.
They should be healthy and ready to go after that, and I'm reaaly looking forward to the trade deadline................ Obviously.

Around Sports

Brett Favre "itching to come back"? I hope he decides soon for all us fantasy geeks. What a "fuck you" that would be to Aaron Rodgers. What a "fuck you" that would be to rest of the NFC North. Sick em' Bears!

The Seattle Super-Sonics are paying 75 Million to leave the city. They have been there 41 years, winning a championship in 1979. This whole deal was soooooo shady, with David Stern going along with it. Seattle should be furious. What a bunch of dicks. I always liked the Sonics team colors, and I'm sorry to see them go. The team of Gary Payton, Kemp, Detlef(however you spell it), Hawkins, Sleepy Sam, etc, was as exciting of a team that I ever witnessed. I am sorry to see them go, even though I am in bed for most of those games at home.

Coming Soon

Fantasy football fun!!!!

Cubs look to sweep the O's as well

2008-06-24T06:19:00.000-07:00

Classic Lou and Oz.

I fully expect the White Sox to get some sort of revenge at U.S. Cellular field this upcoming weekend, after being decisively swept by the Cubs in Wrigley. The Cubs will throw Gallagher, Dempster, and then Marshall. Not ideal, but with they way Aramis, Lee, Edmunds, and others are swinging the bat, the Cubs may be able to keep it up in a homerun field. Everyone on the Cubs is playing well. Soto is struggling a bit at the plate, but already looks like a veteran behind the dish. He calls a great game, and pitchers seems pleased to have him.

The Cubs start host the Baltimore Orioles tonight at 7:05. Sean Marshall(0-0), makes his first start againt Jeremy Guthrie(3-7).
The three starters for Baltimore this series is a combined 10-12 with 5.00 earned run averaged, as opposed to the Cubs 13-8 and 4.43.
Baltimore is 21st in MLB in batting with an average of .257, and 18th in pitching, with an e.r.a. of 4.14. The Cubs are 2nd in MLB in batting and 4th in pitching.
The odds say we at least win this series, but Baltimore really spreads the power around. Home-run leaders for the O's include Huff(14), Markakis(12), Luke Scott912), Kevin Millar(11), and Melvin Mora with 10. Brian Roberts is a true threat on the bases, so Marshall will really have to watch his stretch on the mound.
Marshall had pitched well in the minors, and earlier this year has given us some help from the pen. His carrer e.r.a. is over 4.5, but he's been here before, and his help with Zambrano out is critical. I've always been down on his cardiovascular fitness. He doesn't cover first fast enough, and always seemed to be "winded" by the fourth or fifth inning, but that's just my impression. I've never heard management address that. Good luck to him tonight.
The Cubs throw Lilly on Wednesday and Marquis on Thursday.

With the Brewers starting to come on, and the Cardinals hanging around, there will be no easy road before the All Star break. The Cubs have a heavy road schedule until the end of July, so it's important to get all the players at full health for Lou to manage.

GO Cubs Go!

Sweet Lou Whitaker

2008-06-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

I took my daughter to the pool today and noticed I had left my copy of "Lonesome Dove" in the city. Damn! I pulled out the old reliable Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract revised, published in 2001. Great book to have lying around to learn about each decade of baseball since 1870. He also rates the top 100 players at each position, gives history, opinion and analysis. The analysis is not something I'm crazy about. Gimmee the plain stats. No sabermetrics, win shares and other goofy mathematical formulas. I don't need to think about it that hard.
That being said, Sweet Lou Whitaker is rated as the 13th best second baseman. I looked at his career stats as I am home now, and believe he is got to be on the cusp of THE Hall of Fame.
Here is some basics.
19 seasons
5 time All-Star
World Series Champion
2369 hits
420 doubles
65 triples
244 home-runs
1084 r.b.i.'s
.276 lifetime batting average.

I won't go into comparisons, you can do that for yourself. Believe me, he compares. I remember him well as a player I knew when I was a kid, first starting to watch the game. This awesome, awesome game.

What really caught my attention was the description by James that Whitaker was known as being an airhead.
Here is the exact excerpt by James on Whitaker:

One time he showed up in the All Star game wearing an ill-fitting sort of uniform purchased from a souvenir stand, since he had forgotten to take his uniform to the game. Another time, when an airplane buzzed Tiger Stadium, Whitaker dived to the ground, and was so shaken up that he had to come out of the game. He was a hell of a player, though, and he knew how to play the game. He ranks ninth among all second basemen in runs scored, in RBI, and in total bases, and he was an above-average fielder.

That made me laugh out loud today, and thought I would share that.

Nice Sweep of the Chicago White Sox by the Cubbies this weekend baby!!!!!!!!!

It makes me Sick!

2008-06-20T09:29:00.001-07:00

Carlos Marmol's slider was HORRIBLE. A painful bottom of the seventh. What gets me more is that Blanco kept calling for it. Bad job, Blanco. We needed that win. Fastballs only at that point stupid!
If you didn't see the Cubs vs. Rays last night, the Cubs had a 3-1 lead before Marmol comes in to walk two batters and then hit two of them. After Scott "Stevie" Eyre comes in to relieve him, Carl "The Shit" Crawford makes em' pay with a salami.
Just like the day I ate pepperoni and then candy whoppers, this is how I felt.

Random Simpson clip

2008-06-19T07:13:00.000-07:00

The Good, The Bad, The Uglies

2008-06-19T07:11:00.000-07:00

The good news is the Cubs are still up 3.5 games on the Cardinals in the central, despite losing the first two games versus the Rays. The Cardinals have lost two one run games to the Royals, and man what a shame we couldn't even pick up one on them.
That's really it for the good news right now.
The Bad and Ugly:
Carlos Zambrano was taken out by Lou Pinella after 6 2/3 after experiencing shoulder discomfort. He has flown back to Chicago and will undergo a M.R.I. today. At 106 innings pitched already, I'm not surprised he has a little soreness! He is on pace to shatter 220 innings pitched this year, and even if he is cleared, it might be a good idea to skip his next start based on what the Cubs can do against the White Sox this week-end.
Jim Edmunds is suffering from plantar fasciitis. He wore gym shoes at times on the turf in Toronto. I have plantar fasciitis. It hurts bad. At times it is almost unbearable, and the only cure is good support and rest. This guy is old anyway, but has proven to be productive with the Cubs, and his veteran experience may be needed if continues to play the way he has.
Reed Johnson has back spasms. Any body part that ends with the word "spasm" is no good. So what do we have?
Matt Murton.
I've seen this guy play right field twice at Wrigley, and he's a disgrace out there. He can't read the ball off the bat very well, and is often just running blind out there. Sure, his bat is nice if he can catch up again, but I'd really like to see him packaged in a trade to the American League. I almost consider Murton bad luck for the team, but that's just foolish superstition of course. I believe he takes away mojo.
The Cubs struggles should not be long. They still own the best record in baseball based on winning percentage, and just have to much talent to go on an extended losing streak.
They are the Only team in the National league that has not lost three in a row. An impressive accomplishment.
Sean Gallagher(3-3) vs. James Shields(4-5). Game time is 6:10(central).
D. Lee needs to break out of it. He is batting .283, and Soriano has more home-runs(15), and has seen the D.L. twice. I expect at least a .310 batting average.
WHAT TO WATCH:
The baseball trade deadline is July 31. I always look for Jim Hendry to be active. The Cubs should be appealing to anyone who wants out. A.J. Burnett is a cry baby, quoted as saying "please" trade me. I'd take a chance on him. C.C. Sabathia is the gem everyone has their eyes on. Hendry says he is not restricted by future owners as far as trading and spending, so go get him. I'm sure if the Indians dealt him, the National League would be a good chance, based on what they can get in return.
The Cubs are almost there people, but if we can get a match for Zambrano, it could put them over the top.

Is he killing that guitar Daddy?

2008-06-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

What the hell is Peter Gammons doing to that 6-string man?!!!!
I'm all for the seventh-inning stretch and all, but now it's getting a little embarrassing. I can't tell what he's playing. Is that guitar? It's really bad. Just report you Hall of Famer you.

The Most Exciting Event in Sports?

2008-06-16T08:55:00.001-07:00

I was up very early this morning and have listened to two different radio shows on ESPN 1000, Chicago. Mike and Mike in the morning, and Waddle and Silvy. Let me say this: Golf is not the most exciting sport to watch. If I had to choose between golf and soccer, I would choose to watch On Golden Pond. All these radio personalities just raved how there is was nothing like the U.S. Open in all of sports, and if they had the choice they would watch that over any other event. This event is what gets them off the most.
I watched the last 5 holes of Saturday night's coverage, and had it on at work on Sunday before the NBA Finals. You know who I was watching? Tiger Woods. That's it. That's all. Yes, it was exciting, but over the Giants beating the Patriots? No way. Is it more exciting than let's say the Chicago Cubs winning a World Series? Absolutely not folks. How about game seven possibility in the NBA Finals with two of the most storied franchises? Never. As much as don't care for soccer, what if The United States won the World Cup?
Do you believe in miracles?
Tiger is why golf is so popular right now. I will not be watching the playoff. I'll find out later. If Tiger wins my reaction will be, "Well that's what he does, he's the best." If he loses, "Wonder what happened to Tiger?" In the newspapers and radio and blogs, the headlines won't even mention the winner if Tiger Loses.
Everybody can play golf, so I understand that there is a deep connection to the sport, and it is great. I love to play it myself, but come on, does everyone want a make-out booth here. Step right up to french Phil, Tiger, Els, etc!
Tiger makes this sport happen.
Tiger will continue to make this sport happen.
Let's not fill airtime with your idiocy.

Wood Leads League

2008-06-06T08:54:00.001-07:00

Stayed up for the whole game last night, and it was amazing. A friend called me later and told me Ron Santo was a wreck. Saying "Why are they doing this to me". I understand that fully. The Cubs had the game in the bag early, but Dempster lost it, and still awaits his first road win.

Kerry Wood, while at times gets into a lot of trouble, manages save 17, to lead the National League. His line so far looks like this. He's 2-1, with an e.r.a. of 2.70. This includes 17 of 21 save oppurtunitis, with 7 walks to 38 strikeouts. As far as I can see, Woody looks great on the mound. He seems confident with the breaking ball again, and his fastball has plenty of bite at the end. Right now I can't question his health or confidence. Great call by Lou Pinella to name him the closer during spring training. People were screaming for Carlos Marmol to close, and might eventually be put there, but he is such a great set up man. He can pitch multiple innings, as opposed to Wood, who will not pitch more than 20 pitches.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
Carlos Zambrano has pitched 86 innings. Dempster has 82 and Lilly 72. All of them are on pace for 200 plus this year. It's going to get hot soon around the nation, and these guys will hit the wall at some point, especially Dempster, who hasn't done this in a hanful of years. Our Bullpen is going to get taxed more. The solution? I have no idea. It's possible that Marshall will get called up to spot start, along with Lieber, to maybe give these three a six day rest between starts. It would be nice if Gallagher could go until the seventh tonight. Carlos Zambrano goes tommorrow, and if the Cubs offense can build a huge lead, I'd like to see "Z" come out early, letting Hart take the rest. He's fresh, and so is Cotts, who has looked very sharp out of the pen thus far.
Lou Pinella and his staff has managed this team great. He's a good leader, well respected, and reminds me of my grandpa. I just wanna hug him.
Mark Derosa has had a nice road trip so far. 5-14, with 3 home-runs.
Geovanny Soto might want to move to the bench a couple games and let Blanco play tonight and Sunday. He's looking worn out, swinging and missing, swinging and missing. Something is ailing. Perhaps his hands or wrist. He is an All-Star, leading in voting, so let's give the guy a break, Blanco has been tearing the leather off the ball.
Stat Note: Carlos Marmol has just as many strikeouts as Carlos Zambrano. 57.
Go Cubs Go!

MLB Power Rankings, or Which Team Sucks The Most

2008-06-04T06:12:00.000-07:00

Best record in baseball and winners of nine straight. Ranks number one in offense and the pitching has kept us in some games. The big test? Getting out of June and July with a heavy road schedule.

Why put the Rays ahead of the Phillies. Fuck Philly "itis", that's why. The Rays have better pitching right now. Upton, Crawford, Pena, and Longoria are exciting and exceeding expectations. Not sure if they can keep it up to win the A.L. east, but should be able to contend for a wild card if health agrees with them.

Well here they are. After a rough start they now own the fourth best record in the league. Chase Utley is crazy good. .325 batting, with 21 homers and 53 driven in. His .o.p.s. is 1.092. Jimmy Rollins, Ryan "Mr. K." Howard, and Pat Burrell lead a great offense. It took a while, but Burrell has it figured out. Pitching is weak, although Brad Lidge is back to form.

Last week, ESPN ranked these guys 9th, behind the White Sox, Marlins and Blue Jays. Laughable. Pedroia and Ellsbury have a combined 121 hits. Team batting avg. is .282, and they have the pitching depth to go back to the post-season. Health will be an issue down the road, but please, the Red Sox have been stacked for years and continue to win.

The L.A. Angels are one better in the win and loss column, but the Cards better them in batting with .276 to the Angels .256. Both teams e.r.a. are the same around 3.90. Pujols rbi's are down this year, but still batting .362, including 75 hit, and 14 home runs. If you look up and down the roster, everybody is producing. Molina(Yadier), owns the dish now! Ankiel, Glaus, Ludwig. You're fucking kidding me right? The pitching has been great too. What the hell! I curse you Cardinals. I curse you! Leave the Cubs alone already. Jesus!

Seemingly a better line-up than the Cardinals and are first in their division. A virtual tie in rankings, but the Cards are the surprise ahead of them.

I cannot put the White Sox ahead of the Marlins. Just can't do it. Slightly better batting by ten points, and that's not saying much. E.r.a is high at 4.48, but the offense is clicking and right behind the Phillies in the east.

Second in the A.L. in pitching with an e.r.a. of 3.36. High in strikeouts and keeping the base on balls low as well. Pitching is the ONLY thing keeping them in games, and I feel they don't deserve the ranking, but they are in first place. Without potential All-Star Carlos Quentin, the Sox are an embarrassment on offense. Thome(.208), Konerko(.202), Swisher(.202), Cabrera(.240), Uribe(.198). Astoundingly leading the A.L. central. Horribly boring team that waits for the offense to produce. Trot on Paulie. Trot on.

The Braves are fourth in the entire league in pitching with an e.r.a. of 3.58. Team batting ranks fifth in all of baseball with an avg. of .276, led by All-Star Chipper Jones's .409. Pitching will be a problem with them eventually, with Smoltz now hanging in the bullpen, and his retirement imminent.

Still have to put the D-Backs ahead of the A's and Blue Jays, who are both among tops in pitching throughout the league, but offensively stale. Arizona is fifth in the entire league in pitching and batting. They have a young team that is slumping right now, but I fully expect them to recover and win the division easily. Still in first place, the Dodgers have the only realistic chance of competing.

The rest
11. Oakland
12. Toronto
13. Twins
14. Astros
15. Yankees
16. Rangers
17. Dodgers
18. Indians
19. Orioles
20. Brewers
21. Tigers
22. Pirates
23. Giants
24. Reds
25. Nationals
26. Padres
27. Mariners
28. Royals
29. Rockies
30. Mets- Yeah that's right. They suck, and if you like them, YOU SUCK!

Bulls to hire Cry Baby Doug Collins. Again!

2008-05-31T09:19:00.000-07:00

I have no idea why the Bulls would hire Doug Collins back here again. So What? He gets to coach our young nucleus and then be let go after a few years for some other coach to hoist the banner? He's a cry baby and a quitter. It makes me sick.

Rick Monday Saves the Day

2008-05-31T08:59:00.000-07:00

The Cubs come back from behind victory yesterday afternoon was nothing short of inspiring. I could almost cry. A 10-9 win over Colorado. Jim Edmunds lives to play another day in Cubbie Blue. A home-run and a double, topped off with Derosa's go ahead homer. Nice work out of the pen, and a great way to make Ted forget that one. I was sent this e-mail, and thought this is worthy of a watch. Rick Monday of the Cubs saves the day.

Cubs looking good, need to improve on the road.

2008-05-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

Today the Cubs go for a sweep against the Dodgers at home with Carlos Zambrano on the bump. They also have the Best record in the National League with a handful of teams right there as well. What is alarming is the Cubs 21-8 record at home during very cold months in April and May. Impressive for them. They are in dire need to improve on the road at 10-13. Divisional rivals St. Louis and Houston are hanging around, much to the disgust of Cub fans. The Cards and Astros are a combined 28-26 on the road, and truly a thorn in our side.

The Cubs have been explosive on offense, and have exceeded expectations on the mound. The Cubs lead the N.L in batting with a .284 team batting average, and a team on base percentage of .366. They are first in hits with 523 and look to have all the confidence in the world. I don't doom players coming to bat in pressure situations this year. If unsuccessful, they will get em' next time.

I will break down but one pitcher, and that is Sean Gallagher, who in four starts is 2-1 with a 4.5 e.r.a. He gave up only one run last night, and averages 6 strikeouts per game. Already better than Marquis in my opinion, and should be allowed to stay in the rotation as long as these results keep coming. I fully expect Jim Hendry to try and trade for a reliable starter sometime after the All-Star break. Greg Maddux has been rumored, and I would be just fine with that. In overall pitching, the Cubs are 3rd in the N.L. They own the third best e.r.a. with a 3.62, and are third in strikeouts with 380. Walks are a trouble spot, and complete games are a relic. The rotation has to go deeper a couple times a week to give a break to this bullpen which any team in the league should be envious of.

A couple players of note besides great production From D. Lee and Aramis Ramirez.

Ryan Theriot currently is second in the N.L. in singles with 49, only behind the 53 from future hall of famer Chipper Jones. Not before Ron Santo you don't Jonsey! Great job, and perhaps may solidify that 2 hole.

The real story to me is Geovanny "Han" Soto. He is making a case right now for the All-Star game. Brian McCann seems to be the starter right now, but I see Soto easily being the Reserve. Look at the Stats. 52 hits, 17 doubles, 1 triple, 9 home runs, 35 rbi's and 29 walks. His strikeouts are a bit high at 47, but hey, he's a rookie after all. .304 batting and .403 on base percentage. Both better than Derrek Lee, and right round Aramis. Impresseive, truly impressive numbers. Go Cubs, Go!

Home Run Replay? This Face Say Yes!

2008-05-28T05:54:00.000-07:00

Major League Baseball should implement the instant replay on home-runs.
Come on Man, How can you say no to this face.

One day I hope play in the World Series man. Not with Texas of course, we stand no chance man. Maybe in that World Series I hit walk off home run in game 7 man. I would not want that to be double. Double bad. Maybe next batter strike out to end game and lose series bro. Then Blue Oyster Club closed for Ramone. Even with handsome mustache. So please go with replay, I don't want to have to stick the Joker on you.

He bad man, man. He loco. He will really mess you up bro.
Instant replay be easy thing man. First of all I love tennis. Roddick, Roger, Nadal, rock solid man. Don't you love tennis too? Look at my eyes and tell me you don't. Anyway, in tennis, they have a machine that can detect when the ball hit the net for a let ball or faults like that man. Can't we run the same way along the outfield wall? If go over clean it beep or some shit, and if doesn't it is in play. Or we can get a couple of two of those ball boys and make them representitives to major baseball. Ramone like that idea to have one in left and one in right to watch the foul pole's no? Yes!!! Ramone would welcome such boys with open arms. Or we can hire more fat umpires and add more cameras in appropriate places, but would be boring.
One more thing before my cappuccino this fabulous morning. Let us not turn our umpires into NFL referees man. In NFL, referee cowards, letting a penalty go they may not be sure on. They wait for coach to throw flag for replay to get ref of hook. This is no way to behave man. In MLB, home-run instant replay will be easy for the insertion, restoring honor back to our umpires man.
See you after the game.
Stay thirsty my friends.

Love, Ramone

Not That There's Anything Wrong With That.

2007-07-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

Wow! I mean... That's really something.

2007-07-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

Talk about that bad May for the Cubs. May us never see this gayness for a while. Bob Brenly on guitar, Len Kasper on vocals.

NBA MVP Value.

2007-06-06T18:59:00.000-07:00

I got into a discussion on the value of the NBA's MVP award when Pacifist Viking set Kareem's six awards up, along with Jordan's 10 scoring titles and Russel's 11 Championships, as a career accomplishment that stood out above all others. I'm still not sure I agree that it is, but it appears that my reason for criticizing it were incorrect.

I took the viewpoint that the MVP was essentially a popularity contest, voted on by cranky sportswriters, without using any real data or statistics. I tend to be unimpressed, though admittedly I employ them when measuring a player, with most awards for this very reason. Bob Dylan has many a Grammy, but I would never defend the quality, or impact, of his music by listing his Grammy awards. Its quality is completely subjective, and the awards he receives can only be a portion of his total impact.

Different than other art forms, sports offer us results and statistics to support our positions. Which is why Ron Santo not being in the Hall of Fame is so galling, though statisticians all agree his credentials are HOF worthy. I assumed if you held various MVP winners stats up against other players, like Jordan vs. Malone in '96-'97, you would find that the player having the best season did not always win the MVP. That like in Santo's case, they let personal biases cloud their voting.

I emailed Mike McGraw at the Daily Herald, who voted this year and was cool enough to respond the same day, to ask if there was a list of voters anywhere. He didn't know of any list and explained that each team chooses three people to vote and these three people can change every year. A certain number of national media get a vote, and that's it. This seemed to support my theory the voting was treated casually at best.

All wrongo.

Michael 'wiLQ' Wilczynski over at 82games.com has done an exhaustive study of the the MVP award going back to '84-'85. Using his own formula, that I barely understand and could never describe to you, he found that the voters had awarded the proper player every year.

Every year.

This is amazing to me. That the voters, who are again, just sports writers I find fault with everyday, could be correct some 22 times in a row. I think I'm interpreting the data correctly.

I think.

Someone please check me on this.

I guess the NBA MVP is one of, if not the most, consistently correct and reliable award given out.

You learn something new everyday.

Sweet Home Sports - The Bear Cave.

2007-06-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

Phil also posts for The Bears Cave. Check it out.

Anicdotal Off-Season Analysis Of The Bulls. The Coach.

2007-05-21T17:33:00.000-07:00

I'm going to take a look at the different areas of the Bulls off-season. There wont be much "statistical evidence," or "well reasoned arguments," but hopefully we'll all learn something.

Today's subject: The Coach, Scott Skiles.

Skiles received a lot of criticism this past season. Some appropriate, some not so much. In many people eyes, the Bulls underachieved. After two straight play-off appearances, and the signing of Ben Wallace, expectations were very high. Conference games high. Finals appearance high.

We know they didn't get there, but what did they accomplish?

The head coach is responsible for a lot that is difficult to quantify. Let's look at a couple that I think we can.

Team regular season record, and play-off record.

Forty-nine wins in the regular season, good for third place in the division, (giving second place/second seed away on the final game) and fifth seed in the play-offs. A first round sweep of the Champs, and an inconsistent six game, second round, elimination.

That's an eight game improvement over last season, and a play-off series win that hadn't occurred since '98.

Losing the second seed against NJ was tough, and goes hard against Skiles. The Bulls play in the Detroit series was hot and cold to say the least. But you have to value the improvement.

Player improvement.

Skiles has had the task of developing a very young team. I broke down their age earlier, but we all know, they young. Of their top eight players, six are in their fourth year or less in the league. Glancing at their stats, everyone, save Duhon, improved their numbers.

To go back to their play-off performance, they sweep the Heat. They showed the ability to exploit a teams weaknesses and bury them.

I gotta give this area to Skiles as well, each player has improved in the three years under him.

Criticism.

The knocks I heard about Skiles were twofold. First, he was to rigid. An example of this is the headband issue. Headbandgate was just silly, on both sides. But the team had a rule, and Skiles enforced it. A rules a rule. What would you rather have? A head coach with authority, or one who bends rules for a specific player? A player that has had problems showing up on time, and problems playing hard every game. If he's your coach, you must trust him. If you trust him, you want him in control. That's why you put him in charge. I side with Skiles here.

The second is in-game player management. A stubborn habit of sticking with veterans over rookies. Virtually every coach in the league is guilty of this. Until a G.M. forces them to play rookies through roster manipulation, they will always go with the guy, they know, will be in the right spot. They trust their knowledge of the game plan, and their ability to execute.

I have trouble holding this against Skiles because most of his players are young, even the vets. As the players age and develop, I think a player like Tyrus Thomas will separate himself from Nocioni. Thabo Sefelosha will overtake Duhon coming off the bench, and maybe even Gordon in the starting lineup. When the individuals reach their peak and achieve consistency we wont be hoping Thomas will play better, we, and Skiles, will know it.

If you fire him, who you gonna get?

Skiles has been compared to Doug Collins in Chicago. This is short-hand for, not being able to take a team to the next level. Collins took the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals, got fired and replaced by Phil Jackson, and the rest is history. But this doesn't happen to often.

If winning a championship is the goal, lets look at the last ten Finals winning coaches. It's a short list.

Phil Jackson has five wins.
Gregg Popovich has three wins, and likely another this year.
Pat Reilly has one, to add to his previous four.
Larry Brown has one.

So that's ten trophies going to four coaches, and only two of those ten going to a first time championship coach. When you talk about replacing a coach, you want to get someone who can win the big one. Unless you get one of those four, I'm going to say you are just moving pieces around.

I think you need to be patient with Skiles, as long as we continue to improve, he's a coach I'm happy to have.

Carson Palmer Eats Hotdogs!!! Hard!!!

2007-05-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

Put yourself in the meeting when they went with this image. There were probably dozens of shots spread out on a table, or presented by powerpoint.

When they got to that one, a John Morrell exec say, "Stop. This one. It's perfect. Perfect for Carson. Perfect for John Morrell."

Palmer turns to one of his suits, "You guys think so? You like this one?"

Suit responds, "I like the way they think. It's perfect."

"Are you sure, cause it kinda looks, to me, like I'm about to devour a hot dog, that looks like a huge cock dressed up with mustard, to look like the stitching on a football. And I'm not looking at the cock, I mean, hot dog. I'm looking at the audience. As if I'm doing what I'm doing BECAUSE they are watching. Like I LIKE to be watched. I'm kinda uncomfortable looking at it myself."

Suit soothes Carson, "No man. Would I steer you wrong."

This comes via With Leather.

Game 5 Recap.

2007-05-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

Not to much to say, the Bulls shot a crazy good percentage and got Billups in foul trouble.

Game over. Ass kicked.

I never thought the 3-0 series count was a reason to break-up this team, but I saw the same thing everyone who did suggest that saw. The Bulls looked bad and played worse. They did not look like they deserved to be out there with Detroit.

But now the fight has been met. The Bulls got up and punched back.

Grab your balls, Detroit. Game 6 tomorrow. Go Bulls!!

Live-Blog: Bulls Vs. Pistons, Game 5, Third Quarter.

2007-05-15T18:27:00.000-07:00

This is the big quarter. So far... Historically, the good teams come out of halftime with adjustments that carry them to victory. Can't wait to see what they have come up with. More trapping? More zone? We haven't seen much of Noc, will he get in more or less? Thomas has played great, along with Thabo. Here we go!

10:06 left in the third. The Bulls have had alot of success fronting the post guy. That's it.

9:28 left in the third. With the paint closed, Detroit passionlessly hit their jumpers. Constant pressure.

7:36 left in the third. Billups just picked up his fourth foul. Hinrich took the charge. I take back what I said about flopping.

6:24 left in the third. More boards for Detroit. But Hinrich hits a three for a 75-64 lead!

5:41 left in the third. 'Sheed gets a tech and begs to get tossed. I love it when they go to commercial, they show the last good play the Pistons made. Jerks. They are losing by 11.

4:17 left in the third. Detroit is feeding Wallace the ball, but the fade away isn't falling. With Hinrich on the line and the Bulls up by 16, 'Sheed and Billups are on the bench. we could really extend this lead.

Holy crap!! As I wrote that last bit, with 3:21 to go, Thomas stuffs a Deng miss over a Pistons defender. YES!! That kid is a freak, I can't wait till he 'gets it.'

By the way, we are up by 18, in Detroit. Getting very interesting...

2:30 left in the third. Gordon strokes a three to put us up 21. I've become nervous about anything I type that might be bad luck. We are smoking them...

1:45 left in the third. Gordon is on fire. Another three!! 90-67 Bulls lead. My goodness...

1:00 left in the third. Tyrus Thomas is jumping over everyone. Another dunk-O-rama. Props to Skiles for just sitting Noc, who's clearly hurt, and playing Thomas. And props to Thomas for being a stud.

End of the third, the Bulls lead 92-71. I'm not gonna blog the fourth, I'll just write a recap.

Start thinking about what a Bulls win would mean.

Live-Blog: Bulls Vs. Pistons, Game 5, Second Quarter.

2007-05-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

11:05 left in the second. 34-27, Bulls. Not sure if the refs are calling this game loose, or the Bulls are playing smart, but they are avoiding fouls so far.

10:13 left in the second. Scratch that last entry. Hinrich just got his second foul and exits towards the bench. Kinda weak foul...

9:51 left in the second. An important moment perhaps. The Pistons save a ball going out of bounds and the crowd volume grows, but Webber throws it out of bounds. Detroit can't get the 'Mo' going.

8:55 left in the second. Thomas with a dunk! Now a block, down the floor to Duhon for three! Oh no. Yes!! Time out Detroit! 39-28, the Bulls lead!!

8:04 left in the second. Rasheed with the put back. 9 offensive boards for Detroit. Too many.

7:13 left in the second. After a three by Thabo and a F.G. by Gordon the lead is 13. Keep it up...

6:30 left in the second. Thomas with a spinning hook for 2. A fast break dunk by Thabo! The Baby Bulls will be heard!!

5:52 left in the second. Time out Chicago, leading 47-32. More Sonic drive-thru commercials. Hey, I've met alot of those guy. The more I see it the happier I am. The difference between this game and the first two is night and day. You can see the gain in experience all of the Bulls play right now.

Who thinks 'house of payne' is gonna redefine sitcoms as we know it? Yeah, me neither.

4:25 left in the second. The Bulls break a tough Pistons trap. Barely. Deng hits a runner and goes to the line. The breaks keep going our way...

3:22 left in the second. Time out Chicago, leading 52-41. We are getting killed on the offensive glass. 'Sheed hit a long two after another Maxiell board. No one needs to see that.

The Bulls continue to shoot lights out. 77%.

2:47 left in the second. 55-41 Bulls ahead. Chicago has hit nine straight shots. Man, we look so good when our shots fall, the mellow confidence in the Bulls persists.

1:31 left in the second. Hinrich picks up a blocking foul. Kirk is doing to much flopping as it is. Billups is serious. He just drained a bail out 3 with Kirk hanging all over him.

:51.7 left in the second. Deng hits his sweet elbow jumper. Detroit has done a great job denying him that shot all series, but that time it was money.

:00.6 left in the second. Gordon hits a 2 for a 59-51 Bulls lead.

Halftime and Bulls fans couldn't have asked for a better half. The Bulls might lose this game, but the steps forward for this young team are happening before our eyes. They have adjusted and they could make this interesting.

Live-Blog: Bulls Vs. Pistons, Game 5, First Quarter.

2007-05-15T17:13:00.000-07:00

7:23 left in the first, the Bulls are up 14-6. Detroit looks like they may be taking it easy right now. Come on guys! They brought a knife! This is a gunfight!

6:26 left in the first. The Bulls are calmly hitting all their shots. They seem very business like tonight. Maybe the overwhelming circumstances will be freeing for them. Come one guys, Be The Ball.

6:00 left in the first. Ben Wallace just missed an open lay-up. Watching him on offense makes me think I could have been an NBA player, if I wasn't 5' 10", cause he shots exactly like I do. Man. We cannot miss any opportunities tonight.

5:30 left in the first. Ben Gordon just tripped pushing the ball to the hole. Ben, you will live the entire off-season with a basketball in your hands.

4:35 left in first. 20-12 Bulls. Excitement growing...

4:00 left in the first. I just love the Ben Wallace bail-out drive to the hoop for the foul. Fantastic.

1:22 left in the first. Detroit is starting to hit shots with hands in their faces. The giant awakens...

End of the first. Bulls lead 31-25. Shooting 77.8% in a quarter is a scorching pace I doubt they can maintain. Detroit shot 43.5%, which will improve.

Still, they played with quiet, deliberate execution, winning the first quarter.

Dan Patrick is full of crap

2007-05-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

As I walked into the house after taking the kids to the park, it's an impossibly beautiful day in the Western suburbs, I clicked on the radio, and tuned to AM-1000. The only reason I do this is, it's after 12 p.m., so I know Cowherd is over. Plus, I've forgiven them a bit since they dumped Rosenbloom & Salsbury.

Anyway...

Dan was opining about the need for changes on the Bulls. I didn't catch his whole argument, as my sons needed help with their shoes, but what caught me was he said, and I'm paraphrasing here, "The Bulls aren't to young and that shouldn't be an excuse. I looked up the age of the Pistons in '04, and they are the same age. So, age isn't an excuse."

Well, my first thought was, "Bullshit, Dan."

So lets check it out.

Starting point guards:
The Pistons: Chauncey Billups, in 2004, was a 27 year-old, sixth year vet.
The Bulls: Kirk Hinrich, right now, is a 26 year-old, fourth year vet.

Conclusion: Dan is full of crap. Billups has both age and NBA experience over Hinrich.

Starting Shooting Guards:
The Pistons: 'Rip' Hamilton, in 2004, was a 26 year-old, fifth year vet.
The Bulls: Ben Gordon, right now, is a 24 year-old, third year vet.

Conclusion: Dan is full of crap. Hamilton's' age and experience both trump Gordon's.

Starting small forwards:
The Pistons: Tayshaun Prince, in 2004, was a 24 year-old, second year vet.
The Bulls: Luol Deng, right now, is a 22 year-old, third year vet.

Conclusion: Dan is full of crap, though not as obviously. It depends on what you place more value in. NBA experience or actual age, and does an extra year in the league make up for being two years younger when comparing the two.

Starting power forward:
The Pistons: Rasheed Wallace (we'll call him the starter even though he didn't start for them all season, but came in a trade late), in 2004, was a 29 year-old, nine year vet.
The Bulls: P.J. Brown, right now, is a 37 year-old, fourteen year vet.

Conclusion: Dan is not so full of crap here, but I would say that Rasheed was always a superior player, with better all-around skills, to Brown and age has little to do with anything when comparing them.

Starting center:
The Pistons: Ben Wallace, in 2004, was a 29 year-old, eighth year vet.
The Bulls: Ben Wallace, right now, is a 33 year-old, eleventh year vet.

Conclusion: Dan is not so full of crap. Since Ben doesn't have control over time and space, it's impossible for him to be younger now than he was then. In this case, age hurts the Bulls as Big Ben's skills have diminished.

Sixth men and the benches:
The Pistons: Mehmet Okur, 25/2. Corliss Williamson, 30/9. Elden Campbell, 35/14. Chucky Atkins, 29/5. Bobby Sura 31/9. Lindsey Hunter, 33/11. All this for an average of age of 30.5 years old and 8.3 years in the NBA.

The Bulls: Andres Nocioni, 27/3. Chris Duhon, 24/3. Tyrus Thomas, 20/1. Thabo Sefolosha, 23/1. Malik Allen, 28/6. Adrian Griffin, 32/8. The Bulls main bench players have an average age of 25.6, with a 3.6 average NBA experience.

Conclusion: Dan couldn't be more full of crap if he was some kind of crap-holder thingy. Basically, the Pistons averaged five more years of age with a nearly five year difference in NBA experience.

Overall conclusion:
Average age of starters on the Pistons: 27. Average years in the league: 6.
Average age of starters on the Bulls: 28 Average years in the league: 7.

You might say, "Slow your roll, Phil. Looks like the Bulls are older than the Pistons." Well, if you consider the starters only, than yes, they average a higher age. But that age comes from two players, and speaks more to the imbalance in the ages of the Bulls starting five.

Average age of players listed by Phil (starters and bench): Pistons, 28.9. The Bulls, 26.9,
Average experience of player listed by Phil (starters and bench): Pistons, 7.2. the Bulls, 5.1.

So, overall, the Pistons of '04 average 2 extra years in both age and experience.

The Bulls ARE young, especially where their best players are concerned, and age should be considered when deciding what types of moves you want to make. It is one of their flaws, and I hope they are given time after this season to mature and continue to play together.

Also, Dan Patrick is full of crap.

My God! My Bulls!

2007-05-11T09:53:00.000-07:00

That game was awful. Just terrible. It is obvious we are not the team that Detroit is.

"From my seat, when they want to do something out there, they do it," coach Scott Skiles said. "When they want to penetrate, they penetrate. When they want to shoot threes, they shoot threes. Even when we're guarding them, they've been able to make shots."

You got that right, Scott. As Prince was killing us, I thought, "No wonder they didn't draft Carmelo. This guy's the best small forward in the league." I couldn't be more impressed with Detroit.

I have thoughts about the Bulls flaws. They have a few. They are small. I've got some ideas about what they need. Size, size, and more size. But I don't think they need to blow it up.

Plus, there is another game to be played. How a team plays, at home, when facing elimination is important.

Has football season started yet?

Some Thoughts As I Turn On The Cubs Game.

2007-05-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

It's the bottom of the ninth. The Cubs cling to a one run lead. Dempster in to close. Dempster pops up Bautista for the first out. He walks McLouth, and gives up a hit to Doumit. There is a bit of a lull as the ball gets back to the pitcher. The cameras find Piniella, obscured by the railing along the dugout, hollering at Rothschild. Rothschild, looking a bit surprised at having to get up, hops out of his seat and trots quickly out to the mound.

Dempster gives up the tying run on a fly out to right and now we go to extra innings, but I liked that moment. Lou gives everyone shit. No one is exempt. I think it is starting to show in their play, despite this blown save by Dempster.

Bulls V. Pistons, Game Two.

2007-05-07T16:44:00.000-07:00

So here we go. Game two, Bulls V. Pistons. If the Bulls lose this game the series isn't over, but we all know the probability of the Bulls winning four of six.

Or do we?

Of course, it's fantastically hard to do. Turn a series around against a championship level team, when you are down two-zero? Good luck!

But it isn't impossible. It isn't "harder" than winning a championship. Championship teams do it all the time. A serious contender, and I think the Bulls moving in that direction, puts up a fight.

One of the things I most enjoy about the NBA playoffs is the extreme shifts in momentum within games. Within a series. At some point, every championship team has to "turn that corner." Perhaps the most famous moment like this is Jordan hitting that shot against Cleveland. The Bulls didn't win the ring that year, but they had begun an ascent that in hindsight seems almost inevitable. But if he doesn't make that shot, do they win six trophies?

If Rasheed Wallace hits a couple shots and L.A. doesn't come back to beat Portland, do they win three straight? Detroit was down three-one to Orlando in the first round the year before they won. They came back to win that series. They win the next year and McGrady still hasn't gotten out of the first round. Dallas let the Finals slip away last year and look at them.

Oh, they just tipped off. Tangent done.

Sweet Home Sports - The Bear Cave.

2007-05-02T21:39:00.000-07:00

Phil also posts for The Bears Cave. Check it out.

The State Of The Blog.

2007-05-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

Jerious Norwood, a frequent visitor and constant supporter of this site, has called attention to our lack of posts. I have no defense. I'm a lazy writer with kids and a job.

What I would like to say is thanks to everyone that reads and links to Double-Nickel. You are all powerful cool. But, since I can't guarantee that the posts will pick up, I totally understand if you feel like dropping us from your links list.

I started this site to get friends together to write about sports. I saw the guys at IDYFT, seemingly old friends all, and thought what a wonderful idea, I'll copy it. Other than that had no clear idea how it would be structured.

With that in mind, I don't want to delete it. If anyone wants to post they still can. If you feel like writing about sports, drop me a line, your in.

We'll see where it goes from here.

An Ohman. or a Blessing?

2007-04-17T07:42:00.000-07:00

My daughter Ava and I were playing with chalk about six last night. The usual: Flowers, sunsets, the Chicago skyline, our names, and of course the Cubs logo. Below that, I was chalking up the lineup with Soriano at the the top. He was the only one I wrote, Ava crossing him it, being time for pre dinner: Chips and Salsa. Soriano leaves with a strained hamstring, and Will Ohman just can't pitch in the majors. Goodbye Will, have fun with Prior in triple A.
Felix Pie is up and will play centerfield this afternoon. MLB team rosters are max at 25, so I would say Will is a goner. The bullpen, seemingly a strength, has been weak, and the starting pitching has been a surprise so far, with Rich Hill pitching great, Ted Lilly mowing people over, and Marquis hanging in there. Zambrano has been decent, but he's our ace and I'm not worried about him. The fifth starter is a weak spot, and Wade Miller has a chance to make another start after this if he beats Hall of Famer Greg Maddux.
Felix Pie is tearing it up in the minors. .444 batting average, nine walks to four strikeouts. Good on base percentage, and his defense seems to be his strongest point to begin with. He's here, and I'm excited about it. Does this mean "Jock" Jones is being shopped? Perhaps not yet, we'll have to see what Pie can do over a stretch of time. This could be an eventual outfield of Soriano in left, Pie in center, and Murton in right. Maybe.
So the line-up could look like this today:

1. Ryan "The Riot" Theriot 3B
2. Michael Barrett C
3. D. Lee 1B
4. "Jock" Jones RF
5. Matt Murton LF
6. Mark DeRosa 2B
7. Felix Pie CF
8. Cesar Izturis SS
9. Wade Miller P

This lineup is nothing more than a guess at 10 in the morning. I don't believe it is set yet, or any announcement of Pie. Jones could hit two, three or four, depending on where Lou wants to bat Lee, but I can't imagine taking him away from that spot. Jones can hit five and six as well. Barrett can hit just about anywhere. I don't think Pie will lead off against Maddux, but if that's going to be his spot on this team or any other, I think Sweet Uncle Lou will throw him into the fire. You only lead off the game once, and what a better start than to face Maddog. Talk about the knees shivering.
I guess we'll find out everything soon, and I hope the Cubs come out and perform well. The fans should be electric today.

Good Luck Cubbies!

Sweet Home Sports - The Bear Cave.

2007-04-11T05:43:00.000-07:00

Check out my recent post on the Bears.

Cubs versus Reds: Game 2

2007-04-04T13:04:00.000-07:00

Ted Lily makes his Cubs Debut as he faces Bronson Arroyo, who smoked the Cubs on the mound and at the plate last year. It's going to be cold in Cincinnati, and may have some flurries, which leaves me to wonder how much baseball will be played today. I hope they get it in, because I will be out watching it somewhere.

The lineup remains the same as far as I know, and I hope I see the swagger today. Patience at the plate is going to be key as always. Arroyo boasts some nice off speed pitches that will test the Cubs today. If they can hold off, they might be able to draw some walks, which can lead to some easy runs early. The Cubs left 13 men on base during the first game, and I'd like to see that number come down below ten. Also, Arroyo, who Was named after the great actor Charles Bronson, gave up 31 homers last year. A good chance for our power hitters to wait around for that fastball or hanging curve to send it out of The Great American Ballpark, a tough place to hit.

On the radar for me, which includes every game, is "Jock Jones". He is a veteran, but sometimes he looks like he forgets where he is. I'd like to see him improve his average this year, and spread the ball to more than just the right side. He's a lot like Jeremy Burnitz in that aspect.
Always on the radar is the outfield defense. Concentrate on the ball off the bat and get to that spot as quick as possible. Know where your cut off men are, and don't try to be a hero. Keep those fundamentals in check.

That middle infield is going to be key getting out of some innings. The tandem of Izturis and Derosa is still in question for many fans, but I like what both can bring, as opposed to Cedeno and Theriot.

That being said, the bats need to come early and often tonight.

Good Luck Cubs!

Cubs versus Reds: Game one thoughts

2007-04-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

Win or lose, it's always good to get that opening game out of the way. The last two openings days, the Cubs scored at will and won both of those games. This season was much different. Carlos Zambrano gave up 5 walks and 5 earned runs. Matt Murton already apologizing for his poor performance, striking out three times. In the sixth or seventh as I was watching, the combo of Lee, Ramirez, and Jones went down 1,2,3 on five pitches. Aaron Harang smoked all the Cubs, and patience at the plate was non-existent. I will let this game go under the radar, but there was truly no swagger to the Cubs on Monday.

The line-up is something I would already change. I would take a chance right off the bat with Felix Pie. Trade away "Jock" Jones and a pitching prospect for whoever, maybe another fifth starter(not like we have enough already). Stick Felix Pie in right field and make him lead off. Alfonso Soriano just strikes out to much there, and is too much of a free swinger. I say the new order should be:

Pie
Soriano
Lee
Ramirez
Barrett
Murton
Iztruris
DeRosa
Pitcher

It may turn out the order is fine the way it is, but I believe this is the way to shake it up. Experience means a lot, but when our we going to give someone with great potential a shot. Pie has at least got to be as good in the field as Jones. Wrigley can be a deathtrap, but I think we should have Pie get used to it as early as possible. If not, trade him and let's get a veteran, defensive outfielder who has the same power as Jones.

Ted Lily faces Bronson Arroyo Wednesday night in Cincinnati. Stay tuned for pre-game thoughts and coverage.

Cubs Versus Reds

2007-04-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

Carlos Zambrano faces Aaron Harang, who is no slouch. In 2006 Harang was 16-11, with an e.r.a. of 3.76, with only 56 bases on balls as opposed to 216 strikeouts. That tells me he has at least four pitches, if not five. Going to have to be patient at the plate Soriano, who led the Cubs with 19 strikeouts in the spring. My previous post crashed on me, and to lay down all the stats I had for spring would stink. The game is almost on!

Just a recap though. Lee and Ramirez tore it up. Ryan Theriot was third behind Lee and tied Ramirez with hits.

Two guys that looked very good in the spring who was sent to the little league were Felix Pie and reliever Rocky Cherry, who in 12 innings was 1-1, with an e.r.a. of 1.46, surrendering only 11 hits with 6 bases on ball to 19 strikeouts. Novoa had an Ugly spring, and I would say Rocky could get a chance.

Ronny "Woo Woo" Cedeno got much better this spring in the field with the help of Coach Alan Trammel.

Felix Pie had as many hits as "Jock"Jones, and hit for a better average, and had a better on base percentage. He may even be better in the field. He could get a chance this year.
Good bench in Daryle Ward, Ryan Theriot, Cliff Floyd, Ronny Cedeno and Henry Blanco. Every team has weaknesses. Ours is defense, and possibly strikeouts. Lou will have to make plenty of substitutions defensivley late and games, so he better drink some coffee during night games.

Here is the line-up today.

1. Alfonso Soriano CF
2. Matt Murton LF
3. Derrek Lee 1B
4. Aramis Ramirez 3B
5. "Jock" Jones RF
6. Michael Barrett C
7. Mark DeRosa 2B
8. Cesar Izturis SS
9. Carlos Zambrano P

Good Luck.

My New Gig.

2007-03-29T21:51:00.000-07:00

So I will be covering the Bears for Sweet Home Sports. Check it out.

Lance Briggs Is Losing The Hearts And Minds.

2007-03-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

In sports, contract negotiations are always about the money. When it isn't about the money, it's about 'respect.' 'Respect' is easily quantified through dollar amounts, so 'respect' is also, always about the money. On the rare occasion 'respect' isn't totally about money paid, it's about being 'The Man.'

The amount of money it takes for an athlete to feel respected is difficult enough for your average fan to understand, let alone empathize with when they threaten a hold out.

And when an athlete says this, it is REALLY hard to believe all they care about is winning, which, as a fan, is really all I care about.

"I've talked to Brian about it," said Briggs. "I'm a competitor and I want the same thing he has. I've learned a lot from Brian as a player and a leader and I eventually want to be 'the man' somewhere. I want to be like him and have everything put on me too. Obviously I'll never be able to do that there.
"Still, had the Bears made me a long-term offer that I found acceptable, I probably would have sacrificed this desire and stayed. I don't want to be somewhere I'm not wanted long-term."

What does that mean exactly? Being a starting linebacker on a Superbowl team isn't cool enough for you? You don't get enough commercials? You want to play defense all by yourself? One on eleven? That'll show 'em who's 'The Man.'

Again, the money I can understand, a player has to max out the money he can make. It's a short life playing football. I even like the attitude, the high performance he thinks he is capable of.

That's not what this is though, at least not all of it. This is Briggs sounding spoiled, arrogant, jealous and ungrateful towards teammates that had a lot to do with his success.

More thoughts on Lance by superior writers:
Foul Balls
Sweet Home Sports
Kissing Suzy Kolber (Third rumor down.)

How good are the Mavericks?

2007-03-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

There's been a lot of talk lately about the Dallas Maverick's and their tear through the regular season.

Eric Neel has an article at Page 2 about the Mavericks crazy, good regular season.

He compares their record to those of the great NBA teams, laying the claim, "they're going to belong at the table with the 1996 Bulls, the 1986 Celtics, the 1983 Sixers and the 1972 Lakers as architects of a truly dominant 82-game run."

He then laments the Mavs uninspiring qualities, answering his own question of why they seem to get to little love for their gaudy win total.

Cuban overshadows the, largely, uncharismatic players. When put up against the great Bulls, Celts, Sixers, or Lakers teams that had similar runs, they do fall short at the "IT" factor. Seen next to Nash's fun Sun's, or Detroit rage fueled us-against-the-world mindset, your eye does not follow the Mavs.

Henry Abbott at TrueHoop loves Nowitzki's game, but sees him as "not made for TV."

All of this is true. They have no dynamic personalities, they aren't overly flashy in their play. But I think the biggest problem is that they lost in the Finals last year. The teams they are being compared to all had serious, championship pedigree, and Dallas doesn't have that. Yet. If they were the defending champions, winning the way they have been this season, ESPN would be all over them. In a stocked Western Conference, despite their great play, I'm not sure if they will even make it to the Finals.

Plus, it's March Madness.

Ranking The Great Centers

2007-03-08T17:26:00.000-08:00

ESPN's Daily Dime has listed the greatest centers one through ten.

Abdul-Jabbar
Chamberlain
Russel
O'Neal
Olajuwon
Malone
Walton
Robinson
Mikan
Ewing.

I don't have a big problem with this list, despite the notable absence of Dave Corzine.

The Sports Guy disputes the merits of a list like this. I tend to agree with his argument that it is a vague question, with no answer. Does it mean career? How do you adjust for the era a center played in? Is it, which center are you taking to win one game? At the same time, that stance isn't much fun.

Pacifist Viking supports the choice of Kareem at #1, but calls attention to some serious rebounding stats Chamberlain had.

For my money, I'm taking "The Dream."

I'm not a stat freak, but some (not really "real" stats anyway) I will highlight are: Aside from Jordan, Olajuwon is the only player to win Defensive Player of the Year and MVP, in the same season. He also won Finals MVP, the only player to ever win all three in one season. He is the only center on this list, (I think, please correct me if I'm wrong) to beat three other centers (O'Neal, Robinson, and Ewing) on this list, in meaningful championship match-ups.

After Jordan's first retirement, Olajuwon filled the gap and became THE must watch player. For the seasons of 93-94 & 94-95, he was as unstoppable as any player I ever watched. His abusive treatment of Robinson, in the 94-95 Finals, is one the great moments in sports when one player separates themselves from their contemporaries.

Olajuwon was a master artist creating a masterpiece. Second place wasn't that close.

Usually people take for granted, that if Jordan had not retired, the Bulls would have won eight titles. This Bulls fan was never so certain.

(Additionally, True Hoop has a pretty good debate going in his comment's, and with The Sport's Guy on this subject. Thanks for the linkage, Pacifist Viking!))

You traded who for what now?

2007-03-06T10:07:00.001-08:00

Thomas Jones traded to Jets!

No, not that Thomas Jones.

No, not that one either.

Who the fuck is that?
Private Thomas Jones.
No. Thomas Jones of the Chicago Bears.

That's Tom Dore, play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Bulls.

You did him already.

Is that a platypus?
Yeah.
Cute.
Yeah.

That's him!
Kinda small image... We'll go with it.

As I'm sure all have heard by now, Thomas Jones, and our 2nd rounder, has been traded to the Jets for their 2nd round pick.

This feels like when I'm playing Madden and I go to trade a guy I think has value, at least a 'B', but the computer gives him a 'D' and no one will take him. I guess he wasn't worth what I thought he was.

I'm not gonna get worked up about this. He's been a solid back for three seasons, but I think Cedric Benson, spelled by Adrian Peterson, can do the same thing. It also depends heavily on who we pick. We need to get younger on our offensive line, and resigning Lance Briggs (a big 'IF'), isn't gonna be cheap. This might be a step towards that end.

A Letter to My Beloved G.M.:

2007-03-05T14:28:00.000-08:00

Dear Ken,

Let me just start out by saying, thanks again for 2005. Really enjoyed it. Exponentially.

And while I’m still giving you the, “25 year consolation period until I start really getting pissed about not perennially making the playoffs” I’ve got a couple of questions I’d like to lob at you.
Trading Brandon McCarthy? Really? What did he do? We had him under his original contract for the next 5 seasons. He still had 2 options left for minor league assignment. He was actually putting on weight, taking the gangly off and adding some mass. Did he bugger Olney Guillen in the showers? Was he waving off Man Soo Lee in the bullpen? What was it? Because as far as I can see, we got 2 “could-be high ceiling guys” from the Rangers for a major league ready starting pitcher. Coupled with the trade of Freddie Garcia (which I totally understand) couldn’t we have at least raised the leagues perception of Brandon and thus raising his trade value by having him as our #5 this season? Now we’re stuck with a crap shoot of possibilities to fill in a HUGE void at the 5th spot.

Not to mention that Jose “Satchel Paige” Contreras is a stiff wind away from blowing out candles on his 50th birthday cake and Javier “3rd time around the batting order and it’s tee-ball” Vasquez are hanging on by teeny tiny threads, I’d like to ask, WHAT ARE YOU DOING???

I understand that you’re trying to get ahead of the curve of exorbitantly ridiculous free agent pitching contracts. And maybe, just maybe, you’re going to roll out the Brinks Truck for Mark “I’ve got an Ozzie Smith jersey on under my Sox gear” Buehrle. I comprehend that you’re looking at the next 3 to 5 years and not just this season. BUT COME ON, KENNY!!!!

I’m not totally upset about losing Brandon McCarthy. I’m just upset about what it represents. Did you completely forget about the 2004 season? We had incredible bats; Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Lee, Paulie K, Joe Crede. And our #5 starters were a combined 3-30something. Scott Schoneweiss, Esteban Loaiza, Felix Diaz, Arnie Munoz, Neal Cotts. It was a revolving door of mediocrity. Not even The Magic Man Don F’n Cooper could get these guys pitching. And what happened? We were .500. No playoffs. Golfing in October.

You see, Kenny, it’s your fault. You brought me a World Series Trophy, and now I’m greedy. We won 90 games last year, and didn’t make the playoffs. 90 games. We finished behind the Twins and the Tigers, in our own division. Now we’re giving the Tribe another year to regroup, and you don’t think that they won’t be breathing down our necks as well? Let me answer that for you, they will be.

(On a positive note, Darin Erstad was a fantastic pick-up for utility outfielder and all around hustler. I dig that move. I get it. Grinders. Yeah, yeah, yeah.)

The pitching, Kenny. The pitching. Why have you forsaken me?

I know you have a plan. I understand your plan. I want to like your plan. But if winning ballgames equates to attendance*, and attendance dictates payroll, then my question simply is, WTF?

OK, I got that all off my chest. Again I’d like to say, thanks for 2005. I watch the Championship DVD’s religiously at least once a month. And I still tear up as Geoff Blum is hitting his extra inning HR in Houston.

Spoil me again, Ken. I won’t mind. And neither will your massing legion of Sox fans.
Just do me a favor…don’t ship Jon Garland off for a bag of magic beans. Please.

Thanks for listening,

Ivan Calderon

* denotes the phenomenon of a perennial sub .500 team on the north side of Chicago that packs em in daily for sub par games

Like Brian, If I Could Be Like Brian...

2007-03-02T09:29:00.000-08:00

It's good to be Brian Urlacher.

Thanks to Deadspin for this pic. I have nothing funny to add, maybe something about Urlacher having soft hands for a linebacker. Nah, that sucks.

The comments at Deadspin are hilarious, my favorite being,

Lance Uppercut says:

"Beware of the one on the right, some people don't know what it is like to bite off someone's penis, she is not one of those people."

Yeah...The Ron Rivera thing.

2007-03-01T21:08:00.000-08:00

About the Ron Rivera release, I was never all that upset over it. Other than, "Well, that sucks. Another former Chicago player, having trouble sticking with a Chicago team, in a different role besides player."

I wanted Bill Cartwright to succeed, and it chaps my ass every time I think of Mike Singletary coaching a San Fransisco team.

Steve Stone, years of solid color work after playing for the Cubs, gets bounced for pissing off a crappy manager, in way over his head, and some players who's names I can't remember. Leslie Frazier. Joe Girardi. Jim Harbaugh. John Paxson's success is nice to see, but...

I doubt, Michael Jordan will ever be a part of the Bulls organization again.

The list is long, and this trend isn't unique to Chicago. Larry Bird couldn't work for the Celtics. Magic Johnson maintains some ownership of the Laker's, but he failed as a coach and never tried to G.M. That was Jerry West's job, that guy lived and died with his Laker's, until he lost a power struggle to Phil Jackson, and now he slowly fades away in Memphis.

In this case, we were keeping Lovie, so Ron was gonna go. He wasn't running his defense, he was running Lovie's Cover 2. After having played for a blitzing Bears team, and coming up as a coach for Philly, with Jim Johnson's blitzing scheme, the fit never seemed right.

It's to bad, cause I root for Rivera, he's a Chicago Bear, but he obviously wasn't seeing eye-to-eye with Lovie. If we know one thing about Lovie, he'll get rid of someone that isn't working out. Just ask, Terry O'Shea. Or Chad Hutchinson, or Wade Wilson, or, well, Rivera.

So I say, good luck to Ron. And who knows, he might be our next head coach.

Bears get it right.

2007-02-28T18:56:00.000-08:00

The Chicago Bears website, and ESPN, is reporting that both Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo have signed contract extensions.

No numbers on Angelo, who signed through 2013, but ESPN says Smith has agreed to a four-year, $22 million extension through 2011, keeping his scheduled salary for next season, with the raise coming in 2008.

The Bears have been accused of everything this week, from being (their track record bears this out. Hehehe bears...) cheap, to potentially (and worth asking) racist, where Lovie's contract was concerned.

Not sure if it was the public beating that accelerated this deal, but I'm happy to see it get done.

A Quest For Our Three Readers.

2007-02-28T16:30:00.000-08:00

Foul Balls, via True Hoop, who had gotten an email from SI's Andrew Lawrence, posted a story of M.J.'s competitive, gambling cruelty visited upon Scottie Pippen.

News of his imminent financial demise hardly surprise. Rather, it calls to mind the absolute coolest Jordan story I'd ever been told -- courtesy of the AP's Jim Litke, the George Washington on my sports journalism Mt. Rushmore. That said, I take everything Jim says as gospel, this story especially. It starts with Jordan shooting around at practice at old Chicago Stadium when he looks up and notices the m&m race on the jumbotron. Curious, he asks one of the Bulls' staffers what's up and learns what he is seeing is actually a dry run-through of the night's in-game entertainment, in which the jumbotron and m&m race factor prominently. (I'm pretty sure this was before shooting t-shirts out of an air cannon captivated a nation.) Naturally, MJ wanted to know if the winner of the race was predetermined. Of course the 8-bit graphics betrayed the answer: a resounding "yes".
So later that night, Phil calls a time out and Jordan & co. repair to the bench. As he's sitting down, he looks up at the jumbotron to see the m&m race about to start. So he nudges Scottie.

MJ: "Bet you 5 grand yellow takes this."

Pip: "Bet."

I'm told this went on for years before Scottie ever got wise...

I commented, confident in my memory, that Sam Smith told this story in his book, The Jordan Rules, with Horace Grant playing the role of Baby With Candy. After an Amazon 'search inside this book' search, I can find no evidence to support my memory. Anyone else remember this story from Smith's book? Anyone have an old copy of the book? Little help here, or do I need to start tattooing stats and stories across my body, Memento-style?

(Administrator's note: I just got a return email from Sam Smith, stating that he had never written about this. Surprise! My memory sucks. I'm still convinced I've heard this story before.)

Cubs Baseball 2007

2007-02-13T07:26:00.000-08:00

With seven pitchers fighting for four spots, you would think the Cubs are in a great position to form a solid five. Then again, let's look at who coming February 15th by the stats of 2006.
These players include Carlos Zambrano, Angel Guzman, Sean Marshall, Wade Miller, Mark Prior, Rich Hill, Jason Marquis, and Ted Lily. Also waiting in the bullpen: Carlos Marmol, Juan Mateo, and the questionable Neal Cotts.
Carlos Zambrano is the Ace. In 2006, Big "Z" was 16-7, with an e.r.a. of 3.41. He had 33 starts and pitched 214 innings. 115 base on balls to 210 strikeouts. He gave up 162 hits, 91 runs(81 of them earned), and 20 home runs. He is our work horse. Seldom gets injured or complains of a sore arm. By the start of the season the Cubs payroll should be about 312 million dollars, after signing him to a one year deal. Holy Cow!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As of now, Ted Lily is my number two pitcher. He's really more of a three/four, but not here. In 2006 with the Blue Jays, Lily was 15-13 in 32 starts. He threw 181 innings with an e.r.a. of 4.31. 179 hits with 98 runs, 87 of them earned. His base on balls to strikeout ratio was 81-160. He gave up 28 home runs and could sky-rocket at the friendly confines.
So who are the third, fourth and fifth starters? This is what camp will determine. The next guy to pitch more than 150 innings is Jason Marquis, followed by Sean Marshall at 125 innings and then Rich Hill at 99. Prior and Miller hardly pitched, and Guzman was 0-6 in ten starts. All these guys e.r.a. was between 5 and 7.4, with Rich Hills' 4.17 being the best.
This is a mystery. Cubs gave up the most walks, but struck-out the most batters, and owned the third worst e.r.a. in the N.L. Nothing will get easier for these guys.
Right now you have to have Marquis and Marshall fight for the third spot. Rich Hill and Mark Prior will compete for the fourth spot, and Miller and Guzman get sent down to AAA, unless Guzman sits in the pen for a while, which should be unlikely.
Maybe Prior and Miller have a great spring training and we have little to worry about. Perhaps Rich Hill (who can finally locate his fastball), becomes an ace, getting to the 15 win mark. High hopes and optimism folks. That's all the Cub Fans have. This is the last year for Prior, Miller, and Marquis, if they can't stay on the field. I doubt very highly that Wade Miller is ready to pitch 150 plus innings anyway. Sean Marshall could be on his way to a trade if he becomes mediocre at best. Then the Cubs will have more time for Mateo, Marmol, and Guzman.
I'll talk about the bullpen in a later blog, probably by the weekend. There are only so many pitchers the Cubs will carry, so I expect 100% out of these guys to make the five. I see some spot starters for sure in that fifth spot. No way everybody succeeds or stays healthy.
It all starts this Thursday Cub Fans!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, right now, if I was Lou and Larry, the staff looks like this.
1. Carlos Zambrano
2. Ted Lily
3. Rich Hill
4. Jason Marquis
5. Sean Marshall.

With more certainty, I would have Prior and Miller in, replacing Marshall and Marquis, but.............................................you know.

GO CUBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Bears, Our Super Bowl.

2007-02-04T07:39:00.000-08:00

Last night as I was waiting tables, dreaming about the Super Bowl I would be watching today, a regular couple came in and sat down in my station. I don't have the contempt for these regulars that I might for others. They are always cheerful, polite and generous. She has a Long Island, Diet Coke back, while he has a Chardonnay. My busser, Oscar, arrives at the table first to fill water, as I approach them, Oscar, mentions that her father played for the Bears. Cool, I'll ask her about it.

"Evening folks, good to see you. Oscar tells me your father played for the Bears?"

Her husband speaks up first, his male pride swelling as he points to his chest, on his sweater is the team picture above, "This is him here, number 20."

"He played on the 1932 Championship team," I ask.

She speaks up now, "Yes."

"That's not the 73-0 game against the Redskins, was it?"

"No, but he was on that team. He played from '29 to '36."

Now, I'm a bit of a sports historian, thinking this is very cool, I say so, "Cool. What was his name?"

"Zuck Carlson."

"So, he played with Red Grange?"

"Yes, and Bronco Nagurski."

"Wow. Was Halas the coach?"

"Yes, he's there in the picture," her husband adds, pointing to a young Halas on the left of his sweater. "90 bucks a game they got paid."

"The Bear Down fight song is about the team your dad played on."

"Yes."

"Well, I gotta say this is very cool, you forget the history sometimes, but your dad helped build the NFL. Sorry for the cliche, but in your case, it's true."

She begins to open up to the subject, "Thanks. I have all of his medical paperwork, all his jerseys and uniforms."

"Has the city, or team ever asked for any of it? For display or anything?"

"No, the Bears records building burned down awhile ago, so I'm glad I still had it myself."

I've spent to much time at the table now, the restaurant is busy. "We'll, I'll say thank you to you, and your dad for the game tomorrow, and this round is on me."

They say thank you, and the rest of the meal is pretty uneventful.

I have no monumental insight gleaned from this conversation. I just thought, and I think I mentioned this, that it was pretty cool.

So today, I'm gonna go watch the game, have fun, enjoy myself and raise my glass to Zuck Carlson.

One of the first Bears to Bear Down, and thrill the nation with the "T" formation.

Go Bears!

Sport's On T.V. Today.

2007-02-03T07:01:00.000-08:00

National Coverage.

English Premeire League Soccer:

Aston Villa vs. West Ham United, (FSC, 10 a.m.)
Middlesbourgh vs. Arsenal, (FSC, noon)
Manchester City vs. Reading, (FSC, 2:15 p.m.)

Boxing: Champion Tomasz Adamek vs. Chad Dawson, for WBC light heavyweight championship; champion Jesus Chavez vs. Julio Diaz, for IBF lightweight championship, at Kissimmee, Fla., (Showtime, 9 p.m.)

College men's basketball:

Southern Methodist vs. Memphis, (ESPN, noon)
Louisville vs. Villanova, (ESPN2, noon)
Washington vs. Arizona, (FSN, 1:30 p.m.)
Indiana vs. Iowa, (ESPN, 2 p.m.)
Southern Illinois vs. Wichita State, (ESPN2, 2 p.m.)
Teams TBA, (ABC, 3:30 p.m.)
Ohio State vs. Michigan State, (CBS, 4 p.m.)
Wright State vs. Detroit, (ESPN2, 4 p.m.)
Samford vs. Eastern Illinois, (ESPN2, 6 p.m.)
Washington State vs. Arizona State, (FSN, 7:30 p.m.)
Hawaii vs. Nevada, (ESPN2, 8 p.m.)
Texas A&M vs. Kansas, (ESPN, 9 p.m.)
Stanford vs. California, (FSN, 9:30 p.m.)

College women's basketball:

Baylor vs. Nebraska, (FSN, 3:30 p.m.)
Texas vs. Kansas State, (FSN, 5:30 p.m.)

Golf: PGA Tour, FBR Open, third round, (NBC, 3 p.m.)

NBA: Chicago at Portland, (WGN, 10 p.m.)

Local Coverage.

Track and Field: Triathlon:Xterra Worl Championship, (WBBM, noon)

College men's basketball:

Purdue vs. Penn State, (WCIU, 11 a.m.)
Washington vs. Arizona, (CSNCHI, 12:30 p.m.)
Northwestern vs. Wisconsin, (WCIU, 1 p.m.)

NHL: Chicago vs. San Jose, (CSNCHI, 3 p.m.)

Sport's On T.V. Tonight.

2007-02-02T05:50:00.000-08:00

National Coverage.

Boxing:

Heavyweights, Zuri Lawrence vs. Dominick Guinn, at Rochester, N.Y., (ESPN2, 9 p.m.)
Junior middleweights, James Kirkland vs. Billy Lyell; junior welterweights, Timothy Bradley vs. Michael Clark, at Santa Ynez, Calif., (Showtime, 11 p.m.)

Golf: PGA Tour, FBR Open, second round, at Scottsdale, Ariz., (The Golf Channel, 3 p.m.)

NBA:

New Jersey vs. Orlando, (ESPN, 8 p.m.)
Chicago vs Seattle, ESPN, (ESPN, 10:30 p.m.)

Track and field: 100th Millrose Games, at New York, (ESPN2, 7 p.m.)

Local Coverage.

AHL: Chicago vs. Manitoba,(3 ILL-03, 7:30 p.m.)

NBA:Chicago vs Seattle, (WGN, 9:30 p.m.)

Winesburg, Ohio/San Fransisco, California

2007-02-01T05:10:00.000-08:00

So Barry Bonds signed a one-year contract to play for the San Fransisco Giants next year. Foul Balls has a breakdown of the various clauses written into the contract to protect the Giants if Barry finds himself in jail.

I had this idea about Bonds awhile ago, and that is, he hates baseball. He hates baseball, and everyone involved in it, so much that his one goal is to become the greatest player ever, and in doing so, destroy baseball.

Imagine a kid growing up, like so many growing up in America, he gets baseball shoved down his throat. But unlike every other kid, this kid's dad is a Champion, All-Star caliber professional baseball player. Every time this kids dad misses a birthday, or misses a game the kid is playing in, or just isn't around, it's baseball's fault. So he develops a healthy dislike for the game, the same as any kid dislikes the job that takes a parent away from him.

Not only does baseball rob him of so much time with his father, the media coverage, alot of it negative, creates a suspicion and paranoia in his mind. It seems absurd to him that they should spend so much time on something he disdains, but to attack his father in print with false accusations, unacceptable. What son isn't protective of their father? He grows up considering those critics in the media to be his enemies.

As he gets older, he travels with his dad's team, from city to city. Here, he only encounters more enemies, men and women, fans, thousands of them, packing stadiums to love baseball and hate on his dad. The best only boo, the worst throw batteries and hurl racial slurs at him and his father. Dilettante's, hurting his family, because they are unable to play the game.

It is these enemies that deserve the worst.

But, instead of walking away from the game, he chooses to become the greatest the game has ever seen. He will capture their love through his greatness, all the while, hating them, and their love for the game.

Now, knocking at the door of his goal, he is a grotesque, the game he hates, hates him to. Maybe we all deserve each other, baseball, Barry Bonds and us fans. He won't destroy the game, it will go on after he retires, and he will be remembered for being one of the greatest players.

I doubt he will be loved though, which might have been all that little kid wanted.

Sport's On T.V. today.

2007-02-01T04:45:00.000-08:00

National Coverage.

College men's basketball:

Georgetown vs, St. John's (ESPN, 7 p.m.)
Saint Louis vs. Saint Joseph's (ESPN2, 8:30 p.m.)
Duke vs. Virginia (ESPN, 9 p.m.)
Oregon vs. UCLA (FSN, 10:30 p.m.)

Golf: PGA Tour, FBR Open, first round, at Scottsdale, Ariz. (The Golf Channel, 3 p.m.)

High school boys basketball: Loyola (Ill.) vs. North Central (Ind.), at Indianapolis (ESPN2, 7 p.m.)

NBA:

Cleveland at Miami (TNT, 8 p.m.)
San Antonio at Phoenix (TNT, 10:30 p.m.)

Reality: Pro's vs. Joe's (Spike, 10 p.m.)

Local Coverage.

College men's basketball:

Oral Roberts vs. Valparaiso (WYIN, 7 p.m.)
Oregon vs. UCLA (3 ILL-03, 9:30 p.m.)

NHL: Chicago vs. Los Angeles (CSNCHI, 9:30 p.m.)

Keep the Ball Moving.

2007-01-31T10:09:00.000-08:00

Bear vs. Colt. Fan poll, check. MySpace pages, check. Bizarre video of people in horse and bear costume, double check.

Deadspin. Outsider/Insider/Outsider's look at Super Bowl week in Miami, or Sean Salisbury is King.

Foul Balls. Bears fans continue to impress.

Joe Sports Fan. Breaking down the absurdity of sports media.

Kissing Suzy Kolber. Passasaurus Rex, striving to help those less fortunate.

Leave The Man Alone. Gotta hate Samurai Mike being used this way.

Pacifist Viking. The story of the season? Saints, no. Tomlinson, no. Rex Grossman, yes!

Ron Karkovice Fan Club. The best Super Bowl breakdowns I've read.

Sweet Home Sports. Know your Bears quotes.

The Big Picture. Insightful interview with the Super Bowl teams head coaches.

This Suit Is Not Black. Don't make Rex angry. You wouldn't like him when he's angry.

We Are Postmen. Someone give Kyle a hug.

Sports On T.V. Today.

2007-01-31T05:47:00.000-08:00

National Coverage.

English Premeire League Soccer:

Arsenal vs. Bolton Wanderers, (FSC, 12:30 p.m.)
Chelsea vs. Blackburn Rovers, (FSC, 2:30 p.m.)
Bolton Wanderers vs. Charlton Athletic, (FSC, 5 p.m.)

College men's basketball:

Miami (Fla.) vs. North Carolina, (ESPN, 7 p.m.)
Ohio State vs. Purdue, (ESPN2, 7 p.m.)
Texas vs. Texas Tech, (ESPN2, 9 p.m.)
Gonzaga vs. Stanford, (FSN, 11 p.m.)

NBA:

San Antonio vs. Utah, (ESPN, 9 p.m.)
Chicago vs. Los Angeles Clippers, (WGN, 9:30 p.m.)

UFC: Fight Night: From Hollywood, Fla. (Spike, 8 p.m.)

Local Coverage.

College men's basketball:

Wisconsin vs. Indiana, (WYIN, 6 p.m.)
Creighton vs. Bradley, (CSNCHI, 7:30 p.m.)

In Praise of the EPL Review Show, Part One

2007-01-27T21:36:00.001-08:00

Hello readers. You'll note that this weekend's column comes to you too late for you to size up Saturday's Fox Soccer Channel games. Fear not, dear hearts; this weekend is reserved for some particularly unsexy FA Cup Fourth Round matches. So unless you're a big fan of Spurs of Blackburn, which you aren't, and desired to see them easily dispatch lower-league competition, today's respective thumpings were eminently missable.

Another reason we're a day late is I've started a job this week, an actual job at an actual workplace that requires my actual continued resence. Jarring to the old schedule, that.

But the main reason why the actual day of release for this column is immaterial is that this week we won't be talking about this week; we'll be talking about last week, or rather, about the highlights of last week as they were so deftly delivered on FSC's "EPL Review Show."

I've recommended the show before in this blog, but always in an offhanded manner, and it's such a perfect highlights program that it deserves to be called to your collective attention more explicitly.

The format is simple but exceedinly effective. Each of the weekend's games is shown in miniature. You see every single goal of the weekend, every bit of argy bargy, every note-worthy incident. You generally then hear each manager give his post-match comments; sometimes their commentary is cliche-ridden and lame, occasionally they throw some salt around but at the very least the accents are consistently fascinating.

The game clips themselves are what makes it great, of course. They don't come at you in the rapid-fire manner we have come to expect from American shows. They come in extended form; you don't just see the goal, you see the passes that led up to it. You don't just see the red card, you see the incident from ten minutes earlier that started the slow burn in the first place. You don't hear a studio host offering wise-cracks and catchphrases, you hear the original breathless British commentary coming from the guy who is actually at the game. It exposes all of the bloated excess of SportsCenter, making you wish that all highlights were delivered this way.

(For the record, I wonder if the trend towards this style of highlights is already underway; with the way that games are being replayed abbreviated-style on the NFL Network, or the long-play summaries you can get on iTunes, it is possible that we have reached the saturation point on SportsCenter-style rat-a-tat. I'm alowing myself some hope that we are reverting to letting the games speak for themselves.)

This is not FSC's idea, of course; first of all the show is a production of the Premier League and is sent around the world. Secondly, British television has been doing it this way for decades; a show called "Match of the Day" has been as big a Saturday night television institution there as "Saturday Night Live" has here.

It should be noted that "MotD" distinguishes itself from the "EPL Review Show" with a commentary panel of experts, including the magnificent Scottish curmudgeon Alan Hansen; but while that panel is generally excellent I must say I don't miss it.

Last week's show was a particularly good one. It started off strong, with the highlights of the Liverpool-Chelsea and Arsneal-Man U matches. As I said here last week, if Liverpool and Arsenal were to each win, the title race would get a lot more interesting. Sure enough, they did. And how.

Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-0 with two goals in the first twenty minutes, including a stunner from Jermaine Pennant. Chelsea are officially reeling, by the way, but we'll get to them in a second.

The Arsenal match topped that one for drama. Still down 1-0 in the 83rd minute, the Gunners came back to win with two great goals. First an 83rd minute goal by Robin van Persie, which you can enjoy in English or through the Arabic Andres Cantor.

Then Arsenal did what Man U usually do; they scored in the next-to-last minute of stoppage time to win. The goal by Thierry Henry is notable for two things: the first being that Henry rarely scores from headers, the second that the exquisite cross came from a 22 year-old Englishman named Justin Hoyte. An Englishman on Arsenal can be as hard to find as a Turk on the Kansas City Royals. So good for him for taking his chance.

(But really. You gotta hear the Arabic version.)

That's a pretty great chunk of highlights. On SportsCenter, both games awould have been taken care of in three minutes total. On the EPL Review Show, it took a quarter of an hour. They don't just show you images; they tell you each game, as though it were a story.

Alas, I have to run to that there job I was talking about. We'll finish this later, as there's more to come, including fighting coaches and a fleeting moment of audacity by Clint Dempsey in his Premeriship debut. Until then, let's preview tomorrow's game.

Chelsea-Nottingham Forest, FA Cup Fourth Round, 9am ET

The real game of the day would be Arsenal vs. Bolton, who knocked the Guners out at this stage last year. But FSC gives us this. Eh.

Chelsea are riven by controversy and locker room strife at the moment. Their big signing from last summer was the Ukrainain striker Andriy Schevchenko. He is a living legend, one of the most lethal forwards of his generation. Until he came to London. Where he has thoroughly sucked. The scuttlebutt is that Chelsea's Russian owner is friends with Schevchenko and wants coach Jose Mourinho to coddle him. Mourinho has been making veiled threats in the papers that he will leave if he is not allowed to do things his way and two players have come out this week saying that this schism is one of the reasons Chelsea are struggling of late. (A more salient reason is their injury problems at centre-back, but I still love the gossip, me.)

Still, they'll make a punching bag of Forest. If the game were in Nottingham, there might have been an upset. This sounds like one of those games were the smaller team starts strong, fights hard, holds on for a long time and then tragically caves in at the end. This one'll be for Chelsea fans only.

Watchability: Two stars (out of 4)
Yank Watch: None, though Chelsea are rumored to be in talks to get Onguchi Onyewu.

-Brendan Hunt

You can almost smell it....

2007-01-25T17:29:00.000-08:00

25 - 13 CHI over DAL (1st Q, but hey... best quarter of ball I've seen the Bulls play this year..)

Ben has his hair blown out and many a teardrop is falling for BG... You go on and get a T Ben...

Dear God... No way Pax deals for Gasol... no way... this crew is hungry and wicked... just the way I like my NBA squads...

I don't even care if they lose tonight... that 1st Q is worth it.

Time Out.

2007-01-25T05:36:00.000-08:00

To our three readers,

Due to some computer problems, and an increase in my activities that take me away from blogging, I will be posting far less for awhile.

Thanks for reading, we will try to get back on track soon.

Go Bears!!

Phil

Sports On T.V. Today.

2007-01-22T06:58:00.000-08:00

National Games.

College men's basketball:

Connecticut vs. Louisville (ESPN, 7 p.m.)
Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State (ESPN, 9 p.m.)
Gonzaga vs. Portland (ESPN, midnight)

College women's basketball: Duke at Tennessee (ESPN2, 7 p.m.)

Tennis: Australian Open, at Melbourne, fourth round (ESPN2, 3 p.m., same-day tape); quarterfinals (ESPN2, 9 p.m., live; and ESPN, 3:30 a.m., live)

Local Games.

NBA: Chicago vs. Indiana (CSNCHI, 6 p.m.)

Super Bowl!!

2007-01-21T20:25:00.000-08:00

The NFC Title Game.
1/21/07
Bears 39, Saints 14.

Sports On T.V. today.

2007-01-21T09:37:00.000-08:00

NFL: NFC Championship Game, New Orleans vs. Chicago, (Fox, 3 p.m)

That is all.

2007-01-20T06:21:00.000-08:00

National Games.

English Premeire League Soccer:

Newcastle United vs. West Ham United, (FSC, 10 a.m.)
Manchester City vs. Blackburn Rovers, (FSC, noon)
Portsmouth vs. Charlton Athletic, (FSC, 2:15 p.m.)

Boxing: Junior welterweights, IBF champion Juan Urango vs. Ricky Hatton; welterweights, Jose Luis Castillo vs. Herman Ngoudjo, at Las Vegas, (HBO, 9:45 p.m.)

College football: Dell East-West All-Star Shrine Game, at Houston, (ESPN2, 7 p.m.)

College men's basketball:

Louisville vs. DePaul, (ESPN, noon)
Wisconsin vs. Illinois, (ESPN, 2 p.m.)
Duke vs. North Carolina State, (ABC, 3:30 p.m.)
Kansas vs. Texas Tech, (ESPN, 4 p.m.)
Arizona vs. UCLA, (FSN, 4 p.m.)
San Diego State vs. Air Force, (VERSUS, 5 p.m.)
Washington vs. Washington State, (FSN, 6 p.m.)
Georgia Tech vs. North Carolina, (ESPN, 9 p.m.

College men's basketball regional coverage:

Indiana vs. Connecticut or LSU at Arkansas, (CBS, 3:45 p.m.)
Texas vs. Villanova or Georgia at Alabama,(CBS, 1:30 p.m.)

College women's basketball:

Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma State, (FSN, noon)
Kansas State vs. Baylor, (FSN, 2 p.m.)
UCLA vs. Arizona, (FSN, 2 a.m.) (delayed tape)

Golf:

PGA European Tour, Abu Dhabi Championship, third round, (The Golf Channel, 9:30 a.m.) (same-day tape)
LPGA, Women's World Cup of Golf, second round, (The Golf Channel, 1 p.m.) (same-day tape)
PGA Tour, Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, fourth round, (The Golf Channel, 4 p.m.)
Champions Tour, MasterCard Championship at Hualalai, second round, (The Golf Channel, 7:30 p.m.)

NBA: Utah vs. Chicago, (WGN, 8:30 p.m.)

Rodeo: Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series, Sacramento Classic, (VERSUS, 9 p.m.)

Soccer: Men's national team, USA vs. Denmark, at Carson, Calif., (ESPN2, 4:50 p.m.)

Tennis: Australian Open, early rounds, (ESPN2, noon( (same-day tape); (ESPN2, 10 p.m.); (ESPN, 3:30 a.m.)

Hatton-Urango

2007-01-19T19:49:00.000-08:00

Ricky Hatton weighed in at 139lbs, as did Juan Urango. Tomorrow night both will be closer to 160lbs. Fighters try and put on as much weight before a fight as they can. The heavier you are, the harder you can hit.
The bout is for Urango's 140lb I.B.F. Junior welter weight title. However Hatton is favored to win. Both fighters are pressure fighters. Neither like to take a step back. This should be an exciting fight. I encourage all to watch it. It might just turn you into a boxing fan.
My prediction is Hatton KO's Urango by the 8th round. Urango has a solid chance for the upset, though so it is an exciting fight.

2007-01-19T06:29:00.000-08:00

National Games.

Boxing:

Light welterweights, champion Randall Bailey vs. Michael Warrick, for IBA championship, at Key West, Fla. (ESPN2, 8 p.m.)
Junior featherweights, Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Cuauhtemoc Vargas; welterweights, Victor Ortiz vs. Marvin Cordova, at Phoenix, (Showtime, 11 p.m.)

Golf:

PGA European Tour, Abu Dhabi Championship, second round, at Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, (The Golf Channel, 9:30 a.m.) (same-day tape)
LPGA, Women's World Cup of Golf, first round, at Sun City, South Africa, (The Golf Channel, 12:30 p.m.) (same-day tape)
PGA Tour, Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, third round, at La Quinta and Bermuda Dunes, Calif., (The Golf Channel, 3 p.m.)
Champions Tour, MasterCard Championship at Hualalai, first round, at Kailua Kona, Hawaii, (The Golf Channel, 6:30 p.m.)

NBA:

Detroit at Minnesota, (ESPN, 8 p.m.)
Cleveland at Denver, (ESPN, 10:30 p.m.)

Tennis: Australian Open, early rounds, at Melbourne, (ESPN2, 3 p.m.) (same-day tape); (ESPN2, 10 p.m.; ESPN, 3:30 a.m.)

Requiem For A Jag-Off

2007-01-18T13:52:00.000-08:00

So it seems that a year spent sunning one's self in the Caribbean can make offers that used to be "insulting" look that much better. Slammin' Sammy is getting back to his roots... The Big D. It really isn't all that surprising that Hicks is the one to give this fucker a shot. After all, he bucked up for A-Rod, backed the truck up for Chan-Ho, and hired Bucky Showalter. Rudy Jarmillo says he can still hit. Awesome.

What? Rueben Sierra wasn't available? No Rob Deer?

I have had an extreme case of Love/Hate with Sammy. A Sosa jersey hangs in the back, WAY back, of my closet. (It was a gift by the way.. I wanted a Grace jersey.) A Sammy Sosa ornament USED to hang on my xmas tree. (Since replaced by a KICKASS Spiderman one..) Sam gave Cub fans a tremendous amount of joy while he was man-ing... or... if I may... mang-ing the 9 for the beloved Coo.. he was there in '03 when the Cubs yoke-kicked me....

We have all seen the horrific sideshow this man has become. I wish that he'd go away. Yes, MLB owes Sosa and The Worlds' Largest Irishman a debt of gratitude, but he embarrassed everyone who loved and supported him in Chicago. I'm not even talking about the hellish steroid shitstorm... HE CORKED HIS BAT! WHAT THE FUCK?!? ARE YOU KIDDING?!?

In the end, after all of the joy and goodwill, the man became a pariah. His jukebox was smashed in his own clubhouse and many a punchline involve his name.

Good luck Rangers.....

PS -- I'd like to thank Solomon Torres for providing the pic up top when he earholed Jerky... I remember him saying it wasn't on purpose.. yeah... OK....

If I Could Be Like Mike. Oh, wait, I don't wanna be like Mike this way.

2007-01-18T06:07:00.000-08:00

This comes by way of Deadspin.

We've all had that crazy, ex-whatever to deal with. You know the one, they overemphasize everything in the relationship. ("Today is our four month, and three weeks, anniversary.") They assume the minutia of the relationship is fascinating to everyone. (Yesterday was our four month, and three week, anniversary.) They dwell on the most mundane shit within the relationship. ("I remember the first time we ate tuna salad for lunch together.")

They are crazy.

They blog about you after you have broken up. What? No Ex has ever blogged about you? Oh you wait, it's coming.

Meet Michael Jordan's Mistress.

Sports On T.V. today.

2007-01-18T05:53:00.000-08:00

National Games.

College men's basketball:

Massachusetts vs. Xavier (ESPN, 7 p.m.)
Wake Forest vs. Duke (ESPN2, 7 p.m.)

Golf:

PGA European Tour, Abu Dhabi Championship, first round, at Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (The Golf Channel, 9:30 a.m.)
PGA Tour, Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, first round, at La Quinta and Bermuda Dunes, Calif. (The Golf Channel, 3 p.m.)

High school boys basketball: Oak Hill Academy (Va.) vs. Simeon (Ill.), at Chicago (ESPN, 9 p.m.).

NBA:

Indiana vs. Miami (TNT, 7:15 p.m.)
L.A. Lakers vs. Dallas (TNT, 9:30 p.m.)

Tennis: Australian Open, at Melbourne, (ESPN2, 3 p.m., same-day tape; ESPN2, 9 p.m., live; and ESPN, 3:30 a.m. Thurs., live)

Local Games.

College women's basketball: Minnesota vs. Illinois (CSNCHI, 7 p.m.)

Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton

2007-01-17T19:35:00.000-08:00

Ricky Hatton will try to regain his IBF 140lb title on Saturday night on HBO. This after winning his last fight at 147, and winning the WBA title. He is undefeated and a lot of fun to watch fight. He has a pressure style of fighting with lots of body attacks. I encourage everyone to watch him this weekend.

Sports On T.V. Today.

2007-01-17T05:51:00.000-08:00

National Games.

College men's basketball:

North Carolina at Clemson (ESPN, 7 p.m.)
Illinois at Minnesota (ESPN2, 7 p.m.)

Golf: PGA Tour, Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, first round, at La Quinta and Bermuda Dunes, Calif. (The Golf Channel, 3 p.m.)

NBA: L.A. Lakers at San Antonio (ESPN, 9 p.m.)

Tennis: Australian Open, at Melbourne, (ESPN2, 3 p.m., same-day tape; ESPN2, 9 p.m., live; and ESPN, 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, live)

English Premeire League Soccer:

3rd Round Replay, Newcastle United vs. Birmingham City (FSC, 3 p.m.)

Bear Down!!

2007-01-16T21:28:00.000-08:00

I haven't written to much about the Bears play-off run so far. Mainly this is because I am far to emotionally involved to write well about it. I'm to excited; can't think straight.

I'm also a Chicago sports fan.

I only have a limited knowledge of other cities relationship with their teams, but in Chicago, the negativity and expectation of failure is distracting, if not hurtful to the enjoyment of sports. We are always waiting to have our hopes to be crushed. I'm alittle sick of it.

I can be as guilty of this as anyone. When the Cubs were making their run in 2003, I was living in L.A. My attention, and the Cubs success, became contagious amongst my friends there that had no team. My normal reaction to their excitement was, "I'll believe it when I see it." When they had their collapse, I felt like the guy who never enjoyed life for of fear of life. I never really enjoyed the ride, and that's no way to watch sports. Not for me.

Last Sunday, I watched the Bears win a close game, drunk on Bloody Mary's, with many a friend. They won. We were happy. NFC Championship game was coming to Chicago. The last time the Bears hosted an NFC championship game Ronald Reagan was still in office, for fucks sake. The Bears were pounded back in '89 by a superior 49er's team, and never recovered.

So, I'm gonna go back to that bar this Sunday, get drunks with my friends again, and enjoy the game. I might be fifty the next time they make it.

Feelings...Nothing more than Feelings

2007-01-16T06:46:00.000-08:00

Great. So the Patriots are back in the AFC Championship. Again. How exciting. My hopes rest on Peyton Manning to boot these guys for once and for all. I hate the Patriots now. Like any team that wins too much. Sure, if you're from the New England area, this is bliss. For me, it's just like the Cowboys,Lakers, Spurs, Red Wings and Yankees. I'm sure everyone started to get really sick of the Bulls six rings. Except for me and my Chicago brothers and sisters. I am so bored of the Patriots that it makes me ill. If the Pats get in, and the Bears don't, I will not be watching the bowl this year. I work behind a bar on Sundays anyway, so I will be forced to watch the score. I now wish for a Colts/Bears Superbowl. Help make my new year guys.

Coach Marty should be back with the Chargers. Give him an extension. Give him some wide receivers for crying out loud! I needed four hands to count all the dropped passes out there. Personal foul penalties. The players lost that game for Marty.

The Saints march into Chicago this week, in what proves to be a tough one for the Bears. The Bears need to play better than they did on Sunday to beat these guys. Robbie Gould is money for the Bears and should get a lot of credit this year. He is a gamer, and I see him winning one more for us this week. The Bears running game was very solid. Thomas Jones just wills himself to be the best, and Cedric is coming into his own. So.....Can Rex Grossman read a blitz? Is he too proud to go down? Man, was I furious at him for that fumble. I'm sure grateful that Rashied Davis was one of the MVP's of that game. If he doesn't catch two big time passes, the Bears lose, and sports talk radio is even more of a drag. Thank-you Rashied!

Not much to say on that Eagles/Saints game. The Saints worked hard for that one. The Eagles should feel bad they lost of course, but they're run was full of heart and team spirit. I can't imagine how far they would have gone with McNabb. No knock on Garcia, who did an unworldly job. Maybe they don't even get in if McNabb was there. Who knows? I look forward to seeing Donovan back there next year. His healthy years may be behind him.

I split my picks this week, going two for two, and I think I was 1-3 versus the spread. I'm glad I'm poor and do not have an impulse to gamble. The spread is tough to beat in the playoffs. Look for my picks this week, along with my over/under calls!

Sports On T.V. Today.

2007-01-15T21:09:00.000-08:00

National Games.

College men's basketball:

Iowa at Indiana (ESPN, 7 p.m.)
Connecticut at Pittsburgh (ESPN2, 7 p.m.)
Kentucky at South Carolina (ESPN, 9 p.m.)
Texas at Oklahoma State (ESPN2, 9 p.m.)

NHL: Columbus at Chicago (VERSUS, 7:30 p.m.)

Tennis: Australian Open, at Melbourne, (ESPN2, 3 p.m., same-day tape; ESPN2, 11 p.m., live; and ESPN, 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, live)

English Premeire League Soccer:

Sheffield Wednesday vs. Manchester City (FSC, 2:30 p.m.)

Local Games.

College men's basketball: St. Joh's vs. DePaul (CSNCHI, 7:30 p.m.)

Sports On T.V. Today.

2007-01-15T06:41:00.000-08:00

National Games.

College men's basketball:

Delaware State at Maryland-Eastern Shore (ESPN2, noon)
Marquette at Louisville (ESPN, 7 p.m.)
Missouri at Kansas (ESPN, 9 p.m.)
Gonzaga at Saint Mary's (ESPN, midnight)

College women's basketball: Connecticut at North Carolina (ESPN2, 7 p.m.)

NBA:

San Antonio at Chicago (WGN, 2 p.m.)
Phoenix at Memphis (TNT, 7:30 p.m.)
Miami at Los Angeles Lakers (TNT, 10 p.m.)

NHL:

Montreal at Detroit (VERSUS, 7 p.m.)
Colorado at San Jose (VERSUS, 10 p.m.)

Tennis:

Australian Open, at Melbourne, (ESPN2, 3 p.m., same-day tape; ESPN2, 9 p.m., live; and ESPN, 3:30 a.m., live)

Whatever... (Part 2)

2007-01-14T13:31:00.000-08:00

The loss will be SO much sweeter next week... GO KATRINA'S!!!

Correction....

2007-01-14T12:52:00.000-08:00

SO.. Whatever... RMJ clipped... Why don't they call it clipping anymore?

HA HA HA HA HA -- Part 2

2007-01-14T12:39:00.000-08:00

NICE!!! Your All-Pro Special teamer clips... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

You are doomed Bears... DOOMED!

At least Hester didn't fumble that one huh?

Whoomp

2007-01-14T12:25:00.000-08:00

YEAH! A Parcells cast off.. Oh Shit! nevermind.. INT for the Osos...

Whatever...

2007-01-14T12:21:00.000-08:00

Nice that the Osos are having this one giftwrapped for them by the Refs... by the way, ditch the black pants guys...

Tell Turner to unshackle Rexual Choclate.. let 'em play! This defeat will be most delicious...

Babineaux huh? Bring the heat young cajun'.. bring the heat!

Way to go Bernard.. INT on the way...

HA HA HA HA

2007-01-14T11:13:00.000-08:00

Didn't you guys cut Bobby Wade for the type of shennanigans Hester is up to today?

Rex looks like the next Tony Banks...

TD! TD for the 'Hawks! Todd O'Conner just had his 14th heartattack....

What the...

2007-01-14T10:37:00.002-08:00

I sit here watching the Osos v. 'Hawks.. I can't help but notice Holmgren seems to be turning redder and redder. It also appears he might be swelling. Is this some Roald Dahl inspired ploy by the Porpoise Eater? Is he going Violet Beuregard on us? My only hope is that by the end of the game he is oozing marinara. Oh.. the 'Hawkeroos just tied it up! The ghost of Steve Smith shall channel through Nate Burleson.... Victory for the Grunge Lovers is nigh...

Wait.. FUCK! Berrian... well.. it's to be expected against a secondary that was selling insurance three weeks ago... Let's go Lofa! Get 'em up!

Sports On T.V. Today.

2007-01-14T07:05:00.000-08:00

National Games.

English Premier League Soccer: Tottenham Hotspur vs Newcastle United (FSC, 11 a.m.)

Men's College Hoops:

Illinois vs. Michigan State (CBS, 1:30 p.m.)
Duke vs. Miami (FSN, 5:30 p.m.)
Oregon vs. Arizona (FSN, 8 p.m.)

Women's College Hoops:

Tennessee vs. Georgia (FSN, 1 p.m.)
Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma (FSN, 3 p.m.)
Tulane vs. SMU (ESPN2, 5 p.m.)

Golf:

PGA European Tour, Joburg Open, final round, in Johannesburg, South Africa (The Golf Channel, 10 a.m., same-day tape)
PGA Tour, Sony Open, final round, in Honolulu (The Golf Channel, 7 p.m.)
Champions Tour, Wendy's Champions Skins Game, in Wailea, Hawaii (ESPN, 4 p.m., same-day tape)

NFL:

NFC divisional game, Seattle vs. Chicago (Fox, 1 p.m.)
AFC divisional game, New England vs. San Diego (CBS, 4:30 p.m.)

Rodeo: Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series, Worcester (Mass.) Classic (VERSUS, 8 p.m., same-day tape)

Tennis: Australian Open, early rounds, in Melbourne (ESPN2, 7 p.m. and ESPN, 3:30 a.m.)

Local Games.

Men's College Hoops:

Illinois vs. Michigan State (WBBM, 12:30 p.m.)

Women's College Hoops: Tennessee vs. Georgia (CSNCHI, 12 p.m.)

NFL In London.

2007-01-13T12:57:00.000-08:00

I'm alittle surprised I haven't read more about this. The NFL is going to play another regular season game outside the U.S. This time it will be in London, most likely at Wembley Stadium.

Doesn't this suck?

Aren't stadiums built with taxpayer dollars? Was the game played in Mexico City that big a success? Isn't this a big, fuck-you, to the fans of these teams?

The report says that every team will be required to play a date outside the U.S. over the next 16 seasons.

Why? I mean, aside from the extra money that the NFL can earn, probing every orifice the world has to offer.

It won't be the best product. Both the Giants and Dolphins have a very good chance of sucking next season. Are they really planning on selling the game on the skill of Cleo Lemon's arm, or Tom Coughlin's coaching? I suppose it might be fun seeing which player can get arrested in London? Any early guesses? Gun possession? Drug possession? Drunk driving, on the wrong side of the street, while nude?

But why a regular season game? The fans only get eight a year.

Why not, oh, I don't know, the Pro Bowl? Fan's never attend the game. It doesn't matter in the standings. It's a paid vacation for the players anyway, plus you would have many an NFL star available for pimping. Every year it can be in a different international city abroad. It might even spark more interest here for a game largely irrelevant.

The real game of Football/Picks

2007-01-13T07:11:00.000-08:00

What an exciting weekend of football we will have this weekend. Tough picks all the way around.
Let us start with The Ravens at home playing the Colts. The Colts defense came to play last week against Larry Johnson. I just don't believe it will be that good again this week, in a game that seems to heavily favor Baltimore. The Ravens in a close game, or else Peyton "I am everywhere" Manning blows them out.
Shelto Picks Ravens and the points which is four. Tough pick. Should be great.

The Saints of New Orleans play host to the Eagles. The Eagles are a veteran defense, but missing Lito Sheppard this week. Brian Westbrook is out of control with speed, talent and versatility. The receiving core can catch passes against the Saints secondary. That being said though, I'm taking all the home teams this week. The Saints Should probably outscore the Eagles, who's best game plan is to control the ball on the ground, hoping the defense helps them earn great field position in this one.
Shelto picks the Saints, but pick the Eagles at plus six.

New England at San Diego. Too much Marty bashing this week. I understand Tom Brady is a stud with the most moxy of any in the playoffs, but this is the end of the line. Enough said.
Shelto picks the Chargers to win and cover the four and a half. So sick of the Patriots. Go Bears!

Ah Yes.... The Bears at home battle the Seahawks. The bears have to be angry about things. Look for Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher to have nice games, anchoring that defense. Rex plays smart and keeps it in his pants for four quarters. The running game for Da' Bears should get 120 with one score each from Thomas and Benson, while Mark Bradley shows up for a long TD catch off play action. A couple field goals from Gould.
Bears win big and cover the nine. Bear Down!

Happy watching!

Sports On T.V. Today.

2007-01-13T07:08:00.000-08:00

National Games. (All national listing are eastern time, adjust yourself accordingly.)

English Premier League

Chelsea vs Wigan Athletic (FSC, 10 a.m.)
Blackburn Rovers vs Arsenal (FSC, noon)
Bolton Wanderers vs Manchester City (FSC, 2:15 p.m.)

College Football: Inta Juice North-South All-Star Classic, in Houston (ESPN2, noon)

Men's College Hoops:

West Virginia vs. Marquette (ESPN, noon)
Kansas vs. Iowa State (ESPN, 2 p.m.)
UCLA vs. Southern California (FSN, 2:30 pm.)
Georgetown at Pittsburgh (ESPN, 9 p.m.)

Men's College Hoops Regional Coverage:

Tennessee vs. Ohio State or Villanova vs. Syracuse (CBS, 1 p.m.)

Oklahoma vs. Texas or North Carolina vs. Virginia Tech (ABC, 3:30 p.m.)

Women's College Hoops:

Maryland at Duke (FSN, 12:30 p.m.)
California at Washington (FSN, 4:30 p.m.)
Baylor at Texas A&M (FSN, 2 a.m., tape-delayed)

Golf:

PGA European Tour, Joburg Open, third round, in Johannesburg, South Africa (The Golf Channel, 10 a.m., same-day tape)
PGA Tour, Sony Open, third round, in Honolulu (The Golf Channel, 7 p.m.)
Champions Tour, Wendy's Champions Skins Game, in Wailea, Hawaii (ESPN, 4 p.m., same-day tape)

National Lacrosse League: Buffalo at Colorado (VERSUS, 10 p.m., same-day tape)

NBA: Memphis at Chicago (WGN, 8:30 p.m.)

NFL:

AFC divisional game, Indianapolis at Baltimore (CBS, 4:30 p.m.)
NFC divisional game, Philadelphia at New Orleans (Fox, 8 p.m.)

NHL Regional Coverage:

Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia; Los Angeles vs. St. Louis; or Boson vs. New York Rangers (NBC, 2 p.m.)

Rodeo: Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series, Worcester (Mass.) Classic (VERSUS, 8 p.m.)

Local Games.

Men's College Hoops:

Indiana vs. Penn State (WCIU, 11 a.m.)
Wisconsin vs. Northwestern (WCIU, 1:30 p.m.)
UCLA vs. Southern California (CSNCHI, 1:30 p.m.)
Loyola (Chicgao) vs. Illinois (Chicago) (CSNCHI, 3:30 p.m.)
Michigan vs. Purdue (WYIN, 7 p.m.)

Women's College Hoops: Maryland vs. Duke (CSNCHI, 11:30 a.m.)

NHL: Chicago vs. Detroit (CSNCHI, 6 p.m.)

AHL Hamilton vs. Chicago (3 ILL-03, 7 p.m.)

Beckham Addendum & This Week's Games

2007-01-12T15:47:00.000-08:00

So it's a day later and we know some more things about the Beckham deal, particularly that the $250 mil is a mild exaggeration, that that figure actually only represents the potential earning of the contract. Further, we know that MLS and AEG (who own the Galaxy and a few other MLS teams) will be responsible for a relatively small portion of that. This is all comforting, and helps affirm that the contract is not a wagering of the farm.

So that great, awesome, let's move on. But there's one other thing I realized, a potential down-the-road storyline that I'd just love to see happen.

It involves the FIFA Club World Cup, which I've written about a little on this blog. It's still a fledgling event, and I suspect the rules will continue to fluctuate ever-so-slightly over the course of the next few years, but the central idea is this: the club champions of each continent get together and duke it out for world dominance.

This replace s a smaller event called the Intercontinental Cup, wherein just the champs of Europe and South America played one game for the title. These latter two continents resisted the expanded tournament, their respective seasons already being over-full with games. As such, their champions get a first-round bye- oh wait, I forgot, these are soccer geek details and not interesting, what were we talking about before that everyone finds interesting...

Oh right, Beckham. The point is this: as soon as this year, it is possible that the LA Galaxy could be playing meaningful games against either of Becks' old clubs, Real Madrid or Manchester United (with the latter being the one that would present the saltier contest).

The CWC has existed for only two seasons in its current format; on both occasions the final was contested between the winners of Europe's Champions League and South America's Copa Libertadores. But there was a representative from the CONCACAF region as well (CONCACAF complicatedly standing for the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football. Yeesh).

If the Galaxy can win the MLS title, there's no reason they can't win what's called the CONCACAF Champions Cup; they've already won it once, back in 2000.

Mind you; if they made it, they'd be hard pressed to fare well. Mexico's Club America, perhaps the biggest club in the region, were summarily thumped 4-0 by Barcelona this last go-round on their way to finishing fourth, ignominiously losing to Al-Ahly of Egypt in the third-place game.

But think about it. First of all it means Beckham in Japan, which is automatically huge regardless. It would bring international coverage to the event, of a kind that has eluded it up to this point. This coverage and exposure would be great for FIFA (who desperately want the event to eclipse or at least rival the Champions League in overall awesomeness) and massive for MLS.

Should we be so lucky, on top of all that, to see him playing Manchester United... that. would. be. huge.

I expect the Galaxy to, should they win the league, attack the Champions Cup harder than any US team ever has. They have the most to gain from participating in the CWC, perhaps of any team in the entire world.

And now our continuing public service, the heads-up on this week's Fox Soccer Channel Games.

SATURDAY

Chelsea v. Wigan, 10am ET

Relatively speaking, neither team is doing well in the league. Chelsea are coming off two draws, unprecedented for them in the Jose Mourinho era. Wigan's slide is a bit more daunting: winless in six, including five straight defeats, with a further one of those being a last-minute defeat at the hands of these very Blues. After a strong start to the season, the Latics are now in very real relegation danger. They are definitely the kind of scrappy team that could spring a surprise here; but I just can't see Chelsea going three without a win.

Watchability: 3 stars (out of 4)

Blackburn-Arsenal, Noon, ET.

Blackburn are making progress under their second-year manger, Wales and Man. U legend Mark "Scrappy" Hughes. Last year they were just the dirtiest team in the league; this year they are just plain tough to beat, having won six of their last seven including four from five in the league. That one loss, alas, was a 6-2 thumping at Arsenal. Being at home, I won't be surprised if the Rovers push the envelope of acceptable violence. Still the Gunners seem too strong right now and should pull it out.

Watchability: 3 stars
Yank Watch: Brad "Land of the" Freidel, GK, Rovers

Bolton v. Manchester City, 2:15 ET (tape delay)

Full disclosure: I don't like Bolton. They're literally like a poor man's Chelsea; they sign fading legends (under shady conditions) and bring them into play workmanlike, defensive, ugly, effective football. Still, they're fifth in the league, so there's no accounting for taste. Man City on the other hand, are fun to root for. Their manager, Stuart Pearce, is a national team legend nicknamed "Psycho." He is as earnest as they get. Though in huge relegation trouble earlier this year, the Citizens have won three straight, and in the last two games DaMarcus Beasley has given them an assist and a game-winning goal. They are hitting their stride. I expect a draw.

Watchability: 3 stars (and I apologize in advance if it ends 0-0)
Yanks: Beasley

SUNDAY

Tottenham-Newcastle, 11am ET

Two teams with good scorers and terrible defenses, which ought to mean a good game. Also, it's the Bill Simmons Bowl; he admitted this week that his love for his pre-season choice, Spurs, is wavering. He added that Newcastle's uniforms are so cool that he finds himself rooting for them against his will. I'd expect they'll be wearing their away strip here, which may confuse him yet further. This game will com down to one thing: who wants Bill Simmons more?

Watchability: 3 stars

Hey! This is the first time all the games of the week got 3 or more stars! Nice job, FSC! Especially with next Sunday's Arsenal-Man. U match looming on the horizon...

-Brendan Hunt

PS - GO BEARS! (Please.)

Sports On T.V. Today.

2007-01-12T06:19:00.000-08:00

National Games.

Boxing: Cornelius Bundrage vs. Chris Smith, in Tacoma, Wash. (ESPN2, 9 p.m.)

Golf: PGA Tour, Sony Open, second round, in Honolulu (The Golf Channel, 7 p.m.)

NBA:

Washington vs. New Orleans in Oklahoma City (ESPN, 8 p.m.)
Houston at Denver (ESPN, 10:30 p.m.)

Soccer: MLS SuperDraft (not just any draft, a Superdraft!), in Indianapolis (ESPN2, noon)

Local Games.

AHL: Wilkes-Barre Penguins vs. Chicago Wolves (3 ILL-03, 7:30 p.m.)

Men's College Hoops: Creighton vs. Northern Iowa (CSNCHI, 7:30 p.m.)

David Beckham - A Beginner's Guide

2007-01-11T22:42:00.000-08:00

David Beckham is Britain's finest striker of a football not because of God-given talent but because he practices with a relentless application that the vast majority of less gifted players wouldn't contemplate. – Sir Alex Ferguson

He can’t kick with his left foot, he can’t head a ball, he can’t tackle and he doesn't score many goals. Apart from that he's all right. – George Best

A couple of summers ago I eagerly accepted an invitation to a rare sort of soccer match: a friendly wherein the Los Angeles Galaxy welcomed Real Madrid, indisputably the most successful soccer club in the world. This was Madrid at Full Metal Galactico, with Beckham, Owen, Figo, Raul and Zidane all in the side (Ronaldo was injured and did not dress). Despite the requisite cavalcade of stars, the lion’s share of the post-game discussion was about only one of them: Beckham.

Typical, really. It was Zidane who had had the best game of the bunch, by far; he had spun and delivered with the hypnotic consistency of a lazy susan; but Beckham was all we talked about. He’s all anyone talks about.

My friend Larry got the four of us the tickets was acquaintances with the president of the Galaxy, who dropped in to say hello. After he had left, Larry let us in on the scuttlebutt: it was only a matter of time until Beckham, Goldenballs himself, would be exchanging the life of the Galactico for the life of the Galaxian. We all know guys who, feeling flush with the thrill of discussing whatever sport they like to talk about, say some crazy shit. This heady hypothesis certainly would have seemed to fit that category, but what can you say when your crazy friend just shook hands with the team president?

So we went on to discuss what impact the move would have; not so much on the Galaxy, a franchise in which we had only a passing interest (I’m a Chivas man, me), but on the sport as a whole in the country. We were in agreement that such a move would be good for the game, that the arrival of so mega a star, regardless of the fact that his talents didn’t quite match his fame level (unmatchable anyway, that), would only garner more headlines and more attention. If he didn’t wait too long, he’d arrive while his famous crossing and free kick skills would still vex and befuddle the limited MLS defenses. He’d probably score more goals than he had previously in his career and the Galaxy would an instant contender.

And now it has come to pass, and my opinions formed that night have not wavered. It’s a great move for MLS, a great move for the Galaxy and, at $50 million a year for five years, a pretty decent move for Becks as well.

Major League Soccer, with their intrepidly executed plan of slow and steady expansion and growth, is doing this right; as opposed to the willy-nilly days of the North American Soccer League, beautifully described in the wonderful documentary “Once In A Lifetime” (put it at the top of your Netflix queue post-haste; it’s a great movie).

The NASL is coming up quite a bit in the Beckham articles; fair enough, as the move does echo Pele’s signing by the New York Cosmos in some ways. But they are not identical bookends. They key differences are these:

- The Pele signing came out of nowhere. The Becks move has been a subject of considerable media speculation for some time now, at least since he stepped down as England captain after the World Cup.

- Beckham and the Galaxy will not be expected to carry MLS in the way that Pele and the Cosmos ended up doing. He is part of a continuing plan to expand the sport, not the end-all be-all cash-cow they shortsightedly made of the Brazilian No. 10.

- A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an unknown dark matter; but a cosmos, in its most general sense, is an orderly or harmonious system. So you see, they’re totally different.

Let me repeat something that readers of this column are probably aware of, but most of America may be confused about: Beckham is not one of the world’s best players. I have heard him compared to Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan today, and that is a laugh. He is a tireless worker for the team, has the drive of a winner and remains a phenomenal striker of the ball, both from free-kicks and, most importantly, crosses from the right. (Having said that, it remains to be seen if Galaxy will play him on the right or in the center of the midfield; I expect the latter, though is best position has always been the former.) That is what he always has been; more than solid, less than transcendent.

So why the fuck is he so fuckin’ famous?

Without getting into it too much, Beckham is the world’s most famous athlete due to a confluence of things: he has very much been in the right place at the right time.

First off, he’s right pretty. Secondly, there’s the wife; she’s easily mocked but she is a huge reason for his fame. When they started dating in 1997, the Spice Girls were at their zenith, with a truly global fan base. As such, anything any Spice Girl did was news, most definitely including dating a member of Manchester United.

There’s the third reason: Man. U. Beckham had the good fortune of being an important part of a phenomenally successful period for the team, who were also fortunate to undergo this period just as they were becoming a global brand. With the Rupert Murdoch-led worldwide explosion of satellite tv, English soccer was everywhere, most notably (and profitably) Asia; and for all intents and purposes, Man. U was English soccer for the people around the world discovering it for the first time. Beckham, on account of being prettier than his more-famous-than-him girlfriend-cum-wife, was its smiling face.

But what about on the field? We can cover that on its own merit, thanks to good ol’ You Tube. Here are some key footballing moments for our tattooed friend.

1. SELHURST PARK, 1996. His first bit of worldwide notoriety came from a rather notable goal he scored in the second game of the 1996-97 season at Wimbledon. Man. U were up 2-0 and injury time was ticking away when Beckham decided to do this.

Goals from the half-way line don’t happen too often; coming as this one did in the new age of Sky Sports’ global feeds, the highlight was literally shown around the world.

2. FRANCE, 1998. He was selected for Word Cup ’98 and had a pretty good group stage, scoring a memorable goal against Colombia. He was getting a lot of attention, some of it snarky, for being a pretty boy, but his play was starting to back it up. In the second round, against Argentina, it was his pass that set-up Michael Owen for one of the greatest goals of all time.

In the 46^th minute, Argentina tied it 2-2. In the 47^th, the 23 year-old Beckham got suckered by some good ol’ South American gamesmanship. Can’t find any video of this online unfortunately… well, except in what might be Thai. Down to ten men, England held on all the way through extra time before losing on penalties. Beckham was the scapegoat and was mercilessly attacked by the never-restrained English tabloids; they had been waiting for this fancy dan to fail, and did he ever. They merrily and convincingly painted him as the villain. For Beckham, it was a very dark period.

It must be noted though that the incident, coming as it did on the world’s biggest stage in a match between two of the sport’s biggest rivals, only escalated his worldwide fame.

3. THE TREBLE, 1999. The best way for Becks to rehabilitate his precious image was to get awesome. So in the season following that World Cup, he got about as awesome as he could as Manchester United won the league, the FA Cup and the Champions League, known collectively and mythically as The Treble, an unprecedented feat. That Champions League Final was one of the most exciting finales in history, Man. U scoring in the 91^st and 93^rd minutes to shock Bayern Munich 2-1; I’ll link you to the long version of the highlights, it’s worth watching. The Red Devils had already secured the league and the cup; to have failed here would have been massive anti-climax. And though Beckham didn’t score a goal in the game, the goals did come from his corners. Again he was in the middle of things and again papers and magazines around the world had a totally justified reason to boost their sales by putting him on the cover.

4. QUALIFYING, 2001. In 2000, an interim England manager named Peter Taylor, whose reign would last one game, made David Beckham captain of England for a friendly in Italy. He seemed a surprise choice, having been photographed flipping the bird to some particularly shitty England fans after a loss to Portugal at Euro 2000, but he did well enough that new manager Sven Goran Eriksson let him keep the job. History may end up saying this was a bad decision, but it got off to a pretty good start.

To qualify for the 2002 World Cup, England needed to beat lowly Greece in Manchester on the last day of qualifying. It was supposed to be a cake-walk. Greece didn’t get the memo, or if they did, it was (not) Greek to them. Wakka-wakka.

Greece went ahead 2-0. England scored (off a Beckham assist) in the 67^th minute, but overall looked terrible. Beckham had something like eight free kicks during the game, missing on all of them. In the second half, he was a man possessed. He was all over the pitch, running tirelessly at any Greek with a ball. It was the kind of scattershot, undisciplined running that coaches hate but fans love. Then finally, in the 93^rd minute, Beckham lined it up from 30 yards and drilled it into the corner. England would be going to the World Cup and Beckham, with his 100% effort, his 100% English display, was unanimously hailed the hero. His image rehabilitation was nearly complete.

5. REDEMPTION, 2002. England played Argentina again in the group stage of that next tournament. Beckham, returning from a broken foot, scored the only goal of the game on a penalty (meaning it’s easily the most boring highlight in the article, enjoy). This exorcised the demons of his ’98 sending off. He was no longer the cockney wide boy; he was a full-on English hero,

It was downhill from there, of course. The allegations of adultery. The incredible choke of the shootout at Euro 2004. And his failure to win any silverware in three years in Madrid. But those five moments listed went a long way toward making him a particularly modern star.

The thing is, he cannot afford to be a bust. MLS can’t afford him to be one, either. Their last media blitz was over Freddy Adu, and so far he’s disappointed. Now MLS has the nation’s attention a second time, and they cannot afford to go 0 for 2.

Get used to Mr. Beckham, folks. You’re going to be seeing a lot of him, whether he earns it or not. I suspect he will.

-Brendan Hunt

(Administrator's note. If you enjoy the soccer writing here, you can read more past work from ThrilloftheHunt here.)

Sports On T.V. Today.

2007-01-11T05:40:00.000-08:00

National Games.

Men's college hoops:

St. John's vs. Seton Hall (ESPN, 7 p.m.)
Memphis vs. Houston (ESPN, 9 p.m.)

Golf: PGA Tour, Sony Open, first round, at Honolulu (The Golf Channel, 7 p.m.)

NBA:

New Jersey vs. Chicago (TNT, 8:15 p.m.)
Cleveland vs. Houston (TNT, 10:30 p.m.)

Boxing: Pitalua-Diamond/lightweights (VERSUS, 8 p.m.)

Local Games.

Women's college hoops: Ohio State vs. Penn State (CSNCHI, 7 p.m.)

Men's college hoops: Oakland vs. Valparaiso (WYIN, 7 p.m.)

Sports Writers have nothing on true baseball fans.

2007-01-10T06:49:00.000-08:00

What the hell do sportswriters know anyway? I've read enough sports blogs from hard core fans to know we know just as much as they do, and we don't have a statistician.
The Baseball Hall of Fame recently elected Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn. Sure, both deserving, but I don't give a shit about these guys, although I would vote them in for the love of the game.
A few writers even sent thier ballot back empty. Fuck those guys and dolls! Voting is an honor, not a right, and I say we take that right away from them. You Must vote people!
Vote yes or no and be done with it already. I am sick of that 75 percent. Let players be nominated as many times as it takes. I say don't let sportswriters vote anymore. What the fuck do they know? Example: If I had a vote, no Met or Cardinal would ever enter the hall again, and we'd see guys like Jody Davis, Ivan Dejesus, Bill Buckner, and ANDRE FUCKING DAWSON! His stats are fine.
Why does it have to be only stats? What about the lore? The myths? The intimidation factor. All of the players nominated have comparable stats. Why would they get nominated if they didn't?
Goose Gossage should be in. Great numbers, but besides that he was ferocious. He was one of the guys I started watching when I was very young. He helped me to love the game and to be frightened at the same time. He was a monster. He fucked up Ron Cey and I'll never forget that. Animal!
Lee Fucking Smith! He should be there right along side The Goose. I would hardly be able to look at him he was so scary, except for the fact he was a Cubby!
Mark McGwire is simply being picked on.
Jim Rice has been nominated before and I think writers don't vote for him because he was never media friendly. Go check out his stats.
Harold Baines was the only reason besides Greg Luzinski that I loved the White Sox. He was pretty good too, and durable, playing for a long time.
Burt Blyleven. Uhhh, sure, vote him in. Champion.
Andre Fuckin' Dawson! Yes or no already? Quit jerking this guy around. Oh yeah, I'm a Cubs fan alright, but I knew what he was doing in Montreal back in the day. He's better than a few of those outfielders in the hall.

Sport's On T.V. Today.

2007-01-10T05:39:00.000-08:00

National Games.

Men's college hoops:

Duke vs. Georgia Tech (ESPN, 7 p.m.)
Pittsburgh vs. DePaul (ESPN2,, 7 p.m.)
Oklahoma State vs. Kansas (ESPN2,, 9 p.m.)

NBA: San Antonio vs. Denver (ESPN, 9 p.m.)

Local Games.

Men's college hoops:

Iowa vs. Illinois (WCIU, 7 p.m.)
Northwestern vs. Michigan State (WCIUDT2 (ch. 223 in my dial), 7 p.m.)

NBA: Bulls vs. Wizards (CSNCHI, 6 p.m.)

Beauty AND Brains?!?

2007-01-09T15:13:00.000-08:00

Wow... time to eat a big plate of crow.

Congrats to the Champs on their flame-broiling of THE Ohio State U.

I have realized that it is now my solem duty to decide winners of key match-ups based solely on the sexiness of the head coaches.... We'll call it, "The Gearjammer Method."

Henceforth... The Bears shall win due to the fact Lovie is handsome and Holmgren just ate a porpoise. The Saints shall triumph for much the same reason. Bill's Giant Throbbing Brain shall send Schotzie home, and Billick's Glorious Mane dispatches the underfed Dungy.

I smell a Nobel Peace Prize.

Sports On T.V. Today.

2007-01-09T06:20:00.000-08:00

National Games.

Men's college hoops:

Arkansas at Florida (ESPN, 7 p.m.)
West Virginia at Notre Dame (ESPN2, 7 p.m.)
Ohio State at Wisconsin (ESPN, 9 p.m.)
LSU at Alabama (ESPN2, 9 p.m.).

NHL: Detroit at Colorado (VERSUS, 9 p.m.).

Local games.

AHL: Peoria Rivermen vs. Chicago Wolves (3 ILL-03, 7 p.m.)

BCS Champion Florida Gators.

2007-01-08T21:29:00.000-08:00

I'm just getting back from rehearsal, (don't ask) and I am surprised to see that Florida, dried-up, broke-up, de-seeded, de-stemed, rolled-up, lit-up, and smoked-up Ohio State. 41-14? Wow.

A couple thoughts, keeping in mind, I know nothing about college football:

Does anyone know anything when it comes to predicting these things? 7.5 favorite were O.S.U. Most people questioned whether or not Florida should be there. Last year, ESPN dragged out copious stats, records and expert analysis, comparing USC to the great teams of all time. The over all conclusion? USC was the best team ever. They lost. No one knows anything.

Is there anything better than a college underdog win? It's not the same feeling I get watching a pro favorite get upset. They are the pro's. It is a job, which can breed cynicism. Something about being an adult, my talent has leveled off. I don't surprise myself with what I can do. But, watching those kids in big games, doing things they have never done before. They amaze themselves, and they amaze me.

Why are we obsessed with crowning a champion in everything? What reason, other then our own selfishness, do we need a play-off system? It doesn't matter. I certainly don't think it matters to the players.

I look forward to the highlights.

NeoSuperFan

2007-01-08T05:42:00.000-08:00

Thanks to With Leather and This Suit Is Not Black, for the heads up on this. Being Bears fans here, mostly, we couldn't pass this up. According to his website, he just got Bear's legend, Vestee Jackson's autograph inked this past Friday. Number forty-five and counting. I'm glad he's on our side.

When the aliens come, and they ask to see what a Bears fan looks like, I vote we send this guy.

Sports On T.V. Today.

2007-01-08T05:33:00.000-08:00

National Games.

College football: (About time.) Tostitos Bowl Championship Series title game, Florida vs. Ohio State, at Glendale, Ariz. (Fox, 8:15 p.m.)

Men's college hoops:

Villanova vs. Georgetown (ESPN, 8 p.m.)
Texas Tech vs. Kansas State (ESPN, 10 p.m.)
Pepperdine vs. Gonzaga (ESPN2, midnight)

Local Games.

NBA: Rockets vs. Bulls (CSNCHI, 7:30 p.m.)

Sports On T.V. Today.

2007-01-07T05:44:00.000-08:00

National Games.

College football: GMAC Bowl, Ohio vs. Southern Mississippi, at Mobile, Ala., (ESPN, 8 p.m.)

Men's college hoops:

Regional coverage, Kansas vs. South Carolina or Michigan State vs. Indiana, (CBS, 4:30 p.m.)
Stanford vs. Virginia, (FSN, 5 p.m.)
Florida State vs. North Carolina, (FSN, 7 p.m.)

Women's college hoops:

Washington vs. Arizona State, (FSN, 2:30 p.m.)
Purdue vs. Texas, (ESPN2, 3 p.m.)

Golf: PGA Tour, Mercedes-Benz Championship, final round, (The Golf Channel, 6 p.m.)

NFL:

AFC wild-card game, New York Jets vs. New England, (CBS, 1 p.m.)
NFC wild-card game, New York Giants vs. Philadelphia, (Fox, 4:30 p.m.)

Bowling: Denny's Professional Bowlers Association Tour, H&R Block Classic, at Reno, (ESPN, 1 p.m.)

Local Games.

Men's college hoops:

Stanford vs. Virginia, (CSNCHI, 4 p.m.)
Florida State vs. North Carolina, (CSNCHI, 6 p.m.)

Who Knighted This Jerk?

2007-01-06T20:46:00.000-08:00

In this edition of, "Did I Miss the Vote?" we take a look at the ongoing phenomenon that is, Chris Collinsworth. This douchebag is everywhere that is NFL. I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up on the Jumbo-tron at a Bears game doling out his advice on the pros and cons of Old Style.
I mean everywhere. Everyone in sports television that needs commentating or f'n NFL "know how" hires this cat. His agent must toss his salad...daily. And why? Why does every sports TV exec immediately want to write a check to this piece of monkey shit???
HE WAS A PANTYWAIST WR, AND HE IS THE WORST COMMENTATOR/ANALYST/HUMAN BEING OF ALL TIME!!!
http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=COLLICRI01
For christsake, he was a Bengal. For christsake!!!!
He almost makes me want to start liking Dan Dierdorf.
Almost.

I had this huge list of smug things that he has said, things that he has pompously prognosticated, things that he has had the gall to say on national television...but fuck it, I'm just gonna keep ranting about this turd burglar.

Did anyone catch the NFL Network presentation last Thursday of Crappy Thursday Night Football? Collinsworthless and Bryant Gumbel were in a battle of Who's The Most Pretentious. With 3:42 left in the 3rd qrt, Sir Collinsorth of Shitheadsville, lets out a masterful belch and the Lombardian genius doesn't hit the mute on his mic. Brilliant, Chris. Masterful. Kill yourself.
He was also dressed like Dietre from Sprockets. Which made him look like the Rhodes Scholar of Dick Lickers.

Guy makes me want to puke.

I'm an NFL junkie and HE'S EVERYWHERE. I turn on HBO, BOOM, Collinsworth. I turn it on NBC, KABOOM, Collinsworth. NFL Network, KAPOW!, Chris Christ Almighty Collinsworth. How many paychecks can this guy cash?
Howie Long should've ended this guy years ago. Howie would've gone to jail, and I wouldn't have to be irate.

I'm gonna be first in line to vote this guy out of his presently kept office of, King Shit of Fuck Mountain for the NFL. For the pure unintentional comedic sake can't we please have, say, Deion Sanders in this pivotal position of ambivalence? At least Deion knows he's an idiot. And we can all laugh together. At Deion. Being an idiot.