Wish Me Luck

Follow my antics on Twitter: @badanes

Fulfilling a lifetime wish, I will be spending the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tourney in Vegas.

Tee It Up!!

Q: If a punt is in the air while the game clock expires and the receiver signals and makes a fair catch, is the game over?

• Danny Clark, LB, Giants: "Yes."
• Madison: "Yes."
• Damon Huard, QB, Chiefs: "If the punter touched it, then the game is over."
• Ray Rice, RB, Ravens: "Yes."
• Pace: "Yes. It's an untimed play, isn't it?
• Correct answer: No, the receiving team can try a fair-catch kick.

Q: What is a fair-catch kick?

• Brendon Ayanbadejo, LB, Ravens: "The ball is put on the tee, or maybe there's a holder holding it, but there's nobody covering."
• Jarret Johnson, LB, Ravens: "You kick from the 50, off the tee. You can cover it. We've gone over it in meetings, but you don't practice it because it's the kicker kicking off a tee."
• Correct answer: A fair-catch kick is a field goal attempt following a fair catch. It can be a placekick or dropkick, but no tee may be used. It cannot be defensed.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3737653

Who Knew?

That ole Brady Quinn is a McCainiac.



I guess Brady knows a bit about supporting a cause with little shot of succeeding. He is, after all, an Irish football alum.

Merkle's Boner

Very rarely in sports does one have the opportunity to celebrate a centennial. Today, September 23, 2008 is the one-hundred year anniversary of Fred Merkle's bonehead play (boner, get it?) that cost his New York Giants the 1908 National League pennant. This story is ingrained in my childhood. For my sixth birthday, my mom bought me a hardcover book Baseball Players do Amazing Things. I read it literally once a week. I could probably recite the section on Merkle and his boner from memory.

In September of 1908, the Chicago Cubs, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates were in a heated race for the National League Pennant.

[Side Note: The Cubbies were led by their one-two combo of 'Big' Ed Reullbach (24-7, 7 Shutouts) and Mordecai 'Three Finger' Brown (29-9, 9 shutouts). On September 26th, with the Cubbies holding on to a tenuous 1/2 game lead, the Cubs sent Big Ed to start the first game of a double header. Apparently player-manager Frank Chance couldn't find his pitch counter, as Big Ed never left the mound, pitching back-to-back Complete Game Shutouts. I think it is fair to say that this record will never be broken]

On September 23, the Cubs met the Giants at the Polo Grounds. In the bottom of the 9th, with the score tied at 1, Fred Merkle singled and moved teammate Moose McCormick to third on the play. Al Bridwell came to the plate, first and third, two outs. Bridwell smacked a shallow single in center and McCormick came home with the winning run. Bedlam ensues. The Giant fans, held back by just a rope in some places, storm the field. Merkle meets Bridwell at first base and celebrates with him.

Cubbies second baseman Johnny Evers noticed that Merkle never tagged second and that the force play was still in effect. Here's where it gets hairy. Newspaper accounts claim that the Giants skipper saw what Evers was up to and tossed the game ball into the stands. Evers ran up into the stands, found a baseball (no one will ever know if it was the right one), grabbed the umpire and stepped on second base. After some cajoling, Hank O' Day agreed that it was a force and the inning was over. Since they could not get the Polo Grounds faithful off the field, they called the game a tie and agreed to make it up on the last day of the season.

The Giants and Cubs finished the season tied at 98-55, with the Pirates a half game behind. The make up game had to be played. Needless to say, the Cubs won and went on to beat the Tigers to continue the Cub dynasty. At that point, they had won three straight NL pennants and two of the first five World Series.

As old as it gets, Merkle's boner stands firm against the test of time. Maybe he should see a doctor about that...

Tribune
MLB

I Don't Care

I don't care if Michael Vick didn't really throw balls out of the stadium or if LeBron didn't nail 85 footers with regularity or if Kobe didn't jump over that car...




This is freaking sweet. It looks so realistic, though I'm sure Ham or Eon will claim they could put this together with 30 minutes on Apple's Final Cut Pro.

Give props to Reebok for a fantastic viral marketing campaign.

The Windy City

As I was in Chicago for a conference, I decided to take in a baseball game at the Friendly Confines. Finding great seats and a pair of Old Styles, a colleague and I sat in for a perfect summer evening contest. I called E-on, and he warned, "Hey, you might want to watch out, there's a bad storm arriving in an hour." Literally 59 minutes later, the grounds crew came out and covered the field. What happens next was legendary. Universally agreed as the worst storm to hit Wrigley since Lucky Charlie Weegham broke ground on the park in February 1914. Enjoy the above video for a taste of the terror.

Flip Stickin' It

Flip goes pin seeking at the Pit.

The Only Game Played at the World Series

Quick hat-tip to the blogging by my college buddy John on his poker blog. John finished 18th in last year's WSOP Main Event. He has over a half million in tournament winnings. He's starting Day 2B of the M.E. in just a few minutes.

"Key Hand #5: Level 3, 150-300
I think if I had to pick, this would go down as "hand of the day" yesterday (although there are some other candidates coming). So for this hand, we need to reflect on Barbara Enright and what we'll just call "solid poker player". She's plenty smart enough to put someone else on a huge hand and lay down a big hand if bets are laid out in a PERFECT manner. Trust me, one miss step and any seasoned player will see right through your bluff and crush you (I know, I feel like I make huge calls with marginal hands when playing at the Commerce in L.A. because bad players make bluffs that just don't make sense...and if it doesn't make sense, it actually becomes an easy call despite how big the bet might be). Anyway, I'm in the BB and she's on the button. I'm dealt JJ, which I'm excited about, but there is a limper from EP, then Barbara makes her biggest preflop raise of the day up to 1,800. At this point, it is screaming KK or AA, so my J's look no good, right? Well, I follow my 10x rule, see that she has plenty of chips to make my call worth the potential, so I smooth call. The EP raiser folds. So my logic is at this point, I know she has AA or KK, so let's see if I can either spike a J on the flop or represent something and take the hand away from her. The flop comes out a BEAUTIFUL 7, 6, 5. You might be thinking at home, "why is that a good thing for you John??" Well, think about it from her perspective. What types of hands would I be playing? If she pegs me as a solid player, I'd actually lay down AQ or AJ quite easily to her preflop bet. The only hands I'm going to call with would be pocket pairs... so I just might have 7's , 6's or 5's...or even 8's or 4's would be a decent hand given this board. So there are 5 hands I might have that might have her either crushed or worried. Another key component of this hand is "how would I play a set if I had a set..." Rookies will often slow play sets waiting for their opponents to bet. I believe it is better to actually lead out with them hoping to score a major pot. Anyway, I'm first to act and I do indeed bet $2,000 into the $4,000 chip pot. She min-raises to $4,000. I smooth call to set her up for a bigger score. The turn comes a 4...even more perfect! Now I could conceivably any pocket pair from 8's to 4's would have her A's or K's crushed! I mock some frustration/fear and check...she fires 4k into the 10k pot (she has about 14k behind). Without hesitation, I reraise her 14k! Doyle Brunson once said, the key to NL Hold 'em is to putting a player into a difficult choice for all their chips. Barbara can either call my bet and risk going home, or she can assume what is somewhat reasonable that I have one of those pocket pairs, make the "big laydown" and live to play some more. There was very, very, very little doubt that she'd fold. Anyway, she thought for a few minutes and finally muttered under her breath "making such big laydowns...geez!"... I later heard her whisper to a friend that she did, indeed fold AA here. Anyway, when all added up, I stole 10k of her stack for free! Woohoo! Teachable conclusion: Sometimes it is easier to bluff a good player because they are "smart enough" to put you on that huge hand. Just be careful, because if any part of the bet does not make sense, they'll see right through it."

For anyone interested in NL Tournament Hold 'Em strategy, I hold this blog in as high regard as Doyle's Super System II.

Ambidextrawesomeness

What happens when a switch handed pitcher meets a switch hitter? Hilarity ensues. Seriously, there needs to be a rule about who has the 'last say' over from which side of the plate or mound the action will ensue. A rule that is uniform and transparent. Like this.

Duke's Day in Court

Five years ago, Duke and Louisville entered into a contract to play four football games together over the next decade. After a 40-3 drubbing in September 2002, the Duke Athletic Department decided to renege on the deal, canceling the last three games. Part of the contract called for either team to pay a penalty of $150K per game if a "team of similar stature" could not be found to fill the date. Louisville sued Duke for $450K plus any and all applicable ancillary costs.

The trial hinged on the meaning of a "team of similar stature". In my opinion, a top-tier program like Louisville schedules a Duke to be a cupcake on their relatively hard Big East slate. Duke however, made the opposite argument. They stated that since the program is 6-45 over the past five years, literally any team in Division 1 would be a "team of similar stature". After arguments from the Duke lawyers laying the case that its team was the worst program in Division 1, the judge agreed:

"At oral argument, Duke (with a candor perhaps more attributable to good legal strategy than to institutional modesty) persuasively asserted that this is a threshold that could not be any lower. Duke's argument on this point cannot be reasonably disputed by Louisville."

Say what you will (and we can) about the big money issues of college football scheduling, I find it hilarious that Duke went to court to prove that their football team is horrible. I would love to see the transcript on this one.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3455278

Mr. Red Took a Great Fall

I am fascinated by mascots. They are inherently funny. I love this video.

Nice Catch.... Butterfingers!

KB24 4 MVP

I know this has been circulating on the internets, but I had to post it here in case anyone hasn't seen it yet. I'm fascinated by this video. I've heard that it is fake, but impressive none-the-less. And, I'm convinced that he could actually do it. The action is at the 34 second mark.

This on the other hand, is completely real:

Competitive Imbalance

Let's categorize this one under depressing for most small and mid market baseball teams.

A-Rod is paid more than the entire Florida Marlins roster.

This is unbelievable. A-Rod will make $28M this season, the 33 player Florida Marlins? $21.8M. The average salary in the bigs just passed $3M, yet the Marlins do not have a single player that makes the AVERAGE.

Revenue sharing and a hard cap is what has made the NFL the dominant American sports league. Greater revenue sharing and a minimum salary floor is what's necessary to fix MLB.

A Diamond in the Rough

The Washington Post has a fantastic look at the New Nationals Park here. It has fantastic panaromas, videos and HD pictures. Can't wait to spend the summer at this new gem.

The Perils of Live TV

I realize that this clip is all over the Internet, but it must be shared here.

As Berm can attest, it's hard to find good help.

The Game

With all apologies to the upcoming Battle of Ohio, the biggest game left on the Bengals schedule has to be the season finale in South Florida versus the winless Miami Dolphins. Allow me to look ahead for one moment and predict two more losses for the Fins, a desperate loss to the hapless Ravens and a massacre in Foxboro to the juggernaut Patriots.

Assuming both those games, the Bengals will travel to South Beach for a December 30th game against the 0-15 Dolphins, trying to 'perfect' the first winless season since the 0-14 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

As a Bengals fan, you've got to be worried.

Who's to say that the Bengals, having been out of the playoff picture since Thanksgiving, wont just punt the game away? Here's hoping that the Bengals play the game as their own SuperBowl, and make it their season goal to bury the Dolphins into football immortality.

Memo to the BCS

To: Acting BCS President; BCS Conference Commissioners, BCS Conference AD’s, BCS Conference School Presidents

From: Dav

Re: Winter Madness

Here are my findings from our 11/19 meeting in which you put me on retainer to find a solution to the quagmire that is major college football. After a full review of past history, financial implications and the burdens on our student-athletes, I’m ready to put forth for your consideration a proposal – a ten team playoff dubbed Winter Madness.

Consider the current BCS Standings.

The top ten teams are:

1. Ohio State (Big Ten Champ)
2. LSU (SEC Champ)
3. Virginia Tech (ACC Champ)
4. Oklahoma (Big 12 Champ)
5. Georgia (SEC At Large)
6. Missouri (Big 12 At Large)
7. USC (PAC 10 Champ)
8. Kansas (Big 12 At Large)
9. West Virginia (Big East Champ)
10. Hawaii (WAC At Large)

Opening Round:

You asked me to preserve the importance of the regular season. In meeting this goal, conference champions will be afforded a first round bye in Winter Madness. The opening round of Winter Madness will be the third Saturday in December, after first semester final exams have concluded. These games will be home game sites for the higher ranked team. This year, #5 Georgia will host #10 Hawaii and #6 Missouri will host #8 Kansas, on Saturday, December 15^th.

The two losers will be placed into the Cotton and the Outback New Year’s Day Bowls, based on a pre-determined selection order.

The winners will move on to the next Round.

Round of Eight:

You asked me to preserve the importance of the four BCS bowls. In a rotating order, the four BCS bowls will have their selection in choosing the matchup they would most want to host. Assuming the favored hosts win in the play-in round, the round of eight would look like this:

1. #1 Ohio State v. #9 West Virginia (Rose)
2. #2 LSU v. #7 USC (Sugar)
3. #3 VaTech v. #6 Missouri (Fiesta)
4. #4 Oklahoma v. #5 Georgia (Orange)

I would bet that the Rose would love to snatch up OSU, as they haven’t played in the Rose Bowl in ten full years. Additionally, perhaps the Sugar wants the local Tigers to fill the Superdome.

National Semifinals:

These games would be played on a rotating basis at two of the four BCS sites, held on the second Saturday after New Years Day. Every other year, rather than one year in four, would the four marquee bowls get to host of game of national importance. You asked me to respect the schedules of the student athletes. National Semifinals will conclude before the start of second semesters. My predictions in the above games would be as follows:

1. #9 West Virginia v. #4 Oklahoma
2. #2 LSU v. #6 Missouri

National Championship:

You asked me to create an event that would combine the passion of America's favorite tournament (March Madness) with America's favorite day (the SuperBowl). Ideally held during the bye week between the NFL Conference Championships and the SuperBowl, college football has its pinnacle event. Use the SuperBowl /Final Four model, rotating the game between warm weather destinations and stadiums fit to hold 60,000+ fans. Create a week for showcasing all that is good with college athletics.

1. #4 Oklahoma v. #2. LSU

Additional points:

1. Cut the regular season down one (or even two) games. There is no reason that teams should play 12 regular season games.

2. Limit August practice substantially. With the new NCF season extending into mid January for a handful of teams, the start of the season should be moved back. Teams won’t have to be worried that an early season loss will kill their national title hopes.

3. When you do finally agree to set up this Winter Madness, agree to pay the architect, Dav, one-tenth of one percent of the television contract. With this, I will comfortably retire from professional work and bring my problem solving skills to the quagmire in the Middle East.

The Roof Has Caved In

It's official. The Roof era is over at Duke University.

With the 20-14 OT loss to rival North Carolina on Saturday, Duke AD Joe Alleva decided to part ways with embattled head coach Ted Roof. Roof's tenure with the Blue Devils concludes with a 6-45 record over 4+ seasons, including winning only 1 of his final 32 games.

Now, we move on to the ignominious task of searching for a new head coach for arguably the worst program in the BCS conferences.

Four years ago, I argued loudly and publicly to anyone who would listen that the Devils should make their move for a former Duke coach, one who was struggling in the NFL and looking for a return to college. I stated that Joe Alleva should have driven straight to Washington and make the ole ball coach Steve Spurrier the highest paid coach in college football history. Alas, this did not happen, as Duke went in-house and hired the retread defensive coordinator. Spurrier, on the other hand, went to South Carolina, a program with nearly as much futility as Duke, and built it into a national program in three short years.

Now, Duke stands at another crossroads. There is momentum to hire either the offensive or defensive coordinator as to not shake up the current chemistry and players. I dare them to do this. Tired ideas get you nowhere.

Here's an idea. How about the hottest coach in the country, one with NFL experience, and a unique mindset towards running an offense. Duke should make a move for Hawaii's June Jones.

While it may be tough to lure Jones from Hawaii to North Carolina, Jones is losing star QB Colt Brennan after this season and is itching for a chance to prove that his system can work at a major level. Moreover, I think Jones could take an athletic QB like sophomore Thaddeus Lewis and work wonders.

Will Duke make the bold decision? Or will they make the 'safe' choice?

We're sorry Houston... Cleveland...

Thanks to a blackout in Oakland due to a non-sellout of the game, the only markets that wont see the Pats-Colts in Super Bowl 41.5 are Houston and Cleveland. Houston, due to seeing the Texans-Raiders affair and Cleveland as their home team plays a game on FOX during the same time slot.

We're sorry. Go out to the bar Houston and Cleveland. This game will be well worth it.