Dom's Dish - Thursday, February 22, 2007
In an unpredictable move, Norv Turner has been named the San Diego Chargers head coach. Between Norv and the defensive coordinator Ted Catrell, they will pretty much be running similar offensive and defensive systems next year. I'll even go to 10-6 for my prediction, I mean they do have to play Oakland twice. Then waking up this morning who do I see? Marty Schottenheimer on "Mike and Mike in the morning" alongside the Mikes, obviously being asked about his situation in leaving the Chargers. It sounds like he will head to broadcasting as he has ties to ESPN in the past. Perhaps the show this morning was a tryout, don't be surprised if you hear that in the next month or even few days. Then after that, maybe another coaching gig, his heart is in it. Best of luck, you deserve another shot Marty ball.
Peyton Manning's "new contract" is all smoke and mirrors. I'm glad he did it, since this means the Colts can make some small moves in the offseason and be back to beat the Pats next year. For those that don't get it, it's salary cap magic that the good teams use to keep, draft and sign great players while staying under the cap by taking future lump-sum bonus payments and stretching it out on the books over years. For those who took accounting, they in a way "depreciate" the "equipment" (in this case maybe like Peyton Manning, maybe).
So, yeah, that Daytona 500 was pretty interesting, eh? Right readers? I know you all were watching it eagerly awaiting the outcome of big name Kevin Harvick winning the 200 lap race. Honestly though, I did tune in for maybe 15 laps, only about 8 of which I actually saw since there was a commercial every 5 laps. Honestly. I didn't pay attention to the commercials, I mean it IS the Super Bowl of racing...if that's even a fair analogy since this was the first race of the season...never mind. And funny now that Chevy cars have won the Daytona 5 years in a row but their line of vehicles is somewhat suspect. Unfortunately "wrecks" sometimes cause death when travelling that fast, but if I remember correctly there weren't many cautions in the race. The one thing I like (aside from Miller High Life Light) is that Kevin Harvick is going to race three races this weekend - truck, Busch series and NASCAR. Now that's what I call a hungry athlete!
I was fortunate in seeing two Matthew McConaughey movies last night. First, I caught Two for the Money with Al Pacino and Rene Russo, filmed in 2005, and now A Time to Kill from 1996 (great Grisham Book) with Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, the Sutherlands and Sandra Bullock. Nearly ten years between those movies, and the man didn't age, and his time in the gym definitely helped out. Both some high quality movies that he was in. And although he is Keanu Reaves-esque in that most of his characters are the same, he doesn't do a bad job. Two for the Money was a good movie though dealing with the issues of sports gambling in the US. Though not a fact-based movie, it does get you thinking about the millions of dollars that are made and lost each week. I had a boss once whose mood on Monday was definitely affected by his progress over the weekend. Needless to say, he is not one of my favorite all-time bosses. McConaughey, not bad for a guy whose first appearance on the tube was a weird show back in 1992: "Unsolved Mysteries". (I did look that one up)
(The Verizon wireless guy - talk about a highly recognizable character...for years now he has entered our homes, made us chuckle and of course followed us around everywhere. Really, dude I like you and all, but you're freakin me out! Can't you at least wait outside the door when I'm in the men's room? But he really might have the most recognizable face on TV now. I just hope I don't bump into him on a plane without his glasses then realize it was him...)
Chief Illiniwek is now gone. (Pronounced eh-LIE-nah-wick hey-dere ho-dere) After years and years of controversy at the University of Illinois in Champagne, the school's mascot is now gone. He performed his traditional dance at halftime of last night Mens' basketball game and actually went out for an encore. Now I have mixed feelings on this myself, and not being a student or alum of the U of I, like many others perhaps I don't understand it. First off, Dan Maloney was a graduate student who was the mascot. Nothing like an Irishman acting as a Native American. But on the other hand, we can push the Indians onto small reservations from Massachusetts to California, but not honor them by having a mascot in honor of them? It's not like these mascots (FSU, Illinois, Redskins, etc) are going around shooting bows and arrows at people in the stands, right? Again, I don't know much about it, but thought it newsworthy.
Around the balls:
Giant-orange- Dwayne Wade somehow separated his shoulder after Shane Battier ran into him last night in Houston. A crazy freak play that caused him obvious pain and some speculate may keep him out the rest of the season. But come on, being taken off on a wheelchair? Martin Riggs was able to just bang his arm up against something hard then get back in the fight. Oh Riggs, you're still much better than your off-screen name : Mel Gibson. But seriously D-Wade, hopefully it's not severe structural damage that could keep you out 4 months...stretching into USA Basketball season. Base- Curt Schilling is filing for Free Agency at the end of 2007. So maybe he'll be back to the Phils.
Rubber-non- Does anyone else realize that hockey is actually going on? Geez, between the NBA All Star game getting record low ratings on TNT and Hockey relegated to the Versus network, both on cable.
Brown-oblong- Dominic Rhodes, the Colts RB and free agent to be was arrested for DWI. Come on man, you're less than 2 weeks away from free agency or signing with the Colts and you make that mistake?
Little-white- Tiger's back. Now if I can just figure out what the heck "3 and 2" means.
Program Alert:
The NFL combine started today. For those with NFL network, it's worth a few minutes (or in my case hours) of some viewing time. It's fun trying to "play GM" and predict how the players will fare in the NFL off of the game film NFL network shows you and drills such as the 40 and how high they jump. My fav is still the body fat percentage bubble.
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For those new to "the dish", I once dreamed of being a sports-caster having my own column. Let me know if you don't like it, and/or want to be discontinued from the list. If you have another email address to send it to, send that to me also. For older issues of the dish, email me. domsdish@gmail.com or go to http://domsdish.blogspot.com
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Dom's Dish - Snow/Slush/Ice/Snow/Ice Delayed Opening edition
Dom's Dish - Thursday, February 15, 2007
(I apologize to my die hard fans out there as I was travelling early this week, so this will be a double-edition-sized Dish. On that topic of air travel, aside from delays due to weather which are beyond my control, a short story about a pet peeve and my being hypocritical. Flying is fun to me, except when getting on or off the plane. People bring too many bags, and are always in a rush. The worst is rushing to and from your seat. The plane pulls up to the gate, passengers unbuckle, jump up, open the overhead bin and stand in the aisle. Meanwhile, the door hasn't opened yet, the plane is full and you're in row 20. SIT AND WAIT! I've timed it, unless you're in first class, you're going to be waiting for an average of 5 minutes, bag in hand in the aisle. Same thing goes for the mad rush onto the plane. You're assigned a seat! Calm down, the plane won't leave without you when you're there and on line. And most of the time you get to the jetway and there's a line onto the plane! So this past trip I had my iPod, had an aisle seat in row 8 and had my iPod on when the two people in front of me shared a few words. I turned it off and thought the woman said to the man "...aren't you Larry King?" to which he replied "yes." It wasn't Larry King, because I tried getting a look at his face, and I thought for sure Larry King couldn't be in Boston headed for Philly when he does a nightly show on CNN. I followed down the jetway and waited in a short line behind this gentleman. His seat was in like Row 5, and I kind of bumped into him as I moved past and might have pushed him into the seat arm. I got off the plane, got home and thought about it some more. It wasn't Larry King, it was Stephen King. Morale of the story, follow your own advice and don't wait your turn getting on and off a plane.)
One thing that gets me about all of this about John Amaechi coming out is that every news source says "...the former NBA Center is going to openly admit that he is gay in an exclusive ESPN interview." Isn't that kind of "outing" him? What's the point in us listening to an interview with him admitting it? Regardless, I think it's a great thing for the world of sports, and as Amaechi has said, he wanted to give "the full story" in writing the book, maybe providing an inspiration to others out there.
However, for those that missed it, former NBA player Tim Hardaway appeared on the Dan LeBatard radio show yesterday. WWhen Dan referenced the John Amaechi situation, by asking him what he would do if he had a gay teammate, Hardaway responded: "I hate gay people," "I wouldn't want him on my team," "They shouldn't be in locker room when we're in the locker room." Dan countered with "you know what you're saying is flatly homophobic...it's bigotry" : "I hate gay people, I'm not going to hide that," "I am homophobic," "They shouldn't be in the world or the United States." Wow! It doesn't surprise me or many others share that sentiment. He later apologized "I regret it, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said I hate gay people, that was my mistake." Yeah, that makes up for it! Hardaway, a former NBA point guard that I HAD a lot of respect for (he played many years in Golden State with Chris Mullin) was also a former ESPN NBA analyst. Maybe now we know why he's not there anymore. Now even though it is the year 2007, we are strides away from where we were 25, 10, even 5 years ago, however we should all know better than to think that these feelings of homophobia (and racism) don't still exist.
Breaking News on this subject, David Stern, NBA Commissioner has said Tim Hardaway will be removed from any future appearances representing the NBA. This is due to "the disparity between his views and ours [NBA]." Hardaway was scheduled to be in Vegas for NBA All star weekend and make some money. No more.
Since it's Black History Month, I thought I would mention a story that I don't recall hearing, or at least much of. Tommie Smith and John Carlos in 1968, represented the US on the Olympic Track & Field team in Mexico City at the summer games. After a one-three finish, they wore black leather gloves on the medal stand and raised their fists during the national anthem. "The Black Power Salute" it was called and was front page news across the globe. In a book that hits stores today, "Silent Gesture", Dr. Smith explains his purpose (not that he hated white people). With all the talk of Tony Dungy and black coaches in the NFL, we are unfortunately many years away from openly gay athletes being accepted in sports. It's something no one talks about, I mean there has to be at least one athlete out there from a major team who is gay, right?
Now for some funny news, Colorado Head Football coach Dan Hawkins (formerly Boise State coach), received an anonymous letter from a parent complaining about the players getting less time off this year than last year (2 weeks vs. 3 weeks). On an interview on "Mike & Mike in the morning" on ESPN Radio this morning, Hawkins said he was just trying to fire up his media guys and make them laugh. He made me laugh - in case you missed it, he brought up the letter very matter-of-fact-ly and calm, then all of the sudden went off yelling more Howard Dean style than Dennis Green style. As a result, for those that missed it, ESPN showed their Top 10 Coach rants. I'll only tell you the Top 5, here goes:
5. "It's Division 1 football! It's the Big 12!...Go play intramurals, brother!" - Dan Hawkins (the aforementioned rant)
4. "Hello! You play to win the game!" - Herm Edwards
3. "The Bears are who we thought they were! If you wanna crown their a$$e$, then crown their a$$e$!" - Dennis Green
2. "Practice?!? We talkin practice - not a game, not a game..." - Allen Iverson
and the number 1:"We sucked! ...Playoffs?!?! Playoffs?!?! You wanna talk playoffs!?!" - Jim Mora, Sr.
Ah, the memories...
For those that actually read this article/rant/weblog/blog whatever you want to call it, you'll remember a few weeks back, my feelings on the San Diego coaching situation. I criticized Marty's asking for a review of the interception/fumble toward the end of the game. I also suggested dropping Marty in favor of then Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron (due to playoff record). Now in San Diego, absolute chaos. Offensive Coordinator, Defensive Coordinator, Linebacker Coach, Tight End coach and now Head Coach all gone. Here's an idea, FIRE THE GM! How does he let the four assistants leave, then force the owner to fire Marty instead of him? I am utterly confused. As mentioned last week, the Chargers opened as 7-1 odds to win the Super Bowl. Now, I put them at 20-1. KC and Denver will only get better and will be playoff contenders, the Oakland Raiders can only get better (can't they?), all of this spells doom for the Chargers. Ok, maybe not doom, but I will definitely bet against another 14-2 finish. AJ Smith is to San Diego as Matt Millen is to Detroit.
I've been to Indianapolis four times now. There are a few nice bars downtown, it's a nice "little big city." Stephen Jackson, last year in the strip club shooting a gun off, now three other players last week picked a fight with a restaurant manager? What's the deal? Guess they need to stop by the Columbia Club and play with the elevator to relax and have some fun.
I don't know how anyone could hate or dislike Peyton Manning. Aside from the personality in those commercials - "Cut that meat" "Maybe like Peyton Manning, maybe" "It's ok Wendy, that was a good carry" - anytime I get to see him in an interview, the same personality comes out. You may have seen that he discussed a voice mail he got from Bill Belichick wishing him luck for the Super Bowl, and heard that in the past Peyton called Belichick but instead talked to his daughter. In an interview last week on NFL Total Access, his personality came out insisting that this Super win hasn't "changed him" unlike what one player pointed out to him. He went on to talk about his Tango performance. Just a classy, funny guy. Maybe some day Eli will get it.
Mike Tyson checked into rehab for "various addictions," this after felony drug possession charges. I think I've seen this plot on "House, M.D." According to what he told police, Tyson said he uses cocaine "any time he can get his hands on it." I hear ya brother, kinda like me, except a medium-rare filet with a blue cheese crust, but you don't see me checking myself into rehab!
We are all disappointed with this past Super Bowl's commercials. We are all looking just for commercials that make us smile when we hear a few seconds of it. Some that inspire that feeling, Geico, ESPN SportsCenter, ESPN News "talking out of your..."
Around the balls:
Giant-orange- Chris Webber, talk about a re-energization. Almost too much of a coincidence. I mean, the Sixers don't have a great cast, not as good as the Pistons, but it's very suspicious that all of the sudden he's all healed from multiple injuries.
White-stitched- Jon Lieber, who may be moved to the bullpen if the expected Phillies rotation stays healthy, showed up to Spring Training sporting some new wheels: a Ford F-650. The thing has a 200-gallon Diesel fuel tank, gets 12 mpg and costs only over $50 G's, but still, that's ridiculous.
Rubber-non- Brodeur got his 10th shutout of the season last week. When asked about Brodeur's accomplishments, even his teammates are left speechless. "Jamie Langenbrunner and Jay Pandolfo could only shake their heads when asked about Brodeur's accomplishment," as reported by the AP. Me too.
Brown-oblong- Tiki Barber, now a NBC analyst, said "it was an act of God" that he was not injured during practice under Tom Coughlin. How is he still the football coach in NY? Again, better for the Eagles!
Rubber-wheels- Apparently the substance found on the intake manifold of Michael Waltrip's car was jet fuel. "Whatchya carrying?" "Rocket Fuel" - oh Armed and Dangerous, such a good movie! Anyway, NASCAR's Daytona 500 this Sunday, I'll watch a few laps, but don't expect me to be wearing my Miller High Life hat or be drinking a 30-pack of Miller High Life Light - "it was right next to the Miller Lite."
Program alert -
For those with NFL network and Eagles fans, Jeff Garcia and Donte Stallworth will be on NFL Access tonight at 7pm (both whom I think will be gone from Philly).
P.S. Everytime I see the Sheldon Brown hit on Reggie Bush I cringe and get fired up at the same time. And everytime I see Howard Eskin, I think of "The King" from the Burger King commercials.
--------------------------------
For those new to "the dish", I once dreamed of being a sports-caster having my own column. Let me know if you don't like it, and/or want to be discontinued from the list. If you have another email address to send it to, send that to me also. For older issues of the dish, email me. domsdish@gmail.com or go to http://domsdish.blogspot.com/
(I apologize to my die hard fans out there as I was travelling early this week, so this will be a double-edition-sized Dish. On that topic of air travel, aside from delays due to weather which are beyond my control, a short story about a pet peeve and my being hypocritical. Flying is fun to me, except when getting on or off the plane. People bring too many bags, and are always in a rush. The worst is rushing to and from your seat. The plane pulls up to the gate, passengers unbuckle, jump up, open the overhead bin and stand in the aisle. Meanwhile, the door hasn't opened yet, the plane is full and you're in row 20. SIT AND WAIT! I've timed it, unless you're in first class, you're going to be waiting for an average of 5 minutes, bag in hand in the aisle. Same thing goes for the mad rush onto the plane. You're assigned a seat! Calm down, the plane won't leave without you when you're there and on line. And most of the time you get to the jetway and there's a line onto the plane! So this past trip I had my iPod, had an aisle seat in row 8 and had my iPod on when the two people in front of me shared a few words. I turned it off and thought the woman said to the man "...aren't you Larry King?" to which he replied "yes." It wasn't Larry King, because I tried getting a look at his face, and I thought for sure Larry King couldn't be in Boston headed for Philly when he does a nightly show on CNN. I followed down the jetway and waited in a short line behind this gentleman. His seat was in like Row 5, and I kind of bumped into him as I moved past and might have pushed him into the seat arm. I got off the plane, got home and thought about it some more. It wasn't Larry King, it was Stephen King. Morale of the story, follow your own advice and don't wait your turn getting on and off a plane.)
One thing that gets me about all of this about John Amaechi coming out is that every news source says "...the former NBA Center is going to openly admit that he is gay in an exclusive ESPN interview." Isn't that kind of "outing" him? What's the point in us listening to an interview with him admitting it? Regardless, I think it's a great thing for the world of sports, and as Amaechi has said, he wanted to give "the full story" in writing the book, maybe providing an inspiration to others out there.
However, for those that missed it, former NBA player Tim Hardaway appeared on the Dan LeBatard radio show yesterday. WWhen Dan referenced the John Amaechi situation, by asking him what he would do if he had a gay teammate, Hardaway responded: "I hate gay people," "I wouldn't want him on my team," "They shouldn't be in locker room when we're in the locker room." Dan countered with "you know what you're saying is flatly homophobic...it's bigotry" : "I hate gay people, I'm not going to hide that," "I am homophobic," "They shouldn't be in the world or the United States." Wow! It doesn't surprise me or many others share that sentiment. He later apologized "I regret it, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said I hate gay people, that was my mistake." Yeah, that makes up for it! Hardaway, a former NBA point guard that I HAD a lot of respect for (he played many years in Golden State with Chris Mullin) was also a former ESPN NBA analyst. Maybe now we know why he's not there anymore. Now even though it is the year 2007, we are strides away from where we were 25, 10, even 5 years ago, however we should all know better than to think that these feelings of homophobia (and racism) don't still exist.
Breaking News on this subject, David Stern, NBA Commissioner has said Tim Hardaway will be removed from any future appearances representing the NBA. This is due to "the disparity between his views and ours [NBA]." Hardaway was scheduled to be in Vegas for NBA All star weekend and make some money. No more.
Since it's Black History Month, I thought I would mention a story that I don't recall hearing, or at least much of. Tommie Smith and John Carlos in 1968, represented the US on the Olympic Track & Field team in Mexico City at the summer games. After a one-three finish, they wore black leather gloves on the medal stand and raised their fists during the national anthem. "The Black Power Salute" it was called and was front page news across the globe. In a book that hits stores today, "Silent Gesture", Dr. Smith explains his purpose (not that he hated white people). With all the talk of Tony Dungy and black coaches in the NFL, we are unfortunately many years away from openly gay athletes being accepted in sports. It's something no one talks about, I mean there has to be at least one athlete out there from a major team who is gay, right?
Now for some funny news, Colorado Head Football coach Dan Hawkins (formerly Boise State coach), received an anonymous letter from a parent complaining about the players getting less time off this year than last year (2 weeks vs. 3 weeks). On an interview on "Mike & Mike in the morning" on ESPN Radio this morning, Hawkins said he was just trying to fire up his media guys and make them laugh. He made me laugh - in case you missed it, he brought up the letter very matter-of-fact-ly and calm, then all of the sudden went off yelling more Howard Dean style than Dennis Green style. As a result, for those that missed it, ESPN showed their Top 10 Coach rants. I'll only tell you the Top 5, here goes:
5. "It's Division 1 football! It's the Big 12!...Go play intramurals, brother!" - Dan Hawkins (the aforementioned rant)
4. "Hello! You play to win the game!" - Herm Edwards
3. "The Bears are who we thought they were! If you wanna crown their a$$e$, then crown their a$$e$!" - Dennis Green
2. "Practice?!? We talkin practice - not a game, not a game..." - Allen Iverson
and the number 1:"We sucked! ...Playoffs?!?! Playoffs?!?! You wanna talk playoffs!?!" - Jim Mora, Sr.
Ah, the memories...
For those that actually read this article/rant/weblog/blog whatever you want to call it, you'll remember a few weeks back, my feelings on the San Diego coaching situation. I criticized Marty's asking for a review of the interception/fumble toward the end of the game. I also suggested dropping Marty in favor of then Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron (due to playoff record). Now in San Diego, absolute chaos. Offensive Coordinator, Defensive Coordinator, Linebacker Coach, Tight End coach and now Head Coach all gone. Here's an idea, FIRE THE GM! How does he let the four assistants leave, then force the owner to fire Marty instead of him? I am utterly confused. As mentioned last week, the Chargers opened as 7-1 odds to win the Super Bowl. Now, I put them at 20-1. KC and Denver will only get better and will be playoff contenders, the Oakland Raiders can only get better (can't they?), all of this spells doom for the Chargers. Ok, maybe not doom, but I will definitely bet against another 14-2 finish. AJ Smith is to San Diego as Matt Millen is to Detroit.
I've been to Indianapolis four times now. There are a few nice bars downtown, it's a nice "little big city." Stephen Jackson, last year in the strip club shooting a gun off, now three other players last week picked a fight with a restaurant manager? What's the deal? Guess they need to stop by the Columbia Club and play with the elevator to relax and have some fun.
I don't know how anyone could hate or dislike Peyton Manning. Aside from the personality in those commercials - "Cut that meat" "Maybe like Peyton Manning, maybe" "It's ok Wendy, that was a good carry" - anytime I get to see him in an interview, the same personality comes out. You may have seen that he discussed a voice mail he got from Bill Belichick wishing him luck for the Super Bowl, and heard that in the past Peyton called Belichick but instead talked to his daughter. In an interview last week on NFL Total Access, his personality came out insisting that this Super win hasn't "changed him" unlike what one player pointed out to him. He went on to talk about his Tango performance. Just a classy, funny guy. Maybe some day Eli will get it.
Mike Tyson checked into rehab for "various addictions," this after felony drug possession charges. I think I've seen this plot on "House, M.D." According to what he told police, Tyson said he uses cocaine "any time he can get his hands on it." I hear ya brother, kinda like me, except a medium-rare filet with a blue cheese crust, but you don't see me checking myself into rehab!
We are all disappointed with this past Super Bowl's commercials. We are all looking just for commercials that make us smile when we hear a few seconds of it. Some that inspire that feeling, Geico, ESPN SportsCenter, ESPN News "talking out of your..."
Around the balls:
Giant-orange- Chris Webber, talk about a re-energization. Almost too much of a coincidence. I mean, the Sixers don't have a great cast, not as good as the Pistons, but it's very suspicious that all of the sudden he's all healed from multiple injuries.
White-stitched- Jon Lieber, who may be moved to the bullpen if the expected Phillies rotation stays healthy, showed up to Spring Training sporting some new wheels: a Ford F-650. The thing has a 200-gallon Diesel fuel tank, gets 12 mpg and costs only over $50 G's, but still, that's ridiculous.
Rubber-non- Brodeur got his 10th shutout of the season last week. When asked about Brodeur's accomplishments, even his teammates are left speechless. "Jamie Langenbrunner and Jay Pandolfo could only shake their heads when asked about Brodeur's accomplishment," as reported by the AP. Me too.
Brown-oblong- Tiki Barber, now a NBC analyst, said "it was an act of God" that he was not injured during practice under Tom Coughlin. How is he still the football coach in NY? Again, better for the Eagles!
Rubber-wheels- Apparently the substance found on the intake manifold of Michael Waltrip's car was jet fuel. "Whatchya carrying?" "Rocket Fuel" - oh Armed and Dangerous, such a good movie! Anyway, NASCAR's Daytona 500 this Sunday, I'll watch a few laps, but don't expect me to be wearing my Miller High Life hat or be drinking a 30-pack of Miller High Life Light - "it was right next to the Miller Lite."
Program alert -
For those with NFL network and Eagles fans, Jeff Garcia and Donte Stallworth will be on NFL Access tonight at 7pm (both whom I think will be gone from Philly).
P.S. Everytime I see the Sheldon Brown hit on Reggie Bush I cringe and get fired up at the same time. And everytime I see Howard Eskin, I think of "The King" from the Burger King commercials.
--------------------------------
For those new to "the dish", I once dreamed of being a sports-caster having my own column. Let me know if you don't like it, and/or want to be discontinued from the list. If you have another email address to send it to, send that to me also. For older issues of the dish, email me. domsdish@gmail.com or go to http://domsdish.blogspot.com/
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Dom's Dish - Tony Romo edition
Dom's Dish - Thursday, February 8, 2007
I have finally kept up my end of the bargain. After saying it and not really following through, I intently watched the Duke - North Carolina game last night. With the exception of a few minutes at the beginning of the game to bring out the recycling (btw- I hope and recommend you all recycle, though not for property tax purposes in NJ, purely environmental) and a trip to good ol' Mickey D's, I watched the game. (Side note, what is up with a box for your sandwich? Such a waste. And besides, have you ever forgotten you got food to go and sat on a Big Mac on your car seat? Like that box would help it? What's the point? From an economic standpoint, it's got to be more expensive to produce the box than using the traditional wax paper. As for environmental, since you're not supposed to recycle boxes "contaminated by food" (as per Burlington County, NJ regulations -pizza boxes, etc), these boxes end up in a landfill. I wonder if anyone has ever petitioned McD's to go no-box?)
So, watching the game, I knew at some point in the second half that Duke would fold like a box. What were they, 3-10 shooting free throws? Them, the Cavaliers and any other team that struggles at the line are due to fold. (What's worse, missing free throws or calling out "free money"? If you can get fined $10g's for that, they should start fining for missed free throws in key situations in the pros.) Watching the fans in the stands, they're crazy, really. I don't know how any group of players could lose on that court, talk about fanatical. Some observations: If the tourney is all about guard play, Duke is definitely in trouble. On many occasions, some of their best guards couldn't hold their dribble when pressure and almost got caught with a turnover. North Carolina was faster and wanted the ball. "ESPN the magazine" had an article on the freshmen, Wayne Ellington (UNC) and Gerald Henderson, Jr. (Duke), who play on opposite ends of this rivalry, so yet another reason to watch. They're from out near the Villanova area and my initial reaction is that Duke got the better of that one. Gerald's father played in the NBA, the kid has some serious "ups", and will likely improve from his 6.3 PPG. Keep an eye peeled.
Speak of college hoops, I was watching "the Holy War" game - Villanova and St. Joes on Tuesday night, and had some thoughts on the name of key college matchups. Holy war? Another in college football is Oregon vs. Oregon State is called "Civil War." Wow. Mentioning these names to scholars might bring about some strong feelings either way. I just wonder if the Harlem Globetrotters matchup against their foes the Washington Generals should be called "World War 1" and the New York Nationals matchup "World War 2?"
So, Wade Phillips is going to be the head coach in Dallas. Obviously T.O. will be the biggest hurdle. (re-iterating a point, I don't think Jason Garrett warrants the OC position in Dallas, due to his performance in Miami this past year, and people mention the "buzz" he got this offseason - the Cleveland Browns wanted to hire him! That's a "buzz"?) Odds are already out for next year's Super Bowl winner. The best odds as you may have heard are the Chargers (6 to 1). Problem is, as predicted right here, the San Diego Chargers have now lost their Offensive and Defensive Coordinator in the same offseason, pulling both out from under Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer, who by the way, has a 5-13 postseason record. I can't remember hearing about a team losing both coordinators in one offseason.
So, you may have heard of the Peyton Manning name change guy. I'll tell you now, it isn't going to happen. He filed paperwork yesterday and now will have to appear before a judge to make this official. Now after seeing him on "Cold Pizza," he is gonna fold. "A man of his word," he didn't have an argument ready to tell the judge why s/he should allow it. If a judge allows this guy to change his name in order to fulfill a sports bet, this country is in trouble. Then again, maybe this has happened before and no one has ever heard of it. Don't worry dish fans, I will never "call myself" a QB's name. Me llamo Tony Romo.
I am now a Phillies Season Ticket Holder. This officially concludes my being a "New York" or "North Jersey guy." I bought the Sunday package, 14 games to enjoy the Phils. Talking to the ticket agent on the phone, "the Right Field Side is more the family side, while the Left Field Side is mostly younger people" - she went on to say things like "people drink over there" "they're rowdier" "we sometimes get complaints from that side" and "if anyone complains tell them to go to the Right Field side" - I am not kidding. I went with the Left field side, since you know my wife and I, we're such rock-stars.
Don't worry, I won't mention anything about the female NASA diaper-wearing love triangle murder attempt-er. Sh*$ too late!
Around the balls:
Basket- the Celtics are horrible. I've never seen so many "posterizing moments" against one team in one season. For those that saw the highlights from D-Wade last night know what I mean.
Base- A-Rod "dodged" some questions about a potential buy-out at the end of the 2007 season, and now it's news. I think we all know what is going to happen, he's gone either way, but hopefully Clemens will hop on board and they'll win the World Series this year, this way A-Rod can pass on "Peyton's monkey" that he was passed. New title for A-Rod's next children's book: "Little Alex finds Peyton's monkey" an instant classic and NY Times best-seller.
Rubber-non- Mark Messier is not backing down from his statement that he would like to one day be the GM of the NY Rangers. In fact, he is saying that he could do it right now. Brazen.
Foot- An old item hear, but worth mentioning and reminding you fantasy football GMs out there. Domanick Davis has changed his last name to Williams (mother's maiden name). I heard a reporter mention Domanick Williams and was confused for a second, don't want you educated "dishees" to miss out.
--------------------------------
For those new to "the dish", I once dreamed of being a sports-caster having my own column. Let me know if you don't like it, and/or want to be discontinued from the list. If you have another email address to send it to, send that to me also. For older issues of the dish, email me. domsdish@gmail.com or go to http://domsdish.blogspot.com/
I have finally kept up my end of the bargain. After saying it and not really following through, I intently watched the Duke - North Carolina game last night. With the exception of a few minutes at the beginning of the game to bring out the recycling (btw- I hope and recommend you all recycle, though not for property tax purposes in NJ, purely environmental) and a trip to good ol' Mickey D's, I watched the game. (Side note, what is up with a box for your sandwich? Such a waste. And besides, have you ever forgotten you got food to go and sat on a Big Mac on your car seat? Like that box would help it? What's the point? From an economic standpoint, it's got to be more expensive to produce the box than using the traditional wax paper. As for environmental, since you're not supposed to recycle boxes "contaminated by food" (as per Burlington County, NJ regulations -pizza boxes, etc), these boxes end up in a landfill. I wonder if anyone has ever petitioned McD's to go no-box?)
So, watching the game, I knew at some point in the second half that Duke would fold like a box. What were they, 3-10 shooting free throws? Them, the Cavaliers and any other team that struggles at the line are due to fold. (What's worse, missing free throws or calling out "free money"? If you can get fined $10g's for that, they should start fining for missed free throws in key situations in the pros.) Watching the fans in the stands, they're crazy, really. I don't know how any group of players could lose on that court, talk about fanatical. Some observations: If the tourney is all about guard play, Duke is definitely in trouble. On many occasions, some of their best guards couldn't hold their dribble when pressure and almost got caught with a turnover. North Carolina was faster and wanted the ball. "ESPN the magazine" had an article on the freshmen, Wayne Ellington (UNC) and Gerald Henderson, Jr. (Duke), who play on opposite ends of this rivalry, so yet another reason to watch. They're from out near the Villanova area and my initial reaction is that Duke got the better of that one. Gerald's father played in the NBA, the kid has some serious "ups", and will likely improve from his 6.3 PPG. Keep an eye peeled.
Speak of college hoops, I was watching "the Holy War" game - Villanova and St. Joes on Tuesday night, and had some thoughts on the name of key college matchups. Holy war? Another in college football is Oregon vs. Oregon State is called "Civil War." Wow. Mentioning these names to scholars might bring about some strong feelings either way. I just wonder if the Harlem Globetrotters matchup against their foes the Washington Generals should be called "World War 1" and the New York Nationals matchup "World War 2?"
So, Wade Phillips is going to be the head coach in Dallas. Obviously T.O. will be the biggest hurdle. (re-iterating a point, I don't think Jason Garrett warrants the OC position in Dallas, due to his performance in Miami this past year, and people mention the "buzz" he got this offseason - the Cleveland Browns wanted to hire him! That's a "buzz"?) Odds are already out for next year's Super Bowl winner. The best odds as you may have heard are the Chargers (6 to 1). Problem is, as predicted right here, the San Diego Chargers have now lost their Offensive and Defensive Coordinator in the same offseason, pulling both out from under Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer, who by the way, has a 5-13 postseason record. I can't remember hearing about a team losing both coordinators in one offseason.
So, you may have heard of the Peyton Manning name change guy. I'll tell you now, it isn't going to happen. He filed paperwork yesterday and now will have to appear before a judge to make this official. Now after seeing him on "Cold Pizza," he is gonna fold. "A man of his word," he didn't have an argument ready to tell the judge why s/he should allow it. If a judge allows this guy to change his name in order to fulfill a sports bet, this country is in trouble. Then again, maybe this has happened before and no one has ever heard of it. Don't worry dish fans, I will never "call myself" a QB's name. Me llamo Tony Romo.
I am now a Phillies Season Ticket Holder. This officially concludes my being a "New York" or "North Jersey guy." I bought the Sunday package, 14 games to enjoy the Phils. Talking to the ticket agent on the phone, "the Right Field Side is more the family side, while the Left Field Side is mostly younger people" - she went on to say things like "people drink over there" "they're rowdier" "we sometimes get complaints from that side" and "if anyone complains tell them to go to the Right Field side" - I am not kidding. I went with the Left field side, since you know my wife and I, we're such rock-stars.
Don't worry, I won't mention anything about the female NASA diaper-wearing love triangle murder attempt-er. Sh*$ too late!
Around the balls:
Basket- the Celtics are horrible. I've never seen so many "posterizing moments" against one team in one season. For those that saw the highlights from D-Wade last night know what I mean.
Base- A-Rod "dodged" some questions about a potential buy-out at the end of the 2007 season, and now it's news. I think we all know what is going to happen, he's gone either way, but hopefully Clemens will hop on board and they'll win the World Series this year, this way A-Rod can pass on "Peyton's monkey" that he was passed. New title for A-Rod's next children's book: "Little Alex finds Peyton's monkey" an instant classic and NY Times best-seller.
Rubber-non- Mark Messier is not backing down from his statement that he would like to one day be the GM of the NY Rangers. In fact, he is saying that he could do it right now. Brazen.
Foot- An old item hear, but worth mentioning and reminding you fantasy football GMs out there. Domanick Davis has changed his last name to Williams (mother's maiden name). I heard a reporter mention Domanick Williams and was confused for a second, don't want you educated "dishees" to miss out.
--------------------------------
For those new to "the dish", I once dreamed of being a sports-caster having my own column. Let me know if you don't like it, and/or want to be discontinued from the list. If you have another email address to send it to, send that to me also. For older issues of the dish, email me. domsdish@gmail.com or go to http://domsdish.blogspot.com/
Monday, February 5, 2007
Dom's Dish - Super Bowl recap edition
Dom's Dish - Monday, February 5, 2007
Breaking news: The Colts won the Super Bowl 29-17! (Flipping through last night, the NFL Network had a breaking news red alert at the bottom of the screen showing that. I would hate to be the person that missed the Super Bowl and found out that way.)
Sorry Bears fans, I was right. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I dislike da Bears at all. They're not on my list of teams that includes the Broncos, Cowboys, Panthers and of course, Patriots. 30-21 was my prediction - pretty close, if not for a botched snap on the extra point I would have had half the score correct. (I got the coin toss (Heads) too.) Devin Hester was again a bright spot for the Bears. I still am very against the way the Colts "huddle up" in the middle of the field as Vinatieri kicks it off (they never fool anyone, it was great when they would sway to the music a few years ago, they had a purpose, now they just look confused). Obviously someone missed an assignment, he wasn't touched until the 1 yard line. Though there are some who think Peyton didn't deserve his MVP honors, in favor of the running game, two points I'll make: Peyton is a true "field general" calling the plays at the line of scrimmage, so basically a lot more weight should be given to that. Also, the offensive line of the Colts man-handled the Bears all game long. Not to mention I like six foot five quarterbacks, laser rocket arm. Now hopefully Peyton can be ranked ahead of Brady as the best QBs of this era? Only time will tell, he is currently at 144 consecutive regular season starts, 7th all time in TD passes, 13th in passing yards, and 2nd all time in passer rating. All that after 9 seasons, and I can already hear the hunger in his voice for next season and beyond. After he does a few more commercials this offseason. Bring back "Cut that meat!"
Now, granted, Rex Grossman did have some good stats yesterday: He completed 20 of 28 passes with one TD. Better completion percentage than Peyton (71.4% to 65.8%), however Rex threw for one more TD: a costly one that the Colts scored on in the fourth quarter. Two fumbles lost, two picks, and not really leading his team down field to keep the Colts offense off the field (Colts ran 81 offensive plays versus 48 for the Bears - WOW), none of that can be blamed on the Benson injury. Again to take a line from Dennis Green: [Rex] is who we thought he was! Honestly, I don't know what he needs. Confidence? The offensive line is great, decent receivers, great blocking and catching tight end and a pretty good back field. Maybe just another year in the offense. Don't expect his contract to be extended this offseason (expires at the end of next season). I am starting to think that Rex and another NFC QB are one in the same: Eey-ore Manning.
A few funny comments from the commentators Jim Nantz and Phil Simms yesterday? "That was the second time a Bear got a paw on the ball", Simms spotlight spiral (of course), and Jim Nantz noting that the two head coaches were black and that this is Black History month. He later went on to say that we "are all living it right now."No crap! Not all of us were in the downpour, Phil. (I thought it was still December.)
Lost in all of this is Bill Polian, the Colts General Manager. This was his fifth appearance as a Super Bowl GM. The previous four? Four straight with the Buffalo Bills, all losses. (quite a feat in itself, one team reaching the Super Bowl 4-consecutive years) It was Polian who was GM of the Colts when Peyton Manning was selected over Ryan Leaf, and when Edgerrin James was selected ahead of Ricky Williams. (two picks after McNabb was booed) Other key pieces built through the draft? Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney, Bob Sanders, Dallas Clark, and a host of others. Criticized for letting Edge go, Joseph Addai made quite a splash this past season. This season will be quite a test with Dominic Rhodes, Dwight Freeney and Cato June scheduled to be free agents. All that will be determined at a later date - Polian and the rest of the Colts will be in a parade today: 4pm, downtown Indy, players in buses, 11 degrees above zero the scheduled high temp!
Aside from the Bud Light commercials (rock, paper, scissors; hitch-hikers; auction wedding), the Doritos Winner (cheesy, crunchy, smooth), Letterman/Opera (Bears and Colts jerseys) and the K-Fed ad, the commercials this year were pretty much sucky. Probably an average of $2.0 million per 30-second slot, and that was pretty much a waste of money. Not since the Bud Bowl commercial-era have there been a plethora of good/funny ads.
I was flipping through yesterday and thought I would give that "The Sarah Silverman Program" a shot. When I saw her talking to a dog with a human head on it, the channel was changed.
For those of you not "24" fans, and those that don't watch other important programs like "Two and a Half Men," tonight on "Hannity & Colmes" Rudy Guiliani will be the guest. This could be the stage he chooses to officially declare his candidacy for President. Only another 21 months until we vote again.
Other news:
The Cavs are falling apart. The Duke Blue Devils too. For you Falcons fans out there, Bobby Petrino says that Ron Mexico, er, Mike Vick, will be able to call audibles at the line of scrimmage. I wonder how many times he'll audible out of a pass into a QB draw? Ernie Els looked pretty good over the weekend down and over in Dubai, glad to see he's back but wonder if he'll play many PGA events this year. Tiger finished third and looked strong still. Wasn't a PGA even, the streak is still intact!
Good news? 10 days until Pitchers and Catchers report for Spring Training! (Only 16 days to the NFL Combine in Indy!)
Sources / further reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Polian
--------------------------------
For those new to "the dish", I once dreamed of being a sports-caster having my own column. Let me know if you don't like it, and/or want to be discontinued from the list. If you have another email address to send it to, send that to me also. For older issues of the dish, email me. domsdish@gmail.com or go to http://domsdish.blogspot.com/
Breaking news: The Colts won the Super Bowl 29-17! (Flipping through last night, the NFL Network had a breaking news red alert at the bottom of the screen showing that. I would hate to be the person that missed the Super Bowl and found out that way.)
Sorry Bears fans, I was right. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I dislike da Bears at all. They're not on my list of teams that includes the Broncos, Cowboys, Panthers and of course, Patriots. 30-21 was my prediction - pretty close, if not for a botched snap on the extra point I would have had half the score correct. (I got the coin toss (Heads) too.) Devin Hester was again a bright spot for the Bears. I still am very against the way the Colts "huddle up" in the middle of the field as Vinatieri kicks it off (they never fool anyone, it was great when they would sway to the music a few years ago, they had a purpose, now they just look confused). Obviously someone missed an assignment, he wasn't touched until the 1 yard line. Though there are some who think Peyton didn't deserve his MVP honors, in favor of the running game, two points I'll make: Peyton is a true "field general" calling the plays at the line of scrimmage, so basically a lot more weight should be given to that. Also, the offensive line of the Colts man-handled the Bears all game long. Not to mention I like six foot five quarterbacks, laser rocket arm. Now hopefully Peyton can be ranked ahead of Brady as the best QBs of this era? Only time will tell, he is currently at 144 consecutive regular season starts, 7th all time in TD passes, 13th in passing yards, and 2nd all time in passer rating. All that after 9 seasons, and I can already hear the hunger in his voice for next season and beyond. After he does a few more commercials this offseason. Bring back "Cut that meat!"
Now, granted, Rex Grossman did have some good stats yesterday: He completed 20 of 28 passes with one TD. Better completion percentage than Peyton (71.4% to 65.8%), however Rex threw for one more TD: a costly one that the Colts scored on in the fourth quarter. Two fumbles lost, two picks, and not really leading his team down field to keep the Colts offense off the field (Colts ran 81 offensive plays versus 48 for the Bears - WOW), none of that can be blamed on the Benson injury. Again to take a line from Dennis Green: [Rex] is who we thought he was! Honestly, I don't know what he needs. Confidence? The offensive line is great, decent receivers, great blocking and catching tight end and a pretty good back field. Maybe just another year in the offense. Don't expect his contract to be extended this offseason (expires at the end of next season). I am starting to think that Rex and another NFC QB are one in the same: Eey-ore Manning.
A few funny comments from the commentators Jim Nantz and Phil Simms yesterday? "That was the second time a Bear got a paw on the ball", Simms spotlight spiral (of course), and Jim Nantz noting that the two head coaches were black and that this is Black History month. He later went on to say that we "are all living it right now."No crap! Not all of us were in the downpour, Phil. (I thought it was still December.)
Lost in all of this is Bill Polian, the Colts General Manager. This was his fifth appearance as a Super Bowl GM. The previous four? Four straight with the Buffalo Bills, all losses. (quite a feat in itself, one team reaching the Super Bowl 4-consecutive years) It was Polian who was GM of the Colts when Peyton Manning was selected over Ryan Leaf, and when Edgerrin James was selected ahead of Ricky Williams. (two picks after McNabb was booed) Other key pieces built through the draft? Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney, Bob Sanders, Dallas Clark, and a host of others. Criticized for letting Edge go, Joseph Addai made quite a splash this past season. This season will be quite a test with Dominic Rhodes, Dwight Freeney and Cato June scheduled to be free agents. All that will be determined at a later date - Polian and the rest of the Colts will be in a parade today: 4pm, downtown Indy, players in buses, 11 degrees above zero the scheduled high temp!
Aside from the Bud Light commercials (rock, paper, scissors; hitch-hikers; auction wedding), the Doritos Winner (cheesy, crunchy, smooth), Letterman/Opera (Bears and Colts jerseys) and the K-Fed ad, the commercials this year were pretty much sucky. Probably an average of $2.0 million per 30-second slot, and that was pretty much a waste of money. Not since the Bud Bowl commercial-era have there been a plethora of good/funny ads.
I was flipping through yesterday and thought I would give that "The Sarah Silverman Program" a shot. When I saw her talking to a dog with a human head on it, the channel was changed.
For those of you not "24" fans, and those that don't watch other important programs like "Two and a Half Men," tonight on "Hannity & Colmes" Rudy Guiliani will be the guest. This could be the stage he chooses to officially declare his candidacy for President. Only another 21 months until we vote again.
Other news:
The Cavs are falling apart. The Duke Blue Devils too. For you Falcons fans out there, Bobby Petrino says that Ron Mexico, er, Mike Vick, will be able to call audibles at the line of scrimmage. I wonder how many times he'll audible out of a pass into a QB draw? Ernie Els looked pretty good over the weekend down and over in Dubai, glad to see he's back but wonder if he'll play many PGA events this year. Tiger finished third and looked strong still. Wasn't a PGA even, the streak is still intact!
Good news? 10 days until Pitchers and Catchers report for Spring Training! (Only 16 days to the NFL Combine in Indy!)
Sources / further reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Polian
--------------------------------
For those new to "the dish", I once dreamed of being a sports-caster having my own column. Let me know if you don't like it, and/or want to be discontinued from the list. If you have another email address to send it to, send that to me also. For older issues of the dish, email me. domsdish@gmail.com or go to http://domsdish.blogspot.com/
Friday, February 2, 2007
Dom's Dish - THE C-U SUPER BOWL EDITION!
Dom's Dish - Friday, February 2, 2007
Da Bears and Da Colts. Who saw this one coming? They just pick two random teams, fly them down to Miami and tell them they play for the national championship? Oh, this is the NFL, my bad. By the way, tickets are selling for upwards of $3,000. Note to readers, never turn down Super Bowl tickets. I won't. (They make an excellent Christmas gift no matter who's playing!)
Analysis:
So, the way the Bears played two weeks ago, they're unstoppable, right? I mean, their special teams weren't even "great" that game against New Orleans (besides their Punter), their Defense was a solid A, and their run game was fantastic. They handled both sides of the ball in the trenches and just plain beat the Saints - America's "new" team. (P.S. The Eagles will never be America's team as long as the Trenton Times cover them.) The Bears dominated a lot of the games they played all season, with some obvious exceptions: the Cardinals, Dolphins, Patriots and Packers. Grossman for all the knocks against him, had a good season. Sure he was inconsistent, but over 3,000 yards and 26 TD's. Oh, and those pesky 20 picks and 54.6% completion percentage. The bright spots,obviously a solid defense, an awesome special teamer in Devin Hester, and some unknown receivers in Bernard Berrian and Rashied Davis. In a weak conference, The Bears, they are who we thought the were!
(By the way, I like the two week gap between games. We're not talking 10 weeks like this past year in college football (for Ohio State), one extra week. These guys bash each other's heads in and take a beating with sore ankles, knees, turf toes and all, and people complain about lack of football for one damn week?!? Let them heal up so both teams have their players fresh and ready to go. On the other hand, it's gotta stink for the coaches and the offenses who were in rhythm all year, then this break. They have extra time to watch game film to prepare, or they could over-analyze. That's what makes it fun, and besides that, there is no disadvantage. They're all being paid thousands of dollars for that one week to rest. I'll not cry for them, you cannot have my tears, I am no gypsy.)
The Colts come in having "exorcised their demons" "got the monkey off their back" "beat their nemesis" and a thousand other cliches, but it's true. The pressure is not totally off though. They played just alright on both sides of the ball throughout this postseason, but wins are wins. During the regular season, Manning threw for 31 TD's and only 9 INT's, in the postseason, only 2 TD's and 6 INT's. Wow. There is no way he will continue on that path, is there? He's due for a big game, right? Their defense has stepped up and stopped giving up 100 yard rushers since the postseason began, and they have Adam Vinatieri. An excellent regular season, with a few exceptions, however, they know that there is one unfinished goal: Lombardi. The knock was that they won too many games in the regular season and didn't prepare well for the postseason. The focus it takes to win as many straight games (games in a row, not un-fruity games, that makes no sense) to open the 2005 and 2006 seasons, will pay off.
Prediction:
I wanted the Bears to win and get to the big game. It was a great moment. However, I was also rooting for Peyton Manning and the Colts. And I was grinning during the Bears game with the possibility that Rex would make it to the Super Bowl. He looked horrible sometimes. No awareness, no poise. They barely blitzed him, and he got happy feet. He didn't know it was the end of the quarter when trying to run a play. I am certain you will never see that happen to Peyton, unless someone sucks all of the football out of him. Now, I'm not going to say that Rex is "Da Worst," he is just inconsistent. He led his team to Miami, but so did Peyton. Like most everyone else in the world, I'm gonna take the Colts, with the line, but late. Seven points is a lot to be favored by, it'll probably be 30-21 (U over C), somewhere in that range. Vinatieri will come in handy, Peyton will throw two and Addai will score one (TDs). Peyton may make a mistake and give up a TD, maybe to Urlacher, but that extra week will give him the time needed to figure out how to, for the most part, pick apart the Bears Defense enough for the win. Rex will make at least one mistake, and the Colts will give up a TD on the ground, but not fall apart. Manning will get his, and all will be right in the world. If not, more El Nino, and no one wants that. I just can't wait until they bring out Eeyore to celebrate with his older brother. Poor Eli, why does Peyton keep kicking him in the hallway?
Colts 30 Bears 21
Coin Toss: Heads
First to score: Dallas Clark
Commercials:
And just to make it interesting, the moment you've all been waiting for: DomDom's Super Bowl Commercial preview. That's right folks, here it is, justin time for some Justin Timberlake, K-Fed and Paris Hilton appearances, it's Super Bowl commercial preview. My extensive connections in the NFL (NFL Films) were able to show a few that are sure to be hits. And it didn't cost me the $2.6 for this 30 second piece. (Yeah, 2.6 large! 30 seconds. $86,667 per second. That's some pressure to get your message across right the first time. $2,733,120,000,000 per year, I did the math. $2.7 trillion. For anyone that wants to knock the Super Bowl not being the "biggest stage," you can't argue on that point. Anyone else want to figure out what country they would buy with that?)
Go Daddy will have a "Basic Instinct" knock off, the Miller Lite cat fight girls are back in a pond with a twist!, K-Fed is in a Nationwide commercial, and there is bound to be at least one appearance of a few of the cavemen bickering and talking like they have lisps and braces. Robert Goulet will appear in one for Emerald Nuts ("Egyptian Navigators"), not to mention a few Bud Light commercial, one reference to saving someone from "GHT", and as promised, more working with monkeys in an office. Now I know who that commercial reminds me of, the poor Bordentown coaches! Enjoy the game and the entertainment I will bring....I meant it, the commercials, not me. I don't entertain, I just wanna dance!
Sources / further reading: http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/03/news/funny/superbowl_ads/index.htm
--------------------------------
For those new to "the dish", I once dreamed of being a sports-caster having my own column. Let me know if you don't like it, and/or want to be discontinued from the list. If you have another email address to send it to, send that to me also. For older issues of the dish, email me. domsdish@gmail.com or go to http://domsdish.blogspot.com/
Da Bears and Da Colts. Who saw this one coming? They just pick two random teams, fly them down to Miami and tell them they play for the national championship? Oh, this is the NFL, my bad. By the way, tickets are selling for upwards of $3,000. Note to readers, never turn down Super Bowl tickets. I won't. (They make an excellent Christmas gift no matter who's playing!)
Analysis:
So, the way the Bears played two weeks ago, they're unstoppable, right? I mean, their special teams weren't even "great" that game against New Orleans (besides their Punter), their Defense was a solid A, and their run game was fantastic. They handled both sides of the ball in the trenches and just plain beat the Saints - America's "new" team. (P.S. The Eagles will never be America's team as long as the Trenton Times cover them.) The Bears dominated a lot of the games they played all season, with some obvious exceptions: the Cardinals, Dolphins, Patriots and Packers. Grossman for all the knocks against him, had a good season. Sure he was inconsistent, but over 3,000 yards and 26 TD's. Oh, and those pesky 20 picks and 54.6% completion percentage. The bright spots,obviously a solid defense, an awesome special teamer in Devin Hester, and some unknown receivers in Bernard Berrian and Rashied Davis. In a weak conference, The Bears, they are who we thought the were!
(By the way, I like the two week gap between games. We're not talking 10 weeks like this past year in college football (for Ohio State), one extra week. These guys bash each other's heads in and take a beating with sore ankles, knees, turf toes and all, and people complain about lack of football for one damn week?!? Let them heal up so both teams have their players fresh and ready to go. On the other hand, it's gotta stink for the coaches and the offenses who were in rhythm all year, then this break. They have extra time to watch game film to prepare, or they could over-analyze. That's what makes it fun, and besides that, there is no disadvantage. They're all being paid thousands of dollars for that one week to rest. I'll not cry for them, you cannot have my tears, I am no gypsy.)
The Colts come in having "exorcised their demons" "got the monkey off their back" "beat their nemesis" and a thousand other cliches, but it's true. The pressure is not totally off though. They played just alright on both sides of the ball throughout this postseason, but wins are wins. During the regular season, Manning threw for 31 TD's and only 9 INT's, in the postseason, only 2 TD's and 6 INT's. Wow. There is no way he will continue on that path, is there? He's due for a big game, right? Their defense has stepped up and stopped giving up 100 yard rushers since the postseason began, and they have Adam Vinatieri. An excellent regular season, with a few exceptions, however, they know that there is one unfinished goal: Lombardi. The knock was that they won too many games in the regular season and didn't prepare well for the postseason. The focus it takes to win as many straight games (games in a row, not un-fruity games, that makes no sense) to open the 2005 and 2006 seasons, will pay off.
Prediction:
I wanted the Bears to win and get to the big game. It was a great moment. However, I was also rooting for Peyton Manning and the Colts. And I was grinning during the Bears game with the possibility that Rex would make it to the Super Bowl. He looked horrible sometimes. No awareness, no poise. They barely blitzed him, and he got happy feet. He didn't know it was the end of the quarter when trying to run a play. I am certain you will never see that happen to Peyton, unless someone sucks all of the football out of him. Now, I'm not going to say that Rex is "Da Worst," he is just inconsistent. He led his team to Miami, but so did Peyton. Like most everyone else in the world, I'm gonna take the Colts, with the line, but late. Seven points is a lot to be favored by, it'll probably be 30-21 (U over C), somewhere in that range. Vinatieri will come in handy, Peyton will throw two and Addai will score one (TDs). Peyton may make a mistake and give up a TD, maybe to Urlacher, but that extra week will give him the time needed to figure out how to, for the most part, pick apart the Bears Defense enough for the win. Rex will make at least one mistake, and the Colts will give up a TD on the ground, but not fall apart. Manning will get his, and all will be right in the world. If not, more El Nino, and no one wants that. I just can't wait until they bring out Eeyore to celebrate with his older brother. Poor Eli, why does Peyton keep kicking him in the hallway?
Colts 30 Bears 21
Coin Toss: Heads
First to score: Dallas Clark
Commercials:
And just to make it interesting, the moment you've all been waiting for: DomDom's Super Bowl Commercial preview. That's right folks, here it is, justin time for some Justin Timberlake, K-Fed and Paris Hilton appearances, it's Super Bowl commercial preview. My extensive connections in the NFL (NFL Films) were able to show a few that are sure to be hits. And it didn't cost me the $2.6 for this 30 second piece. (Yeah, 2.6 large! 30 seconds. $86,667 per second. That's some pressure to get your message across right the first time. $2,733,120,000,000 per year, I did the math. $2.7 trillion. For anyone that wants to knock the Super Bowl not being the "biggest stage," you can't argue on that point. Anyone else want to figure out what country they would buy with that?)
Go Daddy will have a "Basic Instinct" knock off, the Miller Lite cat fight girls are back in a pond with a twist!, K-Fed is in a Nationwide commercial, and there is bound to be at least one appearance of a few of the cavemen bickering and talking like they have lisps and braces. Robert Goulet will appear in one for Emerald Nuts ("Egyptian Navigators"), not to mention a few Bud Light commercial, one reference to saving someone from "GHT", and as promised, more working with monkeys in an office. Now I know who that commercial reminds me of, the poor Bordentown coaches! Enjoy the game and the entertainment I will bring....I meant it, the commercials, not me. I don't entertain, I just wanna dance!
Sources / further reading: http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/03/news/funny/superbowl_ads/index.htm
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For those new to "the dish", I once dreamed of being a sports-caster having my own column. Let me know if you don't like it, and/or want to be discontinued from the list. If you have another email address to send it to, send that to me also. For older issues of the dish, email me. domsdish@gmail.com or go to http://domsdish.blogspot.com/
Dom's Dish - Groundhog edition
Dom's Dish - Friday, February 2, 2007
And now, the conclusion of Jack Bauer vs. Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris filled in for Sean Hannity on an episode of "the popular" "Hannity & Colmes". (I don't know if I'll go as far as "popular." It's no "Lost" or "24.") Judging from last week's weak episode of "24" the series may have "jumped the shark" with the nuke this time, coupled with the death of Curtis in the same episode, and the impending movie...and the winner is CHUCK NORRIS! Sorry Jack Bauer, better luck next time. Guess you'll have to create some "survival guide to fight terrorism" or something to combat Chuck's "Chun Kuk Do" martial art form. After all, Chuck Norris has already been to Mars; that's why there are no signs of life there. Did I mention Norris was in a Mountain Dew commercial?
Breaking news: Brett Favre told a Mississippi paper that he will return to the NFL next season. Good, now they will stop talking about it!
I know what it is, we all want to witness greatness. I do. LeBron and Kobe, Peyton and LT, Sidney Crosby and Brodeur, Clemens and A-Rod. Whether it's someone on the brink or someone with a bright future sure to break all sorts of records by 2015 or whenever they retire. Those I mentioned are all from team sports, but perhaps two of the greatest we're witnessing are from the individual realm: Tiger Woods and Roger Federer.
Ok, I won't argue Tiger's "streak" of 7 events (there were events he didn't win but weren't on the PGA tour), but either way it's remarkable. On cue each tournament, eventually the competition crumbles at some point (like trying to make a snowball with the light snow that's fallen this winter in NJ). This past weekend, it was when Tiger hit the eagle put on the ninth hole. Within minutes, golfers were hitting their worst shots. They looked worse than me at Valleybrook County Club (Jaws' course in beautiful Blackwood, NJ: I recommend highly, especially when the beverage cart girl is out and there's nothing for you (or your friends) to damage the golf cart with) hitting the ball OVER the green and down 10 feet below the green. Federer has done an amazing job too, not losing a single set during this past Aussie Open? Federer's nemesis is coming up though in the French Open: Nadal and clay (in May). He hasn't won the French yet, but with that and Wimbledon both before his 26th birthday, Federer has the chance to pass Bjorn Borg to win 12 "majors" before his 26th birthday. Federer is dominating his sport, winning 3 "majors" in a row twice (Wimbledon, US, Australian 2005-2006, 2006-2007). Skipping of course the French in both years.
His good friend Tiger, the "Cablinasian" though, has won every major tournament, multiple times (4 Masters, 3 British, 3 PGA Championships, 2 US Opens). Though Tiger is not blowing the field away as he once did in 2000, he is in a way dismantling them each tournament. You just know he's going to win. Not expect, know. I saw he was only 2 back of the rookie Snedaker heading into Sunday and felt bad for the kid. The one who made plenty of comments about playing the "Tiger Woods Golf" video game after his amazing 11-under round day one, saw the real Tiger. Chewed up and spit out like the rest. I want to see Tiger win all four majors this year. Put him at 16 majors, two short of the Golden Bear. He'll win the first three in 2008, with the British Open as the 19th, which will make him the all time leader in majors, and would be 9 straight majors. It could happen. We're witnessing history with he, Federer, and the others I mentioned. Watch as much of them as possible. We'll be able to tell our grandkids about it.
Coaching News: A little late in reporting this here, but Omar Epps has been named the head coach in Pittsburgh. (Thanks honey for pointing that out a week ago, don't know why I waited so long to mention this news.) You be the judge
Finally watching some college basketball last night, I caught a little bit of the St. John's / Georgetown Big East matchup. Son of a! Yeah, that's right. Patrick Ewing and Doc Rivers both have sons that play for Georgetown. They play for son John Thompson III. Last night they played against Anthony Mason's son (St. John's). Talk about our four fathers! But seriously, St. John's was once decent in college hoops; and then Lou Carneseca retired in 1992. Carneseca's coaching record with St. John's: 526-200. Even after he left, they were able to recruit on that reputation. Guess it was Chris Mullin leaving? Sure and since I started writing this thesis about St. John's the point all along was to compare and contrast to Duke. Then they go out and lose in OT to UVA? Are you kidding me? Either way, my point was that in college hoops, so much of it comes down to coaching. Mike K - I'm not gonna attempt to spell that one - has recruited well, but I'm sure his biggest selling point is, well, him. The court is named after him for goodness sakes! He's had 7 #1 AP rankings at the end of the season with 10 Final Four appearances and 3 NCAA championships since 1985-86 (he's been coach since 1980-81). Again, history hear. Hopefully they stop losing when I mention them.
Andy Reid's sons. Back in my day, when moms and dads (some might call them "parents" but I call them "moms and dads") went away on vacation (I was never that lucky), people threw keggers or house parties. How times have changed. Now they ride around brandishing guns, speeding, running red lights and possessing hypodermic needles in the car? Oh yeah, that's because the one son did herion too. HEROIN!? They're mormons! Rastafarians believe marijuana is the "herb" they refer to in the bible. I know heroin ain't in no Book of Latter Day Saints! (And I don't mean they hide it in there, I mean in print.) You rarely see Andy Reid get pissed during a football game, probably one of the most high-stress and intense sports to coach. Now you make him cut his vacation short, admit to heroin use, and tarnish the family name? Oh, he's gonna be ppppiiiiiiisssssssed! P.S. Why are your sons driving GMC Denali's? You have a 1930-something Ford!
Around the balls:
Base- The wife beater back in Philly! They signed Pitcher Brett Myers to a 3 year $25.75 million deal. He won 12 games last year with a 3.31 ERA in 31 starts (7 losses as well). Will the Phils ever have a 20-game winner?
Foot- McNasty says all is well. In multiple interviews I watched him say the same thing, cool as a cucumber. Though not as funny as I've seen him in the past, I do still believe him. Once Manning wins his this weekend, McNabb will be the next QB to garner up some sympathy from the media for not winning one. Mark that down. I can't believe anyone actually took that article seriously. IT'S THE TRENTON TIMES, PEOPLE!
Rubber non- Sure, I mention how bad the 76ers were playing, now they're hot. I mention Brodeur's greatness and now he starts giving up 3-5 goals a game? At least the Devils played the horrific Flyers last night.
Basket- Poor Carmelo. 'Melo, for now, has been left off the Western Conference reserves roster for the All-Star game in 2 weeks in the Vegas. One non-snub: A.I. - the original aka Allen Iverson, made it to the reserves. I never liked 'Melo anyway, just something about him seems to me to be the un-LeBron. 'Melo, though will probably make the roster now that F Carlos Boozer of the Jazz is "out with a leg" for 3-4 weeks.
(Speaking of leg: Flipping through the channels last night I caught a few minutes of History Channel's "History of Sex" and found out why table skirts were invented. Story goes, back in Victorian days, women were expected to be pure until marriage and even then were not to enjoy sex, which obviously repressed the men. The term "limbs" was 'erotic' and they were afraid even seeing a table leg ("limb") would drive men to unusual unions with furniture. No lie. I saw this on History Channel, it wasn't a punch line. I also learned Charles Dickens even had a mistress for 20 years! Who knew!)
Sources / further reading:
http://cbs3.com/topstories/local_story_032125108.html : Reid's sons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Woods http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Norris http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastafarian#Ganja http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Krzyzewski
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For those new to "the dish", I once dreamed of being a sports-caster having my own column. Let me know if you don't like it, and/or want to be discontinued from the list. If you have another email address to send it to, send that to me also. For older issues of the dish, email me. domsdish@gmail.com or go to http://domsdish.blogspot.com/
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