So I have been mad all weekend because my Twitter and Facebook were spammed with mass statuses regarding the Yankees and this past weekend in their series against the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees spent their time clinching the AL East Division, a playoff berth and obtaining their 100th win for this season. You would think they won the World Series already with the ruckus about their weekend.
At the same time, I had figured that the Red Sox would also make the playoffs - it would only be a little matter of time before it happened, and I could celebrate, too.
The Red Sox got lucky tonight, clinching the AL Wild Card spot with the Texas Rangers' 5-2 loss to the LA Angels despite losing their own game to the Toronto Blue Jays 8-7. The loss today counted as Boston's 5th straight.
This situation now sets the Red Sox in a playoff series with the LA Angels, again. In 6 years, the two teams have met 4 times, and this meeting would mark the 3rd consecutive year the Angels and Red Sox square off. Seeing that Boston has dominated the playoff series between the two teams, this looks like an easy write-off for the Sox.
Well...
Right now, the Red Sox are struggling mightily, especially for the calibur of their team. With the 5 straight losses, and 5 more games left this year, one can hope that the Sox get everything together. In 9 games against the Angels this year Boston has also ended up 4-5.
However, Boston hasn't always been particularly telling in the regular season of how well they play teams in the playoffs though. Also in favor of the Sox, key players like Josh Beckett, who have been out with injuries lately, will be returning soon.
So while this series will NOT be an easy sweep in my eyes, I have pretty good faith that the Red Sox can create a positive result by the end. Alas, note that I'm neither confirming nor denying a particular playoff result. I will say though that 2004 occurred on a Wild Card year. I'm just saying...
Ojo del Twins???
On a more exciting note, I am closely following the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins series, which should define who is going to play the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs.
I'm pulling for the Twins, because I'm a Joe Mauer fan, and I'll face it; the Twins have put in so much work to get this division, especially without Justin Morneau in the lineup, that it would really suck for them not to make it.
My main issue though is that I won't be mad at whoever wins the division, because that team just better beat the Yankees, and we'll all be in good standing!
NFL Week 3 Personal Highlights
Before I finish (it's late here on the East side of the States!), I would like to give a high and mighty shout out to the Dallas Cowboys for winning our first game in the new house. I thank Carolina Panthers' QB Jake Delhomme for the late interception and the total revival of the Dallas defense in the 4th quarter.
However, I'm not a fan of the play calling at the 1-yard line in that drive where Dallas only got a field goal; TWO passes at the 1-yard line? Really?!?! Really could have avoided the field goal situation - because you also could have gone for it on that 4th down! But what do I know - I'm not an NFL coach.
But Wade Phillips made up for it by calling for the 2-point conversion on the extra point oppoortunity after the interception-for-the-touchdown, calling a nice run play. Thanks buddy.
And one more shout out to the Detroit Lions. This one is for you. I haven't been able to blog for a few days due to time constraints, but I'm putting this one out here for the Lions. Your 19-game losing streak has been snapped.
They must thank the Washington Redskins for failing to have any sort of offense in the game. Their defense didn't even do the usually decent job either in this game. So Detriot can rest in peace knowing that they have won, while the Redskins must live with the loss. I'm sure they've "put it in the past" by now (cliche statement - you know they're still mad).
*Finally, please put my cousin in your prayers and your thoughts. He was shot on Monday. He is alive and in the hospital, but the family wants a full recovery. Thank you.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
No Penguins for Me
This may be a sports blog, but, mind you, sports sometimes intersects with our outside lives as well...
*I know that over half the population that reads this has been through this at least once in their lives.
So let's say you see that gorgeous man/woman of your dreams. He/she is fine, they dress well, and they've got that swag. You get the guts to go up to him/her and introduce yourself (or whatever you do to strike a conversation). To your surprise, he/she actually acknowledges your presence and they seem to be equally as interested in what you're saying, how you look, etc.
Then suppose you get into sports - you mention you love [insert sport]. Their eyes get big at the mention of your favorite sport, and as the conversation unfolds, you believe that you have found love...
Until you mention that you are (for example) a Washington Capitals fan, and he/she states that they root for the... Pittsburgh Penguins.
For me, the conversation ends right there, unless you're looking to pick a fight with me. I love to discuss hockey, talk about my team, or even take part healthy debate over hockey topics. But sometimes, I am NOT in the mood for a discussion as to why "Sidney Crosby is better than Alex Ovechkin" and "which team is better," especially in this situation.
A. I have already exhausted myself arguing to the death for Alex Ovechkin being a better marketing tool for the NHL and B. I would never want to do this on a date.
As a fan of other sports though, personally, I feel like somethings are passable: As a Cowboys fan, I am open to Eagles fans, Giants fans, and because of my location Redskins fans can be accepted. I mean, it's only twice a year when we are head to head anyway so it can't be that bad.
In baseball, I've even been open to Yankees fans despite my strong disdain for them and being a Red Sox fan.
But best believe, you say the wrong thing in our first meeting and it's over. I mean, it is OVER. No chance. No shot. You lose.
If I hear you're an Eagles fan, I don't want to hear about the last game of last season against the Cowboys all night. We can joke about it for a second, but it better be dropped real quick...
The only sport though I get really touchy about the most though is hockey. You've got to be REALLY attractive to root for the Philadelphia Flyers and hold my hand at games. I can't even think about what it takes to be a Pittsburgh Penguins fan and be around me though. I certainly have some friends that are Penguins fans, but dating is another realm to cover.
I do have a little bit of tolerance, however, in other situations. In the past, a Tampa Bay Lightning fan, named Greg, was an interest. And he was really nice, funny, cute - basically all that is good. His only flaw; he was a Lightning fan. As a Caps fan, I don't know what it is (I do, but that's another post), but ever since the 2003 NHL playoffs, I have hated the Lightning, even though they have been non-contenders for a couple of years.
Nonetheless, I would fight for hours with Greg over whether that goal in the Calgary Flames/Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cup Finals in 2005 scored by Marty Gelinas really crossed the line or not - thus, justifying whether the Bolts really deserved the Cup or not.
Me, being the one who hated the Lightning, could have been blinded by hate for the team. But I have always believed that the Flames were cheated out of a Cup, and hated that the Lightning got a championship title before the Caps did. I would obviously claim that the goal should have counted. Greg, being a Lightning fan, argued the contrary.
Now, this relationship was not defined by the two of us cheering for two different teams in the same division, but you can't tell me that it was easy with that factor. Every game is added with extra anxiety, so that you don't have to hear the trash-talking - that's your job, right? And losses suck even more when they're againt your significant other's team.
Luckily though, Greg wasn't a jerk (like I was) about games, and was a rather mild-mannered man. He never called me right after a game that the Caps lost to the Lightning (rare as it was) to brag. We also went hand-in-hand to a Caps/Flyers game last season; both intensley cheering for the Capitals because we despised the Flyers considerably more than each others' teams, respectively.
Which has, in the end, allowed me to give leeway to those who are not a fan of my team, or pledge alleigances to teams that I absolutely can't stand - well, besides the Pittsburgh Penguins.
So it's not necessarily true that I will disreagrd one's presence solely because they are a fan of a rivalry/disliked team. Just make sure that the team you cheer for isn't named after a flightless bird that lives in Antartica and the lower tips of Australia, South America, and Africa.
*Feel free to dispel your experiences with the decision to go through talking to someone who avidly follows your rival team. I know some have got to be funny.
*I know that over half the population that reads this has been through this at least once in their lives.
So let's say you see that gorgeous man/woman of your dreams. He/she is fine, they dress well, and they've got that swag. You get the guts to go up to him/her and introduce yourself (or whatever you do to strike a conversation). To your surprise, he/she actually acknowledges your presence and they seem to be equally as interested in what you're saying, how you look, etc.
Then suppose you get into sports - you mention you love [insert sport]. Their eyes get big at the mention of your favorite sport, and as the conversation unfolds, you believe that you have found love...
Until you mention that you are (for example) a Washington Capitals fan, and he/she states that they root for the... Pittsburgh Penguins.
For me, the conversation ends right there, unless you're looking to pick a fight with me. I love to discuss hockey, talk about my team, or even take part healthy debate over hockey topics. But sometimes, I am NOT in the mood for a discussion as to why "Sidney Crosby is better than Alex Ovechkin" and "which team is better," especially in this situation.
A. I have already exhausted myself arguing to the death for Alex Ovechkin being a better marketing tool for the NHL and B. I would never want to do this on a date.
As a fan of other sports though, personally, I feel like somethings are passable: As a Cowboys fan, I am open to Eagles fans, Giants fans, and because of my location Redskins fans can be accepted. I mean, it's only twice a year when we are head to head anyway so it can't be that bad.
In baseball, I've even been open to Yankees fans despite my strong disdain for them and being a Red Sox fan.
But best believe, you say the wrong thing in our first meeting and it's over. I mean, it is OVER. No chance. No shot. You lose.
If I hear you're an Eagles fan, I don't want to hear about the last game of last season against the Cowboys all night. We can joke about it for a second, but it better be dropped real quick...
The only sport though I get really touchy about the most though is hockey. You've got to be REALLY attractive to root for the Philadelphia Flyers and hold my hand at games. I can't even think about what it takes to be a Pittsburgh Penguins fan and be around me though. I certainly have some friends that are Penguins fans, but dating is another realm to cover.
I do have a little bit of tolerance, however, in other situations. In the past, a Tampa Bay Lightning fan, named Greg, was an interest. And he was really nice, funny, cute - basically all that is good. His only flaw; he was a Lightning fan. As a Caps fan, I don't know what it is (I do, but that's another post), but ever since the 2003 NHL playoffs, I have hated the Lightning, even though they have been non-contenders for a couple of years.
Nonetheless, I would fight for hours with Greg over whether that goal in the Calgary Flames/Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cup Finals in 2005 scored by Marty Gelinas really crossed the line or not - thus, justifying whether the Bolts really deserved the Cup or not.
Me, being the one who hated the Lightning, could have been blinded by hate for the team. But I have always believed that the Flames were cheated out of a Cup, and hated that the Lightning got a championship title before the Caps did. I would obviously claim that the goal should have counted. Greg, being a Lightning fan, argued the contrary.
Now, this relationship was not defined by the two of us cheering for two different teams in the same division, but you can't tell me that it was easy with that factor. Every game is added with extra anxiety, so that you don't have to hear the trash-talking - that's your job, right? And losses suck even more when they're againt your significant other's team.
Luckily though, Greg wasn't a jerk (like I was) about games, and was a rather mild-mannered man. He never called me right after a game that the Caps lost to the Lightning (rare as it was) to brag. We also went hand-in-hand to a Caps/Flyers game last season; both intensley cheering for the Capitals because we despised the Flyers considerably more than each others' teams, respectively.
Which has, in the end, allowed me to give leeway to those who are not a fan of my team, or pledge alleigances to teams that I absolutely can't stand - well, besides the Pittsburgh Penguins.
So it's not necessarily true that I will disreagrd one's presence solely because they are a fan of a rivalry/disliked team. Just make sure that the team you cheer for isn't named after a flightless bird that lives in Antartica and the lower tips of Australia, South America, and Africa.
*Feel free to dispel your experiences with the decision to go through talking to someone who avidly follows your rival team. I know some have got to be funny.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
NHL Preseason - Caps vs. Sabres!
OMG IF YOU THOUGHT I WAS REALLY EXCITED FOR NFL PRESEASON AND THE BEGINNING OF THE NFL SEASON, WATCH OUT BECAUSE THE CAPS JUST BEGAN PRESEASON!
So basically, hockey is back, and the Washington Capitals start off looking pretty good in a 4-3 OT win against the Buffalo Sabres. The Caps already seem better than last season, scoring on an overtime two-man advantage; something the Caps could never capitalize on in previous years.
The often-injured defenseman, Brian Pothier netted the team's game-winning goal. Other goal scorers included Alexander Giroux, who scored 60 goals with the Hershey Bears and is hoping to get a more permanent role on the Capitals; former Flyers' pain-in-the-ass Mike Knuble, who was signed during the offseason to add a gritty and experienced offensive touch; and Jay Beagle, who also will be spending more time with the Capitals between Washington and Hershey.
The Caps looked good to start the game. They held a 1-0 lead from the 1st period until 2:56 into the 3rd period where Sabres' Jason Pominville scored. About 4 minutes later, the Sabres scored again on a goal from Clark MacArthur.
The Caps tied the game at 2, but shortly thereafter, the Sabres regained the lead from Tim Kennedy's deflection.
Not giving up though, 23 seconds later, Washington tied the game again at 3-apiece, and ultimately winning in overtime, 4-3.
While the offense seems to be the main story for the game, Simeon Varlamov played an important role as well for the first part of the game, making multiple saves to maintain the 1-0 lead for the Capitals on Buffalo's odd-man rushes and scoring attempts.
Needless to say, I'm extra happy because the Caps won, and the fact that there was a variety in scoring, as well as a strong comeback effort that proved to be successful. Granted, I know that it's preseason, so I'm not tripping too much over one preseason win, but a win like this in the regular season would look good.
This win can possibly show that Varlamov can hold games for the Caps and keep them in until the end, that Mike Knuble has settled in to the Capitals' system, and that some new players can become the unsung heroes and make a roster spot by October 1st, opening night.
"The U" is BACK!!!
So had I not gone to American University, one school I was really hoping to get into was the University of Miami. Provided, I probably am doing really well at AU and I love it there, but man, had I gone to the Univ. of Miami, I would be covering their Hurricanes football team all the time - forget classes!
However, if I was at The U for the past couple of years, I wouldn't have enjoyed the games a whole lot, considering they've been struggling for a good minute, mostly since 2006, one of their most disappointing seasons. They just barely missed a losing season that year.
After the Hurricanes fired their coach and hired Randy Shannon as their new coach, they had an even worse performance, actually completing the campaign with a 5-7 record, missing a bowl game. In 2008, Miami lost to teams they usually beat, such as Georgia Tech; and much hated rivals, University of Florida, and Florida State University.
This season though, the Hurricanes have begun the season with vengance: Miami has won their first 2 games, including the opener against Florida State in a 38-34 thriller, and a dominant 33-17 performance against Georgia Tech.
Like I had mentioned about the Washington Capitals, it's early to make written-in-stone statements about the Hurricanes, but it's difficult to ignore their early season success, especially after the woes of the past few seasons.
Hate it or love it; whether you like it or not, The U is back.
So basically, hockey is back, and the Washington Capitals start off looking pretty good in a 4-3 OT win against the Buffalo Sabres. The Caps already seem better than last season, scoring on an overtime two-man advantage; something the Caps could never capitalize on in previous years.
The often-injured defenseman, Brian Pothier netted the team's game-winning goal. Other goal scorers included Alexander Giroux, who scored 60 goals with the Hershey Bears and is hoping to get a more permanent role on the Capitals; former Flyers' pain-in-the-ass Mike Knuble, who was signed during the offseason to add a gritty and experienced offensive touch; and Jay Beagle, who also will be spending more time with the Capitals between Washington and Hershey.
The Caps looked good to start the game. They held a 1-0 lead from the 1st period until 2:56 into the 3rd period where Sabres' Jason Pominville scored. About 4 minutes later, the Sabres scored again on a goal from Clark MacArthur.
The Caps tied the game at 2, but shortly thereafter, the Sabres regained the lead from Tim Kennedy's deflection.
Not giving up though, 23 seconds later, Washington tied the game again at 3-apiece, and ultimately winning in overtime, 4-3.
While the offense seems to be the main story for the game, Simeon Varlamov played an important role as well for the first part of the game, making multiple saves to maintain the 1-0 lead for the Capitals on Buffalo's odd-man rushes and scoring attempts.
Needless to say, I'm extra happy because the Caps won, and the fact that there was a variety in scoring, as well as a strong comeback effort that proved to be successful. Granted, I know that it's preseason, so I'm not tripping too much over one preseason win, but a win like this in the regular season would look good.
This win can possibly show that Varlamov can hold games for the Caps and keep them in until the end, that Mike Knuble has settled in to the Capitals' system, and that some new players can become the unsung heroes and make a roster spot by October 1st, opening night.
"The U" is BACK!!!
So had I not gone to American University, one school I was really hoping to get into was the University of Miami. Provided, I probably am doing really well at AU and I love it there, but man, had I gone to the Univ. of Miami, I would be covering their Hurricanes football team all the time - forget classes!
However, if I was at The U for the past couple of years, I wouldn't have enjoyed the games a whole lot, considering they've been struggling for a good minute, mostly since 2006, one of their most disappointing seasons. They just barely missed a losing season that year.
After the Hurricanes fired their coach and hired Randy Shannon as their new coach, they had an even worse performance, actually completing the campaign with a 5-7 record, missing a bowl game. In 2008, Miami lost to teams they usually beat, such as Georgia Tech; and much hated rivals, University of Florida, and Florida State University.
This season though, the Hurricanes have begun the season with vengance: Miami has won their first 2 games, including the opener against Florida State in a 38-34 thriller, and a dominant 33-17 performance against Georgia Tech.
Like I had mentioned about the Washington Capitals, it's early to make written-in-stone statements about the Hurricanes, but it's difficult to ignore their early season success, especially after the woes of the past few seasons.
Hate it or love it; whether you like it or not, The U is back.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
NFL Week 1
Of course I'm happy that the Cowboys won, and the Redskins lost, but tell me why I'm still blown at the Bill and Patriots game? LOL!
The complete weekend/weekday opening football is over. I can say with confidence that this has been an entertaining first week for the NFL.
Cowboys 34, Buccaneers 21
To begin, the first game I watched was the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (because the Cowboys won, they deserve the "boys" back in the name versus the typical Cow[boy]s). Dallas ended up winning 34-21, but they could have won by more. I was displeased with the Cowboys first half performance. The offense did absolutely nothing, and was not helped by a missed pass interference that should have been called on Ronde Barber.
Dallas' defense wasn't doing much better in the first half as well, with Cadillac Williams on the Bucs giving them hell.
The second half was much better for the Cowboys though. Tony Romo turned out to have a pretty nice day with 344 yards passing and all of his passes for touchdowns went deep - over 40 yards... Imagine the winning score for Dallas, had they a better first half and didn't give up 14 points in the 4th quarter...
For the Bucs though, Williams was real nice out there, and Byron Leftwich had a pretty good showing as well, especially for being Byron Leftwich.
Giants 23, Redskins 17
Just about the Washington Redskins game, the New York Giants won 23-17, but the game was not as close as the score suggested.
By the 2nd quarter, the Giants ended up with a 17-0 lead, with the latest touchdown coming from a fumble recovery by the Giants.
The Redskins had a slightly better showing in the second half, but could not create any sort of rhythm on offense against the Giants' defense.
Point in case: after a 35-yard run by Clinton Portis on the Redskins, the Skins could only follow up with 50 more rushing yards the whole game.
Of course, the reaction suggests that Jason Campbell still can't get the Skins over the hump, but aside from the fact that a small (REALLY small) part of me actually hopes he succeeds in a way, I think he did all right with what he was faced with.
The Skins are not the team to beat in the NFC East in my eyes. They were facing a team that could very well take the division. After this, the Skins go on to play a stretch of games where they play teams that have failed at being any kind of good the past few seasons. The Giants will move on the the Cowboys.
Patriots 25, Bills 24
Most people are going to say the New England/Boston Patriots won this game in dramatic fashion 25-24, but I'm going to go out on a limb, and say the Buffalo Bills lost this one in ultimate screw-up fashion.
I'll admit, I missed the first part of the game because of the Juan Martin Del Potro and Roger Federer's tennis match where Federer lost in 5 sets was on where I was eating dinner. Granted, it was the US Open final, and the underdog ended up winning in a long match, but I still feel as though NFL football should have been on the TV.
Nonetheless, technology proved to be a savior, and I got first half stats before being able to return to my place of living to watch the second half. The Bills were leading 14-10 at halftime, and when I finally got back to my room, they were up 17-10.
Terrell Owens only had one catch at this point as well. Which led me to believe that the Bills could really win this game since they were able to utilize their other parts of the offense. It really looked good there.
It looked even better when Buffalo got the 24-13 lead and it was about 2 minutes to go in the game.
Until they gave up another touchdown and fumbled the ball deep in their territory after the kickoff, giving the Pats excellent field position to get the last and final touchdown... all of a sudden, it was 25-24 Patriots.
It wasn't quite over as the Bills began their final drive with about 50 seconds to go. That is ample time to create a situation to at least get into decent field goal position.
However, poor time management and multiple sacks proved costly for Buffalo.
Therefore, the Patriots did not win the game (also provided that Tom Brady wasn't as great as he normally is), but the Bills CHOKED. Somebody please perform the Heimlech Manuever - the Bills keep chocking. This is now the 12th straight time the Patriots defeated the Bills.
Tsk tsk... And I was really pulling for Buffalo...
Chargers 24, Raiders 20
This game was another situation where there was an underdog team winning, had the lead way late into the game, and then lost it even later to lose. The Oakland Raiders also choked to lose 24-20 to the San Diego Chargers.
Despite the score at the end of the first half, the Raiders seemed to dominate on defense early on, creating multiple turnovers and only allowing the Chargers 77 rushing yards. New addition Richard Seymour ended up with 2 sacks and 6 tackles, showing that he was ready to play and improve the Oakland defense.
Oakland lost the lead in the 4th quarter, but regained it, scoring a late touchdown with about 2:40 to go in the game. All they had to do was to continue their showing on defense that they had in the beginning of the 1st quarter.
Yet, the Raiders failed when it mattered, giving the Chargers 14 points in the 4th quarter and allowing Phillip Rivers to complete 6 out of 7 passes on the game-winning 84-yard drive.
The winning drive for San Diego left only 18 seconds on the clock, with which Oakland had to work. JaMarcus Russell threw a desperation pass, only to have it intercepted.
Oakland not only choked like Buffalo, but they ALSO have been defeated by their opponent 12 times in a row. The hell is THAT about?!
Side(line) Notes - haha!
Some other notes about the weekend/weekday...
Donovan McNabb got injured, which, to be honest, is no surprise to me. He is one of the more fragile quarterbacks; as good as he is and as much as I would pick McNabb over a lot of quarterbacks.
In response, the Philadelphia Eagles quickly sign Jeff Garcia and try to make roster space for him. Garcia knows the offense, having been in Philadelphia before and his last time with the Eagles, he led them to the playoffs. So it would be a good move to have him around.
Just to note though, there's another guy who, by Week 3, could play a little bit, and his name is Mike Vick. However, the choice to sign Garcia clearly states that the Eagles are not ready to have Vick play - I don't blame them after his unsatisfying performaces in the preseason, and the fact that he does need re-adjustment time to the NFL.
But if Vick could play for the Eagles, and actually be successful with them, that would be a pretty nice comeback story for the ages. I believe that regardless of other people's opinions about that...
...Props to the Green Bay Packers though for the comeback win. I couldn't write about it (Come on now! I already did four games and I'm only human!), but that was a REALLY fun game to watch. As for the Bears; step your game up. In fact, all these teams playing and choking - step your game up!..
... And of course, congrats to Juan Martin del Potro on his first US Open win, and on defeating the guy who won the last 5 US Opens... I think his name is something like Roger Federer. You might have heard of him. It is an amazing accomplishment for del Potro - just too bad it competed with Monday Night Football on my end.
... Finally, Mark Sanchez played pretty well Sunday. The End (watch ESPN for the rest of that, they'll be all up on the Sanchez coverage, trust me).
*RIP Patrick Swayze... To Wong Foo (Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar) - most underrated movie ever - sooo funny.
The complete weekend/weekday opening football is over. I can say with confidence that this has been an entertaining first week for the NFL.
Cowboys 34, Buccaneers 21
To begin, the first game I watched was the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (because the Cowboys won, they deserve the "boys" back in the name versus the typical Cow[boy]s). Dallas ended up winning 34-21, but they could have won by more. I was displeased with the Cowboys first half performance. The offense did absolutely nothing, and was not helped by a missed pass interference that should have been called on Ronde Barber.
Dallas' defense wasn't doing much better in the first half as well, with Cadillac Williams on the Bucs giving them hell.
The second half was much better for the Cowboys though. Tony Romo turned out to have a pretty nice day with 344 yards passing and all of his passes for touchdowns went deep - over 40 yards... Imagine the winning score for Dallas, had they a better first half and didn't give up 14 points in the 4th quarter...
For the Bucs though, Williams was real nice out there, and Byron Leftwich had a pretty good showing as well, especially for being Byron Leftwich.
Giants 23, Redskins 17
Just about the Washington Redskins game, the New York Giants won 23-17, but the game was not as close as the score suggested.
By the 2nd quarter, the Giants ended up with a 17-0 lead, with the latest touchdown coming from a fumble recovery by the Giants.
The Redskins had a slightly better showing in the second half, but could not create any sort of rhythm on offense against the Giants' defense.
Point in case: after a 35-yard run by Clinton Portis on the Redskins, the Skins could only follow up with 50 more rushing yards the whole game.
Of course, the reaction suggests that Jason Campbell still can't get the Skins over the hump, but aside from the fact that a small (REALLY small) part of me actually hopes he succeeds in a way, I think he did all right with what he was faced with.
The Skins are not the team to beat in the NFC East in my eyes. They were facing a team that could very well take the division. After this, the Skins go on to play a stretch of games where they play teams that have failed at being any kind of good the past few seasons. The Giants will move on the the Cowboys.
Patriots 25, Bills 24
Most people are going to say the New England/Boston Patriots won this game in dramatic fashion 25-24, but I'm going to go out on a limb, and say the Buffalo Bills lost this one in ultimate screw-up fashion.
I'll admit, I missed the first part of the game because of the Juan Martin Del Potro and Roger Federer's tennis match where Federer lost in 5 sets was on where I was eating dinner. Granted, it was the US Open final, and the underdog ended up winning in a long match, but I still feel as though NFL football should have been on the TV.
Nonetheless, technology proved to be a savior, and I got first half stats before being able to return to my place of living to watch the second half. The Bills were leading 14-10 at halftime, and when I finally got back to my room, they were up 17-10.
Terrell Owens only had one catch at this point as well. Which led me to believe that the Bills could really win this game since they were able to utilize their other parts of the offense. It really looked good there.
It looked even better when Buffalo got the 24-13 lead and it was about 2 minutes to go in the game.
Until they gave up another touchdown and fumbled the ball deep in their territory after the kickoff, giving the Pats excellent field position to get the last and final touchdown... all of a sudden, it was 25-24 Patriots.
It wasn't quite over as the Bills began their final drive with about 50 seconds to go. That is ample time to create a situation to at least get into decent field goal position.
However, poor time management and multiple sacks proved costly for Buffalo.
Therefore, the Patriots did not win the game (also provided that Tom Brady wasn't as great as he normally is), but the Bills CHOKED. Somebody please perform the Heimlech Manuever - the Bills keep chocking. This is now the 12th straight time the Patriots defeated the Bills.
Tsk tsk... And I was really pulling for Buffalo...
Chargers 24, Raiders 20
This game was another situation where there was an underdog team winning, had the lead way late into the game, and then lost it even later to lose. The Oakland Raiders also choked to lose 24-20 to the San Diego Chargers.
Despite the score at the end of the first half, the Raiders seemed to dominate on defense early on, creating multiple turnovers and only allowing the Chargers 77 rushing yards. New addition Richard Seymour ended up with 2 sacks and 6 tackles, showing that he was ready to play and improve the Oakland defense.
Oakland lost the lead in the 4th quarter, but regained it, scoring a late touchdown with about 2:40 to go in the game. All they had to do was to continue their showing on defense that they had in the beginning of the 1st quarter.
Yet, the Raiders failed when it mattered, giving the Chargers 14 points in the 4th quarter and allowing Phillip Rivers to complete 6 out of 7 passes on the game-winning 84-yard drive.
The winning drive for San Diego left only 18 seconds on the clock, with which Oakland had to work. JaMarcus Russell threw a desperation pass, only to have it intercepted.
Oakland not only choked like Buffalo, but they ALSO have been defeated by their opponent 12 times in a row. The hell is THAT about?!
Side(line) Notes - haha!
Some other notes about the weekend/weekday...
Donovan McNabb got injured, which, to be honest, is no surprise to me. He is one of the more fragile quarterbacks; as good as he is and as much as I would pick McNabb over a lot of quarterbacks.
In response, the Philadelphia Eagles quickly sign Jeff Garcia and try to make roster space for him. Garcia knows the offense, having been in Philadelphia before and his last time with the Eagles, he led them to the playoffs. So it would be a good move to have him around.
Just to note though, there's another guy who, by Week 3, could play a little bit, and his name is Mike Vick. However, the choice to sign Garcia clearly states that the Eagles are not ready to have Vick play - I don't blame them after his unsatisfying performaces in the preseason, and the fact that he does need re-adjustment time to the NFL.
But if Vick could play for the Eagles, and actually be successful with them, that would be a pretty nice comeback story for the ages. I believe that regardless of other people's opinions about that...
...Props to the Green Bay Packers though for the comeback win. I couldn't write about it (Come on now! I already did four games and I'm only human!), but that was a REALLY fun game to watch. As for the Bears; step your game up. In fact, all these teams playing and choking - step your game up!..
... And of course, congrats to Juan Martin del Potro on his first US Open win, and on defeating the guy who won the last 5 US Opens... I think his name is something like Roger Federer. You might have heard of him. It is an amazing accomplishment for del Potro - just too bad it competed with Monday Night Football on my end.
... Finally, Mark Sanchez played pretty well Sunday. The End (watch ESPN for the rest of that, they'll be all up on the Sanchez coverage, trust me).
*RIP Patrick Swayze... To Wong Foo (Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar) - most underrated movie ever - sooo funny.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
I Fell in Love With A Volleyball Match
Yesterday, I had the privilege of covering one of the most exciting games in American University Volleyball history. That event was volleyball coach Barry Goldberg's 500th career win in a nail-biting 4-set victory.
AU has had an uncharacteristic beginning to their volleyball season, especially after being projected to be #1 in the Patriot League Coaches Poll. They lost their first 5 games, won last Saturday at Portland for their first win, and then lost again last night to Yale. Before this game, the Eagles were only 1-6.
For those who don't know, I am a student broadcaster for American University, covering AU sports on Eagle Vision TV. The Eagles were to play the NJIT (New Jersey Institute of Technology) Highlanders at 1pm; which meant that I needed to be there just before noon.
I wasn't feeling good about the day already (my swag was off and I was REALLY tired). Then, I started thinking that my statistics and research are not good enough for the pre-game segment of the broadcast, I tried to get myself at least in some kind of focus to be ready to cover the match.
Once I had finally gotten comfortable with my pre-game analysis of the Eagles, my partner, Rachel DeMita, and I sat down and watched the game, looking for things to note in our appearances during break and our possible post-game segments.
The game was somewhat entertaining; however, with my frustration at the team's poor early season performance and the fact that AU couldn't maintain a lead in a set, I wasn't as invested into the game as I normally would. Not to mention, nobody but parents were at this 1 o'clock volleyball match where the head coach could be a part of history.
And then the 4th set came around with AU leading 2 sets to 1 after winning the last set. It was a very close set, seeing multiple lead changes and while AU seemed to have the upper hand in some parts of the 4th set, NJIT would come back into the game.
With the trouble AU has had all season with closing out sets, Rachel and I were quite nervous for the team. At this point, we started to realize that the Eagles were very close to winning.
The Eagles nearing in on the 25th and final point of set #4 was not only signs of a possible win, but then that Rachel and I would cover the historic event the AU community had been waiting for all this season - coach Goldberg's 500th win.
AU finally had reached the 24th point, and the Eagles were looking to get just one more point to win the set and the match. However, it would not be easy, as NJIT tied the set at 24 points apiece - just as Rachel had predicted.
When a set is tied at 24 points in women's college volleyball, in order for a team to get the final 25th set-winning point, there needs to be a tie-breaker, like there is in tennis in a deuce situation - one team needs two more consecutive points to win the set. Nonetheless, AU served, won the first tie-breaker point, and then Sophomore Angelina Waterman spiked the ball on NJIT's side of the net for the game-winning kill.
During the last 4 points, I found myself standing up, ready with my notes to head down to the court after the match was over to handle the interview with coach Goldberg and if need be, a player. When Waterman spiked the ball though, I lost all objectivity when I leaped in the air and yelled, "Yes!" and ran down the stairs to the court. Needless to say, I would have been pretty blown had AU played one more set.
Yeah, I know, I won't do that when I go pro in broadcast, but come on - your school's volleyball team just won an extremely close match, and the win brings about a historic occurrence, and you're covering the game.
I just thought it was a pretty cool experience, considering that I could possibly be covering pro games of that nature in the future. I certainly hope that AU wins some more games though to give me more fun games to analyze.
AU has had an uncharacteristic beginning to their volleyball season, especially after being projected to be #1 in the Patriot League Coaches Poll. They lost their first 5 games, won last Saturday at Portland for their first win, and then lost again last night to Yale. Before this game, the Eagles were only 1-6.
For those who don't know, I am a student broadcaster for American University, covering AU sports on Eagle Vision TV. The Eagles were to play the NJIT (New Jersey Institute of Technology) Highlanders at 1pm; which meant that I needed to be there just before noon.
I wasn't feeling good about the day already (my swag was off and I was REALLY tired). Then, I started thinking that my statistics and research are not good enough for the pre-game segment of the broadcast, I tried to get myself at least in some kind of focus to be ready to cover the match.
Once I had finally gotten comfortable with my pre-game analysis of the Eagles, my partner, Rachel DeMita, and I sat down and watched the game, looking for things to note in our appearances during break and our possible post-game segments.
The game was somewhat entertaining; however, with my frustration at the team's poor early season performance and the fact that AU couldn't maintain a lead in a set, I wasn't as invested into the game as I normally would. Not to mention, nobody but parents were at this 1 o'clock volleyball match where the head coach could be a part of history.
And then the 4th set came around with AU leading 2 sets to 1 after winning the last set. It was a very close set, seeing multiple lead changes and while AU seemed to have the upper hand in some parts of the 4th set, NJIT would come back into the game.
With the trouble AU has had all season with closing out sets, Rachel and I were quite nervous for the team. At this point, we started to realize that the Eagles were very close to winning.
The Eagles nearing in on the 25th and final point of set #4 was not only signs of a possible win, but then that Rachel and I would cover the historic event the AU community had been waiting for all this season - coach Goldberg's 500th win.
AU finally had reached the 24th point, and the Eagles were looking to get just one more point to win the set and the match. However, it would not be easy, as NJIT tied the set at 24 points apiece - just as Rachel had predicted.
When a set is tied at 24 points in women's college volleyball, in order for a team to get the final 25th set-winning point, there needs to be a tie-breaker, like there is in tennis in a deuce situation - one team needs two more consecutive points to win the set. Nonetheless, AU served, won the first tie-breaker point, and then Sophomore Angelina Waterman spiked the ball on NJIT's side of the net for the game-winning kill.
During the last 4 points, I found myself standing up, ready with my notes to head down to the court after the match was over to handle the interview with coach Goldberg and if need be, a player. When Waterman spiked the ball though, I lost all objectivity when I leaped in the air and yelled, "Yes!" and ran down the stairs to the court. Needless to say, I would have been pretty blown had AU played one more set.
Yeah, I know, I won't do that when I go pro in broadcast, but come on - your school's volleyball team just won an extremely close match, and the win brings about a historic occurrence, and you're covering the game.
I just thought it was a pretty cool experience, considering that I could possibly be covering pro games of that nature in the future. I certainly hope that AU wins some more games though to give me more fun games to analyze.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
NHL or the Olympics? And Opening Night for the NFL!
NHL superstar Alexander Ovechkin made a profound statement Wednesday to ESPN.com about going to the Olympics: "I don't care... I'll go play in the Olympic Games for my country. If somebody says to me, 'You can't play,' see ya."
The skilled Washington Capitals winger is referring to the NHL's proposal to suspend players for going to play for their respective countries in the 2014 Olympics, which will be in Sochi, Russia in order to discourage NHL players from interrupting their seasons with the NHL to go to the Olympics.
One reason many owners and NHL exceutives are concerned about their players and the possibility of injuries that affect their playing status when they return to the League. The risk of injury in the Olympics is possible and it has occurred before.
The most recent and crucial injury suffered in the Olympics by an NHL player was former goaltender Dominik Hasek when he was with the Senators. Of course, as NHL followers know, Hasek never really recovered from that injury and the goaltending duties were eventually handed to Ray Emery, while Hasek left the team and retired.
However, major injuries from the Olympics are not common, and players often come back and after a game or two get back to regular season action. As for Alex Ovechkin, tough as he is, he would probably come back to the Capitals first game back.
The other concern is the break that the NHL takes in the middle of the season. Games are stopped for about two weeks in February for the Winter Olympics and teams are concerned about the mindset of teams after that break. Also of course, is the concern over time lost in gaining money from games.
But if players, especially at the caliber and celebrity status of Alex Ovechkin, want to play for their country, and make statements like Ovechkin did, it would not be wise for the NHL to go through with suspending players for wanting to represent their country of origin. Considering the next Olympics take place in Russia, and the number of players that are originally from there, it would be a BAD look for the NHL to do that.
If the NHL were to seriously suspend or discourage players in anyway for wanting to win their country a medal in 2014, I see it happening like this: Alex Ovechkin could very well go ahead and play in the Olympics. The NHL will suspend him, along with a couple of other players. What happens then is that not only do fans get angry, but players get angry. It's also a possiblity that other leagues will take note, and all those international players the NHL get will transfer to those leagues for more personal freedom.
Therefore, the NHL needs to be smart about this one. Do they really want to lose fans and players over a couple of weeks in the season? The NHL already suffers from poor decisions made by executives and the commisioner Gary Bettman. They do not like to focus on the correct way to make business. But if they want to remain a league, they will have to refrain from suspending players for being patriotic. You don't want Ovie to ruin you. The loss from suspension is greater than the gain.
Note to NHL: get it together.
Notes...
NFL Opening Night
Today was the opening day for NFL football. I was very excited to come back from a long hard day and a fire drill to kick back and watch some football.
It turned out to be a really exciting game. The Pittsburgh Steelers seemed to have the upper-hand most of the time, with the Tennesee Titans showing up on bursts of energy and skillful performance. And despite the fact that it was low-scoring all night, there was much intensity and aggresiveness from both teams - remained action-packed. The only thing is, that it's games like this where you wish that they could play more overtime instead of the anti-climactic first possession ender on a field goal.
What I'm concerned about though is this Madden Curse that is oh-so true... Troy Pololamlu... And you want to tell me that him being out 3-6 weeks possibly has nothing to do with being on the cover of Madden 10? Those who don't believe in it are in denial...
Now for Sunday, I'm going to go out and enjoy a full-fledged day of football, and watch my team, the Cowboys, play :)
Still not the Hamilton Coyotes?
Jim Ballsillie (I saw someone joke around and call it Balls-silly - which made my day).... I'm getting REALLY tired of seeing text after text every day from my NHL notifications that tell me the NHL has denied the Phoenix Coyotes from moving to Hamilton, Ontario.
My issue is that WHO CARES ABOUT THE COYOTES?! For real though? Who does!? People are not really fighting to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix, so why not make more money with the team and move them to a market that ACTUALLY CARES about a hockey team? Try again in Phoenix when the NHL is a major sport again. This may be continued at a later date.
The Caps' starting goalie is...
And finally, I'm happy to see Simeon Varlamov loving Arturs Irbe, his new goalie coach, and his new mask. Although coach Bruce Boudreau has stated that Jose Theodore is the official starter, he also claims that if Varlamov ends up playing better than Theodore, then he could very well then be the starter over Theodore at a later date. I'm pulling for Varly, but whoever starts needs to get my hockey team to a Stanley Cup!
The skilled Washington Capitals winger is referring to the NHL's proposal to suspend players for going to play for their respective countries in the 2014 Olympics, which will be in Sochi, Russia in order to discourage NHL players from interrupting their seasons with the NHL to go to the Olympics.
One reason many owners and NHL exceutives are concerned about their players and the possibility of injuries that affect their playing status when they return to the League. The risk of injury in the Olympics is possible and it has occurred before.
The most recent and crucial injury suffered in the Olympics by an NHL player was former goaltender Dominik Hasek when he was with the Senators. Of course, as NHL followers know, Hasek never really recovered from that injury and the goaltending duties were eventually handed to Ray Emery, while Hasek left the team and retired.
However, major injuries from the Olympics are not common, and players often come back and after a game or two get back to regular season action. As for Alex Ovechkin, tough as he is, he would probably come back to the Capitals first game back.
The other concern is the break that the NHL takes in the middle of the season. Games are stopped for about two weeks in February for the Winter Olympics and teams are concerned about the mindset of teams after that break. Also of course, is the concern over time lost in gaining money from games.
But if players, especially at the caliber and celebrity status of Alex Ovechkin, want to play for their country, and make statements like Ovechkin did, it would not be wise for the NHL to go through with suspending players for wanting to represent their country of origin. Considering the next Olympics take place in Russia, and the number of players that are originally from there, it would be a BAD look for the NHL to do that.
If the NHL were to seriously suspend or discourage players in anyway for wanting to win their country a medal in 2014, I see it happening like this: Alex Ovechkin could very well go ahead and play in the Olympics. The NHL will suspend him, along with a couple of other players. What happens then is that not only do fans get angry, but players get angry. It's also a possiblity that other leagues will take note, and all those international players the NHL get will transfer to those leagues for more personal freedom.
Therefore, the NHL needs to be smart about this one. Do they really want to lose fans and players over a couple of weeks in the season? The NHL already suffers from poor decisions made by executives and the commisioner Gary Bettman. They do not like to focus on the correct way to make business. But if they want to remain a league, they will have to refrain from suspending players for being patriotic. You don't want Ovie to ruin you. The loss from suspension is greater than the gain.
Note to NHL: get it together.
Notes...
NFL Opening Night
Today was the opening day for NFL football. I was very excited to come back from a long hard day and a fire drill to kick back and watch some football.
It turned out to be a really exciting game. The Pittsburgh Steelers seemed to have the upper-hand most of the time, with the Tennesee Titans showing up on bursts of energy and skillful performance. And despite the fact that it was low-scoring all night, there was much intensity and aggresiveness from both teams - remained action-packed. The only thing is, that it's games like this where you wish that they could play more overtime instead of the anti-climactic first possession ender on a field goal.
What I'm concerned about though is this Madden Curse that is oh-so true... Troy Pololamlu... And you want to tell me that him being out 3-6 weeks possibly has nothing to do with being on the cover of Madden 10? Those who don't believe in it are in denial...
Now for Sunday, I'm going to go out and enjoy a full-fledged day of football, and watch my team, the Cowboys, play :)
Still not the Hamilton Coyotes?
Jim Ballsillie (I saw someone joke around and call it Balls-silly - which made my day).... I'm getting REALLY tired of seeing text after text every day from my NHL notifications that tell me the NHL has denied the Phoenix Coyotes from moving to Hamilton, Ontario.
My issue is that WHO CARES ABOUT THE COYOTES?! For real though? Who does!? People are not really fighting to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix, so why not make more money with the team and move them to a market that ACTUALLY CARES about a hockey team? Try again in Phoenix when the NHL is a major sport again. This may be continued at a later date.
The Caps' starting goalie is...
And finally, I'm happy to see Simeon Varlamov loving Arturs Irbe, his new goalie coach, and his new mask. Although coach Bruce Boudreau has stated that Jose Theodore is the official starter, he also claims that if Varlamov ends up playing better than Theodore, then he could very well then be the starter over Theodore at a later date. I'm pulling for Varly, but whoever starts needs to get my hockey team to a Stanley Cup!
FOOTBALL TOMORROW!!!!!!
OK, so I can't even pretend anymore - as much as I basically hate my Thursdays because of my schedule, I MUST be excited for tomorrow's opening NFL games.
Usually, Thursdays are my worst days. Yeah, I may be able to wake up at noon if I wish because I don't have my first class until 2:10pm, but after that, I'm stuck in classes until 8:00pm. My weeks always end up being extremely busy all the way through regardless of what day it is, but Thursday's are NO fun... until tomorrow!
In one of my earlier posts, I expressed excitement at the beginning of the NFL preseason... Yes - the preseason. But now tomorrow is the real deal, the regular season. I feel like a celebration should occur because it just seems like we should actually get the day off... but that's another issue.
I am curious to see how long Brady Quinn is the definite starter for the Browns and if he really is the starter, then how well he does after sitting for a minute. I want to see my Cowboys surprise me and actually have a productive offense without T.O... And I wonder - does that random guy at the AU women's soccer game right? Could the Bills beat the Patriots?
So I figure that maybe, possibly, after my crazy busy day tomorrow, I'll find my crew and hit up somewhere and catch the opening Titans and the Steelers game - hopefully with that guy I went out with on Monday to watch the Miami and Florida St. game. If I'm this excited for NFL season, just wait till October 1st when the Caps play the Bruins on national television...
...
And on a side note, congrats to Derek Jeter for tying Lou Gehrig's record for the most hits as a Yankee, which he's surely going to surpass. Yea, yea, he's on the Yankees. So I can't give him TOO much congratulations, but it is a great feat nonetheless.
Usually, Thursdays are my worst days. Yeah, I may be able to wake up at noon if I wish because I don't have my first class until 2:10pm, but after that, I'm stuck in classes until 8:00pm. My weeks always end up being extremely busy all the way through regardless of what day it is, but Thursday's are NO fun... until tomorrow!
In one of my earlier posts, I expressed excitement at the beginning of the NFL preseason... Yes - the preseason. But now tomorrow is the real deal, the regular season. I feel like a celebration should occur because it just seems like we should actually get the day off... but that's another issue.
I am curious to see how long Brady Quinn is the definite starter for the Browns and if he really is the starter, then how well he does after sitting for a minute. I want to see my Cowboys surprise me and actually have a productive offense without T.O... And I wonder - does that random guy at the AU women's soccer game right? Could the Bills beat the Patriots?
So I figure that maybe, possibly, after my crazy busy day tomorrow, I'll find my crew and hit up somewhere and catch the opening Titans and the Steelers game - hopefully with that guy I went out with on Monday to watch the Miami and Florida St. game. If I'm this excited for NFL season, just wait till October 1st when the Caps play the Bruins on national television...
...
And on a side note, congrats to Derek Jeter for tying Lou Gehrig's record for the most hits as a Yankee, which he's surely going to surpass. Yea, yea, he's on the Yankees. So I can't give him TOO much congratulations, but it is a great feat nonetheless.
Sunday, September 06, 2009
I Actually Had to Go to Hooters!
I doubt that most people went through what I did the past couple weeks to the point where they felt that it was imperative that they went to a bar to watch a game.
As I've mentioned before, I have had no laptop for a couple of weeks because the one I had crashed. As if that already didn't drive me crazy, I also have been running around without any television. And my phone (as usual) was being crappy and really didn't want to work even more in these past few weeks. So not only was my contact with the world limited, but I was unable to even think about much without having watched a game or received game results and sports news fast enough to have a relevant post.
The latter statement was the most pressing issue of my recent days - I haven't watched sports for DAYS, much less the news or Law & Order: SVU in that same period of time. And being the sports fanatic that I am, reading a couple of stories on a few teams and looking for various scores in the newspaper doesn't quite do it for me...
Well, I woke up today not only excited that I have an extra day this weekend to party, sleep late, and procrastinate work, but it was also the actual first day of the college football season! I figured that I'd take advantage of the fact that tonight I had the opportunity to go out for dinner with my friend, Anthony, in China Town in Washington, DC. We got to the Ruby Tuesdays there and I asked the host lady if we could have a seat by a TV. Of course though, my request was denied as there were no seats by TVs and the bar was full (they weren't even showing any games). So I thought whatever and moved on. The purpose of this dinner anyway was to catch up with Anthony about our summer stories.
The night was still young after we finished eating at Ruby Tuesdays, so we decided to walk around China Town a bit and continue to tell stories. While we were deciding in which direction to continue walking, something came over me where, again, I realized that today was the first day of college football, and I exclaimed, "Anthony! Let's go to Hooters! It's down that way!" Heading that direction, we finally reach Hooters and we walk in - it was live! It was really busy, and so many games were on every television in there! And lucky me, we got a table next to the TV.
Alabama vs. Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, USA vs. El Salvador, and probably one more game I couldn't see... I felt like as if I had been in withdrawal, with an overwhelming happiness with all of these games on at once and watching every single one of them. I even ordered wings and coke to fully enjoy my experience! It was totally worth the randomness and walking in my uncomfortable heels all the way down to Hooters just to recapture the feeling of watching sports (and watching television all together). And needless to say, Anthony didn't complain about going to Hooters.
Most probably think I'm nuts for having a desire to go to Hooters to catch some sports (and eat some more because I'm a fat ass). But I don't care - I couldn't go today without having seen one game, whether it was football or futbol (already missed Brazil beat Argentina 3-1 at that point). If you loved sports like I do you'd do whatever it took to watch it too.
Notes...
I finally have a laptop top now, and I should be getting my television cable soon enough, although I'm still trying to configure the internet for my Mac and it's not going through so successfully. Nonetheless, I should be back to regular action very soon.
Shout out to Anthony - thanks for letting me "drag" you into Hooters to watch games and the night out and also one to our waitress, Nikki... dying about southern mothers, shoes, hair, and haters... only in DC...
Thursday, September 03, 2009
NEW POST! Tired of Being Red Lined by Microsoft Word?
Ever just wished that Microsoft Word would just accept some words and move on?
Well, I've been having a particular issue with Word for quite some time now with this one word. Maybe I'm the one making the mistake: I'm probably spelling the word wrong, I'm adding an "s" to it when there doesn't need to be one,or it's probably not even a real word. Nonetheless, the word has been giving me a headache, and it just was reaffirmed today, September 9th, 2009...
Offsides.
I'm writing a game report on yesterday's women's soccer match between the American University Eagles and the Richmond Spiders for my Sportswriting class. I'm stating how the Eagles won 1-0 to improve to 3-1 on the season - a significant improvement from last seasons team and giving the facts from the game. Then I try to describe how the Spiders were called for "offsides multiple times..."
...And then came the red line.
Really, Word? Really!!? Is that how you feel? After all these years and you still pull that nonsense? I remember being really young; probably around 11 or something, and using Microsoft Word back then to write about hockey games. The Caps would need to fix constant whistles for being "offisides," and then I get the red line! I'd try it again every year, and I just added it into the dictionary because I got so sick of the foolishness that Word would try to pull on my work.
So here's the question: Am I doing something wrong? Is "offsides" supposed to be "offside" or "off-sides?" I really don't know. And it's a shame to admit as someone who has written about sports their whole lives, has been a die-hard hockey fan for so long, and has career plans to be a sports journalist/personality. But I really need to know whether A.) "Offsides" is just going to be an unaccepted word by Microsoft Word or not, and if B.) Am I just blatantly spelling "offsides" wrong?
And of course, I must express anger at Microsoft Word for even causing me to question my writing and my spelling skills.
Word, get it together.
...On a side note, I have not had a laptop for about 2 weeks, so I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I know, I know, I'm slacking on my game here, and I know everyone can think of ways I could have kept it up, but time constraints to affect people, and it's not easy to post when you have no personal computer after a long day of classes, work, and then the occasional American Eagles sports broadcast on Eagle Vision TV (http://aueagles.tv/)... actually, on that link you can archive it and see my broadcasts! I do studio analysis every game and it's quite fun. Oh, but if you don't want to pay to see the Eagles (or watch me broadcast), you can ask me to put a link of my copy of the game and I will be glad to let the world see my work!
And I have to say, I feel for those Redskins fans being sued by the Skins for wanting to pull out of their contracts. As much as I hate the Redskins football team, it sucks for regular everyday people to be sued by a large corporation or organization. The picture on the front of the Washington Post by the way was great photo journalism I have to say.
I'll try to be more regular again, but hope you enjoyed and welcome back! Take part in the new poll too!
Well, I've been having a particular issue with Word for quite some time now with this one word. Maybe I'm the one making the mistake: I'm probably spelling the word wrong, I'm adding an "s" to it when there doesn't need to be one,or it's probably not even a real word. Nonetheless, the word has been giving me a headache, and it just was reaffirmed today, September 9th, 2009...
Offsides.
I'm writing a game report on yesterday's women's soccer match between the American University Eagles and the Richmond Spiders for my Sportswriting class. I'm stating how the Eagles won 1-0 to improve to 3-1 on the season - a significant improvement from last seasons team and giving the facts from the game. Then I try to describe how the Spiders were called for "offsides multiple times..."
...And then came the red line.
Really, Word? Really!!? Is that how you feel? After all these years and you still pull that nonsense? I remember being really young; probably around 11 or something, and using Microsoft Word back then to write about hockey games. The Caps would need to fix constant whistles for being "offisides," and then I get the red line! I'd try it again every year, and I just added it into the dictionary because I got so sick of the foolishness that Word would try to pull on my work.
So here's the question: Am I doing something wrong? Is "offsides" supposed to be "offside" or "off-sides?" I really don't know. And it's a shame to admit as someone who has written about sports their whole lives, has been a die-hard hockey fan for so long, and has career plans to be a sports journalist/personality. But I really need to know whether A.) "Offsides" is just going to be an unaccepted word by Microsoft Word or not, and if B.) Am I just blatantly spelling "offsides" wrong?
And of course, I must express anger at Microsoft Word for even causing me to question my writing and my spelling skills.
Word, get it together.
...On a side note, I have not had a laptop for about 2 weeks, so I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I know, I know, I'm slacking on my game here, and I know everyone can think of ways I could have kept it up, but time constraints to affect people, and it's not easy to post when you have no personal computer after a long day of classes, work, and then the occasional American Eagles sports broadcast on Eagle Vision TV (http://aueagles.tv/)... actually, on that link you can archive it and see my broadcasts! I do studio analysis every game and it's quite fun. Oh, but if you don't want to pay to see the Eagles (or watch me broadcast), you can ask me to put a link of my copy of the game and I will be glad to let the world see my work!
And I have to say, I feel for those Redskins fans being sued by the Skins for wanting to pull out of their contracts. As much as I hate the Redskins football team, it sucks for regular everyday people to be sued by a large corporation or organization. The picture on the front of the Washington Post by the way was great photo journalism I have to say.
I'll try to be more regular again, but hope you enjoyed and welcome back! Take part in the new poll too!
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