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I’ll always like sports more than mortgages so here are some very random sports observations:

• Joba Chamberlain of the Yankees is a BIG BOY and ESPN should televise EVERY Yankees vs Red Sox game. It’s 18 games of pure baseball magic.
• Willie Randolph of the Mets and Clint Hurdle of the Rockies have the same problem, they both have terrible bullpens. Clint Hurdle is better at managing his putrid pen.
• For all the traffic issues the Rockies cause in downtown Denver, they finally made up for it with a decent season and “meaningful games” in September.
• The boys from Florida State are much faster than the crew CU has from Texas, California and some parts of Colorado. Cody Hawkins will be very good in a year or two.
• Matt Holiday is having a great year playing left field at Coors Field. I have a feeling Ryan Spillborghs will be playing left field next year.
• The Broncos are a very lucky team. Two weeks of pure luck. I hope that they’re lucky when they play the Colts or the Patriots in the playoffs in January.
• The NFC is up for grabs but in the AFC it will really come down to the Patriots and Colts. Unless of course Tom Brady finally gets the beating of the week by the Red Sox nation for wearing a Yankees cap in public.
• Tiger won the Fed Ex Cup. Did we really needed more assurance that Tiger is the best?
• Charlie Weis brought respectability back to Notre Dame just like Britany Spears brought respectability back to Britany Spears at the 2007 VMAs.

The best part about the Denver Libary is that you can put a book on hold and they call you when it’s ready. It beats going to Tattered Cover, Borders or Barnes and Noble and reading a book you really have no intention of buying.

Recently I picked up a book with the greatest title ever: Why My Wife Thinks I’m an Idiot: The Life and Times of a Sportscaster Dad by Mike Greenberg of Mike and Mike fame on ESPN Radio.

I expected it to be humorous. It was about as humorous as the sitcom “Yes, Dear!”

When someone has what you consider your “dream job” you really don’t expect their lives to be rather pedestrian. I almost gave up completely on the book until I read a paragraph that Mike wrote about Micheal Jordan:

“It was all in his head. It was all in his confidence and competitiveness and determination and mental toughness. I traveled with Michael Jordan for years and never once saw him waver. I never say him afraid. Michael Jordan was the most supremely self-confident human being that ever lived. His unshakable faith in his ability is what set him apart, made him special. It is what enabled him to fly.”

Good job Mike!

Last week I listed my top five ESPN personalities that in my opinion and many others should get canned. Here are my top five that should get raises:

1. Jim Rome: Says what every fan wants to say. This video of him calling Jim Everett “Chris” is a classic. Jim Rome went on to bigger and better things (Rome is Burning), Jim Everett didn’t.
2. Stephen A. Smith: This is my house, but you’re welcome anytime! Leno and Letterman are snoozefests compared to Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith.
3. Kenny Mayne: His trademark dry wit is well suited for his segment on Sportscenter called the Mayne Event. He’s also the pitchman for Progressive Insurance.
4. Chris Berman: ESPN without Chris Berman is like the White House without a President. Three words: Curtis “My Favorite” Martin.
5. Suzy Kolber: With all the grace in the world she handled Joe Namath’s infamous “I want to kiss you” pick up line. Sideline reporting at NFL games are ridiculous except for Monday Night Football when Suzy is around.

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with ESPN. For the past two decades it’s been the only channel I really watch. I can watch Sportscenter repeatedly. In the past, ESPN’s Primetime was the greatest thing before DirecTV’s NFL Ticket. However, there are certain ESPN personalities that are just plain awful and should be canned. Here are my top 5 current ESPN personalities that deserve a pink slip:

1. (tie)Joe Theismann (Monday Night Football) and Michael Irvin (Football Analyst): These two were exceptional football players, these are two exceptionally terrible football commentators. Theismann continues to contradict himself and is at his best when he doesn’t talk. As for Irvin, when your co-host (Tom Jackson) ridicules you on a regular basis, it’s because you’re not very good.
2. Sean Salisbury (Football Analyst): This former backup quarterback delivers “straight talk” about today’s NFL but never delivered on Sundays.
3. Tony Kornheiser (Monday Night Football): This is a tough one. When I lived in DC, I enjoyed Kornheiser’s articles in the Washington Post. As part of Pardon the Interruption, he’s cool as ice. As part of Monday Night Football, his trademark sarcastic wit is misplaced.
4. Stuart Scott (Sportscenter): At first his gangsta colloquialisms were cool, but after several years of “booyah” among others, they’ve simply lost their luster.

• Westword discusses the decline of the northern suburb Northglenn.
• Woody Paige returns to the Denver Post as a sportswriter. His stint in New York on ESPN2’s ultra boring Cold Pizza ended so he’s returning to Denver. Woody may have a style that ruffles feathers here in Denver but he’s the closest thing we have to Mike Lupica.
• File this under: real estate agent discusses the perils of the option arm.
• If it’s built for yuppies, it will attract yuppies.
• Where the heck is Pitkin and Garfield counties and why are home sales blowing up in these areas?
  (answers)
  • Pitkin county is where Aspen is located.
  • Garfield County is where Glenwood Springs is located.
• To find out if wood burning is red or blue, click here.
• Note to Mayor John Hickenlooper, it’s December and snow is falling.
• Note to John Elway, it’s GO time!

In the mid 80’s, Mars Blackmon (aka Spike Lee) was touting Air Jordan sneakers alongside Michael Jordan. At the time, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird dominated the NBA. Michael was toiling in Chicago with a sorry surrounding cast. Scottie Pippen was still playing college and Phil Jackson was coaching in the CBA. However, the shoes were a phenomenon and boy were they pricey! I’ve always been pragmatic and spending over $100 on a pair of sneakers just seemed silly.

The New York Knicks were in town last night. They too have a player, Stephon Marbury, with his own shoe, the Starbury One named after Stephon’s nickname, Starbury. Unlike Air Jordan’s, the Starbury One retails for a shade under $15. Stephon Marbury is not Michael Jordan. Not even close. He’s a good player but has the reputation of making a team (Minnesota, New Jersey, and Phoenix) better whenever he leaves. To make matters worse, Marbury, a Brooklyn native, gets booed nightly by his hometown fans in NY.

The Starbury One sneakers are touted as “exactly the same as the most expensive kicks (slang for sneakers) on the market.” To prove it, Marbury plans to wear these sneakers during game day. While I may not be Stephon Marbury’s biggest fan, I applaud his efforts to give inner city kids the opportunity to buy high quality sneakers that are affordable. There is a caveat, you’ll never see these sneakers at your local Sports Authority (formerly Garts) or Dicks Sporting Goods stores. They’re only available at Steve and Barrys, a discount sporting goods store which has two locations in Colorado.

Even though I play basketball occasionally I haven’t bought a pair of basketball sneakers since college. I may buy the Starbury One and give them a try. Stay tuned.

After the Superbowl, the NFL satifies our cravings for professional football by putting on a weekend long spectacle called the NFL draft. Draft experts like Mel Kiper (what’s with the 80’s hair) of ESPN, Mike Mayock of the NFL Network and countless others post their version of a “mock” draft. However, these guys are wrong more often than their right when it comes to the mock draft.

When the Houston Texans took DE Mario Williams of NC State instead of RB Reggie Bush of USC all these so-called gurus were dumfounded. With all their connections, insider info, and knowledge, they couldn’t even get the first pick right. Then a few picks later, the Denver Broncos threw everyone for a loop by moving up to get Jay Cutler.

Despite all the hype, the draft doesn’t really matter for a few years since it takes a few years for players to develop. The only team that seems to know what they’re doing on draft day is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their championship team this year featured many of the players they drafted. They seem to have a pulse on what kind of collegiate athlete makes a decent NFL player.

On the other hand the one team that seems to make the worst draft day decisions, the New York Jets, took the safe route with D’Brickashaw Ferguson an OT from Virginia with the 4th pick. By 2010, we should see the real winners and losers of the 2006 draft.

A few days ago I was watching the NCAA Final Four for both men and women. Florida plowed through the Men’s tourney beating UCLA in the champtionship game. They’re only challenge came from Georgetown University in the Sweet Sixteen. The women’s finals was more exciting as the Lady Terps from Maryland charged back from 13 down to beat Duke.

Tragedy struck a few days later. Maggie Dixon, the head coach for Army’s female basketball team passed away suddenly.

Today all you hear about in sports are the fools. It’s odd when players don’t act the fool instead of represent class and sportsmanship. I was really happy to see that ESPN has two stories devoted to Maggie Dixon, a person who represented class and sportsmanship.

• Dixon’s death cuts short a championship-caliber life
• Death of sister hits Jamie Dixon hard

It’s HERE!

Here are my picks:

Final Four: Texas, Gonzaga, UCONN, Nova
Final Two: Texas, UCONN
National Champion: UCONN

How do I stack up against the ESPN National Bracket

Final Four: Duke, Gonzaga, UCONN, Nova
Final Two: Duke, UCONN
National Champion: Duke

Keep in mind I had the Jets playing the Vikings in the Superbowl

During the NFL combines (which took place over the weekend in Indianapolis) each NFL player takes a Wonderlic test. Here’s an example from ESPN. I took the test. Out of 15, I scored 12. I’m more PENSKE material than NFL.

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