If you follow sports at all, you probably know that Kurt Warner decided to retire. He has a nice message to his fans on his one and only official web site. You can see it here. Right hand side, just below the fold. You can see more on the Cardinals web site.
It's bitter-sweet. When I moved to Arizona, I bled green and gold. It took Kurt Warner to make me care about the Cardinals, a team with a losing tradition as long and solid as the Chicago Cubs, but without being as lovable. But it wasn't just me, nobody in Phoenix cared much about the Cardinals until last season. Despite, an ESPN has put it, the team having a Jeckyll and Hyde personality, bringing back the old nickname of Cardiac Cards, Kurt Warner made the team into a winner. He elevated the play of everyone around him.
I lived in southeastern Wisconsin when Bambi's Bombers took the World Series to 7 games in 1982. I spent a good amount of time in Kansas City when the Royals won it all in 1984. I lived in San Jose during the Joe Montana/Steve Young era 49ers. And now I've lived in the valley when Kurt's Kards went to the Superbowl. Of all that, I have never seen a place so invigorated as the valley became over a sports team in the past two years. We bought Cardinals shirts on clearance for $1 each back in the day. Now, you can't find even knock-offs under $15.
Kurt, thanks for everything you've done for Arizona and for the Cardinals. It's been a heck of a ride and I wish you all the best in the next chapter of your life.
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Friday, January 29, 2010
One of the Evils of Life and Changes in Football?
I think I have all the documents I need to start my taxes. So, here we go again. Time to fire up TurboTax, collect various receipts, print out forms from Scottrade, dig through the medical file to find out how much we spent on precriptions, and so forth.
It's going to be an interesting process this year with all the different situations I find myself in. Unemployment, funeral, odd job income, new business expenses, and business losses.
It's something we all have to deal with, so I best get on with it.
//
Kurt Warner is scheduled to announce his retirement/non-retirement decision in just under three hours. If he decides to stay, it just delays the inevitable transition. If he retires, the Cardinals need to become Matt Leinart's team quickly, and the running game will become a focus for Coach Whis. I'm wearing Cardinal red today (see photo two entries below) to support both Kurt and the team no matter the decision.
The expiration of the agreement between the players and owners will make this an interesting season regardless. My understanding is that if no new agreement is reached, the salary cap goes away for the 2010 season. One of the reasons I have turned away from baseball to football was the long stretch without a labor dispute. I also like the salary cap, and how it seems to have brought a lot of parity to the NFL. With no salary cap, do you see Indianapolis and New Orleans as the top seeds in playoffs, or do the large market teams dominate like they do in baseball?
Remember the days when the Kansas City Royals were a contender? That was back in the mid 1980s. It's a small city market, and they can't compete with George Steinbrenner, who constantly buys pennants. The Yankees are a great organization, but it isn't hard to win that many pennants if you have the cash to hoard all the good players. It takes away from the game.
A lockout of the 2011 football season, which the sportswriters all predict, would probably push me away from football into hockey. That would be a great loss, because I love football.
It's going to be an interesting process this year with all the different situations I find myself in. Unemployment, funeral, odd job income, new business expenses, and business losses.
It's something we all have to deal with, so I best get on with it.
//
Kurt Warner is scheduled to announce his retirement/non-retirement decision in just under three hours. If he decides to stay, it just delays the inevitable transition. If he retires, the Cardinals need to become Matt Leinart's team quickly, and the running game will become a focus for Coach Whis. I'm wearing Cardinal red today (see photo two entries below) to support both Kurt and the team no matter the decision.
The expiration of the agreement between the players and owners will make this an interesting season regardless. My understanding is that if no new agreement is reached, the salary cap goes away for the 2010 season. One of the reasons I have turned away from baseball to football was the long stretch without a labor dispute. I also like the salary cap, and how it seems to have brought a lot of parity to the NFL. With no salary cap, do you see Indianapolis and New Orleans as the top seeds in playoffs, or do the large market teams dominate like they do in baseball?
Remember the days when the Kansas City Royals were a contender? That was back in the mid 1980s. It's a small city market, and they can't compete with George Steinbrenner, who constantly buys pennants. The Yankees are a great organization, but it isn't hard to win that many pennants if you have the cash to hoard all the good players. It takes away from the game.
A lockout of the 2011 football season, which the sportswriters all predict, would probably push me away from football into hockey. That would be a great loss, because I love football.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Of Roasted Cardinal and Mangled Bats
My son and I participated in an Eagle project for one of the boys in his scout troop this morning. We did trail work on an unlisted trail to repair ATV damage, and also to block an illegal ATV access trail. hard work, very physical, cutting and dragging dead branches around. We also found a wounded bat on the trail and the boys attempted a rescue, taking it to an area where the rangers deal with wounded animals.
We left the house just before 7:00 and got home at about 1:00. that gave enough time to get into the shower then dress for the Cardinal-Saints game.
Other than the touchdown run on the first snap of the game, the Cardinals looked flat. They lost two major defenders early, and Kurt Warner went down after being hit trying to tackle the guy who intercepted his pass. Matt Leinart looked okay through the end of the second quarter, but Neil Rackers missed another field goal--this time short. Rackers never misses short, which tells me that groin injury isn't properly healed and quite likely was aggravated last week. Even punter Ben Graham looked flat, punting uncharacteristic short.
I think Green Bay just wore the Cardinals out. They looked tired,and they played tired.
It was a good run, a better season than last year even if the ride didn't last as long.
Now that football season is over for me (though I'll probably catch a few more games) I'll be turning to hockey until the Olympics, where it will be more hockey and some speed skating, luge, and bobsled.
We left the house just before 7:00 and got home at about 1:00. that gave enough time to get into the shower then dress for the Cardinal-Saints game.
Other than the touchdown run on the first snap of the game, the Cardinals looked flat. They lost two major defenders early, and Kurt Warner went down after being hit trying to tackle the guy who intercepted his pass. Matt Leinart looked okay through the end of the second quarter, but Neil Rackers missed another field goal--this time short. Rackers never misses short, which tells me that groin injury isn't properly healed and quite likely was aggravated last week. Even punter Ben Graham looked flat, punting uncharacteristic short.
I think Green Bay just wore the Cardinals out. They looked tired,and they played tired.
It was a good run, a better season than last year even if the ride didn't last as long.
Now that football season is over for me (though I'll probably catch a few more games) I'll be turning to hockey until the Olympics, where it will be more hockey and some speed skating, luge, and bobsled.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Now I Know What Color to Wear
After enduring two weeks of watching my two favorite teams play each other, I can finally get behind the Cardinals 100%. I grew up in Wisconsin and am still a die-hard Packers fan. Still, when you watch the local team week in and week out, hear about them on the news, see all the other people wearing the colors, it's very hard not to root for them. In this case, it's the Cardinals.
When I first moved to the valley, it was very easy to root against the Cardinals. To be blunt, they sucked. And they didn't just start being bad when I moved here, they were bad since the 1970s.
Over the past few years, since the new stadium was built, really, they've been getting better and better. When they started Kurt Warner last year, it was the beginning of something special. Almost winning the Superbowl last year was one heck of a ride for a city who never really had a football team to root for.
The first two times Green Bay played Arizona this year, the games were utterly meaningless. One was pre-season, one was game 16 after the Cardinals had nothing to play for. Today's game was a barnburner. Wow. 96 total points in a 51-45 overtime victory for the Cards on a defensive touchdown. Holy smokes!
It should have been 48-45 in regulation but for Rackers' muffed field goal. A guy who I had been following for two years as one of the best kickers in the NFL, and one of the few kickers whose jersey I would have been willing to wear, almost lost the game for them. When the Packers won the overtime toss, Rackers took his frustration out on the ball, kicking a line-drive touchback.
New Orleans has a high-octane offense too. We might just see another one next week in the Superdome.
I would have been okay with Green Bay winning, though I prefer to see Kurt Warner finish his career with another Superbowl. Aaron Rogers will get his ring. Just not this year.
And I'm still looking for an Aaron Rogers Jersey if anybody knows where any are in the valley. Even if I won't be wearing it until Arizona is done.
When I first moved to the valley, it was very easy to root against the Cardinals. To be blunt, they sucked. And they didn't just start being bad when I moved here, they were bad since the 1970s.
Over the past few years, since the new stadium was built, really, they've been getting better and better. When they started Kurt Warner last year, it was the beginning of something special. Almost winning the Superbowl last year was one heck of a ride for a city who never really had a football team to root for.
The first two times Green Bay played Arizona this year, the games were utterly meaningless. One was pre-season, one was game 16 after the Cardinals had nothing to play for. Today's game was a barnburner. Wow. 96 total points in a 51-45 overtime victory for the Cards on a defensive touchdown. Holy smokes!
It should have been 48-45 in regulation but for Rackers' muffed field goal. A guy who I had been following for two years as one of the best kickers in the NFL, and one of the few kickers whose jersey I would have been willing to wear, almost lost the game for them. When the Packers won the overtime toss, Rackers took his frustration out on the ball, kicking a line-drive touchback.
New Orleans has a high-octane offense too. We might just see another one next week in the Superdome.
I would have been okay with Green Bay winning, though I prefer to see Kurt Warner finish his career with another Superbowl. Aaron Rogers will get his ring. Just not this year.
And I'm still looking for an Aaron Rogers Jersey if anybody knows where any are in the valley. Even if I won't be wearing it until Arizona is done.
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Cards Release Nugent
Color me a little disappointed that the Cardinals released kicker Mike Nugent outright. I would have preferred to see him signed to the practice squad. Neil Rackers is the Cardinals normal kicker, and a damn good one. Still, with Rackers' injury, Mike Nugent had a 100% success rate as a stand-in. He made every field goal he was asked to kick. He didn't screw up any kickoffs either.
Of course, Nugent went in knowing that he would only be a round for a few weeks, but still, a decent kicker is hard to find, and with Rackers not at 100%, it would be good to have Nugent on the roster for the playoffs.
Not completely understanding Whisenhunt's rationale here.
Of course, Nugent went in knowing that he would only be a round for a few weeks, but still, a decent kicker is hard to find, and with Rackers not at 100%, it would be good to have Nugent on the roster for the playoffs.
Not completely understanding Whisenhunt's rationale here.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Still Staggering
I'm still on the mend from the cold I inherited. Nose is crunchy from all the runny nose activity but it's healing. I'm using the holidays to catch up on all the things that get lost in the shuffle during busy periods, things like balancing the checkbook. As the one year anniversary of the layoff looms in the not-too-distant future, I'll be managing the finances a lot more closely.
On the brighter side, Wisconsin went to Florida to play the Miami Hurricanes and basically had their way with them. Miami looked good on their first possession, but the cold *giggle* weather got to them. For Wisconsin, it felt like spring, and their offense played well passing and running the ball.
On the brighter side, Wisconsin went to Florida to play the Miami Hurricanes and basically had their way with them. Miami looked good on their first possession, but the cold *giggle* weather got to them. For Wisconsin, it felt like spring, and their offense played well passing and running the ball.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Staggering Back to Life
Over the past several days, I have been "enjoying" the cold my daughters brought home from school and gave me for Christmas. It's been a nasty headcold that I am now on the recovery end of. I feel pretty fortunate that it hasn't developed into a sinus infection (yet).
On the writing front, nothing much has happened. The loss of the computer derailed my momentum from NaNoWriMo, and now the whole family is home all day for the holidays, making it more difficult to slip away and spend quality time with a story. I have one partial that I have to finish within the next month, due for the M-Brane SF Aether Age anthology. Once I finish that, I want to finish the NaNo novel and get back on track. That should be easier as I get over this cold and stop feeling like I want to melt into the floor, with the cold weather the only thing preventing it.
//
The Cardinals got their tenth win yesterday, the first time in something like 35 years. they won, and the media is all over how they looked back in sync and played well. I disagree. The passing game looked a bit better, but the play was still sloppy. They should have wiped the mat with the Rams the way Green Bay did with Seattle. The Rams were still in the game until deep into the 4th quarter. They contained Beanie Wells, who also nearly fumbled once. Hightower looked like the ineffective running back from a few years ago, and there are very few passing plays with yards after the catch. That last item has been an issue all season.
The Cardinals still have an outside shot at the first round bye, but I doubt that we'll see the Bears beat the Vikings tonight. A Vikings loss still means the Cardinals need both the Eagles and the Vikings to lose in week 17. That combination is about as likely as a pool umbrella staying put in a dust storm.
So, we'll know by tomorrow, but I suspect we'll not see a lot of Warner or Rodgers when the Packers come to town to play the Cardinals. And probably, the Packers will just stay in town after that game since they'll likely be playing the Cardinals in round one of the playoffs.
On the writing front, nothing much has happened. The loss of the computer derailed my momentum from NaNoWriMo, and now the whole family is home all day for the holidays, making it more difficult to slip away and spend quality time with a story. I have one partial that I have to finish within the next month, due for the M-Brane SF Aether Age anthology. Once I finish that, I want to finish the NaNo novel and get back on track. That should be easier as I get over this cold and stop feeling like I want to melt into the floor, with the cold weather the only thing preventing it.
//
The Cardinals got their tenth win yesterday, the first time in something like 35 years. they won, and the media is all over how they looked back in sync and played well. I disagree. The passing game looked a bit better, but the play was still sloppy. They should have wiped the mat with the Rams the way Green Bay did with Seattle. The Rams were still in the game until deep into the 4th quarter. They contained Beanie Wells, who also nearly fumbled once. Hightower looked like the ineffective running back from a few years ago, and there are very few passing plays with yards after the catch. That last item has been an issue all season.
The Cardinals still have an outside shot at the first round bye, but I doubt that we'll see the Bears beat the Vikings tonight. A Vikings loss still means the Cardinals need both the Eagles and the Vikings to lose in week 17. That combination is about as likely as a pool umbrella staying put in a dust storm.
So, we'll know by tomorrow, but I suspect we'll not see a lot of Warner or Rodgers when the Packers come to town to play the Cardinals. And probably, the Packers will just stay in town after that game since they'll likely be playing the Cardinals in round one of the playoffs.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Entropy Central Held Hostage: Day 15
Day 15 of the computer crisis. Still running on the old laptop.
I stopped by the place yesterday because I was driving past, and they were struggling with the operating system. Needed the key, they said, and the sticker isn't on the computer side panel. Well, of course not. I built the system myself and I put the sticker on the back. He didn't look there.
He got the OS validated and I sit here waiting to hear on the status again. Waiting. Waiting.
In other news, the Cardinals really beat themselves up last night. Monday Night Football has never been very kind to the Cards, and this week was no exception. 7 turn-overs. It's a testament to the team that they were only beaten by 15 points. Imagine the score if they had turned the ball over 7 times against the Vikings.
Hopefully, they got it all out of their systems and can make Detroit pay. Of course, everyone makes Detroit pay... The Larry Fitzgerald injury was the most frightening part of the game. Thankfully, he played in the 4th quarter. Of more concern is the injury to Neil Rackers. He is one of the best kickers in the NFL and without him, the Cardinals are going to be hurting bad.
Ugly ugly loss.
I stopped by the place yesterday because I was driving past, and they were struggling with the operating system. Needed the key, they said, and the sticker isn't on the computer side panel. Well, of course not. I built the system myself and I put the sticker on the back. He didn't look there.
He got the OS validated and I sit here waiting to hear on the status again. Waiting. Waiting.
In other news, the Cardinals really beat themselves up last night. Monday Night Football has never been very kind to the Cards, and this week was no exception. 7 turn-overs. It's a testament to the team that they were only beaten by 15 points. Imagine the score if they had turned the ball over 7 times against the Vikings.
Hopefully, they got it all out of their systems and can make Detroit pay. Of course, everyone makes Detroit pay... The Larry Fitzgerald injury was the most frightening part of the game. Thankfully, he played in the 4th quarter. Of more concern is the injury to Neil Rackers. He is one of the best kickers in the NFL and without him, the Cardinals are going to be hurting bad.
Ugly ugly loss.
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