Shaq-Tastic? hardly

Don't know if anyone happened to watch the premiere of "Shaq Vs" on ABC Tuesday night, but allow me to hand in a report card. For as entertaining as the Big Insert-Ostentatious-Noun-De-Jour-Here is-- and there is no denying this-- his show goes flat within minutes.
The concept is definitely intriguing: Shaq goes up against world-class athletes in other sports, with a slight handicap, to see if he can beat them at their own game. A pretty good concept, but the biggest problem is that they stretch the affair out to one hour. The competition, though, is so cut and dry, that even with interview cutaways its done in 15 minutes.
The biggest drain on the show is the scene-setting at the site. The announcers are below-average, at best. I don't understand how a show with a clearly massive budget would cut corners with the announcing crew. They were not insightful, they were not funny... they added nothing to the broadcast. Every time they cut back to the stadium to build the moment, any momentum or energy they had from the other events fizzled out.
The upside of the show is that Shaq is legitimately funny, and he and Ben Roethlisberger (the antagonist for the series-opener) had solid chemistry back and forth. Watching Shaq go through the drills was much more entertaining than a game of 7 on 7 with no one rushing the passer (are you kidding me?). But watching Shaq try to run the 40 while making sure not to pull a hamstring was great.
The smarter approach to the show is one of two angles. First, combine two challenges per episode. That way, you don't have to string out as much filler. Secondly, put more emphasis on the training and drills. You know those QB skills competitions? How great would it be to watch Shaq run through cones, weave past dummies, then try to whip a pass 20 yards down field at a moving target?
Instead, we get subjected to two sub-par announcers harping over and over again about how seriously Shaq is taking the competition. But the bottom line with this show is that it will be Shaq's personality that drives it. And he will need to connect with all of his opponents to make the show salvageable--easier said than done with Michael Phelps on the docket. But maybe co-executive producer Steve Nash can fix that problem. He's used to getting the most out of people, and making them look much better than they really are...

Injuries molding college football

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So here is a quick post that I wrote for a website called Sports Alert. It provides free text alerts for sports scores, and also has some editorial content. Very small scale, but I'll be double-posting, and I will include a link once the story is live on the website...

That didn’t take long. Just a week after our Top 25 preseason poll, the injury bug is still picking some high profile teams out of its teeth.

At Virginia Tech, the news is downright devastating. Running back Darren Evans is done for the year thanks to a torn ACL. Evans ran for over 1200 yards last fall, but without him, the Hokies’ offense could be stuck in neutral. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor has shown flashes of brilliance, but the fact remains that there is a reason why he was almost redshirted last year: mainly, the seven interceptions against two touchdowns Taylor threw last year. Virginia Tech should still be the cream of the ACC crop, but probably no longer merit a top ten ranking.

The news is not quite as gloomy at Ohio State, where linebacker Tyler Moeller will sit out the year because of a head injury he got on a family vacation. I want to know how many family vacations end in a son being punched in a bar, and landing on his head, but I guess that is beside the point. The loss of Moeller for 2009 is a tough blow—he was a projected starter for them this fall, and had three tackles for a loss last year. On the plus side, however, doctors originally feared Moeller might never return to the gridiron, but say now that he is expected to play again for the Scarlet and Gray.

Over at USC, the news hardly qualified as a blip on the radar screen. Sophomore quarterback Aaron Corp could miss most of August with a knee injury, after getting rolled up on in practice—and not the good kind. Corp returned to practice the same day, but will now have to sit after the joint flared up on him. The good news for the Trojans is that they have an insane amount of depth at the position. Remember Mitch Mustain, the one-time Arkansas signal caller whose future looked so promising with then-coordinator Gus Malzahn? Mustain transferred over to Figueroa Tech, where he is STILL buried on the depth chart. True freshman Matt Barkley will instead be the new man under the microscope for the men of Troy. Considering that he was considered to be the top recruit in the country, Aaron Corp’s days as a starter could be numbered.

These three programs are of course not the only ones affected by injuries. In fact, just about every team in the country will have some changes to their depth chart during fall practice. What separates the elite from the pretty good in college football is having the depth to overcome those pesky teeth marks left by the injury bug.

Soccer En Mexico-- Part Dos

Well that was interesting. As expected, more Tim Howard brilliance kept things close, and tempers definitely began to flare as the game wore on--things were chippier than last call at happy hour. Pushing, shoving, name calling-- just like when trying to place that final drink order in time to save 2 bucks on that Black and tan. And in the end, team Mexico pulled one out late.

Coming from someone who has watched the occasional soccer match, it seemed Tri Colores were more well-organized and definitely more aggressive. The US did have some great opportunities, though-- the diving header that missed my about an inch and a half could have been a huge difference maker. The central complaint against the US, however, remains the same: talent is adequate, but the strategy and execution seems lacking. Again, not a soccer expert by any means, but I've talked with some people who know the game, and that seems to be a common theme. Not sure what the World Cup will hold, but the Americans should qualify, and could even win a game or two in group play. Beyond that, however, Sam's Army is unlikely to make much of a run.

Soccer en Mexico... Part 1

Ok, so I am back from vacation, and ready to do some blogging... I will be doing some college football stuff for a different website, and I'll link back to it once it is ready. Until then, I thought I would chat a little about USA/Mexico...

So far, the US has scored in the first ten minutes, with Mexico answering back about 12 minutes afterwards-- leave it to a guy named Castro to thwart Americans... Mexico seems to have a better idea of what they want to do on offense. they are controlling the ball more, making runs and centering the ball, while the Americans are looking a little sloppy, often ending possessions after just one or two touches. Fortunately for the US, they seem to have the edge in goal with Tim Howard, who has already made one sprawling save, and will likely need to have a few more for the stars and stripes to win in Mexico City...

More to come...

Trading Deadline Thoughts

Less than 48 hours left in the trading deadline, so Roy Halladay could still be on the move--although giving up 11 hits to the Seattle Mariners is not the best way to up your value.
As for the moves that have been made, the Giants picked up some complimentary pieces, but gave up a lot. Tim Alderson may not be Madison Bumgarner, but he is still projected as a top of the rotation starter. Alderson is 11 years younger than Sanchez, who at 31 has a bad knee, with a contract option for 8 million next year if he gets to 600 plate appearances (he has 382 at the moment). Sanchez did win a batting title, but it was in 2006, when he hit 44 points above his career average.
I guess what this means is that the Giants are not enthused with Kevin Frandsen and Eugenio Velez--can't say I blame them. But Velez is 4 years younger than Sanchez, a ton cheaper (about 1/10th the price) and will hit maybe 20-25 points lower than Sanchez. For this upgrade, they give up probably their second-best pitching prospect? Not so sure about that... probably would rather see the extra money go to a first baseman or corner outfielder that can hit 25 homers.

In non-Giant news, the Phillies landed Cliff Lee, without having to give up the prospects that Toronto wanted for Halladay. That gives the Phillies as many as 4 lefties in the rotation. But is that a good thing? The Dodgers would appear to be the favorites in the NL, and they hit lefties 21 points better than righties (.290 to .271)--Matt Kemp hits .386, Casey Blake .361, Orlando Hudson .343 and James Loney .322
I'm not saying Cliff won't help--he's an extremely good pitcher. But at the same time, Charlie Manuel might want to think twice before setting his post-season rotation...

The biggest non-trade is obviously Halladay. Jays GM JP Ricciardi has been rebuffed in his efforts to land multiple top prospects, so we shall see if he lowers his asking price in an effort to move Halladay. The good news is that Halladay is signed through next year. The bad news, is that his value is higher now (considering Halladay remains with any new team through 2010) than it will be in the off-season.

Landing spot for Halladay? I really hope it's not LA... maybe Atlanta? They were interested in Peavy in the off-season, so they won't be scared by the payroll. And if they put Halladay with Derek Lowe and Tim Hudson, that could be the best 1-3 in the NL; maybe better than the Phillies with Lee and Cole Hamels.

Never a dull moment with Steve Spurrier

I realize that it is July, and that college football is still a solid month away. But in the SEC, trust me-- pigskin is a year-round obsession. The conference is seriously a soap opera. Lane Kiffin trying to jump up and bite the heels of the big dogs; ripping South Carolina grads, trying to "turn in" Florida for a non-existant recruiting violation. Arkansas nearly melting down with the Bobby Petrino incident (not to mention Gus Mahlzahn and Mitch Mustain) two years back. And of course, Steve Spurrier taking any and all cheap shots against his former employer, the Florida Gators.
The latest Spurrier dig? He was the only coach not to name Tim Tebow as the first-team SEC quarterback. I may remind you he is the only QB in the conference to have a Heisman, not to mention a Chuck Norris-esque fan devotion. (Notre Dame players now touch a "Play like Tim Tebow today" sign while heading out to the field.).
Safe to say Spurrier is not the webmaster over there. Instead, the ole ball coach crowned Ole Miss QB Jevan Snead the new king of fling in the SEC.
Or did he?
At SEC media day, Spurrier blamed the incident on an oversight, claiming someone else on his staff filled out the bllot, and that Spurrier simply signed without glancing at it. He even tried to call up and change his vote.
What a shame. And here I thought he was just taking a quiet little dig at his replacement Urban Meyer. Turns out it was a snafu. Regardless, I hope that at the very least when he discovered the oversight, he flung a visor. Maybe two.

By the way, there may be some blog changes in the works next week... I will keep everyone posted. In the meantime, thanks for reading...

Quick TV Note...

If you are curious about the history behind Nike, there is a good show I caught on CNBC called Swoosh! Inside Nike. Its got interviews with Phil Knight, other Nike heads (including Dan Wieden, the advertising exec that came up with campaigns like Bo Knows, Mars Blackmon, etc). Even Michael Jordan talking about why he signed with Nike over Adidas when he first came into the NBA.
As an added bonus, you can turn it into a drinking game! Just take a sip every time there is a shot of Darren Rovell, the reporter, nodding at an answer on camera. You'll be gone 20 minutes in...