9/11/01 - We'll Never Forget

I send this out every year, but with each passing year, this message is such an important one to understand the unfortunate catastrophic events of 9/11/01 and how we can learn from them. It is a reminder of how important it is to appreciate our family and friends. It is a reminder of how we should all try to live our lives in positive ways each and every day. It is a reminder that the price of our freedom sometimes comes with a cost so great that we lose loved ones because of it.

9/11/01 - Its a date that no one in our lifetime will ever forget.

For some of us that day hit closer to home than for others, but without a doubt we'll all remember it and how our freedom as we knew it was compromised that day. Just sending you this reminder to never take anything for granted. Love your family and friends...take advantage of all your blessings and talents - seen and unseen...take time out for others...live life to the fullest...don't be afraid to go after things you want...and most of all, enjoy yourself - life is too short not to.

Sometimes in our daily routine, we forget that, and 9/11 always makes me think of those things because of a person many of us knew, who always lived up to those ideals.

Dom, you had all those areas covered (www.atributetodom.com for those of you who didn't have the pleasure of knowing this great man). I miss you as we all do and you will never be forgotten. Thank you for being there for all of us during your 40 years with us, showing us how to laugh, live, and love.

To all of you (some of who I see and talk to everyday and others I haven't seen or spoken to in a long time), be sure to go after your dreams, life your life to the fullest - how you want to, and enjoy everything that is important to you.

To all the fallen heroes of 9/11/01 and to all the service men and women who defend our freedom everyday...thank you for your heroism and all of your efforts.

Wishing you all the best always,

Brian

O. S. D.

I'm not normally a huge Olympics fan, although I usually enjoy the Summer Olympics more than it's colder brother, Mr. Winter Olympics.

That said, these Beijing Olympics have been captivating throughout. I have been hooked to the TV, even watching tape delay contests, because the competition has been great throughout. From the obvious like Michael Phelps' record-setting performance and Usain Bolt's complete domination of the 100 & 200 making him the World's Fastest Man to the less publicized events like some great Water Polo matches and crazy crashes in the BMX time trials, these Games have lived up to the old NBC hype/motto - Must See TV.

Although some of the channel listings and games have been tough to find at times, once you got the hang of the timing and/or used nbcolympics.com, there have been so many great events to watch.

All this Must See TV leaves me suffering from O. S. D. due to the time difference. But I'll deal with the Olympic Sleep Deprivation for a little while longer if these great contests continue.

Enough writing...this USA/Serbia volleyball match is becoming yet another classic from these games!

El Verano Classico...or is it El Classico Verano?

I'm not usually much of an All-Star Game fan (and it shows as I'm currently watching SuperLiga soccer vs. the actual MLB game), but the pre-game ceremonies this year were special. I'm also an unapologetic Yankee hater, but hosting 49 or so MLB Hall-of-Famers while introducing all of the players was a great moment to close out "The House That Ruth Built" while giving the Yankees their rightful due in the history of the game.

Combine that with the extremely memorable Josh Hamilton performance last night (previous drug problems or not), and a classically funny Celebrity All-Star Softball game (Kenny Mayne is still my hero despite his choking), and you have the making of one of the greatest Summer Classic's ever...

Even if, I'm not really watching the actual game.

Hawk Eye

After just watching the GREAT Wimbledon final between Rafa and Roger, I'm wondering why other sports like football, baseball, and even soccer can't adopt the replay technology like tennis has.

Sure there are times where a computer animation wouldn't work, where an actual instant replay would be necessary, but there are so many times where it could like on a foul/fair home run or inbounds/out of bounds catch or even a goal scored.

The technology is there. Should be a no-brainer, right?

My Wish

There are many in Blogfrica that hate ESPN and all of their "Worldwideliness". Basically, with ESPN's monopoly on pretty much all that is sports newsworthy, they can present stories and force them on Joe Public as they wish. Sure it can get annoying at times having to hear about Roger Clemens' latest affair from 20 years ago or how Joba is fairing in his new starting role or even pumping up the Arena league like it was the next coming of the NFL, but its not all bad.

Regardless of what you think of their overall coverage, there is one promo they do every year that not even the derogatory commenters/posters on the vile Deadspin can even question or turn into a spewing negative. Bissinger still doesn't have a clue who is who, but I digress.

ESPN has once again started their "My Wish" campaign along with the Make-a-Wish foundation and with the help of Disney. It is truly a magical SportsCenter piece and really shows how sports can positively affect people.

Each and every story is captivating, touching, and heartwarming. These kids have gone through more than most of us can ever imagine. It is just a great series of special performances by athletic superstars who allow these kids to have an experience that will be a positively memorable moment for the rest of their lives.

To check out past episodes and upcoming ones, be sure to click below or watch SportsCenter all this week...as if you don't already:

My Wish 2008

You won't be disappointed. It's truly great stuff.

Superhuman

Amazing.

Phenomenal.

Lethal.

Sick.

Unreal.

The Best Ever.

Tiger Woods has proven time and again that he is just that, the best ever. Sure there have been some golf greats like Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer, but this superhuman of an athlete is just the best ever. Not only the best golfer ever either.

If you missed that performance live last night. I just hope you TIVO'd it. It was a round for the ages. While Tiger has had many memorable moments throughout his career, last night's feat with a 50-70% healthy knee at the pinnacle of his sport with one of the majors at stake, was simply breathtaking television. I could only imagine what it was like being at Torrey Pines live to witness his amazing skill, mental toughness, and pure competitive spirit.

Some say golf is not the most fun to watch, but when Tiger is on, it is MUST SEE TV for any sports fan whether you like golf or not. His ability to capture an audience is only matched by the likes of Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, and Wayne Gretzky. The guy, no matter what you think of the sport he plays, is just one of the best athletes ever.

His performance yesterday sealed that in my mind. His two eagle putts were the stuff of legend and the chip-in, while lucky to an extent, just showed how much flair for the dramatic he can provide. Grimacing in obvious pain throughout the round from his recent knee surgery, he still was the best golfer out there. After certain tee shots that looked like an amateur's with a 25 handicap, Tiger still found ways to make shot after shot count to take the lead into the final round today.

Although he has never lost a major championship when leading heading into the last round, this time around will be much tougher due to his less than healthy knee. That said, if he still holds on, it shouldn't surprise any of us. While it would be a miraculous feat, let's remember what this guy is...

SUPERHUMAN!

LIVE BLOG: Euro 2008 Croatia vs. Austria

Euro 2008...time for the first-ever MHA Live Blog.

This game pits heavy underdog, but home country, Austria vs. my beloved goats, Croatia.

Enjoy!!!

Pre-game: You have to love the international style entrances, with the kids involved. One complaint I have is that with that tunnel so small, the kids are forced to drag the flags on the floor before getting on the field.

2nd minute: First corner kick for Croatia goes without consequence.

4th minute: PK!!! Somewhat of a questionable call, but that is a foul anywhere else on the field. Pogatetz gets a caution on the foul of Ivica Olic as well. As much as it was a questionable PK call, I can't see that being a Yellow card.

4th minute: PK Goal scored by young guy Luka Modric on a strike right up the middle. 1-0 Croatia and just a dream start for the Goats, but a nightmare for the Austrians whose fans are probably still asking for the team to not play this tourney. This is the quickest goal scored from a PK in the history of Euro Championships.

8th minute: Pletikosa with a save on a Saumel shot from about 30 yards. The Croatian goalie is generally pretty solid and he showed it with his first save there.

13th minute: Gercaliu with a foul on Srna leads to a dangerous free kick opportunity from the right wing for Croatia. Free kick slides past goal but nobody from Croatia is there to tap it in. Croatia controlling the game early on as expected.

14th minute: Another good chance on a corner kick for Croatia, but it is cleared of the post by Austrian defender Standfest.

18th minute: Prodl with a long blast from about 40 that nearly misses. Austria's two best chances in the first quarter hour or so have been from 30 & 40 yards out. That bodes well for Croatia and its defense.

21st minute: Saumel shown a yellow card with a "professional foul" on Niko Kovac. Austrian wall does a nice job of negating Srna's free kick from distance.

22nd minute: Niko Kranjcar takes a vicious knee to the upper right chest area from Austrian GK Macho. Is that really his name...Macho??? It was a clean play, but had to hurt with the force that Macho man was coming out to make the clearance.

27th minute: Very good chance for Austria off of a set-piece near the corner after a Croatia foul against Rob Kovac. Prodl's header goes wide. Tommy Smyth is right about Croatia needing to put away Austria and not keep this a one-goal game.

29th minute: Tommy Smyth has been on point today. Pogatetz should have received a yellow card for that foul against Olic. However, he didn't deserve the first one, so it evened out. This referee has been a bit inconsistent throughout.

31st minute: Another corner for Austria. For being the underdogs and having a nightmare of a start, the Austrians have hung in well with Croatia. Corner is headed out wide.

35th minute: Petric with a very good opportunity, but as Smyth said, he tried to go with the spectacular instead of taking a touch and placing it better. It was fun to watch that volley though despite the poor result.

40th minute: Pletikosa and the Croatian defense comes up huge. Pletikosa using Hands' lead left hand philosophy to parry the ball away.

41st minute: This game has changed over the last 10 minutes. Austria has taken control and the fans are definitely into it. Croatia can't wait for this to get to halftime to re-group.

Halftime: Croatia had a good run early on, but the momentum definitely changed in the last 10 minutes of the half. For Croatia, they can be happy they are up 1-0, but they need to take back control of the game and I'm sure Bilic will stress that in the locker room as he was visibly animated and upset towards the end of the half.

47th minute: Despite the game changing, Croatia's defense has been solid throughout and hasn't really let up much.

51st minute: Rob Kovac with a smart foul near midfield after it looked like he was beat. Foul results in Croatia's first caution of the match.

53rd minute: First corner for Croatia in a long time is cleared pretty easily by Austria.

57th minute: So much for a halftime pep talk for Croatia. Austria continues to have the better of play in the 2nd half. Austria can't really put anything on target though.

61st minute: First sub of the match for Austria, Saumel off for Croatian-born Vastic.

62nd minute: Croatia also takes off Kranjcar for Knezevic.

68th minute: Caution to Prodl for taking down Olic. Dangerous free kick opportunity for Croatia that becomes not-so-dangerous with a pathetic free kick.

69th minute: Second sub for Austria as Korkmaz comes in for Gercaliu.

70th minute: It almost looks as if Croatia is buying into the hype that Austria is not very good and they should just walk through with this game. Since the early PK gave them early control, they have been very lax and passive throughout the game. Austria is even outshooting the Croats.

72nd minute: Budan come on for Croatia as the 2nd sub for Petric who didn't do much aside from his volley that went awry.

74th minute: Austria uses its last sub as Kienast comes on for Linz.

78th minute: Dangerous free kick attempt cleared by Pletikosa, but another shot opportunity goes a few feet over the crossbar. Austria has been the better team over the last 40 minutes.

79th minute: A long header gives Pletikosa a little trouble, but he makes the save. Pressing moments for Croatia. Austria is dominating this game right now.

83rd minute: Another corner for Austria this time cleared easily by Croatia. Olic out for Vukojevic.

86th minute: Korkmaz with a very good strike and Pletikosa with a solid save. Austria has done well and deserves better than an 1-0 loss right now.

93rd minute: One last free kick opportunity for Austria has Keinast leave a great header just wide of the goal. They just can't finish or get lucky. Croatia is going to steal a win here.

FINAL: 1-0 Croatia.

This match showed a few things.

For one, the Austrian fans should be ashamed of themselves for questioning the team and asking them to withdraw from the tourney. Although they don't have too much talent and can't finish, they put forth a good effort and showed some heart. They'll probably go 0-3, but today's performance was respectable.

Secondly, Croatia will need to re-group after this poor showing. However a poor showing resulting in a 1-0 win is always a positive. If they repeat this type of performance against Germany and Poland, they will not advance past the group stage. Slaven Bilic has some work to do to get his team playing at a high level again before the next two matches.

Finally, this game proved how crucial every single pass, shot, and foul is in a soccer (futbol) match. Pogatetz' foul in the 4th minute was dumb and cost his team a point in this match. Croatia took advantage and used that goal to propel them to 3 points. Austria deserved a better result, but the poor decision by Pogatetz cost them that better result.

Adam Bender - 8 year old Hero!

This is the type of story that makes you appreciate life and all the challenges it brings each of us daily.

This kid is an absolute inspiration to me and should be to any human. What a great spirit, attitude, and simple joy for life and the challenges it has brought him. He obviously hasn't let it discourage the way he lives. It makes me proud to see kids in our country like this setting great examples for their friends and strangers, young and old.

Well done young man...I'm sure you make your family proud.

Story and pictures courtesy of Kentucky.com, Mike Fields, and Charles Bertram.

Kid Can Do It All On One Leg

Alopecoid!

With the Spelling Bee finals on the Network today, I can't help but post this absolutely classic video from a few years ago. How he gets up and nails the word after fainting is beyond me, but its such great comedy...

Joey Crawford hates the Spurts (and the Spurs too)

Why is Joey Crawford calling the Spurs game tonight? Sure he is one of the "best" rated officials in the league. But any smart, logical person can see he has as many issues with the Spurs (ejecting TD for no reason, poking Popovich, etc.) as Tim Donaghy had with gambling.

What a joke...

And I thought all of that BEFORE his hilarious no-call at the end.

ooops...

If these guys are ever lucky enough to win Lord Stanley's Cup when they make it to the NHL, you can be sure they will not be allowed to take it home with them.

Random Schiamibininess!

Wow...it's been two months since the last post on here...

Traveling every weekend will do that to a hobby, but enough of the excuses, let's get to the randomness:

Congrats to Donald Beckman and his Gals for their first win last night and his first goal of the season. Now if only they had a defense and weren't playing an expansion side, maybe it would have meant a little bit more.

I've heard some people complain about this NCAA tournament not being exciting. And to that I say, what games were you watching? I'm sticking with my original pick of UNC over UCLA in the final.

MLB is back and the usual pieces of fragile glass have already broken down (Read: Pedro and Hampton). There have been some entertaining games early on, but the amazing story is how pathetic the 0-4 Detroit Tigers have been. It is absolutely a joke that they could be swept by Single A Kansas City.

What is up with this guy getting pregnant? To each his own, but why are people so fascinated by this freakshow?

Jon "Boog" Sciambi had his radio show finale here in South Florida on 790 the Ticket. It was kind of an awkward radio show, but fun to listen to. "Boog" was a great sports radio host and excellent Play-by-Play talent. Well done sir! You deserve this "sort-of" break.

The NBA West is ridiculous. Isn't it time to just get rid of the entire Eastern Conference and just add the Celtics and Pistons to the West?

Christiano Ronaldo = best soccer player in the world. There is no question at this point.

Chad Johnson might be going a little crazy or maybe he just doesn't know what he wants. Either way, he's still funny to listen to and will be great to watch.

Hey Big Aristotle, Sheriff, Shaq Diesel, or whatever you call yourself at this point. You were a fan favorite, but all this whining after you leave a City is getting old.

There's so much more, but so little time...

Hope all is well people. Thanks for reading and I'll try to get some stories up more routinely in the near future as things settle down.

Hockey Horrors!

On a slow sports weekend, the NHL got some prime coverage. It's unfortunate that the coverage was with two unfortunate circumstances that brought severe injury to a player and an official and some players actions that were comical.

Both unfortunate incidents included flying skates slashing the individuals facial or neck areas. Both were gruesome.

It brings a reminder to sports fans how dangerous sports like ice hockey can be.

In the first incident, NHL linesman Pat DaPuzzo took a skate to the jaw leaving him bloody and with a broken jaw. Despite that, DaPuzzzo skated on in an attempt to break up a huge brawl on the fight. So not only are hockey players extremely tough, so are the referees who govern their on-ice actions.

The second incident was pretty widely covered and included Florida Panthers forward Richard Zednik being hit in the throat accidentally by his teammate Olli Jokinen's skate after he was spun into the air by an opponent. Thankfully, Zednik had the sense to put pressure to his throat and skate to the bench for further treatment. Zednik appears to be doing well after surgery and should recover eventually, with some reports stating there is a slight possibility he could even return to the ice this afternoon.

Despite these two on-ice incidents, the story coming out of Tampa, Florida involving two Montreal Canadien players is the most intriguing.

Apparently, two Canadiens were at a nightclub and decided to steal a woman's purse, only to claim to police officers and security that it was their girlfriend's purse. When asked her name, they "didn't know." Great answer gentlemen!

Read more about the incident here:

2 Canadiens arrested

Blind MLB Love!

So apparently, this woman used to be married to Mr. Don Mattingly. She was arrested near their home in Evansville, Indiana today after some issues this weekend.

I guess all athletes don't land the Giselle's of the world...

Super Bowl Blah

As usual, the Super Bowl got its normal overhype machine going over the past two weeks. This year, the main storyline was of course the Patriots with a chance at achieving perfection and the Giants looking to steal the title away from them despite being heavy double-digit underdogs.

Much of the hype was the talk about how the high-powered Patriots offense and Giants offense that combined for 70+ points in their regular season meeting would march down the field at the beautiful University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Well, in reality, not so much.

How bad was it? This was the lowest scoring Super Bowl since 1975!!!

So much for the hype.

How bad was it...part 2? The Trent Dilfer-led offense of the Baltimore Ravens (and their stout defense) scored more points by themselves in Super Bowl XXXV (34) than did both teams combined last night (31). The MVP in that Super Bowl game was a LINEBACKER!

Although all the credit should go to the Giants defense for shutting down the vaunted Patriots, it was a pretty boring game to watch with the exception being parts of the 4th quarter.

Here are some other thoughts about the game and events leading up to it:

• Belichick wore a red hoodie instead of his normal blue or gray. So not only did he screw up by not giving Gostkowski a chance to kick a 49-yard field goal, but he also went against his normal blue hooded sweatshirt in an attempt at a fashion statement with the color change.
• While on the Belichick topic, the toughest job of the night had to go to Chris Myers who had to interview the losing coach last night. Interviewing Belichick is never easy in the best of times, nevermind after losing the Super Bowl and a chance at perfection.
• Alicia Keys looked absolutely AMAZING in her pre-game performance. Girl can sing too.
• I thought Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers did a decent job, but I had two thoughts about their performance. When Petty first walked on stage and the lights came on, it looked like the NFL had just brought someone back from the dead to perform. Secondly, it was comical to see the cameras pan to the young crowd on the field during a non-chorus portion of each song. The kids were trying to sing the words, but most had no idea what the actual lyrics were.
• Thought it was funny to see one of the field officials in uniform (not an on-field game official, but one of the chain gang) snapping pictures during Jordin Sparks' rendition of the National Anthem.
• Bud Light and Budweiser stole the show for commercials like normal. Of them all though, the Clydesdale training with "Rocky" music in the background had to be the best.
• While on the Bud Light commercials, I can not wait for the new Will Ferrell comedy to come out where he spoofs the ABA...should be GREAT!

Prop Bet Madness!

Ok, so I'm going to take a crack at guessing 25 prop bets and see how it goes for the game today.

Here they are (selections in bold / Winner / Loser):

1. Will coin land on Heads or Tails?
Tails

2. Who wins the coin toss?
Giants

3. First team to score?
Patriots

4. Last team to score?
Giants

5. First score (TD, FG, or Safety)?
FG

6. Highest scoring quarter (both teams combined)?
2nd Quarter

7. First team to punt?
Giants

8. First team with a first down?
Patriots

9. On the first play challenged, what will be the ruling?
Call reversed

10. Over/Under 10 penalties combined in the game?
Over

11. First turnover will be?
Interception

12. Which team gets the first sack?
Patriots

13. Longest FG in game - over/under 43 1/2 yards?
Over

14. Will a special teams or defensive TD be scored?
No

15. Total number of combined first downs in the game over/under 42.5?
Under

16. Which half will have more points scored?
2nd Half

17. Total lost fumbles in the game over/under 1.5?
Over

18. Total interceptions in the game over/under 2.5?
Under

19. Largest lead of the game will be over/under 18?
Over

20. National anthem will be over/under 1 minute and 48 seconds?
Over

21. How many times will Joe Buck mention Peyton Manning's name during the game - over/under 5?
Under

22. Eli Manning's passing yards over/under 230.5?
Under

23. Tom Brady's passing yards over/under 300.5?
Over

24. Who will cover the 11.5 point spread?
Patriots

25. Will the game go over or under 54.5?
Over

A pretty mediocre 13-12...kind of like that game tonight.

Comedy makes the world go round...

Hit play. Watch. Laugh. Repeat.

Some extremely funny footage courtesy of an anonymous YouTube poster via Deadspin and Awful Announcing...absolutely classic!!!

Super Bowl XLII - Tecmo Style

So apparently, some people have a lot of free time on their hands during the 2-week bye period between the AFC/NFC Conference Championships and the Super Bowl.

What to do with that time, you ask? Well, create Tecmo Bowl simulations of the Super Bowl, of course!

Here they are, if you care to waste about 20 minutes of your life watching a computer simulation of the upcoming game. It looks as BORING in Tecmo as it will probably be on Sunday...

(Thanks to ArmchairGM.com via Deadspin.com for the links to the YouTube videos)

First Half





Second Half

Questions, questions, questions

Wouldn't it be great if Roger Clemens is proven to be a liar on Capitol Hill by Andy Pettitte?

Pete Carroll is going through his annual interview NFL process...why go back Pete? Do you want to pull a Saban or Petrino?

Can people please shut up about the whole Romo/Simpson Cancun getaway? It's a damn vacation between bye weeks for a football player. It has no bearing on his performance on the field.

Why can't the MLS move back to Florida? For those of us without an MLS team in this state, this weekend provides one of the few times during the year we get to see MLS up close, even if it's just some scrimmages with potential draftees at the MLS Combine.

Why do players/teams think its necessary to throw fuel into the Patriots fire? FIIIIIIRRRRE! Like Belichick and company need any more motivation. Although I'll be rooting for the Jags, they better hope for Blizzard-like conditions, because that's about the only chance they have against the New England juggernaut.

Do the Miami Heat really suck that bad?

Why do people still make comments about "lynching"? Are we still living in the 1800's? And with that said, how classy was Tiger, as he almost always is, with his response.

Are the BCS presidents happy with what their system produced this year? Low ratings, boring games, and poor matchups. There is money to be made, get a playoff in place already!

Will Bill Parcells get questioned or even punished for his basic disregard for the "Rooney" rule? It's obvious that he was hiring Sparano, Soprano, whatever. So, he brought in Vikings Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier basically as lip service to appease his meeting the rules. He basically spit on the spirit of the rule, but probably won't even get a slap on the wrist for it. Why is the rule even in place if management can easily just circumvent it time and again?

Why don't they do outdoor hockey more often? That outdoor hockey game was fun, but it showed why the NHL needs to be played indoors. The weather elements, including snow, made the game choppy with periodic delays. They should do it once a year on New Year's Day...could be a nice tradition, but shouldn't be a routine event.

That's all for now...

A little research helps...

With Safeco Field, the home of the baseball Mariners, right next door to Qwest Field in downtown Seattle, and today's NFC Playoff football match-up between the Seahawks and Washington Redskins being held there, the grounds crew at Safeco thought it would be nice to welcome the NBC TV crew of Tom Hammond and Cris Collinsworth by writing their names in the infield clay today. They had done it before for an ESPN crew as well, before a Monday night game.

But, there was one little problem this time around. The Safeco staff forgot to check on the exact spelling of Collinsworth's name. They spelled it with an 'H', but Collinsworth's Chris is spelled 'Cris' without one.

So of course the courtesy blimp shot has to show what a great job the Safeco staff did, but in the end, it just showed that they need to do their homework next time so they can avoid the 'honored' announcer from having to use the telestrator to correctly spell his name.

It was funny/awkward live TV at its best.