Starting Five
Torii Spilling
1. BoStunning!
Notes on the Hub’s magnificent Sunday, in which the Patriots turned the ball over twice in the final three minutes and still came back to beat the unbeaten New Orleans Saints, 30-27, and the Red Sox overcame a 5-0 deficit and being no-hit into the sixth inning –for the second night in a row–to topple Detroit in Game 2 of the ALCS, 6-5.
–Torii Hunter: “The one guy you don’t want to beat you, and he beat us…I’m pissed.”
–The Red Sox struck out 32 times in the first two games of the ALCS, which is a record for whiffing.
–In their last three games, played over the last four nights, Detroit pitchers have taken no-hitters into the seventh (Justin Verlander, Game 5, ALDS), ninth (Anibel Sanchez, Game 1, ALCS) and sixth (Max Scherzer, Game 1, ALCS) innings. In five of their seven postseason games thus far, the Tigers have shut out the opposition through the first five innings, yet they are only 3-2 in those contests.
–Big Papi gets all the glory –after all, he hit a first-pitch fastball for a game-tying grand slam, the latest such grand slam in baseball postseason history, with two outs in the eighth inning –but give Dustin Pedroia just as much credit. Pedroia, the ultimate gamer, had a two-out RBI double in the sixth and a two-out inning-extending single in the eighth. Without either hit, the Sox are likely 0-2 this morning.
–Prince Fielder, not much of a fielder. The dropped foul ball wasn’t as big of a deal as his failure to field Jose Iglesias’ errant throw to open the ninth. Iglesias had to roam far out of his range. Fielder had to be prepared for an off-line throw. Yes, it was a poor throw, but it was a one-hopper that Fielder needs to grab. If Johnny Gomes is on first base instead of second, that inning may go down differently.
–Boston has failed to get its leadoff hitter on in 17 of the series’ 18 innings thus far.
–HISTORICAL REFERENCE ALERT: It serves to measure that a guy named Torii would fall in Boston.
–In the final 3:29, Tom Brady was just 6 for 13 passing with one interception in three series, but he still led New England to the game-winning touchdown versus the NFC’s last undefeated team.
–Tom Terrific completed those six passes to five different receivers. Only Austin Collie, who was not even on the Patriot roster one week ago, caught two passes.
—Rule No. 14: NEVER burn a second-half timeout before the final five minutes of the fourth quarter. Bill Belichick believes in that rule, and it saves the Pats. Conversely, if Sean Payton runs it on third down and seven with about 2:30 to play, New England burns its final timeout. Sure, the Pats still get the ball back in front of the two-minute warning, but now there’s no room for error. Debatable decision.
“I’d rather laugh with the Sinners than cry with the Saints” –Billy Joel
–The Rob Ryan Face.
“We Are!”
Not as aerial, but more acrobatic. Robinson’s first catch on Penn State’s game-tying drive.
Everything to love about college football was on display in Happy Valley on Saturday afternoon, in what the “Death to the BCS” crowd would call a meaningless game. In terms of the national championship, it was fairly meaningless –particularly for the host Nittany Lions, who cannot play in a bowl–so how come 107,000 fans and countless viewers across the nation were going nuts.
Penn State recovers from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit versus unbeaten Michigan, punctuated by a no-timeouts-remaining drive in the final minute led by true freshman quarterback Christian Hackenberg. Twitter was agog over Allen Robinson’s 36-yard jump-ball reception that gave Penn State the ball at the UM 1, but it was his catch earlier in the drive, where he displayed Jerry Rice-level body control, that has the scouts salivating.
Brady Hoke plays it safe in the first overtime, and pays dearly. Bill O’Brien goes for it on fourth-and-one in the fourth overtime, when a highly probably field goal would have sent it to OT No. 5, and is rewarded. Middle-aged coaches need to remember that the game is played by college-aged men. Hoke thought like a guy who was leafing through his homebuyer’s agreement, when he should have been thinking like Johnny Football.
3. “It’s Just Ahead” (nudge, nudge)
Clara (background) will make a perfect Halloween costume (burlap sack with beau’s head inside not included).
The Season 4 premiere of “The Walking Dead” features Creepy Clara, who needs to feed her zombie boyfriend, who at this stage is literally little more than a mouth to feed. It also includes the worst expedition to Wal-Mart ever, and a young lad (who happens to be the voice of Phineas on “Phineas and Ferb”) who goes zombie inside the prison in the middle of the night.
I watched “Talking Dead” afterward and was a little surprised that neither host Chris Hardwick nor guest Nathan Fillion made the connection that the lad thanked Daryl for the deer meat at the opening of the episode, then we come across a dead deer carcass festering with flies, then said lad goes zombie –but not before coughing into the wash room basin that is filled with water. Did they fail to see that or are they just under orders not to reveal too much?
Rick’s Country Time Prison and Story Time Haven is about to go Ebola Virus on us all.
One question: How does Daryl come to have a $200 haircut? Is there a prison hair stylist?
Alan Sepinwall’s review.
4. Erin Andrews’ (Latest) “Look at Me!” Moment
It’s all about me (again).
Not once have I ever gotten the feeling that Erin Andrews is as invested in a sports event that she covers as she is in herself. That’s what separates her from Holly Rowe, Heahter Cox and Michelle Tafoya. So, while I was surprised to see that EA Sports both hosted Fox’s Saturday morning college football pre-game show (which hits the air at 7 a.m. locally in Los Angeles) and then did sideline work later that night at Fenway Park in Boston –a six-hour flight, at least — I was less surprised after I came across the USA Today piece promoting the stunt on Sunday.
Everyone deserves a wag of the finger here. Andrews looked bored and tired –good friend Joe Erwin suggested that she might have failed to take her probiotic!– while conducting a post-game interview after a near-historic Game 1 on Saturday evening. On Sunday night she interviewed Jarrod Saltalamacchia and asked him about his “game-winning run”. It was actually his “game-winning hit.” Not a huge deal, EA, but you’re on-air for all of a minute and you probably earn in the neighborhood of $1 million annually, so get it right.
Was it Andrews’ idea — or her agent’s idea –to pull this stunt?
If it wasn’t, then a wag of the finger to the Fox exec who thought this would be a good idea to promote Andrews as the face of Fox Sports 1. That’s a lot to ask of anyone. Andrews’ day probably began around 4 a.m. in Los Angeles and was still going on after midnight in Boston.
Finally, and especially, let’s admonish “the nation’s newspaper.” You just wrote the puffiest of puff pieces on Andrews. You never asked, “Why is Fox having her do this? Or why is she doing this?” That’s not journalism. That’s People magazine, guys.
5. I’m Not the Only Middle-Aged Man Who Fails To See the Whole Miley Cyrus Thing
Oh, but he unleashed a lion
Here’s Eddie Vedder, one year my senior, in the current issue of Rolling Stone:
On another note, there’s no doubt that rock isn’t the cultural force it once was.
Oh, so you saw the MTV Awards.
Wait, you saw the MTV Awards?
I was able to fast-forward through them, yes.
I take it you’re not into much new pop music, then.
These pop songs almost feel like tabloid journalism, in a way. It’s crap that people seem to like. And I don’t know if it has meaning. I don’t know if one of the pop songs of the summer has any fiber in it. People are consuming it, and is it healthy? I don’t know. Maybe it’s some kind of way of taking themselves away from their problems. Maybe there’s some healthy property or some restorative property that I’m not receiving. It seems like it has a really high fructose content.
I realize that every generation feels this way about the succeeding generation’s music –and I’m not aiming at hip-hop here –but how do you compare the music that Cyrus puts out with, say, “I Don’t Want To Lose Your Love” by The Outfield. They never made the cover of RS, as Cyrus has, but yet nearly thirty years later that song comes on the radio and you’re feeling it after the second chord is strummed. That’ll never happen for Cyrus, no matter how hard she twerks to make it happen.
Reserves
Adrian Peterson, moments after escaping from Shawshank Penitentiary.
Sports Illustrated reports on the death of Adrian Peterson’s two year-old son and adds a “thoughts and prayers” salutation at the end (it has since been deleted). Has anyone strolled the halls of SI since Friday night to tabulate just how many prayers were said? Former staffer Jeff Pearlman is offended from a journalism perspective. I agree.
Later, Phil Mushnick goes all curmudgeon-who-never-has-to-enter-an-NFL-locker room on Peterson’s character. Mushnick could have asked legitimate questions as to how often had Peterson ever seen this son of his, was he aware of the situation in which the toddler lived, and do pro athletes in general sire far too many children who grow up without them playing a role in parenting outside of paternity checks. Even then, you report this story before simply sullying a man’s character, as if Peterson being ticketed for speeding has anything to do with what type of father he is.
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The Missouri Compromise
In a battle of SEC East squads, Missouri beats Georgia by 15 points in Athens. The Tigers are now 6-0, the Bulldogs 4-2. Some AP voters still vote Georgia ahead of Mizzou and when I wonder why on Twitter, I’m told that because Mizzou QB James Franklin suffered a season-ending injury, that we can presume that Georgia would defeat Missouri in a rematch.
Fine. Except that these two won’t play again. We know that. And why couldn’t we presume that if Todd Gurley and Aaron Murray’s other skill players had been healthy, that Georgia would have won. Missouri DID beat Georgia. That’s all that matters. That, and the little fact that the Tigers have two fewer losses. If you give a team less credit for beating an opponent than you do your subjective opinion about what would happen if they met again, you are trolling the system.
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Manziel Mariota
Mariota: For the second year in a row, a Hawaiian will finish no worse than second in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
All I know is that a quarterback whose last name begins with an “M” and has seven letters in it will win the Heisman Trophy. And honestly, both are worthy. Manziel was a total BOSS in leading A&M to a comeback win in Oxford, scrambling for a first down on fourth-and-7 as if he needed to pull his dog out of a burning house. Mariota has thrown 17 touchdown passes, zero interceptions, and rushed for eight TDs.
You want to advocate for one? Fine. But don’t do so at the expense of the other. They are both deserving at this stage.
By my count former Notre Dame tight ends accounted for 16 catches and four touchdowns yesterday in the NFL. Joseph Fauria, Kyle Rudolph, John Carlson and Tyler Eifert. Anthony Fasano and the Miami Dolphins had a bye.
Hahahahahahahahahahaha. Those of the sports media are not supposed to offer “thoughts & prayers” to those they cover because it’s “NOT REPORTING”? Are you kidding? Sports “media” has not been about “reporting” in years. These days it’s ALL about opinion, “debate” (blech), get the masses riled up so they’ll tune in & scooch up the ratings. Yeah, “reporting”. Good one.
As for your compulsive perhaps neurotic need to bash Erin Andrews, really? If you want to trash someone’s appearance on sports TV this past weekend, why not Lane “choirboy” Kiffen? That GameDay “interviewed” him with kid gloves was bad enough, but then they brought him back for MORE air time?! I’d have rather watched 6 nonstop hours of ‘First Take’. Even without earplugs. This might not have been GameDay’s “jump the shark” moment, but it made this longtime & loyal viewer finally change the channel.
On a happier note, I was finally able to listen to some of your podcasts last Friday afternoon & liked them very much.
Speaking to Susie’s Lane Kiffin comment, I will admit his sit down with Chris Fowler was premeditated. Not that it has any importance, but it is quite lousy to claim his second appearance on Gameday was obsolete. When you watch analysts break down specific reads, you want experts in the field. Say what you’d like about Kiffin’s on the field results, but he still has a ton of coaching experience. Not many people could have broken down the play – I believe it was a read option – like Kiffin did on Gameday.
Backtracking to the “thoughts and prayers” disagreement, it is important to note that, even if you are reluctant to accept it, an overwhelming majority of people take to social networks with sympathetic views. Consider it empirical, but people do it because they want to be seen as sympathetic figures. Just because sports media, in your opinion, has not been “reporting” does not make a “thoughts and prayers” comment an acceptable journalistic practice. Journalism should be based on factual, non emotional content.
Hi Jacob. Journalism barely exists anymore, at least not as the “media” that is shoved at us 24/7. This is partly due to the internet itself & the resulting immolation of old-form media (newspapers, honest-to-god magazines) & partly to “social media”, the ‘bastard’ child of the internet that has grown so powerful & pervasive, its misleading, corrupting & suffocating influence has seeped into “journalism” like algae into a pond. The ‘oxygen’ is being depleted & no one seems to give a damn.
I actually agree with jdubs that many (journos & regular folks) spit out “T&P” not because they really care deeply about the unfortunate/afflicated/unlucky but to make themselves look better or because they know it is expected as a social nicety. Still, perhaps just as many offer the sentiment because they actually DO care & because in this strange modern world where you can communicate on a daily basis with people you have never even met let alone “know”, it’s your only recourse to pass on best wishes. Which jdubs (& others) may smirk actually does nothing for the afflicted but I ask – what is the difference between having one’s congregation “pray” for them or ‘virtual’ strangers/acquaintances offering “thoughts & prayers”?
Which brings us back to the question – does the offering of “thoughts & prayers” belong in an article or a TV broadcast? My point is that “journalism” has been so corrupted by OPINION, that the question is moot.