Purple power
Well, Northwestern did win the season opener over Kansas 28-20, although they were nearly done in by a couple of freak plays. When they should've been running down the clock up 21-14, they did a quick three-and-out and then had a punt blocked. Somehow, the extra point snap was botched and the holder sacked -- thus keeping it 21-20. A late clock-killing TD drive did the trick, although there were tense moments at the end.

Jason Wright looked good at times. The 196 yards were great, but on 41 carries, well, you can tell there were some big runs plus a bunch of short gains. Roger Jordan has emerged as the go-to receiver, breaking the 100-yard mark. I didn't realize he was 6-3, 220. That's David Boston size. I would hope the Cats take advantage of him during the year.

However, I'm still not sure I like the new uniforms. The white-on-white isn't great, but the numbers are just strange looking. Even weirder than the digital Titans numbers from the 2000 season.

On a related note, former Northwestern tennis player Todd "Mr. Fantastic" Martin advanced at the U.S. Open in a match that was going on concurrently with the Cats game. It's hard to believe his match, a tough four-setter against Robby Ginepri, was about as long as the football game. Martin just seems to hang around and do just well enough these days, but he's always fun to watch during those night matches.

Pigskin overload
I'm surprised my brain hasn't exploded yet after flipping through tons of college football games, not to mention the U.S. Open. And with no NFL games this weekend, there's even more of it coming up. I wonder if my mind can take it all in.

Here are some other thoughts from the first bit of action:
-- I'm happy that Comcast Sports Southeast is picking up the Big Ten ESPN Plus package. As much as I like to listen to Northwestern games on WGN Radio, I'd like to actually see a few games without having to force myself to a sports bar. With the way the Cats could be this year, I expect a lot of those ESPN Plus games this season.
-- Speaking of TV, I think the cameramen and directors are still getting used to game action. There have been too many instances where cameras have expected playaction passes only to have it be a run.
-- What's up with the one-tone uniforms? I like some contrast between pants and shirts in football. I'm seeing it with FSU-UNC right now, although white (FSU) and Carolina blue (UNC) isn't too bad. But the all-orange ensemble Illinois was sporting was pretty nasty. And don't get me started on Oregon's space-age pajamas.
-- ABC's regional coverage of games is definitely a double-edged sword. It's good to appease different regions with games featuring local teams, but when there's an obvious national game of interest, it can be aggravating as a "national" fan or a transplant from somewhere else to see a somewhat "lesser" game. Tonight, Ohio State-Washington is on almost everywhere in the country, but since we're in ACC country, we're getting Florida State-North Carolina. It's happened a few times last year when a good Big 12 or Big Ten gets bumped here in favor of Georgia Tech-Clemson, for instance. Maybe when the "new" ACC forms next year will there be some better games on the board (or at least not feel so bad for missing out on a big game).

Well ... out with it!
What would it take to work for the athletic department at Faber College?

I suppose those of you sports fans on here go to the competition as opposed to the site where I work, so you may not have noticed the new look. The transition has been a bear to say the least, especially since it became official just I as got back from San Diego. Lots of headaches, that's for sure. So please bear with me if I'm crankier or more worn out than usual.

What a racket
Some news and notes about the U.S. Open, since I'm getting a nice dose of it during the day and the fact that it helps give me something else to follow other than baseball and football:

-- I was never a big Pete Sampras fan, although I definitely respected his game and his accomplishments. Maybe he was a bit boring, maybe it was because a family friend called him Pete sam-PRAS years ago when he won his first U.S. Open. I'm not sure what it was, but something never sat right with me regarding him.

-- I was obviously a Michael Chang fan growing up, although it seems sad that his going-away bash was so understated, then again he was barely hanging on to respectability at the end. It's also weird that he was the first of the post-Connors/Mac Americans to win a Grand Slam but never won any other majors after that. He helped set the tone for Courier (another favorite now doing the TV thing), Agassi and Sampras to win their majors. However, Chang is the one guy who barely aged from his early days to his final matches -- the hair is only receding a little bit.

Jon Wertheim has a nice tribute to Chang, although I somewhat disagree with his assessment that Chang brought a lot of Asian-Americans into the game. Asians, yes. He made for a great role model since he made so many appearances in Asia. But from what I could tell growing up, tennis was the sport of choice among Asian-Americans even before Chang hit the scene.

-- I suppose it's good that Sampras "went out on top" but his hints and false starts with his retirement were a bit annoying. At least he hasn't dragged it out as long as Martina Hingis, or done the NBA thing by having reports of retirement surface so many times that the real thing is an afterthought.

Sampras' farewell party was well done, although I'm wondering since when did the U.S. Open opt for a cheesy opening ceremony? After seeing the "Movin' Out" stuff, we wondered at work what artist would have their catalog become a musical next. "Silent Lucidity" -- the Queensryche musical. "Livin' on a Prayer" -- the dramatic interpretation of Bon Jovi. "A Flock of Seagulls -- the musical." And so on and so on.

-- Andy Roddick proves yet again that Reebok made a horrible decision by making those trucker-type caps cool again. Besides, is that any good for mopping up the sweat while you're playing?

-- Gee, Anna Kournikova isn't playing, and yet she throws out the first pitch at a Yankees game, does a bunch of PR appearances for XBox, makes Jeff Bezos look like Kevin Spacey's character in American Beauty, and gets a "reporter" job for USA Network? OK, makes sense to me. Then again, did you see what she was wearing during her first segment? Sweet fancy Moses! However, I do wonder if Anna's segment was intentionally shown during Ashley Harkleroad's second-round match? And wouldn't you know, she lost -- although it was to a seeded player.

-- One intriguing second-round women's matchup has Mary Pierce facing Jelena Dokic. There are so many weird storylines flying: the vagabond nationalities, the crazy fathers, their "paper bag" looks.

-- Maybe they'll come later, but I really miss those marathon matches that take so long that they creep into the CBS late-night recap show.

-- Now that I've watched a lot of tennis, it's about time for me to get back on the court for the first time in ages.

Another preseason game, another major injury to a young star quarterback. Just another part of Jets lore, oh goody.

The whole NFL preseason is a strange monster. Teams charge full price for tickets and add them onto the season ticket plans. However, the stadiums are usually never close to being full, and for good reason. The starters usually don't play more than a half, and as we've seen, they're often exposed to potentially serious injury. However, those who really follow college football will get a kick out of "Hey, I remember that guy" when it gets down to the third- and fourth-stringers in the second half -- maybe. I have been happy to see Sam Simmons and Damien Anderson pull of big plays this preseason, but they're usually at the point when most fans have either left the building or switched off the TV.

And to think, I actually spent $34 plus $10 for parking to watch a Chargers exhibition game. I did see the first Falcons game as well, but I lucked into free tickets three rows behind the end zone thanks to a friend.

Rock on, Chicago
Unfortunately, we must say goodbye to the strange but compelling musical phenomenon that was Wesley Willis.

Nostalgia gone bad
Yes, I'm hooked on I Love the '70s, even though I was born midway through the decade and only remember bits and pieces of living during the decade. Yet somehow I remember much of the stuff being featured on the show, despite the fact that some of it came out before I was born. I suppose it was fun (and convenient) to bring back guys like Michael Ian Black, Hal Sparks, Mo Rocca and Rich Eisen, but these guys are only a few years older than me, so how could they have that much interesting or relevant to say based on actual experiences at the time. As long as you can crack wise, I guess it doesn't really matter if you could barely remember a Pet Rock or leisure suits. I'm sure I'll have more once I see the episodes on years while I've been alive.

However, the biggest thing to disturb me so far is the dueling hairstyles on Michael Ian Black. I guess he's on so much, that they needed him for at least two sittings and thus the two hairdos. Not even the best of editors can get over that lack of continuity.

No-no-notorious
The Michael Vick injury just continues a new curse of the Madden NFL cover boy (Faulk, Culpepper and George have all gotten hurt or slumped the year of their appearance), which is itself an offshoot of the Chunky Soup curse (see Terrell Davis, Warner and McNabb have been hurt during their sponsorship runs). While baseball and basketball seem to be safe for now, hockey is now an issue after Jarome Iginla struggled last season. That's why folks down here in Atlanta are even more paranoid with Dany Heatley on the cover of NHL 2004. (I'm sure Alyson has a mixed reaction to that.)

The more you walk, the more you toot
I finally got around to reading Moneyball during my travels, and I’m pretty torn as to how I feel about Billy Beane’s system and the whole stats-driven way of evaluating players.

On one hand, it’s cool and somewhat intriguing to see a team actually put stock in positive college/minor league stats. I’d always go nuts during the NFL Draft when top college players who put up big numbers get ignored, sometimes seemingly for having the stats as if the numbers were inflated to make up for deficiencies the scouts saw. (Although I sometimes think scouts also want to show off their relevance by digging up the diamonds in the rough from small colleges or combine freaks.)

During both the NFL and NBA Drafts, there’s always that inclination to draft “athletes” instead of “football players” or “basketball players.” So, in that sense, putting stock in stat-producing “ball players” is refreshing. Besides, there is a fair share of players notable for not looking like athletes (Babe Ruth, John Kruk, Tony Gwynn in later days).

I also enjoyed Lewis’ player stories, which helped to illustrate how the A’s scouting differed from most of the rest of the league. There are plenty of success stories, that’s for sure, and honestly, it’s the best way to illustrate some of the more arcane statistical arguments at work.

It’s definitely needed, because one thing I’ve come away from reading the book is that I don’t think I’m “worthy” enough to watch or write about baseball anymore. Many athletic types have always said you can't really appreciate a sport if you've never played it. But now the stats people say the numbers they've come up with are gospel and if you follow anything else (especially those from the "establishment"), you're a fool.

The old-school baseball guys have their own ways of evaluating players and approaching the game. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But for the most part, it comes from a love of the game, how it’s played, etc. Yes, they’re stubborn, and it’s an attitude fostered after years of being the lead dog because of their athletic ability.

On the other hand, the growing population of stat-intensive baseball fans/decision makers seem to have taken the fun out of the game. It’s hard to say these days, “It’s just a game,” but in this case it’s true. There’s too much money at stake, so it only makes sense that some would approach it with the same cold, calculating but thoughtful intensity of mathematicians, economists, financiers, etc. It’s somewhat odd to think that Billy Beane would rather watch games on his pager instead of on the field, but when given all he’s gone through, he’s seen the sausage factory and he’d rather not go back.

People like Bill James and his followers definitely have broken some amazing ground on statistical analysis, and it obviously takes a bright mind and passion for baseball to do what they do. We all have our questions about stats (I’ve always wondered why errors on a linescore, for instance), and they’ve taken it to a new level.

However, there’s also an arrogance among many of the disciples that what they’re doing is right and everybody else – the old-school establishment, the media, the fans – is stupid. It’s like an ivory tower approach to baseball. Unfortunately, you can see that Beane has picked up the same attitude. In an odd way, it’s like the battle between the nerds and the jocks, and Beane has crossed over to the nerd side (maybe we should call him Ogre).

The A’s approach as a whole season as opposed to a game-by-game basis is different, but it makes sense and helps to bring sample size and more statistically significant matters into the equation. Unfortunately, this calculating approach has little value when it comes to short playoff series. That's the one glaring hole in the whole approach -- not everything will even out in a short period of time, and things considered anecdotal like luck can actually wreak havoc with the results. Sometimes I wonder if all of those computer simulations of the World Series that used to be a popular staple of coverage in the ‘80s would suit the stat-types better?

Like anything else, Beane’s approach is just one way to look at and run the team. Unfortunately, Lewis got a bit too indoctrinated into the system and in the last few chapters, you can see him sort of acting like an A’s lapdog. If it weren’t for the success stories of underdogs like Jeremy Brown, Chad Bradford or Scott Hatteberg, Oakland comes across as the low-priced version of the Yankees -- nyeah, nyeah, we win because we’re better than you and there’s nothing you can do about it.

California adventure

Time to blog about the trip now that I’m flying over Arizona on the way home. The trip to San Diego was fun and somewhat productive. Getting away from Atlanta and the office for a few days but still spending time with friends and family was definitely helpful, even if it will be hell back at work come Tuesday morning.

My apologies if this runs long and even more self-serving than Monday Morning Quarterback …

Wednesday: A sudden morning downpour altered my plans for parking at work and taking MARTA to the airport. I then started a mad scramble for my alternate airport parking plans (going to a station next to the airport), although I did make it on time. It was just strange not having that hour-plus cushion I usually have when flying.

I was surprised that Finding Nemo was playing on my flight. I had no problems watching it again, although isn’t it still playing in a lot of theaters? If many movies have such quick turnarounds from theaters to airplanes, I suppose Gigli or From Justin to Kelly will be in Delta’s rotation next month.

Hotel sider: I’ve mentioned this before, but many times, the more expensive the hotel, the less you actually seem to get. The hotel where I stayed (and where the convention was) was in a great location just a couple of minutes from downtown and right next to the airport (I could see the terminal from my hotel room). Plus it had a nice lobby and bar, which got really busy the first two nights with all of us conventioneers. I guess it’s also a great place for those who own boats on the marinas near the hotel, but seeing all of those ships lined up together had me humming the tune to Gilligan’s Island over and over again.

However, the in-room cable left a lot to be desired, the charge for local calls could pay for ALF’s return to Melmac, and worse off, the hotel health club charged a lofty fee. Thank God for the nice scenic road by my hotel so I could put in a decent walk.

As for the convention itself, it was good to see a lot of friends and other familiar faces. Our local chapter was represented well, not to mention former Atlanta-based people who were popping up all of the place. The opening reception was at SeaWorld, so at least I didn’t have to spend big bucks to see the park or Shamu. I think we accidentally saw a lot of the attractions stumbling around to find the pavilion for our group. Unfortunately, just following the Asian people wasn’t good enough given we were in San Diego.

Thursday: The real opening of the convention started with a breakfast reception with the dean at Medill. I was and wasn’t surprised to see how many Medill alums are in the organization, although it may be slightly telling that the ones at the convention who knew me from school weren’t the ones in my class. I didn’t think I flew that far under the radar, but apparently I did.

We did hear about the blackout after lunch, and just in time for the Q&A session/damage control with Arthur Sulzberger Jr. He was briefly interrupted for blackout stuff, but otherwise went on for a while doing his best to explain the situation and everything else. Honestly, nothing really earth-shattering came from the talk, but it was fun to listen to nonetheless, especially with plenty of his editors hanging around as well.

Friday: Not only do I fly under the radar, I’m also so unique that it makes it hard for many people I meet, either other conventioneers or recruiters, to figure out who I am or what I do. Online is an emerging medium and sports is very popular, yet there are very few people at this convention that do either, and I do both. However, I was happy to see at least one person recognize me from my work, so I supposed I’m doing something right. At the same time, making the switch somewhere else could be somewhat dicey since there are very few positions that come anywhere close to what I do. I probably have a longer way to go than I think if I want to make a major switch in my career.

Still, I’ve got a long way to being successful at the networking game. The uniqueness of my position can actually be a detriment. Not to mention not being sure whether to pull out the sports/pop culture from my conversation arsenal for business use. I did get into a nice little talk about the NL MVP race with one guy, although it does feel strange doing so in what could be considered a job interview. But take a lot of that out of the equation, and I could be toast. Everyone has a certain zone where they feel comfortable and confident to carry out conversations with whomever; mine just seems to be very minuscule.

Saturday: I haven’t been in San Diego for years, so I did do a lot of touristy stuff when I could, and thankfully I had a lot of free time Saturday and Sunday. One of our connections in San Diego got us free passes for a club in the Gaslamp District for Friday night, but I discovered quickly why I usually don’t go clubbing. On the other hand, when I went back for dinner with my cousin Sunday night, I saw that the place was actually very enjoyable.

It should make for a great scene next year when the Litter Box opens. Parking may be a pain and a half, but the convention center across the street might help that, not to mention the trolley. So let’s see, a downtown ballpark in the heart of a popular restaurant/bar district and has some real public transportation to get there – two things Turner Field doesn’t have, and Philips Arena/Georgia Dome is lacking the restaurant scene minus whatever is at CNN Center. Good going, Atlanta!

Speaking of stadiums, I did go to the Q for exciting Chargers-Cardinals preseason action. The park wasn’t anything spectacular, but it was horrifying either. I was thrown off by the separate box offices for the Padres, Chargers and SDSU, causing me to venture further than I would’ve liked to pay way too much ($34 for an upper view seat) for a game that meant so little. But I was in town, and there was a game going on, so how could I pass it up?

The game was what you expected from these teams at this time of year. Lots of rust, lots of unknowns getting tons of PT, lots of fans disguised as empty seats (although that made traffic much more bearable). Neither offense looked good, and the Chargers backup offensive linemen could find work as matadors when they get cut. But I did go nuts when Damien Anderson tore off an 82-yard run on his first carry of the game. Other high/lowlights: a Special Olympics exhibition at halftime and plenty of screen time for the cheerleaders (at least they were performing for the entire game).

A trip to the Chargers team store (a tent next to the box office) was fruitless. When did NFL jerseys get so expensive and why are they charging close to full price for guys that aren’t there anymore (Seau, Conway, Harrison)? On the other hand, I was dangerously close to buying a Ryan Leaf jersey for $20 at a swap meet on Sunday.

Oh yeah, I did hear about the Vick’s vaporization on the ride to the game. If I wasn’t caught in slow moving stadium traffic, I might’ve run off the road (although probably into the shopping center down the street from the park). So much for my teams in the Mastermind Mock and ffWebmasters.

As for other parts of town, I did like Balboa Park a lot. Parts of it felt like a nice green oasis in the middle of town, but at the same time, it was like the San Diego version of the Smithsonian with all of the museums and the zoo. There’s a little bit for everyone. As for Old Town, my friend and I gorged at a great Mexican restaurant there, while the rest of the area seemed quaint but slightly hokey – nothing wrong with that, though. Some areas downtown and near the stadium had some amazing looking condos, apartments and lofts. I should’ve hit the beach and a casino or two, but maybe that’s something for another time. The areas I was in seemed reasonably easy to navigate, although I’m sure the traffic is much worse outside of town.

If you got this far, congratulations. More later as I think of it and get myself back on Eastern time. My clock got really smacked around watching sports on Pacific time.

California, here I come
It's off to San Diego for the AAJA National Convention. There will probably be some blogging along the way.

OK, who or what is getting piled on the most? Gigli, the Catholic Church, or fat kids?

It's interesting to see Baseball Prospectus go out on a limb with its Pete Rose reinstatement story, although I wonder what SportsCenter was doing blowing out a story that was denied by both MLB and Rose's agent. It did get one of its writers on ESPN and a little bit of extra publicity for the site, although I'm sure people who don't know much about them could think it was just another wild and far-flung fan/rumor site. My surprise was that the story didn't question Rose's Hall of Fame credentials because of a subpar OPS.

Your head-line here
I think at this point, you can tell you've lost your sense of humor (or been exposed to an environment where being overly polite/politically correct) when you can't come up with at least three "tasteless" headlines for this story.

It's nice to see one of my favorite puppet characters found some work since Greg the Bunny died a quick death.

Warning: AOL name blocked
Gee, it's taken three years to realize the AOL name may actually be hurting AOL Time Warner as a company? I think most of us would've figured out it was a bad idea from day one, and this is even during the height of the tech boom. Hopefully, this might actually boost the shares to half of the strike price I've got on those options.

Couldn't it have been called American Pie Pi?
Well I did cave and see American Wedding, mainly because I've been a sucker for the whole series and that Alyson Hannigan actually moves to the forefront (despite a not-so flattering photo on the movie poster), or so it seems.

They probably could've called it Stifler: The Movie and been just as accurate, and possibly made just as much money. Sure, there was some wedding stuff and all the other basic ingredients of a Pie movie, but if Seann William Scott really wants to shed the Stifler label, this isn't the way to do it. (Neither is the upcoming movie where he shares the screen with The Rock and Christopher Walken, which I saw in the previews.)

If you liked the Pie movies, you'll like this one. I laughed a lot, and yet at times I felt bad at myself for laughing so much at such a bad movie. It was entertaining enough, but there were some huge plot holes and time continuity issues that were hard for me to reconcile. The biggest issue was dealing with bride's parents. It seems like they were from out of town (or else why would they be staying at Jim's place?) yet the couple met in high school. Sure, they could've moved away, but it doesn't seem right. There were also some major questions about how things progressed from engagement to wedding plans to wedding. But then again, given who's doing this movie, it seems like they have few clues about how this stuff usually goes down. Besides, as I said before, it was just a platform for Stifler to do his thing.

One of these days, I'll actually see a good summer movie, but that may be a while.

Quiz time!
For those of you who think they know Chicago well, and that would include a few of my readers here, Alexis has a cool quiz about different landmarks and places. I'll try to come up with an Atlanta or New York-based one in the next few weeks.

Many of the regular readers know about this already, but here's another reminder to sign up for the 2003-04 edition of the Alison LaPlaca TV Dead Pool. It's tough call this year, considering the wealth of crappy new shows as well as series jumped the shark years ago and are still limping along with first-run episodes.

Gee, Northwestern alum Rick Telander and famed Northwestern basher Jay Marriotti don't get along. What a surprise! However, this article is interesting in how it paints the pictures of the two Sun-Times columnists. What's also intriguing is how those newsroom sets for Around the Horn actually bother others co-workers. The same could be said at the Denver Post, where Woody Paige does his thing.

I've done enough bitching about my job. How about something positive? Check out the results from the SI.com and the CBS Sportsline fantasy football "experts drafts" I've taken part in over the past couple of weeks. There are some common themes to be sure with my picks (and many people's picks in general).

Fun with the sports pages
First off, I'm pretty much worn out already by the Kobe Bryant stuff, but here's something that's right up my alley given my job description.

And when in doubt, Kobe could always change his name.

Then again, piss off the wrong people, and you, too could be headed for New York, or Seattle.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Governator!

I suppose it will be even more fun when I head out to California next week, considering just about everyone is running for governor now, including Arianna Gabor, excuse me, Huffington trying to pick up where her ex-husband left off. And if that's not enough, we've got the Whatchu talking about platform.

The trash report
I guess Viva TRASH Vegas may had a role in this, but this weekend's trash double play (Muck Masters and the Burns) both saw sharp decreases in attendance, which was slightly disappointing. However, it still was able to produce enough decent questions to play on both in Ann Arbor and Chattanooga. Even better was winning yet another Steinhice tournament as Finding Nimoy came away with the title in a small but very competitive field. (I suppose the offshoot of fewer teams/players is that the good ones still come out.) Plus, it was fun to play with a couple of the Emory folks for the first time ever. There are still some others out there I'm surprised I've never teamed with for a tournament (some of you know who would be on the list) -- some day, some day.

One thing, though, that rankles me is people saying I have an inherent advantage in some of these tournaments because I work in sports news. I especially got annoyed with the "shenanigans" comment that came up as our team was answering a sports bonus (and he wonders why I actually got pissed at him when he gloated over a victory over our team). Does my job help in getting questions? Absolutely. But then again to get the job to begin with, you really do need good knowledge of the stuff, it's only natural. However, I know enough people who are not in the business but would also know the stuff because they also devour it. And when it comes to marginal stuff like arena football, tennis or anything not of the major sports, I can get a lot of it because I actually care about most of it, at least tangentially. And very few people I work with can say that.

If we can all have travel blogs based on our latest adventures, why not Tom Daschle?

Talk about being ripped from the headlines. So who gets cast as Blair?