2011 ALDS Game 1 Live Blog

The playoffs are finally here!  The 2011 ALDS kicks off tonight with Game 1 of both series.  And yes, in the mind of Bud Selig, it makes perfect sense to play the game in Arlington, Texas three-and-a-half hours before the game in New York.

Game 1:  Rays vs. Rangers 5:07 (TBS - Don Orsillo and Buck Martinez, SR: Jamie Maggio)

Game 1: Tigers vs. Yankees 8:37 (TBS - Brian Anderson, Ron Darling, and John Smoltz, SR: Tom Verducci)

Re-live September 28, 2011 In One Awesome 12-Minute Video

Has there ever been a more dramatic, chaotic, and improbable 20 minutes in the history of sports?  There have been classic games in the past, but what happened last night, was not just one classic game.  It was the finale of a 162-game season like no finale ever before.  The chaos of last night was more than just one game, it was the frantic switching back and forth between stations ultimately culminating with two historic collapses coming complete in the span of twenty minutes and two walkoffs literally separated by three minutes.  There are few times where it feels like time just stops.  Last night was one of those nights.

Last night was an Fredi Gonzalez incredibly allowing Scott Linebrink to pitch to Hunter Pence who would ultimately hit the game-winning RBI with Michael Martinez on deck.  Last night was a last place Baltimore Orioles going nowhere way too fast celebrating like they won the World Series.  Last night was Dan Johnson, he of the .119/.187/.202 slash line in 31 games in 2011 hitting the game-tying home run with the Rays down to their last out and their last strike.  Last night was Evan Longoria.  Last night was the mathematically improbable coming to fruition.

And this is last night, condensed into one 12-minute, 5-second video.



Given the numbers in the above link, to say this was the most improbable night in sports history is not that much of a stretch.  In fact, it may be a reality.  For the Cardinals and the Rays, it is a comeback they will always remember.  And for the Braves and the Red Sox, it is a collapse they will never be able to forget.

2011 League Division Series Schedule

Well, after hours of torture and waiting, MLB and TBS have finally officially released their announce schedule for the NLDS and ALDS.  After what some have claimed to be one of the greatest nights in the history of sports last night, these playoffs have a lot of live up to, but regardless, the small sample size crapshoot nature of the MLB Playoffs should mean fun regardless.  Unless of course you are a Phillies fan like me and will be stuck listening to Dick Stockton for three to five games.  I eagerly anticipate the numerous errahs in the booth.  On a more serious note, Brian Anderson takes over as the lead play-by-play announcer this year as Ernie Johnson is dealing with some personal family issues.  (all times ET)

National League Division Series

Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Game 1:  October 1:  Cardinals vs. Phillies  5:07 (TBS - Dick Stockton and Bob Brenly, SR: Craig Sager)
Game 2:  October 2:  Cardinals vs. Phillies  8:07 (TBS - Dick Stockton and Bob Brenly, SR: Craig Sager)
Game 3:  October 4:  Phillies vs. Cardinals  TBD (TBS - Dick Stockton and Bob Brenly, SR: Craig Sager)
Game 4:  October 5:  Phillies vs. Cardinals  TBD (TBS - Dick Stockton and Bob Brenly, SR: Craig Sager)
Game 5:  October 7:  Cardinals vs. Phillies  TBD (TBS - Dick Stockton and Bob Brenly, SR: Craig Sager)

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

Game 1:  October 1:  Diamondbacks vs. Brewers  2:07 (TBS - Victor Rojas and Joe Simpson, SR: Sam Ryan)
Game 2:  October 2:  Diamondbacks vs. Brewers  4:37 (TBS - Victor Rojas and Joe Simpson, SR: Sam Ryan)
Game 3:  October 4:  Brewers vs. Diamondbacks  TBD (TBS - Victor Rojas and Joe Simpson, SR: Sam Ryan)
Game 4:  October 5:  Brewers vs. Diamondbacks  TBD (TBS - Victor Rojas and Joe Simpson, SR: Sam Ryan)
Game 5:  October 7:  Diamondbacks vs. Brewers  TBD (TBS - Victor Rojas and Joe Simpson, SR: Sam Ryan)

American League Division Series

New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers

Game 1:  September 30:  Tigers vs. Yankees  8:37 (TBS - Brian Anderson, Ron Darling, and John Smoltz, SR: Tom Verducci)
Game 2:  October 1:  Tigers vs. Yankees  8:37 (TBS - Brian Anderson, Ron Darling, and John Smoltz, SR: Tom Verducci)
Game 3:  October 3:  Yankees vs. Tigers  8:37 (TBS - Brian Anderson, Ron Darling, and John Smoltz, SR: Tom Verducci)
Game 4:  October 4:  Yankees vs. Tigers  TBD (TBS - Brian Anderson, Ron Darling, and John Smoltz, SR: Tom Verducci)
Game 5:  October 6:  Tigers vs. Yankees  TBD (TBS - Brian Anderson, Ron Darling, and John Smoltz, SR: Tom Verducci)

Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays

Game 1:  September 30:  Rays vs. Rangers  5:07 (TBS - Don Orsillo and Buck Martinez, SR: Jamie Maggio)
Game 2:  October 1:  Rays vs. Rangers  7:07 (TNT - Don Orsillo and Buck Martinez, SR: Jamie Maggio)
Game 3:  October 3:  Rangers vs. Rays  5:07 (TBS - Don Orsillo and Buck Martinez, SR: Jamie Maggio)
Game 4:  October 4:  Rangers vs. Rays  TBD (TBS - Don Orsillo and Buck Martinez, SR: Jamie Maggio)
Game 5:  October 6:  Rays vs. Rangers  TBD (TBS - Don Orsillo and Buck Martinez, SR: Jamie Maggio)

Greatest Last Day Of Season Ever?

Wow.

Videos tomorrow.  Maybe.  I have stuff to do and have spent too long obsession over today's games as it is.

MLB Last Day Of The Season Live Blog

Has there ever been a last day of the MLB Season better than this?  Two races, both tied up, with both the Braves and the Red Sox trying to survive a collapse of Mets-ian proportions.  If not on your regional sportsnet, all these games can be seen on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNJIP, ESPNThe17th, and I am pretty sure ESPN Français will pick up some exclusive footage as well.  Join us for the fun!

NFL Week 4 Schedule

My Eagles are in the Pitts Game of the Week.  Save me. (all times ET; games I get are in bold)

Map of who gets what Sunday afternoon games

Fox games

Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys  1:00 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)

Carolina Panthers vs. Chicago Bears  1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)

San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles  1:00 (Fox - Ron Pitts and Jim Mora, Jr.)

Minnesota Vikings vs. Kansas City Chiefs  1:00 (Fox - Gus Johnson and Charles Davis, SR: Tim Brewster)

New Orleans Saints vs. Jacksonville Jaguars  1:00 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Chad Pennington)

Washington Redskins vs. St. Louis Rams  1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)

New York Giants vs. Arizona Cardinals  4:05 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston, SA: Tony Siragusa)

Atlanta Falcons vs. Seattle Seahawks  4:05 (Fox - Craig Bolerjack and John Lynch)

CBS early games

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Houston Texans  1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)

Tennessee Titans vs. Cleveland Browns  1:00 (CBS - Marv Albert and Rich Gannon)

Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals  1:00 (CBS - Andrew Catalon and Steve Tasker)

America's Game Of The Week and CBS late games

Denver Broncos vs. Green Bay Packers  4:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)

Miami Dolphins vs. San Diego Chargers  4:15 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)

New England Patriots vs. Oakland Raiders  4:15 (CBS -Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)

Sunday Night Football

New York Jets vs. Baltimore Ravens  8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)

Monday Night Football

Indianapolis Colts vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers  8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Suzy Kolber)

Sean Avery And Wayne Simmonds Are Not The World's Most Thoughtful People

I have to work that needs to get done and I need to be up early so no long post tonight (if you want more serious thoughts on the matter, check out my Twitter account), but here is a video and an mp3 file of some, uh, actions from tonight's Rangers-Flyers pre-season game.

First an mp3 of Sean Avery threatening murder! (h/t @9inOrange)

Secondly, later in the game, Wayne Simmonds called Sean Avery a homophobic slur (you can lip read and find out what it is for yourself; that is a word I will not type here) (h/t the almost always despicable @twolinepass)



Breaking news:  Sports athletes may not be the kindest, gentlest, and most politically correct people, even those who are victims of racial taunts and those who support gay rights!  Outrage!

I pass not judgment on either men, but on the culture of professional sports in general (especially hockey, which is notorious for its homophobia).  Yeah, I despise that 6-letter f-word with every fiber of my being.  Yeah, I would prefer an autopsy not need to be done on my favorite Flyer.  But if I were a betting man, Wayne Simmonds is not the first sports athlete to utter that word this year and Sean Avery is not the first person to threaten someone with the grim reaper (in fact, some people on Twitter are positive they heard Tony Romo threaten death to his center tonight).

There are reasons to be outraged that people call other people the 6-letter f-word in sports and in a serious tone say they are going to kill someone.  This stuff has no place in sports.  It should be removed.  In a perfect world, it would be removed  But the select few who get caught, Kobe Bryant, Wayne Simmonds, Tony Romo, and Sean Avery are merely biproducts of a sports culture where intolerance (especially the homophobic kind) are not outside the norm.  It is a shame and has no place in the game, but there is a long way to go before we eliminate homophobia, death threats, and racism in sports.  A long way.  And yes, it sucks, because there are gays who I am sure are offended by their favorite player using that word.  They hear (heard) it enough at school and they do not need to hear it anymore, and I do not begrudge them outrage that sports players use this language.  But it is also unfair to single out the aforementioned guys who have gotten caught as the only ones who help contribute to this.

As a sports fan, I knowingly acknowledge the people I cheer for may not be the kindest of gentlemen or even people that I would want to associate myself with in everyday life.  But sadly, there are people in this world much more naive than me.

The best way to get rid of this junk would probably be through education and by somehow teaching them what impact words can have on others.  Now how do you go about giving a much-needed education to an entire culture?  Beats me.

NFL Week 3 Live Blog

CLICK HERE TO GO TO LIVE BLOG!

You Have Got To Be Joking

Confession, I am not good with flowery language.  Confession, I am a college student who does not make any money off writing about sports or knowing sports documents, here or elsewhere.   But apparently I am more competent than Flyers GM Paul Holmgren and assistant GM and CBA specialist Barry Hanrahan.  I downloaded the CBA and within five minutes, I knew something the Philadelphia Flyers did not know:  As long as he is suspended, Jody Shelley does not count against the salary cap.

Article 50, Section 10 (c) of the NHL's Collective Bargaining Agreement reads as follows:  "For Players that are suspended, by a Club or by the League, the Player Salary and Bonuses that are not paid to such Players shall not count against a Club's Upper Limit or against the Players' Share for the duration of the suspension, but the Club must have Payroll Room for such Player's Player Salary and Bonuses in order for such Player to be able to return to Play for the Club."

Translation, a suspended player (in this case, Jody Shelley) does not count against the NHL's salary cap as long as he is suspended.  Seem simple enough?  I downloaded the CBA and found that paragraph in five minutes.

You have got to be joking.

Fire Paul Holmgren.  Fire Barry Hanrahan.

Update:  It appears Carchidi and the Flyers were right after all on this one.  For once.  Amazing!

Sorry guys!
Justin F.
XOXO

P.S. To the idiot who thinks he can post in the comments and mock how I was wrong on this one, everyone, including CapGeek and BSH's CBA expert missed the mark on this at first.

On Wayne Simmonds, Bananas, Racism, And Racism In Sports

There are numerous times this year I have thought about writing this piece.  The most prominent being when the anti-Domonic Brown furor was alive and well.  Each time, though, I decided against it.  It is a subject that not everyone wants to talk about.  It is a subject that people do not want to address.  People do not want to read about racism.  They think "playing the race card," is just a sad statement people make because they do not have another retort.  Honestly, I wish this were the case.  But racism is alive and well in 2011.  It's horrifying to think about, but it's true.

Flyers fans who paid a single shred of attention to tonight's pre-season game against the Detroit Red Wings in London, Ontario tonight know what happened.  But for those that don't, as Wayne Simmonds was taking a penalty shot when one of the most despicable fan actions in the history a sports.  As he was taking the penalty, a fan from the stands launched a banana in his direction.  The implication of this, of course, is obvious.  The person throwing the banana sees the black person as a monkey, which is about a degrading a sentiment as you could possibly have against someone.  Unfortunately, this is not the first time this has happened in hockey.  In 2002, black goaltender Kevin Weekes also had a banana thrown in his direction.

Unfortunately, this is a problem that reaches far and wide and society.  This is not something limited to hockey, or even sports, although sports will be the main focus of my discussion here.

A History Of Racism

Think about people you know in the United States are currently 47 years old or older.  All of these people have one thing in common.  They were born before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, meaning they were born in a time where racial discrimination was the norm.  Their parents, products of the system.  The society they grew up in and the society their parents told them was a society where blacks were discriminated against and segregation was the norm.  This segregation and this racism dates all the way back to the discovering of America, and maybe even more horrifyingly so, to the founding fathers.  While Thomas Jefferson was preaching liberty, he himself owned slaves.

While you may be asking yourself how Thomas Jefferson could be such a blatant hypocrite, the answer he was a product of his time.  Blacks were not seen as people, but rather as property.  When the Constitution was first ratified, they were counted as three-fifths of a person.  The only reason they even got that far is because the white population in southern states was not as big and the southern states wanted blacks to count so they could get a larger representation in the House of Representatives.  Of course, the beacon of freedom that was the northern states felt they should not be counted at all.  The compromise they settled on was blacks would count as three-fifths.

Even though blacks were freed after the Civil War, they still struggled with civil rights and equal treatment.  Eventually, the Jim Crow Laws and Plessy v. Ferguson came along, which decreed that segregation was legal as long as the facilities were "separate, but equal."  Of course, these facilities were not equal in practicality and worse more, this fostered an environment of discrimination and racism.  This discrimination was only finally outlawed in 1964.  47 years ago.

NFL Week 3 Schedule

Week 3 and the Philadelphia Eagles will get their chance to feast on a putrid Giants secondary.  The Giants lost to the Redskins and were lucky to escape Monday Night against the Rams with a win.  Rams and Redskins receivers were consistently open both games.  Yeah, if Denario Alexander poses problems for a secondary, I shutter to think what DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Steve Smith, and Jason Avant will do to them.  While that thought permeates your minds, enjoy this week's schedule! (games I get are in bold; all times ET)

Maps of who gets what games Sunday afternoon

CBS games

Houston Texans vs. New Orleans Saints  1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)

New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills  1:00 (CBS - Marv Albert and Rich Gannon)

Denver Broncos vs. Tennessee Titans  1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker)

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Carolina Panthers  1:00 (CBS - Spero Dedes and Steve Beuerlein)

Miami Dolphins vs. Cleveland Browns  1:00 (CBS - Don Criqui and Randy Cross)

New York Jets vs. Oakland Raiders  4:05 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)

Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Diego Chargers  4:05 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)

Baltimore Ravens vs. St. Louis Rams  4:05 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)

Fox early games

New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles  1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston, SA: Tony Siragusa)

Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings  1:00 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)

San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals  1:00 (Fox - Ron Pitts and Jim Mora, Jr.)

America's Game Of The Week and Fox late games

Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears  4:15 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)

Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers  4:15 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)

Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks  4:15 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)

Sunday Night Football

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Indianapolis Colts  8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)

Monday Night Football

Washington Redskins vs. Dallas Cowboys  8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Suzy Kolber)

Mike Florio, Graduate Of The ESPN School Of Journalism

Longtime readers of this blog certainly know of my detest of Mike Florio and his widely read website, ProFootballTalk.com, now affiliated with NBC.  While there have been numerous other instances since the last time he did something that was bothersome, I refrained from sounding like a broken record.  But when Florio decides to take the ESPN route in (not) covering a story, I just can't help but mention something.

Last night I made note that Andy Reid and the Eagles coaching staff may or may not have had access to the conclusive angle that showed Kelvin Hayden had not in fact made the interception the officials had given credit for.  Well it turns out, my suspicions were right, Andy Reid gets messages on what to challenge from coaches from the booth and the coaches get their information from, the NBC broadcast.  This was confirmed through an apology today from NBC to Andy Reid.  But if your only source for football news is Pro Football Talk, you would not know about this happened.  One would think that a broadcast network admitting a fuck up that had a big impact on the game would be enough to make it on a site that collects news and notes from around the NFL at a ridiculous note.  But it's not there.  Strange.

Instant Update:  Seven hours after Les Bowen's first blog post on the matter linked above and three hours after Jeff McLane obtained quotes from NBC producer Fred Gaudelli, but PFT finally has something up, though   And it just so happens to have come up right when as Monday Night Football has started and the football watching world's focus is on something else oh how strange.  Mike Florio, journalist*.

*In this case "journalist" is a synonym for "hack."

Eagles Dominate Falcons; Lose 35-31

A few brief bullet points.

• There were mistakes.  There were miscues.  There were moments of brilliance.  There were moments of magic.  There were moments of frustration.  There were moments of shameful cheap shots from Dunta Robinson.  There was a moment of questionable partiality on NBC's part.  There was a freak accident that likely cost the Eagles a close game that should have never been close to being with.
• Did the Eagles coaching staff have access to every possible angle of that Falcons interception that should not have been an interception?  We will never know for sure as even if they did not, the Eagles as an organization are not ones to make a ruckus with the league over something like this.  
• If Vick stayed in the game, I do not know what would have happened.  You can't say they the Eagles would have won.  You can't say the Falcons would have won.  It is a counter-factual argument.  Mike  Vick is a better QB than Mike Kafka, but Vick in the game changes the game completely, and who knows how it would have ended otherwise.  Vick may have turned the ball over 3 more times.  He may have scored 3 more touchdowns.  Who knows.  I can't say.  And neither can you.
• Dunta Robinson should be given a heavy fine AND suspension.  Last year he laid out DeSean Jackson with a dirty hit.  Tonight, he delivered a questionable hit to Celek and knocked Maclin out with a hit dirtier than anything he had done to the Eagles before.  He should have been ejected.  He was not ejected, but a fine and suspension must surely be coming.  For a hit like that, there is no point where Goddell's punishment could possibly be deemed too much.  Just a complete disgrace to football.
• Mike Vick has a concussion.  His return date is obviously unknown at this point.  
• Mike Kafka is not Mike Vick.  This is obvious.
• Casey Matthews did not have a terrible game by any stretch of the imagination.  Jamar Chaney, on the other hand......
• Apparently Nnamdi was supposed to be in charge of Tony Gonzalez but Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie getting nicked up caused a change of plans.  That would explain how he was consistently open.
• The Falcons are who I thought they were.  Overrated.  Tonight's game does nothing to deter my beliefs of that. They needed lucky breaks, NBC intervention, dirty hits, and an unfortunate injury to beat the Eagles.  Color me unimpressed.  It's sports.  Guess what?   Sometimes the lesser team wins, even if it is painfully obvious during the game they are the lesser team.  With Vick healthy, the Eagles are top tier team in the NFC along side the likes of Green Bay and New Orleans.  At best, the Falcons are a 2nd tier NFC team.
• If the Eagles losing a Week 2 game to Atlanta is what it takes to tell me that with a healthy Mike Vick, the Eagles are head and shoulders better than one of the 2nd tier teams in the NFC, I am okay with that.  No team has gone 19-0.
• Matt Ryan will get credited for a "gritty" win.  The color of his skin may or may not have anything to do with this compliment.
• Jeremy Maclin after the game:  "We're a better team than they are.  Period."  He's not wrong.

NFL Week 2 Live Blog

Immediately following the conclusion of Manchester United vs. Chelsea, I will pack my belongings and drive back up to school after having the past week off due to a water shortage caused by flooding from when Tropical Storm Lee blew through.  I should be around by the start of San Diego-New England and will be with you through the night and will comment through Mike Vick's Homecoming in Atlanta.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE LIVE BLOG!

Phillies Clinch 5th Straight NL East Title In The Grandest Of Ways

Even though the Phillies had seemingly an insurmountable lead on the NL East and clinching the title was all but an inevitability for at least the past month or so, tonight's events were no less exciting or fulfilling because of it.  Up 5-2 in the bottom of the 8th, the Phillies seemed to be poised to take the title, but in the inning prior, the Cardinals had gotten two runs back and would have certainly wanted more in the 9th as they tried to keep pace with the Braves.  But, those dreams were soon dashed when on came Raul Ibanez to ensure the quickest NL East clinch in Phillies history.  And with the home fans looking on, Ibanez delivered a grand slam heard round Philadelphia.

Those would prove to be the last runs of the game.  The Phillies won 9-2 and are officially 2011 National League East Champions.  I remember September 30, 2007 like it was yesterday.  How did we get here?

Penn State 14, Temple 10

That was quite possibly the ugliest football game I have ever watched. I have no recollection of Iowa 6, Penn State 4, but I figure in a few hours and possibly aided by a few drinks, I won't have any recollection of this either. The invention of Brain Bleach can't come soon enough.

NFL Week 2 Schedule

Well that was a fun week of football.  Well for the most part.  If you've used brain bleach to erase everything that was that 2nd Monday Night Football game disaster, which I assume all who have stayed up have at this point.  Who played in that game, again? (games I get are in bold)

Map of who gets what games Sunday afternoon.

Fox games

Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints  1:00 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)
Seattle Seahawks vs. Pittsburgh Steelers  1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, SA: Tony Siragusa)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Minnesota Vikings  1:00 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)
Green Bay Packers vs. Carolina Panthers  1:00 (Fox - Ron Pitts and Jim Mora, Jr.)
Arizona Cardinals vs. Washington Redskins  1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)

Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers  4:05 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)

CBS early games

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New York Jets  1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Cleveland Browns vs. Indianapolis Colts  1:00 (CBS - Marv Albert and Rich Gannon)
Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills  1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Baltimore Ravens vs. Tennessee Titans  1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker)
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Detroit Lions  1:00 (CBS - Don Criqui and Randy Cross)

CBS late games

San Diego Chargers vs. New England Patriots  4:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Houston Texans vs. Miami Dolphins  4:15 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Denver Broncos  4:15 (CBS - Spero Dedes and Steve Beuerlein)

Sunday Night Football

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Atlanta Falcons  8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)

Monday Night Football

St. Louis Rams vs. New York Giants  8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Suzy Kolber)

Week 1 Monday Night Football Live Blog

Double your pleasure, double your fun, two Monday Night Football games for the price of one.  The better news?  No Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, and Mike doing the second game.

NFL Week 1 Live Blog

Football's baaaaaaaaaaaaack.  It's an NFC East trifecta for me.  I just hope I do not have to hear T-hom fellate over Tebow while calling the Eagles-Rams game.  The Broncos don't even play today!  Enjoy the games, leave comments, and don't be a troll.  I've dealt with enough trolls as it is on other sites this week.

Pete Orr Gets Taken Out By Racing Sausages

Pete Orr is not good at measuring the speed of incoming sausages.  For if he was, well, this would not have happened.



Since I first saw this happen, I came up with a joke.  Too bad it's the wurst joke ever.

(h/t The Delaware County Times)

NFL Opening Night Live Blog

Football is back!  Now all I need is for my electricity to stay on and we will be all set for a fun night as I reap the benefits of living on high ground while those below me not even a mile away are being forced to evacuate their homes due near record flooding of the Susquehanna River.  Enjoy the game, but spare the people of Central Pennsylvania a few thoughts tonight.

Greatest MLS Match Ever?

 I still don't know how to describe this, though I am pretty sure there is an Arsenal joke to be made somewhere. Now if only I will be allowed to watch the game in English through my new subscription of MLS MatchDay Live (got it for only $14.99 for using a promotional code because half of the Union's remaining games for the Union this season are on a channel I do not get in college and I do not like relying on illegal streams as evidenced by tonight when all I could find was Spanish broadcasts; oh and paying $14.99 is so much more stomachable than paying the normal price this time of year of $59.99), I'll be even happier.

NFL Week 1 Schedule

Woohoo!  It's a Tuesday before a Sunday where NFL football is going to be played, and you know what that means, schedule time!  I love putting these together, if only because they become an easily accessible resource on Sundays.  As you all know, these go on the top of the page, so when myself or someone needs scheduling information on Sunday, everything is in one quick and easy spot.  Now, onto the schedules. (all times PM ET unless otherwise indicated; games I get are in bold)

Thursday Night Football

New Orleans Saints vs. Green Bay Packers  8:30 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)

Map of who gets what games Sunday afternoon (the506.com has conveniently attached both Fox and CBS maps to one link now)

CBS games

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens  1:00 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Indianapolis Colts vs. Houston Texans  1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars  1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs  1:00 (CBS - Marv Albert and Rich Gannon)
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns  1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)

Fox early games

Atlanta Falcons vs. Chicago Bears  1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston, SA: Tony Siragusa)
Philadelphia Eagles vs. St. Louis Rams  1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)
Detroit Lions vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers  1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)

Fox late games

New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins  4:15 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)
Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers  4:15 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)
Minnesota Vikings vs. San Diego Chargers  4:15 (Fox - Ron Pitts and Jim Mora, Jr.)
Carolina Panthers vs. Arizona Cardinals  4:15 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Chad Pennington)

Sunday Night Football

Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Jets  8:30 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)

Monday Night Football

New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins  7:00 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Wendi Nix)
Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos  10:15 (ESPN - Brad Nessler and Trent Dilfer)

Ugly Maryland Football Uniforms Are Ugly

As a Philadelphia Eagles fan, this is quite possibly the greatest night of my life.

I Doth Protest: Trying To Sort Today's Debacle Between The Phillies And The Marlins

In a season where Wilson Valdez played 18 innings in the infield, pitched the 19th, and became the winning pitcher after starting in the field for the first time since Babe Ruth, incredibly, that is no longer the strangest Phillies game of the season. That honor now belongs to today's Phillies-Marlins game which ended on a walkoff walk. Though it was not the 3rd walkoff walk of the 2011 season that made it bizarre and strange, but rather the 6th inning where Hunter Pence hit a deep fly ball to right that was initially called a double before being reviewed and (rightly) determining that there was fan interference on the play. Now whether or not Bryan Petersen would have actually made that catch is certainly suspect at best. It looked like his glove was closing as the ball was the falling down and it would ultimately bounce away from him, however, that is not for sure. What is known is a fan definitively reached over the wall and made sure Petersen had no chance of making what may have been one of the great plays of the day. That is certain.

Now if only it were that simple. Where the controversy occurs is how the umpires went about today's festivities.

That the exact written rules for instant replay are not available online do not make things easier in judging if Joe West acted properly or not. This is what we know. Instant replay is used for reviewing home runs. This was ruled a double turned to an out based on fan interference. A home run does not factor into that at all, although if the umps wanted to review to see if it was home run, then they can make the call that they made today.

Joe West said Charlie Manuel requested a review. Charlie Manuel said he did not request a review. The rules say a manager does not need to make a request for there to be a review. Judging from the video that it never appears Charlie Manuel approaches the umpires asking for a review certainly does not lend credit to Joe West's case. Jack McKeon, on the other hand, does appear engaged with the officials. It is highly doubtful he would be requesting the umpires see if that play should result in two runs for the other team.

Joe West would go on to say, "We’ve got a decision as to whether the spectator inference happened over the fence or before the fence."

The question here is about the process, not about the results of that process. It certainly appears that at the very best there was a stretching of the rules to get where they got to, and if not, then a lot of lying on the part of Joe West after the game. Whether or not they got the call right, I believe they did, but at the same time, it is a stretch to say that the Bryan Petersen making that catch is a given. According to Rule 3.16, "If spectator interference clearly prevents a fielder from catching a fly ball, the umpire shall declare the batter out." It is unknown if the catch would have been made, but that fan reached over the wall and clearly prevented denied him that chance. But were the umps allowed to review it?

That's the question MLB will be asking when they rule whether or not to uphold the Phillies' official protest of the game. So much has been said, and the instant replay rules are not readily available online preventing me from definitively for sure, but given Joe West's comments, it certainly appears suspect. It's been 25 years since a protest has last been upheld. Regardless of it MLB should uphold the protest, it certainly would be shocking if they did based alone on their dealing with the umpires and historical precedence.