Better Late Than Never Trash Talk

/93 Comments/in , /by

Okay, I admit it. I have let down the collective with terminally late Trash Talk. Was probing to see if Disco Bieber Brady showed up. Actually, I just had a hellish week, and when I finally had time to relax and have a beer last night, I just couldn’t bring myself to write anything. Still a little slow this morning. But trash must be talked, so here is an abbreviated post in which to do so.

In an early college game of note, there was talk that Johnny Football may not be able to go today, but early in the 3rd he is already 20 of 27 for 242 yards and 3 TDs. Kid can flat out ball, and man is he a joy to watch. Most fun QB to watch since the ‘Ole Gunslinger Favre. Texas Tech at the Sooners could be pretty interesting, as could UCLA at the Ducks. But UCLA has been exposed, and Autzen Stadium and the Quackers are very inhospitable; look for the Ducks to roll big. The most interesting game I see is South Carolina at the surprisingly solid Missouri Tigers. Mizzou often looks good early in the season, only to fall apart. Maybe not this year though, they seem to have even weathered the loss of star QB James Franklin. South Carolina is pretty solid, and their D-line should provide good pressure for Franklin’s replacement, redshirt Freshman Maty Mauk. Going to jinx Mizzou and pick them for a home win to go to 8-0 on the season.

In the pros, there are several interesting games, but no great ones. Probably the best matchup is Dallas at Deetroit. Romo is hot lately, Kitties strike me as a better overall team; thus it is a pick-em. Giants at Iggles is interesting because someone has to win. Philly is 0 for the last 9 at home, and the Giants still looked like shit even though they beat the Vikings last week. I’ll take Philly with Mike Vick back. Jets an Bengals should also be interesting, and Don’t think the Fish can swim in Foxborough. Skins may actually have a shot against the suddenly mortal Broncs. Ow, wait, it is at Mile High, so maybe not.

The world Series resumes today, with three games in a row in St. Louis. Much as I hate to say it, I think the Sawx may be in trouble. the Cardinal’s pitching just lines up way better the rest of the way, and not having the DH is a lot harder on Boston than it is St. Louis.

In other news, the guy who refused to shave until the Vikings won a Super Bowl has died with an extremely long beard.

93 replies
  1. Peterr says:

    I figured it was late because you were in mourning over this:

    Brett Favre is not returning to the NFL. But the Rams tried.

    Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that after the Rams lost quarterback Sam Bradford to a season-ending knee injury on Sunday, the team contacted Favre to see if he was interested in coming out of retirement (again). Favre, however, told the Rams that he’s not interested.

    *passing bmaz a box of tissues and a beer*

    You’ll get over it.

  4. JohnT says:

    @Peterr:

    I figured it was the innate Cheesehead fear of the awesomeness of Christian Ponder ;-)

    The Trees better not fall asleep on Oregon State

    It seems strange to say that the nation’s leading passer and leading receiver are going largely unnoticed, but that’s exactly what’s happening with Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion and wideout Brandin Cooks. The Beavers enter Saturday’s matchup with Stanford unranked in the AP Poll despite riding a six-game winning streak and boasting the country’s most prolific passing tandem through eight weeks.

    http://college-football.si.com/2013/10/24/weekly-spotlight-sean-mannion-brandin-cooks/

    And when it comes to athletic contracts – Steve Young FTW

    http://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/entertainment-articles/steve-young-is-still-earning-millions-off-his-usfl-contract-from-1984/

  5. phred says:

    Oh ye of little faith bmaz… I thought the Sox were toast to the Tigers when they nearly ended up on the wrong side of a no hitter in Fenway. Having been proven wrong on that prediction, I am not prepared to write off the Red Sox just yet. Had it not been for an unfortunate outing in relief the sock would be on the other foot, as it were. Go Sox!

    And speaking of no love for a team… not even a mention of the Sunday night game??? I’ll admit, I’m no fan of the Metrodome, but holy Cheez Whiz Batman, not even a nod to the green and gold??? And you call yourself a Packer fan. Harumpphhh.

  11. scribe says:

    @Phoenix Woman: Teams keep pulling that crap and you’ll soon see King Roger the Clown having a lottery, maybe weighted like the NBA, for the top draft pick. Or maybe just rig it like the NHL did when Sid the Kid was needed to save the Penguins franchise.

    Now, I don’t wanna be a party pooper or anything but tell me, BMAz, why you’ve made no mention at all of the motion picture epic on SyFy tonight: Zombie Apocalypse. After giving us Sharktopus and Sharknado, they’ve done it again.

    For some reason, these zombies can hear really well so the folks have to use bows and arrows and walk.

  13. Peterr says:

    In the Beautiful Game, which bmaz persists in ignoring, Sporting KC has taken the lead for the Supporters Cup — the best regular season record — in the MLS. The NY Energy Drinks have their last game tomorrow, and have to win to pass Sporting KC.

    The stakes are simple: the winner of the Supporters Cup gets a berth in next year’s CONCACAF Champions League.

  15. Peterr says:

    @bmaz: Silly bmaz.

    Pele et al. are beautiful, no matter what they are wearing.

    No armor required or allowed, nor weapons to be swung, nor any metal cages wrapped around the players, nor any motors to accelerate things.

    Just the beauty of the game.

  16. Peterr says:

    But speaking of the Beautiful Game, the French participants thereof are not happy at all with the new tax laws there.

    Be prepared to hear every rightwinger start blathering about soccer players they’ve never heard of or couldn’t give a damn about for any other reason.

  17. Peterr says:

    As I’m sitting here, The Kid is practicing his trombone. “Hey dad, here’s the new song we’re supposed to play . . .”

    Hail to the Victors.

    Two thoughts:

    (1) I strongly suspect that there’s a Wolvereenie plot afoot in the community of band instructors.

    (2) The Fighting Journalist in me is looking for a trombone arrangement of “Go U Northwestern” but I don’t think his teacher will accept that as an alternative.

  22. bmaz says:

    Well, how many times can you say the field goal holder lost the game for you?

    Missouri can honestly say that tonight. Wow. Pretty sad. #LacesOut

  26. bmaz says:

    @CTuttle: The rule gives umpire discretion; now way it should have been exercised that way in that situation.

    Also, both Stanford and Fresno St. in a lot closer games than they should be.

  27. scribe says:

    The ghosts of those bearded ballplayers of the pre-Bambino era are offended by the Sawx’ 21st century ironic take, goofing on their facial hair.

    This Yankee fan smiles.

  29. emptywheel says:

    @Peterr: How many schools have both great music schools and well-celebrated bands?

    Thus, it was inevitable.

    One of my very good friends got her PhD in composition at UM’s music school. And even she, whose style has nothing in common with band music, has had to compose some occasionally.

  30. Bay State Librul says:

    We are in DC for the Marine marathon. Our two daughters are running, I’m in the rooting section

  32. GulfCoastPirate says:

    @bmaz: What does it say when two perennial middle of the road teams in the Big XII can go into the SEC and become big name players in the standings? I still say the SEC is way overrated. After Alabama their teams simply aren’t that good.

  35. phred says:

    @bmaz: Ha ha ; ) Hopefully things will go better for the Pack and the BoSox tonight, than they went for the Sox last night. That was a ridiculous call at third.

  36. phred says:

    @GulfCoastPirate: Ummm, first, Middlebrooks was on the ground because the runner knocked him down. Second, the runner had a clear path to home, had he stayed in the freaking base path, but instead the runner headed towards the grass over Middlebrooks. Third, as one might imagine, Middlebrooks was trying to get up to get back in the game, which is not obstruction.

    Which would then result in a called out at home, a tied game, and extra innings. That’s how else it could have been called.

  38. Jim White says:

    @scribe: @emptywheel: And in the WTF department of music schools, the marching band director at Tennessee (with the ironic last name of Sousa, no less!) committed the heresy of attacking the athletic department for cutting back on marching band time during home halftime shows in favor of recorded music bits. He was promptly fired. Even though he was a tenured faculty member. My wife happened to be there at the time this went down and many of the faculty folks (from other departments) she was around during her visit could discuss nothing else.

  39. scribe says:

    ESPN reminds us this is the first World Series game to end on an error – last night’s obstruction being scored E-5 – since a ball went through Bill Buckner’s wickets in the friendly confines of Old Shea and cub reporter Bob Costas got to watch the workers hurriedly carry off the trophy, disassemble the World Series Championship podium and remove the champagne-proofing in the Sawx’ locker room.

  40. scribe says:

    @scribe: This Yankee fan smiles, but might as easily have written “since a ball rolled languidly through Bill Buckner’s wickets, all of New England transfixed in horror, …”

  42. scribe says:

    @Jim White: When football is involved, all rules move aside of their own accord. I was once in the room when the decision was taken to remove the newly-hired college president of a small Eastern college, who’d been found after a 2-year search, for announcing football was superfluous to the educational mission.

    And making the decision took less time than did writing this comment.

  43. phred says:

    @scribe: The difference being that the error last night was on the ump rather than the player.

    Not that my opinion counts for anything in this world, whether on legal issues or sports calls… Still, kvetching is its own sort of sport and brings one solace in dark times ; )

  44. scribe says:

    @rosalind: I’m waiting for the video of veteran ballplayers telling Puig he enjoys playing this game too much and he needs to pipe it down.

    I don’t really like his on-field celebration – it offends the unwritten rules – and expect him to be plunked in the future over it, but he is serving the useful purpose of reminding us this is a game, is supposed to be fun, and the players should be having fun.

    That said, by doing this Puig will sell a lot of kids on wanting Dodgers tickets in their Christmas stockings this year.

  45. scribe says:

    @phred: Sorry – the umps got the call right. Intent is not required to be guilty of obstruction. And per Kruk on ESPN this a.m. players are taught to try, when a baserunner in a rundown, to collide with the fielder so as to generate an obstruction call. You might not get it, but you won’t get it if you don’t try.

  49. scribe says:

    @rosalind: I once sat next to some rammy kids and a flustered dad at an Orioles at Phils game. When I’d had enough of the kids, I asked them if they could see #8 playing third. They answered they could. I told them: “watch him. Then, when you’re old like me, you can tell your kids you saw the great Cal Ripken play.”

    Shut ’em right up.

  53. rosalind says:

    headed back from Seattle on my fantabulous train trip (aboard classic rail cars w/Dave Alvin, Peter Case & Chris Smither performing up and back) we passed by the new 49er stadium in progress. looks pretty cool, and it’s right on the tracks so the SF folk will have an easy way to get there & back.

  54. scribe says:

    Biebs & Co. doing another great job of losing. Another INT to someone undercutting a Gronk route.

    Heh.

  58. PJ Evans says:

    @Jim White:
    I’m with the band director: I was in a college marching band one year – they were short-handed) and it was a credit class. The band had three hours of scheduled practice, plus extra time on Saturday, to get everything down.
    Running recorded music at halftime only flies if it’s raining.

  59. PJ Evans says:

    @emptywheel:
    I’d like to know what time it goes through my neighborhood – if it’s daylight, I’d walk down the street and wave at the train. (Wouldn’t be the first time: the private cars get tacked on the end, and they frequently have back porches that people sit on.)

  61. rosalind says:

    @emptywheel: epic. Peter debuted a song he wrote about Pelican Bay & solitary confinement on the way up. I told him about CCR’s lawsuit. Will have to work on getting him and Vince together.

  62. Chetnolian says:

    @quebecois: Why exactly? More interesting than watching cars rush round a pretend island! BTW like him or not Vettel has today reached the ranks of greatness in driving, along with Adrian Newey who is up there with the best ever motor designers.

  63. scribe says:

    Well, the Patsies just pulled off a play.

    They took the lead on their last drive, then the ‘fins started down the field on a nice drive. Field goal as good as a TD for hte ‘fins. The drive stalls and the ‘fins set up for the FG. And the Patsies pull off a block.

    So his teammates will pull Biebs chestnuts out of the fire, it looks like.

  66. scribe says:

    Bubbles smiles, and this Owboys hater laughs derisively at their lame-ass attempt at a hook and ladder with 7 seconds left.

  70. Peterr says:

    And the Chefs keep on cooking. The action may drive you nuts, but they’re churning out the wins. Just don’t look in the kitchen to see how its done.

    They’ve got a bye week coming up, and then head to Peyton Place on the 17th. Sports radio in KC will be quite something for the next 13 days, as those who are on cloud nine because of the defense will be slammed by those who look at the offense and go “How’d they win eight?”

  72. Peterr says:

    @bmaz: That’s for damn sure.

    But a battle between the #1 passing offense and the #3 passing defense should be good. If the Chefs win, it will be because they won this battle.

  73. emptywheel says:

    Adding insult to injury: Miami Center Mike Pouncey gets a GJ subpoena in the Hernandez investigation between the locker room and the team bus.

  79. scribe says:

    @emptywheel: That’s what you get for wearing a “Free Hernandez” hat.

    I’m guessing his brother gets one next week when the Stillers come to Foxboro.

  80. scribe says:

    Wasn’t it last year that King Roger the Clown was going to eliminate the kicking game because it was boring?

  86. JThomason says:

    RIP Lou. Pretty interesting Rock n Roll is your song this week. It is a profound prophetic tune that describes a post-war phenomenon that was sweeping (“Swoop, swoop, baby, rock, rock) and now its rugged sensitive author has journeyed on. You guys are losing my attention with your failure to cover the Vols (win or lose) properly. Peace.

  88. bmaz says:

    @JThomason: Okay, I’ll try. Pretty hard after Tennessee went off the edge of credibility by hiring Lane Kiffin. Dooley not really better. How are they doing this year?

  90. JThomason says:

    @bmaz: The Vols? Well I appreciate your mention of Kiffin and Dooley but we fans prefer not to live in the past, except the good past. The team is yet pushing for a bowl berth. They have top ten rated Mizzou and Auburn in the next couple of weeks. The Tide made it clear the program has a ways to go last weekend. Coach Jones though seems to have gotten good buy in the first year, honored traditions well and is pushing for a top recruiting class in 2014, as in as high as #1 on some services at the moment.

Comments are closed.