Flipping Out

Pitchers and catchers don’t report for another month, and most Baltimore baseball fans probably wouldn’t mind if they didn’t report at all. The NBA and NHL register just below the Lady Terps when it comes to Charm City sports stories (15,000 for a women’s hoops game?). The Daytona 500 is still a few weeks away. The Australian Open is taking place, well, in Australia. And when is the last time you met your friends at the bar to watch Nadal vs. Federer anyway? So with more than two months to the NFL Combine and the Ravens knee deep in the search for a new head coach, Baltimore sports fans are about to flip out. Or at least flip flop. Consider the following streams of consciousness that may or may not represent the subconscious of RavensNation.

Event 1. Jason Garrett arrives in Baltimore on Monday Night
Rejoice. Our savoir. Did you see what he did with Tony Romo? He’s an offensive genius. He went to Princeton - so smart. Like Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind, he’s going to draw up plays on the boardroom windows in Owings Mills so the players on the practice field can see what he’s thinking. How great is it that the Cowboys lost. Now we can sign our coach this week. Cam Cameron? Remember San Diego in 2006! Dom Capers? Sure. Fans will start dyeing their hair red. “Brian without the Brain” t-shirts will pop up all over town. Let’s go Garrett!

Event 2. Jason Garrett leaves Baltimore Tuesday Night
Revolt. A sinner. Did you see what Tony Romo did last weekend? He’s only been an offensive coordinator for one year. He went to Princeton - to play football. Like Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind, he’s going to make fans mutter to themselves and throw their furniture out the window. If only the Giants lost, we could be interviewing Steve Spagnuolo this week. Cam Cameron? Remember Miami in 2007! Dom Capers? Unsure. Fans will start pulling their hair out. “Brian, where have you gone?” t-shirts will pop up all over town. Go home Garrett!

So which argument will stick? It all depends on how Jason Garrett and the Ravens brain trust handle the next few days. Garrett will either be endeared or despised by Baltimoreans. And as Ravens fans wait for the other shoe to drop, you can be certain that once the decision is made, there will be no flip-flops; we either fit him for a glass slipper or give him the boot.

I'm With You Jessica

The Final Four is set. Patriots, Chargers, Packers and, gulp, the Giants. The gulp is due to the fact that I not only grew up a Cowboys fan living in New Jersey, but I spent the weekend in Atlantic City with a few high school friends for my friend Jay's bachelor party and the Tropicana was bathed in Big Blue (I know AC is closer to Eagles territory, but New Yorkers down for the weekend were clearly in the majority.) So now what?

Petyon? Gone.
Eli? Still playing.
Tony Romo? I suggest a vacation a few million miles away with Ms. Simpson and the Witten's this weekend. The Dallas press, let alone all of SportsNation, is about to come down hard on the latest 'it' couple. Even the paparazzi will be prowling the locker room as the cancellation of the Golden Globes will result in some sparse spreads in the pages of People and US Weekly. Headline prediction for Monday morning? "D'oh!"

Billick to Stay on the Beltway?

According to ESPN's John Clayton, one potential candidate for the newly vacated Head Coaching job with the Washington Redskins is Brian Billick. This could allow Billick to continue work on his Eastern Shore estate, stay 'friends' with Steve Biscotti, and move one step closer to actually becoming a politician. At least the press will be accustomed to his loquacious lexicon.

A Thank You to 128 Baseball Writers

For the second year in a row, Mark McGwire received 128 votes for induction in to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Last year, that was enough to earn him 23.5% of the vote. Apparently someone forget to send in their ballot this year as the same number of votes bumped McGwire up to 23.6% of the vote. None of this means anything to most sports fans, after all, the real story is that Goose Gossage finally got elected after 9 years on the ballot, and Jim Rice did not (even when everything in the Boston sports world is going right, Rice can't catch a break). But McGwire, as many of you know, will always hold a special place in my heart, or at least on my mantle, as I followed his career religiously, from his 1985 Topps USA Baseball Card to the moment he was pinch-hit for in the 2001 playoffs (by Kerry Robinson!). I even rooted for him during a pro-am celebrity golf tournament that represented his last moment in the sun before those fateful moments before congress.

In any case, to the 128 voters (127 + Jayson Stark) who deemed McGwire worthy, thank you. At this rate, he will still be on the ballot when Clemens and Bonds become eligible...unfortunately for you O's fans reading this, Brady Anderson will not. He received one less vote than David Justice, zero.


Complete 2008 Baseball Hall of Fame Voting Results

Rich "Goose" Gossage 466 (85.8%)
Jim Rice 392 (72.2%)
Andre Dawson 358 (65.9%)
Bert Blyleven 336 (61.9%)
Lee Smith 235 (43.3%)
Jack Morris 233 (42.9%)
Tommy John 158 (29.1%)
Tim Raines 132 (24.3%)
Mark McGwire 128 (23.6%)
Alan Trammell 99 (18.2%)
Dave Concepcion 88 (16.2%)
Don Mattingly 86 (15.8%)
Dave Parker 82 (15.1%)
Dale Murphy 75 (13.8%)
Harold Baines 28 (5.2%)
Rod Beck 2 (0.4%)
Travis Fryman 2 (0.4%)
Robb Nen 2 (0.4%)
Shawon Dunston 1 (0.2%)
Chuck Finley 1 (0.2%)
David Justice 1 (0.2%)
Chuck Knoblauch 1 (0.2%)
Todd Stottlemyre 1 (0.2%)
Brady Anderson 0
Jose Rijo 0

Hey Dickie V!

Not only does Syracuse super frosh Donte Greene dominate on the court (19.1 PPG, 7.1 RPG) but the kid can jam!

Baltimore Sun-day

What a day for the Baltimore Sun on Sunday. At least for this blogger as the Charm City paper made it's dramatic debut on HBO's crime-drama, The Wire. The fictional newsroom will become a center piece in the show's fifth and final season and in last night's episode, the plot pointed out the perils of modern day journalism and the struggle smaller papers must endure to remain in existence.















With such pending doom in mind, Mike Klingaman, a sports reporter for the Sun, came through with a counter attack using the written word in his article about Jason Garrett, a candidate for the Ravens head coaching job (see, it relates). For those who don't already know, I grew up a Cowboys fan and Garrett's gutty performance on Thanksgiving 1994, against then-veteran Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers, was a shining moment in a season that would end with defeat at the hands of Steve Young and the San Francisco 49ers. Of course, like most mortal men, both Garrett and Young have moved on, while Favre still manages to shine on the field. Who made the right decision? Hard to argue with Brett, but Young has a cushy job at ESPN and its possible that Garrett will get to be the boss in Baltimore once the Cowboys' run is complete. I'd go wtih Garrett as far as decision making, after all, as Klingman writes, "He is, they say, the brain without the Brian." Well said, Mr. Klingman. The blogosphere applauds you.

Orange Super Bowl

It's possible that another Orange alum could end up with a ring this year. Five former Syracuse stars were on the roster for the World Champion Colts in Super Bowl XLI (Dwight Freeney, Marvin Harrison, Ryan LaCasse , Josh Thomas and James Mungro). Here's hoping at least one of these current NFL players are victorious in Arizona this February (NOTE: There are no Oranges on the Patriots - yet another reason to root against New England!)

1. Anthony Smith (Pittsburgh)
2. James Wyche (Jacksonville)
3. Tanard Jackson (Tampa Bay)
4. Keith Bulluck (Tennessee), Rich Scanlon (Tennessee)
5. Steve Gregory (San Diego)
6. Dwight Freeney (Indianapolis), Josh Thomas (Indianapolis), Marvin Harrison (Indianapolis)
7. Kevin Sampson (Washington)
8. David Tyree (New York Giants), Tom Coughlin (New York Giants)

Thanks to Rappstar for the tip.

Runaway Beer Truck

West Virginia won one for the Big East tonight ("Let's Go Orange?") as they defeated Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, 48-28. One key to the game was the blocking and running of full back Owen Schmitt, who is shown here 'sprinting' for a 57-yard touchdown in the 2nd quarter. In the quote of the Bowl Season thus far, Matt Vasgersian caleld Schmitt a "Runaway beer truck" as he recorded the longest touchdown run in Fiesta Bowl History. See clip below (Credit to Awful Announcing for beating me to the punch):

Vote for Troy

Troy Smith is one of five candidates eligible for the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week award after leading the Ravens to a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. As of Wednesday morning, Troy ranked 2nd to Green Bay's Brandon Jackson in the voting. If you can find it in your heart to think about the 2007 season just one more time, give Troy your support. Click here to vote.

Sidney in the Snow

I promised someone (yes, you P.Wayne) that I would watch at least a few minutes of the "NHL Outdoor Classic" on Tuesday. And what do you know, I stuck around for more than an hour.

For the majority of you who didn't realize hockey was still played in the US, the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins played a game outdoors on New Years Day at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home to the Buffalo Bills. For better or worse, the lake-effect loomed large during the game with snow falling throughout all three periods and a thin layer of the white stuff still stuck to the ice as the contest went to a shoot out. In what must have made NBC executives and NHL brass collectively weep, the 'it' kid of the sport - Sidney Crosby - had a chance to win the game for the Penguins on the third and final shot of the shooting match. I confess, I was glued to the TV - even flipping to my channel guide to be sure and DVR the start of the Rose Bowl.

Sid the Kid sliced through the snow, made a few hockey moves that I'm sure have technical terms - picture a point guard dribbling down the lane - and as he approached the net, he must have seen a small opening between the goalie's pads (the "5-hole" as some might say) as he scored a winter wonderland game-winner. Congratulations Sidney, Dick Ebersol, Gary Bettman, P.Wayne, M.Brevet, Don, the Helfmans and Alexis (those are the only 6 people I know who ask bartenders to switch to the NHL Network) - for at least 10 minutes, the sports world was watching your favorite sport. That's all I got, the Rose Bowl is already in the second quarter...