This is my blog. So far most of the entries are about sports. Please check out my autism site at www.coachmike.net and my photography site at www.mikefrandsen.net. Please also see my sports articles at http://www.examiner.com/sports-in-washington-dc/mike-frandsen and http://bleacherreport.com/users/583899-mike-frandsen, my autism articles at http://www.examiner.com/dc-in-national/mike-frandsen, and www.myredskinsblog.com. By Mike Frandsen.
ESPN’s Mark Schlereth said something today that I thought was totally out of line. He said of Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young, “You don’t have the football acumen to play the position the way it needs to be played.” That was exceedingly harsh considering that Young has only played two full seasons (last year, he got hurt and replaced by Kerry Collins).
This is just another example of the fact that in the NFL, winning doesn’t matter – it matters more how you do it. I guess Schlereth doesn’t like Young’s mobility or long windup. Young has a career record of 18-11 as a starter. The two years before Young came to the Titans, they were 9-23. So Young has a career record of 18-11 and he’s considered a bust? Jay Cutler, in the same draft class as Young, has a career record of 17-20, and Cutler, who had QB guru Mike Shanahan coaching him, is considered a demigod by the media (though Schlereth has also criticized Cutler).
Sound familiar? In another blog entry I talk about the fact that Josh McCown, with a career record of 1-7, is the favorite to be the starter in Tampa Bay despite the fact that Byron Leftwich has a 24-20 career record, and Tampa eventually wants to give the job to a rookie who hasn’t proven anything.
Young’s stats aren’t that great but he has been working with some of the worst wide receivers in the NFL. He also led four fourth quarter comebacks during his rookie season when he was named AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. During one of those comebacks, Young overcame a 21-0 nothing deficit to the New York Giants. Another win was over the 10-1 Indianapolis Colts, who were leading by 14 points.
Young was named one of the 10 best college football players of all-time by ESPN, so isn’t it a little too early to give up on him – after an 18-11 record as a starter, a trip to the playoffs, and only two full seasons? Collins has earned the starting job after a great season last year, but don’t give up on Young just yet. I don’t blame Young for wanting to play and avoid potentially missing another full year from his career.
I don’t like it when a high draft pick is given a starting job based on potential instead of earning it. At the same time, though, it’s just as bad when someone is counted out prematurely. It is a little bit ironic that quarterbacks like Collins, Young, and Leftwich all fit both descriptions.
At the same time, Young should work hard and know that Collins might get injured, and there would be a good chance that he will get in and play about half the season anyway.
It’s not just Schlereth, though. ESPN’s Trent Dilfer has been critical of Young and Merril Hoge has had well publicized verbal dust ups with Young. It seems like for someone who has never had a losing season and who you would expect to get better and not worse, Young has come under undue criticism.
Schlereth is sounding a little like Charles Barkley – say something with authority and you must be right. He’s also a little like Kenny Smith – an average player who was lucky to have Hall of Famers like John Elway with the Broncos and Art Monk and Darrell Green with the Redskins to get him championship rings. Most of Schlereth’s commentary is great but with statements like “You don’t have the football acumen to play the position the way it needs to be played,” and “You’re no good at playing quarterback,” maybe Schlereth should get rid of any personal vendettas, study more football and do less soap opera acting.
(I was the first to publish this news, about 12 hours before ESPN formally made the announcement).
By Mike Frandsen
Monday Night Football color commentator Tony Kornheiser was fired yesterday and will be replaced by former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach John Gruden for the upcoming 2009 season, an unnamed source told http://www.coachmike.net shortly after midnight this morning. Gruden joins Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski on ESPN’s team.
Kornheiser will reportedly receive a severance package of one million dollars. Kornheiser, a former sportswriter for the Washington Post, co-hosts “Pardon the Interruption,” a popular nightly sports show on ESPN with Michael Wilbon.
John A. Walsh, Senior VP and Executive Editor of ESPN, reportedly agonized over letting his good friend go.
In my opinion, it’s a good move. While Kornheiser used humor and targeted the casual fan, the switch to Gruden should please most football fans because of his candor and knowledge of the game. Kornheiser too often stated the obvious, and talked to listeners as if they were in kindergarten.
After the 2006 season, color commentator Joe Theismann was replaced in the Monday Night booth by Ron Jaworski. Rumors circulated that Kornheiser preferred Jaworski. While Jaworski does an excellent job, Theismann was even better, and here’s hoping that ESPN considers bringing Theismann back to the booth.
I was watching ESPN’s college basketball analysts today talk about who belongs in the NCAA tournament.(As I write this, it’s still a half an hour before the NCAA selection committee announces which teams get into the 64-team field).
The three commentators, Digger Phelps, Jay Bilas, and Hubert Davis were really arguing in favor of the major conference teams and against the mid-majors.All of them kept talking about how teams that finish .500 in major conferences are better than the best of the mid-major at large teams.They claim that the schedules of the mid-majors are too easy.Of course teams from major conferences are all going to have a few wins against big time programs because they play against those teams a lot more.Bilas asked, “Who can you beat that is really good?”He said of the mid-majors, “They’ve gotta go out of conference and find those teams.”The fact is that the majors are afraid to play the mid-majors because they don’t want to lose to them, and it’s very hard for the mid-majors to schedule major teams because they won’t play them.
When you have a panel debating something, you can’t have everybody on one side.Bilas, Davis, and Phelps all either played for or coached teams from major conferences.They obviously have a lot of friends who are coaches from the major conferences.
Finally, at least ESPN had Joe Lunardi on who said that the record of double seeded mid-major teams (10 seeds, 11 seeds, 12 seeds, etc.) is better than the record of equivalent seeded major conference teams.So even though the selection committee is probably biased against mid-major teams because of strength of schedule and gives the mid-majors worse seeds than they deserve, the mid-majors still outperform similarly seeded major conference teams.
It was shameless how Bilas, Davis, and Phelps kept politicking for Arizona and Penn State in favor of Creighton and St. Mary’s.And Rece Davis failed to reign them in.The arrogance with which they look down upon the mid-majors and the disdain they have for them is apparent.
I’m sick of seeing boring teams that finish 8-8 or 9-9 in their conferences get into the tournament in favor of mid-majors who only have a few losses.Does anyone really want to see Penn State in the tournament?Phelps had to look at his paper to name the supposedly great players on Arizona’s team while saying that Creighton would have no chance to beat them.Bilas scoffed at Creighton’s 2-2 record against the top 50 and said Penn State’s 6 wins against the top 50 was so much better. But they also had 10 losses against the top 50. Creighton was 9-5 against the top 100 while Penn State was 7-10.
I’m a Maryland fan and I hope they get in but quite frankly I don’t think a team that finishes below .500 in its conference deserves to get in.Otherwise, why play the regular season?
Contrast this with ESPN’s college football gameday crew who at least has the guts to bring up differing opinions.
I think it’s time for ESPN to bring in a commentator from a mid-major school in place of Bilas or Phelps.
Here’s my very subjective list of the Most Beautiful Women on TV news.Of course, it’s biased toward cable because I watch mostly cable, and I know there are many beautiful local reporters around the country (and the world) who I haven’t had a chance to see.The truth is, you could put most of the top 50 on a list in any order and not be wrong.
1. Sharon Tay
2. Melissa Theuriau
3. Georgie Thompson
4. Amy Robach
5. Jackie Johnson
6. Carmen Dominicci
7. Lisa Sylvester
8. Amy Poehler
9. Karen Finerman
10. Kristine Johnson
11. Nicole Chang
12. Tracey Neale
13. Courtney Friel
14. Susan Lisovicz
15. Hannah Storm
Norah O’Donnell
Campbell Brown
(By the way, I know I may seem hypocritical, because in another blog entry I rip people who put too much emphasis on looks, but in that one I’m mainly saying it’s a shame that people treat people better based on looks and status.You can admire beauty and still treat everybody equally.I treat women who aren’t as beautiful just as great – probably even better.This list is basically just a fun thing.)
Anyway, I think that personality (at least as much as you can tell on TV), humor, moxie, and intelligence count for a lot so that’s why there are a few non-traditional choices on the list. For example, I think that Karen Finerman and Nicole Chang are amazing. Their pictures aren’t the best but they come across much better on TV.
I decided to do this in a single-elimination “tournament” format after ranking the top 16 seeds.See the attached bracket for how things ended up in the fantasy tournament (This is the one area where you can use the word “fantasy” and sports together and it actually fits.I know – I need to get a life).So let’s begin.
Sharon Tay, Anchor/Reporter, KCAL, Los Angeles.I think a lot of the women in TV news are good looking but many of them look the same (i.e. the ones on Fox News).Not Sharon Tay.My jaw dropped to the ground the first time I saw her on TV.Forget about TV anchors – I think she is one of the most beautiful women in the world.The only possible downside is that she is only 5-2.
Mélissa Theuriau, M6, Paris, France.Often called the most beautiful TV news reporter in the world.You really can’t make an argument against her. She is pretty stunning.
Georgie Thompson, Sky Sports.ESPN wouldn’t know what hit them if she came to work for them.She is a superstar.
Amy Robach, NBC.She just about has it all.A beauty who became a newswoman who also has a lot of credibility.
Jackie Johnson, KCAL and KCBS, Los Angeles.Meteorologist.Classic tall blonde looks.
Carmen Dominicci, Univision.Awesome, devastating, exotic look. After four blondes in a row, Dominicci crashes the party.
Lisa Sylvester, Lou Dobbs Tonight, CNN.Amazing eyes, hair, and smile. Ranks 6th on www.Super-Hair.net list of top ten hairstyles in the world.I can vouch for that (we dated for a year three years ago.)
Amy Poehler, Weekend Update, Saturday Night Live. Wow.She is funny and great looking.She has radiant eyes and an unbelievable smile. They will have a very hard time replacing her.
Karen Finerman, Fast Money, CNBC.Obviously there are others who have better classic looks.But there’s something about her.She is so cool.She has excellent knowledge.And she is very good looking.
Kristine Johnson, WCBS, New York.I haven’t seen her on TV but her pics look pretty great. Brown hair, brown eyes, awesome.
Nicole Chang, Sports Action Team.This is a fake show, and she isn’t even a reporter on the show.She’s plays the producer.But she is hot.And humor and moxie rank highly.
Tracey Neale, former anchor, WUSA, Washington.Both beautiful and cute.
Courtney Friel, Fox News.Very solid.I had to include someone from Fox but I think many of them are overrated.
Susan Lisovicz, CNN.Classy and older.Represents the financial set along with the Chairwoman.
Hannah Storm, ESPN.She is very sharp.She’s gotten better in sports knowledge and looks as she’s gotten older.I didn’t expect to include her but now I can’t keep her out.Her work is absolutely stellar, way better than it was years ago.
Play-in game:Norah O’Donnell, MSNBC vs. Campbell Brown, CNN.Who says vanilla is boring?
So here’s how the tournament played out.The newswomen played a one-on-one game of basketball up to 11 – having to win by two.There was one fairly significant upset, and a few minor surprises, but for the most part the games held to form. Check out the brackets. (Obviously, this tournament is purely fictional.Don’t you wish it was real, though?).
Norah O’Donnell, MSNBC vs. Campbell Brown, CNN.This was a very evenly matched game.O’Donnell’s tenacity gave her the edge in the end over Brown’s solid decision making as O’Donnell advanced into the main draw.
First Round
Sharon Tay, KCAL (1) vs. Norah O’Donnell, MSNBC (16).O’Donnell couldn’t keep up with Tay’s repertoire of shots and moves in this one, as the speedy point guard ran around O’Donnell all game long despite O’Donnell trying to post Tay up.
Amy Poehler, SNL (8) vs. Karen Finerman, CNBC (9).Finerman pulled the minor upset here – the Chairwoman studied hard and analyzed trends to prepare, using fundamentals to get by.Meanwhile, the spritely pixie had fun and entertained, but jokes didn’t result in a victory.
Jackie Johnson, KCAL and KCBS (5) vs. Tracey Neale, WUSA (12).You always have to watch for upsets in the 5-12 matchup and it happened here.Johnson didn’t know what to expect from the underrated, scrappy former DC anchorwoman, who upset Johnson and her superb inside shooting by taking the tall meteorologist outside and playing tough defense.
Amy Robach, NBC (4) vs. Courtney Friel, Fox News (13).The opposing coaches, Keith Olbermann and Bill O’Reilly, started arguing before the opening tip and were both ejected, resulting in a ban of all coaches from the tourney.The actual game was much more civil, but wasn’t much of a contest with Robach using her jumping ability and elite athleticism to get past Friel.
Georgie Thompson, Sky Sports (3) vs. Susan Lisovicz, CNN (14).The hard working Lisovicz put up a game effort, but this superstar from across the pond possessed superior athletic ability.Thompson’s netball skills translated well to basketball as she sent the classy financial whiz packing.
Carmen Dominicci, Univision (6) vs. Nicole Chang, Sports Action Team (11).Dominicci dominated this one from the outset, using quick and precise moves.Chang’s skill at being a Bossy Boots didn’t help sway the refs in this one-on-one matchup.
Lisa Sylvester, CNN (7) vs. Kristine Johnson, WCBS (10).This eagerly anticipated matchup of graceful, photogenic stars went to Sylvester in overtime with help from, or perhaps despite, Lou Dobbs’ incessant taunting of Johnson, reminiscent of Robin Ficker heckling opposing players at Washington Bullets games.
Mélissa Theuriau, M6 (2) vs. Hannah Storm, ESPN (15).Storm played like her name, making this a surprisingly close battle.She just gets better with age, but Theuriau’s silky smooth, fluid skills did the prolifically talented Storm in.
Second Round
Sharon Tay (1) vs. Karen Finerman (9).In one-on-one battles, quickness and agility usually win out, and Tay’s athleticism proved too much for Finerman, who pored over stats and tendencies to prepare for the game, which was close only in the first half.Critics questioned Finerman’s decision to play in a business suit, while Tay’s short shorts allowed for greater flexibility.
Amy Robach (4) vs. Tracey Neale (12).Neale didn’t have much left after the upset of Jackie Johnson.Robach, who never loses her cool, displayed a killer jump shot, and used crossover and spin moves to get to the hoop.
Georgie Thompson (3) vs. Carmen Dominicci (6).This one was a double overtime classic.Fans lined up for hours for tickets.Each player had vociferous fan support though Thompson’s UK fans became a little unruly.Dominicci’s aggressive play led her to the Final Four in Hotlanta over Thompson and her creative arsenal of shots.
Lisa Sylvester (7) vs. Mélissa Theuriau (2).Sylvester kept this one close, using her trademark great intensity and versatility, but Theuriau had a large contingent of French soccer fans who made the trip to support their countrywoman in the basketball game, inspiring the French star.In the end, Theuriau had a little too much.
Final Four
Sharon Tay (1) vs. Amy Robach (4).Sparks were flying in this matchup, held in Hotlanta, of a national anchor against a local major market star.Tay used her quickness to slash to the basket and create opportunities against the former gymnast, who had Bela Karolyi behind the bench exhorting her on, yelling, “You can doo eet!” Tay withstood Robach’s impressive athletic ability, overcame a 3-point deficit, and drove to the hoop for the game winner to make it to the final.A few L.A. stars even showed up to support Tay as Hollywood beat the Midwest.
Mélissa Theuriau, M6 (2) vs. Carmen Dominicci (6).Giving the Final Four an international flavor, French fans flocked to Hotlanta to support Theuriau while raucous Spanish speaking fans everywhere chanted, “Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole” to support the Puerto-Rican born Dominicci.This was a true clash of the titans. Theuriau’s scoring mentality and determination helped her score almost at will at times, but she was a little overwhelmed, perhaps even intimidated by Dominicci.The Univision model-journalist delighted fans by dancing during timeouts, and pulled the upset with strong, polished moves around the basket, getting the win despite playing the first quarter in high heels.
Championship Game
Sharon Tay (1) vs. Carmen Dominicci (6).A sold out crowd was on hand in Hotlanta to witness this historic battle of two 40-year old beauties in their prime, and they did not disappoint.Dominicci threw everything she had at Tay, with an impressive array of spin moves, double pumps, fakes, and even rejected the shorter Tay 3 times.However, the relentless number one seed twice stole the ball from the taller Dominicci, driving to the hoop and drawing fouls several times, and used her overall perkiness to win the championship.Tay was virtually unstoppable in crunch time and showed why she is the best.
It was a spectacular tournament.Stay tuned for the real tournament – March Madness in 2009, when there will be a great deal of controversy over who gets the 64 spots in the tournament.Millions will be glued to the tournament announcement show, studying brackets, making bets, watching intently, and wondering who will make it to the Final Four.But enough about the Newswomen Tournament of 2009.Don’t forget about college basketball…
I have to say that soccer will always be the sport with the best memories for me.Playing every spring and fall as I did growing up for five and a half years – 11 seasons — was really great.I was only an average player – I made an all-star team once as a defender.But it’s just such a fun, simple, pure game.I remember at recess in elementary school it was the thing to do.There were so many kids on the field it was ridiculous.It must have been 20 on 20.Part of the problem with soccer in the U.S. is that once kids reach middle school age, the number of recreational leagues goes down.
I’ll admit that I don’t have the patience to watch a lot of soccer on TV.Like hockey and baseball, soccer is a lot more fun to watch in person.But what really gets me is the arrogant attitude that the U.S. sports media has on soccer.It’s one thing not to like the sport very much, but to openly have such disdain for it is really over the top.It’s not uncommon to hear sportscasters ridicule the sport, being proud of their ignorance, and dismissing it completely.I actually believe that the lack of respect the U.S. sports media gives soccer is emblematic of the way many Americans view the world – as if we are the center of the world, and we don’t care to understand other cultures.Is it possible that the whole world is wrong about soccer?It is awesome to hear European or South American fans chant in unison for their teams.
There is actually a slice of that flavor and passion in the U.S.DC United, the Washington team in Major League Soccer (MLS), draws about 15,000 fans a game.Though not a huge number, those fans are incredibly raucous, chanting for United and singing rhythmically.It doesn’t hurt that they play at old RFK Stadium, where the bleachers literally shake.It’s amusing to hear some people say that they don’t understand soccer.Isn’t it the simplest of all the major sports?
Another thing that a lot of people don’t realize is that there was a moderately successful pro soccer league in the U.S. in the late 70s.The North American Soccer League had the New York Cosmos, led by world superstars Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Giorgio Chinaglia.They actually used to sell out Giants stadium, averaging 70,000 fans per game.Those players were superstars in New York for a few years.The Washington Diplomats often sold out RFK Stadium when the Cosmos came to town and had solid average attendance figures of around 20,000.I went to an English Premier League match in 2004 where the stadium only held about 22,000 (Fulham FC).However, too many of the NASL’s stars were in New York and the league expanded too fast, and the NASL folded in 1984.
Much to the dismay of the U.S. sports media, MLS is slowly gaining interest in America.If the sportscasters and sportswriters in the U.S. paid more attention to it, and if ESPN devoted more time to it, the sport would gain more fans.However, nobody wants to take chances and mess up a successful TV formula of pro football, basketball, baseball, hockey, golf, and auto racing.Meanwhile, baseball’s popularity may be waning.The 2008 American League Championship Series was on TBS.TBS?
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