Blue Monday

So this is what it's like being a Philly fan? My friends tried to warn me: Field they said, if you want to live a normal happy life, don't become a fan of any of the Philly sports teams, they will break your heart every time. [24 years and counting]

Boy they weren't kidding. Just yesterday, it seems my heart was broken three or four different times in one stinking game. Two interceptions thrown by "Chunky Soup Man" taken to the house by that other Barber kid for 14 points. A blown play at the end of the first half causing us at least three points.-Which by the way, would have been the difference in the game-And of course, to top it off, a 63 yard field goal by a guy who probably won't even be in the league next year. This is the third game this year that my birds lost on the last play, and second week in a row. Oh, did I mention that Tampa Bay stinks! Their offense is got to be one of the bottom three in the league, and still they drove on a Jimmy Johnson defense to get the last score.

Yes folks I am bumming, and I don't see it getting better anytime soon. My man AI is about to make his 2006 debut with the Sixers, and I gotta say, that I am not smelling the playoffs for them either. Not to mention, the Flyers stink this year. Just fired their coach, and the GM resigned-what took him so long?- so even though damn near everybody makes the playoffs in the NHL, I gotta worry about them too. Geez, I feel like a New York winter sports fan all of a sudden.

And as if this weekend wasn't bad enough with the guys who get paid to play; did you see the way those "domers" came back on UCLA? I mean what the f^&% was their defensive coordinator smoking? You have to play cover two on their number one receiver-the guy that looks like he just landed from a slacker movie casting call. They made that fraud Brady Quinn look like Joe Montana, and for that, I will never forgive any of those soft ass Pac 10 teams.

Did anyone catch Michigan States comeback? Wow! Are those guys -State-schitzo or what?
I still think their coach should be fired. And speaking of firring coaches; Joe Gibbs has got to go back to NASCAR, this ain't his NFL anymore. Same goes for Art Shell, although I feel sorry for Shell, because he was way less talent than Gibbs does. Oh, and ditto for the guys in Detroit, Buffalo, and Baltimore. Yes Brian you have worn out your welcome.

I saw a recent poll, I think it was SI with the top receivers in College football, and my man, Sidney Rice from South Carolina wasn't on it. My question is, who makes up these things? Yes I saw Calvin Johnson from GT, and he is probably the best receiver in college football right now. But my man Sidney is number two, hands down. Or should I say hands up.

Will somebody please teach the Crimson Tide O linemen how to block?
Geeez!

I'm out, I can't even write anymore, I keep getting more depressed as I think about this past weekend.

Later.

THOUGHTS FROM SUNDAY

OK so my second favorite team in the NFL beat my favorite Sunday. I must admit, that it was like a mother having to pick between two sons who to cheer for. But some thoughts on that and some other games:

First, someone on the Eagles needs to get into Michael Lewis's face, and explain to him that his pro bowl trip was two years ago, and right about now he stinks in pass coverage. Yes he can still lay a bell ringer of a hit on you-see T.O. 's alligator arm when he saw him coming in that Eagles Cowboys game-but my man is seriously lacking in pass coverage. Also, Reggie Bush will be a nice player in the NFL, but he isn't the second coming of Barry Sanders, or even Tiki Barber or Warrick Dunn for that matter. My man had better bulk up and learn to run between tackles, and put a stiff arm or two into his repertoire, or he will be just another Dave Megett for the rest of his career. Nice player, but not worth all the hoopla.

And what the f%^& was San Diego thinking getting rid of Drew Brees, this guy is the truth. He owned the Eagles Sunday. He along with the DE Martin really stood out in my mind. And Joe Horn, was well, Joe Horn.

I see the officials robbed the Bengals, sorry Marvin, I think the league has it out for your team. Too many free spirits for their liking. Those officials ought to be locked up for robbery. If I were Bengals fan, I would be still writing letters to the Commissioner.

So a few teams got off the snide Sunday. The Lions, the Bucks, and the Titans. I have said this here before, but it bears repeating. Vince Young is not quite ready to start in the NFL, but he will win you a game here and there with his athleticism. Joe Gibbs should go back to NASCAR, because the game has passed him by.

One team that is still win less is the Raiders. You gotta feel for Art Shell. But damn it man, could you show us some more passion please? So Art will be the first coach to go in my book, and that clown in Buffalo shouldn't be far behind.

Finally, T.O. had three, count em, three T.D.'s in Texas Stadium, but before we start making his bust for Canton, it was the Texans. Still, it was nice of Bledsoe, and Parcells to recognize that they have to throw to T.O in the red zone. Nobody wants to get in the end zone more , and frankly, nobody does a better job of getting there. BTW, his form on the "snap" was perfect. See, that's what happens when you live in the "A", you get their dance moves down in no time.

The field is out!

The Best In Fashion Sports Version.

OK so as any reader of my field negro blog knows, I like lists. So in keeping with my affection for such things I have decided to compile a list of the ten best uniforms in sports as of today, and some of the worse. I say as of today, because lately teams have been changing their uniforms so damn much, I can hardly keep up anymore. Now this lists includes all sports, and is not broken down by category. I know I know, maybe I should have broken it down , but I don't have time. Besides, a classic is a classic regardless of the sport. Also, this list is for professional teams only. I will do a college list later. So anyway, here goes:

The Best:

1. New York Yankees-And not just because they are in the news right now. Those pinstripes are classic, and that NY logo is one of a kind. When Yankees players suit up, it's like the equivalent of business men going to work on wall street. Yes the unis are conservative, but that's what's so beautiful about it. And it doesn't hurt that there are no names on the back, and so many great players have worn the pinstripes.

2. Dallas Cowboys-This hurts to have to do this. But for the same reasons I picked the Yankees and their classic unis, I have to go with the Pokes. Not only is it classic and timeless, but like the Yanks they have an unmistakable logo with that star on the helmets. Also, like the Yanks, having great players suit up over the years in your uni helps.

3. St. Louis Cardinals-Those birds on the baseball bat is priceless, and like the Yanks, the St. Louis logo on the hats are great and distinctive.

4. Los Angeles Lakers-That purple and gold just says showtime.

5. Chicago Bulls-Maybe it's because of Michael Jordon. Yes it's exactly because of Michael Jordon, but that uni seemed perfect for him. You gotta love the black and red color scheme, with that intimidating bull staring you down.

6. Detroit Red Wings-Gotta love those home red outfits. And like the Yanks and the Cowboys, tradition makes it look so much better.

7. Oakland Raiders- Silver and Black with the classic pirate on the helmet. This is the perfect football uniform. Too bad they stink this year.

8. Philadelphia Flyers- I know Orange isn't the greatest color for a uni, but that flyer logo is all that.

9. Minnesota Vikings- That purple and gold color scheme with a killer logo puts the Vikes in my top ten. What's with that purple and gold that makes it look so good?

10. Milwaukee Bucks-Maybe it was that whole Lew Alcindor thing, but I still love these unis.

Honorable Mention goes to the San Francisco Forty Niners,
The Detroit Tigers, The Denver Broncos, the New York Knicks, and the New York Rangers.

Now you may have noticed a trend with all my faves. All those teams are pretty much original teams, and all those unis have been around for awhile. So if you guessed that I am a traditionalist and I don't have much love for all the expansion team unis,you would be correct.

So here are five of my worst:

1. Carolina Panthers- Teal for a football team? Like what the f$%# were they thinking?

2. Charlotte Bobcats-Sorry Bob, you are a brother and I should be supporting you, but there ought to be a law against those unis that you gave those boys to wear.

3. Houston Rockets-I am still trying to figure out just what they were trying to do.

4. Houston Texans-Just because the team stinks doesn't mean the unis have to stink too.

Honorable Mention goes to the New England Patriots,The Denver Nuggets, and the Baltimore Ravens.

I'm out.

Was It Worth The Hype?

OK so T.O. finally came back to Philly with the hated Cowboys, and as much as I hate to admit it, the game itself lived up to the hype. Although T.O. himself was way less than stellar in his return to Eagle Country (3 catches for 45 yards and one alligator arm attempt) D-Mc was all that and some, and the defensive line was chasing feet of clay Bledsoe all day long. Still, at the end, Dallas was driving and had a chance to send the game into O.T., when Bledsoe or his tight end-not sure which one-caught a brain lock and threw a nice pass right into the hands of Eagles corner back Lito Shepperd. The rest, as they say, is history. All Lito did was take that bad boy 102 yards to the house, and the game was over.

So maybe it was worth the hype, maybe I was wrong about the game not making a difference in the season . If the Iggles can keep up the momentum from that game, they might be able to do something this year. I guess that Giants game thought them something after all. One of the players said it was the best loss they ever had, and he might be right.

Congrats to the Tigers for taking out the Yankees. A team, by the way, which I happen to like. I just couldn't root for them when they were playing possibly my favorite team in all professional sports. The gambler-Kenny Rogers-, Jeremy Bonderman, and the rest of the Tiger's pitchers deserve all the credit in the world. And I must say, that my man, A Rod, came up real small. Now the news out of New York is that the Boss has fired the Manager, Joe Torre, and is contemplating bringing back Lou Pinella. News flash George! It won't help, not until you get rid of that GM Cashman of yours, who keeps spending your money like a drunken sailor on over the hill pitchers. Yes Boss, you might want to put some of that money you have into developing your farm system, and bringing up some quality young arms like the Tigers did, and like the Atlanta Braves did a few years back to make their unbelievable run at Division Championships.

So sorry Yanks, no tears from the field negro for you; my Tigers are in it, and now it's time to focus on Oakland. Now if the Cards can just win the NL pennant, it will be 1968 all over again.
Where is Bob Gibson, Mickey Lolich, and Denny McClain when you need em?

Oh, and one more thing before. Do we need anymore proof that the heavyweight division is boxing is now a complete joke? I saw the latest circus act Don King trotted out the other night (a seven foot plus Russian) and the guy is supposed to be 43 and 0 or something. Now other than being the biggest heavy weight I have ever seen, the guy actually had some stamina, and some limited skills. But if this guy is a legitimate heavy weight champion, I am Mike Tyson. The only thing that saved him, was that his opponent was even worse. Folks, it's gotten so bad that my man Bernard Hopkins is thinking of coming out of retirement, putting on fifty pounds, and fighting for the heavy weight belt himself. And you know what? He just might be able to do it!

DEALING IN THE BRONX!

It's a beautiful thing! I hope everyone caught my man Justin Verlander dealing on the Yanks the other night. Yeah, that 103 MPH heat will get you every time. Along with my man Joel Zamaya-who was throwing darts in the triple digits himself-Verlander shut down the Yanks to help my Tigers even the series.

Now will this last? I doubt it. Jeter is too much of a gamer to let his team go down to the team he grew up with in nearby Kalamazoo Michigan. But you gotta love 21 million man Alex Rodhitless. Yes folks he took an 0-ffer again last night, and he heard the Bronx cheer every time he went to the plate. In case you were wondering, let me write what a Bronx cheer looks like for you. It looks something like this: Boooooooooooo!

By the way, congrats to the Oakland A's for sweeping those frauds from the Twin Cities. The A's have been playoff chokers themselves over the past few years, but this could be the year they make a serious run at the World Series Title. And to think they were in Philly once and we let them go and not the Phillies.


Now speaking of Philly. Folks my home town is all in a tizzy over T.O. coming back on Sunday. And I just don't get it. I mean this is all you hear in the office, on the street corner, on talk radio, and on television. And I am not talking the sports report. I am talking the lead story. "T.O. is back". It's enough to make an Eagles fan like myself reconsider cheering for this team. Memo to me fellow iggles fans. Calm the f%*& down please. THIS IS THE FIFTH GAME OF THE SEASON!!We might just want to wait until it's playoffs time before we get this pumped.

Somehow I don't think the folks in Big D are even getting worked up over this game, because they understand that it's just one game early in the season. I know T.O. rolled on us, and broke a lot of people's hearts. But get over that s#@%, he is gone now, and we can't bring him back. And yes the guy is a jerk, and he is weired and we would like to whup up on his new team. After all, the only thing we hate more than T.O. around here, is the Cowboys. And now we have a two for one deal going with him being a Cowpoke. BUT IT'S EARLY! And this has always been the problem with this town-especially when it comes to football-we play our Super Bowl when we play the Cow pokes, and they are just one of the fourteen other teams that we will have to play.

So to all my fellow fans in the "City of Brotherly Love" I say, calm down, take a deep breath, and if we lose Sunday we lose. If T.O. goes to the middle of the field, and spikes the ball in the middle of our Eagle's eyes; turn the other cheek. Because at the end of the day, the best revenge against T.O. and the rest of the boys. Will be holding that Pete Rozzele trophy in that convertible, as it rides down Broad Street.

I'm out!