Upon Sports Updates

Updated- Busy day in the comments today, check there for a back-and-forth on the Mets trade…etc 

 So the Mets apparently got Johan Santana for the time honored bag of balls/pu-pu platter. The Twins sure seem like a shrewd negotiators after accepting the 4th best proposal for their ace pitcher and one of the best left-handers of this generation. I know that they would not have been able to pay the record-setting extension that Santana will command, but they didn’t even get the Mets’ best minor league prospect. So long as the Sox don’t get him, I am fine with Santana going to a flawed NL team.

 Hey fouledout, it seems like the Hornets are still in first place. Could an All-Star coaching slot be in Byron Scott’s future?

Chris Webber decided to return to the team that drafted him, and the coach with whom he feuded. Could a gimpy PF fit in to a go-go-go team who lives on the fast break?

YTVOTD- A Salute to the Galoot

In the previous entry, I posted a video of Nate Robinson, the Knick point guard who stands 5′9″, but can dunk the ball with the NBA’s best.

 Today, we are going to check in with some men who are nearly 2 feet taller than Nate. I was inspired to do this after seeing Kenny George, who plays college ball at UNC Asheville. The video below shows him playing against actual college athletes, on a regulation-sized 10′ rim.

Seeing Kenny play reminded me of some of the other giants who have played professional basketball. Stars like Yao or Arvydas Sabonas need not apply.

Sun Ming Ming

Manute Bol

Gheorghe Muresan- (not many good clips of him, so use Shaq ( 7′1, 300+) as a frame of reference)

And the immortal- Shawn Bradley

YTVOTD- giving the average guy hope

Thats right folks, he’s 5′9″!

Upon the New Orleans Hornets and my Faulty NBA Radar

In recent NBA memory, the regulars at the top of the Western Conference heap have been the Spurs, Mavericks, Suns, Lakers, Rockets, and Nuggets. In looking at the standings for the West today, I was more than a little surprised to see that the New Orleans Hornets , have a better record than all but two teams…in the entire league. That’s right, while buzzing quietly below the radar the Hornets have compiled a better win-loss percentage than anyone but the Suns and Celtics.

While point guard extraordinaire Chris Paul  has received a lot of praise this year, and deservedly so, the rest of the Hornets are not exactly household names.  Fantasy players know that David West is the real deal, but how many casual NBA fans could tell you he is averaging 19.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocked shots per game? How about the fact that former Sacramento Kings Peja Stojakovic is chipping in nearly 15 points per game, with the third most 3-pointers made while shooting the 9th best percentage? Former Chicago Bull Tyson Chandler is 4th in the league in rebounds per game, and is now a double-double machine.

 The Hornets have won 13 of their last 15 games, and I have to be honest, I had no idea. Looks like a team to follow for a while.

Upon resisting the urge to title this post “Upon a Giant Victory”

After several hours of cheers, screams, chants, and curses emanating from the Widening Apartment, the Giants knocked off the Green Bay Packers to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl.

In a thrilling contest, replete with all the drama any fan could hope for, the Giants won the NFC championship with an effort that can best be described as redemptive. Several New York players exchanged goat horns for hero caps throughout the game. The storylines before the game were easy to identify, and played out in compelling fashion. 

The Cold- The pregame analysis likened this game to the famous “Ice Bowl” (aka the 1967 NFL Championship game), where the Packers and Dallas Cowboys played in temperatures of -13 Farenheit. At kickoff yesterday, the temperature was 1 degree below zero, making the game the third coldest in NFL history. However, the conventional wisdom that cold temperatures mean primarily running the football did not hold true in this game. Announcer Troy Aikman observed early in the contest that both teams looked comfortable throwing the ball, and were passing with frequency and efficiency.

Most players wore plenty of cold weather gear, and dove for parkas as soon as they came off of the field. The offensive linemen for both teams wore only short sleeves, continuing a macho tradition that even some NFL peers find outdated.(point #6)

For all that was made of the cold, the weather did not appear to play as big a factor as it could have, with lack of precipitation and lower winds. Tom Coughlin might disagree with me….

The Old School vs The New School- Brett Favre represents the old school of NFL quarterbacks. He owns most of the career passing records, and has a Cal Ripken-esque streak, having never missed a start in his pro career.  After a disappointing 2006 season, and an off-season of speculation as to whether he would return in 2007, Favre looked revitalized this season and led the Pack to 13 wins.

Eli Manning is in his fourth season as the Giants’ quarterback, after being drafted first overall in 2003. He has struggled at times; with media criticism, teammate criticism, and the expectations placed upon him as the son of Archie Manning, and the younger brother of superstar Peyton.

Favre owns a Super Bowl ring, and has made two trips to the big game. Manning’s trip to the NFC championship represented the farthest he had ever been in the playoffs.  While Manning has been quoted as saying he doesn’t enjoy playing in cold weather, Favre has called the perpetually frigid Lambeau Field his home field for his entire career.

 The situations all appeared to favor Favre, especially when game deciding throws needed to be made. However, the one thing that held most true was a reversion to form in crunch time.

While Manning has taken shots for his leadership, his demeanor, and his sometimes bad interceptions, he does have a positive reputation with the game on the line. From his college playing days at Ole Miss, Manning has often settled in and looked comfortable on potential game-tying/game-winning drives. Favre has always been known as a gun-slinger, who fires rocket passes that have broken the fingers of defenders and recievers alike. He has thrown both the most touchdowns and interceptions in NFL history.  This season, Favre had toned down some of his freewheeling ways, putting a premium on YAC (yards after the catch). This meant a transition from slinging the ball 15-20 yards down the field, to hitting an open receiver 3 yards off the line of scrimmage and allowing them to make the play with their athleticism. 

At the end of regulation and into overtime, both quarterbacks showed that their cruchtime makeup remained true. Manning marched the Giants time and time again, and got them into field goal range. Favre had two big interceptions, one which R.W. McQuarters fumbled back into Green Bay’s hands, and one in overtime which set up the game-winning field goal.

Along with the cold factor, and the Manning-Favre storyline, the theme of this game for the Giants was redemption. The game turned on the early failures and late successes on many NY players, and on the redemption of the team as a whole.

The Team- The Giants got smoked by the Packers in Week 2 35-13, their second loss in a row to start the season. Afterward, the Giants won 6 straight.  

Eli Manning- He can say hello to Tiki Barber down in Glendale, if NBC lets Barber cover Super Bowl week.

Tom Coughlin- The grouchy old-coach became player-friendly, changed his personality, and the personality of his team with it. A potential job-hunt may now turn into a long contract extension.

Corey Webster- After being badly beaten by Donald Driver on a 90-yard bomb in the first half, Webster picked off Favre in overtime when it mattered most. (on a pass intended for Driver)

Lawrence Tynes- Tynes was headed toward the end of his career in NY, and potentially the end of his career as a kicker, when he missed two big FG in the 4th quarter. His early kicks looked shaky as well. but, he was kicking in sub-zero weather, and the lasting memory will be of his last kick of the game splitting the uprights and sending the Giants to the Super Bowl.

Upon Don’t Catch a Tiger by the Tail

According to a story released today by the AP, one of the three brothers mauled by a tiger in San Francisco on Christmas Day has admitted that he was drunk and/or high at the zoo, and had been taunting the tiger from outside his enclosure. Apparently, he was standing on top of the railing and yelling things at the animal.

The end result of this fateful visit to the zoo was the mauling of two young men, and the death of 17 year old Carlos Sousa Jr. Tatiana the tiger, pictured above, was also eventually shot and killed.

 Now I was initially fully blaming the zoo for lack of a wall of reccomended height around the tiger enclosure. However, now that I know that these kids were egging the tiger on, I believe that they deserve most of the blame. You are messing with a dangerous wild animal, emboldened by the booze in your system and the fact that you are separated by a big wall. But as we now know, the boys weren’t nearly as tough when face to face with the big cat. Now a young man is dead, a tiger is dead, and it all probably could have been avoided if these men would have acted like normal zoo visitors.

I also have to think back to the Chris Rock routine following the Sigfried and Roy tiger attack. These men worked with big cats for year and Roy still got messed up in an instant. These tigers don’t go crazy, these tigers go tiger!

fast forward to 1:25

Upon Won’t Get Fooled Again

The Knicks will not pull me back in, I refuse to let it happen. In years past, the Knicks have shown short bursts of tantalizing promise, where it seems like they finally may have turned the corner. Each year, us stupid Knick fans fall for it. No matter what their record is at the time, no matter how bad their opponent is, we always talk ourselves into the Knicks. “Once we get Steph playing like a true point guard”, we say, “then we can make a run at the 8-seed.” “When our second unit gives us energy off the bench,” we observe, “we can play with anyone in the league.” I am not falling for it anymore.

The Knicks recently strung three wins together, blowing out the Pistons, leading the Wizards wire-to-wire, and yesterday taking the season series from the Nets for the first time in years. The old Knick fan in me would be getting excited now. Not this year.

I have seen this routine too many times before from the Knicks. i know a 6-game losing streak can not be far away. There are plenty of things to like about plenty of the Knick players, but Isiah is not the right coach for the team he has assembled.

So while three wins in a row were fun to watch, I am not buying it. Not for a second.

(Lets go Knicks)

Upon Tom Cruise Being Crazy- YTVOTD

http://disembedded.wordpress.com/2008/01/15/tom-cruise-madness-the-tom-cruise-scientology-indoctrination-video/ 

Upon the Giants Game

Eli Manning did something on Sunday that his brother Peyton could not do. He led his team to the Conference Championship game.

In a nail-biting affair, the outcome of the Giants game against the Cowboys was not decided until the final 9 seconds, when R.W. McQuarters intercepted Cowboy’s quarterback Tony Romo on 4th down. Manning continued a string of steady play the past several weeks, helping his team pull out a 21-17 victory over the favored Dallas squad, who had been the #1 seed in the NFC.

While Romo received the majority of the attention this week, both for his Pro-Bowl season and his dalliance with pop starlet Jessica Simpson, it was Manning who made the biggest difference for his team.  He was economical and efficient, completing 12 of 18 passes  for 163 yards and 2 touchdowns. Romo, on the other hand, completed only half his attempts. Once again, the Cowboy’s season came to an end with a Romo miscue.

In the 2007 playoffs, a botched field goal hold by Romo ended Dallas’ playoff run, and this year he again will likely shoulder a good deal of the blame for an early January exit. Simpson will likely not be spared the wrath of Dallas fans, as the Cowboys lost both games in which her relationship with Romo was a major storyline in the media. 

(personal opinion alert- I don’t think that who any athlete chooses to spend time/hook-up with should be blown up in the media if there is an attempt at discretion. Romo’s trip to Mexico with Simpson, plus tight end Jason Witten and his wife was not a public display. They were not dining at the Ivy in Los Angeles, or partying at the hottest club in NY. However, Romo did parade Simpson into the stadium at an earlier home game, and she played the attention seeking star role to a T. Sure the meda can often unnecessarily fixate on something like who a team’s QB is dating, but you also have to know that this is the climate that celebrities live in. I will generally refrain from this type of stuff unless I feel it has merit, or unless I couch it in an opinion alert like this one.)

 In a game that was characterized by long clock-consuming drives, perhaps the most important series for the Giants was the 46 second drive that Manning took the Giants on, to tie the game at 14 heading into half-time.  The Cowboys had just gone ahead on a TD run by Marion Barber, who had a fantastic game with 129 yards while averaging nearly 5 yards per carry.  The Giants began at their own 29 yard line, and following an incomplete pass to Amani Toomer, Eli went to work.

Working entirely out of the shotgun, which seems to be where he has the most success other than play-action, Manning picked the Cowboys apart on the way down the field. He hit Steve Smith for two straight completions; a 22 yard strike and an 11 yard toss which also ended with a 15 yard personal foul penalty on Dallas. After missing Plaxico Burress on an end-zone post, and having a pass batted at the line, Manning found back-up tight end Kevin Boss on the sideline for 19 yards. Finally, with 11 seconds on the clock, Manning found Toomer across the middle for his second TD of the game.  

 With the help of a costly penalty by Dallas, Manning led his team 71 yards in 7 plays and 46 seconds. He showed poise, accuracy, and confidence. His hurry-up shotgun drive, complete with accurate lasers and a TD strike to an old reliable reciever looked awfuly similar to what his celebrated older brother does when he is feeling it.

 Another round of kudos should also be sent to the Giant defense. While Marion Barber did have a big game running the ball, the NY defense did an excellent job neutralizing the biggest weapons on the Cowboys: Romo, Terrell Owens and Jason Witten. The most impressive stand occurred when the Giants needed it most, on the game’s final drive with everything on the line.

 After punting to their own 48, the Giants needed to prevent a touchdown with 1 minute and 50 seconds left. An 18 yard pass to Witten on third and 2 got Dallas to the Giant 22. On first down, they committed another crucial penalty, with a false start pushing them back 5 yards. On first and 15, the Giants held Romo to a 4 yard underneath completion to Witten. On second and 11, incredible pressure from Osi Umenyiora forced an incompletion. On third down, pressure up the seam forced another incompletion past Patrick Crayton. Finally, on fourth down, McQuarters stepped in front of a check-down look for Terry Glenn and sealed the victory.

 The Giants played a solid game against a team who had their number earlier in the season, winning the battle on each side of the ball. Most importantly, they closed each half with  game-changing plays. Now they head to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field to play the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre. Lets warm up the hyperbole machine! 

*all links are from ESPN.com, with all the requisite rights, duties…etc assosciated with that

TYVOTD

Funny stuff