Looking Back: Army-Navy

Very few people actually attend the Army-Navy football game for the action on the field of play.

After all, how many folks plunk down a couple hundred dollars to watch a quarterback sneak for a gain of 2 yards? I honestly believe that play was run about 15 times in the 110th version of “America’s Game.”

Other than the game, I can’t complain about my day at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. And while that sounds like a back handed compliment, it truly isn’t.

I’ve never been to an Army-Navy game. Watching the game on TV, you miss out on so many of the unreal pre-game ceremonies that your corneas need to view. But even before I reached the Linc on Saturday, I saw something that so perfectly summed up why Army-Navy still remains important. At a toll booth in Delaware, a tiny 2-door car carrying Midshipmen stopped at the attendant’s station. Two minutes later, the Midshipmen handed the attendant a couple of handfuls of change. It’s Philadelphia or bust for the most important game of their lives.

You haven’t experienced tailgating until you’ve seen the massive  parking lot at the Linc. Just try to find your car after the game. Walking by games of bean bag toss and noticing many, many empty bottles of whiskey at 10 in the morning, I got the impression very quickly that these teams know how to party. It’s the game where the family prepares all week to just go out of their minds with ribs, chicken, burgers, hot dogs, along with more side dishes than Golden Globe nominations for “Up In The Air.” It’s equal parts moveable feast and epic party — four hours before kickoff.

The folks at Lincoln Financial Field actually enjoy pampering the press. This is very, very rare. I don’t believe I held a door the entire time in my trip to the Linc. The press facility at this grand stadium absolutely shines. It’s huge. From the separated booth for network & local television on the other side of the press level to the wide-open cafeteria to the vast press box proper, it’s quite a sight to see. Arriving about three and a half hours before the opening kick, I have plenty of time to find my seat: first row, 30-yard-line. Not bad for a free ticket.

Ask any member of the press what the most important part of covering the event and, almost always, the answer will revolve around the free food. Here’s a little secret that most folks don’t know about the assembled press. When we cover a ballgame, the home team hopes we write glowing things about their stadium and offers us unlimited free food as some sort of acceptable payola. Let’s just say the Eagles branded Tastykakes and Philadelphia soft pretzels to go along with authentic cheesesteaks makes me want to write a wonderful review for Lincoln Financial Field. These guys are so good that when the Pepsi fountain ran out of soda, they actually had about 50 chilled cans as a backup plan. Sweet audible!

More than two hours before kickoff, Cadets from Army and Midshipmen from Navy marched onto and off of Lincoln Financial Field with such precision and pride, that it’s tough to pinpoint why these moments were so special. These young gentleman and ladies represent more than a football game with a spot in the EagleBank Bowl on the line. The majority of these folks will serve in a war. Some will come back wounded. A few will die. I’d like to think that these young people treat the thirty minute march on a glorious Saturday afternoon as a class picture of sorts. The only difference between their yearbook and ours? We see these true leaders on the news every evening.

The game itself wasn’t as entertaining as the pre-game pageantry. Army’s passing game totaled zero yards until the middle of the third quarter and Navy finally got their offense in gear after a truly boring first half of play. It was so dull, a Philadelphia newspaper legend that sat behind me in the box uttered “these are the kinds of games you don’t want to leave the house to see.” I think he probably should’ve showed up for the pre-game.

With a minute left in the game and Navy on the precipice of an 8^th straight victory, the stadium started to rock. I think the Midshipmen even practiced their celebratory chants as, in unison, they hooted and hollered as Navy made the 17-3 score official. Navy will meet Missouri on New Year’s Eve in the Texas Bowl while Army will wait one more season to become bowl eligible. The Black Knights have a fine base and will be competitive next season.

As 69,000 people squeezed out of Lincoln Financial Field on a downright cold Saturday night, I noticed that the party would continue for Army and Navy fans in the parking lots. The final score didn’t matter. This was their vacation. Their distraction of going to a ballgame is my reality. I’ll remember the 14 full sections of serviceman and women that stood in the frigid seating bowl for about seven hours to watch a game that featured two touchdowns.

Talk about the stat of the game.

The Game That Means Everything

Cancel all your plans for Saturday afternoon.

Eliminate office parties.

Tell your relatives to re-schedule that holiday gathering.

Put off your monthly dinner with your sister.

Just go with me for a second here.

Holiday shopping can wait, the weather will be lousy and everyone needs to see the absolute incredible display of sport that will take place at the Georgia Dome.

The Florida Gators, ranked number one in the Bowl Championship Series, enter the SEC Championship Game as the defending conference champions. Florida hasn’t lost a game since last September. They are the defending national champions and have the most recognizable player in the history of the conference behind center.

A likely nominee for the Heisman Trophy, Tim Tebow can do everything you can’t accomplish. He’s already won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore (the first ever in the history of the sport), helped win both BCS National Championship Games he’s been involved and won more awards that you can possibly imagine. The ultimate team player, Tebow is best known for his inspirational speech after the Mississippi last year in which he didn’t throw any of his teammates under the bus, but pledged that he would work as such a rapid rate to become the best team in college football. He’s successful in everything he accomplishes, which brings equal parts followers and haters.

The Alabama Crimson Tide, ranked number two in the BCS rankings, roll into Atlanta as the perennial underdog to take down the mighty Gators. They’ve only lost one regular season game in the last two seasons – against Florida in an outstanding title game last season. Once again, ‘Bama lands on the doorstep of a possible BCS Championship appearance. With a possible Heisman candidate in their backfield, the Crimson Tide survived two close calls in conference play to finish the regular season undefeated. Still, that means very little to Alabama fans and players. They want to crush Florida on Saturday. This vibrant and enthusiastic fan base wants blood on Saturday afternoon.

I’ve been thinking about how this game unfolds for the last month and I’ve come up with something of a guarantee. Like everyone else, I have no earthly clue on what will happen in Atlanta. My best guess is that Florida takes a big lead early and hangs on for a narrow win in an instant classic. Then again, I can easily see the Crimson Tide run the ball down Florida’s throat. It’s a tough game to predict. These teams are just that good.

The wonderful college coach Woody Hayes once asked a rhetorical question to his team, “Do you know who we play this week?” In typical Hayes fashion, with his voice squeaking and eyes bulging, he responded to his own question. “It’s Michigan. We’re playing Michigan!” That may not mean a bunch to a lot of people, but football historians understand the meaning of a big time game.

This Saturday’s SEC Championship game is something to get excited about wherever you watch the game. As they say in the South, it will be a big time in Atlanta.

Yell after a fumble, delight in a touchdown or just revel in the absolute beauty of sport played at its highest level.

Get ready for goose bumps when Verne Lundquist welcomes you to the Georgia Dome.

Kickoff is right around the corner.

Driving Sideways

 

“At least you know
you were taken by a pro
I know just how you feel
She talked a perfect game
deflecting all the blame
you took the jack
and changed the flat
and got behind the wheel–
now you’re
Driving sideways
taken in by the scenery
as you’re propelled along
And your companion
will not help you to navigate
for fear she may be wrong” – “Driving Sideways” by Aimee Mann

 

Tiger Woods has had quite a driving problem in the past few years.

 

He’s 152nd on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy this year, but still manages to have a fairly good driving distance of over 300 yards per drive.

 

His latest drive, outside of his exclusive Florida mansion, ended with the worst possible turkey hangover ever. As everyone knows, Tiger landed in the middle of the road with cuts on his face.

 

But what’s the rest of the story? Did Tiger’s wife, Elin, smash a car window in a fit of rage? Why was Woods in his SUV at 2:00 in the morning? Does this make Woods less marketable?

 

As of Monday evening, we don’t know what happened on Friday night. And while all signs point to a domestic dispute gone horribly wrong, Tiger’s a celebrity and everyone wants to know what happened.

 

On Monday afternoon, Woods canceled his appearance at the Chevron World Challenge in California – a tournament he hosts – claiming that injuries suffered would affect his play. Woods previously appeared at the AT&T National tournament in a “host only” role when he was recovering from a knee injury. It’s a smart move for Woods. He doesn’t want to answer questions and obviously needs to craft a plan to keep his image in a positive light.

 

The goal remains very simple for Woods: find the fairway.

 

Fast.

The Best Rivalry In Sports

How does a game that means nothing matter so much for a number of people?

On Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the University of Michigan and the Ohio State University will meet on the football field for the 106th time. Ohio State, the champions of the Big Ten conference, will play in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day regardless of the outcome against the Wolverines. Michigan, lingering in the cellar of the conference for the second straight season, could make a low level bowl game with a win against the Buckeyes.

Even though the game doesn’t affect the BCS picture or even the conference championship race, the amount of electricity that echoes out of Michigan Stadium when the Wolverines hit the “M Club” sign can light up the midwest. An informal survey of college football fans will make the Ohio State-Michigan game the most anticipated game of the season every year. There’s no catchy nickname like the “Civil War” or “Big Game” and no trophy is up for grabs in this rivalry.

It’s Michigan and Ohio State. It’s a big deal. Even in a down year.

Unlucky 13

Strange things happen on Friday the 13th.

I’ve seen movies about it.

When the majority of elite teams tip off Friday night in college hoops, the likelihood of a big upset looms large. (And yes, I’m basing all of this on numerology.)

Washington, the 13th ranked team in the country, plays late in the evening on Friday at home in Spokane. Usually, the top teams schedule a pair of powder puff teams to help them easy back into the grind of conference play that leads up to the NCAA Tournament.

The Huskies went a different way on a day when the odds won’t be in their favor. The Wright State Raiders, a member of the ultra-competitive Horizon League, will invade Bank of America Arena on Friday night and hope to deplete Washington’s savings account.

Starting a fine backcourt of Isiah Thomas and Justin Dentmond, the Huskies are a legitimate threat to make it to Lucas Oil Stadium for the Final Four in April. But they won’t reach that level in the first game of the season.

Wright State is obviously outmatched in this game on Friday night.

Then again, it is Friday the 13th for the number 13 team in the country.

Game 6

In a World Series where the only consistent thing remains the time of game (all have been within a two minute window hovering between 3:25-3:27), the anticipation should reach a crescendo on Wednesday night in New York City -unless we have a 7th game for the first time since the Angels beat the Giants in ’02.

When the Phillies outlasted a Yankee team hell-bent on scoring an obscene amount of runs later in the game on Monday night, Philadelphia did more than stay in the chase for the championship.

They have a legitimate shot to win the World Series. Seriously.

Philadelphia will send Pedro Martinez, of all people, to the mound in the big ballpark to face his ultimate nemesis. Martinez will have to last at least six innings to give his club a chance to win the game – and to give his bullpen a rest. Lacking a true closer than can effectively record outs and not give up runs, Philadelphia may want to enlist Kyra Sedgwick before the series moves back to New York. She seems pretty good at her job.

Andy Pettitte will start for the Yankees in a position that can place him in Monument Park. A lifelong winner for the Yankees and Astros, Pettitte still has the stuff to dazzle the jaded fans in the Bronx. Undefeated in the postseason this year, Pettitte could notch the most important victory of the his career on Wednesday, which would bring the Yankees their 28th World Series title.

Experts and observers love to make predictions for sporting events. I consider myself more of the latter than the former, although I have seen every at-bat of this World Series. That being said, I have absolutely no clue what will happen on Wednesday night in “The House That Greed Bought.”

I just know it will take about three hours and twenty-five minutes to play ball. The exact amount of words used in this column.

Spooky.

3:25

If you look at a box score long enough, you’ll start to see things that don’t exist. 

 Exhibit A: The 2009 World Series.

Checking out the composite box score of the first four games of the series, you’d think the Phillies are at least tied with the Yankees. They have more homers, have struck out less and have more walks after the four games of the World Series.

All of this is terrific for the Fightin’ Phils.

And all of it is meaningless.

Philadelphia blew a chance to even the series on Sunday night in a wild 9th inning defensive breakdown that leaves New York on the verge of another World Championship.

You don’t have to be a graduate of the Bill James school of advanced baseball-ology to understand the Phillies problem: they can’t hit with runners on base. Philadelphia checks into game five of the Series only driving in 8 runners in scoring position in 31 tries. That won’t put a ring on even Beyonce’s finger. Chase Utley, who’s delivered three memorable blasts off all-world pitcher CC Sabathia, can’t come through in the clutch. All of Utley’s homers were solo shots and he’s only knocked in one run with runners on base.

In the other dugout, a man who didn’t start at least two of the games in the Series looks like he may walk away with the Most Valuable Player award. Hideki Matsui leads the Yankees in batting average and hit an important pinch-hit in Saturday’s Game 3 to sew up a New York win. In a Series where Derek Jeter has stuck out six times and Alex Rodriguez has fanned seven times at the plate, it’s hard to imagine that New York even leads the World Series.

One more spooky coincidence that makes even an ardent baseball observer giggle with glee: the last three games of the World Series had the exact same time of game after nine innings. That is to say, games two through four of the Series were each played in three hours and twenty five minutes. Exactly.

 

Ripping The BCS

The Bowl Championship Series must be run by a group of 14-year-old girls who list slushies and Aunt Anne’s pretzels as their reason for living one week and then develop an eye shadow fetish a week later.

While wonderfully naive, they are quite fickle. There’s no big picture for the majority of teenagers and they change their collective minds as quickly as an instant message.

On second thought, I take that back. A group of teenage girls could probably get it right.

 In the current BCS standings, a pair of undefeated teams won by at least 30 points and fell three spots in the weekly BCS standings.

And there’s no outrage. No shock. No playoff talk.

Why would Boise State and Cincinnati drop do much after convincing wins?

The only answer: check out who moved up in the standings. The University of Southern California checks in at number 5 in the current BCS release. They beat a mediocre Oregon State team at home on Saturday evening by six points. They’ve lost a game to one of the worst teams in the Pacific-10 Conference. They also face a suddenly strong Oregon team on Halloween.

The bias shown in favor of the power conferences in collegiate athletics isn’t new.

It also isn’t fair.

Does USC deserve to be in the top 5 in the BCS at the midway point of the season? No.

They have a loss. Simple as that.

Hopefully, in the next six weeks or so, we can figure out who are the best teams in college football. Until then, I think I’ll eat a Fun Dip.

Calling All Angels

Just after 1:00 AM on Sunday morning, Maicer Izturis made the biggest mistake of his life.

 

Izturis didn’t pick up a DUI, get into a fight he couldn’t win or cheat on a spouse. During a driving rainstorm at the new Yankee Stadium in the second game of the American League Championship Series, Izturis got in trouble.

 

He made an error.

 

And it will cost his team a shot at the World Series.

 

For those of you who couldn’t make it until 1 in the morning, here’s what happened in the 13th inning. Jerry Harriston Jr. (of all people) led off the inning with a pinch-hit single. Brett Gardner bunted Harriston over to second base, which made the Angels intentionally walk Robinson Cano.

 

On a Melky Cabrera ground ball to second base, Izturis made the worst fielders choice in the history of the postseason. Instead of recording a sure out at first base, Izturis threw it to Erick Aybar who was covering second base.

 

No out was recorded as Harriston chugged home to give the Yankees a 2-0 series lead.

 

Moments like this usually cripple a quality ballclub because they mean so much in the grand picture. If Los Angeles somehow ties the series up, they have a shot to win the series at home. Now, they must win at least two games at home to stay in the ALCS.

 

The first pitch for game three happens in about an hour.

 

In the city of Angels, fans of L.A. need to unleash the rally monkey.

On A Street With No Save

If you haven’t a chance to watch the Philadelphia Phillies in baseball’s postseason, don’t even worry about catching the game in the first eight innings.

It doesn’t get good until the 9^th.

In a pivotal game that saw the winning pitching blowing a late-inning lead, Philadelphia beat the Colorado Rockies in a tight four game series to win its National League Division Series on Monday night.

The Phillies have treated their fans to three consecutive games that would give bandwagon fans a good reason to quit. It takes a true baseball fan to put up with four hours of equal parts anguish and delight the Phillies deliver on a nightly basis in the postseason.

Tied at a game a piece in the NLDS, Philadelphia waited until the 9^th inning in Game 3 on Sunday to take command. Slugger Ryan Howard lived up to his clutch legend by driving a sacrifice fly to tally the go-ahead run. Struggling closer Brad Lidge, whose ERA looks like the price of an Extra Value Meal, walked two Rockies in the 9^th and still ended up with the save.

Monday’s game was borderline ridiculous.

Clinging to a 2-1 lead in the 8^th inning, shaky reliever Ryan Madson gave up three runs and put his club in a 4-2 hole with only three out to play with at Coors Field.

I guess the Phillies really like challenges. Down to their final strike, Howard tied the game on a double that looked like a homer off the bat. Jayson Werth followed with a base hit. And just like that, the Philadelphia Phillies showed what a playoff tested baseball team does best.

They never quit.

On the other side of cavernous Coors Field, Houston Street was left wondering why this became the worst night of his life. Having the best year of his short professional career with 35 saves a respectable ERA of 3.06 in the regular season, Street ran into a pair of potholes against the Phils. He fooled around with Philadelphia’s power hitters in Games 3 and 4 and collected a pair of losses to show for his shoddy work. Notching two quick outs in the deciding game on Monday, Street started to pick at corners of the plate and needed to make power pitches to get himself out of a hole. He couldn’t even make it out of the 9^th and finished a very short postseason with an ERA over 13.

Meanwhile, in the winning clubhouse, Brad Lidge celebrated another series win. He’ll say it’s a team game (and it is) and that the Phillies have a long way to go (they do). But on a brisk night in Colorado, Lidge did what many thought he couldn’t do anymore. He got the final out in the 9^th inning to clinch a spot in the League Championship Series.

Just like he did in Game 3.

Think Harry may be pulling some strings in the pristine press box in the sky?