What a great year to be a fan of NFL Football — thank you, Chargers
Wow. If you're a fan of professional football in America, you must be shaking your head in amazement as I am over yesterday's NFL playoffs, thanks especially to the San Diego Chargers. They had what it took to upset the vaunted Indianapolis Colts and gain a shot at the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
Hopefully, some one will huddle with the Chargers and their coaching staff this week and explain to them they're supposed to go bellys-up, lay down on the field and let the Glorious New England Patriots roll over them on the way to a Super Bowl victory in February. Hopefully.
Because if the Chargers fail to get the word, hey, they could bring down the Patriots using their "subs," maybe? Who knows?
It was the backup quarterback and backup running backs who came through yesterday for the Chargers to upset the Colts, last year's Super Bowl winners. What an amazing surprise. What an ending to an amazing game.
Of course, as a longtime Kansas City Chiefs fan, I have no love for either the Patriots or the Chargers. Indeed, I have very mixed feelings about the Chargers, stemming back to repeated times over the years when the Chargers have bumped the Chiefs out of slots in playoff games. (They're in the same AFC division.)
Ah, what the heck. Everybody loves to cheer for the underdogs -- Go Chargers!
[tags]NFL Football, football upsets, San Diego Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Never mess with heroes — and Roger Clemens would be one
I don't like it when people mess around with the handful of sports figures, movie stars, etc., that I consider "heroic" because of their accomplishments and/or character. Roger Clemens would be one of those few baseball figures I figure deserves heroic status. You're free, of course to have a contrary, totally wrong-thinking, stupid, opinion on the matter.
My wife and I watched the interview with Clemens on "60 Minutes" last night and we were both glad to see this morning that he's suing the clown who accused him of illegal drug use. What amazed us about his "60 Minutes" appearance was the apparent dumbness of Mike Wallace as to motive. He seemed puzzled why the guy who made the allegations would lie, as Clemens claimed.
Duh. It seems to me a couple of paragraphs in the story I've linked to above makes it pretty clear about what the guy's motives would be:
"The lawsuit also quotes McNamee as saying he was under pressure from IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Parrella, both key members of the BALCO prosecution, to implicate Clemens as having used performance-enhancing drugs.
"According to the lawsuit, McNamee had repeatedly denied any knowledge of Clemens using steroids until the second day of interrogation, after which Parrella told him he had one strike left before going to jail."
Of course, those are just the allegations in the lawsuit and could be totally false. Clemens' statements on "60 Minutes" could have been a bold lie, too. But, as my wife says (and she's the best judge of character I've ever known), if Clemens was lying, he should get an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, because he surely seemed to be truthful.
Don't mess with my heroes. I don't like that. Next thing you know, somebody will be attacking Nolan Ryan's career, or Jimmy Stewart's acting. Will it never end??
[tags]Roger Clemens, baseball steroid stories, sports lawsuits, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Ah, well, the Redskins faltered against the Seahawks — but there’s always next season
I hoped the Washington Redskins would continue their great end-of-season comeback and make it through the first round of the NFL playoffs. In fact, I confidently predicted they would beat Seattle by seven points.
I was wrong. The final score was Seahawks 35, Redskins 14. But the Skins' 14 points were pure of heart and came through valiant effort. *Grump, grump, grumble.*
Next week, the Skins can watch on television while Green Bay whips Seattle in the next round.
Go Redskins!
[tags]Washington Redskins, Seattle Seahawks, NFL playoffs, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Okay, all you Redskins fans out there, tomorrow’s the big game
I'm an avid Kansas City Chiefs fan, when it comes to NFL football. But I've always had a special place in my heart for the Washington Redskins.
This season, the Chiefs tanked early and tanked often, so I've been watching the Redskins slowly get through a season that looked really good, then really bad -- then ended up with a Wild Card birth in the playoffs. To my chagrin, they'll be playing the Seattle Seahawks.
I should explain, I went to college in a suburban area east of Seattle, and the Seahawks for years used property on that campus as their training headquarters. But, though I am totally in love with Seattle, I've never really gotten attached to the Seahawks.
So, Go Redskins! And, if you need some nifty fan gear and collectibles straight from the Washington Redskins Store, here's a link to a little website I run that just happens to carry the whole Redskins Store collection. Go look around. Get ready for the big game.
My prediction? I think the Skins will take Seattle by at least seven.
But did I tell you I'm NOT a gambler? So if I were you, I wouldn't bet on it either.
[tags]Washington Redskins, Redskins gear and collectibles, sports gear and collectibles, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Did I call ‘em or did I not? But the Orange Bowl score failed me
Big night last night for America -- Barack Obama took another step toward the presidency by winning the Iowa caucuses, and, yeah, Happy Huckabee did the same. On the sports front, Kansas held on to whip Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. But I got the Orange Bowl score wrong, figuring Kansas had more offense in them.
As for Iowa, Hillary Clinton was "sent reeling" by her third-place finish, according to one news report. I'm not sure how much "reeling" she did -- but one hopes her candidacy will now become more "real" and less "all things to all people." (I've got to learn to hold off on all the quotation marks, don't I? Had an editor who told me that a lot.) On the GOP side, Romney hasn't said much that I've heard. He's got to be feeling a bit down (if not outright reeling himself) after spending all that money just to lose out to Happy Huckabee.
I hereby dub candidate Mike Huckabee "Happy Huckabee" -- because always seems like a happy guy, especially now. So, good work, Happy, now see what you can do with all those hardcore independents in New Hampshire. I have a hunch they aren't going to be as open and receptive to your almost-evangelical-Christian nice guy candidacy. But I wish you well.
As for me, 1) I refuse to openly cheer Kansas' Orange Bowl win because I'm from Missouri, and, 2) I continue to hope Obama and Edwards will do well for the Democrats, because I see them as electable in the national battle come November.
Ah, well, what do I know? I'm just a guy who reads the papers.
[tags]Iowa caucuses, Orange Bowl, election results, football results, Obama, Clinton, Huckabee, Romney, New Hampshire primaries, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Yup, Iowa caucuses proceeding as predicted — Orange Bowl, I’m not so sure
Just as I predicted -- the pundits are calling Iowa for Huckabee on the GOP side and Obama on the Democratic side. One "breaking news" email I get suggested that this would be a "stinging setback" for Hillary. Well, yeah, if I were Hillary, I'd wait just a bit longer before calling a real estate agent to sell the big house for a move to the White House.
Keep watching. Things could change. There could be a stunning upset when they hold the recount -- oh, wait, wrong election.
As for the Orange Bowl, just as I predicted, Virginia Tech is staging a stunning second-half comeback. Now they'll pull off a win over Kansas -- oh, wait again, well, I'll just have to exercise those rights and duties of a soothsayer I mentioned in my first prediction.
[tags]Iowa caucuses, Obama, Hillary Clinton, Huckabee, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
So — Go Mizzou! — how are the football bowl games working out for you? Go Mizzou!
As an avid football fan -- Go Mizzou! Go Mizzou! -- I've been fairly happy with this season's college bowl games so far. I was especially pleased by the Cotton Bowl yesterday. (Can you guess who our family was cheering for?) I honestly thought Arkansas had more offense than that, but I was wrong there.
I was discouraged when Boise State University lost their game. They lost it literally in the last second on a game-winning field goal by East Carolina as the clock expired. Oh, well. My two happiest years of college were spent there in the 1960s, and my wife was in their first 4-year graduating class in 1967, so they hold a special place in our hearts.
But the real DUD of a bowl game this year will be the Bowl Championship Series finale between LSU and Ohio State -- what a terrible selection. Ohio State played one less game than the other first-place contenders -- and lost two games. What kind of season is that for a so-called "championship contender"?
You see the problem here? I tend to forget that top-level college football really isn't a sport anymore (if it ever was) -- it's a huge money machine; it's a big business. Why else would the so-called "system" come up with two big-school, big-money powerhouses facing off every season for the championship, even when they had less-than-stellar to mediocre seasons?
Ah, well, what do I know? I'm just a guy who reads the papers.
[tags]college football, bowl games, Bowl Championship Series, Go Mizzou!, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Hey, who wouldn’t love this year’s Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow?
I was just reading a story about the sort of "hero worship" aura surrounding Tim Tebow, the University of Florida quarterback who won the 2007 Heisman Trophy. (If you're not a football fan or not a college football fan, you'll have to indulge me. And why in the heck AREN'T you a fan??)
Who couldn't love the kid? He comes from a really nice, happy family, who love him deeply. He was raised to be a humble, hard-working, Christian kid in the best senses of the word "Christian." He was homeschooled, but apparently became a superhero high school football star thanks to a Florida law that allowed him to play public school football while being homeschooled.
Nice kid. Nice family. Great college football player, who may someday have a highly lucrative career in the NFL. What's not to like?
I've tried my best to be cynical about the kid -- as I am cynical about most things sports related -- but I like him and wish him and his family only the best.
[tags]college football, Heisman trophy winner, Tim Tebow, University of Florida, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Boxing fan? Get your tickets for the big Marquez-Pacquiao rematch in March
If you're a boxing fan, you'll want to get in line (so to speak) early for a royal battle coming up in March -- Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez are set to do it again March 15 in Las Vegas. Boxing fans won't soon forget the brawl in May 2004 in which Pacquiao knocked Marquez down three times in the first round of their featherweight championship bout, only to see Marquez battle back and have the match end in a split draw decision.
According to a report from ESPN about the upcoming battle, Pacquiao seriously considered moving up to challenge lightweight titlist David Diaz, but decided instead to stick around for a Marquez rematch. The fight is set for the Mandalay Bay Events Center. If you want to be there, and need some great seats, you can find excellent pacquiao vs marquez tickets online from Team-One Tickets.
Looking ahead from Marquez-Pacquiao II, there are rumors of bigger things coming. Should Pacquiao win, the rumors say, he will move up for the Diaz fight. And if he were to win that, the same rumors hint at a possible Pacquiao meeting with Oscar De La Hoya in September in what would be billed as the Golden Boy's career finale. Who can say? Stranger things have happened in the boxing world, provided the timing and the money are good to go.
Ah, well, what do I know? I'm just a guy who reads the papers.
[tags]Marquez-Pacquiao II boxing rematch, boxing, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
So far, drug-use report hasn’t changed the shape of pro sports world
How wonderful -- only one day after the steroid/drug use report on MLB was released, the sports world has rallied around, soundly condemned all athletes who use such stuff, and completely changed the nature of pro sports in America. And we did it all for the kids, too!
No, of course, that's not what has been happening in any news reports I’ve seen, heard, or read. What's been happening is exactly what I expected would happen: There’s a public outcry against pros who were reported as "druggies"; there's a "shame on you" call to those athletes and other pros to be proper role models for our youngsters -- but there's been nothing I've seen that says, "Hey, you know, our whole culture is at least partly responsible. Let's get back to paying pro athletes intelligent salaries and playing the game at all levels for what it is -- A GAME."
Of course, it'll never happen, because MLB and pretty much every other sport is NOT anything like "just a game," but a major bucks big business.
Let's start a campaign. Let's encourage all sports team owners to put a clause in every player's contract requiring them to donate X percentage of their salary to charity -- preferably something that will directly aid families and children. Oh, of course I know that won't happen either. But if it were possible, it might make some of these teams and the big money players more likely to look at the difference between being paid obscene amounts of money to play a game and what is "real life" for most folks.
Ah, well, what do I know? I’m just a guy who reads the papers.
[/tags]MLB scandal, sports and drug use, celebrity athletes, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Keep Up To Date!
Bid on Classic Newspapers on eBay!
1688 NEWSPAPER ROYAL BIRTH PRINCE OF WALES
See Full Details
Rare1899 Native American Indian newspaper SANTEE AGENCY
See Full Details
Rare1898 Native American Indian newspaper SANTEE AGENCY
See Full Details
MORRISTOWN NJ Revolutionary War 1780 Enemy Newspaper
See Full Details
REVOLUTIONARY WAR ERA Original 1777 Enemy Newspaper SEE
See Full Details
Newspaper 1816 Connecticut Journal New Haven as found
See Full Details-
