Tuesday, January 27, 2009

New AZ Columnist & Video

In an effort to continue to provide a wide network of sports opinion, I have added Arizona Republic columnist Dan Bickley to the list, which includes the likes of Bill Plaschke, Mitch Albom, Michael Wilbon, and Terry Pluto, among others. Also, I have inserted below a YouTube video of the Cardinals/Eagles NFC Championship Game highlights...in case you missed it. The clip includes the beautiful flea flicker from Kurt Warner to Larry Fitzgerald (one of the best passes I've seen) and the 4th quarter drive that determined the game. All the commentary is provided by the local sports radio station (Arizona's 620 KTAR in Phoenix).

Monday, January 19, 2009

Cardinals Win!


Photo courtesy of Darryl Webb/East Valley Tribune.

The Arizona Cardinals, an NFL franchise that hasn't won a championship since 1947 (when they were the Chicago Cardinals) is one step closer to a Super Bowl title. Of the 12 teams that entered the playoffs, the Cardinals were one of the most unlikely and the most overlooked. Hardly anyone expected them to beat Atlanta, who had a potent offense and a fairly good defense. No one expected them to beat Carolina, who had one of the best defenses in the league. Few expected them to beat the Philadelphia Eagles, who were going to their 5th NFC Championship Game this decade. And yet, the Cardinals are going to Super Bowl XLIII (43) in Tampa to face the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the toughest teams to beat in football.

In a year where many NFL teams fit the role of Cinderella (Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Miami, and Tennessee all went to the playoffs after losing seasons in 2007), it seems fitting that a NFL franchise known for seasons of failure is the one still dancing. Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner said immediately after the game that he was most thankful to his wife, kids, and faith, who had supported him from the beginning. Safety Adrian Wilson had tears of joy streaming down his face after the game. Wilson had offers from other teams (some perennial playoff contenders), but he chose to stay in Arizona where he has played his entire 8-year career through 7 losing seasons. Wilson is the epitome of most of the Arizona Cardinals team - players drafted by the team that haven't seen any form of playoffs in years. Some players like Wilson and receiver Larry Fitzgerald (shown below) have had individual accomplishments, but no playoffs or Super Bowl.


Photo courtesy of the East Valley Tribune.

The Arizona Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl (man, it just seems so cool and bizarre at the same time to write that phrase) as the underdog of underdogs. They'll face the Pittsburgh Steelers, a franchise steeped in tradition (only the Dallas Cowboys have won more Super Bowls). When I would go to Arizona in the summers growing up, the local media would pessimistically cover the Cardinals training camps. Though I detest bandwagoners, the Cardinals' season has been quite the roller-coaster ride to watch. When the playoffs started, I had picked Philadelphia and Baltimore to go all the way, but my dad was one of the few who said the Cardinals would go to the Super Bowl. That was his best call all year and after the Arizona/Carolina game, I had switched it to Cards/Baltimore. Many of the Arizona players mentioned having faith in the postgame press conferences, and now, their faith has been rewarded. "Shock the world" has become a rallying cry for the Cardinals. The phrase was heard on Phoenix radio station KTAR at the game'sw conclusion and the same phrase was on uber-fan Jack Corson's banner (shown in top photo) hanging over one of the upper concourses in the stadium yesterday. Here's to hoping they continue to shock the world, because that's why we watch the game. Sports figures like racing horse Seabiscuit, the Boston Red Sox in 2004, the New England Patriots in 2001, and the New York Giants last year were all heavy underdogs that tasted the sweetness of victory.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Cinderellas Keep Dancing


Photo of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner courtesy of CNN/Sports Illustrated.

The Arizona Cardinals and the San Diego Chargers stunned their opponents this past Wild-Card Weekend. The Atlanta Falcons were heavily favored over the Cardinals while the Indianapolis Colts were favored over the Chargers. Both the Cardinals and Chargers had home-field advantage and it definitely helped as their opposing teams had communication problems and false-start penalties. Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins were deflated by the Baltimore Ravens. That's four teams (Cardinals, Falcons, Dolphins, and Ravens) that weren't in playoff contention last season. The Philadelphia Eagles, who were almost eliminated from the playoffs weeks ago, have rallied and are on a roll.


Photo of Philadelphia running back courtesy of Brian Westbrook courtesy of the New York Times.

So this week's playoff games are (playoff seed in parentheses):

NFC Conference
(6) Baltimore Ravens at (1) Tennessee Titans
(4) San Diego Chargers at (2) Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC Conference
(6) Philadelphia Eagles at (1) New York Giants
(4) Arizona Cardinals at (2) Carolina Panthers

I think the Ravens and Steelers will win out in the AFC while the Eagles and Panthers will win in the NFC. It's going to be a great playoff weekend. The phrase "every given Sunday" has been especially true this season.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

A Class Act

Just a quick article link for today. University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is the subject of a Pat Forde article posted here. Tebow, a devout Christian, is involved with prison ministries, comes from a missionary family, and is arguably one of the most decorated college football players in history. And he hasn't even graduated from UF yet.

Many fans of the game don't like him (mostly because of UF's recent national title wins and their general dominance during Tebow's time at UF), but you can't fault a young person for making an effort to change people's lives for the better at such an early age.