Long Bombs
Notes on a football weekend:
--NFL: Bad. How does the defense not stop Ben Roethlisberger running? (See, Ben? Sports are better with a helmet.) How does Derek Anderson-- so strong for so many weeks, and so good in the first half-- throw two incomplete passes near the Steelers 35 (esp. with an 18-yard pass to Kellen Winslow, Jr. crammed in-between)? The Browns have had a very good year-- they're one stupid NFL rule/botched field goal away from being 6-3-- and I think they'll end up about 10-6, which is a quantum leap from the last three seasons. Still, it's clear Pittsburgh remains the Pistons to their Bulls, the Bulls to their Jazz, the Gators to their Gamecocks, the Seinfeld to their Newman. They'll probably sweep the other teams in their division, but they can't overcome the Black-and-Gold this year.
-- College ball: Some good, some bad, some a mixed bag (I'm a Hoosier, but my sister went to Northwestern, so it's a win-win for our family either way).
--Ha! And by that, I mean, ha!
--I'm really enjoying the new pre-game team on NBC's Sunday Night Football show. I never need to watch Michaels and Madden during the actual, snoozer games the network gets, but Bob Costas, Keith Olbermann, Peter King, former Gator Chris Collinsworth, Jerome Bettis and Tiki Barber are all a delight: smart, knoweldgeable guys who are funny and passionate without engaging in that mookish macho BS that ESPN can't seem to avoid these days. A few weeks ago, I suggested Costas was not as good a partner for Olbermann as Dan Patrick had been, and I still think that's true-- there's not that Martin-and-Sinatra, ping-pong rhythm that Sportscenter had a decade ago. Still, they seem to be growing more comfortable with each other, and Costas seems to enjoy being the wry, deadpan reactor to Olbermann's rants, jokes and surreal observations.
--Finally...Whether north, south, east or west; SEC, Big 10, ACC or Pac-10; AFC or NFC; red state or blue state; offense fan or defense fan...I think this is something we can all enjoy, isn't it?:
Comments
Okay, now you're just baiting me.
Hey, don't spurrier him on, Cinephile.
(My apologies to pun-ters everywhere.)
I am baiting you, yes. (: But I'm sure your team will enjoy a good january at the capital one-poulon weedeater independence bowl or something.
Boolise,
I know-- it's a weird feeling to be happy for Ron Zook. Damn you, college foosball, and your ability to warp our emotions!
Heh, I like your bowl idea, Jonathan. That leads me to wonder if there's any product they'd reject. "Welcome to Shreveport and the Kaopectate/Independence Bowl!" Maybe not. "Denver welcomes you to the Cialis/Mile High Bowl." That one, maybe. There's no subtlety in football.
Boolise-- yes, it's never bad to laugh, guffaw and even cackle in the face of a Buckeyes fan. They're like Fighting Irish fans, but without the charm.
No way! That's hilarious! Makes it sound like there's a quiet weedeater monopoly just outside Shreveport.
I watched most of the OSU-Illinois game. Very cool. Little doubt the Zooker learned from his mistakes at Florida. And Williams is fast becoming a very dangerous QB---he's getting smarter every week.
"who alternate between chest-thumping and simpering sentimentalism."
That's the best description of ESPN I've ever heard.
"who alternate between chest-thumping and simpering sentimentalism."
That's the best description of ESPN I've ever heard.