the moment you've all been waiting for

it's been a while, nine days to be precise, since i last talked a little sports here on the ol' blog. i know there was some silent rejoicing from a few select readers, but... i'm sorry to inform those of you who didn't miss it that it is, indeed, back. so. sit back. relax. take in some football and/or baseball... or skim... or feel free to just plain give me a hard time in the comments section without ever reading past this opening paragraph. i'm exercising the "it's still my blog & i will still talk about whatever suits my mood" rule. =P

i think i'll start with football & move on to baseball...


first, some of my own thoughts: i swear, Asante Samuel is completely underrated. three interceptions & nine tackles in the game against Chicago. that's not just your average cornerback right there. i was really sad to see Junior Seau's season (and probably career) end the way it did with that broken arm. the floppy forearm was immediately a bad sign & seeing him walk off the field with his arm in that air cast makes me nervous about defense yet again, especially with Rodney Harrison's return up in the air.

not as nervous as i was to see Bruschi down on the ground for a couple of minutes though. that's enough to send a girl over the edge. if there was anything more impressive than Asante's performance, i think it was Gostkowski's 52-yard field goal. after the first attempt didn't make it but was voided by the Bears calling a late timeout (probably trying to mess with Gostkowski's head. ha! did that ever backfire!), the kid snuck one through the uprights on round two. Adam who? ;-) and last, but not least, was Tom Brady's 11-yard run for first down on 3rd-and-nine. he may not be fast but he's tough enough to run & not slide short of the critical first down. which is more than we can say for *some* touted QBs.


speaking of QBs who should play in a powder puff league instead of the NFL, i will never ever tire of cracks on Peyton. for example: Archie's Older Doofus Spawn. i'm sorry but... i can't read that without laughing. especially because it silently includes Eli in the title as well (as the Younger Doofus Spawn, of course!) -- and the only thing better than poking fun at Peyton is poking fun at *both* Manning boys.

and speaking of Peyton:
5. Great article over at the Armchair GM. They did a fake BCS system for the NFL to see who would be playing in the Super Bowl. Here’s the line of the article:
Peyton Manning goes undefeated, yet still manages to choke, failing to reach the Super Bowl.
I mean, how perfect is that?
(Dirty Watah)
BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

and now a little Q&A with a *real* QB:
Q: Talk about putting that move on Urlacher.
Tom Brady: I know. I would have never have thought I would, either. It must be the turf. I don't think that would have happened a few weeks ago. That was pretty cool. At least I can tell my kids one day that I shook Brian Urlacher. They probably won't believe me.
Q: Were you thinking at all about sliding?
TB: Well, I knew I needed nine yards for the first down. So, if I had slid at four [yards] my teammates would have killed me. I tried to do the best I can to make a guy miss.
Q: What did you say to Urlacher?
TB: We were laughing about it. He said, "Man, you made me look bad". I said, "You make the whole team look bad". He is a great player. That team can really bring it. The way they attack the football is pretty impressive. I wish we would have taken better care of the ball today. It is a great win for are team. They were 9-1. We really needed that one.
(Reiss' Pieces: Tom's Take)
::grins:: you just can't say the guy isn't likeable.


lots of talk about the turf that was installed at Gillette Stadium since the last (disasterous) Patriots home stand. some rumors that Brady is still adjusting to the surface & that his back is a little sore right now. he did have a career 19-1 record on artificial surfaces, though, going into that game. combine that with his record in domes & if i weren't such a supporter of not playing MLB & NFL indoors, i would say cap off that field in Foxboro & let's be in business! but, like baseball needs to be enjoyed in short sleeves on summer evenings, football should be affected by weather elements. back to my point: make that record 20-1 now, thank you very much. and we'll keep the turf.

i haven't had much opportunity to see the Patriots play this season & Tom Brady slings passes to so many receivers that the games i have seen, i don't recall any close-ups on Reche Caldwell. i got a couple in this past Sunday's matchup against Da Bears & omg. amen to this: the dude's Chris Tucker eyes still freak me out.

this just makes me smile:
Tedy Bruschi made like Rod Tidwell there. Bruschi went down on that third-down play, and the crowd began chanting TED-Y! TED-Y! Bruschi popped up off the turf like the character in "Jerry Maguire," which drew the "Bruuuuuuuu" cheer.
(PatsBlog: Tedy Gets the Love)

now as long as this continues to hold true (and a cursory glance over the remaining schedule says that there is hope for this, though we all know that you can't take anything for granted in the NFL), then i am thinking i will be able to enjoy the final weeks of 2006 Patriots football:
33-6 -- The team's post-Thanksgiving record since 2001, which is the best mark of any team in the NFL over that span.
(Reiss' Pieces: By the Numbers)

and now... baseball, as promised -- for those of you who suffered skimmed through the football ramblings.

this one goes back to late October, but there are just some quips that were too amusing to not share as i caught up with some archived posts:
8. Captain Fist-Pump wins the Hank Aaron Award. And somewhere in the backwoods of Texas, Kevin Millar demands a recount.
(TATB: They're not saying "Drewww . . .)

The Mets are reportedly interested in Mark Loretta. Are the Sox?
my sentiments *exactly*.

i am guessing we've all heard about Schill's ::coughcough:: appearance on Celebrity Jeopardy. i really thought Surviving Grady summed up well how i feel about all the criticism he received in "I'll Take Let's See Doug Savant Carry His Team to a World Series Title on One F#@%ing Foot for Five Hundred":
Hey, the guy isn't in the business of knowing anything about John Wilkes Booth or Rice-a-Roni. He's in the business of strapping 'em on, setting 'em down, and launching the drunken fans in the stands to dizzy new heights of euphoria.

a little respect for the Sox departed (as long as they don't turn to the Dark Side, of course):
8. Okay, so maybe he was mean to Michael Holley, and maybe it wasn't wise to say he didn't like watching baseball as a fan (funny how that one word is always omitted in most criticisms). Still, I remain convinced that the cause of Keith Foulke's injury problems in his final two seasons in Boston can be found in the physical sacrifices he made during the '04 postseason, particularly in the midst of the ALCS comeback when he threw 100 pitches in three days. Foulke traded two seasons, if not the rest of his career, to do his damndest to make Johnny From Burger King's baseball dreams come true that October, and for that you must be forever grateful. We should, and will, remember him for this first and foremost: Foulke to the set, the 1-0 pitch . . . here it is. Swing, and a ground ball stabbed by Foulke! He has it, he underhands to first . . . and the Boston Red Sox are the World Champions. For the first time in 86 years, the Red Sox have won baseball's World Championship. Can you believe it?" Yeah, you bet I'll remember him well.
(TATB: Nine Innings: 11.13.06)

i give you one guess who this refers to: Team Beelzebub. i am telling you, Chad Finn over at Touching All the Bases has to be one of my absolute favorite sports bloggers. great writing, makes me laugh *and* i get Red Sox & Patriots in the same location!

i really enjoyed the way TATB wrote up the Manny situation, but it's too long to bring over here, so a link will have to do: Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

another on Manny & the prospect of acquiring JD Drew which i will admit is scaring me more & more: The Confusing Saga of Manny and JD

and finally, i'm still brooding over A-Gon not only getting away from the Sox, but losing the well- earned Gold Glove to Captain Fist-Pump. i could rehash it but i'll just provide some linkage to others who have already said their piece & just tell you that i wholeheartedly agree:
No Love for the Glove
Baseball: one sport where it definitely pays off to make it look really hard when you do something really easy
Please Excuse Me While I Go F-ing Crazy
Gonzo Loses Gold Glove to Jeter (?!)
Outrage
just when i thought i couldn't be disappointed anymore in the 2006 season...