Strongly Worded Letter

Bean, Olympian?

Like most Americans, Donna and I were talking about Michael Phelps last night. I asked how many endorsement contracts the Golden Boy of the Olympics will be signing when he returns home from China. Her answer? All of them! I have to agree with her.

But not so fast, Mad Men! Michael Phelps and I have a great deal in common and I am far, far cheaper to hire as your pitchmen. True, I am not much of a swimmer and have not even won one gold medal - much less a dozen - but we are practically twins when it comes to training. 

At least the eating part. The New York Post just broke down what Phelps (and I) eat every day during these Olympic Summer Games.

"Swimming sensation Michael Phelps has an Olympic recipe for success - and it involves eating a staggering 12,000 calories a day.

"Eat, sleep and swim. That's all I can do," Phelps told NBC when asked what he needs to win medals. "Get some calories into my system and try to recover the best I can."

By comparison, the average man of the same age needs to ingest about 2,000 calories a day.

Phelps, 23, will swim 17 times over nine days of competition at the Beijing Games - meaning that he will need all the calories he can shovel in his mouth in order to keep his energy levels high.

Phelps' diet - which involves ingesting 4,000 calories every time he sits down for a meal - resembles that of a reckless overeater rather than an Olympian.

Phelps lends a new spin to the phrase 'Breakfast of Champions' by starting off his day by eating three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise.

He follows that up with two cups of coffee, a five-egg omelet, a bowl of grits, three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar and three chocolate-chip pancakes.

At lunch, Phelps gobbles up a pound of enriched pasta and two large ham and cheese sandwiches slathered with mayo on white bread - capping off the meal by chugging about 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks.

For dinner, Phelps really loads up on the carbs - what he needs to give him plenty of energy for his five-hours-a-day, six-days-a-week regimen - with a pound of pasta and an entire pizza. He
washes all that down with another 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks."

Me too! And by-the-way, I have that same body that Michael is forcing you to look at above. I just don't feel the need to walk around on TV all day with no shirt on. Sheesh, what a show-off!

But Hu Is The President Of China?

I would say I am "moderately" interested in the 2008 Summer Olympics from Beijing. I haven't heard much buzz in my crowd but am guessing it would not be difficult to find friends who are more eager for tomorrow's big day to arrive and also easy to find some who have even less interest than I.

With almost non-stop TV coverage on NBC for the next two weeks-plus, it will be tough to see everything. The time difference certainly works against convenient prime time broadcasts here in the U.S. and each year that we get deeper into the 21st century it is becomes less acceptable to air sporting events on a delay of several hours.  Sorry, the internet doesn't care what time it is.

One thing I do like about the Olympics every two years is the virtual guarantee that someone I have never heard of today on the eve of the Games will do something that will amaze or inspire or maybe even crush me before the closing ceremony. 

Looking past the LeBron James-Michael Phelps-Tyson Gay-type star athletes I will already be watching, here are 5 other Olympians whose stories make me want to search out their events too.

1. Jake Deitchler, just the third high school wrestler to make an Olympic team. He graduated from Anoka (Minnesota) High School in April, finishing with an 111-match unbeaten streak. What was I doing 4 months out of high school? Planning on getting around to filling out that McDonald's application probably.

2.  Natalie Du Toit, on the South African swimming team, is an amputee. She lost her left leg below the knee in an auto accident. And she swims without a prosthetic limb. Hmmm....seems like a disadvantage to be down a flipper.

3. Dara Torres, the first U.S. swimmer to qualify for - wait for it - five Olympic teams. She set two American records in the 50 freestyle during the U.S. trials. Did I mention she is 41 years old? And kinda hot?

4. Eric Shanteu, on the U.S. swim team, diagnosed with testicular cancer in June and has been undergoing treatment. No word on whether he got the Lance Armstrong surgery. I'm guessing not or he would only swim in circles.

5. Amnat Ruenroeng, released from a Thai prison last year after serving less than two years of a fifteen year prison sentence for burglary. Authorities commuted his sentence after he unexpectedly won the nation's light flyweight boxing crown. I need to find out how he was able to enter the tournament from jail.

Opening Ceremonies air (tape delayed) here on the West Coast at 7:30 tomorrow night. 

Buy Me Some Peanuts And Cracker Jack.... (Peanuts Not Included)

Yesterday the Seattle Times reported a new promotion at Safeco Field this summer. That's the home of my beloved, yet struggling, Mariners baseball team, the team that just got swept by the Red Sox at home for the first time in 15 years. Sigh. Anyway, here's the story:

"The Seattle Mariners are declaring two sections of Safeco Field no-peanut zones for a couple of games this summer.

The AL club announced the move Wednesday to make the ballpark safer for children and grown-up fans with peanut allergies.

Special cleaning is planned in sections 311 and 312 down the right field line before the games, one on Aug. 5 against the Minnesota Twins and the other Sept. 9 against the Texas Rangers. Then signs will be posted to alert fans to the ban on peanut products in those sections.

Peanuts also will be banished from nearby concession stands.

A few other major and minor league teams have offered special seating to lower the risk for those who are allergic to peanuts. In May the entire minor league ballpark in Clinton, Iowa, went peanut-free."

I knew lots of folks have peanut allergies but did not realize that they were among the top eight most common food allergies, which are:

Milk
Eggs
Peanuts
Tree nuts, such as almonds, cashews, walnuts....
Fish, such as bass, cod, flounder..
Shellfish, such as crab, lobster, shrimp
Soy
Wheat.

By-the-way, that little list takes care of ninety percent of all documented food allergies.

I'm very lucky. I am not only not allergic to any foods, I am not allergic to anything that I know of, besides maybe hard work and Larry The Cable Guy. I've met lots of people who suffer allergies to everything from grass to novacaine and it sucks for them.

Question though. What is it about the peanut allergy that makes it so very deadly? People allergic to milk can sit next to a person drinking milk and they have no reaction. But I've heard stories of people smelling peanuts and getting ill. There was that one story not too long ago of a teenager that died after kissing someone who had had a peanut butter sandwich for lunch earlier that day. And are peanuts the only one that is so dangerous with so little contact or are there others?

Gratuitous Boobie Shots? Or Not?

Sometimes I hear from people who maybe read the blog once in a while and they ask me, "How can you come up with something every single day to blog about?" or "How often do you run out of topics?" or a variation on that theme.

The truth is 180 degrees from there in my case. Every day I have to throw out several potential post ideas to choose just one. Some I can use later in the week, some would work anytime, but most are fairly topical and have to go into the metaphorical dustbin.

Let me take you inside the process today and you tell me if I'm making choices that intersect with your interests. Here is what I considered for today's entry.

1) Recap the controversy on the "Barack Obama is a terrorist who hates America" cover of the New Yorker magazine and express my opinion on how badly he has handled what should have been an opportunity to turn a negative into a positive.

2) Discuss an interesting new product - well, a refined version of something that has been around a while - of a program that converts telephone voicemail into emails and send it to you.That way you can read your phone messages instead of having to listen to actual icky humans talk.

3) Or the site that lets you type in any text and flip it upside down. No kidding. ¿ʇɐɥʇ sı ssǝlʇuıod ʍoH

4) Write about how douchy the fans at Yankee Stadium were the other night in booing every single Red Sox player participating in the baseball All-Star Game every single time they came to the plate, handled the ball, or managed the team to another victory. Seriously, they can't be gracious one night a year in the interest of celebrating the sport they allegedly love?

5) Report on the recent topless women's beach soccer match in which the Austrian team beat the German side 10-5. With pictures.

Okay, now you are me. Which story do you publish?

Waiting.

Waiting.

Time's up. Here's the one I picked. You're welcome.

First Quarterback Controversy of The Year!!!

I know people who get very sad this time of year. They wake up one late Spring day and realize the NBA finals are over, the Stanley Cup has been skated, and there is nothing but baseball now.

That's not me. This is a very exciting MLB season with Yankees drama, Cubs excitement, Detroit comebacks, Tampa Bay dominance (until this week!) and many other story lines that I am eating up. And bring on the All Star Game tomorrow night!

But if you are one of those sad sacks with a countdown on your calendar to the start of football season, man, did you love this weekend!

Brett Favre, one of the elite quarterbacks in the history of the game, a player so beloved they should retire the #4 jersey on every team, not just in Green Bay, has decided he wants to un-retire.

I was planning on writing more about it but when I read Gene Wojciechowski's column on same on ESPN.com i realized I could not improve upon anything he said about it. With one exception. I think he goes a little light on Favre. Yeah, I know it is mighty hard to walk out of the spotlight (see Michael Jordan, Roger Clemens, Evander Holyfield, etc.) but the way he did this is kind of a dick move. He should have had all these second thoughts before that March press conference and if he still ended up retiring and now wants to change his mind he should keep it to himself for the sake of the Packers organization.

Anyway, here's the first part of Gene's excellent analysis with a link to the rest....

"The World Series of Poker isn't being played in Las Vegas. It's being played in Green Bay, Wis., and Hattiesburg, Miss. And so far, a very amateurish Ted Thompson is trying to show strength in his hand.

Feel free to laugh the next time Green Bay Packers management, both past and present, starts talking about 'preserving' Brett Favre's legacy and cherishing Favre's place in the team's 'family.' It means nothing.

The Packers are about the Packers, and that's fine, even expected, but at least say so from the beginning. Don't pretend you're genuinely concerned about Favre's standing in franchise lore when, in reality, you're more concerned about damage and image control.

Favre wants to unretire. And yeah, it's a bit of a diva-ish thing to do. Tears in March. Text messages in July.

But Favre has earned his share of diva currency, enough for one Get Out Of Retirement card. He's played hurt. He's played with his heart heavy with grief. And he's played for the moment, not the money. There are bits and pieces of his body all over Lambeau Field.

Thompson, the Packers' general manager, doesn't see it that way. His solution -- and remember, the Packers are the self-appointed guardians of Favre's football reputation -- is to announce that one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, the guy only seven months removed from the NFC Championship Game, can return but may be a second-stringer. Think about it: Favre wearing a baseball cap and holding a clipboard.

Some legacy.

Packers management wants it both ways. It says it wants to protect Favre from himself, but mostly it wants to protect Favre from becoming a free agent, signing with the Minnesota Vikings and possibly kicking the Packers' butts twice in the regular season. That's the reason behind not granting Favre his release -- nothing else.

Management says the 'finality' of Favre's retirement prompted the Packers to 'move forward with our football team.' But how can you move forward if Favre is still on the depth chart? If you don't want him as your starter, which is beyond astounding, then why want him at all?"

The rest is here. What do you think will happen next? This is juicy stuff, people.

The Most Beloved Bulldog In America?

Just Friday in this space we were talking about UGA, the beloved English Bulldog mascot of the University of Georgia. I was so sad to read this Associated Press report late last night:


"The University of Georgia's mascot, Uga VI, has died of congestive heart failure. The university said Saturday that the 9-year-old English bulldog died after being taken to a veterinarian. Its owner found the mascot breathing heavily at home the night before.

The dog became the mascot in 1999 for the school's teams, known as the 'Bulldogs.' He was a regular on the sidelines of home football games in a shirt stitched with the letter 'G.'

Damon Evans, the university's athletic director, called it a 'sad day for the entire Bulldog nation.'"



The Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper ran this profile of each of the six Ugas and their reign.



Since 1956, the University of Georgia's live mascot has come from a line of solid-white English bulldogs named Uga, each owned by Sonny and Cecelia Seiler of Savannah. Here is a closer look at each Uga (with tenure and records):


Uga I (1956-66, 53-48-6)

The dog who started it all, this Uga was a belated wedding gift to the Seilers from one of Cecelia's friends. He was there when Theron Sapp "broke the drought" against Georgia Tech and was around for three coaches (Wally Butts, Johnny Griffith and Vince Dooley) and one SEC title (1959). He retired Oct. 22, 1966 and died 18 days later.

Uga II (1966-72, 42-16-3)

He was the first Uga to occupy the "fireplug" abode on the Georgia sidelines. By finishing the 1966 season for his father, he was around for Dooley's first SEC championship (and two years later for Dooley's second). After the 1966 season, he participated in the Cotton Bowl parade in Dallas.

Uga III (1972-81, 71-32-2)

His tenure included the 1980 national championship season and the introduction of Herschel Walker into Bulldogs lore. Georgia won two SEC titles (1976, 1980) during his reign, and Uga III retired in a ceremony before the 1981 season opener as the winningest Uga.

Uga IV (1981-90, 77-27-4)

His résumé included SEC titles in 1981 and '82 and a visit to the Downtown Athletic Club in New York (wearing a formal collar and black tie) to witness Walker receive the Heisman Trophy, the first mascot invited to the Heisman banquet. Also, he was there for Dooley's last game and Ray Goff's first.

Uga V (1990-99, 65-39-1)

During his tenure, Georgia's "Uga" mascot became a national phenomenon. During a game in 1996, he leaped at Auburn receiver Robert Baker on the sideline, seemingly trying to bite the player after he had startled the dog. The next year, Uga V appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, was "interviewed" by National Public Radio and appeared in the film "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," which featured Kevin Spacey and John Cusack.

Uga VI (1999-2008, 87-27)

With the success of Mark Richt, this Uga's 87 victories easily surpassed Uga IV in the record book. He was around for three appearances in the SEC championship game, including victories in 2002 and 2005, and for Georgia's No. 2 finish in the AP poll in 2007. He was present for the transition from Jim Donnan to Richt in 2000.

Uga will be buried in a vault in the Southwest corner of Sanford Stadium with his predecessors. Private ceremonies are expected early next week.

My heart goes out to the Seiler family and the entire Bulldog nation.

Good Hands, Bad Math?

Tremendously exciting basketball being played in this year's NBA Finals so far and I have really enjoyed the games. I know I am not the only guy who insists on seeing sporting events live instead of on TIVO like nearly everything else I watch. Maybe it's because I'm afraid I'll see the score somewhere online or on another channel if I record the game and watch something else.

So that brings me to the commercials I now find myself sitting through. I've made a few notes.

1) Hey, movie company, don't waste your time buying commercials to advertise that Jumper is coming out on DVD.  No one, repeat, no one plans to buy that movie to own, not even Hayden Christensen. In fact, based on reviews of his performance in that film, maybe especially not Hayden Christensen.

2) Speaking of movies I saw advertised last night, Hell Boy 2 = no, Love Guru = maybe, The Happening = maybe, Incredible Hulk = no, Don't Mess With the Zohan = hell, no. That one looks so bad I am surprised Hayden Christensen isn't in it.

3) I am a rabid fan of Apple computers but  am sick to death of the Mac guy making fun of the PC guy. Dude, you are already dating Drew Barrymore in real life, You don't have to be a dick too.

4) So 24's President Palmer is alive and pitching All State auto insurance. He looks like a nice man (hey, I thought he died, no?) but I still find it hard to believe that "most accidents happen on Friday between 3 and 6 p.m." as he told me last night.

Is that possible? There are more car crashes in those three hours than in the other 165 per week combined? I find it possible that "more accidents happen on Friday between 3 and 6 p.m. than during any other three hour period" but that is as far as I'll go.

5) I love the NBA's playoff campaign this year, the There Can Be Only One commercials with a player from each team's face taking up half the screen while both are talking at the same time about competing, winning, or fear. They were directed by the husband/wife team that made the movie Little Miss Sunshine by-the-way. Saturday Night Live did a hilarious parody a couple of weeks ago using their Clinton and Obama impersonators.

6) Finally, to ABC, we don't care who The Mole is.

 

The Second Best Day Of The Whole Year*

Say, what were you doing at 3:05 PDT this morning? If you are a card carrying member of the Red Sox Nation then you were parked in front of a television watching the opening game of the 2008 Major League Baseball season.   

Yep, Boston vs. the Oakland Athletics at Japan's Tokyo Dome in the first game that counts this year. The defending World Series champions play two this week in Japan before heading stateside for an exhibition game against the Dodgers Saturday before what will be the largest crowd ever assembled to see a baseball game, over 100,000 at the L.A. Coliseum.   

You know makes this '08 season even sweeter? No Barry Bonds! I couldn't have been happier to see his fat ass on the TV the other day. Apparently he is not retired and is working out and waiting for the phone to ring for some team to make him an offer to play another season.   

But check this out: Because not one of the thirty major league teams are interested, the Baseball Players Association is said to be conducting an investigation to determine whether collusion might be involved. Really? You don't think every team came to the same conclusion on their own on this one? Bonds is 43 years old, up to his steroid yoked neck in legal trouble and is universally despised.  No please.



One more sidebar on the Bonds tip. Thanks to blog reader Rose for turning me onto this humorous little song by Dan Bern called The Year By Year Home Run Totals Of The Great Barry Bonds.   

*The best day of the whole year? Of course it's the Mariners home opening this Monday!!  Play Ball!

The Day After

Today's the day after the Superbowl but more exciting for me is that we are one day closer to the start of the Major League Baseball season. My beloved Seattle Mariners put their tickets for their Cactus League games on sale this weekend. I have not made it down to Peoria, Arizona to catch a game yet but my Dad and I did see the M's play the Cubs in an exhibition game in Las Vegas a couple of years ago.

Here's one football note though, not about yesterday's Patriots disappointment,  but a game played twenty years ago this month, a game that recently aired again on the NFL Network. My friend Frank Murphy wrote this about it on his blog recently:

"The other day I flipped past and got immediately hooked in by a classic Redskins victory. My wife and son watched with me. We were just in time to see Doug Williams' first touchdown pass of Superbowl XXII. The Redskins  went on to score 42 unanswered points, winning the game 42 to 10.

As Ricky Sanders caught touchdown after touchdown, I was reminded of his performance at the team's victory celebration back in D.C. This young broadcaster was there to witness Sanders catch a pass from President Ronald Reagan. My good friend Bean and I described it live on WAVA. (Editor's note: Washington D.C. radio station Frank and I worked on in the 1980s)

In the time leading up to the game, we did some anti-Bronco smack talking on the morning show. Management complained when we said "Denver Sucks" on the air so I came up with an alternative catch phrase by looking in the dictionary: "The Broncos draw liquids into their mouths by creating a partial vacuum with their lips, cheeks and tongues." A listener made us some "Denver Sucks" hats, which we ungraciously wore to the White House. I have a picture taken using some antique technology. As you can see, a flaw in this "film" makes it look like I have something coming out of my nose."


I want to include the photo Frank posted to accompany his story on his blog too. Let this serve as some of the best advice you will ever get. If you want to appear ageless, grow a beard if you can. Frank looks nearly identical today as he does in this 20 year old picture. I, however, look twelve years old here and seventy today.

Seeyahawks!

That's Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, age 10. 

I believe he, or most other 10 year olds, could have beaten the Seattle Seahawks yesterday in round two of the playoffs, as they did almost exactly nothing right.

That's really only 97% true, I guess, because they did recover two Packer fumbles for touchdowns in the first four minutes of the game. Then they proceeded to never score another one while giving up seven (7!!!!) to Green Bay. 

The bright news for Hawks fans is that it was not the type of loss that you replay over and over again in your mind every day of the the 8 month off season. No, it wasn't like all that was needed was a different play here or an adjustment there.  Seattle was pasted.  Dominated.  Crushed. Licked. Overpowered. Humbled.  Trashed. You get the idea.

Okay, they were ruined. Surmounted. Thwarted. Conquered. Mastered. Undone. Obliterated. 

Still not getting it? How about hammered? Pounded. Vanquished. Bested. Rode hard and put up wet. They were crippled. Subdued. Tamed. Cooked. Destroyed. Shellaced. Pulverized. Totalled.

Oh, yeah, and they lost too.

Let's Go Mariners!!!





   

Saturday Smorgasbord

1) R.I.P. Vampira. Who knew she was still alive? But now I am sad.

2) This may be the cutest baby I've ever seen. Kinda hairy though. Wait, what's that?




3) Y'all know how I feel about puppies. What you don't know is that piglets are even cuter. Even fluorescent ones.

4)  Watch last night's episode (#211) of Friday Night Lights at NBC.com  and  I'll give you a dollar* if you can name a better actor on television than Kyle Chandler. Watch it.  I'm not asking you, I'm telling you.

5)  America loves Brett Favre. I get that. I do too. But he's won his ring.  Now it's time for his former backup QB Matt Hasselback to get his. To get another shot at it all the Seahawks have to start by beating the heavily favored Packers today on the hallowed and frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, 1265 Lombardi Ave., Green Bay, Wisconsin, 54307.  Yes please.      

*dollar not included

It Is What It is

Ray Rice is a junior at Rutgers University and the star running back for their Scarlet Knights football team. He rushed for 290 yards and four touchdowns in their bowl win over Ball State on Saturday and was asked after the game if he would return for his senior season or declare himself eligible for the NFL draft.

"Me and coach will sit down once we get back to New Jersey and decide on that," Rice answered.

"Me and coach?" This guy is a junior in college with that brain? 

At least he didn't say he is taking it "one day at a time" or some other overused sports cliche.  If he had, he might have earned a mention in columnist Gene Collier's annual Trite Trophy column in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The whole column is worth reading here  but here are his top three sports cliches of the year and  reasons why:

"The finalists for the 2007 Trite Trophy (the three requirements: excessive use, essentially meaninglessness, and I have to really, really hate it):

Our third runner-up:

Thrown Under the Bus.

It's become something of a bridesmaid for the Trite, but still gets abused on a daily basis by players and coaches cast as scapegoats in all manner of sports dramas. Why are they throwing him under the bus? I don't know. I wish they'd just blame him.

Our second runner-up:

Run the Table.

Had a monstrous year because of the Patriots' run at an undefeated season, doable only as a mirrored function of their ability to run the table, sometimes referred to as WIN OUT. Happily enough, New England, in emerging as the team most likely to run the table, also managed to table the run.

Our first runner-up:

It Is What It Is.

Oh yeah, I hear that palpable sigh of relief in our audience recognizing that a Threepeat has been averted. It Is What It Is, a hyper-abused construction of astounding meaninglessness, was last year anointed the only two-time winner in Trite history. It Is What It Is remains a near primal force on the sports verbiscape, an almost constant reminder that when you can't think of anything to say, you can always go IIWII.

And now ... the moment dozens have been waiting for, the 24th Trite Trophy goes to ...

They're Very Physical.

What?

Are You Kiddin' Me? What about Are You Kiddin' Me??

No, They're Very Physical, the veteran cliche used and abused by so many coaches and players, writers, broadcasters, fans and pets over so many years finally gets its moment. Perhaps the most vapid description of any upcoming opponent ever devised, and readily adaptable twaddle for every kind of analyst pretending to know anything about any team in America, They're Very Physical has lived to serve.

They're Very Physical is everywhere and in every way completely useless.

They're Very Physical.

Well good, because this ain't Jeopardy."

 

A Man's Got To Eat

No, I haven't picked up a sponsor for this blog.  Instead this is the ad for the 99 Cents store that ran in yesterday's Los Angeles Times. There are three things that captured my attention.

#1 Has anyone ever seen a 3-liter bottle of anything?  Seen lots of twos and that Shasta bottle surely looks like a 2 but if they say so......

#2 I'm no good in the kitchen.  What the heck is a "Charger Plate"? At only 99 cents, how can it not only hold food plus charge stuff? Where do you plug it in? I'm serious. What is that?

#3. A close up, please. Well, it's about time the big corporations starting looking after the working man. At least someone is trying to make new Dodgers manager Joe Torre move to Southern California a little easier. He took a big pay cut to go there plus he has to pay for the move and finding a house won't be cheap. At a penny saved per item bought at the 99 Cents store they are practically paying him to shop there!

Too Much

What's it like being a sports fan in Boston these days? The Red Sox just won the World Series again, the Cheaters Patriots are the NFL's only unbeaten team, the new-look Celtics, now with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, are  3-0, even Boston College is a Top 10 college football team.

(gratuitous cheerleader photo)

But let me take you back to 1980, perhaps the best overall sports year a city has ever had. How about the World Series, Superbowl, Stanley Cup and NBA Finals all in one year?

The Philadelphia 76ers were the Eastern Conference champions but lost to the Magic Johnson-led Los Angeles Lakers team, 4 games to 2.

The Philadelphia Eagles also made it to the Big Game, losing the Superbowl to the Oakland Raiders 27-10.

The Philadelphia Flyers lost the Stanley Cup Finals to the New York Islanders, 4 games to 2.

And, yes, the Philadelphia Phillies made it to the World Series too. They won it, over the Kansas City Royals, 4 games to 2.

If you're not a sports fan maybe you read that and think, "What a bunch of loser teams!" but as a guy who lives in a city with an all-time history of only 3 NBA Finals appearances (one win), 1 Superbowl appearance (and loss), zero World Series games ever and no NHL team at all, hitting all four major sports championships in one year is nothing short of incredible. 

Yes Please!

Why Stealing Is Good

I was not impressed with 2004's Taco Bell promotion during the World Series. They offered a free taco for everyone in the United States if a home run was hit by either team off a target over the left field wall during Game 3 in St. Louis. Didn't seem like a real risk since the target was only about 12x12. That's a big ballpark times a handful of home runs divided by a tiny surface area. Hence, no free tacos.   

I don't know if they offered any free meat in 2005 but last year they expanded the offer to any home run hit over the left field wall, again during Game 3. Was there one?

Now it's Fall Classic Time again (Game One is tonight!) and again those clever bastards at Taco Bell have us talking about their latest offer. This time they will likely actually give away some tacos.

"BOSTON (Reuters) - Many Americans will be wagering on this week's baseball World Series. For Taco Bell, the stakes are a free taco for everyone in the United States.    

The fast-food chain on Monday unveiled a promotion it is calling "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco," which will run through the best-of-seven matchup.

"Millions and millions of people will be watching the Series and hopefully tuning in to see when they are going to get their taco," said Taco Bell spokesman Rob Poetsch.

There has been at least one stolen base in every World Series matchup since 1990. When the first base is stolen, the unit of Yum Brands Inc, will announce a Tuesday afternoon when consumers will be able to walk into the chain's participating 5,800 outlets and ask for a free taco. Anyone who walks into a participating outlet during the give-away period would be eligible for a free taco.

Despite the promotion's name, stealing the taco will not be required."

 

P.S. I picked the Indians to beat the Red Sox to get to the World Series so keep that in mind as I pick the Red Sox to win it over the Rockies in 5 games. Again, I know nothing.

I Miss Baseball!

 

 

That was the scene in the Phillies' clubhouse yesterday after improbably clinching the National League East and good for them.  Even with the Mets' historic collapse Philadelphia still had to nearly win out in the last two weeks of the season to make the playoffs. I surely would be enjoying this week if I were a Phils fan, or an Angels fan, or a Red Sox fan, or...you get the picture.

But loving the Seattle Mariners is my curse and Safeco Field is all buttoned up for the winter starting today. The lockers are cleaned out and the players' personal belongings are in Fed Ex planes right now going to the Dominican Republic, Japan, and even exotic Ohio.

As disappointing as it is to not make the playofffs again this year what keeps fans like me coming back every spring is that we believe that winning the World Series is a dream that is truly within our team's grasp.

There was a lot to be pleased with this season. We re-signed Ichiro Suzuki, who just batted .351, to a multi-year deal.

22 year old starter Felix Hernandez showed us he can be the ace of this club for a long time to come. Pitcher Miguel Batista won 16 games.

Young players like Adam Jones, Jamie Burke and Jeff Clement all made real contributions in the last weeks of the season and could do even more next year.   

Seattle has the fifth best record in the A. L. and ended up second in the American League West and ten games ahead of last year's last place finish.

Yeah, it's going to be a long winter. Congratulations to the teams and the fans who still have games that matter to them still to be played.  Me? I already can't wait for 2008.