Chris Berman Shows His True Feelings for Al Michaels
12 February 2008
No Comments » | 
Uncategorized | Tagged: Al Michaels, Chris Berman, ESPN, Video | 
Permalink
Posted by tyduffy
Dolphins Preparing Way for Dorsey?
12 February 2008
ESPN will harp on about sharp, amiable white man and future analyst Trent Green being cut, but there may be a far more significant outcome from today’s trimming of rosters by the Dolphins, three of the players were defensive tackles, Keith Traylor, Anthony Bryant, and Marquay Love.
The Dolphins “earned” the #1 overall pick in the draft for their disastrous 1-15 season in 2007. Though Parcells has been actively looking to trade out of the spot, the lack of a can’t miss skill position prospect worthy of that pick, with the plausible exception of Arkansas RB Darren McFadden, seems to have severely limited potential trade options.
Stuck with taking the #1 overall pick, the Dolphins may opt for dominant LSU defensive end Glenn Dorsey. The cuts at defensive tackle may be in part due to a conversion to a more Parcells-esque 3-4, but the moves today may prove a sign of things to come, with the Dolphins now on the clock.
No Comments » | Football, NFL, Sports, Sports Media | Tagged: NFL Draft, ESPN, LSU, Miami Dolphins, Bill Parcells, Glenn Dorsey, Arkansas, Darren McFadden | Permalink
Posted by tyduffy
Move the Rally, But Don’t Call it Dakar
12 February 2008
Frequent guests at Odds and Sods, all eight of them, are probably having the same reaction right now. Car racing, wha? But, unbeknown to many there lies a passionate petrol-head underneath the grounded, green, prius-praising exterior relegated to the Monday Night “Top Gear” fix. The fellow who trods twenty minutes to school every day through sleet and snow secretly gets a jolt from four on the floor and an abundance of brake-horsepower. Moving right along.
The Dakar Rally is perhaps the most famous car race in the world. 500 or so rally cars rumble through hill, dale and desert in a raucous race from Paris to Dakar, Senegal.
The 2008 race was canceled by the French government, over terrorism concerns in Mauritania, home of eight out of fifteen stages. And, the 2009 edition has just announced that it will be moving to South America. The new course will begin in Buenos Aires on Jan. 3 and return to the capital on Jan. 18 after traversing Patagonia, the Andes, and the most arid spot on earth, the Atacama desert.
Moving the race will cause an uprising among the purists, but it is fairly reasonable that one cannot conduct a race in an unstable environment.
The move, however, should not be accompanied by the “Dakar” label. Retaining the name, though perhaps better for publicity, would cheapen the romance and prestige of the event itself, an ocean away from the actual Dakar.
Anachronisms are never a good thing. Prominent examples are American sports franchises that retain their nickname after moving. The Los Angeles Lakers has been beaten into our brains for so long it seems fitting, but how many lakes are there in the Los Angeles area? that haven’t been dried up to pump drinking water for the masses? Even more egregious are the Utah Jazz. The handle proves fitting for a team from New Orleans. For a city devoid of both culture and black people, not so much.
The rally probably needs to be moved, but the name “Dakar” should stay where it belongs. Hopefully, should the political turmoil tumble away, the race will be able to return to its home.
2 Comments | Auto Racing, Sports | Tagged: Argentina, Dakar Rally, Los Angeles Lakers, Marketing, Move, Top Gear, Utah Jazz | Permalink
Posted by tyduffy
