Pedro - no, not the cockfighter

There are some great perks of the college life. We know about the partying, co-eds and such. But one undeniable advantage of attending college is the frequent opportunity to see speakers and figures from all sorts of backgrounds and professions. On Monday night, that guest at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications was ESPN’s own Pedro Gomez.

I figured since there’s not much else consuming my free time these days that I'd wander over and see him speak. I’d seen him before on Sportscenter and believed he had some minor interest in Barry Bonds (link - on the middle of the page to the right).

Turns out, there’s more to Pedro than just the San Francisco slugger. One of the first things the ESPN reporter did Monday was slam Curt Schilling, which meant Gomez was already a good man in my book.

He talked with a moderator for about 30 minutes about various issues ranging from steroids to clubhouse relations to journalism. Then Gomez took part in a 30 minute Q+A session with the audience of about 100 (filled with journalists, sports buffs, and nutcases wearing ESPN hats – yes, I’m serious).

Pedro had some very interesting things to say. Frankly, rather than bore you with a summary and interruptions from me, I’ll list some of his comments (taken with my best shorthand):

On the federal hearings and indictments –
“When you lie to the federal government they don’t take kindly to it, whether you’re Richard Nixon, Marion Jones, Martha Stewart or Roger Clemens.

The government doesn’t tend to indict someone that they can’t get. They have a very high batting average.”

On steroids and its impact on Hall of Fame voting (Gomez has a vote as a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America):
“I personally have a big problem with anyone who used performance enhancing drugs.”

He continued to say that most voters draw the line there, and that he did not vote for McGwire – who received less than 30 percent of the votes (a player needs 75 % to be inducted). Gomez added that he doesn’t ever really see McGwire reaching 75 percent.

"It would be interesting if the all-time hit leader (Pete Rose), HR leader (Bonds), and one of the all-time wins leaders (Clemens) would all be left out of the Hall of Fame.”

On Curt Schilling and his antics during the 2001 World Series when he “held his team hostage” and told his manager he could not pitch game 7:
“Schilling is basically a con-man”

On what is worse: insider gambling on baseball or steroids:
“They both rank high but I’d say gambling.”

On the upcoming 2008 season:
“The NL is just weak. The AL Central should be a great division, I think the White Sox will recover. The East is always the same two teams.”

He didn’t respond when someone shouted out, ‘so who’s going to face the Mets in the World Series?’

Interestingly, Gomez crossed himself a little bit with these next two quotes, which were separated by a few questions:
“I’ve been asked before, ‘straight up did Barry Bonds do steroids?’ I said I wouldn’t answer. If Wolf Blitzer had been asked if Bill Clinton slept with Monica Lewinski, he wouldn’t answer either.”

“I will not vote for anyone I believe took performance enhancing drugs, and I think Bonds did…I don’t know that a lot of these guys will get in.”

Overall it was an interesting talk and fun to see what appears on TV to be a brainwashed ESPN employee in a different setting than on the San Fran infield or outside a stadium filing a report. Gomez cracked a few jokes and was patient and interested in each person’s question. No one pestered him too much about covering Bonds non stop for about two years, but he did voluntarily offer this gem:

“Covering Barry Bonds will be in my obituary, I’ve come to terms with that.”


With that, I'll sign off....Pat DiSalvo, Giving 111 Percent (In that annoying ESPN rhythm)


Photo credits: si.com, the700level.com

Loose Change II, Super Bowl Edition

This ridiculous video was brought to our attention, and I felt it was our role to ridicule the makers and everyone else who is involved or persuaded by it. It is similar to Loose Change, but is about how the NFL had a conspiracy to give the Giants the Super Bowl by mismanaging the clock and giving them more time. It’s long and poor quality, but if you want to watch it here is the link.

Where the Patriots Robbed of a Super Bowl Win? This conspiracy theorist`s video proves that the referees gave the Giants extra time on the clock.

In case you skipped it, it basically says that when Jacobs converted on fourth and one the clock stopped when it shouldn’t have and when Manning was tackled and lost the ball it shouldn’t have stopped. In both cases, he’s at least somewhat wrong. Even though the officials did not bring out the chains after Jacobs’ run, they met on the field, which calls for a clock stoppage. After Manning lost the ball, there was a pile up as players thought the ball might be live. An unnecessary pile up also calls for a time stoppage (I didn’t look this up, someone else said it, but it sounds right). The refs might have left a few more seconds on the clock than they should have, but it’s nowhere near the amount of time that this guy claims. Also, the Giants scored with 35 seconds left so it’s not like a few ticks would have necessarily mattered.

What is even more ridiculous is the reaction that some Patriots fans have had to it. There is a petition for Commissioner Roger Goodell to review the last two minutes with over 12,000 signatures. There is a Facebook group dedicated to it with over 8,000 members. There is even a clothing line with articles of clothing bearing the phrase “New York is where wins are handed down. Foxboro is where wins are won.”

This is not representative of Pats fans in general, as I’m sure that the vast majority of them probably find this video, clothing line and petition dumber than a Dick Cheney workout video. It was just too ridiculous for me to not comment on. Also, the maker of the website doesn't know the difference between were and where.

- Andrew Vitelli

Step aside George Muresan

If you somehow haven’t heard of Kenny George, well, it’s about time you did. No, he’s not special because he has two first names. He stands out because the UNC-Asheville center measures 7 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 365 pounds. He has a 93 inch wingspan and wears a size 28 shoe (26 according to some). For reference, Shaq only wears a size 22 or 23, is 7’1 and tips the scales at 325. Yao Ming, standing at 7’6, is only 310. So you get the idea. Kenny George is a large man. In fact, he’s the biggest player in college basketball.

Watching him play is unbelievable. He averages a solid 13 points, eight rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game. But it’s more the way he plays. George doesn’t need to leave his feet to dunk. The Bulldog’s most effective play is an inbounds pass where they simply lob it to George standing with his hands above his head and let him lay it in the hoop. George is also solid on defense, as he averages five blocks per game. It’s really unfair for most of Asheville’s opponents, who are mostly lower tier collegiate programs with undersized centers matching up against him. He did square off against Tyler Hansbrough and played well, with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks. But Hansbrough dunked on George, one of the rare times that’s ever happened.

But it’s not all easy for George. According to NBA Draft net, “It appears likely that George has giantism (whether he has had or can have the surgery to remove the abnormality in his pituitary gland is unknown - a procedure that can have negative effects on a player's abilities).” George has had several knee surgeries and doesn’t even start at UNC-Asheville because of conditioning problems. In a well written story on George featured in the NY Times, it’s revealed that he doesn’t have a driver’s license because he’s too big to fit into the drivers seat. Life’s not very convenient for the big guy.

“When the semester ends, his father drives 650 miles from Chicago, his hometown, to Asheville so George does not have to squeeze into an airplane seat.

By his senior year, his feet had grown beyond size 23, the largest athletic shoe made. In search of a size 25, VanderMeulen appealed to college and N.B.A. teams. Weeks later, Shaquille O’Neal sent several pairs of his size 22’s to Chicago. VanderMeulen shipped them to a New York City shoemaker who cut off the soles and toes and reshaped them into 25’s.
Asheville has a contract with Nike, which makes 12 pairs of size-26 shoes for George. They are the only shoes he wears.”

While George does face some problems because of his stature, it’s that same size that causes the opposition to fret. He’s nearly impossible to guard and his presence in the lane is, well, gigantic. Last season he shot 77 percent from the field. And apparently he’s into creative writing and production, a route which he may follow because of uncertain NBA prospects. So this Bud Light goes to you Big Fella.

Here are some great clips of Kenny George, including a piece done by ESPN’s college gameday. Set aside a few minutes and watch these:









-Pat

Photo credit: scout.com

19-0? Not as bad as some of these titles

Much has been made about the 19-0 book that was available on Amazon.com for preorder. However, there have been many lesser known books that have been pulled from the bookshelf:


Mo than a Feeling: How the Mo Vaughn trade led the Mets to the World Series

No KG, No Problem: Story of the Timberwolves’ rise to greatness after trading overrated stiff Kevin Garnett (sequel to We Don’t Need Ew!: How the Knicks finally got their title after trading Patrick Ewing)

Yes We Ken!: How the Jets gamble to take Ken O’Brien over Dan Marino paid huge dividends

The American President: The Rudy Giuliani Story

Simply the Best: Knicks guard Stephan Marbury proclaimed himself the best point guard in the NBA. This is the story of how he proved it on the hardwood.

Joe Lamath: How Broadway Joe embarrassed himself with ridiculous guarantee (only on list to make Pat happy)

Finally!!: The tale of how Barry Bonds got that elusive ring.

Urbina’s Gardening Guide: How to keep your yard and garden in great shape without having to do too much work yourself

The Right Choice: The tale of Drew Henson's path to baseball immortality

Loyalty 101: co-authored by Bobby Petrino and Rich Rodriguez - telling the story of how loyalty lasts forever

Picture Credit: Amazon.com

Shaq vs. Kobe

I guess it’s been coming since the beginning of the new millennium. But it was 2003 or so that it really seemed like it had to happen. Recently, it seemed like it never would. But after yesterday’s trade, the possibility is greater than ever.

I’m talking, of course, about Shaq vs. Kobe in the playoffs.

The Suns and Lakers, right now, are two of the best teams in the Western Conference. The Lakers trade for Pau Gasol should only make them stronger. As Steve Nash admitted, the jury is still out on the Shaq for Marion trade, but if O’Neal comes out to prove that he has something left in the tank the Suns should be able to hold onto the top spot in the conference. Shaq may not be a great fit, but we’ll leave that debate to the real NBA analysts. Then, all we need is for both teams to win in the first two rounds and we’ve got a Shaq vs. Kobe Western Conference Finals.

We never got to see Batman fight Robin. Starsky and Hutch never went toe-to-toe. The Babe and Lou Gehrig were teammates as long as they were in the league (Ruth’s stint with the Boston Braves not withstanding). Bill and Ted never really went to fisticuffs. Therefore, Shaq vs. Kobe would be as good a clash between former colleagues as we’ve ever seen.

It seems like this has been a long time coming. In the later years of the Lakers dynasty, you could tell how much the two disliked each other. For a while, they wouldn’t admit it. Shaq called their relationship similar to a marriage. However, after the Kobe rape scandal, it exploded. Kobe made comments about Shaq, and when the two played for the first time in the regular season Shaq wouldn’t even make eye contact.

A Suns-Lakers conference finals has to be any sports fans dream. These are two athletes that I don’t think could deal with losing the series. Could you imagine the post game interview with Shaq after he had just lost to Kobe in the Western Conference Finals, or vice versa? Steve Nash, Amare, Pau Gasol etc. would be pretty much irrelevant.

Of course, there is little that the two could do to stop each other from scoring. If Kobe gets to the basket, he may have to watch out for an elbow from the Kazaam star. However, the battle would more be each player just trying to outscore the other. The Suns already aren’t Kobe’s favorite team, especially after the Raja Bell clothesline and the Lakers-Suns series two years ago.

Kobe vs. Shaq. Kobe trying to prove he can win without Shaq, and Shaq trying to break his tie with Duncan and get his fifth ring.

Obviously, a lot has to happen to get there. Shaq has to stay healthy. Both teams have to get to the conference finals. However, the prospect of this clash of superstars has to have even Knicks fans excited about the NBA again.

Super Bowl Recap

I know, you’ve seen that play a million times now, and will probably see it about a billion more in your lifetime. If Eli had broken those tackles, then jogged five yards for the first down before stepping out of bounds it would still be played on every highlight show of the game. But the fact that he threw a perfect pass into triple coverage, which David Tyree (a Syracuse alumn - thanks Pat) somehow trapped against his helmet and held onto it as he was hit by star safety Rodney Harrison makes it one of the best plays in sports history (despite the monotone call by Joe Buck).

As Pat pointed out, despite the throw and catch being an amazing play, it has two things going against it. First of all, the play did not end in a touchdown. While it helped the Giants advance the ball, they still had to make a few more plays to get into the end zone. Second, the play came on third down and not fourth down. Had Tyree not held on, or even if Eli had been sacked, the Giants would have had one more chance to get five (or more) yards. These facts probably put it a notch below the Immaculate Reception, Christian Laettner’s shot or Bobby Thompson’s home run.

I still would put it above The Catch, just because in a vacuum it is a much better play. In the past ten years, the only plays in professional sports that come close are Jordan’s last shot with the Bulls and Jeter’s flip (sorry but somehow this is the only video I could find on youtube), and Tyree’s catch trumps both of those plays because of the context. If the Mets win the World Series in 2006, Endy Chavez’s catch in Game 7 of the NLCS enters the discussion.

Much has been written about how it came to be that the New York Giants, a team who’s best win in the regular season came against the Redskins, beat a team that was on the verge of being considered the best ever. One can certainly point to the play of the defensive line, the growth of Eli Manning, etc., but to me there was one play that may have been the difference in the game.

It was the first New England possession of the third quarter, and the Patriots were driving until Tom Brady was sacked on third down the make it fourth and 13 from the Giants 31. It would have been a very make-able 48 yard field goal attempt, one that would have given the Pats a touchdown lead. For some reason, Bill Belichick decided to go for it. Brady threw an incomplete pass and the Giants took over on downs with good field position and momentum.

I know that if the Pats (Patriots, not fellow poster Pat DiSalvo and his namesakes) had converted and scored a touchdown, FOX could have started House early because the game would have been over. But in a game where points were so hard to come by and field position was so important, how could you turn down a chance at points or a chance to pin the Giants deep with a punt? Converting on 4th and 13 is a long shot. The play gave the Giants momentum, and more importantly, didn’t give the Patriots points.

- Another reason the Giants won: Karma. First of all, the Patriots started out the season with bad Karma after the whole Spygate incident and Rodney Harrison’s suspension for using HGH. There was the Patriot’s cockiness all season, Belichick’s running up the score, and Gisele’s pre-game confidence (trust me, more on that later). Also, many Giants said the Patriots were inviting them to their post-game celebratory parties (backup quarterback Jared Lorenzen, however, was not invited because Brady was worried about being short on finger foods). But what sealed the deal for the Pats was the publication of a book called "19-0: The Historic Championship Season of New England's Unbeatable Patriots." This book, written by the Boston Globe, was available for pre-order before the Super Bowl. Clearly, the football Gods took note (although there was also a book about the 2008 Super Bowl Champion Giants available on Amazon before the game).

- Now, back to Gisele. Before the game, she promised that if the Pats lost, she would run through Manhattan naked. It’s one thing when an athlete, like Plax, says something that comes off as extremely cocky. They are on the field and can control the outcome of the game, and can make their prediction come to fruition. But when supermodels are guaranteeing games that they have no effect on, it’s a little frustrating. I mean, if the Pats do end up winning, does she look like Joe Namath? Of course, I wouldn’t be upset about this had she not backed out of her promise after the game.

- How does this game affect Tom Brady’s legacy? Well, had Eli not engineered that game winning drive, then Brady would have yet another fourth quarter comeback. Plus, his prayer to Moss at the end of the game wasn’t that far from being caught. One could argue that the Giants won the game because Brady just didn’t have enough time when he got the ball back.- Finally, I’ll leave you with another gem from Giving 111’s favorite quote machine, Brandon Jacobs. Apparently, the Pat’s Richard Seymour was telling the Giants to get ready to go home late in the game.
Jacobs’ post game response?
"I'll give you a quote on Seymour," Jacobs said. "You can write that he's a soft [rhymes with ‘duck’]. He said we should get ready to go home. Well, now he's on the team that went 18-1."

Super Bowl Betting Guide

Everybody knows that the Patriots are 11.5 point favorites and the Over/Under is 54.0, but there are plenty other bets that you can make for the big game. If you like any of these odds, you still have two days to get in touch with your bookie.

Odds

-Tiki tries to take credit for Giants success: 1-2 (I think he’ll play the “mentor” card)
-Peyton gets more screen time than Eli: Even
-Pam Oliver, on Giants sideline, points out “it’s warmer than Packers game!”: Even
-After a Maroney 5-yard run, Buck/Aikman claim that “he is really the key to the Patriots success”: 2-1
-Terrell Owens demands to be traded minutes before kickoff, overshadowing game: 3-1
-Aikman claims to have played at stadium in college against the University of Phoenix: 3-1
-There are more ads for erectile dysfunction medication than there are for beer: 7-2
-Joe Buck mistakenly refers to Eli as “Peyton”: 5-1
-Brady takes Jessica Simpson to Cabo before game just to make a point: 7-1
-Moss held to 1 catch, then claims he “didn’t really want to play”: 8-1
-Buck mistakenly refers to Eli as “Archie”: 10-1
-Buck makes comment about Gisele that borders on creepy, followed by awkward silence: 15-1
-Aikman makes comment about Brady that borders on creepy, followed by awkward silence: 8-1
-Someone on the FOX pre-game show actually picks the Giants: 22-1
-Tom Petty exposes nipple in "wardrobe malfuction": 25-1
-Plax reveals his prediction was based on his numbers in a Super Bowl box: 35:1
-Ruben Droughns gains 10 or more yards: 50-1
-Buck mistakenly refers to Eli as “Cooper”: 80-1
-Super Bowl airs without a single appearance from Frank Caliendo: 100-1


Over/Under

-Play clocks destroyed by Brandon Jacobs: 1.5
-Commercials featuring MC Hammer: 4.5
-Times Buck/Aikman say after Brady completion “His ankle looked fine there!”: 7.5
-Times Buck/Aikman point out that RB Brandon Jacobs “Could be a linebacker!”: 8
-References to 2004 ALCS: 22.5
-Monday ESPN.com articles discussing how “cool” Brady is: 31.5
-Ads for the Sarah Connor Chronicles: 138
-Times Chris Berman takes the lords name in vain during the countless hours of NFL live filming (WARNING: VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE): 435





Video Credit: Jon Fish