Now Playing - THE 2010 NFL SEASON

In the words of Joey Styles: "OH MY GOD!"

(Cue epic Monday Night Football music)
(...Or if you're choosy, try the FOX NFL theme, which is just as epic)

(You're welcome, male readers.)

Ah, so after six long months, the sport apparently more American than hot dogs, apple pie, and the elephant and donkey is about ready to come alive. I don't think any football fan can be happier at this point. There have been many ups and downs, new additions, and new hope from rookies since the Pro Bowl in February.

However, I've been reading lately that there has been a lot of drama in almost every training camp across the country. From things to numerous injuries to stars and rookies alike to "chickfights" and disagreements between rookies and the pros. Will this season be worth waiting for? Most likely. If so, there are going to be some massive problems and ongoing injuries. But see, this is the NFL--everything seems to turn out right in the end for some unknown reason. It's like high school theater all over again. Take it from me. I did theater in high school and you can't even imagine the problems the cast went through; whether it was fighting over how the double-casting fared out, which nights people got, and who was being a snitch and what have you. Sports are like soap operas for men, so why not have a little drama thrown into the mix to get the men talking? Okay, women might talk about it too, but the guys won't let them into their fantasy talks and their Sunday football rituals and their beer. It just happens to be like that every year.

Coming from a person who doesn't necessarily "worship" American football and just watches it because it's one of the only things on television on Sunday afternoons, it's like we're back in the stone ages or something when men sit on the one side of the couch with the big dive in the cushion they call "their spot" while in a "thinker" pose with a beer in hand while the women are either making dinner, snacks for the men in the "football sanctuary" or "man cave," or stuck watching the big game in the kitchen. Then again, this might not be the case in every home. Humor me, I'm picking at a stereotype and doing a tribal dance around it with a kazoo in my hand.

A long while ago, I was reading random columns throughout the Internet, and I stumbled across the statistic that in reality, you're only watching about 11-12 minutes of actual playing time out of the full 60-minute regulation game. The rest of the time is for consulting plays and running the clock out for the sake of running the clock out to screw the other team over. I've had countless arguments with people (all of them guys, in case if you were wondering) saying that football is all strategy, strength, and speed. Okay, they might be right on that, and it might be a game that's so strenuous guys can only really play that hard once a week. I just can't see how people have been going so crazy over the sport since it's inception in 1869 (Wikipedia knows all) and seeing the kinds of injuries these men go through and how it affects their futures outside of the sport. [Side Note: I'll actually be covering that on a future blog, so stay tuned for that.]

Since the school year will be approaching for me soon, I'll be home a lot more often on Sundays, so this year I'm going to try and follow football a little more and act like I care about it a little more. Maybe I'm missing out on something.

Now I feel like playing some Tecmo Superbowl for the NES. Oakland Raiders vs New England Patriots, anyone? (Har har har)

Oh, let's not forget that I'm not going to be missing out on La Liga or the remaining MLS games. They make Sundays fun too.

-AZ

Jersey Shore

No, not that stupid reality show that everyone flipped out about last night because of the new season. I'll be there for the week starting tomorrow. Not in Seaside Heights, but farther away. I know you will miss me, all four of you.

For your entertainment, here are some fun pictures I made on FaceinHole for the occasion...

Oh look, here's Jonathan Papelbon, Tim Tebow, and Landon Donovan!

And here's the lovely LeBron "Snooki" James muscling out of jail!

And here's "The Si--" uhh...Cristiano Ronaldo. Here's a funny story: during the World Cup, people were actually thinking that Ronaldo was "The Situation." Ha ha

Look at Cliff Lee rocking out!

What a lovely cheeser (and tan), Chad Ochentaycinco.

Have a fantastic week, folks.

--AZ

What Boredom Does to You

In honor of Cristian Guzman going to the Texas Rangers, I finally decided to do this.

GO GO TEXAS RANGERS (Insert awesome Power Rangers guitar here)



--AZ

My Exploding Rant on How Much I Hate Phillies Management

by: AnimaniacZero

Before I begin, a lot of you may know that I'm from Philadelphia, and before I showed interest in any other teams, the Phillies were the first team I loved and supported, and I have a right to express opinion on how they make me want to punt things that breathe.

Yesterday presented a "blockbuster trade" to many baseball fans as the Phillies saw sophomore starter J.A. Happ and two prospects go to the Houston Astros for their "ace," Roy Oswalt. Question: Don't we already have enough Roys on one team? Just asking, you know. From the start, this left a really bitter taste in my mouth, because in all fairness, we had a young pitcher who was second in NL Rookie of the Year voting last year and showed a lot of potential despite a previous injury. But now, I'm going to go in-depth as to how much I currently hate the Phillies organization for poorly handling a lot of trade situations since the Cliff Lee trade.

Ever since we traded away Cliff Lee and huge pitching prospect Kyle Drabek to Seattle and Toronto respectively for Roy Halladay and some guy named Phillippe Aumont, whom I'll talk about later, things have just not been going the Phillies' way in the case of trades and sacrifices. Sure, it's never really supposed to be an ultimate win-win for a team that is at the top of the NL food chain, but certain circumstances can be avoided, right? Even though we had one year left with Mr. Lee as well as tight budget issues, other position players could have been put in his place in combination:

-- Ben Francisco & Jayson Werth <-- Phillies got Ben along with Cliff in the huge trade from last year, and Werth is still trying to get a contract extension that will guarantee him to wear a Phillies uniform for a longer time. -- Either one of the two mentioned above & Matt Stairs <-- Now we all know what Matt Stairs did to Jonathan Broxton in '08 and '09, and he would come in mighty handy as a DH on an AL team.
-- Jayson Werth & Kyle Kendrick <-- What I mentioned previously with Werth, along with an up-and-coming pitcher that's currently having a par season as a starter. (Note how I didn't mention prospect Domonic Brown in any of this. The front office would probably be stupid enough to throw him in one of these mixes) What did they end up doing? Cliffie and Drabek. WTF Ruben Amaro, Jr. You have a guy throwing a no-hitter in the minors, and another guy in the running for his second AL Cy Young award. Oh that's right, they were ours, and you gave them up. You know how the Yankees got their powerhouse teams over the years? They strategically traded guys that either did or didn't have the stuff to keep the team going, and although it required a lot of luck, it ended up working out somehow. With a rotation of Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Moyer, and Blanton, that could have been a stellar lineup. No, that got thrown out the window because you thought trading an ace for an ace would do absolutely no harm. Do you REMEMBER what this man did for you???

Let's fast forward to yesterd--no, how about this whole month. This is what you call tradin' season, and aside from what happened yesterday, Mr. Jayson "Edge" Werth hasn't been moved, and apparently you've been putting him on the market for guys. Did we forget about him or something? Yeah, I know Shane Victorino is on the DL, but isn't that why we called up Domonic Brown and have guys like Ben Francisco and Ross Gload on the bench? Ugh. Okay, fine, be that way. Not only that, I guarantee you that there are plenty of other pitchers that had a load of potential aside from Roy Oswalt. Cool, he's on the market and he's a big name. Does that mean he's going to suddenly turn into Superman and make us forget about what happened to Cliff Lee and Kyle Drabek? C'MON!! We Phillies fans aren't stupid, nor do we have short-term memory. A lot of us are still rather angry that Cliff has been with more teams that he should have been within the past year and we lost a pitching prospect that won't have fluctuating seasons like our last top pitching prospect that was Cole Hamels.

I also think you should be looking at long-term stats too.
Lifetime stats against the NL East for Roy Oswalt: (From Todd Zolecki's Twitter account)
"Roy Oswalt vs. Mets (5-5, 3.68 ERA), Marlins (5-4, 3.72 ERA), Nationals (3-2, 3.52 ERA) ... and Braves (0-3, 7.58 ERA in 7 starts)."
Other things that should be taken into account are the second half totals, age, and injury. Oswalt's like Brett Favre...he has three cortisone shots in his back, he's 32, and he's actually starting to decline a bit considering his later stats and what I posted above.
J.A. Happ on the other hand, is a younger guy (27), has a great looking record and ERA, and hasn't suffered a lot of injuries during his time in the majors. Look at the stats, and look at the potential. Did the Phillies win? Or did we lose...again?

Oh wait. I forgot that I was going to talk about Phillippe Aumont. I don't think I should right now. I'm too angry. In response, look at his stats and realize how much more I dislike the December trade.
Take a gander at it. Look at it hard.

In conclusion, the Phillies farm system and organization is imploding. I suppose that dynasty a la Atlanta Braves from the 1990's won't be happening in these parts, and we're going to have to put up with more disappointment. This organization makes me angry. They take a good thing, and they throw up on it. THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS.

This man fails at deals.

--AZ

What it Means to be a Hall of Famer

If you're a baseball fan, you should have known that this past weekend was "Hall-of-Fame Weekend" in Cooperstown, and men such as Whitey Herzog, Andre Dawson, and Doug Harvey were inducted into the prestigious Baseball Hall of Fame. These three men mentioned have accomplished a great deal in the game of baseball, such as umpiring numerous All-Star Games and World Series, leading teams to championships as a head coach, and leading a team by hitting, running, and being successful in fielding.

Is this all you need to become an inductee into any hall of fame? No. Not in the least bit. Last time I checked you have to be more than just physical talent. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch says something along the lines of: "To know what kind of a person a man is, walk around in his shoes for a while" [Paraphrased]. This man has to love what he does, and show it in his work every day of his career. It doesn't necessarily mean to be an awesome player and then do so much humanitarian work that you make buckets of cash from endorsements and then donating it all to charity. No, it doesn't work like that. This man has to be the ultimate definition of influence in the sport and be willing to reflect that influence in every aspect of life, be it on the field or off the field. (Gregory Peck is a boss, by the way.)

When a person is eligible to have their named etched into history, different aspects are taken into account as to why they should be immortalized in a Hall of Fame. Okay, he hits a lot of home runs or he scores a lot of touchdowns or she's the fastest runner in the history of the sport. Does that mean he or she automatically gets in? Not necessarily. What has that person done off of the field? Did that person a good example in their daily life? Did they take their time out to help out those who needed hope and life when that all seemed too far gone to them? Were they faithful to what they did and not abuse their privileges in their respective sport? Were they honorable and respectful to the rules and followed them efficiently? See? Isn't it a little harder now? Maybe not. Can you name a couple of athletes and coaches today that fit some of these things that I mentioned? I bet you could. I know I can with no problem.

When I think of all of the men (and women) that have been elected to a hall of fame from any sports organization, they not only had credentials on and off the field, but they also had the capability to spread their smile and their own personal magic among so many different people. They didn't have fanbases just because of their talent, but because they were the nicest people to grace the presence of the sport. Their talent gave people hope and inspiration--enough to make a huge influence on the path that they want to take in life. Men who grew up watching Wayne Gretzky, Larry Bird, or Cal Ripken, Jr. might have been inspired to the point where they wanted to play the sport and make it a part of their life. Women who grew up watching Mia Hamm, Lisa Leslie, or Jennie Finch may have also received that inspiration to make the sport of their choice a part of their lifestyle. If they didn't inspire them to play a sport, it inspired them to become better people and teach them the sportsmanship that is required off of the field.

These men and women that I mentioned are [or will be] in their respective hall of fame for a reason: they love what they do, and their showing of it made a major impact in people's lives. Regardless of whether these men and women are former players, coaches, officials, or even broadcasters, their love of the sport is what's making other legacies rise and the youth (and old too) have the gleam in their eye. Without these legendary figures, sports are nothing. These guys are like the war heroes that show pride for their country and are willing to fight for it in times of trouble. These hall of famers are the heroes and idols that we all would want to be like someday.

I want to be like my heroes someday, too.

--AZ

Philadelphia Union/Manchester United - GOOD TIMES

"Yeah baby! Yeah!"






I totally couldn't help but say that. Dead serious.
Anyway, Keith and I went to Lincoln Financial Field in South Philadelphia last night to see Philadelphia Union take on Manchester United in their 2010 North American Tour (sounds like a concert series, doesn't it?) and believe me, it was one of the coolest experiences ever. Even though we were in Philadelphia, there were loads and loads of Manchester United shirts (even the cheap $10 ones that aren't legit shirts). Anyway, the atmosphere was great, and there were a lot of people ready to watch the game.





I managed to sneak a photo of the Red Devil mascot before the game started.



Some funny tidbits:
-- Everybody booed when it was announced that alcohol would not be served after the 60th minute. That was rather funny.
-- Not just that, everybody booed Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter during the "ceremonial first kick."
-- There were a lot of "sticking to the Union" chants, but no "glory glory Man United." Bandwagoners, I suppose?

Anyway, the tour really doesn't show all of the Man U stars such as Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic, but we still got a brief taste of what the Barclays Premier League was like playing a lowly MLS team. Here's the thing though--the Union starting eleven actually looked decent even though they were basically playing some Manchester United scrubs and popular B-list starters. A lot of shot opportunities came off in the first half, but the score was 0-0 after 45 minutes.

Photos? YOU BET!!
(Click photos to enlarge)

During the second half, a lot of the Union scrubs were put in, but the amazing part is that only one goal was allowed by the Union. Interesting, eh?
Sir Alex Ferguson, the head coach of Manchester United, thought the Union played exceptionally well and had a lot of compliments (which is unlike him, to say the least). He also had a lot to say about Andrew Jacobsen, one of the Union midfielders. As long as he didn't say anything about wanting Mwanga or Le Toux, I'm happy about that. :-)

All in all, this was an awesome experience, and it's definitely something that I'll be telling my kids about one day--that is...if I ever have them, heh heh. If you're a futbol fan, seeing this was probably one of the best Christmas in July presents ever offered to you. It was for me, that's for sure.

--AZ

(Final Note: More photos will be uploaded and placed in another section. Stay tuned.)

Miami Yankees--I mean...Heat

I keep reading about who else wants to go to play for the Miami Heat. Is this ever going to stop?







Penny Hardaway, didn't Miami release you for a reason or something?






The NBA is officially driving me beserk.

--AZ