Subscribe to RSS Feed
Cannibalism, Infanticide, Dairy Queen and Super Bowl Commericals.
Posted by The Chosen Blogger on Jan 31, 2008
I know…it’s a stretch to somehow connect this to sports, but while watching King of the Hill reruns, I stumbled upon this disturbing past Super Bowl Commercial
Popcorn anyone???
Super Bowl Heartaches
Posted by The Danza on Jan 31, 2008
Don’t get too excited during the big game this weekend, or else you may be visiting your friendly ER doctor before you get to see the rest of the game. According to scientists who studied medical records from the 2006 World Cup in Germany, heart attacks on record more than doubled for Munich residents when Germany was playing on TV. As if that’s not enough to convince you, during the two most intense games for Germany, the reports of heart trouble more than quadrupled the normal rate of reports.
How does this translate to the Super Bowl? Well, given that it’s the biggest annual event in American sports and Americans tend to be heavier in the first place with more heart problems, I would say that it doesn’t bode well for this weekend’s game. Couple the intensity of a close Super Bowl game with the fact that each spectator has already consumed 12-20 beers and two dozen chicken wings by the time the game starts, and you have a recipe for disaster. I’m just glad that it’s New York- and Boston-area teams in the Super Bowl and not Green Bay and another team from the Midwest or South, because I’m not sure our hospitals could handle that extra workload.
Frog Mascot Takes Out Siberian Tiger Mascot
Posted by The Danza on Jan 30, 2008
This young lady, fortunately, is ok, which means it’s not cruel for us to laugh hysterically at her now. What I’m wondering is what were frog and Siberian tiger mascots doing at a Rockets/Warriors game?
Yikes
Posted by The Danza on Jan 29, 2008
Tony Romo sings horribly, still outperforms Jessica Simpson.
Ravens’ DC, Rex Ryan, Didn’t Reeeaaally Want to Be a Head Coach
Posted by The Danza on Jan 29, 2008
C’mon guys. He was just kidding. He never really wanted to be a head coach. Rex Ryan, defensive coordinator for the Ravens for three years (nine years total with Ravens), has been rehired by new Ravens’ head coach, John Harbough, after trying his hand at a few head coaching job openings, most notably the one in Atlanta that was filled recently. Since he didn’t get any offers, he figured that he would just stick around Baltimore, assuming they’d keep him:
“Man, it’s great to be a Raven. That head coaching stuff, I was just kidding about that,” Ryan said with a grin. “Quite honestly though, when it was clear that I wasn’t going to be a head coach, I wanted to stay here in Baltimore.”
One of these days…one of these days you’ll be able to get out of the hellhole that is Baltimore. Tell the goof on the roof that we all said hello.
Richie Rod Wants a Discount on His Buyout
Posted by The Danza on Jan 29, 2008
West Virginia wants $4.0 million. Rich Rodriguez says, “Nahhh, I’ll give you $1.5 million, and let’s call it even.” The buyout was set last year at $4.0 million, which in today’s terms, contrary to typical financial math, should be discounted back at a rate of 62.5%, according to Rodriguez, because the deal was securitized by subprime mortgage bonds.
Tiger Woods Makes the Field Play Worse
Posted by The Danza on Jan 29, 2008
According to a recent study done by Jennifer Brown of Berkeley, statistics can actually be tacked onto the theory many people seem to have while watching other golfers play against Tiger: that these golfers tend to play worse when Tiger’s playing his best. You can find a review of the piece here that goes into far more detail about the 35-page paper than I wish to, with an added bonus of referring to the classic Glengarry Glen Ross clip with Alec Baldwin’s motivational sales speech:
I do find the study interesting in that they were able to actualize what I’ve been thinking for years now. I’m not taking anything away from Tiger, because he’s an extraordinary golfer (in my opinion, the best of all-time), but you can see from the demeanor of play and facial expressions during interviews that the other guys are frustrated at the impossibility of beating Tiger. I do disagree with the study and review in that I think that it has a lot to do with intimidation as well, but that intimidation eventually leads to frustration as the score margin stretches farther and farther.
More Ways to Lose Money Betting On the Super Bowl
Posted by The Danza on Jan 28, 2008
The guys over at VegasWatch compiled a list of The Most Ridiculous Super Bowl [42] Props along with some picks for these bets. These are fun to look at and possibly play with your friends for $1 a bet, but I wouldn’t go put $1,000 on any of these (Update: Apparently, the betting limits are $300-600 anyway). Although, being in Vegas during Super Bowl Weekend, I will probably have to put a few bucks on some of the most random, larger payout bets for the hell of it and to help toward Vegas’ $100 million goal. I could get paid +5000 if Tom Petty curses during the halftime show, regardless of whether it breaks through the delayed editing process or not. Hmmm……
Patriots By 16. Mark My, I Mean, Will Smith’s Word.
Posted by The Danza on Jan 27, 2008
Well, Vegas is saying the Patriots will win by 12. Will Smith says the Patriots will win by 16. 23-7 to be exact. I’m a little late to the party on this one, as many people began noticing this as soon as the Giants beat the Packers (kind of along the lines of Eddie Murphy predicting the Giants-Packers outcome in Coming To America).
In Smith’s latest movie, I Am Legend, there is a ticker running across the bottom of the screen during a newscast built into the film that says, “Giants lose to Patriots for second time this season 23-7.” Interesting, because the only way the Giants and Patriots would play two times in one season would be if they played each other in the Super Bowl, since one’s in the AFC and the other in the NFC. Some may say, “But, didn’t they play during the preseason, too?” Yeah, whatever…..
Ombudsman On ESPN’s Handling of the Mitchell Report
Posted by The Danza on Jan 26, 2008
Earlier, I reported on ESPN’s new ombudsman, Le Anne Schreiber, and her bashing of ESPN’s handling of Herbstreit’s false report of Les Miles going to Michigan. I found her pieces to provide some insider insight into the happenings at ESPN and why they do certain things. Honestly, I was hoping to read her monthly piece and see something regarding the lack of coverage of Reggie Bush’s investigation and the new book, Tarnished Heisman. Instead, I found a piece (mostly) praising ESPN’s handling of the Mitchell Report’s release.
Unfortunately, I was away from a television the day that the Mitchell Report was released, so I found this to be an interesting and honest piece on ESPN’s coverage and possible conflicts of interest, given that many of its analysts were former MLB players that could possibly be named in the report. It is a long article, so be prepared to sit down for a 5-10 minute read, but I think you’ll find it interesting as well. Something about hearing someone who’s paid to be impartial and honest about a large corporation, in which she has almost unlimited access to personnel, intrigues me, and while this month’s piece didn’t contain what I was hoping for, it did provide a good read. I only wish that she would write more often than monthly.
Read the ombudsman’s report here.
My favorite quote from the article:
“Why do you gotta name the names?” [John] Kruk asked, referring to former players no longer “dirtying” the game. “Why drag them all through the mud? Let them go. You don’t have to get out in the public with this.”
Yeah, let them go. They’re doing no harm now, right? They just artificially “set the bar” high for all of baseball’s future athletes and took our money under false pretenses. I say muddy them up. At least most of the people who enjoy professional wrestling “know” that it’s fake.