Thursday, September 27, 2007
Midweek Music Mashup: Matt Stover
I thought about keeping this video on file for a clever link in my week 4 posting, but I'm hoping our game against the Browns doesn't come down to another Stover Saver. Although if that is the case, I hereby promise not to step in front of the camera and block the shot of the ball going through the uprights. Rookie mistake.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Week 3 - The Reason
Baltimore, MD -- 9/23/07.
Tracy Chapman only asked for one. Hoobastank only found one. But this past Sunday in Baltimore, there were plenty of reasons to pick from. Just ask Terrell Suggs.
As an aspiring screenwriter - seriously, ask Terrell who he wants to be like when he grows up and I’m guessing he’d say Scorsese before Singletary – Suggs had some select words for his fellow linebackers as they huddled up before the game. (I will also have to be selective as to which words I reprint; this is a family blog.) Sensing the stage lights were upon him – we had Jarrett Johnson wired this week and Jeff was standing by to capture the conversation – Suggs stared into the eyes of each teammate to tell them, “You’re here for a reason.”
To Bart Scott, the un-drafted free agent turned Pro Bowler, “You’re here for a reason.” To Johnson, the five-year veteran and first year starter, “You’re here for a reason.” To Nick Griesen, who just signed with the Ravens last week and was making his Baltimore debut, “You’re here for a reason.” To Edgar Jones, who surprised many by making the roster back in August, “Reason.” Antwan Barnes? “Reason.” I think you get the gist. And although I can picture Suggs practicing his speech in the mirror, someone should make sure he knows that he’s here for a reason as well. His speech proved it.
Before every game, the Ravens legendary leader, Ray Lewis, gathers his troops in the endzone to ensure that each of his fellow soldiers is ready for battle. The 52 men in purple and black surround #52 as he asks them one simple question – “What time is it?” Rarely is the rebuttal longer than two syllables as the correct answer is always, “Game time!” There is some additional banter about some dogs in the house, but Ray controls all communication. However, although Ravens Nation won’t care to admit it, one day Ray Ray wont be standing in the center of the circle. One day a new face will have to stoke the fire. Who better than a sizzler?
Of course T-Sizzle wasn’t the only Raven to start figuring out their reason for being (on the field) on Sunday. In case the italics didn’t give it away, rookie kick returner Yamon Figurs found his way as well, literally, as he sliced through the Cardinals punt coverage to score his first NFL touchdown just two weeks after taking over for the injured BJ Sams. In just two games, Figurs has displayed the speed that earned him the title of “fastest man in the draft” and could soon warrant the media coverage fans of Devin Hester are demanding. Of course all he’s worried about at this point in his career is where his first touchdown ball ended up as I caught him asking the security staff after the game about its whereabouts. They seemed to have it in good hands as opposed to, say, the Barry Bonds record-breaking ball whose fate is being determined by the blogosphere. (Ed. Note: I voted to ‘BRAND IT’ – the inner ad man in me.)
Yamon’s score and subsequent M&T leap did lead to an excessive celebration penalty, but the party on the sidelines was even more exciting. Or at least soaking. That’s because Bart Scott shot up off the bench as Figurs was frolicking towards the end zone and gave Lauryn and I a premature Gatorade bath when he threw his cup in the air. He must have just filled it up too because the cascading waterfall caused by the celebration managed to spray us both pretty good.
Speaking of empty Gatorade cups, I too was reminded of a reason for being (on the field) this weekend. Now I will admit that it was warm on the sidelines, 80 degrees at kickoff, but I can’t remember a game in which I made so many trips to the water coolers to keep the crew hydrated. My colleagues will tell you, I hope, that I am more than just a glorified waterboy. Tripods, batteries, blogging – important stuff. But Jeff carried a 30-lb camera nearly two and half miles on Sunday and Lauryn, well, 2 years of marriage has taught me better than that. So I was happy to serve and protect from dry mouth and fatigue. Just don’t try to pull the same routine in Buffalo.
I also wasn’t the only RaveTV crewmember to reveal a reason for being (on the field) on Sunday as Don DiRaddo displayed a bit of deftness of his own. Early in the third quarter the sound level in the stadium started to wane. I asked Don if he had the means to magnify the music with little hope for help. Now Sprint would have you believe that their cell phones could be used as a crime deterrent or a toaster, but who would have thought they could make an entire crowd get up off their feet.
Tracy Chapman only asked for one. Hoobastank only found one. But this past Sunday in Baltimore, there were plenty of reasons to pick from. Just ask Terrell Suggs.As an aspiring screenwriter - seriously, ask Terrell who he wants to be like when he grows up and I’m guessing he’d say Scorsese before Singletary – Suggs had some select words for his fellow linebackers as they huddled up before the game. (I will also have to be selective as to which words I reprint; this is a family blog.) Sensing the stage lights were upon him – we had Jarrett Johnson wired this week and Jeff was standing by to capture the conversation – Suggs stared into the eyes of each teammate to tell them, “You’re here for a reason.”
To Bart Scott, the un-drafted free agent turned Pro Bowler, “You’re here for a reason.” To Johnson, the five-year veteran and first year starter, “You’re here for a reason.” To Nick Griesen, who just signed with the Ravens last week and was making his Baltimore debut, “You’re here for a reason.” To Edgar Jones, who surprised many by making the roster back in August, “Reason.” Antwan Barnes? “Reason.” I think you get the gist. And although I can picture Suggs practicing his speech in the mirror, someone should make sure he knows that he’s here for a reason as well. His speech proved it.
Before every game, the Ravens legendary leader, Ray Lewis, gathers his troops in the endzone to ensure that each of his fellow soldiers is ready for battle. The 52 men in purple and black surround #52 as he asks them one simple question – “What time is it?” Rarely is the rebuttal longer than two syllables as the correct answer is always, “Game time!” There is some additional banter about some dogs in the house, but Ray controls all communication. However, although Ravens Nation won’t care to admit it, one day Ray Ray wont be standing in the center of the circle. One day a new face will have to stoke the fire. Who better than a sizzler?
Of course T-Sizzle wasn’t the only Raven to start figuring out their reason for being (on the field) on Sunday. In case the italics didn’t give it away, rookie kick returner Yamon Figurs found his way as well, literally, as he sliced through the Cardinals punt coverage to score his first NFL touchdown just two weeks after taking over for the injured BJ Sams. In just two games, Figurs has displayed the speed that earned him the title of “fastest man in the draft” and could soon warrant the media coverage fans of Devin Hester are demanding. Of course all he’s worried about at this point in his career is where his first touchdown ball ended up as I caught him asking the security staff after the game about its whereabouts. They seemed to have it in good hands as opposed to, say, the Barry Bonds record-breaking ball whose fate is being determined by the blogosphere. (Ed. Note: I voted to ‘BRAND IT’ – the inner ad man in me.)
Yamon’s score and subsequent M&T leap did lead to an excessive celebration penalty, but the party on the sidelines was even more exciting. Or at least soaking. That’s because Bart Scott shot up off the bench as Figurs was frolicking towards the end zone and gave Lauryn and I a premature Gatorade bath when he threw his cup in the air. He must have just filled it up too because the cascading waterfall caused by the celebration managed to spray us both pretty good.Speaking of empty Gatorade cups, I too was reminded of a reason for being (on the field) this weekend. Now I will admit that it was warm on the sidelines, 80 degrees at kickoff, but I can’t remember a game in which I made so many trips to the water coolers to keep the crew hydrated. My colleagues will tell you, I hope, that I am more than just a glorified waterboy. Tripods, batteries, blogging – important stuff. But Jeff carried a 30-lb camera nearly two and half miles on Sunday and Lauryn, well, 2 years of marriage has taught me better than that. So I was happy to serve and protect from dry mouth and fatigue. Just don’t try to pull the same routine in Buffalo.
I also wasn’t the only RaveTV crewmember to reveal a reason for being (on the field) on Sunday as Don DiRaddo displayed a bit of deftness of his own. Early in the third quarter the sound level in the stadium started to wane. I asked Don if he had the means to magnify the music with little hope for help. Now Sprint would have you believe that their cell phones could be used as a crime deterrent or a toaster, but who would have thought they could make an entire crowd get up off their feet.
Don reached for his phone, presumably to make a call to the big man upstairs (that’s you Larry), but DiRaddo didn’t even have time to flip it open before the roar came over us. Of course the third down facing the Cardinals probably helped the cause more than the cellular signal, but it was a fascinating coincidence worth noting.
Okay, enough of the funny. At least for a few paragraphs. That’s because there were quite a few additional performances on the field yesterday that helped prove Suggs a remarkable seer. Earlier in the day I noticed a guy sitting on the bench wearing a gold chain, designer jeans and a t-shirt. Cleary not part of the RaveTV crew, but he looked awfully familiar so I left my post behind the yellow lines and wandered in front to find that the mystery man was starting cornerback, Samari Rolle, who had apparently failed to recover form a mid-week illness. But everything happens for a reason, right? At least in this article as Corey Ivy stepped in for Rolle and recorded a sack (the only one for the Ravens all day), a fumble recovery (the only forced turnover for the Ravens all day) and broke up the potential go-ahead touchdown pass towards the end of the fourth quarter (saving the Ravens day).
Derrick Mason also had a good reason for showing up big on Sunday, in addition to supporting his family and playing the game he loves, as regular readers of Coffee on the 50 know that Mase is a starter for BushMaroney’07. Against Arizona he delivered and caught 8 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown – a 20+ point day that gave me a chance to start 3-0 this fantasy football season. That was until Donovan McNabb, apparently of the Delaware Blue Hens, put up 4 touchdowns against me.
But the player with the most important reason for being there on Sunday, as it is in every NFL stadium each week, is the back-up quarterback. It’s true that 22 other men are official starters, and another 11 are likely to play on special teams, but the reason a backup quarterback is so critical is the unknown. The game revolves around the signal-caller and if QB1 goes down, the other 52 guys geared up don’t matter much if QB2 can’t step up and fill those shoes. Luckily for Ravens fans, our #2, Kyle Boller, has been #1 more often than not this season and entered the game on Sunday with a chance to pick up another victory. (That is assuming they keep score in baseball terminology since the game was tied after the starting quarterback took a seat, hence handing the ball and the decision over the to the bullpen).
The back and forth and forth and forth was reminiscent of another nail bitter that I had witnessed the day before. While fasting the day away I sat glued to my computer, watching the time slowly tick away for Louisville as my Orange attempted to claim victory for the first time in what feels like 3 years. My atoning was rewarded as the ‘Cuse upset the Cards. But there is a reason I bring this up, other the fact that I was actually able to enjoy college football for one Saturday afternoon, and that’s to explain that Syracuse had already tested my tolerance for tension. By the time Matt Stover lined up for the game-winner, I was able to remain calm and collected. Of course since I was the one responsible for the water, I wasn’t quite cool, but calm and collected will do. And although the Ravens would have preferred a less breath taking finish, another win will do. Chorus: No need to start over new. The reason is two (and one)
Monday, September 17, 2007
Week 2 - Wipe Out
Baltimore, MD -- 9/16/07.
I was thirsty.
Jeff and I had just crossed the 2-mile mark on his wrist pedometer, which we’re using to track how far we run along the sidelines this season, and after following Derrick Mason around all day, I was seriously lacking in electrolytes. I’m just guessing I’d sweat purple if Gatorade had its way, although despite Syracuse being called quite possibly the worst football team in Division 1-A, I still bleed orange.
Well in order to quench said thirst, I ventured over to the hydration center on the field. Each week, two tables are set up between the benches and both are consistently covered in cups, some with water, some with the yellow. Bobby Boucher would certainly approve as the tabletop is rarely seen through the sea of green and orange. Therefore, it would stand to reason that there would be more than enough fluid for the camera crews to stay cool. But when I grabbed a cup from the back of the assembly line I was immediately told to return to sender, the cup in question belonged to Mr. Heap.
Now I could understand if number 86 was hovering nearby and waiting for a drink. But Heap was nowhere to be found. What I found out next were not only fascinating facts for the blog, but a few finds that may have actually factored into the outcome of the game. Seriously.
I’ll start at the end, or at least with the end result, since I had a front row seat. As I alluded to earlier, we had Mason wired on Sunday and he ran us ragged in the first half as Jeff and I sprinted up and down the sidelines while the offense drove up and down the field. We finally got a chance to catch our breath in the end zone just before halftime as the Ravens faced third and goal. Now Mason had been a primary target throughout the first two quarters, which was good news for this fantasy GM as D-Mase was holding down the spot left open by Greg Jennings and his apparent disappearance from fantasy relevance. And even though my fellow team managers would have you believe that somehow the wire worked both ways on Sunday, allowing me to give some extra incentive for #85 to rack up the receptions, he seriously just decided to have a good game. Thank you Kyle Boller and thank you Red Bull as Derrick routinely referenced the taurine tornado for the extra pep in his step. It might not give you wings, but it does seem to help with the hands.
As I was saying, Jeff and I were squatting in the corner of the end zone and on third and goal, Kyle threw a fade route to me, or so it seemed, until Todd Heap came to the rescue to reel in the catch. Now the referees called him out of bounds initially and I have to say, in real time, watching his hand and toes simultaneously is nearly impossible. And I apologize, because when Heap spun back and asked the ref to take another look, I had flashbacks of Monday night, when no replay would reverse the touchdown taken away from Todd.
Upon further review, not only was the pass intended for Heap the whole time, he managed to make a one handed catch and tip toe two toes in the end zone for the touchdown. “They tried to take that one away from me.” Said Heap on the reversal of fortunate. “I tried to get my feet in as best I could. I really didn’t know, or couldn’t see. I thought I was in.”
The focus on his feet, however, managed to curtail the comments about the catch itself, which happens to be much more relevant to my Waterworld theme. Dick Enberg did touch on it during the CBS broadcast as he commented, “Talk about talent. One handed catch and having the presence to get both the feet in bounds.”
So what does an acrobatic catch have to do with my attempt to swipe some high quality H2O? Well the scoring strike would prove to be the game winner against the Jets and the hands that hauled in the pass had to be dry to avoid a drop. But what’s a tight end to do when he needs a drink on the bench and all the cups are covered in condensation? Well, you ask the water warden to prepare a few pints just the way you like it: half-full and wiped down. That way, you wont get any water on your hands when you pick up the cup and you wont get wet while you’re holding the cup either. It seems simple enough, yet according to the man in charge, that was the first time Heap had made such a hydration request. I’m not saying it was the reason he was able to make the one-handed grab, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say its harder to handle a pigskin with your palms greased.
Now its no surprise that Heap played an important role in the Ravens first victory of the season, but the wipe down may have been foreshadowed earlier in the day as the beats leaking out from under the locker room door before the game included the latest from Lil Boosie.
The title of the song is appropriately, “Wipe Me Down”, although that’s about the only clean verse of the song. Luckily for all my Ravens Rookies reading this, the YouTube link above is the censored version.
Lil Boosie may not have the motivational firepower of, say, a former Gladiator - Russell Crowe had a previous engagement with the Michigan Wolverines - but his lyrical stylings did mange to set the tone for the day as Baltimore was able to…wait for it…wipe the slate clean after the mess on Monday Night Football. They earned their first win of the season. Willis McGahee caught the first receiving touchdown of his career, which also happened to be his first points in purple. And Ed Reed and Ray Lewis wiped out any chances the Jets had at a comeback with a mutual interception in the end zone to seal the game.
I’ll admit, I pumped the fist Kirk Gibson style after the play, and I even entertained the possibility of performing an aerial version, but I thought Coach Billick got enough air for all of us after the Heap TD. The legs were also a little tired at that point in the game, and not just because of Mason. The real quad burner came on Ed Reed’s punt return in the fourth quarter as I raced the length of the field after an apparent runback to near the fifty. As I started to set up the tripod, the ref announced that there had been an illegal block in the back and the drive would start back inside the twenty. So I popped up and sprinted sixty yards to the other side of the field. Upon my arrival, Jeff wondered if we should get the shot from the previous spot. I stalled for a moment and then thankfully action resumed and we were able to set up shop where we stood. After all, we logged a total of 2.2 miles Sunday afternoon and combined with the heartbeats skipped while watching the final plays unfold, when the game came to an end, I was…wait for it…wiped out.
I was thirsty.
Jeff and I had just crossed the 2-mile mark on his wrist pedometer, which we’re using to track how far we run along the sidelines this season, and after following Derrick Mason around all day, I was seriously lacking in electrolytes. I’m just guessing I’d sweat purple if Gatorade had its way, although despite Syracuse being called quite possibly the worst football team in Division 1-A, I still bleed orange.
Well in order to quench said thirst, I ventured over to the hydration center on the field. Each week, two tables are set up between the benches and both are consistently covered in cups, some with water, some with the yellow. Bobby Boucher would certainly approve as the tabletop is rarely seen through the sea of green and orange. Therefore, it would stand to reason that there would be more than enough fluid for the camera crews to stay cool. But when I grabbed a cup from the back of the assembly line I was immediately told to return to sender, the cup in question belonged to Mr. Heap.Now I could understand if number 86 was hovering nearby and waiting for a drink. But Heap was nowhere to be found. What I found out next were not only fascinating facts for the blog, but a few finds that may have actually factored into the outcome of the game. Seriously.
I’ll start at the end, or at least with the end result, since I had a front row seat. As I alluded to earlier, we had Mason wired on Sunday and he ran us ragged in the first half as Jeff and I sprinted up and down the sidelines while the offense drove up and down the field. We finally got a chance to catch our breath in the end zone just before halftime as the Ravens faced third and goal. Now Mason had been a primary target throughout the first two quarters, which was good news for this fantasy GM as D-Mase was holding down the spot left open by Greg Jennings and his apparent disappearance from fantasy relevance. And even though my fellow team managers would have you believe that somehow the wire worked both ways on Sunday, allowing me to give some extra incentive for #85 to rack up the receptions, he seriously just decided to have a good game. Thank you Kyle Boller and thank you Red Bull as Derrick routinely referenced the taurine tornado for the extra pep in his step. It might not give you wings, but it does seem to help with the hands.
As I was saying, Jeff and I were squatting in the corner of the end zone and on third and goal, Kyle threw a fade route to me, or so it seemed, until Todd Heap came to the rescue to reel in the catch. Now the referees called him out of bounds initially and I have to say, in real time, watching his hand and toes simultaneously is nearly impossible. And I apologize, because when Heap spun back and asked the ref to take another look, I had flashbacks of Monday night, when no replay would reverse the touchdown taken away from Todd.Upon further review, not only was the pass intended for Heap the whole time, he managed to make a one handed catch and tip toe two toes in the end zone for the touchdown. “They tried to take that one away from me.” Said Heap on the reversal of fortunate. “I tried to get my feet in as best I could. I really didn’t know, or couldn’t see. I thought I was in.”
The focus on his feet, however, managed to curtail the comments about the catch itself, which happens to be much more relevant to my Waterworld theme. Dick Enberg did touch on it during the CBS broadcast as he commented, “Talk about talent. One handed catch and having the presence to get both the feet in bounds.”
So what does an acrobatic catch have to do with my attempt to swipe some high quality H2O? Well the scoring strike would prove to be the game winner against the Jets and the hands that hauled in the pass had to be dry to avoid a drop. But what’s a tight end to do when he needs a drink on the bench and all the cups are covered in condensation? Well, you ask the water warden to prepare a few pints just the way you like it: half-full and wiped down. That way, you wont get any water on your hands when you pick up the cup and you wont get wet while you’re holding the cup either. It seems simple enough, yet according to the man in charge, that was the first time Heap had made such a hydration request. I’m not saying it was the reason he was able to make the one-handed grab, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say its harder to handle a pigskin with your palms greased.
Now its no surprise that Heap played an important role in the Ravens first victory of the season, but the wipe down may have been foreshadowed earlier in the day as the beats leaking out from under the locker room door before the game included the latest from Lil Boosie.
The title of the song is appropriately, “Wipe Me Down”, although that’s about the only clean verse of the song. Luckily for all my Ravens Rookies reading this, the YouTube link above is the censored version.
Lil Boosie may not have the motivational firepower of, say, a former Gladiator - Russell Crowe had a previous engagement with the Michigan Wolverines - but his lyrical stylings did mange to set the tone for the day as Baltimore was able to…wait for it…wipe the slate clean after the mess on Monday Night Football. They earned their first win of the season. Willis McGahee caught the first receiving touchdown of his career, which also happened to be his first points in purple. And Ed Reed and Ray Lewis wiped out any chances the Jets had at a comeback with a mutual interception in the end zone to seal the game.
I’ll admit, I pumped the fist Kirk Gibson style after the play, and I even entertained the possibility of performing an aerial version, but I thought Coach Billick got enough air for all of us after the Heap TD. The legs were also a little tired at that point in the game, and not just because of Mason. The real quad burner came on Ed Reed’s punt return in the fourth quarter as I raced the length of the field after an apparent runback to near the fifty. As I started to set up the tripod, the ref announced that there had been an illegal block in the back and the drive would start back inside the twenty. So I popped up and sprinted sixty yards to the other side of the field. Upon my arrival, Jeff wondered if we should get the shot from the previous spot. I stalled for a moment and then thankfully action resumed and we were able to set up shop where we stood. After all, we logged a total of 2.2 miles Sunday afternoon and combined with the heartbeats skipped while watching the final plays unfold, when the game came to an end, I was…wait for it…wiped out.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Week 1 - Speechless
Cincinnati, OH – 9/10/07
Good thing I’m a blogger. Because without the written word, my 30 hours in Cincinnati would have been worthless.
Maybe it was something in the sauce (more on that in a moment) but my mouth went mute on Monday night as the NFL season finally started for the defending AFC North Champs. It was a longer wait than most teams had to endure as nearly half the league had posted final scores by the time we landed in Northern Kentucky. Don’t be confused, we still played the Bengals in the Buckeye State, but the airport is situated to the south of the Queen City, just over the Ohio River amongst the Bluegrass.
Upon further review, we probably should have opted to take on the Wildcats in Lexington, but as ESPN’s national audience witnessed, we maintained our course and continued on to Ohio. A little back-story, I was at happy hour Friday night in Canton and happened to meet a couple that was at least 50% Bengalese. Despite their affinity for the orange and black, I took their advice on where to eat in their hometown. For those new to the blog, my articles will typically be comprised of equal parts restaurant reviews, sportscaster sightings and even a little news about the game itself.
Surprisingly, according to my new friends at the Pickled Parrot, Cincinnati is known for its ribs, or at least a rib restaurant, and its chili. I didn’t think the RaveTV crew was up for a night out at the chili stand, so we headed to The Montgomery Inn on Sunday to see if they could compete with Kansas City (my personal favorite road-cuisine in ’06). The verdict? Not so much. Although the potato-chip-and-bbq sauce appetizer was a nice way to start the meal, the sweet potato recommended by our cab driver left a little to be desired, like another 30 minutes in the oven.
We ended the night watching the Sunday night game in Fountain Square. And that’s not a bar or restaurant, Fountain Square is an open-air courtyard downtown that has two prominent features – the Tyler Davidson Fountain and an enormous television mounted on the top of Macy’s. Considering the bar and restaurant association of the Midwest apparently bans fun after 9 o’clock on Sundays, it was pretty much the only place to watch the game. Romo and the ‘boys took care of business, leaving just a Monday night double dip to round out opening weekend.
After digesting the ribs all day, and putting 6 hours on the books for Exit10, we boarded the busses and made our way to the stadium. While we prepared our cameras for the evening, Ravens President Dick Cass came by to wish us a good game. Knowing my connection to RaveTV (my wife is an Emmy Award winning editor and producer for the team – nice plug, right?) Mr. Cass affectionately greeted us both as most of the organization has caught on to the fact that the couple in row 34 has become a permanent fixture on the flights around the league.
The prep time also exposed me to a few new changes for the crew this year as we not only had some new equipment to learn, but I had some new wardrobe choices to show off. The easiest to spot were my new kicks - standard issue by the NFL - Reebok whites! They may not make a fashion statement on the street, or at least a positive one, but on the field they felt official. And in case the glare off my feet wasn’t enough to signal me out as a team employee, all on-field staff are now required to wear a vest as well. Not quite the green and gold plaid vest Zach Morris and I rocked in ‘92, but a black vest with an NFL logo branded on the front and back to solidify my status and allow me to take the field.
Our wired Raven for opening night was Bart Scott. Apparently Bart said his peace earlier in the week during a verbal battle with Cincinnati’s Chad Johnson in the press because as game time neared, Scott’s stance on the matter was simply, “Tonight’s not about words.” Bart, I couldn’t agree more.
Enter the Hall of Famer’s. Since ESPN was covering the game, we were treated to a multitude of stars from the Worldwide Leader. I saw both PTI pontificators in the press box, Stuart Scott give Ray Lewis a hug on the bench, and Sal Paolantonio report live from the field. Right before kickoff, however, Sal Pal seemingly disappeared and was replaced on the spot by Suzy Kolber, who is much cuter than Sal in person (and on TV and even in print). Lauryn was also sure to point out Suzy K’s new hairdo to Jeff, our Director of Photography, and I, which I’m sure was a hot topic in the blogosphere last night.
In addition to the professional press, two former pros now working for ESPN also made their way on to the field for the game and just happened to be standing next to me during a series in the first half. It was just Emmitt Smith, Steve Young and I standing on the sidelines waiting for Carson Palmer to call the next play. I’m surprised I got that sentence out. I’ll repeat. Emmitt Smith, Steve Young and me! (There were about 20 other people in the vicinity at that point, but they really don’t matter.) You see, Emmitt and I go way back. He doesn’t know it, but I grew up idolizing #22 and have the Sports Illustrated covers and commemorative watch/football/faux marble plaque collection to prove it. And this was my chance to meet the man, shake his hand, one “journalist” to another (I’ll leave it to my readers to determine who I was referring to in the quotes).
When I first noticed Smith on the field, I shot Lauryn a few knowing glances. And after more than two years of marriage, she knew what the glances meant. Don’t blush, they meant I caught a glimpse of the NFL’s all-time leading rusher and if I didn’t have a blogging career on the line, I might just drop my tripod and ask Emmitt to sign my vest.
Alas, no words were actually spoken between Smith and I, but we did share a moment as we watched the game from the best seats in the house. Ed Reed launched himself (don’t worry, shoulders first) at an unsuspecting Cincinnati receiver and neither of us knew what to say. It was an unspoken response, Emmitt thinking that he knows what its like to get hit that hard, and me thinking that Emmitt was thinking that he knows what its like to get hit that hard. See you in Pittsburgh, E. Let’s do lunch.
Back to Ms. Kolber. Suzy and her personal television holder (seriously, there was a PA with her all night whose job was to hold a pole with a TV attached that was broadcasting the ESPN feed of the game) seemingly followed me the entire night as she made sure not to miss a play, but the cameras couldn’t tear themselves away from Ray Ray. From the pre-game stretching, when a rather adept cameraman had to bob and weave with each of Ray’s dance moves, to the overhead skycam with a heat seeker set to #52, the network must have had an eye or two on Lewis all night. The pinnacle of the publicity may have been when Lewis got up slowly after a monster hit on TJ Houshmandzadeh. The trainers formed a semi-circle around him when he got back to the sidelines and the camera crews completed the Lewis eclipse by surrounding him on the other side of the bench. I’d like to see the skycam shot of that!
The injury was a sign of things to come as players on both teams were taken off the field one by one, requiring two new sets of crutches to accompany us back to Baltimore. The sloppy play produced more bad news for the men in purple and black, as the Ravens turned the ball over six times in all. One of the most decisive in the defeat was a fumble by Steve McNair that was caught mid-air and returned for a touchdown. But the circumstances prior to the snap were suspect as a momentary rain shower sprinkled the field for a few minutes during the series. The rain came and went, but the drizzle had just enough time to collect on the pigskin, resulting in the slippery pass attempt. The only explanation is that the “Who Dey” song performed by Bootsy Collins on the jumbotron before the game was in actuality a rain dance that predicted wet weather for those precious few plays. There really isn’t any other explanation, for the music video at least.
The most exciting moment of the game for Ravens fans came on a punt return in the fourth quarter. As the special teams unit set up, I commented to Lauryn, “Reed’s returning the punt.” I didn’t think she heard me at first, so as the ball was in the air I told her again, “Reed’s returning the punt!” As Reed juked and jolted his way towards his first career punt return for a touchdown, I found myself jumping on the sidelines yelling back at her, “Reed returned the punt!”
I suppose my fleeting cheer proves that I still didn’t have much to say on Monday night, but at least my choice of words was versatile. It was also more than I could muster in the presence of Emmitt, more than Todd Heap could conjure up after his touchdown was negated, and pretty much the only thing worth saying after losing to our division rival in front of a national audience (Thank you ESPN for showing Lauryn twice – My Mom in NJ caught them both). I suppose Bart was right, last night just wasn’t a night for words.
Good thing I’m a blogger. Because without the written word, my 30 hours in Cincinnati would have been worthless.
Maybe it was something in the sauce (more on that in a moment) but my mouth went mute on Monday night as the NFL season finally started for the defending AFC North Champs. It was a longer wait than most teams had to endure as nearly half the league had posted final scores by the time we landed in Northern Kentucky. Don’t be confused, we still played the Bengals in the Buckeye State, but the airport is situated to the south of the Queen City, just over the Ohio River amongst the Bluegrass.
Upon further review, we probably should have opted to take on the Wildcats in Lexington, but as ESPN’s national audience witnessed, we maintained our course and continued on to Ohio. A little back-story, I was at happy hour Friday night in Canton and happened to meet a couple that was at least 50% Bengalese. Despite their affinity for the orange and black, I took their advice on where to eat in their hometown. For those new to the blog, my articles will typically be comprised of equal parts restaurant reviews, sportscaster sightings and even a little news about the game itself.
Surprisingly, according to my new friends at the Pickled Parrot, Cincinnati is known for its ribs, or at least a rib restaurant, and its chili. I didn’t think the RaveTV crew was up for a night out at the chili stand, so we headed to The Montgomery Inn on Sunday to see if they could compete with Kansas City (my personal favorite road-cuisine in ’06). The verdict? Not so much. Although the potato-chip-and-bbq sauce appetizer was a nice way to start the meal, the sweet potato recommended by our cab driver left a little to be desired, like another 30 minutes in the oven.We ended the night watching the Sunday night game in Fountain Square. And that’s not a bar or restaurant, Fountain Square is an open-air courtyard downtown that has two prominent features – the Tyler Davidson Fountain and an enormous television mounted on the top of Macy’s. Considering the bar and restaurant association of the Midwest apparently bans fun after 9 o’clock on Sundays, it was pretty much the only place to watch the game. Romo and the ‘boys took care of business, leaving just a Monday night double dip to round out opening weekend.
After digesting the ribs all day, and putting 6 hours on the books for Exit10, we boarded the busses and made our way to the stadium. While we prepared our cameras for the evening, Ravens President Dick Cass came by to wish us a good game. Knowing my connection to RaveTV (my wife is an Emmy Award winning editor and producer for the team – nice plug, right?) Mr. Cass affectionately greeted us both as most of the organization has caught on to the fact that the couple in row 34 has become a permanent fixture on the flights around the league.
The prep time also exposed me to a few new changes for the crew this year as we not only had some new equipment to learn, but I had some new wardrobe choices to show off. The easiest to spot were my new kicks - standard issue by the NFL - Reebok whites! They may not make a fashion statement on the street, or at least a positive one, but on the field they felt official. And in case the glare off my feet wasn’t enough to signal me out as a team employee, all on-field staff are now required to wear a vest as well. Not quite the green and gold plaid vest Zach Morris and I rocked in ‘92, but a black vest with an NFL logo branded on the front and back to solidify my status and allow me to take the field.Our wired Raven for opening night was Bart Scott. Apparently Bart said his peace earlier in the week during a verbal battle with Cincinnati’s Chad Johnson in the press because as game time neared, Scott’s stance on the matter was simply, “Tonight’s not about words.” Bart, I couldn’t agree more.
Enter the Hall of Famer’s. Since ESPN was covering the game, we were treated to a multitude of stars from the Worldwide Leader. I saw both PTI pontificators in the press box, Stuart Scott give Ray Lewis a hug on the bench, and Sal Paolantonio report live from the field. Right before kickoff, however, Sal Pal seemingly disappeared and was replaced on the spot by Suzy Kolber, who is much cuter than Sal in person (and on TV and even in print). Lauryn was also sure to point out Suzy K’s new hairdo to Jeff, our Director of Photography, and I, which I’m sure was a hot topic in the blogosphere last night.
In addition to the professional press, two former pros now working for ESPN also made their way on to the field for the game and just happened to be standing next to me during a series in the first half. It was just Emmitt Smith, Steve Young and I standing on the sidelines waiting for Carson Palmer to call the next play. I’m surprised I got that sentence out. I’ll repeat. Emmitt Smith, Steve Young and me! (There were about 20 other people in the vicinity at that point, but they really don’t matter.) You see, Emmitt and I go way back. He doesn’t know it, but I grew up idolizing #22 and have the Sports Illustrated covers and commemorative watch/football/faux marble plaque collection to prove it. And this was my chance to meet the man, shake his hand, one “journalist” to another (I’ll leave it to my readers to determine who I was referring to in the quotes).When I first noticed Smith on the field, I shot Lauryn a few knowing glances. And after more than two years of marriage, she knew what the glances meant. Don’t blush, they meant I caught a glimpse of the NFL’s all-time leading rusher and if I didn’t have a blogging career on the line, I might just drop my tripod and ask Emmitt to sign my vest.
Alas, no words were actually spoken between Smith and I, but we did share a moment as we watched the game from the best seats in the house. Ed Reed launched himself (don’t worry, shoulders first) at an unsuspecting Cincinnati receiver and neither of us knew what to say. It was an unspoken response, Emmitt thinking that he knows what its like to get hit that hard, and me thinking that Emmitt was thinking that he knows what its like to get hit that hard. See you in Pittsburgh, E. Let’s do lunch.
Back to Ms. Kolber. Suzy and her personal television holder (seriously, there was a PA with her all night whose job was to hold a pole with a TV attached that was broadcasting the ESPN feed of the game) seemingly followed me the entire night as she made sure not to miss a play, but the cameras couldn’t tear themselves away from Ray Ray. From the pre-game stretching, when a rather adept cameraman had to bob and weave with each of Ray’s dance moves, to the overhead skycam with a heat seeker set to #52, the network must have had an eye or two on Lewis all night. The pinnacle of the publicity may have been when Lewis got up slowly after a monster hit on TJ Houshmandzadeh. The trainers formed a semi-circle around him when he got back to the sidelines and the camera crews completed the Lewis eclipse by surrounding him on the other side of the bench. I’d like to see the skycam shot of that!
The injury was a sign of things to come as players on both teams were taken off the field one by one, requiring two new sets of crutches to accompany us back to Baltimore. The sloppy play produced more bad news for the men in purple and black, as the Ravens turned the ball over six times in all. One of the most decisive in the defeat was a fumble by Steve McNair that was caught mid-air and returned for a touchdown. But the circumstances prior to the snap were suspect as a momentary rain shower sprinkled the field for a few minutes during the series. The rain came and went, but the drizzle had just enough time to collect on the pigskin, resulting in the slippery pass attempt. The only explanation is that the “Who Dey” song performed by Bootsy Collins on the jumbotron before the game was in actuality a rain dance that predicted wet weather for those precious few plays. There really isn’t any other explanation, for the music video at least.
The most exciting moment of the game for Ravens fans came on a punt return in the fourth quarter. As the special teams unit set up, I commented to Lauryn, “Reed’s returning the punt.” I didn’t think she heard me at first, so as the ball was in the air I told her again, “Reed’s returning the punt!” As Reed juked and jolted his way towards his first career punt return for a touchdown, I found myself jumping on the sidelines yelling back at her, “Reed returned the punt!”
I suppose my fleeting cheer proves that I still didn’t have much to say on Monday night, but at least my choice of words was versatile. It was also more than I could muster in the presence of Emmitt, more than Todd Heap could conjure up after his touchdown was negated, and pretty much the only thing worth saying after losing to our division rival in front of a national audience (Thank you ESPN for showing Lauryn twice – My Mom in NJ caught them both). I suppose Bart was right, last night just wasn’t a night for words.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
King Peter
Letterman has his daily Top 10. Fortune releases their top 500 each year. Craig Newmark built an international empire with his. And now Peter King has a list to call his own with The King 500 printed in the latest edition of Sports Illustrated.
King must have had the sports blogsphere in mind when ranking the 500 best players in the NFL. After all, lists are made to be scrutinized and criticized, unless of course you agree with said list. In that case, the record is recognized and revered. So what should RavensNation make of King’s creation? We better recognize.
During a week in which front offices around the league were forced to filter their rosters down to their top fifty-three, Ravens fan should rejoice in knowing that nearly one-third of the men in purple and black made King’s cut. Even more impressive, eight Ravens earned a spot in the top 100, matching San Diego for the most nominees one through ninety-nine. The highest hometown hero was Ed Reed at number 12, sandwiched between Shawne Merriman and Dwight Freeney. Peter’s note next to Reed says, “B+ Cover Guy, A+ Hitter.” The grades give Ed a 3.65 GPA and I’m sure I’m not alone in agreeing to sport a bumper sticker that reads, “My Safety is an Honor Roll Student.”
Next up for the Ravens was #57 at number 53, as Bart Scott not only scored a spot on the list, but a four-page feature by Tim Layden. The story sheds light on Bart’s battles with both his sisters and Joey Porter, his $500 signing bonus and how eating an apple earned him a six-game suspension in college. But the purpose of the profile came through loud and clear in the call out quote labeled, ‘Scott on Scott’, which reads, “I wasn’t supposed to make it out of Detroit. I wasn’t supposed to get a scholarship. I was supposed to be [covering] kicks the rest of my life. But here I am. I’m a man playing with the house’s money, and that’s a dangerous man.”
Danger may have a new first and last name, but the middle still belongs to #52 who was ranked 86th. According to King, “80% of classic Ray is still pretty good.” Pretty good? Pretty good!? To quote Johnny Knoxville, “There's no such thing as a pretty good gator wrestler,” and there’s no such thing as a pretty good middle linebacker/defensive captain/crowd controller for the number one defense in the entire NFL. Three of Ray’s disciples did finish in front of the professor including Scott, Terrell Suggs (#56) and the since departed Adalius Thomas (#21), and seven of the top 88 were defenders of the North – but how does Ray rank as the 86th best player in the league, one spot below Ben Roethlisberger? Alas, the scrutiny portion of the blog.
Speaking of 86, the highest Ravens offensive player on the list was #86 as Todd Heap took home 59th place. Heap pulled a double in the NFL Preview Issue as he was among eight NFL heavyweights photographed for the latest Campbell’s Chunky Soup ad campaign. Not sure which honor is more prestigious, but I’m guessing the residuals from The King 500 are overmatched by the multi-million dollar media buy from the Soup That Eats Like a Meal.
The future of the Ravens could also be found a little further down the line as three sophomores (Clayton #254, Landry #267, Ngata #312) and even one frosh (Grubbs #460) received recognition. However, the more immediate future of the franchise was nowhere to be seen as Willis McGahee was left off the list. For all the praise imparted to Peter in the paragraphs above, there is no way forty-one other running backs are better than McGahee. Fortunately for Willis and all Ravens fans, the NFL is not a feudal system; Arturo and Marcus are the only Freeman’s; the closest Baron plays in the NBA and there is no King Peter, just Peter King and his list to loathe (or love).
Complete List of Ravens Players Included in The King 500:
Ed Reed (12)
Bart Scott (53)
Terrell Suggs (56)
Todd Heap (59)
Trevor Pryce (61)
Kelly Gregg (83)
Ray Lewis (86)
Chris McAlister (88)
Jonathan Ogden (114)
Steve McNair (156)
Mark Clayton (254)
Dawan Landry (267)
Haloti Ngata (312)
Jarrett Johnson (358)
BJ Sams (443)
Ben Grubbs (460)
Source: Sports Illustrated, September 3rd, 2007
King must have had the sports blogsphere in mind when ranking the 500 best players in the NFL. After all, lists are made to be scrutinized and criticized, unless of course you agree with said list. In that case, the record is recognized and revered. So what should RavensNation make of King’s creation? We better recognize.
During a week in which front offices around the league were forced to filter their rosters down to their top fifty-three, Ravens fan should rejoice in knowing that nearly one-third of the men in purple and black made King’s cut. Even more impressive, eight Ravens earned a spot in the top 100, matching San Diego for the most nominees one through ninety-nine. The highest hometown hero was Ed Reed at number 12, sandwiched between Shawne Merriman and Dwight Freeney. Peter’s note next to Reed says, “B+ Cover Guy, A+ Hitter.” The grades give Ed a 3.65 GPA and I’m sure I’m not alone in agreeing to sport a bumper sticker that reads, “My Safety is an Honor Roll Student.”
Next up for the Ravens was #57 at number 53, as Bart Scott not only scored a spot on the list, but a four-page feature by Tim Layden. The story sheds light on Bart’s battles with both his sisters and Joey Porter, his $500 signing bonus and how eating an apple earned him a six-game suspension in college. But the purpose of the profile came through loud and clear in the call out quote labeled, ‘Scott on Scott’, which reads, “I wasn’t supposed to make it out of Detroit. I wasn’t supposed to get a scholarship. I was supposed to be [covering] kicks the rest of my life. But here I am. I’m a man playing with the house’s money, and that’s a dangerous man.”
Danger may have a new first and last name, but the middle still belongs to #52 who was ranked 86th. According to King, “80% of classic Ray is still pretty good.” Pretty good? Pretty good!? To quote Johnny Knoxville, “There's no such thing as a pretty good gator wrestler,” and there’s no such thing as a pretty good middle linebacker/defensive captain/crowd controller for the number one defense in the entire NFL. Three of Ray’s disciples did finish in front of the professor including Scott, Terrell Suggs (#56) and the since departed Adalius Thomas (#21), and seven of the top 88 were defenders of the North – but how does Ray rank as the 86th best player in the league, one spot below Ben Roethlisberger? Alas, the scrutiny portion of the blog.
Speaking of 86, the highest Ravens offensive player on the list was #86 as Todd Heap took home 59th place. Heap pulled a double in the NFL Preview Issue as he was among eight NFL heavyweights photographed for the latest Campbell’s Chunky Soup ad campaign. Not sure which honor is more prestigious, but I’m guessing the residuals from The King 500 are overmatched by the multi-million dollar media buy from the Soup That Eats Like a Meal.The future of the Ravens could also be found a little further down the line as three sophomores (Clayton #254, Landry #267, Ngata #312) and even one frosh (Grubbs #460) received recognition. However, the more immediate future of the franchise was nowhere to be seen as Willis McGahee was left off the list. For all the praise imparted to Peter in the paragraphs above, there is no way forty-one other running backs are better than McGahee. Fortunately for Willis and all Ravens fans, the NFL is not a feudal system; Arturo and Marcus are the only Freeman’s; the closest Baron plays in the NBA and there is no King Peter, just Peter King and his list to loathe (or love).
Complete List of Ravens Players Included in The King 500:
Ed Reed (12)
Bart Scott (53)
Terrell Suggs (56)
Todd Heap (59)
Trevor Pryce (61)
Kelly Gregg (83)
Ray Lewis (86)
Chris McAlister (88)
Jonathan Ogden (114)
Steve McNair (156)
Mark Clayton (254)
Dawan Landry (267)
Haloti Ngata (312)
Jarrett Johnson (358)
BJ Sams (443)
Ben Grubbs (460)
Source: Sports Illustrated, September 3rd, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
I'm Blogging This
Over the course of the next four months, I will be rooting for Derrick Mason to score points, the Ravens Defense to limit points, Matt Stover to add extra points and, gulp, Carson Palmer to compile as many points as possible. Such is the life of a fantasy football General Manager where team loyalties, sports knowledge and sometimes even friendships are put to the test.Over the last few years, fantasy football has outgrown its niche status as a hobby for only the most die-hard fans (women may have classified this male-dominated social class as “losers”) to become as common a companion to the game day experience as pizza and wings. Men and women of all ages now participate in the reported $1 to $2 billion-a-year industry and the trend has spawned side businesses for evaluating players and enhancing the draft day experience. What follows is my attempt to offer opinions on both as I recently returned from my 5th annual trip to Atlantic City, NJ as a founding member of Retired Orangemen Fantasy Football.
I wont bore you with the historical details of the ROFF (which is named as such because the majority of the owners attended Syracuse University together) as only the 14 current members of the league and the seven men on the waiting list - yes, we have a waiting list to get in - would care. However, to understand the path that led us back to AC this year, one would only have to look at the trophy awarded to the winner of the league each season, which has the team and owner’s name etched into history a la Lord Stanley’s Cup. I wanted to avoid putting the second annual award of the ROFF in the same sentence as The Stanley Cup, but another yearly piece of hardware handed out at the draft goes to the team that finished last and it is not only appropriately titled, “The Toilet Bowl” but we physically give the “winner” a toilet seat with the logos of each recipient pasted around the rim. (Yes, we have logos too)
Fast forward to this past weekend and the 2007 draft. It was another memorable weekend for all those in attendance. We laughed (at each others picks). We cursed (at each others picks). We ate a lot of nachos (in between each others picks). And after more than 8 hours in room 2008 at the FantaSea Resorts (seriously, its called FantaSea – coincidence?) 14 supposed friends had selected the 15 men to follow for the next four months.I’d be happy to reprint the draft order for you to compare your own league’s results, however, our board might not look quite like yours for two reasons. First off, and this is a necessity to any league considering taking their virtual vice into reality, we actually have a draft board with color coated stickers of all the potential draftees. The resulting rainbow is among the most beautiful sights of the weekend when full, partially because Atlantic City’s shoreline hasn’t aged so well. The second reason is that our league features a keeper component, which allows owners to keep two players for up to three years. This is where you might find some notes interesting:
My keepers were Reggie Bush and Laurence Maroney. Okay, you might not find that interesting, but you’ll probably hear a lot about them during the next 20 installments of Coffee on the 50. By the way, my team name for this year is BushMaroney’07, so my keeper choices were not a surprise. Some of the more surprising players kept this year include Antonio Gates – the only tight end held over – and a Lee Evans/Reggie Wayne pairing – who were kept over Edgerrin James and Chester Taylor, bucking the conventional wisdom that says running backs are gold.You might not think that a draft board and keepers make the ROFF unique. Fantasy football has more than 17 million players and some are bound to expand upon our efforts, but there are few additional items of note that make our league special, and I encourage all to copy our methods:
1. Draft books: Designate a commissioner who will compile bios and historical team data for each owner, collate this information, graphically design, print, hole-punch, place in binders and mail to all members of the league. Our commissioner, Marc Epstein, deserves credit he will probably never receive for wasting so much time on us. Why does he do it, “It’s something 14 of my closest friends can do together,” said Epstein. “It’s a way for us to stay connected even though we’re miles apart. Its not about football.” Tear.
2. Draft shirts: Create a new shirt each year to commemorate draft weekend. You will find these very useful at the gym or when gardening. (Or when stranded by a Hurricane – more on that in a moment.)
3. Build your own website: Yahoo! just isn’t enough sometimes, especially when many league members write columns each week that need their own place in cyberspace to live. Hence, RetiredOrangemen.com.
4. Pictures: Take a ton; they can be used for future iMovie’s set to music. (This year’s received a standing ovation.)
5. Go to the movies: Each year a new made-for-quoting movie comes out in the summer and dominates the conversation around the nacho dip. This year, SuperBad served as the film of choice and most references to the outstanding performances from Michael Cera and Jonah Hill cannot be repeated here. Although one league member, Parker Deay, who is literally a cartoon character on American Dad, mocked the myriad quotes with a quick quip, “I’m McLove…” as I think we all agree McLovin has already jumped the shark.
As the actual selection rounds began, the first Raven off the board was Willis McGahee. Willis has always been a formidable pick, but the move to Baltimore has re-ignited hopes that McGahee will rise to the status of an elite running back in the fantasy world, or to quote ESPN’s Merril Hodge, a “Factor Back”. Number 23 was taken by Rich Kiss, who commented on the choice, “As long as he doesn’t get hurt, it’s a safe pick.” Genius Rich. Fortunately for all Coffee on the 50 fans, another league member, Chris Brockman, who is actually a part of the sports media and knows what the readers want, added some actual analysis on behalf of Kiss, “We’re very happy to see him out of Buffalo, right Rich?”
Kiss is also a founding member of the ROFF, but more importantly, travels in from New Orleans each August to take part. As fate would have it, this meant that Rich was also attending the draft when Hurricane Katrina moved in on the Gulf Coast two years ago. Unfortunately, in an attempt to get back home before the hurricane hit, Rich only made it as far as Atlanta when his connecting flight was cancelled. He spent the next few weeks in Florida and Mississippi with only the clothes he had at the draft, which of course included a Donovan McNabb Syracuse jersey and a newly minted draft day t-shirt.
The 2007 draft continued for another 7 hours and 13 rounds with some surprises and sour grapes along the way. Here are a few selections to note (remember, with 14 teams there were 28 player kept before the real action began):
Players
First Available Player Taken – Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams (29th overall pick)
First Rookie – Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo Bills, RB (50th overall pick)
First Rookie Wide Receiver – Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions, WR (57th overall pick)
First Defense – Baltimore Ravens (73rd overall pick)
Biggest Rise up the Board (according to me) – Brian Leonard, St. Louis Rams, RB (116th overall pick)
Biggest Fall down the Board (according to me) – Jon Kitna, Detroit Lions, QB (109th overall pick)
Numbers
4 – Number of Indianapolis Colts kept (Manning, Harrison, Addai, Wayne)
8 – Number of games Chris Henry of the Cincinnati Bengals is suspended this year; yet, he was still drafted ahead of Amani Toomer, Marty Booker, and Ashley Lelie
10 – Number of kickers taken in the last two rounds (note that one team did not even select a kicker on draft day which means only 3 kickers were taken before the final two rounds)
25 – Number of minutes it took me to decide to take Carson Palmer over Drew Brees and Marc Bulger. I’m still reviewing the choice in my head as I could have taken Javon Walker and waited for Brees on the way back. Brees wont have to play the Ravens twice this year and Bulger added Drew Bennett to his arsenal, but I still went with Palmer. If I had 25 days to think about this I still wouldn’t know for sure what to do. Seriously, what Ravens fan wants to root for Carson Palmer? At least its not Peyton Manning.
2:30 – As in 2:30AM. As in the local time in South Korea when the draft started, which is where one league member happened to be this past weekend as he is beginning a year of teaching ESL in the Far East. Nick Serrano stayed up to date on the draft via text messaging and a few long distance calls to the hotel, and stayed up the entire night as the sun rose over Seoul. Said Serrano of what being part of the draft meant, “It’s 2:30 in the morning here and it already feels like it’s going to end too soon.” We miss you Nick.
Names
Adrian Peterson – Last year’s winner, Jason Cantor, GM of Five Second Stare, selected two players with the same name (running backs from Minnesota and Chicago), presumably a first in fantasy history. Of course Steve Smith and Steve Smith had the chance to repeat the feat, but two different owners drafted them.
B.J Surhoff – Let me explain. Although Serrano wins the honor of furthest from the FantaSea, another GM had to make his picks via BlackBerry as Gregg Moore, GM of the Maryland Fighting Blue Crabs, had to stay back in the Charm City this weekend. Moore works for the Baltimore Orioles and as luck would have it, the career of BJ Surhoff was to be honored about the same time we made the turn on round 8. Moore pressed on admirably and filled out his team nicely, although I think his final pick of Musa Smith may have been a little hasty.As the draft finally came to an end there was one last list to check. Another league member, Jason Sherman, GM of the Shermtanks, had invested in a program that actually will take your draft and project the points of the league. Big surprise when the results came out as Sherman announced “First in active roster? Me. Sweet.”
BushMaroney’07 was projected 4th but even in the virtual world, the best team on paper does not always produce, well, the best team on paper. Talk to me in December to see how Bush, Maroney and Carson Palmer performed. If Palmer earns me a spot on the trophy, it certainly will be sweet. Bittersweet.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
YouTubed
The most important moment of Monday night’s whitewashing of the Eagles may have been a combination of two plays during the first drive of the game. Willis McGahee ran off tackle for 16 yards followed by a play-action fake by Steve McNair and a 22-yard toss to Todd Heap. By all accounts, this is what the Ravens offense will look like in 2007 as the new burst in the backfield will freeze defenses for an extra second, giving McNair enough time to find Mason, Clayton, Williams, Heap and anyone else Brian Billick and Rich Neuheisel choose to send downfield.
But you knew all that. We all knew all that. Ozzie sure knew it when he brought Willis to Baltimore. Fantasy football forecasters seem to have known that as mock-drafts across the net have the Ravens running back amongst the top ten at his position and both Clayton and Williams listed as possible breakout performers at wide receiver. And of course Willis knew that as he relayed to the press after the game, “I told the receivers that they’re going to love me this year.” And because everyone knew this was going to happen, another moment from Monday night would prove to be the most memorable. And if you don’t remember, don’t worry; you can now watch it again as often as you’d like. That’s because on a punt return in the 2nd half, Ravens rookie linebacker Antwan Barnes YouTubed Eagles kicker Sav Rocca.
There is no more posterizing in the digital age. In the time it would take to merely develop the film, more than 12,000 fans have already replayed the footage on their computers and shared it with their friends and family. And despite the premier of “Jacked Up” still a few weeks away, the play made the rounds across the ESPN family of networks within hours of the final whistle.
Of course Barnes is still a first year professional and was modest when describing his first game at M&T Bank Stadium as he told the Baltimore Sun, “For my first game, I think I did pretty well.” Fortunately for all Ravens fans, Bart Scott’s ascension in the ranks now allows him to speak a little more freely and he was quoted describing the rookie linebacker as “a beast.”
News of the beast sighting made its way across the oceans the conventional way as well as The Australian reported on the debut of Rocca, a former Australian Rules Football player for the North Melbourne Kangaroos (he played for other teams as well, but the Kangaroos just fit the stereotype perfectly). In the article, Rocca was quoted as saying, "He got me pretty good actually.” Actually, the reporter for the Aussie paper, David Nason, had the best description as he characterized the hit as a “crash tackle.”
Barnes’ big play is yet another moment that will live on, literally, on the servers of YouTube for years to come. However, although the website is only two and half years old, Antwan will now share hard drive space with some of the greatest sports clips of all time, including three examples I found by the time Rocca found his helmet. In no particular order, I give you a fans-eye-view of Barry Bonds’ recording breaking home run; the antithesis of the Ravens draft history in an NFL Draft montage of the New York Jets selections and fan reactions over the years; and in the wake of Madden ‘08 fever, although those commercials are spot on, the single greatest video game athlete in the post-Atari era, Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson.
But you knew all that. We all knew all that. Ozzie sure knew it when he brought Willis to Baltimore. Fantasy football forecasters seem to have known that as mock-drafts across the net have the Ravens running back amongst the top ten at his position and both Clayton and Williams listed as possible breakout performers at wide receiver. And of course Willis knew that as he relayed to the press after the game, “I told the receivers that they’re going to love me this year.” And because everyone knew this was going to happen, another moment from Monday night would prove to be the most memorable. And if you don’t remember, don’t worry; you can now watch it again as often as you’d like. That’s because on a punt return in the 2nd half, Ravens rookie linebacker Antwan Barnes YouTubed Eagles kicker Sav Rocca.
There is no more posterizing in the digital age. In the time it would take to merely develop the film, more than 12,000 fans have already replayed the footage on their computers and shared it with their friends and family. And despite the premier of “Jacked Up” still a few weeks away, the play made the rounds across the ESPN family of networks within hours of the final whistle.
Of course Barnes is still a first year professional and was modest when describing his first game at M&T Bank Stadium as he told the Baltimore Sun, “For my first game, I think I did pretty well.” Fortunately for all Ravens fans, Bart Scott’s ascension in the ranks now allows him to speak a little more freely and he was quoted describing the rookie linebacker as “a beast.”
News of the beast sighting made its way across the oceans the conventional way as well as The Australian reported on the debut of Rocca, a former Australian Rules Football player for the North Melbourne Kangaroos (he played for other teams as well, but the Kangaroos just fit the stereotype perfectly). In the article, Rocca was quoted as saying, "He got me pretty good actually.” Actually, the reporter for the Aussie paper, David Nason, had the best description as he characterized the hit as a “crash tackle.”
Barnes’ big play is yet another moment that will live on, literally, on the servers of YouTube for years to come. However, although the website is only two and half years old, Antwan will now share hard drive space with some of the greatest sports clips of all time, including three examples I found by the time Rocca found his helmet. In no particular order, I give you a fans-eye-view of Barry Bonds’ recording breaking home run; the antithesis of the Ravens draft history in an NFL Draft montage of the New York Jets selections and fan reactions over the years; and in the wake of Madden ‘08 fever, although those commercials are spot on, the single greatest video game athlete in the post-Atari era, Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson.
The list goes on and although Barnes is playing for playing time in Baltimore, his crash tackle against the Eagles will continue to receive airtime around the world.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Real World: River Falls
Richard Hatch. Puck. Flava Flav. The Donald. Rob and Amber. Kelly Clarkson. And now – Priest Holmes and Brodie Croyle.
The reality TV revolution has spawned a slew of small screen stars since Real World first took Manhattan almost twenty years ago. From regular Joe’s to Joe Millionaires (who ended up being a regular Joe as well, but that’s beside the point) the cameras have helped create and reinvigorate careers, which is why HBO’s latest edition of Hard Knocks is the best reality show on TV (or at least the best reality show to debut last night as Real World 19 from Sydney, Australia also introduced America to a few new strangers).
NFL Films and HBO have teamed up once again to give cable subscribers across the country an all-access pass to training camp in the NFL. The third edition of the series, which made its debut tracking the defending Super Bowl Champion Ravens back in 2001, literally rides shotgun with the Kansas City Chiefs as they prepare for the 2007 season (at least one cameraman rode with Head Coach Herm Edwards to camp in order to capture a solid 30 seconds of vital footage).
You may think the Chiefs would lack the star-power to sustain a nationwide audience, but who would have thought that 51 million Americans would stay glued to their TV sets to watch Hatch, Rudy Boesch, and Kelly Wiglesworth battle it out for a million dollars. So why is this season of Hard Knocks so compelling? Last night’s premier provided a few reasons to create a series recording on your DVR:
First of all, the team practices 500 miles from Kansas City at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls. The team – and surprisingly all of their weight-room equipment – is bussed north across three states to set up camp for the month of August. Coach Edwards made the drive a day early, not so that he could get a head start on preparing for their upcoming scrimmage against the Vikings, but so that he could finish drawing his “Welcome to Training Camp” sign. Seriously, he colored in the bubble letters with a red sharpie and was standing outside the dorms when the busses arrived.
The real story, however, is the town of River Falls, where a penny still buys you 10 minutes on a parking meter and the part-time mayor greets the players on their way out to practice. The most awkward moment of the show was when Mayor Richards asked one of the players coming out of the tunnel, “When’s Larry Johnson coming back?” He just genuinely wanted to know. Speaking of LJ, the editors really outdid themselves in the episode as they cut to Johnson sitting on what appeared to be a luxurious white leather coach in a New York City apartment as an unidentified SportsCenter anchor announced from Larry’s flat-screen that he was holding out. Video evidence confirmed this theory.
Back in Alabama, Brodie Croyle, the Chiefs #2 QB who is vying to win the job from journeyman Damon Huard, was shown packing for his three weeks out-of-town with his new bride. In the first of presumably many ‘awe-shucks’ moments, the cameras caught Mrs. Croyle picking out boxers for the second-year gunslinger who apparently had trouble packing his rookie season. Brodie was perfectly cast for the role of “young hot-shot with the golden arm, short temper, perfect teeth, surfer shorts, and shaggy hair” in comparison to the equally dead-on portrayal of the “old-timer, knee-braced, not about talent, more about football IQ” played by Huard.
If Croyle is the potential emerging star, then Priest Holmes is the veteran looking to reinvigorate his career. After almost two years out of the game due to injuries, Holmes, the former Raven, is trying to make a comeback. His arrival was just in time for the Chiefs, whose #1 RB on the depth-chart was shown splitting time between the white couch in the Big Apple and a weight-training facility in Phoenix. Priest seemed determined and dedicated to take back the starting spot he lost two years ago, but his presence at camp just seemed to brighten the hopes of players and coaches alike. He’s yet to put on the pads, however, so stay tuned.
If all that wasn’t enough, the squad includes a Turk, a Tank, Tony G, and a Turley – all of whom have to ride a bike from the dorms to the practice fields. Of course Tony Gonzales does get some preferential treatment as his bedroom is on the first floor, where as the rookies have to hike up to the fourth floor each and every day – and that’s just the first year players who reported on time. First round holdout, Dwayne Bowe, had yet to report to camp as the show began. As a result, veteran wide receiver Eddie Kennison planned a little punishment for D-Bowe, which could include sending him to Krispy Kreme – in Minnesota – to get the receiving corp. some doughnuts. Here that Yamon? A run to the Apple Store doesn’t sound so bad after all.
Somewhere between Hell’s Kitchen and Trump Tower, River Falls, WI plays host to the Kansas City Chiefs, NFL Films, and HBO for the best reality show on television. That is until September 6th, when the 17-part NFL regular season gets started. Until then, we’ll just have to watch as 80 players are picked to live in the dorms of a small-town college campus to find out what happens when coaches stop being polite and the games aren’t for real. The Real World. River Falls.
The reality TV revolution has spawned a slew of small screen stars since Real World first took Manhattan almost twenty years ago. From regular Joe’s to Joe Millionaires (who ended up being a regular Joe as well, but that’s beside the point) the cameras have helped create and reinvigorate careers, which is why HBO’s latest edition of Hard Knocks is the best reality show on TV (or at least the best reality show to debut last night as Real World 19 from Sydney, Australia also introduced America to a few new strangers).
NFL Films and HBO have teamed up once again to give cable subscribers across the country an all-access pass to training camp in the NFL. The third edition of the series, which made its debut tracking the defending Super Bowl Champion Ravens back in 2001, literally rides shotgun with the Kansas City Chiefs as they prepare for the 2007 season (at least one cameraman rode with Head Coach Herm Edwards to camp in order to capture a solid 30 seconds of vital footage).
You may think the Chiefs would lack the star-power to sustain a nationwide audience, but who would have thought that 51 million Americans would stay glued to their TV sets to watch Hatch, Rudy Boesch, and Kelly Wiglesworth battle it out for a million dollars. So why is this season of Hard Knocks so compelling? Last night’s premier provided a few reasons to create a series recording on your DVR:
First of all, the team practices 500 miles from Kansas City at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls. The team – and surprisingly all of their weight-room equipment – is bussed north across three states to set up camp for the month of August. Coach Edwards made the drive a day early, not so that he could get a head start on preparing for their upcoming scrimmage against the Vikings, but so that he could finish drawing his “Welcome to Training Camp” sign. Seriously, he colored in the bubble letters with a red sharpie and was standing outside the dorms when the busses arrived.The real story, however, is the town of River Falls, where a penny still buys you 10 minutes on a parking meter and the part-time mayor greets the players on their way out to practice. The most awkward moment of the show was when Mayor Richards asked one of the players coming out of the tunnel, “When’s Larry Johnson coming back?” He just genuinely wanted to know. Speaking of LJ, the editors really outdid themselves in the episode as they cut to Johnson sitting on what appeared to be a luxurious white leather coach in a New York City apartment as an unidentified SportsCenter anchor announced from Larry’s flat-screen that he was holding out. Video evidence confirmed this theory.
Back in Alabama, Brodie Croyle, the Chiefs #2 QB who is vying to win the job from journeyman Damon Huard, was shown packing for his three weeks out-of-town with his new bride. In the first of presumably many ‘awe-shucks’ moments, the cameras caught Mrs. Croyle picking out boxers for the second-year gunslinger who apparently had trouble packing his rookie season. Brodie was perfectly cast for the role of “young hot-shot with the golden arm, short temper, perfect teeth, surfer shorts, and shaggy hair” in comparison to the equally dead-on portrayal of the “old-timer, knee-braced, not about talent, more about football IQ” played by Huard.
If Croyle is the potential emerging star, then Priest Holmes is the veteran looking to reinvigorate his career. After almost two years out of the game due to injuries, Holmes, the former Raven, is trying to make a comeback. His arrival was just in time for the Chiefs, whose #1 RB on the depth-chart was shown splitting time between the white couch in the Big Apple and a weight-training facility in Phoenix. Priest seemed determined and dedicated to take back the starting spot he lost two years ago, but his presence at camp just seemed to brighten the hopes of players and coaches alike. He’s yet to put on the pads, however, so stay tuned.
If all that wasn’t enough, the squad includes a Turk, a Tank, Tony G, and a Turley – all of whom have to ride a bike from the dorms to the practice fields. Of course Tony Gonzales does get some preferential treatment as his bedroom is on the first floor, where as the rookies have to hike up to the fourth floor each and every day – and that’s just the first year players who reported on time. First round holdout, Dwayne Bowe, had yet to report to camp as the show began. As a result, veteran wide receiver Eddie Kennison planned a little punishment for D-Bowe, which could include sending him to Krispy Kreme – in Minnesota – to get the receiving corp. some doughnuts. Here that Yamon? A run to the Apple Store doesn’t sound so bad after all.
Somewhere between Hell’s Kitchen and Trump Tower, River Falls, WI plays host to the Kansas City Chiefs, NFL Films, and HBO for the best reality show on television. That is until September 6th, when the 17-part NFL regular season gets started. Until then, we’ll just have to watch as 80 players are picked to live in the dorms of a small-town college campus to find out what happens when coaches stop being polite and the games aren’t for real. The Real World. River Falls.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Canton Call
As you may have heard, Cal Ripken Jr. was recently inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. You might also be aware that we are currently at war in Iraq and Paris Hilton was recently in jail. Maybe you’ve even caught a glimpse of this Beckham character as well. In any case, the media blitz on baseball’s holy grail commenced with Baltimore’s native son being immortalized among the greats of the game with a bronze plaque hung in the hall at The Hall. A momentous day in the history of sports in the Charm City as Ripken joined Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Jim Palmer, Earl Weaver, and Eddie Murray as Hall of Fame O’s. And although it might be a while until an Oriole reaches such great heights again, Baltimore sports fans could soon have reason to rejoice.Cooperstown’s kid cousin, Canton, OH, is home to the National Football League Hall of Fame, which hosts this weekends legends ball as they induct the Class of 2007. The inductees include Bruce Matthews, Thurman Thomas, and Michael Irvin, whose Cowboy’s bested TT’s Bills in back-to-back Super Bowls in the early 90s. As many faithful fans could attest, Irvin and Thomas will join a slew of footballers from Baltimore already in Canton. However, they are erroneously classified as merely Hall of Fame Colts, grouped together with the only Indianapolis player to make it in, Eric Dickerson. And although we will never forget where Berry, Donovan, Ewbank, Hendricks, Mackey, Marchetti, Parker, and Unitas played, we yearn for the day when the city of Baltimore will be recognized for its role in building the game and bringing it in to the 21st Century. Well my feathered friends, that day will come soon, and according to ESPN Page 2’s Thomas Neumann and Scott Symmes, there might be three or four trips to Ohio on the horizon.
Neumann and Symmes review the 50 active players who seem destined for enshrinement and not surprisingly, two Ravens make an appearance in his top 10 – Ray Lewis (#5) and Jonathan Ogden (#7). Both of our beloved first picks in franchise history are bound to become the first and second Ravens to become Hall of Famer’s, thanks in part to prolonged dominance at their respective positions, numerous Pro Bowl selections, and of course, the rings they won together in 2001. In addition to Ray and JO, two other current Ravens received inclusion in the story, including the still blossoming superstar, Ed Reed (#33). In describing Reed’s resume, the most notable notation was about what still is yet to come as the article states, “Reed has the speed and versatility to possibly be considered the finest safety in NFL history one day.” Take a minute to breathe that one in. Lewis and Ogden may already be considered among the best ever at their positions, and now its time to contemplate that real possibility that a third member of the flock could become an all-time great.
Not to be overlooked, the fourth Raven identified was Steve McNair, who was listed as one of ten players still on the HOF bubble. His years as an Oiler/Titan provided some prolific pegs to make the climb to Canton, but hope is not all lost as the authors write, “McNair probably needs a Super Bowl ring to punch his ticket.” So what they’re saying is, if the Ravens win the Championship, McNair’s bonus package will include a bronze bust at the Hall. Here’s hoping Canton comes calling.
Editors “shameless alma mater pride” Note: Syracuse was one of just eight schools with multiple players included on the list of 50 – Marvin Harrison (#8) and Dwight Freeney (#16).
Friday, July 27, 2007
Keep Me Floating
“What I want is what I've not got. But what I need is all around me.”- Dave Matthews Band
What I want should be obvious. It’s what every NFL player, coach, cheerleader, mascot, general manager, scout, trainer, fan and blogger from Baltimore to the Bay Area wants – a trip to Arizona next February for Super Bowl XLII.
But what I need isn’t so clear. That’s because what I need is what we all wanted just one year ago. A winning season. A season sweep of the Steelers. A Division Title. A playoff berth. A first round bye. The spotlight. Respect.
So where does that leave me? Where does that leave all of us? What are we to think? What are we to do? What are we to, well, want?
Over the course of my first two years living in Baltimore, and during the additional four years spent following Charm City sports from afar, it has appeared that all Baltimore fans have wanted was to be competitive, win games, and win respect from the world of sports and the Worldwide Leader.
Consider that most Orioles fans were predicting a .500 season this March and an even greater majority would admit now that if Tremblay can carry the birds to 80 wins, the season could still be considered a success.
Football fans have had slightly higher hopes over the last few years, but the 2000 title run caught most of the city by surprise, and the 2001 team had a championship ring in their pocket to temper the depression dealt to the Ravens in the Divisional Playoffs. The salary purge that followed kept expectations in check, and two AFC North Championships in the last four years satisfied our voracity for victory.
But this year is different. Although the team is not as old as most pundits would have you believe, the combination of rising stars and veteran superstars is special. And sportsnation has taken notice. Many publications put the Ravens as the 4th best team in the entire league. And if it wasn’t for Peyton, Brady, and LT, we might be sitting atop those same rankings. Talk about respect.
Of course the schedule makers decided to have a little fun with the purple and black this year as they’ve staged a non-elimination, character-evaluation triple header for the second half of the season when the Ravens face the Chargers, Patriots and Colts in succession. But again, at least two of those games are slated for nationwide viewing, including back-to-back weeks of playing host to Football Night in America and Monday Night Football. Talk about respect.
Further proof of the reversal of fortune, just this week, both Ray Lewis and Bart Scott were featured in Sports Illustrated’s cover story about big hits in the NFL. Ray’s quote landed on the cover, however, Bart’s quote about his legendary hit on Ben Roethlisberger was brilliant, “He was weightless, like I hit him in outer space.”That weightless feeling isn’t reserved just for Big Ben or any of the other signal callers sacked by Scott, Sizzle, and the boys last year. It’s the same feeling all of RavensNation feels right now heading into the 2007 season. After 13 wins in ’06, our ascent to the top has already taken off, but we haven’t reached the pinnacle yet. We find ourselves somewhere between satisfied and salivating. Between anxiety and anticipation. Grounded and just plain giddy. Because this team is special and all we ask, in the words of Mr. Matthews, “If you could keep me floating, just for a while…”
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