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Over on Sporsnet – home to Hockey Central Deadline 09 – we’re introduced to the Molson Canadian Newsbreaker Desk. For now, though, we can simplify and refer to both teams of talking heads as the Please God Let Someone Trade Someone Before We Run Out of Filler panel.</p> <p><strong>8:06</strong> Sportsnet is promising “something you’ve never seen before!” – a “live look-in” into Leafs GM Brian Burke’s “situation room.” That’s right, sports fans – we’re mere hours away from watching an old man sitting at a desk and talking on a phone! Trade deadline fever <em>– catch it!</em></p> <p><strong>8:14 </strong>While TSN reporters in Toronto and Montreal stand comfortably inside the Air Canada Centre and Bell Centre respectively, the network’s correspondent at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa is trapped outside a locked building in the freezing cold. He now knows literally what it feels like to be Martin Gerber figuratively.</p> <p><strong>8:34</strong> TSN’s Duthie is already showing evidence of strain. “It’s 8:34 Eastern right now. [<em>Pause.</em>] Six hours and 26 minutes until the deadline.” Somewhere, a coyote howls.</p> <p><strong>8:47 </strong>What do we make of this? The guys on TSN are all wearing suits and ties. The guys on Sportsnet are all wearing jackets <em>but no ties</em>. I guess it comes down to whether you want to get your NHL trade information from <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/03/04/watching-coverage-of-the-nhl-trade-deadline/#more-40432" class="more-link">Continue…</a></p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </div> <div id="categoryOtherPosts"> <ul> <li> <h2><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/03/03/nhl-trade-deadline-day-t-minus-245000-speculative-words-from-pierre-mcguire/" title="NHL Trade Deadline Day: T-minus 245,000 speculative words from Pierre McGuire">NHL Trade Deadline Day: T-minus 245,000 speculative words from Pierre McGuire</a></h2> <h4> By <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/author/sfeschuk/" title="Posts by Scott Feschuk">Scott Feschuk</a> - Tuesday, March 3, 2009 at 9:34 AM - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/03/03/nhl-trade-deadline-day-t-minus-245000-speculative-words-from-pierre-mcguire/#commenting" title="Jump to the comments"><span class="IDCommentsReplace" style="display:none">40161</span>Comments<span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoPermalink40161">http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/03/03/nhl-trade-deadline-day-t-minus-245000-speculative-words-from-pierre-mcguire/</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTitle40161">NHL+Trade+Deadline+Day%3A+T-minus+245%2C000+speculative+words+from+Pierre+McGuire+</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTime40161">2009-03-03+14%3A34%3A22</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoAuthor40161">Scott+Feschuk</span></a></h4> <div class="snap_preview"><p>Thanks largely to the efforts of our country’s cable sports networks, NHL Trade Deadline Day has become, well, if not quite a national holiday then certainly a reliable annual event on par with Groundhog Day or Stephen Harper Pretends to Care About Climate Change Day.</p> <p>On the eve of the 2009 deadline, which I may possibly be writing about tomorrow for lacking-a-life-based reasons, I find myself reminded of one of the most inadvertently hilarious broadcasts in recent Canadian sports history – Sportsnet’s coverage of the 2007 trade deadline.</p> <p>Did you see it? If so, you will always carry it with you in your memory. I believe the technical term is “scarred.”</p> <p>Over on TSN that day, it was the usual array of hockey experts attired in suit and tie, sitting behind desks, discussing rumours, typing away on their BlackBerries.</p> <p>But on Sportsnet, the atmosphere was decidedly – one might even say <em>forcibly</em> – informal. Blue jeans. Shaky, mobile cameras. They were doing things differently, baby. Shifting that <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/03/03/nhl-trade-deadline-day-t-minus-245000-speculative-words-from-pierre-mcguire/#more-40161" class="more-link">Continue…</a></p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </li> <li> <h2><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/02/23/nhl-trade-deadline-the-experts-make-their-predictions/" title="NHL Trade Deadline: Predictions from the experts">NHL Trade Deadline: Predictions from the experts</a></h2> <h4> By <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/author/cameronjav/" title="Posts by Cameron Ainsworth-Vincze">Cameron Ainsworth-Vincze</a> - Monday, February 23, 2009 at 1:58 PM - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/02/23/nhl-trade-deadline-the-experts-make-their-predictions/#commenting" title="Jump to the comments"><span class="IDCommentsReplace" style="display:none">34035</span>Comments<span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoPermalink34035">http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/02/23/nhl-trade-deadline-the-experts-make-their-predictions/</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTitle34035">NHL+Trade+Deadline%3A+Predictions+from+the+experts</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTime34035">2009-02-23+18%3A58%3A17</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoAuthor34035">Cameron+Ainsworth-Vincze</span></a></h4> <div class="snap_preview"><p>With only nine days left before the NHL Trade Deadline, Hockeycentral analysts <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www.sportsnet.ca/bios/kypreos_nick/">Nick Kypreos</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www.sportsnet.ca/bios/doug_maclean/">Doug MacLean</a> and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www.sportsnet.ca/bios/mike_brophy/">Mike Brophy</a> from Rogers Sportsnet look at a few of the players rumoured to be on the move, and what they are worth. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/02/23/nhl-trade-deadline-the-experts-make-their-predictions/#more-34035" class="more-link">Continue…</a></p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </li> <li> <h2><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/02/03/manny-being-a-spoiled-brat/" title="Manny being a spoiled brat">Manny being a spoiled brat</a></h2> <h4> By <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/author/cameronjav/" title="Posts by Cameron Ainsworth-Vincze">Cameron Ainsworth-Vincze</a> - Tuesday, February 3, 2009 at 2:11 PM - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/02/03/manny-being-a-spoiled-brat/#commenting" title="Jump to the comments"><span class="IDCommentsReplace" style="display:none">33185</span>Comments<span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoPermalink33185">http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/02/03/manny-being-a-spoiled-brat/</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTitle33185">Manny+being+a+spoiled+brat</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTime33185">2009-02-03+19%3A11%3A21</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoAuthor33185">Cameron+Ainsworth-Vincze</span></a></h4> <div class="snap_preview"><p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-33204" title="images" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129im_/http://macleans.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/images.jpeg?w=120&h=123" alt="images" width="120" height="123"/>It’s no secret that Manny Ramirez thinks and acts on a different wavelength than the average professional athlete. In a game last July at Fenway Park against the Twins, he climbed into the Green Monster and was seen chatting on his cellphone during a pitching change. A few months later he held up a handwritten sign in a game against the Angels that read: “I’m going to Green Bay for Brett Favre straight up.”</p> <p>Such odd behaviour is somewhat endearing, if not good for the game. But after turning down a $25 million, one-year offer from the Dodgers yesterday—which would have made him the second-highest paid player in MLB behind Alex Rodriguez—Manny is coming off as a little bit of a spoiled brat. Perhaps nobody told him that at age 36 he’s not exactly a spring chicken anymore, and that turning down such an offer at a time when millions of people around the world are losing there jobs is, well, a little selfish.</p> <p>But in this situation, Manny’s greed is only half the problem. The other half is his agent, Scott Boras. Boras has played an integral role in the past decade of increasing salaries to the point of absurdity. Using tough, if not downright intimidating, negotiation tactics he’s secured mammoth deals, like Alex Rodriguez’s $250 million, 10- year contract with the Texas Rangers in 2000, Barry Zito’s seven-year, $126-million deal with the San Fransisco Giants in 2006, and of course just a few months ago made CC Sabathia $160 million richer.</p> <p>Such deals no doubt garner a tremendous amount of attention for MLB, but in doing so they’ve created a level of disparity in the game that has made it virtually impossible for more than half of the teams in the league to compete. I know that critics will point to Tampa’s amazing run last year as an example of a low-budget team making it big, but such a breakthrough came from collecting a slew of excellent draft picks through years of squalor and combining it with sound baseball development and a lot of luck. And when those players go looking for a raise in a couple of years after their current contracts expire, thanks to Boras the only way the Rays will be able to keep them is if they go door-to-door around the Sunshine State asking seniors for donations. Maybe they’ll find Manny’s house and he’ll give them a few bucks, or he just might shrug as he’s doing above and continue chatting on his cellphone.</p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </li> <li> <h2><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/02/01/a-running-diary-of-the-super-bowl-pre-game-show-for-some-reason/" title="A Running Diary of the Super Bowl Pre-Game Show For Some Reason">A Running Diary of the Super Bowl Pre-Game Show For Some Reason</a></h2> <h4> By <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/author/sfeschuk/" title="Posts by Scott Feschuk">Scott Feschuk</a> - Sunday, February 1, 2009 at 12:39 PM - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/02/01/a-running-diary-of-the-super-bowl-pre-game-show-for-some-reason/#commenting" title="Jump to the comments"><span class="IDCommentsReplace" style="display:none">32682</span>Comments<span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoPermalink32682">http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/02/01/a-running-diary-of-the-super-bowl-pre-game-show-for-some-reason/</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTitle32682">A+Running+Diary+of+the+Super+Bowl+Pre-Game+Show+For+Some+Reason</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTime32682">2009-02-01+17%3A39%3A40</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoAuthor32682">Scott+Feschuk</span></a></h4> <div class="snap_preview"><p>I’m not going to be liveblogging today’s Super Bowl for beer-based reasons, but I will be keeping a half-hearted, watching-when-I’m-not-napping diary of today’s five-hour Super Bowl pre-game show on NBC. <em>Five hours!</em> It’s great to know that in a time of austerity and restraint, there remains at least one beacon of excess that’s not <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_11595665">John Thain’s toilet</a>.</p> <p><strong>1 p.m. ET </strong>Bob Costas is hosting the pre-game show from the pirate ship at Raymond James Stadium – which raises at least the possibility of mutiny and a pre-game show hosted entirely by John Madden. I for one look forward to his explosive two-hour interview with that side of ribs.</p> <p><strong>1:04</strong> According to an NBC reporter, the Cardinals moved to “an undisclosed location” last night. There, they found Dick Cheney, J.D. Salinger and Wade Phillips’ coaching ability.</p> <p><strong>1:05</strong> Andrea Kremer reports from the Steelers hotel that, even as she speaks, “guys are getting individual treatment in their rooms as need be.” Careful fellas, this is how Eliot Spitzer lost his job.</p> <p><strong>1:12 </strong><em>Today</em> show weatherman Al Roker <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/02/01/a-running-diary-of-the-super-bowl-pre-game-show-for-some-reason/#more-32682" class="more-link">Continue…</a></p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </li> <li> <h2><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/30/nfl-picks-the-super-bowl-of-football-games/" title="NFL Picks: The Super Bowl of football games">NFL Picks: The Super Bowl of football games</a></h2> <h4> By <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/author/sfeschuk/" title="Posts by Scott Feschuk">Scott Feschuk</a> - Friday, January 30, 2009 at 2:13 PM - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/30/nfl-picks-the-super-bowl-of-football-games/#commenting" title="Jump to the comments"><span class="IDCommentsReplace" style="display:none">32459</span>Comments<span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoPermalink32459">http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/30/nfl-picks-the-super-bowl-of-football-games/</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTitle32459">NFL+Picks%3A+The+Super+Bowl+of+football+games</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTime32459">2009-01-30+19%3A13%3A33</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoAuthor32459">Scott+Feschuk</span></a></h4> <div class="snap_preview"><p><strong>Scott Feschuk</strong><br/> <em>Two weeks ago: 2-0<br/> Playoffs: 4-6</em></p> <p><strong>Scott Reid</strong><br/> <em>Two weeks ago: 1-1<br/> Playoffs: 6-4</em></p> <p><strong>Scott Feschuk:</strong> So it all comes down to this – the championship of the 2008 National Football League season, the Super Bowl of football games, the annual event that through threat of lawsuit humiliates its non-sponsors into using vague expressions like “The Big Game,” “The Big One in Tampa” or “That Thing With the Fat Guys In It” in their advertising.</p> <p>How big an occasion is this? NBC’s pregame show will feature an 11-man studio panel – the biggest in league history if you don’t count Brent Musburger’s multiple personalities. That’s right, <em>eleven</em>! Bob Costas will be joined Sunday by Cris Collinsworth, Jerome Bettis, Tiki Barber, Keith Olbermann, Dan Patrick, Peter King, Matt Millen, Mike Holmgren, Tony Dungy and, I believe, Blitzen.</p> <p>(As an aside: remind me why I should ever believe a word of analysis that comes out of the mouth of <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/30/nfl-picks-the-super-bowl-of-football-games/#more-32459" class="more-link">Continue…</a></p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </li> <li> <h2><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/28/teddy-ballgame-by-john-updike/" title="Teddy Ballgame, by John Updike">Teddy Ballgame, by John Updike</a></h2> <h4> By Michael Friscolanti - Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at 2:07 PM - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/28/teddy-ballgame-by-john-updike/#commenting" title="Jump to the comments"><span class="IDCommentsReplace" style="display:none">31752</span>Comments<span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoPermalink31752">http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/28/teddy-ballgame-by-john-updike/</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTitle31752">Teddy+Ballgame%2C+by+John+Updike</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTime31752">2009-01-28+19%3A07%3A20</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoAuthor31752">Michael+Friscolanti</span></a></h4> <div class="snap_preview"><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>This morning’s <em>New York Times</em></span><span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/books/28appr.html?hp=&pagewanted=print" target="_blank">describes</a> the late John Updike as “a literary decathlete” who was “</span><span>almost blogger-like in his determination to turn every scrap of knowledge and experience into words.” Indeed. The Pulitzer-Prize-winning author, who died of lung cancer on Tuesday, left behind more than 50 books, countless short stories and a collection of poetry—<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-31755" title="williams" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129im_/http://macleans.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/williams.jpg?w=237&h=300" alt="williams" width="237" height="300"/>including a memorable <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=172265" target="_blank">ballad</a> about the bleacher seats at old Yankee Stadium.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span>But to many readers (me included) Updike will always be remembered as the guy who wrote that Ted Williams article. Correction: <em>the</em></span><span> Ted Williams article.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span><span>Published in <em>The New Yorker</em></span><span> 49 years ago, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www.baseball-almanac.com/articles/hub_fans_bid_kid_adieu_article.shtml" target="_blank">“Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu”</a> recounts the Splendid Splinter’s final home game at a “lyric little bandbox of a ballpark” known as Fenway. Unlike his fellow “maestros of the keyboard,” Updike did not watch the game from the comfort of the press box high above home plate. He sat in the third base stands, surrounded by 10,000 schizophrenic Red Sox fans who adored their aging hero almost as much as they despised him.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span><span>I read the article yet again last night. You should too. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/28/teddy-ballgame-by-john-updike/#more-31752" class="more-link">Continue…</a></span></span></span></p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </li> <li> <h2><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/19/baseball-helps-me-forget-and-it-makes-me-remember/" title="“Baseball helps me forget and it makes me remember”">“Baseball helps me forget and it makes me remember”</a></h2> <h4> By Michael Friscolanti - Monday, January 19, 2009 at 5:34 PM - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/19/baseball-helps-me-forget-and-it-makes-me-remember/#commenting" title="Jump to the comments"><span class="IDCommentsReplace" style="display:none">29356</span>Comments<span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoPermalink29356">http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/19/baseball-helps-me-forget-and-it-makes-me-remember/</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTitle29356">%22Baseball+helps+me+forget+and+it+makes+me+remember%22</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTime29356">2009-01-19+22%3A34%3A52</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoAuthor29356">Michael+Friscolanti</span></a></h4> <div class="snap_preview"><p><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-29362" title="ruth" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129im_/http://macleans.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/ruth.jpg?w=187&h=300" alt="ruth" width="187" height="300"/>It is against my deal with the devil to write something nice about the New York Yankees. Even in those horrible days after 9/11, when the men in pinstripes were desperate to deliver a World Series title to their shattered city, I was rooting for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Believe me, I tried to see the bigger picture—to hope that Derek Jeter drove in that runner on second—but it was no use. As George Bernard Shaw famously wrote: “Hatred is the coward’s revenge for being intimidated.”</p> <p>Yet as much as I loathe the Yankees—and all who follow their ways—it is hard to say a bad word about Todd Drew. Yes, he pledged his everlasting devotion to the Evil Empire, but unlike most Yankees fans, he actually treasured the game of baseball as much as the team he rooted for. Last month, Drew wrote these words on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2008/12/22/shadow-games-baseball-and-me/" target="_blank">Alex Belth’s Bronx Banter</a>, one of the many blogs serving the Yankee faithful:</p> <p><em>I went to a baseball game after my father’s funeral. I also went to one after finding out about my mother’s brain cancer.</em></p> <p><em>It was selfish and heartless. I felt guilty before and embarrassed after, but for nine innings I felt only the game. That’s the way it’s always been between baseball and me.</em></p> <p><em>It was my friend when I didn’t have any others. And it has always been there to talk or listen or simply to watch.</em></p> <p><em>Baseball helps me forget and it makes me remember. That’s why it was exactly what I needed on the worst days of my life.</em></p> <p> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/19/baseball-helps-me-forget-and-it-makes-me-remember/#more-29356" class="more-link">Continue…</a></p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </li> <li> <h2><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/16/the-future-is-bright-for-toronto-fc/" title="The future is bright for Toronto FC">The future is bright for Toronto FC</a></h2> <h4> By <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/author/cameronjav/" title="Posts by Cameron Ainsworth-Vincze">Cameron Ainsworth-Vincze</a> - Friday, January 16, 2009 at 2:03 PM - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/16/the-future-is-bright-for-toronto-fc/#commenting" title="Jump to the comments"><span class="IDCommentsReplace" style="display:none">28844</span>Comments<span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoPermalink28844">http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/16/the-future-is-bright-for-toronto-fc/</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTitle28844">The+future+is+bright+for+Toronto+FC</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTime28844">2009-01-16+19%3A03%3A33</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoAuthor28844">Cameron+Ainsworth-Vincze</span></a></h4> <div class="snap_preview"><p><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28856" title="80966859612t453t1" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129im_/http://macleans.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/80966859612t453t1.jpg?w=300&h=225" alt="80966859612t453t1" width="300" height="225"/>Although the first two years of the Toronto FC experiment were a huge success at the turnstile, not even the most rabid, scarf-waving fan could honestly claim that the team was slightly better than brutal. Finishing dead last in the Eastern Division both years—along with setting an MLS record for futility by going 824 minutes (more than nine matches!) without scoring a goal—solidified Toronto’s place as the doormat of the MLS.</p> <p>But times are changing, and there is reason to believe that the next chapter in Toronto FC’s existence will be better than the last. In December, the team added Canadian international Dwayne De Rosario, an all-star attacking midfielder and four-time MLS Cup winner who has registered 51 goals and 42 assists during his eight-year career. Such an injection of skill and experience can only help a lackluster offense that scored a paltry 34 goals in 30 games last season. Throw in the fact that De Rosario, 30, is a local boy with leadership qualities and it was clearly the best move in the team’s short history.</p> <p>And Toronto’s future is also looking considerably brighter after last night’s SuperDraft in St. Louis. Toronto GM “Trader Mo” Johnston resisted trading away any of his three first-round picks and brought home a bounty of prospects, including Toronto-born striker O’Brian White, 23, a University of Connecticut product who captured the Hermann Trophy in 2007 as the best U.S. college soccer player. Add in that youngsters like Marvell Wynne, Chad Barrett and Abdus Ibrahim have shown some flare and talent and it appears that Toronto FC is on the right path to future success, or at least making the playoffs.</p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </li> <li> <h2><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/16/nfl-picks-cringing-every-time-andy-reid-accidentally-calls-his-qb-donovan-mcrib/" title="NFL Picks: Cringing every time Andy Reid accidentally calls his QB Donovan McRib">NFL Picks: Cringing every time Andy Reid accidentally calls his QB Donovan McRib</a></h2> <h4> By <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/author/sfeschuk/" title="Posts by Scott Feschuk">Scott Feschuk</a> - Friday, January 16, 2009 at 10:59 AM - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/16/nfl-picks-cringing-every-time-andy-reid-accidentally-calls-his-qb-donovan-mcrib/#commenting" title="Jump to the comments"><span class="IDCommentsReplace" style="display:none">28703</span>Comments<span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoPermalink28703">http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/16/nfl-picks-cringing-every-time-andy-reid-accidentally-calls-his-qb-donovan-mcrib/</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTitle28703">NFL+Picks%3A+Cringing+every+time+Andy+Reid+accidentally+calls+his+QB+Donovan+McRib</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTime28703">2009-01-16+15%3A59%3A37</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoAuthor28703">Scott+Feschuk</span></a></h4> <div class="snap_preview"><p><strong>Scott Feschuk</strong><br/> <em>Last week: 1-3<br/> Playoffs: 2-6</em></p> <p><strong>Scott Reid</strong><br/> <em>Last week: 2-2<br/> Playoffs: 5-3<br/> </em><br/> <strong>Scott Reid:</strong> I don’t really believe in time travel. The impossibility of faster-than-light speed. The constant paradoxes. The fear that the simplest change to our past could have ludicrous consequences in the present – like your parents never meeting or Bush defeating Gore. So, as much as I want to go back in time and settle some debts with Todd Law in grade five, I am not a believer. And yet, as we watch the Ravens fall forward in the playoffs, it is becoming obvious that we’ve travelled backward in time to the year 2000. With a killer defence and a dead offence, the Ravens are looking like the team that won it all only nine years ago. And we all know what the past tells us about Philadelphia.<br/> <strong>Scott Feschuk:</strong> First things first: I actually <em>do</em> believe in time travel – how else could you have stolen Howard Jones’s hairdo? More important, you’re an idiot: this Ravens D is nowhere near as formidable as <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/16/nfl-picks-cringing-every-time-andy-reid-accidentally-calls-his-qb-donovan-mcrib/#more-28703" class="more-link">Continue…</a></p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </li> <li> <h2><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/15/we-want-more-salami-and-cheese/" title="We want more salami and cheese">We want more salami and cheese</a></h2> <h4> By Michael Friscolanti - Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 6:01 PM - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/15/we-want-more-salami-and-cheese/#commenting" title="Jump to the comments"><span class="IDCommentsReplace" style="display:none">28597</span>Comments<span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoPermalink28597">http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/15/we-want-more-salami-and-cheese/</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTitle28597">We+want+more+salami+and+cheese</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTime28597">2009-01-15+23%3A01%3A20</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoAuthor28597">Michael+Friscolanti</span></a></h4> <div class="snap_preview"><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-align:center; display: block;"><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0UzOsZ7R0x4&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0"/> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"/> <embed src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129oe_/http://www.youtube.com/v/0UzOsZ7R0x4&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent"></embed> </object></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>I met Chuck Swirsky once in my life. It was a few summers ago, back when he was still the voice of the Toronto Raptors, and “Balls” had not yet reached its pinnacle as the number one sports blog in the universe.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>With the NBA smack in the middle of its offseason, the Swirsky clan headed to Detroit for a leisurely weekend of Wolverine football and Tiger baseball. It was the fourth inning (or my fourth pint; I can’t quite remember) when Chuck’s bald head strolled past my seat at Comerica Park. I immediately yelled his name, and for a moment, he was understandably stunned. <em>What was a Raptors fan doing in Motown, wearing a Tigers jersey?</em></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>We chatted for a few minutes. He introduced his young son, who was with him at the game, and then he talked a bit about how the pressure was on coach Sam Mitchell to prove himself to Bryan Colangelo, the newly installed G.M. He was funny, modest and nothing but polite, and before he headed up to the concession stand, he shook our hands and wished us a safe trip home.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>I couldn’t help but think of our brief encounter last night, when Chuck—now the official voice of the Chicago Bulls—returned to Toronto for the first time as an enemy broadcaster. I watch the Raptors here and there (anything to pass the weeks between the World Series and Opening Day) and needless to say, all is not well with the Dinos. Mitchell has been canned, Jermaine O’Neal doesn’t deserve that “O” in his name, and after yet another late-game meltdown, the Raps are a disappointing 16-24, good for dead last in the Atlantic Division. As Swirsky would say, “Onions, Baby!” As in the stinky kind.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>But as bad as the Raptors are this season, it’s not the lack of wins that I miss. It’s Mr. Swirsky. I’m sure he’s happy in the Windy City. And I’m sure his replacement, whatever his name is, is a helluva guy. But I just can’t help but think: if Swirsky was still screaming from the A.C.C. sidelines, would the Raps be in playoff contention? Would a regular dose of “Are you kidding me?!” and the odd “Sick, Wicked and Nasty” wake these guys up—especially in the fourth quarter?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Maybe not. But at least listening to the losses would be more bearable. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>We miss you, Chuck. Pass the salami and cheese.</span></p> <p></p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </li> <li> <h2><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/14/debt-bankruptcy-and-cutbacks/" title="Debt, Bankruptcy, and Cutbacks">Debt, Bankruptcy, and Cutbacks</a></h2> <h4> By <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/author/jgatehouse/" title="Posts by Jonathon Gatehouse">Jonathon Gatehouse</a> - Wednesday, January 14, 2009 at 4:17 PM - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/14/debt-bankruptcy-and-cutbacks/#commenting" title="Jump to the comments"><span class="IDCommentsReplace" style="display:none">28030</span>Comments<span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoPermalink28030">http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/14/debt-bankruptcy-and-cutbacks/</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTitle28030">Debt%2C+Bankruptcy%2C+and+Cutbacks</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTime28030">2009-01-14+21%3A17%3A48</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoAuthor28030">Jonathon+Gatehouse</span></a></h4> <div class="snap_preview"><p>Vancouver’s 2010 Games are starting to look more red than green.</p> <p>Nortel Networks filed for bankruptcy in the United States and Canada on Wednesday, earning it the dubious distinction of being the first official 2010 sponsor to go mams up. (GM can’t win anything these days it seems.)</p> <p>The company, which has limped along since mid-2000, enduring 16 rounds of layoffs, had accumulated US $6.3 billion in debt as of the end of last Sept. and has almost twice that amount in liabilities. It was also suppose to be Vancouver 2010’s official supplier of network telecommunications equipment.</p> <p>The “in-kind” sponsorship deal, signed in May 2007, called for the company to supply somewhere between $3 million and $15 million in hardware so that Bell—the official telecommunications service provider—could create a secure video, voice and data sharing network.</p> <p>In a statement, Ward Chapin Vanoc’s chief information officer, shrugged off the news, saying the company kept organizers apprised of their troubles, and remains “committed” to the Games</p> <p>“Today, Nortel reaffirmed its commitment to its Vancouver 2010 sponsorship. Much of Nortel’s commitments to the Games have been delivered and will be in place by May,” said Chapin.</p> <p>But it’s yet more negative publicity for what is threatening to become the bad news Olympics. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/14/debt-bankruptcy-and-cutbacks/#more-28030" class="more-link">Continue…</a></p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </li> <li> <h2><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/12/jim-rice-really/" title="Jim Rice? Really?">Jim Rice? Really?</a></h2> <h4> By <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/author/jaimeweinman/" title="Posts by Jaime Weinman">Jaime Weinman</a> - Monday, January 12, 2009 at 5:53 PM - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/12/jim-rice-really/#commenting" title="Jump to the comments"><span class="IDCommentsReplace" style="display:none">27465</span>Comments<span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoPermalink27465">http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/12/jim-rice-really/</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTitle27465">Jim+Rice%3F+Really%3F</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTime27465">2009-01-12+22%3A53%3A10</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoAuthor27465">Jaime+Weinman</span></a></h4> <div class="snap_preview"><p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" title="Jim Rice, Hall of Famer" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129im_/http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c59/cjrau/85%20Topps%20TTM%20IP%20Autos/150JimRice.jpg" alt="" width="193" height="269"/></p> <p>I was kind of hoping against hope that <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/riceji01.shtml" target="_blank">Jim Rice</a> wouldn’t get into the Hall of Fame. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/01/12/rickey-henderson-jim-rice-officially-elected-into-the-baseball/" target="_blank">But he has, along with Rickey Henderson.</a> Henderson is a totally deserving Hall of Famer who rightly got in on the first ballot (don’t you always wonder who those people are who don’t vote for a player of that stature on the first ballot?).</p> <p>Bill James’ revised version of his Historical Baseball Abstract has a good detailed explanation of why Rice was not only the most overrated player of his time, but a lesser player than his less-famous contemporary, Yankees left fielder <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_White" target="_blank">Roy White.</a> Now, Jim Rice was a very good player, but that’s true of almost every Hall of Famer. But he was one of those players who seemed to sum up all the ways in which a player could be less good than his flashy statistics. He didn’t walk much, he grounded into tons of double plays, and his stats were heavily inflated by being a right-handed hitter in Fenway Park back when Fenway was the best hitters’ park in the American league. Rice had three really great years, 1977 to 1979 (he deserved his MVP award in 1978), and a fine comeback season in 1986 when the Red Sox won the pennant. But in many other years, he was merely a good player, and other years, he wasn’t even good. In 1984, for example, his triple crown stats were decent — .280, 28 homers, 122 RBIs — but his on-base percentage was terrible (.323) and when you factor in that, the Fenway inflation, and the fact that his high RBI count came mostly from having Wade Boggs getting on base all the time in front of him, he really wasn’t a very good player at all that year. And he had quite a few years like that in what should have been his prime. His only good stat in many of those years was his RBI count, but <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/btf/pages/essays/rickey/goodby_to_old_idea.htm" target="_blank">as Branch Rickey wrote</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>As a statistic, RBIs were not only misleading but dishonest. They depended on managerial control, a hitter’s position in the batting order, park dimensions and the success of his teammates in getting on base ahead of him. That left two measurable factors—on base average and power—by which to gauge the over-all offensive worth of an individual.</p></blockquote> <p>I’d feel less annoyed about this if it weren’t for the HOF’s neglect of Rice’s fellow left fielder <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/raineti01.shtml" target="_blank">Tim Raines</a>, who never even comes close to getting in. Of course I say that partly as an Expos fan, but mostly because Raines’s career was so much better than Rice’s. Raines was not only somewhere near the best player in the National League from 1983 through 1987, but even after that, when he lost some of his speed and therefore some points off his batting average, his high on-base percentages and baserunning skills made him a very valuable player even in an off year. But he doesn’t have huge RBI counts, and HOF voters are still hypnotized by the magic powers of RBI.</p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </li> <li> <h2><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/11/macleansca-liveblog-nfl-playoffs-giants-vs-eagles-liveblog/" title="NFL Playoffs: Why it sucks to be Eli Manning today">NFL Playoffs: Why it sucks to be Eli Manning today</a></h2> <h4> By <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/author/mactest/" title="Posts by macleans.ca">macleans.ca</a> - Sunday, January 11, 2009 at 12:57 PM - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/11/macleansca-liveblog-nfl-playoffs-giants-vs-eagles-liveblog/#commenting" title="Jump to the comments"><span class="IDCommentsReplace" style="display:none">26972</span>Comments<span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoPermalink26972">http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/11/macleansca-liveblog-nfl-playoffs-giants-vs-eagles-liveblog/</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTitle26972">NFL+Playoffs%3A+Why+it+sucks+to+be+Eli+Manning+today</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTime26972">2009-01-11+16%3A57%3A06</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoAuthor26972">macleans.ca</span></a></h4> <div class="snap_preview"><ul> <li><strong>10:27 AM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Before we get to today’s featured attraction – Philly taking on the Giants – let’s reflect for a moment on yesterday’s playoff performance by the Tennessee Titans: two fumbles and one interception in the red zone, two hilariously botched snaps on third down, one missed field goal and 12 penalties. I’m telling you: Jeff Fisher is going to get one honey of a tax receipt for his team’s charitable contributions to Baltimore’s victory. The back judge also did his share, looking the other way on that delay-of-game call like a bought-off cop witnessing a mob hit.On the bright side, we all got to experience – possibly for the final time in a critical game – the patented Kerry Collins “Uh, We’re Down by Three and You Guys Actually Expect Me to Do Something About It? That’s <em>Hilarious</em>!” Face. Good times.</li> <li><strong>10:43 AM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Owsy wowsy. Seems that someone who bet an insane amount of money on the Titans and Carolina yesterday with their smarter and better smelling partner is all crabby this bright Sunday morning.</li> <li><strong>10:47 AM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Oops. I kinda fumbled that posting by hitting enter when i didn’t mean to. If I do it four more times, let’s change my name to Delhomme.See you at kickoff, Sandy.</li> <li><strong>10:54 AM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Join us around 12:30 p.m. ET when we take to the couch, hopefully just in time to catch Terry Bradshaw violate the last of our existing verb tenses.</li> <li><strong>12:38 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> One final note about yesterday’s games: After the initial shock of the all those interceptions (henceforth known as “delhommes”), the Cardinals-Panthers game turned into a bit of a bore – but I stuck with it til the end because of Daryl “Moose” Johnston, whose colour commentary gave new meaning to the expression “duh.”Most of his “insight” focused on Larry Fitzgerald – how the Panthers really ought to maybe cover him a little better, and such. (Good thinking, Moose. <em>Savvy</em>.) But my favourite bit of “analysis” from the former Cowboys fullback came right after Arizona scored to make the game 27-7. Daryl’s take on the situation? He piped in urgently: “Carolina might want to make some adjustments at the half.” <p>Really? They’re down 20 to a team they were favoured to beat by 10, and you think they should change what they’re doing and how they’re doing it? Obvious, considered yourself stated.</li> <li><strong>12:48 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> For those of you just tuning into the Fox pre-game show: Michael Strahan has just entered the 47th consecutive minute of maintaining the same smile. He’s closing in on record of 72 minutes, set by Tom Cruise when he last saw a photo of a shirtless Matthew McConaughey.</li> <li><strong>12:53 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Nearly showtime. In one of those cute pre-game featurettes that make real football fans check out Gene Simmons Family Jewels on A&E (I’m just sayin), ESPN asked Eagles coach about the disadvantages of his playoff beard. He acknowledged that he sometimes snarls up his cheese whiz in it. (I’m not making this up). Good news though: those skinned but uncooked piglets slide down like licorice. Go Andy!</li> <li><strong>12:54 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Welcome buddy! Question: who came up with the bright idea of making Terry Bradshaw deliver a three-minute commentary directly to the camera? The guy was winded after 75 seconds. Those words with three syllables are <em>tricky</em>.</li> <li><strong>12:59 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> twas beautiful. Jimmy Johnson made a Cannonball Run reference. Which, as everyone except Terry knows is the equivalent of being called a stupid cracker.Kickoff happens if they can raise enough money to pay Joe Buck to shut up. Come on Dominque Hickson. Let’s show you can catch that ball.</li> <li><strong>1:01 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Given the ups and downs of the past few weeks, I can see either team winning. This game is a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped (at the insistence of Andy Reid) in a strip of delicious hickory-smoked bacon.</li> <li><strong>1:03 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> So far, all I know for sure is that I want to see that Liam Neeson flick CTV is plugging like mad. He’s going to beat up people in France. How can you not dig that!</li> <li><strong>1:04 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Couch Boys exclusive – Andy Reid’s pre-game motivational speech in its entirety: “Hey, McNabb, you gonna finish that soup?”</li> <li><strong>1:06 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Don’t you love the way Troy Aikman fake-laughs at Joe Buck’s “jokes.”</li> <li><strong>1:06 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Damn you Troy Aikman. Not only did you beat me to a Chris Meyers hat joke. Yours was even lamer than mine.</li> <li><strong>1:07 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Frankly, if I’m Akers and I see Bradshaw hauling ass with 70 yards of mo, I fall down and bitch about the icy field</li> <li><strong>1:08 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> I always love it when the punter has to pitch in. It would be like the batboy being told he has to get in there and steal home.</li> <li><strong>1:10 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> From behind, there’s no way in hell to tell you and Derrick Ward apart.</li> <li><strong>1:11 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Casual football fans may be curious to know what we just saw there on the Eagles sideline. That was not the mythological Sasquatch — that was the Philly coach, Andy Reid. He hasn’t shaved in many days. The result: a scraggly patch of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Beard! There hasn’t been anything this unattractive in HD since that episode of <em>Extended Closeups of Star Jones’s Thigh Fat</em>.</li> <li><strong>1:12 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> It’s true about me and Ward. The secret is all the glute work I do.</li> <li><strong>1:12 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> You’re the first guy I call when I need to leg press something heavy</li> <li><strong>1:13 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> The Giants just threw on third down and the Eagles did NOT blitz. I can’t see that happening more than five times this entire game. Philly loves the blitz the way you love those slimming funhouse mirrors.</li> <li><strong>1:16 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> I keep one in my basement – along with a giant strawberry whirlycar, a cotton candy machine and an aging carny named Scabs.</li> <li><strong>1:18 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> David AKers could learn a lesson from Lawrence Tynes. Did you see him cover that kickoff? He got within the vicinity of the Eagles returner and suddenly veered off toward… nothing.</li> <li><strong>1:19 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Commercial break! And a flip to A&E gives us a glimmer of Roadhouse – which has only been broadcast roughly 40 times in the past two weeks to hump that new Swayze TV show. Don’t listen to Ben Gazara! He’s not in it for the music or fun. He just wants a bar that makes money.</li> <li><strong>1:20 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> You can’t stop Swayze in that movie. You can only hope to contain him.</li> <li><strong>1:20 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Philly has activated only five receivers in a move that analysts suggests a lot of running. So far I see a lot of not going forward any which way.</li> <li><strong>1:21 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Looks windy. Nearly blew the snotty sense of superiority off of Joe Buck</li> <li><strong>1:23 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> I love it when refs throw their hats to mark a second foul on a play. What would they hurl to call a third foul? Pants? Probably pants.</li> <li><strong>1:25 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> hey, eli manning just threw a delhomme!</li> <li><strong>1:26 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> For sure, pants! Wouldn’t it be great to see Ed Hochuli is his briefs. Bet he’s got a super muscular crotch.</li> <li><strong>1:26 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Eli Manning and David Akers are tied for the game lead in tackles made</li> <li><strong>1:26 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Quick bet: I say the Eagles can’t get into the end zone on this turnover</li> <li><strong>1:26 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> you’re on!</li> <li><strong>1:27 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Wager: beer</li> <li><strong>1:28 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> For Pete’s sake! MacNabb had fifteen minutes back there and the hold is still on the Giants?Now they get three more chances and I may have to give you beer. Good thing you already owe me enough to buy the American banking sector</li> <li><strong>1:28 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> I owe you $3?</li> <li><strong>1:29 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Make mine a Beau’s beer!</li> <li><strong>1:29 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> I was thinking Brador. I know you like a meaty ale</li> <li><strong>1:31 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> These new Bell commercials make me want to hold someone’s head under water</li> <li><strong>1:32 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Where do you stand on the Coors Light commercials using old coach footage. They’re so hackneyed and predictable and unimaginative, and yet I find myself enjoying them. The Jim Mora one (Playoffs?? <em>Playoffs???</em>) is pretty funny.</li> <li><strong>1:33 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Joe Buck is wearing black gloves and looks like he’s the world’s only 140-pound mob hitman.</li> <li><strong>1:33 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> If you honestly enjoy those commercials, you need to see an internist immediately. Because obviously you’ve eaten a moron.</li> <li><strong>1:34 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Come on! They recycle all the best coach bits: “You play to win the game!” “They are who we thought they were!” You’re just jealous because you drink Coors Light all the time yet comely college co-eds refuse to accept that you are therefore desirable.</li> <li><strong>1:36 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> I drink Budweiser constantly because I want on that plane with the hot stewardesses and fun dance party. Of all the places on Earth, that’s where I would fit in best</li> <li><strong>1:37 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> With two stingy defences and challenging weather conditions, I gotta believe this game is going to come down to which team can find a way to beat the other through the air. The crazy blitz schemes of Philly could leave them vulnerable to a big bomb and Eli seems to be looking for it.</li> <li><strong>1:38 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> The Eagles strategy seems very sound at this point. Until Eli can prove that he can complete a pass to someone in blue, they’re crowding the box and bringing tons of pressure.</li> <li><strong>1:39 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> That sounds so dirty</li> <li><strong>1:40 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> True. I think I just wrote a porno. Speaking of commercials, is there a worse commercial out there right now than the ads for Sprint that feature the company’s CEO walking down the street in black and white? That guy has all the charisma of a slab of marble.</li> <li><strong>1:41 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Field position is so huge. I like the way this series shapes up for the Giants. If the Giants get this ball back at mid-field or better, Eli’s got to come away with at least three.</li> <li><strong>1:42 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> And they will get it back, though I think the Eagles got lucky there. McNabb holds on to the ball too long these days. He almost had that one knocked loose.</li> <li><strong>1:44 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Take that back! Don’t you know anything? Since he was benched, Donovon McNabb can do no wrong. He spent part of this weak healing the lame.</li> <li><strong>1:44 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> He healed the second season of Heroes?</li> <li><strong>1:44 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> It’ll be interesting to see if the Giants start to air it out now that they’ve got the wind.</li> <li><strong>1:45 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> We’re on the third season, loser. Shows what you know. Plus, the addition of Peter’s father combined with the speedster really made it better.</li> <li><strong>1:46 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> The preceding sentence of mine can also be used to describe a frat house after chili night</li> <li><strong>1:46 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> I stopped watching Heroes when I realized I was neither nine years old nor mentally retarded.</li> <li><strong>1:47 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> You’ll take that back when I get my powers.</li> <li><strong>1:47 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Coughlin always looks like some teenagers just burned across his front yard in their Dodge Charger</li> <li><strong>1:48 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> He may be the only NFL coach to still routinely use the word “whippersnapper.”</li> <li><strong>1:48 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Ohhhh!!! Dammit Manning. He had them beat.</li> <li><strong>1:49 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> BUt he threw to the WRONG steve smith. the one that could have caught that pass is in carolina.</li> <li><strong>1:50 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> I wish I could make girls laugh like that Bud Light dude</li> <li><strong>1:51 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> the key is not being you.</li> <li><strong>1:51 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> You’re right. From now on, I’m going to be Sam Elliott.</li> <li><strong>1:52 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> I think Westbrook is over. I know the league goes ga-ga over the guy but that run is a good example. He doesn’t smell the holes anymore. He could have bounced out and he had one man to beat. Instead he runs into a concrete wall.</li> <li><strong>1:52 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Safety!!!</li> <li><strong>1:53 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> The most exciting play in sports since the rouge!</li> <li><strong>1:53 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> I like this Eagles strategy of gaining approximately one yard per minute on offence.</li> <li><strong>1:55 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> They should have followed the Ravens gameplan: three quarterback sneaks and then punt the ball back to where you really want it – in the hands of the other team.</li> <li><strong>1:55 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> I agree in part with you about Westbrook. He’s average as a runner these days. But his value is when they get him into the open field on screens. Then he’ll still kill you (or at least he’ll kill the Vikings)</li> <li><strong>1:57 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> But the let it all hang in style of offence means that he only gets in the open field every time Tom Wolfe releases a new book</li> <li><strong>1:59 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> The Eagles linebackers are really containing the run well positionally – if they could actually tackle Jacobs the first time they touch him, the Giants would be going nowhere.</li> <li><strong>2:00 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> I’m glad to see them working some plays to Boss. The guy is money and Manning is way more dependable on shorter routes.</li> <li><strong>2:01 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Why does Joe Buck never get excited? Remember how he called the Helmet catch in the Super Bowl (it was in a monotone). Even on a big pass play he betrays no emotion. I haven’t seen anyone seem this solemn and uninterested since 2006 when I glanced in the mirror while watching <em>Joey</em>.</li> <li><strong>2:01 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Whatever happened to the Giant’s run blocking? Or Kelly Lynch’s acting career? They both had so much promise back in the late 80s</li> <li><strong>2:02 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> I am distressed to learn that in the Biggie Smalls biopic, the Notorious B.I.G. is being played by a rapper named Gravy. Which means i can never become a rapper and name myself Gravy.</li> <li><strong>2:03 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Joe Buck is a fembot. If you remove his face plate, you can see all his switches and gears. Between games he lives in Troy Aikman’s closet. Next to Troy’s true sexuality</li> <li><strong>2:04 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Of all the announcing teams, which would you be least surprised to discover to be gay lovers? i say buck-aikman ranks first, and gumbel-dierdorf is an unpleasant-to-imagine number two.</li> <li><strong>2:04 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Just tweak it. Call yourself ‘Chicken Gray’ or ‘Gray Fingers’. Maybe ‘Gravy Boat’ – that’s what we call you</li> <li><strong>2:05 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Pat Summerall is clearly the still-can’t-believe-it’s-over ex.</li> <li><strong>2:05 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Wide right! Finally, the Bills get their revenge!!!! In your face, Giant fans!!!!</li> <li><strong>2:07 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> I’m glad to see the team i wagered on giving points away. I say kill Carney now and make one of the nine running backs kick field goals from here on</li> <li><strong>2:08 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Westbrook shows them who’s boss again. I’m pretty sure he started to fall down before anyone hit him that time.</li> <li><strong>2:09 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Easy, tiger. The Eagles just gained four yards. Increasing their total today to… slightly more than four yards.</li> <li><strong>2:12 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Why do they wear those tiny hospital hats under their helmets. What does it help them do better? It’s not throwing the ball, apparently</li> <li><strong>2:13 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> It’s called style. Same reason you wear the ascot and bicycle shorts.</li> <li><strong>2:13 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> I do love my bicycle shorts. They make every muscle look huge</li> <li><strong>2:14 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> That throw from McNabb was positively Farvian. Unwise and girlish.</li> <li><strong>2:16 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Very girlish. And counting on DeSean Jackson to fight for the ball is like counting on Madonna to shine on Broadway.</li> <li><strong>2:17 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Jacobs rocks! I love him. I’m going to send him some scented candles.</li> <li><strong>2:19 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Coconut. He likes the smell of coconut. By the way, I could never be an Eagles fan, and not just because I’m not 70% processed cheese. McNabb inspires no confidence back there. He takes too long to throw and he makes bad choices. And we all remember from the Super Bowl how well he manages the clock.</li> <li><strong>2:21 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> What the hell kind of call is that? Why don’t they just go back and say that McNabb completed his third down pass to Jackson.</li> <li><strong>2:22 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Ridiculous! It makes no sense at all. And where was this concern for the clock yesterday during the Titans game when the play clock was at zero for about five minutes before Flacco completed that big pass (not that I’m bitter)</li> <li><strong>2:23 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Not at all. But the difference is that yesterday, that play wasn’t pivotal to the outcome</li> <li><strong>2:23 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> i don’t like you</li> <li><strong>2:24 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> And yet you love what I can do when I sit down at a piano</li> <li><strong>2:25 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Just take the field goal for Christ’s sake!!</li> <li><strong>2:25 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Obviously. This game feels a bit like yesterday’s ravens-titans. The Giants, like the Titans, are playing better and controlling the game. Yet they’re missing opportunities.</li> <li><strong>2:26 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> I gotta admit, as Carney was setting to kick that ball, I was more than half worried he’d hoof it again</li> <li><strong>2:28 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> I was more preoccupied with that shot of Andy Reid going over to talk to one of his players. I think the discussion went: “It’s almost halftime.Could you run into the locker room and make sure the fondue is fired up.”</li> <li><strong>2:28 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> You do get the feeling that he’ll wander off the field at halftime looking for an IHOP and some offensive production – in that order</li> <li><strong>2:31 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Given the point you made early, why would the Eagles not have designed a bushel full of screen plays to Westbrook to get him catching the ball on the run? Instead he just caught his first pass.</li> <li><strong>2:32 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> That’s a good question. I blame man’s inhumanity to man.</li> <li><strong>2:34 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Same thing explains the decision to cancel Caroline In the City 10 years ago.The Giants D-line is getting no serious push on McNabb. That’s gotta change in the second half.</li> <li><strong>2:35 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> To borrow a favourite phrase of Lucy Maude Montgomery’s that call was total horseshit</li> <li><strong>2:37 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Pretty astonishing that the Eagles are heading into the half with the lead. The swear jar in the Giants locker room is going to be filled up with quarters courtesy of Tom Coughlin.</li> <li><strong>2:39 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> I’m finding this game very frustrating. It feels like the Giants offence is going to have win this thing and frankly, I’m not loving what I see so far from Eli Manning.</li> <li><strong>2:43 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Howie Long’s hair is remarkable. I wonder if an Olympic archer could get an arrow to pass through it.</li> <li><strong>2:44 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Yep. And then it would bounce right off Jimmy Johnson’s hair.</li> <li><strong>2:45 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> It will come to a dead stop when it hits Terry Bradshaw’s humility</li> <li><strong>2:51 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Jayzus. Is New York trying to lose?</li> <li><strong>2:52 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> That return was great and everything, but they accomplished it by having the blockers <em>hold hands</em>. KInda girly.</li> <li><strong>2:53 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> You and Fred Robbins run the same way. Without moving your thighs</li> <li><strong>2:53 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Hang on a minute. Wait for it. The tremors from Robbins being tackled will hit here right about… NOW!</li> <li><strong>2:54 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Jacobs again! Those candles will be loved twice as much if they come with really nice hand lotion. Looks like I’m headed to Holts</li> <li><strong>2:55 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Nice catch, Ward. Your hands are those fingery things at the end of your arms</li> <li><strong>2:56 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Tom Coughlin has the exasperated look of a man who’s had it up to here with Dennis the Menace.</li> <li><strong>2:56 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Seven minutes after the interception, Robbins is STILL winded on the sideline. He ran 12 yards!!</li> <li><strong>2:58 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> You’re not multiplying that by his body mass index. When that run is calculated in relative terms, he just jogged to Delaware.</li> <li><strong>2:59 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> If Eli Manning doesn’t pick up his game, the Manning family risks starring in fewer than 100 TV commercials next season. That would be a shame.</li> <li><strong>3:02 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> He’s been lousy. He looks about as strong as Urkel out there.</li> <li><strong>3:03 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> “Third and 20 coming up.” I think that’s going to be the title of this game if it comes out on DVD.</li> <li><strong>3:03 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Back with Chris Meyers – he looks like when he’s done with the game he’s going to paint his house</li> <li><strong>3:04 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> And they get it! Jeepers. These third down conversions are how McNabb kills teams.</li> <li><strong>3:04 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Wow. What a huge play for the Eagles! McNabb escaped about 1,200 pounds of Giants to get that ball off.</li> <li><strong>3:05 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Curtis should be taken off the field and made to hold his hands over an open flame. Clearly he doesn’t feel he needs them. Refs are working hard to tilt this table to the Eagles</li> <li><strong>3:06 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Curtis apparently watched the last super bowl and came away believing all big catches ought to be made with the helmet</li> <li><strong>3:07 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> I’m starting to fall asleep. Maybe it’s the lack of scoring. Or the six beers before 4:00pm. Can you wake me when something dramatic happens. Like a completion.</li> <li><strong>3:09 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Come on: this is better than an offensive battle or a defensive tussle. This is an incompetence-off!</li> <li><strong>3:10 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Unreal! Another third and 10 conversion. If McNabb had any more time back there he could draw a map of New France</li> <li><strong>3:11 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> maybe donovan mcnabb is working-to-rule on first and second downs, then punching in and doing his job only when it gets to third.</li> <li><strong>3:12 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> In other sports news, I see the Raps just lost to the Celtics. Can’t wait for the beating your brother will lay on Toronto in tomorrow’s paper.</li> <li><strong>3:14 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Be careful! Even the slightest rhetorical contact can cause jermaine o’neal to suffer another injury.</li> <li><strong>3:14 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Finally. A third down stop.</li> <li><strong>3:15 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Time for his union-mandated break</li> <li><strong>3:16 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Dear David Akers: I just witnessed your two-fingered point-to-the-sky gesture after your field goal.You’re welcome,<br/> God</li> <li><strong>3:16 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> You know what the Giants should try? To score a touchdown.</li> <li><strong>3:18 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> “I’m Joe. That’s Troy.” We live together in gated community where we squabble over who left the sprinkler going</li> <li><strong>3:19 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Does that make Chris Myers their housekeeper?</li> <li><strong>3:20 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Eli! Forward pass! Completed! So exciting can’t form whole sentences!</li> <li><strong>3:20 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Hixon (sorry for misspelling your name earlier dude)! Makes a catch. That counts and everything. Suddenly, it’s almost like a sporting contest.</li> <li><strong>3:23 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> What kind of a field goal will the Giants try this time? Close? Far away? Backwards?</li> <li><strong>3:23 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> That wasn’t really Eli’s fault. He clearly expected his receiver to be floating sixteen feet above the Earth</li> <li><strong>3:25 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Ward seems to slipping into role-player status. That role being ball dropper.</li> <li><strong>3:25 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Joe: “How’d you like this big body headed towards you? Brandon Jacobs”<br/> Troy: “I wouldn’t.”<br/> So we’ve established that their relationship is monogamous.</li> <li><strong>3:26 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> That exchange caught my notice as well. I thought there was a hint of tension belying it. As in, “I wouldn’t – what are you driving at?”"Well, I’m not the one who flirts with the drycleaner – always asking what his tattoos mean” <p>“Let’s talk about this when we get home and into our comfy clothes”</li> <li><strong>3:28 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> So in a game where no one seems to be able to compile yardage much less points, the Giants have now sacrificed six points to missed field goals. Combined with their habit of granting third down conversions, I’m feeling nervous</li> <li><strong>3:29 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> On the bright side, the Giants sideline will soon be warmed by the spontaneous combustion of Tom Coughlin.</li> <li><strong>3:31 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> The refs decide to interfere in the game again. They’re just like the government or public intoxication laws. Always getting in my way.</li> <li><strong>3:32 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> You should write a letter to the editor. Those things get results.</li> <li><strong>3:33 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> I can’t believe there’s a whole quarter left to go. It feels like this game began just after the start of the Bronze Age</li> <li><strong>3:35 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Don’t you love it when announcers refer to “this game being a physical battle”? Like other NFL games are resolved via debate and negotiation.</li> <li><strong>3:37 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Like the Titans and Panthers, the Giants deserve to lose this game. The trend doesn’t bode well for the Steelers.</li> <li><strong>3:37 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> A touchdown? Wow. I remember my grandpa talking about those.</li> <li><strong>3:40 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> I would rather eat a bag of roofing nails then attend a Keith Urban concert</li> <li><strong>3:42 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Makes sense. The nails will eventually pass through you, but country music is permanent.</li> <li><strong>3:42 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Bad spot. It’s not Eli’s failed passing. It’s the referees</li> <li><strong>3:47 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> God help me. I agree with Troy Aikman. I would have just gone for it. No challenge. Time outs will matter if you’re trying to win this game. Of course, I only assume the Giants are trying to win. The hard evidence isnt exactly piling up.</li> <li><strong>3:48 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> That was a pretty fraidy-cat attempt at a quarterback sneak by eli. he pushed forward with all the momentum of a lobbed marshmallow.</li> <li><strong>3:49 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> It’s really time for a tunover if you’re a New York fan.</li> <li><strong>3:52 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Soon it will be time for Jack Daniels if you’re a new york fan</li> <li><strong>3:53 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> They’ve got to score on this drive. If they don’t then…well, then the world just end and I’ll never be able to show my face at high school again</li> <li><strong>3:54 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Can i have your locker? I like that it’s closer to the bathroom.<br/> By the way, where are all the cutaways to Archie Manning? Doesn’t his contract call for at least three shots of him in a private box during each of his sons’ games.</li> <li><strong>3:56 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Usually sharing a chicken wing with Nelson Mandela. Why? Why? Why? If you needed three yards would you run sideways? Arrrggghh</li> <li><strong>3:56 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> What kind of a call was that on third down??? Running parallel to the line of scrimmage until you run out of room. Brilliant!</li> <li><strong>3:57 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> hey, we had the same thought just now. just like when we knew hannah montana was going to be huge.</li> <li><strong>3:57 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> The Giant’s O-line has lost this game. They’ve just gotten beat in all the tough battles</li> <li><strong>3:58 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> With the exception of Jacobs, they’ve all done their part. Bad running decisions, bad quarterbacking, bad playcalling.</li> <li><strong>3:59 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Bad breath. Bad manners. Bad failing to plan for rain even though the sky was clear when we left. Yep, they suck</li> <li><strong>4:01 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Can you believe that Arizona is going to HOST the NFC championship?</li> <li><strong>4:02 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> I can’t believe that Arizona has an NFL team. I can’t believe Kid Rock has a career. And I can’t believe how utterly shitless the Giants have been.</li> <li><strong>4:03 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Well, it’s still a two-touchdown game. All they need to do is score two touchdowns. Which should be a cinch so long as there’s 120,000 minutes left in the fourth quarter</li> <li><strong>4:04 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> It’s time to start throwing for the helmet</li> <li><strong>4:04 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> I’m not saying it’s over, but Andy Reid has officially started bracing himself to be doused with a Gatorade jug filled with special sauce.</li> <li><strong>4:06 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Andy Reid is the only coach who can be drowned in gatorade and still keep the family of illegal immigrants living under his breasts dry as a bone</li> <li><strong>4:07 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> They gained three yards on that pass. Just 25 more passes to the end zone!</li> <li><strong>4:07 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Toomer! Haven’t heard his name all day. I thought he’d been traded for a goalie and future prospects</li> <li><strong>4:09 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Eli, Eli, oh.</li> <li><strong>4:09 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> What do you think McNabb and Westbrook are discussing in the huddle?</li> <li><strong>4:09 PM</strong>: <em>Macleans.ca</em> Macleans.ca liveblog – NFL playoffs: Giants vs Eagles liveblog</li> <li><strong>4:10 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Season 4 of Battlestar Galactica – what else?</li> <li><strong>4:11 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> I <em>thought</em> i recognized them from the 2007 Tulsa Star Trek convention.</li> <li><strong>4:11 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Picking up the phone? That’s a dick of a thing to do – isn’t it?</li> <li><strong>4:14 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Eli – your team is wearing blue. BLUE!</li> <li><strong>4:15 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> I think there might be something wrong with his vision. Or his frontal lobe</li> <li><strong>4:16 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> By picking up the phone, McNabb gave talk radio hosts the gift of 400 hours of extensive coverage of the “incident.” Take it and run with it, Jim Rome!</li> <li><strong>4:17 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Oh that darn ball. Not quite round. Not quite rectangular. So hard to hold when you’re a Giant.</li> <li><strong>4:18 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> Time to pack it in, partner – exactly three hours after the Giants began packing it in. What a gruesome performance.Eagles! Cardinals! WTF?</li> <li><strong>4:19 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Reid</em> Well sister, with 58 seconds to go this game is done like dinner (officially Andy Reid’s favourite saying). It’s been durn fun. But I’m a signin’ off, rabbitt.I have no idea who to root for in that NFC Championship</li> <li><strong>4:21 PM</strong>: <em>Scott Feschuk</em> -30-</li> </ul> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </li> <li> <h2><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/09/nfl-playoff-picks-week-two-where-dreams-and-darren-sproles-ability-to-remember-what-day-it-is-go-to-die/" title="NFL Playoff Picks Week Two: Where dreams, and Darren Sproles’ ability to remember what day it is, go to die">NFL Playoff Picks Week Two: Where dreams, and Darren Sproles’ ability to remember what day it is, go to die</a></h2> <h4> By <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/author/sfeschuk/" title="Posts by Scott Feschuk">Scott Feschuk</a> - Friday, January 9, 2009 at 12:30 PM - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/09/nfl-playoff-picks-week-two-where-dreams-and-darren-sproles-ability-to-remember-what-day-it-is-go-to-die/#commenting" title="Jump to the comments"><span class="IDCommentsReplace" style="display:none">26798</span>Comments<span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoPermalink26798">http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/09/nfl-playoff-picks-week-two-where-dreams-and-darren-sproles-ability-to-remember-what-day-it-is-go-to-die/</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTitle26798">NFL+Playoff+Picks+Week+Two%3A+Where+dreams%2C+and+Darren+Sproles%27+ability+to+remember+what+day+it+is%2C+go+to+die+</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoTime26798">2009-01-09+17%3A30%3A01</span><span style="display:none" id="IDCommentPostInfoAuthor26798">Scott+Feschuk</span></a></h4> <div class="snap_preview"><p><strong>Scott Feschuk</strong><br/> <em>Last week: 1-3<br/> Playoffs: 1-3<br/> Season (including playoffs): 129-121-8</em></p> <p><strong>Scott Reid</strong><br/> <em>Last week: 3-1<br/> Playoffs: 3-1<br/> Season (including playoffs): 120-127-8</em></p> <p><strong>Scott Feschuk:</strong> First off, an invitation: Drop by Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET here at Macleans.ca where <strong>we’ll be liveblogging the Eagles-Giants </strong>game. Flip on the TV, flip open the laptop and join in as we spend three riveting hours speculating on the precise nature of the ecosystem that’s developing in Andy Reid’s new beard. (Over there, in that dense, bristley patch – is that a… <em>unicorn</em>?)</p> <p>In other news, my Couch Boys colleague Scott Reid soundly thrashed me in prognostic-based matters this past weekend. Reid picked correctly three out of four times. I got only one right. Although the victory was narrow – if the Vikings had better defended that screen pass to Brian Westbrook, or if Tarvaris Jackson had at any point during the season learned how to throw a forward pass, we’d each have gone 2-2 – I am man enough (anatomically speaking only) to concede defeat and make good on our bet: to write a poem in honour of the victor.</p> <p>Perhaps I should go with a familiar construct…</p> <p><strong>The (Baltimore) Raven</strong></p> <p><em>Ah, distinctly I remember <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/01/09/nfl-playoff-picks-week-two-where-dreams-and-darren-sproles-ability-to-remember-what-day-it-is-go-to-die/#more-26798" class="more-link">Continue…</a></em></p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="postNav"> <div class="alignleft"><p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/category/blog-central/sports-blog/page/2/">Older Entries</a></p></div> <div class="clear"></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="sidebar"> <div id="search">  <form method="get" action="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://ca.search.yahoo.com/search" name="yahoo"> <input type="text" class="input" name="p" value=" Search Macleans.ca" size="23" onfocus="ClearSearchField()" onblur="RestoreSearchField()" style="float:left"> <input type="hidden" name="fr" value="yscpb"> <input type="submit" id="sbutton" value="Search" style="float:left"> <input type="hidden" name="vs" value="macleans.ca"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://ca.search.yahoo.com/" target="_blank"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129im_/http://s2.wordpress.com/wp-content/themes/vip/macleans3/images/icons/yahoologo.png?v002" style="float:right;" border="0"></a> </form>  </div> <div class="clear"></div> <div class="ad300x60"> <script language="javascript1.1" type="text/javascript"> AdSpot("macleans","blog",2,300,250); </script> </div> <div class="clear"></div> <div id="mostContent"> <div id="sideTabs"> <ul id="tabMenu"> <li id="tab-most-read"><a rel="mostRead">Most Read</a></li> <li id="tab-most-recent"><a rel="mostRecent">Most Recent</a></li> <li id="tab-recent-comments"><a rel="recentComments">Comments</a></li> </ul> <div class="clear"></div> </div> <div id="tabContainer"> <ul id="mostRead" class="tabList"><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/06/16/a-reminder-when-you-take-a-meeting-with-the-abyss-the-abyss-takes-a-meeting-with-you/">A reminder: When you take a meeting with the abyss, the abyss takes a meeting with you</a> - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/06/16/a-reminder-when-you-take-a-meeting-with-the-abyss-the-abyss-takes-a-meeting-with-you/#comments" class="top-posts-comment-count">94 Comments</a></li><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/06/11/sex-drugs-acrobats/">Sex, drugs & acrobats</a> - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/06/11/sex-drugs-acrobats/#comments" class="top-posts-comment-count">0 Comments</a></li><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/06/16/parliamentarycrisiswatch-summer-edition-anyone-else-getting-an-eerie-sense-of-deja-vu/">Anyone else getting an eerie sense of deja vu? </a> - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/06/16/parliamentarycrisiswatch-summer-edition-anyone-else-getting-an-eerie-sense-of-deja-vu/#comments" class="top-posts-comment-count">89 Comments</a></li><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/06/12/exclusive-excerpt-how-to-party-like-a-cirque-star/">Exclusive excerpt: How to party like a cirque star</a> - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/06/12/exclusive-excerpt-how-to-party-like-a-cirque-star/#comments" class="top-posts-comment-count">0 Comments</a></li><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090617094129/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/06/16/ignatieff-v-harper-the-bout-to-knock-the-other-guy-out/">Ignatieff v. 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