I'll always be a Texans fan, but it's days like today that make this relationship hard.
A friend at work, who's a big Cowboys fan, asked me if I had watched a Cowboys game recently. I said, "No, I've only got time to follow one team, and it's the Houston Texans." He proceeded to tell me how sad it was that the one team I chose to follow had to be the Texans.
What I told him is what I'll tell you: I didn't choose the Texans. The Texans chose me.
Do you play fantasy football?
This is my second year, and I like it pretty well. I have a team in Element's FF League. Last year my team name was Rampaging Death. This year it's Violent Awesomeness. (Picking a team name is probably my favorite part, sad to say.)
We had our draft last weekend, and here's the lineup for Violent Awesomeness:
QBs:
Peyton Manning, Colts
David Garrard, Jaguars
WRs:
Reggie Wayne, Colts
Tory Holt, Rams
RBs:
Clinton Portis, Redskins
Ahman Green, Texans
Flex:
Donald Driver, Packers
TE:
Jeremy Shockey, Giants
Defense:
San Diego Chargers
Kicker
Adam Viniateri, Colts
Bench:
Colts Defense
QB Jason Campbell, Redskins
RB Ronnie Brown, Dolphins
WR Joey Galloway, Buccaneers
RB Justin Fargas, Raiders
WR Isaac Bruce, 49ers
I'm actually fairly ambivalent about this team, but only b/c I didn't get my android man-crush Tom Brady. I had 6th pick in the draft, and #5 in the first round took Brady right out from under my nose. (That was my friend John, the backstabber.)
How 'bout you? You playing? Who you got?
See, I read this, and it only comforts me in my ambivalence about the Olympics.
I've never cared much for the games. I watch bits and pieces here and there if someone else wants to watch. But they generally bore me.
But I read that article and I couldn't help but feel terrible for this girl who's entire emotional temperament and personality is being questioned and criticized in the international media -- by her own coaches! -- because she didn't walk on a beam as well as somebody else.
Can we get some perspective here? I mean, it's balancing on a beam. It's a neat trick, and yeah, it'd be cool to have won, but it's not the end of the world. And maybe we just say, "Hey, she had a bad day." Instead of, basically, "We did our best to coach her but she's just originally not a very capable athlete." Ouch.
It's balancing on a beam.
I just watched the lighting of the Olympic Torch in Beijing.
Ok, that was one of the coolest things I have ever seen.
I don't know if you caught the Wimbledon men's singles championship between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer last Sunday. I watched the last set.
It was amazing. One of the most memorable tennis matches - scratch that, one of the most memorable sports matches I've ever seen. I was sad that someone had to lose. And I was completely gratified by the rare sportsmanship both men demonstrated both during and after the contest.
Kathleen Parker offers some great observations on the match:
The men’s playing styles are equally different. Nadal is Sylvester Stallone to Federer’s Baryshnikov. Nadal enters the court like a steeplechase stallion, jogging in place, aching to hit the track. Federer is a Zen master — centered, calm, patient.
By the end of the first three sets, however, all such distinctions evaporated. I am probably not alone in saying that by the last set, I no longer cared who won. I wanted neither to lose. Both were victors who demonstrated how to win and how to lose.
After the finale, Federer, layered in long pants and sweater, looked as if he’d just stepped out of the shower to accept his second-place silver tray. Affectionately cuffing Nadal on the back of the neck, he posed for fans and kept his remarks brief: “I tried everything. ... But Rafa is a deserving champion. ... It’s a pity I couldn’t win it in the circumstances, but I’ll be back next year.â€
For his part, Nadal — sweat-soaked and choking back emotion — climbed the stands to embrace his parents. It was a touching moment that needed no commentary. Afterward, Nadal raised the gold trophy and was gracious in victory.
“I’m so proud because I feel I am playing against, and now beating, the best player in the history of tennis. The fight he put up against me was unbelievable and I congratulate him for that. I also have to say that he is a credit to our sport whether he wins or he loses.â€
It doesn’t get any better than that. Would that life imitated Sunday’s Wimbledon.
As I predicted, the Celtics beat the Lakers to win the NBA championship. I never would have predicted, however, that they would completely dominate the Lakers in that final game. It was embarrassing to watch. That's the kind of loss that could destroy the Lakers franchise. Wow.
Also, am I the only one who was also a little embarrassed by how completely incoherent Kevin Garnett was after the win? Jill and I were watching it, and we couldn't understand a word he said.
It seems incredible, but the Houston Rockets - so mediocre earlier in the year and after having lost Yao Ming for the rest of the season - have won 21 games straight. They just beat the Charlotte Bobcats 89 to 80.
Only one team in NBA history has won more games in a row: in 1972 the Lakers won 33 straight. No one's gotten close since.
This has been a historic run.
We play the Lakers on Sunday. Let's see if we can get to 22.
It's hard for me to decide whether to admire the elaborate prank...or to say that it was just too mean.
Can you imagine what must have been going through his mind? Poor guy.
OK, time to call your shot.
Click on the widget above for updated info on the game.
Any fun predictions?
1) Which team will win the Super Bowl?
2) Which team are you rooting for?
3) If the Patriots lose the Super Bowl, will their season be considered a disappointment?
4) Where will you watch the game?
5) Will you watch the halftime performance by Tom Petty?
6) What are the odds that you will watch the whole game?
7) Which do you enjoy more about the Super Bowl?
The commercials
The game
The hype
8) Who will be telling us he's going to Disney World after the Super Bowl?
No wagering please.
Hat tip to ESPN for most of these questions.
"I like the football kind of ice skating."
-- Grace, on hockey
Clemens sues McNamee.
I didn't see but a few seconds of the 60 Minutes interview with Roger Clemens, but he continues to deny the allegations of his former trainer. He has filed suit against McNamee, which might lead one to believe that Clemens has serious proof that McNamee is lying. Unfortunately, that's not exactly how our judicial system works. But I'm really curious as to how he's going to try to prove what substances some other guy didn't inject into his rear a decade ago.
Update: The video is out of a press conference held by Clemens and his attorney, Rusty Hardin. Clemens taped a call with McNamee which, while not definitive, certainly makes McNamee sound like a desperate man who may not be dealing straight. In the conversation, they talked about the damage the steroid allegations are causing to both their families and personal lives, and Clemens repeatedly denies steroid use. McNamee never contradicted him. And the press conference that followed doesn't show Clemens to be leaving himself much wiggle room should he later turn out to be a lying.
And he obviously doesn't care a whit about the politics of baseball's Hall of Fame. (Language warning)
Read the rest of this entry . . .
Sorry. I couldn't resist.
2007 was a pretty good year for fans of boxing.
I finally watched the re-broadcast of the Mayweather/Hatton fight from two weekends ago, and even knowing the outcome ahead of time didn't really diminish the value of the match.
It wasn't particularly thrilling, but it was a good, solid fight from two great, undefeated fighters.
This might be treasonous, but I'll admit I was rooting for the square-jawed Brit, Ricky Hatton. After seeing the pug-faced charmer having tea with his grandmothers and picking up his charming son from gymnastics class on the HBO reality show "Mayweather-Hatton 24/7," I couldn't resist. (I'm a sucker for old people and small children speaking with British accents.) And anyone who watched the show is familiar with Hatton's relentlessly goofy sense of humor. Add in a trainer with Billy Graham's name and Morton Downey Jr.'s face, and Hatton had me at "Hullo."
But of course Floyd Mayweather had him in the tenth round.
The scorecard did not reflect how close the fight appeared. Hatton would have lost on points anyway, had Mayweather not knocked him down twice in the tenth.
Anyways, it was a good fight for fight fans and coming from a couple of high quality, class act fighters, it capped off a year of great fights that restored some much-needed integrity to the sullied sport of boxing.
That's the (leaked) word on the Mitchell report, to be released later today.
Baylor has fired its head football coach, Guy Morriss.
The program was pretty awful under his tenure, but not as awful as it had been before (as the Baylor AD acknowledged). That's what makes the decision to fire him strange, unless Houston Nutt is already a done deal or Mike Singletary is giving the job serious consideration, both of which would seem unlikely apart from this move by Baylor. Houston Nutt could do better, even if he is dumped by Arkansas, and a willing Mike Singletary was given the cold shoulder by Baylor the last time the job was vacant. Now he's a hot commodity.
There is a well-traveled , tech-savvy coach with a reputation for recruiting, Texas roots, and ties to another Christian university who is said to be available . . .
On the way home tonight, I was listening to the Mack Brown show-- the weekly program featuring discussion with the head football coach of the Texas Longhorns himself.
The main commercial sponsor appeared to be a high-powered DWI lawyer.
This will only take 19 seconds of your life, but you might watch it again so allow for 38! The site I pulled the video from has some videos with mature themes. Pay no attention to the "related videos" that pop up at the end.
Therefore, I'm not going to waste much more time following the crappy Texans. The sad thing is this is the same old story, just a different year.
As usual, right around halfway through the season I decide it's not a wise use of my time to follow a losing team and I subsequently stop paying attention to anything the Texans do. We've been consistently bad since our inception in 2002 and there's no reason to think things are going to turn around now.
Someone send me a text message if we start winning.
**UPDATE**
The Texans are rallying! I'm back on the bandwagon, baby!
**ANOTHER UPDATE**
We lost. We stink. See you all next season.
**FINAL UPDATE (I THINK)**
After the Texans tied the game with 50-something seconds on the clock, Jared sent me a text message. For your general entertainment, here's the unedited transcript:
Jared: R u watching yet?
Me: Yeah dude I updated the post
Jared: This is why fairweather fanning is lame :-p
Me: Speaking of that how are your bulls doing these days? :-D [Rod was a Chicago Bulls fanboy back in high school.]
Jared: Awesome. That one guy in the shorts, that black guy. Even their white guy. Doing good
Me: Haha
[By this time, the Titans' kicker, Bironas, just kicked the game winning field goal for Tennessee.]
Jared: Bironas for president.
Me: If he's a republican he's got my vote.
Jared: Wait, ur into Barth now. Aren't u a democrat?
Me: Not yet. But if barth wills it, who am i to resist?
I just can't shake the feeling that things will go very badly for the Longhorns this afternoon.
