Super Bowl

My thoughts on the American Football Game played on Sunday (Monday, BB Time).

-I watched the game at a bar in Bellevue (www.taproomgrill.com), 160 beers on tap. I tried about six kinds too many. No average looking cheerleaders, unfortunately…just an above average looking staff.

-Not a lot of football fans at the game (other than my friend and I), especially considering that immediately upon sitting down, I realized there was a gay man and a British women at the table directly behind us. Luckily, he didn’t try to spend the entire game trying to explain the American Football to her. I would have corner kicked them straight onto the motorway. They were my Rod Woodson.

-Text message I sent with 9:45 left to go in the first quarter to Law School Tim: “If the G-men have three or more sacks in this game, they will win.”
Halftime (Giants: three sacks in the first half): “Holy shit I just picked the Giants.”

-I called my friend Ryan (biggest die-hard G-men fan I know and season ticket holder) as the clock was running out…I thought he was going to die he was hyperventilating so badly. Turns out, before fourth down he just ran outside into the street in Queens and just started screaming…his pictures of the parade and ensuing celebration Sunday night are hilarious.

-Little known Giants fact: this is their third Super Bowl Championship and their first parade.
1986: Then asexual mayor of New York Ed Koch (because the team plays in Jersey) refused to throw them one.
1990: The Gulf War (sound familiar to anyone) had just started and there was no parade out of respect to the men and women in service.

Overall, one of the best Super Bowls in my lifetime, without question….I certainly wasn’t planning on that Manning winning a Super Bowl this year. I would have placed my bet on Cooper over Eli in Training Camp. Two nagging questions: Why didn’t Big Bill try to kick the 49 yard FG and instead go for a 4th and 13? Why didn’t Eli kick Tiki Barber squaw in the nuts after the game?

goals for your mother

1. Had a nice time in Michigan for Christmas and rounded out my Seinfeld DVD collection nicely...other than that, it was cold, snowy and full of drunk friends. And it took me 14 hours to get from Grand Rapids to Harrisburg. GR to Detroit to Philly to H-Burg, thanks Northwest.

2. Man...anyone watch the Motor City Bowl last night? The Chips nearly pulled out a near miracle win against Perdue (yes I know that's not the spelling of the university, but rather the chicken company).

3. New Year's looks to be located in Philadelphia as my plans for New York were foiled by the Man. I have to work New Year's Eve until at least 2pm or so, and with traffic there's no way I'm attempting that.

4. Skurny heads west in January...stay tuned.

Lost Goals

1. Hey kids...no party for me this weekend, I'm heading up to Buffalo, New York (which is lovely this time of year...28 degrees on Saturday) to hang out with Misfits Dave, who BB had a really interesting conversation one time. And Czar of the StatTracker invited me even though he knew I wasn't in town.

2. London/Amsterdam were great, as expected. I think my international travels are grounded at least til Febuary unfortunately. AWM-there are non-white people in Europe as well. Sorry.

3. All signs point to Les Miles returning to Michigan...I'm happy with it, I suppose...but not really excited either.

4. Trent "I can still say 'Coloreds', right?" Lott is giving up his seat in the Senate. Now he's looking into Lobbying, where he has more money and power. Scary.

Quite Bored This Evening...

1) SO what did I do? Went back and read some old school goals group emails! I think my favorite parts are when Nicho calls AWM "Dummy" or anytime anyone says to AWM, "pipe down and let the grown ups talk". I still do that, actually. I did that last week, I think.

2) Skurny stopped by the office today on his way to the airport. He'll be in Europe for the next two weeks. He doesn't want the others to know he's in Amsterdam, so if anyone asks, he's, uh...in England.

3) I realized I'd gone an entire week without writing anything about K2's performance last Sunday against the Seahawks. One of those moments where you knew you were watching something special (or something gay like that). I was about to prepare a "10 reasons why the Browns will beat the Steelers" post, but I figured it might make J.O.B.'s head explode as he invoked his inner Skip Bayless...so I left it in the draft bin. Oh, and also they won't beat the Steelers on Sunday. Thats the other reason. (But in all fairness, who can beat them right now? New England...and thats probably it).

4) Thought I'd close it out today by giving some bold, unsubstantiated Hot Stove predictions.

-A-Rod will be back in pinstripes next season. But who's pinstripes?? The Yankees, actually. He just fits their lineup and budget. LA will trade for Joe Crede

-Miguel Cabrera stays put...for now. The Marlins have a shrewd GM, and he won't take anything less than what he got for Josh Beckett (Anibal Sanchez, Hanley Ramirez)

-The Cubs won't do much of anything. Anytime ownership changes hands, the payroll has to stay about the same. Sucks...but in that division, do they really need to blow things up?

-Tommy Glavine will finish out his career the way it started. Pitching poorly for the Atlanta Braves. (however, as a Braves fan...this scenario is far better than Jo-Jo Reyes getting 25 starts)

-After listening to the radio this morning, I get the impression Torii Hunter will sign with the White Sox. Makes a lot of sense fiscally. And Kenny Williams loves overrated 32 year olds (see: Pierzynski, AJ. Dye, Jermaine)

-I'm going out on a limb and saying Johan Santana stays in Minnesota this year, and possibly beyond. They are opening a new ballpark in '09, and they need a marquee name to anchor that rotation. Something tells me they open up the vault. Who better to open it for?

-Carlos Silva, meanwhile, will get 10 million a year from someone. And I'll probably light myself on fire.

The Sooner I Leave, the Better: What I've Learned in 2 weeks in Oklahoma

Get it? Sooner? Ha

As you may or not be aware, I've been in Kansas/Oklahoma for the past two weeks (working in KS, but my hotel is in OK). Its been an interesting two weeks. Lets take a look see at what I've learned thus far...

-Every chick is named Tammy

-Every dude is named Scott, Matt or Chad

-apparently there is this band called "Seether" that is just beyond huge down here. They play this song on the radio constantly where, in the chorus, the lead singer refers to someone as "such a f*cking hipocrite" but they edit out the "f word", but not enough to where we don't know what he's saying. I thought this was the bible belt!!??
-the indian casinos are abundant. There was even a mini one attached to a truck stop where I got gas yesterday, just north of Ponca City OK. Played two hands of Pai Gow after I filled the tank

-before getting here, I assumed all Oklahomans looked, talked and acted exactly like famous resident Brian Bosworth. Turns out I was absolutely right

-there are places called "Ponca City". No joke!

-at the aforementioned indian Casinos, it is required to play a 50 cent ante along with every blackjack hand, regardless of the size of your bet. This was a very clever maneuver...as I found it more worthwhile to play $10 hands, as opposed to the $2 minimum. Still, F them for making me do that.

-I'll pause for a moment so some of you can google "Brian Bosworth"

-70MPH Speed limits on backwoods country roads are commonplace. As is driving 40MPH on said roads.

-good looking people are banned from both states. Anyone who wants to present evidence to the contrary, please feel free. I thought my server at a restaurant yesterday was going to apologize for being so homely. I know this sounds mean...but you just had to have been there. I tipped her well, don't worry

-due to the aforementioned observation, I find that I'm talking myself into some of the most mediocre-looking people you could possibly imagine. I sh*t you not, two nights ago I got carryout from a BBQ joint down the street from my hotel, and the hostess, probably not a day older than 20, gave me a flirtatious smile after handing me my babyback rib combo (w/ fried okra and cole slaw...lemonaid to drink). After walking to my car, I thought about running back in and asking her out. After that came a tailspin of strange thoughts- how creeped out would she be if I asked her if she wanted to come back to my hotel and watch Disney Channel? (more on disney channel in a moment) What if we started dating? What if we engaged in sexual acts...but for the soul purpose of me having a funny story for Steve when I got home? What would her friends think of me? Would they think of me as being sophistacted and refined, because I live in Chicago? Or are people from big cities considered creepy and borderline gay? Would it be impressive to her if I knew all the words to a Seether song? Would she be impressed if I told her I knew a girl from Belgium? I kid you not, these thoughts all went through my head.

-there are billboards everywhere for this show on Disney Channel called "Hannah Montana" or something. And by accident last week (and by this point, I would freely admit it if it were on purpose), I caught about 10 minutes of this show. My first thought was, who is this dad character trying to be? A scaled down 21st century version of Billy Ray Cyrus? Then...to my shock, the ending credits rolled, and I realized it was actually Billy Ray Cyrus. Then the chick that played Hannah Montana that suspiciously no one referred to even once as "Hannah" was played by someone called "Miley Cyrus" who after some digging, turned out to be Billy Ray's daughter. Ok, all kidding aside, when was it ultimately decided that Billy Ray Cyrus does not frighten small children, and thus, is deserving of a starring role on apparently the highest rated sitcom on cable TV?

-I'll pause so you can finish reading the history of The Rib Crib in Tulsa OK

-I'm 99% sure that when the pregnant teens here are about to give birth, they all go through the same thought process: "well I want my baby to stand out...and be different! But not too different...I don't want to give her a name that'll get her made fun of at school. What if...what if I just switch out the 'y' with an 'i'? I'm pretty sure I'm the first pregnant teen to think of that!!" Thus...the preponderance of names like Wendi, Tami, Cari, and Mindi. Its like the poetic license of every white trash pregnant teenager. I can't get enough of it

-the following technologies and/or innovations are either undiscovered, or rendered completely unnecessary in the Bartlesville, Oklahoma area:

-water pressure
-picture messaging
-DVR (when I mentioned my DVR to my bartender, Scott, he looked at me like I had 3 heads)
-cruise control (neither of my rental cars had functioning CC)
-staying on 12 when the dealer is showing 6. Unconscionable!!
-wearing a tie (swear on my life, haven't seen one person in a tie yet. I still have 24 hours left here...I'll let you know if anything changes in that department)


-And finally, one of the more disturbing trends is the existence of a christian church across the street or next door to every sinning depot (bar, casino, strip club, Walmart, etc.) I found this highly amusing...as it could very easily be a feature in something like SimCity. Not unlike how, in that game, you could strategically place a police station to keep the crime low in industrialized, low income areas (read: ghetto), apparently the city planners, in conjunction with the baptist churches, have determined that seeing a church next door might deter Scott/Chad/Matt from stuffing a roll of quarters down Tammy's g-string.

I feel like all of these things should be printed on a tourist brochure for Oklahoma. Its faaaantastic!

happy hump day kids

Beertoberfest Goals

1. I'm watching the Manchester United/Roma Champions League live from Rome at work right now. I love working from hotels. (I'm talking about soccer, you degenerates)

2. I love new Party JOB even if he did suddenly vanish into the night.

3. In smoking (meat) news, this story from the always normal South...Jnicho must have something to do with this. Meat smoker, fake leg and one angry legless man.

4. Hilarious clip of Dave Letterman working at Taco Bell for the day....I wish they still did this stuff on Late Night.

I Think I'm Done -- by J.O.B.

It's time to make a confession. It's tough thing to admit, even to say aloud, but it must be done: I have been a Rex Grossman supporter. I still might be. I'm just so angry and disappointed, I don't know if my current feelings are that of hurt or that of concern. Last year, despite the constant chatter for Griese and the "Good Rex/Bad Rex" saga, I stood by "Sexy Rexy" all the way to the Superbowl. I never buckled and despite the loss, felt somewhat vindicated that they got there with him under center.

This year there was big news of a new quarterbacks coach in Pep Hamilton, Rex solving some mechanical problems and him being a year older in the system. They were somewhat lackluster as an offense in preseason, but that's not odd for any offense that tries to get into a rhythm in less than a half's worth of work. "Everything will be fine when the regular season hits," I said.

Well, on the second offensive play of the game, the season hit Rex Grossman right in the chest in the form of blitzing Chargers linebacker Shaun Phillips. The Bears never got going and even though he only threw one meaningless interception, he never got the team going. "Well, the run game was really bad also," I said. "He'll do better against the Chiefs." They did beat the Chiefs, but it wasn't necessarily because of anything Rex did. He threw two more picks, never scrambled and never really looked comfortable. "Um, they won the game, and he threw a touchdown." That was all I had.

Sunday night was supposed to be the big test. I even sat around telling friends both present and on the phone about how Rex has more TD's, yards, wins and NFC titles than the current media golden boy, and their opponent Sunday night, Tony Romo. Both QB's made errors and had teammates make mistakes that cost them both (each had a receivers drop passes that were either in the end zone or sure touchdowns.) Somehow though, Romo continued to elude the rush, find open receivers and score touchdowns. Of course Rex didn't help by throwing it to Cowboys consistently, having one turn into a nail-in-the-coffin return for a touchdown.

It would be easy to keep putting blame elsewhere. Hester never got going ... Benson only picked up 46 yards and had a key fumble that led to the Cowboys getting up by two scores ... Berrian dropped that pass ... Rex is still only in his second full year, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. At some point though, "Wrecks" has to step up and either do the job or pass it on.

Our QB situation is simple here in Chicago. It's like when you've been going on a string of bad date's with "3's" for years and you finally end up meeting a "6.5." Even though that "6.5" isn't going to be "The One," you keep seeing them because it's such a step up from the "3's" you've ran through. You're afraid to dump the "6.5" but they still don't treat you well, and often disappoint you in key times. Hopefully either "Wrecks" proves he's more like the "8" on his jersey, or the Bears decide to go back to searching for their "10."

UPDATE: Just got word that Griese will be the starter this Sunday against the Lions. I care way more about the Bears winning than about being right about Grossman. I'll take a win, I don't care who's putting their hands on Kreutz' crotch.

Yo Yo Yo!! Bitches!!!1

Got some big news coming up soon but I can't tell you what. No, I didn't get any chick pregnant. That can't happen when you bone dudes.

Merc-Tacular

1) I know I'm about to catch heat for this one, but last night I went to Duffy's in Lakeview for the Bar1 Big Break finals (totally self-serving American Idol ripoff, with a substantially lesser 1st prize, 15 Grand). My reason for attending? Our ol' buddy Mike Mercadante was in the finals. He got a little too drunk for his rendition of "My Love" by JT, but I thought he did great. The gal that ended up winning was good, but get this- she was a former backup singer for R. Kelly, and has a record coming out already. Shouldn't this be an amateur competition? Just didn't seem fair to me. I give Merc credit for being the ONLY one of the five finalists to really take a chance in the last round...as he did a country song (and did it quite well, I might add). Ok this is gay, I'm going to stop there.

2) Plans are underway for Oktoberfest '07, tentatively scheduled for September 29th (a Saturday). Skurny may want to circle that date. And Nicho, is it possible to smoke bratwurst? And is it good?? Test that out this weekend and let me know. I know you don't have any other plans...

3) "They saw my intensity! Aint no way they're gonna dog me again this year!" Thats the best movie quote I could think of to apply to that story. If anyone has anything better, feel free to share...

4) The closest thing yet to the Jose Offerman video. Time lapse photos. Why does no video of this exist yet?? If one does surface, it will be the most anticipated YouTube link since Ronald Jenkees last opus.

Switching Teams Release

As the only other hockey fan in this less than distinguished group, I have several points of reference.

First, I have numerous friends from College that are New York Knicks fans and with their franchise’s record over the past 5 years, we’ve had hundreds of conversations that revolve around the switching/divorcing/separating from a beloved sports team.

However, their reasons were much different than BB’s (Isaiah Thomas), which revolve around an attempt to assimilate more thoroughly in his community, rather than an asshole collapsing one of the most storied franchises in basketball history.

I approve of the switch for the following reasons:
1. East/West Conference: Montreal and Chicago are not rivals (other than each being members of the Original 6). They don’t even play in the same country, for that matter. It would be different if BB started rooting for the Leafs or something.
2. Bandwagon jumpers beware: Jumping ship on a better team to root for a team that’s been a cellar dweller since Ed Belfour moved to Florida and started drinking a gallon of Bourbon a day definitely throws out the question of the biggest sports sin ever: getting behind a team simply because they’re good.
3. I may need clarification on this: but I believe BB has lived in Chicago for upwards of three years now. It’s not a “I moved here in April and now I’m a Bulls fan! I can’t believe they drafted Noah either!” situation. Ask them if they remember Brad Sellers…I didn’t think so.
4. Finally, it’s the NHL…roughly 17 Americans actually care. Although I’d be careful if you EVER plan on going back up north to Canada. Some Canuck’s going to rip a slap shot through the windshield of your car while just screaming “HOSER TRADER AMERICAN TRASH SOCIALIZED HEALTHCARE RULES”

So BB: Beware, you’re about to alienate the country of your birth and are about to hop on the cheapest NHL Owner today’s bandwagon. Something tells me it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

To you, I say good luck and go Red Wings.

Switching Teams

So I've been thinking about it long and hard. I've decided that I'm going to seriously consider becoming a full fledged Chicago Blackhawks fan. Why? Well first of all, I really want to get 100% behind a local team. And second, I feel like if I do this now, when they suck balls, I won't be accused of being a bandwagon when they hoist the cup in three years behind Patrick Kane, Akim Aliu and Martin Havlat.

Now, does this mean I'm breaking up with the Montreal Canadiens? In a way, yes. Its the only way, really. I talked about this with my roommate (whom AWM thinks is a "nerd") and we both likened the situation to breaking up with a stable, attractive woman, who treats me well and is emotionally stable (if somewhat mediocre in bed), in order to begin dating an emotionally sensitive, highly unstable, artistic headcase. Sure, on the surface, people are asking me, "what the hell are you thinking", but what you don't realize is that I rarely see the stable woman, because she's always on the road for business (she comes to down once every two years, in fact), and the only people that care about her or even know her reside thousands of miles away in a remote Canadian province. In fact, people wonder how we even met in the first place!

Now, the crazy girl has tons of upside, despite her craziness, and I happen to firmly believe that her craziness is in direct correlation to years of neglect in her hometown. With the right amount of care and attention, she can realize her potential, and everyone will be complimenting me for buying in on a low stock.

So what does everyone think about this? I can't do this in good conscience without your blessing...especially Skurn, who is the lone hockey fan in the group, but also JOB who is the longest-tenured Chicago sports fan of the group (I won't allow myself admission into the club without his blessing in particular).

Now of course this doesn't mean I'm cutting off contact at all with the Habs. If anything, this is merely an amicable divorce, and we'll still see each other twice a month on weekends.

(By the way, the "mediocre in bed" analogy was referencing the fact that the Habs have been crapping the bed when it counts lately).

God I love comparing sports to women. Its just too easy...

Where my dogs at?

1. My take on the Mike Vick situation is similar to JOB's...If the charges are true, he's obviously done with football forever and will probably face some serious Federal Jail Time...Either way, he's ruined as a human. Not being able to throw a touchdown was bad enough for him, maybe it's better to be the Tom Brady of Dogfighting than the Mike Vick of football. I am having a hard time understanding what would make someone like Michael Vick run a dogfighting empire when they could have anything they wanted, it's sad, disgusting and wrong. If true, I hope the Feds make an example of him.

2. So I've been listening to a lot of Muse lately...maybe a cross between Radiohead and Queen, if you can imagine that. It differs from metal infused rock to long, winding guitar solo's to accoustic songs...it took me a few listens to get into their album "Absolution" but now I'm hooked. They have a great sound and their songs are certainly not the typical "Verse/Chorus/Verse/Bridge/Chorus" layout, which I love. Too many musicians think they have to follow the formula, I prefer non-linear, feels more natural.

3. Going back to Meeeechigan tonight for the weekend...have to renew my Drivers License and take the daunting 15 question test. I'm definately looking forward to lounging by my pool and playing a little golf.

4. So BB was correct, I was excited about last night's Tigers/Twins contest featuring Andrew "The Kid" Miller against Johan Santana...thanks to Magglio, Miller and the Tigers got the W in Minnesota. Three RBI's off Santana bringind his season numbers to: .353 Batting Avg, 15 HR, 79 RBI's, .436 OBP, 72 Runs, .600 SLG...He's the frontrunner for AL MVP right now, baby...Bonderman goes for 11-1 in about an hour...

I'm Back, Bitches

1) Just got back from a long weekend in Put-in-Bay, Ohio (one of the Lake Erie Islands off the coast of Sandusky/Port Clinton). One of the most debaucherous weekends of my life...I wish I could share some stories here, but it'll have to wait until one of you gets me drunk. Trust me, it may be worth it to get me drunk some time in the near future (like its really hard, or something)

2) Head over to ESPN for a fascinating BS Report, Bill Simmons' podcast, where he and his guest, Jimmy Kimmel intimated that everyone hates Matt Leinert. By everyone, we mean Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger.

3) On that note, if any of you watched the ESPY's, you are a massive tool.

4) Wednesday night- Andrew Miller against Johan Santana. Something tells me Skurny will agree with me that this could be a matchup of two lefties that can and probably will dominate the league for the next 8 years at least. (Though Miller needs some work on that second pitch...he's a one trick pony so far)

The Return of the Skurn

1. Had a great weekend in Michigan last weekend...live band, good beer, great friends, 80 degrees and sunny, pool in the backyard, gotta love it.

2. Three of my friends leave tomorrow for the Mongol Rally. Basically it's a race for charity from London to Mongolia in a 1 litre car. They have a 17 year old VW Polo with 99,000 miles...10,000 miles, 7 mountain ranges and 3 deserts...I'd be there in a heartbeat if I could get time away from the Man. Check out their website: www.teammta.org and pray for them.

3. Verlander plunked Ichiro yesterday with a fastball, which caused Skurny Sr. and I to immediately howl an "Ooowwwwww" loud enough for Mama Skurny to come running into the room thinking that the ceiling had collapsed on us. Ok, so this all happened but it was really just an excuse to use the Verlander Label again.

4. Anyone else been following this story at Eastern Michigan? So the girl is from Hastings, which is near my hometown in Michigan and EMU is THE SCHOOL JNICHO GRADUATED FROM (I'm hesitant to use "Alma Mater" because I don't feel like listening to Dropout AWM bitch about it and link to seven dictionary sites disputing the use of the term). Either way, this guy is a dickhead and should be prosecuted if he covered anything up.

Jiri Welsch Was Worth It

1) The inside joke amongst Cavs fans still hasn't gotten old: "Jiri Welsch was totally worth it!" This of course being a reference to former GM Jim Paxson trading the '07 first round pick (in what looks to be a loaded draft) to the Celtics for Jiri Welsch back in '05. Welsch played in 8 games. Oops.

2) The movement has started. StartSalty.com has been created. It looks to be created by a 12 year old, but that 12 year old pretty much speaks for all of us.

3) I'm so looking forward to running into Joakim Noah at Hi Tops after a Cubs game next year. Good times

4) This Benoit thing is so creepy, yet oddly fascinating...but I really don't think any more details are going to emerge...I mean, it wasn't like there were any witnesses. Lets just assume he gave them both the Crippler Crossface, posted on Wiki, and hung himself. End of story

Uniforms

Top 5 College Uniforms:
5. Penn State Football: Simple, yet classic...
4. UCLA Basketball: Gold and Blue, John Wooden
3. North Carolina Basketball: Jordon, Smith, Worthy, Carolina Blue
2. ND (gasp) Football: As much as I hate the Golden Domers, you have to respect the uni's.
1. Michigan Football: I know it's a homer pick but c'mon: Winged Helmet, Maize and Blue, the Big House, most victories all time...

Honorable Mention: Duke bball, Oklahoma/Texas football, Kentucky bball, USC Football (probably number 6), Alabama football, LSU Football (Paul Lukacs is having a heart attack)

Top 5 Pro Uniforms:
5. Dallas Cowboys: America's team, even though I must not be American because I hate them...the Star is classic
4. Toronto Maple Leafs: Sorry BB, the Maple Leaf is Canada's symbol...
3. Boston Celtics: That Chinese guy is going to look great in green.
2. Detroit Tigers: BB, couldn't agree more, I've owned more hats with the Old English D on it than you can shake a stick at.
1. Yankees: No logo in sports is more recognizable than the "NY" and pinstripes are legendary.

Honorable Mention: Any of the Original Six (excluding the Bruins because they suck), Steelers, NY Football Giants (now that they went back to retro with the red), Red Sox

The Bron Gets His Teammates Involved

1) My favorite comments of the night from the Cavs/Pistons game:
-"I feel sorry for the rim tonight" -my buddy Chad
-"may I be granted a reprieve for anything complementary I had to say about Larry Hughes in the last round?" -Me
-"I've seen enough...I'm going to watch 'Heroes' now" -Rick

2) Ok, did anyone see the clip of that guy winning the hot wing eating contest? Has anyone seen him and Tayshaun Prince in the same room? I'm saying this is a good thing...Tayshaun seriously looks like he could stand to eat several hundred hot wings. (and as far as my actual game analysis...neither team deserved to win that game. That's my story and I'm sticking to it)

3) Can The Other Detroit Team take down Gordon Bombay and the boys tomorrow night on the road? They've outplayed them the past three games...lost two of them. Meanwhile, the world awaits the ratings bonanza that could be an Anaheim/Ottawa finals.

4) And before anyone comments on NHL ratings, keep in mind...there are 4 people in the world that will actually care about these ratings. Gary Bettman, Dick Ebersol, and whoever owns both teams in the finals. That's it. So please don't use NHL ratings to validate whatever your opinion is on the sport. You're better than that. That's my story and I'm sticking to it...

4)

Bob Griese says Ass on ESPNEWS

Griese, Uncorked

And Whoa: Bob Griese just said "He got his ASS KICKED" live on the News...he was talking about Brady Quinn and dropped it, paused and stammered on. This is a classic interview, some other gems:

On who BG would pick first in the NFL draft:

"Russell: I hear he's a great, wonder guy. I have not met the young man yet but I hear he's smart, intelligent, caring, warm and all that other stuff, but I'd pick Brady Quinn."

"I like the heck outta him!" -Again, Quinn.

"Russell didn't have to play against LSU's Defense, Brady did!!" -on the 2oo7 Sugar Bowl

"Who's got the better arm, you or your son?"

BG: "Without question, the old man...I hope Brian's watching this, too." Ba zing

"Don Schula doesn't play blackjack or craps in Vegas, he only plays war...it's all he can understand!" He's on fire!