Wait, That's Gravy?: Sunday Musings Pt. 2

Friends ... forgive-a-ness, please.

Holiday week be damned, I promised bloggings earlier this week and I did not deliver. It was a busy week in our little household but that's certainly no excuse. I welcome any and all criticism.

At any rate, more words from moi.


Burgundy, Gold, and Conflicted:
I tweeted this prior to this Sunday's game vs the Seahawks.

"oTHATjohn: #skins need to improve draft position. that said the seahawks are a lot worse than their record shows. gna be an awkward game to watch."

Ugh.

Look, I can't bring myself to stop caring and/or root for the Redskins to lose. That said, even I can recognize 'good losses' would go a lot further in helping this team improve long term than any ugly wins. A franchise QB Rex Grossman is not. Bringing in Peyton Manning would be tantamount to trading for McNabb. The best shot at addressing the QB position long term lies in the 2012 NFL Draft and beating a crappy Seahawks team hurts the 'skins chances at landing that QB.

Like many Redskin fans, I'm glad this team isn't ready to fold, which is a testament to the job Shanny and team have done to change the culture in DC. But the skins are still a long way from being contenders so winning now does not advance their aspirations. Sucks being a fan and it sucks worse to be real. I need an adult.

Tim Tebow: 

Seriously, how?

I have no problem w/ his bible thumping. None whatsoever. I just cannot wrap my head around his success. Credit to John Fox and the Denver coaching staff for putting #15 in a position to win. But more credit to TIMMAY. There's obviously something innate in his ability to lead his troops and ... eff it, HOW DOES HE DO IT?

Pacquiao/Marquez 3:

Enough bitching. Manny won.

You are DELUSIONAL if you think any challenger can take no less than three rounds 'off' against a champion ... in a close fight ... and expect to win. Ask De La Hoya how that strategy worked in his fight against Tito Trinidad. (Hint: It doesn't.)

So there was no robbery. At best, it was too close to call. At worst, it was a narrow decision for the champ. Either way, it's embarrassing for a fighter to sit and bemoan his lot in sport and in life when said fighter had every opportunity to change that outcome. (FYI, it's even more embarrassing for that fighter to bemoan whilst sitting on a stool, butt naked, with nothing but sombrero to cover the goods.)

So again ... enough bitching.

UFC on Fox:

The biggest disappointment about that night? That no one got to see Benson 'Bendo' Henderson battle Clay Guida. (Yes, I was watching on Facebook but better yet, did anyone else?)

If you missed it, trust me when I say: It was absolute magic.

Other than that, no complaints. If you've watched any combat sport in your life, you know that knockouts happen. And SURPRISE! It happened. Even the supposed 'baddest man on the planet' (Cain Velasquez) is not immune to such a fate.

Now, did the UFC casually leave out that Cain was making his return after a 12 month layoff from the octagon? Sure, but who could blame them. They had a fight to sell. And despite the fact that neither fighter, Cain or Junior Dos Santos, carried the name recognition of a Brock Lesnar or a GSP, they had the numbers on their side ... and by numbers, I mean pounds. Nothing looks better on a marquee than the word 'heavyweight' and Fox took that ball and ran with it.

The cross promotion with the NFL on Fox was tremendous, and the numbers (5.7 million viewers, 3.1 share) scream success. From a ratings standpoint, I can't imagine either the UFC or Fox being any happier for an initial telecast. For a casual fan, it was obviously a bit of a let down, especially when you consider the action packed nature of a typical UFC card.

That said, the UFC and Fox have a long way to go in their relationship. There will be growing pains. There will be hiccups. But all in all, UFC on Fox served as a nice first date.

UFC 139:

Having said that, if you're upset about the UFC giving away a heavyweight title fight FOR FREE and you didn't pony up any buckos to see UFC 139 the following week, well then I would politely ask you to keep your MMA thoughts to yourself. Your bitching privileges have been suspended.

The card (in short): Shogun/Henderson. Cung/Wanderlei. Faber/Bowles. Unbelievable card. Not that they needed to but the UFC more than made up for the previous week by delivering with this card. Just a delight.

--

With that, I will bid you all a fine Monday. Mahalo. Guten nacht.

Don't Call It A Comeback: Sunday Musings Pt. 1

Confession: I suck at blogging. (As if the date of my last real post didn't already tell you that.)

My fiance? Pretty damn good at it. (BTW slide over to rehabmywardrobe.blogspot.com to give her page a ganders... after you finish reading this post, of course.)

In any case, the little lady has been so persistent and successful with her page that ... it's inspired me to give my fledgling page another shot. And truth be told, I really missing writing. (Thoughtful work emails just don't cut it.)

So w/o further ado...

- News of the day: The Redskins are bad. Exceptionally bad at that. Having said that, at the risk of forever jinxing my beloved sons of DC, I have faith in the long term plan for this team. Take Grossman (and Beck for that matter) out of the picture, as the future QB for this team is likely knee deep in coeds right now. The cornerstones of the defense are in place. (DeAngelo, you can put your hand down now. Just like you do in coverage.) The O line has seen better days but their issues stem more from a lack of depth, rather than a lack of talent. Potential playmakers, like Helu and Hankerson, have showed promise. And as evident in today's game vs. the Cowboys, this team hasn't quit. That tells you something.

So for chrissakes, Skins fans, step back from the ledge. Provided the Danny doesn't blow it all up, these losses will not be in vain. Circle the 2012 NFL Draft on your calendars. Hail.

- FINALLY. A certain 'Great One' stepped back into the squared circle tonight in Madison Square Garden. He's been known to electrify on occasion ... be it live or via satellite. Of course, I'm referring to the Rock.

If you didn't catch the Survivor Series ... well, you missed little. Pretty average tag match but obviously, the story was The Rock teaming w/ John Cena to face The Miz and R-Truth. The much ballyhooed teaming of the Wrestlemania 28 opponents was pretty slow paced throughout but the biggest take away was that Rock looked FAN-TASTIC. Physically, he looked ... well, chiseled. In the ring, The Great One didn't look like a guy who hadn't wrestled in seven years.

All in all, it was more tease than match. Pretty surprised at the finish, as I thought they would give Awesome Truth the nod to give them some heat and help build the tension between Cena and Rock. But I think WWE played it safe and gave the New York crowd a heavy dose of Rocky and they definitely ate it up. (BTW how good were the crowds this week? Boston Monday and NY tonight. Both cities brought it.) Interested to see where they go in the next five months with the build for WM28 but here's hoping Rock is back in the ring again before April.

- Lots of ground to cover still (i.e. Pacquiao/Marquez 3, UFC on Fox, UFC 139, etc.) but we are past the witching hour and a spring chicken I am not. Please to check back tomorrow. In the meantime you can catch me on the twitter. Just follow @oTHATjohn. Good tidings.

11.12.11