Tonight's game.....
Game 2: Pittsburgh @ Detroit 8:00 (NBC - Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk, ItG: Pierre McGuire) (CBC - Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson, SR: Elliotte Friedman and Scott Oake) (RDS)
Enjoy the game and as long as you're not a troll named Nathan (or any troll for that matter), leave comments in the blog and bring the funneh!
Update: If I'm not around right on time at 8, don't worry, I might be a few minutes late but I will be here and we will have the live blog. Just be patient. Besides, NBC is like Fox and loads you up on pregame for the first 20 minutes anyway, so it's not like I should be missing anything.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Last Night Was Quite The Night For Ryan Howard And Austin Wood...
We were missing all of the action last night as we took in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. That is not where the epic took place as that was reserved for Philadelphia and Austin, Texas where in Philly, Ryan Howard hit a triple decker grand slam and in Austin, well, if you have not heard about it already, you won't believe what happened there. First off, here's Ryan Howard being the 2nd person to ever hit a triple deck home run (and this a grand slam as well) in Citizens Bank Park (Howard was also the first).
But that video and that feat is easily topped by the performance by Austin Wood. Don't know who he is? Well, that should come as no surprise as he is a relief pitcher for the Texas Longhorns. So why am I documenting him here? Because last night he pitched 13 innings, which 12.5 of which he went without letting up a hit! Wait, he played 13 innings in relief??? Well that fact is easily explained by the fact that the Texas-BC game last night went 25 INNINGS!!!!! It was the longest game in NCAA history. The game started at 7:02 PM ET and ended at 2:05 in the morning. For those that are not math majors, that is 7 hours and 3 minutes! Wood's effort was not in vain, though, as in the top of the 25th inning, Travis Tucker hit an RBI single that would prove to be the difference in the game as the Longhorns would hold on in the bottom of the 25th and win it 3-2. Here's an interview with Austin Wood.
Just incredible. And if Boston College defeats Army later today (could you imagine playing one day after you played a 25-inning game) they would face Texas again tonight! Could you imagine that??? My best goes out to both teams for just an incredible effort and I have found the 2 horses I am pulling for in this year's College World Series. After the Syracuse-UConn 6 OT marathon,, I read a quote somewhere that I am about to paraphrase here as I don't recall where I read it was that I read it, but he said there are times amd games in sports where it is no longer just a game but more of a test of human will and endurance. And if that does not describe the performance of both teams, and in particular Austin Wood who had the night of his life and then some last night, then I don't know what can.
Texas tops Boston College in 25 innings (ESPN.com)
But that video and that feat is easily topped by the performance by Austin Wood. Don't know who he is? Well, that should come as no surprise as he is a relief pitcher for the Texas Longhorns. So why am I documenting him here? Because last night he pitched 13 innings, which 12.5 of which he went without letting up a hit! Wait, he played 13 innings in relief??? Well that fact is easily explained by the fact that the Texas-BC game last night went 25 INNINGS!!!!! It was the longest game in NCAA history. The game started at 7:02 PM ET and ended at 2:05 in the morning. For those that are not math majors, that is 7 hours and 3 minutes! Wood's effort was not in vain, though, as in the top of the 25th inning, Travis Tucker hit an RBI single that would prove to be the difference in the game as the Longhorns would hold on in the bottom of the 25th and win it 3-2. Here's an interview with Austin Wood.
Just incredible. And if Boston College defeats Army later today (could you imagine playing one day after you played a 25-inning game) they would face Texas again tonight! Could you imagine that??? My best goes out to both teams for just an incredible effort and I have found the 2 horses I am pulling for in this year's College World Series. After the Syracuse-UConn 6 OT marathon,, I read a quote somewhere that I am about to paraphrase here as I don't recall where I read it was that I read it, but he said there are times amd games in sports where it is no longer just a game but more of a test of human will and endurance. And if that does not describe the performance of both teams, and in particular Austin Wood who had the night of his life and then some last night, then I don't know what can.
Texas tops Boston College in 25 innings (ESPN.com)
2009 NBA Finals Schedule
It's the all Mickey Mouse NBA Finals! And Disney/ABC/ESPN probably could not be happier with the fact that people will be flocking to their neck of the woods during for the next couple weeks during the NBA Finals. With that being said, here's your official schedule for the 2009 NBA finals between the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers!
#1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #3 Orlando Magic
Game 1: Lakers 100-75
Game 2: Lakers 101-96 F/OT
Game 3: Magic 108-104
Game 4: Lakers 99-91 F/OT
Game 5: Lakers 99-86
Los Angeles wins the series 4-1.
Now that's more of how a finals schedule is supposed to look like! Not that emergency catastrophe of a schedule that Bettman and NBC thew together at the last minute because NBC is way too protective of their May sweeps and Bettman is a complete moron and a complete ass. And I will no longer make "it's been a long day and I'm tired" as an excuse to not live blog games. Sure there will be days when I am tired but I won't let that stop the live blogging fun. And we've got Jeff Van Gundy calling the finals of a series that his brother, Stan Van Gundy, is coaching. This should be very interesting to watch and very fun to live blog...
And yes, I am also live blogging Game 2 of the Stanley Cup tonight. I'll be sending the email out shortly and I hope to see you there.
#1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #3 Orlando Magic
Game 1: Lakers 100-75
Game 2: Lakers 101-96 F/OT
Game 3: Magic 108-104
Game 4: Lakers 99-91 F/OT
Game 5: Lakers 99-86
Los Angeles wins the series 4-1.
Now that's more of how a finals schedule is supposed to look like! Not that emergency catastrophe of a schedule that Bettman and NBC thew together at the last minute because NBC is way too protective of their May sweeps and Bettman is a complete moron and a complete ass. And I will no longer make "it's been a long day and I'm tired" as an excuse to not live blog games. Sure there will be days when I am tired but I won't let that stop the live blogging fun. And we've got Jeff Van Gundy calling the finals of a series that his brother, Stan Van Gundy, is coaching. This should be very interesting to watch and very fun to live blog...
And yes, I am also live blogging Game 2 of the Stanley Cup tonight. I'll be sending the email out shortly and I hope to see you there.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
NHL Playoffs Day 38 And NBA Playoffs Day 39 Live Blog
Tonight's games....
Game 1: Pittsburgh @ Detroit 8:00 (NBC - Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk, ItG: Pierre McGuire) (CBC - Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson, SR: Elliotte Friedman and Scott Oake) (RDS)
Game 6: Cleveland @ Orlando 8:30 (TNT - Marv Albert and Doug Collins, SR: Craig Sager)
If you choose to take over the live blog, you can watch and blog on whatever you game you want. Enjoy the game (and hopefully the blog) and I'll talk to you later tonight (I'd be shocked if it's after 10:15 PM ET).
Update: It works!!! If they are around tonight, 49er16, Mookie, and/or JamesCraven can take over the live blog from standby mode even if I am not around. As just said above, I have a strong estimate that my return time will be between 10 and 10:15 (I'm seeing a 7:35 showing of Angels & Demons with friends). I will talk to you then!
Game 1: Pittsburgh @ Detroit 8:00 (NBC - Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk, ItG: Pierre McGuire) (CBC - Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson, SR: Elliotte Friedman and Scott Oake) (RDS)
Game 6: Cleveland @ Orlando 8:30 (TNT - Marv Albert and Doug Collins, SR: Craig Sager)
If you choose to take over the live blog, you can watch and blog on whatever you game you want. Enjoy the game (and hopefully the blog) and I'll talk to you later tonight (I'd be shocked if it's after 10:15 PM ET).
Update: It works!!! If they are around tonight, 49er16, Mookie, and/or JamesCraven can take over the live blog from standby mode even if I am not around. As just said above, I have a strong estimate that my return time will be between 10 and 10:15 (I'm seeing a 7:35 showing of Angels & Demons with friends). I will talk to you then!
Tonight's Plan...
So here's the plan tonight. As I have previously stated, I will am going out tonight and will not be in. What has changed though is that it will only be for the first part of the night. My best estimate is that I will be back at approximately 10:00. It might be 5 or 10 minutes later and I don't fathom it being much earlier than that. With that being said, I know I said that I will have a live blog for every game of the finals (we'll find a way to navigate Bettman's idiocy when we get there). And that will be the case tonight. Once I am back, I will join in and we will do the live blog. Now what I hope I can do is I can make everyone whose email address I have a producer of this live blog (in case some are not around) with my hope being that producers can re-start up a live blog that is started up and placed on standby mode by me before I leave. My guess is you can, but I'm not entirely sure. If you can't then you can use the thread that I am about to create as an open thread until I get back and we can do the live blog from there, or you can work out a live blog on someone else's site and I can join you there. Talk to you later tonight!
Friday, May 29, 2009
I Finally Did It!!!
As JamesCraven would say, get yer heads out of the gutter. I'm not talking about that! What I am talking about is I finally made a GMail account specifically for this blog. The address is this (get ready for a big surprise):
FireAndyReidNow@gmail.com
Shocking.....I know. If you already have other email address, you can still send me emails there as well. I will try to check both of them as much as possible (i.e. daily). If you have any tips, questions, comments about the blog or anything that you want to say to me, please contact me and I will try to get back to you ASAP.
FireAndyReidNow@gmail.com
Shocking.....I know. If you already have other email address, you can still send me emails there as well. I will try to check both of them as much as possible (i.e. daily). If you have any tips, questions, comments about the blog or anything that you want to say to me, please contact me and I will try to get back to you ASAP.
NBA Playoffs Day 38 Open Thread (West Game 6)
Tonight's game.....
Game 6: Los Angeles @ Denver 9:00 (ESPN - Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy, SR: Doris Burke)
The champaign at ESPN/ABC/Disney is currently on ice. If the Lakers win, you can bet your bottom dollar that they will be cracking it open and having a party tonight. Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Game 6: Los Angeles @ Denver 9:00 (ESPN - Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy, SR: Doris Burke)
The champaign at ESPN/ABC/Disney is currently on ice. If the Lakers win, you can bet your bottom dollar that they will be cracking it open and having a party tonight. Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Kavya Shivashankar Is Your 2009 National Spelling Bee Champion
Maybe it's my past of mild success in my middle school's spelling bee in, but there is something about the spelling bee that is so compelling and so dramatic and so fun to watch and this year was no different. The winner this year was Kavya Shivashankar, a 13-year old girl from Kansas who, I must admit, I tagged from the beginning to win this thing. Not only that, but with every word, her family in the background was hilarious to watch. And I think it's safe to say that during this moment, Kavya was indeed Laodicean....
Congrats to Kavya as it is quite apparent that she worked and studied hard to win, especially seeing as this was her 4th consecutive year in the National Bee, with her previous best finish being tying for 4th last year. The prize she won other than that trophy is over $40,000 in cash and prizes. If you did not see it last night, try to catch an ESPN re-air as they do do that over the next couple of days at various times. It's fun to watch and there is something about the competition that is so pure and so refreshing that once you start watching, you can't turn away from it.
Congrats to Kavya as it is quite apparent that she worked and studied hard to win, especially seeing as this was her 4th consecutive year in the National Bee, with her previous best finish being tying for 4th last year. The prize she won other than that trophy is over $40,000 in cash and prizes. If you did not see it last night, try to catch an ESPN re-air as they do do that over the next couple of days at various times. It's fun to watch and there is something about the competition that is so pure and so refreshing that once you start watching, you can't turn away from it.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
NBA Playoffs Day 37 Live Blog (East Game 5)
Tonight's game....
Orlando @ Cleveland 8:30 (TNT - Marv Albert and Reggie Miller, SR: Craig Sager)
Enjoy the game and I hope you can join us for the live blog and leave comments!
Orlando @ Cleveland 8:30 (TNT - Marv Albert and Reggie Miller, SR: Craig Sager)
Enjoy the game and I hope you can join us for the live blog and leave comments!
Reviewing The Announcers For The 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs
I don't think I am about to post anything outside of consensus online opinion (NBA will be different), but seeing as I saw ample amount of broadcasts from Versus, NBC, TSN, and CBC, I figured why not type up an announcing review. I am more or less going to focus on individual announcers rather than teams seeing as for the 1st 2 rounds of the playoffs Versus shuffled their announcers around and never had a constant team. PbP guys are first and analysts are second (who cares about sideline reporters?). As always feel free to disagree in the comments section.
Mike Emrick: Mike "Doc" Emrick is the fricken man! He is enthusiastic and he legitimately cares about the game of hockey and that comes across ever so clear during his broadcasts. His calls at the end of last night's game 5 were epic and the Red Wings fans that watched that definitley were not let down by an announcer ruining their moment. And it was not just last night. Doc has been solid all playoffs and this is actually the first Stanley Cup Playoffs where I have not missed Gary Thorne, who is one of my favorites.
Jim Hughson: While I enjoyed what I saw of Hughson, I must say that Doc Emrick's call trumped Hughson's call of the last goal by a mile (I could not find Doc's call last night so that's why I posted Hughson's). On the plus side, Hockey Night In Canada is in good hands with him as the lead announcer and Craig Simpson as the analyst.
Gord Miller: Gord Miller has a tendency to try too hard and sometimes his excitement can come off as manufactured and not as authentic as someone like Doc Emrick. However, it seems like that only applies in the middle of the game. When the game is on the line and a dramatic moment happens (i.e. Scott Walker in Game 7 vs. the Bruins), Gord is right on point and was for the most point very enjoyable to listen to call games.
Joe Beninati: OMG.....Where do I start with Beninati? The guy talks over games, has bad jokes, has no knowledge of 21st century English, has a horrible sense of fashion as evidenced by the 4 hideous suit jacket, shirt, and tie combinations he had over the course of this series, and is the flat out epitome of awful announcing. If he can just permanently leave my television, I would be quite happy. And if Versus really wanted to make me giddy, they would somehow bring over Gary Thorne from ESPN to replace Beninati as the 2nd PbP guy behind Doc Emrick. I'd miss Throne on the Little League World Series, but in the end, it would be worth it.
Bob Cole: See Dick Stockton and Dick Enberg. Old man must retire.
Daryl Reaugh: Razor!!!!!!!! I had never heard this guy before this post season, and now I can't hear enough of him. He has a perfect blend of humor and insight and when he was paired with Doc Emrick for the Caps-Pens series, it was nothing but pure broadcasting magic. Finally there was someone who can keep up with Doc. Come on NBC, replace Edzo with Reaugh now!
Ed Olczyk: While he is not a bad analyst, the guy is simply forgettable. Often times in the hockey off-season I have to think for a second who the lead analyst is for NBC, and with me, someone who focuses a lot on announcers, that should never happen!!!!! And he just flat out can't keep up with Doc and it seems like such a drop off when he chimes in for thoughts and analysis with Doc Emrick doing PbP. Such a shame for he's not a bad talent per se, his partner is just too good for him.
Pierre McGuire: I think that you are either going to love Pierre or you are going to hate him. His insight can be really good at times and other times, he just comes across as a whiny douche bag who won't shut up.
Mike Emrick: Mike "Doc" Emrick is the fricken man! He is enthusiastic and he legitimately cares about the game of hockey and that comes across ever so clear during his broadcasts. His calls at the end of last night's game 5 were epic and the Red Wings fans that watched that definitley were not let down by an announcer ruining their moment. And it was not just last night. Doc has been solid all playoffs and this is actually the first Stanley Cup Playoffs where I have not missed Gary Thorne, who is one of my favorites.
Jim Hughson: While I enjoyed what I saw of Hughson, I must say that Doc Emrick's call trumped Hughson's call of the last goal by a mile (I could not find Doc's call last night so that's why I posted Hughson's). On the plus side, Hockey Night In Canada is in good hands with him as the lead announcer and Craig Simpson as the analyst.
Gord Miller: Gord Miller has a tendency to try too hard and sometimes his excitement can come off as manufactured and not as authentic as someone like Doc Emrick. However, it seems like that only applies in the middle of the game. When the game is on the line and a dramatic moment happens (i.e. Scott Walker in Game 7 vs. the Bruins), Gord is right on point and was for the most point very enjoyable to listen to call games.
Joe Beninati: OMG.....Where do I start with Beninati? The guy talks over games, has bad jokes, has no knowledge of 21st century English, has a horrible sense of fashion as evidenced by the 4 hideous suit jacket, shirt, and tie combinations he had over the course of this series, and is the flat out epitome of awful announcing. If he can just permanently leave my television, I would be quite happy. And if Versus really wanted to make me giddy, they would somehow bring over Gary Thorne from ESPN to replace Beninati as the 2nd PbP guy behind Doc Emrick. I'd miss Throne on the Little League World Series, but in the end, it would be worth it.
Bob Cole: See Dick Stockton and Dick Enberg. Old man must retire.
Daryl Reaugh: Razor!!!!!!!! I had never heard this guy before this post season, and now I can't hear enough of him. He has a perfect blend of humor and insight and when he was paired with Doc Emrick for the Caps-Pens series, it was nothing but pure broadcasting magic. Finally there was someone who can keep up with Doc. Come on NBC, replace Edzo with Reaugh now!
Ed Olczyk: While he is not a bad analyst, the guy is simply forgettable. Often times in the hockey off-season I have to think for a second who the lead analyst is for NBC, and with me, someone who focuses a lot on announcers, that should never happen!!!!! And he just flat out can't keep up with Doc and it seems like such a drop off when he chimes in for thoughts and analysis with Doc Emrick doing PbP. Such a shame for he's not a bad talent per se, his partner is just too good for him.
Pierre McGuire: I think that you are either going to love Pierre or you are going to hate him. His insight can be really good at times and other times, he just comes across as a whiny douche bag who won't shut up.
So This Is Where The Nerd In Me Comes Out
It seems like yesterday, but I was once a finalist in the all-school spelling bee that would eventually lead up to the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee. The reason I bring that up now is because tonight is the finals of this year's 2009 Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee at 8:00 on ABC! And while I won't be watching it live because of the basketball game, I will watch the recording once the game is over (No spoilers during the live blog, please!). And because I have to get up early tomorrow and will be out for the morning and afternoon tomorrow, I don't know when I will be able to get the video of the winning moment up, but I will eventually get it up for your enjoyment, even if it is a little late tomorrow evening.
2009 Stanley Cup Finals Schedule
With the release of the CBC press release earlier today, I guess it is time for me to throw up the schedule. Game 2 is still TBD and I am pretty sure I have read over hundreds of different explanations as to why that is the case (Taylor Swift, waiting on the NBA, The Lost Templar, among others). So it's the Red Wings and Penguins re-match and it starts this Saturday. NBC and Versus has not released press releases yet so I can't confirm the sideline reporters yet, they are just my best guess (all times eastern)
#2 Detroit Red Wings vs. #4 Pittsburgh Penguins
Game 1: Red Wings 3-1
Game 2: Red Wings 3-1
Game 3: Penguins 4-2
Game 4: Penguins 4-2
Game 5: Red Wings 5-0
Game 6: Penguins 2-1
Game 7: Penguins 2-1
Pittsburgh wins the series 4-3.
It's an awful schedule but, what can you do, I guess. I do plan on live blogging the whole Stanley Cup Finals (and on the days of NBA Finals overlap, it will be a double live blog. Aspeaking of live blogs, I will be live blogging tonight's Cavs-Magic game at 8:30. I'll probably be sending out the email in a few hours or so. I Hope you can join me!
#2 Detroit Red Wings vs. #4 Pittsburgh Penguins
Game 1: Red Wings 3-1
Game 2: Red Wings 3-1
Game 3: Penguins 4-2
Game 4: Penguins 4-2
Game 5: Red Wings 5-0
Game 6: Penguins 2-1
Game 7: Penguins 2-1
Pittsburgh wins the series 4-3.
It's an awful schedule but, what can you do, I guess. I do plan on live blogging the whole Stanley Cup Finals (and on the days of NBA Finals overlap, it will be a double live blog. Aspeaking of live blogs, I will be live blogging tonight's Cavs-Magic game at 8:30. I'll probably be sending out the email in a few hours or so. I Hope you can join me!
22-Year Old Darren Helm Will Remember This For The Rest Of His Life
Before we get to Helm though, I would be remiss if I did not post this video of the pheneomenal save made by Cristobal Huet. 20 seconds left in regulation and Franzen has a chance to be the hero......
Dis Bonjour a mon ami! What a save by Huet and my deepest apologies for ruining a classic movie line with that French translation. But on to the moment. Darren Helm in overtime gives us the rematch we've all been dreading....
Just an incredibly exciting game and an incredible ending. Darren Helm.....who saw that one coming? And a tip of the hat to the Blackhawks, though, that was an incredible game and while it is certainly not to say that Detroit was not deserving, but the Blackhawks proved themselves to be a very deserving team in this game and in this series, despite the Game 4 blowout.
And yes, I am aware that the Stanley Cup Finals schedule is up and no, I do not like the schedule. I am hoping that any and all press releases will be released tomorrow so that I can fill in any and all gaps in the schedule before posting it. We already know that Doc and Edzo will work for NBC/Versus and Hughson and Simpson will do the series for CBC, but I am waiting for sideline reporters and inside the glass to be officially announced as that could change (i.e. is NBC going to emply Harwood to sideline report even though Pierre will be inside the glass?). Plus the time for Game 2 has not been announced. But just as a preliminary before I create the whole shabang tomorrow here are your game dates in case you have not seen it plus angry commentary on the schedule from yours truly (all times except the unknown Game 2 are 8 ET)
Game 1: May 30 (this is more of a personal matter, but seeing as I planned on live blogging the whole series, I probably won't be around Saturday night; oh yeah, potential Game 6 interference from Cavs-Magic Yay, channel flipping).
Game 2: May 31 (potential game 7 interference from Nuggets-Lakers; channel flipping)
Game 3: June 2
Game 4: June 4 (NBA Finals...hello! I guess I'll be channel flipping or something...)
Game 5: June 6
Game 6: June 9 (more NBA conflict. More channel flipping.)
Game 7: June 12 (I can't believe that Bettman would actually schedule a potential Game 7 on a Friday night in June!!! Does he want the NHL to fail???)
Just sad and pathetic on so many levels. And despite the fact that last year's series was entertaining, the fact that it seems like people are less than giddy about the rematch and that there is all this NBA conflict, this could be a really bad end to what has been the NHL's best season post lockout. I'll have more tomorrow on the schedule and the broadcast info when all other information should become official.
Dis Bonjour a mon ami! What a save by Huet and my deepest apologies for ruining a classic movie line with that French translation. But on to the moment. Darren Helm in overtime gives us the rematch we've all been dreading....
Just an incredibly exciting game and an incredible ending. Darren Helm.....who saw that one coming? And a tip of the hat to the Blackhawks, though, that was an incredible game and while it is certainly not to say that Detroit was not deserving, but the Blackhawks proved themselves to be a very deserving team in this game and in this series, despite the Game 4 blowout.
And yes, I am aware that the Stanley Cup Finals schedule is up and no, I do not like the schedule. I am hoping that any and all press releases will be released tomorrow so that I can fill in any and all gaps in the schedule before posting it. We already know that Doc and Edzo will work for NBC/Versus and Hughson and Simpson will do the series for CBC, but I am waiting for sideline reporters and inside the glass to be officially announced as that could change (i.e. is NBC going to emply Harwood to sideline report even though Pierre will be inside the glass?). Plus the time for Game 2 has not been announced. But just as a preliminary before I create the whole shabang tomorrow here are your game dates in case you have not seen it plus angry commentary on the schedule from yours truly (all times except the unknown Game 2 are 8 ET)
Game 1: May 30 (this is more of a personal matter, but seeing as I planned on live blogging the whole series, I probably won't be around Saturday night; oh yeah, potential Game 6 interference from Cavs-Magic Yay, channel flipping).
Game 2: May 31 (potential game 7 interference from Nuggets-Lakers; channel flipping)
Game 3: June 2
Game 4: June 4 (NBA Finals...hello! I guess I'll be channel flipping or something...)
Game 5: June 6
Game 6: June 9 (more NBA conflict. More channel flipping.)
Game 7: June 12 (I can't believe that Bettman would actually schedule a potential Game 7 on a Friday night in June!!! Does he want the NHL to fail???)
Just sad and pathetic on so many levels. And despite the fact that last year's series was entertaining, the fact that it seems like people are less than giddy about the rematch and that there is all this NBA conflict, this could be a really bad end to what has been the NHL's best season post lockout. I'll have more tomorrow on the schedule and the broadcast info when all other information should become official.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
NBA Playoffs Day 36 Open Thread (West Game 5)
Tonight's game....
Game 5: Denver @ Los Angeles 9:00 (ESPN - Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy, SR: Doris Burke)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Game 5: Denver @ Los Angeles 9:00 (ESPN - Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy, SR: Doris Burke)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
NHL Playoffs Day 37 Open Thread (West Game 5)
Tonight's game....
Chicago @ Detroit 7:30 (Versus - Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk, SR: Bob Harwood) (CBC - Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson, SR: Scott Oake) (RDS)
Will the re-match be official tonight or will Chicago prolong the inevitable? Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Chicago @ Detroit 7:30 (Versus - Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk, SR: Bob Harwood) (CBC - Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson, SR: Scott Oake) (RDS)
Will the re-match be official tonight or will Chicago prolong the inevitable? Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Great Moments In Sports, #3
Tommy Salo feels Cam Ward's pain as we witness one of the greatest upsets in hockey history.
Touchdown USC!!!! Oh wait......(thanks to RJBO for reminding me of this).
Hat tip to anyone who can remind me just who that idiot announcer was. I've seen the Versus college football rosters through the years and I'm not familiar with all of them and I don't recognize the voice here so it is not the ones I am familiar with (Beninati and Papa). I used to know this but I forget (the analyst I can tell you is Kelly Stouffer, though).
Meet Mike Gundy. He's a man.
Just because I'm having problems finding some of the videos that I would like, I am narrowing the amount of vids in this section from 5 to 3. Sorry, but I'll be running out of videos at the pace I am at and the fact that it appears more and more old sports videos on YouTube disappear by the second...
Touchdown USC!!!! Oh wait......(thanks to RJBO for reminding me of this).
Hat tip to anyone who can remind me just who that idiot announcer was. I've seen the Versus college football rosters through the years and I'm not familiar with all of them and I don't recognize the voice here so it is not the ones I am familiar with (Beninati and Papa). I used to know this but I forget (the analyst I can tell you is Kelly Stouffer, though).
Meet Mike Gundy. He's a man.
Just because I'm having problems finding some of the videos that I would like, I am narrowing the amount of vids in this section from 5 to 3. Sorry, but I'll be running out of videos at the pace I am at and the fact that it appears more and more old sports videos on YouTube disappear by the second...
Song Of The Day: "Rest In Pieces" By Saliva
See below post for why this song (or at least the first line of the song) pertains to the Carolina Hurricanes and in particular, Cam Ward.
Okay, so it's a sad song about a relationship gone bad (I can sort of relate to the first verse of this song), but the fact that Reaugh mentioned Ward's depth perception being off made me think of the line "my depth perception must be off again".
Okay, so it's a sad song about a relationship gone bad (I can sort of relate to the first verse of this song), but the fact that Reaugh mentioned Ward's depth perception being off made me think of the line "my depth perception must be off again".
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
OMGWTF, Joe Beninati!
I don't think I have ever laughed out loud before as one of the hockey teams that I hate the most score what would turn out to be a game winning, series clinching goal, but that's exactly what happened tonight. Not only was this goal so soft that my grandmother could easily made the save even had her legs for some odd reason been shackled together, but when Daryl Reaugh used the phrase "OMG" to describe his disbelief at what he just saw, Joe Beninati was rather perplexed. Prepare for lolz.
ROTFLMAO!!!
I wonder what would have happened had Reaugh said "WTF" instead? Beninati may have ended up topping Eck from Friday night! And in the process may have gotten himself fired! Wait a minute!!!! Damn!!!! If only Reaugh had said, "WTF", this would have been the greatest day in NHL history!!!!!
Oh, and some advice to Beninati, please, do us all a favor, make a friend with someone who is under 30. He or she will help you a lot in life. Really.
ROTFLMAO!!!
I wonder what would have happened had Reaugh said "WTF" instead? Beninati may have ended up topping Eck from Friday night! And in the process may have gotten himself fired! Wait a minute!!!! Damn!!!! If only Reaugh had said, "WTF", this would have been the greatest day in NHL history!!!!!
Oh, and some advice to Beninati, please, do us all a favor, make a friend with someone who is under 30. He or she will help you a lot in life. Really.
NBA Playoffs Day 35 Open Thread (East Game 4)
Tonight's game.....
Game 4: Cleveland @ Orlando 8:30 (TNT - Marv Albert and Doug Collins, SR: Craig Sager)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Game 4: Cleveland @ Orlando 8:30 (TNT - Marv Albert and Doug Collins, SR: Craig Sager)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
NHL Playoffs Day 36 Open Thread (East Game 4)
Tonight's game....
Game 4: Pittsburgh @ Carolina 7:30 (Versus - Joe Beninati and Daryl Reaugh, SR: Christine Simpson) (CBC - Bob Cole and Greg Millen, SR: Elliotte Friedman) (RDS)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
I'll try to have some live blogs up this week including Game 5 of Magic-Cavs regardless of tonight's result, I don't know about tomorrow yet.
Game 4: Pittsburgh @ Carolina 7:30 (Versus - Joe Beninati and Daryl Reaugh, SR: Christine Simpson) (CBC - Bob Cole and Greg Millen, SR: Elliotte Friedman) (RDS)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
I'll try to have some live blogs up this week including Game 5 of Magic-Cavs regardless of tonight's result, I don't know about tomorrow yet.
Is The Golden Slipper On The Other Foot Now?
Good grief, this is a slow day. Instead of doing a pretty much useless piece on a 4-day old rumor that I just read on how the Phils could be interested in Peavy or speculating that Brad Lidge just does not have it anymore after blowing 2 saves on consecutive days, I figured why not do something a little more interesting and perhaps a little more in the public eye. The NBA Playoffs vs. The NHL Playoffs.
It's no secret that I've pretty much jerked off to the NHL Playoffs this year while bashing the NBA at every chance that I get, but should the slipper be on the foot now? Is the NBA overtaking the NHL? This conference final round has certainly dictated such. The NHL series have been a little less than stellar, with seemingly more blowouts in these 2 series than we saw in the first 2 rounds combined and not only that but the series are 3-0 and 3-1 respectively with seemingly little feeling that the trailing team has much of a chance to comeback.
On the other hand, though, the Conference Finals of the NBA has been absolutely thrilling. Of the 7 NBA conference finals games thus far, the only game that was really set in stone with 1 minute left in the game was last night's Lakers-Nuggets game. Every other game has been down to the wire and has been thrilling to say the least. The Nuggets have proven they can hang with the Lakers and the Magic, much to the shock of some, have done more than just hang with the Cavs, and if not for a LeBron miracle in Game 2 (if the Cavs go on to win this whole thing, that shot will become legendary, mark my words), the Magic would have a chance to wrap up a trip to the NBA Finals tonight. A shocker, indeed!
The Canes-Pens game starts an hour earlier than the Magic-Cavs game tonight, but once the basketball game starts, there is a good chance that I very well could change the channel from hockey for the first time this year and sit back, relax, and enjoy the basketball game and hope that LeBron and the Cavs can comeback and tie the series up at 2 heading back to Cleveland (yes, I am a Cavs fan).
It's no secret that I've pretty much jerked off to the NHL Playoffs this year while bashing the NBA at every chance that I get, but should the slipper be on the foot now? Is the NBA overtaking the NHL? This conference final round has certainly dictated such. The NHL series have been a little less than stellar, with seemingly more blowouts in these 2 series than we saw in the first 2 rounds combined and not only that but the series are 3-0 and 3-1 respectively with seemingly little feeling that the trailing team has much of a chance to comeback.
On the other hand, though, the Conference Finals of the NBA has been absolutely thrilling. Of the 7 NBA conference finals games thus far, the only game that was really set in stone with 1 minute left in the game was last night's Lakers-Nuggets game. Every other game has been down to the wire and has been thrilling to say the least. The Nuggets have proven they can hang with the Lakers and the Magic, much to the shock of some, have done more than just hang with the Cavs, and if not for a LeBron miracle in Game 2 (if the Cavs go on to win this whole thing, that shot will become legendary, mark my words), the Magic would have a chance to wrap up a trip to the NBA Finals tonight. A shocker, indeed!
The Canes-Pens game starts an hour earlier than the Magic-Cavs game tonight, but once the basketball game starts, there is a good chance that I very well could change the channel from hockey for the first time this year and sit back, relax, and enjoy the basketball game and hope that LeBron and the Cavs can comeback and tie the series up at 2 heading back to Cleveland (yes, I am a Cavs fan).
Vincent Kennedy McMahon Confronts Enos Stanley Kroenke
I'm pretty sure that we can consider the owner of the Denver Nuggets as The Man Formerly Known As Stan Kroenke. Thanks to the hilarity of Mr. McMahon, he may have people referring to him by his real first name for quite some time....
(Sorry about the odd video set up, it is not my doing and it is all I could find at this hour. The good part begins at the 2:53 mark in the first video and ends at the 2:53 mark in the 2nd video)
Enos!!!!!!!! From now on, the Denver Nuggets' owner will be referred to as Enos! ENOS!!!!! All I have to ask is what in the blue hell did his parents' smoke??? Say what you will about the WWE and how it's "fake" and "scripted", but the owner of the Denver Nuggets and Pepsi Center was thoroughly embarrassed, humiliated, and PWN3D by Vince McMahon and the WWE and it will certainly be awhile before he lives this one down.
Hopefully I will find a better video tomorrow. If I do, I will replace what is up here now with that one.
Oh and one last thing, hello David Stern!
Monday, May 25, 2009
NBA Playoffs Day 34 And WWE Monday Night Raw Open Thread
Tonight's action.....
Game 4: Los Angeles @ Denver 9:00 (ESPN - Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy, SR: Doris Burke)
WWE RAW (starting at 9:00 PM ET) from the Staples Center
Vince McMahon confronts the one and only Enos Stan "Chicken Nugget" Kroenke.
AND
The Los Angeles Lakers (John Cena, Batista, MVP, Jerry Lawler, and a mystery partner) will battle The Denver Nuggets (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase Jr., The Miz, and the Big Show)
I'll have all of the necessary videos from Raw up either later tonight or tomorrow.
Game 4: Los Angeles @ Denver 9:00 (ESPN - Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy, SR: Doris Burke)
WWE RAW (starting at 9:00 PM ET) from the Staples Center
Vince McMahon confronts the one and only Enos Stan "Chicken Nugget" Kroenke.
AND
The Los Angeles Lakers (John Cena, Batista, MVP, Jerry Lawler, and a mystery partner) will battle The Denver Nuggets (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase Jr., The Miz, and the Big Show)
I'll have all of the necessary videos from Raw up either later tonight or tomorrow.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Will The Real John Mayberry, Sr. Please Stand Up? (UPDATED WITH BETTER VIDEO!)
Aside from the fact that I utterly refuse to talk about Brad Lidge's 9th inning choke job that allowed the Yankees to win 5-4 in the bottom of the 9th, I have to share this video with you. The Phillies brought up John Mayberry, Jr. from the minor leagues and in his 2nd major league at bat, he hit a home run in Yankee Stadium. So naturally, seeing as his dad was a former major leaguer, Fox was eager to catch dear old Dad's reaction to his son's first homer. Perhaps they may have been too overeager, seeing as the person they thought was John Mayberr, Sr., wasn't exactly John Mayberry, Sr......(the payoff is a lot sooner in this version and not only is it better quality, but you get a lot more of the awkwardness afterwards which just absolutely killed me)
Oh.....my.....God! I was literally in tears cracking up at that! So, so funny! They had the wrong John Mayberry! And they showed this guy over and over again for a long time afterward as well! It was not a right away instant correction, this went on for what had to have been 20-25 minutes real time before Buck came on and said "Yeah, we got the wrong person".
Fox was not completely off here, the real John Mayberry, Sr. was in attendance at that game and he was eventually interviewed by Ken Rosenthal. And keeping with the theme of the comedy graphics over the situation, when they started the interview, the graphic read "The Real John Mayberry, Sr. We promise". Too funny!
Oh.....my.....God! I was literally in tears cracking up at that! So, so funny! They had the wrong John Mayberry! And they showed this guy over and over again for a long time afterward as well! It was not a right away instant correction, this went on for what had to have been 20-25 minutes real time before Buck came on and said "Yeah, we got the wrong person".
Fox was not completely off here, the real John Mayberry, Sr. was in attendance at that game and he was eventually interviewed by Ken Rosenthal. And keeping with the theme of the comedy graphics over the situation, when they started the interview, the graphic read "The Real John Mayberry, Sr. We promise". Too funny!
NBA Playoffs Day 33 Open Thread
Tonight's game....
Game 3: Cleveland @ Orlando 8:30 (TNT - Marv Albert and Doug Collins, SR: Craig Sager)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Game 3: Cleveland @ Orlando 8:30 (TNT - Marv Albert and Doug Collins, SR: Craig Sager)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
NHL Playoffs Day 35 Open Thread (West Game 4)
Today's game.....
Game 4: Detroit @ Chicago 3:00 (NBC - Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk, ItG: Pierre McGuire) (CBC - Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson, SR: Scott Oake) (RDS)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Game 4: Detroit @ Chicago 3:00 (NBC - Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk, ItG: Pierre McGuire) (CBC - Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson, SR: Scott Oake) (RDS)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
NBA Playoffs Day 32 Open Thread (West Game 3)
Tonight's game.....
Game 3: Los Angeles @ Denver 8:30 (ABC - Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy, SR: Doris Burke)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Game 3: Los Angeles @ Denver 8:30 (ABC - Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy, SR: Doris Burke)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
NHL Playoffs Day 34 Open Thread (East Game 3)
Tonight's games.....
Game 3: Pittsburgh @ Carolina 7:30 (Versus - Joe Beninati and Daryl Reaugh, SR: Christine Simpson) (CBC - Bob Cole and Greg Millen, SR: Elliotte Friedman) (RDS)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Game 3: Pittsburgh @ Carolina 7:30 (Versus - Joe Beninati and Daryl Reaugh, SR: Christine Simpson) (CBC - Bob Cole and Greg Millen, SR: Elliotte Friedman) (RDS)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
LeBron James Is A Beast
Hedo Turkoglu had just hit a jumper to give the Magic a 2 point lead with 1 second left in the game. Surely the game was over, right? Even though the Cavs did call their last timeout, there's no way they can score with 1 second, right? Well, LeBron James would like to say otherwise....
Un-fucking-believeable! Then again, maybe not so much, seeing as my 13-year old brother called it. Before the Williams inbound he said, "if they give it to LeBron James, the Cavs will score". The Cavs gave it to LeBron James. This series is now tied at 1. And I bet the Lakers are feeling pretty stupid right about now about not passing it to Kobe with their one last chance and instead giving the ball to Fisher who airballed a 3 at the buzzer last night, securing the win for the Nuggets.
Un-fucking-believeable! Then again, maybe not so much, seeing as my 13-year old brother called it. Before the Williams inbound he said, "if they give it to LeBron James, the Cavs will score". The Cavs gave it to LeBron James. This series is now tied at 1. And I bet the Lakers are feeling pretty stupid right about now about not passing it to Kobe with their one last chance and instead giving the ball to Fisher who airballed a 3 at the buzzer last night, securing the win for the Nuggets.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Dennis Eckersly Really Should Not Try To Read Lips On-Air
Sometimes in the spur of the moment, when something happens we tend to read people's lips and we instantaneously repeat what we said. This is not a novel concept that we are dealing with here. But when such an occurance happens on air and the word uttered by Youk who just got hit with a pitch is "shit!" and Dennis Eckersly instantaneously repeats that on the air on NESN, the result is pure awkward hilarity!
Absolutely hilarious! It was not necessarily the fact that Eck said "shit" that made that video (although it was hilarious) it's the complete 25 seconds of awkwardness that followed where they did everything but say, "Oh shit! We're so screwed!". Too funny!
(Hat tip to mandb97 for pointing this out in the comments section at AA)
Absolutely hilarious! It was not necessarily the fact that Eck said "shit" that made that video (although it was hilarious) it's the complete 25 seconds of awkwardness that followed where they did everything but say, "Oh shit! We're so screwed!". Too funny!
(Hat tip to mandb97 for pointing this out in the comments section at AA)
The Red Wings And Blackhawks Do Not Care That Martin Havlat Is Unconscious
This is the ultimate video of adding insult to injury. Pay attention to the knocked out body of Martin Havlat as the Blackhawks and Red Wings converge on the scene and start fighting.
Ouch. Kromwall was (unrightfully so) ejected from the game. Hell, that was probably not even a penalty and definitley not interference. The puck was right there. As mentioned by Doc and Edzo on the Versus broadcast, it was a violent hit, but it was neither dirty nor a penalty. Seeing as it is apparent that he is all right, it is safe to say that Havlat did somewhat deserve that as it was a cheap and dirty hit back when he was a Senator that in the following meeting between the two teams led to the infamous Friday Night Fights incident between the Senators and the Flyers.
Ouch. Kromwall was (unrightfully so) ejected from the game. Hell, that was probably not even a penalty and definitley not interference. The puck was right there. As mentioned by Doc and Edzo on the Versus broadcast, it was a violent hit, but it was neither dirty nor a penalty. Seeing as it is apparent that he is all right, it is safe to say that Havlat did somewhat deserve that as it was a cheap and dirty hit back when he was a Senator that in the following meeting between the two teams led to the infamous Friday Night Fights incident between the Senators and the Flyers.
NBA Playoffs Day 31 Open Thread (East Game 2)
Tonight's game.....
Game 2: Orlando @ Cleveland 8:30 (TNT - Marv Albert and Doug Collins, SR: Craig Sager)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Game 2: Orlando @ Cleveland 8:30 (TNT - Marv Albert and Doug Collins, SR: Craig Sager)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
NHL Playoffs Day 33 Open Thread (West Game 3)
Tonight's game....
Game 3: Detroit @ Chicago 8:00 (Versus - Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk, SR: Bob Harwood) (CBC - Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson, SR: Scott Oake) (RDS)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Game 3: Detroit @ Chicago 8:00 (Versus - Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk, SR: Bob Harwood) (CBC - Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson, SR: Scott Oake) (RDS)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Video Of Epicness: It's UConn Vs. USF.......In A Dance Off!
I've seen some pretty whacky things and some odd occurances in rain delays, but I'm pretty sure this one takes the cake by a mile. During a rain delay in a Big East tournament game, the Huskies and the Bulls decided to ignore the rain and take the field anyway...to show off their mad moves on the dance floor! Enjoy the video of awesomeness!
If that does not crack you up then I don't know what will. Too funny....too, too funny. Oh, and USF definitley won that!
Baseball rain delays are offiically awesome. (Awful Announcing)
If that does not crack you up then I don't know what will. Too funny....too, too funny. Oh, and USF definitley won that!
Baseball rain delays are offiically awesome. (Awful Announcing)
Reason #1567 Why The Colts Were Smart To Draft Peyton Manning And Not Ryan Leaf
It was long since established in 1999 that the Colts made the right choice by picking Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf, who was seen at the time of being someone that would have a very successful career in the NFL. But now, while Peyton Manning is a megastar and setting records for the Indianapolis Colts, Ryan Leaf will now experience life behind bars for indictments of drugs and burglary. From The Vancouver Sun:
And just as a warning for the weekend, things the number of posting over here will probably be a bit on the light side because a). it is Memorial Day Weekend and I do have stuff to do and people to hang out with, and b). because I am the fill-in blogger over at Keith's Sports Journal for the weekend, so often times, when I do post, I'll be posting over there. Be sure to check me out over there if you have not already. I'll continue to have open threads for the playoff games and will watch as much as possible, but do not expect an array of posting from me. It's Memorial Day Weekend! The unoffiicial start of summer! Get outside and enjoy the nice weather (although I'm more of a cold-weather person)!
The indictment charged the 33-year-old former San Diego Charger and former West Texas A&M quarterbacks coach with one count of burglary to a habitation, seven counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and delivery of a simulated controlled substance.And to think that I almost feel bad for the guy. The key word there, of course, is almost. The guy just seemed like he was nothing but an egotistical, d-bag both as a Charger, with other teams, and after he left the league. It is a curious thought of how the NFL would be different if the Colts had choosed Leaf over Manning and the Chargers then decided to pick Peyton Manning....
Leaf is suspected of breaking into an apartment and stealing the painkiller Hydrocodone, which had been prescribed to an injured football player.
Leaf has been undergoing drug rehabilitation in British Columbia, the Amarillo Globe-News reported. Efforts are under way to try to convince Leaf to return to the United States on his own.
And just as a warning for the weekend, things the number of posting over here will probably be a bit on the light side because a). it is Memorial Day Weekend and I do have stuff to do and people to hang out with, and b). because I am the fill-in blogger over at Keith's Sports Journal for the weekend, so often times, when I do post, I'll be posting over there. Be sure to check me out over there if you have not already. I'll continue to have open threads for the playoff games and will watch as much as possible, but do not expect an array of posting from me. It's Memorial Day Weekend! The unoffiicial start of summer! Get outside and enjoy the nice weather (although I'm more of a cold-weather person)!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
NBA Playoffs Day 30 Open Thread
AAAHHH!!!!! The long time between the start of the NHL game and this game caused me to totally forget. So sorry.
Game 2: Denver @ Los Angeles 9:00 (ESPN - Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy, SR: Doris Burke)
Enjoy the rest of the game and leave comments!
/Like I mentioned in the NHL open thread, it's been a rough past 24 hours. Couple the seeing of something that I really wish I did not see (although the more I think about it the more it helped me realize what I truly need) with a rough day at work, and yeah, I'm a bit off right now.
//Wow, that was deep in abstraction.
Game 2: Denver @ Los Angeles 9:00 (ESPN - Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy, SR: Doris Burke)
Enjoy the rest of the game and leave comments!
/Like I mentioned in the NHL open thread, it's been a rough past 24 hours. Couple the seeing of something that I really wish I did not see (although the more I think about it the more it helped me realize what I truly need) with a rough day at work, and yeah, I'm a bit off right now.
//Wow, that was deep in abstraction.
NHL Playoffs Day 32 Open Thread (East Game 2)
Tonight's game....
Carolina @ Pittsburgh 7:30 (Versus - Joe Beninati and Daryl Reaugh, SR: Christine Simpson) (TSN - Gord Miller, ItG: Pierre McGuire, SR: Ryan Rishaug) (RDS)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Carolina @ Pittsburgh 7:30 (Versus - Joe Beninati and Daryl Reaugh, SR: Christine Simpson) (TSN - Gord Miller, ItG: Pierre McGuire, SR: Ryan Rishaug) (RDS)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Great Moments In Sports, #2 (All College Football Edition)
Time for more great moments! Hey, monkeys in the truck, roll the clips! (Chris Jericho'd).
First up, and I think we all remember this play from last year, it's Trinity University, 14 laterals, and Johnny Weiner on the mic!
I still watch that video in awe....Next up, it's our very ownPat Pam Ward being lost.
Spike the ball on 4th down! GENIUS!!! Aspeaking of genius, how about Boise State in the 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl? Just incredible. And so I don't have to torture you with Thom Brennaman (although his calls were great here; I just could not find them) here's Paul J, radio announcer for Boise State!
OMFG, IT'S TIM TEBOW!!! HE MAKES A GUARANTEE!!! AND HE CAME THROUGH WITH IT!! AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! OMGWTF!!!!!!!
And lastly, because I am a huge Penn State college football fan and I basically despise the Michigan Wolverines (sorry, RJBO, it's nothing personal).....
And again.....
And again.....
And here are the Penn Staters watching this after beating FIU....
Believe me, in the minds of pretty much everyone in the Big 10 outside of Ann Arbor, that day will forever be remembered as College Football Christmas!
First up, and I think we all remember this play from last year, it's Trinity University, 14 laterals, and Johnny Weiner on the mic!
I still watch that video in awe....Next up, it's our very own
Spike the ball on 4th down! GENIUS!!! Aspeaking of genius, how about Boise State in the 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl? Just incredible. And so I don't have to torture you with Thom Brennaman (although his calls were great here; I just could not find them) here's Paul J, radio announcer for Boise State!
OMFG, IT'S TIM TEBOW!!! HE MAKES A GUARANTEE!!! AND HE CAME THROUGH WITH IT!! AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! OMGWTF!!!!!!!
And lastly, because I am a huge Penn State college football fan and I basically despise the Michigan Wolverines (sorry, RJBO, it's nothing personal).....
And again.....
And again.....
And here are the Penn Staters watching this after beating FIU....
Believe me, in the minds of pretty much everyone in the Big 10 outside of Ann Arbor, that day will forever be remembered as College Football Christmas!
Songs Of The Day: "I Hate Everything About You" By Three Days Grace And "Remedy" By Cold
It's a twofer today. Why? Because I feel like it! ;-) First up, "I Hate Everything About You" by Three Days Grace.
And lastly "Remedy" by Cold (not to be confused with Coldplay) (the music starts at 19 seconds; sorry for the incredibly random AMV but this is the only high quality, non live version of the song I could find).
And lastly "Remedy" by Cold (not to be confused with Coldplay) (the music starts at 19 seconds; sorry for the incredibly random AMV but this is the only high quality, non live version of the song I could find).
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Dwight Howard Must Harbor some Animosity Toward The Shot Clock
Apparently it brought the Magic good luck as they hung on to win that game, 107-106 as the Magic join the Sixers and the Lakers as the only teams to beat the Cavs at home this year, although you can argue that the Sixers game is illegitimate because it was the last game of the season and the Cavs rested everyone, but a loss at home is a loss at home and you have to go buy what the standings say.
It's Official: WWE RAW Won't Be Held In Denver; Finds Ironic Substitute
Even though it really should not have come down to this, it is now official and to no one's surprise WWE Raw has re-located for Monday May 25, the day that Game 4 between the Nuggets and the Lakers is supposed to take place. And the replacement venue: none other than the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California! From the Denver Post:
Fans with tickets to the Pepsi Center show can get a refund through Ticketmaster or exchange them for tickets to a new show set for Aug. 7 at the Denver Coliseum, said WWE chairman Vince McMahon.And I'm pretty sure that that change of heart included the WWE not returning to Denver anytime soon. Not settling for Sunday in Denver and moving WWE Monday Night RAW to the Staples Center in Los Angeles was indeed Vince's way of saying, "Fuck you and your ignorance, Stan Kroenke". And yes for the first time in a long time, I will be tivoing and watching WWE RAW Monday night and I will have the YouTube video up on this site of McMahon's mocking of Kroenke. That should be hilarious. And just because Stan Kroenke is a moron.....Go Lakers!!!
More than 10,000 tickets were sold for the Pepsi Center event.
McMahon, still irked at Kroenke Sports Enterprises for double-booking the Pepsi Center, said he'll have some fun with the show at the Staples Center. He said there will be a confrontation between himself and an actor posing as Stan Kroenke, owner of the Nuggets and the Pepsi Center.
Kroenke Sports said today that an agreement had been reached Tuesday afternoon to move Raw to Sunday night at the Pepsi Center before McMahon had change of heart.
"Despite the propaganda campaign launched by WWE and chairman Vince McMahon, the (Kroenke Sports) team maintained a professional manner throughout this process," Kroenke Sports executive vice president Paul Andrews said in a statement. "We had hoped for, and worked hard toward an amicable resolution which we verbally had on Tuesday."
NBA Playoffs Day 29 Open Thread (East Game 1)
Tonight's game....
Game 1: Orlando @ Cleveland 8:30 (TNT - Marv Albert and Doug Collins, SR: Craig Sager)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Game 1: Orlando @ Cleveland 8:30 (TNT - Marv Albert and Doug Collins, SR: Craig Sager)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
And The Site Of Super Bowl XLVII Will Be......
We already know where Super Bowl XLIV is going to be this year (Miami), where Super Bowl XLV is going to be next year (Arlington), where Super Bowl XLVI is going to be the year after that (Indianapolis), but what you may not have known was the location of the Super Bowl XLVII in 2013. And the winner is.....
The Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana!
The Super Bowl returns to the Superdome for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. And while it is great to see that the city has gotten such a huge coup after being devastated 5-years ago by Mother Nature, Katrina, and FEMA, I can't help but to dread that this story is going to be shoved down our throat over and over and over and over again by the media everywhere. Congrats to New Orleans, though!
The Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana!
The Super Bowl returns to the Superdome for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. And while it is great to see that the city has gotten such a huge coup after being devastated 5-years ago by Mother Nature, Katrina, and FEMA, I can't help but to dread that this story is going to be shoved down our throat over and over and over and over again by the media everywhere. Congrats to New Orleans, though!
A Little Bit More About Sean McDermott
By now, I assume you all know of the news that Jim Johnson has decided to take an indefinite leave of absence. And you may have heard somewhere that some schmuck named Sean McDermott is taking his place. And while all of the attention has been on Johnson and the hoping that he will be all right and able to come back (and rightfully so), if the horror story were to unfold and Johnson is not able to come back, it is probably rather important to learn a thing or 2 about Jim Johnson's successor. From Ray Didinger in a column in CSN Philly where he discusses how Johnson will be missed on the field.
Sean McDermott, the senior ranking assistant on Johnson’s staff, will take over the defense. He will keep Johnson’s system in place. For now, the coaches will focus on educating the new players. Everyone hopes Johnson can return at some point, if only in a consultant’s role, but at this point, no one knows.I too have the utmost faith that McDermott, who was the coach of the secondary under Johnson, knows the system and can execute the same defense that Johnson did. And as the article points out, his other protoges, if you will, have certainly met with success, most notably Steve Spagnuolo. But when push comes to shove, Jim Johnson will certainly be missed just for who he was as a person and what he as a person has brought to the coaching and the players, and not just his defensive scheme, which hopefully can be replicated by McDermott with little hassle.
Even if the X’s and O’s remain the same, how do you replace what Johnson brought to the Eagles on a daily basis? It will be a huge blow if he cannot return. That’s not to say McDermott doesn’t know his stuff. All of Johnson’s lieutenants – from Steve Spagnuolo to Leslie Frazier to Ron Rivera – have proven they were well-schooled during their time in Philadelphia. McDermott is the last pup from that original litter, so he knows Johnson’s playbook inside and out.
The question is more about confidence. The players knew Johnson so well and respected him so completely that when he made a call during a game, even if it was a call that went against the book, they believed in it because Johnson called it. When it worked – which it usually did – it was for that reason.
The Eagles made a lot of high-risk, “where-did-that-come-from?” calls work because, under Johnson, they played them so fearlessly. If the same call came in from another coach, the players might break the huddle thinking, “Geez, I don’t know about this,” and the result could be entirely different. In pro football, doubt will defeat you every time.
I do believe McDermott is a smart young guy who’s capable of doing a very good job. But there was something about Johnson, the craggy-faced old soldier with the gravelly voice, that made the players believe on game day. They always felt that no matter what the situation may be, the old man had the answer somewhere on his laminated card.
How do you replace that? The Eagles are hoping they don’t have to try.
My Two Cents On The WWE And Denver Nuggets Double-Booking
Hardcore NBA fans everywhere have been upset that something as "stupid and scripted" such as the WWE won't just tuck their tail between their legs and find a new venue like some no-name concert or orchestra would for the NBA Playoffs, but what they do not realize is that that arena belongs to the WWE this Monday.
The contract was signed back in April. The WWE has the Pepsi Center on May 25. The WWE agreed to it. The Pepsi Center agreed to it. Stan Kroenke, the man who owns both the Denver Nuggets and the Pepsi Center, agreed with it. It was all set in stone. Is it the WWE's fault that Stan Kroenke is a complete moron who did apparently did not see his team still in the playoffs on May 25? Absolutely not. It's his error and he should suffer the embarrassment and humiliation that comes with not believing in your team.
As mentioned, legally the WWE does have the arena on May 25 and it should be theirs to give up. Darren Rovel on CNBC.com had this to say about this spat.
Enough of the sarcasm and back to the point, the arena is the WWE's on that date! No ifs ands or buts about this. It is theirs to give up! Stan Kroenke's poor management skills and overlooking of the date has put everyone in a hole! He reported this date as an open date for the Pepsi Center! It's his mistake and he should pay for it. And this is not a minority opinion here. According to WWE.com, polls conducted by both CNN Headline News and Yahoo! Sports have said that fans believe that WWE is in the legal right and should have the arena on May 25.
Now Vince McMahon is by no means a stupid person. Au contraire, he is very smart and he knows exactly what he is doing here. As far as what should legally happen, the NBA works around the schedule and possibly swaps venues for games 2 and 4 or games 5 and 4 or something like that. What most likely will happen is that the WWE will take a whole lot of money (possibly millions) from Stan Kroenke and put their show on at either the Staples Center or Madison Square Garden, both of whom have offered to host WWE Raw on May 25. Vince McMahon knows this. But Vince McMahon will no doubt milk this and the publicity for all that it is worth. And I am sure he plans on making the NBA and Stan Kroenke sweat a little bit more before things are all set and done.
Oh, and as far as the future goes for WWE and the Pepsi Center, you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be a long, long time before the WWE ever decided to come back to Denver after this.
The contract was signed back in April. The WWE has the Pepsi Center on May 25. The WWE agreed to it. The Pepsi Center agreed to it. Stan Kroenke, the man who owns both the Denver Nuggets and the Pepsi Center, agreed with it. It was all set in stone. Is it the WWE's fault that Stan Kroenke is a complete moron who did apparently did not see his team still in the playoffs on May 25? Absolutely not. It's his error and he should suffer the embarrassment and humiliation that comes with not believing in your team.
As mentioned, legally the WWE does have the arena on May 25 and it should be theirs to give up. Darren Rovel on CNBC.com had this to say about this spat.
Even though the Nuggets are the main tenant of the building and the team is owned by the same guy who owns the Pepsi Center, Stan Kroenke, the lawyers representing the venue did not take into account that the Nuggets could still be playing the playoffs when they signed the contract with the WWE.The last paragraph is in there just so you realize that we are not dealing with some local city circus, which would just completely forget that they are in the legal right and just bow down to The Great NBA Playoffs and just give them the arena because they are so Great and unscripted, you can't forget unscripted! How dare scripted wrestling even think about taking over the arena on a date that unscripted basketball was later scheduled for? Legalities be damned! The WWE is scripted bullshit and has no place in an NBA arena because everyone cares about basketball and no one the WWE!!!
We know this because there is no sort of remedy provision that says that in the case of a conflict, this, this or that will happen. The only clause that is in most of these contracts is a force majeure, which basically would say that the venue and its operator is not responsible for any losses in the event something, like a force of nature, occurs.
But knowing how late the NBA makes its final scheduling of games in the playoffs, the folks at the Pepsi Center should have put in specific provisions for this happening.
For those who don't realize how big the WWE is, let me give you some numbers. "RAW" is broadcast in 30 languages in 145 countries. The WWE uses 12 tractor trailers, 2 TV trucks, a generator truck, a satellite truck and seven tour buses to carry the equipment (as much as 110,000 pounds of cargo) and crew to weekly events.
Enough of the sarcasm and back to the point, the arena is the WWE's on that date! No ifs ands or buts about this. It is theirs to give up! Stan Kroenke's poor management skills and overlooking of the date has put everyone in a hole! He reported this date as an open date for the Pepsi Center! It's his mistake and he should pay for it. And this is not a minority opinion here. According to WWE.com, polls conducted by both CNN Headline News and Yahoo! Sports have said that fans believe that WWE is in the legal right and should have the arena on May 25.
Now Vince McMahon is by no means a stupid person. Au contraire, he is very smart and he knows exactly what he is doing here. As far as what should legally happen, the NBA works around the schedule and possibly swaps venues for games 2 and 4 or games 5 and 4 or something like that. What most likely will happen is that the WWE will take a whole lot of money (possibly millions) from Stan Kroenke and put their show on at either the Staples Center or Madison Square Garden, both of whom have offered to host WWE Raw on May 25. Vince McMahon knows this. But Vince McMahon will no doubt milk this and the publicity for all that it is worth. And I am sure he plans on making the NBA and Stan Kroenke sweat a little bit more before things are all set and done.
Oh, and as far as the future goes for WWE and the Pepsi Center, you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be a long, long time before the WWE ever decided to come back to Denver after this.
This Mets Fan Had A Really Crappy Night
Emphasis on the word crappy, without a doubt. Last night, a woman at CitiField lost a tooth in the pooper and her hand got stuck in a shithole. No, really. That's exactly what happened! Via the New York Post.
A hapless Mets fan tried to make a diving catch when her gold tooth fell into a Citi Field toilet -- and got her arm stuck in the commode.And sorry folks, but there is no truth to the rumor that her tooth was located in Flushing Meadows Park.
The unidentified woman's bizarre Flushing adventure happened during last Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Braves, sources said yesterday.
It's unclear how long she was trapped screaming in the john, but stadium security guards and emergency medical personnel eventually showed up.
But they could not pry her loose on their own.
They called for back-up -- dialing up a worker from Cardoza Plumbing, the company that installed all 646 ultra-low-flow toilets at Citi Field.
He rushed to the scene from his company's Jamaica headquarters 7.2 miles away, the sources said.
The anxious victim, meanwhile, could only wait as the toilet continued to flush over her arm.
At one point, she became more entertaining than the game -- which the Mets lost 8-7 -- as fans gathered outside the bathroom near Section 338 to see the off-field action.
It's unclear if the toilet had to be destroyed to free her.
The woman did not recover her tooth, but was plenty relieved just to leave the bathroom.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
NBA Playoffs Day 28 And Draft Lottery Open Thread
Tonight's events....
NBA Draft Lottery 8:30 (ESPN - Matt Winer, Avery Johnson, Tim Legler, Mark Jones, Jay Bilas, Lisa Salters
Denver @ Los Angeles 9:00 (ESPN - Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy, SR: Doris Burke)
Enjoy the game and the draft lottery and leave comments!
NBA Draft Lottery 8:30 (ESPN - Matt Winer, Avery Johnson, Tim Legler, Mark Jones, Jay Bilas, Lisa Salters
Denver @ Los Angeles 9:00 (ESPN - Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy, SR: Doris Burke)
Enjoy the game and the draft lottery and leave comments!
NHL Playoffs Day 31 Open Thread (West Game 2)
Tonight's game....
Game 2: Chicago @ Detroit 7:30 (Versus - Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk, SR: Bob Harwood) (TSN - Gord Miller, ItG: Pierre McGuire, SR: Ryan Rishaug) (RDS)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Game 2: Chicago @ Detroit 7:30 (Versus - Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk, SR: Bob Harwood) (TSN - Gord Miller, ItG: Pierre McGuire, SR: Ryan Rishaug) (RDS)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
"Stan Kroenke Should Be Arrested For Impersonating A Good Business Man"
Most of, if not all of you know about the conflict at the Pepsi Center on Monday, May 25 when WWE Raw and Game 4 of the Western Conference finals literally are scheduled at the exact same time at the same arena. And if you're an NBA fan and/or Nuggets fan, believe me, the last person and company you want an arena conflict with is Vince McMahon and the WWE. But that is what we have and Vince McMahon does not plan on just stepping aside from the NBA. Instead he went on ESPNEWS where he was interviewed by his old employee, Jonathan Coachman, and not only was he not afraid of taking jabs at Stan Kroenke, but he even challenged him to a steel cage match!
Hilarious!!! The Nuggets and the NBA are in quite the quandary and it should be real interesting to see how it all plays out, as Vince McMahon won't go down without a fight. What would be really hilarious is if there is no resolution and both companies and ticketholders of both shows show up at the same time and chaos ensues. Better yet, maybe Rey Mysterio could leap off the backboard and deliver a cross body to Chauncey Billups. That would be awesome!
The Links (Keith's Sports Journal)
Mr. McMahon does not approve of having Game 4 of the Lakers-Nuggets series in Denver (The O Files)
Hilarious!!! The Nuggets and the NBA are in quite the quandary and it should be real interesting to see how it all plays out, as Vince McMahon won't go down without a fight. What would be really hilarious is if there is no resolution and both companies and ticketholders of both shows show up at the same time and chaos ensues. Better yet, maybe Rey Mysterio could leap off the backboard and deliver a cross body to Chauncey Billups. That would be awesome!
The Links (Keith's Sports Journal)
Mr. McMahon does not approve of having Game 4 of the Lakers-Nuggets series in Denver (The O Files)
Great Moments In Sports, #1
This idea came to me all of a sudden as I was looking at some older sports videos today in YouTube. I figured hey, why not start a twice weekly feature on great moments in sports that will consist of 5 videos per post featuring actual great moments in sports, to well, more trite moments of ridiculousness and absurdity and in some cases even downright horridness in sports. Basically, it's any sports moment worth remembering that it has a video on YouTube! ;-)
First up, and you know I have to start with Philadelphia, it's one of the best moments in Eagles history made by hero turned football laughing stock Freddie Mitchell. Yep, you guessed it, it's 4th and 26. Believe.
I actually used to have a "4th & 26" shirt that said "4th and 26" on it with a picture of the chains and on the back it simply said "Believe". Actually, although very doubtful that it fits, I might still have it somewhere.....
Next up, because I am anxiously anticipation its return in August, one of the most amazing plays I can ever remember from the Little League World Series (and because I am such a fan, and I am proud to admit that, I might add, you can expect wall to wall coverage on this blog when the time comes).
Sticking with the Little League World Series, how about a walk off to win the world championship>
And now, perhaps one of the most embarrassing and pathetic moments in sports. The Malice in the Palace as it has come to be known, starring none other than Ron Artest. And just to clarify so I don't get bashed in the comments section, when I say "great" moments, it's all encompassing of both the truly great and the ones we would rather forget. This obviously being the latter and the worst of the latter to say the least. But not to be hypocritical, it most certainly is memorable, so it gets a spot on this new feature. (it's in 3 parts, mainly because of the breakdown that Steve Levy gives afterwards that shows more of what actually happened as opposed to the live video, which is in part 1 and the 2nd half of part 2).
The fifth and final great moment of the day will head over to MXC and a Tiny Trike race that consists of one of the most thrilling finishes in the history of professional triking.
I don't know about you, but I honestly think that Vic Romano would make a great play by play announcer for pretty much any sport.
So ends the 1st column of Great Moments in Sports. I hope you enjoyed it! If you have any thoughts, suggestions, or ideas as to what may constitute a great moment in sports, please email me (FYI, when I finally stop being lazy and turn my thoughts into action, I plan on creating a GMail account for this blog for you to email me compliments, criticisms, compliments, ideas, compliments, stories, compliments, thoughts for the next Song of the Day or a Great Moment in Sports, and compliments). And I'll let you know both via email and blog post when I have finally done such.
First up, and you know I have to start with Philadelphia, it's one of the best moments in Eagles history made by hero turned football laughing stock Freddie Mitchell. Yep, you guessed it, it's 4th and 26. Believe.
I actually used to have a "4th & 26" shirt that said "4th and 26" on it with a picture of the chains and on the back it simply said "Believe". Actually, although very doubtful that it fits, I might still have it somewhere.....
Next up, because I am anxiously anticipation its return in August, one of the most amazing plays I can ever remember from the Little League World Series (and because I am such a fan, and I am proud to admit that, I might add, you can expect wall to wall coverage on this blog when the time comes).
Sticking with the Little League World Series, how about a walk off to win the world championship>
And now, perhaps one of the most embarrassing and pathetic moments in sports. The Malice in the Palace as it has come to be known, starring none other than Ron Artest. And just to clarify so I don't get bashed in the comments section, when I say "great" moments, it's all encompassing of both the truly great and the ones we would rather forget. This obviously being the latter and the worst of the latter to say the least. But not to be hypocritical, it most certainly is memorable, so it gets a spot on this new feature. (it's in 3 parts, mainly because of the breakdown that Steve Levy gives afterwards that shows more of what actually happened as opposed to the live video, which is in part 1 and the 2nd half of part 2).
The fifth and final great moment of the day will head over to MXC and a Tiny Trike race that consists of one of the most thrilling finishes in the history of professional triking.
I don't know about you, but I honestly think that Vic Romano would make a great play by play announcer for pretty much any sport.
So ends the 1st column of Great Moments in Sports. I hope you enjoyed it! If you have any thoughts, suggestions, or ideas as to what may constitute a great moment in sports, please email me (FYI, when I finally stop being lazy and turn my thoughts into action, I plan on creating a GMail account for this blog for you to email me compliments, criticisms, compliments, ideas, compliments, stories, compliments, thoughts for the next Song of the Day or a Great Moment in Sports, and compliments). And I'll let you know both via email and blog post when I have finally done such.
Monday, May 18, 2009
NHL Playoffs Day 30 Live Blog (East Game 1)
Tonight's game....
Game 1: Carolina @ Pittsburgh 7:30 (Versus - Joe Beninati and Daryl Reaugh, SR: Christine Simpson) (TSN - Gord Miller, ItG: Pierre McGuire) (RDS)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Game 1: Carolina @ Pittsburgh 7:30 (Versus - Joe Beninati and Daryl Reaugh, SR: Christine Simpson) (TSN - Gord Miller, ItG: Pierre McGuire) (RDS)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Jim Johnson To Take Leave Of Absence
Some sad news to report today from the Eagles' coaching staff. If you'll remember, back in January, I had a story about how Eagles Defensive coordinator, Jim Johnson was diagnosed once again with cancer, well today he has decided to take a leave of absence to undergo treatment and to focus on his recover and rehabilitation. From CSN Philly.com
Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, who is undergoing treatment for skin cancer, has taken a leave of absence for an indefinite period of time.That's just sad. As much grief as I give Andy Reid, on the absolute other side of the coin, Jim Johnson is nothing but a pure defensive genius and is without a doubt, one of, if not the, best defensive coordinator in the NFL. Here's hoping that he will indeed be all right and can make a full recovery!
Secondary coach Sean McDermott will fill in for Johnson. The Eagles begin a two-day rookie minicamp on Wednesday.
"Jim and I agreed that he needs to concentrate all of his efforts on his recovery,” head coach Andy Reid said in a statement released by the team “His health is number one. He’s struggling, but he’s a tough guy and a true battler. I hope everyone will keep him in their thoughts and prayers during this period of time. We hope to have him back with the team as soon as possible.”
Johnson, who turns 68 next Tuesday, was first diagnosed with melanoma in his back in 2001. This January, nearly two weeks after the Eagles lost to Arizona in the NFC Championship, the team announced that he had experienced a recurrence because a tumor had developed in his spine.
The pain forced Johnson to coach the Eagles’ final two playoff games from the press box. Although he was on the field earlier this month during minicamp, the usually vigorous Johnson clearly was affected by the disease.
Because of broken bones in his back, he traversed the fields on a scooter and used a cane to walk. On May 2, in his first press conference since the team disclosed his condition, the toll the treatments were taking was apparent in his voice and countenance. He also had lost weight.
Still, Johnson explained how coaching was perhaps as important as chemotherapy.
“It’s great. It’s a part of my life, and it keeps me going,” said Johnson, who hoped to ditch the scooter as soon as possible.
“It’s not going to be like this all the time – hopefully we’ll get that injury back so I’m walking back on the field.”
Brett Favre To Have Surgery
Phew.......that was a close one. You all know what this means, don't you? Brett Favre having surgery means that he won't return to the NFL and he will retire once and for all. Wait, hold on, what??!?!? What are you saying?? He's still considering the Vikings?????? Even though he said that if he had surgery he would not return to the NFL?? Are you effing kidding me?? This guy is more two-faced than a man who actually has 2 faces!!! From ESPN.com
Brett Favre will meet with renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews on Tuesday in Alabama to discuss surgery on his throwing shoulder expected to be performed later this week, the St. Paul Pioneer Press has reported.Ugh.
Rehabilitation from the surgery, which will release a partially torn biceps tendon in Favre's right arm, would be six to eight weeks, the report said.
Favre, 39, consulted with Andrews last week, a source told ESPN. According to the Pioneer Press, Favre missed another scheduled appointment with Andrews.
The report further indicates Favre's intent to consider signing with the Minnesota Vikings despite announcing his retirement with the New York Jets after last season.
The Good Doctor Is Leaving Us!
I must admit that when I first read the news this afternoon (right now is the first I've been around any sort of news for the day so bare with me here). But alas, we gathered here today to say goodbye to the one, the only, the man, the myth, the legend himself, Dr. Tony Kornheiser.
I have been crying for the past 3 hours over learning of this news. I just can't believe it. Why must he leave me like this? Why??? Why???? SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME WHY ON EARTH THE GREATEST ANALYST OF ALL TIME WOULD LEAVE US LIKE THIS!!!!!!!!!!
Wait a minute! Thanks to Awful Announcing, we finally have the reason why Dr. Kornheiser would ever do such a thing!!!! (oh, yeah, and something about a replacement namedJon Gruden Chucky)
Okay, enough of the over-the-top ridiculous sarcasm. And as surprising as it is (one would think ESPN would go with the experienced Matt Millen) that The Leader chose former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach, Jon "Chucky" Gruden, he probably will be better in the booth than Dr. Kornheiser was. And for those that are late to the party and don't know why I call him Dr. Kornheiser, it's because of a quote during the Pats-Broncos MNF game last year where he said that he likes being in the broadcast booth because he likes to play doctor when players get injured and tries to diagnose their injuries. I'm pretty sure that everyone knows this running gag, but for those that are late to this party, here is why Jon Gruden is called Chucky.
The resemblemce is so.......scary. And to those who believe that Jon Gruden is just another new analyst for ESPN, consider this thought, everyone thought that Chucky was just a doll......
I have been crying for the past 3 hours over learning of this news. I just can't believe it. Why must he leave me like this? Why??? Why???? SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME WHY ON EARTH THE GREATEST ANALYST OF ALL TIME WOULD LEAVE US LIKE THIS!!!!!!!!!!
Wait a minute! Thanks to Awful Announcing, we finally have the reason why Dr. Kornheiser would ever do such a thing!!!! (oh, yeah, and something about a replacement named
Former Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden is joining ESPN’s Monday Night Football. The dynamic, outspoken and often fiery Gruden will join commentators Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski in the booth when sports television’s signature series kicks off its 40th season this fall. Gruden will also contribute analysis throughout the year on ESPN Radio and other platforms, in addition to being a part of ESPN’s 2010 Pro Bowl telecast and Super Bowl and NFL Draft coverage.I still can't get over it!!!! Dr. Kornheiser is leaving us!!!!! NOOOO!!!!! I may never get over this national day of tragedy! Never! NEVER! NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gruden replaces Tony Kornheiser, who has decided to step down after three years in the Monday Night Football booth.
“I would like to thank Tony Kornheiser for his many contributions to Monday Night Football the past three years,” said John Skipper, ESPN executive vice president, content. “He has been a big reason for the show’s success on ESPN. Pardon the Interruption is one of ESPN’s most important franchises and fans will continue to see Tony on the show and involved in other future ESPN projects for many years to come.”
Kornheiser added: “I am totally grateful for the MNF opportunity that I truly enjoyed the last three seasons. I feel we got better each year. My fear of planes is legendary and sadly true. When I looked at the upcoming schedule it was the perfect storm that would've frequently moved me from the bus to the air. I kept looking at the schedule the past month and wanted to find a way to quietly extricate myself. If I could handpick a replacement of a football guy, I would cast a net and drag in Jon Gruden. He is the two things you most want -- smart and funny -- and has the two things I don't -- good hair and a tan. I love PTI and am looking forward to continuing to yammer and yodel with Wilbon until the end of time.”
Okay, enough of the over-the-top ridiculous sarcasm. And as surprising as it is (one would think ESPN would go with the experienced Matt Millen) that The Leader chose former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach, Jon "Chucky" Gruden, he probably will be better in the booth than Dr. Kornheiser was. And for those that are late to the party and don't know why I call him Dr. Kornheiser, it's because of a quote during the Pats-Broncos MNF game last year where he said that he likes being in the broadcast booth because he likes to play doctor when players get injured and tries to diagnose their injuries. I'm pretty sure that everyone knows this running gag, but for those that are late to this party, here is why Jon Gruden is called Chucky.
The resemblemce is so.......scary. And to those who believe that Jon Gruden is just another new analyst for ESPN, consider this thought, everyone thought that Chucky was just a doll......
What Nearly Could Have Been One Of The Scariest Moments In Sports History
This could have easily been one of the worst moments the NHL has ever seen in its playoffs. If you get queazy easily, I suggest you look away.
The good news, not only was Adam Burish not injured, but he did not even miss a shift! A millimeter or so more and Adam Burish would most likely be in a hospital right more. From NHL.com
Video: Chicago's Adam Burish takes skate blade to the throat (Puck Daddy)
The good news, not only was Adam Burish not injured, but he did not even miss a shift! A millimeter or so more and Adam Burish would most likely be in a hospital right more. From NHL.com
"I don't know how I'm so darn lucky," Burish said. "It was centimeters, millimeters away from slicing (his throat)."Just an incredible stroke of luck for Adam Burish and a sigh of relief as we did not end up suffering the same fate that Richard Zednik suffered last year.
Eager said he had no idea he had nearly injured his linemate, but Burish could remember the whole thing.
"I don't know how my head is still connected here," he said. "I saw his skate -- it was like he did a figure skating move and kind of whipped his skate up. I just watched it go right into my neck."
Remarkably, not only was Burish not severely injured, he didn't need stitches and didn't miss a shift. After the game, there was almost no trace of the wound. Even after nearly suffering what could have been a life-altering injury, Burish wore a smile with his neat suit; he joked that his mother watching at home would probably be more upset than he was.
"Probably harder for my mom to shake if she was watching on TV," Burish said. "You just kind of forget about it."
Video: Chicago's Adam Burish takes skate blade to the throat (Puck Daddy)
Spoiling All Of Your Fun By Telling You Who Is Going To Win Each Of The Conference Finals Series
You all know how this works. If you want to go to Vegas and make a lot of money, you go to this site and read my predictions, you then take the opposite team that I pick and in a different number of games and if you bet enough, you will be an instant millionaire. So here it goes.
NHL Conference Finals:
The Detroit Red Wings will once again be The Best Of The West; this time they will do it by beating the Chicago Blackhawks in 6 games.
The Carolina Hurricanes will defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in 7 games and represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals.
NBA Conference Finals
The Cleveland Cavaliers will continue their NBA Playoff dominance and roll over the Olrandl Magic in 5 games to advance to the NBA Finals.
The Denver Nuggets will shock the world and The Pride And Joy Of Lower Merion High School as they will defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in 6 games. Too bad that the Pride And Joy Of Upper Merion High School won't be the sideline reporter for the series...
NHL Conference Finals:
The Detroit Red Wings will once again be The Best Of The West; this time they will do it by beating the Chicago Blackhawks in 6 games.
The Carolina Hurricanes will defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in 7 games and represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals.
NBA Conference Finals
The Cleveland Cavaliers will continue their NBA Playoff dominance and roll over the Olrandl Magic in 5 games to advance to the NBA Finals.
The Denver Nuggets will shock the world and The Pride And Joy Of Lower Merion High School as they will defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in 6 games. Too bad that the Pride And Joy Of Upper Merion High School won't be the sideline reporter for the series...
Sunday, May 17, 2009
2009 NBA Conference Final Schedule
You would think that with 2 Game 7s that we would have had some thrills but has have been the case with the NBA Playoffs this year outside of the Bulls-Celtics series the only drama of both games was what was the final margin of victory going to be. Neither entertained and neither were interesting. On the plus side for the NBA looking forward, their schedule for the conference finals is much better with a game on everyday and each series on every other day whereas the NHL has a bunch of extra days off, and in my view, that in part ruins the some of the momentum the NHL had heading out of the conference finals. Oh, and despite starting 2 days later, the Game sevens in the NBA take place before the Game 7s of the NHL. Gary Bettman strikes again! But enough of me opining (Nathan Brice would not approve) and more to the point of this post, and that's the actual schedule (and soon to be results page as we progress along) of the 2009 NBA Conference finals which start on Tuesday with the Nuggets taking on the Lakers. (all times eastern)
Eastern Conference Finals
#1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #3 Orlando Magic
Game 1: Magic 107-106
Game 2: Cavaliers 96-95
Game 3: Magic 99-89
Game 4: Magic 116-114 F/OT
Game 5: Cavaliers 112-102
Game 6: Magic 103-90
Orlando wins the series 4-2.
Western Conference Finals
#1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #2 Denver Nuggets
Game 1: Lakers 105-103
Game 2: Nuggets 106-103
Game 3: Lakers 103-97
Game 4: Nuggets 120-101
Game 5: Lakers 103-94
Game 6: Lakers 119-92
Los Angeles wins the series 4-2.
Hopefully the NBA Playoffs finally decide to give us some excitement. Personally, I think that Cleveland will walk right on Orlando as the Magic have yet to play with consistency and even when they are good, I still don't think they have what it takes to hang with the Cavs, especially in the Q. Meanwhile, I think we have quite showdown out west that could quite potentially save this NBA Playoffs from going down as one of the worst on record, even if you include Bulls-Celtics. No game outsied that series has gone into overtime and we have had very few buzzer beaters. The NBA Playoffs has always been a good source of drama and unpredictability in years past, and that has been heavily lacking this year. The fun starts on Tuesday. And if I think (or know) that I will be around all night and am not feeling tired and/or lazy, I will have live blogs (which I will try to give you a heads up about via CiL email invitation, but even then, I can't guarantee that), if not, I'll just have the standard open thread up which y'all have grown quite accustomed to.
Eastern Conference Finals
#1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #3 Orlando Magic
Game 1: Magic 107-106
Game 2: Cavaliers 96-95
Game 3: Magic 99-89
Game 4: Magic 116-114 F/OT
Game 5: Cavaliers 112-102
Game 6: Magic 103-90
Orlando wins the series 4-2.
Western Conference Finals
#1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #2 Denver Nuggets
Game 1: Lakers 105-103
Game 2: Nuggets 106-103
Game 3: Lakers 103-97
Game 4: Nuggets 120-101
Game 5: Lakers 103-94
Game 6: Lakers 119-92
Los Angeles wins the series 4-2.
Hopefully the NBA Playoffs finally decide to give us some excitement. Personally, I think that Cleveland will walk right on Orlando as the Magic have yet to play with consistency and even when they are good, I still don't think they have what it takes to hang with the Cavs, especially in the Q. Meanwhile, I think we have quite showdown out west that could quite potentially save this NBA Playoffs from going down as one of the worst on record, even if you include Bulls-Celtics. No game outsied that series has gone into overtime and we have had very few buzzer beaters. The NBA Playoffs has always been a good source of drama and unpredictability in years past, and that has been heavily lacking this year. The fun starts on Tuesday. And if I think (or know) that I will be around all night and am not feeling tired and/or lazy, I will have live blogs (which I will try to give you a heads up about via CiL email invitation, but even then, I can't guarantee that), if not, I'll just have the standard open thread up which y'all have grown quite accustomed to.
NBA Playoffs Day 27 Open Thread (2 Game Sevens)
Today's games....
Game 7: Houston @ Los Angeles 3:30 (ABC - Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy, SR: Doris Burke)
Game 7: Orlando @ Boston 8:00 (TNT - Marv Albert and Reggie Miller, SR: David Aldridge)
Enjoy the games and leave comments!
ABC might want to think about how they order their graphics better. George Lopez was seen next to David Arquette at the Lakers game, however, ABC was only to get up the graphic for Arquette. No problem. But when it was Frank Robinson's turn to wave to the camera, hilarity ensued...
Game 7: Houston @ Los Angeles 3:30 (ABC - Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy, SR: Doris Burke)
Game 7: Orlando @ Boston 8:00 (TNT - Marv Albert and Reggie Miller, SR: David Aldridge)
Enjoy the games and leave comments!
ABC might want to think about how they order their graphics better. George Lopez was seen next to David Arquette at the Lakers game, however, ABC was only to get up the graphic for Arquette. No problem. But when it was Frank Robinson's turn to wave to the camera, hilarity ensued...
NHL Playoffs Day 29 Open Thread (West Game 1)
Today's game....
Chicago @ Detroit 3:00 (NBC - Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk, ItG: Pierre McGuire) (TSN - Will air NBC broadcast) (RDS)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Chicago @ Detroit 3:00 (NBC - Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk, ItG: Pierre McGuire) (TSN - Will air NBC broadcast) (RDS)
Enjoy the game and leave comments!
Putting On A Tarp Is Hard
The Phillies have had known exploits before when it comes to putting the tarp on the field in a rain delay such as the now famous aiding of the Colorado Rockies grounds crew put the tarp over Coors Field, but I'm pretty sure that as far as hilarity goes, this one takes the cake. The Phillies apparently harbor some rather hostilities toward their division rival Washington Nationals as they did not help them here as hilarity ensued when the skies just opened up out of nowhere and started pouring down rain in Nationals Park.
Hilarious!!! I don't think I've ever seen them have to re-roll up the tarp like that before. Too funny. And of all teams, it had to happen to the WashingtonNatinals Nationals, the team that pretty much has been the punchline of Major League Baseball this year.
As far as the game went, the game never resumed, so the Phillies were credited with the 7-5 win as the rain came in the 6th and they had already played 5 innings, which is enough for an official game, if such a situation arises and the game can't be completed. And yes, there is an irony to the fact that the game that was intended to make up for last month's postponement by rain ended with rain...
Hilarious!!! I don't think I've ever seen them have to re-roll up the tarp like that before. Too funny. And of all teams, it had to happen to the Washington
As far as the game went, the game never resumed, so the Phillies were credited with the 7-5 win as the rain came in the 6th and they had already played 5 innings, which is enough for an official game, if such a situation arises and the game can't be completed. And yes, there is an irony to the fact that the game that was intended to make up for last month's postponement by rain ended with rain...
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Who Says The NHL Needs ESPN?
There are several people that are arguing that the NHL would be much better off on ESPN, and while the overall quality of the broadcasts is certainly better, ratings wise, the NHL has been doing just fine on Versus. The Pittsburgh-Washington series was the highest rated NHL Conference semifinal since 1997! And their non-exclusive Game 7 coverage (which means blacked out in the local markets) of the Washington-Pittsburgh series led Versus to be the highest rated cable network that night in the Men's 18-34 and 18-49 demo. From a Versus PR via Puck the Media
The network’s coverage of the 2009 Conference Semifinals was the highest-rated second round on cable since 1997. VERSUS, which aired eight exclusive games and 16 non-exclusive games, posted significant increases in HH ratings (up 33%), total viewership (up 32%) and viewership across all key male demos, Men 18-34 (up 23%), Men 18-49 (up 33%) and Men 25-54 (up 42%) as compared to year-ago figures from the second postseason round. This second round growth follows a 21-percent increase in viewership during the regular season and 22-percent viewership growth in the Conference Quarterfinals.That is certainly good news for the NHL and Versus! And with a pair of interesting conference finals, I think we can all expect the numbers to stay up there, despite the fact that Joe Beninati is calling the Eastern Conference finals. But on the plus side of that, is analyst is none other than the Razor himself, Daryl Reaugh, who has definitley stood out as a really good analyst. No, scratch that, Reaugh (pronounced "Ray") is the best analyst Versus has employed this post season by a long mile. And while sadly he is paired with Beninati, he has shown himself to be really excitable and enjoyable to listen to and should improve the broadcasts up to a level of tolerance for me. I must say, forget the fact that it's Versus, Doc Emrick (who sadly is paired with the forgettable Edzo for the rest of the way) and Reaugh are definitley worthy enough and good enough to be an A-team for any network or TV channel in the U.S. or Canada that has coverage of the NHL.
VERSUS’ exclusive telecast of Game 3 in the Pittsburgh Penguins/Washington Capitals Conference Semifinal round series on May 6 garnered a 1.3 National HH Rating and averaged 1,488,952 total viewers, making it the highest-rated and most-watched Semifinals telecast on cable since 2002. VERSUS’ non-exclusive coverage of Game 7 in the same series made the network the highest-rated cable network in the country among Men 18-34 and Men 18-49.
“The 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs just get better and better with each round. Three series that went the full seven games, sudden-death overtimes and the historic Crosby/Ovechkin showdown led to VERSUS earning record-breaking ratings and viewership in the second round,” said Jamie Davis, President of VERSUS. ”With the highest-rated Conference Semifinal round on cable in 12 years, we’ve proven that sports fans across the country know VERSUS is, without question, the television destination for the most complete coverage of NHL action.”
Friday, May 15, 2009
2009 NHL Conference Final Schedule
Well, this is it! The Final Four of the NHL and personally, I am pumped up for it. Over in the west we've got the conference final of the Red Wings and the Blackhawks, a re-match of this year's Winter Classic, and over in the East, it's the Crosby and the Pens taking on the Carolina Hurricanes who have had a flare or 2 for the dramatics this post-season. And unlike before where it was the U.S. and Versus that had the inconsistency at the announcer position, this time it is Canada because the 1st 2 games of each series is on TSN but then they get moved to CBC for the rest of the series. So without further ado, here is your schedule, although I may have to re-check my sources as this looks a lot like the NBC Conference Quarterfinal schedule looks like. (all times eastern) (announcers courtesy of Puck the Media)
Eastern Conference Finals
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #6 Carolina Hurricanes
Game 1: Penguins 3-2
Game 2: Penguins 7-4
Game 3: Penguins 6-2
Game 4: Penguins 4-1
Pittsburgh wins the series 4-0
Western Conference Finals
#2 Detroit Red Wings vs. #4 Chicago Blackhawks
Game 1: Red Wings 5-2
Game 2: Red Wings 3-2 F/OT
Game 3: Blackhawks 4-3 F/OT
Game 4: Red Wings 6-1
Game 5: Red Wings 2-1 F/OT
Detroit wins the series 4-1.
Good lord, that's drawn out! More so than the NHL has done in the past from what I can recall, that's for sure. And while I read that they have a date set in stone for the start of the Stanley Cup finals, you would think that they would not stretch it out this much. It's not like everything was 4 or 5-game series where it was necessary to stretch everything out to make that deadline, either. Just poor planning and poor scheduling, that's for sure.
I"ll add more announcing information as it becomes available which hopefully will be in the next few hours, but alas, one can never know for sure. And while most of this has all but been confirmed (Cole and Millen for the East series on CBC and Hughson and Simpson doing the West series and Edzo being paired up with Doc and Reaugh being paired with Beninati), I have yet to read such confirmation, so until I do so, this is what you've got. Hopefully I'll have the confirmations within the next couple hours.
Eastern Conference Finals
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #6 Carolina Hurricanes
Game 1: Penguins 3-2
Game 2: Penguins 7-4
Game 3: Penguins 6-2
Game 4: Penguins 4-1
Pittsburgh wins the series 4-0
Western Conference Finals
#2 Detroit Red Wings vs. #4 Chicago Blackhawks
Game 1: Red Wings 5-2
Game 2: Red Wings 3-2 F/OT
Game 3: Blackhawks 4-3 F/OT
Game 4: Red Wings 6-1
Game 5: Red Wings 2-1 F/OT
Detroit wins the series 4-1.
Good lord, that's drawn out! More so than the NHL has done in the past from what I can recall, that's for sure. And while I read that they have a date set in stone for the start of the Stanley Cup finals, you would think that they would not stretch it out this much. It's not like everything was 4 or 5-game series where it was necessary to stretch everything out to make that deadline, either. Just poor planning and poor scheduling, that's for sure.
I"ll add more announcing information as it becomes available which hopefully will be in the next few hours, but alas, one can never know for sure. And while most of this has all but been confirmed (Cole and Millen for the East series on CBC and Hughson and Simpson doing the West series and Edzo being paired up with Doc and Reaugh being paired with Beninati), I have yet to read such confirmation, so until I do so, this is what you've got. Hopefully I'll have the confirmations within the next couple hours.
Jack Edwards Cannot Be A Very Happy Man
Sadly, I am yet to find Jack Edwards' last will and testament call of the game and series-winning goal scored by Scott Walker, but alas he cannot be a happy man and I'm pretty sure it went something along the lines of, "I can't believe that effing bastard is the one who beat us!!!!!!!". Why is that, you ask? Well as you may recall, Scott Walker was the very same person who in Game 5, did this....
So naturally, when Walker follows that up in Game 7 with this.....
....Jack Edwards has got to be on the edge of a cliff somewhere along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean wondering how this could happen to him? How is it that the man who sucker punched poor, defenseless Aaron Ward actually be the person to eliminate the Bruins from the playoffs?
Alas, my friend, that is hockey and thanks to Scott Walker, the Carolina Hurricanes will battle the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals! And for Jack Edwards and all the Bruins fans everywhere, all I can say is, ouch, that must smart!
So naturally, when Walker follows that up in Game 7 with this.....
....Jack Edwards has got to be on the edge of a cliff somewhere along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean wondering how this could happen to him? How is it that the man who sucker punched poor, defenseless Aaron Ward actually be the person to eliminate the Bruins from the playoffs?
Alas, my friend, that is hockey and thanks to Scott Walker, the Carolina Hurricanes will battle the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals! And for Jack Edwards and all the Bruins fans everywhere, all I can say is, ouch, that must smart!
You Want The Proof??? You Can't Handle The Proof!
Seeing as this post is going to be long enough as it is, I will shorten down as much as possible. That and it's currently 2:28 AM in the morning and my wake up plans include me sleeping as late as possible so I might as well get this out there while it is still a semi-relevent headline (or as relevent as a headline about a cable news anchor can ever be). It came out yesterday that Keith Olbermann had apparently been caught in a lie about why he was out for 3 shows. Via Cityfile.
The story on Shuster's Twitter feed did come up on Monday and Tuesday, right around the time that Keith Olbermann had been sick. But, there's something even more telling that I want to get to. Something that can prove Keith Olbermann's innocence right here and right now. No, this is not joking around and sarcasm. What that video did not show and what my DVR did catch was after Keith's "good night and good luck" he did the usual and tossed it to Rachel Maddow whose show airs at 9 on NBC. And they usually have a 5-second conversation about what Keith either ended with and/or what is coming up with Maddow. This time, it was about what Keith had just talked about in hiw new "WTF?!? Moment" segment, the segment on the show he donated to this "gossip" story as he called it.
Here is the transcript prepared by me of the conversation that took place immediately after the paper toss to the time Rachel took the air and started her show.
OLBERMANN: "And now with more on the straight line drawn today between the torture of an Iraqi secret police chief and the suggestion by then vice-president Dick Cheney's office to go ahead and waterboard that man, ladies and gentlemen, here is my friend, Rachel Maddow. Good evening, Rachel.
MADDOW: Good evening Keith. Thank you, and thanks for taking time to address that rather unfortunateness online today. It was big of you to do that and I appreciate it.
OLBERMANN: Oh, thank you, and thank you for your friendship, Rach.
MADDOW: All right, thanks.
However, it is curious to note that Rachel Maddow had a very telling expression after Keith thanked her for her friendship. And thanks to the picture taking capabilites of my laptop from a paused DVR, here it is!
As an avid fan of the show Lie To Me, I can tell you with a fair amount of certainty that that is a genuine smile from Maddow. And while it may not necessarily look like such because I could not stop my DVR at the precise right millisecond that I wanted to (I've been playing with it for 30 minutes and I can't pause my DVR perfectly to get it perfect and believe me, there was a perfect moment), I can tell you that Rachel made that reaction as Keith was saying "thank you for your friendship". Now had she been trying to put on a fake smile, it may have taken here a second or so to think of what Keith said and to put on a smile. But no, her smile was instantaneous with the words. Had there been a fight or an argument, there might have even been anger or contempt from Maddow as Keith was thanking her for her friendship. No such sign existed. If I could pull the video, believe me, I would, but alas, I don't know how to do such.
I'll have the NHL Playoffs schedule up later today (much later, as I really need to do this little thing most of you know as sleep; you see, it's now 3:24 AM and I have not slept yet tonight) with TV channels and announcers included. So stay tuned for that and I might even do a post actually pimping the NBA Playoffs. Maybe. Just because there are 2 Game 7s, it does not mean that anything compelling will actually happen.
If you regularly tune in to Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC, you may remember that Olbermann was mysteriously absent from the show for three days at the end of April. But Olbermann didn't just "have the night off," as David Shuster, his fill-in, said on the air three evenings in a row. According to a source inside MSNBC, it was a bizarre temper tantrum on Olbermann's part that led him to storm off the set in protest. Even stranger: The drama was all Ben Affleck's fault.Seems like a whole bunch of hypocrisy, right? And a few hours later, Cityfile released what appeared to be the smoking gun of damning evidence when they released a photo of Keith Olbermann from his own blog at a baseball game with his girlfriend, Katy Tur, and Jason Bateman with Keith looking happy as ever. But what if there was a perfectly reasonable explanation to all this? What if this actually all did make sense? Keith Olbermann states his argument below and while I called him out big time in the comments section of JC's blog before I saw this for I had visited Olbermann Watch and they had a link to the story so I had the advanced knowledge of it to comment before the show started. However, I'm thinking I might have been wrong...
Olbermann was not scheduled to take a vacation at the end of April. But he ended up missing three shows: Friday, April 17; Monday; April 20, and Tuesday, April 21. It's what happened on April 16, though, that prompted Olbermann to exit MSNBC's studios in such a rage.
According to a source at the network, Olbermann was livid when he learned that Rachel Maddow had booked Ben Affleck as a guest on her show. Olbermann, it turns out, had been interested in having Affleck on his show, too, and when he heard that Maddow's producers had secured the actor instead, he demanded that the interview be switched from Maddow's nine o'clock broadcast to his own an hour earlier. Maddow and her staff have been known to politely give in to Olbermann's whims in the past—it was Olbermann, after all, who helped bring Maddow to the network. This time, however, they didn't budge. (With ratings for Maddow's show a bit lackluster as of late, parting with an A-list celebrity guest isn't a decision to be made lightly.) Olbermann took the matter to senior management at MSNBC and NBC Universal and asked that they step in and "correct" the situation. That didn't happen, though, and Affleck went on Maddow's show as scheduled on Thursday, April 16. And Olbermann's three-day protest commenced the next day.
[...]
Update: Olbermann has issued an official statement on the matter: "That was my first opportunity to take even a long weekend to mourn my mother's death and deal with the many sad logistics subsequent to her sudden passing. The source of this story is a liar and those who spread it without seeking confirmation or reputation are beneath contempt."
Our Response: We were saddened to hear of Olbermann's loss and found his tribute to his mother deeply moving. But if that was the reason Olbermann took time off two weeks later, we can't imagine why Olbermann wouldn't have simply said as much. Furthermore, we find it hard to believe one of his colleagues at MSNBC—a respected journalist, no less—would have attributed his absence to the "flu/allergy season" if Olbermann had made the perfectly understandable decision take a few days to mourn his mother's passing.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
The story on Shuster's Twitter feed did come up on Monday and Tuesday, right around the time that Keith Olbermann had been sick. But, there's something even more telling that I want to get to. Something that can prove Keith Olbermann's innocence right here and right now. No, this is not joking around and sarcasm. What that video did not show and what my DVR did catch was after Keith's "good night and good luck" he did the usual and tossed it to Rachel Maddow whose show airs at 9 on NBC. And they usually have a 5-second conversation about what Keith either ended with and/or what is coming up with Maddow. This time, it was about what Keith had just talked about in hiw new "WTF?!? Moment" segment, the segment on the show he donated to this "gossip" story as he called it.
Here is the transcript prepared by me of the conversation that took place immediately after the paper toss to the time Rachel took the air and started her show.
OLBERMANN: "And now with more on the straight line drawn today between the torture of an Iraqi secret police chief and the suggestion by then vice-president Dick Cheney's office to go ahead and waterboard that man, ladies and gentlemen, here is my friend, Rachel Maddow. Good evening, Rachel.
MADDOW: Good evening Keith. Thank you, and thanks for taking time to address that rather unfortunateness online today. It was big of you to do that and I appreciate it.
OLBERMANN: Oh, thank you, and thank you for your friendship, Rach.
MADDOW: All right, thanks.
However, it is curious to note that Rachel Maddow had a very telling expression after Keith thanked her for her friendship. And thanks to the picture taking capabilites of my laptop from a paused DVR, here it is!
As an avid fan of the show Lie To Me, I can tell you with a fair amount of certainty that that is a genuine smile from Maddow. And while it may not necessarily look like such because I could not stop my DVR at the precise right millisecond that I wanted to (I've been playing with it for 30 minutes and I can't pause my DVR perfectly to get it perfect and believe me, there was a perfect moment), I can tell you that Rachel made that reaction as Keith was saying "thank you for your friendship". Now had she been trying to put on a fake smile, it may have taken here a second or so to think of what Keith said and to put on a smile. But no, her smile was instantaneous with the words. Had there been a fight or an argument, there might have even been anger or contempt from Maddow as Keith was thanking her for her friendship. No such sign existed. If I could pull the video, believe me, I would, but alas, I don't know how to do such.
I'll have the NHL Playoffs schedule up later today (much later, as I really need to do this little thing most of you know as sleep; you see, it's now 3:24 AM and I have not slept yet tonight) with TV channels and announcers included. So stay tuned for that and I might even do a post actually pimping the NBA Playoffs. Maybe. Just because there are 2 Game 7s, it does not mean that anything compelling will actually happen.
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