Congrats to #22!

Emmitt Smith was voted into the Football Hall of Fame this weekend, becoming the third of the 3-time '90s champion Cowboys to be voted in, following the other two "Triplets," Troy Aikman and Michale Irvin. Picking my favorite Cowboy from those glory years is tough, but gun to my head, Emmitt would probably be the one. He embodied the tough-side of the Cowboys in those years, playing hurt often and running through defenses that were three times his size. Emmitt finished as the all-time leading rusher with over 18,000 yards, and sorry, Barry Sanders fans, he is the greatest running back of all time. Congrats, Emmitt, looking forward to seeing you join your contemporaries in Canton.

Where Were You In 1996?

12/28/96, to be specific. I was setting up my new apartment in Mansfield, in the midst of my senior year of college, and 3 days from finding out Jen was pregnant with my now-12 year old daughter Abby. That was also the last time my Dallas Cowboys won a playoff game. We changed that tonight with a thrashing of our most hated rival, the Philly Eagles, 34-14. No matter what happens from here on out, people can shut up about Tony Romo, the Cowboys in Dec/ playoffs, etc. My cynical self will not allow belief that we will go any further, but tonight was nice.

Big D Revisited

We made our return trip to Dallas this weekend, our first to see a football game. When we were there in '06, we saw a Rangers game and did the old Texas Stadium tour, which was awesome in its own right. But we really wanted to see an NFL game, as I hadn't been in 4 years and Staci had never seen an NFL game. The opening of my Cowboys' new $1.5 billion stadium was a perfect opportunity.

Cowboys Stadium is simply breathtaking. There's not alot of football stadiums you can say that about. Most don't have the character or uniqueness that many baseball parks have (which is part of the reason we're not doing a nationwide football stadium tour). The two places I had seen games at before, DC's FedEx Field and ATL's Georgia Dome, are God-awful. They serve their purpose, but that's about it. Cowboys Stadium goes out of its way to be fan-friendly, from the nosebleed seats where you could still have a good view of the game, to the ridiculously large video board that hangs over the field. The team store was 2 levels and the size of a small department store. And the fans were well-behaved, not many drunken idiots surrounding us or falling over themselves. Even though it was my "home" team, I think I am fairly unbiased in saying this a must-see for any sports fan. And, oh yeah, the Cowboys won 38-17. Well done!

Cowboy Up

It's so good to see pro athletes actually doing something nice, even better when it's my Cowboys. Warning: it will make you tear up.

Best. Sports Day. Ever.

I knew about Manny finally signing before I went to bed last night, but when I awoke with insomnia at 5 AM, I tuned into Sportscenter just to see the news again. And what to my wondering eyes did appear- that the Cowboys had released T.O!!!! While it's hard to quantify which makes me happier, getting a player back that makes my team so much better (Manny), or getting rid of the only player I have ever hated that was on one of teams, I am going to call it a draw.

And the cherry on top of this sports sundae? Karma had a table for one- A-Rod is out for 8 weeks- 4 months. Shoulda stayed on the 'roids.

A Great Sports Weekend...Finally!

Rooting for your sports teams can be schizophrenic. Witness my teams the last 3 months. The Dodgers went from looking horrible in August to making the NLCS in October (Before breaking my heart). The Cowboys started 3-0, then lost 4 of 6. Penn State went from 9-0 to losing a winnable game last weekend. So I had little hope for PSU and the Cowboys this weekend. We were at the Penn State game, thanks to Jason and Megan, and even with a shaky 1st half against an inferior team, and pouring cold rain, we had a great time and Penn State demolished Indiana, 34-7.



Then the first Cowboys game I've seen in a month (thanks to living in Eagles-land) led to a 14-10 win over the hated Redskins. My boy Romo looked decent in his return and Marion Barber ran all over the place. We are now 6-4, and probably saved our hopes for the playoffs.

Yes, sports are schizophrenic, but weekends like this remind me why we put ourselves through the torture.

The Sports Weekend That Was

The best thing about pessimism is that when things you thought would go wrong don't, you can experience a small amount of surprised happiness. My sports weekend was filled with that kind of happiness. If you read my previous post, you can see the things I thought would go wrong. For one, euphoria wins out. Here's the review:

Dodgers-D'Backs fight for the NL West

My prediction: Dodgers will get swept and our season will be over.

What happened: Dodgers swept the 3 games and took a 1 1/2 game lead in the NL West.

Blue Rocks-P-Nats Carolina League Playoffs

My prediction: Rocks win Friday night, forcing a game 4 during a hurricane Saturday. After a record 12 tarp pulls, we finish the game at 2AM Sunday morning, a 16-inning thriller that we lose 12-11.

What happened: A gut-wrenching 1-0 P-Nats win on Friday night as the rain beared down on us, dodging multiple bullets.

BK's Sunday Steppers Fantasy Baseball Team

My prediction: my entire team stops hitting, my pitching takes a nap, and I lose 13-12 on a walk in the final game of the weekend.

What happened: After a close weekend battle, my team pulls away on Sunday and I beat Lazardus 18-4, to move on to the 2nd round of playoffs.

Worries about PSU and the Cowboys were also unfounded, as they both crushed their opponents. And to throw a cherry on top of it all, Golden Boy Tom Brady of the Cheat-riots was hurt in the 1st quarter and appears to be done for the year. A good sports weeekend all around.

Playoff (And Stress) Overload

This weekend brings together three major playoff scenarios, all of which could leave me euphoric or miserable come Monday morning. First, the Dodgers play the Diamondbacks in a pivotal 3-game series. The Dodgers are 1 1/2 games back in the NL West and need to win 2 of 3 to make a serious shot at the division. My prediction: they will get swept and our season will be over.

The Blue Rocks play the P-Nats here tonight in game 3 of the 1st round of Carolina League playoffs. The Rocks have lost the 1st 2 games in extra innings. My prediction: they win tonight, forcing a game 4 during a hurricane tomorrow. After a record 12 tarp pulls, we finish the game at 2AM Sunday morning, a 16-inning thriller that we lose 12-11.

And my Yahoo fantasy baseball league playoffs continue- my Sunday Steppers take an 11-11 tie into the weekend. My prediction: my entire team stops hitting, my pitching takes a nap, and I lose 13-12 on a walk in the final game of the weekend.

And I haven't even mentioned the Cowboys' first game and Penn State's 1st real game, both happening this weekend as well. I could be a complete mess as Sunday turns into Monday. Stay tuned for updates on all.

Cowboys Moving and Misstepping

I am completely disgusted with my Dallas Football Cowboys right now. They traded for the league's most notorious peace-of-shit "gangsta", Pac-Man Jones (pictured above when he was still an innocent video game character). Pac is well known for his involvement in shooting up strip clubs or watching his henchman permanently disable someone. Add this to TO(who's a pain in the ass, never accused of a crime) and Tank Johnson(another gangsta), and I grow more discouraged with my lifelong team every day. Now, on paper, the deal is sweet for Dallas- they give up a meaningless 4th round pick, and that's only if Pac Man stays out of trouble and gets reinstated. No risk for admittedly one of the best corners in the game. But at what cost morally are we trying to win a championship? Let's hope the Pac-inator doesn't "make it rain" at one of the dozens of Dallas area strip clubs and further damage a once-proud franchise.

How Bout Them Cowboys!!

The Dallas Football Cowboys looked great tonight as they beat the Packers 37-27in a battle of the best 2 teams in the NFC. All the great things that happened in a game half of the country (including myself) could not see because of the damn cable company:

- Tony Romo threw for 4 TD's, giving him 33 on the year, breaking the Cowboys all-time Season TD record. With names like Aikman, Staubach, and Meredith in our history, that's pretty damn impressive. He's also dating Jessica Simpson, which justifies my man-crush on Romo even more.

- The Cowboys ran their record to 11-1, the best in their history. They also pulled 2 games ahead of the Packers for home-field advantage in the playoffs.

- The Cowboys clinched a playoff spot, and depending on what the Giants do on Sunday, may have clinched the division.

I've gotta say, I am starting to believe just a little bit in this team. It's been a long 12 years since any of my teams did anything, so my skepticism is justified. But with 4 weeks left in the regular season, it's starting to look like this team can do some very special things.

From Good To Great- 5-0 Cowboys Have a Folk Hero

Wow! I have not had a sports night like this in awhile! Flipping all night between Monday Night Football with my Cowboys and the playoff game between the Indians and hated Yankees, I was in heaven. The Indians got off to an early lead, but the Cowboys were stinking it up against a much less talented Bills team.

Then, around 11:25 tonight, the Yankees lost and got bounced from the playoffs. As I celebrated that moment, I flip back to a much more important, but excruciating, Cowboys game, we're losing 24-16 with 2 minutes left. Then my boy Tony Romo finally gets on track and brings the Cowboys within 2, all they need is the 2 point conversion. They fail. With 20 seconds left, the Cowboys get the rare onside kick and get the ball back with no timeouts and 20 seconds left. Romo throws a couple short throws and gets the ball set for a long 53 yard field goal for rookie kicker named Nick Folk. Folk has not had a kick longer than 47 yards, but with no time left, he kicks a beautiful 53 yard field goal to win the game. The 'Boys are now 5-0 for the first time since 1983, amazing for a team that won 3 Super Bowls since that year. I couldn't be happier.