"But I'm not waving a flag for them off the balcony of my condo."

While servicemen in Iraq rock their Steelers yellow on tanks, and while Pittsburghers everywhere are eager to show their toughness and yellowness, Seattle is asleep at the Superbowl frenzy wheel, something not missed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. And from Seattle P-I, some quotes from this article:

....collective response to Seattle's first Super Bowl contest might best be described as polite, though pleased, bewilderment....

Call it laid-back cool or uptight reserve, Seattle's signature style does not often lend itself to overt displays of joy.

"You've got probably 70 percent of the people here are on some kind of anti-depressants because of Seasonal Affective Disorder," said Vinnie Richichi, better known as "New York Vinnie," the garrulous and decidedly un-Seattle commentator on KIRO sports radio.

"People don't let their emotions out here like they do in other places. It's the kind of town where you're told to sit down at a Rolling Stones concert. It's the kind of town where you have to be told, 'It's OK to go crazy.' "...

Monica Corsaro a Methodist minister leading an Equality Day rally at the capitol in Olympia on Monday, called out to the crowd, "We are gay, we are straight, and we are Seahawks fans!" to roars of appreciation. (God loves the Pittsburgh Steelers too, she noted.)....

"I will say that when they won, there was definitely a change in the air," the part-time cashier said. "But I'm also a yoga instructor, so I feel these things."

The place where Eben mentioned that people were very polite to opposing baseball players. Seattle, know this: you and your God want Pittsburgh to fall into the three rivers and be washed away by Lake Erie. That's what Pitt ministers would wish on you, and it's all in good fun.

Park Slope West is going to get smoked in the Superbowl.

Last night, we were eating buffalo wings and Dora asked me if the Seahawks would receive many cheers from the people gathered around the televisions in the crowded bar. I murmured something about Steve Largent and the Seahawks not even being bad enough to be really bottom of the barrel bad, just constantly mediocre. And then, thinking of the Seahawks’ pretty new stadium—complete with art gallery—and Seattlers’ penchant for coffee, their well-educated populace, neat communities, and indie rock scene…

I realized that Seattle is Park Slope west.

So, in two weeks: The Park Slope Seahawks against the rough and tumble Pittsburgh Steelers.

Have you seen Park Slope football in Prospect Park? Work that around your mind a little bit.

p.s.: secretly, I really want to tour the stadium, along with SF's Pac Bell Park. But I can still mock the Seahawks.

all i'm saying is: kobe bryant likes to score and won't let anything get in his way

Phil Jackson is a smart man. Triangle offense? Not without talent! The Zen Master is intent on winning behind Kobe Bryant’s scoring outbursts—he scored 81 in a game. 81! Teams barely score 81! When a man scores over 60, can we officially call it a scoregasm?

Maybe if Kobe expends all this energy-- I'll stop the Kobe cracks right there. A box score for the Lakers' starting five. And yes, they did win the game over the Toronto Raptors.

Name	Min	FG	3Pt	FT	Off	Reb	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	Pts
K. Brown	24	1-5	0-0	1-2	4	10	1	2	0	2	3	3
L. Odom	42	1-7	1-2	5-6	0	10	7	4	0	2	3	8
C. Mihm	29	5-8	0-0	2-3	5	8	2	1	0	2	2	12
S. Parker	35	5-11	1-5	2-2	1	2	4	3	3	0	5	13
K. Bryant	41	28-46	7-13	18-20	2	6	2	3	3	1	1	81

i'm going to cry. the only duke game that i actually see LIVE and IN PERSON (and with fucking AMAZING seats, kids!), and my boys lose to an unranked team. ugh-o-rama.

The Boy Wonder Returns...without the Gorilla suit!

Welcome Back, Theo!

So, I was just talking to Neverecho about how I need to start posting again. (My apologies for my silence) I was focused on some other writing projects and therefore have not been following the sports as much as I normally do. Except of course for the 8-6 UMass Minutemen (3-1; A-10) but I imagine there are not many folks reading who want to hear about that.

And...quite frankly, I was asked by so many of my New Yorker non-baseball fans about the Johnny Damon situation, I didn't even want to talk about it.

However, once I had my time back, there was nothing going on in sports¹...NCAA has not had many huge stories. Larry Brown is struggling in NY, but that won't last. Neither my Pats or my Bucs are in the playoffs (PLAYoffs??) so there is not much football for me to watch. And, even Andrew Raycroft is hurt.

The MLB offseason has not been that smokin' since Johnny Damon. Let's face it, the biggest story was whether or not A-Rod was planning to represent his home country or defect for the World Baseball Classic. Oh, poor widdle A-Rod, he doesn't know where he wants to play. How about your home country - the one you were born in, jackass! There was a transit strike here in NYC stranding 7 million real NY'ers, during the coldest days of the year and A-Rod is stressed about the WBC! While your blue lips are trembling just thinking about it, send your limo over and give me a ride to work, Slappy!

Ok, venting done. Forget A-Rod, forget Raycroft, forget UMass basketball this season, but look out next year. And, forget the NFL playoffs, but tonight I got the news.

As I was writing this little post, I got a zap on the ole' sports news wire that Mr. Theo "the boy wonder" Epstein is rejoining the Red Sox. As posted on ESPN.com:

Epstein and Red Sox management issued a joint statement Thursday saying he will return to the organization full-time, but they did not say in what capacity Epstein would rejoin the team. His return had been rumored almost since the day he slipped out of Fenway Park wearing a borrowed gorilla costume to avoid the media.

"As you know, we have spoken frequently during the last 10 weeks. We have engaged in healthy, spirited debates about what it will take over the long-term for the Red Sox to remain a great organization and, in fact, become a more effective organization in philosophy, approaches and ideals," the statement said.

Seriously, for the rest of Red Sox Nation this is not much of a surprise. As the story says, it has been rumored since day one. However, like watching the overdone but always lovable Law & Order, we don't care if we have seen the same episode every week for 17 years, it still feels right to hear the "dun/dun". So, despite the rumors, it feels save to know that Theo is back...officially.

This is the place for Theo to be and it makes no sense to see him anywhere but back with the ole' town team. Sometimes, you CAN go home. Welcome back! Now, get us a damn lead-off hitter!!!

Footnotes:
1. Big mjunior apologies to Greg and Pico because the College Bowls turned out to be quite amazing. I don't follow much College Football, so I usually don't have much to write about.

...and speaking of Slappy McBlue Lips and the World Baseball Classic.

A quick note on this:

Bob Cook from NBCSports.com wrote a fantastic commentary on how the Dominican Republic should be blessed that A-Rod decided to play for the States, saying:

Alex Rodriguez’s tortuous vascillating over whether he would play for the United States, the Dominican Republic or not play at all in the World Baseball Classic was the most drawn-out public display of indecision since Meat Loaf repeatedly begged Ellen Foley to “let me sleep on it” as she demanded “I gotta know right now” in “Paradise by the Dashboard Light.”

Now that Rodriguez has chosen the United States, Americans can rest easy knowing their entrant in Major League Baseball’s Real World Series has filled its need for a power-hitting star who melts under pressure. The Dominican Republic team must be relieved Rodriguez chose the U.S, given that, in Vladimir Guerrero, it already has one big-name player who can consistently hit weak grounders with two men on base in a playoff situation.

Absolutly fantastic!!!

Basketball, basketball.

I forgot to write about the Wizards v. Sixers game that Pico and I went to on Monday. Maybe because it was so boring. Total blowout, by the end of the game, I just listened to Pico tell me random stories about random players. I think he was impressed that I knew who Chris Webber is and that he used to play for Michigan. Right now, I'm watching my Duke boys play NC State, and my friends, the score is too close for comfort. Go Devils.

update: um, wow. just wow. Duke can PLAY.

St. John’s made the Big East picture just a little more muddy with a hard fought, dogged win over number 15 ranked Louisville. Anthony Mason Jr may not be the scary muscle his dad was but if he keeps leaping and shooting like that, no one will mind at all. Highlights and video here.

Playoffs? PLAYoffs?

So far, no online site has been able to tell me why on earth Troy Polumalu’s interception in the fourth quarter of yesterday’s playoff game against the Colts was overruled. He made a “football move”—two + steps with the ball securely in his grasp—until he fell over himself and booted it out. And then recovered the ball. Since a stumble is still controlling the ball… hey, I don’t know.

Also impressed with how the Steelers stuck with what Roethlisberger stated as the game plan—play an A+ game while the Colts play their B- game. The Colts were a little rusty after the off week, and got smacked in the mouth a few times.

As for the Bears/ Panthers game, the Bears have got to be kidding if they consider Rex Grossman a vast improvement on Kyle Orton. He still couldn’t hit his targets. Gunslinger? If someone shot like that in a shootout, wouldn’t they be perforated?

dear maryland,
y'all kinda suck.
love, duke fans everywhere

p.s. did you guys happen to catch JJ's first career dunk? it was sweet.

So...fox sports network (much like its news network equivalent) kinda sucks. I mean, yes, Duke was up 20 points and had obviously won the game, but seriously, I think the viewers would rather catch the end of the game than watch FSN's lame SportsCenter knock off show. Don't you?

p.s. 82-64. I was expecting it to be a much closer game than that.

I'd love to talk about the game, I really would. I'd love to talk about how Vince Young cut through the USC defense like a knife through hot butter. I'd love to give analysis on how David Thomas was the lifeline that Texas needed to beat USC. I'd love to pick apart the performance of the Texas defense.

But, seeing as how I got pretty sloshed with a few hundred of my closest friends in a downtown bar in Austin, I won't be able to. Everything after the middle of the first quarter is somewhat blurry to me. I just remember a lot of screaming and a lot of Dos Equis'.

My two cents about life after a national championship? If Vince Young does decide to come back for his senior year, then Mack Brown really is the best recruiter in the world. (Remember, he did convince Ricky Williams to come back for his senior season when he was first hired.)

National Champions

Congrats to the University of Texas on their BCS title win (I will not call that garbage a national championship. Penn State would have played better defense.) over the University of Southern California. The game is notable not only for the victory but for the fact that the game, for once, wasn’t a complete dog. Yes, Miami- Ohio State and Willis McGahee’s leg disagreeing with his body’s direction was a pretty good game—but college football’s best games should be like athletic crack rock. I should go to bed thinking “what if I miss something? What if there’s one more ‘oh, no way, that didn’t happen’ that I don’t see with my own eyes, that I should be able to tell my children about?”

I listened from my bed, as Vince Young, given a short field, burst up the middle for ten yards to fame, glory, and lots of interviews. It was a classic, ending Texas 41, Southern Cal 38. Brown Boy is probably still wiping away the tears.

The University of Second Choice was not unbeatable, especially once Matt Leinart started sailing passes left and right. If the Texas defensive backs could catch…maybe the game would not have been as close, as dramatic.

And when the USC defense kept waving bye-bye to the running Vince Young (200 yds rushing, 267 passing, and even with that ¾ arm flick of his looking like a viable QB)? He may have a reason to consider the professional game.

And when Reggie Bush tried a lateral at the end of a 30 yard run?

The arrogance of USC with their 4th down plays – Leinart on the sneak after emptying the backfield, moving Bush out to the right. Another 4th and 1 try with 2:00 left? Even if you can’t stop Texas, why give them the ball at their 45? Maybe Pete Carroll was using Mike Holmgren’s logic from the Packers/ Broncos Super Bowl—let Texas score so there’s enough time for one final flurry of plays. Didn’t work then… and it didn’t work last night.

And Vince Young was a one man team, like Michael Vick aka Ron Mexico was for Virginia Tech; he made good decisions, and, while I still question his accuracy, his arm is powerful, and makes Leinart’s gun look like a playground player’s.

The Newsday Photos.