2013 Sports Wishes

Happy New Year everyone! The Mayans were wrong as the world still exists.  Looking forward to what 2013 has in store for us, I have compiled a list of ten Sports Wishes below (Not including my yearly wish that every Boston sports team wins a championship). Enjoy and feel free to comment below!

10.  NBA officials learn how to properly ref a game and not blow the whistle on every trip down the floor

9.  NFL refs only call pass interference when it is truly pass interference. No more free 40 yard penalties on third and long, bailing out the offensive team.

8.  NFL realizes that the Pro Bowl is a joke and does away with it. Players can still be selected to the "Pro Bowl" so they can have those accolades.  However, there is no need to have the Pro Bowl when it isn't a real football game and the best players who are playing in the Superbowl cannot play in the game.  Perhaps they can have some type of  All-Star weekend like the NHL and NBA have.  Skills competition involving throwing accuracy, longest throw, punting, kicking, receiving drills, running speed, etc.

7.  NCAAF adopts playoff system now, not 2014.  Also, how can you have football teams not play for over a month?  In the NFL, there are always talks about the teams with a bye losing their "mojo" and losing their momentum in the playoffs. Sure both Notre Dame and Alabama experience a similar layoff but they haven't played a real football game in over a month. Practice can only do so much. Adopt a playoff system at the end of the regular season with at least eight teams. Can't believe NCAAF does not do this.

6.  Mayweather fights Pacquiao to finally get it over with and help revitalize the dying sport of boxing. I know Pacquiao just lost in stunning fashion, insert Chris Tucker line from Friday here, but this is the fight that everyone has been waiting for and neither boxer is getting any younger. Now or Never. 

5.  NFL rethinks some of its rules, including the infamous Jim Schwartz baffle when he threw a red challenge flag after a TD on Thanksgiving. Scoring plays are automatically reviewed and his red flag negated any potential review. The replay clearly showed the Texans player knee touch the ground and the TD should have been overruled.  Perhaps the "ball don't lie" as the Texans ended up losing three of their last four games and rightfully missed out on a first round bye.

4.  MLB incorporates some new rules to speed up the pace of the game. Each team is allowed a certain amount of time outs, or mound visits, as these baseball games are taking far too long.  Back in the day, games were much shorter.  In Boston on Marathon Monday, you used to be able to watch the Red Sox game, then run over to the end of the Boston Marathon to see the winner.  Now you're lucky if you catch the end of the race. Watching a baseball game from beginning to end takes three to four hours of your day, never mind Yankees-Sox games.  The chart below shows the average length of game in minutes each decade. MLB needs to do something to shorten the length of games.

3.  NBA lowers the number of time outs each team has as there are too many stoppages, especially at the end of games where each team fouls one another, then calls a timeout.  Do these players really have to be told exactly what to do on every important possession? Whatever happened to playing the game on the fly without calling a timeout and let the best team win.  Too many timeouts, too many whistles, not enough end to end action.

2.  ESPN stops talking about Tim Tebow.  I think he should have a starting QB job somewhere, perhaps Jacksonville, but enough trying to incorporate Tim Tebow into the conversation when it isn't relevant.  He is a nice guy but he is not a great QB. There are much better quarterbacks throughout the league who don't get any attention from the "Worldwide Leader in Sports."

1.  NHL and NHLPA come to an agreement and they have a shortened season. This needs to happen ASAP and they need to make sure the CBA lasts for at least 10 years so we don't have to worry about another lockout within a few years. Get a season started already! Today should have been the Winter Classic at "The Big House" in Michigan.

Romo'd is the new Munson'd

Tony Romo blew it again. What a surprise. When it matters most, when the Cowboys season is on the line and they need a win, Tony Romo has risen to the occasion only once in 14 years. 

Arguably the best regular season quarterback in Cowboy's history, Tony Romo threw three interceptions tonight. The last interception came with four minutes to go and his team down by three points, looking to make a game winning drive. With a win, the Cowboys would have hosted the first round of the playoffs next weekend.  With the loss, Jerry Jones and "America's Team" are in familiar territory and will be sitting on the couch watching the playoffs.

My question to you; is Tony Romo the biggest choker in sports history?  A lot of names come to mind for big time choke jobs (Patrick Ewing and the Knicks of the 90's, the Red Sox Billy Buckner, Buffalo Bills Jim Kelly, the 2004 Yankees) but these teams/players actually won big games to be in the spotlight to choke. Tony Romo has only won one playoff game in 14 years with the Cowboys. He has set numerous passing records but when it comes down to winning when it matters most, Tony Romo has as much experience as Mitt Romney does as President of the United States. (I usually don't mix politics with sports but with Washington beating Dallas, the Cowboys being "America's Team," and the looming fiscal cliff talks coming out of Washington, I thought it was only fitting. I won't let it happen again.)

The point here is that Tony Romo did exactly what he has done his whole career. He had a great regular season, threw for thousands of yards and touchdowns, then when the spotlight came on, he choked.

I think the only reason I am surprised that Dallas lost, again, is that I thought to myself, "Tony can't possibly choke again, can he?"  Well he did choke, again, and he did it in premier Romo fashion. The word Romo will be added just in time for the 2013 Webster Dictionary. There will be a movie shot by the Farrelly Brothers in which Woody Harrelson, playing Tony Romo, stumbles upon an Amish football player. The phrase Romo'd will be used throughout the comedy.

Poor Tony Romo.  At this point I feel bad for him but not for Cowboys fans.  Cowboys fans have been spoiled most of their lives and the majority of them aren't true diehard fans.  Poor Tony will be thinking about this loss for a long time. He has already had to think of several other choke jobs and this was his chance for redemption. Sunday Night Football after Christmas. NFC East Division Title on the line. Winner Take All. Win and host a first round playoff game next weekend. Lose and you go home with your tail between your legs.Well lose he did and his tail is getting old.

Romo will spend yet another off-season thinking how he can exact revenge while shooting a 68 alongside true winners like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods down in Myrtle Beach during Celebrity Golf Tournaments. He won't have to ask them for advice, it will come upon him automatically. Tony Romo is like the poor kid in grammar school you feel bad for because he always gets picked on and you feel the urge to give him some advice. "If you don't react to their insults Timmy and you show that you don't care, they will stop harassing you." 

If only such simple advice could help Romo.  He must wait at least a full calendar year to somewhat redeem himself and bring his team to the playoffs. If that were to happen, he must win multiple playoff games, if not the Super Bowl, and prove that he belongs alongside the names of great Cowboy quarterbacks such as Staubach and Aikman.  Romo can have the regular season numbers but in the end, winning is what matters most and that is what Tony seems to have the most trouble with.  The only chance Tony has to be in the spotlight anytime soon is if he runs back to ex-girlfriend Jessica Simpson and starts a reality TV show.  Til then, Americans will add the phrase "Romo'd" to their everyday vernacular and the International Choke Symbol will be renamed to The Romo.

Add tonight's game to the umpteenth reason why I'm glad I'm not a Cowboys fan. Some memorable Romo follies are below.

Return of the Gronk?

According to multiple sources, New England Patriots Pro-Bowl Tight End Rob Gronkowski may be used in a limited role during Sunday's game vs the Miami Dolphins.  Gronk hasn't played since he suffered a broken forearm during a Point After Attempt.Week 11's slaughtering of the Colts.

This may be exactly what the Patriots need to gain a little momentum heading into the playoffs.  Gronk hasn't played the past five weeks yet he still leads all Tight Ends with 10 Touchdowns.  A few snaps to get him back into the swing of things may be just what he needs to be ready come playoff time. With Gronk back, the entire offense improves, including the run.  This will allow us to run the two tight end set that this offense was designed around. For the entire season, either Hernandez or Gronk has been hurt. With both of them in the lineup and healthy, this Patriots offense becomes lethal.

As of now, the Patriots are looking at a potential first round clash with the Cincinnati Bengals.  There is a lot of football to be played tomorrow but the Patriots will only receive a first round bye and avoid playing in the first round if they beat Miami and either Denver or Houston lose.  I don't see Denver losing to Kansas City but there is hope that Andrew Luck and the Colts beat the sputtering Texans. If this were to happen, Denver would get the top seed and home field advantage and the Patriots would receive the two seed and avoid having to potentially travel to Houston.  After tomorrow we will know all of the NFL's playoff matchups. The Texans play at 1pm so Pats fans will know if they have a shot at a first round bye.  Expect the Dolphins to roll over and fold as their season will be coming to an end in snowy New England. I envision Pats fans will be throwing snow into the air like this memorable game below. I never thought I would say this but let's go Colts!

Santa Can't Bring NHL Fans Christmas Present

Even Kris Kringle himself couldn't bring NHL fans the coolest game on earth this holiday season.  It's a shame both parties, the NHL Players Association and the owners, haven't been able to come to an agreement yet.  Who would have thought that we would end up in the same predicament we were in a few years ago? The NHL was finally becoming relevant again alongside the other major sports in America.  In recent years, Lord Stanley's Cup has belonged to major cities like Chicago, Boston, and Los Angeles. This is exactly what the NHL needed and you would think they would want to build off of this and keep the positive momentum moving forward. Instead, greed, amongst other things, has kept both parties from coming to an agreement.

While our Christmas lists weren't answered by Santa Claus, there is a slight glimmer of hope for a New Year's Resolution.  Several NHL insiders, including CSN's Joe Haggerty @HackswithHaggs, have recently reported that the NHL has offered a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in hopes to have a shortened season begin in mid-January.  However, this may be another media ploy by the NHL owners to make it seem like they are the good guys and they are doing everything in their power to make a season happen.  We will see what comes from this recent proposal but we are getting down to the midnight hour. Our only hope may be to join in chorus together on New Year's Eve, Molson Canadian in hand, and sing the following:

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?

Silly New Yorkers

    The NBA season finally tipped off yesterday with a Christmas Day matinee featuring the New York Knicks versus the Boston Celtics. The Knicks won the game 106-104 after nearly blowing a first half lead of 17 points. The Knicks found themselves down by 10 in the second half, but behind solid defense from Tyson Chandler and 17 fourth quarter points from Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks escaped with a two point victory over the aging Celtics.
    This was the first victory against the Celtics in the last 9 games. New Yorker's are beginning to believe that the Knicks are back in the spotlight and have a realistic chance at winning an NBA title. While the Knicks are up and coming and "on paper" they look to be a 3 or 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, Knick fans must remind themselves that this was the first game of the season and the Celtics were without their captain Paul Pierce.
    There is no doubt in my mind that if Paul Pierce played this game the Celtics would have won rather easily. However, every team faces injuries as Pierce is out indefinitely with a bruised foot and the Knicks are without Baron "B Diddy" Davis for several weeks as well. New York may be the mecca of basketball but they have a long way to go to before they can even think about a championship run.  After the win against the Celtics yesterday, you would have thought New Yorkers were going to begin planning a ticker tape parade for the players.
    Chill out New York, you barely beat Boston for the first time in a long time in the first game of the season on your home court. La-dee-freakin-dah.  If you want to consider yourself a top notch caliber team and sit at the table with the big boys, know how to handle winning.  You could learn a thing or two from your rival sports city Boston on how to win.  The city of Boston has won a Stanley Cup, two World Series, three Superbowls, and six NBA Titles since the last time the Knicks touched the championship trophy in 1973.  Even when you fixed the NBA draft to acquire Patrick Ewing you couldn't find a way to win. Sure Michael Jordan was a hard obstacle to get by but how about Reggie Miller getting inside your players and your fans heads?  You almost choked again yesterday
    It's great to sit back and laugh at the silly New Yorkers like Spike Lee and John McEnroe. What a bunch of clown shoes.  Poor Spike Lee has waited decades longer for an NBA title then rap fans waiting for Detox to be released.  So please, New York, wait until you actually accomplish something in the NBA before you act like the second coming of Jesus.  You won the first game of the year against Boston, who isn't even your rival because both sides have to win to be considered a rival. We have six titles since you last won yours.  Until you actually win a title, this goes to Rex Ryan too, sit down and shut the F**K up!

Jerome Simpson's Superman TD

    In case you've been living under a rock and/or busy opening presents and playing with your new toys all weekend, here is the play from the weekend/year, perhaps ever?  Jerome has now solidified his name as one of the all time great Simpsons. Let's hope he doesn't follow in the footsteps of the other Simpson who played football...

Time To Shut Up Fat Boy

    One of the highlights from Christmas weekend, besides Jerome Simpson's Superman Flip, was the war of words between Jets Head Coach, Rex Ryan, and Giants RB Brandon Jacobs.  Rex is known for his loud mouth rants and has gotten away with it in past years because his gang of green has won, reaching the AFC Championship two seasons in a row. This year, the Jets are now 8-7 and are currently on the outside looking in.  They also lost bragging rights for the best Football team in New York City.
    After a meaningful 29-14 loss to the Giants which featured Mark "happy feet" Sanchez throwing the ball an uncanny 59 times, Rex Ryan and Brandon Jacobs exchanged verbal jabs.  After the game, Ryan told Jacobs, "Wait until we win the Superbowl."  Jacobs told reporters how he responded. " I told him I'll punch him in the face. I told him out of all the Giants players on this team you're talking to the wrong one." Reports also claim Jacobs said "Time to shut up Fat Boy" and Ryan said "Go F**k Yourself."  
    The Jets players and their head coach are known for their trash talking leading up to the game each Sunday and even Giants Coach Tom "I should be fired by now" Coughlin responded by saying "Talk is Cheap." (On a sidenote, this win may have saved the Giants postseason hopes as well as Tom Coughlin's job. With a win next week against Dallas, they will secure a playoff spot and will avoid collapsing down the stretch like previous seasons)
    Gotta love this trash talking especially when the obnoxious, overweight, trash talking Ryan gets a dose of his own medicine.  Is there anything better than calling a heavily overweight person like Rex Ryan 'Fat Boy'?  Brandon Jacobs is right. Ryan chose the wrong Giants player to exchange words with as Jacobs is 6'4" tall and 265 lbs and isn't afraid to tell it how it is. He told the Coach exactly what millions of us have wanted to say for years. Time to Shut Up Fat Boy!

It's Official:Theo Epstein To Cubs

    See ya later Theo.  Thanks for the two World Series Titles. But why did you sign guys like Bobby Jenks and John Lackey?  Lackey has always struggled at Fenway and has never been an ace.  You must have been partying with Pearl Jam too much when you made that decision.  No GM and no coach.....the Red Sox soap opera continues...

Eminem and Slaughterhouse Killed It Last Night

    Just Listen.

Red Sox Soap Opera

    A story written in the Boston Globe by Bob Hohler, read here, depicts some "high school" type drama taking place in the Red Sox clubhouse the past year or so.  Some of the key highlights of the story depict pitchers such as John Lackey, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and others, drinking beers, eating fried chicken, and playing video games while games were still going on.  There was division within the clubhouse with Jacoby Ellsbury keeping mainly to himself as he felt betrayed by Youkilis' comments the year prior.  There are also allegations that Terry Francona and use of painkillers throughout the past few years affected his performance.  According to him he went and saw the necessary people about taking painkillers and it has never been an issue.
    Another key aspect of the article talks about the circumstances surrounding Hurricane Irene in late August.  In order to avoid the brunt of the storm, ownership and management persuaded the players to play a day-night double header on Saturday.  Players weren't happy about time scheduling of this and supposedly held a grudge the rest of the way.  That double-header turned out to be the last time the Sox won two games in a row.  John Henry, in an attempt to mend their relationship, bought each player $300 headphones and invited the team for a "players only" night aboard his 165 ft. yacht.  This gesture didn't help things.
    There is so much drama coming out about the Red Sox it's disgusting.  All of these rich, spoiled players acting like rebelling teenagers.  It wasn't everybody on the team, but just about everyone's reputation has taken a hit.  Even the captain Jason Varitek was accused of giving up and not being a leader anymore.  Buchholz was listed as one of the guys joining in on the video games and beer consumption.  Kevin Youkilis is accused of being divisive and disruptive.  Adrian Gonzalez came out and said this was the most physically demanding year for him.  He complained of playing too many night games and having to travel at 4 a.m. at times.  He clearly contributed to the players sentiment about the scheduling of games which seemed to last to the bitter end.  There are even reports saying that ownership did not initially agree with the signing of Carl Crawford, who they thought was too similar to Jacoby Ellsbury. 
    It's a shame that it has to end this way but hopefully it is for the better.  Clearly the players lost all respect for Tito as the clubhouse was more of a country club than anything.  Now Tito is gone and it looks like Theo will be leaving to take the Cubs position.  They both worked extremely hard to bring Boston two titles and we will be forever thankful.  It's just too bad that we will be left with this sour taste in our mouths.  Years down the road we will be reminded of the collapse of 2011 and the pompous attitudes of the players that year.  As of today we have no clue who will be managing our ballclub and who will be our replacement for Theo if, and when, he leaves.  There are so many underlying issues surrounding the Red Sox it's hard to wrap your head around everything.  I suggest you read the Boston Globe article and stay tuned for what follows.  Hopefully the Red Sox will have a tremendous rebound year in 2012 and can help mend this mess of a situation.  We can only hope.