New Year, Same Run

I heard you can only say happy new year for a week, but I think it's allowed whenever you haven't spoken to someone since last year. So,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Thanks to all who have sent me stories and said they missed me. I missed you, too. Without further ado, let's jump into the first run of the new year:



1. Donovan McNabb can really be a beast sometimes. And sometimes he can really be a fool. I've said before that winning covers up a multitude of sins. For those who didn't see it, near the end of the Philadelphia Eagles win over the New York Giants, a game in which Eli Manning completed his return to earth after last year's Super Bowl win, McNabb ran out of bounds on to the Giants sidelines, picked up the phone customarily used to communicate with the coordinators looking down on the game, and acted like he was making a phone call. That little antic cost his team a 15 yard penalty. And earned him a nice rebuke from former fellow QB Troy Aikman: "Sometimes I just don't know what's going through that guy's head." McNabb acknowledged it wasn't the smartest move after the game, and luckily for him the game was pretty much out of reach. But that's the kind of stuff that makes Iggles fans dislike him. McNabb's a veteran and he knows officials don't put up with any shenanigans. Completely ridiculous, that's all I have to say.

2. So Tim Tebow decided that it's better to play college football than to make millions playing for the Detroit Lions. Even in this economy, he wasn't willing to possibly ruin his career. Smart man.

3. My how the might have fallen. The Boston Celtics went from amazing to awful in the course of a month. Now, they're just happy to get a win over the Toronto Raptors, which is really no win at all. Although the Celts finally snapped their losing streak, Kevin Garnett managed to go an ice cold 3-16. This is a prime example of how the mental side of the game is often more important than being physically talented. This is not a different team from earlier in the season, this is the same team who is now not disturbed by the idea of losing. I'm still not a Celts fan but I'll do just about anything to not have to see the Cleveland Cavaliers coming out of the East. And it's not that I don't like the Cavs (Ok, it's not just that I don't like the Cavs), but I just don't believe they're talented enough to go all the way in the playoffs, despite this recent ride. I just don't see all the tools there that typically comprise championship teams. LeBron James is talented enough for sure, but every superstar needs support to get over the hump. While his guys are playing well now, I have a feeling they'll be playing nearer to their historic averages (read: not quite as hot) come playoff time. We'll just have to wait and see . . .

4. University of North Carolina men's basketball team is 0-2 in ACC play. Maybe now this will end all of that Tyler Hansbrough/Naismith player of the year talk . . . at least for a few weeks. I'll take what I can get.

5. I thought about discussing the other NFL games, but you've probably seen SportsCenter twelve times since then like I have. This is a little video montage passed along by a faithful reader. He likes #3, I'm still blown by #4. Although #3 is kind of hilarious, it doesn't quite count as a MYSM so it's rounding out the top five.




Happy Monday!

Hype Can Be Good . . . Premature Celebration, Bad

It's not too often that events live up to their hype. But two did, in almost as many days. First, Tina Fey's spot-on impression of Sarah Palin. She really ought to get an Emmy for that.

Second, but only because it occurred later, was Monday Night Football. The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles definitely earned their spot as one of the premier games of the week.

(Sorry to interrupt but as I'm typing this, I'm watching the post-game show and is it just me or is something fishy with Steve Young's hair? )

It had all the things you want to see in a football game: lots of offense, defense (when it really counted), long bombs, and some added perks for Eagles/Cowboys fans: Donovan McNabb playing and moving well, T.O. doing what T.O. does best - scoring, and Brian Westbrook having a good game. Before you ask, yes, I can and do like both teams. It was a shootout in the first half with both teams racking up almost 60 points - I've definitely seen basketball games with less scoring - which slowed down considerably in the second half, to the Cowboys advantage. Ended up a squeaker with the Cowboys eventually winning by four. I don't know what that was McNabb and the Eagles tried to do in their last two plays of the game, so I'll just chalk that up to good defense by the Cowboys. Overall, it was quite the entertaining outing. So entertaining that they only mentioned Jessica Simpson once, and that was to remark that they hadn't talked about her.

I'll let you check out ESPN.com for the rest of the game round-up because I want to focus here on two events from this game: 1) Tony Romo's fumble and 2) Desean Jackson's "letdown" (aka "do that again and you WILL be gently reminded what city you play in").

First, Romo. Is someone putting baby oil on the footballs these days? (Don't answer that) What's with all the QB fumbles? The hurricanes don't usually make their way to the Irving/Dallas area so I don't think it was the rain. This particular Romo fumble happened near a very bad place - the Cowboys' end zone - which resulted in a touchdown for the Eagles. And just like the Eagles last few plays of the game, I can't really tell what Romo thought he was going to do here.


I can tell you what he was NOT trying to do, and that was go for the ball. I couldn't see it that well in real-time, but if you have DVR, please watch the replay (again) of this one. Not only did he not try to recover the ball, he actually leapt in the total opposite direction (this picture is a second too early to get the effect), no doubt trying not to end up like many other quarterbacks this season ... not playing. Romo made the right decision in not sacrificing himself for one touchdown...even if he made a terrible one in trying to make a play out of no play just seconds before. I just found myself amused watching the slo mo of him leaping clear out of the screen. Had the Cowboys not scored near the end again, no doubt this play would have gotten him a lot of flak. But they won, so it didn't. And once again, winning covers up a multitude of sins.

On to #2. While this game was filled with things you like to see, it also had one glaring thing we all hate to see.

DeSean ("Michael") Jackson, there ought to be some type of award for what you did. For those who didn't catch it, Mr. Jackson, the Eagles rookie wide receiver, caught one of those long bombs from Donovan McNabb. He then proceeded to fool us - and himself - into thinking he was going to score, but just as he was setting foot into hallowed land, he threw the ball away. No, really. He tossed it behind him, into the field, as he crossed into the end zone. Believing he had scored, he spontaneously broke into dance (quite a confident dance for a rookie, I might add).

Well, all that changed in a matter of seconds when it became increasingly clear (after a replay or two) that Jackson had celebrated too early. After a challenge by the Cowboys, sure enough, the refs decided he had indeed not scored. Since there was no camera to catch the side view because of the long throw, it was hard to tell exactly where he broke the plane of the end zone. But he deserved to have the TD taken away for that mess. Thank goodness he only lightly discarded it so that the Eagles ended up with the ball on the ene yard line.

I was incredulous that someone in the NFL would actually put more thought into their post-score dance than they did into actually scoring. I still am. I'd rather refer to someone's actions than call them names (notice the MNF folks called it a "bonehead play" rather than calling Jackson a bonehead) so I'll just stick with that may be one of the most ridiculous plays I've ever seen in my life. I actually can't think of a worse careless error. Only the timing could have been worse, worsened still had the Eagles not eventually scored. Even attempting and missing a 360 dunk on a fast break comes in a distant second.

I was already shaking my head when those ESPN researchers tracked down the video of Jackson doing a forward flip just short of the end zone in an All-American high school football game. That actually made me laugh out loud when I saw it, and again just now while typing this. So he behaved ridiculously once, and now he has done it twice. For Jackson's own good, I'm hoping that the third time is not a charm. Eagles fans have ZERO tolerance for antics like that, and anyone seen in or around the stadium/arena is fair game. I was at that All-Star game when they booed Destiny's Child's entire performance because one of them had on a Lakers jersey. (And if any of those fans also have Jackson on their fantasy teams. . . )

So if you're at Wawa, Jackson, and suddenly get struck in the back of the head with a hoagie, don't say I didn't warn you.

Timeout for T.O.

Every time Terrell Owens opens his mouth, I cringe. I don't care if he's talking about his charity (does he have one? Hopefully he does), you just never know what he might say. Scratch that. You know what he's going to say, you just don't know who he's going to offend.

This time the target was Donovan McNabb - again - in anticipation of the Dallas Cowboys Monday meeting against the Philadelphia Eagles (Can't wait for that one!) Choice excerpts:

"I will say that Donovan made me a better receiver in Philadelphia, but I think Donovan would have a hard time admitting I made him a better quarterback," he said.

Owens also suggested their problems were the result of McNabb being insecure about Owens' popularity surpassing that of the quarterback, saying, "I remember being in that stadium and hearing them chanting my name, and that couldn't bode well for Donovan."

Owens said he has a unique relationship with the Cowboys' Tony Romo because the quarterback "gets me" in a way none of the others ever did.

Owens also said he honestly does not believe what happened in Philly was his fault.

Owens says in many ways he still feels like a kid from a small town in Alabama with something to prove.

When asked about how it seemed Philly dominated the NFC East when he was an Eagle, much as the Cowboys are doing now, Owens suggested it was largely because he had changed teams. "The common denominator was me being in both places, but I will let you make that assessment," he said.

Part of me says this is just showmanship, talking trash to get more hype for the game. But the tone of his words are just . . . ugly. There's a way to hype up the game without taking multiple shots directly at McNabb. Just once, I wish he would take the high road. What happened to that note he left on his locker that time? Bring that back.

Let me be clear. I like T.O. I just recalled that I won autographed pictures of him and McNabb at an auction once. He is clearly talented, one of the best receivers, and is always entertaining, but he has to be hurting himself in the endorsement area (and likely elsewhere) because his personality is just not that likable. People say "he may be an a****** but at least he keeps it real." Maybe it's good that he feels he can be himself, but when "yourself"is mean-spirited and holds a grudge for years on end, perhaps you ought to think about being someone else for a change.

This Eagle's Not Endangered After All*

That crazy Irishman, Donovan McNabb, silenced his critics with quite the noteworthy performance on Sunday afternoon, throwing for 381 yards, 4 touchdowns, and no interceptions in a rout of the Detroit Lions, 56-21. And his colleagues kicked in some big games of their own - so big they set an NFL record for one team having a 100 yard rusher (Kevin Curtis), a 100 yards receiver (Brian Westbrook), and a 300 yard passer (McNabb). Not too shabby.

I'm guessing this Tuesday will be a whole lot smoother than the last one. Nothing beats winning to keep the home crowd from trying to drown you with cement shoes.



*Title refers to the bald eagle (the bird, not McNabb) which has, like McNabb, also recently recovered from the endangered species list.

McNabbed By the Criticism

If you follow sports (otherwise, you're here just because you're my friend), then you have probably heard all the hubbub about comments made by Philadelphia Eagles' QB Donovan McNabb.

In short, McNabb was interviewed by James Brown (the commentator, not the Godfather of Soul, rest his soul) approximately three weeks ago on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. I guess it's not always with Bryant, which is probably a good thing given the topic that was discussed. Anyhoo, during the interview with Brown, McNabb said that black quarterbacks face more scrutiny that their white counterparts. Here's an excerpt from the interview:

McNabb: "I pass for 300 yards, our team wins by seven, 'Oh, he could have made this throw here. We would have scored more points if we would have done this.' "

Brown: "But doesn't every quarterback go through that?"

McNabb: "Not everybody."

Brown: "You don't think that Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer, the white quarterbacks, isn't the press as tough on them in those situations as, as the average black quarterback?"

McNabb: "Let me start by saying, I love those guys. But they don't get criticized as much as we do. They don't."

Of course this one bit of conversation has sparked thousands more. Some say that he's crying sour grapes. One writer just got in his behind. Others say he has a point. Jason Whitlock, columnist for FoxSports.com, has an interesting perspective on all this. He says that McNabb was not only treated differently by the white, higher-ups, but also by other black people. He mentions other black football players who he says were more comfortable being led by a white QB rather than a black one, and the drama created by Terrell Owens (whom he calls an "idiot cancer") that gave the perception that McNabb was a "sellout."

Here's my take on this whole situation. First, horrible timing on this interview. When they taped this interview nearly three weeks ago, I am sure they knew McNabb had a game that previous Monday night, so there was a chance that he was going to have a bad game. Add to that the fact that he hasn't played well since returning from injury, and I think there was a more than decent chance that he might stink. Did HBO know all this when it scheduled it? Unless you work for them or Real Sports, then your guess is as good as mine.

Second, it shouldn't have to be said that racism still exists in this society. One look at the situation in Jena, Louisiana, where the racial tensions there make it feel more like 1957 rather than 2007, should clue you into that fact. Not to mention that Rush Limbaugh lost his job with ESPN when he said that McNabb was an overrated QB who was only where he was because the media "had been very desirous that a black quarterback do well."

But at the same token, being the quarterback brings with it a lot of criticism and hatred, too. Just ask Joey Harrington, the struggling QB for the Atlanta Falcons. He's white, and he is one of the most hated QB's in the league. A Google search for "Joey Harrington sucks" - in quotes - returns 1,240 hits. Of all the odes to him, I prefer this one for its simplicity. That's just one example. I hear the Oakland Raiders hate their QB, too, preferring either of their two black QB's to him. So, no question, being a QB is hard, no matter what race you are.

However, even with all that said, I don't think the fact that other white QB's are also hated and criticized addresses his point. I'm forced here to think about one of my favorite performers, Michael Jackson. I recognize Michael is a little bit special, but stick with me.

Nobody knows what it's like to be Michael Jackson. No one has a clue because no one has ever been a mega star from childhood all the way through adulthood, the premier artist in his class, without taking any breaks. And Michael Jackson went to trial, supposedly judged by a "jury of his peers," and they acquitted him of child molestation. Why? My guess is because they realized that while this man may be different from them in all ways possible, a child molester he was not. Yet everyone on the outside judged him and said he was crazy and insane because grown men aren't supposed to act the way he does.

I think we have a case of "MJ Syndrome" here with McNabb. Yes, anyone who has ever called himself (or herself) a QB has been vilified at some point, but no one say for certain McNabb has not been treated differently than other QBs because no one really knows. He was one of the first popular, black QB's from an era where there were few. He is in that locker room every week. He talks to the coach and his teammates. He faces the (tough!) Philadelphia fans and media on a weekly (more likely, daily) basis. This is the same guy whose "friendly neighbors" broke into his "family’s suburban home years ago and punched holes in their walls, urinated on their carpets and spray-painted the N-word on the side of their house." Walk a mile in his shoes first, that's all I'm saying.

I should add that this is not a guy who just says anything just for the sake of saying it. Yes, his career may be coming to its twilight, and yes, he had an awful outing on Monday night, but that doesn't make his comments any less true. I know it's easier and more comfortable to dismiss his comments as crazy and off base, but what if he actually has a point? Then what?