Before we get to the Super Bowl pick, keep in mind I reserve the right to change my mind before kickoff, pending further news on Tom Brady's ankle, Plaxico Burress' knee, Randy Moss' legal status, or any unforeseen Eugene Robinson-type incidents.
With that disclaimer out of the way, I see this game playing out in a much less exciting fashion than many are anticipating. Or at least exciting in the exploding-scoreboard manner that pushed the total to 54. I just don't see a repeat of the 38-35 slugfest in Week 17. Both teams have been dominant on the ground in the postseason, and even though the weather will be nice and the conditions will be perfect on Sunday, I can't see either team abandoning what's been working the last month or so.
But beyond their recent success on the ground, both teams have another good reason to emphasize the running game on offense. The Giants want to chew up clock and keep the ball away from the Patriots' quick-strike offense, which is loaded with playmakers like none we've seen since the 1999 Rams. And the Pats should do everything it can to keep its aging defense off the field, giving it enough rest to stay fresh and handle heavy doses of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.
That said, the Patriots will have a handful of big plays, enough to counter anything the Giants throw at them, and I can't see the dream season coming to an end. Let's call it Patriots 30, Giants 20, with Tom Brady winning the MVP award and the trip to Disneyworld. Let's just hope he leaves the boot at home and brings Giselle.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Yup, she's four
It was kind of a makeshift birthday party yesterday when the Littlest Gopher turned four. Mama Gopher was away on a business trip, so that left the family shorthanded when it came time to celebrate.
Nora picked her favorite restaurant -- The Claim Jumper -- for dinner, then we were going to get cupcakes from our favorite local bakery, The Cupcakery. Unfortunately, it was closed by the time we got there, so we settled for delicious chocolate chip muffins and vanilla ice cream from Von's. Not a bad substitute. Nora was convinced that her mother was going to bake her a cake and bring it back home with her on the plane, but she's going to have to wait until this weekend for that.
I think you can tell by the photo that the Littlest Gopher didn't mind at all.
Nora picked her favorite restaurant -- The Claim Jumper -- for dinner, then we were going to get cupcakes from our favorite local bakery, The Cupcakery. Unfortunately, it was closed by the time we got there, so we settled for delicious chocolate chip muffins and vanilla ice cream from Von's. Not a bad substitute. Nora was convinced that her mother was going to bake her a cake and bring it back home with her on the plane, but she's going to have to wait until this weekend for that.I think you can tell by the photo that the Littlest Gopher didn't mind at all.
Take a deep breath
I've been listening to and reading a lot of the national Santana reaction -- even the local Vegas sports radio guys are up in arms about it, because about half of them are from the Midwest.
The recurring theme, of course, is that the Twins got screwed and they deserve to get ripped left and right for making a "panic move." Well, I'm not going to defend the Twins here, because that's not my job, but I will point out a couple of interesting reactions to the hysteria.
1. The most common attack comes in the form of, "They had better packages on the table from the Red Sox and Yankees in December and should have taken them." Yet after a few minutes of ranting, these same people almost always say, "Well, we don't know for sure that those names were all on the table. The Yankees and Red Sox were basically trying to keep Santana away from the other team and were never really interested in giving up too much for a guy headed to free agency and asking for $140 million over six years."
So which is it -- they had better offers on the table, or we don't know what they had on the table and it was likely that when push came to shove, those big names wouldn't have been included? I guess only Billy Smith, Theo Esptein and Brian Cashman know for sure, and they're not talking.
2. Everybody seems to be going crazy that the Twins didn't get this Martinez kid, who is the Mets' No. 1 prospect according to Baseball America, and that the Twins should be getting ripped because they don't know if Gomez or any of the pitchers are going to pan out. But, if they had received Martinez in the trade, wouldn't it have been just as logical to say they don't know if Martinez will pan out? I also hear that the Mets have a weak farm system, so getting four of the top seven prospects from their minor leagues isn't really saying much. Again, wouldn't that same logic apply to the magical Martinez? Either way, it's a crap shoot.
3. The other bit of prevailing wisdom from the "experts" is that the Twins should have hung onto Santana until the trade deadline if this is all they could get for him. Yet it's pretty clear that Santana and his agent said that they'd invoke his no-trade clause and ride out the season, then split via free agency, leaving the Twins with two first-round draft picks instead of a package of prospects.
So, would you rather have this Mets' package, or let a cloud of negativity hover over the season, deal with the "Will Santana leave?" questions every fifth day, and get two late first-round picks (one a sandwich pick between the first two rounds, and the other from the team that signed him, which would probably be late in the first round since it would be the Yankees, Red Sox or Mets who would sign him)?
I think it's fair to scrutinize this trade and even conclude that it wasn't a great deal for the Twins, at least on the surface. But it's entirely unfair to only look at the negatives of the deal without considering the even-more-negative outcomes that likely would have occurred as well. A little balance -- is that too much to ask?
The recurring theme, of course, is that the Twins got screwed and they deserve to get ripped left and right for making a "panic move." Well, I'm not going to defend the Twins here, because that's not my job, but I will point out a couple of interesting reactions to the hysteria.
1. The most common attack comes in the form of, "They had better packages on the table from the Red Sox and Yankees in December and should have taken them." Yet after a few minutes of ranting, these same people almost always say, "Well, we don't know for sure that those names were all on the table. The Yankees and Red Sox were basically trying to keep Santana away from the other team and were never really interested in giving up too much for a guy headed to free agency and asking for $140 million over six years."
So which is it -- they had better offers on the table, or we don't know what they had on the table and it was likely that when push came to shove, those big names wouldn't have been included? I guess only Billy Smith, Theo Esptein and Brian Cashman know for sure, and they're not talking.
2. Everybody seems to be going crazy that the Twins didn't get this Martinez kid, who is the Mets' No. 1 prospect according to Baseball America, and that the Twins should be getting ripped because they don't know if Gomez or any of the pitchers are going to pan out. But, if they had received Martinez in the trade, wouldn't it have been just as logical to say they don't know if Martinez will pan out? I also hear that the Mets have a weak farm system, so getting four of the top seven prospects from their minor leagues isn't really saying much. Again, wouldn't that same logic apply to the magical Martinez? Either way, it's a crap shoot.
3. The other bit of prevailing wisdom from the "experts" is that the Twins should have hung onto Santana until the trade deadline if this is all they could get for him. Yet it's pretty clear that Santana and his agent said that they'd invoke his no-trade clause and ride out the season, then split via free agency, leaving the Twins with two first-round draft picks instead of a package of prospects.
So, would you rather have this Mets' package, or let a cloud of negativity hover over the season, deal with the "Will Santana leave?" questions every fifth day, and get two late first-round picks (one a sandwich pick between the first two rounds, and the other from the team that signed him, which would probably be late in the first round since it would be the Yankees, Red Sox or Mets who would sign him)?
I think it's fair to scrutinize this trade and even conclude that it wasn't a great deal for the Twins, at least on the surface. But it's entirely unfair to only look at the negatives of the deal without considering the even-more-negative outcomes that likely would have occurred as well. A little balance -- is that too much to ask?
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Media Day madness
In case you've ever wondered what it's like to attend Super Bowl Media Day, and you'd rather hear about it from a trusted friend than some complete stranger like Peter King or John Clayton, I'm posting a recap of my big moment in the sun -- Media Day from Super Bowl XXXV, Giants vs. Ravens. Sure, it's seven years old, but I'm sure at least 85 percent of the notes, quotes and anecdotes included below were recycled in Phoenix today -- just change the names of the particulars involved and you've got your ready-made Super Bowl Media Day story.
Super Bowl Diary: Throng Of The South
Media Horde Keeps Things Interesting In Tampa
Patrick Donnelly, Staff Writer
January 24, 2001, 12:29 p.m. EST
Tuesday, January 22, 2001
7:15 a.m. EST
ON THE ROAD TO TAMPA
Dear Diary,
Driving down a dusty two-lane highway an hour east of Tampa, passing orange trees and one-pump gas stations and a rickety old raceway, it hardly seems possible that in just hours we'll be surrounded by approximately 72 percent of all electronic and print journalists in the free world.
I'm staying with our Florida regional sports editor Chris Reimer, who's based in Orlando but lives halfway between there and Tampa. Yeah, we'll probably put more than a couple of miles on his '93 Nissan Sentra, and maybe we'll miss out on a chance or two to rub elbows with the beautiful people after dark. But we're a heck of a lot closer to our friends at the TV station in Orlando, where we'll be doing our video work for the Super Bowl package.
Besides, if we were staying in a hotel, I would have missed out on this morning's Egg McReimer. Mmm-mmm, that's good eatin'.
So we're just a few scant hours away from the gaping maw of Super Bowl Media Day. The Giants are up first. Kerry Collins met with the media yesterday to discuss his troubled past, his alcohol problems licked and his life back in order. He was smart to do it that way too. He took the air out of the balloon by pre-empting the questions about his past. He beat the muckrakers to the punch.
Then there's Ravens coach Brian Billick. If you have any clue what he was doing yesterday, feel free to let me know. I know he was just trying to protect his player when he said that the media was "reprehensible" in its pursuit of the Ray Lewis story. But in doing so, Billick added fuel to the fire. Trust me, the media does not like to be told how to do its job. Even though we love to tell other people how to do theirs. It's a double-standard, sure, but they teach it to us in journalism school -- Intro To Mudslinging 101.
We're almost there, so I'll finish it up with a traffic report. Man, these Floridians drive like madmen. Even on a cloudless day like today, it's bumper-to-bumper with people passing on the shoulder and generally taking my life in their hands. Not Reimer of course -- he's the model of AAA consistency on the road.
More from Tampa if we get there alive . . .
RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM -- TAMPA
Yeah, we made it. (See right for proof.)
One down, one to go. The Giants proved to be true to their image -- as corporate and blue and boring as a Wall Street stockbroker. This team is as exciting as a tofu buffet. For an inspirational speaker to fire up the boys, they brought in Ben Stein.
"Sehorn? … Sehorn? … Sehorn? … Anyone? . . . Strahan?"
OK, so the team isn't totally without its charms. Linebacker Jesse Armstead and defensive end Michael Strahan did their best to fill the reporters' notebooks. Coach Jim Fassel can get the red-behind syndrome with the best of them. And Pete Mitchell did bring a new meaning to the term "tight end" when news broke that he was named the "sexiest player in the Super Bowl" in a survey of posted by a dating Web site.
The Giants' most recognizable face is cornerback Jason Sehorn, who has starred in a few commercials and is dating Angie Harmon of TV's "Law & Order." But Sehorn is a coverboy in the same way that Victoria's Secret models are covergirls -- he simply doesn't have much to say. Behind that pretty face is just a lot of pretty teeth.
Other New Yorkers had even less to offer. Collins said his piece on Monday night -- he politely reiterated it for those who missed it the first time, but by Tuesday it was old news. Running back Tiki Barber has an engaging smile, but spoke in a whisper not heard well in a crowd of 2300 reporters, each jostling for a soundbite. His backfield mate, Ron Dayne, slumped in a chair, glared at reporters, and clearly would have rather been someplace far, far away.
No, these Giants are not into filling your notebooks or giving you a catchy soundbite. If they have their way, the Ravens will have the emptiest blackboard in the league. These Giants are all about humility, respecting their opponents, staying within themselves, carrying their own water, doing their best and the Good Lord willing things will work out.
Which would be admirable, if it weren't so darn boring.
OK, OK, in this day and age of self-promoting, chest-thumping, trash-talking, get-out-of-my-way-because-I-invented-the-world athletes, the Giants' humility is admirable. But I didn't fly all this way for a week of clichés. Bring on Shannon Sharpe, Chris McAlister and Tony Siragusa.
Post-script: When our hour of tedium with the Giants had ended, a voice on the PA system boomed, "Media Day is over. Giants players, please report to the field for your team picture. Media, please exit through Gate D."
Clearly, the NFL wanted us out of their hair so they could clean up and let the Giants take care of their business. And just as clearly, the NFL knows how to work the media. They called out the two words we love most: Free food.
Lunch was pretty good, by the way. Fresh salad with a delicious creamy Italian dressing, half a roast beef on caraway and half a ham on a Kaiser roll. Oh, and one of the better chocolate chip cookies I've had in awhile.
ON THE ROAD
Now that's more like it.
Sharpe used his bully pulpit to rain quotes on my parched notebook. Siragusa auditioned for his own one-man Vegas act -- seriously, the guy is funnier than two-thirds of the hacks who stand in front of brick walls and remind us that men like to control the TV clicker and women take a long time to get ready for a date. (ba-DUM-bum) Even Trent Dilfer (yes, that Trent Dilfer) was electric and engaging. At least, compared to the Giants.
The Ravens may have a vanilla offense and a straightlaced, smash-mouth defense, but their roster truly is a cast of characters. Besides the guys listed above, defensive end Michael McCrary was singing, laughing and talking more smack than Jim Rome on a good day. Tackle Jonathan Ogden's words were as big as his monstrous frame. And then there's Ray Lewis.
Yes, as soon as the gates opened, the media horde descended upon his podium. And yes, Lewis handled the questions about the double-murder at last year's Super Bowl with as much grace as possible. And yes, we're all glad it's over.
You know, I've heard a lot of media bashing over the past couple of days, from sources ranging from Billick to other members of the media who say that many broadcasters and writers go over the line in their pursuit of "the story." And I also heard many, many reporters ask the players, "What was the stupidest question you have heard so far today?"
And almost to a man, the players didn't have much of a response to that. Because the media has been taking its job more seriously than ever as of late. Oh sure, we like to have our fun, but when it's time to get down to business, most of us are answering the call. No sign this year of Downtown Julie Browne asking questions only MTV viewers could care about. And no Meredith Viera embarrassing herself and every female journalist in the world as she did at the World Series when she suggestively asked Mike Piazza who had the biggest "bat" in the Mets' locker room.
Yeah, I did see wacky FOX comic/pregame host Jay Mohr asking Sharpe who his favorite Muppet is. (Answer? "Kermit.") But more often that not, we've been good boys and girls so far.
So, we've made it through the chaos that is Media Day. Now, what do we do to fill the next four days? I guess you'll find out shortly after I do.
Super Bowl Diary: Throng Of The South
Media Horde Keeps Things Interesting In Tampa
Patrick Donnelly, Staff Writer
January 24, 2001, 12:29 p.m. EST
Tuesday, January 22, 2001
7:15 a.m. EST
ON THE ROAD TO TAMPA
Dear Diary,
Driving down a dusty two-lane highway an hour east of Tampa, passing orange trees and one-pump gas stations and a rickety old raceway, it hardly seems possible that in just hours we'll be surrounded by approximately 72 percent of all electronic and print journalists in the free world.
I'm staying with our Florida regional sports editor Chris Reimer, who's based in Orlando but lives halfway between there and Tampa. Yeah, we'll probably put more than a couple of miles on his '93 Nissan Sentra, and maybe we'll miss out on a chance or two to rub elbows with the beautiful people after dark. But we're a heck of a lot closer to our friends at the TV station in Orlando, where we'll be doing our video work for the Super Bowl package.
Besides, if we were staying in a hotel, I would have missed out on this morning's Egg McReimer. Mmm-mmm, that's good eatin'.
So we're just a few scant hours away from the gaping maw of Super Bowl Media Day. The Giants are up first. Kerry Collins met with the media yesterday to discuss his troubled past, his alcohol problems licked and his life back in order. He was smart to do it that way too. He took the air out of the balloon by pre-empting the questions about his past. He beat the muckrakers to the punch.
Then there's Ravens coach Brian Billick. If you have any clue what he was doing yesterday, feel free to let me know. I know he was just trying to protect his player when he said that the media was "reprehensible" in its pursuit of the Ray Lewis story. But in doing so, Billick added fuel to the fire. Trust me, the media does not like to be told how to do its job. Even though we love to tell other people how to do theirs. It's a double-standard, sure, but they teach it to us in journalism school -- Intro To Mudslinging 101.
We're almost there, so I'll finish it up with a traffic report. Man, these Floridians drive like madmen. Even on a cloudless day like today, it's bumper-to-bumper with people passing on the shoulder and generally taking my life in their hands. Not Reimer of course -- he's the model of AAA consistency on the road.
More from Tampa if we get there alive . . .
*****
12:15 p.m.RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM -- TAMPA
Yeah, we made it. (See right for proof.)
One down, one to go. The Giants proved to be true to their image -- as corporate and blue and boring as a Wall Street stockbroker. This team is as exciting as a tofu buffet. For an inspirational speaker to fire up the boys, they brought in Ben Stein.
"Sehorn? … Sehorn? … Sehorn? … Anyone? . . . Strahan?"
OK, so the team isn't totally without its charms. Linebacker Jesse Armstead and defensive end Michael Strahan did their best to fill the reporters' notebooks. Coach Jim Fassel can get the red-behind syndrome with the best of them. And Pete Mitchell did bring a new meaning to the term "tight end" when news broke that he was named the "sexiest player in the Super Bowl" in a survey of posted by a dating Web site.
The Giants' most recognizable face is cornerback Jason Sehorn, who has starred in a few commercials and is dating Angie Harmon of TV's "Law & Order." But Sehorn is a coverboy in the same way that Victoria's Secret models are covergirls -- he simply doesn't have much to say. Behind that pretty face is just a lot of pretty teeth.
Other New Yorkers had even less to offer. Collins said his piece on Monday night -- he politely reiterated it for those who missed it the first time, but by Tuesday it was old news. Running back Tiki Barber has an engaging smile, but spoke in a whisper not heard well in a crowd of 2300 reporters, each jostling for a soundbite. His backfield mate, Ron Dayne, slumped in a chair, glared at reporters, and clearly would have rather been someplace far, far away.
No, these Giants are not into filling your notebooks or giving you a catchy soundbite. If they have their way, the Ravens will have the emptiest blackboard in the league. These Giants are all about humility, respecting their opponents, staying within themselves, carrying their own water, doing their best and the Good Lord willing things will work out.
Which would be admirable, if it weren't so darn boring.
OK, OK, in this day and age of self-promoting, chest-thumping, trash-talking, get-out-of-my-way-because-I-invented-the-world athletes, the Giants' humility is admirable. But I didn't fly all this way for a week of clichés. Bring on Shannon Sharpe, Chris McAlister and Tony Siragusa.
Post-script: When our hour of tedium with the Giants had ended, a voice on the PA system boomed, "Media Day is over. Giants players, please report to the field for your team picture. Media, please exit through Gate D."
Clearly, the NFL wanted us out of their hair so they could clean up and let the Giants take care of their business. And just as clearly, the NFL knows how to work the media. They called out the two words we love most: Free food.
Lunch was pretty good, by the way. Fresh salad with a delicious creamy Italian dressing, half a roast beef on caraway and half a ham on a Kaiser roll. Oh, and one of the better chocolate chip cookies I've had in awhile.
*****
2:45 p.m.ON THE ROAD
Now that's more like it.
Sharpe used his bully pulpit to rain quotes on my parched notebook. Siragusa auditioned for his own one-man Vegas act -- seriously, the guy is funnier than two-thirds of the hacks who stand in front of brick walls and remind us that men like to control the TV clicker and women take a long time to get ready for a date. (ba-DUM-bum) Even Trent Dilfer (yes, that Trent Dilfer) was electric and engaging. At least, compared to the Giants.
The Ravens may have a vanilla offense and a straightlaced, smash-mouth defense, but their roster truly is a cast of characters. Besides the guys listed above, defensive end Michael McCrary was singing, laughing and talking more smack than Jim Rome on a good day. Tackle Jonathan Ogden's words were as big as his monstrous frame. And then there's Ray Lewis.
Yes, as soon as the gates opened, the media horde descended upon his podium. And yes, Lewis handled the questions about the double-murder at last year's Super Bowl with as much grace as possible. And yes, we're all glad it's over.
You know, I've heard a lot of media bashing over the past couple of days, from sources ranging from Billick to other members of the media who say that many broadcasters and writers go over the line in their pursuit of "the story." And I also heard many, many reporters ask the players, "What was the stupidest question you have heard so far today?"
And almost to a man, the players didn't have much of a response to that. Because the media has been taking its job more seriously than ever as of late. Oh sure, we like to have our fun, but when it's time to get down to business, most of us are answering the call. No sign this year of Downtown Julie Browne asking questions only MTV viewers could care about. And no Meredith Viera embarrassing herself and every female journalist in the world as she did at the World Series when she suggestively asked Mike Piazza who had the biggest "bat" in the Mets' locker room.
Yeah, I did see wacky FOX comic/pregame host Jay Mohr asking Sharpe who his favorite Muppet is. (Answer? "Kermit.") But more often that not, we've been good boys and girls so far.
So, we've made it through the chaos that is Media Day. Now, what do we do to fill the next four days? I guess you'll find out shortly after I do.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Moron alert
I just couldn't get over this. A guy in Illinois is suing the Blue Man Group because he claims they inflicted bodily harm on him during their throat-camera gag.Perhaps I'm rushing to their defense because they, like the Gopher family, have found life in the desert to their liking (or at least profitable). Perhaps it's because I enjoyed their show when I attended with my family nearly two years ago.
But I think this story struck a nerve because the man in question is obviously a moron. The gag to which he's referring is a bit where the Blue Men come down from the stage, pick out an audience member and put a camera on a long cord into their mouth (kind of like the spy cameras you might see in a high-tech action movie like the good guys in "The Rock" used when they were breaking back into Alcatraz).
But as soon as the camera enters the subject's mouth, the footage on the big screen switches to a previously taped feature showing the inside of a human body. That's it -- it's a bit. If the plaintiff (whose lawyer must be Lionel Hutz, Esq.) truly has endured physical problems in the wake of attending the Blue Man Group performance, the odds are infinitesimal that his injuries were caused by the Blue Men.I'd hate to see this guy at a Globetrotters game -- he might end up suing them for confetti-related trauma.
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