Weekly Theme Music

Sorry folks, all three of you, actually have a lot of real work these days so the postings kind of light.

How It Should Have Sounded

Weekly Theme Music

The number 4 ranked Ole Miss Baseball Team gets it going this weekend.

Say No Eli

Rumor has it that Eli is getting recruited to be the next Madden Cover Boy. Now for those that don't know its huge exposure. But it also comes with a price. If you've never heard of the Madden curse. Pretty crazy stats that all but two players on the true covers suffered from a bad injury that year or just poor performance. And one of the two had a terrible year the next year.

Now its also something to be taken with a grain of salt. Of the cover boys all but one have been either a run first quarterback (at least prior to injury) or a running back. Well running backs have the shortest average career because of the likelihood for injuries when you get hit like they do. So when you pick a position that is so much more likely to get hurt the stats are going to converge. The one guy who defied the curse completely? Plays linebacker. So Eli would probably be alright.

But then I'm what some would call, "crazy superstitious." You'd think more than one of those running backs would have sneaked through. There's a reason LaDainian Tomlinson won't do it. And seriously now that Eli's making the Gatorade bucks does he really need it.

Weekly Theme Music

A tribute to the greatest television action star of all time. His original theme music. You probably remember this one though.

The Television Action Stars Pecking Order

So this isn't sports. I still have the football year end review and the signing class review to do. But I did this instead. Maybe next week.

Line graphs are fun.

Plaxico Burress is clairvoyant

So its taken me over a week to get over the game. Which happened to be the second most watched event in television history. Plaxico Burress did a much better job predicting than I did saying the Giants would win 23-17. I was afraid the Giants wouldn't be able to get their pass rush going against Patriots with a little help from the zebra's and they would simply outscore the Giants in a high scoring game.

Boy was I wrong. The Giants harassed Brady consistently and he looked like a below average quarterback under pressure. And what's ironic about this is all the protection the league gave him this year turned out to be his undoing. He clearly wasn't comfortable under pressure at all for the first time this season and it ruined his game. Eli on the other hand was used to playing with heavy pressure all season and was comfortable when the Patriots threw everything at him. Which was no more on display than during the Great Escape.

going to happen. The Patriots obviously thought the game was already won before the kickoff.I could actually see the upset coming as the week went in little clues but still didn't think it was The Giants had confidence after their run in the playoffs and were not backing do. The most telling thing was when Brady got mad about Plaxico's prediction not because he thought the Giants would win but because he would only score 17 points. He clearly thought the game was already won with him throwing numerous touchdowns, wining the MVP and was more concerned with planning his post game celebration. Which was quite apparent considering he got a haircut the night before the Super Bowl to look good. Talk about the Anti Playoff beard.

Because the Giants pummeled Brady. Strahan, Osi, Cofield, Tuck, Robbins, Alford. Everyone got into it.

They hit him.

And Tuck hit him again. Getting two sacks.
And Osi steamed him. And by the end Brady looked like a Nancy boy.

And this is just another example of how when a team gets over confident with itself and stops preparing for their opponent its not hard to get beat. The Patriots treated the game as a mere formality.

And so to the winners goes the spoils. Eli gets to spend time hanging out with Letterman. Gets the awkward interview with Tiki. Gets to be the second Manning brother with a Super Bowl MVP trophy. And looks to make millions in endorsement deals off this win starting with the customary trip to Disney World.

But Eli was just one of the hero's in this game. Plaxico Burress has gone from Moss and Owens type malcontent to gutsy veteran leader this season. Last few seasons he wasn't afraid to pout and throw his arms up in the air when things didn't go perfectly for him or he wasn't catching as many balls. This year he decided to take part in the voluntary offseason workouts and really get together with the team and got his timing down with Eli. He played nearly the entire season with torn ligaments in his foot. The week of the Super Bowl he fell in the shower and sprained his MCL. He didn't know if he could play until Sunday and gutted it out all game. It effected his timing and leaping ability but he still came up huge when the game was on the line.

David Tyree's grab combined with the Eli Escape was the greatest play in Super Bowl history. Not that Joe Buck thought so but I digress. And to think just days before Tyree told Dan Patrick he was just a special teams player. And maybe if Rodney Harrison had taken a few more performance enhancing drugs before the game he could have jumped a little higher to keep from getting owned by Tyree.
The entire receiving squad had a big night. Eli's leading receiver and All Time Giant leading receiver Amani "Its Not a" Toomer was playing with a broken hand. Steve Smith over came his previous drop that lead to an interception and played great down the stretch. Including a huge catch and run on the Giant's winning drive. He missed most of the season with a broken clavicle but came up huge in the playoffs and showed that the Giant's have a young receiver ready for the big time. And rookie Tight End Kevin Boss had a big catch to set up the first touchdown to Tyree. All in all the Giant's rookie class came up huge with in the big game with starter Aaron Ross, starter Kevin Boss, Steve Smith, Michel Johnson, Ahmad Bradshaw, Micheal Matthews, Jay Alford, and Zak DeOssie.

The secondary as a whole came up big. Corey Webster was called on to shut down Randy Moss and did a great job. Aaron Ross performed well at the other corner as he's done all season. R.W.McQuaters, Sam Madison, and Mississippi's own Kevin Dockery all played well in nickel and substitution packages to shut down the leagues top passing game.

And like most of the writers who gave the Giants no chance I also have to eat a little crow. While I liked the team construction I was a little weary of Reese's decision to cut loose Luke Pettigout without signing another true left tackle and giving the job to Diehl who was a great guard for the last few years for the G-men. Diehl played great this year while protecting Eli's blind side. I also questioned the ownership's decision to keep Coughlin around and viewed him as a lame duck coach. Well he took the team to another level and silenced all doubts. The kinder gentler Coughlin came out and bowled the team over and they played hard for him this year. So his mission truly was accomplished.
And one of the funniest stories of the whole Super Bowl is how pissed the League and Goodell is that the Giants won. Just look at the picture below. He's disgusted giving away the trophy to the Mara family. He was counting on 19-0 to sell a lot of books and T-shirts . Now all he's got is to look forward to senate investigatory hearings about how much he knew and how much he's covering up the Patriots cheating which now appears to go back as far as secretly taping the Ram's final walk through before Belichick's first Super Bowl win.

So go ahead and buy some Giant's Championship swag just to make Goodell feel better. And if your looking for the perfect wedding present for the Wookies you know there's nothing better than traditional glasses.

Weekly Theme Music

I don't know. It's just a funny video.

Super Prediction

The Super Bowl is merely two days away. And the country awaits to know who will win this game. And three readers await to know who the Sports Wookie is going to pick. It should be obvious to any readers and anyone who knows the Wookie that he's pulling for the Giants.

Can Eli pull off the upset? The Patriots have a strong defense that makes few mistakes. They are not blessed with superior speed in the front seven so they will give up some yardage and some points. If the Giants receivers actually catch the ball the Giants will put up some points. The Giant's biggest weakness is in the secondary. Cornerbacks Aaron Ross, Corey Webster, and Sam Madison are playing well. But to stop Moss the Giants will have to play some zone coverages and give them safety help. Gibril's a great run defender and adequate pass defender but James Butler has a knack for getting burned. Like he let Moss do to him in week 17. So I imagine there will be plenty of points scored to make it a fun game.

So the pick? The Patriots by ten. The Giants defense goes as their pass rush goes. The NFL refuses to allow anyone to sack Tom Brady by refusing to call holding penalties against the Patriots. The NFL realizes its all a business and getting superstar quarterback's like Tom Brady hurt is bad for business. Hey, I pull for the Colts usually and you'd be blind if you didn't think Peyton gets the same treatment. Just like in week 17 Matt Light will be allowed to bear hug, trip, and pull down from behind Osi every time he gets around him. And the Ref's won't call it with the league's blessing. They know a Patriot's win and the perfect record attached to it will sell more DVD's, T-shirts, jersey's and collectibles and as a result the league will collect more royalties.

Need further proof? John Clayton recently wrote about the NFL's selection of referees and mentioned that they specifically selected a crew that only gives out two holding calls a game to insure that more points will be scored. With the Giant's being denied the ability to put pressure on Brady they simply will not be able to keep up with the scoring. Something like 42-34 sounds about right. And Tom Brady and Junior Seau will be left to celebrate the win in their own special way.

The Official Sports Wookie Cause

(picture from Ole Miss Sports.com)

The Sports Wookie wants to use his page to reach some sort of greater good. While we've had numerous other "unofficial" causes; most notably the removal of a previous football coach. But with all the exposure the site gets between its three viewers it can help spread the word for some noble cause. While there are plenty of great causes from restoring wildlife, protecting the environment, or assisting less fortunate children and youth. But those are causes better suited for promotion by specific groups.

However one thing that has been on the mind of the Sports Wookie for years is the great injustice that the University of Mississippi has done to former Rebel running back Deuce McAllister. The Wookie has had the opportunity to meet Mr. McAllister on a few occasions and has been blown away with how friendly and engaging he is. But its more than that. McAllister is know for his charity work, post-Katrina work and the work of his foundation. He also truly cares for his fan as anyone who read his ad thanking his fans for their support after his season ending knee injury could tell. He is a better ambassador for Ole Miss than the university could ever dream of having.

Which is why it's past time the University named the Football Indoor Practice Facility after Deuce. McAllister personally donated a million dollars toward the construction of the facility to give back to the football program that had given him the boost to the National Football League. However the University at the time refrained naming the building with hopes that naming rights would bait another booster into making a significant donation to pay off the facility. Which never happened. Instead now the building is virtually paid off and still remains nameless.

To this day McAllister has given the largest public donation to the University for the construction of the facility. It is high time the university rights its past wrongs and officially declares the building, "The McAllister Indoor Facility."

If the SEC was a Sandwhich

If each head coach was a Sandwich chain, here is how I think it would shake out.

Subway = Bobby Johnson. Quality Sandwich at a quality price but you know you could get a little better and its facilities has no appeal.

Lenny's = Nick Saban. Pretty good sandwich but you know you're overpaying for it. No matter how good that pepper relish is you know you could almost enjoy a cheaper sandwich without it.

McAllister's = Phat Phil Fulmer. The facilities are cheesy, the sandwich sucks and is overpriced but they've been marketed well and are known throughout the country now.

Newk's = Mark Richt. Decent sandwich just slightly overpriced. Has other good items on the menu so can do some other small things well that makes up for it. The better ingredients make you over look some things.

Quiznos = Bobby Petrino. Some how the second largest sub franchise in the country. Decent sandwich but way overpriced and having to deal with bad publicity as to how it handles its franchisees.

Blimpie = Steve Spurrier Pretty good sandwich at one point but times are starting to pass it by as the competitors are getting bigger cutting into its funding and its struggling without quality ingredients.

Obie's = Sly Croom. Decent sandwich and the problem isn't really the over priced as the tiny portions. With so little to work with you wonder if it can make it against the other sandwich chains.

Boston Market = Urban Meyer. Real up and comer in the sandwich world but not a pure sandwich shop. Doesn't really fit in because of its menu but you can't deny its food.

Firehouse Sub's = Tubberville. Pretty good sandwich that is always flying under the radar. You can't figure out what you're craving and you talk yourself out of it but after dismissing other sandwiches its still there in the end and looking a lot better.

Panera Bread = Rich Brooks. Never see it around anywhere so you have to wonder if its about to go out of business. Old people seem to love it though and keep it going and claim it has great bagel sandwiches.

Steak Escape = Les Miles. Sells a decent amount of sandwiches but you'd think it would do better with a captive market in a shopping mall.

Arby's = Houston Nutt. Great roast beef sandwich at a great price that's been around for a while. Some will disrespect for it failing to create a non roast beef sandwich and desire something greater. And you can't figure out what to make of the horrible oven mitt ads.

Honorary Mention

Cap'n D's Fish Sandwich = Ed Orgeron. Terrible quality fish that smells bad that only coonasses seem to like.