Some quick (I hope) sports thoughts on each of my favorite sports teams:
NFL – San Francisco 49ers – Ugh. I could just stop there and pretty much capture it. After years of being awful, they have finally made some major steps in the right direction. They brought in a classy head coach with a good mind for defense and team discipline. Plus he likes to wear suits (even if they are made by Rebok) during games, so how can you not like this guy? They have drafted rather brilliantly (though I’m having my doubts about Smith and Davis), but still they seem to be rebuilding this team in the right way through good draft picks (I love you Patrick Willis) and well chosen free agents. For the first time in years, I allowed myself to get excited. I genuinely thought the Niners were a playoff team this year. They had the NFC’s best RB, an unguardable tightend, a QB just coming into his own after a semi-breakthrough year last year, new WRs, great FAs on the defensive side and a weak division. They won their first game by a miracle closing drive. They looked bad on offense, but still got the win and it was just the first game and they did beat a division opponent.
Then in game 2, they looked bad again, but beat another division foe. 2-0. All they needed was to start opening up the offense a bit and all would be well. Then they had to go to play a red-hot Steelers team in Pittsburgh. No one is beating them at home this year, so while a win would have been nice, the loss wasn’t devastating. The most troubling part was the fact that they still could not move the ball at all.
Then they played the Seahawks at home. The Hawks are not a good team this year. Alexander doesn’t run hard outside of 5 yards away from the endzone and they just look old, slow and sloppy. Very beatable. Not for the Niners though. The whole thing came crashing down as the Niners embarrassed themselves, the franchise, the city, their fans, and all of humanity with one of the worst offensive displays in football history. Oh, and plus they lost Smith to injury….and were already missing Davis…oh and they don’t have a WR who can catch the ball or a line that can stop the run or an o-line that can keep Gore from being hit in the backfield or a coordinator who can call anything but run up the middle for 1, run up the middle for 2, drop back and hold the ball until sacked on 3 and 7. I swear, 75% of the possessions went just like that last week.
Completely depressing. Who would have thought Norv Turner could single handedly destroy two franchises with one move. In addition to getting SD to be the must underperforming team in recent memory, he also abandoned the Niners where he had done an outstanding job as the O coordinator and left things in the hands of a rookie who apparently has as much imaginiation as a crowbar.
They aren’t going to the playoffs. They may not win another game at this rate. Of course, Baltimore should be vulnerable if it were someone other than Dilfer playing QB now. So, so painful. Fortunately, the Patriots get their number one pick next year, which could be the top pick over all. I’m going to go somewhere and cry.
NBA – The Portland Trailblazers
Sticking with a theme, the only thing nearly as depressing as the Niners right now is Blazers. Like the Niners, this was the year they were going to turn it all around. Instead, they lost their franchise center for the year before he even played a game and now have lost last year’s rookie of the year to injury before he even played a game this season. This season went from the most exciting, anticipated Blazer season in years to the most depressing thing in basketball in a matter of 2 weeks. I now cringe every time I see a headline about the Blazers.
On a positive note, I do think the Blazers will still be fun to watch this year assuming Roy gets back and stays healthy. They will be able to run and defend much better and have a roster of good guys who play hard and seem to genuinely enjoy playing together. I’m still looking forward to the season, it just makes me sad.
MLB – The San Francisco Giants
Sticking with a theme, the Giants are as depressing as a baseball team can get. They loaded their rosters with ancient players to try to make a run with Bonds and then made Bary Zito the highest paid pitcher in history. Then Zito stunk and so did the Giants. Now they have no Bonds, no youth, no speed, no reason for optimism and absolutely no one to lead or carry the team. Ugh.
Fantasy Football – StumpTown
Sticking with a theme, my best player is F. Gore who can not get near the endzone in this offense and now has rediscovered the joys of fumbling. My second and third best players (Harrison and Boldin) are both hurt and every RB on my roster except Gore is either hurt or named Dunn. Also Baltimore can’t play D any more after I made them my keeper this season and my QB play is mediocre at best. Other than that I’m having a great season. We play 2 games a week and I am miraculously 4-4, but I have scored the second fewest points in the league, so that isn’t going to keep up.
College Football – Oregon Ducks
Sticking with a theme, Oregon choked away its only shot at winning a championship last weekend. Since college football still believes that sports writers should determine who is better rather than playing actual games, the Ducks actually dropped by nearly beating the alleged 3 best team in the country. College football makes no sense. I would be more upset about this, but I just can’t get into college football until the games matter more than the opinions of the analysts.
Wow, I should have blogged more when I was high on the Oden pick and could have been cheerier.
I need a hug.
NFL – San Francisco 49ers – Ugh. I could just stop there and pretty much capture it. After years of being awful, they have finally made some major steps in the right direction. They brought in a classy head coach with a good mind for defense and team discipline. Plus he likes to wear suits (even if they are made by Rebok) during games, so how can you not like this guy? They have drafted rather brilliantly (though I’m having my doubts about Smith and Davis), but still they seem to be rebuilding this team in the right way through good draft picks (I love you Patrick Willis) and well chosen free agents. For the first time in years, I allowed myself to get excited. I genuinely thought the Niners were a playoff team this year. They had the NFC’s best RB, an unguardable tightend, a QB just coming into his own after a semi-breakthrough year last year, new WRs, great FAs on the defensive side and a weak division. They won their first game by a miracle closing drive. They looked bad on offense, but still got the win and it was just the first game and they did beat a division opponent.
Then in game 2, they looked bad again, but beat another division foe. 2-0. All they needed was to start opening up the offense a bit and all would be well. Then they had to go to play a red-hot Steelers team in Pittsburgh. No one is beating them at home this year, so while a win would have been nice, the loss wasn’t devastating. The most troubling part was the fact that they still could not move the ball at all.
Then they played the Seahawks at home. The Hawks are not a good team this year. Alexander doesn’t run hard outside of 5 yards away from the endzone and they just look old, slow and sloppy. Very beatable. Not for the Niners though. The whole thing came crashing down as the Niners embarrassed themselves, the franchise, the city, their fans, and all of humanity with one of the worst offensive displays in football history. Oh, and plus they lost Smith to injury….and were already missing Davis…oh and they don’t have a WR who can catch the ball or a line that can stop the run or an o-line that can keep Gore from being hit in the backfield or a coordinator who can call anything but run up the middle for 1, run up the middle for 2, drop back and hold the ball until sacked on 3 and 7. I swear, 75% of the possessions went just like that last week.
Completely depressing. Who would have thought Norv Turner could single handedly destroy two franchises with one move. In addition to getting SD to be the must underperforming team in recent memory, he also abandoned the Niners where he had done an outstanding job as the O coordinator and left things in the hands of a rookie who apparently has as much imaginiation as a crowbar.
They aren’t going to the playoffs. They may not win another game at this rate. Of course, Baltimore should be vulnerable if it were someone other than Dilfer playing QB now. So, so painful. Fortunately, the Patriots get their number one pick next year, which could be the top pick over all. I’m going to go somewhere and cry.
NBA – The Portland Trailblazers
Sticking with a theme, the only thing nearly as depressing as the Niners right now is Blazers. Like the Niners, this was the year they were going to turn it all around. Instead, they lost their franchise center for the year before he even played a game and now have lost last year’s rookie of the year to injury before he even played a game this season. This season went from the most exciting, anticipated Blazer season in years to the most depressing thing in basketball in a matter of 2 weeks. I now cringe every time I see a headline about the Blazers.
On a positive note, I do think the Blazers will still be fun to watch this year assuming Roy gets back and stays healthy. They will be able to run and defend much better and have a roster of good guys who play hard and seem to genuinely enjoy playing together. I’m still looking forward to the season, it just makes me sad.
MLB – The San Francisco Giants
Sticking with a theme, the Giants are as depressing as a baseball team can get. They loaded their rosters with ancient players to try to make a run with Bonds and then made Bary Zito the highest paid pitcher in history. Then Zito stunk and so did the Giants. Now they have no Bonds, no youth, no speed, no reason for optimism and absolutely no one to lead or carry the team. Ugh.
Fantasy Football – StumpTown
Sticking with a theme, my best player is F. Gore who can not get near the endzone in this offense and now has rediscovered the joys of fumbling. My second and third best players (Harrison and Boldin) are both hurt and every RB on my roster except Gore is either hurt or named Dunn. Also Baltimore can’t play D any more after I made them my keeper this season and my QB play is mediocre at best. Other than that I’m having a great season. We play 2 games a week and I am miraculously 4-4, but I have scored the second fewest points in the league, so that isn’t going to keep up.
College Football – Oregon Ducks
Sticking with a theme, Oregon choked away its only shot at winning a championship last weekend. Since college football still believes that sports writers should determine who is better rather than playing actual games, the Ducks actually dropped by nearly beating the alleged 3 best team in the country. College football makes no sense. I would be more upset about this, but I just can’t get into college football until the games matter more than the opinions of the analysts.
Wow, I should have blogged more when I was high on the Oden pick and could have been cheerier.
I need a hug.
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