Monday, September 12, 2005

The Weekend Wrap 9/9-9/11

Things we learned:

We learned of the passing of longtime sportscaster Chris Schenkel. Obviously, things here are all relative, but in the pantheon of sports Schenkel was someone who stood out as a true pioneer. He was really the first “national” sportscaster. He broadcast the first live telecast of The Masters, ABC College Football from Coast to Coast, and the first live anchor at the Olympics at the 1968 Mexico City games. And with all that, the two things he is most famous for is calling the 1958 NFL Championship Game (Giants v Colts Overtime) and being the voice of the Professional Bowlers Association for 36 years. Back in the day, bowling was a big deal on TV and Schenkel was the reason why. He was elected into an astounding 16 different Halls of Fame. Although most of the yahoos who read my site will know him as the bowling announcer from the movie “Kingpin.”

Roger Federer is better than your momma, your daddy, your momma’s momma, and your cousins little baby’s father. Anytime anyone wants to beat this clown, feel free to go ahead and do so. I know Tennis is not on the same par as golf as far as recognition wise, or the Tour De France, but if you want to know who the most dominant athlete in the world is in a single sport, you need look no further than Roger Federer. He lost 3 sets en route to winning the US Open, three sets that’s it, that’s the list!!! What other numbers do you want? 23-0 in tournament finals, 6-0 in Grand Slam Finals, 71-3 overall record this year, and for good measure he is the first man to win Wimbledon and the US Open in back to back years since 1938.

Of the three new coaches’ in the NFL this season, 1 of them got what was expected, while 2 pulled of the unexpected. Mike Nolan was a good choice for the 49ers. I know it is only one game but the team is markedly improved over the Dennis Erickson era. They are more disciplined and more confident in their abilities. Though they still lack a lot of talent, and that in the end will lose them more games than it wins them, they certainly have some things to look forward too. Nick Saban’s Dolphins amidst all their team turmoil came out with a new look and attitude. In Gus we must Trust; Frerotte looked good in the season opener, albeit versus a mediocre team and at home. The Dolphins are also still not very good, but it was good to see that Saban will at least make them competitive with his fiery attitude. And of those tricky Browns!!! Romeo, Romeo, where for out thou Romeo; your team just get there arse’s punished by the Bungles. Same shit different day for the Browns.

Things I disliked:

They way Michigan Quarterback Chad Henne played. Not just because I picked the Irish to get crushed by Michigan, but Henne was just plain bad. He looked like he was brand new to the offense and the team. He compound bad decision on top of bad decision. Maybe all the pressure going into the year is beginning to get to him, last year he played care free, because he was a freshman and who cared what he did. If Michigan is to get back on track they will have to hope Henne improves soon.

Randy Fucking Johnson!!! Now I know people will say, “Hey fat man, he ain’t heavy, he’s my brother, lay off of the Big Unit.” Where the hell has this guy been all year? Hey Mullet-Head, it’s a day late and dollar short (RIP Gorilla Monsoon). Now all of a sudden he is going to pitch like serviceable major league veteran. We could have used this, say in June and July when the rest of our pitching staff was hurt and we did not know who to throw out there everyday. You and Moose could have gotten us a couple of wins there in mid August when we were struggling a bit?

The idiot who posted on my AFC preview in response to Zoltan’s question about Laverneus Coles, you are wrong. Yes, it was Coles who was caught shop lifting from Dillards with Peter Warrick. And yes Coles was kicked off the team for it, in fact he tried to sue the University because of the double standard treatment. Bowden himself basically admitted that yeah he kept Warrick because he was really good and a Heisman Trophy candidate. Minnis in fact starred on the team after Warrick departed for the pros and Coles was let go. We search for the truth on here at all times, please don’t post something if it is false, I mean come on WWROD? (What Would Robert O’Keefe Do)

Things I liked:

Texas V Ohio State was an unbelievable game. Two teams playing at a high level in front of a raucous crowd. Vince Young stepped up and willed his team to victory, while the Ohio State defense seemed to make big play after big play (see AJ Hawk), but in the end Young beat them one last time with a perfect throw. It seems to me there is not nearly enough of this kind of game in college football. Meaning two good teams from power conference’s playing each other. I know there are some rivalry games where this happens (i.e. Iowa/Iowa State, Miami/FSU used to be, or even Southern Cal/Notre Dame), but this game had a bowl game atmosphere. This type of game certainly happens more in college basketball with the likes of Kentucky/UNC or Duke/Oklahoma. Now I know some people will say the reason for it not happening so much in football is because teams are afraid of losing an out of conference game for no reason; they could just as easily schedule Temple rather than Southern Cal. Well I call bullshit on that excuse. Regardless of the fact that Ohio State now has a loss, there is nobody at that game or involved with the OSU program that can say that wasn’t great for college football. Wouldn’t you like to see Florida and Southern Cal pitch it around the ball field? Or how about Tennessee and Virginia Tech, who are a lot closer geographically than most people, realize and often compete for the same recruits. Wouldn’t it be cool for the Georgia Bulldogs to go into Autzen Stadium in Eugene Oregon to see what west coast football is all about? I think so, and I love Texas and Ohio State for scheduling that game. And to think, next year we get to do it all over again down in the Lone star state.

How about a big round of applause and kudos to Kenny “the jet” Smith and the NBA players who put on a benefit game in Houston last night. Listen I am not going to try and canonize these players for what they did, but there is no cross section of athlete that takes more crap from fans about being selfish, self-centered, egotistical, thug millionaires than NBA players. Now they could have easily just written a check, which some like Stephon Marbury already have, but they also donated THEIR time. This was something totally independent of the league. Kenny Smith said we need to do something as rich African American athletes. So he decided a charity game in the city where in won two championships and where a couple thousand evacuees are hold up in the Astrodome and other facilities. The players were required to pay their own expenses there and donate a minimum of $10,000 if they wanted to be there. Sunday morning before the game a dozen or so players went by to see the evacuees and hang out with the kids and play games. At least 25 players donated the minimum including Allen Iverson who did not play but showed up and singed autographs and posed for pictures. We love to criticize NBA players all the time for their words and behavior, but this is one time they need to be cheered for their efforts. A lot of these players were ones who most people have very low opinions of as people, like Artest, Iverson, and Kobe, but in a time where their status as athletes could help bring a smile to someone’s face and their money is needed to help in relief efforts they showed up and did just that.

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I like the match-ups of big teams, but I understand not wanting to play them. Ohio State now has a loss. That pretty much puts them out of the National Championship hunt. Even though they still have some life, they have Iowa, Michigan State, and Michigan left on the slate. You can say that they will probably lose one of those and put the final nail in the NC coffin for them. If they had played Ohio or Cincinnati and won, then a loss to one of those teams kills them. It's easier to play those games on the hardwood, because there is a longer season, conference tournaments, and NCAA Tournament, so Duke losing to OU or UK losing to UNC doesn't kill there championship hopes. So, if I'm Ohio State, USC, Tennessee, Florida, Oklahoma, FSU, Miami, Michigan, I would try to avoid these games as much as possible. Texas, however, can do it, because they'll just choke in the Red River Shootout year after year.

4:31 PM  
Blogger Yurri The Fucking Giant said...

Cgris Schemick and I roomed together at the Roanoake Invitational back in 1997. He was one wirey freak of a basketball player and my wife still has a crush on him! RIP Chris you will be missed!!

1:48 PM  
Blogger Yurri The Fucking Giant said...

Oops, Chris Schemick

1:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The big team college football matchup question is a non-statement. Regardless what the BSC does to rank teams and make the richer get richer, if Ohio State runs the table from this point and wins the Big 10, they'll be in a BSC bowl game with a shot at the national title if the breaks go like they possibily can.
You schedule tough non-conference games to see where your team is before you head into games that matter for your post-season. this is a method good high school coaches use and at places like FSU, the great Bobby Bowden has had Miami and Florida on his schedule since you were sucking your mom's tit. It's the other schools and the other coaches that are just now starting to catch on to what works - it helps in recruiting if you can say to a kid - Look, we're gonna be in the A block of Sportscenter the majority of the year cuz we're gonna be playing ranked teams. Gameday will be bugging you mid week and you'll have credits to your Heisman hype against real teams if you come here...
Yeah, Federer may be the best right now, but he can't beat my girl's baby momma's cousin, Michael Chang.
What's that? He can? Oh, sorry bout that. OK, he is the best. let's just hope that he challanges Sampras' record of 14 majors and if he does lose, it's not to that capri wearing pussy Nadal...
Think about this - If you totalled the amount of money given to the hurricane victims and compared it to the amount that your boy, GWB has provided, who do you think would come out on top?
And by the way, there are still dead bodies floating around the streets of New Orleans if someone wants to clean it up.
Michael Moore OUT.

11:36 AM  
Blogger THE INNOVATOR said...

Martin

I know everyone loves to clobber GWB everytime you get a chance. And there is certainly some blame to go around at the federal level. However, there were national guard troops and coast guard troops on the ground lending aid and rescuing people left behind Monday afternoon, when the levee's broke. I do believe Bush and FEMA chair Brown were tardy in assesing the situation of the stranded evacuees in the Superdome and what to do with them.

Although, I still believe a majority of the blame needs to be put in the hands of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco. Did you know over the past five years, of which the Bush Administration has overseen, the city of New Orleans and state of Louisiana has been given over $45 million to fix the problems and help re-support the levees in New Orleans. Adn guess what, in a city famous for corruption, that money is still right now unaccounted for. Also, Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco were the ones who encouraged the underprivaleged who could not leave the city to go to the Superdome, that was their genius idea. The only problem was they were expecting maybe 3,000 people so that is all they had supplies for, and over 20,000 showed up. Now that would seem to me to be a miscaculation on the part of the local and state officials would it not?

Listen, I am not obsolving the Bush Administration some blame for the way certain recovery efforts were undertaken. All I am saying is that there is a whole heck of a lot more blame to be passed around to MAyor Nagin Goverenor Blanco, and other state/local officials. But since nobody knows there names it is hard to blame them.

1:00 PM  
Blogger Yurri The Fucking Giant said...

don't leave out the scores of misfits that hindered the rescue and aid procedures by shooting and attacking police, National Guard, and other members of authority that were there immediatley!

4:37 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home