Hint to all the athletes in the world

I meant to highlight this the day I read it, but Darren Rovell's blog on CNBC has ran excerps of interviews he did with Nike execs for their hour special on the company. I found this comparison between MJ and LeBron by Nike's Charlie Denson very interesting. Have a look. It's the last Q&A.

Holy crap!

Why weren't the Packers in the Super Bowl? That's been the dominant thought in my head for 2 weeks with regards to anything about American professional football (not to be confused with the real football). But, being the sports maniac that I am, I went to a party and watched the game, expecting a massive boredom fest while the Patriots ran a coronation lap (I'm comment #1, and thanks to Joe for his excellent blog). Instead, I watched what might just be Patriots equivalent of the New York Yankees in the 2001 World Series. Let me draw the comparisons:

1. Both championships looked like there was a chance it could be competitive, but you never thought beforehand that the underdog would actually pull it off. Granted, the 2001 Yanks weren't the 1998 team, but in the wake of terror, there was a sentiment that they were destined to win and lift a city's broken spirit. The Patriots were merely staring down a perfect season.
   
2. The contest for the championship is surprisingly closer than expected after it is more than half completed. Did you expect the Super Bowl to be 7-3 at half? After the third quarter? Didn't think so. Did you expect the D-Backs to be able to win Game 6 down 3-2 after 2 blown saves by Byung Hyun Kim? Didn't think so.
   
3. At a point late in the contest, there was a sense of it's over, and the dynasty will remain on top, even though there was ample time for it to change. See #2 for 2001 WS. Tom Brady throws a go ahead TD to Randy Moss? Game over, because you know the Pats D will hold. It's just gotta happen, right?
   
4. Some amazing sequence of events right at the end enables the upset. 9th Inning, Game 7, Yanks up 2-1. Mo Rivera on the mound. Game over, right? WRONG! Tell me you've seen a wilder finish to a Series and I'll ask if you were alive for any of these games (Tip of the Hat to Hardball Times). Back to tonight: Wasn't Eli down on that one scrum? And yet somehow he gets away and completes a 45 yard pass to put the Giants within a desperate fade route of a miracle if needed. Then Plaxico Burress finally gets open like he did against the Pa.... on second thought, we won't relive that, lest I damage my monitor with the mouse hurled through it.

Now that is over and the Giants have allowed the '72 Dolphins to enjoy their champagne, I can't help but think one thing.

It should have been the Packers. But they blew it.

It's about time!

While my football interest usually revolves around 2 teams, there is one issue that has been in my craw since last year's Super Bowl. The Pro Football Hall of Fame usually gets a shrug off when it announces its inductees right around the Super Bowl, but for years the selection committee omitted a very gifted receiver by the name of Art Monk. Now, he wasn't the best receiver of his era, but that's because he played at the same time some guy named Jerry Rice played, and if I remember correctly, #80 for the Niners was pretty darn good. But, he did hold the receptions record prior to Rice, and was the key receiver for 2 Redskin Super Bowl teams.

In the mid-90's, there was another receiver who drew a lot of comparisons to Monk in his style of play. But, he was more flamboyant, annoying, and a Dallas Cowboy. He happens to work for the East Coast Leader in Sports, the Eastern Sports Programming Network, and was elected last year to the aforementioned shrine in Canton, OH. Yet, I never believed Mr. Irvin should have been there ahead of Mr. Monk. Yes, Mr. Irvin had more physical tools to help him out, particularly his size. But, in my opinion, Mr. Monk was the better receiver and should have been inducted ahead of Mr. Irvin.

So a Colbert-esque "Tip of the Hat" to Art Monk today, as he is now immortalized with his own bust in that Ohio museum.

The black hole

I-L-L!

The start of a cheer filled with hope and joy, and an inspiring call to any athletic team fielded by the greatest university known to man (NOTE: heavy alum bias). However, tonight is yet another reminder of how futile the once-renowned basketball program has become.

Sometime during my undergraduate, A Selfish man decided we weren't good enough, and left for the Land of Least Resistance (especially true in March). My beloved alma mater decided to hire a less than heralded coach from So IL, Bruce Weber. While we weren't sure he'd produce, his first 2 years were probably the greatest start for any coach in Illini history, with back to back outright Big 10 titles and a National Runner-Up that would've been a title if the refs could've called a damn foul on this punk as easily as I could've from the 3rd row of the upper deck at the Edward Jones Dome that night. That's him being a crybaby in that last link.

Anyway, side rants aside, Bruuuuuuuuuuce (the only proper way to say his name in praise) had won over the tough hearts of the Illini with these feats. But how the hearts of the I-Fund are fickle. His current edition is only avoiding the Big 10 cellar because Northwestern is its usual unimpressive self. And watching this team makes me want to scream the following:

• "It's the motion offense, not the standstill!" - a reference to the offensive system Coach Weber prefers, but his players can't seem to run. Unfortunately, this penchant for lead shoes leads to....
• "Let them run, Bruce!" - a remark usually made because the Illini, after a well paced first half where they lead by 10, will slow it up so darn much that the other team can come back and beat the Illini bloody. This is directly a product of the coaching.
  
• "Pass the ball Shawn!" - our senior center is nicknamed "The Black Hole" for a reason. The basketball goes into him, and it never seems to be passed away by him. He is not a fit for the offense.
• "Man, we suck!"

So who's to blame for this debacle? It's hard to say. Many will point straight at Coach, and while he has proven he isn't the best with X's and O's, I still think some benefit of the doubt belongs in his court after the CF Delilah at Loosierville (ask me what that means sometime if you don't mind offensive language) cheated and stole our top recruit for this year while violating another 50 NCAA rules. The Black Hole? He was recruited by the Selfish man, and that style is more suited to Mr. Pruitt's game than the current system. Still, he could learn to pass the ball more than once a game. Something else? I can't point to any one thing. Simply put, it's a mess.

Enough said. Back to watching another ugly loss to MSU.

A nephew and his uncle Screwtape

One of the current books in my reading queue is The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. And while I'm only 12 chapters in, the dominant theme has to be the slight misdirections perpetuated by Wormwood, his "affectionate" uncle Screwtape, and their other demon friends. Needless to say, it is a humbling reminder of how weak the human will can truly be. We can have a plan to do things and never get them done because we decide that '5 more minutes' is more important than throwing a pair of socks in the laundry or calling a friend. And yet avoiding these types of situations and misdirections can be extremely difficult at times, even when you have a drill sergeant standing over you.

Guess that's why "Carpe Diem" is such a valuable motto for many who live by it much closer than I.

Sick day thoughts

A few backlogged thoughts as I battle cold and fever.....

• Monday night's debut of "Better Know a Governor" on the Colbert Report (t's pronounced) was another wonderful addition to his "Better Know a.... " series, as his conversation with the governor of South Carolina was humorous as only Stephen Colbert can do. However, one of his jokes sort of poked at a media ire of mine: how the Catholic Church, in particular the Pope, is treated by the media. Now, Colbert's little poke about the biggest difference between Catholicism and Protestantism (crucifix vs. cross and no Pope) does center on the heart of what most people think. However, it continues to treat the Church as political entity, and thus the media message focus on political hints, not the main message. Watch this April when Pope Benedict XVI comes to the US, and tell me if the media focus is on what he might insinuate about Iraq and other global affairs in his homilies/sermons, or on the 200th anniversary of the Archdiocese of New York. Hint: the latter is the main and official reason for the visit.
• I went to my first rodeo on Saturday, seeing as I now live in cowboy country (1 hr from Cheyenne, and 2.5 hrs from Denver will do that to you). In my crazy mind, it was like a minor league baseball game. Yes, that's right, I compared it to baseball. Now, don't get me wrong, the competitors are world class, and in that respect it is more like a major league game at Coors Field. But all the side show stuff, particularly the head rodeo clown, made me think of the things minor league clubs do to draw attendance.
• My old home congressional district, the Illinois 14th, is something of a pride spot after J. Dennis Hastert was Speaker of the House. However, since he's retiring, the Republican primary to replace him is brutal. On one side, you have Chris Lauzen, career politician as an Illinois State Senator trying to jump to Washington as another former Illinois State Senator did a couple years ago. On the other, you have a moneybags trying to get any major political office, Jim Oberweis. Now, both come from the same town I was born in, and even graduated from the beautiful academy of which I am glad to be an alum. However, if I were voting Republican back home, this would be another lesser of 2 evils election. Oberweis has some out there views that clash with my world view, but Lauzen is a slick dirt bag as far as I'm concerned. I won't reference any stories I have been told about him, but needless to say I'll let the writer's observed actions of his oldest son (who graduated shortly after me) towards some of his classmates speak in support of those tales. In all honesty, I'd probably vote for Jim Oberweis, if mainly on the grounds that he's a political outsider (relatively speaking). If you want a rundown on how vicious this campaign is, just look here (sign in may be required)
  

Who are you?..... redux

So, based on traffic, not many of you may have read my introductory post (nor may you read this one right away) . Alas, I figured it'd be good to fill in some of the things I deliberately left out initially in the interest of security but may not be able to hide. So, I conveniently updated my personal information, which resides in the sidebar. Maybe you'll find something in common.