How Much Are We Really ‘Entitled’ To Know About Celebrities?
Posted in: Sports Fan | Comments (0)
Between the 24-hour news cycle and our obsession with reality TV, celebrity gossip, and professional athletes; the American public has unprecedented access to public figures. We know the ugly details of Jon and Kate’s divorce, the specifics of Michael Jackson’s prescription drug addictions, who celebrities are dating from the moment they begin holding hands, as well as a myriad of other things that people 20 years ago would never have been privy to (and probably couldn’t care less about).
So by now you must have heard about Tiger Woods’ car accident the morning after Thanksgiving – unless you live under a rock or don’t follow sports at all like my girlfriend (who only knows about this story because of the gossip websites). Apparently he crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant and a tree while backing out of his driveway. How he somehow managed to do that while doing what many teenagers are allowed to do when they don’t even have a license I have no clue. I mean his air bags didn’t even deploy because he was driving so slow!
Dr. Sports Fan @ December 2, 2009
Eagles Get Shady On The Ground In SNF Win
Posted in: Philly Sports | Comments (0)
“When will LeSean McCoy stop carrying the football like L.J. Smith?”
Those were my exact words to the Phoenix when Shady McCoy fumbled early in the fourth quarter as the Eagles looked headed towards another mind-numbing loss. Ah, but they must play the full four quarters to finish a game. Good thing too because McCoy had a few more yards and a 10-yard touchdown run in him.
Dr. Sports Fan @ November 22, 2009
NFL Morning After Pill: Cutler’s 5 Ints
Posted in: NFL | Comments (0)
Man, Jay Cutler wishes he could have those five throws back huh? I wonder how Chicago Bears fans feel after their team’s embarrassing 10-6 loss to the San Francisco 49ers last night. The Bears franchise quarterback threw five interceptions, dooming an impressive Chicago defensive effort. I can only imagine how the “Superfans” of SNL fame would’ve reacted after this one:
Dr. Sports Fan @ November 13, 2009
The Return Of Thursday NFL
Posted in: NFL | Comments (0)
It’s that time of year, when the NFL begins to assert its control.
Not merely content with owning every ounce of programming in my life on Sunday and Monday, the country’s biggest sports addiction (Hi, I’m Kevin O’Connor, and I have a problem…) has once again claimed Thursday night as its own. That’s because tonight — on the NFL Network — the Chicago Bears (4-4) travel to the Bay Area to take on the San Francisco 49ers at Monster Candlestick 3Com Park.
Dr. Sports Fan @ November 12, 2009
And I’m Back… Sorry For The Hiatus
Posted in: Sports Fan | Comments (2)
Wow, has it really been two months since I’ve last posted anything? Talk about being asleep at the wheel…
Well here are my excuses for neglecting one of the most interesting sports months in recent memory:
- After going back to New Jersey for 10 days, I promptly moved out of my mom’s place and into an Ocean Beach apartment with my girlfriend. The move took a lot out of me…
- I acted in a Halloween play by Jake Arky called “My Friend Dahmer.” Acting takes time…
- I am lazy, and being lazy takes time…
- The Phillies made another deep run into the playoffs. I don’t want to talk about how it ended, but that took up a lot of time…
Anywho — enough with the pleasantries — I’m back and better than ever. Last night, I appeared on the Pregame Show (a radio show with Take Back’s Phoenix) to talk about the first half of the NFL season. I smell a column on that coming very soon. I’m just going to wait until every team has reached the eight-game mark (thus making it to the official half-way point of the regular season).
In the meantime, enjoy this week’s NFL games, the debut of the NBA, and that cold weather sport that no one ever talks about anymore — cough — hockey. (And congrats to the New York Yankees… much as I hate to admit it, they were the best team and they earned it by taking out the defending champs. Please excuse me while I write 1,000 times that “I will never compliment the Yankees again” on my nearest black board.)
Dr. Sports Fan @ November 6, 2009
NFL Morning After Pill (Friday Edition)
Posted in: NFL | Comments (0)
What a way to start the season — overtime in Pittsburgh!
Here are some quick thoughts on last night’s 13-10 victory for the Steelers.
More on page 221
Dr. Sports Fan @ September 11, 2009
Brett Favre, WTF?! And Other Take Back Updates
Posted in: NBA, TBS Update | Comments (0)
Here are a couple of quick-hitters:
1. So apparently Brett Favre did not retire.
Not like I cared anyway…
But when Brett Favre resigned with the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday, you knew that Taking Back Sports just had to weigh in with the view from the sports fan.
Take Back columnist Adio “The Phoenix” Royster has decided to rant about the Favre saga. Adio pulls no punches in this one, and he has some surprising statistics to back up him up.
(My opinion, don’t let the Phoenix near Brett Favre — or the Vikings — with any sharp objects. I just think it’ll be safer for everyone!)
I hope you enjoy that one.
2. Michael Vick has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, why haven’t I written about it?
Good point, I suck.
3. New sports column series coming soon.
In the great American spirit, the master debaters of Taking Back Sports will take on some of sports most divisive issues — as Colonel Jessup would say, “Is there another kind?” — and break them down coldheartedly and without passion, or something like that. In short, the Phoenix and I — as well as a potential new member to the Take Back Sports team — will argue and taunt each other — like normal sports fans do all across the country — except we’ll do it in a sports blog style while at work!
That’s right, sticking it to the man!
(SHHH!!! Don’t tell our boss.)
4. Lastly, if you were waiting for my opinion on the Brett Favre signing, here it goes:
Since Brett Favre is back to haunt our dreams for another interception-filled season, we might as well accept it like Andy Dufrense had to when the sisters came calling.
My guess, Favre will wow us for a few weeks and throw a few deep bombs to Bernard Berrian, while Adrian Peterson reminds us of Gale Sayers and pushes for a 2,000 yard season (assuming Humpty Dumpty stays healthy). But come December, those old bones will begin to ache and the interceptions will begin to pile up. Something tells me the old gunslinger has a few back-breakers in him for December…
To make a long story short (too late):
When the Vikings will likely finish a game or two out of the playoffs, they’ll know they’ve been had.
Dr. Sports Fan @ August 19, 2009
Prescription For The Eagles Injury Bug
Posted in: Philly Sports | Comments (0)
With starting middle linebacker Stewart Bradley and rookie tight end Cornelius Ingram out for the season with ACLs (as Al Michaels would say), backup QB Kevin Kolb and star defensive end Trent Cole each were carted off the field this morning with injuries.
Everyone’s training camp hero, wide receiver DeSean Jackson, returned to practice today after scaring Philly Phans everywhere when he hyperextended his knee on Saturday. Meanwhile, Brian Westbrook has yet to put on football pads…
How do we cure the Eagles’ injury bug?
Let’s ask rock legend Bruce Dickinson!
Dr. Sports Fan @ August 10, 2009
Why Are The Best NFL Players Paid Less Than Eli Manning?
Posted in: NFL | Comments (0)
Tom Brady makes less than him. LaDainian Tomlinson has a smaller paycheck. Hell, even his brother — the superior brother — Peyton Manning earns less than him.
So why does Eli Manning get a six year, $97.5 million contract?
I have no clue.
Zero MVP awards and zero passing titles are not the resume of football’s best, but young Eli can do no better. He does have the Super Bowl MVP award, but we all know that anyone on the Giants defensive line was more deserving of that honor — after Steve Spagnuolo’s unit made Tom Brady duck and cover like it was 1959.
But good for Eli. We know the guy’s been through a lot, having to grow up in the shadow of two great NFL quarterbacks. It couldn’t have been easy for him to have the New York fans give him hell in 2007 before the Giants dramatic title run.
As a Birds fan, I tend to have a more negative opinion of Eli. I’ve seen how Plaxico Burress, and his 6-foot-5 frame, bailed out Manning more times than Shawn Michaels did for Marty Jannetty back for the Rockers (well, not as bad as the one he gave him). With Burress, the Giants were the superior team to the Eagles (the Giants only lost twice — both in 2006 when Jeff Garcia was piloting the ship), but when Burress was suspended last year, the Giants looked hapless on offense (mainly due to Eli) in two embarrassing home losses to Philly.
Not exactly a good time to reward the captain of the offensive side of the ball with the best salary in the league. I’m just saying that maybe, just maybe, the guy should have had, I don’t know, an MVP season. Am I right?
Let’s see how the New York faithful treat him if he struggles without Burress now that he’s one of the highest paid players in the league. That should go over real well in this economy!
Besides, making over 15 mill a season isn’t bad for a QB with a 55.9 career completion percentage and an 86.4 career rating.
Mediocre is the new great in ‘09, just ask Jimmy Fallon.
Dr. Sports Fan @ August 5, 2009
Are There Any Fantasy Football Sleepers Anymore?
Posted in: Fantasy Sports | Comments (0)
“The fantasy sleeper is dead.”
–Dr. Sports Fan (8-3-09)
While I joined the fantasy sports craze in 2001 — just as the whole industry took off with the internet — I’m about as seasoned as anyone in the fantasy world. Despite being a mediocre fantasy player — I’ve won just four fantasy leagues (football in ‘01 and ‘06, baseball in ‘05, and basketball in ‘02-’03) — I’ve played in two or three fantasy football leagues each year since 2002.
Now that you have my resume, I can say without hesitation that the fantasy football sleeper is a thing of the past.
Why?
According to my definition, a fantasy sleeper is a player that comes into the season under the radar but could be in for a solid season. Players like Julius Jones in 2004, Maurice Jones-Drew in 2006, and Steve Slaton last year are all prime examples of players that took fantasy teams to the next level. Each also came into their respective sleeper seasons undrafted or they spent several weeks on the waiver wire.
This year, I had set my sights on Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub as my bigtime sleeper pick before checking out the fantasy preview magazines. Now, if USA Today, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated all tell me that Schaub is a sleeper, is the QB really flying under the radar?
Schaub isn’t the only player to get some pub as a fantasy sleeper in ‘09.
Here are some other sleepers being thrown around by USA Today’s Sports Weekly fantasy preview: Pierre Thomas, Kyle Orton, Chad Ochocinco, and Laveranues Coles. Two Packers, Ryan Grant and Donald Driver, are sleepers on the same team and both were stars in seasons past.
I’m not saying that any of these guys won’t be having great seasons, but with the minor exception of Thomas, these guys are definitely not sleeper picks.
The problem to me is the wide availability of information for fantasy owners.
Since so many males (and now females) play fantasy football, there is a lot of money to be made in the fantasy preview market. With hundreds of magazines and — hell — millions of articles on the internet devoted to fantasy sports, there likely won’t be many players flying under the fantasy radar.
Other magazines will give you some more risky fantasy bets — Ray Rice, LeSean McCoy, and Rashard Mendenhall are some names being thrown around — but at the end of the day, every young skill position player is a sleeper pick somewhere.
With everybody ready for the “next big thing,” how can any fantasy owners get ahead now?
If you’re looking to score big with an unknown in 2009, waiver wire and free agent pickups are your main source. With everyone in your league likely doing their own research for the upcoming season, you’re going to have to do your damage after the draft.
Remember, Slaton wasn’t drafted in most leagues last year.
After coming on for an ineffective and broken down Ahman Green, Slaton was the dream waiver wire find for some lucky team in your league last year. While most experts found the West Virginia product too small for the NFL, Slaton finished 6th in the league in rushing with 1,282 yards and 8th in receptions (50 for 377 yards) among running backs. With 20 carries in five of the last six games, the “little” RB handled the load and then some.
No preview mag experts foresaw that kind of year from Slaton. Even the most ambitious fantasy players were catching Z’s on that sleeper. This kind of work can only be done midseason.
Long story short (too late!), you likely will not be getting a leg up on the competition by looking for one in a fantasy magazine. Come to think of it, the only sleepers that really ever existed were the ones that individual owners came up with themselves anyway. Fantasy previews be damned!
While the days of taunting the competition by adding some Z’s after picking your sleeper may be in the past, one thing is for sure: someone will take the 2009 fantasy football season by storm — somebody that even the Talented Mr. Roto has never written about! You’ll just have to wait — like everyone else — for Week two or Week four in the waiver wire to find your surprise fantasy stud.
You just better hope that I don’t have a higher waiver priority than you.
Dr. Sports Fan @ August 3, 2009