Lazy day with NFL Draft and MLB.tv

I work with sports every day, but sometimes it’s nice to have a lazy Saturday, and spend some weekend time with sports. Today, the 2007 NFL Draft and a full slate of baseball games are doing the job.

The Eagles took Houston quarterback Kevin Kolb about a round too early, but they did well to move down from the 26th overall pick, even if it helped the Cowboys a bit. As the ESPN analysts noted, the Eagles don’t have many weaknesses, so anything that comes from today is gravy.

The Cleveland Browns were the day’s big winners, netting their quarterback of the future (Brady Quinn from Notre Dame), and an offensive lineman to protect him (Joe Thomas from Wisconsin). Personally, I think Charlie Frye will be fine, but you can’t complain about Quinn, especially as late as he went. It was interesting looking at teams picking after Miami (who passed on Quinn) and seeing already-set QB situations. Cleveland did well trading up, and did well choosing the spot to do it.

Meanwhile, there was a full slate of baseball today, which I watched on MLB.tv. The Yankees finally won a game (after having lost seven in a row), beating the Red Sox. My fantasy teams were all pretty lousy today, and Chris Burke didn’t even play, sitting for newly minted Hunter Pence. It’ll be a struggle to replace Burke, who has a low batting average, but his on-base percentage was 100 points higher and he’d stolen five bases. I’d think the occasionally-smart management in Houston will let Burke play often enough.

It’s time to go out for the night, and Matt Cain just gave up his first hit. It’s the fifth inning. Cain has been a great find for my fantasy team.

AFC Wins Pro Bowl

The NFC tied it up real late in the 4th quarter with Tony Romo at QB. An onside kick, a touchdown, and a successful two point conversion tied it at 28, but a pass interference call gave the AFC a first and goal, and Nate Kaeding kicked it through. Apparently, there have been two overtime Pro Bowl games (1993 and 1997), so it’s not actually that rare. I guess this means that the AFC really is the stronger conference.

Since 1983 and counting…

Last night, a professional sports championship team was crowned. Yet again, the team was not a team that I cheered for (until two weeks ago). In fact, no team I cheer for has won a championship since the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers. Those Sixers and the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies are the lone victories in my lifetime.

My father, on the other hand, has been a little luckier. He is an Indianapolis Colts fan, and the victory last night was the most recent of a veritable plethora of victories for teams my father embraces. Here is a list:

2006 Indianapolis Colts (NFL)
2000 New York Yankees (MLB)
1999 New York Yankees (MLB)
1998 New York Yankees (MLB)
1996 New York Yankees (MLB)
1994 New York Rangers (NHL)
1978 New York Yankees (MLB)
1977 New York Yankees (MLB)

He also had close calls in 1981, 2001, and 2003 (Yankees), and 1994 and 1999 (Knicks). Meanwhile, the 2000 Sixers and two 1990s Flyers teams are all I have to show for my troubles. Maybe I should move to Detroit. The Pistons, Red Wings, and Tigers are all on top of their game these days. Are there any other teams in Detroit? Oh yeah, I forgot. Do they count?

I was happy to have spoken to my father last night. He taught me everything I know about sports, and he deserved the victory.

My kid’s name is going to be “Dawkins”

I recently happened upon the Etymonline entry for David and here is what it said:

masc. proper name, in O.T. second king of Israel and Judah and author of psalms, from Heb. Dawidh, lit. “darling, beloved friend.” The name was common in England and Scotland by 12c., but much earlier in Wales. A nickname form was Dawe, hence surnames Dawson, Dawkins.

As you can see, Dawkins literally translates to “son of David.” Which makes sense, right? And naturally, this has nothing to do with a certain player on a certain football team who happens to wear my birthday on his back…

NFL Playoff Time Overlap

The Patriots/Chargers playoff game ended at 8:18 PM ET. The season premiere of 24 started at 8:00 PM ET. How did we ever survive without TiVo?

We want the ball and…

Even though Matt Hasselback wasn’t on the field for the overtime coin toss, the Seattle Seahawks got the ball to start overtime (just like last time) and couldn’t seal the deal (just like last time). After four quick downs, the Seahawks punted and seven plays later, Robbie Gould’s 49-yard field goal put the Bears into the NFC Championship game. That’s right, the Bears will host the Saints next weekend and the winner will play in the Super Bowl.

*Cough* As it turns out, I already have a trip to Chicago planned for next weekend.

Eagles fall to Saints

It’s always disappointing when your team loses in the playoffs, but I’m actually not too disappointed. The New Orleans Saints defeated the Eagles, and while Philadelphia played a very sloppy game and completely blew it in the second half, there are some positives to the season.

- The Eagles outlasted the Cowboy and the Giants, which is always a success in my book.
- Jeff Garcia played exceptionally well in Donovan McNabb’s absence, restoring my faith in Andy Reid’s system.
- Brian Westbrook established himself as one of the premier backs in the NFL, and it’s rare to have such a player on your team.
- Several players had breakout seasons, including Shawn Andrews, Hank Baskett, Sean Considine, Omar Gaither, and Trent Cole. The 2007 Eagles will be fun to watch.

The Saints are a real feel-good story, and are now the favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. I guess that’s a good thing, although I cringe every time I see owner Tom Benson smiling. But it’s nice to see a New Orleans team succeeding, especially one that doesn’t play in Oklahoma City. Of the teams that I left, I’m going to cheer for the Colts and the Saints, so I think I’ll be pretty pleased with the results.

The #20 Eagles jersey (that’s Brian Dawkins) goes back in the closet for another year.

ESPN.com: Vote for the NEXT athlete

One of my favorite ESPN features is the NEXT athlete features. ESPN the Magazine does a good job of looking to the future and seeing what will come. Generally, they’re pretty good about it. The first year included Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez, who have since ascended to the stratosphere, along with Eric Lindros and Kordell Stewart, who have… well… A-Rod and Kobe are great, right?

The candidates for the 2007 cover include Dwight Howard, who is a monster, of course. He gets my vote easily. Also on the ballot are Evgeni Malkin, Jose Reyes, Calvin Johnson, and Juan Pablo Montoya. Reyes doesn’t really fit in with the others – he’s energizing, but I really don’t think he’ll ever be among the two or three best in his sport. Howard and Malkin, on the other hand, are already almost there, and both still quite young.

Don’t forget to vote early and vote often.

Fly Eagles Fly – Wild Card Weekend

In perhaps the most lopsided 23-20 game I’ve ever seen, the Eagles beat the Giants on Wild Card Weekend. Essentially, the Giants had two relevant drives the whole game (including several penalties) and managed a couple field goals. The Eagles, meanwhile, were generally adept at moving the ball and managed to hold the Giants on several occasions. The close game just might have saved Tom Coughlin’s job (I think he’ll be out anyway) and moves the Eagles onto Divisional Playoff Weekend in New Orleans against the Saints. Let’s hope the Men in Green have gotten their bad football out of the way.

I watched the game at The Town Tavern on West 3rd Street. Town Tavern is essentially an “Eagles Bar” where all New York-based Eagles fans come to watch the games. It’s a great experience, with everyone wearing jerseys (I think #20 Dawkins has passed #5 McNabb as the most popular) and the Eagles fight song on the speakers after each score. I don’t think the owners were Eagles fans when this started last season, but I bet they’re loving the profits. The bar was absolutely packed tonight and exceptionally loud.

Natually, Town Tavern was today’s destination for any Eagles fan living in New York, since it’s a better choice than going into a bar full of New York Giants fans, especially when wearing Eagles garb. I actually walked past a few of these places on the way to Town Tavern, and I really feel like I made the correct choice. There were no fights, lots of cheering, and most importantly a playoff victory for the Philadelphia Eagles. What could be better?

Both New York teams lost today, as the Jets fell to the Patriots. As the Eagles head into a Saints showdown, it’s amazing to think that either the Eagles, Saints, Bears, or Seahawks will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Not only are all of those teams quite flawed, but the warts are gigantic. Obviously, I am pulling for the Eagles, but I think the Saints are the only other team that can compete with the AFC powerhouses.

ESPN.com: College Football’s geographic division

ESPN.com currently has a SportsNation poll up asking, “If available, which player would you want your NFL team to draft?” The choices are geographically diverse: Dwayne Jarrett (USC), Calvin Johnson (Georgia Tech), Adrian Peterson (Oklahoma), JaMarcus Russell (LSU), and Brady Quinn (Notre Dame). Incidentally, I chose Peterson, because I think he will do a great job as Brian Westbrook’s successor.

Though Johnson got the most overall votes, the voting is also broken down by state. Each of the five candidates won at least one state. Jarrett and Quinn, the two weakest candidates, won the states they play in (California and Indiana, respectively), and the other three were divided about as you would expect. Russell won Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama (and strangely, Michigan and Idaho), Peterson ruled the rest of the Southwest plus Ohio, and Johnson ruled Georgia and all points north and east.

It’s quite clear that people voted geographically for this one. Did Peterson win Ohio because all those Bengal fans didn’t want a quarterback? Another interesting, if divisive chart.