Unabashed

Sticking with the sports theme today…

I’m glad to see the Celts in the championship. I was hoping to see San Antone there, too, but I find it hard to complain about Lakers v. Celts, who we haven’t seen play one another in the championship game since the players were all wearing short shorts (twenty more years and they’ll all be wearing weenie bikinies).

Meanwhile: Can anyone tell me why the Boston Celtics first C is pronounced with a “S” sound rather than the “K” sound that Celt has traditionally been pronounced with? I can’t find anyone who knows.

Prediction: Celts in 6!

And if I’ve pissed any Boston fans off by calling their team “Celts” instead of “Celtics,” I don’t care. At least I’m pulling for your team. And besides, you’re the ones who mispronounce your team’s name, not me (all in good humor, people, call off the mob).

written by Matt Mitchell \\ tags: boston, celtics, celts, la, lakers

In the world of women’s sports, for me, softball is the best to watch. I do like soccer (football to you Euros), but I’m not into women’s basketball at all, nor golf. The thing that makes it fun for me is primarily that it’s just a little bit different from baseball. And if you’ve ever seen one of those girls pitch and you weren’t impressed, you and I clearly are of different minds. They don’t wear hats, like the men do, they usually have long hair pulled back in a pony tail, often with little ribbons or bows (cute). And the fact is that these girls have skill.

In soccer, the game is just a carbon copy of the men’s, ditto for basketball (Okay, in basketball the 3-point line is closer to the goal. But that’s about it). But softball is just different from baseball. The pitcher is closer to the batter (43′ compared to 60′6″ in baseball) and the outfield fence is a lot closer in, the ball is bigger, the pitchers pitch differently (and it is frickin cool the way they pitch), and I don’t care how big the ball is, when it’s coming from just 43′ away at 67 MPH, it’s dang hard to turn on it… it’s just a different kind of game, and it seems like a game tailored better to fit the athleticism of ladies.

I would support a professional softball league before any other women’s sport. Soccer, maybe, but I just can’t get into the WNBA. I’ve tried. I hate it. It just doesn’t seem like a sport that’s made for women. But give me a local pro softball team and I’ll buy a hat (so long as it isn’t pink, aye?) and maybe a jersey as well. And with athletes like Taryne Mowatt (pictured) who’s a phenomenal, record-setting pitcher, it seems a shame they have no opportunity to become professional players.

I want a pro girls softball league.

Give it.

I also like to watch women’s tennis. More than the men’s. There aren’t many sports like that; the athleticism of the men is just too phenomenal not to watch. But men can be gross, too, I agree, so… at least girls aren’t gross, eh? :-)

Um, just a final note that Alabama just knocked off Taryne and the Wildcats to advance in the CSWS. Roll Tide!

written by Matt Mitchell \\ tags: Alabama, Arizona, crimson, football, girls, ladies, league, mowatt, pro, roll tide, soccer, softball, sport, taryne, tide, wildcats, women

Originally posted in my sports blog: Real Men Wear Houndstooth.

First of all, when it comes to baseball I am a Braves fan and have been since the day I was born. But a few years ago I thought I might pick an American League team to pull for. I set up a few qualifying factors, primarily that they must be a team that was not currently a good team at that time. That way if either of the three ever start winning I can say I was there when times were rough, see? I am not the type of guy who’ll jump on a BoSox bandwagon just because they decided finally to compete with the Yankquees at their own game. (But if I had to pick between the two, obviously I’d pick the Sox).I printed out a list of all AL teams, crossed out the winningest teams on the list, and then just began crossing them off until I had three left: Detroit, Seattle, and Tampa Bay. Detroit because it’s old school cool, and the other two just because I liked their logos and team names/colors and such. 

So: The Tigers. I like the team, the history, the classic look of their uniforms, but…I’m just not a Motor City kind of guy, I guess. Seattle is a cooler city, but I don’t know if it’s a baseball city. It seems too preppy to be a baseball city. Too rainy. Too damn far away, too. Tampa is a lot closer to me (Alabama) and I like the Tampa/St. Pete area, I like(d) the logo, the team colors, and, ultimately I decided my AL team should be in the Eastern Division, just like my NL team…so I chose Tampa. (Disclaimer: In Braves vs. D-Rays matchups, I’m for the Braves. Against all other teams, I’m for the D-Rays). And so far, it’s looked like the team was going to just suck forever. In fact, when I was looking for a favorite AL team, I pretty much liked everything about Tampa except the stadium, which is absolutely the worst in all of baseball, and the fact that they’re in the same division as the Yanks and Sox. Let’s face it, there’s not been much to be supportive of, and I’m not going to travel to St. Pete for a baseball game that is played in that stadium. It’s out of the question.

But now, fast-forwarding to 2008, all of a sudden the winds are changing. The things I liked about the team are changing. The things I didn’t like are also changing. And I’m kind of at a point in my support of the team (which so far equals one ball cap. I also keep up with how much they’re losing. That’s about as much involvement as I can stand) that I want them to win. I was excited when they hired Piniella. I was hoping he could do something with them, but the simple fact is they’ve got to get more, better players for any manager to be able to do anything with them. So what’s changing for ‘08?

1. New Unis: Meh. The new ones are as good as the old ones.
2. New Logo: Meh. The new one is as good as the old one.
3. New Name: the Devil Rays are, sadly, no more. Enter the Rays. Frankly, I liked the Devil Rays name, a lot more than the Rays. But that’s really the only change that’s finding me cold.
4. New stadium plans: Now this is where it really gets exciting. The Rays are planning on building a new stadium, possibly to open 2012. With a modern, attractive new stadium, the Rays might just entice me to make a few trips down to see them.

So, things are looking up in St. Pete. Now if the team can just start winning a few games here and there. Let’s see if we can catch lightning in a bottle.

written by Matt Mitchell \\ tags: baseball, D-Rays, Devil Rays, MLB, Rays, St. Pete, Tampa Bay

We lost our chance to see history tonight. Damn. Not that I was pulling for the Pats for any other reason. In fact, if history had not been in the making, I would have been fully on board with the underdog, so, having no emotional attachment to either team, I’m tickled the Giants won. Still, it would have been nice to see history made, with the added bonus of seeing the collapse of all the hopes and dreams of the overly boastful and utterly insufferable 1972 Miami Dolphins (excluding a few). 

Little Eli has come into his own. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but it was perfect when it needed to be. It’s going to be fun watching him play, to see if he becomes the Next Great Quarterback. At the beginning of the game there was an interesting moment when Eli ran past Brady and patted him on the back, smiling boyishly, with an expression of genuine good will. Brady responded with a severe glance and a slow nod. And then the kid won the game.

Brady is still one of the greatest of all time, but this game went a long way in showing exactly what makes a great quarterback. If the O-line could have kept the Giants D off Brady, the end result might have been different. It might have been the same for other great quarterbacks who never won the Super Bowl: Kelly, Marino, Fouts…When it counted, the Giants O-line did what it had to do to let Manning operate. That was the difference in the game.

Belichick is likely the most classless individual to ever coach in a Super Bowl. Leaving the field with a second left when it was obviously done…it’s easy to say that he got what he deserved: a big, fat, Giant “L.” From that perspective alone it is pleasing to see the Giants win. I never saw anything negative from any of the G-men’s players or coaches. No, the only bad performance was from Bill the boss. Glad he got taken to the woodshed, I am.

The most disturbing thing of all to me was in imagining the roster of the ‘72 Dolphins cheering when the Patriots lost. Talk about classless. The story would be a lot different if, in their recent interviews, at least one of them could have stepped up and said something positive about the Patriots’ potential accomplishment. But no, all they could do these past weeks was talk about their own accomplishments, and defend their manifest right to occupy the highest pillar of football accomplishment alone. Well, you got your wish, Dolphins, the Pats lost. Now if only you’d been a bit more diplomatic I might still have some respect for you. As it is, I have lost respect for you and your accomplishment. Congrats.

written by Matt Mitchell

Mercury Morris just stated (whined) in an interview on ESPNEWS that the Patriots are “Really close to equaling what we did in 1972,” meaning accomplishing an undefeated season in the NFL. But actually, Mr. Morris, if the Patriots win tonight they will effectively surpass what you did in 1972. This is exactly why I hope the Patriots do win tonight; because I really want the ‘72 undefeated Dolphins team-especially Coach Don Shula–to shut up already. Right now they’re whining that winning 19 consecutive games in the NFL is no more difficult than winning 17 consecutive games. An absolutely preposterous statement which simply proves their snobbish elitism.

Morris even goes so far as to point out that “He knows what it means to be undefeated, but you don’t.” He’s speaking to the interviewer, of course, but you get the feeling that he’s talking to all of us, the entire nation, and telling us all that he is better than we are. All the Patriots are on the cusp of doing, according to him, is learning what it means to have a 1.000% winning percentage.  

I know one thing–the best way to galvanize this nation of fans against you is to keep mouthing off about how great you are, or in this case, were. If the Patriots do finish undefeated, and humbly accept their trophy and thank the fans, then they will quickly be given the key to the number one spot in history of the NFL and the ‘72 Dolphins team will be subjected to the royal back seat. They won’t even have an argument any more, because this nation of fans will give them their assignment. Sure, they can still pop their champagne corks every year in celebration of themselves, but the fans will pop their corks in honor of someone else. Quite possibly the New England Patriots. In reality, the ‘72 Dolphins have never really been embraced as one of the greatest teams of all time, despite being undefeated. They’ve even been called “a team without superstars.” Yes, they did manage to win 17 straight games, but they didn’t win 19, and get ready boys, because if the Patriots win tonight, you’re going to hear that for the rest of your lives.

But I’ll make one accede one point: if the Patriots lose tonight, there’ll still only be one undefeated team in NFL history, and the Dolphins will still be able to pop their corks every year as the only ones to accomplish the feat. But if the Pats win, move over Miami, because you will have been bested.

It’s a good thing it’s the Dolphins who are doing all this complaining (whining). Being in South Florida they won’t have to go very far to find an equally disgruntled group of elderly folks. Then they can all combine forces and grumble about whatever unfairness they like. 

written by Matt Mitchell

This was originally published on my sports blog, Real Men Wear Houndstooth, but its a topic that’s getting a lot of press these days, and, since my opinion differs from the majority of fans, I thought I’d cross post this here as well. Please to enjoy.

“Chris” has left a particularly inflammatory comment on my post “How to Fix College Football” wherein he rants about the wrongs of the bowl system and raves about my psychotic, dumb, “bass ackwardness.” For those of you who are wondering, including you, Chris, this is as close as you can come to getting banned without actually getting banned. I’m all about disagreements, but hold back the reins on the ranting insults, and realize that your opinion makes as much sense to me as mine does to you. But I’m not going to call Chris by the name I think he deserves for this tidbit of drivel he’s shellacked onto my blog, I’m going to respond, and I’m going to give it a full post, because I know there are many, many people out there who have all jumped onto the playoff bandwagon and believe it would do something it’s not capable of doing. First, Chris’s prattle:

Are you psycho? Why does everybody think the bowls are good? Most are about as boring as a knitting competition. If the bowl system was so great and ‘voting’ on a paper ‘National Champion’ was the way to go why aren’t the other NCAA sports doing it as well. Why isn’t the NFL, NBA, MLB, etc. clammoring to go that way? Why? Because it is the dumbest most bass ackwards way of determining a champion! Let’s all pull our heads out and get over the super 6 conferences wanting all the money and give the fans what they want!!! A PLAYOFF!!!

Okay, Chris, here’s my answer: you’re wrong. As far as I can tell the only question you raised in your irrational squawk was “why aren’t the other sports clammoring to go that way?” (note that the incorrect spelling of clamoring is Chris’s, not mine). There are dozens of reasons, but historically it’s because, other than the MLB, boxing and horse racing there were no other major sports than college football around when it started up, and guess what? Until 1907 MLB didn’t have a playoff either, and they only did it then because there were two separate professional leagues of teams: the National and the American. Before that those teams had never played one another. And up until 1969 there was no divisional playoff, either. The two teams with the best records played for the championship: that’s it. And neither horse racing nor boxing have playoffs, either. Sure, horse racing has it’s triple crown, boxing has multiple titles, things that make them unique in the world of sports, just like the bowls do for college football. And as for “the super 6 conferences wanting all the money,” well, that again is nothing but drivel. Why do you think MLB instituted the playoffs? Money grubbers, that’s why. And as far as that goes, college football would make more money with a playoff, so that argument is asinine right out of the gate.

And as for the NFL, they, too didn’t begin with a playoff. From Wikipedia:

NFL post-season history can be traced to the first NFL Championship Game in 1933, though in the early years, qualification for the game was based solely on regular season records. The first true NFL playoff began in 1967, when four teams qualified for the tournament. When the league merged with the American Football League in 1970, the playoffs expanded to eight teams. The playoffs were expanded to ten teams in 1978 and twelve teams in 1990.

The NFL chartered its rules in 1876–without a playoff.

So why shouldn’t college football adopt their own playoff system like the other sports have? Because none of the other sports had a system already in place like college football does. They didn’t “playoff” at all, they just named a champ or had one extra game to see who it was. They had to do something to determine the champ, and college football already had the bowls. Where do you think they got the name for the Super Bowl? It was their shot at mimicking what college football had already done with great success.

But even more than this, more than the history and tradition of the game, the greatest reason of all (other than the fact that we don’t need a playoff), is because the regular season still matters in college football. You’ll never see a team in college football with a guaranteed playoff bid running its second stringers out onto the field because the win is meaningless. Every loss has significance. Not so in any other sport.

And besides that, to institute a playoff you’d have to add games to the season. Even if it’s only one or two, you’d still add games, and these are still students who are trying to make the grade. There are enough games.

Look at it this way: The first kickoff of the first game in a college football season is the start of the playoffs. And every team approaches every season with the same attitude: Must Win. NCAA basketball started their own playoff system, and now look at it. It doesn’t become a popular sport until March. Everything leading up to that is filler.

Really, Chris, if you want to make an argument, make one, but throwing insults at the blog host isn’t going to get you anywhere. Give me a good reason for a playoff and I’ll listen, but I’ll tell you right now, because the fans want it isn’t a good reason. Herd mentality does nothing for an argument.

In closing, I’d like to add that I don’t believe the current system is working. I’ve come up with an alternative plan that I believe would fix the situation nicely. We could keep the bowl structure intact, keep the conferences as they are, and even keep the BCS in place. My plan would fix college football. Tell me what you think, or how you would fix it, if you’d do anything at all.

written by Matt Mitchell \\ tags: College, football, playoff, rankings, tradition

LSU won the college football national championship, which comes as no surprise to me. I predicted a 2-loss national champion way back on October 7th, which might make me a better college football analyst than Lee Corso. For more sports commentary from me, refer to my sports blog: Real Men Wear Houndstooth.

written by Matt Mitchell \\ tags: College, football, LSU, National Champion, NCAA, Tigers

FIFA: David Beckam his done. Send him out to pasture. Now that the U.S.A. is out, GO Great Brittain, or England, or United Kingdom or whatever they call themselves. I find myself a fan of Wayne Rooney. Nasty little mutant of a man. I’m ready to see what he will do in the next round, now that he’s returned from injury. It’s possible we could see Germany vs England in the final. If that happens the Hooligans will be out in force… see picture at right.

TV: I just saw a commercial for “So You Think You Can Dance” in which the show was introduced as a “smash hit.” I honestly have never even heard of the show. What kind of numbers does it take to have a “smash hit” nowadays? Or is that something that is unregulated and networks can say just to see if they can drive their numbers up? This brought to you by the Utterly Invincible Greatest Blog on Teh Internets: Unabashed.

Baseball notes: As a sports fan, I hate Pat Burrell of the Phillies. I cannot explain it; it is inexplicable but absolute. I don’t hate the Phillies, just Pat. I have always hated him. Last year was the only year he ever really did anything, but I even hated him for his mediocrity. It’s nothing personal, I’m sure he’s a really great guy, I just hate him. So it was with particular relish that I just saw him strike out on three straight pitches of 96, 97, and 96 mph with the bases loaded and two out in the ninth inning. Also: He’s hitting .056 with RISP on the year. Additionally: Barry Bonds is hitting .242 with 10 HR this year. He is currently 9th on the All-Star ballot for outfielders. Pathetic. Welcome to the post-juice portion of BB’s career. I hope he and Pat Burrell get into a slap fight the next time the Giants and Phillies play. Also: I hate Scott Rolen, too.

I do like some players: Jim Thome is one of my favorites. I also like Todd Helton. I wish the Braves would unload some of their current slackers (i.e.: Marcus Giles and Adam LaRoche) and pull in either one of these guys. I’m sick of watching Marcus Giles, who recently was full of energy and looked like someone who was really happy to be playing, trot down the first base line when he doesn’t drive the ball to the outfield. It makes me want to see him get into a slap fight with Pat Burrell.

written by Matt Mitchell \\ tags: barry bonds, baseball, football, hooligans, pat burrell, soccer

I’ve overheard dozens of arguments in private and public forums concerning what should and should not be considered sport. This classic argument usually comes from Nascar or Golf fans whenever someone says that either one is not a ’sport.’ Some say they are coordination sports rather than athletic sports. Some say there’s no way you can call it a sport because it doesn’t require athleticism. And still others will maintain that golf, bowling and Nascar all require some athletic skill to be able to master–you’d be crazy to think that Tiger Woods is not an athlete.

At the same time, there are those who will say that even baseball isn’t a sport. I once heard an interview with John Kruk (Philadelphia Phillies first baseman from 1990-94) in which he was being asked about being an athlete when he interrupted and said “I’m not an athlete; I’m a baseball player.”

The arguments are many and the classifications are varied. There are athletic sports, non-athletic sports, spectator sports, and non-spectator sports, contact sports, combat sports, team sports, target sports, external-power sports, display sports, strength sports, etc., etc., etc. For this list, I’ve compiled the ‘A list’ of the best sports that do not require an abundance of athleticism, but do require endurance, skill, coordination, strategy or some combination thereof.

• Auto/Motorcycle racing (includes anything motorized)
• Pool/billiards
• Bowling
• Miniature golf
• Iditarod/dog sledding
• Fishing/hunting
• Foosball
• Darts
• Horseshoes
• Ping Pong
• Video Games
• Badminton
• Poker
• Dominoes
• Chess
• Checkers
• Polo
• Curling

And now, I give you the Top 5 non-athletic sports according to Unabashed:

5. Curling/horseshoes — Curling is like horseshoes on ice. Horseshoes you can play in your backyard; curling? Only if you live in Greenland or Minnesota. Curling is fun to watch, and horseshoes is one of those things that you don’t necessarily have to be good at to enjoy.
4. Poker — Chris Moneymaker’s victory at the ‘03 World Series of Poker almost convinced me to omit poker from this list. It’s shameful that someone so untested–such an utter weinie–should win the sport’s most hallowed prize, but there’s no denying the amount of skill and self-control that is required of anyone who excels at poker. In America during the 1800’s, ‘Poker Player’ was considered a legitimate occupation.
3. Video Games — Yes, to dominate this sport you must be, at most, ten to twelve years old. But there are very few things as exciting when you’re embroiled in the competition of a video game contest.
2. Chess — If you’re really, really good at chess, you receive the title ‘Grandmaster.’ Automatically, if someone is identified as a Grandmaster you know that they are intense competitors, they are master strategists with uncanny levels of concentration and focus, and that they are just a little bit crazy.
1. Iditarod — What other sport requires this level of endurance, concentration, and desire to win? None.

Honorable mention: Foosball (the Unabashed favorite) — All the excitement of soccer but you can drink beer while you play. Requires intense concentration and motor skills. In case you are wondering: Spinning the foosmen is NOT ALLOWED.

As always, if I’ve forgotten anything or didn’t consider something, let me know.

written by Matt Mitchell \\ tags: , chess, curling, foosball, iditarod, non-traditional sports, poker, sport