17 Hours


How Good Are These Teams, Actually?
November 23, 2008, 8:04 am
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The Oklahoma Sooners trumped the Texas Tech Red Raiders 65-21 last night. In a marquee matchup that would test the Red Raiders’ football dexterity, Mike Leach’s gameplan was noted to thrive. Graham Harrell and the Red Raiders beat the Sooners in last year’s matchup in Jones AT&T Stadium. However, this year, in Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, where Bob Stoops was 51-2 (now 52-2) at during his tenure coaching the Sooners, Texas Tech stood no chance.

Should have been expected, though, right?

Actually, no. The Texas Longhorns — behind the play of quarterback Colt McCoy — knocked off the Sooners, but then the Red Raiders knocked off the Longhorns. Who is the best team of these three? Looking at it in retrospect, it looks like the ‘Horns and the Sooners are the teams to beat, but how is that so when the Red Raiders beat the ‘Horns, the same ‘Horns who beat the Sooners?

It’s a convoluted league, it seems. It’s tough to judge these teams. But that’s why there is gambling and predictions set up so people can throw their money around just to lose it because a team didn’t play as well as expected, a team that was subdued by an inferior opponent because the superior opponent — whom the consensus bet on — didn’t gameplan as well as they usually did.

We’ll see how great the Alabama Crimson Tide are when they play the Florida Gators in the SEC championship game. For all we know, the Gators could shellack the Crimson Tide and we’d have Florida in the national title game against Oklahoma. Then again, Oklahoma could choke everything away in the Big 12 championship game.

What a load of crap.

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Rams to Wear ‘99 Throwbacks in ‘09
November 22, 2008, 7:40 am
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Link

I loved these jerseys when I was a kid, especially watching Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Roland Williams, Ricky Proehl and Co. light up the league with a 13-3 record en route to Super Bowl XXXIV where they defeated the Tennessee Titans 23-16, following a time-expiring tackle on Kevin Dyson by Mike Jones on the one-yard-line.

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Frivolous Day in the NFL and Kenny Mayne is Overrated
November 16, 2008, 8:08 pm
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Pittsburgh beats San Diego 11-10.

Philadelphia and Cincinnati tie at 13, being the first game in the NFL to result in a tie since Atlanta and Pittsburgh tied at 34 in the 2002 season.

Miami wins 17-15 over Oakland.

The only problem I have with the Miami/Oakland game is that it bothered me, seeing as it wielded a hinging result of what would be Miami’s fate by the end of the season (wildcard or playoffless), not to mention they are the only team I have to cheer for now that my Rams are down and out (with a disastrous 2-8 record lingering over them).

Pittsburgh beating San Diego pissed me off, because I hate the Steelers, and because of the crooked score on the scoreboard. One of my friends is a Steelers fan, and I’m going to have to listen to his superfluous jargon for a period tomorrow about how ‘awesome’ (or the way he spells awesome, ‘owsm’) the game was, even though it was more boring than trying to watch a game of soccer (or, for you international folks, ‘footie’).

Oh, and if Dallas wins tonight, I have to listen to a stuttering idiot blabber about it for the rest of the week. Woohoo.

The Eagles/Bengals game irked me because you don’t play to tie the game, you play to WIN the game. (Thanks, Herm Edwards of the 1-9 Kansas City Chiefs!) Maybe the moniker should be changed to that you play to tie the game, though. Shayne Graham of the Bengals attempted a field goal with seven seconds left in overtime, but it sailed wide right, and moments later the game ended as a result of a tie. Y’know what? Here’s something for all of you that bash baseball: at least in baseball, ties don’t result (please don’t bring up that ’specific’ All-Star game in which Bud Selig screwed baseball fans).

The Rams were obliterated by the 49ers today. Nothing new.

Kenny Mayne has a new internet show on ESPN.com, called Mayne Street. A few episodes have been placed onto the web and its mediocrity has been bestowed upon our eyes that have been doused in KMP (Kenny Mayne Poison) for every time we see him on TV enough as it is. I don’t have a problem with the guy, and sometimes – sometimes — he’s funny. But it seems that sometimes he tries too hard, and the blatant comedy is tiresome. Though, if you’re bored, it’s pretty damn amusing.

Weigh in.

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Why I Love the Tennessee Titans
November 15, 2008, 5:39 pm
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I’m a die-hard and dedicated St. Louis Rams/Miami Dolphins fan. And let me tell you that the way I use ‘love’ in the headline of this blog isn’t the way you’re thinking. I don’t consider the Tennesee Titans a favorite team of mine; I just love watching ‘em play.

You see Kerry Collins out there, and your instant, face-value thought has to be, “Whoa? What? Is this the same guy whose career had seemingly washed up in Oakland a couple of years ago when Randy Moss was being labeled as the scapegoat of the team?”

Yes, it is the same Kerry Collins. This Collins, however, is only having to do simplistic things. In Oakland he had to dispatch the ball to all quarters of the field. Not to mention he had nothing to work with there, except a dissatisifed Randy Moss. In Tennessee, his job is simple. With a formidable o-line, his goal is to hand the ball off to rookie Chris Johnson and three-year-back LenDale White, and make little mistakes. It’s been a tentative process, but it’s worked out ever since the Titans decided to bench the emotion-rattled Vince Young.

I got a good look at Chris Johnson in the pre-season when the Rams ventured to Nashville to play the Titans, as Johnson romped the Rams for over 100 yards combined, 77 of those 100 yards being rushing. Johnson is an elusive speedster out of East Carolina University.

A lot of people are touting the Titans as overrated, but with all due respect to the 2007 New England Patriots, I enjoy watching the 2008 Titans a hell of a lot more when there are no perennial qualms leaning over the team’s head. Must be because I’ve always been a fan of Jeff Fisher’s classy attitude and stalwart coaching. He should be a model for all coaches in the league (Patriots fans, Doug Baker alike, are all gritting their teeth at that statement as it indirectly shuns Bill Belichick).

I’m not even going to depict the Titans defense. Their success is obvious. Albert Haynesworth, known notoriously for his head stomp a couple of years ago, has aligned himself as one of the best if not the best defensive tackle in the league.

Many props to the thus-far undefeated Tennessee Titans.

One thing I wonder: if they had had some overly moderate success the past couple of years, would they have garnered any kind of negative attention this year as the 2007 Patriots received?

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Troy’s Musings (11/12/08)
November 12, 2008, 7:46 pm
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Madonna apparently says of New York Yankees third-basemen Alex Rodriguez that he has “the heart of a poet trapped inside an insanely gorgeous body.”
People tell me that all the time, so I don’t see what the big deal is. I’m still baffled, as I assume all of you are, by this whole A-Rod/Madonna freak fest. My only guess is that Madonna is using Rodriguez for his skin.

New York Jets and New England Patriots go toe-to-toe tomorrow night.
Who cares? Well, many people care, but what I mean is why is there so much hype on this game? A rivalry is there, the two teams hate each other, and the AFC East lead is in tact. However, why can’t the Patriots/Jets-Favre hype die down?

Chauncey Billups’ effects on the Denver Nuggets
This should be in the headlines instead of what’s in the bold above. Though, that’s not happening. Billups has been his usual self in Denver in a couple of games so far, and the offense has been running more smooth than ever. Perhaps this is what Carmelo Anthony truly needed — true point guard who can also hit big shots when they matter.

Greg Oden returns tonight
Cool. Time to see if he can produce any more than he did in his first game. He had a few rebounds and a pair of blocks in his first game against the Lakers in which he only played thirteen minutes of, scoring no points. Hopefully he can put on a show against Dwyane Wade, Michael Beasley, Shawn Marion and the Heat tonight.

Tony Romo ready to play against Washington
In the sole word of Drew Rosenhaus, “NEXT!” I didn’t know it took so long to come back from a broken pinkie. In other news, has there ever been more news surround an injured player before? Not since 1990-1991 when the Boston Celtics’ Larry Bird’s career met its demise.

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Things That Kill You
November 9, 2008, 7:33 pm
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1.) A paltry offensive line
2.) Turnovers

. . . Or at least in football it does.

The Indianapolis Colts just defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-20 in a game that was decided late in the fourth quarter, contrary to what Steelers pundits are saying.

(NOTE: What the Steelers pundits are saying is that the game was lost when the Pittsburgh secondary tipped a pass to Reggie Wayne early in the game that keyed in on setting the tone for the game.)

Eight minutes to go, the Steelers threatening to score, with the game tied at 17, Colts lineman Eric Foster — who was doubled — wedged between the double team and made a crucial tackle on Mewelde Moore, who otherwise would have been rendered useless and the Steelers would have been up seven.

On the Steelers’ next possession, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw a pass to Santonio Holmes that was picked off by Tim Jennings at the Steelers 38.

Three plays later, Peyton Manning delivered a 17-yard touchdown pass to Dominic Rhodes that floated over the extended arms of Troy Polamalu that proved to be the game-winning touchdown for the Colts.

The Steelers were eventually stymied in the next drive by a holding call followed by a sack, a fitting ending considering the Steelers’ offensive line troubles this season.

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Books That Will Never Be Written
November 7, 2008, 8:16 pm
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Here are books that will never be published in the history of civilization, or at least for as long as we — or these potential writers listed below — will live:

How I’ve Never Driven Drunk by Leonard Little
How to Keep Your Cool by Bob Knight
How I Converted the Chargers to Become an NFL Dynasty by Ryan Leaf
How to Follow the Rules by Kelvin Sampson
Staying Clean: My 20 Years in Baseball by Barry Bonds
We Hate the Yankees and Red Sox by ESPN
Being a Woman by Hillary Clinton
19-0: The Perfect Season by the Proud Members of the New England Patriots
How to Treat a Woman by O.J. Simpson
How to Become Charismatic by Bill Belichick
Drinking Water, Eating Vegetables and Absolving Alcohol by John Daly
How to Commit to One Woman for the rest of your Life by Wilt Chamberlain (Foreword by Michael Jordan)
How to lead an NFL team to a Super Bowl by Dan Marino
My Life as an NBA Champion by Reggie Miller
Becoming a Role Model: Leading a Invigorating Role for Kids by Charles Barkley
Balancing Your Professional and Private Life by Tony Romo (Foreword by Matt Leinart)
Mr. Halloween: How I became an October Legend by Alex Rodriguez
How to Stay Healthy by Kerry Wood
Quarterbacks I Love by Terrell Owens
The Dummy Guide: How to Build a Franchise by Matt Millen (foreword by Isaiah Thomas)

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Sportswriting and why I want to do it
November 7, 2008, 8:13 pm
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I want a job where I can be wrong almost all the time. A job where I can take pot shots at people who are actually doing what I can only dream about, and cut them down. I want to berate them, make jokes about them, and all else poke fun at them until I drive the general consensus of society nuts. I want to say one thing one day, and then when I am proven wrong, be able to sidestep my original opinion for a more popular one. I want to make bold predictions, and then disown them the moment they don’t happen. I want to hold someone up, put them on a pedestal and worship them. Then, I want to knock them down, spit on them and turn my back when they “fail” me. In short, I want to be a sports writer.

All I want is the chance to pontificate about how absolutely essential it is for a certain athlete to do something, and then when it happens, move the goal post back another 50 yards and start again. And, when I can’t find fault with an athlete’s performance, I will find fault with his/her so called character. For writers, this usually means picking apart their comments, TV ads or shoe color. Anything to bring him or her back down to earth. So, I can feel superior. And, if you offend someone, well, just get them to yell at you, and you’ll have column fodder for the rest of your career.

And I’m on my way to be doing just that. If you haven’t noticed yet, then believe me, I am an overly opinionated, sarcastic, dark/sexual humored, randomly pissed off person. Let me at these overpaid, overblown, overhyped jerks that I want to spend my life writing about on newspaper/magazine print.

When kids are playing basketball in the driveway they try to emulate Michael Jordan or Larry Bird. When I’m writing I try to emulate Hunter S. Thompson, Bob Ryan and Bill Simmons, then turn it up a notch to my own style.

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