5-3 at the Break

That is what they call “taking care of business”. The Cowboys simply had to win that game yesterday, and they did so in rather methodical fashion. It might have taken a quarter to get up to full speed, but when they did, the game quickly ceased to be in doubt, and the Cowboys got to their bye week with that coveted 5-3 record.

I say “coveted” based on our feeling entering the month of October. 2-2 after the first four games was pretty mediocre, and with Philadelphia, New York, Seattle, and Arizona on this month’s menu, the idea of sitting at 4-4 at the break seemed reasonable.

But, evidently, Texas Stadium is now a tough place to play for the opponent, as they swept the 3 home games, and put themselves in a spot that if they take care of the 4 upcoming games in Irving (Detroit, Denver, Kansas City, and St. Louis) that should be enough for a playoff spot.

Notes from the Sunday spanking of the Cardinals:

- The signing of Anthony Henry seemed like an awful lot of money. And, no one complains when you turn in the results that he has. That interception and touchdown certainly make the highlight shows, but I cannot get over his tackling ability. In this day and age, you can count on 1 hand the cornerbacks in this league that love taking on the run. Charles Woodsen and Antoine Winfield come to mind. Add Anthony Henry to that list for sure. He is a tackling machine.

- Marion Barber III impressed us all. Kid was probably a bit annoyed that he had been discarded from RB discussions in place of Tyson Thompson. Barber has shown in the last two weeks that he has plenty of burst, looks a bit more sturdy than Julius Jones, and offers a wonderful problem; too many good RB’s. I think every good team has to have a few. Take Pittsburgh with Bettis, Parker, and Staley. Back when Green Bay wasn’t bad, they had Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport. Back when Minnesota wasn’t a bunch of quitting dogs they had Michael Bennett and Ontarrio Smith (and Mewelde Moore). There is no controversy with RB’s. Just quality depth that will come in handy

_ The tackles did pretty well yesterday. Bert Berry is so good, that I thought Tucker actually kept his end of the bargain. Berry had two sacks, but you know, if you saw the dude play much, you would say that was pretty solid work from the Cowboys. Meanwhile, Rob Petitti played wonderfully. It is all about little victories with these guys so let’s take em when we can get em.

- I was emailed an interesting question yesterday that I am not sure I have to proper answer: Is it possible that the Cowboys defense is better without Dat Nguyen? Or, to put it in a less calloused manner, “isn’t it interesting how well Bradie James and Scott Shanle have played since Dat Nguyen has been hurt?” Is it the “big LB” theory? Or is it coincidence?

- Bledsoe still can make any throw on the field, and I find it insulting that people think he could not throw it in the end zone against Seattle. Isn’t it interesting how Keyshawn can catch that fade when you actually throw it.

- Arizona is still really, really sad.

- Pop Quiz. Name the NFC teams that are clearly better than the Cowboys: Exactly.


Cowlishaw on Marion Barber …

With Julius Jones missing his third game with an ankle sprain, Barber gave a performance worthy of some of Jones' finest work as a rookie. He carried 27 times for 127 yards and two touchdowns, giving the running game the kind of boost it has lacked all season in a 34-13 win over Arizona.

Bill Parcells admitted to some doubts about Jones' durability last week. He noted that if Jones missed the Arizona game, that would be 11 ½ games missed out of his first 24. Parcells listed durability right behind instinct and vision as key traits for a running back.

The Cowboys managed to unveil another back with instinct and vision Sunday. Barber emerged as a legitimate back a week ago in Seattle when he ran for 95 yards. But he scored his first pro touchdowns and had the Cowboys' first 100-yard rushing game of the season Sunday as Dallas fans learned there is life in the running game even without Julius.

"The kid will run. He will block. He will catch," Parcells said. "I'm not saying he's going to be Gale Sayers. But he has ability in all the areas that are prerequisites."

In other news, Vince Young is a football god …Does anyone want to tell me he can’t play?

Young became the first Texas player to get 500 yards of total offense and only the seventh player in NCAA history to pass and rush for more than 200 yards in the same game.

"I'm not amazed anymore," Brown said. "Maybe that's not healthy. It's just that we've seen him do this before."

Young had a bad first half. He lost a fumble and threw an interception.
The Longhorns trailed 28-9 at one point.

"Not one guy thought we were going to lose," Young said later. "Nobody lost their poise."

At some point, Brown said something to Young about picking everyone up. He then watched Young lead his eighth second-half comeback as the Texas quarterback.

Texas didn't simply rally from a 28-12 halftime deficit. The Longhorns, who are 8-0 and atop the BCS standings, destroyed the Cowboys in the second half.

Meanwhile, The honeymoon is over for Coach Fran …Curious if everyone is still pleased that you have him locked up through 2012???

In a tight first half, Lane carried the ball two times for nine yards. Just two times. In the second half, which didn't get out of hand until the fourth quarter,
Lane carried two times for 13 yards.

That's four carries for the guy we were giving nicknames because he was so good - four carries for a back Franchione himself has called a 30- or even 40-carry back.
Are we missing something here?

As A&M ignored the horse it'd been riding on Saturday; Iowa State stampeded the Aggies with their horses. Running back Stevie Hicks rushed for 122 yards on 25 carries. Quarterback Bret Meyer threw for 371 yards and four touchdowns, both career highs. And receiver Todd Blythe caught eight passes for 214 yards as the Cyclones held the ball for 35 minutes, 21 seconds on offense.

By ignoring Lane and the ball-control style they used in victories over Oklahoma State and Kansas State, the Aggies put themselves in the position they couldn't afford to be in. And, barring a miracle in November, the Aggies will sit at home this bowl season because of it.

Favre throws career worst 5 interceptions …unless you count that time he threw 6 in a playoff game in St Louis...

Cincinnati's 21-14 victory Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium will go down in the history books as the first time in Favre's regular-season career that he unloaded five interceptions. But for participants and observers alike, it will be remembered as the game in which the 36-year-old Favre almost willed his inferior team to an unforgettable upset.

"People will look back and say, 'I remember when this guy, Brett Favre, was playing,' " said Vince Newsome, the Baltimore Ravens' assistant director of pro personnel. "Their backs were against the wall today and everybody thought they were going to get blown out. Favre ignited them. He makes the other guys good. He never gave up."

Newsome called the Packers "one of the scariest 1-6 clubs you're ever going to see."
Chuck Bresnahan, the Bengals' defensive coordinator, still thinks the Packers have a legitimate chance to win the NFC North despite being three games behind Chicago.

"Because any time that guy goes under center, they've got a chance to win," Bresnahan said. "He's incredible. Does his (personnel) affect him? I'm sure it does. It puts you in a little bit of disarray when you've got that many people out. But he's going to go down swinging. He proved it today."

Javon Walker, Robert Ferguson, Terrence Murphy, David Martin, Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport either are done for the year or out with injury. In their places, Favre was working with Antonio Chatman, Andrae Thurman, Taco Wallace, Donald Lee, Tony Fisher, ReShard Lee and Samkon Gado.

Tomorrow, I have to write about Favre. Remind me.

In case you missed it, Here is video of the knucklehead who ran on the field and took the ball from Favre …and no, he did not intercept another one, wise guy…

A fine feature story on the QB Rating System …

Saturday Night was a night I had looked forward to for a long time. I would offer you this brief review of the U2 concert at the American Airlines Center:

I have seen U2 five times. Those are the five best concerts I have ever seen.

Seriously, I recognize I am biased. The first CD I ever bought was U2. The first concert I ever saw was U2. And even if they sucked Saturday night, it is possible I would have thought they were great. But, they did not suck. And they were great. And no one does a concert like U2.

Here is the Set list:

10/29/2005 American Airlines Center - Dallas, Texas
City Of Blinding Lights, Vertigo / Rockaway Beach (snippet) / Rock 'N' Roll N(snippet), Elevation, The Electric Co. / Bullet With Butterfly Wings (snippet) / See Me, Feel Me (snippet), The Ocean, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (snippet) / In A Little While (snippet), Beautiful Day / Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (snippet), Miracle Drug, Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own / The Black Hills of Dakota (snippet), Love And Peace Or Else, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bullet The Blue Sky / The Hands That Built America (snippet) / When Johnny Comes Marching Home (snippet), Miss Sarajevo, Pride (In The Name Of Love), Where The Streets Have No Name, One / Ol' Man River (snippet)
encores: The First Time, Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of, Angel Of Harlem, With Or Without You, All Because Of You, Yahweh, 40

As an old school U2 fan, ending with “40” was such genius. That is how they ended concerts back in the 1980’s. I am sure that the new generation of fans had question marks over their heads, but those of us who did not forget the Unforgettable Fire were singing at the top of our lungs.

For great pictures (including the one above) and a solid review, check out Keith’s review …

George Best update …

And finally, congrats to my Lewisville BaD Radio Vikings. They won in dramatic fashion 33-32 in double overtime. I cannot imagine more exausted 7-8 year old boys. They played their guts out and stayed alive. They now play for the City Championship on Saturday at noon against the only team that has beaten them. Very proud of our boys.

Hockey Blog

After another disappointing night of hockey, here is my latest post on Hockeybuzz.com ...

Friday Sports Time

The Lewisville Vikings, the 7-8 year old tackle football team that wears “BaD Radio” on their jerseys, is in the final four this weekend.

We play Falcons Black at 1:30 on Saturday at Lake Park Field in Lewisville, under the direction of our great coach and Aggie great Kevin Murray. The Falcons Black are 8-0 this season, and drilled their first round opponent. Good luck, Vikings.

Mac Engle says Sunday’s game is critical …he’s right, you know…

A 5-3 record at the midway point means 10-6 is attainable; 10-6 appears to be the minimum for the Cowboys to reach the playoffs. Since the NFL realigned in 2002, there are only two wild-card spots in each conference. Only one 10-6 team, the 2003 Dolphins, did not make the playoffs. In the compact NFC East, the Cowboys will have to either win the division or finish second.

Some guys have hype and never live up to it. Some guys get very little hype and surprise you a ton. That, of course, is the story of Jussi Jokinen …He appears to be real good.

New Rules impact the NHL game ….

Entering last night's action, according to the league, games were averaging 13.4 power plays, up from 10.0 in 2003-4. And power-play goals were up significantly, 313 compared to 225 in 2003-4.

"When you play the game, when you watch the game on a TV, I think it's a more exciting game," Rangers right wing Jaromir Jagr, who leads the league with 10 goals (8 on power plays), said yesterday in a telephone interview. "It's more skating, up-and-down hockey. For offensive players, you can get more scoring chances and shots.
Plus the offensive zone is a lot bigger and it is better on power plays."

Teams have scored 851 goals (6.3 a game), about 27 percent more than the 4.9 goals during the 2003-4 season. Clubs have combined for 59 shots a game over 136 games; in 2003-4 they averaged 54 shots a game.
----

Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, Anaheim, the Rangers and St. Louis are the teams with lower attendance, although the latter three have experienced a decline of less than 1 percent.

Cuban institutes a little broadcast control …

You have Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, who won't let most of his players talk to the media.

You have Cowboys coach Bill Parcells, who will let his players talk to the media but not his assistant coaches.

And you have Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who will not let his media talk about his players' contracts.

Not talking has become a much talked-about subject.

Cuban announced last week that Mavericks radio and television announcers no longer will be allowed to discuss player contracts on game broadcasts. No one asked a question about it, but Cuban addressed it, so it became an issue.

Hot buttons exist in all professions, and a volatile one for the media is censorship. The faintest suggestion of it -- whether it involves players, assistants or announcers -- launches the first amendment flag up the flagpole where it flies grandly or, some might suggest, sanctimoniously.

The Supreme Court long ago ruled there are exceptions to freedom of speech. You can't yell "fire" in a crowded theater. Applying that to the current subject, it also means that if you are a Mavericks broadcaster, you can't say: "You know, Erick Dampier signed a $70 million contract, and tonight he is about as overpowering as a toy poodle."

In an e-mail, Cuban offered an explanation.

"Salaries aren't relevant to the game," he wrote, and announcers "are supposed to make the game fun for Mavs fans, not play amateur psychologist."

Old Friend, and intramural basketball teammate at Liberty, Dwayne Carswell, now of the Denver Broncos, in very serious car accident …

Carswell suffered a ruptured spleen, a ruptured diaphragm, multiple fractured ribs and a contusion of his entire left internal cavity, according to the Broncos. He underwent surgery to remove his spleen and repair internal organ damage.

According to the Broncos, Carswell was at the intensive care unit at Aurora South Medical Center but his prognosis was "very good." Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said Carswell wouldn't be allowed visitors until at least Friday afternoon.

Stern softens on dress code …

During a conference call Thursday with other top NBA officials, Stern said the league will not rush to suspend players who do not adhere to the dress code. However, he does want the players to follow the league's guidelines.

"The way that you will get suspended is if you flat-out refuse to do something," Stern said.

Stu Jackson, the NBA's vice-president of basketball operations, also said the league will work with players and teams to make sure they are in compliance with the dress code.

"If [a player] is in violation, we're not going to suspend him immediately," Jackson said. "We will make him aware that he is in violation, and tell him to clean his act up. And then if he doesn't, we will take further action."

Stern said the teams haven't been told the amount of the fine the players face if
they don't comply wth the rules. He also refused to say how much fines would be.

Virginia Tech rolls Boston College …

I wondered if it was just me. Nope. America didn’t care about the World Series, either …

The Chicago White Sox's first world championship in 88 years was also the lowest-rated World Series ever.

Chicago's four-game sweep of the Houston Astros averaged an 11.1 national rating with a 19 share on Fox. That's down about 7 percent from the previous low, an 11.9 with a 20 share for the 2002 World Series between the Anaheim Angels and the San Francisco Giants.

While the 2002 World Series, which went seven games, rated higher overall, it was only averaging an 11.0 through four games.

This year was a drop of almost 30 percent from last year's series, in which the Boston Red Sox swept the St. Louis Cardinals for their first title in 86 years. That had a 15.8 rating with a 25 share.

Young passing fine …

Texas quarterback Vince Young owns a passer rating of 169.5, tops in the Big 12 and second in the nation.

He is just three-hundredths of a point behind the national leader, Louisville's Brian Brohm.

"I'm proud of that," Young said. "Because (critics) said I couldn't throw."

Dan?

Woman cop with hair trigger …

Wisconsin story of the day …

Another fine steroid rumor from rotoauthority.com …

This week we talked about this idiocy of the PC community trying to shake down the Iowa Pink Locker-room, well several readers reminded me of this from last spring: Arkansas had to drop the pink jersey …

Seems as though a few of Arkansas' players were loafing on defense during spring practice last week. The same unit that last year was 76th in the nation in total defense. The same unit that last year cost the Hogs a seventh straight bowl appearance. The same unit that Nutt upgraded by luring coordinator Reggie Herring from North Carolina State for an unthinkable three-year, $900,000 contract. The same unit that plays at Southern California, the national champion the last two years, in the Razorbacks' third game.

Hence the need for Nutt to shake things up. And the need for pink jerseys. Every defensive player who loafed in practice had to wear a pink jersey and couldn't get his cardinal jersey back until he'd earned it.

Which brings us to a certain gay rights advocate in Fayetteville, Ark., who placed a phone call to Nutt after hearing about the pink jerseys. He was outraged, demanding that Nutt remove the pink jerseys and stop insulting the gay community.

Nutt also received calls from breast cancer survivors who said they were offended because pink is the color of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

"I was shocked," Nutt says. "I'm just trying to get these guys to tackle."

And then, this, as a follow-up email to our discussion of the Michael Irvin vs. Keyshawn rift:

Check the numbers

Irvin 12 seasons:
750 catches
11,904 yards receiving
65 TD’s

Keyshawn 9 1/2 seasons:
704 catches
9293 yards receiving
58 TD’s

Once again Irvin needs to shut his mouth.

I think Keyshawn and Mike are the same guy. Listening to two ego-maniacs argue is amusing and tiresome all at the same time…

Gay or not Gay?

Baseball Season....Over

Above, see the coolest sports moment of the year. Sure, the 4 ½ hour games are a beating, but in the end the winning team piles on itself on the pitcher’s mound and this constitutes the coolest moment of the year.

White Sox complete the sweep …

The Sox snapped the second-longest World Series drought in history. The longest dry spell, 97 years, belongs to the Cubs, followed by Cleveland at 57.

The Sox finished the season with an eight-game winning streak and with 16 wins in their final 17 games dating back to the regular season. They also won their final 11 road games.

Their 11-1 mark is the second-best postseason mark. Only the 1976 Cincinnati Reds team that manager Ozzie Guillen idolized as a kid in his native Venezuela won all seven postseason games.

This also marked the 19th time a team swept a Series opponent.

Houston enjoyed its first taste of the series …

There's only one storybook finish per season, and this one belongs to the Chicago White Sox, who completed a four-game sweep of the 2005 World Series by defeating the Astros 1-0 Wednesday in front of 42,936 at Minute Maid Park.

Once it ended, the Astros returned to their clubhouse and listened to a brief talk by manager Phil Garner. And then they were left alone — unfulfilled, disappointed, emotional.

That's when Mike Lamb — or someone — suggested they return to the field where they'd accomplished so much, where they'd had so many moments of joy.

First it was Lamb, then others, one by one, trudging back down the hallway outside the home clubhouse. They stepped onto the field, and as the White Sox celebrated behind them, they turned and began to greet and thank the fans behind their dugout.

Years from now, this may be one of the moments they remember. They'll remember how they captivated a city for a few weeks. They'll remember how they gathered themselves from a 15-30 start, how they became close and how they made themselves into a team.

They believed when almost no one else did.

Rick Telander on 88 years being swept away …



Sharks 5, Stars 4 …Stars blow a bad one here. They lead entering the 3rd period, but end up stuck in their own end, with ill-advised penalties being taken. Turco did everything he could do to keep the lead alive, but Marco Sturm tied it with :19 to play in regulation. Then, in overtime, the Stars had a goal disallowed, and then decided to have both defensemen pinch in, allowing a big rebound and a breakaway the entire length of the ice for Patrick Marleau. Not a good idea. Ballgame.

"It's frustrating," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "They're division games, and there's no excuse to give away games like that."

The Stars went into a shell in the third period and relied mostly on goalie Marty Turco to preserve the win. He was doing just that, helping kill off two power plays and holding the Sharks scoreless on 17 shots. However, Brenden Morrow took a high-sticking penalty with 38 seconds remaining in regulation, and the Sharks pulled goalie Nolan Schaefer and brought out the extra skater for a 6-on-4 power play.
Turco stopped a shot from Scott Thornton, but the rebound flipped off to Marco Sturm, who was wide open on the right side of the net. Sturm buried the puck with 19.9 seconds remaining, and the game went to overtime.

Something isn’t right about the Stars right now. They just look like they are headed for a season of disappointment. I think I may be over-reacting, but I honestly tell you I don’t like how this thing feels. There are some kids that are playing well like Jussi Jokinen and Trevor Daley, but otherwise, the youth is not making much of an impact. The veterans are not carrying the mail every night (go figure: your star players are all 35 years old) so they need the heavy lifting done elsewhere sometimes. But more than anything, they need to be smarter. Last night, Jason Arnott and Brenden Morrow both took bad penalties in the 3rd period, and Sergei Zubov made two critical defensive errors which led directly to two San Jose goals, including the game-winner.

One good thing about Thursday: The Jimmy Burch Big 12 Insider …

For the first time since 1961, neither Oklahoma (4-3, 3-1 in Big 12) nor Nebraska (5-2, 2-2) is ranked heading into Saturday's 11 a.m. meeting of the longtime rivals. But the contest remains "huge," Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said.

"Both teams not being ranked, I don't think that factors into how the kids are preparing for this game," Callahan said. "It's a huge, huge game. We're both battling [for bowl berths and division titles]."

A historic footnote: The 1961 season marked the last time that both schools posted nonwinning records in the same season. Nebraska finished 3-6-1. Oklahoma was 5-5. It also stands as the last season when neither school advanced to a bowl game.

That is quite a stat.

Gina Miller from Ch 8 to Ch 11 …

The staff changes continue at KTVT/Ch. 11, and this time it was costly for another area station. Gina Miller is leaving WFAA/Ch. 8 to join Ch. 11 and do feature stories and work on Cowboys and Mavericks pregame and postgame coverage.
"Gina will be on the air Sunday with our Cowboys coverage," said Babe Laufenberg, Channel 11 sports anchor.

Derek Harper is continuing rehearsals to be the weekend sports anchor, and Laufenberg said the former Maverick will likely move into the role "in the next couple of weeks."

Miller and Harper will work together on Mavericks telecasts.

Harper will remain an analyst on the Mavericks' shows.

Continuing rehearsals??? Never heard of that in sports television, but ok.

Stackhouse’s knee is already a concern …

From Easterbrook yesterday:

Of the top 10 teams in turnover differential, Buffalo is the only one with a losing record; of the bottom 10 teams in turnover differential, Washington is the only one with a winning record.

Don’t believe him? Check for yourself here …

Week 7 Turnovers
KC +1, Ind E, Min -1, Phil +1, StL +1, Wash +2, Det +2, Pit E, Sea -1, Arz +2, Chi E, NYG -1, Oak E, Atl +1

Week 7 totals: 7-3-4 70%
Season totals: 64-21-17 75% (lowest numbers in years)

Records for teams that finish:

+5 = 8-0 100%
+4 = 5-0 100%
+3 = 9-1 90%
+2 = 16-5 76%
+1 = 26-15 63%

Dallas’ results:

W - SD +1
L - Was +2
W - SF E
L - Oak -1
W - Phi -1
W – NYG E
L – Sea +1

Cowboys + = 1-2
Cowboys E = 2-0
Cowboys - = 1-1


Week 7 100 yard rushers
Ind W, Wash W, Clev L, Pit W, Chi W, Den L, Oak W, Atl W

Week 7 record for teams with 100 yard rushers: 6-2
Season total: 43-8 84%

Tonight:
Beamer Ball: Va Tech - BC 6:30 on ESPN
Mavs - Pistons, 7:30 on Chan 21

Save the Saints (and other stuff)...

I wanted to put this email at the top. There isn’t much I can do beyond this and a segment, but it does suck for Saints fans. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment and read this:

Dear Bob,

I am writing to you in support of the New Orleans Saints. As a lifelong Saints fan, I’m appalled by Benson’s actions following Hurricane Katrina. In our time of need, he’s trying to take away one of the only things we can find joy in – our beloved Saints. While everyone is speculating about where the team will end up, no one is really bringing to light the dirty things Benson is doing in New Orleans.

Benson is attempting to break his lease on the Saints Metairie, La. practice facility – a lease which costs him a whopping $1 annually. He claims the facility was damaged by Hurricane Katrina and later “trashed” by National Guard troops and FEMA workers. This simply isn’t true and the following link will provide you with a news story from our local CBS affiliate which proves the building has no damage and is virtually spotless: TV STORY

I haven’t seen anyone in the national media do a story on this, and they really should. People should know the truth about what’s really going on in New Orleans, and Tom Benson should be exposed for the ways he is trying to take our team away from us. I hope you will consider my story idea.

Many Thanks,
Dennis Labure
River Ridge, La.

Good luck, Saints fans. That isn’t fair or right.



White Sox win in 14 …

Geoff Blum, in his first Series at-bat, hit a home run off reliever Ezequiel Astacio with two out in the 14th inning to vault the Sox a 7-5 victory before a stunned sellout crowd of 42,848 fans at Minute Maid Park.

The Sox, with a 3-0 lead in this best-of-seven Series and a seven-game winning streak, can wrap up the Series as soon as Wednesday night. All 21 teams who had a 3-0 lead in the Series have won the championship, including 18 in four games.

The Sox won in a Series record five hours, 41 minutes. The 14-inning game tied the longest in Series history, as Boston and Brooklyn played 14 innings in Game 2 of the 1916 Series. The 17 pitchers used by the Sox and Houston set a Series record, and the nine used by the Sox also set a Series record. A record 43 players were used.

Swoopes is out of the closet …

Eagles sign Jose Cortez …

McNeal strug-gel-ling in Aggieland …

Guerin off to a slow start …

FC Dallas hires a dude who can sell them tickets …they hope…

First and foremost, Hitchcock was brought in to boost season ticket sales.
Based on his salesmanship in the league, Hitchcock might be the guy to do just that.
In eight years of MLS ticket sales, Hitchcock has earned the MLS Sales Director of the Year award three times, and the 2000 Commissioner's New Business Leadership Award. He comes to the club after selling for D.C. United (1998-2000), Colorado (2000-03) and Los Angeles (2003-05).

The LA Galaxy -- playing in the Home Depot Center, a soccer-specific stadium similar to Pizza Hut Park -- led MLS in 2005 attendance average (24,204).

TV Note: If you love the fight, and the UFC, please check out the replay of this week’s Ultimate Fighter 2 on Thursday night at 10pm on Spike TV. Dude, Luke (above) and Sammy put together a fight that I thought was tremendous. Awesome stuff. Read this review if you want it spoiled …

TV Note #2: Looks like the rat I smelled on Survivor is being pursued elsewhere (thanks to p1 Fred):

TV Guide: Did Danni really recognize Gary as a former football player, or did you guys tip her off?

Jeff Probst:
We never divulge information to the castaways about each other. She knew exactly who he was. In an interview before the game started, she talked about how her father had a photo of him and how she once visited [his alma mater] Central Michigan University, where they have a huge shrine to him.

Sure, Jeff. Whatever you say.

TV Note #3: Over There wraps up its one and only season tonight according to USA Today …

The cable series premiered to more than 4 million viewers after a wave of publicity resulting from speculation about public backlash and the involvement of noted producer Steven Bochco, who created the series with Chris Gerolmo.

But the numbers tailed off to fewer than 2 million, and the young adults prized by advertisers dropped to close to 1 million for later episodes. The series follows a group of Army soldiers in Iraq and their families at home.

Despite the ratings, FX president John Landgraf says he remains proud of Over There and hasn't made a final decision about its future. "I feel really good about it creatively. It's a tough show and at times a very darkly truthful show," he says.

"Chris and Steven did a really good job of developing their characters over the long haul. The last run of episodes is quite moving," Landgraf says. But "the ratings are probably below the level of sustainability from our standpoint."

Not the true spirit of streaks …

STREAK INTACT: Falcons offensive tackle Todd Weiner extended his streak of consecutive starts to 49 by playing the first snap, but Barry Stokes played most of the first half at Weiner's right tackle spot. Weiner has an arm injury.

Gregg Easterbrook’s fine TMQB …Of course, I have not listed these like I should this season. Please forgive me.

Someone asked me yesterday how USC claims to be going for a 3-peat, and yet we clearly remember LSU spanking OU in 2003 for the national title. Well, according to this , USC is actually going for a 4-peat. Not confusing at all…

Once again, Liverpool is underachieving …WHY?

Back when I had the time (before I had this blog), I used to love the video games. Especially, my beloved SOCOM. But, you may recall, playing online meant dealing with the cussing, over-the-top 14 year old gamer on line. Don’t believe me? Watch this …but with your volume down, and your discretion on…

college football t-shirts and the comedy that goes with them…

Colin sent me this development:

Bob, my buddy emailed me and told me to read this month's questionaire for the ticket chick. Specifically the question about Pete Rose. I got severe tired head after reading this answer. I've heard you guys talk about this before, so I thought you'd get a kick out of this, I cut and pasted her response......How can we talk about Pete Rose when we have troops in Iraq?

Should Pete Rose be in the Hall of Fame?

Her answer--"Once our troops are all home and safe then I’ll tell you whether or not a cheater should be allowed in the Hall of Fame…"

Power down.

He’s not making it up. Click Here for SaRatta …oh, dear.

Should Pete Rose be in the Hall of Fame? Once our troops are all home and safe then I’ll tell you whether or not a cheater should be allowed in the Hall of Fame…

Star Wars giggle …

Another 1920’s glossary …

Here are a few email-worthy “GNG’s”:

Bob and Dan,

Several of my old college buddies and I met in Chicago last weekend to go to the BYU/Notre Dame game on Saturday. We all got in Friday and wanted to check out downtown Chicago. After dinner, we walked around for a while, but none of us knew the area so we weren’t sure what to do. We noticed that there were carriage rides being offered. At first we laughed about taking a ride, but eventually decided to do it. Let me reiterate that none of us knew the area and it was cold that night. The carriage ride last about 45 minutes and we were able to see a lot of downtown Chicago as well as Lake Michigan. The ride was a little cold, so of course we had to share the blankets that were available on the carriage. I’ve got to admit, it all felt a little gay. Everyone that we passed by sure looked at us as if we were gay.

By the way, after the carriage ride we all enjoyed ice cream sundaes together.

BRAD ANDRUS

And, then this one with a visual aid:

Hey boys,

I know this one is pretty easy to determine, but I just had to send this to you. A group of friends and I were hanging out in downtown Ft Worth at a place called 8.0's where they have a 60 oz margarita. Ideally made for parties of women who sit around talking about Oparh and how Dr Phil thinks their husband is a terrible person and what not.

Anyway these two dudes sitting at the table next to us, who by the way look really manly in there Harley Davidson tee-shirts and ungroomed goatees, ordered one of these drinks. At first I thought that surly one of them got it on a bet to see how quickly he could down the sucker, but no. The waitress brought them two straws and they sipped on it together for the next 30 min or so, and then to make matters worse they ordered another. Because I could not believe what I saw, I had the girl sitting next to me take a picture with her camera phone.

I know you have discussed this situation before, but come on. When you see such a shocking event you just have to share it with the whole city.

The picture is attached. Sorry for the poor quality, we had to take it in such a way to where they didn't notice. But you can get the jest of it.

Thanks
P1 Symons

Genius! And here is some good Cowboys thinking from Jeremiah (Ontario?):

As much criticism that Roy Williams has gotten when he seems to blow a coverage at a crucial point in the game (vs. Redskins, Giants), and perhaps rightfully so, it only seems fair to commend him equally when the Dallas defense has such a stellar performance, like they did last week against Seattle, not to mention overall in the last 17 quarters of play. If it is appropriate to fault him particularly in a game like the one against the Giants where the defense played phenomenally but it seemed like he went brain dead at the end of the 4th quarter, then it seems only fair to commend him particularly for not getting stupid at the end of last week’s game. Likewise, it seems fair, not only to criticize him for blown coverage, but also to commend him for trying to make a play to change the outcome of the game—the caused fumble at goal line against the Giants and especially the interception against Seattle.

• Although, at this point the potential return of Billy Cundiff seems like the 2nd coming of Nick Lowery, let’s not jump off the deep end here. Although Billy was great within 40 yards, he missed some clutch kicks last season that were especially crippling to a team that struggled to score touchdowns. Now, here is Cundiff, returning from an serious injury, who perhaps hasn’t as much as kicked his dog in the ass since preseason. Granted, even that might be better than the job Cortez was doing, however I wonder is he the best Dallas can do? Was it Morten Anderson who snuck in a plug with Al Gifford on Monday Night indicating his interest in playing again? He was a pretty good kicker, and I wouldn’t imagine that anyone would be worried him losing a “step” in his old age since his ability would be clear in a few practices—either he can make the kicks or he cannot. Why aren’t we hearing anything about potential here coming from the Cowboys, which such a dire need glaringly apparent.

Jeremiah T. Vance

Week 6 Turnovers (winners are listed with turnover margin):

Car E, Dal E, Chi -1, Balt +2, Cin +3, TB +1, Jax +3, Atl +1, KC +3, SD +1, Den E, Buf +1, Sea -1, Ind +3

Week 6 totals: 9-2-3 82%
Season totals: 57-18-13 76% (lowest numbers in years)

Records for teams that finish:

+5 = 8-0 100%
+4 = 5-0 100%
+3 = 9-1 90%
+2 = 13-5 72%
+1 = 22-12 65%

Dallas’ results prove nothing whatsoever:

W - SD +1
L - Was +2
W - SF E
L - Oak -1
W - Phi -1
W – NYG E

Do 100 yard Rushers impact winning versus losing?

Teams that had 100 yard rushers in week 6:
TB W, ATL W, SD W, DEN W, Buf W, NYJ L, Sea (Alexander) W, Sea (Morris) W, Ind W

Week 6 record for teams with 100 yard rushers: 8-1
Season total: 37-6 86%

You might be saying, "Bob, didn't we just complete week 7?" Yes. Those numbers come tomorrow...

Tuesday Blog

Vince Young says he’s coming back….and then leaves the door open to leave ….

Junior Texas quarterback Vince Young said Monday he plans to come back to UT next season and that he regrets striking a half-hearted Heisman Trophy pose during the Texas Tech game Saturday.

"I just stay humble and tell people I signed to play here, and I'm playing here," Young said. "I'm coming back [next year]. That decision, I'm not thinking about it right now. I'm worrying about Oklahoma State and sending our seniors out with a bang.

"You've got to leave that decision open. But right now I plan on coming back."
Of his Heisman pose on the sideline with teammates after a third-quarter, 75-yard touchdown pass to Billy Pittman on Saturday, Young said, "I kind of regret it."
"I don't want people thinking I've got an ego. I was just playing with some of my teammates, who were like, 'Let me see it.' I just gave them a little taste, not the whole thing."

Young said he won't strike the Heisman pose again – unless he wins the trophy.
"If I won it, I'll strike it all the time," he said, laughing.

Look who is #1 …for now…

Wilbon amazed at how the BCS cannot get it right …

Peter King’s MMQB …

Here is an email that I thought I would share:

where can i find this picture of Intern Evan? i’m curious. there are so many places to look on bobanddan.net but it’s so slow i don’t want to search for it.

You asked for it. It is up to you to figure out which one is 400 pounds.


Culpepper has decided to be in charge, since no one else will …No word on whether he will fine himself for taking part on the love boat…

Vikings Pro Bowl quarterback Daunte Culpepper told FOX Sports that next week he plans to implement his own fine system inside the locker room for players who commit mental errors during games.

"I don't know why we have so many penalties this year, why we're having so many mistakes," said Culpepper. "I'm going to start a fine system. I have to talk to (Darren) Sharper about it on defense so they can do the same thing.

"We've got to do something drastic because there's no reason for it. So I'm going to start fining guys."

The new fine system is completely independent of Mike Tice's coaching staff and would hit guys with fines in the $250 range for such infractions as penalties and other mental errors, the type of errors that have completely stalled Minnesota's offense this year.

You know things are bad in Green Bay, When they look to Freddie Mitchell for help …

The most prominent name expected to grace the practice field is former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell, who will be one of about a half-dozen receivers and running backs the Packers work out in an attempt to fill voids on their roster.

Mitchell, the guy who was on the receiving end of the infamous fourth-and-26 pass that helped the Eagles knock the Packers out of the playoffs in 2003, arrived in town Monday night and was expected to run and catch passes in front of general manager Ted Thompson and various personnel officials. If the Packers like what they see, they'll probably sign Mitchell, who has been out of action since Sept. 3, when the Kansas City Chiefs released him.

Parcells fights his assistants makes the satire pages …

Meanwhile, thanks to our replays last week, the Lee Corso bit is making another round around the internet Here and Here …Always weird how that works…

FC Dallas, hardly the picture of stability these days names another new GM today …

Sports By Brooks offers AJ Pierzynski pictures of indiscretion …

f97a30c56175aae9f55c7e> Doubt this news anchor meant to say this …

And now, some email of sports:

Bill Parcells is, without question one of the NFL's greatest coaches. BUT, the 3 Dallas losses this season, ESPECIALLY yesterday's loss to Seattle prove that when ultra-disciplinarian styled, fear factor, intimidation tactic, my way or the highway, Woody Hayes like values are combined with unimaginative, boring, mundane, too conservative, Witten's wide open but he' not Keyshawn or Terry so I don't see him when we're inside the 20 play calling is a recipe for failure. It's primarily poor coaching and then horrid decision-making ON the field that have kept Dallas from being 7-0 or at very least 6-1.

Dallas can't win the ugly, low-scoring defensive brawl because the offensive play calling & execution of said play calling are horribly inept.

Washington loss was avoidable...Roy Williams gets burned because as a pure Safety, he is weak in coverage. BUT WHY LINE-UP NOSE-TO-NOSE WHEN THE OBVIOUS ANSWER IS SOME SORT OF PREVENT SCHEME.

Oakland loss & Seattle loss could have been reversed had Bledsoe found the WIDE OPEN, even GORDO could complete a pass to gusty TE Jason Witten!

In addition, as much as I respect Troy Aikman as a player & broadcaster, when he calls a Cowboy game on Fox' national broadcast, he is sooooooo anti-Cowboy in his OVERattempt to be objective that it makes a loss like this even more miserable for Cowboy fans to view. The Cowboys defense held Seattle to 3 lousy points for 59m 20s!! Shaun Alexander was SHUT DOWN! The poor play calling in the Red Zone and failure to execute a simple 29-yard FG cost the Cowboys in this loss.

Maybe they should start calling it the Green Zone so they will not STOP when they get inside the 20!

P1 Chuck
-----

Bob,

Dude, I'm sick to my stomach over the Cowboy loss.

That game was theirs......they shut down S. Alexander.......but they couldn't turn two turnovers in the red zone to more than three point..Jose keeps missing kicks and then the stupid interception with 5 seconds left.

But Torrin Tucker had a good game! And that was what everybody was worried about. Most of Bledsoes sack were coverage sacks!

Its like we are on the cusp of being a playoff team but we keep doing stupid s---!
I think this season is going to be one with awesome wins and heartbreaking losses.
I'm gonna have a heart attack!

By the way, I love the Podcasts! Now I can list to you guys while I am driving in Houston.

Thanks,
John Hagar

Meanwhile, yesterday, Dan pondered the idea of drafting a good kicker. I thought that you don’t need to waste a pick on a kicker. We sports debated, and P1 Andrew did the research. This makes a cast both ways, but here is how each kicker was picked or not picked:

Listed by season to date FGM % (notice how low the mighty Vinateri is)

Name/Draft round ( X = not drafted)

Dawson/X
Feeley/X
Peterson/7
Rackers/6th
Lindell/X
Kaeding/3
Bryant/X
Mare/X
Vanderjagt/X
K. Brown/7
Tynes/X
France/X
Scobee/5
Wilkins/X
Reed/X
Graham/X
J. Brown/7
Bironas/X
Edinger/6
Hanson/2
Stover/12TH
Cortez/X
Vinatieri/X
Kasay/4
Novak/X
Longwell/X
Carney/X
Janikowski/1
Elam/3
Nugent/2

Akers was undrafted by the way.

So there appears to be no relation between good kickers and draft position.

p1 andrew

Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

Sometimes you win when you should lose, and sometimes you lose when you should win. Welcome to the 2005 Dallas Cowboys.

What a stinking shame that game was.

Stat of the game? 9-11. That is how many times the Cowboys ran on 1st down in the 2nd half when they held their 7-3 lead. 9 times out of 11 1st down opportunities.

That to me points with bright lights the problem with the Cowboys on Sunday: Bill Parcells. I think you would agree that I am not one to default to blaming Parcells for everything that goes wrong in the world. But the Cowboys offensive aggressiveness in the 2nd half when they had a chance to go up two scores was flat out pathetic. In fact, twice, they were handed the ball in a golden spot. Let’s review what Parcells would allow Sean Payton to call:

Situation #1: 14:47 to go in 4th Quarter, Cowboys recover fumble at Seattle 9.

1st and Goal from 9: Barber +1
2nd and Goal from 8: Barber +2
3rd and Goal from 6: Wistrom Sacks Bledsoe
Settle for FG – missed by Cortez.

Situation #2: 3:04 to go in the 4th Quarter, Cowboys Roy Williams interception + Face Mask Penatly gives Cowboys the ball at the Seattle 12.

1st and 10 from the 12: Barber +4
2nd and 6 from the 8: Barber +3
3rd and 3 from the 5: Bledsoe bootlegs to the 3 yard line
Settle for FG – 22 yarder made by Cortez.

In both occasions, not one stinking pass attempt into the end zone. You score a touchdown, and the game is likely over, especially in situation #2. But the Cowboys decide to get ultra-uber conservative, and they end up with 3 points from two golden opportunities. Why? Because the coach was scared to try anything. No play action, no safe routes on max protect. Nothing. Barber up the middle 4 times on every play, until it is 3rd down and the defense is sitting on a pass. Horrible.

Here is something else to cement my opinion on the Cowboys turning into complete pansies when calling plays up 7-3 with a chance to win. The Cowboys had 14 snaps inside Seattle territory in the 4th Quarter on Sunday. How many pass attempts by Bledsoe? 1. The first play of the 4th quarter he threw a pass behind Keyshawn.

14 plays in Seattle territory in the 4th quarter. 1 pass. Horrendous.

Remember, Julius Jones was not playing. Marion Barber had 7 4th Quarter carries, Tyson Thompson had 2. And Drew Bledsoe had 1 pass fall incomplete.

That is not what I would call going for the throat.

Now, were they scared to death of LT and RT getting Bledsoe killed? Perhaps. Were they hoping for more from that potential flea-flicker that blew up? I assume so.

But, c’mon. 1 pass? In 14 plays? That is coaching. And not good coaching I might add.

Parcells is a genius. But Sunday, he over-thought a win into a loss.

I also think he punched an assistant coach, but since the announcers ignored it, I figured I must have been hallucinating.

Links:

Galloway on the Seattle trip …

ChiSox go up 2-0, with late inning drama from an unlikely source …

Scott Podsednik, who didn't hit a home run in 507 regular-season at-bats, clubbed a homer off closer Brad Lidge with one out in the bottom of the ninth to give the Sox a 7-6 victory over Houston and a 2-0 lead in the World Series before a damp but delirious crowd of 41,432.

"It's pretty indescribable," Podsednik said.

Texas pats Tech on its head, tells it to go play …

It didn't take long to see which team was the national contender and which one looked out of place as the No. 7 team in the initial BCS rankings.
"I said at the beginning of the season USC was definitely No. 1 and nobody deserved to be No. 2 because they hadn't done enough," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "Now I think this team definitely deserves to be No. 2."

Washington Times suggest that Hokies will still pass Longhorns …

The only thing worse than being strapped with the BCS formula is suffering the misinformation propagated by those who do not understand it. At least four times this week, the Back Judge was assaulted with the assertion that a Southern California-Texas title tilt in the Rose Bowl was a virtual guarantee if the Trojans and Longhorns win out.

After No. 2 Texas trounced Texas Tech 52-17, one CBS Sportsline scribe even went so far as to write: "It's obvious. One half of the national championship game is filled."

Texas certainly will sit in strong second when the latest BCS standings are released today, but a Trojans-'Horns party in Pasadena is far from fait accompli, even assuming both teams stroll home unbeaten.

Why? Because if everyone keeps winning, Texas is going to spend the remainder of the season losing ground in the BCS standings to unbeaten Virginia Tech and the undefeated SEC champion (Georgia or Alabama).

The question is how much ground?

Likely a huge chunk to the No.?3 Hokies (7-0), who could cap a flawless season by collecting stretch-run wins against No.?13 Boston College (Thursday), No.?6 Miami (Nov.?5) and No.?10 Florida State (Dec.?3 in the ACC title game).

During the same six-week closing stretch, Texas (7-0) won't see a single ranked opponent nor a whole lot of television screens. And the forgettable Big 12 North isn't likely to give it a meaningful title-game boost with Colorado and Missouri both at 5-2.

The result? Wins against the nation's sturdiest remaining schedule would almost certainly bump Virginia Tech past both Georgia and Texas in the computer rankings that make up one third of the BCS standings. The Hokies have an average ranking of fourth in the six sets of computer rankings, behind USC, Texas and Georgia. But those computer rankings are based almost entirely on to-date strength of schedule. In fact, if Georgia wins out and beats an unbeaten Alabama team in the SEC championship game, Texas could easily finish fourth in the Deep Blue portion of the BCS standings.

Another statistically perfect performance from Favre, another loss, another 2 skill players lost for the season …

In losing two more of his playmakers, Ahman Green and Robert Ferguson, it's almost as if Favre has to do it alone, and he can't, even if he continues to register age-defying statistics. Even at 17-0, Favre realized it wasn't over.

"At halftime we came in and said it wasn't over," Favre said. "We said that against New Orleans. It's a generic saying, but I knew it was true."

And now, at 1-5, with the guts ripped from the Packers against their archrival, is this a low point for Favre?

"The answer is yes," he said. "That's the easiest answer.

"There are not many good things that are going to be said and written about us, and that's OK. We still have to play football. We can try to play football or we can give in to what people think about us."

JORTS, JORTS, JORTS …



Porky leaves this world …

Here is a solid Astros site …

Andy Pettitte post-season stats to ponder:
34 Starts – Most in the history of baseball
14 wins – 2nd most in the history of baseball
210 innings – most in the history of baseball

Feel free to win bets with your buddies on those stats….

World Series fun facts from the Boston Globe …

OK. This is pretty amusing. dude gets scared and appears to be a bit gay …

Mike Leach wants to be a Pirate …

Baby Got Back remake …

I blame the stupid jersey

That was flat out awful Thursday Night at the American Airlines Center, where the Dallas Stars were routed by Los Angeles, 7-2. The game was not even that close, as the Kings failed to convert several more golden opportunities. The Kings look impressive enough with a balanced attack that even played without the pesky Sean Avery. But, far more noteworthy was the manner in which the Dallas Stars did not compete. This, of course, is what the critics of this team were referencing when they suggested the team may not have the quality make-up that others suggested it did.

And this is where we are with “My NHL”. With the emphasis on new rules, some teams decided that the best way to adapt was to jettison old clutch and grab players (In Dallas’ case, Richard Matvichuk fits the example) for new, highly skilled and yet unproven puck handlers. Did they guess wrong?

In getting rid of the physical players, did they also get rid of the grit necessary to win in hockey under any rules? Stars coach Dave Tippett did not flatter his club when he called out their willingness to compete on Thursday:
"At times, we had guys look scared to make a play," Tippett said. "This was a big division game, this should be 100 percent from everybody. We've got a lot of guys who need to start looking in the mirror here."
If you saw the game, you would have to agree. It was only one game, but now after getting beat handily in Vancouver, the Stars have lost their last two by a combined 12-4 margin.

This hurts even more when you consider the Kings are a team that played in Colorado the night before, and arrived in Dallas early in the morning on game day. Meanwhile, the Stars enjoyed a nice period of 3 days off between blowout losses.

And now, some inside the organization are worried about the makeup of the roster.

Personally, I have always thought that your skill guys make up your top 6 forwards, and your grit and determination fill out the 3rd and 4th lines. This is hardly a revolutionary approach to hockey, but clearly it appears in direct conflict with the Stars 2005 approach as their 3rd and 4th lines are made up of young, unproven European talent such as Antti Miettinen, Niko Kapenen, and Jaroslav Svoboda, who all play a fairly meek style of hockey. Steve Ott and Stu Barnes are there, too, but in my opinion, the Stars are much to easy to play against, and a lot of it has to do with having a team that is just not physical.

Too many puck battles lost, too many fights for the puck lost, and on top of it, the blue line looked completely foreign to the idea of protecting their own end.


Today’s full blog entry from Hockey Buzz.com …

Tippett not pleased with performance …


It is time for our annual Mavericks pre-season rhetoric routine:
A) We are really focusing on defense this year.
B) We are really pleased with the progress of our center who couldn’t play last year but he has really worked on his game over the summer.
And C) We are expecting great things from Marquis Daniels …

Avery Johnson may have overcooked the praise of Marquis Daniels a little when he said that he's "always thought of him as a triple-double guy."

This is, after all, a player whose next triple-double will be his first.

But considering the way the third-year guard is sizzling through the preseason, Johnson's optimism about Daniels is understandable. The 6-6 Daniels is healthy, happy and reminding the Mavericks of what they missed last season when he fought injuries.

"Marquis is part of that second unit that comes in with energy and makes things happen," Jason Terry said. "If he got enough minutes, he's definitely the type of player who could give you those kind of [triple-double] numbers."

Virginia Tech dominates despite not looking that good ….

Baseball versus Football in tv ratings …

Which will get a higher national rating Sunday? The NFL game on Fox in the afternoon? Or Game 2 of the World Series on Sunday evening?

That is kind of a touchy subject, even with the Fox people.

"Why don't we compare it to the evening football games?" said Fox president Ed Goren on a Thursday conference call promoting the World Series. "The last two weeks on Sunday night, I believe baseball may have outrated Sunday night football."

That's true, even though it seems grossly unfair to compare the deciding game of the White Sox-Angels series, or for that matter any sporting event of any type, to the dreadful Texans-Seahawks game. But Fox did win that battle with almost 8 million viewers, while ESPN had about 5 million for football.

Baseball wasn't so strong, however, against Monday Night Football on ABC.
The incredible Game 5 between St. Louis and Houston that featured Albert Pujols' ninth-inning home run drew about 8.2 million viewers, while the Rams-Colts regular-season game drew about 10.7 million.

A regular-season football game vs. one of the most dramatic baseball playoff games in recent years.

That's humbling for baseball.

Tickets left for the 2nd Texas race? …you betcha…

"It's a misperception we've battled from Day 1 -- that [whatever] race is sold out," said Gossage, 19 days removed from the start of Race No. 8 of the 10-race Chase. "We have about 12,000 seats left, which we don't have any history to compare to for this race. So the only thing we can do is compare 19 days out in the spring. It's right on target, but we were ahead -- substantially ahead -- back in August. And then the storms hit and things like that."

Personally, I think most of the sports world did what I did in late August: Clicked off racing. Do you want an audience? Don’t go head to head with pro football. Honestly, and I do realize this may upset some racing fans, but shouldn’t they shorten their season anyway? It runs from Feb 1 to late November. That means less than 10 weeks off. Seems like everyone wins if you run your season directly opposite to the NFL. But, then you don’t make as much money, and there is the rub…

Texas Tech is a good place to be QB …

Since coach Mike Leach arrived in 2000, Tech has produced the nation's leading passer in each of the last five seasons and three of the six highest single-season totals in NCAA history. In the process, Leach has convinced Symons, Cumbie and now Hodges to patiently sit for four years, learn the intricacies of the system and be rewarded with one hit-the-lottery jackpot season.

"It was definitely worth it," says Cumbie, currently a radio analyst for Tech games who signed this week with the Los Angeles Avengers of the AFL.

Best quarterback job in America or career suicide?

Sure, the numbers are sexier than the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. The last four Tech starting quarterbacks have combined for 24,973 yards and 197 touchdowns. They have completed an amazing 66 percent of their passes during that span.

Yet critics contend it's the offensive system, not the quarterbacks, that produce the astronomical statistics.

Ex-Coaches pick Texas #1 …

The writers, coaches and computers all like Southern Cal.
But a group of well-known retired college football coaches have a different take on who's No. 1 in college football.

Texas overtook the Trojans in this week's Master Coaches Survey, a first-year poll put together by 16 ex-coaches that doesn't count in the Bowl Championship Series formula.

After watching film this week, the coaches met by conference call. Twelve of them picked Texas first; USC got the four other first-place votes.
"If you asked me who deserves to be No. 1, I would say Southern Cal," said MCS pollster Gene Stallings, the former Alabama head coach. "But if you asked me who's the best football team, I would say Texas. I have voted Texas No. 1 the last three weeks, at least. And if they played USC, Texas would win."

Jamaal Charles Will play Saturday …but Selvin Young starts…

A good p1 sent me this Tony Brackens vs. Texas Tech Kicker 1995 ...

Thanks to Andrew's Dallas Stars page (right side), I wanted to make sure you saw this article Washington Post covers Dish Network vs. OLN vs. Comcast battle ...

In Austin...blogging begins now

Stand by...I have arrived...60 minutes to blog...Kill me...

Astros Advance

Astros shut the door thanks to Roy …

This morning, the Astros — yes, the Astros — are the National League champions.
Roll that last sentence around in your head. Say it aloud. Can't stop smiling, can you?

They'll play Game 1 of the 2005 World Series on Saturday night at U.S. Cellular Field against the Chicago White Sox.

And next Tuesday, there will be a World Series game at Minute Maid Park. Hello, Texas.

"I'm not greedy," Craig Biggio said. "I just wanted to go one time."
After 18 seasons, he's going. So is his buddy, Jeff Bagwell.

They helped turn the Astros into winners. They felt the sting of past October disappointments more than others.

So, who do I like in the World Series? I like St Louis to beat Anaheim …From October 5th...

My playoff picks: Boston over Chicago; Anaheim over New York; St Louis over San Diego; Houston over Atlanta. Anaheim over Boston; St Louis over Houston. World Series: St Louis Cardinals.

Accountability. That’s my middle name. Give me Chicago in 7. Why not.

Dick Weiss on Red Raiders raid on Austin …

Texas quarterback Vince Young threw for a career best 336 yards in the Longhorns' 45-14 victory over Colorado last weekend. When he heard about Hodges' numbers, he just laughed.

"That's unheard of," Young said. "That's ridiculous.

"As a quarterback, that type of offense is not for me. Throwing the ball 70 times - that's crazy. But that's their offense and it's getting them W's."

Hodges is the fourth new quarterback to play for Leach in the past five years. Kliff Kingsbury set 17 NCAA records from 2000-2002. He was replaced by fifth-year starter B.J. Symons, who set an NCAA single-season record with 5,833 yards in his only year as a starter. Last year, Leach had another fifth-year senior, Sonny Cumbie, make his debut, and Cumbie led the NCAA in every passing category, including 4,742 passing yards and 32 TDs. Hodges is on a record-setting pace, completing 71.6% of his passes for 2,461 yards and 22 TDs.

As a person who hopped on the Virginia Tech bandwagon in 1993 (sue me), I fear Maryland tonight …

Wow, this is disturbing: Save Crazy Ray! …Please…

Roto Authority on the top 50 baseball free agents ….

Thanks to Sports By Brooks, Here is a review of Corso v. BaD Radio …And, here is the MP3 …

Genius Ali G/NBA comedy …

NHLPA tension? Try TrentKlatt.com …

The sad tale of Jason Collier’s funeral …

Guy Morriss headed in the right direction …

What Morriss has accomplished in two-plus seasons is nothing short of a miracle.
Baylor (4-2, 1-2 Big 12) has gone from perennial loser to legitimate bowl team, needing only two more victories in its final five games to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 1994. Gone are the days of losing by 30, 40 and even 50 points. The Bears have been competitive in every game this season, giving Nebraska a scare last week before finally losing 23-14.

Oklahoma, this week's opponent, has a history of beating up on Baylor like the playground bully. The Sooners never have lost in 14 games against the Bears. That streak may be extended to 15 games, but the fact Baylor isn't looking ahead to 2006 and expects to be competitive on a weekly basis is exactly the kind of message Morriss is selling to his program. And, boy, are the Bears buying it.

"Usually by now, our team is done," Morriss said. "We're going into a new stage of learning how to win a meaningful game under pressure."

Jimmy Burch prepares us for Saturday …

The winner will be the lone unbeaten team in the Big 12. More importantly, that team will walk out of Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium after dodging its last realistic threat to an unbeaten season before the Big 12 title game Dec. 3.

Sure, that's a bold statement. But it's accurate, based on the early-season evidence that shows the league is divided into two distinct groups: (1) the top-10 teams that will meet Saturday; and (2) the 10 remaining unranked schools.

Each unranked team should be thankful for the other nine members of its peer group. Without the opportunity to play one another, Tech and Texas might be the only Big 12 schools that would win enough games to qualify for a bowl berth.

Tech, which cracked the top 10 in The Associated Press rankings for the first time since 1977, has outscored opponents by an average margin of 54-17. Texas, which has been No. 2 since the preseason, has blistered its foes by an average score of 46-14.

Liverpool wins in the Champions League …And despite being in Group G with Chelsea, it appears they will still advance to the knock-out stages again. But we still stink in the premiership…sigh…

My Larry King-type review of Jaguars 23, Steelers 17 (ot)

Really like Greg Jones as a FB and backup TB to Fred Taylor. Another bowling ball type…Tommy Maddox looks horrible, with interceptions and near interceptions all day..Antwan Randle El’s punt return was a greatness…This was absolutely one of the most physical games of the season…Jacksonville is not too good in short yardage situations given their performance in Pittsburgh…The Amazing Race is not very amazing this season…Matt Jones with a sweet touchdown catch. Every time I watch the Jags, Jones shows up and does something decent…Pittsburgh looked poor on offense; part no QB, part Jacksonville DT’s Stroud and Henderson…I think shorts are perfect for this type of weather…Heath Miller is going to be so good!...I find it interesting that Duce Staley still does not get a sniff. He says he is healthy, but the Steelers disagree…Jags LB Mike Peterson is all over the place…Byron Leftwich takes a beating every stinking week; no way can he stay healthy…Jags are at the 32 tied 17-17 with :54 left, and for some reason start throwing the ball all over the field and get it picked off and must go to overtime = dumb…Quincy Morgan just about returned the Overtime Kick for a touchdown, but was tackled at the Jacksonville 26, followed by another Maddox turnover…I now believe Big Ben is a great QB after seeing Maddox play…


And finally, with all of the 1920’s references on the show this past week, we follow the normal routine of a radio show.

A) launch a bit
B) receive an accusation of stealing the bit
C) rinse and repeat

Name: Chris A.
Email: chris@aol.com
Want To Be On Maillist: N

Comments: is it gay or not gay to rip off chappelle stand up. or is it even worse to research 20's lingo and say "see" after everything? at least say "hey, i stole this whole bit from chappelle and will continue to use it under the pretense that it is original and mine." if you hear something funny, movie or comedy or comercial or whatever, it's okay to talk about it. to beat the listener w/ stuff they have on dvd at home is just gay. FYI "see"

And, my actual response, which was bounced back to me as this guy’s address does not exist:

Chris-

Judging from your note, I doubt you would believe me if I told you I had never, ever seen Dave Chappelle's show- But, I do recognize that Bugs Bunny did it once, and therefore will properly credit him in an effort to please you-

Thanks for listening to BaD Radio!

Bob

Have a good day in Texas, see…

Wednesday Morning Blog

Mac Engle takes a good look at the Cowboys off-season spending ….

Jerry Jones prevents himself from saying "money well spent," but, every week, he gains confidence the big cash he put down this off-season wasn't dollars down the drain.

The Cowboys owner/general manager spent nearly $33 million in guaranteed money during his free-agent spending spree. The trip to the NFL's Free Agent Mall included signing cornerbacks Anthony Henry and Aaron Glenn, guard Marco Rivera, nose tackle Jason Ferguson and quarterback Drew Bledsoe.

With his team at 4-2 sitting atop the NFC East, Jones can have some satisfaction that his large investment is, thus far, yielding nice dividends.

I would have to agree with the article. They have really spent well. They knew what they wanted, they went and got it, and it is working. Despite the fact that it is not cool to acknowledge that Parcells is good at what he does, I will run the risk and do so anyway. I guess I don’t agree with that part of the article, the part that suggests that Jerry is the architect of this off-season. That is a good one.

New NBA Dress Code …

The following is a list of items that players are not allowed to wear at any time while on team or league business:

Sleeveless shirts

Shorts

T-shirts, jerseys, or sports apparel (unless appropriate for the event (e.g., a basketball clinic), team-identified, and approved by the team)

Headgear of any kind while a player is sitting on the bench or in the stands at a game, during media interviews, or during a team or league event or appearance (unless appropriate for the event or appearance, team-identified, and approved by the team)

Chains, pendants, or medallions worn over the player's clothes

Sunglasses while indoors

Headphones (other than on the team bus or plane, or in the team locker room)

Blackistone offers his thoughts on the new code …

FC Dallas readies for the playoff push to Frisco …

No. 1-seeded San Jose and No. 4 Los Angeles will slug it out in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

No matter how it turns out, the winning team won't come away unscathed. That is great news for FC Dallas.

While those sides are pounding each other, FC Dallas (No. 2) will face Colorado (No. 3) in a series devoid of the venom shared in the California matchup.

Dallas' road to the MLS Cup is about as favorable a matchup as a club could ask for, especially considering the championship will be played at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco on Nov. 13.

Dallas went 2-0-2 against the Rapids in the regular season.

The aggregate-goals two-game playoff series begins Saturday in Denver, where Dallas beat the Rapids 2-1 and tied 0-0.

The second leg is scheduled be played at Pizza Hut Park on Oct. 29, where Dallas earned a 0-0 draw with Colorado two matches ago. The first local meeting was a 2-1 victory for Dallas at the Cotton Bowl.

From a personnel standpoint, Dallas is simply more talented than Colorado in attacking potential.

Dallas boasts a high-powered offense with Ronnie O'Brien (6 goals, 11 assists), Carlos Ruiz (12 goals, 2 assists), Roberto Mina (7 goals, 4 assists) and Ramon Nunez (5 goals, 3 assists). Colorado features Jeff Cunningham's 12 goals and 3 assists, but can't match Dallas' depth and creativity.

Anything less than a victory for FC Dallas in this opening series will be a case of underachieving.

Peter King MMQB – Tuesday Edition …



Astros try again tonight …

This is great! glossary of terms from the 1920’s for Gribble’s new bit …

Quick hits for Carolina 21, Detroit 20

Boss Bailey is a phenomenal athlete, his interception and return was breathtaking…Steve Smith broke another 80 yarder..Detroit could not run the ball to save their lives…Jake Delhomme looks awful. Airmailed 2 passes in the 2nd Quarter that both were returned for touchdowns…Shaun Rogers is the best DT in football if you ask me…Detroit’s defense is playoff caliber, the offense is still a joke. And it isn’t just Harrington, although I should point out that he looks about as bad as any starting QB I can remember seeing, but the line is horrible, too…Both teams DL’s were very impressive…8 Turnovers in the game made this one sloppy, too. Delhomme was knocked out of the game by Kenoy Kennedy’s big hit while Jake was sliding. Chris Weinke came in with the score 20-14 Detroit and 3:00 to play. He then threw 6 consecutive passes to Ricky Proehl with the last one ending up as the game winning touchdown…Terrence Holt was attempting to cover Proehl…

Chiefs 28, Redskins 21

Jared Allen is one of the least talked about sackers in football…Sure seems like Chris Cooley is target #1 for the Redskins. Very similar to how Frank Wycheck used to be in Tennessee…I know this is unfair, but I can’t convince myself Trent Green is anything better than ordinary…Santana Moss is so fast it is scary, but I guess we knew that, didn’t we?...I think it is time to get Larry Johnson more work…Priest is still very good, but Johnson is a real weapon now…Derrick Johnson doesn’t dominate consistently like I thought he would…Chris Samuels is so good at LT for Washington, but his battle with Jared Allen was so/so. Allen would switch to RDE and LDE and get sacks from both on consecutive plays…The Redskins lost this game in the turnover battle (-3)…Otherwise, they outplayed the Chiefs in Arrowhead…

Mighty Albert at the Plate

Albert the Great keeps Cardinals alive …

With one epic swing, Albert Pujols changed everything.

He altered the moods in two cities.

He broke hearts in Houston, and lifted them in St. Louis.

He terminated Houston's victory party, and kept hope alive in St. Louis.

He took the oxygen out of Minute Maid Park, leaving 43,470 fans speechless and silent and unable to comprehend what they'd just witnessed, a baseball traveling so high and so far that it probably appeared on a tracking system at the Houston-based NASA.

Pujols pierced the invincibility of Houston closer Brad Lidge, and sent Astros fans over the ledge.

With his three-run homer in the top of the ninth of NLCS Game 5, Pujols delivered a 5-4 victory and saved the season.

Flozell done for the year …

Left tackle Flozell Adams will miss the rest of the season because of a torn knee ligament. Versatile receiver and punt returner Patrick Crayton is out at least a month with a sprained ankle, and coach Bill Parcells said he has no idea whether running back Julius Jones or middle linebacker Dat Nguyen will play this week.
But he expects no sympathy. His job is to get the players available for Sunday's game against Seattle prepared to play.

"Nobody cares except the players themselves, the coaches and the people in the organization," Parcells said of the Cowboys' injuries. "Nobody cares. They forget that in two weeks. They just pick up their next fantasy player on their list."

All is fine on the BCS front Texas is a solid #2 …

The Longhorns are ranked No. 2 in the Harris and USA Today polls and in three of the six computer polls for a .9591 percentage. UT is ranked No. 1 by the Massey computer, No. 3 by the Billingsley computer and No. 4 by the Colley Matrix.
UT has a comfortable cushion over No. 3 Virginia Tech (.9067).

"Let's do our business and not worry about the BCS until the end," Longhorns coach Mack Brown said. "I can't understand it. I can't even get on my own computer."

The USA Today and Harris polls count two-thirds, and the computer rankings make up the final third of the BCS formula. The top two teams in the BCS standings after the regular season will meet in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 4 for the national championship.
Texas hasn't won an outright title since 1969.

"The Longhorns control their own destiny," BCS analyst Jerry Palm said. "If they keep putting up those big numbers, they'll be in Pasadena."

Tech is respected; Gameday in Austin!!! …

"This could be the best team we face all year," said UT senior offensive guard Will Allen.

Saturday's game in Austin, which will feature hype provided by ESPN's College GameDay, marks the first time since 1983 that Texas is 6-0 and the first time since the start of the 1977 season that Tech is in the Top 10. At this point, it's the Big 12 game of the year.

"We definitely see Tech on the same level with Oklahoma and Texas A&M," said senior middle linebacker Aaron Harris, who diffused Tech's lethal screen passing game last year with eight tackles.

Said Texas coach Mack Brown, "I think this is a legitimate Top-10 matchup. Too much has been made of Texas Tech's first three games and not enough has been made about their last three games."

Tippett is not Hitchcock …he gave the team an off day after their 5-2 loss to Vancouver…

Peter King MMQB ...

And now, e-mail/schmemail:

To: Sturm1310
Sent: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 12:27:32 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Subject: Pre Season CB rankings: A. Henry
Hey Bob,

After watching another solid game from Anthony Henry, I cant help but think back to the day you broke out the Sporting News Cornerback Rankings. I think A. Henry was ranked in the 50's!! I wonder if the writer of that little piece would like a "do-over". Who's better right now than Henry?? Are we talking Pro Bowl??

Be nice to Gribble. P1 for life, Jackpot.

Henry was ranked #49 in the Sporting News Scouting Guide. They do a great job, but if you can find me 48 corners better than Anthony Henry, I would be shocked. Without nit-picking all 48, allow me just to point out that both starting CB’s in Green Bay are rated ahead of Henry (Al Harris and Ahmad Carroll!), as is Aaron Glenn. Those are funny jokes.

From: Chad Johnson
To: sturm1310@aol.com
Sent: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 14:14:35 -0500
Subject: Roy Williams
I agree Roy?s weakness is in coverage, but if he is so bad in coverage how have the Cowboys managed to hold the Redskins to 14 pts, the Eagles to 10 pts, and the Giants to 13 pts. He has made mistakes at the wrong times, but it seems those are the exceptions and not the rule. Look at the stats. He?s a pretty good player. Who would you rather have in his place?

Interesting question. Safeties I would rather have than Roy. By the way, that same Sporting News Guide rated Roy the 2nd best safety and 9th best player in all of football. I find that absurd, so here is the list of those I think I would definitely want at safety over Roy:

Brian Dawkins
Troy Polamalu
Rodney Harrison (when his leg isn’t broken)
Ed Reed

I might also prefer:

Mike Brown
Sean Taylor (although he gets burned just as much, and seems like basically the same player)
Michael Lewis (not sure because he so surrounded with talent)
Donovan Darius (when healthy)

Look, he is a nice player- But I think until he is moved to LB, he is out of his element-

Notice the one finger salute from Larry Csonka. On the cover of Sports Illustrated no less. Great photo editor back in 1972, wasn't it?

Pstick

Good blog stuff on Lost …

Finally, Azle Journalist Mark Campbell filed this a few weeks back when he visited Green bay:

The wackiness that can only be called: Wisconsin

You know, you see places on a map and you assume they are actually there. Places
like Nepal and Vermont surely exist – maps say so. Today I can attest that another foreign land is absolutely real: Wisconsin.

Here are some things (mainly water, food, and sports) seen while up in Milwaukee and points north:

Big honking lake. We enjoy thinking everything’s bigger in Texas, but we’re not going to win the Most Gigantic Lake Competition. Lake Michigan is humongous, at times 60 miles across.

The water glimmers in differing shades of blue, like that of an ocean. In fact, with scatterings of seaweed and shells and waves curling and breaking on sandy beaches, parts of Lake Michigan resemble our Texas coast. (Local folks complain about the smell of the seaweed – no one swam; most Wisconsans must sail in the scads of boats moored in numerous marinas – but Texas will always win the Funkiest Beach on Earth battle thanks to Goose Island State Park’s Stinky Beach.

We drove up the western coast following the Lake Michigan Circle Tour that zips along an Interstate before shooting motorists into small towns along the way.
The villages resembled Northeast resorts or maybe those of the Colorado Rockies, like Cape Cod or Estes Park. Shiny clean with vividly colored buildings and vistas – trees were turning the farther north we drove – shops offered upscale goods, and, of course, resort-required fudge for snacking while walking along the lake’s edge.
At Port Washington, anglers fishing off piers and jetties landed huge trout on silver spoons. They walked to their vehicles (the fishermen, not the trout) – few of which were pickups or SUVs (the cars, not the anglers or the trout); most sportsmen carefully arranging their fishing gear into back seats, rods precariously placed to avoid getting slammed into doors – with long silvery fish, some certainly over 10 pounds, dangling almost to the roadway from anglers’ waists.

Meat and fish and beer. This trio makes up 90 percent of your eating options. Lots of each.

At a German restaurant, we were offered several meat entrees. I sort of fancied pork
shank. However we were informed that U2 had just left and had eaten all the shank. It seemed a tad ironic that Bono, up for a Nobel Peace Prize for battling world hunger, wolfed down all the pork shank.

Wisconsin’s licenses plates should say "Beer City" not "American’s Dairyland." They especially pride themselves on local brews. Most had the color and consistency of a Wichita Falls bar ditch. But, man, they sold.

We almost offended one waiter when we inquired about a piece of baked or grilled fish. He confessed that he’d never had any fish that wasn’t fried and was obviously horrified at the concept.

Most startling of all eating-wise – aside from Bono’s pork gorging – was a visit to
Brett Farve’s Steakhouse. When we finally found it in Green Bay (it’s by Lambeau Field), I figured we were way overdressed since we had on shoes. After all, Farve came from humble Mississippi beginnings and I just assumed his restaurant would be a smidgen, uh, common man. I expected a refurbished Bonanza.

Holy cow, that was wrong! The place is exceptionally upscale with dark interiors, white table cloths, and fine wines. The steaks were just so-so, but I ate all of mine since a monstrous, wall-long photo of a scowling Farve stared down at us.

The Packers. While the fact that the Brewers finished .500 for the first time in 13 years made the front page, Wisconsin is really everything Packers.

In each small town we drove though – and in Milwaukee – movie theaters advertised that they’d be showing the Packers’ game on the big screen. Sports bars abound, but apparently crowding into a movie auditorium to watch Green Bay play is quite a sport up there.

The entire state was in mourning for The Pack’s now 0-4 start, but that didn’t stop everyone from talking Packers constantly.

Wisconsin is a terrific place. Beautiful. I’m glad it exists. Now about Vermont...I wonder if Bono’s eaten everything up there yet?