Cinderella Teams in Playoffs

Image courtesy of NFL.com / Getty Images.

This season has been a topsy-turvy one in the NFL. Several teams that were in shambles last season are now poised to make the playoffs. Two of those teams are the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins, both shown above. The Dolphins were 1-15 last season, a then-NFL record for losses. They switched their front office management, their coach, and some players, and are currently 10-5 and on the cusp of a playoff berth if they beat the New York Jets next Sunday (at NY). The Ravens were 5-11 last season, then switched their coach, drafted a new starting quarterback, and are going to playoffs if they beat Jacksonville next week (at home). Even more intriguing is that Baltimore's head coach and the quarterback, Joe Flacco of Delaware, are both rookies at this level.


Image courtesy of emqb.com / Newscom.

The Atlanta Falcons were predicted to have a terrible season this year with a new coach with no previous NFL head coach experience and a rookie quarterback, but they are a win away from playoffs (they need to beat St. Louis on Sunday). The Falcons quarterback, Matt Ryan, shown above, is a Rookie of the Year candidate (along with Baltimore's Flacco). Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals are going to the playoffs for the first time in 10 years and their first division title in 33 years (1975). However, the Cardinals, led by quarterback Kurt Warner, were demolished by the New England Patriots yesterday 47-7 in snowy Foxboro. The Patriots are going to need help if they want to go to playoffs (they need to beat Buffalo next week and hope Miami or Baltimore loses). Considering the Patriots are without star quarterback Tom Brady, linebacker Tedy Bruschi, safety Rodney Harrison, linebacker Adalius Thomas, and running back Laurence Maroney, they are on a remarkable run to a potential playoff berth, led by backup QB Matt Cassel.


Image courtesy of the BBC.

The Dallas Cowboys are on the verge of getting knocked out of playoffs if they lose to division rival Philadelphia on Sunday. If the Cowboys lose, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take the final spot. So, the playoffs currently look like this:

NFC Playoffs
6) Dallas Cowboys or Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 3) Chicago Bears or Minnesota Vikings
5) Atlanta Falcons or Dallas Cowboys at 4) Arizona Cardinals
First round byes: 1) NY GIants and 2) Carolina Panthers

AFC Playoffs
6) Baltimore Ravens or New England Patriots at 3) Miami Dolphins or New England Patriots
5) Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos or San Diego Chargers
First round byes: 1) Tennessee Titans and 2) Pittsburgh Steelers

Slimy Agents?

Image courtesy of the BBC.

A controversy reached boiling point this week when the agents for Los Angeles Dodger shortstop Rafael Furcal, shown above, were presented with a contract offer by the Atlanta Braves for Furcal, but he resigned with the Dodgers a day later at terms nearly identical to the Braves' offer. The Braves front office is furious about it and making their displeasure known in the press. They have advised Arn Tellem and Paul Kinzer, the agents involved, to remove the Braves from their clients' wish list of teams, effectively ending any business dealings between Tellem, Kinzer, and the Braves.


Image courtesy of daylife.com/The Associated Press/Lenny Ignelzi.

Supposedly, the Braves agreed to a contract offer with Furcal via Kinzer, shown above, and Tellem for a three-year deal and an option for a fourth. The Braves were told Furcal would sleep on it, but Kinzer reportedly took the offer to the Dodgers and negotiated a similar deal. The Braves contend that they had a deal and that once Furcal would sleep on it, he'd sign with Atlanta (he played there from 2000-2005.) The agents argue that a deal was never in place and that what they did was above board. If Atlanta follows through on their threat to not sign any players from Tellem and Kinzer's agency, there could be potential problems regarding baseball's collective bargaining agreement (or CBA).


Image courtesy of New York Magazine/Getty Images.

Kinzer and Tellem aren't the first agents to anger baseball teams. Scott Boras, shown above, is the biggest agent in baseball and has a colorful reputation in the sport. Some have called him a variety of names including "The Prince of Darkness" and he is known for getting his players top dollar, even if they aren't worth the amount. For example, when Johnny Damon went from the Boston Red Sox to their archrival New York Yankees a few years ago, he received a contract in the $50 million range, which most observers at the time said Damon was being overvalued. In other words, it's believed by most baseball observers that whoever offers the most money to a Boras client automatically wins the bidding. And while Boras has gotten teams into bidding wars, he's never done anything quite like what Kinzer and Tellem have done to Atlanta. The fact that Boras gets his players top dollar is good for him, that's what he's hired to do. What Kinzer and Tellem did only reinforces the stereotype that agents can be schmucks (if you haven't seen the animated film Bolt, the stereotypical agent makes multiple appearances, each time getting worse) only interested in money, book deals, etc. that the get a cut in.

Which Way Phoenix?

Image courtesy The Arizona Republic/Getty Images.

This summer, Phoenix let its coach at the time, Mike D'Antoni, leave to coach the New York Knicks after D'Antoni and Suns GM Steve Kerr disagreed over the direction of the team. Kerr wanted more defense from the club, but D'Antoni ushered in the Suns' trademark "run-n-gun" style. D'Antoni built a system known as "7 Seconds or Less", an offense designed to take a shot at the basket within 7 seconds. This season, with new coach Terry Porter, shown above, and an emphasis on defense, the Suns aren't the same team and aren't nearly as fun to watch. This isn't to say I don't like to watch them, but rather defense-minded clubs are less fun to watch than offensive powers like Boston and, to an extent, the Lakers.


Image courtesy of the East Valley Tribune.

Recently, the Suns traded Raja Bell, a good defender and three-point shooter shown above, along with Boris Diaw to Charlotte for Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley. Will this move make the team better? Perhaps, but this season is a transition year for the Suns and it's making a lot of fans in Planet Orange (the Suns' equivalent to Red Sox Nation) upset. With all the talent the Suns have (Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shaq, and now Richardson), one wonders why they're only 15-10.

On a side note, I added a few links to the blog page recently. First up, I replaced Sean McAdam with Tony Massarotti (aka Mazz) of the Boston Globe. McAdam has since moved from Providence to the Boston Herald, but the Herald's website isn't the greatest to track columnists. Tony's a great baseball writer, a winner of multiple sports journalism awards and offers insight, especially with the Boston Red Sox. His columns are listed here. Next up is Ken Rosenthal, senior baseball writer for FOX Sports. Rosenthal is like Mazz, but on a wider, national scale. Ken's columns are here. Two other columnists were added as well: Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Tribune and Art Thiel of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Both have received awards for their columns, especially Thiel, and are respected within their respective cities. Thiel's columns are here while Morrissey's are here. In addition to these, links to columns in Detroit, Dallas, Los Angeles, Cleveland, and Washington D.C. are available on the main blog page.

Hot Stove Getting Warmer

Even in the current economy, you can always count on baseball teams to spend like crazed Christmas shoppers this time of year. Despite the fact that baseball is in its offseason, this is when the free agency period and player movement begin. Some of the major trades and deals so far:


Image courtesy of Sports Illustrated/CNN.

Slugger Matt Holliday, pictured above, was traded to Oakland from Colorado for relief pitcher Huston Street, outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, and pitcher Greg Smith. While Holliday is now the main hitter in the A's offense, I don't think he'll be the 35-homer guy that he was with the Rockies. Due to the thin air in Colorado, the balls go higher and farther, whereas Oakland is right next to San Francisco Bay, where the dense marine air takes the flight out of balls. Conversely, the pitchers sent to the Rockies have to hope that they don't get lit up every night. In other words, this deal was a good one for the clubs, but a bad one for the players' individual careers.


Image courtesy of Sports Illustrated/CNN.

Pitcher C.C. Sabathia, who previously played for the Cleveland Indians and the Milwaukee Brewers, signed with the New York Yankees for seven years, $161 million. Sabathia is a good starting pitcher, but he's not $161 million good. His yearly salary will be $23 million, the second highest on the team, even more than sure Hall-of-Famer and Yankee icon Derek Jeter ($21 million). Sabathia has a playoff ERA over 5.00 but a 21-8 record against AL East teams excluding the Yankees (Boston, Toronto, Baltimore, and Tampa Bay). Also, C.C. had reservations about playing in New York and, to paraphrase ESPN.com columnist Buster Olney, only greatness will be expected of him from the New York fans. Even if he fails though, he has an opt-out clause in his contract after the 2011 season.


Image courtesy of the CBC.

The Yankees also signed Toronto pitcher A.J. Burnett to a five-year $82.5 million deal. That's $16.5 million a year for a pitcher who's career average is 3.81, not great but not terrible. He has an injury history, but he was dominant against the Red Sox last year, going 5-0. Getting Burnett from a division rival was a bonus for the Yankees, but he's a high risk-high payoff player.

Drama in Dallas

Image courtesy of CBS 11 - Dallas.

This past week, ESPN's Ed Werder reported Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens was upset with Cowboys tight end Jason Witten and speculated that Witten and Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo make plays together without Owens' knowledge (Witten and Romo are roommates).

This charge is absurd for several reasons. First, the offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett, is the primary person who draws up plays. Supposedly, Garrett, shown below, has an "open door" policy, meaning players can provide input to the playcalling. Second, I highly doubt Romo and Witten devote all of their attention to football when they're rooming.


Image courtesy of The Dallas Morning News.

But more importantly, this incident now confirms beyond doubt (as if there was any), that Terrell Owens creates these situations on his own, whether it's in San Francisco, Philadelphia, or Dallas. ESPN.com's Matt Mosley posted an interesting graphic regarding the pass distribution between Owens and Witten here. Owens scores more touchdowns and gets more looks, but Witten, shown below, has a higher pass completion percentage (74% to 52.4%).


Image courtesy of Knowyourdallascowboys.com/Getty Images.

Owens, shown below, said the following to the press on Friday, "What do I have to be jealous of? Look at me, I'm handsome as hell. Anything that goes on, I am going to be the scapegoat. I'm trying to figure out how I make the headlines and I don't even say anything." While the drama may be a media build-up thing, Owens said a lot about his personality and ego whe he said, "Look at me, I'm handsome as hell." Owens seems to be the type of person who needs constant positive reinforcement, constant praise and attention, no matter what the cost.


Image courtesy of The Dallas Observer.

The Cowboys defeated the New York Giants last night 20-8 in a big game for the Boys. Interesting to note, that during the game, the fans in attendance booed Owens, but cheered Witten. If they want to make the playoffs, they have to beat both Baltimore Ravens (Saturday in Dallas), and Philadelphia Eagles (Dec. 28 in Philly). A tall order for sure, but if they can beat the Giants, they can beat the Ravens and Eagles. The drama may have subsided for now, victories do that, but with a locker room reportedly on the verge of being split, there's little room for error in Big D.

Fantasy Football Update & Family Links

My fantasy football team is 4-3. Tomlinson and Roethlisberger (my former starting QB) have been banged up all season and Boldin has been out for several games. Jennings and Fitzgerald are the top two receivers in fantasy this season. That being said, I'm doing pretty well.Here is my updated starting roster:

QB Donovan McNabb (Philly)
RB LaDainian Tomlinson (San Diego)
RB Marshawn Lynch (Buffalo)
WR Greg Jennings (Green Bay)
WR Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona)
WR Anquan Boldin (Arizona)
TE Chris Cooley (Washington)
D Arizona Cardinals
K Nate Kaeding (San Diego)
LB Jonathan Vilma (New Orleans)
DL Charles Grant (New Orleans)
DB Cortland Finnegan (Tennessee)

Dad's team is getting better, despite Joseph Addai having a clunker of a season. Robert's team was doing great until he made some really stupid moves (got rid of Vincent Jackson, benched Philip Rivers for Gus Frerotte). Rob and I play this week in a battle of 4-3 teams...and bragging rights.

I updated the "Friends & Family Links" section to include the new Clark/Del Pesco Family Blog and The Pickard Post family blog. And if you haven't visited the Ham Family Blog in the past month or so, I highly recommend it.

Upcoming posts on FTRS include the Favre/Lions controversy, the World Series (should have been Phillies vs. Sox), more sports columnist links, and the beginning of the NBA season.

Can Certain Sports Build Leadership?

Picture courtesy of the USA Today.

An interesting trend in the current presidential race is the theme of basketball. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has been playing basketball since high school and has used his love for the game several times during the campaign. Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin played on a high school team and also participated in hunting and fishing. Both won state championships on their respective teams.

While Obama's specific position is unknown (some have said he was a center, some photos indicate forward), Palin's position of point guard is noteworthy. The point guard, sometimes nicknamed "the floor general," directs the entire offense. He or she can be the shortest person on the team (most NBA point guards are in the 6"2' range, short for the NBA). When the team transitions from defense to offense and runs up the court, the point guard will almost always have the ball and then make the appropriate pass. Maybe they pass to the center for a slam dunk (known as an alley-oop) or to the shooting guard for a three-point shot or, if everyone else is covered, they can take the shot themselves. Exemplary point guards today include the Dallas Mavericks' Jason Kidd, New Orleans Hornets' Chris Paul, and FTRS favorite, the Phoenix Suns' Steve Nash.

Football is another sport with a definitive leader, the quarterback. Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, and Tom Brady are the unquestioned leaders of their respective teams. The QB indicates the play, gives each player his specific route to run, and then executes a play. If the team needs to change the play, the quarterback calls the audible and changes it himself. If the QB can't make his throws or hand it off to the running back, the offense cannot score, which doesn't help the defense. No other individual person has that much of an effect on the team, besides the coach. This explains the intense scrutiny quarterbacks are under, because of the ramifications of poor performance.

Obviously, basketball has had a profound effect on Obama and Palin, but would they have gained leadership experience playing baseball, where there is no defined on-field leader position? What about a sport that requires individual performance, like swimming?

Closing Olympics & Fantasy Football

Picture courtesy of the Los Angeles Times.

Started school this week, but I wanted to wrap up some thoughts I had regarding the Beijing Olympics. Overall, the Beijing Games were very successful, but one could get the sense that there was a sheen to it all. The Chinese government did not ease restrictions to international media and arrested protesters despite having protest zones, which made the Games' slogan, "One World, One Dream", untrue. We all desire peace and we are one world, that is true, but my "dream" is different than someone in China or Iran. It was sad to see the media restrictions and even worse worldwide PR (what else will journalists write about if you restrict their access?) Not to mention the controversy over the Chinese gymnasts' age...

That being said, the athletic competition was first-rate. From Phelps' domination to Dara Torres' silver medals to Usain Bolt's world record sprints, athletic prowess was on display. The facilities looked great (especially the Water Cube with the ever-changing color schemes on its exterior), though the Bird's Nest name was a bit overused by the time the Games were over. Mary Carillo's travelogues did exactly as they were designed to do: to show people in America various aspects of China. Stereotypically, our culture thinks of China as red, Communist, kung fu, and pandas. Carillo highlighted some other things (she did a particularly good one on Chinese writing with the guy who designed the Beijing Games logo).


Picture courtesy of CNN/SportsIllustrated.

Last Saturday, a yearly ritual continued in our house: the Fantasy Football draft. For the first time, we're doing individual defensive players and I drafted first pick overall. For those unfamiliar with fantasy football, the essential point of the game is that you draft real-life players and their stats in real-life dictate how your team does. So if LaDainian Tomlinson, running back for San Diego shown above, has 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns, that's about 19 points for my team, a pretty good day. So here's my starting roster:

QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh
RB LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego
RB Jonathan Stewart, Carolina
WR Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona
WR Anquan Boldin, Arizona
WR Greg Jennings, Green Bay
TE Chris Cooley, Washington
LB Ernie Sims, Detroit
DB Champ Bailey, Denver
DL Trent Cole, Philly
DEF Indianapolis Colts
K Nate Kaeding, San Diego

Dad's team is also very good this year. Any team with Brees at QB, Houshmandzadeh at WR, Joseph Addai at RB, and Jared Allen at DL should rightly scare the pants off opponents. As for Robert's squad, it's mostly Cowboys but I can't fault him for that.

Since school has started, I do not know how consistent the blog posting will be. I am intending to put fantasy updates on here, along with the usual headlines, but we'll see. To whet your appetites for quality sportswriting in these down periods, I added three more columnists to the links page. Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal-Bulletin, Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press, and Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post. McAdam is a very good baseball writer. Albom, better known as the writer of "Tuesdays With Morrie" and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" started as a sports columnist for the Free Press and still writes for them. Wilbon hosts of the ESPN debate show "Pardon the Interruption" and is a nationally recognized columnist. I intend to feature more columnists from different cities (Chicago, New York, Atlanta) and different regions (still looking for good columnists in the Southeast and more out West).

Domination

Picture courtesy of the Los Angeles Times.

As I'm sure you've heard, Michael Phelps has completed his quest for 8 Olympic gold medals after participating in the 4x100 medley Saturday night and a way-too-close-for-comfort duel Friday night. 7 of his 8 gold medal swims were world records and the eighth was an Olympic record. If that isn't dominance, I don't know what is.

Michael Phelps has joined Tiger Woods as athletes who single-handedly defined a sport. While team sports can have standout players, everything they do as a success is defined by teamwork. In other words, players like Randy Johnson and Peyton Manning have had hall-of-fame careers, but their success at times is determined by other people. What if Peyton's defense blows a lead or Randy's teammates can't score any runs the day he pitches? Michael Phelps and Tiger, for the most part, don't have this problem. It's mostly an individual effort for them.

Tiger Woods has won 14 major championships in his career, along with 65 PGA Tour wins. He has made golf a sport worth watching and made it more accessible to the general pubic. Phelps has done that with swimming. Across the country, people have turned on their TV's all week to see Michael's latest race. In the workplace, Phelps' name has been the only one explicitly mentioned. Seeing Michael's mom all tense before the race, knowing all of America was feeling the same thing. Woods surely has had an effect in terms of kids wanting to play golf and surely more kids will swim because of Michael Phelps' influence.

Is Phelps the greatest Olympian of all-time? I cannot say for certain because I never saw Jim Thorpe or Jesse Owens compete and Carl Lewis and Jackie Joyner-Kersee were in the very twilight of their careers when the 1996 Atlanta Olympics occurred, the first Olympics I saw (and barely remember). However, there is no doubt that Phelps is the greatest Olympian of my generation, just as Tiger is the best golfer of my generation. Both will be remembered for their dominance in their respective sports and perhaps, inspire a new generation to follow in their footsteps.

Military Olympians & New Links

Just a few quick notes for today...

For a good weekend read, I'd recommend this blog tracking all the US Olympians who are also members of our Armed Forces. The blog's main site, MilitaryTimes.com, highlighted one of the quietest stories of the Games has been Glenn Eller of the Army winning the gold medal in the double trap shooting finals.

On another note, I adjusted some of the links here on the main blog page. Instead of having media outlets like the Arizona Republic and the Boston Globe featured, I'm going to start linking to the columnists that are what make those papers such good reads. The first batch features award-winning journalists Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times, Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News, Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe, and Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Cowlishaw and Plaschke are regularly featured on ESPN's Around the Horn. Shaughnessy gives a lot of insight to the Boston Red Sox and other Boston sports area, though the Sox are his specialty. Pluto, in addition to writing regular columns on the Cleveland area teams, also writes on subjects of faith for the Dealer and has quickly become a favorite of mine even though I hold no affinity for Cleveland sports teams. He is also occasionally featured on Hugh Hewitt's nationally syndicated talk radio show.

I've also added the mainstream media links like FOX Sports and the Sporting News, but may end up replacing them with a sports news gadget available from Blogger.

Swedish Foolishness in Beijing

Picture courtesy of The Telegraph (UK).

Earlier today, Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian won the bronze medal in the 84 kg competition in Beijing. In appreciation of winning the bronze, he threw it on the floor of the gym, walked out, and announced he was quitting the sport. He later said, "I don't care about this medal. I wanted gold." During his semifinal bout with eventual gold medalist Andrea Minguzzi of Italy, he had to be restrained by his teammates when the judges determined Minguzzi the winner. After the medals ceremony, he announced "This will be my last match. I wanted to take gold, so I consider this Olympics a failure.”

Abrahamian's lust for a gold medal consumed him. Most people would be okay with a silver or bronze and while they'd prefer the gold, they usually take it with grace and return four years later for another try at the gold. But not this Swede. He wanted the gold so bad that he convinced himself he had won it,even before the competition was over. He thought the gold medal was rightfully his. A preacher named C.J. Mahaney once spoke a sermon about conflicts and cravings, essentially saying that conflicts result when we crave something and we don't get what we want. Abrahamian is a perfect example of this craving.

As of this writing, the United States team leads all other countries with 15 bronze medals at these Games. Think they're going to give up their medals? While we all want the athletes to win gold medals, the silver and bronze are also worth having. After all, by having one of the three medals, you're considered one of the top three athletes in the sport. But Abrahamian isn't the only athlete with this behavior.

If we hold Abrahamian in disdain, shouldn't we hold major league managers like Lou Piniella and Ozzie Guillen who quarrel with umpires and throw tantrums in the same contempt? What about players who commit flagrant fouls on the opposing team in basketball and football? One can speculate as to how these players' pride swells up. Perhaps they grew up in an insulated environment (i.e. baseball games with no kept score) or were told from childhood they were destined for greatness (as some speculate the Chinese have done with their athletes). The world may, and rightfully so, hold utter disregard for Abrahamian, but he isn't the only one that considers everything but the gold, "a failure".

Do Young People Care About the Olympics?

I've been asking around (co-workers, friends at church, etc.) who has been watching the Olympics and the answer isn't good. Most have said they don't care about the events or don't know when it's on. One of my co-workers even asked why I only root for the American athletes!

However, according to NBC and Nielsen's early numbers, the Beijing Games have more people in the 18-34 demo watching (22% increase over Athens, 14% over Sydney.) In addition, the Games' median viewing age has been going up from 38.7 in 1992 (Barcelona) to 47.1 in Athens.

One could speculate that the median age increase is due to aging Baby Boomers, but the fundamental question remains the same: Isn't patriotism and rooting for your countrymen universal? Do we not want to see our fellow Americans triumph like the men's swimming team did in the 4x100 relay Sunday night? Do we not want to root for Michael Phelps' attempt for eight gold medals? Most of these athletes (namely everyone besides the basketball players) have day jobs that don't involve their sport or are student athletes (like Phelps', a student at University of Michigan).

Weekend Olympic Roundup

From left to right: Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones, and Jason Lezak. Picture courtesy of the Daily Mail.

Over the weekend, the Olympics got off to a terrific start amid political tensions Friday night in a fantastic opening ceremony. Of the past two Olympics (2004 Summer in Athens and the 2006 Winter in Torino, Italy), the Beijing opener blew both of them away. From the fireworks to the lighting of the cauldron to the impressive choreography of the performers, but it was Yao Ming and little Lin Hao, a survivor of the earthquake that hit China in May, that stole the show.



When Yao plays basketball during the NBA season, he plays in a very strict manner. I have hardly seen the guy smile or laugh on or off the basketball court, much less show any exuberance. Friday night, guiding Hao around the stadium and later holding him in his arms, he showed a compassion and tenderness I've never seen from him.

Swimming phenom Michael Phelps won his first gold of the Games in the 400 IM. There were some great volleyball matches (womens' indoor: USA vs. Japan; mens' beach: USA's Gibb/Rosenthal vs. their Dutch nemesis Boersma/Ronnes during a steady downpour) with both USA teams winning. Both American basketball teams soundly defeated their opening opponents. The volleyball news was particularly good as the American volleyball teams were reeling from the death of Tod Bachman and the injury to his wife, Barbara. Both were stabbed by a Chinese man Saturday who committed suicide by jumping off the Drum Tower before police could arrest him. Further investigation is ongoing, but it's looking like an "isolated" incident.

But the greatest moment of the weekend was the Men's Swimming 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay late Sunday night. It was a three-way battle between the Australians, French, and the Americans. The French anchor swimmer, Alain Bernard, boasted that the French would "smash" the Americans. Phelps started off and kept pace with the leading Aussies, Garrett Weber-Gale and Cullen Jones kept the Americans in the hunt, looking like the silver medalists. Then it came down to the final 50 meters with the two anchors, USA's Jason Lezak and France's Alain Bernard, and Lezak just turned on the motor (Lezak would later say he got a "supercharge") and beat Bernard by .08 of a second, shattering a world record in the process. It was easily the most thrilling swimming match anyone has ever seen. A link to watch the video is here.



A couple of observations as to the broadcasting of the Games:

1) Does NBC need to have flashy graphics all the time? Specifically, the peacock logo which at times looks as if it has a super bright spotlight on it that fades on and off. It's been incredibly distracting, especially during the Opening Ceremonies.

2) After watching the swimming coverage, I now cringe when NBC poolside analyst Andrea Kremer opens her mouth. It's not so much in how she asks questions, it's in what she asks. In last night's coverage, she repeatedly asked stupid questions akin to, "You just won a gold medal, how do you feel?" On her Wikipedia page, it says she has "been critical of efforts to minimize side line reporting during games." Gee, I wonder why. But that's a story for another post.

3) What is it with commentators calling games before they finish? NBC commentator Rowdy Gaines practically called the relay for the French last night with 100 meters left!

4) What is with the IOC and NBC's crackdown of Olympic footage on YouTube? The video player on NBC's main Olympics website is very selective of what systems it supports, essentially excluding a portion of the population that may not have the most up-to-date computing systems. I understand the crackdown is for copyright purposes, but isn't there a way to allow all users to see footage of the Games if they missed their broadcast?

The Olympics Begin

Photo courtesy of Top News in India.

Just a quick note for today. The Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics begin tonight. As the Games progress, I will attempt to cover as much as possible, with particular emphasis on basketball, swimming, track and field, and maybe even some beach volleyball. As the results are known ahead of time due to the time difference between here and Beijing, so I'll play it by ear or I will put up spoiler warnings when necessary. Will the USA reclaim gold in basketball? Will Michael Phelps claim the record 8 gold medals he seeks?

These Olympic Games are also the most politicized Olympics I have seen. While I will mostly focus on the sports side of things, I may take a post or two to blog on the politics of the Games (i.e. China and Darfur, Chinese censorship, etc.). These will no doubt be a most interesting Olympics.

The Great Favre Debacle...Ends

Picture courtesy of CNN/SportsIllustrated.

Last night, the Green Bay Packers traded Brett Favre to the New York Jets, ending his 16-year tenure with the Pack. When Brett Favre was reinstated by the commissioner's office on Sunday, he reported to the Packers training camp in Green Bay, but was sent home to Mississippi early Wednesday then traded to NY (for a conditional pick in next year's draft) at about 11:15 pm.

This will be a very interesting challenge for Favre. He clearly loves the game, but New York is notorious in sports circles for the unrelenting media coverage and pressure to perform at an elite level. Plus, his stated desire to play for a playoff-caliber team wasn't met in this transaction. The AFC is much, much more competitive because more teams are playoff contenders than the NFC (home of the Packers). However, the Jets schedule is pretty easy with the exception of a few games, particularly games against New England and San Diego back-to-back early in the season when Favre could still be getting used to a new offense. He'll have to learn a whole new system of plays within a month's time.


Picture courtesy of WNBC 4 TV in New York.

This season will prove a test for Brett's passion for football. Will his love for the game hold up under media pressure, intense competition, and the possibility of not making the playoffs? Will his body hold up (he is 38 after all, ancient for a quarterback)? Either way, Favre just made the Jets a whole lot more interesting and he'll be a story to watch all season.

For more coverage on Brett Favre, SportsIllustrated's Peter King, arguably the best football columnist in the country, has been writing about this story for weeks. I highly recommend his columns and he has had some great insight into this story. His latest is here.

Deliberate Hits - Part 2

Image courtesy of TheBaseballZealot.com.

Continuing yesterday's story of the brawl between the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals earlier this week, suspension for the players involved were announced today. Royals catcher Miguel Olivo, who started the brawl by charging the mound after he was hit by a pitch from D.J. Carrasco, was given a 5-game suspension. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen (featured above) was given a two-game suspension for pushing the umpire during the scuffle and for comments made during postgame interviews (for more on those comments, see Part 1). The Royals manager will serve a one-game suspension while Zack Greinke, a Royals pitcher who drilled Sox hitter Nick Swisher with a pitch, will serve 5 games. Greinke hit Swisher in the 7th inning while the fight occurred in the 5th. In regards to the suspensions, all are appropriate amounts. Olivo should have realized that the moment he charged the mound, the benches would clear (which they did). Likewise, Greinke shouldn't of hit Swisher in the 7th after both teams were warned.

In baseball, when a pitcher hits a batter, the other team will usually return the favor (the "eye for an eye" idea). In this case, though, after a major fight happened, there is no support for Greinke to hit Swisher. What if he charged the mound? When suspensions occur as they have here, appeals usually follow. Naturally, Olivo and Greinke are appealing their suspensions (5 games each). Olivo was reported as saying, "We are appealing it because I think that is too much for me. Their pitcher [wasn't] suspended at all, nothing. I'm disappointed because I'm hurt. I got [my] left hand hurt and my right hand. I know I'm going to get suspended, but not like for five days, maybe three or two games. I agree with that, but five games I think is a lot." Greinke wasn't surprised Carrasco received no penalty because "[T]eams weren't warned. He didn't really try to fight Olivo really or anyone." Though Ozzie Guillen is known for a fiery temper and arguing with umpires, he told reporters, "I let my club down for two days." No kidding, Ozzie. But at least he took responsibility for his actions, unlike Olivo and Greinke, especially Olivo.

EDIT (11:31 am): I added two sites to the blog links, Deadspin and The Big Lead. These are the two sports blogs most often linked to online. I highly recommend The Big Lead.

Deliberate Hits - Part 1

Just a quick post for today with more on this topic tomorrow...

Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen told reporters on Sunday that he tells his pitchers to deliberately hit batters at times. While brushback pitches and retaliatory actions are common in baseball, a manager admitting that he orders certain actions like these is unheard of. It can potentially spark on-field brawls (like Chicago's game Sunday), the league can find and suspend players, etc.

The sportsmanship of the game is in question when a manager calls for an intentional hit on a batter and the action that usually follows (brawling) takes away from the game.

What do you think? Does brawling take away from the game? Do brushback pitches and hit batsmen?

60 Minutes Interviews Bill James

Last night, 60 Minutes did a piece on Boston Red Sox statistician Bill James, the man who invented "sabermetrics". James created the stats known as "slugging percentage", "on-base percentage", and "k/bb ratio (strikeout to walk ratio)". Sabermetrics has redefined baseball stats (even fantasy baseball players consider slugging percentage and k/bb ratio) and these stats helped shape the philosophy of Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane, known as "Moneyball". The following clips are from the 60 Minutes interview:

More Trade Deadline Thoughts

Picture courtesy of Sports Illustrated.

Yesterday's trade deadline brought up an interesting point amongst the sports community. Would you rather have "a clubhouse distraction who performs at an elite level" or "a good clubhouse presence who performs at an occasional All-Star level"? ESPN's SportsNation polling service asked this question and of the 78,900 people polled, 64% voted for the latter. SportsNation also asked how the Red Sox will do and there isn't a definitive answer. Of the 56,878 polled, 37% say the Sox will just make the playoffs, 31% say they'll miss the playoffs, and 14% say the Sox will win the World Series. The poll is an accurate depiction of Red Sox Nation's reaction to the Manny Ramirez trade in a sense that, no one knows what will happen for the Sox. The Dodgers are getting a marquee hitter, but they now have a crowded outfield and not a whole lot of protection in the lineup for Manny. In addition, Dodger Stadium is less hitter-friendly than Fenway Park is, so his home run total can and likely will go down. The Dodgers will likely win the NL West, but lose in the playoffs' first round due to their overall lineup weakness (Prior to tonight's game, their record is .500).

As for the Teixeira trade to the Angels, SportsNation asked 40,864 people how the Angels' season will play out. 44% say they'll win the World Series, 32% say they'll lose in the American League Championship Series (ALCS). Interestingly, they asked if Mark Teixeira will play for the Angels in 2009, with 61% saying yes.



Picture courtesy of the Northwest Herald.

Other trades made before the deadline included pitcher Rich Harden going from the Oakland Athletics to the Chicago Cubs, pitcher C.C. Sabathia going from the Cleveland Indians to the Milwaukee Brewers, pitcher Joe Blanton going from the Oakland Athletics to the Philadelphia Phillies, and outfielder Xavier Nady and pitcher Damaso Marte going from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the New York Yankees. Of these deals, the Cubs and Brewers made the best ones. Nady and Marte have made contributions for the Yanks, but Harden and Sabathia contributed immediately and instantly made their new teams better (much like Manny has done with the Dodgers).

I think the season will shape up like this:

American League:
West Champ: Angels
Central Champ: Chicago White Sox
East Champ: Tampa Bay Rays (the Cinderella story of the season)
Wild Card: Red Sox (barely; if not the Sox, the Yanks)
ALCS: Tampa Bay vs. Angels

National League:
West Champ: Dodgers
Central Champ: Cubs (by far the best team in the NL)
East Champ: Phillies
Wild Card: Brewers
NLCS: Cubs vs. Phillies

World Series: Cubs vs. Angels
World Champion: Angels

Trading Deadline Bonanza

Originally, I was going to post a photo essay of my trip to Fenway Park, but there has been some breaking news from baseball's trading deadline. Four major trades have been made within the past week, two of them today. Here they are:

1) 1B Mark Teixeira from Atlanta to the LA Angels for 1B Casey Kotchman and a minor leaguer.

In a swap of first basemen, the Angels are suddenly the scariest team in baseball right now. After sweeping the Red Sox twice in the past two weeks, the Angels are on a tear as they begin a series against the Yankees tonight in the Bronx. Ultimately, the Angels are signaling that they're going for the championship (the phrase "going all in" has been used by many this week). Complicating matters is that Teixeira is a free agent and will surely command $20 million a year in his contract. This is a great move for the Angels if they can go deep in the playoffs and right now, that looks certain. Readers may recall that Teixeira was traded from Texas to Atlanta this time last year. Both trades were directly caused by his pending free agency, not his ability. For that previous article, click here.

2) OF Manny Ramirez from Boston to LA Dodgers, OF Jason Bay from Pittsburgh to Boston, RP Craig Hansen and OF Brandon Moss from Boston to Pittsburgh, 3B Andy LaRoche and a minor leaguer from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh.

This was a huge surprise! Moody superstar Ramirez essentially forced Boston to trade him by being trouble in the clubhouse. But for Jason Bay? While Bay is a good player, he doesn't have anywhere near the power production that Manny has. Plus giving up two talented kids from the minor leagues? This is a head scratcher for Boston that will work really well or not work at all. As for the Dodgers, if they can tolerate Manny's ego (When a player says, "The Red Sox don't deserve a player like me" that might give a hint as to how big said player's ego is), this could very well win the NL West for them.

3) OF Ken Griffey Jr. from Cincinnati to Chicago White Sox for RP Nick Masset and a minor leaguer.

Future Hall-of-Famer Griffey may finally be able to get to the postseason for the first time since 1997 (with Seattle) after playing for his hometown Cincinnati Reds. For a season in which he reached the 600 home-run plateau, a postseason berth would cap it off well.

4) C Ivan Rodriguez from Detroit to New York Yankees for RP Kyle Farnsworth.

Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez is a stellar catcher defensively and will provide power for the Yanks, who are definitely making a postseason run, as usual. Farnsworth has his good moments pitching in relief.

More analysis to come tomorrow for the entire trading season and the season outlook from here.

Best Seats in Baseball

A short batch of photos for today. Now all you need is a Coke, a Fenway Frank, and Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" and you're in baseball paradise. More on this, the number one ballpark in my ongoing ballpark rankings, tomorrow. (Photos were taken by me.)

The Great Favre Debacle, Part 2

Photo courtesy of CNN/Sports Illustrated.

According to CBSSports.com, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, pictured above, is "monitoring" the Brett Favre situation and is rumored to be pushing the Green Bay Packers to trade Favre to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The St. Petersburg Times reported the Bucs have had internal discussions, specifically between general manager Bruce Allen and quarterback Chris Simms, regarding Favre.

I'm not sure Goodell's involvement is going to help. I personally like Goodell the most of the four major sports commissioners, but what he would essentially be doing is forcing Green Bay to let go the face of the franchise and a certain Hall of Famer who is technically under contract until 2010 and trade him to a team within its own conference. When other players that are under contract insist on a trade or some other dispute with a team (i.e. pay increase, contract extension), the Commissioner doesn't get involved publicly like this. So why the different treatment for Favre? Yes, he's a great player, but he is just that, one player.

For the entire story, go here.

The Great Favre Debacle

Photo courtesy of fellow Blogger site Jaak's World.

The whole Brett Favre fiasco that has hijacked ESPN and other sports media outlets is starting to annoy me now. For those of you not in the know, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre retired in March but is having second thoughts about retirement and is pushing for his old job or a trade to a new team. I understand Brett not being sure if he wants to play, but this is getting ridiculous. The Packers organization has not helped the situation any by not willing to accommodate Favre, but the blame is quickly shifting back to Brett. If Brett wants to play so bad now, why hasn't he filed for reinstatement into the NFL with Commissioner Goodell's office? If Favre was forced into a retirement, as he claims, then why did he wait until July to make his desire to return known? Favre won't go back to Green Bay due to the things said of each other by both sides in the press, plus Green Bay drafted two quarterbacks in April's draft (Brian Brohm of Louisville and Matt Flynn of LSU) plus starter Aaron Rodgers. It is highly unlikely that Favre will play for Minnesota or Chicago, two teams that covet Favre but are also rivals to Green Bay. Best-case scenario for Favre is to stay retired. Packers fans will still like you, your number is being retired by the team in September, and you have a Super Bowl ring, not to mention a Hall of Fame career. Favre was the quarterback of the 90's and is in an elite class of players. Go out on a good note, retire with grace, and end this circus that is currently flooding the sports media.

A programming note. Beginning August 25th, I'll be enrolled in a journalism class at my college. Ideally, this blog will be the place to apply what is learned in that class and the writing will improve from where it has been.

NBA Playoffs Set

Photo of Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash courtesy of www.phoenixsunsjersey.com.

The NBA Playoffs were set last night and the West certainly had a wild finish. Here are the matchups and win-loss records from the Western Conference (all teams west of the Mississippi River):

No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers (57-25) vs. No. 8 Denver Nuggets (50-32)
No. 2 New Orleans Hornets (56-26) vs. No. 7 Dallas Mavericks (51-31)
No. 3 San Antonio Spurs (56-26) vs. No. 6 Phoenix Suns (55-27)
No. 4 Utah Jazz (54-28) vs. No. 5 Houston Rockets (55-27)

And for the Eastern Conference:

No. 1 Boston Celtics (66-16) vs. No. 8 Atlanta Hawks (37-45)
No. 2 Detroit Pistons (59-23) vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers (40-42)
No. 3 Orlando Magic (52-30) vs. No. 6 Toronto Raptors (41-41)
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers (45-37) vs. No. 5 Washington Wizards (43-39)

As has been the case in the past few years, teams in the Eastern Conference with a losing record make it to the playoffs while the grueling Western Conference is a total slugfest with teams falling just short of playoff contention (this year it was the Golden State Warriors who would've been a 4 or 5 seed in the East if they weren't located in San Francisco). But my main question is why does the NBA reward teams to play in the playoffs with losing records? The playoffs have a special meaning to them, only the best of the league plays in them. That special meaning gets diluted when teams like the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers and even the Toronto Raptors play with .500 or losing records.

Anyhow, as much as I'd like the playoffs to be awash in purple and orange, the smart money is on Celtic green. Then again, I didn't pick the Kansas Jayhawks to win the NCAA March Madness.

March Madness is Here!

My trip to Arizona for Spring Training was a great trip (thanks, Dad). I had originally planned to post pictures and a trip report from it today, but there is a more pressing major sports event beginning today: March Madness College Basketball!

First, a gripe with the NCAA Selection Committee. Why did the Arizona State Sun Devils get passed up in favor of the Arizona Wildcats? ASU beat Xavier, a number 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, by 20 points, beat Stanford, another 3 seed, beat USC, a 6 seed, beat Coppin St., who was the 65th team selected for the tournament, beat Oregon, a number 9 seed, and most importantly, swept U of A (beat them twice)! The Sun Devils finished with a better overall record than Oregon and Arizona. As for the U of A Wildcats, their only notable wins are against Texas A&M, USC, and a sweep against Washington State. In addition, U of A has lost 8 of their last 13 games and their has been turmoil in the coaching staff. With these records side by side, I still don't get how U of A got in, let alone as a number 10 seed!

As for the actual NCAA tournament, do you have your brackets set? Do you think Coach Bruce Pearl (pictured above) and his Tennessee Volunteers can win in the East region? Will UCLA add another championship banner to the rafters in Westwood? Or will the powerhouse North Carolina Tar Heels celebrate another championship?

For the record, here are my Final Four picks: the Georgetown Hoyas (number 2 seed in the Midwest region), the North Carolina Tar Heels (number 1 seed overall), the Texas Longhorns (number 2 seed in the South region), and the UCLA Bruins (number 1 seed in the West region). As for the National Championship, two powerhouses collide with North Carolina going against UCLA with UCLA bringing the championship back to LA for the first time since 1995.

To view my entire predicted bracket, go here.

As a side note, I've written a few posts on Florida coach Billy Donovan and the Florida Gators basketball team. The Gators won back-to-back national championships in '06 and '07 and did not get into the NCAA tournament this year. They are, however, in the NIT, considered the consolation prize for teams turned down from the NCAA. The NIT is also where the Sun Devils are playing (instead of the NCAA where they belong).

Housekeeping Items

Hi all,

I didn't realize until recently that I didn't put up an "away message" for the blog while school started. Lots of stuff has been going on (NFL free agency, NBA trade deadline, etc.) and I'll be commenting on some of it in the next few weeks. This weekend, I'll be flying out to Phoenix, Arizona for one of Spring's best moments: baseball spring training. I'll be bringing my camera and posting pictures here on FTRS in the following weeks.

Some of this delay has involved school, but more importantly, I've just been one distracted guy recently. So I'm looking to get back on the saddle here in the coming days. And if school permits, posts will be happening much more frequently.

Upcoming sports events include the aforementioned spring training, March Madness, baseball's Opening Day, the NFL Draft in late April, and late-breaking news. I'll also be looking to do more player spotlights and finally finish my ballpark series.

They say blogs need to generate content, so here's where you, my reader, gets to come in. If you see something that you'd like to see featured here on the blog and I haven't covered it, send me an email and you might see it on an upcoming post.

A Billy Donovan Update

Back in June, I wrote on University of Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan's flip-flop on coaching the Orlando Magic professional team (for the series of entries, go here, here, and here) and the Florida Gators were expected to have a down season this year because of said flip-flop and the loss of three starters on the roster. But a look at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) standings shows Florida virtually tied with Tennessee atop the SEC East standings (Tennessee has a 3-1 conference record and is 16-2 overall; Florida has the same conference record and is 16-3 overall). All this despite a lot of new faces on the roster and being unranked in the national polls, while rivals like Tennessee are ranked as high as No. 3 in the polls.

So why no love from the pollsters? It's because Florida has beaten teams it should beat and the hardest part of its schedule is yet to come. Because of this, they're listed as a "bubble" team for March Madness. Florida still has to play Tennessee twice, Vanderbilt twice, Georgia twice, and Mississippi State. There's a lot of season left to make a move into the polls before March Madness and it will be interesting to see if the Gators can make it to the "dance".

Giants, Patriots Advance to Super Bowl

The New York Giants and New England Patriots advanced to the Super Bowl, which will be in Arizona the first weekend of February. Unfortunately, we the viewers won't be getting a fresh matchup, which we would have had with the Packers vs. Patriots. Instead, we get a rematch of a Week 17 contest. In the Week 17 game, the Patriots won 38-35, but some of the stats are staggering. Tom Brady threw for 356 yards against the G-Men, Randy Moss scored 2 touchdowns and 100 yards against the Giants, Laurence Maroney scored two touchdowns via rushing.

However, the Giants had 315 total yards against the Patriots and quarterback Eli Manning has really turned it on during the playoffs. Plaxico Burress, the Giants top wide receiver, also had a good game. Both teams' offensive lines were outstanding with each quarterback only being sacked once. The Giants led 21-16 at halftime, but the Patriots scored 15 points in the 4th quarter. The Patriots have an uncanny ability to make adjustments on a dime, which will no doubt help them in the Super Bowl.

The game will be close because the Giants will be inspired to upset the Patriots' run to perfection. But, the Patriots will be even more inspired to finish this season undefeated. It's a shame that we won't see Packers veteran quarterback Brett Favre going up against New England in the Super Bowl, but Super Bowl XLII (42) will be historic nonetheless.

For a good piece on the New York/Boston sports rivalry, go to Dan Wetzel's Yahoo Sports column here.

Ballpark Winter Blues: Petco Park

It's the middle of January and while the NFL Playoffs and the NBA regular season are ongoing, sometimes, the baseball season just can't come fast enough. Last year, I began a countdown of my favorite ballparks and didn't get to the top two. So, while 3/4 of the country is buried in snow, here's the number two park: Petco Park in San Diego, CA. Due to a surplus of pictures, I'll be posting a part 2 with comments on the ballpark and game. All photos were taken by me on April 30th, 2006.

Walking to the ballpark from the transportation hub in downtown San Diego:


The main stairway leading up to home plate and the field level concourse:


The view of the field from the field level concourse:


The view of the seating bowl from the left field nosebleeds. If you look closely, two sections in the upper deck are full of Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton. They're in the two sections on the left:


A zoomed-in view of the playing field:


The main scoreboard:

NFL Playoffs Preview

NFL Championship Sunday is in a few days. Here's some thoughts on the two championship games that decide the Super Bowl participants:

AFC Championship Game: San Diego Chargers at New England Patriots
3:00 PM EST on CBS
Gillette Stadium - Foxboro, MA
Estimated Gametime Temperature: 23 degrees

The undefeated New England Patriots host the San Diego Chargers in a game that is reaching rivalry proportions. New England has knocked San Diego out of the playoffs the last couple of seasons and San Diego has been trash-talkin' all week. Memo to any team about to play the Patriots: Don't trash talk, it only inspires them to whoop your butt further. Just look at the Pittsburgh Steelers/Patriots game. Anyhow, the Chargers are definitely blessed with talent (the best running back in the game, LaDainian Tomlinson, several players on defense like Shawn Merriman) but they're going into Foxboro where the Patriots have rarely, if ever, lost a playoff game. While the weather will be suitable for LaDainian and San Diego's running game, the Patriots have stopped him in previous games and will probably do the same again. The game will be close, but the Patriots will be heading to Super Bowl XLII in Arizona to continue their quest for perfection.

NFC Championship Game: New York Giants at Green Bay Packers
6:30 PM EST on FOX
Lambeau Field - Green Bay, WI
Estimated Gametime Temperature: 6 degrees

The Giants shocked the Dallas Cowboys last week 21-17 and the Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks 42-20. I think the Giants, who have won on the road all season long, will have great difficulty playing in sold-out Lambeau Field in 6 degree weather with snow flurries to boot. The Packers have historically played well when at home in the playoffs due to the weather, hence the phrase "on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field." While the Giants' quarterback, Eli Manning, has played well in the past two playoff games, what happens when a couple of drives stall? The Packers have a tremendous defense and have the offense to score in bunches. Both teams have a power running game, which is necessary in cold weather, but the Packers have a slight edge there. I think Green Bay will win in a game that can become a blowout.

So overall, I think the Super Bowl matchup will be the New England Patriots vs. the Green Bay Packers.

T.O's Tears of Endearment?

Terrell Owens, a player known for being a gifted receiver with a me-first attitude, broke down in front of reporters after the Dallas Cowboys' surprising loss to the New York Giants crying. It was the first time I had seen that level of emotion from him as he defended his quarterback, Tony Romo. Owens said, "You guys can point the finger at him, you can talk about the vacation, and if you do that, it's really unfair. It's really unfair. It's my team, it's my quarterback. If you guys do that, man it's unfair. We lost as a team. We lost as a team, man."

Any perception of Owens held prior to watching him Sunday got muddled. Any honest fan of the game and his talent has to wonder if he has changed his attitude at all after years of griping about quarterbacks and selfish play during his tenures in San Francisco, Philadelphia, and the early part of his current three-year deal with Dallas (year two of that deal ended Sunday).

For video of Owens' postgame comments on Sunday, go here.

On a side note, I added three outstanding sports blogs to the "Other Sports Blogs" section for your viewing pleasure. Over the Monster is especially good.

Diamondbacks Award Ticket Scholarships

Scott Miller, senior baseball writer at CBS Sports.com wrote a piece on efforts by the Arizona Diamondbacks to award season tickets to fans going through difficult times. The club asked for fans to write a letter explaining why they should get season tickets. winners included a family of seven who are going through financial hardships and had asked for two season tickets to rotate among the kids. The D-Backs granted the family seven.

Another heartwarming example was of Mary Lou and Carl Tichenor, as written by Miller:

"The Tichenors had been charter season-ticket holders since the Diamondbacks were ushered into the majors in 1998. They both attended games for years, though eventually Carl's job working communications for a building technology company put him on the road too much of the time and Mary Lou would attend the games by herself. Carl estimates that his bride has missed fewer than two dozen home games since '98.

About five years ago, Mary Lou was stricken with a debilitating form of muscular dystrophy, and her muscles are getting more and more cranky. Saddest thing is, those muscles are doing pretty well when measured against the grouchiness of the bills that are coming due. She went from a wheelchair to a hydraulic wheelchair, and when that pooped out, the Tichenors had to purchase another one.

She's got Medicare, but Carl, 57, was laid off awhile back and you know the state of health care in this country. Incredibly expensive prescriptions, another hydraulic lift wheelchair, practically more doctors than blouses -- let's see, there's the neurologist, the heart doctor, on and on it goes because Myotonic Dystrophy Type 2 is a multi-systemic disease -- and, well, you know what was on deck to be whacked out of the budget.

Baseball tickets.

Carl read about this scholarship program and, though he hated like heck to sing a woe-is-me tune and his ego took a beating with each word, he wrote a heartfelt letter of application.

'I thought Mary Lou's joy at possibly benefiting from this would far supersede anything to do with my pride,' Carl said. 'I wasn't overly comfortable doing this, but I also expressed to the Diamondbacks that I was sure they would give it to the right people.'"


In a baseball world mired this offseason by the Mitchell Report, steroids, and the threat of congressional subpoenas to players (I'm looking your way, Roger Clemens) it's great to see a team give back to its fans, especially one that isn't known for having big pockets like the Yankees and Red Sox. But rather, it was by the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team with few superstars and a modest budget, who gave to disadvantaged fans the greatest gift it can: free season tickets.

For the entire 3-page article, the link is here. Also check out the talk back links at the bottom of the page. Initial fan reaction has been outstanding.

Joe Gibbs Resigns as Coach

After a Christmas/New Year's hiatus, From the Reserved Seats is back and I'm hoping 2008 is off to a wonderful start for you and yours.

In the midst of the NFL Playoffs, news has surfaced that Joe Gibbs, Hall of Fame coach of the Washington Redskins, has resigned to be with family in North Carolina. He has finished his second tenure with the Redskins and his career totals are staggering: a record of 171-101, a 17-7 playoff record, a career .629 winning percentage, and Gibbs ranks third all-time among coaches behind George Halas and Don Shula.

The thing that is commendable about Gibbs' exit is that he turned down another year of coaching at a rate of $5.5. million to have more time with his grandchildren, one of which undergoes chemotherapy. Gibbs showed a remarkable sense of loyalty often not seen in the sports world today when he returned to the Redskins after a period of retirement and even at the press conference announcing the end of his second tenure, said, "I hate to leave something unfinished. I made an original commitment of five years. I felt bad about that." He choked up with emotion during the press conference, according to the AP article. Even though my affections were often set against Joe Gibbs and the Redskins, the man is a coaching legend and a great coach. The original AP article is linked below.