Thanksgiving Football

At this time of year I am reminded of a few family traditions. This one especially holds true in my family. Charles Schulz’s A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973), the familiar story is succinctly told by Linus Van Pelt in a Thanksgiving dinner blessing: “In the year 1621, the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast. They invited the great Indian chief Massasoit, who brought ninety of his brave Indians and a great abundance of food. Governor William Bradford and Captain Miles Standish were honored guests. Elder William Brewster, who was a minister, said a prayer that went something like this: ‘We thank God for our homes and our food and our safety in a new land. We thank God for the opportunity to create a new world for freedom and justice.’”

Another tradition that I hold dear to me is the tradition of NFL Football on Thanksgiving Day. I know it is no secret that I am a Cowboys fan and it is also no secret that the Detroit Lions are going through some growing pains right now. Also since 2006 the NFL now includes a third game that is also a good thing and hopefully will be a good thing for our Thanksgiving football tradition.

However, I am disappointed that the NFL would continue to allow ill-prepared teams such as the Buccaneers, Seahawks, Jets, and now the Raiders, to play on the holiday. Yes I understand those are all Cowboys matchups, I know the Lions are not much better or haven't been much better either than any of the four teams mentioned, but the Lions play because it is tradition. Since 2006 the NFL lets the Cowboys play those kinds of turkeys. I am not complaining about the Cowboys winning the last four I just like a little competition. Why couldn't the Chargers be the highlighted game. Isn't that what the NFL wants is ratings? Could it be because we're all watching the games anyways and the only way we'll watch the Lions and whomever and the Cowboys and the any of the last four games is because they are on Thanksgiving?

I don't even want to hear it is because the Cowboys and the Lions have an unfair advantage either because many of their players who have been with those teams for years knows what to expect. If you are paid to do a job you should do the job! Bottom of line just like my family and I watching Charlie Brown you don't mess with tradition so the Lions and Cowboys aren't going anywhere. They will both get their home games.

Just please make it a bit more competitive! The Lions and Browns from the previous Sunday (11/22/09) would have been better than the Lions getting their butts beat in by the Packers. The same with the Raiders, until Al Davis dies or they at least freeze him, don't let him or any other mediocre team without any real tradition play on what should be a great day.

Shouldn't the game be promoted as the game of the year that is the closest thing to the Super Bowl or a playoff without being either of those? Also with the third game being in more of a regular prime time slot. Why wouldn't you want the featured game to be played during that time period? Also the NFL Network is shown in less than half of the homes in America. The NFL got it a decent match-up on paper with the Broncos and Giants, except for that idiot McDaniels swearing and not realizing there are mics and cameras everywhere and the Giants not showing up.

If money and time were not factors in your Thanksgiving dinner we would want the best meal we could possibly buy. So why is that when money and time are a factors plus you actually paid for a ticket to the game you don't demand a better game? You wouldn't stick rotten potatoes with your homemade fresh Tom Turkey would you?

While the NFL continues to give us sour turkey I hope everyone had a good day yesterday of being with their families, watching the games, and being thankful for all that we have. Oh yeah and that 55" TV that Grandpa bought.

Only Three Timeouts!

In the recent era of football there have always been three time outs given to a football team in a half. Since 1999 there have also been three time outs given to pro football or collegiate football team per half. Since Super Bowl XXXIX (39) I have also found there are three time outs per half in the NFL unless you are going into overtime. Apparently Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid forgot how to count or forgot the rules again.

Yesterday the Eagles burned all three time outs in the first half of their game against the Oakland Raiders. With 0:27 to go in the half and the Eagles on the Raiders 15 yard-line the Eagles QB decided to call another time out. This of course was the fourth call for a time out which resulted in a delay of game penalty which resulted in the Eagles being moved back and not putting themselves in better field position to try to tie the game up.

Wasn't it only last year that McNabb had forgotten that NFL games have a ties! I understand playing quarterback is a stressful job, however, so is not having a job in this tough economy and I can guarantee many of them not coaching or playing can keep track of three little time outs.

In my own memory I don't ever remember McNabb suffering from any concussions near as bad as Troy Aikman or Steve Young and both of those guys had quite a few. I also don't remember any of those hall of famers having any counting issues either. Yet, McNabb now in his 11th season still hasn't figured out all of football at least on the surface, although, his coach Andy Reid apparently hasn't either.

To make matters worse the Phillies even scored more points than the Eagles did and they play baseball. Maybe they can show the Eagles a thing or two?

All I can say is they had better figure things out. They play the Washington Redskins next Monday who had some issues of their own losing to the Chiefs. Not only is this a great opportunity to gain some ground with their overall record, but they don't want to fall behind the Cowboys and Giants even further.

Why this guy McNabb continues to get a pass with this organization is beyond me. If McNabb played for the Cowboys, Patriots, or any other big name organization I'm sure he has much more explaining to do. I know he isn't a big distraction like T.O., however, this Time Out distraction has become not just a player distraction but a coaching distraction as well. This might find TO (two) people namely Reid and McNabb finally fired.

Eli Should Have Already Assumed The "Leadership" Role

Last year the New York Giants won the NFC East coming off of a Super Bowl victory with hardly any competition in the division during the regular season. Unfortunately they lost to the Eagles in the divisional round of the playoffs, yet I can't seem to think that something was missing from last year. Could it be there was no leader?

Reportedly Eli Manning says he's ready to assume the leadership role of the New York Giants. "We're going to put more of the onus on him," Giants GM Jerry Reese said. That's great! Although, wasn't he supposed to be doing that already? I understand I can't be too hard on the guy because he won a Super Bowl, but I thought the quarterback was supposed to automatically be the leader of a team!

Manning has thrown for over 3000 yards the last three seasons, has thrown for over 20 touchdowns in that time, and also threw for 200 yards a game in those same three seasons. If you ask me, it sounds like he should have already been the leader on this team! He plays hard enough, the rest of the team follows his lead, and they live or die by the offense because the defense seems to be just fine.

"I think you got a quarterback going into his sixth year and . . . some young receivers," Manning told The Post Tuesday. "It's my job to make sure those guys are on the same page and my job to be a leader and take control of the offense and the passing game.

"As a quarterback you're always going to be a leader, but now I'm one of the older guys on the offense."

I guess really I don't have a beef unless being the leader hurts the play of Eli and the Giants, because right now if you are in New York, there is really no reason to root for fill in the blank and the Jets. However, if these Giants decide to fall I won't cry too hard, that means the Cowboys might have a shot.

No One Realized what "REALLY" Goes Into Free Agency

Today I read something from Steve Aschburner of Sports Illustrated in their Inside the NBA segment. Although I can't take the credit for actually finding this thing, Colin Cowherd was the one who brought it up. However, I am glad that someone finally brought up what I have been saying to my friends for years,
NO ONE WANTS TO PLAY HERE BECAUSE IT IS FREAKIN COLD AND FREAKIN EXPENSIVE!

Now when I say here, I mean Salt Lake City, I currently live here in Utah, enjoy it somewhat, but would like to show why we'll never have free agents come to Utah without continuing to overpay for them.

Now how did we arrive at this well there are a number of things. Steve Aschburner, Sports Illustrated said, "My methodology: I identified a dozen separate categories allowing for both objective and subjective evaluation, among them Climate, Night Life, Tradition, Marketing Potential, Facilities, Local Economy, Lifestyle (schools for kids, diversions for spouses), even Tax Implications. A few were hardcore hoops stuff: Readiness to Win, Teammates, Salary-Cap Space, Coaches. I consulted with statisticians at a local community college to concoct a point system, assigning scores ranging from plus-5 down to minus-5, and then calculated weights for each category, mathematically prioritizing them."

1. Los Angeles (Lakers)
2. Miami
3. Phoenix
4. Houston
5. Orlando
6. Dallas

Now I put Dallas in my top of the list because it is also a big city, warm, lots of stars to go to your games most of them athletes, and because well it's my home town. Even though the Mavericks are worse than the Cubs just because they can't win the big one. At least the Cubs have one in the last 100 years right?

So there must be a point to all of this, well here in Utah we have none of those things. Our true celebrities are playing basketball unless you want to consider Ralph Becker a celebrity. Although, newscasters, sportscasters, broadcasters, and anyone that is in our state's public eye comes in at an almost celebrity. We don't have a night life unless you want to consider hanging out at the Gateway Mall, but I guess you could go up to Park City for a laugh or two. It's only too bad you have to go a mile up to get any decent entertainment around here for athletes. Sales Tax for food Utah is 3% in Texas it is 0%. For restaurant food it is 7.85% and on everything else it is 6.85%.
In Oregon unlike here in Utah it is 0%! Holy Cow, even the Blazers have that leg up on us.

In these other cities mentioned it is warm pretty much all the time, in Utah not so much I mean this past winter is practically extending into this Summer just because it has rained here more than it has in Oregon for goodness sakes. Who wouldn't want to play in Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Los Angeles, and even Dallas or Houston. Especially if you have aging veterans they like it warm too, John Stockton of course is the exception, but I got to believe they kept that locker room like 180 degrees to keep him and Karl Malone warm for all those years. Just think if Jerry West had to play in Minnesota it would be the NBA logo with a fur coat and an Elmer Fudd hat all brought to you by Thermaflu.

Then let's not forget the state income tax, ours is 5%, in Florida there is none, now yes I know it is more in California, but Florida is a much nicer area. So Florida if you were to do an overall best place to play Florida is probably it.

Finally, Utah has odd laws regarding the consumption of alcohol. Now of course being a member of the predominant religion here in Utah of course I don't really care what the rates, costs, etc. on booze really is. However, maybe we should consider changing them a bit with stiffer penalties for for drunkenness. If laws are violated i.e. drunk driving then let them suffer the consequences ten-fold. If a person, celebrity, or athlete wants to drink stronger wine, beer, vodka, or whatever, then let them. There isn't any problem with this anywhere else. Another thing against any athletes better than the ones we have playing here.

Now the Miller Family is a great family who has put their hearts and souls into this Utah franchise. They have had and continue to have a great coach in Jerry Sloan, they have a good flagship station for the Jazz games, and they have a good fan base. It is an overall great organization with the President and Vice-President of the team down to the people who bring us nachos. We just need to change a few things here in our state in order to possibly get some of these bigger named free agents out here. The Utah Jazz are a big part of our economy, they employ a ton of people, they are our major league source of entertainment. So if that is the case why not change things a bit? It might help them stay here for another 30 years like are just recently retired voice of the Jazz, Hot Rod Hundley.

Yet, today heard on "Locked on Sports" on 1320 KFAN the Jazz were able to keep Carlos Boozer, Memo Okur, and Kyle Korver. This is definitely an enigma of epic proportions if you ask me. This put the Jazz in the hole as was said by Randy Rigby on that same program. Not only are they past the luxury tax threshold but at right around 73 million with everyone still being here says the Deseret News, but no chance at landing someone who could help improve this team. Let's just hope it was all worth it for the 2009-10 season. By the way Utah landed 24 on this list of Aschburner's which is about right for them, if you were dying to know.

Mo's Gotten Better With Age While the Mets Struggle

The Yankees just swept the Mets and to be quite honest the Mets are more like their ailing CITI Bank sponsors and they're going no where fast. I didn't catch much of this game because I had more important things to do like eat dinner with the family. We had lasagna, but there is no doubt about it Mariano Rivera is the best closer of all-time.

He already has 17 saves this season, had 39 last year, and oh yeah just got number 500 for his career against these same lowly Mets. He also had his first career RBI. To add insult to injury the RBI came against K-Rod the 3 year, 37 million dollar man who last season as an Angel set an MLB record for saves in a season with 62. You know if the Mets wanted to walk the pitcher with the bases loaded Jerry Manuel should have pitched himself. Could have
saved K-Rod for the Brewers tomorrow night.

Yankee manager Joe Girardi called on his ace closer to finish off the 8th and as Rivera had done so many times before come into save the game in the 9th. Just like he had done on May 17, 1996 in which his current teammate Andy Pettite got the win and Rivera recorded his first save. Derek Jeter and then teammate now manager Girardi had a pair of hits with an RBI in that game on route to winning the World Series. Who would have thought 500 saves later it would have come against the Mets.

Congratulations to Rivera and the Yankees for getting the win and of course number 500. Only Milwaukee's Trevor Hoffman has more saves with 571 and the only other player in league history with at least 500 saves. Oh and if anyone cares the Boston Red Sox lost to the Braves which puts the Yankees 3 back of the Red Sox in the AL East.

Scottie Hottie Was Smokin On Saturday

Today's featured game was between the White Sox and the Cubs, North and South if you will for a moment. So it wasn't the Civil War, but you could definitely tell there was about the same kind of hate. Now of course, the game had no real significance right now with the all-star game right around the corner. However, there was one thing that completely just stood out.

Scott Podsednik, or as I thought of him as the one of the old guys for the Sox went 4-5 with two singles, a double, and a homerun, scored twice and had two RBI to boot. Yep, you guessed it one hit away from the cycle in today's 8-7 win against the Cubs. I understand it was the Rookie Gordon Beckham that won the game for the Sox in the bottom of the ninth, but I think Podsednik earned that pie in the face as well.

Drafted back in 1994 in the third round by the Texas Rangers I remember thinking this guy will never play with guys like Juan Gonzalez and Jose Canseco on the team. However, the White Sox were sure glad the 33 year-old was available for them today. Yet for whatever reason, he was written off.

Playing for the Rockies last season he only played in 93 games, hit only one home run, and batted only .253, and only had 15 RBI. Seems to me if you can't play in Colorado where the balls fly out almost as much as I change socks your career should be left for dead.

The Sox decided to give their 2005 World Series hero another chance and now they are only 5 back in their division and 6 back in the wild card. Ok, so not exactly in the heat of things, but this might just be the win that starts something. It isn't like they have waited 100 years to win a World Series or something like that Northside team. All I can say is that I am glad they call themselves the Cubs because they certainly haven't been playing like Bears!

Finally Dallas Got Things "T.O." Right

I decided I couldn't pass this up now that former Cowboy Terrell Owens is a Buffalo Bill. All apart of the

Boy
I
Love
Losing
Superbowls

Buffalo Bills.

In fact if it weren't for that stupid ABC show "The Superstars" and T.O. and his partner losing yesterday I needed to comment on his being the loser Cowboy fans already knew about.

It was also time that more than just football fans found out that the Dallas Cowboys found out at the end of the 2008 season. For those of you who are "reality junkies" I feel sorry for you that you were watching the show "The Superstars." In fact after what I have heard about how T.O. and his partner supermodel Joanna Krupa performed it just proves that both of them don't deserve anything that they have. In fact anyone who just sits there and runs without catching footballs doesn't deserve what he has. The same can be said of anyone who looks like this lady, in fact I don't usually say this about models unless they are on Top Model but she needs a paper bag over her head with a capital P, maybe P and T.O. should continue to be partners they would work well together. In fact they would work so well together that there would be no real work being done.

Yet I can't help but remind everyone that who looks good in all this. Yep, you guessed it, The Dallas Cowboys, they look great. Now let's be realistic here just like all of the "reality junkies" would like to think that they are. The Cowboys and Roy Williams must not only have a better year without T.O. but they need to make the playoffs and go far. Now one thing that is not in T.O.'s favor is the fact that historically any player who leaves the Cowboys who was a star on the team usually doesn't do well after leaving, i.e. Alvin Harper, Deion Sanders, Kelvin Martin, Herschel Walker, Troy Hambrick, Brock Marion, and the list continues. Even Emmitt Smith wasn't really the same after leaving, still good, but not the same.

Since the Cowboys are like the Yankees there is only one thing left TO say. Good Riddance! Oh yeah, and TO get your popcorn ready one thing for sure is Cowboy games should at the very least be more like the way football should be played.