Here’s Your Dang March on Peyton’s Colts Trash Already!!!
The people have issued their demands. And–belatedly–we’re responding.
Here’s your damned Trash.
I tried to talk bmaz into doing it, but he’s so torqued up about the hope of getting Peyton and the belief the Broncos will get him, I don’t think he’s up to it. So I’ll have to do it.
We’ll start with March Madness. I stopped watching mens hoops years ago. And in my old age, I’ve actually started enjoying women’s hoops more. (I love Baylor–Brittney Griner reminds me and Mr. EW of a guy we used to play ultimate with–super tall, looked like he (she) was running slow-motion, but gracefully kicks ass, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Texas A&M goes far again.) Plus, since OSU avenged their earlier season loss to the Wolvereenies by utterly shellacking UM over the weekend, I’m grumpy. But, hey, the MSU Spartans reportedly have the easiest bracket, so I’ll root for the local champs.
I have, however, been following the PeytonBowl.
Let me just say right now I don’t think Peyton is healthy. No one has had him throw!!!! I know he’s a legend, but don’t you ask him to throw before making this deal?!?! In fact, I was trying to console bmaz earlier that when the Broncos get Peyton, it’ll be just as well because if Peyton’s not healthy it’s better not to go through that drama (and deal Kolb, who I think is a better QB right now than Tebow). So let him go to the Broncos, let John Elway deal Tebow to Jacksonville, and let Peyton win a few more games for a very stiff price while freeing Elway of his little Tebow problem. A happy ending for almost everyone.
In any case, I think the Cardinals made a terrible mistake. I’m a bit partial to Spidey Fitzgerald. Okay, a lot partial to Spidey Fitzgerald. But if you’re trying to convince last decades’ legend he wants to retire in your city, don’t you have him throw to Spidey Fitz? As I noted, Peyton didn’t throw, period.
Finally, courtesy of Rosalind, here’s the colt that has won the week so far: Zenyatta’s baby. There’s apparently gonna be a big baby shower at Santa Anita this weekend–maybe Rosalind will give us some reporting from the scene.
Elway can’t deal Tebow anywhere. The Holy Rollers from Colorado Springs would burn Elway at the stake if he did that.
@Peterr: Well then that’s the whole point. So he’s gonna be very sad when he discovers that.
Forget the Tebow-Payton movements.
Forget March Madness for the time being.
Even forget the cute little colt for now.
All that really matters is that tomorrow night the Gator baseball team that is now 15-1 and number one in every poll takes on #6 Florida State here in Gainesville. The Seminoles have been getting the better of us lately (taking 3 of 4 last year), but that’s all going to change when they run into this year’s Gator group. Last year’s Gator team made it to the finals of the College World Series before falling to South Carolina. All of the weekend starting pitchers are back and even though most position players came back, the recruiting class was so good three freshmen are starting in the infield. The bullpen is unhittable, 8-1 with six saves and a 1.95 ERA for the season, with 72 strikeouts and 12 walks in 64.2 innings.
Earlier in the season, Florida took three games from then number 8 Miami, in Miami, to extend their winning streak over the Uh to eleven games.
If bmaz’s Forkers can get their act together, maybe they can lose to the Gators in Omaha.
[Yeah, I did a bracket but the group I usually compete with seems to be falling apart, so this was just a bracket from the heart with no real expectation of it being competitive. Final four is Kentucky, Florida, Florida State and Kansas, with Kansas beating Florida in the final.]
@emptywheel: I hadn’t thought about it like that . . . Dealing Tebow could make both the CO fundies *and* John Elway sad? Now *that* would be a happy ending.
@Peterr: The NFL is a business and Denver sounds like it is already doing some bad business. I think that any team that gets Manning is taking a huge risk and that Manning could end up a quadriplegic, but what Denver should have done is recruited Manning and assuming that Manning signs, let Tebow be 2nd string to Manning or for him to leave on his own voluntarily to FL or wherever. That way if Tebow packs his bags to go elsewhere, it is on Tebow and not Denver.
@Peterr: See, I’m telling you. bmaz is just gonna have to suck it up and let the chips fly in Bronco-land.
In other news, Randy Moss is a 9er.
Peyton Place: well, the Denver acolytes may kick up a fuss, but that will be more than countered by the hallelujah chorus emanating from the Jacksonville area. I say Peyton to Denver and Tebow back home to Florida has more than a fair shot, if Peyton is really able to play. And I am in agreement with EW that is not looking good. No matter of happy talk from the Docs can convince me. I had hoped he could return to the Colts and give Andrew Luck time to learn the system (and the front line to improve). Alas, not to be. May the Indy fans’ disappointment be short-lived.
March Madness, Chick Edition: Go Card! (Stanford a #1 seed)
The Cute Colt: short video of the babe in action. (probably best to hit ‘mute’ to avoid anthropomorphis overload)
hmm, Santa Anita this weekend. may be good to scout the place out in advance of Zenyatta’s kid sister Eblouissante‘s racing debut. we shall see.
@rosalind: On a related note, I’m LOVING the conniption fit the Skins are throwing after the NFL announced cap adjustments for their gaming the system last year.
They made that stupid trade for RGIII believing Snyder could just spend like he has been and … oops.
@rosalind: Sorry, but not gonna happen. I love Tara VandeVeer, and while Stanford may win their bracket, they’ll be stopped by either Baylor or Tennessee before they get to the finals. Baylor’s got the talent, and this year in particular, Pat Summitt’s team is going to be in a big “win it for Pat” mode.
Across the bracket, I’m picking Notre Dame to end up in the finals. If Muffett McGraw goes up against Pat Summitt, you’ll have “win one for Pat” going up against the school that made “win one for the Gipper” famous.
the best (most informative, well-thought-through) column i have read on manning’s release by the colts:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-leadership/post/with-peyton-manning-gone-a-clean-leadership-slate-for-the-colts/2011/04/01/gIQAXjwExR_blog.html
who knew girls could write so well about sports? :>)))
@emptywheel:
Has Randy matured any, or is he still an infante terrible?
When he’s good, he’s very, very good. Does he have injury issues? Is he getting too old?
Bob in AZ
@orionATL:
who knew girls could write so well about sports?
Am reminded of a time in junior high when I missed my bus and my mom dropped me off at the train station to make my trek to school. I got a S.F. Chronicle out of the machine and was quietly reading it on the train when the businessman in the seat across reached over and grabbed the sports section saying “You won’t be needing that”.
I looked at him, grabbed the section back, and said “uh, yes, yes I will”.
He had this look of total shock.
@orionATL: You know, I agree the Colts had gotten too dependent on Manning. A lot of the commentary abt him this go-around forgets the Colts had a lot of come from behind Manning pulling it out of his ass wins in 10-11 (I expect the Pats may have the same next year).
But I also would have loved to see a path to Manning being the Colts OCon, at which he’s a natural (though I wouldn’t want to work for him).
Then again, Irsay doesn’t deserve that kind of continuity and family, and Peyton was nuts if he expected it.
Mr. EW’s black horse pick for Peyton was that he get picked up by the Ravens and drive in in the middle of the night in a big Mayflower truck.
What the hell is going on here???
I go out to a late afternoon movie with wife and daughter, and Trash is goin on? Have y’all no shame??
By the way Hugo is really good in most ways, disappointing in a few; but overall well worth seeing. I want to quote the most awesome twitter movie review ever, by Lili Loofbourow aka @Milicentsomer
@bmaz: See, there you are again, in denial about your Peyton angst.
@emptywheel: I like Mr. EWs thinking.
@bmaz: “Have y’all no shame??”
Clearly you’re new around here. Who are you, and how did you hack bmaz’s account?
@Peterr: Me too. But then I’m partial to that guy.
@emptywheel: Yeah, I understand the OCon thing. I even had fantasies that Jeremy Foley could find a way to get Peyton here as OCon so he could be head coach in a year or two when they pull the plug on Muschamp.
I think Peyton is destined to be the best coach ever. Not sure why you think he would be hard to work for. He likely would expect superhuman effort from everyone both physically and mentally, but the guy has lived football since conception and can scheme a mediocre group into Super Bowl champions.
He should give up on his Brett Favre act of trying to extend his playing career and get on with the real career that will be his legacy.
@Peterr: I am Anonymous, expect me!
@Jim White: I think coaching takes more than brilliance (which he has). And I think he has, at time, failed to appropriately motivate those around him. He doesn’t get the boyishness of most NFL players.
So while I look forward to him as OCon, I think some will chose not to play for him. Like Coughlin.
@spanishinquisition: Well, except that Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) is a fairly common surgery, and many football players have had it. Including linebackers and others that undergo a LOT more impact and a lot more severe of impacts than a quick release quarterback like Manning. Medical experts say the cervical spine area thus fused is actually stronger than before. So, quadra-paralysis is not really the concern.
@rosalind:
your story carried a good laugh with it. i had no trouble seeing the scene with my very feisty niece playing your role.
@rosalind: I’m really glad to see EW– and you– paying attention to Women’s College BB! Who will win? It’s hard to vote against Baylor & Brittany Griner, who has strong support around her. But Baylor got beat last year by TX-AM, led by the Round Mound of Rebound, Danielle Adams, now playing in the WNBA. The other top seeds are perpetual winner Connecticut, only ranked #4 this year, The Cardinal, and Notre Dame. My favorite is Notre Dame– I like to watch them play. But they only win when they’re having fun. If their opponent can knock them off their game, they have a problem. I also enjoy watching the Stanford Cardinal, another team of perpetual winners. They are very well coached, and would have a good chance against Baylor– as well as anyone else. None of these teams have a Center who can match up one-on-one against Griner. Beating Baylor will require a team defense, doubling on Griner enough, without letting Odyssey Sims run wild. So I’ll be glued to the screen for the semis and the finals– and for any game played by Notre Dame or Stanford.
Re Payton Manning: I would not extend a contract of any kind until he’s passed a physical, and a passing drill. But I would love to have another Kurt Warner story in Phoenix. I don’t know if I’ve ever rooted for Peyton anytime, anywhere, but if he can do it, I’ll be in his corner.
And Spring Training is under way! I will be intensely interested in how the Cardinals do, with a new manager (Cards ex-catcher Metheny) and without Albert Pujols. The Cardinal’s surprise World Series triumph last fall was due in no small way to hitting by David Freese, Lance Berkman, and Yadier Molina, and strong pitching by Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia. This year, Wainright should be up to par again, too. So, who will deliver?
Bob in AZ
@bmaz:
uh oh, now you’ve done it, peterr.
@orionATL: My sports story is betting some dude when I was (must have been 14-15) in high school I knew more players from the 76ers than him. Kicked his ass.
But he gave me this look like, “seriously, I just want to get in your pants, I thought this would be cute, not all serious and tedious.”
@Bob Schacht: Hmm. I must have pulled ND’s poor games this year. BC they looked flat the times I saw them.
@orionATL: It’s not the first time I’ve heard those words.
Probably not the last, either.
@Peterr: No way Summit’s Tennessee is good enough to make it to the finals, or even the semi-finals. She has had a remarkable career, but her team is not Final Four caliber this year. Yes, Tennessee will want to win one more for the Gipper, but desire won’t be enough.
But thanks for talking about Women’s BB.
Bob in AZ
@Peterr: If people only knew about the Good Reverend……
@bmaz:
yeah, i think the emphasis on debilitating injury is likely exaggerated.
plus, i don’t think manning is the kind of person to want to cheat a team out of $2 mill per 60 minute game.
age, however, is another matter (ask me about it).
there must be a point for every qb where the rising-by-the-year experience-gained curve crosses the declining physical-capacity curve.
@Bob Schacht: I cannot get that motivated about NCAA women’s Hoops if Charli Turner Thorne is not involved in it. Maybe she will come back next year again.
@emptywheel: They looked mighty good in this one, when they beat UConn in Hartford.
@orionATL: That is what I think. Favre was old, but he never sat around a year and THEN tried to come back. I think Peyton could even lose a little overall arm strength and still be very effective – if he ever gets back in that groove after a year off. That is the problem, not concerns about neck paralysis or whatever if you ask me.
@bmaz: Hey, I liked Hugo, too! It’s refreshing to see a movie that does not rely on sex and violence. Also, it kept me guessing about the plot until late in the movie. Hugo and his girl friend were well-acted and charming. I have no hesitation saying that I *enjoyed* this movie– which is something I can’t necessarily say about a number of otherwise excellent movies.
Bob in AZ
@emptywheel:
first rule:
know your opposition is the opposition, not just some cute girl.
second rule:
never underestimate your opposition if you don’t know much about them.*
* taught to me by my to-be wife who burned my palm good the first time we played catch (no snickers, now).
@orionATL: Oh, don’t even get me talking about how, when I had speed–and I did use to have it, much to my surprise–I would get a kick out of embarrassing the shit out of guys who got “stuck” covering me in ultimate. Even pulled it sometimes in tournies, so we could get a mismatch on the other team’s best woman.
@emptywheel: Yeah, if you saw any of the 3 games they lost, you wouldn’t be impressed. Team psychology is an important issue with them.
Bob in AZ
@emptywheel: She’s a little shifty too, I might add. Speed and deceptiveness can kill.
@bmaz: I agree, in that it just ain’t the same watching the Lady Sun Devils without Charlie on the sidelines. But there are so many other teams that are fun to watch…
Bob in AZ
@Peterr: Yes, indeed! I saw that game, and loved it– but then, I’m a Notre Dame fan, and not a Connecticut fan.
Bob in AZ
@emptywheel: I recently saw a slim, athletic high school girl wearing a t-shirt that identified her on the front of the shirt as a runner on her high school’s cross country team. On the back of the shirt it said “Girls with legs like ours don’t talk to boys with times like yours.”
@emptywheel:
mr. ew may have a good point. the ravens were awful close this year and playing against the giants would have made for an entirely different superbowl.
but i can say this with confidence:
if manning arrives in baltimore, it will be in an suv or the owner’s cadillac.
any midnight vans this time won’t be for transporting peyton;
they’ll be for transporting peyton’s pay – thousands and thousands of hundred dollar bills.
$28 million is 280,000 $100 bills.
Enough of this girlie talk you mopes! Back to football:
The talk of the town here has been will Peyton sign with Arizona; but, you see, these are still the Cardinals. Not only will we not get Manning, Kolb will break his neck the day after he gets his $7 mil roster bonus in a week or so. That’s how the Bidwells roll.
EW, no f1 preview? First practice is in 3 days, bmaz must be salivating.
Here’s my quick preview – Formula One, 20 races, fastest, most expensive and technologically advanced open-wheel (fenderless) road course cars in the world, with the best drivers who can turn two directions in the world.
Young German Sebastian Vettel won most races and the Championship last year, expect him to win a lot of races and maybe win the championship again this year, for his third straight. His strongest competition is his own teammate in the other Red Bull, Mark Webber.
Though it is difficult to predict from testing times, it looks like McLaren will be the next best car, driven by Hamilton and Button, both former champs. The new Lotus (nee Renault) also looked very strong in testing, to be driven by the returning from hiatus Raikkonen and young Grosjean.
Will the Ferrari (driven by Alonso and Massa) be strong? Will upstarts like Force India surprise? Will old hands like Williams see a resurgence? Most questions will be answered this weekend, first race, at 2am eastern time Sunday Morning. -tja
@bmaz:
if i was manning i would want:
five excellent offensive linemen, at least 350# apiece, with guts hanging way out over their belt lines,
and
an excellent blocking back/fullback.
an excellent tight end and an excellent wide receiver would be nice, but the lineman and blocking back would not be negotiable.
Men’s BB:
I’ve been following Big Ten+ games this year, mainly because Michigan at last has a ranked team again, and in fact they wound up in a 3-way tie for first place in the Big 10+! Now, they’re not gonna get to the finals, but I’m hoping they’ll at least get to the regionals, i.e. winning their first two games. Michigan is seeded 4th in the Midwest regional; if they win their first game, they probably have to get by Temple, seeded 5th in their second game, but then if they get past Temple, they’re probably going to face North Carolina. U-uh, not this year.
So I’ll try to watch Michigan in the first two rounds, and then after they lose, I can follow Michigan State in the West regional, or Ohio State in the East regional. I’ll try to watch the Big 10+ until they all go down. After that, meh.
Bob in AZ
My $0.02 is on Peyton signing with the Titans. They have a very good Defense and with him, can be serious contenders for the next 2-3 years.
Hugo is a very good movie, esp for movie buffs like me …
@tjallen:
LOL ! With your wit, I hope you’ll be a regular commenter this F1 Season …
@Petrocelli: Thx, I’m excited for the season to start. I’m a long-suffering Williams fan, and so every new year there is hope!
I started to add this to my comments above, but though the words are true, it might be considered trolling:
“Michael Schumacher will play more of a marketing role again this season – If Mercedes ever gave Michael a decent car, maybe teammate Nico Rosberg could win a few races with it.”
@tjallen: Oh, OUCH.
See, now that is why we call it Trash Talk. Well done! Friend said the other day “Who knew that when Schumacher came back, it would be as Ralf”. Another ouch.
I guess it is a bit absurd for a Ferrari fan to say they are “long suffering”, but it is truly beginning to feel that way. And, from what I hear, it is going to continue this year.
I even saw the Sea Chickens drooling about this guy.
If they got in line in front of Oakland, they are some desperate motherfuckers.
@emptywheel: Yeah – going unnoticed is yet another example of why the Snyder ‘skins will perpetually be a disaster waiting to happen. He has dealt so many picks to the Rams that even Cheatin’ Bill, notorious for stockpiling picks, will suffer deep pangs of jealousy.
And the Rams will be able to use those picks to finish building a team around Bradford, who is better than last year’s results indicate. Look for the Rams to do very well this year and into the future, bounties notwithstanding.
And, as an aside, jeez – put up the trash and shake all the loose nuts out of the tree. I haven’t seen this many comments since … the last trash thread.
@orionATL: That’s the problem with AZ: they lack that O-line.
If I was Peyton, I’d be going to a place with an O-line.
Well, there is a SF columnist who avers PManning’s backup ought to be ASmith; except, if the front four are sine qua non, the qb would be with the D team. I donot follow footbal; i thought Montana was making a strong team of the colts, then ten years passed.
Of which having spoken, I was bringing an exchange student to her morning emloyment during a certain playoff week in SF fog, listening on car radio to 9ers v Giants, 3 giants sacked Montana. Joey was slow to move. Giants won game. That fog radio replayed on the cave wall which Plato reads, when I saw the Irsay presser photo by BManning: man, don’t play now, take care of your health. Zebras saw no wrong in that 3 person sack of Montana.
not tricky, not fast, usually.
difficult to split firewood now
accuracy of the essence.
pump dont work cuz vandals took handles.
J
@bmaz:
Hugo was alright, but if you want to see a really good movie that nobody’s seen, go to, or rent, this one