A daddy blog.

29 October 2007

FanHouse: Mon AM '15 Laterals' Edition

Scroll down to the last link to find video of a Division III football run with (by or count) 15 laterals. Click right below for Miss Gossip's curtain-raising video on the NBA season, and enjoy the MLBFH's breakdown of the team of the 00's.

Media Watch:
NBA: Where More Than Amazing Happens: We at the NBA FanHouse quite like the classiness of the ads and the emphasis on the game's emotional connection with fans. But if you were to survey the kind of stuff that gets written around here, you might come up with a slightly different set of "Where [Blank] Happens" images that resonate with us. The following parody commercial is inspired by posts right here at FanHouse. Hey NBA, if you're looking for a new ad mastermind, holler at your girl!

MLB:
Lowell World Series MVP, Papelbon Robbed? Papelbon closed out three of the four Red Sox wins, coming in during the 8th inning in all three. Furthermore, two of his saves came in one-run games with no margin for error, and twice he mowed through Helton, Atkins, and Hawpe to end games. From the way the Red Sox were celebrating, I'm guessing they hardly cared.

Hero of the Day: Theo Epstein: He took a lot of flack in Boston for the way things were handled in the wake of the 2004 World Series, which was won with a very veteran roster. Now, three years later, he's got the Red Sox on top of the baseball world again with a very different team and they're looking much, much stronger for the future than they did the last time they were partying in a National League clubhouse.

All Hail the Boston Red Sox: The pitching staff? As self-aggrandizing as Curt Schilling is, it's impossible to argue his pitcher's intellect. That he existed on a diet of slow fastballs and timely breaking pitches is probably more impressive than his former power-infused success. Papelbon? Absolutely out of his mind, and also quite possibly the closer of his generation at the age of 27. All you can do is congratulate these players and appreciate them for their sheer ability.

8 Day Layoff Did Hurt the Rockies: I would not go as far as to say that the Rockies would have beaten the Red Sox in the series without a layoff, but there's no doubt that they were not the same team that reeled off 21 wins in 22 games.

Red Sox Are the Team of the Decade: There is no pain, no suffering, no choking in the 2000s. The Red Sox have cast all shades of the curse aside, and are building a legacy as the powerhouse team of the decade. They have a good ownership group, smart front office, and a combination of excellent young and veteran talent on the field. In short, they have become a model franchise.

FBI Get Involved With Rockies Ticket Debacle: When I first caught wind of the Rockies claiming it was an "external, malicious attack" that caused them to shut their first go-round of online ticket sales, I must say -- I wasn't really sure I bought it. But as more details are leaking out and the Feds are now involved it looks like this is some serious business,

NFL:
The Debriefing: The Seven Deadly Sins of Sunday ... Week 8: I'll gladly acknowledge that being 5-2 in the NFC and beating the Bears by 9 points does not make you a powerhouse. But there are things to consider here that make the Lions worthy of earning the "Wrath" label here: 1) They won with defense. Again, granted, it's the Bears ... but in his last three games, Griese's had quarterback ratings of 97.8, 89.2, and 97.8, and they've come against some decent defenses (Green Bay, Minnesota, and Philadelphia, respectively). But Detroit held him to a rating of 38.3 and picked him off 4 times.

San Diego Wildfires Let Hippopotamus Get Loose, Invade Chargers Coach's Pool: According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, Chargers special teams coach Steve Crosby lives near the San Diego Wild Animal Park. The fires damaged some openings in the park, allowing animals to roam free. And one of those animals, a hippopotamus, wandered over to Crosby's home and took up residence in his swimming pool.

Randall Godfrey to Bill Belichick: 'You Gotta Show Some Class, Show Some Respect': "You gotta show some class, show some respect. Joe Gibbs? We wouldn't have done that. Bill Walsh? You wouldn't see those types of guys doing that stuff. I've never seen nothing like that. Most teams, you get up like that you sit on the ball and try to run the time out. They're up 30-some points and they're throwing deep. That was blatant disrespect."

Video: Bengals' Houshmazilly Is 2nd in TD Catches, 1st in Getting Jacked Up: It happened last year (a lot), it happened last week, it happened today. To his credit, he always gets up, even if it takes a few minutes. On the upside, at least he didn't lose any teeth.

'Skins Have Headset Issues, Pats Score on Fake-Spike Play: You might find this incredibly difficult to believe, but during the first half of the Redskins-Patriots game, the Washington coaches complained of having trouble with their headsets (apparently, it's contagious). Offensive coordinator Al Saunders, who sits up in the booth (and has plenty of trouble calling plays without any hindrances), couldn't communicate with the coaches on the sidelines. Shocking, I know.

More Than 10 Wins? Maybe Lions Quarterback Jon Kitna Knew What He Was Talking About: Realistically, I don't think they're going to get to 10-6, let alone better than that. The schedule gets harder down the stretch, and the Lions are going to come back to earth a little bit. But for the first time in the Matt Millen era, the Loins actually resemble a competent franchise. Kitna is a big part of that.

NHL:
NHL: Who's for Real and Who's Not? Every season, there are a few surprising teams that rise up from the ashes of a poor season and get off to a bullish start. Some teams, like the Carolina Hurricanes two seasons back, keep the momentum and show that they are 'for real'. For many other clubs, the clock strikes midnight and they go back to being as crappy as they usually are.

The NJ Devils Crack Open 'The Rock': The scoreboard above the ice is impressive but a little distracting: Sometimes the digital ads on the Jumbotron and on the video screens around the mezzanine change in unison during the play, cause a sensory overload slightly less overwhelming than a Michael Bay film.

NCAA Football:
USC No Longer a Contender: USC has Cal, UCLA and Arizona State left on their schedule which means all that's left to play for is the hope of dismantling higher bowl aspirations of conference peers. Far from noble aspirations for college football's former overlords.

So Much for That White Out: Yeah, yeah. Ohio State going to Happy Valley. The White Out in the stadium with over 100,000 fans screaming for a night game. Turns out that for all the ambiance, energy and excitement of the crowd, it didn't change the fact that Penn State was no where near the level of Ohio State.

Video: Count The Laterals if You Can: If you like laterals, you'll love this final play from the Trinity Tigers as they lateraled the ball an estimated 14 15 times -- I stopped trying to count after about the 5th or 6th toss. I'm not sure, but I think this play might have come directly from the Marx Brothers in Horse Feathers. Somehow there was not a hold or a block in the back (at least none called by the refs).