The Press Buffet: Better to be Mr. Irrelevant than Mr. Penultimate

Monday, April 30, 2007


There are worse things in the world than being Mr. Irrelevant. In fact, I'd argue that the temporary celebrity enjoyed by the last pick in any NFL draft is probably better than what the entire rest of the seventh round picks have waiting for them. Nobody ever named a blog after pick #254, right?

This was the longest draft in NFL history, which means that Ramzee Robinson sat for a full 18 hours and five minutes, spread over the course of two days, before hearing his name called. So I'd just like to say, with all due respect: Waaaaah, Brady Quinn... Waaaah. Get the baby his bottle.

We'll look at what's being written about this year's Mr. Irrelevant, Ramzee Robinson, after the jump.


In fact, Ramzee Robinson is kind of a study in class. His hometown Huntsville, Alabama newspaper, the Times, quoted him as saying "It was kind of neat it ended up being the 'Mr. Irrelevant' pick, which is kind of funny to me". He expects his otherwise un-noteworty selection by the Detroit Lions to result in a bit of a publicity blitz, including television talk shows. Not bad for an unheralded seventh round pick. As the article notes, another Huntsville native and last-round pick, Johnny Baldwin, went to the Lions as well.

Of course the hometown folks are proud, but what do the big, bad Detroit papers have to say about Ramzee? (I admit, I just like typing Ramzee) Free Press writer Carlos Monnarez reports that they're just happy to find someone who's excited about being there at this point: "My faith was tested, man, just believing that no matter what I was going to end up where I belong," Robinson said. "And thankfully and luckily today it made me a Detroit Lion."

Mr. I followers will know by now that Robinson is an undersized cornerback from the University of Alabama. The Tuscaloosa papers were underwhelmed that the Tide aced the seventh round of the draft, but were still kind enough to mention Ramzee twice, getting another double trunkfull of humble, aw-shucks quotes out of him: “Any guy coming out knows it’s his ultimate dream to have his name called and to have the opportunity to become part of an NFL organization," Robinson said. “I’m just grateful that my name was finally called."

He was also feeling his oats a bit, and seemed confident that he would put his SEC skills to the test and come out on top: “I try to put myself in position to make plays. If you are going to look at my height as a disadvantage, take a look at a guy who was just there - Dre Bly - and how he performed. I never thought my height was a disadvantage. Other people saw it as one."

The best part of being Mr. Irrelevant will be the party thrown in Ramzee's honor in Newport Beach, California. Barry Faulkner of the Newport Beach Daily Pilot wrote a fun article about the 30-plus-year history of Mr. Irrelevant week. This piece contains all kinds of fun passages: (H)e saw a cousin bolting out of his family's house right toward him. He was followed by a crowd of giddy family members, who proceded to chase Robinson around the yard, eventually consuming him in a stream of joyful hugs. (See, this is why you're Mr. Irrelevant - you got chased down from behind by Uncle Joe and some random cousins.)

He was also obligingly honest about another reason his draft stock may have dropped a bit: He said catching the ball is an area of the game he needs to improve upon. He broke up 22 passes in his collegiate career and he admits some of those were interceptions he merely dropped.

To see the history of Mr. Irrelevant, and see what kind of fun is in store for him this June, drop by the homepage of Irrelevant Week. It sounds like, if you have a sense of humor about it, the weekend can be a blast, with golf scrambles, luncheons, and the awarding of the Lowsman Trophy. A sample of the Irrelevant Irreverence: Kentucky linebacker Marty Moore, taken last by the New England Patriots, evolved into perhaps the most relevant Mr. Irrelevant ever. He is the only Lowsman Trophy winner to ever play in a Super Bowl (XXXI with the Pats).

And, to once more point out that Ramzee Robinson sounds like sort of a fun, down-to-earth guy, he is kind of looking forward to attending: When asked if he would attend and participate in the festivities, he said: “Most definitely, because I feel like it is a tradition. That is something that I learned at the University of Alabama, how to carry myself as a human being and how to be thankful for the opportunity that I have and the situation that I am in right now."

So there he is, ladies & gents. The man who has elevated obscurity to an art form just in time for the 2007 draft - Ramzee Robinson. You may now proceed to forget all about him.

-Extra P.

(all photos of past Mr. Irrelevants were taken from the Mr. Irrelevant homepage)

Posted by Eric (Extra P.) at 8:44 PM 2 Comments

Grading The Networks And Analysts as NFL Teams- Part 2



Head to Part 1 if you missed the explanation, but it should be pretty easy to follow along.

ESPN actually surprised me a bit as I mostly watched the first 10 picks on the leader. Chris Berman was an ass, and added nothing but bad jokes to the program...but you expected that. The Monday Night team was pretty uneventful although the did look comfortable together....but you expected that too. Basically everything was per code except one thing.....Keyshawn Johnson.

Oh boy was I wrong about him. There isn't a player on this earth that is as prepared as he is for a television role after he/she retires. Tiki Barber looks like "boom goes the dynamite" in comparison. The highlight for me was undoubtedly the moment when they had him interview Dwayne Jarrett. This is a guy that is going to be trying to take your job starting....oh I dunno.....about NOW! KJ conducted a great interview, and was professional and insightful the entire 1st Round.

ESPN's grading is after the jump....

(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

NFL Network Grading:

Chris Berman- Washington Redskins- D-

Over at TBL today they had a list of some of Chris Berman's jokes....let's analyze: ”Counter Trey Wingo”,”(The Falcons) traded Matt stump the Schaub.”, ”The Miami Dolphins are on the clock. Is this the time for the Mighty Quinn?”, "Parsley Sage Rosenfels and Thyme.”, ”Carriker has character. Say that three times fast.”

Okay now that we've gotten through that....is there anyone in this country...nay, the world that thinks this man is clever? Hell no, and that's why I'm comparing him to the Skins. Landry isn't a bad pick and I like Blades in the later rounds, but how do you NOT draft a single person for the Defensive Line?!?! That makes zero sense. Just like Berman the Skins just have no idea what the Draft is about.

Mel Kiper Jr.- Houston Oilers- C-

I chose the Houston Oilers for Mel because the last time he was exciting was when they were a team. His pre-draft analysis is unrivaled, but over the years he's gotten more and more dull. Come on Mel....you have one thing in life to care about....let's not pretend it's a funeral.

Maybe he just doesn't have the energy or care anymore. That's kinda how I felt about the Titans/Oilers picks. They obviously did zero research on Chris Henry.

Steve Young- St. Louis Rams- C

I liken Steve to the Rams for a few reasons. First, they were both pretty good a few years back, but have tailed off in the past few years. Second, they pretty much had no impact on the Draft either negatively or positively. And third, they're almost entirely irrelevant because you know Steve will never pan out in the long run....just like all of St. Louis' Draft Picks.

Seriously...they've had 63 picks from 2000-2006. Only one of them is/was an impact player, (Stephen Jackson) the rest....horrible. In fact if I was a Rams fan I'd create a video with Trung Canidate and Eric Crouch clips to show the front office.

(I partially blame Steve's decline on the craziness of Michael Irvin)

Chris Mortensen- Seattle Seahawks- C

Normally pretty strong Chris disappointed me this year. Just the 'Hawks he was poised to make himself standout, and he fell flat. I don't know if he was hungover or what, but he couldn't put a sentence together to save his life. It's pretty bad when you do this for a living, and Keyshawn looks 10x smarter than you during a broadcast.

(How uninterested in life does he look in that picture?)

The Monday Night Team (Tony K, Mikey T, and Ronnie J)- Pittsburgh Steelers- C+

Defense Defense Defense. Just like the Steelers they had no offense. They did look comfortable together, but there were moments where I just shook my head. The easiest comparison is the Steelers trading up in the 4th round to take a Punter. That's right a punter. That position is a perfect analogy for what Tony Kornheiser did with 90% of the draft. He punted it.

The dude left after the Brady Quinn pick. If it wasn't for him dropping he might have left after Jamaal Anderson was selected.

(Also, does anyone else think that Ron Jaworski acts too much when he's on camera? He over accentuates a ton of words and has that Morning Show Radio Voice.)

Suzy Kolber- Oakland Raiders- B-

They kind of surprised me. I was telling people last week that Michael Bush will be the steal of the draft. I mean if some team is willing to take an injured Ted Ginn 9th then he shouldn't have been around for Day 2.

Suzy surprised me in the same way. Was solid on Day 1....didn't do anything crazy (Jamarcus Russell), but on Day 2 she shined. If you didn't watch...Kolber took over the lead from Berman for the later rounds and blew him out of the water. Great job by her....in fact she could easily replace Leatherface.

Keyshawn Johnson- Cleveland Browns- A-

The grade drops to an A- for KJ and Cleveland for one small reason for each. First, Keyshawn should have heckled the Jets fans a bit more. He acknowldged the boos only once. I would have liked him to say something more....joke about their picks a bit. Second, you can't give the Browns a perfect grade because they had to give up a first rounder in 2008 for Brady Quinn.

If they do well this year and that pick is in the middle of the first then it was worth it.

Keyshawn and Suzy saved the broadcast for ESPN. The coverage as a whole wasn't bad, but it was nothing to write home about. The NFL Network beat them in just about every facet of the broadcast

ESPN DRAFT COVERAGE GRADE: C-

Anchor Quits ESPNU In Search Of His "Actual" Dream Job



Was I the only one that watched Dream Job on ESPN when it was first aired? No, not the Dee Brown edition, but the one that launched the career of one Anthony Michael Hall. I mean where else could you get dap from Stu Scott and be judged by the likes Kit Hoover, Tony K., ESPN VP Al Jaffe (who should have never come on tv), and THE Lavar Arrington? Nowhere....that's where. Well years after Mikey Hall beat out contestants like Maggie Haskins and Chet Anekwe....he's finally going to get his dream job....and it's not with ESPN (surprise!)....

Three years after beating out 10,000 reality-show competitors to land his "Dream Job," Hall has left ESPN and will move back to Chicago to explore on-air
opportunities.

Hall declined to offer specifics, but he's likely to draw strong interest from Comcast SportsNet and the Big Ten Network, among others.

Some of his now former colleagues think he's crazy to leave ESPNU, where he had been the signature anchor. ESPN tried to keep him by offering a raise, a short-term contract, so he wouldn't feel tied down, and the promise of more high-profile work.

You can't really blame someone for wanting to find a job in their own hometown, so I wish him luck. And those ex-collaegues are drinking the Kool-Aid because I'm pretty damn sure 8 out of 10 of them don't even get ESPNU.

Mike, you take that Mazda M3 that you won in 2003, and you ride off into the sunset!

Dream Job (Wikipedia)
Living the Dream? (Chicago Tribune via SBD)


Posted by Awful Announcing- at 2:17 PM 12 Comments

HR Still Fighting The (Hopefully) Good Fight


I guess no one has ever really "taken" ESPN on before, but isn't this Harold Reynolds thing dragging out longer than you expected? Apparently ESPN's privacy isn't easily made public. Reynolds threw out the first pitch at a Mariners game the other day and The Seattle Post Intelligencer has the highlights...

"They're arguing to keep everything as private as possible and we're arguing to
make it public," Reynolds said. "I still stand on what I said. I was wrongfully
terminated. I didn't do anything that deserved it and I'm out to prove it."

"I've met with every high-level executive in baseball and I think we're getting ready for a breakthrough that might get me back in, but it would be nice to get this behind me and get things settled," he said. "ESPN is a big conglomerate. It's a big monster and they have a big stake in baseball. But I understood that before I went through with the litigation. I knew what I'd be up against."

Anybody want to place bets on where he's going? I still stand by my TBS Prediction.

Reynolds Fighting ESPN (Mariners Notebook: Seattle PI)

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 1:02 PM 3 Comments

You Create The Caption #5


(Most) Everyday I'll throw out a photo from the AP or one of the bigger sites and you provide the caption. Hilarity ensues.

Yesterday's Winner: I'm trying to stay away from the 5-way tie everyday, so judging is going to be tough. About 6 or so of the entries from Friday made me do spittakes so great job.....The winnar for today is one Miggs for the caption below....









"Don't ever wear a non-Nike hoody again, whore."

This wins for one major reason.......he would so say that to her. Today's contest should be a doosy, and I'll throw all of you a softball......


AA's Entry: "Oh Come On! It has to be a #1 jersey as well. Just f'ing rub it in you d***s!!!"

(AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 11:49 AM 21 Comments

Grading The Networks And Analysts as NFL Teams- Part 1


That's a very vague and confusing title, but here's the deal. I'm going to take each Network's coverage and compare the analysts to the winning and losing teams in the draft. Why? Because no one else is doing it (and I have nothing better to do on a Monday). Up first....The NFL Network.

Being that I don't have the NFL Network at home I was forced to head out into the cruel world that is my parent's basement to catch some of the coverage. Yes, it is true...I blogged from my parent's basement....sadly, I was clothed.

(I'm just going to get this Simmons moment out of the way early....The highlight of the draft for me was when Houston drafted Amobi Okoye. My father calmly calmed him Bambale Osby (F-Maryland) at least 4 times. When I corrected him for the fourth time he just said, "Okay, Ombobby or whatever his name is." Classic.)

Check out the reviews after the jump.....

(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

NFL Network Grading:

Rich Eisen- Green Bay Packers- C-

Eisen, just like the Packers, is overrated and a complete annoyance and distraction to his employer (The Packers and Brett Favre to the entire League). Just like the Pack, Eisen tries to make a splash and actually be funny, but always comes off as smug and uninterested. I compare this to the pick of Justin Harrell. Taking him at 16 was waaaaay too high, and there are now rumors that Cleveland was offering them a 2008 1st rounder and a swap of picks in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th round picks. That's just dumb to pass up for someone you could have taken much lower.

For a team that had about 1,000 picks they were pretty average....just like Eisen always is.

Mike Mayock- Baltimore Ravens- B+

Here's the thing about Mayock....he's 2x better than Mel Kiper Jr., but gets absolutely zero press. I liken this to the Ravens versus the Redskins in the Baltimore/DC Metro market. The Ravens have been destroying the Skins in every facet of the game....better product on the field, better with the fans, better in the draft, and better at developing players. All you ever hear about are the Skins woes...even last year when the Ravens had a great chance to make some noise in the playoffs.

Mayock is smarter and more knowledgeable than anyone out there. He gives more analysis when a pick is made, and thinks all the decisions through. This is pretty much the reason the Ravens have developed so many All-Pros over the years.

Dick Vermeil- Chicago Bears- B

Vermeil is the smarts of the group. He sees his spots and takes advantage of them by providing relevant coaching and football knowledge. This reminds me of Chicago because they always seem to be in the right spot at the right time when it comes to the draft. Things just fall into their lap...for example Greg Olsen and Dan Bazuin.

Marshall Faulk- Jacksonville Jaguars- C

Marshall is a rookie in the network game. He really needs a little bit more experience and time to grow before you start critiquing him. I liken him to the Jags because after a few rebuilding years they are just now starting to turn the corner, but this year they just had an average draft. Like Faulk, JAX tried to make a splash, but stretched on a lot of picks. They did pick up a good number of extra picks, so hopefully like the Jags....Marshall will build on this for next year.

Deion Sanders- Dallas Cowboys (surprise!)- C+

Always rumored to make a splash and be crazy, but in the end they are really overshadowed by the nonsense. Deion seemed to be reeled-in a bit for the draft along the same lines as the Cowboys. They made a good trade with Philly and also drafted a guy named Deon, but in the end the picks were pretty lackluster. (Anothony Spencer was an average DE for a bad Big-10 team, and the fact that Kiper thinks he could win ROY is just nonsense.)

Charles "Mangina" Davis- The Jets- D+

Charles is the team that you know is going to be horrible going in. They promise that they are going to do right this year, but you're just waiting for the train-wreck to take place. The Jets didn't have a lot of picks, but they wasted the ones they had. I think Revis was way overvalued. He played in an inferior Big East Conference, and just looked extremely slow on game film. Being a Michigan fan I also know that David Harris was burnt down the field early and often. Those picks aren't going to help you against the Pats anytime soon.....just like Charles Davis isn't going to help a broadcast anytime soon.

Adam Schefter- San Francisco 49ers- B+

Adam Schefter destroyed his ESPN counterpart Suzy Kolber in the reporting arena. Schefter is a great up-and-coming writer, and has gotten stronger every year. The 49ers appear to be doing the same. After years of poor drafting they are finally piecing together an amazingly talented and young team. The 9ers are Schefter are ones I'll be keeping an extra eye on during the season.

(P.S.- Schef broke the Randy Moss trade on Draft Day as well)

Overall I think the NFL Network did a much better job with the main players than ESPN. The NFL Network is the Moneyball version of an NFL broadcast. They don't have the same money or the same "talent" (word used loosely), but they turn out a great product for the dollars.

NFL NETWORK GRADE: B

(ESPN's review coming later today)

Who Did We Draft Again?


There are always such great draft stories of teams picking players who've passed away and teams getting names wrong all the time. It's pretty bad when you don't know the school your first round pick attended though...

TODAY'S LAST word comes in a news release from the Chargers:

"The San Diego Chargers selected Auburn wide receiver Craig Davis … "

A little later the Chargers sent the following news release:

"The San Diego Chargers selected LSU wide receiver Craig Davis," and apologized for the mistake, although it's still unclear whether the team had any idea what it was doing.
The Chargers also traded up in the draft to get Safety Eric Wedge from UTEP.

(P.S.- I had no idea that Eric Weddle was a white dude until I looked on Chargers.com for the press release. White safeties ALWAYS work out in the NFL!)

Going Another Round (LA Times: Last Item)

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 9:36 AM 5 Comments

What's In A Name?

Sunday, April 29, 2007

This year's NFL draft featured many players with unique names. My four favorites:

1. Amobi Okoye (Round 1, Pick 10): It'd be funnier if his name was Muslim Okoye, but still a great name. No relation to Christian Okoye, incidentally.

2. Jermon Bushrod (Round 4, Pick 126): Yes, I have the maturity of an adolescent.

3. C.J. Ah You (Round 7, Pick 239): You have to wonder exactly how this played out behind the scenes:

Gene Washington: Mr. Levy, we need your pick.

Marv Levy: We'll take...Ah You.

Gene Washington: Mr. Levy, you can't select me, I'm 60 years old.

Marv Levy: No. We want Ah You, from Oklahoma.

Gene Washington: I'm from Alabama.

Marv Levy: ...
I know that's not really funny, but thanks for laughing anyway.

4. Ahmad Bradshaw (Round 7, Pick 250): Anyone else imagining the love child of Ahmad Rashad and Terry Bradshaw?

Posted by One More Dying Quail at 7:41 PM 6 Comments

He Also Has That Kid From GW Going Third In The NBA Draft

It took two days, seven rounds and more than two hundred picks, but every player selected in the first round of the 2007 Sports Bloggers Mock Draft has finally been chosen by an NFL team.

The last man off the board was Florida LB Brandon Siler, originally tabbed by Kissing Suzy Kolber's Monday Morning Punter with New England's second first round pick, the 28th overall selection. The Patriots traded that draft choice to San Francisco, however, and Siler proceeded to be Amobi Okoye-ed by the rest of the league, sliding 212 slots before the Chargers snagged him at 240.

It might be considered acceptable at this point to poke a little fun at MMP for the disastrous pick, but I'm not going to stoop to that level for one very good reason: I'm mildly terrified of Kissing Suzy Kolber and the things of which they are capable. Rag on MMP today, find Barbaro's brother's head in my bed tomorrow? Not out of the question. So let's just limit our fun-poking to the moderately humorous title, okay?

Brandon Siler is the Sports Bloggers Mock Mr. Irrelevant (no, not that one), but for those who care about such things, the actual Mr. Irrelevant was Alabama CB Ramzee Robinson, taken by the Detroit Lions with the 255th and final pick. He will now attempt to live up to the lofty standards of Jim Finn, Marty Moore, and Bill Kenney.

Posted by One More Dying Quail at 6:15 PM 2 Comments

I Found This Amusing, and Sometimes, That's Enough

My wife was flipping channels and came across some sort of ballroom dancing competition on New Hampshire Public Television. The couple on the floor (both Asian) was dancing to Il Divo's cover of the classic song, "Without You".

After taking a moment to piece everything together, I came to an interesting realization: I was watching an Asian couple dance to a Spanish remake of a song written by a British band and popularized by an American artist. If that's not wild enough, the members of Il Divo are from Germany, Switzerland, America and France.

Globalization is cool.

Posted by One More Dying Quail at 4:31 PM 1 Comments

Is It Time To Start Booing Yet?

Alex Rodriguez is 2-for-11 against the Red Sox this weekend, including the double play he just grounded into to end the eighth inning with New York trailing 7-4.

The title of this post notwithstanding, Rodriguez clearly does not deserve to be booed for failing to continue his otherworldly domination of major league pitching. Minor slumps or cool streaks are inevitable. I know that. You know that. But do Yankees fans know that? I kinda hope not. More interesting that way.

(Photo: ESPN.com - I believe Bill Simmons refers to that as the A-Rod Face.)

Posted by One More Dying Quail at 2:18 PM 1 Comments

Hey, It Worked With Corey Dillon

The Patriots acquired troubled wide receiver Randy Moss (that's his official position, "troubled wide receiver") from the Oakland Raiders today in exchange for a fourth round draft pick. The Raiders used the pick to select Cincinnati cornerback John Bowie.

Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli and company are hoping the move revitalizes what was once a potential Hall of Fame career for the 6'4", 210 pound Moss, the Minnesota Vikings first round draft choice in 1998. He peaked with the Vikings in 2002-2003, teaming with Daunte Culpepper for 217 catches, 2,979 yards and 30 touchdowns in two seasons. His production was cut in half in 2004 (49 catches, 767 yards) and he was traded to Oakland, where his combined two season totals (102 catches, 1558 yards, 11 touchdowns) were less than his best two individual years in Minnesota.

Moss's addition should reap dividends for the Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady, who has seen his wide receiving corps undergo a huge makeover this offseason. In the team's divisional playoff win against San Diego in January, Brady completed passes to Reche Caldwell, Jabar Gaffney, Troy Brown, Daniel Graham, Kevin Faulk, and Ben Watson - three receivers, two tight ends, and a back. After much maneuvering, however, he will start 2007 with a group that includes Moss, Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker, Kelley Washington.

Another bright spot? Brady is heading into the summer with his receivers set, allowing him to build a rapport with each throughout the various mini-camps and training camp. This is in sharp contrast to 2006, when Deion Branch was traded and the Caldwell/Gaffney duo was essentially dropped in his lap.

On-field issues shouldn't be a problem (assuming Brady's shoulder is well enough to allow for consistent accuracy), but it will of course be interesting to see how Moss responds to Belichick and vice versa. Like Corey Dillon, he is a talented player who has picked up a reputation as a malcontent in his travels through the league. Dillon lasted three seasons in New England, setting the single-season rushing record and winning a Super Bowl ring in 2004 before asking for his release this offseason. If Moss can do the same, he will be welcomed with open arms.

(Question: the article linked above noted that Caldwell and Gaffney are signed through this year, while Troy Brown is a free agent. Does the addition of so many receivers mean the Troy Brown Era is over in New England?)

Posted by One More Dying Quail at 1:46 PM 0 Comments

Josh Hancock, 1978-2007

For some reason, I still remember when Josh Hancock pitched for the Boston Red Sox.

He made his major league debut for the team in September 2002, a late-season call-up for a team that disappointed its fans by missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Given the unimpressive nature of his stat line that year (0-1, 3.68 in three games) it's hard to see why he was so memorable. The only thing I can come up with is that as a homegrown Sox pitching prospect, his reputation was hyped up to a point beyond his talent level at the time, and I eagerly drank the Kool-Aid (I listened to a lot of WEEI at the time).

Hancock's trade to Philadelphia three months later was perplexing: wasn't this a kid who was supposed to become a key member of the pitching staff in 2003 and beyond? Didn't they get the wrong Giambi in return?

Hancock slid from Boston to Philadelphia, Philadelphia to Cincinnati, and (finally) Cincinnati to St. Louis, where he became a key member of the Cardinals team that won the World Series. He appeared in 62 games, one of four different relievers on the team to do so, helping pick up the slack from a starting rotation that only featured three starters with more than 100 innings pitched.

I was sad to see the news on ESPN this morning that the 29-year-old pitcher had been killed in a car accident in St. Louis earlier in the day. Details are sparse right now, but a statement is expected from the team and St. Louis Police Department at 3 o'clock Central time that should shed more light on the situation.

Hancock is the second active Cardinal to pass away in mid-season in the last five years. Pitcher Darryl Kile died in his Chicago hotel room in 2002; the cause of death was later attributed to an almost complete blockage in his coronary artery.

I hope everyone's thoughts are with Josh Hancock's family and the St. Louis Cardinals. The team's Sunday night game against the Chicago Cubs has been postponed.

(One relatively minor thing that really bothers me: Yahoo! Sports doesn't have the foresight to alter the text that appears on the bottom of every news article in cases like this. It reads, "Use what you learned in this article to dominate at Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Baseball '07". The inclusion is mildy amusing in some cases, such as when the accompanying article has nothing to do with baseball, but it's not appropriate for it to be there now.)

Posted by One More Dying Quail at 11:53 AM 6 Comments

I Wonder If Keith Hernandez Will Send Flowers

Remember last season when New York Mets broadcaster Keith Hernandez caught sight of a young lady in the San Diego Padres dugout and expressed his concern regarding her presence in the holiest of all holy places? Though blatantly sexist, the remarks ("I won't say that women belong in the kitchen, but they don't belong in the dugout" is my personal favorite) were noteworthy in that they presented the best known instance of a real life "I'm Keith Hernandez" moment.

The 33-year-old interloper woman , sports therapist Kelly Calabrese, won't have to worry about revisiting the controversy or offending Hernandez's delicate sensibilities when the Mets visit San Diego in mid-July, because she won't be with the team. Why not? She'll be home doing what women are supposed to do in The World According To Keith: cooking, cleaning and having babies.

Well, at least the last one is true. Calabrese and her husband are expecting their first child, a boy, in early August, which means she will finish up her season with the team in mid-June (apparently, flying is not recommended during the last six weeks of pregnancy). If the couple had any sense of humor, they would've told the Associated Press that they planned to name the baby Keith, but unfortunately they don't.

So to recap - my kid is due in mid-July, Calabrese's is due in early August, Bridget Moynahan's should be due sometime in August...I am totally gonna figure out a way to get a play group together. I hope it's just like this.

Posted by One More Dying Quail at 3:18 AM 1 Comments

The Stanley Cup Is Great With The Ladies

Any attempt at explaining this clip would be futile, so I think the best thing to do is just hit "play" and let it speak for itself:

Posted by One More Dying Quail at 1:48 AM 1 Comments

Ring The Bell, Round 2 Is About To Start

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Round 1 is over (the longest first round in draft history according to Roger Goodell), but we're not done yet. The Arizona Cardinals are on the clock with the first pick of the second round (33rd overall); find out who they took after the jump.

(The following blogs took part in Round 2.)Dr. Doom, The Sports Hernia, Awful Officiating, Bucktown Skins Fan, Draft King, Point 23, HotFoot, The Feed, Complete Sports, 49ers Nation, BfloBlog, Digital Headbutt, PsampBlog, Sports Show on Mute, Mush Sports, Ladies..., Check out my HEMI, Stupid Sideline Reporters, La Revolucion, The 700 Level, If I Ran..., East Coast Bias, G-Money, Rumors and Rants, Extrapolater, Run up the Score, and The Big Picture.



Round 2, Pick 33: the Arizona Cardinals are on the clock

Arizona traded a second and a fourth round pick to Oakland for this choice.

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: the Oakland Raiders selected Trent Edwards, QB, Stanford

Real Life NFL Draft: the Arizona Cardinals select Alan Branch, DT, Michigan

Round 2, Pick 34: the Detroit Lions are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: the Detroit Lions selected Sidney Rice, WR, South Carolina

Trade: Detroit kicks the pick to Buffalo - terms will be forthcoming.

Real Life NFL Draft: the Buffalo Bills select Paul Posluszny, LB, Penn State

Those leftover first rounders are dropping like flies.

Round 2, Pick 35: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Brandon Meriweather, S, Miami

Terms of the Buffalo-Detroit deal: the two teams swapped second round picks, with Detroit getting the Bills' third-rounder as well.

Real Life NFL Draft: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Arron Sears, OG, Tennessee

Round 2, Pick 36: the Philadelphia Eagles are on the clock

Note: there have been a lot of changes in the draft order since the second round mock was started, so from this point on I'll list the player only for those picks, not the team. Should save a lot of confusion.

Just checked the results and Sears was the first player not drafted by our crack team of bloggers, who had Justin Blalock, Ryan Kalil and Tony Ugoh remaining on the board in front of the Tennessee guard.

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Marcus McCauley, CB, Fresno State

Real Life NFL Draft: the Philadelphia Eagles select Kevin Kolb, QB, Houston

The Eagles fans on hand seem mildly displeased, and they might have a point: Kiper just said he has Kolb rated as the sixth best quarterback in the draft.

Second pick in a row that our bloggers did not foresee at all. Trent Edwards was the third and final quarterback on our board.

Round 2, Pick 37: the Chicago Bears are on the clock

Trade: the San Diego Chargers are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Steve Smith, WR, USC

Real Life NFL Draft: Eric Weddle, S, Utah

Another example of right player, wrong position. The mock had the Chargers waiting until #62 to grab Weddle, but they moved up to take him here.

Round 2, Pick 38: the Oakland Raiders (from Arizona) are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Josh Wilson, S, Maryland

That trade from above? Four draft picks to the Bears (three this year, one in 2008) so the Chargers could move up.

Real Life NFL Draft: the Oakland Raiders select Zach Miller, TE, Arizona State

Round 2, Pick 39: the Atlanta Falcons are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Anthony Gonzales, WR, Ohio State

Gonzales went near the end of the first round, so we'll see who Atlanta adds in this position.

Real Life NFL Draft: the Atlanta Falcons select Justin Blalock, OG, Texas

Oddly enough, I tabbed Blalock with the Patriots second first round pick in a mock draft on the Fox Sports blogs. Word was that he is very versatile, capable of playing both guard and tackle.

Round 2, Pick 40: the Miami Dolphins are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Drew Stanton, QB, Michigan State

Real Life NFL Draft: John Beck, QB, BYU

Not bad. Right position, wrong player, but it could fill a need for the Dolphins.

Round 2, Pick 41: the Minnesota Vikings are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Dwayne Bowe, WR, LSU

Trade: the Atlanta Falcons are on the clock

Real Life NFL Draft: Chris Houston, CB, Arkansas

Round 2, Pick 42: the San Francisco 49ers are on the clock

Trade: San Francisco deals the pick to Indianapolis. The Colts are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Ben Grubbs, OG, Auburn

Real Life NFL Draft: Tony Ugoh, OT, Arkansas

Round 2, Pick 43: the Detroit Lions are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Ray McDonald, DE, Florida

Real Life NFL Draft: Drew Stanton, QB, Michigan State

Was that Drew Rosenhaus with Stanton? The guy was with Greg Olsen when he was selected near the end of the first round, not even two hours ago. Either they are situation very close to one another or Rosenhaus is capable of time travel.

Round 2, Pick 44: the Minnesota Vikings are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Kenny Scott, CB, Georgia Tech

Real Life NFL Draft: Sidney Rice, WR, South Carolina

One of the guys I've blogged with for a long time over at Fox Sports, Demonicume, is a South Carolina alum who still follows the team very closely. He's watched Rice a ton over the last few years and thinks he's the real deal.

Round 2, Pick 45: the Carolina Panthers are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: David Harris, LB, Michigan

Real Life NFL Draft: Dwayne Jarrett, WR, USC

Keyshawn Johnson has a new friend to play with and mold in his own image.

Round 2, Pick 46: the Pittsburgh Steelers are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Mason Crosby, K, Colorado

God, I hope so.

Real Life NFL Draft: LaMarr Woodley, DE, Michigan

Who decided it would be a good idea for Keyshawn Johnson to interview Dwayne Jarrett? Keyshawn has been pretty good today, in my opinion, but that was painful to watch.

Round 2, Pick 47: the Green Bay Packers are on the clock

Trade: the Packers deal the pick to the Jets. The New York Jets are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Zach Miller, TE, Arizona State

Real Life NFL Draft: David Harris, LB, Michigan

Round 2, Pick 48: the Jacksonville Jaguars are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Justin Blalock, OG, Texas

Real Life NFL Draft: Justin Durant, LB, Hampton

Round 2, Pick 49: the Cincinnati Bengals are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Johnnie Lee Higgins, WR, UTEP

Real Life NFL Draft: Kenny Irons, RB, Auburn

Over to ESPN2 we go...

Round 2, Pick 50: the Tennessee Titans are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Tank Tyler, DT, North Carolina State

Real Life NFL Draft: Chris Henry, RB, Arizona

Don't worry, I'm not gonna make any jokes about getting arrested. I promise. I'm not that witty.

Round 2, Pick 51: the New York Giants are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Jeff Samardzija, WR, Notre Dame

Most horrifying discovery of this draft season? Samardzija has a tramp stamp. Talk about nightmare fuel...

Real Life NFL Draft: the New York Giants select Steve Smith, WR, USC

Round 2, Pick 52: the St. Louis Rams are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Craig Davis, WR, LSU

Real Life NFL Draft: the St. Louis Rams select Brian Leonard, FB, Rutgers

Round 2, Pick 53: the Dallas Cowboys are on the clock

Trade: Dallas deals the pick to Cleveland. The very active Browns are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Tanard Jackson, DB, Syracuse

Real Life NFL Draft: Eric Wright, CB, UNLV

Round 2, Pick 54: the Kansas City Chiefs are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Tony Ugoh, OG, Arkansas

From the comments: mookie said...NO!!!!!!!!!!Brian Leonard was my pick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why do the RAMS need him?????????? - not bad, though, mook. Only missed by three positions.

Real Life NFL Draft: Turk McBride, DE, Tennessee

Round 2, Pick 55: the Seattle Seahawks are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Brian Leonard, FB, Rutgers

Real Life NFL Draft: Josh Wilson, CB, Maryland

Round 2, Pick 56: the Denver Broncos are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Buster Davis, LB, Florida State

Real Life NFL Draft: Tim Crowder, DE, Texas

Round 2, Pick 57: the Philadelphia Eagles are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Michael Bush, RB, Louisville

Real Life NFL Draft: Victor Abiamiri, DE, Notre Dame

Round 2, Pick 58: the New Orleans Saints are on the clock

Trade: New Orleans trades the pick to Detroit. The Lions are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Anthony Spencer, DE, Purdue

Real Life NFL Draft: Ikaika Alama-Francis, DE, Hawaii

Possibly the best name of anyone drafted so far.

The ESPN studio crew was just talking about the Raiders. Just before the commercial, someone said they would take a fifth round pick for Randy Moss at this point.

Call me naive, but shouldn't the Raiders be looking to hold on to Moss at this point? They just drafted a quarterback who can actually throw the deep ball, which should benefit both Moss and JaMarcus Russell. I'm not so sure Moss is as much of a liability as everyone wants to believe.

Round 2, Pick 59: the Carolina Panthers are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Aundrae Allison, WR, East Carolina

Real Live NFL Draft: Ryan Kalil, C, USC

Andy Reid was joking around with Chris Berman during an interview and mentioned that he would like to have Keyshawn Johnson "come down here and score some touchdowns for us." Someone off camera was quick to say, "That's tampering." Reid was clearly joking around (although really - would he turn down the chance to have Johnson on his team?), but it was still an interesting insight into the way NFL insiders talk with one another. Is there any doubt he would have said the same thing to Keyshawn had they run into one another on the streets of New York? I don't think so, and I don't think it can be called tampering, but I guess it's a fine, fine line.

Round 2, Pick 60: the Miami Dolphins are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Ryan Kalil, C, USC

Real Live NFL Draft: Samson Satele, C, Hawaii

Just missed on this one, althought again, the position was on the money.

Round 2, Pick 61: the Baltimore Ravens are on the clock

Trade: the Ravens deal the pick to Detroit. The Lions are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Lorenzo Booker, RB, Florida State

Real Live NFL Draft: Gerald Alexander, S, Boise State

Round 2, Pick 62: the Chicago Bears are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Eric Weddle, S, Utah

Real Live NFL Draft: Dan Bazuin, DE, Central Michigan

Trent Edwards is waaaaaaaaay more depressing than Brady Quinn ever was. Very nice of Trey Wingo to read off a list of guys who were either drafted on the second day or not at all. Just what the guy wants to think about after watching TV and waiting for the phone to ring for the last nine hours: having to do the same thing again tomorrow.

Stop trying to help, Trey.

Round 2, Pick 63: the Green Bay Packers are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Daymeion Hughes, CB, California

Real Live NFL Draft: Brandon Jackson, RB, Nebraska

Last pick. Hope everyone enjoyed what happened here today (even though the majority of the day was a fairly bland listing of picks). I should be around for the rest of the weekend, so stop back in if you like and see what's going on.

Round 2, Pick 64: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: Jason Hill, WR, Washington State

Real Live NFL Draft: Sabby Piscitelli, S, Oregon State

Okay...THIS is the best name I've seen today.

Posted by One More Dying Quail at 6:23 PM 13 Comments

All The Draft Day Goodness You Could Ever Want

This is it, boys and girls, this is the big one: in less than nine hours, the Oakland Raiders will go on the clock with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft.

The plan here at Awful Announcing isn't to attempt amazing, insightful analysis - surely plenty of other blogs and Web sites have that angle well covered. Instead, I'll be keeping track of all the selections and comparing them to the picks that were made in the recent Sports Blogger Mock Draft.

If you took part in the mock version of the draft, please don't hesitate to stop in and comment on your picks and a) how your team screwed things up by failing to take the right player or b) how you are the most amazing person alive because you correctly called a selection.

We'll get this party started after the jump as soon as Mr. Roger puts Al Davis on the clock. Until then, take a gander at the video below and try to figure out how Matt Millen can possibly say no to drafting this guy.



11:53 - After being terrified that I would oversleep and miss the first five picks, I'm happy to say that I am awake and ready to get on with the festivities. We'll get started after the jump.

(Quick programming note: if you see me disappear for a few minutes around 12:30 and possibly miss a couple picks, do not be alarmed. My father-in-law is coming over to pick up some stuff, but I'll be back as fast as possible.)


Round 1, Pick 1: the Oakland Raiders are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: On behalf of the Oakland Raiders, Dan Shanoff selected Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech

12:15 - I hope the Raiders don't take JaMarcus Russell so we can hear Kiper talk some more about his "rocket arm". You know who else had a rocket arm? Jeff George. I'm just sayin'.

Real Life NFL Draft: the Oakland Raiders select JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU

Can't argue with this - Johnson is a great receiver, but the Raiders need a quarterback. Hopefully he's more Peyton Manning than Jeff George.

Round 1, Pick 2: the Detroit Lions are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: On behalf of the Detroit Lions, The Wayne Fontes Experience selected JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU

The Experience jumped on Russell after Shanoff passed him over; we'll have to see if Matt Millen goes with the best player available (Johnson) or takes a serious look at some of the other top level talent (i.e. Joe Thomas).

Real Life NFL Draft: the Detroit Lions select Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech

No real surprise. Sure, it's another wide receiver, but this guy seems to be less of a reach than the guys they've taken in the past.

Round 1, Pick 3: the Cleveland Browns are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: on behalf of the Cleveland Browns, A Price Above Bip Roberts selected Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma

12:57 - Twenty minutes and two missed picks later...

Real Life NFL Draft: the Cleveland Browns select Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin

Thomas was seriously undervalued in the mock draft, sticking around until the ninth pick.

Round 1, Pick 4: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: on behalf of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Leave the Man Alone selected Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame

Real Life NFL Draft: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson

Looks like the Bucs are either waiting until later to take a quarterback or are happy with the position.

Round 1, Pick 5: the Arizona Cardinals are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: on behalf of the Arizona Cardinals, Will Leitch selected Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson

Real Life NFL Draft: the Arizona Cardinals select Levi Brown, OT, Penn State

The undervaluing of offensive linemen in the Mock Draft is becoming a trend. Brown was more of a need pick by the Cardinals, as opposed to "best player available", but still...in our draft, he didn't go until the middle of the first round.

Round 1, Pick 6: the Washington Redskins are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: on behalf of the Washington Redskins, Unsilent Majority selected Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville

1:09 - Brady Quinn looks sad. The bottle blonde who was on his arm earlier is nowhere to be found.

1:14 - ESPN has all but given away at least two picks thus far: Calvin Johnson and LaRon Landry. Thanks guys.

Real Life NFL Draft: the Washington Redskins select LaRon Landry, S, LSU

Sorry, UM. Also sorry The Big Lead, who had Landry going to Atlanta at number eight.

Round 1, Pick 7: The Minnesota Vikings are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: on behalf of the Minnesota Vikings, Our Book of Scrap selected Ted Ginn, Jr., WR, Ohio State

Real Life NFL Draft: the Minnesota Vikings select Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma

Round 1, Pick 8: The Atlanta Falcons are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: on behalf of the Atlanta Falcons, The Big Lead selected LaRon Landry, S, LSU

Real Life NFL Draft: the Atlanta Falcons select Jamaal Anderson, DE, Arkansas

Round 1, Pick 9: The Miami Dolphins are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: on behalf of the Miami Dolphins, Just Call Me Juice selected Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin

1:39 - NFL teams 9, Sports Bloggers 0

Real Life NFL Draft: the Miami Dolphins select Ted Ginn, WR, Ohio State

1:51 - Brady Quinn is displeased. His face just zoomed past "Matt Leinart" and ended up dangerously close to "Aaron Rodgers".

Round 1, Pick 10: The Houston Texans are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: on behalf of the Houston Texans, Seal Clubbers selected Greg Olsen, TE, Miami

Real Life NFL Draft: the Houston Texans select Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville

Round 1, Pick 11: The San Francisco 49ers are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: on behalf of the San Francisco 49ers, The Fans Attic selected Jamaal Anderson, DE, Arkansas

Real Life NFL Draft: the San Francisco 49ers select Patrick Willis, LB, Mississippi

In the Mock Draft, Willis was the 22nd overall pick of WBRS Sports Blog and the Dallas Cowboys.

Round 1, Pick 12: the Buffalo Bills are on the clock

Sports Blogger Mock Draft: on behalf of the Buffalo Bills, Shot To Nothing selected Leon Hall, CB, Michigan

Real Life NFL Draft: the Buffalo Bills select Marshawn Lynch, RB, California

Round 1, Pick 13: the St. Louis Rams are on the clock

Sports Blogger Mock Draft: on behalf of the St. Louis Rams, J-Money selected Adam Carriker, DE, Nebraska

Real Life NFL Draft: the St. Louis Rams select Adam Carriker, DE, Nebraska

Who had J-Money's name in the pool to see who would call the first correct pick?

Round 1, Pick 14: the Carolina Panthers are on the clock

Sports Blogger Mock Draft: on behalf of the Carolina Panthers, Digital Headbutt selected Paul Posluszny, LB, Penn State

Our first trade of the day puts the New York Jets on the clock. Chris Mortensen was in mid-sentence when the deal was announced and the crowd went nuts - his deer-in-the-headlights look defies description.

Trade details: Carolina trades its first and sixth round picks to the Jets for New York's first, second and fifth round picks. Berman is certain that Mangini is going to take Leon Hall.

Real Life NFL Draft: the New York Jets select Darrelle Revis, CB, Pittsburgh

And there goes my chance of being correct with the 24th pick.

Round 1, Pick 15: the Pittsburgh Steelers are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Draft: on behalf of the Pittsburgh Steelers, The Starter Wife selected Levi Brown, OT, Penn State

Real Life NFL Draft: the Pittsburgh Steelers select Lawrence Timmons, LB, Florida State

Round 1, Pick 16: the Green Bay Packers are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Draft: on behalf of the Green Bay Packers, Babes Love Baseball selected Marshawn Lynch, RB, California

Real Life NFL Draft: the Green Bay Packers select Justin Harrell, DT, Tennessee

Round 1, Pick 17: the Jacksonville Jaguars are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Draft: on behalf of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sports Show On Mute selected Reggie Nelson, S, Florida

Trade #2: Denver deals with Jacksonville for the 17th pick. The Jags get the Broncos first, third, and sixth round picks so the Broncos can move up four spots.

Real Life NFL Draft: the Denver Broncos select Jarvis Moss, DE, Florida

Round 1, Pick 18: the Cincinnati Bengals are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Draft: on behalf of the Cincinnati Bengals, Larry Brown Sports selected Justin Harrell, DT, Tennessee

Real Life NFL Draft: the Cincinnati Bengals select Leon Hall, CB, Michigan

Round 1, Pick 19: the Tennessee Titans are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Draft: on behalf of the Tennessee Titans, Chip Ramsey selected Jarvis Moss, DE, Florida

Real Life NFL Draft: the Tennessee Titans select Michael Griffin, S, Texas

Round 1, Pick 20: the New York Giants are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Draft: on behalf of the New York Giants, Yelling Louder selected Alan Branch, DT, Michigan

Real Life NFL Draft: the New York Giants select Aaron Ross, CB, Texas

And Brady Quinn waits. They've been talking about him falling to Kansas City at 23, which is pretty amazing considering his pre-draft status as a likely Top 10 pick.

Round 1, Pick 21: the Jacksonville Jaguars (from Denver) are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Draft: on behalf of the Denver Broncos (the original owner of the pick), Signal to Noise selected Michael Griffin, S, Texas

Real Life NFL Draft: the Jacksonville Jaguars select Reggie Nelson, S, Florida

In fairness to S2N, Nelson was already off the board by the time he drafted. Good call identifying the appropriate need and selecting the best available player to fill it.

Round 1, Pick 22: the Dallas Cowboys are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Draft: on behalf of the Dallas Cowboys, WBRS Sports Blog selected Patrick Willis, LB, Mississippi

Does the Brady Quinn Watch end here?

Maybe...the Cowboys have swung a trade with the Browns...Cleveland is now on the clock.

Real Life NFL Draft: the Cleveland Browns select Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame.

Somewhere, Charlie Frye weeps.

Seriously, the Browns manage to pick up a guy who should be at least a decent NFL quarterback and a starting offensive tackle in the first round - not bad, even if they had to give up their second round pick and next year's first rounder to do it.

Round 1, Pick 23: the Kansas City Chiefs are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Draft: on behalf of the Kansas City Chiefs, Extrapolater selected Robert Meachum, WR, Tennessee

Real Life NFL Draft: the Kansas City Chiefs select Dwayne Bowe, WR, LSU

Sorry, E. Right position, wrong player.

Round 1, Pick 24: the New England Patriots are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Draft: on behalf of the New England Patriots, One More Dying Quail selected Darrelle Revis, CB, Pittsburgh

Crap. I really wanted to get this one right.

Real Life NFL Draft: the New England Patriots select Brandon Meriweather, S, Miami

Okay, it's a defensive back, which was obviously the team's greatest need. No complaints - well, other than the character issues that ESPN has been discussing. I love the idea of bringing young guys in to work with established veterans like Rodney Harrison. Harrison is great, take advantage of is presence now.

Round 1, Pick 25: the Carolina Panthers are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Draft: on behalf of the New York Jets (the original owners of this pick), Metschick selected Chris Houston, CB, Arkansas

Metschick was actually close with this one because the Jets traded up to take Darrelle Revis. Had they stayed pat and held onto the pick, they might well have selected Houston. Between J-Money and Metschick, the crew from Ladies... is putting us all to shame.

Real Life NFL Draft: the Carolina Panthers select Jon Beason, LB, Miami

I'm just eyeballing this, but I don't think we're doing too bad so far. One dead on pick from J-Money, another that had the right player but different position from Sports Show On Mute, and mostly on the ball with first round selections.

Trade alert - the Eagles were on the clock at #26, but traded it to Dallas.

Round 1, Pick 26: the Dallas Cowboys (from Philadelphia) are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: on behalf of the Philadelphia Eagles, Run Up The Score selected Lawrence Timmons, LB, Florida State

Trade details - Philly gets a second, a third, and a fifth round choice and gives up only the first rounder.

Hey, ESPN, enough with "You Can't Always Get What You Want". We get it.

Real Life NFL Draft: the Dallas Cowboys select Anthony Spencer, DE, Purdue

Huge discrepancy here. Our bloggers had Spencer going in the second round, 58th overall. The Cowboys apparently felt he was worth giving up three draft picks for.

Round 1, Pick 27: the New Orleans Saints are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: on behalf of the New Orleans Saints, Texas Gal selected Aaron Ross, CB, Texas

The highest pick remaining from our draft board is Greg Olsen (TE, Miami), who Seal Clubbers took with the tenth overall selection. After that we have Posluszny (14th), Alan Branch (20th) and Chris Houston (25th) to this point.

Real Life NFL Draft: The New Orleans Saints select Robert Meachem, WR, Tennessee

Another first rounder nailed - you'll recall that Extrapolater had Meachem going #23 to the Chiefs.

Round 1, Pick 28: the New England Patriots are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: on behalf of the New England Patriots, Monday Morning Punter selected Brandon Siler, LB, Florida

From the comments: Signal to Noise said...What kind of drugs is Andy Reid on to trade the pick to Dallas and not pick Posluszny? - His kid must've hooked him up with some good shit.

Trade: the Patriots have dealt the #28 pick to the San Francisco 49ers. A number one pick in 2008 for Joe Staley? Seems like a lot, even without the throw-in fifth rounder.

Real Life NFL Draft: the San Francisco 49ers select Joe Staley, OT, Central Michigan

Round 1, Pick 29: the Baltimore Ravens are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: on behalf of the Baltimore Ravens, East Coast Bias selected Joe Staley, OT, Central Michigan

Real Life NFL Draft: the Baltimore Ravens select Ben Grubbs, OG, Auburn

This leaves seven Sports Bloggers first-rounders still available with three picks to be made.

Round 1, Pick 30: the San Diego Chargers are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: on behalf of the San Diego Chargers, The Hater Nation selected Dwayne Jarrett, WR, USC

Real Life NFL Draft: the San Diego Chargers select Craig Davis, WR, LSU

Round 1, Pick 31: the Chicago Bears are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: on behalf of the Chicago Bears, Lion In Oil selected Jon Beason, LB, Miami

A flip-flop with Posluszny, perhaps? Or was Chris Berman telling me the truth when he just implied that the Bears were calling Greg Olsen?

Real Life NFL Draft: the Chicago Bears select Greg Olsen, TE, Miami

Round 1, Pick 32: the Indianapolis Colts are on the clock

Sports Bloggers Mock Draft: on behalf of the Indianapolis Colts, Holly selected Jonathan Wade, CB, Tennessee

Real Life NFL Draft: the Indianapolis Colts select Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Ohio State

And Posluszny, Branch, Houston, Siler, Jarrett, and Wade are officially second-rounders (or worse).

The second round starts immediately. This thread is getting a little long in the tooth, so I think I'm going to start a new one for Round 2. Join me there if you like.

Posted by One More Dying Quail at 12:10 AM 20 Comments

David Stern Wishes To Hear No More Of This Las Vegas Nonsense

Friday, April 27, 2007

Flipped to the Dallas-Golden State game on ESPN just in time to catch Jim Gray interviewing David Stern. Most of the stuff they talked about was pretty conventional (wow, Joey Crawford is done for the playoffs? Who knew?), but Gray got a shot in at the end when he mentioned a report that the new owner in Seattle, Clay Bennett, said that if the team moves, it will likely be to Las Vegas. Stern's reaction?

"I don't think he said that."

Gray started to explain that it was a published report (Wikipedia says Bennett said this to the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau, but no link is provided; in fairness, it also says that he included Kansas City as an alternative, which Gray failed to mention) when Stern cut him off.

"I think he'll withdraw that."

Now, that second quote is heavily paraphrased, but the word that jumped out at me was "withdraw". Sounds like Clay Bennett might be making a trip to New York in the next couple days to speak with the commissioner. It will be interesting to see if he stands up to Stern and maintains that Vegas is a viable destination for the Supersonics or if we end up seeing a "clarification" on the earlier comments.

The best part of all this was Stern's emotional state throughout. He went from reasonably happy (good game, unobtrusive interview) to mildly annoyed (Bennett wouldn't go behind my back, would he?) to outright angry (he did, he went behind my back!) to nearly-homicidal (I'm gonna kill Jim Gray if he says another word. Seriously. Start talking, Walton). Great stuff.

Posted by One More Dying Quail at 11:13 PM 3 Comments

Will Ferrell Chuck Berry Trains Ryan Kalil For The Draft (Live-Blog)


You can lump in with the group that thinks everything Will Ferrell does is funny. This however is beyond hilarious. The outfit alone gets an 11 out of 10.

This video will air tomorrow on the NFL Network. Sorry if I ruined it for you. Click here for Video




"Are you trying NOT to get drafted?!? Cause that's exactly how you not get drafted."- CB

I'll be M.I.A. this weekend, but OMDQ will be taking you through the draft. Be sure to stop by as he'll be ridiculing the Bloggers pick by pick based on who got their picks horribly wrong (he'll also be adding 14 RedSox posts at some point). Enjoy the draft kids!

Cheers,
AA

(Video comes with love from SBD)

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 4:06 PM 4 Comments

Bloggers Mock Draft- Round 2


The 2nd Round of the Sports Bloggers Parent's Basement Mock Draft has been completed, and it's just as stellar as the first round.

It only took about 10 more days than expected, but hey the timing is perfect. So extra special thanks to everyone involved in the 2nd Round, and we'll see how we did come Monday.

(Extra Extra special thanks to Luke from HotFoot and Bucktown Skins Fan for stepping up and finishing the thing when I dropped the ball)

So after all of the blood, sweat, and tears......this is what we came up with. Feel free to tear it apart.....

Round 2:

33. OAK - Trent Edwards, QB, Stanford
34. DET - Sidney Rice, WR, South Carolina
35. TB - Brandon Meriweather, S, Miami
36. CLE - Marcus McCauley, CB, Fresno State
37. CHI - Steve Smith, WR, USC
38 ARZ - Josh Wilson, S, MD
39. ATL - Anthony Gonzales, WR, Ohio State
40. MIA - Drew Stanton, QB, Michigan State
41. MIN - Dwayne Bowe- WR, USC
42. SF - Ben Grubbs, G, Auburn
43. BUF - Ray McDonald, DE Florida
44. CAR - Kenny Scott, CB, Georgia Tech
45. ATL- David Harris, LB, Michigan
46. PIT- Mason Crosby, K, Colorado
47. GB- Zach Miller, TE, Arizona State
48. JAX- Justin Blalock, G, Texas
49. CIN- Johnnie Lee Higgins, WR, UTEP
50. TEN- Tank Tyler, DT, N.C. State
51. NYG- Rights to Jeff Samardija, WR, ND
52. STL- Craig Davis, WR, LSU
53. DAL- Tanard Jackson, CB/S, Syracuse
54. KC- Tony Ugoh, G, Arkansas
55. SEA- Brian Leonard, FB/RB, Rutgers
56. DEN- Buster Davis, ILB, Florida State
57. PHI- Michael Bush, RB, Louisville
58. NO- Anthony Spencer, DE, Purdue
59. NYJ- Aundrae Allison, WR, East Carolina
60. MIA- Ryan Kalil, OC, USC
61. BAL- Lorenzo Booker, RB, Florida St
62. SD- Eric Weddle, Safety, Utah.
63. NYJ- Daymeion Hughes, CB, Cal
64. TB- Jason Hill, WR, Washington St

I'm actually partial to the second round over the first because some of the picks are up to 2 or more rounds down on Todd McShay's Mock Draft over at ESPN. But who made him God right? Right?!?! (The lowest is Johnnie Lee Higgins in Round 5)

Here's the list of everyone involved....be sure to click the links over to their site(s).

Dr. Doom, The Sports Hernia, Awful Officiating, Bucktown Skins Fan, Draft King, Point 23, HotFoot, The Feed, Complete Sports, 49ers Nation, BfloBlog, Digital Headbutt, PsampBlog, Sports Show on Mute, Mush Sports, Ladies..., Check out my HEMI, Stupid Sideline Reporters, La Revolucion, The 700 Level, If I Ran..., East Coast Bias, G-Money, Rumors and Rants, Extrapolater, Run up the Score, and The Big Picture.

(Let me know if I missed you and I'll add you in.)

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 2:16 PM 22 Comments

Is There An NBA Live Curse As Well?


If so, I'm going to be pissed. This year was too hard on us Wizards fans to be throwing around these rumors.....

According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Arenas will appear on the cover of EA Sports' "NBA Live." Tremendously popular on multiple video game consoles, "NBA Live" has featured Tracy McGrady, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan on the cover.
If he gets hurt next year I'm never ever buying an EA Sports game again. Hell, I'll go back to playing NBA Jam if I have to.

And Tim Duncan? Are you kidding me??? First, I don't remember that, and second....who the hell signed off on that deal? They probably sold 10 copies that year.

Obama-Arenas 2008 (Mothering Hut Apparel)
Arenas on Live Cover (Washington Times)


Posted by Awful Announcing- at 12:31 PM 2 Comments

You Create The Caption #4

(Most) Everyday I'll throw out a photo from the AP or one of the bigger sites and you provide the caption. Hilarity ensues.

Yesterday's Winner: More genius from the gallery yesterday....The winnar for today is one Chopper Dave for the caption below....








"Ugh. I can still see Popeye Jones"

Yes, Popeye Jones hasn't played for the Mavs in quite some time (last year sometime), but I never said they had to make sense. The Photo for the weekend is a shot of Tiger and Elin at the Orlando/Detroit came Thursday Night........


AA's Entry: "So who do you think we should invite to the.....you know? No No, D-Howard is a god fairing man....not sure he'd take part."

(Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 10:50 AM 18 Comments

Jack Nicholson Makes Everything Interesting


Everything Jack does amazes me. Even when he gets icing all over his jacket as Laker Girls present him with a surprise birthday cake.


Those b****es embarrassed Jack on National Television!!! Mr. French will be paying them a visit soon. (cue up the Dropkick Murphys)

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 10:02 AM 2 Comments

Weighing-In On The Whole Sock Nonsense

Thursday, April 26, 2007


Take a minute to watch the video....



So here's my take on it.....Who cares??? I can understand why the Red Sox fans might be a tad defensive, but seriously calm down. Do you really think that Gary Thorne would lie about something like that? Of course not. Mirabelli was probably just messing around with him and he took it seriously (or not seriously...however you look at it).

If everyone is so concerned why don't you write letters to Cooperstown and have them run DNA tests on the thing. It can even be a CSI episode like the Cubs/Bartman incident was. A few points.....

A) You shouldn't listen to Gary Thorne to begin with.
B) You won the World Series....that's all that should matter.
C) That's blood.
D) Don't you think there's a reason Gary has been relegated to regional baseball coverage?
E) ESPN......please just put Bob Ley back in his cage until something relevant happens. You don't need an impromptu Outside the Lines for this.


Video from Let's Go Sox via Fanhouse

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 9:13 PM 10 Comments

TV News: NFL Network Makes My Day.....Then Ruins It


Don't you hate that. It's like when you were in Middle School and someone is passing secrets around. You're stoked to be on the inside, and when they start to tell you.......all of a sudden they stop. "Oh I can't tell you", and they pass right by you. God**** awkward teenage years!

Well that's how I felt reading this John Ourand blurb in Sports Business Daily.

Title: NFL Streaming Eight NFL Network Games Online; New Web Effort. (F'ing Rad!)

NFL Network plans to stream the eight regular-season games that it televises over the Internet, making them available only to NFL Network subscribers, network President Steve Bornstein said at Manhattan’s Hammersmith Ballroom last night.
(Crap.) I used to get the Network but not any longer. So to all you NFL Networkers.....Congratulations (A**holes)!

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 4:47 PM 7 Comments

FYI- Let's Get Ready To Rumble!



If you subscribe to the MLB Online thingy put it on the Royals-Twins Game. Zach Greinke has hit two Twins in the 2nd inning including blasting Torii Hunter in the mouth. Both players (the other being Bartlett) almost charged him, but decided against it.

I smell a fight brewing!!!

Update:
Boof Bonser does nothing in the Top of the Third, which disappoints me greatly. That dude could do some damage.















UPDATE #2: Pena from the Royals just followed through on a swing and struck Catcher Mark Redmond on the back. The Announcer went ahead and predicted the fight by saying....

"This is where you just rear back and hit someone on the kneecap."

Umm probably not because the bases are loaded, but okay! Go for it Boof!!!



















UPDATE #3: Just heard that they've taken Hunter to the hospital. Okay, you HAVE to do something now. Just plunk Alex Gordon right in the back. He's not going to do anything....plus there haven't been any warnings yet.

No fight today, but mark my words......tomorrow there will be war!!!!!!!

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 1:55 PM 5 Comments

Eva Longoria Has Infiltrated TNT's Production Booth


This was too good to put up for the caption of the day. I have a ton of issues with TNT so far this playoffs (more to come on that), but this was ridiculous. Check out the "Team Role" part on the graphic below...



Penetrator? Are you kidding me??? First of all, we don't need a term to describe what Tony Parker does....that's like labeling Barry Bonds "Homerun Hitter". Second, hahahahahaha penetrator. Third, couldn't you have come up with a less obvious joke for me to use TNT? Good lord.

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 12:49 PM 7 Comments