Your Sports NightCap

• Federer has won the 6 of the last 7 Majors
• Federer has made the final in 17 of his last 18 tournaments played

The only reason why some people think it’s even close is because Federer has received much less publicity and recognition in this country than Tiger. Just ask the SI and the AP (for their respective yearly best athlete awards)….

Foreign Athletes Garnering “Green Cards” from American Sports Fans… January 29, 2007

This topic came up recently with my favorite Co-Host, as we were both noticing that certain athletes have garnered the American sporting public’s attention and mindshare. These athletes may well have almost as much drawing power as their true American brethren.

Which foreign athletes do we all consider to be large enough draws, that they are considered “American” in the US sporting public?

-Martina Navratilova

-Martina Hingis

-Ivan Lendl

-Monica Seles

-Hakim Olajuwon

-Tony Parker

-Dirk Nowitsky

Those who are on the brink:

-David Beckham: having just signed a contract with the MLS’ LA Galaxy, for a reported $250 million over 5 years, it would take no bending of the minds of American sports fans to get them to adopt him as one of their own.

The Big Tuna Draws the Nets on his Career, Leaves The ‘Boys Reeling… January 29, 2007

In my late morning haze to get up on Monday–probably caused by some weekend good living, an upcoming and brand new strand of the cold, and some Sunday Championship football–I opened my dry eyes several times to realize that the TV had not been shut off from the previous night. On was the Worldwide Leader, with its morning talk show, “Cold Pizza”. The headline read “Parcells retires from the NFL”. After squinting several times, and trying to awaken from my slumber, I was wondering if I was dreaming this, or if indeed the Big Tuna had finally decided to hang them up. I got upright, or at least half vertical (in my best Neanderthal pose), and decided to fix myself my customary espresso. For those that don’t know me, there is no need to even think that I will achieve a functional state until the initial doses of caffeine hit my bloodstream in the morning. If you even think about remotely getting anything more than grunts, monosyllabic answers, or other assorted onomatopeias, you’re entirely mistaken. (But my close, intimate relationship and dependency to caffeine is for another day). By now, I have fixed myself some coffee, and I’m still trying to make sense of what the entire sports world is now buzzing about. A flurry of analysts, journalists, columnists, players (past and present) are coming on by phone to give their memories of the legendary coach, and their reasons for his recent announcement. But throughout the morning, as I was trying to get my bearings, and as my neurons were connecting little by little, I was still having trouble in finding a satisfactory explanation for his retirement. And no “analyst” has yet been able to give it to me.

Let’s look at the Bill Parcells situation a little more closely:

1) The Big Tuna was one Romo foible away from making it to the Divisional round of the playoffs. The team he has largely built is now a pre-eminent playoff contender in unusually weak NFC East. As we’ve seen this year in the NFC, a .500 record gets you in the postseason. In that parity filled Conference, once in the playoffs, you’ve got a great chance at making the SuperBowl. Why would the Chicken of the Sea be leaving his perch atop America’s Team if he could see himself knocking on the Big One’s door in the next few years?

2) The Big Tuna–Still “Toro” to Most Observers: making key decisions during the regular season to position The ‘Boys for a deep playoff run, Parcells cemented his rank amongst the top coaches in the National Football League. He certainly didn’t lack any cohones, intestinal fortitude, or foresight when it came to making tough calls throughout the year: namely pulling Drew Bledsoe for unknown 3rd year undrafted QB Tony Romo, and cutting high-priced volatile kicker Mike Vanderjagt for the Argentine legend, Martin “Automatica” Gramatica. Those two moves, in-and-of themselves, proved out that Parcells had not lost his sharp eye for talent, his key decison-making, and impeccable timing. These switches were instrumental in provoking a turnaround in the Cowboys’ season. Without the insertion of Romo in the starting lineup, which gave them a much-needed spark, this team would not have revived its season in its mid portion, and could not have aspired to any postseason sojourns with the statuesque and immobile signal caller Drew Bledsoe in their offensive backfield.

This all leads up to speculate why Mr. Ahi has decided to ride into the New York sunset:

1) Canned Tuna?: Some have floated the idea that Jerry was jonesing to replace his head coach, as their two egos were too large to co-exist even in Big D. This hypothesis would be eerily reminiscent of what happened in 1993, when Jones forced Johnson out after a successful campaign that gave America’s Team another Vince Lombardi trophy. You would hope that the Cowboys’ owner would have learned from this situation, and from what is transpiring in the East Bay these days, with his counterpart, Al Davis. All signs visible to the media and other outside observers points to a stable relationship between Jones and Parcells. They seem to be ending their working stint in amiable terms, with a health mutual respect for each other.

2) Tuna Melt(Down)?: Did T.O.’s theatrics really push the Tuna into retirement? That explanation seems very limited, at best. Known for his talents as a YAC (yards after the catch) receiver and as locker room polarizer, T.O. has largely been reigned in this year under Parcells. There hasn’t been a better coach at managing Owens throughout his career. Terrell has always craved undue attention, and the Tuna refused to give in to him. Time and time again, he would refer to him as “the player” in press conferences. Parcells had figured out what makes the man tick, and in his crafty manipulative ways, had diffused any potential explosive situations with Owens. Factor in that T.O. could be let go during the off-season and this inference holds little water, in my opinion.

3) Unseen health issues: a plausible reason for the Tuna’s departure may well be a health problem that has remained outside of the media’s grasp. For all we know, during the two weeks where he was making up his mind for a possible return, he may well have gone in for a routine medical checkup. The Doc treating Parcells may have detected a heart or other cardiovascular issue, and recommended that he sit out of any further competition. His past would certainly qualify as medical history for any such hiccup.

Whichever way you slice it, (apart from making Tuna tartare), you’ll be stuck hitting your head against the wall in finding a reasonable explanation for this exit from the NFL. One thing is clear: whether you liked him raw (during press conferences), marinated (during traning camp), or seared (after tough losses), the Big Tuna is going to be sorely missed by all… His legacy will live on in the tree of disciples he leaves behind in coaching positions sprinkled throughout the NFL….

So I’ll leave you on a much lighter note: many had questioned whether or not Romo’s dropped hold would cost him more than just on the field, but also in his love life. Would his demise cause his current girlfriend to leave him? The better question might well be: although Tony stayed in a blonde frame of mind when transitioning from Simpson to Underwood, can this switch be explained because he wanted his main squeeze to have the ability to discern the difference between a feathery foul and his former hall of fame coach?

LT, Rivers: Down & Out(spoken) January 16, 2007

At this point, on Monday afternoon, I’ve had an opportunity to hear it all. The Monday Morning and Armchair QBs have spoken. The NFL analysts have given their commentary. And the talk show hosts have enunciated their opinions. The dust has settled, and I’m here to try to make sense of it all.

Looking at the tirade and comments put out post-game by the two offensive stars for the San Diego Chargers, I can’t help but think that most people seem to be a little off on this issue.
It would be a little too easy to dismiss this, as another case of sour grapes. The Chargers had a great 14-2 season, they were the favorites to represent the AFC in the SuperBowl, but fell short to an experienced Patriots team, who managed to wrestle the victory away in the final moments of Sunday’s game. Yes, LT and Rivers were frustrated by the events that transpired during the 60 minutes of football. And, yes, these emotions probably spilled over in producing the comments by two of the NFL’s young and rising stars. One thing most have been guilty of, over the past 24 hours, is sweeping this whole controversy under the rug; dismissing it from public discourse, telling us that LT and Company should have done something about it while there was still time on the game clock….
Sure, but that’s the easy way out. Let’s not forget what was allegedly done at the Q after the contest. Several Patriots players stepped up to the center of San Diego’s very own field and on the Chargers’ logo performed Shawne Merriman’s favorite celebration dance. They were mocking one of the NFL’s fiercest defenders, on his home turf. LT was instantly angered by their antics, refused to shake hands with them, and stormed off the field. After his shower (perhaps he should have tried a cold one, as his did nothing to calm him down), the NFL’s reigning MVP stepped up to the mic in his post-game press conference, and told the world that he didn’t think the Pats behaved in the appropriate manner in celebrating their win. He even went as far as saying that this classless behavior may stem from the top dog himself, Pats Head Coach Bill Belichick. This prompted his fellow backfield mate, young up-and-coming QB Philip Rivers to back up LT by stating that the Pats were guilty of not handling winning all that well…
Now that we have the sequence of events, and exchange of words straight, let’s get to the point(s) of this aftermath:
1) The Patriots are no Saints (despite what they’d like you to believe, and the recent migration of Drew Brees): the public talk an NFL franchise will give about fellow opposing teams, leading up to a playoff contest is very different from the private chatter that goes on in the locker room. An opponent goes from being a “challenge for us, on Sunday” to a “team we will beat”. It goes from “having the best player in the NFL” to “a man we’re going to stop every time he gets ball.” And on Sunday, with the improbable win and the excess emotion, the impeccable public facade comes crashing down, and reveals the locker room sentiment that has been bottled all week behind closed doors.
2) Bill Belichick is acquiring a bad reputation: whether it’s putting a swim move on photographers before a midfield handshake, losing rapport with old protégés (e.g. Jets’ Head Coach Eric Mangini), or refusing to resign key free agents that don’t fit “his plan”, the man’s ego is inflating with every successful campaign. LT’s pointed accusations towards the sweatshirt-wearing coach struck a nerve on Sunday.
3) The Team that’s done it all before certainly didn’t look like it, in the way they handled the winning. Rivers comments were right on: we have expected more from the Patriots, a team that has won 3 of the last 5 SuperBowls, and has been considered the last NFL dynasty in a league filled with parity and lacking any dominant force. We were hoping to see them walk off the field in classy, credible triumph; the type that would have us say that these guys were used to success. Instead, we got a display that angered the Bolts, and that would have Kipling rolling around in his grave (see quotation posted above door going into Wimbledon’s legendary Centre Court from locker room).
4) A man of Tomlinson’s class shouldn’t have to draw attention to that very attribute within his character. It’s the old adage about being a good performer in bed. Let your partners talk about your prowess behind your back, and when asked about it, simply smile and pretend that it’s the first time you’ve heard that said about you. Unfortunately, Tomlinson decided to tout his class in contrast to those Pats who had dared to celebrate on his field: a faux pas from a normally humble champion in making a good point about his opponents’ poor etiquette. Enough to perhaps have fictional anchor Ron Burgundy remind him, “Stay classy, San Diego”.

So to those out there, that had been dismissing this whole fiasco, as another manifestation by sore losers, make sure to look a little bit deeper. Situations like these are compelling, because they usually reveal several layers of subplots and insights.
How else would you expect to get the transformation from a modest LT to a BLT (Bitter LaDainian Tomlinson)?

You may say, just add Bacon. Perhaps it was more like that explosive yellow condiment from Dijon that got to the Chargers’ sinus a little too quickly. Or maybe it’s the olive they’ll have to swallow, as they ready themselves for next season…