A Standing O: The Real President's Day

Most of us suffered from some sort of Super Bowl hangover this morning, but Alex O got up and banged out this blog post. I'm sorry I haven't posted it until now, but Alex is right, this should be a holiday. I'll let him give the argument...and maybe a little trivia too:

The day after Lombardi is raised should be a National holiday (LA Times)

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Today February 7th, 2011 should be a national holiday in the United States of America. It is the day after Super Bowl XLV. Every year the day after the Super Bowl should be a national holiday. As a nation we need a day to digest the big day. I mean this literally. We need a day to digest all the food and beverages consumed. The amount of calories we devoured, mostly derived from meat and cheese--sometimes meat covered in melted cheese, or meat dipped into cheese, we as a nation need a holiday.

This will never happen because it makes too much sense. Next Monday I have President’s Day off (Monday February 21st). Why not just make President’s Day observed on the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday. I don’t think this would be disrespectful to Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln etc. It actually would be perfect, because President’s Day would still be President’s Day since the game is already over. It might actually be beneficial to the economy if people plan get a ways for the 3 day SuperBowl/Prez Day weekend?

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Random Thoughts: Super Bowl, 'Melo, Yankees' Signings, and Cano

I had my first experience taking transportation other than a car to or from Boston this weekend and I can tell you it's not so much fun. But while I flew there, I'm taking Megabus on my way back and being blessed with spotty WiFi, I felt it a good time to blog. I know I've been absent from the blog for a while but I've been transitioning to a new [day] job and haven't had the time I would like to pump out great blog posts for the NYaT audience. So here's a bunch of random sports thoughts as I figure out how to get this guy's job as a ticket broker (H/T Zack):

I'm rooting with the rest of the Cheeseheads for Aaron Rodgers (NYP)

My Super Bowl Team

I don't think I'm alone rooting for the Packers tonight in the Super Bowl. I think while most of the time people root for a team, this battle is a battle of quarterback personalities. While Big Ben has become a hard-to-root-for quarterback with his off-the-field issues, Aaron Rodgers is about as easy to root for as a QB can be. He sat on the bench and didn't complain while Brett Favre did his annual retirement dance and the year that Favre had his personal downfall as a person and player, Rodgers is about to assert himself among the best QBs in the NFL. And if you look at the past 5 Super Bowls, the better story always won, though none will top the Drew Brees taking the post-Katrina Saints all the way last year. I think the Packers are going to win but I'm truly just rooting for an entertaining game.

Carmelo Anthony

I've been pretty adamantly against the Knicks double paying for 'Melo (in prospects and then in money) knowing that he's probably going to sign with the Knicks no matter what in the off-season. But after the Cliff Lee saga, I know that something like that is never certain and if the latest rumored offer (Knicks only giving up Wilson Chandler, Anthony Randolph, and Eddy Curry's obese corpse) is really true, I say go for it. They could go small and have a starting 5 of Amare, Raymond Felton, Landry Fields, Gallo, and 'Melo or move Fields to a super 6th man and start Ronny Turiaf or The Mozgov Cocktail in his place. Carmelo may not make the Knicks that much better (he plays even less defense), but for three players who won't be here next year, I think it's a steal. 'Melo has used his leverage and now the Knickerbockers need to take advantage of it.

Yankees' Latest Signings

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Dallas Too Cold? Let's Do New York!

The Super Bowl is on the line. The kicker stands ready to kick the field goal to either win the game or lose it. The crowd stands breathless, waiting to see if the Super Bowl will end 5-3 or 6-5. It's snowing again at New Meadowlands Stadium, more than a foot now, and the temperature has dipped below 15 degrees. The snap, spot, and the hold is botched in the snow, game over. While this is the NFL's worst nightmare it could very well be a reality since the 2014 Super Bowl will be played in East Rutherford New Jersey, in February, at night. Considering the Winter that the tri-state area has had this year, it is mind boggling to consider that a Super Bowl will be played here. Here's why this is a bad idea...

It Is Bone Chillingly Cold At New Meadowlands Stadium In February

The weather tonight at 6 p.m. at the home of Super Bowl 48 is a balmy 38 degrees, windchill 33, with a 90% chance of rain. Are you ready for some football!?!? While the organizers of Super Bowl 48 will tell fans to "Bring your coats" they are dreaming. Having been to dozens of Jets games in January they should be telling fans "Bring your under armour, turtleneck, long sleeve shirt, fleece jacket, winter coat, ski mask, winter hat, 2 pairs of gloves, long johns, sweatpants, winter pants, 2 pairs of wool socks, and winter boots. Considering what it costs to go to the Super Bowl it is ridiculous to pay that money and freeze, outside.

The Weather, And The Stadium Will Affect Play

Even if it doesn't snow the elements will still have a major role in the game. Just as the old stadium was New Meadowlands Stadium is a proverbial wind tunnel. At times kicking and punting can be downright impossible, I wouldn't feel confident in any kick over 45 yards. This isn't what the Super Bowl should be about. It should be two great teams, with an even playing field playing for the Lombardi trophy. Playing at New Meadowlands Stadium is advantageous to teams with strong running games, as throwing can be very difficult with the intense cold and wind. The team that wins the coin toss will have a huge advantage since they could possibly determine whether the kick to win the Super Bowl will be going into a 25 MPH wind, or against it. That's unfair.

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Wide Right!! Happy Belated 20th Anniversary, Giants Fans

Amidst all the hoopla surrounding next weekend's Super Bowl, I think it's a great time to reflect on our own Super Bowl history here in New York.

Yesterday was the 20th Anniversary of Super Bowl XXV, in which the New York Giants defeated the Buffalo Bills by a score of 20-19.  I distinctly remember watching this game because it's my very first memory of seeing pro football.  My dad and I ordered a pizza and watched the game, start to finish, just the two of us.  No girls allowed!

But getting back to the game itself, this remains the only Super Bowl ever decided by one point.  Scott Norwood blew it wide-right and thus began a string a four straight Super Bowl losses for the Bills.  Norwood's big miss also inspired the plot of Ace Ventura, in the form of a soccer-style kicker named Ray Finkle.  Hopefully Frank Reich remembered to keep the laces out...

Anyway, since the Giants missed the playoffs and because Jets fans are surely still reeling from their second consecutive loss in the AFC Championship Game (but who's counting?), here's a chance to relive the sweet, sweet feeling of Super Bowl victory:

NYaT Roundtable: Wild Card Round Picks

I was watching ESPN the other day and the "Fact or Fiction" question came on the screen that read: "No home team will win a Wild Card game." I was shocked seeing that until I realized that this prediction could really come to fruition. Now the real debate starts is this because of the lack of homefield advantage or the fact that some divisions are not equal to others. I side with the latter but I think we'll see some interesting things this weekend as we do every playoffs. If you're still trying to figure out who is going to win this weekend, here's some thoughts for you from Ben P, Ari, Jay and myself:

Can Marc Sanchez make magic happen on the road again? (NY Mag)

New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts (Colts favored by 2.5)

Ben P says: "The Colts are vulnerable with their injuries, but I don't think the Jets have the defense to pull this out. You can't beat Manning without pressure, but the Jets can't apply pressure unless they blitz and Manning eats up the blitz like Rex Ryan eats up feet. On the other side of the ball the Jets lack consistency on offense on home field is a key here for the Colts." Colts

Ari says: "Because I want to hear Rex Ryan yap for another week" Jets

Jay says: "The Colts overcame a four-point halftime deficit to beat the Jets in last season's AFC Championship game.  In seeking revenge in this year's playoff rematch, Rex Ryan says "it's personal."  I believe him.  Mark Sanchez has improved and shown even more poise than he did last year.  Darrelle Revis should do a good job of locking down Reggie Wayne, which leaves Peyton Manning with fewer options than ever before in the playoffs, thanks to injuries to Austin Collie and Dallas Clark.  Since the Colts' only rushing options are a still-recovering Joseph Addai (89 yards in his last 2 games) and a still-developing Donald Brown (UConn in the house!), I think the Colts will be overmatched offensively.  As long as the Jets protect Sanchez from Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, I think the Jets will escape from Indy with a close win." Jets

My opinion: Last year I had my same issues with the Jets: a mediocre QB, an overrated defense (and the Jets passing D is not as good as last year), and a team lucky to even be in the dance. But after watching the Jets prove me wrong last year, I'm not going to discount them--even with some holes in the secondary. It's not just that the Colts are banged up (and they certainly are) but the fact that they're not as good a team this year as they've been in the past. Like The Office, the Colts are just expected to be good despite the fact that the leading man and all the people around him have declined. The Colts pass rush is weak and if you're not going to get to Mark Sanchez, you're not going to beat the Jets. The Colts beat exactly one playoff team (the Chiefs) and really just breezed through an easy schedule. I wouldn't be shocked if they won, but I'm going with my man Russell and picking the J-E-T-S. Jets

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Super Bowl to Hit the Meadowlands

Quickly throwing up a post on this, because I'm sure most have heard already, but the New York/New Jersey group won the bid for the Super Bowl and so in 2014, they will be playing outdoors at the New Meadowlands Stadium. I have expressed to many friends that I am highly in favor of this move. After 16 weeks of playing in weather (plus a few rounds of playoffs) I always found it odd that the game that counted the most would be one where the National Football League would try to control the weather the most. I understood it from a financial perspective: no chance of snow delays for planes, sponsors get to do presentations outside, and, most importantly, there's the perception that there's more offense in cleaner weather.

Well I say throw it all out. There is no "slippery slope" of all games being moved to cold-weather areas (Bob Kraft already said this was a unique situation after 9/11 and the economic downturn in New York) and even if there was, why would that be so bad? The one time that New Orleans didn't host the Super Bowl, they made it--but imagine if they got to play that game in the Superdome? Why shouldn't every team that has a nice enough stadium get that chance?

And people tell me: "Andrew, but what if it snows?" Truthfully, I think it would be the highest rated Super Bowl ever. Who wouldn't turn in to see that game? And people who paid all that money for the seats will show up regardless as they do for every other game of the season. I think it'll make the game more genuine instead of one that the NFL tries to tweak. And imagine if the Jets or Giants make the playoffs in 2014 with a chance to make that Super Bowl? Imagine the pressure they'll have that year especially to do so. Amazing. I think it's a great idea and I'm excited it's coming. Honestly (and I'm not trying to sound biased since I'm from the area), I can't think of one good reason NOT to have approved it. Kudos to the NFL for doing something cool and smart.

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Open Thread: The Top Five Quarterbacks Of All Time Are...

I'll leave this as an open thread and not give my opinion just yet. Let's just put the beginning of the phrase out there and you finish it: the top five Quarterbacks of all time are...

I'm very curious to see if Peyton Manning's failure to win the Super Bowl last night effects his inclusion in Top 5 lists or Brett Favre has the same issue as well. Here are some candidates with the link to their Pro-Football-Reference page (you can use someone not on this list, but I figured I'd list a bunch).

• Dan Marino 
• Joe Montana 
• Warren Moon 
• John Elway 
• Jim Kelly 
• Johnny Unitas 
• Brett Favre 
• Peyton Manning 
• Tom Brady
• Steve Young
• Dan Fouts
• Fran Tarkington 
• Terry Bradshaw
• Bob Griese
• Ken Anderson

Put your top 5 in the comments below

My Five Favorite 2010 Super Bowl Ads

Part of the fun of the Super Bowl is the advertisements. We laugh, we cry, we cringe, and we sometimes wonder if the company could have spent $3 million a littel better. Although I'm sure there's a few I missed, here's my top 5 (click "read more" on the homepage to see all the videos).

Honorable Mentions: TruTV: Troy “Punxsutawney” Polamalu, Coca Cola: Hard Times (with The Simpsons), Bridgestone: Whale of a Tale, the end of the VW: Punching Game and all the NFL.com commercials.


#5 E-Trade: Girlfriend
The Babies + "The Wolf" + "Milkaholic" = two thumbs up



#4 Bud Light: Survivor
LOST + funny + the hot tub = great (and did you see Dr. Pierre Chang in a different Bud Light ad? Conspiracy? The Numbers? Smoke Monster?)

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What Could Have Been...NFL Players & MLB: Super Bowl Sunday Edition

This is the first edition of a new segment on the blog: "What Could Have Been...". We'll look at what could have been if history had been changed (LOST style). Today's edition--in honor of the Super Bowl--will look at some NFL players who may have been MLB players if things had gone a little different. Now we'll leave out some more obvious ones like Drew Henson, Bo Jackson, Brian Jordan and Deion Sanders. Let's look at some that time may have forgotten (with thanks to Baseball-Reference's Bullpen for help):

John Elway - Elway is one of the most interesting two-way sport stories. TIME Magazine described him in 1983 as "a golden Californiabred whose pedigree is by Johnny Unitas out of Mickey Mantle." Elway was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 1979 MLB draft, but did not sign. He was then drafted by the New York Yankees in the 1981 MLB draft and went on to play in the minor leagues for the Yankees. In 42 games as a 22-year-old outfielder with the short season A-level Oneonta Yankees he hit .318/.432/.464. In the 1983 NFL draft, Elway was drafted by the Baltimore Colts who he had zero interest in playing for. He demanded that he either be traded or he would just play baseball (ESPN pointed out in 2007 that Elway's real leverage was that he showed he could actually succeed at baseball at both Stanford and with the Yankees) . Colts' owner Robert Irsay finally gave in and traded him to the Denver Broncos and the rest is history. But if Irsay hadn't given in, I wonder if Elway would have been serious about sticking with football and playing for the New York Yankees.

Archie Manning - The eldest Manning will be watching his son Peyton play in the Super Bowl tonight but it could have been very different. Manning was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the third round of the 1971 Amateur Draft but he didn't sign. Imagine if he would have gone in that direction...I wonder if his sons would have followed?

Ricky Williams - Maybe it was a good thing they really didn't test for drugs for baseball in the 90s. Williams was drafted out of high school in the 8th round of the MLB draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. Williams played for four years at the Class A level with the Batavia Muckdogs of the New York-Penn League and the Piedmont Boll Weevils of the South Atlantic League. Williams was not much of a hitter. Baseball-reference has all the details:

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Super Bowl XLIV Pool Analysis

The Super Bowl is less than 72 hours away. Some people are deciding whether to host or attend a party, others are deciding which team to root for, while still others are deciding what they will be eating and drinking on an evening that is as much about eating and drinking as watching football.

But for millions, one of the most important decisions that must be made is: which square(s) should I pick in my office/family/friend betting pool? Not an easy decision. Courtesy of hiram@hellskitchen-ny.com by way of KP, here is some well-written and thoroughly-researched analysis of this extremely popular form of Super Bowl wagering:

Super Bowl XLIV Square Pool Analysis

Live Super Bowl/New York Sports Chat at 9:30 PM EST Tonight

Wanted to remind everyone we'll be doing a live Super Bowl/New York sports chat at 9:30 PM tonight. Come with questions/comments/thoughts. Below is some reading material to get you started



-Mashable has an article up today about how Social Media is changing the Super Bowl
-Adweek gets us ready for the commercials
-The New York Times has a really interesting profile on Football's First Family, the Mannings (H/T Sarah)
-SI.com has a list of the best QB performances in Super Bowl history (H/T Paul)
-Speaking of the Mannings, Darren Rovell at CNBC has a very odd Archie Manning prop bet
-USA Today has some more weird and wonderful Super Bowl prop bets (H/T Paul)
-The New York Daily News has Rex Ryan's very expensive finger
-And make sure to check out the interview NYaT did with the Consumer Electronics Association about getting ready for the Super Bowl

Leave comments below if you have some topics you want to bring up. Otherwise, I'll see you all tonight

Guest Post and Live Super Bowl Chat Reminder

First, I wanted to send out a reminder to everyone that we’ll be chatting tonight on the blog about the Super Bowl and everything going on in New York sports. The live chat will start at 9:30 PM and I look forward to seeing you all here for that.


Second, we have a very special guest post for you today. In my sophomore year of college I walked into the sports department of the school newspaper and said I wanted to help out. I walked out with a weekly column. Without that opportunity to write—something I loved to do but wasn’t able to do as much in college as I would have liked as an Economics major—I don’t think there would ever be a blog today. So when I got a message from a college student who was interested in writing a guest post, I didn’t want to say no; actually I was very interested in giving our guest blogger, Aladdin Shilleh, a chance to show what he could do. So without further ado, here is Aladdin’s guest blog on Brett Favre and those long-suffering Minnesota Vikings fans.
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Say what you want about Brett Favre, one undeniable thing about last Sundays game is that the guy can flat out take a beating. There were multiple instances where Favre was hit late after the play and there was no call (including a vicious ankle hit by Bobby McCray that NFL officiating czar said was a missed call--the result of the play was an interception). While last year nobody actually knew what Favre would give the Vikings--he is 40 and coming off a shoulder injury--most people around the football world all wanted him to just go away, “go back to Kiln, MS and get back on that tractor old man” is what they were saying.

For the last 3 or 4 post-seasons when all the Favre drama started up, I predicted each time that he would retire and stay away (after all, he has to hang it up sometime). Everyone (me included) just wished it would end and just let him go off like the legend that he will become. We were all sick of his antics and indecision. Everyone was (and still is) presumably sick of what seems like 5,000 screen shots of his wife Deanna and daughter Brittany (who I personally don’t mind). However, this season is different because of the production that Favre put up in Minnesota, 38 Tds to only 9 Ints. This is a guy that averaged 17 Ints a year for his first 18 years in the league and all of a sudden he learned to stop making stupid throws. Now we all know what Favre can do and most people would like to see him come back and try to win it all next year with a very talented and deep Minnesota team.

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Getting Ready for the Super Bowl

We have a few great things to get you ready for Super Bowl Sunday here at the new and improved NYaT! First, I want to announce that we'll be doing another live chat this week. We'll be doing it on Thursday at 9:30 PM EST right here on the blog so make sure to come back for that excitement as we talk about Superbowl XLIV and all the happenings in New York sports.

But as you get read for the Super Bowl, we wanted to share with you a very special interview we did with Megan Pollock, Consumer Electronics Association Digital Answer Girl.


As we begin planning our Superbowl Sunday get-together or our brackets for March Madness we realize, that, sports fan or not, the games are undeniably a part of our lives. And the way we consume these sports is ever evolving- from live streams of the big game on your mobile phone, to the highest quality of picture that allows you to see whether that first down was made or not- probably more even clearly that the referees themselves can see. The way we as consumers watch sports has changed dramatically in this century alone.

Megan was kind enough to talk to us about how we consume sports in 2010 and the rest of the Consumer Electronics Association results from their 5th Annual “Sports and Technology” Study titled "From Mobile TV to 3D Televisions – The Way We Watch Sports is Changing":

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Can't Fall Asleep So Why Not Some Links

I have a lot of these and I figured that sleepless time was when to post them...

-Release all the inmates!
-I'm excited to get totally LOST again tonight!
-I didn't want to gauge my eyes out so I didn't watch the A-rod/Gammons interview, but it seems Gammons was no Katie Couric (nice job there by Shysterball) according to The Big Lead. More here from Baseball Musings and Doug Glanville in the New York Times. Also ESPN on whether those other 103 names will be released.
-With the New York Rangers free falling or freefallin' (however you want to say it), and have assigned Sean Avery to Hartford of the AHL. This whole situation is very, very odd. The reason he is on the Rangers AHL affiliate is not because he's been traded to or claimed by the Rangers. Rather, the Stars have no AHL affiliate and they need to get him in game shape to get rid of him so he's being assigned to the Hartford team...but because he's not property of the Rangers, none of the Rangers executives can comment about him so we don't know if they'll every actually get him in the end. So confusing!
-Big Ben's legend continues to grow: he played the Super Bowl with broken ribs
-It seems like we can say good-bye to John Carney. My dad and I knew for about 8 weeks that Carney was going to fail once playoff time came. Glad to see he enjoyed his Pro Bowl time, but maybe he could have actually made some kicks against Philly.
-Lane Kiffin!
-Some people have WAYYYYY too much time on their hands. Fack Youk I would put on that list. Though the faces of A-rod (not be confused with The Three Faces Of Eve) are pretty funny.
-So Simmons doesn't hate Kobe? We couldn't have cleared that up in a podcast? We need to waste an article on it? Torre, Phelps, A-rod, and everything else going on...and his feelings about Kobe is what we talk about?
-If this projection is right, the Yanks finish one game out of first but make the Wild Card. I could live with that (H/T Rob Neyer). Glad to see the Yanks give up the least amount of runs in baseball. I would love to see more, but you need a subscription. I may need to spring for the $40 a month this year. Thoughts?
-I think that Cashman made a good decision in not offering Abreu arbitration. Looks like he's goint to sign with the Angels for WAY less.
-Not good news for business schools
-Well at least Obama is trying to sell his ideas instead of Dubya who just went ahead and implemented them. I know there's a different level of approval needed, but still...
-Pete Abraham has some good stuff...as always
-Want free shit at Fridays? Here you go. (H/T Slickdeals). Though you probably already knew that one if you read my primer on deal finding.

Oh...an update because I just found this link about the idiot cop who arrested 8 people in relation to the Michael Phelps "marijuana incident". Think he's going to try to get them to talk and turn on Phelps? Oy.

YES!

Well my square came up in the end Pittsburgh 27 - Arizona 23

$300

It wasn't a great game, but a great ending. Back and forth and some great catches but the Steelers prevailed in the end. Amazing.

Commercials were OK. QB play was very good. WRs did a great job. The Boss did a nice job. Defense was lacking, especially at the end of the game. Pittsburgh almost blew a double digit lead, but prevailed and made me a few bones.

Overall, fun times.

Congrats to Astron

Tonight I attended Astron Solutions 10 year anniversary. Astron Solutions is a New York-based consulting firm dedicated to the delivery of human resource consulting services and supportive technology. I joined them in 2006 as a summer intern in marketing. One of my tasks was to maintain their blog. That is my other blog (for which my official title is still blogmaster) and the inspiration for my blogging.

One question they asked everyone at the event is "where were you 10 years ago?". In January of 1999, I was a freshman in high school, the Euro was established, Dennis Hastert became Speaker of the House, and Super Bowl XXXIII was won by the Denver Broncos and John Elway--their second in a row and the final game of Elway's career. Two days after the month ended, Hugo Chavez became President of Venezuela.

We've come a long way since 1999...congrats to Astron, and let's hope there's many more :)

A Rare QB Matchup

So the questions was posed to me by Wolinsky: when was the last time that two quarterbacks faced each other in the Super Bowl each already with Super Bowl rings?

So up until Super Bowl XLIII begins in two weeks with Kurt Warner against Big Ben, the last time (and only time) that I could find a Super Bowl that the two QBs already had rings was Super Bowl XIII in 1979. In that game, Roger Staubach and Terry Bradshaw battled it out in Florida. 30 years later (also in Florida), we finally have that matchup again. I think this speaks volumes to the parity in football...even before free agency began.

Amazing