Sports

But of course there’s a Tebow song

I wrote recently about Cee Lo Green changing John Lennon’s “Imagine” lyrics. Now it seems there’s another case of lyrics-changing making headlines. Only this time, the original artist has made the changes, so it’s legit, if a bit corny. Artists are allowed to take liberties with their own work. British musician John Parr, whose “St. … Continue reading »

Football fashion is serious business

I have failed utterly to get Vodpod to work and embed this video. If I ever succeed, it will be added. However, I promise if you care anything at all about football and football uniforms (the design thereof), you’ll find the take by Mo Rocca very entertaining. You can read the story or watch the … Continue reading »

Wherein I apologize to Tim Tebow

I owe Tim Tebow an apology. Even before he got to Denver to play football, I bashed him for his “pro family” Super Bowl ad. All the hardcore Christian fans in the area went berserk when he got here, as though he were some sort of savior come to raise a lousy Broncos team from … Continue reading »

How to do Black Friday

I don’t have anything to say, really. But I’m tired of looking at that turkey photo on the front page. As noted previously, my son and his family went skiing on Thanksgiving, but we got together yesterday to have a wonderful time and thumb our noses at the Black Friday lunatics who were jamming the … Continue reading »

Feet of clay

Last night Penn State University trustees fired head coach Joe Paterno for his seeming complicity in and indifference to a child molestation incident in 2002. The university president was also fired. The firing came just hours after Paterno announced his intention to retire at the end of the season. In 2002, then–graduate assistant Mike McQueary … Continue reading »

‘Tebowing’? Really?

I’m a number of years past my fanatical football fan days. But through attrition, distance, and a general shortening of my attention span, my interest has waned considerably over the last ten or fifteen years. For that reason, I didn’t know or care who Tim Tebow was when he was drafted a couple of years … Continue reading »

Manly men

Was it Old Spice ads that used to talk about manly men doing manly things? Anyway, I’ve decided the most manly men doing the most manly things are the New Zealand and France rugby teams playing in the 2011 Rugby World Cup right now. I’ve watched a lot of different sports, but rugby takes the … Continue reading »

Nice flag, not so nice uniforms

Ugly as they are, those new University of Maryland football uniforms are not unique. The Charm City girls roller derby team did the helmets first, almost. The similarity is unmistakable. But when both teams incorporate the same state flag, it’s inevitable. Makes you glad your favorite sports team isn’t in Maryland … unless it is. … Continue reading »

‘This ain’t no uniform,’ this is a train wreck

I’d no sooner gotten home from an appointment with my ophthalmologist than an IM from my son popped up on my computer screen: “Want to see the ugliest football uni ever?” Of course I did. We talk about team uniforms a lot and have very strong opinions about what looks good and what doesn’t. We’re … Continue reading »

Denver heating up — and it’s not the weather

We can all use a little news on the lighter side these days, and that’s what’s coming out of Denver next week. We are hosting … drum roll, please … the International Pole Dance Championship! Although associated with seedy strip clubs, competitive pole dancing requires a great deal of strength and athleticism. Think acrobatics rather … Continue reading »

Congratulations, Japanese women, winners of 2011 World Cup

Women’s World Cup championship – Nothing but winners today

With the women’s World Cup championship match about to begin in Frankfurt, Germany, I find myself thinking there will be no losers today. I’d love to see the U.S. win, but there’s no way I can root against Japan. After what happened to their country earlier this year, I’m amazed they could even field a … Continue reading »

NBC and its ‘godless’ U.S. Open

Had I watched the U.S. Open over the weekend, I might have seen the little patriotic montage that NBC ran. But I doubt I would have noticed what seems to have upset a lot of people — the scenes were pieced together in a way that skipped the phrase “under God” when the Pledge of … Continue reading »

Iowa athlete right; mixed wrestling wrong

Looks like I’m out of step and behind the times — again. Yesterday Joel Northrup, a high school wrestler in Iowa, refused to wrestle a female opponent, Cassy Herkelman. And he’s been catching all kinds of grief ever since. Some say he’s a cop-out, a quitter, a sissy; he let down his team. Some say … Continue reading »

Congratulations, Rapids – 2010 MLS Champs!

Heartiest congratulations to the Colorado Rapids, winners of the 2010 MLS Cup. For the uninitiated, that’s the Super Bowl of U.S. soccer. Playing this evening in Toronto, the Rapids beat FC Dallas 2-1 in overtime to win their first ever MLS Cup. It wasn’t pretty, but nobody in Colorado is complaining. A goal is a … Continue reading »

For this horse, ‘impressive’ is an understatement

Okay, I really need to get a DVR. I just came across the 2010 World Equestrian Games and had the privilege of watching Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas win the Freestyle Dressage event. I’ve seen a fair amount of dressage, but not the freestyle event where the riders choreograph the required moves to their choice … Continue reading »

Sainz can’t have it both ways

I can’t resist commenting on the incident a few days ago involving TV Azteca sports reporter Ines Sainz in the NY Jets locker room. You can find all the details of the incident and the ensuing debates elsewhere. We could argue endlessly about equal rights for women, professionalism, cultural differences, and sexuality, ad nauseum, but … Continue reading »

Focus on the Family ad: Part II

Y’all remember back during the Super Bowl, there was a big flap about the evangelical group Focus on the Family running an ad with Tim Tebow and his mom? Pro choicers like me got really hot about the idea  that an anti-abortion ad would be accepted, much less broadcast, during the Super Bowl. The ad … Continue reading »

Holding out before you’ve played a game

I didn’t know for sure who Tim Tebow was until I heard he and his mom were going to do an anti-abortion ad during this year’s Super Bowl. Such a commotion before we even saw the ad. But the whole flap did remind me that he’s the overtly Christian player who writes Bible verses on … Continue reading »

Sometimes my mind plays tricks …

WTF? That was my reaction when I first saw this photo. The shinguard was a clue, however, so I went looking for an explanation at World Cup sites. Turns out the guy on top is Juan Angel Napout, president of the Paraguayan Football Association, and the guy on the bottom is Paraguayan player Nelson Ahedo … Continue reading »