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      Bill Simmons’ retroactively blogs the last 18 minutes of Super Bowl XLIII

      February 2, 2009 /

      The Sports Guy elected to go to a party instead of doing one of his running diaries of the Super Bowl. So since the game ended in spectacular fashion, he watched the last 18:32 again and gives us his patented blow-by-blow. Here’s an excerpt.

      9:37 — Another holding penalty for Mike Gandy, his third. Win or lose, he has as good of a chance of being Arizona’s left tackle next year as Michael Vick does of winning his Atlanta job back. That’s followed by an incompletion to Boldin, our 20th “Wait, is that Kurt Warner’s wife? She looks great!” shot of the evening, then another incompletion. Third and 20 from Pitt’s 33. Big play.

      (Note: I didn’t realize the significance when watching the game live — I was too busy arguing with Ace over the age of the youngest person in America named “Dick.” I said that there’s no way anyone under 35 is named “Dick.” Ace said that there might be some preppy kid out there who’s called “Dick” as a family name. Sadly, there’s no way to settle this.)

      The piece is long, but not horribly so. As always, it has that classic Sports Guy humor.

      NFL, Super Bowl, Television

      Couch Potato Alert: 2/2

      February 2, 2009 /

      Think it’s a coincidence that the second Lakers/Celtics showdown is the week after the Super Bowl? Now that the NFL season is finally over, it’s up to basketball to step into the spotlight. David Stern is no dummy.

      NBA
      Mon, 7 PM: Mavs @ Magic
      Mon, 8 PM: Blazers @ Hornets (NBA TV)
      Tues, 9 PM: Spurs @ Nuggets
      Wed, 7:30 PM: Heat @ Pistons
      Wed, 8:30 PM: Blazers @ Mavs (NBA TV)
      Thurs, 8 PM: Lakers @ Celtics (TNT)
      Thurs, 10:30 PM: Mavs @ Jazz (TNT)

      College Hoops
      Mon, 7 PM: #1 UConn @ #7 Louisville (ESPN)
      Tues, 7 PM: #13 Purdue @ Ohio St. (ESPN)
      Wed, 8:30 PM: #19 Minnesota @ #14 Michigan St.
      Wed, 9 PM: #3 Duke @ #10 Clemson (ESPN)

      NHL
      Mon, 7 PM: Blues @ Red Wings (Versus)
      Tues, 7 PM: Capitals @ Devils (Versus)
      Tues, 7 PM: Blues @ Blue Jackets (Versus)
      Wed, 7:30 PM: Maple Leafs @ Sabres (TSN)
      Thurs, 7 PM: Bruins @ Senators (TSN)
      Thurs, 9:30 PM: Blackhawks @ Flames (TSN)

      Couch Potato Alert, NBA, NHL, Television

      Bynum to miss six 8-12 weeks with torn MCL

      February 2, 2009 /

      Andrew Bynum is hurt again. On Saturday against the Grizzlies, Kobe Bryant landed on the big man’s knee, knocking him out for at least a few weeks. Reports are sketchy, but the Daily News is reporting that he’ll be out six weeks.

      The preliminary diagnosis is that Bynum suffered a sprained right knee against Memphis Saturday and will miss the next six weeks. But it could be longer, and the damage could be more serious, pending results of an MRI taken yesterday in Manhattan.

      So six weeks would mean that Bynum would potentially be back in mid-March, giving him about a month to get in shape for the Lakers’ playoff run. Does any of this seem familiar? Bynum was supposed to be back for last year’s playoffs but it never happened.

      And this is probably a best case scenario. If the MRI reveals more damage to the knee, it’s entirely possible that Bynum will miss the playoffs yet again.

      Expect Pau Gasol to move over to play center full time with Lamar Odom getting most of the minutes at power foward. I wouldn’t expect Odom to be traded before the deadline with Bynum’s status up in the air. This is exactly why the Lakers chose to hold onto him despite several trade offers — he’s great insurance if Bynum or Gasol were to go down.

      Afternoon Update: The OC Register is reporting that Bynum has a MCL tear and is expected to miss 8-12 weeks. Twelve weeks would put Bynum’s return a week or two into the playoffs.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Finals, Rumors & Gossip

      Kawakami: Super Bowl XLIII was no classic

      February 2, 2009 /

      Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News writes that while Super Bowl XLIII was exciting, it wasn’t a classic.

      Larry FitzgeraldA classic? That was a fun Super Bowl, no question. A triple plot-twist, loop-de-loop carnival ride.

      That was a raucous fourth quarter Sunday evening, full of Arizona Cardinals grit and, eventually, a great Pittsburgh Steelers drive to win 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII.

      Oh, and there was that stunning 100-yard interception return by Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison to close the first half.

      But was that really a classic, Ali-Frazier Super Bowl? I doubt history will treat it that way.
      The protagonists were slightly less than epic and the action was just a bit too herky-jerk for instant masterpiece status. No Brett Favres or Lawrence Taylors in this game.

      All those penalties. The wide-open receivers when the last thing the defense could afford was to leave wide-open receivers. That third-quarter sag.

      Much better description: This was a classic example of the NFL’s Parity Era, when no team is good enough to dominate the Super Stage.

      After all those blowouts in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and all those Super Teams, we’ve now had two shriek-finish Super Bowls in a row and five straight that were close in the fourth quarter.
      The last blowout? Yep, Tampa Bay 48, Raiders 21 in Super Bowl XXXVII.

      So Larry Fitzgerald was outstanding Sunday. Kurt Warner, too. Santonio Holmes was a revelation. Harrison made the greatest single play in Super Bowl history, by my reckoning.

      But… this felt more like a good first-round playoff game that happened to have Bruce Springsteen at halftime and a spaceship capsule as the postgame stage.

      Agreed. It was a sloppy game for the most part and take away Harrison’s interception return and the first half was largely uneventful. That doesn’t mean the game wasn’t entertaining because it was. But a classic? That’s reach.

      NFL, Super Bowl

      Phillies still in talks with Ryan Howard about new contract

      February 2, 2009 /

      Even though salary arbitration hearings are set to begin Monday in Phoenix, the Phillies are still hoping that they can avoid the process and sign Ryan Howard to a new contract.

      Ryan HowardHoward, who led the majors in homers (153) and RBIs (431) over the last three seasons, is seeking a 2009 salary of $18 million. The Phillies have offered $14 million, a raise of $4 million over the $10 million Howard won in salary arbitration last year.

      If an agreement is not reached, an arbitration panel will listen to arguments from both sides and pick either the team’s or the player’s figure. There is no middle ground.

      “We’re still hopeful of avoiding [a hearing],” Phils general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “Our goal remains the same – get an equitable deal done.”

      Amaro said the team and Howard’s representative, Casey Close, have been involved in contract discussions. Amaro would not say whether the two sides were discussing a multiyear contract or a one-year deal. The Phillies unsuccessfully tried to sign Howard to a multiyear deal each of the last two off-seasons. Howard, 29, can not be a free agent until after the 2011 season.

      There were indications last winter that the Phils were willing to give Howard a contract in line with the seven-year, $85 million deal that Chase Utley got in January 2007. Howard’s side has likely set $200 million as its target.

      So, despite efforts to get a deal done in the days that remain before a hearing, this one seems headed back to the table.

      Howard asked for $18 million in arbitration, which is the second highest ever for an arbitration-eligible player behind Derek Jet’s $18.5 million request in 2001. If the Phillies can’t work out a long-term deal, then Howard will likely eclipse that mark next year.

      MLB

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