The Big Tuna: The Drama Continues The Bill Parcells soap opera continues this week, and not for the reasons you might expect. Sure, three coaches in the NFL have just been axed, and more are likely to follow, and normally when you hear about coaching opportunities, a huge shadow looms over each: Parcells (although the other Bill, Cowher, is starting to compete). The latest drama is on his success with the Miami Dolphins as the head of football operations. Turns out, his contract is unique in that if the owner sells the team, he can walk away, and be fully paid for his whole contract. So, the hand wringing begins: will he stay or won't he?

This is a guy who twice put his hall of fame election on hold by refusing to stay unretired and come out to restore respectability to a franchise, so who's to say he won't again? He's had the magic touch, both as a coach and an executive, for now five major NFL franchises. He brought the New York Giants two Superbowl rings. He brought the Patriots to a Superbowl. He brought the Jets to the AFC Championship. He restored a winning tradition in Dallas, and brought them back to the playoffs. And now, in Miami, he has completed a 1-season turnaround that is unheard of, going from worst team to the playoffs in a single season.

And yet, every one of those teams he brought success to lived with the drama of Parcells. He accepted the job with the Jets the day before he coached their arch-enemy,the Patriots, in the Superbowl...and let the media know. Think that was a distraction? He jilted the Buccaneers so many times in the 90's while with the Giants, they had to enlist in self-help programs. He flirted so blatantly with the Cowboys, it made reality TV look tame by comparison.

Y'know, I've actually accidentally become a Parcells observer. I attended Superbowl XXV, where Parcells won his Superbowl ring. I lived in New England in the early '90's, watching him take over the local Patriots and change them from a laughingstock to the building blocks of the dynasty they became. I watched him ressurect Vinny Testaverde with the Jets. And suffered horribly when he came to put his stamp on my beloved Cowboys. What he has accomplished in Miami, though, is truly amazing: taking over a historically bad team, hiring a first-time head coach (his line coach from the Cowboys), changing 2/3 of the team to "Parcells guys," and then just going and playing in one of the most competitive divisions in football (the Pats went 11-5, playing in the same division, and couldn't make the playoffs it was so tough), only to win it?

Most people eat crow in this situation. I may be heading for a Tuna sandwich.

So, saddle up and ride: we're in a for a long offseason of "what will he do?" Will Parcells grab the reigns of the legendary Silver and Black to finally return them to their commitment to excellence? Or will he stay in South Florida, to continue his ressurection? Or will he be the prodigal son, returning to the Big Apple to take over Gang Green?

Stay tuned...

Labels: Dallas Cowboys, football, news, sports

  ¶ 11:05 AM (0) comments links to this post

  An Embarrassment Of Riches Yesterday, as I sat in the House Of Blues in Las Vegas, I almost choked on my sandwich. The TV above the bar reported that my beloved Dallas Cowboys had two major developments: Adam "Pacman" Jones was suspended again by the NFL for a recent altercation in a men's room. That one, I had no issues with; Pacman, despite his once great talent, is a trouble magnet, and he simply should have known better than to get in any altercation, misunderstood or otherwise. Sure, it's unfortunate that the secondary lost a proven talent, and, combined with the injury to Terrence Newman, will be a tough loss. No, it was the second headline that got me: Roy Williams, one of Detroit's famous three straight top WR draft picks, was coming to the Cowboys, in return for multiple draft picks, including a first round pick next year.

How does this make any sense? The Cowboys already have T.O., who is clearly one of the NFL's top receivers. He has recently been starting to pull his frustrated routine, which wore out his welcome at two other teams. They also have a bona fide emerging star in Miles Austin, who benefitted from the increased reps earlier in the season as Patrick Crayton and Sam Hurd went down with injuries. And Crayton is a solid receiver who doesn't make mistakes. Add to that they have the top receiving tight end in football, Jason Witten; a project speedster in Isaiah Stanback; a guy who they drafter to catch passes AND run in Felix Jones; and Marion Barber, their star running back, who showed what happens when he gets in the passing game last week.

My question is, with all of this catching talent, how, even with a healthy Tony Romo, are there enough balls to throw? This is a team that is built to win the Superbowl, this year; yes, their high powered offense has struggled a bit in the last few games, but adding another WR? Folks, the problems are not on the offensive side of the field; it's the defense and special teams! Where is the star defensive tackle to put pressure in the middle? Where is the stellar CB to defend those deep balls that Pacman wasn't even up to, and Newman will struggle to get back to form on?

Now, I know some will say that this a great opportunity to get a squandered talent to insure against the aging T.O., but this cannot look like anything but a high price to pay for a puzzler that may (may!) pay off, 1-2 years from now. Jerry Jones, you have always been a gambler, but this is an Al Davis move, not one of your savvy ones. If a trade was to be had, it should have been for a top CB, in my opinion, to shut down that deep pass option that other offenses are throwing so often, or an enforcer to lay serious hits like the other Roy Williams used to do, stopping teams from running those slants.

Jerry, remember: offense gets people in the seats, and I know you have a lot to fill with the new stadium next season, but defense wins championships. Ask the New England Patriots last year how they feel about having one of the top offenses of all times...and an 18-1 record. Remember, in the Superbowl, the Pats offense had done everything they were supposed to, but they were on the sidelines as the Giants tore through their defense to ruin the undefeated season.

Let's start the betting pool now on how soon before T.O. starts doing pushups in his Dallas driveway.

Labels: Dallas Cowboys, football

  ¶ 10:12 PM (0) comments links to this post

  The NFL...Remixed. Very savvy move by NFL.com: today, they promote a feature that lets football fans create their own highlight packages, complete with video, classic sound, and graphics. This type of loosening of the tightly controlled ties is what makes fans excited, and gets viral.

The only miss? An easy, visible way to share your videos as embeds on your site. Sure, it's free, so they want to drive traffic to NFL.com to view, but we already have YouTibe; do we not realize there is a market level of expectation?

That aside, I'm damn impressed. And kudos for the classic NFL Films soundtracks to boot!

Labels: football, video

  ¶ 12:50 PM (0) comments links to this post

  So Long Costas; Hello JB! Good news today on the new cast of Inside The NFL, now on Showtime. Replacing Bob Costas, Dan Marino, and Cris Carter are Phil Simms and James Brown; Chris Collinsworth will be the lone holdover. I'm so happy to see JB in a non-CBS environment. He was the glue of the Fox pregame show for many years; it ain't the same without him. I'll miss Costas' no holds barred approach, but JB, you had me at hello.

Labels: football, TV

  ¶ 12:43 PM (0) comments links to this post

  Running Out Of Gas Years ago, a fledgling cable network, The Discovery Channel, was desperate to draw viewers. Their traditional focus of science-based programming was only getting the PBS-crowd, and not even as many, so they expanded their breadth by moving into the occasional documentary. In one, they followed a father and son in upstate New York who were making a family go of building custom motorcycles. The documentary focused on the mix of combustible personalities, how hard it was for family to work together, but how they overcame differences and leveraged their individual strengths to produce a uniquely American piece of craftsmanship. It was a hit, and the network jumped on it, turning the profile into a full series, American Chopper.

What made the series work in the early years were the absolutely climactic battles between Paul Jr., who's innovative designs and creative focus were breathtaking, and Paul Sr., who overcame personal demons to forge a business, but longed to marry his metalworking talent with his joy of motorcycles. The results were amazing bikes: pieces of art, in a forged iron power. The bikes continued to be amazing, and quickly overtook the show as the prime focus. We followed the family as they moved from the basement of their house to a workshop, then a larger one, and larger, and larger, and their talents became even more in demand. The staff grew and grew, and the characters became even more refined. The show was easily the most popular on basic cable, so much so that Discovery recently moved it to their sister network, TLC, to help draw viewers there, as Discovery has now grown to be a staple of cable entertainment.

Take a look at some of the early bikes:
Arguably Orange County Chopper's signature bike, this Firebike was built as a tribute to the firemen in 9/11. The details were stunning: specially machined parts to resemble a fireman's air tank and a hydrant; actual rivets from the World Trade Center; a fuel tank that evokes the classic fire engine. It was a celebration of creativity, tribute, and memorial, all in one.
The Comanche bike, designed to evoke a motorcycle version of the military's Comanche attack helicopter. Note the specially machined wheels as helicopter blade, the unique shape of the tank to match the canopy, and the all-business design that screams military.
Built for the Caterpillar corporation, this bike expresses the very best Paul Jr. can design for a corporate client. It uses all of the signature Cat lines, adds a powerful touch, and accents it with little elements, like the special exhaust with the flapper on top.

In short, these bikes were, and remain, massively talented expressions of creativity. You can see all of the ones in the show's history at their site, and many are brought on tour or on display in their gift shop. Yes, they have now grown so popular and so large, that they not only operate their own production line of bikes, but a massive retail emporium to celebrate their now-familiar iconic logo. They have worked so hard, and have been rewarded by a growing fan base and extraordinary popularity.

It is, therefore, so sad to see this talent start to run out. As the money and fame has crept in, it's been clear that the company's signature custom bikes have been...well, uninspired. I know, it's easy to criticize, and I could hardly do any of the work they routinely undertake, but the general malaise in the designs over the last year has been disheartening. It came to a head for me tonight, with the viewing of the show on the New York Giants tribute bike.

You see, Paul Jr. has felt frustrated in his creative process by the review cycles of corporate clients. As they open up their new world HQ, Paul Sr. gets the OK by the NFL's New York Giants to create a tribute bike. Unlike the recent corporate bikes, Paul Jr. has total creative control here, and the bike will not need to be road-legal. Instead, he gets to fire up those creative juices to design a kick-ass bike for his favorite team, and celebrate their recent championship.

This was the result, unveiled to great fanfare with a panoply of fans and Giants, at their new OCC megaplex. And I was never so sad for them. This bike represents how far from creative grace they have fallen. Remember, there were no rules, no restrictions imposed, and this was intentionally built as a showpiece bike. You're probably shaking your head, wondering what my problem is: after all, it's a cool Giants bike, right? I mean, look at the cool goalposts on the back; the football headlight. And you can't even see the gas tank that becomes a football helmet. It screams Giants, no?

No.

Want proof? Ok, take a good look at that bike. Got it?

Now picture it in the silver and blue of my own Dallas Cowboys. Or the red and gold of the San Francisco 49ers. Or, horror of horrors, picture even the same colors you see, but it branded as the upstart Houston Texans. See what I mean? There is absolutely nothing in the design of this bike that makes it a New York Giants bike. Nothing.

We're talking about a team that has three Superbowl trophies; a team with 20 Hall of Fame players like Lawrence Taylor, Y.A. Tittle, and Frank Gifford. This is, in short, a team that does not lack for uniquely iconic pieces of history. And absolutely none of it is in this bike. In the show, we learned Paul Jr. wanted to manufacture some risers for the handlebars; why not make them resemble the three Vince Lombardi trophies of their Superbowls? The goalposts are a nice touch; you couldn't get the Giants to perhaps help you locate some of the actual metal from previous goalposts from the stadium? Even a simple act of carving into the rear fender some of the key inspirational expressions the team rallied around in this year's improbable championship run would lend a sense of permanence and personality to this bike.

It's sad to see a great musician try to recapture the hits of youth on stage. It's depressing to see a great filmmaker try to make a sequel to an earlier blockbuster (ahem...Indiana Jones?). It is clearly as sad for me to see such an incredible talent, so vividly demonstrated for a national audience, being either squandered or lost. But what made it worse to me was when I started this blog post. I had been thinking that this chopper could be easily repainted for any team you want. In fact, I argue that, had the episode that introduced this chopper been presented as a new limited-production model for their new production line of bikes, I would have been very impressed. But both Teutels (Paul Jr. and Paul Sr.) made a point of saying this was allowing them to take the gloves off, to get fired up, and to deliver a project they had the passion for. So I headed over to their site to get some graphics for this post. And I found this:

Yep, OCC does precisely this for both the NBA and the NHL. Want your favorite team? No problem; they can make it in a jiffy.

Please, don't get me wrong: I do not begrudge these men the rewards they justly deserve for their hard work. But not only to be so disappointed with the efforts for a "custom" chopper for a team they supposedly have an emotional bond with, but to find out that the whole bike may well have been a proof of concept for a sales pitch to the NFL to let OCC expand to their roster of teams, as well...that's just plain exploitative. So, my choices are to judge their motives pure and their creative skills vastly waning, or their motives more commercial and their treatment of the viewer/fan as callous. The lesser of two pains, indeed.

Labels: football, TV

  ¶ 12:45 AM (0) comments links to this post

  Back Inside Good news today for NFL Films fans like me. Courtesy of the always-entertaining MJD, word comes that the venerable Inside The NFL that has aired on HBO almost since its inception, has risen from the dead. For those that were not aware, this past season was the last of the highlight show's long run, leaving Dan Marino, Bob Costas, Cris Carter, and Chris Collinsworth out of a job. Of course, they had those cushy Sunday morning gigs to fall back on, and Costas is practically his own brand by now, so not too many tears. But Showtime wisely recognized the built-in audience, and swept in to revive it.

No word yet if the staff is back, too, but one can hope that the NFL Films staff members that were laid off as a result of HBO's earlier decision will be back. How about it, Dan? Kick in a little of that salary?

Labels: football, news, TV

  ¶ 1:15 PM (0) comments links to this post

  Finally, A Sports Guy Rival I have no idea who MJD is, but I gotta love his short takes on the NFL in the surprisingly funny Yahoo Sports Blog, Shutdown Corner. Some absolute gems:

- "I think the only appropriate conclusion to be drawn here is that Tom Brady, all season long, had been molesting Randy Moss. Nothing else make sense. The only way any receiver, let alone an elite one like Moss, would want to leave his current quarterback for Daunte Culpepper is if his current quarterback was touching him in inappropriate places."

- "And as soon as I hit "publish" on this post, the Browns signed Derek Anderson [you're a damn liar, Phil Savage]. Please disregard everything you've just read. You may still continue to enjoy the photo, though.)"

- "The only way I'd understand was if the Cowboys were afraid that Barber's body would break down early because of the punishing, skull-bashing, child-frightening, wild mongoose running style Barber uses."

High comedy indeed. ;-) Enjoy!

Labels: blogs, football, sports

  ¶ 12:51 PM (0) comments links to this post

  Andre Tippett, Hall of Famer I was surprised and pleased when watching the Patriots accept their sixth AFC Championship trophy two weeks ago that the presenters were none other than John "Hog" Hannah and Andre Tippett, two former Patriot stars of the 1980's. I've always been a football fan, and growing up in New England, was exposed as much to the Pats as possible, even though I always rooted for my Dallas Cowboys. See, back then the Patriots were an afterthought; in Boston, you had, in order:

- The Red Sox. This was not a team, it was a religion, based on tradition and misery. They crushed the souls of all who dared to root for them, but since it had happened every year for generations, it was practically required.

- The Celtics. Ah, a team I was lucky enough to see in its heyday, in a sport I actually played and loved to watch. The C's had dominated the sport for so long, they made the Yankees look like rookies in baseball. And the 1986 Celtics were the culmination of the greatest team, of any sport, of all time. This was a team that was so powerful, so dominant, so full of fire and heart, you instantly knew you were watching greatness.

- The Bruins. Boston's one of the great hockey towns, and, even though Bobby Orr had retired, and Ray Bourque and Brad Park were not quite there, the allure of the Boston Garden echoed with the excitement from the great 1970's Bruins teams.

And then there were the Patriots. They were the last major professional sports team to make Boston home, and, truth to tell, they weren't all that welcome. See, Boston fans had enough to watch back then that the Pats were never really embraced. Hell, even playing in hallowed Fenway Park wasn't enough to draw crowds to the Boston Patriots, so they headed to the hinterlands of Foxboro and changed their name to the New England Patriots, hoping to draw a larger fan base. Shafer Stadium, that cement and aluminum bench hole, was horrible: you had to drive 45 minutes out of civilization, then sit on the freezing metal, while the snow, wind, and bad food/beer worked you into a stupor, all to watch a bunch of bums get their heads handed to them by Marino and the Dolphins.

But, like this year in Boston sports, in 1985-6, something happened. The Celtics were at the peak of their greatness, battling the Lakers every year for the title. The Red Sox were one out away from Bill Buckner's knees from breaking the curse. The Bruins were handling the Canadiens like an expansion team. And, of all things, the Patriots started to win. Their players were, for a change, personalities. Steve Grogan, one of the gutsiest players I've ever seen, was in his quarterback sunset; the young Tony Eason, a first round pick, was slinging balls like a first-rounder should. Irving Fryar, when not catching knife wounds from his wife, was hauling in deep balls that would make Randy Moss smile. And the Pats had a real rarity: a white running back who could actually run, in Craig James, and even a great thrid down back, Mosi Tatupu (father of today's NFL'er, Lofa Tatupu).

But the soul of this team was the defense, and Andre Tippett led the way, with a challenge he placed with the team after an early season loss to the Browns. All class, and all performance, he helped those Pats get to their first Superbowl with grit, determination, and grace. They won a wild card berth to get them into the elusive playoffs, when no wild card team had ever gone to the Superbowl before. They grounded the Jets, and the fans started to notice. They ransacked the Raiders, and the excitement grew, with signs springing up in New Hampshire and Rhode Island. They Squished the Fish, crushing the Dolphins in the AFC Championship game, and New England started to get football fever. Andre Tippett was there the whole time, smiling gently, showing that fire in his eyes, as he laid out yet another quarterback, while Ronnie Lippett laid out the theatrics, and Nellie held the running backs in check. Fred Marion and Raymond Clayborn knocked down passes.

Alas, Andre and the Patriots were not rewarded with a Superbowl win on their first visit, as they fell to what was considered the most dominant NFL team ever, the 1985 Chicago Bears, in Superbowl XX; that dominance has finally been eclipsed by this year's undefeated Patriots team. But today, on the eve of an amazing sixth Superbowl appearance by the Patriots, and a possibility of a 4th championship in 7 years, Andre Tippett was surprisingly elected to the Hall of Fame. This is an organization that kept Art Monk out for a decade, only to finally correct it this ear, and John Madden out for a quarter century. Yet today, finally, one of those great Patriots who did all the hard work to make it easy for those crusty New Englanders to root for Brady, Belichick, and Bruschi, was recognized for the great champion he was, and is. Congratulations, Andre: you deserve it.

Good luck to the Pats tomorrow! As I felt in 1986 when the Celtics played the Knicks, or the Bruins squared off against the Rangers, and especially when I sat in upstate New York with my fellow Boston transplants watching the Red Sox among rabid Mets fans: please, Please, PLEASE...make New York lose. :-)

Sorry, Steff!

Labels: football, sports

  ¶ 1:52 AM (0) comments links to this post

  As only a Pats Fan can think Without being struck by lightning, how a New England Patriots fan thinks after yesterday:

Three quarterbacks, Manning, Romo and Tom Brady, go to heaven to visit God and watch the Celtics play a game. God decides who will sit next to him by asking the boys a question...

God asks Peyton Manning first: "What do you believe?" Peyton thinks long and hard, looks God in the eye, and says, "I believe in hard work, and in staying true to family and friends. I believe in giving. I was lucky, but I always tried to do right by my fans." God can't help but see the essential goodness of Manning, and offers him a seat to his left.

Then God turns to Tony Romo and says, "What do you believe?" Tony says, "I believe passion, discipline, courage and honor are the fundamentals of life. I, too, have been lucky, but win or lose, I've always tried to be a true sportsman, both on and off the playing fields." God is greatly moved by Tony's sincere eloquence, and he offers him a seat to his right.

Finally, God turns to Tom Brady: "And you, Tom, what do you believe?"

Tom replies, "I believe you're in my seat."

Thanks, Nancy!

Labels: football, fun

  ¶ 2:25 PM (0) comments links to this post

  Decrypting the NFL Just a quick link to a website that shows all of the NFL games every week, and what markets will see what games. After last week's trek to Petaluma to take in the Dallas-New England Armageddon, I definitely have a new appreciation for A) good sports bars with good food, friendly service and fun (not Raider-like) fans; B) the value of DirecTV's Sunday Ticket; and C)the frustration of the fan who can't figure out what game is on where.

Now, where will I watch my Cowboys bounce back against the Vikings?

Labels: Dallas Cowboys, football, TV

  ¶ 2:27 PM (0) comments links to this post

  Tretakoff vs. Tretakoff Yep, today's the big game. My beloved and undefeated Dallas Cowboys play host to my hometown (and also undefeated) New England Patriots. Tom Brady vs. Tony Romo. Randy Moss vs. Terrell Owens. Jerry Jones vs. Robert Kraft. All amazing matchups, but none compares to the biggest blood feud: Amy vs. Me. Yep, my wife has blossomed into a full out Pats fan, and we're going to the nearest sports bar to watch the battle unfold. Why? In the Bay Area, the biggest game of the season thus far is trumped by the Raiders vs. the Chargers.

As part of NBC's whopping $3.6 billion dollar contract with the NFL for Sunday Night Football, NBC wisely got a concession out of the NFL: "flex" scheduling to allow them to select the best game for the Sunday Night national audience. So why are we not enjoying the "Highlander" ("There can be only one") game in the comfort of our own home? Alas, flex scheduling does not start for 6 more weeks. NBC has to be grinding their teeth at this, while bar owners and DirecTV Sunday Ticket customers must be gleefully chortling at their good fortune.

So, tomorrow at 1, feel free to watch that ticker for the updates. While the Boys leads the series against the Pats (7-1, since 1971), opinions are divided on the outcome here. New England clearly is loaded on offense, and has a big chip on their shoulder this season, after losing last year's AFC Championship game to their arch-rivals, the eventual Superbowl champion Colts, and being accused of cheating in the first week of this season. Dallas has the #2 offense in the league, and Romo has proven he's a genuine star, but his 5 interception performance last Monday night has to have him rattled. Dallas is clearly primed for the upset, but ESPN put the game through Madden 08 simulations, and predicts Brady comes through in Big D.

In any case, at the end of the night, one team will no longer be undefeated, and this may indeed be a preview of the Superbowl...or a divorce. :-)

All I have to say is...How 'bout them Cowboys?

Labels: Dallas Cowboys, football, TV, Video Games

  ¶ 12:37 AM (2) comments links to this post

  Two Great Passions Come Together Ooooh....it's here. Madden '08 for the Wii! I'm looking forward to a Madden to truly enjoy for the first time in years...and one that actually (thanks to the Wii) getts you truly into the game.
See what I'll be looking for:

Labels: football, Madden, Video Games, Wii

  ¶ 1:06 PM (0) comments links to this post

  Hope...and professional football...Springs Eternal Here we go again: a group of frustrated billionaires who are anxious to own a professional football team, propose to start a new league to challenge the NFL. Called the United Football League (the logo here is from an old defunct league), they think they have the tools and the talent to succeed where so many have failed before. And they actually might be right.

The New York Times had a much better article on this (you have to pay $5 to read it...sigh) that outlined the case. First, the head is Bill Hambrecht, one of the most successful investment firm heads to ever walk the financial halls. He also has the bruises to prove he knows what he is up against: he's a former part owner of the Oakland Invaders of the ill-fated USFL. His argument is that the NFL is not in most of the top 25 TV markets of the US: cities like Orlando, San Antonio, and yes, Los Angeles, have no pro football. Second, he cites great GM's and coaches who point out the last 25 players on an NFL team are interchangeable with the ones they cut. Third, he points to the success of players like Tom Brady, who was not a top draft pick and is obviously a star. Finally, he indicates that there are more than enough owners who have enough money to get involved without an expectation of immediate success: the league will bleed for years before gaining success.

He's hired well, with a CEO and a COO from the NBA. He has already attracted flashy top owners, like Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks). He has a unique approach: the league will own 30% of the team, the owner another 30%, and the remainder will be offered in a public stock offering, allowing the fans to own the team and be vested in their success. It's a sound plan, with good, smart business acumen. The question remains: will the product be good enough to attract the talent needed to make this a real threat? Only the AFL was ever successful, but it's model was similar enough to the UFL to make this new league's possibilities tantalizingly appealing. Stay tuned...

Labels: football, sports

  ¶ 10:50 PM (0) comments links to this post

  Farewell to NFL Europe After a decade and a half, the NFL has finally given up on its minor league, NFL Europe, and pulled the plug. What started out as a spring league for those die hard football fans who wanted to see genuine professional football had morphed into a late night, low quality product that even the NFL was ashamed to show on its own network. Thus, we bid a fond farewell to NFL Europe.

It started as the WLAF: World League of American Football. A strange combination of teams: half in North America in non-NFL cities like San Antonio (Go Riders!) and Montreal (Mean Machine!), with stalwarts of spring leagues (Birmingham, Orlando). The other half were in Europe: the London Monarchs, Frankfurt Galaxy, and Barcelona Dragons, for instance. Quality was good: supplemental NFL players, all trying to make teams, with quality coaches (Jack Bicknell, former Boston College head coach, and Doug Flutie's mentor, coached the Dragons), but it was so odd to have this spread out league, it never quite caught on.

After a couple of years, the NFL retooled, and made the league the World League, and headed to Europe only. There was a bit of fan base; the Monarchs continued to thrive, for instance. And the league started to pay dividends: Kurt Warner, 2 time NFL MVP, came out of the World League, as did Brad Johnson (starting QB for so many teams), as well as Mr. Clutch himself, Adam Vinitieri - he's only got 4, yes 4, Superbowl rings, as well as being the greatest clutch kicker of all time.

After a few more years, the league was shut and relaunched as NFL Europe. The NFL really tried this time: including local players on all teams, going to cities that were sports strongholds but alien to Americans (Hamburg? Cologne?). They invested in showing the games on their fledgling TV network, and even tried current and former NFL players as announcers. Still, the detached nature of it, as well as the clearly empty stadiums and their odd effect on the game made this league's future clear.

I've been a staunch proponent of a minor league for football; using a college for this is just bizarre to me, and a crapshoot. While the rise of Warner is frequently cited as a success story, the same could be said about the Arena League (which the NFL invested in and many NFL players own teams), where Warner played (Go Barnstormers!). It's clear there is a needs and a niche for this time of the year and this product; let's hope Arena Football can continue to fill it, as the last vestiges of NFL spring football fade into memory.

Labels: football, sports

  ¶ 10:25 AM (0) comments links to this post

  A Bizarre Challenger to the Madden Throne Why do hot dogs come in packages of 10, but buns in packages of 8? Why do gas stations display their prices in 9/10 of a cent? Why do major airlines insist on charging more money for a one-way ticket than a round trip? These are some of the major annoyances in life, but none tops one of my personal pet peeves:

Why do the makers of football games for consoles (PS, XBox, etc.) not make the rosters able to be updated over the Internet?

The answers to all of the above, of course, is to make more money. In the case of the last example, it's particularly galling. Electronic Arts, makers of the venerable Madden franchise of football video games, has been doing this since 1988. See, Madden costs about $60. Every August, video gamers who are football fans (like myself) pony up the bucks. What do we get in return? Gee-whiz new features, like NFL Network play by play, or a new and improved "build your own superstar" subplot. But what we all really are paying for is the updated rosters: we all want to play as our favorite teams, with the right rankings of the breakout stars from last season (Marques Colston, anyone?), and the new hot rookies who are sure to make an impact (hello, JaMarcus Russell).

Now, every console on the market is able to be hooked up online. Imagine if you could just download the latest roster and rankings. Cool idea, right? Sure, and that is how it works on the PC version (mostly). But consoles are where the money is: that $60 every year is EA's lifeblood. Imagine how they felt a few years ago when some upstart, 2KSports, started making a worthy competitor to Madden: ESPN 2K5! It had even slicker TV-like graphics, all the NFL teams and players, and even ESPN personalities and presentations. In many ways, the gameplay was simpler, yet slicker, than Madden. If that was not enough, they had the cojones to price it at $20! It FLEW off the shelves. Guess what happened next? EA essentially bribed the NFL into giving them the exclusive rights to the teams, players, and stadiums of the NFL. Why? Same answer: money.

Although 2K5 was a better game in many ways, it was starved to death: no new rosters means no play, Sure, you could laboriously create new players, and move others to new teams, even update their ranking. By that time, you'd have missed the entire season. Sigh. Madden celebrated their complete domination by making their "classic teams" function even lamer: the classic teams would no longer have the names or numbers of the greats, just lame "QB #3." Joe Montana to Jerry Rice? Uh-uh. Aikman hands off to Emmitt? Nope. The Fridge over the goal line? Heck no.

Well, if they can't fight fair, it's time to fight any way you can. 2KSports is making another go of it, with their recently announced All-Pro Football 2K8. The tagline? "Football Resurrected." No you can't play as the Patriots or Broncos. No, you can't see Reggie Bush scamper all over the Superdome. But you CAN create your ultimate dream teams: Johnny Unitas hands off to Walter Payton. Barry Sanders eludes Dick Butkus. And, as you can see from the image, Ronnie Lott and Jerry Rice don uniforms from the same team once again. It's clever, but it's priced in the $60 rarified zone, so it's a hard call on taking a risk. Plus, although they call it "ultimate customization," the lack of NFL logos, uniforms, and stadiums puts it squarely into the realm of the Miami Sharks (Any Given Sunday) and Washington Sentinels (The Replacements): entertaining, but ain't quite the NFL. And even 2K doesn't offer updateable rosters: are they hoping to get us to buy next year's version with Brett Favre and Andre Rison?

Sigh, Makes me think of just biting the bullet and buying a PC to hook to the TV instead.

Labels: football, games, Madden

  ¶ 2:38 AM (0) comments links to this post

  Our Long National Nightmare Is Over It came to me in a flash across the screen in a tony eatery in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona, today. Finally, the day I had dreamed of, since blogging about it two years ago, this month:

Bill Parcells resigns as the coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

We have all endured a terrible ordeal. Now, with this episode behind us, let the healing begin.

Labels: Dallas Cowboys, football

  ¶ 12:03 AM (0) comments links to this post

  Been waiting all week for Saturday night Live blogging my Dallas Cowboys, back in the playoffs...finally! This game comes down to the talent of Romo and Julius Jones against a team with heart, the Seattle Seahawks.

In the 1st quarter, both teams look sloppy. Romo is throwing too low, and the defenses are setting the tone. Need a big play.

Q2: C'mon, Romo. More low throws. He scrambled; that's when you need magic!

Q2: Penalties! What the hell, Boys? You aren't the Raiders!

Q2: Madden is right. Romo needs to settle down. He's dangerous when he scrambles, but he's throwing erratically. Where's that poise he got to the Pro Bowl with?

Q2: I've never been a Parcells fan, but nice to see him fired up. About time.

Q2: Goddam Owens. Most overpaid asshole in the game. Drops, drops, drops. Earn that pay.

Q2: TOUCHDOWN! That's the Romo I've been waiting for!

Q3: More penalties, and the Hawks are looking much sharper. Don't let them back in...

Q3: Seahawks TD. Good Seattle drive. They definitely are much more focused.

Q3: Miles Austin, my new hero. TOUCHDOWN, Cowboys. Great kickoff runback, for a TD. Yeah!

Q4: Great tip and pick by Newman to Roy Williams. Now, they need to build on this.

Q4: Jones finally getting on track. Boys settle for a field goal, though. A TD would have put it away. Still only 1 score separates these 2.

Q4: Another huge penalty, with Newman mugging the receiver. Frustration, clearly, with Hasselbeck picking them apart. 4th down, on the goalline...and the Hawks turn it over!

Q4: Whoa! What the hell? An insane play: pass to Glenn, fumbled, ball in the endzone, ball goes out, but flipped back in...and a safety! What a wild play.

Q4: Seahawks with a great pass. TD. Seahawks take the lead, but fail on the 2 pt conversion. 21-20, Seahawks.

Q4: Less than 2 minutes left, the Boys are near the goalline...4th down...Field goal snap is fumbled! Romo runs...but stopped. Oh NO.

Q4: Hail Mary. 1 play left...Romo throws...incomplete. Seahawks win. The Cowboys season is over. Unreal.

Sigh. What looked like a great win becomes a loss. The Dallas Cowboys of 2006: snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Labels: Dallas Cowboys, football

  ¶ 5:42 PM (2) comments links to this post

  Great song, BAD new media marketing I've only recently started to discover some music and artists that are not from before 1990. :-) One of them is Pink, an evolution of Joan Jett, one of my all time favorites. She's got a tough, rough approach that just exudes energy. As NBC launched their inaugural season of Sunday Night Football, they tapped Pink to do a cover of Jett's "I Hate Myself For Loving You" for the opening of the show, called "Waiting All Day For Sunday Night." Check out the clip from the season opener:

Catchy, right? She's the modern approach to Hank Williams Jr.'s Monday Night Football montage. In fact, it's a hell of a lot better. Now, here's where it went wrong. It's 2006 (almost 2007): music and ringtones are ubiquitous. Can I buy a clip of this for my MP3 player? No. Ringtone? Uh-uh. How about as a single? Nope.

In fact, the ONLY place I can even hear the song is on this YouTube clip. What kind of marketers are these? Put it up on iTunes! Hell, it doesn't cost you anything, and it's not like the song doesn't already get airplay: Sunday Night Football is one of the highest rated telecasts, ever. Think it won't sell? How many people search iTunes? If they type in "football," and this comes up, laws of averages say you just made money if only 1% buy the track.

It's 2006, and I can't buy it, steal it, or even get it. My only hope is to try to record it and rip it from the recording. C'mon: Pink, you're young enough and hip enough to know better here. And NBC: you are a MEDIA company, for f*ck's sake! What were you thinking?

I may be waiting all day for Sunday night, but I'm stuck waiting forever for Pink's great theme as an MP3.

UPDATE 12/28: Well, after a night of searching and extensive use of Ask.com and Google, I finally found a cached link of a page in Brazil, of all places, that had a link to a German site with the holy grail: 1:35 of clear, quality MP3 of Pink's anthem. An international multi-country jaunt just to get one damn song. Welcome to the world of "we just don't get it."

Labels: football, music, youtube

  ¶ 12:01 AM (0) comments links to this post

  How 'Bout them Marin Cowboys? Hey, I'm not saying I'm ready for Canton, or even Vegas, but I'm proud to say that this year's Loyalty Lab Fantasy Football season came to a pretty satisfying conclusion:

Yep, after finishing close to the top the last two seasons, this year the Superbowl was mine. Maybe it was the incentive of having $250 on the line, or maybe I, like my 'Boys, was finally desperate enough for a winning season, but most likely it was a combination of my competition and luck. Want proof? The 3rd place winner, the Exurbanites, was a member who hadn't touched his team since his draft. In the end, it came down to Loyalty Lab's two Russians, and this one came out on top.

My powerhouse players this season were Peyton Manning of the Colts (at least he can win a championship in fantasy football), Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jaguars (who? Wasn't Fred Taylor supposed to be the top back?), Marion Barber III of the Cowboys (all he does is score touchdowns), and the sleeper of Marques Colston of the Saints (who was inexplicably listed as a TE/WR, giving me a very strong advantage over most tight ends), it was an 11-2 season. As usual, Cobra Kai, in the form of Ted O'Hanlon, gave me my usual run for the money (we split the meetings this season), and Candice Coder showed her 2nd year experience for my other loss, but it was Ken Sogomonov who was my real competition this season. Great season overall.

To celebrate the win, I asked the other players to forgo payment to me, and instead donate their $25 to the James Kim Memorial Fund, in support of the Kim family after the tragic loss of James, whom I have blogged about. If you'd like to pay kudos to either James Kim's life, the Kim families' coping with their ordeal and James' loss, or my fantasy football prowess, please feel free to head over and make a quick PayPal donation to the Kim family, as well.

Now, if Bill Parcells and Jerry Jones just listen to me, the Lombardi trophy is rightfully headed back to Dallas! And of course, all I have to say is...

Labels: Dallas Cowboys, football, Loyalty Lab

  ¶ 8:33 PM (0) comments links to this post

  How 'Bout The Cowboys? Just had to point out that the last undefeated team in the NFL fell to none other than my Dallas Cowboys today, as Tony Romo continues his Cinderella season, upstaging the 2 time MVP, Peyton Manning, in a shootout. Yes, the 'Boys are finally 2 games over .500, but, with their schedule, there's a good chance they are headed back to the playoffs.

Which reminds me: if you have not been watching Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, you should be: great Aaron Sorkin writing, good chemistry among the cast, and Matthew Perry continues to shine. Why do I mention it? In an episode earlier this season, Ed Asner makes the statement, "If you want her to cook the dinner, you have to let her buy the groceries." When asked by Amanda Peet who said that, Steven Weber replies:

"Bill Parcells.

"Who's he?" asks Peet.

"He's a football coach who hasn't won a playoff game in 9 years."

Makes you think of the Cowboys coach in a whole different way. Well, here's to the hopeful end of the drought!

Labels: Dallas Cowboys, football, Studio 60

  ¶ 11:07 PM (0) comments links to this post