- 07:45 AM
- 11/05/24
Will he sing? He did a pretty good rendition of the "Star-Spangled Banner" a few years ago when he played for the Packers.
posted by shackbar at 01:59 AM on July 10, 2003
Whatever happened to the guy who sat behind the visiting team during Washington Bullet games? Did he die of something or did the Bullets take away his season tickets?
posted by shackbar at 02:52 AM on July 05, 2003
You'd think that there would have been more coverage of the Americans getting knocked out, but I heard/read zilch. Until the U.S. is on the verge of winning the cup, ESPN, et. al. won't care.
posted by shackbar at 02:33 PM on February 17, 2003
Anybody going to see spring training? I'm headed to Arizona next month.
posted by shackbar at 01:42 AM on February 12, 2003
I question James as a team player. Even though the NBA has altered (or ignored) the rules to emphasis one-on-one play, the best teams (Dallas and Sacramento) are the ones who played best as a team. James is a talent, no question about it. I just wonder how much of a team player he is.
posted by shackbar at 11:53 PM on January 31, 2003
I have a feeling some AFL teams would end up higher than some MLS teams.
posted by shackbar at 08:53 PM on January 22, 2003
Yahoo! The Pack may have finally lost a playoff game at Lambeau, but they're the ultimate franchise. I'd prefer another Super Bowl and Favre MVP, but this will have to do for now.
posted by shackbar at 04:25 AM on January 22, 2003
Wisconsin was dismal in the Big Ten (at least we got Paul Bunyan's Axe). I can't imagine the drubbing they'll get from Colorado.
posted by shackbar at 10:28 PM on December 22, 2002
This BCS thing is a mess. Iowa is the best team in the Big Ten. In a playoff system, they'd at least have a chance. No bias here, I'm a Wisconsin fan and hate the Hawkeyes.
posted by shackbar at 04:23 AM on December 04, 2002
Is there video of the Sapp block? I watched the game, but didn't see the block or the celebrating afterward. Too bad TB and GB aren't in the same division anymore. This bad blood makes for one hell of a rivalry. I do have a feeling these two teams will meet again in the playoffs. Unfortunately, it will probably be in TB.
posted by shackbar at 06:50 PM on November 25, 2002
I'm hoping for some Miami and Oklahoma loses so we could have an all-Big Ten National Title game. Luckily for the Buckeyes they didn't have to play the best team in the conference: Iowa.
posted by shackbar at 12:53 AM on November 25, 2002
I'm worried about my Pack. I won't be like a typical Vikings' fan and scream about how horrible they are when they lose, but think they're God's gift to the NFL when they win. This is a team that depends so much on Brett Favre. When he's on, they dominate, when he's off (due to poor play and good defense) they're impotent. Must root for Atlanta and New Orleans to each knock off TB for the Pack to have a chance at home field in the playoffs.
posted by shackbar at 12:49 AM on November 25, 2002
McNabb's performance should be considered one of the gutsiest(sp) in NFL history. He breaks his ankle, hobbles on one foot for the rest of the game, and throws 4 TDs. I can't think of anything like what he did. Looking beyond football, what he did has to rank alongside Kirk Gibson's limping World Series home run as an all time sports moment. Truly amazing. As for my beloved Packers: it's not so much a Metrodome curse as it is an artificial turf curse. Their offensive line is built for grass. On turf, the defense has a better pass rush and that forces Favre to make mistakes. What I was impressed with was even though Brett threw 3 interceptions, they only lost by 10.
posted by shackbar at 03:11 AM on November 19, 2002
AP story on Beane.
posted by shackbar at 06:43 PM on November 10, 2002
The AP is reporting that Beane's headed to Boston if the Red Sox can make a deal with Oakland on compensation. All I can say is I'm glad the Brewers are in the National League.
posted by shackbar at 06:42 PM on November 10, 2002
Ah, but that was pre-shackar SpoFi.
posted by shackbar at 11:48 PM on November 09, 2002
We're seeing a fundamental change in analyzing talent. Beane in Oakland proved that stat crunching can help low budget teams. Now, the Red Sox will see how it works with a bigger budget. This may be the point where baseball moves from an art to a quasi-science.
posted by shackbar at 03:04 AM on November 08, 2002
This is the same guy who was mentioned in a NY Times Magazine article. He couldn't understand what the problem was for an NFL player to dress like Kriss Kross. He can play a little football, but he's dumber than an doornail.
posted by shackbar at 01:54 AM on November 03, 2002
More importantly, how will NYC pay for the improvements? They're already suffering a $5 billion budget deficit. Will Mayor Bloomberg just cover it with his personal wealth?
posted by shackbar at 01:47 AM on November 03, 2002
The Pack dominates because we fans are crazy freaks who will do just about anything to show the world we're nuts.
posted by shackbar at 02:43 PM on October 30, 2002
But Favre rarely sitting out for parts of games only adds to his mystique. He's so stubborn and loves playing so much, he never wants to be off the field.
posted by shackbar at 06:42 PM on October 22, 2002
I'm interested in this quote: If Taylor would have the resources to own all three, he would have a monopoly on the three major professional sports teams in town and could largely control broadcasting rights as a package. The Vikings, the team that long has generated the most interest in this town, would be the gem of Taylor's sports franchises. If Taylor were to own all three major sports teams could he fund one team with money from the others? The NFL has greater revenue sharing than baseball. Could Taylor take money from the Vikings and use it to boost salaries of the Twins? Would the leagues allow that?
posted by shackbar at 12:54 AM on October 05, 2002
Affirmative action in the NFL is just as bad as AA in other places in society. No group has a right to any job. Not whites, not blacks, not any other minority. AA doesn't bring the races together, it divides them. 86 is right that hiring more minority coaches will take time, but the game doesn't need Johnnie Cochran threatening lawsuits. Where would a forced AA program end? Would a team be prevented from firing their minority head coach because it could drop the NFL below some defined percentage? The best way to get more minorities hired is to put public pressure on owners.
posted by shackbar at 11:57 PM on October 03, 2002
It's come to the point where I cringe at a display of faith after a touchdown, home run, etc. You wonder if they do it because of their deep faith or because it's the "thing" to do. And what do these same players do when not playing? Are they causing trouble a la Randy Moss (whom I have never seen do a religious gesture) when the cameras aren't on them?
posted by shackbar at 09:10 PM on September 28, 2002
I like the ESPN crew. I would love it if Joe and Paul finally start throwing punches in the booth. You just gotta know they're not very fond of each other.
posted by shackbar at 11:37 PM on September 27, 2002
Arguably, the guy has the most skills of any wide receiver in NFL history. He's big, fast, and has great hands; but he's an asshole who's not dedicated to winning. If this keeps up, Minnesota will have to cut Moss or Culpepper will kill him. His time with the Vikings will be up.
posted by shackbar at 12:07 AM on September 26, 2002
Webster played for Wisconsin. Retirement for linemen is not always a pleasant thing.
posted by shackbar at 12:01 AM on September 26, 2002
No way. I want him in Milwaukee. But this looks like an approach that anyone could develop given enough practice. The problem is no one would hire you.
posted by shackbar at 12:38 AM on September 19, 2002
But I want to know who does the NFL uniform designs. Who thought up the awful road jerseys for Buffalo? They're uglier than XFL uniforms. And I'm still not sure about the Seahawks darker colors.
posted by shackbar at 12:36 AM on September 16, 2002
How asinine is that? Unitas was only one of the greatest players in NFL history. Baseball aren't marketing geniuses but at least they properly honored Ted Williams and Jackie Robinson. They don't even care if players playing against the St. Louis Cardinals put #57 (D. Kyle) on their hats.
posted by shackbar at 12:13 AM on September 14, 2002
When reading my local sports rag, I don't expect to be impressed with the writing. All I'm looking for is reaction from the players and the coaches and the occasional scoop on possible trades and/or signings/firings. For newspaper eloquance, I go for the op-ed pages. Maybe that's why I don't immediately go to the sports page as soon as I wake up.
posted by shackbar at 11:55 PM on September 12, 2002
The Pats aren't flashy, but they win. The played that stood out the most for me was the TD catch and run by former U of Wisconsin star Donald Hayes.
posted by shackbar at 05:01 PM on September 11, 2002
Money-wise, James has shown he deserves more than Williams. As rcade noted, my point was that Master P got Williams a raw deal. Either that or NFL GMs are much smarter/slicker than record executives.
posted by shackbar at 04:59 PM on September 11, 2002
There's some good writing there, and I'm not a football/soccer fan. The style reminds me of 1930s/1940s baseball writing. You don't see flair like that on American sports pages.
posted by shackbar at 11:49 PM on September 09, 2002
But looking at the context of Riddoch's quote, it certainly appears he's talking about the Tampa Bay team losing right now. He compares 1998 and 1999 with today, four years later.
posted by shackbar at 12:12 AM on September 08, 2002
Poor George Karl. I wonder if these losses hurt more than when Denver knocked his Sonics out of the playoffs a few years ago. (Remember Dikembe Mutumbo flat on his back celebrating?)
posted by shackbar at 11:08 PM on September 05, 2002
NFC East: Philadelphia NFC South: New Orleans NFC North: Green Bay NFC West: St. Louis AFC East: Miami AFC South: Tennesee AFC North: Pittsburg AFC West: Oakland Super Bowl: Green Bay over Miami
posted by shackbar at 07:19 PM on September 05, 2002
salmacis hits on a very important point: job security. Few fans will gripe much for a coach choosing a field goal on a 4th and 1 on the 5 yard line. They will respect the coaches decision to kick. But if he went on 4th down and it failed, fans would be yelling that the team came away with nothing. Then there's the psychological momentum. A team that drives 80+ yards, goes for it on fourth down, and fails may be demoralized since all that work resulted in zero points. Context and psychology are really, really hard to incorporate into dynamic programming.
posted by shackbar at 12:05 AM on September 02, 2002
The golf club is doing what too many others have failed to do: stand up for the freedom of association. According to the story, Augusta doesn't have an explicit rule barring women, but we know there's a wink and a nod against it. But so what? Are rights being violated by not including women in the membership? No. If you don't like Augusta's view, then don't watch the Masters.
posted by shackbar at 10:15 PM on August 30, 2002
It sounds like there was a miscommunication with the coaches. They probably didn't tell him the reason they needed his playbook. Ki-Jana Carter got cut and he didn't take any pre-season snaps. Brookins thought the same happened to him. Even after getting back to his Missouri home, he could have patched things up with coach Mike Sherman. Is it a big loss for the Pack? No, but they're still looking for a back-up at fullback.
posted by shackbar at 05:10 PM on August 29, 2002
Burnitz? Jeromy Burnitz, lousy Mets outfielder?
posted by shackbar at 04:58 AM on August 21, 2002
Didn't Marcelus Wiley go to an Ivy League school? Did he have a stable of women there? And what were his SAT scores?
posted by shackbar at 04:54 AM on August 21, 2002
What about Marcelus Wiley's "stable of women" to "avoid undue complications"? Women's rights groups must just love this objectivication.
posted by shackbar at 02:02 AM on August 20, 2002
I'm surprised with the 1996 Packers. They were awesome, but a few times during that year, it looked like things wouldn't work out. For instance, injuries demolished the WR postition, but somehow Ron Wolf gets Andre Rison. It looked like the Pack got a little help from above.
posted by shackbar at 04:09 AM on August 17, 2002
She's on tv. There are few "serious sports journalists" on tv. If I want seriousness, I go to the newspapers where looks mean nothing. As for the FHM pictures, they're rather conservative. Not much cleavage but plenty of leg. Arrington didn't want to whore it up for America. She still keeps her cred.
posted by shackbar at 05:26 PM on August 14, 2002
Bud should step down before it gets even uglier (if that's possible). And this opinion comes from a guy that supported Bud big time in his pursuit of Miller Park. Baseball isn't better since he's become commissioner. He should go back to the Brewers and find a deep-pocketed person to sell the team to.
posted by shackbar at 02:41 AM on August 07, 2002
The Dennis Miller experiment was to bring in people who weren't die-hard football fans. ABC wanted to re-create the early days of MNF with Cosell, Meridith, etc. Miller wasn't bad once you got used to him (and had an encyclopedia handy to look up his references), but the ratings weren't going up. Now, ABC's trying the pure football angle. I didn't see the game and can't comment on Madden until the regular season starts (I'll only watch some Packers' pre-season games).
posted by shackbar at 02:35 AM on August 07, 2002
He's the best linebacker in the league, but that still doesn't justify $19 million (the signing bonus is the only number that matters in the NFL). Let's face it, he's great, but there are other linebackers out there who do the job. And didn't Sharper get traded or lost to free agency? Lewis' job will be that much harder this year without him.
posted by shackbar at 02:40 AM on August 02, 2002
Will they try to serve dog there like they tried in Korea during the World Cup? Beer and dog bratwurst could certainly be interesting.
posted by shackbar at 02:27 AM on August 01, 2002
Well, I didn't expect the Packers coaches to say Walker was dunce who only knew who Favre was because he's the one throwing the football. The story should be taken with some skepticism, but the coaches didn't say Walker was starting material. He was just more impressive than his Wonderlic score.
posted by shackbar at 02:25 AM on August 01, 2002
Anyone who can dunk impresses me. I just don't think this will in any way help the WNBA build interest.
posted by shackbar at 02:22 AM on August 01, 2002
Ok, so Walker shouldn't try to replace Brett Favre (or back-up Doug Peterson) as quarterback.
posted by shackbar at 02:09 AM on July 31, 2002
I can't believe Elgin Baylor has been allowed to field losing teams for this long. As for the trade, it helps the Clippers. Miller is the best point guard in the league. Giving up a young player with more hype than game (at least for now) could get them an eighth seed in the playoffs.
posted by shackbar at 05:47 PM on July 30, 2002
I have a bad feeling that, like football, the refs will take way too long in making a decision. Heck, I just want them to call traveling. Please? Pretty please?
posted by shackbar at 02:47 AM on July 30, 2002
How about anyone who goes to game wear a tie until Bud Selig apologizes or until the season ends (which ever comes first)?
posted by shackbar at 06:42 PM on July 11, 2002
"I see myself as a scorer," said Walker, who has averaged 6.0 points and 4.9 rebounds in his career.
My team (Bucks) gave away all the good players. We now have a point guard who is only a few inches taller than me, and we still have Anthony Mason. Lottery, here we come!