We're moving!

The newspapers where I work has a new web site (www.thebrightonblade.com, www.cvfrmerandminer,com, www.ftluptonpress.com, www.commercecitysentinel.com) with plenty of room for such things as blogs and public comment.
It's good news professionally. It's not good news for this spot. We're going to have to move.
So come on over. We'll still do the same things we've always done – gripe, whine, praise, discuss. We just have to do it in a difference place.
See you at the new home ...

It's all in the headline

It won't sit well with sports talk radio – or its fans.
Tough.
Some background is in order. "Galarraga" is Detroit pitcher Armando Galarrga, he of the 28-out perfect game in early June. "Joyce" is umpire Jim Joyce, who forced the 28-out no-hitter with a blown call at first base with two outs in the ninth inning.
Here's the headline.
"Tigers' Galarraga says Joyce reunion not big deal."
It shouldn't be to anyone with something to do.

Not a Tweeter yet

Former champ and now tennis commentator John McEnroe offered up this comment the other night about the social networking site, Twitter.
"I'd rather Tweet in skin-tight tennis shorts and wooden rackets."

Have to know the territory

Saw this item during the Rockies game last night ---
Seems a deaf Giants pitcher -- who communicated in sign language -- was thrown out of a game in 1908 for using foul sign language in front of an umpire.
Who also happened to be deaf.
Robert Preston and his friends in "The Music Man" were right.
You've got know the territory.

Let the picture tell the story

Quite a contrast in play-by-play styles Monday night.
On the one hand, there was the Rockies TV team that could not keep its mouths shut. Every second of available quiet time was filled with something verbal – and not necessarily important to the flow of the game.
On the other hand, a Dodgers' pitcher was throwing a no-hitter, which meant a chance to listen to Vin Scully, thanks to ESPN's practice of showing the late stages of no-hitters. At one point, Scully commented that the picture told the story of the drama before us and that (translating), aside from some limited play by play, it was time for him to be quiet just like we were.
Note to the Rockies announcers. Try it sometime. It's less harmful on ear drums, and it lets your audience play along with the subtleties of the game.

Ramirez and Guillen in Chicago

The mere thought of Manny Ramirez and Ozzie Guillen trying to co-exist in Chicago for 30-something games boggles the mind.
I'm not sure why the White Sox jumped all over the chance to get the moody slugger from the Dodgers. It won't cost them a lot -- about $4 million or so for the rest of the season.
Anyone with thoughts?

Lots of "I" in Anthony

Carmelo Anthony is a good basketball player.
But his ego could very well get in the way of a pretty decent career.
He's demanding a trade from the Nuggets, and he has a list of teams in mind.
Good.
Denver doesn't need that sort of headache.

18-game schedule in the NFL?

Could happen as soon as 2012.
The NFL would like to expand the schedule to increase revenues. The players would like to wait and see how much more money they can get out of a new collective bargaining arrangement and see how much more risk of injury there is from two more games.
Eighteen games seems like a lot. What do you think?

Trash talking -- in sign language?

The world of sign language is a wonderful thing to experience.
With just a little bit of attention, it's easy to figure out a basic subject of the discussion among the deaf community – perhaps even the exact words if you are a step above the rest.
The other day, I watched five people who were hard of hearing trade barbs about catching footballs and the like. It was quite a treat -- even though I don't know sign language at all.
There was some of this too -- hands going up, hands waving back and forth and the fingers wiggling.
It means applause. But even if that's not real apparent, the smiles on everyone's faces were easy to translate in any language.

The best news didn't come from Arizona

Not a chance. There's no excuse for Colorado to lose two of three to one of the worst teams in baseball.
So we'll go a little farther west and gladly report that L.A. Dodgers announcer Vin Scully will be back for a 62nd season calling Dodgers' games next year.
Treat yourself to one of his games, either through a cable TV package or something on the internet. He works alone. He doesn't rely on shtick to get him through the games. Because he works alone, he visits with you as a listener. And, as many a columnist points out, he doesn't analyze every little nuance of the game. Because he's been around so long, he assumes the audience has a modicum of intelligence about the game.
The rest of the news from the Dodgers won't be as good. They are old. They will lose a lot of their players, and their owners are going through a very nasty, public divorce.
Yet through all that, there is one constant. Scully's voice.
That may be the best part of next season for the Dodgers.

Just one more thing ...

We'll do the sane world a favor and paraphrase comments from that "can't ever retire gracefully" quarterback in Minnesota.
He said he did it for the team. Translation? His wife and family can't fit in the same house with that monster ego parading around all year.
He says this is his last season. Interpretation? All those who've heard that comment, move to the right.
Check back again next year. I'm sure the quarterback in question will pop up somewhere. And I'm just as sure we will be treated to another mind-numbing saga of "As the Favre Turns."

Future story

I'd be interested in some thoughts from folks about the new athletic fees in the 27J School District .. $100 per sport and no cap.
Fire away ---

The world is still spinning properly

Next to the $33 million, third-string quarterback in Denver, the only other quarterback getting so much attention for doing so little at this time of the preseason is that guy in Minnesota -- you know, the "can't make up my mind if I want to retire" guy?
Guess that means more breathless coverage of people flying to somewhere in Mississippi, watching said quarterback show up in camp, attending his first meeting, tying his shoes, tying someone else's shoes.
There's an axiom in journalism that says, rather simply, the fact you have access to something doesn't mean you should use it.
This charade is pretty intentional, and it's getting real old.

Weird tourney finish

Not sure which was weirder yesterday -- the overall finish to the PGA championship in Wisconsin or the fact that, locally, it was moved to a cable-access channel because of impending preseason football coverage.
The potential PGA champion grounds his club for a two-shot penalty on the 18th hole and misses out on a playoff. The golfer admitted grounding the club and admitted not reading the rules ahead of time ...
Jump in and give your take.

New low in Broncos coverage

Channel 4's instant access to the Denver Broncos produced one of the most worthless stories in 35 years of some pretty bad Broncos coverage.
It was a spoof on quarterback Tim Elbow's haircut -- the one that made him look like a monk. The lead sports person cut someone's hair (don't you need a license for that?), then paraded the kid in front of the $33 million third-string man who has yet to do anything other than get a hair cut.
It belonged on the station's weekly recap of all things Broncos. It had no place in the 10 p.m. newscast.

Time out from sports, time in for friends

GOLDEN -- It was a trip for research into an upcoming story.
It turned out – in part – to see a friend I hadn't seen in years. His name is Tom Young. He was paralyzed 20 years ago during a rescue on Lookout Mountain. His story is on the link ...

http://www.pinnacol.com/acom_docs/annual_report_2009/PinnacolVideos/video1.html

This doesn't seem right

Pittsburgh, one of the worst teams in the majors, splits a four-game series with the Rockies, picked by some to win the N.L. Western Division but a team that apparently can't play on the road and obviously defines Jekyll and Hyde to a "T."
So what do the Pirates do? They fired their bench coach and hitting coach today.
Say what?

Just imagine

I'm trying to think of the day when that former Florida quarterback -- someone Elbow? – actually does something on the football field.
It will be a day of breaking news. Someone will start KLBO Radio – all-Elbow, all the time. There will be posters, fliers. Theater audiences will stand as one and sing the praises.
All for a completed pass.
Until then, we will be treated to breathless updates about him tying his shoes, flopping in mudholes and scruffy beards.
And bulletins as they break.

He's at it again

Great line on the radio this morning, courtesy of Jim Ribble of CNN Radio.
"Brett Favre has decided to retire – for the umpteenth time.
"Guess we have six more weeks of summer."

Little League oversteps replay

The Little League World Series will expand its replay rules to include including force outs, tags on base paths, missed bases and hit batters this year.
It smacks of overkill.
It takes away the judgment part of the umpires' efforts. In this day and age where we blame everyone for everything, who doesn't mind a poorly founded discussion for a week about an umpire's wrong call?
The other thing that's particularly galling has to do with the umpires themselves. They are volunteers. To subject men and women who do this for the love of the game to this sort of scrutiny is hard to comprehend.
At least ESPN can put its 5,000 replay angles to some use.

Haden good choice @ USC

USC could have done far worse in its choice of a new athletic director.
From appearances on TV and judging from his background, Pat Haden will do just fine as the new athletics boss at his alma mater.
Mike Garrett can go off into the sunset thinking everyone was envious of his beloved Trojans. But when someone offers the phrase "lack of institutional control" as a description of part of your watch, there can't be a lot of envy involved.

ESPN gets hammered – and rightfully so

Whether it wasnt to admit it or not, ESPN sold its journalistic soul for the LeBron James epic decision a few weeks ago.
It basically paid for the exclusive interview and the content, a no-no unless you are TMZ or the National Enquirer.
Visit espn.com, click on "columns" and then the Ombudsman link. Don Ohlmeyer wrote a wonderful recap of the ESPN debacle ... it's a long read but worth every ounce of energy and second of time.
I'm not surprised .. sad but not surprised. It's all about ratings these days, especially at ESPN, without regard for anything resembling good old-fashioned reporting and avoiding things like paying for stories.
What amazes me is that there are no solid guidelines for ESPN and its reporters to handle such things. And they've been in the business for 30-something years.

Love those Trojans

First Pete Carroll bolts USC for a league where he had no success.
Then the NCAA uses really flattering words like "lack of institutional control" to describe most of Carroll's reign at USC and the shenanigans of a basketball player to boot.
Then Carroll says the penalties don't fit the facts.
The athletic director, Mike Garrett, tells a group of supporters everyone else is envious. Some of the supporters don't buy it.
Lots of heads are in the sand in Trojan land these days. The problem is the holes are getting smaller, the sand is filling in. And if Garrett keeps his job, then pigs really do fly.

All Star changes due?

Perhaps it's time for the baseball all-star game to change its rules.
After seeing an American League roster controlled by teams from New York and Boston and remembering the mandate that every team has to have one player on board, it makes it kind of silly to subject this exercise to a fan vote every year.
So -- here are some thoughts. The boss, Kevin Denke, had the best one. Get rid of the one-player-per-team rule. No one on the East Coast (the slant is in that direction, obviously) cares about the Seattle Mariners, nor should they. If the East Coast bean counters and fans want to see the Yankees-Sox take on the rest of the majors, have at it. I'm sure the ratings would be great. But don't masquerade it as an all-star game.
Thirty-four players a team? That's absurd, unless you plan to play 15 innings minimum so everyone can play. Everyone from the 25th player on down won't play, even if the game does go 15 innings.
The Eastern Division is stronger than the West in both the NL and AL. No problem there. The East Coast is where the fan base is. No problem there either. But to continue this exercise of an all-star game where fans' votes count doesn't hold water.

Count me out

So LeBron James is buying an hour of time on ESPN (where else?) to inform the world of his new choice of basketball team.
Big deal.
It smells of Tiger Woods' mea culpa from a few months back -- "I'll pick the spot, the interviewers, the questions." Just in case you're curious, buying an hour of time is more commonly associated with infomercials.
I can find other things to do instead of watching an hour of ESPN's breathless hyperbole (they are quite good at it) and then another hour of dissecting their created hyperbole. Most intelligent people will.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, bedtime @ Wimbledon

It's only the first round, but if this one's any indication, it could be a great Wimbledon.
John Isner of the U.S. and France's Nicholas Mahut are tied at 59 games all in the fifth set of their first-round match. It was suspended Tuesday night and again today because of darkness. At Wimbledon, the fifth set is played until someone wins by two games.
Needless to say, it's the longest match in Wimbledon history.

Kersplat

Has anyone seen a complete and utter collapse the size of France's in the World Cup?
They don't like the coach – he may not last very long, according to some. And they played like it yesterday against South Africa.
That's why the inmates don't run the asylum.
And that's why France went home early.

Jimenez gets short shrift

Did you ever think we'd see the day when a Rockies pitcher would be 13-1 and throw a no-hitter in the same season?
Wonder what the rest of the baseball world thinks of Ubaldo Jiminez?
Wonder if anyone who watches network baseball has any idea who he is?
I stopped wondering a long time ago.
Why? He'll never make national TV coverage. There's no interest in any team west of St. Louis.
Too bad. The rest of the world is missing out on the start of what could be a wonderful season.

Two sports, different interest levels

On the one hand, we have the National Football League which is practically drooling all over itself to put a team in Los Angeles.
This is in spite of the fact that Angelinos have said repeatedly they don't want pro football and in spite of the fact there doesn't seem to be much of a place to put a new stadium or much interest in renovating existing facilities.
On the other hand, we have Major League Baseball and its broadcast network partners, which can't stand the thought of showing a game from Los Angeles or a game with a Los
Angeles team on the field. Wonder of wonders – the Dodgers were on the national game last night and will be on again this weekend.
Why?
Because Boston and the New York Yankees are providing the opposition.
In this corner, the cry of "setting up a schedule with the most interest to the most people" rings a little hollow these days.

Never ceases to amaze

A team (of choice) wins a professional championship.
That note is always followed by some sort of violence that's related to the post-championship party.
Haven't been able to figure that one out.
Happened again last night in L.A. after the Lakers won the ugliest Game 7 you will ever see. Apparently there's some sort of inherent right to destroy property, throw things and get arrested after your local team does well.
Not sure that form of party is worth even the slightest blemish on a criminal record. But no one asked.

Conference carousel

Expiring TV contracts started the nation's collegiate athletic conferences talking about the process of deciding who will play where.
Most of the attention is on the Big 12 (CU's home), the Pac-10 (a new home, perhaps, for the Buffaloes) and the Mountain West.
I'm not the biggest fan of CU in the world. But if they are trying to bolster their football and basketball teams (the two main revenue sports that draw the attention of the TV deal writers), the Pac-10 isn't the place to do it.
CU doesn't have the facilities that a lot of schools have. They don't recruit in-state particularly well. And their teams don't compete against the likes of Texas very well. I'm hard-pressed to see how they would compete against USC or UCLA.
CU may not have a choice. And CU may be stuck in permanent moribund status for quite some time when this finishes making its way through the collegiate sifter

Another coach died, too

It seemed like everyone in Fort Lupton knew former coach Dick Stalcup – or at least wanted to say something about him.
Stalcup died after a stroke Memorial Day weekend. His celebration of life service starts at 10 a.m. June 12 at Floyd Acre Gym on the high school campus. There's a story about him in Wednesday's edition of the Fort Lupton Press.
Considering the circumstances, his widow, Cindy, is one of the strongest people you'd ever want to visit with. She wanted to talk about her late husband ... and what she said may move you to bawl like a baby.
Like me.

ESPN comes up short – again

Seems like we've been beating up on ESPN of late.
Sorry – but here's another round.
ESPN's coverage of the death of John Wooden was quite good – in large part because they left the commentary to other people and not their writers.
Most of the anchors weren't born when Wooden's teams were winning 10 of 12 NCAA championships or winning 38 games in a row in the NCAA tournament.
And I'll bet they could have cared less.
It wasn't too difficult to look underneath the stoic faces on the television Friday night and Saturday morning and see a bunch of people ready to crack wise about anything. That's what they are paid to do. It's very difficult for ESPN's wannabe broadcasters to actually impart information without a certain smirk.
If you look on the Web, there are many wonderful tributes about John Wooden, his coaching ability and his ability to mold young men (far more important than his coaching career). One of the best is from longtime L.A. Dodgers announcer Vin Scully. It lasts about a minute and, with some help from Skakespeare, Scully (as is usually the case) says more in less time than anyone else can.
The last word belongs to Kevin Denke, who runs the newsroom here at MetroWest Newspapers.
"I think trying to explain the importance of John Wooden is a lost art and unfortunately, in our day and age, a lost cause."

Excuse me --- but there's a game in front of you

ESPN did a simply horrible job in covering the aftermath of the near-perfect game in Detroit Wednesday night.
An umpire's missed call at first base cost a Detroit pitcher a perfect game.
Instead of paying attention to the game that was unfolding, they took great pains to yelp and scream and bellow about the injustice of a bad call (and it was not very good – the umpire admitted it afterward) for the last six innings of the game – without adding anything new to the discussion.
I don't buy into the idea that there are people tuning in and out and didn't see it or hear about it. ESPN runs a crawling ticker across the bottom of the screen. You didn't see it? Read it -- many times in the span of an hour.
Their "guests" (two of the network's paid analysts) said the same thing – it was a bad call. Everyone agrees. Find something new to talk about or drop the subject.
When the between inning highlight piece of plastic hair wearing the nice suit said, "He was out by a mile," I wanted to make sure I was watching the right highlight. The distance was closer to a half a step.
When Dave O'Brien, who normally does a good job, started in his wrap-up by saying, "On a night when Major League Baseball may start talking about changing its replay system," I wanted to upchuck.
One of the major complaints about ESPN and all of its forums is the tendency to turn all of the announcers and analysts into stars. Give it to 'em. It's one less place I will have to find them.

This one's obvious

After last night's missed umpire call in Detroit (a call that cost a perfect game), the question is should baseball expand its replay capabilities?
My thought? No. Baseball simply cannot stop games every time there's an argument on the field. I don't like Joe West's attitude, but he's right to this extent. The games take too long as it is now.
The only intelligent comment I heard about expanding replay last night was to give each manager a challenge flag, similar to what the college and pro football folks do. That's acceptable. Challenging every potential missed call – not on your life.

From English to jibberish

The end of the Western Conference finals a few nights ago meant the end of Doug Collins' latest round of analyzing NBA games for TNT. He's the new coach for the Philadelphia 76ers.
It also means (more than likely) the ascent of Reggie Miller into the lead analyst's role alongside veteran play-by-play man Marv Albert next year.
That's a shame.
Collins understands the game inside and out without resorting to playground speak. He can explain the game to an audience that represents all walks of life and society, not just the gym rats and those with an advanced degree in "newspeak," which isn't intelligible to a lot of people.
Owners aren't known for a lot of patience. So Collins may very well be back in the analyst's chair in short order. But short-term, it's a loss for TNT. No question.

No East Coast baseball bias? ...

In case you missed any of the other national TV appearances by the New York Yankees, you can catch them four more times this week.
I know that any time the Yankees sneeze, it makes news – sort of like a local pro football team. But even the most ardent baseball fan would like a little pepper in their baseball diet.
For those who say the Yankees and anyone are a better draw than other available games, you're probably right. But explain to me how a recent Yankees-Red Sox game (sorry, can't remember which one. Seems like most of their series has been on the tube) drew 23 percent less of an audience than at a comparable time a year ago.
Can you say "overkill?"
I can.
And do.

Is that right?

The breathless hyperbole that preceded the Nuggets' victory the other night included this gem ...
The lead announcer reminded his audience that only eight teams have rallied from 3-1 deficits to win a best-of-seven series in NBA history – and that all eight had won the fifth game of the series.
Really?

68 is better than 96

In the case of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, less is better.
The NCAA added three more teams to the tourney field yesterday. That brings the size to 68, which makes it a more elite invitation than inviting 96.
Postseason should be a reward, not a right. The NHL invites most everyone to the playoffs – same with the NBA. The NCAA kept it under control, which is good. And I'm sure they will get a lot of exposure – and more money – from the new TV package they signed with CBS (good choice) and Turner Broadcasting.

Tebow in Denver

What are your thoughts about Tim Tebow becoming a member of the Denver Broncos?
I heard one comment from someone who's not connected with the team or with the local media. He thought coach Josh McDaniels had some sort of plan in mind when he made the choice to bring Tebow to town.
Not particularly meaty, I know. But it is the month of April. And besides, that's a perfect segué for you to jump in ...

Make it Jazz in six

Denver should win the playoff game tonight. But the way that team is going, there is a snowball's chance in Ecuador that the Nuggets can win three straight.
Before the head coach, George Karl, took ill, I would have put the Nuggets and the Lakers in the second round. Now, Denver will be lucky to look respectable and wrap up the season sometime this weekend.
Thoughts?

The refs didn't play

It's one thing for the fans to blame officials when the home team loses.
It's another when the local media take up the cry. It's worse than annoying. It's old and tiring – and hasn't had any traction for 30-something years.
In case the local press forgot, the game officials don't play in any of Denver's professional sports efforts. Thus, they don't miss a shot, a free throw, turn the ball over incessantly and basically louse up the floor because of their inept/selfish play.
In last night's playoff game, the Nuggets stunk. Period. In three of the four games in their series with Utah, Denver has stunk. Period.
There are plenty of other scapegoats – bad chemistry, tuning out the substitute coach, playing street ball instead of team basketball. But none of those will ever get as much blame as the folks with the whistles.
Note to Denver media – if you're so knowledgeable about the rules of the sports you purport to cover, take the tests and become an official.
That would be too easy.

Worth a laugh

At least one umpire – Joe West – doesn't appreciate the length of time necessary for Boston and the New York Yankees to play their games.
To his crew's credit, the four umps did what they could to speed up last week's resumption of marathon baseball (each game lasted well beyond three hours. Two came close to the four-hour mark).
However, it would seem that West and other umpires' hands are tied on at least three counts:
• Games telecast nationally (as was the case with one) have more commercial time between innings. That slows things down;
• They can't cut the number of visits between pitcher and catcher, though ardent fans would have to agree that eight in a half-inning is a little excessive; and
• The umpires could enforce the 20-second rule between the time the pitcher receives the ball and the time he's supposed to throw it.
There are some other ideas, none of which are very plausible.
• Someone could limit the number of throws to first base. Or third base – or both.
• We could find some halfway decent pitchers.
• We could get away from specialized pitchers and go back to the day when starting pitchers actually pitched into the eighth and ninth innings on a regular basis.
Baseball doesn't have a clock of any sort, which makes it unique in the world of sport and which makes limiting visits (and thus strategy sessions) almost pointless.
Yes, four-hour games are rather tiring on various parts of your torso. But if it's a four-hour game that goes down to the last out, it's worth it.
If it's four hours of Joe Morgan repeating himself, then it's beyond painful.
West makes a valid point. But the solutions don't stack up in his favor.

CU-CSU disappear in 2010

The annual – and alleged – rivalry between CU and CSU gets a new TV home next year.
The Mountain West Network.
The league says because it's a CSU home game, it has the right to televise it.
To absolutely no one in the Denver area unless you're willing to pay for the privilege.
Enjoy.

Coach K to N.J.?

Boy, I hope not.
I can't imagine any odd sequence of events that would allow Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski to leave something safe for the wonderful world of New Jersey Nets basketball.
Why? The Nets are one of the worst collection of basketball players ever drafted. Why would anyone with an ounce of intelligence subject themselves to that?
The main reason is Coach K can pick and choose young men who want to come to his university, who want to play under his system and who will listen to what he has to say. Name me a professional sports team where the inmates don't run the asylum.
Coach K is better off to put the Nets' front office on his permanent "do not answer button."

Fading onto the golf course

Now that Tiger Woods has done the predictable – namely say nothing that hasn't already been said – maybe we can move on to something far more important.
I don't particularly care what the "something far more important" is, unless it's another appearance anyplace by Dr. Phil. But this breathless coverage of what amounts to a non-story is absolutely ridiculous.
What he does in the privacy of his home – and to his family – is his own business.

Excessive noise

I'm glad I know how to use the remote control on the television set so I don't have to listen to otherwise intelligent sportscasters yell "Jumanji" during sports highlight programs.

Four seasons in three hours

Nope. It has nothing to do with the musical group of the '50s, '60s and late '70s. It has nothing to do with "jersey Boys," a wonderful musical about the Four Seasons.
It has everything to do with an afternoon at a prep baseball game in Fort Collins.
Frederick coach Ted Clapp laughed at the ever-changing seasons playing out before his eyes. He was all smiles when the game ended – shortly before it got too dark to even think about playing.
Read the story at cvfarmerandminer.com toward the middle of next week.

Thank goodness for Dr. Phil

When he popped up on one of the cable TV news programs last night and said how awful school bullying was, I felt much better.
I knew that the world was spinning on the appropriate axis. I knew the sun would come up the next day. And I knew how desperate cable TV news programs are to find someone to tell me that bullying is bad.
Not that viewers of that program couldn't figure that out for themselves.

Initials don't help

Hey MJ (that's ESPN announcer Mark Jones),
Stop with the cute initials only announcing, OK?
There are people in the world who don't have a clue who KG is (Kevin Garnett of Boston, right?) or Melo (Carmelo Anthony of Denver?) and would love to hear PBP (play-by-play) efforts using the King's English, not in the form of Tweets or texts.
It fits the demo (demographic) of your network to a T (that means it's a perfect fit). But ESPN also caters to the over-12 sect.
Another evening of KGs by MJ may make me turn the sound off PDQ.

Oh goody. Another college bowl game.

ESPN signed a deal to air the Pinstripe Bowl next holiday season from Yankee Stadium.
No one has agreed to televise a Salad Bowl, to the best of my knowledge. But if we can have a Pinstripe Bowl, then a Salad Bowl can't be far behind.
Someone be sure and tell me when the game starts so I can read a book.

New playoff OT rules in the NFL

Those clamoring for equal opportunity in NFL overtime playoff games, you have your wish.
The league changed its rules this afternoon. Teams that lose the coin toss and that surrender an opening field goal will have a chance to equal the score.
The rule will not apply to touchdowns in those situations, which seems a little strange.
Jump in ...

A sure sign of spring

The NCAA men's basketball brackets are in shambles.
The boss is lamenting his position in the office basketball pool, while others think they are out of the running because Kansas is out of the running.
The Broncos are making noises again. The Rockies will be making noises for several months. Gus Johnson of CBS can't stop making noises.
The first wave of snow-induced postponements hit the local prep sports scene last week.
A true sign of a change in seasons.

Big stretch

The news around the water cooler this morning – OK, it was on my couch at home – was:
• The number of vasectomies performed just before the NCAA basketball tournament started (insert your own comment) and
• Whether the first two days were the best days on the sports calendar each year.
Neither is worth your time.

The return of Tiger

Thanks to the return of a certain golfer, all those who think the coverage of this year's Masters golf tournament will be excessive, signify by throwing in your Woods.

Be careful what you wish for

The NCAA men's basketball tournament may be leaving CBS after almost 30 years.
The rumored suitor is ESPN.
Talk about a contrast in coverage.
Whereas we get middle-of-the-road commentary and decent analysis on the three-letter network (Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery are great together. So are Dick Enberg and whoever he's paired up with), the four-letter network can't stand the thought of providing nuts and bolts. Such a necessity is almost an afterthought. Dick Vitale cannot stay on topic for more than 10 seconds, unless the topic is who he had dinner with three weeks before the broadcast.
ESPN is full of stars – wannabes like Chris Berman, Stuart Scott and Neal Everett – and real ones.
Television sports coverage is louder than it used to be – make that needs to be. Everything else in society seems louder than it needs to be. So from that standpoint, the NCAAs on ESPN may be a perfect fit. ESPN's audience is hipper, much younger than CBS.
I'd rather see the NCAA remain with CBS. Good nuts and bolts are much easier to swallow.

Who doesn't fit where?

Did Brady Quinn, the new Broncos quarterback and who's spent a lot of time on injured reserve of late, not fit in Cleveland? Probably not. The Browns picked up Jake Delhomme recently, which made BQ somewhat expendable.
Does Kyle Orton not fit in Denver? Can't tell. Even though bringing Orton to Denver was one of Josh McDaniels' first moves, one season doesn't exactly make a trend.
A curious move? Yes. But no more so than other things that go on in Broncos-land.

More NCAA tourney teams? Hope not

The ongoing discussion the week before the NCAA brackets are put together is whether the field should expand to 96 teams.
A 96-team field does nothing more than fatten CBS' pocketbook (not that they couldn't use it). And while it's only 96 out of 300-something Div. I teams that would be invited, a larger field tends to make it much more of a "win a certain amount of games, and you can play some more" arrangement.
That's what the NCAA does with the college bowl system. Six wins makes you bowl eligible -- even if it's an appearance in the San Francisco Walnetto Bowl.
Leave it at 65, counting the play-in game .. the caliber of the tournament is just fine. No need to dilute it.

70 and counting

The University of Connecticut women's college basketball team is definitely on a roll. Seventy straight victories is nothing to sneeze at, that's for sure.
However, a couple of things come to mind – one serious and one not so serious.
• Wouldn't you hate to be on the team that eventually loses? UConn's coach is known for a large ego than for his grace. Something tells me a lot of paint might fly off the walls in the locker room when the streak ends.
• What does a 70-game winning streak say about the level of play in the collegiate women's game? That was the question that the boss, Kevin Denke, posed this morning. And the answer is rather obvious ...
For the most part, the women's game is below the rim. That means a heavy reliance on such facets of the game as passing, setting screens, running plays – all the things we learned a long time ago and that aren't used very often. That's part of what makes the women's game somewhat better than the men's. But a 70-game winning streak doesn't – or shouldn't – do much for anyone involved in the sport.
Should it?

No more movies like this

Yes, we're supposed to talk about sports here. But every so often, we veer off course and talk about something else.
In this case, good movies.
"To Kill a Mockingbird" was on the other night --- it is a wonderful, wonderful movie that has stood the test of almost 50 years of time since it was made.
And it got me to thinking about how actors in those days, such as Gregory Peck (who won an Oscar for his portrayal of attorney Atticus Finch in "Mockingbird") probably wouldn't survive in today's film-making world.
Nor would that type of film.
Why?
It's a different era, for one. Movie-goers today are interested in quick pleasures, and studios are obliging, of course. It takes far less time to blow up a toaster on set than it does to draw out the characters in a movie. Maybe it will come back around. But I'm not going to hold my breath.
Two (relatively) current actors I enjoy watching are Will Smith and Tom Hanks. Neither one of their TV debuts was scintillating. But they have worked on their craft and honed their abilities. Today, they are fine actors and worthy of a price of admission.
But the rule of thumb today is to discard any semblance of a story and rely on explosions to keep people glued to the big screen. That's fine, to a point. But it doesn't require a lot of imagination.
Or attention.
Old fogey? I've been called worse. But good story telling and believable, empathetic characters beat special effects every day of the week.

O Sing, Canada

It was quite the treat to see people singing their country's national anthem without phony cymbals and unnecessary whooping Sunday afternoon.
It was Canada's national song that produced that observation. Those in the hockey arena sang as one with a certain amount of pride in their country and pride in what their hockey team accomplished.
Americans used to sing like that. But since everything in sports became a show within a show, the singing isn't necessarily welcome (unless you want to sing to yourself).

Time for a makeover

Some thoughts about the NBA All-Star game ... if you want to call it that ...

1) The whole weekend seems to be a large waste of time and effort, especially if the league is going to stage it in Jerry Jones' cavernous stadium in Dallas. More than 100,000 people stuffed their way in to see what looked like ants in short pants running around on the floor. Great revenue, yes. But not a worthwhile experience for about 80 percent of the fans.

2) Speaking of things that aren't worthwhile, will someone ever have enough courage to say, "Enough with the idiotic slam dunk competition?" Charles Barkley of TNT came close by saying it needs a makeover. It's at least 27 years old – reborn here in Denver, as a matter of fact. What we see one night during the all-star weekend is what regular fans of the league see every night. There's nothing new ...

3) It was nice to see the NBA's best take a page from the NHL or another perennial loser of an all-star game, the NFL's Pro Bowl, and not play defense. That's what fans want. But it's no better than the end of the first hour of a pick-up game in your yard and doesn't make for a good use of 2 1/2 hours.

4) A halftime concert now? Glad I have a good book to read.

Which is worse?

We present a very non-scientific poll today ...
Which of these is worse?
1) The fact that Lane Kiffin, the new coach at Southern Cal, has a commitment from a 13-year-old recruit in Delaware; or
2) The fact that, according to reports, the 13-year-old has a personal coach; or
3) That Kiffin might be at Southern Cal in five years when this alleged 13-year-old prodigy is eligible to go to college?
Commitments have a way of not meaning a lot, especially when a coach bolts (see Pete Carroll).
It's disturbing that a 13-year-old has a personal coach. His biggest worry should be developing skills to become a rounded person, not the 2010 version of Todd Marinovich.
If anyone knows whether this child is allowed to eat a hamburger or otherwise behave like a normal teenager, speak up.

Hey Denver – we've got letter-signers, too

Just in case the Denver papers and TV weren't aware, there is a wonderful world of athletic talent outside the city's boundaries.
Five football players – Marquis McNeil of Prairie View, Ryan Delay of Brighton (both stories will be at www.thebrightonblade.com the middle of next week); Jake Bernhard of Fort Lupton (www.ftluptonpress.com); and Anthony Hernandez and Demo Schmidt of Frederick (www.cvfarmerandminer.com) – signed letters to play at NCAA Division II schools yesterday.
No, it doesn't carry the glamor of a kid from a private school signing with a Division I program. But it does speak to the athletes' talent level and, in many cases, to the types of people they are.

Slam duds

Five people to call and/or analyze the NBA slam dunk contest in two weeks?
Come on ... the last TNT could do is get one per competitor.
That way, I would be sure to miss it.

Schemmel is a good choice

The winner of the Colorado Rockies New Announcer Sweepstakes is Jerry Schemmel.
Local types know him as the veteran radio voice of the Denver Nuggets. He's also one of the survivors of that horrible plane crash in Iowa many years ago.
Schemmel will be good. He knows the area, he's known in the area. And he's a straight shooter.
It might be a good enough pick to keep the sound on the TV turned down again this season.

Carroll bolts -- so what else is new?

Former USC football coach Pete Carroll thinks he's found Nirvana as the new coach in Seattle.
More power to him. But I'm not convinced.
Why? Four letters - N-C-A-A.
They are hot on the Trojans' heels for two problems with benefits provided to football players. Carroll doesn't want to be anywhere near the program when the NCAA gets finished.
But now that he's gone, there's one person who can explain the rather grotesque lack of oversight in the Trojans' athletic program (The NCAA would like to have some answers about what sort of bennies O.J. Mayo got while on the basketball team.)
The one person is Mike Garrett, the school's athletic director.
Don't hold your breath. His case of laryngitis is into its third month.

Hey Mark? clam up

Mark McGwire's performance in front of Congress was forgettable ... his words seem to indicate a certain amount of forgetfulness, too.
So imagine the surprise when he decided to come clean for the Associated Press.
Well, sort of.
He said what most everyone knew – that he was a user and that it was stupid.
He also said he did it for health reasons, not strength.
All those who believe that .....

Governor vs. weather

It's off the track just a bit.
But why weather trumps a decision not to run for the highest office in the state escapes my knowledge.
In case this particular TV station doesn't know, it does get cold around here in January. And it does snow every so often. And posting someone in the snow is about the most asinine stunt you can offer on TV (second to a blatant self-promotion for the "don't stick the USB port in your mouth" campaign).
When the governor decides not to run for a second term, that's news. And there are people in the world who don't have access to computers during their time at work.
Wrong choice.
Again.

The more things change ...

The ex-Broncos coach, Mike Shanahan, has a new home in Washington, D.C.
His new contract gives him control over all football decisions.
He says the decisions will be made as part of a team.
All those who think that will be the case, signify by saying "aye."
(Not many of you, are there!)

Weapons in the workplace are not a joke

There's lots missing from the Washington Wizards these days.
Talent is one. Wins are another.
And so, apparently, is common sense.
Two players pulled guns on each other because of a gambling debt. One of them said it was a joke.
Why NBA players think they need weapons is another rant for another time. For this session, I'd suggest the players involved tell that to people whose lives have been turned upside down because someone brought a gun to the workplace.
That attitude won't get either of them very far.