Gus Stuff

Piazza and Nava

2013-04-20T19:13:00.002-04:00

As David Ortiz stood in the batters box today with his team trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the 8th, in the first game back in Fenway following the Boston marathon bombing and ensuing developments, it hit me. Here it is! Here is the Mike Piazza moment for Red Sox fans. Mike Piazza, the Mets most iconic player on their roster, came to the plate in the first game back in NYC following 9/11 with his Mets trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the 8th. The at bat came after Liza Minnelli came on the field and performed the New York anthem "New York, New York" for the 7th inning stretch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvMmAJfO-pk
Piazza launched a massive 2-run homer that would give the Mets the lead and eventually the win.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBMC1tA4CdM
Back to Fenway. Neil Diamond had just come on the field (he volunteered to fly in from LA do it) and performed the Red Sox anthem "Sweet Caroline."
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?topic_id=44973348&content_id=26430517
As Papi dug in I braced for drama. Here was the Red Sox icon ready to do something great for "our f'ing city" as he proclaimed it before the game. Instead Ortiz grounded into a double play. So much for that. But two batters later Daniel Nava drove one deep to right for a 3-run shot, giving the Sox the lead and eventually the win.
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=26431145&topic_id=44973348&c_id=mlb&tcid=vpp_copy_26431145&v=3

I still get goose bumps every time I watch the Piazza homer. I'm sure Red Sox fans will have the same reaction to Nava's moment.
Those moments are the reason I believe in the baseball gods. Stuff that always seems to "just happen" always seems to just happen when needed the most. That's why sports is better than anything else.

Your 2013 New York Mets

2013-03-31T20:31:00.000-04:00

Like most fathers, my dad doled out plenty of pearls of wisdom for my benefit over the years. Some of it sticks. Some of it goes in one ear and out the other. Some of it matters tremendously when you hear it but then melts away over time, lost in parts of your brain where important stuff like the names of your first crush, the gym teacher on Saved By the Bell and the lyrics to No Easy Way Out get priority.
One thing my dad taught me at an early age was this: The six most common spoken words in the English language are "Mets threaten but do not score." The older I got and the more I paid attention to Mets games, the more I saw how right my father was. When the Mets have the bases loaded and no one out, they score 1-run or less in that inning 76.3% of the time. That's not a stat I can prove or anything, but I damn well know it to be true. Historically designated drivers drive more people home than the Mets do. Only 14 different Met players have had 100 rbi seasons. Even in years when they are good, it seems like the Mets are always struggling for the clutch hit.

That brings us to this year. Coming off a 74-win season (which I accurately predicted here last year. Pat-pat-pat on the back!) in which they scored 650 runs, I suspect this year will be worse. The Mets actually threatening to score may be a big deal.
Let's begin with the outfield. Colin Cowgill looks like a downgrade from Andres Torres.
Last year I thought Lucas Duda would hit around 30 homers and be a poor man's Adam Dunn. Turns out he may be more unstable than a Jenga tower already missing some pieces. He lost confidence, was sent to AAA, struggled down there and did little upon his return to convince folks he was a legit major league player. And then there is newcomer Marlon Byrd. He had a lovely spring... lead the Grapefruit League in doubles... hit .350... and all I can think of is Jermaine Allensworth. Remember him Mets fans? He had a monster spring for New York in '98. He smacked about 8 homers down there in Port St. Lucie and Mets fans got excited. Then he hit .204 with 2 homers when it actually counted. So much for that. These three guys will likely make the trio of Agbayani, Payton and Bell look like Willie, Mickey and The Duke.
The infield offense is where the actual threatening part of the Mets attack is most likely to occur.
Murphy, Wright and Davis are legit major league hitters. They were the only three players on the team last year to score 60 runs and drive in 60 runs. It's likely that they'll each eclipse 80 in the runs/rbi department and combine to provide 35%-40% of the offense. Last year I wrote I thought Ruben Tejada was, at best, destined to be a journeyman player. Then he went out and turned in a nice season, hitting .289, scoring 53 runs and exceeding expectations. This spring he has just a few more hits than Frank Taveras (who retired 30 years ago) and the Mets apparently discussed having him start the season in AAA Las Vegas. To be fair, a few good games of blackjack would produce more "hits" for Tejada than he had in March, but I'm not doubling down on a season like last year from old Ruben.
As for catcher offense, the New Orleans Superdome doesn't have the power issues the Mets did last year. 5 homers and 44 rbi is what they got from Thole, Nickeas and Johnson. All year. From their catchers. Over 162 games.
If he plays all season, John Buck will likely hit 15 homers and drive in 50, but he'll probably bat .210 along the way. The X-factor here is Travis d'Arnuad who will get the call at some point and could give the Mets more consistent offense from the catching position.

In a couple of years this generation of Mets fans may have their Seaver, Koosman and Matlack in Wheeler, Harvey and Niese. It likely won't be that good, but it will be much better than Generation K.
Right now, it's Harvey and Niese and fall on your knees. I think those two will combine for 30 wins. The trio of Gee, Marcum and numerous #5 guys might combine to win 20.
The Mets bullpen is what most bullpens on bad teams are, a collection of guys you hope perform well. When looking at the Mets pen lets just say optimism does not abound. Greg Burke is a converted sidearmer who hasn't pitched in the bigs since '09. Scott Rice is as wonderful story. He has faced 3,600 batters in the minor leagues and at age 31 he finally made a big league club. The problem? He has faced 3,600 minor league batters and at age 31 finally made a big league club. Atchinson, Lyons and Hawkins have all been a mixed bag of results in their careers. Bobby Parnell is the one guy I am confident can consistently get big league hitters out but so far he has yet to prove that he can do it in the 9th inning, which is where he'll be doing his work this year.

Gone from last year's team are a 20-game winner in Dickey and a 20 home run hitter in Hairston.
As noted before, that team won 74 games. The 2013 Mets get a full season of Matt Harvey, hopefully a full season of the Ike Davis Mets fans hope he can be and David Wright continuing to be an upper level, but not quite elite, player. Oh, and the promise of Wheeler and d'Arnaud eventually taking their first steps down career paths we hope help lead this franchise out of the doldrums and back to an exciting, competitive team capable of great things.
Until that time, get used to hearing Gary Cohen, Josh Lewin or Howie Rose going to commercial break by saying "....Mets threaten, but do not score."

PREDICTION: 72-90

The Wrestlemania Card

2013-03-25T22:08:00.002-04:00

With Wrestlemania fast approaching, it's fun to try and figure out how the card will lay out.
Rock/Cena will most likely be the final match, but the tend to like to end the PPV's with popular results. Would Cena winning back the title be a popular result? To half the crowd, I suppose.
And how popular would a Punk win over Undertaker be? So do those matches get separated?
Lots of options for those making out the card.
So what do you think? Go into the comments section and predict the WM29 card.

Kid President Picks His Bracket

2013-03-20T10:21:00.000-04:00

When I was done laughing I realized I had the same final picks as him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rvnevh7FZP4&sns=fb

The Road to Wrestlemania

2013-02-25T12:43:00.002-05:00

I hope tonight's RAW is the first step toward what could be a great Wrestlemania (weather permitting!).
With Mr. McMahon and Paul Heyman in a match tonight, there is potential for Brock Lesnar to launch another attack on the Chairman. If that happens, I hope the Dead Man rises again and the Undertaker comes to Vince's aid, setting up a 'Taker v Brock match at 'Mania.
While Cena and Punk are set to go at it tonight for the right to face the Rock, my hope is that it goes unresolved, setting us up with a Triple Threat match for the title. I think it's safe to assume Rock will not retain the belt at Wrestlemania, so the Triple Threat match would at least provide us with a measure of suspense as to who was going to win it, Cena or Punk.
We may also get an idea of how deep in the doghouse Jack Swagger is after his arrest last week. If he is out of the picture, I would like to see a Del Rio v Barrett match at 'Mania. Barrett deserves the spotlight since he had to miss out last year due to injury. It would be for the Intercontinental title as I suspect Ziggler will be the World Heavyweight champ before April.
The Shield needs to be involved, so they need a 3-man team to go against. I'm not sure 6-weeks of them feuding with Ryback, Sheamus and Jericho will sustain itself, nor am I sure you want those three guys being used up in one match at Wrestlemania. I still prefer a Jericho v Ziggler match, so someone would have to join Ryback and Sheamus. Maybe the Miz fills that spot.
Lastly, I want a tag-team match of Big Show and Mark Henry against Brodus Clay and Tensai. Just give me big slabs of beef smacking each other around. You could also have Team Hell No take on Show and Henry.
Certainly there are other matches to be made. These are just a few that I would like to see.
There are still many stops along the way on the Road to Wrestlemania. Hopefully tonight's RAW will provide us a bit of a travel plan.

2013 Royal Rumble Pool Contestants

2013-01-25T22:15:00.000-05:00

Here are the lucky 30 people who will partake in this years pool. Good luck to all!

@Racker22 #1

@jazzjune #2

@i_am_jefferson #3

@theravishingone #4

@gustyj13 #5

@hamm3rofgod #6

@tapout1981 #7

@stroede #8

@sbush80012 #9

@superjew1 #10

@dwalker87 #11

@kevinrudge #12

@klasik007 #13

@RobertAitkenBR #14

@Zakariah #15

@ngray_63 #16

@jdjigga4885 #17

@Swaggergills. #18

@deanleyland #19

@mello1818 #20

@kreslovric #21

@jonblyan #22

@psyscho27 #23

@bigskyman01 #24

@kingajeezy #25

@joelnick11 #26

@adampearson89 #27

@A_Rawden22 #28

@benhas19voices #29

@nicki5686 #30

1990 Royal Rumble

2013-01-21T12:36:00.001-05:00

I was lucky enough to attend this Rumble in Orlando 23 years ago today.
I miss the promos the guys did before the Rumble. The Warrior's one in this link is awesome.
Also when you click on the ensuing youtube clips (They appear in 10:00 intervals) notice how no music plays upon entrances. Also notice the number of Hall of Famers who were in it. Quite the event.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdzJqWn7XUU

Royal Rumble Contest 2013

2013-01-20T14:54:00.004-05:00

Here's how it works. I will randomly select 30 Twitter followers on 1/25 who let me know they want in on the contest (details below) . YOU ARE NOT GUARANTEED AN ENTRY. THIS IS A LOTTERY. I will use a random number generator to match up entrance spots with the 30 contestants to determine who gets each entrance number.

Last year I used this hypothetical example and accidentally predicted exactly how the Rumble would be won. http://gusramsey.blogspot.com/2012/01/royal-rumble-contest-2012.html

I'll take another stab at it this year.

So if you have #18 and Cena comes in at #18 and wins, you win. (by the way, that scenario coupled with The Rock beating Punk sets up a Rock vs Cena Twice in a Lifetime rematch at Wrestlemania.)

I will post the names of the entrants and the number they've been assigned here on the blog on 1/25.

Prizes will include a Jim Ross barbecue sauce prize pack and a signed item from him as well as a choice of WWE DVD or WWE Encyclopedia.

If you want to enter the contest, leave your name and twitter handle in the comments section of this post. DO NOT JUST SEND ME A TWEET.
****Your name will not appear in the comments box until I APPROVE THE COMMENT, so don't panic.****

Please only submit your name once. Good luck to all.
By the way, if you don't get in this one, do your own. It's a lot of fun.

Investigative Journalism

2013-01-16T11:23:00.002-05:00

A brilliant piece by the folks at The Daily Show
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-january-14-2013/investigating-investigative-journalism

The Agony of Defeat, Broncos Style

2013-01-13T21:54:00.000-05:00

The Shock

The ball hung in the air, twisting toward it's stationary target, and the realization that a magical season was coming to a cruel and premature conclusion sunk over me, slowly, agonizingly and helplessly.

Carlos Beltran didn't swing the bat and the Mets 2006 season was over. They had the best record in their league, they played a team in the playoffs that had spent much of their season playing below expectations (in part due to injured key players but were finally healthy), and they were dramatically upset in the post-season. Sound familiar?

As Justin Tucker's 47-yard field goal spun it's way through the uprights, ending the Broncos season, I sat motionless on my couch wondering if what I had just sat through for four hours actually happened.

In the grand scheme of things, the Broncos loss to the Ravens wasn't shocking. Leading up to the game I presented reasons to be concerned. This is a playoff tested team that was healthier than when Denver beat them in week 15. But how the Broncos lost wasn't just shocking, it was stupefyingly stunning. Regardless of what took place prior to getting to the position they were in, the Broncos were in the position of having a 7-point lead with their opponent on their own 30 yard line, no time outs and forty-one seconds to play. According to ESPN's Stats and Information Win Probability model, Denver had a 97.2% chance of winning the game at that moment. Shocking doesn't begin to describe it.

Worse than '96?

Is this loss worse than the playoff loss to Jacksonville that ended the '96 season? That's a question many Broncos fans are asking themselves. For me the answer is yes and no. That Jaguars team was 9-7, had barely qualified for the playoffs and were in just their second season in the NFL. But they had talented players in Mark Brunell, Natrone Means, Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell. On that they day, they outplayed the Broncos. Big picture - shocking. Day of - a frustrating and depressing day when they got beat.

This Ravens loss? The game was in the bag. Denver had the ball and a 7-point lead as the two-minute warning approached. Two first downs were going to win the game. And again, even are punting the ball away, a small miracle was required for the Ravens to win. In that regard, this loss was more shocking and more painful. Broncos fans had one and a half feet in the AFC title game. I never felt that confident during the Jacksonville game. (Denver did lead 12-0 but a questionable decision to go for two instead of going up 13-0 raised my eyebrows and allowed doubt to creep in.) Trying to compare the two losses is like being asked "would you rather be kicked in the crotch or poked in the eye?"

3rd and 7

That brings me to the 3rd and 7 call. I didn't first guess it so I'm not going to second guess it, I'll just tell you what I was thinking in the moment. Because the 2:00 warning provided ample time to think it over, I said to my son, "I don't think they'll pass it here, but it would be great if they did." It's hard to argue with logic that put your team in a position where they had a 97.2% chance of winning. But what about this? If I told you before the season started Denver needed Peyton Manning to complete a pass on 3rd and 7 for a first down in order for the Broncos to go to the AFC title game, Broncos fans would feel pretty good about that.

After the fact all I could think of was the 1997 AFC title game. Denver lead the Steelers 24-21 at the 2:00 warning. They were facing a 3rd and 5 from their own 15. They had Terrell Davis and his 130+ yard rushing day in their backfield. They could have given T.D. the ball, run some clock, punted and trusted their defense. Instead, they asked their Hall of Fame quarterback to make a play. Elway fired a laser to Shannon Sharpe for 18 yards and the game was over. So here were the Broncos, a 7-yard completion away from the AFC title game, and they opted to run. Again, John Fox put his team in incredibly good position to win, I just think most Broncos fans would have liked to see their team go for the kill right then and there. By the way, the Broncos lost to the Steelers in week 15 of the regular season in '97 and got their revenge in the playoffs. Sound familiar?

I went through the play-by-play of all the Broncos games this year to see what they had done on 3rd and 7s. Granted, the context is different, but the Broncos passed 15 out of 18 times they had a 3rd down and 7. The three runs consisted of Brock Osweiler taking a knee against New Orleans when the game was over and two Ronnie Hillman runs in the waning moments of the Cleveland and Ravens games to set up field goals when they were already up by 20 or more points. So basically anytime Denver needed to convert a 3rd and 7 this season, they passed the ball. It's fair to say Denver needed to convert that 3rd and 7 against Baltimore and instead of asking their Hall of Fame quarterback to make a play, they ran it. I have to wonder what John Elway was thinking as he watched from his sky box.

Just for yucks, lets also mention a 3rd and 5 call. Denver was up 28-21 early in the third quarter, had just recovered a fumble and had the ball on their 47. Uncle Mo was dying to throw on his Broncos jersey. Manning audibled to a run to Hester up the middle. The play gained 2 yards and Denver punted. It was one of the possessions where Denver had a lead and was looking to go up that allusive two scores. It just seemed like an odd call at the time. I don't have any official stats on it, but the number of times Manning audibled to a run this season and it gained big yardage were pretty minimal. If Denver was going for the kill, they were doing the Roberta Flack and trying to kill them softly.

The Pass

Joe Flacco's improbable heave was thrown at 8pm eastern time. How do I know that? Because I have parental locking on my TV. Whatever TV show was scheduled for 8pm Sunday night on CBS must have a rating of TV-14 or higher because at 8pm, just as Joe Flacco was stepping up in the pocket on that fateful 3rd and 3, my TV screen went from showing me the game to the blue screen that says "This program has been locked." As I frantically grabbed the remote and unlocked the channel my son says "I think we sacked him...." I entered the code and the game returned on my TV in time to see the Ravens jumping up and down with the word "TOUCHDOWN" emblazoned across the screen. What the #@$%?????

Maybe my TV knew that if I saw the play live I would have yelled something my son shouldn't hear and it was providing some kind of metaphysical parental locking.

Conservative like a Fox

When Manning took a knee at the Broncos 20 with :31 left in regulation, the crowd booed their disgust at Denver for not trying to win the game. Just like the run on 3rd and 7, it was a concession.
If John Fox was watching the Falcons game today, he saw just what could be done with limited time and a few timeouts. Or he could look no further than his own teams game against the Texans this year when the Broncos had the ball on their 37 with :22 left in the half. Manning completed two passes to Decker and Prater hit a 53-yard field goal.

Last season when the Broncos were pulling out miracle win after miracle win, coach Fox's strategy was to play it as close to the vest as possible. When Tebow tied the Miami game and got it to overtime, Denver had two possessions in the extra period. The first went run-run-sack-punt. The second followed a Miami turnover at their own 36. Denver went run-run-run and settled for a 52-yard field goal. In their OT win against the Chargers their OT plays were 8 runs and 3 passes. In their OT win against Chicago they had the ball 1st and 10 on Chicago's 40. They went McGahee run, Tebow scramble, Tebow run and settled for a 51-yard field goal.
John Fox is a defensive-minded coach. He wasn't a gun-slinging QB who converted crucial 4th downs and pulled victory from the jaws of defeat. So maybe, even with Peyton Manning as his QB, Fox just feels better playing it safe. Against the Ravens, safe made everyone in Denver sorry.

The Cold

A lot was made of Manning being 0-3 in playoff games played at 30 degrees or colder. I didn't think too much of it. Two of those losses were on the road against really good Patriots teams. But as the game went on, it was evident to me that the cold had some kind of an effect. Many of Manning's throws lacked the zip that had grown with the season. Sure, he put some mustard on some and threw beauties to Stokley and Moreno for TDs, but consider this, Manning only threw one pass more than 20 yards the entire game. The man threw 43 passes in this game, and only one went more than 20 yards? With wideouts like Decker and Thomas, in a game where the refs were throwing flags like Pacman Jones throws $100s, you would expect them to take a few shots down the field. It didn't happen and I think the cold was the primary reason why. Glove and all, I'm just not sure Peyton felt like he had a lot of pop on his passes and didn't want to risk it. Maybe that's why coach Fox played it safe at the end of regulation. Obviously this doesn't bode well over the next few years if Denver has more cold-weather playoff games. By the way, because I like to torture myself, I looked to see that next Sunday's forecast for Denver is sunny and a high near 50.

The Pain

The only part of this game I found enjoyable was the Holliday punt return. Everything else was just agonizing, excruciating pain. There were three or four possessions where Denver had the lead and the ball, but couldn't manage to take a two-score lead. None worse than the possession at the end of the first half when they could have gone up ten or fourteen and were getting the ball to start the second half. A Prater shank, a Champ misplay and suddenly it was tied at the half. Ulcers were growing to softball size in my gut.

The game was also played at an incredibly slow pace. It was only mid-second quarter and the game was an hour and a half old. The refs were taking forever to sort out penalties and reviews. Players were getting hurt. It was just dragging on and on. I was squirming in my seat like I was getting wisdom teeth yanked without the benefit of Novocaine. (memo to self: next year get some Novocaine before any Broncos playoff games).

The Broncos had two almost-picks (a deflected pass that landed in front of a charging Moore and a Mike Adams diving attempt he got both hands on) that could have sealed things. The pass interference on the Ravens second possession that allowed them to avoid punting from their own end zone and lead to a TD two plays later. The long completion to Pitta from their own end zone that changed field position in overtime and set up the Ravens field position on the ensuing Manning pick. All agonizing. Ronnie Hillman looked dangerously close to breaking a few long runs that could have been game-changing, but his protect-the-ball-at-all-costs style (which was the proper thing) seemed to prevent him from turning on the jets full blast and tearing away. Agonizing. I have often said I enjoy the angst of important games and I'd rather watch a good, close game and lose then to have it be over in the first quarter, but not like that. Not when the game is 97.2% won. This game just sucked the life out of me, play-by-play, minute-by-minute.

The Aftermath

This one is going to take a while to get over. Maybe the 11-game win streak was fool's gold. The teams Denver beat during that streak proved not to be as formidable as their preseason expectations suggested. The running game can be improved. While I still believe Champ Bailey is among the best DBs in the league, he gave plenty of reason for doubt on Saturday. If Joe Mays is not the answer at middle linebacker, a 38-year old Keith Brooking wont be either. They'll need to find someone to man the middle. (Maybe they put DJ Williams back there). And Manning will be another year older.

In 2006, while discouraged by their loss to the Cardinals, I still thought the Mets time was just beginning. Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Delgado, Santana. There was plenty of reason for optimism. I was wrong. That was the Mets shot and they blew it.

After losing to the Jaguars in '96, the Broncos rebounded to win back-to-back Super Bowls. This Denver team is a talented bunch and should still be a contender next year. It's just that when this year hands you home field advantage and you blow it, it's a real kick to the crotch. Or poke to the eye. Whichever.

Playoff Football Fear

2013-01-09T11:35:00.002-05:00

It's Jacksonville's fault and I hate them for it.
Not the city, just their football team.
There was a time as a Denver Broncos fan during the John Elway Era where I expected Denver to win the big games (with the exception of the Super Bowl vs the 49ers). They obviously lost some of them, but I always expected them to win.
None more than the '96 playoff game against Jacksonville.
Denver was 13-3. Jacksonville was 9-7.
Denver had Elway, Sharpe, Davis, the league's top ranked offense and the home field advantage plus altitude. I was not worried. In fact, I was already thinking about a showdown with my buddy Bill's beloved New England Patriots.
But Jacksonville came in full of Jaguar piss and vinegar and shocked the Broncos, 30-27.

It's because of that game that I go into every Broncos playoff game expecting something bad to happen. Sure, the Broncos have won two Super Bowls since then. They beat the mighty Playoff Patriots in '06. They pulled off the Tebow Miracle last year. All those games were great and I thought before each of them that Denver would lose. Thanks, Jacksonville.
So that brings us to this week. Denver has a top five offense and a top five defense. They have won 11 in a row. The home field advantage of Mile High seems to be coming back. Denver beat the Ravens in week 15 and they will have a short week while Denver had a week to heal. All signs point to a Denver win... if those are the signs you choose to look at it. But what about the OTHER signs? You know, the ones that point in the other direction.
9-10. Peyton Manning is just 9-10 in his playoff career. Tom Brady is 16-6. Joe Montana 16-7. John Elway 14-7. Hell, even Donovan McNabb is 9-7. Despite all his greatness, is there something about Peyton that makes him more human in the playoffs? Certainly not when he plays the Broncos. Two wins, 800+ yards and 9 TDs on 49-59 passing says absolutely not. But 9-10 is 9-10.
9 straight wins against Baltimore. Peyton has their number, right? I suppose so. But is that 34-17 week 15 win a little deceiving? Manning's 204 passing yards was his lowest output of the season. Baltimore forced Denver into seven 3 and Outs in that game. They average 1.9 3 and Outs on the season. Their third down conversion rate was 31%. They converted 45% of the time for the season. In other words, it's quite possible Baltimore stymies the Denver attack and this game is much closer.
It's going to be COLD on Saturday. The forecast calls for a high of around 20 degrees. As the Denver Post points out, Manning has not done well in cold weather playoff games, going 1-3 in the cold weather venues of New England, Baltimore and New Jersey. Will the mercury serve as Manning's kryptonite?
Or will it be the silent bug-a-boo of the Broncos season. The fumble. Denver has given away the football this year like Hare Krishnas used to give away flowers at airports. Their 14 fumbles lost are by far the most of any AFC playoff team. I dread that one lost ball at the exact wrong time will doom Denver's season.
Vegas says the Broncos are 9 point favorites. Most everyone thinks it's a done deal that the AFC title game will be another Manning v Brady showdown. I obviously hope that it is, but there is the matter of the uneasy 3-hour Angst Fest against the Ray-vens this Saturday. If Denver manages to win that one, wait 'til you see my list of things to be worried about against New England.
Thanks, Jacksonville.

Good Will Hunting

2013-01-05T10:14:00.001-05:00

An enjoyable oral history of Good Will Hunting.
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/articles/2013/01/good-will-hunting-oral-history/

Karma-proof?

2012-12-30T22:56:00.000-05:00

I'm not even sure I should write about this. So, let's just keep it between you and me.
I think Peyton Manning is Karma-proof.
There, I said it. Not with a full measure of conviction, but I did say it.

I was 17 when I first started believing in the power of Rooting with Karma. If you don't know, Karma is the daughter of the great Rooting family parents Uncle Mo and Auntie Mentum. They are cousins of Destiny, who is known for her work in the world of baseball no-hitters.
I had begun the practice of decorating the family den with all my Broncos paraphernalia any time they were on national TV (a big deal living in Connecticut at the time). That year I started making changes when things weren't going well. You probably know the drill. When things are going well for your team, you stay in the same seat, you don't take phone calls, you don't allow family members into the room and those who were there at the start aren't allowed to leave the room. if things are going poorly, you take off hats or shirts with the team logo on them, you move the remote control from the left side of the armchair to the right, whatever it takes. Sometimes your actions only work for a while, other times not at all, but occasionally they go the distance and alter entire games. You also have to take into consideration that thousands of other fans, for your team and the team your playing against, are also trying their own tricks, so there are a lot of Karmatic elements in motion. But when it all goes right (like on my knees, holding hands with my 9-year old as overtime started in the Steelers-Broncos playoff game last year), how sweet it is.

Among my more memorable Karma moments:

Game 6 1999 NLCS- The Mets trail the Braves 7-3 in the top of the 7th, down three games to two. John Smoltz comes in in relief and I decide it's a good time to relieve myself. So as I place myself upon the throne, I can't see the TV but I can kind of hear it. Franco doubles. Henderson doubles. Alfonso flies to right. My business is done, but there is a rally underway, so I stay fastened to the potty like Sgt. Murtaugh in Lethal Weapon 2. Now I am leaning forward, sticking my head out the bathroom door, trying to hear the game better. Olerud single. Piazza homer! You know how hard it is to jump off a toilet with your pants around your ankles? The next two batters made outs and I was finally able to leave the bathroom. Now, in retrospect, maybe I should have stayed in there as the Mets went on to lose 10-9, but I felt like, at least for that inning, I did my duty (and my dooty).

Super Bowl 32- Before the game had started I banished my wife to the upper level of our condo. No interruptions. Late in the first half Denver is up 17-7 and Green Bay has the ball deep in their own territory. My wife asks if she can come down for a minute. She needs to do something in the kitchen. I acquiesce and down she comes. Well, bing-bam-boom, the Packers march down the field and score right before the half ends. I order my wife back upstairs, where she remains as the Broncos went on to win their first title.

I know I'm not the only one who believes in this stuff. Last year during the Bears/Broncos game I tweeted that I was moving to the roof to watch the rest of the game when the Broncos were down 10-0. As things started going Denver's way people started imploring me to stay on the roof. There were multiple moments like that last season. With each remarkable comeback it felt like a higher power was involved. Rooting with Karma was a way of life for Broncos fans last year, in large part because we felt like we needed it to win games.

That brings us to this year and Peyton Manning. The Monday night comeback against San Diego (overcoming a 24-point halftime deficit) was the one game where I recall thinking "Stay where you are, keep doing what you are doing." What I was doing was playing Bejeweled Blitz on my computer, with my feet up on the desk. By the end of the game my back and hands were killing me, but it was worth it. But during the Broncos 11-game win streak that began that night, Denver has dominated, winning all the games by at least a touchdown. It's been during these last two months that I began to wonder, "Does it really matter what I do?" You non-believers would say "of course it doesn't matter" but for us believers it is a legit question. Peyton Manning plays at such a high level that it seems silly to even try and influence what happens on the field. I admit the Broncos haven't played a great collection of teams during the streak, but even when things were a little shaky I knew Peyton would make the right adjustments and things would be fine. No need to change shirts or seats or children in the room at the half. Just wait for Manning to "Buffalo!" here, "Hurry! Hurry!" there and throw in an "Orange barrel. Re-route!" for good measure and all will be fine.
It's been odd in that regard. Such a cheering dichotomy from a year ago. It's really rather comforting.
Until the playoffs start. That will be the true test. I can't imagine the Broncos being down in a game and me not wanting to make changes. Move to an new chair? Put on a different jersey? Or will my trust in Peyton overpower my need to tweak Karma? Time will tell. Meanwhile, If Peyton wants to keep on making Karma and her family distant relatives, I'm all for it.

PLAYOFF THOUGHTS:
The Road to New Orleans goes through Denver. The only team in the AFC field the Broncos didn't face in the regular season? His old team the Colts. They will likely come to Denver if they can win in Baltimore next weekend. In his Colts career, Manning played two playoff games against the Broncos. He put up 90 points, 9 touchdowns and 835 yards on 49-59 passing. It would be nice for Peyton to make the Colts fans feel that same helpless feeling as they are being dissected pass-by-pass.

The Patriots are the only team that truly scares me. Houston has really been a different team thanks to some key injuries. The Broncos are a much better team since they lost to the Texans in week 3. Cincinnati and Indy will have trouble winning on the road. Baltimore is too inconsistent. The Patriots are great and they know what it takes to win in the playoffs. While Denver's defense has been excellent, and they are playing well at every position, we have not really seen them go against a quality offense since the Saints in week 8. They have also been playing with the lead a lot. Since the Chargers comeback game, they've had the halftime lead in every game but one. The Bengals game was the only one in the last ten they needed to come from behind in the 4th quarter. It remains to be seen how they will handle a 7-point deficit in the 3rd quarter when they need to get the other team off the field. I'm not sure I completely trust them to get the Patriots O off the field in a big spot.

I watched a bunch of old Broncos playoff games this past week. It reminded me just how awesome a home field advantage Mile High Stadium was for the Broncos. Here's hoping we can get back to that level of insanity in the weeks to come.

The Spanish Announce Table

2012-12-11T10:55:00.001-05:00

an enjoyable look at the unfortunate history of the Spanish announce table.
http://www.wwe.com/videos/the-spanish-announce-table-massacre-26074562

Worst Free Throw Ever

2012-12-09T15:52:00.001-05:00

not since Richie Cunningham put one over the backboard have I seen a free throw this atrocious.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-MW5tkTWtQ&feature=youtu.be

Dog Days

2012-12-07T15:34:00.002-05:00

My wife's quest for a second dog continues. I told her if we get a boy we'll name it Denver or Bronco. Today she showed me a photo of the one she wants. It's silver and black and pretty ugly, so I said we'll name it Raider.

The Face of the Franchise

2012-11-30T14:14:00.000-05:00

1962-1965 - Casey Stengel
1967-none
1968-Gil Hodges
1969-1971- Gil Hodges and Tom Seaver
1972-1977- Tom Seaver
1978-Jerry Koosman
1979-1980- Lee Mazzilli
1981-1982-none
1982-1984-Keith Hernandez
1985-1989-Keith Hernandez, Doc Gooden, Gary Carter, Darryl Strawberry
1990-Doc Gooden, Darryl Strawberry
1991-1994-Doc Gooden
1995-1997- none
1998-2004-Mike Piazza
2005-2006- Mike Piazza, Pedro Martinez
2006-2011-David Wright, Jose Reyes
2012-David Wright

Those are the faces of the Mets franchise since their inception. Like life itself, no two faces look the same. Some clearly carry more gravitas than others. Stengel was the face of the Yankees that the Mets needed for credibility and humor. Gil Hodges was the the face of the Brooklyn Dodgers the Mets needed for maturity. Mazzilli was box office, Hernandez was business, the '86 group was a core, Piazza and Pedro brought All-World ability and the ability to erase the '90s from our memories, and Wright and Reyes were the future.
What exactly does signing a "Face of the Franchise" mean? I suppose it means stability. It's a promise of sorts from the team's ownership to it's fan base that it is committed to the future, committed to winning and suggests an understanding from the owners that they know what the fans want, that they appreciate your investment and are investing back.
A year after losing Jose Reyes without hardly lifting a finger to keep him, the Mets could not let David Wright, the "Face of the Franchise" walk off into free agency after this season. Citi Field would have been a morgue in 2014. Merchandise sales would've provided about as much revenue as a Joe Orsulak bobblehead. So their is "value" in the Mets retaining Wright's services, but at what cost?
For a franchise that has been under financial wraps for a few years, and is not out of the woods, was retaining Wright worth it? Let's compare Wright to some of his peers.

The Nationals Ryan Zimmeran (their franchise face for quite some time, but now being joined by Strasburg and Harper) signed a $100 million extension through 2019.

The Rays Evan Longoria (their franchise face even when he was in the minors) just tacked 6 years and $100 mil onto his deal at age 27.

So Wright's money is right on par with some of the best at his position in the game. And since Wright came into the league, he has been among the best there too. He is a career .301 hitter, with a .381 on base, .506 slugging and an .887 ops. In his time in the majors, despite bouts with inconsistency, Wrights name is littered on the lists of the top performers in all the important categories for a 3rd baseman. He's also a Gold Glove caliber defender. On the field, Wright is everything you want a franchise player to be.
Off the field, Wright has been the Mets Derek Jeter. Never a hint of trouble, does tv commercials, makes all the appearances and rarely rocks the boat. He is popular, handsome, and neutral. The Mets have no problem putting Wright "out there" as their face and Mets fans have no problem embracing him.
Could the Mets have let Wright walk after next year and use that money, along with the Santana and Bay money that comes off the books, to build a new team around a young, promising pitching staff? Of course they could have, but it wouldn't have gone over well. Replacing Wright is a lot harder than it sounds. According to ESPN's Stats and Info group, only Eddie Matthews, Ron Santo, George Brett, Mike Schmidt, Scott Rolen, Wade Boggs and Buddy Bell have higher WARs through their age-29 season than Wright. Five of those seven guys are in the Hall of Fame. So financially, it may actually be a sound investment. Lock up one of the rarer pieces in the league and spend elsewhere.
The Mets were criticized when they signed Carlos Beltran to a 7 year, $119 million dollar deal when he was 28 and by all accounts a better 5-tool player then, than Wright is now. But Beltran wasn't home-grown. He was brought in to be the face of the franchise, Wright was raised to be one, so for most people, although the contracts are similar, this just feels better.
By getting the Wright thing done, the Mets have done the right thing. They owed it to their fans to keep Wright, to tell us that the money we invest in them isn't going to waste, that there is a hope the club is improving and that one of our literal cornerstones, will be part of that.
My 10-year old, baseball loving son has been aware of David Wright since he was 6. He knows Wright is an all-star, he knows he's our best player, he wears #5 in little league because that's Wright number. That stuff matters, not just to a fan but to a franchise. It's called having an identity.
I look at it like this: I took videotaped golf lessons a few years ago, and I thought the benefit would be seeing all the things I did wrong. The real benefit was seeing all the things I did right because it eliminated things I had to worry about. My take away is good? OK, no more worrying about that.
By signing Wright to this deal, the Mets have crossed one thing off their "have to worry about" list and their fans can do the same.
It's ironic that Wright, a third baseman has become the franchise player for this generation. Third was long a revolving door of mediocrity to the point of absurdity. Every year the Mets announcers gleefully announced player X was the number X player to play that position for the Mets. Don Zimmer, Jim Fregosi, Lenny Randle, the list went on forever. Now their Face of the the Franchise, the man who owns or will own all the team records, is a third baseman. We will grow old together. For many, that puts a smile on our faces.

Based on curiosity, I asked folks on Twitter who the Face of their Franchise was.
Here are some of the results:

Rockies-Tulo
Phillies-Rollins/Utley/Hamels
Giants-Posey
Cubs-none
Indians-none
Nationals-Harper/Strasburg
Twins-Mauer
Dodgers-Kemp
Reds-Phillips/Votto
Cardinals-Molina
Tigers-Verlander
Mariners-King Felix
Jays-Bautista
Yankees-Jeter
Astros-none
Braves-Heyward/McCann
Orioles-Cal Ripken/Adam Jones/Weiters
Red Sox-Ortiz/Pedroia
Pirates-McCutchen
Marlins-Stanton

The Bonds Homer

2012-10-25T20:58:00.000-04:00

At the 2002 World Series, there were some fun story lines to follow, not the least of which was "Will Barry Bonds finally have a breakout postseason?" On a lesser level was, "How big of a factor will rookie relief pitcher Francisco Rodirguez be for the Angels?"
Bonds entered the World Series in good shape (in terms of his hitting, but yes, in terms of his physique as well, but let's not go there.) He hit .294 with 3 homers in the LDS against Atlanta. He hit .273 with one homer and 10 walks in a five game LCS win over St. Louis.
K-Rod had fanned 8 Yankees in 5.6 IP in the LDS and 7 Twins in 4.3 IP in the LCS.
So the baseball world was waiting for the then 4-time MVP and his regular season numbers (.370/46/110) to face this phenom who retired thirteen of the seventeen batters he faced via the strikeout following his call-up in early September.
The baseball world had to wait one game, as a slug fest in game 2 forced Mike Scoiscia to go to his pen early and often. K-Rod entered in the 6th. After fanning the first two batters he faced, he got Bonds to bounce out to first and retired all nine batters he faced, whiffing four.
The two would meet again in game 4. It was tied at 3 when Bonds stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 7th, and again Bonds grounded to first. K-Rod now lead the head-to-head two-zip.
At one point that week on Baseball Tonight, Peter Gammons commented that K-Rod's cut fastball was tough on lefties seeing it for the first time. Before game 6, Bonds saw Gammons on the field and said "You're wrong, (about that fastball) "I just missed it. If he throws it again, I'll hit it farther than the ball I hit off Percival."
Bonds would get his chance in the top of the 6th. With the Giants up 3-2 in the series and 3-0 in the game, K-Rod entered in the 5th to try and keep the game close. After getting 2 outs to end he fifth, the next K-Rod v Bonds showdown began the 6th. I was sitting next to Peter Gammons on our Baseball Tonight set, located in left-center field when Bonds hit the ball. He didn't just hit it far, he it F-A-A-A-A-A-A-R-R-R-R-R!!! Like 485 feet far.
When the inning was over I watched Bonds as he walked out to his position in left field. As he came to a stop in the outfield grass, Bonds was looking up in the direction of our set. Gammons had swung his seat on the set around toward the cameras to write some notes and had his back to the field. Bonds kept looking our way. I finally tapped Gammons on the shoulder and said "Peter, I think Barry Bonds is looking at you."
Gammons swivelled his seat around and looked in Barry's direction. Bonds pointed out toward where his moon shot traveled as a way saying, "I told you so."
It wasn't exactly Babe Ruth calling his shot against the Cubs but it was pretty damn cool.

CM Punk DVD

2012-10-24T13:30:00.002-04:00

excellent review of the new CM Punk DVD by Sean Grande
http://www.wwe.com/wweshop/dvd/cm-punk-best-in-the-world/sean-grande-reviews-cm-punk-best-in-the-world-26062407

Speaking of the Infield Fly Rule...

2012-10-05T22:11:00.002-04:00

Buck Showalter tells the story of a game he managed in the minors where his team hit into a triple play without the defense touching the ball. How did it happen?

Runners were on 1st and 2nd, none out. On a 3-2 pitch, the runners go. The ball is popped up in the infield so the batter is out because of the infield fly rule. The runner on 2nd goes back toward 2nd base, but the runner on 1st does not and he passes the runner on 2nd, so the runner on 1st is out. The runner on 2nd is then hit in the head by the ball as it falls from the sky. He's out. 3 outs and not a single defender touched the ball.
Even funnier is Buck explaining how he had to make his nightly call to George Steinbrenner with his report on the game and explain that to Mr. Steinbrenner.

Buck explains it here on BBTN
http://awfulannouncing.blogspot.com/2008/05/buck-showalter-and-story-of-unassisted.html

The Greatest Disappoint-Mets

2012-10-04T21:41:00.002-04:00

I'm not going to pretend that the Mets haven't had good or great players come to their team and continue to be great. Mike Piazza, Gary Carter and Keith Hernandez are obvious cases. I also don't count unproven players like Darling, Cone and Orosco who blossomed as Mets. But ever since Richie Hebner, I've paid close attention to skilled, established players who were good when they got to the Mets and then simply misplaced those skills upon arrival.
Why Richie Hebner you ask? In 1978 I was 11-years old and the Mets got Hebner in a deal with the Phillies. I remember my dad being kind of excited saying, "This is good pick up. He can hit and field and should be pretty good." The year before as a Phillie, Hebner hit .283 with 17 HR and 71 RBI (decent numbers in the late '70's), so I had good reason to believe my dad. As a Met, Hebner hit .268 with 10 HR and 79 RBI. Not drastically different, but as an 11-year old I expected much more. So for that reason, right or wrong, Hebner has always been my poster boy for this concept.
With that as the backdrop, here are my biggest disappoint-Mets.

Ellis Valentine

What a talent this guy was. 6'4", 205, 5-tool player with one of the best throwing arms ever. He was 26 when the Mets got him from Montreal for Dan Norman and Jeff Reardon. In Montreal, Valentine averaged .276, 22/75. As a young Mets fan watching Valentine play for the Expos, he was intimidating and impressive. When the Mets got him, I thought we had a superstar for the next ten years. Instead, we got 159 games out of Ellis, with 13 HR, 69 RBI only 10 walks to 76 whiffs and a Jason Bay-like .389 slugging percentage.
Thanks for coming.

CARLOS BAERGA
When the Mets got Baerga he was 27, in the prime of his career. A switch-hitting, slick fielding second baseman who seemed like a great pickup. In his eight years in Cleveland, Baerga was a .300 hitter averaged 13 HRs and 70 RBI and slugged .444.
As a Met, Carlos hit just .193 in his 26 games after coming over in a trade.
His two full seasons weren't gems either, hitting .254 with 16 HRs and 105 RBI. Sadly, Carlos would not be the worst second baseman acquired by the Mets from the Indians.

MO VAUGHN

Big Mo! Personally, I was excited because Mo and I played basketball, baseball and football against each other in grades 7-9. It was fun to have someone I went head-to-head with playing for my team. Mo arrived from the Angels coming off an entire missed season due to injury, but their was reason for optimism (despite his weight.) In 10 seasons in the American League, Vaughn basically averaged .300/30/100. He was 34 when the Mets got him, but the majority of Mets fans remained optimistic that Vaughn would produce and help a Mets team that was just two seasons removed from a NL pennant. What did we get? 166 games played over two seasons, a .249 average, 29 homers (one of which was a Sunday night moon shot against the Yankees) and 87 RBI. Yuck. The Mo Vaughn Era ended up being more painful than the fastball he drilled me with in 8th grade and the time he sacked me in 9th grade combined.

Tom Glavine

This is the God's honest truth. When the Mets signed Glavine I told anyone who would listen, "I bet the Braves let him come to the Mets so he can be a spy and at the worst possible moment, he's going to screw us over. It's gonna be like a WWE heel turn."

Glavine was 37 when he came to New York, so the expectations bar wasn’t super high, but it wasn’t unreasonable to expect 3 good seasons. Velocity wasn’t his thing, so being older didn’t mean he could no longer get guys out. He had 242 wins under his belt and a couple of Cy Youngs. He was coming off a 3-year stretch in Atlanta where he went 55-27 and a 3.31 ERA. What did he do in N.Y.? 61-56, 3.97 era. On the surface, it doesn't look awful, but it was. His first season he served up a 9-14, 4.52 era stink bomb. If he was a Broadway play he would have been canceled.

Two more pedestrian seasons (11-14, 13-13) didn’t do anything to restore confidence, but then Glavine found something in '06. Bolstered by a talented team, Glavine went 15-7 and helped the Mets return to October. So after 3 seasons of "I knew I hated this guy! Once a Brave, always a Brave" talk, Mets fans were finally embracing Glavine. It was classic baby face stuff. Then 2007 happened. The Mets were a game-7 win from going to the World Series the year before, but optimism was high that it was a beginning not an end. Glavine posted a 13-8, 4.45 season which was respectable for a 41-year old. I'll give him that. On September 8th of that year, Glavine beat Houston with a 7 inning, 3-hit, 1-run effort to improve to 13-6 and put the Mets 6 games up in the NL East (their lead would grow to 7 games four days later). His next three starts he went 0-1 with a 6.27 era. Uh-oh. Glavine and the rest of his teammates were collapsing. Day-by-day the lead shrunk and it didn't seem like anyone could stop the bleeding. Finally, on the penultimate day of the season, John Maine provided the tourniquet, a brilliant 1-hitter against the Marlins and the Mets entered the last die of the season tied with the Phillies. When I woke up that day it was like Christmas morning. I couldn't wait for the game to start. The thought of 2-3 hours of exciting, nail-biting baseball was overwhelming. I went into work to watch the game in my office so I wouldn't be disturbed. As Glavine took the mound, I had I forgotten my own declaration that Glavine was a Braves spy assigned to rip our hearts out. To be fair, he didn't rip it out, he pulled it out slowly, pitch-by-pitch, piece-by-piece.

Ramirez-walk, Uggla FC, Hermida single, Cabrera single, Ross double (plus throwing error by Glavine), Jacobs single, Treanor walk, De Aza single, Willis hbp.

.1 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 7 ER.
This ranks right up there with the Redskins 35-point second quarter in the Super Bowl against my Broncos as the biggest turd in the punch bowl fan experience of my life time.

JASON BAY

By now, I should have known better, right? Bay was a real good player in Pittsburgh, averaging about .280/25/75 in his 6 years there. Then in Boston he played 200 games and hit .274 with 45 homers and 156 RBI. Bay appeared to be the righty slugger they needed to solidify a line-up featuring a maturing Jose Reyes and David Wright. I'll never knock Bay for his hustle. He always goes all out, which is part of the reason concussions have plagued his time in New York. But even before his concussion in Los Angeles, Bay was under-producing. After three seasons, Bay has a .234 average as a Met. The 23 HRs and 124 RBI in 288 games are pretty awful, but the big number is the .369 slugging percentage. This is a guy that slugged .515 in Pittsburgh and .534 in Boston. Since Bay became a Met, of all players who have at least 900 plate appearances, Bay's .369 slugging % is tied for 203rd!! That's worse than Willie Bloomquist, Alberto Callaspo and Ronny Cedeno. Not exactly the '27 Yankees.
When Bay comes to spring training next year he ought to bring a pet albatross.

Vince Coleman

Like Tom Glavine, Vince Coleman was not a guy I wanted on the Mets. I hated him and I hated the Cardinals. As the Mets and Cardinals fought back and forth for the NL East crown in '85, '86, '87 and '88, Coleman was at the forefront of the rivalry. He seemingly ran at will on the Mets pitchers and Gary Carter, often to the point of embarrassment. Coleman was an astounding 64-67 against the Mets. In his six years with the Cardinals, Coleman swiped 549 bags, cracking the 100 mark three times. If nothing else, the Mets finally had a legit stolen base threat, the likes of which they barely had previously. Mookie Wilson had 58 in 1982, which was the club single-season record at that time. 58 stolen bases was seven fewer than Coleman's worst season in St. Louis.

In three seasons with the Mets, Coleman never played more than 91 games in a season, limiting his Mets stolen base total to just 99. Along the way he also found time to argue with the coaches, throw a lit firecracker into a crowd at Dodger Stadium and accidentally hit Dwight Gooden with a golf club while swinging it in the clubhouse. In short, he was an underachieving jerk that made me hate him even more.

ROBBIE ALOMAR

This one is the killer. In 2001, at the age of 33, Alomar posted one of the great offensive seasons a second baseman ever recorded.

.336 batting average, .415 on base, .541 slugging, 113 runs, 100 rbi, 20 HRs, 30 SBs. Just amazing stuff. In his three years in Cleveland, Alomar averaged .323/21/103 with 35 SBs and 120 runs. I was as excited the Mets got him as I have ever been for any acquisition one of my teams has made. I ran around the house pumping my fist. I called friends to brag. It was a great day.

Then Alomar came to N.Y. and laid an egg the size of Shea Stadium. In his first season he hit .266 with 11 HRs and 53 RBI. He looked completely listless most of the time, rarely showing the electric bat or dazzling defense that made him an eleven time All-Star and ten time Gold Glove winner before coming to the Mets. Mid-way through his second season (.262, 2 HR, 22 RBI in 73 games) the Mets traded him to the White Sox for Andrew Salvo, Edwin Almonte and Royce Ring.

The Alomar Era was more depressing than a conversation with Skyler White.

Super Toe

2012-09-29T10:53:00.003-04:00

There was a time, this was the best toy I ever owned.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVxD5VMAOcs&feature=related

JUMANJI!

2012-09-13T19:05:00.002-04:00

In honor of SportsCenter's 50,000th show today, here is my personal favorite behind the scenes story.
I was producing the 2am show with Craig Kilborn and Larry Beil as the anchors. We were waiting for a college basketball game to end so we could go on the air. During a commercial break in the game, an ad for the Robin Williams movie "Jumanji" came on the air. I got in the ear of both guys and said "One of you should use Jumanji as a dunk call on highlights." Craig thought it was the stupidest thing he had ever heard while Larry thought it was funny and was really excited to use it.
When the game was over and the show started, it just so happened that Craig had the first highlights in the show, which were hoops highlights. On the very first dunk in the very first highlight, Craig yelled "Jumanji!" He also had the next two highlights and used the catch phrase repeatedly. Larry couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it.
In the first commercial break Craig explained that he thought since Larry liked it so much, he would steal it, mostly just because he wanted to mess with Larry. It ended up becoming one of Craig's favorite catch phrases. Apparently Robin Williams liked it to, because a few weeks later Craig got an autographed framed Jumanji movie poster for Robin.

Forecasting the Denver Broncos 2012

2012-09-08T11:58:00.000-04:00

Ever since March 20th, the day it was learned Peyton Manning was going to play for the Denver Broncos, there have only been moments when I've allowed myself to really think about it.

It's kind of like having chocolate cake in the house. Devouring it all at once would be great, but what about tomorrow? So you let yourself have a piece here, a bite there, and prolong the enjoyment.

The news itself was fairly stunning. I had come to expect the 49ers would land Manning, so when the story broke, I was so excited I jumped up from my chair and ran a celebration lap around the news room, hands held high in full blown victory mode. Life then settled down and my bites of the Manning cake were spread out over the summer. His first practice at OTA's. His first practice at training camp. His first preseason game. The first time I played the Broncos in Madden '13. All exciting and satisfying moments, but now we are here. Now we are on the precipice of what could be a very fulfilling season.

Let's us not forget Broncos fans are coming off one of the most memorable seasons in franchise history. The collection of Tebow-mania wins, topped by the amazing OT playoff win, were as stunning/shocking/exhilarating as anything John Elway ever provided. (I know it sounds blasphemous, but it's true.) So the bar is actually set pretty high for Peyton, based on both his expectations and what this team accomplished last year. So let's do it, game by game, here's how I see the Broncos season playing out.

WEEK 1 VS STEELERS

This is a tough one as there are a lot of elements in play.

The Steelers are going to be all kinds of fired up for revenge. I mean Barney Ross and his crew in The Expendables 2 type revenge. James Harrison makes a perfect Hale Caesar, by the way.

The Broncos are still learning their offense and each other. You don't want to be in "we're still figuring it out" mode when you play Pittsburgh.

The Steelers are banged up (Harrison and Mendenhall likely out) and depth, especially at altitude, really matters in the first few games of the season.

He's Peyton Manning. If you had to bet on one guy to come out and go, "Hey. Remember me? I'm still really freaking good," wouldn't Peyton be the guy?

I expect this game to be a grind and think the Broncos grind out a 20-17 win. (1-0)

WEEK 2 AT ATLANTA

Denver doesn't play a lot of games at Atlanta. I'll always remember the first Elway vs Dan Reeves game they played there with Elway and Shannon Sharpe hooking up for a 65-yard "screw you for messing with my career" score on their 4th play of the game.

On paper, this should be a memorable game with two good quarterbacks facing off, but it could be two running backs who have the greatest impact. The Falcons Michael Turner has averaged 5.3 yards per carry against Denver in 6 games. Knowshon Moreno will be returning to the town of his collegiate glory. I've enjoyed the Knowshon Moreno Era about as much as I enjoy fire ant bites, but perhaps this is the game Knowshon finally breaks out.

But I doubt it.

Even good teams struggle on the road. This one feels like a small step back and a 27-17 loss. (1-1)

WEEK 3 TEXANS

Elway's old clipboard carrying pal, Gary Kubiak, brings his Houston Texans to town. The same Houston Texans team that Peyton Manning is 16-2 against in his career with 42 Td's and only 8 picks. Unfortunately, this isn't "that" Houston Texans team. Most of those games featured the expansion Texans and the Super Bowl caliber Colts. This is the Super Bowl caliber Texans coming to town. Denver couldn't stop the run last year and Kubiak's teams run. And when they are done running, they have a deadly play-action attack. I just don't think the Broncos can slow them down.

Texans win this one in a wild west shootout, 31-28. (1-2)

WEEK 4 RAIDERS

Former Broncos coach Dennis Allen comes to town with the Silver and Black Holding Attack.

If the replacement refs are still working this week, I'm setting the over/under on penalties called at 23.5. Oakland shattered the mark for most penalties in a season last year. They had more whistles blown on them than the SEC guys on Wall Street.

After a few tough losses, this is where Peyton and friends start to hit their stride.

Broncos 34 Raiders 12 Refs 25 (2-2)

WEEK 5 AT NEW ENGLAND (stride broken)

45-10. That was the score in the playoffs last year. Is Peyton Manning worth 35 points? No.

The one possible scenario for a win is the same as last year, run the ball, run the clock, convert third downs. Obviously Manning gives you a better chance to move the sticks than Tebow does, but it's still not looking good.

Is the Broncos defense better equipped to play the Patriots? No. DJ Williams will still be missing. The Broncos linebackers in general are not great in coverage and were throttled by the Pats Wonder Twins duo of tight ends last year. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady exposed Denver's defensive faults like Gronk exposed himself in ESPN the Magazine's Body Issue. I don't see that changing.

The naked truth is the Patriots are taking this one 35-21. (2-3)

WEEK 6 AT SAN DIEGO

This is Monday nighter, so Denver gets an extra day to recover from their east coast travel and it's our first taste of the Manning-Rivers rivalry. It's also our first look at Eddie Royal: San Diego Charger. This is a bit of a crusher. I'm a big Eddie Royal fan, in large part because he reminds me so much of my all-time favorite Bronco, Rick Upchurch, who once dated Condoleeza Rice, but I digress. Royal is also great in Madden, which ups the love quotient. Royal was also really good against the Chargers. In his rookie season he had a TD and a game-winning 2-point conversion in a 39-38 thriller. The following year on a Monday Night, he had a kick return and a punt return for TDs. Even Upchurch never did that. So, a big part of me will be terrified every time the Broncos kick to Royal on this Monday night. It's been a big year for the Royals (The Jubilee, the Olympics, Prince Harry's Vegas vacation). I'd hate to think the Broncos are going to spend as much time staring at Royal's butt as the rest of the world has spent staring at Pippa's.

But, I feel good about this one, Broncos win 23-17. (3-3)

WEEK 7 BYE

WEEK 8 SAINTS

This is a big one. Peyton vs his dad's team. Joe Vitt will be back for the Saints, but more importantly, D.J. Williams should be back for the Broncos and like any good D.J., he'll be laying the hits. Manning is 2-2 against the Saints, but has a QB rating of 116.3 against them with 11 TDs and only 4 picks. John Fox has familiarity with New Orleans from his days in Carolina. Jack Del Rio saw the Saints in the pre-season AND the regular season last year, so he should be well versed in what New Orleans likes to do.

It's going to be a big night for Peyton, Broncos win 42-28. (4-3)

WEEK 9 AT CINCINNATI

The Broncos are 18-8 all-time against the Bengals. The last time they went to Cincy, Gus Johnson and every Broncos fan went nuts. Do you remember this.... ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fPamV6LsV8

You know who's back on the Broncos this year? That's right, Brandon Stokley!

I've got a tip for you, Broncos win this one 12-7. (5-3)

WEEK 10 AT CAROLINA

The return of John Fox! Probably not how CBS will sell it. They'll get bogged down in the Peyton Manning/Cam Newton angles, but whatever.

The real storyline may be how well the Broncos athletes on defense, Miller, Dumerville, Williams and Bailey go about containing Cam Newton.

Something tells me Cam is a little too slippery and the Panthers sneak out a win, 24-21. (5-4)

WEEK 11 SAN DIEGO

There's a good chance San Diego comes in hot, winners of 3 straight after playing at Cleveland, home for KC and at Tampa Bay. But this will be their 3rd road game in four weeks and 5th in 7 weeks. Plus, I broke out the Doppler 9000 and I am predicting snow on 11/18/2012 in Denver.

Broncos sweep the Chargers. They win this one in the snow, 14-3. (6-4)

WEEK 12 AT KANSAS CITY

It looked like a tough game when the schedule came out. It's always tough in K.C. and always a little tougher in late November. But fortune has smiled on the Broncos as Matt Cassel will be out for this game, injured two weeks earlier in a game against Pittsburgh. (I can predict more than just the weather!) That means none other than Brady Quinn will be at the helm for this one!! The same Brady Quinn who couldn't get snaps in front of Tim Tebow in Denver. Oh, snap!

Broncos win this one, 17-0. (7-4)

WEEK 13 TAMPA BAY

Thanks schedule makers, thank you for sending Tampa Bay to Denver on December 2nd. With their previous four games at Oakland, home SD, at Carolina and home Atlanta, the only chill the Bucs players will have felt up until this point of the season is the ice packs on their bodies after every game. Couple that with the fact they just aren't very good and they'll be in full blown check-out mode, this looks good for the Ponies.

Broncos 27 Tampa Bay 6 (as in Fahrenheit, not Celsius) (8-4)

WEEK 14 AT OAKLAND

Always hard for one team to sweep the other, right? Well, since 2000, Denver has done it 4 times, and Oakland has done it to Denver twice. So it's not impossible. Did you know Peyton Manning has only played at Oakland twice in his career? He won both times, including a 31-26 win in the second to last regular season game he played for the Colts. Still, I never feel good about a visit to Oakland. It's kind of like going for a physical. You are nervous going in, you get held a lot and in the end you probably are going to take it up the ass.

The Raiders poke and prod their way to a turn your head and cough victory, 24-20. (8-5)

WEEK 15 AT BALTIMORE

I just started watching The Wire this year, so it would be easy to make all kinds of references to Omar, Stringer, McNulty and the rest, but that would be too cutesy and there is nothing cute about playing the Ravens this year or pretty much any other year.

It's encouraging to know that Manning is 6-2 lifetime against Baltimore with a QB rating over 100 and a TD/Int ratio of 6/2 in 8 games, but it's not that encouraging.

Manning vs Lewis is going to have a Rocky/Apollo after his Clubber Lang fight feel too it. Two war horses throwing blows one last time, and enjoying every second of it.

"Boy, you really move good for an older guy."

"You don't want any of this."

"Maybe I'm in here with the wrong guy."

Unless the Broncos have Herc and Carver eavesdropping on the Ravens play callers (sorry, couldn't resist), I don't like Denver's chances.

Ravens win it not at the wire, but going away, 30-14. (8-6)

WEEK 16 CLEVELAND

The Broncos are 18-5 all-time vs Cleveland. You may recall this win...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbp37yZSxo4&playnext=1&list=PL511722A6C77F90B7&feature=results_video

and then there was this one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8boPbIfG0M

On top of that, Peyton Manning is 5-0 against the Browns (despite just 2 TDs and 6 picks).

So now that Cleveland has already gouged their eyes out, lets just jump to the end.

Broncos 40 Browns 7 (9-6)

WEEK 17 KANSAS CITY

Matt Cassel is back and he's not going to take it anymore! ....

.....

OK, I'm done giggling now. Did you know Von Miller's linebacker coach in college coached former Chief great Derrick Thomas? Did you know Von Miller said this at the Senior Bowl in 2011 " I can never ever be like Derrick Thomas and I can never play like Derrick Thomas. But he played with a fanatical effort, a relentless effort. And that's what I can do. That's what I try to do - to play with that same attitude." Did you know Derrick Thomas holds the NFL record for sacks in a game with 7? Can you guess where I'm going with this?

Miller is going to sack Cassel 8 times in this game.

The Broncos win it 27-13. They finish 10-6 and win the AFC West.

Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/49ers/archives/2011/02/von-miller-want.html#storylink=cpy

Breaking Bad montage

2012-09-07T21:14:00.002-04:00

nice piece of work here summing up seasons 1-5.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djaLf6bgFuU&feature=youtube_gdata_player