Following on the success of his breakthrough debut single "Chocolate Rain", Tay Zonday is out with a new joint, called "Cherry Chocolate Rain" which pimps for Dr. Pepper.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Robbery Angle Emerges in Sean Taylor's Killing
The Washington Post lays out the scenario by which the murder of Sean Taylor was actually a botched robbery attempt.
Police arrested four people in connection with the case and they will all likely be charged with murder. Police tracked down the individuals thanks to citizens' tips. Police say they have at least one confession.
The crooks broke into the home to burglarize it, not expecting anyone to be home.
The four men are Charles Kendrick Lee Wardlow, 18; Eric Rivera Jr., 17; Jason Scott Mitchell, 19; and Venjah K. Hunte, 20.
Charles Wardlow's uncle, Christopher Wardlow, who is only 21, is dating Sasha Johnson, Taylor's stepsister.
Sasha Johnson, her brother Jamal Johnson and Donna Junor, Taylor's mother were the primary residents of this house.
Sasha threw a birthday party for herself at the house over Thanksgiving weekend while Taylor was in Washington. Jason Mitchell attended that party, and Mitchell also reportedly was paid to mow the lawn at the house.
From this information it seems the men were familiar with the house, knew how nice it was, how many plasma TVs it had, and decided to rob it. They thought they knew well enough who would or would not be there at the time. They evidently thought on a Sunday night Taylor would be with the Redskins and not at home. But Taylor was injured so he was there that night, and when the burglars heard him, they panicked and fired. Maybe they thought a shot to the leg would injure but not kill Taylor, giving them enough time to escape. But they were wrong.
All four men have criminal histories, according to public records. Rivera was charged in August with felony possession of a firearm and removing a serial number from a firearm and in October with felony cocaine and amphetamines trafficking. Wardlow was arrested three times in 2005-06, twice on drug charges and once for felony grand theft. Mitchell was charged with disturbing the peace in 2004. Hunte was arrested on drug possession and trespassing charges in August.
Taylor's former attorney Richard Sharpstein has been the public spokesman for the family during this time and this is what he had to say about the latest developments: "People always said Sean's life led him to this, saying he was violent. But if anything here his openness and generosity led to this crime, which is shocking and horrific. I said all along it was a burglary and it was planned. There are 17-, 19-, 21-year-old pathetic criminal wannabes and they carry a gun like every other dime-a-dozen jerk in the streets, and they happen to come upon someone they don't expect to be there and they fire the gun and run like cowards. This is a shame, but it's not over and this will be of no solace to the family. If anything it will only make it harder to swallow."
Police arrested four people in connection with the case and they will all likely be charged with murder. Police tracked down the individuals thanks to citizens' tips. Police say they have at least one confession.
The crooks broke into the home to burglarize it, not expecting anyone to be home.
The four men are Charles Kendrick Lee Wardlow, 18; Eric Rivera Jr., 17; Jason Scott Mitchell, 19; and Venjah K. Hunte, 20.
Charles Wardlow's uncle, Christopher Wardlow, who is only 21, is dating Sasha Johnson, Taylor's stepsister.
Sasha Johnson, her brother Jamal Johnson and Donna Junor, Taylor's mother were the primary residents of this house.
Sasha threw a birthday party for herself at the house over Thanksgiving weekend while Taylor was in Washington. Jason Mitchell attended that party, and Mitchell also reportedly was paid to mow the lawn at the house.
From this information it seems the men were familiar with the house, knew how nice it was, how many plasma TVs it had, and decided to rob it. They thought they knew well enough who would or would not be there at the time. They evidently thought on a Sunday night Taylor would be with the Redskins and not at home. But Taylor was injured so he was there that night, and when the burglars heard him, they panicked and fired. Maybe they thought a shot to the leg would injure but not kill Taylor, giving them enough time to escape. But they were wrong.
All four men have criminal histories, according to public records. Rivera was charged in August with felony possession of a firearm and removing a serial number from a firearm and in October with felony cocaine and amphetamines trafficking. Wardlow was arrested three times in 2005-06, twice on drug charges and once for felony grand theft. Mitchell was charged with disturbing the peace in 2004. Hunte was arrested on drug possession and trespassing charges in August.
Taylor's former attorney Richard Sharpstein has been the public spokesman for the family during this time and this is what he had to say about the latest developments: "People always said Sean's life led him to this, saying he was violent. But if anything here his openness and generosity led to this crime, which is shocking and horrific. I said all along it was a burglary and it was planned. There are 17-, 19-, 21-year-old pathetic criminal wannabes and they carry a gun like every other dime-a-dozen jerk in the streets, and they happen to come upon someone they don't expect to be there and they fire the gun and run like cowards. This is a shame, but it's not over and this will be of no solace to the family. If anything it will only make it harder to swallow."
Mets New Outfielder Thinks Jews are Going to Hell
Two years ago Ryan Church (whom the Mets just acquired for Lastings Milledge) asked Jon Moeller, the Nationals' former chaplain about Jews.
"I said, like, Jewish people, they don't believe in Jesus. Does that mean they're doomed? Jon nodded, like, that's what it meant. My ex-girlfriend! I was like, man, if they only knew. Other religions don't know any better. It's up to us to spread the word," Church said.
According to the New York Times, before making this trade Minaya said he spoke with Church and a few Nationals executives and felt confident in his character. “There’s no hard feelings between anybody,” Church said. “I apologized for everything. I’m not one to judge people.”
"I said, like, Jewish people, they don't believe in Jesus. Does that mean they're doomed? Jon nodded, like, that's what it meant. My ex-girlfriend! I was like, man, if they only knew. Other religions don't know any better. It's up to us to spread the word," Church said.
According to the New York Times, before making this trade Minaya said he spoke with Church and a few Nationals executives and felt confident in his character. “There’s no hard feelings between anybody,” Church said. “I apologized for everything. I’m not one to judge people.”
Friday, November 30, 2007
Even Worse
Instead of trading Lastings Milledge to the A's for Dan Haren instead they dumped him to the Nationals for Brian Schneider and Ryan Church.
It once again proves that the Mets have no intention of ever giving a talented young player a chance. They hated Milledge from the beginning and refused to let him develop.
This also shows that the Mets never wanted Johnny Estrada and only got him because it was the only way to get rid of Guillermo Mota.
I hope this means at least that Carlos Gomez will be given a chance to be the starting right fielder this season.
It once again proves that the Mets have no intention of ever giving a talented young player a chance. They hated Milledge from the beginning and refused to let him develop.
This also shows that the Mets never wanted Johnny Estrada and only got him because it was the only way to get rid of Guillermo Mota.
I hope this means at least that Carlos Gomez will be given a chance to be the starting right fielder this season.
Missing Porn Star
A missing 18-year-old college student at Butler Community College in Kansas, Emily Sander, is also an internet porn star named, Zoey Zane.
Police found a body alongside a highway matching Sander's description, and they now believe that she is dead.
"She enjoyed it. She is a young teenage girl and she wanted to be in the movies and enjoyed movies. She needed the extra money," said Nikki Watson, Sander's friend.
Watson also said that Sander recently signed a contract for the porn work and told her parents about it on Thanksgiving. Sander's boyfriend broke up with her because he did not approve.
Her boyfriend said Sander did the porn because she loved hip-hop music and wanted to be a music video producer and thought she needed the exposure.
Sander was last seen leaving a bar last Friday with a man identified as Israel Mireles, 24. Sander and Mireles had met that night at the bar.
After Mireles did not show up Saturday at his job at an Italian restaurant, his employer went to the motel room where he was staying.
The motel room was in disarray, a lot of blood was in the room and the bedsheets were missing.
A nationwide manhunt was under way for Mireles and his 16-year-old girlfriend.
It's not clear if the porn work is related to her disappearance.
She was last seen wearing low-rider jeans and a "Don't Mess With Texas" T-shirt. She has tattoos and body piercings.
If you want to see what creepy old men with "barely legal" fetishes were paying $9.95 a month to see here are a couple of NSFW sites with her pictures.
Police found a body alongside a highway matching Sander's description, and they now believe that she is dead.
"She enjoyed it. She is a young teenage girl and she wanted to be in the movies and enjoyed movies. She needed the extra money," said Nikki Watson, Sander's friend.
Watson also said that Sander recently signed a contract for the porn work and told her parents about it on Thanksgiving. Sander's boyfriend broke up with her because he did not approve.
Her boyfriend said Sander did the porn because she loved hip-hop music and wanted to be a music video producer and thought she needed the exposure.
Sander was last seen leaving a bar last Friday with a man identified as Israel Mireles, 24. Sander and Mireles had met that night at the bar.
After Mireles did not show up Saturday at his job at an Italian restaurant, his employer went to the motel room where he was staying.
The motel room was in disarray, a lot of blood was in the room and the bedsheets were missing.
A nationwide manhunt was under way for Mireles and his 16-year-old girlfriend.
It's not clear if the porn work is related to her disappearance.
She was last seen wearing low-rider jeans and a "Don't Mess With Texas" T-shirt. She has tattoos and body piercings.
If you want to see what creepy old men with "barely legal" fetishes were paying $9.95 a month to see here are a couple of NSFW sites with her pictures.
Friday Night Hottie
The producers of "Friday Night Lights" and NBC have seemingly conspired to make the show a failure.
First was the ridiculous decision to move the show to Friday Nights. I know it fits because of the show's title, but I think a lot of high school football players and cheerleaders would like this show, but they can't watch it because they're at their own football games.
But even worse than that was the storyline in which Landry killed Tyra's assailant/stalker/would-be rapist. And instead of calling the police and giving them a self-defense plea, they figured they were better off dumping his body in the river. Terrible decision.
But one thing they did do that could possibly save the show, adding Kim Smith to the cast as Saracen's new girlfriend. As much as I love Lyla Garrity, she's not even in the same ballpark with this supermodel.
And fittingly, Kim Smith went to Permian High School, the Texas school which is the subject of the book version of "Friday Night Lights."
First was the ridiculous decision to move the show to Friday Nights. I know it fits because of the show's title, but I think a lot of high school football players and cheerleaders would like this show, but they can't watch it because they're at their own football games.
But even worse than that was the storyline in which Landry killed Tyra's assailant/stalker/would-be rapist. And instead of calling the police and giving them a self-defense plea, they figured they were better off dumping his body in the river. Terrible decision.
But one thing they did do that could possibly save the show, adding Kim Smith to the cast as Saracen's new girlfriend. As much as I love Lyla Garrity, she's not even in the same ballpark with this supermodel.
And fittingly, Kim Smith went to Permian High School, the Texas school which is the subject of the book version of "Friday Night Lights."
Ask The Pageantry
1) Should Dennis Dixon win the Heisman because of the dramatic difference between his team’s performance when he is playing compared to when he isn’t? – P. Knight, Beaverton, OR
The answer on the surface would appear to be the difference between the Heisman trophy and an MVP award (after all where would Heisman’s Penn teams have been without John Outland at tackle?), but I can’t even think of an MVP award in any sport being awarded to someone on such a premise. If Dixon was far and away the Heisman favorite all year long there may be a case but three games in college football is a quarter of the season and the Heisman has never and will never be awarded on ¾ of a season. Previous Heisman votes lead me to believe that last Saturday was a one game audition for Chase Daniel but I will cover the Heisman next week.
2) Whose face did you see more of this weekend Chrissy Johnson (nee Popadics) or Mark Mangino? – C. Myers, Los Angeles, California
Unfortunately Mangino as Chrissy’s husband Ian was held in check in the final three quarters of the game against Hawai’i. Chrissy has gotten quite a lot of camera-love this year and we all know why but we also all know Ian Johnson isn’t the only college football player with a hot girlfriend. Why isn’t ESPN exploiting every star player’s hot girlfriend to boost ratings, seems like it would work better than having celebrities give the starting lineups? Johnson is a low-level NFL prospect but a good North-South runner and Jake Plummer knows the Denver Broncos allow player-cheerleader fraternization. I can see or hope to see the Johnsons in Broncos uniforms next season as well.
3) Doesn’t Jim Harbaugh actually make more sense for the next Michigan head coach than Les Miles? – M. Oxbig, NY. NY
Harbaugh makes no sense as he bashed the program and accused it of lowering academic standards for athletes this past fall and has one year of DI-FBS experience and one big win. He won’t be getting the job, moving on to Miles. As a follower of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, it NEEDS Les Miles. It’s becoming boring as The Sweatervest is having his way with UM and doesn’t seem to be enjoying it as much as he should. Tressel would be the perfect foil for Miles and vice-versa. The reasons Miles won’t get the job have been covered ($1.5 million payout to LSU, timing, Miles not fitting the “Michigan Man” profile), but now that LSU seems to be out of the National Championship picture the speculation is less damaging to LSU and Michigan still doesn’t have a coach. I’m not saying he’s headed there but let’s wait and see.
4) If West Virginia beats Pittsburgh (highly likely) then they play either Missouri or Ohio State in the title game. Does any other team have a legitimate complaint with that scenario? – J. Tressel, Columbus, Ohio
Well if the college football regular season is an institution sacred above all other regular seasons in every other organized sport, than Hawaii would. They didn’t lose and didn’t have an opportunity to challenge any other teams besides the one on their schedule. And they soundly beat the one Top 25 team on their schedule. Les Miles mentioned his team not being beaten in regulation on Monday, and that notion was laughed at nationally, but it is more valid than people are giving it credit for (which is still not very). But would Missouri and West Virginia have been able to go through this year’s SEC unbeaten in regulation or with the same records they have now? Plus if Missouri loses, Ohio State will have appeared to have “backed-in” to the BCS National Championship and both national championship game teams would have not played a championship game. What’s the next question?
5) Do we really care if some teams have conference tournaments and others don’t? Some years a team can benefit from playing an extra game against a good team, other years a team can move up by not playing while other teams are losing their conference finals. – C. Daniel, Columbia, Missouri
Because the conferences with championship games have 13 games for which to be judged on and the non-championship games conferences only have 12. It’s another opportunity to be eliminated and rarely does any team leapfrog any other because of the win. Since the ACC, Big XII, and SEC aren’t going to give up the revenue created by a conference championship, the solution is to waive the “12 team rule” to hold a conference championship, since the result of that has been poaching by the larger conferences. What an enjoyable day that would make this Saturday.
The answer on the surface would appear to be the difference between the Heisman trophy and an MVP award (after all where would Heisman’s Penn teams have been without John Outland at tackle?), but I can’t even think of an MVP award in any sport being awarded to someone on such a premise. If Dixon was far and away the Heisman favorite all year long there may be a case but three games in college football is a quarter of the season and the Heisman has never and will never be awarded on ¾ of a season. Previous Heisman votes lead me to believe that last Saturday was a one game audition for Chase Daniel but I will cover the Heisman next week.
2) Whose face did you see more of this weekend Chrissy Johnson (nee Popadics) or Mark Mangino? – C. Myers, Los Angeles, California
Unfortunately Mangino as Chrissy’s husband Ian was held in check in the final three quarters of the game against Hawai’i. Chrissy has gotten quite a lot of camera-love this year and we all know why but we also all know Ian Johnson isn’t the only college football player with a hot girlfriend. Why isn’t ESPN exploiting every star player’s hot girlfriend to boost ratings, seems like it would work better than having celebrities give the starting lineups? Johnson is a low-level NFL prospect but a good North-South runner and Jake Plummer knows the Denver Broncos allow player-cheerleader fraternization. I can see or hope to see the Johnsons in Broncos uniforms next season as well.
3) Doesn’t Jim Harbaugh actually make more sense for the next Michigan head coach than Les Miles? – M. Oxbig, NY. NY
Harbaugh makes no sense as he bashed the program and accused it of lowering academic standards for athletes this past fall and has one year of DI-FBS experience and one big win. He won’t be getting the job, moving on to Miles. As a follower of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, it NEEDS Les Miles. It’s becoming boring as The Sweatervest is having his way with UM and doesn’t seem to be enjoying it as much as he should. Tressel would be the perfect foil for Miles and vice-versa. The reasons Miles won’t get the job have been covered ($1.5 million payout to LSU, timing, Miles not fitting the “Michigan Man” profile), but now that LSU seems to be out of the National Championship picture the speculation is less damaging to LSU and Michigan still doesn’t have a coach. I’m not saying he’s headed there but let’s wait and see.
4) If West Virginia beats Pittsburgh (highly likely) then they play either Missouri or Ohio State in the title game. Does any other team have a legitimate complaint with that scenario? – J. Tressel, Columbus, Ohio
Well if the college football regular season is an institution sacred above all other regular seasons in every other organized sport, than Hawaii would. They didn’t lose and didn’t have an opportunity to challenge any other teams besides the one on their schedule. And they soundly beat the one Top 25 team on their schedule. Les Miles mentioned his team not being beaten in regulation on Monday, and that notion was laughed at nationally, but it is more valid than people are giving it credit for (which is still not very). But would Missouri and West Virginia have been able to go through this year’s SEC unbeaten in regulation or with the same records they have now? Plus if Missouri loses, Ohio State will have appeared to have “backed-in” to the BCS National Championship and both national championship game teams would have not played a championship game. What’s the next question?
5) Do we really care if some teams have conference tournaments and others don’t? Some years a team can benefit from playing an extra game against a good team, other years a team can move up by not playing while other teams are losing their conference finals. – C. Daniel, Columbia, Missouri
Because the conferences with championship games have 13 games for which to be judged on and the non-championship games conferences only have 12. It’s another opportunity to be eliminated and rarely does any team leapfrog any other because of the win. Since the ACC, Big XII, and SEC aren’t going to give up the revenue created by a conference championship, the solution is to waive the “12 team rule” to hold a conference championship, since the result of that has been poaching by the larger conferences. What an enjoyable day that would make this Saturday.
My Trade Predictions
The Yankees will trade Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera, Jose Tabata and one more minor league prospect to the Twins for John Santana. They would rather include Ian Kennedy instead of Hughes but they'll be too scared to lose him to the Red Sox. The Red Sox won't include Jacoby Ellsbury in a trade, which is a deal-breaker, but they'll keep pushing the action hoping to force the Yankees into overpaying.
The Mets will trade Lastings Milledge, Mike Pelfrey and Kevin Mulvey to the A's for Dan Haren. This would be another terrible deal. Haren is good, but he is no guarantee of anything. Unless he repeats his performance from last year he won't be a major upgrade over what the Mets have now. And I don't know how he'll be in the playoffs, so I wouldn't want to trade three top prospects for him.
The Mets will trade Lastings Milledge, Mike Pelfrey and Kevin Mulvey to the A's for Dan Haren. This would be another terrible deal. Haren is good, but he is no guarantee of anything. Unless he repeats his performance from last year he won't be a major upgrade over what the Mets have now. And I don't know how he'll be in the playoffs, so I wouldn't want to trade three top prospects for him.
Weekly Picks
The Patriots really let me down last week because I got all four other games right. I'm still holding my position but there are a lot of people now hot on my trail. I need a big week this week. With that said there are a lot of tough to call games this week and I meant to pick Dallas but forgot.
TENNESSEE -4 houston
The Titans have been horrible lately but for some reason I still like Vince Young and think he can make plays to win. The Titans have a strong running game and as long as they can contain Andre Johnson they should win this game at home.
CAROLINA -2.5 san francisco
Up until last week San Francisco was battling the Dolphins for the title of worst team in the league. I expect the 49ers to revert back to that form this week. Testaverde will probably start in this one and he can make enough plays to win.
cleveland pk ARIZONA
The Browns are a much better team.
PITTSBURGH -7.5 cincinnati
The Steelers are at home, coming off one of the worst games in league history. Hopefully the field will be in better shape and the Bengals will revert back to their early season form.
new england -20 BALTIMORE
The Ravens defense might give them trouble but their offense shouldn't be able to put up a single point on the Patriots. This spread is still very large but I expect an angry Patriots team to cover it...in the first quarter.
Last Week: 4-1 (3 points)
Season so far: 34-26 (36 points - 4th, 1 points out of 1st)
Best bet: 0-1 (7-5)
Home favorites: 2-1 (12-7)
Home underdogs: 0-0 (3-0)
Road favorites: 2-0 (16-11)
Road underdogs: 0-0 (3-8)
TENNESSEE -4 houston
The Titans have been horrible lately but for some reason I still like Vince Young and think he can make plays to win. The Titans have a strong running game and as long as they can contain Andre Johnson they should win this game at home.
CAROLINA -2.5 san francisco
Up until last week San Francisco was battling the Dolphins for the title of worst team in the league. I expect the 49ers to revert back to that form this week. Testaverde will probably start in this one and he can make enough plays to win.
cleveland pk ARIZONA
The Browns are a much better team.
PITTSBURGH -7.5 cincinnati
The Steelers are at home, coming off one of the worst games in league history. Hopefully the field will be in better shape and the Bengals will revert back to their early season form.
new england -20 BALTIMORE
The Ravens defense might give them trouble but their offense shouldn't be able to put up a single point on the Patriots. This spread is still very large but I expect an angry Patriots team to cover it...in the first quarter.
Last Week: 4-1 (3 points)
Season so far: 34-26 (36 points - 4th, 1 points out of 1st)
Best bet: 0-1 (7-5)
Home favorites: 2-1 (12-7)
Home underdogs: 0-0 (3-0)
Road favorites: 2-0 (16-11)
Road underdogs: 0-0 (3-8)
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Whores Love Paul
The Ron Paul Revolution is sweeping the nation. Support for the Republican candidate and his libertarian policies is growing as people are tired of politics as usual.
Paul is running on a platform of "get the government off our backs and out of our wallets."
That philosophy appeals to people like Dennis Hof, owner of the MoonLight Bunny Ranch, the brothel made famous by HBO's "Cathouse" series.
Hof recently showed up at a Paul event in Nevada with a hooker on each arm.
Hof said he would put a collection box at the bunny ranch but political campaigns can't accept anonymous donations. Instead Hof is considering starting a PAC called Hookers For Paul.
Hof is also offering a deal to his customers: "If you come in the Bunny Ranch and say, 'I'm pimping for Paul,' you get two bunnies for the price of one."
Ron Paul's campaign says: "I guess that's the price of freedom. Ron's a conservative Christian. Quite frankly, he finds prostitution personally morally abhorrent. Sometimes you have to put up with things that don't jibe with your personal view of the world."
Paul is running on a platform of "get the government off our backs and out of our wallets."
That philosophy appeals to people like Dennis Hof, owner of the MoonLight Bunny Ranch, the brothel made famous by HBO's "Cathouse" series.
Hof recently showed up at a Paul event in Nevada with a hooker on each arm.
Hof said he would put a collection box at the bunny ranch but political campaigns can't accept anonymous donations. Instead Hof is considering starting a PAC called Hookers For Paul.
Hof is also offering a deal to his customers: "If you come in the Bunny Ranch and say, 'I'm pimping for Paul,' you get two bunnies for the price of one."
Ron Paul's campaign says: "I guess that's the price of freedom. Ron's a conservative Christian. Quite frankly, he finds prostitution personally morally abhorrent. Sometimes you have to put up with things that don't jibe with your personal view of the world."
If I Were Him I'd Get a Paternity Test
Christina Aguilera appears almost naked on the cover of Marie Claire's Sexy Mama issue to show off her baby bump.
Turns out a pregnant slut is still a slut.
You may remember that Britney Spears pulled this move before, and if there's one person whose parenting you don't want to emulate, it's Britney Spears.
Turns out a pregnant slut is still a slut.
You may remember that Britney Spears pulled this move before, and if there's one person whose parenting you don't want to emulate, it's Britney Spears.
Song of The Week
"Just Fine" - Mary J. Blige
In sheer numbers, very few people have more songs that I like than Mary J. Normally, I like her slower stuff where she can show off her incredible voice.
But here she really grooves with the uptempo beats and upbeat lyrics of the song.
Record label link
In sheer numbers, very few people have more songs that I like than Mary J. Normally, I like her slower stuff where she can show off her incredible voice.
But here she really grooves with the uptempo beats and upbeat lyrics of the song.
Record label link
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Just Do It
Johan Santana is on the trading block and the Mets should do almost anything it takes to get him.
I am almost always opposed to trading talented prospects for high-priced veterans but Santana is a special case.
He is the best pitcher in baseball. And he's only 29. And some team is going to trade for him this year so waiting for him to hit free agency is not an option.
The Mets are reportedly ready to offer a deal centered around Carlos Gomez. The Mets would have to give up one of their top two pitching prospects, Pelfrey or Humber, but they can't afford to give up both because then they'd have no Pedro/El Duque injury insurance.
The Mets would probably have to offer two more prospects in the deal, though I can't imagine who, Kevin Mulvey, Mike Carp, Anderson Hernandez?
Chances are the Mets are not going to make a move for Santana because the Twins' recent acquisition of Delmon Young decreases their need for Carlos Gomez.
The Twins did trade their shortstop in that deal making it possible the Mets could trade Jose Reyes to the Twins for Santana.
Omar Minaya described such a move as "robbing Peter to pay Paul" but I think it is something to consider. Reyes is a high price to pay, but Santana may be the one guy who's worth it.
The Mets don't have any other options who can approximate the performance Santana would give them. But the Mets do have Carlos Gomez who could play rightfield and approximate (75% of his runs and steals totals with slightly lower on base and slugging percentages) Reyes's contributions while batting leadoff.
Other options for the Mets include Dan Haren, Joe Blanton and Dontrelle Willis. Blanton and Willis have been two of my favorites for a couple years now, but I would rather give up Gomez and 3 others for Santana than just Gomez for one of those three.
The reason being, in a short playoff series Santana provides a huge advantage because he's better than anyone the other team has. That pushes everyone else down, making Pedro (when healthy), Maine and Perez, the 2, 3 and 4 starters, much better and deeper than what almost any other team would have.
I know the danger of trading prospects, but we are not talking about Viktor Zambrano here. We are talking about the best pitcher in baseball.
I am almost always opposed to trading talented prospects for high-priced veterans but Santana is a special case.
He is the best pitcher in baseball. And he's only 29. And some team is going to trade for him this year so waiting for him to hit free agency is not an option.
The Mets are reportedly ready to offer a deal centered around Carlos Gomez. The Mets would have to give up one of their top two pitching prospects, Pelfrey or Humber, but they can't afford to give up both because then they'd have no Pedro/El Duque injury insurance.
The Mets would probably have to offer two more prospects in the deal, though I can't imagine who, Kevin Mulvey, Mike Carp, Anderson Hernandez?
Chances are the Mets are not going to make a move for Santana because the Twins' recent acquisition of Delmon Young decreases their need for Carlos Gomez.
The Twins did trade their shortstop in that deal making it possible the Mets could trade Jose Reyes to the Twins for Santana.
Omar Minaya described such a move as "robbing Peter to pay Paul" but I think it is something to consider. Reyes is a high price to pay, but Santana may be the one guy who's worth it.
The Mets don't have any other options who can approximate the performance Santana would give them. But the Mets do have Carlos Gomez who could play rightfield and approximate (75% of his runs and steals totals with slightly lower on base and slugging percentages) Reyes's contributions while batting leadoff.
Other options for the Mets include Dan Haren, Joe Blanton and Dontrelle Willis. Blanton and Willis have been two of my favorites for a couple years now, but I would rather give up Gomez and 3 others for Santana than just Gomez for one of those three.
The reason being, in a short playoff series Santana provides a huge advantage because he's better than anyone the other team has. That pushes everyone else down, making Pedro (when healthy), Maine and Perez, the 2, 3 and 4 starters, much better and deeper than what almost any other team would have.
I know the danger of trading prospects, but we are not talking about Viktor Zambrano here. We are talking about the best pitcher in baseball.
Drunk Drivers
Mrs. Poop and I (and of course Chase) made our monthly visit to Target and Costco. It started off well, I think I got the morning's first batch of popcorn, but went right downhill when Mrs. Poop took forever in the changing room, causing Chase and I to start crying.
Chase fussed the whole time in Target but eventually calmed down after eating lunch in the car.
When we got to Costco it was crowded as usual and we're trying to navigate this crowd and a handicapped woman in a motorized scooter ran me over. Slamming me in the achilles on both of my feet with her death trap.
Mrs. Poop exclaimed (as many do when something funny happens around me) "that's going on the blog."
But she was laughing so hard she didn't see a shopping cart that was sticking out into the aisle, and she drove our cart (with Chase in it) right into the other cart.
Chase fussed the whole time in Target but eventually calmed down after eating lunch in the car.
When we got to Costco it was crowded as usual and we're trying to navigate this crowd and a handicapped woman in a motorized scooter ran me over. Slamming me in the achilles on both of my feet with her death trap.
Mrs. Poop exclaimed (as many do when something funny happens around me) "that's going on the blog."
But she was laughing so hard she didn't see a shopping cart that was sticking out into the aisle, and she drove our cart (with Chase in it) right into the other cart.
Chick's With Dick's
A merger that just had to happen:
Dick's Sporting Goods Agrees to Acquire Chick's Sporting Goods
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. and Chick's Sporting Goods, a privately held corporation, have entered into a definitive stock purchase agreement whereby Dick's will acquire Chick's Sporting Goods. Under the terms of the agreement, Dick's has agreed to pay approximately $40 million in cash for the outstanding equity of Chick's. Including the assumption of approximately $31 million of indebtedness, the transaction values Chick's at approximately $71 million, and will be financed using Dick's existing credit facility. Chick's shareholders have the opportunity to earn up to $5 million in additional consideration, upon satisfaction by Chick's of certain specified performance criteria through June, 2008.
Dick's Sporting Goods Agrees to Acquire Chick's Sporting Goods
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. and Chick's Sporting Goods, a privately held corporation, have entered into a definitive stock purchase agreement whereby Dick's will acquire Chick's Sporting Goods. Under the terms of the agreement, Dick's has agreed to pay approximately $40 million in cash for the outstanding equity of Chick's. Including the assumption of approximately $31 million of indebtedness, the transaction values Chick's at approximately $71 million, and will be financed using Dick's existing credit facility. Chick's shareholders have the opportunity to earn up to $5 million in additional consideration, upon satisfaction by Chick's of certain specified performance criteria through June, 2008.
Tooting Her Own Horn
A 69-year-old grandmother is facing charges of disorderly conduct (and up to 6 months in prison and a $500 fine) because every time the Denver Broncos score, she honks the horn once for each point. But it's not just a horn, it's 6 old car horns hooked up to a car battery.
A neighbor complained to her about the noise and asked that she move to horn to her backyard, and point it away from his house. According to the neighbor, she was rude and refused to move the horn so he called the cops.
A neighbor complained to her about the noise and asked that she move to horn to her backyard, and point it away from his house. According to the neighbor, she was rude and refused to move the horn so he called the cops.
Orange Lab
Bobby Brooks of Chapin, South Carolina was angry at his black lab, Mikey, when he saw the dog was covered in orange spots.
He had no idea what Mikey could have gotten into.
But when he went outside and saw Orange pawprints on the road, he knew the damage was done by rowdy Clemson fans celebrating their victory over rival South Carolina.
Mikey was in the yard behind the invisible fence and Brooks thinks when the vandals saw him, they decided to paint him too.
They should have just left Mikey alone, he went to Ohio State.
He had no idea what Mikey could have gotten into.
But when he went outside and saw Orange pawprints on the road, he knew the damage was done by rowdy Clemson fans celebrating their victory over rival South Carolina.
Mikey was in the yard behind the invisible fence and Brooks thinks when the vandals saw him, they decided to paint him too.
They should have just left Mikey alone, he went to Ohio State.
Rule 8 Section II Subsection A
ACC Official Ron Cherry gives the official explanation of a penalty during the Maryland-North Carolina State game.
Believe it or not the exact same thing happened during an NFL game in 1986 when the Jets Marty Lyons got into a fight with Bills quarterback Jim Kelly:
Believe it or not the exact same thing happened during an NFL game in 1986 when the Jets Marty Lyons got into a fight with Bills quarterback Jim Kelly:
Dog Bites Man
Dogs do not like sudden movements. So the Auburn player who waved an incomplete pass got introduced to the business end of a security dog during the Iron Bowl game against Alabama.
Maybe this dog was descended from police dogs who worked in Alabama in the 1960s and were trained to go after black people.
Maybe this dog was descended from police dogs who worked in Alabama in the 1960s and were trained to go after black people.
Colorado's Most Famous Alumnus
I've always hated that ABC and ESPN use celebrities to read the lineups during college football games. Maybe if more fictional characters had been involved I would have liked it more.
Teddy Bear Toss
The Portland WinterHawks, a minor league hockey team, hosted their annual Teddy Bear Toss and set a world record with more than 20,000 bears.
The gimmick is, fans throw the bears on the ice after the first goal, the bears are collected and donated to charities which will distribute them to kids for Hanukah, and maybe Christmas for the underprivileged, non-Jewish (wait, that's redundant) kids.
The gimmick is, fans throw the bears on the ice after the first goal, the bears are collected and donated to charities which will distribute them to kids for Hanukah, and maybe Christmas for the underprivileged, non-Jewish (wait, that's redundant) kids.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Sean Taylor 1983-2007
Sean Taylor was asleep in his bed with his girlfriend Jackie Garcia and his 18-month old daughter, also named Jackie, in her crib nearby, shortly before 2am on November 26th. They woke up when they heard a noise in the living room. Taylor grabbed a machete that he keeps under the bed for protection, but the intruder (or intruders) burst into the room (kicking down the door which Taylor had locked) and fired two shots. One hit Taylor in the leg, the other missed and hit the wall. The intruder fled and Garcia, who had been cowering under the covers holding her daughter, tried to call 911. But something was wrong with their phone (the line was cut, possibly) so she had to use her cell phone to dial 911.
Taylor was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami where doctors did 7 hours of surgery to repair the damage done when the bullet hit his femoral artery. Doctors haven't provided all the details yet, but it is believed that Taylor's femoral artery was shredded by the bullet. Had it been completely severed it's more likely that he would have survived. But because the bullet shredded the artery, blood kept flowing there and Taylor was bleeding internally. It is estimated that Taylor lost about 2 quarts of blood, about 30% of all the blood in his body. Once the damage was repaired, it was too late, he had lost too much blood and his vital organs had been without blood for too long.
*****
Police will begin investigating this crime but at these early stages the question is: was Taylor targeted? Or was this a home invasion robbery that went wrong?
Many people are ruling out robbery because the killer came into the bedroom firing, then left without taking anything.
On November 17th, Taylor's home was burglarized at a time when no one was home. An intruder pried open the window, rifled through some drawers and left. Not much, if anything was taken but what they left is most interesting. A kitchen knife was left on the bed. Was it a message?
*****
Sean Taylor had been in trouble before. In 2005 there was an incident in which two ATVs were stolen from Taylor. There was a fight in which Taylor punched the guy he thought stole his ATVs. Taylor says the other guy later fired shots at his car, the other guy says Taylor shot at him. The charges against Taylor in this case were dropped when he agreed to do community service (speak to school children) and donate $10,000 to local schools. But it's not clear if the charges were dropped because they didn't have a case against Taylor or because the case had been mishandled by the prosecutors. The prosecutor was using his position on the case to advertise for his DJ business.
Some have speculated that this incident, or perhaps other violent incidents in the past led to Taylor being a marked man. There is no evidence to support that at this time.
People want to speculate that Taylor was the stereotypical young black man who grew up without a father and ran with gangs and eventually couldn't escape his violent past.
Sean Taylor's father is the police chief in nearby Florida City, Florida and from all accounts has always been a strong part of Sean's life.
*****
On the field Taylor was the textbook strong safety. He was a big hitter, he stuffed the run, he forced turnovers but he was a little susceptible to the deep pass.
Taylor was known for playing on the edge and frequently followed big plays with stupid penalties. This was best typified by the playoff game against the Buccaneers in 2006. Taylor returned a fumble for a touchdown, but later got penalized 15 yards for spitting on Michael Pittman.
Taylor even brought his intensity to the Pro Bowl where he delivered this hit on Bills punter Brian Morman.
*****
So now Jackie Garcia (who by the way is related to Andy Garcia) will begin raising her little girl as a single mother.
By all accounts, Taylor had grown up a lot since Jackie was born 18 months ago. He left behind his past and became a good father, a good boyfriend and a better, more mature man. Remember, he was only 24, a young age to have all this money and responsibility.
A woman lost a love, a girl lost a father, a father lost a son and a lot of fans lost a hero.
Someday Chase will grow up to become a Redskins fan (hopefully) but he'll never get the chance to see Sean Taylor play. For the next ten years I had hoped he would be in the Redskins secondary, and I could watch him with Chase, and maybe #21 would have been his first Redskins jersey.
How is his father going to explain to 5-year-old Andrew Duncan what happened to the guy whose name is on the back of his jersey?
When Sean Taylor gets to heaven I bet he sees a wide receiver running open over the middle.
Taylor was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami where doctors did 7 hours of surgery to repair the damage done when the bullet hit his femoral artery. Doctors haven't provided all the details yet, but it is believed that Taylor's femoral artery was shredded by the bullet. Had it been completely severed it's more likely that he would have survived. But because the bullet shredded the artery, blood kept flowing there and Taylor was bleeding internally. It is estimated that Taylor lost about 2 quarts of blood, about 30% of all the blood in his body. Once the damage was repaired, it was too late, he had lost too much blood and his vital organs had been without blood for too long.
*****
Police will begin investigating this crime but at these early stages the question is: was Taylor targeted? Or was this a home invasion robbery that went wrong?
Many people are ruling out robbery because the killer came into the bedroom firing, then left without taking anything.
On November 17th, Taylor's home was burglarized at a time when no one was home. An intruder pried open the window, rifled through some drawers and left. Not much, if anything was taken but what they left is most interesting. A kitchen knife was left on the bed. Was it a message?
*****
Sean Taylor had been in trouble before. In 2005 there was an incident in which two ATVs were stolen from Taylor. There was a fight in which Taylor punched the guy he thought stole his ATVs. Taylor says the other guy later fired shots at his car, the other guy says Taylor shot at him. The charges against Taylor in this case were dropped when he agreed to do community service (speak to school children) and donate $10,000 to local schools. But it's not clear if the charges were dropped because they didn't have a case against Taylor or because the case had been mishandled by the prosecutors. The prosecutor was using his position on the case to advertise for his DJ business.
Some have speculated that this incident, or perhaps other violent incidents in the past led to Taylor being a marked man. There is no evidence to support that at this time.
People want to speculate that Taylor was the stereotypical young black man who grew up without a father and ran with gangs and eventually couldn't escape his violent past.
Sean Taylor's father is the police chief in nearby Florida City, Florida and from all accounts has always been a strong part of Sean's life.
*****
On the field Taylor was the textbook strong safety. He was a big hitter, he stuffed the run, he forced turnovers but he was a little susceptible to the deep pass.
Taylor was known for playing on the edge and frequently followed big plays with stupid penalties. This was best typified by the playoff game against the Buccaneers in 2006. Taylor returned a fumble for a touchdown, but later got penalized 15 yards for spitting on Michael Pittman.
Taylor even brought his intensity to the Pro Bowl where he delivered this hit on Bills punter Brian Morman.
*****
So now Jackie Garcia (who by the way is related to Andy Garcia) will begin raising her little girl as a single mother.
By all accounts, Taylor had grown up a lot since Jackie was born 18 months ago. He left behind his past and became a good father, a good boyfriend and a better, more mature man. Remember, he was only 24, a young age to have all this money and responsibility.
A woman lost a love, a girl lost a father, a father lost a son and a lot of fans lost a hero.
Someday Chase will grow up to become a Redskins fan (hopefully) but he'll never get the chance to see Sean Taylor play. For the next ten years I had hoped he would be in the Redskins secondary, and I could watch him with Chase, and maybe #21 would have been his first Redskins jersey.
How is his father going to explain to 5-year-old Andrew Duncan what happened to the guy whose name is on the back of his jersey?
When Sean Taylor gets to heaven I bet he sees a wide receiver running open over the middle.
The NFL is Poop - Week 12
He's Hurt, The Big Russian is Hurt
The Eagles tried valiantly but couldn't knock off the champ. They were able to move the ball on the Patriots, they stopped the Patriots juggernaut of an offense a few times, and they did it with A.J. Feeley at quarterback. But they still lost. But they put more of a scare into them than any other team, except for arguably the Colts. But given that the spread was 20 points higher for this game, I definitely give the Eagles a lot of credit for showing up. The question now is, did the Eagles expose a weakness in the Patriots, or did they just piss them off?
Why Can't You Be More Like Your Brother?
A question often asked of Master Bates certainly applies to Eli Manning. I went to this game with the Master (though we didn't sit together, or tailgate together) and Papa Poop, both of whom are Giants fans. Thank god I'm a Redskins fans because I might have thrown myself from the upper deck if I had been rooting for the Giants in this one. Eli Manning played about as bad as you can play, throwing 4 INTs all of which were turned into touchdowns, 3 right away, the other on the very next play. Taking that away and the long bomb to open the game the Giants defense played well, but Manning just killed them. But as bad as he was I don't think this is a permanent indictment of his skills. Even Peyton has games like this every once in a while. He needs to make his good games better and his bad games fewer but NFL QBs can't avoid throwing interceptions.
Back in the Endzone
After an 8 week absence, and a proclamation that he was done with endzone celebrations while the team was losing, Chad Johnson got back on the board in a big way. He had 12 catches for 103 and 3 TDs in a 35-6 win over the Titans. On the first touchdown he evidently though 3-7 was a good enough record to celebrate because he manned the TV camera.
After getting flagged for 15 yards for that one, Johnson toned it down for future celebrations, simply getting a hug from the mascot.
Game of the Week
Chicago Bears 37 Denver Broncos 34
An incredible back and forth affair that featured the greatness of Devin Hester (more on him later) and 3 touchdowns on 4 plays in 27 seconds. The game started slowly, even for Hester, who showed his hubris by trying to field a bouncing punt. He muffed it to set up a Broncos field goal. And when a Rex Grossman interception set up a Broncos touchdown, Bears fans must have felt like it was here we go again.
The Broncos had a 13-6 lead at halftime, but starting in the third quarter, business picked up.
Denver went three and out and punted to Hester who returned it 75 yards for a touchdown. After a couple turnovers and a couple three and outs Denver went on a long touchdown drive to retake the lead. Not For Long. Hester returned the kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown to tie the game again.
It prompted Dan Dierdorf (who was enjoyable during this game) to question Mike Shanahan's sanity for kicking to Hester. Dierdorf also commented that at the end of the run Hester was looking at himself on the scoreboard. Dierdorf said "that must be fun."
It was fun, but Not For Long. On the first play from scrimmage Jay Cutler threw a bomb to Brandon Marshall for a 68 yard touchdown to take a 27-20 lead. Four plays, 3 touchdowns, 27 seconds.
Denver took a 14 point lead at the beginning of the 4th quarter on an incredible catch by Tony Scheffler who outleaped two defenders then caught the ball in between his legs while he was on the ground.
But Chicago came back, scoring a touchdown after blocking a punt and then tying the game with 28 seconds left after Rex Grossman led a 65 yard drive.
The Bears got the ball to start overtime, and Grossman once again came through, completing a 39 yard pass to Desmond Clark, which set up the game-winning field goal.
Windy City Flyer
It can't be overstated how incredible Devin "Windy City Flyer" Hester is. In his brief career, encompassing 30 games (27 regular season, 3 playoff) he has 13 touchdowns. 6 punt returns, 4 kickoff returns, 1 receiving, 1 missed field and 1 kick return in the Super Bowl.
His 10 regular season return touchdowns put him 3 behind the all-time leader (Brian Mitchell), after only a season and a half.
Reggie Bush, whom you may remember was drafted #2 overall, has only 11 TDs in his career. And he's a running back.
I have a feeling Hester's return numbers will slow as fewer teams will be willing to challenge him. But his mere presence could be invaluable because the consistent field position benefits of teams kicking short or punting out of bounds to avoid Hester, may prove to be more beneficial to the Bears than the occassional touchdown return.
The Bears need to find a way to get Hester the ball more often on offense. A talent like this doesn't come along too often. We are witnessing something special.
This One Was Good Too
San Francisco 49ers 37 Arizona Cardinals 31
A fierce battle between Kurt Warner and Trent Dilfer. What year is this? Warner ended the first half by hooking up with Larry Fitzgerald on a 48 yard Hail Mary to give the Cardinals a 21-17 lead. The teams traded touchdowns until Neil Rackers nailed a 19 yard field goal with 2 seconds left to tie the game at 31. But before that Bryant Johnson almost won the game twice. First he was pushed out of bounds at 1 after a 30 yard catch, then on the next play the game winning TD was ripped from his hands.
After several scoreless possessions in overtime, Neil Rackers won the game for the Cardinals with a 27-yard field goal. But they didn't snap the ball in time so Rackers had to try again for 32 yards, and he missed.
The 49ers used a pass interference call to move the ball but then went backwards, and were forced to punt. But they pinned the Cardinals at the 3. On the next play Kurt Warner fumbled, as he's been known to do from time to time, and the 49ers recovered in the endzone for the victory.
On the Other Hand
The Steelers beat the Dolphins 3-0 on a rain-soaked Heinz Field. There was no scoring until the Steelers kicked a field goal with 17 seconds left. Because of 5 high school and college games the field was in no condition to be played on. It was resodded before the game and the new sod didn't drain or hold up. It was a complete mess, completely unplayable.
Two other notes: To save time because of the delay, the National Anthem was never sung. Ben Roethlisberger completed 18 of 21 passes. His 86% completion percentage is a new Steelers record.
A Brief Rant About the Redskins
You can't win in the NFL when you're minus 6 in turnovers. No one could hold onto the ball. The defense played great. The offense sucked. And once again Jason Campbell failed to make the big plays which are the difference between winning and losing.
Cheerleader of the Week
Lauren D from the San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush Squad
The 49ers have one of the worst cheerleading sites in the NFL, one picture per girl and very little personal information
But here's what we do know about Lauren D. She's a Sagittarius who loves hot fudge sundaes and mafia movies.
If the Super Bowl Were Played Today
New England Patriots 31 Dallas Cowboys 28
We will soon find out if Eagles drew up a blueprint or if they woke a sleeping giant. Plus the Cowboys will fight for their spot in this space Thursday against the Packers.
The Eagles tried valiantly but couldn't knock off the champ. They were able to move the ball on the Patriots, they stopped the Patriots juggernaut of an offense a few times, and they did it with A.J. Feeley at quarterback. But they still lost. But they put more of a scare into them than any other team, except for arguably the Colts. But given that the spread was 20 points higher for this game, I definitely give the Eagles a lot of credit for showing up. The question now is, did the Eagles expose a weakness in the Patriots, or did they just piss them off?
Why Can't You Be More Like Your Brother?
A question often asked of Master Bates certainly applies to Eli Manning. I went to this game with the Master (though we didn't sit together, or tailgate together) and Papa Poop, both of whom are Giants fans. Thank god I'm a Redskins fans because I might have thrown myself from the upper deck if I had been rooting for the Giants in this one. Eli Manning played about as bad as you can play, throwing 4 INTs all of which were turned into touchdowns, 3 right away, the other on the very next play. Taking that away and the long bomb to open the game the Giants defense played well, but Manning just killed them. But as bad as he was I don't think this is a permanent indictment of his skills. Even Peyton has games like this every once in a while. He needs to make his good games better and his bad games fewer but NFL QBs can't avoid throwing interceptions.
Back in the Endzone
After an 8 week absence, and a proclamation that he was done with endzone celebrations while the team was losing, Chad Johnson got back on the board in a big way. He had 12 catches for 103 and 3 TDs in a 35-6 win over the Titans. On the first touchdown he evidently though 3-7 was a good enough record to celebrate because he manned the TV camera.
After getting flagged for 15 yards for that one, Johnson toned it down for future celebrations, simply getting a hug from the mascot.
Game of the Week
Chicago Bears 37 Denver Broncos 34
An incredible back and forth affair that featured the greatness of Devin Hester (more on him later) and 3 touchdowns on 4 plays in 27 seconds. The game started slowly, even for Hester, who showed his hubris by trying to field a bouncing punt. He muffed it to set up a Broncos field goal. And when a Rex Grossman interception set up a Broncos touchdown, Bears fans must have felt like it was here we go again.
The Broncos had a 13-6 lead at halftime, but starting in the third quarter, business picked up.
Denver went three and out and punted to Hester who returned it 75 yards for a touchdown. After a couple turnovers and a couple three and outs Denver went on a long touchdown drive to retake the lead. Not For Long. Hester returned the kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown to tie the game again.
It prompted Dan Dierdorf (who was enjoyable during this game) to question Mike Shanahan's sanity for kicking to Hester. Dierdorf also commented that at the end of the run Hester was looking at himself on the scoreboard. Dierdorf said "that must be fun."
It was fun, but Not For Long. On the first play from scrimmage Jay Cutler threw a bomb to Brandon Marshall for a 68 yard touchdown to take a 27-20 lead. Four plays, 3 touchdowns, 27 seconds.
Denver took a 14 point lead at the beginning of the 4th quarter on an incredible catch by Tony Scheffler who outleaped two defenders then caught the ball in between his legs while he was on the ground.
But Chicago came back, scoring a touchdown after blocking a punt and then tying the game with 28 seconds left after Rex Grossman led a 65 yard drive.
The Bears got the ball to start overtime, and Grossman once again came through, completing a 39 yard pass to Desmond Clark, which set up the game-winning field goal.
Windy City Flyer
It can't be overstated how incredible Devin "Windy City Flyer" Hester is. In his brief career, encompassing 30 games (27 regular season, 3 playoff) he has 13 touchdowns. 6 punt returns, 4 kickoff returns, 1 receiving, 1 missed field and 1 kick return in the Super Bowl.
His 10 regular season return touchdowns put him 3 behind the all-time leader (Brian Mitchell), after only a season and a half.
Reggie Bush, whom you may remember was drafted #2 overall, has only 11 TDs in his career. And he's a running back.
I have a feeling Hester's return numbers will slow as fewer teams will be willing to challenge him. But his mere presence could be invaluable because the consistent field position benefits of teams kicking short or punting out of bounds to avoid Hester, may prove to be more beneficial to the Bears than the occassional touchdown return.
The Bears need to find a way to get Hester the ball more often on offense. A talent like this doesn't come along too often. We are witnessing something special.
This One Was Good Too
San Francisco 49ers 37 Arizona Cardinals 31
A fierce battle between Kurt Warner and Trent Dilfer. What year is this? Warner ended the first half by hooking up with Larry Fitzgerald on a 48 yard Hail Mary to give the Cardinals a 21-17 lead. The teams traded touchdowns until Neil Rackers nailed a 19 yard field goal with 2 seconds left to tie the game at 31. But before that Bryant Johnson almost won the game twice. First he was pushed out of bounds at 1 after a 30 yard catch, then on the next play the game winning TD was ripped from his hands.
After several scoreless possessions in overtime, Neil Rackers won the game for the Cardinals with a 27-yard field goal. But they didn't snap the ball in time so Rackers had to try again for 32 yards, and he missed.
The 49ers used a pass interference call to move the ball but then went backwards, and were forced to punt. But they pinned the Cardinals at the 3. On the next play Kurt Warner fumbled, as he's been known to do from time to time, and the 49ers recovered in the endzone for the victory.
On the Other Hand
The Steelers beat the Dolphins 3-0 on a rain-soaked Heinz Field. There was no scoring until the Steelers kicked a field goal with 17 seconds left. Because of 5 high school and college games the field was in no condition to be played on. It was resodded before the game and the new sod didn't drain or hold up. It was a complete mess, completely unplayable.
Two other notes: To save time because of the delay, the National Anthem was never sung. Ben Roethlisberger completed 18 of 21 passes. His 86% completion percentage is a new Steelers record.
A Brief Rant About the Redskins
You can't win in the NFL when you're minus 6 in turnovers. No one could hold onto the ball. The defense played great. The offense sucked. And once again Jason Campbell failed to make the big plays which are the difference between winning and losing.
Cheerleader of the Week
Lauren D from the San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush Squad
The 49ers have one of the worst cheerleading sites in the NFL, one picture per girl and very little personal information
But here's what we do know about Lauren D. She's a Sagittarius who loves hot fudge sundaes and mafia movies.
If the Super Bowl Were Played Today
New England Patriots 31 Dallas Cowboys 28
We will soon find out if Eagles drew up a blueprint or if they woke a sleeping giant. Plus the Cowboys will fight for their spot in this space Thursday against the Packers.
Oh No!
Redskins safety Sean Taylor died after being shot during a home invasion. I don't even know what to say right now. I'm shocked and saddened.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Sean Taylor Got Shot
Redskins safety Sean Taylor was shot and wounded early Monday by an intruder in his home on Old Cutler road in South Miami Dade.
Taylor was airlifted to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital. He was reported to be in critical condition. About 20 family members and friends gathered at ryder trauma on monday morning. They cried, made phone calls, talked amongst themselves and refused to speak with reporters.
Details were sketchy about the shooting.
According to police, Miami-Dade patrol officers received a call about 1:45 a.m. Monday that a homeowner had been shot in the leg. The homeowners told police they heard intruders at the rear door of the house, trying to pry it open.
The male homeowner went to investigate and a woman in the house then heard a shot. Paramedics responded and found Taylor with a gunshot wound to the groin.
The shooting happened at 18050 Old Cutler Rd. County property records list it as the address for Taylor. It is a four-bath, four-bedroom house with a taxable value of $704,297.
Lt. Nancy Perez, a spokeswoman with the Miami-Dade police department, said police have been unable to talk to him. They want to find out who shot him and why. They have no further information.
His family has asked that no information about his condition be released at this point, said Lorraine Nelson, a hospital spokeswoman.
Taylor was airlifted to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital. He was reported to be in critical condition. About 20 family members and friends gathered at ryder trauma on monday morning. They cried, made phone calls, talked amongst themselves and refused to speak with reporters.
Details were sketchy about the shooting.
According to police, Miami-Dade patrol officers received a call about 1:45 a.m. Monday that a homeowner had been shot in the leg. The homeowners told police they heard intruders at the rear door of the house, trying to pry it open.
The male homeowner went to investigate and a woman in the house then heard a shot. Paramedics responded and found Taylor with a gunshot wound to the groin.
The shooting happened at 18050 Old Cutler Rd. County property records list it as the address for Taylor. It is a four-bath, four-bedroom house with a taxable value of $704,297.
Lt. Nancy Perez, a spokeswoman with the Miami-Dade police department, said police have been unable to talk to him. They want to find out who shot him and why. They have no further information.
His family has asked that no information about his condition be released at this point, said Lorraine Nelson, a hospital spokeswoman.
12 Reasons To Watch How I Met Your Mother "The Yips" Tonight
Without saying too much, Barney visits the Victoria Secret Fashion show on tonight's episode of "How I Met Your Mother."
