10. Russian Hockey League Claims Hardest Shot Record Broken
According to the KHL (the main Russian hockey league), Russian defenseman Denis Kulyash fired a slap shot 110.3 mph. Faithful readers of this column (all eight of you) may recall that Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins set a new record with a slap shot that went 105.9 mph. Kulyash is a former 8th round pick of the Nashville Predators who never appeared in a NHL game. He’s also about 6 inches shorter than Chara. I’m not going to say that I don’t believe the KHL, but…well ya, I don’t believe them. At all. Nice publicity stunt though fellas.
9. David Stern Adds Kevin Love to NBA All-Star Team
I had faith that David Stern wouldn’t screw this up, and he delivered. Stern tapped Love to replace Yao Ming, who despite his season ending injuries, was voted into the All-Star Game by 2 million Chinese people. Love has been a revelation this season, even despite being on one of the worst teams in the league. A guy who averages 20 and 15 needs to be in the All-Star Game.
8. Arsenal Blows Four Goal Lead, Settles For Draw at Newcastle
It’s not very often you’ll see soccer in this space (come back in three years during the next World Cup if soccer is your thing), but a team blowing a four-goal lead is the equivalent of the Eagle’s comeback against the New York Giants last December.
7. Cameron Diaz Caught on Camera Feeding Popcorn to Alex Rodriguez at Super Bowl
This was the funniest moment of Super Bowl XLV. It only would’ve been topped if instead of feeding A-Rod popcorn, Diaz were caught injecting Rodriguez with HGH.
6. NFL Owners Meet With Players Union
No word if progress was made, but at least the two sides are talking. These two sides better figure this crap out, because this column is going to die next fall when I’m forced to write about the Chase for the Sprint Cup every four days (I think I just vomited in my mouth a little bit).
5. Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk, Shannon Sharpe, and Richard Dent Elected to NFL Hall of Fame
Cris Carter should’ve been included with this group, but wide receivers usually have to wait a few turns before they get elected. I was a little bummed that Curtis Martin didn’t make it either, but his rushing totals will put him in eventually. Richard Dent should’ve been in years ago, so it was nice to see him enter the Hall.
As for the other three guys, these were all players that I remember trading for to stack my Madden team when I was about 12 or 13 years old (in other words, I feel old). Shannon Sharpe sounds like a moron on CBS, but we can’t forget some of the memorable comments he made during his playing career (CALL IN THE NATIONAL GUARD…WE ARE KILLING THE PATRIOTS!). Faulk was the perfect runningback for “The Greatest Show on Turf”. Deion Sanders was a dynamic player who brought flashiness and star-power to the defensive side of the ball.
4. Anderson Silva Kicks Vitor Belfort in the Face
UFC got lost in all of the Super Bowl hoopla a little bit (note to Dana White: let’s not schedule any fights on the weekend of the Super Bowl. There’s you know, 51 other weekends you can choose), but the sheer awesomeness of Silva’s foot nailing Belfort’s chin can not be underestimated. Silva is a monster.
3. Phil Simms Threatens to Punch Desmond Howard
According to eyewitness accounts, Simms was pissed off that Howard made a comment about Simms’ son Matt (who is a quarterback at the University of Tennessee) being one of the three worst quarterbacks in the SEC during an ESPN pre-game show last season. Simms called Howard “a hack broadcaster” and threatened to fight him.
According to his Twitter page, Howard replied, “Let’s go!” Both men needed to be separated by police.
This is a tough one from a moral perspective. Simms was stepping up to defend his son, who while not the next Peyton Manning (or for that matter, Tee Martin.
Remember him?), Matt did throw for just under 1,500 yards, and 8 touchdowns to only 5 interceptions. However, how many players has Phil criticized on air in his 17 year broadcasting career? It’s not like Desmond said that Matt Simms hates puppies or something. Howard was just doing his job and giving an opinion. I think Simms should’ve bit his tongue on this one.
2. Rondo Powers Celtics Over Magic
If Rondo attacks the basket every game the way he did Sunday against Orlando, no team will beat the Celtics in a seven game series. Rondo has been an elite distributor of the basketball, but his reluctance to shoot and draw fouls is at times a hindrance to Boston’s half-court game. Sunday, Rondo barreled into Dwight Howard constantly, and earned nine trips to the free throw line. Orlando has no one who can match up with Rose, and looking across the landscape of the Eastern Conference, only Chicago has a worthy adversary for him in the form of Derrick Rose.
1. Packers Win Super Bowl XLV
This is a game that I’ll remember more for sloppiness (three Pittsburgh turnovers, approximately 35 dropped passes by Green Bay receivers) than anything else. Rodgers would’ve thrown for 450 yards if wasn’t for all the drops, but he was still spectacular, and a deserving MVP. Green Bay cashed in on every single Steelers mistake, including the back-breaking Mendenhall fumble (if he doesn’t fumble the ball, there was a good chance Pittsburgh scores a touchdown to take a 3-point lead. Instead, Green Bay cashes in to push the lead to 11). If that fumble didn’t occur, we were probably going to see one of the all-time great endings to a Super Bowl. Nevertheless, it was a competitive and entertaining game.
Looking ahead to next season, there is no reason Green Bay shouldn’t be a powerhouse again. They’ll have Jermichael Finley and Ryan Grant back, and will no longer have the burden of Brett Favre’s shadow hanging over them. I don’t see Chicago winning 12 games ahead, Detroit is still young and on the rise (and therefore probably another year or two away), and Minnesota is still a mess, so expect at least a 12-4 record with a first round bye for the Packers.
Pittsburgh has a couple of concerns heading into 2011. They need to find some offensive lineman, and hopefully Troy Polamalu returns to perfect health before next season. He looked terribly slow on the last Packers touchdown pass to Greg Jennings.
Sadly, the last two paragraphs are moot if there is a lockout that interrupts next season. As a degenerate football fan, I hope the two sides realize that there is way too much money at stake to waste a year with no games. Early estimates show that last night’s game was the most watched television program in history, which continues the season long trend of the NFL having record setting television ratings. The sport is as popular as it has ever been. It would be a shame for owners and player to quarrel over money (which both sides have enough of anyway) to interrupt America’s favorite sport.
No comments:
Post a Comment