Greetings everyone. I’m sitting in my room here at Ceasar’s Palace in Las Vegas, and I finally got the time to update The BBC! Plenty to discuss, so let’s get to it;
The Super Bowl
Hey, how about that Santonio Holmes? Super Bowl MVP! I wonder what university taught him to play like that?
I truly hate the Steelers, but I’ve gotta give it up for a former Buckeye putting in a performance like that!
I didn’t think the excitement of Giants/Patriots could be topped, but damn that was incredible. The last 8 minutes will go down in history as the most exciting SB I’ve ever seen.
Of course, you can read all about that in a million other places online. Me, I wanna discuss how I think it was the worst officiated game in Super Bowl history. They officiated the game as if they were afraid of the Steelers. My personal observations;
- A 15-yard penalty for a late hit on Roethlisberger (while his arm was still in a downward motion)
- James Harrison punches a guy in the back and head three times…and doesn’t get ejected from the game. The penalty ends up costing Pittsburgh zero yards, as the ball was already on the half-yard line.
- That penalty actually began before the ball left the punter’s foot….possession should have stayed with Arizona.
- Willie Parker has his progress stopped in the end zone and his knee hit before he stretched the ball to the 1. No replay, and a horrible spot to benefit Pittsburgh.
- Finally, it may have been inconclusive, but why didn’t the replay booth at least TRY to review the game’s final play. I think Warner’s arm may have been coming forward, but in the sport’s biggest game, shouldn’t they have at least tried to stop the game and look at the call?
Oh, well. Maybe I’m just bitchin’ too much.
Pro Football Hall Of Fame
On Saturday, my hometown landmark, the Pro Football Hall Of Fame announced their 2009 inductees. The Buckeye Battle Cry finds it to be a complete travesty that WR Cris Carter is not on the list this year. This was Carter’s second year of eligibility, and he should be in the hall by now.
Last year I felt that a first-year entry denial was forgivable, especially with Art Monk on the list. It’s rare to see two high-profile receivers in the same class.
But this year, they’re letting in WR Bob Hayes over Carter? WTF?
Hayes was a world-class athlete and is worthy of the Hall. No knock on him, he’s incredible. But to keep Carter out while putting Hayes in, I just can’t see a reason for it.
Carter’s numbers;
- Receptions – 1,101
- Yards – 13,899
- Touchdowns – 130
- 8-time Pro-Bowler
- 3-time All-NFL
- Elected to the NFL All-1990s team
These are not pedantic numbers. Shutting Cris Carter out twice is not acceptable.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Hot damn, did you see how they took over that game yesterday? The Cavaliers were shooting poorly at best for three quarters, and entered the final stanza down by 8 points in a loud Palace in Auburn Hills. The Detroit Pistons are a team looking for relevance in an era that is fading fast for them. Beating the Cavaliers would have allowed them to hold their place while they try to rebuild a successful pattern.
But Boobie Gibson and LeBron James wouldn’t let them (that must sound familiar to Piston fans, circa 2007).
The Cavs outscored Detroit 32-14 in the fourth quarter and left the Palace with a comeback victory, 90-80.
But which is bigger for the respective team? The Cavaliers win or the Pistons loss?
The Cavs win puts them at 37-9, tied for second best record in the NBA (and that’s only because Boston has played three more games and stands at 40-9). They’re on track to win about 65 or 66 games and will spend the rest of the season battling Boston and Orlando for the top seed.
The Pistons loss puts them at 25-21 and tumbles them to the 6th-seed in the NBA Eastern Conference standings. They’ve now lost 9 of their last 12 and have failed in their last four home games. Right now they are a mere shell of the team they once were. It turns out that trading Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson was the biggest mistake the franchise has made in a decade.
Since Iverson has begun playing for Detroit, the Pistons are 21-21. Meanwhile, Billups’ new team, the Denver Nuggets, are third in the West.
Yesterday’s game could have been relief for a failing Piston organization. Their win would have meant a great deal, but the loss means so much more.
Oh, and it’s yet another example that Ohio owns Michigan. Bow down, bitches.
Mike Brown
Congrats to Head Coach Mike Brown! He and his staff will be coaching the Eastern All-Stars during the All-Star game in two weeks. While most of the team will be home resting, he and LeBron will be lighting up the arena, before taking charge down the stretch run to the playoffs!
Vegas, Baby, Vegas!
If you’ve ever been to Vegas, you know what it’s like here. But even if you’ve visited here before, I urge you to come during a championship game in a major sport.
Yesterday I was in the sports booking area at Ceasar’s Palace for the Super Bowl. They lined up extra rows of chairs the night before and people began saving them at 6am. We were fortunate enough to grab a couple of seats in the front row for the Cavs game, and towards the end (as Super Bowl time approached), we began getting cash offers for our chairs.
We gave them up to Marshall, a nice guy who let us sit while his sons were on their way from gambling. We got to sit for our game, they got to sit for theirs. Worked out perfectly. We did see a guy get 300 bucks for two seats in the VIP area though. Nice.
We gambled for a while at the Pussycat Dolls tables right next to the booking zone. But it was hard not to watch the game, especially with all the screams coming from 20 feet to our left.
By halftime, we were eating at Mesa Grill, and grabbed a window table, so we got to see the rest of the game in comfort. But we made our way into the crowd for the final moments, and it was the most fun I’ve ever had watching the game without actually being AT the game.
Seriously, book a trip for the NCAA title game or the NBA Finals. It was wild and worth every penny!
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the Cavaliers are 2-1 odds to win it all.
Story By The Buckeye Battle Cry
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