Sporty Blog - The Sport Blog

Last weekend I managed to listen and watch what arguably were the best two Playoff games of the weekend, opting to not bother tuning into TeboMania - largely induced by a slobbering Mainstream media machine… Along with opting to forego the following days Baltimore game.

Thus I attempted listening to the San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints game via my ‘lil transistor radio until I couldn’t stand the static the inclement weather was causing. Perhaps Y’all have heard about the week-long snow storm Seattle has been gripped in? As the storm wasn’t slated to arrive until Sunday but showed up Saturday afternoon during you guessed it, the 49ers-Saints game…

And that was a real Barn-burner with Drew “They Call Me Mister MVP!” Err, Brees and his Nawlins Saints spotting San Fran 17-points - saying No Problema, we’re trained professionals - hence we know how to pull off these type of stunts you shouldn’t try at home; Hya! As Brees & Co. methodically marched back and ultimately regained the lead in the third quarter.

Switching over to television coverage due to the static the white stuff was causing, I marveled at how Awesome of a Quarterback Drew Brees was as the announcer described how he’d calmly stepped-up in the pocket and eluded another sack in order to throw for another first down. Yet I burst out into laughter the next play as San Francisco sacked him…

Then as we all know, the game became a monstrous battle of wills as a frenetic tug ‘O war played out in the fourth quarter when the score see-sawed back ‘N forth before the 49ers won in a shocker 36-32 to send the Saints marching home for the year.

As I said before, I purposely avoided the New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos game, although may be, just may be my Teboing Tantra worked? As I jubilantly burst into laughter upon discovering that Tom Brady and the ‘Pats were simply crushing Tebo 45-10 in the fourth quarter.

Then on Sunday with the snow showers continuing in what would become a warm-up for later in the week, I warmed-up the Boob-tube just prior to the vaunted No. 1-seed Green Bay Packers vs. New York Giants, catching the final moments of the Texans loss to Baltimore 20-13 in what apparently was another close game?

But I was more interested in the late-game which was taking place in another frigid region of the Nation, as Lambeau Field is apparently legendary for its frozen tundra - which I learned is actually heated… And the ‘Pack hired some 450 volunteers to shovel the snow off the field and turned away another 800! As I think the weather was actually better in Green Bay then Seattle…

Leaving the game on as background noise I really didn’t pay much attention to the first half, albeit dumbstruck by the Hail Mary pass Eli Manning completed at the end of the second quarter to give NY a ten-point lead.

And I found it amazing to hear multiple choruses of Booing heartily at Aaron Rogers and his brethren by those almighty Cheeseheadz; YIKES! That’s gotta be a first, right? As it was Roger’s opposing QB Eli who absolutely stunned Green Bay and turned Lambeau Field silent with a Giants road victory final score of 37-20.

So now we’re down to the final four, as the winners of the respective Conference Championships will advance to Superbowl XL VI in balmy Indianapolis - at LucasOilDome, home of the 2-14 Indy Colts who are apparently in search of not only an entire coaching staff but a QB too!

Sunday, Jan 22
The “early” game will feature the Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots, with Baltimore traveling to Fox borough to square off against Tom Brady and the ‘Pats at Gillette Stadium at 3PM ET on CBS.

Next-up for the “late” game, those upstart NY Giants will travel to the Bay to take on the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park at 6:30PM ET on FOX.

So who’ll be going to the Superbowl? As you’d have to think that New York has the advantage over San Fran, while I’d think New England’s high octane Offense may be too much for Ray Lewis and Baltimore to contain? You make the call…

First ‘N foremost, I haveda say that I barely watched any Football over the past weekend, as I really didn’t care much about the games - only tuning into the Saints game during commercial interruptions during the Anaheim Supercross race… Along with turning on the Steelers for a little lunchtime ambiance, as after all, I was wishing that Pittsburg would CRUSH Denver… which is funny since I’m NOT a huge fan of “Big Ben’s,” you know - Mr. Hanky Panky; Err, Ben “What Cheerleader?” Roethlisberger…

Yet I found it quite funny how my allegiances quickly shifted in favour of Roethlisberger, since I simply CANNOT stomach all of the current TeboMania… And hence, I was doing my bestest Teboing impersonation in hopes of spiriting the Steelers onto victory…

As after all, Pittsburg had the second largest points-spread in it’s favour for the Wildcard weekend - with the Steel Curtain being given plus-8.5 odds over Denver; trailing only the New Orleans Saints 10.5+ odds.

Yet, alas - it wasn’t to be, as GAWD-DAMN-IT! That Tebo guy confounded everyone, including the once vaunted Steel Curtain Defense by throwing an 80-yard Touchdown strike in Overtime to send Roethlisberger & Co. packing - in the wake of an improvable 29-23 OT victory in the “Mile High” city. As I guess ‘Big Ben will now have plenty of Down-time to resuscitate his gimpy ankle…

And to Mwah, the most intriguing Wildcard game of the weekend was the Houston Texans vs. Cincinnati Bengals since it featured two rookie QB’s with Houston’s T.J. Yates squaring off against ex-Texan Andy Dalton who ironically played his college ball at TCU.

Yet apparently the Shootout at Reliant Stadium never occurred, as the Texans cruised effortlessly past the Cincinnati Bengals 31-10

And the Saints ultimately crushed Detroit 45-28, albeit those pesky Lions must have made ‘Nawlins a little bit nervous by leading at Halftime 14-10. Yet the “Breeze” in the Superdome Stadium was simply too strong as Drew “they Call ME duh” Brees aired it out in the second half for a game total of 466-yards en route to New Orleans final Home win of the year, as they’ll be playing on the road from now on…

Meanwhile, Peyton’s healthy younger bro Eli and Thee “G-Men won 24-2 over Atlanta, as Falcons QB Matt Ryan has still failed to win a Post-season game to date…

Saturday, Jan 14
Thus, Brees & Co. will travel to the Bay, where the Saints will take on the resurgent San Francisco 49ers, this year’s NFC West Division Champions. The game is on FOX Saturday at 4:30PM ET.

Interestingly, the Saints three losses - all on the road, saw two defeats come upon natural grass surfaces. Which ironically Candlestick Park just so happens to be…

Meanwhile, I’m almost certain a never ending Tebo-mania crescendo will hover above Gillette Stadium, as Master Timothy attempts practicing his Hocus-Pocus upon Tom Brady’s rested Patriots. Thus look for ‘Dem TV ratings to be Mile-high when the Denver Broncos face off against New England in Fox borough at 8PM ET on CBS…

Sunday, Jan 15
Can the Texans Arian Foster run roughshod over Ray Lewis and the mighty Baltimore Defense? And how will rookie QB T.J. Yates fair against the fourth-year Pro Joe Flacco? Tune-in Sunday at 1PM ET on CBS when Houston travels to Baltimore to find out.

And the road to Superbowl XL VI will potentially make New York shiver, as Eli and his ‘G-Men travel to a notoriously frigid Lambeau Field to play some good ‘Ol Smash-mouth Football against the high flying Packers and Aaron Rogers. As the Giants will be playing in front of a mass of Cheeseheads in another sold out game which you can catch on FOX at 4:30PM ET.

Haven’t checked the Odds makers yet - and hence, I’ll go out on a limb here by picking a clean sweep of Home teams, albeit I suppose that there may be an upset or two? As I’m guessing that’s why they play ‘em, right?

You Make The Call!

It would be fair to say that the decision to continue hosting the recently-completed World Cup of Golf in China until 2018 has not been universally welcomed.

Stinging criticism from Stephen Urquhart, the president of the competition’s title sponsor Omega, has claimed that China “is too immature a market to put the World Cup where it should be”. While Urquhart has a valid viewpoint to some degree, he is missing the point.

China’s golfing profile is on the up. Staging competitions such as the World Cup of Golf in China for a sustained period of time will only help to further raise awareness of the sport in the country and Asia as a whole. That in turn could boost revenue and lead to an increase in the amount of Asian, and more specifically Chinese, players taking on the world’s best.

Having being held in Shenzhen on the previous three occasions, the tournament switched this year to the Blackstone course at Mission Hills Haikou and the United States pair of Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland claimed a two-stroke victory ahead of England, Germany and Australia.

For the record, China finished 18th overall out of 28 teams and despite criticism from the likes of Urquhart, Ken Chu, chairman of the Mission Hills Group, is excited about the impact the World Cup of Golf can make in China.

Chu told the Korea Herald: “The World Cup is not as popular as other sports. For instance in China golf is only 25 years old. But it means there is a lot of room to grow.” The optimism of people like Chu is infectious – and is based around some impressive statistics. There was estimated to be only 20 or so courses in China in the 1980s. Nowadays, there are well in excess of 300 and interest in golf is increasing all the time.

There’s now not just a wealth of courses, but these are quality courses as well. Take Mission Hills Shenzhen, for example. The 12-course resort is widely recognized as the largest golf facility in the world.

The infrastructure is definitely in place for China to become a force in the golfing world. There are loads of luxury golf resorts and hotels to be found around the whole country.

What it really needs now to make a real breakthrough is for a player from China to make a name for themselves on a global level in much the same way that the likes of South Korean KJ Choi have in recent years.

So I tuned-in to the ‘DAWG’s vs. Bearz at the Alamo Bowl with the score 14-7, Baylor leading… Then RG3, who the Radio Announcers took to calling “Superman,” showed off why he’d been chosen the College Player of the year, along with winning the Heisman Trophy. As Robert Griffin III eluded not one, but three University of Washington Huskies Defenders… Breaking two tackles which should have rendered him down behind the line of scrimmage - for a 24-yard run to put his Baylor Bears ahead 21-7; as I was afraid I heard ‘Ol “Dandy Don” (Meredith) warming up in the background: “Turn Out the lights, the Party’s Over!”

As it was a predominantly Baylor prone crowd, with a sea of green ‘N gold adorning the 65,000-plus crowd hoping to celebrate Superman’s victory - potentially his final college game before turning Pro in 2012?

But alas, U-Dub had a thing or four to say about that! As I sat dumbfounded and chuckled merrily in glee as the ‘DAWG’s rolled off 28-unanswered points to go ahead 35-21 over (previously) No. Twelfth-ranked Baylor - before the Bears finally retaliated with a late Field Goal to knot the score at 35-24 at Halftime. With the total of 59-points setting a first-half scoring record…

And the stat’s kept on coming, with UW averaging 8.5-yars vs. Baylor’s 7-yards per completion during the first Half.

And the dizzying array of non-stop scoring kept going on as I couldn’t keep track of the Volleyball like ‘Spikes; Err scores tallied up. As even the Announcers seemed to be gasping for Oxygen whilst noting the scoreboard read Huskies 49, Bears 46 with 6:01-remaining in the Third Quarter!

Then as ex-UW and Seattle Seahawk QB Brock Huard said; Hey Yuhs gotta go with Brock on the radio if you’re listening from the Northwest! As half of KIRO 710AM’s “Brock & Sok Talk Show crew said: mark Chris Polk’s fumble as a turning point in the game - having just capitalized on an excellent run-back to Baylor’s 27-yard line.

As Griffin & Co. simply marched down the field - and with 58-seconds left in the Third Quarter, Baylor punched in for another TD, en route setting another record with its 53-49 lead; Baylor’s first lead since 21-14.

Yet ironically, it was Superman’s (RG3) opposite; as the announcers had previously read a Fan’s sign about RG3 being Superman in green socks… With University of Washington Quarterback Keith Price playing like Superman instead, as the sophomore arguably had to have his finest game statistically… Throwing for 438-yards, four Touchdowns and running for a further 3 TD’s; Yep! You read that right - seven Touchdowns, which outdid some Green Bay Packers back-up QB vs. Detroit! Not to mention that Griffin only passed and ran for a single TD apiece.

Thus grittily, Price marched his ‘DAWG’s downfield for another score and retook the lead 56-53. Yet it wasn’t to be the Huskies day, as first the non-existent Defense let Baylor score another go-ahead TD to lead 60-56, before capping off the game with another rushing Touchdown to put the game out of reach at 67-56.

And the Alamo Bowl smashed the previous record for total points in a regulation College Football Bowl game, racking up an incomprehensible 123-points; with the 2001 GMAC Bowl of 102-points being the previous record. Although that Bowl Game went to Double Overtime and hence still holds the overall record with 125-points - thus making it the second highest scoring game to date…

Another record was the combined total yardage of 1,377-yards… With the best Quip in the local Fish-wrap being that 777 isn’t a number, it’s an Airplane! (As in the Boeing 777…) As that’s the number of yards the Baylor Bears racked-up upon the Huskies. And although neither team appeared to have any Defense, Baylor’s crushing total was the final straw in the ‘DAWG’s problematic defense and led to the firing of Defensive Coordinator Nick Holt, along with the Linebackers coach Mike Cox and Safeties coach Jeff Mills a scant two-days later; whilst Cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin had previously left to join Jim Mora at UCLA.

Yet apparently Head Coach Steve Sarkisian struck fast, as two Tennessean’s with past Northwest connections have already been hired. With Tennessee’s Justin Wilcox being announced as the new Defensive Coordinator. While Peter Sirmon, also a former Tennessee ‘Vol was announced as the new Linebackers coach.

And I was unaware that College Football has a limit to Fulltime Staffing positions with a total of nine; while UW currently has seven positions filled, with vacancies at the Safety’s and Cornerbacks positions, which could be combined into a single role…

Now that the lockout is finally over and the NBA is getting set to get back on track, it’s time to play the games and quit talking about it. Well, almost. The shortened NBA regular season could prove difficult for many teams to handle, with little to no practice making it hard for teams to pull together in time for the start of the regular season. For the Chicago Bulls, it might be tougher than it has been in a couple of years, even with fresh, young players and a squad full of talent. The Chicago Bulls Schedule is absolutely loaded with great matchups, none bigger than an opening season road game against the Lakers in Los Angeles.

But even though NBA fans should be drooling over the chance to see Derrick Rose go head-to-head with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, the season might just come down to whether or not they can beat the Miami Heat. The Chicago Bulls have some powerful weapons, however, that will help them keep up the pace with the likes of the triple threat of Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James. Not only do the Heat have the transcendent superstars at the top of their roster, they also made a smart play by picking up Shane Battier, a seasoned veteran who will make it much more difficult on opposing teams this year.

The Bulls have their own set of all-stars that may not form a triple threat, but does form an all-around stellar lineup that is actually more complete and balanced than Miami’s. Their big star at the moment, of course, is Derrick Rose, a quick, electrifying point guard who always knows how to put pressure on opposing defenses. Rose won the MVP last year and continues to impress not only as a great player on the court but a great leader as well.

Another big-time leader is Joakim Noah, the talented, energetic forward who is nothing short of a defensive sparkplug when he comes into the game. Though some may worry about players not being in game shape, that isn’t likely to be a problem with Noah, a player generally considered one of the hardest workers in the NBA. With Noah’s diverse defensive abilities and talent at securing rebounds, the Bulls have a defensive anchor that will make the team very difficult to score on.

The player that might need to turn it up a notch, however, is Carlos Boozer, who struggled with injury last season and wasn’t able to give the Bulls the boost they needed. While the Heat have the Triple Threat and other teams are amassing a collection of superstars, Boozer needs to play like a true second option to help out Derrick Rose, who was limited in the playoffs once good teams focused on making him a jump shooter.

With Boozer back and healthy and Rose ready to lead the Bulls into battle, their opening season Christmas Day battle with the Lakers should be a great game that will give NBA fans a sneak peek of things to come this NBA season. If the Bulls can secure a huge road win to start the year, it can also be a confidence-builder that could propel them in the early going of the regular season.