shortlist :: Stars, Cars and Bars …

So, what did we learn after the Daytona 500 / NBA All-star weekend?

1. Left turns can be fun:

   Six hundred twelve left turns … uh, not so much!

2. Show offs never prosper:

   Crossing the finish line on your roof in a flaming auto wreck wins no style points … Unless you’re auditioning for Whacky Races.

3. NASCAR evangilism is rife:

   Pretty much every sports talk show host I listened too managed at least one “Now, I’m no Nascar nut, but if you just give it a chance you’ll love it” reference … often one per segment and Fox Radio seemed determined to force feed the Race to us.

   You know what? Hockey is a great sport too … it really is … It’s just you have to be there! On TV it sucks. Go figure.

   NASCAR – like F1 is a major league yawn surrounded by massive commercial hype.

4. Behaving Badly:

   That NBA related violence? The one that terrorised Vegas? It happens at a soccer match in Europe or South America you brand it stereo-typical hooliganism and crow how it doesn’t happen here.

   It’s an issue everywhere; it’s becoming one in the USA too.

5. Behaving Badly 2:

   That NBA related violence? Doesn’t Pacman Jones play in the NFL? He’s the ‘person of interest’ in one of the shooting incidents — yet all the mud is sticking on basketball.

   How’d that happen?

vftb :: Shouting into the breeze …

That sound? That chirrup above the rush of the breeze and the rustle of rolling tumble weed? That sound is the joy of frisking crickets doing what comes naturally.

Yes, that’s right. We are marooned in the sporting equivalent of the Sargasso Sea.

Here at ‘Dead-stop Gulch‘ the NFL has packed up its Big Top and moved the carnival on out.

The MLB is still at the ‘pitchers-lobbing-to-catchers‘ stage — a heaven for windcheater-clad sun-chasing silver-foxes … and retired equipment managers.

As for Basketball, the NBA is drifting towards the languid self indulgence that is its All Star break and the College game is busy preening itself ahead of March’s Big Dance.

And … somewhere out there … the NHL is doing whatever it does, whilst NASCAR continues to leave me as excited as a trip to the mall or a visit to Halfords.

So, we are firmly entrenched in a sporting Twilight Zone where even the prospect of preseason Arena Football seems enticing.

And yet there is no shortage of sports news out there, not least Tim Hardaway’s explosive comments on gay athletes and the gay lifestyle in general.

Maybe the lack of real sport explains why Hardaway’s reprehensible but honestly delivered comments:

I hate gay people

have become a ‘political’ football for sports and non-sports commentators everywhere.

But if you open debate then you must expect and respect opposing and even abhorrent views to be aired.

Whilst I don’t uphold Hardaway’s viewpoint, nor his regretted decision to let it all out there, he has the right to hold it … and yes even to express it.

Society will not crumble and airing this issue allows that viewpoint to be challenged, questioned and a new consensus to surface. Let him be. He may wake in a very different landscape.

Or do we want to hear only clichés and platitudes from our sports figures?

Listen!

I hear crickets … … ….

 

Technorati tags: NBA, Gay, Hardaway, Basketball, Sports, Sexuality, Minority, Rights

VftB :: Where now for ‘bad-Rex’ … ?

Sucking in front of a global audience approaching one billion people cannot be good for the soul, but it’s going to take more than ‘Chicken Soup’ to make an NFL calibre quarter back out of Rex Grossman.

To paraphrase one caller to WEEI’s Whiner Line, Rex Grossman’s ‘suck-rating’ was such that

it could have sucked a football down a hosepipe.

So, what can ‘da Bears’ and ‘bad-Rex’ do to get along?

Well first-up: “Don’t Panic”.

Never forget this guy was starting just his 16th NFL game and is still a young prospect in this league. There’s time yet for him to learn the thing he most crucially lacks – game management and effective decision making.

Grossman needs help and there’s an ideal mentor freely available on the free-agent market right now … no not you Mr. Testaverde, take a seat, please, take a seat … no the guy the Bears need to get on board right now is the Eagles backup, Jeff Garcia, a perfect fit to mentor Grossman into becoming a Superbowl calibre tosser (sic).

In fact Garcia could cash-in big time this off-season because he could equally perform that same role at Miami (Culpepper), Tampa (Simms), New York (E-Manning) or even Oakland (whomever).

So, ‘da Bears’ ought to be sure to get in there first and grab Garcia whilst he’s hot.

If they don’t … well that may be bad news for ‘bad-Rex’ … because I reckon that means his days as QB are numbered and the Bears will be actively seeking not to develop him, but to displace and replace him.

Personally I think that would be a shame … he’s shown enough to be worth a little investment in re-development …

Technorati tags: NFL, Superbowl, Chicago, Bears, Grossman, Garcia, Quarterback

Superbowl blather …

Live stream of consciousness blather from my sofa as I chill and snack through the Superbowl …

0:14 Q1 :: Bears 7-0 Colts

They did it like they said they would.

Even when the Colts did what we thought they would.

Da Bears did what we knew they could.

Oh those Dolts!

Sure, they booted the kickoff well away from Devin Hestor, They hoofed it outside the hash marks, just like we thought they ought.

But Hestor didn’t care … and the Colts didn’t tackle. Ninety-two yards Hestor galloped, as those Dolts chased shadows and air-tackled the rain-drops. Ninety-two yards to glory. [Bears 7-0 Colts]

And did anyone dare whisper “Ohio”? Anyone here – even deep in ‘Cane country – whisper Florida or BCS blowout?

Just another 59 minutes and 40 seconds to go then … check back later …

8:10 Q1 :: Bears 7-6 Colts

Oh, oh! Here come those Colts. Mannng fires-it straight down the middle to Wayne on the deep route for a 55 yd TD. But oh, no. Is it the rain? No it’s the Snow. He’s fluffed the snap and Hunter Smith can’t handle it … it’s no PAT. Colts 6-7 Bears

Well, well. Whisper it now. Florida 0-7 Ohio, opening kickoff ran back for a TD, yet by the final score, Florida win by a mile.

10:30 Q1 :: Bears 14-6

Man I’m having kittens. Hestor’s fumbled the return and turned it over. Then Addai coughs it up to the Bears on the next play.

And the Bears are on the charge again … this time to the Colts 20 before beign hauled in. But it  doesn’t halt them long … Grossman threads it to Mussain Mohammed at the front of the endzone for a 14-6 lead. That’s nice for the guy — he’s been slaughtered all season by the media (heck even had a go myself, ripped him for ruining my fantasy league run!).

Hasn’t even been a first Q TD for ages now we’ve gone beserk!! Must be the Miami rain.

12:30 Q1 ::  Run ‘D’? You want some run ‘D’. Send for Superman.

Bob Sanders has just slammed Cedric Benson with a mighty hit that pops the ball loose on the Bears 43.

That was truck-on-truck action!

Guess we can say now how come the Colt run defense suddenly stiffened-up in the Playoffs … it’s the return of that man Sanders. He’s some catalyst.

15:00 Q1 :: Bears 14-6 Colts

So, quarter one set a pretty hot pace. Hope the rest of the game keeps up. BTW … that QB battle? Well so far, no ‘bad-Rex’ … the only intercept was from the ‘greatest QB ever‘:

P. Manning 7/14 93yd 1TD/1INT

R. Grossman 3/5 23yd 1TD/0INT

 

3:52 Q2 :: Bears 14-9 Colts

Manning drives the Colts 47yds on eight plays. Dead-eyed Vinateri nails a 29 yarder after Smith dons the gloves and actually catches the snap. Cute.

Just a thought. Why not play these games in warm-weather cities? Or even in … oh, Domes. Just look at that rain.

6:50 Q2 ::

The momentum is shifting. Manning has just thrown a couple of peach perfect passes. The second on the run and the Colts are on ‘da Bear’ 18.

Knock-knock… here comes Rhodes for a short gain.

8:51 Q2 :: Bears 14-16 Colts

Rhodes is boot-strapped right on the line … knockety-knock-knock.

Rhodes for a third time. Right up the Bear gut (not  a pretty sight uh?). But it’s TD time.

Dungy has been courageous in sticking to a bold offense tonight.

 

13:30 Q2 :: I spy ‘bad-Rex‘ …

The Bears recover a fumble on their own 40 but ‘bad Rex‘ drops the snap from centre and turns it right back over to the Colts.

Oh, Joy. Short field and Manning to go.

Briuan Urlacher stops Addai dead at the line of scrimmage to stymie the drive before it even gets started. But Vinateri is on hand to snap-over another FG (36yd) right on the half-time break …

14:55 Q2 :: O.M.G … did that just happen … the Ice-man misseth … the ball drifted wide left, fading at the last to allbut shave the upright … the Bears still live …

At the Half :: Bears 14-16 Colts

Ah the joys of midnight snacking … ok, well it is 1:22 a.m here in the UK right now. I’m not a big Prince fan so I’ve got my Internet radio tuned to game coverage courtesy of Westward One. The Chilli Beef pasty was superb and I’m gonna tuck into the Thai noodles next. Have fun … I may be gone a while … but I will return …

 

I think it’s ominous for the Colts that ‘da Bears‘ have survived the first ‘bad-Rex‘ moment. Not only that, but Grossman tends to ride those things out and come back strong. If Lovie slips the shackles the G-man (still only 6 of 8 for 36) could yet win this for ‘da Bears’.

6:50 Q3 :: Bears 14-19

Manning opened the second half with a signature drive 13 play  56yd 7:30 minute drive - but he eventually stalled at the six yard line, leaving Vinateri a 22yd chip-shot that just crept-in after another dodgy snap was retrieved by holder-Smith.

Oh, oh. Bad news Bears. RB Benson done for the day.

Grossman slots two spot-on passes to Jones and then Mohammed to spark the next Bear drive; but McFarlane snuffs the hope with a sack that loses 14 yards for ‘da Bears’.

Arrggghh. ‘bad-Rex‘ is back. Stumbling and staggering from the centre Grossman falls over his own feet to lose another bundle of yards.

It’s like watching Gilligan play QB — you don’t know whether to laugh or cry …

And its keyed-up a huge play for the Colts. Rhodes taking the handoff and charging 36 yds off tackle to the Bear 28yd line. And a face mask penalty against Manning moves the Colts to the 14. This could be IT …

But no … again the Bears hang-in there … Manning steps back and launches one to Wayne who dives to catch but hauls it in outside the left corner of the endzone … then Rhodes is held short of a first down.

Vinateri’s 3rd FG edges the Colts to a 22-14 lead.

This is the closest blow-out game I’ve seen in ages. The Colts have had 36 plays in the Bears half whilst the Bears have had 4 (count-em) plays at the Colts end. Time of possession is about 30-15 in the Colts favour too.

 

13:36 Q3 :: Bears 17-22 Colts

44yd FG by Gould keeps the Bears in touch. This game is beginning to remind me of the Pats-Chargers one … how are these Bears still close? Will Grossman do a Brady and steer the Bears to gold? Not looking likely at the moment … especially with all that wet-stuff fallin’

 

Marvin Harrison makes a great effort to catch the ball at the sideline and get both feet down, although it takes a Dungy challenge to convince the officials and keep the drive alive into the fourth quarter.

Q4: early :: Bears 17-29 Colts

Grossman makes a great throw to Mohammed for a 21 yard gain. But on the next play Kelvin Hayden fields punt-throw from Grossman on the sideline and returns it to paydirt. It could be a killer … depending on how Lovies’ challenge goes. It’s possible Hayden stepped out of bounds either on the catch or during the return. Ah … CBS’s replay shows he’s about 1inch infield. Should be a TD … and is … killer-turnover …

 When crunch-comes-to-crunch – and 4th-9 at the 45 is close to it — you need your guys to hold on to the ball. Grossman hit Clarke in the numbers and for a split second seemed to have the crucial conversion … but then Colts #43 arrived like a runaway truck and the ball spilled out.

With just 3:50 remaining in the game, that’s probably it for ‘da Bears’ … and as the clock ticks round to 2:50am, even the Java-brew is struggling to keep me awake.

Must …. keep … typing …  

That’s a nice moment. Dungy carried to midfield and Manning crowned at last.

 

Now … must … sleep … 3am ish and have to find way to … bed …

 

Say, why not play these games on a Saturday night instead?

Better yet: why not play them at Wembley, London, England … it could happen …

 

 

 

Technorati tags: Superbowl, NFL, Indianapolis, Colts, Bears, Chicago, hester, manning, grossman

shortLIST :: Reasons why ‘da Bears’ will win …

Sick of Superbowl chatter? Tired of lame opinions, stale stats and crackpot conjecture? Damn! I spent ages on typing this. Doh!

Here are Five reasons why ‘da Bears’ and not the Indianapolis Colts will win the forty first Superbowl:

1. Rex Grossman: This guy has shown admirable character in the face of some brutal media coverage this season.

   If he can handle the huff’n'puff Colts ‘D’ with that same aplomb it’s a done deal.

   Remember he’s thrown only one (deflected) interception in post season play; Peyton has tossed six already.

   One solid game will set Rex up for a lifetime of sofa, bed and car lot TV ads at the very least; come back again next year and he’s really on the Brady trail (see earlier post).

2. Peyton Manning: Sometimes bad things happen to good people.

   Manning is the most gifted and hardest working quarterback of his time but he cannot shake the ‘choking dog’ yolk.

   He’s known to get rushed when pressured by harrying defenses and that fluster leads to turnovers (six so far in the playoffs) … the Bears feast on those babies.  And … facing ‘da Bears‘ fluid defense … Manning could pull an audible-muscle inside the first quarter.

3. The ball hawkers: ‘da Bears’ have turned ball stealing into a core football skill – and they are masters of that art.

   Even if Manning gets the offence cranked and moving his backs and receivers will need to focus hard on retaining the pigskin.

   Remember, ‘you snooze you lose’. Those offensive guys better have spent time on tackle practice this week.

4. The ‘dog’ effect: Remember the World Series. Remember the St Louis Cardinals. Did you give ‘em a chance? They reversed into the playoffs and qualified for the World Series as weak champions of an inferior league. Yet they stuck it to the Tigers when it counted.

   Need I mention the National Championship game? How’d your bet on Florida pay off?

   And last season? Those Steelers looked a shoo-in didn’t they?

   We’re living in dog’ days, which is great news for ‘da Bears’.

5. Special Effects: The game is played on the field last we checked and we boiled-down the head2head matchups as follows:

   -  Stong Bear ‘D’ versus strong Colts ‘O’ (tie)
   - Inconsistent Bear ‘O’ versus unreliable Colts ‘D’ (another tie)
   - Great Bears punter versus good Colt returner (marginal Bears)
   - Great Colts kicker versus good Bear kicker (marginal Colts)
   - Great Bears return game versus adequate Colts punt game (advantage Bears).

And so there it is – ironic in this QB-hyped clash – it all comes down to the special teams. Devin Hester just tips the balance to ‘da Bears‘; even if he doesn’t score, he earns short fields for Grossman to exploit.

 

Technorati tags: Bears, Colts, Chicago, Indianapolis, Superbowl, NFL, Hester, Manning, Grossman, Brady