They were all teases last year.
You know, that incredibly good looking girl in your high school who could get just about get any guy she wanted. From the distance she was gorgeous, funny, nice, everything you could ever desire. However, upon closer inspection, you find out that she flirts with all of your buddies just as much as she does with you. You want to be with her, but in your heart you could never trust her. She is just a tease who was not as attractive once you got to know her. Don’t get me wrong, these girls can be a lot of fun, but in the end, you are better off without them.
On the other hand, teases can be a good thing as well. I was lucky enough to participate in some teases for Gridiron Glory a couple years back. In laymen terms, a tease was simply a preview of what was coming up later on the show. They served as a basis to see what direction the show was headed. My very first tease put me in Morgan’s concession stands with a hair net and gloves helping serve popcorn. All the teases were small in substance but were absolutely necessary so viewers at home could see when their teams highlights were coming. A promotion of what was to come in the future.
All of my teams exhibited one of those two ‘tease’ definitions. Some were supposed to be a lot better than what they were, while others gave me a preview of what I hope is to come in 2008. Let’s take a look back and see how in the world I survived the year that was 2007.
I’m going in order of performance, with the worse teams coming up first. It should be no surprise then which team I lead off with.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football
This story begins in New Orleans for the 2007 Sugar Bowl. Notre Dame vs. LSU. JaMarcus Russell vs. Brady Quinn. Potential #1 draft pick at stake. After some perspective I can’t actually believe I once thought that Notre Dame could win this game. It was over shortly after halftime. Entering the 2nd half, Notre Dame trailed the favored Tigers 21-14. The final score wound up being 41-14 LSU. I stopped watching the game mid-way through the 4th quarter. It was just brutal.
As ugly as that bowl game defeat was for Notre Dame, it failed mightily in comparison with how the rest of the year went for the Irish football program. Here is the abbreviated version.
- 2007 was all about the quarterbacks. Coach Weis had three to choose from before the start of the season. His pick to start the 1st game of the season completed just one pass. He would transfer schools later in the year.
- Freshman stud Jimmy Clausen struggled all year long. It’s hard to put all the blame on his shoulders, as he spent a good majority of the season on his back.
- The Irish went 3-9, their most losses ever.
- They failed to score a single point against Michigan OR USC, while gave up 38 both times.
- The Irish lost to Navy at home in triple overtime. I repeat, … lost … to … Navy … at home.
How did the Irish tease me? Never in my life would I imagine seeing a Notre Dame football team be this bad. I figured it was one of those things that just couldn’t happen, like Barnes dunking a basketball. Well, this year, Barnes could have won the NBA slam dunk competition. I also never thought I would see people calling for Charlie Weis to be fired so soon. Well, if he bombs again in 2008, he will have to watch the ‘09 Irish games from someplace other than the sidelines.
Prediction for 2008 - Big year for Coach Weis. Another year like ‘07 and he will be knocking on Belichick’s door looking for a job. I would like to think Jimmy Clausen will get better. I would like to think that these stud recruits that Weis has been pulling in will finally surface. I would like to think Notre Dame will have a winning record. My gut tells me something around 7-5 with a season ending bowl win. At this point I’ll take anything better than ‘07.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Disclaimer: The only reason I am even remotely interested in the NHL is because of the Penguins. They are the only team I follow at all. I can not name any coach (including the Penguins) nor can I name more than five players in the entire league.
Now that we are all on the same page I can continue.
Sidney Crosby is steadily climbing up into my favorite athletes list as we speak. He is the best player in the entire league, make no mistake. Crosby was good enough in ‘07 to lead the Penguins into the playoffs for the first time since 2001. Pittsburgh found themselves with the #5 seed, facing off against the Ottawa Senators. I actually watched this entire series all the while conjuring up memories from Penguins playoff games from the past. The Penguins were eliminated in five games and I haven’t watched a full hockey game since. That’s the way it goes. I only watch Pens playoff games.
The hope is that this young Penguins team can continue to improve into a division winner. There is too much talent on this team for them not to be competing for the Stanley Cup as soon as 2008. When you have the best player in the league, your chances for success skyrocket. The Penguins have Crosby and I have hope that 2007 was a small glimpse of what will soon come from Pittsburgh.
Prediction for ‘08 - Although Crosby just went down with a high ankle sprain that could seriously hurt the Pens chances of winning their division, I still like Pittsburgh to win a series in the playoffs. After that, it would all be gravy. On a side note, how cool was that outside game versus Buffalo on New Years’ Day? Even Big John seemed to show an interest, and I‘ve never seen him watch a second of a hockey game. Ever.
Chicago Bulls
I’m not going to beat around the bush here. The Chicago Bulls are the classic example of the girl tease. They look good to everyone at the beginning of the year, but by the third week of school you have realized what you feared all along. What you thought was a 10 has quickly turned into a 4 due to her all of a sudden visible flaws. I introduce you to the Chicago Bulls of ‘07 and soon to be ‘08 as well.
Chicago did manage to win 49 games last season. Their highest victory total since 1998. They also swept the defending champion, Miami Heat, in the 1st round of the NBA Playoffs. Those were the good things.
Chicago was in control of the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference the entire last two weeks of the regular season. They were battling the Cleveland Cavs for this all important position. Whoever earned the #2 seed would have a much easier road to the Eastern Conference Finals. On a personal note, I had an on-going bet with Joe that the Bulls would win more games than the Cavs. Well, all the Bulls had to do was beat the New Jersey Nets the last game of the season to get the #2 spot and get me $40. They lost, and I lost (still haven’t paid it yet, not gonna lie, I lost the address, again).
The Bulls lost to the Pistons in six games and to make matters worse, I had to watch the Cavs make it to the NBA Finals, knowing full well it could have easily been Chicago. I’m not sure if you can tell or not, but I HATE the Cavs. They are the Cleveland sports equivalent of the Ohio State Buckeyes. I’ll leave it at that.
Enter the beginning of this year. Many basketball gurus and publications listed the Bulls as one of the favorites to make it out of the East this season. Expectations were raised due to their 49 win total the season prior. Talks were in session of a possible trade, landing either Kevin Garnett or possibly even Kobe Bryant. They got neither. Currently they are 16-24. Enough said.
Prediction for ‘08 - Well the Bulls fired their head coach, Scott Skiles already, and their GM, John Paxson, is more than likely up next. It doesn’t look like it is going to get any better soon. I can’t believe I’m going to write this next sentence, but here goes. The Chicago Bulls will NOT make the playoffs this year. This was more like a 10 turning into a 2. It hurts. These Bulls will get worse before they get better and any true Bulls fan will agree with me.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Basketball
Head Coach Mike Brey has done one helluva job with this program. He has given it stability, an identity, and more importantly, a winning tradition. Expectations were low for this Irish team. They were picked to finish 11th in the Big East. They ended up going 11-5 in Big East play and receiving the #4 seed for the Big East Tourney. Russell Carter and Colin Falls produced throughout and newcomers like Tory Jackson and Luke Harangody filled in nicely. In ’07 they returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2003. They reached the Big East Semifinals. They were actually pretty good. I wasn’t expecting that at all.
Now, Notre Dame did lose to Winthrop in the 1st round of the NCAA tourney, but here are my two cents on that issue. The Irish, for whatever reason, was a #6 seed, which I thought was outrageous. They deserved a #5 seed at the worst. On top of that, they faced a Winthrop team that should have been seeded a lot better than #11. The Eagles were one of those teams you just pray your favorite team is not matched up against in the 1st round.
Currently, the Irish have won 30+ straight home games at the Joyce Center, which is a new team record. The other side of that is the fact that Notre Dame hasn’t won a road game yet. We’ll see. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised with this team. The future looks good.
Prediction for ‘08 - They need to start winning road games, or at the very least, be competitive. The Harangody-McAlarney combo is proving tough to stop. My best guess is that the Irish will go 11-7 in the Big East this year. They will be a proverbial bubble team for the NCAA tourney. If they get in they could be very dangerous if they get hot. I honestly believe that ‘09 will see the true potential of this talented young Irish team.
Cleveland Browns
This was a tough call, but I had to give the nod to the Indians. Sorry.
2007 was Romeo Crennel’s make it-or break it season. Word on the street was that another losing season would end it for Romeo. Bill Cowher was coming to town. As the great idiot Lee Corso puts it, “Not so fast my friends.”
It did not start so great for these Browns. They got smoked at home by Pittsburgh in the season opener and then traded their starting quarterback Charlie Frye two days later. Cue Derek Anderson and the rest is history. Anderson led these Browns to a 10-6 record, just missing out on a playoff spot. Braylon Edwards, Joshua Cribbs, and rookie Joe Thomas are all headed to the Pro Bowl. How did it happen? I have no idea.
Well, for one, they didn’t have any serious injuries. All of their key players were healthy for the entire season. Their offensive line came together and gave Anderson plenty of time to find the open receiver. Jamal Lewis returned to his old self and came through with an uber-productive season in a contract year. New offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski did such a great job in his first season that he recently got a contract extension through 2011. Things were just lined up in a perfect harmony this year.
However, the Browns still were not able to beat the Steelers. The Browns still gave away games late in the year that could have clinched a playoff spot. The Derek-Brady saga will hurt this team the longer it continues. The defense was banged up and couldn’t stop anyone. Those were the bad things (usually this paragraph is a lot longer).
Prediction for ‘08 - I would like to see Cleveland in some prime-time games this upcoming season. They deserve that. It’s very difficult to predict wins and losses in the NFL, but, if everyone stays healthy, this team should win 10+ games. Their offense is one of the league’s best. They have over $30 million to spend on free agency, which I would expect to be used on the defensive side of the ball (d-lineman and middle linebackers). It will be very interesting to find out if the Browns are able to handle the pressure and responsibilities of high expectations. They won’t be sneaking up on anyone in ‘08.
Cleveland Indians
This was a fun year to be a Tribe fan. They won the American League Central. They beat the New York Yankees in the ALDS and they were just one win away from going to the World Series. I had a blast this summer thanks to these Indians.
The Indians were expected to compete for the American League Central, but no one really thought they would be able to win it. However, thanks to a pitching staff that has turned into one of the league’s best, they won the A.L Central, dare I say, easily? Detroit did have some injuries, but so did Cleveland. Thanks to Fausto Carmona, those injuries turned into a blessing. Sabathia ended up winning the American League Cy Young Award and Eric Wedge won the American League Manager of the Year Award. I repeat. Eric Wedge, American League Manager of the Year. I still don’t believe it.
I just enjoyed watching this team play. It was that simple. They were young, passionate, and never seemed to be out of it. Even if they didn’t get the years we all expected from Travis Hafner and David Dellucci, performances from Asdrubal Cabrera, and *cough* Casey Blake helped soften those blows. This was a total team effort. Paul Byrd winning two games in the playoffs. Trot Nixon coming through in October. Everywhere you looked, someone was picking up one of his teammates.
The pies to the face are usually things I roll my eyes at, but with this team you could just tell that they genuinely enjoyed each other. Even though they fell just a little short, I was glad to be a part of it.
Prediction for ‘08 - I would have liked to see the Indians make a couple moves in the off-season, which they still have time to do. The Tigers and the White Sox both got better, and the Twins are getting healthier. It’s hard to stand still in this sport and still be competitive. If Sabathia and Carmona can continue like they did last year, then the Tribe will be in it to the end. The big question mark will be whether or not Hafner can rebound from his disappointing season. If my dad had any say then Casey Blake would pitch every day and bat for everyone (using ghost Casey Blakes for runners on base). In the end, I think this Indians team will make the playoffs in some way, shape, or form. From that point, it’s pretty much a crapshoot. It will all depend on our pitching, as it always does in baseball and always will.
How about some awards for ‘07? Giddy up.
BEST GAME OF THE YEAR - No question it was Boise St. vs. Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. This game had it all and then some. I said it at the time when I was watching it with Chewy, “this is the most ridiculous game I’ve ever seen.”
Runner ups: Browns-Ravens w/ Dawson’s 50 yard field goal that wasn’t but then was. Indians-Yankees Game Two of the ALDS w/ the midges.
BEST SPORTING EVENT I ATTENDED - I had plenty of Indians and Browns game to choose from, but the winner was Game Two of the ALDS with Grothaus. We were both pretty excited for this game due to Cleveland jumping out to a one game to nothing series lead so we headed up to Jacobs Field about two hours before the first pitch. We sat out in the right field mezzanine level, about six rows back. We watched Fausto Carmona and Andy Pettitte pitch an absolute duel. We saw bugs just completely take over the game in the 8th inning, all the while not having a single clue what was going on. It was, without a doubt, the best sporting event I ever was a part of. In the end, Travis Hafner came through in extras to win it, and Grothaus and I left exhausted. Excited, but exhausted.
Runner ups: Seeing my first Browns victory and Game One of the ALDS w/ Barnes.
BIGGEST SPORTING EVENT I MISSED - Big East semi-finals with Notre Dame facing Georgetown. It was only the second time Notre Dame had ever reached the Big East semi’s and I had to miss it because I was sitting in a van on my way to Hilton Head for Heidelberg’s Tennis Spring Trip. The trip was great, but I unfortunately had to rely on Barnes’ texts to let me know what was going down with the Irish. They lost 84-82. A part of me wonders if my presence could have resulted in the needed three for the win.
Runner ups: Notre Dame vs. Winthrop (1st round of the NCAA tourney) and the Chicago Bulls sweeping the Miami Heat in round one of the NBA playoffs.
BEST MOVIE I SAW IN THE THEATRE - Superbad. Hands down. I watched this movie with Devin and both of us were hurting afterwards due to our consistent laughter throughout. From beginning, to the middle, and all the way to the end, Superbad was THE best movie I watched in the theatres in ‘07.
Runner ups: Knocked Up, Saw IV and Pirates of the Caribbean At Worlds’ End.
BEST MOVIE I SAW ELSEWHERE - Batman Begins. I took Devin’s advice and watched the new Batman movie for the first time. Devin did not disappoint. Batman Begins is the best Batman movie made to date. Michael Keaton used to be my favorite Batman, but now it is Christian Bale. The Dark Knight is coming out here in ‘08 and I can not wait.
Runner ups: Not gonna lie, I can’t think of any.
BEST ‘IN YOUR FACE’ MOMENT - Tiger Woods beating up on Rory Sabbatini @ Firestone. Sabbatini was talking trash beforehand, saying Tiger was more beatable than ever. Well, Rory was paired with Tiger in the final round of the Bridgestone Invitational but got destroyed by Tiger. Woods shot a bogey free round of 5 under par to win convincingly by eight strokes.
NEW GUY I HATE THE MOST - Woody Austin. I can’t stand this guy. Here is someone who has NEVER won anything in his life, but because he is old, thinks he can run his mouth and everything will be okay. The fact is that he is an idiot. Don’t agree with me? This is a direct quote after he finished 2nd to Tiger in the PGA Championship. "It just happens that he scored better. You can't throw away that many opportunities when you are trying to win a big golf tournament. He took advantage; I didn't. Does that mean he played better than me or he's better than me? I don't agree with that." Like I said, an idiot. The sad part is that he actually believes it. Oh, did I mention he fell into a pond during the Presidents’ Cup this past year?
Runner ups: Rory Sabbatini, Tim Carter, Joel Skinner and J.D Drew.
NEW GUY I LOVE THE MOST - Joshua Cribbs. I’ve gotten the distinct pleasure of watching this guy grow up right before my eyes. Three seasons ago, Jared, Kevin, Lucius, and myself attended the Browns season opener against the Bengals. Cribbs returned the opening kickoff about 15 yards before getting drilled, which resulted in a fumble. Since then he has grown into a mature, well-spoken, and best return man in all of professional football. My condolences Mr. Hester.
Runner ups: Luke Harangody, Casey Blake (just for you dad), and Fausto Carmona.
THE MOMENT OF THE YEAR - This is my Picture of the Year award for ‘07. This is the big one. This is the one game, person, and/or moment that made the biggest impact for the entire year.
The candidates are as follows:
1) Game Two of the ALDS w/ Grothaus
2) Old College Roommates on WHEI Tuesday nights
3) The on-going Casey Blake-John Florence-Luke Florence saga
4) Browns trading up to get Brady Quinn
5) Joshua Cribbs’ 100 yard kickoff return in the Pittsburgh game
And the winner is …
BROWNS TRADING UP TO GET BRADY QUINN!!
Was there ever any doubt that Brady was going to win? It was THE moment of 2007. The hysteria that took place following that moment was something I’ve never experienced before. The phone calls to Jared and Kevin. The celebration w/ Lucius and Pete inside the Clover Club. It was unreal. A part of me still doesn’t believe it.
Somewhere Cam Cameron is cracking open a Keystone.
Well, that wraps it up for me in 2007. What will 2008 bring us? Who knows. That’s one of the beauties of life. You never know what you’re gonna get. Thanks Forrest.
As for my future columns, I do have several in mind. I have a big LOST piece that is due out Wednesday January 30th. I will also be recapping every new LOST episode from this point on as well. I have a Brady vs. Derek article. I also have another column on Brady titled, “From Michael, Andre, and now to Brady.” Lastly, I have revamped my top 40 sport figures list, and will be unveiling that as we go along.
Thanks to everyone for sticking 2007 out with me. It was quite a challenging year for yours truly. Here’s to everyone’s health, hopes, and happiness in ‘08. Peace be the journey.
Until next time, “read it, roll it, hole it.”
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