The downside to having a "real job" is not being able to blog during the day. Instead ideas swim through your head and by the time you get home any current story has passed. What can I add that has not been said today about the conference championship games? Also, what can I say about the Super Bowl that will not be said in the upcoming weeks?
NFC Championship
The Vikings' struggles with ball handling was not on Favre, but that last throw was. I give credit to him for hanging in there, even after getting hit in a should-have-been Brady Rule penalty. It does not excuse that last throw, he denied the team a chance to kick the winning FG. The haters will enjoy the fail, and the Favre defenders will try not to cite the pick as where Minnesota lost. I am sure Saints fans feel no remorse for the win. Finally a kicker makes a pivotal playoff kick this year. Sean Payton is going to have to come up with the coaching job of his life in order to beat the Colts.
AFC Championship
The Jets' great start was not a mirage, but Peyton and Tom Moore simply wait until the second half and make the adjustments. The Jets defense could not stop the onslaught and once Shonn Greene went down the end was inevitable. Peyton is going down in the book as one of the greatest because of his on-field precision but also because he is competitive. That jab he took at Rex Ryan postgame about the Colts keeping their mouths shut was totally intentional.
Super Bowl Time
A few thoughts on the last football game of meaning we have until August:
-Greg Williams, it is time to earn your paycheck. The Saints defensive coordinator will need a Steve Spagnolo-like effort in order for New Orleans to win.
-I usually tire of teams in the Super Bowl playing the "no one thinks we can win" line, but with the line sure to swell in the coming weeks, Saints players should hype it up.
-With drama-filled games in recent Super Bowls, there is no reason not to expect this game to be competitive. Obvious old adage alert: The team that turns over the ball more will lose.
-Prepare for the following stories to inundate your brain cells: Peyton/Archie Manning New Orleans connections and who doesn't want to revisit Hurricane Katrina again?
-Prediction time: I picked the Saints before the season to win the Super Bowl, and even though the Colts are the favorite, I am not backing down now. Saints in a classic 31-30. Brees wins MVP and does the Carlton Dance down Bourbon Street.
Monday, January 25
Super Bowl XLIV: De-Cleeting
Thursday, January 21
Excuse Me While I Rip This Guy: Team of the Decade
Through certain channels I learned that ESPN was still squeezing the college football orange after the end of the season up until signing day. This has led to a similar phenomenon around the interwebs of making decade lists in different categories for different sports. Pat Forde has chimed in on a variety of topics while looking back on the last ten years of college football. The one that caught my attention was his "single most dominant team of the decade" post. Upon hearing about this at the office I immediately began a plan in my head to attack his analysis and reasoning because he chose the 2004 USC Trojans over the 2001 Miami Hurricanes. While I had a myriad of things to do at work I decided to wait until I got home and then read Forde's article and then proceed to rip it in a tribute to FJM/Big Daddy Drew-Peter King style. However, when I got home and clicked on said post, the reasoning behind his choice was not very involved and neither were the remainder. It appears we have a classic mail-it-in job by Pat. A quick relevant topic that would provoke debate and remembrance among its readers but did not require any real thought. That's fine, but one of the glories of the internet is that irrelevant people can bitch on irrelevant blogs about inane ramblings of paid journalists who sometimes get lazy on the job. Fear not! I will press on and attempt to show that the best team we saw take the field in the aughts were the 2001 squad from the U. The analysis after the break.
The single most dominant team of the decade boils down to a two-squad debate: USC '04 or Miami '01.
Okay, I can get down with this.
The Hurricanes produced an astonishing amount of pro talent and stampeded to a perfect record
Also true.
but they also were slightly lessened by facing an underwhelming Nebraska team in the 2002 Rose Bowl.
How does them facing a Nebraska team that did not necessarily deserve to be there lessen who they were as a team? They did win that game right? Hmm, let me check: 37-14. Yeah was pretty much no contest. So Miami should be docked points because the BCS is stupid and illogical?
The Cornhuskers should never have been there after being humiliated by Colorado but got the nod anyway.
I cannot argue this point. Nebraska got drilled by Colorado for their lone loss. This lead to them losing a tiebreaker to get into the Big 12 title game. Texas from last year would agree that sometimes you don't get into the conference title game because of 5th level tiebreakers. There was no other undefeated team. A one-loss Oregon team were who many thought should be there, but we can't turn back the clock and by all means Oregon could have pulled an upset but they were not superior to the team Miami fielded.
USC '04, meanwhile, stamped its final mark by annihilating undefeated Oklahoma, 55-19, in the 2005 Orange Bowl.
Anyone who watched that game, much like the Miami Rose Bowl could see that the opponent was not in the league of the victor. Must I really rehash Oklahoma's recent BCS bowl history aside from their 2000 title(an Orange Bowl in which they really should have played[and most likely would have lost to] the Hurricanes who beat FSU 13-2 that year but got the nod which led to a change in the BCS formula). In 2004 Oklahoma was not the only undefeated title contender. The Auburn Tigers went undefeated, in the SEC, and were denied a chance to play USC. Maybe USC would have not won by such a big margin, or at all, because SEC SPEED IS BLINDING FAST OMGWTFBBQ!!!11one. See it works both ways, every BCS year you can point to who the champion should have or could have played to win the title.
This was the best Trojans team from the best program of the decade.
I concede the Trojans had the program of the decade, no argument from me there and 2004 might have been their best team but this is determining which team is the best of the decade, not the best of the best program. We all know Miami has sank in stature during this decade, but in 2001 they were the elite of the sport.
The Trojans became just the second wire-to-wire No. 1 team in the AP poll (Florida State did it in 1999), finishing it off with that absolute crushing of the Sooners.
Are we really using this as evidence? Preseason polls! USC was voted number one and stayed there because they did not lose. Miami started number two behind Florida, who would lose twice. Miami had slapped the Gators 37-20 around in the Sugar Bowl the previous season yet voters somehow voted Florida higher in that preseason. How can this be criteria for deciding which team is better?
The score was 38-10 at halftime for a USC team that combined dazzling offense (Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, LenDale White, Dwayne Jarrett, Steve Smith, Ryan Kalil, Deuce Lutui) and brutal defense (Lawrence Jackson, Mike Patterson, Shaun Cody, Lofa Tatupu).
Using words like dazzling is a fabulous way to accentuate your argument or a 6th grade book report on the Twilight Series.
Andre Johnson, Jeremy Shockey, Clinton Portis, Bryant McKinnie, Vince Wilfork, D.J. Williams, Jonathan Vilma, Ed Reed … those are just some of the future NFL stars who populated this Hurricanes roster.
Yeah, they are just some. 16 players from that team ended up being drafted in the first-round of the NFL draft, including 5 from in the subsequent 2002 NFL draft. I know pro drafting spots and to an extent pro performance is not the ultimate indicator of a team's greatness on the college football field, but in this category Miami wins over USC hands down.
The surprise is not that the Hurricanes stomped their way through the season undefeated -- it's that they were prevented the next year from repeating.
You had to throw this in there didn't you? What a stupid thing to say. It has nothing to do with the 2001 team that the 2002 team was not awarded the 2002 BCS title. The 2002 Hurricanes were very talented but they did not have the same roster(no Portis, McKinnie, Shockey, Rumph, Buchanon, OR ED REED) and we will not venture down he road of the interference call again.
How come at the end of the USC description you did not say "The surprise is not that the Trojans stomped their way through the season undefeated-- it's that they were prevented the next year from repeating."
Sound familiar no? The 2005 Trojans ran to the title game following their 2004 season but lost to Vince Young and Texas with Leinart and Bush. Yep, they failed too. Why no mention of that?
All in all, both teams are great but if you are going to put one above the other you need to come up with better reasons that one team played a certain team in the title game and one team was not ranked number 1 at the beginning of the season.
Now to some stats:
-Miami scored 42.6 ppg, allowed 9.75 ppg, 32.9 avg. margin of victory, NCAA record for consecutive margin of victory over ranked opponents -- they beat #14 Syracuse 59-0 and then #12 Washington 65-7. 6 All-Americans.
-USC scored 38.2 ppg, allowed 13.0 ppg, 25.0 avg. margin of victory, Matt Leinart won the Heisman, 6 All-Americans.
-Miami beat 5 ranked opponents, USC 3.
-The draft info has been mentioned but just to reiterate:
Miami has 14 stars from that team still in the league. Back-ups from that team were Kellen Winslow, Sean Taylor(RIP), Antrel Rolle, and Vernon Carey.
USC has an impressive list as well (53 players that were on that roster are now in the NFL) including Keith Rivers, Steve Smith, Bush, Lofa Tutupu, Fred Davis, Ryan Kalil, Winston Justice and LenDale White. However some of them were not as high profile in the league for their play like Leinart, John David Booty and Matt Cassell(both never really played in 2004), Dwayne Jarrett, and the infamous Mike Williams.
Before the 2005 Trojans lost to Texas in the Rose Bowl ESPN held an online poll about the best college football teams of all-time; only the 2001 Hurricanes were voted ahead of USC. Pat Forde may have a history of bashing the Canes and this may have just been a 5 minute article throw away, but it does not make him any less wrong in my view and those that agree with me. The 2001 Hurricanes were the best ever. I'll end it by letting them say it in their own words:
Tuesday, January 19
This Week In Sports Hate: The Colts
I made my feelings clear that the Colts' move in their week 16 game against the Jets was a lame decision by Bill Polian. I was back in the Queen City this weekend to gather my furniture(is there anything worse than moving in life, seriously?) and it afforded me an evening out with some old friends, which probably compose half of this blog's readership, and my co-blogger Catfish. After the Colts put away the Ravens and I had imbibed a good amount of beer, Catfish and I embarked on a spirited argument about that fateful Colts decision. While he took the "smart move" it's about winning the Super Bowl angle, he also said that opposing view was based on the fact that I am a Patriots fan and the 18-1 season incapacitated me from rational thought.
I can assure you this was not the case. I perhaps could not articulate my reasoning due to the inebriated state I was in. Point of fact, I was actually rooting for the Colts and earlier the Saints to run the table. When the Colts threw up the white flag I was angry at the manner in which they did it and the fact that I had actually been rooting for the Colts. At that moment I wished an early playoff death on Indy, which did not come to pass. They are the heavy favorites to beat the Jets on Sunday, the very team they laid down for so a Super Bowl appearance is likely. In my opinion though, even if they hoist the Lombardi trophy the way in which they refused to go for history will always be the sub-headline from this season. Then, I saw this:
via KSK(who has some great Colts hate recently)
The best thing about this hand gesture is the subtleties it employs to try to differentiate it from the famed symbol of my alma mater. "You see, our symbol is different because you overlap the thumb knuckles and slightly tilt the sides in." Which is dumb because horseshoes are rounded on the outside. Those minor changes to the "Shoe" remind me of when Vanilla Ice said that the bass line to 'Ice Ice Baby' was different from Queen's 'Under Pressure'. Like when Rome had to put Florida in its place for claiming U-hood, the Colts need just sit back and enjoy their on field success or at least try to be creative. Speaking of creativity:
What an apropos slogan for the times we live in. Enjoy your playoff run Indy, but you will always think of what might have been had you decided to go for greatness and not be simply another edition of a could-be NFL champion. Winning the trophy does not justify doing the duck-and-cover when history challenged your team's will.
Friday, January 15
Tuesday, January 12
Sometimes You Forget: Grandma Ma
Today there was news of a former UNLV player auctioning their 1990 Championship ring on Ebay. The player has yet to be named, and it is doubtful that it is Larry Johnson but the mention of his name brought back a lot of memories for someone who grew up in Charlotte. I can still smell the aroma of nachos and popcorn in the Charlotte Coliseum.
LJ was the first round pick of the Hornets in 1991 and was the catalyst for their run of success in the 1990s. The next year the Hornets picked Alonzo Mourning second which created one of the best tandems of the decade in the NBA and in NBA Jam. Johnson won Rookie of the Year and became the Hornets' first All-Star in 1993.
The Hornets, who were known for their tremendous home crowds and at the time trendy teal and purple colors, became one of the more popular teams in the league. In 1993 the Hornets made the playoffs and faced the Celtics, the old guard. In a series that marked a true contrast of teams, and the unfortunate end of Reggie Lewis's career(rest assured Johnny Newman is still guarding him), the Hornets pulled out the series with a Alonzo Mourning winner with .4 seconds left in game 4.
So many epic things in that video, the least of which was the Hornet dancers, the Honeybees, running out to join the midcourt celebration or Alan Bristow's hair. Charlotte fell to the New York Knicks in the next series.
The next year the Hornets won 50 games in 1994-95 and faced the Jordan-No.45 edition Bulls in the first round. The 3-1 series defeat was the end of the Hornets as we knew them. LJ signed the most lucrative contract in the league at the time, a 12-year, $84 million contract. This contract was only part of the schism that developed between LJ and Alonzo and Hornets management. Mourning wanted to be the big dog and the Hornets refused to pay him like one; he was traded to the Miami Heat after the 1995 season for Glenn Rice and Matt Geiger. Johnson soon developed back problems and never recovered his former explosive form. In 1996 he was traded to the Knicks for Anthony Mason and the juggernaut that was Brad LoHaus. In two years the Hornets rose up as the Young Guns of the NBA but egos, money, and a bad back tore it all down.
LJ became a fan favorite on the Knicks but never was able to put up his All-Star numbers. He got in a tiff with Bill Walton, hit a memorable 4-pointer, and even settled some unfinished business with Alonzo in the playoffs.
LJ retired in 2001 but in the minds of Charlotte Hornets fans he will always be remembered for his time in the Queen City and his Grandma Ma persona. Johnson has been mostly absent from the public eye but he will never be forgotten by Hornets fans, or fans of Urkel.
Monday, January 11
NFL Wildcard De-Cleeting: Line Play Wins In January
The old crumudgens can lean back and crack a smile after the manner in which the Wildcard Weekend played out. Despite the NFL changing the rules to help receivers and quarterbacks again and again and offenses putting up tremendous passing numbers, the play ni the trenches still wins in the NFL. The stats do not lie in this case, the league is more offensive-minded and pass-oriented. You might even think we are one step away from playing football how they play it in Starship Troopers. Before we start imagining a silver football, Denise Richards in the crowd, or the dude who stole Kelly from Zack being a part of football, the weekend was a reminder that if you can pressure the quarterback with your front four, run the ball and control possesion, and capitalize on the turnovers pressure causes you can win.
Time For A Bungles Pun
Rex Ryan may have the candor of a singing wall bass, but the man has successfully transplanted the Ravens philosophy to the Jets. Showing that the previous Sunday Night game was not entirely a fluke, the Jets offensive line pounded the Bengals until there was little left. Offensively the Bengals were equally inept; Palmer is a shade of what he was, there was miscommunication on routes, and the players looked far from prepared. The Bengals had been waiting for 4 years to return to the playoffs and their coach burned both challenges in the first half. They were not prepared from the top down and if I were Cincinnati I would consider blowing this team up and starting over. But back to the Jets, with that type of running game and blitz-happy defense, Ryan was not crazy in beleiving his team had a chance. He was crazy to state they should be the favorite all the way to Miami. The Jets style leaves little room for error. Mark Sanchez did play well, helping to dispell the cold weather theory(it was his own 2002 Bucs NFC Championship game) but with a Ron Rivera defense lining up this weekend they will have to come up with something better than roll out passes to the tight end to keep the defense honest for the running game.
Star Spits Back
Was there anyone else that felt like their innards were squirming when they saw this?:
Their hand clasp was not even close to the most epic one of all-time, but I digress. Even more uncomfortable than W and Emmitt. All appears to be well for Jer-uh and the Boys after throttling the Eagles two weeks in a row. Many streaks were broken in this game: Tony Romo's winless playoff, the Cowboys 14 year playoff streak, Reid's first round undefeated record. With the offense finally soaring this time of year, Wade has been allowed to focus on defense and rag on him all you want for his head coaching prowess, the man knows defense. DeMarcus Ware gets all the pub, but Jay Ratliff and Anthony Spencer have prevented teams from throwing most of their O-line at Ware to save their QBs time. Unfortunate for the Eagles that their center went down, but that is football. The Eagles secondary was scrambling all over the place because the push on Romo was not where it usually is for an Eagles defense. The Vikings' gameplanning should be interestnig considering their O-line has been such an issue and they have this beastly D-line coming in.
Haters are Happy
I have already said my piece on the end of the Patriots as we currently know them. Catfish threw me a text after I lamented to him about the domination the Ravens laid down, it said I knew this was coming. That is true, I knew the Patriots fall was coming in the post-season with or without Welker but I did not know the fall would be off a speeding train into a canyon instead of a slight fall off the roof of a one-story house. Aside from the horrid line play, the offense is still way to predictable and Belichick needs a solid playcaller in the fold. Weis was snapped up by Kansas City which I thought would have been a great re-addition. There has to be an innovative playcaller than is willing to work with Brady and Welker next year. There has to be a better running game and as for Randy Moss, I think he has outlived his usefullness in New England.
The Ravens may not have the defense they did 9 years ago, but their assault on Tom Brady forced him into turnovers and completely sqaushed the Pats offensive attack. The Pats defense had no answer for the runnning game. Vince Wilfork is an outstanding defensive lineman, but when those around him cannot make plays he gets double and sometimes triple-teamed. The Ravens are going to be primed to face the Colts who are in that oh so familiar postion of not playing live football for 3 weeks. The Ravens are going to try to squeeze the clock as much as they can but if Peyton is on his game he only needs about 15 minutes (see: Dolphins game). The Ravens have a long history with the Colts, even in the playoffs and aside from one blowout last year the games are usually close. The Ravens will have to finish if they want to win, playing ball control and forcing FGs is nice, but they need TDs. I would be very nervous if I were a Colts fan this week.
Not As Tuck
Perhaps I was still reeling from the Pats game or maybe Joe Buck's dulcet tones put my mind in a haze, but after seeing the play to end the insane 51-45 overtime win by the Cardinals I was mumbling "tuck rule" to myself. After shaking my head and watching again I see the ball never hit the turf, which renders the tuck rule irrelevant. Fitting that in a game were defense took a back seat, defensive line pressure made the winning play. Neither team's defensive line will get a gold star but Arizona did sack Aaron Rodgers 5 times including the final pressure play by Michael Adams. I expect to see more of the same next week in New Orleans, which will have purists shouting about how putrid the defenses are and will leave fans loving the back and forth action. It is not unthinkable that the 96 total points and 1024 yards of offense will not be topped when the Cards play the Saints.
Quick Word About Pete Carroll
Word is the deal is finalized for Pete to take his SoCal attitude to the Pacific northwest. This may be a bolt due to the NCAA hammer coming down on USC finally but it also is the chance Pete wanted to succeed in the NFL, on his own terms. His stints in New York and New England were, in his mind, not a fair shake because he did not have complete autonomy. He has it now, there is nowhere to lay blame if the Seahawks continue to struggle. He has always been respected as a bright defensive mind, in college and the NFL, but his success at USC does not easily translate to the NFL. It will be a whole new skill set he will have to pull from in dealing with multi-millionare mindsets as opposed to being the unquestioned king in L.A. The dude-brah attitude may resonate with the coffeehouse patrons of Seattle, but unless Carroll has revolutionary epiphany when it comes to directing a professional team he will be chased back to college like some of his recent predecessors have.
Thursday, January 7
What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been To The BCS Title
Tonight the teams the BCS selected to play for the title will meet on the wonderfully kept field of the Rose Bowl. Intensity from the teams and their fan bases will create a swirl of crimson and burnt orange. At the end of the night the winner will either be rolling or hooking. Both teams were on a mission to make this game after it eluded them last year and now, after emotional conference title games; Bama smoked Florida in a rematch and Texas had to hit a FG with 1 second left to get past Nebraksa.
In case your scoring at home and even if you are not, those games happened 32 days ago. Despite this being the mythical championship game for the 2009 season, it is far removed from those 13 games. It is a season by its self. A one game season after a month of practice, interviews, and much ballyhoo from media members and message boards. There is no momentum, whether it is the positive kind the Tide had after beating Florida or the negative kind Texas may have had after a bad performance in Dallas. It is a new year, a new season and winning this game depends on who has prepared better, who is sharper mentally, and which team exploits their strengths.
If a team comes out flat from their respite too bad, this is the only chance they get and the clear football is at stake. Colt McCoy has had nowhere near the year he had last year but he is here and all he needs is one good game. His struggles do not matter because he only has to be good tonight. Problem is the Tide is strong up front and will be certain to apply pressure like they did to Tebow and like Nebraska did to Suh. On the other side Greg McElroy's near perfect game against Flroida in Atlanta does not mean anything now. He has to repeat that performance and it has been a long time since he has taken a live game snap. Texas's defense has been their strength this year and they will have their hands full with Heisman winner Mark Ingram and the big Alabama offensive line. The coaches from both teams know this, and know that the other coaching staff knows they know. Everybody knows. They have had weeks to look at film and craft and hone and implement their gameplans. In one sense, there is almost too much time to prepare because as much as Nick Saban would like to believe, do not live in a bubbleand the longer it takes to take the field, the more time there is for players to lose focus, get overconfident, or get a stomach bug.
My lean, like most of the country, is with Alabama. While I do not expect a performance like the SEC title game from the Tide their advantages on the lines cannot be ignored. The trend has been this bowl season that the team that is more physical up front has won the games, and this game should follow suit. I would like to see Texas give them a good game and I think they will. If Texas is razor sharp for 60 minutes then they will take it. Ultimately I think the Tide wins by a touchdown in a game that will be a letdown to watch. However, before we kick things off between the battle of these "college football storied programs"(look for Brent to say that a lot), let's take a look back on some things that have happened in the world since we last saw a game that had an impact on the mythical national championship about to be decided.
-Dick Clark counted us into a new year and decade...sort of.
-Kimbo Slice won a UFC fight
-Mark Ingram won the Heisman, becoming the first Alabama player to do so.
-Mike Leach was suspended, then fired.
-Tiger Woods....enough said.
-TMZ sports was birthed from the canal of the tabloid hungry sports culture we have created.
-Urban Meyer decided to step down as Florida coach to reconnect with one daughter who was happy to have her Dad back and another who wanted to have a meaninful conversation with him. Then he said screw it, family life and chest pains be damned.
-The Colts pissed on history for what they think is a definite Super Bowl run.
-Gilbert Arena did his Cactus Jack impersonation, and got suspended.
-Laker fans showed how much they disliked the Christmas Day officiating, but stayed classy by only tossing harmless foam fingers.
-George Michael died. No not that one, that one.
-Pacquiao vs. Mayweather ran into problems because of testing.
-Pot Bobby Knight called out kettle John Calipari for questionable practices in coaching integrity.
-Brian Kelly abandoned his undefeated Cincinnati team to coach Notre Dame.
-Chris Henry died after jumping from his fiance's truck.
-The Big Ten thought about expansion.
-The U put on a show for the country and became ESPN's highest rated documentary ever.
-Roy Williams kicked a guy out of a game at the Dean Dome for yelling "Miss it".
-And 34 bowl games have been played that have no bearing on determining a champion.
Enjoy the game which probably means you have will have to mute Brent.
Tuesday, January 5
Our MVPST Is Josh Cribbs
In my mind, there are 3 obvious MVP choices this year in the NFL. Here are ours in order:
Peyton Manning: Curtis Painter nods in agreement
Chris Johnson: The guy is just insane. One of the best seasons ever.
Drew Brees: Fell off toward the end, but after they beat the Pats he was the leading candidate.
While I think Peyton will and deserves to win the award, and other players deserve mentions as well (like Andre Johnson) I think Josh Cribbs deserves some praise for what he did this year. Of course being on the Browns, who had to win 4 in a row to get to 5-11, there is little chance he enters the discussion.
Cribbs had 2,510 all-purpose yards this year, which is 5th all-time and he averaged 14.9 yards per touch, which is 6th all-time. Now let's take into consideration the Browns:
27th in point differential
32nd in yard differential
29th in take-away ratio
29th in points
32nd in yardage gained
Cribbs had over half the yardage the entire team did. He was third on the team in points scored with 36 behind James Harrison and the kicker Phil Dawson. His 6 TDs scored were achieved by 4 different methods: 3 kick-off returns, a punt return, a rushing TD, and a receiving TD. The 2 return TDs had against Kansas City broke the NFL career record. He also recovered 2 fumbles on defense. There is also the calculation that cannot me measured in stats which is his ability to make teams give the Browns good field position. Of course, with Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson's performances this year they often did nothing with it. Cribbs was even asked to come in and run a version of the wildcat. He played in every game,even after taking a monster hit at the end of the Ravens Monday night game.
This is where the Bears missed the boat on Devin Hester in my opinion. This is how you utilize someone with explosive speed and return vision. So while Cribbs will not hoist the hardware(he did make the Pro Bowl however) in a few weeks or even be in the voting, he gets our Most Valuable Player on a Shitty Team Award. Since this blog is not lucrative we have little to offer Josh, so a 'atta boy' will have to do.
Monday, January 4
Sometime You Forget: Big Monday Is Almost Here
Football is in full post-season mode. The BcS bowls will be more than halfway home after tonight's Fiesta Bowl. The NFL playoffs start this weekend and a month from now people will be going through withdrawal. For college basketball fans, the early non-conference games gave us a chance to see how far teams had to go and who could be players in March. Big Monday is on the horizon and besides the great basketball, Big Monday reminds me of one thing: Robert Goulet. This was Goulet back before Will Ferrell had his crack at him. These commercials were pure gold. The way the early SC commercials were good for their hokey and random nature. Tonight ESPN starts its run of Monday night match-ups with Pitt playing at the Shoe against Cincinnati. Both teams are 2-0 in the Big East scoring wins over Syracuse and UCONN respectively. that will give us the best of college basketball until March. Will I be watching? No, since the Fiesta Bowl take priority and my commercial filler will likely be the return of Brett Hart to the WWE. However, the college hardwood is in my mind and I am looking forward to getting immersed in it once football dwindles away.
By the way, I know I swore off WWE months ago, but bringing a stroke-ridden Brett is enough to make me give a glance. Brett was always my favorite as a kid. Anyway, here is another Goulet special that was one of my favorites, back when Pitino was coaching the Cats.
Special shout-out to the Concierge on the Goulet commercials, Mrs. Hutchinson's class FTW.
