A Sports Update

Hello all!

So, I feel awful that I haven't posted a blog about the Super Bowl yet. My parents were in town visiting and I just didn't get a chance to post an update and now here we are almost 2 weeks past the Super Bowl.

I won't dwell on the big game much since well, it's way over. I did predict the winner though, the Giants, and I predicted them to win before the playoffs started. Do I expect a reward? Ahhh no. It was complete luck.

And the game wasn't a landslide by any means, it was a close game. That safety in the first quarter of the game really made a big difference. Some speculated that it was a bad call, I don't think so. Brady was in the endzone, he waited, he avoided getting potentially sacked by Justin Tuck and threw the ball down the middle to no one. Yes, you could argue that someone didn't run the right route but how much time did Brady have before throwing the ball? It was the right call, just a weird one. Congrats to the dude who made the bet on the Giants to score first via safety in Vegas. He made some mega money.

The NFL season is over, which makes me sad. Football is probably my favorite sport though baseball is a close second. Fortunately baseball will be back soon. Spring training will start shortly and then the "how will the Cardinals do without Albert?" chat will begin.

The Cardinals will be fine. I said it before, he alone did not carry that team, especially last season. When you look at who the main play makers were in that playoff run, they were Carpenter, Garcia, Freese, Berkman, Craig...Albert had one big game in the NLCS, and that game was pretty much won regardless.

I'm not saying he won't be missed He will. He had a leadership role that will be hard to replace. But if there's one thing the 2011 Cardinals team showed me, it was a desire to never give up. And most of that same team remains. And they get ace Wainwright back. So do I think the Cardinals are a shoe in for the World Series? No. Do they still have a shot at getting there? Absolutely.

Jeremy Lin. Harvard grad. No name. Steps in for the Knicks after a player goes down with injuryand all of a sudden Linsanity begins.

I'm the first to admit I don't follow the NBA as closely as the MLB and NFL. But you gotta love this story. Some have called him the Tebow of the NBA but I disagree. Tebow was expected to be great. He was a great college QB. He won the Heisman Trophy.

A month ago, who knew about Jeremy Lin? This kid reminds me more of Kurt Warner. Before the 1999 season, who knew who Kurt Warner was? He was an arena football guy from Iowa who was working at a grocery store. Signed by the Rams as a backup. Trent Green goes down with an injury, Kurt Warner starts and leads the greatest show on turf to a Super Bowl win.

Does that mean I think the Knicks are going to win the NBA championship? No. But Lin is one of those great stories, like Warner that you just can't help but root the guy on. I hope Lin continues to succeed because it's nice to hear these stories.

Because let's face it. If you want to be a star in the NBA, you don't go to Harvard. Just like if you want to be an NFL football player you don't go to say, my alma mater, DePauw University (though DPU alum Butler basketball coach Brad Stevens is doing pretty well for himself). They go to a division 1 school where they have a chance at winning.

So seeing someone make it big who chose to go to a school like Harvard? It's just great to see them make it in the big leagues.

We'll see where it goes. So far, the Knicks keep winning with Lin. But there are a lot of games left to play.

There is news, rumors, etc. about Peyton Manning. I could address them here, but frankly, until a decision is made I just don't know what to say. I want Peyton to be a Colt for life. I don't think that happens if he doesn't retire. And if he isn't a Colt, I really don't want him in the NFC West, because I'm a Rams fan.

And the other options? The Jets, Dolphins, Redskins? Ugh. I just don't like it.

I hope Manning heals and is able to play but I have my doubts. If he has to retire, it's not like he hasn't had an amazing career. He will make the HOF for sure.

No one really knows what's going on, but in a couple of weeks we will know since Peyton is due his $28 million dollar bonus. So we wait, and see.

A final quick note, go Mizzou! Currently ranked #3. Can't wait for the NCAA tournament. It's going to be fun.

More in the world of sports soon, I promise.

A Sports Update

Hello all!

So, I feel awful that I haven't posted a blog about the Super Bowl yet. My parents were in town visiting and I just didn't get a chance to post an update and now here we are almost 2 weeks past the Super Bowl.

I won't dwell on the big game much since well, it's way over. I did predict the winner though, the Giants, and I predicted them to win before the playoffs started. Do I expect a reward? Ahhh no. It was complete luck.

And the game wasn't a landslide by any means, it was a close game. That safety in the first quarter of the game really made a big difference. Some speculated that it was a bad call, I don't think so. Brady was in the endzone, he waited, he avoided getting potentially sacked by Justin Tuck and threw the ball down the middle to no one. Yes, you could argue that someone didn't run the right route but how much time did Brady have before throwing the ball? It was the right call, just a weird one. Congrats to the dude who made the bet on the Giants to score first via safety in Vegas. He made some mega money.

The NFL season is over, which makes me sad. Football is probably my favorite sport though baseball is a close second. Fortunately baseball will be back soon. Spring training will start shortly and then the "how will the Cardinals do without Albert?" chat will begin.

The Cardinals will be fine. I said it before, he alone did not carry that team, especially last season. When you look at who the main play makers were in that playoff run, they were Carpenter, Garcia, Freese, Berkman, Craig...Albert had one big game in the NLCS, and that game was pretty much won regardless.

I'm not saying he won't be missed He will. He had a leadership role that will be hard to replace. But if there's one thing the 2011 Cardinals team showed me, it was a desire to never give up. And most of that same team remains. And they get ace Wainwright back. So do I think the Cardinals are a shoe in for the World Series? No. Do they still have a shot at getting there? Absolutely.

Jeremy Lin. Harvard grad. No name. Steps in for the Knicks after a player goes down with injuryand all of a sudden Linsanity begins.

I'm the first to admit I don't follow the NBA as closely as the MLB and NFL. But you gotta love this story. Some have called him the Tebow of the NBA but I disagree. Tebow was expected to be great. He was a great college QB. He won the Heisman Trophy.

A month ago, who knew about Jeremy Lin? This kid reminds me more of Kurt Warner. Before the 1999 season, who knew who Kurt Warner was? He was an arena football guy from Iowa who was working at a grocery store. Signed by the Rams as a backup. Trent Green goes down with an injury, Kurt Warner starts and leads the greatest show on turf to a Super Bowl win.

Does that mean I think the Knicks are going to win the NBA championship? No. But Lin is one of those great stories, like Warner that you just can't help but root the guy on. I hope Lin continues to succeed because it's nice to hear these stories.

Because let's face it. If you want to be a star in the NBA, you don't go to Harvard. Just like if you want to be an NFL football player you don't go to say, my alma mater, DePauw University (though DPU alum Butler basketball coach Brad Stevens is doing pretty well for himself). They go to a division 1 school where they have a chance at winning.

So seeing someone make it big who chose to go to a school like Harvard? It's just great to see them make it in the big leagues.

We'll see where it goes. So far, the Knicks keep winning with Lin. But there are a lot of games left to play.

There is news, rumors, etc. about Peyton Manning. I could address them here, but frankly, until a decision is made I just don't know what to say. I want Peyton to be a Colt for life. I don't think that happens if he doesn't retire. And if he isn't a Colt, I really don't want him in the NFC West, because I'm a Rams fan.

And the other options? The Jets, Dolphins, Redskins? Ugh. I just don't like it.

I hope Manning heals and is able to play but I have my doubts. If he has to retire, it's not like he hasn't had an amazing career. He will make the HOF for sure.

No one really knows what's going on, but in a couple of weeks we will know since Peyton is due his $28 million dollar bonus. So we wait, and see.

A final quick note, go Mizzou! Currently ranked #3. Can't wait for the NCAA tournament. It's going to be fun.

More in the world of sports soon, I promise.

Super Bowl Week!

Hello sports fans! Sorry for the lack of post last weekend but did you honestly think I would have much to say about the Pro Bowl? Or better yet, did I even watch the Pro Bowl?

I did watch some of it, mostly just the 4th quarter. But I wasn't 100% engaged with it, had it on while doing chores and so forth. And no, didn't watch the NHL All Star game either. Why on earth were these scheduled on the same day anyway? Someone screwed up there.

I honestly just don't have a whole lot of interest in all star/pro/whatever you want to call it games. The only reason the MLB All Star game has any interest at all is because the winning division gets home field advantage in the World Series. Which I'm still not a fan of, I think the team that wins the most games should have home field.

The Pro Bowl is okay I guess, but it's an exhibition game. Kind of like after the Olympics and they have the exhibition figure skating. Yes, I just compared the Pro Bowl to figure skating. But my point is, in the exhibition event after the Olympic games, do you see the figure skaters trying to do a triple axle? Or a triple triple? No, you don't. Because the medals have been won, it's for fun and no one wants to push themselves in case of injury.

That is exactly what the Pro Bowl is. Sure there are some pretty plays, but it always turns into an offensive shoot out since the defense pretty much does nothing. And there are different rules for the Pro Bowl. And I wouldn't want to see anyone get injured during the Pro Bowl. It just...is what it is I guess.

It's been really fascinating for me to hear about all of the sports announcers, players and so forth being in Indianapolis this week. For those who don't know, I went to college about 45 minutes south of Indy and lived in Indy for about 3 years after college. So I'm very familiar with the Indianapolis area and will always have a fondness for it. Also, the corporate office of the company I work for is based in downtown Indy. So I know the city well.

Of course the big thing I keep hearing about is St. Elmo's. For those who are unfamiliar St. Elmo's is one of the most famous steakhouses in Indy. I've eaten there before and can attest that it's a very fine dining excursion. This week I've heard that Eli Manning and Tom Brady have both dined there, and the Dan Patrick Show did a whole segment this week about the famous shrimp cocktail sauce. It's pretty spectacular but not for those who are sensitive to hot spices. Their cocktail sauce is the spiciest I have ever tasted, but it's damn good.

It's also just cool to hear about all of these NFL peeps just being in Indy and enjoying the city. From the looks of it, Indy has done a fantastic job of making their city look awesome. I like seeing the midwest portrayed well. So when St. Louis finishes all of their renovations to the Dome, we can have a Super Bowl there right? How about it NFL?

While the main event this weekend is Eli vs Brady, there has been MUCH talk about Peyton Manning and his potential future with the Colts. After Peyton made his comments last week, Irsay responded calling Peyton a politician. Then the two both released a joint statement that they respect each other and all is well. Then Irsay just yesterday pretty much stated in an interview how it would be a mistake to tie up so much money (aka pay Peyton his $28 million bonus on March 8th) not knowing what could happen.

Then today, a statement is released that doctor's have cleared Peyton Manning as able to play in the NFL again. Surgery has been successful, and that the question now is not that he could seriously injure himself, but can he play at the level we are all accustomed to seeing him play?

I don't know what's going to happen, but based on what I've heard from Irsay's camp I think Peyton is done in Indy. I wish that weren't true because I'd love to see Peyton finish his career there and win another Super Bowl. But I just am not getting the feeling that it's going to happen. Andrew Luck is the future of the Colts.

Where Peyton will end up? That's the question. If he shows he can play at the level we know he can? Lots of possibilities. I selfishly hope he won't end up playing for an NFC West team, because I don't want to have the drama of choosing between one of my all time favorite players and my home team.

Irsay and Peyton are scheduled to meet after the Super Bowl. Until then, the story is about Eli Manning, not Peyton. Eli could win his second Super Bowl this weekend.

I just hope that Peyton gets another shot to win one.