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Favorite Super Bowl Commercials: #2 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Getting down to the home stretch here, so you know these last two have to be pretty special.#2: Pepsi - Cheating Heart - I love the way the guy just slowly leaves the scene of the crime trying to act as invisible as possible - I'm almost expecting him to just suddenly dash out and hear the screech of his car pulling out of the parking lot. Pepsi really hit some out of the park back in the '90s with their ads, but this is the best in my opinion.Let the drumroll begin for #1....(!)Going Deep
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Brett Favre Back for One More Year 1970-01-01 00:59:59 According to BrettFavre
's hometown newspaper, the Sun Herald in Mississippi, the Packers QB is coming back for another year."I am so excited about coming back," he told the newspaper. "We have a good nucleus of young players. We were 8-8 last year and that's encouraging. (AP)Two things come to mind: 1. Favre is right to be excited. While he didn't put up great numbers last year, he's still more than capable, and if the team can build on the momentum they created at the end of last year, they're a legitimate playoff threat in 2007 in the weak NFC. 2. Aaron Rodgers, the Pack's backup QB, might be one of the most snake-bitten players in recent memory. He went from being the possible #1 pick in the entire draft a couple of years ago (he nose-dived all the way to #24) to now likely having to wait until his 4th season to start his first NFL game, a pretty safe bet considering Favre has started 257 consecutive games.brett favreGoing Deep
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Tony Dungy and the Colts' Final Step 1970-01-01 00:59:59 After two long weeks, the Super Bowl is finally just a day away. Instead of trying to break down the game (which would be a fruitless endeavor - go to the real experts on that), I just wanted to be able to write a post expressing my rooting interest for the Colts
tomorrow. And it's really nothing against the Chicago Bears - got nothing against them. But it would be so much more satisfying for me to see the Colts win, because it would be the culmination of a long road to success that has been filled with obstacles that could have crippled others. And naturally, a win would taste especially sweet for their venerable leader, Head Coach Tony Dungy
.Much like the Pittsburgh Steelers (in fact, when you look at the two teams and the paths they took to championship status, they're almost mirror images of one another) last year, an Indianapolis win would confirm that you always have a chance when you dig deep and believe in the seemingly impossible.Who believed that they were championship mate Read more:Final
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My Favorite Super Bowl Commercial of All-Time 1970-01-01 00:59:59 The moment of truth is upon us...you can cut the tension with a knife. Anyway, on with it.#1: Apple - 1984 - I think this is not only the best Super
Bowl commercial of all time, but could be the best commercial of all time, period. The tie-in with George Orwell's "1984" and the implied comparison of IBM to Big Brother is brilliant. Apple's always sought to identify itself as innovate, different, and ahead of the curve. And this commercial does all that in an exceedingly clever way. Not to mention the production qualities of the commercial are excellent.The ad is before my time, but I can't help but give it the top spot because I've never seen anything better.As for tomorrow, I'm not expecting to see anything on the level of this masterpiece - all I'm hoping for is an upgrade from the mediocrity of recent years. And for God sakes, please let's not have too many pharmaceutical commercials.Going Deep
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The Colts Win the Super Bowl 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Colts fans - you can exhale now. Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy, and the rest of the Indianapolis organization delivered on their previously unfulfilled promise and won Super
Bowl XLI in sound fashion tonight, 29-17 over the Chicago Bears.This game was the final step in the evolution of the Indianapolis Colts to championship status. No longer are they the thrill-a-minute offense that scores 3 touchdowns in the span of 5 minutes to the detriment of its overworked defense. It's not that they're not capable; instead, they collectively realized that method wasn't going to win them a championship. Tonight, they took what they were given by the Bears' play-it-safe Cover 2 defense and mixed pass with run to perfection. Manning has seemed more unstoppable and awe-inspiring in the past, but in the last two games, he has never been better, and it resulted in a well-deserved championship.Some of my thoughts watching the game:-The final score will read 29-17, but in reality, it was never that clos Read more:Colts
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Favorite Super Bowl Commercials: #4 1970-01-01 00:59:59 #4: Tabasco - Exploding Mosquito - The two best things about this commercial: 1.) The mosquito exploding is totally unexpected the first time you watch it, and it makes all the more hilarious; and 2.) The guy's expression after he sees the explosion is priceless. Don't try to mess with a man and his Tabasco.Going Deep
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My 10 Favorite Super Bowl Commercials 1970-01-01 00:59:59 With the Super
Bowl about a week away - let the pre-game shows begin - I started thinking about that other Super Sunday staple, the commercials. And while I don't think the ads have been up to par in recent years, especially last year, there have been plenty of great ones over the past 25 years. So these that I'll count down every day for the next week aren't necessarily "the best" commercials, but are my favorites. So without further ado....#10. Elmer Bruker - Miller Lite - The only man to play in every Super Bowl, but never played#9. When I Grow Up... - Monster.com - Wow, what a brilliant ad; cynical yet hilarious at the same time. Monster couldn't have gotten their point across any better.Going Deep
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Helton to Boston? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 ESPN's Buster Olney is reporting that the Rockies and Red Sox are in talks about a potential deal that could send 1B Todd Helton
to Beantown. According to Olney:"In the current proposal, the Red Sox would send (3B Mike) Lowell, (RP Julian) Tavarez and prospects to the Rockies. But the identity of the prospects could hold up the deal: The Rockies want relief pitchers Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen, while the Red Sox do not want to give up either at this time."To me, that would be too steep a price to pay. If the Red Sox did pull the trigger on the deal, they would have quite a powerful lineup, with Helton joining Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, and JD Drew. But if they had to give up even just one of the duo of Hansen and Delcarmen, that would leave their bullpen dubiously thin heading into the season. Unless the Red Sox know something about Joel Pineiro that the rest of us don't, the back end of their pen looks shaky.As it stands now, the Sox look to have one of the best lineups and ro Read more:Boston
Favorite Super Bowl Commercials: #6 and #5 1970-01-01 00:59:59 #6: Mountain Dew - Bohemian Rhapsody Remake - The original Queen song is sacred, and you've got to be really careful not to mess with it for commercial reasons. But this ad gets it right. It really pays homage to Queen rather than desecrating their signature song. I don't think you could have pulled off this ad with any other soda though. Mountain Dew seems to fit the occasion.#5: McDonald's - "The Showdown" between MJ and Larry Bird - This commercial has it all - big stars, memorable lines, and that outfit that Michael Jordan is wearing - unmistakeably '90s.Going Deep
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The Post-Super Bowl Blues 1970-01-01 00:59:59 The Super
Bowl has come and gone. Peyton Manning got his championship, and the Colts got their victory celebration in Indy in front of thousands of adoring fans.Now what? How do we go on without football??The next couple of weeks are a bit of a wasteland for sports fans. In that space of time, we have not one, but two of the most irrelevant, uninteresting events in all of sports - the professional All-Star Game.First, you have the NFL Pro Bowl, the worst All-Star Game of them all. In a sport in which players conceal major injuries for weeks so they won't have to lose playing time, players annually fall all over themselves to find any excuse to avoid going. Did you get a paper cut that required a bandage? Hey, call in sick - the conference's fifth alternate at your position is eager and waiting to take your spot in Honolulu.Then you have the NBA All-Star Game, which might have a little bit of novelty appeal this year, with it being played in Vegas. The problem with the NBA All-Star Ga Read more:Super Bowl
, Blues
John Amaechi Comes Out of the Closet 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Former NBA center John Amaechi
, who played for Orlando, Utah and Cleveland in his NBA career that ended in 2004, will publicly come out as a gay man in his new autobiography, Man in the Middle. With his pronouncement, Amaechi becomes arguably the most visible male athlete to come out to date.Amaechi was never a star in his brief NBA career, but he is a name that NBA fans will recognize - he was a key contributor to some overachieving Orlando teams back in the Doc Rivers era some 5 years ago. And his name is one that is known on two continents: in addition to the United States, the native Brit is well-known in the UK.The first thing that I thought of when I heard this news is that we're still nowhere close to the point where an athlete in a major professional league could openly declare his homosexuality in the middle of his career. It's no secret that in the NBA, as is the case in any sport really, intolerance of homosexuality is rampant. I don't need to be an NBA insider to know th Read more:Closet
Sizing Up BracketBuster Saturday 1970-01-01 00:59:59 First off, let me clarify something - this post isn't going to be about analyzing tomorrow's BracketBuster games and predicting winners. I don't know how Butler and Southern Illinois match up against each other. And I have no idea if Virginia Commonwealth out of the CAA can be this year's George Mason.What I do know is that the mid-majors for whom this day is dedicated have carved out quite a niche for themselves that would have been hard to foresee a decade ago. Upsets from lower-profile schools in the NCAA Tournament have always brought 15 minutes of fame to #15 seeds like Santa Clara and Hampton (upsetting Arizona and Iowa St. respectively). But until the last 5 years or so, teams like that were an afterthought. making their 2-line cameo appearance in the major motion picture of the big time conferences.So how did we get to the point where now, in 2007, BracketBuster Saturday
is a big-time, all-day event that gets real, substantive attention? The emergence of Gonzaga as a consis Read more:Sizing
Celtics Win! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 As I write this post, there is less than 3 minutes left in the game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics, losers of 18 straight games - and wouldn't you know it, the Celts are going to finally end the skid. They're up by, ironically, 18 as I write this.Today is February 14th. The last time that Boston won before tonight was January 5th. Let's reflect on the time that was the Celtics' losing streak and what has changed in a little more than a month. On January 5th:- Greg Oden was the definitive #1 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft- The Ohio State football team was an unstoppable force waiting for their coronation as champions- You would have felt comfortable betting your 401K that Ron Rivera would get a head coaching job before Lane Kiffin- Isaiah Thomas was still a dead man walking in New York- Nobody gave two thoughts to the love lives of astronauts- Peyton Manning couldn't win the big game and the Colts defense was a serious liability- The other side of karma hadn't rear
Norv's in for Some Rough Sailing 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Norval Turner - coach of the Vegas' oddsmakers' preseason favorites to make the Super Bowl, the San Diego Chargers. Raise your hands if you think that amicable old Norv is overmatched for the job. OK, Redskins and Raiders fans, stop screaming, we see you. And we can feel your bitterness seeping through.Seriously, I think Norv is in a no-win situation here. Because as remarkable as it seems for a man with his historically awful winning percentage as a head coach, some people seem to be giving him the benefit of the doubt. Pointing to the, shall we say, unorthodox owners he worked under in Dan Snyder and Al Davis, and his unquestioned success as an offensive coordinator, there seems to be a faction that thinks he can succeed. And his name isn't Marty Schottenheimer, so he's sure to get along swimmingly with GM A.J. Smith, who with every passing day, seems more and more like one of the most powerful GMs in the league. To me, that sounds like he's only set up to fail because the expec Read more:Sailing
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It's About Time 1970-01-01 00:59:59 After more than a century (123 years to be exact), the All England Club at Wimbledon finally came to its senses today and announced that it would be handing out equal prize money to both men and women after years of giving women a lesser purse.The argument that had been used that women were paid less than the men because they play fewer sets is total bunk. This is the entertainment business, and if the fans are entertained, that should be the determining factor in the bottom line. You are paid what you are worth in the market. That's the way it goes, particularly in sports. This isn't a 40 hour a week office job where overtime pay makes sense. It doesn't make sense to apply it to this situation. Does anyone say that they were cheated of an optimal spectator experience after watching a thrilling, 3-set tiebreak women's match just because they didn't play an extra two sets? Conversely, it doesn't take a whole lot longer for a dominating male player than it does a woman to blow thro
Hoyas Take Over Big East Lead 1970-01-01 00:59:59 In the Big East's most significant game of the year, Georgetown outslugged Pittsburgh 61-53 in what is probably the program's biggest regular season win since the Allen Iverson era. The victory wasn't the prettiest, with an abundance of turnovers and bodies banging in the air and on the ground, but impressive nonetheless.Everyone knows about the contributions of the team's big two, Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert and to a lesser degree, on-the-money point guard Jonathan Wallace. But I came away very impressed with the way Patrick Ewing Jr. affected the game. He's not a scorer, but he showed today that he can impose his will on the game on the defensive end and in the energy and emotion he brings. There was a sequence during the game when a Pitt player got by the 7'2" Hibbert and understandably, looked to ease up as he went in for the layup. But out of nowhere came Ewing, blocking the shot from the back and taking away what should have been an uncontested 2 points for Pitt. If you can
Wade Phillips Named Cowboys Coach 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Jerry Jones decided to take everyone a little bit by surprise today and introduced former Chargers defensive coordinator and erstwhile Broncos and Bills head coach Wade Phillips
as the new Dallas head coach.In hindsight, this is probably the logical ending to an illogical search. After hiring Jason Garrett as the offensive coordinator before the head coach was hired, it wouldn't have made sense to bring in Norv Turner to be the head coach, like most expected was going to happen. Norv's biggest strength as everyone knows, is his mind for offense. That's why he's always been a great offensive coordinator. But he's not exactly Bill Parcells when it comes to the intangibles of getting a team ready to play as a head coach. So why bring in Garrett if you'd just be better off having Turner call the plays? That would make Garrett a wasted hire, and from what everyone seems to be saying about him, he's a bright guy with quite a future ahead of him as a coach in the league. In the end, Jo Read more:Cowboys
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Twins Lock Up Mauer 1970-01-01 00:59:59 The Minnesota Twins
signed their 23 year old catcher and reigning AL batting champion Joe Mauer
to a 4 year, $33 million deal today. According to the terms of the contract, he earns more with each passing year, culminating with a $12.5 million payday in the final year of the deal.Twins GM Terry Ryan said, "This is a market deal. Don't worry about that."Well, it's certainly a good contract given the financial limitations of the Twins, but I have a hard time believing that if Mauer was allowed to hit the open market that he wouldn't make a good bit more. A 23 year old batting champion playing at a premium position with the potential to be one of the all-time greats? If J.D. Drew can make upwards of $70 million, then what would Mauer be offered if the Yankees or Red Sox or Mets had gotten a chance?That being said, smart of the Twins to not let it get to that point. joe mauerterry ryanminnesota twinsGoing Deep
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Georgetown Runs Winning Streak to 7 1970-01-01 00:59:59 On a day celebrating the 100th anniversary of Georgetown
basketball, the Hoyas made a capacity crowd filled with Georgetown greats of old, including Patrick Ewing, proud with a convincing 76-58 victory over #11 Marquette. As usual when Georgetown wins, their two stars, Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert both played superbly with Green putting up a career high 24 points and Hibbert going for 23 and 11 rebounds.It seems like the Hoyas have turned a corner ever since an embarrassing loss at home to Villanova last month. In their 7 game winning streak, they've beaten up on the teams they should beat, and now have proven that they can beat a top-15 caliber team by defeating the Golden Eagles, who were riding an 8 game streak of their own.I'm not exactly unbiased here, but it's looking more and more like the Hoyas could make a deep run into March. They have size that most teams can only dream about, an offensive philosophy that places a premium on quality possessions, and experience from a Sweet Read more:Winning
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Marty Schottenheimer Fired 1970-01-01 00:59:59 If a head coaching firing in the NFL can be both stunning but not unexpected at the same time, this is it. The San Diego Chargers finally decided to cut their losses with the embattled Marty
Schottenheimer after 5 years as coach. The tipping point has been building in the last month ever since the juggernaut Chargers lost in the divisional playoff to the Patriots then witnessed an exodus of assistant coaches to other teams (i.e. Wade Phillips and Cam Cameron) and higher positions. An already frosty (at best) relationship between Schottenheimer and GM A.J. Smith couldn't take any more stress than it had already come under, and as a result the last thread that Marty was holding on by finally snapped.Of course this is the logical and correct decision by San Diego in the decision of GM Smith or Coach Schottenheimer. If one of them had to go - and clearly, one did - it was going to be Schottenheimer. He was already a lame duck head coach who hasn't won a playoff game in more than a decade Read more:Fired
Blanket New Orleans 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Not exactly a sports post here, but I just wanted to give some exposure to a new organization that's been doing some great things. Blanket
New Orleans
, started by a group of Georgetown University students, has been working to help rebuild the Gulf Coast region.The group has gotten publicity on CNN, and with the recent tornadoes hitting the city, the region could use more help than ever.I have a link to the group's blog on my blogroll, and the official site is www.blanketneworleans.org.(As a disclaimer, no one from the group asked me to put up this post - I just think it's a great organization.)Going Deep
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Kris Benson out for the Year 1970-01-01 00:59:59 It was revealed today that Orioles pitcher Kris Benson
is out for the year with a partially torn rotator cuff, leaving a big hole in the 2007 rotation. Benson's no ace, but you know that when healthy, he'll give you a solid 150-200 innings and is good for 10-15 wins per year.You would think that this is a logical time to install young Hayden Penn as the #5 starter in place of Benson, but Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is reporting that the O's might go after former Met and Cub Steve Traschel instead. That would essentially plug the hole in the rotation, but why not see what Penn can do? We'll see what spring training brings us on the pitching front. kris bensonsteve trachselGoing Deep
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The NCAA Race is Wide Open 1970-01-01 00:59:59 This is what's great about college basketball that you don't get in any other sport: the closer you get to the postseason, the more teams that have hope (unfounded hope in some cases, I grant you) for a berth in the NCAAs seems to increase exponentially. And this year takes that uncertainty that makes the sport so exciting this time of year to a level we haven't seen in quite a while. Not only do you have a crowd of teams trying to squeeze in to the field of 65, but this year, you have a host of teams that that have a real chance at making a championship run. The across the board parity along the college basketball landscape that has prevailed this year, in addition to the lack of a dominant team gives a bigger group of teams legitimate hope for reaching the Final Four.Today was a perfect example of why there is no clear favorite. The #1 and #2 teams in the polls, Wisconsin and Ohio State played an underwhelming game for a matchup of such prominence, with neither team able to crack
These Players Will be Feeling the Heat 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Spring training is upon us, and while that might equal a 6 week vacation for a lot of players, there are a couple handfuls of players, coaches, and one very prominent executive who are going to be under the microscope like never before. Below are 5 of the 10 individuals who I feel are facing the most pressure as the 2007 season approaches and how I think they'll fare. I'll give you the top 5 players under pressure tomorrow.10. Justin Morneau - 1B, Minnesota TwinsMorneau broke out in a huge way the final 4 months of last season, rolling all the way to the unlikeliest of MVPs. Unlike last season however, Morneau won't be given any leeway should he struggle to start out the season. He's now an established power hitter, and his big challenge is to see how he handles being pitched around in a lineup without much thump.9. Brad Lidge - Closer, Houston AstrosLidge had a roller-coaster 2006, losing his closer job briefly, then regaining and holding it to the end of the season. If Lidge can Read more:Players
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5 Feeling the Most Pressure 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Yesterday, I gave you 5 individuals who will be feeling the heat of the respective situations they're stepping into this season. Today, here are the 5 individuals or groupings that will be under the gun more than anyone:5. Gil Meche - Starting Pitcher, Kansas City RoyalsThe poster boy for free agency gone amok with his $55 million contract, Meche is going to be scrutinized like no other Kansas City player has been in years. He has the potential to actually live up to his contract because of his undeniably great stuff. But if that never translated into him blossoming into an ace in Seattle (another smaller market where the pressure isn't intense), then why should it here? I think on this Royals team, he'll be hard-pressed to collect more than 12 wins.4. John Maine and Oliver Perez - Starting Pitchers, New York MetsThese two could be the difference between another near-miss for the Mets and a championship. Both were forced into prominent roles in the playoffs last year, and both perfo Read more:Feeling
, Pressure
A Pre-emptive Explanation 2007-03-02 13:08:00 Since I have a spare minute, I figured that I'd let everyone know that for the next week, I'll be out of the country on vacation, so it's pretty unlikely you'll see any more posts until after Selection Sunday. I'll be back on college basketball overload trying to soak in what I missed and put out bracket for you hopefully.Going Deep
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Who's Gonna Be the LaDainian Tomlinson of 2007? 2007-03-06 17:52:00 You've heard it being asked all year. Who will be the George Mason of 2007? After yesterday's loss to Virginia Commonwealth in the CAA Championship game all but killing their NCAA tournament hopes, the notion that it could be the Patriots yet again has been laid to rest.But what exactly does it mean to be the George Mason of 2007?It's not a question that's asked too often in the media, but I think a good "What the hell are you talking about?" is in order here. The next time someone asks you, "Who will be this year's George Mason?" do me a favor, and respond with, "What the hell are you talking about?" Do they mean, "Which mid-major nobody is going to surprise the nation and make it to the final four?" Maybe. Or do they mean, "Which under-dog is going to go the furthest?" Could be. Or do they mean, "Which team is going to have a bizarre monster as their mascot when your usual big headed man in a hat would suffice?"Let's just run through these options briefly.1) "Which mid
Where's Gaudet when you need him? 2007-03-09 15:46:00 After ten years of winning the regular season or the tournament, the Duke Blue Devils have finally finished a season without an ACC championship. This is also the first time sine 1997 that Duke has not won a single game in the ACC Tournament.Finishing the season at 8-8 in the conference, losing in the first round of the ACC tournament, and having no real inside or outside threat, it is hard to believe that this team is still ranked 21 in the country according to both major polls.They've lost 7 of their last 11, and somehow this team is a lock for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. With numbers like that, this team looks destined for the NIT, but with a name like that, they're one of the top teams in the country.Besides winning the National Championship (highly unlikely) or winning the NIT Championship (even more unlikely), there's only one thing that can salvage this year's season: Steve Wojciechowski manning up and taking the losses on his personal record like Pete Gaudet
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