Video: Blake Griffin Destroys Kendrick Perkins

I know the video above has been posted on every blog on the Internet since last night. I'm posting it one more time to tell you that has to be the most impressive dunk I've ever seen.

LeBron dunking over John Lucas on Sunday wasn't near as impressive as this dunk. Lebron dunked over a 6 foot guard. Blake Griffin dunked on a 6'10" center who also happens to be one of the best defensive players in the league. I want to see LeBron accomplish that. Dunking on one of the best defensive centers in the league.

While Blake's dunk was certainly impressive, my favorite dunk and the dunk I still think is the greatest ever is Dr. J's rock-a-baby dunk over Michael Cooper.  Dr. J was moving at full speed ahead and went from dribbling to cradling the ball in one motion while preparing to dunk. Oh by the way he was coming towards the basket at an angle. That's still the best dunk I've ever seen.

Videos Of the Weekend

Lot of exciting action this weekend in the world of sports and thankfully it was recorded on video. Here are the videos of the weekend.

The NHL had their All-Star weekend this week. During the skills challenge Zdeno Chara hit a ridiculous slapshot at 108 MPH to set a new record. I wouldn't want to get in front of his slapshot. (Via Puck Daddy)



CBS aired the Michigan-Ohio State game on Sunday. During the broadcast Bill Raftery decided to tell everyone how talented Ohio State point guard Aaron Craft is. Craft can create shots, defend, and figure the Rubik's cube in a minute. (Via Sports Grind)



Word of advice for NBA players, don't stand in front of LeBron James near the basket. He'll just simply jump over you for the dunk and embarrass you. Ask John Lucas. (via Jose3030)



Everyone who follows hockey knows Scott Hartnell is a world class douche. Just take one look at his hair and you know what kind of guy he is then. So this video shouldn't surprise anyone. (Via Broad Street Hockey)

Open Letter: A Plea To TNT

Dear TNT,

My name is Keith Deaner. I'm a basketball fan who enjoys the NBA on TNT. I love everyone who is a part of the TNT broadcasts, except Reggie. I love Marv, Harlan, Kerr, The Czar, Chris Webber, Sager's suits, EJ, Jet, and Barkley.

I put up with Reggie because he's not the only person who stumbles over their own words while speaking or says stupid things. I'm can barely speak sometimes because I stumble over my words. It happens and I understand so I put up with Reggie even though he never sells Marv's jokes.

I even occasionally put up with Dick Stockton. He's not the only old fossil trying to stay relevant.

I'm through with Shaq though TNT, he needs to be pulled off the air immediately. Shaq has ruined one of the best studio shows on TV if not the very best. Charles, Kenny, and EJ have great chemistry together and when a Kevin McHale and Chris Webber were brought into the studio that chemistry wasn't ruined. It has been ruined with Shaq.

Shaq is a horrendous broadcaster. I'm not saying that either because I hate Shaq. When you guys announced Shaq would join your team I went with you guys with a clear head. I forgotten the times Shaq called the Kings "Queens" and other times he made fun of Sacramento. I put all that to the side and went into this experiment with a clear mind.

Oh sure I had my doubts. I wondered if an athlete as petty as Shaq could give actual analysis about players he dislikes. I also wondered if he would call Stan Van Gundy, "The Master of Panic" on air or call Chris Bosh "The RuPaul of Big Men" on air. Would he say anything nice about Kobe?

Here's a list of things TNT why Shaq isn't working on your set:

Hubie Brown At The Movies

Time for another edition of Hubie Brown At the Movies. Hubie this week provides commentary on some of the greatest movies ever. Enjoy.

Hubie on The Godfather: "So you're Vito Corleone and your the head of the family. The times are changing and drugs have become big business. It's against your morals to sell drugs and might not make the politicians in your pockets happy. So do you do business with this Turk?"

Hubie on Gone with the Wind: "So you're Rhett and Scarlett finally says she loves you. Do you damn?"

Hubie on The Wizard of Oz: "You are Dorthy and your house just got caught in a tornado and landed in a strange land. Are you sure you're not dreaming"

Hubie on Star Wars: "Okay you're Luke Skywalker. You have tremendous upside at becoming a Jedi Knight. Your aunt and uncle were killed by the Empire and Obi-Wan wants to teach you the ways of the Force. The Force is in your blood so you have to be itching at the chance to become a Jedi Knight."

Hubie On the Waterfront: "You're Terry Malloy and you could have been a contender. Instead you're just a bum now."

Hubie on Platoon: "You're Chris Taylor and you killed Sgt. Barnes, were injured in combat, and now you get to go home. You're winning! Duh."

Hubie on Toy Story: "Okay so you're Woody and you have been Andy's favorite toy forever. Then during Christmas Andy gets a fancy space ranger action figure. You've been replaced! And the worst thing about this is that Buzz Lightyear actually thinks he's a real space ranger!"

Hubie on Lethal Weapon: "I'm Sgt. Murtaugh and I've just received a new partner named Martin Riggs. I'm too old for this shit and they've given me a suicidal partner! I have no idea if this guy is trying to get psycho pension or if he's really crazy and they gave him to me as a partner!"

Hubie on The Shawshank Redemption: "You're Andy Dufresne and you've already tunneled a hole in the wall to your freedom. So do you risk crawling to freedom through five hundred yards of shit smelling foulness?"

I Might Have To Change My Views On Recruiting

Last week I talked about my loathing of college recruiting. Well I might have to take it all back after watching this recruitment video by Benedictine University.



Now if all colleges produced a recruitment video like that I would be more interested in recruiting. I mean what could you ask for that's not in that video? Want to see a hurdler jump over mountains? You got it! Want to see the moon explode after being hit by a baseball? You got it! Benedictine University is a small catholic school in a suburb of Chicago and I'm seriously thinking of going back to school all because of that video. Nicely done Benedictine University.  

(Via Deadspin)

Running Diary: The Kings Cure Depression, Right?

You know what will really cheer me up after the devastating 49ers loss? A Kings game. The Kings will definitely cheer me up or bring me down another notch on the sports depression level.

Let's recap the Kings season so far. They're 6-11 on the year which is astounding when you really look at how awful they are. The Kings have already fired a coach, not after though that said coach threw his 21-year old right under the bus. The Kings are horrendous offensively and border between mediocre to grease fire bad on defense which is why they've been blown out in almost all of their losses. They can't run a fluid offense and most nights never transition back into defense leading to easy baskets and those blowouts. So there's nothing at all depressing about the Kings this season.

Thankfully the Colonel has joined me in watching the hot mess Kings take on the Portland Trail Blazers. We expect nothing but a Blazers blowout win. Here's our running Diary for the game: (Note: We're going to use our bylines KD for me and TC for The Colonel when giving our thoughts on the game)

7:00, KD: And we're looking live at the beautiful Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. I'm drinking a Coors Light and the Colonel is having a Bourbon and Coke. Kings Grant Napear and Jerry Reynolds are our announcers for the evening.
7:01, TC: Grant Napear is a well known NY Giants fan and his face is glistening right now. I want to punch him in the face badly. I mean seriously what would I give just to crush a beer bottle over Peaches head right now.

7:11, TC: Jim Gray is at the game and is interviewing Jimmer. You could see in Gray's eyes he's wishing he was interviewing Kobe right now. You know he's friends with Kobe right? Jim Gray is the first person to tell you he's friends with Kobe.

7:13, KD: The Kings lost the tip. I don't know if they keep stats on who wins opening tip-offs but the Kings would probably rank dead last.
7:13, TC: That's because the guys they have taking these tips probably can't jump over the yellow pages.

7:15, KD: Whoa! Cousins actually draws an offensive foul. I'm shocked.
7:15, TC: And then he comes right down the court and shoots an airball. YOU'RE 2012 SACRAMENTO KINGS!

7:15, KD: "I believe Kurt Thomas played with Bob Cousy."-Jerry Reynolds. The lockout has affected the announcers because Reynolds usually doesn't make lame jokes like that.

7:18, TC: Only the Kings couldn't punish a team that is stone cold from the field and begin a blowout. Only the Kings can shoot so poorly and keep teams in a game.

Playing With House Money

You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done- The great Kenny Rogers

Living in California and close proximity to Reno, I've spent a fair enough amount of time in a casino. Whether it was a Indian casino or a casino in Reno/Las Vegas.  I'm not a card player because I don't like poker and I can't play Blackjack because I can't count fast enough. I'm like an old lady and just play the slots.

Now I'm not a big money gambler. I'll usually put about $100 dollars in the machine and start playing. If I hit a jackpot it's usually for $80 dollars, not much, but considered a success for me because I don't gamble large amounts of money. That $80 dollars is the house money and I'm just trying to extend that dollar amount.

And that's where I get in trouble. Instead of just walking away satisfied with my earnings I keep gambling with the house money. The allure of a bigger pool of earnings is too tough to fight. And that's where the house wins. I keep gambling and losing money. Eventually that $180 dollars I eventually had all of a sudden becomes $80 dollars. And yet I still can't walk away. I lost $100 dollars and yet still playing and keep losing. Eventually I'm down to 50 cents and can't play any longer, the house won.

It's always dangerous playing with house money. The allure of a bigger pool of money keeps you playing and maybe you get lucky and actually beat the house, extend the pool, and get to take home a lot more money than you started gambling with. Most times than not though, the house always wins.

Sports in a lot of ways is like gambling. Teams play with house money. Some of them lose and some of them win. They obviously can't walk away because the end prize is too big to just walk away from.

I can't think of any other sport than baseball where you see teams playing with house money who usually will win. I don't know why baseball is the sport where you see teams beating the house but just look at the past 15 World Series champions and you'll see 7 teams broke the house: 97 Marlins, 01 Diamondbacks, 03 Marlins, 04 Red Sox, 06 Cardinals, 2010 Giants, and 2011 Cardinals.

The 97 Marlins won despite always playing on the edge. The 01 Diamondbacks won despite Byung-Hyun Kim betting more money than he had. The 03 Marlins beat the house twice before reaching the World Series because of Jose Cruz Jr and Bartman. The 04 Red Sox beat the house by coming back against the Yankees. The 06 Cardinals were given the house by the Tigers pitchers. The 2010 Giants beat the house with help from Brooks Conrad. And the 2011 Cardinals destroyed the house and sent pit bosses home crying.

:(

20-17 Giants. I'm too bitter, sad, and angry to even talk right now and my hands are shaking so bad I can barely type. It was a fun season that came to a very bitter end tonight. GO SHARKS!

NFL Championship Games Live Blog

Hubie Brown At The Movies

Confession: I love listening to NBA announcer Hubie Brown. Hubie is the only announcer in all of sports who can speak in the second person singular. I'm not making this up. Listen to a game Hubie announcers and pay very close attention when he's speaking.

He'll say things like, "You are DeMarcus Cousins. You're playing well, grabbing rebounds, generally dominating the painted area. Then why are you fouling right there?" The thing about Hubie though is that you don't scoff at him like you would at Dicky V. It's genuine and it doesn't feel like he's shilling for a team or player.

I bring this up because I think ESPN should seriously give Hubie Brown his own show to fill the timeslot void by Jim Rome in another week. It's going to be called Hubie Brown At The Movies.

The show is very much like the old Ebert & Siskel At The Movies. Hubie in the balcony of a movie theater. Instead of reviewing a movie though Hubie provides audio commentary to movies. Kind of like the commentary a director or actor provides to a DVD extra. Some examples:

Hubie on Fight Club: "You are Tyler Durden and you just created this super secret fight club. You don't want anyone to talk about fight club so you say the first rule in fight club is that no one talks about fight club."

Hubie on Superbad: "You are Seth and you have a crush on Jules. You want to impress her badly so you offer to buy her booze even though you don't have a fake ID. So you get a guy who you don't really like to buy the booze because he has a fake ID. Then he gets punched by an armed robber and then has to talk with the cops. What do you do then? Jules wants her booze."

Hubie on The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: "You're Blondie and you're in a Mexican standoff against Tuco and Angel Eyes. You want a share in the loot so who do you shoot?"

Hubie on Dirty Harry: "You're Dirty Harry and you're wondering did I shoot six shots, or only five?"

Hubie on Terminator 2: "You're John Conner and this liquid Terminator is chasing you because he wants to kill you to change the future. You definitely want the original Terminator to protect you. The original Terminator will protect you from pain because he can't feel anything. He's a machine!"

Hubie on Shane: "You are Joey and Shane has just been wounded. Shane says take care of the homestead and watch over his family. Now if you're Joey do you scream "Shane" while Shane rides off into the sunset?"

Hubie on Finding Nemo: "You are Nemo and you're father told you to never leave the reef. You're mad at your father because he embarrassed you. So do you leave the reef?"

Hubie on Rocky 3: "You are Rocky and you have faced no one but chumps. But a real fighter named Clubber Lane challenges you for the title. He insults your wife so of course you have to fight him."

Hubie on Superman:  "You are Superman and Lois Clark is dead. Do you ignore Jor-El's warning not to interfere with human history? Of course you do because you love Lois Clark."

Hubie on Halloween: "There is this man named Michael Myers who is killing babysitters in the town of Haddonfield, Illinois. Where are the adults? Where are the adults? This madman is killing their kids and they're no where to be found. Maybe they are dead themselves? This Michael Myers is a pure psycho."

Hubie on American Psycho: "You gotta love Patrick Bateman. He has maximum killing potential."

How great would that show be? He has a viewer in me. Hubie Brown At the Movies! You gotta love the potential of that show.

Full of Confidence

Unlike last week, I'm full of confidence for the Niners game. I was at ease last week, just happy to see the Niners in the playoffs again. Nothing like a good dose of VD (see what I did there?) to change my expectations in one week.

This week though I'm full of confidence. All week I keep hearing about how the football Giants will beat the 49ers. From analysts like Ross Tucker, to writers like Chris Burke, to Jim Rome, everyone seems to be picking the Giants. That's what I want. I want everyone to pick the Giants. I want my team to be the underdog despite playing at home. I love the "us vs world" mentality. Here are the other reasons why I'm confident this weekend about the 49ers.

Special Teams: The 49ers have one of the best special teams in the NFL if not the best. Andy Lee and David Akers are both All-Pros and when healthy Tedd Ginn is one of the better return men in the league. The Giants on the other hand are mediocre on special teams and were knocked out of the playoffs last year because of their special teams. Now the weather could definitely neutralize the Niners special teams, but even with the weather looking bad the Niners special teams could play a huge role on Sunday.

Weather: The weather will be a huge factor. There's only a 40% chance of rain on Sunday in San Francisco, but it rained yesterday and is suppose to stay wet for the next week. No matter what happens on Sunday the field is going to be a mess. The field itself is below sea level and retains water and is also natural grass. The field is going to be a mess on Sunday. I don't care what kind of cleats the Giants receivers put on, they're still going to slip and slide in the field.

49ers Already Beat The Giants: Everyone keeps talking about how will the 49ers cover the Giants three receivers. Well they already covered them once and won. Sorry if I don't buy into the notion that this is a different Giants team. They aren't. The defensive line is the same, the receivers are the same, Eli was the Quarterback that day. The Niners have already beat all of them once before.

Turnovers: The Niners were the best team this year at creating turnovers. They forced 5 turnovers from the Saints last Saturday. Eli will definitely throw at least one interception in this game. The 49ers will also force at least one fumble in this game. And in a game this big, one turnover could be huge.

I'm not predicting a 49ers victory although I'm confident they'll win. I'm just stating a few reasons why I'm confident the 49ers have a chance to win on Sunday. No matter what I believe this game will be close and whoever has the ball last will probably win. Whatever happens it should be a fun game.

I hate Mascots

I share one thing in common with Michael Wilbon. We both hate mascots. Seriously is there anything worse than a mascot? They're not funny, they distract fans from the game, and they have dumb nicknames. I wish I could abolish them from existence.

Well one fan in particular tried to abolish one mascot during the game. Tampa Bay Lightning mascot doused a Boston Bruins fan with silly string and he paid the price for that mistake.



Why would they kick out that fan? They should have known that spraying silly string on a 300-pound Irishmen wasn't going to end well. This mascot got exactly what it deserved. It's too bad that fan didn't have Dr. Manhattan's powers for he could have stood up and vaporized that mascot.

I hate mascots.

(Via Puck Daddy)

You Gotta Love Recruiting

This is the busiest part of the year for college football coaches. It's recruiting season which also means it's the silly season in college football. I've always avoided following the recruiting season because I can use my time better than keeping track of 18-year old kids trying to decided where they want to go to college.

The other reason why I don't follow the recruiting season is because half of these kids never pan out. And by not following the recruiting season I don't get too emotional if these kids never pan out like I do when someone on one of my favorite professional teams doesn't pan out.

Another emotional reason why I don't follow recruiting season is because 18-year old kids change their minds all the time. I didn't go to the college I originally wanted to go to. I changed my mind at the last second before deciding to go to school where I did and I know I'm not alone there.

If I followed college football recruiting closely though I would probably be in outrage over stories like this. Gunner Kiel, an 18-year old highly touted QB from Indiana, had now decommitted from two schools. First he decommitted from Indiana and chose to go to LSU. Now he's decommitted from LSU and will most likely be headed to Notre Dame. That's two schools now that Kiel had decommitted from.

Predictably LSU fans aren't reacting well. In this post about why Kiel choose to go to Notre Dame because his mom wanted him too an LSU fan had this to say: "What a joke. He has decommitted from two schools now. At this point, why would you even want him on your team?"

Yes let's get angry and furious over where an 18-year old kid goes to school! It's not like no one has ever changed their minds as to where they are going to go to school. It's not like anyone has chosen to go to school near home to be near their parents or family.

And that's why folks I've never became too emotionally invested in college recruiting for either football or basketball. I know I would probably act the same way if I did follow recruiting closely. I don't want to get mad at a kid trying to decide where he's going to attend college. Add to the fact that it's highly unlikely Kiel is ever going to amount to anything and you have a combination of why I don't follow college recruiting.

I'll pour all my outrage into the Sacramento Kings at the moment.

The Day That Lasts Forever

On Friday I was at complete ease with my feelings on the 49ers. Saturday came and I was a complete wreck. Nervous sweats, pacing in my living room, staring at the clock, wondering how much longer I had to wait for the 49ers. I was a nervous wreck. Completely the opposite of what I felt on Friday.

I knew one way I could take the edge off was by going to the Mos Eisley Cantina and have a burger and beer. Lucky for me the Boz was throwing a viewing party for all the games barbecuing burgers and trip tips. So instead of a burger I had a tri tip sandwich along with a Coors light while I waited for the game to start.

Thankfully I wasn't the only one who was nervous. Both the Colonel and Bandit were swaying in their seats at the bar counter nervously awaiting the game to start.

"Thank God Frank Caliendo is relieving my stress with his hilarious comedy," says a very sarcastic Colonel.

"He sure is a hoot," says the equally sarcastic Bandit.

Tension has filled the bar counter between the three of us. Our favorite team is back in the playoffs and they're playing against a team that has an offense that is the polar opposite of the 49ers offense. Questions are running through our minds like: will the 49ers score enough today? Can the 49ers afford even one missed Akers field goal? Can the defense force a couple of turnovers? Can the offense take advantage of those turnovers and score more than a field goal? Will our secondary get burned? Can the defense muster a pass rush? Will the usually stout run defense show up today? Just endless questions filling the three minds of nervous 49ers fans.

49ers vs Giants, Next Sunday

If you told me at the beginning of the NFL season the 49ers would be hosting the NFC championship game I would have said you're crazy. Well it's reality. The 49ers will host the New York Giants in the NFC Championship game next Sunday. This will be the first playoff game between these two teams since the amazing 2002 Wild Card game and the first NFC championship game between these two teams since 1991. I'm going to be nervous as hell all week but it should be fun. I'll have more on the game in the coming week.

Until then, GO NINERS!

Why I'm At Ease For The 49ers Game

The San Francisco 49ers play the New Orleans Saints this weekend at Candlestick Park and I'm at complete ease. Normally I would be nervous if my team is playing in the playoffs. Worrying they might lose despite being higher ranked or someone gets seriously hurt during the playoffs changing the course of the franchise. Those are the wounds I still carry from Sharks and Kings playoff losses. Chris Webber blowing out his knee against Dallas still haunts me and the Sacramento Kings.

For whatever reason though I'm not worried by this for the 49ers. Yes they're the highest ranked team in the game and could be embarrassed and have key players who could get hurt. I'm not worrying about that though and here's why.

I'm Just Happy To Be There: The last time I was just happy to see one of my teams in the playoffs, the San Francisco Giants, they won the championship. Now obviously the MLB playoffs are much different than the NFL playoffs. One mistake and the 49ers could lose. The Giants could make up for a mistake in a 5 or 7 game series (See: Rick Ankiel Home Run in the NLDS).

I'm just happy the 49ers are in the playoffs. They haven't played this late in the season since Terrell Owens played for them. Think for a minute how many teams Owens has played for since leaving the 49ers? So it's been a long time since the 49ers played in the playoffs and I'm just happy they're there.

Someone Find Magic Johnson's Cue Cards!

When ESPN announced their plan for broadcasting the NBA this year the plan included not having a traditional studio show. When I mean traditional I mean having an actual host with the analysts. You know a person like Ernie Johnson who can read the highlights and control the room. ESPN didn't go with this plan.

ESPN instead went with a four-man studio show with four analysts (Jon Barry, Magic Johnson, Mike Wilbon, and Chris Broussard) who rotate with each other reading highlights. As you can imagine this is a disaster because none of these men are professional broadcasters. They're writers and athletes.

Case in point: Magic Johnson. Magic is one of the greatest basketball players ever and one of the best human's ever. Magic though is not a good at delivering highlights, especially without cue cards. Pay close attention to the audio in this highlight.



Wow that was awkward. As Emma Carmichael points out in the Deadspin post, Magic sounds like he's actually calling the game instead of just calling the highlights. You knew what was going to happen Magic.

I'm going to give Magic a break here because once again he's not a professional broadcaster. He's a NBA legend who should just stick with analyst of the games. My prediction is that ESPN will experiment with this style of studio show for this year and go back to a more traditional studio show with a host. Or they'll just have Wilbon call the highlights. Either way Magic should never call the highlights again.

(Via Deadspin)

Darryl Dawkins Killed Two Alligators For That Jacket

For anyone who doesn't remember Darryl Dawkins, he was the center for the Philadelphia 76ers during Dr. J's first years in Philly. Dawkins was remembered for his style of clothing and breaking backboards while in the NBA but wasn't remembered for much winning. It wasn't a coincidence the 76ers finally won a title after Dawkins was replaced by Moses Malone.

Enough living in the past and let's talk about last night. Dawkins was in Philadelphia last night for the Sixers blowout of the Kings. And he was wearing what looked to be a Alligator skin jacket. Or a snake skin jacket? My bet is a snake skin jacket but Dawkins didn't say what it was in this interview with CSN Philly's Meredith Marakovits.



I haven't seen a NBA player hit on a sideline reporter like that since Kevin Garnett hit on Michelle Tafoya. Nicely done Mr. Dawkins. Now I have to go out and kill a couple of Alligators to make a jacket like that. It obviously gets noticed by the ladies.

(Via The 700 Level)

We're Going To Pretend This College Football Season Never Happened

First off congrats to Alabama. The Crimson Tide played a perfect game. Literally. Bama didn't allow a single point, didn't commit a single penalty, and flat out dominated LSU at the line of scrimmage. It was a clean and swift ass kicking and that should be appreciated.

With all that said though, I'm going to pretend this season never happened. To quote the song You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch, "I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!"

This season was one disaster right after the other. From conference realignment/backstabbing, death of rivalries because of the conference realignment/backstabbing, to the Ohio State and Miami scandals, Jerry Sandusky allegations, Joe Paterno being fired for covering up those allegations, Todd Graham's ugly exit from Pitt to Arizona State, and finally to the national championship slopfest.

Last night's game was actually a perfect ending to the ugly season. The team that no one wanted to see in the National Championship Game won the game in the most ugly fashion. And looking at the ratings from last night's game, it looks like I'm not the only person pretending this season never happened. This was one whole season to forget topped off by the ugly ending.

So here's to a better college football season in 2012. Here's to a season without conference realignment/backstabbing. Here's to a season with child molestation charges. Here's to a season without shocking scandals. A coach exiting his former job for another job is always going to be ugly, but let's hope the coach exiting actually says goodbye to his former team in person and not with a text message.

So here's to a better 2012. And here's to forgetting 2011 ever happened.

National Championship Game Live Blog

"He Sure Is Fun To Watch"

In the middle of the Falcons-Giants snoozefest I decided to hang out at the Mos Eisley Cantina for the Denver-Pittsburgh game. I knew the Colonel would be at the Tavern for a drink and NFL games but to my surprise he was sitting at a table by the big screen instead of sitting at the bar counter. I was surprised by this because the Colonel almost never sits at a table.

"Why are you sitting here?" I ask.

"Because I want to sit in front of the TV for this game," says the Colonel.

The way the bar is set up is that there are three TVs by the counter. Two on each end and one in the middle. Then there's a big screen in the right corner of the bar near the counter and tables set up by that TV. The Boz also hired a new waitress who shall we say is a little top heavy. And she was serving the Colonel's table so I think there were two BIG reasons why the Colonel wasn't sitting at the bar counter.

Tebow started the game in typical Tebow fashion; terribly. Overthrown balls, Pittsburgh stuffing the run, and the Broncos offense looking way too conservative. And then something snapped in Tebow in the 2nd half. Tebow became a different QB.

Tebow hit Demaryius Thomas on a couple of long passes, threw a touchdown to Eddie Royal, and ran for a touchdown himself. The Broncos actually looked, gasp, competent on offense. The Donkeys would go into halftime with a 20-6 lead with Tebow looking like John Elway.

The Colonel like a lot of people are fascinated by Tebow. The Colonel thought isn't fascinated by Tebow because of the press or the religious factor. He's fascinated with Tebow because of all the scorn Tebow receives from fans and analysts.

The Broncos Radio Crew Didn't Exactly Have A Gus Johnson Moment in OT

I feel sorry for anyone who didn't watch the Denver-Pittsburgh. It was an instant classic that saw the Broncos win in overtime on the first and only play of OT when Tim Tebow hit Demaryius Thomas for an 80-yard touchdown for the victory. The Broncos radio crew though didn't exactly have a Gus Johnson moment on the last play of the game.



Jeez where's the passion? You'd think that was Ben Roethlisberger throwing the game-winning touchdown and not Tim Tebow. These guys need to go to the Gus Johnson school of exciting game calls.

(Via the 506)

Well That Was Quick

I didn't even change the name of this blog for an hour and a half and my dreams came true. The Kings have fired Paul Westphal. Via Sactown Royalty:

The Sacramento Kings have announced that Paul Westphal has been fired as head coach. Keith Smart takes over for the Thursday game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Now most idiots will says things like "Cousins wins! Or the inmates are running the asylum."  Don't listen to any of that shit. Westphal used his own rope to hang himself. He was horrendous. He just used Cousins to take the pressure off himself.

Woj on Twitter stated that the Kings will keep changing coaches until Cousins either changes or the Kings move on without Cousins. I completely disagree with this statement. The Kings have hired three horrendous coaches in a row. The Kings will keep changing coaches until they hire a competent coach.

We can worry about that later. Until now I'm going to celebrate my dream coming true. Paul Westphal has been fired!

Name Change

Let me first say the address to this website isn't changing. It's still 49er16.blogspot.com so you'll still be able to access the blog itself. Second the Fire Paul Westphal Now! blog name will stay until the Sacramento Kings fire Paul Westphal. Once he's no longer coaching my Sacramento Kings, I'll go back to the original name of this blog, Keith's Sports Journal.

The name change is part homage to Justin's first name of his blog, Fire Andy Reid Now! but also it's what I feel about the current Sacramento Kings coach.

The Kings must fire Paul Westphal. This team is a mess and he's a big part of why they're a mess.

Orange Bowl Open Thread

West Virginia! Clemson! Train preforming at halftime! Tirico, Jaws, and Gruden on the call! What could possible go wrong with this game? (Checks to see if a Pac-12 officiating crew is calling this game........) Thankfully for me the Kings are on again tonight...........wait what am I saying? Anyways enjoy the Orange bowl, leave comments, and don't be a troll.

Get The Hell Out Of Holly Rowe's Way

Get the hell out of Holly Rowe's way is the first thing I thought of when I saw this video. My second thought was Brady Hoke's reaction. He looked like he wanted to throw Holly in pads and replay the Michigan-Virginia Tech game. Third thought is that this incident doesn't surprise me at all. I'm not shocked a ESPN reporter would cut right in on another reporter not from their network to conduct an interview. I'm sure the producer in her ear was saying, "Hurry up and interview Hoke. We need to go to Sportscenter. Get that other broad out of your way." Fourth thought was I'm not shocked Holly Rowe would cut in on another reporter. This is a women who dressed like a biker chick for one game wearing a leather jacket and heavy makeup around her eyes. I am shocked Holly didn't pull out a club to hit that reporter with.

(Via The Big Lead)

Sugar Bowl Open Thread

Michigan vs Virginia Tech! Feel the excitement of two teams that didn't win their conferences playing in a BCS bowl game. Hell at least Va Tech won their conference division. Michigan won squat. But enjoy this game folks because there isn't much college football left. Leave comments and don't be a troll.

New Year's At Mos Eisley

Let me start this post off by first saying I despise New Year's Eve. NYE is the worst 'holiday' out of all the holidays*. It's amateur hour for idiots who love to drink and that's a crowd I don't want to be around. I don't want to be around people who say, "It's new year's we should drink until we black out!". That's just not my crowd.

*My least favorite holidays: NYE, St. Patrick's Day, Labor Day

So on New Year's Eve I went out to Mos Eisley Cantina to drink quietly with the usual crowd. I arrived around 8PM to a crowded bar drinking champagne. The usual suspects were thankfully near the bar counter with the Boz and Bandit and their wives. I joined the crew and ordered a 7 & 7.

"No drinking champagne?" asks the Colonel.

"I can't have champagne," I say. "It gives me the worst headache."

"Okay then," says the Colonel.

Kinda Sorta New Year's Day Bowl Games Live Blog

College football and the Winter Classic! Comment away fools.