December 2007 Archives
Not including Sunday night's Colts-Titans game, Week 17 wasn't a good week for teams fighting for playoff spots. Eight (N.Y Giants, Minnesota, Dallas, Seattle, Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Jacksonville and Pittsburgh) losses in Week 17 by teams either headed to the postseason or needed a win to stay alive.
Granted, Tampa, Pitt and Jacksonville didn't play their starters the entire game, and the Giants and Cowboys did lose to other playoff teams ..... but still, I'm concerned some NFL coaches overlook the significance of a winning streak. Regardless of whether Romo and Garcia are on the sidelines or on the field, a loss is a loss. Just like winning, losing can be contagious.
Especially in the playoffs, the teams that haven't lost in the last month (or in the Patriots' case, since last January) are more dangerous than a team stumbling to the finish line. '01 Pats, '05 Steelers. They caught fire at the right moment and completed improbable runs to Super Bowl glory.
Then again, the '06 Chargers won 10 straight heading into last year's playoffs. That didn't save Marty Shoteinheimer's job.
Either way, here are my premature playoff predictions. The No. 6 seed has yet to be determined in the AFC, but I'd put money on the Colts tonight. Dungy won't overplay his starters, but Peyton and co. will build a large enough lead to hang on. Plus, the RCA Dome will be rocking as the defending champs try to regain some of that spotlight being hogged by the unbeaten Pats.
Wild-Card Round:
AFC
Pittsburgh def. Jacksonville; San Diego def. Cleveland
NFC
Tampa Bay def. N.Y, Giants; Washington def. Seattle
Divisional Round:
AFC
New England def. Pittsburgh; Indy def. San Diego
NFC
Green Bay def. Tampa Bay; Washington def. Dallas
AFC Championship:
New England def. Indy
NFC Championship:
Green Bay def. Washington
Super Bowl XLII (a.k.a. Super Bowl XXXVI, Part II)
New England 31, Green Bay 21 (Revenge from January 1997. Desmond Howard, Drew Bledsoe, Ben Coates, Dave Meggett, Reggie White and a less-gray Brett Favre .... never forget)
I've had many bossess in my history of employment. Some were cool. Some not so cool. Some liked me. Most didn't.
Saturday marked possibly the coolest "boss favor" of all time. Well aware that my Patriots were embarking on an unprecedented 16-0 season, Mr. St. George III (He deserved to be a IV after this dandy) gave me Saturday night off from work. You see, although the holiday season slows business in the sports department, Saturdays are always long, busy days.
But I got the night off, to witness the New England Patriots make history, while Louie layed out the paper by himself.
Just noble.
Louie's team, the Vikings, squandered an automatic playoff berth last Sunday night against the Redskins. Always the professional, Louie didn't allow Minnesota's misfortune to spoil my fun.
That's true sportsmanship between writing colleagues from all walks of the NFL map. Lou is from Duluth, Minnesota. Darren is from Utah, but is a die-hard Denver sports fanatic. And I'm from Boston. Those are three very different cities, each with rich sports traditions.
When the Red Sox and Rockies squared off, Darren and I weren't exactly best buddies. Lucky enough, FOR HIM, I was in Boston when the Sox clinched the title. Oh, my. Oh, my. There would have been lots of dancing in front my co-worker, a passionate Rockies fan.
Lots of dancing. And even probably some singing, but I like to save most of my vocal excercises for the B's Lounge.
If the Sox had lost to Colorado, I don't think I'd still be at The Daily Times. They would've fired me after I blew up Darren's computer, moments after he hung up his "Rocktober" wall poster.
If the Patriots lost to the Giants -- and they almost did -- I probably would've resented Louie for giving me the night off. I certainly wouldn't be writing this blog, praising him for his deed.
----
Undefeated? Unbelievable. I'm truly in awe of the organization and its most recent accomplishments.
The three Super Bowl titles. The consecutive winning streak in 2004. Brady and Moss tearing apart the record books.
All impressive. But 16-0 is surreal. It doesn't feel real yet. I guess, if there are any Pats' fans reading, you may know what I mean.
With all that said, 16-0 doesn't mean diddly if New England doesn't hoiste Lombardi Trophy No. 4.
I know Brady, Moss, Bellichick sound redundant when they dismiss the individual records, claiming its all about the team, and none of the individual accolades mean anything if a Super Bowl isn't won.
And it's true. 16-0 sounds pretty sweet, but 19-0 with a world championship ... that'll make sweet taste sour.
.........
I was amused by the press coverage leading into Saturday night's historic simulcast. (In the Boston and New York markets, FOUR different stations were broadcasting the season finale from the Meadowlands) Headlines read that the NFL "blinked," finally succumbing to the network's demands to carry the game. Last night's three-and-a half hour broadcast was the greatest advertisement the NFL has ever had.
CBS, NBC and the NFL Network? I cannot wait to see the numbers. I bet there will be a few more records broken in this game, and they'll revolve around viewership.
The NFL Network's ads were brilliant. The pre-game interview with Commissioner Roger Goodell was genious. The NFL was on center stage for all the nation (and all the world) to see. It was a great game with a storybook ending. December 29, 2007. It'll go down as one of the National Football League's shining moments.
Ha! So, the NFL "blinked?" I can tell you who did NOT blink; most of the people watching Saturday night's thriller.
......
Lou did his Year-In-Review column for Sunday's paper. It was well done and the stories were fairly ranked.
BUT ... I've only been in Farmington for nine months. I didn't experience a full calendar year in the Four Corners. Since I started in mid-March, there have been many great memories and amazing stories to cover.
Here are my Top 5 local stories of 2007 (that I covered in person)
5. State Softball Tourney in Farmington: Lots of fun. I had been at the paper for less than two months when New Mexico's state softball tourneys invaded town. Great atmosphere. Great food. And a great, if not necessary, warmup to Connie Mack.
Plus.... I bought a new car on the first day of the tournament. My first ride in the Cobalt (aka The Cobra) was to the Farmington Athletic Complex to cover the softball games. Ahhh...the memories.
4. I felt the sting, and the sting won: My first road trip assignment was in Albuquerque to cover the State baseball tournament.
When I first visited Farmington, all I heard about was its baseball. The Scorpions did not dissapoint, racking up their third consecutive Blue Trophy.
It was my first trip into Albuquerque. Fun town. But it makes Providence, RI, look like New York City.
3. Connie Mack: More proof that this IS a baseball community.
The MLB World Series meets Disneyworld. A school reunion meets a neighborhood block party. Pro-quality baseball meets Little League-like festivities.
The Connie Mack World Series was a tremendously unique experience. I'm looking forward to next August and the 2008 CMWS.
2. Covering Ellsbury: Within six months on the job, the paper flew me home to Boston, not on vacation, but on assigment. I completed a series on Red Sox rookie Jacoby Ellsbury, pro baseball's first Navajo ballplayer
It was dream come true. Nuff said.
1. Woah: This isn't really a story. My favorite story(ies) include every event that allowed me to sneak a glimpse at a Four Corners sunset.
Connie Mack league games. Fall football. Rock crawling. Motocross. Prep soccer. San Juan Open.
I can't count the number of times I've seen the sun go down in New Mexico, but it stops me in my tracks every single time. The colors. The clouds. A skyline full of mountains and bluffs.
You just can't beat it.
State championships, rookie outfielders and rockin' rodeos. All topics that can be covered all over the country.
But that Four Corners sunset? One of a kind.
It's been awhile since I've blogged. Did everyone have a good Christmas?
I had a splendid holiday, but I'm a little saddened by the lack of snowfall in the
The
Forgetting, of course, that
I guess I haven't adjusted to the "local news" not being so local. See, I was hired last March, right around the time NBC axed its
Before that, I lived 20 minutes south of
When I tune into the 10 o'clock news in
Just wanted to pass along a few links.
MLB's hot stove season is always entertaining, and nobody does a better job of tracking potential player movement better than ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. In this piece, http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=3161000, he takes a good look at AL teams such as the Blue Jays, Rays and Indians and what those clubs can do to stay competitive in their respective divisions. Really good read.
As we get into this world of blogging, you'll notice there's a big Bill Simmons following here at The Daily Times. This article, http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/071218, is a bit heavy if you're an NBA novice. But it's very entertaining to consider the possibilities The Sports Guy lays out there.
Also, this article, http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3163105, hit home. It seems Jonathan Papelbon's dog recently chewed up his World Series ball. This was fitting after a splendidly frustrating episode with my dog today (we'll call her Autumn because that's her name). I won't get into the mess of a story, but let's just say I spent a good portion of my morning bathing Autumn following a brief stroll in the park. There were geese involved.
Happy Thursday! Five short days until St. Nick comes to town.
Lou
After watching another week of basketball since my last post, I thought I'd rip out a few hundred words and keep you, the reader, abreast of what's floating through my cranium. I'll be honest, most of those thoughts center on sleep. It's a rare commodity these days, and for a person who normally hates sleeping, it sounds like Heaven on earth right about now. But, first, I will sip water out of my giant Vikings glass (about a 48-ouncer) and delve into the world of prep basketball.
I covered Kirtland Central's win over Navajo Prep on Tuesday, and the most bizarre outcome of the night was not the final score. Instead, it was the fact that in two years of covering prep volleyball and basketball here in the Four Corners, Tuesday's game was the first time I've witnessed a Navajo Prep team lose. Two years without a L ... I had a pretty good run. And yes, I'm taking credit for the Lady Eagles' recent streak of success.
But back to Tuesday's ballgame. It's a rare deal to have two of the best squads in the state hooping it up in our backyard (actually, it's not all that rare, but I don't feel like rewriting that sentence). The final result was about what you'd expect: one of the state's top 4A teams clipping a talented 2A foe. Both clubs have state championship aspirations, and both played quite well. What did stand out, among other things, was Kirtland Central's depth. This is a team with 10, at least, bona fide contributors. Just when the Eagles appeared poised to make a run in the fourth quarter, the Lady Broncos' Olivia Harris came out of nowhere (well, not nowhere, she was at Bronco Arena) to drop nine back-breaking points on the Eagles and help KC improve to 7-2. Kirtland's depth was a major factor, and allowed the Broncos to, for the most part, keep five fresh bodies on the floor. That's a huge benefit for a team looking to return to the top of the 4A mountain. Especially when you consider the major players and what they bring to the table.
Dayon Hall-Jones is pouring in 17 points a night and has to be considered one of the Enchanted State's premiere players. She's quick and boasts an even quicker release. April Christie is flat out smart. She rarely makes bad decisions, is a nifty playmaker and is scoring at a healthy 9 ppg clip. Ali Hathaway, another starter from last year's runner-up team, is scoring six points a game and is a huge rebounding presence. Another player with experience in her pocket is Lateesha Nez, a guard with a deadly shooting stroke and picture-perfect release. I could watch her spot up behind the 3-point line all night. Given time to square up, she could rain triples with her eyes closed. I could go on. And on. Suffice it to say, the Broncos are going to be a tough team to derail as they shoot for the program's mind-boggling 18th state crown.
On the opposite side of Bronco Arena's scorer's table Tuesday night sat the Eagles. For a 2A squad, heck for any squad, Prep has weapons coming out its ears. But the chief parties continue to be Tenisha Royston (she of the high socks) and Nicole Crisp, a southpaw. It only seems like Royston and Crisp have been scoring baskets for the Eagles forever. Just juniors, the duo still has a year on the hardwood at The Eagles Nest. This season, they'll try to help Prep capture that elusive Blue Trophy, and they have help in the form of Monique IronShell, Marqia Begaye and Bridget Becenti, to name just a few. Ya know what, I'm considering myself a weapon, as well. When I'm present, the Eagles are clinging to about a 95-percent success rate. So, yes, I'm a weapon for Navajo Prep.
After watching Tuesday's game, I can't imagine Kirtland Central and Navajo Prep not being in the mix for their respective championships.
Not to get off track here, but covering a basketball game at Kirtland Central is becoming increasingly trying. The PA at Bronco Arena is stuck in the 1990s or so, still clinging to golden oldies like the Chicken Dance and that funky song that pierces stadium's speakers far more often than it should (I'd love to have the song's name for you here, but I'm drawing a blank). Anyway, former football coach Bill Cawood (boy that's a weird line to type ... "former coach" Bill Cawood) apparently is enamored with the Chicken Dance and proceeds to crank out a few jives each time the song is played. Now Bill Cawood is a heckofa guy, but you try working with the man doing the Chicken Dance at your side and then talk about tough working conditions. Where's OSHA when ya need it?
Switching gears, the Montwood team from El Paso won the Webb Toyota Boys Invitational last week at Farmington High. That was about as shocking as Mitchell Clemens saying "I never took banned substances." Hey Rocket, those substances weren't banned when you were using them. Clever way to sidestep the truth. If you're thinking, "he has nothing to say about the Webb Toyota Boys Invitational, he just wanted to take a potshot at Roger Clemens and call him Mitchell Clemens," you couldn't be more right. You just couldn't. You could try, but you would fail miserably.
During the holidays, I picked up a seasonal job in the mall. The place I work is expanding, and, for the better part of the past month, has had a wall missing, replaced by a very large sheet of plastic. That sheet of plastic was gone Wednesday, and the store's expansion is nearly complete. This is seriously good news because it means I no longer have to hear, "What's with that wall, you guys adding on or something?" Nope, just thought we'd tear down a wall and hang lots of plastic. Ya know, for the fun of it. What's that Redneck saying, "here's your sign" or something along those lines. I can't lie. I know that saying by heart. Have all the DVDs of that particular comedy routine (Blue Collar Comedy Tour).
We're going places I'm not sure I'm comfortable going.
On that note, I need to sleep. Big weekend approaching fast with the Webb girls hoopla, the Panther Swimming Invite, the Panther Wrestling tourney, Bloomfield's basketball tournaments and a hard-hitting feature on pickleball to put together. Seriously, if you haven't played pickleball and have no clue what I'm talking about, read this piece. Pickleball might be the greatest game in the history of mankind. No lie, it's that fun.
Yes, must sleep now.
Lou
A few local jottings.
It's been kind of a crazy prep basketball season thus far. We should have a better idea of which teams are for real in early January, after area squads have had ample time to integrate their players into the flow of hoops season. But already, we've seen a few wacky developments:
* The Navajo Prep Eagles forced Aztec into a double-overtime affair before losing by a single point two weeks ago. The Tigers, of course, are one of those teams still feeling its way under a new coach and with a handful of contributors sliding over from the gridiron.
* Farmington's boys are setting offensive basketball back a few decades. The Scorps scored 10 points -- 10! -- against Capital last Friday before unleashing a 30-point tally a day later against a tough Los Alamos team. To their credit, the Scorps are utilizing a game plan that makes sense. Rather than try to run the floor with opposing teams, Farmington understands what it's capable of and is scheming accordingly. And if the Scorpions play with the collective zeal and intensity they did last weekend, the wins will start coming.
* Piedra Vista boys coach Rick Hoerner was a picture of class last Friday after his Panthers lost to Los Alamos. When asked to describe the game, a contest PV led by as many as 10 in the third quarter, Hoerner basically said, "I think the Panther coach lost this one tonight. It was a coaching thing." He was recalling a decision to slow the tempo after the Panthers had reeled off a big run midway through the third quarter. He took the blame, and I'm absolutely certain that if PV had won, he would given all the credit to his players. That's what coaching at the high school level is all about.
Because of poor weather to the south, a few games on tonight's local basketball slate have been canceled. Farmington's boys game against Gallup has been postponed until Jan. 15, while Aztec's boys and girls teams will have the night off. The AHS boys were scheduled to hook up with Thoreau, and the Lady Tigers had a road game at Los Alamos. No makeup dates have been announced at this time.
As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, those are the cancellations we're aware of.
Congratulations to Florida's Tim Tebow for not only winning the Heisman Trophy, but for being the first sophomore to do it. Hooray! Hooray!
Somewhere Rashaan Salaam is watching the ESPN broadcast, probably locked in a hotel somewhere in Mexico. Two hours before watching the Heisman special, Salaam raided a convienance store (or "mercado") and he loaded up on tissues and frozen yogurt. During the Heisman show, he pointed at the TV screaming, "Tebow, that's not your trophy. That's mine. That's my trophy. That used to be mine."
The following was reported by the AP on December 7, 2007:
Surrounded by lawyers while fans chanted his name, (???????) left court Friday after pleading not guilty to charges he lied to federal investigators about using performance-enhancing drugs.
The Daily Times' sports department has its guesses.
As my biography to the left side of this page says, I am a die-hard fan of all Denver teams. Needless to say, that hasn't been the easiest thing of late.
After talking on Bortstein's show earlier today, a few items stuck on my mind throughout the day, and I'm not sure if I articulated my responses very well. I try to provide some pretty deep and substantive answers while chatting up the man behind the mic. But I get a bit rattled. Mr. Bortstein is one of the best in the business, but he yells. A lot. And I never want to be on the wrong end of the man's ire. I made one little misstep today while discussing college football, and I could feel the Talkin' Trojan about to blow up faster than a Britney Spears comeback (just for the record, any semblance of popular culture knowledge I may have had ended in, like, 1998, so any such references will involve Britney or the Backstreet Boys, and sometimes both).
Sox reliever Hansen battles sleep disorder. TRY COUNTING SHEEP!!!!!
That whole part about meeting Theo, Tito's "expectations" made me feel bad for Hansen. The poor guy can't sleep and his job is in jeapordy because of it. This isn't a guy working at Wal Mart (not there's anything wrong with working at Wal Mart). This is a professional athlete with a common disorder, one in which millions of people deal with, except Lester's case could cost him millions.
Craig Hansen, if you are reading this blog, and I know you are, here's some advice: NyQuil. It works.
Either that ... or ...
The New Mexico Bowl ... or the Fiesta Bowl. Roughly equal in prestige, the New Mexico Bowl won't be hosting a national championship showdown anytime soon. UNM, however, is ecstatic to be playing a bowl game in its own backyard. I'm not sure what the going rate is these days for being ecstatic, but this bowl game is not cause for jubilation.
It was around 9:45 p.m. MT. I was typing away at my computer, feverishly trying to lay out Tuesday's sports section. I had less than two hours before press deadline. My mind was scrambling as 1,000 tasks swirled through my mind.
Oh, crap. Only an hour and forty-eight minutes until deadline.