Quick and Dirty

That's what she said! [Editor's Note: HEY-OH!]

While our Friday is shaping up to be one of those Fridays you do not look forward to (read: busy), we figured we still had enough time to slip in a Link Dump so long as we kept the introduction short, sweet, and to the point.

The GameTime, TBD© family would like to take a moment to send our thoughts and prayers to the family of legendary manager George "Sparky" Anderson, who passed away yesterday.  The Chief had the privilege and honor of meeting Sparky Anderson a few years ago.  By a few years ago, I mean way back in first grade.  [Editor's Note: Yes, I am having trouble coping with the fact I turn 30 this year, so I am pretending first grade was only "a few years ago".]  To many of the first graders in his class, meeting Sparky Anderson was not that big of deal.  After all, most of the six and seven-year-old kids had never heard of the guy.  But the Chief's family had just moved to Southern California from Rochester Hills, Michigan, and he was more than familiar with Anderson's success with the Detroit Tigers and their 1984 World Series victory.  When asked what he recalled about meeting Sparky, the Chief simply shrugged.  After all, it was twenty-three years ago and he was seven.  He does remember being the most excited student in class that day, shaking his hand, and catching Sparky off guard with his knowledge of the Tigers.  But mostly the Chief is just honored to be able to say he once met one of the greatest managers in Major League Baseball history.

It is always awkward when you try to transition from discussing someone's death to a bunch of funny links of random sports stories.  You know what makes it even more awkward? Pointing out that it is awkward.  And with that, I am just going to shut up and get to the stuff you came for:

• We get started with a video/explanation combo deal, compliments of Canada.  Are we really that surprised?
• The NFL Network completed its list of the Top 100 players of all time.  The line for debaters forms to your right.
• Should I be sad that it is news when the Lions sellout a game?
• The Onion may have inadvertently written an accurate news story.  Good news though: it is still funny.
• Your source is one hundred-thousand-million-trillion percent accurate?  Oh, well count me as a believer then.
• This does not bode well for Cam Newton, his Heisman chances, or the rest of Auburn's season.
• Call me nuts, but I think you have the balls to make it here.
• What is the problem with WTF?
• If you are the owners of the Dodgers, and your bitter divorce is sucking up all the organization's money, what are you to do?  Why, sue a random hamburger joint in New York of course.
• Come on.  Is betting on the Mets to lose really considered gambling?

We are not going to lie.  Not a lot of exciting news stories came out of the sports world this week.  Yes, the Vikings waiving Randy Moss caught most everyone completely by surprise.  But you know that it not the type of main-stream story we look to post on GameTime, TBD©.  Nor are we about to link you all to the thousands of "Brett Favre Dong Sexter" Halloween costume pictures we have seen over the past week.  That being said, this past week produced solid crop of videos we thought you would appreciate.  So here you go:

• DJ Steve Porter (remember him?) returns with his newest mix: Randy Moss One Clap.
• You stay classy, San Diego.
• Yup, it is a tribute song to Zenyatta . . . who is a horse, a horse, of course, of course.  [Editor's Note: aw, how cute.]
• Speaking of tribute songs, this video is described as "a tribute song to terrible players on championship teams."  Can not go wrong with Scrubs with Rings.
• Hard to deny, that is a catchy jingle.
• Since my family is from upstate New York, I know all about Buffalo winters.  Luckily, Florida-native C.J. Spiller is getting the training he needs.
• This may be the first and only time the Los Angeles Clippers will make the Link Dump, compliments of Ralph Lawler.  Luckily, you do not have to watch past the eleven-second mark.
• Wow, Manny Pacquiao has some pipes.
• And, of course, it is not the end of the week until Jimmy Kimmel has mocked the FCC.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Off and Running

Happy New Year everyone! The folks here at GameTime, TBD© hope you all had happy, healthy, and safe 2009 holiday season. We certainly did.

About this time of year, all the magazines are telling you how to make 2010 the best year ever. Their first piece of advise is usually to cut down on the New Year's Resolutions, make them more reasonable. Well, the just would not be the Chief's style. No, no. At current count, there are five resolutions, and most of them are the usual resolutions (loss weight, make my Better Half as happy as possible, blah, blah, blah). But on of my resolutions was brought front and center during the first week of 2010. Who could ask for more?

The resolution I am talking about now is this: I would like to see GameTime, TBD© play some role in making the (sports) blog-o-sphere a more responsible arena for the sharing of information to the masses. There is no denying that sports blogs are here to stay and that they have reached the level of mainstream media. Many have the ability to break news or bring stories to more people faster than most normal channels of media. That is why many of the creators of the more popular blogs have been offered positions with more established media outlets (ESPN, SI, etc.). But there is one thing the sports blogs tend to do that established media outlets do not: post news and information with little to no fact checking.

Case in point: if you watched the Fiesta Bowl on Monday night, these ten seconds flashed across your television screen during halftime. Almost instantaneously, the blog-o-sphere was put to action, posting links to the video, creating animated GIFs, and generally having fun at the expense of a girl who seemed to be playing a pretty uninspired cowbell (really, explore the studio space this time). I saw the moment during the telecast and thought nothing of it. I saw the ten-second clip on most of the blogs I visit regularly and thought something just did not seem right; and I was right (she's never even been to Mt. Vesuvius). For the better part of six hours, many posts, hundreds (if not thousands) of emails (I got 5 myself within the first hour from some friends), and probably millions of comments were made about "Sad Cowbell Girl". And believe you me, most of the things people said were not nice.

Yes, I know around these parts we have fun at other people's expense quit frequently; I am not claiming to be some angel. But most of those videos we post are people doing stupid things (and yes, we have more for you today . . . 2010 starts with a bang). I am not trying to say that we should stop people from putting that ten-second clip on YouTube or what not. I am just saying that many of the sports blogs out there need to realize they are part of the mainstream media now. Some people turn to them more than ESPN or CBSSports or SI these days. And yes, I dream of a day when GameTime, TBD© plays a role similar to that (maybe I should consider putting a little more time into it then . . . hey, wait a sec, that's right there at #3 on my resolution list, go figure). So it is time that we all accept a little more responsibility for our actions. Thankfully the Boise St.'s cowbell player is blind, so she will only ever know what people tell her. She will never see those things that have been written about her. But her family will, and so will her friends, and I, for one, do not want to be a part of making anyone feel sad, hurt, or angry (unless they bring it upon themselves by letting someone video tape them doing something stupid and not destroying the evidence immediately thereafter . . . then you totally get what you deserve).

I am sure 2010 is going to be a great year of sports and the bloggers of the world will play a large in that. So I am calling on all of us to make sure we take whatever extra steps necessary to ensure that we are contributing to the greatness, not taking away from it (Fox is going to do plenty of that on its own, they don't need our help). With that, here is my first contribution to 2010:

• I do not know when this picture of Marisa Miller and Brooklyn Decker was taken . . . and more importantly, I do not care. You. Are. Welcome (assuming hot attractive female blonds are your thing).
  
• The title says it all: "10 Fictional Sporting Events We'd Pay Good Money to Attend". [Bonus: includes video.]
• The NBA would like to remind you that guns do not kill people, gambling debts that lead to people brandishing firearms kill people.
  
• Let me see, that makes four career touchdowns and four career arrests. Matt Millan's brilliance astounds me.
• Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio will interview next week for the head coaching position in Jacksonville. Wait a sec . . .
  
• Apparently whales are beaching themselves in Kansas City these days. I did not even realize Kansas City had beaches.
  
• Too bad for you, I submitted my resume yesterday morning. Rest assured, Sara Tetzler, your job is safe.
• Looks like Tennessee will not be fielding very many competitive teams next year.
• If you take only one thing from this article, let it be that the Baseball Writers Association of American has a Secretary Treasurer. And they wonder why everyone else thinks they are full of themselves.
• Countless (read: 5) fans will be devastated by this news.
• Why God, why?
• Tough break for those of you who took Houston (Lee) High +134. They almost had it.

I think my favorite quote in that last story is the one where the Yates' coach talks about not wanting to be a bad coach. I totally understand where he is coming from . . . not. That guy totally deserves to get punched in the face (I hear Jim Leavitt is available to help me out). Speaking of getting punched in the face:

• It is "The Best Fails of 2009" (long, but totally worth it).
• And we have an early candidate for "The Best Fails of 2010".
• Amazing goal . . . no amazing goal . . . no, amazing goal.
• DJ Steve Porter (whose first and second appearances on GameTime, TBD© were two of your favorites last year) is back with more goodness.

Well, there you have it. We are officially off and running in 2010. Have a great weekend everyone!