My Mecca

Issue: Augusta National?

Short Answer: Well, yeah, but let's be realistic.

Reasoning: I made a promise to only blog super awesome things anymore, so, you know this has to be awesome.  For those that know me, my Mecca would have to be something entailing baseball or golf. Since my baseball career is long over, golf now rules my life.  So, other than Augusta National (which I will probably never play), Pebble Beach or St. Andrew's or some other world famous course would suffice as my Mecca.  That was, until a few minutes ago.

Dave Pelz is the short game guru.  He has written books, coached some of the best players in the world, and is generally the go-to guy when it comes to golf shots from 100 yards and in.  He could save everyone a few shots on their handicaps, that's for sure.  However, did you know that he has the GREATEST BACK YARD IN THE WORLD???  If you don't believe me, watch this:

When I die, I want to go to Dave Pelz's backyard.  I'm not sure heaven could be any better.

Best Commercial Ever?

Issue: So much for blogging more...

Short Answer: Oh well.  But, I couldn't pass this up.

Reasoning: I'm sure most of you missed it, or, just didn't give a crap, but Rory McIlroy signed a huge deal with Nike last year (some reports had the number around $200 million), joining some dude named Tiger as a spokesman for Nike golf.  Nike now has the #1 and #2 ranked players in the world peddling their products.  So, what is the logical thing to do?  That's right, put them both in a commercial for our entertainment.  This is awesome:

I don't use Nike clubs, I don't use Nike balls, and I don't wear Nike shoes, but, this might make me think about changing sometime in the near future.  OK, probably not, but this is still an awesome commercial.

Meet Uncle Drew

Issue: Who is Uncle Drew, and what does he have to do with sports?

Short Answer: Uncle Drew is a playground legend.  Or he will be soon.

Reasoning: As I began writing this post, I was planning on linking the last post I wrote about Uncle Drew.  I went through my entire blog and couldn't find it.  Is it possible I didn't write about Uncle Drew the first time around?  Knowing how dumb I can be sometimes, the answer is positively yes.  It's quite shocking, seeing as how I think this might be the best marketing idea ever.  I will never drink Pepsi MAX, but this video at least makes me respect their marketing team.  Let me post the first video before we continue, so you can get an idea of what I am talking about:

I realize the YouTube title sort of gives the video away, i.e., Uncle Drew is Kyrie Irving of Duke University and the Cleveland Cavaliers.  A couple things jump out at me in this video: 1) Irving does a phenomenal job playing an old guy; 2) Although he is playing against of guys on the playground, it is ridiculous how much better he is than anyone on the court; 3) Everyone is drinking Pepsi MAX, so this had to be set up somehow, someway, and even those watching from the sidelines had to know something crazy was going down; 4) I GET BUCKETS; and 5) They should do many, many, many more of these videos.  I mean, seriously, couldn't Kyrie do this for a living rather than playing in the NBA?  More people would probably see him on YouTube in these videos than playing on TNT versus the Memphis Grizzlies...

Anyway, my wish came true recently when Kyrie Irving and Pepsi MAX released another Uncle Drew video.  This time however, they had Uncle Drew team up with Bill Russell and "Wes", his former teammate from way back in the day.  Since you already know who Uncle Drew is, I challenge you to figure out who "Wes" is.  Since I watch virtually zero NBA basketball, I didn't figure it out until the end, when I felt stupid for not figuring it out sooner.  [Side note: that is the second time I have mentioned how stupid I am in this post alone.  I must be getting old.  Sigh.]  Once again, this video makes me laugh out loud.  I can't wait to see the next one.  I'm still not drinking Pepsi MAX anytime soon though.  That I can promise you.  I GET BUCKETS!!!

Ben Petrick

Issue: Uhh, who?

Short Answer: Just keep reading...

Reasoning: This is what Wikipedia tells us about Ben Petrick:

Benjamin Wayne Petrick (born April 7, 1977) is a former Major League Baseball player.  Petrick, who was born in Salem, Oregon, was a highly accomplished athlete while attending Glencoe High School in Hillsboro, Oregon. He was recruited heavily to play both football and baseball, and ended up going straight into the Colorado Rockies' farm system when they drafted him in the second round (38th overall) of the 1995 amateur entry draft. Petrick became a solid prospect, finding a great deal of success with the Rockies' AAA affiliate, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. He was called up to the Rockies for the first time in 1999 and hit .323 with 4 home runs in only 62 at-bats. In 2000, he hit .322 in 52 games for the major league club. However, he soon experienced a dramatic dropoff in production, hitting only .238 in 85 games in 2001. On July 13, 2003, Petrick was acquired by the Detroit Tigers from Colorado in exchange for pitcher Adam Bernero. After an unsuccessful stint with the Tigers, Petrick was released. He attempted a brief comeback with the AAA Portland Beavers, and then retired.

This isn't a story about baseball.  This is a story about life.  See, I am a fairly unemotional person (just ask any girl I have ever dated).  I like to think I am always smiling, as I absolutely love life, but very rarely am I moved to tears.  Jim Volvano, in his famous speech at the ESPY's in 1993, told everyone   they should have their emotions moved to tears on a daily basis, but that is easier said than done.  Especially for me.  Perhaps it was because I was raised in a family with 3 brothers and...hold on, who cares why I am that way?  This isn't a blog about me and my emotional deficiencies.  Geez.  Let's move on...

I saw the following piece on E:60, a news show on ESPN.  I have been a baseball guy my whole life, so when I heard the name Ben Petrick, I remembered him, although vaguely.  I recalled him as a heck of catcher, who was turned into an outfielder, who could crush a baseball.  In short, he reminded me of myself (only he was a heck of a lot better than me).  But, then I heard his story and the comparisons to me stopped.  I want you to know that the piece did move me to tears, it is sad, but I promise you it has a happy ending.  I wouldn't post it here if it didn't.  It's a moving story about how sometimes life isn't fair, coping with that fact, and moving on.  You may have never heard of Ben Petrick before today, but something tells me you won't ever forget him.

Leave it to ESPN (yes, I still hate them) to not allow embedding of videos.  Click here to watch the video.

The Wizard of Westwood

Issue: College basketball already??

Short Answer: Sort of...

Reasoning: I was dallying around on Facebook the other day (which means I was so bored I didn't know what to do with myself), when I came across the following video.  Now, before you click play, let me warn you, it is long (something like 17 minutes), and the star of the video, John Wooden, may ramble from time to time (the guy lived to be almost 100...give him a break).  So, for those of you who do not have 17 minutes (I know you are reading this at work right now, soooo, c'mon, let's be honest), I will summarize for you after the video.

The first thing I notice is the title: The difference between winning and succeeding.  Most people would think they go hand-in-hand.  Mr. Wooden believes differently, and he does a great job explaining the difference.  A few other points worth noting:

• "Mr. Webster defined [success]: as the accumulation of material possessions or the attainment of a position of power or prestige...but in my opinion [that is] not necessarily indicative of success."
• "Dad tried to teach me and my brothers that you should never try to be better than someone else...always learn from others."
• "Never cease trying to be the best you can be - that's under your control.  If you get too engrossed and involved and concerned in regard to the things over which you have no control, it will adversely affect those things over which you have control."
• Mr. Wooden's definition of success: "Peace of mind attained only through self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you're capable."
• "Your reputation is what you are perceived to be; your character is what you really are."
• Mr. Wooden's number one rule in life: "Never be late."
• Mr. Wooden's advice to young coaches: "Don't run practices late.  Because you'll go home in a bad mood.  And that's not good, for a young married man to go home in a bad mood.  When you get older, it doesn't make any difference."
• "And I say to you, in whatever you're doing, you must be patient."
• "I think our tendency is to hope things will turn out the way we want them to much of the time.  But we don't do the things that are necessary to make those things become reality."
• "Don't whine.  Don't complain.  Don't make excuses.  Just get out there, and whatever you're doing, do it to the best of your ability."
• "My idea is that you can lose when you outscore somebody in a game.  And you can win when you're outscored."
• "I used to say that when a game is over, and you see somebody that didn't know the outcome, I hope they couldn't tell by your actions whether you outscored and opponent or the opponent outscored you."
• "I've had some players the could and wouldn't [pass the basketball], and I've had some that would and couldn't."

Those are the highlights.  What I can't show in my synopsis is Mr. Wooden quoting poetry as if he is reading it out of a book, somewhere in his mid-90's.  It's uncanny.  The video is worth the watch, because, in my opinion, anything Mr. Wooden says is worth listening to.  He is the greatest teacher of all time.

Isle of Man

Issue: Where the heck is that?

Short Answer: Wikipedia tells me it "is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles."

Reasoning: Before I get to the Isle of Man, and its purpose in a sports blog, let me apologize, to the three of you who read this, for being a deadbeat blogger.  I have been busy lately, and when that happens, the sports blog suffers first.  How bad have I been?  Check out the total number of posts in 2011:

• January - 18
• February - 14
• March - 10
• April - 9
• May - 9
• June - 5 (I'm sensing a trend here...)
• July - 4
• August - 4
• September - 3
• October - 5 (This is what statisticians call an "outlier")
• November - 3

So, I am here on December 1st, not with a great sports story, or my take on a controversy, but a post to attempt to up my numbers (and readers, but let's be honest...).  So, without further ado, I give you the Isle of Man Motorcycle race.  Huh?  I go back to Wikipedia, which tells us "[t]he International Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...[t]he race is run in a time-trial format on public roads closed for racing by the provisions of an Act of Tynwald (the parliament of the Isle of Man)."  Sounds fairly benign, right?  Let us continue.  The course which this race is run on is called the Snaefell Mountain Course.  This course starts "at the town of Douglas on the south-east coast, [then] takes a wide sweep to the west and north to enter the town of Ramsey on the north-east coast and thence return to the starting point, each lap measuring 37 3/4 miles and taking in over 200 bends while climbing from sea level to an altitude of over 1,300 ft. This circuit is the epitome of the natural road course, all the roads used being ordinary public highways closed for the racing and practice sessions."  Alright, this is starting to sound a little crazy.  One may ask, since this is a time trial race, what is the record for fastest lap (remember, the course is over 37 miles)?  In 2009, a man named John McGuinness finished a lap in 17 minutes and 12 seconds, which means his average speed was 131.578 miles per hour.  On a motorcycle.  On regular city streets.  Holy.  Crap.

My words don't do this race justice.  A video would.  Just remember as you watch this, that since this race began in 1907, 237 people have died in either practices or races.  These riders have stones the size of Jupiter, but, as for their brains....

Here is the unbelievable video (They show a few crashes, and I am assuming everyone lives or they wouldn't show it in the video.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.  Enjoy.):

The Odd Stat of the Week, MLB All-Star Game Edition

Issue: Wasn't that game last week?  Where have you been?

Short Answer: Moving, which means I have been without cable or internet for a few days, which also means the All-Star Game is the last sporting event I have seen.

Reasoning: The MLB All-Star Game is nothing short of an enigma.  After numerous players pull out of the game because they are "hurt" or "exhausted", you end up with people in the game that you have never heard of.  In fact, if you don't make the All-Star Game anymore, than you stink.  Look, Scott Rolen started at 3rd base for the National League.  Enough said.  He may not even be the best 3rd baseman in the Reds organization.  But, after the tie years ago, good ol' Bud Selig wanted to make sure the All-Star Game count for something, which means players have to be replaced, even with players who aren't really All-Stars.  On a side note, I still can't understand why this is the case.  Were baseball fans really THAT upset an exhibition game in the middle of the season ended in a tie?  Why would anyone, anywhere care at all?  Now, that same exhibition game gives the winning side home field advantage in the World Series.  Huh?  I would love to watch a team go 162-0 one year, but their league lose the All-Star Game, and them not get home field advantage in the World Series.  That's how dumb the idea was, and still is.

Anyway, I am here to give you odd stats about this year's game, not tell you how stupid Bud Selig is.  Let the first odd stat be a video (this may be the most boring video ever posted here, but bear with me):

So what does a solo home run early in the All-Star Game have to do with anything?  Funny you (or I) should ask.  Adrian Gonzalez's home run in the 2011 All-Star Game was the first All-Star Game home run since this one:

That was 2008 ladies and gentlemen.  The 2009 and 2010 All-Star Games had exactly zero home runs hit in them.  Two other things make these videos odd: 1) J.D. Drew is long gone from baseball now...I think; and 2) Both calls were unfortunately made by Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, possibly the worst announcing crew of all time, which sucks for everyone.  Sorry you had to listen to that.

The second odd stat deals with actual baseball stats.  The winning pitcher in the 2011 All-Star Game was Tyler Clippard (I told you waaay too many players make the All-Star team...bonus points if you even know who he plays for...3...2...1...the Washington Nationals).  What makes this strange is Clippard faced exactly one hitter in the entire game, Adrian Beltre, who singled to left field.  I realize some of you are confused right now...how does a pitcher face one batter, a batter who reached safely, and that pitcher still get the win?  Here's how: at this point in the game, the American League was winning 1-0 on the above Adrian Gonzalez home run.  Tyler Clippard came into the game with runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs.  He gave up the hit to Beltre, but Jose Bautista was thrown out at the plate by Hunter Pence to end the inning.  In the very next half inning, Prince Fielder hit a 3-run homer for the National League, giving them a lead they would never relinquish.  And, who was the pitcher of record for the National League when Fielder hit that home run...Tyler Clippard (since no one else had thrown a pitch for the National League yet).  A guy you have never heard of gets the win in the All-Star Game and gives the National League home field advantage in the World Series.  Man, I love this game.

What a Weekend in Sports

Issue: Uh, dude, it's Wednesday...are you talking about this past weekend or this coming weekend?

Short Answer: Sorry, my days run together...this past weekend was phenomenal.

Reasoning: Sports is my life and always has been.  I even love the sports I stink at.  And, for all you ladies out there, sports is the best reality television available.  There are no scripts (unless we are talking about boxing), no cuts, no second takes, and drama is always abound.  "It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings," was coined by the great Yogi Berra, and, it applied in his day, applies in ours now, and will apply in the future as well.  This weekend was full of happenings which demonstrate the greatness of sport and why I love them, all of them, so much.  Let's take a look at what I'm talking about:

• Steve Stricker is the man.  Steve Stricker is an old man competing in a young man's game.  Tiger Woods is aging, and we have seen his health deteriorate, his game deteriorate, and, yes, his marriage deteriorate (I couldn't resist).  Yet, Stricker seems to be flourishing at a time when most men his age are trying to hold on for dear life.  Stricker is 44 years old, which is not old by any means, but most of the guys he is competing against are in their 20's (re: Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Charl Schwartzal, etc.).  At last week's John Deere Classic, Stricker showed us again that age isn't anything but a number.  Stricker entered Sunday's final round at -20, three shots clear of the field.  Most everyone thought "steady" Steve would run away with the tourney.  However, some bad play by him and a string of 5 birdies on 6 holes by Kyle Stanley had the two tied with four holes to play.  Stricker then did exactly the opposite of what everyone thought he would do...bogey 15 and 16.  Now two shots down with two to play, Stricker needed a miracle.  He drained a 20-foot birdie on 17 to pull within one.  Stanely bogied the 18th with a missed 10-footer, and the players were tied.  However, Stricker had the most unfortunate of lies on his approach to the 18th green.  Take a look at what he did:

No lay-up.  No safe play.  He attacked that shot with one goal in mind...winning the tournament.  And he did.  Kudos Steve, kudos.  Oh, by the way, it was the third consecutive year he has won the John Deere Classic.

• Mark Montgomery's unbelievable pitching line.  (Thanks to my man Tim for finding this one)  I've been around the game of baseball long enough to think I've seen everything.  Yet, every single time I go to the park, I see something I have never seen before.  That is what makes the game so fun to watch.  And, along those lines, here is something I have never seen before, and will probably never see again: Mark Montgomery, RHP, 1 IP, 2H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0BB, 5 K, 2 WP.  Let me explain for those of you who don't follow - Montgomery struck out 5 hitters in one inning!!!  Two of them happened to reach on wild pitches (drop third strike rule), so either this dude has some unreal stuff, or Charleston needs to start looking for a new catcher.  I am willing to bet this is the first occurrence of 5 strikeouts in one inning, ever, above the Little League level.  Truly unbelievable.
• The hapless San Diego Padres at it again.  As a franchise, the Padres have NEVER thrown a no-hitter.  They are obviously not easy, but you would think someone, sometime, would have thrown one, but, since the Padres usually stink, it's not that far-fetched.  Saturday looked like the day Padre history would change (notice I said "looked").  Aaron Harang was making his first start off the disabled list on Sunday (thankfully it wasn't for the Reds this time, but the Padres).  Usually when a pitcher comes off the DL a strict pitch count is enforced by the team.  So, when Harang had thrown 95 pitches after the 6th inning, the Padres pulled him.  What makes this a bit odd is the fact that Harang had not allowed a single hit in those six innings.  Problem is, the Padres only managed one hit in those six innings, and the score was knotted at zero.  Josh Spence, a left-handed reliever, replaced Harang in the 7th and he struck out Andre Ethier.  Chad Qualls then replaced Spence.  An error, a walk, a pop-out, and a ground out later, and the Padres had no-hit the Dodgers through seven.  Mike Adams replaced Qualls at the beginning of the 8th inning.  It was an eventful inning, but Adams made it through without giving up a hit.  The Padres went in order in the top of the 9th, so the game went to the bottom of the 9th tied at zero, and there had been exactly ONE HIT in the entire game (by the Padres Cameron Maybin, if you were wondering).  Luke Gregerson replaced Adams in the 9th and he struck out Matt Kemp and forced James Loney to ground out to 1st base.  That's right, 8 2/3 innings of no-hit baseball...you know what's coming, don't you?  Gregerson promptly gave up a double to Juan Uribe, and the no-hitter ended.  But it gets better.  The very next batter, Dioner Navarro, singled to center field, and the game was over.  The Padres had been one out from their first ever franchise no-hitter, and they lost the game 1-0.  From no-hitter to walk-off loss.  Ouch.
• Derek-freakin'-Jeter.  If he weren't a Yankee, he would probably be my favorite player of all time.  He plays the game right.  He plays the game hard.  He is a smart player, and you can tell just by watching him play the game.  He is a first ballot Hall-of-Famer.  And, he has a flair for the dramatic.  Going into Saturday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Jeter needed 2 hits to reach the magical mark of 3,000.  George Brett had already publicly said that 3,000 is the hardest hit to get because of the constant media attention.  Jeter himself had admitted he was going up to the plate with the approach that he was swinging at everything, no matter what.  Some people, I'm sure, were ready for Jeter to take quite a bit of time to reach the magical number.  But, we are talking about Derek Jeter here.  He singled in his first at-bat for his 2,999th career hit.  Then, in the bottom of the 3rd, he did this (I put the Spanish version in here for two reasons: 1) it was the shortest version; 2) I love Spanish baseball announcers (hit numero tres mil!):

Just another tidbit for Derek Jeter's Hall-of-Fame plaque.  Oh, by the way, the fact that he is the first player to ever do this as a Yankee (all 3,000 as a Yankee that is) means absolutely nothing.  The Yankees have historically been a buy and sell team, even when it comes to superstars.  Jeter is just the one guy who the Steinbrenner's never felt like trading, so he had his 1st and his 3,000th hit as a Yankee.  Too bad, it would have been way cooler had he had all 3,000 hits as a Cincinnati Red.

• U.S. Women's soccer beats Brazil in the World Cup Quarterfinals.  I saved this for last because I thought it was the coolest, most dramatic, and possibly, most important sporting event of the weekend.  I realize that some may be surprised by that, given that baseball and golf are my passions, but, I watched this game from start to finish, and it was breathtaking.  The U.S. jumped out to a 1-0 lead on an own goal by a Brazilian chick who's name I can't pronounce or spell.  Then the U.S. got screwed royally.  A penalty kick save by Hope Solo was nullified, and the second chance was all Marta (the best women's soccer player in the world) needed.  She buried the PK to tie the score at 1-1.  She then had a goal that I'm still not sure how it went in (and I'm still not sure how the lineswoman missed the offsides on the play) to put Brazil up 2-1.  In the 122nd minute (the game only lasted that long because of a Brazilian player obviously faking an injury) the U.S. women pulled this off:

If you don't have chills, you aren't alive.  Go see a doctor.  This was one of the greatest games I have seen in any sport, at any time, any place, period.  This game had everything: the ups (U.S. taking an early lead), the downs (U.S. falling behind 2-1), the villains (Marta, the Australian referee), and the heroes (Rapinoe, Wambach).  In a game, men's or women's, that is what is needed for a game to be great, and this one was just that.  However, I'm not completely sold on this being one of the most dramatic moments in sports history.  Let's save those for Super Bowls, World Series, and NBA Finals.  Let us take a step back and remember, this is still women's soccer, and in the U.S., it doesn't matter much.  The only reason we (we being those of us who don't particularly care for soccer in the first place, and, for the record, I am not one of these people) cared about this game in the first place is because these women are wearing USA across their chests.  Take away that, and you have another game that no one really cares about.  This game happened on the biggest stage in women's soccer (not sure how big that really is), it involved the U.S., and it happened in front of the world, and that is why we care.  The game of women's soccer will grow because of this, but that won't make people in the States care about it anymore than they do now.  That is, until the World Cup of 2015 comes around, the ladies put on their USA jerseys again, and we cheer for our country once again.  I'd cheer for a women's cricket team if they had USA on their shirts.  Oh yeah, Hope Solo is hot.

Mr. Top 10

Issue: How well does ESPN do in compiling their nightly top 10 plays list?

Short Answer: Not well at all.

Reasoning: I watch ESPN all the time.  I mean, it has to be the best channel ever.  Seriously.  Sports 24 hours a day?  Yes, please.  However, just because a channel plays sports and sports highlights all day, every day, doesn't mean the people running the channel actually know anything about sports.  And, no where is this any more obvious than in SportsCenter's nightly segment - "top 10."  Don't get me wrong, the plays I see during this segment are fantastic, often times jaw-dropping.  But, what really grinds my gears (kudos if you know where I stole that from*) is how grossly out of order the plays are, especially the baseball plays (ok, maybe not "especially" (because all of the plays are out of order) but since I played baseball I can speak to how difficult, or not, the play actually was).

Most of the time, particularly in the summer (when baseball dominates the national sports landscape - except for losers who can't wait for the summer X-games), baseball plays make up most of the top 10.  And, most of the time, the #1 play is a diving catch in the outfield - and that shouldn't be.  I played outfield in college, and, believe it or not, I made a few diving plays in my day.  That alone should tell you that making a diving play in the outfield really isn't that hard.  It looks impressive, but it isn't difficult.  Did you see Jonny Gomes make three diving catches, in the same game, in left field, against the Dodgers last weekend (if not, you can check them out here)?  See, told you it isn't hard.  The point is, infield highlights should always be ranked ahead of outfield highlights.  Infield plays are harder to make.  The problem is, most MLB infielders make the difficult play look so easy, that it fools the novice viewer (i.e., ESPN employees) into thinking the play wasn't really that hard in the first place.  Wrong.  I am often shocked at how easy major leaguers make impossible plays look.  Especially DatDudeBP.  For those of you not hip to the Twitter (which includes me - because Twitter is stupid) DatDudeBP is Brandon Phillips, a.k.a., the best defensive second baseman in the game.  That's a fact, not opinion (ok, it's an opinion, but it should be a fact).

Brandon Phillips has made a bevy of unreal highlights already this year.  There was this one:

And, this one:

This one too:

And, of course this one:

As you can see, he is pretty good, and he makes it look really, really easy.  So, last night he made this unreal play (sorry I couldn't post the actual video, but MLB.com won't let you embed their newest videos).  Where does ESPN put this in their top 10 plays?  Number 4.  There were not four plays made yesterday that were better, I promise.  Brandon Phillips makes it look so easy, that ESPN can't put it #1 because it's not "cool" enough.  See, ESPN puts 10 plays together that they think are "cool."  That is why you see diving catches in the outfield and dunks in NBA basketball games.  How hard is it for an NBA player to dunk a basketball?  It is only a top 10 play because it looks cool (unless it is Blake Griffin posterizing someone - then it is top 10 worthy).  Based on skill alone, every time Brandon Phillips makes one of the plays you see above, it should be #1, period.  The plays he makes are ridiculous, and I would argue there is only one second baseman on the planet that could make the plays he makes.  For the record, MLB.com had Brandon's play last night as the #1 play of the night.  Weird that the people at that website would understand how awesome of a play that was, while people at ESPN would not.  Glad Dat Dude is on my team.

*It's from the Family Guy episode where Peter gets a job ranting on the local news in a segment called "Grinds my Gears."

Why Baseball is the Greatest Game Ever

Issue: Why?

Short Answer: I'm about to tell you.

Reasoning: Baseball is the greatest game ever because if you watch a game you are almost guaranteed to see something you have never seen before, literally.  I have been involved with the game for 27 years (damn, I'm getting old) and I swear I still see things, not only that I have never seen, but that I thought I would never see.  Case in point: I was coaching my beloved St. Xavier Bombers against Toledo St. John on Saturday afternoon in Toledo (we were participating in the all-Ohio Jesuit Baseball Tournament - which we went 3-0 in).  St. John had started a left-handed pitcher who had allowed so many batters to reach base that he had ample opportunities to balk.  He did, and I kindly pointed out some of these balks to the umpires, but, my observations where ignored (as they usually are).  In the 2nd inning (I think) the St. John pitcher balked again (he did not pause before delivering his pitch to home plate), and again, the balk wasn't called.  This time however, the St. John's bench noticed the balk and verbally told the pitcher to make sure he paused before he delivered home.  It wasn't two pitches later that the Walsh pitcher was coming set, didn't pause, and attempted a pickoff at first base.  Immediately the field umpire yells "BALK!"  Casual baseball fans may not realize that when a pitcher attempts a pickoff, he does not have to pause.  Crappy umpires may not realize that either.  But, after missing 4 or 5 balks, I figured the umpire owed us one.  Anyway, the St. John's coach came out to argue (as well he should have), and after failing (miserably) to convey to the coach why he called a balk, the field umpire decided to talk with the home plate umpire.  It took only a few seconds for the umpires to overturn the call and send our runner back to first base.  In 27 years that was the first time I had ever seen an umpire go "oops, I made the wrong call, I think I will change it."  Of course it had to go against the team I was coaching, but, we won anyway, so who cares.

But, that is why baseball is awesome.  The game has been around for 150 years (give or take) and each and every game is different in some way.  Situations often present themselves that players, coaches, and umpires have never seen before (in the law these are called "cases of first impression") and may never see again.  Hence, the point to this post.  Pat Venditte is a switch-pitcher.  No, that is not a typo.  He can, and does throw both right and left-handed.  How well?  The video below is of the Staten Island Yankees and the Brooklyn Cyclones facing off in a New York Penn League game - that's right, professional baseball.  Obviously Venditte is pretty darn good, either way he throws.  The Yankees are ahead in the game 7-2 in the 9th inning when a Brooklyn player gets a meaningless 2-out hit.  Or so every thought at the time.  What made this hit so special was that it brought up Ralph Henriquez who is, you guessed it, a switch-hitter.  How is this going to work?  What is the rule?  Funny thing is, in 150 years (give or take), I'm betting this is the first time it has EVER happened.  Take a look at the video:

Turns out the rule now states that the hitter must step into the box first and then the pitcher on the mound.  During an at-bat, the batter can change sides of the plate one time, but, the pitcher may also change one time.  Hence, the pitcher has the decided advantage.  Too bad this is probably the only time it would ever really matter.  Man, I love baseball.

P.S. - the Staten Island manager is Pat McMahon.  He was the recruiting coordinator at Mississippi State when I was being recruited there to play baseball, and he became the head coach there in 1998 (one of the reasons I decided not to go there was the fact that I would have played for two different head coaches).  This video is the first I have seen of him since about 1997.  Small world.

Nepotism is Alive and Well

Issue: Nepotism is not usually condoned most places, why here?

Short Answer: Because it's my blog.

Reasoning: For those of you who are still confused, "nepotism" is defined as "patronage bestowed or favoritism shown on the basis of family relationship."*  Generally, in the "real world," nepotism is frowned upon, as well it should be.  However, when someone writes their own blog, there is no one to stop the favoritism that I am about to bestow on one of my family members, i.e., the first family member to have an entire post dedicated to him (guess that officially rules out my mother, stepmother, and sister - sorry!).  Yes, I have mentioned my brother Casey here numerous times, since he sends me articles and videos that he believes may be appropriate for the blog.  But, I have never written an entire post on him alone.

For those of you who know me and my family, you have probably already deduced who I am talking about: my little brother Michael.  For everyone else (who doesn't know), Michael is the starting shortstop for the Indiana Hoosiers.  They are having a fairly good year so far (24-12, 6-3 in Big Ten), including a win over #23 Louisville last night (they also have wins over then #18 Coastal Carolina and #14 Connecticut).  Currently Michael is hitting .295, with 10 2B, 3 HR, 16 RBI, and a .495 Slugging %.  Not bad for a sophomore (although, I know he will be reading this, so, DUDE - you aren't drawing enough walks.  5 in 105 at-bats?  Stop thinking you need to get a hit every time up and start being a little more selective at the plate).  Indiana has won its first three series in Big Ten play, taking 2 of 3 from Michigan, Ohio State, and Iowa.  They play Minnesota this weekend, which is the consensus best-team-in-the-Big-Ten, unless, of course, Indiana goes in and takes 2 or 3 games from them.  We shall see.

Back to the Ohio State series though.  Indiana dropped the first game of the series 6-1.  Ohio State's pitchers combined to give up exactly 0 earned runs over the nine inning game, and, well, Indiana was never really in it (Michael ended up 1 for 4).  Saturday though, the Hoosiers turned it around.  The score was 5-3 after three innings, and, strangely enough, 5-3 was the final score (could have been an Odd Stat of the Week).  Michael had himself a good one, going 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored.  Then came the Sunday rubber match.  Win and you have had a heck of a weekend; lose and you have just dropped a home series to a team that probably will not contend for the Big Ten title (Ohio State is in a down year).  The game was more high scoring than the first two (as per usual on Sundays, when weaker pitchers are generally starting), and ended in crazy fashion.  Indiana came into the bottom of the ninth inning down by 3 runs (9-6).  An error and two singles meant the bases were loaded for the Hoosiers, but, after a strikeout, there were two outs, and they were still down three.  But, as Yogi Berra once said: "It ain't over 'til it's over."  I wish cellphone cameras were around when I was playing baseball, because what happened next can't be explained in words, only in pictures:

Nice job bro.  Man, do I miss playing baseball.

*Dictionary.com

Why Censorship Ruins American Televison

Issue: What does that have to do with sports?

Short Answer: Honestly, not much.

Reasoning: But, when I see funny stuff, I am always trying to figure out a way to post it here.  And, I promise this post is about sports.  Sort of.  You see, The Daily Sport is a tabloid "newspaper" published in the dentally unhygienic United Kingdom.  They talk funny too.  I have never seen or heard of The Daily Sport, so, allow me to let Wikipedia (I realize it is not a trusted source, but sometimes they have exactly what I need, and I can't imagine someone would purposely publish false information about The Daily Sport - but it's possible) to do it for me:

"The Sport does not focus on political news or world events...[i]nstead, its news coverage indulges more in yellow journalism, with an emphasis on celebrities, bad behaviour and toilet humour [HA - they spell funny too!]...Recent editorial policy has meant an end to [ridiculous] stories and an increased focus on celebrity news and sexual revelations...The Sport often publishes fake nude pictures of celebrities and also paparazzi "upskirt" and "downblouse" or nipple slip pictures. The fake nude pictures are published with the appropriate disclaimers and captions, although the front cover image is often accompanied by a titillating caption."

Ok.  Maybe that just confused you more.  From doing more research, I have found that The Sport specializes in three things: women's breasts, sports (see, told you it was appropriate for this blog), and funny stuff.  It sounds like whomever came up with this idea had a pretty good idea of what they were doing.  Call me crazy.  So, what does this have to do with censorship and American television?  The following commercial would never, ever, be aired in America (duh).  It is a commercial for The Daily Sport newspaper, and it made me laugh out loud.  All five times I watched it.  I must warn you though, there are half-naked breasts and abrasive words contained in this video.  I know that won't stop my male readers from viewing, but I wanted to warn my female readers (all 3 of them) about the content.  This video is not, however, so over-the-top that it will offend anyone (unfortunately).  Oh, and don't watch it at work with the volume turned up.  Enjoy!

Holy S@%t!!!

Issue: What gives?

Short Answer: This video is unreal.

Reasoning: It's March Madness, so I figured I'd roll with it.  The video at the bottom of this post features Jacob Tucker.  Jacob just finished his senior year at Illinois College, where he was a member of their basketball team.  Illinois College is a Division III school that competed quite well this year, finishing 16-8 (12-4 in conference).  Jacob averaged 14.8 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game.  Not bad.  But, playing basketball at a Division III school means that you have never heard of Jacob Tucker, nor should you have.  But, soon, you may.  You see, Jacob can jump.  Really, really high.  That doesn't make him any different than most other basketball players, but there are a certain few things that do.

The first thing that makes Jacob different, and the first thing that one may notice when they watch the video, is that he is white.  Now look, I don't want to make this a racial thing, but a white boy that can jump is an oddity.  It's like a white wide receiver, or a black swimmer, or a female athlete (before anyone gets upset, again, I am just kidding - female athletes don't fit in this list because there has never been one, but there have been white wide receivers and black swimmers - just very few).  "White Men Can't Jump" is one of the best, and most appropriately named movies, of all time.  The movie title may have ticked a few people off, but I am not among those.  I am white, and you should see me try to jump - it ain't pretty.  Jacob, however, looks white in the video, but after watching the entire thing (for the 17th time), I am convinced that his whiteness is a well-conceived camera trick.  Or, this dude is a freak.

The second thing that makes Jacob different, although it is tough to tell from the video (apart from the beginning, where it tells you this) is the fact that he is 5'11".  Seriously.  The dude is under six-foot tall and white.  He shouldn't be able to do the things he does in this video.  But he does.  You may remember the video I posted about Johnny Mac "trick shot quarterback", where I basically called b.s. on the content of said video.  My entire being wants to do the same to this video, but, after careful deliberations, I have come to the conclusion that Jacob Tucker is just a complete freak-of-nature.  At 5'11", Jacob sports a 50" vertical leap.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I would have to jump twice in order to reach 50" (alright, maybe three times).  I'm pretty sure, in a dunk contest, I would take Jacob over Blake Griffin.  Never underestimate the shock-and-awe of a short guy dunking (remember Spud Webb?).  Add in the fact that he is white, and I think the judges would be hypnotized along with everyone else.

By the way, Jacob put this video together in order to get into the college slam-dunk contest.  You can vote for him here: http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/post/_/id/6197777/dunk-contest-resume.  I know I will.

The Odd Stat of the Week

Issue: College basketball or the NBA - which direction are you going to go?

Short Answer: Neither.  Let's make this a truly "odd" stat.

Reasoning: I generally attempt to make my "Odd Stat of the Week" correspond with the sports that are being played right now.  Football is over and baseball is yet to begin (Major League baseball, that is - my little brother's Indiana University baseball team has about 10 games under their belts already.  Big leaguers are soft.).  As my faithful readers know, I hate the NBA, so I try not to ever write about it (mostly because I don't know, and don't care to know, much about it).  So, when my brother Casey (doesn't that guy ever work?) sent me a video link, I decided to run with it.

Squash is a sport I know nothing about.  I mean, it looks just like racquetball, but it's not called racquetball, right?  So, I decided to do a little research.  Problem is, when you type "squash" into google, you get mostly recipes.  That left me with Wikipedia, which I feel like using once is one too many times.  So, to eHow.com we go!  I went to eHow.com because they actually had an article on the differences between squash and racquetball, which is exactly what I wanted.  I'm not sure if eHow is correct or not, but I am going to ride it out (at least I tell you I'm not sure, rather than pawning off the information like I know it, right?).  Some of the differences:

1. The rackets - Racquetball rackets are shorter and wider in comparison to squash rackets. Racquetball rackets have a maximum allowable length of 22 inches and look like a small tennis racket, while squash rackets are up to 27 inches long and are similar in looks to a badminton racket.  Huge difference.  I think.
2. The ball - Squash balls are much smaller at 4 cm in diameter versus the 5.7 cm ball used in racquetball. The racquetball is made of rubber and carries momentum as it bounces around the walls, while the squash ball is denser and does not bounce as much.  Does that say "much smaller?"  Really?  4 cm vs. 5.7 cm is not "much" of anything.
3. The court - Allow me to paraphrase here: a racquetball court is bigger than a squash court.  In racquetball you can hit the ball anywhere you'd like, in squash there are areas you cannot hit the ball.  Basically, on the front wall in squash, there are lines designating where the ball must hit, and if it doesn't, the ball is not playable.  Basically, the court is the only REAL difference in the two sports.
4. The scoring - Squash is played to either 9 or 11.  Racquetball is played to 15.  Wow.  These sports are so crazy different.  Since I'm out of shape, it looks like I prefer squash.

The question now is, why the hell does anyone care?  Fair question.  The odd stat this week takes us into the bowels (no offense) of college athletics.  Yes, that's right, college squash.  I will give you a moment to stop laughing.  Done?  Turns out the Trinity College (it's in Hartford, Connecticut) squash team is pretty good.  They are good enough to have now won 244 matches in a row, including 13 straight national championships (they beat Yale last week for their 13th straight title).  Their last loss?  February 22, 1998.  This all coming from a college who plays in the NESCAC, which stands for New England Small College Association Conference.  Awesome.  The video posted below highlights the coach and the players of the longest streak in any sport, anywhere.  However, they may have a bloated view of themselves.  The video opens with one of the players stating "as everyone knows, Trinity is the best school in squash."  Uh, not so much.  Most people know nothing about squash.  Another player: "we get looked at like football players, in a sense, at other schools."  Well, when you go to a college that has less than 2,300 undergraduate and graduate students, and, is division III in all other sports, a squash team that brings home 13 straight national championships may get a little attention.  I do not want to discount this streak though.  It is as impressive, if not more impressive, than any streak I have ever seen.  But, it is squash.  Dang, I did it again.

The Odd Stat of the Week

Issue: Anything obscure happen in college basketball this week?

Short Answer: If division III counts, then yes.

Reasoning: As February comes to a close, talk begins to turn to college basketball and the "who's in" and "who's out" of the NCAA tournament.  The Big East is tough, the ACC is always good, and the Big Ten is having a year of resurgence.  March should be fantastic this year, as it always is.  However, 3,000 miles away from where I sit right now, something bigger happened this week, and most people heard nothing about it.  The Caltech Beavers are a division III athletic institution.  They are a private school with about 950 undergraduate students (my high school was much bigger).  And, they don't give out athletic scholarships.  Thirty-one faculty and alumni have won the Nobel Prize.  Hence, basketball takes a back seat at Caltech.  Or, maybe they don't even get a seat.  That is why they have been beaten time and time again, at an historical rate.

On February 22rd (or 23rd, depends on what time zone you live in), 2011, Caltech beat Occidental 46-45 (sounds like a high school score, and, something tells me there are high school teams out there that could beat both squads) in their final game of the season.  This is newsworthy because Caltech and Occidental play in the same conference - the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (a basketball powerhouse) - and this was Caltech's first conference victory since...January 23, 1985.  That's right, it had been 310 conference games and 26 years since Caltech's last conference victory.  That stat is hard to wrap one's head around.  It seems impossible.  But, when you realize that Caltech finished this year 5-20, locking up their best record in 15 years, you realize how effing bad the Beavers really are.  Last year, the Beavers were 0-15.  The last time they had a winning record was 1954.  They suck so bad the Cincinnati Bengals feel sorry for them.  Maybe.  Let us now play, what-the-world-was-like the last time Caltech won a conference game (Jan. 23, 1985)*:

1. I was only 6 years old.  Wow.  That was a looong time ago.
2. Three days before Caltech's last conference victory, the San Francisco 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins 38-16 in Super Bowl XIX (yes, that is Super Bowl 19 - Green Bay just won Super Bowl 45).
3. Five days after Caltech's last conference victory, a bunch of entertainers got together and recorded "We Are The World" to raise money to combat famine in Ethiopia.
4. "Out Of Africa" won 7 Oscars, including best picture, even though I believe "Back To The Future" should have won every single Oscar that year.
5. The Grammy winner for song of the year was Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It?", and the award for best new artist went to Cyndi Lauper (anyone feeling really old yet?).
6. "The Cosby Show" edged out "Cheers" and "Family Ties" to win the primetime Emmy for best comedy series.  I miss good TV.
7. The median household income was under $24,000, a gallon of gas was $1.20, a dozen eggs cost $0.80, and a first-class stamp was $0.20.  Sheesh.

Oliver Eslinger, Caltech Head Coach, after the victory**: “Tonight’s win is a testament to the hard work each member of this team, the alumni and the supporters have put into this program. I hope that everyone who has participated in Caltech men’s basketball is able to celebrate a little bit tonight...[w]e still have goals and aspirations that we want to accomplish as a program and this win is another step toward meeting these objectives.”  Goals and aspirations?  Really?  What, like win another conference game before 2037?  Maybe Caltech should just keep pumping out Nobel Prizes, because they will never have another celebration like this:

Wow.  And I thought I couldn't feel any more sorry for these guys.  But, in their defense, they are almost certainly smarter than you or me.  At least they have that going for them.

*I got most of these from Wikipedia, so I don't know if they are correct or not.  But, I think they are.

**The article where I got most of this information.

Thanks To My Brother. Again.

Issue: Do you, or does your brother, actually write this blog?

Short Answer: I do.  I think.

Reasoning: As more people start reading this blog (or just clicking on the page to give me a false sense of security), I start getting more e-mails about ideas, or articles, or videos that people think are relevant.  I love getting these e-mails because it makes my job a bit easier.  But, it also makes me feel like others are doing my job for me, or that I am ripping off other people's ideas (DISCLAIMER: if you are one of the people who send me stuff, please don't stop - I'm not complaining!).  My brother Casey, who has been mentioned here at Uncommonly Sports a time or two, is the lead perpetrator of this activity.  He is an intellectual, who spends a lot of time reading everything, so when he sends me something, I pay attention to it (even if it is a video, a la, the one we have here).

What we have below is a video featuring University of Connecticut redshirt junior quarterback, Johnny McEntee.  In the video, McEntee self-describes himself as a "trick-shot quarterback."  Intriguing.  Let's take a look at this video:

Now, while I believe every throw in this video is possible, here are a few reasons that I am a little skeptical:

1. The credits at the end of the video list all of 6 people (one is McEntee and two others are other UConn football players (well, one is the kicker, so I guess he's not really a football player, but you get the point)), and the only one that caught my eye was "Edited by Kyle Campbell".  I'd like to talk to Mr. Campbell about what he really edited.  Technology is so flawless today that many people will question the validity of these throws because we all know, through the magic of editing, my little sister could be a "trick-shot quarterback."
2. Anyone who actually can make all these throws would have to know that people may doubt what they see on this video.  Why not have a disclaimer before every throw?  Or edit in some of the throws that were failures?  We all know he didn't make all these throws on the first try, so why make a video that purports just that?  Some of these throws could have taken 100 tries or more (at least I think so), so I think it would have been more impressive to say "it took me 5 tries to do this, but here is the successful throw."  Makes more sense to me, but what do I know?
3. The throws McEntee makes in this video are the equivalent of hitting the small bullseye in darts (or maybe even better).  I have watched professional darts on TV before (it is actually a lot cooler than you would think) and even the best dart throwers in the world can't hit their mark every single time.  Just saying.
4. What are you saying about yourself as a quarterback when you can make all these throws, including some blindfolded, but you literally have zero career stats.  Seriously, this guy has never thrown a pass, or had a rushing attempt, or thrown a pick, or gotten sacked.  Ever.  Check out his bio page from UConn's website.  And, I can add in that he played in two games in 2010 and again amassed zero stats - but he can throw a ball into a basketball hoop from 40 yards?  Maybe, but I doubt it.
5. This video can only add pressure to McEntee's attempts to become a good quarterback.  He has shown on this video that he can make any and every throw, so interceptions should never happen.  Nor should incompletions.  Or losses.  See what I mean?  This video may get McEntee some publicity, but the last time I checked, trick-shot quarterbacks didn't get paid very well.
6. And, most telling - there are only two of Johnny's "trick-shots" that garnered any sort of reaction from anyone who was present.  Obviously, in most of the shots, there is a cameraman and one other person, but wouldn't they go nuts?  Wouldn't the camera start shaking because the cameraman was jumping around going crazy?  It happens twice, which makes me believe he made those two throws (and some of the others that are cool, but not jump-around-going-crazy throws) on his first try (or second or third), and all the others took forever and no one was excited, or, Mr. Campbell (the editor) did a fantastic job.  I'm going with the latter.

With all that said, I have no idea how real this video is.  I don't know how many takes each one took, or if all of it is editing magic.  I'm not sure I even care though, because this video is pretty darn cool.

A Tribute to a True American Hero

Issue: Today is the Super Bowl though.  What gives?

Short Answer: Already did a Super Bowl post (see below).  This is way better anyway.

Reasoning: Allow me to set the scene for some of the coolest video I have ever seen:

• Setting - The 16th hole at the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course (I have actually played the Desert Course at TPC Scottsdale, but that has absolutely nothing to do with anything).  This hole has become its own entity over the last decade.  In 2008, Tournament sponsor FBR (the sponsor is now Waste Management) added 3,000 more bleacher seats to bring the total capacity, for the 16th hole only, a very short par-3 at about 150 yards, to over 20,000.  And most are ridiculously drunk.  The whole setting is basically the exact opposite of what you would expect at a golf course on the PGA Tour.  But, man is it cool to watch.  The fans boo the players when they miss the green, and leave putts short, and play it safe.  However, when you do something good, the place absolutely erupts.  It is pure, unadulterated fun, and it makes a relatively benign tournament in February, into something worth watching.  Here is video of Tiger Woods making a hole-in-one at the 16th in 1997 (the reason I chose this video is because of the sheer raucousness of the crowd, and, when they pan away as he is walking off the tee, you can see beer cups, bottles, and cans being chucked onto the tee by fans.  Awesome.):

• Cast - The video clip stars Billy Mayfair.  He will never be considered a great golfer by PGA Tour standards, but he has won 5 times (none since 1998).  He is aging, and he actually had to go back to Q-school after the 2010 season, since he finished 142 on the official money list.  He did, however, attend Arizona State University, and fans at the 16th hole love ASU alumni (re: Phil Mickleson).  In the video, Billy Mayfair pays homage to another former Arizona State Sun Devil, Pat Tillman.  For those of you who don't know, Pat Tillman played safety for Arizona State and then the Arizona Cardinals.  He was a fantastic athlete.  He was also a fantastic American.  Shortly after the attacks of September 11, 2001, Pat Tillman decided to walk away from a career in the NFL to join the Army Special Forces.  He was killed in Afghanistan in 2004, most probably by friendly-fire (author Jon Krakauer penned quite a literary piece called Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman, which details the events surrounding his death.  Heck of a read.).
• Climax - Billy Mayfair, a decent-at-best PGA Tour golfer, heads to the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale in the 2nd round (which actually took place on Saturday due to frost delays earlier in the week.  Yes, frost delays in Phoenix.  Winter sucks.).  The 16th tee at TPC Scottsdale is the place where even professional golfers get nervous.  No one wants to get booed by 20,000 people.  So, Mayfair ups the ante (and the pressure) by donning a Pat Tillman Arizona State jersey.  That alone would have stopped anyone from booing him, no matter what.  But, what happened next, kinda makes you wonder...

Thank you Billy Mayfair.  And, thank you Pat Tillman - a true American hero.

Parody at its Finest

Issue: Did you know there is a "fair use" doctrine protecting people from copyright infringement if they use someone else's copyright for purposes of parody?

Short Answer: Yes I do.  And I am thankful.

Reasoning: I am not an internet junkie.  I use the internet for information, gambling, and, well, you know.  Viral videos rarely make appearances on my computer screen, because if everyone else thinks they are funny, then I usually don't.  On top of that, even if a viral video is funny, I don't want to think it's funny, because I don't want to be part of the crowd.  Yes, I know I have problems.

Funny thing is, viral videos are kind of like fraternity guys.  As a whole, viral videos are annoying and stupid.  But, if you carefully choose which videos to watch, they are actually quite funny.  Just like fraternities as a whole are annoying and stupid, but, if you have the opportunity to talk to a fraternity guy solo (you know, without 20+ drunk idiots attached to his ass), he is usually a pretty decent fella.  Usually.

Thanks to my brother Casey (Sigma Phi Epsilon, Indiana University) for sending me this video.  It is a parody of the LeBron James "What Should I Do?" commercial, starring a Brett Favre look-alike.  It is hilarious and it is not copyright infringement (hopefully).  It is also probably not 100% safe for work as a certain part of the male anatomy is discussed quite a bit.  So, maybe just turn the volume down a bit.  Even though everyone in the office will be able to hear you laugh out loud.  Here is the video:

I have watched it six times, and I am still laughing.

These Guys Are Good

Issue: Any cool videos that people may want to see?

Short Answer: These are unreal.

Reasoning: I'm not sure how many people have seen these, but even if you have, they are worth another look.  These two videos contain European PGA Tour professionals attempting what most of us average golfers (i.e., hacks) believe to be impossible shots.  It's crazy to think how good these guys are to even come close to pulling either of these shots off.  Take a look:

Amazing.  As is this one:

For those of you that don't play golf, take it from me, what you just saw is impossible.  The only people on the planet who could fathom pulling either shot off are professional golfers.  And you saw how many times they missed before one of them got lucky.  Awesome videos.

My New Hero

Issue: Who is your new hero?

Short Answer: Wes Welker.

Reasoning: For those of you who don't know, the New England Patriots and the New York Jets face off this weekend in the NFL playoffs...and they don't like each other much.  The Jets talk a lot of trash.  Rex Ryan does it.  Antonio Cromartie does it.  But, the Patriots don't do it.  A Bill Belichick coached team allows the other team to talk all they want.  His team goes out and does their talking on the field.  However, there may be a dissenter amongst the bunch of Patriots.  At a news conference yesterday, Wes Welker may have done some trash talking.  I think.

Back in December TMZ.com posted videos which (allegedly) star the wife of Rex Ryan.  Well, the stars of the video happen to be the feet, of the wife, of Rex Ryan.  Yeah, I chose not to watch either.  Wes Welker, my new hero, did some "trash" talking at his press conference, the way only a Patriot could.  Check out the video:

Whether he did this on purpose or not (I believe it had to be), it is hilarious.  Who knew Wes Welker had it in him?  Hilarity at its finest.