An Anniversary at the Airport

Five years ago, I was on a flight back from Oakland via Las Vegas. Without going into it, it was a pretty rough day… or month. So rough that wrestling anxiety and anger was best served on my own at Terminal 2 for approximately seven hours before flying home.

The day was essentially spent at Oakland International Airport after leaving San Jose earlier than necessary. Yours truly hadn’t watched a televised sporting event in its entirety since having left home for an undiscovered life in the Bay Area. In fact, outside of a couple of quarters of the Golden State Warriors games, I didn’t watch many sports as hoped – a story worth telling when the memoirs are published.

[Sure, there was the second-greatest Christmas present ever; a long-time New York-reared San Francisco 49ers fan finally took the walk into Candlestick Park for the so-called “Bush Bowl” against the Houston Texans. Yet, that was New Year’s Day; long before this botched relocation fell apart. Life was still so… promising and new.]

The day of infamy began long before hopping on the BART to OAK. After taking a seat and ample aisle room at Fremont, it dawned upon me that if I play my cards right, I could grab some food, perch near a television and watch the AFC and NFC Conference Championship games before leaving California. See, as bad as this day… week… month was, I knew that I could always take solace in watching twenty-two men beat the crap out of each other for an oblong brown ball.

Courtesy of The Guardian (UK)

Pittsburgh Steelers – the sixth seed - traveled to Denver for a date with the Broncos. The game, rather uneventful for anyone that wasn’t part of Steeler Nation, was defined by four turnovers by the Pittsburgh defense and Ben Roethlisberger’s name thrown alongside Dan Marino’s as both were second-year quarterbacks who made the Super Bowl.

Seattle made their first Super Bowl in franchise history when they also capitalized off of four turnovers against the Carolina Panthers. This game stuck out for two reasons: one, this was how Jake Delhomme cemented his reputation as Jake Delhomme and this was how I discovered the Seahawks fan base.

In the town of the Raiders and across the way from the 49ers, seeing ‘Hawks fans walking around the airport and chugging beers at several bars & eateries was a bit startling. Of course, Seattle is about a one-hour flight from the Bay, so there couldn’t be too much of a surprise. However, when you consider that save for Steve Largent and the 2002 realignment which forced the franchise to change conferences, the NFL fans back east couldn’t tell you squat about anyone who ever played for the Seahawks except at-the-time fantasy football king Shaun Alexander.

Seahawks fans were doused in elation and drenched in a ton of “what about us?”-ness throughout that January. It was admirable and certainly enviable. I had yet to start a specific beat for the Beacon, so there wasn’t the struggle of covering a team I grew up despising and eventually respecting in the New York Giants. That I witnessed rookie Alex Smith throw his first career touchdown – countering eleven interceptions thrown in the 2005 season – three weeks before Seattle punched their ticket to the Super Bowl spoke of how mighty the 49ers had fallen.

Watching Seahawks fans huddled around TVs throughout the terminal was a surprisingly pleasant sight. The high-fives and fist bumps, the jubilant drunken cheers, the early and humorously biased prognostications for the ‘Hawks; all were different, all were entertaining, all were just cool to see.

Moments after their win, boarding began for a quick flight to Las Vegas. A one-hour layover in Sin City meant little time to watch any west coast NBA games. Had I not been coming back to New York, I would have enjoyed from the cozy confines of carpeted studio apartment in San Jose. Instead…



By the time the second flight took off for JFK back home, I believe Kobe Bryant had tallied 26 points in the first half. It was going to be a spectacular night – or semi-ordinary for the future Hall of Famer – and the fans, players and coaches who watched were probably thinking 50 was inevitable.

Meanwhile, in the back of the Boeing and adjacent to the men’s room, yours truly is thinking of how he was going to try to get his old gig at the Beacon back (which happened within two weeks).

At some point while hovering into the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, Bryant had his press conference. This post-game presser had to have been like any in NBA history; a conquering king retelling the story of how he dared a weaker, but brave red and black-attired army to take his castle.

Struggling to relax in the upright position, the prodigal son was coming back east. No longer could I brag about being able to watch the Pacific Division teams live without worrying about not getting enough sleep for the next day.

So why tell you this?

There are far worse things in life, but when it comes to the sports world, to be last to have seen something incredible, remarkable… sublime, even, is akin to being the person that played out the latest styles in the streets.

You can’t join in on the barbershop conversations that week because except for pay-per-view fights being rebroadcasted on premium cable the next week, replays of games are so rare that you might as well read wait for a player to write about it in his or her memoirs in thirty years.

You find yourself saying “you mean I missed that game because SOMEBODY (points to significant other) wanted to see Honey?!?!”.

You hate everyone that’s talking about the game, especially the casual New York fan who roots for whichever team is in the playoffs “because it’s all New York”.

When my brother picked me up from JFK, the very first thing he asked me was “did you hear about Kobe?” The temper tantrum thrown in the passenger seat would have made Cuba Gooding, Jr. proud.



When the entire ordeal began at the Fremont BART station, I took solace in knowing that the circumstances gave me a chance to watch all the biggest sporting events of the weekend; to come back to something familiar and slowly ease my way out of a difficult time in my life. Yet, to this day, five years later, there’s nothing that angers me more than knowing that I could have watched a legendary performance while most of the country was in its post-football slumber.

Random Nuggets

Having writer’s block is hell. Or maybe it’s the continued defragmentation of all that has been the last twelve months. Either way, there has been nothing new anywhere but Twitter and barely much substance there.

So, here it goes; several unfinished thoughts into one post. Maybe one of these bullet points will be fully earthed into a separate, significant post in the near future.

League Perceptions and Potential Lockouts: I’m probably the only person on the planet who thinks that the NBA will have its labor issues resolved before the NFL. Though I think neither loses any action, I think a major part of the reason why this belief that there’s a race to labor peace (and that the NFL will win out) is because of the perception of both leagues. The NFL… excuse me, I’m sorry… THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE is perceived as the can’t-do-wrong sports league. Its status as the country’s most popular entertainment company comes from having the premier television property that satiates America’s thirst for violent hits and amazing athleticism. The NFL is pop culture, period.

The Association, meanwhile, has been battling image issues seemingly since the dawn of time. Race, xenophobia, market sizes, the culture war between NBA fans and college basketball fans, etc. The NBA has a compelling product that is enjoyed globally and has more talent spread across the league now than at any point in its history. However, it seems as if the problems (real and perceived) the league had battled in the 1970s and in the first few years of the post-Michael Jordan era continue to define who its players and teams are, despite increased popularity across the board. And this was all before The Decision.

We can read the CBAs of both leagues and find different interpretations to make our points. The problem with all of that is that we are still looking through preconceived notions set long ago. The NFL has become like the car and financial companies the government bailed out during this recession; it’s become too big to fail because of all the connected parties that have invested pretty much all their eggs in this one basket. Even though the economic impact is quite strong as detailed here, the NBA is treated by some as somewhat disposable, especially by those fans and media personalities who assail on the league at every opportunity.

Though one opinion is stressed here, let’s do ourselves a favor and let this all play out. Truth be told, there won’t be peace between the camps in the League or Association unless they a) stop negotiating through the public and b) go through EVERY SINGLE LINE ITEM in their agreements.


Get Teeth: Speaking of line items, I would hope that the NFL spends a significant amount of time going through the Personal Conduct Policy with a fine-toothed comb. The premise was noble, but seems more like a public relations ploy that placated the masses after a deluge of embarrassing player arrests in 2007. Some feel that it’s uneven in regards to treatment of players and coaches while others – like myself – look for more teeth in how it handles certain matters such as sexual harassment and any version of driving while impaired (DUI, DWI, whatever, it’s all driving while pretty damn stupid). While it was a tremendous coup for Commissioner Roger Goodell to place his stamp early in his stewardship, there’s little reason for him to remain the one-man judge, jury and executioner.

Unlike other businesses and organizations that create committees, the NFL has committees that actually do things. Look to the Competition Committee that shifts rules every season as an example. A committee or some form of panel that metes out discipline would make the policy stronger. It could be a three or five person board where members are elected by the league, coaches, team executives and the players’ association. All sides would have to come to a consensus for how to handle disciplinary matters. Since the policy was enacted in public view, each group would be subject to the same scrutiny as the League is now in punishing players, coaches and other league personnel.


Hardwood Goodness for Your Coffee Table: On the trip to Orlando, I had been reading Free Darko’s The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History. Anyone who considers themselves as sports fan should really pick up this absolute gem of a book, especially those who consider Bill Simmons to have the foremost mind on the NBA in the media. It’s a book that strips the bias, bring the gods to earth and elevates the plebes we all forgotten. Go cop it, as the kids (me) used to say.


In the Spirit of Kelis: When the Divisional Round came up last weekend, her first single, "Caught Out There" immediately came to mind. Why? It was the fantasticly simple chorus, 'I hate... you so much right now! 'I hate... you so much right now! AAAAAAAAAAAAH! 'I hate... you so much right now!"

It popped to mind because over the last two years, it seems as if the Dallas Cowboys were quickly surpassed as THE most despised team in NFL fandom. It also seems that the New England Patriots have competition as well. With the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers playing in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, I think it’s far to consider how much fans around the nation truly hate hearing about them, watching them and watching them succeed. Where do they rank among the most despised teams in the league (because they’re in the top four in my opinion)?

"... Football"

It's not exactly Hank Williams, Jr, but it's not whatever the Kickoff Concert is, either.

"It's the sport of kings/Better than diamond rings...



"...Football."

Welcome back, NFL.

Bookmark Scribe tonight for a bit of live blogging and Twittering (or Tweeting or whatever it is). Send questions, comments and random funnies throughout the Titans/Steelers game to this post and Scribe's Twitter account.

Unlikely

Since the least likely Super Bowl in recent memory (if ever) is coming up and predictions have been requested, here's except from tomorrow's article in the New York Beacon (75 cents at select NYC newsstands):

The battle that should gain more attention is between the Cardinals’ defensive line and the Steelers’ offensive front. Though Arizona allowed just below 27 points per game in the regular season, they were in the middle of the pack in many defensive categories, including the popular sack (31) and interception (13) tallies. In all three playoff games, Arizona has allowed just above 20 per contest; mostly by slowing the running game as Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook, Atlanta’s Michael Turner and Carolina’s DeAngelo Williams to a tune of 50 yards apiece. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh’s offensive line had been criticized for much of the year because of inconsistent protection for QB Ben Roethlisberger and their collection of running backs. However, as their defensive teammates, they take pride in knocking players to the dirt and creating holes for Willie Parker and Mewelde Moore.

Now, for an actual prediction: whichever team scores more points than the other has a fairly strong chance of winning the game.

Overload

You will be overloaded over the next seven days, including Super Sunday.

With all due respect to the league that has granted this Scribe access over the past four years, the journey that the NFL takes – better yet, throws in front of us all – gets a little mind-numbing.

This may not be the ‘sexiest’ Super Bowl in recent memory, but it is the Super Bowl that provides a compelling matchup that should be able to stand on its own for a hopefully memorable NFL championship game. However, the idea that we need any more than two or three hours of coverage before the game begins is beyond comprehension.

Ninety hours from ESPN’s networks.

Fifty-five hours from the NFL Network (for the seventeen people who have it).

And just a measly six hours from NBC, the actual broadcaster of the Big Game.

For those of us who have something to do during the day such as work, go to school, look after the kids or sell illegal pharmaceuticals, we’re able to mostly avoid the über-analysis and absurd questions of Super Bowl Media Week. Even so, there is still an inordinant amount of programming waiting for us to smack our heads over and over again.

Yet, unlike most sports media personalities, your favorite blogger is going to give you some advice on how to avoid the Super Bowl Migraine that comes with actually paying attention:

First and foremost, don’t use sick days, Paid Time Off or vacation days to actually soak in any of the stuff coming out of the ‘idiot’ box. Not only will the multiple shows scramble your brain despite hearing the same stories over and over again, but you won’t have days to use later this year. Keep that vacation to the Caribbean during your favorite team’s bye week in mind.

Now, in terms of actual TV programming, there’s plenty to offer that you may have completely forgotten about because as this writer, your head has been wrapped around an oblong spherical brownish object thrown in the air for three hours. There are plenty of shows throughout the week that are showing new episodes, but if you have not been up-to-date on them, spend your next few evenings catching up on whatever shows you recorded on DVR or get yourself online… well, don’t watch anything on one of the MTV Networks or American Idol.

If you’re like this writer and barely keep up with actual scripted content, there’s a good chance that you are a true sports junkie. This week, the NBA offered a free week of their absolutely wonderful League Pass, giving cable subscribers a chance to see any game coast-to-coast. Look, the economy is shaky and people are looking to cost-cutting methods to save a buck or two. Yet, if you need to entertain yourself with something athletic, either invest in the half-season sports packages from the NBA, NHL or college basketball or find the nearest watering hole/restaurant. Hey, if you’re nice enough and willing to go Dutch on some (insert food delivery company here), I might let you swing by.

The Australian Open has been quite intriguing so far, so take a gander at either ESPN or The Tennis Channel to watch the matches that went on while you were sleeping.

If you are really hyped for some hitting and you’re fortunate to have the premium channels on demand, check out HBO and Showtime’s best matches of 2008 along with Sugar Shane Mosley’s absolute beatdown of Antonio Margarito that entertained many this past Saturday.

Of course, there was a time when there were about three television channels and only one TV per household. Some families huddled their one TV unit and watched iconic shows that still stand the test of time. Yet, some people did something that seems almost unheard of these days. They grabbed one of these. It’s not a bad idea to do so while all of the media in Tampa is sweating to find anything worth our attention when we wake the next morning.

Being that this was the first non-football weekend since the late summer, you probably reconnected with loved ones and friends, stepped out of the house on a Sunday, took a long weekend out of town or actually stepped inside a church for the first time since Easter. Have an encore performance.

If you’re like me and there are at least 10 movies in the past five years that you have not seen that people keep demanding that you watch, cherry pick a few for each day up until the minute leading to Sunday’s kickoff. I have a list of about thirty.

Finally, there are probably three or four websites you have been meaning to check out or some blogs that you haven’t caught up (ahem) with (ahem) in about a week (or month). This is a pretty good time to get all educated and whatnot.

By the time Super Sunday rolls around, you would swear that the last football game you watched was six years ago. You would be caught up with most of what you have missed in the last five months, you’d put a dent in a book that you haven’t touched since last May (Atlas Shrugged for this guy) and you would finally be able to say to your co-workers “yeah, I watched ‘Juno’ the other day and I got to say that it was kinda overrated”. You would be so far away from the gluttony of pre-pre-pre game coverage that you’d be convinced that Kurt Warner was the rookie that the Arizona Cardinals drafted last April.

Most importantly, you would actually look forward to watching the game itself.

Good luck and remember, by 6:30 PM this Sunday, it’ll be all over.

Apex

Can the Patriots go undefeated? Can the Patriots go undefeated? Can the Patriots go undefeated?

That’s the question of the day every week regarding the NFL. Though there are plenty more questions worth asking, it’s the single question that starts a football conversation these days. So to start this post, let’s just get it out of the way.

While it’s going to be extremely difficult for the New England Patriots to run the table, doing so would hold much more significance than even fellow media types and fans could imagine… right now.

The potential unblemished season has yet to be put in perspective because 1) it’s not as guaranteed as it seems and 2) there are still the playoffs to think about. The 1972 Miami Dolphins are invoked every year a team gets past the middle of October without a loss, yet with the physical changes of the game as well as the changes in the playoff format throughout the last thirty-five years, the concept of going undefeated takes on new meaning.

After losing Super Bowl VI to the Dallas Cowboys, Don Shula sent a message to his team leading into the fall of 1972. He demanded that his team be perfect, to not only win every single game, but to leave no doubt that their loss was an aberration of how great they should be. When the Dolphins went undefeated during the 1972 regular season with a 14-0 record, they were three games ahead of the second-best team in AFC that season, the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3). The Washington Redskins, the team that Miami would defeat in Super Bowl VII, also finished 11-3, having the NFC’s best mark. Within the AFC East, the Dolphins made the competition look amateurish, as the New York Jets were the division’s second-best at 7-7. Every other team in the league has already lost at least once by Week 3! Unlike the 2007 Patriots, the 1972 Dolphins didn’t have anyone chasing them into November. They also didn’t have free agency to fix any flaws. Shula demanded perfection through execution by essentially the same personnel. Bill Belichick demanded perfection through acquisition (Adalius Thomas, Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker). Yet, like these Pats, the Dolphins wanted to wipe out the taste of a sour finale the year before.

Okay, there’s that Spygate thing, too.

When this was originally drafted, the Indianapolis Colts hadn't played yet. Adam Vinatieri hadn't missed two crucial field goals on a slippery Qualcomm Stadium field yet. Peyton Manning hadn't thrown five interceptions just yet. The Colts didn't lose two offensive linemen and Dwight Freeney yet. So with their loss to the San Diego Chargers tonight, the prospect of New England going undefeated may have lost a little shine, at least in this scribe's eyes. As hard as that is to believe, just imagine if the Colts ran the table until the Patriots come to play the New York Giants on December 29th? It would have left the champs with a 14-1 record going into their last game of the season; a showdown in Nashville against the Tennessee Titans the next day. The Patriots may have already won, but if Peyton Manning & Co. defeated the Titans, which would have kept only last week’s loss as the deciding factor between the first and second seed. In context, the Patriots would have needed to go undefeated in order to take home-field advantage outright. With the loss in San Diego, there is much more certainty that New England will play at home in the playoffs. A cold Foxboro in late January may be as intimidating as it gets in the league, but how cool would it have been for the Patriots to have to fight to have that edge?

If there is a team that may be able to threaten to slow down, it’s the Steelers. The Steelers have gotten little play nationally because of the dominance of the Pats and Colts, the not-so-surprising fall from grace of the Chargers and the surprise of the Lions, Browns and the defensive unit of the Giants. Yet, Pittsburgh has a top notch defense that can shut down the run and plays pretty well against the pass. With their offense able to score through the air as well as on the ground, this will be another tough test for New England. Yes, they have already faced a potent offense from Indianapolis, but this is a team that also knows what to expect from Belichick over the past few years.

At the end of it all, whether the Patriots finish the 2007 campaign undefeated or not, the only way that the record could even be discussed is if this team wins Super Bowl XLIII. Yet, they will belong in the conversation as one of the greatest teams to ever play the game if they do win the championship. Being that the Boston area is the center of the American sporting universe, do you think they’d really be upset if they lose just once during the season?

Say What?!?!: There is only one person happier about Ohio State’s loss to Illinois than anyone in the states of Michigan, Oregon, Louisiana, West Virginia and Oklahoma… Chris Fowler. Oh, he may not exactly wear the grin on his face this coming Saturday, but being one of the most consistently vocal critics of the Bowl Championship Series, Fowler might now want to embellish. He knows, as well as college football fans all over the country, that those computers – and the BCS brain trust – may find a way to keep the Buckeyes in the national title picture, regardless of their loss. There are going to be two one-loss teams in the plus-one game, whether Kansas or even Hawaii (a non- BCS school) likes it or not.
By the way, check the replay of the Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley fight when you’re done watching DVR’ed episodes of ‘I Love New York’.