I CAN'T STAND T.O.

And it's not just because I'm an Eagles fan. Did you hear that he just made a rap about himself and how great it is that Dallas paid him $10 million guarantees to sign with them? His rap is about as cool as Kobe's rap, and that one was about as cool as broken ribs. What a loser.

I'll stop short of hoping he gets hurt or injured or whatever, but I've lost all love for TO. The Cowboys will probably see the ugly side of TO even faster now because of all the money they've already given him and I PROMISE that TO and Bledsoe will not get along. Here's how I know:

TO is not just a great receiver, he's a great effort receiver. He works best with a QB who can scramble because, in essence, TO is a scrambler. He's not a superb route runner like Marvin Harrison/Jerry Rice. He's all effort and athleticism. Many of his big plays are because TO gets open EVENTUALLY and a QB who can keep the play alive longer makes him look better (Garcia and McNabb are great examples). The fact that Bledsoe has lead feet will bring drama. I can see it now, and I actually pity the poor people in Dallas.

Actually, that's not true.

Oh, and who are these idiots talking about how TO and Rosenhaus got more money from Dallas than they would have gotten from Philly? What? TO would have made 49 million if he had just kept his fat mouth shut and played great football. Instead, he'll make 25 million over the next 3 years. Then he'll be about 36. That's pretty old. Does he think he'll get another 4 year contract worth 24 mill. after that? Doubtful. TO is worse off now than he would have been if he'd just played out his contract with the Eagles. And what's sad is, he'd probably have more rings staying with Philly. Dallas will be good this year, there's no doubt about that, but they're not going to bring home the Lombardi Trophy, and when things fall apart around TO, which they will, Parcells will retire, and the 'Boys will falter. Again.

That's what I think. Take it or leave it.


-The Camp Guy

THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

My favorite sporting event of the year!! I love NCAA basketball, and I really love the tourney. I filled out three brackets. One has Duke winning, one has UConn and the last has Memphis taking it down. My Duke bracket is totally shot (had Michigan State, Oklahoma, Syracuse and Kansas winning), my UConn bracket is in ok shape and my Memphis bracket is looking GREAT! I've got 13 of 16 teams remaining and 7 of 8 of my Elite Eight teams available. Not bad, but let's be honest, these things are a total crap shoot. Inevitably, my pool is won by somebody's girlfriend each year, who picks the teams based on favorite color and proximity to her grandmother's vacation home.

One thing that bothers me about the Tourney is all the bickering about the selection committee. Every year they produce an amazing set of brackets, every year there is great drama, every year some team they let in that people wail about turns out to be awesome. This year it's George Mason. What a bunch of total dominators those fellas turned out to be! Imagine if Hofstra had come to the the Big Dance instead...

At this point, I'd like to give out some awards.

1) Dignan's "Biggest Lemon in the Tournament" - Brandon Heath of San Diego State. That guy really lemoned out at the end of his first round game against Indiana. Thanks to his two big men, SDSU had the game in the bag. All Health had to do was NOT turn the ball over. So what does he do? A couple of fancy cross overs right in front of a fiesty Indiana defender. Eventually, the ball spills into the backcourt, and Health thinks it'll be a violation if he grabs the ball, so he just LEAVES it there on the ground only to be picked up by Indy, and eventually turned into a go-ahead 3 pointer. Again, this guy is a total lemon.

2) "Best Clutch Performance" - Adam Morrison of Gonzaga. He was great against Xavier. That guy is probably a few chimichangas short of a fiesta platter, but man is he a dominant scorer. I saw the score on the ticker the whole game and kept thinking to myself, "Don't worry, Morrison will win it for them." And he did. Also of note is that I had picked Gonzaga to lose in all 3 brackets and changed all 3 the night before the first games to have them winning, because I was so sure Morrison wouldn't let them lose. Take that Derek Hyatt!!

3) "Most Likely to Bother me if they Win the whole thing" - Florida. I don't like these guys. I don't like Noah, I don't like Billy Donovan, and I don't like Florida basketball in general. The problem is, I have no good reason for feeling this way. In fact, it's almost as if I feel like I SHOULD like them, but don't. Go Georgetown!

4) "Favorite Team in the Tourney" - 'Nova. I have to admit, I'm on the Villanova bandwagon. I'm originally from Philly, so I have some right to cheer for Nova, but it's not like I went there, and I wasn't a big 'Nova fan until they started winning. That being said, GO NOVA!! I love this 4 guard offense and I dig the way Jay Wright coaches (and dresses for that matter). A three piece suit!?! Are you kidding me? What is this, the Oscars? I bet his players bust his chops all the time for trying to be way cooler than he actually is... Whatever, Go Nova and Go Jay Wright!


Well, that's it for now. But just so you know, I'm seriously considering calling in sick this Thursday so that I can watch more basketball. Until next time, Go Nova, Go Duke, Go Memphis and go Adam Morrison & Company.


-The Camp Guy

The Winter Olympics

Ok, so I watched a lot of the winter olympics this year and I have a few thoughts. Only a few though, because to be honest, the Winter Olympics just don't grab me the way the Summer Olympics do. There are lots of reasons Americans just weren't that into the Olympics this year, and I think it's sad that as a country we care so little about the athletes representing our country.... but it is what it is. I'm not gonna deny that I can understand where most Americans are coming from on this one.

Here are some of my thoughts:

1. "Sports" with judges lend themselves to being less interesting by nature. Anything that is fundamentally subjective by nature is going to be less interesting than hockey, downhill skiing, etc.

2. The Opening Ceremonies were totally weird. What was with all the American 80's music? I kept waiting for 'Safety Dance' to come on... I didn't understand why the Italians chose that type of theme. Didn't seem to fit the nature of the Olympics. Or maybe it did this time around?

3. I have a hard time respecting participants if I can honestly say, "Man, I went to college with a guy who looked just like that... and he was SUCH a stoner!!"

4. Bode Miller deserves about 0.000125% of the press he gets. Let's stop talking about the drunk skier who puts his partying before his country and talk more about Joey Cheek, who donated his $25,000 bonus to a child relief charity in Darfur, Sudan. Now THAT'S a worthwhile story. Good for him!

5. I love Olympic hockey. Even though I'm not a big hockey, soccer or baseball fan, I really like the idea of Olympic hockey (and other team sports), World Cup soccer and the World Baseball Classic. I'm all for teams representing their country and I think this year, with all those events going on, will be pretty sweet for fans all over the world.


That is all. Unfortunately, no matter how much respect I have for the years and years of hard work and practice each of the athletes has put into their events, I just can't get as excited as I do for other competitive venues. That said, way to go Team USA. I think, for the most part, you all did a great job and represented your country with class.

That's what I think. Take it or leave it.


-The Camp Guy