Monday, November 13, 2006

The weekend's heroes and doinks 11/10-11/12

Heroes

Wildcats - Be they from Arizona (hell yeah!), Kansas State, or even Kentucky (okay, maybe not so much UK, although they beat Vandy), they turned college football on it's ear, yet again. Let's quickly thank Kansas State for beating Texas and putting to rest any notion that the champion from the pathetic Big 12 would have a claim to the national title game. Well done, KSU. But more importantly, in the words of Keanu Reeves in Speed, "Arizona Wildcats... good football team." And suddenly, in the third quarter against Cal, they decided that they were! With the Bears complacent, ahead 17-3, what choice was there but to open up the passing game and stand on the shoulders of Syndric Steptoe? Now the Cats stand at 5-5, potent as ever in the month of November under Mike Stoops, and need to win just one of their final two games to become bowl eligible. I'm thinking it happens against Arizona State on Thanksgiving weekend. Bear Down, bitches!

Steve McNair - One of the classiest guys in the NFL sticks it to a miserable franchise who should be ashamed for the way they treated him. For all that McNair has done for the Titans organization (MVP, AFC title games, a Superbowl appearance), they spit on his face. Very pleasing to see McNair exact a bit of revenge yesterday with the comeback victory.

San Diego 49 Cincinnati 41 - That's right, the game itself was a hero. This is why people love football. Offensive explosions, see-saw battle, comebacks, big names having really big games (LDT is easily player of the week and you can only stand in awe at what Chad Johnson and Carson Palmer did, too). What an excellent game. Too bad this pretty much signals the end for the Bengals this season. Up 21 at home and losing? Especially after losing to the Ravens last week? It's over, man. There's no coming back for them in the tough AFC.

Houston Dynamo - Your 2006 MLS Cup champions. First time an MLS Cup match has gone to penalties

Correll Buckhalter - I can't find it on YouTube, but yesterday against the hapless 'Skins he scored one of the coolest touchdowns I've seen in a long time.

Doinks

Pac Ten officials - Watching both the Arizona/Cal and USC/Oregon games (and with the memory of this entire season in mind -- particularly Oregon/Oklahoma), there couldn't be a worse set of officials in the country. No one, under any circumstances, for any play, should take 3 hrs and 12 minutes to review a call. Especially if they end up making the wrong call (Cal's interception of Tuitama when UofA was driving to tie the game at 17) or if they're reviewing a play that was clear as day and was called correctly from the start (Oregon's touchdown against SC). Neither of these were coaches challenges, mind you. Just the refs killing the game.

College football - Say what you will about how exciting Saturday was (and it was good), the system is still pooched. Suppose USC, Florida, Arkansas, and Notre Dame all pick up a second loss in the next couple weeks? It's certainly possible that it can happen. Then throw Rutgers into the mix and the dreaded prospect of a rematch between Michigan and Ohio State for the national title and you have to admit, the B(C)S doesn't work. Say it with me, now: College football is broken.

Rafa Benitez - There's only so much I can say about Liverpool's embarrassing defeat to Arsenal before I want to tear my sweet, bodiful hair out. So I'll keep it short. Watching the 3-0 massacre, I was insensed from the start that Rafa insists on playing Steven Gerrard (that would be the same "best midfielder in the Premiership" Gerrard) OUT OF POSITION ON THE RIGHT WING and as a result we're seeing a jaded, disinterested Gerrard out there. With Momo Sissoko unfortunately lost for three months, you'd think the OBVIOUS decision would be to move Gerrard back into the center of the park alongside Xabi Alonso. But no, Benitez thought Bolo Zenden (he who gives the ball away nearly every touch) would be a better choice. Against Arsenal! Mark Gonzalez played his way out of ever being considered for a starting role and Sami Hyypia displayed for all to see why he should be replaced by Daniel Agger for first team. Liverpool's title hopes are officially dashed. Their focus has to be on fourth place in the league because ManUre, Chelski, and the Arse are just plain better than us and that sucks. If Benitez could get out of his own way with this damn rotation policy, the Reds might actually play with some (gasp!) consistency.

New England - First the Patriots stink it up against the Jets (back-to-back losses for the Pats???), then the New England Revolution blow it in yet another MLS Cup. They were favorites this time around, too. The Revs seem hell bent on becoming the Buffalo Bills of American soccer (now 0-3 in the final). To add insult to injury, Clint Dempsey will likely be in Spain by the end of January.

MLS Cup - There's no way it could've been a worse match than last year's Galaxy triumph over New England, but it was still a terribly sloppy, dull, listless match save for the last eight minutes + penalties. I have seen and will continue to watch every MLS Cup, but the gap in quality between this league and the EPL is simply staggering.

New York Giants - I've got egg on my face and it's all thanks to these guys losing to Chicago, last night. When you have a feeb like Rex Grossman shaking and quivering, throwing picks and fumbling like he did in the first quarter, you step on his neck and end it. Instead, the Giants kept giving the ball back to Chicago through turnovers of their own and you're not going to beat the Bears if you don't control the football.

Damon Huard - Someone reminded the KC quarterback before gametime in Miami that he was Damon Huard.

Michael Vick - Second week in a row he's made this list and he's earned it both times. All credit to Cleveland for winning on the road, but they were playing a plastic team. Falcons are officially an afterthought.

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