Winds of change

So it has been about nine months since my last entry. Blame it on Facebook.

I haven't really felt the need to jot down/type my thoughts lately, as there has been a lot of bad news, mostly at work. There have been retirements of legends, buyouts, furloughs, insurance hikes, transfers, universal copy desks. Blah, blah, blah. Not sure I wanted to talk about it out loud.

All of this before I even mention that I don't think anyone is reading this anyway. ;)

Now, this weekend, beginning today, is supposed to be different. It's supposed to be a happy time. Come Monday, when I begin my new gig in St. Tammany Parish (what some people have called God's Country), I'll be excited and reinvigorated. I am very much looking forward to start a new challenge. No question I'll be a little nervous.

Today, though, is sad. While Monday is a new beginning, today is an end. We all know how conservatives feel about ends. Usually, they don't like them. It's no different for me. Although I know I am moving ahead with my life, and am making the best possible career choice I could make at this time of crossroads, it's hard to leave.

I guess it shouldn't considering that no longer will I be working nights or holidays or weekends, which will leave me lots more time to spend with my family. No longer will I have to schedule my vacations around sporting events I want to watch from my den or attend. Rather, I can use my free time for whatever the Metry Mama and I want to do.

Yep, I should be ecstatic. I should be leaping for joy when I turn off Howard Avenue tonight. But I won't. I will think back. Not just today, but all weekend. All month. Maybe for a lot longer than that.

I have made many friends along this 19-year journey that had a brief stop on the news side as a designer. For as long as I can remember being able to turn on a television, I have been a sports fan. How many fans get to work reading and writing about football and basketball and baseball games? Oh yeah, and even wrestling, eight-year-olds boxing and women's darts.

I wrote about the Final Four. The Sugar Bowl. The NBA playoffs. The New Orleans Saints. LSU winning its third national championship in football. I put together special sections on LSU's title run in 2004 and a Super Bowl.

I've done all that. And now, I am moving on.

Still, it's not the events. It's the people. It's the friends I have made. It is the routine of spending so much of your life with them. They are, in essence, family.

Maybe that's it. Things won't be the same when someone makes a boneheaded play -- or an awesome one, for that matter. The ooohs and ahhhs won't have the same zing to them. The laughs won't be as loud. The sarcasm won't be as thick.

It's certainly true. Every time I see one of those plays in the future, I'll think about being at my desk on a Saturday night. Only I probably won't have to worry about what's for dinner.

Yes, change is coming. It's for the better. It just won't be the same.

Talk to ya soon, my friends.

It's not your Daddy's game anymore

Under the watch of "Commissioner" Bud Selig, the greatest game in the history of sports is slowly -- but surely -- being ruined.

And the latest downfall will prove to put baseball near its demise.

Yesterday, it was A-Rod admitting he did steroids, just a few years after telling Katie Couric he didn't. Tomorrow, Miguel Tejada will plead guilty in federal court that he lied when he said he didn't do steroids and human growth hormones.

Who falls next is anybody's guess. The interesting thing is that there really is no one left who could admit to doing drugs that could possibly shock anyone. That includes All-American boys Derek Jeter and Ken Griffey.

This is just a long line of occurrences and happenings which has helped to changed baseball for the worse. Much worse.

It all stems to the hiring of Bud Selig.

Could you see this stuff happening under Bart Giamatti or Fay Vincent? Unequivocally no. It would have been nipped in the bud long before it reached this point.

My guess is both of our former commissioners would have something along the lines of: "Do steroids and you're gone." Or, "Lie to authorities about doing drugs, and you're gone."

And the players would have believed them.

Steroids still would have happened, but not near to the degree of today. There would have been no need for the feds to step in and try to clean a game that they have no business being in.

Such is life in Selig's world. Yes, the same Selig who had no idea what to do about a tie in the All-Star Game and then decided that this annual exhibition winner would gain homefield advantage in the World Series. The same Selig who thought Interleague play would save the game. The same brilliant commissioner who set up a drug policy that just so happened to only catch guys who were heard of by only the most devout fans of their respective clubs.

Baseball will have a huge hole to dig from when Selig leaves, and my guess is this will be the final nail in his coffin. His lasting legacy, although he obviously believes he has been great for the game. Just listen to him long enough, and he'll tell you so.

When he's gone, one can only hope that the owners will realize they can't govern themselves. They couldn't in 1919 when Charles Comiskey talked his fellow owners into hiring Kennesaw Mountain Landis to overhaul the game and get rid of the cheaters. For more than a half-century afterwards, baseball flourished. The baseball strikes of the 1980s, and especially 1993, almost killed the game, before it rebounded and was revived by the home-run chase of 1998.

And we know who the two competitors were in that one.

Will baseball survive when all is said and done? Most likely, they'll find a way out. But only if they realize the severity of the problem and are committed to doing something about it.

Personally, as much as I look forward to the beginning of a new season, I also have found it necessary to shave my interest somewhat. I certainly don't want my son thinking these guys are role models.

Someone, though, should stand up and find people we can believe in again to be the spokesmen for our nation's pasttime. Before, that is, we speak about the game in the past tense.

Super thoughts

OK, OK, so I give. It turned out to be a pretty darned good game. That is, after I spouted off how boring it was. Don't get too excited, my friends, because I think I can make a good argument that it wasn't even one of the top five all time. With that, I have some random thoughts about this game and the Super Bowl, in general ...

TOP FIVE ALL TIME
Sorry. XLIII doesn't make the list. If you were choosing the top five endings of all time, it might just creep in. But I'm talking games. And since the first 50 game-time minutes were anything but exciting (except maybe James Harrison's interception return), it doesn't make the list. Here's my list. Oh, and I don't consider anything before Super Bowl XV or so, because even though I watched most of them, I really don't remember much.

5. Super Bowl XXXIV (Jan. 30, 2000 in Atlanta) -- Rams 23, Titans 16: One last play. Steve McNair is almost impossible to bottle up. It's the moment that all players dream of. Kevin Dyson gets it, cuts inside to the 5, and it looks like paydirt for the Titans. But no, Mike Jones comes from nowhere, gets his arms around Dyson's legs. Dyson stretches out and falls less than 1 yard short. Kind of interesting that maybe the greatest ending in Super Bowl history ends on a defensive play. The rest of the game was phenomenal as well. And although defense was the rule in this one, Kurt Warner had a fabulous game (as he did Sunday in Tampa).

4. Super Bowl XXXVI (Feb. 3, 2002 in the Superdome) -- Patriots 20, Rams 17: This was the game that put ole Belicheat and Tom Brady on the map. The Pats had been my second-favorite team until this season, when I thought the cheater wrongly pulled Drew Bledsoe. When he came back from injury, I think he should have been back in there, but football is a business. Anyway, New England was like a 10-point underdog, and everyone expected The Greatest Show on Turf to roll. Instead, defense -- and Brady -- ruled the day. And you know what they say about defense ...

3. Super Bowl XXV (Jan. 27, 1991 in Tampa, Fla.) -- Giants 20, Bills 19: Poor, poor Buffalo. Poor, poor Scott Norwood. What people don't often mention about that missed field goal is that it was no chip shot. It was like a 47-yarder or something. Give the dude a break. OK, OK, I know he was paid well for just that situation, but it's not like that was a Bill Buckner or something. It was amazing the Bills were even in this one, though, as the Giants held the ball for 40-plus minutes. Had to feel good for Jeff Hostetler in this one. It really was the lone shining moment in his career. Little did the Bills know that it would be their best chance to win a Super Bowl, despite making the next three games.

2. Super Bowl XXIII (Jan. 22, 1989 in Miami) -- 49ers 20, Bengals 16: Joe Montana simply is the best quarterback of my lifetime. Hands down. And if you are too young to remember him in his playing days, then get a tape/DVD of this game, and watch the final drive. I don't care what anyone says about John Elway. If I had two minutes and I was at my own 20 and had to have a touchdown, I'd want Montana. Ask John Taylor what he thinks. P.S. The reason why this one is so high on my list, is I remember being shocked at how well the Cincinnati defense played, especially after Tim Krumrie broke his leg. What a game, what a drive.

1. Super Bowl XLII (Feb. 3, 2008 in Glendale, Ariz.) -- Giants 17, Patriots 14: Eli Manning showed unbelievable poise on that final drive -- the best winning drive in Super Bowl history, and in the top three or four of my lifetime in any game. David Tyree's catch, I think, was the best I have ever seen. More on that later. Lastly, there's just something special about an underdog -- especially big dogs -- doing something hardly anyone gave them a chance to. It was even extra special that Belicheat's shot at immortality -- a 19-0 record -- was ruined in the final 90 seconds of the final game of the season on the grandest stage in all of sports.

TIMES ARE CHANGING
It didn't even dawn on me until after the game and I was watching SportsCenter. Made me think that maybe times really are changing. Of course, it's easy for me to say. It's a little different from my perspective.

What am I babbling about, you ask? Since about midway through his first season, I thought Mike Tomlin was a great coach. Aggressive. Although he's no-nonsense, he seems to be a players' coach. Runs the perfect offensive scheme with the toughest quarterback in football. Lets his defensive coordinator who has been in the game for 50 years do whatever he thinks he needs to do and stays out of his way.

Then, an hour after the Steelers won their sixth Super Bowl -- more than any other team -- Stuart Scott told me that Tomlin was only the second black coach to win the big game. I hadn't once even thought about him being black; it never crossed my mind. He was just a coach to me. A great coach.

And when I realized I hadn't realized this significant piece of history, I thought to myself that I hope it doesn't need to be mentioned anymore. A black coach, a green coach, a white coach? Who cares? If they're good, they're good. And Tomlin is wonderful.

FLAG ON THE PLAY
The NFL seriously needs to reevaluate how they evaluate their officials. You can't tell me that Terry McCauley was the league's best referee this season. And if you needed proof that he wasn't, it was evident throughout Super Bowl XLIII.

The Cardinals used two challenges, and in both cases the calls were reversed. The first one of Roethlisberger not getting into the end zone was tough, but the second was awful. It was ridiculous that McCauley had to go to the tape to see that Warner's arm was going forward. I could easily see it on live TV, while he looked clueless on the field.

Then some of the holding calls and unsportsmalike penalties were over the top. But I'm not going to waste any more keystrokes on this guy. I have hated him since the Saints-Giants game in 2005. I think there were like eight holding calls on the Black & Gold in the second game back after Katrina in Giants Stadium as the "home" team. I wanted to shoot the MF.

Every time I have to watch a game with that guy, I know to add about 15 minutes to the game time, because there are going to be lots and lots of yellow hankies flying.

ESPN NEEDS TO GET A LIFE
After the game, the "Worldwide Leader in Sports" shows its top 10 Super Bowl plays of all time. Three are from Sunday. You can't be serious. The worst choice was making Santonio Holmes' catch No. 1. It was a great catch. It was one of the top 10 plays I have ever seen in the Super Bowl, but it wasn't No. 1. Second-worst was putting Fitzgerald's catch in there. That was absurd.

THE BOSS IS LOSING IT
I took some flak for saying I hated the halftime show. I think it was mostly because I was expecting it to be great. I love Bruce Springsteen. Always have. I got an inkling of what was to come Saturday when I watched an interview with him. They asked him who was choosing the music for the show. He said, "I'm The Boss. I pick the music." OK, I have no problem with that, but it was the way he said it. It reminded me why I don't go see many concerts anymore.

Many musicians seem to play what they like to play. Screw the fans who made you a millionaire. That's it. Play what you want. Glory Days and Born to Run, great. Don't know the other two. Can't believe he didn't sing Born in the USA (and I'm not even a huge fan of the song). Anyway, just my two cents. I was, at the least, not impressed.

IS IT APRIL YET?
And now that football is over, it's a sad time in Sports. I enjoy the Hornets, and I like the NCAA Tournament. But, really, for me, there's not much to look forward to until Opening Day, which is April 6 this year. Play ball!

Super picks

The T-P sports desk's final installment ...

With the big game Sunday, only KVP and LR can win. If it's Pittsburgh, KVP takes the whole enchilada of 20 bucks. Last place is either going to be The Gene Pool (if Arizona wins) or moi.

Da picks: KVP (57 points) takes Steelers for 15; LR (57) takes Cardinals for 13; PVW (51) takes Steelers for 15; Gene Pool (49) takes Steelers for 14; JYD takes (39) takes Cardinals for 12.

Some Super numbers

As we head into Super Sunday, the talk at work tonight turned to just how in the hell the NFL decided to use roman numerals to label their game.

My contention is who cares? While others insist they think it's "stupid." I think they just think it's stupid because they can't figure them out. It's not that hard people. Whatever, though. I personally like the whole roman numeral thing. Looks classy to me.

Still, I can see the NFL losing Caesar's digits before too long. You'll know why shortly.

This leads me to my predictions for upcoming halftime acts. No, I don't mean The Boss this year, rather who I see years from now -- some even after I'm long gone.

Before I look at the future, I can't believe the league missed on great opportunities for the past. Think about it ... Super Bowl IV in 1970 would have been perfect for Dr. Spock. Super Bowl XXX in 1996, you could have had the star from Debbie Does Dallas. Super Bowl XL in 2006, would have been a great time to head back to the 80s and grab the old rap group The Fat Boys.

Catch where I'm going with this yet? No? Stay with me.

Here's my vision for possible icons of future Super Bowls:

Super Bowl LI in 2017: He's been in hiding for quite a while, but you could have a whole martial arts theme and go with Bruce Li. Jackie Chan could be there. Hell, even Chuck Norris. Chinese food for everyone. It'll be a blast.

Super Bowl LIV in 2020: Gotta be Aerosmith, with Steven Tyler's daughter as their guest star.

Super Bowl LIX in 2025: Oh, where to start? I know. First with Gene Simmons, who'll be 75 years old in 2025. Can't you see it now? Him and Ace come out there in wheelchairs singing "I Want to Rock and Roll All Night." Then there's their hit, "Lick it Up." Lil Wayne will follow with a rendition of "Lollipop." Your kids will love it.

Super Bowl C in 2066: I'm not sure who's going to be popular 57 years from now, but I'm hoping there'll be some rapper named Vitamin. That's my vision, and I'm sticking to it.

I can't go much farther than that, but I can imagine they'll maybe be a mariachi band for Super Bowl CC in 2166. Maybe some Haitian long-distance runner in Super Bowl CCC in 2266. The head of RCA for Super Bowl CD in 2366. And a real dumb kid for Super Bowl D in 2466.

Lastly, Metry Mama suggested that nine years after that, they could roll out 600-year-old Dick Clark to have a Rockin Super Sunday for Super Bowl DIX in 2475.

Something to ponder. Or not.

Day of hope

Whether you voted for our 44th president or you didn't, today is a day of hope. As a voter who is one of the 10 percent or so who thinks W did the best anyone could do, considering he had to endure the worst terrorist attack on American soil and the worst natural disaster in American history.

Yes, I hope that the future is as bright as the majority of our citizens think it is. The words "cautiously optimistic" have been tossed around plenty as of late, and I share in that feeling.

I am doing my best not to be sarcastic. I am doing my best in believing I won't have to pay more taxes I can't afford next year or the next. I am doing my best to share in the beliefs of my liberal friends. I am doing my best.

As we head into the first term of the first African-American president in our nation's history, I cannot understand the sense of pride my black friends are feeling, but I can be extraordinarily happy for them. And I can hope they feel the same way four years from now.

Hope being the key word. So as we all watch (and watch and watch) the events of the day, I'll share my top 10 hopes for the duration of Barack Obama's presidency.

10. I hope the comments I have heard from people across the city saying they have nothing to worry about because "Barack Obama will take care of us," doesn't lead to poor people becoming complacent. I hope they realize their hard times really won't change if they don't work even harder to make them change.

9. I hope all helped by the federal bailout do what they are supposed to do with the money received and that the taxpayers aren't left with the burden of their mismanagement and downright thievery.

8. I hope that the Bush tax cuts remain in place in some form.

7. I hope we don't leave Iraq before Iraqis can take care of themselves, so that we never have to go through this again.

6. I hope President Obama does as well protecting our home soil as President Bush did in the seven years after Sept. 11, 2001.

5. I hope the bi-partisanship the president has shown in his days as president-elect remain throughout his four/eight years in the office, no matter the pressure from his Democratic friends in Congress and Senate.

4. I hope the enthusiasm shown throughout Washington, D.C., the country and the world is still as high even one year from now as it is today.

3. I hope the president doesn't try to do too much too fast.

2. I hope if we extend our hand to countries who don't deserve it that they don't slash our wrist in return.

1. I hope, most of all, that Yes, we can.

I hope. I hope. I hope.

Conf. title picks UPDATED 1.19.09

1 KVP (total points: 57, possible points: 72)
Championship picks: rPhilly (16), aPittsburgh (14)
Divisional picks: aPittsburgh (13), rCarolina (11), aPhilly (9), aBaltimore (7)
Wild-card picks: rAtlanta (12), rIndy (10), aPhilly (8), aBaltimore (6)
Remaining selection: 15

2 LR (total points: 57, possible points: 70)
Championship picks: rPhilly (12), aPittsburgh (10)
Divisional picks: rCarolina (16), rNY Giants (15), aPittsburgh (14), aBaltimore (9)
Wild-card picks: aBaltimore (11), rIndy (8), aPhilly (7), aArizona (6)
Remaining selection: 13

3 PVW (total points: 51, possible points: 66)
Championship picks: rBaltimore (16), aArizona (14)
Divisional picks: rCarolina (13), aPittsburgh (12), rNY Giants (11), aBaltimore (10)
Wild-card picks: rAtlanta (9), aPhilly (8), aBaltimore (7), rIndy (6)
Remaining selection: 15

4 GDG (total points: 49, possible points: 63)
Championship picks: rBaltimore (11), aArizona (10)
Divisional picks: rCarolina (16), rNY Giants (13), aPittsburgh (9), aBaltimore (8)
Wild-card picks: aPhilly (15), rIndy (12), aArizona (7), rMiami (6)
Remaining selection: 14

5 JYD (total points: 39, possible points: 51)
Championship picks: aPittsburgh (13), aArizona (11)
Divisional picks: rCarolina (16), aPittsburgh (15), rTennessee (14), rNY Giants (9)
Wild-card picks: rIndy (10), rAtlanta (8), rMinnesota (7), rMiami (6)
Remaining selection: 12

Tiebreakers: 1) Overall record; 2) Picks by point (first to break tie settles winner)