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Superb
Ending Once again, the New York Giants just know how to ruin the Boston Tea Party. Eli Manning now has two Super Bowl wins....who would have thought he'd have more than Peyton? The game was exciting, and most experts predicted a tight. close affair....and even though it wasn't as good as the previous Super Bowl match-up 4 years ago, it was very entertaining. Of course, the folks in Boston after having a horseshoe lodged for over a decade, now have had the chance to experience a record Red Sox collapse followed up by another heartbreaking loss to those dirty New Yorkers. All we can do in the Queen City is watch with envy....between the Panthers and Bobcats, we should just keep our mouth shut and wait for better days. As for the commercials, they were OK.....there were a couple of funny moments. As for Madonna, she needs to call Danica and see if GoDaddy.com wants to include her in the next skank spot. Ever since Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction, the halftime shows have been a reach. NFL Commish, Roger Goodell, had a few interesting tidbits to toss to the masses last week. He mentioned that the NFL was placing every team on primetime television during the course of the upcoming season. The league plans on extending their NFL Network coverage to Thursday night broadcasts from week #2 thru week # 15. Oh, joy. I don't get the NFL Network....I'm still a sucker for Time Warner Cable....and I'm not alone, in this case. There are many major markets around the country that still have the same issues as Charlotte....the distribution of the NFL Network still has a ways to go to reach that of let's say an ESPN. In addition, there are a number of NFL teams that aren't worthy of primetime exposure.....I'll be honest with you, I don't need to see the Rams play anybody and that's true whether it's on the NFL Network or even in London. This decision by Goodell is another money play by the league....it's all about leverage and cash. And if you have both, then you use it....and that's precisely what Goodell and the NFL are pulling with this decision. In the end, the fan will pay for it....it's been that way from day one. I was really impressed with the way Texas Rangers' star, Josh Hamilton, confronted his problems and the media last week, surrounding the news of his relapse into drinking alcohol. His story has been well documented and it's a shame that a guy as talented as Hamilton, has to constantly fight the demons that surround him and confront his abilities and talents every day. If you didn't see the exchange last week, please do yourself a favor and either find the video or transcript from his press conference. Hamilton took full responsibility....no blame game....no notes....no nonsense. It was riveting television and a reminder that people from all walks of life are fighting drinking and drugs....it was fascinating to watch and witness. I hope Hamilton can come back from another setback.....he's a great player....and you can tell this opponent is his toughest yet. National Signing Day has come and gone.....and most "recruiting experts" had their fill of last-second "flip-flops" (pardon me, Jay Bilas), over-signing stories and of course the ubiquitous recruiting rankings. I enjoy listening to the folks that make their living with recruiting and the nut jobs that worry about the decisions of each teenage kid.....in some sort of strange way, it's an illness. I've never worried about where a kid goes, but you can't help but shake your head on NSD. I loved what Bama HC, Nick Saban, told the media.....he doesn't worry about the rankings because he has no idea how good the signees are going to be.....in fact, it will probably be a few years down the road until you can get a handle on which kid(s) will be contributors and big-time players. He's 10000% correct....and I wish every recruiting expert would listen to Saban. On the other side of the argument, we had LSU coach, Les Miles, ripping Gunner Kiel for ditching his Tigers for Notre Dame....the "Mad Hatter" claimed that Kiel didn't have a big enough chest to lead a program. Huh? What is wrong with Miles? I have higher standards for Miles and LSU.....that was classless. Then you had the Big Ten coaches having a hissy-fit over the recruiting class formed overnight by new Buckeye coach, Urban Meyer. Somewhere in all the discussion there was a mention about some secret "Big Ten pact" that coaches don't go after kids that have verbally committed to another conference school. Well, Urban apparently called BS on that one and pulled a SEC move by going after any and every kid that wants to be a Buckeye.....and I don't blame him. Bret Bielema, the HC of Wisconsin, even stated that the "Big Ten doesn't want to be the SEC in any shape, way or form". Classic stuff. One more Roger Goodell story.....it appears that there is a chance the NFL is going to shelve the Pro Bowl after the latest installment produced tons of negative publicity. Goodell didn't take too kindly to the sparse crowd actually booing the players for mailing it in during the glorified exhibition. What has changed about this particular game? It's always been a game of touch football....and it's unwatchable. If you think the NFL Pro Bowl lacks any competitive balance, you should check out a Charlotte Bobcats game. Finally, the ACC can have a game between Duke and North Carolina on the hardwood. I've never seen a more boring ACC regular season than this one....so we finally get a game between two of the league's blue-bloods. Personally, I think UNC will control Duke on Wednesday night....the Heels are more talented and playing at home. I still believe that UNC is the only ACC team that can make it to the Final Four.....no disrespect to Duke, FSU or UVa. But it's always fun when the two arch rivals hook up in hoops....and that leads me to the latest scheduling news from the ACC. It was announced last week that since the additions of Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the conference, in the future there will be some new scheduling quirks. One included NC State and UNC only facing each other once a year in hoops. Most NC State fans are up in arms and complaining that the UNC game is their biggest rival game.....and I believe them. However, in recent memory, the Wolfpack never wins the game.....it would help if they actually beat UNC every 5 years or so. Maybe those fortunes will change with Mark Gottfried in charge, but it has been an ugly run in Raleigh against the dreaded baby blue. |
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