Weekend Sports Update
After signing Derek Lowe a season ago, the Dodgers have now hired Grady Little, signed Bill Mueller and Nomar Garciapara, and are reportedly rushing to print Los Angeles Red Sox t-shirts before the Christmas shopping season is over. Really I think these moves, along with the signing of SS Rafael Furcal, will make the Dodgers a better team in April, but I have to say that the continual shake-ups that have haunted the team over the past five or ten years (two new owners, three managers, various GMs, and revolving door in the locker room) makes me wonder who I'm pulling for--the Dodgers logo? Tommy Lasorda? I don't know. This team is a far cry from the Dodgers I pulled for in my formative years of the early 90's, when they had 4 or 5 rookies-of-the-year in a row and everybody on the team seemed like they were part of the family. I guess that's the reality of baseball these days. I'm glad I like the sport, because otherwise there would be no reason to watch.
In other news, UNC is still rolling along. I think they have a good chance of going 9-1 and making the top 15 before their January 7 meeting with State. I have to be back from Durham by Thursday, Dec. 29, but I might get Brooklynne to stay for the UNCA game on the 28th. If so, you can try to see me in the crowd on Raycom/JP. Also, I wanted to pass along a link from Marshall who found this site of UNC basketball clips. The first clip is the best, especially since I saw many of those dunks in person while a student at UNC.
Just for fun, if you have a quick connection, or time to wait on a long download, here is another clip you should check out.
***UPDATE: Jackie's dunk video was malfunctioning on some people's computers and was playing automatically in a loop, which was really annoying, so I moved it to the extended entry page. you can still view it by clicking the "continue reading" link below.***
Finally, the Steelers are hanging in there, and I feel good about their chances to make the play-offs. They are tied with the Chargers for the last AFC wildcard slot, but the Steelers' remaining opponents are a combined 9-19 (Browns and Lions), while San Deigo's opponents are 19-9 (Chiefs and Broncos). The Steelers also beat the Chargers in a head-to-head meeting, so I think Pittsburg wins the tie-breaker (?).
This is my cousin John Buck who's playing for Wake.
As a Cubs fan, I'm not so happy to see Nomar Garciaparra leave us. I'm in your same boat Miles. I feel like I'm pulling for the Cubs logo and not much else. Where are the days of Andre, Ryno, and Sut???
I hate the idea of buying a team, but I am excited about the Dodgers' off-season moves. Not because they've added a number of batting titles, gold gloves, and all-star selections to this year's lineup, but because that lineup full of big names is full of short contracts. While at first glance it might appear that the Dodgers are utilizing a "let's overpay for aging talent to try to win now" strategy, what is happening simultaneously is that the Dodgers are determined to have, in the very near future, a home-grown team full of young talent. They have a bunch of young guys who are almost ready for the majors, so they're getting older talent in the short term, WITHOUT TRADING ANY OF THE PROSPECTS. YES! (If you wonder, as I did, why they don't just go ahead and bring these guys up, let me know. I have a fantastic Nintendo analogy by Larry Travis to explain it to you.) In a couple of years, we'll have a team full of real Dodgers. In the meantime, I'll pull for Tommy and the name on the jersey, and be proud that one of the most important Dodger traditions (a solid farm system growing great players) is alive and well.
I can only get the audio for the dunk clip.
Miles ... can you please email me (mattburly@yahoo.com) to let me know how to put video on the blog?