Until now, the only thing that the northern New Jersey borough of Park Ridge has been know for was Tony Soprano. Not the character, but the actor who played him. James Gandolfini hails from Park Ridge, and before he became well known as the man who put the bada in the bada Bing, he was another North Jersey kid who wanted to play college football.
With all the talk about this Saturday's regular season college football showdown between #5 Ohio State and top-ranked USC centering around the health status of Buckeyes running back Chris Wells, don't be fooled. Three of the best linebackers in the country will be on the field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. One of them is Ohio State's James Laurinitis. Another will be USC middle linebacker Rey Maualuga.
And the third will be the newest pride of Park Ridge: Brian Cushing.
It's been fun for me, as someone who has followed his young career, to watch him grow into the football player he seemed destined to. I first saw him while standing on the sidelines of the 2003 New Jersey Group IV non-public championship game.
He was a junior for Bergen Catholic, and was facing the undefeated Don Bosco Prep at Giants Stadium. The amount of talent on the field that night was significant. Don Bosco's team, considered by many to be the greatest in New Jersey high school history, featured: Rutgers QB Mike Teel, Boston College LB/FB Brian Toal, and Florida State CB Michael Ray Garvin, among others. Cushing's teammates for BC included Maryland WR Isaiah Williams and Stanford TE Jim Dray.
Cushing was easily the best player on the field that night, making numerous and significant tackles, forcing the game to go right down to the wire. The next year, in 2004, he led Bergen Catholic to the state title while earning numerous honors such as being named a Parade All-American and state player of the year.
He had an immediate impact on the USC campus, not only making the team as a freshman, but starting in the 2006 National Championship game in the Rose Bowl for the Trojans against Texas. The following year, he was named the defensive MVP of the Rose Bowl as USC crushed Michigan.
This year is Cushing's senior season, and he's rated by ESPN Draft Guru Mel Kiper as one of the 5 best prospects for the 2009 NFL Draft. With outstanding speed (4.55 40-yard time) and a knack for finding the ball carrier (nearly 20% of his tackles are for loss), pro scouts are anxious to try and find a spot for him next year.
So when watching the game on Saturday, be sure to watch for #10 on defense for the Trojans. If the Buckeyes have any chance of winning, they will need to be watching for where he is too.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
NBC drops the ball
So last night I'm watching the 49ers-Bears pre-season game on FOX, with really no plans to watch any Olympics coverage. But thanks to a story and NBC's lack of reporting it in a timely fashion, I watched all 4 1/2 of primetime coverage last night, only to watch NBC fumble hard.
During the football game, FOX kept showing updated scores of the baseball games in-progress. At about 7PM Pacific time last night, the score flashed that the Mets had edged the Braves 5-4, to move 2 1/2 games past Philadelphia. So, I flipped over to ESPN, where Baseball Tonight was just starting and was actually showing the Mets highlights.
But at the bottom of the screen, on the ESPN crawl, something caught my attention. A report surfaced that the International Olympic Committee had asked the governing body of gymnastics to investigate further claims that surfaced on the internet in which the Chinese national team had used underage participants. This was apparently not the first inquiry about this, and I recall the NBC announcers talking about this during the competitions without stating that China was cheating.
So I started flipping around to first NBC, which was in local programming out here in Los Angeles, and then to the various news channels, seeking more info. There was none to be found.
I decided to lock onto NBC at 8PM Pacific, knowing that the primetime coverage was starting, expecting Bob Costas to lead the program with this breaking news. But to my disappointment, they didn't. In fact, it appeared as though we were given the exact same recorded coverage that NBC provided to the east coast some three hours earlier.
I stayed with NBC, waiting for them to announce this major news, but they didn't. By 10:30PM Pacific, which would have been 30 minutes on the east coast feed after the news broke on ESPN and was repeated in a crawl on CNN, still nothing from NBC. At 11PM, coverage of the men's beach volleyball followed for 75 minutes.
Finally, at 12:15AM Pacific time, two hours on the east coast feed after the news broke, and five hours in real time, Costas made brief mention of the investigation and the consequences therein.
So, where do we begin in assailing NBC on this? Assuming I'm correct and that NBC simply ran the programming on a 3-hour delay tape for the west coast audience, it is a black eye to NBC as a news organization for not providing this information in a timely fashion. After all, us sports fans have been led to believe in recent years that the Olympics are for "non-sports fans", which is why sports like gymnastics, track and field, and beach volleyball and swimming/diving get primetime coverage, while actual sports that regular sports fan enjoy such as basketball and baseball/softball and even to a lesser degree soccer don't even get a mention. Meaning, if a non-sports fan watches only the 4 hours of primetime coverage and nothing else, they are totally being denied any information about all of the other sports in play.
But what's worse here is that a major story concerning the integrity of one of those primary sports NBC has showcased in primetime was 'buried' until 4 1/2 hours into the telecast. It wasn't detailed when it happened just 2 hours into their broadcast to the east. What's worse, because they taped it as if it had to fit a pre-determined schedule, instead of coming on the air live at 8PM Pacific and detailing the story one hour after it broke, they made West Coast viewers wait 4 1/2 hours to get info about it.
I have a hard time believing that someone with the journalistic integrity of Bob Costas was provided the option to report the story in real time and decided against it. Which means one of two things, either: (1) NBC was too married to the taped version of their programming to break live with the info, or, (2) as many conspiracy theorists like myself might find more believable, they waited until 12:15 AM to run the story because they were asked to by the IOC and/or China, because of the embarrassment aspect of the story. After all, most people probably shut their TV's off after 11PM.
Overall, I think NBC has done well considering the time difference. The major problem I had with the coverage until now is that their two best play-by-play broadcasters, Al Michaels and Mike Emrick, were nowhere to be found. Maybe they didn't feel they had anything for Emrick to do, but having Michaels on your staff and not utilizing in the Olympics, for which he is best known for, it's incomprehensible. How do you not have a sport that needs covering for the man who asked if we believed in miracles?
Yet, this problem is not nearly as significant as NBC's unwillingness to break the gymnastics news within a reasonable timeframe. Of course, most damming for MSNBC is the fact that they have "24 hour news channel" in MSNBC that they didn't utilize at all. Throughout the period of the breaking story, the channel had a re-run of Keith Olbermann's show, a repeat of a Dateline "Catch a Predator" episode, and three episodes of them behind the scenes at a prison. Um, what? What the hell, MSNBC? Aren't you a cable NEWS channel? Oh, my bad, like many grocery stores back in the day, the "24-hour" label is a misnomer, in that they apparently mean 24 hours, but not all of then consecutive.
Very disappointed in the Peacock network.
During the football game, FOX kept showing updated scores of the baseball games in-progress. At about 7PM Pacific time last night, the score flashed that the Mets had edged the Braves 5-4, to move 2 1/2 games past Philadelphia. So, I flipped over to ESPN, where Baseball Tonight was just starting and was actually showing the Mets highlights.
But at the bottom of the screen, on the ESPN crawl, something caught my attention. A report surfaced that the International Olympic Committee had asked the governing body of gymnastics to investigate further claims that surfaced on the internet in which the Chinese national team had used underage participants. This was apparently not the first inquiry about this, and I recall the NBC announcers talking about this during the competitions without stating that China was cheating.
So I started flipping around to first NBC, which was in local programming out here in Los Angeles, and then to the various news channels, seeking more info. There was none to be found.
I decided to lock onto NBC at 8PM Pacific, knowing that the primetime coverage was starting, expecting Bob Costas to lead the program with this breaking news. But to my disappointment, they didn't. In fact, it appeared as though we were given the exact same recorded coverage that NBC provided to the east coast some three hours earlier.
I stayed with NBC, waiting for them to announce this major news, but they didn't. By 10:30PM Pacific, which would have been 30 minutes on the east coast feed after the news broke on ESPN and was repeated in a crawl on CNN, still nothing from NBC. At 11PM, coverage of the men's beach volleyball followed for 75 minutes.
Finally, at 12:15AM Pacific time, two hours on the east coast feed after the news broke, and five hours in real time, Costas made brief mention of the investigation and the consequences therein.
So, where do we begin in assailing NBC on this? Assuming I'm correct and that NBC simply ran the programming on a 3-hour delay tape for the west coast audience, it is a black eye to NBC as a news organization for not providing this information in a timely fashion. After all, us sports fans have been led to believe in recent years that the Olympics are for "non-sports fans", which is why sports like gymnastics, track and field, and beach volleyball and swimming/diving get primetime coverage, while actual sports that regular sports fan enjoy such as basketball and baseball/softball and even to a lesser degree soccer don't even get a mention. Meaning, if a non-sports fan watches only the 4 hours of primetime coverage and nothing else, they are totally being denied any information about all of the other sports in play.
But what's worse here is that a major story concerning the integrity of one of those primary sports NBC has showcased in primetime was 'buried' until 4 1/2 hours into the telecast. It wasn't detailed when it happened just 2 hours into their broadcast to the east. What's worse, because they taped it as if it had to fit a pre-determined schedule, instead of coming on the air live at 8PM Pacific and detailing the story one hour after it broke, they made West Coast viewers wait 4 1/2 hours to get info about it.
I have a hard time believing that someone with the journalistic integrity of Bob Costas was provided the option to report the story in real time and decided against it. Which means one of two things, either: (1) NBC was too married to the taped version of their programming to break live with the info, or, (2) as many conspiracy theorists like myself might find more believable, they waited until 12:15 AM to run the story because they were asked to by the IOC and/or China, because of the embarrassment aspect of the story. After all, most people probably shut their TV's off after 11PM.
Overall, I think NBC has done well considering the time difference. The major problem I had with the coverage until now is that their two best play-by-play broadcasters, Al Michaels and Mike Emrick, were nowhere to be found. Maybe they didn't feel they had anything for Emrick to do, but having Michaels on your staff and not utilizing in the Olympics, for which he is best known for, it's incomprehensible. How do you not have a sport that needs covering for the man who asked if we believed in miracles?
Yet, this problem is not nearly as significant as NBC's unwillingness to break the gymnastics news within a reasonable timeframe. Of course, most damming for MSNBC is the fact that they have "24 hour news channel" in MSNBC that they didn't utilize at all. Throughout the period of the breaking story, the channel had a re-run of Keith Olbermann's show, a repeat of a Dateline "Catch a Predator" episode, and three episodes of them behind the scenes at a prison. Um, what? What the hell, MSNBC? Aren't you a cable NEWS channel? Oh, my bad, like many grocery stores back in the day, the "24-hour" label is a misnomer, in that they apparently mean 24 hours, but not all of then consecutive.
Very disappointed in the Peacock network.
Friday, August 15, 2008
End of An Era
There have been many twists and turns in my life since becoming an adult 22 years ago. Changes in direction, changes in location, changes in attitude. Some changes were very minuscule in the big picture of life. Some changes were very significant, both that affect me personally and those from an observant standpoint.
Through this, however, there have been a few constants that I could always rely on. Family is certainly one of them. Many friends have changed, but some have remained constant throughout. And then there are the things that you could always count on to help entertain and inform, those outside sources that could, in the words of Jim Valvano, make you, "laugh, cry, and think" to make for a full day. Sadly, one of those constants is no more.
After 19 years together, the Mike and the Mad Dog radio program in New York has come to an end.
Maybe sports isn't your thing; that's okay. Maybe sports talk isn't your thing; I understand where you are coming from. But for someone who loves sports, and someone who has come to appreciate sports talk as a medium, today is a day of sadness for me. As someone who not only listened loyally for two decades two this show, but who also briefly engaged as a production intern at the station and got to know Mike Francesa and Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, it is a tough ending to a working partnership that not only revolutionized the sports talk genre, but has come to define the best of it.
I remember being a listener to the fledgling station in that first year of 1987 and early into 1988, and knowing that it was the ONLY sports radio station in the entire United States, most said the idea of 24-hour sports radio would never work. In 1989, the radio station decided to pair Mike, who had been working mid days with Ed Coleman, and Mad Dog, who had just moved over from WMCA, to takeover the afternoon drive time slot previously occupied by Pete Franklin, who was great in Cleveland but awful in New York.
It was always an uneasy partnership. Mike is perceived as a curmudgeon, a know-it-all who's opinion was the only one that matter, prickly and over-sensitive about his weight. Dog is perceived as a flighty and screaming know-it-all, who was always trying to out scream everyone that he was right, with a ridiculous laugh. They were often so steadfast in their opinions that they often fought, sometimes on-air.
Yet, through it all, it was a fabulous relationship. It was honest. It was funny. It was, at it best, as good as radio talk shows, not sports talk shows, but talk shows, could ever be.
And as a New York sports fan, we went through all the important moments with them. Whether it was the Giants Super Bowls, the Jets playoff run in 98, the Yankees playoff runs, the Rangers and Devils and Knicks title runs, the 9/11 tragedy, and so much more. Many of us like me experienced a lot of these moments with Mike and Chris right by our side.
They were the first to go broadcast shows during Super Bowl week - now hundreds of stations send their program hosts to "Radio Row" because of these guys. The concept of a two-man talk show, in sports and other topics, came about because of their success.
For anyone that grew up listening to them, and anyone who grew old listening to them, today is like the day the announced the break-up of the Beatles. I know this because every television station in New York City led last night with the news of their announcement.
Sports radio will never be the same for me. Sure Mike will continue in the drivetime slot for WFAN, and Chris will likely go onto other things. But it just won't be the same. It just won't be the same.
So, on behalf of the millions and millions of people that had the pleasure to listen to you guys, and to the smaller group of us that got to know you even a little bit, to quote the late great Bob Hope, "Thanks for the memories".
Through this, however, there have been a few constants that I could always rely on. Family is certainly one of them. Many friends have changed, but some have remained constant throughout. And then there are the things that you could always count on to help entertain and inform, those outside sources that could, in the words of Jim Valvano, make you, "laugh, cry, and think" to make for a full day. Sadly, one of those constants is no more.
After 19 years together, the Mike and the Mad Dog radio program in New York has come to an end.
Maybe sports isn't your thing; that's okay. Maybe sports talk isn't your thing; I understand where you are coming from. But for someone who loves sports, and someone who has come to appreciate sports talk as a medium, today is a day of sadness for me. As someone who not only listened loyally for two decades two this show, but who also briefly engaged as a production intern at the station and got to know Mike Francesa and Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, it is a tough ending to a working partnership that not only revolutionized the sports talk genre, but has come to define the best of it.
I remember being a listener to the fledgling station in that first year of 1987 and early into 1988, and knowing that it was the ONLY sports radio station in the entire United States, most said the idea of 24-hour sports radio would never work. In 1989, the radio station decided to pair Mike, who had been working mid days with Ed Coleman, and Mad Dog, who had just moved over from WMCA, to takeover the afternoon drive time slot previously occupied by Pete Franklin, who was great in Cleveland but awful in New York.
It was always an uneasy partnership. Mike is perceived as a curmudgeon, a know-it-all who's opinion was the only one that matter, prickly and over-sensitive about his weight. Dog is perceived as a flighty and screaming know-it-all, who was always trying to out scream everyone that he was right, with a ridiculous laugh. They were often so steadfast in their opinions that they often fought, sometimes on-air.
Yet, through it all, it was a fabulous relationship. It was honest. It was funny. It was, at it best, as good as radio talk shows, not sports talk shows, but talk shows, could ever be.
And as a New York sports fan, we went through all the important moments with them. Whether it was the Giants Super Bowls, the Jets playoff run in 98, the Yankees playoff runs, the Rangers and Devils and Knicks title runs, the 9/11 tragedy, and so much more. Many of us like me experienced a lot of these moments with Mike and Chris right by our side.
They were the first to go broadcast shows during Super Bowl week - now hundreds of stations send their program hosts to "Radio Row" because of these guys. The concept of a two-man talk show, in sports and other topics, came about because of their success.
For anyone that grew up listening to them, and anyone who grew old listening to them, today is like the day the announced the break-up of the Beatles. I know this because every television station in New York City led last night with the news of their announcement.
Sports radio will never be the same for me. Sure Mike will continue in the drivetime slot for WFAN, and Chris will likely go onto other things. But it just won't be the same. It just won't be the same.
So, on behalf of the millions and millions of people that had the pleasure to listen to you guys, and to the smaller group of us that got to know you even a little bit, to quote the late great Bob Hope, "Thanks for the memories".
Thursday, August 14, 2008
KFL Draft Lottery Update
So the main fantasy football league that I am a part of as commissioner, the Kokua Football League, set the draft order this past week with the draft lottery. Last year, I was 3rd and moved up to 2nd with a draft day trade. However, I took Steven Jackson (who was injured most of the first half of the season), gave up 2nd and 4th round picks as part of the deal (for 5th and 7th), and suffered through a horrible year. In my other league, I won the championship, which luckily balanced out my football year.
Here's the draft order for the first round this year. We used the snake method (1-12 in odd rounds, then reversing it 12-1 in even rounds), and our draft is on August 28:
(1) Nice Marmots - Ryan Mac, one of 3 new team owners in the league this season. Jessica Biel (LaDanian Tomlinson) or Jessica Alba (Adrian Peterson) - can't really go wrong there.
(2) Unnamed Franchise - Raj M. He had #1 pick last year and took LDT - maybe he gets to grab him again, but I hear he wants to move down in the order.
(3) Northridge Bungals - Ken B. Ken, are you really thinking about taking Ocho Cinco with the #3 overall pick? Just kidding, I'd take Brady here.
(4) Silver Lake Cubs - Dean M. Live and let Addai, right Dean?
(5) Runaway Guides - Adam S. Too high to grab Clinton Portis there... you might hate it, but Brian Westbrook is a steal at 5
(6) Los Feliz Navy Dads - Jonathan H. Brady's probably gone, but if not, I'm sure you'll take him again and try to ride to the finals for a 2nd straight year.
(7) Park La Brea Freemen - Travis O. Now it gets hinky, perhaps Willie Parker or Steven Jackson here?
(8) Wicked Playas - Andrea J. Another newbie - she's from Boston, so I'm guessing Moss if he's still there, which he might be.
(9) Everybody Loves Ray - Ray M. The defending champ - Frank Gore perhaps?
(10) Heartland Transplants - "Budke". Last of the newcomers - can we con him into taking Favre 7 rounds higher than he should be? Probably not - Portis here or even T.O.
(11) Montvale Whalers - ME. Be glad to take best player available here; does anyone think Larry Johnson is '06 version or '07 version?
(12) Palms Sundaes - Evan B. With Westbrook long gone, and Peyton a question with knee, I'm guessing best RB available if he doesn't trade up to get Westbrook.
I can't wait for the draft - just two weeks away!
Here's the draft order for the first round this year. We used the snake method (1-12 in odd rounds, then reversing it 12-1 in even rounds), and our draft is on August 28:
(1) Nice Marmots - Ryan Mac, one of 3 new team owners in the league this season. Jessica Biel (LaDanian Tomlinson) or Jessica Alba (Adrian Peterson) - can't really go wrong there.
(2) Unnamed Franchise - Raj M. He had #1 pick last year and took LDT - maybe he gets to grab him again, but I hear he wants to move down in the order.
(3) Northridge Bungals - Ken B. Ken, are you really thinking about taking Ocho Cinco with the #3 overall pick? Just kidding, I'd take Brady here.
(4) Silver Lake Cubs - Dean M. Live and let Addai, right Dean?
(5) Runaway Guides - Adam S. Too high to grab Clinton Portis there... you might hate it, but Brian Westbrook is a steal at 5
(6) Los Feliz Navy Dads - Jonathan H. Brady's probably gone, but if not, I'm sure you'll take him again and try to ride to the finals for a 2nd straight year.
(7) Park La Brea Freemen - Travis O. Now it gets hinky, perhaps Willie Parker or Steven Jackson here?
(8) Wicked Playas - Andrea J. Another newbie - she's from Boston, so I'm guessing Moss if he's still there, which he might be.
(9) Everybody Loves Ray - Ray M. The defending champ - Frank Gore perhaps?
(10) Heartland Transplants - "Budke". Last of the newcomers - can we con him into taking Favre 7 rounds higher than he should be? Probably not - Portis here or even T.O.
(11) Montvale Whalers - ME. Be glad to take best player available here; does anyone think Larry Johnson is '06 version or '07 version?
(12) Palms Sundaes - Evan B. With Westbrook long gone, and Peyton a question with knee, I'm guessing best RB available if he doesn't trade up to get Westbrook.
I can't wait for the draft - just two weeks away!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Rocking TMZ as a savant
Okay - in case you missed it - here is my appearance on TMZ this past Friday afternoon answering sports trivia questions. It was a blast getting to meet Harvey and the whole crew - especially Christie and Tyler! Anyways, it was a lot of fun, and I guess I answered more correct than incorrect - so I guess I didn't implode, which was my only real goal. Enjoy:
BTW - Kirk Gibson was not traded to the Dodgers. He was awarded free agency due to the 1987 Owners Collusion case and left the Tigers as a free agent.
BTW - Kirk Gibson was not traded to the Dodgers. He was awarded free agency due to the 1987 Owners Collusion case and left the Tigers as a free agent.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Putting the "Idiot" in Idiot Savant
ITEM ONE: ON TMZ FRIDAY: Britney, Paris, Lindsay... and Crief?
Well boys and girls, the moment has arrived. Like Kato Kaelin and others before me, I'm about to make a total fool out of myself in front of the whole world.
On Friday August 8 at 5PM Eastern Time, (that's 2PM for those of you here in LA), I will appearing as a guest on a live webisode of something called "Idiot Savant Friday" on the popular celebrity rumor site TMZ. I answered an ad for people who think they are significantly proficient in sort of inane trivia, and took a phone quiz with 2 of their producers this week on the subject of sports. I went 50% on a few football questions, then answered 14 of 15 baseball questions, and they decided that I would be their guy this week. Last week, they some guy who successfully claimed he could sing the lyrics to any popular song from 1965 to 2000. Not only was he able to answer every challenge, he actually sang them. That's the act that I get to follow.
So for about 30 minutes tomorrow, I will stare down the barrel at people logging onto the TMZ website at their home page and answer sports trivia questions. I believe that for this episode they will limit questions to major league baseball and the Super Bowl, but I'm not 100% definite on that. What I do know is that I will be at the TMZ World Headquarters tomorrow afternoon to get a tour of the facilities before the show begins.
Having already been a former alternate for ESPN's Stump the Schwab sports trivia show, I am not nervous about answering the questions. I just hope I don't flake under the pressure of millions of Internet viewers watching me tomorrow. In any event, I will have a full report on how it went from the inside on Saturday morning for you.
I hope you all will tune in to check it out at this page: http://www.tmz.com - hopefully I won't need witness protection afterwards :)
ITEM TWO: J-E-T-S! Brett! Brett! Brett!
So, it turns out, I was half right. If you look at an earlier version of this blog, you'll see my post from a two weeks ago where I suggested the Jets trade for Brett Favre and then ship him to Minnesota. I had the first part correct, but not the second.
I think this is the best move for all concerned, except I wonder if the Packers won't be trying to acquire a veteran QB on waivers to back up Aaron Rodgers. In watching the talking heads discuss the Pack "post-Brett", none of them discussed the worst case scenario for them - a season ending injury to Rodgers before the season starts or during the first game. That would leave them with rookie Brian Brohm as their option. Yikes!
With the improvements the Jets had already made in the off-season, I already had them at 8-8 this year. Remember, they had a ton of injuries last season, a QB in Chad Pennington who's arm was so weak that he couldn't break a pane of glass with a throw, and still they almost beat New England in Foxboro late in the year, (of course, it was another New York team that finally, and thankfully did beat them). Adding Favre could get them, with a weaker schedule than most, to 10-6 and maybe a wild card birth. From a fantasy football standpoint, the happiest in the league right now is probably Thomas Jones, the Jets starting running back. Because Pennington could throw the ball down field last season, teams stacked 8 and 9 guys in the box to shut down the running game. Defenses won't be able to do that with #4 under center, which should open up a lot of running lanes for Jones.
BTW, ESPN was the only network covering the press conference tonight. CNN thought the Cafferty Files about weight gain were more important? Headline News thought more rehashing about the missing girl (with no new details in a 4-hour window before or after) was more important? FOX News thought O'Reilly misleading people about the energy situation was more important? MSNBC thought 5 people talking about "Shillary" wanting to speak at the convention was more important? I didn't think the main networks would interrupt programming, but isn't cable news supposed to cover news when it breaks? There wasn't any mention of it on the bottom of screen crawls either. Bad job of them.
See you on TMZ tomorrow! Hey, I'm going to meet Harvey Levin in person! Whoo-hoo!
Well boys and girls, the moment has arrived. Like Kato Kaelin and others before me, I'm about to make a total fool out of myself in front of the whole world.
On Friday August 8 at 5PM Eastern Time, (that's 2PM for those of you here in LA), I will appearing as a guest on a live webisode of something called "Idiot Savant Friday" on the popular celebrity rumor site TMZ. I answered an ad for people who think they are significantly proficient in sort of inane trivia, and took a phone quiz with 2 of their producers this week on the subject of sports. I went 50% on a few football questions, then answered 14 of 15 baseball questions, and they decided that I would be their guy this week. Last week, they some guy who successfully claimed he could sing the lyrics to any popular song from 1965 to 2000. Not only was he able to answer every challenge, he actually sang them. That's the act that I get to follow.
So for about 30 minutes tomorrow, I will stare down the barrel at people logging onto the TMZ website at their home page and answer sports trivia questions. I believe that for this episode they will limit questions to major league baseball and the Super Bowl, but I'm not 100% definite on that. What I do know is that I will be at the TMZ World Headquarters tomorrow afternoon to get a tour of the facilities before the show begins.
Having already been a former alternate for ESPN's Stump the Schwab sports trivia show, I am not nervous about answering the questions. I just hope I don't flake under the pressure of millions of Internet viewers watching me tomorrow. In any event, I will have a full report on how it went from the inside on Saturday morning for you.
I hope you all will tune in to check it out at this page: http://www.tmz.com - hopefully I won't need witness protection afterwards :)
ITEM TWO: J-E-T-S! Brett! Brett! Brett!
So, it turns out, I was half right. If you look at an earlier version of this blog, you'll see my post from a two weeks ago where I suggested the Jets trade for Brett Favre and then ship him to Minnesota. I had the first part correct, but not the second.
I think this is the best move for all concerned, except I wonder if the Packers won't be trying to acquire a veteran QB on waivers to back up Aaron Rodgers. In watching the talking heads discuss the Pack "post-Brett", none of them discussed the worst case scenario for them - a season ending injury to Rodgers before the season starts or during the first game. That would leave them with rookie Brian Brohm as their option. Yikes!
With the improvements the Jets had already made in the off-season, I already had them at 8-8 this year. Remember, they had a ton of injuries last season, a QB in Chad Pennington who's arm was so weak that he couldn't break a pane of glass with a throw, and still they almost beat New England in Foxboro late in the year, (of course, it was another New York team that finally, and thankfully did beat them). Adding Favre could get them, with a weaker schedule than most, to 10-6 and maybe a wild card birth. From a fantasy football standpoint, the happiest in the league right now is probably Thomas Jones, the Jets starting running back. Because Pennington could throw the ball down field last season, teams stacked 8 and 9 guys in the box to shut down the running game. Defenses won't be able to do that with #4 under center, which should open up a lot of running lanes for Jones.
BTW, ESPN was the only network covering the press conference tonight. CNN thought the Cafferty Files about weight gain were more important? Headline News thought more rehashing about the missing girl (with no new details in a 4-hour window before or after) was more important? FOX News thought O'Reilly misleading people about the energy situation was more important? MSNBC thought 5 people talking about "Shillary" wanting to speak at the convention was more important? I didn't think the main networks would interrupt programming, but isn't cable news supposed to cover news when it breaks? There wasn't any mention of it on the bottom of screen crawls either. Bad job of them.
See you on TMZ tomorrow! Hey, I'm going to meet Harvey Levin in person! Whoo-hoo!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Jets should be smart and do this...
Posted: July 26, 2008 at 5:40PM EST
Let's say that everything we have heard is true and that the New York Jets have been given permission to talk with Brett Favre about the possibility of acquiring him in a trade. It seems to make sense on the surface, in that Favre is a much better solution than either Chad Pennington or Patrick Ramsey to be the starter at quarterback for 2008.
I have a much better idea for the Jets. For the sake of this discussion, assume that I am the general manager for the Jets. This is what I would do.
Before contacting Green Bay again, I would call the general manager of the Minnesota Vikings. One of the reasons that Green Bay is relunctant to simply place Favre on waivers is because they fear that one of the teams in their own division might try to grab him. This would mean that not only would Favre play the Pack twice in a season, but Green Bay would receive no compensation for him. Minnesota is projected by many experts to make the playoffs this year, due to the emergence of a great defense and second-year RB Adrian Peterson. Favre would likely elevate them to a superior Super Bowl contendor.
So, as Jets GM, I would say the following the Vikes: "Yo, listen, this is a conversation we need to keep on the down lo, but hear me out. If I can acquire a certain future hall of fame QB that is not wanted on his team and once starred in a movie with Cameron Diaz, we would be willing to trade him to you in exchange for a 2009 1st round pick, a 2009 3rd round pick, and a conditional 2010 3rd round pick that becomes a 2nd rounder if you make the playoffs in either of the next 2 years, and becomes a 1st rounder if you go to the Super Bowl in either of the next two years. There would be a 24-hour waiting period so you could have the news cycle all to yourself."
The Vikings would absolutely make this move to get Favre. Then, as Jets GM, I would call the Pack and tell them, "Hey, I'll take Favre off your hands and give you that 1st round pick you want for him, but I need your 3rd round pick next year and will give you my 4th rounder next year. So Favre and a 3 for my 1 and 4. Deal?"
The Packers would say yes because they get the 1st rounder they think makes this a sucker deal, and they get Favre out of their hair once and for all... until the Vikes get him from me 24 hours.
And what do the Jets get? Well, they give up their 2009 1st and 4th round picks, but get Minnesota's 1st and 3rd round picks, plus Green Bay's 3rd round pick, and a 2010 pick from Minnesota which can be a 1, 2 or 3. The Jets also get to avoid taking an aging player who will surely retire again in the next two years, and they can maybe package the 3 3rd round picks to move up into the 1st round, giving them two first rounders next year. For a team trying to re-build that has no shot of beating out New England in 2008, this is the only right move they can make long term.
It's what i would do - this way everybody wins.
Just a thought...
Let's say that everything we have heard is true and that the New York Jets have been given permission to talk with Brett Favre about the possibility of acquiring him in a trade. It seems to make sense on the surface, in that Favre is a much better solution than either Chad Pennington or Patrick Ramsey to be the starter at quarterback for 2008.
I have a much better idea for the Jets. For the sake of this discussion, assume that I am the general manager for the Jets. This is what I would do.
Before contacting Green Bay again, I would call the general manager of the Minnesota Vikings. One of the reasons that Green Bay is relunctant to simply place Favre on waivers is because they fear that one of the teams in their own division might try to grab him. This would mean that not only would Favre play the Pack twice in a season, but Green Bay would receive no compensation for him. Minnesota is projected by many experts to make the playoffs this year, due to the emergence of a great defense and second-year RB Adrian Peterson. Favre would likely elevate them to a superior Super Bowl contendor.
So, as Jets GM, I would say the following the Vikes: "Yo, listen, this is a conversation we need to keep on the down lo, but hear me out. If I can acquire a certain future hall of fame QB that is not wanted on his team and once starred in a movie with Cameron Diaz, we would be willing to trade him to you in exchange for a 2009 1st round pick, a 2009 3rd round pick, and a conditional 2010 3rd round pick that becomes a 2nd rounder if you make the playoffs in either of the next 2 years, and becomes a 1st rounder if you go to the Super Bowl in either of the next two years. There would be a 24-hour waiting period so you could have the news cycle all to yourself."
The Vikings would absolutely make this move to get Favre. Then, as Jets GM, I would call the Pack and tell them, "Hey, I'll take Favre off your hands and give you that 1st round pick you want for him, but I need your 3rd round pick next year and will give you my 4th rounder next year. So Favre and a 3 for my 1 and 4. Deal?"
The Packers would say yes because they get the 1st rounder they think makes this a sucker deal, and they get Favre out of their hair once and for all... until the Vikes get him from me 24 hours.
And what do the Jets get? Well, they give up their 2009 1st and 4th round picks, but get Minnesota's 1st and 3rd round picks, plus Green Bay's 3rd round pick, and a 2010 pick from Minnesota which can be a 1, 2 or 3. The Jets also get to avoid taking an aging player who will surely retire again in the next two years, and they can maybe package the 3 3rd round picks to move up into the 1st round, giving them two first rounders next year. For a team trying to re-build that has no shot of beating out New England in 2008, this is the only right move they can make long term.
It's what i would do - this way everybody wins.
Just a thought...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
New KFL Franchise Name
So some of you know that I started a fantasy football league last season involving co-workers. Well, we're back for another season, even though some of us are no longer there (I know, some of us were never all there to begin with). The name of the league is the Kokua Football League, and we are hosted on ESPN.com again this year. They have a great service.
So I am again running this league as commissioner, and we have begun to organize the league in preparation for a late August draft. I did horribly in this league year, due to injuries and bad decision I made. It's odd because in my other league, I went 13-1 and won the league title.
Soon I will be creating both a facebook landing page for the league and a separate blog for it as well. Last year, I named my team after actress Jessica Biel. But this year, I have decided to name it in honor of my old street hockey team from the late 1980's: The Montvale Whalers. Here is the logo:
I'll keep you posted on league details soon...
So I am again running this league as commissioner, and we have begun to organize the league in preparation for a late August draft. I did horribly in this league year, due to injuries and bad decision I made. It's odd because in my other league, I went 13-1 and won the league title.
Soon I will be creating both a facebook landing page for the league and a separate blog for it as well. Last year, I named my team after actress Jessica Biel. But this year, I have decided to name it in honor of my old street hockey team from the late 1980's: The Montvale Whalers. Here is the logo:
I'll keep you posted on league details soon...
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Brett, Shark, and other things summery
Whoever said July is a slow month for sports needs to have their heads examined...
ITEM ONE: Green Bay's "Favre-ite" QB
So is anybody surprised by the fact that Brett Favre wants to play football again? No. Is anybody surprised at how poorly this is being handled by both him and the Packers? Absolutely.
Consider both sides for a moment... Favre basically said he didn't want to the Monday through Saturday stuff that comes with playing quarterback in the NFL, and just wants to play on Sundays. Of course, so would the rest of the population. Still, I found a couple of things odd: (1) The interview he does to discuss this was with... Greta Van Susteren? Really? Good choice Brett, I mean was Katie Couric not available? Is Campbell Brown a Bears fan? Hell, why not going completely off the grid and have Tabitha Soren do the interview? There's avoiding someone who could ask actual questions, like why you insisted you were done just 3 months ago, and how you have completely underminded Aaron Rodgers before he even takes his first snap. But can we get someone to do the interview that actually has more association to football than being a person who gained fame covering a former football star's double-murder trial? (2) The Packers can't trade you because you still have 3 years left on your deal, which you knew. They aren't just going to release you so the Vikings or Bears can scoop you up - come on dude, you are smarter than that. (3) If Ted Thompson lied to you, why didn't you go public with this in March? Don't you think fans and media would be even more willing to back your play if you were considering retirement because of this? And (4), with all the meida saying you've still got it because your 2nd half numbers were better than your 1st half numbers, they all seem to overlook one thing: you are the one who threw an INT in OT at home with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Still amazes me that no one made more out of that.
Then again, it's not like the Packers are blameless here. They should have obviously handled things in-house a lot better before Favre retired. They had to know this was going to happen. I know I did.
ITEM TWO: A damn good consolation prize
Now I remember one of the major reasons why Tiger Woods coming onto the scene in 1997 was such a great thing for golf and for golf fans: we wouldn't have to endure anymore Greg Norman meltdowns at major tournaments.
Like Charlie Brown spotting Lucy holding the football, I was once again suckered into watching the British Open this past weekend hoping that "The Shark" would win another major. He would have become the oldest ever to win a major. And in the absence of Tiger, it made the first three days of the tournament watchable.
Then on Sunday, he didn't just lose, he lost in an agonizing way that felt like watching a car wreck on a highway; you feel helpless and sorrowful for the victim, and yet you cannot turn away from the carnage.
It may me remember what golf was like back in Norman's prime. At the 1996 Masters, or as I like to refer to it: The Masters in the Year 1 B.T. (Before Tiger), he had a huge and seemingly unbreakable lead, only to collapse in a way that has only since been rivaled by the 2007 Mets and Britney Spears.
And yet, considering that Norman is very successful in other businesses and is married to Chris Evert, it's hard to feel sorry for him.
OTHER QUICKIES:
No one breathed a bigger sigh of relief that the All-Star Game didn't end up in another tie than Bud Selig. And yes, part of me was hoping it would just so he could be lambasted again... BTW, a simple solution to that problem: allow for 2 players to be selected before gametime to be eligble for re-entry into the game after the 10th inning, and any pitcher selected for the team that pitches on the Sunday before the game is allowed to attend the game but is automatically replaced by a another relief pitcher, so that the Kazmir/Webb situation never happens again... I forget exactly which day it was, but there was a day earlier this month when, on the ESPN networks, I was able to watch Maria Sharapova play tennis, Natalie Gulbis and Paula Creamer play golf, and Jennie Finch play an Olympic warm-up softball game. The only things missing were Erin Andrews calling the action and Amanda Beard swimming in an Olympic trial to make it a full day... Speaking of ESPN, can we please stop trying to manufacture feature segments and show more highlights? Last summer, it was the Who's Next Tournament. In February, it was the Greatest Highlight. Now, I can't get away from this stupid Titletown USA nonsense. Please stop the madness... Thank god NFL training camps start this week, and thank you to the Giants for trading away Tara Reid to the Saints. I think the Jaguars will come to regret not pulling the trigger for Jason Taylor... I wasn't going to watch the HR Derby last week, but when Josh Hamilton started hitting all those bombs, how do you not keep watching. He reminded me, in terms of his swing mechanics and body type, like Barry Bonds before the steroids.
Later...
ITEM ONE: Green Bay's "Favre-ite" QB
So is anybody surprised by the fact that Brett Favre wants to play football again? No. Is anybody surprised at how poorly this is being handled by both him and the Packers? Absolutely.
Consider both sides for a moment... Favre basically said he didn't want to the Monday through Saturday stuff that comes with playing quarterback in the NFL, and just wants to play on Sundays. Of course, so would the rest of the population. Still, I found a couple of things odd: (1) The interview he does to discuss this was with... Greta Van Susteren? Really? Good choice Brett, I mean was Katie Couric not available? Is Campbell Brown a Bears fan? Hell, why not going completely off the grid and have Tabitha Soren do the interview? There's avoiding someone who could ask actual questions, like why you insisted you were done just 3 months ago, and how you have completely underminded Aaron Rodgers before he even takes his first snap. But can we get someone to do the interview that actually has more association to football than being a person who gained fame covering a former football star's double-murder trial? (2) The Packers can't trade you because you still have 3 years left on your deal, which you knew. They aren't just going to release you so the Vikings or Bears can scoop you up - come on dude, you are smarter than that. (3) If Ted Thompson lied to you, why didn't you go public with this in March? Don't you think fans and media would be even more willing to back your play if you were considering retirement because of this? And (4), with all the meida saying you've still got it because your 2nd half numbers were better than your 1st half numbers, they all seem to overlook one thing: you are the one who threw an INT in OT at home with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Still amazes me that no one made more out of that.
Then again, it's not like the Packers are blameless here. They should have obviously handled things in-house a lot better before Favre retired. They had to know this was going to happen. I know I did.
ITEM TWO: A damn good consolation prize
Now I remember one of the major reasons why Tiger Woods coming onto the scene in 1997 was such a great thing for golf and for golf fans: we wouldn't have to endure anymore Greg Norman meltdowns at major tournaments.
Like Charlie Brown spotting Lucy holding the football, I was once again suckered into watching the British Open this past weekend hoping that "The Shark" would win another major. He would have become the oldest ever to win a major. And in the absence of Tiger, it made the first three days of the tournament watchable.
Then on Sunday, he didn't just lose, he lost in an agonizing way that felt like watching a car wreck on a highway; you feel helpless and sorrowful for the victim, and yet you cannot turn away from the carnage.
It may me remember what golf was like back in Norman's prime. At the 1996 Masters, or as I like to refer to it: The Masters in the Year 1 B.T. (Before Tiger), he had a huge and seemingly unbreakable lead, only to collapse in a way that has only since been rivaled by the 2007 Mets and Britney Spears.
And yet, considering that Norman is very successful in other businesses and is married to Chris Evert, it's hard to feel sorry for him.
OTHER QUICKIES:
No one breathed a bigger sigh of relief that the All-Star Game didn't end up in another tie than Bud Selig. And yes, part of me was hoping it would just so he could be lambasted again... BTW, a simple solution to that problem: allow for 2 players to be selected before gametime to be eligble for re-entry into the game after the 10th inning, and any pitcher selected for the team that pitches on the Sunday before the game is allowed to attend the game but is automatically replaced by a another relief pitcher, so that the Kazmir/Webb situation never happens again... I forget exactly which day it was, but there was a day earlier this month when, on the ESPN networks, I was able to watch Maria Sharapova play tennis, Natalie Gulbis and Paula Creamer play golf, and Jennie Finch play an Olympic warm-up softball game. The only things missing were Erin Andrews calling the action and Amanda Beard swimming in an Olympic trial to make it a full day... Speaking of ESPN, can we please stop trying to manufacture feature segments and show more highlights? Last summer, it was the Who's Next Tournament. In February, it was the Greatest Highlight. Now, I can't get away from this stupid Titletown USA nonsense. Please stop the madness... Thank god NFL training camps start this week, and thank you to the Giants for trading away Tara Reid to the Saints. I think the Jaguars will come to regret not pulling the trigger for Jason Taylor... I wasn't going to watch the HR Derby last week, but when Josh Hamilton started hitting all those bombs, how do you not keep watching. He reminded me, in terms of his swing mechanics and body type, like Barry Bonds before the steroids.
Later...
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
They Got Game
ITEM ONE: Curse of the Bolt Counting Episode is over
Boston sports fans used to love to blame all of their sports losses on curses. The most famous one was the curse of the Bambino, which prevented their Red Sox from winning for 86 years following the sale of Babe Ruth. Well, last night, another curse was removed from the Chowderheads: The Curse of the Bolt Counting Episode.
Let me briefly explain. The last time the Celtics won an NBA championship was 1986. Many Celtic fans believe that they haven't won since because Maryland college star Len Bias, drafted 3rd overall by the Celtics that year in the draft, died of a cocaine overdose, and that his death was haunting the organization.
But actually, the curse that affected them more was the Bolt Counting Episode curse. This is in reference to the episode of the popular NBC series Cheers in which star forward Kevin McHale is caught in the bar trying to convince Cliff and Norm that he knows the correct number of bolts in the Boston garden's famous parque floor. Ever since then, the Celtics have been cursed. That is, until McHale, now GM of the Minnesota Timberwolves, decided to trade Kevin Garnett to the Celtics last summer. The move, couple with Boston's trade on draft day to secure Ray Allen, helped set up last night's curse-lifting.
By the way, nice to see the Lakers quit like they did. That was brutal. And was it me, or was there something to Allen's 7 3-pointers to win the championship? Maybe Denzel Washington was in uniform last night for the Hollywood Fakers, because Allen hasn't shot that well and that often in a game since he wasn't called for a push-off in the one-on-one movie ending game playing the role of Jesus Shuttlesworth in He Got Game.
ITEM TWO: Tiger is out, hope that was worth it
This morning, professional golfers everywhere got the best news they've heard all year, and the folks at ABC (British Open coverage network), CBS (PGA Championship coverage) and NBC (Ryder Cup Coverage) got the worst news they've heard all year:
Tiger Woods is having ACL replacement surgery and is out for the rest of the year.
Hope everyone pressed record Sunday and Monday on Tiger's rounds at the U.S. Open, because that's the last we are going to see of him in 2008.
The good news is that we'll have other people winning those majors later this year, which might lead to other stories we otherwise might never had heard of. Bad news is the networks mentioned above won't have the same number of eyeballs watching those tournaments because Eldrick will be at home in Orlando rehabbing. Come to think of it, Jack Nicklaus gets to breath a sigh of relief that Tiger will stay 4 majors behind him until at least next April.
ITEM THREE: Other thoughts
Chipper Jones continues to mash the baseball in Atlanta, and as a baseball fan, I'm happy to see that Larry is finally healthy for a full season. It's too bad he hasn't been this healthy his whole career... speaking of healthy, now that Pedro Martinez apparently is, I have one memo for outgoing Mets GM Omar Minaya: the only untouchables on the Mets are Wright, Reyes, and Santana - everyone else can and should be dealt at the deadline if the team is still at or under the 500 mark - time to break that group up, and start with Pedro. I don't second-guess the decision to sign him at all, but he is as Brittle as Sam Jackson's character in the Bruce Willis movie Unbreakable... speaking of general managers that I am starting to run out of patience for, Lou Lamirello of the Devils needs to make some moves. It's been five years since the last Cup, and you can't depend on Martin Brodeur to carry you in a series anymore, especially if you keep playing him 75 games a year. Size will not work against Pittsburgh in the future, you need to go back to what you do best, which is find that undiscovered talent with speed, something the Devils sorely lacked last year... Six weeks until NFL training camps start, and it can't get here fast enough.
Boston sports fans used to love to blame all of their sports losses on curses. The most famous one was the curse of the Bambino, which prevented their Red Sox from winning for 86 years following the sale of Babe Ruth. Well, last night, another curse was removed from the Chowderheads: The Curse of the Bolt Counting Episode.
Let me briefly explain. The last time the Celtics won an NBA championship was 1986. Many Celtic fans believe that they haven't won since because Maryland college star Len Bias, drafted 3rd overall by the Celtics that year in the draft, died of a cocaine overdose, and that his death was haunting the organization.
But actually, the curse that affected them more was the Bolt Counting Episode curse. This is in reference to the episode of the popular NBC series Cheers in which star forward Kevin McHale is caught in the bar trying to convince Cliff and Norm that he knows the correct number of bolts in the Boston garden's famous parque floor. Ever since then, the Celtics have been cursed. That is, until McHale, now GM of the Minnesota Timberwolves, decided to trade Kevin Garnett to the Celtics last summer. The move, couple with Boston's trade on draft day to secure Ray Allen, helped set up last night's curse-lifting.
By the way, nice to see the Lakers quit like they did. That was brutal. And was it me, or was there something to Allen's 7 3-pointers to win the championship? Maybe Denzel Washington was in uniform last night for the Hollywood Fakers, because Allen hasn't shot that well and that often in a game since he wasn't called for a push-off in the one-on-one movie ending game playing the role of Jesus Shuttlesworth in He Got Game.
ITEM TWO: Tiger is out, hope that was worth it
This morning, professional golfers everywhere got the best news they've heard all year, and the folks at ABC (British Open coverage network), CBS (PGA Championship coverage) and NBC (Ryder Cup Coverage) got the worst news they've heard all year:
Tiger Woods is having ACL replacement surgery and is out for the rest of the year.
Hope everyone pressed record Sunday and Monday on Tiger's rounds at the U.S. Open, because that's the last we are going to see of him in 2008.
The good news is that we'll have other people winning those majors later this year, which might lead to other stories we otherwise might never had heard of. Bad news is the networks mentioned above won't have the same number of eyeballs watching those tournaments because Eldrick will be at home in Orlando rehabbing. Come to think of it, Jack Nicklaus gets to breath a sigh of relief that Tiger will stay 4 majors behind him until at least next April.
ITEM THREE: Other thoughts
Chipper Jones continues to mash the baseball in Atlanta, and as a baseball fan, I'm happy to see that Larry is finally healthy for a full season. It's too bad he hasn't been this healthy his whole career... speaking of healthy, now that Pedro Martinez apparently is, I have one memo for outgoing Mets GM Omar Minaya: the only untouchables on the Mets are Wright, Reyes, and Santana - everyone else can and should be dealt at the deadline if the team is still at or under the 500 mark - time to break that group up, and start with Pedro. I don't second-guess the decision to sign him at all, but he is as Brittle as Sam Jackson's character in the Bruce Willis movie Unbreakable... speaking of general managers that I am starting to run out of patience for, Lou Lamirello of the Devils needs to make some moves. It's been five years since the last Cup, and you can't depend on Martin Brodeur to carry you in a series anymore, especially if you keep playing him 75 games a year. Size will not work against Pittsburgh in the future, you need to go back to what you do best, which is find that undiscovered talent with speed, something the Devils sorely lacked last year... Six weeks until NFL training camps start, and it can't get here fast enough.
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