Retire #23?

We're baaaaack. It's been way to long since there was a post and this topic seemed like it was begging for a OSM post.

LeBron James recently announced that he was giving up the #23 in honor of Michael Jordan. He further said that others should do it too and that the NBA should retire the number, league wide. That has set off a debate between those who agree and those who disagree.

Where do I fall? Not sure, actually. He was the greatest athlete I’ve ever seen in any sport and he certainly changed all sports in a way that is unlikely to be seen again. That’s a pretty good argument for it. Then again, seeing a guy like LeBron wear #23 kind of seems like an honor to me, in itself.

Well, as you ponder this, here's a video for your enjoyment. No matter what you think of the #23 retirement debate, if you were born prior to the early 80s, you HAVE to recognize this commercial. In fact, I’d say if you don’t remember the words, you are likely not in my generation or you lived in a hole until 2001 or so. It is simply one of the best commercials ever.

I guess that’s just one more thing at which the man excelled.

How Do You Watch TV?

It has been awhile since I have posted something to Sports Smusings but I think it is about time that I relieve some of the burden from The Hat. So here it goes.

I have never believed that the Internet or mobile devices would replace sitting in front of a television set during prime time. I still don't because the quality is just far superior on TV. May be one day that will change but I will either be dead or some grumpy old man that hates new fangled contraptions because I don't understand them. I admit that, foremost because of the serious difference in quality, I never gave new programming mediums a chance. That is until quite recently.

Due to travel plans and a DVR that is stacked to the brink I have been missing some of my favorite shows. Wanting to see what I missed I turned to the Internet. Well, imagine my surprise when it turned out it wasn't half bad. Despite a few buffering issues and lower resolution I have come to discover that the Internet was quite serviceable. As I said I don't believe that this medium will replace standard television but it is a handy tool if you ever find yourself in the situation I was in. It also helps that you don't have a computer that is a billion years old like mine. Hence the issues. Now that I have opened myself up to viewing TV on the Internet I have found that not everything is available online. I don't understand why that is but I am now in a position where I have to look elsewhere for content.

When I was traveling I actually watched programming on my phone. It turned out to be harder because it is a much, much smaller screen. That reminds me, I should get my eye sight checked. Anyways, overall my phone was actually fairly serviceable as well. Because of the screen size I don't recommend constant viewing but it did a good job for what I was looking for. It is also challenging because episodes are broken up. You can't watch a full episode straight through. Yet I persevered. If you have not viewed programming on your phone before it too is pretty handy sitting at an airport of something.

I am not one to predict the future of new mediums but the back up options that available are nice to have.

10 rules when your team is out (Baseball version) -

A great topic suggested by a faithful Smusings follower:

10 rules when your team is out (Baseball version) -

1 - F the Cardinals.

2 - If a team is in it that has one of "your guys," meaning a guy who played for your team and you still like him, it is acceptable to be happy when that team does well.

3 - Unless that team is the Cardinals.

4 - It is never acceptable to root for a team that doesn't sell out its stadium for a playoff game.

5 - It is never acceptable to root for a team that is using some kind of stupid gimmick to make you like them (yes, Anaheim Angels Rally Monkey, I'm talking about you).

6 - You can root for the Yankees, but it's the equivalent of rooting for Wal-mart to crush the local ice cream shop run by the nice guy in your neighborhood who used to give you free sprinkles when you got good grades.

7- If it sounds like Joe Buck and Tim McCarver are rooting for a team, root for the other team.

8 - It is acceptable to root for a team because you have money riding on them.

9 - It is acceptable to root for your wife/girlfriend's team if doing so will get you laid.

10 - F the Cardinals.

Original Sports Musings Atlanta Office Undamaged

It is with good cheer that I can report today that the Atlanta Office of Original Sports Musings was undamaged during the recent rains that flooded a large part of downtown and surrounding area.

The rain also did not impede this sports musers attendance to a local watering hole to enjoy The Sunday Buffet of football. I had the pleasure of spending Sunday Afternoon at TJ's. AN establishment with an extreme cheesiness to it. For this bar is actually a Packers Bar. I am pretty sure every former resident of Wisconsin who calls themselves a Cheesehead was sitting around tables ready to boo Ocho Cinco when he did his Lambeau leap 15 minutes outside the perimeter. Now some bullet points from the days football action.



1. Rodgers is the most popular Jersey



2. When the Pack scored they play dance music and a cougar gets on top of the bar and lifts her shirt to show a Packers Bikini.



3. Many pop songs have words redone to include two words Cheeseheads and/or Wisconsin...ala A rendition of Coolio's "Cheesheads Paridaise" believe me Weird Al would vomit after hearing any of these songs



4. After the Pack score people in the front row hold up dancing Bobbleheads that look like babies.



5. PackFans have tunnel vision with Purple. A Ray Lewis Jersey is not a Farve Jersey. As A drunk girls says to me, " Hope all those hits to Farves vagaina hurt." She apologizes later after she realizes her Faux Paux



6. The guy wearing the Mark Chimurra jersey is either to cheap or to stupid to get a new jersey to replace a player who molested his 15 year old daugthers friends. I wish TJ's would have passed around a hat or gotten this idiot a new jersey.



7. Polka Polka Polka!!!!



Tune in next time from the Atlanta office, where slices of Sports Americana will be served

Get to Know your Musers: Biff

after much anticipation....

Who are your favorite teams college and pro?

College: University of Illinois

NFL: Bears

MLB: Cubs

NBA: Bulls

Who is your one favorite sports team above all others and why?

Hmm…this is tough. It really depends on what season it is. I suppose if I had to pick I would say the Bears. Growing up where I did, football was far and away the biggest sport and the 85 Bears are likely the greatest team to ever play professional sports.

Who are the five women on your Celebrity Exemption list?

1) Marisa Miller

2) Selma Heyak

3) Halle Berry

4) Angelina Jolie

5) Scarlett Johannson

What's the worst thing you ever said to a woman?

Actually the worst was probably silence. I sucked at ending things….

What is your favorite sports moment?

Jordan over Russell to win the 98 NBA Finals. Watching that I had a feeling it would be the last time I saw him do that. It turned out to just be the last time in a Bulls uniform, but it was still quite a moment.

Most heartbreaking?

Bartman and the subsequent collapse

What team would you purposely wish harm upon because you hate them beyond all rational thinking?

Packers – what they did to McMahon will likely never be fully accounted for, no matter what happens to them.

What is your favorite movie quote?

“Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”

If Sports Musing Readers take away just one piece of knowledge from you, what do you want that to be?

There is always a trade off.

Eight Years / An Otherwise Quiet Morning

Has it really been eight years? I just can't believe it. I actually wrote the following poem three years ago on September 11, 2006, five years after losing him. I literally woke up and these words were written for me, following a period where I hadn't written anything in a long, long time. It's like I was finally able to say what I needed to say, to write what I needed to write, in order to pay my proper respects. It never gets any easier, though, and even today, it's still hard to think that I am now 30, and yet he will forever remain 23. 

And that is one of 2,993 reasons why I will never forget..........

An Otherwise Quiet Morning

Wiping tears from my eyes

after five years of flashbacks

from an otherwise quiet morning

I wonder if he got to work on time

If he thought of stepping away from his desk

To grab a muffin or a Mochachino

Or fuck, even a donut and coffee

I think about the elevators on any other day

Well-oiled machines seen as afterthoughts

in the ages of technology and convenience

only acknowledged when something goes wrong

such as a system outage or a fire,

the red button pushed and prodded to no avail

hopes fading as bodies instinctively shoot over to stairwells

or, in the most dire situations,

towards windows,

the lungs longing for a few more breaths

the oft-broken spirit searching for one – just one “I’ve worked too hard and too long for it to end like this” or “What will happen to my pregnant wife if I don’t get out of here?” or “I hope the last memory is not an argument that carried over from last night’s dinner” or “Fuck this shit I would rather jump and take a chance than stay here and let them beat me on their terms” – miracle.

I ponder the flickering feelings that may have crossed his mind:

Did he think of the ring he bought his girlfriend that remained in that special hiding place he carved out on the left-hand corner of his closet?

Did he picture his future as a loving great-grandfather showering three generations at Christmastime with love and laughs?

Did he look back on his past with fond memories of barbecues, baseball games, and graduations?

Or did he only have time for one fleeting thought:


Why?


Why?


Why?

Wiping tears from my eyes

after five years of flashbacks

from an otherwise quiet morning

Yes, there was an attack.

Yes, I want my friend back.

We Met Some Cougars

The most common question asked around the water cooler at www.originalsportsmusings.blogspot.com, outside of "is there going to be any nudity in 'Jennifer's Body'?" is "what are the chances of a College Football Playoff? The answer is always the same. Zero. Why? Because we've already had the unthinkable scenarios that would have brought about a playoff without producing a playoff. LSU beat Oklahoma and USC beat Michigan to produce the same split national championship that we would have had without the BCS. USC, Oklahoma and Auburn all finished the regular season undefeated, and USC and Auburn both won their bowl games. As #2 team after #2 team lost, a 2 loss LSU moved in to embarrass OSU for another title. Each of these was supposed to be "the BCS Nightmare" that would force a change to the system. None did.

But this year is just a little bit different. Most sportswriters, columnists, experts and schmucks with a blog (including the Hat) have already pencilled in Texas and Florida for a January date. But something happened this weekend that could change all of that. 25 years after they became the last non-BCS team to win a title, the BYU Cougars shocked Oklahoma. In the process, they became the first non-BCS team in the BCS era to open up a clear road to the National Title game.

BYU's got 2 more tough games on the schedule. But they've got a signature win over the #3 team in the country. Sure, Sam Bradford got hurt and left the game. But is OU's offense so dependent on him that we should blame the injury instead of crediting the Cougar D for holding Oklahoma to 13 points? Absolutely not. BYU played a hell of a game and deserves credit. And they may get it in spades.

Imagine for a moment that Florida or Texas (or both) stumble somewhere along the season. It's not unthinkable. UF was nipped at home last year by Ole Miss while Michael Crabtree and Graham Harrell sank Texas at buzzer. USC is due for its customary loss against a team its got outmatched (Oregon State this year), it's unlikely that anyone will run the Big 10 or the ACC and the Big East doesn't have a single team that deserves a BCS invite. Imagine for a moment that the Coaches and the Harris voters have an undefeated BYU, with 3 wins over ranked teams, at the top of the polls in early December. The Cougars wouldn't need a ton of love from the computers to get an invite to the title game.

And that my friends, that is the secret, final chance of a College Football Playoff. The lid stays on the playoff because the major conferences can't figure out how to make money off it. But if suddenly half the take from the title game is going to the piddly Mountain West Conference? You can be sure the powers that be will move to scrap the current system, or at least modify it to a plus 1 to prevent something "terrible" like this from ever happening again. Cincy running the table and playing an undefeated Miami team would be fine, because the money stays in the money conferences. But sharing with the red-headed stepchild of the Mountain West? You might as well ask the "Big 6" to contribute money to keeping the WNBA afloat. So if you're a fan of a playoff, or just don't like the current BCS structure, keep your eyes in the state of Utah. The Cougars are looking for some good young men.

A Day of Remembrance

It's been a full year. 1 year since the world lost its greatest voice. On September 1, 2008, the incomparable Don LaFontaine passed away. His work was known to millions all over the globe. His inspiration was indescribable. On the anniversary of his death, OSM takes pause, and invites all of our readers to share your favorite stories of the master - Don LaFontaine.

Who is Biff?

Never let it be said that OSM ignores requests from its readers. You have asked about the mysterious Biff. Biff is our leader. He is the driving force behind OSM. He's the Charlie to our Angels, the He-Man to our Masters of the Universe, the Cobra Commander to our nameless rabble who are sent out to fight for a cause they can barely understand. He is...on vacation this week. But fear not loyal reader(s). I know Biff. Biff is a friend of mine. And while you may not be Biff, I am confident that upon his return next week, Biff will post the greatest ever "Get to know a Muser," bringing back the joy to your day.

What are we missing?

The Minnesota Vikings and the New York Jets both started the pre-season with a quarterback competition. Both now have their starting QBs. Brett Favre will take the snaps in the great white north while Mark Sanchez will suit up in East Rutherford. And that answers the question of who will start. But it leaves us with another question. What are these teams thinking?

If you watched Mark Sanchez play on Monday night then you saw him react like a rookie to pressure. His first pass was rushed, picked off and run back to the house for 6. His second pass hit Ray Lewis in the hands and should have gone for 6 more, but Lewis dropped the ball. Sanchez finished 3/8 with 1 TD, 1 INT and 1 Dropped INT (a stat the NFL should begin tracking) for 43 yards. Not exactly stellar numbers. For the pre-season he’s 6/12 for 131 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. Kellen Clemens on the other hand, who has actually played in an NFL game, is 9/14 for 84 yards with the same 1TD to 1 INT. And it leaves me wondering. What is it that the Jets see in Sanchez that has earned him the job over Clemens? It certainly doesn’t seem to be anything he’s shown on the field so far. But hey, maybe Rex Ryan likes the idea of his starting QB throwing the ball to the other team’s front 7.

In Minnesota, the situation is even stranger. After stringing the Vikings along so that he could skip camp, Brett Favre signed a 2 year deal, waltzed off a plane and relegated Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels to a battle for the #2 spot. Now, Favre has earned a lot of things in his career. But this one is a bit puzzling. Has Brett Favre, whose last pass with the Packers was a game ending interception, and whose self-destruction knocked the Jets out of the playoffs last year, earned the right to skip camp, miss the first pre-season game and then be anointed the starter? Consider this. Tavaris Jackson down the stretch last year threw 9 TDs to only 2 INTs and had a QB rating over 90. Jackson went 12/15 for 202 yards and 2 TDs in the same game where Favre went 1-4 for 4 yards. Jackson appears to be getting better while Favre has clearly been on the decline. So what are we missing? Why isn’t Jackson getting a chance? Is it because the Vikings are trying to lose? This Bears fan certainly hopes so.