So here are the things that happened in sports this weekend that I care about (and therefore you should care about):
1. Hoya Saxa!!! Far and away the biggest news of the weekend was the stunning come from behind victory posted by Georgetown over the still-shaking-their-heads UNC Tarheels. UNC missed something on the order of 17 of their last 18 shots in regulation, and then scored basically no points in overtime (they didn't score any until the game was out of reach)
The three pointer hit by Georgetown's John Wallace at the end of regulation is an instant NCAA tournament classic. GTown was my pick to win the tourney, and given my miserable performance in both pools to date, it would be nice at least to say that I picked the winner.
(side note: to add injury to insult for snake-bitten UNC, the team mascot, played by 21 year-old senior Jason Ray, died today from injuries sustained when he was hit by a car in Fort Lee over the weekend. I know nothing about this other than what I have read on a few random news sites, but it seems like an absolute tragedy and a freak accident).
2. Mike Pelfrey. The Mets named highly-touted prospect Mike Pelfrey as the number 5 starter, setting their rotation for the year (Glavine, El Duque, John Maine, and Oliver Perez at 1-4). This hardly comes off as a particularly formidable rotation, but all five have looked very good in spring training, and Pedro might be able to give us a few quality starts down the stretch. The bigger concern is that but for a few bright spots (Lastings Milledge and Jose Reyes most noticeably) the Mets have looked anemic on offense, with THREE of the projected starting eight batting under .200 for the spring (Paul LoDuca, Shawn Green, and newcomer Moises Alou). The offense should be fine, and if Milledege steals the spot from Green on merit then all the better, but it would be great to bang out a few 10+ games in St. Louis just to silence the whispers.
3. Theismann Sacked Again (but not as badly as the first time). ESPN is reporting that Joe Theismann is out as part of the triad calling Monday Night Football games . . . . Mike Tirico and Tony Kornheiser will be joined this year by ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski.
Umm . . . . what? I feel like I came down on Christmas morning, unwrapped the biggest present, and it was my old bike that I really didn't like that much with a new coat of paint on it.
Theismann is terrible, yes, and it was time for the last remnants of that Sunday Night Football crew to go (Paul Maguire and Mike Patrick were awful, too, and perhaps even worse), but Jaworski? Come on. This guy has made a career on ESPN talking about how the Saints are really tailored to play a nickel defense, and the Eagles dime will give them trouble (side note: it is ALWAYS about the Eagles with Jaworski). Besides, at least with Theismann we got to listen to Tony Kornheiser just murder him for the entire broadcast for all the ridiculous things he says (TK (incredulous after Theismann screams about what a great job the Bears are doing on offense): "Joe, you just said they were doing a lousy job thirty seconds ago!!" JT (defeated): "well, that was before." Priceless).
Kornheiser needs a patsy to be funny. It isn't Tirico, who has Pat Summerall greatness written all over him (just you wait), and Jaws isn't dumb enough to be the patsy. So instead of the combo of: solid sportscaster who will do the straight stuff, comedian and fall guy; now you've got: the straight guy, a comedian with no one to make fun of, and a washed up QB who knows too much about football to be laughed at, too little about football to be interesting, and just enough about football to be boring. Ugh.
2 comments:
First of all, thank fucking Christ that Theismann is gone. I generally loathe national broadcasters, but Theismann's "analysis" was just...awful. I also don't particularly like Jaws as a replacement, but that is largely due to the "Giants Fan + Listening to Anyone Related to the Eagles = Large Decrease in Enjoyment" factor, but Terry Schiavo woulda been a better analyst than Theismann, so I guess Jaws will do.
Oh, and let's go Pelfrey. (Please, please God don't let him Pulsipher me.)
Re: #1. I picked all four teams in the final 4 this year. I know there weren't many upsets and I'm hardly the only one who picked these four, but I rock and you suck. If Florida beats Georgetown in the final, I'm going to move up nicely on the board.
Re: #2. I think John Maine is underrated. In interviews and stuff it sounds to me like Glavine is going to mail it in once he gets 10 wins. Also I bought a 25 game ticket package this year, so suck on that Dave.
Re: #3. I think Jaworski is hyper-knowledgable about football. He's known for studying film and what not far longer than any other analyst and coming up with good insights. Kornheiser will be hurt by this, I agree, but the fans will be better off. Unless they do Eagles games. Or unless Kornheiser ribs Jaws about being an Eagle sympathizer and it becomes a theme of the broadcasts. That would be lame.
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