Recent Comments by Jaquandor

The Hall of Fame Rejection Committee

DrJohnEvans: On the show itself, when they get to the HoF Rejection Committee segment, they play a snippet from that Simpsons episode when Homer's the youth football coach -- Homer has a voiceover during the credits of that episode, telling everybody they're cut. "Oooooh, there's so many cuts here, I'll just put up a list and you can find your name...."

posted by Jaquandor at 10:08 AM on February 26, 2005

The Hall of Fame Rejection Committee

I think I can guarantee it's not meant to be taken seriously.

posted by Jaquandor at 11:57 PM on February 25, 2005

The NFL lowers the boom on Vegas parties.

this brings to mind a question I've had for months - why can't the radio stations say Super Bowl in their commercials? They all say "win a trip to the NFL's Big Game. We can't say it, but you know what we mean" or some such shit. Would they really sue someone for using their game's name in a radio contest? Yep, they would. "Super Bowl" is actually a trademarked brand name, and to use it in marketing pitches, you have to pay the NFL. This once came up in a restaurant I worked for -- we had a promotion where we gave away free bags of Doritos, but we were forbidden to say "Super Bowl". One local company that makes dip had a radio spot last year that went something like, "We can't tell you what event you'd want our dip for, but we can tell you that it would be SUPER...like a BOWL of dip!"

posted by Jaquandor at 01:57 PM on February 01, 2004

As a Bills fan who's just endured two years of watching our coaching staff forget that there's a pretty good running back in town, watching Martz coach always gives me flashbacks. Martz: "Third-and-one? Marshall who? Throw it!" Gregg Williams and Kevin Gilbride: "Third-and-one? Travis who? Throw it!"

posted by Jaquandor at 01:18 PM on January 12, 2004

The wheels on the coaching bus go round and round!

Boy, did he ever. Were we disagreeing about something? I can't even tell now! Well, I think we definitely established Bill Parcells is a good coach and Gregg Williams is not. Well, I don't know how good a coach Parcells is. I mean, how impressed should I be that he has now in his career taken over no fewer than four floundering franchises and turned them into playoff teams? (Is there an emoticon for "tongue really in cheek"?)

posted by Jaquandor at 09:55 AM on December 31, 2003

The wheels on the coaching bus go round and round!

I grant you that the Cowboys were not in the middle of a purge; however, they weren't (aren't?) exactly loaded with talent... the offensive skill positions are mediocre, the line isn't what it used to be, and the defense was pretty good but not great. Parcells made all of it better-- offense, defense, and special teams. Boy, did he ever. Were we disagreeing about something? I can't even tell now! And to make matters for the Bills slightly more interesting, the Jets have just fired Ted Cottrell, who was the Bills' defensive coordinator while Wade Philips was head coach. I have a sneaking feeling Cottrell will be interviewed by the Bills. Of course, this will be the second time they've interviewed him for a head coaching vacancy. Maybe this time they'll give him the job.

posted by Jaquandor at 04:47 PM on December 30, 2003

The wheels on the coaching bus go round and round!

And Williams took over a team in 2001 that had gone 8-8 the year before and was on the verge of a salary-cap purge anyway. It's not like he came in and trashed a 12-4 system that had made the playoffs or anything. Fair enough. But I wasn't thinking of players like Smith; I was more concerned about the way the whole linebacking corps (Cowart, Sam Rogers, Keith Newman) was gutted. They're finally good again, but it seemed unneccessary-- I don't buy into coaching/personnel plans that involve blowing up the team for two years until the coach stockpiles the players he wants (look at Parcells, he's one of the best talent evaluators in the game, and yet he's still managed to double his team's wins from last season with essentially the same personnel. Wait until he builds that roster.) As far as the Bills' season went, offensively, Moulds was hurt, the offensive line sucked (death for any team, but especially when you have an immobile quarterback with a cannon arm-- you have to protect him), and Gilbride was a very bad offensive coordinator. Not to mention I agree with the sports guy, who puts Gregg Williams at the top of his "coaches I think I could outcoach for one game" list. I agree with most of your points, but Parcells was not, to my knowledge, taking over a team that was on the verge of serious salary cap issues this year. Williams was. Everybody knew, after 2000, that a purge was coming. The Bills could not have kept that linebacking corps together, and even if they had, the 2001 edition would have sucked because of all the rebuilding in all the other phases of the game. Did Parcells face similar problems in Dallas this year? Largely, the problem with the offense was Kevin Gilbride, but Williams refused to ever step in and overrule him, he never admitted there were even problems beyond "We just didn't make enough plays" (ya think?!), and toward the end he kept trying to insist he was "involved". It wasn't pretty.

posted by Jaquandor at 02:30 PM on December 30, 2003

The wheels on the coaching bus go round and round!

Actually, didn't he just outright cut most of those players (from a defense ranked #3 the year before he got there), because they didn't fit in his new system? Yes, Williams did do some goofy bashing of what had been a previously pretty good defense, but the players he sent packing really weren't exactly defensive studs who went on to anchor other great defenses around the league. Bruce Smith was one of those, but all he did was hang on to his career long enough to set a record. The Bills had to let a lot of those players go for salary cap reasons; I don't think they could really afford to keep Sam Cowart or Marcellus Wiley, who were by far the best defensive players from the 2000 Bills. (Williams's first year was 2001.) And Williams took over a team in 2001 that had gone 8-8 the year before and was on the verge of a salary-cap purge anyway. It's not like he came in and trashed a 12-4 system that had made the playoffs or anything. So, yes, Williams did insist on a new system, but I really don't think the Bills would have been able to keep the talent around to keep the old system working for much longer, anyway. They were a team on the decline in 2000.

posted by Jaquandor at 10:15 AM on December 30, 2003

The wheels on the coaching bus go round and round!

Gregg Williams had this coming. Outside of rebuilding a salary-cap ravaged defense, he showed no acumen for what he was doing. He never seemed to have any answers or any new ideas, good or otherwise. I don't think his coaching career is over -- he'll probably end up as a defensive coordinator somewhere -- but he was finally revealed this year as being over his head.

posted by Jaquandor at 10:08 PM on December 29, 2003

A beautiful streak.

A 14-2 record is excellent, but it's not that uncommon. There have been 14-2 teams pretty often since the parity era began (I generally think it started to take root in 1995 or 1996), and in 1998 there was even a 15-1 team. I do think that the Patriots are the most befuddling 14-2 team I've seen, but they're still pretty damned good. I suspect the Titans and Colts could dethrone them in Foxboro, but not the Chiefs. And a Patriots-Rams Super Bowl could be in the cards, again. As for the Bills, well, some team will have a pretty good defensive coordinator in Gregg Williams next year. He did do a pretty good job in rebuilding the defense in Buffalo. Too bad he didn't accomplish anything else.

posted by Jaquandor at 12:43 PM on December 28, 2003

A beautiful streak.

This is the worst day ever. Yeah, I'm a Bills fan, and I find that the Cowboys have finally been eclipsed as the most nauseating franchise in all sports, by the Pats. If I had to look at Tom Brady's stupid grin and Bill Belichick's stupid scowl one more time....! (Of course, those are better than Bills' coach Gregg Williams's constant deer-in-the-headlights, "I can't believe this is happening!" expression.) Bledsoe has been horrible, but then, so has the coaching and the offensive line, and even the defense -- though good -- has shown big-time holes, such as the complete inability to force turnovers. I'm still not ready to give up on Bledsoe, but the idea that the Bills will win on the strength of his arm -- an idea that Gregg Williams and Kevin Gilbride seem incapable of disbelieving -- is clearly faulty. Oh well, at least I can hope that the recent trend in the AFC in which only three top seeds since 1992 have gone to the Super Bowl still holds!

posted by Jaquandor at 06:28 PM on December 27, 2003

A great moment in sideline reporting history:

Remember, there's nothing funny about...vapor lock.

posted by Jaquandor at 12:55 PM on December 22, 2003

Here in Buffalo, the road has pretty much been paved for Gregg Williams and offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride to get out of town. Fans are pretty furious that all the upgrading of the defense last offseason has netted no better than 8-8 and watching the playoffs on TV. I tend to agree.

posted by Jaquandor at 07:32 PM on December 17, 2003

The Football Gods reward a Football Nomad.

I didn't actually link the NFL.com TMQ article because it wasn't up at the time that I posted. The original announcement I linked was that NFL.com would announce TMQ's arrival at around noon eastern.

posted by Jaquandor at 04:08 PM on November 25, 2003

Nice find! I love it when someone uses the blog format for something other than a standard blog.

posted by Jaquandor at 01:00 PM on November 25, 2003

The Football Gods reward a Football Nomad.

That LA Times article was pretty strange -- "Bush would be a good environmental President if Democrats would stop criticizing his environmental policies" -- and I also have noted many times, here and elsewhere, how tired I am of Easterbrook's fixation on the byline Hillary Clinton uses on her books. And, while I used to be a huge fan of TMQ, I find it descending into "schtick" in recent years, with the same points pounded over and over and over again. Not that I disagree with his points, all the time -- far from it, like how tired I am of NFL teams blitzing constantly, etc. But TMQ almost seems to be the exact same points from week to week, with just the names and the details changed. It's the sports commentary version of Law & Order. I guess one's appreciation for TMQ reflects how much one likes the formula, to a certain extent.

posted by Jaquandor at 12:59 PM on November 25, 2003

The Football Gods reward a Football Nomad.

The theory about his ESPN firing that made a lot of sense to me wasn't that he made a politically-incorrect statement in criticizing a movie, but that he criticized a Miramax -- and, therefore, a Disney movie. Thus he was, in effect, dissing his own corporate overlords (ESPN being a Disney property).

posted by Jaquandor at 11:29 AM on November 25, 2003

Why? I watched 'em, I know what happened. And nobody else has ever gone to four in a row. So bite me. I hate you! Die DIE DIE.... (Sorry...we get a little defensive in these parts! :)

posted by Jaquandor at 10:01 PM on November 22, 2003

I live in Buffalo. Just a few months ago I had to go to one of those party-supply stores to grab some stuff for my daughter's birthday, and after I'd paid I was putting my money away and gathering up my stuff, paying no attention at all to the customers coming to the register behind me until the woman said "Jim, do you think we have enough balloons?" Turning around, I find that it's Jim Kelly, his wife, and his two daughters. (I assume that his son, Hunter, was at home with a nurse or attendant of some sort.) It was pretty cool -- he was just a guy buying a bunch of stuff for one of his kids' birthdays.

posted by Jaquandor at 08:05 AM on November 22, 2003

Will Mr. T and Dolph Lundgren be named as witnesses?

I should note that aside from the biggest names in boxing -- Ali, George Foreman, the like -- I know nothing at all about the sport, and I've certainly never heard of this guy, so I personally have no idea if there's any merit here.

posted by Jaquandor at 05:36 PM on November 12, 2003

Pro Football Overtime

Kloeprich, the NFL doesn't want a full extra quarter because of the game's physically-punishing nature. An entire extra quarter would probably be excessive; sudden-death is supposed to get it over with as quickly as possible. That's why I like my idea (well of course I like my own idea!) of awarding victory to the first team that leads after each team has had possession. That way you can't win by simply getting the ball first, but you can still have OT end quickly.

posted by Jaquandor at 09:18 PM on November 11, 2003

Pro Football Overtime

I've never bought the analogies to baskeball, baseball or hockey or anything else. Those analogies merely imply that the exact same thing you say about football -- i.e., that you have 60 minutes to get a lead in regulation -- also apply in the other sports. Just because the other sports have different mechanisms means nothing to that point. And as Dusted notes, just because perfect fairness can never be attained doesn't mean we shouldn't try to make things more fair along the way.

posted by Jaquandor at 09:15 PM on November 11, 2003

Pro Football Overtime

When you have 60 minutes to score more points than the other team, the unfairness of not getting the ball again in OT (especially if it's because your defense sucks) rings a bit hollow to me.... Well, then why have extra innings in baseball, if you can't get more runs in nine innings? Why have OT in any sport at all?

posted by Jaquandor at 04:09 PM on November 11, 2003

Pro Football Overtime

I would just have the home team kick off, and then play as normal; the game would end with the first score to take the lead after both teams have had the ball. The home team would kick off because, if the visitor scores on its possession, fans get to see one last drive to either win or tie by the home team. And if the visiting team gets the ball first, commits a turnover which is returned for a score, the game would end right then because the home team will have taken the lead after each team has had possession. Easy!

posted by Jaquandor at 07:53 PM on November 10, 2003

"A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein."

Yeah, some of these aren't "dumb" at all, and I had forgotten how hilarious John Kruk was. I remember that he had surgery once to, well, remove one of his testicles after a cancer episode, and he showed up to subsequent spring training with a t-shirt that read, "I'm gonna take my ball and go home".

posted by Jaquandor at 08:29 AM on October 29, 2003

"A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein."

I generally find Theismann to be an inexhaustible fountain of dumb things to say -- like just the other night when the Bills played the Chiefs, when on the second play of the game, Theismann yelps out, "I love the way Bledsoe is managing his offensive line tonight!"

posted by Jaquandor at 10:40 AM on October 28, 2003

Vinny goes down...again.

Hall of Famer? Huh? What? Vinny makes the Hall of Fame only if the committee is made up of the people who forget that he is actually a lousy quarterback. While I agree that he's never been a "winner", I think he might end up getting some consideration anyway at least from people who put emphasis on statistics. Going into this season, Vinny was in the Top 10, All-time, in attempts, completions, and yards, and tied for twelfth in touchdowns; and in each category, he outranks a number of Hall-of-Famers who did play for good teams. (Lists here.) With numbers like that, I would not be surprised to see his name come up when he's eligible. Not that he'll get in, but I don't think it's quite the slam-dunk case that you do, simply because I suspect he'll get some sympathy precisely because he played on so many bad teams.

posted by Jaquandor at 04:16 PM on October 23, 2003

Vinny goes down...again.

Here's my question: Is Vinny a Hall-of-Famer? His passing stats are getting up there, but I wonder if he's not a case of a player attaining statistical heights more through longevity than anything else.

posted by Jaquandor at 10:15 PM on October 22, 2003

Hey, wanna own a piece of baseball history?

I should add that Babe Ruth's daughter is OK with it, apparently, and that on further review I mis-spoke: Donruss has already cut the jersey.

posted by Jaquandor at 02:33 PM on October 20, 2003

First to Worst.

I wonder if Marlins-Indians is low-rated because of the firesale the Marlins had just days after the final out was recorded in Game Seven. I remember it being a pretty memorable series. I'm also intrigued that the 1960 series places only 18th, given how wacky a Series it was and how until 1993 it was the only Series to end on a walk-off home run. Mazeroski's shot is one of the greatest highlights in baseball history; is there any comparable play from, say, Blue Jays/Braves in 1992, which outranks 1960 on the list?

posted by Jaquandor at 03:35 PM on October 18, 2003

It only took 95 years.

For all the talk of how "the curse has been lifted" and "95 years have ended", if the Cubs go on to lose the ALCS or the WS, do Cubs fans still feel that way?

posted by Jaquandor at 02:51 PM on October 06, 2003

Easterbrook need some new schtick, I think. He's great at first, but after four years of haikus, funny renamings for the NFL teams, "The average NFL completed pass play gains six yards, but...It's a blitz!", well, it's getting a bit old. And his fixation on the byline on Hillary Clinton's books is just weird. Oh, and he also needs to check the color on his TV, because on mine, the Bills' uniforms still feature red, white and blue.

posted by Jaquandor at 10:20 PM on September 23, 2003

Is baseball the ultimate bloggers' sport?

Well, football isn't as stats-oriented as baseball, and its games only take place once a week, so I don't think it lends itself to daily writing as much as baseball does. With football, you're pretty much limited to commenting on the latest game, and then there isn't much to talk about until the next game. There's only so much you can say about an upcoming game, analyzing matchups, etc. On my blog, I post a lot about football during the season, but during the offseason I only post if something interesting happens, mostly personnel wise, involving the Bills.

posted by Jaquandor at 06:57 PM on September 12, 2003

At least they found it before they had to print its picture on milk cartons.

My favorite Stanley Cup moment (the trophy itself) came a few days after the Rangers won it in 94 or 95. On the Letterman show, Dave was doing some comedy bit at his desk, when a policeman walked up and just stood there, silently glowering for a few minutes until Dave stopped what he was doing, acknowledged the cop, and said, "Oh, are you looking for this?" Then he leans over and picks up the Cup, which had been concealed behind those chairs where his guests sit. The crowd went nuts then, as the entire Rangers team walked in.

posted by Jaquandor at 03:13 PM on August 05, 2003

Think you know baseball?

Yeah, it's Yankee-centric, because Buffalo is pretty staunch Yankee country, even though the Blue Jays are ninety minutes away and the Indians and Pirates are both closer than NYC. Go figure.

posted by Jaquandor at 09:39 PM on July 10, 2003

Gee whiz, I actually like the guy, although I could do without a lot of the callers. But I find some of the e-mails funny, and he does interviews that you won't necessarily see on SportsCenter, and I generally think he's a pretty good interviewer. (Well, Jim Everett might disagree.)

posted by Jaquandor at 10:11 PM on May 02, 2003

Kevin Millwood of the Phillies throws a no-hitter!

Two no-hitters have been thrown the same day, back in 1990 or 1991. I believe the pitchers were Dave Stewart and Fernando Valenzuela. (1990 was "The Year of the No-Hitter", when there were something like eight of 'em...but I think a few of those may have been "disqualified" after MLB decided that you had to pitch nine innings to get credit for a no-hitter. I think there were a couple of rain-shorted no-hitters that year that were eliminated.)

posted by Jaquandor at 07:39 AM on April 28, 2003

Sports Songs!

I don't suppose anyone remembers the Godawful fight song that Marv Levy once wrote for the Bills...ugh. When CNN got hold of it, they intercut footage of Marv singing his own song off-key with footage of The Three Tenors.

posted by Jaquandor at 12:22 PM on April 26, 2003

Michelle Kwan wins fifth world title.

The questions are: Will Kwan still be in top form in three years? Will other skaters have finally achieved the kind of consistency, athleticism and artistry that they need to beat her? And will she do something stupid like decide to go into an Olympic season without a coach again? In any event, she is one of the all-time greats.

posted by Jaquandor at 06:03 PM on March 31, 2003

Sports Movies.

I love FIELD OF DREAMS and BULL DURHAM. I also love TIN CUP, although I have yet to meet anyone who plays golf who doesn't hate it. And if we count fishing as a sport, there are always A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT and even JAWS!!! I also seem to recall liking CHARIOTS OF FIRE, although I haven't seen it in a very long time.

posted by Jaquandor at 04:30 PM on March 23, 2003

NASCAR's Rise

George Carlin, in my opinion, had the definitive take on auto racing: "Where else can I see a 30-car pileup and not be in the son-of-a-bitch?"

posted by Jaquandor at 09:22 PM on March 09, 2003

Vick gets a weapon at WR...

I'm a Bills fan too, but I'm hopeful that the Bills can use their resulting draft-pick from this swap to get a real, impact player for the d-line. Too many times last year did I have to see the Bills' opposing ball carriers get four, five, six yards past the line of scrimmage before a Bills' defender even got a hand on the guy (or, in the case of Ricky Williams, forty or fifty yards). I also tired of watching opposing quarterbacks basking in the comfort of the Never-Collapsing Pocket. If the Bills get decent production out of Josh Reed -- say, 60-70 catches -- and whoever Jay Riemersma's replacement is, and if they get more sacks and a stiffer defense out of it, they'll be fine. And I think Price will supplement Michael Vick wonderfully. I just hope Dan Reeves doesn't do anything insane like saying, "OK, Michael, we've got you a top-flight receiver, so now you can stand in the pocket."

posted by Jaquandor at 03:35 PM on March 08, 2003

In our quest for an alternative energy source to ween our nation off oil and fossil fuels, we should study Emmitt Smith's legs. And we might want to study his body in our quest for the next generation of non-stick cookware. (I never liked him because he was a Cowboy, and thus an accessory to PURE EVIL. But still, to see him in another uniform will be just weird. Of course, I'm used to it in the NFL -- Montana in a Chiefs jersey, Rice in an Oakland jersey, Thomas in a Dolphins jersey, and Smith in a Redskins jersey have made things pretty clear. But it's still something of a shame.)

posted by Jaquandor at 10:16 AM on February 28, 2003

Bringing on the heartbreak.

I'm surprised that Scott Norwood's missed kick only made the "also receiving votes" list; and Dan Jansen's falls in the 1988 Winter Olympics were stunning and heartbreaking.

posted by Jaquandor at 07:39 AM on February 15, 2003

Not really apropos of anything, I was thumbing through my copy of the companion book to the Ken Burns film Baseball, and I came across a double-spread photo of Fenway at night, taken from the air. I was astounded to note that the big-ass Citgo sign, which from ESPN replays I had always assumed to be right across the street, is actually about a half-mile away. I also recall reading somewhere -- but I have no idea at all where -- that the Red Sox' title draught has to do with the change in the wind currents over Fenway when they built the press box. Does anyone else recall seeing this theory anywhere?

posted by Jaquandor at 03:52 PM on January 29, 2003

Hell freezes over!

Other than the two that St. Louis was in, there hasn't been a decent Super Bowl in more than a decade. I'm not sure I agree with this at all. Pittsburgh vs Dallas was a good game that the Cowboys didn't put away until late in the 4th; Green Bay's win was a decent game that wasn't as one-sided as the score indicated; Denver's first win was an outstanding game. And I didn't even find this one to be a boring game, because I was shocked at the fact of a Tampa blowout in the first place. There were a few blatantly bad calls in the second half, but I found myself agreeing with Madden: where was the fire on the Raiders sideline? They looked just like the Eagles last week: dazed and befuddled.

posted by Jaquandor at 07:24 AM on January 27, 2003

When I see this image,

Football? I don't see any shoulderpads!! (Ducks, runs) Seriously, though, that's a nifty image.

posted by Jaquandor at 08:38 AM on January 26, 2003

Arena music sucks.

How about NO music? Instead, mike the players and put their trash-talking on the speakers. If I were at a Broncos game, I'd love to be able to hear whatever Shannon Sharpe was saying just then...

posted by Jaquandor at 06:00 PM on January 23, 2003

In my opinion, he should be in the Hall, but forbidden to do anything officially related to the game other than PR stuff -- throwing out first pitches, et cetera. He certainly should not be allowed to manage or be in a front office position with any team. Oh, and I think his plaque at Cooperstown should mention the whole betting thing. I also can't say as I'm convinced one bit about his sincerity. If he was truly sorry, he wouldn't need "negotiations" about it. When I broke my mother's vase, I didn't go to her and say, "I'll apologize IF I can watch TV again."

posted by Jaquandor at 05:58 PM on January 23, 2003

A sportswriting legend passes on

I never had a chance to read him much, but I enjoyed his commentaries on television, back when NBC had football. Sad news.

posted by Jaquandor at 02:56 PM on January 10, 2003

The Ultimate Sports Road Trip

"Upstate" is generally a term used by people in the NYC area to describe any part of the state that is not either the NYC area or Long Island. However, people who live "Upstate" generally divide the state up a little more than that: Western New York is the area around Buffalo and to the south; Central New York is the area right around Syracuse; Rochester heads the Genessee River Valley; and so on, including the Finger Lakes Region, the Southern Tier, the Catskills Region, The Adirondack Region, etc. New York is a pretty big state, remember. One can drive from Buffalo to Cleveland and back in less time than it takes to drive from Buffalo to NYC, one way.

posted by Jaquandor at 12:53 PM on January 08, 2003

The Ultimate Sports Road Trip

What a thrill to see two fellow Buffalonians doing something great like this. Nice link. (Even though I'm in Syracuse now....)

posted by Jaquandor at 09:42 AM on January 08, 2003

Don't know much about history.

Twelve years later, the Giants finally paid the karmic price for Scott Norwood.... Anyway, I think the Raiders lose this weekend, becoming the ninth AFC top seed out of the last eleven to fail to reach the Super Bowl.

posted by Jaquandor at 07:54 PM on January 06, 2003

You can't stop Minnesota-Morris....

....and, had I actually read the article all the way through instead of merely skimming it, I'd see the answer to my own question. D'oh.

posted by Jaquandor at 02:38 PM on December 11, 2002

"Sapp didn't need to level the guy Don't want to get hit - don't play football" Oh, well then. Why are they even wearing pads and helmets in the first place? I believe in sportsmanship. If there is no need to hit a guy -- if hitting him will have no effect on a play at all, as was the case here -- then there is no reason at all to do it, and the fact that football is a game of hitting doesn't suddenly make it all better.

posted by Jaquandor at 06:13 PM on November 25, 2002

"When the ball changes hands, the offense is now the defense. If you're a quarterback, you're going to get nailed - much less an offensive lineman. Sapp's move was totally legal, and its a sissy move for a coach to bitch out an opposing player - especially in the manner Sherman did it." It may well have been totally legal, in the sense that it was not against the rules in any way, but it was a needless and unsportsmanlike hit to make. Sapp didn't need to level the guy, he didn't need to celebrate while the guy was still down, and he didn't need to make self-congratulatory comments like "I'm a heat-seeking missile". And it certainly was not a "sissy move" for Sherman to say something. I'm thrilled that he did it, even though he'll probably get fined for it.

posted by Jaquandor at 02:40 PM on November 25, 2002

Quarterback Drought?

Oh, that was a hell of an offense. I was describing Mark Rypien as "competent". Nobody will ever make a case that Rypien should be in the Hall of Fame, but he's got a ring, and well he should. The 1991 Redskins aren't mentioned nearly enough in the "Greatest Single-Season Teams" discussions, in my view, and that's coming from a Bills fan who had to watch his team get dismantled by them in that year's Super Bowl. But I also think they're proof that you can win with an average quarterback -- and even win impressively -- if you surround him with the right talent, like an offensive line that yields only nine sacks all season.

posted by Jaquandor at 05:37 AM on November 24, 2002

Quarterback Drought?

This type of thing has been budding for a while now; witness the 1990 Giants who won with a competent performance by Hostetler and a dominating defense, and the 1991 Redskins who won with a competent performance by Rypien and a dominating defense. If my team were to win a championship with a great defense and a competent offense, I'd be utterly thrilled.

posted by Jaquandor at 01:41 PM on November 23, 2002

Your guy didn't win the MVP? Sue 'em!!!

Plus, would you even want the MVP award, if this is what it took to get it? If you sued and won, you'd get the hardware but you'd forever know -- in your heart -- that you were not the first choice. What's the point, then?

posted by Jaquandor at 03:24 PM on November 07, 2002

Congratulations, Anaheim Angels, 2002 World Champions!

The picture of Sanders getting whacked on the back with that red thingy while he's trying to field a ball can be found here: http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/projects/2002series/photos/ It's a photo gallery; the one you're looking for is number eight. As for Dusty Baker carrying his crying son, the only one I can find is here: http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/sports/baseball/mlb/san_francisco_giants/ I don't know what's more heartbreaking: that picture of the kid sobbing, or the fact that there will be a lot more pictures just like it if Baker goes to the Cubs....

posted by Jaquandor at 05:39 PM on October 28, 2002