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12/19/2005

ZONER'S MONDAY MORSELS

Bear down, Chicago Bears...let every play clear the way to victory... Bears are seemingly a lock for the playoffs. It's a beautiful thing. On to the morsels...

  • Jared Washburn will sign a deal with the Moroners worth $36-38 mill over 4 years. I believe he is this year's Denny Neagle, in contract status only and Burnett is this year's Darren Dreifort. Nomar is this year's Nomar. I've no idea what that means but saying and typing Nomar is enjoyable.

  • Apparently the Pacers have received 12-15 offers that they found acceptable for Ron Artest. Is there a coach who could get him to chill and be the best player he can? Maybe Big Chief Triangle--Phil Jackson, who has expressed an interest in Artest, as well as many other players. And how can you blame him--his team is not very good. Artest is a championship level defender who does all things well. If coaching and maturity will settle him down, than I understand those 12-15 offers. But he doesn't yet seem to know what he wants.

  • Is there any doubt the Super Bowl winner is the AFC champion?

  • Phoenix shot 32 3's against the Griz on Saturday night. They lost 91-87 and they played only 7 players. And 7 is all they really had to run out there. That kind of stuff catches up to you. "I was tired as hell. I was expending so much energy at the defensive end that my legs were as heavy as hell." -- Shawn Marion, who played 44 minutes while shooting just 8-for-25 in a loss to the Grizzlies. See what I mean?

  • John Ruiz lost to some 7 foot guy over the weekend. John Ruiz is the most boring fighter I have ever seen. Punch, grab, clench, blah. I hope he never fights again.

  • The Knicks are 6-17. Apparently one player asked Larry Brown how he can know how much time is left on the shot clock. A miffed Brown had to point out that there is a clock above the basket. That's just incredible. I wonder if it was Jamal Crawford?

  • More talk about loafing with the Nets. Word now is Vince Carter doesn't like to run the court anymore so New Jersey doesn't have a solid fast break. And with Kidd and RJ why would they want that? It pains me that Carter is so high in the All-Star Voting.

  • Finally, another awesome story from Sports Blah about keeping score at baseball games. I too, am a dork who keeps score at the games, although I must say I do not do it for every game anymore.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have spent most of the morning trying to keep my excitement in check, to not get too carried away by a half of decent quarterbacking--that included an interception after all. But...

I also know that the whole notion of Bear Weather is more parts myth than reality, or otherwise they wouldn't usually suck in December. But...

But when Grossman came in last night, and all the guys were slapping his hand and the crowd was freaking, I went nuts--and then he threw that first strike and I about lost it.

But when the bare-armed steam-breathing Bears were knocking the snot of the Falcon, who by the end of the third quarter were beaten and clearly wanted only to get off the field and go someplace warm, I started thinking that the cold was an advantage.

Sure, I know that Rex is going to half to shake off some rust pretty quick and stand back there for more than a half without getting killed, before the, umm, Game in February can be really considered. And I know that no matter what the temperature was last night, the way the D played the Falcon weren't gonna win.

Then I keep thinking of a first-round bye, a second round home game in the cold, with a revved up Rex...aw, hell, we're all entitled to a day of dreaming. What's that rule coaches always talk about--24 hours to savor a win or mourn a loss, and then it's time to turn the page to next week? Well, it was a late game last night, so I've got 10 more hours to enjoy one of the more stirring wins in recent memory.

PV

The Zoner said...

It goes in the team photo of most exciting Bears games for me. National TV, at home, the elements, the QB change and the fact that from the 3rd qtr on i just had a smile planted on my face when the D was on the field. Every play someone got nailed and the crowd went nuts. A close second to Grossman coming in was that the Bear D rebounded in a huge way.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for lively coverage and comment on Johnny Damon. That case symbolizes what is wrong with baseball. Damon said he loved Boston and the fans seemed to feel the same, and I'm sure he could have been set for life with the Red Sox salary package. So why Johnny, why go to the Yankees? Just to say you are making more than some other CF's?
And as far as Ron Artest, he, like T.O., symbolizes a lot of what is wrong with professional sports.
If NBA teams were interested in putting out a quality product and inspiring youth, they's all drop Artest like the thug and jerk he is.
My blook pressure is up now --so I can't berate the Cubs for giving all that money to Jones, who has a super low on base average in his career
Happy Holidays Cub fans and all fans.
Earl and two huskies in Arctic Alaska