Attention Wildcat Honks!

What: Football Fan 101
Where: UofA Student Union
When: Tuesday, Nov. 24th, 7:00 PM

You are cordially invited to attend this very important seminar. The fun will begin promptly at 7:00 with some ice breakers and team building. Please don't be late.

Here is what we will cover:
-Fan etiquette
-Wildcat bowl game history (AKA "Where is the Sun Bowl played?")
-Football karma
-When (and when NOT) to rush the field
-What it takes to qualify for the Rose Bowl (AKA "When should I bring a rose to the game?" & "We've never been, how should we know?")
-How to rebuttal trash talk about your star QB getting a DUI

The seminar will be open to all Wildcat students and fans. Remember, the information that we cover will be crucial if you ever want anyone to take your school's football program seriously(which will be an uphill battle as long as you have Bob's little brother at the helm).

Muster up that same resolve and ignorance that you had when you decided to move to Tucson for 4 (or 7... Drew) years of your life. If everyone works together, some day Arizona University can be known for more than just being a softball school.

A Rare Opportunity

I haven't posted anything in a really, really long time. To break the slump, I'll keep it short and sweet and go with something I know well: sports.

Today is a really good day to be a Utah Ute fan. Why? Because it's very rare that your team has the chance to play in a win-win game. Any sports fan will tell you that winning is all that matters, and that is just what makes today's game so weird.

Tonight my Alma Mater, Utah, faces off against the #4 TCU Horned Frogs in Fort Worth in one of the more highly anticipated Mountain West Conference match ups of all time. Utah has just one loss (at Oregon) coming off their perfect season a year ago and TCU is probably ranked the highest they have ever been. There are both conference and national implications riding on tonight's matchup. So how is it a win-win for Utah fans? Let me explain.

If Utah wins, they have the inside track to another MWC championship. They would continue to build a reputation as a top tier program which helps in both recruiting and garnering national attention. It would also be huge for the future of the team to have freshman QB, Jordan Wynn, go into a hostile environment, against a very good team, with all the hype of national media coverage, and lead his team to victory. Unfortunately for the Utes, due to the loss at Oregon in September, the benefits of beating the Frogs pretty much ends here.

If TCU wins, they have a perfect regular season practically locked down, with only contests against Wyoming and New Mexico remaining. TCU is currently ranked #4 in the BCS. Two of these teams (Florida and Alabama) still get to play each other, and the other (Texas) still has to make its way through the Big 12 Championship game. What all this means is that if TCU finishes their regular season perfect, they have a BCS game on lock, and a decent shot at the national title game. Imagine how big this would be for the Mountain West, a so called "mid major", to have yet another team making noise on the national stage come January.

Maybe even better than what it means for the MWC if the Horned Frogs win, is what it could do to the BCS. Let's think about this scenario. TCU finishes the season undefeated and ends up playing in the Sugar or Fiesta Bowl, while Boise State (yes, that hook n' ladder, statue of liberty, cheerleader proposal, punched in the face by Lagerette Blount Boise State) finishes its season unbeaten and winds up in the Liberty Bowl. There's no way the out of touch BCS lets two of these "mid major" programs in their club in the same year, they already feel begrudged to have one. After all, LSU or Iowa fans would travel better than Boise State fans, meaning more money for the hosting bowls, and that's what it's all about, right?

Games like this are weird to root for, but either way you look at it, there's something positive coming out of this for Utah fans. Enjoy the game, and Go Utes????

Wigan Athletic 0 - Manchester United 5

Coming off their stunning midweek defeat at the hands of Burnley, Manchester United was looking to bounce back and take it out on a much weaker Wigan Athletic.

With Man U on the rebound, their strikers looking to answer questions about their ability to finish, and playing a team with a keeper that wears a goofy hat and looks like Smalls from The Sandlot (HT to Nick Asolas for that visual); the Reds capturing three points didn't seem to be a matter of "if", more so a matter of "when".

The first half appeared to be dominated by the Reds (although half time stats would show fairly level play) with Darren Fletcher, Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney and Nani all having good chances to put in the first goal. None were able to capitalize. Heading into intermission with the score tied at zero and leaving these chances on the table seemed to be heaping more pressure onto Man U. Could Sir Alex's men really fall to back-to-back bottom of the barrel EPL opponents? Well, whatever he said in the dressing room, it worked.

The three time defending Premier League champs came out in true form for the last 45 minutes and ended up turning a question mark into a laugher. In the 56th minute Antonio Valencia (whom I had been critical of in the first half for his lackluster play) steered a beautiful cross into the box finding Rooney's head, which in turn found the back left corner of the net. The goal was a milestone for the striker as it was his 100th in Man U colors. The goal not only got Rooney over a hump, but it opened things up for his teammates as well. Two minutes later, much criticized Dimitar Berbatov created an amazing opportunity for himself when he received a ball in traffic, flicked it over the keeper's headed, then bounced it by one more defender for a beautiful goal. In the 65th minute, Wayne Rooney capped off a historic day in style. His shot deflected of a defender and by the keeper and the route was officially on.

With the game well in hand, Sir Alex mixed things up in the 72nd using all three of his subs, one of them being off-season transfer Michael Owen. About ten minutes later, Owen took a crisp pass from Nani and reminded everyone why the Reds desired to bring him in placing a beautiful floater off the far post for his first goal with United. In the 92nd minute, Nani not only added to his already solid performance, but possibly helped answer some questions about who would be able to replace Ronaldo in taking free kicks. The winger curled a ball over the wall for a beautiful 25 yard strike that left the opposing keeper motionless.

The game, which went into halftime with some hope for the home side, ended with a resounding dominance that many expected from this fixture. Man U will need to keep this form as next Saturday they take on rival Arsenal at Old Trafford. The Reds aren't typically known for their blistering hot starts in Premiership, but beating the Gunners less than two weeks after falling to Burnley would be a good sign and help answer a lot of questions in Manchester.

NOTES: The starting 11 saw seven changes from the midweek game at Burnley. The most positive of these changes was welcoming back defensive star Nemanja Vidic, who has been battling calf problems to start the year. I don't know what time kickoff was at the venue, but to catch it here in Arizona, I was up at 6:45 (yes, I am a man). This is the first time I have seen EPL on the ESPN family of networks; I really hope the ratings are decent so it sticks around.

Baseball's Big Problem

I have had several people ask me over the last couple days, "so, what do you think of Manny and Papi?" Usually my answer is something short like, "not surprised." The truth is that there are many different layers to my feelings on this issue. One thought I have that I don't think anyone disagrees with is that this steroid controversy is eating away at America's Past Time and it's going to take a long time to get over it. That's obvious; here are some of my other opinions on this topic:

Fan ignorance
One of the main parts of this controversy is rooted in the fact that for so long baseball fans have had their heads in the sand. When the players are bigger, stronger, faster and performing at superhuman levels, the game is often more enjoyable to watch. But when all of a sudden someone calls "foul", the other side rears its ugly head; the juicy gossip-loving, lynch mob mentality. Joe Fan says, "I didn't care that you guys looked like the Brawny Paper Towel guy and a Dominican Popeye when you were chasing Maris in the summer of '98 and entertaining the crap out of me... but now that I hear you may have cheated??? String 'em up!!"

This ignorance gets ten times worse when you mix in a fan's loyalty to his/her favorite team. Perfect example of this is what's going on in BeanTown right now. Sox fans have been fat and happy the last few years, and why not? Great team success, while their arch-rivals have not only struggled on the field, but have been faced with more of this controversy than any other single team. The Chowds were loving life when no Sox players showed up on the Mitchell Report (funny how a team executive was the one heading the investigation). Now let's fast forward to Thursday when the story dropped about the two offensive cornerstones of their championship teams being dirty; you could hear the rug being pulled out from Sox Nation across three time zones.

And what about you, Dodger fan? Sorry to pull you away from your love affair with Manny; but weren't you the ones leading the charge up the hill against Public Enemy Number 25 a few years back? You vilified Barry worse than anyone! All the while you're riding your record setting closer that went from an ineffective no namer to one of the best in the game while adding 8 mph to his fastball in ONE OFFSEASON. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Barry guy. But it has a lot more to do with him being the worst teammate ever than it does with "the clear". Sorry to pick on you guys, I'll let you get back to your dread locked left fielder that's trying to get pregnant. But hey, it's not like you "raped or killed anyone", right Manny?

Who's to blame?
First, there are the players. For those who feel like the ones that have been outed are the only perpetrators, you're sorely mistaken. And honestly?? You're also pretty stupid. It's unfortunately reached the point where I feel like there should be a list of those who DIDN'T cheat. The sad part is, is that it's getting so old hat, I'm less and less outraged by it every time. I heard a quote from Hall of Famer Bob Gibson yesterday saying that had this been available to him in his day, knowing it would have given him a competitive edge, he can't say for certain that he wouldn't have made the same choice. Yes Mr. McCarver, THAT Bob Gibson.

Okay Mr. Ballplayer, so you did it. Just knock it off with the charade that comes with getting caught. Don't half ass an apology, don't blame a trainer, don't say you didn't know what it was, and don't say you're glad to get it off your chest when you had to be called out to begin with. Just once would I love to hear someone say, "Yeah, I did it. I did it because it worked. It wasn't illegal at the time. I'm competitive and wanted an edge, and wanted my team to win." Will we ever hear that from one of these guys? I don't know, but I can hope.

In my opinion, Commissioner Selig is probably the one to point the finger at the most. He has personified the ignorance of MLB fans times 762*. When the sport was reaching its height of popularity, where we you with drug testing being proactive on this issue? And once Canseco starts pointing fingers, you're the one ready to crucify the racehorses you rode to such success. Until this list of 2003 drug failures gets completely released, this will keep happening. Every couple months, a new name, a new player's rep dragged through the mud, towing the game of baseball behind it.

Where do we go from here?
It's going to take a while to get through this thing, but I think we can do it. First of all, we need to be told every day that drug testing is in place and that it's working. We often forget that the things we're discussing are from six year back, or further. We need to have faith that the people out there that love this sport as much as we do will not let it cannibalize itself. I think it's also going to take a little bit of looking in the mirror and being honest with ourselves. We knew what it was and we knew what we were watching; and if we didn't, we darn well should have. If we're going to hold this sport to the same regard we hold the others we'll be fine (don't tell me, NFL purist, that you think it's normal for 300 lb men to run 4.6 40's). But if we stay in this current mentality: that we want to live in the past, and talk out of both sides of our mouths, and act outraged by the things we once cheered so loudly for... then we may be in a lot of trouble. I love baseball and will never apologize for it. I have complete faith that this sport I love will get through these trying times.... hopefully coming out stronger than it's ever been.

Top 10: Sporting Events I Want to Experience

Over the last couple weeks, SportsCenter has been running a segment called "Fan Feast". The idea is to take an ESPN personality, and he or she goes through some of the coolest experiences in sports (in his or her opinion). That got me thinking. I have seen a pretty diverse group of live sporting events: MLB games, NFL games, March Madness games, NBA games, NASCAR races, international and professional soccer matches, and some NCAA football. But what if I had to pick just ten? A top ten list of sporting events I've been to would be okay, but a list of sporting events I most want to see... that would be way cooler.

So without further ado, the Top 10 Sports Events I want to Experience:

We can start with those that just missed the list. Here's my Honorable Mention:

Sunday at The Masters, The Holy War (Utah-BYU football), Kentucky Derby, USA-Mexico Soccer, Summer Olympics, Army-Navy Football Game, Cubs-Cardinals at Wrigley

10. Florida-Tennessee, Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN. A game at this venue in 2004 got me not only hooked on Vols Football but SEC sports as a whole. I was blown away with the passion of the fans in Knoxville. Several people I talked to said, "this ain't nothin'.... you should see when the Gators come to town....we HATE Florida." This is at the bottom of the list because I need Coach Kiffin to get things in order first, as this bitter rivalry has been pretty lopsided in the recent past.... Coach'em up Lane!

9. Final Four. If you want excitement, drama and passion, you don't have to look much farther than March Madness. The games I have experienced were opening round matches, and I couldn't imagine how awesome seeing the Final Four in person would be. The only down side? Not getting to see the tournament montage set to the tune of One Shining Moment after the championship game.

8. All-Star Game and Home Run Derby. I've already told Bri that we are going when the Mid-Summer Classic comes to Phoenix in 2011. She said she's down. There are no other all star games in major sports with the importance and tradition of MLB's. And you can talk about the slam dunk or three point contests all you want, there are no all star festivities that measure up to the Home Run Derby (pun intended).

7. Super Bowl. I would like to go see a lot of NFL games. In stead of picking between rivalries (Cowboys-Redskins, Vikings-Packers, etc.), I'll just go with the one that means the most. Judging by what Glendale went through last year, Super Bowl week is almost as much about the events as it is the game. With that being said, there is still no way I would turn down a chance to see America's biggest game.

6. UNC-Duke, Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, NC. In my opinion, the NBA can't hold a candle to what college basketball can bring to the table. The electric atmosphere, rabid fans, and unbridled passion is embodied nowhere better than Cameron Indoor. The only word I could think of to describe what it would be like to watch this huge rivalry amidst "the Crazies" is.... INSANE. I would love to partake in this experience, even if it meant over nighting in Krzyzewski-ville.

5. FIFA World Cup. The biggest sport in the world's biggest event only comes around every four years and I would love to be able to take it in some day. I can't even begin to fathom what the atmosphere must be like at the World Cup. Imagine the weight of entire countries resting on the shoulders of 23 men, all vying for the world's greatest prize.

4. College World Series, Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha, NE. I never had a chance to go to Omaha during my playing days. From everything I've heard, there are few experiences like the CWS. Even though Rosenblatt's last year to host will be next year, my understanding is that the city of Omaha is what really makes this tradition what it has become.

3. Manchester United-Liverpool, Old Trafford, Manchester, England. Those that know me real well aren't at all surprised to see this so high on my list. I would love to see any English soccer game, let alone one with Man U, let alone one at "Theatre of Dreams", and let alone this derby (a "derby" is a big time soccer rivalry Dad). I may stick out like a sore thumb, and I may not know the songs to sing, and I may even offend some people with my "ignorant Yank" ways.... but holy crap would it be worth it. Glory, Glory Man Uniiiiiiited!!!

2. Red Sox-Yankees, Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY. I hate the Red Sox. No, I mean.... I REALLY hate the Red Sox. Any game at Yankee Stadium would be a treat for me, but to get to be a part of this historical rivalry would just be awesome. My perfect scenario you ask? The Yankee bats come out swinging and rough up Josh Beckett. Jeter, Jorge, and Tex are the offensive stars in support of Joba, who throws 6 strong innings before he's ejected for hitting Kevin Puke-lys in his ugly chin. Enter Sandman blares when Mo comes in to close out the game. In a freak accident Nick Swisher is knocked unconscious and Paul O'Neill is forced to come out of the broadcaster's booth and play right field for the last inning of the Yankees win.

1. World Series. Ever since I was a kid, there was no favorite month of the year for me than October (even with my birthday and Christmas in the same month). I've always loved the playoffs and World Series, even if my Yankees aren't partaking. The history and tradition this sporting event holds is practically unmatched. I could die a happy man if I was able to be on hand to experience a Fall Classic.

So that's my list. Some of it's pretty predictable, I know. I would love to hear some thoughts on this topic as well. Is there anything I missed? Does it closely resemble your list? Does it look nothing at all like your list? Let me know.

Mid-Summer CLASSIC

That is the way it should be.

No names like Manny, A-Rod, Bonds, Papi. Instead, names like Brandon Inge, Adam Jones, Hunter Pence, Jason Bartlett, Brad Hawpe.

No continuation of the night before's Home Run Derby. Instead, manufactured runs; including the game winning RBI which came on a sac fly.

No drawn out five hour bore-fest. Instead, 2 hours 31 minutes.

No overblown offensive exhibition. Instead, good pitching beating good hitting (at one point AL pitchers put down 18 straight).

No corporate flooded ballpark with non-baseball savvy fans. Instead, a genuine baseball town with passionate fans wearing red and only booing Ted Lilly.

Overall, I thought it was a very enjoyable game. As an American League fan, I was glad to see them continue their flat out dominance of the Senior Circuit. Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to see what the second half has to bring.... this is where it starts to get good. Let's get after in Yanks!

Yankees Fun Facts: Mariano Rivera surpassed "The Eck" and set the record for career ASG saves with 4..... Derek Jeter has never lost in the Mid-Summer Classic..... Mark Teixeira kinda looks like mine and Bri's friend Austin.

The Future of TV

This idea came to me as my wife and I find ourselves in a stereotypical man-woman situation: I'm on the couch watching sports (Braves-Cubs), she's in the bedroom watching some reality show (sounds like something with real housewives). Now before our mothers, or anyone else reading, hits the marriage "panic button", let me explain. I just arrived home from work and am relaxing on the couch while Bri is in our bathroom blow drying her hair after just having taken a shower... and she even just came out to give me a kiss... so there.

Her and I joke often about the vast differences in our television preferences. She claims I watch too much sports. I know that isn't possible since we don't even have the YES network (my life is tough, I know). I tell her she will watch anything where someone can get voted off or people are rushing to bake a cake. As we progress in our marriage I am sure we will learn to find things we can both enjoy. But that got me to thinking: in this consumer driven, results now, I want it my way world, why should we adapt? Why can't our television? Why can't some of the things she enjoys about reality television and some of the things I like about the sports world come together?

Welcome to my purely hypothetical, anything can happen, happy land. This is where I get to make revolutionary changes to some of today's television programming (in the name of my marriage, of course):

1. Whenever there are athletes that are suspected of doping, they should have to go on a special episode of The Maury Povich Show. Just imagine someone like Alex Rodriguez sitting in front of that studio audience. He thought the Bronx crowd was rowdy. Just wait until Maury reads his fate from that little index card: "A-Rod..... you ARE a juicer!"

2. There should be a Champions League Tournament between the stars of the most popular reality shows (for you true blue Americans that aren't familiar with the Champions League, it's a prestigious European soccer tournament including the top teams from the top professional leagues). To decide the winner, all the competitors have to swap roles. For example, all the beer drinking, heater smoking, ship captains from Deadliest Catch get whipped into shape by the trainers from The Biggest Loser. And you thought Kate was mean to Jon? Just wait until he has Gordon Ramsey screaming in his face because he undercooked his risotto.

3. I'm adding another segment to the end of SportsCenter. After the anchors run through the usual "Top 10", they will be promptly followed by "Mary Murphy's Hot Tamale Train" listing off sports' hottest players or teams. "Yes you did! WootWoooooooooot!"

4. Text-voting will add a new spin to MLB on FOX's Saturday broadcast. Voting opens three hours prior to game time and closes with the first pitch. Fans can text in their vote for how many times Tim McCarver gets to reference Bob Gibson's intimidation or dominance during any given telecast. At the point where Tim goes over his limit (top of the third???), Joe Buck is forced to kick him out of the booth.

5. Erin Andrews competes in every season of America's Next Top Model.... and that's that.


So some of my ideas may be a little off base. Some may be very off base. But I do challenge you to save this post so in a few years you can look back and be impressed when all these amazing ideas have come to fruition.

Gotta go now. Barry Zito's making another appearance on The Apprentice. No one knows better than him how to teach these young professionals to scam an organization for major bucks.

Reilly: My plan for fixing the economy

I'm going to present these ideas in the next meeting at work. These are the kinds of things that will help me shoot straight to the top of the corporate ladder!

Thanks Rick!!!


Reilly: My plan for fixing the economy

Rare Love for the 209

"If it wasn't for my family, my friends, my dog and David's Pizza... I might never go back." -Me

Those are actual words that have left my mouth when discussing my hometown, Stockton, California. I mean this in the kindest of ways but... my hometown sucks. It seems as though every time Forbes Magazine comes out with a new negative top ten list (foreclosures rates, violent crime, most miserable, etc.), Stockton's on it. Tough times have lead to my old stomping grounds being a pretty rough place to live.

It's hard for me to be all negative; I loved my childhood and my upbringing. I've also traveled enough to know that every city has it's own downfalls. I totally understand and hold no resentment towards my friends and family that still choose to call Stockton home.

However, as you may have guessed, true Stockton pride can be tough to come by. Fortunately, there is still some genuine hometown pride from one up and coming local hero. Attached is a really cool story I found last night on MLB.com. It's about a pitcher for the Oakland A's, Stockton native, Dallas Braden. The dedication and hard work from people like Dallas is something that this city could really use.

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090625&content_id=5526578&vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak

The Gift of Baseball

Last night my brother-in-law, Nick, and I took his two boys, Jake and Eli, to the Angels-DBacks game. The tickets were a gift to Jake for his Kindergarten graduation. This was the first time I had ever attended a baseball game with my nephews, and I was really looking forward to it. The game went about as expected, the Angels worked over their struggling counterparts for the DBacks most lop-sided defeat of the season... so far. The only reason that we would have even stayed around to see the end was the fact there were fireworks right after. We ended up leaving around the eighth inning because Nick had been fighting a major tooth-ache all day and he was ready to be gone. The boys and I were all cool with that; fireworks were no new phenomenon to me and it was about two hours past the boys' regular bedtime.

The game itself was just any other game to me. I've been blessed through my lifetime to see quite a few Major League games, and hundreds of other baseball games on top of those. However, this game will be a memory I will keep around. It has been no secret to my new family (my wife and I haven't even been married two years yet) that baseball is an important part of my life. Over the last few months, however, I think they've started to see that it is a lot more than something I just played for 18 years.

Baseball was a big part of my father's upbringing. He played baseball through high school (hitting over .500 his junior season isn't bad for someone with a bad leg from the time he was a young boy). Baseball was one of the cornerstones of the awesome relationship that he had with his little brother. They became Yankees fans together at a young age. With no local team to root for in Idaho, the only teams consistently televised were the Yankees, Pirates and Dodgers (they chose wisely).

My dad knew no better way to help raise his kids then with the valuable lessons of this humbling sport. My two older siblings and I all played baseball (softball for my sister) at least into high school. It was something we could do together, learn together and cheer for each other. It was as good for family bonding as anything else I can remember from my early years (one would play, mother would keep score, father would coach, siblings would cheer). This general formula continued, for me, all the way through college. It is very, very real to say that I would not have played baseball as long as I was able to without my family's support.

The beauty of baseball is that the overall way the game is played has undergone very little change for the last 100 years. So one generation can relate with the game and pass it on to the next. In a recent radio interview I heard self proclaimed "baseball nut" Alyssa Milano describe it as one of the greatest generational gifts. There is no better way than that for me to explain it.

I am not a baseball fan because it's just something to watch and cheer for, I am a baseball fan because it is something I can be a part of with those close to me (to this day, it is rare for me to have a conversation with my brother that doesn't touch on the Yanks). I do not have kids; although I try to love and treat my nephews and nieces as though they were my own. My wife and I have decided to leave our parenting decision up to the LORD. If I am someday blessed with children, they will not have baseball "pushed on them". It will be there as something they can experience together with their father if they choose to accept that gift. Easy to say, I'm glad I accepted it from mine.