Step to the Rhythm, Step Step to the Ride
To Bench or Not To Bench
I was one of those idiots at the beginning of the year that thought David Carr deserved a season under an offensive-minded head coach, with a new blocking scheme for the OL, solid tight end threats, and a legitimate # 2 receiver before anything should be done. I trusted that Gary Kubiak knew what he was doing when he moved to pick up that option on Carr. In the immortal understated words of Locke to Eko, “I was wrong.” David Carr has been awful for 4 and a half seasons and I don’t see anything changing. His passer rating and completion percentage have been great, but we all know he doesn’t have “it.” Kubiak isn’t going to make a difference and pulling him is the beginning of the end. I mean does Carr strike you as a mentally strong person on the football field? Sage Rosenfels came in when the Titans were expecting pass and Sage threw all over them. He slid his feet in the pocket, somehow getting enough time to actually motion to receivers where to go and then he delivered the ball time after time. Bottom line is Sage gives this team the best chance to win on Sundays. David is supposedly the future, but how much more time does he get? I’m sure he’ll turn it around this week on the road against a 5-2 Giants team that has 15 sacks and 5 picks in their last three games.
--Only two other rookies in the last 50 years did what Vince Young did on Sunday by rushing and passing for TDs of at least 20 yds. Those other rookies? Fran Tarkenton and Chris Chandler. Chris Chandelier?!
--Only 1 RB in the top 35 in rushing yardage doesn’t have a rushing TD and that would be the guy at the top of the list Tiki Barber.
--If you’re keeping score at home the former Will Peterson is now William James and he’s now an Eagle.
--The Patriots have won each of their past three road games by at least 20 points.
--22% of the time when the Raiders drop back to pass it ends up in a sack or an INT. That’s not good.
--Seriously, No Fun League don't you have better things to do than fine Chad Johnson $5,000 for wearing an "Ocho Cinco" velcro tag on his jersey? It's not like they went out on the field and held a ceremony to rip off the Ocho Cinco to reveal "C. Johnson". If anyone should be fined it should be PacMan Jones for molesting that field goal post. Hearing the referee actually explain that because Jones landed on his feet that there was no celebration penalty was about the dumbest thing I've ever heard coming out of Tennessee and that's saying something.
--The last three years in the second half Texas has outscored Oklahoma State 118-0. Ouch.
Do Over?
A lot of new parts and I guess a lot more time needed for these 2006-2007 Rockets to start looking like the 50+ win team we all expect. The defense was just awful, awful, awful. Carlos Boozer isn’t a bad player, but 24 and 19 shouldn’t happen. I like Scott Padgett, but 20 minutes when he only had 3 points?! Dikembe had 3 points, but that’s because he actually made his free throws unlike you Tracy, Shane and Kirk (12-23 combined). It was a horribly officiated game with Yao and Shane picking up three fouls by stepping off of the team bus, but c’mon Rockets the effort wasn’t there for the entire game. This was the first game of a promising year and the Jazz simply wanted it more. Next up the Mavericks. Oh boy.
--The LeBrons commercials don’t do much for me, but any spot using Summer Time is fine by me. However, ESPN letting or making Jeremy Schaap interview each of the LeBron characters was a dumb, dumb idea. Not like Cold Pizza. That was a great idea.
--The Hawks are the youngest team in the league at 24.5 years.
Quick Hitters and Random Thoughts
--Alas after 15,102 games of Plinko Bob Barker will no longer be a part of The Price is Right. He’s retiring in June after 35 years hosting. Only Bob can consider retirement for “at least 10 years.” So there’s something else Ryan Seacrest can host.
--I’m not sure what SI put as This Week’s Sign of the Apocalypse, but it should be that there is a freeharoldreynolds.com. Harold is suing ESPN for the remaining $5 million or so on his contract. If you didn’t know he was fired after a female intern complained about a hug she received from him. A hug Reynolds termed “brief and innocuous.”
--The Wachowski Brothers (Matrix, V for Vendetta) would do right by Speed Racer, right?
--Sharon Stone and Rick Fox?!
--The always-reliable Enquirer says Ryan Phillipe was cheating on Reese Witherspoon, which was just a brilliant move by someone with so much talent as Ryan. Dude just got in the way in Cruel Intentions and then played the worst cop ever in Crash. The best movie he’s been in? Igby Goes Down. Very good flick.
--Eddie Izzard was going to play a bad guy on 24, but quit after one day of filming clearly intimidated by the mere thought of doing a scene with the real Jack Bauer.
She probably needs to be on next season.
--I identify with my boy Jim on The Office now more than ever. Look Tuna, because you gave in to the allure of Jager you missed a chance to enjoy a nice Diwali (sp?) with Pam. You two crazy kids belong together, but you let Jager get in the way. For shame. For shame.
--Jet Li and Jackie Chan in the same movie?! The (at least for right now) J&J Project starts shooting in April.
--An Untouchables prequel?! Untouchables: Capone Rising?!
Malone: “You just fulfilled the first rule of law enforcement: make sure when your shift is over you go home alive. Here endeth the lesson.”
This one, obviously, will focus on Capone’s early days and also his relationship with Sean Connery’s character Jim Malone. Sounds good to me.
--I’ve lost many coin flips in my life, but I’ve always been proud of the fact I’ve never lost one to a dead person. Dona Highstone of Anchorage was running against Katherine Dunton for a spot on the school board. On the day of the election Dunton passed away. The two ladies tied and for some reason the board insisted on a coin flip to see who got the seat. Highstone called “heads” and it was tails and that was that. The board has no idea how they’re going to fill the seat because evidently just giving it to someone who was worthy enough if she had called “tails” would just be wrong.
Game Over.
--Shocking news, but Flava Flav is expecting the birth of his 7th kid. No, it’s not New York’s much less Deelishis’. It’s with some other woman who Deelishis knows about and apparently doesn’t have a problem as Dee and Flav are still dating.
--The December issue of Golf Digest has a list of the top 100 golfers in music. I’ll give you all day to guess # 1. No, not the Hootie guy, not Kid Rock or Tommy Lee (both on the list). The top spot belongs to Kenny freakin’ G.
--A U2 Vertigo live concert to be released in 3D?!
--Cracked.com came out with a list of the top 15 funniest people in 2006. At 15 we find William Sanderson/Darrell/EB Farnum. Great choice. Rainn Wilson/Dwight Schrute is easily a top five 
guy, but Cracked has him at 12. Unnecessary Censorship segments alone get Jimmy Kimmel to 11. At 10 is another top 5 guy in my book Ricky Gervais. Note to HBO On Demand: Put Extras back on the menu! Adam McKay and Will Ferrell at 8. McKay co-wrote and directed Anchorman and Talladega Nights. Jeremy Piven/Ari Gold at 5. At 4 is my number 1 Stephen Colbert.
First Manilow, now this?! The guy has just been gold and c’mon he influences how Oprah speaks. No other person on this list has done that. He also has Strangers With Candy going for him. Steve Carell checks in at a solid 3rd. Although the media saturation is starting to get to even me Sacha Baron Cohen is number 2 on the strength of Borat. I love Jack Black, but # 1?! Nacho Libre and Tenacious D getting him up there along with 1999’s Fox pilot Heat Vision and Jack, which apparently wasn’t picked up then, but is all on YouTube now. My favorite 38 seconds of the 30-minute pilot you can see on YouTube…
--Your list of Pros for the next edition of Pros vs. Joes come January…Michael Irvin, Eric Dickerson, Wade Boggs, Jose Canseco, Darryl Strawberry, Bruce Smith, Roy Jones Jr., Andre Reed, John Starks, Vince Coleman, Kordell Stewart, Andre Rison, Tim Hardaway, Grant Fuhr, Rob Dibble, Rik Smits, Will Clark, Spud Webb, Kevin Willis, Randy Couture, Mark Jackson, Robby Ginepri, and Cobi Jones. With those names it should be one hellua wrap party.
--In two weeks I’m fortunate enough to be heading to Vegas for the finale of the Manny Pacquiao/Erik Morales trilogy. I don’t see how Pac-Man is going to lose that one. Couple of cards this week with the more intriguing one on free Showtime. I’ll take Sergei Liakhovich over Shannon Briggs and of course, Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz over Angulo. I think both fights will be entertaining and they’re not on PPV so that’s nice. Floyd Mayweather and Carlos Baldomir are on PPV and I think Floyd will win easily by a decision. Baldomir is tough and all, but this isn’t the boxer Floyd finally loses to.
Questions, comments or if you know what time is love…
