FanNation

Today I was the first time I had ever been in an earthquake. It was pretty cool, but I'm grump because it woke me up like at 4 AM, and I never fell back asleep. Sooo me grammar and speeling could be mesed up todae... It was actually a pretty big one that was really near Evansville, Indiana, 5.2 magnitude on the Richter scale. The vibrations went as far as Michigan I heard, which is cool. Anyways, on to Friday's Words of Wisdom!

1. No More McNair

I remember watching the Super Bowl XXXIV, the only Super Bowl the St. Louis Rams won. I remember how the Rams defense shut down Tennessee for the most of the game, and the offense got a 16-0 lead. Amazingly, Steve McNair led the Titans to 16 straight unanswered points, tying the game at 16. The next drive though, Kurt Warner (one of my favorite players of all time), threw at 73 yard pass to Isaac Bruce, putting the Rams up by 7. With 1:54 left and starting at his own 10, McNair methodically drove the Titans down the field into Rams' territory. 3^rd and 5, at the St. Louis 31. Two Rams closed in on McNair. I remember thinking "Game over, Rams win." Somehow, McNair escaped and hit Kevin Dyson to set the Titans up at the 10. On the very last play of the game, McNair threw the ball, to an easily open Kevin Dyson, and as he neared the goal line...

Yesterday, Steve McNair retired. In my opinion, he's a first ballot HOFer, considering there are only 2 other QBs that have passed for more than 30,000 yards and rushed for more than 3,000 yards. Those two QBs are Fran Tarkenton and Steve Young. He said he still had the desire to play, but his body just couldn't take it. I don't blame him, looking at all the pounding he took throughout his career. I'll always remember McNair as one of the greatest QBs I watched as a kid, when I grow up.

2. A Coming of Age for Tejada

Miguel Tejada is really 33, not 31. <--- Video of him getting caught, on ESPN's E60, by Tom Farrey. When he was really 19, and still a Caribbean island kid looking for a big deal, he said he was only 17, to add more value to his name. I don't blame him at all. Being in the majors is the dream of every kid, and the high salaries were enticing enough. But, how did MLB not know this? Don't they check your records before you enter the league? And why didn't anyone come over this while he was either signed by the Orioles or traded to the Astros? No one ever checked his green card, driver's license, or legal papers? I highly doubt that.

What makes me wonder is how many other players have done this. I believe Tejada wasn't the only not to lie about his age. What makes this a problem is someone who is really 35 who says he is 32, may get a 6 year deal, the team assuming he'll be still just 38 at the end, and still able to play. Tejada doesn't seem to be showing is age too much, but not all players have Tejada's talent. MLB really needs to check their records with the government to get this sorted out.

3. 22 in San Diego

The San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies got their names written into MLB record books last night (and this morning) by playing the 5^th longest baseball game ever (tied with 8 other games). The game went 22 innings, but the score was a whopping 2-1. Wow. 22 innings, and 3 runs total. They either have really good pitching staffs, or really bad defenses. What's amazing is Yorvit Torrealba played catcher through the entire game for Colorado, and caught a total of 321 pitches. I really hope he gets an off day today. No once scored until the 14^th inning, when somehow both teams decided to score a run. Willie Taveras scored the game winning run, thanks to a lot of mistakes by the Padres. They probably just wanted to get the game over with. He batted a total of 10 times.

4. A Long-oria Contract

The Tampa Bay Rays gave baseball's top prospect, Evan Longoria, a 9-year, $44 million contract, after only 6 games in the majors, with 6-years, $17.5 million guaranteed. Despite his experience, this is a great move. $17.5 million is really cheap for a player who will no doubt become one of baseball's best 3B in a couple years. He's proven he can play well in the minors and has been pretty good so far. It could be worth much more than just $17.5 mil, but Tampa will be able to keep him. With so many young players, Tampa is poised to become a major player in the AL East race, which used to be between Boston and New York only.

The core of young players in Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton, Carlos Pena, Jonny Gomes, and now Longoria will create a very versatile batting order. On the pitching side, Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, and James Shields create a trio of youth that can't be matched. With Rays' ownership actually showing a desire to win, expanding their budget wouldn't be a surprise. Playing games at Disney World, in Orlando, also definitely helps fan support. Overall, the Rays will be a fun team to watch in future years.

5. The Other Spring Training

When you hear Spring Training, you think of baseball, but spring games are becoming popular in another sport, too, college football. College football spring games provide a breath of fresh air for those who have been craving for football since the end of the Super Bowl. Nebraska has sold out their spring game, at 81,000+ seat Memorial Stadium. Alabama played their intrasquad game in front of 78,200 fans.

These spring games have become so big that ESPN had College GameDay go broadcast the first two hours of Florida's game. It definitely helps recruiting. If recruits come in and see the fans this pumped up just for a spring game, they would be wondering what the atmosphere would be like during the regular season. For those of you wanting to watch these practices, they will mostly be streamed on the school athletic websites. Some of the games may be broadcasted live on TV. Like Mizzou's Black and Gold Game will be on ESPN-U (niversity). The Big Ten Network will be rotating between all spring games.

Summer is almost here, so enjoy the baseball, and watch your favorite college's spring games, and have a great weekend!