Jan
29
2005
Neither will anyone else in the foreseeable future. Disney has officially given up on their “I’m going to Disneyworld” ad campaign, which has been around since Phil Simms made the declaration after Super Bowl XXI.
You can see the full list of people who said they were going to a Disney theme park here. Joe Montana, John Elway, Emmitt Smith and Tom Brady were the only four people to say they were going to a Disney park more than once. Pretty good company, Tom…
Jan
29
2005
Baltimore Ravens CB Corey Fuller has been acquitted of those gambling and firearm charges against him. Seems the prosecution could not convince the jury that Fuller was a “pit boss” taking a huge rake from the pot.
I still can’t get past the 10% rake myself. How do you possibly beat the house with a rake like that?
Jan
28
2005
You gotta love Skip Bayless. That man’s caffeine-addled brain is responsible for some of the best rants in sports journalism today — like this little screed on Tom Brady…
Let’s start with the 2001 playoffs, when New England got nothing but breaks. Fate lifted a second-year, sixth-round pick named Brady from fourth string into Drew Bledsoe’s starting job, and nobody paid much attention to the kid until he had won Super Bowl MVP. There was nowhere near the pressure of expectations on Brady that recently turned Pittsburgh rookie Ben Roethlisberger into a playoff pumpkin. And who remembers now that Brady’s fumble should have eliminated the Patriots in their divisional playoff game that year?
Yes, who can forget the Snow Job game and the worst call I’ve ever seen in the playoffs? Please, Patriots fans, don’t e-mail me about the Tuck Rule unless you have carefully read it and can cite the sentence that clearly and completely exonerates Brady.
Jan
28
2005
The doc says no. The man himself says yes. The trainer says probably. What’s the status of Terrell Owens? Michael Bradley of CNN/SI takes the piss out of the whole story and leaves me strangely entertained by the image of a sleep-deprived Sal Paolantonio…
The worst part about all of this is that fans — particularly those in Philadelphia — will be subjected for the next week-plus to daily (hourly?) reports on T.O.’s status. ESPN has decided that Sal Paolantonio will not sleep until he finds out whether Owens will indeed play, even if that means getting an exclusive interview with the two-inch screw residing in the receiver’s leg. Forget about the two great defensive coordinators, the quarterback battle between Tom Brady and Donovan McNabb or whether Bill Belichick will ever consent to that personality transplant. It’s all T.O., all the time.
Jan
27
2005
The Arizona Cardinals unveiled a new team logo today — an attempt to make that red parakeet on their helmets leaner and meaner.
And? How about giving the team a makeover? No amount of window dressing is going to change the fact that they’re still the Arizona Cardinals, a team with one of the worst owners in football. Oooh, the red bird head is angrier now! I so have the fear!
Please. Wake me when you get to the playoffs.
Jan
27
2005
While Pittsburgh fans continue to insist that the Steelers were the best team in the NFL this season, head coach Bill Cowher has already moved on. So says our man in Pittsburgh, Alan Robinson of AP:
On Wednesday, a defiant Cowher said the Steelers’ 41-27 loss to New England on Sunday will be a springboard to more successes, not a stopping point for a franchise that lost its fourth AFC championship game at home in 11 seasons.
Cowher, no doubt aware his team is being dismissed again for its inability to win a big game, said these Steelers set a high standard for his future teams with their unselfishness and ability to overcome adversity.
“Please do not allow the one game to define this season,” Cowher said. “To finish 16-2, 15-1 in the regular season, and win 15 straight games is quite an achievement.”
Unfortunately, there’s always a “but” with a season like this. They only lost two games, but… They beat both New England and Philly in the regular season, but… They got home field advantage through out the playoffs, but… Everyone will remember that they were a really good team with a rookie QB who hit the wall in the playoffs.
Yes, that should be a springboard toward bigger things, but you have to wonder how much longer Steeler Nation is going to sit back and be content with good teams that never seem to win the most important games. I like the guy, but If this happens a few more times, fans will start to look at Cowher the same way N.C. State fans look at Herb Sendek these days.
Jan
27
2005
Yesterday, I came down with a most unpleasant cold bug. Then I went to a doctor who told me that I couldn’t drink orange juice to drown that bug. So I’ve spent most of the day hopped up on Benadryl — a drug which, last I checked, does not cause you to punch your teammate in the eye and cause him to sue you for $3.8 million.
Supposedly, we’re going to find out once and for all if Bill Romanowski took steroids. He’s one of BALCO’s top clients, right up there with Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi. Who knew the cream and the clear were that pricey?
Jan
26
2005
Does being a beat reporter for the Baltimore Ravens start to feel like being a court reporter after too long?
Ravens running back Jamal Lewis was sentenced to four months in jail today for using a cell phone to arrange a drug deal for a friend 4 1/2 years ago. According to reports, Lewis will also spend 2 months in a halfway house and perform 500 hours of community service following his prison term.
Nice. Funny how the coaches that pass through Baltimore always end up with better jobs, but the players always end up in court…
Jan
26
2005
Greg Garber is writing a five-part series on Mike Webster, the Hall-of-Fame center for the Steelers during their 70s Super Bowl run. It is not a happy story:
Mike Webster walked away from the NFL with four Super Bowl rings. Walked away with more than an assortment of chronic aches and pains. Walked away and found out years later that he was mentally disabled. In a five-part series, ESPN.com explores the after-football life of the former Pittsburgh Steelers great, from his odyssey of bizarre behavior and failed business ventures to his eventual homelessness and untimely death.
BTW, has anyone else noticed how ESPN.com and Firefox really don’t get along? Someone needs to get some proper coders up in Bristol…
