Archive for March 28th, 2006

March28

NFL Sets About Eradicating Joy

By: the mighty mjd

Thanks, Chad. Thanks for trying.You remember how much everyone enjoyed Chad Johnson’s and to a less extent, Steve Smith’s, touchdown celebrations last year? The NFL didn’t like it. They saw you smiling, they saw you laughing, they heard you talking about it with friends and co-workers… and they will have no more of it.  Soon, they will send security guards into the stands to slap the beer out of your hand and punch you in the face if you smile.

Everyone must be the same. Everyone must be palatable to corporate sponsors. Everyone must behave like a good little boy. The NFL is going to make their celebration rules a new “point of emphasis,” meaning that if anyone tries to do something people might enjoy, they’re getting a 15-yard penalty on the ensuing kickoff.

I have been mildly critical of the excessive celebration before, but… just because I feel it’s a little bit selfish, doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it. Chad Johnson improved my Sundays last year. Fact. And I’m sure he did the same for a lot of people… I just cannot fathom why the NFL would want to stop him.

Chad Johnson, to his credit, is not discouraged.

“Of course you can not stop someone as creative as me. How can this bother someone as creative as me? Tell the competition committee that Chad said you can’t cover 85 and there’s no way you can stop him from entertaining.”

I’d like to believe you, Chad. But the NFL has a long history of extinguishing fun wherever it exists. They’ll find a way to get you.

Posted in: NFL8 comments

March28

Should they have raced?

By: the mighty mjd

*sigh*There’s been some discussion about the appropriateness of the IRL people going ahead with the race on Sunday after Paul Dana died on the track earlier in the day. I don’t have a clue what the right answer is… but the safer decision would probably have been to push it back a day or two, or cancel it all together.

I remember a few years ago, a WWF wrestler died during a pay-per-view event, and the WWF caught hell for continuing with the show.  I haven’t seen a whole lot of outrage about IRL’s decision to go ahead, and I’m alright with that.

I’d have cancelled it if I was in charge. And that’s not a criticism of the people who actually had to make the decision… I don’t know that there is a right and wrong here. I know a lot of fans paid for tickets and traveled a long way to get to the race, and that’s just a tough situation. If it was me, I’d have had a hard time sitting there and cheering for anyone just hours after a guy had died on that very spot just hours ago. But I certainly understand if not everyone sees it that same way. I just hope that they made the decision with their hearts, and not by a TV schedule or any other financial reasons.

To change the subject a little bit, it’s really sort of amazing that this kind of thing hasn’t happened more often in IRL. The way his car was shredded, it looked like it was made of styrofoam. Is this safe? Is professional car racing safe? Mark McGwire hits a few extra home runs, Jose Canseco writes a book, and we get a congressional hearing on baseball. How many people have died in auto racing over the years… and not a word? If I had a kid, I’d rather see him shove a needle full of dianabol into his ass than get behind the wheel of a race car.

Posted in: Car Racing12 comments

March28

Good Basketball, Or Just Happy Endings?

By: the mighty mjd

Rodney Carney, having trouble figuring out the UCLA defense...Deadspin asked yesterday if the current NCAA tournament was the result of great basketball, or just great finishes and not-so-great basketball. Could a team like George Mason get to the Final Four if teams today were as good as they were back in the day? And what was the deal with that ugly-ass Memphis/UCLA game?

It’s kind of a long answer… I believe the game this year is in just as good as shape as it was 5 years ago. I mean, I’m not thrilled with the current state of basketball in general, but this year isn’t any better or worse this year than in the past few. There’s nothing wrong with the top seeds. I think what you’re seeing is the result of a few things.

First, mid-majors are getting better and better athletes all the time, because there are more and more of them to go around now. The different between a guy who ends up at Mason and a guy who ends up at UConn might be just 2 inches in height. A few more inches on the vertical. A little more accurate jumpshot in high school. It’s not much. I’m so impressed with Mason’s post players. They’re 6’6″ or 6’7″, but they’ve got great moves in the post, nice touch, comfortable with their backs to the basket, they play patiently, the make good decisions with the ball… there aren’t a lot of guys in college basketball who can play like that, and Mason has a couple of them.

And of course, it’s easier for a team like George Mason to keep their guys together for four years than it is for Duke or UConn, who spit out NBA prospects like a PEZ dispenser. That means a lot… especially in an era where guys aren’t at all fundamentally sound to begin with. Give a good coach a bunch of guys who will work to improve, and in four years, he’ll have them playing intelligently enough to beat teams with superior talent.

As for that Memphis/UCLA game… aberration. If Memphis shot the ball at the same percentage they had all year long, we wouldn’t have heard a word about this. I think it was just an example of a young Tiger team getting nervous, tensing up, being unable to establish a rhythm, and shooting like Jerome James after a couple bottles of Mad Dog 20/20. And they dragged UCLA down with them, they played to Memphis’s level, and we had an ugly game.

Other than that, I think the basketball’s been outstanding. The teams that are playing the best are where they should be.

Posted in: College Hoops8 comments

March28

Some Football Games To Dream About For A Few Months…

By: the mighty mjd

Is it me, or does Ricky Williams have extraordinarily round ass cheeks?And here’s why the NFL can piss us off by trying to stop Chad Johnson’s endzone celebrations, and still be confident that, while we might bitch, we’re still going to watch: they announce the first games of the schedule today, and we all start salivating like Pavlov’s dogs.

Thursday night, September 7th: Dolphins @ Steelers. Daunte Culpepper with an acquatic mammal on the side of his helmet. Defending Super Bowl champions. First glimpse at NBC’s coverage. It’s a must watch.

Sunday night, September 10th: Colts @ Giants. Eh, it’s a must watch if you like goofy pasty-white quarterbacks who share a mother and father.

Monday, September 11th: Doubleheader: Vikings @ Redskins at 7, Chargers @ Raiders 10:15. First, it’s the two teams that have been among the most active in the offseason. And then, it’s the starting debut of Phillip Rivers, and you’ll be up until about 2 a.m. watching Marty Schottenheimer try to pull his foot out of Art Shell’s ass. And it’s the debut of the Tirico/Theismann/Kornheiser team, too.

Thanksgiving day, November 23rd: Tripleheader. Dolphins @ Lions at 12:30, Bucs @ Cowboys at 4:15, Broncos @ Chiefs at 8 on the NFL Network. The NFL attempts to draw you further and further away from your family, giving you no time to breathe on Thanksgiving day.

Posted in: NFL3 comments

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