It's my favorite time of the year. Football season is fast approaching. In a couple of weeks, the NFL preseason kicks off as my Cowboys take on the Miami Dolphins in the Hall of Fame Game. Both teams have high expectations for the season. The Dolphins put some offensive weapons around last year's rookie QB Ryan Tannenhill. The team is hoping the addition of $60 million man Mike Wallace and TE Dustin Keller will allow Tannenhill and the Miami offense to stretch the field and be more explosive. GM Jeff Ireland is also hoping last year's leading receiver Brian Hartline continues to put up impressive numbers, especially since he gave Hartline a 5-year $31 million contract to stay. In fact, Ireland and the Dolphins opened the checkbook during the offseason, adding free agents on both offense and defense. On paper, the Dolphins look like one of the NFL's most improved teams. Ireland had better hope that what looks good on paper translates to the W-L column. I have a feeling if the Dolphins don't make a serious run for the playoffs this year, Ireland will be looking for a new job at the end of the season.
As for my Cowboys, I'm hoping for a playoff berth this year, but I won't hold my breath. I'm not one of those Cowboys' fans who has a massive man-crush on quarterback Tony Romo. I'm still flabbergasted the team agreed to pay him like he was Tom Brady or Peyton Manning (6 years, $108 million!!!). The only thing Tony consistently seems to do well, is choke in big games. In last year's win-or-go home game against the Washington Redskins, this play still haunts Dallas fans.
No, that wasn't a video I made. If it had been, I would have had to bleep out most of what I said following that play. But I think most of you get where I'm going. Romo has done stuff like this so many times in big games, I almost expect it. His defenders love to talk about all the great stats he puts up, which is true. I'm sure Tony is great guy to have on your fantasy football team. However, true Cowboys' fans care about only one thing: winning Super Bowls. That's something that hasn't happened in a while....a long while. Tony Romo isn't the only reason this is so, but he's been a major contributor.
The verdict is still out on Jason Garrett as well. The ex-backup QB for the Cowboys is supposedly a smart guy (Princeton grad), but he has been less than impressive so far as the head coach of the Cowboys. His play-calls have left me scratching my head...often. Maybe its because I'm not a Princeton grad and simply can't grasp the bigger picture that he envisions. However, I will say this: if the Boys have another less than stellar season (.500 or less) I say it's time to let Garrett and his grand vision ride off into the sunset.
Jerry Jones. Ah...what can one say? He's an easy target, what with the face-lifts and all. Each season, I keep hoping he realizes he needs to hire a 'real' football person to be his GM, and each season I'm disappointed. My only consolation is that he's not getting any younger. One can only wonder how many more Super Bowls the Cowboys might have won if Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones could have peacefully coexisted.
That aside, it's almost time for some NFL and college football! Life is good!
Monday, July 22, 2013
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Odds N Ends
Looks like future Hall-of-Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez might take one more shot at getting to the Super Bowl. Tony Gonzalez could return to falcons...
Has there ever been a more volatile season in college hoops, rankings-wise? This has definitely been the Year of the Upset! Get ready for another shake up in the polls as we head into March Madness. College Rankings...
On another college hoops note: My Wildcats took down the Gators at Rupp! We might make the Tourney after all. *fingers crossed* Kentucky knocks off Florida...
Jacksonville Jaguars -- They have an ugly new logo and apparently, are working hard to stay awful. Jaguars announce some big changes...
Yeah, they've been sputtering so far in the WBC, but Go USA! USA over Italy...
Speaking of baseball, while I've enjoyed the WBC, my enthusiasm for major league baseball is probably at an all-time low. As Opening Day fast approaches, all I can say is *yawn* Wake me up when it's football season.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Another Super Bow...er Big Game in the books. Okay, I have to confess, I didn't really have a dog in this fight. I just wanted a good game. During the first half, it didn't look like this would be the case. When Jacoby Jones returned the second half kickoff 109 (okay, 108) yards for a TD to put the Baltimore Ravens up 28-6, I was ready to turn off the game. Then the lights went out, literally. The Big Game stalled out for half an hour, while NFL officials ran around trying to figure out exactly happened and the talking heads on TV jabbered and jabbered and jabbered. Did I mention they jabbered? When play resumed, it seemed the momentum gods decided they'd done enough for Baltimore and jumped over to the San Francisco 49er's sideline. As the third quarter came to a close, the 49ers had closed the gap to 28-23.
Yes, the Super Bowl (there I said it, NFL. Sue me!) turned out to be a real thriller, and with under two minutes to play, and the Ravens leading 34-29, it came down to San Francisco having four downs to score a winning touchdown from inside the Baltimore's 10 yard line. The Ravens held on to win, maybe literally. On fourth down Colin Kaepernick lofted an incomplete pass intended for Michael Crabtree. In the replay it appeared that Crabtree and Jimmy Smith, the DB covering him, were more interested in wrestling each other than concentrating on the ball. After the play, Niner coach Jim Harbaugh was livid on his sideline. He wanted a holding call, and I think he had a point. Unfortunately, it also looked like Crabtree pushed Smith to the turf, which is offensive pass interference. Seemed like a good no-call to me but I'm sure there will be controversy over this for years to come.
Thus, another football season comes to a close. Let us all observe a moment of silence...
Yes, the Super Bowl (there I said it, NFL. Sue me!) turned out to be a real thriller, and with under two minutes to play, and the Ravens leading 34-29, it came down to San Francisco having four downs to score a winning touchdown from inside the Baltimore's 10 yard line. The Ravens held on to win, maybe literally. On fourth down Colin Kaepernick lofted an incomplete pass intended for Michael Crabtree. In the replay it appeared that Crabtree and Jimmy Smith, the DB covering him, were more interested in wrestling each other than concentrating on the ball. After the play, Niner coach Jim Harbaugh was livid on his sideline. He wanted a holding call, and I think he had a point. Unfortunately, it also looked like Crabtree pushed Smith to the turf, which is offensive pass interference. Seemed like a good no-call to me but I'm sure there will be controversy over this for years to come.
Thus, another football season comes to a close. Let us all observe a moment of silence...
Thursday, January 31, 2013
As a sports gaming enthusiast, one of the forums I often visit online is Table Top Sports (http://forums.delphiforums.com/tabletopsports). I found a post about a game called Solitaire Football. Back in January of 2012 someone posted asking if anyone had heard of the game. A short discussion ensued and then died out a few days later. A year later, Mike Keely, the creator of the game found the thread. Although he hasn't really done anything with the game since the late 90s, he still had collection of old seasons. Several people asked for information and what might be available to purchase. Since I had never heard of this game myself, I corresponded with Mr. Keely via e-mail and ordered the 1992 season along with some great teams. I received my copy of the game a few days ago and immediately delved into it.
It's definitely a no frills game. There's no fancy color printing or die-cut cards. Everything is DIY in that department. It reminded me a little of Kerstetter's Football (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12805/kerstetters-football). While Kerstetter's definitely had slicker packaging, Solitaire Football seems to have deeper game play -- at least that's my impression after my first limited outing with it. Gameplay is driven by FACs rather than dice.
I decided to pit the '58 Colts against the '58 Giants as my learning game. I played one quarter. It was slow going at first, as I often had to stop and refer back to the rules, but toward the end of the quarter things were speeding up.
It's definitely a no frills game. There's no fancy color printing or die-cut cards. Everything is DIY in that department. It reminded me a little of Kerstetter's Football (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12805/kerstetters-football). While Kerstetter's definitely had slicker packaging, Solitaire Football seems to have deeper game play -- at least that's my impression after my first limited outing with it. Gameplay is driven by FACs rather than dice.
I decided to pit the '58 Colts against the '58 Giants as my learning game. I played one quarter. It was slow going at first, as I often had to stop and refer back to the rules, but toward the end of the quarter things were speeding up.
The '58 Giants received the opening kickoff and went three-and-out. Johnny U tested the Giants' secondary early. On the first play from scrimmage, he hooked up with Raymond Berry for 18 yards. Two plays later Lenny Moore turned a short pass from Unitas into a 38 yard gain. Unfortunately, a holding call brought that back, and the Colts were forced to punt.
Starting from the New York 36, Frank Gifford broke through the line into the Colts' secondary for 19 yards. Despite the good gain, the drive stalled at the Colts' 38, and Pat Summerall missed the field goal try. Taking the ball at their own 20, the Colts launched a 14-play drive that was capped by a 6-yard TD pass from Unitas to Jim Mutscheller. The Giants' front four put good pressure on Unitas when he dropped back into the pocket to pass, but each time he was able to evade the pass rush and scramble for yardage.
The Giants took the kickoff and have driven from their own 18 to the Baltimore 25, where they are looking at a 3rd and 8. That's where I'll pick it up again, maybe sometime this weekend.
Looking at first quarter stats, things look reasonable.
Colts -- 7; Giants -- 0
Scoring: Mutscheller, 6 pass from Unitas (Myhra kick)
TEAM STATS
Colts Giants
First Downs 8 3
Rushes-Yards 11-51 12-64
Passing Yards 41 26
Passes 3-5-0 2-3-0
Sacks-Yards Lost 0-0 0-0
Return Yards 3 26
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-Yards 2-30 1-5
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Colts Rushing ATT YDS LNG TD
Alan Ameche 4 21 7 0
Johnny Unitas 3 13 5 0
Lenny Moore 3 13 7 0
L.G. DuPre 1 4 4 0
Colts Passing ATT COM YDS LNG TD INT
Johnny Unitas 5 3 41 18 1 0
Colts Receiving REC YDS LNG TD
Raymond Berry 2 35 18 0
Jim Mutscheller 1 6 6 1
Giants Rushing ATT YDS LNG TD
Frank Gifford 4 39 19 0
Alex Webster 3 11 6 0
Mel Triplett 4 10 6 0
Phil King 1 4 4 0
Colts Passing ATT COM YDS LNG TD INT
Charley Conerly 3 2 26 19 0 0
Colts Receiving REC YDS LNG TD
Bob Schnelker 1 19 19 0
Frank Gifford 1 7 7 0
Looking at first quarter stats, things look reasonable.
Colts -- 7; Giants -- 0
Scoring: Mutscheller, 6 pass from Unitas (Myhra kick)
TEAM STATS
Colts Giants
First Downs 8 3
Rushes-Yards 11-51 12-64
Passing Yards 41 26
Passes 3-5-0 2-3-0
Sacks-Yards Lost 0-0 0-0
Return Yards 3 26
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-Yards 2-30 1-5
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Colts Rushing ATT YDS LNG TD
Alan Ameche 4 21 7 0
Johnny Unitas 3 13 5 0
Lenny Moore 3 13 7 0
L.G. DuPre 1 4 4 0
Colts Passing ATT COM YDS LNG TD INT
Johnny Unitas 5 3 41 18 1 0
Colts Receiving REC YDS LNG TD
Raymond Berry 2 35 18 0
Jim Mutscheller 1 6 6 1
Giants Rushing ATT YDS LNG TD
Frank Gifford 4 39 19 0
Alex Webster 3 11 6 0
Mel Triplett 4 10 6 0
Phil King 1 4 4 0
Colts Passing ATT COM YDS LNG TD INT
Charley Conerly 3 2 26 19 0 0
Colts Receiving REC YDS LNG TD
Bob Schnelker 1 19 19 0
Frank Gifford 1 7 7 0
All-in-all, I'm having fun with this one so far and I'm glad I stumbled across this lost gem! Based on the buzz generated by the Table Top Sports forum for this game, I wonder if Mr. Keely might be tempted to add more seasons to the collection? If he wants a professional redesign of his game, I know someone who does good work inexpensively. *cough* me *cough* :)
Saturday, June 2, 2012
I started playing Sports Games when I was a kid. Some of my fondest early memories are of playing a football game called Cadaco Varsity with my dad. You called an offensive running or pass play, rolled 3 six-sided dice, added the total and looked up the play result on the game board. It was the "Scientific Football Game," it said so on the game board itself. It looked very old. It was brown with age and its edges were worn.
As I grew older, I moved on to other games. I had several electric football games but I was never satisfied with the way most of the players careened aimlessly around the field. Often, I wouldn't even bother turning on the switch that caused the field to vibrate. I'd line the players up in their formations and on 'hike' (yes, I said 'hike' to start each play) I would push them together into a big scrum. If the player with the ball was still upright after the scrum, I would push him on toward the opponent's goal line with several defenders in hot pursuit. The outcome of the play was entirely up to my whim!
I also remember playing All Star Baseball, a game where you inserted round player cards into slots and spun a spinner to determine the result of the play off of the card. I remember Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth being pretty good! There was the Cadaco Basketball Game, where an orange ping-pong ball would roll around the game board and settle into various holes on the court that were controlled either by yourself or an opponent. If it was one of your holes, you would then pull back a lever and release it to cause a flipper to shoot the ping-pong ball at an actual wire hoop. There was some real skill involved in this one, and I developed quite the midcourt stroke!
Another game I enjoyed playing with my dad was called NFL All-Pro. It was football-with checkers! Seriously! Players were checkers with helmets painted on top. The game was a hoot! To make a tackle, you had to jump your checker on top of the checker on which the plastic football rested, and if the ball fell off your piece while you moved it, that was considered a fumble. The game's rule book provided an orderly procedure for recovering such a fumble, but when my dad and I played, fumbles usually led to a free-for-all between us to snatch the ball off the field! Player/checkers often flew everywhere! It was also something of an inconvenience lining up 22 checkers prior to the snap for every play from scrimmage, so often we just played 6-on-6 man football. Good times
In 1973, as I was fast approaching my teen years, I remember noticing an ad in a Street and Smith Pro Football Preview for a game called APBA. The ad promised I could use individual players from actual pro teams to play a game of football on the table-top. Intrigued, I mailed a request for more information to the game company and for the next several weeks breathlessly checked our box every day for a reply. I vividly remember the day my mom handed me an envelope from the APBA Game Company. Oh wow! It had finally arrived! If any of you have seen a 'Christmas Story,' then you'll understand when I say I felt just like Ralphie did when he finally received his 'Little Orphan Annie' decoder ring. I removed the four color brochure printed on glossy stock and pored over the details. Wow again! Every pro player for each team had his own card! Enclosed were sample cards of Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris from the Super Bowl champ Dolphins. They were indescribably beautiful and while I wasn't sure what those 3-columns of numbers on the front of each card meant, I knew they must somehow unlock the mysteries of the football universe!
The game and a set of season cards was $24.95, a princely sum back in the day, especially for a kid. But my parents told me they'd help pay for half if I saved my allowance for the other half and did extra chores to earn it. It took me most of the summer, but by August I had saved enough and my parents wrote out a check for me to send to APBA. When the actual game was delivered several weeks later, I was in Nirvana. I spent hours pulling the cards out of each team envelope and going through them. The learning curve was a bit steep, but by fall, I was playing like an old pro. I mostly played solitaire because others thought the game was too complicated.
I ordered additional seasons and some classic teams from the game company. I became familiar with a generation of players who had starred in the NFL before I was born. Guys like Bobby Layne, Norm Van Brocklin, Otto Graham and Marion Motely. Stats were meticulously recorded by hand on paper and then tabulated at the completion of every game. Leagues were created and schedules were drawn. During the cold winter months many a classic gridiron battle was waged. I still feel nostalgic when I think about those days.
As I grew older, games took a backseat to real life. However, as home computers became available, a whole new generation of sports games became available. Replaying entire seasons now took weeks, instead of months or years. The sometimes tedious chores of rolling dice and looking at cards and flipping charts to find results was largely automated! In fact, some of today's modern computer games allow you to dabble in nuances of the sports world that the old the old card and dice games never touched: team finances, player contract negotiations, team chemistry, and player off season training. Finally, with the graphics capabilities of today's console gaming systems and computers, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between what is a sports simulation and an actual broadcast.
This brings me to the big question: the why? Why have I stay involved with this hobby my entire life? There's no easy answer. My love of sports is the most obvious answer, of course. There also is an element of 'if I had been running the show, things would have been different.' With me at the helm of my Dallas Cowboys in 1978, we BEAT those damn Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII; several times I might add! But perhaps the biggest reason is this: for a brief moment in time, all my cares and worries are gone and it's all about the game!
As I grew older, I moved on to other games. I had several electric football games but I was never satisfied with the way most of the players careened aimlessly around the field. Often, I wouldn't even bother turning on the switch that caused the field to vibrate. I'd line the players up in their formations and on 'hike' (yes, I said 'hike' to start each play) I would push them together into a big scrum. If the player with the ball was still upright after the scrum, I would push him on toward the opponent's goal line with several defenders in hot pursuit. The outcome of the play was entirely up to my whim!
I also remember playing All Star Baseball, a game where you inserted round player cards into slots and spun a spinner to determine the result of the play off of the card. I remember Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth being pretty good! There was the Cadaco Basketball Game, where an orange ping-pong ball would roll around the game board and settle into various holes on the court that were controlled either by yourself or an opponent. If it was one of your holes, you would then pull back a lever and release it to cause a flipper to shoot the ping-pong ball at an actual wire hoop. There was some real skill involved in this one, and I developed quite the midcourt stroke!
Another game I enjoyed playing with my dad was called NFL All-Pro. It was football-with checkers! Seriously! Players were checkers with helmets painted on top. The game was a hoot! To make a tackle, you had to jump your checker on top of the checker on which the plastic football rested, and if the ball fell off your piece while you moved it, that was considered a fumble. The game's rule book provided an orderly procedure for recovering such a fumble, but when my dad and I played, fumbles usually led to a free-for-all between us to snatch the ball off the field! Player/checkers often flew everywhere! It was also something of an inconvenience lining up 22 checkers prior to the snap for every play from scrimmage, so often we just played 6-on-6 man football. Good times
In 1973, as I was fast approaching my teen years, I remember noticing an ad in a Street and Smith Pro Football Preview for a game called APBA. The ad promised I could use individual players from actual pro teams to play a game of football on the table-top. Intrigued, I mailed a request for more information to the game company and for the next several weeks breathlessly checked our box every day for a reply. I vividly remember the day my mom handed me an envelope from the APBA Game Company. Oh wow! It had finally arrived! If any of you have seen a 'Christmas Story,' then you'll understand when I say I felt just like Ralphie did when he finally received his 'Little Orphan Annie' decoder ring. I removed the four color brochure printed on glossy stock and pored over the details. Wow again! Every pro player for each team had his own card! Enclosed were sample cards of Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris from the Super Bowl champ Dolphins. They were indescribably beautiful and while I wasn't sure what those 3-columns of numbers on the front of each card meant, I knew they must somehow unlock the mysteries of the football universe!
The game and a set of season cards was $24.95, a princely sum back in the day, especially for a kid. But my parents told me they'd help pay for half if I saved my allowance for the other half and did extra chores to earn it. It took me most of the summer, but by August I had saved enough and my parents wrote out a check for me to send to APBA. When the actual game was delivered several weeks later, I was in Nirvana. I spent hours pulling the cards out of each team envelope and going through them. The learning curve was a bit steep, but by fall, I was playing like an old pro. I mostly played solitaire because others thought the game was too complicated.
I ordered additional seasons and some classic teams from the game company. I became familiar with a generation of players who had starred in the NFL before I was born. Guys like Bobby Layne, Norm Van Brocklin, Otto Graham and Marion Motely. Stats were meticulously recorded by hand on paper and then tabulated at the completion of every game. Leagues were created and schedules were drawn. During the cold winter months many a classic gridiron battle was waged. I still feel nostalgic when I think about those days.
As I grew older, games took a backseat to real life. However, as home computers became available, a whole new generation of sports games became available. Replaying entire seasons now took weeks, instead of months or years. The sometimes tedious chores of rolling dice and looking at cards and flipping charts to find results was largely automated! In fact, some of today's modern computer games allow you to dabble in nuances of the sports world that the old the old card and dice games never touched: team finances, player contract negotiations, team chemistry, and player off season training. Finally, with the graphics capabilities of today's console gaming systems and computers, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between what is a sports simulation and an actual broadcast.
This brings me to the big question: the why? Why have I stay involved with this hobby my entire life? There's no easy answer. My love of sports is the most obvious answer, of course. There also is an element of 'if I had been running the show, things would have been different.' With me at the helm of my Dallas Cowboys in 1978, we BEAT those damn Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII; several times I might add! But perhaps the biggest reason is this: for a brief moment in time, all my cares and worries are gone and it's all about the game!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Okay. So Manning is now a Denver Bronco, and Tim Tebow is a New York Jet. Didn't see that one coming.
Ought to be an interesting season in New Orleans, with coach Sean Peyton suspended for a year. I heard Bill Parcells was being considered as the interim coach for the 2012 season, but the Big Tuna put the big kablooie on that rumor. Update: Assistant coach Joe Vitt (pictured with Peyton) will coach the Saints this season.
Ought to be an interesting season in New Orleans, with coach Sean Peyton suspended for a year. I heard Bill Parcells was being considered as the interim coach for the 2012 season, but the Big Tuna put the big kablooie on that rumor. Update: Assistant coach Joe Vitt (pictured with Peyton) will coach the Saints this season.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Peyton Place
Lots of questions surrounding Peyton Manning. Will he be healthy enough (neck) to continue his career? Will he stay with the Colts and mentor probable draft choice, Andrew Luck (not likely without a massive restructure of his current contract)? If he leaves Indy, where will he go? Should be an interesting offseason.
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