END OF THE WEEK:
It's Saturday, so it's time for another installment of "End of the Week" for this, the third week of February. You know, by this time I usually end up just praying for March to start. After all, February relatively stinks with the cold, the no-football, the no good movies, etc. But with the Winter Olympics, TCM's "31 Days of Oscar" keeping me entertained, and this blog, I'm feeling pretty good at this point.
Besides, with some great moments like the following, how could this month not have been interesting? Anyways, the following are my picks for some of the week's best moments of the last seven days, featuring the return of you-know-who, Epic Beard Man and Kevin Smith's fat ass. Here we go:
Rant of the Week: Director Kevin Smith's Freakout of Southwest Airlines
Need another reason why Twitter is so powerful? It started on Sunday, when Smith, director of some okay movies like "Clerks" and "Dogma," was kicked out of a Southwest Airlines for being too fat... while sitting on the plane...with his bags already inside the plane...just before take-off. He then went off posting a few messages, and the rest is history.
Story of the Week (meaning both the Actual Story of the Week and the Tiger Woods Saga of '09 Memorial Story of the Week): Tiger Woods Apologizes in Televised Press Conference
The guy behind the most talked about story in late 2009 and one of my segments on this weekly column from now on returned on Friday for a brief, thirteen and a half minute press conference. But, as you might expect, it was addressed quietly. From the announcement of the date of the press conference and the "What will Tiger say?" storylines on Wednesday and Thursday, to the actual moment on Friday that was covered on all of the big channels (CNN, MSNBC, FOX News, ESPN, and, if I'm correct, three of the four major networks) and the constant reactions that followed, it was definitely the big thing of the past week.
Video of the Week: "AC TRANSIT BUS FIGHT I AM A MOTHERFUCKER"
My early favorite for Internet video of the year (and, like "David After Dentist" last year (my favorite from that time), it also was released in February, if you want to make a weird connection). It generated millions of hits instantly and even introduced a new viral star simple now known as Epic Beard Man. There's so much to say about it, but I'll just say one thing: if you're going to go into a fight with a bearded old man who's wearing a "I Am a Motherfucker" T-Shirt and was arrested and even tasered while in a fight a few years back while watching a baseball game like that gentleman did, you better know how to fight in the first place.
Person of the Week: Tiger Woods
for actually proving that he is alive. I mean, how long has it been since his last public appearance? October? Oh, and for the speech thing, I guess. Personally, I thought it was... okay, you know. I really don't have a strong care in the world about if it was good, if it was done right, etc. (but if you do want an opinion, just go on Google. The columns about it are endless from every type of website around the world). I am annoyed at how he says he doesn't know when he'll come back. Even though I still believe it will be during the Arnold Palmer Invitational in late March, it would've been nice to know a timeline, or something like that.
And that's the way it is! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you want to suggest anything to mj15 on his next blog entry, e-mail him at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mail might be addressed on a future post.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Random Thoughts: 02/15/10 -02/18/10
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
A quick note before I start: starting next week, I'm going to temporarily (?)change the amount of random thoughts per week from two on Mondays and sometime between Wednesday morning and Friday night to just one per week every Monday on the good old 7:30 p.m. time slot. The reason? Pretty much because of the lack of things to write about. More changes and new things are soon to come, but that's pretty much it for now.
Now, onto the show we go! The following were on my mind between Monday, February 15th and Thursday, February 17th:
- The kid in that McDonalds commercial where he thanks his mom for the Happy Meal even though his dad brought it to him has really made me mad for some reason. I mean, why did he even acknowledge his father? I haven't been this angry at a child in a commercial since that Kylie girl for Windows Vista.
- If double fudge chocolate cake is bad for you, then why did God make it so delicious?
- Lindsey Jacobellis is the Phil Mickelson of golf. She wins all the big events, but in the world's biggest stage, she chokes. Miserably. Speaking of which...
- Screw you, Ernie Els! You and I both know that 20x more people will watch the Tiger Woods press conference than your precious Accenture Match Play Championship. Just pay attention to winning the tournament.
-If I were to ever die, I want the Vincent van Gogh death. Not the actual way he died (suicide), but what happened after he died, when his work all of a sudden became more appreciated, and more famous than you were while you lived. That would be pretty awesome.
- I don't understand why the media is so into the White Sox are close to signing Johnny Damon story. Having followed the team for a long time, I can tell you that this whole thing will end with Kenny Williams not wanting to pay the $7 million a year. This will result in Damon going to the Tigers, where he will hit .280, 27 HRs, 76 RBIs, 90 Rs and 15 SBs and the Sox struggling in the outfield that features an overpriced right fielder, a so-so center fielder and an injury prone left fielder. In other words, it's more of a dream than a reality.
- Holy crap! Men's figure skating is creepily awesome! And captivating television too! And yes, I'm not afraid to admit it.
And that's that for the final (for now) mid week random thoughts column. More to come on Monday! And now, as I have done the last month, here is another great song from the brilliant late Jimi Hendrix. This week: "All Along the Watchtower." Another great example of why Hendrix was so great. He took an already good song by Bob Dylan, and made it awesome. What other musicians can you think of that does this? Anyways, enjoy:
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you want to suggest anything to mj15 on his next blog entry, e-mail him at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mail might be addressed on a future post.
A quick note before I start: starting next week, I'm going to temporarily (?)change the amount of random thoughts per week from two on Mondays and sometime between Wednesday morning and Friday night to just one per week every Monday on the good old 7:30 p.m. time slot. The reason? Pretty much because of the lack of things to write about. More changes and new things are soon to come, but that's pretty much it for now.
Now, onto the show we go! The following were on my mind between Monday, February 15th and Thursday, February 17th:
- The kid in that McDonalds commercial where he thanks his mom for the Happy Meal even though his dad brought it to him has really made me mad for some reason. I mean, why did he even acknowledge his father? I haven't been this angry at a child in a commercial since that Kylie girl for Windows Vista.
- If double fudge chocolate cake is bad for you, then why did God make it so delicious?
- Lindsey Jacobellis is the Phil Mickelson of golf. She wins all the big events, but in the world's biggest stage, she chokes. Miserably. Speaking of which...
- Screw you, Ernie Els! You and I both know that 20x more people will watch the Tiger Woods press conference than your precious Accenture Match Play Championship. Just pay attention to winning the tournament.
-If I were to ever die, I want the Vincent van Gogh death. Not the actual way he died (suicide), but what happened after he died, when his work all of a sudden became more appreciated, and more famous than you were while you lived. That would be pretty awesome.
- I don't understand why the media is so into the White Sox are close to signing Johnny Damon story. Having followed the team for a long time, I can tell you that this whole thing will end with Kenny Williams not wanting to pay the $7 million a year. This will result in Damon going to the Tigers, where he will hit .280, 27 HRs, 76 RBIs, 90 Rs and 15 SBs and the Sox struggling in the outfield that features an overpriced right fielder, a so-so center fielder and an injury prone left fielder. In other words, it's more of a dream than a reality.
- Holy crap! Men's figure skating is creepily awesome! And captivating television too! And yes, I'm not afraid to admit it.
And that's that for the final (for now) mid week random thoughts column. More to come on Monday! And now, as I have done the last month, here is another great song from the brilliant late Jimi Hendrix. This week: "All Along the Watchtower." Another great example of why Hendrix was so great. He took an already good song by Bob Dylan, and made it awesome. What other musicians can you think of that does this? Anyways, enjoy:
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you want to suggest anything to mj15 on his next blog entry, e-mail him at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mail might be addressed on a future post.
Random Thoughts: 02/12/10 -02/15/10
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
Enjoyed your Valentines Day? Enjoyed your Presidents Day (so far)? That's nice. Anyways, the following were on my mind between Friday, February 12th and Monday, February 15th:
- Based on the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games, I am officially convinced that there is no such thing as a black Canadian.
- SI's Peter King: "I believe there will be a (NFL) work stoppage in 2011." Worried? I'm not. After all, Peter King is the same person that said that Brett Favre was going to stay retired in 2009... and 2008. He also ranked the Saints as the 24th best team of the league in the preseason and picked the Bears to play in the Super Bowl. In conclusion... plan your 2011 fantasy season with no worries.
- Are 90% of all women's college basketball games called by the exact same woman?
- In a span of seven months, the new Cowboys Stadium has hosted two NFL preseason games, 8 NFL regular season games, an NFL postseason game, four college football games (including the Cotton Bowl), a college basketball game, and now the NBA All Star Game. It will also be the future site of next year's Super Bowl, and I'm guessing a WrestleMania and an NCAA Tournament or two. I don't know about you, but I'm starting to get tired of Jerry Jones's "Mona Lisa."
- Was the goal of the new "We Are the World" video to make it a parody of the last one?
- You ever have those moments when you watch something that you haven't watched since you were a kid, and you've had a completely different view of it? Well, that's what I had when I watched a replay of game 6 of the 2003 NLCS between the Cubs and the Marlins (a.k.a. the Bartman game). First off, I was surprised how the Cubs just collapsed after Juan Pierre's single! It's like once Moises Alou exploded, the entire team followed him like sheep. Other thoughts:
a. The reaction from Cubs fans was scary. From the "Asshole" chant, to the throwing of things, to the heckling and threats that were so bad, security had to rush him. It's like when you see someone destroy another person's card pyramid. THings were going so incredible that at one point they either couldn't believe it or were celebrating, and then when it gets ruined, they just release a series of f-bombs and blame everyone that ruined the perfect moment. Now add the fact that the person that was working on the card pyramid hadn't done it in over ninety years, and that reactions is even greater. Can't blame them though.
b. I'm not sure, but I think that the co-announcer for the game on FOX, either Steve Lyons or Al Leiter, was promoting violence to Bartman after the play. He seemed really upset that he did that and wanted Bartman to be askamed of himself.
c. I can't believe that Bartman was the goat of the game and not Alex Gonzalez.
d. Dusty Baker should be booed at everytime he comes to Chicago. Not only did he just sit there as his team collapsed, he ruined the careers of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood. During that game, Thom Brenneman said that Prior led the league that year in pitchers with 116 per game, including 124 pitches per game in the playoffs. Wood was also used often. Thanks to that, one of the best 1-2 punches that year and what should have been for another 5-8 years to come is just a thing of the past. Now, Wood is designated to closer for the Indians and Prior... well, he's gone. Another reason to be worried about Edison Volquez and Johnny Cueto if I were a Reds fan.
More random thoughts to come later this week! Until then, enjoy the final moments of your holiday doubleheader.
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you want to suggest anything to mj15 on his next blog entry, e-mail him at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mail might be addressed on a future post.
Enjoyed your Valentines Day? Enjoyed your Presidents Day (so far)? That's nice. Anyways, the following were on my mind between Friday, February 12th and Monday, February 15th:
- Based on the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games, I am officially convinced that there is no such thing as a black Canadian.
- SI's Peter King: "I believe there will be a (NFL) work stoppage in 2011." Worried? I'm not. After all, Peter King is the same person that said that Brett Favre was going to stay retired in 2009... and 2008. He also ranked the Saints as the 24th best team of the league in the preseason and picked the Bears to play in the Super Bowl. In conclusion... plan your 2011 fantasy season with no worries.
- Are 90% of all women's college basketball games called by the exact same woman?
- In a span of seven months, the new Cowboys Stadium has hosted two NFL preseason games, 8 NFL regular season games, an NFL postseason game, four college football games (including the Cotton Bowl), a college basketball game, and now the NBA All Star Game. It will also be the future site of next year's Super Bowl, and I'm guessing a WrestleMania and an NCAA Tournament or two. I don't know about you, but I'm starting to get tired of Jerry Jones's "Mona Lisa."
- Was the goal of the new "We Are the World" video to make it a parody of the last one?
- You ever have those moments when you watch something that you haven't watched since you were a kid, and you've had a completely different view of it? Well, that's what I had when I watched a replay of game 6 of the 2003 NLCS between the Cubs and the Marlins (a.k.a. the Bartman game). First off, I was surprised how the Cubs just collapsed after Juan Pierre's single! It's like once Moises Alou exploded, the entire team followed him like sheep. Other thoughts:
a. The reaction from Cubs fans was scary. From the "Asshole" chant, to the throwing of things, to the heckling and threats that were so bad, security had to rush him. It's like when you see someone destroy another person's card pyramid. THings were going so incredible that at one point they either couldn't believe it or were celebrating, and then when it gets ruined, they just release a series of f-bombs and blame everyone that ruined the perfect moment. Now add the fact that the person that was working on the card pyramid hadn't done it in over ninety years, and that reactions is even greater. Can't blame them though.
b. I'm not sure, but I think that the co-announcer for the game on FOX, either Steve Lyons or Al Leiter, was promoting violence to Bartman after the play. He seemed really upset that he did that and wanted Bartman to be askamed of himself.
c. I can't believe that Bartman was the goat of the game and not Alex Gonzalez.
d. Dusty Baker should be booed at everytime he comes to Chicago. Not only did he just sit there as his team collapsed, he ruined the careers of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood. During that game, Thom Brenneman said that Prior led the league that year in pitchers with 116 per game, including 124 pitches per game in the playoffs. Wood was also used often. Thanks to that, one of the best 1-2 punches that year and what should have been for another 5-8 years to come is just a thing of the past. Now, Wood is designated to closer for the Indians and Prior... well, he's gone. Another reason to be worried about Edison Volquez and Johnny Cueto if I were a Reds fan.
More random thoughts to come later this week! Until then, enjoy the final moments of your holiday doubleheader.
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you want to suggest anything to mj15 on his next blog entry, e-mail him at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mail might be addressed on a future post.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
End of the Week: 02/07/10- 02/13/10
END OF THE WEEK:
Lot of things happened this week. You had the Super Bowl, you had the Olympics, you had the NBA All Star Game and even a few things that didn't invlove sports. Here are my picks for some of the best moments for those last seven days:
Fact of the Week: Sunday's telecast of Super Bowl XLIV between the Saints and the Colts was watched by 106.5 million people, according to Nielsen. That higher than the ratings for the M*A*S*H finale in 1983, making it the most watched program in American history. You know, some people try to put an asterisk on it, saying that the country had 70 million less people in 1983. I cry foul on that. After all, people in this country have more options than they had back then. Besides, we all know that the number is WAY more than 106.5 million on account of the blizzard in the East Coast and all the Super Bowl parties that were held.
Stories of the Week:
The Actual Story of the Week: Olympic Luger Nodar Kumaritashvilli Dies During Train Run
First of all, why would anyone think of making a course that can make a person go as fast as 175km an hour? Also, why was there no nets or protection in that area? Did the people in charge of the course know that people have already called this one of hte most dangerous courses in competitive luge history?
/ sighs
/ shakes head in disgust knowing that this could have easily been prevented
The Tiger Woods Saga of '09 Memorial Story of the Week: Man Nearly Loses Tesitcle at a Super Bowl Party
Now, that, is not a way to treat your party host! Seriously though, that does sound pretty brutal. But at least we know that it wasn't just Peyton Manning that had a worse time in Florida this past Sunday.
Pun of the Week: Snowmaggedon, Snowpacolypse, Snowtorious B.I.G., or any other pun that was used to name the constant snow in the East Coast the past week and a half.
Video of the Week: The Major Technical Malfunction During the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony
Another great sign that this will be one of the worst Winter Olympics ever (other than the fact that there's no snow in the area and the death of the luger who's family my heart goes out to). So here's what was supposed to happen: four of the greatest living Canadian athletes of all time (Wayne Gretzky, Steve Nash, Le May Doan and paralympic Rick Hanson) were supposed to stand in four different corners with four different Olympic torches while a cauldron with four different torch lighting areas, where each of them use to light the torch. But that didn't happen what did happen was chaos and some great unintentional comedy:
[Note: I couldn't find any site to embed it to you, so here's the video via Gawker TV (http://tv.gawker.com/5470990/opening-ceremonies-go-off-without-a-hitch-except-for-that-major-technical-malfunction)]
And to think that this happened five minute after I turned off the TV. GAAAHHH! Anyways, wasn't it funny though? Especially the look on Wayne Gretzky's face while the other three were awkwardly smiling:
You know, for a minute there, I actually thought that he was gonna choke someone.
People of the Week: The New Orleans Saints
for bringing the city of New Orleans something to cheer about this past week after winning Super Bowl XLIV. You know, while it has been proven that a sports championship doesn't bring economic fortune to a beat down city like that (just ask Pittsburgh), it most certainly has brought great happiness, and even some confidence in the citizens of a better future. And that most certainly deserves a little recognition.
And that's the way it is! Other top stories and moments from the past week, including the tragic shooting at the University of Alabama, the NBA Slam Dunk contest, and much more. Otherwise, enjoy your Presidents Day/Valentines Day weekend!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you want to suggest anything to mj15 on his next blog entry, e-mail him at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mail might be addressed on a future post.
Lot of things happened this week. You had the Super Bowl, you had the Olympics, you had the NBA All Star Game and even a few things that didn't invlove sports. Here are my picks for some of the best moments for those last seven days:
Fact of the Week: Sunday's telecast of Super Bowl XLIV between the Saints and the Colts was watched by 106.5 million people, according to Nielsen. That higher than the ratings for the M*A*S*H finale in 1983, making it the most watched program in American history. You know, some people try to put an asterisk on it, saying that the country had 70 million less people in 1983. I cry foul on that. After all, people in this country have more options than they had back then. Besides, we all know that the number is WAY more than 106.5 million on account of the blizzard in the East Coast and all the Super Bowl parties that were held.
Stories of the Week:
The Actual Story of the Week: Olympic Luger Nodar Kumaritashvilli Dies During Train Run
First of all, why would anyone think of making a course that can make a person go as fast as 175km an hour? Also, why was there no nets or protection in that area? Did the people in charge of the course know that people have already called this one of hte most dangerous courses in competitive luge history?
/ sighs
/ shakes head in disgust knowing that this could have easily been prevented
The Tiger Woods Saga of '09 Memorial Story of the Week: Man Nearly Loses Tesitcle at a Super Bowl Party
Now, that, is not a way to treat your party host! Seriously though, that does sound pretty brutal. But at least we know that it wasn't just Peyton Manning that had a worse time in Florida this past Sunday.
Pun of the Week: Snowmaggedon, Snowpacolypse, Snowtorious B.I.G., or any other pun that was used to name the constant snow in the East Coast the past week and a half.
Video of the Week: The Major Technical Malfunction During the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony
Another great sign that this will be one of the worst Winter Olympics ever (other than the fact that there's no snow in the area and the death of the luger who's family my heart goes out to). So here's what was supposed to happen: four of the greatest living Canadian athletes of all time (Wayne Gretzky, Steve Nash, Le May Doan and paralympic Rick Hanson) were supposed to stand in four different corners with four different Olympic torches while a cauldron with four different torch lighting areas, where each of them use to light the torch. But that didn't happen what did happen was chaos and some great unintentional comedy:
[Note: I couldn't find any site to embed it to you, so here's the video via Gawker TV (http://tv.gawker.com/5470990/opening-ceremonies-go-off-without-a-hitch-except-for-that-major-technical-malfunction)]
And to think that this happened five minute after I turned off the TV. GAAAHHH! Anyways, wasn't it funny though? Especially the look on Wayne Gretzky's face while the other three were awkwardly smiling:
You know, for a minute there, I actually thought that he was gonna choke someone.
People of the Week: The New Orleans Saints
for bringing the city of New Orleans something to cheer about this past week after winning Super Bowl XLIV. You know, while it has been proven that a sports championship doesn't bring economic fortune to a beat down city like that (just ask Pittsburgh), it most certainly has brought great happiness, and even some confidence in the citizens of a better future. And that most certainly deserves a little recognition.
And that's the way it is! Other top stories and moments from the past week, including the tragic shooting at the University of Alabama, the NBA Slam Dunk contest, and much more. Otherwise, enjoy your Presidents Day/Valentines Day weekend!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you want to suggest anything to mj15 on his next blog entry, e-mail him at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mail might be addressed on a future post.
Random Thoughts: Post Super Bowl Edition
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
The following were on my mind after Monday's Super Bowl column to Friday, February 12th:
- Top ten sporting events to look forward to and watch now that football season is over:
10. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness stakes (and maybe the Belmont Stakes if the horse wins the first two races)
Nothing like spending three weeks in May and June trying to see a horse win the three best races in the world, am I right? And it only takes two minute, so you can quickly go back to what your doing in no time!
9. MLB Season
It will really be the only sporting event that you can watch daily between the boring months of July and August, when the NFL, NBA and NHL are in hiatus, and golf and tennis will have only two tournaments to care about. But it get points taken off because unless your team is winning, a game has playoff implications, or it's a real good hitter or pitcher playing, it's gets a little dull watching it. Which is why televising every Little League World Series game is one of the worst things ESPN has done.
8. The NFL and NBA Drafts
The one time of the year where even the league's worst team's fans feel a sense of hope and a better future in the form of a twenty year old that's fresh out of college. Unless the draft pick sucks, then that brings even more depression to the fanbase.
7. Wimbledon Men's Finals
I don't know about you, but as an American I like watching major sporting events that take place in Europe and shown live. Take Wimbledon for instance. You wake up to see some of the world's best players, men and women, fight it out for two whole weeks. Then every day the final match ends around 2-3 p.m. American time, leaving you plenty of time to do things. And the Wimbledon men's finals is probably my favorite time to experience this feeling.
No offfense to the women's side of the tournament, but the men's side is usually the one that brings two of the worlds top players, and not players ranked between #15 and #40 in the world. Also, it has also recently become the site of the year's most entertaining matches as shown by the epic Federer-Roddick duel of last year and the all-timer Nadal-Federer duel two years ago. Add in the tradition and the history, and that is a pretty sweet way to spend your Sunday morning on the couch.
6. NHL Playoffs
Not as good watching it as it was back when Gary Thorne was calling the games, but it's still good. Also, it seems to be the NHL with some of the best postseason overtime games and drama throughout the seven game series. Then again, for me, it may be because the Blackhawks have a chance of winning it all this year. I don't really know myself.
5. Winter Olympics in Vancouver
To all those that say that they will not watch the Winter Olympics, I'm calling foul. I'm calling foul because you and I both know that while you say this, you will still find yourself watching Canada play Switzerland in a curling quarterfinals match at 9 a.m. in the morning. And do you know why is that? Because there's nothing better on during this time, that's why! (and slightly because curling is a fascinating sport to watch. Especially if you've never watched it before.)
Curling aside, it's also the only time when you get to see sports and moments that you won't see in sports for four years. This is the only time when you can watch things like luge, the ski jump, the weird biathlon that they have, and figure skating without looking either weird or a European elitist. You get to see athletes battle the best they can for their countries. Also, when you talk about hockey, this is arguably the best stage to watch the sport in. And, yes, it does bring some great moments from time to time. So don't lie to me that you won't watch it, because really what will you watch? (besides basketball and Tiger Woods-less golf).
4. The NBA from May 1st to August 1st
Normally, I would just say the NBA playoffs (which is from late April to mid June) because, well, it's the NBA playoffs. But this year is different, simply because of the amazing free agents coming at the end of the season. And what a list it is, that can include Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Tracy McGrady, David Lee, Joe Johnson, Ray Allen, Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Michael Redd, Manu Ginobili, Carlos Boozer, and much more! I mean, just think of all the possibilities, all the teams whose outlook can change for the better, etc.! It all makes up for the possibility of a lockout in 2011.
3. The Golf Majors
For about forty eight weeks of the year, professional golf is boring and hard to watch. Nut then there are those magical four weeks in the spring and sumner that make up for all that. The drama, the greatest golf announcer ever, Jim Nantz (as well as the stupid one-liners of his that he planned hours in advance) calling half of them, the possible great moments, and the hours that you spend watching it are always great. Not to mention the uniqueness of each of the tournaments, with the all around greatness of The Masters in April, the incredibly challenging and grueling U.S. Open in June, the traditional and history of the Open Championship in July and the... "it's a major" feeling of the PGA Championship. Now, add in the drama and what might happen when Tiger Woods come back from his... issues, and it's going to be even better.
2. FIFA World Cup in South Africa
This is like the Super Bowl... but filled with more viewers, more importance, more pride and more nationalism. There's really nothing much to say, other than how over a billion people watched and cared about the last time and how it's the freaking World Cup.
1. NCAA Basketball in March
While the World Cup is fantastic, millions of people don't take a day off from work to watch it. It also doesn't have a fake disease named after it, in this case March Madness (probably one of the most simple, yet brilliant trademarks in sports other than The Big Game and America's Pastime) as well as millions of people filling out on paper who's going to go how far for money. From the always entertaining and incredible conference tournaments in mid March to the final game in early April, the NCAA tournament brings many great things at the table. You have the school pride, Gus Johnson, future NBA stars, games with incredible endings, the lovable cinderellas like George Mason and Davidson that we always love and cheer on, and much more (in fact, Sports Illustrated wrote an article in April 2008 writing a list of 65 great things about it), and that could just happen all in one day! Not only that, but it makes the BCS system of NCAA football a total sham in the process. And until something more incredible show up, or if the field is expanded (very bad idea), nothing can ever top it.
- I'm starting to think that the CSI franchise is either becoming desperate, or running out of ideas. Rascal Flatts? Professional Golfers? Danica Patrick? A case in space? Please!
- If you ever see me trying to disrespect my girlfriend, try to act more manly or not wear any pants in public, blame this year's Super Bowl commercials.
- Putting "Undercover Boss" on after the Super Bowl was a pointless move by CBS for it will not last very long. (Note to all of you 2014 readers: if you want any evidence as to why I am terrible at predictions, and if "Undercover Boss" is a successful show, this is a good one to use. Go ahead, I'll sadly allow it.)
- Does "American Idol" have the rights to performing the national anthem at the Super Bowl? I mean, the last three years did have their past contestants singing it!
- Whenever I see ABC talk about, promote, or show repeats of "Modern Family," all I can think of them saying is: Holy crap, everyone! We actually have a great comedy, everyone! Can you believe it? For the first time in fifteen years, we have the rights of showing a comedy that is both funny... and popular! Hey, I know, let's promote the hell out of it! Reminds me of Subway a few weeks after the $5 footlong campaign launched, or Showtime with "Dexter."
And... that's that! As always, I hope you enjoyed it, an I will see you this weekend with another edition of "End of the Week." But first, how about another Jimi Hendrix song? Last week, it was "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)." This week, it's another song with a very memorable guitar riff. I'm of course speaking about "Purple Haze." Hey, did you know that this week, my lit. teacher randomly chosen Hendrix to me for my black history month project? Pretty weird, huh? Anyways, enjoy one of the guitar legend's best:
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you want to suggest anything to mj15 on his next blog entry, e-mail him at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mail might be addressed on a future post.
The following were on my mind after Monday's Super Bowl column to Friday, February 12th:
- Top ten sporting events to look forward to and watch now that football season is over:
10. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness stakes (and maybe the Belmont Stakes if the horse wins the first two races)
Nothing like spending three weeks in May and June trying to see a horse win the three best races in the world, am I right? And it only takes two minute, so you can quickly go back to what your doing in no time!
9. MLB Season
It will really be the only sporting event that you can watch daily between the boring months of July and August, when the NFL, NBA and NHL are in hiatus, and golf and tennis will have only two tournaments to care about. But it get points taken off because unless your team is winning, a game has playoff implications, or it's a real good hitter or pitcher playing, it's gets a little dull watching it. Which is why televising every Little League World Series game is one of the worst things ESPN has done.
8. The NFL and NBA Drafts
The one time of the year where even the league's worst team's fans feel a sense of hope and a better future in the form of a twenty year old that's fresh out of college. Unless the draft pick sucks, then that brings even more depression to the fanbase.
7. Wimbledon Men's Finals
I don't know about you, but as an American I like watching major sporting events that take place in Europe and shown live. Take Wimbledon for instance. You wake up to see some of the world's best players, men and women, fight it out for two whole weeks. Then every day the final match ends around 2-3 p.m. American time, leaving you plenty of time to do things. And the Wimbledon men's finals is probably my favorite time to experience this feeling.
No offfense to the women's side of the tournament, but the men's side is usually the one that brings two of the worlds top players, and not players ranked between #15 and #40 in the world. Also, it has also recently become the site of the year's most entertaining matches as shown by the epic Federer-Roddick duel of last year and the all-timer Nadal-Federer duel two years ago. Add in the tradition and the history, and that is a pretty sweet way to spend your Sunday morning on the couch.
6. NHL Playoffs
Not as good watching it as it was back when Gary Thorne was calling the games, but it's still good. Also, it seems to be the NHL with some of the best postseason overtime games and drama throughout the seven game series. Then again, for me, it may be because the Blackhawks have a chance of winning it all this year. I don't really know myself.
5. Winter Olympics in Vancouver
To all those that say that they will not watch the Winter Olympics, I'm calling foul. I'm calling foul because you and I both know that while you say this, you will still find yourself watching Canada play Switzerland in a curling quarterfinals match at 9 a.m. in the morning. And do you know why is that? Because there's nothing better on during this time, that's why! (and slightly because curling is a fascinating sport to watch. Especially if you've never watched it before.)
Curling aside, it's also the only time when you get to see sports and moments that you won't see in sports for four years. This is the only time when you can watch things like luge, the ski jump, the weird biathlon that they have, and figure skating without looking either weird or a European elitist. You get to see athletes battle the best they can for their countries. Also, when you talk about hockey, this is arguably the best stage to watch the sport in. And, yes, it does bring some great moments from time to time. So don't lie to me that you won't watch it, because really what will you watch? (besides basketball and Tiger Woods-less golf).
4. The NBA from May 1st to August 1st
Normally, I would just say the NBA playoffs (which is from late April to mid June) because, well, it's the NBA playoffs. But this year is different, simply because of the amazing free agents coming at the end of the season. And what a list it is, that can include Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Tracy McGrady, David Lee, Joe Johnson, Ray Allen, Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Michael Redd, Manu Ginobili, Carlos Boozer, and much more! I mean, just think of all the possibilities, all the teams whose outlook can change for the better, etc.! It all makes up for the possibility of a lockout in 2011.
3. The Golf Majors
For about forty eight weeks of the year, professional golf is boring and hard to watch. Nut then there are those magical four weeks in the spring and sumner that make up for all that. The drama, the greatest golf announcer ever, Jim Nantz (as well as the stupid one-liners of his that he planned hours in advance) calling half of them, the possible great moments, and the hours that you spend watching it are always great. Not to mention the uniqueness of each of the tournaments, with the all around greatness of The Masters in April, the incredibly challenging and grueling U.S. Open in June, the traditional and history of the Open Championship in July and the... "it's a major" feeling of the PGA Championship. Now, add in the drama and what might happen when Tiger Woods come back from his... issues, and it's going to be even better.
2. FIFA World Cup in South Africa
This is like the Super Bowl... but filled with more viewers, more importance, more pride and more nationalism. There's really nothing much to say, other than how over a billion people watched and cared about the last time and how it's the freaking World Cup.
1. NCAA Basketball in March
While the World Cup is fantastic, millions of people don't take a day off from work to watch it. It also doesn't have a fake disease named after it, in this case March Madness (probably one of the most simple, yet brilliant trademarks in sports other than The Big Game and America's Pastime) as well as millions of people filling out on paper who's going to go how far for money. From the always entertaining and incredible conference tournaments in mid March to the final game in early April, the NCAA tournament brings many great things at the table. You have the school pride, Gus Johnson, future NBA stars, games with incredible endings, the lovable cinderellas like George Mason and Davidson that we always love and cheer on, and much more (in fact, Sports Illustrated wrote an article in April 2008 writing a list of 65 great things about it), and that could just happen all in one day! Not only that, but it makes the BCS system of NCAA football a total sham in the process. And until something more incredible show up, or if the field is expanded (very bad idea), nothing can ever top it.
- I'm starting to think that the CSI franchise is either becoming desperate, or running out of ideas. Rascal Flatts? Professional Golfers? Danica Patrick? A case in space? Please!
- If you ever see me trying to disrespect my girlfriend, try to act more manly or not wear any pants in public, blame this year's Super Bowl commercials.
- Putting "Undercover Boss" on after the Super Bowl was a pointless move by CBS for it will not last very long. (Note to all of you 2014 readers: if you want any evidence as to why I am terrible at predictions, and if "Undercover Boss" is a successful show, this is a good one to use. Go ahead, I'll sadly allow it.)
- Does "American Idol" have the rights to performing the national anthem at the Super Bowl? I mean, the last three years did have their past contestants singing it!
- Whenever I see ABC talk about, promote, or show repeats of "Modern Family," all I can think of them saying is: Holy crap, everyone! We actually have a great comedy, everyone! Can you believe it? For the first time in fifteen years, we have the rights of showing a comedy that is both funny... and popular! Hey, I know, let's promote the hell out of it! Reminds me of Subway a few weeks after the $5 footlong campaign launched, or Showtime with "Dexter."
And... that's that! As always, I hope you enjoyed it, an I will see you this weekend with another edition of "End of the Week." But first, how about another Jimi Hendrix song? Last week, it was "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)." This week, it's another song with a very memorable guitar riff. I'm of course speaking about "Purple Haze." Hey, did you know that this week, my lit. teacher randomly chosen Hendrix to me for my black history month project? Pretty weird, huh? Anyways, enjoy one of the guitar legend's best:
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you want to suggest anything to mj15 on his next blog entry, e-mail him at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mail might be addressed on a future post.
Who Dat Say They Gonna Beat Them Saints?: Some Final Thoughts on Super Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV- New Orleans Saints: 31, Indianapolis Colts: 17 (FINAL)
And there you have it, another stellar season ending to another stellar season. Yes, sir, the game had it all: two of the best teams in the league, two players named Pierre scoring touchdowns, a fourth down stop, a kicker making three 40+ yard field goals, the first onside kick in SB history not in the fourth quarter, the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, two great offenses, an epic pick six, and even the return of the legend that is the Peyton Manning face. There were $3 million commercials, a band that is as old as the Super Bowl itself performing for twelve minutes, and even a nationwide viewership of 106.7 million (the largest audience in American television history). But in the end, it was the Saints and the now enthusiastic city of New Orleans that ended up winning the Lombardi Trophy at days end.
It shouldn't come as a surprise, yet I tend to get a little angry every time I make a wrong prediction, especially in the playoffs. Not angry as in mad, but more like an upset type of angry. Usually the two things I get upset are at two things: myself, and for some reason, the team that won for not doing what they were supposed to do and lose. So, did that tradition continue for me on Sunday? Did I get upset at the Saints for winning this ballgame, losing me a sum of money, becoming my third incorrect Super Bowl pick ever, and embarrassing me especially after I made an over one thousand word piece as to why I thought the Colts would win?
The answer: no. And how could I? They were one of the best teams the entire season (with an 13-0 record at one point, if I might add) with one of the most exciting team to watch week in and week out for not just this past season, but for the last four years ever since they started playing in the Louisiana Superdome again. They have Drew Brees, who with this win has now cemented is place as one of the top five QBs of the decade (along with Manning, Brady, Roethlesberger and, in a tie, Favre and Warner) and the guy you always had to have on your fantasy team year in and year out (or at least for me, as he was the starter in my only championship team back in 2007 and a beast in producing points), as well as the offensive master and ballsiest coach in the league. They were also my second favorite team the last four years not located in Chicago.
The team has been one of the best symbols of hope in a city that was in living hell and really one of the few things that distracted them, if only for three hours every week, from the troubles that they can still see every week. They have turned the franchise around from one of the biggest laughinstocks year in and year out to a possible dynasty. And let's not forget that great relationship with the fans, which can only be matched with that of Pittsburgh and the Steelers as well as Green Bay and the Packers.
But enough about why the Saints are awesome, let's get into the game. Overall, I guess you can say it was the type of game that was thought of to be. In the beginning, most people were predicting either a Colts blowout or a match which would be an up-and-down, close battle that will mostly go down to which side will make the biggest plays And on Sunday, the latter scenario turned out to be the case. After the end of the first quarter, it appeared that the Colts, who were leading 10-0 (note: only one team in Super Bowl history before this game came back from a ten point or more deficit to win the big game) would go on to win the game, and big stories like how the Colts crushed New Orleans, the possibility of a dynasty ahead, how Manning is one of the greatest QBs of all time, etc., would be leading headlines across the country on Monday morning. But, for some reason, the Saints would not allow that to happen.
The reasons were simple: ballsy coaching moves by Sean Payton, a great second half offense and a well done job by the Saints passing defense. The first real example of this came in the end of the second quarter. With New Orleans down 10-3 and with the ball one yard away from the end zone, Sean Payton decided on going for it rather then trying for the easy three points. And even though Mike Bell's run was stopped beautifully by the Colts defense, it did prove to be a good thing for the team. Because a few plays after that happened, the Colts played conservative, deciding on three consecutive rushing plays that resulted in a fourth down and New Orleans football with less than a minute to play. The Saints then ended up getting good field position, and it all ended with Garrett Hartley making the long field to make the score after the first half 10-6 Colts.
After, things only got better for New Orleans. After a thirty minute break that featured a less than spectacular performance by The Who (we'll get to that later), the Saints were set to kick off to the Colts to start the second half. But Saints coach Sean Payton had other plans. Instead of kicking it off, he make a gutsy move (probably one of the gutsiest move in this game's 44 year history) by going for the ONSIDE FREAKIN' KICK (the first attempted onside kick in Super Bowl history that was not in the fourth quarter)... and succeeding! (all thanks to Hank Basket for not catching the ball). A few plays later, Drew Brees connects with Pierre Thomas for a Saints TD, giving them a 13-10 lead, their first lead of the Super Bowl. The Colts ended up right back in there by immediately getting a touchdown to lead 17-13. Unfortunately for Indianapolis, it was all Who Dat? nation from there on.
For starters, Drew Brees played like Terry Bradshaw from then on, having all but one pass thrown completed and finishing the game 32-39, an 82% completion percentage (second best all time in a Super Bowl. In a related note, Brees also broke the NFL record for best completion percentage with one that was nearly 71%. It's amazing that only two teams, the Saints and the Dolphins, wanted him when he was a free agent!), for 288 yards, 2 TDs and no INTs. Second, they only gave Peyton Manning and the Colts offense little time with the football. And when they did, it didn't finish well, one time with a missed field goal by Matt Stover, and the other with probably the play that put the game away.
With 4:20 to play in the game and the Saints up 24-17, the Colts had the football in Saints territory with a chance to tie the ballgame up. On 3rd & 5 Manning, who had a relatively great game up until this point, took a simple three step drop pass to Reggie Wayne, a play that they must have completed hundreds of time over the years. Now, whether it was Manning fault for throwing the ball too wide and/or too short, or whether it was Wayne for not being in the right spot will never be determined. Either way, Tracy Porter, one of the key players in that Saints secondary that led the league in INTs, made it to the ball, caught it, and ran it for the touchdown. Ballgame over, Super Bowl over, season over.
And so, here we are. The Saints aren't the 'Aints any longer, Mardi Gras in New Orleans just started a week early, and Drew Brees and Sean Payton are now gods in the minds of people all over the Bayou. As for the Colts, I don't want to say that this loss was worse than the Patriots going 18-1, but it's really darn close. After all, from the moment they stupidly and snobbishly benched their starters in week 16, (because it has worked SO WELL for them) they just sent a message out there that they were going to play for the Super Bowl. It's all about resting your starters, they said. We're going after the title, they said. Well, not only they didn't do this, but they also embarrassed themselves in the process by giving up a ten point lead, an onside kick, an INT in the drive they needed to score and many other embarrassments in the process. And now, instead of being known as the team that could have been 18-1 (which definitely would've happened), they will just be known as another year that solidifies their seat as the Atlanta Braves of the NFL.
Other stuff:
The Bridgestone Halftime Show (starring The Who)
All right, I'll admit that it wasn't TERRIBLE. The stage was well designed, the song choices were just right and the crowd seemed to be really into it (unlike previous Super Bowls). And the voice of Roger Daltry was all right. But it was still sub-par nonetheless. Also, it wasn't actually The Who, but more like the two remaining members of it. After all, if Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr performed in a show, would you consider it a performance by The Beatles? Of course not. But at least it was better than Carrie Underwood's performance of the national anthem. I'm not saying it was bad, but that was the only time that entire day my dad turned down the volume.
The Commercials:
Dear, God, did this year's slate of commercials suck. It was as if most of them were thought of by the advertisers two weeks before the game when they finally realized that they still didn't have an idea of an ad, and just took any random suggestion made by the people in charge (hence this year's Bud Light commercial). And they were unoriginal, too. In fact, I believe that more than half featured either the idea of either "Hey, guy, buy this product to restore your manhood now!" or featured football in it. In fact, I even made a top five of the worst commercials:
5. Bud Light- Autotuning
It's good that the folks over at Bud finally recognized the big craze of 2006 and address it, even though dozens of people have already made autotuning satire before them.
4. Sketchers Shape-Ups
Boring, and questionable. After all, if you're gonna have Joe Montana saying something about your product, you might as well actually show him in the commercial instead of paying him to read a scripted line for him to quote, right?
3. Bud Light- Asteroid
Predictable, crude and humorless. Geez, Bud, what happened to those funny commercials you used to make like the brilliant Magic Fridge and Rock, Paper Scissors One ones? Now, you just don't even care anymore.
2. Any Go Daddy.com commercial
Okay, this is what I don't get about GoDaddy.com: it's supposed to be a website where you can purchase a domain name for your website. So why do they make these commercials featuring attractive, well-breasted women? First of all, they're unfunny and boring, with the exception of the Super Bowl XXXIX one. Also, they don't show anything that offensive, so why do they not just play the commercials in it's entirety than put them on their website? Anyways, the commercials are a piece of you-know-what, and I'll leave it at that.
1. Boost Mobile's "Super Bowl Shuffle" remake
Holy crap, was this bad!
a. For one thing, the original video was bad in itself. So why even bother on remaking it?
b. Terrible performance by the players.
c. Not funny, which I think was the edge they were trying to go to
d. Sixty year old wearing a thong.
e. It's one of those "Go to our website to see the rest of the video" ad, which never works and is stupid.
There were still some good ones, though (thanfully). Here is a list of them (and unlike the worst, this isn't ranked, for some reason):
- The Coca-Cola "Hard Times" ad featuring The Simpsons
While I'm more of a Pepsi guy, I always find myself a sucker for all of those Coke commercials. And this one was a great example of that, featuring almost all of the most popular characters (and Spider Pig), and another good "lend a hand" message from the company.
- Hyundai's Brett Favre ad
You know, for a guy that has looked like one of the league's biggest drama queen the last two seasons, he does a good job at making fun of himself. First the Sears ad, and now this one.
- Flo TV's "Moments"
Well done from beginning to end, featuring some well crafted clips and a short, yet well shown message. Add in The Who's "My Generation" performed by will.i.am as well as the fact that it made up for the two other Flo TV ads, and you have yourself a winner.
- Snicker's Betty White ad
The funniest commercial of the night. Well done by Betty White, and it's a nice thing to know that Abe Vigoda isn't dead yet (though he might have after that hit).
- Google's "Search On"
I mentioned this before, but I still don't get why Google is advertising themselves on TV. It's not 1999, so we have heard of them before. Besides, it's not like the place isn't went on. Millions of people go on it everyday to search for stuff. That being said, it was sweet and touching without saying a word. It also restates how you can use Google for pretty much anything, so that's good, too.
- Budweiser's Clydesdale Friend
Not as good Clydesdale commercials of the past few years. But still... how can you not love the Clydesdales? Come on people, they're a freakin' American icon at this point! Also, unlike the Bud Light ads that tried to be funny, this commercial used the emotional way... and succeeded.
There were some other okay ones, but that was about it... okay.
Now, let's get to the big one: despite all of those, the one commercial that I definitely think stood out the most was not commercial. It was a short, 15 second promo for "The Late Show with David Letterman" featuring David Letterman watching the Super Bowl with Oprah Winfrey and Jay Leno. That one had me shocked and mesmerized at the same time. It got me shocked obviously because of the whole Late Night War of '10 that happened a month ago and mesmerized because it terrifically captured both comedy, surprise and timing. I mean, who da thunk that this was going to happen before the game.
After all, you had David Letterman and Jay Leno in the same room (which must have been quite awkward during the shooting of it), two late night rivals that shared some bitter exchanges at each other last month, along with Oprah Winfrey, another previous "rival" of Dave's in the middle of it all. Not to mention that you had Jay promoting the show that will compete with his starting in March, which brings up many questions. Now, if they had just added Conan O'Brien in there, and it would have heads explode. And for that, I award it as my pick as the best commercial of the night, by far.
Miscellaneous:
- I don't know why people are congratulating Tom Benson and crediting as one of the main reasons the Saints won the game. The guy thought of moving the team to Los Angeles or San Antonio permanently after Katrina! But he just so happened to sign the checks of the players, and he's a mastermind? I don't get it. If there was any person in the Saints management who should have gotten the credit, it should have been his daughter, Rita.
- Some pregame signs as to why the Saints were going to win:
1. The Saints were the team wearing the white/road uniform. The team wearing the white/road uniform has won the last five Super Bowls before Sunday's game.
2. The guys in charge Madden NFL '10 simulated the game and it had the Saints on top. Before the game, they predicted five of the last six Super Bowls correctly.
3. The Saints have the "Who Dat?" slogan. The Who was playing in the Super Bowl halftime show.
- Back to the final drive by the Colts in the first half: Really? So, let me get this straight, the Colts have one of the greatest quarterbacks ever and an offense that was dominant in the first half, and they ended up running the ball? Did they not know that the Saints had all three timeouts left and would've had good field position had they gotten the ball back? (sighing)
- No camera shots of Kim Kardashian the entire game, CBS? The folks over at FOX are very angry at you.
- The highlight for me after the trophy presentation: reading the Internet comments from the blame it on everybody but the team Colts fans and the "Thank you so much. Colts fans are the worst fans in the world. And Peyton Manning is WAY overrated" Patriots fans. You know, for two fan bases that are hundreds of miles apart, they both are eerily similar.
- Serious question: What the hell is a Super Bowl halftime "report"? Do they show highlights from other games?
- On a scale of 1-10, how does the fact that the NFC has won the last 13 Super Bowl coin tosses rank among the most unbelievable streaks in sports? Considering how there is a 50/50 chance every year, I'd give it a Spinal Tap 11.
- That's it? This was the controversial Tim Tebow-Tim Tebow's mom pro-life ad?:
Wow. I don't know about you, but I expected something more than just some lady talking about her child and an unfunny tackle. Overall, if there was any example of media hype, that was a big one.
- After all that has happened, Drew Brees's signing with New Orleans in 2006 has to go down as one of the best free agent signing in NFL history. Not only did he lead the team to the Lombardi Trophy, he also was the leader to one of the league's best offenses the last four years, has taken a great amount of time helping the city of New Orleans rebuild in their post-Katrina world, become one of the city's most likable and most popular person and is basically the main reason why the Saints were relevant all these years, why free agents joined up here and why Sean Payton continued to keep his job. Not to mention that only two teams wanted him (the Saints and the Dolphins). If it's not the greatest, then it's pretty darn close.
And...that's that. So, congrats to Saints fans everywhere on their glorious victory. While it may not bring economic recovery to the city, you know that it has dramatically changed the city's mentality for a long time. And as for Colts fans... well, at least you're the favorite to win next year. And for everyone else, I hoped you enjoyed reading this and I will see you later on this week.
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you want to suggest anything to mj15 on his next blog entry, e-mail him at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mail might be addressed on a future post
Sunday, February 7, 2010
End of the Week: 01/31/10- 02/06/10
END OF THE WEEK:
Well, the first week featuring February dates on the calendar has come and gone. And while it may not have been as big as this week will be (the Super Bowl, the Winter Olympics, etc.), it did have some good moments. Here are my picks for the best of those moments:
Body Part of the Week: Dwight Freeney's Ankle
I made a amateur odds as to what I believed would be the biggest and most talked about stories leading up to the Super Bowl. Well, now that the hype is over and (depending on when you're reading this) the game is over, it was definetly the story of Dwight Freeney's torn ankle ligament. From the minuite that the Pro Bowl finished, the questions started to pop out automatically (Will he play? How's it feeling? How will the Saints try to use it in their advantage?). At times, it sounded like the most important knee in America.
Videos of the Week: It's a tie. And the winners are...
"SNL Digital Short: The Curse"
Last Saturday, Jon Hamm of "Mad Men" hosted the best episode of "SNL" this season. And by best show of the season, I mean one that over thirty minutes of some actual good material, which is usually seen only once or twice a year. and, in my opinion, this was the best sketch of that entire show. It was just weird and silly enough for me to make myself laugh hysterically. Though the Scott Brown and Hamm and Buble sketches were pretty good runner-ups.
AND
"Brazilian Broadcaster Faints on Air"
What can I say? Faints are somof the best sources of unintentional comedy ever. The fact that they coninued the broadcast as if nothing happened was a good addition, too.
Story of the Week (as in both the Actual Story of the Week and the Tiger Woods Saga f '09 Memorial Story of the Week):
The John Terry story
Looks like Tiger Woods isn't the only sports superstar with a juicy past. In a span of two weeks, the guy has turned from one of the best soccer players in the world and captain of the Chelsea and England soccer team to the married soccer star who had an affair with a teammate's girlfriend and payed for her abortion. He even lost his spot in the FIFA World Cup team because of this! Oh well, at least he'll know that he gave the poor British tabloids a week of columns, right?
Person of the Week: John Terry
for the reasons mentioned above, obviously. That story also brings up another interesting question: which sports superstar will be the next person caught in a scandal? Things like that come in threes, you know!
And that's the way it is! I'll be back on Monday with... something. I don't know what, but I know that it will be Super Bowl related, I can tell you that. Enjoy your Sunday, everyone!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
Well, the first week featuring February dates on the calendar has come and gone. And while it may not have been as big as this week will be (the Super Bowl, the Winter Olympics, etc.), it did have some good moments. Here are my picks for the best of those moments:
Body Part of the Week: Dwight Freeney's Ankle
I made a amateur odds as to what I believed would be the biggest and most talked about stories leading up to the Super Bowl. Well, now that the hype is over and (depending on when you're reading this) the game is over, it was definetly the story of Dwight Freeney's torn ankle ligament. From the minuite that the Pro Bowl finished, the questions started to pop out automatically (Will he play? How's it feeling? How will the Saints try to use it in their advantage?). At times, it sounded like the most important knee in America.
Videos of the Week: It's a tie. And the winners are...
"SNL Digital Short: The Curse"
Last Saturday, Jon Hamm of "Mad Men" hosted the best episode of "SNL" this season. And by best show of the season, I mean one that over thirty minutes of some actual good material, which is usually seen only once or twice a year. and, in my opinion, this was the best sketch of that entire show. It was just weird and silly enough for me to make myself laugh hysterically. Though the Scott Brown and Hamm and Buble sketches were pretty good runner-ups.
AND
"Brazilian Broadcaster Faints on Air"
What can I say? Faints are somof the best sources of unintentional comedy ever. The fact that they coninued the broadcast as if nothing happened was a good addition, too.
Story of the Week (as in both the Actual Story of the Week and the Tiger Woods Saga f '09 Memorial Story of the Week):
The John Terry story
Looks like Tiger Woods isn't the only sports superstar with a juicy past. In a span of two weeks, the guy has turned from one of the best soccer players in the world and captain of the Chelsea and England soccer team to the married soccer star who had an affair with a teammate's girlfriend and payed for her abortion. He even lost his spot in the FIFA World Cup team because of this! Oh well, at least he'll know that he gave the poor British tabloids a week of columns, right?
Person of the Week: John Terry
for the reasons mentioned above, obviously. That story also brings up another interesting question: which sports superstar will be the next person caught in a scandal? Things like that come in threes, you know!
And that's the way it is! I'll be back on Monday with... something. I don't know what, but I know that it will be Super Bowl related, I can tell you that. Enjoy your Sunday, everyone!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
2009 NFL (Postseason) Prediction: The Extra Spectacularly Big Super bowl XLIV Preview
Super Bowl XLIV: New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts (-5) (in Miami, Florida): Sunday- 5:25 p.m.
All right, the Super Bowl! The best Sunday to be a fan of the NFL. And quite a matchup it is. On one side, you have the AFC champion Indianapolis Colts. On the other, the NFC champion New Orleans Saints. It also marks the end of one great twelve month soap opera leading up to this moment. It began with all of the free agent signing and trades in the late winter and early spring and conitunued with the draft in April, the training camps, the regular season and, finally the championship games two weeks ago that sent both of these teams to this point.
And now, here we are: less than 48 hours away before the big game. So now, all that's left is four quarters to decide the champion of this game. Who's it going to be? Well...
mj15's pick: Indianapolis
I don't like to self promote, but I'd like to think that I'm a pretty good picker of these games. In fact, I have made only two incorrect Super Bowl picks my entire life, and that came in Super Bowls XXXVII and XLII. So in order to continue this good fortune, I decided to make a lengthy breakdown of the teams and find reasons why I like one team over the other. For that, I decided to do so by looking at some key factors, and at the end picking the one that I thought had the most factors ready to win this game.
Quarterbacks: Honestly, was else is there to say about both Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. Both are two of the decade's ten best quarterbacks. Both a great leaders who arguably was the big reason why the teams made it to the game in the first place (again, rewatch the week 16 Colts game against the Jets with Curtis Painter and the Saints week 17 game against the Panthers and you will se why). Both were so great that they were inthe top of the MVP discussion from the beginning of the season. Also, thanks to their great stats, both will go down as two of the five best fantasy football QBs of the decade.
So, for me, it all boils down to this question: if your team was trailing with less than three minutes to play in the 4th quarter, who would you want to start? You have to go with Manning there. Brees has only been a star for like, six season now. Manning, on th other hand, has been one his his sophmore season in 1999, so the experience is better. Besides, 2009 Peyton Manning has been known to having some second half comebacks. In fact, this season alone he has engineered NINE of them. Nine! This version of Manning even has more confidence and a bigger sense of the feeling that you won't stop him, something that you probably wouldn't say before the 2006 AFC Championship Game. THat is to not say that Brees (as well as his terrific passing accuracy) wouldn't be a good second option.
Slight Edge: Colts
Running Backs: The Saints running back corp is so in-depth that each of them could be starters. You have Pierre Thomas as the main, do most of the work back. You have Reggie Bush, who can make all the deep and quick play. You even have Mike Bell, who is a pretty good short yardage back. They also weren't the worst rank rushing team in the league, which the Colts were this year:
Edge: Saints
Receivers: Both are both good ones that are pretty deep. The Saints have one of the league's best featuring Maques Colston as the big threat, Jeremy Shockey, the running backs that are always big threats in the open field and a whole 'nother cavalcade of stars. But the Colts still have the edge in my book. They have one of the best wide receivers in the game right now (Reggie Wayne) as the #1 receiver, one of the best tight ends in the league (Dallas Clark) as one of the best midfield threats in the league and the one that usually makes all of the catches in the pressure packed moments. Plus, if you have them covered, you all of the sudden have the newest threats, Haiti's own Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie (who both had impressive AFC Championship Game performances) open and ready to make the catch. If you're a defensive coordinator, I don't see how you can come to the game calm and prepared.
Edge: Colts
City: I've been to Indianapolis twice in my life. And, believe me, it was as dulll as it sounds. The area lookes dreary with no sign of life at all. There was nothing attractive from the city. Just for that, I'm giving it to New Orleans.
Edge: Saints
Coach: Since introducing himself as the head coach of the Saints in 2006, Sean Payton has done some of the league's best coaching jobs. He made a few good free agents spots here and there, has developed a passing game that is both fun to watch and played to Drew Brees's best abilties, and has led (as well as Brees) one of the best thing to see in New Orleans. But this is fourth year coaching. For Jim Caldwell, this is his first year, so he has already done a better job than Payton had. Not to mention that he could have also led his team to an 18-0 record at this point if he chose to keep playing his starters in the final two games of the regular season. And, that my friends, is the defintion of a great rookie season.
Edge: Colts
Defense: Look, both of these defenses weren't as good or can be heavily matched up with their offenses. However, since defense is always a key part in these games, I'm gonna give the edge to the Colts in this category.. They have had the better pass defense than the Saints, even with New Orleans featuring Darren Sharper. And if you look at how both teams performed in the playoffs, it even solidifies this. The Colts limited the Ravens to only a field goal and just crushed the overachieving Jets offense in the second half. Meanwhile, the Saints really didn't do a good job of stopping Brett Favre until the INT. Though, I do give the Saints the edge in the team most likely to force a turnover.
Edge: Colts
Less Pressure: When the men in charge of the Colts decided to bench their key players in the final two weeks of the season, ultimately ending their chance to go for an undefeated record, they had to win the Super Bowl in order to prove that this decision was correct. So you can definitely say that the pressure is on them. As for the Saints, they have nothing to lose. They're the underdog in this game, so they don't have the "we have to win it because everyone thinks they should" mentality. Besides, they already made it to the big game, and even though they would like to win the game as much as the Colts, people won't look at them in a feeling of "they should have won it."
Edge: Saints
Kicker: Hey, you really never know if the game will come down to the final game. But if that will be the case, then who would you rather want as your kicker: Matt Stover or Garret Hartley? For me, I'd take Stover's experience anyday.
Edge: Colts
Homefield Advantage: While the game will be played at a neutral site, the crowd is never split 50/50. Take last year's Super Bowl for example. The game might have been played in Tampa, but you really couldn't tell from all those Terrible Towel waving Steelers fans in the crowd. And, according to tickets sold and location, it appears that there will be more Saints fans in the game, even though the Colts will be wearing the uniform of the home team.
Edge: Saints
And, there you go. The final tally:
Colts: 5
Saints: 4
Pretty close. That is, until you eliminate the aspects that don't involve the players and personnel on the team, then the tally is rounded out to:
Colts: 5
Saints: 1
As you can see, the colts are a big favorite in my book.
Other reasons that may or may not be relevant:
- The Colts have played all of their Super Bowls (four of them) in Miami, which is the site of this year's game. Their record as of now: 2-1 (2-0 since the 1970 merger!). And you know me! I always go with this kind of facts.
- Since CBS received broadcasting rights of the NFL (specifically the AFC) back after a hiatus of a few years, the AFC team has won every Super Bowl they have broadcasted (XXXV, XXXVIII, and sadly XLI). Add in the last two Super Bowls they broadcasted before the hiatus when the NFC (the league they broadcasted originally) won them. So that's five consecutive Super Bowls in which CBS broadcasted that the league in which they showed their championship game two weeks earlier has won. Again, I like those odds!
- Colts: 9 come from behind victories this year, including in the AFC championship game
Saints: 4 come from behind victories this year
Why is this important? Well, it means that I believe that, if a team were to repeat the comeback that the Cardinals had to do last season, I think the Colts would be the team most likely to accomplish it.
- The Colts have over a dozen players left from their Super Bowl XLI team. The Saints only have two. And as you know, it's better to have experience in this type of pressure packed situation.
- The only times the Colts have lost this year came when they benched their best players. So, if you think about it, the Colts have not lost a game this season in which they wanted to win.
- You just can't pick against the 2009 edition of Peyton Manning, with his countless hours of studying, his proffesionalism and the confidence you see in him that says "You REALLY think YOU can beat ME?" that wasn't seen in say, 2003 or 2005. You just can't. And trust me, I made that mistake two weeks ago, and it failed miserably.
mj50's pick: New Orleans
Playoff Records: mj50- 7-3
mj15- 6-4*
Overall Record: mj15- 169-94*
mj50- 161- 105
*(my pick of last week's Pro Bowl, which was right by the way, did not count)
So, there you have it: my lengthy pick as to why I like the blue and white hoisting the Lombardi Trophy between 8:30 p.m.- 9:30 p.m. on Sunday night. I want to thank my good friends Wikipedia, NFL.com, ESPN.com, TV, Drew Magary of Deadspin.com and Kissing Suzy Kolber.com, YouTube, Sports Illustrated and my experiences of watching the NFL the past ten years for helping me not only with this pick, but also for an entire season of information to help me decide and back up all of my 264 game picks this season (including the Pro Bowl) for this past year. Another big thanks to Footballlocks.com for the odds that I have provded every week. Another big thanks goes to mj50 for his picks and for the competition. He isn't as big of a football fan as me or listened to as much football information and analysis to make those picks (if not ever), and yet he still finished seven to nine (depending on what happens on Sunday) games behind me, which is pretty darn good.
Finally, I want to thank you for reading these weekly posts. The past twenty one columns were a labor of love to bring to you, so I hope you at least enjoyed reading it, and maybe even taking some of the things you read here and took it into account while you made your weekly picks. I'll be back as you might expect with the first picks of the 2010 season in September, though I might pop up with some NFL related posts during the course of the long seven month hiatus. Until then, enjoy the game and enjoy the time off!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you want to suggest anything to mj15 on his next blog entry, e-mail him at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mail might be addressed on a future post.
Random Thoughts: 02/01/10- 02/04/10
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
The following were on my mind between Monday, February 1st and Thursday, February 4th:
- Since Sunday is the Super Bowl, I'd figure and spend the time to make my picks for the five best plays in Super Bowl history. Everyone has an opinion, it's just that mine is the most official one:
Honorable Mentions:
1. Montana's game winning TD pass in Super Bowl XXIII (in fact, that final drive should make it as a whole)
2. Scott Norwood's miss field goal in Super Bowl XXV (probably the most memorable miss in NFL history
3. Adam Vinateri's field goal in Super Bowl XXVI (started the Patriots dynasty and began the legend of Tom Brady)
4. John Riggins long run in Super Bowl XVII
5. Max MacGee TD catch in Super Bowl I (the first ever in the game's history, and if you consider how MacGee was hung over in that game, it's even more great)
6. Ben Roethlesberger to Antwann Randle El to Hines Ward in Super Bowl XL
7. Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes to win Super Bowl XLIII
The Top Five:
5. John Elway diving in super Bowl XXXII
Helicopter! Seriously though, if there was any sign in that game that Elway REALLY wanted to win his first Super Bowl, it was that.
4. Mike Jones's tackle of Kevin Dyson on the final play of the game in Super Bowl XXXIV
No Super Bowl has ever gone to overtime. But hadn't Jones made that tackle at the 1 YARD LINE, that might have been the first one, and who knows if the Rams would have won the game after all.
3. Lynn Swann's swan-like catch in Super Bowl X
One of the most acrobatic and most unbelievable catch in NFL history. In fact, that might have been the main reason why Swann went to the Hall of Fame.
2. David Tyree's catch in Super Bowl XLII
What else is there to say about this play. Just a great effort by Manning scrambling out of a potential sack and a great job by Tyree getting the catch. It set up the game winning TD catch by Plaxico Burress to win the game for the Giants and end the Patriots quest for an undefeated record. And for a while, it was definetly the best play in Super Bowl history. Until...
1. Jerome Harrison's TD in Super Bowl XLIII
Look, the Tyree catch was great. But it gets points off for the fact that Tyree never made another catch in the NFL. This one, however, not only was done by the league's defensive player of the year at the time. It was also probably the most epic play in Super Bowl history. As you watch it, you can see how Harrison and his teammates are doing the best they can to make him go all the way. And, like the Jones play, it actually counted in the scoreboard. Had Harrison not made the TD, the Cardinals would have probably won the game, so it definetly changed the NFL record books forever.
- Thank god the police and government officials are as easy to injure as WWE refs. Seriously, all it takes is to touch them and they're out for ten minutes or are taken by a stretcher.
- Why is Brent Musberger so touchy with all of his basketball analysts?
- You know, Conan O'Brien has a very flexible name. Sounds like a Scottish general, an Arnold Schwartzeneger character, an Irish porn star and a bartender at the same time.
- If cereal is made of iron, then why are magnets never connected to the boxes.
- Why do I still have to see the FBI warnings whenever I watch movies? I get it, stealing is wrong!
Well, that's it. More random thoughts to come on Monday. Enjoy your weekend everyone! Now I know what you're thinking: is thinking: oh, you're going to embed a Beatles song right now, right? Well, you're wrong! Because I've decided to retire the Beatles business for a while and movie on to new musicians and bands. So for starters, I am going to begin by playing this entire month four great songs by the greatest guitarist who has ever lived.
I am of course speaking about Jimi Hendrix. Is it because he's a legend? Yes. Is it because it's Black History Month? No, but it's a good coincidence! Seriously though, he was a great musician. And this week, we begin with one of his best: Voodoo Child (Slight Return). You know that beginning was improvised? It's true! Anyways, enjoy this classic. And I will see you later!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you want to suggest anything to mj15 on his next blog entry, e-mail him at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mail might be addressed on a future post.
The following were on my mind between Monday, February 1st and Thursday, February 4th:
- Since Sunday is the Super Bowl, I'd figure and spend the time to make my picks for the five best plays in Super Bowl history. Everyone has an opinion, it's just that mine is the most official one:
Honorable Mentions:
1. Montana's game winning TD pass in Super Bowl XXIII (in fact, that final drive should make it as a whole)
2. Scott Norwood's miss field goal in Super Bowl XXV (probably the most memorable miss in NFL history
3. Adam Vinateri's field goal in Super Bowl XXVI (started the Patriots dynasty and began the legend of Tom Brady)
4. John Riggins long run in Super Bowl XVII
5. Max MacGee TD catch in Super Bowl I (the first ever in the game's history, and if you consider how MacGee was hung over in that game, it's even more great)
6. Ben Roethlesberger to Antwann Randle El to Hines Ward in Super Bowl XL
7. Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes to win Super Bowl XLIII
The Top Five:
5. John Elway diving in super Bowl XXXII
Helicopter! Seriously though, if there was any sign in that game that Elway REALLY wanted to win his first Super Bowl, it was that.
4. Mike Jones's tackle of Kevin Dyson on the final play of the game in Super Bowl XXXIV
No Super Bowl has ever gone to overtime. But hadn't Jones made that tackle at the 1 YARD LINE, that might have been the first one, and who knows if the Rams would have won the game after all.
3. Lynn Swann's swan-like catch in Super Bowl X
One of the most acrobatic and most unbelievable catch in NFL history. In fact, that might have been the main reason why Swann went to the Hall of Fame.
2. David Tyree's catch in Super Bowl XLII
What else is there to say about this play. Just a great effort by Manning scrambling out of a potential sack and a great job by Tyree getting the catch. It set up the game winning TD catch by Plaxico Burress to win the game for the Giants and end the Patriots quest for an undefeated record. And for a while, it was definetly the best play in Super Bowl history. Until...
1. Jerome Harrison's TD in Super Bowl XLIII
Look, the Tyree catch was great. But it gets points off for the fact that Tyree never made another catch in the NFL. This one, however, not only was done by the league's defensive player of the year at the time. It was also probably the most epic play in Super Bowl history. As you watch it, you can see how Harrison and his teammates are doing the best they can to make him go all the way. And, like the Jones play, it actually counted in the scoreboard. Had Harrison not made the TD, the Cardinals would have probably won the game, so it definetly changed the NFL record books forever.
- Thank god the police and government officials are as easy to injure as WWE refs. Seriously, all it takes is to touch them and they're out for ten minutes or are taken by a stretcher.
- Why is Brent Musberger so touchy with all of his basketball analysts?
- You know, Conan O'Brien has a very flexible name. Sounds like a Scottish general, an Arnold Schwartzeneger character, an Irish porn star and a bartender at the same time.
- If cereal is made of iron, then why are magnets never connected to the boxes.
- Why do I still have to see the FBI warnings whenever I watch movies? I get it, stealing is wrong!
Well, that's it. More random thoughts to come on Monday. Enjoy your weekend everyone! Now I know what you're thinking: is thinking: oh, you're going to embed a Beatles song right now, right? Well, you're wrong! Because I've decided to retire the Beatles business for a while and movie on to new musicians and bands. So for starters, I am going to begin by playing this entire month four great songs by the greatest guitarist who has ever lived.
I am of course speaking about Jimi Hendrix. Is it because he's a legend? Yes. Is it because it's Black History Month? No, but it's a good coincidence! Seriously though, he was a great musician. And this week, we begin with one of his best: Voodoo Child (Slight Return). You know that beginning was improvised? It's true! Anyways, enjoy this classic. And I will see you later!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you want to suggest anything to mj15 on his next blog entry, e-mail him at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mail might be addressed on a future post.
Favre-alicious, Steve Jobs and January's Bests: It's the GOD DAMN MONDAY POST!!!
It's February 1st, and the mj15 blog is going old school! And by old school, I mean resembling the posts I made in the summer of '09. Let's go...
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
The following were on my mind between Thursday, January 28th and Monday, February 1st:
- More Bill Simmons hate! Not only did he use his first 415 words describing the plot of an episode of "Ghost Whisperer" that he watched (no, really!), but he also had a few quotes that really puzzled me and/or made me angry. Here they are:
Not really. It's because you occasionally deliver a mailbag column that averages over a million readers everytime. Therefore, there are people who want to have their e-mails put on that column (or any other column for that matter) so they can have their five minutes of fame. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR OVERRATED RED SOX ANGUISH!!!
And that is one thing that really peeves me about Simmons. HE ALWAYS BRINGS EVERYTHING BACK TO BOSTON SPORTS! And most importantly, he never seems to spend a long period of time mentioning his city's past sport woes. In fact, he, and every Red Sox fan in his lifetime, were never really "tortured." His basketball team, the Celtics, were a dominating force throughout the first half of his life. His football team, the Patriots, went to five Super Bowls and won three of them. His hockey team, the Bruins, were a Stanley Cup contender annually.
He had Larry Bird and Tom Brady to cheer on as well as other great like John Havlicheck, Kevin McHale, Carlton Fisk, Roger Clemens, Dave Cowens, etc. But bthe fact that they were the losing team in the Bucky Dent game, the '86 World Series f*** up and Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, and they were one of the most tortured fanbases. I have more, but let's just move on...
The key is "fully tortured." You can't be a little tortured or pretty much tortured. You have to be fully tortured. Haunted, even. Six variables allow this to take hold:
I find it interesting how in every countdown or list he does, he has to make rules out of it. Like, you can't just write it without spending 500 pointless words on the voting process.
- The Most Embarrassing: "Wheel of Fortune Contestant Guesses Self-Potato"
- The Funniest: "Favre Blows It... Husband Reacts"
Big Winner of the Month: Jay Leno
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
The following were on my mind between Thursday, January 28th and Monday, February 1st:
- More Bill Simmons hate! Not only did he use his first 415 words describing the plot of an episode of "Ghost Whisperer" that he watched (no, really!), but he also had a few quotes that really puzzled me and/or made me angry. Here they are:
I was thinking about her three Mondays later, after the NFC Championship Game, when I was sifting through e-mails from devastated Vikings fans, and I realized that, for some readers, I apparently have turned into the "Sports Whisperer." They channel me as an outlet for their pain.
Why me? Because I have a column and an e-mail address. Because, as a Red Sox fan, I suffered through a lifetime of losing lowlighted by two of the worst defeats in sports history. Because I once wrote the "Levels of Losing" as a way to quantify sports pain. Because things worked out for me; the Red Sox eventually won titles in 2004 and 2007. If any stranger could understand your anguish after a heartwrenching loss, it's me. Not really. It's because you occasionally deliver a mailbag column that averages over a million readers everytime. Therefore, there are people who want to have their e-mails put on that column (or any other column for that matter) so they can have their five minutes of fame. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR OVERRATED RED SOX ANGUISH!!!
And that is one thing that really peeves me about Simmons. HE ALWAYS BRINGS EVERYTHING BACK TO BOSTON SPORTS! And most importantly, he never seems to spend a long period of time mentioning his city's past sport woes. In fact, he, and every Red Sox fan in his lifetime, were never really "tortured." His basketball team, the Celtics, were a dominating force throughout the first half of his life. His football team, the Patriots, went to five Super Bowls and won three of them. His hockey team, the Bruins, were a Stanley Cup contender annually.
He had Larry Bird and Tom Brady to cheer on as well as other great like John Havlicheck, Kevin McHale, Carlton Fisk, Roger Clemens, Dave Cowens, etc. But bthe fact that they were the losing team in the Bucky Dent game, the '86 World Series f*** up and Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, and they were one of the most tortured fanbases. I have more, but let's just move on...
The key is "fully tortured." You can't be a little tortured or pretty much tortured. You have to be fully tortured. Haunted, even. Six variables allow this to take hold:
I find it interesting how in every countdown or list he does, he has to make rules out of it. Like, you can't just write it without spending 500 pointless words on the voting process.
3. During that 35-plus years without a title, it's not enough to lose. You need to have your guts wrenched a few times.
A great example: Heading into 2005, the White Sox hadn't won a World Series since 1917 and the Cubs hadn't won since 1908, but only Cubs fans were considered "tortured." And with reason. Maybe White Sox fans hadn't won anything, but they didn't have a ton of scars, either. Cubs fans were scarred like tribal warriors. Big difference.
As a White Sox fan, I would like to protest to that. Yeah we may haven't been as "tortured" as Cubs fans are right now. BUT WE STILL WENT 87 YEARS WITHOUT A WORLD SERIES! Last time I checked, that was the second largest World Series drought in MLB HISTORY. If that isn't tortured, I don't know what is. Also, it's not like we were quite during the '87 year drought. We had a team that THREW AWAY THE WORLD SERIES! That's still a pretty rock bottom way to lose. Not to mention that we lost the '59 World Series and countless playoffs because of terrible coaching decisions. Moving on...
14-15. Seattle Mariners/Seahawks
Last Title: Never.
Last Truly Devastating Defeat: None.
Rock Bottom: Losing the Sonics in 2008 sent the city into a spiritual sports funk.
Wait, what does a basketball team have to do with it. In that case, should you said that the entire city of Seattle is "tortured" then? You know what, I don't really care. You were probably having one of those writers blocks and couldn't think of anything good to put for them. On last thing...
3. Buffalo Bills
Last title: 1965 (AFL).
Last Truly Devastating Defeat: The Music City Miracle (1999 playoffs). Also the worst gambling loss of the past 10 years for anyone who bet on Buffalo. The rare double whammy.
Rock Bottom: Let's go with this one -- a while back, I wrote that Buffalo had lost three straight Super Bowls, and my editor corrected me that it was actually four. I know I'm getting old, and I've been having a ton of brain farts lately ever since my son decided it would be a good idea to start getting up at 5:15 every morning like he was a CEO. But still, the Bills lost so many Super Bowls in a row that someone who writes about sports for a living couldn't remember the exact number. We'll never see anything like that again. I'm convinced.
I don't care if he'll never reads this. But I'm still saying this because I care: NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR PRECIOUS BENJAMIN OAKLEY, BILLY! Also, how do you not know that the Bills lost four Super Bowls in a row. Isn't your employee Joe Meade from Buffalo. You didn't once heckle him for this?
That is all.
- Does Steve Jobs wear the same clothes everyday of his life?
- Damn you, "Jersey Shore"! Thanks to you, I can't think, hear or say the word "situation" without thinking about that Italian douche.
- There are bandwagon jumpers, and then there is Lebron James. Seriously, is there any team he supports without them having success the last twenty years?
- My betting favorites for being the most talked about storyline by the press during Super Bowl XLIV week:
1. Dwight Freeney's injury: 2-5
2. Peyton Manning playing against his dad's team: 20-1
3. Peyton Manning joining the best QBs ever discussion with a win on Sunday: 3-
4. The Saints and the city of New Orleans: 7-1
5. Pierre Garcon and Haiti: 14-1
6. "Remember me hit": 22-1
7. Colts could be 18-0 right now: 34-1
5. Pierre Garcon and Haiti: 14-1
6. "Remember me hit": 22-1
7. Colts could be 18-0 right now: 34-1
8. Jerome Bettis hometown was Detroit: 20,000-1 (Has nothing to do with the game. This is just a little inside joke to the fans who went through the pre-Super Bowl XL hype)
END OF THE MONTH:
It's back! The following are my picks for the month's bests:
Controversy of the Month: The Late Night War of '10
It lasted only two weeks. And yet, it felt longer. From NBC cancelling "The Jay Leno Show," to Conan O' Brien's final time hosting "The Tonight Show," to how every late night talk show host in America was involved in some way, and it all formed a perfect mixture of controversy.
Stories of the Month:
- The Most Heartbreaking: The Haiti Earthquake
- The "Is This Really News?"-iest: New York Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan Shows Middle Finger to Fan
This story was so big, it made the headline of the New York freakin' Post! If I was Rex Ryan, I wouldn't have apologized (like he meant it anyway). If anything, this further show that he is by far the most awesome coach in the entire league, not deteriorates it.
- The Most Surprising: Cornell University Earns First Ranking In School History
Then again, if you defeat every easy Ivy League team in your schedule, I guess you would be ranked. Still though, it is an Ivy League team. Which is big.
Videos of the Month:
- The Most Pathetic: "Packers Fan Cries Hysterically After Team Loses in Playoff Game"
There's nothing like seeing the reaction of the fan of the losing team. Especially after a tough playoff game. Especially these kind. Poor guy. His only regret was caring too much.
- The Most Embarrassing: "Wheel of Fortune Contestant Guesses Self-Potato"
The worst part of all this? The fact that it's on the Internet.
- The Funniest: "Favre Blows It... Husband Reacts"
Since this was the playoffs, it was a particularly good week in angry fan reactions.And this was the cream of the crop. By the way, can you imagine what the guy said before the video took place. It was probably something like: "Honey, get the camera. Quick! I want to be able to cherish this great moment that we as a family will all remember for the rest of our lives..."
- The Most Epic: The Final Ten Minutes of "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien"
While it may take a while to see Conan O'Brien on the TV, fans of his can appreciate those glorious final two weeks of hosting "The Tonight Show." And what a way it all ended! Not only did O'Brien give a nice-, heartfelt speech but he and his friends capped it all off with a seven minute rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd's classic, "Free Bird." And as someone who watched it all, I have to tip my hat for that. Well done, CoCo, well done.
Big Winner of the Month: Jay Leno
Yes, he did ruin the respect of his peers and most of the country. Yes, he did take away Conan O'Brien's seat as the host of "The Tonight Show." And, yes, he looked like a weasel and a liar in the process. But he did ultimately come out on top, by leaving the primetime show of his that was going nowhere and finally getting the spot on "The Tonight Show" back after all of the fighting and the controversy and the jokes. And for that, we should give that old scumbag credit.
Person of the Week: Everyone Who Donated Money for the Relief Fund in Haiti
for doing just that. Whether it was a small donation, or one of those $10 donations that you texted to a certain place, it was the right thing to do. Because of this, the rebuilding in one of world's most devastating places has begun.
Runners-up:
- FOX (Vikings-Saints game drew 58 mill., "American Idol" premiered with 30 mil., might get Conan O'Brien)
- NBC
- Conan O'Brien
-Roger Goodell (it's always good to be the NFL comish during playoff time)
Runners-up:
- FOX (Vikings-Saints game drew 58 mill., "American Idol" premiered with 30 mil., might get Conan O'Brien)
- NBC
- Conan O'Brien
-Roger Goodell (it's always good to be the NFL comish during playoff time)
And... that's that (I guess)! A whole new batch of random thoughts return on Thursday! Until then, enjoy the beginning of your week.
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you want to suggest anything to mj15 on his next blog entry, e-mail him at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mail might be addressed on a future post.
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