April 2008 Archives

The Denver Broncos select Ryan Clady of the Boise State Broncos, a school with nearly identical uniform colors that is as close to Denver as it is to any NFL franchise. So much for all the quantitative and qualitative analysis that goes into draft day.

With the selections of Jake Long (Miami), Chris Long (St. Louis) and Matt Ryan (Atlanta) as picks 1-2-3, this becomes the first NFL draft since 1975 in which the first three players picked were white. I don't know how much further you'd have to go back to find a draft in which the top three selections were white but none were named White (Randy White was the second pick), or how far you'd have to go back in which the top three selections were white and none was a quarterback selected by the Falcons (Steve Bartkowski was the top overall pick).

By the way, anyone-anyone? Bueller?-- know the added significance of Bartkowski's selection? That's right, the Cal QB selected as his agent a fellow Golden Bear, a wet-behind-the-ears kid named Leigh Steinberg.

ADAMS FAMILY

Inspired by my John Adams riff, Everlasting, Everglading Blogstalker G.A. proposed a 12-part series on Sam Adams. Thus, counter-inspired, I offer my top ten Adamses we'd love to see HBO devote a dozen painstaking hours to -- with Laura Linney appearing in every series, of course:

1) Pugsley Ad(d)ams

2) Alvan Adams

All right, here's the situation. The wireless wouldn't work out front in the main room so I scurried into the back behind the stage where NBC has a small room set up for 1-on-1's with the six gents in New York.

As I got back here and prepared to blogerate, Chris Long came into the 10x16 room stacked with equipment and staff. We got it done with Chris in two minutes and have since flowed in every one of the six guys in NYC except Vernon Gholston.

They've been outstanding in these 1-on-1 setting that we'll be putting up on-line hopefully before too long.  

Quick impressions from backstage ...

* Chris Long talking to his family: "I got 20 text messages while I was on stage!"

* Jake Long trailed backstage by ESPN and Miami Herald reporter Dan LeBatard.

* A Falcons official talking back to, presumably, Atlanta higher-ups about newly-drafted quarterback Matt Ryan: "He's handling the Mike Vick stuff great

And Mike Mayock on the NFL Network talking about corner Leodis McKelvin taken by the Bills: "I saw him get hit in the helmet three times with passes. Other than that, he's a Pro Bowl player."

You may be hoping to find out who your team selects in the draft. I, on the other hand, am giddy that the wireless just kicked back in for me while people to my right and left are kicking their computers in the groin because of a lack of wireless.

We're about five minutes from the start of this mess. Deion Sanders just came out to warm up the crowd which is fairly frothy (or course they are - you have to be twisted to COME to the draft). Carnival barking like he was born to this stuff, Sanders introduced the six New York invitees.

There was a smattering of boos for the Dolphins first overall pick, Jake Long and a few more for Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan.

With 90 minutes to go before the start of the 2008 draft, the soundtrack has started. The booming organ music is basically the best of NFL Films - Drunken Sailor and that "dunt dahdadiddyduntdihdigdahdahhhh" AKA the Raiders tune (I think).

A few other sights and sounds since I got here.

* On every team table there is a jar of M&Ms with shells in team colors. I personally like the Bucs colors.

* Just talked with Brian Billick who's going to be doing a full slate of games in a two-man booth for Fox in the fall. He's on the set for the NFL Network today.

* Asked Gene Upshaw how things have progressed since the Matt Stover Coup Attempt came to light a few weeks back. The NFLPA head said, "He's a kicker. If it was Ray Lewis, I might have been more concerned..." Ouch, doctor. Not sure how that's going to play with the rank&file special teamers.

* Now we have New York State of Mind piped in on the organ.

As we reported earlier in the week, Chris Long is most likely going to be the second overall pick in the draft going to St. Louis. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which was saying LSU DT Glenn Dorsey was the guy, has moved off that story and now fallen in line with the notion of Long. ESPN has followed up that report saying Long is firm to the Rams.

I'm trying to get confirmation on the other reports of Matt Ryan to the Falcons and Darren McFadden to the Raiders.

The X-factor is quickly becoming, then, Dorsey. For him to remain on the board at  No. 5 with the Chiefs selecting, Kansas City has a quandary of whether to take him, Vernon Gholston or get out of the pick.

The Jets, Patriots and Ravens follow at 6, 7, 8.

Caught the Thomas Jefferson-John Adams dueling death bed scenes in HBO's John Adams last night. Have you seen it? Paul Giammati, as Adams, moans the immortal and -- it must be eternally exasperating to him -- inaccurate line, "Thomas Jefferson survives." (If only they'd had text-messaging back then)

Then Giammati's face goes limp, his eyes wide open, and a tiny river of spittle runs down his chin. It's a nice career-circling achievement in saliva for Giammati, whose first big movie scene was in Singles as the dude making out with his girlfriend in the restaurant booth. Giammati is practically swallowing her face, until he notices an unnerved Campbell Scott. He turns around and just says, slightly annoyed, "What?!?"

MR. LONGORIA

Oh, that was impressive. Tony Parker and the Spurs rode into town last night and played their best game of the series. If not the year. The Spurs quickly went up by 10 and, except for a brief second-quarter hiccup when Phoenix moved to within 37-31, the defending champs never led by less than 10. Parker was on fire and really, the entire game seemed like one long Spurs swishing contest. That, and watching Shaquille O'Neal slowly die on the free throw line.

Something hilarious, something serious:

In the hilarity department, if you have yet to see this clip yet, this is just another reason as to why TNT's NBA studio is the best studio show around. Last night, with Kobe Bryant watching live, they aired the premiere of the Kenny Smith Hyperdunk shoe ad.

On to a matter that is disturbing many surfers and swimmer in southern California today. This morning in Solana Beach, which is about 15 miles or so north of San Diego, a 66 year-old man was fatally attacked by a shark. The man was training with a group of triathletes at about 7:20 a.m. when the shark attacked. He was pronounced dead on the scene once they got him to shore.

The bizarre part of this story is that shark attacks in southern California are extremely rare. Extremely. In northern California they are more common and of course in Florida they're more likely to occur. But there were people on message boards today stating that they'd lived in the area for decades and had never heard of a fatal shark attack near San Diego.

Of course, the Coast Guard will hunt it down and kill it, because that's what law enforcement does to carnivores that behave like carnivores. Nobody wants to see a person die at the hands of a shark, of course, but isn't there an ugly disconnect when a society can hunt down a shark that is just trying to survive within the same week that Mike Golic will participate in an on-air competitive eating contest for entertainment value? Humans: They really do not deserve to be atop the food chain.

Welcome, Blogstalkers, Johntouragers, and fans of Manu Ginobili to my first annual (horns blaring in the background as if to announce the arrival of royalty) Mock Turtleneck Draft. I have spent the past few weeks scouring catalogs and malls. I've stretched the fabric, rolled up the sleeves to test for elasticity, and even consulted Bud Greenspan to get his assessment. Now it's time to see who's ready to be worn, with or without a sportscoat, at the next level.

Miami, you're on the clock.

1) The Miami Dolphins choose epromos Dri-Fit Short Sleeve Mock from Nike.

If you're going to sport Mock-T in the tropics, you're better off going with a short-sleeve Mock-T. The Tuna will be very comfortable roaming the sidelines in this lightweight cotton-polyester blend whose hemmed raglan sleeves have underarm gussets.

2) The St. Louis Rams select Under Armour's camo-mock

How do you expect to find Stephen Jackson and tackle him when he blends in so naturally to the jungle surroundings? Oh, that's right, this Mock-T will be worn under his jersey.  

3) The Atlanta Falcons take Justice Clothing's  Mock Turtleneck.

The Falcons are attracted to the "union-made clothing: the sweatshop-free alternative" tag. But I suspect owner Arthur Blank will, after the year he has been though, pursue anything with the word "justice" attached to it.

4) The Oakland Raiders pick Ruby Mock Turtlenecks

Al Davis has given up on his players and is now concentrating on the comfort and style needs of the Raiderettes. We salute him for that.

5) The Kansas City Chiefs take Design Elevations

Chief players will be able to absorb all those hard knocks that much easier with this 100% acrylic ribbed long-sleeve sweater.

6) The New York Jets choose the Patriot-Made short-sleeve Mock

The Mangenius will not be flattered by this 100% pre-shrunk drab cotton short-sleeve, but the Jets are so paranoid about their neighbors to the north that they just have to see what the fuss is.

The NFL just issued a release stating that former New England Patriots camera operator Matt Walsh is - after much wrangling - heading to the Commissioner's office on May 13.

Walsh, who intimated knowledge of diablolical taping practices by the Patriots while he was an employee in the video department in 2001 and 2002, has been wrangling for protection from the NFL in return for speaking. Currently a golf pro in Hawaii, Walsh won't be on the East Coast until May 13.

The statement by the league reads in part: "The agreement also requires Mr. Walsh to return any tapes and other items in his possession that belong to the Patriots (my note: there have been published photos of Walsh with a roomful of Patriots balls and memorabilia). In return, the NFL and the Patriots have promised not to sue Mr. Walsh. They also will indemnify him from any expenses, including legal fees that he incurs in connection with the interview."

Goodell will meet with the media following the Walsh debriefing.

UPDATE: Pats release statement 

STATEMENT BY THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS ON NFL AGREEMENT TO MEET WITH MATT WALSH:

The New England Patriots are pleased to learn that Matt Walsh is finally willing to come forward to meet with the NFL. We are eagerly anticipating his honest disclosures to Commissioner Goodell next month and the return of all the materials he took during his time of employment. We fully expect this meeting to conclude the league’s investigation into a damaging and false allegation that was originally levied against the team on the day before this year’s Super Bowl. ...

So there's just so much blogworthy material in my cranium that I've split today's stuff into two blogs. The first one appears lower ("The Easy Buckets List"). Now, for the rest of the story ...

DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN

Sad weekend for fans of Bruce Springsteen, as Danny Federici, the keyboard player in the E Street Band, succumbed to cancer. The show must go on, though, so just one day after Federici's funeral The Boss and the remaining members of the band, now in its fourth decade together, played a show in Tampa. Here's a clip from last night's concert that includes a tribute to Federici, who was 58.

A fund in Federici's name has been established that will go towards the cure for melanoma. If you wish to contribute, click here.

HOME SWEET DOME

What's that line from the Eagles' "Hotel California"? "You can check out any time you like/but you can never leave?"

The folks at the Waterford Hotel in South Bend are putting their own spin on that lyric. When I checked in last Friday the desk clerk informed me that they were not just renting out rooms, they were selling them. My curiosity was aroused -- I have never owned a home or car in my life, and it seems so fitting, as a career sportswriter, that my first major purchase be a hotel room -- and so I went and spoke to Lisa LeBlanc, the very personable broker that the Waterford has on-site. ...

I'm a huge fan of Kenny "The Jet" Smith on the TNT. He's, well, dynamite.

After the Spurs beat the Suns 102-96 last night, TNT's incomparable studio show of The Jet, Sir Charles and Ernie dissected that series (and also had a lively discussion on the translation of Tony Parker's message in French to his wife, Tampa Bay 3rd baseman Evan Longoria, but that's another story). When EJ asked The Jet how come he thought that the Suns, now down 2-0, could not come back and win this series, his answer was simple: "Lay-ups."

In his first draft as Falcons GM, Tom Dimitroff holds the keys to the top 10 in Saturday's NFL Draft. Yeah, the Dolphins have the first overall pick, but the Falcons hold the swing pick - No. 3 overall - because so much will hinge on what they do.

The prevailing hunch - and the fear if you're the Baltimore Ravens - is that Atlanta will take Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan. If we assume that Jake Long and Chris Long go 1 and 2, this means the Falcons would be passing on Glenn Dorsey, Sedrick Ellis and Vernon Gholston in this scenario.

If Dimitroff goes the other way and takes Dorsey, the Ravens - quarterback-hungry and sitting at No. 8 - do handsprings and Atlanta still gets a critical building block.

There will be howling if Atlanta passes on Ryan. Chris Redman, Joey Harrington and D.J. Shockley comprise the depth chart at the moment. That's not a recipe for huge success. But there's another trump card in Dimitroff's pocket to play. With seven of the top 103 picks and 11 overall, Dimitroff can still get Atlanta a big quarterback upgrade and take Dorsey. How? Call the Jets. 

For reasons I cannot entirely explain, even to myself, I have long harbored a desire to attend an evening of dinner and tournament at Medieval Times. Is it the dinner? The tournament?

In fact, five years ago when my good buddy Smoron was getting married and I was the best man (or was I the "Made Of Honor"?), I suggested that our bachelor party begin there. I was roundly outvoted.

The Dolphins flirtations with Michigan tackle Jake Long over the past few weeks have been well-publicized  but this morning, with six days to go before the draft, a league source is indicating that a contract agreement is nearly in place.

Word that Miami initiated talks with Long's agent, Tom Condon, surfaced almost two weeks ago. Condon actually was in South Florida to meet with Dolphins officials. Miami's also made overtures toward Vernon Gholston but little other progress has been mentioned.

Meanwhile, with Jake Long off the board, the St. Louis Rams are a lock to go with defense at No. 2 and, according to the same league source, the camp of Virginia defensive end Chris Long is very confident that's where he'll be headed.

AST China Invitational - the first ever - is complete.

Saturday kicked off with an opening ceremony that was almost presidential. Before I describe that I'll go back to a conversation I had last night. I was soaking in the oil pool (that's what you do before you go and sit in the 'fish pool', a pool filled with Turkish fish that nibble at you!) I was speaking with a man who has been working with us all week. He asked what I thought about the opening ceremony and I responded with compliments on how it all  went. "It's not similar to what you do in America?" he asked. At that moment it sunk in how different the two countries kick off a sporting event. Take baseball for example. We grab beer and hot dogs, have a famous person throw out the first pitch, a singer takes a crack at the National Anthem, a fat guy yells "Play ball!" and that pretty much does the trick. Here? Well let's just say it was a tad more formal.

Notre Dame is beating itself. Unlike last season, when the Irish often beat themselves with turnovers and penalties early in a contest, this is not a bad thing. Because it's the annual intrasquad scrimmage.

In terms of offense, the rushing offense is outpacing the passing game. Notre Dame came out passing on its first possession, with quarterback Jimmy Clausen throwing two incomplete passes and then being sacked by Raeshon McNeill--and there was a false start penalty against left tackle Paul Duncan prior to that sack. In short, Notre Dame's first offensive series looked all too familiar.

On the next series Charlie Weis--or was it offensive coordinator Mike Haywood, who calls the plays this season--was taking no chances. The Irish ran the ball on 15 consecutive plays. Robert Hughes, who looks very much like the first-string tailback, gained most of the 69 yards on Notre Dame's FedEX Ground drive.

Defensively, two players have stood out thus far: McNeil (No. 8), who looks bigger than he did last year. In 2007 McNeil was behind Darrin Walls, a fellow true freshman, on the depth chart at CB. This year I think he'll be a starter. Also, Harrison Smith, No. 22, who just intercepted a pass and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown on the first drive of the 2nd half.

Earlier this week I noted that Smith, as a true freshman last season, was a physical specimen who never stepped on the field as a backup free safety. This spring he still has that NFL physique, but now he's playing. And there is no sense of uncertainty to his game. On the first play of the game Smith lined up at linebacker, but he's also played lots of free safety. It's easy to categorize him as the next Tom Zbikowski, but he's a bigger, rangier athlete.

Howdy from Notre Dame Stadium, hours before the non-kickoff of the annual Blue-Gold Game (no kickoffs in today's game, among other tailored-for-scrimmage rules). A few items for Irish fans:

-- Most of the benches in the student section have been torn out and replaced with plush reclining chairs. Okay, half that statement is true. The benches have all been taken out, as have the backed-seats in the Judge Smails-Alumni-Robber Baron seating section on the west side of the stadium. The upgrade will be completed in time for the Sept. 6 opener with San Diego State, of course.

The only question that concerned students should ask themselves is whether the benches will still be spaced in accordance with the way humans were sized back in 1928, or if ND has finally accepted the fact that the average male is not 5-5, 140 pounds any more.

-- Favorite item gleaned from Friday's "Irish Insider" section of the student paper, The Observer: Notre Dame right guard Eric Olsen is known as Barf, after the half-man, half-dog from "Spaceballs" to whom he bears an uncomfortably striking resemblance. At least I hope that's how he earned that nickname.

You know what was great about Steve McNair?

No, it wasn't his much-ballyhooed toughness - if there was ever a storyline overplayed consistently by booth jockeys it was the notion that McNair was the only quarterback in the NFL playing in pain every week.

It was the fact that he was so damn smart. Think about it. Here was a kid from Division I-AA Alcorn State who beat up on lesser competition in college and was perhaps a greater threat with his legs than his arm coming into the NFL. Yet only once in his just-completed NFL career did he throw more interceptions than touchdowns. And that came in 2004 when he only played eight games and finished with eight TDs and 9 picks. When you think of the learning curve he was dealing with coming into the league, to be that efficient (he also finished his career with a completion percentage over 60) is pretty damned impressive.

McNair, who retired as the Ravens quarterback Wednesday after 13 seasons and 161 games, was one of the top five quarterbacks of his era. But he wasn't good enough to be considered a Hall of Famer. His team only made it to one Super Bowl and lost. He made it to just three Pro Bowls. He was never first-team All Pro. And while he did share the 2003 league MVP with Peyton Manning, there just aren't enough other seasons where he was at or near the very best at his position in the league.

College Baseball has a sweet match up this weekend. It's been a while since these two schools have stood atop the football rankings, but in baseball they're dominating.

Florida State University (2) vs. University of Miami (1)

Gotta love a 1 vs 2 and it's even better when an in-state rivalry is involved. Games are Friday and Saturday at 7 pm and Sunday at 1 pm.

We moved.

Bye Beijing, hello Daxing!

This morning the boys sadly put away their fanny packs, slid out of "tourist mode" and jumped onto the bus. The time had come for the athletes to do what they came here for: compete.

The buses drove us an hour and a half outside of Beijing to an area known as Daxing. The competition is to take place in an outdoor stadium that was actually built for bull riding competitions. I was told that back in November it was still under construction. However, we arrived to a beautiful and finished stadium (the business offices smell like fresh paint). Too bad our bus wasn't in as mint of a condition as the stadium. Somehow, someway, somewhere along the drive our bus busted the front tire. Nice.

As for the new competition digs? Well, it was compliments all around from the athletes. The build is very similar to how a tennis stadium is designed: four sides of raised seating looking down onto the court/area. Now its practice, practice, practice...

Our new hotel, ahem excuse me, our new resort isn't too shabby. There are hot springs inside and massages available downstairs. I didn't hesitate taking advantage of that massage service, consider it done and done.

One thing I haven't mentioned: there are these white almost dust bunny like things floating through the air. If you didn't know any better, there are times during the day when it appears to be snowing outside. We've been told it is actually a seed from a tree that has been carried by the wind. Takes a little getting used to especially as those suckers have a way of finding their way into your mouth, nose, eyes...

One note: in our new hotel CNN is listed as channel 2 (HBO is channel 3 and in ENGLISH!!) So I excitedly clicked to channel 2 hoping to get some American news. I got to channel 2 but just found on the TV screen a CNN logo. I was so close, so close... Oh well, HBO it is.

Click for a look at some photos from Tiffany's trip

Am headed out for the annual Blue-Gold game on Saturday, i.e., the Notre Dame spring football game, or as we used to call it during my undergrad days, "the least exciting two hours of An Tostal." After all, the Bookstore Basketball Final is on Sunday and that, as well as the now-defunct Keg Toss competition, were always more crowd-friendly. 

A few notes for y'all as the Irish wrap up spring practice:

1) Tom Zbikowski is gone. He's not coming back. Really. Some of you may actually consider that a good thing. Also, I'm fairly certain that Travis Thomas will not be a team captain next fall.

2) The safety positions may actually be as secure a unit as the Irish have. David Bruton, who I feel is the most NFL-ready player on this roster, will start for the second consecutive year at one spot. Kyle McCarthy, who played often last year when Zibby moved up to a modified rover/linebacker positions, appears to have won the other starting job in spring practice.

3) Evan Sharpley is batting .346 and leads the Irish baseball team in home runs with 7. Yes, that Evan Sharpley. He will not be playing in the Blue-Gold game. Also, punter Eric Maust is pitcher Eric Maust in the spring. He has a 3-1 record as well as the lowest ERA among the starting staff, 2.23.

I made my major-league debut Wednesday night at Wrigley Field, where the Chicago Cubs took on the Cincinnati Reds. 

Not in the press box. 

On the mound. 

I lasted one pitch.  

Let me tell you – when you’re out there on that mound, you are all alone. You look up, and there are thousands of people in the stands, and even though it’s Wrigley, they haven’t been drinking long enough not to be paying attention.  

No pressure – but this was for sure going to be a once-in-a-lifetime thing, throwing out the first pitch at a Major League Baseball game, and who would want to shank it? 

Uh, not me.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency recently launched a far-reaching initiative aimed at proving that certain elite American athletes are competing drug-free, two of the athletes in the program disclosed Wednesday at the U.S. Olympic Committee’s “media summit” in Chicago.

Bryan Clay, the 2005 world champion and 2004 Olympic Games silver medalist in the decathlon, said he is part of the program, dubbed “Project Believe,” which involves an intense schedule of regular blood and urine tests. Sprint star Allyson Felix said she’s part of it, too.

“I just feel whatever I can do to prove I’m clean I’m willing do it, no matter what time I have to wake up or drive or whatever,” Felix said.

Swim star Michael Phelps, winner of six gold medals at the 2004 Athens Games, told me he is in the program, too.

I'm athletic (when it's warm out and right after New Years). I like to run, workout, you know stay active. Pssshhttt... today that was put to the test. Even the most athletic people (including the AST athletes) would have a hard time climbing up The Great Wall without breaking into a little sweat. And sweat we did...

(As I write this, playing on the one English TV station I can find over here, is a Mariah Carey video. Timbaland was on before that.) Last night was a difficult sleep. At breakfast this morning we all realized we each woke up between the hours of 3 and 5:30 am. Some people went outside and walked around, others tossed in their beds to pass the time. Conveniently there is a Starbucks down the street from our hotel so around 8 or so I ventured on my own to get some coffee. The streets were filled with people, mostly dressed in business attire, walking to wherever they go to begin their day. I admit, it was a little weird to walk around by myself, not knowing any words past "hello" and "thank you" (even that I don't pronounce entirely correctly), and take in the looks I got from the people passing by.

The Starbucks was about as different from say one in Atlanta, GA. Nada, overwhelmingly the same as back home. Tasted pretty good too. Our group met in the lobby of the hotel at 9 and we loaded onto two buses and headed outside the city for our trip. I woke up hoping the day would be clear and I'd see a bright blue sky. False. Grey and hazy again! Eh, what can you do? So we drove about an hour and half outside of Beijing and learned some information from our tour guide Emily. Take the word Beijing for example. It's two characters "Bei" and "Jing". The symbol (looks like a runner) for the '08 Olympics represents "Jing". The color red in China means good luck and happiness. You get the idea...

The countryside of Beijing is vastly different from the city. It's much further behind in development. The rural looking photos of people sitting on the road or riding their bikes on streets passed old weathered buildings are much more accurate to the area we drove through. At one point, off to the right side of the road, a huge castle like structure appeared randomly out of nowhere. Think Cinderella's castle at Disney but an unfinished version. Emily explained it was similar to an amusement park back in the States but had yet to be complete. I can't get over how clean the roads are. I've yet to see a single piece of trash on the road. I'm not kidding you. Not one.

The Great Wall.. well to get there you have to...

The U.S. Olympic Committee’s top leadership, appearing before hundreds of reporters in Chicago at a traditional pre-Games meeting, vowed to send a doping-free team to the Beijing Olympics and, again seeking to downplay American expectations, predicted the Chinese team would be a strong contender to win the medals count.

Senior USOC leaders also expressed support for American athletes to say what they want while in Beijing, within the confines of International Olympic Committee rules that say “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda” is permitted at Olympic sites.

In addition, USOC Chairman Peter Ueberroth suggested that, in the developing race for the 2016 Summer Games, Chicago is “certainly not first.” The International Olympic Committee will pick the 2016 site in 2009; Chicago is competing against Rio de Janeiro; Madrid; Tokyo; Prague; Baku, Azerbaijan; and Doha, capital of the Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar.

A high-level political campaign could take notes: all of it on message.

The USOC made no headlines. All of it had been said many times before, in many ways. Remarkable, given everything that’s going on in the run-up to the Beijing Games.

You're feeling pretty OK if you're a Giants fan and you've gotten a gander at the 2008 NFL schedule.

The defending champs only face two 2007 playoff teams after November 9 (at Redskins November 30, at Dallas December 14). And they open the season with their first seven games against teams that are just OK or a little better than that - Redskins, @ St. Louis, Bengals, Seahawks, @ Cleveland, 49ers.

The tough stretch for New York comes right there, though. On October 26, the Giants are at Pittsburgh then hosting Dallas and at Philly. Two of the three are Sunday night games on NBC.

Meanwhile, if Tom Coughlin's itching to find a sign of disrespect, his team has four prime-time games. Dallas and New England each have five. Hmmmmph.

Another tidbit: the Browns have three occasions in which they have back-to-back road games.

Since nothing seems to make Wade Phillips feel more content than a terrific regular season, he's got to be feeling purty good right 'bout now.

There isn't a team on Dallas' schedule that makes you sit up and say "uh-oh" until they play at the Giants on Nov. 2 at 4:15 (that'll be a great day for NFL by the way, with the Pats and Colts on NBC after).

Before that for the 'Boys? At Browns, Eagles, at Packers, Redskins, Bengals, at Cardinals, at Rams and then the Bucs.

There are three playoff teams in there but the Redskins and Bucs were the worst teams to get there in 2007 and the Packers have Aaron Rodgers and not Brett Favre under center for them this year. On second thought, Rodgers chewed up Dallas replacing Favre at Texas Stadium last year, so that might not be a picnic.

Dallas also sets up nicely with its bye, having it come right after the Giants game. Dallas closes the season at Pittsburgh, hosting the Giants and Ravens and then at Philly.

*****

Know who got a rotten schedule in the NFC? Chicago. Not only do they open with two on the road at Indy and Carolina, but they have three in a row on the road later in the season -- the only team in the conference with three in a row OR the first two games on the road.

The Panthers, meanwhile, close with two games on the road meaning John Fox won't have to hear the boos in his final days as Carolina coach.

From Oct. 19 to Nov. 30, the Indianapolis Colts are going to be getting a faceful of it every weekend.

Check out what Indy sees after its first five games:

• Oct. 19: @ Green Bay
• Oct. 27: @ Tennessee
• Nov. 2: New England
• Nov. 9: @ Pittsburgh
• Nov. 16: Houston
• Nov. 23: @San Diego
• Nov. 30: @ Cleveland

That's five out of seven road games (all five against playoff teams from 2007) and six out of seven against playoff teams from last year. And when they get a home game during that stretch, Indy has to play New England sandwiched in between road trips to Tennessee and Pittsburgh?

That's nasty. The Colts also close the season at Jacksonville and then home against Tennessee. They, of course, open the season on NBC against Chicago on Sept. 7.

The Patriots are set up to come out of the gates hot in 2008. In the first four weeks of the season, they face the Chiefs, Jets, Dolphins and 49ers - teams that combined for 14 wins in 2007. New England, you may recall, won 16 games itself in the 2007 regular season before realizing a little toe stubbage in the Super Bowl against the Giants.

The Pats don't face a playoff team until their fifth game when they go to San Diego on Sunday Oct. 12 for a Sunday Night rematch of the AFC Championship game. The Patriots also get to play the Raiders (4-12 in 2007) and Rams (3-13).

The Patriots have a record regular season winning streak of 19 games entering the year. Their marquee games are Sunday night, Nov. 2 on NBC at Indy in the final year of the RCA Dome and, possibly, Tony Dungy.

The only wrenches in the Patriots schedule are a Sunday night game in Seattle on Dec. 7 on NBC followed by another West Coast trip on Dec. 14 to play the Raiders. That's 12,000 miles of flying in a week - a full day on a plane between Dec. 6 and Dec. 14. And, after the Chargers game, the Pats won't be wheeling back in to pick up their cars at the stadium until 7 a.m. Monday morning.

They get the same deal on October 5 and 12, traveling back and forth to San Francisco then San Diego. Cross-country flights for East Coast teams mean they return to their stadiums around 3 a.m. after afternoon games.

Monday at around noon, I boarded a non-stop flight, destination Beijing, China. 13 plus hours and 6,830 miles later, I found myself on the other side of the world, further then any place I'd traveled before. 

I'm here for the AST Dew Tour, which essentially means I'm here for work. For me, when travel is involved, it's hard to consider anything work. I love going on the road and exploring. Being here a few months before the OIympics swoops in and the entire world moves its attention on Beijing, I'm excited to absorb and learn as much as I can about a language, culture and country I know little about. (Thank you Lonely Planet for the pre-arrival help provided by the book.) We landed at PEK, picked up our luggage, received a warm welcome by out greeters, stuffed the van (literally) with our things and began the hour and a half drive into downtown Beijing. I've heard people say the growth of this city is racing at an unbelievable speed. Being that I'm a virgin to the hood, I have no reference for what things may have looked like a few years ago. However the amount of construction surrounding the area proves a solid case that the city has developed and changed much over a short amount of time.   

Walking around today, I took pictures of anything I saw interesting...which was everything. A street sign, bikers riding in unison, a little girl no more then six dressed so trendy she looked like she belonged in SoHo, a man next to a pineapple stand. Let's just say he wasn't thrilled. I tried to snap, he began to yell and that was the end of that photo shoot. At one point, standing at a cross street light waiting for a police officer to blow his whistle and signal it ok to walk across, I looked around at the people surrounding me and listened to their voices. The constant murmur of sound was everywhere and yet I didn't understand a word of it. The light changed, the officer blew his whistle, and we began to cross in large mass. A guy here with me said: "Man, talk about being a minority." Simple statement but precise, we are so the minority. In America when do you walk around and not understand the language, recognize a person who looks similar to you or enter a grocery store and not understand what anything is? It's a new feeling and perhaps an important one to experience.

In Tuesday's China Daily on the front page reads an article titled "Measures to improve air quality". It says... 

It's one of the best parts of my job: interviewing people. People who happen to make their living as an athlete. Having the chance to go out in the field and learn something new while speaking with someone is what I always look forward to. I've met a few athletes in my day. Some are funny. Others are shy. Most are interested in just getting through the necessary obligations so they can return to whatever "normal" routine their life entails. (Can't nor do I blame them.) In fact, it must be exhausting to always be 'on' or aware of the tiniest sentence that might slip out and be taken the wrong way. It's a worry most of us never have to deal with. Then, however, there are the exceptions. The interviews that occur with people, not simply athletes, that seem real.

There is nothing I appreciate more then having a conversation with an athlete who is witty, articulate, interesting and at the most unexpected moment, surprisingly unaffected by all that surrounds them. What's even better is when said athlete also happens to be on your Fantasy Baseball team. To be honest, yes rooting for a guy on your roster just because he's there is likely. We all want to win. But it's a nice (albeit unnecessary) plus when the guy you want to do well also happens to be likeable. Meet Chase Utley. He's about as cool as someone can be without being arrogant. He answers questions, whether asked by me or you or a close buddy, truthfully but with a sense of humor and dry wit. A 'take it with a grain of salt' type, it's one kind of approach that is always appealing.

Here's the interview with Chase...

This morning I took part in a 4-mile race in Central Park, the Thomas Labrecque "Run as One" for lung cancer research. And as I heaved along the pavement alongside my friend, Suleiman, who is blind, I began to wonder, Is there a race to cure blindness (and is there a race to cure writers from subtly dropping in asides that imply he's a better person than he actually is, because we know he isn't?)?

Anyway, I don't know if there is a race to cure blindness. And I don't know, though it occurred to me as well, whether blind people who live alone -- as Suleiman does -- put up photographs or paintings in their home. I wondered that, but decided I'll wait another month or two before I ask him that one.

AUGUSTA, Georgia - Mornin'! I'm not getting into the weather here. It would smack of neener-neener-neenering. Suffice to say it's nicer than the Northeast, k?

South African Trevor Immelman has gotten it to 5-under with a bird on the very difficult seventh hole. Brian Bateman, who's gotten through 12 holes at 2-under is the man on the leaderboard furthest into his round.

Brandt Snedeker (bless you) is 4-under through 5 -- whoa, he's now 5-under through six. Snedeker (bless you) birdied 2 and 6. He started the day at 2-under.

As for the big, sexy names, Tiger Woods from Windermere, Florida tees off at 1:52. Phil Mickelson is just about to go off the first, Vijay Singh is 1-over for his round through one. Meanwhile, first-round leader Justin Rose can sit and fester until he goes off a 2:03.

I'm going out to collect vignettes and tidbits.

Strong week for Jay Bilas, who may be the smartest on-air talent that ESPN--or anyone else for that matter--employs. First, on Monday evening in San Antonio, Bilas was the first on-air to truly excoriate Memphis coach John Calipari for not calling a timeout after Derrick Rose's made free throw made the score 63-60 with 10 seconds remaining.

Later this week, and I don't know if you heard it, Bilas engaged in a hilariously fractious radio interview with Miami blowhard columnist Dan LeBatard. I'm sorry, but about ten years ago LeBatard penned a piece in a magazine about what a fabulous ladies' man he is and how he rotates his fillies as if he's managing a pitching staff. The story was so relentlessly narcissistic and, by the way, Have you seen LeBatard? As my old friend Doc Johsnton used to say, "What a clueless clown." 

Jasmine and I are standing on the street holding the torch together, her right hand just under my left, as a little boy comes up from the left and a protestor on the right.

The boy came up from Los Angeles just to see the relay. He wants a picture, which we pose for.

 The protestor, wielding a camcorder, is yelling, "What's your view on Tibet?"

We ignore him. 

"Leave them alone!" says a woman with Alexander. She projects the manner of a seasoned mom shushing a child.

He asks the same question several more times. We don't answer. Maybe bored, maybe in search of a more provokable quarry, he goes away.

As he rides off on his bicycle, 11 motorcycle officers slide up on our right -- between us and the curb.

Four more officers on bicycles come up from behind and encircle us.

To our right, over on the grass  -- no sidewalk -- eight or 10 people start cheering for us, and the torch. "We would have been here earlier if we'd known where!"

A photographer for a Stockton newspaper takes a photo, asks for our names. A bunch of protestors rush up, one holding a Tibetan flag, yelling in a language I've never heard. 

The police, concerned, close in tighter around us. 

The incoming runners, pair 20, Lisa Hartmayer and David Drabkin, approach. We turn to meet them. 

At 2:43 pm, the torch is ours.

"We're going to make history today," a city official told us, gathered in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton.

 "There have been adjustments to the route and the order you were in yesterday is no longer relevant."

 Instead, she told us, we would be running in pairs -- two hands on the torch at one time. The route will thus be three miles instead of six.

 I am paired up with Jasmine Nachtigall, a senior at Hillsdale High School and incoming Stanford freshman.  We are to start along the Embarcadero, at Pier 19.

Mayor Newsom stood on a chair at the front of the room and said the route, now three miles instead of six, would be safe, a "stark contrast" to London and Paris.

 The route follows the waterfront Embarcadero only -- with the road lined on both sides by roadside barriers.

 Those barriers ought to make for a big difference from the scenes in Britain and France, the mayor said.

 An additional 66 officers have been put on roadside duty, the mayor said, promising an "enormous amount of security."

 If there's an incident, he said, "Be calm. Don't worry. We'll have so many people right around you."

 He also said officials believe there will be "many times more people out there celebrating than people opposed -- you will be quite welcomed."

Now we're on a bus -- we being the final 20 pairs.

 I'm in the second row, sitting next to Anita De Frantz. Jasmine is immediately behind; a big cardboard box of torches is immediately ahead of us.

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Mayor Newsom, his voice hoarse,  got on our bus nearly 75 minutes after we got on it.

Protesters and activists have infiltrated the Embarcadero near downtown.

The route has to move, he said.

Now it will move down Van Ness, one of the main north-south street in town, then west into the Marina and the Park Presidio -- more like the original course.

Police were already being pulled from some of their assigned stations, not too fast and not too many at a time -- to sustain the impression we were still going to be on the Embarcadero.

"You up for it?" he asked.

"Let's do it!" came a voice from the back of the bus.

The mayor paused, then said, "God bless you."

Our instructions are to report to a sixth-floor meeting room between 10:45 and 11 Wednesday morning.

At 10, the Olympic flame – in two lanterns – made its way out for the day, emerging from a conference room, surrounded by security guards. A police dog had sniffed the area the night before.

I saw the dog, the flame, all the commotion because, coincidentally, the conference room was just down the hall from the room I’d been given in the San Francisco Hilton.

Wrestling with the lanterns in their carrying case, the security team looked at a nearby elevator bank. “Take it down the stairs! Take it down the stairs!” one of the security officials shouted.

Peter Ueberroth, the chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee, framed the central issue squarely Tuesday evening at a reception thrown for the torchbearers at the Asian Art Museum near San Francisco’s City Hall even as he proclaimed, “Tomorrow, you’re having a chance to watch history.”

He said, “There were some problems in London, some problems in Paris. Here’s the question: can San Francisco give the gift to the world, to teach the world, that you can have all proper dissent, every idea expressed, freedom of speech to the nth degree – and do it with dignity, and allow the Olympic torch to pass here, and do so proudly?”

I have been to Iraq.

I was in Kenya just days after the bombs went off at the U.S. Embassy there and in nearby Tanzania.

I have scampered to escape raging wildfires in Southern California.

In none of those events in my working life as a journalist was my mother so worried that she felt compelled to call beforehand to warn me to be careful.

She called as I was on my way to San Francisco to run with the Olympic torch, an assignment I had put in to do months ago. In asking, I had figured I’d gain access to the behind-the-scenes workings of the international relay. Never did I imagine the relay would explode onto front pages around the world.

“Honey,” my mother said, “I think you ought to run with a bullet-proof vest.”

“Mom …” I started to say.

She interrupted. “You don’t know what kind of nut jobs there are out there. I’m just saying.”

Got one for you. Btw 19th and 17th streets on 3rd Avenue. No clue what they are shooting (all the people with walkie talkies seemed to have disappeared) but the crew has taken over the street two days in a row now. So I'm sure it's something good (last time it was Leo DiCaprio's movie). Speaking of movies...

If you haven't seen it already, I recommend SHINE A LIGHT. My argument for the film is (partly) based on the 100% guarantee that the following plot lines are non-existent- cheesy love stories, bad jokes, awful special effects, Eddie Murphy and/or Lindsay Lohan, politicians. Ok, I take the last one back. Bill Clinton (of all peeps) does make an appearance.

Essentially the actual movie is nothing more then...

Each morning I get an email that serves as a brief run down o