If you are wondering what I am doing today, I am watching hoops. Go ‘Eeers!
RIP Kirby
Life is too short:
Kirby Puckett didn’t need much time to make a big impact. Those who felt it, near and far, can only wish he had stayed around longer.
The bubbly Hall of Famer with the boyish enthusiasm for baseball, who led the Minnesota Twins to two World Series titles before his career was cut short by glaucoma, died Monday after a stroke. He was 45.
“He was revered throughout the country and will be remembered wherever the game is played,” commissioner Bud Selig said. “Kirby was taken from us much too soon – and too quickly.”
Indeed, Puckett was the second-youngest person to die having already been enshrined at Cooperstown, Hall of Fame spokesman Jeff Idelson said. Only Lou Gehrig, at 37, was younger.
Much more here.
Speaking of life being short, I have lost over 30 lbs and am still dieting. I plan to start lifting again to start building the bigger muscle groups in addition to the cardio I have been doing.
Olympics Open Thread
Lots of sports today, including WVU taking on #1 UCONN on CBS in a few hours.
I just watched the 12.5km Pursuit (biathlon), and it was not only the first time I ever thought cross country skiing was exciting, but it was the most thrilling and clearly physically gruelling thing I have seen so far in the Olympics. My lungs were burning as my fat ass lounged on the couch.
Also, Shani Davis made some history, which is sort of fitting considering the month.
*** Update ***
Damn. Mounties fall. Good game, and played them tight.
Olympics Open Thread
I am off to buy some new pants and knickers (I gave all my clothes from the slimmer me to charity, and now my damned pants don’t fit- one unfortunate side effect of dieting), so I will be out of the loop.
Lexis-Nexis is doing something really cool- they are providing free services for Olympic coverage, which you can check out here. Also, don’t forget to check out Gold Rush, the PJ Media blog dedicated to the Olympics. Gold Rush is actually the kind of thing I think PJ Media is set up to do pretty well. Also good is NBC’s coverage. Of course, don’t click on any of those links if you are worried about spoilers.
You all have a good day.
Olympics Open Thread
I will be watching the olympics tonight, but I also rented a bunch of movies since we are supposed to get hit with a snowstorm. First up is Hustle and Flow, which I hear is supposed to be fantastic. Later on, or probably tomorrow, is Thumbsucker.
Just watched Diary of a Mad Black Woman, which was mildly entertaining until the lead character turned into Kathy Bates in Misery. I do like Tyler Perry’s characters, though, who make me laugh.
At any rate, post your Olympics observations here, and if you are interested, my corporate masters have a new specialty blog called Gold Rush dedicated to Olympics coverage.
*** Update ***
Hustle and Flow- what a pleasant surprise. A little raw probably for some of the genteel crowd out there, but a thoroughly enjoyable movie. Definitely better than Crash.
Great Moments in Sports Punditry
This Tribune Review article from April 2004 is such a treat to read because it would be impossible for a sports writer to be more wrong:
Steelers shift their approach while rebuilding
In the days leading up to Saturday and in the minutes immediately following the No. 11 overall selection, Bill Cowher kept insisting the Steelers didn’t expect to be drafting this high very often.
But in the wake of taking Ben Roethlisberger in the first round, you have to wonder if picking in the vicinity of the top 10 isn’t about to become habit forming.
Same time next year, fellas?
The Steelers used to declare each season that their goal was to “win the championship.” But while they’ll still offer lip service along those lines this season, it’s clear they’re in the midst of a significant philosophical shift.
The emphasis now appears to be on winning “a championship” at some point, and if the 2004 season has to be sacrificed to an extent to get one, so be it.
***Roethlisberger, from Miami (Ohio) and second-round pick Ricardo Colclough, from Tusculum College, are upside guys who won’t have much of an immediate impact provided they make any at all as rookies.
You’d expect more from No. 11 overall.
Then again, the Steelers should have expected more than they got from Troy Polamalu at No. 16 overall a season ago.
They also haven’t been to a Super Bowl since the 1995 campaign.
The Steelers went 15-1 in the regular season last year, starting several months after this was penned. You know what happened this year and this week. And because no Super Bowl celebration is complete without pictures of grinning nose tackles in bath robes, I present you with this:
This post was made partially because I just wanted to spend another day thinking about the Steelers, partially because I thought the picture of Hampton was funny, and partially to piss off PPGAZ, who whines in every Steelers thread.
Blech
The Mountaineers played a horrible (they shot 13% the first half) game and are no longer unbeaten in the Big East as they lose to hated rival Pitt 57-53 in the away portion of the Backyard Brawl.
Blech.
At least Tim will be happy.