Cool Uniform Props: Oregon carbons

In honor of their playing for the national championship tonight, I dole out some Cool Uniform Props to the Oregon Ducks for their "carbon" uniforms donned in their Civil War win against Oregon State Dec. 4.

People tend to love or hate the Ducks' uniforms, and I'm definitely in the pro camp. As they wear a different arrangement every game seemingly, they tend to have several candidates for props, but the carbons were my favorite so far this season.

White jersey and socks, a carbon fiber-patterned helmet and silver cleats. Top shelf.

Not sure what they're wearing for the BCS Championship, but I'm sure Nike will bust out something crazy.

Cool Uniform Props: Tampa Bay creamsicles

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers seem to roll the franchise's original creamsicle uniforms out once a year now, as they did a couple weeks ago against Atlanta, but they should make it permanent.

Tampa may have won a Super Bowl in the current pewter and red uniforms, but they are lame and the orange, red and white creamsicles rule.

Cool Uniform Props: Buffalo Bills throwbacks

If the Buffalo Bills wear these rad throwback uniforms enough, eventually we won't be reminded of national pariah O.J. Simpson every time we see them. More importantly, we won't be subjected to their current regular uniforms, which are heinous.

The Bills rolled out these third uniform throwbacks out last season, and have continued with them this season. And whether all white, or with blue jerseys, they're super sweet.

Cool Uniform Props: Denver Broncos throwbacks

These uniforms are nutso — and pretty far from any orange and blue arrangements you'd expect the Broncos to be wearing — but I like them.

If the yellow jerseys and brown pants weren't enough, Denver was sporting socks with vertical yellow and brown stripes. They looked pretty Oompa Loompa, and normally I'd prefer horizontal stripes, but they grew on me and earned points for crazy factor.

Top everything off with a black helmet with only numbers on the sides, and you have a winner. Also, Orton and Marshall ran up fantasy points for me today, so it was win-win.



UPDATE: Road version!

Bird crap

I said as much over at Will We Ever Win, but here's my reaction to yet another Eagles loss in an NFC Championship game, with some bonus venting thrown in for good measure.

The Eagles were still getting good luck from some refs' calls and screw-ups by the Cardinals, and just didn't do anything with it.

The Cardinals' last drive for a TD felt inevitable. It's like their offensive coordinator woke the hell up and went right back to what worked in the first quarter.

The long pass to DeSean Jackson where he bobbled the ball while walking into the endzone had me laughing out loud. That was pure joy. Didn't last, of course.

The Eagles are down 14-3 and driving in the first half, inside the Cardinals' 30, I believe. And they call a momentum killer in a quick pass to Greg Lewis right on the line of scrimage, where he's supposed to deek the defender one-on-one. Has that play ever, ever worked with Greg Lewis? Ever? Needless to say he got thrown for a 2- or 3-yard loss. PATHETIC!

Kevin Curtis has to catch that fourth-down pass that basically ended the game. If he was touched it did not impede him. It's football, people touch you.

McNabb isn't bothering to say he, himself, came up short, when he clearly did. Big surprise.

Brent Celek is clearly a better player than L.J. Smith, like most fans have said all season. We were smarter/less stubborn than Andy. Again.

I continue to maintain the drafting of DeSean Jackson was a complete fluke. Reid lucked into that draft pick like the Eagles lucked into the playoffs. Jackson and Celek were studs Sunday.

I thought all year there was more talent on this team than the record and play indicated. They were lucky as hell to even get into the playoffs, where it was evident they could have been in the Super Bowl. Who then is to blame for being a mediocre team all year, being gifted into the playoffs and then coming up short in crunch time? Mostly Andy Reid.

Can't say I didn't enjoy the game, once the Birds started the comeback anyway. Down as they were at halftime, I thought they could come back. And they did, taking the lead. And then ...

Maybe the Phillies winning the World Series softened me up, but I'm not outraged or anything. I'm not going to be calling for Reid's head or to move McNabb, because that's been futile for years now. It's just really disappointing realizing you were that close to the Super Bowl, and would have gotten there in incredible fashion. All for naught.

UPDATE: Ron Wood on the above-mentioned Greg Lewis play. "That horrible play call to Greg Lewis on 2nd and 2 was from the 13 and was the worst play call of the game."

Last weekend

Spent a good deal of time watching sports last weekend and saw some nutty stuff. But let's get this out of the way first: "Sports, sports, sports, sports! Bart gets to ride in front because he's a good guy at sports!"


OK. First, Lewis Hamilton became the youngest driver, and first non-white dude, to win the Formula One championship, but only by the narrowest of margins after almost throwing away the title on the last lap.

First a little background. Hamilton, as a rookie last season, entered the last race in Brazil up 7 points. It should have been more, but he made hist first major mistake when he beached his car while entering the pits in China the week before. Another major driving gaffe, then a mechanical issue, would follow in Brazil, and there went the championship. Hamilton lost by 1 point to (my boy) Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari.

And so cut to a year later. Hamilton again starts at Interlagos up 7 points, with only native Brazilian Felipe Massa of Ferrari. And Massa usually cleans up at his home track. So a little eerie, right? Maybe, except Hamilton seemed to apply the lessons learned from the '07 and '08 seasons and was content running around in the top four most of the day, needing only to finish fifth to take the title should Massa win.

And then it started raining, and it got a little crazy.

With a handful of laps remaining all the front-runners, and most of the field, came in for intermediate rain tires. But not Toyota's Timo Glock, and with Glock staying out, Hamilton was in fifth place.

Which was good for the title, but then BMW's Robert Kubica, a lap down mind you, suddenly was much faster than Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton, and proceeded to pass Vettel going into a corner. Hamilton then seemed to pull over to let him through coming out of the corner, but did so awkwardly and slowed quite a bit, thus allowing Vettel to pass him as well.

And with less than two laps to go, Hamilton, great in the wet all season and driving the best car in the series, could do nothing about it. Vettel, likely taking the unofficial title of "best driver in the wet," was gapping him in an inferior car. The McLaren crew was collectively crapping their nomex suits, and the title was lost.

If not for Timo Glock's dry tires, that is. Massa was already well past the flag man when Glock slowed precipitously, supposedly because the rain picked up and he was struggling to stay on track.Vettel and Hamilton went screaming by, crossing the line seconds later in fourth and fifth, giving the title to Hamilton by a margin of 1 point over Massa.

To watch Hamilton have the title so well in hand all through the race, and then to almost throw it away with a few laps remaining, then to pass Glock at the last moment to save it: amazing. A definite "Whaaat?!?!" moment.


In far less dramatic news, Troy Corser, the guy I root for in World Superbike, took second in the championship with a stong last race, even as title winner Troy Bayliss dominated the weekend with two poles and two race wins. (Not bad for Bayliss' retirement send-off.) But second in the championship was pretty good considering a stong finish to the season was needed to claim it from teammate Noriyuki Haga.

Corser is leaving Yamaha for the new BMW factory effort next season. Should be interesting to see how competitive they'll be. Corser, though, is a good choice for BMW as he's fast, reliable and experienced.


And last we have that Texas Tech defeat of Texas, which was pretty epic. Crabtree is stout. I've liked Texas Tech a bit since someone somewhere referred to their fans as the "Philadelphia Eagles fans of colege football." Looking at the photo below, I'm guessing that was an accurate assessment.

The power of orange

Just the power of orange, USC.

We are ... not going to Penn State

Not a surprise. Terrelle Pryor, the top high school recruit nationally, is going to Ohio State, with Michigan losing out.

Pryor was reportedly only involving Penn State in the process at all because of his relationship to PSU assistant Tom Bradley, and because that's where his father wanted him to go. Reading between the lines of Pryor's comments at his press conference, PSU's not on the same level as Ohio State and Michigan.

Step up your game Penn State.

Throw JoePa a bone

I don't know how many more years Joe Paterno plans to coach Penn State, but the next few could be pretty good ones if Terrelle Pryor chooses the Nittany Lions. While announcing Wednesday he was putting off a college decision, Pryor said Penn State was one of four schools still being considered, but it's sounding unlikely to me.

It would be cool though. Pennsy pride Terrelle, yeah?

Andre, my team is sorry

(Think L7's "Andres" for post title.)
Despite the fact my first two draft picks (who shall remain nameless) either stunk or were hurt most the season, I think I still could have made the playoffs in my fantasy football league if I had wide receiver Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans healthy all season. He was money when healthy, averaging 100 yards and a touchdown per game. But he only played seven, and the Pacmen are in last place, missing the playoffs.

Naming my team after the suspended Titans cornerback/professional wrestler Pacman Jones may have been bad karma, but Pacman did well by me last year, and I stick by my players. The efforts of those who fought hard for me down the stretch this year will not be forgotten come 2008.

Also, we need to give Cool Uniform Props to the Texans for trotting out the red jersey/red pants combo against the Broncos this past week.