HSOs from a Bitter P1
A College Football Playoff
Nov/30/2008 06:48 PM
Since it appears that this year my team is the one
that gets screwed by the BCS, I am drawn back the
grail-like search for a college football playoff.
For the record, I am one of those twisted people who has actually made peace with the BCS. I have actually come to enjoy the regular season, believing that, in a strange way, it functions as a "March Madness" that lasts from September to December. If you look at it that way, you can get a lot of enjoyment of college football, even with the flaws. I can say that, even with the news today that OU jumps over Texas to play Mizzou. (Despite the unbelievable truth that Texas beat Oklahoma AND Mizzou!!!)
Be that as it may, it IS a deeply flawed system. So, since I'm assuming that over the next few months, the whole world's going to throw out all sorts of plans, I figure why not jump in with my HSO?
As I look at it, there's a way to create a college football playoff system and only add ONE game to the current schedule for the eventual winner.
Sound interesting?
It would take a lot of "outside the box" thinking, but if I have your attention keep reading...
(Read the rest. Click here)
For the record, I am one of those twisted people who has actually made peace with the BCS. I have actually come to enjoy the regular season, believing that, in a strange way, it functions as a "March Madness" that lasts from September to December. If you look at it that way, you can get a lot of enjoyment of college football, even with the flaws. I can say that, even with the news today that OU jumps over Texas to play Mizzou. (Despite the unbelievable truth that Texas beat Oklahoma AND Mizzou!!!)
Be that as it may, it IS a deeply flawed system. So, since I'm assuming that over the next few months, the whole world's going to throw out all sorts of plans, I figure why not jump in with my HSO?
As I look at it, there's a way to create a college football playoff system and only add ONE game to the current schedule for the eventual winner.
Sound interesting?
It would take a lot of "outside the box" thinking, but if I have your attention keep reading...
(Read the rest. Click here)
So, Should We Believe Donaghy?
Jun/14/2008 09:43 PM
One more bit of bitterness while I'm at it....
Some may recall that the whole "Bitter P1" thing came from some YouTube vids that I uploaded in the wake of the Mavs loss to the Heat two years ago.
I'm over it. Promise. Really not bitter about it any more. Although, it's a fascinating exercise in human behavior that just about once a month, somebody still stops by YouTube to post a ranting comment.
In the past few days, the hits have increase, both there and here on my blog. And I can't help but wonder if it's related to the Tim Donaghy story. (Read the rest. Click here)
Some may recall that the whole "Bitter P1" thing came from some YouTube vids that I uploaded in the wake of the Mavs loss to the Heat two years ago.
I'm over it. Promise. Really not bitter about it any more. Although, it's a fascinating exercise in human behavior that just about once a month, somebody still stops by YouTube to post a ranting comment.
In the past few days, the hits have increase, both there and here on my blog. And I can't help but wonder if it's related to the Tim Donaghy story. (Read the rest. Click here)
"Oh this is sure stirring up some ghosts for me..."
Jun/14/2008 12:09 PM
"I been spellbound - falling in trances
I been spellbound - falling in trances
You give me shivers - chills and fever
I been spellbound - somewhere down the crazy river"
-- Robbie Robertson
Far more faithfully than either guns or religion, it seems to me that Americans cling to their sports bitterness. It's what first inspired Bob and Dan to dub me the "Bitter P1." And it's what inspires me to update a blog of almost two years ago today.
The update is inspired by is this story in the DMN: "Texas Rangers' Attendance is Down"
Two days later, Evan Grant offered analysis of the situation, and sets the stage for the debate:
"It is June. The Texas Rangers' overall record is probably slightly better than you thought it would be before the season. It is undoubtedly a lot better than you thought it would be on say April 15. Nolan Ryan is back with the team. Josh Hamilton is a Sports Illustrated cover boy AND the most exciting player in baseball.
And the Rangers are on a pace for less than two million fans.
Why is that?"
Grant offers five reason:
5. It's hot
4. Bad schedule (no great teams)
3. Poor ticket sales
2. History (eight years without a playoff appearance)
1. Lack of wins early in April/May
And all these may be true. And, someday, I'd like to hear a serious discussion about just how much the summer heat has hurt the Rangers over the years. Because my hunch is that the answer is "a lot." My hunch is that, with a retractable roof, some of the teams from our Ranger-past would have gotten much farther than they have.
But I must point out to Grant, and everyone else reading, that his top three reasons are really connected together as one huge "cause and effect." (Read the rest. Click here)
Um...one caveat...
Jan/13/2008 08:35 PM
When I talked about the game yesterday, I should have
noted that there was one additional caveat to my
prediction...
That if Tony Romo throws the ball to his wide recievers, THEY HAVE TO CATCH IT!!!!
( Yes, I know I'm shouting...) (Read the rest. Click here)
That if Tony Romo throws the ball to his wide recievers, THEY HAVE TO CATCH IT!!!!
( Yes, I know I'm shouting...) (Read the rest. Click here)
What I Love About College Football
Nov/14/2007 08:16 AM
What a bizarre season for college football.
Seems like nobody but Kansas has a chance at being undefeated. How strange is that? Two "number ones" have lost, about six or seven "number twos" have lost, and I'm not even sure anybody knows how many "top tens" have gone down. How strange is that?!!
On any given Saturday, it's at least theoretically possible that the best team in the land might lose to somebody nobody's heard of. (Can anybody say "South Florida?")
That's one thing I love about college football. (Read the rest. Click here)
Seems like nobody but Kansas has a chance at being undefeated. How strange is that? Two "number ones" have lost, about six or seven "number twos" have lost, and I'm not even sure anybody knows how many "top tens" have gone down. How strange is that?!!
On any given Saturday, it's at least theoretically possible that the best team in the land might lose to somebody nobody's heard of. (Can anybody say "South Florida?")
That's one thing I love about college football. (Read the rest. Click here)
Just So We're Clear...
Jul/13/2007 07:58 AM
There is a guy who, in the coming weeks, will break
one of baseball's most hallowed records. I wrote
about him before in a blog entry you can still
find
here.
The closer we get to the date he will break that record, the less I am paying attention. I am turning off media reports that mention his name. (Note how I haven't mentioned it here...) Truthfully, I'm really not paying attention to baseball news at all right now, and part of it is precisely because I don't want to hear one word about this guy.
I don't want to know how close he is to the record right now (I am pleased to say that at this moment, I really do not know...) and I hope to not hear about it on the day he "breaks" it.
As I wrote before, he doesn't deserve the honor, the attention, or the accolades. I felt that when I wrote before, and nothing has changed about my feelings since. (Read the rest. Click here)
The closer we get to the date he will break that record, the less I am paying attention. I am turning off media reports that mention his name. (Note how I haven't mentioned it here...) Truthfully, I'm really not paying attention to baseball news at all right now, and part of it is precisely because I don't want to hear one word about this guy.
I don't want to know how close he is to the record right now (I am pleased to say that at this moment, I really do not know...) and I hope to not hear about it on the day he "breaks" it.
As I wrote before, he doesn't deserve the honor, the attention, or the accolades. I felt that when I wrote before, and nothing has changed about my feelings since. (Read the rest. Click here)
Glad for Jerry, Sad for Dallas
May/27/2007 08:33 PM
As news of the Cowboy's winning bid for the
2011
Super Bowl
filtered out this week, I can't help but feel happy
for Jerry Jones, and sad for my city. And I find
myself having totally flip-flopped in my view of both
Jerry Jones and the new stadium.
You gotta give Jerry Jones some credit these days. The man works hard and clearly loves his team. Concerning the stadium deal, Jerry Jones just did what any person in business would do: he made the best deal he could for his team.
I used to hate this guy. I can remember when he bought the team how little respect I --and just about everyone else in this town-- gave him.
But, he's shown --through the way he spends on players, and the funds he's shelling out of this new new facility-- that he really does want to win. You gotta give the guy some props. (Read the rest. Click here)
filtered out this week, I can't help but feel happy
for Jerry Jones, and sad for my city. And I find
myself having totally flip-flopped in my view of both
Jerry Jones and the new stadium.
You gotta give Jerry Jones some credit these days. The man works hard and clearly loves his team. Concerning the stadium deal, Jerry Jones just did what any person in business would do: he made the best deal he could for his team.
I used to hate this guy. I can remember when he bought the team how little respect I --and just about everyone else in this town-- gave him.
But, he's shown --through the way he spends on players, and the funds he's shelling out of this new new facility-- that he really does want to win. You gotta give the guy some props. (Read the rest. Click here)
Not Robbed This Time
May/04/2007 03:34 PM
A year ago on this blog, I started something of a
mini-internet sensation with my allegation that the
Dallas Mavericks were robbed of the NBA Championship
by sorry officiating and the Oscar-worthy acting
skills of Dwyane Wayde. You can read the original
post
here.
An amazing number of people still stumble on that blog post each month, even a year later now. That amazes me. An occasional visitor will still even leave an angry comment. That amazes me even more. And concerns me a little. Because I moved on a long time ago. I left my anger and "bitterness" behind. I embraced the possibility of a bright future. (Read the rest. Click here)
An amazing number of people still stumble on that blog post each month, even a year later now. That amazes me. An occasional visitor will still even leave an angry comment. That amazes me even more. And concerns me a little. Because I moved on a long time ago. I left my anger and "bitterness" behind. I embraced the possibility of a bright future. (Read the rest. Click here)
Sweet Sixteen
Mar/08/2007 07:21 AM
There's lots of time left in the season, but it's
still nice to pause and consider what these Dallas
Mavericks have accomplished so far.
Charles and Mary
invited us to the game Tuesday night, which we knew
going in could be history-making in one respect. But
we didn't know at the time just how history making
the night would end up being.
(Read the rest. Click here)
(Read the rest. Click here)
Rest in Peace, Buck...
Oct/19/2006 08:06 AM
For all of
those who are regular readers of my blog, you may be
worried that I've fallen off the planet or something.
Nothing of the sort. But, with the election looming,
now eighteen-days-away, things are little hectic
around our household.
Every spare moment I have these past few weeks has been devoted to working Dennise's campaign. As such, I've been unable to post on a whole host of delicious news stories:
The death of Ann Richards...
T.O. Owens' "accidental" overdose...
The Mark Foley scandal...
The continuing war in Iraq...
The upcoming World Series...
And probably many other things that I'm forgetting off the top of my head right now.
But the thing I've been most eager to write about, believe it or not, is the death of Buck O'Neil. (Read the rest. Click here)
Every spare moment I have these past few weeks has been devoted to working Dennise's campaign. As such, I've been unable to post on a whole host of delicious news stories:
The death of Ann Richards...
T.O. Owens' "accidental" overdose...
The Mark Foley scandal...
The continuing war in Iraq...
The upcoming World Series...
And probably many other things that I'm forgetting off the top of my head right now.
But the thing I've been most eager to write about, believe it or not, is the death of Buck O'Neil. (Read the rest. Click here)
Oh Yezz....Oh Yezz....Oh Yezzz...Time for some College Football!!
Sep/09/2006 10:54 AM
I LOVE
college football. Next to pro-baseball, it's probably
my favorite sport. And, given my disdain for the
Rangers these days, I could
easily argue that I even love it more than
baseball these days.
There is just something about the pageantry, the emotion, the excess of it. Pro football feels too, well, professional for me. It's like the difference between a passionate street performer, juggling knives down in the West End, and clown with the Ringling Brothers Circus....the performers of the latter are all really talented people, but it always feels a little too...dare I say....scripted?
I mean, be honest, in most years the day the pro season starts, you can name the five to ten teams that will compete at the end of the year. And, sure enough, you'll be right on three to seven of your picks by years end. But in college ball? Most years anything can happen. Most years, anything does. Most years there's a big game way before the playoffs start. (Read the rest. Click here)
There is just something about the pageantry, the emotion, the excess of it. Pro football feels too, well, professional for me. It's like the difference between a passionate street performer, juggling knives down in the West End, and clown with the Ringling Brothers Circus....the performers of the latter are all really talented people, but it always feels a little too...dare I say....scripted?
I mean, be honest, in most years the day the pro season starts, you can name the five to ten teams that will compete at the end of the year. And, sure enough, you'll be right on three to seven of your picks by years end. But in college ball? Most years anything can happen. Most years, anything does. Most years there's a big game way before the playoffs start. (Read the rest. Click here)
Why I Can't Afford to Love the Rangers
Jul/06/2006 08:37 AM
Why I Can't Afford to Love the Rangers
Last week, Kevin Sherrington wrote this column about Michael Young (registration required). It was a good piece, and it asked a challenging question. Speaking directly to us fans, Sherrington asked this:
You loved Rusty Greer. Loved to watch him go after a ball at the wall or in the gap or fading in front of him and wonder if he'd come up with it, wonder if he'd even get up after he laid it all on the line.
You loved Pudge Rodriguez. Loved the smile, the electricity, the bolt of lightning to second.
You didn't have to know much about baseball to paper your kids' room with posters of Rusty and Pudge.
Question: What's it going to take for you to fall in love with Michael Young?
It's an excellent question. Michael Young, as Sherrington reminds us, has won the batting title. He's had back-to-back-to-back (that's three) 200 hit seasons. Which puts him in a list of names like Rose, Cobb, and Gehrig. He broke the club record for errorless games by shortstop.
In short, he's an amazing player. But when his All-Star selection was announced the other day (and btw, he had to be voted on the team...) Sherrigton says "you (the fans) provided an ovation that lasted, by my watch, all of three seconds."
So, what's the deal? Why haven't fans embraced Young like they embraced Pudge, and Greer, and the like?
Well, I can't speak for all of Ranger fandom. But I can speak for me. And the answer is simple:
I just can't allow myself to get close to these guys. I just can't allow myself to love them like I've loved all previous generations of Ranger teams. They've hurt me too many times.
Fool me once, shame on me.
Fool me twice, shame on me.
Fool me every year since 1972, and I have to ask myself: What kind of loser am I for sticking around?!! (Read the rest. Click here)
Last week, Kevin Sherrington wrote this column about Michael Young (registration required). It was a good piece, and it asked a challenging question. Speaking directly to us fans, Sherrington asked this:
You loved Rusty Greer. Loved to watch him go after a ball at the wall or in the gap or fading in front of him and wonder if he'd come up with it, wonder if he'd even get up after he laid it all on the line.
You loved Pudge Rodriguez. Loved the smile, the electricity, the bolt of lightning to second.
You didn't have to know much about baseball to paper your kids' room with posters of Rusty and Pudge.
Question: What's it going to take for you to fall in love with Michael Young?
It's an excellent question. Michael Young, as Sherrington reminds us, has won the batting title. He's had back-to-back-to-back (that's three) 200 hit seasons. Which puts him in a list of names like Rose, Cobb, and Gehrig. He broke the club record for errorless games by shortstop.
In short, he's an amazing player. But when his All-Star selection was announced the other day (and btw, he had to be voted on the team...) Sherrigton says "you (the fans) provided an ovation that lasted, by my watch, all of three seconds."
So, what's the deal? Why haven't fans embraced Young like they embraced Pudge, and Greer, and the like?
Well, I can't speak for all of Ranger fandom. But I can speak for me. And the answer is simple:
I just can't allow myself to get close to these guys. I just can't allow myself to love them like I've loved all previous generations of Ranger teams. They've hurt me too many times.
Fool me once, shame on me.
Fool me twice, shame on me.
Fool me every year since 1972, and I have to ask myself: What kind of loser am I for sticking around?!! (Read the rest. Click here)
Final Thoughts from a "Bitter" P1
Jul/01/2006 05:33 PM
It's
definitely time to leave the whole "Phantom Foul"
thing behind. Besides this final entry, I don't plan
to talk about it anymore. (Although I'm sure it'll
turn up in my "blogs of the month" entry next
week...)
What a crazy, fun two weeks it's been. It goes without saying that this has been the busiest couple of weeks ever for my little blog. Here are the final statistics:
Total Visitors to my blog in June: 20,040
Average visitors to my website in an average month: 2,000-4,000
Total Readers of the "Phantom Foul" post: 26,268
Total Downloads of the five videos: 34,674
And, since it's July, I can now breathe easy since I didn't over-top my monthly transfer quota for my website... although it got close....very, very close. Had the finals been a day or two earlier in the month, I woulda been toast, and I'm sure my site would have disappeared for a few days. But all is well. All is good. And it's been quite fun. (Read the rest. Click here)
What a crazy, fun two weeks it's been. It goes without saying that this has been the busiest couple of weeks ever for my little blog. Here are the final statistics:
Total Visitors to my blog in June: 20,040
Average visitors to my website in an average month: 2,000-4,000
Total Readers of the "Phantom Foul" post: 26,268
Total Downloads of the five videos: 34,674
And, since it's July, I can now breathe easy since I didn't over-top my monthly transfer quota for my website... although it got close....very, very close. Had the finals been a day or two earlier in the month, I woulda been toast, and I'm sure my site would have disappeared for a few days. But all is well. All is good. And it's been quite fun. (Read the rest. Click here)
Other Blogs on the Phantom Fouls
Jun/26/2006 12:01 AM
Others Blog
on the Phantom Fouls
Lest everyone think I am alone in banging the drum on this "phantom foul" issue, I thought you might be interested to read what others have been writing/saying about it in the past week.
The following are abstracts from other blogs, where the writers are as similarly disgusted with the lax treatment of Wade as I am: (Read the rest. Click here)
Lest everyone think I am alone in banging the drum on this "phantom foul" issue, I thought you might be interested to read what others have been writing/saying about it in the past week.
The following are abstracts from other blogs, where the writers are as similarly disgusted with the lax treatment of Wade as I am: (Read the rest. Click here)
Wade was Treated Differently (And it Made a Difference)
Jun/23/2006 03:37 PM
You can't
come to any other conclusion, if you look at the
facts. I've supplied some video evidence to that end.
But some folks still insist on claiming that "there
were probably just as many bad calls against the
Heat."
That's possible. But I don't care to look it up, because I don't have to. I can just look at the stats to see how lopsided it was, and see that the video evidence supports the stats, which supports my conclusion: Wade was treated differently in this series. It may tick you off to hear this, but it's clearly the factual truth.
The best analysis of these facts is this from another blogger, named Will Davis, who has done some analysis of the playoffs, and free throw attempts.
First, Davis, like me, gives a disclaimer:
"I'm trying not to give-in to the conspiracy theory, and I won't. It wasn't rigged. Dallas would have won last night if they hadn't shot under 40% from the field. But I'm absolutely certain Miami would not have been close if they didn't get so much help."
Then, he delves right in to the facts:
"I've tracked down how many times Dwyane Wade went to the free throw line (attempts) and compared them to his season average and his average throughout the playoffs. I didn't include total team personal fouls because Miami didn't have much of a team. They had one guy that they relied on for everything, and that was Wade. Plus the whole Hack-a-Shaq strategy screws up overall personal foul numbers.
I compared Wade's numbers to Dirk's numbers. Dirk had a terrible series scoring-wise, but I wanted to show All-Star vs All-Star averages. It's not that Wade got more attempts than Dirk, but the overall picture the simple comparison helps create. All numbers are rounded up.
Overall Average FTA (free throw attempts):
Dirk fta average for the season: 8
Wade fta average for the season: 11
Dirk fta average for the playoffs excluding the Finals: 10
Wade fta average for the playoffs excluding the Finals: 9
Dirk fta average for the Finals: 9
Wade fta average for the Finales: 16 (an increase of 145%)
Total FTA for Playoffs (number of games in the series):
Dirk fta vs Memphis: 38 (4) San Antonio: 80 (7) Phoenix: 56 (6) Miami: 55 (6)
Wade fta vs Chicago: 48 (6) New Jersey: 53 (5) Detroit: 52 (6) Dallas: 97 (6) (+180%)
FTA per Finals Game:
Dirk: 6, 11, 12, 13, 5, and 8.
Wade: 10, 14, 18, 9, 25, and 21. (game 6 was a 200% increase in attempts from the season average, game 5 was +225%)
I think another big stat for key games 5 and 6 is where overall points were coming from. For game 6 44% of Wade's points came from free throws; game 5 it was 49%. That's almost 50% of your points for two games coming from officials (Wade also had 48% of points coming from the line in game 2, which Miami lost). Of course he had to make them, which he did and stands as a testament to his abilities... as a free throw shooter. Michael Jordan didn't need 50% of his points to come from the line, neither did Magic nor Bird.
Nor was wondering what the differece looked like between the previous series up to game 2, then from game 3 to game 6. Wade averaged 9.5 fta from the Eastern Conference Finals to game 2 of the Finals. Wade then averaged 18.25 fta for games 3 thru 6, an increase of 192%.
Wade took 28 shots from the floor in game 5, and took 25 free throw attempts. In game 6 Wade took 18 shot attempts from the floor, and 21 from the line. Game 5's fta for Wade matched the number of fta for the entire Dallas team.
--------------------------
Bob and Dan mentioned my blog around lunchtime yesterday. They don't really agree with me, because they're still pretty happy with how the season turned out. And I am too. Really. I swear. And they even said that maybe next week, they'd be willing to look at these issues more.
But then, Bob mentioned one more stat that caught my eye, along the lines of what Davis says here:
Wade had TWENTY MORE TOTAL FTAs in this series than Michael Jordan ever had in any championship series he played in.
Still think the video evidence is bogus?
It only points to the deeper reality supported by the stats:
Wade was treated differently.
And that made a huge difference in the series.
That's possible. But I don't care to look it up, because I don't have to. I can just look at the stats to see how lopsided it was, and see that the video evidence supports the stats, which supports my conclusion: Wade was treated differently in this series. It may tick you off to hear this, but it's clearly the factual truth.
The best analysis of these facts is this from another blogger, named Will Davis, who has done some analysis of the playoffs, and free throw attempts.
First, Davis, like me, gives a disclaimer:
"I'm trying not to give-in to the conspiracy theory, and I won't. It wasn't rigged. Dallas would have won last night if they hadn't shot under 40% from the field. But I'm absolutely certain Miami would not have been close if they didn't get so much help."
Then, he delves right in to the facts:
"I've tracked down how many times Dwyane Wade went to the free throw line (attempts) and compared them to his season average and his average throughout the playoffs. I didn't include total team personal fouls because Miami didn't have much of a team. They had one guy that they relied on for everything, and that was Wade. Plus the whole Hack-a-Shaq strategy screws up overall personal foul numbers.
I compared Wade's numbers to Dirk's numbers. Dirk had a terrible series scoring-wise, but I wanted to show All-Star vs All-Star averages. It's not that Wade got more attempts than Dirk, but the overall picture the simple comparison helps create. All numbers are rounded up.
Overall Average FTA (free throw attempts):
Dirk fta average for the season: 8
Wade fta average for the season: 11
Dirk fta average for the playoffs excluding the Finals: 10
Wade fta average for the playoffs excluding the Finals: 9
Dirk fta average for the Finals: 9
Wade fta average for the Finales: 16 (an increase of 145%)
Total FTA for Playoffs (number of games in the series):
Dirk fta vs Memphis: 38 (4) San Antonio: 80 (7) Phoenix: 56 (6) Miami: 55 (6)
Wade fta vs Chicago: 48 (6) New Jersey: 53 (5) Detroit: 52 (6) Dallas: 97 (6) (+180%)
FTA per Finals Game:
Dirk: 6, 11, 12, 13, 5, and 8.
Wade: 10, 14, 18, 9, 25, and 21. (game 6 was a 200% increase in attempts from the season average, game 5 was +225%)
I think another big stat for key games 5 and 6 is where overall points were coming from. For game 6 44% of Wade's points came from free throws; game 5 it was 49%. That's almost 50% of your points for two games coming from officials (Wade also had 48% of points coming from the line in game 2, which Miami lost). Of course he had to make them, which he did and stands as a testament to his abilities... as a free throw shooter. Michael Jordan didn't need 50% of his points to come from the line, neither did Magic nor Bird.
Nor was wondering what the differece looked like between the previous series up to game 2, then from game 3 to game 6. Wade averaged 9.5 fta from the Eastern Conference Finals to game 2 of the Finals. Wade then averaged 18.25 fta for games 3 thru 6, an increase of 192%.
Wade took 28 shots from the floor in game 5, and took 25 free throw attempts. In game 6 Wade took 18 shot attempts from the floor, and 21 from the line. Game 5's fta for Wade matched the number of fta for the entire Dallas team.
--------------------------
Bob and Dan mentioned my blog around lunchtime yesterday. They don't really agree with me, because they're still pretty happy with how the season turned out. And I am too. Really. I swear. And they even said that maybe next week, they'd be willing to look at these issues more.
But then, Bob mentioned one more stat that caught my eye, along the lines of what Davis says here:
Wade had TWENTY MORE TOTAL FTAs in this series than Michael Jordan ever had in any championship series he played in.
Still think the video evidence is bogus?
It only points to the deeper reality supported by the stats:
Wade was treated differently.
And that made a huge difference in the series.
--30--
(Read the rest. Click here)Wow, Did I Touche A Nerve (Thoughts a Day Later)
Jun/22/2006 06:41 PM
What a day
for my little blog...
Yesterday, I posted these clips from Game 6 of the Mavs/Heat series. And throughout the day I was inundated with hits to my site. As of this writing, more than 9,300 visted the site yesterday. To put that in some perspective, I usually get between 2,000 and 4,000 visitors in any given month.
Apparently, the main thing that happened is that several blogs linked back to this entry. (Read the rest. Click here)
Yesterday, I posted these clips from Game 6 of the Mavs/Heat series. And throughout the day I was inundated with hits to my site. As of this writing, more than 9,300 visted the site yesterday. To put that in some perspective, I usually get between 2,000 and 4,000 visitors in any given month.
Apparently, the main thing that happened is that several blogs linked back to this entry. (Read the rest. Click here)
Final Score: Mavs 92 Heat 88 (Or that's what it should have been, and here's the video to prove it)
Jun/21/2006 05:44 AM
This blog entry contains videos of the "five phantom
fouls" from the Mavs/Heart finals of 2006...
(Read the rest. Click
here)
We Were Robbed
Jun/20/2006 11:20 PM
The NBA
finals have just ended. And the Mavericks were
robbed.
I know, you expect a fan like me to say such things. But it's absolutely true. Dennise and I counted no less than four times when Dwyane Wade drew "phantom fouls" from Maverick players. I'm talking four times when the Mav players didn't even TOUCH him. It wasn't even close. How the officials missed it all is beyond me. But if I can find the video camera, I'll happily digitize and post the evidence later this week. (Read the rest. Click here)
I know, you expect a fan like me to say such things. But it's absolutely true. Dennise and I counted no less than four times when Dwyane Wade drew "phantom fouls" from Maverick players. I'm talking four times when the Mav players didn't even TOUCH him. It wasn't even close. How the officials missed it all is beyond me. But if I can find the video camera, I'll happily digitize and post the evidence later this week. (Read the rest. Click here)
Finals
Jun/10/2006 09:48 PM
I know I said
no more entries until mid-June. However, I THINK I've
got the iBlog situation taken care of. And, by
mid-June, the NBA Finals will be mostly over and I'll
have lost my one chance to lay down my prediction.
Since I've been doing so well in my predictions so far this (NCAA National Championship, Super Bowl) why miss out on the chance to weigh in one this...especically since it involves my Dallas Mavericks.
So, with one game already down, here's how I now see this series unfolding.... (Read the rest. Click here)
Since I've been doing so well in my predictions so far this (NCAA National Championship, Super Bowl) why miss out on the chance to weigh in one this...especically since it involves my Dallas Mavericks.
So, with one game already down, here's how I now see this series unfolding.... (Read the rest. Click here)
Taking Stock of Bonds
Mar/13/2006 07:57 AM
Taking Stock of Bonds
A couple of years back, a funny commercial ran all throughout baseball season. It featured Barry Bonds taking batting practice by himself, in a virtually empty San Francisco ballfield. Between every crack of the bat, you could hear a ghostly voice whisper over the PA system:
Barry...it's time for you to go...it's time for you to retire....
The joke at the end of the spot was that the voice was coming from none other than Hank Aaron, sending not-so-subliminal messages to Bonds from the press box.
Funny joke then.
Not too funny now.
Hank was right: Barry it's time for you to go.
Like everything else I feel passionately about, I am not unbiased in this. And my feeling about Bonds are clearly connected to my feeling about two of the other great players of the modern era: the aforementioned Aaron; and Pete Rose.
I remember vividly the night that Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record. In fact, it's one of the most clear memories of my childhood. I remember watching the game on TV. My parents were out on a date, and we were home with a babysitter. I remember the immediate chill up my spine when Aaron hit it out. I went outside with my bat and ball, and fungoed up and down the front yard, envisioning that it was decades later, and I was surpassing Aaron. I remember every moment of that night. It meant so much to me that a few months later, I put up a full color poster of the scene on my bedroom wall...a poster that stayed up for the rest of my childhood.
I also remember the incredible public debate that had gone on during the entire off-season before. The debate was racially tinged. There were those who didn't want a black man beating the record of the Great Bambino. There can be no denying that ugly side of the debate, as we look back through the lens of twenty-years. But then, there were those who simply didn't want anyone to break Babe Ruth's record...the sentimentalists among us I suppose. The point is, Aaron endured a lot, and sports historians are still writing about it. In fact, it really wasn't until he wrote he autobiography a few years back that we all came to understand the pressure this man was under...the racism he had to endure. (Click the last link, and check out samples of the "hate mail" Aaron got in the boxes on the right side of the page...)
The tension was high during every game in late '73 and early '74. And when Aaron finally broke the record on April 8, 1974 (I know the date without having to look it up...) the one thing you could say about was that it was an historic moment. (Trivia: former Rangers pitching coach, Tom House, caught the ball on the fly, in the Braves' dugout...just beyond the outfield wall...) That moment meant enough to me that when I visited Atlanta a few years back, I made a pilgrimage to the stadium. The Braves have built a new stadium, but the spot where homer 715 landed is still memorialized in the middle of the parking lot.
The truth is Aaron earned it. Aaron had journeyed from being one of the first African-Americans to break the color barrier, to becoming the greatest slugger of all time. He earned it by putting up with death threats and racial slurs. He earned each and every home run. And over the years, it seems to me, he's earned the respect of every fan who ever loved the Babe. He continues to help the game (and the country) by advocating for African-Americans to be hired into baseball's front offices. In short, folks see him as a living hero.
Will anybody ever feel that way about Barry Bonds?
No way. Frankly, the guy's a genuine ass. He always has been. Like the television commercial, Barry Bonds is a lone guy, on a field by himself. Now, he's more lonely than ever. He's not a team player. He's an individual performer. (The great ones are always both, IMHO) Dallas sportswriter, Skip Bayless, writes this column about just how big an ass he is. And now, we find that he's probably been juiced beyond belief for much of these last eight years. And so, when I think of Bonds, I am reminded of another of my favorite players from my childhood: Pete Rose.
Lot's of folks thought Rose was an ass too. But you could always say something about Pete Rose: he loved the game, he played hard, and he earned every single hit.
Rose played for my Dad's hometown team. And every time we found ourselves visiting my grandparent's house during the season, my Dad and I would take in a game. Got to see all the glory years of the "Big Red Machine," arguably the best team of all time. (I will take that argument with anyone who'd care to get into it...) And of all those amazing players, Rose was, and still is, my all time favorite player. Rose, like Aaron, earned each and every hit. Many didn't like him. Many who thought he was too brash...too cocky. Like Bonds, some thought him too full of himself. But Rose was passionate about baseball. He would talk to the media. No one could ever say he didn't love the game. My grandmother stood in the freezing cold one time to get his autograph for me....it's still on a shirt that's still in my clothes drawer right now. Rose loved the game, loved the fans, loved Cincinnatti...loved baseball.
But Rose is banned now. Can't say I disagreed with the ban when it came down. He out and out lied about his gambling addiction. And his rambling book of a few years back was both revealing in how much he confessed, and how much he's still unwilling to fess up to. Personally? I think it's time for him to be reinstated. He made some very heartfelt confessions in that book.
Look, I understand the concern about gambling, I really do. And I'm not trying to minimize its importance, I'm really not. But, like I said, the man played hard every inning. He earned every hit. I think it's time for him to come back...but then, as I said, I'm not unbiased in this.
But the point is, whether I like it or not, he's banned. Pete Rose is banned.
And if Rose --whose crimes never can be said to have affected his play-- can be banned, then why shouldn't Bonds be too? Bonds' crimes clearly affected his performance. At a time of life when most men succumb to the forces of nature --losing testosterone, muscle, and strength-- suddenly, almost overnight, Barry Bonds looked like a behemoth.
I mean, check out these pictures from early in his career and last year, and tell me that he's not on the juice:
I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt before it was discovered that Raffi Palmiero was also lying about steroid use. (Say it ain't so, Raff...say it ain't so....You break my heart...) And so, to my way of thinking, if Raffi's guilty this guy is DEFINITELY guilty. And if he'd never been on the juice, how many home runs would he really have? We'll never know, but we can know this: unlike gambling, steroids are things that definitely enhance performance.
So, the Commissioner should suspend him immediately, before he plays another inning. He should suspend him for as long as it takes to do a full investigation. My hunch is that any full investigation will result in him being banned for life. So, if we know that's probably coming, for the love of the game, why not suspend him now? With all the signs pointing toward rampant steriod abuse, by an unrepentant ass, why allow him to continue toward a goal he clearly hasn't earned? Why even risk him passing Ruth?
Bottom line for me: If Pete can be banned for less, and if Aaron's legacy of hard work and overcoming adversity means anything to anyone, then it's time for Bonds to go.
A couple of years back, a funny commercial ran all throughout baseball season. It featured Barry Bonds taking batting practice by himself, in a virtually empty San Francisco ballfield. Between every crack of the bat, you could hear a ghostly voice whisper over the PA system:
Barry...it's time for you to go...it's time for you to retire....
The joke at the end of the spot was that the voice was coming from none other than Hank Aaron, sending not-so-subliminal messages to Bonds from the press box.
Funny joke then.
Not too funny now.
Hank was right: Barry it's time for you to go.
Like everything else I feel passionately about, I am not unbiased in this. And my feeling about Bonds are clearly connected to my feeling about two of the other great players of the modern era: the aforementioned Aaron; and Pete Rose.
I remember vividly the night that Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record. In fact, it's one of the most clear memories of my childhood. I remember watching the game on TV. My parents were out on a date, and we were home with a babysitter. I remember the immediate chill up my spine when Aaron hit it out. I went outside with my bat and ball, and fungoed up and down the front yard, envisioning that it was decades later, and I was surpassing Aaron. I remember every moment of that night. It meant so much to me that a few months later, I put up a full color poster of the scene on my bedroom wall...a poster that stayed up for the rest of my childhood.
I also remember the incredible public debate that had gone on during the entire off-season before. The debate was racially tinged. There were those who didn't want a black man beating the record of the Great Bambino. There can be no denying that ugly side of the debate, as we look back through the lens of twenty-years. But then, there were those who simply didn't want anyone to break Babe Ruth's record...the sentimentalists among us I suppose. The point is, Aaron endured a lot, and sports historians are still writing about it. In fact, it really wasn't until he wrote he autobiography a few years back that we all came to understand the pressure this man was under...the racism he had to endure. (Click the last link, and check out samples of the "hate mail" Aaron got in the boxes on the right side of the page...)
The tension was high during every game in late '73 and early '74. And when Aaron finally broke the record on April 8, 1974 (I know the date without having to look it up...) the one thing you could say about was that it was an historic moment. (Trivia: former Rangers pitching coach, Tom House, caught the ball on the fly, in the Braves' dugout...just beyond the outfield wall...) That moment meant enough to me that when I visited Atlanta a few years back, I made a pilgrimage to the stadium. The Braves have built a new stadium, but the spot where homer 715 landed is still memorialized in the middle of the parking lot.
The truth is Aaron earned it. Aaron had journeyed from being one of the first African-Americans to break the color barrier, to becoming the greatest slugger of all time. He earned it by putting up with death threats and racial slurs. He earned each and every home run. And over the years, it seems to me, he's earned the respect of every fan who ever loved the Babe. He continues to help the game (and the country) by advocating for African-Americans to be hired into baseball's front offices. In short, folks see him as a living hero.
Will anybody ever feel that way about Barry Bonds?
No way. Frankly, the guy's a genuine ass. He always has been. Like the television commercial, Barry Bonds is a lone guy, on a field by himself. Now, he's more lonely than ever. He's not a team player. He's an individual performer. (The great ones are always both, IMHO) Dallas sportswriter, Skip Bayless, writes this column about just how big an ass he is. And now, we find that he's probably been juiced beyond belief for much of these last eight years. And so, when I think of Bonds, I am reminded of another of my favorite players from my childhood: Pete Rose.
Lot's of folks thought Rose was an ass too. But you could always say something about Pete Rose: he loved the game, he played hard, and he earned every single hit.
Rose played for my Dad's hometown team. And every time we found ourselves visiting my grandparent's house during the season, my Dad and I would take in a game. Got to see all the glory years of the "Big Red Machine," arguably the best team of all time. (I will take that argument with anyone who'd care to get into it...) And of all those amazing players, Rose was, and still is, my all time favorite player. Rose, like Aaron, earned each and every hit. Many didn't like him. Many who thought he was too brash...too cocky. Like Bonds, some thought him too full of himself. But Rose was passionate about baseball. He would talk to the media. No one could ever say he didn't love the game. My grandmother stood in the freezing cold one time to get his autograph for me....it's still on a shirt that's still in my clothes drawer right now. Rose loved the game, loved the fans, loved Cincinnatti...loved baseball.
But Rose is banned now. Can't say I disagreed with the ban when it came down. He out and out lied about his gambling addiction. And his rambling book of a few years back was both revealing in how much he confessed, and how much he's still unwilling to fess up to. Personally? I think it's time for him to be reinstated. He made some very heartfelt confessions in that book.
Look, I understand the concern about gambling, I really do. And I'm not trying to minimize its importance, I'm really not. But, like I said, the man played hard every inning. He earned every hit. I think it's time for him to come back...but then, as I said, I'm not unbiased in this.
But the point is, whether I like it or not, he's banned. Pete Rose is banned.
And if Rose --whose crimes never can be said to have affected his play-- can be banned, then why shouldn't Bonds be too? Bonds' crimes clearly affected his performance. At a time of life when most men succumb to the forces of nature --losing testosterone, muscle, and strength-- suddenly, almost overnight, Barry Bonds looked like a behemoth.
I mean, check out these pictures from early in his career and last year, and tell me that he's not on the juice:
I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt before it was discovered that Raffi Palmiero was also lying about steroid use. (Say it ain't so, Raff...say it ain't so....You break my heart...) And so, to my way of thinking, if Raffi's guilty this guy is DEFINITELY guilty. And if he'd never been on the juice, how many home runs would he really have? We'll never know, but we can know this: unlike gambling, steroids are things that definitely enhance performance.
So, the Commissioner should suspend him immediately, before he plays another inning. He should suspend him for as long as it takes to do a full investigation. My hunch is that any full investigation will result in him being banned for life. So, if we know that's probably coming, for the love of the game, why not suspend him now? With all the signs pointing toward rampant steriod abuse, by an unrepentant ass, why allow him to continue toward a goal he clearly hasn't earned? Why even risk him passing Ruth?
Bottom line for me: If Pete can be banned for less, and if Aaron's legacy of hard work and overcoming adversity means anything to anyone, then it's time for Bonds to go.
--30--
Buck O'Neil
Mar/01/2006 08:08 AM
Keith
Olbermann has been all over this
story the past few days....
The background is that the grand poobahs in Cooperstown decided a couple of years ago to make an allowance for players who played in the old Negro League to be elected to the official Baseball Hall of Fame. They decided that, for a couple of years, they would convene a special group that would allow in the best of the old Negro League players. This is the last year they are scheduled to vote in this group. It was an nice gesture. And it was championed, more than any other single person, by a man named Buck O'Neil... (Read the rest. Click here)
The background is that the grand poobahs in Cooperstown decided a couple of years ago to make an allowance for players who played in the old Negro League to be elected to the official Baseball Hall of Fame. They decided that, for a couple of years, they would convene a special group that would allow in the best of the old Negro League players. This is the last year they are scheduled to vote in this group. It was an nice gesture. And it was championed, more than any other single person, by a man named Buck O'Neil... (Read the rest. Click here)
SBXL
Feb/04/2006 05:05 PM
The game
tomorrow is not my game. The teams tomorrow are not
my teams. And yet, riding my high from wise and
prescient pick in the college national championship
game, I feel led to put my .02 cents in here too.
(translation: I don't know how to quit while I'm
ahead...)
So, here goes... (Read the rest. Click here)
So, here goes... (Read the rest. Click here)
Aw Vince...what's your hurry? Couldn't you give us a week to gloat?
Jan/08/2006 12:05 PM
So, the news
comes out this afternoon that Vince Young will go
pro.
I'm already here sick at home with no voice, and so this does not help my mood.
So now, all the Aggies, Sooners, Red Raiders, etc are leaping for joy believing that they'll have a shot next year. Couldn't we have had a whole week to gloat about it?
Yes, Texas will be a different team without Vince Young. But, two little things to remind you of:
a) you'll be surprised at how good the quarterbacks are that we'll put out there, and
b) just two more little words: Jamaal Charles.
(Remember those words...)
I have to say, for a few hours today I thought Vince Young might come back to Texas. Because the word came out today that Houston really wants Reggie Bush. Personally, I still think that's a mistake for them. I'd ditch David Carr in a moment to have the chance to get a hometown guy who'll probably put tens of thousands of butts more in my stands. Any loss they take on Carr they would more than make up, over the long haul, on Vince Young. But then, maybe that's why I'm not an owner.
So, New Orleans has the second pick, and up to now we've been told they were leaning toward Matt Leinart. The thing is, though, I am sure they assumed there was no Vince Young out there. I'd pick Young over Leinart, if I was them. And if that happens I will be really depressed. I say this in all love and respect for the truly beleaguered Saints --and there is no team more so-- but the Saints are a black hole for famous UT players.
Two words: Ricky Williams.
Jeez, what a horrible situation that was for him and for them. I really don't want to see that happen again. And something tells me that's exactly where we'd end up.
The third pick is Tennessee, and that's a real interesting one. Their current quarterback, Steve McNair, has been a mentor to Young since he was in high school. McNair probably only has a few years left in the NFL, realistically. How cool would it be for Young to go and play for a man he already knows and respects as a mentor? BUT! The Titan's new offensive coordinator is the old coordinator for none other than USC!!
So, the plot there thickens.
I know this will sound horrible for a lot of reason, but it mostly has nothing to do with what's going on in NOLA right now, and everything about who the Saints are and what they've done to former UT greats:
I really hope he doesn't end up there.
Houston or Tennessee...I'd be happy to see either one of those, and even a little glad for Vince's sake.
I'm already here sick at home with no voice, and so this does not help my mood.
So now, all the Aggies, Sooners, Red Raiders, etc are leaping for joy believing that they'll have a shot next year. Couldn't we have had a whole week to gloat about it?
Yes, Texas will be a different team without Vince Young. But, two little things to remind you of:
a) you'll be surprised at how good the quarterbacks are that we'll put out there, and
b) just two more little words: Jamaal Charles.
(Remember those words...)
I have to say, for a few hours today I thought Vince Young might come back to Texas. Because the word came out today that Houston really wants Reggie Bush. Personally, I still think that's a mistake for them. I'd ditch David Carr in a moment to have the chance to get a hometown guy who'll probably put tens of thousands of butts more in my stands. Any loss they take on Carr they would more than make up, over the long haul, on Vince Young. But then, maybe that's why I'm not an owner.
So, New Orleans has the second pick, and up to now we've been told they were leaning toward Matt Leinart. The thing is, though, I am sure they assumed there was no Vince Young out there. I'd pick Young over Leinart, if I was them. And if that happens I will be really depressed. I say this in all love and respect for the truly beleaguered Saints --and there is no team more so-- but the Saints are a black hole for famous UT players.
Two words: Ricky Williams.
Jeez, what a horrible situation that was for him and for them. I really don't want to see that happen again. And something tells me that's exactly where we'd end up.
The third pick is Tennessee, and that's a real interesting one. Their current quarterback, Steve McNair, has been a mentor to Young since he was in high school. McNair probably only has a few years left in the NFL, realistically. How cool would it be for Young to go and play for a man he already knows and respects as a mentor? BUT! The Titan's new offensive coordinator is the old coordinator for none other than USC!!
So, the plot there thickens.
I know this will sound horrible for a lot of reason, but it mostly has nothing to do with what's going on in NOLA right now, and everything about who the Saints are and what they've done to former UT greats:
I really hope he doesn't end up there.
Houston or Tennessee...I'd be happy to see either one of those, and even a little glad for Vince's sake.
Told ya: Time to Gloat a Little Orange
Jan/05/2006 12:04 PM
Told ya: Time to Gloat a Little Orange
Every now and then, a sporting event actually lives up to its hype. Every now and then, you can actually tell that you're watching something historic. Every now and then, there are games that folks will talk about for YEARS. That happened last night.
And if you missed it, I pity you.
I have no voice this morning. Yelled at the TV until about 1:30 am. Listened to sports radio this morning, and everyone is talking about this being...
... the greatest national championship game in history
... the greatest single performance by any player, in Vince Young.
My Longhorns are National Champions. And, like most of us Texas fans, we've been a little cautious about getting too excited until now. But, this morning, it's time for a little gloating....
First personal-gloat of the day: The final score
I will refer you first to yesterday's completely unedited post.
I will remind you that my prediction was:
Texas: 42
USC: 35
I will remind you that, if not for a missed Texas extra-point and an extra USC field goal, I would have nailed the score to the number. As it is, I came just about as close as you could possible come.
Second gloat of the day: Vince Young
Now, they (the national media) are all saying Vince Young should have won the Heisman. Now they are complaining that that voting comes before the bowl games. (I actually agree with this....) But, from a Texas perspective, the media is always an incredible bunch of second-guessers. I mean heck, yesterday on ESPN they were trying to compare the USC offense to great PRO teams of all-time. That's when you know the hype's gotten out of hand. (That's when you know that USC is ready for a fall...)
Third gloat of the day: My three game keys
My three keys of the game were:
-- The depth of both teams: I gave the edge to Texas
-- The fact that both offenses were about even
-- The fact that the Texas defense was better.
When you look at the game as whole, you have to say that all these things bore out. Texas had a deeper team. USC had Leinart and little else. Sure, LenDale White and that one receiver did OK.
But where was Reggie Bush?
Seriously. Where was he? Mr. Heisman? Hello..... 82 yards?
Puleeease...
The offenses WERE about even. And the Texas defense was clearly better than USC's. "Better" means exactly what I told you yesterday it would mean: they would bend, but not break. When it counted, they held USC on that crucial fourth down play.
I actually did expect that we'd see more offense from the rest of the Longhorn team than we actually saw. Jamaal Charles showed a little brilliance, but fumbled twice. But the bottom line is that it really was the Vince Young show. A Rose Bowl record for a single game performance 467 total yards. And now, all the experts are calling him the best player in college football. Maybe the best ever.
Excuse me, but where were all yall when it was time to cast Heisman ballots a few weeks back? Reggie Bush has one amazing 500-yard game against a no-name team, and suddenly you give the trophy to him?!
Puleease...
All apologies, Mr. Young...
So, world, you all owe Vince Young a huge apology. Because Vince Young is capable of the kind of performance he turned in last night in EVERY game. You can't even really write or speak about how he plays, which is part of why I think he lost the Heisman race. The statistics never quite tell you what you need to know about him. You have to actually SEE him do it to believe it. I believe that's one of the huge reasons Vince didn't win the HT...because not enough folks actually saw him play.
And everyone forgets this important factor: in almost half the games this year, Young was sitting on the sideline by the middle of the third quarter. His numbers aren't nearly as impressive as the other finalists, because he didn't get to work as much. USC was falling behind all season, and coming back in the second half. That meant that Leinart, Bush and Co. were bringing them back...they played almost every down of every game.
Vince Young effectively sat out almost a game and a half this year.
But this, and the fact that people just weren't paying enough attention, meant that Young didn't nearly get the press and acolades he richly deserves.
So, I'm telling you the truth here. For any non-Texas fans out there who just saw the guy for the first time yesterday: the dude does that every game. All of it. The running. The passing. The plays. The coming-from-behind. Welcome to Vince Young football.
World: Vince
Vince: World
You're gonna like each other...
By the way, what was Pete Carroll thinking, going for it on fourth down with two minutes left?!!! At least make it a little challenging for Young. Make him drive eighty yards. I mean, Texas had already stopped them on 4th down once in this game. Everyone is defending his call this morning, but I think he lost USC the game in that moment because, again, he underestimated Vince Young. Everyone does.
Please come back, Vince!!! (I know you probably won't...)
And now, the buzz this am is that he won't come back for his senior year. That would be heartbreaking. But given last night's performance, could his pro-stock ever be any higher? So, can you blame him for leaving? Can he afford to take the chance of playing next year? Or, can he skip out on the chance to repeat, and be an absolute football god/legend in the State of Texas?
Well, one consolation thought (and it's a crazy one). If I were the Houston Texans, I seriously consider drafting him. Sound crazy? You kidding me? Hometown boy? State hero? He'd draw 20-30,000 fans each week just from that. That might make you feel a little better. Please, God, just don't let him end up with the Saints, like Ricky....ugh...
"Eric, quit thinking ahead....just enjoy this...."
You're right. I do need to enjoy it. I am enjoying it.
Good Lord, what a game.
What an incredible game.
Every now and then, a sporting event actually lives up to its hype. Every now and then, you can actually tell that you're watching something historic. Every now and then, there are games that folks will talk about for YEARS. That happened last night.
And if you missed it, I pity you.
I have no voice this morning. Yelled at the TV until about 1:30 am. Listened to sports radio this morning, and everyone is talking about this being...
... the greatest national championship game in history
... the greatest single performance by any player, in Vince Young.
My Longhorns are National Champions. And, like most of us Texas fans, we've been a little cautious about getting too excited until now. But, this morning, it's time for a little gloating....
First personal-gloat of the day: The final score
I will refer you first to yesterday's completely unedited post.
I will remind you that my prediction was:
Texas: 42
USC: 35
I will remind you that, if not for a missed Texas extra-point and an extra USC field goal, I would have nailed the score to the number. As it is, I came just about as close as you could possible come.
Second gloat of the day: Vince Young
Now, they (the national media) are all saying Vince Young should have won the Heisman. Now they are complaining that that voting comes before the bowl games. (I actually agree with this....) But, from a Texas perspective, the media is always an incredible bunch of second-guessers. I mean heck, yesterday on ESPN they were trying to compare the USC offense to great PRO teams of all-time. That's when you know the hype's gotten out of hand. (That's when you know that USC is ready for a fall...)
Third gloat of the day: My three game keys
My three keys of the game were:
-- The depth of both teams: I gave the edge to Texas
-- The fact that both offenses were about even
-- The fact that the Texas defense was better.
When you look at the game as whole, you have to say that all these things bore out. Texas had a deeper team. USC had Leinart and little else. Sure, LenDale White and that one receiver did OK.
But where was Reggie Bush?
Seriously. Where was he? Mr. Heisman? Hello..... 82 yards?
Puleeease...
The offenses WERE about even. And the Texas defense was clearly better than USC's. "Better" means exactly what I told you yesterday it would mean: they would bend, but not break. When it counted, they held USC on that crucial fourth down play.
I actually did expect that we'd see more offense from the rest of the Longhorn team than we actually saw. Jamaal Charles showed a little brilliance, but fumbled twice. But the bottom line is that it really was the Vince Young show. A Rose Bowl record for a single game performance 467 total yards. And now, all the experts are calling him the best player in college football. Maybe the best ever.
Excuse me, but where were all yall when it was time to cast Heisman ballots a few weeks back? Reggie Bush has one amazing 500-yard game against a no-name team, and suddenly you give the trophy to him?!
Puleease...
All apologies, Mr. Young...
So, world, you all owe Vince Young a huge apology. Because Vince Young is capable of the kind of performance he turned in last night in EVERY game. You can't even really write or speak about how he plays, which is part of why I think he lost the Heisman race. The statistics never quite tell you what you need to know about him. You have to actually SEE him do it to believe it. I believe that's one of the huge reasons Vince didn't win the HT...because not enough folks actually saw him play.
And everyone forgets this important factor: in almost half the games this year, Young was sitting on the sideline by the middle of the third quarter. His numbers aren't nearly as impressive as the other finalists, because he didn't get to work as much. USC was falling behind all season, and coming back in the second half. That meant that Leinart, Bush and Co. were bringing them back...they played almost every down of every game.
Vince Young effectively sat out almost a game and a half this year.
But this, and the fact that people just weren't paying enough attention, meant that Young didn't nearly get the press and acolades he richly deserves.
So, I'm telling you the truth here. For any non-Texas fans out there who just saw the guy for the first time yesterday: the dude does that every game. All of it. The running. The passing. The plays. The coming-from-behind. Welcome to Vince Young football.
World: Vince
Vince: World
You're gonna like each other...
By the way, what was Pete Carroll thinking, going for it on fourth down with two minutes left?!!! At least make it a little challenging for Young. Make him drive eighty yards. I mean, Texas had already stopped them on 4th down once in this game. Everyone is defending his call this morning, but I think he lost USC the game in that moment because, again, he underestimated Vince Young. Everyone does.
Please come back, Vince!!! (I know you probably won't...)
And now, the buzz this am is that he won't come back for his senior year. That would be heartbreaking. But given last night's performance, could his pro-stock ever be any higher? So, can you blame him for leaving? Can he afford to take the chance of playing next year? Or, can he skip out on the chance to repeat, and be an absolute football god/legend in the State of Texas?
Well, one consolation thought (and it's a crazy one). If I were the Houston Texans, I seriously consider drafting him. Sound crazy? You kidding me? Hometown boy? State hero? He'd draw 20-30,000 fans each week just from that. That might make you feel a little better. Please, God, just don't let him end up with the Saints, like Ricky....ugh...
"Eric, quit thinking ahead....just enjoy this...."
You're right. I do need to enjoy it. I am enjoying it.
Good Lord, what a game.
What an incredible game.
Go Mavs (My head makes it's national TV debut...)
May/20/2005 06:33 PM
Go Mavs
Eric's head makes it's national TV debut...
Wow. How can it be two months since I've blogged anything? As America once said,
"I've been one poor correspondent." And this is even with some of you writing me to tell me how much you like them....ah well, life gets in the way. For the past several years, I've made the vow to put real-life ahead of digital life. That means I just don't find myself in front of the keyboard that much....
So, lot's to catch up on. And I will not try to do it in one post. I still hope to blog about my trip to El Salvador in April. I think that was really the time my blogging fell off...just never got back in the habit afterwards.
I also want to tell yall about the great NDSM Benefit Show from back in April, and the great time I had at Northaven's "Feast of Friendship."
Of course, it's also time to get pumped about Kerrville again. And, hopefully, sometime during the next week, I'll post a little about that too. (For now, let me give you the url for what I wrote last year. At least two of you have written to ask if it's still available somewhere. And it is. Just click here.
I also want to talk about the new Star Wars movie, which Dennise and I went to see yesterday afternoon. Yes, we're geeks. I've seen every movie since the second one on the day it opened.
So has Dennise. Geeks attract, I suppose....
The movie was GREAT. Dennise and I both agree that it's one of our favorites of all six....
certainly MUCH better than either Episode One, or Episode Two. But, as I said, more on this later.
What I REALLY wanted to blog about today is the Dallas Mavericks. Somehow, this season, we got reintroduced to basketball in a big way. Our friend from church, Joy Nelson, invited us to sit with her for one game about mid-season. As you might imagine, she can get GREAT seats, and we found ourselves right behind the Mavs bench. I kid you not. I wish I had video to prove it.
Then, Dennise found that our friends, Charles and Mary, ALSO have killer tickets...on the other side of the floor, on the fourth row. So, they invited us to the Mavs/Heat game about midseason.
Again, a KILLER game. Shaq called out Damp...Damp made Shaq look foolish. Shaq's been mad ever since. Again, they were awesome seats. And, had I been thinking, I would have TIVOed the game so I'd have the video evidence for you...at least you would have been able to see the bald spot on the back of my head.
BUT, low and behold, the Mavs make the playoffs. And so, Charles and Mary invite us out once again for game three, last Friday at the AAC. Dennise and I were 2-0 in Mavs games to that point. But, alas, the Suns ran away with it. HOWEVER, I am happy to say that there IS one thing different about this third set of incredible seats that we had: I have the video evidence .
Thanks again to Joy, Mary, and Charles, for the incredible invitations this year.
And GO MAVS!!!
Eric's head makes it's national TV debut...
Wow. How can it be two months since I've blogged anything? As America once said,
"I've been one poor correspondent." And this is even with some of you writing me to tell me how much you like them....ah well, life gets in the way. For the past several years, I've made the vow to put real-life ahead of digital life. That means I just don't find myself in front of the keyboard that much....
So, lot's to catch up on. And I will not try to do it in one post. I still hope to blog about my trip to El Salvador in April. I think that was really the time my blogging fell off...just never got back in the habit afterwards.
I also want to tell yall about the great NDSM Benefit Show from back in April, and the great time I had at Northaven's "Feast of Friendship."
Of course, it's also time to get pumped about Kerrville again. And, hopefully, sometime during the next week, I'll post a little about that too. (For now, let me give you the url for what I wrote last year. At least two of you have written to ask if it's still available somewhere. And it is. Just click here.
I also want to talk about the new Star Wars movie, which Dennise and I went to see yesterday afternoon. Yes, we're geeks. I've seen every movie since the second one on the day it opened.
So has Dennise. Geeks attract, I suppose....
The movie was GREAT. Dennise and I both agree that it's one of our favorites of all six....
certainly MUCH better than either Episode One, or Episode Two. But, as I said, more on this later.
What I REALLY wanted to blog about today is the Dallas Mavericks. Somehow, this season, we got reintroduced to basketball in a big way. Our friend from church, Joy Nelson, invited us to sit with her for one game about mid-season. As you might imagine, she can get GREAT seats, and we found ourselves right behind the Mavs bench. I kid you not. I wish I had video to prove it.
Then, Dennise found that our friends, Charles and Mary, ALSO have killer tickets...on the other side of the floor, on the fourth row. So, they invited us to the Mavs/Heat game about midseason.
Again, a KILLER game. Shaq called out Damp...Damp made Shaq look foolish. Shaq's been mad ever since. Again, they were awesome seats. And, had I been thinking, I would have TIVOed the game so I'd have the video evidence for you...at least you would have been able to see the bald spot on the back of my head.
BUT, low and behold, the Mavs make the playoffs. And so, Charles and Mary invite us out once again for game three, last Friday at the AAC. Dennise and I were 2-0 in Mavs games to that point. But, alas, the Suns ran away with it. HOWEVER, I am happy to say that there IS one thing different about this third set of incredible seats that we had: I have the video evidence .
Thanks again to Joy, Mary, and Charles, for the incredible invitations this year.
And GO MAVS!!!
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