The Sports World Let Me Down This Week

I was all prepared to extol the virtues of the sports world and usher in college football with resounding conviction. And then the athletic gods cast their ugly aspersions. In the middle of the week Nyjer Morgan acted like a brute and showed little regard for the game of baseball. Once upon a time, I was the one wishing a player of his caliber could play for my team. Now I want him removed from baseball ASAP. Two days later and a double whammy. The UNC football team were saddled with a litany of sanctions stemming from an NCAA investigation against illegal conduct between players and agents.

While one can’t fault the players (or can we?) one can certainly point a finger at Butch Davis and his staff. And then as if to add insult to injury, Rooger Goodell showed what a true wimp he really is by negating Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension to just four games. Four games? Are you serious? And then he has the gall to release a press statement championing Roethlisberger for meeting the NFL’s criteria. What criteria exactly? Why doesn’t Goodell just come out and say that he’s reinstating Big Ben to boost ratings and make sure the NFL makes more money. Isn’t it obvious? The Steelers without Big Ben don’t draw audiences. And therein lies the problem. In this ever microscopic society, Roger Goodell thinks its far more important to put the almighty dollar above ethics and morals. Long live college football……no, wait, that’s tainted, too.

Long live high school football. Okay, that’s tainted too, but let’s just ignore that for a minute and go with it.

Thoughts on Darius Rucker’s New Single

I really wanted to dislike Darius Rucker’s new single “Come Back Song,” but something about it continues to latch itself to my brain. I don’t know if it’s the lingering nature of his vocals, the rhyme scheme, or what, but hot damn, it’s probably my favorite song he’s written since “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It.” Seriously, what a fun little ditty. It is not hie best however, and I know he can do better. His last album disappointed me majorly, so I hope he has something better up his sleeve with album number two.

Hallmark Film Fairfield Road is Quite Charming

Okay, I’ll admit it, as much as I adore art-house, foreign and indie films, I really do love a good rom-com or light, fluffy chick flick. Thanks to the privileges of the day job, I’ve become a fan of the Hallmark Channel and its saccharine, tissue-soaked romps. Its latest, Fairfield Road, was an absolute delight.

“Fairfield Road,” centers on Noah McManus (Jesse Metcalfe), a Boston political aide, who is about to start his dream job as a legislative director for a U.S. senator and to propose to his girlfriend. But his entire world changes in one day when his new boss resigns amid controversy and Noah realizes that his girlfriend had been cheating on him.  

Devastated and alone, he and his dog Arlo drive to Harpswell, the Cape Cod town where he had intended to propose. There he finds comfort among the town’s peaceful setting and appealing local residents, including local inkeepers  Sam and Lillian who house him. But only hours into his stay,  he in turn falls for Hayley, a bookstore owner whose charm and radiance is utterly infectious.
As Noah begins to spend more time in Harpswell and with Hayley, he becomes involved in the town’s heated local election and challenges local developer Randall Richardson. For the first time in awhile, everything is finally making sense. He’s found a meaningful purpose for his life and someone to share it with. But what will happen when he gets another high-level job offer and his remorseful ex-girlfriend returns, luring him back to his familiar lifestyle?  

The film is directed by David Weaver, who directed the sweetly affecting “Charlie and Me” and written by Tracy Rosen, who wrote “Daniel’s Daughter,” the latter being one of Hallmark’s best films of the last couple years. Shot in Toronto, the film is produced by Cypress Point Productions and QVF Productions, with help from Emmy Award-nominee Gerald W. Abrams (”Nuremberg,” “Family of Spies”) and Susan Murdoch (”The National Tree). Metcalfe rose to prominence as Gabby’s (Eva Longoria Parker) gardener lover on the first two seasons of “Desperate Housewives,” he reprised the role in an arc this fall.

The Death of College Football on Long Island

Now that Hofstra has pulled the plug on football, those of us in Nassau County that appreciate college football are in quite a bind. But all is not lost. The C.W. Post Pioneers, a former Division II powerhouse play home games at Hickox Field on the pastoral C.W. Post campus. Those that aren’t on Long Island, should know that C.W. Post is housed on the former estate of the cereal magnate Post family. If that’s not enough to get your butt in the seats, take this simple nugget into account: C.W. Post is the only non-Pennsylvania college in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. So why are they there, you ask? It’s quite simple, really. The PSAC houses some of the best D-II football schools in the nation, of which C.W. Post is included. In 1998, Post introduced Bryan Collins to the mix and for eight years, the team won an average of eight games. Then in 2005, Post won the first two NCAA Division II tournament games for the first time in program history and advanced to the national quarterfinals. The following year, Collins was named athletic director at Post, and since 2007, the team hasn’t posted more than six wins in the last three years, and this year has been predicted to finish third in the PSAC. So is the pressure on Collins? One has to think it is. An exciting and telling season is certainly in store.

Just a few miles north in Kings Point, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy fields a squad that hasn’t made the ECAC playoffs since 2002 and hasn’t visited the NCAA playoffs since 1994. Hired in 2005, Coach Ed Toope hasn’t helped the cause much. The team hasn’t won more than four games since he took over and doesn’t seem to be a factor in this year’s Liberty League title. Things can’t be too promising over at the USMMA, the school’s football Web page has pages and links dating back to the 2006 season. An intentional oversight? Someone sleeping on the job? Either way, it doesn’t appear to be a pretty season. But then there’s the golden ribbon to tie it all together. The USMMA is a service academy, who plays squads such as Coast Guard Academy and SUNY-Maritime. But the whole schedule isn’t laden with cupcakes, other opponents for this year’s 2010 season include the likes of Hobart, Union and Rensselaer, all of whom have made the playoffs in the last three years. So does it look bleak for the Mariners? Absolutely. Are five wins probably a stretch? Sure. But hey, stranger things have happened. And if it does happen, sure would be nice to say that this lowly little blog gave the USMMA program a few minutes of their time far before the New York Times, Newsday, and the like.

Aside from St. John’s in Queens, no other local schools offer football. NY Tech, Farmingdale, Molloy, Old Westbury and Adelphi all don’t sport football, and aside from two-year college Nassau Community, there are no other college football programs in Nassau County. Now if one ventures to Suffolk County, it’s a different story with Stony Brook carrying the torch, but truth be told, that’s really about all. St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue and Dowling in Oakdale don’t offer football, and the only other remaining colleges in Suffolk County are all junior colleges.

Does Long Island have a college football problem? Absolutely. Is there a remedy in sight? Not likely. So until this problem gets ameliorated, the Mariners and Pioneers are it. Other than that, College GameDay it is.

Thoughts on Taylor Swift’s New Single

As is the norm these days, another high-profile artist had a song leak weeks before it was due to hit radio. The only difference, this time the artist was country-pop superstar Taylor Swift. Said song, a gnomic slab of radio candy named “Mine,” is hardly dissimilar to anything in Swift’s back catalog. With the exception of the genius line, “You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter,” there’s not much else to write home about. What’s most troubling about this is Swift is at a point in her career when she can take chances. She can sing other people’s songs, she can add some nuances to her sound. Instead she chases down the same niche as Fearless and her self-titled and the entire things feels redundant. But at what point does one throw their hands up and say “Okay, Taylor, we get it, enough.” A few more listens to “Mine,” and that might be the opinion of this writer.

For another opinion (and to read somebody else championing the “carless daughter” reference) head here.

College Football > Pro Football

Not going to make a long post, just want to write and say why college football will and always will be supreme. Sure it has its share of problems and sure its far more money-hungry than it used to be. The conference expansions this past spring and the continued recruiting scandals, from Reggie Bush to UNC and all places in between are enough to leave a sour taste. But here’s why college football doesn’t suck. The following five things don’t happen at the college football level.

-Darrelle Revis holding out for a better salary and missing Jets camp.
-Albert Haynesworth and his traveling circus
-Sam Bradford signing a $50 million guaranteed contract
-Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson’s reality TV
-Tony Romo and Brett Favre. Enough said.

There’s only 32 more days until Sept. 2 and the eight games that kick off the season. I can’t even begin to discuss how excited/amped I am for this season to start. I wish it was here already.

The LeBron Effect

So this is how it happens? The NBA, which once had a glorious and promising future has now become just another money-soaked, narcissistic sports league. After Chris Paul publicly announced his intentions to leave New Orleans, the cynic in me started roaring. Who’s next after Paul? When does this domino charade end? When will players ever realize they owe something to their fans and the city they’re representing.

Before LeBron, the Cavaliers hadn’t been to the playoffs since a first-round loss to Indiana in 1998. Then for a fortunate seven years they had the chosen one on their side and relished the limelight. But now without him, they’ve become just another hardluck town.

Which brings us to New Orleans, the hardest of hard-luck towns, which would still be mired in defeat and pessimism had it not been for Drew Brees and Sean Payton. And yet, New Orleans had a basketball team to root for and get behind, with Paul on the court. Whether that happens is now very much in question.

Where is Paul expecting to go, and why? Is it because, he too, wants to partner with his competitors and walk arm-in-arm with his former foes? Please tell me no. Where has the competitive spirit gone? Is there such a thing as rivalries anymore?

None of this of course is new information, and much of it has been discussed ad nauseam by various sports blogs and the like. But for someone who has never fully embraced the NBA, the current trend of superstars wanting to leave, is doing very little to keep me interested.

So go ahead Chris Paul, leave New Orleans. But don’t expect me to root for you.

Live365 and the Advent of Country Music

I’ll just come right out and say it. The past 16 days of my life have been inundated with country music. Most of this is by my choosing, but the other half may just be the inherent magnetism of the genre. On a lark, I decided to listen to iTunes radio at work. In truth I was tired of listening to the girls at work chatter and gossip and I needed a distraction. Having grown up around country music, and having attended college in North Carolina for six years, it’s always been a part of my life, but it’s never been a daily staple.

Because the New York metro area dislikes country music, I went immediately to the country pre-sets on iTunes and the first one that caught my eye was Constant Country KRS. Sure enough the station is based in New Jersey, just across the river from Manhattan in the urban enclave of Edgewater. The first four songs played were “Pound Sign,” by Kevin Fowler, “Pray for You,” by Jaron and the Long Road to Love, “Pretty Good at Drinking Beer,” by Billy Currington and “Trailerhood,” by Toby Keith. And then I was sold.

Upon Googling Constant Country KRS, I found out that it’s part of the Live365 family. I had heard of Live365 before but had never given it the time of day. And well, now that’s all changed. As each new day dawned, I found myself putting on Constant Country KRS as soon as I logged on. And just like that, the days quickly flew by. But, this appreciation for country has extended even farther. While I’ve always watched GAC and CMT with sporadic interest, they are now an everyday staple. Somehow, country music has overtaken my life. And somehow, someway I feel okay with this. I’m comfortable with this new direction and to be quite truthful, I’m not sure I’ve heard a bad song in the past 16 days. Is country music that good or am I just easy to please?

Lord knows what the verdict is on that, but I for one am thankful for Live365 and Constant Country KRS.

Albert Haynesworth…….You Are An Asshole!

On the drive to work, Mike and Mike were labeling Albert Haynesworth as the poster child for selfish athletes, after his public grumbling over his upcoming contract negotiations. This of course leads me to wonder: at what point do we put our foot down and run this guy out of football? Lest not forget he griped about playing time all of last year, and while on the Titans intentionally and violently stomped on the face of Cowboys center Andre Gurode, an act that resulted in Gurode needing 35 stiches on his forehead and near his eye.

Haynesworth’s teammate London Fletcher spoke out against his selfish actions, but the entire league needs to do so, everyone from players association spokespeople -––– Tom Brady and Ray Lewis, I’m looking at you ––– to Mike Shanahan, Daniel Snyder and Roger Goodell. Let’s make a stand that selfishness -–– in a team sport, no less ––– should not be tolerated.

But this of course is just wishful thinking. After all, the number of felons in the National Football League is only climbing. This despite the fact that Roger Goodell champions himself as a smackdown sheriff.

Scott Sicko is an Idiot

Saw this story about New Hampshire football player Scott Sicko. Apparently he’s pursuing a new career path because he wasn’t drafted in the NFL. How’s that for giving up on a dream overnight? I suppose it’s a pride thing. More like an idiocy thing. Michael Crabtree did a similar (albeit less stupid) thing by holding out for a lucrative contract before eventually agreeing halfway through last season, but what SIcko is doing is just downright dumb. The article fails to mention if he’s tired of playing football or if he’s more interested in a second career, but one has to think his passion isn’t playing football. The funniest part about the whole Sicko thing is that some of the game’s current stars were never drafted.

James Harrison, Adewale Ogunleye, Bart Scott,. Gary Brackett, Nick Harper, Rob Bironas, Josh Cribbs, Tony Romo, Willie Parker, Miles Austin, Wes Welker, Antonio Gates and Shaun O’Hara have all made a name for themselves in the NFL after being undrafted. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Scott SIcko, can’t be this dense? Or can he?