The Week That Was 2/6/06 - 2/12/06 

 

ED:  Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Art Shell!

 

PR: As long as he doesn’t go hunting with Dick Cheney, the Raiders will do fine.

 

OLYMPICS!!!

 

ED: The Olympics have finally begun. America remembers how much it loathes Bob Costas and Katie Couric thanks to their embarrassing the country in the Opening Ceremonies.

 

PR: Did you know Italy had Mountains! And CITIES! AND IT’S A COUNTRY TOO!!!! God, I loathe NBC.

 

BB: I am shocked Rikishi didn’t make an appearance in this ceremony.

 

ED:  MICHELLE KWAN!!!  OHYMGOD!!!  END THE WORLD!  STOP EVERYTHING!  HOW CAN ANYTHING CONTINUE NOW?  God, and to think all that noise is about a FRICKING FIXED SPORT!!!

 

PR: Aww… I could make that argument about all the sports we watch.

 

ED: Hey! Olympic cheaters! WHAT DO WE TELL THE CHILDREN ABOUT THE SPIRIT OF THE GAMES! WHAT? 

 

ED: The International Olympic committee shoots down a bid to reinstate baseball for the 2012 Olympics.  That's OK.  Baseball still has the World Baseball Classic...that everyone is bailing on.  All right.  Never mind.

 

BB: Well, everyone woulda bailed on the Olympics if they were selected to go. You can’t dump your fake girlfriend. Or can you…

 

NBA

 

ED: Phil Jackson is Mark Cuban's BUCKET BOY!!! God, nerd fights on the internet are never good.

 

PR: Neither is video taping yourself playing with a fake lightsaber. Stripping for your eventual ex-boyfriend, though, that’s aces in my book. Ahh… the Internet. You ugly ugly magical place.

 

BB: World Series TV appearance? Recorded. Stripping? Not Recorded. Hate life.

 

ED: All Star reserves are named. I'm certain they are all there for their defense.

 

PR: Or by police request so they could easily round up the outstanding warrants.

 

ED: NBA ref Dick Bavetta officiates his 2135th straight game, setting a new NBA record. And really, that is quite the accomplishment for a blind man. What?

 

PR: There really was something fitting about him working a Knicks game to break the record.

 

ED: Pacers F Jonathon Bender retires. I have no idea who he is. Phil just told me to put this in.

 

PR: So much easier than having to think of a joke myself.

 

ED: C Steven Hunter is returned to the Sixers when he fails the Hornets physical. Yes, odds of him now becoming a Knick is incredibly high.

 

PR: The first Knick joke Ed steals from me this week.

 

BB: Interesting considering the NBA section is now over.

 

NHL

ED: The death of Marc Potvin is ruled a suicide. No word on if this was determined by a shootout or not.

 

BB: The great thing was apparently he hung himself from a shower rod with his belt and it STILL took them three weeks to figure out it was a suicide. Well, sorta great…

 

ED: GAMBLING!!! COYOTES!!! GRETZKY!!! Well, at least people FINALLY know the NHL is back.

 

PR: This definitely is some sort of plot… a plot to get Janet Jones Gretzky some work again. I mean if they are willing to do a Basic Instinct 2 1000 years after the original are you telling me they couldn’t do an American Anthem 2? I mean there is no way Mitch Gaylord could possibly be living comfortably. And then they could get Jenny Ester and Maria Anz. Oh yeah, I am so starting to write a FPOTM in my pants right now… err… wait a second. Aww… crap.

 

ED: Canadiens G Jose Theodore admits to using Propecia even though it will likely make him test positive for a banned substance for the Olympics. BUT AT LEAST HE'S NOT BALD!  HAH!  YOU HAVE BEEN FOOLED!  FOOLED!

 

PR: Johnny Damon follows this story with great interest.

 

AFL

 

WEEK THREE!!!

ED: Tampa Bay edges Georgia, 61-60.  GOAL LINE STANDS!!!

 

PR: Stupid great week of football that I didn’t see. I hate NBC.

 

ED: Dallas whips hapless Columbus, 52-38.  Oh yeah, I fully expect the OSU morons to start spouting off about how St. Speilman would be doing a better job with the pathetic Destroyers. 

 

ED: HAH!!!  Orlando drills Philly, 47-33.  God bless you, drunken Chuckicito!

 

ED: Holy crap!  New York outshoots Utah, 84-81.  And before Phil can get to it - yep, one can imagine the Knicks and Jazz not putting up that many points when they play each other.

 

PR: Second Knicks joke Ed stole from me. Clearly, I am no longer needed.

 

ED: Grand Rapids kicks the crap out of LA, 66-41.  What?  How the...wha?  Grand Rapids?  Over LA?  Oh, Tagliabue's gotta be rubbing one out to that sort of parity.

 

ED: Austin tops KC, 37-33.  Awesome!  KC losing at the last second and Art Shell named as Raiders coach.  Ahh, the football gods are beginning to smile on me.

 

ED: Colorado over Vegas, 65-55.  Damn it!  Crazy Alonzo Spellman must've been wearing his tin-foil helmet to keep him from getting my mental messages to kick the crap out of Elway.  Stupid unreliable whackos.

 

ED: Chicago takes Nashville in OT, 56-55.  Oooo, going for 2 in OT.  Tres gutsy.

 

NCAA

ED: Missouri basketball coach Quinn Snyder resigns.  No, I don't care either.  And now this is where I'm supposed to say something about no one paying attention to college hoops until next month. 

 

PR: Maybe he was afraid his Propecia prescription was going to be found out.

 

ED: Dennis Erickson is hired as the head football coach of Idaho. Likely that got the Raiders one step closer to hiring ART SHELL!!!

 

PR: An Idaho one step closer to probation.

 

ED: Former RB for THE Ohio State University Maurice Clarett is indicted on robbery and concealed gun charges.  So I guess Ohio State boosters will stop giving him money now.  Maybe?

 

PR: Oh Ed. I am sure one of the boosters 17 year old daughters will get pregnant and said booster will hire Mo Clarett to punch her in the stomach.

 

ED: The NCAA will allow for one coaches challenge replay per football game. Oh, that will not be pretty.

 

ED: A college hockey game was played at Lambeau Field. God, can Chris Berman get at Brett Favre through all the hockey equipment?

 

BB: Brett is just excited that he can give the puck away without it being recorded as an interception. GRIT!!!

 

MLB

ED: RICKEY~!!! is going to be a spring training instructor with the Mets.  Oh don't try to make me not mock you, Mets.  I love RICKEY~!!! but not that much.

 

PR: I guess Rickey was just looking for a good card game. I really hope the Mets invite John Olerud in a spring instructor too.


BB: I think the Red Sox still need a first baseman…

 

ED: The Nats are getting a new stadium! Well, who needs schools in DC anyway?

 

PR: Considering the city doesn’t appear to need parking or roads or housing or hospitals, what’s one more item on the list.

 

ED: That whole ridiculous Angels name-change dealie? Yeah. Forget the haters. LAAS 4 LYFE!

 

BB: God, I don’t want to write the baseball preview.

 

ED: The Reds name Wayne Krivsky as their new GM. Well, Jim Beattie should be used to bad offseasons with all that time spent in Baltimore.

 

ED: Johnny Damon takes out an ad in the Boston Globe thanking the Red Sox fans. Bird cages throughout New England have new liners.

 

BB: Fortunately that Globe is buried outside everyone’s house under two feet of snow – by the time it thaws out maybe someone will read it in May.

 

ED: PLAYA MOVEMENT! The Giants sign C Todd Greene. The D-Backs sign OF Jeff Davanon. The Dodgers sign P Takashi Saito. The Phillies sign SS Alex "NON-YANKEE HELPER" Gonzalez. The Blue Jays sign BITTER! Bengie Molina and DFA P Brian Tallet. The Nats sign PH Matt LeCroy. The Reds sign BASERUNNER EXTRAORDINAIRE! Timo Perez. The Rockies sign P Josh Fogg. The Brewers sign OF Tatsuya Ozeki. The Red Sox DFA Roberto Petagine. The Reds claim P Michael Gosling off of waivers from the D-Backs and sign NO HOLES HATTEBERG (AWESOME!  The one city in baseball where no one has ever read Moneyball!).

 

PR: When exactly do you think Matt LeCroy found out that the National League doesn’t have a DH?

 

BB: Yeah – poor poor Petagine.

 

ED: DUI charges against Orioles P Todd Williams are dismissed when he revealed that his driving sucked due to general clumsiness and the prescription medicine he was on - not alcohol. The Orioles are looking into using the same excuses for their entire upcoming season.

 

ED: The Rockies extend the contracts of Mgr. Clint Hurdle and GM Dan O'Dowd through 2007. Poor Colorado fans. At least they still have Jake Plummer.

 

PR: And snow!

 

NFL

 

ED:  ArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShellArtShell!!!!!

 

ED:  The Pro Bowl ends the NFL season.  Boy, could you believe all the defensive stands in that game? 

 

PR: I hate myself for watching more than 3 plays of this game. Especially considering the announcers.

 

ED: Jerome Bettis retires. FINALLY. Buffet's throughout the Pittsburgh area prepare for the onslaught.

 

PR: Whatever it takes to revive the economy.

 

BB: Or Jerome’s large intestine.

 

ED: Tom Brady is going to have hernia surgery. Oh, you know Peter King diagnosed this.

 

ED: Jets GM Terry Bradway quits before he's pushed and is replaced by Mike Tannenbaum.  The question is, can Mr. Christmas Tree draft a bad kicker in the second round?  That's what the world wants to know.

 

PR: I don’t care what any of you think – Mr. Christmas Tree made me laugh.

 

ED: Oh yeah, those Monday Night and Sunday Night Football announcing line-ups for next year…yeah. Oswald the Rabbit for Al Michaels? God, what would Joe Theismann bring in a trade then?

 

PR: Is there some sort of weird leg breaking Hentai that Disney lost the rights to back in the day?

 

ED: ASSISTANT COACHING MOVES!!! The Lions hire MIKE MARTZ!!! as their new O-Coordinator! The Packers hire Eric Lewis as a D-Assistant and Shawn Slocum as Special Teams Assistant. The Chargers hire John Ramsdell as QB's coach and Hal Hunter as assistant O-line coach. The Saints hire Pete Carmichael Jr. as QB's assistant, Tom Hayes as D-backs assistant, Curtis Johnson as WR assistant, Terry Malone as TE's assistant, George Henshaw as Sr. Assistant and RB's coach and Greg McMahon as Assistant Special Teams coach. The Chiefs hire David Gibbs as DB's coach and Jon Embree as TE's coach. The Texans hire Johnny Holland as LB's coach, John Benton as O-line coach and Martin Bayless as assistant D-backs coach.

 

BB: This might be the happiest week of Ed’s life since high school.

 

ED: Former Giants lineman Roy Simmons is horked that he did not get Super Bowl credentials, believing that he was denied access because he is gay and HIV positive. Nonsense. The NFL wouoldn't discriminate against him because of that.  The NFL doesn't discrimate against you unless you're black.  Jeez.

 

PR: I am stating right now that I refuse to do a Roy Simmons FPOTM. So don’t even try and ask Pieman.

 

ED: The Bengals sign QB? Doug Johnson. Hmm, getting someone to make Jon Kitna look good. OK. Whatever.

 

PR: He’s at least as pasty as Jon Kitna. I hope that doesn’t confuse Jesus.

 

ED: The antitrust lawsuit by Hamilton County Ohio against the Bengals and the NFL is thrown out of court due to the suit not being filed within the four year statute of limitations.  Yep.  We move quick here in Ohio.

 

PR: Aww… so is that your excuse when you play softball?

 

ED: Former Bronco and 49er Willie Middlebrooks pleads guilty to assault charges and gets nine months of domestic violence classes.  Instead of sending him to those classes, wouldn't it just be easier to send him to Miami where he can learn all about domestic violence from Randy McMichael?

 

PR: Well I guess if Mo Clarett can’t make bail, here a two more people that the OSU boosters’ can look to when the issue of pregnant daughter punching comes up.

 

SOCCER

PR: Mido is angry. And Egyptian. That’s what soccernet tells me.

 

BB: I am sad Ed always does this first so he couldn’t make a Midol joke.

 

PR: Eventually Leicester is going to ask Bill to be their skipper.

 

BB: Well they eventually decided to just give it to the caretaker manager so I’m going to have to settle for a Director of Football gig.

 

PR: Wales striker John Hartson announced his immediate retirement from international football in order to concentrate on playing for Celtic. Aww… I guess it would be wrong of me to point out that its not like Wales is playing much anyway.

 

BB: It’s better than him saying he was retiring so that he could concentrate on cheating on his wife.

 

PR: The US beat Japan 3-2 in a friendly. The only reason I really bring this up is to again point out that Alex Santos is the least Japanese sounding name ever. I am guessing it translates to David Regis in French.

 

OTHER

 

ED: Prominent horse owner and breeder Mahmoud Fustok is hit and killed by Albert Brooks. You would think all that time on the set of Taxi Driver would make him a better drive…Oh. Wrong Albert Brooks.

 

PR: When I showed Ed this story, Ed couldn’t think of any recent Albert Brooks movies. Thus I had to think of something and all I could come up with was “Well that’s at least one Muslim that Brooks didn’t find funny.”

 

BB: IT’S OVER!