1. The Indianapolis Colts were knocked out of the playoffs - I'm shocked about this. I got to see bits of the game on the Texas Stadium videoboard before kickoff but didn't get to see the ending. There is a large part of me is bummed that we won't get to see Pats/Colts in the AFC Championship Game, I must admit.
2. The Dallas Cowboys were knocked out of the playoffs - I'm not at all shocked about this. Dallas hadn't played well in about a month and after news broke out of Tony Romo's vacation in Mexico, the Cowboys set themselves up for a tremendous amount of pressure to win the game. For a team that hasn't won a playoff game since 1996, that was too much to overcome.
3. The Seattle Seahawks/Green Bay Packers game changed completely as soon as the first snowflake hit the ground it seemed. Ryan Grant went from goat to hero in about 5 minutes and the wintry landscape at Lambeau made this game fun to watch, despite the blowout score.
4. The New England Patriots defense looked sloppy in the first half against the Jaguars. You know the Patriot offense is going to score points, but it would be nice if the defense could string together consecutive stops. I still don't know why the first touchdown wasn't challenged but I'm not going to go crazy about that. Lawrence Maroney is running like a beast.
5. The UConn Huskies lost on a Roy Hibbert (pause for a baffled WTF?!!?! moment) hit a 3-pointer with 4.2 seconds left in regulation. I actually got to watch most of this game and thought UConn had control until the 7 foot center hit that three. If there's such a thing, this was an encouraging loss for the young Huskies.
6. Scott Rolen was traded to Toronto for Troy Glaus in a swap of has-been, oft-injured third basemen. Glaus has been implicated as to using steroids and Rolen as been implicated as being a prick (by Tony LaRusa). In another baseball trade, the Braves acquired Mark Kotsay for a bag of potato chips that they didn't have to pay for. Oakland is covering about 75% of Kotsay's 2008 salary for those of you who didn't get the free potato chip jab. Mmmm, free potato chips.
7. The New York Yankees are out of the Johan Santana trade discussions...oh wait, they're back in again. Now they're out. In. Out. In. I feel like I'm watching really bad British porn; a couple of ins and outs but very little action and too much talking. (You had to guess there would be a porn reference with the title of this post!)
8. To nobody's surprise, Darren McFadden declared himself eligible for the 2008 NFL draft. I'm still pissed at the 49ers for putting together a battle-cry finish to their miserable 2007 season and costing the Patriots a realistic chance at drafting him (or at least being in a position to trade the pick and demand a king's ransom).
9. Philip Rivers is an ass-clown. There, I said it.
10. Watching Terrell Owens cry after the Cowboys loss to the Giants might be the single most gratifying moment that I've ever had being a sports fan. Did you see the lips quiver like a toddler whose rattle just was taken away? Aside: people in Dallas LOVE T.O. I mean LOVE him. Have you ever seen a redneck in a cowboy hat relishing in TO's antics? It's a sight to see, let me tell you.
Speaking of "telling you", I've got to tell you about my trip to Dallas over the weekend as I promised. I'll put it in easy-to-read categorized format and post a few pictures for your pleasure. Enjoy...
Hotel: Bigg Redd and I landed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Friday evening, 8:30 CST. We got to the Wyndam Hotel in Dallas at around 10:00 PM CST (I'm going to abort typing "CST" after every timeframe that I post...too much typing) after driving on President George Bush Highway. If you go to Dallas, plan on renting a car. The city grid extends for miles and is many attractions are located outside of downtown Dallas. Most attractions are located within a 20 mile radius. Texans love America and American presidents, dead or alive, good or bad. Anyway, we get to the front desk with bags packed full with exercise clothing and we're told that the fitness room was "under construction" and that for a charge of $15, we could go down the street to workout in a local gym. The $15 charge was enough for me to become unmotivated to do any sort of exercise. Also "under construction" at the hotel: the gift shop (important because my shaving cream was confiscated at the airport), the ice machines, and the entire 4th floor (floor that we stayed at). The staff was incredibly friendly and if you order room service (for breakfast, I recommend the banana smoothies), the service is excellent. The hotel also offers a free shuttle to most places within a 5 mile radius and the driver, who is a New Orleans Saints fan from New Orleans, is very friendly. Be sure to tell him how much you hate the Cowboys so that you can set him off in a rant. Here's the hotel site: http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/DFWND/main.wnt
Restaurants: based on a tip from our friendly Saints fan driver, we went to Chamberlain's Steak House and it was excellent. The staff is really friendly, the dining atmosphere is elegant (but casual dress is permitted), and there are a number of reasonably-priced items on the menu to choose from. http://www.chamberlainsrestaurant.com/main.html The hostesses were decked out in very revealing dresses and bosoms were everywhere! (Bigg Redd also noticed the low-cut dress style and turned down a Dooley proposition of wearing dresses like that every day for double her annual salary...I'm glad she turned it down because I don't know where I was going to come up with the cash) Another eatery worth mentioning is Hoffbrau Steaks located in the West End of Dallas. http://www.hoffbrausteaks.com/ We went there for lunch Dooley ordered himself some ribs. The meat just fell off the bone. Also, save room for the homemade banana pudding - it be good. Beers come 2 at a time in a ice bucket (you're not charged if you don't open the second bottle but go ahead, open it - I had the Lone Star beer brewed in Fort Worth).
Things to do: Bigg Redd and I opted to spend the majority of our time in the West End of Dallas. Very good restaurants (BBQ, Mexican, steaks) and bars can be found here. A few blocks away from Hoffbrau, you can tour the 6th Floor Museum (Texas Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald shot from) and JFK tribute. What a surreal experience that is standing on the grassy knoll. In the first picture, if you count up 6 flights of windows on the far right side of the building (in the picture, the bottom window looks like it is cracked open), the Museum has propped that window to match what it looked like when Oswald peered out at Kennedy's convertible. First picture is of the old Book Depository building, second is of the grassy knoll and route, third is around the area where Kennedy was fatally shot, and the fourth is the area behind the fence where investigators believe a 4th shot came from...
We also tried to go atop the Reunion Tower (promised spectacular views of Dallas for $2), but the Tower, like much of our hotel, was under renovation.
The Game: The motivation for going on this quick weekend trip finally arrived on Sunday and it was about time. I had grown tired of listening to every Dallas sportscaster predict a 4 touchdown Cowboy win. There were a bevy of Giants fans scattered around Dallas and while walking through the lots to the Stadium...
...harassment was minimal. Actually, the most harassing we heard was saved for a gentleman who decided to wear his Kansas City Chiefs Tony Gonzalez jersey. "Wut da heck ya'll wearin'?" (aside: Texas accents do differ from "deep south" accents) At this point, I was excited to get into the stadium. As a kid, I grew up watching Tom Landry coached teams scuttle about (post-dynasty era 80s) with the likes of Randy and Danny White, but this stadium always gave me an impression of a good deal of tradition and nostalgia as a youngster.
...of course, all of this tradition and nostalgia overload on a mediocre team in the 80s made me hate the Cowboys. "Why make a big deal about a team that stinks?", I used to think...
...and how could people stomach the overload? Oh yes, the cheerleaders. Their entrance is greeted with every bit the enthusiasm that the players receive when they're introduced...
...and DeMarcus Ware is "saved" for last. The Cowboy fans were hospitable to the thousands of Giants fans in attendance and there were no melee scenes that you may find at Yankee Stadium for a Yankees/Red Sox game. Many Cowboy fans were seen wearing something in reference to Jessica Simpson, which I found odd. The atmosphere was great - exactly what you'd expect for a playoff game in a city hungry for a playoff win. The smells of the stadium were kind of strange. One minute, delicious barbeque scents floated around the stadium. The next minute, automobile exhaust and cheap perfume. Very strange, but I guess the odors were partially trapped by the partial roof. Before I knew it, the game kicked off and the game breezed by.
A couple more observations:
* It was pretty cool to hear the stadium scream "star!" when the word came up during the Star Spangled Banner. Go ahead, feel free to sing it to yourself in your head and figure out how long the build-up would take.
* Cowboys fans love T.O. but hate Julius Jones. Sighs and grunts were heard all over the stadium whenever Marion Barber was taken out of the game.
* The Cowboys had more false starts and stupid penalties that I've ever seen a #1 seed have.
* Tony Romo made some bad decisions with the football. He took sacks when he had time to throw the ball away and threw the ball away when he had time to scramble or make a throw (he was penalized for intentional grounding on one of these bad decisions). I think it's time to take Tony Romo off the Canton ballots, don't you?
* Patrick Crayton dropped everything, including a punt, and should have caught the go-ahead touchdown with 20 seconds left in the 4th quarter had he not quit on his route at around the 20 yardline.
* Eli Manning was tormented with "Eli sucks!" chants from the Cowboys crowd early in the game but those chants went away as Manning was able to do what his older brother couldn't do earlier in the day: protect the football and lead his team to a win. The drive at the end of the first half was the momentum swing of the game (aided by a dumb personal foul penalty against Dallas).
* The more I see Ahmad Bradshaw run, the more I like him.
* The Giants defensive line was way too fast for Dallas' offensive line, especially late in the game. They were blowing off the line about 2 steps quicker on each 4th quarter snap.
* Tom Coughlin's challenge of Terrell Owen's touchdown catch was absurd. Fortunately for the Giants, that blown challenge didn't cost them.
* Jerry Jones face on the stadium's videoboard during the closing minutes of the game was priceless. He looked like a man who was realizing that his NFC Championship Game ticket promotion might have cost his team an edge.
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