Finally! After nearly seven years of waiting, the Buffalo Bills will play a Monday Night Football game on Monday, October 8th, 2007! As a devout Bills fan, this is a small burst of light after they have successfully dealt off four of their best players so far this offseason (London Fletcher, Takeo Spikes, Nate Clements, and Willis McGahee). The game will take place in Buffalo, against the Dallas Cowboys. Buffalo’s had a couple rough games on national television against Dallas (think back to back Superbowls), but that’s all in the past. The last Monday night game they played in may have helped get them a seven year ban from Monday night. They lost to the Colts in 2000 by a score of 44-20. I’ll just be happy to see them play at home on national television. Go Bills!
As an NBA fan, I watched most of the past weekend’s All-Star activities. I always look forward to that break in the season. It’s a fun time. I know plenty of people who feel the need to criticize the events that take place. I don’t really understand that. Perhaps it’s because it’s the only major league sport that has an All-Star event even worth watching, and people expect to see Jordan-esque performances each year. Maybe they just like to whine about something, who knows.
Some highlights of the weekend I noticed are:
- Chris Paul’s 9 steals and 17 assists in the rookie challenge, with at least 8 of his assists playing part in alley oops. I think 5 or 6 of those alley oops were to Monte Ellis, that dude can jump. I look forward to Chris Paul in the All-Star game for the rest of his career. His game reminds me a lot of the way Isiah Thomas played.
- A trip down memory lane watching Bill Laimbeer complain to the refs once again. Gotta love the guy’s spirit.
- Charles Barkley’s victory over 67 year old Dick Bavetta in a foot race. Great dive by Bavetta in the end. His knee was bleeding after the effort.
- A good dunk contest. Dwight Howard showed just how high up he can get, even though he’s 7 feet tall. I know some kids who are 6’4″ and move much more awkwardly than him. He can maneuver like a small guard, ridiculous. That sticker dunk was pretty incredible.
- Gerald Green’s dunks may not have appeared too spectacular, but that’s because the kid jumps incredibly high. That final dunk was off of two feet, and his plant foot was within a foot of the free throw line. He dunked it with ease, he may be the only person on earth who can do that.
- A dominant performance by the West in the All-Star game. Even though it was a blowout through most of the game, I enjoyed it. The West put on a shooting clinic that totally killed any chances of a comeback by the East. They really played well as a team; maybe because a handful of them are All-Star veterans.
I’m glad the NBA keeps the All-Star weekend the way it is. They make enough subtle changes each year to keep it fun, while sticking to the basic format that is proven. It is by far the most entertaining All-Star even of any sport. Good work Mr. Stern.
Woohoo, NBA All-Star weekend is almost here! I enjoy the action on this weekend in the NBA. There are criticisms about different things out there, like if the dunk contest should exist, but I think people are taking things too seriously. The dunk contest is just a fun little thing that is pretty entertaining if you ask me. How else are we gonna see somebody only a couple inches taller than Spud Webb jump over him and throw down?
To show the spirit of the All-Star weekend, TNT has included an awesome event. Charles Barkley will take on Dick Bavetta in a footrace up and down the court 1 3/4 times. Dick is a 67 year old referee in the league. I think it’s awesome that he is willing to do this, as well as Charles, and that TNT even thought of doing it in the first place. It’s a great way to show the seriousness of All-Star weekend. I’ll be watching.
With the Super Bowl coming up tomorrow, I got thinking of some of my favorite commercials from past years. Here are just four of them I remember, three are from Ameriquest, and my favorite of all time is from E Trade. Enjoy!
E Trade: 2 Million Bucks
Ameriquest: That Killed Him
Ameriquest: You’re Getting Robbed
Ameriquest: Bad Kitty
I saw commercials this week for Inside the UFC, which I haven’t seen yet because I’m usually in bed when it airs. This week’s commercial for it said Randy Couture was going to make an announcement. I also saw an article about Randy participating in Pros vs. Joes, and figured that would be the announcement.
Boy was I wrong.
On March 3, 2007, Randy is going to fight for the UFC Heavyweight Title! The dude is a Hall of Famer, and 43 years old. He kind of reminds me of Rocky, when Drago says “He is like a piece of iron.” You look at the guy and you can tell that he probably wouldn’t flinch if you hit him in the face with a sledgehammer. Anyway, I’m excited to see him fight again. He hasn’t fought in the heavyweight division since I started regularly watching the UFC, even though he was twice the title holder in that weight class.
From what he said in the interview (link below) with the UFC, he feels like his techniques and skills have changes, giving him a chance to still be on top of the UFC. Reminds me of how Michael Jordan came back as a mid-range jump shooter after his retirements, and was still the league’s best player…well, at least after the first retirement.
Oregon vs. BYU in about an hour from now. Prediction: Oregon 72 BYU 0. I have a bet with the wager of a wooden nickel on the game, good stuff.
Everybody else is talking about AI now that he’s finally talking trade. I’ve found it annoying how a lot of media has tried to make him look like a quitter and like he’s betraying a team who has been good to him for a decade. His “possible trade” each summer has been making reporters all kinds of money for the past five years or so, even though all of them are based on the team themselves trying to get rid of him, all the while he was insisting on never leaving Philly. Most players would have demanded to be traded long long ago, probably the year after they made the finals and looked to be going downhill. Even then Iverson had class and asked to not be traded.
I could go on for a while, but I found a great article that finally pays him the respect he deserves. Allen Iverson is possibly the most loyal player in all of sports, aside from being the league’s most talented scorer. He’s under six feet tall (listed at 6′) and nobody can stop him from putting the ball in the hoop.
Anyway, here’s that article: Neither side will like The Answer
