It's 888 Miles to Chicago...

When Real Life gets in the Way

Josh — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:26:27 GMT

Sports are an escape, but sometimes real life gets in the way of the escape. For the hardcore fans out there, you know what this means, missing out on crucial sports news and discussion. It’s enough to make a fans head spin.

Waiting for a meeting to begin is always a strange time. Some rooms sit in silence, worried about the boss entering. Others make inane chatter about things like “Ooh Donuts!” or “Is everyone here?” Still others start into the meeting before the meeting even begins, not wanting to lose precious time to hear themselves sound important. But this particular meeting, well, this particular meeting talked about football.

The weekend held promise of the Seahawks travelling to Chicago to take on the 13-3 Bears. Everyone in the room was convinced that the Hawks would beat the Bears, that they were weak, and that despite the Hawks struggles that season, it was a year removed from the Super Bowl. Some how, some way, my voice did not join in the football chorus, that is until a head turned towards me…

“Wait, Josh, you’re a Bears fan aren’t you?”

The room went quiet, and all eyes turned toward me. A simple yes would of brought several ragging remarks from the group. A quick “Hell yeah, and we’re going to kick your ass” would of brought jeering, and if the Bears should happen to lose, well…a fan’s worst nightmare. An answer of “No” or “sort of” is out of the question for any fan, you never forsake your team. After running through my options, my lips curled into a smile, and…

What came out of my mouth was not just a simple “Yes”, or a boasting cry, it was a detailed explanation of why the Bears would win, and an explanation of how the Hawks COULD win. Seeing how the expert analysis before that had been of the “Alexander is just so good”, the conclusion of my rant was met with shocked silence. And then another head turned towards me…

“Well, I guess you’ll be happy no matter who wins.”

At the moment, there was no other response except “No, I’m a Bears fan.”

It wasn’t until recently that the logic used even started to register. A casual sports fan can just enjoy the game for what it is, an entertaining contest between two professional teams. They see no problem with changing their allegiance with each move. If they reside in Chicago, they’re a Bears fan. When they move to Denver, it’s “Go Broncos!” When they get transferred to Dallas, they cheer on the Cowboys.

The life of the casual fan is an easy, care-free world. Sports aren’t a matter of us vs. them, it’s a thrilling TV program, or a reason to sit in the stands and have a beer. No matter who wins, or loses, the game can be fun. And no reason to stay till the end, there is traffic to beat, and a bed to get to.

For us hardcore, lifelong, obsessed fans, sports is not something to pass the time, it’s a full time job. With every loss, our ego takes another blow. Every spare moment of the day is spent searching for more information about the team. The players, coaches, front office and training staff are all referred to on a first name basis. And hearing another fan bad mouth your team sends you into a frenzy. Your life is sports.

Many a non-fan has been heard to say “Why does it matter if that guy catches the ball?”

Why does it matter? Because I’ve devoted a large portion of my time to reading every single piece of text written about that player. I’ve listened to every word uttered about him on the radio, tv or around the water cooler. I’ve watched hundreds of hours of highlights, game footage, and live games to know everything I can about that player. So when he catches that ball, a part of me is out there catching it as well.

That same non-fan would say “So you do all that just so you can cheer?”

Hardcore fans don’t cheer, we root. Cheering is something you do at a little league game. When you invest the time an effort into a team, it’s not cheering, it’s rooting. The pay off for you isn’t that you get to clap after a catch…it’s that scream of pure joy…that jump out of your seat enthusiasm…that rush of adrenaline…and that feeling of accomplishment for doing nothing more than seeing your team make the catch.

That is the life of a hardcore fan. We live every moment waiting, hoping, reading, talking, researching, praying, so that when that big moment comes, it’s not just some guy out there catching a ball…we’re out there catching the ball, and feeling the joy of victory.

Being a hardcore fan is not a hobby, or an extracurricular activity. It’s a job. It’s your life. But the problem with life is, “real” life always gets in the way.

How is one to focus on the important things like “Who are the Dolphins going to pick?” When you have to worry which school Henry is going to goto next year? Why is it that you can’t concentrate on whether the Cardinals or the Tigers are the bigger surprise, when your wife has just announced a surprise of her own? Where can you turn when you’re trying to debate who has the nicest home park, and there is the question of where you’re going to live in a couple month rattling around in your head?

And that’s the curse…when you devote so much of your time and energy to sports, and then real life gets in the way it’s one of the most disorienting feelings. Kicking back, and reading the NFL draft preview doesn’t have the same effect…and you see no reason to spend every hour staring at internet trying to glean every morsel of information…because you know it won’t do you any good right now….your mind is elsewhere.

That’s where my mind has been the last couple weeks. The NFL draft is a forgotten event right now, and baseball season is a faint noise in the background. Real life is the sport of choice for me right now…

I hope this game finishes up soon, so I can get back to the stuff that matters…

****

Starting next week, I’m hoping to start a new format for my blogs. That is if real life cooperates. My goal is to write a daily blog, shorter than my Thursday blogs…I’m going to be playing around with the exact format of these blogs…so any feedback would be great. The goal is to do a longer Thursday post still…but not sure if I’ll be able to pull that off next week or not….frickin’ real life.

The Magic of Hope

Josh — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 10:10:53 GMT

Spring is officially here, and nothing announces that like Opening Day in the Major Leagues. Everything is new, everyone has a chance, and there is a long road to travel ahead of us. But right now, let’s enjoy all the hope, and revel in the magic of opening day.

From birth till the age of 18, there was one place I called home: the Chicago Suburbs. While I was away at college, Chicago was still the place I called home. The area and its teams became a large part of who I was. When you grow up in a place, there is common language and thought process that is very comforting. Growing up, when you talked football it was about the Bears. Jordan wasn’t just some superstar, he was OUR superstar. When the conversation turned to baseball, the first question was always “Sox or Cubs?” And when you ordered a hot dog, you never had to say “No Ketchup”.

Part of this common language, for my family, was that “Opening Day” meant “Holiday”. The day of the White Sox home opener, meant no school, no work, no chores…just a trip to Comiskey to see our boys play. My first real outing as a baby? Opening day. Yeah, I was the baby being held by the woman that stood up around the 7^th inning and screamed “F**k You UMP!” Which shouldn’t surprise anyone that has gone to a sporting event with yours truly.

But foul language aside, opening day has always been something special. From my first outing as a baby, until around Junior High, opening day was a hallowed tradition. Besides providing some of my very first baseball memories, those opening days also taught me to be a fan. The lessons learned have lasted a lifetime, even if the tradition has fallen by the wayside many years ago. Being a baseball fan means…

Cheering even though you can see your breath.

Clapping even though your hands are numb.

Staying until the final out regardless of the score, traffic or weather.

Bringing your glove, unless you’re over the age of 12.

Waiting until the 5^th inning to move into those empty seats in the front row.

Hoping against all odds that this is the season that delivers us from misery.

That last lesson is one that every fan takes to heart at the start of the season. Opening day provides a clean slate, and that clean slate gives us hope. Anything is possible when that first pitch is thrown out…anything.

As many of you know, last July my wife, daughter and I moved from Seattle to Connecticut. Quite a long haul. We came out to Connecticut about a month in advance of the actual move, to scout out a house to rent. After several failed attempts, we found a great place. It is nearly double the size of our house in Seattle for about the same monthly cost. It has a big kitchen, a great deck, and a view that is gorgeous. We left so excited about moving into the house.

We spent the next month just chatting away about all the great things about the house…how the there is so much more space…the kitchen is going to be so great to work in…the view, wow, the view…and a master bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub!! I think everyone we knew got sick of hearing about it. I even had a thought of, “When we’re ready to buy a house, I hope the landlords will sell us this one because I can’t imagine finding something more perfect.” Ah, hope…

Then we moved in. At first, everything was great. Around each corner was something new and exciting. Every problem was a quirk. Every blemish was just chalked up to character. And hey, no matter what…we still had the view.

There is a lot of space…but you know what a lot of space means? Super high heating bills, especially when you’re talking oil heat...but there is that view.

The kitchen is very big…but it’s laid out as if the previous owners were designing a kitchen for people that don’t cook….but there is that view.

The deck is huge…but it was built with paper clips, and touching the railing wrong makes a spindle fall…but there is that view.

There are so many outlets and lights…but all the electrical work was done by drunk monkeys to the point that many lights have 3 switches, and all 3 switches have to be in the each position for the light to work…but hey…the view.

We have a living room and a family room…but the living room has one of the ugliest fireplaces you’ve ever seen, and the family room doesn’t seem to have any insulation…yeah, I heard you, the view.

There are two and a half bathrooms…but the upstairs bathrooms take an act of god to flush…what? Oh, yeah, the view.

But there is a Jacuzzi tub…and it’s one of the things that needs 3 switches to be in perfect harmony and there is rarely enough hot water to fill it…okay, got it, the view.

Finally, there is that view…but when you look out the window a little closer…really the view is of a major street, trees and a far off shopping mall. Better than a brick wall? Yeah, but it can’t make up for everything.

And that brings us to opening day. Every fan is in the “The view is just gorgeous” phase. The trades, the free agents, the rookies, the new coaches, new ideas, new parks….they all offer to solve all that ailed the team last year. It’s a time you can rationalize anything. Right now, every team has a shot at playing in the World Series. Every fan has reason to hope that his team will be the one standing at the end.

Why? Well, we haven’t checked the wiring yet…haven’t noticed the cracks in the foundation…and all that space we loved in the offseason? Well, it’s terrible on team chemistry.

And that’s where as fans, it can be hard. We talk smack about our teams, and we highlight the positives when we explain why we’ll be the champs…but when we’re alone in the big new house…we start to wonder if that smell from the garage is natural. Everyone has those doubts…when you really look at your team…even the favorites…there are some things that scare you to death. Things we don’t talk about with others…things that keep us up at night.

“Do the Tigers have anyone in the bullpen? Not just warm bodies, but people that can pitch?”

“The Red Sox starters can hold it together, right? Dice K is going to be better, and Beckett is going to be lights out again, right?”

“Man, lot of old guys out there, but we’re the Angels, we can hold it together, right?”

“Is Joe Borowski more Mariano Rivera? Or Bobby Thigpen? Please say Rivera….please?”

“Hey, so what if the Cubs rotation isn’t that deep, the Brewers don’t have any pitching either. That should be enough to get us the division, right?”

“So the slogan for the season is Johan Santana and a cloud of smoke…but Santana is good enough to carry us, right?”

“Hey, the Padres don’t have any offense, but neither do the Diamondbacks…but we can just shut everyone out…right?”

“Joe Torre will get us through the season unharmed, right? He brought a good trainer with him, right?”

As you lie awake at night, pondering those questions…remember, those questions are the price of hope. All that hope opening day brings? The bad wiring is the unspoken cost. In the end, every opening day, gives us a chance to find special place with our team.

Just as with every new house, we hope to find a home.

When I hear the word home, Chicago is one of the words that pop into my head. The last year that I lived there full time? 1994. But it will always be a part of my definition of home…just as Comiskey Park will always be part of my definition of the White Sox. Being away from a place you call home, and a team you call your own, changes how you are a fan.

When you’re a couple thousand miles away from your favorite teams, even with all the magic of the internet, it’s still a very different thing to be a fan. Growing up in Chicago, I ate, slept and breathed the Bears, Sox and Bulls. They were everywhere. Being a fan came really easy, turn on the radio, open the paper; flip on the TV…my teams were right there. Suddenly, after settling in Seattle, someone else’s teams were showing up everywhere. And I had to search out the info I wanted…being a fan became harder.

What’s even harder, my daughter has never had that sense of home that I did. She’s not even 3, and she’s already called 2 places on either side of the country home. On top of that, I’ve passed on my love for the Bears and White Sox to her, and so she’s never known the love of a hometown team. A large part of me wonders how different her definition of home will be.

She won’t have the memories of tuning in the local broadcast of the White Sox game in the backyard…or walking down the street on a Sunday and seeing everyone in Bears gear…or getting to skip school every opening day and going with her dad to see the Sox play. How will that effect her definition of home?

We’ll just have to see, because for her, it’s still Opening Day.

Do you still trust me?

Josh — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:11:29 GMT

The NCAA tournament is into the round of 16. The NFL draft is a month away. Opening day is here for the MLB. The NBA is, well, the NBA. Yep, that’s all the major ones. With all this going on, there isn’t just one thought that fills the brain. And that means there are many small thoughts…trust me on this.

What a great week. The tournament started up, and after a boring first day, got plenty of excitement over the weekend. The live blog was a great success, thanks to all of you. And Easter was a blast…egg hunt in the morning, chocolate all day, and basketball and dinner in the afternoon. Hope everyone else had a good weekend, whether it was Easter, spring break or just watching the tournament. Fun can be found in many forms…trust me on this.

This one goes out to Shaun Alexander…if your employer hires 2 new guys that do your exact job, and you know they don’t have the head count to keep you all…and you make 4 times as much as all your co-workers…the phrase “the writing is on the wall” should really take on new meaning for you, trust me on this.

For the ladies out there, if you’re in a bar, and a dude walks up to you, and unfurls the pickup line “I invented the phrase ‘chickens in reverse’” or “Kiss the Wombat”, first move is to pour your drink on him. Next empty that can of mace in his eyes, finally run until you need a satellite image to see the bar you were in. Trust me on this.

Davidson enters the tourney on a 22 game win streak and they only get a 10 seed. Despite the lower seed, they beat Gonzaga, and then pull a huge upset on Georgetown, running the streak to 24. The tournament committee’s biggest mistake wasn’t leaving Arizona State out; it was giving Davidson this low of seed, trust me on this.

“I didn’t know what it did, so I pushed it” is possibly the most dangerous phrase in the English language, trust me on this.

Okay, paper and pencils at the ready, time for a little math problem. You are in a room with 2 buddies. The Sweet 16 games are about to start. On the table are 3 shot glasses, and a 750ml bottle of Jack Daniels. One of your buddies says, “Let’s do a shot every time Stephen Curry scores”. Will you have enough booze? Answer: No, and if you live through the second half, it will be a miracle, trust me on this.

Every once in a while, Hollywood gets something right…since it appears that they NEED to remake every single old TV show into a movie, Steve Carell is a perfect fit for Maxwell Smart, trust me on this.

Here’s a little advice for one Brandon Marshall. If you slip on a McDonalds wrapper in your living room, causing you to put your arm through a TV, and resulting in a 4 month recovery period…tell people you were drunk and got in a fight with your girlfriend, it will be a lot less embarrassing, trust me on this.

Juggling hard-boiled Easter eggs is a great way to entertain the kids. Just make sure all the eggs are ACTUALLY hard-boiled…trust me on this.

All you Mavericks fans out there…if you’re hoping that Dirk going down will spur the team to a Rockets like run…the saying goes, “You can hope in one hand and crap in the other, see which one fills up first.” I’ll put $10 on the crap-hand, trust me on this.

Glanced over at the magical “iGoogle Weather” and freaked out because according to the picture, Friday’s forecast is for waterfalls!!! Holy nuts…that doesn’t sound good at all. Stock up on supplies, buy a slicker, we’ve got waterfalls people!!! After frantically calling my wife to check if we had waterfall insurance, it turns out there is no waterfalls in the forecast. The image is ice on a tree, trust me on this.

Somewhere in Chi-town, that’s “Chicago” for the uninformed, my buddy Dan is staring at the headline “Favre still hasn’t filed retirement paperwork” and is dancing around like a little girl, screaming “I told you so!”…trust me on this.

If your 3-year-old daughter can sing the whole first verse to “All-star” by Smashmouth, you can conclude the following. 1. She’s watching too much Shrek and 2. You need to kick you brother in the jimmy for teaching it to her…trust me on this.

Even if you hate the Yankees, there is no disputing that Yankee Stadium is an icon of baseball. The fact that this is the last season of baseball in those hallowed ground is heartbreaking enough, but now the new stadium will carry the name “Steinbrenner Field”? Nope, no it won't...the magic of sports headlines today...glancing at a headline you think the world has ended, and then you read a little deeper, and some lame spring training field is being renamed, trust me on this.

When you yell out, “Hey, where’s my 2005 Chicago White Sox highlight DVD?” and your daughter answers with “I put it away for you Daddy”…it’s in the Shrek DVD case, trust me on this.

When Memphis loses…yes, I meant to say “when”…the game will take a record 6 hours and 13 minutes to complete. This will of course be due to the other team’s strategy of fouling them on EVERY possession. Quite simply, a dead rat could shoot free throws better, trust me on this.

It might be passé, but if you ever have the chance to play a good round of Mad-Libs, make sure to work in the following words: Gangrene….Zima….wombat. Doesn’t matter what order, or what the topic is, those words are comedy gold, trust me on this.

In the spirit of Latrell Sprewell, Alex Rodrigez explained his change of agents (getting rid of the money hungry Scott Boras) with “I put my family ahead of the money”. Choosing your family AND a 10 year, $275 million contract is a hard choice. You sir are a saint, a god among men, an example for us all! Alex, Latrell just called, he wanted to offer your family a free ride on his yacht during your troubled times, trust me on this.

This just in, Cedric Benson might be replaced as the Bears starting running back! In other news, our reports have confirmed that, yes; bears do crap in the woods. Benson “probably” being replaced isn’t news, trust me on this.

You find yourself working in a Little Caesar’s pizza. A customer comes in and orders a pizza with “Everything on it, but no meat”. If your reaction is anything BUT, “Okay, so Onions, Peppers, Olives, Sausage, Pepperoni, Ham, mushrooms…” well, you haven’t worked there long enough, trust me on this.

Well, Pacman Jones explained his strange and self destructive behavior with the quote, "Man, I'm at the end of the cliff, and if I slip off, I fall off". Pacman, let me explain something to you…come closer…okay…too close. Not “stripper close”…there you go. Pacman, first, explaining away the last several years of your life is going to take more than a 3 hour interview with Michael Irvin. And yes, if you “Slip off” you by definition would “fall off” a cliff. You can’t “slip off a cliff” without “falling off”, trust me on this.

Speaking of Pacman…so we now have Pacman Jones and Atari Bigby…starting for your 2009 Green Bay Packers….Collecovision Johnson! We’ve only scratched the surface of the video game names, trust me on this.

The NFL is thinking of moving the start time of the Season opener earlier to avoid clashing with the Republican National Convention. Nothing against Republicans, but seriously is there a choice? Watching a bunch of speeches and a forgone conclusion nomination or the start of the NFL season? The convention should consider rescheduling, they don’t want to risk alienating the football vote, trust me on this.

You’re an NFL GM, your assistant tells you “Mel Kiper Jr is on the phone for you with some draft advice”, and you don’t break into uncontrollable laughter, fire yourself, don’t hesitate, fire yourself, trust me on this.

Over the weekend, my daughter and I settled in to watch basketball together. Got all comfy on the couch, the game was on…and my daughter said, “Okay, now let’s watch football”. After explaining to her that it’s not football season, its basketball season, she said “why can’t we watch football?” If there was ever a doubt in my mind, I now have hard proof she’s mine, trust me on this.

You’re the Coach of a Division I team. The NCAA informs you that your team has been made a #4 seed in the tournament. You’re ecstatic…you break out the champagne…you’re hugging all the players…the AD is calling ever booster he knows and rubbing it in their face…and then the NCAA says, “And you play your opening games in Tampa”. There isn’t a quicker way to quiet that room, trust me on this.

If you’re looking for a new catch phrase to throw around the office, start reading spam…at least the subject lines. No where else on Earth will you learn the phrase “Trouser Mouse”, trust me on this.

In Seattle it looks like the Sonics are leaving town…well not the Sonics…just the players, coaches, staff, balls, and the NBA. The name and history of the Sonics will stay in Seattle. Well, that solves the problem…the Key Arena will definitely sell out next year to watch a bunch of empty uniforms lie on the court, and ogle the only championship trophy in Seattle history. Hey Stern, the blood is all over you on this one…trust me on this.

When it comes to getting a child ready for school in the morning, once they hit the stage of “I can do it myself”, what that really means is that from there on out they’ll be leaving the house in some “interesting” outfits, trust me on this.

There are 2 types of #1 overall QBs…the Golden Boy, ala Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer and Eli Manning…the guys we knew would be on top all season long. And the Out-of-nowhere QB, ala Alex Smith, David Carr, and JaMarcus Russell. Take a memo to the Miami Dolphins, Matt Ryan is in the 2^nd group, trust me on this.

For me, a bad action movie is a great way to relax. There is something about huge plot holes, unbelievable explosions, terrible one-liners, and predictable finishes that comfort me. If you share this love, then check out Sahara on cable, trust me on this.

Chris Webber is finally hanging them up. He’ll be remembered for the Fab Five, the infamous time out, lifting the Kings out of obscurity, and playing until his vertical and mobility was worse than mine. Here’s a little advice for all you other NBA players, if I can jump higher and run faster than you, follow Chris out the door, trust me on this.

In my last “Trust me” post, Yao Ming was put on notice with “the Rockets aren’t going to be the same without you, trust me on this.” Well…um…yeah…that’s it, just remember…never trust me if I’m drunk, trust me on this.

If your child insists on you making her Ernie doll talk, using the “Ernie has laryngitis” excuse doesn’t work. In toddler land, band-aids cure laryngitis, trust me on this.

So Jose Canseco is writing another “tell all” book. First, does anyone care? Second, who in their right mind will ever be friends with this guy again? “Um, Jose, why are you looking through all my tax docs? And what’s with the handy-cam?” Jose, friends don’t write tell all books about each other, trust me on this.

When ordering something online…if one place has the item with free shipping, and you find the item on another site for $10 less, but shipping is $15…if the thought crosses your mind that maybe you can find it for $10 cheaper AND free shipping…just buy from the first place, because it’s not worth an hour of your life to save $10, trust me on this.

An NFL team had to forfeit a draft pick for cheating. Yep, old news…but get this…it wasn’t the Patriots! What? No one wants to hear about a bad team that cheated? So the Niners tampering with Briggs doesn’t even rate a headline? Wow, it’s good to be terrible and cheat, trust me on this.

You’re in a karaoke bar…you’re too drunk for “Ring of Fire” and not quite drunk enough to whip out “Tiny Dancer”…go for “Livin’ La Vida Loca”, trust me on this.

After seeing the teams play a few games, the Final Four looks like this…UNC, UCLA, Texas and…Davidson. Yeah, it’s a pipe dream, but dreaming is a good thing, trust me on this.

And another edition of “trust me on this” is in the books. Before anyone gets up in arms about what you have read here today, this blog has never been about telling the future. Nah, that limits what can be said and done. If you want a clear picture of the future, buy a time machine…or build one…whatever…here you’ll just have to settle for the future telling power of Guinness, trust me on this.

NCAA Tournament: Live Blog!

Josh — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:23:01 GMT

The two greatest days in sports starts today. Is there anything more exciting than watching David knock off Goliath? Or watching as nearly every game comes down to the final few minutes? Is there anything more fun than watching game after game, until you go into a basketball coma? Nah, there really isn’t. So sit back, enjoy and bring on the games!

In college, the first two days of the tournament were a holiday. My buddy Scottie and I would take off work, skip class and just hold up in our apartment with as many friends as we could gather. The day would start with Bloody Mary’s for the early games, beer for most of the day, and finish off with shots and lunch boxes. We’d have 2 TVs going, and friends would come and go. The only rules? Watch the game, and no matter when you got there you had to fill in a bracket…and it was a shot for every loss.

Many late arrivers were forced to pick a bracket on arrival, and make up for missed shots. You’d think, “hey, no worries, the games were already played”. Um, yeah…the record was a girl that arrived late, picked a bracket and then had to do 9 shots to catch up with everyone. Not a good start to the day.

Those days are over. My daughter just can’t handle shots, and my wife hates Bloody Marys. Plus, there’s the whole thing of having to work. Damn it life, cut me some slack! It’s the tournament!!

Before the games start, let’s touch on 2 points…

First, what’s with all the expert analysis putting all or most of the #1 seeds into the Final Four? On the CBS Bracket show, Clark Kellog’s expert opinion was that the Final Four would consist of all 4 #1. Um, yeah, Clark…listen…that’s just flat out stupid. Since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985, there has never been a season where all 4 #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. And yet, almost every bracket that an “expert” has put out there has at least 3 #1 seeds in it. You know what that means? Get ready for some fun!

When all conventional wisdom points to the boring happening, that’s when all hell breaks loose. So with all the experts predicting a “boring” outcome, get ready for some epic upsets. And remember, there has only been 1 season (1993) when 3 #1 seeds, and a #2 seed made the final four. So don’t listen to the experts, and just have fun picking some games!

The second issue to hit on is the sudden call for expansion of the tournament. Bobby Knight and crew were just going on and on at length about how the tourney should expand. They kept citing the absence of Arizona State from the tourney as a reason to expand…to 128 teams! Okay, let’s get a couple things straight here…

Bubble teams can gripe all they want, but the fact of the matter is, they weren’t going to win the tourney. The lowest seed to win it all was an 8 seed…and a bubble team that misses the tourney is not going to be higher seeded than that. So in the end we’re griping and complaining about a team that would be out of the tournament in the first or second round.

There are 64 teams that get the chance to play for the championship. It’s a perfect number. There is no reason to expand, since we get a true champion. All expanding does is line the pockets of the media and the NCAA, and the game doesn’t gain anything, and the tourney loses some mystic. Yes, the tourney has expanded several times, and these same arguments has been made each time…but look around, there are a little over 300 programs that are eligible for the tourney. If 128 are allowed in, that’s moving close to 50% of the teams out there. That sort of mentality is exactly what has ruined the NBA and NHL playoffs. More is not always better.

Leave the tournament as it is, and let’s play some fricking basketball!!

------------ Waiting for Tip-off Thoughts -----------

Here's one of the reasons I miss the West Coast. Roll out of bed and the tournament is on. A 12:20pm ET start time makes for a 9:20am PT start time. Being able to wake up to the tourney is a great thing. Man, I miss Seattle right now...

Next order of business. Why is it that CBS always insists on showing the #1 seed games? In the first round, there is nothing more boring than the top seed beating the snot out of the 16 seed. Yes, if you live in North Carolina, you probably should see your Tar Heels, but for the rest of us? Please, spare us. We really don't want to see it.

If the miracle starts to develop, and the #16 seed is hanging tough...by all means, switch over. But come on, watching a little under manned school getting bludgeoned to death by the All Mighty Big Money U is not fun.

Getting back to my first point about the difference between watching the games on the East vs. West Coast...thanks to the beauty of FanNation, we have fans from all time zones on here...so here's a couple thoughts to mull over and share your thoughts on...

The best part of watching the games in your region of the country?

The best food to eat while watching the games?

Finally, the thing I hate most about network coverage of the game?

Is it tip-off yet?

How about now?

------------ Still waiting for Tip-off Thoughts -----------

While we wait for the games to kickoff...er...tip-off...let's cover a few points that have already been addressed in the comments...

There is only 1 lower seed that is favored in the first round. Excluding 8-9 seeds...as that isn't really a lower seed. That would be Davidson. They are a 10 seed favored over the 7 seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs.

As mentioned above, the experts seems to be very heavy on the #1 seeds. Many are picking 3 and even 4 to advance. And while it's already been covered that all 4 #1 seeds have NEVER made it to the Final Four...the real question is which #1 losees first? The consensus here is Memphis.

Along the Memphis lines...the last team to enter the tourney with only 1 loss, and win it all? North Carolina State in 1974. Since then 7 have tried, and all have failed.

In my bracket, filled out according to my nutty rules....I have two, yes 2, #2 seeds losing in the first round. The two seeds have lost 4 total first round games in the history of the tournament...and I have them losing 2 in this one tourney. Not liking the odds...but if it works out...man, will I look like a genius!

Okay, can these games start now? I can't eat another brat....

------------ Tip-off Thoughts -----------

Looks like we get to watch the Xavier-Georgia here. And Georgia looks like they are already out of gas.

In the office we are doing the following for our office challenge pool...

Randomly pick 1 team in each region.

If you're team wins AND covers the spread, you move on.

If they lose, but the other team failed to cover the spread, you take over that team.

Winner is last man standing.

My teams? San Diego, Temple, Portland St. and Mt. St. Mary's!! Woohoo!!

------------ First halfThoughts -----------

Some early observations....

Neither Temple or MSU are shooting well. They've been horribly missing the mark...clanking off the side of the rim, and, well...basically looking like me playing hoops. Which is not good. Slow, white, can't jump and can't shoot is no way to go through life...

One of the things about basketball for me, you can miss the whole first half...even most of the second, and still enjoy the hell out of the game. That last 5 minutes of a tournament game are some of the most exciting moments in basketball. And the thing is, unless the score is like completely out of control (Portland St fans, I'm talking to you) there is always a chance for a comback or at least a nail biting close. That's what I love about the tourney...every game comes down to that last few seconds.

So far, looks like we have 2 great games brewing...the never say die Bulldogs of Georgia and the Temple Owls look like they have upset on their minds. Meanwhile...the #1 seed is beating the snot out of a little school that is just happy to be here. Don't like to say I told you so....but....

I told you so.

------------ More First halfThoughts -----------

Is there anything worse than a food commercial when you're really hungry? It doesn't even matter if it's something you wouldn't normally eat, if it is on the screen looking all delicious, and you're starving...man, all you want is that. Yes, I'm starving, and I just saw a Taco Bell commercial. I never crave Taco Bell...but now I have this urge to head for the border. Of course, the problem is, that the nearest Taco Bell is like a 45 minutes drive away from here...

That brings me to an idea...and yes, sorry, this isn't on topic with the tourney, but hey, life goes on...if advertisers could tell when a person is hungry, and then be able to show you the ad for their product, wouldn't take be worth a ton of money? Trust me, this day is coming at some point...

Back to the tourney...

It's too early in these games to get totally excited or bummed...but MSU finally decided to actually start playing. The game was tied, I look away...and then...bam...MSU is up by 10.

But there is always the great equalizer in College basketball...the Three.

------------ First Games, 2nd half Thoughts -----------

Georgia in the lead...and then suddenly, without warning...Xavier drains a couple of 3s, and suddenly the Musketeers are out in front again. That's the beauty of the three point shot in college basketball, it changes the game so quickly.

Ouch, poor Portland State, just getting beat up by the Jayhawks. But hey guys, look at the bright side, at least you got in the game. Arizona State is playing in the NIT wishing they could be you.

The biggest spread in the first round? UCLA by 32.

The biggest spread for a #2? Tenn and Duke are both favored by 20

The biggest spread for a #3? Stanford by 14.5

The biggest spread for a #4? UConn by 11

Well, it looks like the Dawgs are running out of gas. Their run to this point has been amazing...but now it looks like they've hit the wall. The Musketeers are just locking down on D, and the Dawgs don't have mcuh energy on the Defensive side themselves. But free throws will be big in this one....

But when you can hit a shot as the shot clock expires like that...well...everything is going your way...

------------ First Games, End Game Thoughts -----------

Great run by Georgia. They come out of no where in the SEC tournament, and then push Xavier till the very end. Well done Dawgs.

Temple, you wore the black! That was the problem. Green trumps Black! Man, and even if it's a tie, a Spartan would tear an Owl a new one. Damn, that shouldn't of gone down like that. Ah well.

Kansas, great hard fought game, you really hung in there and stuck it to that highly favored Portland St. team. Good job!

Now a new note...

At the end of the game, I know the whole foul thing is a big strategy thing. And it makes sense. But there are 2 things that annoy the crap out of me...

First, it slows the end of a game to a crawl. Would rather see a nice fast paced, frantic finish. Instead of...foul...free throws...inbounds...foul....repeat.

Second, when there are 2 seconds left, and you're down by more than 5...don't foul. It's just delaying the inevitable. It's not strategy at that point, it's just sore losing. Just take the loss like a man, and move on.

Two things about the coverage so far...where is the split screen? And man, keeping the volume low really helps the enjoyment factor by limiting the idiot broadcaster factor.

------------ 2nd Games Thoughts -----------

The stands at the Kentuck-Marquette game are just pathetic. The place is empty, even now as the game starts the 2nd half...come on people, it's the tourney, get you're lazy California rears out to the game! If not, just send me your tickets and I'll go. Jeez...that's just pathetic.

Pudue is just blowing up on Baylor. Which will of course arm all the whiners out there that thought one of the bubble teams should of been in instead of Baylor. Guess what though, the choice was made, and it's over. Just stop now, and don't start crying about some passed decision.

Oral Roberts is fallen to their knees against Pitt...it's not a pretty sight seeing a team getting beaten like this...the good news? Some jerk has Pitt in the Final Four.

Still waiting on the first upset of the day...come on people, all we ask for is an upset. Something to get the juices flowing...the loins burning...the heart racing...the joint jumping...

So the folks in Cali, looks like you're missing a good game too. If the basketball gods know justice, 2 things will happen...

1. the UK-MU game will come down to a last second shot.

2. Stanford will be upset by Cornell.

Not sure how spiteful the basketball gods are...but the football gods would never stand for this!

Finally, everytime I type "basketball", I start typing "baseketball" before I have to correct myself...where are Matt and Trey when you need them?

------------ Still more 2nd Games Thoughts -----------

So here we are half way through the first day...and not a single upset. What a boring tourney so far. We haven't even had any really close games. The Xavier-Georgia game so far has been the best game of the day...and that wasn't even that close.

The thing that the NCAA should be worried about, isn't getting more teams into the tourney, but they should figure out a way to make sure they get more close games. Games that come down to the wire are what make the tourney great...not more games.

As we approach the later games, here are some of my picks to upset...

Cornell over Stanford - Didn't pick this one, but if the basketball gods have their way...this one will be all Cardinal.

Arizona over West Virginia - The Wildcats are almost never underdogs...so look out WV.

George Mason over Notre Dame - The great Cinderella has enough to beat up on ND.

Kansas St over USC - Two great freshman squaring off...this could be a great game.

Miind you, didn't pick any of those...just saying those are the games that MIGHT bring us our first upset.

I'll be going offline for a few, while I head home to catch the rest of the action at home...I'll be back on before the start of the 7pm games.

------------ Just before the Later Game Thoughts -----------

Well, the Cardinal would not be held up by the basketball gods...I guess the football gods are far more spiteful and vindictive. It's a shame really, you'd think the basketball gods would of learned something from their football brethren. Maybe they didn't get along well at the sporting god summer camp. Too bad, they have a lot to learn.

Now, can we get an upset? Seriously, what is up?

What is a Tournament without an upset? There are few moments in sports like seeing a small, over-matched school taking it to a big, bloated, overrated school. It's Hoosiers in real life, and normally we get to see it several times during the tournament. But this year...nothing...

There is one good thing that comes from this...the second round promises to be a blast as so many higher seeds are still alive...always makes for great games.

We have tip in the Duke game, let's get to the games, I'll post more when there is more to talk about.

And my daughter just said something that would make many proud..."Let's watch football daddy, not basketball."

------------ Later Game Half-time Thoughts ----------

Well, it appears the later games are giving us a little excitement.

K-State is sticking it to USC so far. The trojans can't grab a rebound to save their lives. Walker is playing great for K-State...and Beasley hasn't even done much due to foul trouble. K-State leads by 10 at the half, this is looking like our first upset of the tourney.

Meanwhile, Belmont is hanging tough with Duke. There are only down by 5 at half...but the key will be what happens coming out of the half. Coach K is not one to let his team under perform...so expect Duke to hit the floor with a little bit better game plan. For Belmont to pull this off, they'll need to wait for the open shot, no quick 3s, and continue to keep Duke to 1 shot. I have a feeling Duke will pull this out.

Wazzu and Winthorp are showing us how NOT to score points...which is really exciting. Defensive battles are great in football...pitching duels are fantastic in baseball...but there is nothing more boring than a super low scoring basketball game. The poetry of basketball is the speed up and down the court...the swish of the ball through the net...the pin point passing on the run...when you slow it to a crawl, it looks like what you see at the YMCA gym on any Sunday...and that's NOT what we want to see.

Finally, the Aggies and up on BYU...but since it's a 8-9 game...this isn't an upset...and isn't an exciting game unless it comes down to the last shot. So we'll hold of on this one until then.

------------ Later Game End Game Thoughts ----------

Well, we have the first upset of the tourney...not a big one...but still, K-State takes down the higher seed in USC. The Mayo-Beasley battle goes to Beasley. Next stop for both? The NBA? Don't think Mayo helped his NBA resume at all. Didn't really make the players around him better in this one...

But that is besides the point...the first upset is in the books...K-State has it.

Belmont...wow...great play...great game. They had the game in their hands...they pushed Duke to the limit. Just a great ball game. These are the types of games you hope for everytime you turn on a tournament game.

But Belmont...if David is going to knock off Goliath, you can't hit yourself in the face with the sling. Throwing away the inbounds pass? That's hitting yourself in the head with the sling. Can't do that...when you're trying to beat the odds in the tourney, you have to play PERFECT...and that wasn't it.

Even then, Duke did it's own choking...trying to give the game back to Belmont by clanking the free throw. So close, but yet so far away. Well, at least my bracket is okay...great game Belmont, thanks.

Winthorp decided to completely fall apart...after a 29-29 half time score...Wazzu outscored them 42-11 in the second half...ouch. That's what you call a "Whoopin'".

Now it looks like with have a lively game in TAMU-BYU to bridge us to the late-late games...

------------ Late-Late Game Thoughts ----------

Good lord...we all knew UCLA was good...but they are just beating down poor Mississippi Valley St. There is a beat down, and then there is a old fashioned, tool shed, whoopin. UCLA has got MVSU behind the tool shed, and they're making them squeal like a pig.

George Mason was a team that everyone saw as a possible upset...and when I say everyone...I mean...me. But we forget, that once a Cinderella, does not always mean "Always a Cinderella". Notre Dame showing they are for real this year...at least in terms of getting to the second round.

The Badgers are in comfortable control of their game, after struggling early against Cal-Fullerton. The Big Ten is actually playing well so far this tourney. They are usually the conference that just falls flat, but they seem to be bringing their A games this year.

Arizona is giving commentators more ammo to complain about Arizona State not making the tourney. Which is now at the top of the "beat to death list" along with the Belmont game. Already every commentator has mentioned the Belmont game about 10 times...that's how sad this tourney has been so far...an almost win, is the most talked about game.

------------ Day 1 Closing Thoughts ----------

"Mississippi Valley State, congrats you made it to the tournament, you played hard and made your alums proud"...wow...I really hope that was a backhanded compliment...cause that's what it came off as.

Well, for the most part the first day of the tourney was a bit of a let down. Only 1 upset...and only a couple really close games. The favorites held the floor, and the games weren't all that close. Bummer.

But the beauty of the tournament? There's always more yogurt...and there are always more games tomorrow. So today didn't give us that signature game of the tourney, but there is always tomorrow.

As for Tomorrow, not sure there will be a live blog for tomorrow. Not totally writing it off...just not sure if I'm up for it tomorrow. This has been a blast, thanks to everyone that stopped by and joined in the fun.

------------ Day 2 Opening Thoughts ----------

Well, due to popular demand...and the fact that...well...what else am I gonig to do...let's make this a 2 day affair.

The updates won't be as often, and there is no promise the blog will get updated for the later games...as the wife was not to happy with me last night. Let's just say, I came home, informed her I would be watching games all night...after she had a really busy day, and my daughter hadn't gotten a nap...and well...that didn't sit well with her.

The name of the game today....upset. We need some. This isn't a tournament without upsets. And one upset is not going to get it done. There are two big upsets in my picks that need to happen...both #2 seeds need to lose today. Do it! Come on man...

With that, let's turn our attention to the games...what's you big upset pick for today? And let's get some odds here people...

------------ More Day 2 Thoughts ----------

Well, the start to the day is a little...and let me stress the little part...promising. American U is hanging tough on UT. Proving that orange is not a color you want on your uniforms.

Davidson is showing why lower seeds are not normally favored. The game is close, but Davidson hasn't looked all that great. And when you play a team that has a tournament tested coach, like Gonzaga, disrespecting the seeding is never a good idea.

Drake, playing for the street cred of the MVC, is laying a turd out on the court. They came in with a 5 seed, which is great to see for a MVC team...as a former Redbird will atest...and instead of showing the country how we roll in the MVC...they are losing to a team that is named after guys that live on a hill.

Meanwhile, The U, is getting beat by The Virgin Mother! Yeah, you can't hope to compete with that Miami. Trash talk U against the holy mother? Come on, there is hope and then there is false hope. The U only has false hope at this time...

Finally, watching one of the games online today...and during half...the halftime online crew...wow....it's like 3 dude's in their mom's basement. The host guy has a voice fit for silent film, and the analysts...well...I've seen cabbage with more life than them. Seriously, Sportsline couldn't of given Dan and I a call? We'd of done it in a heart beat. Stick us in there with Luc Longley, for a little basketball and the accent, and we would of had a fantastic online show! Well...I can dream....

------------ Still More Day 2 Thoughts ----------

Stephen Curry single handedly beats Gonzaga. Scoring 40 in the game, and 30 in the second half. Gonzaga managed a total of 35 in the 2nd half.

But isn't it fitting for this tournament so far, that a 10 beats a 7...but it's not an upset? Yep, Davidson was favored in the game by 4. That's right folks, we get an upset...but it really isn't one. Welcome to March Madness 2008! Crap, I need more beer...

Meanwhile, American U gave UT all it could handle for about 30 minutes. And then UT realized it was a #2 seed and pulled away. The bright side? It only took UT 30 minutes to realize that...took Duke 39 yesterday. Bad news? Still don't have a big upset.

The Gaels of St. Mary's got beat down by the U...proving for the 100th time, that colleges named after the Virgin Mother don't hold any extra sway in College athletics. Yes, this contradicts my previous point...but it's my blog...I can do that.

Drake meanwhile, heard the cries of needing to defend the MVC. They clawed all the way back to tie the game and send it to OT. We've got a good game folks...OT...that's more like it...I knew at some point the tourney would have to get better...

------------ Even More Day 2 Thoughts ----------

Now that, was a good game.

Overtime...5-12 upset (there's one every year)...and a great last second shot.

That is what the tournament is about. That's why we watch.

Drake, you made a great comeback...from 16 down, to take the game to OT, and then have the lead with 5.7 seconds left? That shows real grit. It's what we expect from our MVC teams.

Western Kentucky...great game. You can't tell me, that in a million years, that's the shot you would draw up with the game on the line. But you can't argue with the results. A fantastic finish to a great game.

------------ It's still Day 2? Thoughts ----------

After anther few halves of basketball...we have 3 boring games, and one that is showing some promise...

Texes is making Austin Peay, Peay all over itself. They are up 15 at half.

Georgetown is up 12 on UMBC at the half. Yawn.

So it looks like there won't be a 2 seed upset in the first round...bah!

Butler, is solidly smacking down South Alabama. Also not a huge surprise.

Finally, San Diego is giving UConn all they can handle! Come on San Diego! Let's get rid of those Huskies!!

-------Wake me when Day 2 is over Thoughts -------

Doesn't it figure, that Day 2 is the more upset heavy exciting day? Every lower seed in Tampa won...that's just nuts. Two 13 seeds and two 12 seeds advance on to the next round. Everyone's brackets are messed up.

The Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky managed to hold off Drake in OT, a great game that had all kinds of great back and forth.

San Diego held on to beat UConn...who else picked them? Huh? Come on now, who else knew that San Diego is German for upset? Okay, I'll raise my hand...if you remember, this came down to the hot cheerleader factor. Hot cheerleaders never lie....

Villanova beat Clemson, due to the simple power of Blue over Orange and Purple...not to mention the dreaded power of the 5-12 upset. If you're a high seed, wouldn't you sell your soul to NOT have the 5 seed? Coaches should be lobbying to drop to 6 or 7...just to avoid the power of the 12 seed.

Finally, Siena pulled the upset...soundly beating down Vandy. Unfortunately, this one went down to my daughter making the pick...and Shrek led her astray. Damn you Shrek!!

Ah well, we finally got our upsets, and a lot of them. This makes for a very interesting 2nd round...stay tuned...

This blog won't update during the second round, as it's Easter weekend, and there's eggs to color, baskets to fill, and stuff to hide for my daughter. Basically, this weekend is about my little girl. Enjoy the games, and see ya in the sweet sixteen!

-------End Live Blog -------

The Simple Beauty of the Groundball

Josh — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:13:59 GMT

The ides of March are upon us and with them the promise of spring. After a long cold winter in the Northeast, the faint glimpses of warmth and rebirth are exciting to the senses. If spring is in the air, it can mean only one thing, baseball. Grab your bat, glove and ball, let’s play some ball!

Way back on February 2^nd, the groundhog let us know that we were destined for 6 more weeks of winter…well those 6 weeks are almost up, so that means it’s time for spring. Early last week, it didn’t look very promising, what with a foot of snow falling here in the Northeast. The mind was filled with the thought “If you can’t trust a large rodent these days, what good is left in this world?”

As the week progressed, the power of the groundhog took control of the weather, and temperatures started to rise…the rains came and helped remove the snow from the ground…and for a day or 2, there were sunny skies, temps in the 50s…and the faintest hint of spring in the air. And that was all it took…

After a long cold winter, that first hint of spring…whether it’s the sight of the first bud on a tree…the sound of rushing water in a creek…feeling the warm sun on your skin…the taste of the first Cadbury egg…or the first whiff of the sweet smell of spring. When the first sign of spring hits you, the winter is forgotten. (Last year at this time, the subject was the line drive)

Smells are the strongest trigger for my memory. Catch a whiff of freshly mowed grass…and suddenly I’m 14 years old, mowing the lawn in 90 degree heat. Smell a turkey cooking…and instantly I’m 12 years old in my grandma’s kitchen at Thanksgiving. The scent of a fire…and I’m surrounded by my family in a campsite, looking up at the stars. But that first hint of spring…a scent I can’t even really describe…that always makes me think of only one thing…

Baseball.

Last week when I caught that whiff, the first thing I did was throw all my softball gear into the trunk of my car. Winter is putting up a last fight…there was cold rain all weekend, followed by some freezing temperatures…but it doesn’t matter, baseball and spring are in my brain now.

When my nose caught a whiff of spring, it wasn’t just a general idea of baseball…it never is…that simple smell transported me to the age of 11. Running out into the back yard, a few patches of snow still on the ground…glove in hand…shouting back at my dad to hurry up. That first toss of the ball, and the returning first catch of the ball…the impact stinging the hand due to the cold. It was a time in my life when I had no doubt what I was going to be when I grew up…the starting Shortstop for the Chicago White Sox.

All the research had already been done. The great Luke Appling and his .388 team record average. Luis Aparicio and his glove was the stuff of legend in my head. And a new face had just arrived on the scene, rookie of the year, Ozzie Guillen. While Appling’s hitting amazed me, Aparicio and Guillen held my imagination, there is nothing a beautiful in baseball as a great defensive play. The home run is awe inspiring, a pitcher blowing a fastball by a hitter is breath taking, but watching a shortstop go deep into the hole, snag the ball, turn and fire the ball to first? There isn’t a painting in the Louvre that can match that for beauty.

These types of plays can be seen every day in the game of baseball…Orlando Cabrera, Scott Rolen, Placido Polanco, Derek Lee, Ichiro Suzuki, Grady Sizemore, Carlos Beltran, Russell Martin and Greg Maddux make the great defensive play routine. But one of the biggest crimes of the steroid era is that the low scoring pitching duel has been trivialized. There are few things in this world that hold my attention as completely as a well played 1-0 baseball game.

The steroid era has taught us that offense if king. The more the ball flew out, the more excited we were supposed to get. But is there anything more boring than a 14-2 game? Even 12-7 isn’t a fun game to watch. When the ball is flying out of the park, any mistake can be erased with one swing. That very fact causes a game to be played in a sloppier manner. And that sloppy play is one of the biggest crimes of the steroid era.

Two of the great things about baseball…

1. You’re never out of a game; any comeback is possible because there is no clock.

2. And when a game is tight, every single movement is important.

The steroid era has put the emphasis on the Home Run and the Strikeout. While these things feed reason number 1, they completely ignore number 2. In fact it goes even further…even in a 0-0 game, everyone is waiting for a home run to decide the game…and because of that, we miss what is truly exciting about baseball.

As a 0-0 game moves later and later in innings, every play takes on more and more importance. A simple ground ball that is beat out for a hit…taking a wrong step for a fly ball, the catch is made, but the throw is slow to come…a throw arriving mere inches to the wrong side of a base…misjudging a pop foul and allowing a potential out to fall harmlessly to the ground. Every one of these plays can be forgotten in a slugfest…erased by another mammoth blow…but find yourself in a pitching duel and the true beauty of baseball is revealed.

Watching a pitching duel or seeing a perfect defensive play is one thing, but being involved in one makes you truly appreciate the pressure that Derek Jeter, Joe Crede, David Eckstien, or Criag Biggio is under every play. Can you make the plays they make? No. There is a reason they are in the Majors and you’re not. But the importance of each play is the same at every level. It’s not the World Series, just a beer league game…

You lob the ball back to the pitcher, as you look over at the runner at 3^rd. It’s the last half of the last inning, in a 1-0 game. Your hand raises above your head with 2 fingers extended…”2 away!” Your shout is acknowledged by the Left Fielder.

Your feet carry you back to the familiar spot worn in the dirt, a collection of cleat marks that distinguish your preferred starting point. A small rock peeks out of the dirt on your right, a nudge with your cleat unearths it, and you stoop over to pick it up. A quick flick of the wrist later, and the rock is flying over the foul line in left, lessening the chance of a bad hop.

All eyes on the field focus on the batter approaching the plate. He digs into the batters box, and stares ahead at the pitcher. You start to settle into your crouch. Feet shoulder width apart, knees bent, glove just below the knees…then something catches you eye.

The batter closes his stance, moving his front foot closer to the plate…”he’s going the other way” flashes through your mind…you take a few steps toward second, and peek over to the other fielders…they’ve seen it too. Your eyes stay focused on the batter, as you sink back into your crouch. As your knees flex, you bend and work your glove...it offers no real edge in fielding the ball, but it feels right.

The pitcher starts his motion; you rock to the balls of your feet. You glove and free-hand twitch in anticipation. All eyes follow the ball as it leaves the pitchers hand, but you focus on the batter. You see his eyes flash as he sees the pitch coming. He rocks back and he coils his weight in prep for unloading on the ball. The ball closes in on its target and the batter’s hands start into action…his front foot strides forward…and then you catch your second clue…

His stride is towards you, the ball is on the inside, and he has opened his swing to hit it. The mind starts to become aware of this clue as the bat makes contact with the ball. A burst of dirt sprays forth as the ball hits the ground. Before you know where the ball is, your feet have already sent you in motion. They pivot on the balls, and the cleats dig in, as your legs propel you forward toward the on coming ball.

Every instinct in your body is now carrying you…there is not a single clear though when you’re chasing down a ball…it’s all instinct. Every groundball you’ve ever chased…from the first to the one you tacked down to start the inning…is running through your mind right now. All those balls your dad used to hit you in the backyard…every ball that hit off an rotting apple in your backyard…all those balls hit to you by your little league coach….every time a coach yelled at you to stay in front of the ball…all those nights that you kept at it until there was no light left in the sky…it all runs through your head as you race toward that ball.

On its 3^rd hop, the ball is closing in on you…your left foot strides across your body to close the final gap, and your glove…already low to the ground…moves into position for the ball. The runner at 3^rd is on his way home, but your focus narrows on the ball. The ball makes one more dive for freedom, taking a nasty short hop right near your feet. But the glove is too fast, it stabs downward, and the ball is enveloped in the pocket.

Before the glove even closes, your eyes draw focus on first base. Your right foot plants hard, and your left foot pivots opening your body up for the throw. The glove continues to pull the ball up across the body…the throwing hand starts moving in for the kill. As your right foot flexes to transfer all your momentum into the throw, your feet pivot towards first.

Your eyes catch the batter coming into view, the first basemen isn’t to the base yet. No time to wait, you draw a bead on where the glove will be. Fingers wrap around the ball in the glove and pull the ball back up towards your ear. The glove arm peels away from the ball, lending more momentum to the throw.

As the ball reaches the height of its travels, the first basemen plants his foot and turns towards you and starts to raise his glove. The momentum coiled in your back leg starts to unload into the throw. The arm flings forward, and the ball starts a new journey.

Reaching out towards the first basemen’s waiting glove, the ball is released. Hand and arm continue forward in a follow through, and the eyes follow the flight of the ball. With the ball in flight, that split second seems to take years.

The runner at third is steps from the plate, if the ball to first arrives late, the game is tied. Everyone on the field and in the stands inhales, except the first basemen whose complete focus is on the ball hurling towards him. He strides out with his front foot and glove to meet the ball…coaxing a fraction of extra time from the play.

Dust is kicked up near the bag as the runner approaches, and in one last stretch the glove closes around the ball. A beat later a second foot lands on the base, but it’s too late.

“You’re OUUUUUUTTTTT!!” screams the ump, as his thumb flies up into the air.

Beyond the base, the runner collapses to the ground…as you leap into the air pumping a fist. The ball still squeezed in this glove, the first basemen runs toward you. The great inhale that happened during the ball’s flight is released. Cheers from one side, cries of agony from the other. Another close game ends the only way it can, in victory and defeat.

If you’ve been there…if you’ve made some similar play…whether it’s in a softball game…tee ball…wiffle ball…little league…high school ball…then you know what I’m talking about. That moment when the final out of a hard fought game is made, all the tension from the previous innings is released…and the sky is a little bluer, the grass is a little greener, and spring has finally arrived.

---

That’s it for this week. With the NCAA Tournament next week, I’m going to change things up. First off, look for a post from me on Monday about making your picks…and then on Thursday and possibly Friday, I’ll be doing a live blog during the games instead of my regular blog. I’ll send out the link first thing on Thursday morning with my opening thoughts, and as we move through the games, everyone can chime in on the games in comments, and I’ll continue to share my general thoughts in the blog.

Bracketology: There's always more Yogurt

Josh — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:10:00 GMT

Few days on the sports calendar are as exciting and fun as the first 2 days of the NCAA Tournament. The excitement and anticipation of the opening round of the tournament is just off the charts. They happen to be my 2 favorite days in sports.

Before the tournament last year, this blog featured a post about “How to fill out a Bracket”. It wasn’t about whom to pick in the tournament, just a few guidelines to help you in your pursuit of bracket perfection. But then, I’ve never been someone who was good at achieving bracket perfection.

You know the guy that thinks too much about the bracket? Second guesses himself, and changes things…and then changes them again? Yep, you’re looking at him. And you know how many pools that has won me? One. No more of that, just 5 simple rules to follow, and the headache is gone.

Let’s review the rules…

Simple Math, Lower seed divided by higher seed equals double digits?

If you take the lower seed (15) and divide it by the higher seed (2) and you get a double digit number, always pick the higher seed. And yes, there is only 1 matchup that this happens in the first round…

Pick by the colors...remember when in doubt, go with blue.

Look around, the teams with the "funky" uniforms, are usually the more obscure school...or should we say the "lesser" school. So a team with blue or red as a dominant color is usually a good bet. If a team is mauve or pink...just stay away.

Can a Musketeer beat a Tiger?

Simply picture the mascots from the 2 teams coming to life, and then battling to the death...which one wins? This can be hard if you have 2 teams with Wildcats are involved...and believe me it happens every year (Kentucky-Villanova)...or it can be pretty funny if you imagine a Wild hog beating the snot out of a Condom (Arkansas-USC).

When in doubt, go with the hottest cheerleaders rule

Here's the thing...if a school has hot cheerleaders...and a hot female population in general...well, don't you think they would have an easier time drawing the best young male athletes? Um, yeah, it never figured into my college decision. Never looked at the whole "male-female" ratio...nope. Trust me, if you've got Texas on one side, and New Mexico St on the other...um, yeah, go with the Longhorns...nothing against New Mexico...but Texas has sheer numbers.

Small children are a great choice

I would say use a drunken chimp, but trust me, those things are hard to find. Now small children, they're everywhere. If you don't have one of your own, go down to the local playground, and walk right up to the nearest kid eating sand and say, "Hey, who do you like in the Purdue-Arizona matchup? It's a 8-9 game, just drawing a blank." You'll either get the answer you want, or the kid's dad will punch you in the face and screaming "We're a Boilermaker family you son of a..."

Let’s put these in action, and see what occurs…

East

1 North Carolina vs. 16 TBD

This is a simple equation…16 divided by 1 is….16…just take UNC.

8 Indiana vs. 9 Arkansas

The math fails us here…and the uniform colors are almost identical…so we have nothing there…but then there is a light at the end of the tunnel. A razorback in a death match against a Hoosier. What’s a hoosier? A person from Indiana. So throw a Indiana resident in the ring with a razorback…my money is on the hog. Arkansas wins…and the poor Indiana resident is not doing well.

5 Notre Dame vs. 12 George Mason

No math…the colors are again similar…a Fighting Irish against a Patriot? Not a compelling matchup. Looking towards the hot cheerleader factor…once again, nothing clear. This one goes to the small child factor…turning to my daughter and asking “Norte Dame or George Mason?”

“I like Curious George, he’s a nice monkey.”

There you have it, George mason gets the win.

4 Washington State vs. 13 Winthrop

Math is dead, and both teams have red as the main color, so we move into the mascots…a cougar against an eagle? While it depends how big the eagles is, the cougar seems to have the edge here…a cougar walks in and drops a dead eagle on your couch…it’s a present from the little guy…how nice. Take Wazzu.

6 Oklahoma vs. 11 St. Joseph’s

Skipping to the mascots…a Hawk vs. a Sooner? Not a clear winner. While the Sooner would have the edge if he was armed, we’re not allowing any weapons into this ring. So we move to the cheerleaders…this goes to the Sooners hands down. The photographic evidence has been reviewed, the Sooners are the pick.

3 Louisville vs. 14 Boise State

The mascot battle is a Cardinal vs. a Bronco…boring. This is one of those fights that would last for ever…the Cardinal has NO fatal move, and the Bronco only has one fatal move…the back leg kick to the head. But you try landing that on a tiny bird that is flying all around. Moving to Cheerleaders…Kentucky vs. Idaho…Kentucky as a state has a higher population of attractive ladies, so the nod goes to Louisville.

7 Butler vs. 10 South Alabama

Both uniforms feature blue…so we’re into the mascot battle…a bulldog vs. a jaguar. The bulldog is the sentimental favorite in this type of fight, cause well, they’re cute with all that drool, and wrinkly face. But wrinkly and drooling is not going to win you many fights, so South Alabama is the winner.

2 Tennessee vs. 15 American U.

Here’s a matchup that gets dicey…the math doesn’t quite make hay…with the result being 7.5. But the colors are a different story. American U has red and blue…while Tennessee has bright orange. The urge is to say that the American U is the more obscure team…but the uniforms say differently. The 15-2 upset is not unheard of, and the rules say it happens this year…American U. is the pick!

West

1 Kansas vs. 16 Portland St.

The math is all you need here…Kansas is the team.

8 UNLV vs. 9 Kent State

The uniform matchup is pretty even…Red vs. Blue…can’t get more main stream than that. The mascot battle is just strange…a Running Rebel vs. a Golden Flash? Don’t even know where to start with that one. One reading could be a Golden flash in the sky, and the rebel runs away…but that seems lame. Let’s call that a draw…so we move to Cheerleaders. We have Sin City vs. Kent, Ohio…yeah; you have to go with UNLV. Yeah, it’s all silicone, but still, come on man!

5 Clemson vs. 12 Villanova

Orange and blue against blue and white…that’s a tough call. Blue and orange has a special place in my heart…(Think Monsters of the Midway)…but Blue and white is classic. You gotta go with the classic setup here, Villanova is the choice.

4 Vanderbilt vs. 13 Siena

Black vs. Green…not a strong color on either hand…no clear winner there. The mascot battle features a commodore vs. a saint. Is it wrong that the image in my brain is Lionel Richie fighting Archie Manning? Can’t see a clear winner there…although watching them fight to the death might be the highlight of the week…while they fight, let’s move onto the cheerleaders. Vandy is in Tennessee, but it’s more of an academic school…and Siena is in New York, but it’s a smaller school…so no clear winner. That means we throw it to my little girl…”Vanderbilt or Siena, honey?”

“No, Daddy, its Princess Fiona. What does Shrek say?”

Well, I guess Shrek says that “Vanderbilt is one of a kind”.

6 USC vs. 11 Kansas State

While I would love to see this one go to the mascot matchup…a condom vs. a wildcat…this one is over in the color matchup. Purple vs. Red? You gotta go with Red, it’s the proven color. The Trojans win…although that poor condom is not looking good.

3 Wisconsin vs. 14 Cal State Fullerton

Another Blue vs. Red matchup. No clear winner when those colors square off. So we go to the mascots…a badger vs. a titan. Now a Titan is a mythical being, that gave rise to the Greek gods…but all I can picture is a pickup truck and a pissed off badger tearing it apart from the inside out. So the pick is Wisconsin.

7 Gonzaga vs. 10 Davidson

The color matchup is red vs. red and blue….no clear winner there again. A wildcat vs. a bulldog? This is a good matchup…but once again this is a close call…no clear winner. The cheerleaders? Spokane, WA against Davidson, NC? North Carolina has an edge there…but once again it’s close. Only one way to settle this…

“Gonzaga or Davidson?”

“Daddy, I’m not your son…I’m your daughter!”

Um…looks like we gotta go with Gonzaga in a squeaker.

2 Georgetown vs. 15 Maryland-Baltimore County

Gray vs. Black…wow…boring. Moving to the mascots, we get a hoya (bulldog) vs. a retriever? Really? A retriever? Wow…retrievers are some of the most loyal dogs, but if you’re going to bet on a dog fight…speaking in the hypothetical of course, no animals were hurt in the writing of this blog…you gotta go with the bulldog. Georgetown takes this one.

South

1 Memphis vs. 16 Texas-Arlington

Math geeks unite! This one is straight forward again…although a Tiger tearing apart a stray cow (Maverick) also goes in Memphis’ favor.

8 Mississippi St. vs. 9 Oregon

For those that were looking forward to a Bulldog devouring a Duck…let you imagination run wild, but this one is over before we get there. Red vs. Green…you gotta go with Red. Mississippi State beats the Ducks.

5 Michigan State vs. 12 Temple

Once again, the mascot battle of a Spartan (picture King Leonidas from 300) against an owl is quite exciting…but the colors do this one in first. Red vs. Green…you gotta go with Red. Temple pulls the upset.

4 Pittsburgh vs. 13 Oral Roberts

Here’s a great matchup. They have nearly identical uniforms…blue and gold. And then we move to the mascots…panther vs. not an eagle, but a GOLDEN EAGLE. A golden eagle? Now if the eagle is made of gold, then this is no contest…but no, it’s the largest species of eagle. Still, you gotta go with a panther against an eagle…cat of prey beats bird of prey. Pittsburgh is the pick.

6 Marquette vs. 11 Kentucky

We have blue vs. blue…so nothing there. And once again we have the golden eagle squaring off with a cat…this time it’s a wildcat. Sorry, but a wildcat is a little too small to put up a fight against this large of a bird. The golden eagle swoops down, picks up the wildcat and drops him on a rock…Marquette wins.

3 Stanford vs. 14 Cornell

Okay, here is an intriguing one…red vs. red…nothing. A tree vs. the big red? They have a bear pictured, but the Big Red? Come on, a tree vs. the color red? Talk about boring fights to the death. Let’s move on…we have an ivy league school against the Harvard of the west…so no clear cheerleader edge. Looks like we need to turn this over to the little one…

“Stanford or Cornell?”

“Daddy, I don’t want corn, I want ‘nilla yogurt”

Well, that’s good, because corn is a pain to clean up when potty training…Stanford is the choice.

7 Miami (FL) vs. 10 Saint Mary’s

Thankfully, I don’t have to figure out what a “Gael” is…while fans of “The U” are not going to like this, but orange is trumped by blue, and that’s what St. Mary’s wears. So there was no need for me to determine how a Gaelic would hold out against a hurricane…St. Mary’s is the victor.

2 Texas vs. 15 Austin Peay

Man, who knew that two out of the four #2 seeds would have orange as their main color? And would go up against teams that are sporting blue or red? Well, in the uniform world, red trumps orange…so Austin Peay pulls the upset!

Midwest

1 UCLA vs. 16 Mississippi Valley State

A bear vs a Delta Devil would be a great matchup…for some reason the image is of them meeting at a crossroads, and the bear selling his soul to become the greatest guitar player of all time…but it’s all a moot point…this one is over with the math. The Bruins go down to the crossroads and get the win.

8 Brigham Young vs. 9 Texas A&M

Blue vs. Red…seems a common theme. A cougar vs. an Aggie? The question is, what in the heck is an aggie? If you do a little poking, you find 2 definitions…

1. a playing marble

2. a person who attends an agricultural school.

We’ll assume that since Texas A&M is an agricultural school, that definition #2 is the correct one. So there is a cage match, in one corner a mean, hungry cougar….in the other a guy who’s learning how to farm. Yeah, my money is on the cat. BYU gets the win.

5 Drake vs. 12 Western Kentucky

If you’re guessing this is a blue-red matchup, you would be correct. That means we move onto the epic battle between a bulldog and….a dude on a hill. That’s right, the Hilltoppers, so named because the school is on a hill, are nothing more than a dude on a hill. While the hill would give him a strategic advantage if there was an invading war party, we’re talking about 1 dog. In this situation, the dog wins. Drake takes down the guy on a hill.

4 Connecticut vs. 13 San Diego

Well, this is an all blue game…so we’re not going to get any help here. Moving onto the mascots…a husky vs. a bull fighter? A bull fighter makes a living avoiding a charging bull; it would seem that he could avoid a dog. This seems to be a draw in the making. So let’s move onto the Cheerleaders…this is a blowout. As someone that lives in Connecticut, let me just say, San Diego, you are a bunch of lucky guys. The sun and weather gives you some gorgeous ladies, and that allows San Diego to take the game!

6 Purdue vs. 11 Baylor

This is an interesting matchup. There is a an urge to call this a draw based on colors…they both have gold as a minor color…but Purdue has black, and it would seem that black would trump green. Purdue is the pick in a blackout.

3 Xavier vs. 14 Georgia

Stifling a yawn, this is another blue vs. red game…can we tell these teams to shake up the color schemes a little bit? But this does offer an interesting mascot battle…a musketeer vs. a bulldog. Previously, there was a no weapon rule…but when the weapon is part of the definition of the mascot, you have to allow it. No matter how mean the bulldog is, a dude with a gun is going to take him down. Xavier shoots out the lights in this one.

7 West Virginia vs. 10 Arizona

All blue game…so this moves onto the next round. A wildcat (boring, what’s with all the wild cats?) vs. a mountaineer. A guy that climbs a mountain against a small wild cat….yeah, not seeing a clear winner there. But West Virginia, you really don’t want to move to the next round…seriously, you don’t. Arizona has sheer numbers in the cheerleaders’ area…so the Wildcats are the choice here.

2 Duke vs. 15 Belmont

Blue and white Duke, against Blue and Red Belmont, Round 1 is a draw.

When we get to the mascots, we have the second matchup of a devil vs. a bear. Well, the devil has no reason to go down to Georgia this time…only as far as Tennessee. And trust me, the devil with all his tricks, is no match for a simple bear. Duke wins, but how much did their souls cost?

That’s the first round in the eyes of the rules.

The other morning, my daughter and I were having breakfast. She was having some vanilla yogurt, her second bowl. She finished it, turned to me and said…

“Can I have some more ‘nila yogurt?”

“It’s all gone, sweetie, that was the last of it.” Which was the truth, but there was also the fact that she’d had enough yogurt, and needed some thing else. “How about some peaches, pears, apples or raspberries?”

“Daddy, I have an idea! I know what I want.”

“What is it sweetie?”

“How about some plain yogurt?”

When your child pulls a line like that, you have no choice but to laugh, and give them some plain yogurt.

And that’s the beauty of the NCAA tournament. No matter if your bracket is dead by the second game, or your team lost, or all the favorites are winning…there’s always more games.

When your pick to win it all is eliminated in the 1^st round, don’t worry about, shake it off, cause there is always more yogurt. Besides, you have to get busy cheering against your buddies picks!

As a reminder, this Thursday, my regularly scheduled blog will be replaced with a Live Tournament Blog. Opening thoughts will be posted in the morning, and the blog will be updated as the day unfolds…and the comment section should be rolling the whole time. Hope to see you there!

That's an Awful Name

Josh — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:40:13 GMT

The NFL offseason is officially underway, and the free agents are flying around the country, getting wooed and signed. Already the media has crowned winners and losers of free agency, and we’re only a week in. Some fans are getting up in arms because their team hasn’t made any big signings, but the question is, does it matter?

Bedtime is Daddy time in the Harrisking household. It’s my job to get her bathed, brushed, and changed. After some books and mommy time, it’s up to me to get her to sleep. Getting her to sleep usually involves a story or two and then some singing…just be glad you can’t hear the singing.

Recently the stories have focused on what my daughter calls “the Adventures of Cow and Me”…where cow is creatively, a cow. This wild and crazy pair of friends gets into all kinds of wild adventures, such as picking flowers, getting the mail, and having a tea party. After my wife called me out for being boring, it became obvious that the Adventures of Cow and My Daughter needed a new angle.

A few nights ago, My Daughter and Cow discovered a magical doorway in the basement of our house. This magic doorway led into the house of a little gnome. This little gnome invited them in for tea, when Cow asked, “What is your name?”

And that’s when Daddy froze…what in the hell was I going to name this gnome? What are gnomes named? Would “Ted” work? No, something strange…”Frodo”…nah, he’s a hobbit…and then my mouth opened and out came…

“My name is Quid”

Why Quid? No idea. It just popped into my head, and before any thought could happen, it fell out of my mouth. The story went on, with Quid offering them tea and cookies…suddenly, my daughter bolted up, and laid her hands on either of my cheeks…looked into my eyes…I stopped talking…and she said…

“Quid is an awful name Daddy.”

My 3-year-old daughter called me on the name of a made up gnome. That’s how bad the name was. The only explanation that could be offered was, “Honey, gnomes have different names than people, and this gnome is named Quid.”

She allowed me to continue with the story, and as it was winding down, she once against raised up, looked me in the eyes and said….

“Quid is an awful name Daddy.”

The story finished up, and my mind was already composing a story for how to kill off Quid to remove this terrible name from my daughter’s ears. Do gnomes drive? Is it too early to scare my little girl about the dangers of drinking and driving? Maybe the pilot on his gnome stove will go out….or he suddenly needed to relocate to gnome-Europe for his work, to be replaced by an identical looking gnome named “Ted”.

Arriving home from work the next day, from the other room then end of a conversation could be heard…

“…and then Quid gave me a cookie. Quid is so nice, he’s my friend.”

And like that, Quid’s death was averted, the arsenic was siphoned from his tea, and all was right with his world. The morale of the story? Our first reaction or impression is not always right.

Onto the subject of Free Agency, here we are only a week into the process, and already people are declaring winners and losers? Really? Poor Quid would have met with a terrible combine accident if these members of the media had been handling the bedtime story. Let’s slow down, and take a breath…

Okay, now that we’ve composed ourselves, let’s take a look at a couple of issues….the first being that the offseason is completely overrated, and the second being that how are there winners and losers already?

The Overrated Off-Season

Every year, the team the lands the most big fish, gets crowned as the “Winner of the Off Season”…and every year they finish out of the playoffs, or short of the real prize. Teams like the Giants get beat up for NOT doing enough during the offseason…and then win the Super Bowl. Look back, the last several Super Bowl winners got there and won the day without a big name free agent. The Steelers, Colts (They signed Vinatieri, but a kicker? Come on.), Patriots…none of them were considered the “Off season winner”, and yet they were the ones standing at the end of the season. What impact does the off season have on the regular season?

It’s not about the biggest moves

Every year, there is a handle full of free agents that are labeled as “Difference makers”…and every year the team that signs these guys are declared winners. Remember how Edgerrin James was supposed to be the the final piece to get the Cards into the playoffs? Yep, still no playoffs. Or Nate Clement was supposed to be the piece that put the Niners over the hump last year…and nope, they missed the playoffs again. Signing the big name is a great boost to ticket sales, fan hope, and owner’s credibility…but the on field results aren’t all that great.

The key isn’t the team the makes the biggest moves, it’s the team that makes the right moves. Often the reason a team doesn’t chase the big fish is cause that player doesn’t line up with their needs, or the fact that the player would come at such a high cost, it wouldn’t make sense to take them on.

Never forget Chemistry

Chemistry is one of the most forgotten things in sports. We forget that you can’t manage a real team like a fantasy team. Just grabbing all the best players and throwing onto the same field does not yield a superior team. Players need to compliment each other on and off the field.

Look at the Chargers, there was a team that lacked a vocal leader. Sure, they have some of the best talent in the league, but they had no one, coaches included, that would walk into the locker room, and command attention. Every team needs a player or coach who can quiet the room by clearing their throat…causing every head to turn in his direction and wait for him to speak.

As for off the field…look at the Broncos and Bengals…both have a collection of head cases and questionable characters. The team doesn’t need to be filled with choir boys, but if the expression “the lunatics are running the asylum” applies to your team…well…prepare for disaster.

The focus is in the wrong place

What signings get the most news? Skill players…the glory hounds. WR, RB, QB, LB, CB…sign one of those guys, and all your problems are solved…

Too bad the biggest universal key to success in the NFL is line play. The big boys up front, are the ones that have the most direct impact on the long term success of a team. Signing Michael Turner is great…Bernard Berrian is a great deep threat…Asante Samuel is a fantastic CB…but who is going to clear the road for Turner? Is Tarvaris Jackson going to have time to get Berrian the ball on the go route? And if the QB doesn’t have a guy in his face, does it matter how good Samuel is?

The skill players will always get more props, it’s just a fact of life. But when assessing a team’s offseason performance, never forget the lines…they make everything else possible.

In the end, its table scrapes

Let me share with you a little secret…come closer…a little closer…

The reason most players get to free agency? Their present team doesn’t want them.

Yes, you’re right, every year there are a handful of players in their prime, and at the top of their game that make it to free agency…but these are the exception to the rule…the rest of free agency is made up of players that aren’t wanted by their team.

But one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure…until it becomes his garbage as well. And who wants garbage? Especially garbage that costs that much? Imagine this…you goto your favorite fast food place…and instead of the normal cheap prices, they not only jacked the prices up, but you also had to outbid the other customers. Would you join in the bidding for a Big Mac? Or just walk out and find some where else to get your food?

Fools gold…

Look around, the teams that consistently at the top of the conferences are built through the draft. Free agents are just a stop gap, temporary fixes, or depth. These teams do not sign big name free agents to take up starting roles.

Look around again, the teams that consistently sign a ton of free agents? They are up and down. Every once in awhile they get lucky, and get a run together…but with a constant influx of new players, that are old and overpaid…their shelf life is very limited.

Let’s go back to the above fast food example…

You have 2 options…

Pay $100 for a Big Mac

Or go to the grocery store, pay $10 for hamburger ingredients, and make your own.

For the $100 you know what you’re getting…an okay burger. But it’s $100…for $10, depending on your cooking skills you could turn out the best burger ever, or something that at least does the job. But even if it isn’t as good as the Big Mac, its 1/10^th the cost.

Landing the big name player always looks good, but it doesn’t change the outlook of the team unless it’s part of a bigger plan. Usually, a plan takes time….hmmmm…maybe then it’s….

Too early for winners and Losers

The fact that people started declaring winners and losers already was really what got this topic flowing out of my brain. One article in particular had me screaming at my computer screen and wondering what was wrong with people…let’s take a look at some of these “winners and losers” and see what the “real story” is…

Chicago Bears

This is of course the “loser” that got me screaming. And before anyone starts calling me a homer, let’s take a look at the moves and logic…

The Bears have signed Lance Briggs – A month ago it was a foregone conclusion that Briggs would be playing elsewhere. There was no way he would resign, and everyone was marking that as the death of the Bears defense…now one of the best OLB in the game resigns, ensuring that defense will continue to be a strength, and that’s not a major victory for the Bears?

Bears resign Rex Grossman – Yeah, trust me, this is not a happy moment in any Bears fan life…but look around at the other options…no, look at them. Okay, no one is a difference maker. Now consider for all of Rex’s faults, and there are a lot of them, he knows the system, and was able to get them to the Super Bowl. Finally, consider he will be competing for the starting job, and he’s only signed for 1 year…how is that bad? Low risk, and most likely he’s the backup…this is a push.

Bears lose Bernard Berrian and cut Mushin Muhammed – Okay, there is no way Berrian is worth the money he got paid, he dropped too many balls, and doesn’t win battles. Mushin is done…anyone that watched him last year could see he has nothing left…but the biggest thing…the Bears QB situation is a mess, why does the WR position matter so much? If you don’t have anyone to get them the ball, should you focus on that first? And rebuilding the line and running game is a MUCH better use of that Berrian money.

Will the moves the Bears have made so far hurt their passing game? Sure…but their passing game was terrible last year as well. This is a defense and running team…and the running game needs help. If the Bears do nothing to bolster that area of the game by the end of the off season, then let’s call them losers.

New England Patriots

Pats secondary walks out the door – Asante Samuel and Randall Gay are gone…Eugene Wilson is rumored to be gone as well. That hurts…but has anyone noticed that these Pats seem to unearth more players than the lose? Yeah, this will sting, but they seem to be pretty good at finding vets of the scrap heap, and making the most of their draft picks…so let’s give them some time on this one.

Donte Stallworth leaves – Does this hurt? Sure. But he was the 3^rd best WR and getting paid a lot of dough. They have several other options, and once again, any WR you throw in there with Brady, Moss and Welker is going to have plenty of open passes coming their way. This isn’t a huge loss.

The Samuel loss is big, but the Pats seemed to be resigned to that, so it’s a safe bet they have a back up plan. Of all the teams out there, it is way premature to call them losers just yet. Let’s see if they can work their normal magic…

Minnesota Vikings

Sign Madieu Williams – So signing a safety from a terrible defensive team is a win? Um…I’ve got this swamp land that you might be interested in…

Sign Thomas Tapeh – Wow…a Fullback. The phrase “scraping the bottom of the barrel” comes to mind. Last we saw the Vikings, there were 2 big problems with this team…and running the ball and run blocking were NOT 1 of them.

Sign Bernard Berrian – Big signing, injure a division opponent in the process. But couple problems here…the Vikings had serious drop issues last year, so did Berrian. Maybe they were made for each other. The other big issue in the passing game, you still have Tarvarias Jackson throwing the ball…he makes Grossman look like Montana. A WR is only as good as his QB…still not sold on the QB in Minnesota.

The 2 big problems this team had last year was passing and defending the pass. They were god awful at both. These signings were steps in the right direction, but there is a lot of work to be done before you can say they are winners…and giving that much money to a WR that drops a lot of balls, well, it could come back to haunt them.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Sign Jerry Porter and trade for Troy Williamson – Wow, they added a headcase and a bust! Woohoo! Roll out the Super Bowl trophy! Porter can be a good WR, when he is motivated, but will that happen? And Williamson? Well….he’s fast. Outside of that, he’s looked lost and horrible out there on the field.

Sign Drayton Florence – Decent pickup…makes for a nice CB combo. Of course they really needed a safety…but a Florence – Rashean Mathis combo sounds good.

Trade away Marcus Stroud – The strength of this defense has been their 2 big DTs…and now one of them is no more. This is a huge blow to a solid defense….and while Stroud missed the last few games of the season last year…it will be interesting to see how the Jag fare without him for a whole season.

Lose Bobby McCray and Ernest Wlford – Neither of these are huge loses, but they are significant. Losing McCray weakens the DE depth…and the DE in Jacksonville weren’t much to write home about last year. And Wilford seemed to always come up with the big catch. Seeing him stay, and Reggie Williams or Matt Jones taking a walk would have been much more encouraging.

Working to improve the WR and Defensive backfield are both good moves…but not sold on their choices. But with the moves made above, the D-line, once a strength, needs to be addressed desperately. They need depth and talent…if they don’t improve on the D-line, won’t matter who in the hell they have playing DB.

Cleveland Browns

Trade for Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams – When you have one of the worse defenses in the league, and you add two top notch Defensive lineman, you’re doing something right. The line folks…that’s where you built from. The Browns defense has looked like garbage, and instead of throwing money at Samuel…or Briggs…they went after lineman…the football gods are smiling right now.

Sign Donte Stallworth – He’s now going his 4^th team since August 2006…hmmm….he looked great at times with the Patriots, but Brady has that effect on WRs. Will he look as good with Derek Anderson? Only time will tell.

Sign Derek Anderson – Go with the hot hand, the proven player…this is a huge move. It lets the vets know that the Browns want to win, and it rewards a player that had a fantastic breakout year. For both their sake, here’s hoping that it wasn’t a fluke.

The Browns look to have made some fantastic moves. They focused on the right positions on defense, and held serve on offense so far. The only issue, is they have almost no draft picks left…might not hurt them this year, but a season or more from now, that could be very bad.

Making sense of it all….

What does this mean? Simple…when you’re looking at the early moves by your team, and you’re thinking…”A gnome could be killed off by a lawn mower pretty easily”…just take a deep breath, relax and remember that it’s a long off season.

It also helps to remember that the last several Super Bowl winners lost a “irreplaceable” player during the off season, and still managed to win. The Giants lost Tiki Barber, the Colts lost Edge, the Steelers lost Plaxico Burress…so when that big fish walks away, it’s not the end of the world.

That means you Packers fans. Remember, Brett Favre retiring just means that John Madden will have to talk about him in the past tense now…other than that, Sunday night football will be the same.

Trust me on this...

Josh — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:08:49 GMT

The NCAA Tournament is still a few weeks away. The NBA and NHL trading deadlines have passed, and the NFL hasn’t quite kicked into offseason signing mode. Pitchers and Catchers have reported, but spring training isn’t in full swing yet. But there is still plenty to talk about, trust me on this.

It’s been one of those weeks here, weather has been wacky, my daughter got sick over the weekend, I had to travel for meetings on Tuesday, and then I got sick when I got back. Through all of that, it’s been hard to focus on any one topic longer than 2 minutes…give or take 5 minutes…and yes, that could put me in negative time…but that’s my point, it’s been one of those weeks.

With my brain still sluggish from a cold, and lots of random thoughts floating around, decided to just go with it, and roll out the first edition of “Trust me on this”…whether there is ever a second edition…well…let’s just see how this works…

If you’re at a congressional hearing, and the best you can do in your defense is invent the word “Misremembered”, your best bet is just to come clean, level with people and move on with things. Because, Mr. Clemens, no one is buying the misremembered defense, trust me on this.

When you hear a shout of “Daddy I just pee’d on the potty” and you know your daughter was standing on the potty to brush her teeth…be prepared to clean up a big mess, trust me on this.

Last year Adrian Peterson ran a 4.41 at the combine and wowed people…this year, my 2 favorite quotes are “Darren McFadden blew away Peterson’s combine numbers” and “Felix Jones showed he’s not as fast as we thought he was.” McFadden ran a 4.33 and Jones a 4.47, that’s a difference of a .08 and .06 from Peterson’s time…when you consider the margin of error on these times is .05…that means, all these guys are fast, trust me on this.

If you’ve just finished telling your daughter “We’re not going to watch Shrek” and she then says “Daddy, can I ask you a question?” The question she is going to ask is, “Can we watch Shrek?” Trust me on this.

For 15 years, the NCAA Tournament featured 64 teams. What a perfect number, 4 groups of 16…2 weekends just crammed with exciting games. And then they expended to 65 teams…what? Does anyone really think about it as a 65 team tournament? No, it’s still 64 in everyone’s mind. All the NCAA did, was bump a small time school out of their only shot at glory, so another 17-16 big money school can get in, well thank god, at least Michigan has a chance now, trust me on this.

You’re in a mall or office building that has more than 1 Starbucks (or Dunkin Donuts for East Coasters) and one of them has a line out the door, do not wait in line. The other one will be empty, trust me on this.

You’re a NFL GM, and you’re seriously considering applying the franchise tag to LJ Smith or Ken Hamelin…players that are good, but aren’t in the top 5 at their positions…grab the nearest blunt object, and hit yourself in the head until that idea dribbles out your ear, trust me on this.

When you look at the beer list, and there is only 1 beer you would drink on it…and the waitress responds to your order with “Sorry, we’re all out of that”…just order a Gin and Tonic, trust me on this.

Once again, you’re an NFL GM…a mediocre college player runs a 4.3 40…he wasn’t on your draft board at all prior to that…the question is, how many drugs and in what amount does it take to make you take that player in the first round of the draft? The correct answer should be “there aren’t enough drugs in the world”, trust me on this.

Even if you know the bartender, it’s never okay to reach across the bar and help yourself to a beer, trust me on this.

After every offseason, someone is always declared the “winner”. And every year, the offseason winner misses out on being the real winner. Offseason hope is always a good thing, but relax until the games actually start being played, trust me on this.

Finding a movie you love on TV, even with commercials, is like finding a dollar in a puddle on the street…sure you’ve got the same thing all clean and dry in your wallet, but you weren’t expecting to find one here, and that makes this one special. In these situations, resist putting the DVD of the movie in, trust me on this.

The most common complaint about the Vikings-Jaguars trade is that the Jags added another so-so WR, Troy Williamson, to the mix. What about the fact that the Vikings just traded the #7 pick in the 2005 draft for a 6^th rounder? The Jags got a good deal, the Vikes just proved they don’t know how to draft, trust me on this.

If you’re faced with the choice of reading a column by Jay Mariotti and having your left hand cut off by a table saw…go for the table saw. At least it’s only mildly annoying, trust me on this.

When the options on the team are Kyle Orton and Brian Griese…and the free agent choices include Quinn Gray (Quinn the Eskimo?), Daunte Culpepper (remember when he was good?), Todd Collins (Remember he’s 36), Josh McCown (No, the other McCown…wait, yeah, neither is any good) and Byron Leftwich (The Jags did great last year, after he left)…resigning Rex Grossman for 1 year, isn’t a terrible idea, trust me on this.

If you’re going to choose to have a graphic pornographic picture as the wall paper on your computer, especially if it’s a picture of yourself helping your Captain salute, make sure you know how to fix your own computer…trust me on this. Let me be clear, trust me on this.

Man, the 2007-08 Celtics are well on their way to challenging the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls for greatest team of all time…oh, wait…you have to play 82 games? Oh, um…hmm…win 72, and a championship, and then we can debate which team is better, until then, it’s just a lot of smoke, trust me on this.

If you list of greatest accomplishments is headed by “Made $7.50 eating a huge June bug on a dare” make sure you’re under the age of 18 when the list was written, trust me on this.

Yao Ming goes down…he’s averaging 22 and 10…he’s the face of the franchise…an All-Star…and yet he says “I am confident we will keep winning, I trust my teammates will move forward without me.” Yao, it has nothing to do with trust, and everything to do with the fact you’re the center of that team, sorry man, the Rockets aren’t going to be the same without you, trust me on this.

SuperSize Me comes out, freaks out everyone about fast food, and all the fast food places freak out and create healthy options, and smaller portions. It seems that has now worn off, as it now appears that all the fast food places are trying to out do themselves with size…no one needs a Triple Whopper with Cheese, trust me on this.

This next one is for Alfonso Soriano. Running into the wall is part of playing the outfield; every player to ever play the outfield has run into the wall. They all hurt no matter if the padding is ivy or foam. But guess what? You get paid an astronomical amount of money to play a game, so get over it and play hard. You’ll come out on top even if you run head first into the wall, trust me on this.

The microwave is not where the Ice cream goes, no matter how much it looks like a freezer, trust me on this.

You’re an aging Vet at the end of your career (Jeff George, Sammy Sosa, I’m talking to you). You’ve been cut or released…instead of begging teams to sign you, just retire. If a team really needs or wants you, they’ll find you, trust me on this.

If you call yourself a diehard fan, you need to be able to name more than 2 starters, trust me on this.

The Reds, Royals, Blue Jays and Cubs all have the ability to surprise us this year. One of these teams is going to surprise us in the wrong way, I’ll let you guess which one…here’s a hint, a goat will be involved, trust me on this.

You wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of a cat puking…you swing your legs out of bed, stand up, and your first step lands your bare foot in a fresh pile of cat puke…there is only one reaction. Wipe your foot off, get back in bed, and tell your wife that her cat is puking, trust me on this.

Underestimating a player (Kelly Washington comes to mind) whose “only value” is on Special Teams is a bad move by the organization and the fans. Special Team is one third of the whole equation of a team, giving up on that 3^rd, can wreck a team quickly, trust me on this.

One of the most beautiful things about food? It’s one of the few things on this earth that can look like crap, and taste like heaven. Heck, it can smell like crap and taste great as well. But if it smells like crap and looks like crap, it’s probably crap, trust me on this.

Let me get this straight…Greg Oden, the #1 pick in last year’s NBA draft, who has been injured all year, has decided to back Barrack Obama…and this is news? Really? That’s the best we got? Wow…now, that’s a slow new day, trust me on this.

When viewing a movie trailer with a small child…such as, oh, I don’t know…Horton Hears a Who with your 3 year old daughter…be prepared for…”Can we watch it right now?” “Well, it doesn’t come out till March 14^th”…”But I want to watch it right now.” Tomorrow doesn’t exist for kids, trust me on this.

This is the end of the road for Isiah Thomas, right? And I’m not talking with the Knicks, I’m talking in professional basketball. He’s ran the Pacers, the CBA and the Knicks into the ground, those are his 3 strikes, right? This time next year, he’ll be irritating us over the airwaves on TNT, trust me on this.

If you brother’s car is dead in your driveway, right where a snow plow would push the snow…and you have the thought “Well, as long as it doesn’t snow we’re fine”, it will snow, trust me on this.

When the only thing that changes is your #3 pick, there is not reason to put out a NEW mock draft. Yes, I know, this time of the year, what else is there to read, but seriously, there has to be something better to do with your time…if nothing else, you could always learn to yodel, it is a lost art, trust me on this.

There are many ways to be remembered when you pass from this world into the great unknown…being remembered by the phrase “Man, dad had a lot of porn hidden around the house” is not the way you want it to go down, trust me on this.

David Carr, welcome to the scrape heap! Tim Couch is over in the corner having Icy Hot rubbed on his arm. Akili Smith is trying to show off his skills on the dance floor. Ryan Leaf is screaming at the waiter cause well, he shouldn’t have to be bothered by those people. Rex Grossman just got out before they locked the doors. And Joey Harrington is playing piano, the only thing he does at NFL level. Make yourself at home David, it’s going to be a long stay, trust me on this.

No matter what the emails say, you haven’t won the Spanish Lotto, a Nigerian Prince doesn’t need to you to help him with his money, a pill won’t make the Captain grow, and Bill Gates is not going to give you money for sending email. If you’re worried about any of these scams, send me a check for $20, and I’ll make sure you’re not bothered by these people again, trust me on this.

Finally, the free agent market in the NFL this year is like sitting at a blackjack table with your buddy. Your buddy starts winning big, raking in the chips…meanwhile you’re falling apart…the right move is to get up and walk away. The wrong move is to fall into the trap of your buddy’s luck, and start betting like a madman. You’ll find yourself broke in minutes. This free agent pool has about 10-15 grade A free agents, the winners will be the teams that land those guys, the losers will be the guys that panic and sign the next tier of players to overpriced contracts. If you don’t get the big fish, walk away and try your luck later…trust me on this.

And that’s that…the first edition of “Trust me on this” is in the books…let me know if this format works, the feedback is always appreciated, trust me on this.

Wait, all we get is a stinking Logo?

Josh — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:34:07 GMT

As the trades fly around the NBA, the trade rumors swell in the MLB and the NFL offseason gets started we need to ask a question. How does all this player movement affect us, the fan? In the age where players change uniforms constantly, the way we followed the sports has changed forever.

When my daughter was born almost 3 years ago, one of the very first things I wanted to get her was White Sox and Bears gear. Yeah, she was born in Seattle, but those were my teams, and I wanted to show my loyalty by covering my daughter with the logos of those teams. When the White Sox won the World Series that year, my daughter wore her White Sox outfit every game day.

When the Bears went to the Super Bowl last year, my daughter was adorned in her Bears outfit all the way through the playoffs. My wife even bought her blue and orange hair bows to complete the look. I’ll never forget how proud I was the first time she asked to wear her “Bears shirt” or her “Yay Sox Pajamas”.

But me? When I got tickets to the Super Bowl last year, I realized I had not Bears gear to wear. My wife asked me what jersey I wanted…asking what player on the team was my favorite…and without hesitation, I said “Walter Payton”. Showing that has absorbed quite a bit of knowledge, she quickly said, “But he’s not on the team? He’s dead isn’t he? Don’t you want someone on the current team?”

My simple response was “No.” My closets have never been full of clothes for my team; I prefer to be very selective with it. So why would I want a jersey of a player that might not even be with the team next year? Payton was an easy choice…he is not only my favorite player of all time, but any discussion of the Bears or what it means to be a Bear…he factors into that conversation. No other team can claim Payton, and the jersey will never be “wrong”.

Players have always changed teams, sports after all is a business, but never before has it been so common place that not only players are changing teams, but stars. Even Superstars…and faces of the Franchise…no player is safe these days. Look around…Shaquille O’Neal is on his 4^th team…Alex Rodriguez is on his 3^rd…Randy Moss is on his 3^rd…these are players that are considered the very best at their positions. And yet they’ve bounced around the league that much? A player like Brett Favre is a complete rarity. Name a baseball player playing right now that will definitely play his entire career with one team? What about basketball? Tough to think of any, isn’t it?

This ever changing landscape is clearly evident with one of my favorite teams. The 2005 Chicago White Sox are by far one of my favorite teams of all time. They are right there with the 1985 Chicago Bears…and the 1996 Chicago Bulls…but that Sox team had something special for me. I’ve always been a White Sox fan, and that team not only delivered the World Series that I’ve waited my whole life for, but it did it in such style that I can honestly say I love every member of that team. The way they played, the way they won, the way they lost…that team had a personality that was infectious.

But look at the 2008 incarnation of the White Sox…it’s almost completely different. Gone are so many heroes of that 2005 team…the lineup and roster bare little resemblance. You’re telling me that over the span of 2 seasons….my favorite team of all time has been completely dismantled? It’s a way of life in this day and age of sports, the players you root for change from moment to moment.

As fans we have some to accept this change…but how has this change affected how we cheer for our teams?

Our loyalty is tested everyday

With every transaction that takes place, there are so many questions to be answered….

How do I feel about the player that is leaving?

If the player is leaving on good terms, or was forced out or thrown away by management, the feelings you have towards the player are vastly different than if the player spurned the franchise. A-Rod is still despised in Seattle for 2 very large reasons…he said it wasn’t about the money, when it was…and he had come up with the team and then went to a division rival.

Do I keep following the player?

When a player is on your team, following him is part of following your team. If that player is one of “your guys”, and he leaves…do you continue keep tabs on him? Is the loyalty you feel for the player greater than the team? Can you really be a fan of a single player in a team sport? Harold Baines was and is my favorite White Sox player of all time…when they traded him away; I still followed him even though he was no longer on my team. I didn’t have all his stats memorized, as I had when he was on the Sox, but I kept an eye on him because he was still one of my boys.

What about the replacement?

This is one of the tricky things…sometimes a favorite leaves because a promising youngster is waiting in the wings…how does losing the hero affect your perception of the new guy? When you replace a legend it is always hard…but when you replace a legend that was “taken” from his fans…well…you might never recover.

The problem is that players are no longer the constant they once were. You can’t come out to the game year in and year out and see the same group of guys out there…every year the roster changes…and today’s franchise player is tomorrow’s enemy. What is a fan to do?

We follow the Transactions

There is one constant in sports, the transaction. Every day, every team is changing something. A new player is being brought up, while an old player is being cut for “cap reasons”. A mega deal is happening, changing the future of the team…or a crowd favorite is being swapped for a potential laden youngster. The transaction has become more than just a blip on the off season radar…it has become a reason to follow sports.

Think about it, how much time, effort and resources are spent speculating on where Zach Thomas is going to go? Or what the price tag on Johan Santana is? Or is Chad Johnson on the block? Or will Jason Kidd make a difference in Dallas? And that doesn’t even factor in the draft. We have become obsessed with the movement of players, instead of the play of players.

Players come and go, they seem to stay on a team just long enough to get our hopes up…and then they vanish. But the transaction…well…there is always another transaction just around the corner. Another chance to make the deal that catapults a team to the ultimate goal. Another chance to replace the lost star with someone else’s star….

For this reason managers and GMs are under much more scrutiny and pressure. Why? Well, now that every fan is paying attention to every move they make or don’t make, they not only have an opinion about the management’s success…they also believe they can do the job. Second guessing moves and trades has always been a big conversation topic…but with so many to look at these days, we all have our thoughts and plans for teams, and believe them to be the correct path for our team. This is a huge shift in fan focus…away from the game being played on the field, to the game being played in the offices.

This focus shift is fed not only by the prevalence of player movement, but a simple belief. Every one of us knows there is no way we could do what a professional athlete does. We have played the game, and we see that there is a huge difference between our skills and the athletes on our favorite teams. But a GM, what does he really do? Check email? Make phone calls? Heck, I do that every day! And it is in that belief that the focus shift started with player movement, impacts how we view the management of our teams. What is there left to root for then?

Our passion and loyalty are lessened

Since the players change every year, what are we really rooting for? A logo. We root for a logo. It’s not as cold or terrible as it sounds…it’s just a fact. That logo still gives us a shared history and a shared passion, it’s just not as strong as when it was backed up by a group of guys we had gone into countless battles with. That’s one of the reason why Packers fans are so gaga about Brett Favre, not only is he a great player, but he’s theirs…and he makes their team more than just a logo…Favre is the Packers.

Take a moment to think back…go back to your early days of being a fan of your team…when you were just cutting your fan teeth…now thing back to the first time one of “your guys” left your team. Got that memory in your head? Can you remember how betrayed you felt? Either by the team or the player? If you were young enough when it happened, tears might have been shed…now step through that memory and how did you feel about your team afterward?

For me, when Baines was traded away, I was devastated. My favorite player, gone. The White Sox were still my team, but Baines being taken away from me shook me to the core, so much so, that my passion for the team and the players took a big hit after that. Frank Thomas came along shortly after that, and while he was an amazing hitter, and one of the greatest players to ever wear a Sox uniform…I never allowed myself to connect with him like I had with Baines…I didn’t want to get burned again.

The constant player movement tends to numb us a bit as fans. Players don’t stick around long enough to get that real bond with them anymore…and our focus has shifted from that bond with the players, to a fascination with the transaction.

There is always hope…

What amazes me and gives me hope? Through all this, we still love our teams. No matter how hard the owners, GMs, players, or leagues make it to follow our teams…we still do. And you know what that means? There is something more than a logo we are cheering for.

A Logo is just a rallying point, what makes a team ours goes much deeper than a logo or a group of players…it’s all those memories of going to the game with your dad…listening to the game with your son…pointing out the blitz to your daughter…it’s every game you got too drunk at…every game you cheered so loud you had no voice the next day…it’s every night you stayed up late debating who should start…every night that you missed sleep to see the end of a late West Coast game…it’s every moment that your mood changed based off the fortunes of your team.

The reality of the situation is that all this team hoping by players has changed how we function as fans…but it hasn’t changed the fact we are fans. Nothing can change that.

But Coach, I Don't want to go to the Man Village

Josh — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:10:22 GMT

With the hiring of Mr. Zorn, all the available head coaching jobs in the NFL are now filled. That is unless Al Davis decides to give Lane Kiffin a wedgie and push him out the door. The question begs to be asked though, come on, beg me to ask it. Please? Fine then, I’ll ask it, who made the right choice? And will these new guys mean anything to these teams?

A fact of life in the NFL is that there is turnover. Veterans retire, they move on…and as they leave, in their wake, fresh new faces of draft picks and practice squad players race to fill the void left by the vets. And every year, some coaches step aside, either by choice or not, and every year the coaching carousel starts turning.

My daughter loves to hear stories at bedtime. Some times we share stories from my childhood…many of the same stories that have been told here in this blog have been told to my little girl to get her to go to sleep. Other times she asks for a classic story…Three Little Pigs or Goldilocks are other favorites. But by far her favorite bed time story is for me to retell the story of “Baloo and Mowgli”. Which is just daddy-interpreted version of the Jungle Book.

The tale has been told so many times, that the way I tell it is almost identical every time. After using this story to put her to sleep for several weeks, she started to pick up the story and tell it back to my wife and I. Pretty soon when it was bedtime, she would say “I want to tell you a story…” and she would then launch into a perfect word for word telling of the story I told her.

“Mowgli grew up in the jungle with the wolves. But then the wolves got wind that Sher Kahn the tiger wanted to find and hurt Mowgli, they decided that he needed to go to the Man village.” Much later in the story…”but Mowgli didn’t want to go to the Man Village; he wanted to stay in the jungle with Baloo.”

It is a truly fascinating thing to hear your exact words parroted back to you. What’s more amazing? When your daughter decides to get creative…after retelling the story just like her daddy for several nights, last night, she spiced it up…

“Shrek and I were taking a walk…and Shrek wanted me to go to the Man Village, but I didn’t want to goto the man village, I wanted to stay with Shrek. So then, I was walking with Grover, and he said that I had to goto the man village, but I didn’t want to go to the man village I wanted to stay with Grover. Then we went to the grocery store and got some orange juice, but I broke it and Grover had to clean it up. Then I took a walk with Bob the Builder, and he said I needed to go to the Man Village….”

The characters change, but the story remains the same. Surprisingly, every character wants my daughter to goto the man village…it’s as if she knows one story really well, and keeps going back to it.

The coaching carousel is exactly like this. The names change, but the story remains the same. Coaches change jobs, but all the same names are there. And the next is often extremely predictable based on the team and the coach…you can often see the disaster or revival coming from miles away. And it seems like it’s always the same names…Shrek, Grover, Baloo, Bob…are replaced with Turner, Wannstedt, Jauron, and Schottenhimer. But then this year happened…

A glance over the list of new head coaches doesn’t read like a “who’s who of retread coaches” it reads like a “who?” Lacking from the list are the normal big name vets, and hot shot assistants. If you were to compile a list of Coordinators that would become head coaches at the start of this season…none of these would have been on it. Then again, only 1 of these guys was a coordinator. That’s the amazing thing, this group lacks quite a bit in experience…

One of the things I’ve constantly griped about is that NFL teams do not take a chance on new head coaches, preferring to go for the “proven vet” even if the proven means he’s a career losing coach. Does this year mean NFL teams have finally wised up? They’re willing to take a chance on young, up-and-coming head coaches? Gambling that on one hand they could have the next Lombardi and worst case they get a poorly coached team on the cheap…instead of overpaying for a bad coaching job.

Not so fast…let’s take a look at each new coach, and the situation….

Atlanta Falcons
Out with the Old: Bobby Petrino (Couldn’t be bothered to finish his 1^st season)
In with the New: Mike Smith (Hope the boring name is the only boring thing about the guy)

In college, my friend Scottie and I had an apartment together. Scottie is the “fun loving party guy” type. The best way to describe him…when you walked into a bar with Scottie if he didn’t already know someone in the bar…give him 15 minutes and he would. He was just an outgoing and fun guy to hangout with.

We had a small group of friends from work and school that we would hang out with, and go out to the bar with. One year, Scottie got this job where he would travel for a couple weeks at a time. When he was gone, the same small group would go out without him…but it wasn’t the same. We still had a decent time, but without Scottie there was something missing…the group just didn’t have the special something to bind it together.

This is the team that Smith is inheriting. Gone is Michael Vick, for all his faults, he was the something special, the Scottie of this group that held it together and made it a fun team to watch. Without him, there is a team that was built around his unique skills, but missing the player. Never a good combo. And while the team made some strides last year, the fact their coach quit on them is going to take some work to recover from.

Nah, looking over the roster and the prospects…this was not an ideal coaching job. And that’s why Arthur Blank wasn’t able to attract a more high profile coach to the Peach State. There is a lot of work to do in Atlanta…and while everything I’ve read and heard about Smith is good…I have a feeling this is a bit much for his first Head Coaching job ever. In 2 years, the Falcons will be looking for another coach…and Blank will massively overpay for a big name.

Hopefully, by that time, they’ll have found they’re Scottie.

Baltimore Ravens
Out with the Old: Brian Billick (The snake oil salesman has left the building)
In with the New: John Harbaugh (Don’t call him Jim)

My music taste has always been “before my time”. Motown and Classic Rock have always been my 2 favorite musical genres. Ray Charles, The Beatles, Stones, Steve Miller, The Who, and Clapton are some of my key musical influences…sound like I play guitar for an up and coming band…”And now, Josh and the Bloggers!!!” But sadly, I have no musical talent.

One of the side effects of my musical taste is that my parents never really minded listening to “my music” as it largely overlapped with their tastes as well. Many hours were spent in the garage, working with my dad, while I controlled the musical play list. One particular time, in the middle of some Clapton, my dad started singing along…

“Waay down south…”

“Um…Dad…the lyrics are ‘Lay down Sally’…”

“No they aren’t”

“Yeah, look…the name of the song is “Lay Down Sally”, which would mean the chorus is not Way down South”

“Well, I’ll be damned…that means my WHOLE generation sang it wrong.”

This is one of those times where you have 2 options…accept your father’s explanation, or say “your full of it”. This is one of the few times that I just said “Okay, guess they did” but in my mind I took option 2.

Why do I bring this all up? The same thought went through my head every time I watched Billick in an interview or press conference. He was always slinging something that was a little ripe, but since it wasn’t the Bears, I simply shrugged my shoulders, and let it drop.

This is a team that needed change. The defense, tired of the bull that Billick and the offense were shoveling, started calling them both out this season. And while this D is getting up in years, there is still a lot of talent and pride on this unit. With a new Head Coach, and a new approach on offense, this could be a quick turn around. This is my pick for a quick turn around…assuming they get a little more talent on the offense in the off-season…the Ravens could slide into a Wild Card spot. The big question is whether Harbaugh will have staying power…only time will tell on that.

Miami Dolphins
Out with the Old: Cam Cameron (1 season, 1 win, 1 head coaching job gone)
In with the New: Tony Sparano (Let the Mob jokes begin…oh…they already have?)

The house I grew up in had a laundry chute. It seemed like a great idea when we first got the house. My mom was all excited, because it would mean we could throw our laundry down the chute and save her having to gather and carry it all down the stairs. It seemed like the perfect solution to a common problem.

What they don’t tell you about laundry chutes is that really they are an “Okay throw down the Lego car” chute. Not long after we moved in, the laundry chute’s main use was by my siblings and I to throw things down.

“Hey Jake, catch this tennis ball!”

“Jessie, move out of the way, I’m going to see if He-Man can survive the fall”

“Move to you right Ben…okay, when I drop the jelly bean see if you can catch it in your mouth!”

Yeah, the laundry cute did get used for its real purpose…but it wasn’t the great idea that it was originally assumed to be.

It seems like a good idea to hire a legend like Parcells to run the team. And it seems like a great idea to let him pick one of his former underlings as a head coach. Don’t mind the fact that Parcells has never run a team from the GM post…or that the only time Sparano has been a head coach was at the University of New Haven…a huge football power. So what you have is a team with zero talent…a legendary coach as a GM…and a yes man as the coach…

And that’s what scares me most about this situation…a coach and a GM need to be on the same page, but they need to have separate voices. A coach needs to be able to tell the GM, “Man, you’re full of it, Bledsoe doesn’t have anything left, don’t sign him.” If he can’t have that voice, then there will be no checks and balances in the relationship, and that’s a very bad thing.

Parcells will walk away from this after 3 years. He will be given a wide berth by ownership, but will fail to really turn this team around. Don’t be surprised if he’s on the sideline sometime during those 3 years.

Washington Redskins
Out with the Old: Joe Gibbs (Back to the Nascar track, where there is no Snyder)
In with the New: Jim Zorn (The phrase “Snyder Roadkill” comes to mind)

Every parent has been through this…

You’re tired. Either your toddler came into bed and was kicking you all night. Or you decided to tie one on because, hey, why not. Or you had to work late. Or the water heat exploded in the middle of the night. Or TBS was having a Steve Guttenberg Marathon and you had to stay up.

Whatever the reason, you’re beat. There is no fight left in you. And yet, your child is full of energy. Every 5 minutes the requests fly in…

“Daddy, chase me, chase me!”

“Daddy, make Ernie talk to me.”

“Daddy, you be an Elephant and march with me.”

“I have an idea Daddy, let’s watch Jungle Book!”

When weighed against the 1^st 3 choices, popping a movie in seems like a great idea…doesn’t require any movement on your part…and you know that your child will be absorbed for the next hour or so allowing you to rest, or drink a lot of coffee. You relax on the couch as your child watches the movie…slowly slipping into a more coma-like state.

But your child starts to realize that you’re vulnerable…and the requests that to roll in again…

“Daddy, can I have orange juice?”

“Daddy, can I have ice cream?”

“Daddy, can I have a convertible?”

In your weaken state, you stop treating the requests as questions, and they become instructions…it’s not until your wife walks in and sees you asleep on the couch, with your child watching Lethal Weapon, while having a bowl of Ice Cream, a beer, and there’s a new puppy curled up on the floor…that you realized you’ve made a terrible mistake.

Daniel Snyder is that child that smells fear…he seeks out coaches that he can easily bend to his will. Gibbs wasn’t that way, and the Skins had some success. But refusing all the requests wore him out…and Snyder wanted someone new…and he interviewed everyone under sun…and finally settled on a guy who has never been more than a QB coach…this could get ugly.

Replacing a legend is not a good setup. And with a lack of consistency for this team…changing Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator and Defensive Coordinator…means this team is ready for a large step back. They played great down the stretch, but that’s a lot to overcome, and they were playing on a lot of emotion. This team fails to make the playoffs, but Zorn gets a free pass on this season. When they fail to make the playoffs the next season, he’ll be out on his rear…and the next Snyder victim…er…coach will be dragged in.

That covers the Head Coaching changes…but there are a few Coordinators that need to be looked at as well…

San Francisco 49ers
New Offensive Coordinator: Mike Martz

Niners fans, Martz coming to town is not a good thing. His system takes awhile to learn, it needs an accurate QB, and it’s no secret that Martz would really like to be a head coach. This also happens to be the 4^th OC in the last 4 seasons for this team…and if you haven’t noticed the personnel on the Niners doesn’t really match Martz’s offense. Nolan is gone after the year, and Martz tries to get the job.

St. Louis Rams
New Offensive Coordinator: Al Saunders

This is a hire that makes a lot of sense. Saunders favors a system that is much like Martz’s, and this offense is still full of players that ran that offense to great success. The interesting part of this is that what this means about Linehan, a former OC himself. Is he abandoning his philosophy? Did he make this hire? The Rams Offense improves greatly, and Linehan keeps his job.

Baltimore Ravens
New Offensive Coordinator: Cam Cameron

Ah, finally Cam gets back to doing what he does best…coaching an offense. Too bad the Ravens have no QB for him….but Cam is a great offensive mind, and this is a great fit. The Ravens offense should be much improved over last year, and Cam might just make a name for himself again.

Jacksonville Jaguars
New Defensive Coordinator: Greg Williams

One of the best defenses in the league loses its coach to the Falcons…and they go out and get one of the best Defensive minds in the game. It’s just not fair sometimes. This is a great hire by the Jags, and Williams should be a great fit with this unit. There might be a little hiccup early on in the season as they change up the philosophy a bit, but this should pay huge dividends by the end of the season. Will Williams ever get another shot at a HC job? If the Jags go deep into the playoffs, he’ll get a few more sniffs.

Washington Redskins
New Defensive Coordinator: Greg Blache

Wow…talk about a step back…this is a giant leap back. Couple this with the Zorn hiring, and this Skins team is in trouble. Blache is not a good DC…when he coached the Bears D, it was one of the most frustrating defenses I’ve ever watched. He is a bland coach, and he’s not a guy I would want coaching my team ever again. To go from one of the best defensive minds, to Blache…well, when I was traveling this year, we rented a 2007 Nissan Altima, great car. Loved driving that thing, but when we returned home, I still had to drive our 1996 Mercury Mystique…there is no comparison, trust me on this. The Skins D takes a huge step back, and Blache is looking for a new job soon.

New York Giants
Keep Defensive Coordinator: Steve Spagnuolo

Huge new in NYC that Mr. Spagnuolo is staying in New York for another season. It would have been a huge blow to this team to lose him. The road back to the Super Bowl is hard enough without losing a key coach and the continuity that he brings. If he had left, the Giants D would be behind the 8 ball; instead, it’s ahead of the game. This defense is only going to get better…and Spagnuolo is only going to get more job offers, unless Coughlin retires and gives him the Giants job…he will be headed out of town some time soon.

Let’s close with this…

This week has seen some terrible weather here in the Northeast. Tuesday night is snowed, and then all day Wednesday it rained…good freezing rain…between the snow and the rain, the roads were ugly. In the middle of the day on Wednesday, our house lost power…after 4 hours it came back on, only to have the water not work. Needless to say, my wife wasn’t able to nor did she feel like cooking dinner. Enter the magic of takeout.

When I was heading to the car to go pick up the food, my daughter insisted on going. So I threw on her coat and boots, and took her out to the car. After getting her settled into her car seat, she said…

“Daddy, I want my sunglasses.”

After I shot a strange look, I handed over her sunglasses, and pulled the car out of the driveway. As the car eased into the dark, icy driveway, a little voice in the back said…

“It’s REALLY dark outside Daddy.”

There was only one way to reply…

“It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark and we’re wearing sunglasses.”

If my daughter had said “Hit it!” Well, that might have been the proudest moment of my life…but instead she said…

“But why is it dark?”

“Try taking off the sunglasses.”

“Oh, that’s better…Daddy, does Shrek wear sunglasses?”

Guess she’s not quite up to Blues Brothers level…she’ll get there…she’s got time….