No, Canada

The hypocrisy is unbelievable to me. Although, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by the Canadian media's quickness to jump down the collective throat of the men's Olympic hockey team.

We went through this in 1998. Nagano, Japan. A loss to the Czech Republic left the Canadians without a gold medal and everyone in this country lambasting Hockey Canada, fretting about the future of the sport in our country and going so far as to suggest that the sport needed an overhaul from the youngest levels. How else would we ever compete with the rest of the world, after all, if we didn't start from the ground up and improve this old jalopy?

Then, 2002 happened. The psyche of the Canadian hockey fan was repaired by an inspirational and glorious run to gold that ended with the perfect storm, a chance to beat the U.S. in the gold-medal game on American soil. We were back on top, Wayne Gretzky was deified for his part in putting together the championship team and Hockey Canada was lauded for (suddenly) being the brilliant minds of the international hockey world.

Now, here we are in 2006, the Canadians have suffered a devastating quarter-final loss to Russia on Wednesday that eliminated them from a tournament they had been favoured to win. And, right on cue, the national media, the talking heads all over television have jumped on board to once again pose the question no one should be asking.

"Why?"

If we are to be truthful with ourselves, just as we're not as bad as everyone thinks here in 2006, we weren't as good as everyone thought in 2002. Differences? Yes. Night and day? No. Different circumstances, different players, different performances, but still the same old Canada: Good enough to beat anyone on any given day, competing with teams capable of the same.

Lance Brown, on CTV Newsnet, (I have no idea what his credentials as a hockey analyst are seeing as how I have never seen him anywhere near a hockey broadcast), did his best to speak for Canadians and suggested that Hockey Canada needs to better address the preparation of these players prior to coming to the tournament.

He says, and I paraphrase, these players have very little time together, the NHL season goes right up to the Olympics, they're put on a plane and then expected to jell, and we just can't have that and hope to be competitive.

Now, Lance's comments would not be without merit if it weren't for the oh-so-slight oversight that this is in fact what every team in this tournament was forced to do. Canada isn't the only team in the Oly tournament that had NHL players. Seems to me Russia has handled this adversity quite well. Sweden also. And Finland? No worries for them. In fact, you could argue that Canada has it even better than the overseas teams because they can at least get on the ice together prior to the NHL season starting. But pardon me, I'm nit-picking.

Lance also goes on to point out — when asked what he would have done (because that's what we're all thinking) — that the defence wasn't very good. The defence, along with goaltender Martin Brodeur of course, that gave up six goals in three games. Let's be frank, shall we? If you are holding teams to two goals per contest, you will have a chance to win a lot of games. Let's not suggest that our defensive core let us down, because nothing could be further from the truth.

What is accurate is the Canadians scored three goals in their final three games and went scoreless in 10 of their last 11 periods of hockey. They never clicked, they never seemed invincible and, in fact quite the opposite, they looked utterly beatable at every turn.

Lance also was so kind to point out that — news flash everyone — playing Olympic hockey and NHL hockey is quite different. When you put on that maple leaf, blah blah blah ... Insinuating in no uncertain terms that the Canadian players just never got that "umph" from wearing the red and white, while other teams did.

Baloney. Never suggest an athlete "didn't get it" or didn't compete with a fervour to win especially when they are doing it for their country and especially when that country is Canada where you could stand to be be-headed if you don't score a couple goals and register a plus in the plus-minus rating. It is an ignorant stance to ever say "they just didn't want it," and it's one that is most often taken up by the people on the sidelines. The ones who talk about the games, rather than competing in them.

And what is more accurate — just as it was in 1998 and 2002 — is the other countries are pretty damn good. (Well, except for the U.S. this year, they were gawd-awful and if any nation needs to analyse its position in hockey, it is the Americans. But I digress).

Why is it we have such a hard time computing this? Has Sweden, Finland, Russia, the Slovaks, the Czechs et. al. suddenly snuck up on us? Were we not aware that there is a tonne of good hockey teams and hockey players throughout the frozen world?

What's more, can we not simply accept — like any team from any sport playing in any tournament — we just didn't bring our A-game this time around? You hear constantly players saying we just didn't get it done during NHL games, NBA playoffs, the World Series, heck, even the World Poker Tour I would wager, yet our loss here somehow equates to a massive failure on all levels of the Canadian hockey heirarchy?

However, a setback on the sports' greatest stage will invariably bring all the so-called experts back to the fore to once again, quite self-righteously, proclaim all that is wrong with hockey in Canada and the people who are involved with it. We are far from reasonable when it comes to our hockey.

In Canada we have an expecation that we are the best in the world at hockey and, y'know what, we basically are. Calgary's loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2004-05 Stanley Cup was portrayed by some as the U.S. beating Canada for our country's holy grail of trophies. Suggested, of course, by some who didn't apparently look at the nationalities on the rosters of both teams. The success of our nation in the sport is not determined by one result every four years. It is determined more by the thousands of quality players we continually churn out, the consistent success of all teams that wear our maple leaf on the chest (juniors, under-17s, Spenglers, worlds) and — please don't forget — the astonishing success of our women's program.

Ah, the women's team. How quickly we gloss over the 46-2 goals for/against they put up en route to another gold and, more importantly, what that team's success has done for the sport for girls within our borders in the past 15 years.

There should be no second-guessing, there should be no riot acts read and there should be no suggesting that suddenly we've slipped from our perch. Truth be told, it's always been a precarious loft we've sat on at the top of the hockey world and, realistically, we've rarely been there by ourselves.

The fact remains that, despite a disappointing showing in Turin, anyone who chooses to look way up at the top of this hockey tree, will find there will always be plenty of maple leaves.

#99 — Levon Kirkland

Levon Kirkland, for no particular reason, rounds out the Five Jerseys in Five Days Tour. Kirkland, who left the Steelers in 2000, wound down his career — perhaps in this case ironically — rather unceremoniously in Seattle. Kirkland was a long-serving linebacker who was an absolute terror defending the run. He was the perfect mould LB that the Steelers have so long been known for and I liked him.

My brother told me he lost respect for Kirkland because he had heard he had said he didn't want to be in Pittsburgh anymore, but I never heard that, found any information to confirm that he had ill feelings towards the Steelers or his time there. I bought Kirkland's jersey for 20 bucks after he had left Pittsburgh mostly because I'm a sucker for a jersey and I didn't care, 20 bucks is 20 bucks, so that was a lock.

What I like about the Kirkland, and the Woodson one as well, is that it still reminds me of the old Steelers jersey without the italicized numbers and it reminds me of old Three Rivers Stadium, which represents one of my sporting regrets: That I never got to watch a game in that relic. My introduction to being a Steelers fan came when they were still playing in Three Rivers and I loved the requisite announcer comment, when coming back from a commercial and seeing the overhead view of the stadium:

"Back at Three Rivers Stadium located at the confluence of the Ohio, Allegheny and Monongahela rivers."



(Don't underestimate how much geography you learn from sports, by the way.)

So now, it's time to look ahead to next year ... and what other Steelers jerseys I should get.

In no particular order, here's what you can consider buying me, just for the heck of it.

Heath Miller
Joey Porter
James Farrior
Troy Polamalu or even his AFC Pro Bowl look.

That's it for now folks. Spring game for Nebraska is just around the corner and the NFL combine is next week in Indy. I'm sure I'll have more to talk about on those topics.

All I can say is I really look forward to bring you the Five Jerseys in Five Days Tour again next year right around this time.

#26 — Rod Woodson

One of my favourite all-time Steelers, I always loved how tough Woodson was and, at his peak, how ridiculously unbeatable he could be. Lightning quick, a total burner if he got in the open field, and a blanket in coverage, Woodson was likely my favourite Steeler in the early-90s and the first Steeler jersey I ever owned.

Side note: Woodson also wanted to watch his ACL reconstruction surgery in 1996 (I believe that was the year). That's a tough SOB.

Now, like Woodson, my jersey has past its prime. Although Woodson is holding up much better in retirement I would presume than my jersey is. The number is peeling, the letters are worn and let's just say it was a good fit for 1994 Dave, not so much 2006 Dave.

Woodson works the NFL Network and was field-level to interview a number of the Steelers after the Super Bowl win on Sunday and, maybe I'm just a crazy optimist, but it felt like Woodson was happy to see his former team — the team he really belongs to — finally win that one for the thumb. He had a chance in 1995, but I was glad he was on site to at least be some part of the festivities.

My Woodson jersey hasn't been retired yet, but it probably should be. I might let the ol' guy go out in style now (I mean, I have five jerseys after all) and frame him up for the wall. I'll let you know of the retirement ceremony. We can celebrate with Primanti sandwiches and a six-pack of Rolling Rock and finish it all off with feats of strength in the honour of a guy who wanted to see his knee gutted and scoped.

#86 — Hines Ward

Today's blog, is a simple one:

What are you gonna do next?"

I've watched this clip roughly 35 times in the past two days. I think we can all agree that this is the best Disney ad of all time.

Hines Ward, my second-favourite Steeler behind Jerome Bettis — soon, of course to become No.1. How can you not like the guy? Looking forward to having six more seasons with No.86.

#39 — Willie Parker

Fast Willie.

He was responsible for the second-most exciting play in Super Bowl XL and arguably the turning point of the game, a 75-yard fireball off right tackle in the third quarter that made it 14-3.

Willie was kind of forgotten in the lead up, and wind down, of the Super Bowl. Not surprisingly, I suppose, considering he was all but forgotten in college, after college and through his NFL career to date.

Parker, an undrafted free agent out of North Carolina where he carried only 48 times in nine games in his senior year, came into 2005 as the fourth-string running back before injuries to Duce Staley and Jerome Bettis surprisingly thrust him into the starting role on Kickoff Weekend. Sixteen regular season games and 1,200 yards later, Parker had made his name known as a game-breaking back, a guy who could go off at any minute and flash his ridiculous 4.28 speed.

Sunday, 10 million people watching the game on TV, got to see it. Tuesday was Willie Parker day for me in my "Five Jerseys in Five Days Tour" that is sweeping southwestern Manitoba.

Parker still has to learn how to be an every-down back in the NFL, but he's certainly showed that he has the potential to be that guy even if he is the first Steeler with that kind of skills set.

Furtherto Monday's rambling about the refs in the Super Bowl and how Seattle fans, and some media members, bawled about how the Steelers were handed the game by shoddy officiating. Total bunk and Gene Wojciechowski agrees. Maybe now we can get over this.

After all, there was this:



The Steelers ticker-tape parade, their first since 1980, provided a number of lasing images not the least of which was Troy Polamalu crowd surfing.

Something else was 250,000 people descending on downtown Steel Town in the middle of the day to celebrate something a city has lived to see for the past two-and-a-half decades.

#36 — Jerome Bettis

If anything can inspire five blogs in five days, it is the greatest moment in my sporting fandom.

So it is with that, I honour the week that follows the Steelers victory in Super Bowl XL — a moment I wondered for weeks what would feel like. This week, I wear all five of my Steelers jerseys, one for each weekday, in continuing on the celebration of an event I can't drag out long enough.

Today, I wore the Bus. I wore it Sunday too. And every Sunday the past eight weeks. As the Steelers went on a must-win streak straight into Detroit, I didn't touch a thing. I wore the same jersey on game day — and only game day — and it didn't see a washer and dryer the entire time.

There could be no better jersey to wear the day after. And after Bettis retired on Sunday — clutching the Vince Lombardi Trophy in his right hand and making his walk into the sunset official — I knew I didn't want to take the jersey off then — and not today either — wanting more to just feel like it was still Sunday night.

Bettis, my favourite athlete of all time, ended his career with his trademark grin, gripping the ultimate football trophy for the first time in his life in front of family and friends in the city he was born and raised. His speech was simple but touching, and I sat there nearly in tears, happy for a guy I wanted so badly to go out a champion.

So what did Monday feel like? Somewhat unfulfilling, actually.

While I was wanting to enjoy as much as possible the first Steelers Super Bowl, for all intents and purposes in my lifetime, instead much of the media attention one day later was in the "poor Seahawks" vane, suggesting Seattle was robbed by the referees.

I'm a fair man, so you can read the arguments here and here.

This absolutely kills me. One thing I will always say after football games in which a player, often a kicker, makes a game-breaking mistake (i.e. missed field goal) is that the game — and any sport — never comes down to that one play. It is the play that people remember, but the game isn't hinged entirely on it. In football, your team probably ran 80 other plays and very likely somewhere in those 80, something happened that people are probably forgetting in their rush to blame the kicker, or whoever the goat is.

Bottom line is, there are literally dozens of plays in a football game that can change the game. Opportunities made or missed.

But now, 24 hours after the Seahawks lost, the crying on the coast has nothing to do with that team's ineffectiveness and everything to do with the referees who fans and media accuse of costing them the biggest game of the year. Hey, have another read if you want.

(Just for the record, Romero says in his Seattle Times piece linked above that "only after (Steeler safety Chris) Hope complained did the official produce a flag." Utterly, entirely, 100 per cent false. On the replay from the end zone, you can see the official reach for his pocket, actually grab for his flag but fumbles it and doesn't pull it out. He reaches right back for the flag again and that's when it comes out. It just so happens that was when Hope protested.)

Two calls stand out in most people's minds as being raw towards the Seahawks. Jackson's push off in the end zone that cost a touchdown and Shawn Locklear's holding call that snuffed out a play that would have had the Seahawks at the Pittsburgh two-yard line.

First, D-Jack. I'll admit it's a touchy foul to call. I'll also admit that if things went the other way I would have sucked it up and agreed with the call. I would have hollered about it at the time, for sure, but the fact remains you can't do it. Television colour guys will tell you ad nauseum on pass plays, if a referee sees a wide receiver extend his arms into a defender, as Jackson did, they'll call it every time. Jackson pushed off, cut at the same time, and created separation between him and Hope. Call it ticky-tack if you want, it's a penalty and it happened early in the game. The Seahawks had 40-plus minutes of football left to remedy the fact they came away with just three points on that drive. And, you know, as I think of it more, if that play had gone the other way, I would bet a lot of money that analysts during the game and after (if it was significant enough in the end result) would be saying something akin to "Ooooh, Jackson got away with a bit of a push off there."

Next, Locklear. Y'know the old adage in football that says you can pretty much call holding on any play? It's true. This time they called it. Hand into the face, hand on the back. Holding. If that wasn't, please define what holding is in the rule book.

The Seahawks returned to Seattle today and had a rally with some 3,000 people at Qwest Field welcoming them back. What happens next is appalling and amateurish. Head coach Mike Holmgren, addressing the crowd, said: "We knew it was going to be tough playing against the Steelers, I didn’t know we were going to have to play the guys in the striped shirts as well.”

Well done, Mike. You're almost enshrined already into the Overrated Coach Hall of Fame and your team pissed away numerous opportunities in the first half to put Pittsburgh away, but you decide that you're the victim here and take your forum to publicly cry about it. Holmgren is the HEAD coach of this team and, with that job, comes some sense of responsibility and professionalism. Instead, he reacted like a schoolchild who lost the tetherball championship when his opponent grabbed a piece of the rope. (Incidentally, if Holmgren made those comments during the season, he would have been fined.)

How about you take some acceptance for the fact you didn't make enough plays? How about your quarterback, Matt Hasselbeck, taking some responsibility for throwing a back-breaking interception on a late drive instead of highlighting two penalties he didn't like. Or, one of you — either of you because you were both a part of this comedy of errors — take responsibility for one of the most God-awful two-minute drills in football history, the late "drive" at the end of the first half in which you had well over a minute left and couldn't advance the ball closer than the 30-yard line.

See, for all the crying and complaining that the referees messed everything up for Seattle, lost in the mix are two things: 1) You don't think any calls could have gone the Steelers way and didn't? 2) That late "drive" in the first half showed all the warts the Seahawks had. Someone needs to remember that, with a chance to make something big happen for themselves, the Seahawks bungled them away.

Alright, I'm gonna stop now because I will NOT be angry a day after the happiest night of my life.

On Tuesday I'll just simply crank up the volume on the TV. You see, I have a parade to watch.

The Steelers will have their ticker-tape through the streets of Pittsburgh and the deafening sounds of cheering, screaming and celebrations of my team's long-awaited championship ride are more than enough to drown out the unwarranted sobbing from some "12th Man."

A Million Little Fleeces

Head's up folks, this article has nothing to do with sports or hip hop and it's not even a rant on people who aren't good at what they do.

Instead, it's a confession. A confession, because I don't get it.

I don't understand this being a controversy that everyone feels like they deserve an explanation.

Since becoming the talk of the literary world after being on Oprah and being lauded by the iconic host for penning a book that was "like nothing you've ever read before," James Frey has been stripped down publicly and taken out to the woodshed over the fact his best-selling novel contained some embellishments.

This is where you lose me.

It's only fair that I acknowledge I haven't read the book, but I'm aware of its plot and I'm aware of the ensuing controversy. And while I don't exactly side with the idea of a novellist penning a piece of work and passing it off as non-fiction when it isn't, I also don't accept those that have lashed back at him, most notably Oprah bringing him on TV and pretentiously lecturing like he was a grade-school troublemaker who flushed the class goldfish down the toilet and then blamed it on the immigrant student no one ever talked to.

Oprah herself said she felt "duped" and her audience certainly backed her up. Frey appearing on that stage was about as comfortable a situation for him as Strom Thurmond joining in a family cookout at Tavis Smiley's place.

So there Oprah scolded and admonished him and the audience, on cue, gasped and tisked and Frey squirmed uncomfortably undoubtedly counting the minutes until the whole thing was over.

Oprah is the frontman for this whole storyline and her celebrity, as well as her self-righteous crusade to inform the world about Frey's evil-doings, have kept the story in the public view.

Still, we're talking about a form of entertainment here. People read their books for various reasons and undoubtedly the point of Frey's was to tell a gripping and often haunting tale of one man's burdensome struggles and impending self-revelations. That people were inspired, emotionally invested and brought to tears by his words is the point that too many people are forgetting. The truth, and there is still some here, is that his book, no matter how much is deadly accurate to the actual events, did what it was written to do and the readers got something out of it.

(Don't forget the story isn't totally fictionalized, there is a much greater percentage of truth than lie.)

To be a little more colloquial here, some of this whole fuss reminds me of the Seinfeld episode The Chinese Woman where a blonde woman, through various plot twists, is mistaken over the phone as being Chinese because her last name is Chang. Not having seen Donna, George's mom Estelle takes marital advice from her that she finds particularly poignant. Later in the show, when she finds out Donna is from Long Island, Estelle loses it, renounces the advice and all decisions that came from it because: "I thought I was talking to a Chinese woman!!"

The advice itself doesn't change, does it, just because the source was different.

Well the power and emotion of this story still remains despite the fact some experiences aren't exactly as told. If someone made a promise to clean their life up because of what they read, then the book has achieved some of what it sets out to do. If someone was inspired to help a loved one, if someone was moved enough to make a change in another person's life — and surely there are many who did — then you cannot argue the validity when the bigger picture is the effect. You can't take that away from the author, nor the person who was touched by the words.

It's sad that so much of the world feels like they're owed something now. When in fact those who read Frey's work, I'd wager, already got infinitely more out of the book than the small amount of money they paid for it.

The morning after

Eighty-one, of course, is the most talked about sports topic on TV, internet and among sports fans today. Kobe's performance against the Toronto Raptors Sunday night was the greatest single feat I've ever witnessed in my lifetime and arguably the greatest performance in NBA history.

Think I'm wrong?

Marc Stein's perspective sides with mine while both si.com and sportsline.com raise the arguments of "could he hit 100?", the magic number of Wilt Chamberlain from 1962.

The argument will go on and on, as sports discussions always do, but a closer look at the facts makes it, in my mind, lean more towards Kobe's 81 than to Wilt's 100 as the greatest performance of NBA history.

Kobe used 46 field goal attempts and 20 free throws to get his 81, while Wilt needed 63 and 32. As John Hollinger, ESPN's stats guru, reports today, Kobe's "true shot percentage" was 73.9 while Wilt's was 63.9. During Wilt's game, the Philadelphia Warriors were intentionally fouling Knicks just to get Wilt the ball back while Kobe helped his team come back from a 17-point second-half deficit. Wilt's game he himself called a "farce" while the Lakers of 2006 were battling to try and get a win.

Wilt played the full 48 minutes while Kobe sat down for six minutes in the second quarter. Had he played a full 48, we could be talking about 90 points or — considering Kobe hit for 17 in the final five-plus of the fourth quarter alone, maybe we're talking about 100.

And for those who suggest the 3-point line in existence makes a difference, consider two things. One, Wilt was a 7-foot-1 monster in the middle who never swayed much outside the parameters of the key and, two, hitting 23-foot bombs with men in your face isn't exactly like shooting lay-ups. The fact a guy hits tough shots and get's an extra point for them doesn't diminish a thing. Michael Jordan himself once said the thought of reaching 100 points would be infinitely more difficult for a perimeter player than a big man, simply because of the type of shots taken and the energy a guard expends on the floor.

This will be argued, and that's what's great about sports. I would love to take on the argument and I'm sure I will for years to come.

I love sports and I love the fact that, on occasion, we get to be privy to watching some of the most remarkable, mind-blowing examples of human ability.

S'cuse me Lamar, we're looking for Vince

With all due respect to Lamar Hunt and his trophy, the Pittsburgh Steelers are out looking for the one with Vince Lombardi's name on it now.

The Steelers knocked off the Denver Broncos on Sunday and became the first No.6 seed in NFL history to make the Super Bowl and just the first team since 1985 to win three road games on their way to the big one.

I'll be honest with you, I'm not sure what I'm going to do over the next two weeks. It seems like a long time from now, but on the plus side it's a little extra time to savour in what was the best effort the Steelers had put forth all season. Third down conversions, big plays, taking advantage of opportunities. It was fun to watch but it still doesn't mean I'm going to talk about the next game coming up. I'm still superstitious.

Hard to think that, for me, anything could trump the feeling of watching the Steelers earn just their second berth in the Super Bowl in — essentially — my lifetime. (Born in 1976, the Super Bowls of the 1970s weren't even a memory to me). And it's true that there isn't anything that trumps it.

Although Kobe Bryant tried.

Say what you want about Kobe and you either love him or hate him — and I've said before that if he wasn't playing for the Lakers I probably wouldn't like him that much — but what he did Sunday night against the Toronto Raptors is something that any sports fan has to be thankful they were around to witness.

I watched roughly the final 5:32 of the game, at the office, and Kobe had 64 at that point and thought back to Bill Simmons' piece about Kobe's decision to not go after 80 in a win over the Mavericks. Seems Kobe's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't after all. The guy is harped on for being a selfish player but yet here's a columnist who outright wants him to take that game on his own.

Anyway, I thought about 80 and thought, with five minutes left, it's silly to think he's going to do it. Then he hit a three — a tough one — then he came off a screen and the Raptors defended it like they would have defended the 12th man off the bench in garbage time, left him open to drain another three. Then a shooting foul, then a three-point shooting foul, etc. etc. Suddenly there went Elgin Baylor's 71, then David Thompson's 73 and then 80 is only a couple points away with a couple minutes to play.

We all know how it ends. Eighty-one points.

Adding to the beauty of the moment was the fact the Raptors held a lead at the half and, of course the bigger picture, was that the 55 in the second half gave the Lakers the W.

As a pure sports fan, The 81 Game is one of the moments I will remember forever. Not as a Lakers fan but as a guy who appreciates when you've seen the rarest of rare feats or something exceptional. Twenty-seven points in the third quarter, 28 in the fourth and 55 for the second half, outscoring the entire Raptors team in the second half.

In a world that is often polluted with hyperbole — the Associated Press said the Steelers-Seahawks Super Bowl could go down as one of the best of all time. C'mon now — anyone who watched that game Sunday can say they watched one of the greatest performances in the history of sport and not be remotely exaggerating.

That's something special.

---

Also of note, Tim Duncan turned down a chance to play for the Olympic team and even said "I have no interest in that" while Kobe has said he's excited to compete for the U.S. in the world championship and Olympic games. So there's Duncan, the NBA golden child, seemingly scoffing at the chance to play ball for his country while Kobe's jumping at the chance. Just an interesting comparison between a guy everyone seems to love to hate (unless he's on your team) and the man who can do no wrong.

Heart-stopper

You had to know I was going to talk about this

But, of course, those who know me know I will not discuss next week's game against the Denver Broncos because of superstition. I'm superstitious. Please leave it at that.

Alright, back to last Sunday and the Steelers' huge win over Indy. Jerome Bettis' fumble in the final minute of the game, was one of the most gut-wrenching moments of my life as a sports fan.

Check, the most gut-wrenching moment ever.

Anyone who dislikes Jerome Bettis, I don't know what to say to you. One of the hardest-working and classiest players in the NFL for the past decade-plus, Bettis is everything you'd want an athlete to be. At the slipt second of the fumble — and the ensuing stoppage of all time and existence that occured during that play — my thoughts were more towards Bettis and the thought that that fumble could end up being the last play of his career. I said last week that unequivocally Jerome Bettis has become my favourite athlete of all time. He's surpassed Magic Johnson, but just barely. So when that play happened I swear to you that I was thinking more about him and that play being his last then "oh God we're going to lose this game." (Although that happened to cross my mind too). I felt like I was going to cry.

That said, I think this guy and me would get along.

Obviously I couldn't get enough of highlight packages all through Sunday evening. I wanted to watch the highlights over and over again, and I did. But the thing that happens when you have a wild finish like that (think Nebraska v. Michigan, Dec. 28/2005), is that the focus tends to shift to the final crazy moments and away from the bulk of what got you to that point. In fact, many highlight packages essentially ignored the two dominating scoring drives the Steelers put together in the first three possessions.

(Side note: You often forget about all the other stuff that happened in this game too.)

What is also forgotten about in this game is that the Steelers had a glorious chance to make the contest a three-possession game very early on but an obvious pass interference call in the second quarter, on 3rd and 2, against Indianapolis wasn't called and Pittsburgh was forced to punt instead of getting possession around the Indy 10. Even that early on in the game, the non-call was critical. Pittsburgh could have essentially put the foot on the throat of the Colts instead of playing in the dangerous spot that is a two-possession game against a prolific offence.

People forget that part and, unfortunately, Bettis' fumble, Ben Roethlisberger's season-saving tackle and Mike Vanderjagt's ensuing missed FG will be the images most associated with the game.

Ah, who cares? We won.

The NFL came out publicly on Monday and admitted the refereeing crew headed by Phil Morelli got the interception-turned-incompletion call wrong. Let me preface this by saying that, YES, if the Steelers had lost that game I would be fuming and spewing more venom than all the snakes ever chased out of Ireland.

Still, my viewpoint on this has always been the same: I credit the NFL for at least being professional enough to admit when their crews make mistakes. We all know my feelings on the CFL here where the status quo is accepted and no one is ever wrong. The CFL falls all over itself in a defensive stance to say they don't get it wrong that it just enfuriates you more when you know damn well they do get it wrong. So the NFL admitting a mistake is appreciated.

The NFL refs making the misake is another thing, though.

New year

I've blabbed enough about my failings as a blogger, apologized ad infinitum because I really, truly do stink at this and come up with a copious amount of excuses as to why I really, truly do stink at this that I feel it presumptuous to go further with that line of thinking.

So I just won't.

Welcome to the New Year, my blog starting the '06 on the right note: Actually being written.

As anyone who knows me likely knows, Bill Simmons is one of my favourite sports columnists anywhere. Ever. I religiously read his Sports Guy World section of ESPN.com because even for his ability to write comedically — as anyone who tries to write knows, one of the toughest things to do — his pieces are well-informed, unique and create some new angles that 90 per cent of this uninspired industry never would touch. Sports columnists are such a ridiculous bunch, and I count myself among that group. Talking heads and scribes are so quick to jump on the so-blatantly-obvious angle of any newsmaker, that it makes most of the work out there almost unreadable. "Terrell Owens is a jerk," ... "Cheer for (insert New Orleans sports team here) because they've gone through so much," ... "Peyton Manning is a great quarterback" ... "Brett Favre, what a competitor."

It's enough to make you sick and Simmons, not to say he's the only one or that I'm deifying him here, at least realizes that sports is, and always will be, the toy department in the hardware store of life.

Awhile back when reading one of his pieces I remarked to someone that I found it odd that Canada really doesn't have any nationally-known or syndicated columnists who aren't afraid to tell it how it is. And I'm not even suggesting the grilling of a major story here, but just someone to say every once and awhile that the emperor is buck naked. Sometimes just the mundane, random story deserves it too.

• Why don't we have someone who contradicts those that have the national voices?

• Why isn't there a media watchdog to tell us, yes in fact Glen Suitor and Jennifer Hedger are extremely fortunate to have jobs.

• Why don't we have people that stand up and say what you know damn well 84 per cent of the population is thinking but doesn't have the voice to make it heard?

• Why is everything just accepted at face value? What you see in Canada is what you get and you'd better enjoy it because you have no alternatives.

So let me break down a few things, if I may.

1) TSN is turning into one of the worst networks on TV and it arguably has more resources at its disposal than its two other national sports TV competitors. Right now it seems that the network is mailing it in, content to coast off the successes of its NHL broadcasts and the fact it's backed by ESPN.

And while we're on that subject, the downfall of TSN can be directly connected to when ESPN took over and started changing everything. People forget that SportsCentre used to be called Sportsdesk. That TSN's logo was a mock up of spotlights used to form the call letters rather than the fraternal twin of the Worldwide Leader's design. That every stylistic change the network has made in the past few years has been made to resemble what ESPN is doing in the States.

All well and good, but all that served to show was how poor TSN is compared to ESPN. The anchors are worse, the coverage is worse, the analysis is worse (except for hockey) and the overall packaging is just the cheap knock-off. If ESPN is the Panasonic HD Plasma version, then TSN is the Banatonic bootleg piece of crap that gets sold out of the back of vans.

If it weren't for hockey, then TSN would basically do nothing well at all. When it comes to the CFL, TSN should have the market cornered yet they still come up short. Think about it. There's no other network that legitimately poses a threat — CBC only does a handful of games and Sportsnet even less — and TSN still manages to trot out retread analysts who bring nothing more to the game than if I was in the booth doing it.

I've joked repeatedly that I know more about football than Suitor does and he played in the league. While that may not be true (but I'm not convinced), one thing is for sure: I know more about football than Leif Petterson. And regardless of where the game is played, you're guaranteed to get one of these two yapping at you about nothing at all.

1a) Quick, name one good TSN anchor. Tough isn't it? Jay Onrait is passable, and after that there is NO one who would make me want to tune into SportsCentre. No personality, no interest, nothing creative. Onrait is the only guy who does anything remotely unique. Cory Woron is likable as a straight-laced, just read me the news kind of guy, which I appreciate. Hedger is a travesty, what with her fake "sports-guy voice" that undulates from octave to octave in a feeble attempt to capture... I don't know what. Something I guess.

Note of advice: When a person whose voice is her living is working for your network that relies on people staying on your channel and said voice alone is enough to make me change the channel, that's not good. And all of this is not even mentioning her storied history of not knowing a goddamn thing.

Listen, TSN should be skewered. It's the elitist, pompous sports network that doesn't feel it has to work for your attention. And it doesn't. They can show all the poker, lumberjack battles and strongman competitions they want, neglect numerous other sporting activities they don't deem worthy and inundate us with how they're "Canada's Sports Leader" and nothing will change.

Nothing significant comes from TSN. They're scoreboards neglect important information, their tickers provide bare essentials in information and if you want anything other than hockey highlights/stats/news ... well, don't bother. Bare bones.

Even their catch phrase was copped from ESPN — The Worldwide Leader in Sports.

Canada's Sports Leader? What a joke. Hopefully no one else chooses to follow this lead.

Zen tampering

After the Lakers were the latest NBA team to dismantle the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, a story moved on the wire and in the Toronto media that LAL head coach Phil Jackson praised Chris Bosh and seemed rather high on the Raptors young star.

A story just moved on the wire today that the Raptors are up in arms that Jackson would have the gaul to suggest what he did.

As quoted in the Canadian Press/Toronto Star story that moved on the wire:

‘‘Well ... the players that were franchise-changing players you know re-signed up or re-upped with their organizations,’’ Jackson said. ‘‘There are some that will be available in the year following that you obviously have to take a look at, and this kid here is one of them. Chris Bosh, obviously everybody’s going to be interested in and we think he’s become quite a talent.’’

And the Raptors rebuttal?

‘‘If someone asks our coach about a guy and he says, ‘He’s a great player,’ that’s fine. But if he says, ‘He’s a great player and he’d look great in a Toronto uniform,’ that’s tampering,’’ the official said.
Jackson didn’t say he wanted to lure Bosh to Los Angeles. But he did freely mention his name as someone his team — and others — might covet.

Could the Toronto Raptors look anymore bush league than they already do? My word, someone from glitzy, glammed-up L.A. makes the slightest mention of one of their players and the media hoards come flocking. Then, uptight Raptor front office types come battling back against the big, bad media celeb machine that is the Los Angeles Lakers, shaking their fists and offering up "you better watch it, Bucko" type retorts. It carries all the merit and threat of the 98-pound weakling challenging the school bully to a tussle at lunch hour.

Listen, you're already the laughingstock of the NBA, not only for your record but for the band of incompentents you have working in your front office, and for the Raptors to even have the nerve to make this into an issue is laughable and embarassing.

Advice for the Raptors? Just stay quiet and wait for someone to call on you. Just as in that lunch-hour mismatch, the Raptors should know their place and slink back into their spot in the corner as the worst franchise in the L and leave the heavy lifting to the real franchises.

Sing along

That last comment has a fire in my belly and the only way to fight back is with a good old fashioned sing off. Y'know, like they used to do back in the 40s in those movies that were all musical and stuff. Y'know like that movie "Breakin'"? Classic.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers will play the Michigan Wolverines in the Dec. 27th Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas for those that didn't know. It is just the sixth time the two historic teams have met so it's got a nice little storyline to it. And while I've always admitted I like UM's fight song, let's not gloss over the fact that Nebraska has two very good fight songs that we all hope will be locked in your brain by the time Boxing Day is done and the Huskers get set to prove once and for all that red is better than blue.

So without further adieu, I've got Tommy Lee here with me so let's not waste anytime:

Ahem....

Dear Old Nebraska U (mp3)
There is no place like Nebraska
Dear old Nebraska U.
Where the girls are the fairest,
The boys are the squarest,
Of any old school that I knew.

There is no place like Nebraska,
Where they're all true blue.
We'll all stick together,
In all kinds of weather,
For Dear old Nebraska U!

Hail Varsity (mp3)
Hail to the team
The stadium rings as everyone sings,
The Scarlet and Cream.
Cheers for a victory, echo our loyalty;
So, on mighty men,
The eyes of the land, upon every hand,
Are looking at you.
Fight on for victory
Hail to the Men of Nebraska U

As I've always said, two fight songs are much better than one. GO BIG RED

Bowling

Nebraska's in a bowl game, the Steelers are making my heart stop and I'm less than a week from a roady to Minnesota for Steelers-Vikings.

All this means is that it's December and, because of that, there is time to think festive. So allow me to start the carolling with this classic.

Down

In my not-too-extensive journalistic career, there is a man who — some seven years later — still registers as the most impactful and memorable subject I have ever had the pleasure to interview.

You'd have to know hip hop music fairly well to know and remember John Forte. Perhaps you'd remember his club hit "99" which — teamed with underground songstress Jeni Fujita — looped German one-hitter Nena's "99 Luft Balloons" into a likable, if not pop-y track that highlighted his debut solo album Poly Sci. Maybe you remember a smooth verse on Wyclef Jean's "Stayin Alive" or his production work on The Fugees ground-breaking The Score.

A name you may forget, a voice you'd remember.

I interviewed Forte for my student newspaper in the spring of 1998, a feather in my cap to do a one-on-one phoner with someone who had such an impressive resume in the hip hop industry despite not having been in it very long. In retrospect I have no idea what my expectations of the conversation were going to be but I know that afterwards I could not speak enough about the experience.

I kept the tape of that interview for years — unfortunately I no longer have it — and would frequently listen to it not to hear my voice engaging with a famous hip hop artist, but because I was taken with Forte's knowledge, his passion and, most importantly, his desire to treat the genre with respect, also respecting the importance of what the music holds. Few artists do that and I, a hip hop lifer, gladly took it all in.

Forte's first effort put up disappointing numbers in sales, more the product of poor promotion and a hip hop consuming public that seems all too unwilling to take in anything outside the pop realm. He really couldn't find a niche and his uneagerness to use his Fugee's background as a springboard left him without name power in an industry that craves it.

Fast forward to 2005 and a random internet search has me stumble across Wyclef's latest single "The Industry," (.wmv file), (lyrics) a bob-your-head winner that pines for the good old days of hip hop and sings with a melancholy for the death, incarcerations and beefs gone too far.

Imagine Refugees never needin a passport/And John Forte never at Newark Airport"

I had no idea what that lyric meant. I found out, though. I'll save the details and let you read Rolling Stone's thoughtful piece from August, 2002..

Peter Wilkinson's note that it "floored the hip hop community" is to say the least. I'm not sure if I'm more floored by the fact it occurred or the fact it took me four years to hear about it.

Regardless, the news of Forte's arrest was disheartening to say the least, but not in the "role model gone bad" sort of way. That's not what is at work here. I think the most distressing thing to me is the circumstances that dragged down a man who graduated from the presitigious Phillip Exeter Academy to the point he finds himself now.

I had a bunch of friends who used to love to party/When them dark days hit, I suddenly lost everybody.

The lyric, from "Been There, Done That" off Forte's second release I, John is perhaps not in reference to the slide Forte suffered before releasing that album in 2001, one month before his trial — after all it is actually a love song to a woman pledging his devotion to leaving the run-around life behind. Still, it is foolish to suggest that the lyric — and numerous others on that album — aren't a ballad to his life which plays like a tear-jerking movie script.

Hearing of Forte's incarceration was a depressing end to my day. There are a myriad rappers, artists and musicians who bring nothing to the table, who use their privilege to do nothing more than advance a self-serving and uninspired career. Meanwhile, one who took a high road of lyricism is locked away and balked at by the consuming public. Hardly seems fair.

Forte's circumstance was shocking, to say the least. As ludicrous as it sounds, because of that one interview seven years ago, I felt like it was a friend or family member whom I had just heard about.

I have likely interviewed more than 2,000 people in roughly 10 years of writing and radio and expectedly it's rare if any of them hold any sort of impression through 24 hours. If Forte in fact serves his full term, to 2013, when he's released I will still remember that interview from 1998 and still remember the feeling I got for weeks and months following when I listened over and over to that tape. I wish more people had gotten to hear that interview, heard the introspection and heard the wisdom of a guy who had nothing but good to bring to hip hop and music as a whole.

You'd then understand why I just spent two hours writing this letter to no one about a cassette tape that no longer exists.

And how I wish I had it with me now.

Lyric of the Day:
Lyric of the day is a link, to each lyric of Forte's I, John. Not all hip hop, but all of it worth the read.

Remembrance

Remembering a day when I used to have energy to do this thing...

In honour of Remembrance Day in Canada, and my mom's birthday as well, I've gotten back on this horse that continues to buck me off and decided to blog like the wind....

With that, I bring you "Since You Asked..."

Tagline: When opinions are a dime a dozen, two men will be worth their two cents.

A David Larkins and Julio Garasa Production.

Since You Asked: CFL Coaching Vacancies


"Garasa, Julio: OPS"
To: "David Larkins \(E-mail\)"
Subject: A visit and a rant
Date: Thu 11/10/05 08:16 AM

DL,

Have you visited your own blog lately? That's some audience you have there. Is it the product of extensive focus group research or are you just one of the lucky ones?

I thought I should let you know that I'll be in Winnipeg from Tuesday afternoon and leaving Wednesday. If there's a shot that you'll be in the Capital, let's hook up. If not, to Hell with you.

I hear Joe Paopao is entertaining the idea of interviewing for the recently vacant Bomber head coaching position. Thoughts? Here, the circus is in town. How the league could possibly accept letting the Gliebermans try to run a second team in this town after running a long storied franchise into the ground is beyond me. These guys have absolutely no clue what it takes to build a team. At the press conference introducing the new head coach (which in itself was fraught with controversy), they spent more time talking about how they were not "politically correct" and "different". In a list of things they assured people they were focussed on, "winning football games" was relegated to the fourth and final item (after "getting people out", "having fun" and "having a good atmosphere"). These are the same guys who tried to institute "Mardi Gras Night" every night of the season where females could win $1000 if they collected the most beads, which were distributed to males as they entered the stadium (and only in one section: the upper level of the stadium.). Guess how the ladies tried to get men to give them beads? Just shameful. To the point where the league put a stop to it. It's an adolescent, frat boy atmosphere for a PROFESSIONAL football team. And they still never got anywhere near a sell-out. Maybe if they actually focussed their energies on putting a winning product on the field would more people come out. There's a novel concept. After all, this is the CFL. Unless you're Saskatchewan do you put up with mediocrity year in and year out.

And that's my rant. There. I feel better.

JG

-----Original Message-----
From: David Larkins [dlarkins@steelersfan.org]
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2005 3:04 PM
To: Garasa, Julio: OPS
Subject: Re: A visit and a rant


Upper deck eh? Mardi Gras Night eh? Maybe I will come to Ottawa after all.

I can't add anything more to your rant because it wouldn't bring anything to the table, you're obviously right.

As for the Blue situation, I rejoiced at the firing of Daley, a man who infuriated me week in and week out with interviews that honestly — no joke — made me question his knowledge of football. He sounded more like a man who was coaching Pop Warner ball — "we played hard"/"that was a knock-down drag out game" — when we got blown out or blew a chance at a
victory. I don't want to hear that stuff from a pro coach of my team. As for Paopao I'm not convinced of his ability to coach either, but he's never really been given a wealth of tools to work with there. Yes, I'm aware he's a classy guy and how Ottawa played that scene was an abomination. Still, we just got through firing a "class guy" so let's bring in someone who craps fireballs and make this thing work NOW. The Bombers are not a franchise that should be wallowing like this.

djl.

From: "Garasa, Julio: OPS"
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:16:41 -0500
To: "David Larkins \(E-mail\)"
Subject: A visit and a rant

Oh God. You instil even more fear in me (re: Pop Warner). Here are two examples. On the local cable call in show (it was clearly a slow, cold and rainy evening) Coach Jenkins was fielding calls. When asked how he would get the most out of his players he said "I like characters" (not "character") and on a 40 man roster, "I'll have 40 different expectations". I don't think the word "team" was used once in his answer. Second, when asked about free agents, he said that a number of
players had be re-signed since he took over. Problem was, it was up to the host to not only tell him 4 were signed, but he also gave us their names. The coach looked stunned.

Lord help this franchise.

On the plus side, in order to get us suckers to part with our money before we see a product, there is a one-day only, 2 for 1 season ticket sale. Very tempting since this time the good sections will be offered (as opposed to the $100 season tickets I bought in the junk sections). I just wonder if I can make my purchase in protest. I don't trust these guys but what the hell: it's football.

JG

-----Original Message-----
From: David Larkins [dlarkins@steelersfan.org]
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2005 5:38 PM
To: Garasa, Julio: OPS
Subject: RE: A visit and a rant


The most glaring thing you left out of your email is that you didn't
even mention Jenkins' suit.

I have often said that there is certain dress that black people can pull off that white people can't. Jenkins suit was one of those things although I'd never truly experienced it before, I wasn't sure what the phenomenon was like because most white people know their limits in that category. My theory, if Michael Irvin won't wear it, John Jenkins probably shouldn't either.

From: "Garasa, Julio: OPS"
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2005 09:16:41 -0500
To: "David Larkins \(E-mail\)"
Subject: A visit and a rant

I didn't want to mention the suit because I try not to judge the book by its cover. However ... with that suit ... and those red alligator skin boots ... and the bleach-blond hair ... and that soon-to-be-annoying Texas drawl ... yeah, 'nuff said. Did I mention it's going to be a loooong year for the Renegades?

JG

---

A few quick hits here...

• The Bombers restored faith in me not just after the firing of Jim Daley but his entire staff as well. While the exuses piled on about the league's worst-ever defence that the loss of coordinator Rod Rust to sickness early in the year hurt that unit, the fact is there was nothing good about the Blue this year and as abysmal as the offence was, the defence was worse. The problems stemmed from atrocious play-calling on the offensive side — the highlight being Wade Miller being called in for a one-yard plunge in Regina — which stretched over to the defensive side because our offence couldn't stay on the field.

But that's not to let the D off the hook. Flat out, every quarterback who faced Winnipeg had large success against its Pop Warner secondary. That's what troubles me. Get yourself a whole new staff, fine, but there's still major issues in terms of personnel. Hey you can get Xzibit to pimp your '75 Volare but if you install a 3.5 HP John Deere engine in it, the results are still the same.

And it will take a gigantic overhaul to cure this defence which has so few bright spots to it. Gavin Walls should be the league's rookie of the year unquestionably, Tom Canada still has life, Sean Woodson has the ability to be a playmaker and we'll see what someone like Joseph Tuiapala can do in training camp next year. But you will find it difficult to highlight a quality cover man on this team and that's where they get scorched. Think about it, a year ago the team couldn't get a sack to save its life, this year the Bombers are in the top half of the league in QB kills and instead they give up the most yards in the history of the league. That's on the secondary, plain and simple.

---

I've been deathly silent on the Cornhuskers because I'm trying to figure out how a team that was rolling along so well and just one fumble away from breaking into the Top 25 can crumble so quickly. They've lost three in a row and, with just two games left, are still trying to get that one win that will make them bowl eligible.

I'm not going to suggest that LeKevin Smith's fumble in Week 5 was the turning point to the season for this team, but it has started the three-losses-in-four-games downfall.

Bill Callahan's job is safe. This university won't cut off the experiment that quickly but I'm sure I'm not the only fan who is angered and frustrated over the streaks that have come to an end since he took over to start the 2004 season. Now virtually every mark which had been established in Husker history has been eliminated all because UNL — specifically AD Steve Pederson — wasn't happy with the "mediocre" 9-3 bowl-winning season of 2003 and then-coach Frank Solich.

Two straight losses at home have soured the pot of what was a potentially very good season and now Nebraska must go and beat K-State Saturday in Lincoln because setting up a must-win situation against Colorado in the season-closer the following week could very well be way more than this team can handle.

In addition...

ESPN.com's Len Pasquerelli wrote a column on the Steelers' dominance of the Bengals on Sunday.

I mention this because, if you scroll to the very bottom of the article, there is a reference to pretty boy pseudo-star Carson Palmer quipping that the Bengals were "still a better team" than Pittsburgh.

I now have a new person to hate. He can join the cast of the Baltimore Ravens for making a moronic and egotistical comment which becomes even stupider when considering the timing of the remark.

Thanks for weighing in on the game Carson and don't forget to toss a couple more balls our way when you come to Pittsburgh in December. Nice effort.

Let's clear some things up

There's a couple things on the docket tonight, and they both require me to educate the masses.

ISSUE NO.1: The Cincinnati Bengals are for real.

The Pittsburgh Steelers 24-13 win over the Bengals on Sunday should serve to curb everyone's enthusiasm slightly over the NFL's sexiest team of late.

I'm not even sure where to begin. Through six weeks of the NFL season, all so-called experts had been falling all over themselves to proclaim the Bengals the new up-and-comer in the league. Talking heads sounded off on Chad Johnson as the league's huge play maker, Rudi Johnson was being proclaimed as a dynamic and versatile back and, let's not forget, Carson Palmer who was certifiably the best "new" quarterback of the league because he had managed a +100 QB rating in the Bengals five wins.

Ok, well to paraphrase a great Pulp Fiction character, let's not start sucking each other's popsicles yet.

Sunday the Steelers defence, which struggled mightily on its first two possessions, buckled down and made life hell for Palmer as it has for many QBs. The offence of the Steelers was hit and miss at best, but it got it done and put 27 on a defence that was the trendy pick for all the bandwagon experts to rally behind. Final verdict? The DB's are suspect and the front seven, even though they KNEW, the Steelers were running 70 per cent of the time, still couldn't stop the run game sufficiently.

I'm not sure if the NFL wants it's network experts to verbally rally behind certain teams, but it sure sounded like it through six weeks. After all, everyone and I mean EVERYONE who had a public voice seemed to gloss over the fact that the Bengals only losses had come to the only plus-.500 teams they've faced all season. Five wins over five teams that will be nowhere near the playoffs and suddenly this is the favourite in the AFC? Please.

2. Carson Palmer is the next Joe Montana.

He finally found a defence that shifts things up and gives different looks, a defence that has multiple Pro-Bowlers and a defence that quietly goes about and gives up very little and frustrates opponents, and he crumbled. He threw two crunch-time picks which led to scores and couldn't maintain momentum or sustain drives when his team desperately needed it.

As for Chad Johnson who I actually don't mind, he can officially mark a check under "YES" in the "Who Covered No.85 in 2005" for Deshea Townsend or, more accurately, Bryant McFadden, Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor and Willie Williams. He should remember those names: One of the great playmakers in the game right now was held silent by Pittsburgh. Perhaps he can compare notes with Terrell Owens.

• One other note: ESPN.com's post-game analysis stated "When the Steelers are healthy and able to run the ball, there isn't a more dominant team in the NFL. Ask the Bengals this morning.

"With Ben Roethlisberger back, Pittsburgh went into Cincinnati and took back its title as the AFC North's "team to beat." In what was billed as Week 7's "Game of the Week," the Bengals just looked weak, as the Steelers rolled 27-13."

Really? We needed to do that? Let's be honest here. First off, don't go telling us that we're the team to beat when we're healthy when members of your own network before the Monday game against San Diego had a unanimous pick for the Chargers to win. Fact is, the Steelers are rarely spoken about as being a team to beat and that's fine.

Come to think of it these are the same experts who said the Baltimore Ravens were going to be the odds-on fave for the North. Now it's Cincy? But never Pittsburgh? Ridiculous. Just make sure you get off our bandwagon now. We don't need you.

A few other notes:

• The Willie Parker jersey was in full effect on Sunday and shame on anyone who jumped on his bandwagon and then ditched him because he didn't put up plus-100 games in two starts. You're idiots.

• Hines Ward's TD celebration, mocking Chad Johnson's Riverdance effort from last season, was another in a line of gems from the most underrated WR in the league. Flat out, these guys talk the biggest games but Ward quietly goes out and is one of the most dominant and effective receivers the league has. If you doubt that, check how many big plays he makes and then watch him when he's NOT being thrown to; He's a flat out animal when blocking for other teammates.

• Good to see Minny win one and they're still my pick to win that division.

• Baltimore, Jacksonville, Cleveland, Tennessee, San Francisco, St. Louis, Houston.

The seven teams the Indy Colts have beaten this season. Combined record of said teams? 14-26.

• A poll on CBS on Sunday asked what quarterback you would want to lead your team in a two-minute drill and the selections were "Donovan McNabb, Carson Palmer, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and Drew Bledsoe".

Bledsoe, you will note, threw an atrocious interception with his team tied with Seattle and 30 seconds left on the clock which set up the game-winning field goal by former Husker Josh Brown.

Again, don't at least mention Ben? Dude has one interception in five games this season and the league's highest QB rating. But what does that mean after all?

The lyric of the day is the first non-hip hop lyric and it's by punk band Face to Face. I think it applies in my rants somewhat.

Lyric of the Day:
What if I’m right and you are wrong?
What if you knew it all along?
What if I figured out that I did not belong?

What if it always bothered me?
What if I never did believe?
Would it be wrong if I decided I should leave?

If I pretended I was blind
And struck it from my mind
Would it still be there?
What if I’d do anything to make it seem all right
It’s all right

What if it’s all inside my head?
What if those words were never said?
Would it be easier if I could just forget?

What if I didn’t run away?
Could it be any other way?
Would it be wrong if I decided I should stay?
Face to Face Blind

Alright already

Just get off my back.

What do you think this is, some sort of recurring online gathering of my thoughts and opinions to be posted with a sort of regularity for others to read and perhaps involve themselves in so that there should be an exchange of ideas and, if necessitated, educated discourse?!

I didn't think so.

So, yeah, it's been awhile and my regularity for blogging has dropped off to almost embarassing proportions. But I will always hide behind the veil of "what else did you expect from someone as lazy as me?" And of course the answer to that is always, "yeah, he's got a point."

So let's get to addressing a number of the things that have happened since I last blogged.

• Wow, can you believe John Lennon was shot? I didn't see that coming at all.

• Wow, how about that Vince Lombardi? Just a great coach and congrats to the Green Bay Packers.

• Wow, am I the only one who took a huge hit in that stock market crash? I don't know about you, but it's really a great depression.

• Wow, good choice in Queen Victoria to be declared empress of India. Totally who I was pulling for.

• Wow, it's about time Egypt broke away from the Ottoman Empire.

• Wow, speaking of Egypt, can you believe Saladin declared himself sultan?? That's so like him.

• Wow, I didn't see this coming: I mean, Moses, leads the Jews out of slavery, unleashes the Ten Plagues against Egypt, guides the freed slaves for forty years in the wilderness, carries down the law from Mount Sinai, and prepares the Jews to enter the land of Canaan? Way to step up. Big-time players, make big-time plays. I can't believe I didn't blog on this earlier.

If I've missed anything, please feel free to let me know.

In actuality, I haven't blogged since I returned from my trip to Nebraska which might be the greatest thing a sports fan can do. Perhaps not, but a tremendous experience.

Speaking of the Big Red, for those who care, one more win (hopefully it comes this Saturday at Missouri) and the Huskers are back into a bowl game. After last year's debacle, post-season seems like a nice treat.

I'm not saying I don't trust Tommy Maddox, but I'm glad Ben Roethlisberger is back and healthy for Sunday's big game against Cincinnati.

As shocking as this may be, A&W has added another entry into the Worst Commercials of All Time list. Their latest offering has a family — father, mother, son and daughter-in-law by marriage — going to the fast-food joint and rugged, mean ol' Dad orders up "the usual" of a Papa, Mama and two teens.

"Ever since we were kids," the son says.

Well, long story short the chump kid — who apparently has just been taking Dad's lack of fatherly attention and cranky manner in good fun for lo these past 20-plus years — hands the crotchety old coot a Grandpa burger as a means of letting out the big news that he and his oblivious wife are having a kid. Mom tears up, Dad of course doesn't let his guard down and then asks "where are the onion rings?"

Just an abysmal effort from a company that has quickly become one of the true greats in advertising incompetence.

On the other side of the ledger, we have this. Arguably the greatest series of radio ads in the history of the spoken word. I can't even begin to start. Just enjoy.

Hey, who's up for a List of Five? Alright La Bamba, you got it:

The completely random barometer of what is and what isn't, it's....

THE LIST OF FIVE

5. Omar Jacobs. A QB you may never know to watch for, but should.

4. Alexander Ovechkin for NHL MVP.

3. Forget about Michigan-Iowa or Tennessee-Iowa, Texas vs Texas Tech, is the NCAA game of the week.

2. Meet the X-Factor in the World Series.

1. Honouring the wrong star of the 80s, but you gotta give the guy ... ummm ... credit? If I have to serve jail time, I believe I'll choose my own favourite athletes' jerseys to determine my time in the Clink. Y'know Charles Roberts or Cortney Grixby. Luckily I've never been a huge fan of Wayne Gretzky .

That's it for now. Be sure to tune into my next blog when I rant in the past tense about personal hoverbikes, man's first steps on Mars and mind-melding technology that fits in the palm of your hand.

Catch-all

Keeping up with this blog thing is difficult, y'know? Here is a list of all that I don't have which is required to maintain one of these things:

• Dedication • Perserverence • Patience • Time (sorta) • Desire • Interest • Good Ideas • Smarts • Basic computer skills • Ability to pique one's interest • Ability to maintain one's interest • Ability to capture one's interest • A computer • Ego complex • Alter-ego complex • Id complex • Superid complex • Carpal-tunnel-free fingers • Hope • Dignity

You get the point. So I think that maybe I just should, say, do this once a week. At least that I can keep up with. I think.

So here's a wrap up, in easy to digest point form:

• Preparing for Nebraska Roady 2005 which will be Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Eleven Brandonites are hitting the road to Lincoln to catch the UNL-Iowa State game on the 1st. That said, this is a game that scares me a bit. The Huskers have lost just eight games at home in the past 17 years and Iowa State, which had a bye last week, has already knocked off No. 8 Iowa. Granted that was in Ames, and in college football there is nothing like home-field advantage.

• The days could be numbered for Zac Taylor as the Huskers' starting QB. There is preliminary talk that perhaps true freshman Harrison Beck, a top-10 H.S. recruit in the off-season, might get a chance if Nebraska's struggling offence can't get things righted. Taylor got mucho love in the off-season for being a guy that would be able to play in Coach Callahan's west coast system and his effort in the team's Red-White game seemed to be a good sign. He put up video-game numbers at Butler Community College but that hasn't equated to big numbers through three games (two against teams the Huskers traditionally would have butchered).

That said, the Blackshirt D has been outstanding and kept that team in games it hasn't always looked like it belonged in. A good sign for the future, especially considering one of its biggest horses, Steve Octavien, has been injured since the first minutes of Game 1.

• I have to rant about Khari Jones being released by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Is this just the most ridiculous thing that this guy can't find work in a league where there's, what, maybe five legitimately good quarterbacks? I mean, be real, if you cheer for teams in Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, Hamilton or Ottawa then you don't have much going for you at that position. And Jones has now been released by three of those aforementioned five teams.

Perhaps the downfall for KJones was signing the six-figure deal with the Bombers in 2004 because he's priced himself out of the market when teams aren't willing to take a chance. Still, no one can make an argument, a legitimate argument, that the Ticats are better off with Danny McManus and Marcus Brady than they are with Khari, who was never even given any sort of chance to play there.

Before being released, Jones had completed 35-of-60 passes for 406 yardds, two INT's and a TD in a mostly relief role. In fact, the Ticats had been using him in gimmick roles more than anything, not exactly the breeding ground for QB consistency, while they stubbornly stuck with McManus, despite the fact that if McManus were anyone other than a 16-year veteran he would not be afforded opportunity after opportunity given his string of mediocrity.

Back to Jones.

The argument I've always heard by people knocking him, and make no mistake for some unknown reason it's mostly Winnipeggers that do this, is that he was blessed with great receivers during the great run of 2001 in which he threw for an ungodly 46 touchdowns. That he couldn't succeed otherwise. And yet we're still putting people like Henry Burris into diety status in this league when he isn't even remotely as poised or able to lead a team as Khari was.

I could run down a Murderers Row of quarterbacks in both the CFL and NFL that were blessed with great receievers who couldn't get it done. Jones himself, through Week 12, had completed 64 per cent of his passes despite the fact he was throwing to guys named Flick, Morreale, Peterson and Yeast. And doing it on the worst team this league has had in awhile. His QB rating is in the respectable mid-80s and he's not exactly being bailed out by the perfect storm situation he was apparently granted in 2001.

What I would like to know is what Jones would have to do to please people? Forty-six touchdowns didn't do it. Even if Winnipeg had won the Grey Cup that year, that wouldn't have done it either. Four years later we'd still be here defending him or railing against him, depending on where you stand.

More accurately, Jones was more a victim of his team's inability to adapt to when other teams made adjustments to what the Bombers were doing. We heard time and again that teams were doubling and tripling Milt Stegall but yet our offence did little to change or make adjustments. That's what smart coaches do, make adjustments. The only adjustment the Bombers made was to repeatedly fire their OC's for someone more incompetent. Over the past four seasons the offence has grown steadily more stale and, starting in 2002, Jones paid part of the price for that. (Three OC's in three years, people).

So here we are with Calgary forced to play Jason Gesser last week in a must-win game, Saskatchewan doing its QB-by-committee thing again this season, Ottawa stubbornly sticking with Kerry Joseph for a reason no one knows and Hamilton shedding a former league MVP in favour of a 40-year-old, a never-was hopeful that never will and a no-name out of NFL Europe whose own family would have a hard time picking him out on the field.

Now sit there and tell me that each of these teams, with who they have in place at QB right now, are honestly in position to make a run because of their quarterbacks and not in spite of them. And while you're at it tell me that who those teams have at quarterback are each better equipped to lead a team than Jones is.

If you can do that, I'm sure there's a GM job available for you in Hamilton. They like to hire people like you.

• The tribute album to the late Luther Vandross is on the shelves right now.

Tell me, was it just me or did Luther's death not really get the same kind of ink that would seem fitting for a guy who did as much as him? Who would you put in his league for length of career, success, impact on music and celebrity status?

Sixteen albums, eight Grammy awards and the ultimate benchmark: Being recognized instantly by people who need only to hear your first name to know who you're talking about.

The tribute album is typical but that should not take away from the fact there's still some memorable performances. Usher's rendition of "Superstar" is powerful, Beyonce and Stevie Wonder, a surprising combo, team up on "So Amazing," Alicia Keys, one of the greatest female voices we have, checks in on "If This World Were Mine," John Legend earns another feather in his cap and sings "Love Won't Let Me Wait" and Jamie Foxx even pulls up for "Creepin" once again showing his range as a singer has advanced by leaps and bounds over the past few years.

Wyclef Jean, who has carved a niche out of really reinventing cover songs, does it again on "Always and Forever." You have to be a bit curious as to how Clef, whose Haitian roots and hip hop background don't always lend themselves to sugary ballads, would handle one of the classic love songs. Instead he doesn't overdo it and go for the sound you'd expect of that song. Wyclef puts a bit of a dancehall beat behind him and modestly belts out the famous chorus with his distinct mellow delivery that allows the song to maintain its sensitivity while also adding a certain nostalgia.

Elton John teams up with Vandross on "Anyone Who Had a Heart" for a sentimental interpretation of the Burt Bacharach original. It's a solid duet of two very distinct — yet diametrically opposed — voices blending together.

Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, Angie Stone and Patti LaBelle join the cast and one thing is clear: It's hard not to make something good when the masterpiece of work is in front of you and you just have to colour in between the lines.

• Speaking of Luther, brings me to Stevie Wonder. Now, anyone who knows me knows that my having seen Stevie in concert will always go down as my "In 20 Years I'll Be Telling People I Saw Him In Concert and Feel Like It Was Royalty" moment. And maybe I just won't ever think anything he does is bad, but watching him perform his new single "Shelter In The Rain" on CNN yesterday floored me. There are so few voices that are as distinguishable, powerful and magnetic as his.

Further to that, he is likely the only person in this world who could have pulled off what he did at the NBA Finals this past summer. He was announced to be performing the national anthem before one of the games, forcing me to drop what I was doing and wait for him to come on and sing ... Only thing was he did the entire thing on harmonica and it was more gripping and engrossing than most vocal renditions. Simply amazing.

That's Stevie. And so, because he is that guy, he gets today's

Lyric of the Day:
Heaven help the child who never had a home,
Heaven help the girl who walks the street alone
Heaven help the roses if the bombs begin to fall,
Heaven help us all.

Heaven help the black man if he struggles one more day,
Heaven help the white man if he turns his back away,
Heaven help the man who kicks the man who has to crawl,
Heaven help us all.

Heaven help us all, heaven help us all, help us all.
Heaven help us, Lord, hear our call when we call
Oh, yeah!

Heaven help the boy who won't reach twenty-one,
Heaven help the man who gave that boy a gun.
Heaven help the people with their backs against the wall,
Lord, Heaven help us all.

Heaven help us all, heaven help us all, heaven help us all, help us all.
Heaven help us, Lord, hear our call when we call.

Now I lay me down before I go to sleep.
In a troubled world, I pray the Lord to keep, keep hatred from the mighty,
And the mighty from the small,
Heaven help us all.
Oh, oh, oh, yeah!
Heaven help us all.
Heaven Help Us All

New season

On September 14, 2005, I became an uncle. For the first time.

"Became" is probably a strong word because it sounds as though I did something to gain the status, the title, or that I earned it in someway. Pretty much the uncle is like the equipment manager on the New England Patriots getting a Super Bowl ring. I mean, you didn't do anything but hang around and try and be supportive but when it's all said and done people are congratulating you.

Someone even said to me today: "Good for you."

Um, ya I know, thanks. Good for me? Hey, don't think I don't appreciate the goodwill toward family, but good for me? Hell no. The only thing I bring to this kid's life is an understanding — one day — of beating a 2-3 zone, what an inside blitz is or why a group he's never heard of called Run DMC helped keep alive whatever music he is listening to in 25 years.

So I'm excited about the new addition to the family, don't get me wrong, but it'll be a learning curve for me. Probably be at least six months before I stop holding it like I'm rushing for the endzone. (Jokes, jokes). But I do feel envy towards Aidan Larkins. After all he gets to grow up his entire life not having experienced the atrocity on humanity that is the 2005 Winnipeg Blue Bombers. (Not jokes, not jokes.)

But nevertheless I told everyone I know that I was officially an uncle and took in the unwarranted "congratulations" and "way to go's" with open arms. I didn't get overly poetic or nostalgic about it when I got the announcement called into me at 3 a.m. and haven't particularly all day. After all, it's not a moment for me. It is my brother and my sister-in-law who have been — what do you call it? — blessed. I'm just in the viewing lounge.

It's a realiztion to me that some people have their life together far more than me and, because of that, I will live somewhat vicariously through my brother and sister-in-law and my new nephew.

It could be the 200 kilometres between us that has made it so that it hasn't quite sunk in yet or still the cynicism that I feel about how marriage and kids will play (or rather not play) into my own life. I'm happy and I'll do what I can to get over the learning curve. For all the times I think of my life in a rut, maybe my new granted familial position shows me a different perspective.

A retrospect for life.

I might not have done anything to earn the ring, but I am glad to have it around and you better believe I'm gonna show it off.

Nothing's ever promised tomorrow today/They say people in life are seasons, and everything happens for a reason.

"I shouldn't have left you ..."

Eric B. and Rakim get us started off because it's been a long time since I dropped blog (is that a term?). It is now kids. (Side note: That could become a term for performing a sort of bodily function).

In honour of this post being a trip to the Googleplex, if you don't understand the reference in the subject line, do a google for yourself. I can't be doing all the work around here.

Without further adieu, here's a trip down Googling lane. In this segment of What Got Googled:

• Springfield Isotopes slugger. Reason: Hendo is working on an MJHL feature and turned away from his work to inform us that he thought it would be a cool idea to be able to have a 'Topes jersey of that big-time hitter the team had when Dancing Homer riled up the team in the episode known conveniently as "Dancin' Homer". We figured he could get a Flash Baylor uni and I'd grab me a Bill McClosky shirt.

Which leads us to...

• Albuequerqe Isotopes. Reason: Inspired by the fictional Springfield team (specifically the episode in which the owner threatens to move the team to the New Mexico city) the PCL's AAA real-life team made its name the Isotopes.

• Tom Brady's offensive line. Reason: That credit card commercial in which his entire offensive line surrounds him no matter where he goes. Who's the guy that hits on Tom's girlfriend while they're out to dinner. No answer because I lost interest quickly. After all, "they're figurative metaphors."

This post gives you a double-bill. While staying at the Googleplex, catch the feature-length rambling: "Since You Asked.."

Tagline: When opinions are a dime a dozen, two men will be worth their two cents.

A David Larkins and Julio Garasa Production.

Since You Asked: Hurricane Katrina

On the verge of being outdated, but nonetheless of interest.


--- "Garasa, Julio: OPS" wrote:

From: "Garasa, Julio: OPS"
Date: Fri, 2 Sep 2005 13:39:45 -0400
To: "David Larkins \(E-mail\)"
Subject: Topic

DL,

US response to Hurricane Katrina. Listen to the mayor's interview below.
A pretty heart-wrenching piece of radio. Now, I could go into a rant
of my own, mainly dealing with how America's (and the western world's)
dirty secret of poverty, homelessness and hard lives is now out in the
open. These are issues that we have swept under the rug. Well, when
the call went out to evacuate the city, the rug (ie: those of us who can
afford to go and have the means to do so) left. And what we're seeing
is what's under that rug: poor, dispossessed and not-very-white. And
the response to help this segment of society, not only by the state and
the Federal government, but by the rest of the nation, has been pathetic
(at best) to downright disdainfully negligent. Not a spectrum to be
proud of. And where are the "leaders"? Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton,
Barack Obama even. Men who have called news conferences for much lesser
things? It's a frightening wake up call the nation is getting, and the
world is witnessing. Too bad it seems most have already hit the snooze
button.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/09/02/ray_nagin20050902.html

JG

-----Original Message-----
From: David Larkins [dlarkins@steelersfan.org]
Sent: Friday, September 2, 2005 7:19 PM
To: Garasa, Julio: OPS
Subject: Re: Topic

As I mentioned before, it was like a punch in the face that watching the
news yesterday the realization that the masses that had been shepherded
to the Superdome or stranded at their homes are distinctly non-white.

And Nagin's pleas are bang on, along the lines of someone finally waking
up and saying "wait a second, this is bull****". He's right.

However, instead of waiting for the likes of Jesse or Obama (one of the
great new leaders that country has) and Sharpton, the attentions
certainly need to be focused squarely on Bush who seems to have just sat
back and watched while saying "we're trying." No one there, I would
wager, wants to hear that or believes it's nearly enough. Bush earned
rave reviews for his handling of post-9/11 when essentially all he did
was glad-hand and get through a crisis that was — as bad as it is to say
it — tailor-made for a leader to shine.

I think one reason why you're not seeing the aforementioned African-American
leaders front and centre is that would be a tacit agreement that, yes,
black people in the deep south are marginalized and are a part of what
you referred to as the "dirty little secret."

You would hope this would provide some sort of wakeup call, but
unfortunately the reality is that most Americans are still sound asleep
to it. And we all know Bush is simply waiting a couple years before a
new administration comes in and it — along with Iraq — becomes their
problem.

-----Original Message-----

From: "Garasa, Julio: OPS"
To:  
Subject: RE: Topic
Date: Mon 09/05/05 10:01 AM
I finally saw Jesse. The good reverend must have been busy visiting
with his illegitimate daughter (yes, cheap shot but he's earned it).

I would suggest that the "tacit agreement" that blacks in the deep south
are marginalized and part of the "dirty little secret", would be, in
fact, the reason for black leaders to come out and essentially tell the
US population (and the rest of industrialized society that has its own,
similar secrets) a collective "I told you so". After decades upon
decades of SAYING there is a class problem, this disaster is actually
SHOWING the problem in stark black and white (pun intended). As callous
as it is to say, you can't buy this sort of "advertising".

And speaking about the shamefully privileged ... I'm off to the
Stratford Festival for the next few days. Going to take my Mom to see
some Shakespeare. We were at the Shaw Festival last weekend. I got
back to the campus too. You wouldn't believe what they've done to your
newsroom. It's even smaller than before. But wow, the new phys-ed
complex and residences are first rate. Almost makes me wish I was back.
Almost.

JG


Finally tonight, Kanye West performed on the Oprah Winfrey show last week from his new album which I've pimped once already in Lyric of the Day. This time around a song that is smart and touching at the same time and carries a bit more meaning when you know West was almost killed in a car accident years before his career ever got going.

Lyric of the Day:
I want to tell the whole world about a friend of mine
This little light of mine, I'm feelin' let it shine
I'm feelin' take y'all back to them better times
I'm feelin' talk about my momma if y'all don't mind (Hey Mama)
I was 3 years old when you and I move to the Chi
Late December, harsh winter gave me a cold
You fix me up something that was good for my soul
Famous home chicken soup, can I have another bowl (Hey Mama)
You work late nights just to keep on the lights
Mommy got me training wheels so I can keep on my bike
And you would give me anything in this world
Michael Jackson leather and the glove, but didn't give me a curl (Hey Mama)
And you never put no man over me, and I love you for that mommy can't you see
Seven years old, caught you with tears in your eyes
'Cause a nigga cheat and telling you lies, then I started to cry (Hey Mama)
As we knelt on the kitchen floor, I said mommy I'm a love you 'till you don't hurt no more
And when I'm older, you ain't got to work no more
And I'm a get you that mansion that we couldn't afford (Hey Mama)
See your unbreakable, unmistakable, highly capable, lady that's making loot
A living legend too, just look at what heaven do, send us an angel, and I thank you

[Chorus]
Hey Mama, ahhhhhhhhhh, I wanna scream so loud for you
'Cause I'm so proud of you, let me tell you what I'm about to do (Hey Mama)
I know I act a fool, but I promise you I'm going back to school
I appreciate that you alive for me, I just want you to be proud of me (Hey Mama)
Kanye West, Hey Mama

Demoralizing

It's not enough that the Bombers go and lose to the worst team in the CFL and it's not enough that they handed said team its first victory and it's not enough that a 42-year-old man at QB shredded the Bomber defence for 400-plus yards passing...

Oh wait, yeah that's enough.

Actually, the toughest part about Friday's loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats was the fact the Bombers could have made a significant step in the playoff race and will now have to basically win both ends of the home-and-home with the Saskatchewan Roughriders over the next two weeks to legitimately think about the post season.

Even in the CFL, realistically, you shouldn't lose a game if you put up 39 points.

A few notes:

• Hard to knock Kanye West for his effort even though he threw two picks at the end of the game on potential game-winning drives in the fourth quarter. He threw for over 400 yards and three TDs and kept them in a game their defence tried their hardest to make unmanageable.

• The D. Good lord. More often than not the front seven has been the saving grace for a defensive unit that game in and game out makes opposition QB's look like hall of famers. No pressure up front meant McManus had all day to disect a porous secondary that absolutely desperately needs the front seven to disrupt the passing game. Otherwise, well ... things like Friday night happen. Our secondary is abysmal and the best one we've got, Willie Fields, was exposed over and over on Friday.

• I can't rant about the refs anymore. Well, of course I can. But just anyone who watched that game, specifically the final minute, had to shake their heads at what the stripes pulled off with just a few seconds remaining. A legitimate completion at the 55-yard line was not only called complete but spotted by the refs and nearly whistled in for the next play before, someone (heaven knows which one) waved it off despite the fact that the ref closest to the play and with the best vantage point had called it complete. That eliminated any chance of a hail mary to the endzone because the ball got spotted back at the original line of scrimmage, back near the 30.

Match game

Watching the Bombers-Ticats game right now and something occurred to me that I have been meaning to post for quite some time.

Separated at birth?

Bomber quarterback Kevin Glenn

and

hip hop producer/emcee Kanye West

You be the judge.

Crying

Additionally, today....

This

I guess I wouldn't be MLB batboy material in south Florida.